Brutal and catchy, Beneath The Sky mixes in Swedish Death with Florida Style Death Metal.  Their 2008 opus, “The Day The Music Died” [Victory Records], etches modern Melodic Death elements into the aggression.  It makes for a diverse, far ranging, sound that is moody and very cool.   

Beneath The Sky uses shrill and deep growls, with some clean vocals as well.  Blasting, thrashing guitars interweave the chunky, groove bleeding slower instrumentals.  They have softer, atmospheric portions too (even using acoustic instruments at times).   

Best cuts include the raw angst of “Nature Of The Beast,” “Option For The Lonely,” the moody wonder of “It All Ends With A Smile,” and the acoustic intro and rip-roar of “Respect For The Dead.”  Beneath The Sky is very cool, and pretty caustic. 

In summary, Beneath The Sky is a real killer of a band.  Don’t miss the lowlights and blood splatter beauty.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Carnifex, Whitechapel, Obituary, Konkhra, Suffocation, Death, Sadus, Hatebreed, Sepultura, At The Gates, Brutal Truth, Avulsed, Deranged, Rotten Sound, Acid Bath, Vampire Mooose, Cerebral Fix, Morgoth, Impaled, Origin, Wormed, Skinless, Zao, Bullet For My Valentine, Ligeia, Uncrowned, Blessthefall, Massacre, Cancer, Autopsy, Onslaught, Manntiss, etc.     

September 4, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008.      

One of the last great Aggro Metal bands still kicking around is New Jersey act 40 Below Summer.  Their brand of Moodcore/Aggro Metal still sounds sharp and cool as steel.  They haven’t lost their ferocity, instead they’ve gotten even darker.   

Their 2008 opus, “Side Show Freaks” [Driven Music Group], fuses moody atmosphere with chunky instrumentals.  Mid-range growls add to the aggression, as rhythms bring the beatdown.  40 Below Summer is pure primal roar.   

Best cuts include the stomp of “Suck It Up,” “Untied,” “Sunburn,” and the riotous anger of “I’m So Ugly.”  40 Below Summer is catchy, crunchy brutality.   

Overall, 40 Below Summer is solidly intense and ferocious.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Slipknot, Mudvayne, Soil, Downthesun, Chimaira, Killswitch Engage, Unloco, Hellyeah, Coal Chamber, 36 Crazyfists, Spineshank, Static-X, Anew Revolution, Invitro, Five Finger Deathpunch, Motograter, Himsa, Flaw, Korn, etc.   

August 27, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008.      

A shining new monstrosity in the Metalcore scene is the ferocious Red I Flight, whose 2008 debut “The Years” [Victory Records] is pure brilliant aggression.  Harsh and catchy, they bleed tons of massive groove.  This Deathcore for the hardcore….   

Red I Flight use deep growls, sometimes highlighted by shrieks and clean gloomy vocals.  Brutal blasting guitars thunder through storming rhythms, crashing and crushing.  This is total perfect aggression.     

Best cuts include the furious assault of “The Siege,” “Of Myth And Men,” “Late For The Execution,” “By The Beard Of Zeus,” and the fiery roar of “Into The Breach.”  Red I Flight is absolutely killer.   

In conclusion, Red I Flight is apocalyptic brilliance.  This one is a must get, and a BEST OF 2008 RELEASES.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Hatebreed, Damnation A.D., Beneath The Sky, Carnifex, Turmoil, Atreyu, Throwdown, Diecast, Lungbrush, Unearth, God Forbid, A18, Zao, Ligeia, Dead Hearts, Sworn Enemy, Freya, Earth Crisis, Converge, Integrity, Indecision, Devil Wears Prada, etc.        

August 19, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008.      

 Slough Feg plays Psychedelic Doom Metal with a Retro Metal shine.  Their 2008 release, “Hardworlder” [Candlelight Records], has a unique style that makes them standout.  Groove rich with plenty of heaviness, Slough Feg cuts a killer trippy vibe.   

Clean vocals sour Psychedelic Metal with a strong 1960’s feel reminiscent of legendary acts like The Doors or Cream.   Slough Feg is very much a throwback, but very cool.  Hippies run and hide….   

Best cuts include “Karma-Kazee,” “Hardworlder,” the rolling stomp of “Poisoned Treasures,” and the spacey instrumental “Galactic Nomad.”  Plus there are two great cover tunes: “Dearg Doom” by Horselips, and “Street Jammer” by Manilla Road.  Very cool stuff.   

