Monday, July 31, 2017

At Dusk/Sacerdos/Pacific Threnodies/2017 Split Album Review


  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  California's  At  Dusk  and  Sacerdos  which  was  released  by  Pacific  Threnodies  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  At  Dusk  a  band  that  plays  a  very  depressive  form  of  black metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  nature  soundscapes  along  with  some  whispers  and  spoken  word  parts  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  up  to  a  more  heavy  and  melodic  direction  which  also  introduces  depressive  black  metal  screams  onto  their  side  of  the  recording  along  with  their  track  being  15  minutes  in  length  and  elements  of  ambient  are  also  used  at  times.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  their  side  of  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  some  of  the  slower  riffing  also  add s in  a  touch  of  doom  metal  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  fashion  along  with  the  song  sticking  to  either  a  slow or  mid  paced  direction  and  when  tremolo picking  is  utilized  it  gives  the  song  more  of  a  raw  black  metal  feeling,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy while  the  lyrics  cover  nature  worship and  misanthropy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  At  Dusk  are  a  very  great  sounding  depressive  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.

  Next  up  is  Sacerdos  a  band  that  plays  and  ambient  form  of  black  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  ambient  sounds  and  heavy  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later  while  their  track  is  almost  14  minutes  and  when  synths  are  utilized  they  give  the  song  more  of  an  atmospheric  feeling.

  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  spoken  word parts  are  also  used  briefly  along  with  acoustic  guitars  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  the  song  sticks  mostly  to  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  history,  occultism,  philosophy  and  mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sacerdos  are  a  very  great  sounding  ambient  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  atmospheric,  depressive  and  ambient  black  metal.  8  out of  10.  

https://pacificthrenodies.bandcamp.com/album/at-dusk-sacerdos    

Impiedoso Interview


1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Mortuum:
R= First of all, thank you for the interest in our music, and also for the interview. Impiedoso is a black metal band from Jaraguá do Sul, a medium sized town located in the south of Brazil. The band was formed in 1998 and it has been in activity since then. We have changed the line-up several times, but the black metal essence has been with us, the philosophy and the music style are still well preserved, even after the genre had become more popular and sort of modernized into some generic stuff.

2.Recently you have released an album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Mortuum:
R=This is our first album, our first full-length almost 20 years after assembling the band. Obviously, this is a milestone in the life of all of the members, mainly the ones that founded the horde a couple of decades ago. Most of the songs are 15-20 years old, it means that they were polished for years and years, through countless rehearsals throughout all this timeline, and it has finally came out. "Reign In Darkness" is very oriented to the 90's era, when black metal hadn't been refashioned yet. The music is very versatile. It's fast and slow, straight and complex, plenty of obscure references, sullen melodies and riffs often leaning towards death metal.

3.The band has been around since 1998 and while there has done a few demo's released, the first full length did not come out until this year, can you tell us a little bit more about the long wait?
Mortuum:
R= The black metal scene has always been strong around this region in Brazil, but, even if it's considered a very resourceful area (when it comes to good quality of life), back then there was no place to record a decent full-length album. And frankly, it has never meant a big priority for the band. We only started to think about recording a full length in 2013, when the planning began, and we think the result came out exactly as we wanted! The long wait was really worth it.

4.The band formed from the ashes of 'Imperium Tenebrae', what was the cause of splitting the older band to form a new one?
Nahash:
R= Imperium Tenebrae was the first black metal effort in this region around 1994-5, and it featured the few people who were insane about black metal at the time, and had the willingness to compose songs and perform them. There was a conflict of interests at the time, and the group friendly disbanded, forming two different bands oriented towards two different black metal styles, one of those branches came to be Impiedoso in 1998.

5.The lyrics on the album deal with both Occultism and Satanism, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the black arts?
Azoth:
R=Impiedoso's main objectives has always been the preaching of antichristianity, in all of our lyrics, as well as for our personal lives, even though are atheists that follow no religion, preaching satanism is the perfect affront to christians and christianity. By the other hand, we are fascinated by the brilliance of the black arts, and there are many references about occultism in our lyrics.

