AETURNUS DOMINION - SEMPER TYRANIS

Line Up:

Jester - vocals

Demented - guitars

Spud - guitars, vocals

Rat - bass

Ozi - drums

Music by Aeturnus Dominion

Lyrics by Aeturnus Dominion

Tracks:

1- Holocaust

2-God Has Failed

3-Aeturnus Dominion

4-They Wait

5-Unsanitized

6-Global Cremation Suicide

7-Meathook

8-Unholy

9-Cyanide

What an amazing band !!! THis guys are really difficult to label because they have in equal parts heavy metal influences and death metal ones combining them into the same compositions. that is why "Holocaust" opens up with a heavy/thrash riff and killer vocals and soon turn into a faster part with death metal growling !! And this combination is the trademark of the band. Tracks like "Aeturnus Dominion" open with clean guitars and show a different side of the musical personality of this amazing band soon changing into a heavier part, with more deathly growling. The rhythms are sometimes more syncopated and soemtimes faster, depending on the feeling that the composition must have There are guitar solos here that are tastefully played giving more melody to the music with a lot of feeling. The sound is huge specially on the guitars that are the essence here making this record a crushing experience.

Recorded at Demented Den Studios

Produced by Aeturnus Dominion

AM´GANESHA´N - ELEFTHERIA

Line Up:

Carla

Alain

Gherad

Amelie

Karin

Music by Am´Ganesha´n

Lyrics by Am´Ganesha´n

Tracks:

1- Altar

2- Samsara

3-KalA Aari Vati

4-Nharba

5-Zephyria

6-Song of Devotion

7-Stigmata

8-Atma

9-Deva

10-Adhemonia

11-Bliss

12-Caeligena Invocated Spirit

13-Om

14-Shanak

15-Lamentations

Beauty is the exact word to describe this band´s music. Their sound is extremely atmospheric and melancholic with eastern sounding influences. The female vocals are essential here to achieve the overall feeling of the music here. Take bands like Rajna or Dead Can Dance and add more vocals and arrangements and you will have just a small idea of how this band sounds. The instrumentation is really good also letting a lot of space for the atmospheres and developing good arrangements on each song. The keyboards are essential because they interact with the vocals. constructing the climatic moments and reaching many climaxes on the album. There is some tribal percussion that adds that primitive feeling that this music must have. This is an album for open minded people who love good musicianship and original ideas.

Produced by Am´Ganesha´n

ANTHRAX - THE GREATER OF TWO EVILS

Line Up:

Scott Ian - guitars, b. vocals

John Bush - vocals

Charlie Benante - drums

Frank Bello - bass, b. vocals

Rob Caggiano - guitars

Music by Anthrax

Lyrics by Anthrax

Tracks:

1- Deathrider

2-Metal thrashing Mad

3-Caught in a Mosh

4-A.I.R.

5-Among the Living

6-Keep it In the family

7-Indians

8-Madhouse

9-Panic

10-I am the Law

11- Belly of the Beast

12-N.F.L.

13-Be All End All

14-Gung-Ho

Here we have the Anthrax classics of the Belladonna/Turbin era recorded almost live in two days in a studio by this different lineup that includes John Bush on vocals and Rob Caggiano on guitars. The result is sometimes good and sometimes not so good. the good thing is to listen the classics with an almost live sound with harder guitars. But let´s face it, the magic of "Fistful of Metal" is not here in the same way than it was back in those days. In fact it happened to me that I expected to listen all the original arrangements and the band changed some thingsm, specially Bush. But if they had done all exactly there would have not been any reason to record this tracks again. The good thing is that you have fourteen of the best tarcks in Anthrax pre-Bush career and you can see that this songs sound still really well (some of them 20 years after they were originally recorded).

