Friday, February 24, 2017

Dusius/Memory Of A Man/Extreme Metal Music/2017 CD Review


  Dusius  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk,  viking,  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Memory  Of  A  Man"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Extreme  Metal  Music.

  Acoustic  guitars  and  atmospheric  keyboards  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  drum  beats  a  few  seconds  later  and  they  also  mix  in  with  the  more  heavier  and  melodic  side  of  the  music  and  after  the  intro  clean  singing  pagan  vocals  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  spoken  word  parts  being  used  at  times.

  Death  metal  growls  and  progressive  elements  are  also  used  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  the  songs  also  mixing  in  flutes  and  bagpipes  and  viking  style  shouts  are  also  used  at  times  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  a  mixture  of  slow, mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  symphonic  style  keyboards  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  some  riffs  also  add  in  a  touch  of  thrash.

  Dusius  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  folk,  viking,  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism  and  Fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Dusius  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  folk,  viking,  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band..  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Slainte"  "The  Rage  Of  Gods"  "Dead  End  Cave"   and  "Coldsong".  8  out  of  10. 

https://youtu.be/67c_K6QOoPY

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Cemetery Winds/Unholy Ascensions/Temple Of Darkness/2017 CD Review


  Cemetery  Winds  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  atmospheric  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017 album  "Unholy  Ascensions" which  was  released  by  Temple  Of  Darkness.

 A  very  dark,  heavy,  melodic  and  old  school  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  also  bringing  in  90's  influences  as  well  as  some  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  or  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  also  mixing  elements  of  black  and  death  metal   together  in  the  Nordic  style.

  Atmospheric  synths  can  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  faster  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  fashion  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  some  of  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  add  in  a  touch  of  doom  metal.

  Cemetery  Winds  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  a  very  melodic  and  atmospheric  style  of  black  metal  and mixes  it  with  old  school  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Cemetery  Winds  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric,  melodic  and old  school  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dormant  Darkness"  "When  Death  Descends"  and  "Unholy  Ascensions".  8  out  of  10.

CEMETERY WINDS Facebook

NervoChaos/Nyctophilia/Greyhaze Records/2017 CD Review


  NervoChaos  are  a  band  from  Brazil  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of   black  metal,  doom,  death,  thrash  and  hardcore  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Nyctophilia"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Greyhaze  Records.

  A  very  heavy  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  black  metal s creams  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  influences  from  both  death  metal  and  the  extreme  style  of  their  home  country  along  with  some  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  also  bringing  the  old  school  to  the  modern  era.

  A  great  amount  of  doom  metal  elements  can  be  heard  in  the  slower  riffing  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Death  metal  growls  along  with  thrash  and  hardcore  influences  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  tracks  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  old  school  extreme  metal  style  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  and  horror  movie  samples  and  some  of  the  fast  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  some tracks also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  back  up  shouts  and  the  album  also  remains  very  heavy  from  beginning  to ending  of  the  recording.

  NervoChaos  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  mixture  of   black  metal, doom,  death,  thrash  and  hardcore  punk  from  their  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics cover  Satanism,  Occultism,  Left  Hand  Path  and  Darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  NervoChaos  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of   black  metal, doom,  death,  thrash  and  hardcore  punk,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Moloch  Rise"  :Season  Of  The  Witch"  "Vampiric  Cannibal  Goddess"  and  "Live  Like  Suicide".  8/5  out  of  10.  

https://www.facebook.com/NervoChaos/

Entity Of Hate/Cursed For Eternity/2017 EP Review


  Entity  Of  Hate  are  a  band  from  India  that  plays  a  melodic  and  atmospheric  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their self  released  2017  ep  "Cursed  For  Eternity".

  Melodic  guitar  leads,  heavy  riffs  and  atmospheric  keyboards  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  grim  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  symphonic  elements  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.

  During  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  the  riffs  utilize  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  90's  influences  in  the  bands  musical  style  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  mix  in  a  decent  amount  of  death  metal  influences.

  Entity  Of  Hate  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  a  melodic,  atmospheric  and  old  school  style  of  symphonic  black  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  death  metal  influences  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Entity  Of  Hate  are  very  great  sounding  atmospheric,  symphonic  and  melodic mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cursed  For  Eternity"  and  "Heart  Shaped  Dagger".  8  out  of  10.

ENTITY OF HATE Bandcamp (FULL STREAM!)

ENTITY OF HATE Facebook

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Sanatana/Brahmavidya/Rising Moon/2017 Double CD Review


  Sanatana  are  a  band  from  Ukraine  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  folk,  new  age,  ethnic,  and  experimental  music  and  this is a review  of  their 2017  double album  "Brahmavidya"  which  was  released  by  Rising  Moon.

  Atmospheric  soundscapes  and  melodic  vedic  style  chanting  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some water  sounds  before  adding  in  melodic  guitar  leads  and  clean  singing  vocals  and  when  the  music  speeds  up a   great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  black  metal  influences  can  be  heard  and  the  music  also  gets  symphonic  at  times.

  Acoustic  guitars  are  added  onto  some  of  the  songs  which  also  add  in  elements  of  folk  music  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and tribal  style  beats  are  also  used  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing.

