AARNI - BATHOS

Line Up:

Master Warjomäa - intuition and xothian kantele

Comte de Saint-Germain - sensationa nd keys to secrets

Doomintroll - feeling and sense of fashion

Mrs. Palm - thinking and fuck-ups

Music by Markus Marjomäa

Lyrics by Markus Marjomäa

Tracks:

1- Overpokonos

2- Squaring the Circle

3- Quinotaurus (Twelve Stars in Sight)

4- Kivijumala

5- V.I.T.R.I.O.L.

6- The thunder, perfect Mindfuck

7- Mental Fugue

8- Niut Net Meru

9- Kesäyö

We reviewed some issues back the split that this band did with Umbra Nihil. Now it´s time for this album full of deppressive compositions. Slow rhythms are the trademark ehre even if there are good midpaced ones. "Quinotaurus" opens strangely with some flute (the flute is really a trademark of Aarni´s music) and clean guitar before getting into a clean rhythm that adds a melancholic feeling to the music. and there are incredible melodies here that set this band apaprt from all the rest of this style of music. I really like the use of clean guitars that Aarni does because it fits perfectly the mood of the music and adds a lot of arrangements that are truly welcome here. "Kivijumala" that is over 11 minutes long is for my taste a masterpiece in doom music full of all the elements that this style has. Pure doom done by this great finnish guys.

Recorded at Doominvalley Studios

Produced by Aarni

ABSENT - ERRARE HUMANUM EST

Line Up:

Byker - bass

Koras - guitars

Gizmo - drums

Gofer - vocals

Ramzes - guitars

Music by Absent

Lyrics by Absent

Tracks:

1- Slave of Addiction

2- Fiction

3- Manipulation

4- Blind Obedience

Eerie sounds soon takes us directly into the heart of the brutal world of Absent. this band that comes directly from Poland is extremely bestial going at full speed most of the time and spitting guttural vocals on each track. There is a good combination of fast riffs with more rhythmic ones emphasized by double bass drumming. But everything here is done to blast you with sheer brutality. Take some of his country fellow band Vader and add more violence, more brutality and aggression and you will have an idea of how the band sounds. The band sounds extremely tight, specially the rhythm section that sets the pace of all the compositions adding bestiality on each second. The recording has a good sound that is essential for this type of bands to sound as brutal as tey want. This is one of the most extreme releases of 2004

Recorded at Studio Hertz

Produced by Absent

ABSENT SOCIETY - ABSENT SOCIETY

Line Up:

Mike Brinkman - bass, percussion

Justin Burdt - guitar

Jason Everett - vocals

Matt Haynes - guitar

Music by Absent Society

Lyrics by Absent Society

Tracks:

1- WAsted Lives

2- Lobotomy Soapbox

3- Deception Plague

4- Dodgin Bombs

5- Once a Soldier

The music here is powerful and at the same time containing many climatic elements. The music can be defined as modern metal with certain hardcore elements in the heaviest parts. Jason Everett is a really good singer being extremely powerful when is needed and melodic when the composition deserves it. One thing that I have to remark is the guitar work that besides playing heavy riff experiment a lot with certain phrases and rhythms in the more atmospheric parts creating some original passages that are my absolute favorite here. This use of clean gutiars and wah wah gives a completely different dimension to Absent Society´s music. The band sounds really tight and they make the rhythm and tempo changes without missing a beat and this is essential in order to achieve the great result that is this album. A powerful release with a lot of originality.

Recorded at The Plant Studios

Produced by Absent Society and Justin Phelps

ABSENTIA LUNAE - MARCHING UPON FORGOTTEN ASHES

Line Up:

H. Danach - voices

Climaxia - guitars

Khrael X.E. - drums

Sephrenel - bass

Music by Climaxia

Lyrics by Ildanach

Tracks:

1- Intro

2- Marching under the Apocalypse Flag

3- Debries of Forgotten tragedies

4- Engraved by Father´s Nightmare

5- Burning a Candle

6- Cystallized Illusions

7- Mirrors of Reason

8- Triumph and Despair

9- Outro

A melancholic intro with keyboards suddenly turns us into the mayhemic blasting world of this black motherfucking metal band. The first thing that will blast you are Climaxia´s guitar riffs, played at the speed of sound and torning into your brain with its aggression. There is intense drumming here making each of the compositions really bestial with a lot of blast beats and intense rhythms where the snare drum and the cymbals are an essential part. There is a combiantion of the msot aggressive parts with more climatic ones like "Debries of Forgotten Tragedies" where the guitar does an interesting arrangements that gives a darker feeling to the music. The vocals are really extreme of the screaming type that is essential in black metal and sometimes are combined with a more atmospheric, almost spoken. This is pure darkness revealed and you have to keep an eye to this amazing raw band because they sum up the essence of black metal.

