THE BLACK Alongside Death Pulverised Records Official Website

Here we have some more of the Norwegian sounding black metal only this time it comes from their neighbouring country, Sweden. THE BLACK have been founded in 1991 with the help of the late Jon Nödtveidt (DISSECTION), who participated there under the nickname Rietas. The band managed to release their debut, "The Priest of Satan" in 1994 and then fell dormant for a long time to resume duties last year and prepare their sophomore work with the stunning cover artwork you see! Music wise they play pure black metal and they have a raw and rough sound that reeks of hatred and evilness. Their songs have a really imposing dark atmosphere that the black metallers will definitely love and of course there are no keyboards here, just demonic growls accompanied by some distorted guitars and heavy, mainly fast, rhythms. "Alongside Death" is addressed exclusively to the fans of frozen black metal who adore bands like GORGOROTH and DARK THRONE. The rest should keep their distances...

Christine  Parastatidou

THE SILENT RAGE The Silent Rage EP Independent Official Website

Well, I have to admit that Greece lately doesn’t give only good extreme metal bands, but intensive and fruitful work has also be done to the more melodic genres. THE SILENT RAGE with this EP come to remind us that we are no longer the "poor relatives" of Europe. On the contrary and without any exaggeration I believe that there are many melodic metal bands here in our country that have much more to give to the listener. So without any nationalistic pride, I have to admit that THE SILENT RAGE have impressed me. Their power metal sound is modern, fresh and above all it has good ideas. The orchestration of the songs is great and the band manage in a very natural way to marry the U.S. with the European metal sound. One other thing that I liked is the “marriage” of clean and more thrashy vocals that give to the band a lyrical touch. Here in Greece, we have a saying that too much talking is poorness, so without any fanfare and with all my sincerity I have to say that THE SILENT RAGE have done a great job here and if they continue this way, soon the rest of the Europe and the world will notice them. Support them!!! By the way my favorite songs are: “Silent Rage”, “Litany of Imprisoned Souls” and “Wings of Tragedy”.

Nick  "Verkaim"  Parastatidis

PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS In Memoriam, Ill Omen Pulverised Records Official Website

PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS is a quartet formed in 2003, hailing from Australia and this year they are back to deliver their third malevolent opus titled "In Memoriam, Ill Omen" which dwells in the old school black metal sound with some lo-fi elements. In fact before checking this band out, I was pretty sure I'd find out they come from Norway, cause this is exactly how their music sounds... demonic, dark and Satanic with fast tempos and repetitive themes. Both the darkness and evilness reek from this release making it ideal for every fan that loves old school black metal in the DARK THRONE style. Their dark, ominous melodies are tied perfectly with their sharp black guitars and demonic growls and are wrapped up with an ideal for the genre production, so I can definitely tell you that the die hard black metallers will enjoy this. The only drawback I can find is that such bands, although are good, lack a bit in the originality department...

Christine  Parastatidou

URGEHAL Ikonoklast Season Of Mist Records Official Website

If you are true fans of the old school classic black metal sound, then "Ikonoklast" is an album you'll surely enjoy immensely because of its blackened, frozen atmosphere and pure blasphemous spirit. URGEHAL is an old black metal band, one of the best in the underground Norwegian scene, who have managed to release a really good work, their sixth full length to be precise, and deliver vast amounts of unholy blackness to the masses. Since they are from Norway I don't think I need to be more thorough and describe more how they sound... They serve and belong to the old school black metal scene with songs filled with blastbeats and demonic growls in the vein of DARK THRONE. Again there's nothing ground breaking here, but still they have some powerful unholy anthems to offer you, so if you think you are into this sound, check "Ikonoklast" out!

Christine  Parastatidou

RIMFROST Veraldar Nagli Season Of Mist Records Official Website

Almost three years after their debut album this Swedish trio strikes back with a beautiful in its extremity sophomore release that places them among the most quality bands for this year and I honestly think that given the right exposure and promotion "Veraldar Nagli" can establish them in the worldwide extreme scene! Their sound dwells in the wider black metal genre, but in its more melodic nature that is being enriched with some beautiful epic touches and galloping rhythm parts that offer more variety to the end result. We're not talking here about the monolithic monotonous black metal of the Norwegian scene, but about more complex and multi layered sounds! These guys are an unstoppable riff machine gun with heavy rhythms, beautiful melodies and a dark epic atmosphere topping it all! I've been blasting "Veraldar Nagli" ever since I got the promo in my hands and it's an album that I'll keep listening! I'm definitely a fan and from now on I'll keep following their career! RIMFROST is for fans of NAGLFAR, SAMAEL, DARK TRANQUILLITY (their early and more blackened years) to name a few!

