Agony Kings- (2017)

A def treat for hardcore fanatics such as myself. This is brutal and intense. Keeping the Metal guitar tone we all love and keeping the riffs very interesting. I really enjoy the energy the band puts out in this fkn awesome album. Also the songs are very distinctive. The cover of S.O.D. "Kill Yourself" will kick your ass. This is definitely a great example of how Hardcore should continue, brutal, angry and raw as fuck, get this and have a noisy weekend. Chaotic to the Max. Amazing !!
www.facebook.com/agonykings
Review by Paul Caravasi

Air Raid-Across The Line (2017)

One of the best movements in modern metal is without a doubt the new wave of traditional heavy metal. Just like the NWOBHM, the NWOTHM has some bands that break the mold as something viciously talented and special, and there's the bands that just fade into the rest. When metallians Air Raid from Sweden hit the scene with a promising album, one could only hope that they're here to stay. They're without a doubt one of the best bands of the NWOTHM along with Striker from Canada. This album offer some of the most focused, driving, and ballsy metal ever played in this decade and it never lets up. If it's good 'ol heavy freakin' metal you are looking for, Air Raid will definitely be right up your alley. The chorus' are all wonderfully written, being very memorable and catchy but never being lame. The verses are always fast and driving while the cleaner interludes are always tasteful and never interrupting. With a set of songs each equipped with raw riffs and ripping solos, a great rhythm section, a fantastic vocalist, and even above average lyrics; Air Raid has proven that they are arguably the greatest NWOTHM band.  This is all splendid, damn this is good. Definitely recommended to everybody.
www.facebook.com/AirRaidOfficial
Review by Paul Caravasi

Acephalix-Decreation (2017)

Simple death rot metal, not just "death metal"--these monsters unleashed a brutal album. Thick guitar riffs still in B-flat tuning (for all you metal guitarists) with slow, moderate and fast riffs delving deep in original songwriting fashion. Extreme old death metal influence among the ranks of classic bands such as Autopsy, Obituary, but Acephalix is in a league of their own! Vocals fits the music quite well and it's good that there features this variety of brutality, it keeps the albums' with thickness vibe. They seem to put together a fresh new chunk slabs of riffs together with a maximum amount of distortion and bar chord/tremolo picking onslaught of axes that totally annihilate! If you want to hear what death rot truly is, "Decreation" is equipped with all incorporated style of precision recording quality, drum work that's featured with blast beating intensity along with precise double bass/time signature changing, guitars that are just so damn heavy they'll destroy your speakers, vocal variety domination and screeching leads to the point of eardrum explosion. I hope they'll continue this onslaught throughout their days. So grab this CD metalheads to embrace the brutality they've obliged listeners to hear proving that metal is definitely alive, well, and undying !
www.facebook.com/ACEPHALIX-116269338417902
Review by Paul Caravasi

Anthropic-EP (2017)

I've been a non-stop Grind/death fan since the early 90's, defending and enjoying even their most mediocre work of bands. And while they've never really released a flat-out bad album, there certainly were several middle of the road ones towards the end of the last decade. By 2015, I'd pretty much lost hope. I was skeptical before listening to this band but being the loyal die-hard I am, I quickly plunked out for their EP and set it in the player with minimal expectations. "Blacked Out" proceeded to rip my face off. As did each successive track after it. Note for note, song for song, there wasn't a single piece of filler. Every song was concise, well-written and strongly executed. The production was razor-sharp and well-balanced with the guitars way up in the mix. When it was over after the 7 songs, I was exhausted and excited. Here was the sound I'd always known and loved and hoped to have back again. A band ferociously, righteously angry with a huge chip on their shoulder and something to prove. Nothing could be more creatively exciting, especially for a band just discovered by me. Brutal as fuck !!
www.facebook.com/Anthropicgrindcore
Review by Paul Caravasi

Anubi's Servants-Duat (2017)

