This is the second album from Bulgarian metallers Gwendydd.
Blending aspects of melodic death metal, nu-metal, industrial, and metalcore into 32 minutes of charismatic metal, Gwendydd have produced an enjoyable album in Censored. Continue reading “Gwendydd – Censored (Review)”
Deathflux are a UK metal band and this is their debut album.
Deathflux play a heavy and aggressive brand of metal. Mixing influences from groove metal and the NWOAHM with some more contemporary deathcore ones, and adding in some Continue reading “Deathflux – Execrated (Review)”
Outright Resistance are a UK metal band and this is their latest EP.
After a rather embarrassing intro track, the rest of the EP is, thankfully, better. This is Pantera/Lamb of God/Chimaira inspired metal that’s all youthful enthusiasm and energy.
The band have the right approach for this kind of music, starting with some decent riffs and Continue reading “Outright Resistance – Me Vs I (Review)”
Death Lullaby are a Canadian Metal band and this is their début album.
This is modern Metal/djent that takes no prisoners with its heavy assault.
Stylistically the band are somewhat of a crossbreed between djent and NWOAHM. This is to their benefit; djent by itself is a very easy sub-genre to do badly, but here the limitations of the style are made up for by the more Metal influences of the modern/NWOAHM elements. The end result is songs that still might be a bit too much for some naysayers of djent, but for me strikes the right balance.
Inner Sanctum are an Indian Thrash/Groove Metal band and this is their début album.
After a rather cinematic opener, Inner Sanctum reveal themselves in their full glory as Thrash/Groove Metal with some Death Metal influences included for added impact. Think the mid-00s-type NWOAHM, only with a darker, more classically Death Metal side to it that emphasises the European Melodic Death Metal heritage of the American style.
The album boasts a sexy, professional sound that’s polished and strong.
The singer has a gruff voice that shouts out with the best of them, occasionally including some semi-cleans that remind me of some of Darkane’s work in places.
The songs are well-written and it’s clear that these tracks have been constructed with care and enthusiasm. The Thrash and Groove influences never take over or embrace the mediocre side of both styles; Inner Sanctum play their brand of heaviness with vibrancy and passion. They deliver everything on here with skill and it’s clear that the band have the talent to succeed.
Legions Awake is a strong collection of songs that make a good impression and showcase a band who really know what they’re doing. If they were American and picked up by a large music label then they would get very far indeed, I think. Unfortunately that isn’t the case, so make sure you support them – bands like this deserve it.
For fans of – Pantera, Lamb of God, Chimaira, Shadows Fall, Darkest Hour, Legion of the Damned, Kreator, Arch Enemy, Testament, etc.
This is the début EP from New Zealand Metal band Suppression.
This is Groove Metal in the vein of Lamb of God, Vision of Disorder and Dead Earth Politics.
The vocals vary between clean singing and shouts. The cleans are a little more muted than the norm and work really well as understated enhancements or choruses – somewhat akin to the Vision of Disorder singer’s style. The shouting is similar to the Lamb of God singer, only not quite as deep. Both sound good and do their jobs well.
The music is riff-heavy and groove-laden, although the band still find space to insert melody and leads where necessary to give the songs an added dimension. They also have guitar solos, which is always something that I appreciate.
Supression tread the line between the commercial and something a bit rougher. Their style is of the sort that bands like Lamb of God, Vision of Disorder, Chimaira, etc. played just before they got bigger. This doesn’t mean that Suppression will also hit the big time, of course, but given the right label backing and a tightening/tidying up of their sound it’s at least possible.
I have enjoyed this EP and it shows great promise for the future.
Check them out.
Favourite Track: Fuel the Pit.
This is the latest EP from US Metallers No Trust.
We know No Trust from their début album Unfound, so it’s good to catch up with their latest offering.
I stand by my previous statements about this band – they’re still huge worshippers of The Riff and still come across as a blending of Dopethrone and Chimaira.
The singer’s raspy roar is back once more and continues to provide very satisfying vocals for the unfolding Metallic carnage. His voice works even closer with the music on this EP to produce songs that gel together nicely.
