I really never thought of San Diego as a rock haven. Their almost perfect weather and laid back beaches just don’t seem as influential to hard edge rock, at least not compared to smoggy Los Angeles, cloud-covered Seattle, and hard living New York. Yet if Lucy’s Fur Coat is an example, I may be selling the city short. This now defunct band has a much more than acceptable hard-core sound of alternative and grunge with catchy guitar hooks and tense vocals. Their two albums can still be purchased over at Amazon or, as their web site states, “occasionally be found in the $1 bin at the used CD store”. However the guys have generously provided both albums as free and legal downloads so you can check out their tight and entertaining music. The two albums are titled Jaundice and How To Survive An Aircrash. I think Aircrash has the better combinations of rock and emotion. I especially like the ballad “El Cajon” and the harder rocking “Light Sensitive” and “Water Gun”. Jaundice also has some nice tracks but sounds a bit more like SoCal metal. Still, you will like both albums if you are into rock.

Both albums are available in 192kbps MP3. Remember. If you like the music buy the CDs.

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When it comes to odd music, I don’t shock easily but Diablo Swing Orchestra got even me off guard on its first listen. This Swedish ensemble has one of the freshest and most exciting sounds I’ve heard in a long time and they manage it through an insane combination of heavy metal, swing jazz, a traditional European music smorgabord, and a classical soprano voice that probably broke wine glasses in the studio. By the time I got through the first two tracks, I considered going to the emergency ward for the possibility of impending head explosion. There is an operatic feel throughout the tracks and an intensity that hold up marvelously through every musical twist. There are actually two vocalists, male and female, and these two work to good effect on “Rag Doll Physics”, a weird cross between Wagner and Ozzy Osbourne. Just about when I thought my head might explode, soprano and guitar make love on the gorgeous ballad “D’Angelo”. However if you really want to get the sense of this album start at the first track with “Balrog Boogie”, a full-assault barrage of swing and metal that has to be heard to believe. Other tracks all have their surprises like the Raga influenced “Gunpowder Chant” and an epic “Zodiac Virtues”. Finally, in case, you haven’t received the message that no limits are spared, Diablo Swing exits with a marvelous “Pink Noise Waltz” that offers flute and violin solos among the metal barrage, swing overtones, and the operatic power of the vocal. This soars to the top of my best free online albums of 2009 list. Actually it may be one of the best albums of 2009 of any type.

The Butcher’s Ballroom is available in VBR MP3 from Jamendo. If you like the music, support the artists by purchasing the better sound quality CD or their newest release.

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JT Bruce’s combination of guitars and synthesizers get more complex and wondrous every time I hear it. He is on his third free and legal online album and he still has a heady combination of metal and progressive rock going on. The album is titled Universica and it may be a little more progressive, even a bit of space rock and new age added to the mix. The tracks are all named after stars so you can be forgiven if you think the artist has some other-worldly mystical motive (motif?) in mind. But whatever is in Bruce’s mind, this still remains music that you can immerse yourself in. I find it a cross between Yes’ more improvisatory endeavors and Chick Corea’s Return to Forever days. As with the other two albums which you can find here and here, it is an imaginative musical journey.

The album is available from the artist’s web site in 128kbps MP3.

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Sheavy is a Canadian band well steeped in Doom Metal. After hearing the 70s metal guitar lines and the vocals of Steve Hennessey, you can be forgiven for thinking this may be the best Black Sabbath since Black Sabbath. Their first two albums Blue Sky Mind and The Electric Sheep has the Black Sabbath sound down pat and Hennessey often sounds like Ozzie’s twin brother, but there is plenty of excitement in these lads. They have been going strong since 1993 and, with their last album titled Republic? being released in 2005, seem to have a number of good years left. The band has five of their albums available for free downloading from their web site.

As stated. this is Black Sabbath influenced metal especially in the first two albums. However Celestrial Hi-Fi (2000) gets even harder with more psychedelic overtones. The title track is a good example of this. Lots of Sci-fi and fantasy elements creep into the mix. The band members appear to be pretty well read when it comes to writers like Asimov, Dick, and Lovecraft. For overall excellence in sound and originality, I would pick Celestial Hi-Fi as the best of the lot. Synchronized is the one to go with if like your metal fast and head-banging, while Republic stays in the same style. With five above average high octane albums, this is definitely a feast for the metal heads and the Black Sabbath freaks.