This album is different.They ditch the billy badass lyricism and groove wankery for properly structured heavy metal and lyrics that talk about the real world. Another thing, this album has a heavy production. Now onto the music itself. Overall, the album is interesting. Now for the good stuff: they just bombard the listener with crunchy grooves. Vocalist assaults the microphone with shrieks, yells. One thing that does stick out about  vocals on this album is that it seems to be layered, but not so layered that it turns to mud. I'd say the layering adds a nice touch, and makes his voice sound insane. This album have enough variety and intensity to keep the listener interested. Not bad at all.
www.facebook.com/anubisservants
Review by Paul Caravasi

Apallic-Of Fate and Sanity (2017)

Here we have the debut full lenght album by a German band specialising in death metal of the somewhat technical and progressive variety. And I would emphasise "somewhat", as one conspicuous characteristic here is the balance they find between the straightforward and the unexpected, between memorable riffing and more complex transitional passages. It owes more to mid-period Death and "Testimony of the Ancients"-era Pestilence, injected with the speed and brutality of perhaps Morbid Angel, for want of a better comparison. The vocals are raspy and clear rather than deep and muffled; one is reminded more of Jeff Walker than Glen Benton. All of the songs are highlights; there's not a second of filler here . This is an excellent debut that gives reason to expect even more powerful contributions from Apallic in future. Killer !!
www.facebook.com/Apallic
Review by Paul Caravasi

Amken-Theater of The Absurd (2017)

Remember the good old year of 1986 when thrash metal was the most dangerous art form around? Remember when "Reign In Blood", "Darkness Descends" and "Pleasure To Kill" were among a whole army of albums that sought to bring about the end of all that was good and pleasant in this world? If not, then a good antidote for such a sorry case of amnesia would be Amken, which is among one of the more extreme albums to come out of Greeece of late. I've often dreamed about what "Bonded by Blood" with a heavy dose of methamphetamines would sound like, and now that dream has come to life and taken on a nightmarish existence of the likes that would frighten the Frankenstein monster. There have been a good number of all speed, all the time albums to rage forth out of this side of the America, but this one pretty well tops them all, merging all of the attitude and fury of the old school with a slight helping of crossover brilliance in the vocal department. Exodus first floated the idea that all of the poseurs had to die, but Amken here actually took it to the next level and proceeded to kill them all off in the most intricate and utterly painful way possible. Each bone-crushing riff, each gut-wrenching shout, and each megaton of blast beating fury hits the senses in an unrelenting sea of chaos, culminating in anthems of violence with enough chug sounds to make James Hetfield and Jon Schaeffer blush. When Dave Mustaine commanded the masses to rattle their fucking heads, I sometimes wonder if maybe he didn't fully comprehend the beast that he was unleashing. Much like the famed George Carlin dare disguised as a joke in "You'll never see someone taking a shit while running at full speed", one has to prepare for the possibility that someone will come along later with the audacity to actually follow through on the dare. That's essentially what Amken has accomplished here, a massive ode to literally throwing one's head clean off their shoulders. I defy anyone to try and listen to this beast without instantly breaking into a one-man mosh pit in his own room, it's a virtual impossibility. This might not be the most original thing to come out of the woodwork of late. Forget about Municipal Waste and Toxic Holocaust, give this radioactive miracle a try and see if you're still alive afterwards. Fkn angry and in your face Thrash Metal !!
www.facebook.com/amkenthrash
Review by Paul Caravasi

Beyond Description-The Robotized World (2017)

In my serious opinion, this album would be praised as a classic if released earlier, but this is not the case, the album itself is really nice, and if you're completely bored, this should snap it up for you. The lyrics are of course pretty generic, speaking of social issues, rebellion, tyranny and several other topics which have always plagued the genre of Thrash for decades, -which doesn't mean every band did-. The guitars sound perfect, although the solos don't seem to stand out very much and the drums are practically jamming the same tempo over and over again. The riffs are fast and aggressive an they're the kind of style i'd go listening while walking all badass in my job's hallway. Vocals are just pumps of words scream at the right time, which actually saves them from seeming unfitting. Bass kills it. They're pretty good coordinated. Old school influence can be heard throughout the album, James Hetfield (Kill' em all era) vocal influence there. Overall the album is awesome. It's a good album to have listening with your fellow thrash buddies in your garage-cave, and i don't know, maybe drinking some beer and headbanging like fkn maniacs. Good job !!
www.facebook.com/beyonddescription.jp
Review by Paul Caravasi