Iotunn are a progressive metal band from Denmark, and this is their debut album.
Full disclosure – when I saw that this band is fronted by the singer of Barren Earth and Hamferð, I got quite excited and it immediately made me hungry to listen to their album. The man has one of my favourite voices in metal, and on Access All Worlds, he puts it to damn fine use. Continue reading “Iotunn – Access All Worlds (Review)”
This is the second album from Decaying Days, a German death/doom metal band.
Adopting an approach that combines melodic death metal with melodic doom, the emphasis here is on melody and emotive delivery. Imagine a mix of Dark Tranquillity, Insomnium, and Opeth, and you’ll be on the right lines. Continue reading “Decaying Days – The Unknown Beyond (Review)”
This is the second album from Countless Skies, a melodic/progressive metal band from the UK.
Glow contains 46 minutes of Scandinavian-influenced melodic death metal that has been merged with a progressive metal approach, which has resulted in a high-quality album being produced. Think of a charismatic mixture of Devin Townsend, Wilderun, Insomnium, Amorphis, Opeth, etc. Continue reading “Countless Skies – Glow (Review)”
This is the third album from Swedish death metallers Descend.
Descend give us 49 minutes of progressive death metal on The Deviant. I picked this to listen to on a whim, based purely on the artwork, (which, in the promo, didn’t have the band logo and album title on it; I prefer the logo-less version), and I’m amazed at what I had the good luck to stumble upon. Continue reading “Descend – The Deviant (Review)”
This is the fourth album from Nailed to Obscurity, a melodic doom metal band from Germany.
Nailed to Obscurity play a modernised version of old-school death/doom. Black Frost contains 47 minutes of material that can be roughly characterised as a combination of old Katatonia mixed with elements of Paradise Lost, Insomnium, Opeth, Décembre Noir, and others. The band definitely let their own collective personalities shine through in the music, however. Continue reading “Nailed to Obscurity – Black Frost (Review)”
This is the latest EP from Finnish melodic death metal band Distress of Ruin.
Well, this is quality stuff. From the very start it’s clear that a lot of time, effort, and passion has gone into the creation of this release. Continue reading “Distress of Ruin – Insights (Review)”
Insomnium are a melodic death metal band from Finland and this is their Seventh album.
I do like it when a band gives free rein to their epic, exploratory side and decides to write a really, really long song. Welcome to Winter’s Gate. This album consists of one track that lasts a full 40 minutes in length.
With a concept that’s based around a short story, the band weave this tale into the fabric of the music, taking the listener on a textured journey into unexplored lands. Continue reading “Insomnium – Winter’s Gate (Review)”
Eternal Storm are from Spain and this is their latest release. They play Melodic Death Metal.
I enjoyed their début EP, so was looking forward to hearing this new track.
The song starts out fast with a slight Blackened feel to the riffs. Melodic leads soon break out before the track has a mellow moment. I’m reminded of bands like Dark Tranquillity, Insomnium, In Flames, At the Gates, Opeth, etc.
The song is well recorded and the band can clearly play well. The main solo is played like liquid and the musicianship in general is of a high standard.
Vocally we get a mix of deep growls and higher screams, sometimes at the same time. There’s also a guest spot from the singer of Valtari to spice things up.
The song has a good feel to it and does pretty much everything you would want a Melodic Death Metal song to do. The band mix aggression and lighter parts well, and I particularly enjoy the slower end section after the guitar solo, where it initially relaxes before building up in intensity with a mournful lead just under the surface.
This bodes well for a future début album. Bring it on!
