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With a very lush and elaborate sound, today we have Llvme and their second full-length release “Yia De Nuesu”. Mixing elements from Doom, Folk, and Black/Death Metal, this band has a very rich and entertaining sound that will blow you away with excellent melancholic passages and sheer brutality moments.

Opening with the majestic “1188-1230” track, this release immediately establishes a melancholic atmosphere full of aggression and emotions. The female vocals and violins in this track are excellent and nicely contrast the heavy elements of the track. “Helmantica” brings forth a more aggressive stance from the band and some very Dimmu Borgir-esque keyboards. The riffing is very well crafted and the drums are stellar. “Vettonia” has that same Folk Metal vibe that bands like Eluveitie exploit to no end (the bagpipes), but it somewhat feels different with some nice stop-and-go moments and the direct Amorphis ‘rip-off’ section at the end of the track.

Delivering some of the most uninspired music we have heard in quite a while, today we have Australia’s Teramaze and their latest full-length “AnhedoniA”. Mixing Progressive elements with a Modern Metal foundation, this band fails to evoke any emotions or sympathy for this release due to the blandness and repetitive nature of their music.

With 11 tracks, “AnhedoniA” is one of those releases that no matter how many times you play it, it always blends in the background due to its unexciting nature. The band indeed has musical skills since the guitar work and the drumming are well executed, but the linearity of the music and vocals totally kills this release for us.

While we wait for ages for Jex Thoth to finally record a new album, now we have a suitable complement to her particular brand of Psychedelic Doom Metal that we all crave: Ides of Gemini and their latest release “Constantinople”. Out in late May 2012 via Neurot Recordings, “Constantinople” is a very dark release that will haunt your dreams with the mysterious vocals of Sera Timms and Kelly Johnston.

At a first glance, the opening of this release with “The Vessel & The Stake” gives you a Cascadian Black Metal impression, but this is nicely shaped into a minimalist droning Doom Metal sound that will hook you immediately. The simplicity of the music and the reverb on the guitars is just enough to provide a dark atmosphere that surrounds Sera and Kelly’s vocals. The similarities to Jex Thoth are undeniable, but Ides of Gemini keeps things more simple and tight.

Recently signed to Neurot Recordings, Ufomammut delivers their seventh full-length release titled “Oro: Opus Primum”. In this excellent release, the band brings five tracks of pure (and crushing) Psychedelic Doom Metal at its most devastating and cavernous shape, however this time around there are some seeping Stoner Rock influences that nicely add to the overall musical experience that this Italian band presents.

The band’s sound has always been very well crafted to highlight the heavy guitars and the well-developed atmosphere, and in this release the band continues with their excellent songwriting skills but on a bigger stage (Neurot Recordings). This release feels a bit better than “Eve” in terms of developing the songs a bit more efficiently and with extra elements that makes them less repetitive.

Following a dreadful opening track, “Holnap majd felgyújtom az erdőt” has a completely different production and sound to it. The band seems to have chosen a different pace and approach to BM, sounding a bit deranged and with a very barebones musical foundation. This track is actually enjoyable and entertaining after such a bad opener. Followed by an acoustic track titled “Varnak a varjak”, we are left kind of puzzled and intrigued to where this is going next.

Opening with the mysterious “Empireum”, the band uses nice atmospheric elements to create an initial build-up in this track. The build-up is quite effective and things don’t really get ‘heavy’ until the 10th minute mark, with some crushing riffs and some vocals. After the initial warm-up, “Aureum” delivers a chugging opening riff and some fresh Stoner/Psychedelic riffing sections that nicely set this track apart from the opener. Firing on all engines, “Infearnatural” keeps the riffage going and features some excellent clean vocals that give a nice contrast to the atmosphere of the track. This song is the one that sounds the most ‘traditional’ in the Doom sense of the word, making it the most accessible one of this release.

With some ambient and drone elements, “Magickon” nicely winds down the listener with a weird atmospheric piece that nicely builds up until the guitars and drums make an appearance quite late in the track. Now that the stage is set, “Mindomie” nicely closes the release with some heavy riffing, interesting drum patterns and some crazy vocals. This track is as dark and cavernous as the rest of the release but feels like a nice release of all the tension and build-up expectation generated in the first five songs.

Before you know it “Oro: Opus Primum” is all said and done but you are still left with the satisfaction that Ufomammut has delivered a worthy first release on Neurot Recordings, the home of very talented and diverse artists. If you liked any of the band’s previous releases, this album should nicely satisfy your cravings of Ufomammut for at least one or two more years.