Christine  Parastatidou

BONAFIDE Something's Dripping Black Lodge / Sound Pollution Records Official Website

Creating catchy heavy metal with a dirty twist and a rock 'n' roll vibe is a difficult thing to do regardless what some may think. You need to write powerful uptempo dynamites filled with catchy riffs and sing along choruses... to sum it up you have to write tight and uplifting songs that will force you to get off your chair and start banging your head and dance. There are quite a few good hard rock and heavy metal bands out there, but the ones that can deliver a whole album full of diamonds are hand numbered and the Swedes BONAFIDE are one of those rare bright examples! Their sophomore album titled "Something's Dripping" presents us firm powerful heavy metal anthems with a dirty rock 'n' roll feel that create a party atmosphere and will be loved by fans of bands like AC/DC, TWISTED SISTER, MOTLEY CRUE, THE CULT and the likes. I don't think I need to mention anything else! It's time for me to spin the CD one more time! It must be the third time today... Get your hands on this CD and you won't regret it!

Christine  Parastatidou

SPEEDTRAP Raw Deal High Roller Records Official Website

In my reviews, I think that I have mentioned quite a few times my friend Andreas... A guy that with no exaggeration is a master when it comes to obscure metal releases (imagine that once a band of the 80’s asked him to send them their own demo because they had lost it!!). Anyway, he was the one who spoke to me enthusiastically about a new band from Finland that released an EP that sounds as it was released in the early 80’s. He actually gave me the band’s MySpace address to check it out. And of course one again he was right! “Raw Deal”, their EP, is nothing more than a festival of N.W.O.B.H.M riffs. Yeah, the cover might suggest that they worship EXCITER, but their sound is influenced more by N.W.O.B.H.M. bands like JAGUAR, CRUCIFIXION, DIAMOND HEAD and a bit of the dirt of early MOTORHEAD. Anyway, the 80’s metal fans will enjoy the 6 tracks that are included here and will love to listen to this release again and again. I think that High Roller Records did the right job and decided to release "Raw Deal" on vinyl. I believe that this is a format that fits perfectly to the sound of SPEEDTRAP. You just have to be quick, because “Raw Deal” is released in only 500 copies.

Nick  "Verkaim"  Parastatidis

MINDEAD Abandon All Hope 7Hard Records Official Website

MINDEAD is a newcoming act from Germany and "Abandon All Hope" is their debut album that came nearly 7 years after their formation. Here the guys deliver modern sounding thrash metal with a few hardcore touches dispersed to enrich the end result and some melodic passages with clean vocals thrown in here and there.... so overall we could say that their sound is based and founded on modern metal standards having quite many commercial references. There were also moments that they brought to my mind the modern approach and sound of SEPULTURA, especially on how their guitars sound and have those modern groove effects. All in all I can say that "Abandon All Hope" is a more than decent debut album presenting a promising band with nice ideas, only I'd rather wish they find a more personal sound to express themselves in the future...

Christine  Parastatidou

BRAINSTORM Memorial Roots AFM Records Official Website

BRAINSTORM are back with their latest release titled "Memorial Roots". It seems that this time the power metallers have tried to make a new approach to their music. The opening song is called "Forsake What You Believe" and is probably their weakest track, a mid-pacer – something that was a real surprise. The next songs sound really better and closer to BRAINSTORM's sound. “Shiver” for example is a fast paced song with strong riffs and I believe you can also enjoy “The Conjunction of the 7 Planets” which has a melodic chorus and powerful metal cuts. Although the production of the album is fine, the guitar tones are a little thinner than usual and some parts of the songs are not so heavy as we expected. The hardcore fans of BRAINSTORM will not be excited, but they won't be disappointed either from “Memorial Roots”. Even though they don’t sound as heavy as we expected, we are dealing with an enjoyable album, so give it a try.

Konstantinos “C.O.B.” Meintanis

STEEL ASSASSIN In Hellfire Forged High Roller Records Official Website

This is not a new release from the band... Actually the band decided to re – record some of their old songs (most of them are included on their debut album “From the Vaults") with their new singer and release them on a vinyl. This release, like all that come from High Roller Records, is limited to 500 copies. The good thing is that I had the luck to listen to the original songs and I have to admit that the band did a great job here and gave the song a fresh sound without though losing their true spirit. I also liked a lot the voice of their new singer, John Falzone, (who also did the vocals on the latest full length of the band entitled “War of the Eight Saints”) whose voice reminded me of ICED EARTH’s Matt Barlow. By the way the music of STEEL ASSASSIN I could say is a combination between ICED EARTH, SAVATAGE (first 2 albums) and OMEN. It is a pity that this release will only be released on vinyl, because I think that it will interest many people that don’t have record players. It would be good if the band one day decided to release this one also on CD. Anyway, if you search for a good U.S. metal band that plays music with passion and respects its past, you will find all these here.

