Children of Bodom have a devoted following and a lot of the criticism of them has quieted over the past few years where critics have started to take them more seriously, either that or they’ve just got bored! The band have always taken elements of thrash, death, and black metal and melded them into their own unique blend of gut-wrenching metal which, along with front man Alexi Laiho’s semi-abrasive vocals, always results in music we can’t help but love as metal fans.

Halo of Blood is the band’s eighth studio album and it’s pretty much everything you would expect from Children of Bodom: there are no nasty surprises waiting to jump out; they haven’t gone experimental or tried something new and untested. This is Children of Bodom through and through. Released on the 7th June fans are in for a wild summer with this being one of their fastest albums yet.

Title track, ‘Halo of Blood’, is a pure thrash dream, this is the band taking things back to their thrash roots, with a few elements of black metal woven throughout. It’s fast, intense, and overbearing. The central pivot of the whole song is the immense drumming from Jaska Raatikainen.

This album’s self-referenced track is ‘Bodom Blue Moon’; a fanfare of a track with a lilting keyboard and accompanying guitar track. The speed through the album is sustained through the track though and whilst not one of the pivotal tracks on the album it plays its part.

‘Dead Man’s Hand on You’, sees an unexpected change in pace, with the album slowing right down and Alexi’s vocals becoming deep and throaty. Whilst unexpected, this is a superb track reminiscent of something that Nightwish may produce. It’s a real pleasure to listen to whilst showing a deeper, more sensitive side of Children of Bodom.
This is easily their best release since Hate Crew Deathroll from back in 2003 (yeah, I do own the back catalogue you know!) and the artwork is by far their best ever. It’s pretty darn awesome!

Halo of Blood tracklist:

01. Waste Of Skin
02. Halo Of Blood
03. Scream For Silence
04. Transference
05. Bodom Blue Moon (The Second Coming)
06. The Days Are Numbered
07. Dead Man’s Hand On You
08. Damage Beyond Repair
09. All Twisted
10. One Bottle And A Knee Deep

In anticipation of their their forthcoming mini documentary, Amon Amarth have released a trailer for the fitttingly titled short film, Forging Mjölnir. Filmed as a three-part series, each official segment is set to premiere via the band’s microsite.

The film is being released in anticipation of the band’s ninth studio offering, Deceiver of the Gods. Recorded at Backstage Studios in Derbyshire, UK, and produced, mixed and mastered by Andy Sneap (Opeth, Megadeth, Exodus, Arch Enemy, Killswitch Engage), the follow-up to the band’s critically acclaimed 2011 Surtur Rising full-length delivers ten fiery battle hymns made of buzzsaw riffs and epic harmonies all driven by vocalist Johan Hegg’s commanding Viking roar and absorbing accounts of Norse crusades and treachery.

Deceiver of the Gods comes adorned with another outstanding Tom Thiel-created cover portraying a mythical battle between the Norse Gods Loki and Thor. As an added bonus, Messiah Marcolin (Candlemass) makes an appearance as guest vocalist on eighth track, ‘Hel’.

To watch the trailer, and preorder Deceiver of the Gods before its 24th June release, head over to Metal Blade.

Keep up to date with Amon Amarth at their official site, Facebook and Twitter.

Fans may be put off by the lack of adherent progression, especially after delivering their last heavy hitting monuments Providence or Majesty and Decay; there are no surprises in store this time around. The elements that have always made Immolation such a dominant force are still there, honed to a seamless perfection, but sometimes perfection can be boring. Removed from the organic grit that poured from their mid-period albums, Immolation has shifted into a ferocity that is clear and concise. The outlying mechanical construct of the album takes some getting used to, but flows well with the material therein, giving way to a plethora of vague indifference.

The outlandish improvisation is still firmly cemented within the fabric of how the band creates their music, often dragging the listener through a minefield of demented riffage, offset by spastic squeals, and crashing chugs. A formula that has always favored density over atmosphere, harking to the band’s unbreakable will, and the inexorable desire to push themselves (after 25 years) to ever grander heights. The abhorrence for religious control still remains as a key lyrical focal point, but is now now joined with a growing disdain for back-curtain media political fear mongering, capturing the perfect subjection for scathing outrage.

Immolation create an album that surpasses contradictory arbitrary benchmarks that threaten to disavow the expressional medium death metal has become, and on their own terms as they always have. While I personally believe that Immolation played this one way too safe, loosing the momentum built from their previously released albums to conjure forth an entity that had remained yet unseen. On the up-side the band has always been comfortable in their well-established style, and they have consistently found new and innovative ways to refine this into a larger, well-oiled machine. Kingdom of Conspiracy is out now via Nuclear Blast Records.

Track Listing

01. Kingdom of Conspiracy
02. Bound to Order
03. Keep the Silence
04. God Complex
05. Echoes of Despair
06. Indoctrinate
07. The Great Sleep
08. A Spectacle of Lies
09. Serving Divinity
10. All That Awaits Us

The 5-song EP was recorded over the winter at New Alliance Studios and is set for release on 11th June. Exit Wounded serves as the follow-up to last year’s critically-acclaimed 7-song album, After The Lights. Pre-order the EP at the Topshelf Records online store

Also available today for pre-order is a limited-edition, two-song, live 7”, recorded in front of a studio audience at New Alliance. The 7” is limited to a one-time pressing of 500.

