Virgin Black - Requiem-Fortissimo (2008)
The End Records

This is the second of Virgin Black's Requiem trilogy. Last year saw the release of "Mezzo Forte", with Pianissimo still to come. "Pianissimo" means quiet, "mezzo forte" is medium-loud and "fortissimo" is loud. That means this CD will be the most intense of the three.Definitely heavier than its predecessor, Requiem - Fortissimo is another landmark for Virgin Black. Singer and mastermind Rowan London left his clean vocals home on this one. Growling from the first second to the last, this might take listeners by surprise. But true to himself, Rowan showcases once more that he is one of the best singers out there, managing to bring emotion, melancholy, and variation to his growls. At times, it sounds like Satan is in the house and can become quite disturbing if you are unprepared for this kind of vocals. Plus Rowan's vocals are often coupled with disturbing background vocals, either male or female. If I had to rename this album, this one would be called "Land of the Dead". It's so dark, it feels like we are projected into a twilight world where the dead are talking to the living.Virgin Black is one of the best Gothic/Doom bands of our days!

8,5/10

Tiamat - Amanethes (2008)
Nuclear Blast

Tiamat was one of those bands that started out death/doom and really got the whole doom vibe hyped up in the early nineties, then became gay as shit gothic, gained a bunch of fans and lost a whole lot more (or less, who knows).Amanethes is the first record in 5 years and nobody really expected that Johan Edlund and Co would tie in with the class of an “Astral Sleep” record. Well “Amanethes” doesn’t sound like “Astral Sleep” at all, it rather sounds like a best of Tiamat and every single Band influence can clearly be heard out!From the Hippie sounding ballad rock song “Meliae” with nice soulful guitar solos over to the typical 80ties rock song “Summertime is gone“, to the evil rock and goth song “The Temple of the crescent moon”, Tiamat shows the listener that they have great skills in mixing different styles without sounding boring or immature.With “Amanethes”, a mixture of the best Tiamat has ever created, they will target a lot of the older Fans but they will also get the attention of the rest of the music world!

8/10

Children Of Bodom - Blooddrunk (2008)
Spinefarm Records

Children of Bodom's 2005 album "Are You Dead Yet?" was successful in bringing the band greater exposure in North America. However, it also created a rift between fans who preferred their older neo-classical style (I was one of them as well) and those who were attracted to the heavier, yet simpler, industrial song structures of "Are You Dead Yet?" Now, at the dawn of their sixth studio release, "Blooddrunk," we see Alexi Laiho and company attempting to please old and new fans alike. Surprisingly, it works.My hopes for this record were not particularly high, and I was honestly expecting another one in the vein of Are You Dead Yet?, if not worse. This may not be a return to their former creative prowess, but it is certainly much better than their last effort and harks back to classic Bodom at certain times. Unoriginal as the formula may be by now, Blooddrunk still sees the guys putting out a better-than-average release, with Alexi and Janne’s guitar and keyboard virtuosity as delicious and hooky as ever.Overall, "Blooddrunk" serves up one strong all killer, no filler dish of in-your-face melodic death-thrash metal.Welcome back guys!

8/10