Hello everybody, Xalldin here, time for today's weekly.
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(Black/Thrash Metal)

United States

Albums:

• Through the Gate Eternal (2021)
  
• Slave to the Scythe (2024)

Demiser is a neat little south carolina band that plays some good old black/thrash metal. Their music is pretty solid, with all the good riffs and sometimes even good melodies one could expect from a blackened thrash band, even if their sound isn't particularly unique. Then again, bands in the genre know they don't have to reinvent the wheel to sound good, and Demiser is well aware of that: with their 2 demos and 30 minute debut, they play fast and don't overstay their welcome, giving you a good headbanging experience while it lasts. So if you're a fan of black/thrash metal, Demiser makes for a quick and enjoyable listen.

Hook and Torment (Through the Gate Eternal)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QLu4I29R8Q

Hell is Full of Fire (Slave to the Scythe)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDEwGJRurNA

Deathstrike (Through the Gate Eternal)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YKPR8BaAqw
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(Symphonic Metal)

United States

Albums:

• Unfinished (2022)

Shield of Wings is an american quintet that plays some symphonic/power metal. The symphonic and metal bits tend to be well balanced, with neither being too predominant over the other usually, at best it leans a bit towards the symphonic. The melodies and orchestral bits sound pretty decent, there's even some folk influences here and there that are quite welcome. The metal itself is alright too, their bandcamp description says it has a bit of "death metal" in there but I don't personally hear it, I assume they might be referring to the harsh vocals which at times complement the regular clean ones (which aren't quite as powerful or operatic as what we sometimes get for bands in the genre, but they're quite nice and do the job just fine). Worst I can say about them is that some tracks get a tad too slow and overstay their welcome, but still, all in all, their debut is a neat album that makes for a good listen if you're into symphonic metal, so if that's your case, considering giving Shield of Wings a try.

Wetland (Unfinished)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39hbEP04IKw

Crushing Hail (Unfinished)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW4Uyxzv-Mo

Mind of Myth (Unfinished)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8pC5tzO8s0
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And that's that for this week. Until next time everyone.

-Xalldin

Howdy folks, this week we've got Steelballs and Torpedo Torpedo, covering all your music needs whether they be running fast or slow and draggin'.
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(Power / Speed)

Argentina

Albums:

• Thunder Strikes Again (2018)
  
• The Neverending Fire (2022)
  
• Rebels (2026)

These dudes are not kidding when they mention being in the same vein as early Helloween and Manowar. While that alone should be more than enough for most folks to describe what you're about to get, for anyone else I'll expand upon it just a bit. The vocals are very much in the higher pitch Helloween bracket, but this band goes harder on the speed angle. The bass gets particularly spicy on several tracks, sometimes in fair competition for full attention against the rapid fire dual guitars. Their stuff is a pretty fun listen with plenty of power metal cheese to go along with it, and the couple of singles they've put out for their upcoming new album (to be released next Monday) feel like a steady continuation of what the last couple albums established. Just a heads up, some of the sound quality is way better on the bandcamp linked after the youtube links, but here are the video links anyways for those who prefer it.

Night of the Reaper (Thunder Strikes Again)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuzyVuY_eTI
Reckless, Savage and Evil (Rebels)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tAwDe1Rpf8
https://steelballs.bandcamp.com/
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(Stoner / Psych Doom)

Austria

Albums:

• Arrows of Time (2025)

Veering a slight more into rock while keeping things hella heavy, we've got this band out of Vienna. While relatively new with just an album and an EP to their name, they have managed to put together a super crisp sound that mixes a dab of sludge and desert rock in with the sometimes almost Pink Floyd level psychedelic trippiness backed by powerfully heavy doom riffage. The vocalist kinda almost sounds like Bono from U2 which is kinda funny, but that's not the point. If you need a lot of fuzz and a lot of chill, you've come to the right place. Since they don't have much of a presence on youtube, we've just got the single from their first EP and a full first album stream below.

