Bounded By Metal

Illuminata - A World So Cold

2012-01-25T20:03:00.002+01:00

Genre: Melodic Power/Gothic Metal
Year: 2011
Country: Austria
Tracklist:

1.	Ashes Of Times	02:03
2.	Cold Hands Warm Hearts	05:57
3.	End My Agony	06:50
4.	Silent Poet	04:50
5.	The Divine Puppet	04:13
6.	The World Collector	06:36
7.	Dead Warden Dreamer	04:03
8.	A Frame Of Beauty	04:46
9.	Endless	05:22
10.	Lost In Picturesque	07:23
11.	Metamorphobia II	06:04
		58:07

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Austria’s Illuminata has already self-released a full-length in 2008, but ‘A World So Cold’ is my first Acquaintance with them. When I saw the band photo I must say that I got a little bit worried; the fact that I’m not too charmed with female vocals in general is no secret, and well, Illuminata has two of them! Uh-oh I hear myself thinking. However, there are always exceptions like Liv Kristine, Amanda Somerville and of course Doro, who always please my ears with their beautiful vocals. So without too many prejudices I start my journey on ‘A World So Cold’.

The ladies and gentlemen describe their music as symphonic metal and the words film score is also used. Well, I can fully related to that. The intro ‘Ashes Of Times’ is immediately a soundtrack like piece and immediately the name Rhapsody Of Fire (what else?) comes to mind. ‘Cold Hands Warm Hearts’ again has the soundtrack feel, but due to the female vocals and orchestral keyboards the names Epica and Nightwish also come forth rather obviously. Musically Illuminata is definitely convincing. The band not only proves its instrumental skills here, but also on song writing matters they show a lot of talent and potential. The songs sound mature en very well thought-through. The music is melodic, melancholic and sensitive, but at the same time also heavy, catchy, stirring, and in general also very epic. Whether we’re dealing with fast, mid-tempo of slow pieces, the songs keep stand and the band doesn’t drop any stitches instrumentally.

On vocal matters I must say that the ladies convince less. Both vocalists have a beautiful voice and can definitely sing. But at the same time they sound a bit too monotonous to stay interesting from start to finish. I also think that their voices are not really suitable for this type of metal. Especially in the faster and heavier metal pieces the vocals are too shrill and not really pleasant. Listen for example to ‘Dead Warden Dreamer’, ‘End My Agony’ or the higher vocals in ‘A Frame Of Beauty’. In the mid-tempo and especially the slower tracks like ‘Silent Poet’, the slower parts of ‘A Frame Of Beauty’ or the beautiful closure ‘Metamorphobia II’ however, the ladies do sound convincing and sing beautifully.

I have mixed feeling about this album. On musical and instrumental matters the band definitely stands its ground, it’s audible that they have put a lot of time and effort in the details and arrangements, the album has a fantastic production and ditto cover artwork. On vocal matters I’m less enthusiastic and especially in the higher regions the ladies start to bore and I tend to skip forward. Pity, because the songs definitely deserve more. Altogether the sextet has delivered a strong album, but whether to total picture is strong enough to survive is something time shall tell. Fans of symphonic power metal with female vocals should check this out.

Mortifier - Anatomies Undone

2012-01-25T15:36:00.002+01:00

Year: 2011
Genre: Thrash Metal
Country: U.S.A.
Bitrate: 320 CBR
Tracklist:
01. Reality Control 3:18
02. The Peoples Temple 3:26
03. Nails in the Coffin 4:05
04. Into the Abyss 0:44
05. Death Brings Life 3:52
06. Exodus Earth 3:38
07. Tortured by the Night 2:58
08. Anatomies Undone 4:23
09. Untold Terrors 3:10
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"Anatomies Undone" is another commendable effort, providing a similar concoction of straight headbanging and more stylish technical cords, admirably mixing both sides at times (the excellent roller-coaster "Nails in the Coffin"). "Into the Abyss" is a great short virtuoso lead-driven instrumental, after which the guys really start to shine; first with the technical melo-death/thrasher "Death Brings Life", and then with a string of fast'n furious tracks, "Tortured by the Night" bringing the culmination with a portion of hyper-blasting passages with a black metal shade. Near the end come the addictive melodic hooks on "Anatomies Undone" and on the closing "Untold Terrors", which are served among a whirlwind of fiery riffs and neck-breaking tempos. This is a second fairly strong offering from the band, and one more of the kind could catapult them straight to the top, and well deservedly so. Well, some may argue whether the minimalistic, low-tuned deathy vocals are a suitable "companion"...

