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The Best Melodeath/Gothenburg Metal Album
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Australian Melodeathers Be'lakor are going places these days with two successful albums under their belts now, the second of which giving them a record deal. Stone's Reach is a piece of dark yet beautiful art with the juxtaposition of softer cleaner passages and harsh and heavy yet sweet melodies. With a lack of any bad tracks on this album one can happily spin it from start to finish over and over again. An album that is just as well executed as it is well written, Stone's Reach is one of the best albums of the year Melodic Death Metal/Gothenburg or otherwise.
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Hailing from Italy, Coram Lethe just released their third album this year. And this is some nice female-fronted melodic death metal, quite technical and interesting. And no, there's no Gothenburg or Arch Enemy in the previous description. Purposefully, as they do have their own sound, so guess what? You have to check them out!
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| Humour and solid compositions are something that is rarely achieved in a tasteful balance, in this sense Destroy Destroy Destroy can be considered proverbial tight-rope walkers. Battle Sluts is a vicious work of extreme power metal interlaced with epic keyboards, but with enough lovable charm to make this possibly one of the most promising up-and-coming American metal exports in recent times. Power metal with enough tooth & claw to demand the volume knobs to remain at 11 in true tongue-in-cheek metal fashion! A rare occurrence that should definitely not escape notice! |
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| From the band's early death metal leanings, to the chilling symphonic power metal to gothic undertones, these Finns have put everything they've learned over the years into one impressive release. Variation in arrangements, hauntingly punchy synths from Janne Tolsa, and a refreshing mix of Jarmo Kylmänen's clean singing and Altti Veteläinen's raspy growls are sure to please new and longtime fans alike. Throw in Jarmo Puolakanaho and Risto Ruuth's guitarwork that's comfortable at any speed, and this latest release shows a band that's as strong as they have ever been. |
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Across The Dark marks the first Insomnium album ever that involves clean vocals, yet it remains utterly Insomnium in essence. That means Across The Dark delivers another dose of Melodeath with a slight Doom metal feel. Aggression and melody truly go hand in hand here, and coupled with the sombre and gloomy atmosphere make for a very moving yet beautiful and heavy album. Greatly written music flawlessly executed by amazing musicians - what more can you ask for?
›› Full review... |
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| Fronted by the talented Mary Zimmer, who surrounds herself with music of composer/guitarist Brian Koenig beside her, these Americans have delivered a polished slice of metal on that ever-tilting scale of aggression and accessibility. Zimmer switches with ease from mildly melancholic clean singing to a raw scream, setting herself far apart many of her female contemporaries, while Koenig and company offer us a varying but solid mix of mid-paced and speed-driven tunes that hint with progressive touches. The Absence is that surprisingly satisfying album that you find yourself replaying months and years after its release. |
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| Nightrage has never been one of the big-hitters in the Melodic Death scene, which is quite a shame. Their catchy metal is a lot more ballsy then their genre-mates, which might have something to do with that. It certainly isn't a lack of talent or quality. Wearing A Martyr's Crown is their fourth release and their first with new singer Antony Hämäläinen, whose aggressive growls bring Nightrage back to their earlier sound. Nightrage fans, rejoice! |
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| November's Doom slowly shifted from Death/Doom metal to a more melodic, Melodeath style. A change in style but certainly no drop in quality, is what the bands recent efforts have been about. Into Night's Requiem Infernal is a great release which has one thing going for it that could beat the competition: they still remember how to deliver the aggression they packed in the old days. Watch out! |
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