The Privateer/Monolith/TrollZornRecords/2013 CD Review

  The  Privateer  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Monolith"  which  was  released  by  TrollZorn  Records.

  "The  Privateer"  begins  with  some  folk music  style  acoustic  guitars  which  utilize  both  finger  picking  and  full  chords  along  with  some  violins  a  few  seconds  later  and  you  can  hear  other  folk  instruments  in  the  song  and  then  the  music  gets  a  little  bit  heavier  with  some  guitar  riffs,  leads  and  blast  beats.

  "A  Sequel  From  A  Distant  Visit"  begins with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  drums  as  well  as  some  guitar  leads  and  a  brief  growl  before  going  into  some  melodic  clean  singing  while  also  mixing  in  some  black  metal  screams  before  adding  in  some  violins  and  classical  guitars  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  female  vocals.

  "What  We  Took Home" begins  with  some  soft  acoustic  guitar  playing  and  a  minute  later  violins  kick  in  before  adding  in  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  and  leads  as  well  as  some  drums  and  blast  beats  along  with  some  synths.

  "Track Down  And  Avenge"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  before  adding  in  some  drums  and  melodic  guitar  riffing  along  with  some  solos  and  leads  a  few  seconds  later  and  then  the  violins  start  kicking  in  and  as  time  goes  on  by  melodic  vocals  start  kicking  in  before  going  into  black  metal  screams.

  "Ember  Sea'  begins  with  some  acoustic  guitars  which  utilize  folk  music  elements  along  with  some  synths  and  a  few  seconds  alter  drums,  and  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  kick  in  along  with  some  violins  which  lead s up  to  some  black  metal style  vocals  along  with  some  clean  singing  and  after  awhile  you  can  hear  some   powerful  sounding bass  guitars  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  or  leads  being  utilized.

  "Monolith"  begins with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  drums  along  with  some  violins  and  bass  guitars  and  a  few  seconds  alter  power  metal  vocals  start  kicking  in  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  and  melodic  guitar  leads  as  well as  some blast  beats  being  utilized  briefly  and  towards  the  end  the  song goes  into  a  more  folk  music  direction  before  getting  heavy  and melodic  again.

  "Stortebeker"  begins with  some  acoustic  guitars  and  violins  before  adding  in  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  then  some  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  kicking   in  along  with  some  melodic  vocals  and  black  metal  screams  and  towards  the  end  it  adds  in more  folk elements  along  with  the  metal  parts.

  "The  Privateer"  begins  with  some  acoustic  guitars  and  rough  vocals  which  also  lead  up  to  some distorted  melodic  guitar  leads  along  with  some  bass  guitars  before  adding  in  heavy  riffing  and  drums  and  towards  the  end  there  are  some  guitar  solos  being  utilized.

  "Madman's  Diaries"  begins  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  and  bass  riffs  which  leads  up  to  some  drums  and  clean  singing  vocals  along  with  a  small  amount  of  black  metal  screams  and  halfway through  the  song  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  coming in  and  out.  and  towards  the  end  violins  start  making  their  way  into  the  song.

  "The  Tides"  begins  with  some  acoustic  guitars  and  a  few  seconds  alter  drum  beats and  violins  start  coming  in  along  with  some  synths  and  the  song  is  all  instrumental.

  "From  What  Lurks  In  The  Storm"  begins  with  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  melodic  riffing  and  then  the  music  speeds  up  a  bit  along  with  some  blast  beats,  black  metal screams  and  clean  singing  male  and  female  vocals   as  well  as  adding  violins  in  certain  sections  of  the  song  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  death  metal  growls  are  utilized  briefly.

  "In  The  Nought  Of  Wind"  begins  with  some  acoustic  guitar  riffs  and  leads  along  with  some  violins  before thew  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  kick  in  along  wit h some  drums,  melodic  leads  and  clean   singing vocals  as  well  as  a  brief  sue  of  black  metal  screams  and  halfway  through  the  song  the  acoustic  guitars  return  along  with  some  synths  before  getting  heavy  again.