Head Crusher - Let the Blood Run

2012-01-24T23:40:00.002+01:00

Genre: Thrash Metal/Metalcore
Year: 2012
Country: Colombia
Tracklist:

1.	Prisoner Machine	03:54
2.	Treeless	03:24
3.	Common Nonsense	04:32
4.	Let the Blood Run	03:38
5.	Against All Reason	03:48
6.	Lost (And Straight to Hell)	03:34
7.	Beware the Ides of March	03:45
		26:35

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This a modern mix of groove and more intense thrash/death which has the necessary amount of energy, even managing to provide something more thoughtout ("Common Nonsense") with clever riffs and other more stylish decisions. The approach on the faster material is close to early The Haunted, but the compulsive grinding breaks are not a very big rarity, either. The singer is vintage Peter Dolving (The Haunted again), maybe a bit lower-tuned.

Protest - The Corruption Code

2012-01-24T22:35:00.004+01:00

Genre: Crossover/Thrash Metal
Year: 2012
Country: USA
Tracklist:
01. Man's Fall 01:07
02. Eve's Error 01:54
03. The Corruption Code 04:19
04. Weapons of Mass Consumption 02:45
05. Fueled by Hate 03:12
06. Prophet$ 04:21
07. White Noise 06:34
08. Eye for an Eye 04:19
09. Blood and Sand 03:48
10. Killian 02:55
11. Path to Pain 02:19
12. War Dance Black 02:48
13. Kill Craft 03:32
14. Turning Tide 04:06
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Based on the full-length, this act provides intense classic thrash with some hardcore tendencies. The guys thrash with conviction adding the necessary stomping break ("Fueled by Hate"; the pensive, quasi-doomy "White Noise"), but you'll have to run cover on the more aggressive, death metal-laced numbers ("Prophet$"). In the 2nd half the speed gets diminished, even a few battle-like touches ("Blood and Sand"), in the spirit of Bolt Thrower, can be caught to a positive effect. Short, more immediate and more aggressive cuts come near the end, where the bridled Slayer-esque aggression ("War Dance Black", "Kill Craft") is hard to be dusguised, even by the very stylish melodic leads. "Turning Tide" is a furious thrash/deathster, closing the album in a shattering fashion, moshing without mercy to the end. The singer is a lower-pitched hardcore-ish semi-shouter, whose angry antics fit the aggressive music quite well.

Coldworker - The Doomsayer's Call

2012-01-23T17:15:00.002+01:00

Year: 2012
Genre: Grindcore / Death Metal
Country: Sweden
Tracklist:
01. A New Era (03:49)
02. The Reprobate (03:11)
03. The Glass Envelope (03:12)
04. Flesh World (04:38)
05. Murderous (03:10)
06. Pessimist (02:50)
07. Monochrome Existence (04:54)
08. Vacuum Fields (03:13)
09. Living Is Suffering (03:02)
10. The Walls of Eryx (04:20)
11. Violent Society (03:07)
12. Becoming the Stench (02:43)
13. The Phantom Carriage (03:19)
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It's a new year. There will be lots of choices to be made of what will come next in each and everyone's own future struggle on his or her own personal war. However, only the entire human population unified can change the immorals and the decadence of its formed twisted society. This is plainly what I felt when I listened to the third sweeping album of the Swedish grinding Death Metal band of COLDWORKER. While not being exactly a blue collar type of band (mainly due to their chosen name), their social perception of things, of course with a view towards the extremities, has been one of my points of interest since their early debut.

If COLDWORKER hasn't a been a band that was frequent or at least known to some of you, I suggest to look at it as a progressed version NASUM or NAPALM DEATH, meaning that there will be a pack load of killing Grindcore blast beats from the other side of hell to the side of a mixed Death Metal pattern or modern and old school. The Hardcore markers, with several reminder of really angry Punk, have always been roughly evident in the band's music but I assure you that it is still Metal to the core. "The Doomsayer's Call", the band's third album, via Listenable Records, continues this exact same line but in a musical progress.

Thanks to the great mixing of work of the alleged Dan Swano, I was able to enjoy the material even more. Well I can't say I expected anything less from the Swedish producer, but it had to be said. As far as the material goes, COLDWORKER made sure that diversity will be the name of the game but without inflicting the feeling of going astray from their original path. The spirit of Grindcore still reigned, especially with the all around blast beats attacks that began rumbling right from the second song, but on the other hand those didn't feel as if they lacked content and weren't played just for the thrill of it. Furthermore, I was impressed by the lead guitar work of tremendous emotive solos that were also inserted well to the mix. The reverb or chorus effect that was intergraded to the lead guitars made the difference. Fornbrant's vocals were brutal but understandable and I was really glad by that due to the high rated lyrics spitted out of his mouth.

"Flesh World", "The Wall Of Eryx" and the opening mid tempo of "A New Era" engulfed me with their brutal nature yet also with their great quality. Nonetheless, I believe that the album has other great moments to offer. It may not that be easy to listen at first to ongoing grind attacks but it will sink deep eventually. I have to admit that COLDWORKER are one of the few American driven Grindcore bands that I truly appreciate and this late work proved that to me once again.

