Widower/Cataclysmic Sorcery/Black Market Metal Label/2019 CD Review

  Widower  are  a  band  from  Austin,  Texas  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  form  of  blackened  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Cataclysmic  Sorcery"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  black  Market  Metal  Label.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  music  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  thrash  metal  elements  as  well  as  some  death  metal  influences  also  being  used  at  times.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  old  school  style.  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  tremolo  picking  at  times  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  musical  influences  from  the  80's  up  to  the  modern  era  and  the  music  always  sticks  to  a  heavier  direction  along  with  the  last  track  being  long  and  epic  in  length.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Widower  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  and  blackened  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "House  Of  the  Lord"  "Bestial  Endowment"  "Tree  of  Ignorance"  and  "Forgotten  Realm".  8  out  of  10.

 widoweratx.bandcamp.com/track/ cosmic-holocaust    

Delirium 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? After we had finished recording “Urkraft“ we continued with the search of a label to publish the new album. Fortunately, we were lucky and got signed by MDD Records. Moreover, we have been playing a bunch of gigs and are looking forward to playing further gigs to promote “Urkraft“.

 2. Recently you have released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past? Firstly and without a doubt, there has been a musical development in terms of playing our instruments as well as composing. In our opinion the songs sound much more mature than the previous ones. Secondly, we tried to include more catchy melodies and added clean vocals as well. But despite all progression we still try to stick to our own unique style.

3. This is your first release since 2014, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame? Quite a lot has happened since 2014. Of course we have to mention the songwriting-process first which took quite lots of time due to private occurrences. Furthermore, we extended our live presence which culminated in our biggest show so far at Ragnarök Festival and our first gig abroad. Besides, we moved into another rehearsal room and switched to a new recording studio for “Urkraft“ (Soundbath Studio, owner: Travos/Thormesis).

4. Your lyrics cover Norse and Germanic Paganism, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic and also do you have an interest in other forms of paganism? Our singer Manuel who is responsible for the lyrics really feels connected to German neopaganism and developed an interest for old tales concerning this topic. That's why he's keen on handing this knowledge down to our listeners.

5. You also cover Franconian history with your lyrics, can you tell us a little bit more about this topic? Every member of Delirium is interested in the history/tales/sagas of our Franconian homeland.What contributes to this interest is the fact that on the one hand almost every Franconian village has its own history/tales/sagas and on the other hand these old customs are still present to some extent. What also contributes is a strong Franconian local patriotism ;) (meant in a positive way; not to be confused with any right-wing bullshit!). With our music we simply wish to counteract the oblivion of Franconian history.

 6. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Delirium'? Believe it or not but our band's name doesn't have a specific, deep meaning. Actually the band was founded in a beery mood, in Delirium so to say. Nevertheless, this name fits us perfectly because we really enjoy partying intensely ;)

7. Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the album cover? Well, there's really not that much to tell. The cover shows a Franconian warrior who occupies the “Urkraft“ (meaning elementary power or primal force by the way). We had some ideas concerning the cover and finally found an artist who implemented our ideas. That's it.

 8. What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance? To begin with, we had a lot of fantastic shows but there are two that really stuck out. The first one was our gig at the 2015 Ragnarök Festival. Playing there had always been a dream of us ever since our foundation so it absolutely was a dream come true. The show was totally insane because over 1,000 people showed up, something which we had never expected. The second one was our first gig abroad which took place in South Tyrol so we can say we actually played in Italy. The first gig in another country is very special for every band, isn't it? Describing our stage performance is something we have never been asked before. We would characterize it as a full power, straight-in-your-face kind of live performance, raw and direct. We always try to both have a good time on stage and party with the people in front of the stage. Come to one of our shows and see it for yourselves ;)

9. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future? In the future we want to extend our live presence and play more shows, especially at festivals. Due to private issues such as family or job it is unfortunately rather difficult to plan tours.

10. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of pagan metal? To be honest, we have no clue at all. Really, we can't judge that. The only thing we can say on this topic is that we have shipped CDs worldwide, e.g. to Canada. Maybe that is a hint on whether we are appreciated by the worldwide (pagan) metal community?!

11. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future? We always want to advance or enhance musically and establish our style. What also floats in our heads is a concept album sooner or later.

12. 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? We get inspired by pretty much everything, may it be Black Metal or Classic Rock. Lots of inspiration comes from our circle of acquaintances, particularly by the people who also play music. Within the band everybody has his own preferences so we never lack new influences. What's also beneficial is the fact that we don't set any musical boundaries when it comes to composing our music.

 13. What are some of your non musical interests? Family and friends, sports, enjoying nature and, as already mentioned, partying ;)

14. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts? Well, we would like to say thank you for this interview of course. We hope the people will like our
new album and hopefully we see some of you at one of our future shows.

