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nightbreaker33
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2016 11:20 am
Posts: 614
Location: Greece
PostPosted: Sat May 28, 2016 8:17 am 
 

Nihilist - When Life Has Ceased

A fine example of how a death metal demo should be done. Thundering drums, riffs that are heavier than a blue whale, a few beast growls here and there and an awsome solo. the production is raw as i would expect and i like it.

9/10
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Σταμάτης Ιωάννου Heavy Metal/Various from Greece: https://stamatisioannou.bandcamp.com/
Hercules - True Epic Heavy Metal from Greece: https://herculesgr.bandcamp.com/music
Power Gangrene Doom Metal/Noise from Greece: https://powergangrene2023.bandcamp.com/


Last edited by nightbreaker33 on Sat May 28, 2016 3:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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colin040
Metal freak

Joined: Sat Dec 08, 2007 6:00 pm
Posts: 7605
Location: Netherlands
PostPosted: Sat May 28, 2016 8:33 am 
 

Wrong song, dude. Check what I had linked.

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Zelkiiro
Pounding the world with a fish of steel

Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 5:30 pm
Posts: 7728
Location: Pennsylvania
PostPosted: Sat May 28, 2016 9:10 am 
 

Mental Home - Southern Calm Waters

Oh great, more doom/death metal that no one has told me about and now I'll have to track down. The riffs are really cool and melodic at the same time, the production is pretty stellar, and this pretty much rules, is what I'm trying to say. I'm strangely not all that sweet on the Russian doom/death metal scene, but if more bands from the region were like this, that would be a whole different story. Just the right amount of melancholy and aggression, too. I can't think of anything else to say right now, as my sleep-deprived brain has forgotten what vocabulary is, so we'll just leave it at me saying that this is a rock-solid tune.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc41rB8GX9Y
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Rosenthorn
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2013 8:51 pm
Posts: 535
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sat May 28, 2016 9:51 am 
 

Hanker - Ad Padres

I will admit, I smiled a bit at the opening drum fill, because I knew that what would come after was going to be fast and melodic, and boy was I not disappointed. This is a track that has a lot of grit in it, no flower metal here, but definitely is based around a sense of melody and uplift. The vocals are a perfect blend of soaring but suitably baritone snarl that fits the fast pace perfectly and delivers a memorable and well placed chorus, which is certainly welcome between the pounding riffs. And god damn - this not let up at any point. Just when you think there's going to be a slower break after the solo, there comes a staccato riff that leads directly into the bridge and boom! That chorus is back again! I regret not having heard of Hanker before this track - fortunately that has been rectified, and I'm a better person for it. This is a solid slab of heavy metal, and something I am extremely happy to have woken up to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7ovJ555nIk
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colin040
Metal freak

Joined: Sat Dec 08, 2007 6:00 pm
Posts: 7605
Location: Netherlands
PostPosted: Wed Jul 20, 2016 5:19 am 
 

SubRosa - Whippoorwill

I'll admit, I didn't want to review this because sludge/doom isn't something I'm knowledgeable about , but to keep this thread alive let's go on with it! So we enter a fuzzy distorted guitar tone and weird sort of distant-in-the-mix clean vocals. There's even a violin use if I hear it correctly which gives it a very laid back kind of vibe. I've had the idea sludge vocals tend to be more aggressive but it's mostly the riffs that just dwell on and on and leave me cold. Not my thing I'm afraid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHZ1RlopzeE

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narsilianshard
Veteran

Joined: Fri Aug 14, 2009 12:22 pm
Posts: 3618
Location: PDX
PostPosted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 3:27 pm 
 

Thanatos - Terminal Breath

I hate it when this thread gets cold so I guess I'll pick it up again. I know nothing about these guys so this will be fun. Within seconds I can guess this is early 90s death metal. Loving the slow, creepy intro. Unsurprisingly, straight into a fast death metal riff that could come from either Sweden or Florida. Huh, but then right back to the slow stuff. That's okay though, it has a solid groove and I love the guitar tone even at this pace. The weird solos are also fun as hell. Oh shit, that new riff about halfway through kicks ass! Really solid track, overall. Never been a huge fan of death metal bands that do the constant slow/fast back and forth like this, but I very much enjoyed this.

