It's always nice when new good metal bands arise. The latest years bands like Harmony and Theocracy have come from nowhere and released incredibly good debut albums. Majestic Vanguard can very well be the next big metalband in the melodic/progressive metalgenre.The band hails from Falköping in Sweden and Beyond The Moon is their first album. Daniel Eskilsson is the frontman of the band. He is both the drummer of the band and the one that has written most of the tunes. Peter Sigfridsson is the vocalist and he does a good work with the singing. Something I really like with Majestic Vanguard is that they have a great amount of enjoyable guitarsolos and catchy hooks in their sound. Another thing that makes me glad is that the band doesn't hide their faith behind the bush but clearly points on Christ. One of my favourite tracks are Tears in Neverland that has both heaviness and very catchy hooks. Take Me Home, Emotions of a Picture and Footprints are three other tunes of worldclass. In some tunes I think the band is too progressive, would rather that they let loose more and focused even more on catchy hooks. As a whole though this is a really good cd with a healthy mix of melodies, heaviness and variation. With such a good debut album Majestic Vanguard shows that they definately are a force to be reckoned with.


References: This is an album I joyfully can recommend to everyone into melodic and progressive metal like Harmony, Theocracy, Narnia, Stryper etc.


Website: www.majesticvanguard.net


Orderinfo: Check with the mailordercompanys listed here

This is the Swedish band called Messenger. I have to clarify this, since there are two Christian Metal bands called Messenger, one from Sweden and one from USA. Anyway, with this clarified lets jump into the review! Messenger plays melodic rock/metal filled with catchy hooks and big singalong choruses. This is music that always makes me happy and puts a big smile on my face. Great stuff! Also really enjoy the Christcentered and honest lyrics.

Heart and Mind is the band's first EP and definately gives lots of promise for the future. Messenger surely has a great feel for writing catchy and melodic tunes. Stand out tracks are the cathy Eternal Life, the cool ballad The Day and the heartgripping cover Be För Sverige (Pray For Sweden).

My advice for this young band is first and foremost to keep their focus on Christ and continue writing tunes filled with catchy hooks and maybe also get a bit heavier. They have all the talent to succeed, they just have to keep their focus and continue to develop their skills more. A good thing would be taking singing lessons etc to take the band to the next level. All in all a really good EP from a promising band. I give it 4 solid guitars.


Website: www.messengerofficial.org


References: Check if out if you are into Melodic Metal/Glam and are looking for something new. Fans of Stryper, early Holy Soldier etc will definately enjoy this.


Orderinfo: Available directly from the band's website If you live in Sweden you can also get it from www.metalcommunity.se

Bluesy Hardrock with a Metal edge is what Messenger gives us. Messenger also has a really good vocalist and production is really good to be an independent release. What I like with this release is the Christcentered lyrics and the catchy hooks. Tracks like Hell Is No Party, The Rapture, America, Why? and Don't Shoot The Messenger are really topnotch material. Unfortunately all tracks are however not in the same league and there are too many fillers. On coming releases I would like the band to focus even more on catchy hooks and maybe also get a bit heavier. But what I hear already is promising so I give it thumbs up and 3 guitars. I'm sure many bikers will enjoy this.


Website: myspace.com/messengerdc


Orderinfo: Check with the mailordercompanys listed here

Metal Messiah is a thrash band hailing from the USA. This three track cd is their first release. The tempo is here but what I feel lacking is the melody and crunch. Something that I find really annoying is the the screaming choruses on at least two of the tunes. The band need to improve their songwriting overall, get a tighter sound and spend more thinking when they write their tunes. Third 3rd tune is a step in the right direction though.


References: If you are into thrash you might give this a try.


Orderinfo: Available from the band at their page http://www.metalmessiah.com

Messiahs Beard is a brand new thrash band from Sweden. Production and music is raw. Not the most professional I have heard to say the least.But it's crunchy and quite funny and kind of reminds of One Bad Pig, The Crucified and the faster parts of the early Vengeance Rising tunes. Like OBP they also have a definite punk influence to their sound. The lyrics are bold and clear and several of them talk about Jesus victory on the cross over satan. While not the best productionwise it's still very crunchyand they do show talent. With better production and more practise future releases can be really interesting.


References: If you are into thrash, especially One Bad Pig you can give this a try.


