I must be sick or something, because it's a while I can't get full pleasure from anything I'm going through. Nothing that really makes me bang seriously...
Here a few of the aces that attracted more my attention lately. It's all new stuff and guess you can still find it around.
THE BURNING-Rewakening (2009)
This is a sturdy Death/Thrash M. from Denmark, a country with a good and healthy tradition in this thread. I don't really think it will leave any deep scar into the metal scene, but it has some different sound and some extra originality in it.
Virtually all the tunes are build on very heavy and slow grindings armor, rythmic session drilling a good bunch of holes in it. The singing by Johnny Haven(!) - a breed between Cannibal Corpse death growling and Horse the Band semi-histeric core creaming - provide a rather fitting - and pleasant - rust coating to it. Forget speed ups here... You get a very slow metal scarnification.
VIII Strada-La Leggenda della Grande Porta (2009)
Here you have another very fine weirdo specimen. You are not going to bang on this, for sure.
But this is an extremly talented Italian band playing one of the most refined Prog. M. I have ever heard. Don't gear up yet (or down): this is no Dream Theater-like wanna be stuff. I said "refined". Indeed I would hesitate even calling it metal at all. Singing is in Italian (with a very fine songwriting) and very high level, placing it quite close to the "cantautore" tradition of the country. Historical pop-rock band Pooh reminiscenses in melodies and singing are most striking and welcome. No jazz-like, relax! Yet, definitely eight tracks to listen with care and to enjoy and explore over and over.
ABROGATION-Sarggeburt (2009)
I must have gone really crazy! These guys sing in German... and I like them quite a bit!
Rocking from Germany, they have a rather established curriculum, with already four full-lenghts and a series of demos and EPs, which strangerly I don't know! It's a rather immediate MDM with sustained but not excessive speed, a well aged and rotten-to-the good-point growl and an orgy of subtle & catchy melodies. Nothing complex, but nothing very simple either. Production is fine, sound is clean and, well... I'd dare to say quite refined - if we can go so far for this kind of music. It reminds me a bit of Artillery (whicha actually is thrash): a guitar sound that really gives me much pleasure! And, yes, here you can bang!
Enjoy! The video below is pretty nice! Already loving these dudes...!
