Produced by Glen Robinson and Jeff Waters

Recorded at Vancouver Studios

Artwork by Len Rooney Creative

Tracks: 1- The Fun Palace, 2- Road To Ruin, 3- Sixes and Sevens, 4- Stonewall; 5- Never, Neverland, 6- Imperiled Eyes, 7- Kraf Dinner, 8- Phantasmagoria, 9- Reduced to Ash, 10- I Am In Command, 11- Kraf Dinner (demo); 12- Mayhem (demo of "Reduced to Ash"), 13- Freed From the Pit (demo of "Road To Ruin")

Here is a completely remastered edition of Annihilator´s second album. After appearing in the thrash scene with "Alice in Hell" this band developed their own style on this recording. Replacing Randy Rampage on vocals with Omen´s Coburn Pharr the band gained an extra edge and added some interesting hooks to the vocal lines. Also here is more clear the combination of clean and distorted guitars that made Annihilator famous. The thing that make this album interesting for those who have the original one are the demo tracks that are contained here, some of which ended as different songs on this album. An essential album in the history of metal.

Favorite tracks: "Stonewall", "Imperiled Eyes" and "Phantasmagoria".

Produced by Anthrax

Mastered by George Marino

Artwork by Tim Gabor

Tracks: 1- Bring The Noise, 2- Only, 3- Potters Field (remix), 4- Ball of Confussion, 5- Crush, 6- Room For One More, 7- Inside Out, 8- Hy Pro Glo (remix), 9- Fueled, 10- Among the Living, 11- Got the Time, 12- Indians, 13- Antisocial, 14- I´m The Man, 15- Madhouse, 16- I Am The Law

This is a compilation of Anthrax main tracks through their whole career (except for their debut "Fistful of Metal") with some rarities like a couple of remixes and the "Ball of Confussion" cover. There are elements from their Joey Belladona era like "Indians", "I am The Law" or "among the Living", that 15 years later are still crushing. And, obviously there are a lot of tracks from the John Bush era, like "Only" , "Room for One More", "Fueled" or "Hy Pro Glo". I would have added "Metal Thrashing Mad" to make this a complete compilation with material from all the releases.

Favorite tracks: The whole CD. Anthrax is a classic band and here you have a lot of their best material.

Produced by Rick Parashar and Riz Story

Recorded at London Bridge, Seattle

Artwork by Riz Story

Tracks: 1- Giving Thrills, 2- Don´t Wake Me, 3- Lazy hazy, 4- Whole World´s Insane, 5- Hitches, 6- Slaves (Part 12), 7- Real, 8- Fly, 9- Turnaround, 10- Running Dry, 11- Drops of Miracle, 12- She, 13- Peace Love and Toxic, 14- Dear Sylvia, 15- Kissing God, 16- Wait Until Morning

The music that this band makes is really weird, sort of a fusion between new metal and some alternative band like for example Jane´s Addiction (I am saying this mostly because of the vocals. The guitars are heavy, specially on the choruses and they play dissonant phrases here and there like bands in ths tyle of Korn could do (but they are completely different from this band). Here there are a lot of maniac guitar solos and guitar atmospheres. I don´t like too much the vocals...I think that a stronger vocalist or someone with a different range could have given the band a needed extra power. One of the fundamental things here are the choruses which have a lot of hooks (almost poppish in some songs).

Favorite tracks: "Whole world´s insane", "Hitches" and "Drops of Miracle".

Produced by Aphasia, Jean Francois Dagenais and Jean Francois Girard

Recorded at Pierr Remilliard´s Studio, Quebec

Artwork by Yvon D´Anjou

Tracks: 1- Devastating Wind; 2- Merging Process; 3- Passion of Time; 4- Beyond the Infinite Horizon; 5- Learning From the Unknown Image; 6- Cries from Despair; 7- L´Absolu Ment; 8- Stormbound

Here is Aphasia´s newest offering. This is the succesor of their "Beyond the Infinite Horizon" MCD, and they have evolved a lot since then. They have not changed their approach to music (which is death metal with technical black metal influences), but they have improved a lot the technical side and the sound of the release. Specially the drums have a much better sound than on their previous effort. Steph´s guitar lines are brutal and at the same time capable of adding some subtle arrangements to the tracks, like on "Merging Process". It seems to me that the music of this band is ideal for a live show. Brutality with a lot of original ideas.

Favorite tracks: "Devastating Wind"; "Passion of Time" and "Cries from Despair".

Produced by Jerzy

Recorded in Catacomb Studio, Warsaw

Artwork by April Ethereal

Tracks: 1- Her Silent Cry at Dawn; 2- The First Step into the Unknown; 3- Departure; 4- The Repose; 5- Hologram; 6- The Last Glance Into her eyes; 7- Truth; 8- Epilogue

Looking at the cover I was waiting a gothic band !! Wrong!!! April Ethereal is a band taht knows how to mix the most extreme brutality with a lot of changes and interesting arrangements (the short piano part in "Her Silent Cry at dawn" is amazing). There are some keyboards that contrast a lot with the brutal vocals making the music of this recording sound more weird. The drummer uses a lot of snare drum patterns combined with some double bass and speed fills. There are interesting acoustic guitar pparts that add the melody that the tracks deserve. This is one of the recordings ofd the month. For fans of brutality with an interesting twist.

Favorite tracks: "The First Step into the Unknown", "The Repose" and "Truth".

Produced by Barathrum

Recorded at Tico Tico Studios

Artwork by Tom Härkonnen

Tracks: 1- Introitus, 2- Satanick alert, 3- Dark Sorceress 2; 4- Boundless Arts; 5- Beltane; 4-Helluva Agitator, 5- Melancholy, Infinity, Agony; 6- Regent of Damnation; 7- Countess Erzebeth nadasdy; 8- Sacrilegium; 9- Saatana; 10- Dark Sorceress (Autumn Siege); 11- Necromantical Ritual; 12- Salubele

Is Barathrum a black metal band? Of course ! But they have many elements that make them different from many of the bands of the same style that are nowadays in the underground. First of all their songs have many hooks (yes, I think that this is one of the main points of their music....check the choruses and bridges of their songs to see what I am talking about). The guitar riffs have many elements that they use very effectively instead of simple speed and aggression. The vocals are clearly black metal and they are clearly screamed adding a lot of atmosphere to the tracks. Many of the tracks here are mid tempos (check "Dark Sorceress 2" as an example). If you thought that black metal was running out of originality, check Barathrum´s music and realize that you have been mistaken!

Favorite tracks: "Statnick Alert", "Melancholy, Infinity, Agony" and "Regent of Damnation".

Tracks: 1- March of the Dead, 2- Purity Through Fire; 3- Necrodaemon Terrorsathan; 4- the Last Supper; 5- No resurrection; 6- Swarm of rats; 7-Diabolical Possession; 8- Blackest Ecstasy; 9- Requiem of Hell, 10-Der Untergang Pt. II, 11- Graves of Sorrow; 12- Hellbound; 13- Vomit Upon the Cross (video); 14- Purity Through Fire (video)

Black/de ath metal cult band Belfhegor delivers a live album full of raw music and brutality. The music here is extremely fast and the sound is good enough to make all the instruments really clear in the mix (I would have mixed a little bit louder the snare drum...more or less at the same level as the bass drum). The guitars are really cool full of interesting and crushing riffs. I prefer the parts where the drummer is not playing blast beats and where the band delivers their best and more powerful riffs. The live sound is great and the badn sounds more energetic than in the studio. A great live album from this extreme cult underground band.

Favorite tracks: "Purity Through Fire", " No Resurrection" and " Graves of Sorrow".

Produced by Belinus

Recorded at B.P.M. Studios Cork

Artwork by HuGarDarn

Tracks: 1- Croi Dorcha na Coille; 2- Stormgod; 3- Magtuired; 4- Cursus; 5- At Dusk We Rise

This is a really climatic and epic CD! The vocals are closer to black metal but the guitars prefer to play riffs with melodies than doing superfast one note riffs. This recording is powerful, and the main thing here are the great arrangements that the band makes on each song. I can feel some Emperor and Enslaved influences here and there but this guys play their music in a completely different way than this bands. The guitarists are extremely heavy contrasting with the vocalist that sometimes uses clean vocals in a really effective way. I would have mixed a little bit louder the snare drum and bass drum to make a little bit more crushing the result. The overall result is really good for those who love dark music.

Favorite tracks: "Stormgod" and "At Dusk We Rise".

Tracks: 1- Fatal Kiss; 2- Diabolic Angel; 3- Lovesick; 4-Ablaze; 5- Sadness; 6-One Second; 7- Mea Culpa; 8-Tears of the Night; 9-Cold Rain; 10- Season of Love

This is with no doubt one of the CDs of the Month. Mixing brutal guitars with a lot of melody and using one of the best female vocals that I have listened (Kirsten is great also harmonizing her own vocals). The music is extremely powerful and the band achieve this without having to use speed or guttural vocals. The compositions are really well crafted and each musical piece is a short story. The guitarists make really great riffs (many of them are really heavy ones) and they know how tuo use clean guitars in thew right context to create interesting harmonies and atmospheres. Despite being their debut album I must say that this band will be really big in the future.

Favorite tracks: The whole CD.

Produced by Joey De Maio

Recorded at Bludgeonville by Jason Walsh

Artwork by Ken Kelly

Tracks: 1- Smoke Screen; 2- Idle Distinction; 3- Tortured Through Lies; 4- Zero Tolerance; 5- Last Rites; 6- Voluntary Manslaughter; 7- Crucify the Priest; 8- Abandoned; 9- Bound; 10- Inner Hell; 11- Turmoil; 12- Stained In Blood

The music of this band could be defined as death/ black metal. I am saying this because they mix elements of both styles....there are a lot of death metal riffs with a crushing guitar sound typical of this style, while there are some vocals and fast riffs that would not be out of place in a black metal band. The main element in this recording is the great work that the guitarists do through all of it going from really direct riffs to hypertechnical ones and then going through very slow moments, all in one track (for example the opening track). I like a lot some rhythmic riffs that make the result extremely heavy in tracks like "Tortured Through Lies". The sound is devastating making all the instruments shine as they deserve. A bestial and brutal band that kick your ass through the whole release!!

Favorite tracks: "Tortured Through Lies", "Voluntary Manslaughter" and "Inner Hell".

Produced by Güero Sin Fe, Asesino, Juan Brujo and Marijuano Machete

Recorded at Studio Dee

Artwork by Diseño Pe Dulce

Tracks: 1- Brujerizmo, 2- Vayan Sin Miedo, 3- La Traición, 4- Pititis, te invoco, 5- Laboratorio Cristalitos, 6- Division del Norte, 7- Marcha de Odio, 8- Anti Castro, 9- Cuiden a los Niños, 10- El Bajón, 11- Mecosario, 12- El Desmadre, 13- Sida de la Mente

Brujeria´s music has changed through the years...While their first track had riffs that were a cross between death metal and grind, on this new album you can listen much modern guitar riffs with a good sound (that was lacking "Matando Güeros" for example). The music now is closer to say, Fear Factory (specially in the guitar and drums sound)...what a coincidence!!! Yes, this time Dino Cazares and Raymond Herrera didn´t disguise their sound and their way of playing, and the similitude with their main band is more evident. Compositively the band has gotten better with time, comparing to their primitive debut. And the sound has really good quality.

