Xanthrochroid - Blessed He with Boils (2012)

If you want epic metal then you've got it with these extremely talented Californian upstarts. There's influences and similarities from many awesome bands including Opeth, Emperor, Moonsorrow, Wintersun, Ne Obliviscaris, and Dimmu Borgir. Hell, they even recorded a cover of Wintersun's "Land of Snow and Sorrow." Plus, the harsh vocals sound just like Ihsahn which is a big plus. This is an extremely dense record to say the least, and it's just amazing. The folk and classical interludes are superb, and the atmosphere is just exquisite. This is yet another sleeper hit. Oh and the band name is really cool too. In short, this band shows an incredible amount of promise and I can't wait for their next release.
9.5/10