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Vargrav/Reign In Supreme Darkness/Werewolf Records/2019 CD Review

  Vargrav  are  a  solo  project  from  Finland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  old  school  form  of  symphonic  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2019  album  "Reign  In  Supreme  Darkness"  which  will  be  released  on  April 26th  by  Werewolf  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  ritualistic  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  while  also  introducing  symphonic  elements  onto  the  recording  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music.  During  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  Clean  vocals  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  Most  of  the  music  is  very  heavily rooted  in  the  90's  era  while  clean  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  a  couple  of  tracks  as  the  album  progresses  and  the  closing  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occultism,  hatred  and  Misanthropy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Vargrav  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  old  school  symphonic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Glory  Of  Eternal  Night"  "As  The  Shadows  Grow  Silent"  and  "Arcane  Stargazer".  8  out  of  10.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9twUf6nmG9g

  

Gorgonchrist Interview

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

Imagine the sensation of maggots eating your eardrums from the inside. No matter how many times you smash your head against the wall you can't get them out. You're desperate, wildly insane and there's nothing you can do but to keep viciously thrashing your head into a bloodied pulp. That's Gorgonchrist.

2.Recently you have released a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?

The Blood of Endangered Species is a chaotic album, both in the blend of disparate noises and in its execution. We didn't set any goal of how it should sound, we just knew we wanted to create something different and of the moment we found ourselves in. Something fluid and without predefined form. The closest approximation we can think of for its eventual style is post-industrial black sludge. Make of that what you will.
It definitely stands outside of conformity and pisses on the Alamo of traditional song structure. We feel there's something for everyone in this, even those who enjoy maggots in their ears!

3.Both of the band members are also involved with other bands and musical projects, what is it that you bring into the music of 'Gorgonchrist', that you are not able to do with your other groups?

Being able to touch each other. There's a lot of touching going on during our latest album. You can really hear it in the mix. In reality though it's natural to bring elements of your past work with you, the question is whether you're able to use the past to inform process and progress or just stick with a known formula and let the past repeat itself in ever more dilute form. There are no boundaries in any of our bands or other projects that prohibit experimentation. We just felt the time was right for us to do this, it had been building in us for quite a while, and it wouldn't sit right being released under anything but Gorgonchrist.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored so far with the music?

A lot of it really tries to get to grips with the thorny topic of crop rotation in the 14th century. We feel it has never been resolved despite the tireless efforts of school kids throughout the UK studying it for endless wasted years.
Beyond that this album is a snapshot of an angry disillusioned and lost populace. We're looking at the world here, not just the UK. We are so close to having global unity yet, through the rise of petty nationalism, we've never been in such danger of losing it all. The worldwide humanist revolution will never happen. Greed and stupidity will end the human race. The ferocious anger of this album feels a very rational response to something as senseless as that.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Gorgonchrist'?

Gorgonchrist is an entity comprised of many things. The name suggests a smashing together of cultures: something that can make us, as a global community, stronger and will be the saviour of the ecological crisis we face and need to tackle cohesively. But there remains this fear of imagined monsters (terrorism, immigration, loss of national identities) which keeps us clinging to division. This will only lead us further into failure. Who imagines the monsters that divide us and to what ends? Sadly we all know the answer to that. Will it ever change? Again, we all know that answer too. We've already lost the paddles and the boat is quickly sinking. As such Gorgonchrist is entropy without brakes.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the album cover?

The Penny Black is an iconic image and represents what we were trying to achieve in many ways. It is a rarity and somewhat bleak in its appearance. The royal connection of all postage stamps in the UK only serves to remind the population that social divide continues to exist. This was an early representation of global communication and, in some ways, the beginning of the end….just like Gorgonchrist.

7.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to expanding your line up or do you prefer to remain a duo?

Certainly for the writing and production of Gorgonchrist it will remain a duo. Whether we expand the live line up is another matter altogether. What form that might take we don't know yet but its doubtful you'll see this in the standard band format.

8.The new album was released on 'Clobber Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Yeah, Clobber is a great UK underground label that is really beginning to make its mark on the scene. They are fantastic people with a real hunger and drive to support bands in the extreme metal scene in particular. They approach things in a DIY but well organised way and show such passion about the projects that they invest in. Their roster is building fast and, for a band like Gorgonchrist, it seemed like the perfect fit at this point.

9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of industrial, black and sludge metal?

So far we've had a healthy reaction to a truly unhealthy product, much like cigarettes. We're fairly sure Gorgonchrist will be equally addictive but minus the carcinogenic downside. Some have suggested our album should feature health warnings but we'll wait for the government to intercede on that one.

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

Into further levels of decay, literally oozing its constituent parts into a black sludgey stain on the ground. How that decay sounds will remain unknown until it happens. This could go anywhere is the reality. Whether it will retain the seething anger of its outset, who knows. There might be more polka and flamenco on the next album though.

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?

Harry Ramsden's fish shop quartet have been a huge influence along with bands such as Anaal Nathrakh, Ministry, Napalm Death, Blut Aus Nord, Fukpig, Subhumans, Voivod, Extreme Noise Terror, Primitive Man. Our current playlist heavily features the phenomenal rise of UK Black Metal, something we feel is growing into an ever more powerful scene. There really is a huge plethora of outstanding music being created over here at the moment.

