It’s been a while since I wrote a review, since my life has been filled with mock exams, auditioning for pop-rock bands (sorry guys, there’s more girls in that area), and the like. Encirclement has been lying around for a long time, so I decided to give it the final eyes closed spin, and jump onto it.

Although some people would’ve put old-school Death Metal as the genre for this album, I’m a bit hesitant. Yes, Encirclement clearly shows a Death-influence. But, where Death is clean, sophisticated and tight, these guys are harsh, raw and heavy. So, style-wise I’d place them somewhere between old-school death metal, for their death influences, and death ‘n roll for their rolling rhythms. Old-school Death ‘n Roll anyone?

Despite that I’m late, in case Santacock has been a bit of a cheapo with his gifts this year, maybe I can make up for it with two little tips that’ll get you value without having to empty your purse. Nerve End and Mirrors of Obsidian have and EP and full album respectively up for free, at least if a digital version of the releases will satisfy you. However, like always, we would like to stress that you can in fact support these bands by donating a little something. It isn’t ‘name your price’ for nothing.

Sometimes you wish bands would just stop making demos. Like (Psychoparalysis) for example. This four-pieced group of Fins from a town called Uusimaa just aired its third demo since forming in 2009. All of them are lengthy buggers, chuckin’ in well over fifteen minutes of music in just three or four songs. I reviewed their second demo, titled Forest of Ignorance which they released in 2010, in August and totally dug it. I called it a ”cunning display of musical abilities”. That wasn’t because it’s technical or fast, but because it’s just so well bolted together.

Well, now there’s more from where that came from; that third demo. It’s called Escalation and contains three songs, together clocking in 17 odd more minutes of Progressive / Melodic Death Metal that’s built very fuckin’ well. Where Forest of Ignorance already gave me enough proof to think these guys should start work on an album, Escalation adds to that and now I’m just going to say it out loud: get started on an album guys!

I would swear on my scrotum that I’ve heard this band before, just have no idea where and when. The track I’ve embedded only seems to be online since mid-June and either my short-term memory is leaving me or this just looks a lot like something else I’ve heard a longer time ago. It’s probably the former, combined with the scientifically proven fact that I’m an idiot.

But that’s not what I want to discuss today. Or ever. Instead, let’s talk about Brymir, yeah? They play a de-li-cious form of Pagan / Folk Metal, dark as an armpit inside a sweaty sweater, yet melodic as a motherfucker, like a mix of Ensiferum and Insomnium – thanks to motig for making that comparison and for recommending the band in fact. As inevitable as death, and you’ve probably already guessed it, these guys are Finnish.

The big moment! The top four of albums I’ve reviewed this year. If you’ve missed what came before this, these four were preceded by eleven other albums in Part 1 and Part 2 of this list. Today’s four are the absolute cream of the crop.

As you’ll read on, there’s one thing you might notice: Finland’s the winner. Each and every single band in this top 4 hails out of the most Metal nation on the planet. Something I only just discovered myself. I think the Finnish are to Metal what American are to hamburgers. What Germans are to cars. And what Dutchmen are to drugs and prostitutes.

Anyfuck, I can make this a long and boring speech up front, like they do with most award shows, but I think everyone would just prefer to fuckin’ get going with this! After all, it’s Christmas Eve tonight and I’m sure you’ll want to get back to spinning Metal albums sitting under the Christmas tree.

Yes! Part 2 of the most important list in the whole wide world of Metal. The list of best albums I have reviewed all year. You can’t possibly get a more complete overview of what happened in the Metallic world, anywhere.

Seriously though, this is just a list. My own little list of fifteen albums that struck a special chord with me this year. But then again, I do hear a fuckload of Metal over the course of a year and the fact that these fifteen stood out as the top albums does make them a little special, don’t you think? Hence they are albums that I highly recommend you to listen to, and buy when you can get your grubby hands on them and have no more fuckin’ debts to pay off.

Thanks to CroOZza’s comment here, I now know something I should’ve known months ago: that Black Sun Aeon has released a new album! One of many projects by Finland’s most busy Metal wonderboy Tuomas Saukkonen, this outfit traditionally represents the darkest of his projects.

Also traditionally, this project was one he manned 100% alone. Until now. I’m reading that for this new album, entitled Blacklight Deliverance, Tuomas is joined by two additional vocalists: Mikko Heikkilä (male cleans) and Janica Lönn (female cleans), bringing the total number of voices including Tuomas’ to three. Still at the old is the fact that Saukkonen’s responsible for all instruments by himself.

[A short while ago, DMB writer Angel did an interview with Finnish Pagan Metallers Moonsorrow when he attended their gig. The original transcription of this was published on Angel’s own weblog, In Angel’s Head [Phones]. We’re publishing a slightly adapted version of the article today.]

When you talk about Folk / Pagan Metal, Moonsorrow is one of the bands that’s often named first. They’re from the Finnish echelons of the genre and have been active since 1995. Their name stems from a Celtic Frost song, called Sorrows of the Moon, however, they didn’t immediately start out as a Folk Metal band, but as a Black Metal outfit. An influence still heard in their stuff today.

Recently, I checked in with Ville (bass) and Mitja (guitars) from Moonsorrow, while in the midst of the Dead Tyrants Tour with Tyr and Crimfall, supporting the latest album release, Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa. They took some time out before preparing for the gig (drinking tea and vodka, in good Finnish fashion) to answer some questions about the tour, the album and a few surprises along the way.

List season has arrived. Soon the internet will be littered with countless lists of the year’s best albums. After pondering what my own list might be I realised that I couldn’t possibly come up with a truely ‘best of’ list. I haven’t even heard every album that’s come out this year, I imagine no one has. So, to do something a little different I’ve put together a list of my favorite releases from 2011 that were offered for free, including some with a name your price option. Remember, this is a ‘favorites’ list not a ‘best of’ list, I haven’t heard all the free ones either. Of the freebies I’ve heard these are the ten that have kept me coming back and I’ll present them two at a time.

10. – Savage Messiah – A Plague of Conscience

Old-school Death Metal – or stuff that looks a lot like it – rarely comes out of Finland. Such bands reside in Sweden, The US, The Netherlands, The Czech Republic for fuck’s sake. Not from Finland. Finland is home to the nature-loving Melodeath bands, forming a market and an offer that is the absolute cream of the cock crop. But as with everything, there are exceptions. Today’s exception is called Abhordium.

Abhordium is from a place called Salo in the South of Finland, where it formed in 2005. After an internet-released demo in their early years, 2009 saw the release of their first real EP and two years later, on June 14^th they came running out of the studio with When Depravity Incarnates, their first full-length release. Not to want to make you jealous or something, but I got that. For fuckin’ free! All I need to do in return is write this review.