Eternal Darkness - Total Darkness (2006)

   "Total Darkness" by Eternal Darkness is a compilation album that collects the EP and demo records of the band that they've made during their short active period in the early '90s.
   The number of similar compilation albums increased with time. It was one of the signs that school styled extreme bands were missing. Eternal Darkness was one of the not many bands who slowed down while the main scene was about to increase the speed and intensity of their music. This direction wasn't so popular, so it's no wonder that the band didn't spark much attention that time. But to mix doom influences was very suitable for their obscure music, and they've created a genuine dark atmosphere. On the side of the basic primitive themes, dirty-noisy sound and deep growling vocal style, they often operated with simple melodies that could be very helpful for the listener to merge into the depths of "Total Darkness". These are sometimes acoustic melodies that may sound strange together with the raw noisy mass, but these have created an interesting contrast together. They definitely don't fit together, as they sound like a failed attempt to copy something else on a tape record, but still it was a pity if the band didn't do it like that, because this added a lot to their atmospheric sound. The compilation is extremely heavy, it's probably one of the most obscure death/doom musickness, that was recorded in the early '90s. "Total Darkness" could offer excellent entertainment for those who desire permanent brain damage!

Indesinence - Noctambulism (2006)

   British doom metal has traditions since the style was formed in the UK on the side of heavy metal as it's less popular step sibling. Doom also has it's specific sound there that's not usual anywehere else but in the UK.
   This could be sensed at Indesinence too, and even though they didn't go much further than most death/doom bands, somehow their music is harder to go into. To listen over 10 mins long to the sound of extended pain and misery is nothing new in this style, but the monotonous repetitive slow themes are more effective  in Indesinence's music. That's partly because they go down even to funeral doom depths for long and it takes for a while until the speed ups shaking up the listener from the depressed dedalian coma. Therefore they cannot create enough contrast, and the scale moves down under the heavy weight of miserable suffering. The sound refers to the local classics of the style, but there are modern influences too that are not allowing to cathegorize "Noctambulism" as another typically British metal album. The influence of Northern bands like Tiamat or Katatonia (that's kind of exceptional from an English band) could be discovered. There is some reference to Paradise Lost to sense at the speed ups, but their riffings more reminds to old Sentenced. "Noctambulism" could be enjoyable for the fans of modern and old school death/doom too.

Amorphis - Eclipse (2006)

   Eclipse is the first album for Amorphis with new singer Tomi Joutsen. It propelled the Finnish metal band in a direction that a lot of fans (arguably) were ready for. Eclipse brings a more progressive feel and Tomi's vocals absolutely command with the power to transition from guttural death growls to a clean melodic tone. To be blunt, this entire album is one giant earworm.

     I'll admit, when I first listened to the opening track, "Two Moons", I was kind of put off by the weird keyboard/electronic sounding intro. That might have just been me trying to sustain myself as an edge lord, because now, it's one of my favorite tracks, and is the perfect segue into understanding just how beautifully Amorphis has undertaken and mastered this new style. Joutsen's voice is strong and soft in the same motion, all while supported collectively by the band who, in my opinion, sound the most put together on this album than they will in the ones released after Eclipse. The last minute and a half of this song set the tone for the rest of the album with melodic guitar riffs and commanding vocals.
     Lyrically, the band wrote the album based off the Finnish mythology Kelevala and the tragic fate of Kullervo. They brought back their old formulas of incorporating death growls among clean lyrics, which allows the really memorable parts of the songs to be delivered with more extreme emotion. None of the songs are a disappointment. The album has a collection of folk sounding, progressive, and at times even melancholy tunes.

