Pharaoh - Be Gone (2008)

Riff-tastic progressive/power metal featuring the vocalist of Control Denied. I was never a fan of that project, and luckily where it failed to exceed Pharaoh accomplishes perfectly. The melodies are memorable, and every song stands apart from the rest. When I used the phrase riff-tastic, I was really doing the band a disservice, because the flow of every song, the arrangements, the transitions, practically every aspect is spot on. It may take a while to become used to some of the production quirks (pitifully absent bass sound, for example) but the payoff is far more than worth the effort.

Megaupload

Alchemist - Spiritech (1997)

Amazing progressive/psychedelic metal from Australia; some of you have probably heard (or heard of, at least) this band before, but for those interested this is the pinnacle of their work. Highly recommended.

Link

Dãm - The Difference Engine (2007)

Dãm (Hebrew for "blood") is a Progressive Death/Black Metal band from the U.K. that has remained perplexingly unrecognized by the metal-loving-masses since their inception in 1997.
Their 2007 album, "The Difference Engine" (taking it's name from the 1990 steampunk novel by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling), is indicative of this apparent quandary.
In it, the band manages to take influences from later Death as well as some of the musical tendencies and verbosity of fellow countrymen Carcass, borrow themes straight from the playbook of Philip Glass's 'Koyaanisqatsi', and filter it all through the veneer of forward-thinking Norwegian Blackmetallers Emperor WITHOUT sacrificing cohesiveness- a problem all too common with genre-hopping metal bands today.

Check them out. You might be pleasantly surprised-
Try
Buy (C'mon, you can spare 3 euros)

-FeatherofHuginn

Mitochondrion - Archaeaeon (2008)

Contained within the meager frame of this 70 minute long album is a barrage of sound, fury and calculated aural abomination which puts the previous efforts of many bands to great shame. Twin vocal attacks bludgeon and pierce as a wall of dissonance and percussion paint landscapes of torment and decimation. Fleeting acoustic passages create contrast and offer slight respite from the wailing, atonal opuses, and indeed on first listen this album seems almost entirely and incomprehensibly chaotic, drawing equally from Canadian War Metal and the unique, horrific soundscapes of Portal, but after prolonged exposure patterns begin to appear, not just within the songs themselves but their progression throughout the album. The first several tracks are whiplash assaults of sonic violence, offering little breathing room for melody or tonality. "The Eternal Contempt of Man" marks a shift in Mitochondrion's attack, slowing down to assail the listener with truly twisted riffs which harken to the likes of Ved Buens Ende or Enslaved, and by the time "Oath in Defiance" rattles its dying breath, a near total transformation has occurred. "Wraithlike" relies less upon the constant cacophony of the earlier tracks, and more upon the build and release of epic, melodic crescendos. Still other tracks showcase such influences as doom metal and harsh noise, to one extent or another.

Despite this staggering sum of influences, Mitochondrion manage to create one of the most cohesive listens in recent memory, stringing together riffs, songs and styles as expertly as French innovators Magma did when creating the genre of Zeuhl. My only hope from this point onward is that more begin to pay attention to this and other bands, not content with perpetuating the same tepid sound until no one remains who is willing to pay attention. Without innovation or progression, the essence of art is dead. I for one hope this to mark a new beginning, rather than be a tragic swansong, falsely prophesying what could have been.

320
FLAC

Akphaezya - Anthology II: Links from the Dead Trinity

Genre : Avant-garde Gothic/Progressive Metal with Jazz and World Fusion influences.

Country : France

Hailing from the highly innovative French Metal scene is Akphaezya combining Progressive Metal with some very enjoyable soft Jazz, samples of instruments from across the world and some harsh vocals for aggression and packing it all tight into one album. The album almost effortlessly shifts genres, be it piano driven easy listen jazz to distorted guitars with harsh vocals and back, every track on this album has something new to offer.
One of the reasons why this album is so interesting is the vocalist and painist Nehl Aëlin who can pull of growls, extemely fast high pitched singing, operatic yet non sopranoish vocals, broadway vocals, eastern tone and whispers and utilizing them at precisely right time to perfectly complement the music played.
As far as the music goes, at some points your not quite sure which instrument is being played and the transitions between some bass and drum thumping to a sweeping melody with piano and guitars to a very catchy chorus is executed flawlessly. The inclusion of samples from various cultures to their music has not been overdone and is an added advantage to their music. Well fitted and memorable solos, a very clear bass tone, joyful piano and complementing drums make this album a memorable listen.
Approach with an open mind and you should love this.

Enjoy!

Adramelch - Irae Melanox (1988)

Now this one is special folks!

It is quite hard to get into and the ghastly production shure doesn't help, but once this clicks it will be on your favorite albums lists for the rest of your lives! Second to none songwriting, beautifuly crafted melodies and heartful singing, all done with such passion bands these days can only dream about.

If you like early Fates Warning, you simply cannot go wrong with this.

MU