1.

TROLLGODYTES
The Trollgodytes are a black metal band from Helsinki and they are a relatively new act. They
formed in early 2010 and have released an EP so far. Till Death do s !art" is their first fll
length and they are totally # tracks on this one. The albm rns for a fll $0 mintes and it is
%ite good. The band is e&!loring the limits of their msic on this one and they are
e&!erimenting wildly.
The o!ener Trashcan 'an" is !acked with thnderos riffs and s!eedy thrash drmming. The
vocals hover in and ot and seem !retty low(key. The drmming is fast and relentless. The
songwriting is fairly mediocre. The second track is Hmmingbirds) *ry" which is more or less
a rehash of the first one. +!art from a few misgided stabs at time signatres, the song strctre
is !retty loose and the msic tries to cohere and comes together well. -lit.krieg" is the third
song and it)s very %ick, it goes for two mintes before we hit the interlde.
Desert /torm" is the track in the middle. 0t)s 1st an instrmental and soon we hit the wonderfl
and ma1estic 2cean)s revenge" a s!rawling # minte wonder. The track is filled with harmonics
and !iano and riffs that kee! !iling ! one after the other. The msic comes together and
everything from the vocals to the gitar to the drms fall into !lace. The songwriting is original
and all in all 0 had a great time with this one. The final track is Hodini)s Trick" and at three
mintes wra!s ! fairly %ick. 0t is more of the same of Trashcan 'an" and the albm comes
fll circle.
This was one of the better releases last year and it went largely nnoticed. + yong band fll of
!romise, good vocals, lyrics, riffs, drms and a bnch of e&!erimental noise scattered here and
there, what)s not to like3 4ive it a s!in.
2. BENWAY
-enway is a doom metal band from 2ntario, *anada and they are really lod. These boys go
hard on the drms, the gitar, the vocals and everything in between. This is a for man nit and
they are really good at what they do. This is their debt EP and for a debt it shows a lot of
!romise. There are five tracks on this albm and all of them are worth a listen.
The first track is 4illotine" and for an o!ener, boy is it thnderos. The drms kee! !onding,
the riffs kee! coming at yo and the vocals are fierce. 5athan -llinger is the frontman and his
rhythm gitars work their magic. The song goes on for five mintes before colla!sing nder its
own weight.
-llhead" is the second track and it)s very fast. 0t wra!s ! in nder two mintes and leaves s
gas!ing in its wake. 0t)s a very tight track and the distortion and the drms 1st add to the
menace. The whole song !asses by in a flrry.
/t.6its 7eloaded" is the third song and its more or less the same as its !redecessors. The riffs
slow down and the drms go low key. The vocals growl less and its orders of magnitde less
im!ressive than its !redecessor.
-o&ing Helena" is the !enltimate track and the weakest off the albm. 0t slacks off in the
middle and there is very little action going on. 0 disliked the whole tone of this track. There is no
groove. 0t is basically one boring riff !iled on another.
Time)s +rrow" is the final track and it)s the best off the albm, the msic is ferocios and the
doom laden riffs are ma1estic. The song goes for eight mintes and every second is worth it.
This is a very good effort for a band that has 1st started ot and 0 wold definitely recommend a
listen.
3. KOBAYASHI
8obayashi are a doom band from 9a!an and :Deathrow) is their first EP. The band has been
active on the since 2012 and their style is traditional doom. The band is mainly inflenced by
-lack /abbath, /aint 6its, and Electric ;i.ard. This for(man gro! has a lot of interesting
tricks ! its sleeve and the EP is a tre original that kind of grows on yo.
<Evil 'agic< is the o!ener and it starts off with cool vocals that mtate into growls to !lnging
octaves. The lead work follows in the footste!s of Tony 0ommi and it works well on stage and
has some great melodies. <'orte< is a crios de!artre as the songwriting takes a darkly
hmoros trn and the f.. at times, is delicios on this track. The band reali.e their fll
!otential on the longest track on the e! <5a!alm 9stice< which goes on for a fll 1= mintes.
There are a lot of ideas on this track that fill ot the length and it shows off the many layers that
add to 8obayashi>s de!th.
8obayashi have so far been one of the most interesting bands to come ot of 9a!an. Plenty of
!eo!le might find them a bit weird to listen to from the first note, as interest grows in clean(ct,
clever doom, !lenty of folks wold like to hear things get dirtier, riskier, and in a lot of corners
of the metal landsca!e, they thankflly are and the band definitely are worth watching ot for.
