Thursday, September 30, 2010

Necrite/Sic Gloria Transit Mundi/Flenser Records/2010 CD Review


  Necrite are a band from Northern California that plays a raw form of black metal with doom, drone, and ambient elements and this is a review of their 2010 album "Sic Gloria Transit" which will be released by Flenser Records.

Drums alternate between slow, mid paced to fast with a lot of brutal blast beats, while the bass playing follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars and at times they sound very powerful with a lot of distortion being used, as for the synths and noise elements that bring a very dark ambient element to the music.

Rhythm guitars mix slow drone doom riffs with some fast black metal riffs that have a thrashy edge at times with some weird elements and distortion being added in on a lot of the songs and sometimes being dominant, and there are no lead guitars or solos present on this recording, as for the acoustic guitars when they are used briefly for a few seconds it adds another dark dimension to the music.

Vocals alternate between deep growls, high pitched black metal screams and suicidal cries as well as some chanting on the last song, while the lyrics cover misanthropy, urban decay and astral projection, as for the production it sounds very dark and raw which is the perfect mix for the ambient black metal this music creates.

In my opinion Necrite are a very good band that should appeal to fans of ambient black metal as well as fans of drone since they mix the 2 styles together. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "A Mass For The Harvest Of Death" and "Bathing Wounds With Open Shards Of Glass". RECOMMENDED BUY.

http://www.myspace.com/necrite

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Lightning Swords Of Death/The Extra Dimensional Wound/Metal Blade Records/2010 CD Review


  Lightning Swords Of Death are a band from Southern California that plays a brutal mixture of war, black, and thrash metal and this is a review of their 2010 album "The Extra Dimensional Wound" which was released by Metal Blade Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast playing with a lot of brutal blast beats, while the bass playing has a very strong sound the follows the riffing coming out of the guitars and at times they shred heavily on some songs.

Rhythm guitars mix speed and brutality together with riffs that mix the heaviest elements of war, black, death, and thrash metal together and some occasional slow riffing, and there are little to no guitar leads or solos present on this recording, as for the acoustic guitars when they are used it brings a very dark edge to the music with an instrumental.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with a good amount of deep growls and thrash influenced vocals being thrown in, while the lyrics cover chaos and other themes that would be suitable for a death metal band, as for the production it sounds very professional with all of the musical instruments having a brutal sound.

In my opinion Lightning Swords Of Death are a very good band, and while I understand that some people might not give this group a chance because they are signed to a corporate label, I still feel this is a great and brutal war/black/death/thrash metal band and if you want something fast and brutal you will not be disappointed with this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Nihilistic Stench" "Invoke The Desolate One" "Paths To Chaos". RECOMMENDED BUY.

http://www.myspace.com/lightningswordsofdeath
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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Hiems/Worship Or Die/Moribund Records/2009 CD Review


  Hiems is a 1 man side project of Algol better known for his work with Forgotten Tomb and with this project he plays a modern form of black metal that has rock and psychedelic tendencies, and this is a review of their 2009 album "Worship Or Die" which was released by Moribund Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beats, while the synths have a very dark sound to them without overpowering the music and they bring in a 70's psychedelic edge on a couple of song, as for the bass playing it has a very dark and primal tone with riffs that follow the riffing of the guitars and at times sound very powerful and dominate through parts of the album.

Rhythm guitars mix raw and primal black metal riffs with some thrash, black rock and classic rock influences mixed in with a great amount of distortion to create a more modern black metal sound, while the lead guitars are very distorted sounding guitar solos mixed in with 70's rock influences on one song with some soft playing being used only briefly.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with a small amount of cleaning as well as some spoken word passages and samples, while the lyrics cover hatred and disgust for the world with a philosophical bent, as for the production on this recording which was recorded and mixed from January to October 2008 at Elfo Studios in Piacenza, Italy sounds very professional and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion Hiems are a very talented and original sounding black metal band that uses a lot of distortion and bring in psychedelic elements which I am looking forward to see what they do with them on future releases, if you want an original sounding black metal band, check this group out. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Worship Or Die" "Scum Destroyer" and "Wounds Just Death Can Heal". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Azaghal/Teraphim/Moribund Records/2009 CD Review


  Azaghal are a black metal band from Finland that has also been interviewed by this zine and they play a style that they themselves consider Black Terror Metal and this is a review of their 2009 album "Teraphim" which was released by Moribund Records.

Drums are a mixture of slow, mid paced to fast with a lot of brutal blast beats, while the bass playing has a very dark tone that sounds very powerful and morbid sounding at times, as for the synths when they are utilized they bring in Gregorian chants into the music mixed in with some more dark and haunting elements.

Rhythm guitars have a modern black metal sound with some heavy and heavy riffs that also have some death metal and thrash influences in the mid paced parts mixed with a small amount of melody and some slow riffing, while the lead guitars utilize a lot of dark sounding exotic scales and melodies in the guitar solos as well as some classic metal influences.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams mixed in with some deep growls and some clean singing as well as some spoken word passages, while the lyrics cover Satanism, Luciferian, Caballa, Alchemy, Necromancy and Armageddon, as for the production on this recording which was recorded at Cursed Studio, Bi-Audio and Niflhel Studio during the summer of 2009 sounds very professional and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this album.