Favorite tracks: "Vayan Sin Miedo", "Laboratorio Crisalitis" and "Anti Castro".

Produced by Norman Dunn

Recorded at Braille/East Sound, NYC

Artwork by X Design

Tracks: 1- Predator; 2- Carnivore; 3- Male Supremacy; 4- Armageddon; 5- Legion of Doom; 6- God is Dead; 7- Thermonuclear Warrior; 8- World Wars III and IV; 9 - U.S.A. for U.S.A. (demo); 10- S.M.D. (demo); 11- Sex and Violence (demo)

This is the Carnivore debut album in a completely remastered edition that contains interesting bonus tracks, mainly demos. For those who doesn´t know the band this is Pete Steele´s band previous to the creation of Type O Negative. In fact there are certain similitudes with the early Type O material. The album opens with "Predator", a track that wouldn´t be out of place in a Venom album!!! The music here is raw (despite having a better sound than in the original recording) and almost punk in some parts. There are slower parts that make some tracks more climatic. The lyrics are always ironic and sarcastic. A piece of metal history. Check it out.

Favorite tracks: "Male Supremacy"; Legion of Doom" and "Thermonuclear Warrior".

Produced by Alex Perialas

Recorded at Systems Two, Brooklyn, NY

Artwork by X Design

Tracks: 1- Jack Daniels and Pizza; 2- Angry Neurotic Catholics; 3- S.M.D.; 4- Ground Zero Brooklyn; 5- Race War; 6- Inner Conflict; 7- Jesus Hitler, 8- Technophobia; 9- Manic Depression; 10- U.S.A. for U.S.A.; 11- Five Billion Dead; 12- Sex and Violence; 13 - World Wars III and IV (demo); 14- Carnivore (demo); 15- The Subhuman )demo

This is the exact link between the first Carnivore album and the "Slow, Deep and Hard" Type O Negativa album. In fact this is a Remastered Edition of this classic with many bonus tracks and fully remastered sound. Here you can listen the band that launched Pete Steele to the underground fame. Tracks like "Technophobia" wouldn´t be out of place in any of the Type O Negative albums despite that Steele´s vocals are more screaming than what he des in that band. There is a certain hardcore and punk feeling in many of the tracks that make the material contained here rawer and more direct.

Favorite tracks: "Jack Daniels and Pizza", "Race War" and "Jesus Hitler".

Produced by Alex Mastrocola

Recorded at Alex´s Home

Artwork by Alex Mastrocola

Tracks: 1- Intro, 2- the Murderer, 3- Rainbow Rising, 4- The Prophet, 5- Obsession in a Jail, 6- Shaman´s Dream, 7- Dream of Moon, 8- Androphoby, 9- Take The Power, 10- New Wave of Bass Metal

This is a weird CD. Alex Mastrocola has developed this musical experiment called Catalepsy....in fact the opnly instruments that can be listened on this recording are two bass guitars and the drums. The music is strange also because there are a lot of effects used in the vocals. The bass guitars are sometimes used as bottom end to keep the rhythm and sometimes like a guitar creating melodies. The experimentation is great here and you can listen Mastrocola´s skills with his bass. The drums are sampled and have a certain electronic feeling that makes the tracks even more weird. Mastrocola does all the vocals here in a certain heavy metal feeling. If you like unusual musicians here is one for you !!!

Favorite tracks: "Rainbow Rising", "Shaman´s Dream" and "Androphoby".

Produced by Catamenia

Recorded in Tico Tico Studios

Tracks: 1- Gates of Anubis, 2- Soror Mystica, 3- Blackmension, 4- Kingdom of Legions, 5- Half Moons, Half Centuries, 6- Forever Night, 7- Dawn of the Chosen World, 8- Eternal Winter´s Prophecy, 9- In the Void, 10- The Darkening Sun, 11- In the Capricorn´s Cradle

I must say that I really like Catamenia. This band mixes perfectly their ultra raw black metal with the elegance and melody of the keyboards played by Heidi Riihinen. To give you an idea, is like listening to a much colder Dimmu Borgir with more melody and interesting passages and with a darker feeling. This guys know how to arrange their compositions in order to make them sound in a powerful way. The orchestrations are getting more relevant on each release of the band and on this one they are up in the fron contrasting a lot with the music that the rest of the band does (it is really interesting how in some parts Mika Tönning seems to follow the keyboards with his vocals). This album is a really must for lovers of dark metal. Favorite tracks: "Dawn of the Chosen World", "Gates of Anubis" and "Kingdom of Legions".

Produced by Circle of Nero

Recorded at Walton Recording Studio

Artwork by Chad Michael Ward

Tracks: 1- Church of the Pagan God, 2- Mother Doom, 3- Massive Obliss, 4- Dark Side of Eternity, 5- Walls of Pain, 6- Million Miles Away, 7- Thorizine Dreams, 8- Moon Quake, 9- Hear My Cries, 10- The End

A beautiful intro with some chants and clean guitars open this CD, getting into the first track that is pure heavy metal, in fact it is really progressive heavy metal, with many changes and a vocalist that uses a medium range with some gothic reminiscences which I like more than many of the high pitched guys out there (I don´t know why I feel some Candlemass in some parts....great!!). There is a great guitar work here in the vein of guys like John Petrucci or Savatage with interesting solos (even using a whammy pedal on "Mother Doom"). The sound is really good (it can be a little better on the drums, and maybe it would be a good idea to add some bottom end to the guitar too). This guys have many ideas and they combine a lot of them on each track giving an atmosphere of complexity to the songs. If you like elaborated metal this is definitely for you.

Favorite tracks: "Dark Side of Eternity", "Moon Quake" and "Church of the Pagan God".

Produced by Doug Cook

Recorded at New Rising Studios

Artwork by John Coulthart

Tracks: 1- Sin Deep My Wicked Angel, 2- All Hope in Eclipse, 3- Born in a Burial Gown, 4- Summer Dying Fast, 5- No Time To Cry, 6- The Principle of Evil Made Flesh, 7- Suicide and Other Comforts, 8- Dinner at Deviant´s palce, 9- The Black Goddess Rises II, 10- Scorched Earth Erotica

Many people hate Cradle of Filth...I still don´t understand why. Despite liking or not their music, this band is really solvent in what they do. In fact their music is really atmospheric (despite some scream abuse made by Dani) and there is an interesting work in the keyboards arrangements.. I find this CD much more orchestrated than for example "Midian", and it has a really good sound that few bands can achieve. On this recording you can see the evolution that Cradle of Filth has gone through since the beginning because there are some old tracks here like "The Principle of Evil made Flesh", clearly rawer and with less orchestration.

Favorite tracks: "All Hope in Eclipse"; " Suicide and Other Comforts" and "The Principle of Evil made Flesh".

Produced by Keith Falcout and Kirk Windstein

Recorded at Festival Studios

Artwork byJohn Buttino

Tracks: 1- I Feel the Burning Sun, 2- Equilibrium, 3- Glass Full of Liquid Pain, 4- Command of Myself, 5- Down Into the Rotting Earth, 6- To Touch the Hand of God, 7- Uncovering, 8- Buried Once Again, 9- Things you Can´t Understand, 10- Euphoria Minus One, 11- Dream Weaver

Crowbar is one of the heaviest bands to come out in the early nineties. Since their debut album they have been crushing listeners with their powerful riffs and neck breaking drums patterns. Also in the side projects that involve members of this band they have achieved great results like in Down. Kirk Windstein spits the lyrics at the top of his lungs as always. This time some of the tracks are slower and heavier having added some more deppresive quality to their music. The music here is full of anger, hate and anguish. If you want to try something different that is not death metal, black metalor grind, then check Crowbar for extreme heaviness.

Favorite tracks: "Glass Full of Liquid Pain", "Command of Myself" and "Uncovering".

Produced by Crushing Belial

Recorded at 158 Studios

Artwork by James and Simon

Tracks: 1- Burning The Shroud of Azrael; 2- Cleanse the Ears With the Blood of Martyrs; 3- Vengeance Ordained in Grace

How brutal can a band be? Well, Crushing Belial is extremely bestial, in fact they are brutal as hell. Their music is sometimes brutal death metal, sometimes doom (like on the beginning of "Cleanse..." and sometimes pure grind!! The drummer must be an octopus to play the blast beats that can be listened in "Burning The Shroud of Azrael" and also some of the other druum patterns. The guitar riffs are powerful and I prefer the heavier ones like the one at 2:02 of "Burning...". There are three tracks here that show what this band is capable of doing and how extreme they are. I liked a lot the contrast between some parts of all the tracks . I would like this band to have a better sound, which is a little bit muddy here, but that can be solved with more time in the studio. A crushing release !!!!

Favorite tracks: The whole CD. It is so bestial that it hurts.

Produced by Datakill

Recorded at Underground Music Studio

Artwork by Datakill

Tracks: 1- Stress, 2- L´Odio, 3- Pensaci Bene, 4- Tutto Quello Che Vorrei, 5- Fascist Pig

This band is very powerful. Their music is modern with certain touches of bands like Sepultura, Prong and some Pro-Pain. They mix this modern side with some hardcore attitude that makes the music really aggressive. The sound of the recording helps a lot to the final result, making the tracks heavier and the riffs much more effective. I like the way Lorenzo plays this riffs, with a lot of strength and using a lot of natural harmonics in tracks like "L´odio". It is weird to listen the lyrics in Italian Language. There are really interesting melodic vocal lines like the ones in the chorus of "L´Odio" that give a lot of hooks to the songs. A powerful release that includes a cover of Suicidal Tendencies "Fascist Pig".

Favorite tracks: "Stress", "Pensaci Bene" and " L´Odio.

Produced by David Coverdale

Artwork by Stylorouge

Tracks: 1- Into the Light, 2- River Song, 3- She Give Me, 4- Don´t You Cry, 5- Love is Blind, 6- Slave; 7- Cry for Love, 8- Living on Love, 9- Midnight Blue, 10- Too Many Tears; 11- Don´t Lie To Me, 12- Wherever You May Go

After the disolution of Whitesnake David Coverdale started a solo career focused on songs that sound more bluesy than the one of his previous band. The tracks contained here are more related to the "Northwinds" album or to the Page/Coverdale one than to the last albums that Whitesnake did. This is mostly because of the guitar sound: Earl Slick is a really bluesy guitar with a lot of early blues influence (and Led Zeppelin ones too). In Fact, I must say that I prefer Adrian Vanderberg, John Sykes or any of the other latest Whitesnake guitarist (Steve Vai obviously!) that used to give a more modern sound to the tracks (listen here "Too Many Tears" that despite being a ballad has this element and it is composed by Coverdale and Vandenberg). One step more on Coverdale´s career.

