Suffocation – “Blood oath”
Along with a very select few others, Suffocation are card-carrying members of the exclusive Death metal club, yet whose own output continues to be as menacing, acerbic and relevant as it was a decade ago. “Blood Oath” is off their sixth full length offering which bombards you with a slow and heavy attack of triplets which is reminiscent of Morbid Angel’s Gateways to Annihilation.
Ex Deo – “Legio XII”
Ex Deo is a side project of Kataklysm’s frontman Maurizio Iacono. It is a Roman-themed death metal band which sings of its homeland’s glorious past. “Legio XII” is one of those songs which have a warlike ambience, giving an impression of armies gathering. Combination of death and black vocals give nice touch to the epic sound of the song.
Vader – “Rise of the undead”
Necropolis is the title given to the latest gathering of recordings sent our way from Poland. Vader in “Rise of the undead” does its usual chugging fast pace evil war machine engine like attack. Great riffs and amazing solos will not fail to blow you away.
Darkane – “Execution 44”
This melodic thrash metal outfit from Sweden is quite different from the kind of stuff that usually comes out of Sweden. A hint of modern sound in good old thrash is their take. “Execution 44” starts off with a somber lead and transforms into ferocious paced groove. Although too mainstream sounding but nonetheless good metal.
Amorphis – “Silver bride”
This is your average progressive metal song. It has fairly catchy and compelling vocals with good melodic passages. Opeth fans might dig this.
S.W.W.A.A.T.S – “The tamagotchi gesture”
An Interesting name which actually spells out as “Success Will Write Apocalypse Across the Sky”. I actually checked twice before writing down the abbreviation… (Pun intended). I fail to understand what’s with long band name and Deathcore music. “The tamagotchi gesture” is pretty forgettable song except that it does not have annoying breakdowns like other deathcore music. Feel free to press the “next” button on that remote right away.
Threat Signal – “The beginning of the end”
Threat signal’s brand of industrial/metalcore is pretty fresh. Decent riffs and drum work. Raspy vocals and thrashy edge will surely make you want to headbang to it. Often compared to Fear Factory and Strapping Young Lad, they are worth checking out.
Swashbuckle – “Cruise ship terror”
Many metal bands attempt to have a comical or radical image while maintaining their metalness. Swashbuckle is one of those bands that do it with excellence. Pirates in metal isn’t an unheard of concept but these guys will surely convince you that they truly are pirates from the 1700’s that traveled forward in time to play some kick ass thrash metal.
Mantic Ritual – “One by one”
In case you’re not keeping score, tried and true thrash metal is back and firmly in the hands of the youth of today. Add Mantic Ritual to the new-gen thrash pack. “One by one” will make you wish the old days of thrash were still around.
Augury – “Aetheral”
One of Canada’s finest death metal exports with a progressive leaning, Augury’s music is varied and engaging. Super smooth bass playing and aggressive riffing wil leave you scratching your head.
Korpiklaani – “Vodka”
Korpiklaani’s sound has always combined happy drinking songs with folk infused metal. These Finns joyfully manifest their upbeat attitude they derive from their music. “Vodka” is a nice breather after all the mayhem of this c.d.
Sylosis –“Teras”
This quintet from the UK plays progressive thrashcore. Although the musicianship is excellent but they are just another modern band, only a bit of more technical and progressive than most of their peers and nothing new.
Candlemass – “If I ever die”
These are the leaders, the pioneers, the ones who are still keeping the flag of the doom brilliance high. “If I ever die” has that unmistakable groove but it’s not a very memorable song.
Echoes Of Eternity – “Twilight fires”
“Twilight fires” seems more black metal than goth but they call themselves progressive so I guess it fits the bill. Nothing unusual here, it’s a very average attempt. Drum work is pretty annoying. Long monotonous programmed beats are a bit too high in the mix.
Samael – “Under one flag”
Black metal fused with industrial music. Samael is strictly for Darkwave/Industrial fans. “Under one flag” has some mammoth riffs and some excellent electric drums to drive the beats. Keyboards provide some beautiful melodic passages which set Samael apart from other industrial metal bands.
Hammerfall – “Any means necessary”
These guys continue to make some decent power metal which although is shamelessly watered down but remains entertaining. “Any means necessary” has the right hooks but at some point’s way too simple a song. And if you happen to check the video of this song, you’re in for some good laughs.
Sirenia – “Lost in lite”
It seems that the sea of female-fronted metal bands keeps rising higher every year, particularly in the gothic realm. “Lost in lite” is full of catchy melodies and carries some heaviness with it. There is nothing special about the bass or drum. The keyboards mingle with the music but don’t do anything spectacular or particularly noteworthy. In my opinion it’s too pop to be on this compilation.
This CD has a balanced mix of styles. There weren’t any bad songs here, and they all fit together to express the overarching theme of the compilation. Overall it’s a good collection of songs by Nuclear Blast.