Review: Anthelion - Bloodshed Rebefallen

The mere mention of the term “concept album” is enough to draw skepticism, ire and even audible guffaws from hardened metal purists. However, Anthelion could not have chosen a more metal storyline for their debut full length release, Bloodshed Rebefallen. The songs follow the story of the Snake Corpse, a creature condemned to suffer for thousands of years for trying to tempt mankind.  After millennia spent in agony and enslavement, the beast then reawakens and joins forces with the Snake Tribe, focusing its unlimited wrath on waging war on all creation, and the annihilation of all living things.

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Review: Assault - The Exceptions of the Rebellions

Did I miss the Scandinavian invasion of Singapore? Is one of the last few city states in the world now known more for its top-three finishes at elite level hockey tournaments and Nordic event dominance at the Olympics than it is for its vaunted multiculturalism and clean streets? If not, how else could you explain a band like Singapore’s Assault pulling off the melodic death metal sound, forged by the likes of Swedish luminaries such as At the Gates, In Flames, and Dark Tranquility so well?

Assault has well and truly arrived with its first EP, The Exceptions of the Rebellions, a four track effort many years in the making. Featuring great production, not just for an indie release, but genuinely clear, powerful production, blackened, clearly enunciated vocals, and Euro inspired riffs and tone, the mini album kicks off with “Subversion.” The track features the patented harmonized guitar attack during the verse, heavily inspired by the many European melodeath acts that have come before. It’s both catchy and dramatic, with soaring hammer on and pull of solos over a straight ahead, driving hard rock/metal beat.

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Review: Audio Blossom - 1st Faust

Korea’s Audio Blossom play a mix of classic metal and rock that harkens back to the late 70s and early 80s. It’s got a little bit of that Thin Lizzy groove and some definite glam scene influence from the likes of W.A.S.P., especially on the gritty vocals. In fact, until some online fact checking was done, upon listening to the first few tracks on 1st Faust, this reviewer was convinced that vocalist Hye Jon Son was a man. However, the fact that the English name given for the singer is Lydia, and that it explicitly states “female” beside that name on the band’s Myspace page, would suggest otherwise.

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評述: 病入膏肓 - 慢性潰爛 EP

來自台灣的Beyond Cure近來在死蕊圈中推出第一道主菜_首張EP慢性潰爛。身為breakdown的常客，Beyond Cure深受As blood runs black、Whitechapel，以及The Black Dahlia Murder的影響，他們在這張EP中，用偶然的旋律，配合厚實的豬吠，巧妙的融合了硬蕊和死金兩大樂風。很多聽眾可以在Beyond Cure的歌曲中感受到與TBDM相似的詼諧曲風，但別誤會，隨著豬吠帶出的詼諧橋段，並不會影響帶走任何音樂中的重量。主唱獨步驗證了在死金頻譜上高低頻的和諧，頻繁的在這兩個不同極限上來回交錯；而雙胞胎吉他手mick以及小庚一擁有精準且凶狠的武器，更在EP中被名為愛與恨；鼓手小妖是台灣金屬圈的快手之一；貝斯手Larry則大概可算是本土最有技術的死金貝斯手了。EP中充分使用硬蕊般的breakdown以及死金的掃弦，所有的歌曲似乎都循著固定、卻又爆發力十足的方程式而表現出來，緊接的是breakdown，最後再來一段以breakdown或blast beat結束的結尾，創造一個有形續音符的最後攻勢。Beyond Cure 這樣一個充滿爆炸力、密集演出的樂團，儼然已經成為台灣當今金屬樂壇中炙手可熱的新寵，更因慢性潰爛這張EP，使得樂迷們對他們未來的專輯發表更加引領期待。

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Review: Bhelliom - The Colossal Tragedy, 2008

Singapore's Bhelliom are back with their second album, the first with new vocalist Vivek who took over the screaming duties from bass player Joe. Having been around since 2000 and touring around Asia, many in the Asian metal scene are familiar with Bhelliom's take on the melodic death Gothenburg sound. It's a little In Flames, some Arch Enemy, a bit of Hypocrisy with a touch of Soilwork thrown in. The result is an accessible yet punishing sound. Harmonized Euro leads are played over chugging, simplistic yet catchy rhythm guitar lines and the type of low end bass and drum work that, while not overly showy, gives the music a rock-solid foundation and heaviness one can't help but feel.

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評述: Black Masquerade - Spread Your Wings

一切都好，就是____出了問題......

