Nemophila's new extended play The Initial Impulse has the purposes to honour the band's creative inspirations by featuring four diverse cover songs and to promote the band's upcoming third full length effort that will be including ten new songs early next year.

As for the latter purpose, the band's very own track ''OSKR'' offers everything fans could be craving for and should be working splendidly in concert. The verses are aggressive, fast and loud as they manage to provide a healthy dose of juvenile energy. The drum play is chaotic and fast, the bass guitar sounds playful and vibrant, the guitar riffs are loud and pitiless and the vocals focus on unchained screams. The chorus is catchy, danceable and melodic without overstaying its welcome or contrasting with the pitiless verses. The drum play becomes more focused, the bass guitar sounds more serviceable, the guitar sound is more melodious and the vocals aim for a clean, enthusiastic and uplifting approach. The songwriting actually sounds fluid, focused and passionate as this new tune might qualify as one of the very best in the band's career thus far.

The four cover songs honour international metal legends from the eighties, nineties and early years of the millennium. It's interesting to note that many metal fans in their twenties and thirties have grown up listening to the exact same songs as the five ladies aged between their mid-twenties to their mid-thirties. The band's rendition of System of a Down's ''Sugar'' might come closest to the group's very own style and sounds like one of their very own songs. If you ever wondered what System of a Down sounded like if it consisted of five highly motivated young ladies, then this song will give you a perfect idea.

At the end of the day, Nemophila's The Initial Impulse might not be an essential release for new fans and occasional listeners who can simply stick to the group's regular studio full length efforts. More dedicated fans however won't regret checking this release out at all as Nemophila's very own brand-new song oozes with oomph while the four cover songs might bring you back to your own teenage years and have been performed with conquering passion.

Final Rating: 75%

The problem with most technical death metal bands of old age is that they fail to expand their horizons, reinvent themselves and surprise their fans. When Cryptopsy has experimented with deathcore elements and Morbid Angel has integrated industrial soundscapes, the backlash from critics and fans has however been terrible. That might be the reason why veterans such as Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation keep things simple, repetitive and predictable. Fans of old date might praise such a standard as consistency while occasional listeners such as myself might rather describe such an approach as stagnation.

Suffocation's ninth studio record Hymns from the Apocrypha isn't a bad release by any means but fails to exploit the quintet's full potential that manages to shine through here and there. The technically stunning guitar play meandering between aggressive riffs and melodic solos, the dynamic, heavy and playful bass guitar sounds and the energetic, fast and tight drum play show what this band could accomplish if it detached itself from its early roots, fan expectations and genre boundaries.

Highlights on this album include atmospheric, creative and thunderous album opener and title track ''Hymns from the Apocrypha'' and dynamic, experimental and playful deep cut ''Seraphim Enslavement''.

Most of the other songs rush by without leaving any significant impression, even after multiple spins, as the album even starts to have a few lengths by the end despite an overall decent running time of forty-one minutes.

My best advice for bands such as Suffocation, Morbid Angel, Cryptopsy and the likes would be to dare to reinvent themselves, push genre boundaries and exploit their full potential even if such a strategy might mean to face some heat over such controversial decisions. Suffocation's Hymns from the Apocrypha ultimately qualifies as standard technical death metal record of a good average quality but the band has the potential to accomplish much more and should do so without any worries, regrets or compromises.

Final Rating: 60%

Prong is a pioneering groove and industrial metal band that has left a significant mark upon the metal scene in the late eighties and throughout the nineties but the band's career has been on a decline ever since. Excessive spans between album releases and an elevated number of line-up changes combined with a lack of innovation and vapid songwriting have contributed to the band's downfall. I'm glad to inform you however that the trio's thirteenth full length effort is a surprising return to form and might qualify for greatest comeback release of the year.

The success of Prong's State of Emergency starts with its vibrant, organic and energetic production that takes no prisoners. It continues with focused songwriting skills, offering eleven tunes with a total running time of forty-two minutes. The chemistry between the three musicians is tight, natural and dynamic. The final product sounds as if the three band members had been playing together for decades. Here's hope that the current line-up will end up standing the test of time.