In my opinion this is another good album from Azaghal and while it is not as raw and primal as their early material, you can still tell that they have grown a lot as musicians over the years and if your are a fan of their last few albums you will still enjoy this one as well. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "XI Omega" "Teraphim-Puhdistva Tuli" "Pimeydan Kutsu" and "Kyy". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Monday, September 27, 2010

NIHILL/Grond/HydraHead Records/2009 CD Review


  NIHILL are a band from the Netherlands that has also been interviewed by this zine and they play a style that I would describe as being raw occultic black metal with some doom and dark ambient/noise elements and this is a review of their 2009 album "Grond" which was HydraHead Records.

Drums range from being slow, mid paced to fast black metal drumming with some blast beats, while the bass  playing has a very dark tone with primal riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars. as for the noise effects they are very distorted and avant garde sounding as well as having dark ambient sounds of nature elements.

Rhythm guitars are mostly fast and primal sounding black metal riffs with some slower playing that mixes elements of black and doom metal together and the occasional thrash element which is used briefly on the third song as well as some distortion effects, and there are little to no lead guitar solos or leads present on this recording.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some harsh spoken word ritualistic passages, while the lyrics cover Occultic, Satanic, Alchemy, Gnostic and Cabbalistic type of themes, as for the production it has a very dark, raw, and heavy sound that brings out the avant garde tendencies in the music.

In my opinion NIHILL are a very good band that should appeal to all fans of raw, occultic noisy, ambient sounding black metal. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Antiomoon Concerning The Dead, The Coffin's Fire Slow But Eternal" and "Pulsus Sailing The Great Dark Cosmic Sea Of Chaos". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Horna/Mustu Kaipuu-Saatanan Tionen Evankeliumi/Moribund Records/December Morti/2009 CD Review


 Horna are a black metal band from Finland that is a very well known name in the scene and this is a review of their unreleased songs from the "Envaatnags Elfos Sold Esgantaavne" album and did not see the light of day until 2009 and this is a review of their unreleased track album "Musta Kaipuu-Saatanan Toinen Evankeluimi" which was released as a joint effort between Moribund Records and Debemur Morti.

Drums are mostly fast playing with some blast beats and slow to mid paced parts, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the guitars which are very primal and at times they have a very powerful sound.

Rhythm guitars are mostly mid paced to fast black metal riffs that occasionally use some melodies but stick to being primitive and raw with a lot of early 90's influences and only a small amount of slow riffing, and there are little to no guitar leads or solos present on this recording.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams with some harsh style viking vocals being used on one song, while the lyrics are written in Finnish and cover Satanic and Occultic themes, as for the production it is very raw and dark sounding in the classic black metal tradition.

In my opinion this is another good release from Horna and fans of their other works would enjoy this recording as well. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Piina" "Hnohedettu Uaqni" "Oi Kallis Kotiman" and "Sieluhaaska". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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The Secret/Solve Et Coagula/Southern Lord Records/2010 CD Review


The Secret are a band from Italy that mixes primitive black metal with crust/grind and noisier forms of music and this is a review of their 2010 "Solve Et Coagula" which was released by Southern Lord Records.

Drums are a mixture of some heavy skullcrushing doomy playing with a lot of fast playing and brutal blast beats, while the bass playing has a very dark and heavy distorted sound.

Rhythm guitars mix primal black metal with crust/grind, noise and some doom to create a very original sound that has not been attempted in black metal and there is also a good amount of distortion effects, and there are little to no lead guitars or solos present on this recording.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams that have a crusty grind edge to them, while the lyrics cover violent and hateful type subjects, as for the production it sounds very heavy and all of the instruments and vocals sound very powerful.

In my opinion The Secret are a very brutal and original that creates a new black metal style, and while this band will not appeal to all black metal fans, I could still see them winning over people that want something new and original. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Cross Builder" "Death Alive" "Pleasure To Self Destruction" and "1968". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Thursday, September 23, 2010

Mt. Cairn Interview


1. Can you introduce the band to my readers?

We are Mount Cairn, we are from Loveland, Colorado..at the Foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Demothi is the vocals,
Atilli plays guitar, Aarzen plays bass. And I (McDonald) play drums.



