The diversity, depth and beauty I found on this album isn't something that many bands manage to accomplish nowadays! I know this was a pretty unorthodox way to start a presentation, but at the same time I think it's the most adequate in order to catch your attention. The reason is simple this German quintet has achieved to deliver one of the best albums I've listened to lately. They are filed under the melodic power metal genre, but I think this description can't fully reveal their potential and songwriting skills. Their third full length work, that came 3 years after their sophomore album "Thoughts Of A Desperate Mind", is a state-of-the-art simply because within its nine tracks it manages to incorporate a great deal of metal genres, always under the banner of melodic heavy/power metal. So, be prepared to listen to sharp guitars, a steady and concrete rhythm section, catchy choruses and some elements from melodic death metal, atmospheric/gothic tinges and a straighter classic heavy metal approach in some songs.  A great advantage for the band is definitely their vocalist, who can mold and shape his voice according to the needs of each song and offers some remarkable passionate and emotive interpretations. The production is very good, clear and powerful, the artwork is very beautiful and there's also a bonus track, so what more can you ask for from a release? Honestly I can't figure out why such a band is still unsigned, when numerous others with not even half the talent or abilities, reach the worldwide metal market with their lame releases... A definite must have, if you want to be proud of your CD collection!
Site: http://www.divinusmetal.com
Email: [email protected]

Christine  Parastatidou

I follow Philosopher from their beginning back in 2002. Last year I reviewed their debut album which was released through Ruptured Silence Records. Now the band strikes back with their newest EP “Laws Ov Form”. Musically the band walks in death metal paths and their lyrics are inspired by H. P. Lovecraft. In this EP after a short intro the band offers us two songs and one live track plus a bonus live video clip. Philosopher follows the same path as in their beginning, only now they are a little bit more mature, their compositions are better worked and of course we will be anxiously waiting for their next full length album. This is just a small taste of what we are about to listen to next year. If you want to start, you should buy their full length album “Thoughts” and then you’ll take a step inside Philosopher’s music.
Official Site: www.philosopher-music.de
E-mail: [email protected]

Antonis  Maglaras

Technical and modern death metal is what we get from this Russian quartet that delivers through their 7 compositions vast amounts of energy and power! High class death metal with many interchanges and a great deal of thrash a la SEPULTURA guarantees many headbanging hours for all the extreme metallers out there. I've also liked the modern and industrial additions that make their songs rawer and more aggressive. I'm simply amazed and enthralled at this band's potential!!! Perfect and tight music with a great and voluminous production and an incredible artwork that is worked to the slightest detail. Last but not least I think I should say a few words about the superb multimedia part they have included, which is very interesting and extremely informative! Watch the video clip, cause it kicks ass and make sure you support this band!!!!
Band Site: http://www.grenouer.com
Label Site: http://www.dfmo.net

Christine  Parastatidou

When I received this album from Riff Raff I really didn’t know what to expect. Riff Raff comes from Germany and on this album, they perform songs from ABBA with a rock ‘n’ roll attitude. Actually if you hear the original songs and the songs from Riff Raff you will realize these are some very impressive cover songs. It seems that the band has worked a lot on each track and they have added their personal signature in each one of them. To have a small picture in your mind, imagine a combination of ABBA tunes with the elements of AC/DC and you will have the way that Riff Raff have performed ABBA’s songs. Highlights from this release from my personal point of view are: “Money, Money, Money”, “I Have A Dream”, “Mamma Mia” and of course “Waterloo”. I will recommend you to visit Riff Raff’s page and purchase this album. You will have a great time hearing it.
Official Site: www.riffraff1.de
E-mail: [email protected]

Antonis  Maglaras

This is a project band based on the Abbot brothers (Dimebag and Vinnie Paul). It combines the energy of their x-super band PANTERA with lots of southern and blues rock elements. Man what an impressive combination!!! I've never heard of anything like that before! Such a great result! I can't decide if it's a southern-blues rock band playing heavy metal or the other way around. Anyway I'm sure that anyone who digs PANTERA, will love it, because it sounds like them (PANTERA), but on a different level, bringing the traditional influences of the Abbot brothers to the surface... And that's a FUCKIN' GREAT result!!! ...And one further evidence of the TOTALLY terrible loss of Dimebag for his incredible contribution to our music. The other more humane aspects don't even need to be mentioned of course. This is de facto. R.I.P. Dimebag...

Dimitris  Pantsiopoulos

I had the pleasure to follow The River, the United Kingdom based doom metal band from almost their beginning. I feel that I have grown up together with the band for some years and I am really happy that know I hold in my hands their debut album. “Drawing Down The Sun” is the title and you can find eight tracks, almost fifty minutes full of doom metal with the angelic voice of Vicky. This album was released through Retribute records before a few months. When I read that The River was preparing to release their debut album, I was sure for what I would listen to. I knew that the band would do their best in order to give us their finest moments. Even if The River walks in the doom metal paths, they have found their personal way to express themselves through their music and they have added some interesting things inside their well worked compositions which make the whole project better than ever. Definitely the band has worked really hard the past months in order to make it and you can “see” this thing if you hear carefully the songs on the album. Even though the band has the typical doom metal elements at the same time they are unique putting their personal touch. Last but not least, “Drawing Down The Sun” is a worthwhile purchase for the doom metal fans. 
Official Site: www.doomriver.co.uk 
Band E-mail: [email protected]
Label E-mail: [email protected]

Antonis  Maglaras

Wretch comes from the United States and they formed back in the glorious 80s decade. After a long ten years of break, they decided to reform and record an album with the title “Reborn” which was released before two months from Auburn Records. I have written many times that you can find a Greek anywhere. Nick Giannakos is the main composer of Wretch, he plays guitar and his solos are remarkable. Musically now Wretch follow their hearts and offer us an aggressive version of power metal like the Americans know how to do it. On this album they have included eleven tracks and almost fifty minutes of pure metal music. Their compositions are well worked with some very interesting ideas, but at the same time most of their ideas are typical with a modern fresh air. I am sure their next album which will be release during 2007, will be better that this one. Definitely I believe that the traditional fans of metal music will adore the stuff from Wretch!
E-mail: [email protected]

Antonis  Maglaras

After the doom metal band Forsaken that comes from Malta, Fire is the second band from this country that I have the chance to listen to their latest work “….Ignite”. In this work Fire has included ten tracks and almost forty five minutes of pure hard rock music with a lot of melodies. After some times listening to their album, you will see that their main advantage is the easy listening songs, the catchy refrains and of course the melodies that they include in their well worked compositions. Songs like “Get Out Of My Way”, which I believe should fit perfectly in their first single, I am sure it can easily become a radio hit. Fire has given us their best self in order to make us all hear their album. I believe the fans of rock music should give a chance to Fire and listen to their album. I will wait for their next step. Well done and ROCK ON!
Official Site: www.firemalta.com

Antonis  Maglaras

I first got it contact with Solace Of Requiem last year with their previous work. To be honest with you back then, even if I had found some good things inside their music, I didn’t like their stuff so much. Now I have in my hands their newest work with the title “Utopia Reborn” which was released through Ruptured Silence Records. On this album the band has included nine tracks and almost forty five minutes of pure death metal. The band follows the traditional paths of death metal and with well worked compositions, very interesting ideas and definitely a more mature sound they give us a very good album. I shouldn’t forget to mention that they have guest vocals from Brett Hoffmann of MALEVOLENT CREATION. I am sure that the fans of death metal will adore the stuff from Solace Of Requiem. I don’t know if the fans of the modern death metal will also like them, but you can hear some samples at their website. 
Official Site: www.solreq.com
E-mail: [email protected]

Antonis  Maglaras

To be honest with you Black Candle is the first black metal band that I have the chance to hear so far from Luxemburg. “Lead Me To The Tombs” is their newest album, after spending four years working on it. This album is self financed and limited to 500 copies. In this work you will find ten tracks and almost forty five minutes of pure black metal. Actually Black Candle offers us a dark, extreme and evil journey through their black metal world. Even if they don’t follow the old days of black metal, they have achieved to make a dark album with some very interesting atmospheric moments but at the same time with hellish sounds straight from the depths of hell. For sure fans of black metal can order a copy while waiting for the new DIMMU BORGIR album or aren’t DIMMU BORGIR so deep in black metal? The decision is yours!
E-mail:[email protected]

Antonis  Maglaras

When it comes to Wizard, I have this romantic point of view about the band: I think that they are mainly fans of this music and that by releasing albums they simply try to reach people that share the same interests with them. This doesn’t mean that I will judge this release with different measures. Their last album that I totally enjoyed and appreciated was the great “Bound By Metal”. After this release, on their next albums, I just liked some songs, but not the albums as a whole. “Goochan”, in a way, reminds me of the "Bound By Metal" release, cause it has the same freshness and passion for traditional heavy metal. Here the references  to MANOWAR have been reduced and an experienced listener will listen to some influences from HELLOWEEN and BLIND GUARDIAN. Also in the last 4 songs of this album the band seems to remind us of their thrash metal past (note: to be more accurate Dano Boland was a member of the thrash metal band VEBRIFUGRE), always though under the shadow of classic heavy metal. This is a good album that the fans of this genre won’t regret to buy. I recommend you to listen to the songs “Children Of The Night”, “Sword Of Vengeance” and “Pale Rider”.

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

Balflare comes from Japan and “Tempest” is their latest album. Here you will be able to listen to eleven songs and more than forty six minutes of pure melodic power metal. From the opening track Balflare give us a specific picture of what we will hear in the next hour, a well played power metal with a lot of melodies and very impressive keyboard additions. Most of their compositions are well worked with very interesting ideas but also with some typical elements that we hear on almost every power metal album. In the case of Balflare, the band has done a great work in the guitars with remarkable guitar riffs and solos. Also, they have great choruses, which stick in your mind from the first time you hear them. Imagine the finest moments of STRATOVARIUS and SONATA ARCTICA with the personal sound of Balflare and you will have a small picture of how the band sounds. A recommended release for the fans of power metal. 
Official Site: www.balflare.net
E-mail: [email protected]

Antonis  Maglaras

N.W.O.S.D.M. is also known by the name Gothenburg metal or metalcore if it comes from the other side of the Atlantic. This is a genre that many bands choose to follow in our days, because they think that it's the easy way to success. However this fact has leaded this kind of music in a kind of slow decadence. Mors Principium Est have chosen to play this kind of music and they had a difficult task to achieve... Nowadays skilful playing is not enough, we need something more as listeners for a release to attract us.  …And thank god these guys have enough fantasy to move between the clichés of this music and to create something interesting. Here the fans of melodic death metal will find all the things they like in this kind of sound, but re-arranged in a way that will surprise them! To make it simple this is not a predictable work, but an album that will give you lot of great moments because the good ideas flow in such an original way... With this release Mors Principium Est have convinced me that they are the next big thing in the melodic death metal genre.

