The RingMaster Review’s Metal/Rock Best of 2013

Dec28

In a year of breath-taking rapaciousness and passions igniting sonic aggressiveness from the extensive depths of metal and rock in all its various rabid disguises, it is not easy to select the best albums to have eagerly and skilfully savaged the senses. Nevertheless The RingMaster Review has applied intensive thought and time consuming deliberation over the tempest of thrilling releases it has covered in 2013 and chosen it’s Best of the Year based on the most potent lustful submission and overwhelming contagious toxicity bred by the intrusive treats covered on the site over the past twelve months.

1. Bovine -The Sun Never Sets On The British Empire

Brawling, squalling, and impossibly contagious, The Sun Never Sets On The British Empire is an album which charms and harms the senses for easily one of the most thrilling and exciting albums this year….

https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2013/04/13/bovine-the-sun-never-sets-on-the-british-empire/

2. Sofy Major – Idolize

…has defiantly emerged as one of the most frighteningly impressive albums of the year so far. The release is a beast of a record, an album which can only be declared as carnivorous, in sound and intent…

https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2013/06/01/sofy-major-idolize/

3. Cult Of Luna – Vertikal

…a colossal journey and an intense emotional narrative which transports the listener into a place of stark beauty and oppressive grandeur whilst wrapping its recipients in the dystopian canvas upon which the immense and riveting structures of the album are built…

https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2013/01/26/cult-of-luna-vertikal/

4. Bear – Noumenon

…sonic alchemy which leaves exhaustion and lust bred satisfaction raging rewards…

https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2013/10/08/bear-noumenon/

5. Shevils – Lost In Tartarus

The ten track fury of invention and passion is a monster of a release, a brutal yet ingeniously sculpted confrontation…

https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2013/11/08/shevils-lost-in-tartarus/

6. Russkaja – Energia!

Sounding like the bastard offspring of the Austrian Strauss Brothers with a bent for insatiable adrenaline fuelled folk metal and exhausting jazz…

https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2013/04/10/russkaja-energia/

7. Lord Dying – Summon the Faithless

…tsunami of rapacious riffing, deliberately antagonistic rhythms, and sonic ferocity wrapped in melodic fire…

https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2013/07/11/lord-dying-summon-the-faithless/

8. Arceye – At First Light

…devours with imagination, craft, and a devastating predacious invention that takes the listener on one of the most enthralling dangerous aural journeys lying in wait this year…

https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2013/08/08/arceye-at-first-light/

9. Coilguns – Commuters

…pushes the boundaries of band and extreme music beyond their limits with skill and startling imagination…

https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2013/02/07/coilguns-commuters/

10. KingBathmat – Overcoming The Monster

…a compelling flight of melodic fire, rhythmic provocation, and sonic beauty all wrapped in an ingenuity of craft and thought which leaves the listener quite breathless…

https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/kingbathmat-overcoming-the-monster/

11. lo! – Monstrorum Historia

…imagination of the band a greater open malevolence which leaves only undiluted sore pleasure and invigorated intrusive satisfaction in its caustic wash…

https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/lo-monstrorum-historia/

12. Hell’s Domain – Self Titled

…one of the freshest and invigorating thrash releases to come along certainly this year and a marker for other bands to aspire to if they want to permanently enslave the passions…

https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2013/09/24/hells-domain-self-titled/

13. Abysse – En(D)Grave

https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2013/10/04/abysse-endgrave/

…an extensive exploration of bold adventurous lands and emotions; ventures fraught with warriors and bravery, shadows and danger but all brought forth with a potent sinew driven narrative that leaves no emotive intensive stone unturned and inventive imagination untapped…

Following closely in the wake of the above are also highly recommended…

The Ocean – Pelagial

https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2013/05/01/the-ocean-pelagial/

In Vain – Ænigma

https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/in-vain-aenigma/

Code – Augur Nox

https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2013/11/27/code-augur-nox/

Circles – Infinitas

https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2013/10/14/circles-infinitas/

The RingMaster Review 28/12/2013

Listen to the best independent music and artists on The RingMaster Review Radio Show and The Bone Orchard from

http://www.audioburger.com

Arceye – At First Light

Aug8

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Welcome to one of the candidates for album of the year, certainly in the darkened hungry hall of this site. This is a contender which feeds and devours with imagination, craft, and a devastating predacious invention that takes the listener on one of the most enthralling dangerous aural journeys lying in wait this year. The beast is At First Light and its creator UK death thrashers Arceye, a band who have built on earlier acclaim and promise to stand as one of Europe’s, if not the world’s, most creative bands.