Saviours - Accelerated Living

2012-01-16T17:04:00.002+01:00

Genre: Doom/Heavy Metal
Year: 2009
Country: USA
Tracklist:

1.	Acid Hand	05:41
2.	We Roam	04:44
3.	F.G.T.	05:20
4.	Livin' In The Void	07:39
5.	Burnin' Cross	05:45
6.	Slave To The Hex	03:41
7.	The Rope Of Carnal Knowledge	04:05
8.	Apocalypse World Split	05:48
9.	Eternal High	07:10
		49:53

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Read review: here

Arbitrater - Darkened Reality

2012-01-16T16:46:00.002+01:00

Genre: Thrash Metal
Year: 1993
Country: UK
Tracklist:

1.	Judge and Jury	04:08
2.	Suicide Commercially	04:17
3.	Guilty of No Crime	04:13
4.	No Second Chance	04:15
5.	Racist Nation	04:20
6.	Deadline	05:06
7.	Nightmare Vision	04:09
8.	Choose Your Weapons	03:24
9.	Darkened Reality	05:58
		39:50

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With very little expectations for this album in advance, it was nice to find that Arbitrater were apparently in a competent mood when Darkened Reality was recorded. The band's music is solid British speed/thrash metal, mostly of stomping variety. This album features a great dark sound and generally very tasty riffwork, guitars sticking to a specific kind of low crunch that is almost guaranteed to hit the spot most of the time. While it is musically not an extraordinary effort by any means, the sound and feel of these songs is more often than not reminiscent of Cyclone's Inferior To None, with the same kind of dark quality all over them. Darkened Reality is one of those seemingly subdued releases that grow on you slowly but surely - it is not likely to make a quick impression right at the first sight, but you can bet there's more to it than meets the eye.

Death Mask - Sitting in the Dark

2012-01-16T16:38:00.002+01:00

Genre: Speed/Thrash Metal
Year: 2011
Country: USA
Tracklist:

1.	Time of the Signs	04:31
2.	It's in You	05:56
3.	Sitting in the Dark	03:58
4.	More	05:12
5.	Contrary Mary	04:03
6.	Driving Blind	03:06
7.	Real Pain	06:07
8.	Corruption	03:57
9.	Symptom of the Universe	06:23
10.	Season of Hatred	03:25
		46:38

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"A great follow up to Split The Atom and a sign that Death Mask have returned with a vengeance."
Read full review: here

Execration - Odes of the Occult

2012-01-16T16:04:00.001+01:00

Genre: Old School Death Metal
Year: 2011
Country: Norway
Tracklist:
1.Ode To Obscurity 05:32
2.Unction 05:17
3.Entheogen 05:22
4.Intermezzo I 03:11
5.A Crutch For Consolation 10:30
6.Soul Maggot 05::58
7.Grains 03:51
8.Obsession 06:00
9.Intermezzo Ii 04:21
10.Left In Scorn 06:46
11.High Priest 04:27
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Nowadays I suppose that when we apply adjectives like “weird”, “abstract” or “esoteric” to death metal we are inclined to think either of grating technicality- see Baring Teeth, for example- or sickening avant-garde scratching like Portal. But death metal should conjure all of those adjectives anyway even (or especially) in its old-school forms, and it’s good to have Norway’s singular Execration around to make that point. Odes of the Occult is a sprawling, tangled album, which is ramshackle in delivery but with a substance forged by warped, malign intelligence. Ghastly vocals conspire with rattling Swedeath-influenced riffs and plenty of malnourished ambiance to produce something which is by turns ferocious and creepy- with a sense of crawling down-tempo chaos that is more intense than on its more dense and brutal predecessor, 2008’s Syndicate of Lethargy.

Thus opener Ode to Obscurity trundles through moaning, slimy sections of sinister slowness- like early Pestilence engulfed by molten treacle. But it then catapults immediately into the pairing of Unction and Entheogen, whose aggression and speed comes on just like the early Swedish death classics. Even here, though, there is a shambling feel to the riffing, lent both by the crackling, dirty guitar tone and the gruff vocals. And as usual with Execration these tracks are bedevilled by tormenting tempo changes and eerie dissonance.

You may gain from this that Odes… has a turbulent feel to it which is quite distinctive and welcome. It doesn’t have the esoteric ferocity of early Morbid Angel, or the forward-thinking clarity of Death, or the exhilarating haywire vileness of Cryptopsy, but in its vomitous lurches from crusty blasting to worming disorientation, this is extremely powerful. Indeed, the best tunes here are masterpieces of unrestful horror. Soul Maggot tosses and turns from overpowering death metal riff- somewhere between Entombed and Autopsy- to cackling atonal catharsis and back again, never really solidifying into something easily comprehensible or digestible, but still building to a ghastly climax. Left in Scorn is a harrowing journey through slow-burning gloom, drenched in horrid feedback.