Overall, Slough Feg is as cool as an old school beatdown.   Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Nachtmystium, Kyuss, The Sword, Saviours, Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, Masters Of Reality, Danava, Boris, Queens Of The Stone Age, Raging Slab, Cream, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Thin Lizzy, Gentleman’s Pistols, etc.      

August 14, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008.      

Canadian Technical Death/Grindcore Metal juggernaut Neuraxis has unleashed their 2008 opus, “The Thin Line Between” [Prosthetic Records].  This is a bruising, frenzied assault of precision devastation, with a Helmet-esque Industrial Metal tinge.  And it is catchy, hook-ripping brutality.   

Neuraxis is absolutely ferocious; this is skull crushing aggression.  Machine tight rhythms stitch together slabs of roaring guitars.  Deep growls hammer through the blasting grooves.  Flashes of Melodic Darkness add an abyssal beauty.     

Best cuts include the grisly cool of “Dreaming The End,” “Darkness Prevails,” the planetary crush of “The Thin Line Between,” and “The All And The Nothing.”  Neuraxis is a furious wonder.    

Overall, Neuraxis has a great release in “The Thin Line Between.”  This one is a must for every Death Metal freak.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Fear Factory, Godflesh, Berzerker, Century, Meathook Seed, Dead World, Candiru, Soulstorm, Hypocrisy, Killing Spree, Pain, Sybreed, Acacia Strain, Misery Loves Co., etc.        

August 5, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008.      

Deicide returns with one of their best efforts yet, 2008’s “Till Death Do Us Part” [Earache Records].  Regardless of Glen Benton’s unusual personality issues, Deicide makes great Florida Style Death Metal.  And “Till Death Do Us Part” illustrates that grisly glory.   

Deep and shrill growls cut into each other, as manic rhythms explode with machinegun tempus.  Blistering lead guitars rip through the maelstrom, upping the brutality even more.  Deicide is hellish ferocity.   

The best cuts include “Severed Ties,” the aggression of “Till Death Do Us Part,” and the fiery “Not As Long As We Both Shall Live.”  Deicide is lyrically Black Metal, but their sound is straight on Florida Death Metal.   

Overall, Deicide still does it well.  And says a lot about their talent.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Obituary, Cannibal Corpse, Six Feet Under, Death, Malevolent Creation, Pestilence, Morbid Angel, Grave, Master, Carcass, Sepultura, Monstrosity, Sadus, Cancer, Believer, Dismember, Carnage, Diabolic, Acheron, Morgoth, Cerebral Fix, Brutal Truth, Hate Eternal, Repulsion, Tourniquet, Cadaver, Konkhra, Entombed, Impaled, Nocturnus, etc.      

July 25, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008.      

For the typical Emo Punk, The Audition will fill your Pop drenched Punk needs.  (It’ll be nice change after watching that Katy Perry video over and over again.)  The Audition’s 2008 opus, “Champion” [Victory Records], oozes sweet melodies with some occasional Hardcore swagger.  It’s pretty mellow, but still good.   

The Audition trips along at an even clip, the mid-tempo Emo/Pop Punk march and meander.  Clean vocals sing-song over their AOR/Alternative radio friendly instrumentals.  If you’re not into Emo, then don’t waste your time here.  This is pretty much standard stuff.   

Best cuts are “Warm Me Up,” “Heaven For The Weather,” and “Have Gun Will Travel.”   

This is not a bad little debut for The Audition.  But this isn’t aggressive, you’ve been warned.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Aiden, Jimmy Eats World, My Chemical Romance, Hawthorne Heights, Coheed And Cambria, Blink 182, New Found Glory, We Three Kings, Sum 41, Paramore, Flyleaf, No Doubt, Fall Out Boy, etc.      

July 25, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008.      

 Dense, brooding, and dark as the apocalypse, Electric Wizard is Psychedelic/Sludge Doom made for Generation Hell.  Their 2008 opus of gloom, “Witchcult Today” [Candlelight Records], is a razor bright trip through snarling, grim beauty.  It’s wild, vicious, and eerily sublime.   

Electric Wizard uses clean, downbeat vocals; thundering guitars howl in a low, growling rumble.  Rhythms are a loose, furious hammering assault.  Electric Wizard bleeds tons of groove.   

Best cuts the crawling glory of “Dunwich,” “The Chosen Few,” and the epic creep of “Saturnine.”   

