A full decade since their formation, Orange County, California's Atreyu are just as subversive, unrelenting and unpredictable as they were when they first started. Congregation Of The Damned, their fifth album, is a testament to the inexhaustible power of heavy music and the unquenchable flame of five musicians determined to build a distinct sonic landscape entirely on their own terms. As vocalist Alex Varkatzas spits in "Bleeding Is A Luxury:" `It's taken 10 fucking years for them to see I don't need their approval'.

The Ordher was formed in April 2005 and its members come from great names of Brazilian Death Metal, as Rebaellium and Nephasth. In the beginning was a project of of these musicians, but became the main focus of these great guys, for the happiness of our ears!

More retro thrash, but this stuff is actually authentic. As part of the third or fourth tier of Bay Area thrash bands, Defiance made only a slight dent with 1988’s Product of Society, an album that while punchy, lacked the sort of sonic “oomph” to place them with big boys. After a 15-year hiatus, the band returns with the equally snarky The Prophecy.

This is perhaps the best recording of THE CREATION in the catalogue. Hengelbrock's conducting of a fine period-instrument orchestra is the most exciting since Bernstein's '60s recording; nothing is dainty or underplayed. The burst of light is truly thrilling, and all the descriptive passages are played for all they're worth (listen to the great bronx cheer from the brass at "Den boden druckt der thiere last"). The chorus is very good, if not quite in the class of Gardiner's Monteverdi Choir; but whereas Gardiner's recording had some casting weaknesses, here all the youngish soloists do good work, particularly the Uriel, Steve Davislim. The sound is mostly excellent, though once or twice the engineers seem to have trouble coping with choral climaxes (no distortion, though).

Renaissance were an English progressive rock band, most notable for their 1978 UK top 10 hit "Northern Lights" and progressive rock classics like "Mother Russia" and "Ashes Are Burning". In January 1969, former Yardbirds members Keith Relf, and Jim McCarty organised a new group devoted to experimentation between rock, Folk, and classical forms. This quintet — Relf on guitar & vocals, McCarty on drums, plus bassist Louis Cennamo, pianist John Hawken, and Relf's sister Jane Relf as an additional vocalist — released a pair of albums on Elektra (US) and Island (UK-ILPS 9112), the first one, titled simply "Renaissance", being produced by fellow ex-Yardbird Paul Samwell-Smith. more…