BLOODRIDE: Bloodmachine: CD

This is the second from these old school Finnish thrashers, and you get ten kick you in the face songs. The band just got tighter and more intense with this release and it really shows maturity.

From opening song “Battered,” and straight through “Horror Has A New Prey, “Deadlights,” “Bloodmachine,” “Massacre My Icons,” and the blistering closer “Fight The Fear,” this band just goes full tilt and just rips. The songs are fast, angry and the spat out vocals really hit hard. The pummeling drums, the heavy bass and the quick leads all add to the devastating sound and make you get ready for the mosh pit.

A very good sophomore album that shows a band getting better and better as you listen to the album. A complete manic, thrash-fest to get you up and moshing from start to finish.

https://www.facebook.com/bloodride

http://bloodride.com/

https://www.facebook.com/violentjourney

http://violentjourneyrecords.com/

CPT. KRONOS: The Invocation EP: CD

This EP has a strong 1970s metal feel to it with touches of BLACK SABBATH, stoner rock and doom all mixed together to form a really cool EP.

There are some parts of this four song EP that are so slowed down and heavy that it just seems to drain you of your energy and then the band gets infused to rock out a little bit with that stolen energy. “A Criminal Mind” has a touch of blues to it, “State of Emptiness” has some nice distortion on it and the title track is a great heavy track. There are a ton of touches on this EP that will make you think that you’re listening to an actual album from the 1970s with the feel that this band infuses into their music. The good thing is that they take the good rock parts from that era and made this into an EP that will get you wanting more from them, it sure made me feel that way. This is one of those EPs that you need to get if you want to expand your music taste to include what sounds like will become a classic that people will be talking about.

The band is talented and have great vocals, some nice lead guitar, and the bass and drums have the heaviness that makes this so cool, but not so heavy that you can’t take it.

https://www.facebook.com/cptkronos   http://cptkronos.bandcamp.com/   https://www.facebook.com/violentjourney   http://www.violentjourneyrecords.com/

RAWAGE: Triumph of Sin: CD

RAWAGE was started back in 2009 in Loimaa, Finland and musically RAWAGE is influenced by black, thrash and death metal which you can hear on this three song EP.

These five guys have laid down some heavy songs that make you want to get into the pit and mosh your ass off. They aren’t shy with the songs either, I mean, you can’t get more obvious than “Jesus Sodomized”. The songs are gone before you know it and it leaves you wanting more from them, which is a good thing, always leave them wanting more. Good production and mix, nice and loud with a close, tight feel to it. The vocals are deep and growling throughout, the band is just brutal in their playing and it has the feel of a band that has been around for a while, but still has bite to them.

They are a young band with a long future ahead of them. Grab a copy and blast it loud.

https://www.facebook.com/rawage   http://www.violentjourneyrecords.com/

DEATHMARCHED: Spearhead Of Iron: CD

This old school death metal band from Finland is composed of three ex-members of PUTRID and GOD FORSAKEN and one ex-member of BLOODRIDE who have been together since 2009. They have their debut album out now on Violent Journey Records.

Spearhead Of Iron is eleven heavy, mid-paced death metal songs with a short instrumental opener. The leads are nicely done and not overpowering the songs, the bass and drums pummeling behind and the growling vocals, that you can actually make out the lyrics to. The songs are produced and mixed well, clear and concise, no fluff, just to the point and heavy. The pit will be rocking with this album, especially with my favorite song “Massmurderer”, a song that could almost fit into a hardcore band’s set. Lots of good songs and great playing from these four guys on this album, it stands out from a lot of the bland death metal and brings back the good old days.

This was a nice change of pace from a lot of mediocre death metal and really should get these guys some international notice which they deserve.

https://www.facebook.com/deathmarched   http://www.violentjourneyrecords.com/

VALONKANTAJAT: Tuomittu Elämään: CD

VALONKANTAJAT is a band from Uusimaa, southern Finland that plays heavy metal with lyrics completely in Finnish on this ten song album.

The songs are pretty heavy with some nice melodic vocals mixed with more gruff vocals. Lead guitar work is pretty good throughout, and the double bass drum keeps things moving along. The album is pretty heavy, but still manages to have a lot of melody and the aforementioned lead guitar work shines in places. This has a nice chunky, thick feel in places and has a bit of a METALLICA sound in the vocals at times, but not too much, which is good. They wanted to sing in their native language to represent the feeling of living in the north and this debut album shows a lot of promise and talent from these guys. They have got a lot of fast tunes on here to get your head banging and a few slower, but not slow songs as well, to change the pace of the album a bit and it’s a nicely mixed and produced album.

These guys should get your head moving, the only thing that may hold them back are the length of some of the songs because I wanted more concise songs, but without knowing the language, I may be missing why they are long and of course, the language itself. It may limit the fan base out of their native country, but give them a try and you may be surprised.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Valonkantajat/154609347929737   http://www.valonkantajat.com/   http://www.violentjourneyrecords.com/