In summary, Electric Wizard is cool Psychedelic/Sludge Doom Metal.  Scream on, bleed on.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Nachtmystium, Acid Bath, Kylesa, Crowbar, Kingdom Of Sorrow, Fudge Tunnel, Godflesh, Wetnurse, Blue Cheer, etc.   

July 23, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008.

Looking for your Neo Classical/Progressive Metal fix?  Well, To-Mera is the real thing.  Their 2008 release, “Delusions” [Candlelight Records], will please fans of the genre greatly.  It’s heavy, but not brutal.   

Soaring melodies and dark dynamics fuse into epic beauty with a powerful edge.  To-Mera uses clean, angelic vocals; the guitars add some solid stomp to the eerie awe of their soundscape.  There are some Gothic embellishments as well to the To-Mera ambience.   

Best tracks include the melancholic glow of “Fallen From Grace,” the heavy melodic wanderings of “The Glory Of A New Day,” and “A Sorrow To Kill.”  To-Mera is a solid example of the best aspects of this style.   

Overall, To-Mera is a nice change to the typical brutality of today.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Apocalyptica, Nightwish, Suspyre, Iced Earth, Nevermore, Seven Witches, Lacuna Coil, Subterranean Masquerade, Evanescence, etc.      

July 16, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008.      

Brutal, skull-crushing aggression is the modus operandi for Emmure.  Their 2008 opus, “The Respect Issue” [Victory Records], is not only intensely aggressive but strangely melodic.  And it’s not like the current melodic trend—it’s dark and has tons of lead heavy grooves.   

Emmure hammers out blistering, massive riffs.  Shrill, Swedish Death Metal growls bash over frenzied rhythms.  Emmure is harsh and addictive: Metalcore with a razor sharp hook.   

Best cuts include the thunderous stomp of “Rough Justice,” “False Love In Real Life,” the dark ethereal instrumental “Dry Ice,” and “You’re More Like Friend Without The ‘R’.”    Emmure is brutality with lots of hook, and a little humor.   

In summary, Emmure is utterly devastating Metalcore mayhem.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Darkest Hour, Carcass, Damnation A.D., From A Second Story Window, Entombed, A18, Carnifex, Agony Scene, Arise And Ruin, Zao, Hatebreed, December, Beneath The Sky, Dead To Fall, A Perfect Murder, Training For Utopia, Underoath, Between The Buried And Me, All That Remains, With Blood Comes Cleansing, Cadaver, Premonitions Of War, Shadows Fall, In Flames, Arch Enemy, Evemaster, Rising Moon, Darkest Hour, Atreyu, Earth Crisis, Bleeding Through, Devil Wears Prada, Freya, Demon Hunter, Human Abstract, Silent Civilian, Finalist, Stretch Arm Strong, etc.      

July 9, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008.

Not since the legendary Acid Bath has a band been so unique, amazing, and powerful.  Nachtmystium is a ferocious mix of 1970’s era Psychedelic Rock, Doom, and Swedish Death Metal.  Their 2008 masterpiece, “Assassins: Black Meddle, Pt.1” [Century Media Records], has a big, bleak, fuzzed-out sound that is both heavy and ethereal.  Think Pink Floyd meets Children Of Bodom, and Black Sabbath.  It’s very cool and very trippy.   

(Nachtmystium roughly translated means “Night Magic.”)   

Nachtmystium is dark, but not massive.  Heavy, spacey, and bleak as winter twilight, Nachtmystium drenches their flower child gloom in grit and bloody feedback.  Shrill growled vocals drill through the eerie grooves.  Even with all of this dreamy Psychedelic Doom Death, Nachtmystium adds a little Black Metal to the starry mayhem.   

The best cuts include the haunting “Ghosts Of Grace,” “Seasick (Part I: Drowned At Dusk),” the thundering roar of “Your True Enemy,” “Code Negative,” and “Away From The Light.”  Nachtmystium is ferocious, with a creepy cool vibe.

In epic summary, Nachtmystium has one of the most original and BEST releases of 2008 in “Assassins: Black Meddle, Pt.1.”  Don’t miss this one.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Acid Bath, Pink Floyd, Cathedral, Jimi Hendrix, Kyuss, Children Of Bodom, Darkane, Black Sabbath, Carcass, Blue Cheer, Paradise Lost, Cream, Carnal Forge, Fu Manchu, The Sword, Saviours, Soilwork, Cadaver, In Flames, Corrosion Of Conformity, Order From Chaos, etc.     

June 27, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008.