Nick  "Verkaim"  Parastatidis

LEAVES' EYES Njord Napalm Records Official Website

Liv Kristine and her personal band LEAVES' EYES have released recently their third studio album called “Njord”. We are dealing here with an epic album inspired by the Scandinavian mythology with strong gothic elements. This time the band had the tendency to change their musical approach towards more symphonic orchestrations and LEAVES' EYES sound closer to NIGHTWISH. Of course Liv Kristine is an excellent singer and she’s trying to give her personal touch to the vocals of the album and does not ever try to imitate Tarja Turunen. The most exciting song is called “My Destiny” which has great riffs and besides Liv some male vocals are also present. You can also find lots of gothic rock elements in various songs such as “Take the Devil in me”, “Northbound”, etc. It’s obvious that LEAVES' EYES are re-establishing their musical feeling and they also try to add more artistic elements to their album covers and videoclips. As a closing comment we can say that  “Njord” is the next step for the German band and for sure they are in the right path.

Konstantinos “C.O.B.” Meintanis

ILLDISPOSED To Those Who Walk Behind Us Massacre Records Official Website

There's no doubt about it! I like this band, I really do and their latest release "To Those Who Walk Behind Us" is only here to intensify my love for their music! The album has all the well known ILLDISPOSED elements that the band's fans are looking for in their releases... it's like the band decided to make a retrospection of their career and deliver an album with their best and most characteristic elements, all those things that made them famous and made us their fans! So this album is once again full of tight and dynamic death metal with lots of melodic parts, great concrete rhythms and heavy guitars that weave elaborate solos and catchy riffs. The vocals are powerful and enhance the extremity and aggressiveness of the compositions and the tempos vary from heavy mid tempos to fast brutalities creating the necessary balance and variety. If you like this band, then there's no way you won't like this album. If you've never come across their music, this is the right time to do it!

Christine  Parastatidou

MECHANICAL ORGANIC Disrepair Part Two - The Pleasure Fled Independent Official Website

Few are the bands that are truly pioneering or ground breaking nowadays when most bands follow trends and prefer the security of well trodden paths. I think this Australian act is the epitome of what innovation and originality really mean. I've been following this band since their beginning and I can honestly say that they continue to positively surprise me with each and every release they put out. After careful listenings and letting the album sink in me, I can definitely say it's their best work to date! "Disrepair Part Two - The Pleasure Fled" consists of a 17 minute long epic titled "Into the Fangs of Lunacy" and a radio edit of the song and although this is one song we're talking about, it's so beautiful, complex and diverse and it has such a variety of tunes and themes that time flows without realizing... you just feel compelled to push the play button again. MECHANICAL ORGANIC, as I've stated before, is exactly what their name implies, it's a fusion between the mechanical and electric sounds of rock and metal music and some more organic and natural sounds. This is exactly what their new release is all about once again, while at the same time the band has evolved its sound and they've enriched it with heavier guitars that deliver some beautiful elaborate solos. The song is surrounded by a dark, melancholy atmosphere that's enhanced with the emotive vocals of the band's mainman, Eddie Katz and supported by a very good production and a beautiful artwork! All I can say to close this presentation is that the end result is breath taking and mesmerizing!

Christine  Parastatidou

SORROWFUL ANGELS Ship in your Trip Sleaszy Rider Records Official Website

I have to say that these guys from Greece have found a really strong and catchy name for their band, a name that serves them well, initiating the listeners to the band's sound and giving us a general direction before we even listen to their debut's first notes. SORROWFUL ANGELS is a five piece act from Greece that delivers gothic metal music, but not the nerveless and cheesy kind we are mainly used to listening nowadays. Their sound has powerful, dynamic moments, beautiful heavy guitar solos and catchy riffs, while never losing their atmospheric character and dark melodies. Intensity, melancholy and darkness are some feelings "Ship in your Trip" will surely create in you. The album also contains a few electronic elements that enrich the sound and what I need to underline is that the keyboards play a significant role to the compositions. Actually there were moments that the keyboards were so beautiful that brought to my mind SAVATAGE and TYPE O NEGATIVE. Some other bands that came to my mind while listening to this very interesting debut are SISTERS OF MERCY and CREMATORY to name a few. The gothic metallers should spend some time on this band!

Christine  Parastatidou

DEFIANCE The Prophecy Candlelight Records Official Website

Once upon a time, when the reunions of 80’s metal bands was not so usual, I was full of enthusiasm when I was learning that a legend of the past has reunited. However, most of these band have released mediocre albums and where a shadow of their selves. After some disappointments, I have learned and I was waiting to listen first to the works of the reunited bands before go full of enthusiasm on the store next to me to buy their release. DEFIANCE, now is a thrash metal band that was formed in the 80’s and they have released their debut album on the late years of that decade (in 1989 if I remember correct) and in 1992 released their last official album until now. “The Prophecy” is actually their come back to the metal scene. I have to say that “The Prophecy” left me pretty much satisfied without being the thrash metal album that will shake my foundations. Anyway, DEFIANCE never have been and in the 80’s an outstanding thrash metal band. They were descent with what they were doing and manage to deliver some good tunes, without though reaching the big names of this genre. So, “The Prophecy” is simply a good old fashioned thrash metal album with some modern touches that might not bring new fans to the band, but surely won’t disappoint the fans of them. In few words “The Prophecy” is just a good descent album without claiming anything more for itself. At least proves that the band stays faithful to the sound that have served for so many years. This is a release that applies exclusively to those who can’t live without listening to bay area thrash…

