Beneath the Massacre-Mechanics of Dysfunction
(Prosthetic Records, 2007)

I was impressed by the debut EP by this band but this full length album is a full 30 minutes of non stop pummeling. I wouldn’t say that Beneath the Massacre is an extremely original band, but they are a tight and monstrously heavy band that are definitely not slouches on their instruments. Take the blasting insanity of Origin mix in some technical flairs ala Dillinger Escape Plan and throw in growling similar to early Brutal Truth and you have Beneath the Massacre. There is no getting around the fact that this is a fast album. That may be the one fault of the album though. A lot of the album goes by in a blur and a lot of the fast riffing and sweep picking tends to sound a bit similar from song to song. It is incredibly heavy, but a bit more to separate the songs would have been nice. They do have some slower parts that help break up the speed of the album, but I would have liked to see a bit more emphasis on slower riffs and possibly some much needed dynamics being added to the songs. I found the production to be a bit too mechanical for my tastes. A more natural sound would have made the pummeling a bit easier on the ears. The band is incredibly tight though and the performance is pretty much flawless. But like I said before it does sound a bit mechanical and quite triggered. There is no denying that this is a powerful album filled with flawless playing. The album could have benefited from the addition of a few more memorable moments though and a bit more diversity from track to track. If you like your metal fast and technical there is no doubt in my mind that you will enjoy Beneath the Massacre. It isn’t a flawless album but it is a damn fine debut full length none the less.

Echoes of Eternity-The Forgotten Goddess
(Nuclear Blast Records, 2007)

I have to admit that the idea of yet another female fronted metal band really failed to excite me. That was until I pressed play on the CD and was completely blown away. Most of the bands in this style are more gothic in nature, but this band is very much so a metal band and the album is filled with some excellent riffs. To be honest the best way to describe this would be a cross between Lacuna Coil and a slower version of Into Eternity. There is quite a bit of technicality in the riffing and guitar solos are also quite common. I’m not sure if it is quite technical enough to be called progressive metal, but I suppose melodic progressive metal would be the easiest way to classify this band. The female vocals are quite strong but at times I think they sound like they went a bit overboard with the reverb and delay. I’m sure they were going for an ethereal type sound but I think something a bit more natural would have worked. The singer has a beautiful voice and it doesn’t need to be buried underneath this much reverb. I’m assuming that they wanted the vocals to sound angelic and almost like an instrument all their own. If that is what they were striving for then they definitely succeeded. A little bit of variety would have helped the vocals a little bit as each song does sound fairly similar vocally. The production is top notch and totally professional sounding. Aside from what I mentioned earlier about the vocals having a bit too much reverb at times, there is little wrong with this recording. The guitars are powerful and very crisp with a tone that is quite heavy. I think the vocals could have actually been just a bit louder actually but that is a very small nitpick on my part. This is definitely an album that is going to win this band a lot of fans. This is a top notch metal album filled with killer riffs, excellent guitar solos and a beautiful vocal approach.

With Passion-What We See When We Shut Our Eyes
(Earache Records, 2007)

Despite a few flaws, With Passion has definitely created a monster of a debut album here. The band plays a fast and energetic form of metal that draws from quite a few different places. The band has many riffs that bring to mind break neck thrash, while many other sections wouldn’t sound out of place on a death metal album. Then you have the guitar solos and let me tell you there are a lot of them here. Sweep picking is latterly coating every single one of these songs and while it is fairly common place now the band does it quite well. There are a few stumbles in the songwriting department. A few sections just sound weird and out of place but those moments are few and far between. There are enough breakdowns and Swedish styled riffs that this could be an album that metalcore fans would enjoy, but the overall approach definitely helps the band rise above being just another metalcore band. The production here definitely doesn’t do the band any favors. It’s a bit raw and rough around the edges and doesn’t have the crispness that a band like this needs. With the over the top guitar playing you’d want the cleanest sound possible and some parts do sound a bit sloppy because of the production. It isn’t a bad sounding album at all, but a bit more spit and polish would have helped out tremendously. It almost doesn’t sound like the album was mastered actually. There is a lot to digest here as the album is close to being an hour long and these are fairly lengthy songs for this genre. I think a good way to describe this band would be a cross between Between the Buried and Me and Darkest Hour. It definitely is cutting the band a bit short, but that should give you a rough idea of what to expect from the album. There may be a few flaws and the production is far from perfect, but the pros definitely out weigh the cons with this album. If you like your music fast and furious with guitar solos and technicality then this is definitely the album for you.

Lost Eden-Cycle Repeats
(Candlelight Records, 2007)

The last place you would expect to find a melodic death metal band is Japan, but low and behold that is exactly where Lost Eden calls home. Despite having a fairly typical style, there is a lot to enjoy on this album. The band sounds quite a bit similar to Trivium in most aspects but is a bit heavier and uses less clean vocals. But when you get right down to it Trivium owes a lot to In Flames and I definitely hear that influence here as well. Some of these twin guitar leads would definitely make the boys in In Flames feel a sense of accomplishment for inspiring this band. Basically if you took out most of the clichéd elements of Trivium and any hints of metalcore you’d have Lost Eden. The production is suitably heavy and just a bit raw. The guitars have a bit of grit to them and whether it was intentional or not it reminds me of older albums from Swedish bands. I don’t mean a dirty sound like the albums recorded at Sunlight, but still fairly raw sounding. The mix is nice and clear though and all of the guitar leads and electronic elements ring through nice and clear. This album doesn’t exactly reignite the fire in this genre, but it is an impressive albeit by the numbers album. If you are a fan of newer In Flames or Trivium, Lost Eden may very well be the next band compositing for playing time on your stereo.

