Haiduk (Canada); Influence (Poland)

Haiduk (Canada): Plagueswept
Although Haiduk is firmly based in the black/death zone, this is different in several good ways.
1. It’s all about the riffs and the hooks. Nice combination of rhythm and melodic hooks and other goodies for a fun listen where you can hear the different guitars working.
Just know that this is not a fancy recording, and it sounds good recorded this way.

2. The mellow/melodic moments stand out for Haiduk and it’s a promising aspect, to keep things heavy, while adding some twisted melodies.
This is a self-release and it sounds pretty raw, though this music works well in this case, actually. Apparently, this is the work of one person. A young metal genius? Don’t know, but a hard-working musician, for sure. Impressive.
More. www.myspace.com/haidukmetal

Influence (Poland): Where Does Your Way Lead To?
Four songs, about 15 minutes.
Considering that this is the band’s first recording, this has a very professional sound, vibe and delivery.
Don’t know much about them and their previous bands, but Influence’s first recording shows a band that has largely arrived at their sound: the straightforward, immediate impact of thrash, with the heaviness and vocals of death metal, within, say, a Vader-Pantera framework.

Having heard this recording some 7 times, I still do not remember many hooks from it, although it’s tight and aggressive, with grooves. Those thrash/mosh heavy parts are essentially the “money riff” for Influence: not complicated, and to the point.
Good job. More attention to the “money riff” will work well in the future, methinks. www.myspace.com/influencepl