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Impiedoso'?
Azoth:
R=Impiedoso translates from the portuguese, meaning "merciless" . The mercilessness is a reference to the band as a group of warriors with no mercy against christianity.

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Nahash:
R=I think the most remarkable show was one that we played in the city of Curitiba, a city that is around 200 kilometers from our home town, about 14 or 15 years ago. We were playing completely outraged on total fury on the stage, and at some point we looked at the audience and saw hundreds and hundreds of maniacs banging their heads in total sync with our music, just like us on the stage. Their bond with our songs was amazing. It was an insane gig, a night to remember, plenty of moshpits, people screaming and howling, singing the melodies, raising their arms with clenched fists to support the band. It was indeed, something memorable...

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
Mortuum:
R=Yes. We're scheduling 5 shows, 4 of them together with the old and classic death metal band Chemical Disaster, a band of great friends that has always supported us.

9.Currently the band is unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Mortuum:
R=It's not something very clear to us yet. We think it would be nice to have a label for a honest partnership with, and also help us with recording costs (everything from recording equipments, mixing, mastering, CD press and promotions came from our own pockets!) and shows. What we're actually concerned about is being pushed to write music we don't like or don't want to perform.

10.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
Mortuum:
R= Impressive! We were aware that our songs were to be valued by die hard black metal fans, but did not expect that many good comments about how we were able to render the 90's era. We're very happy with the results, and mainly for being able to meet some of the personal taste of the people that support the genre we're labeled upon.

11.What is going on with 'Orthostat' these days, a band that shares a couple of the same members?
Mortuum:
R= Orthostat started at the Impiedoso rehearsals, where me (Mortuum, guitars and vocals) and Aldebaran (drums) used to play some of the riffs of old songs of mine for fun. I used to have a death metal band named "Hellfrost" back in 2005 with 7 or 8 own songs. Since we decided to split, I kept the songs I composed to be recorded someday under a new name. And then Orthostat came to be. We're in the process of recording a full length that will be released soon as well.

12.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Mortuum:
R= The band has enough material to record at least another full-length album, with songs more composed 15 to 20 years ago. We also have half a dozen of new songs that will be polished properly before being recorded in a third effort. Impiedoso has it's own characteristic style for a long time and that won't ever change.

13.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Mortuum/Nahash:
R=We listen to a lot of old school stuff (as well as some good new stuff that eventually turns up here and there), usually black metal and death metal. Classic stuff like Darkthrone, Master's Hammer, (old) Mayhem, Darkwoods My Betrothed, Songe D'Enfer, Mystifier, Murder Rape, Setherial, Enthroned, Besatt, Desaster, (old) Marduk, Entombed, Morbid Angel, The Chasm, Dead Congregation, Tliltic Tlapoyauak (we highly recommend this project and it's bands), Incantation, Faustcoven, and plenty of other stuff, we could go on forever. We have always been very connected to extreme music, and we still find joy in meeting just for listening to extreme stuff and drinking. At least once a year (for the last 20 years) we drive away from the city and walk deep into the woods, staying there for 2 or 3 days in a row, powered by alcohol and extreme metal. Actually, some of the pictures in the booklet or this album were taken at those meetings, haha!

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Mortuum:
R= It's hard to be a black metal band nowadays, mainly if you're not investing on some commercial elements in your songs, or make them smaller and accessible. We're not against mp3, or internet sharing, streaming or downloads, but music is not what it was back in the late 90's when we used to listen to the small array of albums that we had through K-7 tapes and Vinyl, which were particularly difficult to find. Also, these current days, music has turned into a second role background ambiance, and no one usually cares about what's playing. Metalheads used to listen metal albums as a whole piece, paying proper attention to it. Nowadays we have a high level of access to anything, anywhere, and there are so many bands that it excels the amount of music that one can be able to listen to. Time has become a fucking disease, and most people don't use to take time to listen to new stuff the way it should be listened. Think about it.

But that's how the extreme metal scene grew to become, and we have nothing to do other than keep doing what we like, and remain merciless!

We also would like to thank everyone that took the time to listen to our work, and we hope you enjoy listening to those songs. Thank you.

