dystopia4, it's Solacide.

@Goodly_ha

Sargeist - Let the Devil In

Thick. Pummeling. Persistent. GOODY!
And with a vocalist from the very depths. I always passed on Sargeist but I've only heard good things and this is just the reminder I needed. The feeling is pretty much similar to Gorgoroth but there's great balance to the way this band operates. The riffing is melodic but not aggressively so and the melodic transitions are in fact deceptive. The tempo itself seems straight but is not a full ahead speedy bludgeon, there's a bit of pull back and then it thrusts you back in. The vocals themselves are some of the best I have heard in black metal in a long time. Downright sinister and snarly but with propellant dimensions agitated by the dramatic dense rise of the music.

In a word, perfect!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Baxure_bifs

Overkill - E.vil N.ever D.ies

I've always loved how deceptively hollow this starts. With a brooding prog rock style mumble and then it breaks out into a supercharged guitar riff replete with plucky bass and a fiery drum assault nearly without warning. Bobby Blitz starts a monster of a rant soon after with some terrifying ease. I can see why he is ranked among the best in the thrash game. He is so present and exacting in his theatrical delivery, I could almost feel spit flying in my face. The rest of the band is as awe inspiring. The riffs are a bit pulled back and the bass comes through a lot but everything is still quite audible. I like how it breaks apart and then comes together again with a furious intensity as Blitz rants on with malicious abandon. The verse riffs are superbly headbangable and the song's generally satisfying.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPU_dl6rmw8

Purple Hill Witch - "Rendezvous with Madness"

With a name like Purple Hill Witch and that album cover, I was expecting some kind of bizarre psychedelic stoner rock freakout, but what this actually is is some fairly traditional doom. This has pretty much everything you would expect from a retro doom song, with some fairly simple but solid riffing, steady drumming (with a tambourine at a few points for that more old-school sound) and prominent bass rumbling away underneath. Nothing you haven't heard before, but done quite well. The vocals are... kind of funny for me, actually. Pretty weedy and nasal, with not much power behind them - there's more than a hint of Ozzy influence at work here, but they can't quite conjure up the sense of true anguish and dread the way Sabbath's early works could (and there's a few "Black Sabbath"-styled "oh noooooooo!"s in there... not quite as good, though). That said, they kind of work, in a way that I can't quite explain. But ultimately, this is too samey to really connect with me. They manage to conjure up an enjoyable rocking groove, the middle section with a fuzzy wah-pedalled riff-based solo providing some colour, but there really isn't enough dynamic or atmosphere in here to draw you in the way the best doom can.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDvgdPaRFPY

Sorry man, don't know how I managed to fuck that one up.

@Sleight

A band whose name I've heard bandied about for a while but I've never properly checked out. The intro reminds me of some sort of melancholic rock, the guitar tone seems weirdly out-of-place, almost like it should be fuzzier like a shoegaze band or something. Then we get the vocals, which are strangely timid, kinda like an meek and mild James Hetfield or Peavy Wagner. The chorus is pretty trite, too, reminding me of that old Elton John song, 'Don't Let the Son Sun Go Down on Me' (albeit not nearly as memorable as that track). Seriously, I wish the guitars would do something here. They're just dawdling from chord to melancholic chord. Pretty tepid, this. It sounds like the typical case of a 1990s doom band outgrowing doom and then jumping to whatever brand of melancholic rock was popular that week. Boring as shit, there's about two ideas in this song and neither of them are good.

Something melancholic, but not so dull

Rotting Christ - King of a Stellar War

I absolutely hate the drum sound in this song and there's a coldness to the riffing but Rotting Christ have always been masters at atmosphere and everything works even if singularly it wouldn't. But as a general song within the context of the dark Gothic hues that this plays to, all is necessary and rightly placed. The guitar melodies are of course a treat and the keys/synths are very tastefully placed. The vocals are anguished and very involving...it isn't as heavy as their other works but it is satisfying nonetheless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dIaPWFlneQ

Lucifer - "Copulate the Cross"

The first thing I noticed about this was the production. The production is pretty terrible, with the thin and buzzy guitar tone, extremely obvious, plasticky-sounding programmed drums, and vocals that sound like they're coming from the next room over. It hurts the song more than it should, which is a shame, because this is a solid death metal piece otherwise. The riffs strike a good balance between melodic and brutal, with some hints of black metal slipping in with some sections of tremolo riffs and blasting. It's a shame, then, that the solo is a pretty uninspired shred one. Props to whoever programmed the drums as well, because they never go into mindless blasting, and offer up a nice range of double bass patterns, slower sections and some well-placed blast beats. The vocals are pretty good for this style too, a low but not too guttural and slightly old-school sounding growl, with a few sections where he switches to a blackened rasp, and some well-placed sections where the two are layered. Shame about the goofy anti-Christian lyrics he's singing ("let Christ fuck you"? Please). A pretty good song overall, aside from the production.

