As one of heavy metal's most popular subgenres, melodic death metal has seemingly had every possible angle covered, but Finland's Kalmah have arguably challenged that assumption with their late-‘00s efforts, after striking upon a style enhanced by an unconventional blend of serrated thrash riffing and swirling synthesizers. This blend is once again showcased in impressive fashion by the group's sixth full-length, 12 Gauge, which, if anything, is even more aggressive than its immediate predecessors, on the strength of raging moshers like "Bullets Are Blind," "Hook the Monster" and "Godeye"…

80 minutes of epic orchestral doom/ death metal from musicians known from such acts as Susperia, Dimmu Borgir, Sirenia and Funeral. Abyssic convey sombre funeral doom draped in Norwegian black metal majesty and sophisticated 70's progressive rock. Low-tuned sinister riffs and discerning orchestration for fans of Septic Flesh, My Dying Bride and Shape Of Despair.

Brymir is perhaps best known for their beautiful and epic orchestrations, adding an extra dimension and a huge sound to the band. Previously, this has been kind of a challenge, as the guys have also taken care of the production side of the albums themselves. Years later, vocalist Viktor Gullichsen, now has the experience he was lacking back then and as a result the sound of this album is huge, very cinematic, while on the other hand the album kept in touch with its genre and also has this raw edge to it. Impressive. But what would a fantastically produced album be without epic songs? In that aspect Brymir certainly delivers. This album contains a wide assembly of styles and genres and shows Brymir’s various musical extremes more dynamically than ever before.

The 21st century Septic Flesh, which takes its sweet time plotting and refining its Gothic death metal legacy into blazing, unforgettable hymns of eloquent brutality and extravagance, has continued to scale in quality which each consecutive release. Sumerian Daemons went beyond a just recompense for the seasoned Greeks' sole stumbling block (Revolution DNA), and through Communion, they've honed and polished their modus operandi to new, streamlined heights with even better balanced and catchier songwriting than nearly any of their back catalog, and the one exception, Ophidian Wheel, simply can't match the stunning production values here; rich and fulfilling, dark and exotic, an impeccable median between modernism and antiquity.

To this point Kalmah have established themselves as one of the very best bands of the Finnish melodeath scene, if not the best band, edging out peers like Norther and Children of Bodom. With their 5th opus For the Revolution, they are only out to reinforce that fact with yet another excellent effort. The album boasts a killer Tico Tico studio production, seamlessly blending the band's signature heavy use of synths into the standard instruments. The title track opens the album, pure Kalmah reminiscent of They Will Return. "Dead Man's Shadow" is far catchier with its folkish guitar melody. Ditto on "Holy Symphony of War" with another bracing and catchy guitar line. "Wings of Blackening" is like a steamroller of melodic death/thrash with some excellent leads. "Outremer" is another insanely catchy track.

Three years after Swampsong, Kalmah returned with a successor to their trilogy that kicked off their career. Kalmah’s sound became more cemented in melodic death metal without the extraordinary fervor of the previous material. Therefore, this album sounds tamer in comparison. Each album thus far has brought a less explored avenue for Kalmah, with this one taking that concept further into stability. This time it’s a slightly thrashier Kalmah, but overall it feels like a natural transition from the eclectic early years.

The veteran Swedish metal group's tenth studio long-player, Verkligheten arrives via its cinematic title track, a slow-burn instrumental that evokes Bring Me the Horizon by way of Ennio Morricone. Soilwork have been infusing punishing Gothenburg-style death metal with European power metal majesty since the mid-'90s, and Verkligheten doesn't disappoint on the latter end of the equation, delivering a meaty 12-track set that's spilling over with soaring guitarmonies and horned hand-soliciting choruses…

While they've never exactly qualified as paparazzi targets, the members of Finnish gothic death metal ensemble Insomnium always seem to keep a pretty low profile between albums, happily buggering off to their respective caves for hibernation or whatever it is they do up there in the frozen north. All jesting aside, when the band eventually resumes its rock & roll existence, a grand reentrance is almost de rigueur, and fifth album One for Sorrow's deliberate, slow-rising intro piece, "Inertia," delivers just that, via minimal echoes and ghostly cymbals that evolve through marshal rhythms and murmured growls into the recognizable blend of thundering riffs, lush synths, and spine-tingling howls that define the Gothenburg metal style…

Some albums are born from necessity rather than desire. When a Shadow Is Forced Into the Light is one. After Swallow the Sun issued their triple-length magnum opus Songs from the North I, II & III in 2015, tragedy struck. Guitarist/composer Juha Raivio lost his life partner, the poet and vocalist Aleah Stanbridge, to cancer at the end of 2016. She and Raivio had formed the band Trees of Eternity but she passed before their debut was completed. He finished and released the album then went into seclusion. Upon returning, he formed the band Hallatar, composing songs from lyrics in her journals. They released No Stars Upon the Bridge in 2017. But Raivio also channeled his grief into this extended reflection on loss, sadness, heartbreak, and transformation for STS; he penned its nine songs in three weeks…