Vapula

Across The Rubicon-Elegy(2007)

Across The Rubicon is a Polish newborn band with members of Cold Fusion and Rukkanor (among others). It has just issued its first album of 10 neoclassical martial industrial assaults. At the first look, we gaze at the simple yet so efficient design of the booklet: beautiful blue/grey pictures, cloudy skies, marmoreal coldness and uncertain harvest... The quality of the music however is rather a certainty! "Soldat Inconnu" is introduced with a sample of a French military song: sadly the...

Apolyptica

Apocalyptica is a Finnish metal band from Helsinki, Finland, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists and, since 2003, a drummer. Three of the cellists are graduates of the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. Their music features elements from classical music and neo-classical metal, to symphonic metal and gothic metal. They have sold over three million albums to date. Apocalyptica was formed in 1993 when four cellists, Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, Max...

All That Remains-[This Darks Heart]-2004

Since Phil Labonte's departure from Shadows Fall in the late 90's, he has since gone on to fulfill his own musical ambitions with the band known as All That Remains. This band, while actually similar to Shadows Fall in many ways, proves to be a slightly less heavy and technical version of his past work. Teaming up with his fellow Massachusettsers or whatever the hell you call it, the band has recieved their own success as another band in what is known as the New Wave of American Heavy Metal....

At the Gates-[Slaughter of the soul]-1995

While "Blinded by Fear" begins Slaughter of the Soul with a screwy and interesting semi-industrial percussion loop, about 40 seconds in it becomes all light-speed crunch, riffs, and snarls, so those who never liked thrash in the first place aren't going to be convinced by the goings-on here. But for those for whom such stuff is like oxygen? It depends. Singer Tomas Lindberg actually steers away from the typical Cookie Monster growl in favor of a higher but equally strangled register, while his...

Amon Amarth -[With Oden on Our Side]-2006

Death metal with some melody? Can it be? As evidenced by Amon Amarth's 2006 release, With Odin on Our Side, this dream seems to be a reality early on. On the album opening "Valhall Awaits Me," singer Johan Hegg's vocal lines aren't merely growled syllables. But don't be worried, longtime Amarth fans, it's not like the Swedish outfit has enlisted the help of Burt Bacharach to soften things up, as Hegg's vocals do resort back to the expected death metal growl soon enough, especially on such...