MAHAVATAR - Demo 2000 (MCD - Self Produced - USA).

Curious and interesting band coming from New York, Mahavatar promoting a powerful mix of heavy, thrash e power metal where the beautiful & personals vocals of the female vocalist Lizza Hayson are the prominence, she show really interpretations in her inspirated vocalizations. The band show groove and creativity in the four tracks of this MCD, but the more sensitives are the metalized "Open Your Minds" and the instrospective "The Time Has Come"(with a very deep lyric!). We are waiting the full-lenght!! Contacts: info@mahavatar.net / www.mahavatar.net   (EF)

MALEDICTIVE PIGS - Bloodshed (CD - Cudgel Agency - Germany).

Maledictive Pigs exist since 1992 and that work is the third full lenght of the band, the music is an agressive guttural brutal death metal with touches of grincore & hardcore, the violence remember icons like CANNIBAL CORPSE, PUNGENT STENCH, CARCASS & IMPETIGO, no melodies, only terror soundtracks that frozen our souls and burned our mind. Pure european gore death metal atack pearls are: "Putrid Autopsy", Written in Blood" & "Soul Amputation". The heavy sonorities of guitar riffs are the great prominence of this terrorific CD. Contacts: office@cudgel.de / www.cudgel.de (OE)

MAL NENHUM - Longe Demais pra Voltar (MCD - Self Produced - Brazil).

Hard rock with pop touches sung in portuguese and influenced by brazilian icons of the style as MADE IN BRAZIL, MERCENARIAS, BARÃO VERMELHO & VELHAS VIRGENS. Good rock'n'roll groove in the guitars, interesting lyrics and love for the hard music, nothing new here, but  if you like the style check it now. Contacts: malnenhum@bol.com.br (OE)

MANIPULATED SLAVES - The Legendary Black Jade (CD - Worldchaos Production - Japan).

Very impressive Melodic death- thrash atack coming from Japan, this is the second album of this band, and their music is more intense, technical & creative. The band exist since 1994 and this years of experience are listen in this great work, oniric  arrangements & beautiful soles mixed with chaotic atmospheres & deep dramatic vocals. The album have great special guests in vocals: Johan Liiva (ex- ARCH ENEMY) and two female musicians : Yuko , from the legendary Japonese band FATIMA HILL & Saeko (Ex- FAIRY MIRROR). 9 good compositions, and the prominences are "The Way of The Emperor", "Man from The Horizon" & "Capital Punishment". Great promise from the borning sun earth! Contacts: worldkdm@syd.odn.ne.jp (EF)

MAUDLIN OF THE WELL - Bath  / Leaving Your Body Map ( Two Full lenght CDs - Dark Symphonies - USA).

The cult act MAUDLIN OF THE WELL return with that incredible releases, two masterpieces of nonsense, creative & unusual "ASTRAL METAL", a killer mix of gothic, doom, atmospheric, death, grunge, heavy & psychodelic music, strange...yes, very strange, but great too! Climates of death metal inside astral prog atmospheres, folk tranquility with doom melancholia, dark feelings with classic touches. Is it the future of metal music?? I don't no, but is a great revelation of avantgarde metal, the two albums are great, beautiful deep lyrics with influences of William Blake, Crowley, Nicolai Gogol and games like Final Fantasy & Swordquest Waterworld, the souns are real landscapes of feelings like "Geography", "The Ferryman", "Sleep is a Curse" & "Garde Song", keyboards, guitars, trumpets, flutes, femaleXmale voices create the brilliant  world of MAUDLIN's music.This is a beautiful artistic voyage, listen it now! Contacts: darksympho@aol.com / www.darksymphonies.com  (EF) 

MIDGARD - Self Liberty (MCD - Self Prooduced - Brazil).

Only two tracks was edited in this work: "Self Liberty" & "Pearls to the Pigs", but its a good sample for MIDGARD's music, the band's music is a mix of thrash, doom, gothic & stoner metal with references in bands like CANDLEMASS. The sound is melancholic and melodic, the best performances are shown by the couple of guitarrists Omar Rezende & Fabio Vargas, responsible for the melodic sense of the band. Good prominance of brazilian metal. Contacts: midgardband@hotmail.com / www.midgardband.homestead.com  (OE)

MISBEHAVIOUR - Misbehaviour (CD - Boomer Records - Brazil).

