CD Review: New Heavy Metal Music From Winterhorde, Skeleton Wolf, Astrakhan, Black Space Riders & Skin Drone

Arriving May 20th is the debut release titled "Maestro" from Israeli Extreme Metal band Winterhorde. The new eleven-song release brings together elements of epic, progressive rock with hardcore metal to create some of the most exciting new music to come out of the middle east in quite a long time. Beginning with the 99-second clip, "That Night In Prague," the stage is set for a heavy metal journey with the speed of "Antipath" and the grand appeal of "Worms Of Souls." The band excels with the vocals and energy of "Chronic Death" as Winterhorde's music mixes elements of Dragonforce and Queen. The gentle beginning of the 11-minute epic "The Heart Of Coryphee" showcases the excellent musicianship this young band has to offer. The album closes with the tempo changes of "Cold" and the grand, operatic feel of "Dancing In Flames." To find out more about Winterhorde and their new release "Maestro," please visit winterhorde.net.

In less than two months comes the self-titled, debut album from Skeleton Wolf, a trio that hails from Indiana. Their latest release features seven-tracks of extreme thrash metal. Beginning with the chanting chorus of "Bow Down To Death" and the fast pace of "At The Sixth Foot," Skeleton Wolf look to draw every ounce of energy from you with these chugging, head-banging tunes. The growling vocals of "Whatever Demons (We All Have Them)" and the thunderous rhythm of "Eternal Lies" will have you taking notice of the new metal band before the album finishes with the quick-pace of "Forever Awake." To find out more about Skeleton Wolf and their new self-titled release, please visit skeletonwolf.com.

Arriving the same day is the full-length debut album from Astrakhan, which begins with the ten-minute epic "Omajod" as their music takes you on a prog-rock journey, mixing tempos along an intense sonic landscape. The guitar driven feedback of "Turgid Waters" and the grunge-like buzz of "The Traveler" has this band in the perfect spot to take their music to new heights, depending on which direction they want to soar. The new nine-song release finishes with the thrash metal speed of "Microcosmic Design" and guitar solo-fueled "Hand On The Stone." To find out more about Astrakhan and their new release "Reward In Purpose," please visit astrakhanofficial.com.

After only nine months since their last album, Black Space Riders return with a new six-song EP titled "Beyond Refugeeum." It features four new songs and two remixes, beginning with the build-up of "Willkommen." Their music takes on a progressive-rock sound as the nearly six-minute opener takes you on a melodic, hard rock journey. They come out energized with the mainstream metal of "Freedom At First Sight" and experiment with the rock/funk of "Starglue Sniffer." To find out more about Black Space Riders and their latest release "Beyond Refugeeum," please visit blackspaceriders.com.

Cross-country extreme metal band Skin Drone will be releasing their debut album "Evocation" on June 10 through Bluntface Records. It features nine-songs that look to leave a path of destruction, beginning with the attack of "Scarlet Road." The intense drumming and screaming vocals of "God Complex" will have you taking notice of this band as their technical musicianship continues to amaze. The slow build-up of "Shepard Of The Damned" gives their music a progressive-metal feel as they let up on the gas pedal to showcase the depth of their music. To find out more about Skin Drone and their latest release "Evocation," please visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/skindrone.