Listenable Records

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    Crystal Viper - The Last Axeman (2022)

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    We have been on a long streak of mainly having Black Metal releases in our review queue, but today we end it and write our impressions of Heavy/Power Metal outfit Crystal Viper and their latest EP “The Last Axeman”. Delivering a mix of re-recorded, covers, and recorded live in a studio pieces, the band showcases their old-school Metal chops with great guitar work, killer vocals, and an overall kick-ass attitude.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Kruger – Adam and Steve (2014)

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    Having released one of our favorite albums of 2010, Kruger finally returns with an even more impressive follow-up with “Adam and Steve”. With a very melodic and yet crushing sound, the band takes Post-Metal/Sludge to new heights in this eight track assault.

    The insanity beings with the very intense opener “Bottoms Up” and never lets go. Vocalist Renaud Meichtry delivers a savage performance with his charismatic screams and greatly elevates the level of intensity presented by the music. The band’s ability to craft intricately layered songs like “Discotheque” and “Charger” is truly unique and its one of the factors that makes them stand out from the rest.

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    Sarah Jezebel Diva – The Corruption of Mercy (2011)

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    After the downright horrendous “A Sign of Sublime”, Sarah Jezebel Diva (and company) returns with a redeeming album titled “The Corruption of Mercy”. Featuring 10 tracks of pretty solid Symphonic/Gothic Metal, Sarah delivers a great vocal performance with catchy songs and a considerably better sound than in her first album.

    Opening with “No Paragon of Virtue”, we have very powerful guitar work and hectic drumming paired with nice vocal arrangements and a thick keyboard atmosphere. This song at times sounds like Black Metal song and we totally dig this more aggressive approach to thing from the band. In a more symphonic fashion we have “The World Won’t Hold Your Hand”, a very melodic song that showcases Sarah’s talents very dynamically.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Kruger – For Death, Glory and the End of the World (2010)

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    Out of the very impressive roster of Listenable Records, we get today another genre-bending band. Kruger hails from Switzerland and their combination of Sludge/Groove and Post-Metal is superb. For over 45 minutes “For Death, Glory and the End of the Word” delivers 9 brutal tracks.

    With the waves of new bands coming out these days it’s very hard to bump into one that makes you fully appreciate the art of crafting a different sound that is both powerful and enthralling. Kruger achieves this since the first song, with a brilliant combination of aggressive ‘Sludgy’ riffs, aggressive vocals and solid drumming.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Noctiferia – Death Culture (2010)

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    If you ever wondered what would happen if Fear Factory, Meshuggah and Gojira had a genetically engineered son, then it would sound just like Noctiferia does. The band has spent plenty of years trying to find their own sound, and on their earlier days they focused more on Melodic Black/Death Metal. On this 2010, they deliver “Death Culture” an album so rich in both style and content that will have you listening to it for quite a while in order to fully digest it.

    The band features the chugging riffing of Fear Factory, combined with the surgically precise (and impressive) drumming of Meshuggah. On top of these elements they offer aggressive vocals like Gojira, Hacride, etc, making their sound very dynamic and brutal. The band has surely outdone themselves with “Death Culture” since it’s their best effort to date.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Marionette – Enemies (2010)

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    We usually get quite a few bands that claim to play Melodic Death Metal, but fail miserably to deliver an engaging and entertaining album. Marionette is an example of a band that DOES deliver, and their album “Enemies” is one of the best Melodic DM albums we have received in quite a while.

    “Enemies” starts off very aggressively and all over the place, so we immediately expected the album to suck. However after the first 60 seconds, all this changes and you can hear the quality of the bands music, and it hooks you into listening to the whole album.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Sybreed – The Pulse Of Awakening (2010)

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    Calling the music of Sybreed complex is a complete understatement of what the band does with “The Pulse Of Awakening”, their third full-length in their 7 years of existence. The mixture of elements in this album is as long as the list of ice cream flavors Baskin Robbins has.

    Analyzing the band by layers, we can see the main underlying Metal foundation the band has, but it’s not just a regular ‘plain and simple’ Metal foundation. The band chooses to use very complex time signatures and polyrhythmic composition in the vein of Meshuggah, Xerath, etc.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Hacride – Lazarus (2009)

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    This French band took me by surprise with their very diverse sounding music. “Lazarus” is a release that stands out by the uniqueness of the band’s sound, something they have been consolidating for several years. The opening track of this album is a 15 minute epic master piece that serves as a perfect introduction to the musical journey that you are about to experience.

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