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

Athanorr is a new born band, they started back in 2003 and they have already one self financed album in 2005. Before a few weeks, this band stroke back with their newest work “Enemies Of The Sun”. On this album they include eight tracks and almost forty minutes of pure metal music. Behind Athanorr we find Lord Khemnon who is responsible for all the instruments and the vocals. From the opening track Athanorr give us an almost clear picture of what we will hear in the next minutes. The band walks in melodic thrash metal paths but with a dark atmosphere especially in the vocal section. This is an interesting combination, but I think you need time in order to fully understand what Athanorr want to give us. I mean, that we have other bands that play melodic thrash metal, but bands that add at the same time some dark metal elements isn’t so usual. Maybe if we look back in the “Endorama” era of KREATOR we might find some similarities.
Official Site: www.athanorr.com
E-mail:[email protected]

Antonis  Maglaras

Requiem Laus come from Portugal and this is their fourth demo release. The first thing that will impress you is the professional standards that this band works on. It shows that they are a band committed to what they do and destined to succeed.  Their music moves somewhere between atmospheric and U.S. death metal, but always played in mid – tempo/doomy rhythms. Sometimes their melodies reminded me a bit of ANATHEMA. In this promo you will also find included a well worked multimedia section where you can check out 2 video – clips of the band, pictures and their bio. The friends of the specific sound have to check them out and for more info you can visit the band’s official site at the following address: www.requiem – laus.com

Crekko comes from Germany and “Grown|Stronger|Vicious” is their latest EP. In this work the band has included seven tracks and two video clips plus two making of videos from the recording sessions. From the opening track it seems that the band wants to drive us to more modern music paths and they do it really well! While they follow the modern rock path they change their style to a bit more extreme especially in the vocal section. Generally if you listen to the whole work, you will see that Crekko love to have changes inside their songs. They want to maintain the listener’s interest and believe me this EP is really interesting. The band has included some well worked compositions with very impressive ideas and above all, they know what they want from their music. I want to hear from them a full length album.
Official Site: www.crekko.de
E-mail:[email protected]

Antonis  Maglaras

Iskald is a newcoming band from Sweden that presents us tight and in your face black metal with a few death touches. Their sound, though this is their first full length release and their second if we take into consideration their "Northern Twilight" EP, is very solid and structured and leaves the best of promises for this band's future. The guys that comprise Iskald might be of a young age, but they write excellent music with nice hooks and riffs and they know how to work on a professional basis, something that is obvious everywhere on this CD, from the music to the lyrics and the production that is very good actually! I said in the beginning of this presentation that Iskald play black metal, well make it melodic black metal in our familiar Swedish sound as it was formed and developed by NAGLFAR and the early DARK TRANQUILLITY releases. I think they deserve your attention and support!!
Email: [email protected]
Site: http://www.iskald.com

Christine  Parastatidou

Generally the genre of metal I like less is progressive, because I have linked it in my mind with exceptional musicians that compose music for the sake of technique only. I mean that they usually write music that isn't accessible to the simple listener and it hasn't got passion and emotions in it, but it's just created for showing off their abilities and skills. I'm glad that Empyrios from Italy aren't filed under this category of progressive metal. Their music is quite pioneering and bears the true meaning of progressive music which is the fusion of progressive power metal with modern and quite thrashy downtuned elements. The band's skills are definite and obvious and then again they don't "choke" the feelings that pour out of the compositions. Musically we could say they are close to bands like SYMPHONY X, DREAM THEATER and NEVERMORE and yet again they leave space for their own personal sound to evolve. The production is very good, the singer is exceptional and the whole work, though a debut one, was created with much care and professionalism. 

Christine  Parastatidou

One look at the cover artwork will convince you! Nomans Land are one of Russia's most powerful bands in the metal scene and will surely make a sensation in the worldwide scene with their tight and epic folk Viking black metal! Musically they combine the best elements of Viking epic music and black metal and they create a result so natural and homogeneous that will take your breath away! Their folk elements reminded me intensely of FALCONER's beauty and their black metal is fast, sharp and melodic enough with great growls that increase the epic and warlike atmosphere of "Raven Flight". The cover artwork with its blood red colour, the warrior that bows and rests after the battle and the ravens that come to pick the souls of the dead warriors set the scene pretty well and offers the best visualization of what you are about to listen to here... Well done!!

Christine  Parastatidou

Odroerir amazed me and caught my attention, when I first received their promo CD, with their booklet and artwork. These guys are really into what they do and it's obvious they love it with all their heart and soul. What you are about to listen to on "Gotterlieder" is melodic Viking metal with dual male and female vocals which create a magnetizing atmosphere that travels your mind back to medieval times and days of valor and might! The metal elements aren't many and they are only limited to the drums giving the rhythm to the songs and to the electric guitars that weave beautiful solos. The male vocals are clean and the female ones are operatic, so you won't find any extreme touches here. The band sings in their mother tongue, in German, and they will surely attract the interest of those who like Viking and folk metal. Check them out and make sure you look at the photos in the booklet. Really beautiful!

Christine  Parastatidou

This time Ataraxia, who are known to the people who like folk music are not alone. They have as companions to their musical journey Madame Bistouri and Circuz Kump. Their music here is a bit different from what they got us used to listening to so far. This time the band offer us a work that combines opera with folk music and a horror/mystery thematology. You have the feeling that if you close your eyes while you are listening to their music, you'll find yourself in a theatre watching a theatrical act. This is not an album that will apply to many people and for sure it demands to listen to it many times in order to understand what the band wants to achieve, but personally I can say that Ataraxia have put a lot of work in this release and it has a certain quality. I cannot put a mark, cause I don’t think that it will be of any use. You just have to listen to them and make your own decisions…

Transmission0 is a new band that originates from the Netherlands and "Memory Of A Dream" is their debut full length release that delivers raw and yet quite melodic sludge metal. For those of you that aren't aware of the term sludge metal let me tell you that it's nothing else than midtempo hardcore with some doom elements. Transmission0 are definitely very good at what they do and they have also added keyboard parts in their compositions, something that makes them sound more varied and melodic, but other than that I can't enlighten you further, simply because sludge isn't the music of my preference. I find tiring the songs that are based on the repetition of a specific pattern or riff and that's why I can't indulge myself with this music. I can only tell you they are good and leave it up to you and your taste whether you'll support them or not...

Christine  Parastatidou

For those who don’t know this significant German band, Unrest is what we call traditional heavy metal in the veins of ACCEPT, U.D.O. etc. They are here for almost twenty years now, with 6 albums (included the present) plus a live recording. For a moment I had believed that the band split-up, as they hadn’t released a work for 5 years… But fortunately Unrest is back, this time under the guidance of Massacre Records, with an album that moves in the same path with all their stuff. This means one word: ACCEPT! So, it is clear what you are going to hear in “Back To The Roots” (the title is very meaningful…). ACCEPT fans, here is your best choice for this year!

Jim  Konstantinidis

I think that the title of Trail Of Tears' sixth studio work proved to be rather prophetic and apocalyptic since shortly after the end of the recording sessions and before the album was released 4 of its 7 members left the band. So, when such things occur and when many line up changes take place (in the decade of the band's existence), it's natural for your mind to dwell around thoughts about the existence of the band and their present and future course. But let's move on to the actual presentation of the release... The guys deal with dark gothic metal with intense references to the melodic branch of death metal especially when Kjetil Nordhus' (GREEN CARNATION) vocals are present. The melodies are really beautiful and draw your attention like a magnet with their dark and melancholic atmosphere. The compositions are really interesting and well structured and the band's performance is superb. However what sets them apart from the rest of the bands are the vocals. You will find here three kinds of vocals: clean male ones, death metal growls and operatic female vocals. All are superb and very passionate and are entwined with one another in the best possible way. I really enjoyed this release! I wish them luck with the band's future, so we can still enjoy such releases in the years to come!

Christine  Parastatidou

The new and long-anticipated album of the up-coming power metal band from the U.S.A. is at last ready... After 4 years of disappearance from the metal scene, Zandelle released their 3rd in the row full-length album, with two new members in their line-up (a guitarist and a bassist). The big lapse of time between the previous and the present release seemed to have helped the band get better. This is obvious from the first minute of the disc, which contains 9 brand new songs (plus two intros). The majority of the songs are awesome from all aspects… True, dynamic and soulful power metal, with many epic touches and excellent refrains!!! I think the band gave their best till now and the whole result is something more than satisfying. Well done Zandelle!!!

Jim  Konstantinidis

Below The Line is a UK based band that saw the light of day less than a couple of years ago. Here they present us their debut EP that consists of songs which are a hybrid of melodic rock/metal and alternative rock music in the vein of bands like ALICE IN CHAINS, TOOL, FAITH NO MORE, etc. I'm not a fan of this kind of music, so although there were some interesting moments in their songs, "Odes To St. Chris" sounded a bit poor and nerveless to my ears. Moreover all the compositions had the same structure and orchestration, something that made me feel as if I was listening constantly to the same song. I suppose the fans of alternative rock/metal music might enjoy this release, but I think you should be careful, cause this is a work that will appeal to a specific kind of audience only.

Christine  Parastatidou

Sammath isn’t a new band, they formed back in1994 and they have released numerous promos and demos and of course three full length albums. “Dodengang” is their newest album which has eight tracks and more than forty five minutes of a pure black metal assault. After a short intro the band gives us what we want to hear, a pure holocaust of furious and hellish black metal. Of course in their newest work, the band is more mature than ever, their compositions are well worked and above all they can transfer to the listener the feelings of the black metal music. Of course the stuff from Sammath isn’t an easy listening album but if you pay a bit more attention you will see what the band wants to give to the listener through their well worked compositions. Just imagine a few touches of MAYHEM and MARDUK along with the personal sound of Sammath and thus we get the new opus of this band.
Official Site: www.sammath.nl 
Band E-mail: [email protected]
Label E-mail: [email protected]

Antonis  Maglaras

House Of Lords is a U.S. based melodic hard rock band that started back in 1987, but due to bad luck and various other obstacles, they didn't have the career they were expected to have. So after 3 albums they called it a day in 1992 and everything seemed this would be the band's fate. However they re-appeared in 2004 with a brand new album determined to make it this time. So we now move to year 2007 and we present the band's third release since their reunion, that is in fact a live recording that took place at the November 2005 "Firefest 2" festival. Well crafted melodic hard rock with a great and talented vocalist and a superb performance from the rest of the members guarantees a great live show! However things woudlnt' be so successful without the fans, who are there to sing along, cheer and applaud and generally create a really warm atmosphere. If you are fans of the band and like live recordings, then this is a truly live album that is worth your attention. The album also includes a new bonus studio track titled "Havana", so I think there is one further reason for the band's fans to buy this work.

