Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Veliar/Through The Ages/Symbol Of Domination Productions/The Ritual Productions/2016 CD Review


   Veliar  are  a band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  symphonic  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review of  their  2016  album  "Through  The  Ages"  which  was  released as  a  joint  effort  between  Symbol  Of  Domination  and  The  Ritual  Productions.

  Symphonic  and  epic  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  musical  direction  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  vocals  also  bring  in  a  mixture  of  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  and  they  also  mix  the  symphonic  and  heavy  parts  together.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  back  up  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and melodic  singing  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  tracks  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  while  the  solos  and  leads  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  some  Finnish  influences  along  with  a  brief  use  of  folk  and  electronic  music  elements  and  some  of  the  faster  riffing  also  brings  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking.

   Veliar  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  a  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  mixes  it with  melodic  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  whilree  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Russian  and  cover  scientific,  nature,  and  historical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Veliar  are  a  very  great  sounding   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  "Sirius"  "Cheating  (In  Fog  Dope)"  "Providec"  and  "Battle  Of  The  Vohza".  8  out  of  10. 

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Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Satarial/Blessed Brigit/Symbol Of Domination Productions/Death Portal Studio/2016 CD Review


  Satarial  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  mixture  of  pagan,  folk,  and  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Blessed  Brigit"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Symbol  Of  Domination  Productions  and  Death  Portal  Studio.

  Heavy  guitars  and  folk  instruments  start  off  the  album  and  after  awhile  black  metal  screams  along with  pagan  chanting  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  female  vocals  are  also  used  at  times  while  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  At  times  the  vocals  get  very  grim  and  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  as  the  album  progresses  more  symphonic  elements  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction.

  On  this  recording  Satarial  goes  for  more  of  a  folk,  pagan  and  black  metal  mixture  this  time  around,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the lyrics  cover  Celtic  Paganism  and  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Satarial  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  folk,  pagan,  and  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Manifest  Of  Paganism"  and  "Formation  Of  The  Moon".  8  out  of  10. 

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Thursday, January 26, 2017

Oracle/Beyond Omega/2016 Full Length Review


  Oracle  are  a  band  from  Alabama  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "Beyond  Omega".

  Dark  sounding  synths  and  drum  beats  start  off  the  album  before  introducing  melodic  yet  technical  guitar  leads  onto  the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  vocals  bring  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  while  the  riffs  also use  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  elements  of  brutal  death  metal  are  also  used  at  times  along  with  some  atmospheric  sounds  and  traces  of  groove  can  also  be  heard in  the  guitar  riffing    and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  sound  very  powerful  and  one  song  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  while  the  last  track  is  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Oracle  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  a  melodic  and  atmospheric  style  of  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  brutal  and  technical  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  perspective  and  metaphor  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Oracle  are  a  very  great  sounding  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  "Aeons  Of  Madness"  "Nocturnal  Creatures"  "Tomb  Of  Serpents"  and  "Blood  Stained  Epitaph".  8  out  of  10.

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Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Noctiferia/Transnatura/Nika Records/2016 CD Review


  Noctiferia  are  a  band  from  Slovenia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death  metal,  ethnic  and  experimental and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Transnatura"  which  was  released  by  Nika  Records.

  Powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  ethnic  style  female  vocals  and  instruments  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  up  to  black  metal  screams  being  added  onto  the  recording  and  spoken  word  parts  are  also  used  at  times  and  stringed  instruments  are  also  used  in  some  parts  of the  songs.

  Acoustic  guitars  are also  used  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  an   the  music  also  brings  in  a great  amount  of  folk  music  elements  and  also  avoids  using  any  electric  guitars  and  as the  album  progresses  the  music  starts  getting  more  avant  garde  and  experimental and  the  songs  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  diversity  with  some  traces  of  swing,  jazz,  gypsy  and  country.

