Opera Diabolicus - 1614

Genre: Dark/Gothic/Operatic Metal
Country: Sweden
Year: 2012
Country: Sweden
Tracklist:
01. Overture (Instrumental) 01:31
02. The Gates 10:02
03. Blood Countess Bathory 09:24
04. The 13th Guest 07:28
05. In Memoriam (Instrumental) 02:43
06. Mythos Lamia 06:46
07. Forbidden 06:48
08. Stone By Stone 09:18
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More info + review: here

Obscura - Illegimitation (compilation)

Genre: Technical Death Metal
Country: Germany
Year: 2012
Bitrate: 320 CBR
Tracklist:
01. And All Will Come To An End (2:58)
02. Crucified (4:24)
03. Fear (4:37)
04. Immanent Desaster (6:03)
05. Incarnated (5:20)
06. Open The Gates (2:41)
07. Headworm (4:46)
08. Flesh and the Power it Holds (Death) (8:08)
09. Piece of Time (Atheist) (4:28)
10. How Could I (Cynic) (4:51)
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Read review: here

BrainWasheD - Wrecked

Genre: Thrash Metal
Year: 2011
Country: Poland
Tracklist:
01. Bringing Out Of Death 03:33
02. I, Leader 08:04
03. Wrecked 04:00
04. Beast Within Me 05:20
05. Give Me Your Blood 08:16
06. Breaking The Chains 06:04
07. Voices In Your Head 04:39
08. The Battle / Back To The War 07:17
09. Last Breaths 05:28
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A surprisingly fresh offering of brisk classic Bay-Area thrash comes from these Poles, and it comes with a crystal clear sound quality. The band are well versed in teh craft, and pull out sharp cutting riffs with a sophisticated technical edge, which grows into a more serious involvement on the 8-min "I, Leader". The other songs are more relaxed complexity-wise, and are worthy affairs full of catchy rhythms and soaring leads, the latter really on a high level. "Beast Within Me" in the middle is a splitting technicaller with echoes of Forbidden and Testament, but the following epic "monster" "Give Me Your Blood" is another more elaborate thrasher with its more than 8-min of wild riffage and screaming leads, on top of a few more laid-back proto-groovy breaks. "Breaking The Chains" will break not only your "chains", but also parts of your body with its aggressive guitars which lash fire for 6-min. Despite the fair length of most of the tracks the band never lose focus, and manage to thrash with passion the whole time wrapping it up with the perennial headbanger "Last Breaths" at the end. The singer may diappoint a bit with his gruff semi-clean tember which sits the closest to the Chuck Billy attempts at singing more brutally on "Demonic" and "The Gathering". This is a really promising beginning for the guys, and hopefully they will manage to preserve the high quality displayed here on future recordings.

Enthroned - Obsidium

Genre: Black Metal
Year: 2012
Country: Belgium
Bitrate: 320 CBR
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Tracklist:
01. Sepulchred Within Opaque Slumber
02. Nonus Sacramentvm - Obsidium
03. Horns Alfame
04. Deathmoor
05. Oblivious Shades
06. The Final Architect
07. Petraolevm Salvia
08. Oracle Ov Void
09. Thy Blight Vacuum
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Review: here

Desaster - The Arts of Destruction

Genre: Black/Thrash Metal
Country: Germany
Year: 2012
Tracklist:
1. Intro 01:13
2. The Art of Destruction 04:04
3. Lacerate (With Rays of Doom) 03:11
4. The Splendour of the Idols 04:20
5. Phantom Funeral 05:12
6. Queens of Sodomy 03:12
7. At Hell's Horizons 04:13
8. Troops of Heathens, Graves of Saints 03:49
9. Possessed and Defiled 08:28
10. Beyond Your Grace 03:51
11. Outro 02:50
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So German Black/Thrash titans DESASTER finally return with the long awaited follow up to 2007’s “Satan’s Soldiers Syndicate”, which was a glorious return to form after the uneven “Anglewhore”. I had extremely high aspirations for this release, as the previous was so blindingly brilliant I was hesitant they’d have lost that spark somewhere along the road. All apprehensions were soon put to the sword though as soon as the last track ended; winding my jaw up off the floor after being thoroughly drained of all thought due to the sheer overwhelming power that is “The Arts of Destruction”, they haven’t just followed “Satan’s Soldiers Syndicate” up with an equal album, they’ve arguably created what is their most accomplished and awe inspiring release yet. “The Arts of Destruction” is a totem of the Black/Thrash genre, a glimpse at what so many other bands can only dream of achieving.

