Surprises 2008: Martriden - The Unsettling Dark

Martriden is a black/melodic death band from USA. They released their first album on 2008 after the well criticized EP in 2006. They have very melodic parts but also very brutal with powerful drums and blast-beats, production is great and voice is mostly black metal oriented. Riffs goes mostly from melodeath rythms to fast black metal tremolos, though they are not so varied or original sometimes. Some acoustic guitars and effective background keyboards that appear in some moments make this album to have a nice different touch.
Anyway, The Unsettling Dark is a good debut album, another band to look forward future releases.

1.	Intro	00:40
2.	The Enigma of Fate	05:35
3.	The Calling	05:07
4.	Ascension Pt. 1	03:26
5.	Ascension Pt. 2	04:07
6.	Processional for the Hellfire Chariot	04:35
7.	The Unsettling Dark	06:15
8.	Prelude	05:15
9.	A Season in Hell	04:48
10.	Immaculate Perception	03:33

Martriden - The Unsettling Dark

Surprises 2008: This Haven - Today A Whisper, Tomorrow A Storm

This Haven is a swedish band that mixes from Hardcore to Stoner to Melodic Death to Deppresive Rock Riffs but in a very rock-heavy metal feeling with progressive way of composing. I know you are confused about howcome all this mix could work or maybe just could sound. It's difficult to explain "Today A Whisper, Tomorrow A Storm", but although being the first album of the band it really gives the impression of maturity.
Sound is perfect, and nothing to hesitate if I tell you the producer was Dan Swano, and performance is also great. Voice is clean but with an important Stoner/Jonas Renkse from Katatonia touch, and we can hear in a secondary scene sometimes acoustic guitars or keyboards, even in "Plague" a female voice.
It really is a complete album of hmm I will take the risk :P alternative progressive metal? I tried lol

1.	It's The End	04:42
2.	I Will Deceive	04:13
3.	Welcome To Delirium	04:47
4.	The Fallen	04:08
5.	Hero Of Your Hell	04:57
6.	Itch!	05:15
7.	Apocalyptical Anthem: I. B.C., II. A.D.	06:24
8.	And The Devil In Me Smiles	05:01
9.	Plague	07:07

This Haven - Hero of Your Hell (Live)

This Haven - Today A Whisper, Tomorrow A Storm

Surprises 2008: Alestorm - Captain Morgan's Revenge

Alestorm is probably the biggest surprise in 2008. Just with the first album they got to be known among most of the metalheads and they are currently having an extensive tour and will play in numerous festivals. First known as Battleheart, after that demo in 2006 the company Napalm Records offered them a deal in 2007 and they changed the name due to the similarity with the finnish Battlelore.
Alestorm' style is selfdefined as "true scottish pirate metal", a kind of power-folk metal, that could be a mix of Running Wild and folk epic melodies (and drinking songs environment some times) that could recall to bands like Turisas.
First time I listened to it, it wasn't actually a very good impression. Those cheesy keyboards and melodies and the singer... but after some time I listened more and some songs are quite catchy.

1.	Over the Seas	03:55
2.	Captain Morgan's Revenge	06:42
3.	The Huntmaster	04:59
4.	Nancy the Tavern Wench	04:52
5.	Death Before the Mast	03:17
6.	Terror on the High Seas	03:51
7.	Set Sail and Conquer	04:38
8.	Of Treasure	02:58
9.	Wenches & Mead	03:42
10.	Flower of Scotland (The Corries cover)	02:37

Alestorm - Captain Morgan's Revenge
password: mazzymaz.blogspot.com

Top 15 Metal commercials

15 - Kit Kat e Lemmy

14 - Hai algo máis bizarro que Alice Cooper anunciando grapas!?!?

13 - Incluso os de Toyota se atreveron co Metal!

12 - Atun Power, o último que ainda sale na TV

11 - Por certo, non pensastes en regalarlle a algunha meniña unha moñeca de kiss? adoptan todas as posicións! e non o digo eu...