Keep up to date with The Saddest Landscape on Facebook, Tumblr and Bandcamp.

Continuing in the direction of their previous work, Pelon Juuret offers a furious fusion of d-beat hardcore crossed with a highly creative touch of atmospherics — as if Mogwai made a record of Tragedy covers or if From Ashes Rise were influenced by Explosions In The Sky.

Set for release in the UK on 8th July, the album will be released on CD/LP/Digital. Exclusive pre-order packages are available via Relapse here.

Keep up to date with Unkind on Facebook and Bandcamp.

Consisting of three brand new tracks, an acoustic rendition and two remixes, Fagmented Armageddon serves as an exciting taster of the impending musical onslaught that Yap, Massy, Glen and new drummer Martin Davies have created after ten years of exploring different musical styles in various projects, ranging from folk to electronica and jazz to beat poetry.

Check out the trailer for Fragmented Armageddon here:

Keep up to date with One Minute Silence at Facebook.

Out on June 3rd via Earache Records, The Devils Cut features artwork by Cameron Davis, who is known for his work as the lead character designer and illustrator for the Guitar Hero video game series.

Listen to Kings of the Highway below and preorder your copy of The Devils Cut on iTunes.

Keep up to date with White Wizzard on their official site and Facebook.

It goes without saying that any band with a brain, guitars and scathing lyrics probably has listened to a lot of Dead Kennedys and Black Flag. Birth A.D. is no exception, but instead of becoming a derivative copy, they bring in a ton of thrash while railing against everything from terrorism to jobless hordes.

The lyrics are intense and timeless. On tracks like ‘Parasites Die’ and ‘Wrong Again, No Jobs (Don’t Worry)’ bassist/vocalist Jeff Tandy spits out vitriol that would make sense in any timeframe from 1975 to 2013. There’s
crunching riffs and spastic grooves all over these songs, creating a Molotov Cocktail of rebellion.

In what is without a doubt my favorite track on the album, ‘Bring Back The Draft’, Birth A.D. blazes on with rhythm and purpose. Other songs almost make you feel uncomfortable, which is key to making this type of music…well… real. ‘Burn L.A.’ starts off with a solid 20 to 30 seconds of actual emergency responder audio. As you wait for the song to start, it kinda makes you feel like you are in the conflagration…a good mood setter for sure! The drums, guitar and bass kick-in and you are ready to go. The production is stellar, allowing the fine musicianship shine through like a
shiny spiked glove.

A pleasant surprise of an album, complete with a kick-ass cover depicting punks, drunks and common people clashing with corporate blokes and cops in riot gear. Highly satisfying and definitely something to check out.

I Blame You track list:

1. Mission Statement
2. Equal Opportunity
3. Burn L.A.
4. Failed State
5. Bring Back the Draft
6. This Scene Sucks
7. Violent Retribution
8. No, Man
9. I Blame You
10. Short Bus Society
11. Wrong Again
12. Fill in the Blank
13. Kill Everybody
14. No Jobs (Don’t Work)
15. Cause Problems
16. Parasites Die
17. Popular War
18. Blow Up the Embassy

The free EP was recorded during the Earache Records label showcase at The Glass House in Pomona, California on January 12th.

Vektor celebrated Earache’s 25th anniversary alongside label-mates Bonded by Blood and Oceano. The EP features two incredible live tracks, ‘Cosmic Cortex’ and ‘Tetrastructural Minds’.

Download the free VEKTOR Scion A/V EP now at the official Scion A/V website.

Keep up to date with Vektor on Facebook.

Reeking of the sounds of that era, Kadavar’s sound oozes tones of Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, rhythms and riffs that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Cream or Led Zeppelin record. This album is clearly a nod to everything that the Berlin threesome love, which is what makes Abra Kadavar a great record. It wouldn’t be fair to argue that it lacks originality, after all, don’t all bands begin by mimicking the sounds and shapes created by their heroes?

An album of simply unadulterated rock n’ roll, the musicianship on this release is absolutely superb, with a brilliant rhythm section supporting the tastefully tripping vocals. Despite the stripped down sound, there is a fantastic energy to Abra Kadavar that will make your whole body move. Or at least a foot tap if you’re not of the dancing persuasion, but whatever you do, don’t fight it.

Yes, it sounds familiar. Yes, it sounds like they have sampled from the greats of days gone by and squeezed them all together to throw them back at us. But it’s brilliant. Lovingly crafted, Kadavar have created a cracking homage to arguably the greatest era in modern music history.

1. Come Back Life
2. Doomsday Machine
3. Eye Of The Storm
4. Black Snake
5. Dust
6. Fire
7. Liquid Dream
8. Rythm For Endless Minds
9. Abra Kadabra