7.5/10

Review - Wolves Den: Deus Vult

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Wolves Den is a three-piece black metal group from Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Within its ranks are Manu Di Camillo on drums and Helge Stang (Arafel, ex-Reign of Decay) handling bass and vocal duties, both of which are former members of epic folk/viking metal act Equilibrium. In April of 2015, the trio independently released their debut album Deus Vult in digital and digipack formats, though the lineage of the members couldn’t bring the group out of obscurity. So, was this an overlooked gem of last year, or does it have more of a mundane appeal?
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Review - Feared: Reborn

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Feared is easily one of Sweden’s hardest working metal acts today. The group came together in 2007, unleashed a demo a year later, and released their self-titled debut album in 2010 themselves. Since then, they have been unstoppable in the stuio, unleashing five more full-length efforts, one per year with exception of 2014 and their contribution to the Elemental Nightmares - II split with Satyros, Dead River Runs Dry and Montecharge. Like clockwork, 2016 sees another new creation, titled Reborn, due at the start of June in digital format. But has this four-piece begun to show signs of exhaustion despite the fresh blood of bassist Jocke Skob (ex-Clawfinger) and drummer Kevin Talley (Suffocation, Dååth) having joined the fray back in 2013, or is this romp through familiar territory one that didn’t need to exist?
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Review - Abbath: Abbath

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Immortal is one of the most easily recognizable, as well as respected, bands in the second wave of black metal movement. However, recently the band had a falling out involving long-time guitarist/vocalist Abbath Doom Occulta, who departed due to tensions within the band. Now, he returns as part of a project named simply Abbath, which includes King ov Hell (Tom Cato Visnes) of Ov Hell and former Gorgoroth fame, as well as Kevin “Creature” Foley of Benighted and F Stands for Fuck You. While it seems that Kevin has departed from the group due to “some personal reasons”, but was on hand to record the group’s self-titled full-length effort, which was just recently released through Season of Mist Records. But is this outing one that lives up to the group’s namesake, or is it far from what fans expect of the man?
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Review - Invokation: Ascending from Aeons Passed

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Germany’s Invokation has been around quite a while, though you wouldn’t know it looking at the group’s discography. The band originally formed back in 2007 with guitarist Peter Patselt (Depraved, Heralder), drummer Daniel Falkenstein (ex-Atrox, ex-Messenger), Thomas Suffell on guitar, and vocalist/bassist Armin Diedler, who had left the group in 2012. The previous two recruited Kevin Dörr (Ravenfrost, ex-Beyond Serenity) for about a year as a guest member, eventually bringing in Mike Herrig later on in 2013, and a bassist that seems to only be credited as Oliver. Now a five-piece with a steady line-up, we find them finally unleashing their long overdue debut full-length effort, Ascending From Aeons Passed, through CCP Records. But is it all that long time fans have been waiting for, or does it leave listeners wanting something a little more after all this time?
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Review - Messenger: Starwolf - Pt. II: Novastorm

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Germany’s heavy/speed metallers Messenger unleashed their highly acclaimed first entry of the Starwolf saga back in 2013. It was their fifth full-length effort since their formation and debut album Titanic Suicide dropped back in 1990, not to mention near twelve year gap that occured after their 1994 follow-up Asylum X-T-C. As of late, the group’s studio release schedule has been mildly steady, releasing a follow-up EP titled Captain’s Loot earlier this year, as well as the second part of this mini-series, aptly titled Starwolf - Pt II: Novastorm, to round out the year. But is this a welcome addition to the story line, or is it more a rushed offering than anything worth while?
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Review - Hazy Hamlet: Full Throttle

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When it comes to the spirit of classic heavy metal and NWOBHM groups, there’s a plethora of new acts diving head first into the sea of like minded ones from all across the globe. Brazil’s Hazy Hamlet, however, is one that’s been around a lot longer than most, but is looked upon as a fairly recent entry to that style’s world. The entity came to life back in 1999, unleashing a self-titled demo in 2001, the Revelation EP in 2003, a single in 2004, and finally their debut full-length Forging Metal in 2009, roughly ten years after first coming together. There were a few of musicians that had come and gone in that time, but the final line-up eventually called it a day in 2011. Two years later, the band reativated and later signed with Arthorium Records for Full Throttle, their anxiously awaited follow-up that would become vocalist Arthur Migotto’s final studio album with the band. But does this new outing stand as a stunning return, or is it just one uninspiring vintage metal soaked composition after another?
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