Nick  "Verkaim"  Parastatidis

VOLTAX Voltax High Roller Records Official Website

VOLTAX come from Mexico and they had released their debut album (this one) in 2007 on CD. The quality of their release though, has convinced High Roller Records to release their album on vinyl too. And I will agree with the choice of the label, since VOLTAX is one of these bands that don't just worship traditional metal, but also have some great ideas. Their sound is a mixture of N.W.O.B.H.M. influences along with U.S. metal references (such as AGENT STEEL, CIRITH UNGOL and OMEN). “Voltax” is an album that you simply enjoy to listen to from start till end. Actually, you have such good time that you don’t even realize when the album ends. This is a release that every faithful fan of traditional metal has to check out and I am more than certain that it will keep you company for a long time. All the songs are of high quality, but the one that caught my heart is “(Blackbeard) Wild of the Sea” which is closer to the IRON MAIDEN/OMEN sound rather than that of RUNNING WILD. With such releases, I think that is more than obvious that classic heavy metal is back for good… Enjoy!!!

Nick  "Verkaim"  Parastatidis

HELLKOMMANDER Death to my Enemies High Roller Records Official Website

HELLKOMMANDER are coming from Brazil and actually this is a band formed by members of the following bands: APOCALYPTIC RAIDS, FARSCAPE, SODOMIZER, DIABOLIC FORCE, GRAVE DESECRATOR, etc. The sound that the band chooses to play is old fashion black/thrash metal. The kind of music that is not easy to listen to in our days, when the extreme music releases are full of effects, polished productions and triggers. In HELLKOMMANDER you won’t have any of that. Here you will listen to songs that carry the dirty speed of MOTORHEAD, SODOM (early) and the evilness of VENOM and HELLHAMMER. You can’t also say that HELLKOMMANDER is a retro black band since their sound is as if this work had been released back in the 80’s, instead of many retro metal bands that play in the old fashion way but have a well polished production. The truth is that HELLKOMMANDER attempt with their simplicity to create a much more evil atmosphere than many other extreme bands that have all new technology in their service. A thing that proves that you must have the feeling in order to create the right atmosphere. So far, all these are good, but there are some drawbacks to this release as well. The most important is that the band sometimes repeats its musical ideas from one song to the other and that needs a bit more work on behalf of them. To make it simple, they need to work more on the variety issue. “Death to my Enemies” is a release that applies to a specific group of metal heads and because of that I think that High Roller Records released this only to 500 copies on vinyl. So, if you are an 80’s metal fan of the extreme sound, then here you will discover some good things….

Nick  "Verkaim"  Parastatidis

PARADOX Riot Squad AFM Records Official Website

PARADOX from Germany, is probably the most U.S. oriented sound wise thrash metal band that comes from this country. It's a band that didn’t hesitate to add to its sound some power metal elements. A choice that surely justifies as a matter of fact the quality of their releases, but unfortunately the band never managed to earn the glory of the other well known thrash metal bands of their country. “Riot Squad” is the fifth album of the band and they still continue to deliver some good riffs and an album that is very good and pleasant to listen to. So if you like old METALLICA mixed with some traditional and power metal tunes, then this release is exactly what you want. There is a good balance between aggressiveness and melody to this album. “Riot Squad” might not be a ground breaking release for the thrash metal genre, but it's a release that proves that PARADOX are still active and still have a lot to offer to the metal scene. So grab a beer, play “Riot Squad” on high volume and get ready to make your head bang. A good way to blow some steam out…

Nick  "Verkaim"  Parastatidis

SPITBACK Power Grooves Independent Official Website

For years now I had the sense that the Greek metal scene is divided in two main categories, the classic heavy/power metal bands and the extreme scene that's comprised by death and black metal groups for the most part. However, lately to my surprise I realized that some newcomers emerge who don't belong or at least not entirely belong to any of these two aforementioned branches, but they rather try to form and shape their own sound following a different path. Such a band is SPITBACK from Larissa in Greece, a new coming power combo that delivers modern metal music that I'd describe as somewhere between hardcore and metalcore. "Power Grooves" is what the title implies, an album filled with groovy aggressive riffs and a concrete rhythm section accompanying it and enhancing its intensity. SPITBACK is a band that is going to be appreciated by all those who listen to modern metal and like bands like DISTURBED, SLIPKNOT and the likes. The band is giving "Power Grooves" for free download, so go ceck them out and support them!