Favorite tracks: "She Give Me"; "Too Many Tears" and "Slave".

Produced by Deicide

Engineered by Jim Morris at Morrisound Studios

Artwork by The Serpent

Tracks: 1- In Torment in Hell, 2- Christ Don´t Care, 3- Vengeance Will be Mine, 4- Imminent Doom, 5- Child of God, 6- Let It be Done, 7- Worry in the House of Thieves, 8- Lurking Among Us

Here is Deicide´s latest offering. And as always they crush us with their powerful music. Has Deicide changed? Not even a single bit. Maybe the sound is better here than on "Incineratehymn", but that is all. Is that good? Yes, because this is a crushing band whose albums I like a lot and they have shown the world their devastating music since the late eighties when they were called Amon. As always, Deicide is heavier than hell, and as they have achieved since "Once Upon the Cross" the recording has a great sound that makes the brutality more effective. If you want hell then Deicide is here for you!!!

Favorite tracks: "Christ Don´t Care", "Vengeance Will Be Mine" and "Lurking Among Us".

Produced by Desdemonia

Recorded at Prosecco Studios

Artwork byM.Dosser and Oli Scheeck

Tracks: 1- Intangible, 2- Take Your Time, 3- Behind, 4- Spare Me, 5- No Retreat; 6- Paralyzed, 7- Nosferatu, 8- Taken, 9- 2.A.0.D.K.

Directly from Luxembour comes Desdemonia. Their music is brutal death metal but it has many thrash and heavy metal touches in the riffs (there are parts in which they use wah wah in the guitars, like on "Intangible"). The riffs go beyond what one is expecting and when you wait them to accelerate they surprise with a melody or guitar phrase. The drummer is killer and has a lot of skills with the double bass (using some difficult patterns in many of the tracks). There are also some rock elements like on the beginning of "Behind" and there interesting clean guitar parts . Can we call this style progressive brutal death metal? Why not? I think that it fits this music perfectly, because it has many interesting parts that go beyond the style and explore new boundaries.

Favorite tracks: "Intangible", "Take Your Time" and "Nosferatu".

Tracks: 1- Cleaver, Saw and Butcher´s Knife; 2- Offer the Flesh; 3- King of the Missing; 4- Bloody Human Carvery; 5- None of Us are Saints; 6- Let´s Have a Hanging; 7- Swollen; 8- Bathroom´s Autopsy; 9- They Bled; 10- Frosted Breath

This is one of the most brutal releases I have listened this year. Despit being extremely brutal the band has devloped a great sound, specially on the guitars which are cristal clear (despite the big amount of distortion that this guys use and despite that they tune down the guitars to achieve a bottom end sound). The drums are also really well mixed and you can listen the interesting Ride Cymbals arrangements that the drummer does while doing interesting fast patterns. There are some slower tracks like "King o the Missing"which is one of the heaviest tunes here (I liked a lot the pasage where the guitars play a riff and the drums use a great double bass pattern at 1:31 of this track). Another interesting thing is that the band uses sometimes riffs with dissonances that make the guitar work more interesting. Brutality but with a lot of changes and interesting arrangements.

Favorite tracks: "King of the Missing", "None of Us Are Saints" and "They Bled".

Produced by Detonation and Roland Root

Recorded at Studio Sandwijck

Tracks: 1- Forever Buried Pain; 2- Starve; 3- Voices Beyond Reason

This band plays a kind of death metal whose main goal is to deliver original songs through the interesting arrangements that they make in all the tracks. By listening to the three tracks contained here it seems to me that Detonation is a band ideal to listen in a live show and to headbang along their heavier than hell riffs. They have a lot of interesting arrangements, specially on the guitar department where they use interesting sad melodies and guitar harmonies (in a very thrash fashion) to give a different side to their music. The first track here is a must!! It is a classic, listen to that chorus and to that clean guitar interlude (interesting work of the drummer to accentuate the different parts). I hope this guys can release soon a full length effort to listen more material from this great band.

Favorite tracks: The three tracks contained here.

Tracks: 1- Self Inflicted Abuse; 2- Soulless Extinction; 3- Dead and Forgotten

This is a three track advance CD of the "Seven Suicides" album by this powerful death metal band which was called The Forgotten before and released some succesful albums. First of all, the music is really powerful with interesting rhythms and extremely guttural vocals. Second, the release has a muddy sound, I don´t know if that is because this is an advance CD....maybe they should mix everything a little bit louder and clearer to achieve a better result (specially the drums that are really opaque and that is a pity because the drummer is great and I distinguish some bass drum patterns that are great but difficult to hear). There are a lot of riffs that are not so common on the style and that gives a lot of originality to this band. Also the guitarist makes a lot of interesting melodies in the tracks like in "Self Inflicted Abuse" (3:50) I hope they send me the complete versionbecause this is a killer CD and I hope they do another mix to give this band the sound that they deserve

Favorite tracks: "Soulless Extinction".

Produced by Andy Sneap

Recorded at Pyramid Studios

Artwork by Mike Ski

Tracks: 1- End Begins; 2- Filthy Hands to famished Mouths; 3- Breed the Killers; 4- Wither; 5- Ultra Militance; 6- Into the Fray; 7- One Against All; 8- Drug Related Homicide; 9- Overseers; 10- Death Rate Solution; 11- Unvanquished; 12- Ecocide

As you may know this band plays modern metal with a heavier than hell sound and vocals that are completely distorted. The first track "End Begins" is reallys imple and efective. And this is where lies the main elements of this band. They are simple but at the same time really powerful. There are some hardcore and punk influences too (a couple of riffs reminded me to the great D.R.I.). The great production by Andy Sneap makes the instruments shine (this guys is producing a lot lately and he always achieve a great sound on the guitars and the drums).

Favorite tracks: "Wither"; "Death Rate Solution" and "Into the Fray".

Produced by Dan Swanö

Recorded by Dan Swanö

Artwork by Dan Swanö

Tracks: CD 1: 1- Pernicious Anguish, 2- Immortal Souls, 3- Maze of Existence, 4- the Dead, 5- Angel Of Distress, 6-Everlasting; 7- After Afterlife, 8- Human Aberration, 9-Kill the Police, 10- When All Is Said, 11- Blood of My enemies, 12- Elegy

CD 2: 1- the Masque, 2- Pernicious Anguish; 3- Until Eternity Ends; 4- Song of Sirens; 5- Criminally insane; 6- Murder Dividead; 7- I Wanna Go Home; 8- Damned By the Damned; 9- Moonshine; 10- Bleed You Dry; 11- Mother; 12- Epidemic Reign

Edge of Sanity is an essential band from the swedish death metal movement. They started their career in the late eighties and made some of the most original albums, adding their particular sound to the tracks. Here we have a 2 CD compilation with all rarities: here you have demos, remixes, remastered versions and covers. All in one package. And the tracks go from their first recordings ("Pernicious Anguish" from their 1989 "Euthanasi" ) to their latest. The sound is obviously better in the newest track, but here you can listen all the talent that this guys (and specailly Dan Swanö) have. A must for any person that is into metal. This is a piece of heavy music history.

Favorite tracks: The whole 2 CD set is essential for any lover of metal music.

Produced by Encryptor

Tracks: 1- Cast Into Darkness, 2- Rebrutalization, 3- Sermon Decay, 4- Horrific Endangerment, 5- Vomit Congregation, 6- Images of tragedy, 7- Everything must Decay, 8- Bloodflow towards Salvation

Encryptor is a brutal death metal band with a really good sound (I like the way in which the drums sound, specially the double bass drums...almost electronic in some places). The guitar riffs are crushing and in some places they reminded me of german act Harmony Dies. There are interesting rhythmic parts where the band show what they are capable of doing. The vocals are extremely guttural and they fit the music perfectly. The band delivewrs burst of energy after burst of energy with no mercy for the listeners. I think that Encryptor is a great option for those who love extremely brutal death metal and like it to be with a good sound.

Favorite tracks: "Sermon Decay"; "Vomit Congregation" and "Bloodflow Towards Salvation".

Produced by Martin Barbour

Tracks: 1- Sleep the Dollar, 2- Nervegas Breakdown, 3- Routine Irregular, 4- Off Line; 5- Chore Again; 6- R.I.U.P; 7- Centrepaed; 8- Tri; 9- Fait Accompli; 10- Impurity; 11- Make Shift (Pt. 1); 12- Make Shift (Pt.2)

Fony is a band that I have never heard before and their music is usually described as a mix between new metal (the sound of some of the guitars is definitely from this style) and alternative music (there are some Soundgarden and Tool influences here and there that make an interesting mix with the heavier guitar sound). Some tracks like "Nervegas Breakdown are fully modern metal (with some distorted vocals that add a cool vibe. The production is really good and every instrument is clearly mixed giving more impact to the tracks. One thing that I liked of this band are their catchy and melodic choruses which are in fact sang in a deppressive way. A good alternative for people that looks for soemthing different.

Favorite tracks: "Routine Irregular"; "Chore Again" and "Impurity".

Produced by Øyvind Grøden and Forlorn

Recorded at Mansion Studios

Artwork by Tor Søreide Design

Tracks: 1- Distant Worlds and Distant Moons; 2- Legions of the Empire; 3- Spiritshade; 4- Shadow Cult; 5- Phantoms, 6- Necto Spiritus; 7- Midnight´s Overture; 8- Legends of Creation

A thought was spinning in my mind while listening to this band. How can I describe their music? After a lot of thinking I decided that the best way would hev been with some label like "melodic black metal with some operistic vocals". In fact this description is real but not completely accurate because it fails to describe Forlorn´s music in all its magnitude. In fact, there are black metal elements (specially some vocals and guitar riffs), there are a lot of keyboards that embellish the tracks, then there is a hyper double bass drumming and a lot of rhythm changes. Finally there are different type of vocals: some are more guttural, some are like operistic male vocals (in the more melodic parts). I liked a lot the way in which the songs are composed because it makes each track completely different from the other and that adds a lot of interest to the whole CD. A great album.

Favorite tracks: "Shadow Cult", "Legions of the Empire" and "Legends of Creation".

Produced by Martin Davidson

Recorded at the Freedom of the City Festival

Tracks: CD 1: 1- Trick on the Speed of Making It, 2- Daylight Receptacle

CD 2: 1- Flower of Flesh and Blood, 2- Morton´s Mobile; 3- Group Dynamics Around the Slide; 4- Concerto for Sylvia Hallett; 5- Double Rainbow; 6- Birthday Piece; 7- An If But To and When; 8- Proceeding 5

This is a 2-CD set in which the first one consists on two tracks (the first one is over 31 minutes) from a String improviser ensemble with great musicians like Phil Durrant, Chris Burn, Sylvia Hallett and John Russell to name just a few (the great Evan Parker appears in the second track and the second one is a big orchestra called the London Improvisers Orchestra. The London Improvisers Orchestra has many other instruments apart from the strings and here you can listen the talent of Lol Coxhill, Steve Beresford and many others. This recording was made in the Freedom of the City Festival 2001 and showcases the improvising and spontaneous skills of this group of talented musicians. The music contained here is highly experimental and spontaneous. It is great to see the communication between the musicians that is evident through all this recording. A great album from this extremely open minded musicians.