2. How would you describe the musical style that you are going for?

Demothi and I started this as an ambient black metal project late last year. We knew Atilli already but we didn't start playing with him until June of this year...After Atilli joined it gave us a lot of diversity with what we would be able to do. He is an amazing Guitar nerd and he is one of those people who you can talk to about riffs all day and he can just come up with something and layer it, he's got a great organic sound that was perfect for what we set out to do. Aarzen the Giant's family is from Norway, and he was living with Atilli in the Mountains here when we met him...They're big Metalheads so they were students of many metal styles. I think now we're focusing on classic black metal. Burzum, Bathory and Darkthrone are the roots of the tree for us..Starting from the beginning


3. What are some of the lyrical topics and concepts that the band touches on?

Demothi has written all the lyrics for the first seven songs. A lot of our lyrics are written like stories. We have a lot of Native American perspectives. We can't write or begin to understand what it was like from a Viking perspective. We are from here. The Christian church not only plagued Europe. When they got here to what would become the U.S. they were so fucking scared of the natives. They had just fled a religious tyranny in Europe and had come to someone els'es home only to become the same monster they had orphaned themselves from. Indians here experienced a genocide orchestrated by these Christian settlers. Demothi and Atilli are Native Americans, so they're ancestors are remembered as tragic warriors in some lyrics.We live in some of the biggest mountains on Earth, and there are places we go that haven't been sacked by humanity. We go to these places to understand and appreciate the last pure humans. We have a deep contempt for what religion is taking from the world...an antipathy in our words.




4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

A "Cairn" a Gaelic word referring to a towering rock pile usually made as memorials or to mark the peak of mountain. They've been made all over the earth by all kinds of early humans. Its just such a primitive symbolic image. We build one whenever we camp in the mountains, it's a tradition for us. We chose "Mount" to give lineage and respect to where we live.
The arrangement of "Mount Cairn" for me evokes the geographical imagery we are inspired by daily.


5. Do you have any plans to do any shows in the future?

Originally we weren't thinking too much about playing live when it was just Demothi and Myself. Since we joined with Atilli and Aarzen we spend a lot of time jamming. Playing live with other metal bands that share
our views of the world would be a great opportunity for us to exchange knowledge. We now have a session guitarist named Scanlan who will be with us when the opportunity comes.



6. Do any of the other band members have any other experience playing in other band before forming this one.

Myself and Demothi have been in bands, but that was ten years ago, we both started families and put our focus on other Artistic mediums. Demothi isn't a loud outspoken person at all, when I heard his vocals for the first time I was fucking shocked....Atilli's Father is a Guitar Wizard, so he's learned theory his whole life and been in and out of small Death Metal garage projects.



7. How have people reacted to your music, that have actually heard it so far?

...we don't know many fans of Black Metal around here....but most people think it sounds like "all that other bullshit" we listen to....so i guess tha'ts a decent reception...if not a honest one...haha



8. What can we expect from future songs?

More songs about the occult....devotional blackness,an impregnated by rage Sorceress. Nature, Misanthropy..anything that drowns out Christianity.


9. Do you have any plans to release a demo in the future?

Yeah we are recording a three song demo called "Fire in the Hills". We had a lot of wildfires in the mountains where we live this summer and it was powerful yet horrible to see all these trees burning across the whole western horizon. Humanity caused them and i think it's a sad example of careless....so the title seems appropriate.

Peter Slivkanch (of And Hell Followed, Wolves of Hate, Flight of Sleipnir) lives in the next town over, and he knows a lot about recording black metal and especially the classic feel we are going for.


10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

We listen to a lot of Black Metal...All day at work Demothi and I geek out about new shit we are always discovering...We listen to Classic Rock a lot too..Black Sabbath at least once a day...but other shit too..
there's some skeletons in everyone's playlists haha.....maybe our biggest influence is Wrest (Leviathan and Lurker of Chalice), a bit further along the branch of the tree..but his contributions to American BM
are comparable with many of those in Europe who birthed what we have today. A local Denver band "Vision of Mara" is another band we like a lot too, we listen to them all the time haha. Its fucking awesome to have local bm bands to be into..Nightbringer, Cobalt are other Colorado bands we've really been into...Craft and Sargeist are a big European influence as well. We don't try to play outside our means though, when you hear the first bm bands recordings you feel a creative force, it sounded raw...You listen to it and such poor recording quality didn't do anything but enhance this energy and feeling..so we want to start there.

Raw sounding, ambient classic black metal.


11. Does Occultism, Satanism, or Paganism play any role in the music?

Absolutely....we understand them not as religions but the alternative..We find lessons in the living world..humanity was not meant to be shackled by religion...Man has all the world as an example to him. Ones own personal interactions shape them..most people fall short of themselves, putting faith into a void. Not taking things into their own hands. We connect deeply with our surroundings, its the best possible atmosphere for
envisioning.



12. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?

Art, all the fruits of the free mind..Life is ours to drink up.


13. Any final words or thoughts before we close this interview?

Thank You for the opportunity to do this, we are at the beginning of our journey and hope to contribute to something to Black Metal with more minds like yours.

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Legions Of Astaroth/Rites Of Somatic Death/Enucleation Records/2009 CD Review


  Legions Of Astaroth are a band from Georgia that plays a very occult form of black metal and this is a review of their 2009 album "Rites Of Somatic Death" which was released by Enucleation Records.

