This Months Gig Flyers

BEST OF 2011

So its that time to pick the best of 2011, not so easy this year as it was'nt the greatest year for outstanding releases, and we did have to suffer the biggest piece of shit ever commited to disc: Metallica & Lou Reed (art apparently, yeh with a capital "F").

But there are some diamonds in the rust and here they are....

ALBUMS

01.Donkerkarnuffel - Zombie Clown Apocalypse
02.Axis Of Perdition - Tenements (Of The Anointed Flesh)
03.Vallenfyre - A Fragile King
04.Turisas - Stand Up And Fight
05.Anaal Nathrakh - Passion
06.Hamerex - Rites Of Passage
07.Arch Enemy - Khaos Legions
08.Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats - Blood Lust
09.Venom - Fallen Angels

SINGLES/EP's


01.Amulet - Cut The Crap EP
02.Nemhain - Murder Mile EP
03.Mortad - Pandemic Paranoia EP
04.Phyrexia - Children Of The Dawn

VIDEOS'S

01.Rammstein - Mein Land



02.Devin Townsend Project - Juular

MORTAD - Pandemic Paranoia EP (Cd Review)

01.Pandemic Paranoia
02.Black Rose Deflowered
03.Stricken


Somi Arian (Vocals)
Jonathan Hughes (Guitar)
Joseph Perumal (Bass)
Szymek Lawik (Drums)


A progressive death metal band based in London but originally founded in Scotland in 2009 by Iranian vocalist, Somi Arian.

In June 2010 Somi relocated the project to London and joined forces with Jon 'Thrash' Hughes (Ex Catfight/Kain), a metal guitarist capable of writing incredible riffs. Joe Perumal soon stepped in to take responsibility for the brutally deep bass vibrations and finally, Szymek Lawik for the crushing drive and pounding drum duties.

Taking influences from Carcass and Lamb Of God, they quickly honed a sound built on an extreme metal foundation, while pushing the boundaries of the genre to create the most thought-provoking, brutal music to date.

Despite such little time passing Mortad have gone from strength to strength. In August the band entered the studio to record two tracks, which garnered a lot of attention and within two months they reached the position of number one metal band in the London charts on Reverbnation, only to reach the heights of number one in the UK in November, which they maintained for 7 consecutive weeks.

Due to the demand and positive reaction, from thousands of fans to their initial releases of two tracks, Mortad unveiled their first music video in December whilst the band recorded an additional two tracks. 2011 is poised to be filled with activity for Mortad ready to build upon the solid foundation laid down.

'Pandemic Paranoia' kicks off with a blistering wall of sound, basically heavy as fuck with screaming and quite evil sounding vocals.
The melodic breakdowns help give the song its overall substance and elevates the power of the piece.

This is a very drum driven track, 'Black Rose Deflowered' could easily be a DevilDriver outtake.
Again it is the agression that seems to drive the song through your brain like a nail gun on hyper settings!!

A nice, dare i say melodic?? intro greets this final song, 'Stricken', but dont let that fool you, its a third instalment of full on metal ear abuse!

A stunning EP and a very high quality of music, perhaps finally giving the UK a worthy contender to equal the might of Arch Enemy.


Rating 9/10

For Fans Of : Arch Enemy, Strapping Young Lad, Carcass, DevilDriver

STU