Sinaya: Maze Of Madness (Brutal Records)
Maze Of Madness is the debut album by Brazilian death metallers Sinaya. Much like fellow Brazilian band Nervosa, Sinaya have an all female line up and these girls are definitely pissed off as Maze Of Madness is one angry album.
Sinaya play a style of death metal very much influenced by the death metal of yesteryears and there is very much a old school death metal groove flowing through these songs as well as an influence from old school thrash metal. The songs generally remain at a crushing mid pace throughout the album with brutal tunes such as Abyss To Death, Infernal Sight and Buried By Terror threatening to cave your skull in with their sheer heaviness. The album does pick up the pace at times especially with the absolutely savage Bath Of Memories which is easily my favourite from the album.
The album doesn't stray from its tried and tested formula and there is little variation throughout but at just under 37 minutes in duration the album doesn't overstay its welcome and you won't find your interest waning. With Maze Of Madness Sinaya have a cracking debut album that shows great promise for their future. It's fantastic to see a greater female presence in extreme metal. It's something that is long overdue. 8/10
Yatin Srivastava Project: Chaos//Despair (Self Released)
Chaos // Despair is the new release from Indian guitarist Yatin Srivastava. The project has previously released two EP's but this is the first full length debut album from the Yatin Srivastava Project. It is very much a collaborative album with Yatin working alongside many musicians from the Indian rock and metal scene as well as a number of well known guest musicians such as Steven Wilson drummer Craig Blundell and frontman of The Pineapple Thief Bruce Soord.
The album is split into two themes with the first half representing the Chaos and the second half representing Despair. Yatin has put together a damn impressive progressive metal album which showcases the talents of the many musicians involved as well as Yatin's own skill as a guitarist. The songs each are a journey in themselves through a vast musical landscape with crushing metallic riffage with ethereal keyboards boosted by some impressive vocals from the albums guests. Opening song Alive starts off the album very strong with its dissonant riffage and emotive vocal performance from Kunai Singh but the album really comes into its own for me during the second half and the Despair suite where the music becomes more emotionally charged and far more melancholic which appealed to a miserable git like myself.
Chaos // Despair is a fantastic debut album from Yatin Srivastava Project. It's very much a modern progressive metal album and similarities are found in bands and artists such as Devin Townsend, The Pineapple Thief, TesseracT and Porcupine Tree but if you are being compared to such great acts as those then you can be doing no wrong. This is one project to be keeping your eyes on. 8/10
Sinaya play a style of death metal very much influenced by the death metal of yesteryears and there is very much a old school death metal groove flowing through these songs as well as an influence from old school thrash metal. The songs generally remain at a crushing mid pace throughout the album with brutal tunes such as Abyss To Death, Infernal Sight and Buried By Terror threatening to cave your skull in with their sheer heaviness. The album does pick up the pace at times especially with the absolutely savage Bath Of Memories which is easily my favourite from the album.
The album doesn't stray from its tried and tested formula and there is little variation throughout but at just under 37 minutes in duration the album doesn't overstay its welcome and you won't find your interest waning. With Maze Of Madness Sinaya have a cracking debut album that shows great promise for their future. It's fantastic to see a greater female presence in extreme metal. It's something that is long overdue. 8/10
Yatin Srivastava Project: Chaos//Despair (Self Released)
Chaos // Despair is the new release from Indian guitarist Yatin Srivastava. The project has previously released two EP's but this is the first full length debut album from the Yatin Srivastava Project. It is very much a collaborative album with Yatin working alongside many musicians from the Indian rock and metal scene as well as a number of well known guest musicians such as Steven Wilson drummer Craig Blundell and frontman of The Pineapple Thief Bruce Soord.
The album is split into two themes with the first half representing the Chaos and the second half representing Despair. Yatin has put together a damn impressive progressive metal album which showcases the talents of the many musicians involved as well as Yatin's own skill as a guitarist. The songs each are a journey in themselves through a vast musical landscape with crushing metallic riffage with ethereal keyboards boosted by some impressive vocals from the albums guests. Opening song Alive starts off the album very strong with its dissonant riffage and emotive vocal performance from Kunai Singh but the album really comes into its own for me during the second half and the Despair suite where the music becomes more emotionally charged and far more melancholic which appealed to a miserable git like myself.
Chaos // Despair is a fantastic debut album from Yatin Srivastava Project. It's very much a modern progressive metal album and similarities are found in bands and artists such as Devin Townsend, The Pineapple Thief, TesseracT and Porcupine Tree but if you are being compared to such great acts as those then you can be doing no wrong. This is one project to be keeping your eyes on. 8/10
Yovel: Hɪðəˈtu (Self Released)
Hɪðəˈtu is the debut album from Greek black metallers Yovel. A self released album available on Bandcamp Hɪðəˈtu is a concept album which in the words of the band is an ode to the struggle.
Musically Hɪðəˈtu is an album which mixes the atmospheric side of black metal with the violent side represented through a bunch of well rounded songs which use ambient and acoustic passages as well as spoken word passages and samples to great effect. The songs which stood out to me were (Too) Late Capitalism with its fantastic use of samples taken from the film Judgment At Nuremberg, the epic closing track Centennial and my personal favourite Song Of The Coming which seems to mix together all aspects of Yovel's sound into one fantastic composition.
Hɪðəˈtu is a fantastic debut album which whilst showing great promise for the band already demonstrates their great talent, songwriting and compositional abilities. One album I highly recommend to black metal fans out there. 8/10
Hɪðəˈtu is the debut album from Greek black metallers Yovel. A self released album available on Bandcamp Hɪðəˈtu is a concept album which in the words of the band is an ode to the struggle.
Musically Hɪðəˈtu is an album which mixes the atmospheric side of black metal with the violent side represented through a bunch of well rounded songs which use ambient and acoustic passages as well as spoken word passages and samples to great effect. The songs which stood out to me were (Too) Late Capitalism with its fantastic use of samples taken from the film Judgment At Nuremberg, the epic closing track Centennial and my personal favourite Song Of The Coming which seems to mix together all aspects of Yovel's sound into one fantastic composition.
Hɪðəˈtu is a fantastic debut album which whilst showing great promise for the band already demonstrates their great talent, songwriting and compositional abilities. One album I highly recommend to black metal fans out there. 8/10