Favorite tracks: "Trick on the speed of making it"; "Concerto for Sylvia Hallett" and "Proceeding " .

Produced by Martin Davidson

Recorded at the Freeedom of the City Festival

Tracks: CD 1: 1- Smibramar A; 2- Smibramar B; 3- Smibramar C; 4- WesedsanA; 5- Wesedsan B; 6- Wesedsan C; 7- Nickrahug A; 8- Nickrahug B; 9- Nickrahug C

CD 2: 1- Tho 1; 2- Tho 2; 3- Wrewashugdur 1; 4- Wrewashugdur 2; 5- Butber A; 6- Butber B; 7- Butber C; 8- Minrustur; 9- CoxRut; 10- CoxMinRusRutRur

This is a recording also done in the Freedom of the City 2001 Festival. But this 2 CD set consists in recording of small ensembles (and two solo pieces by the great Pat Thomas on piano). As always there are great musicians envolved in thsi projecys like Lol Coxhill, Phil Durrant, Veryan Weston and many others. There are excellent improvisations through all the CDs and I liked specially the Maggie Nicols (voice, tap dancing), Caroline Kraabel (alto sax, voice)and Charlotte Hug (viola) which experiments a lot with voices, uncommon instrument combinations and tap dancing. An excellent recording of this great Festival that I hope some day will come to Buenos Aires.

Favorite tracks: "Wesedsan B"; "Butber C" and " Nickrahug A".

Produced by Evan Parker

Recorded at Gateway Studios

Photographs by Caroline Forbes

Tracks: 1- Phrase Three; 2- Ma Bel; 3- Smatter; 4- Body and Soul; 5- By George; 6- The Peacocks

How beautiful are the sax phrases that Gerd Dudek plays through all this album. And how great a musician Gerd is. On this recording he plays with John Parricelli on guitar, Tony Levin on drums and Chris Laurence on bass, playing classic jazz with a lot of improvised solos. The main thing here is how to play with extremely melody and not loose spontaneity. And this is what Dudek achieves here: he plays the greatest solo lines (in fact all the musicians have their solo parts on each composition) with extreme melody and original phrases. The standards played here include the always amazing "Body and Soul" where a great musician like Dudek can develope many new ideas within a really melodic realm. For people who likes really good music played by a master musician.

Favorite tracks: "Phrase Three"; "Body and Soul" and "By George".

Produced by Evan Parker

Recorded at Gateway Studios

Artwork by Han Bennink

Tracks: 1- Traps of Appetite; 2- Traps of Instinct; 3- Outside the Usual Rules of the Eating Game; 4- Smoke of Sacrifice; 5- The Empty Hook; 6- Coyotes Are EatingPure Bred Poodles in Beverly Hills; 7- Pluto has a Moon; 8- To Tangle Lure and Snare

Here we have a duet CD from this two experimented improvisational musicians: Evan parker on saxophone and Han Bennink on percussion. The music here is really sponteneous and they call it in the booklet "instantcompositions". Everytime that I listen to Evan Parker I get really amazed by his flowing sax lines. He can start a solo line and don´t stop it till minutes later. The combination of this improvised runs and phrases with Bennink anarchic yet controlled percussion beats gives us the formula that makes this recording a unique experience. The two musicians know really well how to work together and this is evident on this CD. This CD is a must for people fan of experimental music in all its forms.

Favorite tracks: "Traps of Appetite"; "Smoke of Sacrifice" and "Pluto Has a Moon".

Recorded at Hertz Studio

Artwork by Andrzej Zdrojewski

Tracks: 1- Intro; 2- Visions of Decline; 3- Raise the Dead; 4- The Victory; 5- Follow The Beast; 6- The Day of Wrath; 7- Inverted; 8- Hellraiser; 9- Those Are Dead But Shall rise; 10- Merciless Onslaught

Hell-born´s music is extremely raw and fast. Their riffs are played at hyper speed and the drummer loves doing blast beats and crushing your brain with them. Their music is what I would call black/thrash metal...and it is really powerful. Some bands come to my mind....Inferi, Usurper ....some Immortal things but all done with great personality (the way the vocals are treated is a trademark of Hell-Born´s music). Ojne of the things that I like most are the great riffs (the simple one at 2:14 of "The Vistory" is a killer one !!!!) very well conceived and the melodic solos (in "The Victory" you can have a sample of this too) that give a different dimension to the tracks and sometimes are connected with some melodic bridge. A killer release from this powerful band from hell!!

Favorite tracks: "Hellraiser"; "Follow The Beast" and "The Day of Wrath".

Recorded at Selani Studio

Mastered by Adam Kuc

Tracks: 1- Forsaken in Nonentity; 2- A Monologue; 3- Wander Through Life; 4- Demons of Fate; 5- Under Delusion; 6- Born To Redeem; 7- A Nightmare; 8- Seized With Darkness; 9- Video Track

A brutal release but with a lot of finesse in the guitar work. In fact I liked a lot the contrast between the crushing rhythms and rotten vocals against the melodic guitar solos. This gives a lot of originality to the band. Also another thing that I liked are the breaks and the change of rhythmand riffs that they use within each song . The drums sound is strange but I liked it a lot (is really like listening to a machine instead of this technical guy.....the double bass is killer). There are some fast riffs that could be from a black metal band too and this along with the beforementioned guitar melodies. One point that is fundamental is the great sound tat this release has....it is possible to listen everything cristal clear even in the faster and more distorted parts. Get on your knees...Immemorial has arrived !!!!!!!

Favorite tracks: "Wander Through Life"; "Under Delusion" and "A Nightmare".

Produced by Infidel? / Castro!

Recorded at the Realm of Koland and La Casa de Alvarez

Artwork by Colin Marston and George Korein

Tracks: 1- The Violence of Hygiene; 2- The Act of Sterilization; 3- Objective Reality; 4- Mobius; 5- Spiraling; 6- Negativity; 7- Subjective Reality; 8- Circular thoughts; 9- A Hanging Man

Only reading the name of this band I thought "well, this guys must be really experimental". And they did not dissapoint me...their music while heavy has many elments that can be called industrila nad a lot of sound effects that create a dense atmosphere in all the tracks. There are interesting keyboard arrangements that bring twisted melodies and arrangements to the compositions. I think there is some improvisation too here in the parts that seem more chaotic. And that is how I would define this music....the perfect equilibrium between complete harmony and chaos. Fans of experimental music will be delighted with Infidel? / Castro!.

Favorite tracks: The whole CD. I like musicians who have the guts to experiment in the way that this guys do.

Produced by Intervalle Bizarre and Malignancy

Recorded at Shhark Studio (Intervalle Bizarre) and

Tracks: Intervalle Bizarre: 1- Abortion by Muriatic Acid; 2- Disfigured Sculpture; 3- Raped Serenity; 4- Incomprehensible Movements; 5- Walking Corpse

MalignancY: 1- Fibroid Embolism; 2- Profitable Extinction; 3- Rotten Seed; 4- Post Fetal Depression; 5- Mortality Weakness

What a crushing split CD! First starts Intervalle Bizarre with their extremely technical death metal with some grind parts included (there are super fast blast beats in some places). Here the riffs are technical and there are multiple changes within each song. It is incredible the great sound that this band has (the second track, "Disfigured Sculpture" that starts as a grind track with some odd time rhythms is perfectly mixed and you can distinguish even the more subtle arrangements). There are some Pestilence influences in Intervalle Bizarre´s music, specially in the guitar riffs (also i find some Atheist in there too...great influences!). They end their half of the split with a Brutal Truth cover "Walking Corpse".Thumbs up for Intervalle Bizarre!!!

Then comes Malignancy with a sound that is not as good (the mix is a little bit lower than the one in the Intervalle Bizarre side, specially on the guitars). The music has amazing riffs !! I liked particularly the ones in "Post Fecal Depression" witha lot of pinch harmonics and some fills that are killer. Malignancy also is a very technical band prefering to explore the rhythm changes instead of some melodies (they use some odd timing here and there too). Their killer is guttural and makes the music really brutal. Brutality guaranteed with Malignancy.

Favorite tracks: "Disfigured Sculpture"; "Raped Serenity" and "Rotten Seed.

Produced by Kevin Shirley

Recorded live in Rio de Janeiro; January 2001

Artwork by Peacock

Tracks: CD I: 1-Intro; 2- the Wicker Man; 3- Ghost of the Navigator; 4- Brave New World; 5- Wrathchild; 6- 2 Minutes To Midnight; 7- Blood Brothers; 8- Sign of the Cross; 9- The Mercenary; 10- The Trooper; 11- Brave New World (video)

CD 2: 1- Dream of Mirrors; 2- The Clansman; 3- The Evil that Men Do; 4- Fear of the Dark; 5- Iron Maiden; 6- The Number of the Beast; 7- Hallowed Be Thy Name; 8- Sanctuary; 9- Run To the Hills; 10- A Day in the Life (video)

This is a recording of a concert recorded in the beginning of 2001 (when Iron Maiden did their Southamerican tour with their new six-piece lineup). The recording features their entire set with two videos (one on each CD). The recording has a greta level compared to "A Real Live One", " A Real Dead One" and all that stuff. I liked the "Brave New World" album and there are plenty of songs from that album here. But nothing compares to the classics. Nothing compares to the glory of tracks like "Wrathchild" or "The Trooper". This is a proof that Iron Maiden needed a great singer and that they have got it with the return of Bruce Dickinson. And also it is a proof that they are still alive and kicking.

Favorite tracks: "Wrathchild", "The Trooper" and "The Number of the Beast".

Produced by Martin Davidson

Recorded in London 1970 or 1971

Artwork by Martin Davidson

Tracks: 1- Buzz Trio1; 2- Buzz Trio 2; 3- Buzz Trio 3; 4- Buzz Trio 4; 5- Bass and Trombone; 6- Trombone and Guitar; 7- Guitar and Bass; 8- Bass Solo 1; 9- Trombone Solo 1 ; 10 - Guitar Solo 1; 11- Buzz Trio 5; 12- Bass Solo 2; 13- Trombone Solo 2; 14- Guitar Solo 2; 15- Buzz Trio 6; 16 - Buzz Trio 7; 17- Buzz Trio 8; 18- Buzz Trio 9; 19- Bass Solo 3; 20- Trombone Solo 3; 21 Guitar Solo 3

For those who doesn´t know it, Iskra 1903 is a trio that puts together the talents of superb improvisational musicians like Paul Rutherford (trombone), Derek Bailey (amplified guitar) and Barry Guy (double bass). This guys are masters of spontaneous music and improvisations and they show it through all their recording. In fact this is a CD that was originally recorded in 1970/1971 and showcases all the habilities of the trio. In fact I think that the pieces that I liked most are the ones where the thre musicians play together because here you can feel not only their individual skills but also the mental connection that they have between them. Rutherford trombone lines crash against Bailey´s drop rain like arpeggios and they are reshaped by Guy´s double bass phrases creating this magical pieces that you can listen on this recordings. Also the solo tracks are killer and here you can learn what this guys know about spontaneous music.

