KEN mode are one of those bands that have been respected by underground audiences for years. With a string of already excellent releases behind them. All that may change with Entrench however, for it is an album of undisputed quality that should see them gain attention and praise from anyone who appreciates the heavier aspect of music.

Producer Matt Bayles (Mastodon, ISIS) has captured KEN mode at their most focused and ferocious, while they've written the best collection of songs of their career. There's never a dull moment on Entrench from the abrasive and chaotic assault of 'Counter Culture Complex', 'No; I'm in Control' and 'Your Heartwarming Story Makes Me Sick', to the more refined and introspective 'Romeo Must Never Know', which at 7+ minutes is a glorious slow burner. The guitar as the track closes has that tone to die for, gripping and amazing.

The quality is maintained throughout and picking off tracks to highlight is difficult as they all have an infectious and essential quality. After a couple of spins I found myself walking around with tracks/lyrics stuck in my head. Having received a Juno in their homeland for last album Venerable more honours should be bestowed upon them with Entrench.

If there's any justice it will see them elevated from being thought of as a great hardcore/chaotic/sludge band to just a damn great band.

Enabler are back with a new EP Shift Of Redemption and they really are on a new form here. Kicking off with the title track there's definitely a more metallic twist to this, something that makes it really stand out against the rest of their back catalogue. Morphing quickly back into something more familiar, 'Live Low' starts off with some of the best and catchiest lyrics a a song this frantic could possibly contain- "Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you forever". Probably one I'll probably find myself singing mentally on a regular basis.

With additional melodic elements, twinges of hardcore punk-esque vocals and prognostic doomy metal vibes there really is something here for everyone. Definite step in a different direction from their earlier, more straight forward and chugging style. With a crisper and more pin-point sound you may be mistaken for thinking this is from a completely different band, but Shift of Redemption really does signpost a new approach for Enabler, one I'm interested in seeing where it leads.

Caught these guys supporting Rotten Sound recently, and by heck do they put on an awesome live show. Go and see them if you get the chance, you really won't regret it.

FFO: Converge, Martyrdöd, Hierophant

Hypocrisy main man Peter Tägtgren is a busy guy. He's produced countless albums. Provided drums, guitars, keyboards and vocals as a guest on MANY different occasions. He has two bands, Pain being the other one. And he owns his own village three hours away from Stockholm, called Pärlby, that is home to roughly 120 residents. As I said, he's a busy man. Such busyness is bound to have some affect on his musical output. Hence End of Disclosure, Hypocrisy's 12th studio album full of rage, speed, epic themes, and total mayhem. Hope you're ready...

Right off the bat the title track starts with epic keys sounding like a grand hall entrance. Not long after, the CRUNCH is brought down on that hall and you're dodging pieces of the ceiling. Drummer Reidar "Horgh" Horghagen (also of black metal Hall of Famers IMMORTAL) and bassist Mikael Hedlund play as Tägtgren's evil henchmen, attacking right behind their leader all throughout. And this is just track one!

'United We Fall' comes a bit later on and has you tricked that the crew might be lightening up. Alas, you aren't that lucky. As the trio is in a very "all out bludgeoning" mood. They do lighten up a bit at the end to give way to an epic bridge of chorused out guitar harmony. Then they bring the onslaught right back down for the last 30 seconds so you don't forget who you're dealing with. 'Hell is Where I Stay' is...well...read the title again. The tempo is slowed down a bit on this one. Allowing for a strong lock-step groove. The kind that tells your neck to move up and down. There's some evil sounding guitars in this tune. Out of the whole album, this song sounds the most "death metal" of them all. Not a lot of melody to get in the way. Nice and dirty, just how I like it (don't judge me).

'When Death Calls' is another basher of a tune. Colored with stop and start riffs then blast beats that are unforgiving, this song is the perfect setup for album closer 'The Return'. As I listen to it, it feels as though the entire eight tracks before this were a sort of trip home. A return to the throne to speak. The vocals are slower and bellowed. The bass is thunderous. The drums, like mountain ech(((o)))es. And the guitars sound almost like they're mourning the trip, but praising a homecoming. Amazing finish to a great album.

