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Staff picks


The Ocean - Pelagial
14.05.2013 | Post-hardcore / symphonic / sludge / and then some...

Precambrian part II, at last!! Well, quality-wise, that is; musically it's a different beast...

Are you ready to dive in the deepest of waters?

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Darkside Momo
R'Vannith, Nefarious, Introspekrieg, BloodTears, Doc Godin, wormdrink414, Mr. Doctor, Troy Killjoy
Hacride - Back To Where You've Never Been
22.04.2013 | Metal (melo-prog-extreme-djent-Hacride)

With a renewed line-up (featuring Klone's drummer, no less), Hacride are back with their most accessible, melodic yet technical album to date. But, most of all, it's the emotional intensity that truly makes the difference.

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Darkside Momo
jupitreas, R'Vannith, psykometal, Ag Fox, Mr. Doctor
Terra Tenebrosa - The Purging
27.02.2013 | Crushing.

Easily as crushing and terrifying as The Tunnels, but in a different, more dynamic and less claustrophobic way.

A must-listen, no less.

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Darkside Momo
!J.O.O.E.!, psykometal, R'Vannith, Mr. Doctor, Daniell, Ag Fox
A Forest Of Stars - A Shadowplay For Yesterdays
23.07.2012 | Unique Atmospheric / Avantgarde Black

Maybe, maybe, more accessible than their previous two offerings, yet still completely unique, A Forest Of Stars didn't disappoint at all with this new gem of an album.



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Darkside Momo
!J.O.O.E.!, Mr. Doctor, Troy Killjoy, Introspekrieg, Ag Fox, Promonex
Terra Tenebrosa - The Tunnels
21.01.2012 | Claustrophobic

A description? What? You want a description? It's simple, really. Go in a cave, a really deep one. Now get relentlessly crushed by tons of rocks. That'll do the trick.

Or, in other words, it's some dissonant avant/post/sludge/drone stuff. Or something else. But who cares, as long as it's awesome?

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Darkside Momo
!J.O.O.E.!, Mr. Doctor, Ag Fox, psykometal, Apothecary
Thy Catafalque - Rengeteg
02.01.2012 | Beautiful

What? Isn't "Beautiful" descriptive enough? OK, fine then, what about "avant-garde atmospheric metal with BM roots"? Yeah, that's what I thought. Beautiful is better.

And Hungarian does really sound poetic.

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Darkside Momo
!J.O.O.E.!, Ag Fox, DerXmasGarten, Introspekrieg, Daniell, Fat & Sassy!, White Winter Sun
Textures - Dualism
30.09.2011 | Textured Goodness

As technical and progressive as Silhouettes, but this time violence and wildly evolving song structures left some place for finely crafted melodies and atmospheres.

A new Textures album, a new wonder to immerse oneself in. Simple as that.

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Darkside Momo
Introspekrieg, Ag Fox, Nefarious, jupitreas
Lazuli - [4603 Battements]
30.08.2011 | Unique Prog Rock

Trying to resume this album with the Prog Rock tag is bound to fail. This is some beautiful, eerie, haunting music, with otherworldy soundscapes (thanks to the Léode), finely crafted melodies and some quite crushing crescendos. Because no, they aren't metal, but they can play some heavy and powerful stuff indeed.

And the mood? Think somewhere around Riverside, but maybe a bit more sad and despondent with the actual state of the world. And for those of you who can actually understand French, you're in for a good deal more listening pleasure, as the lyrics are poetic and really beautifully written.

A must listen for prog fans... and all the others too!
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Darkside Momo
Ivor, Ag Fox, Lyrinan
Devin Townsend - Deconstruction
08.07.2011 | Devin "Over-The-Top" Townsend

Mix the madness of Infinity with the whole stupid craziness of Ziltoïd, and Strapping Young Lad's multi-layered sonic aggression. Add an orchestra, and a bunch of the best extreme vocalists around.

And serve with a cheeseburger!
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Darkside Momo
Fat & Sassy!, Introspekrieg, Promonex, ScreamingSteelUS
Morgoth - Odium
13.06.2011 | Industrial Death Metal

Death metal and industrial don't blend? My butt! Morgoth were not the first to mix both styles, but they certainly were precursors anyway, with this fantastic beast of an album, released in 1993.

Of course, the band was criticized back then by the 'fans'. Forget that, forget the latest Morbid Angel, and remember the re-united Morgoth will play some festivals this summer.

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Darkside Momo
BitterCOld, Collin, daniell_p, White Winter Sun, Mr. Doctor, wormdrink414, Starvynth
Killing Joke - Absolute Dissent
07.10.2010 | Killing Joke

This new album, the first in nearly 30 years with the original line-up, completely lives up to its promises. Or not. Depends on what you were looking for.

This certainly doesn't prevent it to be full of great songs, reminiscent of many eras of the band's history. But make no mistake: it's not a trek along Nostalgia Lane. Killing joke is as always terribly relevant, actual and modern (or, dare I say it, post-modern).

Plus, these new songs kick ass live!

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Darkside Momo
jupitreas, !J.O.O.E.!, Baz Anderson, BitterCOld, Ag Fox
Neuromist - Move Of Thought
28.07.2010 | jazzy tech-death metal

An unknown band from Moldavia that kicks major ass, Neuromist is sure to blow your mind!

Newcomers in the field of technical, jazzy death metal are few and far between, so it would be a shame to let such a talented band rot in obscurity.
Think Meshuggah, Atheist, and the Quebec scene (Gorguts, Neuraxis, Martyr...). Add to this a real songwriting skill...

Now you just have to download it for free here, and listen to this little gem.

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Darkside Momo
Troy Gallant
Negură Bunget - OM
07.06.2010 | Atmospheric-Black-Folk masterpiece

What? This guy is just listening to this marvel for the first time? Four years after the actual release? WTF?
Well, better late than never I guess.

Now come and experience a truly unique album. Black, folk, atmospheric, progressive, it's all that and much more. It's an emotional and spiritual journey. If I ever had a shamanic trance that's probably the music I would use to describe it.

Enough with the talking, go and check this out.

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Darkside Momo
BitterCOld, Collin, Promonex, Vuvuzelas ftw, daniell_p
Dark Tranquillity - We Are The Void
05.03.2010 | Gothenburg Metal

One of the three originators of the Gothenburg metal scene, Dark Tranquillity are still pretty much alive and kicking.
While they somehow stay true to the same formula since Damage Done (2002), We Are The Void is a bit more original than Fiction (2007). Darker, somehow more "black metal", with a different approach on the keys, it's no doubt DT... with a twist.

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Darkside Momo
Ivan, fade, BloodTears, MoraWintersoul
Orphaned Land - The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR
26.02.2010 | Progressive Folk Metal

Released one month ago, it hasn't leaved my CD played (or my Ipod) since.
It's been six long years since Orphaned Land offered us the wonderful Mabool. Did they do better? I honestly can't say... But who cares? Both are awesome masterpieces of metal, extreme, folk, prog, melody, all of that and more.
So, come abroad in this musical journey, following a soul lost in darkness that becomes a warrior of light...
Definitely an album to be experienced, not merely listened to.

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Picked by:
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Darkside Momo
Dane Train, White Winter Sun, Collin, Jeff, BloodTears