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The Best Debut Album
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| A lumbering platter of doom defined by the pained, yet soulful, vocals of Thomas Eriksson. His accusations and rebuke of all things religious and pondering of eternal torment really help this release stand out amongst the others in the 2009 doom crowd. |
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Every once in a while Arjen Anthony Lucassen decides to do something that isn't Ayreon and a new side-project is born. With the fantastic Jasper Steverlinck providing the vocals, Guilt Machine might well be the deepest and most emotional of Arjens side-projects. On This Perfect Day is a complex and beautiful album, a shame that a follow-up is unlikely to happen.
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Ironwood - :Fire:Water:Ash:
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A somewhat multi-sided album from this Australian quartet, Ironwood have made a rather lengthy release full of mellow acoustic passages mixed with a kind of Heathenish Progressive/Folk Metal. Their contrast with melodic and atmospheric acoustics and a sort of Viking/Folk/Black style with quite good harsh vocals makes :Fire:Water:Ash: a most interesting release. Not something to throw on at parties but Ironwood have shown a promising debut of very nice to listen to and absorbing tracks.
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Fourteen years after their demo, the Frenchies from Kalisia finally released their first album. And what an epic album it is. Cybion is a whole musical universe in itself. Totally progressive, extreme yet often very melodic, it features death growls, female vocals, keyboards, guitars solos, a saxophone, and then some... Kalisia, with this little gem, tells us a whole science-fiction story. Epic. Definitively!
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| My Lament seems to go largely unnoticed in the (romantic) Doom/Death scene. Which is a shame, because their My Dying Bride-inspired laments are everything but bad. My Lament's Broken Leaf manages to stay close to the roots of the genre and all it's sorrowful guidelines, yet at the same time remaining fresh and inviting. Fragile is the keyword for the softer passages, while grieving anger is the defining element for the faster, aggressive parts. Do this band justice and check it out. |
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Oranssi Pazuzu are perhaps one of the most laidback and relaxed Black metal bands ever. With their fresh mix of krautrock, psychedelica and raging Second Wave Black metal they outshine everybody in the 'weird department'. Every second of their debut Muukalainen Puhuu drips with playful and skillful cosmic adventures. Put your sunglasses on, toss back a couple of Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters and surf through the Universe on their wavering riffs, catchy pinch-harmonics and ballsy tripping dissonance.
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Tenet is more than your average Thrash metal band - this is an all-star band like you wouldn't believe! It would take twice the space in this little box to mention all the bands each individual member has been involved with, but allow me to let you in on a little secret: they're all bands you spend half your day listening to. Steve "Zetro" Souza returns with his ripping vocals, Jed Simon and Glen Alvelais spew out one killer riff after another and Gene Hoglan... well, if you don't know what Gene Hoglan does, time to leave the hall!
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The surpise of last year must surely have been that master drummer extra-ordinaire Ed Warby (of Gorefest, Ayreon, Hail Of Bullets and many others) delivered an epic doom masterpiece where he shows not only to be a great drummer but also an inventive guitarist, bassplayer and very proficient vocalist. Centred around a person's dying moments this album sure feels like a burden of grief. So, doom to the bone: heart wrenching and emotionally draining.
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| After battling away for sixteen years Unsilence have finally managed to release their full-length debut onto the world. Hopefully this will be the turning point for this much plagued band. Under A Torn Sky possesses all the ingredients to become a favourite amongst the crowd that loves epic song structures which are topped off by fragile and highly emotional vocals. Yes, the album title epitomizes it all. Listening to this little gem surely does feel like being under a torn sky. |
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With their debut album this French band has delivered a great symphonic metal album right off the bat. Offering us a wide selection of fantastic orchestration paired with soaring female vocals, creative drumming, some heavy guitar riffs and a slight progressive touch in the songwriting department, From The Brink Of Infinity packs almost everything fans of female-fronted metal could ask for. Such a strong debut can only leave us wondering what the band's future might look like.
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