I'll be honest, I wasn't much of a Hypocrisy fan coming into this album. I liked them fair enough, didn't mind when they were on the stereo. But this album is one I will seek out. Its already received multiple listens. And I know it will continue to get more. For the music's sake, and for the fans sake, let's hope Mr. Tägtgren and his cohorts stay busy and keep a hectic schedule. And let's hope no buildings happen to crumble around them in the process.

This album comes out March 22 in Europe and on April 2nd in the US via Nuclear Blast. Support music and bands you love, go buy a copy. HAIL!!!!!!

Hey Colossus are a massive load of fun. When watching their blistering live shows, you just want to sneak up and join them and hope nobody notices. They seem to have an ever expanding roster of nerdy looking blokes who are on an underground voyage of rock experimentation armed with gizmos, gadgets and unspecified carnage at their fingertips. Their last album from 2011 RRR was an absolute master piece, taking the band from a traditional noise rock outfit (if there is such a thing) into a full blown hurricane of chaos. It delivered an intense experience which featured everything face melting doom to galaxy surfing space rock. Following it up was always going to be difficult and now teamed with Part Chimp front man Tim Cedar as their full time drummer they have nailed it with Cuckoo Live Life Like Cuckoo and it fucking rocks!

‘Hot Grave’ starts the proceedings which is an out and out floor filler. It has a wonderful groovy beat with hypnotic guitars and the lyrics are actually distinguishable, a Hey Colossus first? There are all kinds of pleasing hooks going on in this beast of a number, whilst it’s easy to glue your brain to nasty punk rock vocals there are light kraut like synths overplayed on the top taking it to a whole new level. If it’s not one of the best songs you've heard all year I will eat a fridge.

The album from here is a little more relaxed than anything they have done before. But, what they lose in heaviness is made up for with magic. It’s an enchanting maze of warped tricks being played on your brain and it feels amazing. They have taken on a kraut rock influence and the album is reminiscent of modern psychedelic bands such as Gnod and Mugstar.

‘Leather Lake’ is a high point of the album, an epic stoner rock riff with quirky electronic noises attacking it alongside the snarling vocals. It’s a real trippy affair and nice accompaniment to what the guy on the front cover is doing. Almost sounds like Monster Magnet back in the “Spine of God” days jamming with the Butthole Surfers. ‘English Flesh’ comes next which is an exhilarating cosmic mind crusher. It’s a hypnotic, bass heavy machine with maxed out everything which smashes down every door to every room in your mind.

Cuckoo Live Life Like Cuckoo is another step forward for one of the UK’s most interesting bands. They seem to reinvent themselves album by album which is definitely something to be admired. They have expanded on what they do really well and given it more of a psychedelic/space rock edge, how on earth could you possibly go wrong? My advice would be to listen to it, relax and let it take you to all kinds of wonderful little places.

I have followed Edinburgh 2-piece Birdhead since I’ve first seen them at one of their early gigs a couple of years ago. The combination of drums, loud guitars, pre-recorded bass loops, lots of synths and electronics, and lots of loud shouting in a thick Scottish accent was just too impressive to not take notice of.

Birdhead are drummer David Nicklen and multi-instrumentalist/shouter Stephen Donkin. Their style is a mix of punk, blues, garage, techno and loud alternative noise. They self-released their first EP Talons a while ago, which resulted in the band signing for the Gamma Proforma label. They recorded their debut album (out soon) and in the meantime keep us happy with this 2-track single/EP.

First track ‘Silent is the Crow’ is quite an uncharacteristic Birdhead track as it’s a very short song lacking the above mentioned electronics and synths. It is a fucking beast of a song though, blasting away in just less than 2 minutes. It has a nice bass loop and loud noisy guitars over up-tempo drumming. And lots of loud distorted shouting by Stephen. It also comes with one of the best music videos I’ve seen in a long time.