HEAVY METAL IS THE LAW!!! The first full lenght of brazilian act  MISBEHAVIOUR is a lesson of true metal, energy and extreme love for the metal jump from all compositions, creating a ideal atmosphere to banging our head !! The proposal is to play heavy metal without labels, free to create powerful songs like "Jungle's Revenge", "In My Dreams" & "Coming from Myself", hymns to real metal lovers. Great riffs, killer vocals and  Judas Priest / Iron Maiden climate invade our soul. The production isn't good but the band overcomes those technical problems with its talent. Contacts: misbehaviour@zaz.com.br / www.misbehaviour.cjb.net  (EF)

MORBOSIDAD - Morbosidad (CD - Quadrivium - USA).

Gore, purulent, rotten, oh yes, the brutality has no boundaries, no limits for the grind killer atack from those Oakland putrid band, 9 decompositions to behead our soul and triturate our flesh, all gore blasphemed hymns are singing in spanish language with names like: "Castration Bestial", "Cruxifica tu Existencia" & "Cagada de Christo", put EXTREME NOISE TERROR, NAPALM DEATH, SLAYER, CANNIBAL CORPSE & SARCOFAGO  in a cup, the drink that will be born will be named MORBOSIDAD!!!! TETRIC... Contacts:   Cuaxo@aol.com / www.morbosidad.cjb.net/ (EF)

MOURNING BELOVETH - Dust (CD - Self Produced - Ireland).

Rivers of melancholy and deep pain, solitude, instrospection, shadows of the soul, obscure feelings and sadness death, only some sensations that MOURNING BELOVETH's music give to us...Dust is the great debut masterpiece from this incredible Ireland Doom/death band, an act in the line of legendaries ANATHEMA, PARADISE LOST (Old) & NOVEMBERS DOOM. The songs have power and sadness, great guitars and deep vocals, "The Mountains are Mine"is a new classic og the genre and "Dust" is a sofistcated death doom to frozen our hearts. Marvelous work of that intense band, indispensable for the real true doom metal lovers!!! Contacts: mourningbeloveth@ireland.com / www.clubi.ie/primordial/beloveth   (OE)

MOURNING CARESS - Perspectives (MCD - Self Produced - Germany).

The cover art and the MCD title makes us to think that are before a Doom or Gothic Metal band, but when we listen the music we feel a powerful melodic death metal coming from the MCD, all tracks have a intense punch and the vocals are creepy & deep creating a beautiful contrast with the creative melodies that jump from the guitars. "Dead Rose Romance" and "A Lifeless Time" already are in my list of the best melodic death metal songs of all times! The band signed with Arise Records and are recording the first full-lenght now. Contacts: contact@mourningcaress.de (EF)

MY KINGDOM - Vampiria Mag. 5 CD Compilation (Double CD - Vampiria Mag. - Italy).

Vampiria magazine is one the best mags dedicated to avantgarde/gothic/atmospheric/ black metal of the world and this is a great surprise of number 5, a interesting double compilation with 37 bands!!! Music for all metal listeners, from the thrash to the death, from the industrial gothic to grindcore, famous underground acts like PLAN E, APOPLEXY & L'AHKA MUZA are put beside new revelations like VIU DRAKH, TUATHA DE DANANN, ZEENON, MODERN FUNERAL ART, TRI-STATE KILLING SPHERE & HANDFUL OF HATE, a good work to knew the ways of underground metal scene now! Contacts: Vampiria@inwind.it (OE)

MYOPIA - Concentration of Suffering ((CD - Self Produced - Canada).

Brutality, gore effects jumping from guitars and vocals, total destruction and penetration of brain cells, rotten flesh pictures & odious lyrics, this is the proposal of MYOPIA, and this first full lenght is a blade to fuck the ears of the grind death lovers, if you love DEED OF FLESH, CANNIBAL CORPSE & CRYPTOSITY, listen it now. Eight decompositions, great cover & grotesque love to the goregrindsplatteratack!!! Contacts: myopia666@crosswinds.net  (OE)

NOCTERNITY - En Oria (CD - Iso666 - Greecce).

Fantastic majestic melodic black metal coming from Greece, this is the debut album of NOCTERNITY, but the band exist since 1997 and its members played in bands like SEPTIC FLESH & ORDER OF THE EBON HAND. "En Oria" is an incredible work, the label "Melodic",in this case, talk   about the guitars that create majestic climates of terror, melancholy and sadness, it is a conceptual album, all lyrics are inpired by the sea nature and beauty. Great production, intense atmospheres, creepy vocals and epic dramatic sensations, all ingredients to a marvelous black metal opus. Songs like "Queen of The Deep", "Enter the Rift of Chaos" & Final Redemption" are eternal tracks for the black metal legions! Contacts: kyrck_khal@hotmail.com / www.info-black.com / infoblack@email.com  (EF)

NO VIOLENCE / ABUSO SONORO - (Split 7' EP - Luna Records/2+2=5 Records - Brazil).