Black Horizon (The Kuiper Belt Mantras EP)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vejha28mIek
Arrows of Time (Full Album)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXk_uNMKJ5k
https://torpedotorpedo.bandcamp.com/
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Have a nice week, folks! And / or have a nice pride month if that's your thing!

- SevenFiftySix

Greetings!

Funeral Doom and Death Metal this time, diametrical opposites but extremely good.


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(Funeral Doom)

Riihimäki, Finland

Albums:

• Chapter 1: Delirium (2007)
  
• Chapter 2: Numquam (2009)
  
• Chapter 3: Parasomnia (2011)

Colosseum is a Funeral Doom band from Finland which wrote three full-lengths, with the last full-length released after the death of the vocalist. The band chose to disband after his death.

Personally I consider them one of the more interesting bands within their genre due to their rather sombre and sinister style that is reminiscent of early Shape of Despair, another Finnish Funeral Doom band.
Making that comparison, while Shape of Despair has a "melodramatic" touch to them, with extensive use of synths and melodic leads, Colosseum focuses on a melodic yet laid back approach. Another comparison in regards to the soundscape might be Profetus, except that Profetus are more abrasive and tend to have less concise songwriting. Elaborating on this is probably besides the point though.
There is a really strong core-sound within Colosseum that I haven't really found with any other band. Despite the rather narrow constraints of the genre, a lot of bands walking their path within the genre found a particular sound, with Colosseum being quite unique in my opinion.
Their style is quite slow and dense, reminiscent of early Skepticism but pushed towards the more melodic side*

Personally, Chapter 1 is their best work, with Chapter 2 being a close second and Chapter 3 marking a stark contrast towards their previous work. That album explored an entirely different side of the genre and I think it didn't work out quite as well as their previous efforts. Sadly their vocalist died shortly after, so this marks the final release they offered.

Without doubt part of my Top 10 of Funeral Doom bands, I highly recommend trying their work.

Towards the Infinite (Chapter 2: Numquam)
https://youtu.be/2u3F2k6HFic

Aesthetics of the Grotesque (Chapter 1: Delirium)
https://youtu.be/qKQPRuHUvPU


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(Death Metal)

Colorado, USA

Albums:

• Embrace the Wretched Flesh (2015)
  
• Bestial Hymns of Perversion (2018)
  
• Sulfuric Disintegration (2020)

Of Feather and Bone play a mix of Death Metal with a trace of hardcore in its sound.
Stylistically it's far away from Deathcore though; Death Metal is the pillar of their sound and the few hardcore elements from their early work show up as remnants on their later releases. The diversity of their music is a welcome change within this genre, even though they're somewhat reliant on fast drumming and aggressive songwriting.
Certain songs remind me a little bit of early Carcass and early Bolt Thrower with their repetition of pregnant and catchy riffs, but the comparison doesn't quite hold up because the songwriting and production is nothing like these two. The closest band I could place them alongside might be Tomb Mold or Spectral Voice.

Highly recommended for fans of Death Metal with relentless tempo and juicy leads. Bestial Hymns of Perversion has a really juicy snare — I celebrate that.

Entropic Self Immolation (Sulfuric Disintegration)
https://youtu.be/4II2g30WCWw

Lust for Torment (Bestial Hymns of Perversion)
https://youtu.be/DPBPon3YDNQ


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As always, I hope you'll enjoy these picks.
Feel free to share your opinion down in the comments or in the Forums, or shoot me a friend invite here or on Discord if you want to contact me that way.

With that being said, have a nice day.

-Toeli

Hey everyone, Xalldin here, time for another weekly.
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(Melodic Death/Black Metal)

Germany

Albums:

• Rise of the Apocalypse (2023)
  
• The Last Sign of Eden (2024)

Chaos Path is a german quintet that plays blackened melodeath with some thrash elements. How much thrash you're getting varies per song, sometimes it's all over the place and sometimes it's not that prevalent, however they're all pretty melodic (or at least some sections are), and the old school, Bathory-ish black metal sound is always there. The music itself is quite alright, might get a tad repetitive if you're hearing the full album but the individual tracks are fun enough to listen to, fun enough to justify giving it a try if you enjoy the blackened melodeath genre at least. So if that's your case, do consider giving Chaos Path a chance.

