TOP 10 albums of the year : # 1 BEYOND CREATION - EARTHBORN EVOLUTION

2014 was a remarkable year for metal, with many GREAT albums and numerous achievements (although there were some losses and disbandings, let's focus on the good stuff)! Metalitty Webzine created a poll and let all metalheads vote for their favorite albums. Here are the albums that received the most votes:

# 1 : beyond creation - Earthborn Evolution

Just as I expected! This album truly deserves to be #1 this year!! Check out the review here!

#2: Septicflesh - Titan

I've always been a huge fan of Septicflesh. The level of creativity in this band is beyond imagination.

#3: Conquering Dystopia - Conquering Dystopia

What else would we expect from such creative and talented individuals? Seriously! We all knew the album would be great even before its release.

#4: Origin - Omnipresent

A meticulously crafted album! The band has considered even the smallest details in the compositions.

#5: Primordial - Where Greater Men Have Fallen

I love many things about this album and the band in general. The topics they explore, the way they write their lyrics, their riffs, and melodies... they inspire me a lot.

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#6: Meadows End - The Sufferwell

#7: Allegaeon - Elements Of The Infinite

#8: Aborted - The Necrotic Manifesto

#9: Ne Obliviscaris - Citadel

#10: Opeth - Pale Communion

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support throughout this year! Have a great year, folks.

Beyond creation - Earthborn evolution ~ Album review

Before I start talking about this album, I would like to mention that Canada has some serious progressive and technical death metal bands! They have been appearing more and more lately, and every time I listen to one of these bands, IT BLOWS MY MIND!

Beyond Creation has always been one of those rare bands we come across! (If you're a prog/tech fan and you don't know the band, then what are you doing with your life? Seriously!) Since their first appearance, the band hasn't ceased blowing our minds.

Beyond Creation is known for being very unique and meticulous in what they do. They pay attention to every detail in their compositions, which wouldn't be possible if they weren't all incredibly skilled! I mean, EVERY MEMBER OF THE BAND IS TALENTED... really talented, which is also rare! This was clearly evident in their successful debut album "The Aura" released in 2011. The band kept that complex technical aspect and added more progressive elements to create a new masterpiece, "Earthborn Evolution."

From what I counted, I listened to the album over 10 times (and yes, I'll be listening to it more) because it's indeed an album that will never make you feel bored. It's simply addictive.

The more I listen to it, the more I discover awesome details in those complex technical lines! Simon and Kevin did a great job with the riffs, which are incredible, while the vocals are so catchy... strong deep growls. And hell! What a devastating performance by Philippe on drums, knowing that this is his first album with the band.

You can't talk about Beyond Creation without mentioning the bass hero, Dominic "Forest." I have to stand in recognition of that man! His bass lines are very unique and creative (you've got to check out "Elusive Psychological Reverence" to see what I'm talking about)! With his fretless 6-string bass, he reminds me of many great bass players, especially considering the current lack of creativity (particularly in terms of bass), but FOREST IS A MASTER, as are the rest of the band members.

In general, the album is a piece of art. If I had to write about each song, I'd write a novel! You tech/prog fans must check out this album, and believe me, IF CHUCK SCHULDINER WERE STILL ALIVE, HE'D BE PROUD OF THESE GUYS! This album should be one of the best releases of 2014.

(Vote for the album here : www.metalitty.tk )

                                  Rating : 9,5/10

Interview with Mario from Devangelic

• First of all, thank you for the interview! "Devangelic" is a brutal death metal band from Italy! Tell me more about the band!

Hi, thank you for having us! As you said, we play brutal death metal and we are from Italy. Our main influences are Gorgasm, Disgorge, and Condemned, among many other legendary names in the BDM scene!

• After the promo of 2012, the band got the opportunity to sign a deal with "Comatose Music" in 2013 to release its first full-length album "Resurrection Denied" earlier this year! Talk to me more about this album and about this move!

Yeah, we got a very good deal with Steve of Comatose Music and we're very glad he believed in us from the beginning. Our efforts have been well rewarded as the first press of the album sold out just with preorders and the US tour. We got outstanding feedback from the webzines, insiders, and especially from the fans around. We're definitely satisfied with it, but it's just the beginning!

• What do the lyrics deal with?

Our lyrics focus on portraying the disgusting things that Catholicism, among other religions, brought into our society. We come from the "holy" city of Rome, so we live and see those things every day. It came naturally to us to write about that.

• Are you satisfied with the feedback so far?

As I said before, we're definitely satisfied with it!

• "Devangelic", how did you come up with the band name?

We wanted a name that could be fresh and even a little bit catchy and not too hard to remember!