Risen from the grave, so to speak, is the legendary Death Metal band Grave.  Their 2008 opus, “Dominion VIII” [Regain Records], does not disappoint.  Brilliant and brutal, Grave reminds us of what truly great Death Metal is—cataclysmic wonder.   

This is their best release since 1992’s “And Here I Die Satisfied.”  Grave uses sheer roaring brutality—there’s no wimpy melodic guitar work here.  …All thunder, all the time.  Deep growls explode through massive waves of blasting guitars and pure kinetic rhythms.   

Best cuts include the rumble and roar of “Deathstorm,” “World In Darkness,” “Bloodpath,” and the absolute aggression of “Dark Signs.”  Grave is apocalyptic cool.   

In deadly summary, Grave is still one of the very best Death Metal bands.  This is a monumental opus, one of the best this year.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Obituary, Death, Konkhra, Entombed, Oppressor, Sepultura, Pestilence, Century, Impending Doom, Six Feet Under, Hate Eternal, Cannibal Corpse, With Blood Comes Cleansing, Morbid Angel, etc.      

June 17, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008. 

It’s sad to say, but Dead To Fall’s last release is their best.  Having broken up earlier this year, 2008’s “Are You Serious?” [Victory Records] is an apex example of their brutal genius.  With fire and fury, they made Metalcore that was absolutely crushing and brilliantly sharp.   

Dead To Fall centers their sound around a bombastic core of Metalcore ferocity, the edges are sharpened to wicked jags with intricate Swedish Death guitar playing and caustic vocal rampages.  Dead To Fall uses a vocal assault that switches from guttural roars to powerful, shrill growls.  The rhythms are tight, intense, and catchy…the hooks here could rip stone to pieces.   

Best cuts include the thunderous blast of “Doombox,” “Brainmelter,” the visceral “Cropgrower,” and “Major Rager.”  Dead To Fall was vicious perfection.   

Overall, Dead To Fall was a monumental act that will be missed.  This is one of the BEST releases of 2008.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Arise And Ruin, Zao, Earth Crisis, A18, Turmoil, December, Oblige, A Perfect Murder, Training For Utopia, Freya, Hatebreed, December, Figure Four, Between The Buried And Me, Agony Scene, Silverstein, Lungbrush, Haste, Paingod, Deadguy, All Out War, Damnation A.D., Scar Culture, Turmoil, All Else Failed, Circle Of Dead Children, Today Is The Day, Dillinger Escape Plan, Luddite Clone, Closer Than Kin, Atreyu, etc.      

Friday, June 13, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008. 

Apocalyptic beauty abounds in the massive thunder of Century.  Their sound adds some ethnic touches to a dense razor-and-hammer stomp, giving their brand of Death Metal a unique and crushing brutality.  With this third opus, 2008’s “Black Ocean” [Prosthetic Records], they’ve hit another level brilliance.  It is their best effort yet.   

Avant-garde and experimental at times, Century incorporates Extreme Metal Hardcore influences.  Shrill/yell growls kick across fiery barrages of thick guitars and machine-precision rhythms.  Best cuts include the fierce roar of “Black Ocean,” “Daylight Algorithm,” “Terror Starts At Home,” and the intense “Erasure.”  Century is extraordinary and funerary.   

In conclusion, Century smashes the standard and forges a vicious new edge for cataclysmic wonder.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Zao, Today Is The Day, Converge, Death, Obituary, Grave, Light This City, Acacia Strain, Norma Jean, A18, Hatebreed, Fear Factory, Pitchshifter, Severe Torture, Emmure, Grief Of War, Earth Crisis, Chimaira, 36 Crazyfists, etc.      

June 11, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008. 

Averse Sefira is Blackened Death Thrash for a new dark age.  Their brilliant 2008 opus, “Advent Parallax” [Candlelight Records], is complex, epic, and fierce.  This is melodic, psychotic brilliance.   

Furious rhythms drive the fiery aggression.  Averse Sefira uses shrill growled vocals, raspy and raw.  Dynamic melodies add depth to their crawling abyss of swirling darkness.  Averse Sefira is relentless.   

Best cuts include “Serpent Recoil,” the rampaging “Descension,” and “Viral Kinesis.”  It’s bleak and beautiful to the very ghastly end.   

In summary, Averse Sefira is pure dark intensity.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Aeon, Salem, Serpent Obscene, Abyss, Khold, Venom, Marduk, Sigh, Cradle Of Filth, Throcult, Mystic Circle, Emperor, Absu, Order From Chaos, Beherit, Cadaver, Mayhem, Borknagar, Bathory, Darkthrone, Samael, Total War, Fog, Allegiance, Rossomahaar, User Ne, Peccatum, etc.   