B-side track ‘Trojan’ has more of that characteristic Birdhead sound to it, with some great electronics and synths from the opening seconds, steady, almost funky, drumming and build ups of loud noisy guitar parts, increasing bass loops and Stephen shouting “I’m a mess, I’m a fucking mess”.

This brilliant 2-track single/EP show-cases very nicely why this is one of the most exciting bands to come out of Edinburgh (and perhaps Scotland) at the moment. I urge you to check them out and why not just buy the single. I guarantee it will be the best £1.98 you have ever spent.

Bastions is a hardcore/rock band from the North of Wales. After their amazing full length release Hospital Corners in 2011, they are now back with the first of a 2-part EP called Bedfellows Part 1: The Bastard Son.

What makes this release very interesting is that besides the at times blistering chaotic hardcore sound, Bastions also tell a story throughout this conceptual EP. The story is a sad one based in the 1950’s where a mother of a family miscarriages on her third child, buries the remains in the garden to then walk into the sea, not coming back, leaving a husband and two teenage children behind. The father can’t deal with the loss of his wife and can’t look after his two children, thinks they inherited their mother’s madness, while they were actually mourning the loss of their mother, and the father decided to put the children in long term juvenile care. “This is their story. Their story must be told”.

The real strength of this EP lies in the opening track ‘Pallor’ and closing track ‘Amongst Crows’. ‘Pallor’ starts with a clean sounding delayed guitar intro, which goes on for around 50 seconds before the rest of the band kick in, building onto a slow grinder of a song. The singer sounds angry, but also very emotional. It is a great opening track, which makes you want to listen to more as you’re wondering where this will go from here.

Well, to blistering fast and aggressive hardcore in the next two tracks ‘With Love’ and ‘Life Less Lived’, which burst full of energy and fast up-tempo drumming and riffing. It makes me want to go straight into the nearest circle pit!

Then we get to the closing track ‘Amongst Crows’, which is with nearly 4 minutes the longest track on this EP. It is a beautiful piece of music, starting with slow rhythmic drumming and gentle played delayed guitar chords, similar to the EP intro. Then the singer creates this emotional screaming tornado for a couple of bars, before everything falls slower and quieter again. And the whole thing builds up again, working towards a big climatic finale.

Bedfellows Part 1: The Bastard Son is a great combination of 4 tracks, telling a sad story, over some technically great played, almost progressive, hardcore. I can’t wait for Bedfellows Part 2 to listen how the story ends.

Welcome to the world of Coheed and Cambria, a name you should be familiar with if you’re into music that falls into the realms of Prog rock/ Alt rock/ Post Hardcore.  Having been together under the aforementioned band name since 1998, Coheed and Cambria have taken their fans on not one, not two, but now seven thoroughly enjoyable conceptual records, that; supported by comic books and graphic novels,  collectively tell the continuous sci-fi story of  “The Armory Wars”.

The Afterman: Descension is the second part of a double album, following on from The Afterman: Ascension; each showing the journey of  fictional character, Sirius Amory as he travels into space to find out what makes “The Keywork” - a fictional galaxy made up of 78 planets - function.

For new fans, the ongoing storyline isn’t something you need to be familiar with to appreciate the album. Or any of them actually. But it’s interesting to keep in mind when assessing where writer, composer, and lead singer Claudio Sanchez is coming from when he put pen to paper for this album (with help from  lead/rhythm guitarist. Travis Stever on ‘Away We Go’, ‘Iron Fist’ and ‘Dark Side of Me’).

Atmospheric, percussion laden opening track, ‘Pretelethal’ gently eases you into the album with radio navigation voices in the background, preparing you for an out of world experience.  Like singing from the inside of a cave, Sanchez’s simply states , “This world will miss none of us…” then the drum beat drops, the electric guitar comes in as he changes key to melodically bellow the chorus “who will repair this broken heart?” A question that thoughtfully remains unanswered.

