Album Reviews

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    Shear – Breaking the Stillness (2012)

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    As one of the most recent entries in the oversaturated female-fronted Metal market, today we have Finland’s Shear and their debut full-length release “Breaking the Stillness”. Featuring members and ex-members of bands like Imperanon, Amoral, and Omnium Gatherum among others, this band has enough Melodic Metal pedigree to impress anybody (at least on papers).

    The band’s front woman, Alexa Leroux, is of course very attractive and her voice is indeed different to what everybody is used to. Her vocal approach is more in the Hard Rock / Power Metal area, and never goes into the very tired female growls or soprano style. When paired with excellent Melodic Metal, this is actually a great strength for Shear since they manage to sound powerful and somewhat different than all the other female-fronted bands these days.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Banda de la Muerte – Pulso de una mente maldita (2012)

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    As one of the catchiest releases we have received in quite a while, today we have Banda de la Muerte’s second full-length release “Pulso de una mente maldita”. In this Stoner Metal/Rock release, these Argentineans create very effective songs that feature powerful guitars and a great sense of melody, making each song very unique and memorable.

    With a very imposing attitude, this band truly owns each song and sounds with such a determination that is rare to find these days. Opening with the driven “Te estas dejando mentir”, the guitars take front stage and never let go. The riffing is powerful and the bass guitar line is very well marked. Immediately we can hear the crystal clear production behind this release, allowing us to fully enjoy this release.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Shroud of Despondency – Pine (2012)

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    It was just a few months ago that we reviewed the excellent “Dark Meditations in Monastic Seclusion”, and now we have Shroud of Despondency back with another epic release titled “Pine”. Covering 11 tracks and over 58 minutes of music, we are amazed by how fast this band can crank out self-released albums that are actually pretty good and worth to listen to.

    With a very experimental edge to their sound, Shroud of Despondency mixes Black Metal with progressive and acoustic elements and creates a very aggressive sound that has excellent melodic and atmospheric passages. The first sample of these atmospheric elements is immediately found in the opener “Wander Lust (Winged Seed in the Breeze)”. Things get a bit more hectic and crazy with the deranged vocals of “Overshadow”, something we quite haven’t heard before.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Demoncy – Enthroned is the Night (2012)

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    As a new entry in our “raw as fuck” category, today we have Demoncy and their latest release “Enthroned is the Night”. As the band’s first full-length release in almost 9 years, we get 40 minutes of soul crushing Black Metal that is very raw and demonic in nature. This one man Black Metal machine does a great job in delivers a think atmosphere that will unsettle even the most devote fans of the genre.

    Opening with an intro that reminded us of the movie “Event Horizon”, the band fully explodes with “Winds of Plague”. In this hectic ritual, Demoncy immediately established its riffing power and thanks to the hellish vocals, this song (and release) sounds as inhuman as you can get. The album’s production actually gives the band that raw and lo-fi sound that many BM bands look for, but it does not keep the listener from enjoying this album. Pummeling through tracks like “Unclean Spirits”, “Into the Twilight Mists”, and “Opening the Lunar Bloodgate”, Demoncy does a great job in writing simple songs that pack enough aggression and rawness to please any fan of the genre.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Do Skonu – Womb of Primeval Darkness (2011)

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    We are always skeptical about underground Black Metal releases since they are usually really bad, but to our surprise (and enjoyment) Forever Plagued Records re-release of Do Skonu’s debut full-length “Womb of Primeval Darkness” is a winner. This release showcases bands that has great songwriting skills, but are heavily damaged by the crappy production behind the original recording of this album.

    As we mentioned, the whole sound is a bit muffled in the sense that you can hear the excellent riffing, but the drumming and bass guitar get drowned away by being fused into a big lump. The vocals are also pretty crisp, but the overall experience is similar to the ones we used to have when the cassette player was crapping out and destroying our tapes back in the day. Aside from the sound issues (of the original recording we assume), this release is one hell of an album that any Black Metal fan should take note.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Erevos - Descensus Ad Inferos (2011)

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    Just when you thought you have heard every single Symphonic Black Metal band under the sun (or moon), a ‘new’ one pops out. Releasing their debut album “Descensus Ad Inferos”, today we have Greece’s Erevos. Playing a mean Symphonic Black Metal, this band delivers a very powerful and commanding debut release. Featuring tons of lush atmospheric landscapes, powerful guitars and very ghoulish vocals, this band will surely turn some heads in the scene.