Speed metal from Mongolia, anyone? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7mq1DItZjY

Hurd Bolltagai (this is all the youtube video said)

Just starting out this looks promising. Brief suspenseful keyboards are followed by a scream. Killer melodic guitars come in, soon accompanied by an operatic howl. Fun, upbeat drums are added to the mix. Then the vocals come in and, well, this is where it starts to lose me. I find it hard to get into more traditional metal sung in foreign languages, and this is no exceptions. While the vocals during (what I think is) the chorus are alright, the ones during the verse sound really dorky and not all that powerful. Really a shame as there are some great Maiden-esque melodies here as well as a great blazing solo. Didn't hate this at all, but the vocals really did put me off a bit. The dude on lead guitar really can play the shit out of a melody, though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHHP8AF7Bks

Kanto Arboretum - City of Grass

Instrumentally speaking, this is very cool stuff. The thin, buzzy guitar tone works really well with those slow-moving tremolo riffs and even better for those high-pitched lead melodies. Pretty neat actually, as the base level music sort of has this folky UKBM/Cascadian BM thing going, but the lead melodies are like a mixture of something you'd find in those styles and more traditional Finnish black metal leads. The drumming was unfortunately kind of dull but that's not a big deal. The only real problem I had with it is the vocals, which were just sort of in this gruff, passionless barking rasp. The material would've been much better served with a more commanding vocal approach, though. Could be either something more traditional yet hateful/histrionic, or something deeper and echoey-er, like on the Arsaidh album. Still pretty neat though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcDmdHQsGKU

Swallowed - The Dying Misted In The Bloodstream

Dark and melancholic, and for quite obvious reasons reminded me of Wormphlegm and Disembowelment to a degree, but not too otherworldly like the former. Loved the sound of drum beats that didn't let create vacuum in the opening few minutes of the song. The intention of this song is clear – to give a nightmarish pleasure, driving a listener to a voyage to the ethereal. I think it could have fulfilled that purpose better if it was a bit longer. Finnish death metal, for me, is always a win!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejSAnjs3KNo

Genocide Shrines - Nectars of Tantric Murder

This is incredible. It is blackened death metal with deep, deep character. You can't just single out one thing and nitpick. It is not the kind of song where you comment on the riffing or the drumming because it all feels so wholesome and visceral. Incredibly, the band hails from Sri Lanka, I had to look them up to earn that little fact and I wish them all the best with all my heart.
This is tastefully done, raw but at the same time precise and well developed. The atmosphere generated is by mind blowing turns, heavy and dark, brutal and evocative. There's a tribal, propellant drive to the proceedings that adds a layer of some heritage to the band's style and in a world of faceless extreme metal bands, Genocide Shrines shines as an individual force to be reckoned with albeit one taht still needs to be globally recognized.

I remember seeing these guys live and they were awesome;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr9R7xBjw6c

Eye Flys- The Melvins

It's pretty interesting sounding. I like the slower pacing and the fact that you can actually hear the bass pretty well. The drumming is laid back, not much to say about it, but it isn't really bad or remarkable. The vocals don't really come in until near the end, and they sound pretty cool. The kind of old school harsher singing style was always cool to me, even if I don't really listen to it that often. From what I've heard so far it is definitely good. I actually haven't really listened to The Melvins much, but they seem to be pretty good.

It's time to bring back the darkness and depravity

What the hell, MalignantTyrant?
That is not the song I posted. You're supposed to review the song above you. Check the link again!

I must've accidentally/carelessly clicked on the wrong link because that song is what popped up.
My bad

Funeral Mist - Blessed Curse

Glad to be able to review this song. I'm only familiar with Salvation, but nothing else from this band. Salvation is incredibly complex and challenging , but this song is everything but that. It starts with some speech intro and makes for an epic start. The production is a lot more muffled than Salvation, which I don't like, Salvation had the perfect type of production for this band. The song starts off rather slow and frankly rather unremarkable. Is this the same band that released Salvation?