‘Key Entity Extraction V Sentry The Defiant’ brings back Sanchez’s ridiculously unique vocal range, familiar compositions that fans can instantly identify who they belong to, the second they hear a Coheed and Cambria song.  Chunky guitar riffs, heartfelt percussion, and screamy, absurd, vocals from Sanchez make this track a good one to have a little bit of a mosh to. ‘The Hard Sell’ also falls into this familiar category, with added metal infused funk.

‘Number City’ takes a different direction. It’s an experimental track that features bouncy orchestrated melodies, with specific reference to a horn section , a rarity on former Coheed and Cambria albums. There’s no specific direction to this song, which at one part reminds me a bit of the feeling of being trampled on by a heard of tutu wearing, dancing, pink elephants from that Disney film Fantasia. I’m sure this probably isn’t the desired effect they were going for but you win some you lose some! It’s an interestingly layered track though to say the least.

‘Dark Side Of Me’ is a soft, personal song where Sanchez shrieks his way through a metal-esque ballad of remorse and regret. “I promise you there is no weight that can bury us beneath the ghosts of all my guilt” poignantly says he. The track ends with a distorted , navigation, mission control, lady-voice (you can tell I’m big on my science fiction). Whatever, I clearly don’t know her name or what her job description is, but it’s a deep reminder of the journey of Sirius Amory, where she/it/lady-voice addresses him directly and for the first time, we are given an answer from Sirius. As a summary of the trials and tribulations of Sirius’s journey The voice explains “I am not equipped to comprehend human rational, Sirius, is this what love is?”broken by a moving piano melody. Sirius eventually replies, “Yes”.

Being familiar with Coheed and Cambria’s back catalogue, I would happily say that their sound and style, although fundamentally relatable at times, has matured in a way that shouldn't be too off putting for old fans, and may be of interest to new ones.  Lyrically, their story has developed into themes based around heightened emotion, and intimacy, rather than younger episodes of disconnection and distrust. However, Sanchez’s vocals are too high pitched and shrill for some. It’s a tone that personally I find encapsulating as opposed to irritating , and regardless of personal taste – a voice you won’t forget in a hurry.

It seems like breathy vocals and histrionic guitar work was last seen somewhere round the middle of the 1990's when the awesome Mazzy Star led the vanguard in what was, in some respects, a more insular form of shoegaze. An odd statement? Shoegaze is insular isn't it? But then Mazzy Star took it to new levels.

Widowspeak do the same thing on this, their second album. To be honest the comparisons with that other group are a bit unfair but the fact remains that if you like one, you will like the other. As it is, Almanac has more than enough about it to lay any retro 90's fears to rest as we can sit back and enjoy a masterclass in layered guitars and vocals.

Starting with an arpegiated riff that seems to encompass the whole album in one go, ‘Perennials’ ushers you in to a world where guitars rule and their effects pedals play master. It is indeed quite impressive how such a noise can emanate from only two people and you find yourself lost in a kaleidoscopic palette of sounds and colours.

Light and shade is what makes an album like this good so for every ‘Dyed in the Wool’, with its stadium lite riffs and almost singalong chorus, is a much more, and here's that word again, insular ‘Devil Knows’. Best of all is ‘Ballad of the Golden Hour’ which is epic in scope which is then matched by the almost whimsical and off the cuff ‘Minnewaska’.

Of course, it’s not all good. It does take a lot of effort to get into Widowspeak world. Where there first album was almost immediate, this one takes a lot of figuring out. Its layers of guitars and vocals can be disorienting at first and everything tends to sound the same. It is only when the myriad effects start to build that certain things make sense. It was a strong ask to last an entire album but by sheer force of will Widowspeak pull it off. 

So, this is me stepping out of my element. This is the product of yet another deal between myself and our illustrious metal editor, Sander van boom Boom. This band is called Jolly. That alone should tell you, my loyal, die-hard fans, that this ain't my bag (baby). But to quote a great man and personal friend of mine; "Fuck it.". Let's listen to this bad boy!!!!!