;hatever baggage yo may bring to this record, it still retrns nothing bt dark, slow, heavy and
yes, n!retentios(( for gys who listened to some doom records, !icked ! a few nice ideas,
and then set abot making one of the most refreshing and re(!layable records this year.
4. H++P29+
Ha!o1a released a demo in 2011 called Hallitsematonta voimaa. ;hen 0 gave it a listen 0
fond ot it was hardcore black metal and 0 liked the demo a lot. This is a fairly yong for man
band from ?inland who have named themselves after the ?innish serial killer 'atti Haa!o1a and
they are definitely one of the better !rog@death(metal@hardcore band 0)ve heard this year. 0t)s
difficlt to !igeonhole them into a !articlar genre and their msic sli!s throgh and falls
between several different cracks between the conventional genre tra!!ings.
Haapoja, their self(titled fll(length clocks in 1st nder =0 mintes and they !ack in nine
tracks which are reminiscent of Alcerate and 0 cold make ot a tinge of /vart *rown once in a
while. </ren 6ar1on +lla<, the o!ener is groovy and angsty and sets the tone for the rest of the
albm. ?ollowed ! by <0hmisyyden ra1a< which is very catchy with its %icksilver !ercssion
and this was the track 0 !layed the most on re!eated listens. <ElBmBn 6aihtoka!!a< is a s%eaky
clean !rotean that mor!hs from thrash to !rog and has a really good riff flowing throgh its
ser!entine sondsca!e all the way throgh from the beginning to the end.
<Takama< marks a transition from the trim and has a laidback feel to it. 0t came ot right when
0 was settling down on the coch with a beer and ot comes <=#0 +stetta" with its hy!notic
grooves cascading from the !mmeling beats. 8erosini" rides away from the waves of
momentm set! by its !redecessor and it has a smooth harmonios feel and the wave r!tres
with /rem!i, Hallitsematon" at its li!.
8olmetoista +skelta" slides down the cliff(face of this albm and its *onverge all the way
throgh. <0kistett< ends the albm with a !nch and 0 am reminded a lot of 7odeo 0diot
Engine, -lt as 5ord and Deaths!ell 2mega dring the ne&t two listens.
0t is rewarding to hear both the demo and the albm as they cover a wide range of styles and they
are evolving with every new release. 0 can only wonder what they come ! with ne&t. ?or now,
Haa!o1a is a ni%e !iece of work with to! notch vocals from 9yri 8kas1Brvi, Tomas 21ala
kee!s the beat throghot and is an e&citing drmmer, Pekka 8ivelB and Eero 8rkinen are
mesmeri.ing when they strm ot the lead and bass.
5. Somnambulist Red Birt Troes! Sado"s and Ser#entine $ur%es
/omnamblist 7ed is a band from ?ort ;ayne, 0ndiana, and they have been arond for more
than a decade. They have released for fll(length albms so far and their fifth stdio albm is
all set to come ot in 201$.
-irth Throes, /hadows and /er!entine *rves" rns for a fll three mintes and 21 seconds and
is fll of e&!erimental tones that alternate from !rogressive rock to !ost(!nk to ambient noise.
The !rodction %ality reminds me of basement msic at its best. This track ranges from early
/onic Coth to what 8hanate might have sonded like before they became :8hanate).
/ean Townsend has !layed with a veritable who)s who of the ?ort ;ayne metal scene from
Ty!hs, 4raves of the Endless ?all, The Drking *or!ses and nearly every other original metal
band on that side of the !ond. Their albms have been consistently going from strength to
strength and the new track holds a lot of !romise.
Darran Dearing is the bassist and 9eff 'haghnis is the drmmer. -oth have !layed with
different bands in the !ast, Darran with ?og and The Drking *or!ses and 'haghinis with
'aligned /tarfist and Ty!hs. There is a /tewart *o!eland vibe at times on this one and the
track reminded me of early 6oivod.
This three minte track holds a lot of !romise and 0 ho!e the rest of the new albm will be
e%ally good. The whole albm has an im!rovised feel to it. The riffs are original and the drms
hook the listener throghot. This is a band that has been consistently !shing the genres,
starting from !lain old heavy metal to !rogressive rock in the middle of their careers. + lot to
e&!ect from /omnamblist 7ed this time arondE
Co cold check ot some of their earlier stff at their bandcam! !age. +nd a stream for their
last release has also been !rovided.
