Band:	Various Artists
Album:	Metal Ostentation - Volume 5
Style:	Speed metal, Thrash metal
Release date:	2004

01. Agonizer - Whatever
02. The Outburst - Everlasting
03. Burst Of Fire - Perception Of Normality
04. Vörgus - Hellfuck
05. Deformed - Powerspear
06. Bornholm - On The Way Of The Hunting Moon
07. Dryados - L'Amour N'Enlève Pas Vraiment La Dépression
08. Fallen Sentinel - Before, part III
09. Whispering Gallery - Mistress Guardian
10. Frequency - The Wicked Is Born
11. Mandylion - Distance For The Glory
12. Definition Of Chaos - Malignant
13. Plazma Zatzuma - Stigmata
14. Dispersion - Ungeteiltes Leid
15. Gathering Darkness - The Cold Of The Limbs
16. Amok - Idle And Silent
17. Heresy - Savage Rapture
18. Exekrator - Acheron's Call/ Back To Hell
19. P.R.I.D.E. - Pain
20. Lantz - 2040

We metalheads can only support the initiative of the Portuguese label Enclave Records (a division of the great Sound Riot) to release such compilations of unsigned bands. Metal Ostentation now reaches its fifth volume, that contents 20 tracks of 20 bands from worldwide (mainly Europe though), covering almost every genre that I've heard of. Like in every compilation, there are good bands, possibly future great bands, and unfortunately there's also shit stuff. Lex Talionis: talented ones hopefully will survive, untalented ones hopefully won't.

Let's start with the painful job, and flame a few poor bands. First to annoy me, The Outburst, a French band that plays an original blend of thrash and gothic, with great catchy riffs, but the male vocals are so lousy that it ruins everything. Next please... Ahhh... Vörgus... Impaled Nazarene wannabes they are, but it just doesn't work. This song 'Hellfuck' has no interest whatsoever. What else? Mandylion, an all-girl Japanese band that gathers all the most irritating clichés of heavy and symphonic power metal (that's a performance in itself), plus a pathetic typical Japanese pop singing. This is clearly the worst track on the album in my opinion, or maybe they are even with the Spanish band P.R.I.D.E., that plays nu-metal between Korn and Spineshank with no talent and a bad production that just doesn't help. Déjà-vu.

Ok, I'm done with this part. Now I can rave about the cool stuff. First we have Agonizer from Finland, you'll be very surprised if I say they come from Finland and play power goth a la Sentenced, Dark At Dawn and co. That's as far from original as possible, but as always it's extremely catchy, with a great chorus. Deformed and Heresy both blast some furious death metal with great riffs, although a bit common. But they are still worth your time and money. After that, Bornholm (now signed with Melancholia Records) is excellent. Their pagan black with Immortal influences, full of melodies and acoustic breaks, is just great. So is Exekrator from Denmark, a band that plays very original and devastating heavy black with vocals a la Arcturus. Undoubtedly they are one of my favourites. Fallen Sentinel is good as well, in a black/goth/prog vein, full of riff changes (the lead guitarist is very, very talented) and atmospheric passages. I only reproach the average recording of the vocals. Plazma Zatzuma is hilarious and extremely weird (they say they play extreme bandit rock or something lol). I don't even know how to describe it, I can only say that it makes me think of a more rock'n'roll form of Macabre.

And now comes THE highlight: playing doom/death from Holland, please welcome Whispering Gallery. To sum up, they are between While Heaven Wept and My Dying Bride, they are around since 1995 and they sound extremely professional. Their music is emotional, atmospheric, catchy and very heavy, in addition to brilliant and breathtaking vocals (the clean passages just kick ass!). They deserve to be recognized. I for one am now going to follow them.

So. Overall, there's much more good stuff than bad, which makes me think that Metal Ostentation Vol.5 is a successful compilation. Now waiting for follow-ups!

Highlights: Whispering Gallery, Bornholm, Fallen Sentinel, Exekrator