Now I'm not going to go into a great amount of specifics about the band. The music is what I cared about here. The Audio Guide To Happiness (Part 2) is the follow up to (you guessed it) The Audio Guide To Happiness (Part 1). The tunes you'll find on this album range from mid range radio rock to pop-chorus lead piano sweeps to (I'm not joking here) an intro that sounds like a lower grade Meshuggah riff. Said Meshuggah meets pop song 'Dust Nation Bleak' is (yes I'm saying this) good. It encompasses heavy and melodic. But this still isn't something you'd hear on the radio. If it was on the radio, I assume more people would listen to whatever channel is the local rock station. Bass leaden verses break into a melodic chorus with the 'Shuggah tones. Add a majestic spacey bridge and WABAM!!!! you've got the best modern rock song I've heard in years.

Later down the line we run into 'While We Sleep In Burning Shades'. Now I badly want to name two bands that this sounds like a mixture of, but I honestly can't think of it. So, maybe its just one of those songs that "fits". You know what I'm talking about. A song that you're hearing for the first time ever and it feels like a familiar friend, like your momma's mashed taters, like a comfortable chair. Its a rather dreamy tune that just drifts through until the 3 minute mark when the guitar line comes in followed by the best music you took your favorite lady out to dance to in the 80s. Again, this is a great thing. I'm sitting here in all black wearing a Slayer shirt and my wife's confused. It happens.

The one two punch of 'As Heard on Tape' and 'The Grand Utopia' close this album out just right. The previous song being one you try and coax the ladies with you sly devil. And the bagpipes mixed at the end of the song are just beautiful. Didn't see it coming but I'm glad it stopped to visit. The later track brings in a spiffy bass and piano mixture. And I can't understate the vocals. This guy has a great range and voice. The song picks up with guitars adding some crunch beneath the pretty melodies already provided. Halfway through the song it all mixes together but then breaks into a sample of some cartoon/movie I've not seen before. And it continues for awhile, eventually giving into more guitar crunch at the last two minutes or so. All while the orchestration continues. It may sound odd to read all this, but it just works. Its gorgeous with the rest of the album.

Now, I know I've hit you, my loyal readers, with a lot of terms and words you're not used to hearing from me. But that's OK, sometimes you just have to step out of your boundaries and try something different. I don't find anything wrong with that. Before I was a metal lover, I was a music lover. So, I know a good song when I hear one. Check these guys out for a lighter album experience. One that's done with skill and musicianship. Be Jolly (full pun intended) and full of happiness!!!

This ones for you Sander. Love, Ryan.

There is no denying Andrew Weatherall's influence on British music over the last two decades, and if you're unfamiliar let's take a slight detour for a brief history lesson of some of my personal favourites: Finding his feet in the then-blooming Acid House scene, a young Andrew found himself literally churning out face-melting remixes, original mixes and founding labels such as Boys Own Fanzine, famous for bringing the world The Chemical Brothers. Later Weatherall formed the Warp-signed group Sabres of Paradise and, [my personal favourite] Two Lone Swordsman. Still not enough for you? As well as working on remixes for the likes of Paul Oakenfold, The Happy Mondays and The Horrors, Weatherall has produced some particularly noteworthy records, such as Primal Scream's Screamadelica. Too young for Primal Scream? Perhaps you're familiar with fuzz-trance prodigies Fuck Buttons? Their groundbreaking second LP Tarot Sport was also produced by Weatherall, as was Scotland's grey cloud The Twilight Sad's most recent record, No One Can Ever Know.

So there's a bit of context for who we're dealing with, and that's not to say he’s alone this time. The Asphodells is a new two-piece group featuring both Andrew Weatherall and Timothy Fairplay; another experienced producer and DJ running in the same circuits with, as this record proves, an equal strength in the creation of pedigree music. But, of course, the true test is how the pair play together, right?

