Grade Scale adopted at MetalKings.com (starting from the lowest)

1 - Shite
2 - Could be worse
3 - Could be better
4 - Damn good
5 - Killer

4+/5
EMERGENCY GATE
Nightly Ray
2006
The Electric Co. / Universal
Hard Rock, Hardcore, Heavy Metal
EMERGENCY GATE is a bringer of classic Germanic Rock spirit. Their attractive songs are self-believed and full of surprises. Despite to the fact that you easy feel the roots which are ACCEPT, PRO-PAIN and others, though the style of life-loving Rock hit is rather simple, it's always hard to predict what to expect down the road of a song you start to listen to. Rich baggage of ideas, excellent songwriting skill and will to not repeat their-self help musicians to give listener a good time-spending and lengthy interest. I should also admit composer's accurate, hard work, bright feelings and huge energy - something that's very important and not so often to be together. The sound is enough to pass the music with all its nuances and colors. Good rhythm, crafty guitar work with fluid & free melodies let the music of this band to be always young and actual, never mind that their the style was born over 20 years ago and today sometimes it's required just a few years for a modern style to become old and forgotten. For my subjective taste the record lacks a bit compositions' instruments' balance and vocal is slightly weaker than I like but to be honest I write this because the album is invulnerable. Natural born musicians revealed to us the great stuff. (St.Ded)

3/5
KESTMORG
Infective Vultures Receptacle
2005
MORGUE OF KEST Production
Free-minded atmospheric Black/Death Metal
Italian Metal scene isn't so large but with all the music traditions of this country you never know how high each new creator could fly. Unfortunately the work of KESTMORG leaves more questions than answers though their refined nature and rich fantasy are obvious. You don't need in a mega brain to understand that the main model for musicians was foggy Albion's CRADLE OF FILTH but the strong individuality didn't let them to go the same way. The rhythms and melodies are totally different, their sound is very special and eventual record's mentality is absolutely new. May be guys were ensnared by lack of experience - hard to say - but compositions aren't perfect yet and female voice that supports classic screaming of the leader-vocalist sounds like an alien element. Now we should sit and wait until these talented, sensible people will mine the truth from themselves and learn how to express their inside treasures without losses. (St.Ded)

4/5
NAILED COIL
This Is My War
2005
NAILED COIL
Melodic Thrash/Death Metal
I hold in my hands the three-song promo of Finnish quartet NAILED COIL. The young lions came with an aggressive and fresh style that is based on the driving HAUNTED-like rhythm, elements of super heavy guitar work in the manner of HOUWITSER and tremendous vocal pair which contains drunken growl and beauty clean singing overshadowing SOILWORK. It's a remarkable fact that NC did a great job by researching their own version of wide-known formulas. The only minor sadness-appealing aspect is a composition's tricks of JUDAS PRIEST's "All Guns Blazing" that's rather clear on one of the tracks of this trinity. The guys have a great potential and the usage of someone else's creatures isn't a thing they cannot live without but in the end of the day it's just an episode and doesn't break the deeply positive impression. Without a doubt, they're honest, they're skillful and they have individuality. Good to go. Hey admirers of tough Scandinavian sound don't lose the time - new torches start to shine. (St.Ded)