For a band who have been around for as long as these veterans to constantly keep releasing quality albums and hit such a high at this period in their career is nothing short of remarkable. Only a handful of bands contain that fire which puts them on another level altogether from the rest, DESASTER along with the comparably awesome DESTROYER 666 have both now effectively come close to perfecting this genre. “The Arts of Destruction” is wall to wall venom, with vocals which appear dredged from the abyss of hell itself and a guitar tone and drumming which will grind your bones to dust, and it’s hard to see how this can be bettered.

So anyway, enough with the gushing praise, straight from the eponymous title track right through to "Beyond Your Grace”, the album is a sweeping behemoth of riffing that will get every static head in the room banging. Infernal’s guitar tone is and always has been the back-bone to Desaster, the huge crushing riffs and ripping solo’s have been a mainstay since their inception and is none more evident than here. Choice cuts would either be the DESTRUCTION-esque main riff during “Phantom Funeral” and the unequivocally epic “Teutonic Steel”-esque lead work in “Possessed and Defiled”. Sataniac’s vocals are just as impressive, stronger than ever and that underlying Cavalera like sneer still present. The vocals slash and tear through the everything like a feral dog, ranging from an almost Death like guttural to higher pitched Black screams delivered in such a way it sounds as if he’s delivering a hate filled sermon rather than a mere Black metal song. The drumming is similarly impressive, fast paced and earth shakingly intense yet always thoroughly varied hammering the riffs straight into your neck.

The production present here is magnificent, a flawless mix and clarity which does its best to complement every single riff and every single vocal line without ever sounding ‘modern’. A special shout must go to the duo of “At Hell’s Horizon” and “Possessed and Defiled”, the former being a four minute hellstorm of blasphemy with a central section violent enough to turn even the most reserved metal head into a fist clenching swagger, the latter an eight-minute epic along the lines of “Teutonic Steel” and “Conqueror Supremacy” with the pace take down a notch or two and a grandeur of evil like that from early BATHORY. It’s songs like the aforementioned and “Metalized Blood” etc that are why Desaster are held in such high regard, their ability to write such enthralling Black/Thrash is matched at the minute only by that of DESTROYER 666.

All the usual influences are present, from early SEPULTURA to BATHORY to the Teutonic German scene of the 80’s, and even a bit of hard-core punk the form of “Queens of Sodomy”, so in the chance that you haven’t heard DESASTER before and your music taste is somewhat along those lines then “The Arts of Destruction” will be right up your alley and is as good a place to start as any with them. If there was ever any doubt as to their position, then this album has completely blown them off the map, because “The Arts of Destruction” is one of the finest militant Blackened Thrash releases yet. Every so often an album will come along and completely floor me and reaffirm just why exactly I listen to metal in the first place, why I persevere through all the shit and one which keeps blowing me away every single time I listen to it, and for an album to do that to me is rare. A rare full marks from me.

Bludvera - Terrorform

Genre: Thrash Metal
Year: 2012
Country: UK
Tracklist:
01. Reanimate 03:18
02. Powerhouse 04:01
03. Citizen Monopoly 03:58
04. Terrorform 04:24
05. Parasitic Death Sentence 04:30
06. Voyage Beyond The System 03:34
07. Conjure The Dead 05:10
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There are seven reasons you need to buy “Terrorform” when it’s released, and they are every track on this album. Bludvera have made an album that throws them in the category of supreme English thrash metal, a category shared with the likes of Onslaught and modern day favorites Evile. If you do one thing this whole year, make sure buying this album is it.