June 5, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008. 

Precision aggression: that is what is Byzantine’s specialty.  Their 2008 opus, “Oblivion Beckons” [Prosthetic Records], is Technical Death Metal at its finest and fiercest.  While being more melodic this time around, Byzantine still shreds with the best.   

Intricate leads, full of fire and fury, stomp with heavy melodies.  Byzantine uses tight rhythms with a fluid crawl.  Vocals range from growls to clean, deep howls—all done very well.   

Best cuts include the epic power of “Nadir,” the thundering roar of “Pattern Recognition,” “Renovatio,” “Oblivion Beckons,” and the chaotic wonder of “A Residual Haunting.”  Spectacular.   

In summary, Byzantine is monumental.  And “Oblivion Beckons” is their definitive moment.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Cynic, Gardenian, Beyond The Massacre, Repulsion, Neuraxis, Yakuza, Century, Death, Obituary, Brutal Truth, Fear Factory, Autopsy, Anata, In Flames, Cavalera Conspiracy, Testament, Sadus, Carcass, Believer, Pestilence, Six Feet Under, Candiru, Dead World, Dismember, Impaled, Killing Addiction, Hypocrisy, Mortification, Organic Infest, Dark Angel, etc.      

May 20, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008. 

 Solid and fierce, Martriden creates hellish Swedish Death Metal with a melodic darkness.  Their 2008 opus, “The Unsettling Dark” [Siege Of Amida/Candlelight Records], has a raw, almost Tribal tinge.  But Martriden is pure, technical brutality.   

Shrill growls explode through snarling, raging guitars and bone-crushing rhythms.  They tend to start melodic, and then go caustic.  Best cuts include “A Season In Hell,” the powerful “The Unsettling Dark,” “The Enigma Of Fate,” and the visceral “Prelude.”  Martriden is primal brilliance.   

Overall, Martriden is a cataclysmic wonder of melodic fury. Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Carcass, At The Gates, Arch Enemy, Darkane, In Flames, Dismember, Ankla, Demon Hunter, Skinless, Cadaver, Carnage, etc.      

May 8, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008. 

For some gut grinding brutality, checkout With Blood Comes Cleansing.  Their 2008 opus of force, titled “Horror” [Victory Records], doesn’t break new territory, it obliterates it.  With Blood Comes Cleansing is pure, fiery aggression.   

A mixture of Swedish Death, Brutal Death, and Metalcore: With Blood Comes Cleansing unleashes massive, blasting riffs that crash like stars.  Shrill and guttural growls collide in a cosmic roar.  And the rhythms shatter concrete.   

Best cuts include the wild ferocity of “Blood And Fire,” “Condemned,” the bruising “The Suffering,” and “Damnation.”  With Blood Comes Cleansing is crushing….   

In conclusion, With Blood Comes Cleansing is as brutal as they come.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Six Feet Under, Arise And Ruin, Emmure, Cannibal Corpse, Dead To Fall, Ringworm, Severe Torture, Damnation A.D., Hatebreed, Nights Like These, All Out War, Indecision, Hoods, A18, Atreyu, Acid Bath, Silverstein, Freya, How It Ends, Thursday, As I Lay Dying, Darkest Hour, Bury Your Dead, December, Sworn Enemy, Hate Theory, Haste, Poison The Well, Scar Culture, Dim Mak, Luddite Clone, Candiria, Between The Buried And Me, Buried Alive, Autumn Offering, etc.      

April 29, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008. 

 Ashes Of Your Enemy is one of the great overlooked bands of the past year.  Their 2007 opus, “The Undying” [Crash Music, Inc.], is Powercore/Extreme Metal with tons of heaviness. 

Intense, massive rhythms bleed pure, dense grooves.  Ashes Of Your Enemy uses a midrange growl over blasting guitar roar.  Best cuts include the visceral “Soul Cannot Be Saved,” “Revolution,” “New World Apocalypse,” and the ferocious “The Undying.”   

Ashes Of Your Enemy is all killer, and no filler….   

In summary, Ashes Of Your Enemy totally skull-stomps—it’s crushing.  Get kicked by this wicked cool aggression.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Skinlab, Exhorder, Pantera, Throwdown, Single Bullet Theory, Damageplan, Soil, Drowning Pool, Kilgore (a.k.a. Kilgore Smudge), Jungle Rot, Oblige, Hellyeah, Drown Mary, etc.    

