From a technical point of view, Augury is one of the best metal bands in the world. The four musicians are experts of their respective instruments. The complex drum patterns never cease to change, rolling thunderously at one moment, to evoke elaborate rhythms in the next moment, just to slow things down by creating mysterious anticipation. The bass guitar play is out of this world as the rhythms are highly complex since they aren't just backing the drums but often dueling the guitars with jazz and progressive rock stylistics. The guitar play is just as brilliant, evoking smooth progressive melodies in one moment to unchain rapid yet complex extreme metal patterns in the next. The cold and fierce riffs are just as brilliant as the otherworldly melodic guitar solos. The brilliant musicianship of the four musicians is kept together by a destructive and dystopian science-fiction atmosphere that evokes a multitude of thoughts, images and ideas which are supported by the imaginative cover artwork.

The extreme vocals meanders between shrieks, shouts and grunts and turn out being as diversified as the band's stunning technical musicianship. However, the vocals aren't even necessary and the band actually convinces most in its long instrumental passages and songs as the musicianship offers enough details to discover. The harsh vocals are often rather a distraction from than a clever contribution to the musicianship. A few mellower vocal lines here and there would have made the listening experience a little bit easier to digest as well.

This is in fact the only element one could criticize related to the brilliant musicianship. The songs are at times hard to digest because the band tries to put too many sounds, ideas and changes into one single song. This isn't always a matter of length. The closing ''Anchorite'' is by far the longest track with a running time above eight minutes but is the most organized, fluid and fleshed out track on the album. The brilliant instrumental ''Message Sonore'' is the shortest track with three and a half minutes but comes as a welcome break without being less creative than the other tunes. Overall, the record's second half is clearly superior to the first half. If the band had opted for a few more instrumental songs and longer tracks taking their time to unfold, the listening experience of this record could have been much better than it turned out to be.

Still, fans of progressive extreme metal and technical death metal must check this stunning output out and might even consider it an early highlight of the year. Almost nine years after its last studio record, Augury doesn't disappoint and seems to be back for good. Let's hope the next album comes around a little bit quicker than this one.

Final rating: 75%

Dimmu Borgir's Eonian will probably provoke similar reactions as Morbid Angel's Illud Divinum Insanus. Both records of these extreme metal pioneers have been released eight years after their previous outputs. Both albums are quite experimental and shift away from the sounds that made these bands popular in the first place. In both cases, this development had been progressive as the previous records had already discovered new soundscapes. Dimmu Borgir's Eoanian doesn't have much to do with black metal anymore, aside of some occult lyrics and one or two cold riffs throughout the album. 

Instead, the band opts for a more epic and symphonic approach with melodic arrangements, majestic choirs and vivid orchestras as heard in the first single ''Interdimensional Summit'' that reminds of a mixture of symphonic metal band Nightwish and industrial rock outfit Deathstars. ''Council of Wolves and Snakes'' keeps this guideline but manages to stand out thanks to some shamanic folk influences in the vocals and instruments. ''Lightbringer'' tells the story of Lucifer with atmospheric piano sounds and mysterious female background chants and reminds of extreme metal bands with a penchant for the gothic scene like Cradle of Filth and would also do any horror movie soundtrack justice. ''I Am Sovereign'' has a smooth sacral penchant that makes think of new age music and might represent the band's most radical departure from its roots.

Not every experiment is successful on this record. The industrial soundscapes of the opener ''The Unveiling'' are odd, the track never really gets to the point and overstays its welcome with a running time of almost six minutes. ''Alpha Aeon Omega'' remains unspectacular and repetitive through more than five minutes and only seems to copy and paste songwriting ideas from the previous tracks. Closing instrumental ''Rite of Passage'' might be a good background song for the credits of a fantasy film but it sounds toothless under these circumstances and ends the record on a forgettable note. This means that Dimmu Borgir starts and ends the album on a weak note but the heart of the record beats with passion, inspiration and energy.

Despite a few flaws, the album as a whole leaves a positive impression. Especially the songs with bombastic choirs, majestic orchestral elements and haunting piano sounds sound fleshed out. They show a band that is more ambitious, creative and intellectual than ever. Being a supporter of the gothic scene and a fan of symphonic metal music, I'm obviously bound to appreciate this record. Fans of old date who were hoping for more sinister black metal material could though be heavily disappointed by this release. It really depends upon your attitude and expectations whether you are going to like this album for what it is or reject it in the first place. I hope Dimmu Borgir doesn't repeat Morbid Angel's mistakes that brought out a boring traditionalist death metal release to appease its upset fans after its more experimental industrial metal record. I hope the band continues to fine-tune its new soundscapes and exploit its potential to the fullest in the near future.

