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    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Ptahil – The Black Fire (2010)

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    In preparation for their upcoming full-length CD for Wraith Productions "For His Satanic Majesty's Glory", we get 3 crushing tracks of nihilistic Black/Doom Metal from one of USA’s newest and most diabolical bands. For 13 minutes we are transported to the depts. of hell, thanks to a raw and thick atmosphere that evolves you in full darkness.  

    With two new tracks and a cover of Beherit’s “Gate of Nanna”, this demo CD has enough sauce to keep fans going until their new album gets released. The crushing track “World Ablaze” kicks off this CD and immediately starts with blasting drums, hellish vocals and a very raw nature to the song that makes it highly effective. We are not sure that this will be the final mix and how the CD will sound, but we dig the rawness of this track.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Ptahil – Anti-Flesh Existence (2010)

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    “Anti-Flesh Existence” marks the band’s debut full-length album, but it only includes 3 tracks and the version we got for review has the two tracks of their “Ortus” EP (which we reviewed here http://www.infernalmasquerade.com/?q=reviews/00743-ptahil-ortus-2010). With such a weird way of presenting your first full-length, we will discuss these three brutal tacks in depth as part of this review.

    “In Ritual to Yam” we get an old school Black Metal track in the vein of Bathory, Venom, Hellhamer, etc. With such a raw and powerful sound it quickly makes and impact on the listener, but we feel that it’s somewhat sub-par compared to their songs in “Ortus”. However, this track does set the tone for the following aural assaults that will shake you out of your seat.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Nidingr – Wolf Father (2011)

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    Underground Black Metal outfit Nidingr is ready to come out of their caves and blow people away with their second full-length release “Wolf Father”. Featuring Black Metal ‘super stars’ Teloch (ex-Gorgoroth, etc) and Blargh (Dødheimsgard) handling the guitars, Hellhammer (Mayhem, Arcturus, etc) on drums, and some dude nicknamed Cpt. Estrella Grasa on vocals.

    With such an impressive line-up of musicians, “Wolf Father’ plays out to be an excellent release that features the Scandinavian way of making Black Metal with some Death Metal influences. Each song is crafted around super tight drumming and intricate guitar riffing allowing Nidingr to sound cold and harsh, but still clear enough to distinguish every detail in the music.

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    Ion – Immaculada (2011)

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    Following the same path that Duncan Patterson forged for himself with his side-project Íon and their first release “Madre, Protégenos”, “Immaculada” brings to the listener a hefty dose of World/Ethnic music with Celtic and Folk elements that will transport the listener to an ethereal world were everything seems peaceful and serene. One can quickly understand why Patterson decided to pursue his own interests after leaving Nick Moss and Antimatter to create Íon.

    Duncan Patterson in “Immacualda” once again presents us with a wide variety of musicians and singers coming together in creating a very cohesive release that delivers in every aspect and creates a very peaceful atmosphere for the duration of this album. Every instrument is clearly presented in a way that allows the listener to feel all the emotions behind them.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Stratovarius – Elysium (2011)

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    After the somewhat uninspired “Polaris”, Stratovarius delivers one of their best albums in their whole career. With “Elysium” the band takes their sound to a whole new level, combining traditional elements of their earlier sound with some progressive elements and some amazing vocal arrangements, making this album a great listening experience for fans of the bands and the genre.

    Featuring an excellent production, “Elysium” brings back memories from the past releases of the band (“Infinite” and “Elements” mainly) with a very dynamic and modern sound thanks to the skills of ‘newer’ members Matias Kupiainen and Lauri Porra. We now have some great bass guitar lines provided by Porra, and shredding wizardry courtesy of Kupianien that will make you forget that Timo Tolkki is no longer in the band.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Eloy – The Legacy Box (2010)

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    After an 11-year hiatus after the release of “Ocean 2: The Answer” Germany’s progressive rock monsters Eloy returned with “Visionary” in 2009. Taking advantage of the new found momentum this legendary band has gained, Frank Bornemann (the only remaining original member of the band) and company have put out the double-DVD “The Legacy Box”.

