Hail of Bullets - ...of Frost and War (2008)

   Hail of Bullets was formed as a band with Worldwar II concept when Asphyx had a longer inactive period. And because musically it wasn't much different (in lyrics neither, since WWII topics also appeared there before), Hail of Bullets kind of filled the emptiness that was left behind after after Asphyx.
   So the same raw, noisy and heavy sound have returned with the suffocating vocal style of Martin van Drunen, except the music was written by others. The only difference was that Hail of Bullets had more intense music in general, though the effective demoralizing slow downs that were so common in Asphyx, also remained. Their debut covered the events of the Eastern Front from the Operation Barbarossa until the final fall of Germany. Even though WWII as a lyrical topic counts already as hackneyed in metal, the detailed way how Hail of Bullets managed it to illustrate by dedicating the project completely to that concept is quite genuine. This sound and style fits the best to express the cruel and tragic outcomes of the deadliest conflict in history. So for those who never can bored of it and also missed the noisy iconic sound of old Asphyx, Hail of Bullets became/could become a big favorite.

Hooded Menace - Fulfill the Curse (2008)

   The New Wave of Old School Death metal also opened a gate for related styles, so it could be found responsible for the Renaissance of death/doom metal. It was proven that the heavier, non-romantic and therefore less popular aspect of the subgenre can also offer diversity.
   If the characteristic deep growls of Hooded Menace might sound familiar, it's not a coincedence. It's the band of Lasse Pyykkö, whose voice was widely introduced previously in Acid Witch. Hooded Menace counts as a related band by it's completely horror addicted concept, but in style preferred to stay at the early roots of death/doom. Therefore their music might be harder to go into, but the old school references could help to guide the listener amongst the slow, heavy riffings (for instance "The Love Song of Gotho" is strongly reminding to "Chlidren of the Grave" by Black Sabbath). The album sounds a bit raw, like if it was still in experimenting/pathfinding form in some way. Similar to Finnish death metal in general, they also involved frequently returning catchy leading melodies, and when they turn to middle speed, their music has a nearly groovy feeling. However, even though their described toolbar sounds like an absolute win, all of these didn't removed their music from rawness, the combination of the noisy heaviness and the melodies stayed as a case at issue. "Fulfill the Curse" can be an enjoyable album for the fans of the heaviest musical aspect of horror.

Esoteric - The Manical Vale (2008)

   A lot have happened since the formation of Esoteric, and that's also literally meant, since the band showed impressive productiveness during their journey. They've tried various ways to combine strong atmosphere with heavy sound, and on their 5th full-lenght album "The Manical Vale" they somehow drifted back to their basics.

   From the perspective of death/doom and heavy sound, it became their roughest record (after the "Esoteric Emotions" demo of course), and could count as the most balanced one if it's about the combination of harshness and melancholy. They've always been known about extended song and album lenghts, and "The Manical Vale" also gives plenty of time to merge into the depths by it's 2x50 minutes lenght. Strong atmosphere gives the basic tone of the album, mostly assisted by simple, but catchy melodies, of course in quite slow ongoing process. Even if it's about funeral doom, to fill such a long time frame with themes in a diverse way (according to the style) to not turn too repetitive and boring, takes a lot of effort. Interestingly the melodies they've operated with often referring to quite old sources ('70s, '80s hard rock and doom metal) that are not really common to find at related bands. As the noisy, heavy riffs assisted by deep growling vocal style frequently switching them, they creating great contrast, but thanks to the atmosphere that unifies the whole album, they completing each other.  Even though "The Manical Vale" might sound rough, and having intense downpulling effect, it's still more like melancholic than depressing. The switches doesn't let the listener to fall to deep, or to levitate too far. Reaching balance in a style like this is evident singn how to master a genre and how to compose a masterpiece.