April 22, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008. 

 Raging in a furious assault, Severe Torture cut Death Thrash Metal that is relentless.  Their 2007 opus, “Sworn Vengeance” [Earache Records], is a fast and powerful barrage of sheer aggression.  Severe Torture doesn’t mess around, they mess you up.  It’s a spilled guts excellence that leaves a bloody farewell.   

Severe Torture is a grisly delight—frenzied guitar blasts, rolling thunder rhythms, and fiendish growled vocals bleeding a guttural stomp.  It’s a perfect hell of intense brutality.  Best cuts include the brutal “Serenity Torn Asunder,” “Buried Hatchet,” the instrumental “Submerged In Grief,” and the crushing “Repeat Offender.”  Severe Torture is brutality exponential, totally killer.   

Overall, Severe Torture is pure brutality with a meat-hook groove that rips out your guts.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Six Feet Under, Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, Death, Malevolent Creation, Sadus, Hate Eternal, Acid Bath, Sepultura, Pestilence, etc.     

April 22, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008. 

Engel brings Melodic Death Metal a shining, razor-sharp edge to the current big thing.  Their 2008 opus, “Absolute Design” [Candlelight Records], is a solid, beautifully aggressive onslaught.  Melodic flashes dance through the flames.   

Slower, softer moments add depth to their intensity.  Engel avoids the Metalcore trend, sticking to a pure form of Melodic Death Metal.  Best cuts include the addictive darkness of “Casket Closing,” “Scyth,” “The Hurricane Season,” and “Seven Ends.”  Engel has a tenebrous beauty all their own.   

In summary, Engel is totally killer.  Stay savage.  Farewell. 

Related Bands: Soilwork, In Flames, Opeth, Sentenced, Bullet For My Valentine, Trivium, Elven King, Human Abstract, etc.   

April 17, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008. 

From the bleak north comes Blut Aus Nord, the masters of eerie Black Metal.  Their 2008 opus, “Odinist” [Candlelight Records], is stark and beautiful.  Blut Aus Nord has a vast, bleak sound that bleeds melody.   

Tight, frenzied rhythms carry the fiery tide.  Blut Aus Nord uses low-mixed shrieking growls that crawl through the creepy atmospherics—with touches of Neo Classical and Gothic.  It’s a sea of beautiful, fierce shadows aglow in cataclysmic fire.   

The best cuts include the wandering glory of “Mystic Absolu,” “A Few Shreds Of Thoughts,” and the instrumental gloom of “An Element Of Flesh.”  Blut Aus Nord is utter abysmal musical darkness, and it’s very cool.   

In summary, Blut Aus Nord is dark, creepy Melodic Black Metal.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Emperor, Marduk, Aeon, Serpent Obscene, Sigh, Samael, Burzum, Immortal, Khold, The Deep, Borknagar, Mayhem, Hate, Acheron, Beherit, Cradle Of Filth, Master’s Hammer, Darkthrone, The Abyss, 1349, Salem, Aeturnus, Void, Cadaver, Viking Crown, etc.      

April 3, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008.   

Dark, downcast, and beautiful: Dark Suns is a powerful Dark Metal band with tons of melodic intensity.  Their 2008 opus, “Grave Human Genuine” [Sensory Records], adds some light use of Death Metal elements to this sublime abyss.  Dark Suns have a tenebrous intensity that is addictive.   

Dark Suns uses a combination of deep, clean vocals and growling vocal ferocity.  Stark guitar work builds the melancholic groove, bloody and brilliant.  Atmospheric gloom is highlighted with symphonic, Neo Classical touches.  It’s moody, bleak, and heavy.   

Best tracks include the instrumental “Stampede,” the best, hardest cut being “Flies In Amber,” and “Papillion.”  Dark Suns is tenebrous, but not brutal.   

In summary, Dark Suns is a band for eclectic tastes.  It’s cool, not crushing though.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Sentenced, Hearse, Gathering, Aion, Paradise Lost, Katatonia, Darkseed, Anathema, My Dying Bride, Enchantment, Morgion, Winter, Godflesh, Mindrot, Arcturus, Samael, etc.      

March 28, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008.   

Brutality has a special beauty, and Bury Your Dead make a brilliant and bloody masterpiece that grisly illustrates the guts of this truth.  Their self-titled 2008 opus, out on Victory Records, is a severe groove bleeding barrage of thoroughly addictive Metalcore.  It’s all crushing, catchy Death drenched Hardcore designed to smash the masses completely.   

