BEST OF BRITISH 2019: DĀMIM / KRYSTHLA / WARCRAB

 Album Reviews  No Responses »
Aug 202019
 

 

(Here’s another installment of Andy Synn‘s occasional series devoted to reviews of new releases by UK bands.)

If there’s one thing I often find a little disappointing about the UK Metal scene it’s that many of our “bigger” underground acts seem content just playing it safe and being little more than a big fish in a relatively small pond.

The following three bands, however, are different, in that not only are they each more than capable of taking on the bigger names and more famous faces of the Metal world at their own game, but they also seem more than willing to risk doing so! Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY (PART 2): GODS FORSAKEN, KRYSTHLA, SLOTH HERDER, CHEVALIER, EXALTATION

 Exceptions to the Rule, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  No Responses »
Feb 182017
 

 

Saturday may seem like an odd day to open the flood gates on new music at our site. Page views usually drop precipitously, which I guess proves that lots of people are visiting our site at work or school rather than at home. Or maybe lots of people are just too hungover to put heavy music in their heads. Anyway, I do this as much for myself as for anyone else, so on we go….

I paired the two bands featured in Part 1 for obvious reasons, and in Part 3 I’ve collected new stuff from bands who have no trouble getting attention but I’d like to mention anyway. In this middle part I’ve picked more underground names, with a lot of variety in the sounds (though I’ve siphoned off the black metal for tomorrow’s Shades of Black post).

GODS FORSAKEN

Actually, I don’t yet have any full songs to share from this first band, only a teaser, but I have high hopes based on the people behind the project. Continue reading »

KRYSTHLA: “PEACE IN OUR TIME”

 Album Reviews  No Responses »
Feb 032017
 

 

(Andy Synn reviews the new album by Krysthla from the UK.)

So let’s address the big Polish elephant in the room straight away, shall we?

If, after listening to Peace In Our Time, the second album from British bruisers Krysthla, I were to tell you that these guys really like Decapitated, have been on tour with Vogg and co., and probably own several Decapitated shirts between them, I doubt you’d be surprised, as the presence of the Polish groovemongers looms large over pretty much every track on this album.

It would be wrong to write the band off as simple copycats, however, as, although their major influences (primarily, though not exclusively, latter-day Decapitated and late-2000s period Meshuggah) are certainly very prominent, the songs which make up Peace In Our Time are delivered with a level of energy and belligerent intensity which makes them impossible to dismiss. Continue reading »