It’s a long album, and perhaps could have been slimmed down, but its bloated nature seems to suit it. The Intermezzi sections have a genuinely unsettling atmosphere to rival Deathspell Omega’s quieter passages. Its riffing is often utterly brilliant- urgent, punkish and energetic as with the almost Nasum-like pound to the opening of Grains- and all the more effective for the knowledge that it is only minutes (or seconds) away from crash-landing into some kind of warped sump. This is great; technical, creative, atmospheric and brutal, and probably one of 2011’s most interesting death metal releases.

High Spirits - Another Night

2012-01-15T23:32:00.001+01:00

Year: 2011
Genre: Traditional Melodic Heavy Metal
Country: U.S.A.
Bitrate: 320 CBR
Tracklist:
01. Another Night In The City 03:03
02. Do You Remember 03:59
03. Full Power 03:58
04. Demons At The Door 04:22
05. I'll Be Back 03:07
06. You Make Love Impossible 04:31
07. Where Did I Go Wrong 03:33
08. Nights In Black 04:43
09. Going Up 03:36
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Another Night is the second album from Chicago's NWOBHM-influenced High Spirits. Just like the self-titled debut, Another Night is full of traditional Heavy Metal with a loose, garage band feel. The music, while definitely Heavy Metal, leans towards the Hard Rock end of the spectrum so bands like Praying Mantis and Witchcross would be good reference points. There's also a bit of 70s Kiss that can be heard, especially in the guitars, which are thick and fuzzy. The vocals are high and thin and are not overpowering yet they suit the music pretty well. The songs on Another Night are very similar to the debut and the band is most effective when they pick up the tempo, from the usual mid-pace, to a speedier one on tracks like "Going Up" and especially "Full Power." The biggest knock on the album is that is it so similar to the debut, it could almost be called Volume II. Still, if you like Traditional Metal and the NWOBHM, High Spirits is a band you should definitely check out.

Eluveitie - Helvetios

2012-01-15T23:26:00.002+01:00

Genre: Folk/Melodic Death Metal
Country: Switzerland
Year: 2012
Tracklist:
01. Prologue 01:25
02. Helvetios 04:01
03. Luxtos 03:55
04. Home 05:17
05. Santonian Shores 03:58
06. Scorched Earth 04:18
07. Meet the Enemy 03:46
08. Neverland 03:43
09. A Rose for Epona 04:26
10. Havoc 04:05
11. The Uprising 03:42
12. Hope 02:27
13. The Siege 02:45
14. Alesia 03:58
15. Tullianum 00:24
16. Uxellodunon 03:52
17. Epilogue 03:14
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Hate Squad - Katharsis

2012-01-15T23:18:00.002+01:00

Genre: Thrash Metal
Year: 2011
Country: Germany
Bitrate: 320 CBR
Tracklist:
01. Deep Scars (1:09)
02. Katharsis (6:19)
03. Your Rotten Life (3:49)
04. The One (4:25)
05. Hatebomb (4:03)
06. A.P.A.B. (4:18)
07. Misanthropic Soul (0:58)
08. Vicious Assault (4:55)
09. Old Times...Good Times! (4:48)
10. Kill (4:23)
11. R3volut1on15t (5:05)
12. Face Your Demon (0:58)
13. Live And Learn (3:59)
14. Traitor Scum (Digipak Bonus) (4:18)
15. Every Second Couonts 2011 (Digipak Bonus) (3:00)
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"Katharsis" is a sure improvement over the its softer predecessor, thrashing hard from the get-go with the energetic opener "Katharsis", the heavy industrialized guitar sound still preserved, but the approach is way faster, although the middle si expectedly kept for a string of less intense groovy tracks, after which comes the stylish 1-min lead-driven instrumenal "Misanthropic Soul", and the "vicious" headbanger "Vicious Assault". "R3volut1on15t" is another number worth mentioning, thrashing in a clever, semi-progressive manner, with the following, another 1-min and also lead-driven, instrumental "Face The Demon", a very nice companion piece offering great Oriental melodies, among other niceties within a fairly short time span. "Live And Learn" is as abrasive and hard-hitting as a closer to such an effort should be, seeing the band staying true to their staple approach, consequently not winning many new fans, but by no means losing any of the old ones.

Amethyst - Time of Slaughter

2012-01-15T19:09:00.002+01:00

Genre: Thrash Metal
Year: 2011
Country: Italy
Tracklist:

1.	Pandemonium	01:38
2.	Subversive Mind	06:21
3.	Time of Slaughters	05:17
4.	Entrapped	05:58
5.	Justice is Done	06:01
6.	Attitude to Aggression	04:55
7.	Explosive Metal Night	04:03
8.	The Stone of Tears	06:03
9.	Welcome to Hell	06:34
		46:50

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Another cool addition to the flourishing Italian thrash metal scene: these guys offer decently executed retro thrash spiced with quite a few melodic licks, some of them having an intriguing Oriental flavour ("Entrapped"). The "aggression" should have been more, though: "Attitude to Aggression" is such a cut, with the cheesy-titled "Explosive Metal Night" a close second; but the rest is not as intense, if we exclude the shocking deathy section on the closing "Welcome to Hell", which is not a Venom cover. The singer is a mid-ranged semi-cleaner whose declamatory antics lack emotion and depth.