Gorod - A Perfect Absolution

Genre: Technical Death Metal
Year: 2012
Country: France
Tracklist:
1. Birds of Sulphur 05:10
2. Sailing into the Earth 04:57
3. Elements and Spirit 05:09
4. The Axe of God 03:48
5. 5000 at the Funeral 05:55
6. Carved in the Wind 06:21
7. Varangian Paradise 04:35
8. Tribute of Blood 04:03
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Two and a half years ago I was pleasantly surprised by ‘Process Of A New Decline’, Gorod’s third album. The French death metallers presented a fresh outlook on the genre with the perfect combination between technical abilities and hyper melodic infusions. Come 2012 I am more than curious to learn if the new album ‘A Perfect Absolution’ will have a similar effect on me.

Of course there are expectations this time around, so it is more difficult to be really surprised. However what becomes apparent at first listen is that from the classic intro to the furious ending ‘Tribute Of Blood’ is that we are dealing with a piece of high quality death metal yet again. You are still slapped silly with melodic leads, solo’s and whatnots. At times it almost feels like you’re playing some computer game where every tweedly-doodle means another kill or coin collected. Until now it might seem like Gorod simply produced ‘Prcoess Of A New Decline’ version 2.0, but this is certainly not the case. Light symphonic touches (for example in the beginning of ‘Elements And Spirit’), experimentation with spoken parts and clean vocals, some straight forward heavy metal bits here a more jazzy part there: all this is evidence that Gorod have tried their utmost once again to come up with a strong collection of exciting, well-thought out compositions. I sincerely hope that their upcoming European tour with Obscura will finally give these French guys the recognition they deserve!

Angel Witch - As Above, So Below

Genre: NWOBHM
Year: 2012
Country: UK
Tracklist:
01. Dead Sea Scrolls 05:59
02. Into the Dark 05:11
03. Gebura 05:24
04. The Horla 07:29
05. Witching Hour 05:49
06. Upon This Cord 06:33
07. Guillotine 06:53
08. Brainwashed 07:10
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Angel Witch has been in existence since the 70s and was one of the most important exponents of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. Together with Iron Maiden Angel Witch had a bright future. Unfortunately the band didn’t get the success but they did earn respect with their music. The self-titled debut from 1980 is a classic and influenced hundreds of other bands. The band has folded and reunited many times over the years, always with singer/guitarist Kevin Heybourne as a constant factor. The current line-up is active since 2008 and consists of bassist Will Palmer (ex-Mourn) and drummer Andy Prestridge (Winters) next to Heybourne. Live they have added a certain Bill Steer.

So far the band focussed on live shows, but now there’s finally a studio album. ‘As Above, So Below’ has eight songs of which four are new and the other four from the past (1983, 1984 and even more ancient). If you wouldn’t know what songs are old and new you wouldn’t be able to figure it out that easily by the way. All tracks have that classic vibe like the new ‘The Horla’ with its great build-up and the old one ‘Witching Hour’ (my favourite song on the album). As far as I’m concerned this sounds like Angel Witch although you will hear some similarities to Iron Maiden but then again, they’re from the same era and draw from the same influences. The production is modern though; it sounds heavy and pounds on without losing that classic character of the songs. Just listen to the subtle organ parts in the mix. ‘As Above, So Below’ might not be the highlight of the year but it will find its way to the stereo regularly.

Pharaoh - Bury the Light

Genre: Power Metal
Year: 2012
Country: USA
Tracklist:

1.	Leave Me Here to Dream	04:55
2.	The Wolves	04:51
3.	Castles in the Sky	05:02
4.	The Year of the Blizzard	07:45
5.	The Spider's Thread	04:04
6.	Cry	04:22
7.	Graveyard of Empires	06:42
8.	Burn With Me	04:00
9.	In Your Hands	05:07
10.	The Spider's Thread (reprise)	01:34
		48:22

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PHARAOH’s 2012 debut, "Bury the Light" is the very definition of Power Metal; packed with power chords, lyrics crammed with cheese, and hair-raising, boisterous vocals. Simply put: if you enjoy traditional Power Metal, you will find much to like about PHARAOH.

My personal criticism is that these Americans never push the pace or test the bounds of their genre, and ultimately they stay within the cookie cutter mold. There is no distinction to them that would make me throw their album in rather than the other millions of Power Metal albums out there; just another brawny cheddar-head in the cheese-fest bowlgame.