This album seems very differently judging by this song and I'm not sure whether it's for the better. The first half of the song has a decent enough riff that I could see work, but there's just not much else happening. Perhaps the song and it's repetitive nature work as part of the entire album, but as a seperate song it's rather underwhelming. I don't know, i'm rather confused. Salvation was so incredibly dense, challenging, complex, ... and this is almost completely the opposite of that. It's not convincing me right now, but perhaps it works well when listening to the entire album. I'm really not liking these vocals though, so that's a bit of a problem. The spoken parts are pretty cool making it sound epic, but it can't really save the rest of the song. I'm still curious to hear the entire album, but this song has left me very confused. I mean just listen to Holy Poison after this one...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6aU-IIZ28c

Bump for a great thread and song posted.

Malign - "Sinful Fleshspear"

OK, I'll do it for you. And yeah, it is a great track. A raw, ugly black metal song that doesn't let up. The vocalist is fantastic, using a low, growly rasp that's just dripping with venom and hatred. There's a few clean vocal choirs that come in later, adding a little extra spice. The guitarist is great too, striking an excellent balance between melody and brutality, with a few hints of dissonance creeping in at the edges, making it both offputting and catchy at the same time - something that is very hard to do in melodic black metal. Throughout quite a lot of duration, the song is fairly midpaced and melodic. But when the band cuts loose with tremolo riffs and blasting, as they do once as a release of energy before returning to the main groove, it's a welcome shot in the arm. The end section is just brilliant, the vocalist screaming away over a frantic blast beat while the choirs back him up before petering out with some guitar feedback - it's chaotic, nasty, and absolutely kick-arse. So, yeah. Why did I ignore that post for so long again?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap6mKG3jRWc

Brocas Helm - Ravenwreck

I like Brocas Helm. They're a very solid, earnest band who clearly love what they do. However, I'm not a big fan of their debut mostly due to two factors; the thin, scratchy guitar tone, and Wright's voice. The former is simply lousy, and hampers what is otherwise some pretty straightforward, rocking riffing. As for Wright's voice, well, he doesn't sound bad per se here. However, his vocal lines are, for the most part, pretty clumsy and awkward, and it's easy to notice how he got behind the mic more out of necessity than anything. Still, if you manage to look past the mediocre production and the awkward singing, you'll notice a cool, simple piece of metal with leads up the gazoo. Oh yeah, Wright goes crazy on this one, and must've thought "hey, if I can't sing, then I guess I should compensate for it" and BOOM; instant shredfest.

So yeah, this isn't bad, but Brocas have better stuff.

Now, while on the subject of manly heavy metal.....

Black Destiny - Carnival of Fate

Whatever it is it's not gonna be better than 'Ravenwreck'. Alright, so we've got some reasonable retro heavy metal here. The singer's a little grating for me; he's a bit like that some-time Iced Earth melodramatic crooner, Matt Barlow, and he's often over-singing for what's required. He's certainly over-doing some vocal lines. Shut up, man! On the other hand, the lead guitar is certainly cool, even if the riffs aren't super memorable... I couldn't really remember a single one after the song had finished. The production is typically modern; the guitars sound good but the rhythm section gets the shaft. It's got a decent momentum, too, but ultimately I find this rather lacking.

A big band who don't get talked about much on MA

Suicidal Tendencies - You Can't Bring Me Down

This is definitely a band I have mixed feelings about. They have some really good stuff, but they also have some really shit stuff and are often gimmicky as fuck. Anyway, this is one of the songs by them I love. Really good slow-burning intro with a lot of feeling, which transitions into some good punk-laced thrashy goodness. Lyrics are kind of obvious "standing up to assholes" type stuff (although I love that part where he's like "I'd rather feel like shit than be full of shit"), but it's still really fun. Killer leads, good bridge, like this song all around. Absolutely one of their best.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBrTLrkc4KI

Megiddo - "Slaying the Nazarene"