Recorded at Audiomark nad Light of Hesdalen Studios

Produced by Absentia Lunae

ACHTLOS - NICHT VIEL

Line Up:

Jens Schröder - bass

Bernie Enger - drums

Arnd Spiering - guitars

Gordon grimhow - guitars

Markus Mochalski - vocals

Music by Achtlos

Lyrics by Achtlo and Frank Schäfer

Tracks:

1- Angst

2- Überdenker

3- Bierchen

4- Lautstarkes Leben

5- Big Brother

6- Zeit Zu Sterben

7- Nicht Viel

8- Sternhagelvoll

9- Tausend Andere

10- Verlorene Weit

11- Einhundert13

12- Scramp

This is definetly german heavy metal with certain hard rock influences in some parts. Heavy guitar riffs are the essence here creating the right environment for the rest of the band to develope their rhythms and to the vocals to be carefully created. Markus is a good vocalist whose voice fits well the music of the band without contrasting with the rest of the band. The vocals in German give that unique feeling that the band that sing in this language can only achieve. The sound of the recording is raw but it is the exact point that the band needs, without sounding muddy, but powerful. This is pure heavy rock with powerful tunes !!

Recorded at JKS Studios

Produced by Achtlos

AETHELLIS - AETHELLIS

Line Up:

Ellsworth Hall - keyboards, guitars, vocals, programming

Music by Ellsworth Hall

Lyrics by Ellsworth Hall

Tracks:

1- Tie and Handkerchief

2- Saint Augustus

3- Hubris

4- Portal

5- Djibouti

6- Final Affinity

Aethellis surprised me with the music in this recording. Ellsworth Hall is the brain behind Aethellis and his trademark sound are the keyboards that start from the first second of the recording to create interesting melodies. And this melodies are sometimes more easy listening, sometimes more twisted but they always have an interesting progressive sound which I liked a lot. Ellsworth´s vocals are soft and melodic giving some of the compositions a hit format with memorable choruses. Most of the compositions here are long and I think that Aethellis develops carefully the music in such extension where he has place for developing all theideas that the music here has. there is a seventies feeling here but with a much more modern sound that makes the music sound updated. This is pure melody full of interesting ideas.

Recorded at Ellstudio

Produced by Aethellis

AGNOSYS - EQUILIBRIUM

Line Up:

Fabrice - drums

Maxime - vocals

Julien - bass

Stephane - guitars

Cedric - guitars

Music by Agnosys

Lyrics by Agnosys

Tracks:

1- Equilibrium

2- Lethal Path

3- Eternal Torments

4- Beyond Time

"Equilibrium" starts climatically before getting into a combination of the most powerful death metal combined with some thrash metal influence in some of the riffing. The guys in Agnosys show that they are extremely technical and that their musicianship is pretty strong. That is evident in the multiple rhythm changes in the breaks that the drumming does to change from one pace to the other,a nd in the combination of heavier than hellguitar with cleaner ones that embellish certain passages (and there are also some interesting melodies that show a different side of the band). The guitar riffs are not of the type that you are accustomed to listen in a band of the style, being more twisted and technical, sometimes more death metal, sometimes more thrash metal and even sometimes closer to black metal, adding that sort of dark feeling that this style has. The vocals are really extreme giving the deth metal feeling to the music with their guttural sound. The compositions are each voer 6 minutes long and that lets the band to develope their multiple ideas. Pure technical brutality.

