2014

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    When Icarus Falls – Circles (2014)

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    Building up on their excellent discography comprised of “Over The Frozen Seas“ and “Aegean”, When Icarus Falls delivers another gem with the EP “Circles”. Featuring three new tracks and a remix of “Nyx”, the band keeps pushing the limits of Post-Metal with their own forward thinking sound in this release. Filled with lush atmospheres and savage riffs, this band deserves a place right next to Neurosis thanks to their music.

    The mood is instantly set with the suspenseful “Erechtion”, a track that perfectly dances around the aggression of Post-Metal and the dreaminess of Post-Rock. The band perfectly crafts a very intriguing atmosphere and the harsh lashings nicely contrast it. Keeping on this tradition, “The Great North” exploits subtle keyboards to further the band’s atmospheric component and create very well paced songs. Jumping back and forth between harsh and clean vocals, this track is quite elaborate and a very unique one.

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    SynoP – 77 Bombers (2014)

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    Making its way from The Netherlands, one man Ambient/Neo-classical project SynoP brings us their fourth release titled “77 Bombers”. Inspired by some paintings of crashed 77 bombers, this release is a cinematic experience that is better enjoyed when watching the video the artist crated of the paintings found here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbI5dsnhZz4). For 13 tracks we get a very healthy mix of Ambient with Minimalist touches, spoken word sections, and some very moving Neo-classical passages.

    The album instantly opens with the title track, a song that features some airplane sounds before it creates some cavernous atmospheric passages. As the release progresses, we are left with plenty of scattered pieces here and there in tracks like “Rumble in the sky”, “Endless view”, “Dark clouds over Europe”, all of the helping to create a very hypnotic vibe and furthering the mistery behind “77 Bombers”.

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    Sabbath Assembly – Quaternity (2014)

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    The weirdest band in the planet has finally returned with an even weirder release with “Quaternity”. Sabbath Assembly has been focusing since its inception to re-interpret the hymns of The Process Church of the Final Judgment, and with this release they take things further into darker corners with a bit of a shift from the more Psychedelic/distorted guitars oriented music to a more rudimentary and bone chilling musical deconstruction.

    After the chilling intro “Let Us Who Mystically Represent...”, Jamie Myers (vocals) and Dave Nuss (drums) return with a more elaborate and expansive sound combining minimalistic percussions and string instruments on “Jehovah on Death”. The music in this release, in its majority, is all new and original from the band with just a lyrical inspiration of the Process Church’s vast weirdness.

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    Entartung – Peccata Mortalia (2014)

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    Delivering one of the most savage and yet melodic Black Metal onslaughts of 2014, today we have Germany’s mysterious outfit Entartung and their sophomore release “Peccata Mortalia”. With a very savage sound, this band nicely throws in some melodic and atmospheric elements to create some of the densest and demoralizing Black Metal tunes of this year.

    Opening with a weird intro, the band’s full prescense is felt with the devastating “Blasphemaverit in Spiritum Sanctum”. In this track the band immediately generates comparisons to bands like Horna and Taake with their razor sharp aggressive riffs and commanding vocals. However, Entartung takes it one step further with their ultra-catchy melodic riffing passages. In full (newer) Gorgoroth fashion, “Out of Darkness into Light” delivers more blows with incisive riffs and eerie atmospheric sections.

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    Tortorum – Katabasis (2014)

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    Keeping the Norwegian Raw Black Metal decadent sound alive, today we have Bergen’s Tortorum and their pummeling second release “Katabasis”. With all the watered down Black Metal we have these days, it is quite refreshing to hear bands like this being released by labels like World Terror Committee that focus on superb Black Metal. With over 50 minutes of music, this is one hell of a release you cannot miss.

    The first sign of BM decadence comes with the initial powerful riffs of “The Great Apocalypse”. Delivered with a crystal clear production, this track really opens the album wide open with inhuman vocals and blistering drumming. With Immortal-esque catchiness, “In Nameless NonBeing” is one of those tracks that are prefect for moshing after a long day of work.