Blue Sky Mind is available in 128kbps MP3 while the other four albums are in 160kbps MP3. If you like the music support the artists by buying their CDs.

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Republic?
Synchronized
Celestrial Hi-Fi
The Electric Sheep
Blue Sky Mind

Leave it to Mary Shelly Overdrive to celebrate Halloween with class. They just released two EPs titled Shock Theatre and Bride of Shock Theatre loaded with their customized shockabilly / hardcore metal nuances guaranteed to rock you and shock you.

Actually Shock Theatre is a re-release, having first surfaced a year ago. This version is slightly re-polished with the most obvious change being a revamped vocal duet from lead singer Mark Wood and bassist Wyckedevil Jones on Rob Zombie’s “House of a Thousand Corpses”. The Rob Zombie cover is my favorite song on the EP but the other five tracks also deliver the goods . The recordings starts with a sample of the notorious Blood Feast trailer then glues the tracks together with samples of other horror/gore films. A great party game would be to try to identify all the films represented on this EP. I think I got 100 percent right but I’ve been a hardcore horror film fan since my childhood when I would sneak out of the bedroom to watch the forbidden Creature Features while everyone else was sleeping.

Bride of Shock Theatre uses the same technique of audio samples to set the mood. The songs are equally hardcore and spooky, all being originals except for three covers of songs by Blue Oyster Cult, Bauhaus, and New Math. The covers are good but it is the originals that really bring this EP to life…or should I say undead? The highlight of the EP is the pulsing “Lament of Janos Slorzeny”. Both of these albums are required for any respectable Halloween party.

The two albums are available in 160kbps MP3. If you enjoy the music, support the artists by purchasing their new self-titled full album…and thanks for featuring the blurb, guys!

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PeerGynt Lobogris may be one of the most prolific artists to place his music on Jamendo. The Spanish guitarist and composer has no less than 25 online albums freely available. I have listened to most of these and found them to be well played examples of rock guitar mixed with imaginative arrangements bordering on progressive rock and new age. The most interesting ones are on the BlueMoon series of six albums and one sampler LP.

The first BlueMoon sets the stage. The tracks seems to alternate between frantic metal and progressive/new age pieces. All the tracks are well orchestrated but it is the guitar solos that really get my attention.

While the first album’s guitar work reminded me a little of Eddie Van Halen, Bluemoons II Dreams has Carlos Santana written all over it. Perhaps the best guitar solo of the series can be found on “Tongues Entwined”. Dreams is more fusion than metal and a bit exotic in feel. With tracks like the Enya-like “Enchanted Forest” and the blues drenched “I Still Have a Sigh”, this is my favorite in the series.

BlueMoon III Mystic Places is for the most part a return to metal. But even here, quieter tracks like ” Poison In Your Lips” and “Athena’s Challenges” throw subtle surprises at you.

BlueMoon IV Dreams Keeper stars out a bit mystical and is more new age than the others. You will still find some great guitar jamming on tunes like “Into the Wormhole”. For a quieter side with some Spanish influences, try “Remembering My Grandfather”.

By now you should have a good idea of what Peergynt can do, so it is probably sufficient to say BlueMoon V Forgotten Spirits and BlueMoon VI Freezone is more of the same. BlueMoon V is fairly upbeat with “The Wild Side” showing a good share of the fireworks. BlueMoon VI is the latest release and it has some nice flamenco styled playing on “The Alchemist” as well as the now usual mix of progressive and metal jams.

The length of these albums are between 21 to 48 minutes long. But if you don’t want to download every album, there is a 69 minute “Best of” compilation called BlueMoon 2007 offering some of the best tracks from Volumes I through V. For those not totally into guitar rock, it might be the best way to go.

All of these albums and much more from PeerGynt Lobogris are available from Jamendo in VBR MP3.

