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    Abazagorath – Abazagorath (EP) (2012)

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    Making their triumphant return after a five year hiatus, Abazagorath returns with a self-titled EP that will instantly return them to the spotlight of the US Black Metal scene. As one of the pioneers of USBM Abazagorath released plenty of EP’s and two full-length albums that made them one of the most influential BM bands in the states, and with this EP they return in full force to reclaim their place.

    Spanning over 20 minutes, “Abazagorath” is one hell of an EP that not only delivers gut-wrenching Black Metal attacks, but it also features a thick atmosphere around it. Since the opener “Conjuring” the band delivers some creepy clean guitars and keyboards, only to fully explode with some catchy riffs and a very dense atmosphere. Similar to bands like Gorgoroth and Horna, Abazagorath does a great job in using only basic elements to create eerie music.

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    Lacrimosa – Lichtgestalt (2005)

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    Rounding up the Lacrimosa re-releases brought to North America by End of Light records, today we have “Lichtgestalt”. As a perfect trip down in memory lane, this release is one of our favorite ones of the band and it was a pleasure to see it released in North America with a bonus CD. Featuring a bit of a mixture of older Lacrimosa with the “Echoes” album, this release is very powerful and well-crafted with fragile Orchestral elements and powerful guitars.

    Tilo Wolff and Anne Nurmi do an excellent job in bringing back (after “Echoes”) the distorted guitar to its rightful place and pair it with beautiful instrumentation and highly emotional atmospheres. Since 11-minute opener the band creates a very emotional and dark atmosphere, but it also employs some aggression in terms of harsh vocals, commanding guitars, and a pummeling bass guitar line. The typical Lacrimosa-like songs “Kelch der Liebe” and “Lichtgestalt” are reminders of their “Stille” era and had us remembering those good old-days.

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    Lacrimosa – Schattenspiel (2010)

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    With such and impressive discography under their belts, Lacrimosa sets out to make some money and release a ‘compilation’ album in 2010 to summarize their career so far and show how much the band has evolved over time. With “Schattenspiel”, instead of taking the typical approach and cram in all their greatest songs, they put together 19 songs most of them have been unreleased in the past.

    We are not huge fans of ‘best of’ or compilations releases that aim to make money and nothing else, but Lacrimosa tries a unique thing with their take on a compilation release. Documenting their evolution from the 90’s on the first CD, to the 2000’s on the second CD, this release is purely targeted to their core die-hard fans that will kill for anything new or rare of the band. And this release satisfies their craving with two new songs titled “Sellador” and “Ohne Dich Ist Alles Nichts”.

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    Lacrimosa – Sehnsucht (Special Edition) (2009)

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    Today we have the special ‘special edition’ of Lacrimosa’s “Sehnsucht” album released in North America by End of Light Records. This special ‘special edition’ features the regular special edition of this release with the slightly different songs and a full extra CD with some remixes and older songs. This edition features the ‘color’ version of the artwork and the full booklet filled with pictures and the lyrics of the songs.

    “Sehnsucht” has always been one of our least favorite albums of the band due to the somewhat considerable difference to their previous more conceptual releases. However, in terms of experimentation and musical maturity, this release is indeed the best the band has ever recorded so far. This release features a more ‘free-flowing’ approach and the music is very well composed, but lacks the whole ‘experience’ of a conceptual release with many different moods that progress over time.

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    Infinita Symphonia – A Mind’s Chronicle (2011)

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    Arriving all the way from Italy to North America through End of Light records, today we have Infinita Symphonia and their debut full-length release “A Mind’s Chronicle”. With their traditional Power/Heavy Metal approach that features some symphonic elements as the album progresses, this Italian band delivers around 55 minutes of excellent music that while not very original, it is very well crafted and perfectly executed.

    Opening with the powerful “Lost in My Own Brain” the band shows their chops in creating catchy and effective songs. The layered vocal sections are top notch and the guitar work is very well crafted, there are even some ‘harsh’ screams to add to the intensity of the track. “Mighty Storm” delivers more waves of crunchy riffs and very potent vocals, but the guitar work around the 3 minute mark is what takes the spotlight in this song. There is nothing overly pretentious and exaggerated about Infinita Symphonia’s music, and this is what makes them so good.