Favorite tracks: "Bass Solo I"; "Buzz Trio 4" and "Buzz Trio 9".

Mastered at Nomad Recording Studio

Mastered by king Diamond, Kol Marshall and Gary Long

Tracks: 1- Locked Up In the Snow; 2- Holy Mountain Lights; 3- Crazy Tonight; 4- Virgin; 5- Kill for Fun; 6- The End, 7- Road Life; 8- Soul Overture; 9- Doctor Cranium; 10- Disgrace; 11- I Need Blood; 12- Radar love

This is King Diamond´s band previous to the creation of Mercyful Fate. Don´t expect heavy metal in the vein of that band or in the vein of King Diamond´s solo band. Here the music is closer to seventies hard rock with a lot of Hammond organ sound and rocking riffs. The two main influences here can be Deep Purple (this is the strongest influence that I can feel in Black Rose´s music) and Kansas or some seventies prog rock band (here they include a cover of Golden Earring´s "Radar Love"). This CD was recorded in a night of rehearsal and you can listen all the mistakes and all the spontaneity ofthe band. It is really funny to listen. A good document of what King was doing well before Mercyful Fate.

Favorite tracks: "Doctor Cranium", "Holy Mountain Lights" and "Kill for Fun".

Produced by Javier Gil

Recorded in Madrid

Artwork by Oscar

Tracks: 1- Entrails Cake; 2- Homemade Traqueotomy; 3- Verminous Anal Suppuration; 4- Fecal Shower

Lapidated´s music is fast as hell. Their grind/ death metal is terribly fast and devastating. With fast and bestial riffs (played with a fat sound) and a lot of blast beats on the drums (this guy, Javier, is killer on the drumkit....sometimes he plays blast beats so fast and precise that he seems to be a machine). The compositions spin around fast parts but they have some rhythms that make the songs interesting. The vocals are extremely guttural as the style demands and there are guitar solos played hyper fast and with a strange sound like the one in "Fecal Shower". The tracks are not short...in fact the four tracks contained here make a total duration of the CD of more than 14 minutes. I would like to listen more material from tis band because I liked a lot their attitude and brutalityw ith no limits.

Favorite tracks: "Entrails Cake"; "Fecal Shower".

Produced by Steve Beresford

Mastered by Dave hunt

Artwork by Monkey Design

Tracks: CDI : 1-Autumn in New York; 2- bad Boy; 3- Strictly legal; 4- Vermilion Sands; 5- Not the North; 6- Three go To letchworth; 7- Embraceable You/Quasimodo; 8- Union Dues; 9- Turned Out Nice Again; 10- Happy Birthday Bob Cobbins; 11- I Thought About You; 12- Aquaslide; 13- Experiments With temperature; 14- Two Out of Three; 15- Messin With the Man;

CD 2: 1- Abrief Introduction To Sax; 2- Magic Buffalo; 3- Uptown Top Ranking; 4- Perdido; 5- Out of Nowhere; 6- Brits Abroad; 7- Tourism in Crisis; 8- Verstehen und Sprechen; 9- Murder In The Air; 10- Sweet Hawaiian Kisses; 11- Victory Walk; 12- C.A.K.; 13- Resonance; 14- Introduction to the Orchestra

Here is Lol Coxhill´s latest offer. This is a compilation of Impriovisations that this great musician did with his sax (his main instrument) and other musical instruments like piano. The music here goes from jazz, to ambient , to sponteneous, to electronic. It is interesting too to see the big quantity of musicians that have worked with Coxhill through all the years helping him to develope differnt sides of his musical personality. The music contained on this two CDs is of esentiall listning for every musician who wants to know something about improvisation. Coxhill can do from hyper fast sax lines to sustained notes, to shrieaking sounds in order to develope the idea that he has in his mind. It is great to see that this superb musician has always a new desire to explore and break boundaries. A must.

Favorite tracks: All. This two CDs show us why this superb musician is a master of experimental and improvisational music.

Produced by Darkens

Tracks: 1- Winged Helmets; 2- the Ancient Beginnings; 3- Prophecy of the Norns; 4- Father of Wisdom; 5-Atlantean Monument; 6- Rhinemaidens Lamentation; 7- Dance of War; 8- Horn of Summoning

Lord Wins id a project of Darkens from the almighty black metal band Graveland. But the music here is completely different from this band. In fact here we have climatic orchestral pieces with big influence from nordic music. In fact listening to this CD is like walking in an ancient dark forest full of pagan myths and beings. The compositions have a great feeling with those chants that can be listened almost through all the CD and the combination of ancient sounds with this keyboard melodies. There is a lot of use of minor tonalities in the tracks and that makes the feeling of the music contained here darker or more sad. This is great music to listen with your eyes wide shut and I think it would be a great soundtrack for some ancient-times movie. One of the recordings of the month.

Favorite tracks: The whole CD. I liked a lot the compositions. This music and orchestration showcases the skills that Darkens has .

Produced by Hirax and Lunatic Gods

Recorded in Studio Exponent, Sulekovo

Artwork by Milan Hrabovsky

Tracks: 1- Curse, 2- Tormenting World; 3- Fallen Beauty; 4- Doomsday; 5- Battlefield of Life; 6- Dance of Salome; 7- Stone; 8- Mystic Way; 9- Bemidbar I; 10- The Wilderness; 11- Bemidbar II

In one of the first issues of Music Extreme I reviewed both previous Lunatic Gods releases. Since then I was waiting their new release. Now, after some lineup changes here they are again. Their complex style is here again (this time even with more arrangements on the songs), and they have two improvements: one, the sound which is much better (the keyboards sound bigger and so do the drums and the guitars) and the second ones is that they have complemented their technical skills with a more aggressive approach which I like a lot. The vocals are great Horar and Emil are like day and night vocally speaking and they complement very well one with the other (there are interesting contrasts between the more guttural vocals and the more melodic ones). There are a lot of clean guitars parts that work really well with the keyboard progressions and melodies in ordeer to create new sides to lunatic Gods music. This is one step forward from this amazingly great band.

Favorite tracks: "Tormenting World"; "Battlefield of Life" and "Mystic Way".

Produced by Machetazo and Paco Liaño

Recorded at Estudio Treboada

Artwork by Nor Prego, Venagruesa Prods.

Tracks: 1- Banquete Funerario, 2- Garrote Vil, 3- Enterradas en el jardin, 4- Un vestido de Pellejo Humano, 5- Purificación a Través del Dolor; 6- La Flema; 7- Engendro, 8- Trono de huesos; 9- Bolsas con Sangre, 10- Yo Fui un Canibal Adolescente; 11- Lepra; 12- Ataque Simio, 13- Ace of Spades; 14- Los Cuentos del muñón Gangrenoso III

Here is the latest album from this cult death/grind band directly from Spain. The music is extremely brutal but despite this brutality we can feel some thrash influences (check for example the first track "Banquete Funerario" to listen some of the riffs and drum beats). The guitar riffs are always fast as hell and in some places they are more rhythmic (usually when the drums start playing a slower rhythm) There are a lot of blast beats and guttural vocals making this one of the most brutal releases of the year. The sound of the recording is really good one, specially concerning the drums that are recorded clearly and loud (as it should be). Also, the vocals are guttural but at the same time clearly (I mean that you can discern what the lyrics are about, specially if you speak spanish). As I said before....one of the most brutal releases of the year !!!

Favorite tracks: "Enterradas en el Jardin"; "Purificación a Través del Dolor" y "Trono de Huesos".

Produced by Martin Davidson

Recorded by Martin Davidson - London June 4, 2001

Artwork by Martin Davidson, Charlotte Hug and Caroline Kraabel

Tracks: 1- Undercurrents (For Paddy Ben Pan), 2- Lullaby For Clement; 3- Broken Bridges, 4- No Now, 5- Hymn Indoors, 6- Coming Out, 7- Up To Earth

This is a trio consisting in Maggie Niccols in voice (who also tap dances in the live presentations), Caroline Kraabel on alto saxophone and voice and Charlotte Hug on viola. The music here is completely experimental and improvisational with complete open mind by this great trio of musicians. The main thing here is the contrast that the three instruments (voice, sax and viola) create in the listener ears. It is easy to identify who is playing each part and how well the three interact. Nicols, Kraabel and Hug doesn´t use any conventional structure to create their music, I think that the music flows free from their imagination, going from the more melodic to the chaotic in the same track. If you are capable of listening music with a completely open mind for something that is innovative then you can check this one.

Favorite tracks: "Lullaby for Clement"; "Hymn Indoors" and "Up To Earth".

Produced by Malkavian

Recorded by Malkavian

Artwork by Sbodoz and Kura

Tracks: 1- Sunburnt, 2- Grabbed By the Neck, 3- Ira, 4- Vampires, 5- Epilogue/ Alba, 6- U, 7- The Human Basher

Malkavian is a brutal grind/death band !! Through the seven tracks contained here you will find extreme speed and brutality, guttural vocals, hyper fast blast beats and everything that you can call extreme !!! The sound , even a bit muddy, is surprisingly good (the recording was done in a four track portastudio) . Tracks like "Grabbed by the Neck" have parts that are not so extremely fast and that I feel are one of the best things in Malkavian´s music. Check for example the rhythm at 0:24 of "Ira" that goes immediately to a slower more crushing style riff until the end of the track to see the variations in speed that this band can do. The seven tracks contained here are short and the whole CD lasts fifteen minutes. If you like extreme grind with many interesting ideas, then check Malkavian.

Favorite tracks: "Vampires", "Ira" and "The Human Basher".

Produced by Mistweaver, Angel Redondo and Xavi Varela

Recorded at Talastudios

Artwork by Mike Schindler of Dragon Design

Tracks: 1- Intro, 2- ...And A child Shall Lead Them; 3- A Withered Rose For the Dead in Sin; 4- the Call, 5- Ritual of Death, 6- The Night is My Guide, 7- Dream´s Domain, 8- The End is Near; 9- Into the Lake of the Burning Sulphur

Amazing band from Spain in the melodic death metal style ( some influences of early Tiamat) with extremely heavy riffs and arrangements combined with keyboards. This guys have excellent guitar riffs (they are somewhat twisted combined with the drums and the keyboards changing the structure of some of the tracks). The guitarists know how to develope excellent guitar melodies to make things more complex and interesting. The guttural vocals are a really great contrast to the more melodic background (there is plenty of keyboards for those like me who love the sound of keys clashing against heavier than hell guitars). A great surprise is the track "The Call" which is an acoustic, almost medieval piece with keyboards and flute over an acoustic guitar and the female vocals of guest musician Begoña. This track gives a little rest before getting back in full shape with the great "Ritual of Death". Killer release.

