Thursday, February 1, 2018

Blood Of The Wolf/II: Campaign Of Extermination/2018 Full Length Review


  Blood  Of  The  Wolf  are  a  band  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  brutal  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "II:  Campaign  Of  Extermination"  which  will  be  released  in  April.

  Thunder  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  direction  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  vocals  bring  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams as  well  as  the  riffs  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  vocals  being  very  easy  to  understand  as  well  as  the  fast  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  of  tracks  and  the  closing  song  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  stringed  instruemnts.

  Blood  Of  The  Wolf  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  brutal  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  violence  and  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Blood  Of  The  Wolf  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  brutal  and  melodic black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Thunder  The  Drums  Of  War"  "Erupting  Volcnic  Wrath"  and  "A  Sermon  of  Slaughtered  Foes".  8  out  of  10.

bloodofthewolf.bandcamp.com

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Silent Kingdom/Where Secrets Meet/Darknagar Records/2017 CD Review



  Silent  Kingdom  are  a  band  from  Bosnia  that  started  out  as  a  melodic  blackened  death  metal  band  but  over  the  years  have  evolved  into  more  of  a  dark  progressive  rock  direction  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Where  Secrets  Meet"  which  was  reelased  by  Darknagar  Records.

  Acoustic  guitars  along  with  some  clean  vocals  start  off  the  album  while  drum  beats  and  progressive  rock  elements  are  added  onto  the  recording  a  few  seconds  later  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  as  well  as  adding  in  touches  of  folk  music  at  times.

  Psychedelic  elements  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  a  couple  of the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  female  vocals  and  when  keyboards  are  utilized  they  give  the  songs  a  more  tragic  atmosphere.

  On  this  recording  Silent  Kingdom  move  way  from  a  melodic  black/death metal  direction  and  goes  into  more  of  a  dark  progressive  rock  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  English  and  Bosnian  and  cover  darkness, fear  and  oblivion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  recording  from  Silent  Kingdom  and  while  some  fans  of  their  melodic  black/death  metal  style  may  not  be  into  it  as  much, I  can  see  this  album  finding  a  fan  base  among  fans  of  dark  progressive  rock.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Alone"  "Silence"  and  "Memories  of  Tomorrow".  8  out  of  10.




    

Battlesoul/Sunward And Starward/CDN Records/2018 CD Review


  Battlesoul  are  a  band  from  Ontario,  Canada  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  melodic  form  of  Celtic  blackened  death  metal  with  a  touch  of  folk  and  power  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Sunward  And  Starward"  which  will  be  released  in  February  by  CDN  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album along  with  a  great  amount of  blast  beats  while  power  metal  style  vocals  and  melodic  riffing  are  added  onto  the  recording  a  few  seconds  later  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  the  music  also  mixing  in Celtic  folk  music  elements.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts while  the  tremolo picking  brings  in  elements  of  black  metal  along  with  some atmospheric  sounding  keyboards  as  well  as  some  screams  and  death  metal  growls  also  being  used  at  times  as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  some  songs  also bring  in  a  small  amount  of  female  vocals  and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Battlesoul  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  black  and  brutal  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  folk  and  power  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Celtic  Themes  and  History.

  In  my  opinion  Battlesoul  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  brutal  mixture  of  black,  death,  folk  and  power  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "All  I  Understand"  "The  Watcher"  "The  loss  Of  Sons"  and  "Break  The  Day".  8/3  out  of  10.

Battlesoul

    

Saturday, January 27, 2018

Abinchova/Weltenwanderer/Massacre Records/2018 CD Review


  Abinchova  are  a  band  from  Switzerland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk  and  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Weltenwanderer"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Massacre  Records.

  An  epic  sounding  intro  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  stringed  instruments  a  few  seconds  later  and  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  the  screams  also  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very powerful  sound  to  them  while  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  the  solos  and  leads also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  when  keyboards are  utilized  they  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  symphonic  feeling.

  Female  vocals  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  they  also  add  in  more  of  a  goth  and  operatic  feeling  while  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the music  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  melodic  death  metal  elements  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  growls  can  also  be  heard  and  one  track  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic guitars.

  Abinchova  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  folk  and  melodic  black/death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Swiss  and  cover  Swiss  Mythology  and  Folklore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Abinchova  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  folk,  melodic  death  and  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Weltenwanderer"  "Eulemann"  "Pestwind"  and  "Sennenpuppe".  8/5  out  of  10.   

http://www.abinchova.ch
https://www.facebook.com/Abinchova
https://twitter.com/abinchova
https://www.youtube.com/abinchova
https://www.instagram.com/abinchova
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4Zape1JhnU8g7iC1t9eEpR

  

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Greyfell 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 recorded this album 2 years ago, we are currently composing new songs.
Now we are a four-piece band, it changes a lot of things, so we are working with this new line up and booking couple of good gigs for the next months

There is also something really cool, we are working on with friends on a new concept for us, two bands writing an album together.

