Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Project: Ultimate Satan Interview

 


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

Project: Ultimate Satan is an Australian east coast based Symphonic Death Metal band formed late 2019. Featuring Eschatonic Records alumni from Inhuman Remnants, Black Mountain, Terravorous, Unholy Vendetta and Somnium Nox. From its inception P:US has sought to push the sonic possibilities of our unique blend of Symphonic Blackened Death Metal; We focused on the inclusion of more symphonic elements, orchestrations and lyrical content that would suit our unique blend of eldritch sigillism and anti-abrahamic and stoic philosophy. ‘The Opus Satanas’ our debut album was forged amidst the fires and plagues of 2020 & 2021. Recorded at Studio Decay and Produced by JDecay, Mixed and Mastered by Gibb at Gibbenez Music. Featuring myself Scottanic on Vocals; Ashahalasin on Bass; JDecay on Guitars, Orchestration and Backing Vocals; Dazferatu on Keys, Orchestration and Backing Vocals; and Amorasche on Drums, Percusion and Backing Vocals. The album also features: Vocals from Jem, Rhythm Guitars by Calcifur (Terravorous), Lead Guitars by Nekros the Black (Ex-Inhuman Remnants) 


2. You have your first full length coming out towards the end of November, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style the band went for on the recording?

 We had a vision to create a band with female and male vocalists bringing both depth and harmony to the project. Whilst marrying the blackened death metal with the symphonic and orchestral elements. The goal was to try and create something just as heavy as the music black and death metal that we listen to, whilst incorporating clean keys and vocals in addition to rather than instead of. There are a lot of themes based around early-mid century Abrahamic religions, and we wanted to include chants and concepts that reflected heavy modern-day death metal, while tying in these concepts to our sounds. 


3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music? 

To understand the lyrical content of the album you have to understand the album's intent: ‘Opus’: meaning an artistic work, or a group of works on a large scale and ‘Satanas’: in our use case of Satan meaning the embodiment of the self. The Opus Satanas is made up of two movements comprising three figures each. Movement 1: Malleus Maleficarum This movement flows through concepts of persecution and the struggle it causes, while crafting self-affirmations that begin to seed the spiritual growth of the self to overcome the torment that has been visited upon them by external forces. - Figure 1: Symphony Es Infernus - An invocation of a powerful deity of satanic knowledge, and a form of modern-day patron-demon of women’s rights. - Figure 2: Humanity’s Last Breath - A discussion on the community and how it can betray you and the loss and devastation this can cause. - Figure 3: Is This How Freedom Dies - A reaffirmation of self to delve into what freedom and self-actualization in the modern world means. Movement 2. Lex Talionis The movement flows into concepts similar to Nirvana, with the ultimate goal of enlightenment being nothingness. The true power of revenge being to grow the self, and have the external effects be futile. - Figure 1: The Infallible Void - To find your own inner power sometimes you have to look into the darkest pits. - Figure 2: Footprints In The Sands of Time - This song follows the history of duality and the birth and rise abrahamic religion through the use of Egyptian lore - Figure 3: Nocturne Immortalis - Lyrically we wanted this song to retouch on all the different concepts expressed in the album, while packaged around pagan worship of eternal night 


4.How would the band members describe their views on Satanism or Occultism?

 There are many different takes on Satanism and/or the occult. Whether you want to look at it atheistically like LaVeyan Satanism, or more theistically like ToS or ONA etc, is up to the individual. There can also be many other forms of occultism and studies sprouted either directly or indirectly from the cult of Abraham, such Petit Albert, De praestigiis daemonum, The Discoverie of Witchcraft, The Three Magical Books of Solomon etc, et al. Our goal is neither to preach nor teach, but to use metaphor and metal to uplift and encourage transcendence to apotheosis. 


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

 The main album art was done by Ben Wrigley of Third Eye Visuals, created from models he made in Blender 3D. The composition consists of Lucifer’s skulls, wings, crown and halo on an altar with blood soaked white roses. Placed on a pile of gold covered human skulls and adorned with our Omega Satan sigil. As you look closer you’ll notice that the skulls appear to have been pieced back together and repaired with gold. This is a reference to the Japanese Kintsugi and is a metaphor for embracing imperfections and finding beauty in brokenness. It reminds us that life's challenges and setbacks do not diminish our worth but rather add depth and character to our journey. The bloodstained-red roses represent the personal sacrifice needed to overcome puritanical ideas. 


6.Has the band done any live shows or open to the idea? 

We’ve currently played 4 shows in Canberra and are traveling interstate to perform this December in Melbourne and Adelade. 2025 will see a significant increase in our show schedule as we promote the release of ‘the Opus’ with the finalisation of our second album and beyond. If there are any booking companies, or other bands that would like to work with us in the future, feel free to reach out to us at bookings@eschatonicrecords.com. 