https://apocalypticwitchcraft.bandcamp. ... ng-impulse
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Deathdoom1992
Metalhead

Joined: Sat May 07, 2016 9:19 am
Posts: 555
Location: United Kingdom
PostPosted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 7:44 pm 
 

Mortichnia - Searing Impulse

Black with a hint of death metal; generic, boring De Mysteriis...-esque blasts and semi-cool, way-too-quiet vocals. Great riffing and great midsection reminiscent of Dimmu Borgir. Drumming is interesting ONLY when it's slow, and there are some nice wolf-like howls from the vocalist. Overall, fails to really build momentum (not good for a ten minute song), and featuring some Mayhem clone segents, but there's potential here.

4.5/10

https://tetraktysmedia.bandcamp.com/album/planar-deformation

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Buer
Mallcore Kid

Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2016 6:30 pm
Posts: 13
Location: Switzerland
PostPosted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 9:15 am 
 

Planar Deformation- Planar Deformation

The song does a good effort to build some atmosphere with the lyrics, vocals, echo effects and riff. What I like is right as the first half of the song begins to overstay it's welcome it to picks up the pace, i'm just afraid that the song is technically a bit underwhelming. The drumming is not particularly poor but its nothing to write home about and the mixing makes it hard to hear some of the other instruments. (listening to some other songs by the band that seems to be a reoccurring issue). Overall personally i don't find the songs atmosphere to be able to able to carry the somewhat mild drumming and guitar, I would be interested to see some of the bands later work though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N_CgujIAgk

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colin040
Metal freak

Joined: Sat Dec 08, 2007 6:00 pm
Posts: 7605
Location: Netherlands
PostPosted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 7:26 am 
 

Great to see this thread has been picked up again! :metal:

Pagan Altar - Rising of the Dark Lord

Man that intro sounds so familiar but I can't get name which song it reminds me off. Anyway, aside from that cool tapping intro we're dealing with some heavy, choppy riffwork that caught my attention right away. The vocals enter and I instantly think of Ozzy Osbourne, although this guy sounds even more nasal perhaps means he wouldn't be a vocalist I'd quickly want to listen to. Despite its length the tune itself sounds like it's been executed rather well as it flows by easily and I enjoy hearing the guitarist's lead skills as well. It's clear this guy can play and definitely sounds a great contributor to the band. Those leads appearing from time to time are cool and more than welcome. I might listen to an entire album of these guys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYUlU-7Nc3A

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Crypticide
Metal newbie

Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2016 10:53 pm
Posts: 275
PostPosted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 6:36 pm 
 

Shadowseeds - Thy Shrouded Wings(A'arab Zaraq)

I like that weird melody at the beginning of the song. like the clean vocals like the drum machine and really like that part about 3 minutes in where the mid-paced melody drops into a slower pace. and the vocals come back in. will have to check out this band some more.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7jHYXxRStw

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CrushedRevelation
Devil's right hand

Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2005 8:47 am
Posts: 6070
Location: The cavern's core
PostPosted: Sat Sep 03, 2016 1:51 am 
 

Crypticide wrote:


Kind of got what I expected here. That being some sort of pagan black metal, with all the tropes that come with it. Starts out fairly promising, before the super generic riff that follows. You know, being melodic and "uplifting" while sacrificing some edge of heaviness, and descending into the usual patterns. This is then also followed by some sort of choir-like keys to heighten this patriotic feeling an longing of old - and to also add epicness. The vocals are fairly bad, they just scream along at full tilt with barely a break (language cadence aside naturally), or any real personality whatsoever. No idea what he's on about either, but that's to be expected. This pattern seems to be the bulk of the song, as I can't really recall anything actually interesting taking place during it's five and a half minutes playing time. Nothing outstanding at all. I also believe they are utilizing a drum machine? Which also helps to sterilize this track even further, sapping every ounce of power and feel out this even further. Now this would have you believe that it's terribly performed? Not the case really, it's just so uninspired and dull for mine - there are better bands out there that I would personally rather listen to than these guys in this style. Oh well...