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    Reacta – Refraction (2014)

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    Bordering on the limits of what we review here at Infernal Masquerade, today we have Alternative/Prog Rock outfit Reacta from Mexico. In their 2014 release “Refraction”, the band delivers 10 dreamy tracks of expertly crafted music that will grab the attention from fans of 30 Seconds to Mars all the way to God Speed Your Black Emperor.

    Hailing from the city of Aguascalientes, Reacta kicks off the release with the perky “Lost”, a very mainstream track that has a super catchy vibe. This track instantly brings memories of bands likes Kings of Leon and similar outfits that have charismatic lead vocals and an eye for detailed guitar melodies. The Post-Rock/Atmospheric “Back Home” is another catchy piece with lush guitars and memorable vocals that sometimes have a certain ring to heavy weights U2.

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    Fluisteraars – Dromers (2014)

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    Unleashed only in LP and Cassette, today we have Dutch outfit Fluisteraars and their debut full-length release “Dromers”. Presenting us with over 34 minutes of music divided over three pummeling tracks; this release shows the band’s abilities to create engaging Black Metal songs that are both very long and highly atmospheric in nature.

    Opening side A with “De Doornen”, the band slowly builds up their sound in a style similar to acts like Agalloch, Fen, Velnias, that keep things going for a while before their intentions are fully revealed. The guitar work is quite solid and the sporadic vocals are very well placed to allow the music to develop without any interruptions. The drumming is quite solid and nicely executed, highlighting the brutality of the band’s sound.

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    Behemoth – The Satanist (2014)

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    Having lost interest in Behemoth since their 2004 release “The Apostasy”, it is quite refreshing to hear they have recovered their brutality and desire to deliver the most sickening, and perfectly produced, release they could with “The Satanist”. Featuring nine tracks of Behemoth at the top of their game, this is one hell of a demolishing aural experience that no Metal fan would want to miss.

    Opening with the first single of the release, “Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel”, the guitar sound is quite piercing and Nergal’s vocals are as commanding as ever. The use of choirs greatly enhances the atmosphere and gives it that “The Omen” kind of unholy vibe. The band’s aggression continues through demoralizing tracks like the punishing “Furor Divinus” and the massive “Messe Noire”, both of which are filled with pummeling drums and an intense bass guitar pounding away.

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    Carnifex - Die Without Hope (2014)

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    As one of the most extreme releases of 2014, today we have Carnifex and their crushing “Die Without Hope” release. Three years have passed since the band’s last effort and today we have them with their most mature and polished released to date. Evolving away from your cookie cutter Deathcore, Carnifex manages to deliver 10 brutal tracks filled with epic orchestrations, massive drumming, and crushing vocals.

    Wasting no time, “Salvation is Dead” produces some demoralizing Death Metal riffs that will crush anybody’s doubts of this band. The growls/shrieks of Scott Lewis are as brutal as they come and they greatly enhance the overall violence portrayed in the band’s sound. The band’s sound is 100 times darker on songs like “Dark Days”, where they exploit perfectly constructed orchestrations and keyboards to contrast their relentless riffing. There is also a certain melodic edge to the music that we found quite refreshing.

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    Sarke – Aruagint (2014)

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    Featuring one of the most brilliant line-ups in Extreme Metal, today we have Sarke and their third full-length release “Aruagint”. Originally intended as a solo project of Sarke (Thomas Bergli  of Khold, Tulus, ex-Old Man’s Child fame), this all-star Black Metal super group combines rudimentary BM elements with Heavy/Thrash Metal and a good dosage of Hard Rock thrown into the mix to create a decadent yet truly Norwegian sound.

    Opening with the crunchy riffs of “Jaunt of the Obsessed”, we immediately take notice on the super production behind this release as well as the technical proficiency of everybody involved in the album. With a catchy Black’n’Roll attitude in tracks like “Ugly” and “Strange Pungent Odyssey”, we get that urge to headbang similar to what Vreid has been doing to crowds in their last releases. Having Asgeir Mickelson handling the drums, we get a full range of his Progressive skills infused into the music.

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