7.The new album is coming out on 'Eschatonic Records', how did you get in contact with this label?

 Eschatonic Records is a Canberran based Independant label that focuses on putting out local bands and releases, helping grow and support local like minded musicians. ER is run by our bassist Ashahalasin and our guitarist JDecay, so putting out our debut release through the label just made sense.


 8.On a worldwide level, how has the reaction been to your music by fans of symphonic black and death metal? 

So far, we’ve only released a few tracks with accompanying lyric/visualiser videos. The reaction from those who have heard the tunes, has been overwhelmingly positive, as well as from those within musical circles. We do also get a fair bit of backlash from god-botherers due to our name and imagery, but that’s all part of the fun. When the full album comes out on Nov 29, we’re hoping it will be positively received from the communities that enjoy symphonic black and death metal.


 9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days the band members are apart of? 

Terravorous are currently on a unannounced hiatus but are hoping to return back into the new year. Inhuman Remnants are currently undergoing a line-up change, but are also working on new music in the studio at the moment. There are also a few other bands in the process of formation with the band members working and exploring new avenues of sound and sonic violence.


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

We are currently recording our second album, with a larger push on our symphonic harmonies and tying them in with crushing guitars and bass with a lot of old-school death metal style drumming. Our goal is to take all the individual elements that we used to create the first album, ratchet them up to 11, and then create something even heavier, more layered, more symphonic and orchestral and symbolically relevant for the coming years. 


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? 

Bands that have had a lot of influence on our current upcoming album were: Fleshgod Apocalypse, Dimmu Borgir, Nightwish, Humanity’s Last Breath, Apocalyptica and Vale of Pnath (Accursed). Bands that we’re listening a lot to while writing our next album would be: Fleshgod Apocalypse, Synestia/Disembodied Tyrant split, Oranssi Pazuzu, SunSpectre (Sunscourge/Oracle Spectre split), Vale of Pnath (Between the Worlds of Life and Death) 


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

Firstly, thanks for having us for the interview. There are many ways to transcend and to be the best version of yourself. Hopefully our release inspires in such a way. If anyone wants to hear more from us they can visit our linktree, which keeps track of all our updated releases as they come out: https://linktr.ee/projectultimatesatan Ave Satanas

https://linktr.ee/projectultimatesatan

Sunday, November 17, 2024

Runopatia/Archaistia/T.D.M Archivist/2024 EP Review

 


  Runopatia  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  an  avant  garde  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  ep  "Archaistia"  which  will b e  released  in  December  by  T.D.M  Archivist.


  Keyboards  start  off  the  ep  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  the  vocals  have  an  aggressive  approach  that  is  more  closer  to  80's  extreme  metal  then  black  metal.


  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  most  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  the  recording  also  has  its  avant  garde  moments  as  well  as  some  spoken word  parts  also being  utilized  at  times,  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  fast  riffing.


  Runopatia  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  avant  garde  yet  aggressive  at  the  same  time.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Polish  and  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.


  In  my  opinion  Runopatia  are  a  very  great  sounding  avant  garde  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Serce  Krwawe".  8  out  of  10.


  https://www.facebook.com/runopatia/    

Terramorta/Chrronophobia/Magnus Pike Records/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Terramorta  are  a  band  from  Portugal  that  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Chronophobia"  which  was  released  by  Magus  Pike  Records.

  
  A  very  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  album  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs.  Choirs  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  the  vocals  also  adding  in  a  mixture  of  death  emtal  growls  and  black  metal  screams.

  
   Elements  of  classical  music  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  One  song  also  introduces  operatic  female  vocals  onto  the  album  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  album  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.


  Terramorta  plays  a  musical  style  that  take s symphonic  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  classical  music  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  human  condition,  dissent  and  existence.

  
  In  my  opinion  Terramorta  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  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  "Chronophobia"  "Burnout  Looms"  "Night  Maere"  and  "Post  Mortem".  8  out  of  10.

  https://terramorta.com/

https://www.facebook.com/terramorta.official/

https://www.instagram.com/terramorta.official/

https://www.youtube.com/@TERRAMORTAmusic

https://open.spotify.com/intl-pt/artist/45tDH8c6Lgm2hnsOqRV1O9

https://music.apple.com/pt/artist/terramorta/1728551178

https://www.deezer.com/en/artist/253888602  

Monday, November 11, 2024

King Satan/The Devil's Evangelion/Noble Demon/2024 Full Length Review

 


  Finland's  solo  project  King  Satan  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  industrial  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2024  album  "The  Devil's  Evangelion"  which  was  released  by  Noble  Demon.


  Industrial  style  beats  and  symphonic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  angry  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  mixed  in  with  some  angry  shouts  and  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.


