Fatal Embrace - Dark Pounding Steel (2006)

   Fatal Embrace is haunting the German thrash metal scene since the early '90s as one of it's less known, and wildest bands. Similar to many of their coetaneous bands, their full-lenght debut release was manifested only at the end of the decade, so they also haven't partaken much from the first great wave of extreme metal.
   "Dark Pounded Steel" was their third full-lenght album, on which an already well experienced band could be heard. Compared to their earliest releases the musical and sound development is quie spectacular. The good old dirty sounding thrashing turned heavier, and therefore the border of thrash/death metal seemed closer than ever. The band didn't keep their influences in secret, and those are showing through on the basic perspective of thrash metal. The Death cover song is one thing, but in the followings quite surprising references are there to find, that are reminding to Sarcófago (the "Laws of the Scourge" era) or to Sabbat. But basically nothing shocking happened, the band always seemed to sympathize with the dark toned concept of Slayer, and all the followings could be deducted from this point whether they are direct references or cioncidental. However this made the album not only nostalgic, but also summarized the thrash related well made experiments of the late '80s/early '90s embedded into modern sound quality.

Blizzard - Les Litanies De Satan (2006)

   By following the traditional Norwegian style of black metal, Blizzard debuted after a few demo records with "Les Litanies De Satan".
   However modern influences also could be sensed on the album on the side of the old school blackness. Their music is more riff-centric than the old classics are, and the themes showing larger diversity. The album is also more melodic the same time, it's like trying to take place somewhere in the middle while drifting between various influences. The atmosphere has minimal role therefore, and occasionally deep growls assisting to the ordinary black cawing to turn the main impression more inhuman. So "Les Litanies De Satan" includes a little bit of everything and formed a whole from all. This counts definitely as the strong point of the album, because this mix wasn't against unified sound and serves as a genuine feature, an alternative aspect how the style developed further. The album could be enjoyable not only for the fans of traditional black metal, but also for those who prefer the more melodic or modern styles of the genre.

Bloodboil - Festering Fornication (2006)

   There was an endless line of brutal death bands in the late 00's, but only a few of them were memorable. Bloodboil was fortunately one of those who offered more than bare technical brutality that's able to turn the whole music totally boring after one minute of listening.
   "Festering Fornication", their one and only album mixed old school influences with the modern direction of brutal death. Their riffing and drumming style often referred to late Cannibal Corpse (even the cover artwork showed similarities), and they've also symphatized with technical themes that reminded to the intensity of Deeds of Flesh. They had quite catchy themes and switching solutions that made their music much more enjoyable than most modern brutal death with their sudden math metal-like theme switches. Bloodboil also experimented with some, but they didn't go too far with those. High sound quality and deep growling vocal style completed the circle, and of course the inevitable lyrical concept based on gore and killing spree. "Festering Fornication" is an excellent brutal death album, could be very entertaining for the fans of the genre.

Archgoat - Whore of Bethlehem (2006)

   Archgoat counts as one of the earliest bands in the black metal scene, but after a few demos and an EP they have vanished. After a long break they have returned to play the same devastating black/death brutality, but this time even more intense and with better sound quality.
   "Whore of Bethlehem", their first full-lenght album cannot disappoint the fans of the style. It's exaggerated all-round, represents the most obscure and inhuman aspects in extreme metal. There's not a calm moment to find in this pure blasphemic mass of musickness. It's never ending hammering dictates intense speed for the brutality that excludes all possibilities for any kind of melody to appear or atmosphere to take a role. The vocal sounds like the fading growling voice of some monster from a desolated crypt. For the insanely aggressive effect the intensity of the music is mainly responsible. This high speed and simple, but very precise drumming style isn't new in this style, but Archgoat was able somehow to push the borders further and to create something that was impressing even for the most obsessed fans. By this step the band made "Whore of Bethlehem" to take place on the side of the most exaggerated black/death metal albums.

