Agonia Records

It’s not because I’m lazy (at least, it’s not only because I’m lazy right now) that I am not going to write a huge introduction about this band, but you know, Varathron are so ‘huge’; they do not really need a full introduction anymore, do they? They are one of the oldest (formed at the end of the Eighties) and most influential bands from Greece (along with, let’s say, Necromantia and Rotting Christ), which I do follow as from the release of their first demo-tape, Procreation Of The Unaltered Evil.

When Swedish act Stench, with members of Tribulation, released their debut album In Putrescence at the end of 2010 (review: see update November 26^th 2010, available in the Archive-section on Concreteweb), I wasn’t just surprised. I was truly charmed by these Swedes’ nasty Old School adventure. I think these guys toured a lot in mean time, but it took until now before they were about to release a new full length (there was an EP earlier this year).

Goodness...this takes me back some time...like over a decade, to my reviewing of the Topeka, Kansas based Technical Death Metal act's sophomore album Informis Infinitas Inhumanitas, released through Relapse Records in June of 2002! Regretfully, that review is now no longer available, as due to the 2005 computer crash at ConcreteWeb headquarters, all of the site's material prior to that date is gone.

Norway’s Den Saakaldte, named after a Ved Buens Ende-song (taken from their sole album, Written In Waters), were formed in 2006 by Michael ‘Sykelig’ Siouzios, who originates from Greece. He used to be member of one of my favourite Greek combos, Naer Mataron, before he moved over to Norway (back then he acted under the name of Morfeas), and in Norway he used to be part of Paradigma for a couple of years.

I do not think that I am exaggerating if I say that Enthroned are one of the most important names ever that hail from Belgium when it comes to (Black) Metal. I do follow them as from the very beginning (as a matter of fact, I was following most of the members’ former bands too, and then we’re talking about more than two and a half decades ago).

I never hided my appreciation for the French Black / Death Metal scene, and one of the (many) reasons is called Temple Of Baal. For more than a decade, they do please my aural organs with hateful and unholy blasphemy. And still via the excellent Agonia-label, the band (Amduscias, Arkdaemon and Skvm; in mean time joined by Cruxifiction’s Saroth) returns with the fourth full length, which lasts for about an hour.

The Norwegian blackened trash metal sensation is back after 7 years of silence. It’s their fifth full length release in the form of ‘Napalm Nights’.

Italian act Ephel Duath, named after the Shadow Mountains from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth, are an eccentric, weird entity. Frontman Davide Tiso did work with several internationally well-appreciated musicians to create his former material (this time is not different, of course; see further), but still with his personal vision in mind.

After four years, and after bass player Viper (better known as Vicotnik from e.g.