  Noctiferia  move away  from  the  more  black,  death  and  industrial  metal  style  of  previous  releases  taking  songs  of  these  albums and  making  them  all  acoustic  while  also  adding  in  many  different  musical  styles  to  create  something  very  different,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Eastern  Mysticism  and  political  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Noctiferia  are  a  very  great sounding  mixture  of   black,  death  metal,  ethnic  and  experimental  and  if you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Mara"  "I  Am  You"  "Gaga  People"  and  "Rust".  8  out  of  10.  

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Thursday, January 19, 2017

From The Shores/Of Apathy/Metal Scrap Records/2016 CD Review


  From  The  Shores  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  metal  and  metalcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album "Of  Apathy"  which  was  released  by  Metal  Scrap  Records.

  A  very  fast,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  after  awhile  the  brutality  of  death  metal  can  be  heard  and  after  the  intro  growling  vocals  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  also  being  utilized  in  some  parts  of  the  songs.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  solos  and  leads  stick  to  a  very  melodic  style  and  some  of  the  riffing  also  brings  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  metalcore  influences  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  death  and  black  metal  influence  has  more  dominance.

  As  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  is  added  onto  the  album  along  with  thunder  sounds  also  being  added  onto  a  couple  of  the  tracks  and  their  is  also  a  brief  use  of  synths  along  with  an  instrumental  before  reverting  back  to  vocals  and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  mixes  in  a  few  seconds  of  stringed  instruments.

  From  The  Shores  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  death  metal  and  a  touch  of  metalcore  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  pain  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  From  The  Shores  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  melodic  black,  death  metal  and  metalcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "This  Ain't  Another  Feast  For  Crows"  "Incest  Of  The  Wretched"  "Hourglass"  and  "Weakness  Of  The  Flesh".  8  out  of  10.

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Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Body Void/Ruins/Crown & Throne Ltd/Dry Cough Records/2017 LP Review


  Body  Void  are  a  band  from  San  Francisco  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  sludge  metal  with  touches  of  noise  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Ruins"  which  will  be  released  on  January  31st  as  a  joint  effort  between  Crown  &  Throne  Ltd  and  Dry  Cough  Records.

  Atmospheric  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  the  music  going  into  a  heavier  doom  metal  direction  a  few  seconds  later  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  the  vocals a re  high  pitched  screams  that  mix  black  metal  and  sludge  together  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  at  times.

 All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  all  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  elements  of  crust  punk  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  elements  of  noise  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  one  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  fashion.

  Body  Void  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  sludge  and  doom  metal  while  also  mixing  in  black  metal  vocals  and  elements  of  noise  and  crust  punk  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  oppression,  gender  and  science  fiction  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Body  Void  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  sludge  metal  with  elements  of  noise  and  crust  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Erased"  and  "Ruins".  8  out  of  10.

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Monday, January 16, 2017

Hypocras 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?

The recording process has been made during September 2016. So we've first released the digital format of the EP on our Bandcamp because we didn't receive the physical ones yet. Few weeks after the release, there were a lot of people purchasing it (I mean at our level...). So it has received a heartly welcome from the public. We also received a label offer, but unfortuntely it didn't fit with our own production schedule. The fact is that we had already ordered  and paid the print of the EP on our own and we were supposed to transfer some money to the label for that and we couldn't afford this extra expense. Many great reviews have already been written on the new baby and it's always a great pleasure to read something positive on your musical endeavor. It means a lot. But for us, the most important thing is to play shows because we all think this is the soul of Hypocras. The real Hypocras is on live in my opinion and we're still un-labeled so this is also the best way to meet people and have new fans. So we're actively looking for new gigs !

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 stuff  of the past was really flute oriented. The other instruments were there to support the flute. On the new EP the flute supports the other instruments. So it's quite the opposite but I think it was a logical forward in our musical path as a band.

3.I have read that the band originally started out as an instrumental project, what was the decision behind adding vocals into your music?