Recorded at Avatar Studios

Produced by Anthrax

ANTIQUUS - RAMAYANA

Line Up:

Jesse White - vocals

Scott Unger - bass, vocals

Jeff Dormer - guitars

Andrew Bak - drums

Music by Antiquus

Lyrics by White

Tracks:

1- Empire Rising

2-Changeling

3-Tanlin Bridge

4-Battle of Eylau

Ramayana - An Epic in Six Parts:

5-Part I - Ayodha

6-Part II - A Beautiful Stac

7-Part III - The Hunt

8-Part IV - Hanuman

9-Part V - Sri lanka

10-PArt VI - He who Makes the Universe Scream !!

Recorded at the Northland

Produced by Andrew Bak

APOSTHATE - FIRST BORN EVIL

Line Up:

Azmeroth - guitars

Midgard - guitars

Rasez - drums

Orias - vocals

Sakar - bass

Music by Aposthate

Lyrics by Aposthate

Tracks:

1- Voices from Beyond

2- Synodus Cadaveric

3-Christfall

4-Shades of Noir

5-Seed of Lunacy

6-Chaos Revenge

7-Freezing Womb of Pain

8-The Unknown Cross

Full Armageddon unleash through seven tracks and an intro. This guys start without mercy with "Synodus Cadaveric" a track at full speed where the bestiality of the band is delivered to the listener that will be blown by the brutality of this italian quintet. Do you want fast rhythms? Here you have a drummer that is like a speed machine with his drum kit playing blast beats and ultra fast rhythms along with more mid paced patterns. Do you like guttural voices? Here you have really growling ones that seem to be coming from the sulphuric entrails of a volcano. Do you like heavy guitars? Here you have guitars playing riff after riff giving shape to Aposthate´s music and surprising with breaks and multiple changes. The sound of this redcording is good and that also adds more brutality to the work that this guy have delivered here. One of the most brutal bands of the year.

Recorded at Golgotha Studios

Produced by Aposthate

ARKHON - TAINTED DOGMA

Line Up:

Soulreaper - bass, vocals

Violator - guitars, b. vocals

Demon - guitars

Bloodfreak - drums

Music by Arkhon

Lyrics by Arkhon

Tracks:

1- The Tenth Archon

2-Tear on the Heart

3-Sanctes Sanctorum

4-Bloodwing Rebellion

5-Tainted Dogma

6-At the Rotting Gates of Heaven

Opening with clean guitars the band soon shows their pure aggression in "THe Tenth Archon" where they show all their musicl personality. And this guys have a really distinctive sound where melodies, solos and technical aprts interact heavily with the more brutal side of the music giving a unique sound to Arkhon´s music. Aggression is the main thing here but this guys have not forgotten that good technical skills and ideas give even more power to the music. The vocals have an extreme thrash/death feeling in some parts nd are really guttural in others always fitting the music and adding the more extreme feeling to the music. The rhythm section is really solid and the good thing is that they change a lot the patterns without abusing speed or blast beats. In fact one good thing here is the fusion of death metal with rhythms and riffs that are closer to eighties thrash. the sound of the recording is raw yet powerful making the band be fully audible and letting you listen all their power. A lot of bands should learn from Arkhon how to deliver aggression with killer ideas.

Recorded at Helsophice Studios

Produced by Arkhon

ARTESIA - L´AUBE MORNE

Line Up:

Gaëlle D. -Violon

Agathe M. - Vocals, Piano

Music by Agathe M.

Lyrics by Agathe M.

Tracks:

1- Al´ombre des grandes foréts

2- Le murmure des feuilles

3-Tristesse

4-Lassitude

5-L ´aube Morne

Produced by Artesia

BABYLON PRESSION - NEGATIVE GENERATION

Music and lyrics by Babylon Pression

Tracks:

1- Personne

2-La Fange

3-Negative Genération

4-Champion Love

5-Emeute

6-Schizo

7-Confession

8-J´Aubile

9-R.M.I.