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

If anyone has any internal organs for sale, get in touch.

https://www.facebook.com/gorgonchrist/

The Absense 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 mini album?
1 yes, the project initially had a songwriting way , I wanted to do everything by myself, but, then I realized that  the song needed many arrangements, so, I tried various components, and I lost a little, to find the current line-up, in the meantime , I recorded another mini-album , called "libido et melancholia"

2.Recently you have released a new mini album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
2I wanted the to be dirty but warm, it has always been the rule I imposed to myself. So many people told me that it seem like a lot of jam session , as far as I'm concerned , the "cellar effect" make the sound very intimate, let'say that I was traumatized by Doors "absolutely live", and I wanted created our own version,.
sorry for comparison..

3.The lyrics on the recording are a concept album about 'time', can you tell us a little bit more about the songwriting?

3.Yes, time is the master of everything, but the concept that turn beyond the figure of the father of all gods, is that music is the only art that need time to be enjoyed , after all , if you think about it , the music is an equation of time taken notes , or better , note between time , what you say?


4.A lot of your lyrics also deal with ancient gods and paganism, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these subjects?
4.For me, mythology has been the purest form of metaphor to explain human life, since the beginning of the world , I don't want to do politics, but in my opinion , the problems of the world are largely due to monotheism's, in spiritism , or ancient cult there is more much democracy

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'The Absense'?
5.I don't remember , it's been created century ago.. sorry
but is cool is not true?

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the album cover?
6 Yes , this is my drawing, I created this illustration for synthesize the shape of hourglass between the writing "the absense " and "khronocracy"and everything happens in the wood around the stoner girl , is over they hourglass, so if you want see my artwork you can visit my website www.lucasiri.it
thank you


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?
7.the most beautiful experience was as a one man band in kindergarten, where party of saint Lucia, I was drawing funny animal and optical sketch, and I played , changing the lyrics , for italian children, : no rain by blind mellon and doll by foo figthers...
I've never seen such a rapt audience..

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
 no , for  this moment, but I wait for a  response  from a record store and maybe small theater

9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your new recording by fans of metal and other forms of hard music?
9 not bad , we had good reviews from many people , specially in the east- europe, I don't tell about evil reviews  , but I'm very happy for Khronocracy..
let the time work...

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
10 I don't know, I don't want speak about dream , I'd love to be sure going on national radio, but I like it too stay in my wanderful undergrond

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?
11 My favorite band of my teenage past are smashing pumpkins, nirvana , soundgarden, but also metallica. dark throne ,  celtic frost, but I lie all music , the disc that I more listening is maybe "boris godunov" by Modest Mussorskji . .. I could not stop to write names of band.. now , for my opinions , are very good : solstafir, alcest, and florence + the machines, ... and darkthrone ,who are now punk, not black-metal ,but I still like them

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
12 as I have already said , I am engaged in painting and sculptures, but I believe that music are the highest art..
if you want ,you can see my sculptures on my youtube channel " the absense"

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
13 I thank you for your kind attention , I wan't add anything, I will fall into philosophy and let us remember that music , apart from time taken notes, is above all fun, thank you very much

https://www.facebook.com/theabsense/?ref=br_rs

Delirium/Urkraft/MDD Records/2019 CD Review

  Delirium  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  pagan,  black  and  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Urkraft"  which  will  be  released  on  April  12th  by  MDD  Records.

  A  very  heavy,  melodic  and  epic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  being  added  onto  the  recording  a  few  seconds  later.  The  guitar  solos  and  leads  also  utilize  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  death  metal  growls  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  songs.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  some  of  the  riffing  also  shows  an  influence  of  rock  music.

  Clean  pagan  vocals  are  also  brought  into  some  parts  of  the  music  while  one  track  also  introduces  spoken  word  parts  onto  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clean  guitars  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  German  and  cover  Franconian  History,  Nordic  and  Germanic  Paganism  and  Mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Delirium  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  pagan,  black  and  melodic  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Panzerreiter"  "Der  Meistertrunk"  "Ewiglich  in  Stein"  and  "Urkraft".  8  out  of  10.

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Latitudes/Part Island/Debember Morti Productions/2019 CD Review

  Latitudes  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  melodic  black,  sludge,  doom  and  post  metal  with  some  elements  of  indie,  folk  and  shoegaze  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Part  Island"  which  will  be  released  on  April  5th  by  Debembur  Morti  Productions.

  Acoustic  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  which  also  brings  in  elements  of  folk  music  while  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and   epic  in  length.  Clean  vocals  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  some  touches  of  indie  rock  and  keyboards  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  songs.

  Once  the  music  gets  heavier  it  goes  for  more  of  a  post  metal  style  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Elements  of  doom  and  sludge  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  utilizing  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Traces  of  shoegaze  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  the  more  melodic  and  atmospheric  side  of  post  black  metal  without  ever  using  the  harsh  vocals  that  are  a  very  huge  part  of  the  genre,  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.

  In  my  opinion  Latitudes  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  melodic  black,  sludge,  doom  and  post  metal  with  some  elements  of  indie,  folk  and  shoegaze  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Moorland  Is  The  Sea"  and  "The  Great  Past".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/Latitudesmusic

https://twitter.com/LatitudesMusic

https://latitudesuk.bandcamp.com