   It started as an instrumental project because it was a project for his final exams so he had not expected to make some shows in the future. The fact is that even after he had graduated, the band continued to make rehearsal and worked on new music. Step by step, the idea to perform live has born and it became consistent to add vocals on the musical score.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?

Like the music, the lyrics have evolved. If on our first EP and full-length album, the lyrics were definitely oriented on the fantasy and viking themes, the new ones are directed on more philosophical, psychological concept. Actually on "Implosive" I'm trying to explore the constant dialog you have with yourself during on the critical times of your life. Which place the cognizant "I" is supposed to take ? What are the best way to keep this "I" aware ? I supposed these kind of questions only reflect my own interrogation at a time of my life where I have to make crucial choices. The bond between my lyrics and my life is strong.

5.I have seen the band being labeled as a death/viking metal band, do any of the band members have an interest in Paganism?

We have some during our early years but no longer...

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Hypocras?

There are not a lot of meaning or inspiration behind the name. It's an unique word so easier to remember and we like the medieval wine called Hypocras. Sorry, there's no conceptual inspiration behind the band's name :)

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?

I think that the first one on a big stage with a big crowd in front of us was an unforgettable time ! It was on 21th May 2011 at Les Docks in Lausanne (CH). We received a proposition to open for the band Eluveitie (CH) which was already a big name in the metal world. There were us and them ! It was the first time we were playing in front of more than one thousand people... For a little local band it was nearly obnoxious. We were quite impressed by the space on the stage but I think we managed to do it well because we did again at the Palladium in Geneva (CH) in 2012 and at L'Usine in Geneva in 2013. The show at the MetalCamp 2012 (SLO) was also a big highlight ! In front of more than two thousand people ! The first real tour with six followings shows in Japan in 2013 was also mad.

Our stage performance is very powerful and we try to share a lot with the crowd. Maybe too much for the crowd sometimes... But that's the way we like to do it. We like to see the smile on people face or something in their eyes which says : "I feel something right now". Like I said before, the live performance is the soul of Hypocras.

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

Well, we subscribed to the Swiss Wacken Metal Battle this year so we hope to play at Wacken this year. We also have a Spanish/Portugal tour scheduled for May. We also have two shows in Berlin and Hamburg (DE) during the summer. Maybe we'll try to book another european tour in October but nothing sure.

9.On the ep you had done a 'Djizoes' cover, what was the decision behind doing your own version of one of their songs?

Djizoes is a band from Geneva so we're friends. They change their name in "The Erkonauts" now and we're playing with them tonight ! We choose to play this song in 2015 when the bassist and leader of Djizoes was celebrating his birthday and invited us to play in a local venue in Geneva. Our ex-drummer thought it would be a great gift to play one their song for the show. So we worked on it and two years later, we choose to record our own version of this song.

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

We are a little bit lazy about that because if we had dreams about signing with a big label, now we don't have anymore. So even if the things are slower to set up when you're unsigned, you have a the feeling that your band owns you. Plus, we didn't receive a lot of offer so the choice was not a real choice.

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

It depends of the kind of fans of extreme metal... Some of them are not listening only extreme metal and they often like or not dislike our music and performance. The ones listening only to extreme metal are more sceptical : "The flute is so gay","This is too gentle" or "Not enough blastbeat"... Well, I think it's more about the open mind than about being fan of extreme metal.

12.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

I don't know where we're heading in the future. Probably on the same line we're doing now. And of course, we would like to record a second full-length album but before that, we need time to write the materials. And we also have our jobs, family and this is not going to happen before 2018 I think.

13.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?

Hopefully we became very, very eclectic. Jazz, hip-hop, rap, blues, bluegrass... Everything works if you feel something. I don't really know how these styles have an influence on our music but it has some. Only the future will tell us ! If you want some really good jazz : Hiromi Uehara Trio, Mammal Hands, Matthew Halsall, Avishai Cohen...

14.What are some of your non musical interests?

Probably reading and video games for myself.

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

Thanks for the nice review and for this interview ! You're doing a great job !

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