• What do you think about the metal scene in Italy? We see that many great Italian bands have appeared lately!

Yeah, it's a great thing indeed! There are a lot of great bands here and it's awesome to see that everyone is helping each other out with no jealousy. There are always exceptions to that, but I prefer not to think about them and keep focused on the great things happening in the scene!

• What's your favorite Italian band?

Personally, I like so many ITDM bands. My most favorite are Hour Of Penance, Septycal Gorge, Bloodtruth, Antropofagus, Putridity, and Vulvectomy.

• Tell me more about your news and upcoming events! I also noticed you're creating new merch!

We're putting out a bunch of new stuff, new shirt designs, and hoodies, and you can find everything online on our store http://www.devangelic.bigcartel.com/ For the next moves, we're starting the writing process of the new album and we're going to play in London on May 22nd along with many great bands. Many other news are coming soon!

• Thank you again! Anything else you would like to add?

Thanks again for having us and keep up your great work! I just want to remind everyone to follow us on Facebook to stay updated on the band's activity at this link https://www.facebook.com/devangelic.official

Cheers!

"Ethernil - Cycle of decreation" Full EP on Metalitty webzine

Ethernil is an albanian solo project created in March 2014 by guitarist,vocalist and composer 'Dissonathor' with the aim of parallelizing the natural cycles of creation and destruction with atmospheric sounds and complex musical style.



Link.

Martin Le Gall - Pop redemption~ Film review

Can't decide between a metal movie and a comedy? Why not both?

Unlike any metal movie you know, "Pop Redemption" is a comedy masterpiece about Dead MaKabés, a black metal band that seems destined to end before it truly begins.

After 15 years without any significant achievements, three band members are considering leaving for family reasons, while the fourth is steadfastly determined to keep going. Alex, the band's vocalist, who takes everything too seriously, receives a call from Hellfest—one of the biggest extreme music festivals in Europe—to replace a canceled band. Alex, JP, Pascal, and Erik seize this opportunity, and that's where the adventure begins.

One small mistake on their road to Hellfest changes everything. They go from festival guests to being accused of murder! Forced to hide in a small village, they discover a strawberry festival taking place. Their only escape? To replace the pop band "All We Need Is Love," despite Alex's deep hatred for pop music.

After Alex refuses to play pop on stage and storms off, his bandmates are arrested. Fortunately, the officer's daughter, who happens to be a metalhead, helps them escape with her mother's assistance. They manage to get to Hellfest and finally perform. What about disbanding? They completely forget about it, deciding instead to learn from their mistakes and continue as a band.

Overall, the movie is thoroughly enjoyable! Not a single scene feels boring or skippable. The comedy is strong, though Alex's situation has a dramatic side if viewed from another angle. I think there's nothing more to say except: IT IS A MUST WATCH!

Director:

Martin Le Gall

Screenwriter:

Mark Eacersall

Martin Le Gall

Cast:

Julien Doré : Alex

Jonathan Cohen : Pascal

Grégory Gadebois : JP

Yacine Belhousse : Erik

Audrey Fleurot : Martine Georges

Alexandre Astier : le chef de la SR

Délia Espinat-Dief : Julia Georges

Christophe Kourotchkine : le commandant Riquenbaquet

Magali Miniac : Michèle

Arsène Mosca : le patron du Star club

Frédéric Boismoreau : gendarme de la SR

Fiona Chauvin : l'organisatrice du Hellfest

Jim Rowe : Dozzy Cooper

                                     Rating : 9/10

Ragnar Bragason - Metalhead ~ Film review

Metal... one of the darkest and most revolutionary cultures and music genres of all time! Emerging from the desolate reality, it stems from the depths of our deepest thoughts and feelings. People are drawn into this world when they find their souls resonate with it, realizing it's the only thing that truly understands and expresses everything they feel inside. These feelings can eventually transform into a revolution and revenge against those who denied their reality.

This is precisely what happened to Hera Karlsdottir, who embraced her brother's persona and became a metalhead after witnessing his tragic death. This event cast a shadow over her entire family, and their reluctance to discuss it left a lasting wound in Hera's heart, leading her to make many poor decisions as she struggled with her grief.

In the early '90s, with the rise of black metal, corpse paint, and a series of Norwegian church burnings, Hera decided to support this movement. She recorded a black metal demo, pouring her heart and soul into it, which eventually caught the attention of a black metal band. This happened after she got engaged to her childhood best friend, Knutur.

This film strikes with a happy conclusion! While many metalheads may be skeptical of "dramatic metal movies," this one is different. It addresses issues that every metalhead and youth might face. Hera could be any one of us, a metalhead rebelling against the world around them, who once tried to reconcile with society but found it futile. Hera overcomes everything and returns to her true self... BACK TO BLACK!