Recorded at Hybreed Strudios

Produced by Agnosys

AHUMADO GRANUJO - SPLATTER TEKK

Line Up:

Veprelec - bowels excretion

Neckrokodyl - axe grinder

Vypytel - subsonic generator

Chleborg - pneumatic hammerhead

Music by Ahumado Granujo

Lyrics by Ahumado Granujo

Tracks:

1- Everyday Consumation (The legend continues)

2- Golden intestinal cyst

3- To mince and fuck up

4- Dumplings, cebbage, techno

5- Messerschmitt and junkers

6- Ashtray made of beef

7- Attention! You vitreous body is running out

8- Desesnsitized (regurgitate)

9- Secretion of teh Shrubbery

10- Rebound phenomenon during the sudden...

11- Cold Turkey

12-Extinguishing the swollen balls

13-Virtually Self-urinated

14-Heroin Harrashment

15-faekalic hydroxide

16-Oslotron

17-Cunt Slime

18- Dead body love

One of the most extreme grinding bands I have ever listened. Just listen to that putrid voice....extremely guttural and sounding like another instrument built to destroy. There are some elctronics here in tracks like 1 that contrast heavily with the more grinding parts and I find this contrast really interesting and worthly of more explorations. the drumming here is really fast with a lot of cymbals use (and good chaotic ride patterns). The guitars sound really raw and in your face and that makes things heavier and anarchic giving that true grindcore /death feeling to the music..There is also a cover of Pungent Stench´s "Dead Body Love" done in the Ahumado Granujo´s way. Grind your brain till you die with Ahumado Granujo !!

Recorded at Hostivar Studios

Produced by Zdenek Sikyr and Ahumado Granujo

AISLING - TRATH NA GAOTH

Line Up:

Valentino Casarotti - vocals

Matteo Castiglioni - lead guitar

Paolo Vidmar - rhythm guitar

Stefano Persi - Bass guitar

Alberto Bravin - keyboards

Paolo marchesich - drums

Music by Ailing

Lyrics by Aisling

Tracks:

1- Memories of a Timeless Vision

2- Laoidhan Fogharath Durhachas

3- The Shinning Darkness (Omega)

This is what I call melodic atmospheric black metal. Atmospheric because everything here has a really dark feeling of sadness and anguish, meldoic because the band is fast but at the same time their trademark are the melancholic melodies done by the guitars and the keyboards Some parts reminded me of Trail of Tears but only some of the feeling of the more climatic parts. The vocals give the black metal feeling being really extreme and combined cleverly with Daniela Pobega´s ones that emphasize the afore mentioned feelings. There are plenty of interesting ideas here and they are essential for constructing this darker than hell album (there are also many fast parts that contrast with the more melodic parts). The keyboards are a fundamental instrument here as you can see in the beginning of "The Shinning Darkness" with that haunting keyboard intro (with cello included). This is a masterpiece in darkness that leave you wanting more from Aisling.

Recorded at East Border Sound

Produced by East Border Sound

ALAMAAILMAN - VASARAT - KÄÄRMELAUTAKUNTA

Line Up:

Jarno Sarkula -saxes, bass clarinet

Tuuka Helminen - cello

Teemu Hänninen - drums / percussion

Miika Huttunen - organ /piano

Erno Haukkala - trombone, trumpet, tuba

Marko Manninen - cello

Music by Alamaailman Vasarat

Lyrics by Alamaailman Vasarat

Tracks:

1- Kivitetty Saatana

2- Vasaraasialainen

3- Pelko Antaa Siivet

4- Hamarapuolella

5- Astiatehdas

6- Vanha Lapsuudenystävä

7- Olisimme Uineet Vieläkin Pidemmälle

8- Lentävá MAto

9- Jää, Hyvä Mieli

This is a definitely unconventional band. As you can see this guys play instruments like sax, clarinets and cellos. But their music in tracks like "Kivitetty Saatana is extremely heavy with heavy drumming. And this is not the only mood that this guys use on this recording, going for a more melodic approach in "Vasaraasialainen" with an eastern flavor. THis guys are really good musicians that can switch to a different style on each track sounding well on each of them. The melodies created by the winds are the essence here and they are the main source of feeling here. The cellos creates interesting lines through all the recording  giving also some bottom line to the music making the compositions sound fuller. There is plenty of experimentation here and originality is the first name of this band. A release full of originality.