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Peergynt’s BlueMoon
BlueMoon II Dreams
BlueMoon III Mystic Places
BlueMoon IV Dreams Keeper
BlueMoon V Forgotten Spirits
BlueMoon VI Freezone
BlueMoon 2007 (The best of PeerGynt’s BlueMoons)

Mary Shelley Overdrive has all the attitude expected from a hardcore metal/post-punk group. From the name to the high velocity music to the gloriously exploitative artwork on their new free and legal EP, this is a band that is not afraid to look you straight in the face and sneer.

Their EP, Hideous Sexy, is a short 15 minutes album of cover tunes ranging from Bo Diddley to The White Stripes. There are also some nice versions of songs by Black Flag, Devo, The Vaselines and others. Some of the better tracks include The Vaselines’ “Molly’s Lips”, Blue Oyster Cult’s “This Ain’t The Summer of Love” and Black Flag’s “Wasted. However the real stunner is “Who Do You Love” in which the band manages to take the blues rocker by the late great Bo Diddley and turn it into a Gothic nightmare. This is a neat brief EP of cover songs that will please your inner punk.

Hideous Sexy is available as 192kbps MP3s in an album zip off the somewhat clunky 2shared web site (see the link below). If you would like hear some of Mary Shelley Overdrive’s original music, go to their Myspace page and listen or download a few tracks.

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After two quite interesting EPs, the Goth/Metal/Darkwave group All:My:Faults has surfaced again with an equally dark but stimulating full album. neo.NøiR reveals a band that is still exploring but rapidly developing a sound all of their own. There is a surprising amount of variety here while comfortably remaining in a dark niche they have carved for themselves. Frankly I’m not usually into this type of music, but All:My:Faults manages to display some very imaginative musicianship that keeps me listening just to see what they will do. Try the eerie opening track or the desperately frantic “Encode The Apology Inside The Lies”.

The album is available in separate tracks or full albums from The Internet Archives in formats of Ogg Vorbis or MP3 from the link below or you can download it from Jamendo.

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Savium has just released his second album titled Phlegm Not Sentient. Like the first album, it is loosely in the metal, progressive, post-rock genres. There appears to be more experimentation and variety in this outing. I still like the guitar centered rock tracks like “Into The Light From Tyrone Eve” and “Pensive” the best but other songs such as the electro ear candy “Pheromone Queen” and a post-rock “An Offer For Comfort” exhibits other sides of this talented musician. If you like Mogwai and Tortoise you should enjoy Savium.

The album is available as separate tracks or a album zip in 192kbps MP3.

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There is little information about the band Mass of The Sun on their web site. There’s a few photos, a schedule of concerts that are all canceled, and two albums. Fortunately the two albums speak volumes. Mass of The Sun is a progressive rock / metal band with an epic sound; romantic, mysterious, and symphonic.

Their 2007 release, Rymdkupa start with a slow chant that builds into a powerful melody that holds you for twelve minutes. The title track is another long track with a slow but melodic sound and some very nice work between guitar and electric organ. It is my favorite song on the album. Mass of The Sun seems to be best at these extended numbers. Anna-Karin Blomster is the main vocalist and provides a beautiful folkish quality to the music.

The band has an unusual sound that exhibits excellent interaction between all involved. This also works to good affect on their 2006 release Palms and Minds. Again the two best tracks, the title song and “Fable”, are extended works allowing for extensive exploration. On both albums, the tracks tends to be slower to mid tempo with a symphonic sound.. The one exception is a clever little jazz number called “One Foot at a Time”. While I find Rymdkupa more enjoyable, both albums deliver good quality progressive rock in a unique style.

Palms and Minds is available in 192kbps MP3 while Rymdkupa is in 320kbps MP3.

No Longer Available

Heathen may be the most famous thrash metal band to provide free albums on the internet. Originally formed in 1984 in the San Francisco bay area, the band released two CDs in 1987 and 1989. They continued through many personnel changes but didn’t release another album until 2004. They now offer their first two albums on their web site for free.

