Fortress are from the US and play Doom Metal. This is their début album.
This is Doom Metal with plenty of heaviness and bite.
Slow, colossal riffs ring out from the speakers, slowly trying to drag you into oblivion. I do like a band that knows how to play at a glacial pace.
The growled vocals sound like a howling daemon rising from the pit to swallow you whole, whilst the marginally less-deep vocals remind of the singer of Cathedral with a rougher voice mixed with the singer of The Meads of Asphodel.
This is Doom with an undercurrent of Sludge running through the waste pipes. There’s a wildness to Fortress that doesn’t need taming; it’s part of their innate appeal.
Feedback-laden, dirty and unkempt; Fortress remind of Grief, only with longer songs, mixed with a band like Conan.
Chunky, heavy riffs power the songs and some of the guitar parts have a Stoner Metal vibe to them. Everything is played at a snail’s pace though, so both Stoner and Sludge influences ultimately get poured into the same drain that’s filled to the brim with DOOOOM!
For quality Doom that’s crushingly heavy and a vibe of total despair and loss, look no further than Fortess.
Favourite Track: Either Lies & Fears; Slow. Heavy. Miserable. Compelling; or The Nothing, with subtle, ethereal female cleans in the background. Haunting.
This is the début album from India’s Zero Gravity – a Thrash/Death Metal band.
After a pointless intro, the band start the album properly and they introduce us to their rather fetching take on Death Metal. Think Old-School Death Metal with a sharp Progressive edge and an added splash of Arch Enemy’s modernity and catchiness.
If you think Arch Enemy are too clean and polished sounding; if you’d prefer it if they had more of an underground, raw feeling then look no further. Arch Enemy combined with Death is as good a reference point as any. And do you know what? It sounds bloody good.
The singer has a good bark and she delivers the lines with passion and bite. She has a great voice and it works with the aggressive riffs to fuel the band to greater heights of attack.
The riffs and licks flash out like lightning and the technical/progressive elements of their sound are abundant but relatively subtle. These are clearly people who know how to play their instruments well and don’t need to be overtly flashy or ostentatious to prove this.
Holocaust Awaits is an album full of hooks and has plenty of catchy parts to it. Sometimes this kind of songwriting can be a recipe for acute gratification at the expense of chronic satisfaction, however Zero Gravity are just damn Metal enough for the acute to bleed into the chronic and we could very well end up with an album that has some longevity to it. Only time will tell but I know what I think the outcome will be…
Minus the intro there are 8 songs on this album and the entire thing lasts just over 40 minutes – it’s a good length as it allows the band to show what they’re capable of but doesn’t let them outstay their welcome.
This is the kind of music that’s actually surprisingly hard to do well – this style of Melodic Death Metal with a bit of groove, a bit of Death, catchiness and hooks…on paper it sounds all very good but unfortunately a lot of bands who try this style end up sounding very mediocre and stale.
It’s all in the execution of course and Zero Gravity avoid all of this this by simply writing kick-ass riffs that are artfully arranged into actual songs, and decent ones at that.
A very enjoyable listen. Check this out and see what you think.
Sarpedon are from Norway and this is their début album. They play Progressive Metal.
This is sharp Progressive Metal with charismatic vocals that lead the way. Think a band like Nevermore for a quick and easy comparison; Progressive Metal with an emphasis on the Metal.
The music is solid and full of expressive leads and solos. Good rhythmic riffing and dependable drumming underscore everything, but the vocals are definitely the focal point.
Powerfully sung, they have a theatrical quality to them that imbues every song with character and personality.
The music is both technical and melodic as well as featuring a slight Blackened edge that colours some of the riffs now and again. The inclusion of blast beats and the styling of the band logo means that Sarpedon have a definite Black Metal feel to them; like a Black Metal band with clean vocals in places – akin to Vintersorg, for example
The songs are definite growers; repeated listens reveals hidden depths to the music whilst the vocal hooks and harmonies further borrow into your subconscious.
A recommended listen; give Sarpedon the time to get to know you and get inside your skull.
Bhleg are from Sweden and this is their début album of Atmospheric Black Metal.
This is underground and under-produced with the result that the music has a brittle quality to it that still somehow retains a strength – like shards of ice. The fragile guitar tone still manages to inflict lacerations with how sharp it is as the scything vocals scream out from behind this torrent of frostblades.
Theirs is a blend of the atmospheric and Blackly melodic. To cold for the more perky Melodic Black Metal tag, instead they go the path less travelled down a cold winter path, lonesome and desolate. Many others have gone this way over the years, of course, but Bhleg are content to not mix with any other travellers and instead keep to themselves, exploring the snowy landscapes.
