Becoming one of the premier Heavy/Power Metal bands in the scene has been no small feat for Finland’s Battle Beast. With “Steelbound” the band showcases their sheer power and catchiness with nearly 40-minutes of high-octane music. Noora Louhimo signature vocals have made the band shine from the rest, and with this release she is ready to propel her band to new heights.

Opening with the ridiculously catchy and speedy “The Burning Within”, the band makes a strong statement with crafty instrumentation and soaring vocal melodies. Giving some Nightwish-meets-Sonata Arctica vibes, songs like “Here We Are”, “Steelbound”, and “Twilight Cabaret” feature extremely engaging chorus sections and very engaging atmospheric elements, giving the band a mixture of epicness and playfulness that almost nobody else has.

There are only a handful of bands in Thrash Metal that have legendary status and have continued to push the envelope with their music. Testament is definitely one of them as with each release they come refreshed and improved, never staying static and constantly evolving. With “Para Bellum”, the band continues to spread their devastating sound while trying new things and inducing massive amounts of headbanging.

Opening with the brutal “For the Love of Pain”, we immediately had to make sure we were listening to Testament as this track is vicious and crushing thanks to its aggressive guitars and massive drumming. However, it’s the harsh vocals that got us confused, in a good way. Things come back to the band’s more ‘normal’ thrashing ways with “Infanticide A.I”, “Shadow People”, and “Meant to Be”, were Chuck Billy’s snarls come center stage alongside the vicious riffing of Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick.

There is normal Melodic Death Metal, and then there is Finnish Melodic Death Metal, while being the same genre, there is just a certain signature style to the latter. Mors Principium Est is one of the most underrated Finnish Melodic Death Metal bands from the scene, having been putting out excellent releases since 2000, this band seems to fall under the radar to some of its most popular counterparts like Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum, and early Amorphis. With “Darkness Invisible”, the band throws in some additional orchestral arrangements around their very cohesive and precise sound.

Opening with the high-octane “Of Death”, we are treated to a blistering pace filled with dramatic arrangements and intricate guitar melodies and leads. Ville Viljanen continued the band’s legacy by bringing back some of its original members Jarkko Kokko and Jori Haukio for the previous release of re-recording of old songs., but it is not until this studio album that we can hear the band’s original ferocity and technically, paired with some extra maturity and musical proficiency gained over the years, as songs like "Venerator", “Monuments” and “Beyond the Horizon” showcase.

Creating one of the most harrowing and primal releases ever, today we have Fauna and their long awaited “Ochre & Ash”. Thirteen years have passed since the release of “Avifauna”, and fans have been craving for a new album from this Pacific Northwest duo. More than worth the wait, this release unleashes nearly 70 minutes of crushing music that creates discomfort and hands out punishment from the opening atmospherics all the way to the closing riffs.

Opening with the ritualistic “A Conjuring”, the band sets a very feral and Heilung/Wardruna-esque atmosphere that masterfully transitions into the crafty drumming and dissonant riffing of “Nature and Madness”. Shifting gears, the duo unleashes hell with great intensity and violence. The drumming and screamed vocals remind us a bit of Mike Rekevics in Vanum/Fell Voices. As the dense atmosphere dissipates a bit, the track moves into a cavernous direction with enthralling atmospherics and a wall of distortion.

Coming in hot with tons of hype and mystery, UK’s President has made more than enough waves with their mystique. In their first EP release, “King of Terrors”, the band easily substantiates with hype with six piercing tracks that masterfully combine Metal elements with a plethora of more mainstream influences, and a hefty dose of catchiness. This mysterious outfit manages to craft tracks that are a great balance of heaviness and melody, creating some truly memorable soaring vocal arrangements and masterful instrumentation.

Opening with “In The Name Of The Father”, the EP sets a very high bar with its relentless aggression, Djent-y elements, and their transition to soaring clean vocals and subtle electronics. While definitely not your regular Metal track, it certainly has its merits. Things quickly escalate as “Fearless” continues with its distorted guitars and some of the catchiest percussion and chorus sections that we have heard in quite a while.

Just when you think that Amorphis can’t get any better, the band gives us “Borderland”. In this release, the band unleashes almost 50-minutes of high-octane Melodic Metal, with their signature style and a few surprises. Constantly refining and improving their sound, the band manages to sound as epic and melodic as always, with a hearty mixture of catchiness and heaviness, creating another astounding release filled with bangers.

Opening with “The Circle”, we immediately get that magical Amorphis atmosphere thanks to crafty synths and guitar work. Via Santeri Kallio, the band’s signature vibes are set in motion, as clear and well crafted instrumentation come together to create tracks like “Bones”, “Dancing Shadow”, and “Fog to Fog”, where Tomi Joutsen’s dual vocal attack is just the cherry on top of the cake.

The master of weirdness and experimental madness, Gautier Serre, returns with Igorrr’s fifth full-length album titled “Amen”. Featuring over 40 minutes of extremely engaging and totally deranged music, this release continues the band’s tradition of not being bound by any genre, while adding additional heaviness and with a certain live-setting edge that makes the music more digestible and headbangable as well.

Opening with the dramatic arrangements of “Daemoi”, the stage is set for one hell of a ride, featuring lush vocal arrangements and crafty instrumentation. Of course the electronics create some chaotic dissonance that is the brilliance of Igorrr. The use of unconventional elements and interesting percussions and arrangements, creates unique tracks like “Headbutt”, “Limbo”, and the crazy “Blastbeat Falafel”, which are all brilliant in its own insane way.

We have always been fans of pretty much any band that Avantgarde Music discovers, as they always find completely unique and totally awesome outfits and releases. However, around 10 years ago, the label released in CD Mesarthim’s debut “Isolate”, a very forward thinking and completely captivating release that mixed Atmospheric Black Metal with electronic/trance elements.

Fast forward to today, the label is unleashing the ten year anniversary of this masterpiece with a special extra disc, featuring reinterpretations of the songs via other Avantgarde outfits. The release opens with Remina’s reworking of “Osteopenia”, a masterful piece that not only takes you to outer space, as it also features the enchanting vocals of Heike Langhans, giving this song a whole new level of dreamy and ethereal vibes.