  Ethnic  style  folk  instruments  are  added  onto  some  of  the  tracks  and  keyboards  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  songs  and  as  the  album  progresses  female  vocals  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  some  of  the  tacks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  whispers  are  utilized  they  also  add  in  more  of  a  black  metal  touch  and  the  music also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  new  age,  oriental  and  experimental  elements  and  the  second  album  on  the  compilation  focuses  less  on  a  metal  scene  and  goes  for  more  of  a  relaxed  style  that  is  perfect  for  meditation  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Sanatana  plays a  musical  style  that  takes  black  metal,  oriental  folk  music,  new  age,  ethnic  and  experimental  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Vedism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sanatana  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  ethnic,  oriental  folk music,  new  age  and  experimental  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Black  Mother  Earth"  "Shiva"  "Maya"  and  "Brahma  Samhita".  8  out  of  10.

https://sanatanamusic.bandcamp.com/album/brahmavidya
 

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Fleurety Interview


1. Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new ep?

We are currently preparing to release our first new album since 2000: "The White Death". I consists of eight brand new songs, and it sounds very Fleurety in my ears, at least. Apart from that we are also working on a cd release that compiles all the music from the EPs that we've been releasing the last ten years. This release is called "Inquietus", and will be released through Aesthetic Records some time in 2017.

2. Recently you have released a new ep. How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

The EP "Fragmenta Cuiusvis Aetatis Contemporaneae" has a sound that is somewhat marked by experimental recording techniques and a lot of layering of instruments. Consider, for instance, the song "Consensus". We have recorded a lot of ukulele, triangle, piano, synthesizer, fretless bass and and acoustic guitars, for instance. So I guess this is the most complex release we've done thus far, at least in terms of orchestration and arrangements. In my ears it is very evocative music. But, obviously, the best thing is to listen for yourself and make up your own mind: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=sNNr-q-v2-M

3. All of the music on the ep is instrumental, are you planning on going back to using vocals again in the future?

Yes, the reason why we didn't include vocals on this last EP is that we had kind of painted ourselves into a corner where we couldn't make any of the vocals we tried fit the overall expression. So we decided that we didn't need any vocals for this particular release.

4. Since 2000 there has been no full length and before 2009 there was no new material and also there has only been an ep released once every 2 to 4 years, can you tell us a little bit more about it?

Fleurety more or less fell apart as a band during the late nineties. Most of the time since then we have been living on different continents, and for different reasons the notion of keeping the band going as a file exchange/internet project didn't seem so tempting. We had plans of making more music, but the years went by without much happening within the framework of Fleurety. I had made a couple of songs intended to be used in Fleurety, but they were released under the name Zweizz as the EP "Black Necrotic Obfuscation" in 2004. After a while we found out that it was better to keep doing things very slowly than doing nothing at all. Between 2004 and 2014 we tried to keep up this tradition of meeting up once a year to record a new song. Those are the songs that ended up on the four 7" EPs that we've been releasing. Then in 2014, we recorded a new album which is due for release some time the coming year, hopefully.

5. I know that the bands name came from a Goetic demon, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in Occultism?

At the time we chose the band name, we were 14 years old and wanted something demonic. We didn't know much about the subject; teenagers rarely do. We found the name Fleurety in an encyclopedia. These days I guess I'm more of a occultism/witchcraft nerd.

6. Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to becoming a full line up again or do you prefer to remain a duo?

We have no specific plans of playing concerts, so at the moment there is no need to recruit more personnell.

7. What where some of the best shows that the band played back in the days and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We only played some 5-6 shows back in the day, not much to be talking about. For those of you who are very interested, i recommend this clip from 1994: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=103DtO23lXA

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer material by fans of experimental, avant garde and black metal?

Seems most people enjoy our new material, even though there is also the occasional "meh". There have been comments from people that think we should be more prolific, and that is the only really non-enthusiastic feedback I've heard.

9. Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

I have some other projects going on. For instance you can check out a band where I play the drums, called Succuba, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=GDofo0Gunos

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

I HAVE NO IDEA!!!!!!!!!!

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

Most of the time I listen to whatever's on the radio. I used to be working as a music critic from 2002 to 2013, and it basically ruined my relationship with the "listening to music" situation, so I guess I'm still trying to recover from that.

12. What are some of your non musical interests?

Food, people, movies, visual art ... politics to some extent.

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

Thanks for paying attention!

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Friday, February 17, 2017

Sloth Herder/No Pity, No Sunrise/Grimiore Records/2017 Full Length Review


  Sloth  Herder  are  a  band  from  Maryland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge,  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of their  2017  album  "No  Pity,  No  Sunrise"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Grimiore  Records.

  Distorted  drones  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  and  fast  griindcore  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  as  well  as  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  power  violence  style  and  the  riffing  also  gets  very  technical  at times  while  the  slower  sections  are  influenced  by  sludge.

  Deep  growls  can  be  heard  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  some  of  the  fast  riffs  also  utilize  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  can  also be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  as  well  as  a  few  instrumentals  and  elements  of  post  hardcore  are  also  utilized  at  times.

  Sloth  Herder  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  black  metal,  sludge  and grindcore  mixture  of  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Sloth  Herder  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  metal,  sludge,  and  grindcore,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Antipathetic  Grades"  "Prijedor"  "Burial  Ethic"  and  "Privation".  8  out  of  10.