Christine  Parastatidou

SACRED STEEL Carnage Victory Massacre Records Official Website

Although we are a metal webzine, SACRED STEEL gave me the inspiration to write this review in terms that fit more to football (soccer for the U.S. friends that read us). You see, SACRED STEEL is one of those descent teams that although lack a bit on technical skills and aren't so impressive in the field, manage through their persistence to have most of the times a good image and outcome. This doesn’t mean that such a team can achieve something extraordinary in most cases, but it has its fans and keeps them satisfied. So, something like that is what SACRED STEEL are... They play speed metal with passion, but they don’t have something extra that will make them noticeable from the majority of people that like traditional metal. On the other hand they have a strong core of fans that loves them and follows them and “Carnage Victory” will surely satisfy them. The others that don’t like their previous albums and especially “Wargods of Metal” (their best release so far), I don’t see how this album will change their mind. Finally, I have to add that this album will be also released in a limited edition that will include a DVD.

Nick  "Verkaim"  Parastatidis

RED CIRCUIT Homeland Limb Music Official Website

I'm not so into power or progressive metal, rather the contrary since I mainly listen to extreme metal and I'm saying this here as an introduction, because I'd like you to understand why I chose and decided to present this release... and that's because I truly believe that "Homeland" stands out and it's definitely worth your time and money. RED CIRCUIT is a five piece powerful combo from Germany delivering melodic power progressive metal with all the genre's cliches and elements that make it recognizable, but at the same time with a personal sound and approach that gives their music a breath of fresh air! "Homeland" combines, in the most natural way, the technique and the elaborate solos of progressive metal with the groove and rhythm oriented approach of modern metal. The songs are heavy and yet melodic, they are technical and yet catchy and with many false harmonics and licks a la Zakk Wylde. One other thing that makes this release stand out, according to me, are the magnificent vocals of Chity Somapala. His voice is melodic and yet his timbre is heavy and hoarse, enhancing this beautiful balance between the melodic and the groovy, modern elements of the album. I honestly think he is one of the best singers for this sound and his performance elevates the end result even further, while the keyboards other times create dark atmospheres and other times enrich the technicality of the songs. If you like melodic and catchy music and great bands like SYMPHONY X, then RED CIRCUIT is a band you just can't afford to miss!

Christine  Parastatidou

TOMMY ERMOLLI Step Ahead Lion Music Official Website

Tommy Ermolli is the guitarist of the progressive metal band from Italy named TWINSPIRITS. If you remember I recently made a presentation of the band. “Step Ahead” now is the solo album of this guitarist who has surprised me very positively. To be sincere I expected to listen to an album full of show – off, fast playing and solos that never end. Tommy, though, had other ideas and a much more interesting approach to his music. He tries to create emotions through his music and leaves his guitar to do the talking. A guitar so expressive that make you think that the addition of a singer and lyrics wouldn’t offer much to this album. Surely, “Step Ahead” has all the typical elements of an instrumental album, but it also has the melodies to travel you. Its sound balances between the blues, the 70’s hard rock and progressive metal.  So, if you have the patience or you search for instrumental rock/metal albums, then I am sure that “Step Ahead” will impress you with its positive simplicity (as I said not much technical show – off here) and its expressiveness. Finally, I have to mention that Tommy Ermolli was helped by his bands mates in TWINSPIRITS in order to realize this album. 

Nick  "Verkaim"  Parastatidis

INFINITY OVERTURE Kingdom of Utopia Lion Music Official Website

I think that during the late summer and early autumn period we are given some very good releases both from known and not yet known bands. INFINITY OVERTURE is one more release that definitely distinguishes for its quality and good musical ideas. The info sheet of their label describes them as symphonic power metal, but I don’t think that this describes the band’s sound in its entirety. You see on “Kingdom of Utopia” you will find compositions that can bring to your mind bands like RHAPSODY, Yngwie Malmsteen, but above all I think that there is a strong RAINBOW/DIO touch to the whole atmosphere of the band. Some rock touches are also obvious and bring to mind bands like QUEEN and Chris De Burg (the “Crusader” album). The strong feeling that you have while listening to this release is the theatrical touch that all their songs have and I believe this happens on purpose since without being 100% certain, I believe that “Kingdom of Utopia” is a concept album. For the positive impact that this album had to me the singers, Ian Parry (male lead vocals), Lene Petersen (female lead vocals) and Anne Karine Prip (female lead vocals) are also responsible. The only objection I have regarding this release is that it could have some more up tempo songs and not so many atmospheric ones. “Kingdom of Utopia” might not be a release that will enthuse people outside power metal, but I am more than certain that it will satisfy the demanding fans of this genre.