- Impiedoso,
          jul/27/2017

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Sunday, July 30, 2017

Cult Of The Horns/Chapter I. Dominion/Symbol Of Domination Productions/Ira Militias Productions/2017 CD Review


  Cult  Of  The  Horns  are  a  solo  project  from  France  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  bestial  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2017 album  "Chapter  I.  Dominion"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Symbol  Of  Domination  and  Ira  Militias  Productions.

  Military  style  drum beats  along  with  some  synths  start  off  the  album and  they  also  bring  in  a  very  epic  sounding  atmosphere  along  with  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  war  metal  direction  that  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking.

  Clean  playing  can  be  heard  briefly  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  bestial  death  metal  growls  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very dark  and  melodic  fashion  and  black  metal  screams  are  also  used  at  times and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  synths  and  spoken  word  parts  also  make  a  brief  return  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction.

 Cult  Of  The  Horns  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  bestial  style  of  black,  death  and  war  metal  from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  war, domination,  violence  and  nuclear  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Cult  OF  The  Horns  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  bestial  black/death  and  war  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Mass  Destruction  Supremacy"  "Betrayal"  and  "Eradication".  8  out  of  10.
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Saturday, July 29, 2017

Darkflight/The Hereafter/Symbol Of Domination Productions/Metallic Media/Black Plague Records/2017 CD Review


  Darkflight are  a  duo  from Bulgaria  that  plays  a  mixture  of  depressive  black  metal  and  atmospheric  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "The  hereafter"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Symbol  Of  Domination  Productions,  Metallic  Media,  and  Black  Plague  Records.

  Melodic  guitar  leads  along  with  some  drum  beats  and  ambient  style  keyboards  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  awhile  symphonic  elements  and  clean  singing  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful.

  All  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  music  incorporates  a  lot  of  depressive  and  atmospheric  black  metal  elements  as  well  as  utilizing  a  great  amount  of  melodic  guitar  leads  and  classical  guitars  along  with  stringed  instruments  are  also  utilized  briefly  and  the  slower  riffing  is  more  rooted  in  doom  metal  and  one  track  also adds  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  direction  and  on  the  last  track  elements  of  shoegaze  and  post  rock  are  added  onto  the  recording.

  Darkflight  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  the atmospheric  styles  of  black  and  doom metal  together  with some  symphonic,  depressive,  ambient  and  post  rock  elements  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional while  the  lyrics  cover fantasy  and  darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Darkflight are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  and  depressive  mixture  of  black  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Expiring  Soul"  and  "Threshold  Of  Death".  8  out  of  10.

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Agonia Black Vomit/Cosmosatanic Wisdom/Symbol Of Domination Productions/Murdher Records/2017 CD Review


  Agonia  Black  Vomit  are  a  duo from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  atmospheric  and  satanic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Cosmosatanic  Wisdom"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Symbol  Of  Domination  Productions  and  Murdher  Records.

  Evil  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  section  of  the  music  while  ritualistic  spoken  word  parts  are  also  used  briefly  before  adding  grim  black  metal  screams  onto  the  recording  and  the  guitar  riffing  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along   with  the  music  being  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  down  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  when  the  riffs  utilize  tremolo  picking  it  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful sound  to  them  and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Agonia  Black  Vomit  plays  a  keyboard  style  of  satanic  black  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Blasphemy,  Satanism  and  Anti  Christianity  themes.

  In  my  opinion Agonia  Black  Vomit  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  satanic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  'Departure  From  Delgrade"  "Parallel  Descanding  Visions"  and  "Symphony  Of  Suffering".  8 out  of  10.

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Astarium/Drum-Ghoul/Symbol Of Domination Productions/More hate Productions/2017 CD Review



  Russia's  solo  project  Astarium  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  that continues  his  symphonic  style  of  occult  black  metal from  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2017  album  "Drum-Ghoul"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Symbol Of  Domination  and  More  Hate  Productions.

  Soundscapes  and  field  recordings  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  symphonic  sounding  synths  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  mixes  in  elements  of  ambient  and  after  a  few  minutes  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drum  beats  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  some  grim  black  metal vocals.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful sound  to  them  while  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  riffs  also  utilize  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  tremolo picking  is  utilized  it  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling.