Christine  Parastatidou

Potentiam comes from Iceland and “Years In The Shadows” is their third album so far which will be released later this month through Schwarzdorn Production. The band has almost ten years of existence and they walk in dark/black metal paths. On their new album you will have the chance to hear re-mastered the songs of their promo CDs “Elysium” (2003) and “Chameleon” (2006). So here we have eight tracks and about fifty minutes of pure dark metal music, with a great atmosphere and some interesting and well worked compositions. I really don’t know how this album should sound if all the songs were recorded in the same period but it seems that the band has the ability to connect two periods of their career. Definitely the fans of dark metal with a few touches from black will adore the stuff from Potentiam. Last but not least the band has in their ranks the drummer from the well known band SOLSTAFIR, G.S. Palmason. 
Official Site: www.potentiam.helviti.com
Band E-mail: [email protected]
Label E-mail: [email protected]

Antonis  Maglaras

Wow! I didn't know that such albums are still being released in the year 2007!!! I thought this is a kind of music that belonged to the past... If you decide to deal with it you have to be certain of your songwriting skills and abilities or else you'll become a parody of the magnificence of a sound that is the predecessor of heavy metal music and the genre upon which the generators of our beloved music have founded their own style. So, Dollhouse is a newcoming act from Canada that released an amazing album of hard rock with an intense 60s-70s sound and many blues and rock 'n'n roll elements. Well, I bet their music would have been envied by the 70s megatheriums. The mark of Jimi Hendrix is really obvious in their compositions and generally the screaming guitars that spit fire and set you ablaze along with the 70s like hoarse vocals are the key ingredients here! The production took place in Sweden and the sound is very good and clean, but it has an old fashioned sound that makes you think the compositions come straight from the 70s! The artwork is inspired by the 60s-70s aesthetics as well and it's the last piece of this beautiful puzzle. If you are fans of this sound then you ought to give Dollhouse a try!

Christine  Parastatidou

Side One:
This collection begins with a group that someone of you may know already. They are  FOLKEARTH, a band formed with many members in the area of folklore metal music. The song although is instrumental nevertheless impresses with it’s musical structure and the beautiful traditional melody. Celtic notes, joyfully shouting pipes and a rhythm that drifts the listener in the amazing music of FOLKEARTH. 
Next group THE REVIVAL from the distant country of Finland and they offer us very good thrash/death with a beautiful rhythm section, speed that remains in mid tempo sounds preserving a groovy rhythm in the composition and a result that vindicates them.
Next come NARCOSYNTHESIS with their old - school thrash metal in the footprints of  DESTRUCTION and LIVING DEATH. Classic old-fashioned thrashy riffs and vocals that fluctuate between thrash and some death elations. Nothing impressive or prototype and only for fans. 
SANCTEFERIA also come from Finland and the band plays melodic death metal. A very good avowedly composition that gains interest from the first moment. Beautiful guitars and very well given subjects in the keys that instead of decreasing the dynamic of the song on the contrary they make it much more interesting. 
Another thrash metal group HEMATOMA and a composition that musically screams at times the name of SLAYER although they couldn’t even reach by far that divine band and vocals that however approach more to the FLOTSAM AND JETSAM school (a fact that perhaps will be rather annoying to some like it was to the undersigned). Again nothing amazing with riffs that we’ve heard a thousand times before and drums that simply try…
Again from Finland come EVERMOURN and melodic death metal has one more time it’s credit. In general lines here we’re dealing with a piece that while it begins nicely with its death optic creating initially good impressions, then when the clean vocals and the insipid keys come forth automatically the composition sinks bottomless in a marsh of boredom and aversion.
CRYPT OF ANGELS that follow combine black metal with death and with a slight  progressive approach. Scratching guitars with beautiful breaks and interesting changes and double vocals that supplement very well the black aesthetics with the raw nuance of death. Simply good.
Next we have NEMESI and their music as they inform us with their own words carries the title of "Impact alternative thrash". What does that mean? That here we have to confront with a hybrid sort of thrash that tries in vein to remind a little of ANTHRAX, as well as of  NUCLEAR ASSAULT, other that no relation could they possibly have with these megatheriums of thrash metal. Wretched vocals, uninspired music and altogether simply time to move on…
AITHER come from nearby Italy and play a mix of atmospheric black and power metal. Interesting  riffs, mid-tempo speeds and vocals that when it comes to their black performance are well done but when the singer decides to use the clean parts, the song unfortunately topples over to lower levels. A pity really because the piece has certainly very good points and their idea theoretically could work only that in practice the result obviously limbs.
Melodic black metal from ASHENGLAS without something particular however that could stir the interest of the listener, with the guitars quite lost and not supporting sufficiently enough the composition and the keys charging excessively over the piece creating a type of acoustic indigestion. Can’t say I got crazy about them.
PRIMAL DAWN reside in Dublin and their music oscillates from brutal death in fast to black metal. Their influences seem to mainly emanate from DEICIDE, BOLT THROWER and MAYHEM. Aggressive music, fast pounding drums which in some points seem to lose their firmness and on the other hand guitars that if they were worked a little bit further they would accomplish much more. 
Another band based in Italy is MANIA and their music is again the old-fashioned thrash metal reminding us enough of METAL CHURCH, MORTAL SINI and TESTAMENT. No particular speeds and a song that begins to stir somehow your attention after you hear it for certain times and that’s perhaps because of the vocals that sound so much mellow and completely nerveless that make you impatient. Not the style of  thrash I prefer, sorry.
Then we have the band OVEROTH that belongs in the faculty of Florida’s death metal like early SUFFOCATION and CANNIBAL CORPSE. Deep guttural vocals, constant uptempo pounding and a composition that impresses with its force and its violent energy creating the need for merciless headbanging. Well done!
Melodic death metal from STAINED BLOOD that comes also near the boundaries of avantgarde with guitars and drums that take pleasure in just keeping the rhythm and beautiful keys that fortunately don’t get overloaded and finally vocals that wave amongst the death tinge and the clean approach of MISANTHROPE. If this is your style of death check them out. 
And now the worst in my opinion piece of the collection from the band of EMPIRE. The guitars try rather to accomplish something like heavy metal with some thrash elements, but what finally comes out is just a sordid musical creation with the unique talent of  their singer which causes you unashamedly to better cut your ears off than to continue to listen to his voice! Need I say anything more?
The Swiss ROOTS OF DEATH belong to the thrash/death metal area with some hardcore influences and the good part is that they actually do it well. A composition that takes you along with it’s rhythm. Dynamics and technique both build a very beautiful result that easily convinces for the talent of this band. 
Rhythmical death/thrash metal from REMAIN with interesting heavy guitars, striking drums although the production doesn’t seem to have given them the right attention and vocals that roar and spit "politely" the lyrics. A nicely arranged track that pulls your interest right from the beginning without losing for a moment its force and energy. Good enough.

Side Two:
FOLKEARTH come this time with a regular song unfolding once more their unique folk/Viking metal. Traditional rhythms enriched with pipes, violins and cellos that are mixed with heavy guitars, speed, excellent sounds and vocals that change from clean, epic parts to black hoarse roars. This band surely leaves us with exceptional impressions.
ARTERIAL play very good thrash metal under the guidance of DESTRUCTION. An exceptional piece that gains your sympathy from the very first moment and most of all without giving you the sense of a bad copy. Old - fashioned thrash with well worked strong riffs, fast paced drums, sharp guitars and nice vocals absolutely well-matched with their genre. I was surely convinced in any case.
VRADEMARGK is the next band from Barcelona with a mixture of thrash/death metal. the fast rhythms aren't absent from their song as well as the groovy parts even if in certain moments the guitars seem to be lost somehow. However it is a good composition that gives them enough hopes for the future if they work a little more in the guitar section plus being more careful with their production.
The next track from NACHO MUR is a clearly guitar song. I do not have much to say about it other than it is only for fans of the particular sound.
The next group from Switzerland is a totally different thing because the vocals are absolutely a woman’s issue, whose "sweet" voice does not have any relation with the identity of her sex. With regard to the musical part I admit that their fast black metal filled me with enthusiasm. Generally the elements that we can distinguish here can be described only as pure Norwegian black metal. Furious raving and raging power with dark emotions while the melodic lines are present only in the background. Vocals are raw and the drums are roaring with double bass attacks. Supreme!
HINDRANCE play death/grind that is however catchy and moving. Bludgeoning riffs, pounding drums and grunting vocals that are certain to display a sick sense of hatred and brutallity. A very good track indeed.
In opposition SLAIN IN FIRE fire play an annoying  death/black metal with double vocals and guitars that sound completely out of time and play sounding completely illiterate, irrelevant keys that instead of embelishing the song, they make it sound cheap and boring and drums that sure need more work.
The music of DEATHFROST is one obscure mix of death metal with many industrial elements. The guitars are raw while the rhythms whenever they become slow create a dark sentiment in the music in collaboration with the mechanical sound that lends a frozen tinge in their sound. Finally the vocals are done in a mid ranged death growl and are quite disorted. A very small piece of work but interesting.
REPLICA are into the thrash metal area. Their music is somehow close to NUCLEAR ASSAULT’s, however unfortunately the track sounds poor, not something we haven’t heard before and completely boring. Some core elements that exist do not make the difference. If we want to come to a conclusion then simply a composition that is easily heard but when it is done it gets perfectly forgotten.
BACK TO DEATH just as their name gives us the hint play mainly death metal. All good up to here. And now the bad news. Nothing exceptional and as if this was not enough some needless heavy themes with clean vocals and guitar elations bury the composition completely. We overpass… 
ATOM & EVILl plays a kind of thrash metal basically influenced by METALLICA in their latest albums. While this is obvious, there's also a slight influence from DANZIG that grants the song a clean rock direction. Sorry not something that I might listen to for many times.This one was truly enough… 
Progressive-death-thrash-metal with hardcore elements from DEVIANT TACTICS. Their music isn’t bad at all. Fast rhythms, shlashing guitars from death to hardcore and with some heavy solos and guttural, sick vocals compose a result that is good enough.
A group that began their career back in 2004,VIPERA and after some changes in their line-up and their musical direction from thrash into death and finally in their current grindcore, appear in this collection with the song "Human Timebomb". A piece ascending right from the sewers where the guitars scratch constantly and vocals wash ashore with pure dirt and stench while some breaks in the guitars enrich the piece even more. Although I’m not a specialist in this particular genre, I found them quite interesting. 
The Swedes ASTRAL KINGDOM play bad melodic power metal. The guitars are completely feeble and without any inspiration at all, the drums seem as if they do not exist in some points while the keys display their parts continuously, giving an out of play, indigestible and mellow color in their sound. As for the vocals, the band surely needs urgently a new singer! 
Last band is MERIDIAN ZERO. A band that seems to vow in one name only, that of QUEENSRYCHE from the "Operation Mindcrime" era. The result, taking into consideration that insuperable album, strikes completely poor and just one really bad copy. While also certain other influences from HELLOWEEN after Kai Hansen’s period do not seem to add any points at all in their direction.