Breaking The Silence is their first album. Immediately there is a typical thrash sound of high speed guitar solos, aggressive playing, and machine gun drums. The music is similar to other thrash metal bands like Megadeth and shows earlier influences from Judas Priest and , of course, Metallica. Good sample tracks include the title song and “Goblin Blade” whose opening refrain reminds me, probably unintentionally, of Spinal Tap, stone monuments, and dwarfs.

Victims of Deception’s opening track, “Hypnotized” starts with some disturbing spoken word samples then goes into some very impressive guitar work and ensemble playing. The album feels conceptual with most of the tracks rallying against religion and fostering a nihilistic attitude. However the musicianship is impeccable. Aside from the first track, I also like the excellent instrumental “Guitarmony”.

Both albums are available as separate tracks in 128kbps MP3 . You can also listen to short samples of the tracks from their 2004 release, Recovered. If you enjoy the music, support the artists by buying their CDs.

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Darker My Love is a band from sunny California who prefers to live in the shadows. Their dark music is filled with droning guitar, fuzz and reverb reminding me of The Velvet Underground or The Jesus and Mary Chain. Their self titled album is released by Dangerbird Records and is freely available at the label’s web site.

Darker My Love alternates between manic metal tracks like “What’s a Man’s Paris” and more goth-style psychrock such as “Catch”. Either way, this is heady stuff suited to those times of self reflection or self pity depending on your viewpoint. It doesn’t hurt that the musicians put 100 percent of their talent in this music. My guess is that this is another band that puts on awesome live shows. Until you see them live, this album will be an excellent substitute.

The album is available as a full album zip in 256kbps MP3.

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The Finnish band called Evilion plays metal but it is the kind of metal that needs clarification, such as progressive metal, goth metal, or symphonic metal. Through all the angst and drama and blaring guitars Evilion manages to create a quite melodic sometimes classical sounding series of tracks. The band has two very accomplished female vocalists that adds to the sense that this is a different metal band. Vanity is their free online album and it is over 40 minutes of emotional music often sounding like a cross between Metallica and The Cocteau Twins backed by the Westminster Symphonic Choir. Those who like their rock and metal to have melody, beauty, and passion will enjoy this album.

The album is available in 192kbps MP3 and Ogg Vorbis (about 256kbps).

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The Swedish duo Skald is one of the more perplexing bands I have run into. Their combination of Scandinavian traditional music and metal rock is both humorous and a little scary. The vocals by Hebbe are often grunted more than sang but are mixed with quite impressive guitar work both acoustic and electric. There is also an interesting use of non-rock instruments in the mix (ocarina, jew-harp, and willow flute). They have two EPs free available that will amuse, bewilder and fascinate the listener.

The latest EP is Trolska Vemodsband and it is 22 minutes long. It starts a bit deceptively with a beautiful acoustic guitar number. The second track wakes you up with blaring metal and the Hebbe’s odd vocal style. There’s something alluring about marriage of the electric and the traditional on these tracks. This is a different and intriguing kind of metal band

The earlier Sagor Från Skogstjärnen is 30 minutes long and fairly similar. It’s a little more folk oriented and but not by much. “Folksagan” has a masculine folk dance quality. I like Trolska a little better but give this odd metal duo a try.

The albums are available in 192kbps MP3.

No longer available

Loci plays intense hard rock that hovers slightly off the commercial radar. The trio has all the insane guitar moves and the emotive vocals plus they are good enough to avoid the usual rock formula traps. This is creative rock played by a more than competent set of musicians. “Cult of Insects” and “Iodine” are especially tight and aggressive rockers that will grab you from the first chord. Give this a try. Turn up the volume and enjoy.

Filtered to Function is available in 192kbps MP3.

No longer available

Sometimes the task of finding good quality music forces me to wade into waters of which I am just not that familar with. All:My:Faults plays music that could be called darkwave, a eerie hard driving hybrid between goth, synth pop, and dark metal. While the music may seem as odd to me as the colons in the band’s and group member’s names it still comes down to the old adage, ‘I know what I like and I like this”.