  Song  lyrics  cover  pirate  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.


  In  my  opinion  The  Privateer  are  a  very  great  sounding  folk  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Sequel  From  A  Distant  Visit"  "Track Down  And  Avenge"  "Madman's  Diaries"  and  "In  The  Nought  Of  Wind".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Psalm Zero Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?
Charlie from Extra Life, Andrew from Castevet, plus machines.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?
Heavy.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Cutting, draining, burning.


4.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Yeah but in a selective way. We go where our money is green.

5.Currently you are signed to Last Things Records, how did you get in contact with this label and how would you describe the support they have given you so far?
The 7-inch is coming out in November on Last Things, which is my own label. It's not a big business enterprise. It's basically a self-release. Next year we have a full album coming out on a very legitimate label, but we can't announce those details yet.

6.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your recordings by fans of underground music?
The 7-inch isn't even out yet so no one has heard it.

7.What is going on with the other musical projects these days?
Seaven Teares, Period, and orchestra music.
Castevet. Improvised music. Solo guitar records.

8.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
Who knows. We're still working on recording the album. The 7-inch isn't even out yet.

9.What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Influences are too many to count here. On my turntable right now is Wovenhand.
Currently, I'm listening to a lot of Milton Babbitt, Uncreation's Dawn, and Genesis.

10.Outside of music what are some of your interests?
Little else. I used to read a ton. Nowadays, not so much. I'll probably have another heavy reading phase.
Distance.

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Centinex/Subconscious Lobotomy/Pulverised Records/2013 CD Re-Issue Review

  Centinex  where  a  band  from  Sweden  that  played  a  very  primitive  form  of death  metal  in  the  beginning  but  evolved  more  into  a  melodic  black/.death  metal  band  over  the  years  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1994  album  "Subconscious  Lobotomy"  which  was  re-issued  by  Pulverised  Records  in  the  year  of  2013  and  also  contains  their  2000  ep  "Apocalyptic  Armageddon".

  "Blood  On  My  Kin"  begins  with  some  dark  and  evil  sounding  synths  before  the  guitar  riffs  and  drums  kick  in  which  leads  up  to  some  death  metal  growls  along  with   some  powerful  bass  guitars  and  blast  beats  and  faster  riffing  and  then  the  song  starts  switching  back  and  forth  between  slow  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  adding  in  some  melodic  parts.

  "Shadows  Are  Astray"  begins  with  some  heavy  and  dark  sounding guitar  riffs  before  the  drums  and  keyboards  start  kicking  in  and   then  the  music  starts  getting  a  little  bit  faster  along  with  some  screams  and  growls  before  switching  back  and forth  between  slow  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  adding  some  melody  into  the  music  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  melodic  guitar  leads.

  "Dreams  Of  Death"  begins  with  some  soft  acoustic  guitar  which  utilizes  some  finger  picking  before the  heavy  guitar  riffs,  drums  and  growls  make  their  way  into  the  song  along  with  some  dark  sounding  melodies  and  then  the  music  starts  getting  a lot  faster  with  some  blast  beats  before  slowing  down  again.

  "Orgy  In  Flesh"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  and  a  few  seconds  later  the  growls  start kicking  in  before  gong  into  a  faster direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  then  switching  back  and  forth  between  slow  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  female  vocals  as  well  as  some  keyboards.

  "End  Of  Life"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  before  the  growls  and  blast  beats  kick  in  as  well  as  switching  back  and  forth  between  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  towards  the  end  the  bass  guitars  start  sounding  more  powerful  for  a  few  seconds.

  "Bells  Of  Miser"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  before  the  melodic  guitar  leads  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song  as  well  as  some  growls  before  getting  fast  and  adding  in  some  blast  beats  and  then  the  music  slows  down  and  adds  in  some  melodic  guitar  riffing  before  switching  back  and  forth  between  slow  and  fast  parts.