Proclamation - Advent of the Black Omen (2006)

   By chosing the most exaggerated aspect of black metal, which path was created first of all by Blasphemy, Proclamation appeared with an inhuman debut.
   Like at most similar bands, already the album cover serves as a reference, but Proclamation also tried to summon the chaos that was an important feature in Blasphemy's music. The song compositions almost falling apart by the neurotic intensity. An extreme level of aggression was represented at this point, that might sound nothing extraordinary in this style. There are not many differences between the songs on a black/death album like that, and even the style of these bands is easy to identify. They play ultra fast and noisy, the sound quality is necessarily poor, and their music lacks melodies, and any forms of aesthetical features. Instead of these they're focusing on to create the purest forms of sacrilege and insanity. There is still something in Proclamation's music that makes it harder to go into,even if this style is not known about it's audience-friendliness. And that's the strong disharmony they've operated with. That made the album heavier and more animalistic than most others on this line, and strongly recommented for the fans of extreme blasphemies!

Violator - Chemical Assault (2006)

   Thrash metal was forced into background and had only some tertiary role in the main scene since the early '90s. Except the oldies, several promising, but short lived new bands and plenty of fun made nostalgia projects, nearly decades have been passed without any new really charismatic thrash metal band.
   The appearence of Violator brought back the long lost and awaited intensiveness into the genre. The most aggressive and intense old school aspect of the style had a modern reinterpretation in their music - it's thrash metal at it's best quality, just the way how it used to sound. There's not a calm moment to find on their debut, and maybe it's not an exaggeration to say that nothing similar was released from a new band since the '80s. Their impressive swing could be compared to Sadus, their heaviness to Slayer, their rudeness to Sodom. It's also interesting that if cultic scenes growing out themselves and disappear or just remaining in some vegetative state (like the Bay Area scene or the once so influental German thrash scene), the newbies may appear at various other locations, but South America always seemed to be as a stabile outpost of old school metal. So it's no wonder that Violator wasn't the first and not even the last band from there with evidently traditional ambitions. "Chemical Assault" partly recalls the feeling of the '80s, but also proves that thrash metal still could be very effective and harsh sounding compared to the changes both into softer and more extreme directions that meanwhile happened in the main scene. An excellent album for the most prejudiced fans of the genre!

Anarkhon - Obesidade Mórbida (2006)

   Anarkhon was formed in 1999 and after a few demos they debuted in 2006 with "Obesidade Mórbida". Such as at other newer South American bands, they stayed between the borders of an exact style - at brutal death metal in this case.
   In their early period they preferred Portuguese, but later they wrote their lyrics in English. Anyway in this this genre it's completely secondary, since gore and splatter is the main lyrical concept, and deep growling vocal style doesn't support decent spelling. Their music reminds mainly to early Cannibal Corpse, especially to the insanely exaggerated style of the albums "Butchered at Birth" and "Tomb of the Mutilated". By this direction a very raw and insane outcome should be expected, and the album cannot dissapoint those who are hoping to reach the darkest depths of musickness by listening. Similarly to old Cannibal Corpse, catchy melodic themes repeditively assisting to the intense speed, heavy sound and deep grows. That results the same sick impression, and also could make the listener smile, especially at the screaming parts that are introducing how a mad Donald Duck scream should sound like. It's exactly the thing that made this style interesting: it could be enjoyable even for those who can't take it seriously, because this level of extremism could sound funny too. But except that Anarkhon did a really good job and their high quality debut refers to one of the biggest names of '90s death metal.

Disaster - Criaturas del mal (2006)

   Such as everywhere else, in the South American underground scene the old but less known names came into focus as most of the earliest extreme bands disappeared or changed style to gain wider popularity. And of course the new names like Disaster who dedicated themselves to stay at the old school roots by playing thrash metal.
   The scene went through some changes meanwhile. The mixed style that was one of the main characteristics of South American metal, was almost gone. The newer bands seemed more determined to use the toolbar of exact genres. One common thing stayed, their extremely aggressive style. It's also correct about Disaster, their intense thrashing counts as one of the most aggressive and rageful one of the '00s. Thrash metal was everything but popular, so this style selection already counts exceptional. The insane musical rampage they've committed reflectig authentically the higher temper of South American metal. Exaggerated music from exaggerated circumstances that's close to step through the furthest border of thrash metal, and reminds to style of the late '80s, when extreme styles were born. "Criaturas del mal" is strongly recommended for the fans of intense musickness.