Bury Your Dead uses dynamic aggression to obliterate, with massive rhythmic hook and midrange growls as these vocals stomp across thundering blast-beats.  Some clean vocals add a haunting touch to the intensity.  Guitars slam and bash ferociously; Bury Your Dead is sublime, severe and full of melodic darkness.  (There are some Gothic touches as well.)   

The best of these bloody cuts include “Hands To Hide The Shame,” the tenebrous lilt of “Angel With A Dirty Face,” “Disposably Yours,” the grinding “Sympathy Orchestra,” and “A Devil’s Ransom.”  Bury Your Dead is phenomenal.   

In eulogy thoughts, Bury Your Dead is one of the BEST of 2008.  Poetic and primal, Bury Your Dead shouldn’t be missed.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Acid Bath, Closer Than Kin, Hatebreed, Between The Buried And Me, Earth Crisis, Zao, Agony Scene, Freya, A Perfect Murder, Martyr A.D., A18, Atreyu, Sworn Enemy, Haste, Turmoil, Brutal Truth, Glasseater, Stretch Arm Strong, Haste, Downthesun, God Forbid, Arise And Ruin, Nights Like These, Damnation A.D., I Killed The Prom Queen, Figure Four, Scar Culture, Silverstein, Every Time I Die, Avenged Sevenfold, Unearth, As I Lay Dying, Killswitch Engage, Eighteen Visions, Poison The Well, Chimaira, Bleeding Through, etc.     

March 18, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008.       

Blood Red Throne makes crazed, catchy Death Metal with enough speed to break the sound-barrier.  Their 2007 release, “Come Death” [Earache Records], starts with a bang and never lets up.  Shredding guitars rip, rhythms tear with maniacal fury: the music’s hook dismembers your eardrums.   

Plenty of groove and speed abounds here, as Blood Red Throne gives it some old school chaos.  Growls and shrieks twist and escalate the deadly progression.  Blood Red Throne cuts a fiery path of devastation.   

Best tracks include “Guttural Screams,” their rampaging cover of Gorguts’ “Disincarnated,” “Deranged Assassin,” and the visceral “Another Kill.”   

Overall, Blood Red Throne is a blistering wonder.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: At The Gates, Carcass, Light This City, Skeletonwitch, Hate Eternal, Darkest Hour, Carnage, Death, Obituary, Morbid Angel, Deicide, Down The Drain, Rising Moon, Sepultura, Evemaster, Dam, Battered, Diabolic, Usurper, Impaled, etc.      

March 12, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008.  

Heavy, Doom drenched Swedish Death Metalcore is what Within Chaos does so masterfully.  Their 2007 opus, “Virulent” [Koch Records], is a blazing assault of metallic fury and fire.  Within Chaos bleeds massive Hardcore grooves.   

Full of twisted brilliance, Within Chaos charges into the fray without fear.  Guttural growls and shrieks drill through dense, blasting maelstroms of guitars.  With galloping drum licks, Within Chaos lays down machine-tight rhythms.   

Best cuts include the ferocious “Virulent,” “What Doesn’t Kill You,” “Into The Shadows,” “Pain Is Temporary,” and the frenzy of “Buried Alive.”  Within Chaos is violently beautiful.   

In conclusion, Within Chaos is simply killer.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Oblige, Full Blown Chaos, Darkest Hour, Too Pure To Die, Poison The Well, Carcass, Entombed, Trivium, Agony Scene, Zao, Training For Utopia, Underoath, All That Remains, Cadaver, Shadows Fall, In Flames, Arch Enemy, Evemaster, Rising Moon, Hatebreed, Atreyu, Earth Crisis, Bleeding Through, Devil Wears Prada, Freya, Demon Hunter, Human Abstract, Silent Civilian, Finalist, Stretch Arm Strong, Earth Crisis, etc.      

March 12, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008.  

Few bands can transition from being a top-notch Thrash Metal (Speed Metal) band into an equally great Death Metal act, but Testament did just that.  The 2008 reissue of the Testament classic, “Demonic” [Prosthetic Records], is a pure wonder of Death Metal aggression.  This is one of their very best releases.   

Hammering guitars, frenzied rhythms: Testament punches out songs that drip with raw groove.  Chuck Billy’s vocals are a sharp, midrange growls.  Testament is solid Florida Death Metal with tons of attitude.   