  "Inhuman  Dissection  Of  Souls"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  before  slowing  down  and  adding  in  some  melody  and  growls  and  then  switching  back  and  forth  between  slow  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  screams.

  "The  Aspiration"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs,  drums  and  growls  before  getting  fast,  primitive  and  adding  in  some  blast  beats  and  then  the  song  starts  switching  back  and  forth  between  slow  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  adding  some  melody  in  certain  sections.  

  "Until  Death  Tears  Up  Apart" begins  with  some  acoustic  guitars,  bass  and  drums  before  the  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  kick  in  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  and  keyboards  and  after  awhile t here  is  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  "Apocalyptic  Armageddon"  begins  with  growls  and  heavy  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  you  can  hear  some  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  after  awhile  black  metal  screams  start  coming  into the  song  and  close  to  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  melodic  guitar  leads  and  solos  being  utilized  along  with  some  blast  beats.

  "Seeds  Of  Evil"  begins  with  some  melodic  guitar  riffs  and  drums  before  the melodic  guitar  leads  and  blast  beats  make  their  way  into  the  song  which  leads  to  some  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  and  then  the  song  starts  switching  back  and  forth  between  slow  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  guitar  solos.

  "Everlasting  Bloodshed"  begins  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  and  blast  beats  which  leads  up  to some  screams  and  growls  and  towards  the  end  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  song.  

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark  darkness  and  evil  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  primitive  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Centinex  where  a  great  band  at  both  traditional  Swedish  death  metal  and  melodic  black/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  these  musical  genre,  you  should  check out  this  album>  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Blood  On  My  Kin"  "Bells  Of  Miser"  "Apocalyptic  Armageddon"  and  "Everlasting  Bloodshed".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Eternium Interview

1. For those that have never heard of you before can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Brent:well we're a 5 piece Symphonic Black/Death Metal band from St. Louis, Mo.
Markov Soroka:We are currently a 5-member symphonic black/death band from the Midwest of the States.

2.How would you describe your musical sound for those that have yet to hear the music?
Brent:Very Symphonic Black Metal with heavy hints of Melodic Death Metal.
Markov Soroka:-I'd recommend the music to anyone who likes Dissection, Amon Amarth, Dawn, Sacramentum, or even Emperor. We take influence from many different styles of music.


3.The song lyrics cover alot about auras, can you tell us a little bit more about your song writing?
In the musical and lyrical aspect of Eternium, the "auras" are the name of the characters and places that are associated with the story of Eternium. Aura [insert something here] is usually our preferred method of writing the songs. Aura Titian is the main protagonist of our debut album, "Repelling A Solar Giant." There are many other key characters, such as Aura Amethyst, Titian's love, and Aura Noir, the corrupted haze that took possession of the Solar God. I don't want to give away much of the story, since it is for the listener to find out by listening to the album.

4. The band started out as a solo project but now there is a full band, what was the decision behind forming a full line up, instead of being solo?
Brent: It's easier bouncing ideas off of other people than just yourself, besides, it more fun.
Markov Soroka:The band was originally a solo project in 2011, but after finding live members, they proved to be very influential to me. We've been a five-piece ever since, and we collaborate directly and indirectly.

5. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name Eternium?
I would not like to confirm nor deny this, but in the story, "Eternium" is implied to be The Solar God of Solar Gods.



6. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
Brent: Definitely Nile. Nile was extrodinary. I'm also looking forward to our upcoming shows with Obituary and Absu. I'd say we're reletively energetic on stage.
Markov Soroka:Our best show, hm. That is a tough one. For me, personally, I'd like to say that when we opened up for Nile, we had a pretty solid performance. After the show, Karl Sanders told us that he liked our sound, so that obviously meant a lot to us.

7. Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
Brent: I don't want to give to much away, because we're still hashing everything out, but you'll definitely see us on the road later this year.
Markov Soroka: I don't want to give anything away yet, but yes, we are planning to do some kind of touring. We play shows regularly around the area. In fact, we are opening up for Obituary and Absu in the coming months.