  Astarium  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  his  symphonic  and  ambient  style  of  occult  black  metal  from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Darkness,  Eternity,  Death  and  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Astarium  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic,  ambient  and  occult  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dread  Asylum"  and  "Pernicious  Elixer".  8  out  of  10.

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Thursday, July 27, 2017

Ereskigal/Sojourn/Blackwood Productions/2017 EP Review


  Ereskigal  are  a  duo  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  an  occult  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2017  ep  "Sojourn"  which  was  released  by  Blackwood  Productions.

  A  very  heavy  and  raw  sound  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  starts  off  the  ep  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  brutal  blast  beats  along  with  the  vocals  being  very  angry  and  hateful  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  are  also  used  at  times.

  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  clean  playing  is  also  used  briefly  and  the  guitar  solos  and  leads a re  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  fashion.

  Ereskigal  plays  a  style  of  occult  black  metal  that  is  very  aggressive,  raw,  dark  and  melodic  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  Darkness and  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ereskigal  are  a  very  great  sounding  occult  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sojourn"  and  "Ouroboros".  8  out  of  10.

https://ereskigalofficial.bandcamp.com/releases

Ignominious/The Throne And The Altar/Hidden Marly Productions/2017 CD Review


  Ignominious  are  a  band  from  Hungary  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  melodic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "The  Throne  And  The  Altar"  which  was  released  by  Hidden  Marly  Productions.

  Melodic  guitar  leads  and  riffs  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  drum  beats  and  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  a  few  seconds  later  and  when t he  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  music  a  more  raw  feeling  while  the  vocals  are  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.

  A  great  amount  of  90's  second  wave  influences  can  be  heard  throughout  the  recording  along  with  some  Swedish  influences  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  after  awhile  the  vocals  also  start  getting more  grim  and  angry  sounding  and  classical guitars  can  also  be heard  briefly  but  the  main  focus  is  on  a  heavier  style

  Ignominious  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw  and  melodic  in  the  90's  tradition,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  passing  and  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ignominious  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  melodic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sacrilege"  "The  Throne  And  The  Altar"  and  "Sun Shall  Sleep  Eternally".  8  0ut  of  10.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ignominiousmetal
Bandcamp: https://ignominiousofficial.bandcamp.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa_Z0Nsy3giGieHGGtEk_4Q

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Mitochondrion/Antinumerology/Krucyator Productions/2017 EP Re-Issue Review


  Mitochondrion  are  a  band  from  Vancouver  B.C,  Canada  that has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  bestial  and  dissonant  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  ep  "Antinumerology"  which  was  re-issued  in  2017  by  Krucyator Productions.

  A  small  amount  of  clean  playing  is  utilized  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  brutal  direction  along  with  a  mixture  of  deep  guttural  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  while  the  riffing  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  dissonant  structures  and  melodies  along  with  whispers  being  used  briefly.

  Most  of  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  add  in  touches  of  doom  metal  while  the  faster  sections  add  in  tremolo  picking,  blast  beats  and  war  metal  elements  along  with  the songs  also  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  chaotic  fashion,

  On  this  recording  Mitochrondrion  remained  true  to  the  dissonant  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  that they  are  known  for,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  Apocalypse,  Occultism,  Disease  and  Gnosis  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this was  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Mitochonrion  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  dissonant  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Insummation".  8  out  of  10.  

https://krucyator.bandcamp.com/album/antinumerology

Grift/Arvet/Nordvis Produktion/2017 CD Review


  Sweden's  solo  project  Grift  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  that  continues  the  atmospheric  style  of  black  metal  from  previous  recordings  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2017  album  "Arvet"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Nordvis  Produktion.