This is not to say that there is a lack of talent. Matt Johnsen reveals harmonic guitar riffs that fluctuate with speed and creativity, especially in the dorkified, “Castles in the Sky”, and one of my personal favorites, “In Your Hands”. Emotions run high especially in the dramatized, “The Year of the Blizzard”. Tim Aymar’s vocals are raspy yet have great range and clarity, especially in the opener, “Leave Me Here to Dream”, and “Burn with Me”. In tracks like “The Spider’s Thread” they take on a more aggressive tone and begin to sound like ICED EARTH with a Rob Halford twist.

Perhaps a more avid Power Metal follower would have much more to say and would have perhaps enjoyed PHARAOH’s “Bury the Light” more, but from an outside opinion, and while I think they are incredibly talented, they could benefit from some sort of trademark sound or edge over the competition. For what they are, it's still well worth a listen.

Alyanza - Mind Control

Genre: Speed/Thrash Metal
Year: 2011
Bitrate: 320 CBR
Country: Spain
Tracklist:
01. Welcome To The Darkness (Intro) 00:51
02. The Pleasure Of Evil Mind 04:56
03. Beyond Infinity 04:33
04. Bitterness Of Hate 04:08
05. Lost Behind The Silence (1975-1996) 05:25
06. No Human 04:51
07. Future 04:12
08. Show Me All Your Fears 03:50
09. Spiral Vortex 04:46
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This Spanish outfit plays fairly good classic thrash which is characterized by a rich dark sound and sharp smashing riffs accentuated by a heavy rhythm-section. The music is mid to up-tempo with a frequent alternation of pace. "Bitterness Of Hate" is a raging speedster ala Paradox and Toxic Shock, with a short blasting section included. "Lost Behind The Silence (1975-1996)" is a surprisingly lyrical semi-ballad with a more updated modern-ish sound, recalling Kreator's "Outcast". Mentioning Kreator, there are strong similarities in the vocal department with the German act, as the singer here epitomizes Mille's early vicious snarl quite well. The hard thrashing carries on after that with "No Human", but "Future" is another stop from the "train" being a mild power/thrasher, and "Show Me All Your Fears" is a diverse piece mixing firce riffage with more quiet balladic passages. The closing "Spiral Vortex" is an intense shredding instrumental with a beautiful melodic lead-driven break; a fitting epitaph to this intriguing album, which shows a new act with a vision and an individual take on the good old ideas.

Demonseed - Anatomy of Atrocity

Genre: Death Metal
Year: 2004
Country: U.S.A.
Bitrate: 320 CBR
Tracklist:
01. Gore Grind
02. Liar
03. Chainsaw Sodomy
04. Toe Tag
05. Centuries
06. Trophied Limbs
07. Scenario
08. Death Day Comes
09. Minnesota
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Unfortunately, the old EP of the band from Texas isn't well known in the underground that's why "Anatomy of Atrocity" may be a very surprising material for those who haven't heard Demonseed yet. I mean, they will be very surprised that they didn't know such good band. Demonseed plays well-composed, intelligent and uncompromising music, and what is very important, original although not experimental. Demonseed keeps playing brutally but with many tempo changes. It’s brutal material no matter if it’s mid-paced or fast-paced. Definitely, Demonseed is a mature band that doesn’t copy any popular trend. “Anatomy of Atrocity” delivers good musicianship and many interesting ideas. That’s one more brutal band from Texas that knows very well what to do to record a good album.

Crusher - Endless Torment

Genre: Thrash Metal
Year: 2012
Country: Ukraine
Tracklist:
Bitrate: 320 CBR
Tracklist:
01. Intro 02:00
02. On The Needle 04:55
03. Den Of Inquity 03:31
04. Politishit 03:52
05. Endless Torment 05:14
06. S(k)atanic Ride 03:07
07. Jesus Saves (Slayer Cover) 02:54
08. Living For... 03:56
09. Thrasher In Hell 02:04
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Review: here