10-Contre - Courant

This is modern metal at its best. That is, a band that delivers incredibly heavy riffs with syncopated drumming. the vocals are of the screaming type sounding like the singer is screaming at the top of his lungs most of the time, spitting with anger all the lyrics when the song is pure aggression and singing in a calmer way in the more climatic moments. And the lyrics are in french language, fitting really well the music and at the same time giving a weird sound to the music. The sound of the recording is really clear making the guitars sound like a wall of bricks against your brain. I ahve to remark that the band is extremely tight making the compositions and rhythms really compact and heavy. Pure heaviness in a modern metal context !

Recorded at Praxis Studio

Produced by Babylon Pression

BEANSIDHE - EVERLASTING CRY

Line Up:

Eli - drums

Piter - guitars

Reeks - bas

G.ni - guitar

Phil - vocals

Music by Beansidhe

Lyrics by Beansidhe

Tracks:

1- Sdrum

2-World´s everlasting cry

3-Disillusion

4-Beansidhe

5-Chainsaw mon amour

If I had to give a label to Beansidhe´s music I would say that their music is death thrash metal. I put first death metal because they are brutal, fast and the vocals are really of the death metal type. then I put thrash metal because there are elements in the guitar riffs that brings to our minds that killer style (just check "Disillusion" to see what I am talking about). The riffs are complex and I like that because instead of just using simple speed this guys have a lot of technical skills and good musicianship in order to construct great compositions. As I said before the vocals are really of the growling death metal type adding a more extreme feeling to the music. the sound is raw and direct fitting well the style and making the band sound like in a live situation. this is pure brutality with killer musicianship. .

Recorded at Box Studios

Produced by Beansidhe

BLACK HORIZONZ - THE COMPLETE DEMO RECORDINGS

Line Up:

Music and lyrics by Black Horizonz

Tracks:

Eccentric Wrath (demo 2005)

1- Eccentricon

2-Since the Eyes of Chaos

3-Humillated

4-Cataleptic Hours of Darkness

5-Continuation of Supernatural Probabilities

Within My Suns Last Shafts (Demo 2004)

6-Within My Suns Last Shafts

7-Visible Lies

8-Ensnared by the Black River

9-Storms of Ashes

10-Dethroned Emperor

Lost in the Shadows GRim (demo 2001)

11- Beyond the throne of light

12-The Cursed Warrior

13-Storms of Ashes

14-Into the Realm of Subconscious Dreams /  A Path to Eternity

Here we have a collection of Black Horizon´s demos dating from 2001. Here you can see the evolution of this band in this four years, going from really raw death metal with full speed and brutality into a more professional and original band that combines cleverly death and black metal elements . On the 2005 demo it is more evident the use of darker atmospheres that is the element that this band has amstered perfectly, even using slow tempos. The combination of agonic vocals with aggressive guitars is a trademark here. The tracks have amny memorable parts achieved through the riffs and through using some keyboards here an there. The sound is very different in the three demos being the 2005 demo the one with the most powerful sound. There is a cover of Celtic Frost´s "Dethroned Emperor" is like the ice to the cake making lovers of thi classic band approach Black Horizons killer music. A collection item !!!

Produced by Black Horizonz

BLOODWORK - INSUFFICIENT FLESH

Line Up:

Jaen - drums

Jeff - vocals, guitar

Michael - vocals, guitars

James - vocals, bass

Music by Bloodwork

Lyrics by Bloodwork

Tracks:

1- Hammerbrain

2-Bloodshed

3-Dark is the Day

4-Yet I Walk

5-Perfect Eternity

A crushing combination of the most brutal death metal with some thrash metal elements. And there are also some riffs that come from the black metal reign !! So, you have an idea of what we have here. Pure brutality with intense riffs and fast tempos. But what I really like is that the band sounds extremely tight and they can play fluently really complex parts without missing a beat. The vocals are sometimes more guttural, sometimes more of the blakc metal type but always really extreme. But the main thing here is the brutality unleashed by the guitars and the srumming that are the essence of Bloodwork´s music. Pure brutality unleashed in five brutal tracks.

