The guys on the Metal Injection Livecast always give a co-host of theirs a hard time for listening to this band. I honestly didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I decided to cover this album. I figured it would be laughable and awful, I was wrong.

I am not a fan of folk metal. In fact, I can’t stand it. However, Falconer have made something I can listen to and not feel like I need to renew my WoW account. Armod has track after track of folk metal greatness. The “folk” parts are not overwhelming at all. Falconer do this style better than any band I’ve ever heard before! The music is great and you can get into it. Vocals are sung in a different language but that’s adds to it’s power! If you’re into headbanging and folk music, this is the perfect album for you!

Also, the last 4 songs are English versions of a few chosen songs on the album. Enjoy!

(note: It sounds like he is saying “Lakes filled with semen” on the track “Griftefrid“)

4.5 out of 5

Best tracks: Svarta Änkan, Griftefrid, “O, Tysta Ensamhet”, Herr Peder och hans Syster, Eklundapolskan, Grimasch om morgonen, Gammal Fäbodpsalm

Only thing positive about this album was the vocalists low/mid growling. Barely any heavy guitar work on this album, a lot of fills and lead diddles. Keyboards are present, no doubt about it. Vocal back and forth reminded me of Mushroomhead. “Soothsayer” is the only good song on the album, sounded a little like Opeth. The ending of “Crack in a Stone” was brilliantly done.

Other than that, this is bland, boring and has no redeeming qualities.

1.5 out of 5

JFAC, less “core” than before. More traditional death metal but maintaining that JFAC sound. Vocals are still great and there are some amazing guitar solo’s on this 4 song EP. Job For A Cowboy have stepped their game up and this little teaser album shows just how serious and brutal they are.

4.5 out of 5

When you see the name “Pagan’s Mind” you’ll probably think of black metal or maybe even death metal. Nope, this is pretty much power metal straight from the 80′s. Done incredibly well too, the vocals are great and even hit Judas Priest status at times! Band plays incredibly catchy tunes and the guitar solo’s are epic. You can hear that bass guitar ripping away and there was a keyboard solo in there as well! I enjoyed every single track on Heavenly Ecstasy.

Usually I do NOT get into power metal bands, but Pagan’s Mind made one really good album. I highly recommend listening to it.

4.5 out of 5

Best song: Intermission

Fast paced black metal for two songs. Last song is slowed down. Heavy stuff, nothing special though.

3 out of 5

Death metal. Good music coming from the band. Awful vocals coming from the vocalist. The album is great musically but the awful retarded Tasmanian Devil vocals ruin it for me. Album was way too long and got boring/annoying quickly.

2 out of 5

First off, big thanks goes out to www.metalinjection.net for giving me this album.

Great metal album. I’m new to Candlemass and apparently they have been out rockin the world since the 80′s! DAMN! Every song is great and if you like the 80′s metal vocal style (Dio for example) you’ll definitely enjoy this album. Death Magic Doom is groovin from the start and gets better with time. The only negative thing I have to say about this album is the last song, Lucifer Rising, is incredibly repetitive. Chanting/singing “Lucifer” probably over 100 times in only a 3 minute long song really annoyed me.

I really enjoyed this album and recommend giving it a listen to.

4 out of 5

Best songs: Hammer of Doom, The Bleeding Baroness

Architects, decent music and good vocals. I’ve heard this before and I could not think of where I have heard this music before…then it hit me. This is Atreyu. This sounds exactly like Atreyu but with minor changes of vocal/band work and random sounds. Yes, “The Here and Now” is a good album, but this Atreyu rip-off I can not stand.

The only good song was “Heartburn” because it didn’t sound like the rest of the album and it was really well done.

2.5 out of 5

Generic metalcore with some melodic and progressive action going on. Where this album truly shines though is the ambient, slow, instrumental parts. The Long Procession benefits from these certain tracks and parts of songs. AVL excels at catching the ambient style of music making. Utilizing piano, acousitc guitars and slow sludge drumming to push this album towards greatness. However, it gets shoved back when the metalcore garbage blasts back on.

The instrumentals on this album are absolutely amazing. Even on the “heavy” songs, the band produces great music and the vocalist can really sing. The music on this album is truly great.

If Amia Venera Landscape would focus more on their softer music, the music their better at, the band and album as a whole would be incredible. Unfortunately, the heavier metalcore stuff just prevents it from being truly amazing. However, if you are into metalcore and enjoy soundtrack like ambient tracks, this may be the best thing to come out in years.

3.5 out of 5

Best tracks – Ascending, Marasm

Going LARPing this holiday weekend? Pick up this album! Honestly, I cannot stand folk metal….I’ve tried with many bands to enjoy it and I just cannot get into it. The vocals do not help either. Between the retarded parrot vocals, the fruity flute and LotR soundtrack, there are some hidden gems. The drumming and the guitars are great. However, they cannot help the overwhelming folky-ness that is Cruachan “Blood on the Black Robe”

2 out of 5

Fav tracks: Brian Boru’s March, Pagan Hate

Slow groovin sludge metal brought to you by the masters known as Crowbar. Sever The Wicked Hand is magnificent. The vocals, guitar tone, drumming…it’s all perfect. Buy this album. Listen to Crowbar.

