Majesty-Rebels(NoiseArt Records)

Here is the new album by this excellent power true metal band hailing from Germany. The band was formed in 1997.and this is their eight studio album up to date. This album contains 11 songs of first class pumping melodic power true metal that makes you bang your head, feel the wind on your face, put your fists in the air and shout a scream or two for metal and the warrior in you. For all of you who like to compare your metal to other bands, in my opinion the band sounds like a mixture of best Hammerfall and Manowar parts. The songs are a perfect blend of fast galloping rythm and mid tempo marching power metal drumming. The musicianship is excellent. For me, the highlights of this album are “Rebels of our time”, “Iron Hill”, “Fighting till the End”. The great warrior metal also loves great ballads, so there is one excellent ballad on this album and that is “Across the Lightning”.  This stuff is just perfect for keeping the metal blood flowing through your veins.

9,5/10

http://www.majesty-metal.de/index.php/en/home.html

http://www.noiseart.eu/

Wormwood-Ghostlands Woods from a bleeding Earth(Non Serviam Records)

Wormwood formed in 2014.and they are hailing from Stockholm, Sweden. This black metal quintet features the current and former members of bands Witherskin, Depraved, Abrania… After they released one EP, this is their debut album which came out on Non Serviam Records label. On this album you can find 12 songs of fine melodic black metal sung in English and their native Swedish language. The riffing and music is somewhat typical for this kind of black metal. A little blastbeats here and there, then typical midtempo bm song structuring, but what makes this album a bit better are great atmospherical parts. The lyrical themes are personal, antichristian and I think I can hear some great Viking stuff in there too if I am not mistaken. The highlights of the album are “Silverdimmans Atersken” with excellent guest female vocals and dark but majestic atmosphere, and also “Godless Serenade”, “Beneath the Ravens and Bones” and “What We Lost in the Mist”. This album is nothing new or special, but it is worth listening.

7,5/10

https://www.facebook.com/nonserviamrecords/?fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/WormwoodSWE/?fref=ts

http://www.non-serviam-records.com/

Nargaroth-Era of Threnody(Inter Arma Productions)

I still have goosebumps after listening to this album. Nargaroth was never some band/project that I especially liked. Ash aka Kanwulf had some songs that became so to say evergreens in black metal notebook. But, in all I considered Nargaroth to be nothing special until this album and now everything changed. This is the seventh full lenght album that came out on Ashes own Inter Arma Productions. The album contains 10 songs of painful, emotional and grief stricken but also energetic dark metal. I know that Ash doesnt like Nargaroth to be signed under words black metal genre, but it is very close to black metal and not very different from bm in style. But, these ten songs are a tour de force through pain, personal dark contemplations, some nature and this is how excellent dark metal should sound like, The material is not very fast, but it is at the same time atmospheric and melodic keeping much of the aggression to make me weep with joy. Ash is very mature in his vocal expression and he keeps the screams and growls in perfect combination with clean vocals. All songs are great, but I can highlight some like “Conjunction  Underneath the Alpha Wheel”, “Era of Threnody” and “Love is a Dog from Hell”. Great album!

9/10

http://www.nargaroth.de/

U zadnje vrijeme sam pročitao tri knjige koje su me manje više oduševile, pa da napišem  malo o njima. Kao prvo, pročitao sam kratku knjigu Philip K.Dicka, majstora sf-a, legende i autora odličnih naslova kao što su “Do Androids dream of electric sheep?” po kojoj je snimljen film Blade Runner ili na primjer “The Man in the high castle” po kojoj su snimljene dvije uspješne sezone istoimene serije i mnogih drugih…”Čovjek nepoznanica” je roman o približavanju odlučujuće bitke stoljetnog galaktičkog rata. Ljudski rod je opkoljen sa svih strana drevnim Kentaurskim carstvom koje je stegnulo Sunčev sustav u čelični stisak. U svojem podzemnom laboratoriju, Petar Šerikov je zadužen za proizvodnju oružja koje će poraziti Kentaur i završiti rat. Komesar Reinhart je zadužen da sprovede isto u djelo, te se čini da sve ide prema planu.