  Acoustic  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album   and  they  also  add  in  a  touch  of  folk  music  along  with  some  stringed  instruments  a  few  seconds  later  and  whispers  are  also  used  briefly  and  after  awhile  tortured  black  metal  vocals  start  to  make  their  presence  known  and  they  also  have  a  very  depressive  and  melancholic  edge  at  times.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  a  more  raw  black  metal  feeling  while t he  solos  and  leads  stick  to  a  more  modern  and  melodic  atmospheric  style  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Acoustic  guitars  and  stringed  instruments  are  used  on  the  other  tracks  as  well  while  a  couple  of  the  songs  are  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  a  brief  use  of  field  recordings,  nature  sounds  and  soundscapes  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  singing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  most  of  the  songs  also  sound  different  from  each  other  and  one  track  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Grift  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  atmospheric  style  of  black  metal  that  was  established  on  previous  releases  while  also  mixing  in  a  great amount  of  folk  elements,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Swedish  and  cover  Man's  Insignificance,  and  Death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Grift  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  black  metal  with  a  touch  of  folk,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Flyktfast"  and  "Utdoingsbygd".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.instagram.com/griftofficial
https://open.spotify.com/artist/74Fmoi6WyKpTp6NkjRWfhf

Wrok/De Onheilsbode/Heidens Hart Records/2017 CD Review


  Wrok  are  a band  from  the  Netherlands  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  satanic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "De  Onheilsbode"  which  was  released  by  Heidens  Hart  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  ritualistic  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  adding  in  blast  beats  and  fast  riffs  that  utilize  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  to  get  a  raw  feeling  while  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  style  and  after  awhile  high  pitched  yet  grim  black  metal  screams  start  to  make  their  presence  known.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  Gregorian  chants  can  also  be  heard  in  between all  of  the  tracks  and  the  riffs  are  all  done  on  power  chords  with  no  melodies  or  guitar  leads  ever  being  utilized  and  a  couple of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful sound  to  them  along  with  all  of  the  songs  sticking  to  a  very  heavy  and  raw  musical  direction.

  Wrok  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  goes  back  to  the  primitive  era  of  the  early  90's  second  wave  style,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Dutch  and  cover  death,  Satanism,  sickness,  winter,  and  weapons  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Wrok  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  satanic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Steerf  Vor  Satan" "Satans  Glorie"  "In  Pijin"  and  "Op  De  Vlerkan  Van  Azazel".  8  out  of  10.
 https://heidenshart.bandcamp.com/album/de-onheilsbode

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Necrolyric Goat Converter Interview


1.       For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?

Sure.  Necrolytic Goat Converter is essentially my attempt to examine and exorcise the darkness in my heart through loud and often abrasive music.  It started about two years ago as an attempt to get back into playing guitar by writing and recording a song in the vein of Darkthrone, whom I was obsessed with at the time.  That attempt, though tongue in cheek (it was about curdled milk) opened something up and since then the music has definitely been more personal and inward directed.  Though I defiantly stand by my claim that curdled milk smells like death.

2.       How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?

I usually just describe it as metal; I’ve seen other sites classify it as black metal, death metal, DSBM…after a while the sub-genres and acronyms get to be a bit much.  I try to embed the tunes in a black metal foundation: the guitars and vocals in particular as well as the whole DYI/one-man band esthetic, but really the music is based on everything I’ve been exposed to growing up.  So there’s a fair amount of hair/glam metal to be found in there if you know where to look as well as some of the more obvious influences.

3.       What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with the music?

Curdled milk aside, most of the tracks from a lyrical perspective are autobiographical, even when laced in metaphors or more fantastical language and imagery.  Much of it details my struggles with depression, and the anger and fear that arises from that depression.  Sometimes the light wins – tracks like “Second Skin” deals with refusing to cave to the lies you tell yourself about your worth, but more often than not like “The Dark Within” or “Eternal Winter (The Still)” on the new album it’s about the darker moments when you believe the lies.

4.       What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name ‘Necrolytic Goat Converter'?

It really came about as a joke – I had written “Smell of Death (Curdled Milk)” and reached out to my friends on Facebook to crowd-source the name.  It was agreed goats are pretty black metal, and I needed some reference to death or decay in the name.  At the time I was also working for a large bank that provided financing for cars, so started thinking about metal things in cars like catalytic converters and eventually we got Necrolytic Goat Converter.