Nowen - Essence Of Fear

2012-01-15T19:01:00.003+01:00

Year: 2012
Genre: Death/Thrash Metal
Country: Finland
Tracklist:
01. Intro II
02. The Egotist
03. The Inner Beast
04. Crown of Fallacy
05. Path of Destruction
06. Sacrifice for Nothing
07. Deadly Force
08. The Honor
09. Acts of Deceit
10. Corrupted by Poison
11. Essence of Fear
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"Essence of Fear" is another staple for the band work, with more emphasis on thrash again. The band thrash on with enthusiasm, adding the more brutal deathy leaning here and there. The leads are really good, shining on the more death metal-laced moments (the excellent diverse opus "Crown Of Fallacy"). Still, thrash leads the pack with uncompromising headbangers like "Path Of Destruction", "Deadly Force", the maddening proto-death/thrasher "Acts Of Deceit", followed closely by more clever, technical exercises: "The Honor", and especially the engaging progressive closer "Essence Of Fear", a multi-faced composition which thrashes with passion surrounded by a couple of beautiful lyrical deviations and standout guitar work.

Horrendous - The Chills

2012-01-15T18:14:00.001+01:00

Genre: Death Metal
Year: 2012
Country: USA
Tracklist:

1.	The Womb	05:39
2.	Ripped to Shreds	03:40
3.	Altars	03:30
4.	The Somber (Desolate Winds)	05:12
5.	Fleshrot	03:49
6.	The Ritual	04:59
7.	Fatal Dreams	05:36
8.	Sleep Sickness	01:28
9.	The Eye of Madness	09:33
		43:26

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Dark Descent keeps finding those gems, those great sounding death metal bands. This time it’s the American act Horrendous that started out in 2009 and after the demo ‘Sweet Blasphemies’ now deliver their debut album. Horrendous also plays old-school death metal although the influences seem to be different compared to most contemporary newcomers. The first couple of songs immediately had me think of ‘Soulside Journey’ by DarkThrone where the vocals remind me of Martin van Drunen en therefore of Pestilence’s ‘Consuming Impulse’. Next to that I also hear Death’s ‘Scream Bloody Gore’. So thinking about those three albums should give you a pretty accurate description of Horrendous. The fact these mentioned albums are all classics should tell you enough about ‘The Chills’ being a killer debut.

Iron Fire - Voyage Of The Damned

2012-01-15T17:58:00.002+01:00

Genre: Traditional/Power Metal
Year: 2012
Country: Denmark
Tracklist:
01. The Dark Beyond 01:26
02. Enter Oblivion OJ-666 04:13
03. Taken 05:12
04. Slaughter Of Souls 05:13
05. Leviathan 05:54
06. The Final Odyssey 05:58
07. Ten Years In Space 04:12
08. Voyage of the Damned 10:07
09. With Different Eyes 04:33
10. Dreams Of The Dead Moon 05:18
11. Verge To Collide 04:34
12. Realm Of Madness 04:04
13. Warmaster Of Chaos 3:36 (Digipak Bonus Track) 03:36
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From time to time, even the most learned listener of metal has been known to poorly judge an album by its cover. I know when I first encountered Nocturnal Rites’ “In A Time of Blood and Fire,” I would have bet the farm it was black metal. One look at the seventh release from Danish power metal band Iron Fire could conjure up the usual Germanic power metal comparisons to Primal Fear and Gamma Ray. Sadly, those disillusioned by the stagnation of traditional power metal could easily skip over this release with a mere glance. With “Voyage of the Damned,” Iron Fire succeeds in flipping the traditional power metal formula over and giving it a more modern feel.

Iron Fire has been a tumultuous unit for the first nine years of existence. From 1995-2003, the band was a revolving door, with the only surviving member being vocalist Martin Steene. Fortunately, Steene showed no surrender. The more cohesive years since have seen the admirable, but less than eye-popping releases, “Revenge” (2003), “Blade of Triumph” (2006), “To the Grave” (2009) and “Metalmorphosized” (2010). Eight years later, the band has finally ascended to a level that separates it from the pack and should draw serious consideration from all.

