Funeral Rain Press Corps

Genre: Blackened Death Metal
Label: Listenable Records

Polish masters of blackened death, Hate sound in some ways a lot like Behemoth. They’ve got a similar vocal style and music writing, but there seems to be less of a black metal atmosphere to Hate’s music, taking a more direct death metal approach.
And fuck is it great. Not a note is wasted, not a breath is in vain; Erebos goes for the throat of the religious and the weak with seemingly no regard for the safety of those that get in the way.
The production of the album lets you hear everything, each guitar, each bassline, each drum kick, snare, cymbal and tom, allowing for maximum air instruments. The vocals of ATF Sinner are deep and evil, and you’ll soon find yourself invisible-oranging to them without conscious thought.
Erebos is nearly a perfect album, and if you’re into Behemoth, Morbid Angel, or Death you should get it.
8.5 out of 10.

Hate on Facebook.
Hate on MySpace.

Genres: Black Metal, Doom, Progressive Black Metal
Label: Hypnotic Dirge Records

The Foetal Mind hail from France, a land known for depression, oppression, and rebellion, and from all of that comes French art. Whether it’s music, painting, poetry, it doesn’t matter: French art mirrors France in so many ways. And The Foetal Mind are no different.
I would definitely label this mostly instrumental album progressive, as it pushes the boundaries of what so-called black metal and doom are, mixing the two with some drone and DSBM touches. It’s a slow-moving journey through the genres, taking the listening audience through emotions that range from slightly melancholy to outright depressed, leaving a wellspring of catharsis and inspiration at the end.
Instrumentally, Lord Trowe is intensely talented. The Foetal Mind show off some astounding riffs with great leads and solos peppering the album, making it something that fans of many genres will like.
One of my favorite songs, “Instrumental”, has some electronic sounding drums and a hypnotic doomed prog riff over it that just blows my fucking mind. My absolute favorite song on the album, “Big Crunch”, has some of the best funeral doom vocals I’ve heard, courtesy of Segomaros.
I’d recommend the album for fans of Arch Enemy, Legions of Crows, Monarch, Paradise Lost, and more. If you like metal you should like The Grand Contraction.
8.5 out of 10.

The Foetal Mind on MySpace.

Genres: Metalcore, Metallic Hardcore, Progressive Metalcore
Label: Listenable Records

A brutal beatdown of extremely talented proportions, The Eyes of a Traitor’s Breathless is a metallic hardcore assault on the senses. Well, assault on one sense at least. Auditory receptors will become scarred with the high volume and repetitive listening that this album will cause.
Sing-along parts that are not full of whiny vocals, but rather strong emotive ones are coupled with screams that sound like come from the soul, not the lungs. Simple guitar parts are followed by fingerburners with great solos and killer blasts from the drum kit. In other words, it’s progressive metalcore, pushing the often stale genre to a new height, seeming to take what Killswitch Engage and their contemporaries all brought to the table and combining it into something else to make it their own.
I definitely recommend getting this into your collection.
8.5 out of 10.

The Eyes of a Traitor on MySpace.

Genre: Thrash
Label: AFM Records

As almost everyone knows, thrash is not my strong point for knowledge. It’s just a genre that I’ve never devoted tons of time to. But about seven seconds into Discipline of Hate I knew I was getting into a thrash album, and I think this might be the album that really makes me a thrash fan.
Picture Slayer and Sepultura, if you’ve never heard Korzus. The classic Brazilian sound with a little bit of Americanization. Fucking heavy, catchy riffs that you end up having in your head for the next hour or more. That kind of thrash.
I think I’m going to screw this promo copy I’ve got and go get the real thing ASAP.
8.5 out of 10.

Korzus on MySpace.

Genre: Industrial
Label: Alfa-Matrix

Sebastian Komor has been doing this shit for years, and the debut from his eponymous project proves it. This is some of the freshest industrial I’ve heard in awhile, and it’s perfect for either the club or the car.
It reminds me of Skinny Puppy, especially the fourth track “Atrapado”, while also bringing to mind iVardensphere (who are inspired by Komor’s other projects), The Prodigy, and the fathers of industrial rock KMFDM.
Oh wait, did you just say that Sascha from KMFDM is on this record? Well fuck. It goes to prove just how similar to black metal industrial really is: everyone is on everyone’s record and everyone is in everyone’s band.
At the end of the disc, with album closer “Blues ‘N’ Tubes” showcasing some really odd and fun shit, I find myself waiting for it to spin again. It’s definitely something that can be played twice or three times in a row without getting tiring.
If you’re a fan of industrial in general, or Komor’s other projects Icon of Coil, Zombiegirl, Moonitor, and others, you need to get this album when it drops in February 2011.
8.5 out of 10.

Komor Kommando on MySpace.