Europe
“War Of Kings” (single)
UDR
While just a single and not really being familiar with much Europe ouside of their hits, this is a pretty decent standard metal song reminiscent of maybe something Dio would have put out.  Just a pretty good classic metal release. It’s a shame there just aren’t a whole lot of fans out there for this type of stuff anymore. Full album out in March

Taake
Stridens Hus
Candlelight/Dark Essence
Classic melodic black metal stuff going on.  These guys have been around for quite some time

Wolfheart
Winterborn
Spinefarm
Great melodic death, some brutal aggressive stuff going on, catchy guitar, yet also with a bit of a black metal vibe too.

Seek Irony
Tech N’ Roll
Evil Snail Recordings
Basically a commercial-accessible hard rock thing with catchy licks and clean vox. (a little nickelback-like) Some electronic stuff going on too, maybe a Static-X lite (but with the clean vox)

Cancer Bats
True Zero – radio single
Metal Blade Records
10 March 2015
Punky edged standard metal with some catch riffs and stuff.

Thulcandra
Ascension Lost
Napalm Records
Great melodic black metal/death metal from Germany.  It’s been 4 years since their last album… seems like they’ve honed their skills pretty well in that time.  Great melodic parts, and even better darker fast intense black metal parts.  Great guitar tones and drumming… with just the right amount of abrasiveness in the vocals.  This is probably my pick of the week!

Bling Guardian (Single Posted)
Beyond The Red Mirror
Nuclear Blast USA
As cheesy as Blind Guardian seems on the surface, they really are one of the best proggy power metal bands, well, ever.  They manage to keep it all heavy, while still having the symphonic and power metal things going on too.

Yesterday’s Saints
Generation of Vipers
Draconum Recordings
Starts off as some pretty sweet melodic death metal then transitions into some power metal.  Seems like this is their thing… melodic deathy power metal… I can’t say I’ve really heard many bands do it quite like this, and with good production too.  Good stuff.

HUETENSIL
KING
Mosh Pit.
Decent classic metal type stuff.

Minutian
Inwards
Inverse
A basic melodic proggy metal/hard rock type thing.

Callisto
Secret Youth
Svart Records
Melodic stoner doomy prog rock

Black Cilice
Mysteries LP
Iron Bonehead
Sigh.  Sounds like it was recorded on a 1980’s fisher price kid’s cassette deck, then mastered on a dictation machine.  WTF.  No. Sorry, I can’t get past shitty production, I don’t care if it’s a Dream Theater/Soilwork/Emerson Lake and Palmer supergroup concert dedicated to yours truly.  No thanks.

Hic Iacet
The Cosmic Trance Into the Void LP
Iron Bonehead
30 January 2015

DEAD HAPPY:
EP = “Banana God”
RECORD LABEL = Coffee Jingle Records
Reminds me a bit of a more metal Mindless Self Indulgence.  This is

Cryptic Hymn
Revel In Disgust (single)
Self- Release (Asher)
Just a single dammit… this is some cool catchy thrashy melodic death metal.

CARNATION (from Belgium)
Cemetery Of The Insane
Final Gate Records (Against PR)
Classic Brutal death metal, great sound and just a wall of brutal catchy metal coming at you.

AGOS (from Greece)
Irkalla Transcendence
Label: III DAMNATION Productions
Black/death metal. Noisy brutal wall of sludgy death metal… Pretty decent.

Shadowspawn
Ashes Of Sorrow CD
(out on 2/3/2015)
Melodic death metal, catchy thrashy stuff, it’s a solid release for this genre and good stuff.

Abscession (from Sweden)
Grave Offerings
Final Gate Records
Mainly death metal, a bit down tempo with a little pinch of a black metal tone (in the guitars)

Solefald
World Metal. Kosmopolis Sud
Indie Recordings
Folk metal with some proggy stuff going on

WINTERAGE (from Italy)
THE HARMONIC PASSAGE
Label: Nadir Music (Against PR)
Symphonic power metal with some folky stuff going on

GAME OVER
For Humanity (Re-Release)
Scarlet Records
Cool thrashy stuff… a reissue from their 2012 album.

ALIEN DEVIANT CIRCUS (from France)
Ananta Abhâva
Label: Necrocosm Productions
Industrial Black Metal, a bit noisy and post-metal-ish… some reallllly long songs too.  eh.

DIAPSIQUIR (from France)
L.S.D
Label: Necrocosm
Industrial-ish Doomy death metal

D.A.M. (from Brazil)
The Awakening
Self.Released
Release Date: 11 December 2014
Not to be confused with the british thrash band from the 90’s.  This is melodic death from Brazil.  Some proggy power metal stuff going on musically, the vocals are almost black metal style abrasive, but also going into some clean vox too.

Bleeding Eyes (from Italy)
Gammy
Label: Go Down Records
Some dooomy sludgey stuff with oh, maybe a little metalcore going on too?