“Voyage of the Damned” has maturity and depth of song writing that far exceeds any of the band’s previous efforts. The hour long release requires patience and may require multiple listens for one to really appreciate it. As overtly “metal” as the band’s 2010 release “Metalmorphosized” was, the title is more apropos for the instant album. For one, the sound is a tasty blend of progressive and traditional power with beautifully played keyboard orchestrations and well placed death-like growls seasoned throughout from guest vocalist David Ingram (Ex-Benediction/Bolt Thrower). Steene’s power vocals match the emotion and depth of the song-writing perfectly.

Tracks on the release display a variety of styles: hyper choke riffing verses (“Enter Oblivion OJ-666,” “With Different Eyes”), rich Nightwish-like keyboard blasts and chorus chanting (“Leviathan”), impressive emotional ballads (“The Final Odyssey”), groove laden riffing (“Verge to Collide”), and rich deep epic progressive classics like the ten minute title track. The only songs that consistently tread the straight line of traditional power are “Ten Years in Space,” “Dreams of the Dead Moon,” and “Realm of Madness” (the opening riff of which is reminiscent of Metallica’s "One”). The stand out song is the foot tapping and fetching “Slaughter of Souls,” which is one of a handful that are greatly enhanced by Ingram’s backing growls (as are “Leviathan” and “Dreams of the Dead Moon”).

Iron Fire surprisingly starts the new year out with a bang. It is all about expecting the unexpected from this highly underrated band. To pass over “Voyage of the Damned” because it looks like a generic power metal release would prove to be a sad mistake.

Steelwing - Zone Of Alienation (Limited Edition Digipak)

2012-01-12T21:33:00.002+01:00

Genre: Heavy Metal
Year: 2012
Country: Sweden
Tracklist:
01. 2097 A.D. 00:54
02. Solar Wind Riders 04:34
03. Full Speed Ahead! 03:49
04. Breathless 04:24
05. Tokkotai (Wind Of Fury) 05:05
06. Zone Of Alienation 04:19
07. The Running Man 04:41
08. They Came From The Skies 03:39
09. Lunacy Rising 10:19
10. 2097 A.D. (Extended Cut) (Bonus Track) 01:55
11. Hit 'Em Hard (2010 Demo) (Bonus Track) 04:17
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These guys really convinced me with their fantastic debut album, ’Lord Of The Wasteland’ in 2010. The band quickly grew out to be one of today’s most popular NWOBHM bands, which is no more than just if you ask me. With their traditional heavy metal songs they rocked from start to finish and despite the total lack of originality they shut friend and foe with their powerful songs, outstanding musicianship and vocal abilities, and a great dose of enthusiasm.

Almost two years later, then band will release the follow-up, ‘Zone Of Alienation’, his month. I can actually be very short about this record, because with their second offering the Swedish maniacs strike even harder, louder and more convincing than their debut, outdoing themselves on every matter. The band has not strayed one millimeter from their traditional sound and have again delivered a pack of powerful beauties that will make most band burn with envy. The songs have turned out even stronger this time and there where the debut had many highlights, this record is one big highlight in its entirety. The intro ‘2079 A.D.’ is immediately pure nostalgia and fits perfect to the album title and the cover artwork. This synthesizer tune takes me back to the eighties and fits perfectly to a soundtrack of an action/sci-fi movie from those days. As the band kicks in with ‘Solar Wind Riders’, followed by the powerful ‘Full Speed Ahead’, there is no turning back and before you can even realize it, you find yourself having your fist in the air and banging your head. The more melodic ‘Breathless’ is definitely a piece of beauty as well. Apart from this track the rest of the album is mostly up-tempo and in songs like ‘The Running Man’ and the instrumental ‘The Came From The Skies’ they strongly remind of Running Wild as well. However, the gentlemen have again managed to come up with enough variety so that the album makes stand from start to finish, doesn’t drop any stiches and keeps you focused the entire time.

There where many new bands nowadays make a great impression on their first record, but don’t manage to keep the level up on their following albums, Steelwing has set a huge step forward, blowing any doubt that there might have been left to hell. The year has just started, but ‘Zone Of Alienation’ is already one of the best true heavy metal albums of 2012. This is mandatory for every old-school metal fan and fans of bands like Angel Witch, Iron Maiden, Striker, Running Wild, Enforcer, Saxon, Skull Fist, Bullet, Katana and co.

Psychotic Eyes - I Only Smile Behind The Mask

2012-01-12T19:51:00.002+01:00

Genre: (Blackened) Thrash Metal
Country: Brazil
Year: 2011
Bitrate: 320 CBR
Tracklist:
01. Throwing Into Chaos 05:10
02. Welcome Fatality 06:25
03. Dying Grief 05:32
04. Life 06:41
05. I Only Smile Behind The Mask 05:15
06. The Humachine 06:35
07. The Girl 08:04
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Based on "I Only Smile Behind the Mask", this Brazilian outfit indulges in fairly intriguing melodic/technical death/thrash with loads of catchy melodic hooks, some of which are simply addictive to listen to. The shadow of later-period Death can definitely be felt, although this is mostly thrash with prorbably just the vocals belonging to the death metal camp, being mean-ish with a harsh semi-blacky blend. The compositions are all elaborate listens with plenty of mood and tempo changes, several lyrical moments, and again numerous melodic lines which will never bore the fan, who shouldn't expect too much speed present, but mostly directed mid-paced meandering of the beautiful, dreamy variety. The final "The Girl" is a cool progressive cut of the calmer, semi-balladic type, but overflows with emotion and atmosphere, and could be viewed the highlight on this really strong effort.

