Melodic Death Metal

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    October Tide - In Splendor Below (2019)

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    Consistency is the name of the game for the Norrman’s brothers October Tide band. With “In Splendor Below”, the band continues to deliver classic Melodic Death/Doom Metal filled with superb guitar work, dark atmospheric passages and plenty of headbanging opportunities. Featuring over 43-minutes of music, this release continues the band’s legacy as one of the best in the genre.

    The album opens with “I, the Polluter”, a song that features the band’s signature riffing and mid-tempo pace. There are some more direct Death Metal elements thrown into the mix, but the track always keeps that old-school Swedish Melodic Death Metal vibe going. The playful “We Died In October” shows a more funky and crafty atmosphere with intricate drum patterns and very engaging tempo changes.

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    Amon Amarth - Berserker (2019)

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    As a well oiled viking ship sailing through the oceans, Amon Amarth returns with yet another impressive onslaught of headbanging and moshing anthems in “Berserker”. Featuring twelve tracks and a running time of 56 minutes, the band further refines their crushing sound with a more melodic edge and the same amounts of euphoria inducing riffs. For those following the band’s exploits over the years, you will find this release as equally dynamic and impressive as their older ones, with a certain added touch of maturity. If you are new to the band, strap on for one hell of a ride with this one.

    With “Fafner's Gold” leading the procession, the band warms up the listener’s with a powerful track, but the single “Crack the Sky” really steps it up a notch with the traditional Amon Amarth crushing melodic riffs. With this song you will instantly be possessed to start headbanging furiously thanks to its playful guitar work and hellish signature vocals. Additionally, the killer guitar leads add that extra level of epicness to an already brilliant song.

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    Allegaeon - Apoptosis (2019)

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    Riding high from their 2016 opus “Proponent for Sentience” and their countless tours, Allegaeon finally returns with new music in “Apoptosis”. Featuring eleven tracks of neck snapping Technical Death Metal, this release improves on their last effort while delivering catchy and highly memorable songs. With heavy competition from European bands, Allegaeon clearly establishes themselves as one of the premiere Technical DM outfits in the world thanks to this killer release.

    The album opens with an acrobatic bass guitar line that slowly transforms into a more melodic piece in “Parthenogenesis”. This track is the perfect lead-in to the crushing “Interphase // Meiosis”, a track filled with crushing growls and very dreamy melodic passages. Blending intensely melodic passages with technically proficient acrobatics is the band’s specialty and on “Extremophiles (B)” we get treated to a good dose of it. With songs being short and direct to the point, the band’s sound is quite brutal in nature as you can hear from “The Secular Age”.

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    Children of Bodom - Hexed (2019)

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    Swiftly recovering from a spell of forgettable releases, CoB continues their return to form with the scorching “Hexed”. Unleashing over 45 minutes of melodic brilliance, the band delivers 11 fast-paced songs that feature their signature style and instrumental wizardry. Incorporating new guitarist Daniel Freyberg, to the fold the band focuses on crafting memorable tunes filled with killer solos and melodic passages.

    Wasting no time, the high-octane opener “This Road” unleashes a barrage of pummeling riffs and a very playful tempo. The subtle atmospheric keyboards make sure this is a signature CoB anthem, but the pace is what incites moshing and excitement. The dueling keyboards/guitars are in top form as “Under Grass and Clover” rolls in, we are suckers for musical acrobatics and Janne Warman and Alexi Laiho don’t fail to the deliver in this release, as we can also hear in “Glass Houses”.

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    Lahmia - Resilience (2019)

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    Following a killer 2018 in terms of Melodic Death Metal releases, it is now the turn of Italy’s Lahmia to make their case with “Resilience”. Being blown away by their 2012 debut full-length “Into the Abyss”, we are more than psyched that this album is even better. Featuring eight tracks and over 50 minutes of neck-breaking Melodic DM, the band combines elements of outfits like Kalmah, Amon Amarth, Insomnium, etc into a juicy melting pot of brilliance.

    The towering pummeling riffs of “Elegy for a Dying Sun” instantly give that epic and melodic vibe that bands take years to master. With a knack for epic headbanging passages, this release perfectly flows into superbly catchy tracks like “Her Fanatic Call” and “Divide Et Imperia”. While the Amon Amarth influences are obvious, the band weaves them into their own sound with superb craftsmanship and attention to details. We particularly enjoy how the mood varies between tracks as “The Frayed Lines of Time” opens with a more epic and melodic atmosphere that evolves into a full-blown moshing masterpiece.