Abuso Sonoro is one the most traditioinal and cult "crust core punk" band from Brazil, Itslyrics are extremely engaged and they criticize the state, the alienation in mass promoted by TV and the domestic violence that exist in houses of the whole world, good idea is the comments about the lyrics in the bookletter and the band include adress of brazilian association that combat the domestic violence. No Violence is a good hard core act with interesting rifferama atack and inprired lyrics like "Deus Consumo"(talking about the consumist alienation!). Great underground release. Contatos: lunarecs@hotmail.com / terror225@hotmail.com (EF)

OLIGARQUIA - Nechropolis (CD - Destroyer Records - Brazil).

One of the most agressive & brutal death metal acts aborted in Brazil lands!! NECHROPOLIS is a masterpiece of destructive riffs, purulent orgastic vocals and direct reflexive lyrics. No keyboards, no sweet melodies, only knife guitars, axe drums & abyssal vocals. A creepy eternal torment to bale obscure feelings, 11 good tracks where the prominences are: "Reflections of The Death", "Correction", "Voices"  & "Ecstasy", the more creative aspect of OLIGARQUIA's music are the double guitars played by Alex Chiovitti (vocalist too) & Carolina Parada. Contacts: artourq@hotmail.com / destroyer@destroyer.com.br / www.destroyer.com.br (OE)

PAGANIZER - Promoting Total Death (CD - Forever Underground Records - Sweden)).

The debut album of this sweden death metal act was released by the legendary asian label "PSYCHIC SCREAM" but now the label got into censorship troubles in your country (Malaysia - FUCKED THE ASSHOLE CENSORCHIP!!!) and the second opus of PAGANIZER was released by  FOREVER UNDERGROUND. The new album is a evolution of the first "Deadbanger" and now the technic and power of the riffs are more worked, the brutality of Rogga Johansson's vocals are raw and killer. Nine compositions to brutal death lovers, the hell hymns are "Cyclone of Human Atrocity" & "Only Ashes Remain". Massacre your ears with this sound! Contacts: Paganizer@hotmail.com /  info@foreverunderground.com /  www.foreverunderground.com  (OE)

PAINCULT - Waiting for Sex (CD - Self Produced - Brazil).

Furious, energetic, painfull, violent, that is some adjectives to describe the powerful mix of hardcore & punk that this brazilian cult  band play. Good production, urban shadow atmospheres, blood and "Chicano Power"(wath is this??) & real nonsense. 17 tracks (27 minutes!), marvelous influences of MISFITS, BLACK FLAG, DRI, RAMONES & SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, if you love the 80-ies real hardcore, you will put PAINCULT in the hall of eternal idols!!! The prominence tracks: "Black Mirror", "Slaver and Master", "Love me Tender, Slut from Hell (with a fabulous RAMONES atmosphere!)" & "Sick Cell". Contacts: paincult@tattoos.com / http://paincult.hypermart.net / painfetishcult@yahoo.com  (OE)

PANZER - The Strongest (CD - Spiral Noise - Brazil).

The second album from brazilian thrashers PANZER is a masterpiece of energetic, technic & creative metal, the band option is create furious thrash tracks with death metal touches and personal guitar melodic soles establishing a personal proposal. André Pars(G) is a master of ripping riffs, Élcio Cruz (V) sings as an actor, interpreting with extreme feeling the musics and Edson Graceffo is a great drummer, the perfect chemistry among the three creates pearls thrash as " Red Days ", " Show Me ", "Your Blood " and the furious title track. Imagine an impossible mix of SLAYER, AC/DC, MEGADETH & PANTERA, this is powerful PANZER, but the band has personality. "The Strongest" is another proof   that the brazilian metal is at the present time one of the bests of the world! Contacts: www.panzerthrashers.com.br /  panzertt@terra.com.br  (EF)

PSYCHOTOGEN - Perverse and Unnatural Practices (CD - Bring Out Your Dead Prods - USA).

