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    Ommatidia – Let’s Face it! (2015)

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    Hailing from France, today we have the sophomore release of Gothic Metal outfit: Ommatidia. In “Let’s Face it!”, the band delivers ten songs of well-crafted Gothic Metal/Rock that moves away from their band’s more atmospheric and Doomier debut release back in 2011. Crafting a sound similar to bands like To/Die/For, HIM, and The Man Eating Tree, this band will satisfy your male-vocals Gothic Metal cravings.

    The album opens with the catchy “Immaculate” and its soaring vocals, courtesy of Guillaume Richard. This track gives us a certain The Man Eating Tree vibe, making it quite engaging and a very solid opener. As tracks like “Sunspot”, “Dark Swelling” and “Soiled” settle the listener into the band’s style; we nicely enjoy Ommatidia’s traditional emotional Gothic sound. With very organic songs like “Sleeping Black”, the band has the luxury of experimenting with additional elements to keep things heavier.

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    Illuminata – Where Stories Unfold (2015)

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    After blowing us away with their music in 2011, Austria’s Illuminata returns with yet another Gothic/Symphonic Metal masterpiece with their third full-length album “Where Stories Unfold”. Using a 60-piece orchestra and two different choirs, the band bets big on their music and delivers around 60 minutes of brilliant music that will impress any fan of the genre.

    Crafting a very dramatic opening with “A Story Unfolds”, the lush orchestrations and very cinematic music instantly catches our attention. With the real opener, “Eternity of Today” the band shows that their core sound has greatly evolved and delivers a magical Gothic Metal track filled with astonishing arrangements and the hypnotic vocals of Katarzyna Nieniewska.

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    Elyose – Ipso Facto (2015)

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    Hailing from Paris, France, today we have Industrial/Gothic Metal outfit Elyose and their sophomore release titled “Ipso Facto”. Featuring a very bombastic and crafty sound, this outfit delivers over 47 minutes of super catchy music. Led by the charismatic Justine Daaé, this is not just another clone band, as they nicely carve their own style and create very engaging music.

    The album makes a quick impact with the super catchy electronic elements of “Femme De Verre” which perfectly blend with the strong vocal leads. The same high energy continues with the lush “De Guerre Lasse” and its solid guitar riffs paired with cool electronic effects. The band at this stage reminds of a mixture of Theater of Tragedy in the “Musique” days with the more modern style of Nemesea.

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    Deathwhite – Solitary Martyr (2015)

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    Hailing from the USA today we have a very melancholic band named Deathwhite. Delivering their second EP, “Solitary Martyr”, the band perfectly captures the late 90’s Katatonia / Anathema vibe and presents us with five dark and atmospheric songs. With a heavy and yet very depressive sound, this is one of those short releases that you will be stuck listening to for weeks.

    Opening with the very dramatic “Pressure”, we are instantly transported to the year Katatonia’s “Discouraged ones” was released and that certain melancholic atmosphere that many albums had those days. The band’s music is quite well crafted greatly complementing a very heartfelt vocal performance. Not all songs are only mellow and the heavy opening of “Suffer Abandonment” is a great reminder of that. This track even features some excellent Doom Metal riffs thrown into the mix.

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    Fixion – Paraíso (2015)

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    Arriving all the way from Uruguay, today we have Fixion’s latest release “Paraíso”. Filled with over 44 minutes of catchy and melancholic Gothic Metal that spans influences from the early times of Gothic Rock to more recent Gothic Metal trends, this is one of those near perfect releases that are quite enjoyable. Combining a traditional somber Gothic atmosphere with catchy melodies makes and lush vocal arrangements, this release will appeal all fans of the genre.

    As the album opens with the playful “Paraíso”, the band leads with strong vocal arrangements and a very primal and catchy atmosphere. The band instantly reminded us of Anabantha another female-led Gothic Metal/Rock outfit that also sings mostly in Spanish. Greatly exploiting Tina Souto female vocal talents and perfectly combining them with a back-to-the-basics musical structure, tracks like “Hasta Amanecer” and “El Impulso” immerse the listener into Fixion’s musical work.