The almost 20 minutes EP The Anger Manifest is a good place to start. Band members Steve:Kaia and Judas:Iscariot have a tight well-honed sound that is full of energy and angst. The two opening tracks, “Mirrors” and “Sand of Time”, are major attention getters. The other three tracks keeps the energy going and provides a good glimpse of the artists’ talents.

Secrets is a full album and provides a bit more variety. From the first track “Douchou” there is sense of musical cinema in this instrumental composition. However it seques into “All Forgotten in The Light” which reminds me of a dark Marilyn Manson chant. Throughout the album, light is not a descriptive term you will use much. Sorrow, forboding and night comes to mind more often. The 12 tracks on Secrets are a masterful journey into the dark reaches of the artists’ minds.

You can download the albums for free via The Internet Archives from the links below.

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Secrets
The Anger Manifest EP

The Astroglides play a demented mixture of dark metal, hardcore, and surf music to create a blend which they call “Surfcore”. It is a wild ride that will remind listeners of The Cramps, Butthole Surfers, and perhaps what Metallica might sound like if their lead guitarist was Dick Dale. Add a pinch of Israeli pop and traditional music and you end up with The Astroglides’ unique brand of dark rock.

Their web site has a generous collection of sample MP3s from their albums. However if you go to the bottom of the page you will find their first two albums freely available as downloads. Penetrate With… and Fondling With… give you a more than adequate sampling of their unique style. Old traditional standbys like “Hava Nagila” get the surfcore treatment while original tracks have weird titles such as “We also do Barmitzahs”and “Is Bomba Looking For Snorkel?” If you’re looking for a typical track to sample, “Dark Surf” or the tongue in-cheek cover of Neal Hefti’s “Batman” will suffice. This may not be for everyone, but those into dark metal or over-the-top surf music will enjoy it.

Both albums are available by separate tracks in 160kbps MP3. If you enjoy their music, supporting the artists by buying their CDs.

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JT Bruce’s second album improves on the metal territory already covered on his very listenable first effort. You will still find great guitar solos and a hard rock intensity. However, there is more of a range on The Dreamer’s Paradox that is encroaching dangerously close to progressive rock. Background vocals, recurring themes, and arrangements of cinematic proportions all attest to the artists’ growing musical development.

The title tune has the feel of a rock opera overture while the keyboard driven “The Verge of Illusory Twilight” starts out pastoral before succumbing to more epic rock themes. Some of the tracks become almost too busy but always remains exciting.

The album is available in separate tracks or full album zip as 192kbps MP3.

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The Swedish band Fejd is a riveting fusion of metal and Nordish folk music. As their web site describes it, the combination of genres incorporates “the best of both worlds - the weight of heavy metal in symbiosis with the typical melodic language and sadness of the nordic folk music.”

The artists have three downloadable albums available. Eld is their latest recording. While the rock elements are strong, the overall feeling is folkish and traditional. Instruments such as bagpipes, hurdy-gurdy, and moraharpa mixes easily with keyboards, bass, and drums. The biggest surprise is how full their sound is considering there are no electric guitars. The vocals are hearty and full of emotion. The title track is an especially powerful example. It starts acoustically with a masculine vocal that is soon equaled by a solid wall of sound. I also like the first track “Bergakungen”, a powerful vocal acompanied by jew-harp, moraharpa, and a beat somewheres between rock and jig.

The albums Huldran and I En Tid Som Var gives us more of this fascinating folk-rock hybrid. Actually the folk elements are even more in the foreground than on Eld. Of these two, I prefer I en Tid Som Var which has a dancable quality. Give all three a listen.

The three albums are available in 128kbps MP3.

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Eld (no longer free)
Huldran
I en tid som var

Heavy metal pirate music? The description is quite accurate for this head-banging ear-splitting duo of EPs by Battleheart. This is epic metal even if it is a bit comic book. Battleheart’s self-titled album starts with a short symphonic overture of voices, organs, and chimes then moves into full throttle metal territory. The Scottish folk influences lifts it out of the ordinary. “No Quarter” is the best track on the album featuring some high-powered guitar duelling. The newer and too short (12 minutes) EP Terror on the High Seas continues the hard-core pirate tradition. “Wenches and Mead” is the highlight of the set, a fun marriage of shanty song and metal madness.