Good to see this thread return.
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colin040
Metal freak

Joined: Sat Dec 08, 2007 6:00 pm
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Location: Netherlands
PostPosted: Sun Sep 04, 2016 3:29 pm 
 

Dead Congregation - Nigredo

Yet another retro osdm band that I've heard of but yet to check. I'm quite surprised this band is from Greece as I had no idea that country would deliver a band like this - perhaps for the best this doesn't copy the whole American/Swedish DM over and over again though and I can't say this sounds disappointing. I'll admit the intro didn't get me excited right away but once that riff at 0:28 kicks in, I'm instantly reminded me of 90's Morbid Angel, perhaps FFF to be specific as the ''dry'' guitar tone for a lack of better term reminds me of that album, too and from there on it's a nice experience with blasting drums, deep muscular vocals and some whirlwind-sounding riffs that come together rather well and gives me the idea that the bandmembers have a good sense of dealing with each other musically. My only complaint is that little break after the 3 minute mark which I felt was unnecessary but aside from that it's a solid, respectable track. I'll definitely give one of their entire albums a go once I'm in the mood for death metal again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv10Q6DhjXw

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narsilianshard
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Joined: Fri Aug 14, 2009 12:22 pm
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Location: PDX
PostPosted: Mon Oct 17, 2016 7:58 pm 
 

Horrified - Astral Submersion

Wow, this all over the place and clearly ahead of its time. Atmospheric death metal with haunting keyboards and weird chanty female vocals. I'm loving this because I've never heard anything like it. The sudden change to a very standard 90s death metal riff is a bit disappointing, but thankfully that doesn't last too long. I would love to hear a re-recording of this, it's incredibly forward-thinking and beautiful so I can't imagine what it would sound like if properly recorded and mixed. Not a fan of all the back-and-forth, though, they should just stick to the atmospherics as that's what makes this interesting. Cool discovery!

https://predatorylight.bandcamp.com/track/lurid-hand
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Metal_On_The_Ascendant
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:31 pm 
 

Predatory Light - Lurid Hand

Black/Death metal but with more emphasis on the "death". The riffing manages to trudge through the best of both extreme worlds resulting into a composition as heavy on melody as it is on rhythmic aggression. The unwieldy soloing impresses because it is not the usual standard fare and the vocals although nothing special are undeniably adequate and fit well within the general scope of things.
Things do take a turn for the worse though with the sullen, doomy, ambient-ish break which simply kills what was a nicely flowing song and points it towards pointlessness. Perhaps when heard within the context of the album, it makes sense. Not bad but I presume there's much better from the band because they do sound incredibly capable.

Keeping the thread alive, TROO metal style
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hmi
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Dec 16, 2014 2:24 am
Posts: 365
PostPosted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 1:11 am 
 

Bolt Thrower - Peel Sessions (1988-90)

Finally got around to acquiring this. It is a little dryer than I expected. I know it's live sessions but it doesn't sound quite as live or have as many unique touches as I thought it would, if that makes sense. Maybe I am just not that familiar with Peel Sessions b/c I think this is only the 2nd Peel Sessions album I have! It's nice to hear alternate versions of some classic Bolt Thrower tracks though. Sound quality is fairly good - it is something in between rehearsal and studio quality for the first few songs, but the second half of the album is more muffled and I think it's starting to give me a headache! However I'm only on my 2nd listen and maybe it will grow on me after a few more listens.

Would recommend for any huge Bolt Thrower fans but otherwise not really a mandatory album to seek out.

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caspian
Old Man Yells at Car Park

Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 11:29 pm
Posts: 6414
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 2:40 am 
 

hmi, you gonna link a youtube?
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https://kybaliondoom.bandcamp.com/album/poisoned-ash big ugly death doom by and for big ugly dudes

https://strangercountry.bandcamp.com/al ... the-chebar new album! Power shoegaze? Dream-doom???

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Metal_On_The_Ascendant
Veteran

Joined: Fri May 22, 2015 6:38 am
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 4:15 am 
 

hmi wrote:
Bolt Thrower - Peel Sessions (1988-90)

Finally got around to acquiring this. It is a little dryer than I expected. I know it's live sessions but it doesn't sound quite as live or have as many unique touches as I thought it would, if that makes sense. Maybe I am just not that familiar with Peel Sessions b/c I think this is only the 2nd Peel Sessions album I have! It's nice to hear alternate versions of some classic Bolt Thrower tracks though. Sound quality is fairly good - it is something in between rehearsal and studio quality for the first few songs, but the second half of the album is more muffled and I think it's starting to give me a headache! However I'm only on my 2nd listen and maybe it will grow on me after a few more listens.