Overthrash - Reality In Black (Single)

2012-01-12T02:34:00.001+01:00

Genre: Thrash Metal
Year: 1991
Country: Brazil
Tracklist:

1.	Streets Control	03:17
2.	Tied By Reason	03:28
		06:45

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Reportedly the band's first 2 demos were more in the hardcore/crossover spectre, not far from the style of their compatriots Ratos de Porao and early Prong, but the 2 songs on "Reality In Black" show more serious musicianship with mid to up-tempo riffs and clever semi-technical implements, reminiscent of MX's "Mental Slavery" and Dorsal Atlantica's mid-period. Too bad those songs are only 3/3.5-min long and leave these interesting decisions unfinished.

Rocka Rollas - The War Of Steel Has Begun

2012-01-12T02:25:00.002+01:00

Genre: Heavy Metal
Year: 2011
Country: Sweden
Bitrate: 320 CBR
Tracklist:
01. Dark Future 4:15
02. Metal The Posers To Death 3:35
03. Barbaric Attack 2:40
04. Fight For The Loud 3:20
05. More Metal Than The Steel 4:10
06. Heavy Metal Machine (Steel) 3:25
07. Metal Of Steel 3:20
08. The Road Warrior 3:15
09. Warriors Of Steel And Metal 2:45
10. Heavy Metal Kings 4:05
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It can only be Swedes who come up with a band like this. The band name refers to the debut of Judas Priest of course and musically this is speed metal with a nudge to the old material of Helloween and Running Wild. This really sounds great, not because it’s original but basically because you don’t hear bands like this that much anymore. Lyrically it’s metal, steel and warriors all the way. The band also recorded a cover of ‘Heavy Metal Machine’ from the Swedish band Steel. This was a short-lived act in which guys like Dan Swäno and Mikael Akerfeldt took part. ‘The War Of Steel Has Begun’ is a fine and enjoyable album!

Hittman - Vivas Machina

2012-01-12T02:07:00.003+01:00

Genre: Power Metal
Year: 1993
Country:
Tracklist:

1.	Radio Waves	04:58
2.	Listen	04:02
3.	Say A Prayer For Me	03:34
4.	Words	03:41
5.	If You Can't Dance To It	03:31
6.	Answer My Prayer	06:19
7.	Partners In Crime	04:00
8.	Renegade Man	05:10
9.	Ballad Of Jackson Heights	05:21
10.	Walk That Walk	03:51
11.	Mercy	08:23
		52:50

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A dramatic change of style compared to the first album, but still worth listening to.
Who knows QUEENSRYCHE? I had expected that it's so many. OK, so who knows HITTMAN? I had expected as well that next to nobody would raise his hand now. Sad, sad, because HITTMAN would have deserved it just as well to be loved by a broader audience as the Seattle-quintet.

Why I use this comparison? Well, HITTMAN musically are brothers in crime of RYCHE, slightly progressive Melodic Metal of the highest category, with great melody-lines and song-structures and with Dirk Kennedy an excellent singer. And at times they even reach the dramatic atmosphere of SAVATAGE (e.g. "Mercy").
Just listen to the ballad "Words", which is absolutely Melodic Metal, but still unites so much more. But it is really difficult to pick out certain songs for HITTMAN have managed to create an equally high level throughout the whole album, holding it up with an almost frightening ease. They always remain catchy and accessible, yet convince with good tension within the song-structures and intricate vocal-arrangements both in verses and choruses.
If I have to name some chec-out-tips, then it'd be "Radio Waves", the excellent "Say A Prayer", the already mentioned ballad "Words" and "Answer My Prayer", all of them great songs that are absolutely worth to be discovered!
Brilliant Melodic Metal that does not have to hide behind the big RYCHE at the times of "Operation: Mindcrime" (OK, almost) and especially "Empire" (musically)!