Tech Brutal Death metal coming from Baltimore, Mariland,  this band count with a famous member, the ex-Pessimist drummer "Chris Pernia". The music is very extreme and the great prominence is the purulent cavernous vocals of Rob Kline, one of the most extremes of the style!! The songs are nightmares of heavy sonorities  like the brutal hymns "Chaingod" & "Tear at The Flesh". The name of the band means an agent that induces psychosis and this is the real reaction when we listen it! Contacts: bferg@boydp.com / Rob@psychotogen.com / http://psychotogen.com (OE)

RAINSPAWN - Messenger of Death (MCD - Kiick Promotion Agency - Italy).

MARVELOUS!!!!! When we listening that CD we don't believe that are  a band with not very more than two years of existence!!! The music of RAINSPAWN is the most powerful and inspired power metal that Italy already produced, and don't think that I am exaggerating, listen hymns as "Reign of Pain", "Awake" & Ride the Storm" and  feel that emotion that we felt when listening the first albums of OMEN, MANOWAR, HELLOWEEN & TESTAMENT. Fabulous riffs with a glorious personal vocal of Luca Cisterna (this guy is a new revelation of power metal world vocalists!), all songs have that great touch of genious, feeling and technic in perfect balance. If you love the metal keeps this name: RAINSPAWN, you will hear to speak a lot of it!!! We are very ansious to listen the first full lenght of this intense band!! Contacts: manliokick@libero.it (EF)

REPROBATION - The Colour of Gore (MCD - Foorever Underground Records - USA).

The cover art is funny and grotesque, a woman body in a machine of milling meat, more putridy is impossible!!! The music is a kind of grind decomposition in the line of the CARCASS first album, with heavy riffs, intense distortions and cavernous vocals. Only for the real lover of splatter gore atack!!! The best song of this work is the intense killer track "Fuck the Rotted Meat", a new hymn to necrophilism!! Contacts: Beaner666@aol.com / www.oocities.org/reprobation / www.foreverunderground.com / reviews@foreverunderground.com  (OE)

RESISTANT - Ancient Future (CD - Seventh Generation Records - USA).

  Nonsense sound, powerful proposal: mix politic contestation of punk with ecologic flag in the lyrics and hardcore, nu metal & indigenous  tribal touches in the music, that is the great characterists of RESISTANT, a Los Angeles based undermetal act, "Ancient Future"is the debut album but the members of the band played in another cult acts from Los Angeles, the best point of the album is the deep & incredible atmospheres created by the indigenous vocals & instrumental influences: indigenous flutes, Shamanistic chant and tribal groove constructed great songs as the marvelous title track, "Medicine" & "Man Against The Machine". The band members'clothes are inspired by mexican guerrileros. Simbolic cover art to a sensitive music for visionary listeners! Contacts: redrafa@yahoo.com / rezhawk@yahoo.com / www.resistantculture.com  (OE)

SAGRADO CORAÇÃO DA TERRA - A Leste do Sol, Oeste da Lua (CD - Sonhos &Sons - Brazil).

Fabulous legendary progressive rock band created by the genious mind of MARCUS VIANA, one of the best musicians of the brazilian sountracks, he is the responsable for some of the best soap operas tracks like "Amazonia", "Terra Nostra"& "O Clone" but is in the prog rock that his brilliant ideas rise with incredible luminosity, the arrangments, the chorus, the mix of influences from brazilian folkloric music and pop prog rock had a great balance creating marvelous atmospheres of introspection, voyages to our own universes, soul earth!! The lyrics are great too, swett, deep and intense, talking about the mother earth, universe, esotherism & the beautiful of the nature. More than 70 minutes of ethereal alchimic voyage that finished with the epic song "Terra" (by Caetano Veloso) singing by the special guest "André Matos" (ex Angra). The album was recorded in five years and is a great production!!! Music from the Spheres to sensitive minds!! Contacts: sonhos@estaminas.com.br  / sonhos@race.prime.com.br  / www.sonhosesons.com.br   (EF)

SAGRADO  - Sacred Heart of Earth (CD - Sonhos &Sons - Brazil).

This is a "celrebration anthology" where the brazilian legendary band SAGRADO CORAÇÃO DA TERRA record some of your marvelous songs in english versions, creating pearls like "2001- Also Sprech Padim Cisso", improblable mix of 2001 theme with northeast brazilian folk music, "Human Beans" and the marvelous "The Central Sun of The Universe", this album put the band in the hall of the best progressive bands of the world!!! Listen and check! Contacts: sonhos@estaminas.com.br  / sonhos@race.prime.com.br  / www.sonhosesons.com.br   (EF)

SANTAREM - Santarem (Digipack CD - Die Hard Records - Brazil).