Orderinfo: Available from the band at their page http://www.messiahsbeard.madeofmetal.net

Time for collection number three from the country that seems to be filled with metalbands. On this collection there are only melodic metal bands featured. Of the participating bands it's only the melodic goth metal band Amos that I have heard before. Their track Shadows of Thy Cross is very hookladen. They have definately developed in the right direction. Another band that really sticks out is Clean Heart. Amazingly good melodic metal with tons of solos and melodic hooks. Wow! Definately the band band on the collection and a band to watch closely in the future. Another band that sticks out is Stractum Force. Their sound reminds very much of the German power metal band Lightmare. If I didn't know I would have thought that this was a new Lightmare tune. It sounds really good anyway with lots of choirs and classic influences. Besides these three bands it is unfortunately way too far between the highlights. It is simple said too many halfgood/halfbad tunes on the album. This is just too bad when the cd as a whole is really well produced. Clean Heart, Stractum Force and Amos are definately bands I would love to hear more of. I give the album as a whole a 2+ rating.


Orderinfo: Check with the page www.metalmission.com

Brazil has one of the biggest metal scenes in the world and new bands are popping up all the time. Flávio de Souza, the editor of Metal Mission have collected some of them on this collection. The bands included spans all the way from melodic metal to brutal death/black.

Trino is first band out. They play modern thrash but I feel like something is missing in the sound. More melody and crunchy rhythmes would do this band good. The Joke? sounds way too chaotic for me to like them. Dynasty follows next and now things starts to got better! I have heard a demo of theirs earlier which sounded promising. They deliver melodic metal with plenty of variation, many hooks and great guitarplay. Really promising band. Resistance continues on with some more classic melodic metal. The guitars sound very good and there are plenty of guitar solos to enjoy. Yeah! Their music also has a cool orchestral influence. Truly a great band that I would love to hear more of!

Arcanjo plays modern thrash but there isn't enough melody in it for me to enjoy it. Empty Grave is extremely fast and one of the leading bands when it comes to christian grindcore. It actually sounds pretty good and the rhythm reminds me of a faster version of Cut In Pieces by Vengeance Rising. Clemency follows next with some more brutality and heaviness. However I found the music too complex and less melodic to my taste. Skymetal is next band on the disc. They deliver fast brutal death metal but it's way too little harmony in their sound for me to enjoy it. Moshab delivers metalcore with the typical shouting vocals. Not my thing. Sacramento plays classic metal but music becomes too slow and boring plus the singer screams too much for his own good. Halleluyah follows next. Their sound reminds me of a fast Sacred Warrior tune. They have a great crunch to their sound and fast heavy rhythm. Really good stuff! I can also strongly feel the annointing of God on this track. Would love to hear a cd with this talented band!

Warblade delivers 70 hardrock in true Black Sabbath style. Not bad, can be something if they just add some more harmonies and speed up the tempo a bit. Last band out is the one-man-band Edson Boleti. He finishes the cd with a beautiful instrumental where he plays all the instrument.

In summarisation there are some hot metal bands on this collection that I really can recommend that you check out as well as some bands that don't really make it, at least not yet. I think some more good bands could have been included so I give it a 3- rating.


References: Check it out if you want to know more about the cool Brazilian metal scene.


Orderinfo: Check with the page http://w3.to/mmag

The metal scene in Brazil is always growing. This is the second collection Flávio of Metal Mission has compiled. The bands included spans all the way from melodic metal to brutal death/black.

My favourite track is the track by Kratos. An excellent Christmas tune in melodic metal style. It really has plenty of Christmas joy in it and it has the same feeling as Stryper's classic Winter Wonderland. An excellent tune from an excellent band. Would love to hear more from them! Bless is another new and promising band. As Kratos they sing in portugese. Musically they play melodic metal. A good band with a good sense of making memorable harmonies. Another excellent band on the compilation is Destra. They have included the track You Should Believe from their great cd Sea of Doubt. Progressive and Melodic Metal at it's finest. Definately one of the best Brazilian bands. Heavy Metal band Enigma didn't impress, they need to add more variation and melody to their sound. Devastation plays thrash and reminds slightly of Mortification. Their tune is fast but not enough melody to make it all the way, but the slow part with the heavy rhythm is really promising. Death Metal band Mortify have a brutal sound but need to incorporate more harmonies and variation to their music. Sebaoth carries on with more brutal music but still nothing that really grabs me. They need to have more variation in their tunes. Clamatorius has a very heavy sound. Really cool black metal with a great brutal voice. Could be something, but they need a better production.

