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    Barzakh – In A Meaning the Note (2014)

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    Hailing from Indonesia, today we have Black Metal battalion Barzakh and a re-release of their crushing 2007 album “In A Meaning the Note”. BM bands from this country have a very distinctive sound and as soon as you listen to one song from this album you can recognize it. Delivering around 26 minutes of devastating music in the span of seven songs, this album is quite intense and not for the faint of heart or mind.

    Opening with the crushing catchiness of “Shadow in the Grief”, the band delivers very melodic riffs underneath their fowl harsh screams and intense tempo. This track is a very solid opener as it grabs your attention in a very direct way. Keeping the level of intensity, we have “She's Not Honoured” and “Hatred in Mourn Heart” pummeling the listener while maintaining the band’s characteristic vibe and throwing in some cool guitar leads to keep things fresh.

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    Evig Natt – Evig Natt (2016)

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    Six years have passed since the Evig Natt’s previous release “Darkland”. Luckily for us, this means that “Evig Natt” is a very refined and well-crafted that perfectly transmits raw emotions through dark and somber music. Delivering over 51 minutes of a very dramatic combination of Gothic and Doom Metal, this release is caters to the old-school fans of Gothic Metal that prefer raw atmosphere over fancy orchestrations and arrangements.

    Immediately after the instrumental intro, “How I Bleed” sets a very dark mood with punishing guitars and atmospheric keyboards paired with harsh vocals. This basic structure is quite traditional of releases in this genre from the late 90’s, early 2000’s, reminding us particularly of the album “Disclosure in Red” by Trail of Tears. The vocal arrangements of tracks like “Silence Falls” make this release more special as they evolve the listener in the band’s musical journey.

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    Master Crow – Die For Humanity (2014)

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    Hailing from France, today we have Melo-death/Deathcore/Modern Metal outfit Master Crow and their sophomore release “Die for Humanity”. Delivering over 44 minutes of crushing music, the band nicely showcases their influences from bands like The Black Dahlia Murder, Whitechapel, Death, Cynic and others in between. While not very original, the album is quite enjoyable since it features tons of powerful riffs and intricate tempo changes.

    Led by vocalist Julien "Nutz" Deyres, the album opens with the strong “Die for Humanity”, a track which mixes melancholic melodic sections with a funky bass guitar line. The band continues their brutal onslaught with the more Deathcore/Modern Metal influences tracks “Down from the Sky” and “Road of Vice”. It is quite interesting how the band manages to blend old-school Melodic Death Metal elements with their more modern influences and still sound fresh.

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    Fallen Icon – North of Nowhere (2015)

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    Having stuff arrive from all over the world is one of the perks of working at Infernal Masquerade, today for the first time in 4 years we received a package from Malta. Featuring Fallen Icon’s debut EP “North of Nowhere”, this package is one of the most brutal and yet well-crafted Groove/Death Metal releases in a while. Pummeling through 23 minutes of crushing music, this Maltese trio delivers a relentless performance that should be recognized.

    After the moody intro, “North of Nowhere” brings to the listener a crushing atmosphere filled with pummeling guitar riffs and tight drumming. Chris Bonello does a great job handling the guitars while delivering punishing growls. Perfectly mixing Groove and traditional Death Metal elements with some more modern Thrash touches, tracks like “Descent into Darkness” and “Through Sludge and Misery” are headbanging feasts that will entice people to mosh non-stop.

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    Feral –For Those Who Live In Darkness (2014)

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    Hailing from our cold and desolate neighbor in the north, Canada, today we have one-man battalion Feral and their solid debut release “For Those Who Live in Darkness”. Nicely combining elements from bands like Vreid, Agalloch, Inquisition into a sound that is quite raw, but still in development, this release is actually quite enjoyable. For over 60 minutes of music we can her how this young outfit tries an assortment of different things in order to find its own sound.

    The atmospheric opening of “Entering Darkness” nicely leads the way as the guitar’s take center stage and delivering a pummeling and moderately intense outburst. This track has a certain Viking/Pagan Metal edge to it, making it engaging and entertaining. As “Nocturnal Queen” and “True Forgotten Beauty” come around, we can instantly hear the mixture of Agalloch and Inquisition elements into the band’s music. A better testament of the band’s interest in defining their own sound is the track “Weeping Earthbound Spirit”, which features a tense atmosphere after a killer dose of solid riffs.

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    Fallen Eight – Rise & Grow (2016)

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    Mixing elements of Nu Metal with some heavier Modern Metal and Metalcore influences, today we have Fallen Eight and their EP “Rise & Grow”. For over 23 minutes this French band delivers very clean catchy songs that will undoubtedly make you want to headbang in some moments.

    Leading with “Reborn”, the band heavily relies on the vocal talents of Clem to make them stand out from the rest. The music is quite catchy, but very typical of more ‘mainstream’ Metal bands. The Metalcore influences are always present as one can listen to in “Come from the Sky” and the superbly entertaining “Final Shot”. We appreciate that the band keeps their sound consistent as the influences they blend together merge pretty well and crate enjoyable tunes.

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    Dö – Den (2015)

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    Hailing from Finland, today we have riff-masters Dö, presenting their EP titled “Den”. In this release, the trio delivers Roadburn-caliber music divided into four songs with different moods. With tons and tons of bands playing Doom/Stoner Metal, it is quite rare to find ones that really make the impression that Dö manages to make in less than 35 minutes.

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    Except One – Haunted Humanity (2016)

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    Coming at you like an unsuspecting bag of bricks to the face, today we have Except One and their crushing release “Haunted Humanity”. Featuring an interesting mixture of Metalcore and Melodic Death Metal elements, this release instantly stands out thanks to the sheer brutality of their female singer harsh vocals and the perfect balance of melodic guitars. For fans of bands like Arch Enemy and Soilwork, this French band is a true force to be reckoned.

    Opening with the dissonance of “Rise”, we instantly get the Arch Enemy vibe, as the band perfectly managed to negotiate brutality and melody. Fronted by Estelle, the vocals are quite powerful and very fitting for the level of intensity in the band’s music. Filled with brilliant moments for headbanging, tracks like “Lost” and “Schizofriend”, showcase the band’s very talented guitar duo and their killer skills.

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    The Shiva Hypothesis – Promo 2015 (2015)

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    As one of the best releases to appear on our magical postal box, today we have The Shiva Hypothesis and their demoralizing 2015 3-song promo. Featuring an imposing sound similar to bands like Behemoth, Vesania and even Dimmu Borgir minus all the fluffy shit, this Dutch band delivers 20 minutes of brutal music that will rattle your speakers from start to end.

    Opening with the incisive riffing of “Caduceus”, The Shiva Hypothesis starts its journey pummeling the listener with devilish vocals provided mainly by MVS, and some killer drum patterns. As a package, this band is firing with all cylinders, allowing all elements to perfectly blend together crafting an oppressive atmosphere.

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    Ande – Licht (2015)

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    Steamrolling its way from Belgium, today we have one-man battalion Ande and his debut release “Licht”. Featuring over 22 minutes of music, this release features tons of great ideas and eerie atmospheric pieces. Opting to always have a sort of prelude before the main songs, this allows for the atmosphere to be perfectly established before moving into heavier and more ‘Metal’ things.

    After a solid intro, “Paniek” delivers heavy distorted guitars with a very raw and crushing sound. With the guitars leading the way, the vocals are quite fitting for the mid-tempo efforts presented in this track. Focusing more on how the guitars command attention, the band’s sound is quite clean and direct.

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