Friday, October 30, 2009

SIEBENBÜRGEN - REVELATION VI (2008)

genre : melodic, atmospheric black
similar bands : Keep of Kalessin, Catamenia, Darzamat, Iskald
origin : Sweden
strong spot : melodies
weak spot : lacks originality

My first acquaintance with Siebenburgen was a traumatic one. I still remember the terrible fake drums and the plastic production of one of their old albums. Nowadays, Siebenburgen changed for the better, the production and performance are extremely professional. Another notable change is that the synths serve as a background instrument in this album and the female voice is much more discrete. Even though their songwriting is a bit predictable and suffers from the ''I've heard it before'' syndrome, this album has some very good moments and doesn't get boring after repeated listens.

8 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

DISOLVO ANIMUS - ALEATORIC MORTE EP (2009)

genre : symphonic black
similar bands : Dimmu Borgir, Transcending Bizarre?, Carach angren
origin : Greece
strong spot : symphonic parts
weak spot : production could be better

This is the first effort from an extremely promising band. Its symphonic orchestrations add a grandiose atmosphere that is hard to find in most of the bands of the genre. Lately, the Greek scene specializes in extreme symphonic albums. Download immediately.

8,5 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

Thursday, October 29, 2009

ENSOPH - REX MUNDI X-ILE (2009)

genre : avant-garde, experimental, industrial, gothic, black
similar bands : The Kovenant, Ram-Zet, Arcturus
origin : Italy
strong spot : samples, loops, orchestrations
weak spot : ''love it or hate it'' category

Techno-beats, staccato riffs, operatic vocals, filtered black metal vocals, industrial samples, sad melodic refrains and lots of other elements form what we could just simply call a ''love it or hate it '' album. Fans of The Kovenant will definitely appreciate this album.

8 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

LUNA OBSCURA - FELTIA (2008)

genre : atmospheric doom/death
similar bands : Theatre of Tragedy, Leave's Eyes
origin : Greece
strong spot : songwriting, atmosphere
weak spot : production could be better

Luna Obscura strongly reminded me of the old amazing Theatre of Tragedy. The similarities between ''Feltia'' and ''Velvet Darkness They Fear'' are severe but this doesn't mean that Luna Obscura are mere copycats. Many bands play melodic doom/death but few of them sound descent, the rest are terribly cheesy. In ''Feltia'' you'll find deep growls, female vocals (by one of the most beautiful frontwomen in the scene), ethereal synths that darken the atmosphere and heavy guitars and drums. Excellent release for this genre.

8 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

RANDOMWALK - REDEMPTION (2008)


genre : atmospheric, gothic, metalcore, black/death
similar bands : Paradise Lost, Amorphis, The Kovenant
origin : Greece
strong spot : originality, songwriting, vocals
weak spot : production could be better

The word ''metalcore'' causes me continuous vomiting and I have to admit that Randomwalk is the first ever metal band that is labeled as metalcore without sounding terrible. On the contrary, this album encompasses several heterogeneous elements but manages to sound concrete and original.It flows very easily and its melodies stick to your mind. Superb.

9 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

DARZAMAT - SOLFERNUS' PATH (2009)

genre : symphonic, atmospheric black/death
similar bands : Dimmu Borgir, Vesania, Cradle of Filth
origin : Poland
strong spot : nice combination between male and female vocals
weak spot : some parts sound a bit old-fashioned

Darzamat are one of my favorite Polish bands and I was glad when I found out that they have a new record deal with Massacre Recs , although most of the bands of this label are really CRAP. In their new endeavour the production and the sound of the band are reminiscent of old death metal bands but of course the overall sound is enriched by female vocals and symphonic synths that add a dark/gothic atmosphere to the whole album. If you liked ''Transkarpatia'', you'll like this one too.

8 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

Monday, October 26, 2009

VIRGIN BLACK - REQUIEM-FORTISSIMO (2008)

similar bands : My dying Bride, Saturnus
genre : symphonic doom death/black
origin : Australia
strong spot : symphonic parts
weak spot : too sloooow sometimes

It would be an oxymoron if I said I ''enjoyed'' this album...This album would be the perfect soundtrack for a Lars Von Trier movie about death and funerals. There are many doom albums but few of them can transmit such an unearthly atmosphere to the listener as directly as Virgin Black do. Some similar, very similar albums? ''Turn Loose the Swans'', '' As the Flower Withers'' by My Dying Bride.

8,5 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

Sunday, October 25, 2009

DAGOBA - COLOSSUS (2008)

genre : industrial, atmospheric black/death
similar bands : Aborym, Zonaria, Limbonic Art
origin : France
strong spot : samples
weak spot : too chaotic sometimes

Industrial death is not exactly my cup of tea but the French guys here deserve some attention.''Colossus'' is chaotic, melodic, fiendish and heavy as the Mammoth depicted in its cover. If you like the mighty Aborym, go ahead.

