Be'lakor - Stone's Reach (2009)

There haven't been too many great melodeath releases in the past couple of years. However, Be'lakor's Stone's Reach is among the few recent melodeath albums that won't (or at least shouldn't) be forgotten. Instead of going for the usual Children of Bodom, In Flames or Arsis styles, Be'lakor plays something similar to Opeth's Blackwater Park and the legendary Heartwork and Slaughter of the Soul. The only complaint I have about this album is the average song length, which is hardly a problem and is canceled out by the band's mastery of the genre.

1) Venator
2) From Scythe to Sceptre
3) Outlive the Hand
4) Sun's Delusion
5) Held in Hollows
6) Husks
7) Aspect
8) Countless Skies

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Ne Obliviscaris - The Aurora Veil (2007)

The Aurora Veil is a demo from Ne Obliviscaris that is filled with acoustic passages and clean vocals (as well as harsh). For black metal, the production has an unusually good quality. After listening to this demo, you can predict that their debut album will be great.

1) Tapestry of the Starless Abstract
2) Forget Not
3) As Icicles Fall

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