Would recommend for any huge Bolt Thrower fans but otherwise not really a mandatory album to seek out.


You're supposed to review the link on the post above you then you post your own link. Them's the rules.
This is the link.
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hmi
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Dec 16, 2014 2:24 am
Posts: 365
PostPosted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 4:54 am 
 

My bad, I did not read the first page.

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Deathdoom1992
Metalhead

Joined: Sat May 07, 2016 9:19 am
Posts: 555
Location: United Kingdom
PostPosted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 3:26 pm 
 

Sacred Steel - The Dead Walk the Earth

MA says epic power metal, I say a bastard child of trad., power elements and FUCKIN' THRASH! Not overly keen on the riffs but the vocals are suitably awesome, with twinges of latter-day Geddy Lee at times (it's not just me who hears this, right?) and, hell, some Vio-lence styled gang vocals. Great catchy bridge and chorus to boot as well. Also a fan of the mega-energetic drumming and I suppose the solo is pretty nifty too.

8/10

Have some NWOBHM in your day people

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Buer
Mallcore Kid

Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2016 6:30 pm
Posts: 13
Location: Switzerland
PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2016 5:33 pm 
 

Fist - Name, Rank and Serial Number

An alarmingly catchy song reminiscent of early priest album infused with some deep purple and punk. While at first coming off as weak the song quickly grows on the listener. The song is simple but effective, at first. Things only really begin to pick up during the second guitar solo, that really demonstrates the bands strength. The Fist make great use of rhythm and bass for a an impressive guitar solo lead by a almost YES-esque solo. The lead vocalist really pulls the song together, I would have much preferred if they left the backing vocals more sparingly as, 1 it gives more of the singer. and second the backing shouting can become slightly monotonous. Other than mixing that murks up the solos a bit, this is a admirable song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJAiTjmGrtA

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colin040
Metal freak

Joined: Sat Dec 08, 2007 6:00 pm
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Location: Netherlands
PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2016 6:21 pm 
 

Catacomb - Hallucinated Mountains

This sounds pretty sweet, starting off with a morbid piano part before all hell breaks loose. Although I'm not familiar with French death metal at all, this rather reminds me of some of the Finnish stuff that got released at the time due to the monstrous vocals and rough production. I'm getting a bid of a early Morbid Angel vibe as well. As expected, the guitar work sound fairly simple but that's hardly a complaint as there seems to be some creativity going on in the writing process not to mention the guitars sound pretty thick. The addition of spooky keyboards works well and gives the song a rather grim vibe. That flashy guitar solo came off rather unexpected to me however. Overall this is definitely a band I'll check more of sooner or later.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfiyoSnX6IQ

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AshesInYourMind
Metal newbie

Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2016 1:56 am
Posts: 35
PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2016 8:53 pm 
 

Beyond Dawn - When Beauty Dies

This is alright, not really the kind of stuff I listen to but it's still good nonetheless. Really like the bass tone here, has a very dark vibe to it which carrys the song very well. I like how the song elevates at the end, very powerful and epic sounding. Overall, it was a pretty enjoyable track but I don't think I would really listen to this band's other works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjVT0MhSNeo

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Poopman25
Metal newbie

Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2016 10:12 pm
Posts: 52
Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2016 11:15 pm 
 

Strapping Young Lad-Skeksis

Man...I have not listened to these guys in years. They fell off my radar. Devin is an alien, that is perhaps the only explanation? The lyrics are just as interesting as the vocal style. The last groove at the end is killer. The polyphonics, the harmony, even the drumming! Sweetness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gPJwVzyJ4Q

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Jonpo
Hyperc6l6mb6wler

Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2007 10:05 am
Posts: 7735
PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2016 12:02 pm 
 

Poopman25 wrote:


Realm - Fragile Earth

Whoa. This is weird. It has a misleadingly heavy/thrashy intro, but most of the song is actually kind of bouncy and positive sounding. The vocalist is pouring out everything he's got but the tone is kind of annoying to me. I have a feeling this is a song about the "issues" but his tone of voice sounds more suited to hot nights drinkin' in the city. Bass player is determined to be noticed and I love that. They do launch into a more caustic section after the first solo. Overall the song doesn't move me much. It feels trapped between two worlds, wanting to be forward-thinking and proggy while still maintaining a razor sharp edge of thrash. They half-commit to both and succeed at neither.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2q-PPdF7c0 (Been spinning this one a lot lately, the season is right)
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MammothRider
Metalhead

Joined: Tue Dec 29, 2015 2:16 am
Posts: 509
Location: Alberta, Canada
PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2016 1:42 pm 
 

Saint Vitus - White Magic/Black Magic

The song begins with some simple, yet almost tribal drumming, before down-tuned guitars launch into the main riff. The vocals are what you would expect from classic doom, not to say this is a bad thing, however, they fit extremely well over top of the rest of the band. While the bass doesn't really do anything special or exciting over the course of the track, it can be heard throughout, which is definitely welcome by me. Overall, I'd give this an 8/10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J23Yk24gWiw
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AshesInYourMind
Metal newbie

Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2016 1:56 am
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2016 8:52 pm 
 

Cauldron Born - Crusader

This is good stuff. Powerful, aggressive riffs here, definitely very pumping sounding. The guitars as a whole sound really, really good. The tone I really enjoy, and the solos, while breif, do their job very well and sound great. The song's structure is really good because it makes me really interested to see where it's gonna go through the whole song. The bass is really high in the mix here, which is good because I can hear the really good bass playing here. One thing I don't really like is the vocals. They're not bad, and they don't bring down the song really, but I just really don't like that vocal style. A good song, definitely a good listen. 8.5/10

(sorry for saying the word "really" too much btw, I wrote this really quickly just to get thoughts down before they escaped my mind)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq6T9q1TYao (just in time for thanksgiving)

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Metal_On_The_Ascendant
Veteran

Joined: Fri May 22, 2015 6:38 am
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 13, 2016 10:21 am 
 

@AshesInYourMind
Spoiler: show
Cauldron Born is amazing and "Crusader" is one of their flagship tunes. They are quite epic in scope though so don't imagine you've heard it all from that one song. I would encourage you to check them out more.
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Metal_On_The_Ascendant
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Joined: Fri May 22, 2015 6:38 am
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 13, 2016 10:22 am 
 

Ministry - Thanx but No Thanx

Cool. I've always admired Ministry but from afar. So I have actually never heard this before and I am glad I have discovered it. It starts off wonderfully with a sarcastic "thanksgiving prayer" delivered tastefully with some suitable reggae-ish backdrop before Al and his crew jump in all guns blazing with more vitriol. The riffing is pretty solid and punky and it is the kind of song you want to headbang to without analyzing so much why. Everything fits together in utter necessary simplicity. No complaints. I'm not sure I will check out From Beer To Eternity after this (a very Tankard album title btw) but for what it is, it's quite good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbJSd5yqvVM
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IamDBR
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2016 2:58 am
Posts: 1462
PostPosted: Wed Dec 14, 2016 2:43 pm 
 

Anwyl - Sign of the Four Winds

'Trve' black/death metal in the vein of Angelcorpse. The riffing here is somewhat unique, fast as fuck & unrelenting. There is a very superficial middle-eastern touch to some of the riffing (or maybe it's just me). Also, there is the obligatory Kerry King-esque 'solo' here. The drumwork is pretty tight, it never lets up & changes up nicely. The vocals heard here are decipherable high rasps. However, due to the whopping duration of almost 8 minutes things get a bit repetitive towards the latter half. It doesn't give the listener any breathing room & not in a good way. The production is suitable for this style. All in all, I would've liked it more if the song was shorter and/or a bit more varied tempo wise. Still not bad by any means.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQyIM_J3V5M

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TheWaltzer
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Feb 16, 2007 11:07 am
Posts: 651
Location: Slowfuck Republic
PostPosted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 5:37 am 
 

