In The Woods.../Otra/Prophecy Productions/2025 Full Length Review

 

  In  The  Woods...  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  avant  garde  and  progressive  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2025  album  "Otra"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Prophecy  Productions.

  Acoustic  guitars  and  keyboards  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clear  singing  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  direction.  Harsh  vocals  are  mostly  black  metal  screams  along  with  most  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  progressive  and  avant  garde  sounding  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing along  with  one  song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  female  vocals  and  all  of  the  tracks  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction.

  On  this  recording  In  The  Woods...  focuses  more  on  an  avant  garde  and  progressive  style  of  metal  with  some  elements  of  black  metal  which  also  gives  the  album  more  of  an  aggressive  edge.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Philosophy,  Introspection  and  Sadness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  in  the  Woods...  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  avant  garde  and  progressive  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Things  You  Shouldn't  Know"  "The  Kiss  And  The  Lie"  and  "Come  Ye  Sinners'.  8  out  of  10.

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Cradle Of Filth/The Screaming Of the Valkyries/Napalm Records/2025 Full Length Review

 

  United  Kingdom's  Cradle  Of  Filth  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  gothic  and  symphonic  style  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "The  Screaming  Of  The  Valkyries"  which  will  be  released  on  March  21st  by  Napalm  Records.

  A  very  dark  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  choirs  and  symphonic  elements  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  mixed  in  with  a  few  death  metal  growls  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Melodies  are  also  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  music  also  capturing  a  very  gothic  orientated  atmosphere  at  times.  Some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Spoken  words  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  album  and  some  songs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  female  vocals,  tremolo  picking  is  also  added  into  some  of  the  faster  riffing  and  influences  of  thrash  and  traditional  metal  are  also  mixed  into  the  riffs  and  leads.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Cradle  Of  Filth  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this band,  you  should  enjoy t his  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "To  Live  Deliciously"  "Non Omnis  Moriar"  "Malignant  Perfection"  and  "When  Misery  Was  A  Stranger".  8  out  of  10.

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Belnejoum/Dark Tales Of Zarathustra/Antiq/2025 Full Length Review

 

   Belnejoum  are  a  band  from  the  United  States  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2025  album  "Dark  Tales  Of  Zarathustra"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Antiq.

  

   Night  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  symphonic  elements  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams,  choirs  and   operatic  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at times.

   When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  elements  of  classical  and  orchestral  music.  Oriental  and  strings  instruments  are  also  used  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording,  death  metal  growls  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  tracks  and  they  also  add  in  a  few  instrumentals  as  well  as  a  couple  of  songs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  words.  The  production  sounds  very professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  story  of  Zarathustra's  corruption  and  insanity.

  In  my  opinion  Belnejoum  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Prophet  Of  Desolation"  "On  Aeshma's  Wings"  and  "Upon  the  Mortal  Blight".  8/5  out  of  10.

  www.facebook.com/belnejoum 

  

  

    

The Infernal Deceit/The True Harmful Black/Personal Records/2025 Full Length Review

 

  The  Infernal  Deceit  are  a  duo  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  old  school  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2025  album  "The  True  Harmful  Black"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Personal  Records.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  riffing  a  few  seconds  later.  A  lot  of  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90;s  Swedish  style  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams.

  Death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  tracks  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  spoken  words  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  album.

 Some  of  the  tracks  also  being  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  when  they  are  utilized  as  well  as a  couple  of  tracks  also  being  acoustic  instrumental.  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  The  Infernal  Deceit  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "On  the  Wilderness  Of  Pernicious  Black"  "The  Divinity  Of  Forsaken  Idols"  and  "The  Fathomless  Dominion".  8  out  of  10.

  http://personal-records.bandcamp.com/album/the-true-harmful-black

www.facebook.com/theinfernaldeceitband 

Edyakaran/Pantheon/My Kingdom Music/2025 Full Length Review

 

  Edyakaran  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  avant  garde  and  progressive  form  of  post  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2025  album  "Pantheon"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  My  Kingdom  Music.

  Drum  beats  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  playing  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  takes  the  music  into  more  of  a  progressive  direction  when  it  is  utilized.  Some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Synths  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  post  metal  style.  A  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  done  in  more  of  an  instruments  along  with  the  album  also  having  its  symphonic  and  avant  garde  moments  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  adding  in  elements  of  noise  and  electronic  music.

  When  harsh  vocals  are  finally  utilized  they  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  deep  growls  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  fast  tremolo  playing  also  being  used  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up,  spoken  words  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  a  couple  of  songs  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  female  vocals.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Italian  and  cover  self-destructive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Edyakaran  are  a  very  great  sounding  avant  garde  and  progressive  post  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Alfa"  "Caccia"  "Guerra"  and  "Omega".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.instagram.com/edyakaran/

Cursed Bloodlines 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 album?

