I am just curious what some of you think of the following bands which rarely or never get mentioned on this forum:
Diablo: Melodic death metal from Finland. Their last album "Eternium" is one of my favorite metal albums in recent years and I always keep going back to it for some more headbanging. The singer has a great Max Cavalera (much better still) voice and the music is catchy and very melodic (Children of Bodom style, only not that fast). If you like melodic death in the vein of Dark Tranquillity, Bodom, Norther, Kalmah, etc...you will LOVE this! Their previous albunm "Renaissance" is also great!
Machien Men: Classic heavy metal very similar to Bruce Dickinson solo/Iron Maiden. I think they were newcomers of the year in Finland. The singer is identical to Bruce Dickinson...and I mean identical...or at least as close as it gets. The music is very similar to Dickinson's "Accident at Birth" album but with a heavier production. Definitely one of the greatest debut albums (Scars & Wounds) in recent metal history!
Invocator: Thrash metal from Denmark. They play American style thrash in the veins of Testament and deliver one great riff after the other. Their last album "Through the Flesh to the Soul" is one kick-ass piece of thrash metal that delivers killer song after killer song and with a production that is as heavy as it gets. The singer is also very good and fits the music perfectly.
Penumbra: Gothic/symphonic metal in the veins of After Forever/older Tristania. They are from France and their last album "Seclusion" was one of the surprises of last year for me. Their music is very dark and emotional, with a great combination of clean female and male death vocals. The production is also great, making this album a very enjoyable listening experience.
Hibria: Traditional heavy metal band from Brazil. Their debut album "Defying the Rules" was produced by Piet Sielck and offers a very energetic source of metal which reminds me of Lost Horizon. The singer sings with a lot of balls and the guitar duos a very melodic and technical. This album is pure energy from start to finish, with catchy choruses, razorsharp melodies, and great soloing. Definitely another highlight of 2004.
Diablo: Melodic death metal from Finland. Their last album "Eternium" is one of my favorite metal albums in recent years and I always keep going back to it for some more headbanging. The singer has a great Max Cavalera (much better still) voice and the music is catchy and very melodic (Children of Bodom style, only not that fast). If you like melodic death in the vein of Dark Tranquillity, Bodom, Norther, Kalmah, etc...you will LOVE this! Their previous albunm "Renaissance" is also great!
Machien Men: Classic heavy metal very similar to Bruce Dickinson solo/Iron Maiden. I think they were newcomers of the year in Finland. The singer is identical to Bruce Dickinson...and I mean identical...or at least as close as it gets. The music is very similar to Dickinson's "Accident at Birth" album but with a heavier production. Definitely one of the greatest debut albums (Scars & Wounds) in recent metal history!
Invocator: Thrash metal from Denmark. They play American style thrash in the veins of Testament and deliver one great riff after the other. Their last album "Through the Flesh to the Soul" is one kick-ass piece of thrash metal that delivers killer song after killer song and with a production that is as heavy as it gets. The singer is also very good and fits the music perfectly.
Penumbra: Gothic/symphonic metal in the veins of After Forever/older Tristania. They are from France and their last album "Seclusion" was one of the surprises of last year for me. Their music is very dark and emotional, with a great combination of clean female and male death vocals. The production is also great, making this album a very enjoyable listening experience.
Hibria: Traditional heavy metal band from Brazil. Their debut album "Defying the Rules" was produced by Piet Sielck and offers a very energetic source of metal which reminds me of Lost Horizon. The singer sings with a lot of balls and the guitar duos a very melodic and technical. This album is pure energy from start to finish, with catchy choruses, razorsharp melodies, and great soloing. Definitely another highlight of 2004.
