Lethargia - Divine Madness (Metal Scrap Records, 2013)

Genre: Death Metal
Year: 2012
Country:Ukraïne
Tracklist:  

1.	Прелюдия (Intro)	02:30
2.	Траур похороненых сердец	07:38
3.	Скорбь Сатаны	05:10
4.	Я сожалею...	07:05
5.	Сломаный мир	06:21
6.	Божественное безумие	06:39
7.	Колдовство и одержимость	05:47
8.	Презрение (feat. Диана Ларионова)	06:49
9.	Мистика любви	04:45
10.	Суд грешников	06:45
11.	Кода (Outro)	02:49
12.	Злые нравы	05:19
13.	Нежность и любовь (feat. Евгений Кугаевский)	03:47
		01:11:24

Review:

I have to admit it, if I read about a release thats it's a mix between doom and gothic metal I don't really get all that excited, their seems to be a dozen new bands like this popping up all the time that just seem to mimic my dying bride but with more keyboards/synthesizers.

I wasn't really paying that much attention to this release at first but let me tell you, this second full length by this Ukrainian band won me over pretty quickly. The intro was a nice buildup leading into "Buried Mourning Hearts" which, while quite long didn't fail to grab my attention. Song 3 is where the action started with "Grief Of Satan" where death metal vocals are first introduced in the album. the song has something very mesmerizing about it and with its 5:10 running time it's one of the shorter ones on here. The album has all kinds of different vocals mixed in, sometimes using whispers to set a eerie mood, other-times using grunts or just even normal talking to create different kinds of specific musical moods.
The disc is packed full with 13 songs clocking in about 70 minutes. While some might find this a bit too long, I don't think thats a problem when the music is good. And luckily this is the case.

It's bit a shame the music is sang in russian with no translation provided in the booklets, I do feel that I miss something here. Maybe for the next release their can be a quick summary about the songs in the booklet.
Talking about the booklet, this is one of the best quality ones I've seen so far from this Ukrainian label, very impressive stuff.

I can recommand this release for fans of older gothic/doom releases, espacially to Russian metalheads who will get that little bit more out of it.

Rating:



Where to buy:
http://metalscrap.org.ua/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3472:lethargia-qdivine-madnessq-cd&catid=41:audiocd&Itemid=47

Pagan Altar - The Time Lord (EP) (Cruz Del sur Music, 2012)

Genre: Doom Metal/NWOBHM
Year: 2004 (2012 re-release)
Country: UK
Tracklist:

1.	Highway Cavalier	02:46
2.	The Time Lord	08:10
3.	Judgement of the Dead	06:58
4.	The Black Mass	05:52
5.	Reincarnation	09:03
		32:49

Review:
Pagan Altar is a cult band best known for only recently releasing most of their 70s/80S songs on album. Back in 2004 the band actually reformed to re-record some old unreleased songs, what would end up being the EP I got here today.
This is the 2012 re-release by Cruz Del sur Music (in collaboration with Shadow Kingdom Records). Fully remastered and with new cover art.

If you haven't heard from Pagan Altar, they bring old school doom metal in the line of Saint Vitus, Count Raven and hour of 13.
The title track, the real highlight of the record, also has a very Manilla Road vibe to it, what I can only approve, while Judgement of the Dead could be taken from Ozzy era Black Sabbath.
Of course being remastered, this sound better then their original demo but still a fair warning should be placed here that the songs can sound a bit "cassette" like. Not that that is necessary a bad thing, I feel it all adds to the feeling of the music.

So in summery, The Time Lord is 5 songs filled with doomy riffs and ozzy-like nasal vocals all harping back to days long forgotten. I highly recommend grabbing this EP, it's about 30 minutes of material which is long enough to recommend but a true doom lover already has the full Pagan Altar
discography of course.

Note: Since I got send this album in a digital format I cannot make claims about the quality of the booklet and cd itself this time.
PS: Volume 1 is also getting re-released under the title: 'Judgment of The Dead" on 28/09/2012 so also check that out.


Rating:

Where To Buy: 
http://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=526

Asphyx - Death...the Brutal Way (Century Media Records, 2009)

Genre: Death/Doom Metal
Year: 2009
Country: Netherlands
Tracklist: 

1.	Scorbutics	04:26
2.	The Herald	03:33
3.	Bloodswamp	03:56
4.	Death the Brutal Way	03:52
5.	Asphyx II (They Died as They Marched)	06:40
6.	Eisenbahnmörser [The Railway Mortar]	05:42
7.	Black Hole Storm	05:35
8.	Riflegun Redeemer	05:40
9.	Cape Horn	06:53
10.	The Saw, the Torture, the Pain	03:10
		49:27

Review:
After a quarrel with the band Van Drunen decided to leave Pestilence and join another group, namely Asphyx. After several successful records and tours with Bolt Thrower and Entombed, they underwent several line-up changes. Because of these struggles the band decided to call it quits in 1995, 1996 and once more in 2000. Every time they started again they came back with a rock-solid record. After the founding of the already renowned supergroup "Hail of Bullets" in 2006, a new reunion of Asphyx became a reality. Van Drunen gets joined by veteran Wannes Gubbels and Bob Bagchus. On guitar we find Paul Baayens, who has already proven himself worthy in "Hail of Bullets" and "Thanatos". With such a line-up comes high expectations, and it should come as a relief that Asphyx fully fulfilled those. In "Death, The Brutal Way" the band wastes no time with intros or resting spots, it simply grabs you by the balls from the beginning and leaves you three quarters later with a dazed look and a smile on your face. They presents us with 10 Old School Death Metal songs that sound as violent and loud as ever. The CD opens with "Scorbutics", a fast headbanger that immediately sets the tone for the rest of the album. On "Asphyx II (They Died As They Marched)" we get to listen to a slow, doomy number that harks back to the older Asphyx sound. The throat grunts of Van Drunen sounds like he has come back from the grave to sing and the rest of the band also give it all they have. The production is clear and modern and is similar to the already mentioned "Hail Of Bullets". In summary we can say that Asphyx is back and that every diehard Death Metal fan should run to his local record store to buy this gem.
Rating:

Where to buy?: 
http://www.cmdistro.de/Item/Asphyx_-_Death-The_Brutal_Way/709