Diaries of Doom

  Named after the Overkill song and formed back in 2007 in East Anglia, Elimination released a couple of albums and toured with the likes of Evile and Gama Bomb before taking a hiatus in the mid-2010s. Echoes of the Abyss  is now Elimination's first full-length in a decade. Announced in the summer, Elimination treated attendees at Dayfest in Ipswich to a full runthrough of the album shortly before a very last-minute performance at Bloodstock a couple of months ago. Echoes of the Abyss is a thrash album, no doubt, but with nods to all sorts of differing styles of metal throughout. It's full to the brim with melody, aggression and raw talent. More importantly, it shows an evolution and maturity in the band's sound compared to their earlier work.  A creepy, clean guitar intro sets the tone with wailing, distant leads that eventually make way for the big drop into 'Disciples of the Beast'. Elimination progress into a glorious thrash riff, but its sense of melody is undo...

Impressively, Rochester thrashers Incivtra have released 'Of Flesh, Steel and Stone' barely a year after their last EP, 'Chaos Theory '. Formed in 2015, they've gone from strength to strength in the New York metal scene and are already starting to boast an impressive discography. A few tweaks to their lineup over the past year, and they're now on their fourth release in five years. It's a daring step forward that advances their sound and sees them sounding more convincing and vital than ever. Opener 'Vozrozhdeniya' sets the tone like a call-to-arms, with slinky guitar melodies that demonstrate musicality, flair and talent from the word 'go', from creepy clean lines to grandiose, arpeggiated lead guitar licks when the whole band are kicked in, with amps up to 11. Segueing into 'Objects of Rage', Invictra waste no time in upping the energy levels, backed by the darkly melodic guitar riffs, Josh's well-honed screams and the frantic d...