Wintersun - Time I

Anxiously awaiting Time II...

P.H.O.B.O.S. - Enter The Eternal Fire (from their new EP). A Bathory classic rebuilt into a 10-minute industrial doom track. Excellent atmosphere.

Ghost - Meloria
I uhh... don't see what the big deal is? On either side, really. This is the first time I've ever really listened to Ghost (apart from barely hearing Secular Haze in public once and Year Zero on satellite radio once) and it's just kinda there. I thought Cirice was catchy and Mummy Dust has a very simple but neat riff in it, only He Is struck me as an out-and-out bad song and the vocals are insanely dorky and wimpy, but overall it's really just subtle good things pulling against subtle bad things and it ends up as a really unengaging nothing as a result. It's shallow and dumb but so is like 70% of what I normally listen to anyway so I dunno how I feel, just middling stuff. Gotta hand it to the marketing minds behind the band though, I feel like they'd've been totally forgotten if not for the excellent hype machine milking the gimmick to death.

Inculter - Diabolic Forest
Deathhammer - Warriors of Evil

Tonight, am pitting Inculter vs Deathhammer. It's a bit like Sodom vs Destruction, and I like Sodom better so...Inculter.

Corrosion Of Conformity - Damned For All Time

I enjoy the mid-paced thrashiness and slow, sludgy riffs. The production sounds incredibly fresh and modern for an album that came out back in 1991. I need to explore Southern/stoner metal bands.

I am listening to Bathory's Twilight of the Gods. The title track seems to be of significantly lower production quality than the rest of this album so far.

Ironcross - Too Hot To Rock

Can an outrageus album cover ruin the whole album? No fucking way! It's just part of the appeal with this band. This is some catchy feelin' good heavy metal. Or "tough rock", as they used to call it. Very cheesy too. In this case it's not a bad thing.

Negura Bunget - Cel din urmă vis (The Last Dream)

Negura Bunget best song I think.

Edguy - Wake Up Dreaming Black

One of the lesser talked about songs that shows how cool Edguy can be. Badass hard rock/power metal, with a great driving tempo and kick ass chorus.

Bethlehem - Apocalyptic Dance

Thats why Shining love Dark Metal album especially 'Vargtimmen'.

Exmortus - Appassionata

This is easily one of the most insane instrumentals I've ever heard.

Domains - Sinister Ceremonies

wow, just hearing this. really cool take on old school death metal. I read about Immolation comparisons, but I also hear Demigod, and some black metal. Even on the first listen, I can tell the songs themselves are just really well put together, cool harmonies, always unfolding to something that just seems "right".

Edguy - All the Clowns

Mandrake is too good, easily their best

Spinning the new Gorgoroth for the first time, and I'm really loving it. Lots of Immortal-type riffs, and some songs have a strong death metal vibe to them. Definitely one of the best records of the year.

Edge Of Sanity - The Spectral Sorrows

Dan Swano is a genious!

Alda - Passage

Dunno if this even makes any sense but there's a sense of honesty and purity I get from these guys' music, it always makes me long for nature.

Johnny Touch - It's Alright

Cool retro metal. The riffs are a bit more inventive and cool than many bands that try this. It sounds 80s in a more natural way.

Nagelfar - Bildnis der Apokalypse

Galneryus "Under the Force of Courage"

Only half-way through, but I'm very impressed so far. Probably their proggiest album. "Rain of Tears" is fucking awesome.

Predatory Light - Death Essence

Shit, these guys need to put out a full length. I usually listen to their demos back to back and i'm still left fiending for more. Though they've not done much, all their songs are excellent pieces of black metal

Surrender of Divinity - Oriental Hell Rhythmics

Fucking sick black metal from the Land of the Free.

I'm half-way through the new Panopticon album right now, and it's absolutely on par with Kentucky and Roads to the North, even though Kentucky is probably the most memorable Panopticon record I've heard so far.

Let me listen...


Check out (2010) Skagos & Panopticon Split.

Segeln Ohne Wind from (2014) Bohren & der Club of Gore - Piano Nights.
Listening to their last 4 albums in a row.

Falkenbach - Vanadis

This song is so gorgeous. "See your sons, oh Vanadis..."

Inquisition - The Realm of Shadows Shall Forever Reign

Riffs so badass. Thats why I love 'Invoking the Majestic Throne of Satan'. Recommended.

Ha, I called it (guess it was kind of obvious though). Now if those two preorders hurry up and come in, my order can ship. I'm dying to hear this album.

Light Bringer - Dream!

Haven't played this album in a while. It's still awesome although I do find it to be a bit frontloaded.

Within Silence - Emptiness of Life

Pretty good power metal in the old Helloween/Edguy school. Very solid for a debut. Vocals aren't amazing but they're more than serviceable, and it's all pretty catchy. Slightly heavier riffing than other bands like this, too - bit of a Metallica influence. Doing this for the review challenge next week.

Al-Namrood - Mirath Al Shar

So... there's actually black metal Saudi Arabian bands. At least there's this one. I don't speak Arabic, but according to its MA page, one of their lyrical themes is "anti-religion". Makes me wonder how they manage to make music like this and yet remain underground.. hell, how did they manage to find an agent and a label in a country like that? Crazy, yet awesome.

As for the music, it's not bad at all. Listening to the album atm. Pretty nice mix of Arabic music with metal.

Midnight Odyssey - A Ghost in Gleaming Stars

Listened to this when taking my walk now, and I saw 10+ falling stars and some beautiful northern lights.
Quite epic...!

That track is so fucking good. That outro riff! I really need to pick up those records.

Windir - 1184

Haven't listened to Windir in a long time. Not as good as I remember.

Within Temptation - Mother Earth

Not a massive fan of WT but this and Ice Queen are real cool

Al-Namrood are badass. I have all their albums and they just seem to get that mix of black metal and Arabian flair right. Production is an ongoing problem, though, but considering where they live, it's a miracle these are released at all.

Don't quote me, but I think they travel to Bahrain to record their albums, unless there's recording studios in Saudi Arabia willing to produce them.

Sodom - Epitome of Torture

I like this! I think Sodom still have it this far in their career, and I'm keen on a new one.

Death - Human

This is probably in my top three Death albums, with Symbolic and The Sound of Perseverance. (All their last three albums) I kind of like Chuck's vocals in this album the best though.

I wish I lived in your utopia where Individual Thought Patterns doesn't exist.

Nocturnal Depression - Hear My Voice... Kill Yourself

Nice song. I love it

Steve Lacy - The Uh-Uh-Uh

Pretty fucking deranged. And great. Lacy had some of the greatest works in free jazz, and Dreams is one of them for sure.

The Boats of Glen Carrig. I'm afraid to say I'm not too satisfied with all the progressive influences, clean singing and post-rock elements, but some riffs really stand out and the heavier parts work just fine.

Not much of a masterpiece, though.

You ever listened to Narjahanam from Bahrain? I personally like their music much more than Al-Namrood's output. Check them out.

I managed to get their debut from a small Japanese distro. Was one of the greatest metal moments this year!

I did a bit of research and noticed that their label is Canadian. that explains how they managed to get a couple of music videos.

I like what I've heard of them thus far. And you can't help but respect those guys a lot. Must be tough playing black metal in such circumstances.


No. In fact, I had never heard of such band. Will check 'em out later and then I'll tell you what I think about it.

Pentagram - Sign of the Wolf

The coolest song i've ever heard. Agree?