LIMBONIC ART - PHANTASMAGORIA (2010)

genre : atmospheric black

similar bands : Emperor, Hecate Enthroned, Old Man's Child
origin : Norway
strong spot : hmm

weak spot : lack of diversity

Daemon alone continues the saga of Limbonic Art. I really don't know if this album is descent or not...I just enjoyed it because it is the new album of the band that once released ''In Abhorrence Dementia''.

7 (?) out of 10 goatheads

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AZAHEL'S FORTRESS - THE CHAOS KINGDOM (2010)

genre : melodic, epic black

similar bands : Satyricon, Naglfar, Keep of Kalessin
origin : Austria
strong spot : diversity

weak spot :no obvious weak spot

These guys come from Austria and ''The Chaos Kingdom'' is their second album. It's not groundbreaking but it has lots of good moments and diversity. Some tracks are mid-tempo and catchy while others are more speedy, sophisticated or epic. There also some tracks with an edge of experimental nature in them.

7,9 out of 10 goatheads

http://rs99.rapidshare.com/files/391183958/Azahel_s_Fortress_-_The_Chaos_Kingdom__10_ByDCLXVI.rar

CYNIC - ReTRACED E.P. (2010)

genre : electro/indie pop/rock

similar bands : Radiohead, Archive
origin : USA
strong spot : production, arrangements

weak spot : I guess this EP will sound strange even to open-minded metal fans

Cynic are one of my favourite bands, not only for their old album but for ''Traced in Air'' as well. This EP contains 5 tracks from ''Traced in Air'' that are re-arranged and re-mixed. This work is by no means metal, but it is perfect for fans of Radiohead and in general experimental electro pop/rock bands. It's summer, so it is a good recommendation for relaxation.

8 out of 10 goatheads

http://www.mediafire.com/?0fnwht2zlmn

A FOREST OF STARS - OPPORTUNISTIC THIEVES OF SPRING (2010)

genre : psychedelic avant-garde black

similar bands : Nachtmystium, Alcest, King Crimson, Oranssi Pazuzu
origin : UK
strong spot : original style, clever use of flute

weak spot : there are lots of useless pauses between the songs (or in the middle of the songs)

If you like the above mentioned bands you should highlight A Forest of Stars.

8,4 out of 10 goatheads

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NACHTMYSTIUM - ADDICTS : BLACK MEDDLE Pt. 2 (2010)

genre : psychedelic black

similar bands : A forest of Stars, Alcest, Black Sabbath
origin : USA
strong spot : original style, awesome production

weak spot : no obvious weak spot

Black Meddle Pt. 1 was missing a certain something but this one is exactly as it should be. First of all the production is much more raw, cult, less digital and much closer to the 70's rock style. The compositions are more mature and the black metal elements more discrete. The blend between the 70's psychedelia and black metal avant-gardism is almost perfect here. Hmm, I would expect sth like this from some Scandinavian folks...

9 out of 10 goatheads

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SAATTUE - VUORONERI (2009)

genre : atmospheric,melodic doom/death

similar bands : Swallow the Sun, Katatonia, In Vain, Ghost Brigade
origin : Finland
strong spot : songwriting

weak spot : Finnish lyrics sound strange + I don't understand a thing

Nice doom death from Finland. You know, polished production, gloomy melodies, sad atmosphere, clean and death vocals etc. Enjoyable.

8,5 out of 10 goatheads

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VALBORG - CROWN OF SORROW (2010)

genre : avant-garde/gothic/psychedelic black

similar bands : Bergraven, Angst Skvadron, Virus, Oranssi Pazuzu, Code
origin : Germany
strong spot : originality, clean vocals
weak spot : hmmm...

Fine and bizarre+intriguing+different black metal. If the minimalistic approach to black metal is not your cup of tea, stay away...

7,5 out of 10 goatheads

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ADOR DORATH - BESTIARI (2008)

genre : atmospheric/melodic death

similar bands : Kalmah, Ram-Zet, Vesania
origin : Czech Republic
strong spot : songwriting

weak spot : ''I've heard it before'' syndrome, production is weak

This is an interesting album that comes from Czech republic. I really hate female vocals in extreme metal (aren't they cheesy as hell??) but the combination of BM screams and female clean vocals works fine here. The rest of the details are available upon download.

8,7 out of 10 goatheads

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DUSTYNATION - ECHOING LULLABIES (2010)

genre : progressive/melodic death

similar bands : Opeth, In Mourning, Daylight Dies
origin : Greece
strong spot : songwriting, performance

weak spot : no obvious weak spot

This is a Greek band but surprisingly these guys don't play black metal. On the contrary, ''Echoing Lullabies'' is an album full of progressive and melancholic mid-tempo death metal compositions. They are more melancholic than Opeth and more progressive than Daylight Dies or In Mourning. The mixing and mastering took place in Abyss studios (Sweden) and what I really liked is the emphasis that was put on the bass which the listener can hear very clearly ( the performance of the bassist gives an extra flavour to the tracks). Overall, a very nice and mature album.