Drums are a mixture of mid paced to fast drumming with a lot of brutal blast beats and some occasional slow parts, while the synths are only used briefly and they bring a very dark and occultic sound to the music, while the bass playing has a very dark tone that is very easy to hear at times and dominates throughout the album.

Rhythm guitars alternate between slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that are very dark and occultic sounding with some soft playing being used briefly on one of their songs, while the lead guitars when they are used bring in a lot of darkness into the music and there is not much in the way of guitar solos.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some spoken word passages, while the lyrics go into Luciferian, Alchemy, Arcane and Occult style of topics, as for the production it has a professional but raw sound which captures all of the instruments and gives them a very good sound.

In my opinion this is a good album from Legions Of Astaroth and it sounds like that they have grown as musicians I have heard the split they did a few years back and seen them in concert and I can tell they have progressed a lot, if you like black metal that is very occultic but still fast and heavy, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Science Of Threefold Initiation" Nescience Congoined To Self" "Ritual Of Somatic Death" and "Cursed Unto An Ageless Dawn". RECOMMENDED BUY.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Legions_of_Astaroth/22148

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Mortuus Caelum/Winds Of Malice/Split Album/December's Ghost/2009 CD Review



  This is a review of a split album between Greece's Mortuus Caelum and Atlanta, Georgia's Winds Of Malice which was released by December's Ghost during the year of 2009 and we are going to star of the review with Mortuus Caelum that play a raw and occult form form of black metal.

Drums are a mixture of mid paced to fast drumming with a lot of brutal blast beats and some slow playing, while the bass playing has a powerful sound at times which follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars alternate between slow, mid paced to fast raw black metal riffs that have a thrashy edge at times and there are little to no lead guitars or solos present on their songs.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams, while the lyrics cover Satanism, Ancient Stories, Hellas and Nature, as for the production on their songs which were recorded at Esoteron and Abyssal Studios during the months of December 2008 to January 2009 has the raw feel of a demo recording.

In my opinion Mortuus Caedum are a very good black metal band that has a very raw demo sound to their music and should appeal to fans of fast and brutal black metal. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Fields Of Sacrifice" and "The Mysterious Shadow".

Next up is Winds Of Malice who play a very heavy form of black metal.

Drums alternate between slow to mid paced and fast drumming with a lot of brutal blast beats, while the bass playing is mixed down low in the mix and seem to follow the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars mix slow, mid paced and fast black metal guitar riffs that have a slight death metal edge at times, while the lead guitars are very primal sounding black metal guitar solos with somewhat of a dark death metal edge.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams, while the lyrics cover Nietzscheanism, Darkness, Anti-Christianity, and Death, as for the production it has a very dark and evil sound to it.

In my opinion Winds Of Malice are a good band and while they are not the most original band that I have ever heard they make up for it by being very heavy and brutal. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Arrival Of Infernal Winds" and "Walk Through These Woods.

In my opinion this is a very good split with Mortuus Caelum having the best music on this split. RECOMMENDED BUY.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Mortuus_Caelum/47743
https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Winds_of_Malice/3540262542

1349/Revelations Of The Black Flame/Candlelight USA/2009 CD Review


 1349 are a very well known band in the black metal scene that has also been interviewed and had their new album by this zine and this is a review of their 2009 album "Revelations Of The Black Flame" which was released by Candlelight USA during the year of 2009.

Drums alternate between slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a lot of brutal blast beats being thrown in, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the guitars and at times they have a very powerful sound of their own, as for the effects they being a dark avant garde feel to the music bringing in some occasional dark piano pieces.

Rhythm guitars alternate between slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs with some death metal and thrash influences being thrown in the rhythm's along with some palm muting, while the lead guitars are very distorted and heavy sounding guitar solos, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized briefly brings some soft playing to the weird and heavy experimental music on this album.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some deep growls being thrown in at times, while the lyrics cover dark themes and some death type lyrics, as for the production on this recording which was recorded at Studio Studio Nyhagen under the full moon of December of 2008 and 2009 sounds very professional and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion this was an underrated album from 1349 and I remember when it came out some fans where calling it a sellout and I did not check out this album myself until a year later, but when I finally did I thought it was different than their previous releases but still a good experimental black metal album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Invocation" Serrpentine Sibilance" and "Maggot Fetus". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Dodsferd/Suicide And The Rest Of Your Kind Will Follow/Moribund Records/2009 CD Review


  Dodsferd are a band from Greece that has been interviewed in this zine and has also had their previous split with Mortavatis reviewed here and the style they went for on this album was depressive sounding black metal and this is a review of their 2008 album "Suicide And The Rest Of Your Kind Will Follow" which was released by Moribund Records during the year of 2008.

Drums are mostly slow to mid paced drumming on this recording and there are no fast parts or blast beats, while the bass playing is very raw and follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars with a distorted tone and effects being used at times.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow depressive sounding black metal riffs with some soft playing being used at times mixed in with some weird avant garde guitar noise effects, while the lead guitars have a very dark and weird vibe to them and are not to overdone with a lot of guitar solos with the music focusing primary on rhythm's.