The Rise of Chaos (Chaos Path Part II) (Rise of the Apocalypse)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4y2bnhU6eM

None Shall Survive (The Last Sign of Eden)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywMvYoMRqqQ

Kriig (Rise of the Apocalypse)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tqLyZzIUWA
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(Heavy/Power Metal)

United States

Albums:

• Journey to the Black Fortress (2023)

Dragons of Krull is a small side project from Keith D. (Unearthed Elf, Chopping Mall) and John Gleisner (ex-Northless) that consists of heavy/power metal based on the 1983's sci-fi/fantasy movie Krull. Oddly specific as far as topics go, and while I cant's say I like the movie nearly as much as those two seem to based on the bandcamp description, the result is fairly solid: there's some neat riffs here and there (apparently written as the movie was being watched, which is fun), and the lyrics do justice to the grand adventure feeling the film was going for. I've already featured other Keith D. projects here before so if you remember those, you should know more or less what to expect. Nothing mind-blowing or anything, but it's a fun enough 30 minutes release if you enjoy some heavy/power metal and/or if you really like Krull of all things, so if that's your case, consider giving Dragons of Krull a try.

Each To His Fate (Journey to the Black Fortress)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE08wE6JmCU

Thieves, Bandits, Fighters & Brawlers (Journey to the Black Fortress)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEabS12A-G8

Widow Of The Web (Journey to the Black Fortress)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC9gya9vZPo
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And that's all for today, people. Have a good week, and until next time.

-Xalldin

Hey guys, Xalldin here with another weekly.
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(Doom Metal)

Norway

Albums:

• Kryptograf (2020)
  
• The Eldorado Spell (2022)
  
• Kryptonomicon (2025)

Kryptograf is a norwegian quartet that plays some old-school, rock/doom metal. They've got a very late 60s/early 70s psychedelic rock/proto metal sound going for them, but there's a lot of range in these albums: tracks can range from mellow and melodic desert rock, to the more Black Sabbath-ish riff oriented doom metal, yet it all sounds pretty neat regardless of style. Definitely worth giving their discography a listen if you're a fan of the 60s/70s school of doom/rock, so if that's your case, do consider listening.

Cosmic Suicide (The Eldorado Spell)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqE55vxYbE8

Crimson Horizon (Kryptograf)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6RmmhlYW7E

The Tower (Starmony)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gL_XcmrmXvU
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(Progressive/Power Metal)

United Kingdom

Albums:

• Transmission (2011)
  
• Echoes of an Astral Empire (2015)

Abodean Skye was an UK based power trio that played some sci-fi themed progressive power metal. They aimed for that mid to late 90s/early 00s prog power metal sound akin to those of early Sonata Arctica, Hollow, Dionysus, little bit of Crimson Glory, etc. And honestly, it's a bit impressive how much they nailed it: the riffs, the melodies, the vocals, I feel like even the audio mixing is similar. Their 2 releases do not feel like records that came out only 15 to 10 years ago, the only dead giveaway is their fondness for using old video game sound effects throughout their songs, which thankfully is done tastefully enough that it never gets distracting. Bit sad that the band has disbanded, but we did get some pretty good old-school prog power out of it at least. It's probably worth checking out for fans of the genre, so if that's your case do give Abodean Skye a listen.

Ancient Souls (Echoes of an Astral Empire)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1-K-beqhfQ

This Machine (Transmission)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1JN_tbKW7Y

Battle of Tears (Echoes of an Astral Empire)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kwBxBSoPP4
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That was it for this week, guys. Have a good one, until next time.

-Xalldin