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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http://rapidshare.com/#!download|346dt|106871451|Golden_Dawn_-_The_Art_of_Dreaming.rar|68232

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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RANDOMWALK - ABSOLUTION (2010)

genre : modern symphonic goth/black/death

similar bands : Cradle of Filth, Darzamat, Orphanage

origin : Greece

strong spot : sonwriting, originality

weak spot : nothing too obvious

Randomwalk are quite an underrated Greek band. They blend metalcore elements with symphonic/gothic black metal, and the mix results in a very fresh sound that is melancholic, atmospheric and dreamy. The songwriting here is catchy and clever and the productions as solid as it should be.The vocals are diverse, one minute you may hear some clean vocals and the next you'll get some angry metalcore vocals or black metal screams. The whole album is very well executeed and presented. Their debut ''Redemption'' is also worth checking out.

9 out of 10 goatheads

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KALKI AVATARA - MANTRA FOR THE END OF TIMES [EP] (2009)

genre : experimental/symphonic/doom black

similar bands : Orphaned land, Melechesh

origin : Italy

strong spot : intense ritualistic atmosphere, clever use of sitar

weak spot : production could be more solid

Kalki Avatara play a very interesting mix of ethnic music and experimental doom black. There is an almost mystic atmosphere here, this kind of tranquil atmosphere that can accompany yoga exercise (!) without  being boring. The arrangements are really advanced and the whole result is original and captivating  but too short in duration. 

8,1 out of 10 goatheads

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SARGEIST - LET THE DEVIL IN (2010)

genre : old school  melodic black
similar bands : Behexen, Ancient, Immortal
origin : Germany

strong spot : passionate performance

weak spot : let's be honest, we've heard this before

Even though this band is supposed to be playing old school black metal, after listening to this album they sounded more like melodic black metal to my ears. The old school elements are the vocals and the mediocre production. Overall, I liked the passionate performance of the band and some really cool BM riffs. 

7 out of 10 goatheads

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DAYLIGHT MISERY - DEPRESSIVE ICONS (2010)

genre : melodic doom death

similar bands : Paradise Lost ,In mourning, Daylight Dies, Draconian

origin : Greece

strong spot : -

weak spot : repetition between tracks, lack of originality, brutal vocals are weak

Daylight Misery play melodic doom death the traditional way. You'll find nothing new here but nevertheless the album is a pleasant listen. Sometimes they sound like old Pradise Lost, sometimes like Draconian.

7 out of 10 goatheads

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MAR DE GRISES - STREAM INWARDS (2010)

genre : melodic doom death

similar bands : In mourning, Daylight Dies, In Vein, Paradise Lost, Anathema

origin : Chile

strong spot : songwriting, guitars production

weak spot : common chord progressions

Previous post was from Mexico, this one is from Chile..! Very good melodic doom death metal that combines clever and catchy songwrting with a very good and modern production. Even though most of the songs are slow, Mar De Grises by no means become boring. There's a sad,depressing  mood that seems to flow naturally from within their music and a tendency towards experimentation. Their sound is very close to the hybrid that nowadays is called post-metal.My only objection is the absence of unusual chord progressions, since most of the melodies used here sound quite familiar.

8 out of 10 goatheads

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SILENT DEVOTION - A PLEASANT SITE OF THE WHITE TREE [EP] (2010)

genre : melodic death

similar bands : In Flames, Be'lakor

origin : Mexico

strong spot : songwriting

weak spot : drums sound is plastic

Descent melodic death metal

7,3 out of 10 goatheads

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DEATHSPELL OMEGA - PARACLETUS (2010)

 

genre : avantgarde black/death

similar bands : 

origin : France

strong spot : originality

weak spot : no essence here, just the will to play sth different

This album received tons of praising reviews since it was released a month ago or so. Personally I found it quite boring. There is no balance between descent songwriting and experimentation. The band seems to emphasize on playing differently but completely forgets that music is not a race of innovation but a race of musical composition and songwriting. Here we have atonal riffs, then again more weird atonal riffs, then again atonal riffs and then maybe some descent riffs or descent bizarre melodies. For me, this is the perfect example of hype. Once some people praise an album, the others follow and the hype is created. No tune,riff or melody can stick to the listener's ear apart from minor exceptions (i.e. the last track )

6,5 out of 10 goatheads

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http://grim-arts-of-melancholy.blogspot.com/2010/11/deathspell-omega-paracletus-2010.html

SOLEFALD - NORRON LIVSKUNST (2010)

genre : avantgarde, progressive black

similar bands : Arcturus, Borknagar, Vulture Industries, Enslaved
origin : Norway
strong spot : originality

weak spot : some terribly cheesy vocals in the track ''Tittentattenteksti'', production is mediocre

The new album from Solefald is a good album. I tried to listen to it multiple times but I can't say much about it. I am not sure what, but something is missing here. Maybe their style remained the same over the years and their bizarre music doesn't impress me anymore. None of the tracks is a masterpiece, none of the musical passages is groundbreaking. Yet, there are lots of good tracks that carry the band's distinctive mark and lots of good riffs and melodies.

8,2 out of 10 goatheads

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http://psychocydd.co.uk/details.php?id=e9b0dbd44a42bc3814378f28d47295e03059b904

AGALLOCH - MARROW OF THE SPIRIT (2010)

genre : melodic black

similar bands : Alcest, Opeth
origin : USA
strong spot : songwriting, atmosphere

weak spot : clean vocals could be much better

Here we have the long-awaited new album from Agalloch. Their previous effort ''Ashes Against the Grain'' was superb and the same goes for the new one, ''Marrows of the Spirit''. The atmosphere is calm, dreamy, moody, rainy (?) and the somehow raw production fits perfect to the whole picture. Lots of band play similar to Aggaloch, it's easy to write some melodic riffs, play them slowly, add some dark lyrics and you are done. But Agalloch's music is something more than this. They differentiate themselves from the bunch of depressive, pagan,doom black metal bands by simply composing clever music. Every instrument has its role and every part of each song prepares the next part and the next song. 97% out of the metal bands (especially in the overcrowded black metal scene) are simply charlatans, they ignore what music is about: songwriting, compositions, arrangements. By simply writing 2 riffs and adding them together, you are not a amusician. Aggaloch are musicians in every sense.

9 out of 10 goatheads

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http://godstorment.blogspot.com/2010/11/agalloch-2010-marrow-of-spirit.html

TRANSCENDING BIZARRE? - THE MISANTHROPE'S FABLE (2010)

genre : symphonic/avant-garde/progressive black

similar bands : Dimmu Borgir, Mirrorthrone, Arcturus, King Diamond, Cradle of Filth
origin : Greece
strong spot : songwriting, production, vocals

weak spot : nothing is weak here

Guys, we have a REVELATION here!!! Transcending Bizarre?'s debut was a descent album, their ''Serpent's Manifolds''(2008) album was amazing, but this one is one of the best symphonic/avant-garde releases ever (according to my opinion only). This album combines the haunting atmosphere of an old King Diamond's album with the grandiose of Dimmu Borgir and the avant-gardism of Arcturus. You may call it progressive at parts (the performance of the band is extraordinary) you may call it post-modern black (some parts are complex and innovative). Even though it is a very diverse album, every song sounds like part of a solid whole, the album is a concept album after all (parts are repeated throughout the whole album). Last but not least, an unearthly children choir is used in most of the songs and Bjornar from Vulture Industries sings in the track ''The Empire of Mind''. Definitely the BEST album of the year in this genre (slightly better than Carach Angren)!!!

9,6 out of 10 goatheads

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http://www.mediafire.com/?if3cirajb2deh7h