/s!ended beneath holy shores by /omnamblist 7ed
6. Stra&' (ase Si&tin) E(
The do Deegheidand /tof of 7ssia are :/trafk), a black@doom metal band that is as mysterios
as their name, Phaseshifting is their debt EP. The EP is being released on 1= 'ay 201$ by
;raith Prodctions. There are for tracks on this EP or as the band likes to call it for !hases".
2!ening with a melancholy ambient noise is Phase 0 F 6oid G/tareH", Deegheid ram!s ! the
bass and /tof grinds the gitar along. ;ith this track, it feels like the do are aiming for a s!ace
that indces an ominos feeling in the listener. Deegheid is a mlti(instrmentalist and he
switches from bass to drms to synths to vocals and /tof eggs him along with the noises. -oth
the boys have shared the credits for lyrics on this EP and the words were indeci!herable on the
first few listens what with all the noise and distortion going arond.
Phase 00 is inner distortion", and this is a track fll of thick layers and the msic is atmos!heric
and the EP took off for me at this stage. The tone for the EP was set from this !oint on and 0 was
hooked to all the ambient shrieks and the instrment switches. This track has a black(metal feel
to it and there are a lot of new riffs that actally makes the e&!erimentation work.
Phase 000 is death and decay of yor identity" and this track !roves that /trafk are not afraid to
adhere to the avant(metal clichIs. This is an original and imaginative EP and Phase 000 manages
to be comforting and nnerving simltaneosly. /tof is given more s!ace on this one and his
gitars groove and rmble along to the final track.
Phase 06 is the new embodiment", this track is not similar to the other three in terms of the
format and is %ite good. Dots of doomy riffs that don)t feel ri!!ed off and the whole EP has a
fresh feel to it. These gys wear a lot of inflences on their sleeve bt they don)t show it. The
!hase format reminds me of early Earth and /nn 2HHH. 8hanate and 5ad1a also seem to have to
been an inflence in terms of the ambient noise interldes bt overall this was a very good tri!
and 0 am waiting eagerly for /trafk)s fll(length.

7. *eltic 7age
*eltic 7age is a heavy metal band from *omeath, 0reland. The band has for members and
they have been active since 201=. This is their first EP and its !retty good.
2!ener The ballad of al ca!one" has this slow brn heaviness that grows and grows on yo
vocalist 9im Thornberg has a low voice that works s!erbly, the highlights of the albm are
/helter" that starts with a hge solo from gitarist ?aye 7ichards bt then grooves into a
rhythm with brsts of lod gitar, by this time the second verse takes com!lete and tter
control of the song. The song bilds to a clima& in the last two mintes with !assionate
vocals matching the msic as it gets aggressive before ending with another solo.
Philly -les" has another s!erb blesy lead by 7ichard !s the ante while that rhythm
section is 1st so solid that it gives him the s!ace to fill ot his soloing. This is !robably the
closest the band comes to the bles on the albm.
9im Thornberg)s voice is strong and he can do the whole low and meditative singing style
effortlessly. The inter!lay between bass !layer ?eldberg and drmmer ;alker is damn
im!ressive here too. They fit beatiflly with the songs and hel! in creating a very cool
dynamic between the riffs and vocals.
2verall, this is a very good albm and well worth a listen. There are only five songs bt all
of them have their own distinct strengths and 0 wold go so far as to say that they all cohere
into the conce!t while being strong on their own. This is worth a listen.
8. +s!ic Tonges F ?light of the condor
+s!ic Tonges is a black metal band from Poland and it is a %artet that has been active since
2010. They have released an EP in 2011 and this is their first fll length. The albm has si&
songs and goes on for J mintes.
;hat)s bad abot this band is that it is !lainly derivative and is noriginal for the most !art.
There are a few genine moments where the msic grabs yo bt the overall tone was
boring.
The title track is /!eed 7acer" and it)s very groovy. The riffs !ile ! and the gitars 1angle.
The vocals sege in and ot and we hit -one *rncher", a !owerfl ballad that has some
strong riffs and a rhythm section that goes ot of this world. The ne&t track is Endgame"
and it is !retty bi.arre and this is where the albm lost its fn for me.
'idnight Train" is a slow brn doom metal song and it is very boring. 0t goes on for a fll
si& mintes before we hit The 'alady of Dr. ;hite" which is a retrn to the black metal
rote. The final track is /hadow 4ame", a very dll nmber where 0 had to focs really hard
to listen to the vocals which 1st had no !ersonality.
This albm !t me off black metal for a while. 0t definitely needs a change in the line! and
the overall com!osition hangs loose and it 1st didn)t come together for me. There are a few
signs of !romise bt this band lacks imagination and that)s the weakest !art.