Recorded at Dblock

Produced by Bloodwork

BORN HEADLESS - HEADLESS HENCHMEN

Line Up:

Corwyn Kenny - vocals

Jason Peppiatt - guitars, bass, vocals

PAtrick Moane - drums

Music by Born Headless

Lyrics by Born Headless

Tracks:

1- Butchered Hope

2-Headless Henchmen

3-Vision of the Blast Within

4-Dungeons of Abraxus

5-Empowered Existence

6-Rise of the Overlord

7-Roman

8-No More Shall Remain

9-Scales of Scythia

10-Skull Crusher

11- Stained Wars of Coloured Earth

Really raw ultra brutal death metal is what Born Headless delivers here. And headless you will be after listening the bestial attack of this band !! There is a combination here of old school death metal with brutal death metal in order to achieve Born Headless own sound. Everything here is aggression and bestiality: the loud and fat guitars that deliver riff after riff reaching moments in which you can not surpass the heaviness that this guys deliver. The vocals are really guttural most of the time and here we have also screaming vocals that contrast with the more deathly one. There are multiple tempo and rhythm changes and that is one essential feature of this band´s music. the sound is raw but really loud and if you listen this at top volume you will listen the instruments pounding through your chest. This is death metal in its heaviest form....reaching heavines in all the ways !!

Recorded at Dead Pawn Studios

Produced by Born Headless

BURDEN OF GRIEF - FIELDS OF SALVATION

Line Up:

Mike Huhmann - vocals

Philipp Hanfland - guitars

Ulrich Busch - guitars

Dirk Bulmahn - bass

Carsten Schmerer - drums

Music by Burden of grief

Lyrics by Burden of grief

Tracks:

1- Desaster and Decay

2-Dead Soul Decline

3-The Nightmare within

4-Engaged with Destiny

5-Fields of Salvation

6-Slowly Pass Out

7-Yearning for Salvation

8-The Silent Killing

9-Don´t Fear the Creeper

Amazing drumming opens up this album before the whole band enters with full thrashing force. Burden of Grief have taken elements of eighties thrash metal, added some death metal and also some climatic elements to create their music full of killer musicianship. Original guitar riffs are the main thing here creating the main song structure. The vocals are of the type of german bands like Destruction. there are killer clean guitars interludes and multiple arrangements where the band shows amazing technical skills that set them apart from all other bands in the style. there are fast parts in tracks like "Dead Soul Decline" but speed is just othere element to achieve the full intensity that this band has. The sound of the recording is killer making everything really coherent.Tommy Hansen who produced Helloween and Illdisposed is producing here and the hand of this master is evident in the sound.

Produced by Tommy Hansen

COLLAPSE 7 - IN DEEP SILENCE

Music by Collapse 7

Lyrics by Collapse 7

Tracks:

1- Intro

2-Infernal Apocalypse

3-In Deep Silence

4-Empty as We Are

5-A Prophet´s Speech

6-Blessed with Pain

7-Into Obscurity

8-Legions of Blackness

9-Tombs of Depravity

10-A Suicidal Sickness

11- Within the Light

12- Faith in Flames

A release that I could call modern death metal because it has all the elements of the pure death metal style but combined with a modern sound that makes the guitars more effective than in most of the bands of the style. That is, combine a death metal band with the guitar soun of bands like Machine Head, Fear Factory, etc. Brutal vocals are a trademark here giving a more extreme feeling to each composition. And the guitars play fast riffs but of the type that always leaves space for an arrangement or a melody that makes the tune fully memorable (just check "In Deep Silence" to see this). And that combiantion of memorable arrangements and brutality is the essence of Collapse 7´s music. The sound is amazing making each track a crushing experience. This album is a must have for any metal lover.