Another great release from the legendary brazilian label DIE HARD, the drums and bass of this good debut CD was produced by Ivan & Andria Busic (from the famous brazilian band DR.SIN), the band invest in a kind of hard rock very inpired by the 70s' bands, with echoes of LED ZEPPELIN, DEEP PURPLE , RUSH & MARILLION, the prog atmospheres are good mixed with the hard rock energy creating beautiful songs like "Eternal", "Days Behind" & "Never too Late".  Alex Andreoni is a incredible guitar, a magician of the six strings & Fernando Witcoske is a energetic drummer, with a marvelous conception of mid-tempos. The digipack artwork is very sensitive too, with a simply and very beautiful cover created by the band members. Contacts: diehard@uol.com.br / www.diehard.com.br  (EF)

SATHANAS - Thy Dark Heavens (CD - Blackk Metal.Com - USA).

Sathanas already is a famous act of north american Black Metal, the influences of the band is the extreme european black metal scene, and its music has echoes of MAYHEM, DARK FUNERAL, BATHORY, and others. The musics of this album are inspirated and the prominances is the good guitar work, creating a intense mass of riffs with melodic soles mid-tempos. You don't listen novelties here, but if you love extreme black metal this album won't disappoint you. Contacts: sathanas@adelphia.net / www.blackmetal.com (OE)

SCHOLOMANCE - The Immortality Murder (Doubble CD - The End Records - USA).

The second full lenght of the cult act Scholomance is a real great production, an impressive album with melancholic, agressive, dark & intense climates played with talent, madness & deep melodic sense, a progressive death metal masterpiece, dozens of musical textures, epic keyboards and agressive guitar create  51 minutes of pure transcendent intensity, visionary metal music with strange allucinations in the lyric concept too. The second CD is a special present for the fans, it include instrumental versions for the songs and some piano tracks recorded completely improvised!! Some of the great moments of the album: "Matriarch", "Companionship and Philosophical Fire" (Creepy epic opus!) & "The Next Step (For The Sake of the Greater Whole). Avantgarde metal maniacs, open your ears and hearts to Scholomance invasion!!! Contacts: Contacts: www.theendrecords.com / andreask@theendrecords.com / SaenzTmz@aol.com  / XscholomanceX@aol.com / www.angelfire.com/sc/scholomance/main.html (EF)

SERBERUS - Our Dying Grace (MCD - Self Produced - USA). 

The band named its style: "Melodic Agressive Death Metal" and those is a good label to define the SERBERUS music, but is important put another influence in this label "Black Metal", some band member use painting corpse and the vocals remember some true european black metal acts as MAYHEM & DARK THRONE. The melodic touches of SERBERUS music coming from the great guitar atmospheres, it is in the line of IN FLAMES first works. This MCD is a beautiful pack to knew the SERBERUS music, history and live performance because the CD has a multimedia part with two live videos for the songs "Gates of Fire" & "In Eternity" (great!), the first EP "In Eternity" in MP3 format and band biography. The energy and crudeness of musics like "Gates of Fire" & "Ancient Throne" put this band in the crew of new death metal revelations. Contacts: info@serberus.com / www.serberus.com  (OE)

SHADOWBREED - Only Shadows Remain (CD - Painkiller Rec. - Holland).

Good revelation of Holland death metal Shadowbreed drink the same wine of bands like Sepultura, Slayer & Unleashed, the guitars create powerful riffs with great duets of the two guitar guys Dann & Rodg, the vocals of Remigius remember the vocals of OBITUARY first albums. The cover artwork was made by the legendary artist Kris Verwinp (MARDUK, OLD MOAN'S CHILD, Etc.). Some musics are unforgettable with its extreme powerful riffs and bass player atack like "Battlerager" and the epic title song. Good album for death lovers! Contacts: shadowbreed@home.nl / painkiller@infonie.be / www.shadowbreed.net  (EF)

SKYWISE - Morning Star (CD - Kick Prommotion Agency - Italy).

This is the new psychedelic 70's rock'in'metal atack!!! If you love Tomy Iommi riffs, 70's astral keyboards, psychedelic cosmic vocals and stoner atmospheres this is your new gods! Another great act coming from Italy, one of the best european metal scenes now, SKYWISE sound like a good mix of Black Sabbath & HAWKWIND! Heavy slow riffing, psychodelic vocals, moog sounds and tribal drums are the pure climates coming from the debut album from that stoner kings. Nonsense lyrics like "Earth 2012" & "The Ghastly Workshop of Hyram Kyram" are the other personal touch of this impressive band. Stoner your brain now! Contacts: manliokick@libero.it  (EF)

SOUL GRIND - Lacerans (MCD - Kick Promotion Agency - Italy).

