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

Download HERE:

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

Download HERE:

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

CRADLE OF FILTH - DARKLY DARKLY VENUS AVERSA (2010)

genre : symphonic black

similar bands : Cradle of Filth
origin : U.K.
strong spot : characteristic sound

weak spot : songwriting is not as good as in some of their previous albums, no new elements are presented here, the band presents sth we've heard from them multiple times

Updated review: This decade Cradle of Filth have become a ''love it or hate it'' band. Some think they are posers and ridiculous, while others think they are a bunch of phenomenal songwriters that have crafted their own characteristic style and sound. I tend to agree with the second view and I have to admit that CoF are very creative, they release an album every second year and they never came up with a horrible album. Hmm, until now... Their new album presents nothing new, the music sounds stale, the band's performance sounds numb, the compositions are monotonous and 100% predictable, the orchestral parts sound fake and artificial, the lyrics target the ''Twilight'' fans. I remember once, I was having a talk with a guy from Septicflesh(support band for CoF America tour) and he told me that Dani seems tired from music and touring. ''Godspeed...'' was fresh and inspiring but this one is completely hollow and pointless. If you remove the synths, you 'll get an album similar to Thornography but even worse when coming to songwriting.

6 out of 10 goatheads

Download here:

http://btjunkie.org/torrent/Cradle-Of-Filth-Darkly-Darkly-Venus-Aversa-2010-JonnyBeans/43589fab628c7ba2646b459a5ada82392ad61605039c

HOLLOW - CYNOPTIC ESCHATON E.P. (2010)

genre : symphonic black/death

similar bands : Vesania, Hermh, Dimmu Borgir
origin : Canada
strong spot : hmm

weak spot : hmm

Symphonic black/death stuff with a progressive twist.

8 out of 10 goatheads

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http://www.bunalti.com/?p=146133

ETHEREAL BLUE - ESSAYS IN RHYME ON PASSION AND ETHICS (2010)

genre : avantgarde, progressive black/death

similar bands : Opeth, Katatonia, Enslaved, Agalloch, Dustynation, In Mourning
origin : Greece
strong spot : songwriting, wide diversity of vocals

weak spot : production could be better, a couple of melodies are a bit too happy for a metal band

Sometimes I am proud about some of my findings, these hidden treasures of aural joy (!), and this band is one of them. Ethereal Blue are a really interesting and talented band, a bit unknown and underrated though. They combine the progressive performance of Opeth and the melancholic vocals of Katatonia and My dying Bride, adding bits and pieces of their own inspiration and tendency to experimentation. Despite the fact the songs are a bit long (8 to 10 mins) the music is not stale and constantly moves to different directions, making their progressive-ness joyful and not boring.

8,8 out of 10 goatheads

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http://ins-vast.blogspot.com/2010/09/ethereal-blue-greece-essays-in-rhyme-on.html

ENSLAVED - AXIOMA ETHICA ODINI (2010)

genre : progressive black metal

similar bands : Borknagar, Satyricon, Vreid, Ihsahn
origin : Norway
strong spot : songwriting

weak spot : some tracks could be much shorter in duration and less repetitive

Enslaved are back with an album better than its predecessor. While ''Vertebrae'' was more progressive BM oriented, ''Axioma Ethica Odini'' maintains an almost perfect balance between experimentation and old-fashioned epic black metal. Enslaved sound better when they compose things they are familiar with (with a progressive twist) and sound a bit stilted when they ignore their epic black metal roots. But as I said before, this album keeps a perfect balance between these two elements and once again carries the band's distinctive mark.

8,9 out of 10 goatheads

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http://www.bunalti.com/?p=141253

DIMMU BORGIR - ABRAHADABRA (2010)

genre : symphonic black metal

similar bands : Dimmu Borgir
origin : Norway
strong spot : originality,arrangements, voices, vocals, loops, samples

weak spot : production could be heavier (it is still really good but we are talking for Dimmu Borgir...)

Dimmu Borgir in their ninth endeavour prove that their are not veterans. They have added new elements in their music, they explore new soundfields and they dare to experiment. It's the kind of band that denies being stale and never follows the exact same recipe. ''Abrahadabra'' seems a huge project (orchestras, choirs, brilliant artwork etc) and can stand up to Dimmu Borgir's fame. The band is maybe more symphonic than ever, bringing memories of their astonishing ''Death Cult Armaggedon'' album. The compositions are mainly based on the orchestral parts of the Nordic composer Gaute Storaas but there are also the characteristic dimmu borgir guitar riffs. The guitars could be 1 dB higher in the mix but Andy Sneap had a different opinion and this is probably my only objection for the new album so far even though I have to admit the production is very bright and clean(you can really listen clearly to every single instrument and every orchestral phrase). The compositions and orchestrations are complex and maybe need more time to grow into me but i am sure that the final verdict will be very positive. Last but not least, one of my favourite vocalists of all times, Snowy Shaw, participates in a few tracks and gives extra credits to the songs.

9,3 out of 10 goatheads

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http://depositfiles.com/en/files/o06t3skz6

(previous link was fake, this one is the real album)