Kicking off with a distinctly housey beat it's clear that unlike some of Weatherall's more recent production work, the dancefloor is definitely the intended listening place for this record as ‘Beglammered’ripples along with guitars and sitar synths. It's almost as if we're dropped in the middle of the crystalline desert and there's belly-dancing babes everywhere [every cloud has a silver lining].

Keeping tempo, ‘Never There’is a lyrically intriguing piece illustrating the form and behaviour of some strange poltergeist: "A gas with a shell / a ghost with skin / ether with scales and mercury fins." The track has a distinct Madchester feel to it, taking The Stone Roses' baggy sound of acid house and guitar wobbles.

‘Never There’ isn't alone in the northern acid flashback as frequent references to the likes of Happy Mondays seem to pop up here, there and well pretty much everywhere throughout the record. We're not left full in the heat of the summer though, oh no! Every sun must go down and every night must draw in, which The Asphodells bring about in ‘Another Lonely City’, an 80's nighttime-drive.

This turning point in the record begins to see a deeper feeling of space with an increase in vocal mangling and, well, reverb. See also: ‘Late Flowering Lust’and the neighbouring dub version that kicks straight in at the end of the song. It almost feels at this point that the producers have begun DJing and remixing their own material on the fly, and as a possibility it's not that absurd in the context of who we're dealing with.

Moving on from ‘Late Flowering Dub’ the record moves into its pinnacle with tracks like ‘We Are The Axis’and ‘One Minute's Silence’, two numbers expanding on the same format as before but both displaying an excellent step above the rest. The first is a synthy, spacey freak disco that's too cheesy to be true in only good ways. Modulated analogue synths burst and sweep like dry ice across a basement club and the reverberant, robotic vocals drive a-la Pet Shop Boys. Fantastic.

The second of the two, ‘One Minutes Silence’, is the sort of music you'd expect at the countdown before a space-shuttle's launch. A steady pulsing beat and looping synth cycles rotate endlessly as a woody, determined bass begins climbing a ladder; the entire song is essentially a crescendo (think ‘Atlas’ by Battles, if it was less or more of a dance-floor mutant. It's hard to tell which). Laying atop the repetition are steady variations of "Bring me a minute's silence, it's all I want to hear" until glittery, shimmering guitar arpeggios break into the forefront for, well a minute or so until, yes, the requests return once more.

The final noteworthy song in the collection is ‘A Love From Outer Space (Version 2)’,which must be better than the original since it's nowhere to be found. The song is the perfect closer for the record as it continues and develops on everything until that point: uplifting, energetic, exciting and fun: without a doubt a definitive moment… plus it's really really fun to sing along. Here's the lyrics so you can try it at home: "I know where she's coming from / space is where we both belong / want to tell her in the sun / this time nothing can go wrong."

Ruled by Passion, Destroyed by Lust is nothing short of an immense success for a pair of producers who've already celebrated much and have nothing to prove, except in their partnership. For a duo to appear from nothing but their individual reputations to form such a strong combined force is an incredible thing to witness (think Fripp and Eno, except groovier). The record at times feels reminiscent of (an admittedly unusual reference) many hours spent driving around Rockstar's opus Grand Theft Auto: Vice City… which, let's face it, for a Playstation 2 game has a better soundtrack than most movies. The entire record has the same retro party collection feel that comes out at every summer day-long party. There's diversity, variation and above all else a good constant groove and a solid driving force from beginning to end which belongs in two places: [1] the long sunny car drive and [2] the party at the end of the journey.

At many instances the record seems to echo the explosion of Caribou a few summers ago, or MGMT, or even when Animal Collective turned up again with Merriweather Post Pavilion even though musically there's not that many similarities. What Weatherall and Fairplay have done is very simple: they've stepped in a couple of months early to remind everyone that winter is finally over and that soon the long summer days will be here and you can bet who it'll be playing in everyone's stereos, record players, iTunes, iPods, web-blogs, cars, bars, clubs and festivals: The Asphodells.