We have been working to get the album into people's ears, and get our music into peoples heads. With our album release show behind us, and deemed a success, we are wasting no time getting back into writing new music as soon as possible.

2.Recently you have released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

"Virulent" itself is a 5 year project that has evolved within itself over time, but to compare it to our first album is like apples to oranges. The bands influence since our first album has completely changed due to most of the original members not being present in the current lineup of "Cursed Bloodlines". When creating and getting a band off the ground it becomes apparent whether a person can sacrifice the amount of time and dedication needed to make a quality band and album, while not being afraid to step outside of their comfort zone. I really think we have all taken a step outside of our norms to make "Virulent" the album we intend it to be.

3.You refer to your music as being 'poverty metal', can you tell us a little bit more about this term?

We were riffing about how every band was seemingly making up their own subgenres to describe solely their own band, and we made the comment that we played "poverty metal". It stuck around and we embraced it as our style. "Poverty metal" doesn't really have a sound, but it became an attitude as to not give up in the face of adversity, and to persevere through all odds.

4.Between 2017 and 2023 there was no music being released, what was the cause of the long wait?

There were a lot of differences in opinions in the early lineup of "Virulent" about everything to how it sounded, down to how it would be released and promoted. There were many different musicians working on this album throughout the last 5 years. There many different iterations to many of the songs, but through band members leaving and new band members bringing in new visions, we decided to take our time to make something we are extremely proud of.

5.A lot of your lyrics cover science fictions themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this genre?

We are really interested in the imagery that cosmic horror, and science fiction pervays. We try to make people think about what possibilities could exist, and hopefully get people to see beyond their own experiences through showing the darker side of the universe.

6.How would you describe the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

It is a representation of virulence itself conveyed in a way that if familiar to individuals to recognize. The art work is done in band by Tim "Moth" Morris (Bass). As all members of the band bring a unique set of skills to the table "poverty metal" style, Moth nails the artistic vision that "Cursed Bloodlines" represents.

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We have three that come to mind. The first is our trial by fire that was the first time we played at the Whisky A Go Go where we had no idea how venues like that operate. Second is The Field of the Dead festival in "Cord" Arkansas, as it was our first show that we traveled a significant distance to play. Third would have to be our album release show that we played this last Saturday, where we hosted local bands to feast and jam with us. Our stage performance is best described as a genuine, energetic hell of a time.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

We are focusing on writing new music, and playing as many shows as possible. Though we are not opposed to scheduling a tour, we do not have one lined up.

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

We produced "Virulent" all in house, and have a good balance of non talents that makes "Cursed Bloodlines" come together. A staple of "poverty metal" is having to work your ass off to get shit done. If a label were to be beneficial to us, we would absolutely be interested, but as of right now we are seeing how far we can push Cursed Bloodlines with every aspect of the production being "all in band".

10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of underground metal?

Very positive. It's amazing being able to get music out into the and seeing who in the world enjoys it. We haven't gotten much hate online. Maybe that's a bad thing?

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

From what we can tell so far, on what we have already in store for next album isn't limited by any expectation. We are not afraid to go outside of any comfort zone, and are always pushing ourselves to make music that we would listen too, and sometimes some things we wouldn't.

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles the band members are currently listening to nowadays?

Holy Shit! There is a wide range of musical influences, anywhere from nordic fold music, to extreme death metal, and everywhere in between. 

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

Michigan

youtube.com/channel/UCfE7-4Ao1vM1Z3Njnc4u7nQ/videos

Cursed Bloodlines/Virulent/2025 Full Length Review

 

  Cursed  Bloodlines  are  a  band  from  Yucca  Valley,  California  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  groove  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2025  album  "Virulent".

  A  very  fast,  brutal  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast b eats.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  while  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  elements  of  groove  metal  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Some  of  the  riffing  also  shows  an  influence  of  thrash  metal  along  with  the  album  also  mixing  in  influences  from  both  the  old  school  and  modern  era's  of  extreme  metal.

  Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  of  tracks  as  well  as  some  tremolo  picking  also  being  added  into  some  of  the  faster  riffing  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  spoken  words are  also  utilized  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  brutal  science  fiction  themes.

 In  my  opinion  Cursed  Bloodlines  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death, thrash  and  groove  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Nightmare  Grotesque"  "Bodies  In  The  Cellar"  "Mephetic  Rebirth"  and  "The  Rats  In  The  Walls".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/Cursedbloodlines/