Rhino - Dead Throne Monarch (2008)

 Rhino, the band that was to become Horn of the Rhino later, is one of the last trully original and unique bands in the metal scene nowadays. The trio from Bilbao has released 4 full lenght albums, 2 under the Rhino moniker and 2 under their new name. "Dead Throne Monarch" is their second album and in my humble opinion their best. What they managed to achieve in these 70 minutes is beyond every imagination and surely no one could expect such a great outcome from those inconspicuous basque guys.
 Rhino's music is a weird yet successful blend of doom, ( mannish doom not the so called depressive, suicidal or whatever kind of crap they want to call it -doom ) death, thrash, sludge and grunge(!) Many might be somewhat suspicious about how this could work out. There are slow passages of majestic doom, especially on the uber-epic "Funebre", faster parts throughout many songs, like "Horned Crown", or "Reins of the Warlord", where you can clearly detect death/ thrash influences. That type of influence is obvious mainly on the vocals which remind me Obituary's  John Tardy. But the vocals aren't just influenced by that type of "singing". The gifted vocalist handles perfectly his voice and provides us with some clean, grungy vocals in the vein of Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam ( especially in "Wendigo" ). In other cases, the vocalist turns into a solitary mourner and his Voice comes right from the depths of his heart soaked in pain but filled with passion ( in "Funebre" ) That's the unexpected aspect of this album and of course its highlight.
 Apart from the splendid vocal perfomance, the overall musicianship is pretty solid and there's a lot of groove present in almost every single track. Noticeable is the extremely heavy riffing in "Earth Reclaims.." and of course the jazzy saxophone(!) solo in"Promise of Storm".  Everything shines in this record even the artwork which is the thing I admired at first.
 So, I'd recommend this masterpiece of doom to everyone who loves diversity and would like to experience something new and original.

 Standout tracks: "Reins of the Warlord", "Earth Reclaims the Usurper",  "Funebre", "Wendigo", "Promise of Storm".
Download

Demonaz - March of the Norse (2011)

 As I'm pretty into the viking atmosphere these days, I decided to write a review for this album. March of the Norse is Demonaz' (Immortal) solo album and even though it does not keep the black element of Immortal, it is a great album reminding of the viking history, flooded with epicness, the one that a heavy metal album could have.
 Most people would classify this album as a heavy metal one, but taking the lyrics into consideration I would count it as a Viking Metal one with some black metal traces. All who have already heard Immortal are pretty sure by now, that the lyrics of the album are epic, as it is Demonaz' specialty (recall lyrics from the Call of the Wintermoon, A Perfect Vision of the Rising Northland, Pure Holocaust and many, many more!) and that has been proven to us many years ago, back to the Immortal days.
 The compositions remind of black and heavy metal, plus they keep the good old feeling of those genres, the lyrics as I already said are epic and talk about the Norse people and their culture and there are also some references to mythical themes.
 I suggest you listening to this album, make your own decision about how awesome it is and support Demonaz, Immortal and Trve Kvlt Black Metal!
Download here: Mediafire Download
Find info here: Metallum Page

Warlord - ...And the Cannons of Destruction Have Begun (1984)

 Back to the traditional heavy metal genre, this time with the amazing but highly underrated band Warlord from LA, California.Their epic and sensational debut is full of classic songs, some bursting with powerful riffs and over-the-top vocals while others follow a more atmospheric direction.There are also some great keyboard solos that help to create an amazing atmosphere.The vocalist does an excellent job and his voice suits the band really well, but my favorite aspect of the album is the guitar work.Guitarist and band leader Bill Tsamis has created some of the best and memorable riffs and melodies that you'll ever hear in metal.The intro to ''Child of the Damned'' (MCMLXXXIV) which is my favorite song of the bunch is just mindblowing.The bass is also very audible and the drummer does a very good job in retaining the warlike mood of the album.The lyrics are also great but cheesy at times but that is the real beauty of the 80's heavy metal scene.
 Warlord's debut is a really magnificent album.If any of you classic metal fans out there still haven't listened to this album, then go listen to it at once!Thank you, Warlord for ''delivering us from evil''.And false metal.

Info : Metallum Page
Listen to it here : Youtube Link

Cauldron Born - Born of the Cauldron (1997)

This time we'll be making a slight departure from the traditional heavy metal genre.Cauldron Born is a power/progressive metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, USA heavily influenced by the USPM legends Helstar and Fates Warning.Their first and greatest effort, called born of the cauldron is a masterpiece of technical power metal that is not easy to get used to from the first time that you listen to it, but you'll come to love it in time.There are two kinds of songs in this album:The more straightforward songs like ''Crusader'' or ''The final  Incantation/In the Dreaming City'' (which I believe anyone new to the band should listen to first) and the more technical/progressive songs like ''The sword's Lament'' and ''In Fate's Eye a King'' (my personal favorite).However both types of songs are able to deliver catchy riffs and lead guitar melodies,complex drumming and really cool basslines.The vocalist also sounds very good, influenced heavily by ex-Fates Warning vocalist John Arch.Lyrically the majority of the songs draw inspiration from works of literature but there are also some songs that concern the topics of occultism, black magic and anti-christianity.
 So to sum up this record isn't something you want to miss if you're a power metal fan.If you are fan of bands like Fates Warning,Helstar, Omen or Manilla Road you should check this record out immediately.

Info: Metallum Page
Download (torrent): Link

Electric Wizard - Witchcult Today (2007)

 This is Witchcult Today, the 6th album of Electric Wizard. In other words, occultism, darkness, witchcraft and DOOM! When did Electric Wizard not give us Doom, however?
 Jus Oborn and his mates make always sure to give us what we want. Some riffs to dope us, some lyrics to drug us and some atmosphere to blow everything up. Long songs with heavy riffs, dark lyrics of mysticism and magic, bring dark visions and drugged thoughts in every second of the album.
 As the second album with the second line-up of Electric Wizard, it is pretty easy to understand that the compositions have upgraded to more technical, let's say, and there are some more interesting solos rather than those continuous and repetitive ones we were used in the previous albums and what's more, the whole album was recorded on vintage 70's equipment, something that sure adds to the dark atmosphere of this through its quality.
 Even though this album couldn't touch the greatness of the ones that preceded, Witchcult Today is an album that sure gives a great example of what Electric Wizard is and I would put this in one of my favorite Doom albums without a doubt!
Support and praise Electric Wizard for their music, go see them live if you have the chance and Doom on!
Download here:  Mediafire Download
Album info here: Metallum Page

Slo Burn - Amuse the Amazing EP (1997)

 Such a great work of John Garcia and his friends. Slo Burn and their EP Amuse the Amazing keep the Kyuss feeling alive in their riffs and vocals of course!
 2 years after ...And the Circus Leaves Town and still that EP reminds so much of this great album! The EP consists of 4 songs, all pretty much distorted and with the feeling of summer in them, which you can understand it by just taking a look at the artwork of the album that reminds of a savanna or something similar...desert-like, tropical...say it in any way you want!
 If you are fans of Kyuss and John Garcia's voice you should listen to this EP, which is a great piece of work! Since I got nothing more to say...I'll let you make your thoughts and form your impressions about it!
Download here: Mediafire Download
Band info here: Metallum Page
Buy the EP if you can find it somewhere and "Pilot the dune!"