Recorded at Seawolf Studios and Stakula House

Produced by Jarno Sarkula

ALL PARALLELS - FORMULATE A TRAGEDY

Line Up:

Larry Chiswick - vocals, bass

Adam Kestler - guitars

Anthony Amodeo - drums

Music by All Parallels

Lyrics by All PArallels

Tracks:

1- Work

2- Lousy Reasons

3- World we be living in

4- Marrow

5- Such fragile Things

6- Weight of the World

7- Damaged Goods

8- Vapors

9- You won´t feel a thing

10- All Nighter

11- Push

12- Lost Wager

Some issues back we reviewed the previous album of this band called "You won´t Feel a thing", and I have to sy that this newer one shows a lot of progression, specaially soundwise. Here is the combination of heavy riffs with excellent vocal work reaching new climaxes with excellent choruses. And this is one of the trademarks of the band, taht combination of heaviness with a pop attitude that allo9ws the band to create powerful tunes that at the same time won`t be out of palce in every radio show. One of the trademarks here are te heavy guitars which are the center of power on this recording. I have to remark the good sound that this album has makingthings more intense. A grerat combination of melodies and energetic riffing.

Recorded at New Alliance Studios

Produced by  Nick Zampiello, Marc Schleicher and All PArallels

ALPHA CAT - PEARL HARBOR

Line Up:

Angela Babin - guitars

Nick BEst - drums

Lori Bingel - bass

Samy Bishai - violin

Tom Devito - percussion

Derek Dragotis - b. vocals

Brian Drye - trombone

Rick Feridun - mandolin, guitars

Matt Glassmeyer - sax

Matt Gruenberg - upright bass

Matt Johnson - drums

Elizabeth Mc Cullough - vocals, guitars, percussion, bass, keyboards

Fred Smith - guitar

Clem Waldmann - drums

Music by Elizabeth Mc Cullough

Lyrics by Elizabeth Mc Cullough

Tracks:

1- Something of Value

2- Once Upon a Time

3- Monster (You can´t do it)

4- Snow

5- Across the River - Twice

6- All Mine

7- Sometimes when I Wake

8- Pearl harbor

9- Straw Hat

10- Black Hole

11- The truth

12-Thatched Roof Glass House

13- Cling

A release full of interesting arrangements and melodies is what we have here. the main thing here is the combination of guitars with Elizabeth Mc Cullough vocals. This woman has areally distinctive voice with a lot of middle ranges that gives a deep feeling to the music here. The compositions here are really accessible to your ear and at the same time they are really climatic (specially because of the use of multiple guitars, including some slide melodies). the music here has a definite seventies feeling which I dig and you can not escape the catchy choruses and phrases that will soon stick into your mind. Tracks like "monster..:" are more introspective showing a calmer side of the band with different ideas. One of the trademarks here are the vocal ahrmonies that are all over the compositions giving a beautiful sound to the music. This album is full of ideas and I am completely sure that on each new listening you will find some new elements in the songs. This is pure melody with clever poppish arrangements...this band can easily be in the charts soon. So keep an eye on Alpha Cat!!

Produced by Fred Smith and Elizabeth Mc Cullough

ALTARS OF MAD DEATH VOL. 1

Tracks:

1- MAELSROM "Innermost Commotion"

2- HERESY "Blast

3- KRONOS "Haterealm

4- PSYCHOBOLIA "Faust"

5- CARNAL LUST "Infectious Mind"

6- HYPNOSIS "Vortex"

7- HAERESIS "Trampling of the reason"

8- AGNOSYS "Eternal Torments"

9- THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC "Incarnation Divine"

10- OSTRACIZED "Follower of and century"

11- ETERNAL "HArdened in the tars of their will"

12- YORBLIND "Torture Souls"

13- VEHEMENS "Massgrave of Souls"

14- KABBAL "Extra Sensorial Journey"

15- BLOODY SIGN "Possessed by the Ancient Earth"

16- TREPALIUM "THe Worst"

17- RECUEIL MORBIDE "Tas de Chiennes"

One of the most brutal compilations of the year. One good thing here is that most of the band besides being really aggressive and brutal have a good sound and mix, which turns their power into a much higher level. All the bands here are of the most brutal side of death metal (some of them like Kronos have also some grinding parts and some more heavy metal riffs that set them apart from the rest). It is amazing to see this guys combine brutality with good musical skills in order to achieve here. As I said before there are differences in sounds but most of the bands sound really well (for example Psychobolia have a weaker mix despite their brutality and bands like Kabbal or Kronos have a huge sound that gives more violence to their music) . There are really originañ bands like Hypnosis which mix brutality with electronic elements achieving great results or Agnosys that mix the brutal death with some black emtal and including some melodies. The good thing about having bands very different within the same style is that you never get bored listening this seventeen tracks of pure mayhemic death metal. A great brutal compilation!!