Best cuts include the killer “New Eyes Of Old” (they performed this in the movie “Strange Days”), “Jun-Jun,” “The Burning Times,” the pummeling “John Doe,” and “Nostrovia.”  Testament is raw brilliance unleashed like lightning.   

In summary, Testament is a band that has truly made its mark on the Metal genre.  And “Demonic” is just another reason why this is true.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Obituary, Immolation, Malevolent Creation, Monstrosity, Death, Sepultura, Exhorder, Diabolic, Deicide, Pestilence, Macabre, Acid Bath, Usurper, Morbid Angel, Carcass, Sadus, Morgoth, Fear Factory, Konkhra, Soulfly, Atheist, Cannibal Corpse, Six Feet Under, Testament, Brutal Truth, Entombed, Hearse, Exodus, Carnage, Dark Angel, Catastrophic, etc.      

March 11, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008.  

Beautifully aggressive, Arise And Ruin cuts a bloody trail of brilliant, ferocious Swedish Death Metalcore that outshines the best in the scene.  Their 2007 masterpiece, “Final Dawn” [Victory Records], is a monumental work of brutality destined to become a classic.  This is crushing, poetic genius.   

Arise And Ruin lay down fiery massive grooves with grisly splashes of melody.  Shrill, gutteral growls stomp and lilt through snarling razorwire rhythms.  It’s blast and bash eloquence—nothing will ever be the same.  (Thank God.)   

Best cuts include the addictive punishment of “In Life,” the fierce Grindcore crunch of “End Of The Road,” “Amidst Devils,” “Always The Same,” and the dark “Pale Horse.”  Arise And Ruin are outstanding, the best new band around.   

Finally, Arise And Ruin are completely devastating.  What is better than that?  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Damnation A.D., Hatebreed, Nights Like These, All Out War, Indecision, Hoods, A18, Atreyu, Acid Bath, Silverstein, Freya, How It Ends, Thursday, As I Lay Dying, Darkest Hour, Bury Your Dead, December, Sworn Enemy, Hate Theory, Haste, Poison The Well, Scar Culture, Dim Mak, Luddite Clone, Candiria, Between The Buried And Me, Buried Alive, Autumn Offering, etc.      

March 7, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008.   

Another great reissue from Marduk, the true masters of Melodic Black Metal, has risen from the abyss.  The 2007 reissue of “Heaven Shall Burn…When We Are Gathered” [Regain Records] is welcome additional to any Black Metal fan’s crypt.  Fierce and euphonious, Marduk stands out as a superior act in this genre.   
Raspy, shrill howls and shrieks by Legion (their early vocalist) drill through roaring guitars and thundering rhythms.  But even in this early raw incarnation Marduk used melodic elements—Gothic tinged keyboards and other touches made their aggression darker.   

Best cuts include hellish “Infernal Eternal,” “Darkness It Shall Be,” “Dracul Va Domni Din Nou In Transilvania,” and the fiery lash of “Glorification.”  Marduk is one of a wicked kind.   

In summary, Marduk is as relentless as hell.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Siebenburgen, Emperor, Dismal Euphony, Samael, Hate, Immortal, Sigh, Khold, Borknagar, Aeon, Void, The Deep, Throes Of Dawn, Serpent Obscene, Venom, Mayhem, The Abyss, Dark Funeral, Beherit, Acheron, Children Of Bodom, etc.        

February 29, 2008 A.D. by William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008.   

These are times of strife, and Minor Times are the soundtrack for the end.  Their 2007 opus, “Summer Of Wolves” [Prosthetic Records], is punishing Metalcore with some touches of melodic extremity.  It’s harsh and habit forming….   

Dense, hellish growls explode through grinding waves of guitar and synthesizer wail.  The Minor Times add enough experimental madness to be cool, but without being one of those lame Art-Metal “projects.”  A little weird is good.   

Best cuts include the avant-garde aggression of “Casket City Lights,” “Van Zant,” the ripping roar of “Fire Spitter,” and “This Is Blue.”  Minor Times shreds with a surreal beauty.   

Overall, Minor Times is crazy killer cool.  Stay savage.  Farewell.      

Related Bands: Intronaut, At The Drive-In, Yakuza, Merauder, Acacia Strain, Hatebreed, Godflesh, Earth Crisis, Damnation A.D., Gojira, Arise And Ruin, Byzantine, Throwdown, Bleeding Through, Kingdom Of Sorrow, Hellyeah, Killswitch Engage, etc. 

February 29, 2008 A.D. By William B. Vogel III Copyright 2008.