Enclave Productions, a subdivision of Portugese Sound Riot Records, is doing an excellent work in Metal compilations. Ten volumes of the Metal Onstentation series plus the reviewed Kingdom Of Glory sequence are - at least - worth mentioning! C'mon, join the lifeless!
Arcania flirt with a mix of Euro Power Metal/Prog elements. Nice melodies, clean voice; Silent Scream is a rather remarkable presence.
Ram is one of the best 'retro' bands I discovered the last years. Simply 80's Heavy Metal done the Swedish way. Infuriator was also included in the band's debut effort, the Sudden Impact EP (2003).
Toxic Virgin created mixed emotions inside my inner self. Messing around with the renaissance/folk basics (filtered through a Hard/Heavy approach), The Clown left me wondering what a full album could deal with. I must do a little research on their 2001 release, Circle Of Power.
Edge Of Thorns offer a rather primitive German Power Metal song; Riders Of The Storm reminded me of early Blind Guardian. A nice tune, anyway.
Xing (meaning?...) didn't have much to say. Not a bad pair of songs, If You Wanna Cry/Warning features atmospheric vocal parts with instant guitar riffs... Phew, a rather personal style. Do you like Psychotic Waltz, Skidrow and Deep Purple at the same time?
Skybreaker set things straight again; Reach For The Stars is a mid-tempo hard rockin' cut with raw vocals and 70's influenced guitar leads. Rock on!
Heartscore's Aunt Sue's Stories lie on the 70's Prog sound. Yes, Genesis and this kind of Prog/Art Rock stuff is what the band deals with. Two albums - Structures (2003) and Straight To The Brain (2005) - are available from this band.
Thousand Lakes proved to be a fave in this compilation. Heavy Metal from Luxemburg. I only wish they had a better singer. Not a different one, just him in better shape. A full length album and an EP are worth looking for.
As for Dawn Of Silence, the same applies as with Ram. Consisting of rolling-down Maiden-isque music, Seeker Of Truth is perfect for 80's pure Metal maniacs.
Shinjuku Cactus offer a somehow different taste. Both Burnin' Me Away and Drivin' Soul are two rather 'raw' Hard & Heavy tunes - not as 'childish' as Metalucifer, I confess with relief - but need to be treated better in terms of production. Yet, the band must be a party animal on stage.
Saintsbleed's Inhabitants From Earth deals a lot with 'dark' Power Metal; think of Evergrey and 90's Angel Dust as a similarity. Still, distorted/perverted vocal lines never were my taste...
Japanese metallers Seventh Son contribute the most crafted tune in this compilation. Flirting with 80's/90's U.S. technical Metal, you know what to expect. Thumbs up for an astonishing guitar solo!
Hellixxir didn't impress me that much. A tendency to mix Iced Earth with modern Metal guitars... Hmmm, I may be wrong but I didn't get this one.
7th Circle's Unsummon features the gentle voice of lady Winnie, while the band's style crosses over the borders of both Prog and 'ethereal' Metal music. A remarkable effort for fans of the genre.
Screamatorium roll us back to the simple stuff, with in-your-face riffing and angry vocals. Cannot outline the band's scope, yet Pantera, Black Label Society and mid-90's Kreator came in mind.
Ratpack offer a more mainstream Rock blend; not bad at all! Great vocals, intelligent leads and I'm already on the hunt for them too.
Compilation albums are a first-class chance to find your new favorite bands. Enclave Productions offers all CD albums at a nice price and I don't think there should be second thinking about this one. Your favorite heroes bursted out from such compilations years ago!