Shackled to The Throne "Death Before Dishonour" EP Review

  Hailing From Edmonton Canada, the brilliant new Metalcore/Melodeath outfit Shackled To The Throne combine melody,haeviness and catchy hooks with a beautifully crafted atmospheres and emotions, they've been working dilligently for the better part of 18 months and despite some line up changes the have delivered a stellar debut EP in Death Before Dishonour, let's get into the finer details on offer here.

  The tone for what's to come is instantly set on the sublime intro of opening track Tapestry Of Our Lives which hits with brilliantly structured melodic guitar passage that have peak 90's Melodic Death Metal, the clean vocals add a really emotional atmosphere before switching to the abrasive vocals which add plenty of passion to the track, title track Death Before Dishonour delves into even more melodic tendencies that are both relentless and full of passion,another thing to note is these interlude bits with keyboards present are hinting are a subtle progessive edge. when the first riffs hits on With Blinded Eyes i instantly think Slaughter of The Souls era At The Gates,this one continously delivers razor sharp riffing with aggression and a dissecting lead and rhytmn section that really shows a technical efficiency that adds even more faucets to their overall repetoire.

 Things get alot more emotionally tinged on Rust(Fading Lines) this is like a tortured ballad that has the hallmarks that scream of an "emo" anthem,delivering thought provoking lyrics with plenty of heartfelt emotion and some memorable clean vocal passsages ,this has a really relatable theme that harks of lost love and good friends who drag you out of the darkness, closing track See The World In Grey is possibly the heaviest song on offer here but also one of the catchiest on this quality release,while having that trademark seamless lead and rhytmn section the trade-off vocals add plenty of harmony and a subtle homage to Children Of Bodom running thought the song,this was a wise decision to have this finish the EP as i ticks every box this band set out to do.

 This is definitely a release worth your undivided attention,if you like modern Metal with hints of Melodic Death,a passion and atmosphere that will take you soaring heights  of emotion and true heartfelt passages that are both memorable and relatable,the seamless melding of lead and rhytmn sections is an absolute thing of beauty with both heaviness and  harmony,do not sleep on this absolutely sublime offering from Shackled From The Throne,this may well be the beginning of something truly memorable,so come and join the rollercoaster.

RATING: 8/10

FB: https://www.facebook.com/shackledtothethrone

IG: https://www.facebook.com/shackledtothethrone

 

Fornoth "Assembling Trees" Promo Single Review

    Yet another quality release from the absolute riff machine that is the mighty Fornoth after the ridiculously positive feedback to their last promotional single The Ferryman and The Lock Keeper the band have unleashed another absolutely fantastic single in the form of the brilliant Assembling Trees.

  As soon as that opening riff to Assembling Trees hits you can instantly hear a massive Thin Lizzy influence with an atmosphere to give the track an extremely epic soundscape,this seems to be a trademark the band have consistently focused on with previous releases,the presence of this makes the listener feel like they're been taken on a somewhat melnacholic journey, we're lead into a path of mystery with the extremely atmospheric tribalistic offerings of Roots Of Ritual, there's some really cool throat singing which adds a very hypnotic and meditative atmosphere to the song,this is an uplifting new dimension the band have added to their repetoire and in my opinion it's a welcome element to what the band have to offer.

  Overall this is another quality addtion to the bands sublime discography,they continue to improve and evolves as a band and as musicians, i like the way they are attempting to add new elements to their ever improving sound,this will definitely hold them in good stead with gaining much deserved attention in the future and gives listeners an exciting insight into what sort of other potential avenues they will go down.

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7y7MKmhUz3jIKrEdHNmAhV?si=J7wPTM-yQUq6QYuGz9HssA

BANDCAMP: https://fornoth.bandcamp.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/FornothTheBand

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/fornoththeband/

Fornoth "The Ferryman And The Lock Keeper" Single Review

   

 Fornoth are a pretty unique band,early in their career they played a style were people compared them to Amon Amarth,there may be similar elements to their sound but they also inject a rather unique Folk element associated with The Sea,all done with an extremely epic atmosphere,fresh off winning Metal 2 The  Masses Ireland and performing at Bloodstock Festival the band entered the studio to record the two track promo single The Ferryman and The Lock Keeper.