Before the end of 2006, Miss Behaviour a band from Sweden sent me their latest album “Heart Of Midwinter” which was released through Sunset Fox Records. In this work the band has included nine tracks and forty one minutes of melodic hard rock which sometimes goes into melodic metal. The album begins with a very impressive track, full of emotions and melodies. But it doesn’t stop here, the whole album has great melodies and easy to remember songs which after the first listening, stick in your mind and don’t “allow” you to forget them. Their compositions are well worked with some very interesting ideas but I think that the main advantage of Miss Behaviour is the way they use their melodies on the whole album. I believe most of the fans of melodic hard rock and melodic metal will adore the stuff from Miss Behaviour. Don’t miss the chance! Listen to this album.
Official Site: www.missbehaviour.se
E-mail: [email protected]

Antonis  Maglaras

“Chemical Faith” is the first album from Neverdream, a band that comes from Italy and they formed back in 2000. With only one demo before two years, they decided to make the big step and record this album. In this work you will find nine tracks and more than fifty minutes of pure progressive metal music. Definitely the band is really creative and has a lot of ideas which they have included in their well worked compositions. In each track they give us different emotions to feel and their singer has something very special in his voice which makes this album like a theater and the band member’s the actors. Generally I believe that the new album of Neverdream is a surprise for me. I didn’t expect to hear such a good work, with a very impressive production and really fresh ideas. Anyway, I believe that the progressive metal fans should check this hidden diamond out immediately. No more words, let’s leave the music of Neverdream speak for itself! 
Official Site: www.neverdream.it
E-mail: [email protected]

Antonis  Maglaras

The Belgians My Lament is a pure doom/death metal band in the footprints of MY DYING BRIDE and old PARADISE LOST, a certain kind of genre that I mistakenly believed it to be long forsaken but My Lament come to deny my consideration. With frequent therefore changes in their line-up and with the female vocals constituting past footsteps in their musical direction, they present to us  this MCD "Beneath The Hidden" with three songs. The guitars are drawn in their bigger part with depressing, pessimistic disposal, essential component in order to make their doom/death sweet, with still more dark strokes of slowdragging acoustic parts, death metal growls that accomplish to keep the basic portion of interest from the listener and some recitative clean vocals that however do not seem so much worked as they would be supposed spoiling somehow the final recipe (and from what I’ve read the singer no longer is a member of the band)  while are not absent also the minimal death elations. The drums though in a secondary role, remain steady, building with slow funeral rhythms the dark, slow paced atmosphere of  My Lament. Even though I was never a fanatic partisan of this particular genre, I give them the credit that this is a clearly primary work and particularly in a genre that being able to impress and find easily an identity comes to be quite difficult. Yet the future is in front of them for better things I hope...

Vaso  Prassa

Sulphur comes from Norway and they formed with a different name back in 2000. After a demo and some live appearances the band just went on ice and last year they decided to return with their current name, Sulphur. So before a few weeks they released their debut album “Cursed Madness” through Osmose Productions. On this album the band has included nine tracks and almost forty minutes full of death metal with some elements from black metal too. The band recorded this album in Conclave Studios in Bergen, Norway, where bands like HELHEIM and DEAD TO THIS WORLD have written their works too. Now musically even if Sulphur give us their extreme side, when they combine black and death metal into their well worked compositions, they have some touches of progressive metal as well. So I think this is an interesting reason why you should pay more attention to them because besides their extreme stuff they have taken care of their songs very well. 
E-mail: [email protected]

Antonis  Maglaras

If you believe that punk rock is all about angry people that write songs against the system, then you have lost the latest developments in this music. The Black Halos are in a party mood and their music has a strong rock ‘n’ roll flavor. There are some nice moments here, but the bad thing is that from a point on the band loses their inspiration and this results to the repetition of ideas. By the way this is a double CD release, but the label gave us one CD compilation in which they have included songs from both albums, so my review cannot be a 100% accurate. They have their moments, but they need more variety in their sound. Try to listen to them, before you buy it…

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

Before two years, I had the chance to review the debut demo CD of the Canadian act Icewind. Now two years after that, the band strikes back with their debut self financed album “All Is Dust”. On this album Icewind have included ten tracks and almost fifty minutes of pure power metal music in the path of STRATOVARIUS and SONATA ARCTICA. Two important facts for this album is the great cover that the band has chosen, especially if this album was an LP then the cover would be even better and the mastering. The album was mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios in Finland. Besides these, the band has done a very good work in the music section. Most of their compositions are well worked, they have some fresh ideas, though they follow some common paths, but even if the play power metal, the fact is that they give us their personal vision of this branch and this thing made their work unique. Generally I can see a progress between their previous work and this one. I believe that Icewind sooner or later they will find their way to release official albums through a label. 
Official Site: www.icewind.ca 
E-mail:[email protected]

Antonis  Maglaras

Glasgow based Achren present to us their debut self financed EP "Blood Metal" which includes four pieces of raw and technical  death/black/thrash metal. Extreme metal finds here its brutal form through classic thrashy riffs, black metal themes and vocals that transfigure from death growls to black metal screams unveiling both their aggressive metal virtues. The guitars even if somehow simple nevertheless remain pure and shredding creating a dynamic sharp-edged riffage while the drumlines stand pounding and heavily crushing, adding pure force and rapid outbreaks in the compositions. The production, considering that it belongs exclusively to their own efforts, if not something shocking nevertheless stands very well, giving them great potential for the future and for someone to discover their name and sign them a contract. Not bad, not bad at all!

Vaso  Prassa

To be honest with you I didn’t remember this band. When I checked my database, I saw that I had reviewed their album “Fight The Elements” before five years. Anyway this is history now; we have the new album from Ever Since “Between Heaven And Hell” which was released this month through Quam Libet Records. On this album the band has included twelve tracks and forty two minutes of pure dark metal. The fact that the band doesn’t stay in this specific genre, dark metal, gives to the listener the chance to hear something different from Ever Since. So while the band has dark metal as their main influence, they have elements from death metal and electronic sounds as well. Don’t be afraid and give Ever Since a chance and they will surprise you. The band has worked really hard in the past years and their compositions are like a story, every single track has something to give you. Maybe if they had less electronic elements, the result would be more metal but personally I found it really interesting anyway. 
Official Site: www.eversince.net
Band E-mail:[email protected]
Label E-mail:[email protected]

Antonis  Maglaras

Kamera is a relatively new band from Sweden with only 6 years of existence, during which they have released their self titled debut album and now, three years later, they make a come back with their sophomore work titled "Resurrection". The album title  underlines in a subtle way the problems the band faced, problems which almost led them to disbandment. Anyway I can't see why we received this promo CD, since Kamera don't play metal music and they aren't even close to hard rock. We could label their music as synth pop/rock that draws its inspiration from the 80s sound and bands like DURAN DURAN, A HA, DEPECHE MODE, etc. Their compositions are based on electro-synth harmonies and melodies with nice mellow and yet emotive vocals. Their songs have this special something with their sing along choruses that makes them easy to remember. All in all this is a release that will please the fans of 80s electro pop/rock, but it has nothing to offer to the metalheads. So, be careful! My review addresses to this specific kind of audience only!

Christine  Parastatidou

I follow White Skull since 1999, so this is the fifth album that I hear from these Italian legends. One of the things that I adore in White Skull is the fact that in each and every new album of theirs they give us something more, they reveal another hidden secret. So “The Ring Of The Ancients” is the title of their new album, which is their seventh so far. They have included twelve tracks and a video clip from the opening track “Ninth Night” and the duration of this work is almost an hour of pure power/heavy metal music. Most of their compositions are well worked with very impressive ideas and besides the catchy tracks like “Ninth Night” they have also got songs like “March to Alesia”, listen to it and you will understand my words. Now after almost twenty years in both underground and mainstream scene White Skull, know very well what they want from their music and what they will give in every album they release. March into the arena with White Skull on our side!
Official Site: www.whiteskull.it
E-mail: [email protected]

Antonis  Maglaras

This is Forgotten Tomb's fourth studio release, where they present us their own approach of black/doom metal. Actually these Italians are considered to be a cult underground band with many devoted fans all over Europe. This is of course the result of their hard work and intense touring. If we see things from their musical aspect we can say that Forgotten Tomb have managed to take their genre and evolve it, adding to it many interesting elements that spice up the songs. "Negative Megalomania" shows a progress in all fields, but especially in the vocal department. The vocals are still mainly black metal screams and howls, but this time they have added some clean vocals and recitations as well. There is a debate whether they are good or not, but personally I'd go for not good, because they sound quite often off key and dissonant. Since this is a doom metal release the compositions are mainly mid tempo and full of emotions... of depressive and suicidal emotions. All in all this is a good release that will appeal to the fans of doom metal and not only, however, this is not the music of my preference...

Christine  Parastatidou

I hold in my hands the debut self titled album of Vehementer Nos. The band comes from France and they have lyrics in their mother tongue. Now, as their label informed us, Vehementer Nos had been working for almost five years in order to make this album. In some point I will agree with them. Even if the band gives us a combination of black and progressive metal, they have chosen to play all the instruments themselves so be prepared to hear except for the classic guitar, drums and bass some cello, violin, double bass and flute. Believe me, you will be impressed by the way that Vehementer Nos have achieved to put all these in their music. It is needless to say that their compositions are well worked with very interesting ideas. So don’t be surprised! Just relax, feel and hear all the things that the band has included in their debut album which is released through Osmose Productions. I believe that this album can be appreciated by all even by those who don’t listen to black metal music.
E-mail:[email protected]

Antonis  Maglaras

Writing music that is based on Tolkien’s novels is catchy and a bit cheesy in our days, however these guys from Finland seem to love what they do. Just check their pictures and you‘ll see them dressed as characters that came up from Middle – Earth. So far, all sound good, the bad thing with them though is that musically they cannot escape from mediocrity. They play a kind of goth/power metal with female and harsh male vocals. They have some good elements in their sound, especially in the keyboard parts, but from a point on all the songs sound the same. Personally, I don’t believe that they have the talent to achieve something great, since in their 4 releases so far they didn’t show that they have the talent to create music that can make the listeners listen to them for a long time. My advice… Keep listening to the BLIND GUARDIAN albums and read the Tolkien books.