As something of a twist to this trans-Atlantic tale, Ummagma released two ‘debuts’ on the same day. The second, self-titled, album, is more upbeat – even more experimental in its soundscapes, focussing heavily on the ambient sound hinted at on the guitar driven Antigravity – and an equally worthy release, but for the purposes of this review I’m going to concentrate on the latter.

Dreamy guitars wash over the introduction to Ummagma’s Antigravity. It’s a fitting name as the album carries through it a leitmotif of floating, of being disengaged – which, given vocalist Shauna McLarnon’s relocation from Canada to Ukraine, is perhaps unsurprising. “Funny how I fly, in the thick of the rules, in the thick, does nothing but bind me” sings McLarnon on opening track ‘Lama’, setting the band’s stall out from the offset. Musically it also does this with a captivating, driving momentum that fully immerses the listener.

Alexx Kretov takes over vocal duties on the acoustic driven ‘Micro Macro’ which half way through delivers a punchy electronic beat that shouldn’t find harmony with the guitar – but does. It’s the first real signal that this is dreampop with an eye on what can be achieved by experimenting with electronica.

‘Back To You’ drops into more of a shoegazing sound, with vocals fuzzed up and mixed at the same level as the instruments – the main differentials is a Spanish guitar part that emerges in places and adds additional depth to the track – imagine Rodrigo y Gabriela jamming over a Mazzy Star track and you begin to get the picture.

If there’s a fault in the album, it’s the varying styles. Just as you relax into one track, the pitch or tempo or focus shifts and the spell is broken – albeit temporarily. It’s a strength too though; each track has so much going on it offers a sort of topography – depending on the environment in which you’re listening you can take different things from the track – from the electronic intermissions, to focussing on the lyrics, or the more ambient structure to many of the 12 tracks contained in this album.

‘Live and Let Die’ isn’t a cover of the McCartney track (as interesting as that would have been). Instead it sums up the band’s multi-layered, atmospheric marker. Vocals are thick and distant – with the rhythm and guitar parts more in the fore. The album’s highlight is ‘Photographer’, an otherworldly piece of music that distorts in waves around that returning acoustic guitar.

By picking parts of a number of bands – there are elements of MBV, Mazzy Star, Cocteau Twins, even early 80s Bowie – Ummagma have found a sound that is truly their own and it demands repeated listening, preferably late in the day, just as your eyes are beginning to close over.

With This Is Hell I never got much further than their 2008 release Misfortunes (cracking hardcore record by the way) so jumping back into things here I can tell there's been a fair bit of progression going on in the This Is Hell camp over the last five years.

Gone are most of the typical, punchy hardcore vibes, replaced by something a lot thrashier and reminiscent of early Metallica. Shouty vocals still remain though, mixing things up a little whilst maintaining a link to their roots as a band. There's variation while keeping one firm stance on their sound, you'd think there's only so much you can fit into four songs, but these guys pull it off pretty damn well. Each song is different but fitting to what came before and/or after.

Initial impressions- I like it, but it doesn't stand as solidly as some of their earlier work for me. Fast, brash and an intriguing crossover of genres, I think this EP could go down well with either hardcore or metal fans, definitely breaches the gap between the two ends of the spectrum. Overall a slightly conflicting listen in my opinion, but entertaining. I'll give it to Holy Roar Records for keeping their roster of releases plenty varied.

FFO: Machine Head, Foundation, The Carrier

Of all the metal sub-genres, black metal is probably the most difficult one for people to get into. It is usually characterised by (on purpose) badly produced, underground looking  and sounding records and since the whole Varg Vikernes history, or Count Grishnackh as people also known him by, the black metal sub-genre got inevitably labeled as being Satan’s way of communicating to the people on Earth. Think about all those corpse painted black metal bands out there.

I like a lot of black metal, but I honestly do have to be in the mood for it. It is not very often my first choice when I decide what I’m going to listen to on any given day. Usually black metal releases take a while to sink in as well; you really need to listen to them quite a few times to really appreciate the beauty and technicality of them.

