Another year means another extended play by Japanese death metal band Demon. Just like its predecessor, Poison comes around with the tracks totalling a running time of just above seven minutes. However, a few things have changed positively. 

The cover artwork for instance is inspired by classic Japanese paintings but also captures the band’s relentless spirit. The opening track actually has something of an introduction and shifts fluidly between slower and quite brutal parts and fast and chugging outbursts. The second track works even more with slower but menacing rhythms and especially the bass guitar has a few shining moments. The third tune also tries to focus more on technical play and sinister atmosphere than frenetic ecstasy. The songwriting has clearly improved and become more distinctive. 

The production has also become better. The guitar sound is less noisy and actually even a little bit too much in the background this time around. The bass guitar sound is more distinctive which is a positive thing since this musician seems to be the most talented in the band. The drum sound is also significantly less noisy than on the predecessor. Even the growls have improved as they sound more restrained and focused. 

Poison is a significant progress for Demon. The songwriting, skills and production have improved and make for an atmospheric brutal death metal release that actually has some replay value. If you are a genre fan, give this release a spin.

Final rating: 60%

Bloody Tyrant is a Taiwanese extreme folk metal quintet that has released four full length records and one extended play in its first decade of existence. The group’s last release Hagakure stands out for many reasons. 

The album title and some lyrics reference a Japanese practical and spiritual guide for a warrior and go away from the band’s focus on Taiwanese culture. 

Musically speaking, the band went away from its melodic black metal style and adapted a melodic death metal style with prominent folk influences that recalls bands like early Amorphis. The quintet slowed down the pace and opted for a mid-paced release. The folk instruments aren’t just additional elements in the songs but fully integrated and equally important as all contemporary plugged instruments. The eight new songs are the most melodic ones the band has ever crafted and several tracks even include quite catchy harmonies. 

While the pervious records were outstanding but needed some time to grown on the listener, Hagakure immediately impresses from start to finish and might even outclass the band’s creative predecessor Solitary Eagle. It’s hard to believe that the band went successfully through such courageous changes from one album to another in just a little bit more than a year but this is exactly what has happened. It’s rare that taking risks pays off so much as in this case. The band had excelled in its blackened folk metal genre and has decided to move on and ultimately excelled in its new melodic death metal style as well. 

The band hasn’t abandoned all its stylistic elements of yore however and still has a very unique identity. The blistering cold guitar riffs that contrast comforting folk melodies are still very present. The epic soundscapes have also remained as the band crafts cinematic tunes in concise running times around the five-minute mark. The band’s skilled musicianship also still shines through without drifting off into pretentious progressive territories. 

Bloody Tyrant’s Hagakure is a masterpiece that should equally appeal to extreme metal and folk metal fans. Chthonic is often hailed as the country’s great melodic extreme metal band but while the quintet from Taipei can be seen as its country’s pioneers and has shaped its own identity with strong patriotic messages, the quintet from Nantou is the more atmospheric, balanced and courageous band that deserves as much or even more credit. Hagakure is easily among last year’s very best releases and shows a band at the height of its career.

Final rating: 98%

This mysterious Japanese death metal band has released three demos in the past three years and Pustules is Demon’s first release consisting of three short tracks. This extended play might only appeal to particularly faithful fans of brutal underground death metal. The band’s style fails to stand out and manages to sound nerve-firing and irritating in only seven minutes. 

The guitar riffs are loud but performed without any technical skills. The bass guitar play is quite vibrant but sadly buried by the noisy guitars and canny drum sound. The latter is truly annoying and sounds as if the musician hit some cans and pots in a kitchen instead of a drum kit in a recording studio. The deep growls are as stereotypical as it gets and the lyrics are very hard to understand. There are a few rough but not horrendous background shouts that can be heard here and there that one would rather expect from a hardcore thrash metal band that at least attempt to add some diversity and identity. 

In the end, Demon’s Pustules doesn’t have many redeeming values and is a quite irritating affair. Only fans of brutal death metal and grindcore from the underground should check out this release at all. If you feel like destroying something, hit your head against the wall or terrorize your neighbours, you might give it a spin.

Final rating: 30%

Two and a half years after its promising debut full length release Into the Romaunt, Taiwanese symphonic power metal quintet Nocturne Moonrise comes around with its self-titled effort that offers more of the same on a very good level. 

The band’s song writing is ambitious, epic and long but its songs never overstay their welcome. The neoclassical guitar solos are perfectly executed and remind of the best parts of European power metal in the key of Stratovarius in the nineties. The elegant keyboards add the cinematic, emotional and symphonic touch that makes the band stand out and recall bands like Rhapsody throughout the late nineties and early years of the new millennium. The high-pitched male vocals are among the most skillful you will hear in the symphonic power metal genre. Occasional female backing vocals keep the diversity elevated and ‘’Crime and Punishment’’ as well as ‘’Lie’’ even include some scarcely but efficiently employed black metal shrieks. In its best moments, the band even recalls symphonic metal heavyweights like Therion in the late nineties and early years of the new millennium. 

On the other side, the band hasn’t really progressed its song writing and ends up sounding somewhat repetitive, predictable and exchangeable. Especially the second half of the record is losing steam and slowly dragging over the finish line. The rhythm section and especially the bass guitar can’t compete with the excellent guitar and keyboard work and would have benefited from some more occasions to shine. 

Among the record’s highlights, one should cite the diversified dark romantic title track ‘’Nocturne Moonrise’’, the more mysterious and very diversified ‘’Crime and Punishment’’ that invites for multiple spins and especially the complex, intellectual and majestic masterpiece ‘’When the Holy War Has Begun’’ that would fit on any soundtrack of a move revolving around medieval battles. 

In the end, Nocturne Moonrise offers emotional, epic and intellectual symphonic metal on its self-titled release that is a logical successor to the promising Into the Romaunt two and a half years earlier. Especially the neoclassical guitar play, symphonic and at times medieval keyboard sounds and high-pitched male lead vocals stand out. The rhythm section could be more domineering and the song writing could be more surprising at times. Genre fans should definitely check this band and this album out. Nocturne Moonrise sounds hungrier than many genre veterans right now and one should keep an eye on this promising band that is currently working on its third output. 

Final rating: 75%