2.Recently you have released a new album, 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?

It's hard to precisely describe, it's a huge evolution on many aspects, but we think about it as a continuity of the first album. We also made a big work to find new sounds and textures. All those researches led us to different atmospheres.


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

The lyrics were written the same way on this album than they were on the first. It's always related to personal subjects, like an introspection treated in a metaphoric way.
The topics evolve in the same time than we do.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Greyfell'?

The name Greyfell comes from the Nordic mythology, it's one of the different universe that we draw inspiration from.


5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?


Our trip to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem was a great adventure. Playing at the Motocultor festival this summer was massive. We also had a lot of good memories during some « wild » tours across Europe.
And about the stage performance, I think you’d better ask this question to someone in the crowd :)

6.DO you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

We are working on a couple of mini tours in France for the release of the album.
We are talking about booking a European one this summer.

7.The new album was released on 'Argonauta Records' and 'Atypeek Music', are you happy with the duo support that they have given you so far?

Yes, it is new for us, we are very happy to release this album with two labels, It's great to have this collaboration supporting us, and it really makes this release happening in a good spirit.

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

Our first album was relatively confidential.
This one has just been released so we have to wait a little more to have feedbacks.
I think we cross over different styles and inspirations so that many people can get in our music, whatever the scene or the predilection kind of music they like. Some people might think we are not enough in one style or another, but that is the way we like it.


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

That's sure that we will go on experimenting and digging all the time about what we create as a band. That's the way we do music. We will continue to multiply influences to stay in a constant evolution.

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?

There are a lot of bands and musical scenes that influence us. It can be Kraut Rock, Death Metal or D-beat Punk, it depends of the mood. we listen to a lot of bands and I guess that they all have a part of influence in our music. This week I only listened to Leftover Crack and Booba’s latest album.


11.What are some of your non musical interests?

We are active within the Soza collective, who presents and broadcasts different forms of art and expression. We try to mix up every disciplines in a same way of apprehending things, the same spirit in different medias. It's a big part in our lives when we are not playing music.


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

We hope you will enjoy our new album.
Support your local scene.
We have a lot of friends who release music stuff through the Soza collective like The Sharkettes, MNNQNS, Elephants or Servo, go listen to them and support

Can't wait to tattoo my face myself with a sewing needle to make my mom cry.
Keep in touch in 2018 for the new stuff we are working on.

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Heidevolk 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?
Sure! First of all, most of us took some well earned time off from the band to get some rest and spend time with family and friends. In some cases that was needed after our pretty hectic touring schedule from the past 2 years. We played over a 100 shows together in this line-up, doing tours, festivals and even acoustic shows, and also spend a lot of time creating ‘Vuur vanVerzet’. Now that it’s finally released, we’ve started rehearsing again and are preparing ourselves for a busy and very promising 2018!

2.Recently you have released a new album, 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?
I would say it’s a good mix of old and new Heidevolk. There’s definitely a vibe in some of the songs that connect with the early Heidevolk sound like the one we had on for instance ‘de Strijdlust is Geboren’. If you compare ‘Vuur van Verzet’ to the previous 2 albums ‘Batavi’ and ‘Velua’, there’s also a significant increase in traditional elements that we deliberately weaved into the songs. More violins, more instruments like nyckelharpa, Irish bouzouki, and on top of that a 24-piece male choir. So the new album is definitely more ‘folky’, epic, and traditional than recent Heidevolk. Doesn’t mean that it is less ‘metal’ in any way, since some of the songs are heavier and more metal than ever. There’s simply more balance in the mixture between these styles. A different approach. You could call that ‘the new and improved’ Heidevolk ;)

