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    Clairvoyants – The Shape of Things to Come (2012)

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    Led by Luca Princiotta of Doro fame, today we have Clairvoyants and their excellent Power/Heavy Metal release titled “The Shape of Things to Come”. Delivering eleven tracks of brilliantly crafted old-school Power/Heavy Metal, this is one hell of a catchy and enjoyable release. With 10 our 11 tracks composed by Luca, we have a very solid Power/Heavy Metal foundation that can compare to any big-name band in the scene.

    With a very catchy chorus section, “No Need to Surrender” opens this release showcasing the band’s firepower. The guitars are very solid, the drumming is well crafted, and the singing is pretty ok for a Power/Heavy Metal band. Luca clearly knows how to open and album and with this epic anthem, “The Shape of Things to Come” is off to a great start. “Endure and Survive” is the next super catchy song in this release thanks to some meaty riffs and, again, a very catchy chorus section. This track also reminds us more of older Heavy Metal songs than any Power Metal we have heard in the last few years.

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    Demonic Slaughter – Dark Essence (2012)

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    With a deeply disturbing thick Black Metal sound, today we have Poland’s Demonic Slaughter and their latest EP titled “Dark Essence”. Being almost a full-length release by today’s Black Metal standards, this killer release showcases a very thick and extremely intoxicating devilish atmosphere. Thanks to the heavy guitars and firm vocals, this release surely will unnerve even the most seasoned BM listener.

    After the extremely cliché acoustic atmospheric opener, the band goes into full steam with “Inner-self Transfiguration”. In this track the riffing is very typical and the drumming provides the perfect complement. The strong snarls that the band’s vocalist Xaos Oblivion delivers are just right for such a dark and foul sound. While not your average BM release, the band has great knack for creating thick atmospheres with a the basic guitar-drum combo, and being produced and mixed by Xaos Oblivion we suspect this is exactly what the band was going for.

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    Intestinal – The Rottening (2012)

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    With a cover that reminds us of Cannibal Corpse’s infamous “Tomb of the Mutilated” or “Gallery of Suicide” uncensored covers, today we have Sweden’s Intestinal and their second full-length “The Rottening”.  Featuring eleven tracks of Swedish Death Metal with a bit of a modern flair, this release is actually far more unconventional that one would expect just from the cover.

    Opening with a traditional sample, the music soon start flowing and while the Swedish DM vibe is present, the band tends to start away from the formulaic meaty hooks approach. Instead in “Flesh for Living” we have a more playful approach with the music being quite exciting, having some Hardcore and even some Modern metal hints, this track is quite enjoyable. The electrifying drumming in “Vaginal Vomination” delivers excellent sections that are quite a revelation for what we were expecting form this release.

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    Fanthrash – Duality of Things (2011)

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    The Thrash Metal revival up to date has been mostly from USA bands, but today we have one of Poland’s ‘first’ Thrash Metal bands, Fanthrash, returning from a 10 year hiatus and delivering a pretty solid ‘debut’ full-length titled “Duality of Things”. Featuring twelve tracks of high-intensity Thrashtastic music, this band has a hearty old-school vibe that perfectly blends with a few more modern and experimental elements.

    After the instrumental opener, “Allocation of The Soul” brings solid riffing and very firm singing, none of that high-pitched bullshit that many Thrash bands call singing. With a few unconventional tempo changes, this is not your typical Thrash Metal song, but neither is Fanthrash your typical run of the mill band. With some serious Death-like opening vibe, “Forced” delivers a pretty good dosage of riffs and intricate drumming sections, making this a very diverse and highly entertaining song.

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    Escarnium – Excruciating Existence (2012)

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    Packing a lot of heat in their traditional Death Metal, today we have Escarnium and their first full-length release “Excruciating Existence”. Featuring nine track of neck-breaking Death Metal, this band delivers excellent guitar riffs and tight drumming throughout this whole release. If you are a fan of Suffocation, Cannibal Corpse, Incantation, etc., this is the release for you.

    With the crushing opener “731” the band delivers a powerful blow in the shape of relentless drumming and devastating riffs. The deep growls are up to par with any of the genre’s greats, but the overall meatiness of the music is what makes this release very appealing. The devastation rolls on with tracks like “Excruciating Existence”, “Self-Proclaimed Messiah”, and “Nuclear Burial”. While the band is not the most original in the world, they do an excellent job in delivering catchiness and brutality.

