Weekly Metal Recommendations Feb 19-25

If you need even more metal in your life, I get all my info from https://www.metal-archives.com/ and http://metalstorm.net/home/.

I’m no longer using a rating system and will be doing a shorter list. This list now only includes the things going on my buy list or things I want to promote.

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Feb 18, 2022

Band: Glasya

Release: Attarghan

Style: Symphonic

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Sounding like there will be a lot of middle-eastern influence here which I’m a fan of.

Feb 22, 2022

Band: Aquilla

Release: Mankind’s Odyssey

Style: Heavy, Speed

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Vocalist has a great range. I love the King Diamond Sound vocally combined with the speed/power musical style.

Band: Sin Starlett

Release: Solid Source of Steel

Style: Traditional

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Great retro sound. Although they have a Judas Priest feel, these guys certainly don’t sound like a clone of any one band.

Band: Vivaldi Metal Project

Release: EpiClassica

Style: Symphonic, Neo-classical

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One guy with like a hundred guests. Normally I don’t care much for these type of projects because of the inconsistence. I might love one song because of the vocalist and then that be the only song he does on the album. This has that potential, however out of the songs I heard there was a consistent power and epicness.

Feb 23, 2022

Band: Hibria

Release: Me7amorphosis

Style: Power

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So I liked Hibria’s early stuff and then I got a later album that was disappointing. This album comes with a new line up from their last few releases, and the band is sounding great again.

Band: Emetropia

Release: Equinox

Style: Symphonic

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They sound a lot like Epica minus the more extreme influences. Lucky for them I love Epica.

Feb 25, 2022

Band: Hammerfall

Release: Hammer of Dawn

Style: Power, Traditional

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Hammerfall is a favorite of mine so this is obviously on here.

Band: Allegaeon

Release: Damnum

Style: Technical Melodic Death

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I’ve been a big fan since I first heard these guys years back. With that said nothing I’ve heard yet is particularly catching my ear compared to past releases. It will go on my buy list, but it’s not one I have to get right away.

Band: Felskinn

Release: Enter The Light

Style: Heavy, Hard Rock, Synthonic

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I like the vocals and melody, riffs are fairly plain, but overall seems pretty good.

Band: Svartsot

Release: Kumbl

Style: Folk, Blackened Folk

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I have know idea what they are saying, but good melodies and interesting rhythms.

Band: Embryonic Devourment

Release: Heresy of the Highest Order

Style: Technical Death

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Very technical with and old school sound. Obviously the only way they could be this good is because they are reptilianoids.

Band: X.I.L

Release: Rip & Tear

Style: Speed, Thrash, Traditional

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Worth checking out for any old school speed or early thrash lovers. I’d like to hear the vocals a bit more clearly as they are a bit muddy sounding, but otherwise solid album.

Band: Fetal Blood Eagle

Release: Indoctrinate

Style: Brutal Death

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Typically I lean old school in my taste in death metal, but I can recognize a good modern death band when I hear them. Great brutality and great grooves with some awesome occasional shreds.

Band: Metal Cross

Release: Soul Ripper

Style: Heavy, Speed

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This is a solid heavy metal album, I’m loving all of it!

Band: Deathhammer

Release: Electric Warfare

Style: Thrash, Blackened Thrash, Blackened Speed

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It took a couple tracks for my ears to adjust to the old school sounding production, but once I did I was really enjoying the sound.

Band: Artisan

Release: The Stain of Life

Style: Progressive, Progressive Death

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Love this, I would say it is something similar to Control Denied but with more death style vocals, doing both harsh and clean vocals are great. It grooves like some great old school death with the changes sounding fluid.

Band: Timeless Rage

Release: Untold

Style: Synthonic/Symphonic Power

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Worth checking out for power metal fans.

Band: Swarm Chain

Release: Looming Darkness

Style: Doom, Death/Doom

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Great classic doom sound with added backing death metal vocals.

Weekly Metal Recommendations Feb 12-18

If you need even more metal in your life, I get all my info from https://www.metal-archives.com/ and http://metalstorm.net/home/.

I’m no longer using a rating system and will be doing a shorter list. This list now only includes the things going on my buy list or things I want to promote.

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Feb 15, 2022

Band: Altair

Release: Ghosts ‘n Sinners

Style: Heavy, Power, Traditional

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Sounds like it came out of the early 80’s NWOBHM, and I love every second so far. I’m also reminded of early Savatage.

Band: Schizophrenia

Release: Recollections of the Insane

Style: Death, Death/Thrash

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Fantastic! Forced to headbang to this old school death sound reminiscent of some of the best Death/Thrash plus reminding me of one of my favorite death bands, Malevolent Creation.

Feb 18, 2022

Band: Smed

Release: Smed

Style: Doom

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Old School Heavy Doom!

Band: Immolation

Release: Acts of God

Style: Death

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How could I not have such a classic death metal band included here.

Band: Spirits of Fire

Release: Embrace the Unknown

Style: Heavy

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I would say this is an unexpected supergroup, but apparently this isn’t even their first album.

Band: Nightrage

Release: Abyss Rising

Style: Melodic Death

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I’m reminded of many of the melodic death metal bands I love, but this band is good enough to stand on their own.