Nick  "Verkaim"  Parastatidis

SAVAGE BLADE We Are the Hammer Pure Steel Records Official Website

OK! I might be exaggerating, but Canada is a country that when it gives birth to heavy metal bands, the least you can say is that they are interesting. SAVAGE BLADE come from Canada and it is the kind of band that the 80’s metal heads will love. Their sound has nothing to do with power metal, as I have seen written on some sites. The guys deliver traditional heavy metal that is baptized in the lake of the N.W.O.B.H.M along with some ARMORED SAINT touches. You can easily compare them with bands such as CAULDRON (their compatriots) and the Swedish forces like WOLF and ENFORCER. The more noticeable thing in their music is that the more you listen to them the more you like them. One other thing that deserves to be noticed is the voice of their singer Nikko Forsberg who enhances this N.W.O.B.H.M. touch of their sound while there are also some times that he reminded me of Dave Mustaine (check out the song “Merlin”). SAVAGE BLADE do not apply to the large masses of the modern metal scene, but to those that still have the thirst to listen to good old fashioned heavy metal without becoming too cheesy. Trust them…

Nick  "Verkaim"  Parastatidis

LOVEHATEHERO America Underwater Ferret Music Official Website

LOVEHATEHERO encompass in their sound and style everything I despise in modern metal music... which is a gathering of young people with no personal musical identity who play anything and everything sacrificing it all in the altars of fortune and fame... What I'm saying is that such bands play everything that's commercial, they add whatever is trendy and can attract more listeners and the wider the range of influences the better. Their moniker indicates what they are after... love and hate, aggressiveness and melody. Sure! Mentioned like this it definitely sounds interesting, but I'm sick and tired of listening to the same sound and approach from a million of bands with no changes or alterations... even if it were my favourite genre, I'd end up hating it after so many repetitions. LOVEHATEHERO try to "please" everyone, but especially they try to please those who don't listen to metal so much, people who like melodic and pop oriented stuff, who at the same time try or want to show off as a bit more extreme. Well there's just one thing I can say... fake and cheesy!

Christine  Parastatidou

SALTATIO MORTIS Wer Wind Saet Napalm Records Official Website

SALTATIO MORTIS are Latin words that in common English can be translated as "Death Dance". We are dealing with a medieval/folk metal band from Germany with a strong character which does not relate to any “death” music. On "Wer Wind Saet" you can expect groovy guitars, mid to fast tempo songs and RAMMSTEIN like vocals. Besides the traditional folk  elements in their music, you can also hear some electronic effects in the background. SALTATIO MORTIS in this record are trying to avoid getting caught in specific patterns of folk metal. There are a lot of interesting songs on this album such as the melodic "Letzte Worte", the “heavy” and enthusiastic "Miststuck", the Scottish themed "Vegressene Gotter" and of course “Salome” which features the metal queen Doro. "Wer Wind Saet" is a very interesting album and the band shows that they have a lot of energy…so the only thing you have to do is buy and enjoy it!

Konstantinos  “C.O.B”  Meintanis

HELVETETS PORT Exodus to Hell Pure Steel Records Official Website

My good friend Andreas, who has dedicated most of his life searching for 80’s metal diamonds will love these guys! Actually, I am sure that if no one tells him that “Exodus to Hell” is a new release, he will find it hard to believe that this one was not recorded and produced in the glorious days of the early '80s. Actually, the whole production made me search intensively in order to be convinced that HELVETETS PORT are not a metal re – release of the '80s. Anyway, enough with that! The guys seem to be into the '80s fuckin’ metal spirit and especially to the sound of bands that left their mark on this genre. So, if you like to listen to a band that is influenced by groups like GOTHAM CITY, HEAVY LOAD and early JUDAS PRIEST along with some N.W.O.B.H.M. and German metal touches, then here you will hit the jack pot. No matter what point I see it from, I believe that “Exodus to Hell” is an outstanding release from a band that breathes for good old heavy metal. So all the traditional metal fans out there shouldn't even think of not checking this release out! An exceptional work indeed. I really love Swedish metal bands when they don’t sell themselves off to the altar of commercialism.

Nick  "Verkaim"  Parastatidis

ARKONA Goi, Rode, Goi! Napalm Records Official Website

ARKONA are a Russian folk metal band who were formed in 2002 by members of the local pagan community called “Vyatichi”. Their intention is that their music reflects their unique philosophy and taste. Their latest album is called "Goi, Rode, Goi!" and we are dealing here with a stunning album with great quality in its production. The most impressive thing is that ARKONA used over 40 musicians and a full fledged chorus creating a real masterpiece. The most astonishing song of this album is called "Na Moey Zemie". This epic song features the voices of MANEGARM, MENHIR and HEIDEVOLK. The song starts with harmonic vocals along with some classic folk instruments such as pipes, strings etc.  Among the other songs you will find some medieval tunes and there are also references to bands such as TRISTANIA, RAMMSTEIN and many more. If you are into the folk scene, this is a must buy album. The only negative part is that the vocals are in the Russian language, but if you get used to this you will travel into an ocean of feelings.