Favorite tracks: "..:And a Child Shall Lead Them"; "The Call" and "Ritual of Death".

Produced by Mytile Vey Lorth

Recorded by Living Rhythym Studios

Artwork by Sharron

Tracks: 1- Visions, 2- Journey of the Demon, 3- Emotional Suicide, 4- Betrayed and Taken, 5- Beyond the Bitter Mists, 6- Burnt Waters

What a good album !!! Mytile Vey Lorth´s music goes from death to black metal to orchestral to doom all within the same track and that makes this band extremely interesting to listen to. Particularly I liked the heavy parts with Lily Davis melodic vocals because they were unexpected (usually the female singer of a black/death band sings only in the calm parts). It is really interesting that despite having many changes in the tracks the band manages to create a really coherent structure going from fast to calm, from raw to orchestrated within a few seconds. I would use a little bit more the bottom end range of the guitars and would have mixed a little bit louder the bass to have a more devastating sound (but this have the problem that some frequencies cancel one with each other so it can be very difficult to achieve). An essential band from Australia. This guys deserve to be in the top of death/black metal scene.

Favorite tracks: the five contained here, but I want more!!!!!

Tracks: 1- Introduction...IN Stillem Gedenken; 2- Und Ich Sahe die Sonn nimmer heben; 3- Abschiedsbrief des Prometheus; 4- ...Vom Freien Willen eines Schwarzen Einhorns

Extremely raw black metal (because of the guitar sound that is really distorted, almost industrial) but yet melodic (incredible riffs with a lot of melodies). The main thing here are the atmospheres created by the guitars that contrast a lot with the screaming vocals that are typical of black metal bands. The sound is a little bit muddy but I think that this can be a little better by mixing everything a little bit louder. The fierst track is an intro that creates a dark environment in which the other three tracks are developed. There are some interesting rhythm changes, for example in the third track....in which the change is not abrupt but a progression from the original rhythm accelerated a little bit. This band is great for lovers of raw black metal with melodies.

Favorite tracks: "Und Ich Sahe die Sonn Nimmer Heben"; "Abschiedsbrief des Prometheus".

Produced by Eric Fernald and Matt O´Dette

Recorded Live at Wers, Boston

Bands: 1-Haste, 2- Origins, 3- Eighteen Visions, 4- Shadows Fall, 5- Knut, 6- Cephalic Carnage, 7- Unearth, 8- God Forbid, 9- Poison the Well, 10- All that Remains, 11- Candiria, 12- Killswitch Engage, 13- The Dillinger Escape Plan

This is a must for every fan or collector of the bands mentioned above: here there are tracks that were recorded live at 88.9 WERS studios in Boston. This thirteen tracks were recorded live and they show us the energy that this bands are capable of developing on a live situation. In fact all the songs here sound more powerful than in their respective studio versions. Here you have thirteen great bands from the heaviest styles in the world. My absolute favorite here is Candiria because I like the many changes that their music have and the technical skills that this guys have. Also I loved the God Forbid track where they show their powerful modern death metal in an extremely raw way. Bands like Knut, Cephalic Carnage or Unearth will cruysh your brain with their powerful music. I hope the guys from WERS will continue releasing this compilations of the bands that play in their Studios because they are essential for any metal fan

Favorite tracks: Candiria - "Mathematics"; God Forbid "Amendment" and Eighteen Visions "She´s a Movie produced masterpiece".

Artwork by Obbrobrio

Tracks: The Obbrobbrio side has 29 tracks. The Jan Ag one has 18

How can I define Obbrobrio´s music.....in some places it is grind at ultrafast speed; then it goes in something like industrial....then they start using a cello....then they use electronics and a drum machine...and then they use a female vocal with clean guitars. A really weird band. I don´t know how many different parts they play through all the tracks contained here. The main thing here is the madness that this band knows really well how to do (maybe I would like them to do longer tracks in order to develope their ideas a little bit more). Then Comes Jan Ag which is a band that is pure grind with chaotic guitars and drumming and extremely guttural vocals. The tracks on this side are really short two and some of them have some interesting and rhythmic riffs that depart a little bit from the style. For grind maniacs and people who like strange music.

Favorite tracks: "Devil´s Grip - The Iron Fist"; "Extreme Shitting on the Monument" and " Vitu Addicted".

Produced by Paul Chain

Recorded at Red House Recording Studios

Tracks: 1- The Sleeper, 2- Revelations, 3- You Come, 4- Tv Eye; 5- Mix-up!, 6- As I Know, 7- Strange Dreams, 8- Follow My Leader, 9- Theorem

Powerful stoner rock in the vein of Queens of the Stone Age but with a lot of identity. In fact I must say that I like mor OJM than the band mentioned before. OJM are more powerful and their songs are not repetitive. In fact one thing that I liked a lot are the guitar riffs which are really rocking and give that seventies feeling that this music must have. The guitar player of the band has very good taste and I like the way in which he places the notes in ths short solos. Also I like the drummer who hits a lot the cymbals and makes the songs more powerful while keeping the time and creating the main rhythm. The singer is really good using a lot of middle range and creating good melodies that contrast with the music. A great album from this band

Favorite tracks: "The Sleeper"; "Mix-up!" and "Strange Dreams".

Produced by Lea Hart and Paul DiAnno

Artwork by Cürt Evans

Tracks: 1- Wrathchild, 2- Killers, 3- Prowler, 4- Murders in the Rue Morgue, 5- Women In Uniform, 6- Remember Tomorrow, 7- Sanctuary, 8- Running Free, 9- Phantom of the opera, 10- Iron Maiden

It is always good to listen Paul Di Anno sing Iron Maiden´s older songs, since this tracks were created originally with his vocals in mind. On this CD that was recorded live, he concentrates on Iron Maiden tracks from the first albums and singles. It is funny because his voice has changed with time becoming somewhat rawer and even singing the old songs he sounds different (and that makes this interesting). Anthems like "Remember Tomorrow", "Phantom of the opera" or "Sanctury" sound great and here he has a really good band backing him up (specially the guitar player who is killer). I would like him to release another live album with his more recent material in order to have both sides of the specter.

Favorite tracks: "Wrathchild"; "Phantom of the opera" and "Murders in the Rue Morgue".

Produced by Pawnshop and Øyvind Grødem

Recorded at Mansion Studios, Stavanger

Artwork by Sindre Kristoffersen

Tracks: 1- Blissed Out, 2- Mean Machine, 3- las Vegas, 4- Space Cadillacs, 5- Coma Cluster, 6- Thailand, 7- baby Bitch, 8- Cruise´o´matic; 9- Year of Pleasure, 10- Living Zombie

A really rocking band full of songs with great choruses and powerful guitars. The guitars are distorted and have that seventies sound charachteristic of this style of music and they are hypnotic in tracks like "Las Vegas". The drumming si really heavy with a lot of interesting patterns that make the result even more rhythmic (the bass player sounds really good playing simple and effective lines along the drums). We have here a versatile singer with a lot of seventies influences. The result here is rock (or desert rock as some people call it) in its purest form with many guitar solos (I like the way the bass does the foundation of the song when the guitar player makes the solos). This is a really tight band that seems very well rehearsed. If you like the style I really recommend this one.

Favorite tracks: "Year of Pleasure"; "Space Cadillacs" and "Baby Bitch.

Produced by Maria Abril

Recorded at Stoney´s Polar Bear Lair

Artwork by Mike Smail

Tracks: 1- Wizards of Mind, 2- New Machine, 3- See the Light, 4- Eden Fallen, 5- Reraching, 6- Love Dies, 7- Cold, 8- Drown Me in a Sea of Empty, 9-Misery Song

Penance is a classic band that mixes doom, heavy rock and metal into their own style, making albums like this one that are destined to be classics of the style like Trouble´s "The Skull" or "Psalm 69". It is no surprise that Penance´s drummer played in Cathedral´s great "Forest of Equilibrium" album (in fact Penance released their debut album on Lee Dorrian´s label). Now, 10 years later here arrives "Alpha and Omega" with the addition to the lineup of Mary Bielich (November´s Doom, Em Sinfonia) and Matt Tuite (Wickerman, Mustache). The sound is great with a lot of rocking riffs and interesting ideas that make each of the songs clearly original and unique. The great thing about Penance is that they know how to do each track different from the other adding new ideas, melodies and riffs. The guitars have that seventies sound that is a charachteristic of this band and of those mentioned above, really well mixed (along with Mary´s killer bass and the rocking drums). A must for fans of the style.

Favorite tracks: All this CD is really crushing. It leaves you asking for more Penance!!

Produced by Erik Rutan

Tracks: 1- Requiem, 2- Baptized in Blasphemy, 3- Summoned to Suffer, 4- Embodiment of Impurity; 5- Slaughtering the Faithful, 6- Infernal Abyss, 7- Metampsychosis, 8- Resurrected Torment, 9- Stripped of Immortality

This must be one of the most expected underground releases of 2002. Pessimist is one of the most brutal death metal bands ever seen. Their crushing riffs and drum beats (with a lot of blast beats) that are a trademark of this band and that were all over "Cult of the Initiated " and "Blood for the Gods" are present on this release too but multiplied. One thing that has helped a lot has been the production of the great Erik Rutan (Morbid Angel, Hate Eternal) who has made the guitars even more bestial and the drums clearer achieving this brutal recording !! I liked a lot the sound that the lead guitar has in the solos which is not typical of death metal bands . It is more clear and it helps to make better solos than a rawer sound that would ruin the faster ones. All the tracks contained here are designed for the mosh pit and gives you the feeling of banging your head to a wall of sound !! Amazing brutality on this release!

Favorite tracks: "Baptized in Blasphemy"; "Summoned to Suffer" and "Slaughtering the Faithful".

Produced by Ron Vento and Psychotogen

Recorded at IQ Studios

Artwork by Chris Donovan

Tracks: 1- Venom in the Voice, 2- Chaingod, 3- Cathexis, 4- In the Dust of your Own Nothingness, 5- Tear at the Flesh, 6- Follow me (into hell), 7- Psychotogen, 8- Death of the Old Ways

Psychotogen´s music is devastating! This is a death metal band of extreme brutality with a killer guitarist that makes original riffs and interesting solos (some sweep picking here and there and a lot of shredding techniques that are not common in the death metal realm). One of the main things here is that despite being ultra fast in some placesw, Psychotogen´s riffs are more original than the ones used in most of the death metal bands. And also Psychotogen´s music has more changes , breaks and different parts, from an ultra technical riff to a clean guitar interlude, from a fast run of notes to powerful chords. Ron Vento´s production helps a lot making the instruments sound really in the front, specially the guitars which are fundamental for this music (specially in Psychotogen´s with a guitarist of this great quality). A bestial and original release.

Favorite tracks: "Chaingod"; "Tear at the Flesh" and "Follow me (into hell)".