5.       With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to remain solo?

Just because of the personal nature of the music I prefer Necrolytic Goat Converter to be a solo project, which isn’t to say I don’t reach out to other bands I know for advice and feedback.  I do – a lot.  But the act of writing and recording/performing the music is something I like to remain with me.  As far as collaborating with other musicians, I’m currently in the planning stages for something that will definitely be a group effort, so we’ll see how it goes.

6.       On Halloween you had also released a split with 'Domestikwom', what are your thoughts on the other project that had participated on the recording?

I got to know Jon through the #metalbandcampgiftclub community, and we became friends over our shared interests in music, film, and other geek-related pursuits.  As far as my thoughts on Domestikwom as a musical entity, I was immediately drawn to the similarity in our choices (we’re both very much DIY, solo endeavors) and how easily Jon can adopt different styles and incorporate them into his unique musical vision.  One of the reason we chose to cover each other’s songs on the split was for me to understand his approach to writing and adopting those styles, so I chose the slowest as well as the fastest songs to cover.

7.       Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

A little interest, but nothing I was ready to commit to.  I have no illusions about this becoming a full time thing; right now I’m content to just keep writing and getting closer to getting what’s in my head out to the music.  That being said, I’d be stupid and a liar if I said I have no interest in being signed – if the right thing came along then I’d consider it.  I don’t think the music’s there yet, but who knows?

8.       On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?

It’s been surprisingly well received, or least Google hasn’t turned up any “well this is a piece of shit” reviews yet!  The folks who have connected with it generally seem to get the intent: I’m not trying to go for any kind of traditional black metal sound or vibe, even though the foundation and (I hope) respect is evident.  I think for all the vocal bellyaching about things being “KVLT” or “TRVE” when it comes to black metal the majority of fans of the genre realize and accept the variety of ways the music can be shaped.  If it’s honestly crafted and sincere, people are going to respond, whether or not you’re wearing corpse paint or spiked gauntlets.  And for the records I love bands in corpse paint and spiked gauntlets; I’d just look ridiculous in them.

9.       Are you also involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

I have another small project called FirstForgiveness that’s a little more mainstream metal/hardcore focused…it’s really just an outlet for when I’m blocked with Necrolytic Goat Converter or want to try something else.  And as mentioned earlier I’m in the beginning stages of a group thing that we’re hoping to get starting later this year: we’re still working on identifying the overall sound for it – all I can say is it’ll be loud and heavy.

10.   Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

My hope is from a musical perspective it’ll get more diverse.  On the new album I tried a few different things, most evident in “The Calamity of Not Knowing” but there are some other smaller things: the ending of “Eternal Winter (The Still)” with the outro, the repeated musical cue in “A Quiet Affirmation” and “Isolated Evolution.”  The name kind of acts as a pigeonhole of sorts, no one wants an 80s ballad coming from a band called Necrolytic Goat Converter (if you do let me know), but the goal is to see where the music can go while still being rooted in something identifiable as black or death metal.

11.   What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Like I said, everything I’ve ever listened to has had an influence on me whether it’s immediately evident or not.  But specifically for the music released so far probably the two biggest bands for me are Darkthrone and Nachtmystium.  There are shades of Satyricon, Behemoth, Alcest and others peppered throughout, but it’s really a combination of over 40 years of listening and absorbing music.  Currently?  I write for a metal blog called Nine Circles, so it feels like every week is another dozen or so things I’m trying to get my brain wrapped around, but as far as black metal in 2017 goes I’ve been obsessed with the new records from Farsot, Woe, Twilight Fauna, Ragana, and whatever the hell Emptiness have morphed into.

12.   What are some of your non musical interests?

I’m a film nerd from way back.  I grew up watching Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant and John Wayne with my father in the 70s, and then became truly obsessed in college after taking a slew of film courses.  Same thing with books, particularly science fiction and fantasy, though I haven’t had any desire to incorporate that into the music, although there are references to Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen series in the song “Throne of Cold.”  I’ll leave that stuff to bands like Caladan Brood, who are awesome.

13.   Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Just thanks the opportunity to talk about the band!