10 - Katafalk nun anuncio holandés

09 - A Kiss tanto lles dá que si coca cola ou pepsi, mentres haxa cartos, as dúas saben ben XD


08 - Volksvagen, Sepultura dandoo todo no concierto

07 - Judas Priest commercials.. ah qué tempos ese Halford con pelo


06 - Champú e sí! este anuncio non está retocado! XD

05 - Iron Maiden, seguridad ante todo

04 - Anuncio de Samsung e Ozzy mostrando o seu bon humor

03 - KFC black metal commercial.. this is hot!

02 - O anuncio noruego no que sale Jorn Lande - cool prix tv

01 - Cómo non, non atopei outro mellor ca este, "lo vais a flipar, colegas", fruto da cultura metalpaco jevispano, o anuncio que todo jevi nacional esperaba, ademáis ven con un dvd de regalo que...

Surprises 2008: Carach Angren - Lammendam

Carach Angren is a symphonic black metal band coming from Netherlands. They are playing a kind of symphonic black metal, very influenced by bands like the old Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir. Somehow I thought they were from France, maybe because they also sound similar to that band called Anorexia Nervosa in the blastbeats with orchestral arrangements, which are thoroughly and amazingly executed. The mixing and producing is really amazing for a first album.
Melodies have that evil-theatrical taste, which can recall sometimes to Arcturus, and that I personally adore, and vocals are really effective though sometimes the similarity with Shagrath is quite palpable. If you like orchestral black metal, Lammendam is a must listen.

1.	Het Spook van de Leiffartshof (Intro)	01:28
2.	A Strange Presence Near the Woods	04:13
3.	Haunting Echoes From the Seventeenth Century	05:05
4.	Hexed Melting Flesh (Bridge)	06:54
5.	Phobic Shadows and Moonlit Meadows	02:06
6.	The Carriage Wheel Murder	03:40
7.	Corpse in a Nebulous Creek	05:24
8.	Invisible Physic Entity (Bridge)	01:21
9.	Heretic Poltergeist Phenomena	04:08
10.	Malediction de la Madame Blanche	07:07

Carach Angren - Lammendam

Former guitarist of Sentenced, Miika Tenkula found dead

Miika Tenkula, former lead guitarist and main songwriter of the acclaimed Finnish band SENTENCED, was found dead at his home earlier today (Thursday, February 19). He was 35 years old.

Nalle Österman (GANDALF, LULLACRY, CHAOSBREED) tells BLABBERMOUTH.NET, "It's true, confirmed personally by [former SENTENCED] drummer Vesa Ranta.

"The fact remains that Miika had a serious drinking problem for many years which escalated after SENTENCED was buried. They don't call it King Alcohol for nothing...

"The metal scene in Finland mourns now for one of the most talented metal guitarists to ever emerge from [the country]."

The official cause of Miika's death has not yet been released.

Source

Surprises 2008: Tiarra - Post Scriptum

Tiarra is a young romenian band of gothic doom metal. Influenced by the classical slow and romantic doom metal of those bands in the middle and late 90's but strongly as well by the swedish Draconian or germans Haggard, bands that came to my mind often, Tiarra uses one cello and one violinist in the line-up, giving a very sensitive and melancholic feeling to their music. Post Scriptum is a great debut album, slow, very melodic and with the beautiful voice of Anda leading, present in most of the vocal parts and making the growls totally secondary.
Really difficult to choose one better song than others, it is a very solid release and if you like gothic doom metal, it will be hard to quit listening after the first "Prologue", amazing song with the best following possible, "Ielele".

1.	Prologue	03:38
2.	Ielele	05:46
3.	In The Arms Of An Angel	08:31
4.	Tiarra	05:33
5.	Everything For Her	07:02
6.	Requiem (Pentru Un Erou)	08:00
7.	Post Scriptum	05:51
8.	Broken Echoes	10:03
9.	Epilogue	03:12
10.	Door Of Innocence (Bonus Track)	04:36

Tiarra - Post Scriptum