This release by Swiss black metal band Vuyvr ticks a lot of the above boxes, but in contrast to a lot of the black metal I’ve listened to before, Eiskalt somehow just sounds quite different. For a start, I liked and enjoyed this album straight away. The production has the “classic” black metal rawness, but it also sounds a lot cleaner and heavier at the same time. The drums blast beat away like crazy, but there are also a lot almost hardcore-like downbeat breakdown sections throughout this album (listen to ‘Betrayers of the North at around 1:25 in). The vocals (interestingly in German on opening track ‘Hoch’) are very characteristic for a black metal band, but they have extra-added layers of roughness and clarity to them. And there is a lot of melody on Eiskalt, which is greatly exemplified on the final track ‘The Wyvern’.

Taking everything together makes Eiskalt an excellent album. I’ve listened to it quite a few times over the last couple of days and whilst liking it from the first listen, it actually also grows and becomes better after a couple of listens. There have been a few genre crossing atmospheric (post) black metal/post-metal/post-rock releases recently, but Vuyvr do not fall in this category as they touch too much upon the more classic black metal sound. However, if there is a sub-sub-genre of progressive black metal then Eiskalt would belong in there just perfectly.

If you have never given black metal a serious chance or you’re not really sure where to start, then Eiskalt by Vuyvr will be a great starting point.

If you don't know the story behind Six Feet Under, I'll break it down real quick-like: Chris Barnes starts SFU as a side project while fronting Cannibal Corpse. Gets fired then turns SFU into full time band. That's all you'll hear of Cannibal Corpse from here on out. This is a new Six Feet Under album. It is good. Now I'll tell you why.

Unborn is a year removed from 2012's Undead. The songs for both albums were written during the same period with guitarists from a circle of songwriters: Ben Savage (Whitechapel), Rob Arnold (ex-Chimaira) and Jari Laine (Torture Killer). So, to say there's a fair amount of prolificacy is an understatement. These guys are/were major song writers in there respective bands. That isn't to take away any credit from the band members that perform on this album. Guitarists Steve Swanson (a mainstay since 1998) and new comer Ola Englund are given plenty of room to shine and show their strengths as performers. The same can be said for the rhythm section of newcomer bassist Jeff Hughell (Brainstorm) and drummer Kevin Tally (every band you've heard of). The two play on a tight line that fits right in. They're just that good at what they do. Chris Barnes does what he's done for over 20 years, and that's bring a twisted set of lyrics with his classic death torched growl. This album has many years of combined musicianship, and it shows.

Opening track 'Neuro Osmosis' sets a nice tone for the album. Deep riffs on the verse and soaring lines in the chorus. Barnes' voice even seems mixed lower in the chorus to add to the eerieness. The album keeps moving forward at a good flow of ups and downs. 'Zombie Blood Curse' shows a bit of the "death & roll" people have tagged SFU with over the years. Not as much as you'd expect. The pace of it is higher, and the hooks are catchy, but that's just good song writing in my world. Death & roll or not. 'Incision' has a nice moving beat and a creeping guitar line that explodes into the chorus. 'Alive To Kill You' is out for blood right away showing Kevin Talley's prowess behind the kit. Last track 'The Curse of Ancients' is a nice, brooding end to the album. Closing with again, another creepy guitar line, a bare spot showcasing the bass, pummeling drums and tortured vocals.

The songs on this album really compliment last year's Undead. Given that they were all written around the same time, they should, but that's not always the case. None of the songs feel too long. SFU mean business with this album and get the job done efficiently. One can only hope that Mr. Barnes brings the entire crew back in for yet another series of jam sessions, as I'm sure the results would be just as good if not better given more time. Good musicians get better over time. And this album shows just that, for all involved. I'm ready for the next album already.

Pick this album up through Metal Blade Records on March 18th (19th in the US). HAIL!!!