So, you think Extreme Power metal (CoB, Norther and the likes) has been running out of steam and has nothing new to offer? Try this debut album of Whispered, a Finnish band who decided to bring samurai legends and traditional Japanese instruments to the tired genre. Sounds gimmicky, but the blend works perfectly and is surprisingly effective in its epic scale.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Doc G., fade

There's something about this album that makes you want to play it again and again. Isolation Songs is very addictive indeed, with a multitude of catchy riffs and hooks. Each song is separately memorable, but they also work very well as a whole, flowing naturally from one into another, balancing between being aggressively rough and hauntingly melancholic, with a lot of acoustic passages and clean vocals. Isolation Songs sounds like a cross between Dark Tranquillity and Porcupine Tree, with a unique powerful atmosphere that lingers long after the last song stops.

Staff pick by:
Endorsed by: Marcel Hubregtse, Thryce, Promonex, Darkside Momo, White Winter Sun, Deadsoulman, BloodTears, Nefarious