After some independent vinyl-releases, Impious Baptism officially full-lengthily debut with Wrath of the Apex Predator. This project by nuclear exterminating boy J. (Nocturnal Graves, and also involved with Deströyer 666, Destruktor etc.) brings a no-nonsense collection of straight-forward tracks, the kind that balances in between Old School Purism and Early Style Purity (do you understand the balance?).
Encorion were formed by Dutchman Danny de Graaf in order to pay tribute to his passion for both music (with an accent to Metal in general, as well as Folk and Classical Music) and cultural tradition (read: traditional culture; I guess this flag covers the package much more). Soon his project was joined by some same-minded souls, and after signing to Sleaszy Rider, Encorion released a first full length, Facing History And Ourselves, some collection of demonstrational material done in the (short) past.
Hailing from Slovenia, Chains must be one of the most obscure bands out there. The project was formed in 2010 and released a first album, called Of Death, in 2011. When Hour Of 13’s Lord Samhain joined Chains, the style changed a lot, yet without losing the elements of the origins.
French horde Aosoth, with members known from e.g. Antaeus and Temple Of Baal, return with their fourth full length, again via Agonia Records (the reviews on the former full length albums Ashes Of Angels and III are still available within Concreteweb’s Archive Section; see the update on April 13th 2010 and May 7th 2011 respectively).
One of Ireland’s most prominent bands return with the third full length studio recording, almost exactly two years after Mammal (see Concreteweb’s Archive Section’s May 9th 2011-update for the really fabulously written -hehe- review done by undersigned). The stuff, coming with rather sober artwork, lasts for forty eight minutes, by the way.
Do you remember Planisphærium, released ten years ago? If so, you might know what to expect with this new full length by one of Spain’s most technical Grind / Death bands ever. But even if you think you know what to expect, you might be surprised by the enormous evolution these guys made in mean time, especially when it comes to the technically perfected side of the game.
Quintet Vikingore hail from Seville, Spain, and are now debuting with Wolves In The Battlefront (in 2010 there was a self-produced and self-called demo), which brings a fantastic mixture of somewhat early nineties-oriented Death Metal, Scandinavian-inspired Viking / Black Metal and a handful of modern experiments. The band varies a lot in between aggression and melody, in between energy and integrity, in between tradition and progression.
Necrowretch are a French combo with one goal only: METALLL! The band is proud to deny any trend or popularity conquest, so they are about to win my sympathy. One important thing left: doing good music (i.e. song writing + performance). Do they? Will they?
Essence’s history starts in 2005, when some very young friends from Denmark wanted to play Thrash in the Teutonic vein. They recorded an EP in 2007 (Art In Imperfection) and they officially debuted with the 2011-full length Lost In Violence in 2011. Indeed, when it comes to the choice of titles they still had / have to evolve, yet when it comes to the song writing and performance, well… Essence do sound as if they’re active for a decade!
The German trio (Kaelt-v,g; Harvest-v,b; and Naavl-d) Vargsheim returns with Erleuchtung, which lasts for about fifty minutes. The three current members play together in Vargsheim for many years, and a result is the perfect balance of each of them in their rather unique, unconventional Music.