8 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

AGATHODAIMON - PHOENIX (2009)

genre : symphonic, melodic black/death
similar bands : Graveworm, Amorphis, Dark Tranquillity
origin : Germany
strong spot : 4 tracks
weak spot : the rest of the album

This album really baffled me...There are 4 tracks that are really really great, full of a deep beautiful melancholic mood. Amongst these four is ''Oncoming Storm'' which is one of the most sad songs I have ever heard from a melodic death metal band. The problem is that the rest of the album is mediocre, all the tracks are caricatures of bands like Dark Tranquillity or In flames. Strange...

7,5 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

GWYNBLEIDD - NOSTALGIA (2009)

genre : progressive doom death metal
similar bands : Opeth, Opeth, Opeth
origin : USA
strong spot : melodies
weak spot : Opeth-ism

Do you miss Opeth? Would you like them to release a new album in 2009? Gwynbleidd are here to make your wish come true. Their new album has some brilliant moments that are overshadowed by their obsession to sound like Opeth. Enjoyable.

7,5 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

ABIGAIL WILLIAMS - IN THE SHADOW OF A THOUSAND SUNS (2008)


genre : symphonic, atmospheric black
similar bands : Emperor, Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth
origin : USA
strong spot : songwriting
weak spot : lacks originality

Most of the American BM bands are seriously and dangerously boring. Abigail Williams play very typical symphonic BM but at least their compositions are diverse and manage to sound interesting. Fans of the genre, go ahead.

8 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

CODE - RESPENDENT GROTESQUE (2009)


genre : avant-garde black
similar bands : Dodheimsgard, Abigor, Shining, Ven Buens ende
origin : Norway
strong spot : originality, vocals
weak spot : repetition, 2-3 tracks are fillers

Avant-garde BM's eerieness and bizareness in all its might. For those who know the members behind Code, this is not a surprise. My objection? I have heard tons of good words about this album, treating it as classic or flawless. My opinion is that it has its flaws though: the majority of the tracks are great but there are some others that make you think...''didn't they play a similar melody in the previous track?''. Code seem to push it hard in order to sound avant-garde and this sometimes sounds fake in the experienced listener's ear. Overall, a very good release, overrated though.

7,5 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW - CHILDREN OF THE DARK WATERS (2009)


genre : symphonic, atmospheric death/black
similar bands : Amorphis, Katatonia, Hollenthon
origin : Finland
strong spot : songwriting, orchestrations
weak spot : songs follow similar formula

Eternal Tears of Sorrow's new effort has all the essential elements of a great symphonic death metal album: nice melodies, heavy riffs, interesting gothic lyrics, symphonic parts in the right dose, variety in vocals. The Finnish scene knows how to deliver professional albums and Eternal Tears of Sorrow could not be an exception. My only objection to this wonderful album? As usual, I would prefer some more experimentation from them, the ear of a trained listener always craves for different things.

8,5 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

Friday, October 23, 2009

AXAMENTA - EVER-ARCH-I-TECH-TURE


genre : symphonic, progressive black
similar bands : Dimmu Borgir, Soilwork, Evergrey, Emperor
origin :Belgium
strong spot : songwriting, originality, performance
weak spot : no obvious weak spot

Metal magazines work like this: labels give money and magazines give exposure to bands in exchange, everything is based on money. In other words, many talented bands are completely ignored if they don't pay. This is the reason nobody would know Axamenta some years ago, when internet was not that popular and magazines were more powerful than today. Musically now, the Belgian combo delivers an excellent concept album that combines the grandiose sound of Dimmu Borgir with the staccato riffs of Soilwork and the atmospheric synths and technical guitar parts of Evergey. The final result is more than satisfying, this album is a vast source of musical ideas, orchestration techniques and epic melodies.

8,5 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

Thursday, October 22, 2009

ELENIUM - ECCENTRIC SOUL'S ANATOMY (2009)


genre : symphonic, progressive death
similar bands : Sadist, Cynic, Therion
origin : Poland
strong spot: performance
weak spot : too much technicality gets tiring sometimes

This albums comes from the Polish Elenium, there is also a Finnish band with the same name around. If you crave for symphonic choirs and progressive technical performance, this one is for you. Since it is difficult to find descent melodic lines in most of the progressive bands in the scene,it is worth mentioning that Elenium's melodies, especially in the 2nd half of the album, are really really beautiful. Some parts reminded me of Nocturnus, does anybody remember them??

8 out of 10 goatheads

PREVIEW myspace

ALBUM IN OTHER BLOGS (includes DOWNLOAD)
ALBUM IN OTHER BLOGS (includes DOWNLOAD)
No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)