Imindain/Hate Forest/Eluveitie/Zao/Darkest Hour

And The Living Shall Envy The Dead-Another pretty good doom metal band, with infusions of death metal. The band is a supergroup almost with members coming from bands like: Infant Bite, Maniakal Torment, Iota Draconis, Crepitation, Camel Of Doom, Esoteric, and Disembowelled. I never noticed until recently that the band is from the UK, along with Funeral Doom legends Esoteric. I always thought the band was from USA. A good paced hippie death-doom release. Recommended for fans of: Mountains Became Machines (also from stoke-on-trent), Irreversible, Esoteric, & Ataraxie. Overall Rating: 6.8/10
Battlefields-The better side of Hate Forest that i didn't hear in some of the other releases. This CD concentrates a little more on ukrainian folk elements than the other releases. The release is so popular that they have rereleased it 3 times with different artwork. Probably more favored than the other releases, but not my favorite. Recommended for fans of: Drudkh, Astrofaes, and Blood Of Kingu. Overall Rating: 7.1/10
Spirit-For cliche gothenburg melodic death metal, Eluveitie is actually pretty good. Eluveitie plays "christian safe" melodic death metal infused with folk metal. I love how they mix in the instruments like the hurdy-gurdy and bagpipes, tin whistles and bohdran. This album is really good in moderation. Bands like Soilwork, Arch Enemy, In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Hate Eternal, Carcass, and etc. have slaughtered good melodic death metal. Eluveitie really can only be listened to in small amounts because of these other melo-death bands ruining the image for them. Recommended for fans of: Winter Dome, Soilwork, In Flames, Melo-Death and Folk and Pagan metal. Overall Rating: 7.8/10
Author-Zao's first release to come out to the public. I admit, this thing was really frigin hard to find just on internet copy, let alone a hard copy. The CD is very raw and reminisces of old hardcore influenced Zao. This release is so early for metalcore to hit the scene, that this isn't even considered metalcore. But i truely say, without a doubt, christians created a few genres: Embodyment invented Deathcore, Emery and UnderOath invented new wave emocore, and Zao invented metalcore. Recommended to fans of: Six Feet Deep, Point Of Recognition, and Since Remembered. Overall Rating: 5/10 (rawness of recording and the fact i hate most straight-up hardcore)
So Sedated, So Secure-One of Darkest Hour's early 90's releases. This album is fun, melodic, thrashy, and humorous. The internet copy i burnt has the reissue edition bonus tracks, which are hilarious. Bear Huntin' USA is defenitely the best comedy song i've listened to. Overall, the album wasn't a great rememberence, but it was a fun listen that, again, should be listened to in moderation (like all melo-death). Recommended for fans of: As I Lay Dying, (early) Destroy The Runner, In Flames, Carcass, Arch Enemy, etc. Overall Rating: 6.9/10

Zao/The Ocean/Austrian Death Machine/Emery/As Cities Burn

Liberate Te Ex Inferis (Save Yourself From Hell)-Probably the scariest and dark of all Zao's releases. The album is based on the book "Dante's Inferno" and every two songs are divided into a different ring of hell. (I: Limbo, II: The Lustful, III: The Gluttonous, IV: The Hoarders and the Spendthrifts, V: The Wrathful) The Album's last track is probably the scariest thing i have ever heard aside from some songs by The Axis Of Perdition. This album is great. Recommended to fans of: The Axis Of Perdition. Overall Rating: 8.3/10
Precambrian-The newest release from The Ocean Collective. This one they decided to bring in a cool idea of splitting the album in two. The first disc is their heavier material, more death and sludge material. The second disc is more atmospheric symphonic sludge. The release is very good, and experiments (again) with metalcore and deathcore elements. Recommended to fans of: Irreversible, Atmospheric Sludge, and Death metal. Overall Rating: 7.1/10
Total Brutal-A side project from Tim Lambesis of As I Lay Dying. This album is madddd funny. It is very upbeat, hypey thrash/crossover/metalcore. The album is based on Tim's love for Arnold Schwarzanegger and his movies. The album has many guests, including Destroy The Runner's singer Chad Ackerman doing the impressions. The album has songs based on his movies like: Kindergarten Cop, Predator, Terminator, and others. This album is the best thrash release i have listened to ever. Recommended to fans of: Destroy The Runner, As I Lay Dying. Overall Rating: 8.8/10
While Broken Hearts Prevail-Emery's newest release. An EP release of new songs that will be featured on the new 2009 album. This album has a reissue from their first EP which i was excited about. The EP was supposedly reminiscent of the "Columbus EEP Thee" Ep, but i truly find it as a transition that was missing between their first and second album. I love the release and i'm ready to listen to this CD a million times like my other emery cds :3 Recommended for fans of: Emarosa, Akissforjersey, Youinseries. Overall Rating: 9.9/10
Come Now Sleep-For the longest time i hated this release because i was so upset at the fact their old singer left and their style drastically changed. They went off like Destroy The Runner, where they went from almost all screaming, to almost all singing. The album is very technical/atmospheric/ambient post hardcore. I love the material now that i gave it a chance. I obviously love it for totally different reasons than i love their previous album. Recommended to fans of: Emarosa, Youinseries, Versus The Mirror. Overall Rating: 9.8/10