Vocals are high pitched depressive black metal growls and screams, while the lyrics cover suicidal themes, as for the production on this recording which was recorded in the beginning of 2008 at Encore Studios sounds very dark, raw and primal which is the perfect mix for this music.

In my opinion this is another good release from Dodsferd and the 2 songs presented on this album show a more slower and different side of Dodsferd, if you like slow and depressive black metal you should check this album out. RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Shining/VI/Klagopsalmer/Osmose Productions/Season Of Mist Records/2010 CD Review


  Shining are a band from Sweden that has a long history and are also one of the pioneering bands in Suicidal Black Metal and this is a review of their album "VI KLagopsalmer" which was released by Osmose Productions in 2009 in Europe and in the U.S 2010 by Season Of Mist.

Drums alternate between slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some brutal blast beats, while the keyboards have a very weird dark suicidal edge to them when used, as for the bass playing it sounds very dark and follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars, in addition there are also some cellos and other assorted instruments that bring a very psychotic avant garde sound to the music.

Rhythm guitars alternate between slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffing that also has a good amount of doom metal and some thrash influences, while the lead guitars are very skillful and melodic sounding guitar solos that are very doomy at times, as for the acoustic guitars they bring a soft feel to the music with their use of finger picking and full chords mixed in with a small amount of guitar slides.

Vocals are mostly high pitched suicidal black metal screams and cries with some clean singing being thrown in at times, while the lyrics are written in Swedish and are very depressive and suicidal, as for the production on this recording which was recorded at The Slaughterhouse between April and August 2008 sounds very professional and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion this is another good album from Shining, while some of the more elite fans might be disappointed those that appreciate their recent material should enjoy this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Fullstandigt Javla Dod Inuti" and "Total Utrrysning". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Burzum/Belus/Byelbog Productions/2010 CD Review


  Burzum are a 1 man band from Norway that needs no introduction at all and this is a review of their comeback album "Belus" which was released by Byelbog Productions.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to occasional fast drumming with only a small amount of some blast beats, while the bass playing has a dark tone which follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars and at times they sound very powerful.

Rhythm guitars alternate between slow, mid paced to some occasional fast raw black metal guitar riffs with a focus on ambiance and distortion and on a couple of song's there is a thrash feeling to the music, while the lead guitars sound very primal in the guitar solos with some melodies being used at times with a dark sounding distortion.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams, some deep growls that have nothing to do with death metal with some occasional spoken word passages and clean singing, while the lyrics are written in Norwegian and focus on Belus, the Germanic God in his many different forms and relations to other pantheons, as for the production which was recorded at Greighallen Studios in Norway, it is very dark sounding which is perfect for the primal energy coming out of the music.

In my opinion this is a great comeback album from Burzum, which is a lot different than the last few albums since there is no keyboards or synths, with this album you still have the "Filosofem" vibe but with more rawness and less of an ambient sound, if you are a fan of Burzum you will not be disappointed. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Belus Doed" "Sverddans" and "Morgenroede". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Moon Interview


1. Can you update us with with is going on with moon these days?
Caduceus Chalice out on tape, is soon to be released on CD through Fall of Nature. Another EP is making progress and we are playing a Black Metal Festival Sydney in November.

2. How would you describe the musical sound that you worked on for this new release?
The density has dropped back to allow for more ambiance and layers to come through; There is more space for the parts to breathe which gives way to a raw yet atmospheric environment. It is intended to express the summoning s and inner reflections of a cold misanthropic nightside reality as it journeys through the underworld.

3. How would you describe the lyrical content of the music?
The lyrics reference ritual sorcery and astral darkness. They are the enactment of ceremonial magick and communication with deities as the spirit declines on its decent towards the abyss. The words aren't always clear and sometimes unwords are used. It is the effect of the delivery that is most important; cold and hypnotic.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the band's name?
It is a symbol of the Nightside and the Astral World. It is a decree for darkness and the underworld.

5. What are some of the best shows that you have played so far under the name Moon?
We have played a number of extremely dark shows local to our hometown over the past year and gained a strong following. The Black Mass Festival headlined by Nazxul will be a show to remember, it has one of the finest lineups for a Black Metal show I've seen in Australia. Drowning the Light, Spire, Erebus Enthroned and Astriaal are all outstanding bands; also it will be a privelage to play on the same bill as Nazxul.

6. I have read somewhere that you use other musicians for live shows, do you ever plan on using them for recordings, or is Moon going to stay a 1 man project on the recordings?
Essentially it will remain a one man project but I have used a session drummer in the past and I might use one in the future.

7. How has the feedback been from black metal fans worldwide to your music?
There certainly is an interest worldwide, there are fewer like minded people in Australia so its sound seems more at home overseas. When playing in a niche which is on the fringes of a fringe genre, it is good to see there are others around who take an interest in it.

