NIGHT IN GALES - Five Scars

What started as a promising band in the mid 90's, slowly faded away in the light of the new century, and the short hiatus the band took to explore it's musical horizons lasted about a decade. But they are back, with their fifth album so far, and their first, if I'm not mistaken in LifeForce Records. What the listener will find here, is a band playing Swedish Death Metal, with all it's pros and almost none of it's cons. There are tons of melodies, aggressive and clear vocals, crunchy guitar riffs, a solid rhythm section, and songs that are well written and catchy enough. There are enough Thrash elements in their music and this makes this album a bit more aggressive, something that is also welcome. The songs are well written, with a variety in influences that prevent them from becoming repetitive, with nice and well worked melodies, parts to bang your head and sing along, and with some interesting ideas that the band is trying to explore as much as possible. The production done by Dan Swano is great, not that we expected less from a man so familiar with the genre, and is another plus for the album. If you are a fan of the genre, a fan of the band, or both, then do check this album. With the majority of the songs standing much above the average, this release will establish the trademark NIG in the Metal map once again, and will open new opus in their career.

9/10  

ABSU - Abzu

The Texan band exists since the late 80's, although starting from a different style of extreme Metal, and this is their latest release, following their highly successful self titled release of 2009. This time, there are not as many guest appearances as with their previous album but this doesn't affect the music at all. The band is playing Black Metal if you want to tag their music, but there are much more to it, that will please fans of other styles as well. First of all, their music contains huge amounts of Thrash, from the riffs to the tempo, and this is something very enjoyable. What is more important here, is that the music has a variety in styles that prevents the listener from having the feeling that it's repetitive or boring. There are melodies here and there, that enrich the whole result, the vocals vary from screaming high-pitched Black Metal to slower and more ritualistic forms, and the music in general seems to adopt various elements and explores new territories. This is more obvious on the last track of the album, which is a 15 minute tune, with the band showing their performing and composing skills. The production is very good, it's clear and powerful enough, but also preserves the mysterious atmosphere that the band has created with their music. The album is a journey from Black Metal blastbeating to Thrash headbanding and mysterious places of the earth, with the transition being made so natural that the listener will be amazed.

9/10       

ALMAH - Trace Of Trait (2011) // Official Video

The new ALMAH album "Motion" will be released in Europe on October 14th.

MORBUS CHRON - Sleepers In A Rift

The story of this band starts back in 2007 in Sweden, and this is their first full length release so far. The band is playing Death Metal, but nothing close to what Swedish Metal sounds today. Instead imagine a mixture of old-fashioned Thrash music, with screaming vocals, that are a blend of Black and Death Metal, a very dark atmosphere and enough melodies here and there. The result is rather strange, raw and primitive, but addictive and catchy. I am not sure if they are experienced musicians or now trying to establish a sound of their own, but they have good things in their music, that fans of the extreme might like. Judging from the track titles, but also partially from the cover art, their song lyrics, or some of them, must have been inspired by the work of Lovecraft, something that I also find fitting with the atmosphere of the music. The production is quite good, clear enough, and manages to preserve the feeling. A band with potential, with enough good moments, enough nice ideas, and a very interesting approach in their music. If you put aside some less good moments, you have a raw album that gives them a promising future.

6/10      

PATHOLOGY - Awaken To The Suffering

Pathology is a band that exists from 2006, and this is their fourth release so far and their second in Victory Records. The band is playing a Brutal mixture of Death Metal with enough Grind and some Thrash elements, something that will bring chills to the spine of the fans. Pathology not only manages to deliver their music but to showcase their performing skills as well. The rhythm section is tight as a rock, the drummer is great, either on slower parts, or when the band is accelerating, and the guitar solos are melodic, technical and complex enough. The vocals are the kind of growls one should expect from such a style, low pitched, like coming from the depths or from a grave, and fitting perfectly with the music. Whats amazing is their ability to create groovy songs, catchy and full of energy, with a variety of tempos, without becoming boring, or repetitive. There are even some melodies here and there, that create a nice contradiction with the blast-beats and the growling. A very good and clean production completes the album in the best possible way, and gives some extra credits to the whole result. It's brutal, aggressive, and feels like a kick in the stomach. Not for the weak.

9/10  

House Of Lords - Someday When (Official Video)

Taken from the album "Big Money" out on Frontiers Records. Release dates: Europe: September 23rd 2011 / USA September 27th 2011.