Damn! This is probably the cleanest sounding Impaled Nazarene album ever. As a matter of fact, Nihil sounds so out of character that I almost thought that this was a completely different band! This literally sounds like Dissection or In Aeturnam playing Impaled Nazarene covers with Mikka Luttien doing the vocal parts. The sound on the guitars is razor sharp and crystal clear, giving this a more Black Metal sound than any previous Impaled Nazarene album. Impaled Nazarene always sounded more like a Discharge-influenced Extreme Hardcore band with Satanic lyrics, but for whatever reason they decided to change all that this time. The Discharge element is still there, but the sound is so clean that they lost a lot of the raw, dirty Punk As Fuck sound. The songs are also a tad longer than before as well. The last time they did anything that was this far from the traditional Impaled Nazarene sound was the rather disastrous Soumi Finland Perkele album (which saw Kimo Luttien, Mikka’s brother and Legenda founder, getting kicked out for causing the band to stray too far from their roots). The songs are good and the playing is tight, but with the new sound I wonder if we can still call this Nuclear Metal?

Immortal’s metamorphosis from Black Metal to Death Metal has been an enjoyable journey. While Abbath’s vocals retain their Norwegian BM roots, the riffs have developed more structure and with superior production allow the hooks to be heard (including the bassline). Horgh’s drumming is pure precision in league with Pete Sandoval. In the immortal words of Bestial Warlust, this is “Death fucking Metal.” Unleash the ghosts of war on the helpless sheep!

Let’s see, what should an Immolation album deliver? Brutal anti-x-tian Death Metal, of course! And that’s exactly what we get once again. Some bands need to grow and evolve, and some know better than to really fuck around with that sort of thing too much. Immolation stick with what they know best, and the result is not surprising: a great album.

Feel the need for speed? Then you can’t go wrong with Hateplow. If they don’t get the job done for you, only an airplane crash will suffice otherwise. Much in the vein of Eternal / In Cold Blood era Malevolent Creation meets the first Divine Empire. Blinding speed is pretty much the foundation for the entire album, barring the awesome “Incarcerated (Intent to Sell),” which is devastating in its old school mid-tempo. What’s amazing is their ability to give riffs memorable finesse while playing 200 mph. I may never know that level of skill, but damn it feels good coming out of those speakers with a nice thick production to boot. Mandatory high-stress listening.

This is the latest album by Poland’s favorite Nazi, Rob Darken, and his Black Metal terror, Graveland. Out of all the Nazi Black Metal bands out there (Nokturnal Mortem, Thor’s Hammer, Thunderbolt, Absurd and, of course, Burzum - to name a few), Graveland is arguably the most talented. Burzum might be recognized by more people, but I seriously think that Graveland has better songs. This latest album is influenced by the quasi-Asatru/Wotansvolk manifesto of the same name, though this influence only comes through in the lyrics. Musically, this is a continuation of Immortal Pride and Lord Wind’s latest album, Heralds of Fight. There is still a militaristic vibe running through the songs, though not to the same degree as Lord Wind. The Slavic Folk element is very powerful, showing up in both the riffs and in the keyboard parts, and there is still a hint of Hammerheart-era Bathory in the mix. This band has come a long way from their Emperor-worshipping beginnings and if Epic Black Metal is your cup of tea, you won’t be wasting your money here.

This is the latest release by the world’s most talented Nazi Black Metal band, and though it was only a two-song affair, I firmly believe that it was worth the $13 that I spent on it. Unlike previous efforts, this EP has full-color artwork (of Vlad Tepes) and the packaging, though slightly minimal, is excellent. The two songs, “Impaler of Wallachia” and “In the Northern Carpathians,” both clock in at about 10 minutes each and continue on in the vein of Immortal Pride’s epic style. Impaler’s Wolves isn’t Immortal Pride part 2, if that’s what you’re thinking. Graveland is much more talented than that. For this CD, they have opted for a slightly rawer guitar sound and less of an “ethnic” style. This is more in the lines of Western European style Black Metal. There are still some bits of Slavic Folk here and there, but this has a much darker feeling - though only slightly less epic than Immortal Pride. If you want Black Metal with atmosphere, Graveland more than delivers the goods. These last two releases, this EP and Immortal Pride, have really set this band apart from the rest of the pretenders out there in the Black Metal community. To all of those people who’ve written Graveland off as being a joke, this Polish horde may get the last laugh on you yet.

Wasting no time after releasing their self-titled effort, Hypocrisy is back with ten new extraterrestrial tales on Into the Abyss. What makes this such an impressive release is that it incorporates elements of Hypocrisy’s entire back catalog to create a collection of songs that should appeal to any Hypocrisy fan no matter which release is your favorite. Into the Abyss is charged with ferocity and intensity, and backed by the rhythm section of Hedlund and Szöke, the music is as dynamic and solid as ever. As always, Tagtgren’s vocals shift effortlessly from Deathly growls to ghastly screams while his razor-sharp guitar riffs make songs like “Legions Descend” and “Blinded” instant Hypocrisy classics. Closing track “Deathrow” shares a strong bloodline with “Request Denied,” yet another classic from the release The Final Chapter. The production is flawless which, given Tagtgren’s talent as a producer, should come as no surprise. The packaging and layout are top-notch as well making this lush fold-out digipak as pleasing to the eyes as the music is to the ears. Into the Abyss is a necessity for Hypocrisy fans and the perfect introduction for those previously unfamiliar with this band’s music. This release is irrefutable proof that Hypocrisy has no intentions of slowing down or fading into obscurity any time soon.

Umm, gay fucking title, guys. Otherwise this is pretty good intense Thrash with bits of Death Metal in there, too. But it’s certainly not the be-all end-all that some apparently think it is. I do like the new screamer, though, and this is certainly an improvement over their debut.

Paying tribute to some of their personal favorites, the Grind Gore masters expertly cover Defecation, Carcass, Entombed, Regurgitate, and Entombed (an unbelievable rendition of “Premature Autopsy”), while also delivering sickness-added versions of Impetigo, Suicidal Tendencies, Cryptic Slaughter, and UFO classics. Their take on Impaled Nazarene’s “Satanic Masowhore” simply must be heard. And the real blood-icing on this corpse-cake is their own new (de)composition, “Oozing Molten Gristle.” Add to that the great liner notes detailing why they chose each song to cover, and you have a CD of epic proportions.