8,8 out of 10 goatheads

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BITTER FROST - BITTER FROST (2010)

genre : neo-classical, melodic black metal

similar bands : Keep of Kalessin, Solefald
origin : USA
strong spot : ''frozen landscapes'' atmosphere

weak spot : only few of the tracks push the limits while the rest are more or less conventional

I really enjoyed this album. The band plays more or less typical northern BM with a symphonic(neo-classical according to the band) touch. The combination of the dark or atonal melodies and the raw (sometimes messy) production works fine and occasionally sounds a little bit avant-garde. Even though the band's origin is misleading, the main guy behind this band is Scandinavian (Christopher Erikson) as his name implies.

8 out of 10 goatheads

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KEEP OF KALESSIN - REPTILIAN (2010)

genre : epic thrash/black metal

similar bands : Dissection, Naglfar, Iskald, Emperor
origin : Norway
strong spot : originality, compositions, incredible performance

weak spot : read short review below

Keep of Kalessin released the colossal ''Kolossus'' almost two years ago and it suddenly became one my favourite black metal albums ever. You can imagine that my expectations for ''Reptilian'' were really very very high. I cannot say I was disappointed, ''Reptilian'' has some awesome tracks (''The awakening'',''Reptilian Majesty'' ''The Divine Land'' etc) but it also has some ''hmm, this is ok'' tracks. I am not talking about fillers or mediocre tracks, Keep of Kalessin are not able to write a bad track... To be honest I expected an album full of tracks like ''The Awakening''( this would be the perfect album) but even so ''Reptilian'' is still a brilliant album that will definitely help the band reach a larger audience. If you liked ''Kolossus'', go for it!

9 out of 10 goatheads

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ORANSSI PAZUZU - MUUKALAINEN PUHUU (2009)

genre : avant-garde/psychedelic black metal

similar bands : Klabautamann, Angst Skvadron, Burzum, Odem Arcarum, Pink Floyd (Syd Barrett era)
origin : Finland
strong spot : 100% original

weak spot : only for advanced listeners (beginners should stay away!)

There is a bunch of metal bands that attempt a psychedelic approach to black metal. I've listened tons of them but unfortunately, the majority is really crap. Finnish Oranssi Pazuzu are an exception. Imagine Pink Floyd's legendary live at Pompeii performed by skilled black metal musicians and you've got the picture. Everything in ''Muukalainen Puhuu'' serves a purpose and everything sounds different than normal BM bands. First of all, the drums and the bass play unconventional rhythmic parts. Then, the synths and the guitars use a variety of abstract space sounds and don't hesitate to improvise. The production is as raw as it gets (imagine a BM version of the production of ''The piper at the Gates of Dawn'') and serves as the perfect canvas for the surrealistic spirit of Oranssi Pazuzu. Bands like this stretch the barriers of black metal and give a new meaning to the term '' post-modern black metal''.

9 out of 10 goatheads

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SHAOLIN DEATH SQUAD - FIVE DEADLY VENOMS (2010) INTELLIGENT DESIGN (2006)

genre : progressive/avant-garde/experimental/rock/death

similar bands : Stolen Babies, Diablo Swing orchestra, Arcturus
origin : USA
strong spot : songwriting, originality

weak spot : production could be more solid

Strange tunes, diverse vocals, progressive performance, experimental and avant-garde orchestrations. What more do you guys want? ''Intelligent Design'' is more progressive death metal oriented, while ''Five Deadly venoms'' is more progressive rock oriented. Nevertheless, I'd recommend downloading both albums, they both abound in pioneer spirit and talent.

9 out of 10 goatheads for ''Five Deadly venoms''

9,2 out of 10 goatheads for ''Intelligent Design''

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Intelligent Design (DOWNLOAD)

Five Deadly Venoms (DOWNLOAD)

KIANA - ABSTRACT ENTITY (2009)

genre : melodic death

similar bands : Children of Bodom, Kalmah, Soilwork
origin : Finland
strong spot : performance

weak spot : if you are searching for sth out of the ordinary, you'll be disappointed

Even though these Finnish guys play typical melodic metal, they have some interesting ideas and melodies that make the whole album really enjoyable.

7,5 out of 10 goatheads

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BARREN EARTH - OUR TWILIGHT E.P. (2009)

genre : melodic,progressive doom/death

similar bands : Amorphis, In Mourning, Moonsorrow
origin : Finland
strong spot : melodies, diversity

weak spot : -

I just discovered that one of the best findings of this year, Barren earth, released this EP one year before their amazing full-length album ''Curse of the Red River''. Before listening to this EP, try their full-length here.

8,5 out of 10 goatheads

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