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    Mandragora – Carnal Cage (2012)

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    With very few bands coming out of the small country of Lithuania, it is to our great pleasure to witness the quality and excellent musicianship behind Mandagora’s “Carnal Cage”. Being the band’s first release in seven years, it kind of seems that it was stuck in Melodic Death Metal limbo, allowing this album to sound like the good old days of the genre. With this old-school vibe and a pristine production, this album is our favorite Melodic DM release of 2012 (so far).

    Opening with some funky Middle-Eastern sounding riffs in “Masquerade”, the album sets of on a very well defined path of excellent melodic passages and riffing wizardry. Reminding us a bit of older Dark Tranquility and Dark Lunacy, the band nicely opens with an excellent riffing onslaught the song “In Doubt”. The tempo changes are very well introduced and the drumming is just right, the growls are your typical ‘manly’ melodic DM growls, allowing the music to sound both powerful and very melodic. There is a particularly awesome bass guitar section that made this song even more amazing for us.

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    Antagonism – Digging Past Sounds (2012)

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    Delivering 11 tracks of hard-chugging Death Metal, today we have Italy’s Antagonism and their debut full-length “Digging Past Sounds”. In this release, the band uses traditional Death Metal structures with a few hints of more modern grooves thrown into the mix. While release drags a bit after a while, the songs presented here are a nice tribute to some of the crushing DM tracks we loved from the 90’s.

    “Skinhunter Kill(ing)” delivers a very cool Dissmember-like opener and provides high hopes for this already entertaining release. The riffing is relentless and the drumming is superb, the growls are very typical and nicely fit into the vibe. “Sick AIDS” keeps things rolling with some more chugging riffs and very well crafted drum patterns, but “No More” is a song that nicely breaks the monotony with some nice tempo changes and even tighter drumming.

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    Ibridoma – Night Club (2012)

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    Making its way from Italy, today we have Ibridoma and their second full-length release “Night Club”. Playing a very traditional and catchy brand of Heavy Metal with some Power Metal elements, this band delivers eight hard hitting tracks that will have you chanting and headbanging from start to end. If you are a fan of old-school Heavy Metal, this is one of the best releases we have heard this year.

    Opening with the epic “Eagles from the Sky”, the guitars start pounding away while the very charismatic vocals of Christian Bartolacci make their presence felt. His vocals reminded us of a mixture of Geoff Tate and Geddy Lee, very firm and well delivered making them one of the flagship elements of the band’s sound. Not only featuring solid vocals, the riffing on “Cold Light of Moon” is also very well crafted, and the drums are nicely crafted to be always present but never overbearing.

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    D.E.R – Quando A Esperanca Desaba (reissue) (2012)

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    The brutal reissue of D.E.R’s 2008 “Quando A Esperanca Desaba” comes to us through Polish label EveryDayHate. Featuring 16 tracks of head crushing Gore/Death Metal this is one of those heavy has hell releases that should be in everybody’s collection when you want to get the party started (and the neighbors extremely pissed at you).

    Pummeling across tracks that are less average around one minute a piece, this album blows you away since the punishing opener “O Que Foi Escrito eu Apaguei”. Thankfully the booklet comes with English translation of the lyrics, just to know what exactly is being spewed through the band’s brutal vocalist pipes. The songs are heavy and brutal with some nice melodic elements that keeps them separate and provide nice pacing between tracks.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Halladrol – The Last Mile on the Earth (2012)

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    Hailing from Finland, today we have the relatively unknown Halladrol and ‘their’ brand of Blackened Death/Doom Metal. Being a one man project, Halladrol actually combines plenty of influences to make quite a stir, but leave us a bit disappointed with the end results.

    Opening with typical 90’s Death Metal guitar riffs, “The Last Mile on the Earth” delivers quite a powerful introduction to this release, but also feels a bit dated in its execution. There are some pretty interesting Avant-garde elements here and there, but the rather simplistic core of the music takes away from any possible magic behind this track. The drumming is pretty intense and the vocals are ok, but there is that feeling of something missing always present in the track.

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