Okay, okay; enough of the ice and the frost and the winter – you get the idea. Suffice to say that this is Black Metal that harkens back to an earlier time and an influence from bands of these earlier eras can be heard in their sound, Burzum for one.
The Black Metal is offset with more atmospheric forays into lighter territories and these parts help break up the release.
Screaming vocals are joined by cleaner approaches on occasion, adding another aspect to the delivery of the band’s message. The Bhleg vocalist has a clear, powerful scream and the cleans are performed well.
An enjoyable album. The kind of album to just drift off with and become almost hypnotized by the droning Blackened riffs. Give Bhleg a spin and see if they can show you their frosted visions of a natural landscape.
Toxoid are from India and this is their début album. They play Black Metal.
The frigid Black Metal winds are strong with this one. Upon pressing play you’re almost immediately hit with a wall of ice at hurricane strength. Toxoid have arrived.
This is a band who have nailed their Blackened sound down completely and have tailored their recording to suit. This screams out from the classic Black Metal template and has the warped, spiky riffs to prove it.
Over six songs lasting just under half an hour, Toxoid demonstrate their infernal art and it’s a grim pleasure to let it wash over you and seep into your pores. This kind of Black Metal will never go out of style and Toxoid worship the dark gods as well as any devotee.
The shrieking vocals are delivered at perfect temperature and the riffs are sharp enough to draw blood. I love their Blackened melodies; they’re like colossal sheets of ice infused with iron scraping across each other in the night.
This is true Norwegian darkness in everything other than geography. These are anthems to hate and malice writ black.
This is not innovative or new; there’s no experimentation or fanciness here. This is Raw Black Metal and it does its job perfectly.
Unfathomed of Abyss is a one-man project from the US. This is his début album of Symphonic Black Metal.
It’s clear from the start that the brains behind this album is a very talented individual as the musicianship and songwriting is at an advanced level.
The drums are the only instrument he doesn’t perform. Rather than going the easy route and opting for a drum machine however, instead he has enlisted the considerable talents of Kevin Talley, (Suffocation, Dying Fetus, Chimaira, Misery Index, Six Feet Under, etc.), which lends the album much more presence than a mere drum machine ever could.
Symphonic Black Metal can sometimes lack bite and attack, but this is not the case here. Unfathomed of Abyss boasts an aggressive demeanour which is only enhanced by the keyboards, effects and piano additions.
Powered by the relentless drumming, the songs are lengthy and layered in thick atmospheres. Care and attention has been spent on these creations that much is clear. Strong soundscapes and expansive Blackened auras permeate everything.
There’s more to these songs than just Black metal though, as influences from Death Metal and even wider genres, (elements of Doom and Djent, for example), can be heard in some of the riffs.
The vocals run the spectrum from deep growls to the very high pitched screaming that forms the bulk of the performance.
Taking off where early Emperor left off; Arisen Upon Oblivion manages to capture a similar feeling to those early classic Black Metal albums. Mix this with a bit of Ihsahn’s solo work and Peccatum and you have an album that manages the admirable achievement of being strongly influenced by a notable Metal legend without sounding like a pale imitation.
This is an enjoyable album that won’t please everyone, but then again that was never the aim of Black Metal was it?
Death Comes Pale are from Denmark. This is their Death Metal début album.
This is Death Metal that carries melody well and has a good songwriting ethic.
The production is top notch and does the music justice. It’s both heavy and clear.
If you think Death Metal with a keen melodic edge and a Blackened feel in places – akin to The Black Dahlia Murder – then you’ll have the right idea of Death Comes Pale’s sound.
Deep vocals growl out from dark places and these are backed up with the screams of the damned.
The band take the time in their songs to explore their musical scenery and don’t always take the most direct route. Slower and more considered parts are included as well as lighter melodies amongst the carnage.
In fact, even though the band’s primary setting is heavy and loud, they do intersperse enough light and shade to their work; fragile melodies and more nuanced guitar work add to and enhance the overall brutality of the band. It’s interesting to hear a band like this creating a larger sound than normal and avoiding the pitfalls that would lead a lesser band into the trap of one-dimensionality.
Death Comes Pale have clearly taken their time composing these songs. They’re well-written, well-thought out tracks and good songwriting is obviously important to the band.
A really enjoyable and mature release of Death Metal. Recommended listening.
Eye of Solitude are from the UK and this is their latest EP. They play Funeral Doom Metal.
Eye of Solitude are a favourite of mine, and if you haven’t already you should definitely check out their début album Sui Caedere and their devastating follow up Canto III.