Bandcamp
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Monday, July 24, 2017

Sangue Nero/Viscere/Third-I-Rex/2017 Full Length Review


  Sangue  Nero  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  an  experimental  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Viscere"  which  was  released  by  Third-I-Rex.

  Atmospheric sounding  drones  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  natural  noises  while  melodic  chants  are  also  used  briefly  and  after  awhile  the  music  goes  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  on  the  second  track  the  music  starts  to  speed  up.

  Vocals  are  mostly  tortured  style  black  metal s creams  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling  while  they  also  mix  the  experimental  and  heavy  parts  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  one  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  introduces  tribal  instruments  and  didgeridoo's  onto  the  recording.

  Sangue  Nero  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  experimental while  also  having  its  raw  moments  and  bringing  in  a  very  modern  style,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  Mysticism,  Magick,  and  Chaos  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sangue  Nero  are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  "II  and  "V".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2017/07/07/full-album-stream-sangue-nero-viscere/

      

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Wolok/Rotting Heaven/The Anatomy Of Madness/Death Kneel Productions/2017 Split CD Review


  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  France's  Wolok  and  Russia's  Rotting  Heaven  called  "The  Anatomy  Of  Madness"  which  was  released  by  Death  Kneel  Productions  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Wolok  a  band  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  goes  for  more  of  an  avant  garde  style  of  black  metal  on  this  recording.

  Their  side  of the  recording  starts  with  clean  playing  and  some  experimental  and  avant  garde  elements  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  parts  a  few  seconds  later  and  they  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  material  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  their  side  of  the  recording.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  or  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  while  all  of  their  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  after  awhile  dissonant  style  melodies  are  added  into  the  guitar  riffing  and  some  of  the  slow  riffs  add  in  elements  of  doom  metal  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow  and  mid  paced  parts.

  On  this  recording  Wolok  changes  their  musical  approach  around  and  goes  for  more  of  an  avant  garde  and  experimental  style  of  black  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  nothingness  and  end  of  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Wolok  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  experimental  and  avant  garde  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  their side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Tremors".

  Next  up  is  Rotting  Heaven  a  band  that  plays  a  satanic  form  of  black  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  the  sounds  of  war  along  with  a  few  air  raid  sirens  and  bombs  as  well  as  some  electronic  music  elements  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  to  a  heavier  direction  which  also  introduces  melodic  guitar  leads  and  blast  beats  onto  their  side  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  melodic  singing  is  also  used  at  times  along  with  all  of  their  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  they  also  mix  the  avant  garde  elements  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  a  more  raw  feeling.and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  elements  of  classical  are  also  used  briefly.  

  Rotting  Heaven  takes  a  raw  and  satanic  style  of  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  more  of  an  avant  garde  style  to  create  something  very  different,  the  production  sounds  very r aw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism  and  War  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Rotting  Heaven  are  a  very  great  sounding  satanic,  avant  garde  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "An  Altar  Of  Sacrifice".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  spit  and  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  avant  garde  black  metal.  8/5  out  of  10.

 http://deathknellprod.bandcamp.com/album/the-anatomy-of-madness.

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Diktatur/La Voie Du Sang/Melancholia Records/2017 CD Review

   Diktatur  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  very  aggressive  form  of  black  metal    and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Ls  Voie  Du  Sang"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Melancholia  Records.

  A  very  heavy  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  musical  direction  which  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  while  the  vocals  are  all  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  deep  growls  are  also  used  at  times  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  singing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  they  also  introduce  epic  sounding  synths  on  an  interlude  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction.

  On  this  recording  Diktatur  goes  for  more  of  a  straight  forward  and  raw  approach  to  the  aggressive  style  of  black  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  French  cover  horror,  brutality,  death  and  damnation  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Diktatur  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw  and  aggressive  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Foudroye"  "Dernier  Soupir"  "Valsa  Macabre"  and  "Revanche".  8  out  of  10.

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Bezeha Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
1) Bezeha is a Black Metal duo who was formed at Serres, Greece, at 2016. The members are Mykonius at music and programming, and Zagan in the vocals. Our music is at the scales of old school Norwegian second wave Black Metal.

