2015

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    Grieving Mirth – Calamitosvs Omine (2015)

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    Being huge fans of Atmospheric/Post Black Metal releases, we are quite puzzled how this little gem managed to sit on our virtual review queue for this long. Labeled as an international band, Grieving Mirth unleashes their debut EP titled “Calamitosvs Omine”, featuring five brilliant pieces of highly melancholic extreme music. Highly recommended for fans of bands like Heretoir, Anomalie, Harakiri for the Sky, Austere, this release is quite an interesting find.

    The album opens with the ravaging “Malaugurio”, a song that sets the tone for this release with heavily melancholic riffs and powerful drumming. All of this is perfectly rounded up with firm harsh vocals that differ from your traditionally used BM shrieks. The band’s intensity level is quite impressive making the songs be both very melancholic and brutal at the same time, “Indelectavs” is a clear example of this.

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    Owler – Waves (2015)

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    Hailing from Finland, today we have a band that perfectly combines elements from Post-Rock/Post-Metal with traditional Finish Melodic Death Metal. Delivering over 25 minutes of melancholic music, this band could be described as a mixture of The Man Eating Three with Before the Dawn.

    The EP starts with the lush “Throes”, a track filled with melancholic clean vocals and dreamy guitars. At first glance, the guitars seem a bit heavier than usual for this type of music, but they do an effective job at preparing the listener for what is to come. As “Distance” kicks off we are instantly reminded of Before the Dawn during their “Soundscape of Silence” years. The mixture of growls and clean vocals is very effective and they perfectly contrast the ethereal keyboards and weeping guitars.

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    Eradikal Insane – Mithra (2015)

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    Interestingly blending Modern Death Metal/Deathcore elements with musical acrobatic skills, today we have Eradikal Insane and their crushing debut release “Mithra”. Hailing from France, this band delivers over 45 minutes of technically proficient music that is both crushing and complex. If you like bands like Obscura and The Black Dahlia Murder, this is definitely something you want to check out.

    Delivering the first blow with the playful opener “A Perpetual Nothing”, we are instantly introduced to the band’s chaotic style. Their music is quite uniquely crafted as they change the tempo of the songs quite often thanks to a plethora of incisive riffs and highly precise drum patterns as we can hear on “Initium” and “Sediments of Misconception”. Some other time, the band choses to pay homage to legendary bands such as Death, as you can hear in the opening of “Consciousness Alight”.

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    Sign of the Evil – Black Throne of Blood (2015)

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    There is a certain magical rawness to South American Black Metal release that is missing from bands from other parts of the world. In this vein, today we have Peru’s Sign of the Evil and their crushing full-length debut “Black Throne of Blood”. Delivering over 30 minutes of blistering and ravaging Black Metal, this album perfectly balances rawness with a small dose of melody to keep things interesting and engaging.

    After the atmospheric intro, the band delivers their first blow with the pummeling “Black Throne of Blood”. This track reminds us of bands like Avzhia and their primitive Black Metal rawness. The onslaughts continue with the brutality of “Demoniac War” and “Christian Blood for Satan”, both filled with tremolo picking guitar passages and hellish subhuman vocals.

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    Armed Cloud - Obsidian Desert (2015)

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    Hailing from the Netherlands, today we have extremely promising Progressive Metal outfit Armed Cloud and their debut release “Obsidian Desert”. Featuring over 57 of music, this release is both engaging a very technically proficient, showcasing the band’s songwriting skills and instrument abilities. Recommended for fans of bands like Circus Maximus, Ayreon, and Pain of Salvation, this release will keep you entertained for a while.

    Opening with the playful title-track, the band instantly sets a very mellow mood filled with intricate details. This song showcases Daan Dekker’s excellent vocals and the tight percussions of Rico Noijen. Getting a good vocalist is vital for Prog bands and Daan does a great job in pieces like “Wound Healer” and the dramatic “In your Mind”.