8. How would you describe your musical progress over the years?
My interest has been to always produce a visionary occult experience. This introspective motivation has steered me more and more towards self production to best capture what I want. I've moved out of commercial studios to working in my own. This has freed my expression and the sound is moving to darker and darker territory.

9. Do you have any other side projects besides this band, or do you concentrate on this project only?
I have played in Black Metal bands for many years; Catacomb, Urgrund and Forn Valdyrheim. Currently this is the main project and has some session members of Forn Valdyrheim.

10. Do you have any plans to do shows outside of Australia?
After the Black Mass Festival in Sydney Moon will take a break from playing live shows to focus on studio recording. If there is enough interest later on we would perhaps tour Europe.

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Emit, Galgeras and Revororum ib Malacht are some of the bands that have pushed the boundaries of obscure black metal. They remain on the fringes of black metal, noise and ambient. Galgeras had a highly influential CD called Reliekrover which compiled some previous demos; is is evocative but gritty sounding black metal that encapsulates the art of mysticism. Pasage'Dyver takes nihilism beyond boundaries. All maintain their underground black metal sound while blending old with new.

12. What role does Occultism or Satanism play in your music and how would you describe your views on those topics?
Moon is the visionary experience, its subject matter is of ceremonial magick, evocation and projection. Its driving force is the essence of darkness and pays no specific reference to any denomination. It is understood in the occult that there are many names and references for the personas of darkness. The decree to walk the left hand path is found in the essence of Black Metal, whether it manifests externally as nihistic terror or introspective visionary occultism, to listen is to wilfully step into darkness.

13. Outside of music what are some of your interests?
Reading mythology and occult literature, Nitrous Oxide.

14. Any final words or thoughts before we close this interview?
Contact miasmyr@hotmail.com
www.myspace.com/moonmyth
Thankyou for the interview.

Unlight/Sulphurblooded/Massacre Records/2010 CD Review


  Unlight are a band from Germany that plays a very fast form of black metal with a thrash edge and this is a review of their 2010 album "Sulphurblooded" which was released by Massacre Records.

Drums range from slow,mid paced to fast drumming with a lot of brutal blast beats, while the bass playing has riffs that follow the guitars and at times they have a powerful sound of their own, as for the synths they are only used briefly and are only there to bring a dark atmosphere to the music.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow, mid paced to fast Armageddon style black metal riffs that have a lot of thrash influences thrown in with some melodic parts, while the lead guitars are very skillful and combine thrash, death, and black metal in the solos with a small amount of melody being used at times, and there is a brief acoustic guitar used on the last song.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some deep growls being thrown in at times, while the lyrics cover hateful themes and black/thrash with some lyrics in German but mostly English, as for the production it has a very heavy and professional sound that makes the music sound very brutal.

In my opinion Unlight are a very good band that brings back the mid 90's to early 20's Swedish black metal sound with a lot of thrash influences, and if you are a fan of those kind of band's you  should check this group out. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Sulpherblooded" "Pale Rider Pale Horse" "Become An Opponent" and "By The Seventh Seal A Black Thrash Symphony". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Mt. Cairn /Myspace Music Preview

Mt. Cairn are a band from Loveland, Colorado that plays a raw form of black metal and this is a review of the music they have on there Myspace page.

Drums alternate between slow, midpaced to fast playing with some blast beats, while the bass playing has a very distorted tone that follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are mostly raw black metal riffs that alternate between slow depressive/ambient style riffing to fast playing, and there are no lead guitars or solos present on the 2 songs present here.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams, while the lyrics are very dark and have a sense of nature to them, as for the production it sounds like the songs where recorded in a jam room and the music has a very raw and primal sound.

In my opinion Mt Cairn has some good music on their page and I am looking forward to hearing some more in the future. RECEMMONDED

http://www.myspace.com/mtcairn

PurityThroughFire/Sampler 2010


This is a review of the 2010 PurityThroughFire sampler and I am going to review the bands one by one/

Irsimal are a band from Sweden that plays a folk influenced form of pagan/black metal. Drums are mostly mid paced, while the flutes are very folk metal sounding, as for the bass playing it follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars with a powerful sound at times.

Rhythm guitars are very melodic sounding pagan/black metal riffs with a thrash edge, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding guitar solos, as for the vocals they mix high pitched black metal screams with al ot of clean singing and some deep growls mixed in with female vocals.

Lyrics are written in Swedish and seem to be about Norse Paganism and Heathenism, as for the production it sounds very professional and you can hear all of the musical instruments.

In my opinion Irismal's 2 songs are very good folk influenced pagan/black metal songs that would not disappoint fans of this genre.

Kroda are a band from Ukraine that plays pagan/black metal with a folk edge, drums are mostly slow to mid paced beats with some fast drumming and brutal blast beats, while the flute brings a primitive pagan edge to the music, as for the bass playing it has a very heavy and dark tone.