Band: Re-Machined

Release: Brain Dead

Style: Traditional

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Has a strait forward style reminiscent of Accept.

Band: Mind Patrol

Release: Milking the Masses

Style: Thrash

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worth a listen, I’m getting exodus vibes.

Band: Hydra

Release: Beyond Life and Death

Style: Doom

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Love the vocals here, a lot of doom bands unfortunately bore me, but this singer brings some much needed dynamics to his delivery.

Weekly Metal Recommendations Feb 5-11

If you need even more metal in your life, I get all my info from https://www.metal-archives.com/ and http://metalstorm.net/home/.

I’m no longer using a rating system and will be doing a shorter list. This list now only includes the things going on my buy list or things I want to promote.

Ad Blockers may block embedded music. We do not run ads on The Metal.

Feb 5, 2022

Band: Cronica

Release: Ukony

Style: Folk

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I don’t speak Polish, but these melodies are fantastic.

Feb 8, 2022

Band: Greyhawk

Release: Call of the Hawk

Style: Traditional, Speed, Epic, Power

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Sounds old school but unique at the same time.

Feb 11, 2022

Band: Shield of Wings

Release: Unfinished

Style: Symphonic

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Bands like this will keep the genre strong when there are to many weaker intimidations.

Band: Amorphis

Release: Halo

Style: Melodic Death

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Amorphis as certainly gone through many sounds and I’ve liked each sound to different degrees. This album is sounding pretty good.

Band: Ironmaster

Release: Thy Ancient Fire

Style: Death

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Has an upbeat Vader and Morbid Angel vibe with some Jeff Loomis quality guitar work.

Band: A Pale December

Release: Death Panacea

Style: Technical/Progressive atmospheric Black

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Far more technical than most black metal with some melody among the dissonance.

Weekly Metal Recommendations Jan 29 - Feb 4

If you need even more metal in your life, I get all my info from https://www.metal-archives.com/ from which you can find upcoming releases, and from http://metalstorm.net/home/, from which you can find both upcoming and past releases although it is not as complete of a list compared to metal-archives.)

(I’m still using the rating system from our “New Releases” list although I will likely no longer be listing anything below a +2 unless it comes from a very well known band)

-1 - not for me or just bad

+0 - not particularly interesting or not that good

+1 - worth checking out if you like the style, but maybe for everyone

+2 - worth checking out or interesting

+3 going on my buy list

+4 already bought or pre-ordered

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Jan 31, 2022

Band: Human Harvest

Release: Flesh Sermons

Style: Black/Death

+2

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Band: Trauma Field

Release: From Wounded Soil

Style: Melodic Death, Gothic

+2

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Feb 1, 2022

Band: Bevar Sea

Release: The Timeless Sea (EP)

Style: Blackened Doom

+2

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Band: Kill All The Gentlemen

Release: Black Canvas

Style: black/metalcore?

+2

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Band: Grimms Eye

Release: Throne

Style: Sludge, Groove

+2

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Band: Powertryp

Release: Midnight Marauder

Style: Speed, Heavy

+3

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Feb 2, 2022

Band: Fill It Up

Release: Heads or Tails

Style: Heavy

+2

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Band: Gunjack

Release: The Third Impact

Style: Heavy

+3

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Band: Validor

Release: Full Triumphed

Style: Power, Heavy

+3

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Band: Thempest

Release: Plague Maiden

Style: Black/Death

+2

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Band: Eternal Art

Release: Civilization

Style: Power, Heavy

+2

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Band: Vass-Katsionis

Release: Ethical Dilemma

Style: Heavy, Power

+2

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Feb 4, 2022

Band: Seismic Burst

Release: Redistribute

Style: Heavy, Groove

+2

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Band: Kozh Dall Division

Release: Deaf Mute

Style: Melodic Death/Thrash

+2

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Band: Mystic Circle

Release: Mystic Circle

Style: Melodic Black

+2

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Band: Venom Prison

Release: Erebos

Style: Metalcore, Melodic Death

+2

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Band: Sphinx

Release: Deathstroke

Style: Traditional Black, Thrash, Blackened Thrash

+2

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Band: Craniotomy

Release: Ripped Out By Violence

Style: Brutal Death, Slam

+2

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Band: Vanaheim

Release: Een Verloren Verhall

Style: Epic Symphonic Melodic Death/Folk

+3*

(Awesome but not in English if that matters to you.)

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Band: Lunar Tombfields

Release: The Eternal Harvest

Style: Atmospheric Black

+2

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Band: Saxon

Release: Carpe Diem

Style: Traditional

+4

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Band: Vorga

Release: Striving Toward Oblivion

Style: Melodic Black

+2

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Band: Abhoria

Release: Abhoria

Style: Black

+2*

(maybe a +3, I’m not in a very black metal mood today.)

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Band: Abysmal Dawn

Release: Nightmare Frontier (EP)

Style: Death, Melodic Death, Doom

+2

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Band: Pestilent Reign

Release: Ascension (EP)

Style: Death

+2

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Band: Mass Worship

Release: Portal Tombs

Style: Death, Hardcore

+2

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