    In this new DVD we get a great documentary that takes the band release by release and talks about the things behind the scenes for the band’s iconic releases through the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. We get interviews with past members and their thoughts behind the direction of the albums, the music, and the state of the band through each release. During this 90+ minute “Mighty Echoes – The story of Eloy” documentary, we get great insight into the band’s career and if you didn’t knew anything about them you will almost become an expert on the band.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Transcending Bizarre? - The Misanthrope's Fable (2010)

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    Being huge fans of bands that push the envelope, we have been greatly surprised by Transcending Bizarre? and their latest masterpiece: “The Misanthrope's Fable”. In this release the band takes us on a magical journey through their demented collective brain and for 46 minutes be prepared to be blown away by such an intricate and dark creation.

    In a time when most bands stick to their styles or play it safe and try to emulate what everybody else is doing, bands like Transcending are clear outliers in a very conformist music scene. Evocating comparisons to the great Arcturus, Solefald, Vulture Industries, Dodheimsgard, etc, Transcending Bizarre? excels at creating truly haunting and creepy songs that have so many layers and textures, making this songs have high replay value. Just by telling you that the album features a full children choir, you can imagine how terrible deranged and beautifully chaotic such a release can be.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Soufferance, Vision - Travels into Several Remote Nations of the Mind (2010)

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    Presented in a lush A3 digi-pack format, today we have Soufferance, Vision’s full-length release “Travels into Several Remote Nations of the Mind”. In this ambitious release, Peine (the mastermind behind this project) presents us with one 65 minute long track of chilling Dark Ambient music, with the intention of taking the listener through a journey through the subconscious and the human mind.

    Having been disconnected from the Dark Ambient scene for quite a while, we have to say that “Travels into Several Remote Nations of the Mind” feels very ethereal and mystical in nature. It might be the minimalistic nature of it, or the dark atmosphere around this release, but it made us actually sit down and fully open our ears and minds to this release.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Permixtio - Il Canto dei Sepolcri (2010)

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    Labeled as ‘reflective Black Metal’, today we have Permixtio and their debut full-length “Il Canto dei Sepolcri”. Some people might immediately label this as Suicidal/Depressive Black Metal, but according to the press sheet, the lyrical content of this album diverges from these themes. Whatever the actual meaning is, Permixtio shows skills that only more mature bands have, and with “Il Canto dei Sepolcri” we get a monumental emotional Black Metal release that will creep under your skin.

    After a very ‘angelic’ choir intro, the band quickly drowns the listener with the mid-tempo distortion galore presented in “Il Canto dei Sepolcri”. In this track the dense mood is set by harshly distorted guitars and a hypnotic tempo that shifts from mid-tempo melancholy to raw Black Metal merciless assaults. While most bands focusing on emotional music almost never change from a ‘drowsy’ kind of pace, Permixtio goes back into the depts. of hell and opens a few windows while crafting their atmosphere during their songs.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Chelmno – Horizon of Events (2010)

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    Hailing from Italy, today we have Chelmno and their primitive raw Black Metal. In “Horizon of Events” this Italian beast of a band presents us with 37 minutes of pure Black Metal, something that only a few bands can pull off these days. With high similarity to Mayhem, Clandestine Ablaze, older Darkthrone, Horna, etc, the members of Chelmno are very effective in creating an abrasive sound that will blow you away.

    Like a furious storm in the sea, Chelmno comes at us (and our ears) with waves of crushing BM riffs that are greatly aided by the rawness of the production, making them sound primitive and extremely brutal, just like daddy ordered. While the band’s approach to the genre is nothing revolutionary, if you are a fan of music this raw and this fast, you will never complain about the 8 tracks of destruction packed in this release.

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