Rhythm guitars are very primitive and slow to fast black metal riffs with some trippy parts and a melodic edge, and there are little to no lead guitar solos or leads on their 2 songs, as for the acoustic guitars they have an ancient classical feel to them.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams with some spoken word passages, while the lyrics are very nature and pagan orientated, as for the production it has a very dark and raw feel to it.

In my opinion the 2 songs that Kroda bring to the compilation are very good primitive pagan/black metal songs and fans will not be disappointed.

Vspolokh are a band from Russia that plays a pagan form of black metal. Drums are mostly slow to mid paced playing with some fast drumming, while the bass playing has a very thick, powerful and dark ton, in addition there is a synth being used on the second song that reminds me of watching old black and white horror films.

Rhythm guitars are mostly raw slow to mid paced black metal guitar riffs, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding guitar solos, as for the acoustic guitars they have a very dark and medieval edge to them.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams with some female vocals being used on the beginning part of the song, while the lyrics cover dark and depressing themes, as for the production it has a very heavy sound that makes all of the musical instruments sound very good, in addition there is a flute  on this last song that has a very dark pagan feel to it.

In my opinion the 2 songs that Vspolokh bring to the compilation are very good black metal and I advise you to check them out.

Myrd are a band from Denmark that plays a very dark and raw form of old school black metal, Drums are mostly slow to mid paced drumming, while the bass playing has a very dark and powerful tone.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow to mid paced raw black metal riffs and there are lead guitars or solos present on their 2 songs.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams with some deep growls, while the lyrics are written in Danish and cover dark themes, as for the production it is very dark and raw sounding.

In my opinion the 2 songs that Myrd bring to the compilation are 2 very good old school black metal songs that bring the compilation into a different style.

La Division Mentale are a band from France that play a more industrial form of black metal, drum programming is mostly mid paced beats, while the bass playing sounds very dark and powerful, as for the samples they bring a noisy and industrial edge to the music.

Rhythm guitars combine industrial with raw black metal riffs, while the lead guitars have a very noisy edge to them.

Vocals are a mixture of high pitched black metal screams mixed with distorted sounding industrial vocals, while the lyrics cover dark themes, as for the production it sounds very powerful and all of the instruments have a heavy sound to them.

In my opinion La Division Mentale bring a more raw form of industrial black metal out with their 2 songs and they did a great job on the songs they brought  to the compilation.

Closing off the compilation it Crystal Moors a band from Spain that plays a pagan form of black metal that also has folk and death metal edge to them, drums are mostly fast with a lot of blast beats, while the keyboards bring an epic feel to the music, as for the bass playing it sounds very thick and powerful.

Rhythm guitars are a mixture of pagan/black metal and death metal riffs, while the lead guitars sound very melodic, as for the flute it brings a medieval feel to the music.

Vocals are deep blackened death metal growls and screams with some clean singing vocals, while the lyrics cover Celtic Paganism, as for the production it sounds very powerful and heavy.

In my opinion Crystal Moors is the perfect band to close this compilation.

In my personal opinion this is a great compilation with Kroda having the best music. RECOMMENDED.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Record-Label/Purity-Through-Fire-171743799539940/

Monday, September 20, 2010

Moon/Cacadeus Chalice/Wolfsvuur Records/2010 Cassette Review


 Moon are a band from Queensland, Australia that plays a very atmospheric form of black metal and this is a review of their cassette "Cacadeus Chalice" which was released in 2010 by Wolfsvuur Records.

Drums alternate between slow, midpaced, to fast drumming with some brutal blast beats thrown in, while the synths are very dark and primitive sounding with a dark ambient feel that is morbid and haunting, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone that follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are a mixture of slow, midpaced and fast primitive black metal riffs that have a dpressive and doomy feel at times which makes the music sound very haunting with a small amount of soft playing, and there are little to no guitar leads or solos present on this recording.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams, while the lyrics cover dark and occultic types of subjects, as for the production it has a very raw and dark feel to it.

In my opinion Moon are a very good band that should appeal to fans that like black metal that mixes occultism, ambient and depressive black metal. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Forest Samhain" and "Chalice". RECOMMENDED BUY.

http://www.myspace.com/moonmyth

Black Faith/Jubalite DiaBOLO/2010 Demo Review


  Black Faith are a band from Italy that plays a very fast and raw form of satanic black metal and this is a review of their 2010 demo "Jubalite DiaBOLO".

Drums are very fast and primal with a  lot of blast beats and some mid  paced and slow playing, while the bass playing uses a mixture of slow, mid  paced to fast riffs that follow the guitars and at times they have a powerful sound of their own..

Rhythm guitars are a mixture of slow, mid  paced to very fast primitive and raw black metal riffs while the lead guitars when they are utilized are very dark sounding and primitive black metal guitar leads.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams, while the lyrics cover Satanism and Anti-Christianity, as for the production it is very dark, raw, and heavy sounding.

