For years the cold and harsh reality of war has been the elected subject matter for a wide number of metal bands, from Slayer to Bolt Thrower, from Megadeth to Marduk, they all opted to write about actual events that actually shed more blood than all the serial killers, demons, witches, vampires and other occult characters of this and the other world combined.

For Denmark’s veterans Panzerchrist, war is their raison d'être and on their sixth album “Regiment Ragnarok” they prove that they still possess enough firepower to provoke some serious aural wreckage.

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When I first listened to Inevitable End’s new album “The Oculus” I immediately noticed how relentless and technical some of the new songs are. While the band’s first album “The Severed Inception” represented a true gem of death and grind music, this new album seems a lot more adventurous in style. The differences between the two records are immeasurable, so much that I could have easily mistake the new Inevitable End for someone else. We’ve asked guitarist Marcus Bertilsson to point them out.

Was this type of reinvention something you planned on, or did it just happened naturally?

“It was planned because it felt naturally one could say. We have evolved as a band from our death metal roots more and more towards punk and crust. Guess we got a bit tired about the competition on who’s the fastest and tightest band with the lowest guttural vocals that can hit as many weird words as possible in the shortest possible time. We wanted to go further and make an album that is more or less just a punch in the face.”

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That Century Media recognized the potential in this Israel act pretty much says that Sonne Adam must be doing something right ‘cause it’s not everyday that we witness a strong record label the size of Century Media signing an underground death metal act from the Middle East no one has heard of before.

Sonne Adam’s debut full-length release is a creepy and sinister journey into the world of old-school death and doom with the band taking cues from the early works of acts like Paradise Lost, Asphyx and Morbid Angel, without actually mimicking anyone in particular.

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“Ascend to Chaos” comes with a release date for 2011, but the music reeks heavily of the primordial days of European death-metal, in particular bands like Demilich, Adramelech and Abhorrence. It also stands perfectly alongside the recent works of fellow countrymen Claws and Hooded Menace, perhaps Gorephilia puts a bit more focus on rabid and vicious tempos than slow and dragging ones.

Revelling in bowel-trembling low end riffs, deep and undecipherable growls and no-frills rhythms, the album pays a serious homage to old-school death-metal.

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If you like your grindcore to sound like the ugliest car wreck you ever imagined, then Phobia’s “Unrelenting” is perfect for you. Just like its title suggests, this new EP featuring 16 tracks is intense and ruthless all the way through, it’s fast, ferocious and insane just like any damn good grindcore release should be. This one is all about going straight for the jugular without second thoughts, the drumming is frenetic, the vocals are disgustingly vile and the riffs are so brutal and savage that makes Pig Destroyer sound like a pop-punk act.

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Danish death-metallers The Cleansing have done very well for themselves in just 2 years. They have signed to Deepsend Records, had their debut album "Poisoned Legacy" nominated at Danish Metal Awards as "Metal Debut Album Of The Year", not to mention that it was extremely well received by press and public, and toured throughout Denmark with label-mates Dawn of Demise.

Their second album “Feeding the Inevitable” was recently issued, once again by Deepsend Records, and The Cleansing look to accomplish greater achievements with their latest work. Scratch the Surface approached vocalist Toke Eld to talk about their new album, their upcoming plans and how the world is walking towards its doom.

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Over the last two years we have been witnessing a growing wave of bands from all over the whole globe with a strong devotion to the traditional and glorious sounds of the 80's. While some don’t sound more than an embarrassing and feeble imitation of what bands like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate and Black Sabbath had offered us in their golden age, others really nail it and capture the essence, authenticity and spirit of that time.

Fortunately, U.S. based quintet Benedictum fall into the latter category and presents us their third full-length record “Dominion”, a record that truly embodies the true essence of traditional heavy-metal without sounding cheesy or retro-obsessed.

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