Reviews
\r\nThe Sweden-based Valkyrja, who should not be confused with their fellow Swedish of the Pagan Folk metal group of Valkyria, were formed in 2004. In 2005 they released their first demo ("Funeral to Voices") and a few months later this demo was re-released with five additional tracks under the title "Far Beyond". In 2007 the band presents their first full length album "The Invocation Of Demise" by Northern Silence Productions.
\r\nGerman Kerbenok was formed in 2000 and so far they have released two demos, "Kerbenok" in 2003 and "Auf Wilden Pfaden/Im Einklang der Gewalten" in 2005. "Der Erde entwachsen (Gewollte Wunden)" is their most recent EP which was initially released in May 4th, 2007 but after it has been fast sold out, it is now being re-released by Northern Silence Productions.
Since we talked about Viking Metal in the previous review, let’s talk about a band that I consider as worthy followers of Bathory’s music, Moonsorrow and their new EP entitled “Tulimyrky” Moonsorrow in this release remains “frozen” and absolutely epic, like their previous five efforts. I believe that Moonsorrow along with Falkenbach are the best students of Quarthon!!!
“Land” is the title of the fifth album by Denmark’s Tyr. A band that follows the fashion of the so called Viking Metal genre. If we take as a fact that Bathory found this scene with their epic release “Hammerheart”, the only thing that remains for us to do, after the hearing of the album is to raise our hands to the sky and cry out “When will this Village of singing Smurfs end?” This is the truth ufortunatelly. I’m starting to believe that all the followers of Tyr are little kids and guys under the age of 17.
Opus Magnum is the third ablum by the Austrian Symphonic Metal outfit Hollenthon, but I have the feeling that this time the guys worked more into the “Symphonic” part, than the “Metal” part of their music. Despite that fact Hollenton sounds like having very wise song writing abilities.
\r\nEvery album of Stormwitch is something special for me. Personally I believe that they probably are the only band that manage to create such a sound and combine so successfully Epic/Power Metal sound with Black Metal. That’s why they are described as an Extreme Epic Metal Band. Mare Nostrum is the Italians’ fourth full-lenghted album and they pleasantly surprise us, as always. This album is more technical and more experimental the band has ever released as there are some new elements but also compositions are more complicated but not exagerating.
\r\nΈχω δηλÏŽσει πολλÎς φορÎς την αγάπη που τρÎφω για την Metal σκηνή\r\nτης Δανίας.
\r\n"Ancient Sorrow" is the first release from the British Fen featuring a mixture of black metal and dark instrumental sound. An EP with three songs that last about a half hour play time producing images of the foggy and dark grey bearing rain cloudy scenery of eastern England over a heath landscape, isolated shrubs and crippled trees stand out from the fog creating an unreal, perfect and mystic surrounding.
The name “Grave” is of course the trademark label of the original Swedish Death Metal scene for sixteen years and over, and this is a fact that none can doubt about. So this is the eighth in the row release by the Swedish outfit during their low profiled career entitled “Dominion VIII”.
\r\nA few days ago I received the second album of the Spanish band Sandalinas that came out at the beginning of 2008.