Weeping Birth - Hurle a la Mort

Pretty intense stuff, blastbeats aplenty, although the production does take away a bit of its potential power - certainly not as raw as I'd expect for a black (or black/death) metal band. What the music lacks in terms of rawness, it makes it up with some pretty strong black metal riffs and especially some melodies and solos. These were the highlight, as they are just a tad more melodic than the genre's par. The vocals sounded pretty standard. Strong, harsh, quite clear, and since the lyrics are in French, also with a slightly different feel. Overall, nothing breathtaking, but the effort and desire to stand out is quite audible, thus it is certainly above-average. Bonus point for the creepy album cover.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__orPTDWn-o
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colin040
Metal freak

Joined: Sat Dec 08, 2007 6:00 pm
Posts: 7605
Location: Netherlands
PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 5:48 am 
 

Votum - Prometheus

Progressive metal from Poland eh? This certainly doesn't start bad with an almost ambient-esque intro so to speak that sounds relaxing to listen to. After the two minute mark, the guitars finally kick in and it reminds me of Fates Warning's somewhat more minimalistic material that they did from 2000 up until 2004. The vocals here aren't all that great and it sounds like the singer rather relies on emotion than some expressive vocal range. I expected a great buildup to something powerful but to me the song never progressed into that. It's clear this is very modern progressive metal in general, with some quasi-groove-y riffs and all, but I suppose my taste in prog differs from this quite a lot I'm afraid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAbL40WO-EU

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FunkyBurlin
Metal newbie

Joined: Sat Jan 07, 2017 9:08 pm
Posts: 115
Location: Maryland
PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 1:10 pm 
 

On thorns I lay - The blue dream

Parts of this song actually really hooked me. That riff around the 2:50 mark in particular moved the song forward nicely. Then the female vocals come in after and I have to say I am not a fan of her choices there. Really awkward sounding to me. It's a long song this and to me it feels like a bunch of ideas loosely connected and I feel like there are bands that do this better. Relatively random drops and progressions like going from a soft keyboard tones to an aggressive metal verse. I just don't feel the connection honestly. Emotionally I was not brought anywhere which for long songs you generally expect some kind of an experience or story. I felt the ideas were just cut and pasted next to each other as opposed to a more seamless transition into the next part of the song. I listened to it a second time and that first part that I mentioned at the beginning is the only part that grabbed me and then it left so quickly for some wobbly female vocals. I don't understand why they didn't expand on that, instead just nipping it in the bud and moving on to something else.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoRUXhlrGA0
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Jonpo
Hyperc6l6mb6wler

Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2007 10:05 am
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 2:43 pm 
 

FunkyBurlin wrote:


Speedtrap - No Glory Found

Oh, hey, this is faster than fuck! One nasty pick slide and then we're off to the races! I've heard a lot of good stuff about these guys but for some reason I had it in my head that they mixed in a lot of black metal influence. Maybe I confused them with Speedwolf? Haven't heard them either though. Anyways, this fucking rules. The production is organic and fiery. The vocalist actually has some character. The riffs are pure, charging, melodically-inflected...this is just airtight speed metal done with zero frills and tons of authenticity. I played it a few times. I'm not sure if the whole album would get much in the way of consistent spins, amid so many classic speed metal LPs, but this tune was super fucking fun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICHeLJZNaLA
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FunkyBurlin
Metal newbie

Joined: Sat Jan 07, 2017 9:08 pm
Posts: 115
Location: Maryland
PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2017 1:27 am 
 

@Jonpo

Spoiler: show
You have to listen to the rest of the album, it is wild. I put the full youtube album linked below starting at the second track, Torches Ablaze, and it does not disappoint. :headbang:

https://youtu.be/BPSTWJm7oBA?t=4m12s
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Jonpo
Hyperc6l6mb6wler

Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2007 10:05 am
Posts: 7735
PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2017 2:28 pm 
 

Spoiler: show
Oh yeah man, believe me that song got my attention. I'm still a little concerned with the "staying power", but if I can find a cheap copy I'm buying this for sure. To elaborate a bit about the staying power: It seems like bands that IMMEDIATELY catch my ear sometimes end up falling flat after repeated listens. Almost no challenge, y'know? But that's not always the case and speed metal isn't exactly rocket surgery. Thanks for posting a cool song. Most stuff I end up reviewing in this thread is so tepid.
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Von Cichlid
Metal newbie