Soul Grind invest in a kind of metal that the scene named "swedish death metal" influenced by the great death acts of this style. The band mix brutal death with melodic death metal, the best moments of the MCD is the melodic mid-tempos that we can listen in the track "Hate Me Once Again", the best music of the four that the band's play in this wotk.  "In Flames" is the great reference to Soul Grind music. Melodic Death metal promise. Contacts: manliokick@libero.it  (EF)

SUMMON - No Thoughts from the Sky (CDD - Blackened Moon Prods - USA).

Grind death black metal without boundaries to mind destruction, the sound production isn't good but the purulent killer instinct of this speed grind act will be destroy and fuck the flesh of all brutality lovers. The climates are very underground and the sensations are pure hate, pain, anguish, void & allucination...The best tracks in my opinion: "Black Winds Abyss"(good experimental mid-tempos!), "Perverse Serenity" (gorextremity!) & "Raging Toward Burning Flames" (the end complete!). Prepare yourself for mutilation! Contacts: summon@voyager.net / www.angelfire.com/mi/summon  (EF)

SWEDISH POWER - Compilation (CD - Ohlala Records - Sweden).

Wow! That curious compilation is a good present sent by the AZOTIC REIGN band to KREPUSKULUM, the curiosity about this CD is that it was released in 1991, now it is a cult item for swedish rock & metal  lovers. Are 14 bands and the work is a impressive sample of the swedish metal scene in the beggining of 90-ies, we can listen  hard rock of MELLOW POETRY, PANAMA, KNOCK OUT KINGS & SHYLIE,   the Glam Rock of THY STEAMROLLER, MELLOW POETRY, ZIN'N'ZIN & DIRTY LIES, the punk core of  TRICKER HAPPY,  the prog pop of MODERN MAN, The instrumental heavy metal of BACCHUS,  the 70-ies melodic rock voyage of MR BAND,  the raw energetic thrash atack of AZOTIC REIGN and the killer splatter death of  CREMATORIUM. Interesting!Contacts: azoticreign@hotmail.com / http://www.azoticreign.com  (EF)

THE CHAPTER - The Chapter (MCD - Stark Records - USA).

Arising from the ashes the 80-ies heavy metal are reborn in the new millenium and "The Chapter"is one of the new great warrior to hold its flag!! The influences of the band are MSG, IRON MAIDEN, OZZY OUSBORNE and, of course, DIO, the little man of the big metal voice is the most influenced mind in The Chapter's music, we can listen echoes of "Hollydiver" in all musics of this MCD. Andrew Sample is a good vocalist but the highlight in the band is Marc Spinoza, a king of six strings (in the line of legends like Blackmore & Rhoads), listen "Underdog" and the great cover for RAINBOW classic "Tarot Woman" & move your head! Contacts: starkrecords@hotmail.com / marcespinoza@earthlink.net  (OE)

THE NATIONAL CEMETERY ORCHESTRA - As Twilight Fades Into Night (CD - Self Produced - USA).

Melodic Thrash power instrumental one band man!!!! Yes, that is the style of this interesting band, Karl Nix is the mastermind behind guitars, drum machine, bass and keyboards of The National Cemetery Orchestra, he is a good musician and has a great sense of musical balance creating melodic thrash metal opus as "Hence, The Tears", "From Beyond The Oceans of Time", "Grasping Infinity" & "In A Future Memory", goos instrumental tracks, but we always felt the absence of the vocal in the music, that we believed that the inclusion of vocal will enrich the band's sound! Contacts: Xinek@aol.com / www.mp3.com/NatlCemeteryOrchestr   (OE)

TORTURE SQUAD - The Unholy Spell (CD - Destroyer Records - Brazil).

The gods of brazilian death metal are back with the third full-length album, more energetic, more technic, more powerful and candidate to eternal classic of the death metal genre. Withoud doubt TORTURE SQUAD is now the best thrash death band from  Brazil, the evolution of all musicians are visible and the conection of them are perfect in "The Unholy Spell", Cristiano Fusco (G) is a thrashriff guitar hero, Amilcar Christófaro(D) & Castor (B) creating the intense base to destruction and Victor Rodrigues developed a  very personal vocal, with a torn aggressiveness. The lyrical aspect is a prominance too, talking about themes as extra terrestrial beings ( "Area 51"), abductions ("Abduction was the Case"), pain & introspection ("Spiritual Cancer" & "The Host") & war ("Under the Wings of the Empire"). Great production with a beautiful cover art  stiller luster the work. This album is indispensable for all real deathbangers. Contacts: torture_squad@uol.com.br / www.torturesquad.cjb.net / destroyer@destroyer.com.br / www.destroyer.com.br  (EF)

TUATHA DE DANANN - Tingaralatingadun (CD - Heavy Metal Rock - Brazil).

