Sphere adds some depth to the second stage with some brutal, skull crushing death metal. Nothing mind-blowing, but there is plenty of brutality to get behind.
Moving from death into a more black metal style, Deivos delivers "Blackness Incarnate." If nothing else, the metal representation on this set is varied; you never know what you may get next. These guys are quite good, with a varied song structure to keep you involved.
Benediction keeps the CD moving along with "Suicide Rebellion." Not one of the better tracks here. The song just never seems to go anywhere, content to bound through the black/death metal standards.
Forever Will Burn also wallows in mediocrity. The band hails from South Africa, and is not really bad; I just don't hear anything that makes them stand out from a crowd.
The next act brings in some old school black metal. Root has been around since the mid-1980s and hails from the Czech Republic. I did not particularly care for the song, "And They Were Silent," but it was not awful.
Ciryam is a progressive gothic act from, I believe, Poland. The music did not impress me all that much, but the unique female vocal delivery was more than enough to keep me listening. I am intrigued to hear what else they have to offer.
The CD side of the package is anchored by WU-HAE, a Polish band that seems very out of place. The sound is groovy, with distinct hard rock and hip hop influences. I like the song and would be interested in hearing more from them, but they do not seem to belong here.
Bottomline. All of the Metalmania collections I have experienced have been excellent. While I do not like all of the bands represented, the variety of styles and the fact that I have never heard of many of them before is more than enough to make it a worthwhile investment.
Recommended.
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