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    John 3:16 – Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God (2011)

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    Hailing from Switzerland, today we have the experimental one-man music making machine John 3:16. Fusing ambient sounds with some electronic/drone sections and a dosage of Post-Rock, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” is one of those EP’s that will captivate you from start to finish with its hypnotic sound and perfectly crafted songs.

    The intro track “Earthly Father” wills enshroud you with mystery due to the drone elements an hints of ethereal atmospheric influences, but this track does not really give away anything that is to come. In “In the Name of the Lord”, the music continues to be dark with its droning elements and it suddenly moves into the Post-Rock area with some excellent guitar work. The drums get a bit annoying in the background, but I guess they are used to contrast for the first 2 minutes of so. Then this piece turns completely ethereal with some nice atmospheric elements and very dreamy guitars. This song reminded us a bit to God Is An Astronaut and similar bands due to the dark atmosphere around it.

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    Beto Vázquez Infinity – Existence (2011)

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    ”Existence” marks the ’bands’ 4th full-length album, and it is clearly their most impressive and ambitious release to date. With a vast array of guest musicians, this release is one of THE Melodic Metal/Rock albums of the year, even though it was released in 2010 elsewhere, we recently received a copy of the North American edition thru End of Light records.

    With this double album, Beto Vázquez has managed to put together a very eclectic mix of musicians and each of the 20 songs combines powerful melodies with outstanding vocals. While the guest musician list is huge, is not as impressive as the ones from bands/projects as Star One, Ayreon and Avantasia. Most of the guests in this album, with the exception of Timo Tolkki, might be considered from the ‘B list’ of Metal, but they are equally talented and are just a bit less known that the ones on the ‘A list’ of Metal. We particularly like this approach since it allows the listener to discover lesser known bands due to the performances of their vocalists.

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    Sangre Eterna – Asphyxia (2012)

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    Making its way to our PO BOX courtesy of Maple Metal Records, today we have Sangre Eterna’s second full-length release “Asphyxia”. In this very interesting release we have a talented Serbian band that plays Melodic Death Metal and features some guest appearances by many Metal stars from Finland. If you like traditional Melodic Death Metal without the fagginess of modern Melodeath releases, “Asphyxia” is the album for you.

    For over 11 tracks, Sangre Eterna delivers powerful guitar riffing, very catchy melodic sections accompanied by keyboard arrangements and an overall excellent atmosphere that is rare these days. Opening with “The End of Beauty”, the riff machine starts immediately and you get that unmistakable Swedish Melodic Death Metal vibe with an edge of Finland’s own take of the genre. With no guest appearances on this track, the band gives the listener a taste of their own sound without any ‘distortion’ and we give them great props for that.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Monarch – Omens (2012)

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    Hailing from France, today we have an album that is so thick and monolithic that will rattle your speakers and make your neighbors call the cops on you. Monarch’s sixth full-length release “Omens” delivers 36 minutes of crushing Drone/Sludge Metal that is definitely not for the weak. With only three tracks in this release, the band delivers a very long and devastating compositions that will surely have any Drone/Sludge/Doom fan raving about for a very long time.

    Opening with the 13 minute behemoth “Blood Seeres”, the band’s distorted guitars will surely catch your attention (with feedback and everything). But it is probably the vocals, courtesy of Emilie Bresson, that will be the most disturbing element of this track. Emilie’s screams are just too raw and brutal to even begin to describe. The guitars are tune way low, just like the doctor ordered for a release in these genres, courtesy of Shiran Kaïdine of Year of No Light fame.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Opera Diabolicus - 1614 (2012)

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    With a very powerful and eerie atmosphere, Opera Diabolicus delivers a very powerful and theatrical Gothic Metal release that should not be taken lightly. “1614” features a wide variety of vocal appearances by Snowy Shaw and Mats Leven from Therion, Niklas Isfeldt  of Dream Evil, Jake E of the yucky Amaranthe, and Camilla Alisander-Ason. Focusing more on the theatrical aspect of things, the band (a two-person unit) crates very eerie moments that will haunt your dreams.

    After the creepy “Overture”, “The Gates” fully deliver a very familiar Therion-esque vibe minus the overly pretentious approach that Christofer Johnsson has decided to take in the last few years. The somber atmosphere is top notch and this song really made us picture a musical/play setting for this album. The over-the-top keyboards and choir sections are magical and the dramatic vocal performances make this song plain genius.

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