MARVELOUS, incredible!!! This is the second full lenght opus created by TUATHA DE DANANN, a Folk Melodic Heavy Metal act coming from Brazil, one of the best revelations of the new brazilian melodic metal wave. This is a masterpiece of heavy feelings and instrumental delirious, mandolins, flutes, guitars and clean/dark vocals create the beautiful atmosphere of this CD, the band include some touches of Doom and Medieval music and some songs had a curious funny climate that give a great personal characteristic of the TUATHA music. The lyrics talk about forests, duends, elfs and fayries, wine and another mits from medieval europe. Some songs are real hyms to the style, like the powerful & funny FINGANFOR that talk about a dhuend from the hill & the epic BEHOLD THE HORNED KING! GREAT ALBUM to the metal history! Contacts: hmrock@hmrock.com.br  / www.hmrock.com.br  (EF)

UNDERTAKERS - Alive Rumble in Brutality (77'EP - Kick Promotion Agency - Italy).

"Bastard Music for Bastard People", this is the phrase inside the vynil cover and this is the proposal of extreme UNDERTAKERS, fucked our ears with its brutal, intense and agressive tracks, grind-core brutal death record live in Prato city, during the official italian SINISTER tour 2000 this is a good exemple of the extreme musical atack of UNDERTAKERS! The cover for FASCIST PIG (from legendary SUICIDAL TENDENCIES) is the powerful prominence. For prepared ears! Contacts: manliokick@libero.it / cnoize@libero.it  (EF)

VENEFICUM - Dysphoria (CD - Forever Undeerground Records - USA).

This tragic melodic savage black metal act was one the great revelations in the 2001 Milwaukee Metalfest. The music of the band is very climatic and mix influences of true black metal acts like BATHORY, MAYHEM & VENOM, with modern melodic black metal touches inpirated by new legends like DIMMU BORGIR & CHILDREN OF BODOM and another ethereal brutal black european projects like GOTMOOR & OPERA IX. Long songs with epic keyboards and abissal vocals mixed with powerful guitars riffs give the personal touch in the VENEFICUM music, creating  hymns to the style like the opus "A releasement Black Aura" and the deep dark song "The Manifestation Nocturne". Great, tragic, melancholic & misanthropic album!!! Contacts:  band@veneficum.com  / www.foreverunderground.com / reviews@foreverunderground.com  (OE)

VERS'OVER - Love Hate & Everything in Between (CD - Die Hard Records - Brazil).

Debut album from that melodic power metal revelation coming from Brazil. The influences of the band in this debut navigate of RUSH to HAMMERFALL, creating a good mix of prog rock & power metal. Rodrigo Carmo has a beautiful voice with power & personal punch, and it is the more personal characteristic of VERS'OVER music but the other musicians are great too investing in create various atmospheres to their music: sweet, power, dark, deep, listen those musics and check it: "The Pain Inside", "Spleen" & "Reflection". Good promise from Brazil lands! Contacts: flborges@uol.com.br /  diehard@uol.com.br / www.diehard.com.br  (EF)

VIRULENCE - A Conflict Scenario (CD - Moorbid Records - USA).

This is a new masterpiece of experimental grind core, the debut album of Virulence scare us by the high level of mixtures and unusual sonorities. It is strange, .insane, crazy, but great too! This is a kind of psychedelic jazzy grind death metal, a personal proposal of these cult band, in the album we can listen a unusual kind of music, very extreme and complex in all senses. Great lyrics with deep reflections are another mark of the band, listen this deep grind experiments and open your mind to the new: "Reptilian Triangle", "Evolutionary Masquerade" & "Your Own Palestine". To ear that live in future!! Contacts: nman@aol.com / promo@morbidrecords.de / www.morbidrecords.de (EF)

WARMTH IN THE WILDERNESS - A Tribute to Jason Becker (Double CD - Lion Music - Finland).