The guitars seem to buzz and rage through the playing time with that interesting combination of Sludge and Modern Metal that they play so well. The production emphasizes the Metal side of the equation, but the Sludge quality is brought out in the music from some choice riffing and the singer’s acidic snarl.
The songs are more developed this time around and the time between releases seems to have been well spent; overall, No Trust sound more confident and professional than ever.
Well, I’m very happy with this. A 31 minute blast of quality Metal is never to be turned down.
Give them a listen and prepare to unleash the fury.
Undermine the Supremacy are from Australia and this is their début EP. They play Metalcore.
After an atmospheric, expectation-building intro the first track, (and title track), starts and it’s actually heavier than I was expecting. It’s almost Deathcore in places. Almost, but not quite.
It’s groove-based and relies on heavy riffs and melodic interludes to propel the songs forward, as is common in Metalcore, but it’s more extreme than a lot of the more commercial-edged bands that populate this scene. It’s less Killswitch Engage and more Lamb of God; less concerned with anthemic choruses and more concerned with flattening everything with heavy rage.
The vocalist is quite the beast, with his voice being much more extreme than the norm for this style. It adds a layer of real bite to the tracks.
The constant level of aggression on display here is good to see and the band are clearly into what they’re doing. Also pleasing is their avoidance, (mostly), of some of the more obvious riffs that usually make up Metalcore. Okay they’re never going to be described as innovative but they don’t fall into the trap of being generic either, which is no mean feat for a genre such as this.
Fans of Lamb of God, Chimaira, Hatebreed, etc. take note.
Check them out and see if they can reduce you to ashes.
This is the second album by US Metal band Lethal Dosage.
A bowel-loosening growl starts the album and lets the listener know the band means business. This is modern ultra-aggressive Metal in the style of Lamb of God and Chimaira.
Lethal Dosage manage to avoid the pitfalls that befall most modern Metal bands of this style, (cliché breakdowns, stolen riffs, sugary clean choruses, etc.), and instead have ramped up both of the dials that say Heavy and Metal all the way to 11. Instead of the overly-saturated commercial route which many take they have instead gone for the path less travelled which essentially involves writing big heavy riffs and bellowing like a demon. Job done.
I really like the belligerence of the vocals and how they’re really only one step removed from Death Metal grunts. In fact Lethal Dosage as a whole are only one step away from a Death Metal band; there are even blast beats that make an appearance on some songs.
Another mistake they avoid is the over-used, over-sterile production job. Instead they have gone for a slightly murkier, rougher sound that fits the music well and reinforces the idea that the music is a rabid bruiser looking to pick a fight.
I know preconceptions can be misleading, but I’m pleased by how good this is; I was cynically expecting the same tired old Metalcore standards to be trotted out again, but I’m very happy to have been mistaken. Lethal Dosage have created an intense, viable and riveting modern Metal extravaganza that has me solidly in their corner cheering them on as they deliver the knockout punch. And the winner is…!
Listen to Drink here.
US band No Trust play aggressive Metal with plenty of bite and solidity.
Although the band are a duo they sound a lot fuller and more complete than many five-pieces. They have a huge, strong sound that makes the guitars feel like they’re right next to you, and the singer’s throaty roar is intense and immediate. I really like the vocals actually; very well done and extreme-but-emphatic at the same time.
There is no bass on this album, just guitar, drums and vocals. You almost wouldn’t know though, as the guitars have the kind of tone that seems to imply bass where there actually is none. While they may be limited with their range of instrumentation they make the most of it and are avid worshippers of The Riff; there is an abundance of Sludge-esque riffs in these songs, all wrapped up in a clean sound and plenty of Metal.
When the band lock into a powerful groove they are nigh unstoppable, such as the main riff to Bottom Feeder. Sounding almost like a cross between Dopethrone and Chimaira, this album takes elements of Sludge and gives it a hard Metallic sheen.
48 minutes of music to destroy speakers with. Check them out.
Wonderbox Metal 