No, pravi problemi počinju kada sonda koja izviđa slučajno kroz vrijeme dovuče čovjeka iz 1913.koji se zove Thomas Cole. Zbog njega svi strateški omjeri podivljaju i pobjeda se više ne čini sigurna, pa počinje opći lov na čovjeka nepoznanicu…

Dick je napisao ovo djelo 1953.kada još nije imao agenta, pa nije izdano službeno za nijednu izdavačku kuću i nalazi se kao open source i lako je nabavljivo i može ga izdati tko god hoće. Kod nas je izašlo i prodavalo se kao knjiga na kioscima, pa sam kupio to na sajmu knjiga ove godine. Cijela priča odnosno knjiga je alegorija na Hladni rat koji je bio u punom jeku u trenutku pisanja ovog djela, kao i klasičnog motiva Dickovih djela o progonjenom čovjeku od strane sistema. Priča je je jako zanimljiva, lijepo se može čitati. Akcijske scene i scene bitaka su dobro napravljene kao da gledamo neki akcijski sf film. No, ono što me smeta u cijeloj priči je da na kraju sve skupa prilično brzo završi onako kao da netko presječe vrpci i paf! Kraj priče! Sve u svemu, ako volite klasičan sf sa dozom prenesenog značenja i filozofije, nabavite i pročitajte, jer je zanimljiva knjiga.

Elyn-Alibi(White Tower Records)

Elyne is a post hardcore band from Italy formed in 2013.They released one e.p. and this is their second studio album. The production on this record is excellent and Elyne play mighty mix of metalcore and death metal with many other influences including some electronic samples and noises. If I must compare them with someone they sound like a mixture of Edge of Sanity and Shadows Fall with their own unique touch to their music. The riffs and melodies are just great. The drumming is not fast, but energetic songs with heartfelt melodies will brighten your day. The lyrics are personal dealing with alienation in modern world and people hiding who they really are. Good record. Fun for all lovers of more melodic and modern hardcore mixed with metal. Top songs:”O.B.E.”, White Light, Black Rain”, “Broken Faith”.

8,5/10

https://whitetowerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/elyne-alibi

GLOOM-Catharsis(Metal Age Productions)

This is the second studio album by Slovakian melodic gothic metal band Gloom, formed in 2001. It took them almost 11 years between the first and second album, but the band also had some lineup changes between the records so it is okay their took their time. The album is not long, only a little more than half an hour and it contains 8 songs of lovely gothic metal with lots of melodies and riffs to bang your head and romanticize to. Among the songs there is also an excellent cover of The Cure “Lovesong”. All the lyrics are in English language and if I must compare the band with someone I would say that for me they sound a little like ToDieFor. The best hit and for me the best song of the album is “Lillyann” with beautiful mix of sad female and male vocals. The only thing that gets in the way of making this an excellent album is that almost all the songs except above mentioned sound kinda similar. Give this a try!

7/10

https://www.facebook.com/gloomslovakia

https://gloomsk.bandcamp.com

http://www.metalage.sk

EDEN WEINT IM GRAB-Na(c)htodreise(Einheit Produktionen)

German dark metal band Eden Weint Im Grab exists since 2000.and this is their new sevent studio album. Led by mastermind Alexander Paul Blake aka Sascha Blach, they deliver 15 new songs mixing gothic darkness with black metal. The lyrics are in German and the themes are death, dark romance, some spiritual personal stuff and as I understand, this is a concept album. This band and album is excellent, I dont know how I never heard them before this album. I love Haggard, Crematory, Enid and Lacrimosa, this band is like an amalgamation of their best parts with a very large dose of originality. I dont know why or how but I also sense some sarcasm and dark humour throughout the lyrics. This is a perfect band for long Autumn afternoon walks through your favourite graveyard and laughing and dancing with the dead. Top songs:”Bon Voyage”, “Legionen Luzifers”, “In der Toten Taverne”

9,5/10

http://www.edenweintimgrab.de
http://www.facebook.com/edenweintimgrab