Atmospheric and ravishing, “Survived By None”, the twelve tracks debut release of the British Breaking The Day will grind you to the ground. With roots back to raw black metal, but with extreme and modern, sometimes quite experimental metal in their veins, BTD find their quite unique path to explore the darkest and contorted borders of nowadays metal/post-hardcore area of music. Brutal, but expressive, gloomy, but beautiful, “Survived By None” is an astonishing panorama of apocalypse, an end not of the race or the species, but of the man and his alienated soul. Shit, at least this is what I think so. Read more Breaking The Day – Survived By None (2011)
Metal
Dot Three – Antithesis (2011)
For ₤1 (or more) you can have this 12 track release via Bandcamp. Or go there and just listen it, you will not be dissapointed. For the music, imagine a collision between Annihilator and Pantera. Joe Newham seems to be a pretty good guitar player, the songs are filled with excellent riff works and some interesting themes, but honestly, this sounds more than a pretty good demo, rather than an album. But definitively there’s potential in it, if Joe will find the proper band mates, and especially a powerful, charismatic lead singer, this project might become the real thing. “Superimposed” for instance is a quite interesting experiment and it’s not the only one. Still, despite a few very good themes, the strong riffs and complex, technical constructions, the good groove and atmosphere, still, somehow this work seems not completely finished. Read more Dot Three – Antithesis (2011)
Icon in Me – Head Break Solution (2011)
In the purest vein of Machine Head, merging thrash, groove metal and hardcore, this over-borders collaborative project involving musicians from Russia, Sweden and Denmark, will release on July 12 via the Chicago, Illinois-based label Goomba Music their second full-length album following their 2009 debut “Human Museum”. ex-Hostile Breed guitarist Dmitry Frans and bass player Konstantin, guitarist Artyom (ex- Reign The Absolute, БeZumnye Usilya) – from Moscow, Russia, Danish drummer Morten Løwe Sørensen (Amaranthe, Mercenary, The Arcane Order, Submission, Soilwork, Hatesphere, Scarve, Instant Carnage) and Swedish vocalist Tony Jelencovich (M.A.N, С-187, ex-Mnemic, Transport League) delivering 12 new, original, strong, killer tracks, already absolute classics of metal themes with cutting riffs, merciless vocals and pumping drums, with roots back to both Testament and Pantera, putting together all the good stuffs and elements which made the metal of the 90s so heavy and powerful. Read more Icon in Me – Head Break Solution (2011)
Crossfaith – The Dream, The Space (2011)
Before I had listen to “The Dream, The Space” the second full-length album by Crossfaith, I saw on YouTube their video of “Omen” and it just blow my head off. I’m quite a devoted Prodigy fan and “Omen” is one of my favorite songs, but these guys released a killer cover.
On the other hand I have to admit, I’m sick, tired and bored of this “metalcore”, “alternative metal” trend, trillion of bands from all over the world playing the same patters, it becomes absolutely cliche this mixture of raw and clean vocals dialogue, this post-emo approach of classic metal with post-hardcore elements. Well, as always, there are a few exceptions, and these Japanese guys are one of them. Read more Crossfaith – The Dream, The Space (2011)
Harm’s Way – Isolation (2011)
I don’t have a clue if the novel by James Bassett written in ’62 inspired this guys from Chicago or not, but “Isolation” is definitively heavy as a cruiser on a seek-out-and-destroy mission. They delivering kind of old-school but excellent hardcore merged with some sludge and doom after-taste moments and sounds, filled with cutting and crushing groove metal riffs, pumping drums and howling basses that will tread you to the ground. Not to compare it with, but it reminds me of Biohazard’s “Urban Discipline” (1992), it has the same groove, strength and unpolished freshness and raw, but also incorporated the power of Pantera and their best riffing without actually copying anything. Usually I don’t get too easily excited, but Harm’s Way quite made me bang my head. Read more Harm’s Way – Isolation (2011)
Lost Sphere Project – Third Level to Internal Failure (2011)