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

Rotting Christ have always been amongst my favorite bands for a number of reasons. Above all they stand for quality with their beautiful compositions so consequently originality and character are also top priorities for them. Besides, they have been one of the first bands that carved the more melodic black metal sound, being an influence and a reference for many bands worldwide. Now after changing their label and being on the road for a couple of years, they unleash upon us one of their best works ever! "Theogonia" is a real diamond not only for Rotting Christ's standards, but also for the whole black metal scene's facts. Musically you will listen here to all the classic Rotting Christ elements, their characteristic melodies, their sharp guitars that have a front role now and heavy rhythms. Sakis's vocals are better and extreme like never before, offering more depth and colour to this complex and yet breath-taking canvas that "Theogonia" actually is. Rotting Christ have managed to contain in this release fragments from all their previous works and yet the final result sounds really fresh with no repetitions of successful riffs and tunes of the past. I have also adored the addition of some traditional Greek music, from the north-east region of Thraka. What I like in this specific music is the fact that it has very dark and lamenting melodies with really mourning tunes that suit like a glove to black metal music. The production is superb, heavy and voluminous and Sakis deserves our congratulations on this field again since this is the very first time he does absolutely everything on his own! Lyricwise now the album superficially seen deals mainly with Hesiodus' "Theogony", but if we do a more in depth analysis we realize that there are allegories and metaphors hidden between the lines... The cover artwork is also imposing and I can find no flaw or drawback in this release. This is surely a masterpiece and already a classic! Mark my words people will soon be raving about it and it will raise the elm of black metal to aces high!

Christine  Parastatidou

I can describe this release with the following 3 words: boring, predictable and common. They are from Sweden and in their second release they continue to offer us melodic power metal as we have listened to it much better from other bands. Such releases put me in deep thinking about the future of my favorite music. Most of the new power metal bands and especially the ones from the north (Sweden and Finland in specific) seem to me that they try to hide their poor ideas behind a good production and an impressive cover artwork. Also I think that most of these bands don’t create music by their heart, but by having in mind what the average metalhead might like. They act more like merchants rather than artists. Don’t throw your money to Dreamland, until they create something interesting, cause they are good musicians and if they work hard they can achieve something. By the way, the way that the song “Secret Signs” begins reminds me a bit of PRETTY MAID’s song “Back To Back”…

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

It was about time we found out what had happened to the previous frontman of NAGLFAR, Mister Jens Ryden. I was anxious to find out because NAGLFAR are one of my favourite bands and they guarantee each time the best possible result. Moreover I really like Jens' vocals since they sound as if they come straight from hell. They are really intense, full of passion and hatred and for me they are amongst the best in black metal. Now Profundi are his solo project, a band in which Jens has put his personal stamp in everything, from the compositions to the execution of the songs and then again it is his creativity that lies behind the lyrics, the production, the artwork and the overall design! Very few are those who set sail to create a work completely and absolutely personal and even fewer are those who succeed in creating a great album. Jens continues musically from where NAGLFAR have left us, meaning that "The Omega Rising" sounds like the natural successor of "Sheol" with its mind blowing music! The album will be also released in a limited to 1000 copies edition digipack and there will also be given one free button with the first 50 copies.  If you want to find out how fury and madness really sound and if you want to listen to some quality melodic black metal, then "The Omega Rising" is here to please your needs...

Christine  Parastatidou

Let me start with the band members: Carlos Cavazo (QUIET RIOT), Jimmy Bain (DIO, RAINBOW), Chas West (BONHAM, LYNCH MOB), Brian Young (DAVID LEE ROTH) and Vinny Appice (DIO, OZZY, BLACK SABBATH). I bet my ass that 9 out of 10 who will read this review already know these dudes and will check this release one way or another! It sounded to me like a very good abum something we would all expect anyway from such a collaboration, but it didn't satisfy me as much as the diamonds that these guys have given us with their previous...er... well known bands. Musically now it is a dark and heavy album with lots of blues influences and of course a great performance. If I had to mention some bands, I'd say that it's closer to BLACK SABBATH, DIO and old RAINBOW.

Dimitris  Pantsiopoulos

Before writing my reviews I search on the internet for the bands I'm about to present or look into my own discography for their previous releases. I've never come across Striborg before and when I first laid eyes upon their album, I thought I was dealing with another old school black metal band from Norway. After accessing the internet I realized that I was wrong and that Striborg, a one man band actually, comes from Tasmania in Australia! So, be prepared to listen to old fashioned monolithic and ambient black metal with extremely distorted and down tuned guitars and keyboards that sound a lot like BURZUM. The vocals sound like a rattle of a dying being and the album was recorded on an analogue 4-track so the sound is terrible, but suitable for this genre. The album has received some excellent reviews, but if you ask me I find it lame and pointless. Striborg try to sound like their relatives in Norway, but in the year 2007 their whole approach sounds like poor nonsense. Generally I'd prevent you from obtaining this release, but if you are a die hard fan of primitive black metal, then have a try...

Christine  Parastatidou

There are very few bands out there that take the label "progressive" seriously. Pain Of Salvation is one of them and "Scarsick" is their 6th album that fails to fall below perfection. Truth be told, they lost some fans with the previous album, "Be", and this will also be true with "Scarsick". This is to be expected when you really want to progress. "Be" was such a deep, lyrical album and with such an unconventional concept but Pain Of Salvation's fans were already familiar with this side of the band. What was disturbing for them was probably the retreat from more "traditional" metal forms - not that PoS were ever "traditional" in any real sense. It's hard to make comparisons because "Scarsick" sounds completely new. It is both darker and angrier but hardly metal. It is progressive in a 70s way but you also find that the hip hop elements have increased and that there's a disco track! You will definitely need more than a couple of listens to fully appreciate it but some things are evident immediately, like Daniel Gildenlow's expressive range in vocals and the band's talent in conveying emotions : frustration, sadness, anger, irony. Definitely, "Scarsick" is a difficult to get album. No, I don't think it's better than "Be" but it is the new album of a band that is always trying something new, is obsessed with perfection and their music can scar you for life. Dare to try it.

Paschalis  "Elfstone"  Mirmigakis

Well, well what have we got here? This has definitely been a surprise to me! The Berserker is a two-piece act from Australia that formed more than a decade ago and they've already unleashed 4 full length albums, 3 EPs and a DVD. They are quite restless and productive, but this doesn't reduce the quality of their work. Generally I like grind music, but it's not my favorite genre. However, The Berserker have managed to make me re-consider my whole atittude towards this kind of music. I mean that till now I had linked in my mind grindcore with funny or at least weird lyrics and with some funny moments or sounds in between the songs, that generally have a short duration. None of these cliches is present here though! The Berserker offer us some clever, extreme brutal attacks of high class grind with interesting lyrics and music for seminars!! They have some very catchy riffs influenced by all the metal genres from classic heavy metal to brutal death and you can actually realize that all the tracks have a structure. Another thing that pushes this release to aces high is the dual brutal vocals that offer a sonic assault to your brain. "Animosity", as the title speaks for itself, is full of hatred and disgust given in the best possible way, creating one of the best releases I've heard in a while!

Christine  Parastatidou

As it is known Metalium have started as a project band, including all these years of their existence big names of the metal scene, such as Chris Caffery, Jack Frost, Mark Cross and Mike Terrana…The band till now has made a significant impact, with 6 full- length albums (including the present one) and various additional releases, all of them conceptually based on a “Metal-hero” character: The “Metallian”. Noe concerning “Nothing To Undo - Chapter Six” I have to say that it contains 10 brand new songs and a cover to a song of one of the greatest British rock band QUEEN, which could be no other than “Show Must Go On”(excellent performance)! The whole material follows the same musical way of their previous releases, speed and dynamic songs plus powerful mid-tempo compositions and ballads. However here some more progressive and technical touches have been added, something that makes the whole result a bit boring in my opinion…In general the album has a good level and quality, but it's lower than their first two works. Among the advantages of the band here is, one more time, the great performance of the singer Henning Basse…his voice brings magic! 

Jim  Konstantinidis

In a period of time when most releases are mediocre or aren't worth to be even mentioned, a breeze of fresh air comes from Norway. Jorn sound to my ears like an oasis of beautiful music, of soundscapes that magnetize you and take you along to another world, a place where emotions and feelings are what really count. So, here they come with "The Gathering" that is, like the title implies, a gathering, a compilation of the band's best and most beloved songs till now. The album consists of 16 tracks and it has a duration and a quality that will definitley please you and that deserve your time and money. If you like heavy metal music with great vocals and sing along choruses then Jorn is a band you NEED to check out! Actually I'd say that they sound to me like a hardened and more heavy metal version of WHITESNAKE. Superb!

Christine  Parastatidou

This latest release from Grave Digger seriously kicks ass!! Do you want some true heavy metal? If yes, then check this one out! You'll have the chance to experience some tunes driven by the combination of mean riffs, raw vocals and heavy drum beats that will make you to headbang your ass off! There are songs that I would rate with 11/10 and some others that would take 9/10, so the average grade of "Liberty Or Death" would shape into 10/10. Either way you HAVE to check it out!

Dimitris  Pantsiopoulos

What do we get when we mix the darkest elements of heroic fantasy with a dream-like atmosphere and fantastic realms? I think the music would actually sound close to what Lost Legacy do. If we dealt with the side of light we could indicate a plethora of bands that try to transubstantiate these stories and worlds into music, but the dark corners of our mind and our fantasy usually remain untouched. Lost Legacy from Germany have created a concept story based on a cosmogony where good and evil fight with all their powers, where light and darkness are obvious and concrete, where elves co-exist with orcs... Their music, though dream-like and majestic, is also dark and extreme and the ideal companion whilst reading fantasy books! Lost Legacy deliver well played fantasy melodic black metal and have made me close my eyes and travel to other dimensions and worlds... "Gates Of Wrath" is a very good work with a lot of quality, but I think the production is quite poor and dim and the keyboards have space for more creativity and progress.