Produced by Martin Schirenc

CONTRADICTION - THE VOICE OF HATRED

Line Up:

Oliver Lux - vocals, guitars

Oliver Kämper - guitars

Karsten Heyn - bass

Tim Obernyer - drums

Music by Contradiction

Lyrics by Contradiction

Tracks:

1- Break the Oath

2-The Voice of Hatred

3-Arguments

4-Falling Down

5-Hate Patrol

6-Crimes

7-Nation of Fear

8-Horizon

9-Privacy

10-Engines of Greed

11- Future

Starting in a really devastating way with "Break the Oath" the band soon shows their trademark, a combination of pure thrash riffing with a huge modern sound in the guitars. The music is extremely aggressive here. Extremely powerful vocals are unleashed here over the devastating guitar riffs. The drumming here is amazing, like taking eighties thrash metal to the 21st century adding good technical skills to a modern sound and superb passages are developed here. The band sounds extremely tight and that is one of the secrets of the effective Contradiction sound. Their tightness here is equal to more heaviness. The sound is really good, showing a lot of time spent in the studio and the mix searching for the most devastating sound possible. An album designed to be played loud and to blow your speakers into pieces.

Produced by Contradiction

CRUCIFIST - REHEARSAL DEMO

Line Up:

Gallo - guitars, vocals

Lilker - bass

Blackwell - vocals

Waske - drums

Music by Crucifist

Lyrics by Crucifist

Tracks:

1- Putrid Motherload

2-Skull-Smashing Face-Ripping DEath

3-Curse of the Plasma Hound

4-Demon-haunted World

5-Witchgrip

Produced by Crucifist

CYBERNETIC EROSION - ABOMINANT TRANSMISSIONS

Line Up:

Vadim Davidson - all isntruments, vocals

Music and lyrics by Vadim Davidson

Tracks:

1- Sincerely Vomit

2-Attack

3-Enter Zero

4-Descentrest

5-Missing Link

Produced by Vadim Davidson

DARKTHRONE - HATE THEM

Line Up:

Fenriz - drums

Nocturno Culto - guitars, bass, vocals

Music by nocturno Culto (1,3,4,6) and Fenriz (2,5,7)

Lyrics by Fenriz

Tracks:

1- Rust

2-Det Svartner Nå

3-Fucked Up and Ready to Die

4-Ytterst I Livet

5-Divided we Stand

6-Striving for a Piece of Lucifer

7-In Honour of Thy Name

Here we have the latest blast by Fenriz and Nocturno Culto with all the elements that each of their releases has. that is aggressive fast guitars, drumming that sometimes is close to blast beats and sometimes have a more thrashy feeling. All in a context of pure raw black metal. ONe thing that I have to remark is that despite having the raw sound that has become a trademark of the band they have this time polished a little bit their sound making the instruments more audible than in some of their previous releases. Fenriz drumming is solid and still his drums have that early norwegian black metal sound in them. A good release by a legend of the most unholy black metal on Earth.

Recorded at Pan Lydstudio

Produced by Dakthrone

DEADLOCK - EARTH.REVOLT

Line Up:

Johanes Prem - vocals

Tobias Graf - drums

thomas Huschka - bass

Sebastian Reichl - guitars

Gert Rymen - guitars

Music by Deadlock

Lyrics by Deadlock

Tracks:

1- Demonicus (Tonus Diabolus)

2-10000 Generations in Blood

3-The Year of the Crow

4-Everlasting Pain

5-Earth.Revolt

6-More tragedies to Come

7-Awakened by Sirens

8-Kingdom of the Dead

9-May Angels Come

10-Harmonic

A full orchestral intro opens this album throwing you into the devastating world of Deadlock. A world full fo aggression and fast riffs but at the same time of memorable compositions that soon will blast the listener with it sheer intensity. The main thing here are the guitar riffs that are complex and really effective in creating the basis of all the compositions. Then comes the extreme vocal that give a deathly and sometimes black metal feeling to the music. And we have here also female vocals that are full of melancholy and deliver incrediuble melodic lines. And the guitars also add some interesting melodic arrangements and solos, such as in "The year of the Crow", a masterpiece in brutality and musicianship. The keyboards add atmospheres also contrasting with the heaviness of the music. And everything is put together with an incredible mix and sound that makes things even better. A must have foir any metal fan that loves virtuosism and aggression.