Update: Battleheart has been signed to a label and is now Alestorm. Unfortunately This also means that their two albums are…

No longer available

Shiver me timbers, Matey!

Let’s start the new year with some kick-ass rock and roll! Shearer hails from Germany and is one loud rock / metal band. There’s no subtlety or deep thoughts here but if you’re looking for well played rock with just the right amount of hard core and metal then Shearer is for you.

Makin’ A Munson is their free online effort with 13 well produced tracks. The first track, “Pirate” pretty much sets the stage but I especially like the second track “Itch”with its slightly sinister vocal and pulsing guitar riffs. I dare you to try to sit still when”In My Hands” kicks into its unresistable beat and melody. If this album is any indication, Shearer must put on one hell of a live act. Rock fans and metal heads should grab this up fast.

The album is available in separate tracks as VBR MP3s.

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Claus M. Hansen creates instrumental rock and pop under the name of Savium. He has one online album available and it is titled Inane and Serene. While he cites Mogwai and Tortoise as influences, his music is more upbeat and accessible than either band. With an arsenal of guitars, keyboards, and computer, he turns out music that nicely balances a melodic beauty and the high energy of heavy metal. These are tightly structured but short pieces with only two tracks being over 4 minutes. Representative tracks include the jaunty “Animus Girl”and her playful brother “Amiable Boy”, a stalking and predatorial “Inane and Vast”, and the atypically mournful closing track, “Chimera”.

The album is available by either separate tracks or full zip in 192kbps MP3.

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Progressive metal guitarist and artist JT Bruce plays a twisted form of rock music with plenty of suprises. His album Anomalous Material is freely available online and has 16 tracks of instrumental high energy music that doesn’t let up. JT Bruce is unique enough to make comparisions challenging but I’m sure I heard more than a few nods to John McLaughlin a la Mahavishnu Orchestra while rockers and metalheads may detect a little Jeff Beck influence. “Admiralty” blasts off the album with a driving beat and melody. “Midnight Quandary” starts out slow and quiet but quickly turn into a blend of fire and ice. The aptly named “Temporal Distortion” is one of my favorite tracks in all of its head-banging glory. Most of the tracks are under 3 minutes, but the 15 minutes “The Artist, The Sage, and The Jester” allows for some lengthy exploration and displays Bruce’s impressive improvisational and compositional skills.

The album is available in 160kbps mp3. You can download it from his web site via the link below. While you are at his web site check out his art work.

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Drunken Gunmen comes to us heavy in reverb and ready to rock us to the farther reaches of the universe. Their sound is best described as Bauhaus meets Space Invaders. Deep Space, Distant Future is sort of an audio science fiction epic. Instrumental tracks such as “The Thousand Light Year Stare” and “Infused” are the most effective but Graeme Kirk’s vocals are alluringly full of enough menace and angst to please even the most jaded rocker. There is sampled dialoque in some tracks but they tend to just get in the way of the spaced out electronic and guitars. As for the vocal tracks, “Mr. Moon” is the strongest lyrically while “Journey” displays a fine affinity between voice and bandmate Chris McDowell’s apocalyptic electronics and guitars.

The album is available in 128kbps MP3. If you enjoy the music support the artists by buying their CD.

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I recently played the shooter PC game, Jets N’ Guns at a friend’s house. It’s an exciting game but what really captured my attention was the riveting soundtrack. I did a search on the internet and was happily surprised to see it as a free download!

The Swedish metal band Machina Supremacy has created a bit of a monster. At 28 tracks and about an hour, there’s all the machine gun guitar and pulsing electronic sounds you might expect. However the band has enough tricks up its sleeves to keep the music from ever being redundant. At times it can be quite humorous as in the use of an old marching drill riff in “Little Green Men” and the Pac Man sounding start of “Megascorcher”. ” Other tracks like “Insectiod” evokes a horror movie atmosphere or a “watery” presence as in “Kings of the Sea”. Overall, this is an impressive piece of work.

The album is available in 192kbps MP3 either by separate tracks or as a full album zip.

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