In my opinion Black Faith are a very good raw satanic black metal band that should appeal to all fans of this genre. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "My Walk In The Dark" and "Seduced By The Evil One". RECOMMENDED BUY.

www.myspace.com/blackfaithband

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Mortovatis Interview


1. Can you tell is a little bit about this new project?
Mortovatis started in 2008 as a jam band by Uncle J. (Drums), Father W. (Guitar) and St.Pepe (custom sound sources and ocsillators). In Uncle J.’s dungeon, under certain circumstances, we created several tracks that some of them were included in our first three demos. In the end of 2009, we recorded our most bizarre song, Rebirth 349, that was released as a split cd with the most hated and perverted band in black metal, that goes by the name, Dodsferd, by Moribund Records! Soon we are going to record our first full length album.



2. How would you describe the musical style that you are pushing for with this new project?
Our music is definitely not for everyone. We aim to ease the pain of the sick. They are one step to destruction. We want to help them go there as quick as they can. No trouble and pain. Our music combines elements of isolation; destruction of the human soul and psychological stability. It is something like space, doom, drone, black metal. Also, in our new full length album, there will be an introduction of new elements, sicker than the last song.

3. What is the meaning behind the band's name?
Most people wrongly thinks that Mortovatis is a latin word, but it is an ancient greek. Mortovatis was the Charon’s boat, which transferred dead people to “the other side” (the world of the dead).

4. The music that I heard form the Dodsferd split was all improv, are there any plans in the future to include faster riffs or vocals?
The plans for the future is to be alive, all of us in order to create sicker music. Faster riffs, I don’t think so. It all depends in the state of mind we are going to be at the time we will jam. Some vocals will be one of our new elements.

5. What musical direction do you see this project going into on future recordings?
Sicker and sicker. It will not easy to hear this music. Nothing is going to be served with a nice, gentle way from this band.

6. Do you ever have any plans to make this project a live band or is it going to remain a studio project?
Time will show. Now we have to create.

7. How has your music been received so far by extreme music fans worldwide?
There were several feelings about it. Either you hate it, or you love it. But it was something different until now. It gives us strength to be hated.

8. What is going on with the other bands these days?
Recordings, rehearsals and live appearances for Dodsferd and Nadiwrath. Father W. is recording at this time his new full length album with Dodsferd, while Nadiwrath’s debut album is ready to be released by Moribund Records.

9. The split came out on Moribund Records, is this going to be the label that releases your future releases?
We respect a lot Moribund Records. We will see which label is going to release it, when our full length album will be ready. Now, we have to stay focused on our full length album.

10. What are some of the bands or musical styles that have influenced this project?
We are three different people, who listens different styles of music. For example, Uncle J. listens 70’s hard rock, experimental music from 60’s til now, kraut rock and space-rock bands. St.Pepe is more into metal sounds from 80’s plus punk and hardcore stuff. On the other side Father W. is more into extreme sounds…..

11. Any final words or thoughts before we close this interview?
For more details about Mortovatis, you can check our site, www.myspace.com/mortovatis........

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Teratism/Via Negativa/Negativity Records/2010 CD Review


  Teratism are a band from Minnesota that plays a raw and brutal form of satanic/occultic/black metal and this is a review of their 2010 album "Via Negativa" which was released by Negativity Records.

Drums range from mid paced to fast with a lot of brutal blast beats and the occasional slow drumming, while the bass playing has a very powerful tone that brings a lot of darkness to the music.

Rhythm guitars are mostly mid paced to fast raw war/black metal riffs with some occasional slow riffing and there are little to no guitar solos or leads present on this recording.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams, while the lyrics cover Satanism, Demonology with some references to the Sumerian demon Pazuzu, and Anti-Christianity, as for the production it has a very dark and raw feel to it while style capturing all of the instrument sounds and making them sound very brutal and primitive.

In my opinion Teratism are a very good primitive satanic black/war metal band that should appeal to all fans of this genre and they also put on a good live show which I have seen many of times. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "MY Wintery Embrace" "Necrofuge" "A Trillion Slain" and "I Am The Darkness". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Varg/Blutaar/NoiseArt Records/2010 CD Review



  Varg are a band from Germany that plays viking/black metal and this is a review of their 2010 album "Blutaar" which was released by NoiseArt Records.

Drums are mostly mid paced drumming with some fast playing and blast beats, while the bass playing has a very powerful tone and follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are mostly mid paced to fast viking/black metal riffs that contain a great amount of melody and a thrash edge, while the lead guitars and melodic sounding viking/black metal guitar solos with some classic metal influences, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized they bring a medieval pagan sounding edge to the music.

Vocals are high pitched black metal screams with some deep death metal growls, while the lyrics are written in German and are about Norse/Germanic Paganism and Mythology, as for the production on this recording which was recorded at Stage One Studio in Buhne, Germany during the months of October and November of 2009 sounds very professional and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this album.

In my opinion Varg are a very talented pagan/black metal band that should appeal to all fans of this genre. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Wolfsmond" "Invicitus" "Nebellen" and "Alter Fiend". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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