Christine  Parastatidou

Grenouer is a band from Russia and they deal with techno-death metal, accomplishing this work with respect and honoring this difficult-to-approach genre. The rhythm parts are quite interesting, though they are a bit tiring in the first 2 songs, but after that they acquire more nerve and power and they create interesting themes and structures. The riffs, without being something really special or unique, have an eerie character and enough passion with obvious technical skills. The vocals move on a death metal style with some very interesting black and grind outbreaks. The production is good enough, but it's a bit poor when it comes to the drums. Most probably this is due to the band's low recording budget... This is a band with a lot of potential and I bet we will here about them again soon enough...

George  "Death Dealer - Echoes From Erebus"  Kefalas

Their fifth release finds Impious in a very good shape and in a very creative mood. In fact I think they have achieved to record the best album of their career so far! "Holy Murder Masquerade" is much better in all aspects compared to their previous release "Hellucinate". The quintet remains once again loyal to their origins and roots and delivers death/thrash metal and although they come from Sweden and naturally you'd expect them to play more melodic death metal, this couldn't be further from the truth. Impious have selected to follow the path carved by the early Swedish death metal bands, a sound that is more extreme, harsh and heavy than the contemporary scene of this country. So we could say that "Holy Murder Masquerade" walks on a fine line between melodic death/thrash and American sounding brutal death metal with tight songs, pounding drums and brutal vocal assaults that don't leave you time to breathe or think. Lyric-wise the album is a concept story covering anti-christian, death and pain issues, but I think you ought to see the booklet that contains the lyrics in a form of a comic book! Really vivid and gives in a simple and obvious way the concept of the album. Check it out!!

Christine  Parastatidou

They are hailing us from Kazakhstan and it's probably one of the most bizarre and interesting bands that I have listened to lately. Their sound is mainly heavy/power metal with lots of references to HELLOWEEN, but the thing that makes them differ in comparison to other bands of this kind is that they have nice ideas and don’t hesitate to add influences from other musical genres as well. So don’t be surprised if you listen to influences from bands like RAMMSTEIN (more melodic though), disco and pop. Their album is a mood maker and I cannot deny that I liked them a lot, because they are original. By the way they sing in their mother tongue. The best thing, however is that you can download this album and their debut from their site from the following address: http://jinn.delusion.ru/pages/all/music_eng.shtml.

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

Blood Stain Child is a Japan based band that kicked off 8 years ago and up to now they have recorded 3 albums with the latter being their official debut in Europe. However, I had the luck to come across them way before they released "Idolator" and I have always been enthralled at the beauty, anger and angst that poured out of their songs. Now with "Idolator" I can say I am simply stunned! I have the album a long time now and I kept postponing this review simply because I wanted to have an "excuse" to listen to it every day! What this quintet is up to is European sounding melodic death metal as it was shaped by IN FLAMES' "Clayman" and SOILWORK's "Figure Number 5" to name a few. You will listen to many similarities with the aforementioned bands, however things aren't so simple and don't end here. Blood Stain Child have added a great deal of their personal stamp to their compositions, thus making them sound lush and rich. Just listen to "Hypersonic" the album's opener and then there will be no turning back! Aggression is perfectly entwined with melody and melancholy with scraping sharp guitar riffs being ideally married to excellent keyboard and piano works, stone wall drums, superb and steady rhythms and intense and emotionally charged harsh vocals. Besides the death metal vocals, though you will also enjoy some superb clean passages that will surely astound you! The production is superb and powerful and how could things being different since Tue Madsen is co-responsible for the final result? The album also goes with a bonus video for the song "Truth", so it's perfect and complete from every single aspect. "Idolator" is one of the BEST melodic death metal albums I've ever heard and it's definitely a must buy release!!!! A true masterpiece!!!

Christine  Parastatidou

On this CD you can find all of Krabathor's demo works with a pretty bad sound that will interest no one that already has all of their albums. This is a needless and pointless release with no substance for the contemporary metal standards. I don't want you to get me wrong, so let me explain myself... I like Krabathor a lot, I have all of their albums and I recommend them to all of you with no second thoughts. However, these demos with this specific sound aren't suitable for our times anymore. They were for another era, the era of tapes...

George  "Death Dealer - Echoes From Erebus"  Kefalas

Just a quick glimpse on the cover artwork of this release will make you understand when this album was first released. "Socialized Hate" is a raw diamond of rough U.S. thrash metal as it was carved and shaped in the 80s. Atrophy were amongst the first bands in the early 80s who set sail to compose harsh and brutal - for that era's standards - music with intense lyrics that criticizee all the mal-doings of society. Musically they move on the same path as DARK ANGEL, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, TESTAMENT, SACRED REICH, MEGADETH, early METALLICA and so on... Their songs are raw and pure thrash metal with some nice solos and riffs that stick to your mind and force you to headbang. I'm sure that the worldwide thrashers, be them young or old, will definitely appreciate this re-release. They will enjoy their ride on U.S. thrash metal's first steps... "Socialized Hate" contains some really fine songs like for example "Urban Decay" which is by far my favorite track!!!

Christine  Parastatidou

I am really not in the mood for writing. I simply cannot find the words that can describe the magnificence of this album... This is simply a monument of heavy metal music, melodic, powerful and above all epic! I don’t know how they did it, but Crescent Shield deliver to us U.S. power metal as it should sound. Bands like this one really deserve to fill stadiums and not remain in the underground. By the way Michael Grant, is one of the best metal vocalists I have listened to lately. This band belongs to the pantheon of heavy metal, so quit reading the nonsense I'm writing and do yourselves a BIG FAVOR … BUY THIS ALBUM NOW!!!

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

I think you've already understood this is a black metal band from the title of their new studio work. However, the end result is mediocre. OK! I know CELTIC FROST have created their own school, but enough is enough!! We've listened to the same riffs a thousand times already!! It's a completely different thing to be inspired by a certain style which you take and evolve and a whole different thing to take it and blindfoldedly copy it. Well, I don't want to wrong them so I need to say here that the album also contains some faster songs with paranoid and abhorrent riffs, without though being something really amazing or being able to stick to your mind. The production surely had a low budget, but it breathes out a feeling of true underground black metal.

George  "Death Dealer - Echoes From Erebus"  Kefalas

“Eleutheria”, the title of the second album of Antiquus, is a Greek word, which means freedom. The album, if I understood well, is a concept story and the band plays U.S. power metal with some progressive touches. They have many influences but the most important I think come from IRON MAIDEN, CRIMSON GLORY, QUEENSRYCHE and HELSTAR.  Normally I would likea band with such influences a lot, however Antiquus left me completely indifferent. They play well, they have some good ideas and you can listen to the whole album pleasantly, but they don’t have the songs that will make me listen to their album again. I think that they lack in enthusiasm. The only songs that make the difference in this release are the tracks “I am Alive” and “KT Event”.

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

The Distance is a new Connecticut based band that skin-deep delivers hardcore music. However if we look at things more closely and more wittingly we will realize that hardcore is just one aspect of their overall sound. So, you can also listen to a great deal of punk rock (close to THE OFFSPRING's sound) along with many alternative pop/rock touches. Generally The Distance have the sound that is really popular nowadays and they can appeal both to the fans of hardcore and punk rock music. The production is very good and everything is really well taken care of. Apart from this, their debut album will also contain two exclusive bonus tracks and a video clip for the song "Inspired By You".

Christine  Parastatidou

Well this specific CD has nothing to do with metal. It consists of songs played by a classical piano with quite interesting compositions and stupid, unacceptable male vocals that are entwined with some much better female vocal lines. Keep your distance my friends... For the piano melodies I give them 5 and for the vocals 1, so the average grade for Tenhi is:

George  "Death - Dealer - Echoes From Erebus"  Kefalas

It's more than 10 years since Therion released "Theli", the album that incorporated fully the classical music the band was flirting with since their beginning. Therion have come a long way since then and "Theli" that amazed a lot people back then, now sounds amateurish in comparison to their latest offering, "Gothic Kabbalah". In the years between, the band's mastermind, Christopher Johnsson, has grown a bigger appreciation for more traditional forms of metal music, and with it the band's experience. We got a taste of this process with Therion's previous twin albums "Lemuria/Sirius B". "Gothic Kabbalah" is a universal heavy metal album. It's heavy and fast with soloing that comes from the 80s. It's atmospheric and progressive in both a 70s and 90s way. Finally, every operatic and classical music element blends seemlessly with what is an unmistakable heavy metal album. The talent and technical prowess of Therion's musicians is evident throughout the album, but the highlight is the epic 12-min "Adulruna Redivivia" which closes it. "Gothic Kabbalah" is an album of great quality and will satisfy everyone who takes music seriously. At the same time, it's an album with a clear heavy metal identity.

Paschalis  "Elfstone"  Mirmigakis

Secht's album consists of one track only that has a total duration of 37 minutes!!! It starts in a pretty boring way with some effects that the band describes as paranoid, schizophrenic, etc, but they made no impression to me. Then the song continues with fast black metal riffs, quite interesting, with chaotic vocals and up to now we are on the 7th-8th minute give or take. From this point on we just listen to them repeating over and over again the same things leading us to suicide not from their special effects, but from boredom!!! Please have mercy on us!

George  "Death Dealer - Echoes From Erebus"  Kefalas

Generous Maria is a band that originates from Gothenburg in Sweden, but unlike most bands from that country their sound isn't extreme at all. What they offer us on "Electricism", which is their third official release, is stoner rock that leans mainly towards the rock 'n' roll sound rather than the ordinary BLACK SABBATH approach. This doesn't mean that there are no BLACK SABBATH references, but it's just that they co-exist with a pure rock 'n' roll feel that makes the songs more easy-going and more party-like. The production is very good and the band's skills are obvious. If you're looking for a good stoner rock release then cast your eyes upon Generous Maria. You won't regret it! 

Christine  Parastatidou

I am not a big fan of gothic metal music, but probably Crematory have composed my favorite song from this genre and it is no other than “Tears Of Time”. From then this band has progressed a lot, and now in this new release I realize that along with their gothic elements, they have given to their sound an industrial touch. They cannot deny that they bring to mind a bit of RAMMSTEIN (a band that tires me a lot), but Crematory have more depth and variety in their sound. They also sing in the German language and this is something that fits to their sound. The sense that this album left me after listening to it completely for a couple of times, is that it is a good work and of course I can recommend it to you with no second thoughts. Especially the song “Nie Wieder” is a killer composition and I believe that it will become easily a big success. The best moment of this band after many years…

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

Wrath deal with pagan black metal and unfortunately the result of their creation is rather disappointing. Boring and nerveless songs with no inspiration or power, when it comes to the black metal aspect of their music and streams and birds singing when it comes to the pagan atmospheric parts, reaching the source of boredom to its peak! The production is bad, adding the last drops to this disastrous and tiring outcome. Generally things sound really ominous for Wrath...