5 out of 5

Fav tracks: Liquid Sky And Cold Black Earth, A Farewell To Misery, Echo An Eternity

Very slow, groove death metal. Vocals are meh, the lows are alright. The gurgling highs are slightly annoying. The demonic lows are a joke, like a bloated evil toad.

Some songs do have a punk/thrash feel to it. The music on the album is great, the vocals just don’t fit. The album gets a little monotonous towards the end.

3 out of 5

Fav track: Amputation Protocol

Good black metal. Music is fast, intense and loud. Constant blast beating and those familiar scary black metal repetitive riffs. Every song is really good. Typical black metal vocals but they aren’t of the annoying kind. The final track, “Endstille (Völkerschlächter)” is one long Burzum heavy type of song. Not one boring, out of place or poorly played/written song on the album. Incredible black metal from a band I’ve never even heard of.

4.5 out of 5

Best tracks: The Deepest Place On Earth, Endstille (Völkerschlächter)

Great music. Same ol’ vocals. It’s what you would expect Children of Bodom to put out. Incredible guitar solo’s, that familiar keyboard crap and well written songs.

4 out of 5

Best songs -  Not My Funeral, Ugly, Cry of the Nihilist

Interesting musicianship and unique effects. Synth is used on this album like I’ve never heard before. Look beyond the goofy band name and take this band seriously. The vocals are good. I was expecting incredibly annoying style vocals but he does a great job. Band plays strong and do a really good job. Every song is good, none of them are bad, annoying or boring. AGATG does a great job changing up the tempo and sound, from metal to lobby music. Playing deathcore one second and going into some sort of jazzy elevator music, which works well, nothing ever seems added or out of place.

I love the instrumental tracks “It Was A Memoir” and “West Cliffs“. The only thing about this album that got to me was the gang vocals on “Gooseknuckle“, which honestly weren’t THAT bad. Even though I hate gang vocals.

4 out of 5

Instruments well played, however generic sounding metal. Only a few songs grabbed my attention, the rest are pretty much just average. The band is great. I have to get use to the back and forth of growling and singing. Which I don’t usually like but this guy has a nice voice. “Illuminoid Dream Sequence” is the only song that made me really go “Fuck Yeah!”.

3 out of 5

Best tracks: Illuminoid Dream Sequence, Seers Of The Schaton, Alpha And Omega

4 songs. All Nine Inch Nails covers. Done pretty well. Right out of the gate they perform my favorite NIN song, “The Great Below” and they do a pretty good job covering it and keeping that powerful feel I get from that original song. Every song they do keeps that NIN edge and feel while making it somewhat their own. They definitely do “Ruiner“, and “Sin” justice. I tend to dislike and immediately reject cover songs but this is a pretty damn good EP.

4 out of 5

An instrumental album with a wonderful blend of Djent and Ambience that flows track by track progressively. I’ve never heard of an album like this. . Everything is done by a man named Eddie Kim as well, except for the bass guitar, which Sean Dusoe plays.

The album begins with a very calm and soft reverb strumming. Until about 42 seconds in and then the down tuned heaviness begins. “Shades of Inception” is a great intro to this album and then flows seamlessly into “The Divergence“, which is a solid track.

Besides a drumming transition on “In Death’s Path“, this song is done perfectly. I love the bend chugging riff. That shit is out of this world. I also like the solo over that killer rhythm section. “New Light” is an incredibly catchy song. Well written and I like the pace of the song.

“Utopia” finishes off the album and it’s by far the best track on the album. Little Djent with major ambient influence with great atmospheric sounds. The solo fits in naturally to the rest of the song and this song ends the EP well.

I loved this album. I’m not even a fan of Djent but Deadfall does it right.

4.5 out of 5

Fav tracks: In Death’s Path, New Light, Utopia

This album is just plain good rock n roll. Everything about “Wasting Light” is just fun. Each song has it’s own personality and it helps the album move along without feeling boring. A few songs are better than others but there are a couple of tracks I’ve had stuck in my head for days now. Grohl’s vocal style is all over the place on this album and still sounding good after all of these years. “These Days” is probably my favorite track on this album. I love the lyrics.

4 out of 5

Fav Tracks: Rope, Dear Rosemary, Alandria, Back & Forth, I Should Have Known.

Chaotic. Monstrous. Heavy. Hate Eternal bring the death metal in full force with this album. “Rebirth” transitions into “The Eternal Ruin” smoothly. It’s as smooth as butter on death metal toast. Rhythm section is fast, unrelentless and head crushing. Solo’s are intense and powerful. Drums are a machine gun clip to the ears. Punishing those who are not ready for the onslaught that is Hate Eternal.

“The Art of Redemption” has an awesome intro and the song in general is just god like. “Hate Sworn” is kick ass. The title track is beast, the solo and underlying riff is a perfect mesh of insanity and structured guitar playing. “Deathveil” is a menacing song, Rutan knows how to make that guitar sound scary. “Lake Ablaze” and “Fire of Resurrection” have some amazing riffs in them as well. One of the best albums of 2011.

5 out of 5

Fav tracks: The Eternal Ruler, Haunting Abound, The Art of Redemption, Phoenix Amongst The Ashes, Hatesworn, Lake Ablaze, Fire of Resurrection