Tag Archives: melodic death metal

Watch The “Vultures Fly” Video by Avatar

I’ll admit to my being late to the table about this band but I am so glad that I finally caught them a few months ago at The Studio at Webster Hall for their sold out appearance. It was quite the electrifying gig and the band had the audience eating out of their hands from the moment that they hit the stage. Its certainly an interesting brand of Melodic Death Metal and if you take a look at their singer, you might agree that there is a kind of Carnival aspect to it. That said, the band has just released their latest video and I’ve embedded that along with the press release that I received so you can check it out. I’ll toss my thoughts about the clip at the end and you’re welcome to chime in as well since the more the merrier right. Here we go.

Logo - Avatar

The Press Release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 26, 2015: AVATAR PREMIERE NEW MUSIC VIDEO FOR “VULTURES FLY”
Swedish imports AVATAR have debuted an all new music video for their track “Vultures Fly” today exclusively through VEVO. Watch the “VULTURES FLY” video below.


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“Slaughter Of The Soul” (CD/DVD) by At The Gates

Artist: At The Gates
Title: “Slaughter Of The Soul” (CD/DVD)
Label: Earache Records
Release Date: 3/25/2008
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Rating: 4/5

If you are one of those Metal heads who loves the powerful drive and intensity of Melodic Death Metal then you probably already have this molten masterpiece in your music collection for it is with At The Gates’ “Slaughter Of The Soul” that the soon to be called “Gothenburg Sound” first earned its name. Originally released in 1995, the album is considered to be one of the seminal works in the genre and it was with this release and alongside bands like Dark Tranquillity and In Flames that a genre was defined. The music scene in 1995 over in Sweden was clearly different as those three bands delivered music like this while the heavy music fans in the States got the Grunge Movement and while some of those bands were also profound there were hundreds being signed to deals that were nothing of the sort. The more Metalized fans began to focus their attention on the European nations and allowed bands like At The Gates to become legends, inspirations, and nothing less than leaders in the field of this new brand of Death Metal. The special edition of “Slaughter Of The Soul” will remind both older and newer fans of this influence as tracks like “Blinded By Fear” and “Unto Others” slam you into the wall with an unbridled sense of power once again and since this is a remastered edition the songs sound brighter and cleaner than they ever have before. There is a lot of mood and aggression being delivered on this one and while it was the bands fourth studio release it is clearly one of their very best and I am happy to report that it has withstood the tests of time and stands strong and tall above all such efforts that came after it.
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“Holographic Universe” by Scar Symmetry

Artist: Scar Symmetry
Title: “Holographic Universe”
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Release Date: 7/8/2008
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Rating: 4/5

We sometimes find that by the time a band gets to their third album that they are now just sitting back a little after knowing how they impressed with the debut and then continued their magic to beat the “sophomore curse” as they proved that they could still impress you with little difficulty. Truth be told, the third album is probably the most important as it is a release that will either show you that the group is in this for the long haul or it could be one that proves you no longer have what it takes. Based on this premise it is with great pleasure that I report that Scar Symmetry will once again knock your socks off with their latest and third release on Nuclear Blast Records – “Holographic Universe”. The band seemed to come out of nowhere with “Symmetric In Design” (2005), an album that I missed entirely when it first came out, but when they offered up “Pitch Black Progress” (2006), I found them to be one of the most exciting groups that I had heard in a long time. Perhaps it is because they are Swedish in origin and they come from a land that seems to be overflowing with Melodic Death Metal acts of note, but perhaps it is something different entirely. The one thing that I do know is that lead singer Christian Alvestam gives you more than your moneys worth with his ability to sing perfectly in both Melodic and Death vocals and almost duels with himself vocally and this trait makes Scar Symmetry’s music all the more interesting. As a release, “Holographic Universe” is the perfect next step in the bands progression from their second album which many had lauded as a recording to purchase if one was seeking the best in the genre.
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“A Decade On The Throne” (DVD/CD) by Chthonic

Artist: Chthonic
Title: “A Decade On The Throne” (DVD/CD)
Label: Deathlight Records
Release Date: 6/26/2007
Genre: Melodic Black Metal
Rating: 4/5

Chthonic is a Taiwanese Melodic Black Metal band that blends the elements of the more traditional Symphonic Black Metal into that of Taiwanese music and comes up with a very interesting and intriguing listen for the discerning music fan. Formed in 1995 the band is fueled by their ancient history and heritage along with its mythology and from this they aim is to bring their nations often tragic past to the minds of the people in the modern world of today. The DVD entitled “A Decade On The Throne” is an incredible live concert from the band as they deliver an absolutely pummeling set of tunes for a capacity crowd in Huashan Culture Park in Taipei, Taiwan. Filmed last year (2006), the band uses their cultures musical themes and ideas to great success and it is quite impressive to see how instruments like the Er-hu (a traditional Oriental violin) work within this context. As far as trying to figure out how the level of drama in their music plays out, just envision a little bit of what Dimmu Borgir has been doing on their last few albums but with a distinctive Oriental twist to it. The band also sings in their native tongue so unless you understand Black Metal growls in Chinese you will need to find some English translations to find out what they are singing about. Given a lot of this is based on cultural mythology and history is it surely bound to make for interesting reading. A band like this would most certainly cause quite a stir in a country like their own and according to research they have been banned in certain parts of China based on their own political stand and views. Lead singer Freddy Lim is quite active in the political aspect of his country and stands firm on issues like Taiwanese independence and negationism (which is also referred to as Historical revisionism).
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“Character” by Dark Tranquillity

Artist: Dark Tranquillity
Title: “Character”
Label: Century Media Records
Release Date: 1/25/2005
Genre: Progressive Death Metal
Rating: 8/10

Considered one of the pioneers in the Gothenburg sound Progressive Death Metal icons Dark Tranquility have given you the perfect CD to get into their sound if you have not already done so. Front to back this CD is an in-your-face experience that is not soon to be recovered from. The growling of Mikael Stanne raging like a madman through the widely technical and heavy riffing only strengthens the piece as each track blasts from the stereo. Having only tested their work in other listens I have to say that this one appealed to me instantly for it raised the bar on what the group helped to create so long ago. If you are a fan of groups like Opeth and Darkane you will enjoy the level of technical expertise that is demonstrated on each and every track. The drive is solid in most cases with riveting patterns coming from all the players in the group. The guitar work of Sundin and Henriksson is to be commended in high fashion while the drumming Anders Jivarp throws you into all different directions with every second. There is a great use of keyboard in this release and it adds for some great mood changes and that had a two-fold benefit for me. Music like this breaks the mold of what you expect in a certain genre and it proves that most Death Metal bands that go the Progressive route are indeed talented and not one-trick ponies.
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