Final rating: 75%

The Prison is a South Korean thriller that convinces with great acting performances, profound characters and sinister settings. It tells the story of a former detective who ends up in a prison controlled by an influential criminal who organizes blackmail, murder and theft inside and outside the prison walls. The former detective gains the criminal's trust when he protects him from an influential politician and an uprising organized by some jealous inmates. However, it turns out that the detective is on a dangerous undercover mission and trying to expose organized crime with the help of his journalist brother.

The intense movie that entertains from start to finish convinces on many levels. First of all, the main characters are particularly intriguing. The undercover cop is a courageous, intelligent and selfless person who can show his raw and rough side but also an empathizing and idealistic side. The wise main villain has a calm, diplomatic and intellectual side to convince other inmates to support him but he can become brutal, pitiless and relentless in order to keep his power. The clash between these two men is particularly interesting to watch. Both characters are played convincingly by an energetic Kim Rae-won and a truly diversified Han Suk-kyu. The settings of the movie are quite gloomy and add to the film's oppressive atmosphere. The film takes place in bare prison cells, dirty basements and dark streets that are occasionally blended and contrasted with beautiful gardens and shiny lofts.

The movie has a few minor downsides as well. The story takes too much time to get started as the first half of the movie basically only shows how the undercover cop is trying to gain the criminal's trust which becomes quite predictable and repetitive. The background stories of the characters are told in flashbacks which are sometimes randomly inserted and rather confusing the audience than solving the puzzle. The cop's relentless motivation to expose the criminal never becomes quite clear and it also remains a mystery how the criminal became so influential in the first place. The movie's conclusion was also somewhat odd and ended with a negative surprise related to the protagonist's fate.

In the end, you will enjoy The Prison for its outstanding acting performances, intriguing characters and great settings. The movie is overall lacking pace and precision to be more than just good as it doesn't exploit all of its promising potential. Fans of atmospheric crime flicks in general and Korean cinema in particular will still certainly like this film.

Three years after the pitiless Cavalo de Tróia, Brazilian crossover thrash metal quartet Ação Libertária is back with another thought-provoking full length effort consisting of twelve tracks and a running time of thirty-five minutes entitled Cidadão de Bem. The cover artwork already tells a lot of things that are going on lyrically on this social-political effort. We can see what seems to be mummified couple, sitting in a room with patriotic and religious symbols, reading weekly news magazine Veja and watching Jornal Nacional on Globo TV, being essentially fed with news propaganda. Only the small child that seems to look through the only colorful spot on the album cover in form of a window seems willing to make up its own mind without being dependent upon media.

Ação Libertária still represents the voice of Brazil's youth that is fed up with liars and politicians reigning their country. The band's social-political messages are spread through a fast-paced mixture of vivid thrash metal, pitiless hardcore influences and relentless punk spirit. The riffs sound even heavier that they did three years ago and should please metal and punk fans alike. The raw, straight and expressive vocals blend in perfectly. The drum play is fast and relentless but has some variation to keep things dynamic. A pleasant surprise is the expressive bass guitar play as the instrument is given the time to shine in several breaks and solo sections which is a welcome change from other crossover thrash bands. Even though the messages are more important the musicianship, it becomes obvious that the four young men from Natal are very talented musicians.

Aside of a few samples in form of spoken word passages, Cidadão de Bem is a relentless record that doesn't take any prisoners. I have rarely come across such a brutal release, even in the energetic hardcore and crossover genres. Relentless closer ''Dancem, Macacos!'' for example tears your head off and evokes a circle pit with the force of a hurricane.

If you are interested in socio-political messages, like a particularly harsh mixture of hardcore punk and thrash metal and willing to learn more about  the current state of affairs in Brazil, you can't get around Ação Libertária's Cidadão de Bem. Obviously, such an energetic type of music can only be enjoyed in small doses but you should give it a try when you feel like channeling the anger accumulated in your everyday life in a creative and healthy way.

Final rating: 70%

Ladies and gentlemen!

We're already halfway through. This is my analysis of group D of the upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Without further ado, here are my predictions!