2.So far you have released one album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
2) Our goal is to stay in the scales of classic Black Metal, nevertheless, we want to add our own touch in anything we are recording. That's what we think we managed to do in our first album, and that's what we want to continue doing to our second.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
3) Through our lyrics, we try to pass our own messages referring to as much the social part, as much to religious and historical themes, although, to many of our songs, we have a mythistorical  style, usually using obscurantism and lyrics that are referring to Satan.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Beheza'?
4) First we wanted to pick a name that when someone  hears it, he will connect it directly to the band and not meeting it elsewhere. Thus we created the name Bezeha, which is an anagram of three demons, of Beleath, of Zephar and of Halphas. In the near future we will write a song about how these three demons are connected and create the name "Bezeha".

5.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to expanding the line up or do you prefer to remain a duo?
5) Many people means many different opinions. And many different opinions means many compromises in anything you want to do. Now in our case, music is something that, if there are a  lot of members in a band, you will have many disagreements constantly leading to the unconciliation of all members, which means that a band could break up due to this, so we prefer maintaining our duo line up.

6.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
6) We haven't searched yet for a record company, although we are open to any proposition, depending on the requirements of the company to be closer to our expectations.


7.On the album you had also done a 'Claudio Monteverdi cover, what was the decision behind doing your own version of this song?
7) Classic music is one of our favorite genre. At first, it was Mykonius's idea when he first listened to the original track, he thought that making a cover of it in Black Metal would be a challenge. We thought that it would be nice making it, so we continued in making it with the help of Christina Mavridou, soprano of the philharmonic orchestra of Serres in the vocal part. This track was the hardest part of "The Era Of The Northern City". It took us six months to complete it and many times we thought of giving it up, but eventually we managed to complete it and the result was satisfying.


8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
8) It is yet time to say that people supports us, thinking that it's not much time since we released the album. Nevertheless, we have received many positive comments about it, and we would like to thank  everyone who supports us and everyone who would like to support us.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

9) Since there is a good alchemy between us, we have the belief that we will continue doing what we do. We both love what we do, and we think that this is enough to say that we will continue doing what we know best. In few months, we are going back on track for our second album.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

10 ) Our listening are mainly Norwegian second wave Black Metal bands such as Darkthrone, Burzum, Mayhem, Gorgoroth, Emperor, Satyricon and others. We want to stay in the scales of old school Norwegian Black Metal, but nevertheless put our signature with a Greek element such as "I Polis Ealo" and sometimes with our own experiments such as "Lamento Della Ninfa, Amor". Bold and difficult, but we want to believe that we finally did it.

11.How would you describe your views on Satanism and Occultism?
11)  We don't support any religion. We are against any religion. Referring to Satanism and Occultism, we don't think that it is something bad, it is a creation of the shepherd in order to scare the sheep and because we are against the establishment we take the role of the wolf to challenge the sheep.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
12) We would like to say a great thank you to those who support us and to those who support the Underground music scene, along with you  for the effort you make. Stay Black Metal & Let the music take us ...

Narbeleth/Indomitvs/Folter Records/2017 Full Length Review


  Cuba's  Narbeleth  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  dark,  raw  and  blasphemous  style  of  black  metal  from  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Indomitvs"  which  was  released  by  Folter  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  raw  sound  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  grim  black  metal  screams  and  dark  sounding  melodies  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  solos  and  leads  stick  to  a  very  melodic  style  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  demonic  growls  a  are  also  used  at  times  and  the  music  also  has  a  lot  of  second  wave  influences  but  also  maintaining  a  very  modern  atmosphere  and  clean  singing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  they  also  gives  the  music  a  more  ritualistic  feeling  while  one  track  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  classical  guitars  and  they  also  close  the  album  with  a  cover  of  Arckanum's  "Dadmellin".

  Narbeleth  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  dark,  raw  and  blasphemous  style  of  black  metal  from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Darkness  and  Blasphemy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Narbeleth  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  dark,  raw  and  blasphemous  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Distortion  Of  Life"  "Herald  Of  The  Dawn"  and  "Sinister  Laberynths  Of  The  Human  Soul".  8 out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/Narbeleth.BlackMetal/