Farmakon: Robin

Death metal vocals mixed with melodic singing instantly remind you of Opeth. This band seems to be attempting to mix old death metal Opeth with new melodic prog Opeth; much as the actual band have done on their last effort. Farmakon pretty much pull it off rather well and this is no mean feat. I, for one, have no problem with more bands attempting to follow the Opeth path. Some might consider this CD a bit too derivative at times; but when it's done so well it's hard to complain. Even a bit of jazzy prog sneaks into tracks like "Wings".

If you are keen on your metal being clever, melodic, and multi-dimensional then Farmakon are worth seeking out. Can't wait to hear what they come up with next.

My Shameful: Descend

Miserable, this lot; however they evoke memories of gothy death at its absolute best, heavy, aggressive, but melodic at the same time. It's fun stuff to be grumpy with. I am sure heavy goth fans will eat this up in droves. There is a song on here called "Self-Abuse"; need I really say more?

Sotajumala: Teloitus

They are Finnish and play death metal in their own language. They evoke everything thing you need to know about the scene. This is not for the faint-hearted but it's even more fun in Finnish than English, methinks. Will work really well at driving away the most persistent of happy clappy door-to-door pests. Might even work better than Slayer due to the language barrier.

Well, those are your reviews for another week. As I eye the huge pile of review stuff before me, I must wade into the blackened forest that is Metal Mind releases.

As always, stay safe and keep hitting those live gigs.