    Opening with thick atmospheric keyboards, “Adou Katavasis” announces the band’s very complex and well developed sound. The production behind this release is excellent since allows everything to sound very clearly and massive. The combination of keyboards and guitars is very melodic and makes this opening track very catchy and engaging. Things remain as brutal with “The Omnipotence of the Judges”, a song that reminds us very much of Anorexia Nervosa and their hyper-brutal melodic songs.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    The Human Condition – Modern Maze (2011)

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    Arriving from the UK, today we have The Human Condition’s debut demo EP titled “Modern Maze”. In this 21 minute three track effort, the band delivers very effective Doom Metal songs that have that old-school vibe thanks to the well-crafted guitars and commanding bass guitar line. With most of the band members having previous band experience in the Doom Metal genre, it makes sense that The Human Condition’s sound is very well defined and effectively crafted.

    Opening with the 7 minute “Modern Maze” song, this release kicks off with very typical Doom Metal sounding guitars and solid clean vocals. It usually takes us a while to get used to clean Doom vocals, but with Nathan Harrison, they sink in quickly. The riffing is very well crafted and it is properly mixed allowing everything else to shine the way it should. The pounding bass guitar line is nicely defined and the drums are pretty straight forward, but well-constructed.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Evenoire – Vitriol (2012)

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    Making its way from Italy, today we have Evenoire’s debut full-length release titled “Vitriol”. Featuring a Gothic Metal sound with some Folk elements, Evenoire manages to sound a little bit different than ‘traditional bands’ giving them a small edge over the competition. With 9 tracks of music, “Vitriol” is a very solid debut effort that while having some minor issues, shows that the band is ready to be heard.

    With a very ethereal opening track titled “Vitriol”, the band sets a very lush fantasy-like atmosphere that generates high expectations for this release. This is nicely continued with the very classically inspired “Days of the Blackbird”. The band’s singer Elisa "Lisy" Stefanoni has a very sweet voice that has that natural retro sound at times, when bands had regular singers on not extremely trained ones, but she can also do all the classical stuff very graciously.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Svartsyn – The True Legend (2012)

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    Originally released back in 1998, today we have the re-release (and partial re-recording) of Svartsyn’s cult debut full-length “The True Legend”. Constantly criticized back in 98 because of the ‘bad’ production, this release now sounds like any other well-crafted crushing Black Metal release. Standing the test of time (only 13 or so years), “The True Legend” is a very powerful release that could pass for something a band would crank out these days.

    Deliver the first blow, “Tearing Your Soul” has that typical BM guitar distortion that older BM releases used, but the melodic aspect of the music makes it very appealing. The drums are very clean and brutal, giving this song a very powerful sound. The tremolo-picking is not overly exploited, making the song both brutal and crushing without being extremely cliché. “The True Legend” follows a similar approach, but a bit more hectic and fast. This allows the album to start building momentum since the first few tracks and we love it.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Enthroned – Obsidium (2012)

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    With a feeling of 100 bricks to the face, today we have Enthroned’s latest release “Obsidium”. For the purists that feel that soul-crushing Black Metal can only come from Scandinavian countries, they are so wrong and Enthroned clearly demonstrates it on their latest release. Clocking around 40 minutes, and spawning through 9 tracks this release in one hell of a BM album that you don’t want to miss.

    The first waves of powerful guitar riffing and aggressive vocals make their wave in the opener “Sepulchered within Opaque Slumber”. In this track, the band opens strong with a relentless Black Metal that does not need ridiculous amounts of tremolo-picking or overly dramatic shrieks. The music is well crafted and direct; the overall feeling is very powerful due to the hellish vocals and masterful slowdowns.

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