George  "Death Dealer - Echoes From Erebus"  Kefalas

When you are in the music business for many years you grow to like or I'd better say appreciate some labels more than others. The reason is simple... It's because the sound they create, produce and unleash is closer to your personal standards and choices. Black Lodge is a label that doesn't release many albums, but when they do, you can bet they have quality. This label tends to sign bands that know where they are headed at and have a personal sound or at least infuse their compositions with their stamp. Now Harms Way is a very interesting proposal for the worldwide heavy and stoner metal audience and they present us their debut full length album that contains 8 songs plus a hidden track that will be mainly appreciated by the Greeks. The band's vocalist Mr. Dim is Greek and the last song of the album has Greek lyrics that will be deeply understood by our co-patriots all around the globe. Musically like I said you are about to listen here to some of the finest and smoothest stoner metal songs I've heard in a while that are enriched with a great dose of classic metal riffs and themes! I think that they deserve the attention of this genre's fans.

Christine  Parastatidou

Usually when we receive a promo CD, the label or the band includes a biography as well. With this CD we received a bio sheet that was characterizing the music of the band as ambient/doom metal. From the experience I have earned by writing to this zine, I know that most of the times such characterizations are used in order to impress you and hide the lack of talent. However, Sick Room is a totally different story and of course their music in not even close to ambient or doom. I cannot say what exactly they play, except that the whole result of “Hail Intolerance” is very artistic and atmospheric. Artistic by the sense that you have the feeling that you watch a dark cinematographic movie or like listening to the thoughts or the whisperings of a disturbed mind. Such a release is not easy to digest, because most of us listen to music only for having fun, but if you think that music is something more than that, something with spirit, then this release is for you. The new year starts with an amazing release, an album that touched me, although I am more into traditional heavy metal music…

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

Cabron is a rock band from Belgium that presents us here their self titled debut album. Things are simple with this band since what they are up to is radio friendly rock music with a lot of groove and an alternative rock tinges. Moreover you will have the chance to enjoy here a quite independent sound with some punk rock hues that try to make the overall music more raw and angry. I think the fans of rock music will appreciate this piece of work. Although it's good for its sound with a good production and artwork, this kind of music is not my cup of tea so you have to check them out for yourselves...

Christine  Parastatidou

According to a statement of Mr. Jorn Lande, he wanted with this release to offer to his fans the chance to get in one CD, all his B-sides and unreleased tracks that he had recorded with all the projects he had participated in so far. Let me be the devil’s advocate here and ask the following questions: First of all, if he really wanted his fans to have these tracks, why didn’t he put them online on his site for the fans to download them for free? Secondly, would you give money just to listen to cover songs? Because that’s all that this CD includes... If it had been original unreleased tracks, then things would have been different. So if you treasure money, I don’t think that you would give 15 euros in order to listen to cover songs like “Burn”, “Kill The King”, “Perfect Strangers”, etc (by the way, how many times have these songs been covered?) Closing I have to say that the performance of Jorn is exceptional, but the cover songs sound as the original tracks… So, prefer to buy his new album entitled “The Gathering” rather than this one…

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

And why shouldn't they smile anyway? Chelsea has one of the best coaches, a president who doesn’t spare money, they are first in The English Championship (one of the best by the way) and they play good football. Ooops… wait a minute! We don’t talk about the soccer team here. Chelsea Smiles is a band. Hmm, well “Thirty Six Hours Later” is a good album that has a rock ‘n’ roll attitude, which makes you think that this band wanted to live in the 60’s.  Now if you also add some punk rock touches to their music, which are few, then you pretty much have an image of how they sound. If the album had more variety, then I could have given them more than…

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

This is Monkey3's sophomore album and their first released through a label. The trio from Switzerland has managed to create a really unique and special sound that obviously has their stamp and can't be mistaken with any other band out there. Musically they label themselves as stoner rock, but I think that's only one side of their music. They surely have a stoner rock approach to their songs with riffs and grooves that resemble to BLACK SABBATH's early sound, but other than that they also have many modern or space rock touches and a subtle psychedelic hue. Their compositions are huge and instrumental so this is one more reason why I think Monkey3 are here to appeal and address to a specific audience that loves long duration instrumental songs with a space/stoner rock sound. The album contains 6 songs one of which is a cover version of Ennio Morricone's song "Once Upon A Time In The West" and my favourite track is by far "Je Et Bikkje". "39 Laps" is a good and decent album that will be appreciated by a certain kind of audience.

Christine  Parastatidou

I think that most of you know Manticora, at least as a name. This album continues the tradition of the Manticora releases but it also has some innovations that make the final result even more interesting. As you can see from the title this is the first part of a concept which is very dark and mysterious. Their music moves on the paths of power/thrash metal and balances between the European and the U.S. sound. They have also added some parts with violin in their music and a few female vocals, two elements that fit perfectly to the whole concept. The album is very good and will need you to listen to it very carefully and many times in order to conceive it. The songs that  impressed me the most are “Wisdom” and “Disciples Of The Entities”. 

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

Finally a release with enthusiasm and fantasy! An album that gets straight to the point and from the first notes you listen to, it forces you to start headbanging like a maniac. There are no fake things here, death/thrash metal as it should be with no hardcore or nu-metal elements. The statement of the band is simple take it or leave it, but we won’t do any compromises here. “Deliver Us From Evil” definitely introduces a band that can easily become one of the leaders of this genre. So, if you have an open mind and you are not seduced by the “big – names” or “masterpieces” that labels try to enforce you to buy, then quit reading this review and go buy this album. You will do a great favor to yourselves. By the way the solos and the melodic parts in their music are simply killers. Bravo!!!

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

The first time that I listened to them, I can’t say that they impressed me at all. So, when I put their CD on my stereo for the second time I can’t say that I was excited about it. But it seems that the God of second chance was in their favor. I can’t say what exactly they play since Winterdome mix a lot of different sounds in their music in order to achieve the result they want.  You will listen from metal parts to folk and classic metal parts. The whole result has something operatic I can say. Some influences that I have noticed have origins in the music of IN EXTREMO and CREMATORY. The only thing that I disagree with is that they’ve chosen to use the German language and I cannot understand much, especially the narrative parts. Finally the whole artwork is impressive, although I think that in the booklet they had to include some notes in the English language in order to give us an idea of the concept story, even to us that we don’t know a bit of German language…

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

The Syre is a Canadian based band that kicked off as the solo project of Eric Syre and later on turned into a 3 piece group. Now "Exist!" is the band's third full length work since their formation in 1995 and their first with Osmose Records. What you are about to listen to here is a beautiful example of how perfectly some metal genres can be entwined and create a homogeneous dark and yet very appealing result. So, this album belongs to the old school black metal with many thrash metal tinges and a few crust punk additions. However, they know how to keep their music balanced and no matter what, they always maintain a morbid and vicious feeling crawling and creeping inside their riffs without ever being overly extreme or fast. They are black metal to the core without ever making a real and out in the open reference to what we call black metal nowadays. They are dark and extreme in a really beautiful and subtle way. Lyrically they move on the same basis dealing with topics such as elitism, meritocracy and perseverance and try to penetrate into the most difficult issues of our everyday life and find a simple way out. I like the fact that they are no imitators and the fact that they don't have to write about satanism or other naive topics in order to become provocative. This release can be loved even by those who don't listen to black metal, cause "Exist!" is something really special and unique! The last thing I want to say is that the album consists of one song only called "Exist!" that has a total playing time of 33 minutes and an excerpt of this song for radio use. Although I don't like huge songs I didn't understand how easily and quickly time went by and I always had the feeling I was listening to different songs. No tiring repetitions here, but just great themes and riffs that follow one another and unravel their beauty before you...

Christine  Parastatidou

The look of this band reminds me of the late 80’s hair metal groups, but I cannot say the same for their music, at least if I judge from the one song that this single – CD includes. Musically they have a more gothic rock atmosphere and they reminded me a bit of a mixture between SISTERS OF MERCY and H.I.M. Their CD also includes the video of the same audio track (“Black : Anthem”) which shows the band playing live and some backstage takes. As I said I cannot judge them by one song, but this one I listened to is quite catchy and I believe that the female part of metal music will like it. 

Pestiferous come from the northern Europe and more specifically from Finland. They claim that they play DARKTHRONE-ish suicidal black metal and I can say that I agree with them. The atmosphere surely brings to your mind the coldness that DARKTHRONE have created with their sound. That’s not all, though, since Pestiferous also have some thrash moments in their music and in general they have more variety in their sound. The friends of the old fashioned black metal and those who are tired of all these trends that rise and fall in a day in the extreme metal scene, will like them. They are good, since they achieve to transmit their emotions and thoughts through their music to the listener…

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

I am not into the punk rock genre a lot and I really know a few things about it, expect that I respect it and no matter what, we all know that it has influenced the heavy metal music, as much as heavy metal influenced punk later on. Now, this is a compilation where bands that belong to the billing of I Scream Records participate. All the groups belong to the punk rock and hardcore genre and here you have the chance to listen to the new blood of this music. I had a pleasant time listening to this release and I liked the variety of the bands. It might has a duration of 77 minutes, but it flows very easily. In case you find it in a nice price, don’t hesitate to purchase it.

After listening to this album, hope won’t be the luminous feeling you used to think it is. Here Swallow The Sun want to give us another aspect of hope, not as the thing that keeps us fighting for, but as the thing that slowly leads us to an  emotional death when it is not based on realism. A dark album this one it is and it couldn’t be different since this band plays atmospheric doom/death metal. Personally, they reminded me a mixtureof ANATHEMA and MY DYING BRIDE without though copying the above mentioned groups. “Hope” is a good album for the kind of music that the band plays and it is possible to touch even people that are not into this kind of music.