Onslaught-Killing Peace
(Candlelight Records, 2007)

While it may be quite common for thrash bands to reform and become a parody of what they once were, Onslaught obviously have no interest in tarnishing their track record of writing kick ass thrash records. This is an amazing thrash metal album from start to finish and aside from a modern production this could have easily be released when the band was first around. The album is filled with extremely catchy riffs, fast tempos and simple yet effective vocal patterns. This is hands down one of the best thrash records I have ever heard and it is quite obvious that the band missed playing this style of music. I can pretty much guarantee that this album will have you either head banging or air drumming in no time. It was tough to even write this review because every time I listen to this album I can’t help but want to air drum. Like I mentioned earlier this has a modern production but is pretty much devoid of any modern metal influences. You aren’t going to hear blast beats or any nu-metal grooves, this is pure thrash metal from start to finish. If you think Slayer is still the reigning kings of thrash just listen to this album and Christ Illusion back to back and tell me which one is better. It is honestly like the band had never broken up and never missed a step along the way. There may have been many thrash bands that have reformed prior to Onslaught but none of them have come back with an album of this caliber. This is simply put a thrash metal masterpiece and an album that all thrash fans should consider a mandatory purchase.

Architects-Nightmares
(Distort, 2007)

At first I was thinking that this was just another band in the long line of dissonant spazzcore bands that seem to be popping up at an alarming rate right now. With a few listens it became quite clear that the band definitely had some unique ideas and can write some extremely heavy yet interesting music. The band plays a rhythmic style of music that is filled with dissonance, technical freak outs and some parts that are actually quite serene and beautiful sounding. The songs have a natural flow to them and even if the structures aren’t conventional it all does seem to come together nicely. I wouldn’t say that the band is overly original, but they do display a cohesion and tightness that a lot of the bands playing this style are sorely missing. Playing something noisy is easy but making it sound together while still being noisy is a different story altogether. There are never any moments where you feel that the band isn’t in control of where the song is heading. You aren’t fearing a train wreck while listening to the album and can enjoy the music for what it is, technical and discordant music that challenges you. This album has apparently been out for awhile in the UK and the bands next album should be out sometime this year. This is one hell of a debut album that fans of everything from Every Time I Die to Isis should find to their liking.

Furze-UTD
(Candlelight Records, 2007)

I don’t really understand why black metal bands feel the need to make their albums sound as unpolished as humanly possible. This album really comes across as a sloppy mess at times and the band has a rather haphazard approach. The ideas and riffs are interesting at times, but the guitar performance is somewhat messy and the guitar tone leaves a lot to be desired. The drumming is actually quite good at times, but it is quite rare that I would listen to an album just for the drumming. Is this original? Surprisingly it is. The ideas on display are indeed unique but the execution makes it hard to fully appreciate. I don’t mind raw production values, but the overall sloppiness makes it hard to enjoy and really sink my teeth into. I know that some of the best black metal albums are sloppy at times, and sometimes it can give the music a sense of dread and make you anticipate a train wreck. The problem here is that there aren’t just sloppy moments; the whole album is pretty damn sloppy. I do have to admit though that the more I listened to the album the more I could look past the sloppiness. There is definitely a good black metal album buried underneath this mess somewhere. The question is do you have the time to dig and find it?

Celestia-Apparitia-Sumptous Spectre
(Paragon Records, 2007)

Originally issued by Full Moon Productions and now reissued by Paragon we have the debut album from Celestia. I have to admit that I have actually never heard of this French black metal band before but I am definitely impressed by what is on display here. The band has a classic take on the black metal genre with fast drumming and raw guitars, but there is actually a surprising amount of melody on display here. The band also has a pretty good grasp on dynamics and this isn’t just a continuous blast beat. The band utilizes quite a few tempos and unlike a lot of black metal they don’t repeat riffs to the point of redundancy. The songs usually have a bit of a buildup as well; it doesn’t just start with blasting right away. The production is adequately raw but still very listenable. The guitar tone definitely has the trebly sound quite common in black metal, but this is definitely much easier on the ears then most black metal. I was really surprised to actually hear the bass guitar on the recording and even more surprised to hear that the bass actually deviated from playing the exact same guitar lines at times. The drums have a very natural sound and the performance is quite good. Drumming in black metal can definitely be hit or miss but this drummer never misses a beat. Vocally this is fairly standard fare for black metal with the usual harsh snarl. It definitely suits the band and while a bit more diversity would have been nice the style still never becomes monotonous. For fans of melodic yet extreme black metal this is definitely one that you will want to pick up.