Divine Element are an international black/death metal band. This is their second album.
This is quite a varied release that essentially boils down to about 40 minutes of epic extreme metal.
The music takes Continue reading “Divine Element – Thaurachs of Borsu (Review)”
This is the third album by Hideous Divinity, a Norwegian/Italian death metal band.
What a humongous noise Hideous Divinity make! Blasting brutality and intricate technicality mix together like they were born for it as the band ram 48 minutes of heavy, muscular Continue reading “Hideous Divinity – Adveniens (Review)”
This is the fifth album from Demonic Resurrection, a symphonic black/death metal band from India.
First impression – the album art is amazing.
Featuring members of Demonstealer and Albatross, Demonic Resurrection play epic blackened death metal with flair and style, influenced by Hindu mythology in both theme and sound. Continue reading “Demonic Resurrection – Dashavatar (Review)”
Rudra are a blackened extreme metal band from Singapore. This is their eighth album.
Despite being around for a very long time at this point, and despite having first heard of them an almost equally long time ago, this is my first actual encounter with Rudra and their so-called Vedic metal. Continue reading “Rudra – Enemy of Duality (Review)”
This is the third album from Italy’s death metallers Ade.
Much in the same way that Nile are heavily influenced by ancient Egypt and incorporate musical influences from this into their sound and style, Ade do the same thing only their focus rests on ancient Rome.
These ancient influences come across in the music in a variety of ways, whether that’s incorporated into melodies and lyrics, (some of which are in Latin); layered in added orchestration and instruments; or even in some Continue reading “Ade – Carthago Delenda Est (Review)”
Dimlight are a symphonic metal band from Greece and this is their third album.
Now this is quite interesting. Here we have a Gothic/symphonic metal band that have some death/black metal elements entwined into the tracks.
This is a modern, updated version of the old, so-called, beauty-and-the-beast vocal approach that twins angelic female cleans with guttural male growls. I always quite liked this approach when it was probably at the height of its popularity Continue reading “Dimlight – The Lost Chapters (Review)”
This is the debut release of Nekhen, a blackened doom solo project from Italy.
Even though this is the project’s first journey out into the world, the brains behind the outfit is obviously not lacking in ambition. According to the press blurb – ‘The album is intended as Continue reading “Nekhen – Entering the Gate of the Western Horizon (Review)”
This is Fractured Insanity’s third album. They are a death metal band from Belgium.
Fractured Insanity play brutal death metal that’s intense and well-written. Although this is predominantly on the brutal end of the spectrum, there’s also elements of technicality at play here, which just adds further depth to the music.
Think a combination of Nile, Behemoth, Severe Torture, Malevolent Continue reading “Fractured Insanity – Man Made Hell (Review)”
This is the second album from this Russian death metal band.
Katalepsy have a dynamic and vibrant sound for a band that are, essentially, brutal death metal. They seem to be able to pick energetic riffs with ease and form their compositions around interesting structures and ideas.
This album’s a monster, and crushes like one, too. A clear, crisp Continue reading “Katalepsy – Gravenous Hour (Review)”
This is the second album from Indian Extreme Metal band Demonstealer.
This is a very ambitious album. Across 9 tracks the band deliver 57 minutes of music that straddles Death, Black, Thrash, Progressive and Atmospheric Metal to deliver an epic journey.
Recognisably Death Metal at their core, Demonstealer skilfully incorporate the above-mentioned aspects into their sound so that we have something that the likes of Nile, Behemoth, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Septic Flesh, Opeth and other such envelope-pushing bands should be proud of.
This Burden Is Mine hops between genres with ease. One moment it might be all blasting and mayhem, while the next it may be soft, reflective and shamelessly progressive. And then you have the atmospheric, symphonic elements, where the keyboards get to shine and the emotive side of the band is ramped up to full capacity. The band also have a melodic flair that adds a lot to the tracks, with plenty of tasty leads and solos thrown into the mix.
Pure Death Metal growls are accentuated with a more varied delivery of screams, shouts, clean and semi-clean vocals, professionally done and perfectly judged. You’d easily think this album had more than one singer, rather than just one very talented vocalist.
Although this album is extremely diverse and varied, it carries a holistic cohesiveness with it that speaks of the quality songwriting and talent that the band are capable of. This Burden Is Mine is extremely impressive and a rich, evocative listen.
Well well. Albums like this don’t come along that often. This should be embraced and celebrated by all Metal fans as the tour de force that it is.
Essential.
Wonderbox Metal 