Dear Insanity is one single track lasting 51 minutes. As with the latest Inter Arma EP this is essentially a full length album rather than an EP. However, there’s no hard and fast rule for this kind of thing though. Other bands like Luna and Monolithe, for example, make similar releases and call them albums. And of course you have Reverend Bizarre’s famous “EP” Harbinger of Metal which is a whopping 73 minutes in length…
But onto Dear Insanity.
It starts off all ambient with soft and vaguely unsettling drone sounds. This lulls the listener into complacency and when the crushing guitars suddenly come thundering down on you just after 8 minutes it’s almost startling.
After this Eye of Solitude do what they do best; slow, crushing, emotive DOOOOOM! This is relentless and laden with colossal Doom riffs and vocals as deep as night.
At about the 15 minute mark we get a change, with brief respites added in to soften the mood before the misery begins once more; this time with increased atmosphere.
At 22 minutes subdued piano takes centre stage and really brings home the feelings of dejection and forlorn hopelessness. Subtle, soft, crooning vocals can also be heard at this point; like an echo of a ghost in the background. This is a very well-judged change of pace and works perfectly as a mid-album centrepiece that carries real emotional weight.
At 29 minutes the guitars are back like a long lost friend. The mood is one of solemn reflection and sorrowful realisation. The piano can still be heard playing softly alongside the tidal wave of guitars, with the two disparate instruments merging into a cohesive whole.
There’s another change at 33 minutes, with the music noticeably becoming more expansive and expressive. The atmosphere is really starting to build now, slowly and inevitably heading towards crescendo.
Another brief piano interlude happens at 36 minutes, allowing the emotional pressure to build with gentle coercion.
39 minutes in. The Doom riffs start coming on strong now and the guitars take pride of place in the ongoing avalanche of misery. This is the final stretch of the song and things are moving towards their fatal conclusion. The band start to ramp up the intensity, slowly, which brings us to the last few minutes of the song where all of the emotion has been felt, all of the despair has been used up and we’re left with a gentle feeling of hopelessness so soft that we don’t even realise how lost we all are.
I do love it when bands do work like this, and Eye of Solitude have shown that they can do it even better than most.
A colossal landmark of a release by a band who can seemingly do no wrong. Get this now.
Abysmal Dawn are a Death Metal band from the US and this is their fourth album.
No pointless intros, no messing around; Abysmal Dawn launch straight into first song Human Obsolescence with speed and bite.
Theirs is a focused assault on the senses. Their Death Metal has been honed to a sharp point over the last few albums and the band now find themselves with the perfect arsenal of weapons with which to wage war on their enemies.
The songs here are exact and tight, with melodic flourishes sharing space with heavier rhythms. Solos and leads are played with a fluid intensity whilst the roiling maelstrom of dark riffs pulse underneath the battering drums.
As can be expected of a band like this, the musicianship is excellent. Indeed, the playing on this album is a pure pleasure to listen to. Importantly though the performers allow the music to form into actual songs rather than disappearing into a technical mess for no reason other than to be able to say “look what we can play”, which is what some bands can unfortunately suffer from.
This is an excellent example of a band who are able to sound modern and cutting edge without any -core trappings or any of the more novelty features that such a band might include in their sound. This is solid, consistent Death Metal that lays waste to all around it.
This has enough brutality to satisfy fans of pure aggression but is refined enough for those that like a bit more substance with their carnage.
Obsolescence is a very strong album indeed. Check it out and get ready for your upgrade.
Decimation are from Turkey and this is their third album. They play Brutal Death Metal.
Is it wrong that I knew I was going to like this album as soon as I saw the album cover? No? That’s okay then…
This is Brutal Death Metal at its most devastatingly direct. They have a Technical Death Metal side to them but it’s the raw brutality that makes up the lion’s share of their sound. There’s something timeless and eternally gratifying about Death Metal like this. Sometimes I just can’t get enough.
If you think that a mixture of bands like Suffocation, Insision, Defeated Sanity and Nile would make for a good listen then you’d be right and Reign of Ungodly Creation is the album for you.
The songs are tight, condensed balls of ferocity and blasting destruction. They’re not interested in taking prisoners that much is clear. They rip, tear, chug, blast and flail their way through over 37 minutes of prime brutality and long, complicated song titles.
The vocalist is a guttural beast who sounds like he chews on souls for snacks. With a deep growl that’s instantly satisfying his is a voice that’s easy for any Death Metaller to get on board with.
Decimation boast a strong production that sounds like granite has come to life and started crushing cities. There’s something hard and immovable about their sound yet it’s also imbued with life and doesn’t sound stunted or lacking in energy.
Well I have thoroughly enjoyed this album. With lots of heaviness, energetic riffing and blasting mayhem what’s not to like?
Fortress are from the US and play Doom Metal. This is their début album.
Wonderbox Metal 