Ketzer - Endzeit Metropolis

Genre: Thrash/Black Metal
Year: 2012
Country: Germany
Bitrate: 320 CBR
Tracklist:
01. Endzeit Metropolis
02. A Requiem For Beauty
03. The Fever's Tide
04. Aesthetics And Ecstasy
05. Farewell, Fade Away
06. Collector Of Worlds
07. Redeemed By Truth
08. He, Who Stands Behind The Rows
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I’ve been waiting for this CD very long! But finally the wait is over: Ketzer’s second full-length has hit the stores. The CD version is available through the Necroshine Records webstore or directly through the band (send an e-mail to headquarter@ketzer-thrash.de and ask for it). The vinyl version is obtainable through the Iron Bonehead Records shop. If you adored the bands debut ‘Satan’s Boundaries Unchained’ you don’t have to hesitate to buy ‘Endzeit Metropolis’, because it’s even better than its predecessor. If you aren’t acquainted with ‘Satan’s Boundaries Unchained’ you don’t have to hesitate either, because this is a tar-filled blackened thrash metal album that should be in every extreme metal fan’s collection. Don’t expect some commercial pussy thrash here, Ketzer will blacken your soul and at that point there’s no turning back.

Sacrario - Beyond The Violence

Genre: Thrash Metal
Country: Brazil
Year: 2012
Bitrate: 320 CBR
Tracklist:
01. Prelude To The End (02:19)
02. Beyond The Violence (04:18)
03. Urban Assault (06:00)
04. Maze Of Suffering (04:01)
05. Merciless Tyrant (03:50)
06. Dead In Human Form (04:57)
07. The End (20:37)
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Their other albums: here
"Beyond the Violence" is again a more controlled affair, the compositions being diverse with an alternation between fast and slower moments. Some of them escape this description, and lash steel riffs like a forging anvil: "Maze of Suffering", but on the other hand we have engaging heavy stompers in the best tradition of late-80's Slayer: "Mercilless Tyrant". The sophisticated technical edge introduced on the previous album sneaks in ("Dead in Human Form") here and there, but generally this effort is pretty straight-forward. The problem is that it is only 6 songs, and there is a kind of an unfinished feel attached to it; probably due to some of the band members' involvement with the thrashers Distraught...

Lechery - In Fire

Genre: Heavy Metal
Year: 2012
Country: Sweden
Bitrate: 320 CBR
Tracklist:
01. Awakening
02. Mechanical Beast
03. Burning Anger
04. Heart Of A Metal Virgin
05. Lethal
06. Cross The Line
07. Carry On
08. In Fire
09. All The Way
10. The Igniter
11. Lust For Sin
12. We All Gonna Rock You Tonight
13. Fail And Fall (Japan Bonus Track)
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The most surprising thing about Lechery certainly isn't their generic Germanic sound, instead the quirk here comes from the fact that for a band so deeply rooted in the sound of Accept, UDO and Victory, with a hint of Scorpions, that this four piece actually hail from Sweden. However formed by one time Arch Enemy singer Martin Bengtsson, Lechery manage to hammer out the strict, uncompromising metal that those German masters so very much made their trademark in extremely convincing style indeed. In Fire is the band's second effort, following on from 2008's Violator and while the production and mix ensure the album sounds brand new and spanking, this is music from a sound gone by.

The guitars staunchly bristle and burst with staccato riffing that is big, bold and brash, while the drums kick out straight beats which inevitably lead to much fist punching and the straining of maturing neck muscles. There's nothing here that hasn't already been done before and many times at that, but any true metal fan will undoubtedly find themselves whisked back in time by an album that is as authentic as it is hard hitting. A quick browse through track titles like "Burning Anger", "Lust For Sin" and "Heart Of A Metal Virgin" (to which one of my daughters asked me why is he singing "Heart of a metal budgie" – and I can hear where she's coming from), leaves no doubt that Lechery's lyrics are taken from the well thumbed book of metal cliché. However Bengtsson's rasping roar and his and Fredrik Nordstrandh mighty slabs of guitar, make for impressive foot to the floor metal and when augmented by huge chant along choruses, it is hard to deny that Lechery do the expected extremely well.

Call it nostalgic, call it done before, but ultimately metal fans will call it damn good and be done with it.