Less than a year ago, Triumphant from Austria were formed out of the ashes of Manic Disease. With exception of the drummer and the recruitment of a second guitar player, the whole Manic Disease line-up is part of this new formation. The guys started writing new material that is comparable to the former stuff (recorded under their former moniker), and recently they were able to sign a two-album deal with Germany’s Cyclone Empire.
Norway’s Subliritum hail from the wonderful city of Trondheim, where they formed at the very end of last century.
Stilla is a Swedish side-project by members of e.g. Bergraven and De Arma. One year ago, they surprised with their Nordvis-debut Till Stilla Falla, and now the band returns with the sophomore full length studio recording Ensamhetens Andar, which means something like ‘spirits of solitude’. This album consists of slightly lengthy tracks that combine tradition with atmosphere. The main tempo is rather slow, and the whole gets almost permanently supported by floating, dreamy keyboard lines.
Serpent Eater are a band from Cologne, Germany, that return with their second album in nearly two years of existence. Currently consisting of members also active in e.g. Hammerhead, Tumult, Daskrill and English act Throats, Serpent Eater decided to call their sophomore full album Hyena, and in mean time they signed to Dutch Extreme Metal cult-label Hammerheart Records, which is about to release this twenty nine minutes epos on CD.
Sargeist might be (one of) the best known project by Finnish Black Metalist Shatraug, though he’s involved with tens of other bands and (solo) projects as well, such as: Necroslut, Horna, Black Stench, Ravening, Behexen, Mortualia, Foudre Noire and many others.
Honestly, I did not know German band Rogash yet. Apparently, they did record a demo in 2010 (entitled Rogan Era) and that’s it, so I do not need to feel guilty. But apparently they are quite promising, for Dan Swanö was so kind to do the final mix and mastering for Rogash’s debut full length Supremacy Undone. This gets translated, of course, by means of the monumental sound of this debut full length record.
Austrian act Rauhnåcht was put to life by Stefan ‘Dreamlord’ Traunmüller, who’s (currently and previously) known, as musician, for bands and projects like Golden Dawn, Apeiron, Wallachia, Sternenstaub or Alastor, and who’s very active as producer / master / mixer / engineer for tens of (mainly Austrian) Metal acts too.
Italy’s Profezia are a Black Misanthropic Elite (hehe, got it???) which I do like a lot. The band is now on the roster of Moribund, which isn’t that strange at all, for the ‘musical’ approach is very much moribundish in different aspects: song writing, lyrical approach and sound.
Monolith are a very young act from Germany that recorded a four-track demo in 2011/2012. The trio (Ralf Brummerloh-b, v; André Dittmann-d; Ron Osenbrück-g) started working on their debut full length in Summer 2013, and they joined Final Gate Records’ roster, which will release Monolith’s debut.
Kuolemanlaakso from the city of Kuopio, Finland were formed in 2010. And as from the very beginning of their existence, they did surprise me enormously. The band’s 2012-debut on Svart Records, Uljas Uusi Maailma, was a truly satisfying aural experience, and one of the best Death Metal albums that very same year (though, can one label this material just as ‘Death Metal’?).