3.Your lyrics cover the history and culture of Gelderland and Germanic Mythology, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?
Heidevolk is of course from the province of Gelderland, in the East of the Netherlands, close to the German border. When the band started out, the general idea was to combine metal music with a Viking choir. If you work with a choir, or at least with more than one voice, storytelling in the lyrics can be a natural thing. But the band also really wanted to tell these stories, the historic events in Gelderland, and the surrounding regions, and make those the center focus of the lyrics. And this of course comes from the basic interest in history and mythology that the founding members of Heidevolk already had back then, and it is this general interest in history that every single Heidevolk member has to this day, and also should have in my opinion, to be able to play in this band with the right attitude and mindset.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Heidevolk'?
Literally, it means ‘people of the heather’. The word ‘heide’ does not refer to ‘heathen’ as many people like to think. The Dutch word for that is ‘heiden’, with an extra ‘n’ at the end. When you visit the Veluwe, a ridge of hills filled with forests in the province of Gelderland, stretching out over more than 1000 km2, you will easily understand where the name Heidevolk comes from. The land in between the forests is largely covered by heath, or ‘heide’ as the Dutch call it. TheVeluwe is basically our backyard, the place where the band was formed, and where we draw inspiration from.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Oh, there have been many great shows, difficult to choose! Looking at recent years, I have to mention the gig we did at Hellfest in 2016. We played on one of the big tent stages, and when we were up, the place was absolutely packed with Heidevolk fans, from front to back. Outside the tent, all the way in the back, there were loads of people trying to watch the show from an impossible distance. But the atmosphere on that particular moment was magical. We felt it.The crowd felt it. It was one big party from start to finish, and one of the most memorable festival gigs we ever did. Another one to mention is a club show we did in Sao Paulo, Brazil, that same year in November. It was our first tour in South America, and instantly one to remember. The Sao Paulo show was crazy, somewhere around 1600 people in the venue, packed to the rim, singing along every single song. Really special, and they were really loud haha. But describing our live performances, I would say we all feel the same about this. It’s Rock and Roll, and that’s what we strive for on stage. A fun show to watch, with raw energy, lots of movement, emotion and passion, and loads of interaction with the crowd, as is usually tradition in the folk and pagan metal scene.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
You bet your ass we do haha! Next month we will start a 4-week European run under the moniker ‘FolkMetal Superstars’. Korpiklaani will headline, and support will come from us and our friends Arkona and Trollfest, together with a variety of local support acts. This will definitely be a big and fun tour, and we are really looking forward to it. Venues are already selling out as we speak! After this, we will most likely do a couple club shows, and then the whole festival season will start again. We’re already working on those dates, as well as another short tour halfway the year (location not yet determined), and nearing the end of 2018 we’ll schedule another long tour outside Europe. No specifics yet that I can tell you, unfortunately. But all in all, there’s going to be plenty of touring this year to support the new album.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer music by fans of folk and viking metal?
Great! We still see an increase in fans and support with every new release that we put out there. We’re not complaining ;)

8.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
Playing in a band such as Heidevolk demands a certain commitment. Of course, we are free to do whatever we feel like besides the band, but practically speaking there isn’t always enough time to do so. When there is, however, enough time to work on special projects and/or other bands, we do what we can or feel like. It varies with each individual member. For instance, I know that Rowan (Roodbaert) is focused on creating more music for himself whenever he has time on his hands, like he did in the past with ‘I shall move the Earth’. Lars (Nachtbreaker) also does vocals and bass in ‘Godenbloed’. Kevin (Storm) has a variety of projects and session jobs going on. As for me (Koen Vuurdichter), I still have my old band ‘Detonation’, in which I have been playing since 1997. I haven’t done much for that band these past years, but there are still plans to create another album whenever time permits it. We will see.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Hard to say, although I’m pretty convinced Heidevolk will never completely change its’ style. Because then it would no longer be Heidevolk. As simple as that. So I’m sure the metal and folk influences will always remain, as will our trademark 2-vocalists. I cannot see that being changed in the future. But what WILL change then? Maybe more traditional instruments? Time will tell. I do think the band still has many paths to explore within the boundaries of this subgenre. There’s plenty of stuff we can try out, and still remain true to the bands’ original sound.

10.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?
Since Rowan (Roodbaert) wrote the majority of ‘Vuur van Verzet’, both musically and lyrically, it is whatever influenced him what ended up influencing us, haha. But of course, we all have our own influences. For me personally, looking at recent times, there have been a couple bands that inspired me, and that I really enjoyed listening to. ‘Leprous’, for instance. And more recently, ‘Soen’. These are not influences that directly influenced my guitar playing for Heidevolk, but more on a personal and psychological level it has done exactly that.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
That’s easy. For all the band members combined; nature, history and mythology. For me personal, I also enjoy astronomy, writing books and stories (as a published author), and spending quality time with my wife and son.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me, and thanks to the fans for reading this and supporting us! The response towards the new album has been overwhelming so far, and we cannot wait to repay that positivity by giving you a kick ass show in return somewhere around the globe!
Proost, and keep the Pagan Metal Brotherhood alive!
- Koen ‘Vuurdichter’ Romeijn.

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Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Inhibitions/La Danse Macabre/Satanath Records/Ira Aeterna/2018 CD Review


  Inhibitions  are  a  duo  from  Greece  that  plays  a  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "La  Danse  Macabre"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Satanath  Records  and  Ira  Aeterna.

  A  horror  movie  orientated  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  direction  while  also  introducing  symphonic  elements  onto  the  recording  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly grim  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  Acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  tracks  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and fast  parts  as  well  as  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's,  melodic  vocals  can  also  be  heard  on  one  of  the  later  tracks  and  a  later  song  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  cover  of  Satyricon's  "K.I.N.G".

  Inhibitions  plays  a  style  of  symphonic  black  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  90's  era  of  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Inhibitions  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  black  metal  duo  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Calling"  "My  Journey  To  Death"  "Harsh  Awakening"  and  "Rusty  Razor".  8  out  of  10. 

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