Thy Symphony is another band coming to us from South America, in particular from Brazil. They were formed in 2001 – already – but it took them ten years to release their debut album ‘Harmonizing The World’ in 2010, or was that 2011 ? How on earth these guys got a deal on the Greek Sleazy Rider album is a mystery to me, but whatever.
My Endless Wishes was formed in 2005, by Frida and Martin Viberg, who actually are married since 2006. The themselves describe their music influences being bands like Nightwish, Evanescence, Within Temptation etc.
Freedoms Reign is the brainchild of ex-Fates Warning guitar player/singer Victor Arduini. The band was born out of Arduini's fervent desire to play melodic power/heavy metal again after 26 years of silence.
While the melodies presented on Desperate Souls aren't groundbreaking for the genre, they are quite good and will certainly appeal to fans of doom metal bands such as Solitude Aeturnus, Trouble, Candlemass, Desolation Angels and Wall Of Sleep.
Valient Thorr come from North Carolina and were founded in 2000. Although they had been very busy and Our Own Masters is already their sixth album, I wasn't familiar with their music so far. But listening to the twelve songs on the new record has been a positive experience. Valient Thorr are a punk'n'metal band that sounds like a crossbreed of Zen Guerilla, Baroness and Pennywise The melodic component plays an important role in most Thorr's songs.
When I started reading the info on this band, I was thinking this might just be another band fishing in the same pond. By which I mean it could have been another copycat of bands like Nightwish, Epica or one of those other bands in the symphonic – progressive – traditional – power metal genre.
Nocturne hail from Chicago, Illinois, U.S. of A., and it is a solo-project by Dan Klein, who did record everything, instruments and vocals. The debut is called Ave Noctem and lasts for forty five minutes.
King Parrot is a thrash and grind metal band from Australia and was formed by three ex-members of “Watchdog Discipline” (White, Lacey and Rizzo) plus Young from Stiff Meat and Cockfight Shootout bassist Slattz. The band fired off an EP in short order and quickly became firmly established as an energetic and punishing live force.
I Klatus is an interesting concept. Essentially the brainchild of one man known as guitarist/vocalist/visual artist Tom Denny with enlisted help from various guest musicians all over the Chicago doom scene such as Chris Wozniak (Lair of the Minotaur, Earthen Grave), John Bomher (Yakuza, Indian) Leon del Muerte (Intronaut), Bruce Lamont (Yakuza) and others, the band's output must be heard to really be understood.
It's safe to say Havok has one goal: 'Thrash 'til death'. These denim and leather-clad metal warriors have quickly released their sophomore album Unnatural Selection. Much like last year's excellent Time is Up, Unnatural Selection finds Havok fast, frantic and damn near flawless. Yes, much on Unnatural Selection will echo elements of Sacrifice, DRI, Slayer, Kreator, and others but phantom lord, can these Denver lads play thrash!