9. /+05T 60TA/
0)ve been listening to this band since a friend gave me their Hallow)s 6ictim albm. 0 !refer
/aint 6its with original singer /cott 7eagers, althogh 0 res!ected and en1oyed the ;ino era
too. /o, after a seventeen year wait since 1KKL, we have DillieM ?(#L.
Det Them ?all" is the o!ener and has Dave *handler)s big, f..ed ot gitar sonding dark in
tone and mood, ;ino rants abot the evils of society and it)s leaders as Dave)s riffs moan and
groan. Things get better with The -leeding 4rond," which has a sim!le riff that reiterates
endlessly as ;ino s!ins which !eaks with a ridiclosly feedbacky, distortion drenched solo
straight from the late )#0s@early )N0s of rock. -lessed 5ight" is more of the same, and kee!s the
albm)s momentm moving. The ;aste of Time" !acks some !nch with a togh, angry vibe,
bt isn)t all that memorable. The one(two set of De!endence" and ;ithdrawal" go flat(line,
e&ce!t for some moments of interesting gitar weirdness.
/adly this albm lacks the ominos atmos!here of the other /aint 6its albms and 0 had high
ho!es that they wold come back strongly bt it)s a decent effort by seasoned !ros. 2ne of the
few bands that 0 loved and res!ected for a long time. 0 don)t like giving them a low rating bt
nfortnately this is one albm that 1st didn)t come together for me in any sha!e or form.
10. Dread /overeign
Dread /overeign featring +lan +verill on bass@vocals, Primordial)s /imon 2)Daoghaire on
drms, and a gitarist sim!ly named -ones is a doom band in its !rest form. +ll Hell)s 'artyrs
is their debt albm and it delivers. This is a slow gloomy albm that totally manages to !ack a
wallo!.
+ combination of trad doom riffs and incantatory soloing brings a smoky te&tre to the
!roceedings. The bass(heavy !rodction and with +verill)s vocal talents all add ! to an
e&!losive mi&tre on this albm.
Thirteen *lergy" kicks things off on an !(tem!o, catchy tone, and 1st as we are grooving
along *thlh 2!iate Ha.e" thnders along and the band shifts tones to a lower key note. ;e
;ield the /!ear of Dongins" has some goofy lyrics abot !agan worshi! and what not which is
%ite abysmal. *athars to Their Doom" is dramatic and has a lot of weird riffs boncing ! and
abot and the drmming reaches tribal rhythms and the vocals match ! sitably.
This is a massive albm and 0 wonder if the msic bckled nder the ambitios sco!e of the
msic. There is hardly a wasted moment and the song srges along and there are moments of
sheer brilliance and also moments where a lot of good ideas are sim!ly thrown away. This
albm had a lot of !otential to become a doom classic bt it seems as if things 1st fell off.
This is a band that works really well together. The vocalist has !erfect sync with the gitarist and
some of the songs are downright !owerfl. This band has been largely ndera!!reciated
althogh they have been consistently delivering over the decade. Their sondsca!es are eerie and
the imagery they invoke at times is !owerfl. 2verall, 0 wold rate this a good albm and it)s
worth a listen or two. ?or traditional doom fans, it)s a treat.
11. 4E'050
?ister are a heavy and !nky band, and is !erha!s the sole band still !laying sldge the way it
was meant to be !layed. ?ister)s style is a mi&tre of /abbathes%e doom, delivered with
ma&imm distortion and heaviness while leaving a tiny dose of blesy groove aside.
/low, !lodding rhythms inters!ersed with riffs may range from slow to tight chgging se%ences
althogh down tem!o rhythms are dominant and sstained by 8enny)s distorted bass and 8irk)s
contribtion via massive se of cymbals and slow blows. 'arcs) gitar hel!s the !lodding,
fnereal leading melodies with the distorted bass, and is dominant.
4emini is one of the better albms 0)ve heard over the last few years and it has %ite a lot of
interesting moments.
4emini has some half(melodies mi&ing ! with the wallo!s and it reslts in a mltidimensional
hair(tearing, face(goging e!isode. The sond here is massiveO it>s easy to get lost in the thick,
folds of these songs. 0 am not going to do a song by song breakdown for these gys becase the
albm is too good and 0 won)t s!oil it for those of yo who love yor msic heavy. However, 0
will recommend their albm. 0t)s definitely worth s!inning and has a lot of raw tonnage to boot.