Produced by Diamond Prods.

AMALA - STRONG

Line Up:

Randy Fogelstrom - all instruments, vocals

Music by Randy W. Fogelstrom

Lyrics by Randy W. Fogelstrom

Tracks:

1- Make Love To Me (House Mix)

2- Strong (Techno Mix)

3- How Can I say I Love You?

4- Feel the Love

5- When Your heart surrounds me

6- Make Love to Me (seductive groove)

7- Baby Tell Me

8- Don´t Give up on love

9- Alone

10- Next?

11- Abandon

12- I´ve had enough!

If I had to describe Amala´s music with just one word I would say "introspective". Yes, it is like Randy Fogelstrom is constantly looking deep into his soul and brain and always showing different shades of his musical personality. This is also a really eclectic release with plenty of different musical styles, going from hip hop to techno and from funk or r&b to ballad from one track to the other. This will surely surprise you and keep you amused while listening to the whole album. Randy´s voice is melodic but at the same time has a dark feeling on it that adds a different feeling to Amala´s music, making the music sound completely different than what you have expected just reading the titles. I found the Seductive Groove version of "Make Love to Me" more intrimate than the House Mix and I think this is a path that Amala can explore because it makes the music here darker and ideal to listen incomplete darkness or with your eyes wide shut. There is also a lot of originality here. This is an unconventional release with many carefully developed ideas and some experimentation.

Produced by Randy Fogelstrom

ANDREA TORRETTA - HORIZONS

Line Up:

Andrea Torretta - guitars

Christian Chelucci

Valentino Pollesel

Alessandro Ali

Music by Andrea Torretta, except 3 by Liquid Tension Experiment and 6 by paganini

Tracks:

1- Chronology Part 1

2- Chronology part 2

3- Universal Mind

4- Critical Break Point

5- Marea

6- Hexentantz (Danza delle streghe)

Andrea Torretta is a guitar virtuoso coming directly from Italy with incredible chops and a good melodic sense. His musical style goes in the way of players like Greg Howe or Vinnie Moore with virtuosism and compositions that have a certain neoclassical feeling but with plenty of melodies and a touch of fusion. The good thing about Torretta´s playing is that beside having great technical skills he does not ruin the compositions in order to add virtuoso lines when the tracks doesn´t need it preferring to play FOR the song instead than for the solo. the musicians that have helped Andrea on this recording are really good ones, specially it is remarkable the role of the keyboards that orchestrate many parts. The rhythm section is extremely solid and they are essential when the solos are played to keep the spirit of the song. A virtuoso to keep an eye on.

Recorded at home studio except drums at Jam Studios

Produced by Andrea Torretta

ANGER - THE BLISS

Line Up:

Pedro Pereira - vocals

Lino Vinagre - guitars

Alfonso Corte-Real - drums

Ricardo Melo - bass

Luis Silva - samples and keyboards

Music by Anger

Lyrics by Anger

Tracks:

1- Feel My Anger

2- Another Game

3- Iced

4- Devil in My Mind

5- Say (What You Wanna)

6- Instants

7- Upside Down

8- Innersight

9- Nenemy

10- God in Me

11- Gonna Drown

12- Lost Soul

Who says that new metal sucks? In an over saturated market of bands of the style comes one that can clearly distinguish itself from all of the Korn-clones and bands of the style. Anger delivers exactly what their name show: they deliver pure anger and aggression in a nu metal format with killer guitar riffs and really screaming vocals. One thing that is remarkable of Anger is that each of the songs is completely different from the other making the album really enjoyable when you lsiten to it. Comparing to bands of the style that have made their guitars weaker with time, Anger has a huge guitar sound playing ultra heavy riffs that are their trademark. I have to remark the good vocalist that this bajnd has that knows how to fit the music really well and at teh same time to add arrangements of his own. This album is a proof that many good things can be done in the nu metal realm and that the bands just need talent to achieve good results as it happens with Anger.