Produced by Andy Classen and Rebaelliun

Recorded by Andy Classen

Artwork by Jacek Wisniewski

Tracks: 1- Annihilation, 2- Rebellious Vengeance , 3- Steel Siege, 4- Red Spikes, 5- Unleash the Fire, 6- Unborn Consecration, 7- God of a Burned Land, 8- Bringer of War, 9- Defying the Plague

A calm thirty second introduction sends us directly into Rebaelliun´s bestial death metal realm. One thing that struck me in the first listening is the amazingly clear and brutal sound that this guys have achieved (with Andy Classen´s help, he is a killer producer and a top choice for any death and black metal band who wants a great sound). The music here is brutal at the maximum level but also has a lot of arrangements (great solos, many changes and breaks). Check as an example the melodies and solos at the end of "Annihilation" to know what I am talking about. They are killer and they add a new dimension to the track making it more original. This guys are becoming better with each recording and now they have released this killer CD that will make them one of the top death metal acts (this guys come from Brazil and they are well known in the European underground). Death metal lovers, buy this.

Favorite tracks: "Annihilation"; "Steel Siege" and "God of a Burned Land".

Produced by Uwe Lulis and Tomi Göttlich.

Recorded at Black Solaris Studios.

Artwork by James Woodward.

Tracks: 1- Introduction, 2- Disdaining Fortune, 3- The Prophecy, 4- Husband in Heaven, 5- The Dead Arise, 6- Evil Speaks, 7- Letters of Blood, 8- Revenge, 9- Claws of Madness, 10- Demons Rising, 11- Die With Harness on Your Back

This is a German metal band with a lot of eighties influences (power/heavy metal and some thrash metal too ) in their music. The first thing that strikes you is the good sound that this release have (I liked specially the drums that are killer.....killer double bass). Another thing that I liked is that they don´t have the kind of riffs that bands like Helloween or Rhapsody and their million clones have. In fact Rebellion prefers to use more modern riffs and a lot of interesting clean guitar arpeggios (in the vein of more proggressive bands like Dream Theater). Also it is really good tat the singer does not abuse of the high pitched screams. The story of this CD spins around Shakespeare´s Macbeth and this tragedy is really well recreated. But the main thing here is the music and Rebellion shows us how you can still do metal without copying the main bands of the style. Pure metal !!

Favorite tracks: "Revenge"; "Claws of Madness" and "Demons Rising".

Produced by Satanarchy and Putzweck

Recorded at Dog Pound Studio

Artwork by Joakim Knutsson

Tracks: 1- Disgraceful World, 2- Raw Dog /Rawnatas, 3- This Ain´t!, 4- Behold the Dragons of the Revolution, 5- Taste of God, 6- Fast Eddie Clark, 7- Face the Demon, 8- Armed and Organized, 9- The Noble Art of Stealing a Nation, 10- Jesus City posh Punks

It´s been a lot of time since I have not listeend to a band of this style. The most clear influences here come from: Venom, Motorhead and Discharge (they have this raw metal attitude with simple and catchy riffs at full speed). The music here is raw and powerful like the bands I mentioned before (the Venom influence is the most clear) and their guitar riffs are catchy enough to make you bang your head without control in the fastest parts.Also there is some thrash metal influences in certain parts that gives a different side of Satanarchy´s personality to the listener. It is fundamental here the rocking twist that this band gives to their music (specially on the drumbeats and the guitar riffs). This helps a lot to the songs because they show a lot of charachteristics that make the songs more interesting. The solos are fast and frantic as in bands like Slayer or Morbid Angel. A great option for people that is looking for this style !!!!

Favorite tracks: "Disgraceful World"; " Taste of God" and "Armed and Organized".

Produced by Hiilesmaa

Recorded at Tico Tico Studios

Artwork by Niklas Sundin

Tracks: 1- Bleed in My Arms, 2- Home in Despair, 3- Fragile, 4- No More Beating as One, 5- Broken, 6- Killing Me, Killing You, 7- Dead Moon Rising, 8- The River, 9- One More Day, 10- With Bitterness and Joy, 11- My Slowing Heart

I have been following this guys career since their "North from Here"album. And I liked the twist that their music got after "Amok". This latest album shows us the more melodic side of the band (eventhough they had shown it in "Frozen" and "Down"). This time the songs have more catchy choruses (die hard fans would hate this) with hooks (in the way that Paradise Lost has developed in their latest albums) and a lot of clean guitars. I liked the contrast between this melodies and Ville Laihiala´s vocals which are really powerful. This is one step forward in the career of this band that should have finished to record their new album by now.

Favorite tracks: "Fragile"; "The River" and "With Bitterness and Joy".

Produced by Serca

Artwork by Serca

Tracks: 1- Upload, 2- Back To Nature, 3- Morphological Freedom; 4- Side Affects, 5- Reinvention, 6- Somewhere to Fall

Do you want industrial music? Do you want weird music? Do you want experimental music? Do you want really climatic music? Then Serca is a good option for you because they mix all this elements and more. From moments extremely industrial to calm parts that are almost ambient. With influence from Nine Incha Nails to Foetus and everything in between this band makes a great job in creating this extreme kind of music. What I find really weird are the vocals that most of the time sing xtrange melodies that are not common in the style....great, because this gives a lot of originality to the music. Another thing that I liked a lot is the combination of dirty industrial guitars with clean ones. Fans of the heavy, of the strange, of the original will surely like Serca.

Favorite tracks: "Upload"; "Morphological Freedom" and "Side Affects".

Produced by Will

Recorded at Butterhook Studios

Artwork by Wayne and Will

Tracks: 1- Black Wizard, 2- Face the Slayer, 3- Strider, 4- Kingdom, 5- Gojira, 6- Serpents Kiss, 7- Victory, 8- Distant Shores

This is heavy metal with a lot of european sound. The riffs, the sound the drumbeats, all here is pure metal and the vocals. In fact I liked a lot the vocals because they use a lot of middle range instead of high pitched screams (there are influences of Mark Boals and Mats Leven here but only on the middle range of this singers). Also in the middle part of "Face the Slayer" there are some screams that reminded me of Exodus Paul Baloff. I like the songs because they have an interesting structure and they are well developed with great hooks in the choruses and in some of the guitar riffs. This guys deserve a better sound for their next recording and it would be great if they can find a drummer that can give a new dimension to Serpent´s Kiss music. It is always great to listen good heavy metal.

Favorite tracks: "Black Wizard"; "Kingdom" and "Victory".

Produced by Skepticism

Artwork by Tuomas Laitihen

Tracks: 1- Backward Funeral and the Raven, 2- The Process of Farmakon

This is a two track MCD from this extremely doom metal band !!!! This are two long tracks that allows the band to develop in a very creative way their songs (in fact one song is over seven minutes long and the other is over 10 minutes). The main aspect here is the dense atmosphere and feelings that Skepticism music creates for the listener: the music is very very very dark and slow as hell, with multiple clean guitar passages that help the music to be darker through its melodies. It seems to me that this guy knows how to create a very dense track adding a feeling of oppression and loneliness to their songs. The guitar riffs are great with some Trouble and Saint Vitus influences that contrast with the vocals that are definitely very guttural. Fans of doom will love this !!!

Favorite tracks: Both tracks are really good.

Recorded at Studio Mega

Tracks: 1- Synthetic Visions, 2- Shadowed / Astral Silver, 3- Shatter the World / Artificial Supernova, 4- Axoskeletal / X.T.C., 5- Suicidal Dominion, 6- Inner Cosmic Experience / Inject the Spirit, 7- Solitude, 8- Esperandote, 9- Elite

This is a really strange kind of metal....it has some elements from death metal, some from modern metal and a certain industrial sound. But this mix gives us the sound of Skymning´s music. There is a heavy work of guitars here and a really mechanichal drummer who makes things feel heavier than hell. There are really original riffs like the ones in "Shadowed / Astral Silver". The great thing in Skymning is that despite the heaviness of their music they always find some place for interesting melodies. And this melodies are the ones that you remember later and that give the tracks a lot of identity. A really great release with an original sound and a lot of interesting ideas.

Favorite tracks: "Axoskeletal/X.T.C."; "Suicidal Dominion" and " Esperandote".

Produced by Martin Bisi

Recorded at B.C. Studios, Brooklyn

Artwork by Scott Sanfratello

Tracks: 1- I´m Nothing, I´m No one, 2- The Games You Play, 3- Stay, 4- Let It Slide, 5- Coming Unhinged, 6- Nameless, 7- Untitled, 8- The Last, 9- Nº9

Slowhorse´s music is Slow and rhythmic with voclas that make melodies over the guitar riffs in a really drmatic and interesting way. The CD starts with the hypnotic "I´m nothing, I´m no one" a really depressive track with a slowpaced guitar riff and an interesting bass arrangement. I find some interesting Saint Vitus influences in the music of this band (and some The Obsessed too in some guitar riffs) but the music sounds more rhythmic than in that bands. The guitars have a seventies -like sound that fits perfectly with the rest of the music. One of the main things here and that I think that the band should exploit at its maximum level are certain vocal harmonies that they use (for example in tracks like "The Games You Play") and that gives a lot of dynamics to the music. Lovers of doom and related styles ...Slowhorse is here for you!!

Favorite tracks: "Stay"; "Let It Slide" and "The Games You Play".

Produced by Solekahn

Recorded at Labyrinth Studio

Tracks: 1- A Narrow Passage, 2- Visages, 3- Senses Labyrinth, 4- Profaned Nights, 5- Entangled, 6- In Dementia, 7- Arena, 8- Beyond the Pasts

It is weird. Solekahn has riffs that sound definitely black metal (as well as some drums patterns), but the vocals are completely death metal. Plus, the guitars have a different kind of distortion...I don´t know how to describe it. The tracks contained on this CD are short (all the CD lasts 18 minutes) and the music goes along the pattern of death / black metal with a lot of rhythm changes and good guitar riffs (specially I liked a lot the slower ones). All this elements combined create a new kind of darker than hell music (I think that Khaos voclas are harmonized in tracks like "Profaned Nights" and that makes things sound really strange...great!). They also used clean guitars in someplaces like in the beginning of "Entangled" which is a really charming track. Thuis is definetly a really dark release.

Favorite tracks: "Senses Labyrinth"; "Entangled" and "In Dementia".

Recorded at Little Dream Studio

Artwork by Mike Schindler / Dragon Design

Tracks: 1- In Solitude Divine, 2- Tragedy Star, 3- Goddess of light, 4- The Severance, 5- The Sufferer, 6- Last Scion of Winter, 7- Swallow the Sun, 8- Nemesis, my Childe

How great is this album!!! It starts with a clean guitar and then all of a sudden the crushing guitars enter along with clean vocals... then other voices scream the lyrics. This band has found a great equilibrium in their music and combine perfectly melodies and atmospheres with crushing riffs and drum beats. Take some Anathema, add some Paradise Lost then some bands like Katatonia and Opeth, mix it with a little My Dying Bride and you will have only an approximation to Somber Serenity´s sound. There are heavier tracks like "Tragedy Star" (pure deathly vocals....even more guttural...and then enter some heavy metal riffs...amazing!). The main feature here are the compositions of this guys which are perfectly developed. This guys also have hooks in their songs and that is really important. This band will be a classic in the near future.