Joined: Fri Mar 25, 2016 11:01 am
Posts: 289
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 2:45 am 
 

Jonpo wrote:


Cutty Sark - Jam to the Ramp

A pretty cool barroom rocker from a band that I remember reading about in an old Collector's Guide to Metal book that I have. The main riff is similar to something Motorhead might have done- it is catchy and drives the track well. The vocalist is adequate. He sounds a little like the guy from the Scorpions in the chorus and he strains at times it seems. The mix is very basic and brash and sounds almost like a demo. The song might have benefited from some more... mixing, but hey, it's Mausoleum Records! This would be a great track for a compilation of stuff from similar bands from the same era. The album has a very cool cover and the band name is hilarious because it is the same as the Scotch that all the old timers used to buy when I worked at a liquor store back in my college days. 7.5/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpk5CGQhHD0

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colin040
Metal freak

Joined: Sat Dec 08, 2007 6:00 pm
Posts: 7605
Location: Netherlands
PostPosted: Wed Mar 29, 2017 5:04 am 
 

Alcatrazz - General Hospital

Some classy 80's metal here. Cool intro riff and I had no idea Yngwie Malmsteem played on this until I looked it up. The vocals are semi-rough, reminiscent of one of the vocalists of the Japanese Anthem band (and I've heard Graham Bonnet recorded some vocals for that band at one time) and they're not really bad. My main problem with the tune is that the riffs never stick out much and if you ask me I'd get the idea Yngwie Malmsteem likes/liked to put way more thought into his solos than his actual riffs. I could imagine some speedier tunes on this album standing out more, but this sounds pretty decent at best and doesn't really make me want to check out more of the band or something.

Speaking of speed metal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA5x0Co6tZk

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Sepulchrave
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2015 7:29 pm
Posts: 1994
PostPosted: Mon May 29, 2017 7:52 pm 
 

Seasons of the Wolf - Transmission

First of all, I really want to commend the Yes-like keyboards here. It's something a lot of heavy and power metal bands miss when they went to convey ecstatic feelings; just really gives it another dimension. And it's not just any old keyboard slapped on the music - the keyboardist here is really, really good during the solo. The vocalist is also very cool, I get some Oliva/Howe vibes from him and I even hear a brief King Diamond moment there. The main riff is quite catchy, and is generally expected fare for speed metal, but the riffs are also not afraid to have their more atmospheric moments, which makes for a pleasant combination of upliftedness and good old rocking. Interesting stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCOHk0GHvjo
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Zelkiiro
Pounding the world with a fish of steel

Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 5:30 pm
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Location: Pennsylvania
PostPosted: Mon May 29, 2017 11:34 pm 
 

PoMetra Crijeva - Ca je Trubilo

Well, this was weird. The Archives has this listed as death/thrash metal, but it sounds more like crossover thrash with its short length and stripped-down punk attitude. I like the main riff and the guy's shouted clean vocals are energizing, but his growls are extremely lacking and feel weak. They really should've just gone with the shouting over the growling, because that's when the song sounded its best, if you ask me (which you always should). The production's a bit fuzzy, but it feels right. It's simple and it's angry, and it works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fltzhL4Glts (if you know me, you knew it was coming)
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Peyp
Metal newbie

Joined: Mon May 25, 2015 1:16 am
Posts: 209
Location: California, United States
PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2017 12:16 am 
 

Zelkiiro wrote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fltzhL4Glts (if you know me, you knew it was coming)


Mary's Blood - Bite the Bullet

Glad I clicked on your link; I had always meant to check out Mary's Blood but two years have gone by. I was surprised by what I heard, as I didn't expect it to be as powerful or as brutal as it was. I always had the impression that Japanese power metal was more melodic than Western counterparts (Balflare, Dragon Guardian, Fate Gear, Galneryus, Versailles, even "post-Blue Blood" X Japan is kind of melodic in my eyes) but it's great to see stereotypes broken. Everyone was quite skilled, but the drummer and the guitarist (Mari and Saki, from what I can gather) stood out to me. Will definitely look into their songs soon. 8/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDXOMrBpbAo
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