New Music Round-Up: 14th September 2014

It's been a couple of months since my last Weekly Round-Up post and although I can never make up for lost time, due in part to the massive backlog of new music I'm already facing, I can resurrect with this clutch of brilliant Metal songs from the last few weeks that you may have missed and that I think, deserve your time.

Eastern Front

Do you miss the mighty Thus Defiled, mourn for the days when Hecate Enthroned were still relevant and when Cradle Of Filth were Britain's up-and-coming hopefuls or are you just looking for an arse-kicking Black Metal band, British or otherwise? Well, look no further as Eastern Front could well be the band for you. Whereas the band's 2010 debut, "Blood On Snow" was 'merely' a respectable Black Metal album, it lacked an identity and real character. This time, the Ipswich boys do their record label (Candlelight) and the long and varied legacy of Black Metal, justice. Like peers, Fen, Winterfylleth, Old Corpse Road and their ilk, this is ferocious, brutal, in your face Black Metal, but with a distinctly British flavour.

 Aspherium

When I read about this band a while back, the dreaded words "Melodic Black Metal" made my heart sink and I expected these Norwegians to be just another by numbers band rehashing third-rate At The Gates riffs and bashing out predictable, boring and formulaic songs. Well, how wrong I was! No, this isn't really doing anything groundbreaking, but this is one band who are taking their, often glaringly obvious, influences and are actually doing them justice. This is lovingly crafted and catchier than Ebola (too soon?) and very soon, this band could be giving the old guard a real run for their money.

Black Moth

Where to begin with the brilliant and fantastically unique, Black Moth? Well, try to imagine a wonderfully potent blend of Grunge, Alt-Rock, Stoner Rock and Sabbath-esque Doom Metal. Whereas their debut was an enjoyable and promising slab of British Metal from a hungry young band, it did all too often stray into Sabbath-aping territory. This time, however, Black Moth have found their own sound and have really upped the ante. If you still haven't discovered this little gem of a band, what are you waiting for?

Falconer

So, Falconer, eh? They have always been and still are one of those love them or hate them bands. They do what they do and they don't really stray from their distinctive and well-worn musical path. Is this a band thing? Sometimes, yes...but not in this case. This is the Falconer you have come to expect, but even though the medieval minstrel element is still present and correct, this is an altogether heavier, thrashing stomper of an album. I can't recommend this enough, to both longtime fans and sceptics alike. Listen and judge for yourself.

The Haunted

After an odd and unexpected (but brilliant) foray into Tool-esque Grunge on "Unseen", The Haunted are back in more familiar Thrash / Groove / Melodic Death Metal territory on album number 8. They are never going to be world beaters and are unlikely to even regain their late-90's position as Sweden's premier Thrash Metal act, but with Marco Aro back behind the mic, this is certainly a respectable enough return to the style the band helped to put on the map.