Tom Dare

Reading metallers hit the right note – hard

A Nordic barrage with an immaculately sourced arsenal

Low-lying death metallers fail to rise for the occasion

Ex-Akercocke members chart new maps of Hell

Crushing, progressive italians fail to fuse their influences

Tear-inducing tales from the dark side

Finnish melodeathsters take another big leap forward

Italian metallers fail to get into the groove

Ukrainian groove metallers get stuck on terra firma

Polish death metal veterans forego the polish

Prog heroes add an incidental live album to their canon

Progsters cross over to where sequels dare

Gothenburg-styled deathsters outstay their welcome

Scandic deathsters rock the foundations

Hi-tech wizardry from long-lost symphonic metallers

Trad German metallers trundle into the doldrums

Symphonic Finns show their subtle side

For sanity’s sake, go with the flow (chart)

Progressing far beyond the point of ... anything, really

Icelandic tech-deathsters prove a little too cold

Nordic progressive crew get far too vocal

Spaniards in a race to the bottom end

Tech-metal adventurers put the ‘maze’ in ‘amaze’

British progsters find the wow factor in their widdle