  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  one  song  also  introduces  female  vocals  onto  the  album.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  spoken  word  samples  also  being  used  briefly,  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  one  song  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  male  vocals  as  well  as  some  clean  playing  also  being  added  towards  the  end.


  On  this  recording  King  Satan  continues  to  expand  on  his  mixture  of  symphonic  black,  death  and  industrial  metal  from  his  previous  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occultism,  Philosophy  and  Dark  Humour  themes.


  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  King  Satan  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic  black,  death  and  industrial  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "New  Aeon  Gospel'  "Once  Upon  A  Shadow"  "The  Devils  And  Saints"  and  "The  Devil's  Evangelion".  8  out  of  10.


  https://www.kingsatan.net 

https://www.facebook.com/kingsatan616 
https://www.instagram.com/kingsatanofficial 


  

Project: Ultimate Satan/The Opus Satanas/Eschatonic Records/2024 Full Length Review

 


  Project:  Ultimate  Satan  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "The  Opus  Satanas"  which  will  be  released  on  November  29th  by  Eschatonic  Records.


  Spoken  word  parts  and  symphonic  elements  start  off  the  album  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast b eats  can  be  heard  while  the  vocals  bring  in  a  mixture  of  clear  singing,  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams.


  Some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style,  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  album.


  Tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  a  lot  of  the  faster  riffing  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  choirs  onto  the  recording  as  well a s  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  keyboards  and  orchestration.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Anti  Religion  and  Political  themes.    


  In  my  opinion  Project:  Ultimate  Satan  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  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  "Humanity's  Last  Breath"  and  "Footprints  In  The  Sands  of  Time'.  8  out  of  10.


  https://projectultimatesatan.bandcamp.com/album/the-opus-satanas

https://linktr.ee/projectultimatesatan

Sunday, November 10, 2024

Asgaard/Lullabies For Harlots/Via Nocturna/2024 EP Review

 


  Asgaard  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  started  out  as  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  gothic  metal  and  on  this  recording  goes  for  a  mixture  of  acoustic  prog  rock  and  electronic  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  ep  "Lullabies  For  Harlots"  which  will  be  released  on  November  29th  by  Via  Nocturna.


  Synths  and  electronic  music  sounds  start  off  the  ep  while  also  adding  in  a  good  amount  of  programmed  beats.  Vocals  are  done  in  a  clean  style  close  to  goth  rock  an  industrial  along  with  the  recording  also  having  its  progressive  moments.


  One  of  the  songs  is  also  a  Behemoth  cover  which  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  and  also  adds  in  some  symphonic  touches  mixed  in  with  some harsh  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  while  each  song  also  sounds  very  different  from  each  other  and  they  also  bring  in  3  acoustic  guitars  which  also  moves  away  from  the  electronic  elements  of  the  earlier  tracks,  whispered  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly.


  On  this  recording  Asgaard  move  away  from  the  symphonic  black  and  gothic  metal  style  of  previous  releases  and  brings  in  more  of  a  mixture  of  electronic  music  and  acoustic  progressive  rock  with  only  the  Behemoth  cover  going  back  to  their  earlier  roots.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  English  and  Polish  and  cover  suffering,  romance  and  death  themes.    


  In  my  opinion  Asgaard  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  acoustic  prog  rock  and  electronic  music  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Mother  Of  Harlots"  and  "What  If...".  8  out  of  10.


  https://youtu.be/9TIOl2eG3qQ

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Monday, October 14, 2024

Antipope/Doors Of The Dead/Moribund Records/2024 Full Length Review

 


  Finland's  Antipope  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  them  moving  away  from  the  black  and  death  metal  elements  of  earlier  releases  and  focusing  more  on  a  shamanistic,  psychedelic  and  progressive  form  of  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2024  album  "Doors  Of  The  Dead"  which  will  be  released  on  october  25th  by  Moribund  Records.


  A  very  ritualistic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  playing  a  few  seconds  later  while  shamanistic  chants  can  also  be  heard  at  times.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  


  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  adds  in  touches  of  black  and  death  metal  while  the  album  also  has  its  progressive  moments.  Vocals  are  done  in  more  of  a  power  metal  style  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.


  Tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  harsh  vocals  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  album  also  has  its  psychedelic  moments,  synths  are  also  added  on  a  lot  of  songs.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Ancient  Greek  Myths.


  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Antipope  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  progressive  power  metal  with  touches  of  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Magisteria"  "A  Ritual  Of  Snake  And  Dance"  and  "Doors  OF  The  Dead".  8  out  of  10.


  www.antipope.info

https://www.instagram.com/ antipopeofficial/
https://www.youtube.com/user/ antipopeband
www.facebook.com/Antipope/

twitter.com/antipope_band