5/5
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Underground Series l
2005
MEAT 5000 Records
Extreme Metallic Forms
What a delicious pleasure to hear the beat of fresh blood of a coming generation of musicians. Right now we can taste the compilation of French underground Metal-souls that probably will be the first part of the periodic release. Let's go. 1. VACARME - "Blade" (Brutal Death/Grind): 3+/5. A good opener. It wakes the remembrances of NAPALM DEATH's early madnessbolts. The induction of Black Metal rhythms makes it stronger and fresher. 2. ABSCONES - "Acclaimed By My Crime" (Grind): 3+/5. Storm of craziness in the vein of CRYPTOPSY. Hold on your dear life! If you could resist the first strike, after it composition has a hard time that makes it versatile but takes its power. 3. ERLEN MEYER - "Aitaxi" (Melodic Neo Metal/Grind): 3+/5. Fine concept with average performance. We should monitor these guys' future creation. Close bands: PANTERA, KORN, NAPALM DEATH of 90ties. 4. UNSAFE - "Human Toxine" (Death Metal, Hardcore): 4-/5. Sparkling styles' duo. I doubt the whole album this track taken from has the same intrigue but it's clever to enjoy each time you could. 5. MASSAULT - "Forged" (Hit-Deathcore): 3/5. Well interpreted Chris Burns' SIX FEET. It has catchy rhythm and gives us something new. Messieurs wrote flame-appealing and one-dimensional stuff with incinerating but fast-fading nature. 6. ABSINTHE - "Gazing At Orion" (Thrash/Death Metal, Hardcore): 4+/5. If to take golden age of SEPULTURA and PRO-PAIN and put it together the result could be rare and heartbreaking. At least until ABSINTHE involved. While hearing this thing we could feel the atmosphere, personality and skills. 7. FIRST-AID - "Forgotten Freedom" (Thrash/Death Metal): 4/5. Try to compare, you won't be able. Pretty thoughts, broken to pieces composition's structure - it's an extremely interesting song. Female growl is a bonus. 8. DECADENCE - "Humainsighnifiant" (Brutal Death Metal with Grind elements): 4/5. Solid and impressive composition. There is a little new here but respect to the laws of the style helped to create the mind-piercing product. The aces are heaviness, rhythmic power and beastie voice. 9. KARMASSACRE - "Discipline Thru Pain", (10) "Eugenism VS Genocide", (11) "Squandered" - DISRUPT cover (Grindcore): 4/5. Three short tracks are full of blinding fury and wild speed. This could be illustrated by NAPALM DEATH and CRYPTOPSY in the equal proportions. We also have a chance to find some slow episodes of frustration which are curious ghosts in this style. 12. BESTIAL DEVASTATION - "The Sublime Art Of Devastation" (Grindcore): 3/5. Some time ago I reviewed the band called PROSTITUTE DISFIGUREMENT. Like these Frenchmen they twisted the vocal by the effect and made it sound like a gurgling. That time I wrote that the collective spoiled their own good instrumental work. With BD-band I don't see any outstanding instrumental work. No way so simple and mechanic material would siege listener's sympathy because of only vocal focus. 13. GORO - "Soloist Burn" (Brutal Death / Grind): 3+/5. Worthy song but it lacks something important. Most probably it needs in fantasy. The only thing I admired is a drummer's craftsmanship. 14. DER KAISER DER NARREN - "We're Living For Ultraviolence" (Death/ Brutal Death): 3/5. It seems to me guys tried to create their own style. And they almost did it. But for my taste - it's too simple, too ordinary. Changes of tempo are a lonely strength. 15. SPIRITUAL DISSECTION - "Brutal Awakening" (Brutal Death/Grind): 4/5. Meet an energy vortex. Impressive speed, remarkable skills and huge passion are the main values. Kudos for rare and pretty solo-guitar improvisations. 16. BENIGHTED - "Foetus" (Death Metal/Grind): 4/5. Raging music with exciting rhythm that is slightly covered by the shadow of JUDAS PRIEST's "Painkiller". 17. FUCK THE FACTS - "La Tete Hors De L'Eau" (Thrash/Death Metal, Grind): 4-/5. Attractive thing that could be compared with AT THE GATES and CARCASS but the absence of plagiarism is obvious. 18. SERGENT SLAUGHTER - "Xtrem Music 4 Xtrem Posers" (Death Metal, Hardcore, Punk Rock): 2/5. Awful product of an evil joke. Vomit is a perfect comparing. It's clear that musicians could do something better but they didn't have a will. 19. CORPORAL RAID - "Forced Alienation" (Grindcore): 4/5. Extremely dirty sound isn't able to dissipate this burst of energy. Vocal duo of growl and scream is incomparable. 20. NEGLIGENT COLLATERAL COLLAPSE - "Neurotransmitter" (Brutal Death Metal): 2/5. Too simple to be interesting. Heavy sound is green, but it spoils nothing. 21. SANITY'S DAWN - "Resist Their Resistance" (Angry Metal/Grind): 4-/5. Not so bad. Concentrated guitar sound, tough drive, multiple rhythmic changes and vocal experiments are nice. 22. MECHANICAL SEPARATION - "Neon Strom Warning" (Hardcore, Heavy Metal, Grind): 4/5. This beautiful composition with a tremendous drum work is lightly rotten because its final part is a repeat of the previous ones. Otherwise it could become monstrous masterpiece. 23. FROM BEYOND DEATH - "Pink Flamingos" (Grind/Jazz): 4/5. Great absurd! Musicians masterfully mixed styles, worked hard on diversity, and the result deserves respect. 24. HIPOPISHOW - "…" (Industrial electronic theme): …. I could believe that this band plays Rock music but I've never heard any live instrument in this short composition. 25. VIANDOX 2000 - "Rene Beaujard is transsexual but he's not proud of it" (Fusion): 4+/5. We hear a very game and free composition. There are many paradoxical transformations in it. 26. KORKY - "Korkychlorraine" (Avangard Punk Rock): 4/5. No matter how to define this thing, call it Punk or Grind, however it's a quintessence of schizophrenia. Noisy guitar theme collides with a brainless howling voice. Eventually I must decisively express: votre recueil est tres bon mes comarades! (St.Ded)