Violent Omen - Lunatic Revenge

2012-01-12T01:31:00.001+01:00

Genre: (Technical) Blackened Thrash Metal
Year: 2011
Country: Ukraine
Tracklist:
01. Bomba Del Fuego (Intro) 2:11
02. Omnipresent Beast 3:51
03. Gravestone Face 4:13
04. Doomed Masquerade 4:01
05. Marathon Of Madness 3:55
06. Lunatic's Revenge (Instrumental) 4:33
07. In The Last Moment 5:15
08. Underworld Message 4:40
09. Crossline Flags 4:02
10. Symptom Of The Universe 4:54
11. Zombie Ritual (Bonus Track) 4:14
12. Waste Of Flesh (feat. Faunus) (Bonus Track) 3:42
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"Lunatic Revenge" is a surprisingly fresh offering seeing the band having grown as musicians now sounding quite frenetic and technical at times. "Omnipresent Beast" is already an engaging, hard-to-follow opener with its ever-changing rhythms and time-stretches. The guys never let the speed go down, and the songs generally develop in up-tempo with good stylish leads and a few really cool melodic hooks ("Doomed Masquerade"). "Marathon Of Madness" is a wild frantic headbanger followed by the excellent shredding instrumental "Lunatic's Revenge" which pierces skulls with its ultra-sharp, drilling riffs. Plenty of style at display there is on "In The Last Moment", which is a meandering cut with fine surreal riffage and a brutal bashing passage near the end. From this moment on the guys step on the pedal, and produce a final string of fast, intense thrashers which flow into the bonus tracks: a really nice accelerated version of Black Sabbath's "Symptom Of The Universe" done in an impressive cutting, shredding manner; Death's "Zombie Ritual", sustained in a faithful bashing fashion; and a song from their debut: "Waste Of Flesh", done without any changes, also featuring their old singer Faunus.

Sam Thunder - Manoeuvres

2012-01-12T01:10:00.002+01:00

Genre: NWOBHM
Year: 1984
Country: UK
Tracklist:

1.	Who's Talking To Judy
2.	Slippin' Away
3.	Always Waiting
4.	L. M. Minuet
5.	Mind Games
6.	Manoeuvres
7.	My Turn Tomorrow
8.	Get The Chemistry Right
9.	Time After Time
10.	Running Out Of Love

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A Manchester Hard Rock band, formed in 1981, SAM THUNDER released first, three track demo in 1982 featuring former ARAGORN and WOLFBANE drummer Chris Dadson. During 1983 drummer Andy Chemney and vocalist Will Glover joined the group from fellow Manchester act THD. Glover had previously fronted AXIS.

Dadson then jumped over to CHATEAUX to record the 'Firepower' album. SAM THUNDER's solitary album, 1984's 'Manoueveres', issued in picture disc form, was produced by Lol Cooper of 100% PROOF. Prior to recording the band was augmented by keyboardist Mike Hepplestone.

SAM THUNDER scored a rare coup when supporting Canadian songstress LEE AARON at London's Marquee club as the band were also engaged to become Aaron's backing band the same night for her first ever British show.

After the group split Naylor and Chemney formed AOK. Glover much later turned up fronting another Manchester act GONE SAVAGE and EAGLES cover band ILLEGAL EAGLES.

Anata - The Infernal Depths of Hatred

2012-01-12T01:01:00.002+01:00

Genre: Technical Death Metal
Year: 1998
Country: Sweden
Tracklist:

1.	Released When You Are Dead	04:22
2.	Let the Heavens Hate	03:49
3.	Under Azure Skies	05:39
4.	Vast Lands / Infernal Gates	05:07
5.	Slain Upon His Altar	04:39
6.	Those Who Lick the Wounds of Christ	06:48
7.	Dethrone the Hypocrites	06:04
8.	Aim Not at the Kingdom High	05:46
		42:14

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When all else in the extreme Metal world has been said and done, when every band is simply a MORBID ANGEL or INTERNAL BLEEDING jr., when the slew of Gothenburg clones seems never ending, here comes ANATA with one of the finest Death Metal albums in recent history. Sadly, "The Infernal Depths Of Hatred" will be overlooked by most Metalheads, but hopefully someone will stumble across this review and give them a spin.

ANATA play a style that is undeniably Death Metal in nature, but completely unlike any other band's style and thoroughly unique. They use melody, but avoid clichéd IN FLAMES harmonies, opting for beautiful yet crushing twin guitar leads that are as catchy as they are complex. Ah, yes, another factor in ANATA's sound: they write memorable riffs. Despite being more brutal than a truck full of foetuses colliding with a giant razorblade, ANATA's songs stick to you. There is no filler... each track holds it's own.

The vocals are growled and there are no pitiful attempts at clean singing. Another awesome trait is the basswork... simply stunning bass interludes that are hypnotically melodic. Instead of following the guitars, ANATA's bassist strays into his own territory while still complimenting the music.

I could go on like this for a few pages worth of text, but hey, don't believe me... check this incredible band out for yourself.

Taken By Force-The Reality of Success (demo)

2012-01-11T19:38:00.003+01:00

Genre: Speed/Thrash Mteal
Year: 1989
Country: USA
Tracklist:
1. Social Insecurity
2. Electric Assault
3. The Reality Of Success
4. The Robbery
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