Zurisaday another black metal band has plenty of atmosphere and melody to their sound. Unfortunately they fall slightly short when it comes to the vocals but music is very good. As clamotorius they also need a better production. Holy Throne continues on with more black metal and has an even faster sound. It's brutal but hasn't enough harmony for me to enjoy it. The tune could also have been much better mixed than it is. Vocals could also be better.

Themplo plays really fast classic melodic metal. The guitarists are extremely fast but tempo is not all, they have to incorporate some more hooks to the sound. An interesting band indeed with plenty of talent, definately one to keep an eye on. Heavy Metalband Vulgata follows next. Their track is too long, but it sounds promising anyway. They should just try to keep the tempo up. Seven Angels is another promising band. They have a female vocalist and their sound reminds of secular band Nightwish.

Even though I miss some of the best bands from this country like Shining Star and Antidemon this is still a great collection that shows how many cool up'n'coming metal bands there are in Brazil. I give it a 3+ rating.


References: Check it out if you want to check out the cool Brazilian metal scene. This collection has something for everyone and features plenty of talent.


Orderinfo: Check with the page http://w3.to/mmag

This is a really cool project! Metallimessu is simply a metal mass! The concept is to combine Heavy Metal and the mass liturgy of the Lutheran church.The result is really good. Music is at times very heavy and catchy and besides music the mass also contains both Bible reading and Psalms from the Psalm book.A letdown with the cd is however that it is on Finnish only, which makes it hard to understand what is said. But although I can't understand it allit's still a really nice and uplifting album. Now I only wonders when it will come a Swedish and English version of this cool concept.


References: Check it out if you want some Metal to praise our great Lord.


Orderinfo: Available at www.maanalainenlevykauppa.com

Miracle hails from Brazil and plays melodic metal. Production is excellent and the tunes are varied. It's really cool with the symphonic influences the band has incorporated to their melodic metal sound. This gives them an unique sound. This three-track EP contains plenty of guitarsolos and crunchy rhythmes to enjoy. Lyrics are both Christcentered and uplifting. All in all a very good release! My only remark is the vocals that at times could be more fluent than they are and maybe Allyson should sing slightly lower for his own good. Besides this, the cd just rocks all over and I'm really looking forward to hear more from this talented band! Definately a band for the future.


References: Fans of melodic metal like Stryper, Narnia etc are gonna love this cd.


Orderinfo: Available from the band at their page http://www.miraclemetal.com.br

Mirador has been around for many years and have released a couple of demos. The Azrael Tales is their first cd and just as their demos it contains plenty of doom metal influences. You can really hear that Veni Domine is a big inspiration for the band. Mirador is however not a copycat but have a sound of their own. Typical for Mirador's sound is Jakob Forsbergs excellent vocals. The music is both heavy, melodic and progressive. Favourite tracks are Phoenix Syndrome, Postbelievers and The Trial. Mirador rocks hard and the cd gives good hope for the future. If you like the sound of Veni Domine and want to check out something new this album is a must have. I give it a 3+.


References: Veni Domine fans will love this! If you are not familiar with Veni Domine I can highly recommend it to fans of Candlemass and Black Sabbath.


Website: http://www.mirador.info.se/


Orderinfo: Check with the mailordercompanys listed here

Brazil is one of the biggest metal countries there is and all the time new bands pop up from this large country. One of the new bands is the black metal band Moriah. The singer has a cool shrilling voice, which fits perfect to the music. What sets Moriah apart from other black bands is that they use plenty of piano in their sound. This creates a nice atmospheric mood to the music. Their sound actually remind a bit of early Crimson Moonlight. The music is very varied and both melodic, catchy and brutal. I like all the sex tracks on the cd. Moriah is a pleasant surprise to my ears and the best new black band I have heard in a long time! With their cool unique sound, great talent and Biblical lyrics they have a great ground to continue to build on. Really good stuff and definately a band I can recommend. If they just improve the production to next release they can definately become one of the top bands in the black metal scene.


References: Fans of black metal gonna eat this up! Highly recommended to fans of Crimson Moonlight, Antestor and Vaakevandring and their likes.