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    Kera – Kera (2015)

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    With a flourishing Metal musical scene in France delivering very diverse bands like Gojira, Dagoba and Alcest among many others, it is quite refreshing to hear a promising Progressive Death Metal band named Kera. With this self-titled EP, the band explores an interesting experimental take on Death Metal with some solid progressive elements and a knack for melodic brilliance.

    Opening with the pummeling “Masters Enslaved”, we are treated to excellent riffing that is quite crafty in nature and perfectly rounds of the well-tailored drum patterns. The vocals have that old-school raspy vibe, not necessarily the cleanest growls, but they get the job done. The second track, “Architect of Chaos” is probably the band’s most straightforward song blistering leads and a very playful melodic approach.

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    Almøst Human– Ø (2012)

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    Better late than never, today we have Switzerland’s Almøst Human with their super catchy EP titled “Ø”. Featuring five tracks and around 25 minutes of music, this is a great business card from a band that has a highly refined sound and a the attitude to deliver Heavy songs with a certain modern flair that makes them comparable to bands like Stork, Amaranthe (minus the female vocals), and even some of the most recent Coal Chamber stuff.

    Blasting things wide open with the blistering “Living Wreck”, which starts off a bit like a mixture of Linkin Park meets Devildriver. The vocals are quite engaging and very fitting for the musical style, allowing the track to go from heavy to brutal in seconds. The band settles in a bit after the killer opener with the melodic “Obey, Consume or Disappear”, which showcases a mellower and cleaner side of the band thanks to the solid vocals and guitar leads.

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    Wallower – Vanishing In Bloom (2014)

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    At Infernal Masquerade we usually receive anywhere between 20 to 40 promos each week, so going ‘off script’ to review something requires a killer release. Wallower and their savage mixture of Black Metal with Shoegaze have managed to stand out enough for us to review their killer debut EP. Under the title “Vanishing In Bloom”, we are presented with four brilliant songs that deliver a rare mixture of melody and harshness perfectly in harmony.

    The release explodes wide open with their pummeling “Meteor”, a blistering track that features ear-piercing vocals and superb guitar work. The bands demolishing sound is very raw and brutal, perfectly balanced by the shoegazy parts thrown into the mix. While not as cathartic as Deafheaven or atmospheric as An Autumn for Crippled Children, the band perfectly captures the rawness and bleakness behind acts like Ghost Bath and Heretoir, as shown in the crafty “Dispel”.

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    The Passion of Our Souls – Soulmates (2015)

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    Riding on the tailwinds of bands like Amaranthe that play catchy pseudo-pop-ish Melodic Metal, today we have The Passion of our Souls from Finland. This Finish duo deliver four tracks of catchy riffs, memorable melodic passages, and solid vocals that are quite engaging and will get stuck in your head.

    Opening with “Give Me Your Soul”, the band instantly grabs your attention with some catchy hooks and very pleasing female vocals, courtesy of Julia Mattila. The male harsh vocals are a bit on the ‘too raspy’ side, but they seem to work with the music. While this release is catchy and mellow, it is also quite heavy as the opening of “Everything” will show you. The band is not just a convert to Metal, but rather one that has strong (and heavy) Metal foundations.

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    Ashen Waves – Premonitions (2015)

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    With a very engaging sense of experimentation and lush Post-Metal/Prog influences, today we have Ashen Waves and their debut album “Premonitions”. Being from the USA, the band brings some of that European ingenuity into their music with a very diverse blend of musical genres cohesively put together to deliver 10 tracks of solid music.

    Opening with the Amorphis/Vintersorg influenced “Whispers”, we are treated to a very promising opener that perfectly blends multiple genres. We particularly enjoyed the upbeat keyboards and crafty mixture of clean and harsh vocals. The band’s next musical exploration is the surprising “Enmity” that delivers a healthy mix of Doom/Sludge riffs with dreamy Post-Metal/Proggy passages. While this style might sound odd, the band gracefully pulls it off.

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