1995 was certainly a definitive year for the New Wave of Swedish Death Metal. At the Gates' Slaughter of the Soul and In Flames' The Jester Race were released that year, both albums seamlessly meshing the melodic ambition of old schoolers Iron Maiden and Judas Priest with the aggression of '90s death metal; boasting instrumental chops and gifted songwriting, those two bands helped define the face of Scandinavian metal for years to come. But one must not overlook Dark Tranquillity's contributions to the genre, specifically The Gallery, which may not be rightfully recognized as the bona fide classic that it is. While these Swedes' debut, Skydancer, was an ambitious and disjointed affair exhibiting more promise than solid tunes, sophomore platter The Gallery fulfilled that promise - and then some…

Of the three albums that make up Gothenburg's holy trinity, Dark Tranquillity's The Gallery was the least immediate, with unorthodox song structures that took time to assimilate, while At the Gates' Slaughter of the Soul didn't truly cement its classic status until a new generation of American metalcore bands started to copy it riff for riff. In Flames' The Jester Race, however, pretty much announced itself as a masterwork right from day one. More than any other, this is the album that put the "melodic" in melodic death metal. Traditionalists who'd never been able to stomach death metal's brutality were stunned to hear winding, intricate twin-guitar lines lifted from Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and countless European power metal records…

In Flames was certainly under the extreme-metal microscope upon the release of Soundtrack to Your Escape and its predecessor, Reroute to Remain. The band had the potential to crack the metal underground wide to the mainstream, existing on the cusp of international stardom with its progressive extrapolations upon the Swedish metal genre they helped create. Fact is, Soundtrack to Your Escape exists to further polarize In Flames' fan base - "Touch of Red" and opening cut "F(r)iend" are their heaviest riff monsters since Colony, which blatantly contrast "The Quiet Place," which is jammed with cascading guitar melodies and a thick, sticky chorus which, in a just world, would make for a rock-radio smash…

Like their countrymen Entombed, In Flames add the familiar influence (and sense of groove) of classic heavy metal to their extreme death metal sounds, as well as progressive instrumental interludes that help lend a feel of epic drama to their music. Colony's arrangements experiment with sound effects, melodic guitar leads, varied textures, and Hammond organ, adding more detail, contrast, and dramatic structure to the rush of their onslaught and making it a definite step forward for the group.

Quadra is the fifteenth studio album by Brazilian metal band Sepultura, released on February 7, 2020. It is a concept album based on numerology, the number four and its significance as depicted on Quadrivium.

It is time to cover Europe in darkness once again: Today, BEHEMOTH release their new digital EP "Live At Maida Vale". The release precedes the black metal heroes' tour edition of their latest album "I Loved You At Your Darkest", which will be out on January, 24th. Poland's darkest force recorded several songs during an exclusive BBC Radio 1 session and are releasing the EP in support of their appearance on the upcoming European SLIPKNOT tour.

Limited edition 2008 13 disc (12 CDs + PAL/Region 0 DVD) box set featuring all the albums from the Swedish Metal band released on the Century Media label in one noble solid box with gold foil print plus a DVD: The Church Of Tiamat.. Contains a total of 131 audio tracks, which translates to over 10 hours of head banging playing time! Includes a 64-page booklet with all lyrics.

San Diego-based deathgrind masters CATTLE DECAPITATION release their new album, titled "Death Atlas", on November 29 via Metal Blade Records. The members of CATTLE DECAPITATION have never shied away from confronting the awfulness wrought upon the natural world by the human race, and "Death Atlas" is their bleakest offering to date. The cover art says it all: a stooped, skeletal Grim Reaper carrying the burnt-out husk of our planet on his back. "The core concept of this record is humanity's insignificance despite what we've convinced ourselves," explains vocalist Travis Ryan. "That's kind of why this album cover takes place in space, to remind you that 'the universe always finds a way to purge'. In the grand scheme of things, our species is merely a fleeting thought." This imagery is backed up with a ferocious soundtrack, which includes elements of death metal, grindcore, black metal, sludge, doom, drone — with Ryan's vocals broader and more fully realized than ever before.