Brutal, grinding and merciless, Geneva’s Lost Sphere Project are back after their first full length album, “Verse XXIV” released in 2009. Make no mistake, they gonna rip off your head and eat your heart. “Third Level to Internal Failure” is an excellent mixture of grindcore terrorism and brutal, technical death metal, the result is a fast, violent, extremely complex, uncompromising grind metal album with many cutting riffs, tempo and theme shifting, raw vocals and beneath all the butchery, Lost Sphere Project actually are quite musical, managed to write songs beyond madness, chaos and noise. Read more Lost Sphere Project – Third Level to Internal Failure (2011)
Vicious Rumors – Razorback Killers (2011)
There’s no future without past, and maybe for some youngsters it may seems incredible, Vicious Rumors are on the heavy metal scene for 32 years, being one of the true “defenders of the faith”. And not only accidentally I quote the 1984s Judas Priest album’s title, on “Razorback Killers” introduced him self for the first time on a Vicious Rumors album vocalist Brian Allen, another old acquaintance from the mid 80s when he was the front-man of the band Malice and they stroked with albums such “In the Beginning…” and “Licence to Kill”. Back then Brian Allen were widely compared to Metal God Rob Halford and his voice still have the same power and characteristics.
While composer and guitarist Geoff Thorpe is the only constant member right from the beginning, “Razorback Killers” is “only” the band’s tenth studio album, but features several guest musicians including former guitarist Mark McGee. Read more Vicious Rumors – Razorback Killers (2011)
Naisian – Mammalian (2011)
Far off from the Brit scene and tends, Naisian from Sheffield, brings to the surface a tumultuous, contorted metal with roots back both to the classic Black Sabbath sound and the mixture of sludge and post-hardcore riffs, in their music is a perfect balance between dark and noisy elements and sometimes psychedelic, other time warm and calm, spacy moments. James Borrowdale – guitar and vocals, Adam Zejma – guitar and vocals, Micheal Aitken – bass and vocals and Jordan Garlick – (only 🙂 ) drums, create a quite exciting and unique blending of intense metal and avantgardist surfing. “Mammalian” can be listen and downloaded (“name your price”) from the band’s Bandcamp page. It worth every minute and every penny. Read more Naisian – Mammalian (2011)
Far From The Tree – You’ve Crashed Your Only Vessel (2011)
I’m almost frightened when I had to listen another band labeled “metalcore”. A few years back bands started to deny any reference to “emo”, it will take no long till bands will start denying any connection to metalcore. Till than, day after day dozen of bands, albums came through, most of them delivering the same trendy cliches. Fortunately, there are few exceptions from time to time, and Far From The Tree are one of them. “You’re Crashed Your Only Vessel” is a powerful mixture of old-school heavy metal riffings – well, some of them are returning quite to the NWOBHM and particularly to Iron Maiden – and some groove metal riffs while the space between is filled up with techno textures and layers. Cody screams, howls and sings as any singer with self esteem should nowadays and the band delivering from intense grindings to nice acoustic breaks everything to make the whole machinery sounds dynamic and catchy. And well, they do a pretty good job. Read more Far From The Tree – You’ve Crashed Your Only Vessel (2011)
Altar Of Plagues – Mammal (2011)
Pretty gloomy, merging elements from black metal to post-rock and creating sometimes contorted butcheries, other moments twisted, spacy, atmospheric, ambient passages, from Cork, Ireland, Altar Of Plagues strikes again with their second full-length album and four dark, epic, tumultuous tracks. Formed in 2006, they take influence from several differerent acts such as Emperor, Björk and Arvo Pärt. The bands untraditional aesthetic and approach to the music has led to a wide variety of listeners and this may be seen by the diverse range of acts Altar of Plagues have toured with, including Isis and Mayhem, as well as having appeared at festivals that focus on ‘extreme’ metal and festivals that encourage experimentation and diversity. Read more Altar Of Plagues – Mammal (2011)