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

The continuance of the very good “Encyclopaedia Infernalis” bears the title “The Serpent Within Paradise”. Here as well the Germans remain loyal to the up-tempo Norwegian sounding black metal with frantic drums, frozen guitars that harvest your soul and black vocals with some unexpected death metal growls. The slow parts have been reduced compared to their previous work, since the tempo of the songs seems to be a constant burst of power. The guitars, however, seem to repeat themselves, something that makes “The Serpent Within Paradise” a good work, but not better than their previous release. Nevertheless their compositions are decent and are definitely well worked. I wasn’t so amazed with them this time, but I wasn’t left indifferent either.
Promotion Agency's Email:[email protected]

Vaso  Prassa

Many modern bands think that I order to create music, you just have to scream to the microphone until you spit your guts out and play your instrument as fast and hard as you can. Bullshits!!! The metal musician needs first of all to love the music that plays and also has a lot and different listenings. Above all though he needs to keep a good balance between heavy parts and melodies. The End is very tiring band and without any substance. Their melodies are so simplistic that make you laugh and the heavy parts sound more as a mix of metal and hardcore parts played by a musician that doesn’t have a clue of what he wants to achieve with his music. Even worst is the fact that all songs sound the same the one to other. If you worship crappy bands like MASTODON, then here you will find their successors. Man, I am fed up with all these shits that the Heavy Music industry try to convince us that are masterpieces. The only satisfaction I get is that after they disband, nobody will remember them. As for those that will say that I am narrow minded, I have to return the characterization, since you must to listen to the classic metal or hardcore/punk in order to create something good. Nobody can create from nothing… 

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

Hyper-fast black metal is what we get from the German’s Grabak with their sound being close to that of EMPEROR with vocals scraping your ears and drums that unleash vast amounts of speed, without though some more mid paced moments lacking that are used as bridges linking the constant rage and outbursts. In “Visionen Im Eis” they reminded me of something from GRAND BELIAL’S KEY (I could actually say that in one part they’ve totally stolen the central theme of “Shemhamforash” or at least they’ve listened to the riff of this divine song so many times that they have consolidated it perfectly!) with a better production of course. The guitars are sharp and have trebling tones mainly, painting interesting themes, but the use of the keyboards almost passes unnoticed. Generally this is a very good black metal album that will leave untouched only a few. It surely touched me though!
Promotion Agency's Email: [email protected] 

Vaso  Prassa

This time holidays help us rest a bit and wear off our everyday way of living. Many people are touched by the spirit of the Christmas and New Year celebrations, so they choose to listen to more relaxing kinds of music. Sengir’s music is relaxing and very easy to listen to, but I can’t say that I will listen to this album for a second time, because it is nothing more than a typical atmospheric rock/metal album. They have a cute female singer with very nice vocals and they remind me a lot of EVANESCENCE. As I said, not a bad release, but on the other hand it doesn’t have the elements that I look for on an album in order to spend my money buying it. Try to take a taste of this CD, before you do anything you will eventually regret. In our days money don’t come easy…

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

Who said that grindcore is only business of the U.S. and Great Britain metal bands? Sweden with Birdflesh demand and claim your attention too. I don’t know how these Swedish musicians achieved it, but Birdflesh’s music although is extreme, it also has a lot of melodic moments in it. This album includes 25 tracks and has a duration of 35 minutes. This thing guarantees that you will listen to short and interesting compositions that won’t tire you at all. One other thing is that Birdflesh try to have fan through their music and that’s a big plus. To the fans of the sound this is a release that I recommend without a second thought…

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

In the school where VENOM and SLAYER taught lessons, Atanatos haven't lost a single course. After absorbing their influences, they felt ready to strike... "Beast Awakening", might not be an original album, but it has enthusiasm, a dynamic sound and very good ideas. They mix the old school black/thrash metal with some classic heavy metal touches and they have a modern production that gives an extra boost to the final result. Atanatos can easily challenge BEWITCHED for the throne of the best retro black metal band. A release that is worth to spend your money on...

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

Now this is one of the best releases I've listened to in a while! The fourth release from this Danish quintet finds them in a great mood, full of inspiration and with a need for constant creation. I think "The Shadow Cabinet" is the band's best release to date! Musically now for those of you that aren't aware of this band let me tell you that they deliver high class and technically flawless symphonic speed metal, but don't think that their compositions are mellow or ordinary. Their songs have energy, volume and vast amounts of passion that go hand in hand with a perfect production and an incredible performance from all the band members. One more big plus for their music is their vocalist, Nils Patrik Johansson, who is also the frontman of ASTRAL DOORS, who delivered one of the best albums for 2006. Anyway his voice is so warm and characteristic, so passionate and full of substance and meaning that gives an extra boost to the songs. The last thing I want to write about is the use of the flute and the violin in some of the songs that renders them a folk touch and makes them sound majestic and enchanting! Take the ride that Wuthering Heights are offering you, you're gonna love it!!!!

Christine  Parastatidou

From time to time I read statements from bands or labels accusing the internet as the main factor for most albums' low sales. I think that this is a bit hypocritic and shows weakness to face the truth. The main factor for heavy metal not selling as much as it did in the past is that lately we have too many releases and labels and most of them can't escape from mediocrity. Plexus, for example, without being bad they don't have something special to say to the fans of classic heavy metal either. The album doesn't even have the enthusiasm needed for such releases. They are influenced by bands like METALLICA and IRON MAIDEN, but the music they play is something we have listened to from other bands, who have also delivered it much better than Plexus. Better luck next time guys...

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

“The Dreams Of The Carrion Kind” of the very good band Disincarnate is actually a re-release of the album that was first released in 1993 with bonus tracks from the band’s demo “Soul Erosion”. Old-school death metal with the leading and principal person being the well known to all of us from the past James Murphy (DEATH, OBITUARY). Groovy rhythms, typical death metal vocals, mid tempo compositions with fast interchanges, heavy guitars and a death metal perspective that mainly tilts towards the OBITUARY school rather than DEATH’s (these touches can be found here only in the technical parts) is what you'll find here. However there are also some other moments that they intensely bring to mind MORBID ANGEL, mainly in the slow parts. The older fans might already have it so the challenge for them is the band’s bonus demo work, but I think that the new fans of this specific sound should also listen to this very good work! 

Vaso  Prassa

Third album for Runamok and things seem to be a bit better for them. Not something tremendous, but "Dance Of The Dead" is one step above their previous releases. They continue to play bay area thrash metal, but this time the group has some very good ideas that make this album easy to listen to. They also pay their tribute to Dimebag Darell of PANTERA by covering the song "Demolition". If you are not interested in listening to something original or modern, then "Dance Of The Dead" is a decent and true album, which you could check out...

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

Demon Angels is a new band created from an Anglo-Italian collaboration and they deliver well crafted and catchy hard rock with sing-along choruses and riffs that stick to your mind. The recipe for successful hard rock songs requires some certain things... a great singer of course, musicians with a good technique that have the ability to create emotions through their instruments and build strong songs with imaginative riffs that lighten up your mood and a good production. "Time Of Confusion" is an album that has all this and will take you along making you sing the choruses and dance or at least tap your feet on the floor. I had a great, GREAT time listening to them and their songs will definitely accompany me for a long time!

Christine  Parastatidou

This is the second progressive metal release that I listen to and present this day. Komaday hail us from Italy and they actually play power/thrash metal with songs that have a progressive metal structure. So as you can imagine, in their songs you will listen to many musical changes, however whenever they change from one theme and move to the other they manage to do it so naturally that they won't tire you. They also keep a good balance between the melodic and the heavy parts and they have a charismatic singer that from time to time sounds like Bruce Dickinson (check out the song "Rendes-vous"). Komaday move on the right path and I believe that people who like progressive metal will appreciate what this band has to offer to them musically. Next time you go shopping to a CD store, keep them in mind...

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

The only way to listen to pure heavy metal in 2006 is only by some great big names and from remastered albums from the past... like for example this one here. "Blessing In The Skies"  by Axemaster is among them. This remastered version doesn't have any big improvements in the sound. I believe that the purpose of this new edition was for the metallers to be able to find the album more easily in the shops. The tracklist consists of the nine old songs: "The prophecy/Golgotha", "Blood Of The Temple", "Rock Forever", "Without A Trace", "Crusades", "Demon Machine", "The Reaper", "Slave To The Blade" and "The Predator". In this version we also have three more songs that must be some demo songs from the band's first days. Listen to the album and become SLAVES ... To the BLADE!!!

Kleanthis  "Darth Vader"  Tsapas

This album started with the best possible omens. The first song "Kerozene" is really powerful, having a sing-along chorus and riffs that stick to your mind all this with the help of a passionate and talented singer of course. So, I felt really happy that I'd finally listen to a hard rock album full of rhythm, energy and power. However the rest of the songs turned to be pretty mellow, radio friendly ballads mainly with an alternative twist. I don't say they are bad. On the contrary I'm pretty sure they can offer the band some success, but this is not the kind of music I prefer and cherish. This is a release that will be appreciated only by the fans of this kind of music...

Christine  Parastatidou

There is a very simple way to find out if this release applies to your taste.  Just answer to these following simple questions: Do you like bands like FALCONER, BLIND GUARDIAN and RUNNING WILD? Do the harsh vocals bother you? Do you like the north mythology? If your answers are answers are yes, no, yes, then just try to find this album to a store near you and you'll surely have a great time. It is a good release and personally I would like them to have a more dynamic production, not that this one is bad… Nomans Land convinced me that they know how to compose good music and so I recommend them to you…

Nick  "William_Kidd"  Parastatidis

What do you expect to listen to from a band that bears such a moniker? At first I went for stoner rock, but I wish things were so good... Voodoocake is one of those weird bands that you simply can't properly label no matter how much or hard you try, so I won't be much of a help to you this time. All I can say is that they play psycho rock music with weird and probably funny lyrics. I can't tell since I haven't got the album's booklet in my hands. I don't know what more to say... They are a weird and a slightly alternative rock band. I can't hide the fact that I don't like this kind of music, so naturally I got bored to death. Only if you are into weird sounds and bands, you should proceed with checking this band out.

Christine  Parastatidou

Nekropolis comes from Switzerland and they are a melodic black/death metal band that leaves you satisfied with their general musical approach being close to GEHENNA’s. The changes between death and black vocals make the difference, but the compositions seem as if each one is the continuance of the previous and although they are not bad, they make you feel like you’re constantly listening to the same song. The guitars seem quite lost and the drums are too polished for such a release. Their death metal moments are better than the one where the band reaches their black metal origin and their atmospheric parts lack in inspiration and originality. The production could have also been better worked, so I think we should wait for their next work. It’s obvious that they can do even better. 

Vaso  Prassa

Mygrain is a newcoming act from Finland that presents us here their debut work and like on all debut albums the band's influences and inspiring bands can't be hidden. So, for this sextet that offers us melodic death metal the influence comes from the modern death metal scene of Sweden and more specifically from the late era of IN FLAMES and SOILWORK with the latter being more obvious. Actually I think that "Orbit Dance" sounds identical or let's say sounds as the continuance of SOILWORK'S "Figure Number 5". The songs are very tight and solid, with interesting hooks and riffs that stick to your mind and vocals that vary from clean recitations to demented growls. The production is clear and powerful and the artwork suitable for this kind of music, revealing both the extreme side of the band and their more modern keyboard-electronic side. All in all as you can see by yourselves I liked the album, so my mark only shows the strong and obvious similarity of Mygrain's compositions and structures with those of SOILWORK.

Christine  Parastatidou