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    Abandoned Stars – Fragments (2015)

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    Arriving from the UK, today we have Abandoned Stars and their brilliant debut full-length release “Fragments”. Featuring over 64 minutes of bombastic and acrobatic Progressive/Power Metal, this band makes a strong impression with great musicianship and even better song writing skills. For fans of bands like Blind Guardian, Rhapsody, and Stratovarius, “Fragments” is one hell of a musical ride that should be in everybody’s album collection.

    Not wasting much time after the traditional atmospheric intro, “The Sleepless Man’s Conscious Dream” instantly sets a very lively tempo with solid guitar leads and intricate tempo changes. Olivier Hadder’s vocals are quite distinct and range from power/heavy metal notes to darker and more somber deeper tones, giving them great range and diversity, as we can hear in the excellent “Neverwhere” and the rest of the release.

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    Everything Behind – Man From Elsewhere (2015)

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    Marching along the current French Metal movement, today we have Everything Behind delivering an interesting mixture of Modern Metal elements with Metalcore on their full-length release “Man From Elsewhere”. Perfectly blending styles and crafting some pretty heavy tracks, this band showcases some true musical talent and a knack for catchy and melodic passages.

    Opening with the pummeling riffs of “Hope Run Away”, the band blends Metalcore elements into a very Gorjia-like riffings and drumming onslaught. The contrast between the clean and harsh parts is pretty well crafted and continues through this release as on the killer track “Welcome to the End”. This last song feature very good guitar leads and perfectly crafted headbanging times.

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    Moke’s – Moke’s (2015)

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    Hailing from France, today we have Stoner Rock debutants Moke’s and their debut EP. Deliver five catchy and crunchy tracks, this EP showcases the attitude and musical skills behind this promising Parisian band. Greatly appealing to fans of fuzzy riff-driven Rock/Metal, this band craft very engaging songs that keep the energy rolling for the duration of the release.

    Opening with the warm and fuzzy rhythmical riffs of “Antics”, the band quickly showcases their fearless leader (and vocalist) Agnès Bernon. Her voice is a bit raspy and fits perfectly with the vibe created by the guitars and playful drums. Things continue to get more engaging with the brilliant guitar work of “Swamp”, featuring very intense leads and a certain Southern twang to this track.

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    Thybreath – Where the Gods Fall (2015)

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    Arriving from Spain, today we have Thybreath and their very interesting Modern Thrash Metal sound. Delivering ten tracks of high-octane music, “Where the Gods Fall” provides the listener with plenty of ammunition to headbang their way into a coma. Perfectly mixing old and new influences, this band will surely get any Thrash Metal fan excited.

    Opening with the eerie kids chants on the intro track, the band sets a creepy mood that is nicely capped with the high level of intensity of “The Bogeyman”. In this song at some point, the band has a certain Amon Amarth sound to them due to the combination of harsh vocals and catchy riffing. Never straying too far from their Thrash roots, “Deceit and Letdown” is a perfect example of a well-crafted Modern sounding Thrash anthem filled with crafty guitar leads and catchy melodic passages.

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    La Horde – Dystopia (2015)

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    Creating a very interesting mix of Thrash, Punk, Hardcore influences, today we have La Horde and their crushing release “Dystopia”. Featuring 14 tracks of intense music, this release will keep the listener engaged from start to end and quite amused for the durations of the album. If you are looking for a mixture of Municipal Waste with Hatebreed and Unearth, this band should be of interest.

    The album quickly makes an impression with the intense “Soleil Noir” and the Thrashy “Nous Saviouns”. By this point, the listener should still be trying to digest the unique style of the band, but at the same time being strangely attracted to it. The album continues to intoxicate the listener with the Punk-ier edge of tracks like “Ravage” and “Le Monde Inverti”, while still retaining that crushing Thrash Metal riffing which borrows from bands like Exodus and Dark Angel.

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