Rotör - "Musta käsi" (Svart Records, 2016)

Band: Rotör
Title: Musta käsi
Genre: Heavy/Speed metal
Year: 2016
Time: 31 min
Rating: 86/100












Svart Records is a brave Finnish label specialized mostly on the more experimental forms of rock & metal but, for the joy of the traditionalistic metalheads, it supports also some bands devoted to the purest heavy metal of the ‘80s. Some examples? The Swedish Night Viper or the Finnish Speedtrap. And now it’s the example of the Rotör, a young band comprised, among others, of the lead guitarist Ville Valevuo (here VPV), an unstoppable musician that plays also in Speedtrap and not only (I mean, he even plays in the ferocious punk/HC band Perikato!) Well, the Rotör have released their debut album “Musta käsi” on 30th August 2016 on Svart Records without before releasing a demo or something else. And I must already that the nostalgic metalheads will love surely “Musta käsi”, an ‘80s heavy metal album from its cover artwork (focused on one of those no-name and absurd characters of the ‘80s) to the very short and pleasant length of this opera, only 31 minutes for 9 tracks. But, at the same time, Rotör shows, as you’ll see very soon, some particularities, included the singing in Finnish language.

Principality of Hell - "Sulfur & Bane" (Osmose Productions, 2016)

Band: Principality of Hell
Title: Sulfur & Bane
Genre: Black/Thrash metal
Year: 2016
Time: 62 min
Rating: 76/100












You can read my review (in Italian) of one year ago about "Fire and Brimstone":

http://www.heavymetalwebzine.it/2015/02/23/principality-of-hell-fire-and-brimstone-2014/

Do you remember when, into the review of the last Agatus, I cited the Thou Art Lord as one of the historic Greek black metal bands? Well, today you’ll meet the Principality of Hell, a trio of veterans composed entirely of Thou Art Lord’s members: the hyperactive vocalist/bassist The Magus (also Necromantia and Rotting Christ… and I told you everything!), the drummer Maelstrom (ex-Thy Darkened Shade among his innumerable experiences) and the guitarist El (also Diavolos). These  3 guys founded the Principality of Hell for a total homage to the older roots of black metal releasing through the German label World Terror Committee the excellent debut album “Fire and Brimstone” in 2014 with very toe-tapper songs like the motörheadian titletrack. So, this year, Principality of Hell have released their sophomore album “Sulfur & Bane” on CD and LP on 28^th October  through the French label Osmose Productions. And I must say that this album is a true homage to those aforementioned roots, not only for a cover artwork very close to the one of the seminal “Welcome to Hell” of Venom but also for the last 6 tracks of “Sulfur & Bane” because all of them are covers of classics of the so-called “first wave of black metal”! In short, now Principality of Hell have really reached levels of the most absolute devotion!

Throneum - "Morbid Death Tales" (Hells Headbangers Records, 2016)

Band: Throneum
Title: Morbid Death Tales
Genre: Black/Death metal
Year: 2016
Time: 32 min
Rating: 88/100












You can read the review about the split "A Prophecy of Nihilism" through the following link:

http://www.heavymetalwebzine.it/2014/11/26/destruktor-throneum-a-prophecy-of-nihilism-2014/

Wow! “Morbid Death Tales”, the 7^th full-length album of the Throneum (a veteran band founded as Throne in 1996), is a true masterpiece of pure destruction! But it’s strange: in fact, the Polish duo Throneum (but now they are a trio with the recent addition of the drummer Diabolizer) is very prolific also due to releasing an album every two years from 2001 to 2011 but the more recent album is here among us after even 5 years from the 6^th one. In the middle between the last two albums, there is especially a bunch of splits, like “A Prophecy of Nihilism”, the split with the Aussie war-machine Destruktor, reviewed by me 2 years ago through the pages of heavymetalwebzine.it (link above). But, if I didn’t like so much that split, “Morbid Death Tales” is…well, I said it yet but it’s a “TRUE MASTERPIECE OF PURE DESTRUCTION”!

Agatus - "The Eternalist" (Hells Headbangers, 2016)

Band: Agatus
Title: The Eternalist
Genre: Heavy Metal with Black Metal influences
Time: 42 min
Year: 2016
Rating: 90/100












I must admit it: I have the hots for the extreme metal Greek scene, always ready to crank out a bunch of very interesting bands. Don’t forget that one of the main black metal schools coming from Greece, thanks to great bands like Rotting Christ, Varathron, Necromantia and Thou Art Lord, and all of them are still active today. The band whose I’ll tell you today has not only lived the “golden years” of the Greek black metal being born in 1992 releasing its debut album “Dawn of Martyrdom” in 1996 but experimenting, through the years, sounds very far from the purest black metal (but, surely, not from pure metal!). This especially through the very recent third album “The Eternalist”, released on CD/vinyl/cassette on 9^th October 2016 by the Hells Headbangers Records, a label usually not addicted to this kind of productions.

Fallen Fucking Angels - "Sign of the Razor" (DeathStorm Records, 2015)

Band: Fallen Fucking Angels
Title: Sign of the Razor
Genre: Heavy/Speed/Thrash metal
Time: 30 min
Year: 2015
Rating: 64/100












If I remember well, until a few months ago I had never heard of the Italians Fallen Fucking Angels. But now they are a band of real veterans since they played even since 1997 releasing 4 albums, and the first of them (“Fat Totalitarian Metal”) in 2005 after the early days spend through a bunch of demos with the moniker Fallen Angel (taken from the homonym first demo of the great Bulldozer?). So, this time I will tell you about “Sign of the Razor”, the 4^th album of Fallen Fucking Angels released on 17^th April 2015 on CD format by the Italian DeathStorm Records, a small DIY label.

INTERVIEW WITH IRON TYRANT (LUCA MARCHETTI)!

In these last days I reviewed only albums released by the Italian label Iron Tyrant, not forgetting my reviews, appeared some months ago on heavymetalwebzine.it, about Bode Preto and Deathraid, other its releases. And, closing the circle, here you a very good interview with Luca Marchetti, the owner of this historic label, that has a new logo now (above).

Vornth - "Black Pyres" (Iron Tyrant, 2016)

Band: Vornth
Title: Black Pyres
Genre: Black/Thrash metal
Year: 2016
Time: 39 min
Rating: 74/100












For those of you that don’t know the Swedish band Vornth, they are the classic underground extreme metal band that realize their debut album after many years their foundation. In fact, Vornth were founded in 2000 but they have shown already a little prolificity releasing their first demo only in 2006. After that, here you are a skimpy discography made of an EP (2009) and a single (2013) but the latter one was useful to introduce the long-awaited homonym debut album, strong both of the support of the Italian label Iron Tyrant and a very beautiful cover artwork totally in ‘80s style. In the same 2013, Vornth participated also in a compilation-tape released by To the Death Records, the homonym label of a Swedish fanzine that has really lived the ‘80s. And now Vornth, changed 2/4 of their line-up, have returned on 31^st October 2016 with “Black Pyres”, their second album also this one released on CD by Iron Tyrant. The new and old headbangers must prepares for an assault of another times!