Team: Argentina

Strengths: Argentina has participated in all but four FIFA World Cups, winning two of them in 1978 and 1990 and finishing in second place in 1930, 1990 and 2014. The current squad includes one of the best football players of all time with FC Barcelona's forward Lionel Messi who is the captain of the national team. The team includes experienced veterans like Paris Saint-Germain's midfielder Angel di Maria but also promising youngsters like Giovani Lo Celso, another Paris Saint-Germain midfielder.

Weaknesses: Head coach Jorge Sampaoli has been in charge for less than a year as we speak and the national team has head six different head coaches in the past eight years which underlines the fact that the team hasn't been particularly successful despite its incredibly talented squad. Argentina's qualification didn't run very smoothly either as the team lost against underdogs like Bolivia. Since then, the team has won two and lost two of its friendly games, including a surprising 2-4 defeat against Nigeria and a horrible 1-6 loss against Spain. 

Prediction: Despite its talented squad, Argentina has several important issues including an inexperienced head coach, unstable performances and the fact that the team's star players are already in their thirties. The quality of the squad is good enough to survive the group stage and to make it through the round of sixteen. However, Argentina could meet a stronger opponent like Spain in the quarter finals. I predict Argentina will be eliminated in the quarter finals.

Team: Iceland

Strengths: Iceland has shook up the world of football over the past few years. The team qualified for the 2016 UEFA European Championship for the first time ever and made it all the way to the quarter finals, beating England in the process and drawing against later champions Portugal. The team has now qualified for its first FIFA World Cup, winning its qualifying group in front of teams such as Croatia, Ukraine and Turkey. Expectations of and pressure on the team are still rather low since the small country is considered an underdog and this status could help the charismatic squad. Dynamic head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson has been in charge for five years and has guided the team through its unexpected successes. The homogeneous squad doesn't include any star players and convinces with excellent team spirit.

Weaknesses: Among the team's obvious weaknesses, one has to cite its lack of experience but this could even lift this squad up. Since its qualification, the team has only won two out of its six friendly games, losing against Czech Republic, Mexico and Peru. The squad is among the oldest of the tournament, as there are only five players under the age of twenty-five in the regular squad right now.

Prediction: Iceland will upset the world of football again and advance to the round of sixteen in spectacular manner. However, the team might face France in the round of sixteen. The French squad already eliminated Iceland 2-5 two years ago. History might repeat itself once more. Iceland will get eliminated in the round of sixteen.

Team: Croatia

Strengths: The team has a solid squad with many internationally experienced players such as Bayer Leverkusen's defender Tin Jedvaj, midfielder and captain Ivan Rakitic of FC Barcelona fame and Juventus F.C. attacker Mario Mandzukic. There also some promising youngsters who are still playing in Croatia who are slowly integrating the team such as Dinamo Zagreb's goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic and Hajduk Split's midfielder Fran Tudor.  

Weaknesses: Croatia hasn't won any titles since its inception back in 1990. The team failed to advance past the group stage since its surprising third place at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Head coach Zlatko Dalic has only been in charge of the team since last October.

Prediction: Croatia seems to be a team going through changes these days. It has a new head coach, slowly integrates younger players in the squad and has had quite mixed results over the past two years. This simply isn't enough to compete with Argentina's talent and Iceland's enthusiasm. Croatia won't survive the group stage.

Team: Nigeria

Strengths: Nigeria has had a lot more practice in form of competitive games than most countries at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The team made it to the final at the 2018 African Nations Championship and to the 2017 WAFU Nations Cup final. Out of eight games played so far in 2018, Nigeria has won five against respectable opponents such as Poland.

Weaknesses: Nigeria is missing a star player. Captain John Obi Mikel is past his prime and currently plays for Tianjin Teda. The team has called up seventy-eight different players over the past twelve months which underlines the fact that the squad hasn't found its regular squad yet. The idea to let Nigerian coaches work with the team over the past few years has failed terribly. Nigeria has had ten different Nigerian coaches between 2010 and 2016 and none of them was particularly successful. Current head coach is Gernot Rohr, a sixty-four year old German coach who hasn't had a very successful career.

Prediction: Nigeria's squad seems to be too disorganized to compete with the talented Argentinian squad, the motivated Icelandic squad and even the more balanced Croatian squad. Everything but finishing last in this group would be a massive success. Nigeria won't survive the group stage in my opinion.