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
 Brent:It's been received really well, which is super awesome. Words can't describe how stoked I am that people have been digging our music.
Markov Soroka:It's been way bigger than I ever expected it to be. After hearing your own music for so long, it starts to wear old on the ears, so it's nice to hear feedback constantly. On a world-wide level, it's amazing. Usually I contact people myself since I like to connect with fans and talk about music with them, but as of late, they've been contacting us, which is always a good feeling.

9. Are there any other musical projects going on these days?
Brent:Yeah, we all have our own things going on besides Eternium. Markov has a couple projects going on, and we've even discussed working together on a Funeral Doom project. Gabe has a couple things going on, including a Girndcore band called Rotted Brainyard. Chad has a couple things going on, one of them being a more Progressive band called Tumult. I'm currently working on a project called Dakhma which more feelsy Black Metal stuff, very influenced by Woods of Ypres and Agalloch.
Markov Soroka: I believe all the members have other projects as well as Eternium. Chad Griffin has a few up his sleeve that he's shared the idea with us, but we can't give anything away here... Gabe Price has a few death metal and grind projects that he wants to get on foot, Brent Dossett has even had a hip-hop project that he wants to do at one point. Ryan Kelley used to play in Archon, a black/folk band. As for myself, I have a funeral doom project, a black metal project, and a sort of "mega" project that I can't really reveal anything about yet.



10. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
Brent: Relevtively the same. We want to make things a bit heavier and a bit more progressive as times goes on.
Markov Soroka: Hopefully in a good one! The responses we have gotten as of late are extremely prominent and that alone fuels us to keep going on in a positive way.

11.What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Brent:Too many, haha. As far Metal goes, Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Carnage, Wombbath, and Agalloch have really influenced me. As far as what I've been listening to lately, I've been listening to a lot Folk Rock/Indie Rock stuff like The Decemberists and Mumford And Sons. Also this Jazz artist by the name of Regina Spektor has been getting a lot of play lately.
Markov Soroka: I personally was inspired greatly by the Swedish melodic black metal scene in the vein of Dawn, Sacramentum, Azure, Dissection, etc. As for what I am listening to nowadays, hmm... Well, I've been really obsessed with atmospheric black metal as of late, as well as funeral doom. So just on the top of my head: Ruins of Beverast, Alrakis, Esoteric, Isis... I've also been digging Fleshgod Apocalypse quite a bit.

12.Outside of music what are some of your interests?
Brent:Well to be honest, I'm a complete nerd. When I'm not playing music I', either watching anime, playing video games, and more recently, DnD.
Markov Soroka: I'm an avid video game fan. You'll usually see me playing DooM online through a port called ZDaemon. If anyone reading this ends up downloading and playing, find me on there! The name is _Death_. Aside from that, I try to study medicine and prosthetic work from time to time.

13.Any final word or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Brent:Thank you for this oppurtunity. I really appreciate you taking time out of your day for this interview!
Markov Soroka:Thank you for the opportunity, and it was definitely nice talking to you! And to fans/readers: Go listen to our album! We have links up everywhere, and I'm sure people have leaked it on downloading sites. Of course, we would be eternally grateful if you bought the physical CD, and that is it's own charm.



Cheers!

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Psalm Zero/Force My Hand/Last Things Records/2013 7 Inch Review

  Psalm  Zero  are  a  band  from  New  York  that  plays  a  mixture  of  industrial,  experimental  and black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  7  inch  "Force  My  Hand"  which  was  released  by  Last  Things  Records.

 "Force  My  Hand"  begins  with  some  industrial and  noise  rock style  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  drum  programming  and  clean  singing  melodic  vocals  and  a  minute  later  black  metal  screams  start  coming  into  the  song  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  riffing.

  "Willpower"  begins  with  some  acoustic  guitars  and  clean  singing  vocals

  "Song  lyrics  cover  philosophical  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  where  you  can  hear  all  of t he  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Psalm  Zero  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  black  metal, experimental,  industrial  and  neo  folk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Force  My  Hand".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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