METALHEAD is scheduled for U.S. release in late January, 2015!
All I can say is that it's a film that deserves more attention... It's a must watch!!

Director-Screenwriter:
Ragnar Bragason

Cast:
Thorbjorg Helga Thorgilsdottir,
 Ingvar E. Sigurdsson,
Halldora Geirhardsdottir,
Sveinn Olafur Gunnarsson

Producers:
Arni Filippusson, 
David Oskar Olafsson

Director of photography:
August Jakobsson

Production designer:
Sveinn Vidar Hjartarson

Editor:
Valdis Oskarsdottir

Music: 
Petur Ben

                                     Rating : 9/10

Interview with Sotiris from Septicflesh

1. First of all, thank you for your precious time and welcome to Metalitty Webzine! Let’s start with a brief biography of the band.

• We hail from Greece and have been part of the metal scene for quite a long time, since 1990. Until now, we have released 9 full-length albums: Mystic Places of Dawn (1994), Esoptron (1995), The Ophidian Wheel (1997), A Fallen Temple (1998), Revolution DNA (1999), Sumerian Daemons (2003), Communion (2008), The Great Mass (2011), and Titan (2014).
  

2. You just released your 9th full-length album entitled TITAN. Can you talk to me about this masterpiece?

• I think the title of the album describes its musical content well. For the production, we worked for the first time with Logan Mader (ex-Machine Head guitarist) as we were impressed with his work with bands like Fear Factory, Cavalera Conspiracy, Gojira, and W.A.S.P. Regarding the symphonic parts, we once again collaborated with the Fimharmonic Orchestra of Prague.

3. What’s the concept and the message behind the artwork cover?

• The cover is intentionally minimal, avoiding many distracting elements in the background, and focusing on the main protagonists. The main figures display an intense bipolarity, provoking second thoughts about what is actually taking place in the scene. After a long gaze at the picture, the roles between them change to opposite directions. Is it really a lamb lying on the floor, or a masked predator disguised as a lamb (take notice of the wolf teeth)? Is the vague humanoid form what it initially seems to be, or something else? And there is much more mind-blowing and thought-provoking artwork inside the album.

4. What do the lyrics deal with?

• There is a variety of themes on Titan and each song can stand on its own story. However, some songs can be interlinked. For example, “Burn” is about the fire of knowledge and can be connected to the song “Prometheus” that refers to the specific Titan who gave the secret knowledge of fire to man. Also, “Ground Zero,” besides telling a story of annihilation in a dark poetic way, sets the post-apocalyptic environment for the final song of the album, “The First Immortal.”

5. According to you, which is more difficult: writing lyrics or composing music?

• Both pose their challenges and demand a lot of time and effort. Actually, I work on both in a parallel way as I want to provide the audience with the most appropriate “images” and emotions, in alliance with the musical background, creating a unified result.

6. What makes TITAN different from other albums?

• Titan is built upon the most powerful elements that characterize the sound of Septicflesh while also going one step further. It is definitely the most homogeneous and focused piece of music that we have created so far, having a very intense and specific “aura.” Considering the metal parts, it demonstrates a more blackened death metal attitude, bringing a primeval rage fitting to an album called Titan. There are also more demanding drum rhythms in the songs and more challenging classical orchestrations. Finally, considering the vocals, besides the normal adult choir that we use, we utilized a complete children’s choir for the first time, bringing a “spooky” and cinematic sensation to the songs.

7. Are you planning on making a video for one of the album songs?

• Yes, we want to make a video clip, but for the time being, we are focused on touring. So probably, if all goes well, we will manage to do it at the beginning of next year, as we want to have time to focus on it to create something visually enchanting and not just rush it.

8. The band was formed in 1990, split in 2003, then reunited in 2007, right? Do you think the band has changed after 20 years of existence?

• There has been continuous evolution, while the core identity of the band was always present. Surely, we were never afraid to experiment and push our boundaries. That is one of the main characteristics of Septicflesh. We have developed a very distinct musical identity, a specific musical portal to strange mystical worlds.

9. You’re just back from a tour with the Italian band Fleshgod Apocalypse. Tell me more about that tour, and any Septicflesh news and upcoming events.

• We are like brothers with Fleshgod Apocalypse. They are great to work with and, of course, great musicians. So it is always fun touring together. The latest USA tour this summer was very successful. Next week, we will return to the USA, this time following the “In the Minds of Evil” North American tour of Deicide.

10. Thank you again, and is there anything else you would like to add?

• Stand tall as Titans.