Jason Becker was a famous guitarrist of the 80-ies, he played with David Lee Roth and recorded the album "A Little Aint's Enough", but a tragedy struck Jason's life, he was diagnose with Amytrophic laterla Disease, an incurable nerve disorder, that tribute   is not a typical tribute but a benefit album, all royalties are going to the family of Jason Becker. It is a great initiative of LION MUSIC and the album count with marvelous presences of Marty Friedman, Paul Gilbert, Vinnie Moore, Steve Morse, Jeff Pilson (Dokken) and others famous musicians from the melodic hard rock scene, more than 156 minutes of inspired music!! Contacts: info@lionmusic.com / www.lionmusic.com  (EF)

WELCOME TO BRUTAL,TX  (CD -Skin Puppet Records Compilation 1- USA).

9 brutal death metal acts coming from Texas show their compositions in this purulent agressive compilation: HIDEOUSLY DEFLESHED, MALEFICENT, ADUMUS, ANGUISH IN EXILE, COFFIN GRINDER, DISIMBOWEL, NEMONTEMI, AFTERBIRTH & DEADPOOL. The brutality is the tone of this work, all bands are influenced by the icons of the style like NILE, IMPETIGO, INCANTATION, CANNIBAL CORSE, MALEVOLENT CREATION, etc, The great prominences of the CD are :  ANGUISH IN EXILE (the best band of the album with a interesting death that include industrial & electronic influences), ADUMUS (strongh influences of true black metal and a curious use of keyboards) & AFTERBIRTH (with a punk "punch"). Long live to extremity!!! Contacts: http://hometown.aol.com/skinpuppetrec /  skinpuppetrec@aol.com  (OE)

WINTERLONG - Valley of the Lost (CD - Lioon Music - Finland).

Incredible & marvelous!!! It is some of the words that jump from our mouth when we listen the debut album from this scandinavian melodic power metal revelation. The CD "VALLEY OF THE LOST", released by the legendary label LION MUSIC, is a masterpiece of creative guitars, killer vocals and inspired melodies in the line of icons like BLIND GUARDIAN, HELLOWEEN, GAMMA RAY, IRON SAVIOR & others. The epic atmosphere dominate all compositions and the power metal feelings are the tonic of "Valley of the Lost", great songs: "Sky Traveller", Mystery of Life" & the killer "Written in Blood". The cover art is marvelous and the sound productor was the famous guitar hero Lars Eric Mattsson. LONG LIFE TO POWER METAL AND WINTERLONG! Contacts: info@lionmusic / www.lionmusic.com / winterlong_w@hotmail.com  (EF)

WITHOUT FACE - Deep Inside (CD - Dark Symphonies - Hungary).

Without Face promote a curious mix of newave gothic rock, progressive metal & thrash, the great prominence of the band is de couple of vacalists, the opheristic voice of Juliette is balanced by the deep voice of Andras, in some moments the double vocals are epic and magestic. The instrumental aspect is great too, we can listen influences of FATES WARNING, QUEENRYCHE, TESTAMENT,  METALLICA, ANATHEMA & PARADISE LOST, the lyrics is very interesting too with inspiration of E.A.Poe, H.P. Lovecraft & H. W. Longfellow. Beautiful climates with poweful mid-tempos creating tracks as "Hymn to the Nigth", "Screaming Heartbeat" & "The Picture". Avantgarde metal  promise from Hungary. Contacts: darksympho@aol.com / promos@darksymphonies.com / DSPromos@austin.rr.com / www.darksymphonies.com (OE)

WYTCHFYNDE - The Awakening (CD - Demolitiion - England).

The legendary vocalist LUTHER BELTZ (The Dark One) is the band leader of those marvelous pure classic heavy metal act! When we listen the album "The Awakening" we feel like a time traveller that awake in the midle of 80's, because this album is a real masterpiece of heavy metal like the icons created in 80's by names as JUDAS PRIEST, ANGEL WITCH, OZZY & DIO. Great riffs, incredible heavy metal atmospheres and a killer melodic/power vocal. The album is simply perfect, the production is good, we can hear all deatails of the incredible riffs & soles created by the kings Ronnie Reynolds & Rick Gilliat, the atmospheres of musics like "Vampire's Tale" & "Unholy Shadows" are great: "heavy metal" in the best meaning of this expression!!! But the classical music of this album is "Blessed Be" a song   worthy of representing in one of Deep Purple best albums!! Great retturn of Beltz, long life to Wytchfynde!! Contacts: triplesixprom@btinternet.com / Demolition707@aol.com / www.demolitionrecords.com (EF)

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