Recorded at Area 51 Studios

Produced by Tommy Newton and Anger

ANIMA DAMNATA -

Line Up:

Necrosodomic Corpse Molestator - guitars, vocals

Master of depraved dreaming and Emperor of the Black Abyss the Great Lord Hziulquoigmzhah Cxaxukluth vel Necrolucas  - drums, percussion

Music by Anima Damnata

Lyrics by Anima Damnata

Tracks:

1- Incipit

2-Onward to Dungeons of Death

3- Antichristian Nuclear Shitlust

4-Deus Mortem

5-Rebirth in Sodomy, Rebirth in Suffering (The Symphony of Sin)

6-Is It Worth Waiting for the Death Call?

7- Necrosadistic Masturbation Upon the Mary's Disemboweled Corpse

8- Satanation

9-Demonic Dominion

10-Fecal Daemon

11-Prometheus Coprophagus

This is a band that is extremely aggressive and that knows that speed is a weapon to achieve the most bestial sound possible. And they know that black and death metal are the ways to achieve bestiality. There is a combination of guttural voices and others of the msot screaming type. Everything here is done to destroy the listener. There is influence of classical death metal here but with heavy use of a much more modern sound. The main element here are the guitar riffs, soemtimes really fast, sometimes more of the rhythmic type and always fitting perfectly the rhythmic section giving more effectiveness to the powerful aggression. THe album has a clear and loud sound that makes the overall result even more powerful. A devastating release full of darkness.

Recorded at Hertz Studio

Produced by Anima Damnata

AOP - TAKE A FREE LOOK...

Line Up:

Roger K-Jo - drums

Guillaume Benoit - bass

Xavier Mitrouill - guitars

JB Baumont - guitars, vocals

Music by AOP

Lyrics by K-Jo

Tracks:

1- Back to the real life

2- Left (H)overs

3- The Empty fool

4- Another Game to Loose

5- Wicked Inside

6- Guardian of Stones

7- Wounds of the Past

8- The Pain this gives to me

Pure aggressive metal is what this guys unleash on this album, letting some place for some death metal influences that gives even more aggression to their music. Here we have fast guitar riffs played with a huge sound that is like being in front of the amplifiers set to amximum volume of this guys. One good thing is that this guys combine the more aggressive tracks with others that are more climatic (eve if they are extremely aggressive too) such as "Left (H)overs",a  track that uses acoustic guitars and heavy riffs like. There are some melodies in some solos which are done with really good taste adding a different dimension to the music. The vocals are the closest to death metal because of their growling nature. The sound of the recording is very direct and extrmely powerful like if you are watching a live show of the band, and I like that because you can feel the energy that the band unleashes. A band that is pure power.

Recorded at Backstage Studios

Produced by AOP

APHOB - HUMAN´S FEAR

Line Up:

Steph´n´Roll - vocals

Erwann - drums

Richard - bass

Arno - guitars

Music by Aphob

Lyrics by Aphob

Tracks:

1- Children King´s night

2- Without Dignity

3- New Item

4- Escape

Aphob plays an interesting mix between thrash metal, heavy metal and even some death metal . Their music is quite difficult to label because of the different elements used here. The guitar riffs are complex in tracks like "Without Dignity" and are not of the type that you would expect in an album of this kind of music, being more twisted. There is a good combination of deathly vocals and more emlodic ones tht shows a darker side of Aphob´s music. The rhythms are sometimes complex, adding a different feeling to the music and there are also some jazz sounding guitar runs in some parts.The sound is really raw and I think that with a better mixing the band will sound even more powerful. A trully original band with great ideas.