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    Amon Amarth - The Pursuit of Vikings: 25 Years in the Eye of the Storm (2018)

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    Recorded at the top of the band’s career (so far), this 25 year anniversary release gives us an insight into Amon Amarth and two of their most leveling performances to date. Having had the honor of being at these Summer Breeze shows, check out our live gallery here , we can certainly verify that they were as epic as they sound here. Live releases have been getting better and better in the last few years and this one takes the cake in terms of audio quality and how it transports the listener into the middle of the action.

    Divided into two shows, Amon Amarth’s takeover of Summer Breeze started with a surprise show at the T-stage the day the festival kicked off. As the band rocked through some of their best material people started going nuts and there were a considerable amount of people crowd surfing, prompting for the stage security to come out in force to receive them safely. Featuring a set of older and songs that the band does not play very often live, their T-Stage show was truly a memorable one filled with pyro and the infamous viking ship making an appearance.

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    Wolfheart - Constellation of the Black Light (2018)

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    Consistently over the years Tuomas Saukkonen has written plenty of engaging and gripping Melodic Death Metal songs with his bands/projects like Beyond the Dawn, Black Sun Aeon and Dawn of Solace. Finally focusing 100% in Wolfheart, he has managed to deliver great album since “Winterborn”, with “Constellation of the Black Light”, the band ups the ante with over 40 minutes of haunting music. In the vein of bands like Omnium Gatherum, Insomnium, Dark Tranquility, etc. this release is by far their best… to date.

    Opening with the ten minute epic “Everlasting Fall”, we get that moody melodic vibe that develops into a brilliant atmospheric piece of music. Instantly we get a frosty Finnish Melodic Death Metal atmosphere that is perfect for head banging or enjoying while hiking in the woods. Throwing a curveball to the listener “Breakwater” has a brutal start, filled with heavy Death Metal riffs and intense drumming, courtesy of Joonas Kauppinen. Contrasting at first, this track nicely mellows out into lush dual vocal passages and Insomnium esque guitar sections that round up a very unique song.

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    Kalmah – Palo (2018)

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    After a period of five years since the band’s last release, fans were eagerly awaiting the latest offering from Finish Melodic Death Metal act Kalmah. Under the title “Palo”, the band unleashes one of the most brilliant onslaughts of melodic music ever to be recorded. Clocking in at around 46 minutes, Kalmah delivers ten tracks of impressive quality that feature their signature style with a modern sounding edge, making it their best release to date.

    Opening with the catchy riffs of “Blood Ran Cold”, the band sets a very epic melodic mood from the start. With a very Finish Melodic Death Metal sound, the band instantly brings memories of their earlier works and the guitar acrobatics of bands like Children of Bodom. However, not everything is just blistering solos, as the band has some of the chunkiest riffs in the business as we can hear in the opening of “The Evil Kin” and the melancholic “The World of Rage”.

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    Killing Gandhi – Aspirations of Failure (2018)

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    Hailing from Denmark, today we have the most promising new kids on the Melodic Death Metal block: Killing Gandhi. With a highly refined and effective sound, this band unleashes upon us their sophomore release “Aspirations of Failure”. Mixing everything we love from bands like Dark Tranquility, Children of Bodom, (old) In Flames, Kalmah, Omnium Gatherum, etc. the band delivers nearly 40-minutes of neck breaking music that is definitely one of the best releases of the genre in quite a while.

    After the obligatory atmospheric intro, the band quickly gets down to business with the intense “Let Me Tell You”. This track starts off with killer catchy riffs and energetic vocals, and while there are tons of influences there, the band has their own unique signature style. With some futuristic keyboards, “Dark Hours” and “Hollow Paintings” are definitely some of the highlights of this release, blending tight drumming with intricate riffing and a very upbeat tempo.

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    On Thorns I Lay – Aegean Sorrow (2018)

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    Going back to their original Death/Doom Metal roots, today we have On Thorns I Lay and their amazing release: “Aegean Sorrow”. Keeping the Death/Doom Metal flame alive, the band delivers over 45 minutes of truly demoralizing music that reminds us of their sound back in the 90’s and outfits like Celestial Seasons (early days) and Forest of Shadows. If you are looking for Death/Doom Metal, this is the album to get in 2018.

    Opening with the incisive riffs and gargantuan growls of the album title track we are taken back in time to the heydays of the genre. The band however adds a certain dimension of modern Melodic Death/Doom Metal as we can hear in the melodic guitars of “Erevos” and the crushing “In Emerald Eyes”, were we get a Swallow the Sun/Hanging Garden-esque contrast of deep growls and catchy guitars.

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