DOMINIA - JUDGEMENT OF TORMENTED SOULS (2008)

genre : atmospheric/symphonic death

similar bands : Orphanage, Dark Lunacy, Eternal Tears of Sorrow

origin : Russia

strong spot : songwriting, clever use of the violin virtuoso

weak spot :  production is a bit weak (especially when symphonic sounds are not present)

This is strange...I was acquainted to this band through a fake link for the latest album by Dark Lunacy and oddly enough I liked this album more than the Dark Lunacy's one. Everything works fine here, the arrangements and the songwriting are compelling and result in a very coherent and mature album, full of melodies and songs that stick to your mind.''Judgemet of tormented souls'' is straightforwardly fun, without parts that are too complicated and boring. The band also tries to enrich their minor/major compositions with chords and scales that are not overused in this genre and they do it fine because they simply know how to compose good music.

9,1 out of 10 goatheads 

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DARK LUNACY - WEAVER OF FORGOTTEN (2010)

genre : atmospheric/symphonic death

similar bands : Orphanage, Dominia, Hollenthon, Eternal Tears of Sorrow, 

origin : Italy

strong spot : songwriting, melodies

weak spot :  production is heavy but slightly plastic

Dark Lunacy have once again  created a very atmospheric album with very clever and beautiful melodies. Most of the songs are mid-tempo, with heavy guitars and minimalist drums (they mostly play simple rhythmic patterns). What I really like from this band is that their music is catchy and sophisticated at the same time. The use of rhythmic riffs, the vocals, the production and lots of other elements are reminiscent of Orphanage (check my recommendation about them). If we had to compare this album to their best album, ''The Diarist'', I'd say that the songwriting level is almost the same, the main difference is that here the sound is more heavy and straightforward with less symphonic elements.

8,8 out of 10 goatheads 

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Árstíðir lífsins - Jîtunheima Dolgferð' (2010)

genre : folk / depressive black metal

similar bands : Windir, Agalloch, Gris, Solstafir

origin : Iceland

strong spot : folk /dark atmosphere

weak spot : too simple some times

I usually find bands that play this kind of depressive and slow black metal really boring. Most of them use the same recipe: a bunch of minor chords thrown randomly in the music, awful production and black metal image. This band has all these ingredients but their music is more sophisticated than the average band of this genre. I mostly enjoyed the atmosphere of their music.

7,8 out of 10 goatheads 

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SEPTICFLESH - THE VAMPIRE FROM NAZARETH (SINGLE FROM THE FORTHCOMING 2011 ALBUM)

genre : symphonic death

similar bands : Chaostar

origin : Greece 

This is the new single from Septicflesh. Very good stuff, large orchestras and an unprecedented epic grandeur. The track seems to rely on the bombastic symphonic orchestra's performance since there are almost no riffs present. I am sure the full length includes more complex and sophisticated tracks. This is perfect if it's used as the opening track, something like ''Lovecraft's death'' from their previous album.

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TODTGELICHTER - ANGST (2010)

genre : progressive/depressive/psychedelic black metal

similar bands : Klabautamann, Enslaved, Katatonia, Agalloch, Alcest

origin : Germany

strong spot : melodic riffs, drums performance, psychedelia, brilliant male vocals

weak spot : nothing that ruins the overall feeling

When I first listened to ''Angst'' I considered it just another descent album in the vein of Agalloch or Alcest. And then, after a few days, something strange happened. I pressed PLAY and I took a journey into the depths of human emotions,joy/depression/anger/hate/love, they were all depicted almost flawlessly in this brilliant album. The amazing album art is exactly what you experience while listening to this album: a free fall into the deepest of your soul. Todtgelichter are one of these bands that try to push the envelope and create sth different. As opposed to bands like Deathspell Omega, their album still abounds in musical essence and they don't sacrifice everything else for the sake of experimentation and the will to stand out from the bunch of BM bands. There are almost no other instruments, than the essential ones for a metal/rock band, but the band uses multiple guitar layers, diverse orchestrations in order to enrich the harmonic content of the songs. And they finally produce an album that is maybe seemingly repetitive but needs multiple listens so as to reveal its beauty. I have to underline the vocals performance, one of the best performances I have ever encountered in a black metal band (yes, it is still black metal even though a little bit deranged). The chaotic and impressive drumming along with the grungy/post-metal guitar performance (I guess they extensively use e-bow, like Anathema) and the perverse vocals yield an impressive psychedelic fruit that every advanced extreme metal listener has to bite. If I had to find some downsides I would mention that the album contains some parts that just don't blend well with each other as they seem to source from different emotions. This album was brought to me a bit late and I didn't manage to include it in the poll for the best album album of the year. For me, it is definitely in the top 10.

P.S. I have to thank Radical Dreamer for recommending this album to me.

9,3 out of 10 goatheads 

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GOLDEN DAWN - THE ART OF DREAMING (1995)

genre : symphonic/ orchestral/ experimental black metal

similar bands : Kadenzza, Limbonic art (the old descent stuff), Dol Ammad

origin : Austria

strong spot : advanced orchestrations, originality

weak spot : production is a bit weak but nowadays we can consider it ''cult''

Read Kadenzza's review. The same goes for this one. 15 years have passed after its official release date, yet this album sounds still innovative and original. An amazing album ahead of its time. They also have a new album on the making. 

? out of ? goatheads (Rated as CLASSIC)

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KADENZZA - THE SECOND RENAISSANCE (2005)

genre : symphonic/ orchestral/ experimental extreme metal

similar bands : Golden Dawn (''the Art of Dreaming'' album), Limbonic art (the old descent stuff), Dol Ammad

origin : Japan

strong spot : advanced orchestrations, originality

weak spot : I would prefer more guitars and drums and less orchestral passages

Kadenzza is a project of one single guy whose music is very different from standard metal bands. There are lots of parts without vocals where symphonic/orchestral sounds play the most important role. In most of the tracks, guitars and metal elements intervene suddenly every now and then. The final result is captivating and intriguing. It is definitely a must-have album for fans of this blog.

9 out of 10 goatheads

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LITTLE DEAD BERTHA - ANGEL AND PAIN (2010)

genre : symphonic goth/black

similar bands : Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Carach Angren

origin : Russia

strong spot : catchy songwriting, production

weak spot : nothing too obvious

This is my first acquaintance with Little Dead Bertha even though this band is quite old. This album is really enjoyable and most of the tracks are catchy as they easily stick to your mind after a few listens. There are blastbeats, midtempo riffs, slow melodies and in general there is a wide variety of musical expressions. Some unusual/innovative elements would give the album a more distinct identity but they are missing here. In any case,recommended.

8,4 out of 10 goatheads

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