  Straight off we're treated to a spoken word/narrative dialog with the title track The Ferryman And The Lock Keeper, there's a very foreboding tone with this intro, the instrumentation at the start has an almost psychedelic atmosphere,after almost two minutes in the track bursts into epic riffing and nasty snarling vocals before going back into that narrative style which eventually starts to sound treacherous when you hear "what if i were to turn this Ferry into a Pyre" things start to sound even more despairing and all hope is lost,this creates an absolutely fantastic atmosphere with the song; The second track Stranger To The Sea has a somewhat melancholic atmosphere like a burial/funeral at sea is about to take place,there's a short folkish vocal arrangement that starts out with a really deep undertone then you hear numerous voices which creates a beautiful and harmonious atmosphere,then throughout the rest of the song different instruments start surfacing until they all slowly fade out.

 

 Fornoth have seemed to expand their sound into broader horizons creating a treacherous and melancholic atmosphere combined with epic song structures and all the melodic nuances that they're known for, i for one i'm curious to hear future output to see if they further develop this sound,it also sounds like the band put an awful lot of work and effort to create these epic passages,this can only be commended and praised to oblivion and long may it continue.

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7y7MKmhUz3jIKrEdHNmAhV?si=sTS6pBM7SzSCgK5KA2zmBg

BANDCAMP: https://fornoth.bandcamp.com/

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_37W9yOhql_R0wKIgabt0g

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/FornothTheBand

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/fornoththeband/?hl=en

Blood Of Angels "Rise Of The Fallen Gods" Review

Floridian Melodic Death Metal four piece Blood Of Angels are a relatively new band but their members have experience with such bands as Foreshadow, Denied Til Death & Leprosy, this is their debut EP due for release on the 21st April.

 The band have combined their collective experience from previous bands to bring you a brand of Melodic Death Metal similar to such luminaries as Dark Tranquility & Amon Amarth, much like one of the aforementioned bands Blood Of Angels offer a predominately Viking themed lyrics. The music itself is very cold & clinical yet has abundance of passion with razor sharp solos,pummelling drum fills and a refreshingly clean production. Of The three tracks on offer Odins Wrath is the highlight of this release,that's not to say Miscreant Deeds Of Loki & The Final War won't grab your attention as well, as a whole the EP has plenty of quality for the listener to get invested in.

Blood Of Angels have made a bold statement with this release and potentially have an extremely bright future,i'll even go out on a limb and say they're set for massive success and deservedly so, hard graft,stellar musicianship & passion will bode the band well for the forseeable future.
DEATH F**KING METAL HAIL TO BLOOD OF ANGELS!!!!

CHECK OUT THE BANDS YOU TUBE CHANNEL IN THE LINK BELOW
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWZVs2YiDD4Q4IRBOsA0xRw

CHECK OUT THE BANDS FACEBOOK PAGE IN THE LINK BELOW
https://www.facebook.com/bloodofangels1/?fref=ts

CHECK OUT THE TRACK "ODIN'S WRATH" IN THE LINK BELOW
https://bloodofangels.bandcamp.com/releases

Oracle "Beyond Omega" Review

Alabama natives Oracle deliver a devastatingly crushing brand of Melodic Blackened Death Metal, Formed in 2016 and featuring ex & current members of Melodic Death Metal act Curse The Flesh. This is their debut album entitled Beyond Omega.

Meticulously crafting an atmosphere & musicianship akin to the likes of Septic Flesh, Behemoth & Emperor, Oracle create a level of brutality & groove not usually prevelent with Melodic Blackened Death Metal bands, it's not often a band maintains a level of Brutality & Melody so fantastically without it been smothered in the mix, the album displays defined & audible vocals while the guitars offer symphonic,explosive crescendos, the drumming brings it all together mixing extremely brutal blast beats with an element of groove making the whole album well worth a listen.

Oracle have laid the foundations for something truly monumental,they may well be taking influence from luminaries within the international Death & Black Metal scene but they deliver it with stellar muscianship and a passion & energy that make this an extremely worthwhile listen.

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO FOR "BEYOND OMEGA" IN THE LINK BELOW

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfVheXVZ2cY

CHECK OUT THE BANDS FACEBOOK PAGE IN THE LINK BELOW

https://www.facebook.com/pg/oraclemetalband/about/?entry_point=page_nav_about_item&tab=page_info

ALBUM AVAILABLE TO STREAM,DOWNLOAD & PURCHASE IN THE LINK BELOW

https://oracleextrememetal.bandcamp.com/releases