Italian trio Barbarian (bassist D.D. Prowler, guitar player / vocalist Borys Crossburn, and drummer Lore Steamroller) are a pretty young formation that started as some kind of Hellhammer / Celtic Frost worship-entity. They released an untitled demo-tape in 2010 (self-released), a self-titled mini in 2011 (as a matter of fact, this was the vinyl-edition of the demonstrational recording from 2010), and they contributed on a split with country fellowmen Bunker 66.
[because the net simply exists, and for I have too much stuff still to review, I had to keep it short, but you will get the essence right here]
History: formed in 1987 in San Francisco, California. Majestic ‘early years’, and therefore one of the most influential Death Metal acts ever. Break from 1995 till 2010, then glorious comeback; old guys (just like me) that still beat the youngsters mercilessly!
Germany’s Words Of Farewell were formed during the first half of the former decade. When they recorded and released the debut Immersion, they gained lots of positive attention all over the world. I wasn’t that enormously enthusiastic with that first full length studio album (see update July 8th 2012) (which, by the way, was released via AFM Records too), but I surely did not dislike it either.
Finnish band Woland was formed in 2010 with the aim to create a new, different vision on the sickness called humanity. Instead of looking at the past, they concentrate on a future where the human race rises above itself and its religion, and this seen from a specific Nietzschean point of view.
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.
Taking their name from a rock in Sri Lanka, Sigiriya (ex-Acrimony) are based in a Welsh valley and those who already are familiar with Sigiriya’s debut album will be very pleased with Darkness died Today as well. It's plain from the first listen that this material would work wonders in a live setting, but however Sigiriya doesn't have a single ounce of originality to offer.
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.