Recorded at Gaia Studio

Produced by D. Richter and S. Reichl

DEAF SYMPHONY - BLACK GARDEN

Line Up:

Matt Cerbin - guitars, keyboards, vocals

Larry Cox - drums

Music by Matt Cerbin

Lyrics by Matt Cerbin

Tracks:

1- Scary love Song

2-Vision

3-Black Garden

4-Dark Angel

5-Greensleeves

6-Phantom

7-Evening Mist

8-Passage

9- Dream

A great combination of powerful riffing and good melodies that make each of the nine compositions extremely memorable yet aggressive. If you add a dark sound or feeling you will have an idea of how Black Garden sounds. There are incredible arrangements here like the classic/ spanish guitar in the beginning of "Black garden" that soon turns iunto a heavy guitar riff that keeps the idea and the mood of the song. there is a lot of heaviness her but the main thing here is the good developing of the songs. There are incredible keyboards in many parts that orchestrate the compositions showing that this guys have incredible technical skills. The compositions are very different one from each other showing that this guys are extremely original and that they are full of clever ideas. The sound of the recording is good and direct adding even more power to the music. A trully original heavy release !!!

Recorded at Searchlight Cemetery

Produced by Black Garden

DEATH MECHANISM - NECROTECHNOLOGY

Line Up:

A.Pozza - guitars, vocals

Rambo - drums

Daniele - bass

Music by A. Pozza

Lyrics by A. Pozza

Tracks:

1- Unknown Pathology

2- Necrotechnology

3-War Mechanism

4-Fusion-Man-Weapon

Some issues back we reviewed Death Mechanism´s previous release. This one is a huge stage forward. Just from the start we have a possible hit called "Unknown Pathology", a track that combines pure aggression, speed, heaviness and a central melody that sticks in your mind. This guys have taken thrash metal to the extreme adding death metla influences and really extreme vocals that are a trademark here. The band is extremely solid and that gives extra power to the compositions, that sound compact and direct. There are changes in riffs and tempo and this guys manage this changes perfectly. The sound is really loud an dthat is essential for this style of music to have this direct impact on the listener. Now we await a full length from this killer italian band !!

Recorded at Remaster Studio

Produced by Death Mechanism

DEATHFROST - 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10+....=666

Music by Deathfrost

Lyrics by Aleister Crowley

Tracks:

1- Fourfold Blasphemy

2-Warrior Lord of the Forties

3-The Fall of Because

4-Fear Not

5-No Other God Than Me

6-Do What Thou Wilt

We have reviewed some Deathfrost albums before and this new one continues with the original path that they have developed over theyears. Their music is really extreme as always with that sort of combination of death metal with industrial elements that makes their sound really unique. Here we have really extreme vocals that are processed and sound like another isntrument in tracks like "Fear Not". The guitars sound really raw and create riffs that are the heart and soul of the music here, leaving space for the vocals. The rhythms are sometimes slow and that gives a darker feeling to Deathfrost`s music. A band that has found its own sound and continues in the right way.

Produced by Deathfrost

DESCANTATION - DESCANTATION

Line Up:

Pestilence  - all instruments and vocals

Music by Descantation

Lyrics by Descantation

Tracks:

1- Firmament

2-While the Frozen Air Awaits Morning

3- The Death of Fenris

Produced by Descantation

DESENSITISED / PEACH-HER - SPLIT CD

Line Up:

Desensitised

Steven - vocals

Rick - drums

Susan - guitars

Jeroen - bass

Peach-Her

Gohrgore - vocals

Denix - guitars, b. voclas

David - drums

Jerome - bass

Tracks:

Desensitised

1- Stonerain

2-Smugness

3-Meltdown Mutation

4-Black Gold

5-Bought Beauty

Peach Her

6-PVP (on the rocks)

7-Pop-Corpse

8-My fork is a poltergeist part 1

9-Roasted Gambas

10-Too young to die

11-Some Bothering Story 2

12- Brain ice Cream

13-My Fork is a Po