Konstantinos  “C.O.B”  Meintanis

ANEMONIA Moonlit Numina Independent Official Website

The atmospheric/gothic metal bands with female operatic singers are not my cup of tea. Most of these bands sound to clichéd or they overproduce their albums to the point they become tiring. Also the biggest part of them try to sound so similar to NIGHTWISH that the whole thing is at least hilarious. There are though some exceptions to this rule. There are some bands that don’t just copy the bands they like, but they draw inspiration from their influences in order to create a sound that makes them noticeable. Such a band are ANEMONIA from Canada and with "Moonlit Numina", which is their debut release make a very sonorous statement. Their music can’t be described easily as gothic or atmospheric metal, because by saying that you lose many other aspects of their music. So I can say that their sound mixes influences that range from traditional metal to power metal with many symphonic parts in between. If you can imagine a band that balances between NIGHTWISH and SAVATAGE, then you might have a clear image of how they sound and yet this image is not fully representative of their music. One other thing that can be noticed is the dreamy atmosphere with the epic outbursts that is vivid throughout the whole album. The only thing that could be a bit better is the production, which is pretty much OK, but it could be clearer and more dynamic I believe. A band that definitely belongs to the ones I can recommend to you, no matter what is the metal genre that you prefer the most…

Nick  "Verkaim"  Parastatidis

SAVAGE CIRCUS Of Doom and Death Dockyard 2 Records Official Website

On “Dreamland Manor”, their debut release, SAVAGE GRACE offered us an interesting BLIND GUARDIAN sounding like album with songs that could easily be part of albums like “Somewhere Far Beyond” or “Imaginations from the Other Side”. On their second album, in which Thomen Stauch the former drummer of BLIND GUARDIAN left, the band continues from the point they left us with their debut album, but something doesn’t work for me that well here. I think that the band tries so much to sound like BLIND GUARDIAN, and when it comes to their sound and production they succeed, however what lacks in this release is the fairytale emotion that BLIND GUARDIAN have on their albums. I think that it's easy to make a band that can sound like someone else, but the most important thing is that the songs must also create emotions to the listener and not just remind them of the past glories of a big and known band. To make it simple, what’s the point of listening to SAVAGE CIRCUS, when you can listen to the great albums of BLIND GUARDIAN? Also, the songs in this release are overproduced and are too long to a point that they bored me. One other bad thing is that “Of Doom and Death” is a concept album based on the very interesting Stephen King book series of “The Dark Tower”. Don’t even waste your time to listen to this release, it is just a waste of time…

Nick  "Verkaim"  Parastatidis

CRYSTALLION Hundred Days Dockyard 2 Records Official Website

One year ago I had learnt about the existence of CRYSTALLION by listening to their second album entitled “Hattin”. An album inspired by the crusades that was simply a good melodic power metal release without claiming anything more. And sincerely, I didn’t believe that CRYSTALLION was a band that could do something better than “Hattin”. For my satisfaction and surprise, they proved me wrong with their new album entitled “Hundred Days”. Here, the band still delivers good heavy and melodic power metal tunes, but they have blended them with some hard rock touches. Also the use of keyboards is very effective, since they help the atmosphere of the concept story of the album. So, if you like bands like AXXIS, AVANTASIA and a bit of good old STRATOVARIUS, then “Hundred Days” is more than just a good album to invest your money on. By the way, the concept of this album is about Napoleon and this proves the love that CRYSTALLION have to deal with historical subjects in their music. No doubt this is the best CRYSTALLION release so far…

Nick  "Verkaim"  Parastatidis

W.A.S.P. Babylon Demolition Records Official Website

Repetition is the mother of all knowledge, we use to say here in Greece, but how much can we listen to the same songs again and again from a band, even if this band is W.A.S.P.? Yes, my friends I am talking about the new W.A.S.P. album which, in my opinion, fails in all levels. I could even forgive the repetition, if the band was offering with this release what the cover of it and the title seem to promise. It would be great to listen to some dark and sinister tunes of W.A.S.P., as they have got us used to in the past and definitely from an album called “Babylon” with the four horsemen of the apocalypse on its cover that’s what someone should expect. Instead, I get a more hard rockin’ and without any nerve album. Even Blackie Lawless seems to me tired and he sings like he has an obligation to fulfill and nothing more. So, with a few exceptions like the songs “Babylon’s Burning” and “Seas of Fire”, I could easily say that “Babylon” belongs to the mediocre releases of this band's long and very interesting career. 

Nick  "Verkaim"  Parastatidis

OPTIMYSTICAL Distant Encounters Avenue Of Allies Records Official Website

Robin Vagh, the musician behind this band is not unknown to me. Actually, I had the chance and the pleasure to listen to his previous work under the name VAGH where he was playing a mixture of hard rock and melodic heavy metal. In OPTIMYSTICAL, now things have changed and Robing Vagh chose to show us the more melodic and emotional aspect of his musical talent. The result, in my opinion, is a decent but yet typical AOR release that has nothing to offer to the listener that has listened to thousand releases such as this one. Yes there are plenty of love songs here, ballads and melodic music that in the few times they become heavier make you feel that the band would have a better chance if they chose to play hard rock or melodic heavy metal. So, yes, by having in mind the skills of Robin Vagh, I can say that he could do better. If you really want to listen to some good hard rock, you surely have to check out the previous works of VAGH. As for OPTIMYSTICAL, I will wait for their next release to see if they can do better than just deliver some typical AOR tunes.

