EVILS DESIRE

'Initium'

Fresh from the chapel in black corpse clothing is Dutch Gothic Metal quartet Evil's Desire with their debut 2010 album 'Initium', whisking up a storm in many ways with melodies on the keyboard, heavenly vocals, snappy drumming and epic guitar symphonies. Evil's Desire may just take the same footsteps that fellow countrymen Within Temptation took, with a collection of dark, spine-chilling composures; this is truly Funeral Gothic Metal.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

http://www.myspace.com/evilsdesireband

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FOREVER BLIND

'Where The Sun Revives'

Austrian Progressive Death Metallers Forever Blind shook the alps with their debut full length album 'Where The Sun Revives' released in 2010, featuring a colossal variance of tunes, with each individual sound coming together and harmoniously sifting through filters into pure bliss, Forever Blind take the vortex of swirling snow and wrap it in a dark and brutal style of music, waiting for the time to come, 'Where The Sun Revives' it again.

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

http://www.myspace.com/foreverblindmetal

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EMBRYO

'No God Slave'

RISING

Italian Melodic Death quintet Embryo called salutations in favour of their sophomore follow up album 'No God Slave', sounding slightly stuck between The Agonist and Scar Symmetry, the five lads from Lombardy deliver a full compact load of keyboard-foundation style songs with side orders of neck-breaking beats, riffs and brain rupturing vocals, a true testament to the darkness found in the Melodic Death Metal genre, although at some parts Deathcore seeps in, the foundation of this band remains cemented in their stated genre. 'No God Slave' is in no doubt Italian Metal album of the year 2010.

[10] RHYS STEVENSON

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VORUM

'Grim Death Awaits'

WOODCUT

Back in 2009 a storm was spotted hanging over the chapels of Scandinavia; this brought on the birth of Finnish/Ålandish Death Metal band with their debut EP 'Grim Death Awaits'. The trio from the Åland Islands exhibit true Finnish Death Metal in old school style and as such achieve a cult status. With imagery similar and in vein rivalry to the Norwegians, Vorum make their feelings heard with tank-tough blastbeats and insane riffs, whilst the vocals do the cake-topping. Vorum are flying the flag for the Åland Islands as 'Grim Death Awaits'.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

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MARYA ROXX

'Payback Time'

GLOBAL MUSIC GROUP

Ex-Vanilla Ninja musician Maarja Kivi (Marya Roxx) goes solo with her debut album 'Payback Time' released in 2010 in fanatical style, labouring Hard Rock on Heavy Metal, the riot grrrl implements her Estonian coolness with the funkiness of the Estonian Rock/Metal scene. Marya Roxx maybe Estonia's answer to England's Lauren Harris, but one occurrence led to Marya's departure of Vanilla Ninja, maybe her solo career is one for individuality and one for 'Payback Time'.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

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BEER BEAR

'Мёд'

SOUND AGE PRODS

Russian Folk Metal quintet lean on a different set of lyrical topics, namely focusing on the traditional bears of Russia and developing a pagan style twist on Folk Metal but adding a little Celtic and hillbilly influence, thus making a more upbeat type of Folk Metal, not just because the songs are in Russian, the music does the talking. For the quintet from Moscow, this is a fairly excellent debut album, 'Мёд' will knock Arkona over for six, Beer Bear shall have it's honey and vodka for breakfast.

[10] RHYS STEVENSON

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ELMSFIRE

'Thieves Of The Sun'

Sounding like a band that should compose for Disney films, Germany's Melodic Heavy Metal newcomers Elmsfire unleashed a majestic offering in 2010 with their debut album 'Thieves Of The Sun', with a thunderous composition and Power Metal-like vocals, Elmsfire are the next band to embrace the complexity of Metal music and enlist themselves as the latest band to fly the flag for the German Metal scene, pure bliss, pure genius, pure 'Thieves Of The Sun'.

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

http://www.myspace.com/elmsfire

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