Beyond The Black - Break The Silence (Nuclear Blast Records)
German symphonic metal band Beyond The Black released their debut album in 2015 and since then they have been a upward path towards becoming one of the biggest bands in the symphonic metal pantheon, much like originators such as Within Temptation, or acts such as Amaranthe, Delain et al, their sound has shifted towards the more modern version of the symphonic genre.
Anthemic metallic riffs that are joined by plenty of thumping electonics and synthwave shimmers that offer them a much wider audience. They have been pretty consistent with their releases, taking higher positions on tours and festivals with every release, much of the critical acclaim coming for the brilliant vocals of Jennifer Haben.
Her beginnings in the pop world are always clear but make no mistakes Haben has established herself as one of the best and most versatile new voices out there. On this sixth record that couldn't be more true as not only does she shift her vocals between a few different styles but also a few different languages too.
Break The Silence is concept album that deals with themes of connection and communication on an increasingly divided world. With many traditional and ethnic influences, there's songs that feature English, French, German and even Bulgarian, urging that although we may not all speak the same language we can all come together through music.
It's a very positive sentiment, one that is often embodied by Eurovision acts and Let There Be Rain (featuring The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices), as well as Ravens both could be from that completion, the former a punchy rocker with traditional elements while the latter a soaring ballad.
Speaking of Eurovision, The Art Of Being Alone features the dark baritones of Lords Of The Lost, the layered songwriting allowing an industrial influence to creep in too. Can You Hear Me features Asami from Lovebites, but this is a record not about the guests, rather it's Beyond The Black returning with another album of razor sharp, modern symphonic metal, as they secure their place as one of the new leaders of the genre. 8/10
Venger - Times Of Legend (Silver Lining Music)
Question for you. What do you get when you pair Saxon guitarist Doug Scarratt, with a prog/black/folk metal maverick like James Fogarty? Well you get Judas Priest, though the histrionic sneer of Franz Bauer helps with that as he sounds more like Halford than Halford.
Doug Scarratt has been slinging riffs with NWOBHM legends Saxon since 1996 and and James Fogarty has been a mainstay on the extreme/prog metal scene with bands such as In The Woods and Old Forest, the two met auspiciously at a gig and discovered that they had plenty in common be it metal, cinema, UFO's or old fashioned storytelling.
Scarratt and Fogarty started to collaborate and Venger (named for the one horned sorcerer from D&D), an album inspired by cinema, from horror, to fantasy and history there's enough mighty and mastery here to fill a few Dio records. Venger embrace a classic heavy metal sound but with modern production.
Fogarty, who is a bit of polymath plays guitars, bass, synths and even adds backing vocals, creating the melodies and epic feel of songs such as The Legend Still Remains and Pharaoh's Curse, creating cinematics and drama. Scarratt is very much the lead player, riffing along with Fogarty but very often improvising the solos on what he heard from Fogarty.
With these two masters demonstrating their prowess, as musicians, writers and producers, drummer Sven Rothe plays with skill and precision. The musical trio make every track sound mighty, from the marching Throw The Switch to the fist pumping Navigate The Labyrinth, each lyrical narrative belted out by Franz Bauer.
The debut from Venger is a quest you will want to embark on countless times. 9/10
Ectovoid - In Unreality's Coffin (Everlasting Spew)
Billed as being for fans of Autopsy, Necrot and Incantation, here's the latest album from musically ferocious cosmic horrors Ectovoid.
All of those comparisons jump right out at you with the starting double whammy of Dissonance Corporeum and Collapsing Spiritual Nebula, both pummelling slabs of intergalactic death where blastbeats control the demolition but the pace shifts rapidly between galloping speed and grinding crush.
This collaboration between death and black has always been the leading style for Ectovoid, way back from their formation in 2010, they have been adding layers to their aggressive and claustrophobic sound since then and with two albums under their belt, this third release from the Alabama band is driven by their emblematic intensity and obsession with galactic nothingness.
In Unreality's Coffin, hones what they do a little more, increasing their spectral nihilism as well as their Earthbound terrorscapes, with riffs that counterpoint each other and let rip with buzzsaw like tenacity until it's time to shift into a solo section.
The drumming seems almost inhuman as speed begets speed and vocals are savage grunts one moment then disconcerting whispers the next, Ectovoid blending the most intense parts of death and black metal very successfully with this third full length. If you like your extreme metal to help you look to the sky and scream into the endless void then In Unreality's Coffin is that sort of record. 7/10
Emaciated - Praise Be, The Iron Apostle (Iron Fortress Records)
A bit of Southwest death thrash now as Emaciated return with some crossover aggression via Iron Fortress Records.
Punching you in the gut with a distorted, dive bomb guitars from Wavy Ramirez and Ian Straface as it opens out into chuggy crossover riffage from the duo who strafe and weave between each other in league with bassist Joshua Peltoma for those stomping riffs, as they break into the firebrand solos of a band like Testament or the frenzy of Slayer.
Over the riffs are the shouted vocals of Duncan Newey snarling, vicious and as percussive as his drumming on a track such as Test Tube Nativity, where there's a clear link to the likes of Power Trip, Enforced and High Command, weaponized riffage that will definitely get the pits going when Emaciated take to the stage.
Praise Be, The Iron Apostle is a neck wrecking five some of crossover thrash. 7/10
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