SAMANDRIEL

'Awakening'

Canadian Power Prog Metal newcomers Samandriel, deliver an operatic and soul-chilling experience with their debut EP 'Awakening' released in 2010, combining the melodic and loving female vocals of Nightwish-like characteristics, the band meld Sonata Arctica with Nightwish to highlight themselves as Canada's latest answer to the Power Prog genre. This is the sort of music you would want to find at Disney performances, it is that emphatic and escalates on an epic scale. Samandriel is the next answer to Therion and so the Canadian metal scene is about to shed light on this eye-catching upcoming band.

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

http://www.myspace.com/samandriel

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BEYOND THE GRAVE

'The Human Tide'

Geordie Melodeath/Metalcore newcomers Beyond The Grave sailed down the Tyne causing eruptions across the whole of Newcastle in the year of 2009 with their debut full length 'The Human Tide'. Whilst not as fast as fellow countrymen  The Dead Lay Waiting, the Geordie quintet fire up the heavy brutality and slick menacing compositions in a duration of nearly 50 minutes, covering 9 tracks of bombastic blitz-like noise. Noise, no, insanely different music, yes. That's just a basic summary of how 'The Human Tide' sounds.

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

http://www.myspace.com/beyondthegraveuk

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ANCESTRAL LEGACY

'Nightmare Diaries'

FEMME METAL

Returning with their sophomore album 'Nightmare Diaries', Norwegian Symphonic Gothic Black Metallers Ancestral Legacy turn up the volume and become the sister act to Dimmu Borgir in the sense that there are two different vocals, one symphonic and one harsh whilst maintaining a female soothing atmosphere and delving into the mystical beauty of Gothic Black Metal. Born in 2010, their second full length is perhaps one of Norway's most elegant and soul-chilling productions of 2010, a sure sign that the Norwegian quintet are to become a known name in the female metal world.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

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SA-DA-KO

'Zer01'

ROCK ON PROMOTIONS

Pinpointing an exact genre is as hard as confirming whether Russia belongs to Europe or Asia, mixing Melodeath with groove metal and metalcore, it would seem to be dubbed as 'melodic groovy Deathcore', or as intellectual it would be put as 'hybrid metal'. Hybrid Metallers Sa-da-ko hailing from Liverpool rise from the bottom of the Mersey to emit a sonic blast from Merseyside to the British Metal scene, more than Anfield could muster during this football season, but indeed Sa-da-ko is a consolation to the Scouse football club, a hammer-heavy punch that delivers Cavalera Conspiracy cross Whitechapel cross Bleeding Through style metal, now where's today's sudoko?

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

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ATOMIC BLONDE

'Atomic Blonde'

Forget and ditch Atomic Kitten, for Atomic Blonde are ready to make guys mouth's drop, the all-girl quartet hard rock band hail from Tennessee and are not your average chicks, packing a powerful punch on their 6 track EP/Full Length release (it is unclear) with 18 minutes of the best of female rock, who said girls cant rock, not these guys. Wielding the style of hard rock found in AC/DC with some Avril Lavigne punk influences, the American quartet are the next name in hard rock and cannot be disregarded as one of the latest promising rock bands, this release is for any die-hard rock/metal fan, rest assured, the music is just as hot as the four girls themselves, definitely 'Atomic Blonde'.

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

http://www.myspace.com/atomicblonde

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BABYLON MYSTERY ORCHESTRA

'The Godless The Godforsaken & The God Damned'

One-man project Babylon Mystery Orchestra comes back with the fifth full-length by musician mastermind Sidney Allen Johnson, percussive beats, rhythm-tuned guitars and a powerful bellowing voice come together on 'The Godless The Godforsaken & The God Damned' and whilst some songs offer a unique elegance to the listener, some lack desire and fall short of perfection, but overall the fifth solo effort is unquestionably a decent one, one of the better one-man projects in the metal world.

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

http://www.myspace.com/babylonmysteryorchestra

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IMMORTAL SENSE

'Call It Anything'

Bloodbath/Rising

Fresh from Japan is Thrashcore quintet Immortal Sense, lashing hardcore and Prog Thrash Metal together to deliver a fast, brutal and destructful blast of intense musicianship, with the samurai stealth skills aiding the drums and guitars speed, the vocals comes from a majestic form, ranging from the shogun to the yakuza, bad Japanese puns. Hark, the Japanese metal scene is becoming vastly wider known and adopted as the leaders of Asian Metal. With Immortal Sense the latest act to rise from the land of the sun, this is a band to watch out for. Thrashcore, Prog Thrash Metal, you can 'Call It Anything'.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

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HEBIIMETARU

'Legion Of Metaru'

Bruneian Groove Thrashers Hebiimetaru emerge on the Brunei Metal scene with their explosive debut full-length album 'Legion Of Metaru', diving into the Groove Thrash swimming pool established by Max Cavalera and emerging out of the deep end with Asian Groove Thrash, the five-piece ensemble prove that the Bruneian Metal scene is emerging with ideas and thoughts to oust the elephantine European Metal scene. Melodies on the keyboard clash with ever-changing drum beats, riffs and solos and altogether stick on the hardened harsh vocals emitted. All in all, one band to keep an eye out for, for Brunei has spoken.

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

http://www.myspace.com/officialhebiimetaru

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