12. Di%id 9ess
Di%id 9ess were an e&!erimental Dos +ngeles(based %intet formed in 1KK0 by bass !layer
9ohnny Donely and gitarist /cott Tracey. 4itarist Todd 7igione, vocalist -ck 'r!hy and
drmmer 9ohn 'olo came on board and they fsed !sychedelic, bles, 1a.. and metal inflences
to bi.arre e&tremes, they were signed by 4effen 7ecords in 1KK1 and delivered Por in the
/ky".
This is one of those ty!ical heavy metal albms from the K0s and it never got the recognition it
deserved bt then it wasn)t one of the best albms ot there either. 0ntro" starts off with the
ty!ical heavy metal riffs that are %ite sim!le. + lot of +*PD* on the songs and then we sege
into ?inding my way which is for all intents and !r!oses a !o! rock anthem that sneaked into a
heavy metal albm. ;here have yo been" is a !retty good song that has some neat ;ah(;ahs
in the end.
5o /ecret" is more of the same and the albm bored me to no end at this !oint. -etter or
;orse", Dight" and /acrifice" are instantly forgettable. 0)ve heard all their tricks done before.
9imi Hendri& did it and so did 9ane)s +ddiction which was a !athetic band in my hmble
o!inion. ?aith to belief" and ?eelings ?lower" add some saving grace to the albm and the
closer -leed" is more of the same
2n the whole, 0 wold not mind listening to these gys when 0)m tired or really not in a mood
for some heavy dty doom. This is more or less yor basic roots heavy metal that tries really
hard to transcend its limitations bt fails and colla!ses nder its own weight. That being said, do
s!in it if at all yo are nostalgic abot the K0s.
13. ;indhand
;indhand is a band that comes dangerosly close to !lagiari.ing riffs bt manages to save its
skin by doing the ri!!ing off !art really well. ;indhand does the ri!!ing really well. *ool riffs
and the 2..y(es%e vocals remind one of the N0s /abbath a lot bt hell they even manage to
look like Electric ;i.ard)s !oor cosin.
The !rodction is beatifl and a bit raw, bt the tones are near(on !erfect, the drms !mmel
and everything 1st locks in and steamrolls throghot( -lack candles" goes on for a fll #
mintes and is yor traditional doom. /lowed down riffs and atmos!here that bilds ! into a
crescendo. Dibsen" is !retty !erfect. 0t has a lot of !mmeling drms and the vocals match !
to it. 0 was hooked from this !oint on.
Hea! the ;olves" and /mmon the moon" are also e%ally good. There is a lot of groove and
a lot of melody in the middle. The distortion makes them look hge and 0 really en1oyed the final
mintes of the albm. ;inter /n" is a hanting closer. The riffs come thick and heavy and the
drmming reaches a ti!!ing !oint. 0t)s a kickass song and 0 ke!t loo!ing it again and again.
;indhand throw in a solid debt. They have all the !otential to be a great band they are tight,
they are technical and they can be e&!losive at times. +ll they need to do is add a bit of
originality. 0t)s good to have inflences bt these gys are a little too de!endent on those who
have obviosly made them into a doom band. 5e&t time 0)m looking for less of /abbath and
more of ;indhand.
14. ;eedeater F
+nd 9stice for +ll is the debt albm for ;eedeater which came ot in 2001 and its sldge
incarnate. +t == mintes its stoner !aradise. There is so mch ha!!ening in this albm, the
drmming, the vocals and the bass make the whole thing seem ominos. -illy +nderson
!rodced this 10 track wonder and its e&!losive.
Tesday 5ight" o!ens with some downright thnderos riffs and !owerfl drmming. The song
chgs along to 'onkey 9nction", a song which 0 had tried to 1am on a long time ago with a
few friends. This is brilliant stff and the lyrics fall into !lace with the moody tem!o. Hngry
9ack", /hit ?ire" and *alico" whoosh in front of yor eyes and then we end ! with Trck
Drivin 'an" which is again one of those !owerfl and heavy tracks that hammers down home.
/othern *ross" is a cover of a *rosby, /tills and 5ash song and the contry flavor adds a nice
toch to the !roceedings.
QJ# is the !enltimate track and it is %ite the hidden gem. There is a lot of intense riffing and
drmming going on behind while the vocals grind and growl to the end. The closer is -cket"
which is a rehash of a traditional sldge ballad. This is an e!ic albm and definitely worth
s!inning at least once. 0ts been more than a decade since it came ot and it still rocks like a
motherfcker.