Sufferage - BloodSpawn (2006)

   As it was mentioned before, it was clear from the beginning, that there was great potential in Sufferage, and the band would have deserved more attention than what they've got. 
   After their very promising debut the band switched from old school horror influenced death metal to a that time modern sounding brutal death direction. Style changes are usually not really welcome by the audience, but it was advantageous for Sufferage, and in general they didn't go too far, since intensity was their main feature on "Raw Meat Experience" too. There were loads of brutal death bands that time who tried to competete with each other by turning more technical, progressive or by involving various different other style influences. But after listening a well composed, heavy and damn intense album like "Bloodspawn", the whole unique wannabe competition circus seems senseless. The band operetated with excellent themes, enough diverse to not turn boring, and selected the most suitable sound for such a brutal death rampage. The lyrical concept also changed, on the side of societal and political criticism, personal issues also took place, and even a feedback for the garbage pop culture. To rate a wider range of everydays events makes a music somehow more direct and personal, that's not really usual in death metal on this level. On other fields this might seem normal, but by an extremely aggressive and unsatisfied tone things are different.To not have correlation to the main tendencies of the genre was always a returning feature of German death metal. In summary "BloodSpawn" can offer surprises and great entertainment for the fans of brutal death. 

Sadomator - Sadomatic Goat Cult (2006)

   The total insanity that Sadomator realeased by their debut, represents all aspects why the most exaggerated form of black metal can be preferred over other styles.
   They really didn't bother to keep any rules that were earlier detemrimed as trve. The band just took sick minded perversions as their main topic, and mixed these with various blasphemies and some horror references. The poor, demo tape quality sounds like if the album was recorded in the '80s in the dirty dungeon of some desolated house, far and isolated from everything. Traditional black/death albums are not famous about high sound quality, but they've tried to go further in this too, like all-round in every aspects. Extreme aberrations, hatred, praising Satan, and inhuman insanity. No circumlocution, just rotten to the core, that is all about. Somehow it's hard to fail or disappoint the audience in this style. But while at most albums brutality is also an important feature, "Sadomatic Goat Cult" refers back to the classics of black metal and tries to extend the extremities of black/death from the basics. Strongly recommended for the fans of the most exaggerated musickness.

Dissection - Reinkaos (2006)

     Reinkaos does not come without noted critics within the black/death/extreme metal communities. It's probably also not surprising that within the black metal community, this album isn't considered heavy enough, often reviewed as boring and too clean. The album marks a change in the bands style from a melodic black metal sound to more melodic death metal. If you're one of those trve black metal cvlt fans, I get it. It's no Burzum. Insert exaggerated eye roll here.
     Dissection are noted for their satanic imagery and livelihood, so I can admit, the approach to this album may seem a little off the beaten path if you really don't know what you're listening to. The album has points of ultimate melodic satanic metal euphoria, followed by songs surrounding a Hindu Goddess. In concept, the entire album is concentrated around Jon Nodtveidt's anti cosmic spiritual beliefs, the Misanthropic Luciferian Order.
     Undoubtedly, there are amazingly strong points throughout the entire album. Highly driven guitar riffs make memorable parts on most of the tracks, like God of Forbidden Light or Dark Mother Devine. While a couple of songs can run together and perhaps even lack variety, it's my humble opinion that this album presents us with one of the strongest, most vehemently Satanic driven pieces of metal to date. 

     It was God of Forbidden Light's rhythmic intro that captured my attention as an innocent 15 year old, who hadn't yet dared dig deeper into the world of black metal outside of bands like Cradle of Filth or late Dimmu. 

Open our eyes Mighty Father

So that we may see

Guide our steps on the Burning Path

Of liberation and ecstasy 

Mighty god of darkness

Salutations to thee

Raise the hidden flames within us

Into chaos set us free

This is an easy album. Easy to listen to, easy to remember, easy to get into, if you're into melodic death metal.