相當主流的歐式風格走向，編曲頗具水準，不是一路熱血幹到底的高速衝刺，而是使用多種方式來呈現細膩的旋律，解掉了Power Metal難以擺脫的油膩感，而Power Metal的不成文規定－吉他英雄式的吉他表現也沒有少給你喔，不過，有個砸鍋的部份讓Black Masquerade黯淡不少，沒錯! 就是主唱(你啦!)壞了一切!  

為了飆高音而飆，反而讓中氣不足的事實曝了光，少了該有的渾厚，高亢的歌聲真真讓人高亢不起來，有幾首曲子還疑似有不對key的嚴重問題!!! 無奈可圈可點的表現被疝氣的歌聲拖累，可惜啊可惜。

最後有感而發的說，Deep Purple還真是一切速彈旋律派金屬的始作俑者，應該沒有人會反對。而日本人不僅恪遵所有條例，還打從心裡的崇拜啊!

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Review: Conceived By Hate - Witness of Decay (Thrash/Death-thrash)

El Salvador’s Conceived By Hate offers an eclectic, furious debut in the four-song EP, Witness of Decay, featuring current Tainan resident Carlos Basagoitia on bass. The members of the band obviously have diverse tastes in music, and they let the best parts of their respective record collections shine through on what is hopefully an indication of what can be expected of them in the future. Vocalist Juan Carlos Oseguera has a raspy growl somewhat similar to Malevolent Creation’s Brett Hoffman, providing a fitting accompaniment the backdrop of music that resembles the death-thrash of Mexico’s Foeticide with elements of Swedish melodic death metal from the likes of Jester Race era In Flames and At the Gates, with a few unique surprises along the way.

Conceived By Hate combines brutality with straight-forward mosh sections and memorable rhythms and leads. The opening Track “Vengeance is the Law” takes the listener from one of the aforementioned elements to the next, featuring a clean interlude in between harmonized guitar leads, death metal blast beats and riffs, and a ripping solo.

This is followed by the title track, which is the first time the keyboard work of Tulio Mata becomes readily evident in the mix, providing an intensely dark atmosphere to the song. The band demonstrates that the musicians collectively possess a well-rounded sense of song structure, as evidenced by the Morbid Angel-style outro lead to appropriately compliment the track’s apocalyptic tone.

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Review: Eskhata - One with the Earth

Young Serbian folk metal band Eskhata’s debut EP, One with the Earth, brings the spirit of the Balkans to the great frozen north as this promising quartet showcases a fine knack for combining battle ready riffs with melodic death and power metal leanings. The EP kicks off with the upbeat track “The Falcon Spirit”—pure Ensiferum worship with growled black metal vocals, back end keyboard support sweeps, and some Amon Amarth thrown in for good measure. It’s a spirited track to get the crowd jumping.

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評述: Evocation

勸人向善不再是和尚跟神父的專利

不知道是從什麼時候大家開始對於重金屬有一種很奇怪的誤解，就以為那些臉塗得黑白或是蓄長髮蓄鬍的就肯定是壞人，在此除了為這些可愛的人們抱屈之外，還要 為他們發表聲明－哪一個犯案上報上新聞的是這副德性的?  就只是因為外在形象來推斷而殊不知許多金屬樂挾帶著大量正面的訊息。當初從UMF的官方網站上看到Evocaiton這團的介紹是這麼寫的"最生猛的黑金 屬，在邪惡音樂外表包覆的內裡，居然可聽見勸人向善，不要到處亂尬砲！又不負責任去墮胎的歌詞！"，一整個讓人提起了興趣想要更深入了解這個來自香港的樂 團。

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Review: Expurgo - Burial Ground

After putting out a collection of split releases and a demo, Belo Horizonte, Brazil's Expurgo finally came out with their debut full length album, Burial Ground, in 2010 on Black Hole Productions. The ten-year veterans of gore and grind have sharpened and honed their craft like a well-used machete, and are hitting the sick in the head masses with 29 tracks and 39 minutes worth of horror-inspired, full bore blood and guts grind.

Leading off Burial Ground is “Blast of Truth, a blazing track of pure grind. With gravel throated vocals courtesy of Egon and desperate backing proto-grind screams from guitarist Phillipe, this track is heavy on the groove. Precise and pummeling are the words that spring to mind like a serial killer from the shadows on the next song, “Only the Depressive Trades”, a Napalm Death-inspire approach to old school death and grind with some punk panache thrown in.  Egon possesses a rapid fire vocal delivery throughout the disc that breathes thick, flammable sputum, while Phillipe and drummer Anderson channel Terrorizer's Jesse Pintado, the grindfather himself, and Pete Sandoval respectively.

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