Musically, we get to hear the band's unique blend of groove, industrial and thrash metal that sounds quite balanced, focused and passionate this time around. ''The Descent'' is an atmospheric yet energetic opener that sets the right tone for the entire output. Thunderous title track ''State of Emergency'' has a relentless, proud and energetic swagger. ''Obeisance'' is a gritty deep cut with thought-provoking lyrics on the pulse of time and might qualify as my favourite tune on this output. One must also point out the excellent rendition of Rush's ''Working Man'', a tune that is nearly fifty years old and has originally been performed by some of the most skilled rock musicians in the world, that has been transformed into a tight, powerful and aggressive album closer on the pulse of time that honours the stylistics of the original material while managing to sound like one of the band's very own tunes.

If you had forgotten about Prong throughout the past years and decades, now would be an excellent moment to give the trio a fair chance again. State of Emergency is the band's greatest release in decades and oozes with energy, focus and grit. Elements of groove metal, industrial metal and thrash metal collide in a balanced way and meet an organic production and thought-provoking lyrics on the pulse of time. The excellent progressive rock cover song is the cherry atop the cake. Spin this record loudly and proudly and celebrate this band's unexpected return to form in style.

Final Rating: 80%

Back in the eighties, when Dorothee Pesch was involved in German heavy metal band Warlock, she certainly was a pioneer in the heavy metal scene as one of the first and most charismatic female lead singers. Ever since the band split up and Doro started her solo career, she has never managed to recapture the spirit from the early years as her records meandered between shallow pop balladry and boring heavy metal stereotypes. Her fourteenth solo studio record is no exception to the rule and sadly confirms every single prejudice.

This already starts with the incredibly stupid title Conqueress - Forever Strong and Proud that has reached the low level of Manowar lyricism. It continues with the dreadful album cover involving swords, skulls and fire. The worst case is the depiction of Doro herself. This lady is now fifty-nine years old but still tries to look half as old in her promotional photographs. Perhaps a high school graduation photograph or a conformation shot will be used for the next record. Doro doesn't need such a shallow, fake and cringeworthy look at all since she has aged with grace but her promoters seem to think otherwise and have a negative impact upon her image.

What matters most however is the song material. This release includes fifteen songs on the regular edition and even twenty tracks on the limited version. Other artists would have made two albums out of so much material. The bitter truth however is that many songs on this album are unspectacular filler material.

This release offers three types of songs. First of all, we have predictable traditional heavy metal songs that might have sounded exciting four decades ago but that haven't aged very well because genre fans have heard them time and time again. Up next, we have multiple tearjerking ballads filled with excessive pathos, uninspired musicianship and vapid lyrics as only the vocals prevent those tunes from being utter disappointments. Lastly, we have different cover songs that show the singer's inspirations but those tunes have already been covered time and time again and certainly can't compete with the charismatic original versions.

The only reason why Doro's new output doesn't get an even worse rating are the singer's authenticity and some outstanding tracks that deserve attention. ''Time for Justice'' for instance is a catchy, energetic and rhythmic heavy metal anthem that oozes with grit and passion as it should be working splendidly in concert. If Doro were able to string together an entire record with about ten songs of such a quality, we might have a candidate for genre record of the year. Sadly, such moments of glory remain exceptional and my recommendation would be to download the few great cuts from this output and ignore the rest.

Other heavy metal singers of old age such as legendary Hamada Mari have recently been proving that they can still release high-quality material if surrounded by skilled writers, producers and musicians. Doro should get rid of friends of old date and companions who keep telling her how amazing she is and cooperate with creative, daring and fresh minds who won't hesitate to challenge her to bring the very best out of her. As it is now, Doro's Conqueress - Forever Strong and Proud doesn't exploit the singer's potential at all.

Final Rating: 50%