Favorite tracks: The whole Cdis amazing. A classic . A perfect blend between heaviness and darkness.

Produced by Sorrowstorm

Tracks: 1- Breed the tyrants; 2- Nocturnal Apparition, 3- Enslaver of Hateful Souls; 4- The Arduous Warpath; 5- Caverns of Grief; 6- Chanting the Last Passages

Sorrowstorm is a christian black metal band created by Phil from Encryptor. He is the main musician behind both bands and here he has the opportunity to show a more melodic sound, specially because the compositions contained here use a lot of keyboards passages and a lot of interesting melodic guitar lines. There are rotten vocals all over the recording but sometimes they use some clean vocals in the form of ethereal chants that are really well developed on this recording. They also use a more guttural voice that is closer to the one used in Encryptor. The guitar riffs are really technical in some places and they give a lot of variation to the tracks contained in "Caverns of Grief". I liked a lot this band and I hope to listen more from them very soon.

Favorite tracks: "Nocturnal Apparition"; "The Arduous Warpath" and "Chanting the Last Passages".

Tracks: 1- Victims in Blood, 2- Dimension of Death, 3- Morbid Temptation, 4- Storms of Hell, 5- satanic Wrath, 6- Force of Darkness, 7- Ashes from a Past Life, 8- Outbreak of War, 9- The Mangler, 10- Lord of Abyss, 11- Meaningless Life

Here we have death /thrash metal directly from Sweden and full of energy and hate! This is the second album from this swedish guys and this one is extremely brutal. The influences that I find are from early Kreator and Destruction. Killer riffs with interesting drumming all over the CD. Here we have a band designed for headbanging and crushing you live (I think that a Suicidal Winds show must be devastating). I like a lot the thrash influences that this band has that makes their music sound different than most of the bands that are playing brutal death metal. The vocals are screaming ones and closer to the ones of Mille Petrozza. This band is a great exponent of this tyle and you can see it through this recording.

Favorite tracks: "Victims in Blood"; "Morbid Temptation" and "Ashes from a Past Life".

Produced by Bob Rock

Artwork by P.R. Brown

Tracks: 1- War (The Process), 2- The Saint, 3- Rise, 4- Take the Power, 5- Breathe, 6- Nico, 7- American Gothic, 8- Ashes and Ghosts; 9- Shape the Sky, 10- Speed of Light, 11- True Believers, 12- My Bridges Burn

Of all the bands that were popular in the late eighties and early nineties I always liked The Cult. It seems to me that this guys always prefered to do good songs than combing their hair and using make up and all that bullshit. There are two records which I don´t like that much....one is "Love" (too pop for my taste) and "The Cult" (too alternative, I thought that they were copying other bands). But this latest one goes in the path that albums like "Sonic Temple" or "Ceremony" marked. That is rocking riffs with some Led Zeppelin and seventies influences and one of the strongest Ian Astbury´s performance on vocals. Welcome back to the right track.

Favorite tracks: "Take the Power"; "American Gothic" and "Speed of Light" .

Produced by The New Plague

Recorded at Digit Sound Studio

Artwork by Adam Whitley and Shaun Lipsmeyer

Tracks: 1- World Annihilation, 2- Within, 3- Stormbringer, 4- Life, Death and the Abyss, 5- New Worlds, 6- The Great Unknown, 7- Pleasure Thru Pain, 8- Cult of the Dragon, 9- Pazuzu, 10- I Am Misanthrope

This is a band of old school death metal. The music of the New Plague is a blast of fury in the vein of old Morbid Angel, Left Hand Path-era Entombed and also some Venom. So as you may see this is a devastating band. There are certain thrash influences here and there too in their music. Every track here is conceived to be a deathly and powerful discharge. They are fast and brutal with great work of guitarist and drummer (great double bass drumming) who seem to be very well rehearsed and really tight (there are excellent bass passages in "Within" for example at 1:44). The vocals are guttural and fit the music that The New Plague makes perfectly adding more brutality to this powerful trio. Fans of brutal and technical death metal will surely like this one.

Favorite tracks: "Pleasure Thru Pain", "World Annihilation" and "The Great Unknown".

Produced by Martin Davidson

Recorded by Steve Lowe

Tracks: 1- A Soft Day, 2- Game of Two Halves, 3- Where are the Snows, 4- Rough Crossing, 5- Blue Dark, 6- Embarrasment of Witches, 7- Transcension

This is a kiler quartet: Tony Wren on double bass; Howard Riley on piano; Larry Stabbins on sax and Mark Sanders on percussion. This guys create some of the greatest spontaneous music I have ever heard. They have the musical skills and technique to achieve a great result. It is amazing to listen to Stabbins sax runs played over Riley´s piano arrangements. I think this is one of the ensembles that I feel more interconnected between them in order to achieve great results. Sanders is a killer percussionist and he is risponsible of adding a lot of twisted rhythms to the musical compositions contained on this CD, while Wren adds a lot of bottom end and arrangements to the music. This is one of the best improvisational CDs I have ever heard.

Favorite tracks: "Game of Two halves"; "Rough Crossing" and "Blue Dark".

Produced by Alex Newport

Artwork by Elizabeth Mc. Grath

Tracks: 1- Float, 2- Screwed, 3- Cellophane, 4- The Bleed, 5- Dirt Farmer, 6- Vitreol-a, 7- Oblivion, 8- Horselaugh

What a powerful release!! Totimoshi is a strange name and the music that this band plays is like a mix between gothic, punk, stoner and metal. The main feature here are the powerful guitars (with a really fat sound that makes the riffs devastating) with interesting riffs that go along the drums in a really great way. Another feature is the vocalist who is versatile and knows how to accentuate certain phrases to achieve a better result being really tight with the rest of the band. The good thing is that this band sounds like Totimoshi and not as any other band from a similar style. An original release full of crunchy chords and interesting ideas.

Favorite tracks: The whole CD is an example of crushing and devastating music.

Produced by U.D.O.M.

Recorded at Templa Libitna

Tracks: CDI: 1- Silent Dreams; 2- They never Hope, 3- In the Light of Dying Summer, 4- Never Again, 5- Careless, Painless, Far Away, 6- Towards the Emptiness

CD 2: I- This Dark Day; 2- In the Mist; 3- Absence of life, 4- And Death Took Her smile Away

This two CD set is really amazing: it contains two great compositions (one on each CD) subdivided in various parts. This two compositions are "Symphony I: Deep Dark Red" and "Symphony II: Absence of Life". The first one is a really dark composition with a lot of keyboards that create the environment where the two musicians involved here develope their multiple musical ideas. There are some distorted guitar chords (for example on "Never Again"), but the main thing here are the keyboards that set the scenary for this guys. There are also some sound effects here that turn things even more oppressive. Also the slow percussion (programmed drums) is created to emphasize this feeling.

"Symphony II: Absence of Life" starts in a more melodic way with "They Never Hope", with some clean guitar. And again you will have the dark feeling with some melodies and some guttural vocals (think them as a complement for the music, in fact they are not looking for brutality here). A masterpiece.

Favorite tracks: The two CD set is a masterpiece of dark and atmospheric music with excellent compositional skills and great musical knowledge.

Tracks: 1- Pavel, 2- Ipsoq Dav; 3- Silex; 4- Curled Up Stars; 5- W; 6- Suffused

Vediog Svaor...a strange name...and a great band. It is amazing the quality of some bands that are appearing in the underground...and Vediog Svaor is one of the best. Their music is really climatic and the compositions are well developed with a lot of melodic phrases while having an extremely heavy sound (some guitars combined with programmed drums are almost industrial....but much heavier). Also it is interesting the big difference that exist among the tracks contained here. While "Ipsoq Dav" is extremely climatic full of clean guitars; "Silex" is totally chaotic, raw and fast with crushing guitars and subrepticious breaks. Tracks like "Curled Up Stars" or " Ipsoq Dav" are extense (over ten minutes each) and they give the band enough space to explore new possibilities. There are a lot of screaming vocals that accentuate the anguish feeling of some parts and also spoken ones that are realy eerie. Amazing album.

Favorite tracks: The whole CD. Amazingly atmospheric and climatic metal album!!

Tracks: 1- Leere, 2- Ort der Einsamkeit, 3- Die Enstehung; 4- Schreie der Verzweiflung; 5- Das Sterben Eines Traumes; 6- Hoffnungstod; 7- Der Weg in Ein Anderes Dasein

Wigrid plays old school death metal in the vein of the first Burzum records with vocals that are really screaming (maybe they should be a little more loud on the mix to achieve a better result)and anguished ones. The music here is really raw and with some changes going from blast beats to some more mid-paced guitar riff. The drums are faster than hell in many parts and in others they play some primitive pattern that fikts the guitar riff in a good way. There are tracks that I like better, as for example tracks number three and four which have more arrangements and have more interesting parts (also "Das Sterben eines Traumes" is their most accesible song with an intro that is really melodic yet distorted). A must for lovers of extremely dark and raw black metal. A must for Burzum fans.

Favorite tracks: "Die Enstehung"; "Schreie der Verzweiflung" and " Hoffnungstod".

Produced by Wings of Fury

Recorded at ARE U Recordings

Artwork by Miriam Dammers

Tracks: 1- The Poem of Truth (intro), 2- Hogmanay Night, 3- Shattered Paradise; 4- the Last Words; 5- Drowning Visions (Outro)

First of all, I have to remarjk that the guys in Wings of Fury told me that they have evolved a lot since the recording of this demo and that they have improved a lot too. Well, I would like to listen their new material because this demo is really a great one !! One thing that I find incredible are Miriam Dammers vocals...they are amazingly clean and they have a lot of power (plus a great technique with a lot of inflexions and vibrato). I liked a lot the way in which the keyboards are used to support Miriam´s vocals creating along with the guitars the main axis of the compositions contained on this CD. The sound can be a little bit better specially mixing the snare drum a litlle bit louder (in the recording the hi hat and cymbals cover it). This is with no doubt one of the recordings of the month.

Favorite tracks: All the CD. If you want the perfect mix between creative heavy music and beauty then Wings of Fury is your choice.

Produced by Jens Henriksson

Recorded sometime in Space and Time

Cover Photo by Maria Andersson

Tracks: 1- No Angel or Demon; 2- You Bury your head

I have reviewed a lot of doom junkies and stoner rock bands but none of them sounds so "seventies" than Witchcraft. This band seems to have taken their guitars and Fender amps and crank them to create this sounds like some band typical of the seventies. The feeling of the two tracks contained here is really psychodelic and they have interesting melodies which also takes you back to the early seventies era of heavy rock. The guitar riffs are really rhythmic and fit pefectly with Jens Henriksson drumbeats which are almost hypnotic. Fans of seventies rock or stoner or doom will surely like this single. Also the vinyl helps a lot to the total product taking you some years back in time. A great band.

Favorite tracks: Both tracks are really good.