HEADBANGERS HELL : My Favorites of 2015

[Vader]

I remember years back reading about Catacombs in SOD just before it was released by this band called NILE. The whole brutal Egyptian mythology angle grabbed my attention . A month or so later Nile were scheduled to open for one of my all time favorite old school Death Metal bands Morbid Angel ... that sealed It I went out and bought tickets and the debut CD. I was floored by Nile !!! Wow, WTF , I had never felt in ancient awe like I was staring up at these guys that night. It was something like being transferred back Into an ancient mystical hell of sonic aggeression. Nile have changed very little over the years but I have dug each successive album with its various little, slightly, different shadings. Nile may be a bit like Motorhead in the fact they never change their colors too much but in this case
as in the case of Motorhead..... who cares ... it's awesome. Like getting the next book in an outrageously awesome horror / sci-fi series you really dig. Familar territory ...continuing saga .... AWESOME , can't get enough \m/ .

My Rating : 8.7/10

 

[Vader]

This was a last minute addition to my list and having not listen to these guys for a few releases I had forgotten what a great Symphonic Power Metal band these guys truely are. I don't know if I was put off by the cheesy X men like cover or what but damn... this thing smokes and talk about stellar musicianship.
Great album and one that has me scrambling to pick up the two previous releases I let slip through the cracks...who knows this album could even get me back into Power Metal in a big way. It's that good.

My Rating: 9/10

 

[Vader]

KRISIUN come raging out of the swelter heat of the Brazilian rainforest once again to annihilate the faint of heart with their relentless brand of Brutal Death Metal. Can a Death Metal band be referred to as a "power trio" ...haha these guys are all power and fury but still talented enough to compose and execute with a very high level of finesse. This one leans a bit toward the Tech side of things but that only adds to the enjoyment level. Three brothers ( literally ...well, one half/ brother actually ) a drum kit , a bass and a lead guitar and a whole lot of scorched earth !!! Amazing..... love this shit \m/

My Rating: 9/10

Oh and BTW ...WTF is that confusing ass art on the cover supposed to be ? One of my favorite cover artists but this one leaves me scratching my head in wonder.....

 

[Vader]

Old school Heavy Metal / Speed Metal band Raven is another band that took me by suprise with their latest release. While I do have a few Raven vinyls in my collection
All For One ect. that I take out and enjoy on rare occasion and though a fan I can't say I've really ever been " fanatical " about their musical endeavors. In fact the last vinyl release I own of theirs
Stay Hard leaves me flat out uninterested.
So it was with quite a bit of scepticism that I approached this release after having pretty much humored my friends repeated praise of this work.
After reluctantly giving it a chance I have to admit it is a very fun , very enjoyable old school Heavy Metal romp. I'm amazed that the Gallagher brothers were able to put out such an all out, rocking , kick ass metal opus after all these years. This is fast taking the favored position in my Raven collection and I will return to it again soon. This thing rocks !!!

My Rating: 8.5 / 10

 

[Vader]

Ironsword are a three piece Epic True Metal trio from Portugal. They play a dirty gruff version of the musical path that the mighty Manilla Road travels. That said they also have an obvious affection for Motorhead , Iron Maiden and others and I do mean all these comparisons in the most positive manner.
This Is their fourth release and it is definitely a fun and bloody power driven romp through Conan the Barbarian territory. How can you go wrong with chops and influences like these.
My Rating :

8.5/10

 

[Vader]

This is Black Metal with occasional bits of middle eastern folk music ala Sumeria.
That ancient far away land that plays so prominently in the whole ancient godz as alien vistors theory put forth by Zachara Sitchen and others. In fact Sumerian mythology plays a huge role in the music of Melechesh. The title Enki is the name of the creator god of ancient Sumer. Sometimes known as Ea and at other times compared to Lucifer as the giver of forbidden knowledge. .. just some fun facts and abit of lyrical background kiddies. As far as the music is concern I have been a big fan since the release of Spinx and been looking forward to this release. It doesn't disappoint. Another evil ripping black juggernaut of fun & twisted tales of ancient alien godz behaving badly. The only thing musically here that loses my interest is the long drawn out 7minute folk tune. I usually enjoy the folk interlopes by these guys but this time it's just too long and uninteresting for me to endure. Thats what the next buttons is for so it's all good.
Boring track aside this is a scorching black metal diatribe of diabolical musical hell. In others words it's awesome. Go out and get it ..



My Rating: 8.5/10

 

[Vader]

Great video

Huntress first grabbed my attention with their debut Spell.Eater. The debut was rawer and thrashier with vocalist Jill Janus screeching like a banshee. Their sophomore effort Starbound Beast was a bit more refined as was Janus' vocal delivery. Static continues on in the same more straightforward Heavy Metal direction.as Starbound.
There are definitely songs on here that catch my fancy and there aren't any tunes here that I don't like but TBH I preferred the rawer thrashy version of the band. That said it still retains a bit of the thrashy-ness of old but sparingly .... I do really enjoy this album just not as much as I enjoy Spell Eater.

My Rating : 8/10

 

[Riff Raff]

Love threads like this. Get to discover some stuff I missed. And nice reviews too on stuff I dig. Nothing I can disagree with. lol

 

[Vader]

@Ar-Pharazon & @Riff Raff ,
Thanks for taking the time to show enough interest to comment and add your thoughts, picks etc

Bang on my Metal brothers

 

[Magic]

I'm watching........

Ghost? Tribulation?