You know, this thread has really helped me get into black metal more, cause this is great too. After a brief section of battle sounds, the song kicks in with a basic but effective atmospheric guitar riff and some surprisingly fun and upbeat drumming. The same riff repeats for quite a lot of the song, with slight variations, but it's good enough and there's enough variation that I don't really mind. Between that and the vocalist's venomous distorted snarl (which has maybe a bit too much vocal distortion for my taste, but that's a minor quibble), it's got pretty much everything you could want in a black metal song. It sounds pretty raw and primitive, but everything is still clear, and it manages to avoid simply aping the past in trying to sound artificially raw. Not much to say about this, really. It's basic stuff, but done well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-0w4qkHlxE

Versailles - Aristocrat's Symphony

Yikes. I just mean...wow. This sounds like the title credit music for every horrible anime I've ever seen. The initial opening sequence before any sign of metal comes in is actually not bad at all, bordering even on tasteful if you can believe it. The weird crooning vocals resonate with me, but they add to the effect of "anime theme song" when coupled with the mindlessness of the riffing. The best part of the song by FAR is the way the opening section bridges into the first riff. They almost trick you into thinking it's a good one, as it sounds just a tad like something Rock 'n Rolf may have disposed of in 1997...it's all way down hill from there. To each their own and all that nonsense but I can't imagine anyone listening to this with their full attention. I had to replay it several times because I kept spacing out. It sounds like background noise to a really intense Final Fantasy session.

Let's keep it Japanese though.

Blaze - "Walkin' on the Cloud"

Whoa. Holy thick accents, Batman. I'm not averse to obvious accents, but seriously, that is just a straight-up cartoon Asian-speekee-Engrish accent. It's odd, because the English in the lyrics is pretty much grammatically perfect. Aside from that, this is a competent, if not excellent piece of traditional metal with a fair injection of hard rock. The simplified, rockish riffing and mid-tempo trad-metal groove, which is almost glam-like in parts (especially combined with the slightly synthetic drum tone), is good fun and easily memorable, and the drummer throws in a few interesting cymbal patterns and fills so that it doesn't get too stagnant. The vocals, aside from the heavy accent, are slightly rough around the edges and not technically perfect, but they have their own charm. The melodic soloing that takes up the middle section and outro is interesting and makes a nice change from shred, and the chorus is hella catchy too. Yep, this is a pretty decent track. Just... maybe they should think about singing in Japanese?

And speaking of Blaze...

Blaze Bayley- Blackmail

Very cool, I like this song a lot. If the vocals were harsh this could easily pass as a melodic death metal song (I guess that's what a lot of melodeath sounds like, though, isn't it?...anyways), the riffing is pretty sick and the lead is pretty cool. The drumming should be higher in the mix I feel though it doesn't really detract from the rest of the song. Bass is where it should be, not really accentuated or emphasized but still there nevertheless. The bass does go out and do its own thing for a bit near the end, though, but is is quite brief. I should probably check out more of Blaze's stuff because this song is pretty damn cool.

Emanations from the abyss

Avichi - Tabernacle of Perdition

This is one of those bands that I intended on trying out, but just never got around to it. This begins with a lumbering doomy riff. It soon becomes apparent that this is going to be some slow black metal. Although it does kick into midpace mode in a few parts and even gets fast at the end, this is largely sluggish and slow burning. This has a nice guitar tone and the dude's snarly rasps fit perfectly with the sound. Decent songwriting, too. While this wasn't astoundingly good, it was absolutely solid and I enjoyed listening to it enough to consider giving it some more spins in the future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX7NoyorigQ

Waning - Beneath a Septic Sun
Amazingly, the vocals don't grate on me like normal black metal vocals do, they sound more like the high growl in melodic death metal. In fact, this song reminds me a lot of melodic death metal. The atmosphere gives a melancholic feeling, reminding me of Before the Dawn (melodic death metal). This is the first time I have actually heard black metal that didn't annoy me, which is quite a feat. I thought that this was a pretty good song, although my crappy laptop speakers didn't really do it justice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bH3Y-bufJI
MAIM KILL BURN!

HM Kids - "Black Legions"

Not much to say about this, really. It's a straightforward speedy death thrash tune with a raw production that gives the music a lot of grit. The vocals are pretty good, a raw, growly shout with quite a lot of power behind it, though the occasional goofy voices he puts on, like at about 2:00, are kind of annoying. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the instrumentalists - while the drummer gets up a good speed, they're not playing anything too impressive otherwise, the bass is invisible, and the guitar riffs are kind of stock, though the solo is decent. It's perfectly fine, but nothing to get the pulse racing. Although, yeah, the chanting of "MAIM! KILL! BURN!" is kind of fun.

