Melodic Death Metal – Page 24

Interview with Cerberus Unchained – An introduction

Have you heard of Cerberus Unchained? I’m guessing you probably haven’t. They’re a melodic death metal band from the UK. They might only have released one song so far, but it’s a corker, and more than enough reason for you to start keeping an eye on them.

The passion the band have for the music they play is evident not just in their words below, but also in their debut song, Warm Blooded Beast, which you can listen to at the bottom of this interview. Do make sure you take the time to give it a spin, as it’s melodic death metal of the highest quality – with none of the dross or overly commercialised stuff we’ve, (Sadly), come to expect from the melodic death metal sub-genre tag these days. No, Cerberus Unchained have shown that they’re potentially on to something special with this song, so it’s with much eagerness that I now await their future output.

As I frequently say – good music should always be supported – so with that in mind I caught up with the band to find out more about them, why you should be paying them attention, and why they could very much be ones to watch…

Introduce us to Cerberus Unchained!

Cerberus Unchained, readers, readers, Cerberus Unchained.

What are your influences?

We’ve got a pretty wide range of influences to be honest, but we all like it loud. Anything goes really from, Heck (sorry about the swearing), to Corrosion of Conformity, Children of Bodom to Dream Theater and then back to Iron Maiden for good measure. Sam recently professed enthusiasm for Babymetal as well so we’re keeping an eye on him just in case he does something silly.

Name five things you’ve listened to recently that you’d recommend

I think the best band I’ve discovered recently has to be Allegaeon, their work is just mindblowing; technical, smart lyrics and badass delivery. Beyond that I’d have to recommend the new Countless Skies album, the new Children of Bodom album, and absolutely anything by Ghost B.C. and Clutch. Oh, and the Dorylus ‘Rapture’ EP! – Simon Continue reading “Interview with Cerberus Unchained – An introduction”

Dead Ficus – Rise or Fall (Review)

Dead Ficus are a Metal band from France and this is their debut album.

Dead Ficus play a form of melodic metal/rock that features harsh vocals and some nice keyboard accompaniment.

The singer has quite a nasty bark to him, which juxtaposes nicely against the music which is melodic and atmospheric. I was actually expecting clean vocals from this band, for some reason, so I like his voice all the more for Continue reading “Dead Ficus – Rise or Fall (Review)”

Carnifex – Slow Death (Review)

This is the sixth album from Carnifex, a US death metal band.

Carnifex play modern/melodic death metal with elements of deathcore and added orchestration.

I’m not overly familiar with Carnifex, having only listened to one of their previous albums – their 2008 release The Diseased and the Poisoned; this was an okay album, but nothing particularly special, so I was not prepared at all for how far they’ve come in the last 8 years. Slow Death is light years ahead of that release, so much so it’s almost like listening to Continue reading “Carnifex – Slow Death (Review)”

Shodan – Protocol of Dying (Review)

This is the début album by Shodan, a death metal band from Poland.

Shodan play modern death metal for the most part, but also incorporate a myriad of other influences and ideas into this atypical release.

The interesting thing about this band is how they develop their style for each song; it all revolves around a modern core of solid death metal, but each track uses this in its own way and incorporates different elements from Continue reading “Shodan – Protocol of Dying (Review)”

King – Reclaim the Darkness (Review)

This is Australian band King’s debut album. They play black metal.

King is a straightforward, powerfully simple name that is quite refreshing after the increasing complexity of so many new black metal band’s names. Even the logo on the album cover is simple and strong, with no overly complex logo with semi-artistic aspirations. Continue reading “King – Reclaim the Darkness (Review)”

Jinjer – King of Everything (Review)

Jinjer are a metal band from the Ukraine, and this is their second album.

King of Everything mixes metalcore, hardcore, thrash metal, groove metal, melodic death metal and djent…Okay, that’s a lot of sub-genres. Let’s just say they cover a lot of bases.

That’s putting it too simply, though; in reality, Jinjer have managed to produce a complex and diverse album that has a whole lot more going on than you might expect for a band that’s labelled Continue reading “Jinjer – King of Everything (Review)”

Karnak Seti – The Distance That Made Us Cold (Review)

Karnak Seti are from Portugal and play melodic/groove metal. This is their third album.

The Distance That Made Us Cold is an album that bursts out of the speakers with a strong and confident sound, polished to perfection but not lacking in some underground grit when the songs need it. Continue reading “Karnak Seti – The Distance That Made Us Cold (Review)”

Aktaion – The Parade of Nature (Review)

This is the second album from Aktaion, a Swedish Metal band.

I thought that Aktaion’s debut album Throne was a great combination of aggressive melodic death metal and sing-along catchiness. It showed a band that was not willing to compromise on either, striking the right balance of both.

So how have they done on this latest release? Well, essentially they have Continue reading “Aktaion – The Parade of Nature (Review)”

Dawn of Disease – Worship the Grave (Review)

This is the third album from Dawn of Disease, a German death metal band.

Dawn of Disease seem to have honed their songwriting skills and are now channelling the spirit of 90s song-based death metal. It’s catchy, memorable and there’s more than a few twisting melodies and riffs that will stick in your head long after it’s stopped playing. Continue reading “Dawn of Disease – Worship the Grave (Review)”

Monument of a Memory – Catharsis (Review)

Monument of a Memory are from the US and play modern metal. This is their second EP.

This is modern metalcore with plenty of aggression and heaviness. The foundation of NWOAHM is intact and added to by some heavier and faster parts, which is always nice to hear.

With a strong sound the band rip through Continue reading “Monument of a Memory – Catharsis (Review)”