Produced by Aphob

ARCH ENEMY - ANTHEMS OF REBELLION

Line Up:

Music by Arch Enemy

Lyrics by Arch Enemy

Tracks:

1- Tear down the walls

2- Silent wars

3- We will Rise

4- Dead Eyes see no future

5- Instinct

6- Leader of the Rats

7- Exist to exit

8- Marching on a dead end road

9- Despicable Heroes

10- End of the Line

11- Dehumanization

12-Anthem

13-Saints and Sinners

Having witnessed Arch enemy´s show in Wacken I can not be compeltely onjective because their show really blasted me with pure power. This band live is a storm coming over the audience. And on this album they have achieved a live feeling that suits this band really well. Angela´s vocals are as powerful as always and on this recording they are combined with a more eerie type of voice in tracks like "Silent Wars". The tracks are as complex as always with killer guitar riffs (Mike Ammott is killer on this recording) and with the extremely tight rhythm section that is one trademark of Arch enemy´s sound. the melodies are here too in the solos and in the guitars that deliver innovative lines on each composition. A band that has become a classic

Mixed by Andy Sneap

Produced by Andy Sneap

ARS MACABRA - DAEMONOLATRIA HYPNOTICA

Music by Ars Macabra

Lyrics by Ars Macabra

Tracks:

1- Misteria Nocturna

2- A recollection of the world once called earth

3- Disciples of Torment

4- Machinator Tormentorum

5- Psycho Apocalypse

6- Sturmgeschutz of Chaos

7- Prolegomena of the Warfare State

8- Dawn to an endless night

A long darker than the deepest of hells intro with keyboards and some horrid laughs open this album. then comes the most mayhemic black metal that you can find. The music here is fast, aggressive and raw black metal with the elements thta re characteristic of this style. Here are the screamings filling with ultra violence the eight compositions, here are the blast beats in many parts that are like a machine unleashing violence over humanity. And the main thing here are the dark atmospheres, even if this is a really raw black metal album. Yes, the dark feelings are the main thing here making each composition and experience of utter aggression and dark blasphemy. The sound of the recording is raw and that gives sort of a live feeling to the music. Pure unholiness unleashed !!!

Produced by Ars Macabra

ARSIS - A CELEBRATION OF GUILT

Line Up:

James Malone - guitars, bass and vocals

Michael Van Dyne - drums

Music by James Malone

Lyrics by James Malone

Tracks:

1- THe Face of My Innocence

2- Maddening Desdain

3- Seven Whispers Fell Silent

4- Return

5- Worship Depraved

6- Carnal Ways to Recreate the Heart

7- Dust and Guilt

8- Elegant and Perverse

9- The Sadistic Motives Behind Bereavement Letters

10- Looking to Nothing

11- Wholly Night

This is a good surprise. Having never heard before the music of this band it is a pleasure to listen to such a good combination of agression and technical death/thrash metal. The music here is full of aggressive guitar riffs, some of them really fast and at the same time is full of interesting arrangements, mainly riffs that use technical skills in order to give another dimension to the music. And also there is use of some guitar melodies that add a lot to the feeling of the music here. Do you want a band that combines brutality with good musicianship on each of the compositions? Then you have to check Arsis, a band ufll of extreme vocals in the vein of Carcass and whose guitar riffs are excellent in developing new ideas and moods for the songs. It is remarkable also the good sound (specially on drums with killer double bass paterns) A must have. One of the albums of the month.

Recorded at Winter Sound Studios

Produced by Arsis

ASCENDANCY - RISE OF A DEAD EMPIRE

Line Up:

Terence - guitars, vocals

Michael - guitars

Seth - drums

Josh - bass

Music by Ascendancy

Lyrics by Ascendancy

Tracks:

1- Darkness Within

2- Conquering the Inferior

3- habitual Killing

4- Evisceral Battery

5- Forever Desensitized

6- Reign Above All

7- My Blood Upon You

8- World of Deceit

9- No Fear with a Deathwish

A band whose compositions have been created to destroy mankind with their utter brutality. Terence spits the lyrics with his guttural, almost grinding voice that gives that brutal death metal feeling to the music. Tracks like "Conquering the Inferior" have in the beginning some old school death metal influence which I like a lot before getting into the most brutal parts. Seth is like a machine behind the drumkit doing from blast beats to more complex patterns in the more mid apced parts and he is risponsible of making this band a panzer division for your brain and ears. the guitars are lowtuned and they deliver ultra fast riffs witha  lot of intensity and they are really tight sounding along with the rhythm section making a more brutal result. This is the music for Armageddon !!

Recorded at New Alliance Studios

Produced by Ethan Assault and Ascendancy