Something a little more technical?

Exivious - Entrust

1, 2, 3...and we're off to see the wizards! Or to hear them at least.

Progressive. Jazz. Fusion. Those three words should be your guide when delving into this piece or your warning to stay away. Me? I liked it! It is very ELP, very Cynic, very Miles Davis and none of those things at the same time. There are no riffs to write home about just incredibly odd rhythms and lilting/lulling soundscapes. It is rather minimal too which I found interesting considering the line up on board. The guitar is very very rich and the solos take on transcendental power towards the finish. Everything else is open to interpretation....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr9R7xBjw6c

Rainbows are Free - Believers of Medicine

I am immediately drawn to the stoner rock riff and guitar tone....so good start. I'm a little thrown off when the vocals start as it almost seems like he is hitting wrong notes as it kinda clashes with the music. then multiple choir like vocals kick in and not sure the direction of the song. When the pace picks up again and the vocalist utilizes a harsher vocal, everything seems to "fit". However, I still prefer the slower doomy riffs of this song. The cleaner vocals later in the song seem to better as he isn't trying to hit the high notes. I'll give it to him that he does have utilize his two different styles well.

anyways, pretty good song but can't see myself listening to it regularly

6.5/10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYDyphZzVVQ

Toxik - 'Spontaneous'

Talk radio thrash! Weird late 1980s drum sound on this one, sounds like triggers. This band has always sounded kinda awkward to me; a bad blend of technicality and Bay Area thrash sounds. Give me Watchtower over them, anyday. I actually kinda like the singer, but the music's spastic and the production's really not helping those dull riffs. I dunno, the riffs are just too busy for the frankly rather cool vocals. Nice solo towards the end, but I really don't like the riffs. I'm seeing this band live next year at KIT so maybe I should listen to their first album but I really think that (ha!) Think This kinda sucks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaBn8oBNa2Q

Vicious Rumours - "Abandoned"

Aw yeah, now this is great! Classic USPM at its best, and one that I was seriously considering putting on the playlist of my radio show for next term. This has everything you could possibly want - melodic and tight dual guitar riffs, drums hammering away with a nice balance between precision and power, one hell of a catchy chorus, and some fantastic traditional metal vocals from Carl Albert. I always thought he was quite an underappreciated singer, and he's in top form here, with a few sweet high-pitched wails, an excellent raspy low range, and a lot of passion in his delivery. The mix is nice too, with everything clear and well-balanced. A bit disappointed by the lack of a solo, but never mind - the melodic leads at the end are a nice touch anyway. What else can I say? This is just amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdaHGjDmeN8

@Goodly Hah

Big End Bolt - Delirium Tremens

I really dig the intro. I really do. The bass has that 80's thrash twang to it and it really gives the guitar riff bounce. The song takes off incredibly and is loaded with riff after riff of death metal madness. There's just not enough grit to render it truly brutal though. It all comes across as really precise and neat and I would have liked if the drummer asserted himself more than just strictly following the rhythms. The vocals are standard and nothing really outstanding but the guitar riffs scream and squeal the song out of blandness. OK song but I can't imagine a whole album of just this. It is formulaic and would get old fast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPIjFGJjUi8

Crom (FIN) - Eyes Of Fire

Never heard this before and yet it all sounds too familiar. The band is from Finland where heavy metal is more melodic than riff driven. The song sounds like a primordial version of Stratovarius. It maintains the catchiness but dials down a bit on the melody and allows the riffs to come through. The rhythmic construction is more early German PM than anything else I can think of at this point. The vocals are for some reason morose sounding and not as exultant as you'd expect from a power metal band and the harmonizing of guitars towards the close gives it a woeful tone that I guess is a bit endearing.

6.5/10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEZrK1ZsNFM

Mind Assault - Metal Rites

I was immediately worried about the title of the track, metal bands singing about metal is pretty stupid by now. Especially in extreme metal. The easily distinguishable lyrics were absolutely retarded, but the song was alright enough. It's super fluffy somewhat-melodic death metal and while kind of forgettable is pleasant enough. However, I can't for the life of me figure out why they made this nine minutes. I think the word "inoffensive" (except for the lyrics of course, which are actively fucking atrocious) sums up this song.

Let the blackness roll:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhjxIDOyu7A