Nick  "Verkaim"  Parastatidis

GRIFTEGARD Solemn.Sacred.Severe Van Records Official Website

Do you know what doom metal is? Have you grasped the full meaning and substance of this music? If not, then I urge and implore you to check the Swedes GRIFTEGARD, because they simply are the epitome of what doom metal stands for! I'm stunned! I was stunned throughout the album and now after several listenings, I take some time to let the album fully sink into me... and still there's no change of heart in me. I'm still impressed and awed to my very core by the sheer heaviness and beauty of "Solemn.Sacred.Severe"! These guys have a sound of their own and like I've already stated in the beginning of this presentation it's the epitome of doom metal! Their compositions are heavy and imposing with voluminous mid tempos and rhythm guitars that will haunt you... All these are accompanied by an amazing singer whose interpretations are a state of the art! His vocals are melodic and yet tormented and they never lack in passion or intensity! If you are a fan of bands like CANDLEMASS, SOLSTICE, TROUBLE and DOOMSWORD, then you just can't miss this! I think I've just found one of the top releases for this year! 

Christine  Parastatidou

FROZEN RAIN Frozen Rain Avenue Of Allies Records Official Website

FROZEN RAIN isn't a full time band, but it's in fact the solo project of the Belgian musician Kurt Vereecke and this self titled work is his debut work that's been made a reality with the help and contribution of many well known musicians. I'm sure that the band's moniker alone makes us understand this has nothing to do with extreme or intense music, but rather the contrary since the band's name is quite melancholy... but it's not gothic either as I thought before giving the CD a spin. This is a purely AOR release with all the cliches and standards of this music, following the lead of all the great bands that played this way like TOTO and JOURNEY to name two of the most famous... If you are into these bands and sound, then you might like "Frozen Rain". I haven't enjoyed it though not only because I'm not a fan of rock and AOR music, but because I found the songs rather nerveless and identical. They can work fine as entities, but as a whole the end result sounds somewhat flat to me.

Christine  Parastatidou

STONELAKE Shades of Eternity 7hard Records Official Website

This is the fourth album for the melodic power metal band from Sweden STONELAKE. A band that doesn’t claim for itself to be something extraordinary or original, but on the other hand they have a decent and sincere vision about how they want to sound and to which people their music applies. So you won’t get here any modern sounds that remind us of the melodic death metal scene of their country... An element that so many power metal bands over use in our days, in order to attract fans of other genres. STONELAKE don’t seem to care about these kinds of trends, so they offer us a power metal sound that reminds us of good old EDGUY and AVANTASIA, along with some progressive touches that sometimes reminded me of DREAM THEATER and others QUEENSRYCHE. The band seems they had fun creating this album and somehow they managed to pass this mood through their music to the listener. So, if you are not searching for something new in this kind of music, but you are simply satisfied by listening to some good tunes, melodies and ideas, then STONELAKE will be just fine for you…

Nick  "Verkaim"  Parastatidis

THE ORDER Rockwolf Dockyard 2 Records Official Website

I've been following this band from Switzerland since their very beginning and I have to say that if you are either a fan of theirs or of hard rock music, you won't get disappointed. These guys know how to compose catchy and uplifting hard rock music and they prove once again how powerful and important their country of origin is to this kind of music. THE ORDER have everything I look for and demand in hard rock music... they have memorable choruses, riffs that stick to your mind, great technique with some beautiful elaborate guitar solos and an amazing singer whose vocals I think are among the top for this genre. Their songs are sharp and intense with passion and positive energy flowing in abundance and wrapped up with a very good and dynamic production. The album also contains a great cover version of the song "Wild Boys". "Rockwolf" is a release that even the most demanding hard rockers and metallers will surely enjoy!

Christine  Parastatidou

CAULDRON Chained to the Nite Earache Records Official Website

CAULDRON is not a new band, although “Chained to the Nite” is their debut album. Actually CAULDRON is the continuation of the band called GOAT HORN and the truth is that this release continues exactly from the point that GOAT HORN ended their career. You see the last release of GOAT HORN was the EP “Threatening Force” and there the band were delivering a classic heavy metal sound with lots of N.W.O.B.H.M. influences in it. So, in this release you will have the chance to listen to some good heavy metal tunes that praise the glory of the British metal of the 80’s. Now, for those of you that don’t know much about the 80’s sound and want some hints to understand how CAULDRON play... well the closest sounding band to them are no others than the Swedes WOLF. CAULDRON, though, also have some doom touches in their sound. All in all, this is a release that a fan of traditional metal will enjoy to listen to and eventually will like to have their album in his/her discography. My only objection is about the vocals, which without being bad, could have been more colorful. No matter what, the obvious thing is that traditional heavy metal is back for good and it really has some very good bands to represent it. By the way did I tell you that CAULDRON are from Canada? I think that explains a lot…

Nick  "Verkaim"  Parastatidis