Orderinfo: Available from the band at their page http://www.moriah.cjb.net

Mortification is one of the most legendary Christian Metal bands and their early releases opened the way for all the brutal bands that have followed and showed that it works fine to mix brutal music with a radical Christ centered message. Over the years the band has experimented a lot with their music styles mixing death, thrash, classic metal and in Post Momentary Affliction they even incorporated some industrial influences. On their latest release Scribe of the Penteteuch the music is more thrash oriented while it still contains slower parts.

In Garland Hall is an outstanding track that immediately gets stuck in the head with its mega catchy hook and tasty guitar riffs. Love it! Talking about the guitar play Lincoln Bowen is really good guitarist and I'm glad he has returned to the band cause he lifts the sound to new dimensions. He is a great shredder and I think he is just what the band needs.

Weapons of Mass Salvation is another great track and I really like how it combines a heavy slow catchy rhythm in the chorus and faster thrashy parts in the verses. Vocally, Steve Rowe mixes growls, clean vocals and shouts in a nice mix on the album. Haven't heard him sing this good for years.

A problem I have however had with Mortification's releases after Envision Evangelene is that the material is uneven mixing great tracks with way too many fillers that are missing in variation, gets repetitive and are lacking catchy harmonies. On this release however the 6 new tracks are overall really good, catchy, heavy and variated and gives good hope for the future. I still however hope that Mortification goes back to its early very successful death metal sound full on. But no matter which musical journey God leads them the future looks great for this Christcentered band.

The album also contains 4 bonus tracks from the 00's including Erasing The Goblin and Priests of the Underground.

To sum it up this is a good solid album, but it is however not a knockout album that hits me to the floor. But definately a big step in the right direction so I give it a 3+. My wish for next release is more heaviness, more death metal growls, even more guitar solos and more catchy harmonies and plenty of variation to keep the tunes interesting all the way through. Fans of Mortifications previous album will like this as well since it incorporates many elements from their career. Overall this album kind of summarizes the essence of the Mortification sound.

Keep going dudes, we need more Jesus Metal to the people!


Website: www.roweproductions.com


Orderinfo: Check with the mailordercompanys listed here

Look here if you love real grinding Death Metal! Cause here we got Mortification's legendary release. Originally released 1992 when Death Metal was at its prime, this classic has been rereleased several times and this is the limited release on Metal Mind Productions. It has been remastered giving it a fuller, crisper and heavier sound. If you love your metal brutal to the bone this is the album to check out! No matter what some think about the bold Christian message no one can deny the fact that this is top quality music and a classic in Death Metal. It is very brutal and also very varied in tempo with plenty of relentless blastbeats as well as slower parts, yet it contains plenty of catchy heavy riffs.

The death metal genre are known for the multitude of occult and satanic messages, but Mortification shows that it works perfect to combine this brutal music with a noncompromising Christian message that makes you think about where you will spend your eternity.

The drumming of Jayson Sherlock is totally worldclass and so is Steve Rowe's growling voice. My only complaint is that I only wish Michael Carlisle had added some cool guitar solos as well. Think that is the only thing this album is lacking.

A must have for all fans of Death Metal! If you are not familiar with Christian bands you will totally enjoy it if you are into bands like Morbid Angel, Bolt Thrower etc. I give it 4 grinding guitars.


Website: www.roweproductions.com


Orderinfo: Check with the mailordercompanys listed here

This is one of the best live albums ever done! Production is excellent and the live energy is all over the place. It is also like a best of album since it contains classics from the Mortification's first three albums featuring the classic lineup of Steve Rowe, Jayson Sherlock and Michael Carlisle. I so love the intensity, live energy and variation on this cd! Music is real Death Metal with some Thrash influences, so it is very brutal, but it is also very varied in tempo with plenty of relentless blastbeats as well as slower parts, yet it contains plenty of catchy heavy riffs, which makes the album very enjoyable.

I could go on and on and brag about each tune but I'll just sum it up and say that this is a great selection of tunes and truly Mortification at their best. Also besides their own tunes the band has also did a fantastic cover of Bloodgood's track Black Snake!

A fantastic live album and a must have for all fans of Death Metal! If you are not familiar with Christian bands you will totally enjoy it if you are into bands like Morbid Angel, Bolt Thrower etc.


Website: www.roweproductions.com


Orderinfo: Check with the mailordercompanys listed here