The second album from the Shrewsbury quartet, At First Light sees the band at a pinnacle though still only one level of a mountainous evolution of their invention one feels as the album explores and expands thoughts and emotions. Formed in 2004, Arceye has been no stranger to critical acclaim certainly with from debut album The Divide Between Chaos & Order of 2009 which followed the As The Ground Consumes You EP of two years earlier. From the first album the band has continued to increase their stock with impressive live performances, a trait of the band from day one, which has seen them support bands such as Decapitated, Man Must Die, Beholder, Finntroll, and Kataklsym as well as making successful appearances at festivals at the likes of Bloodstock Open Air in 2010, where they closed The New Blood Stage, and Hammerfest. The new album unveils a strong evolution in the band’s sound though still bred on a canvas of prime thrash metal with invading death metal shadows, but now the colour soaked progressive nature of the foursome of vocalist/bassist Al Llewellyn, guitarists Dave Roberts and Luke Durston, and drummer Craig Mackay, explores greater rich hued narratives upon the muscular black hearted canvas. It is a stunning combination breeding scintillating and impacting songs, ones which either offer a devastating confrontation or a captivating evocation, but all that enthral and ignite the senses and passions.

The Hostile Media released and Scott Atkins mixed (Sylosis, Cradle of Filth, Gamma Bomb, Amon Armarth) album steps from within Cover 001 crackling flames with an inviting potent guitar lure leading the way, the call of the title track increasing as rhythms and a darker tone add their beckoning whispers. Soon with drums unleashing their full sinews and riffs following suit soon after, the track opens up an intensive prowl which recruits attention and hunger with ease. Into its stride the song rampages with guitars and drums sculpting a battlefield of intimidation and senses barracking skill whilst the gruff scowling vocals of Llewellyn, ably aided at times by the backing scarring tones of Roberts and Durston, parade a venomous and antagonistic breath that only fuels the intensity of the song.

The following track takes things another rung up the immense ladder of the release, The Storm sonically what its name suggests with the already ridiculously impressive skills of Mackay caging the tumultuous and imaginative adventure and persistence of the guitars and again the great mix of vocal threats. The track is a fury of invention and innovative thrash/death exploration, its underlying groove a rapier like hook ripping the ear open for the melodic and extensive flames of the guitars’ emprise to tempt and magnetise the imagination. The bruising from the towering encounter are soon soothed by the short instrumental The Longest Drive, the thought provoking piece of elegant composing and its realisation a resourceful caress and prelude to the staggering might and presence of I Silently Wait. Honed from a web of grooves, melodic beauty, belligerent riffing, and a cauldron of ferocious rhythms and vocals, the aural predator seamlessly moves from rampant aggression to seductive kisses and on to voracious rage, subsequently combining them in an unpredictable and fluid transgression of magnetic enterprise.

The deliciously sublime progressive radiancy and smouldering invitational glory of Sirius follows to again transport thoughts and feelings into an instrumental painting of suggestion and emotive incitement, the song alone showing the full extent of the songwriting, skill, and imagination of the band and the even greater promise of things to come over the next horizons of the band. Its building height and emotional depth grows in potency the further the song pulls the listener into its powerful soundscape, transfixing them into place for firstly Brother Disarmed with its savage rabidity to stir up the nest of previously settled emotions into another welcome turmoil, soon reinforced by the riveting Prey Forgiveness with its cracking tempest of carnivorous creative fire and sonic fascination and the magnetic Damage Done where clean vocals make a strong and pleasing offering within the rhythmically stretching slice of melodic and imposing triumph.

The album is completed by the crushing, yet seemingly respectful onslaught of The Thirst, though the track still demands and is welcomingly given its pound of flesh, and the closing instrumental sunset Dusk, another instrumental temptress this time coaxed into the passions by outstanding mesmeric guitar play and the open skill of the band. They provide the perfect conclusion and parting reminder of the quality and strength of Arceye and their brilliant album. At First Light is a real joy, a release which tears you apart whilst kissing the wounds it is simultaneously chewing upon. One of the real treats of the year, maybe the very best.

www.arceye.co.uk

10/10

RingMaster 08/08/2013

Listen to the best independent music and artists on The RingMaster Review Radio Show and The Bone Orchard from

http://www.audioburger.com