Cor Serpenti/Phenomankind/2018 CD Review

  Cor  Serpenti  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Phenomankind"  which  will  be  released  in  October.

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  vocals  are mostly  black  metal  screams  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  some  clear  singing, whispers and  death  metal  growls  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  used  briefly,  clean  guitars  and  spoken  word  parts  are  also  introduced  on  later  tracks  and  at  times  the  music  also  has  its  technical  moments.

  Cor  Serpenti  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  technical  and  melodic  styles  of  black  and death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  with  a  touch  of  power  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  scientific  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Cor  Serpenti  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  "Retrieval"  "Sand  Storm"  "Reversed  Evolution"  and  "Ubik".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyINAJOhvNU

https://youtu.be/k1RYoW_U9sg

Upon Ruins/Legacy Of Desolation/PRC Music/2018 CD Review

  Upon  Ruins  are  a  band  from  Nova  Scotia,  Canada  that  plays  a  mixture  of  viking  and  melodic  black/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Legacy  Of  Desolation"  which  was  released  by  PRC  Music.

  Heavy  riffs  and  melodic  guitar  leads  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  viking  battle  sounds  in  the  background  briefly  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.

  Vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  clean  vocals  adding  in  touches  of  pagan  metal  as  well  as  the  screams  showing  an  influence  of  black  metal  when  they  are  utilized  and  the  music  is  also  is  very  heavy  influenced  by  the  90's  era  Swedish  style.

  The  riffs  also  mix  in  elements  of  thrash  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  classical  guitars  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  one  of  the  tracks  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  a  later  song  adds  in  a  few  seconds  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Upon  Ruins  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  viking  and  melodic  black/death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of   their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  humanity's  ruinous  legacy  and  inevitable  path  to  desolation.

  In  my  opinion  Upon  Ruins  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  viking  and  melodic  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Where  Mountains  Collide"  "Of  Distant  Shores"  and  "A  Cold  Empty  Throne".  8  out  of  10.

https://prcmusic.bandcamp.com/album/upon-ruins-legacy-of-desolation-cd

Mongol/The Return/Sliptrick Records/2018 CD Review

  Mongol  are  a  band  from  Alberta,  Canada  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  folk,  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "The  Return"  which will  be  released  in  October  by  Sliptrick  Records.

  Mongolian  folk  instruments  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  epic  sounding  synths  and  throat  singing  a  few  seconds  later  while  spoken  word  parts  are  also  used  briefly  and  they  also  mix  the  folk  elements  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  Black  metals creams  and  death  metal  growls  are  also  used  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  some  clean  vocals  also  being  used  at  times  while  the  faster  sections  of t he  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  as  well  as  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  symphonic  elements  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Mongol  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  mixture  of  folk,  melodic  black  and  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  a Mongolian  Prophecy  on  Genghis  Khan  making  a  return  from  the  grave  to  conquer  the  world.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Mongol  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  folk,  melodic  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Return"  "Amongst  The  Dead"  "The  Mountain  Weeps"  and  "Warband".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/MongolCanada/

Iomair/Self Titled/Infamous Butcher Records/2018 Full Length Review

  Iomair  are  a  band  from  Ontario,  Canada  that  plays a  mixture  of  progressive,  folk,  black  and  melodic  death  metal  with  some  elements  of  Latin  and  funk  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2018  album  which  was  released  by  Infamous  Butcher  Records.

  Stringed  instruments  start  off  the  album  and  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  while  death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  black  metal  screams  also  being  used  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  At  times  the  music  gets  very  progressive  while  clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  adding  in  acoustic  guitars.

  Throughout the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  elements  of  Latin  and  fink  music  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  one  track  also  brings  piano's  onto  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  they  also  bring  in  an  instrumental.

  Iomair  plays  a  musical  style  that  progressive,  folk,  black,  melodic  death  metal,  Latin  and  funk  music  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  something  very  original  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Iomair  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  progressive,  folk,  black  and  melodic  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cast  Away"  "Embodiment  Of  Emptiness"  "Yearning"  and  "Forever  travelling  Within".  8  out of  10.

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Misanthropic Aggression/Inability To Cope/Boris Records/2018 EP Review

  Misanthropic  Aggression  are  a  band  from  Atlanta.  Georgia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  thrash  and  crust  with  a  touch  of  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  ep  "Inability  To  Cope"  which  will  be  released  in  October  on  cassette  by  Boris  Records.

  A  very  fast  crust  punk  sound  starts  off  the  ep  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  music  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking and  d  beats  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  lot  of  1st  wave  influences  but  also  keeps  it  modern  as w ell  as  adding  in a  small  amount  of  melody.

  A  great  amount  of  thrash  elements  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit throughout  the  recording  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  some  growls  and  hardcore style  shouts  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast parts.

 All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  they  also  bring  in  a  cover  of  S.S  Decontrol's  "Boiling  Point"  and  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  doom  metal  along  with  a  brief  use  of  melodic  guitar  leads  almost  towards  the  end.

  Misanthropic  Aggression  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  death,  doom,  thrash  metal  and  crust  punk  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Misanthropic  Aggression  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  doom, death,  thrash  metal  and  crust  punk  and  if  you are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Prove  Yourself"  "Afterwork  Inebriation"  and  "Respite".  8 out  of  10.   

https://www.facebook.com/MisanthropicAggression/

  

Wolfheart/Constellation Of The Black Light/Napalm Records/2018 CD Review

  Wolfheart  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  doom  metal  which  they  refer  to  as  being  'winter  metal'  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Constellation  Of  The  black  Light" which  will  be  released  on  September  28th  by  Napalm  Records.

  Acoustic  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  elements  of  doom  metal  along  with  some  symphonic  elements  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  vocals  bring  in  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  utilizing  a  lot  of  melody  and  some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  vocals  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  used  on the  later  songs.

  Wolfheart  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  melodic  forms  of  black,  death  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  winter,  nature,  warriors  and  bloodshed  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Wolfheart  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Everlasting  Fall"  "Forge  With  Fire"  and  "Valkyrie".  8  out  of  10.

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From Ashes Reborn/Existence Exiled/2018 CD Review

  From  Ashes  Reborn  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Existence  Exiled".

  A  keyboard  orientated  intro  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  stringed  instruments  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  direction  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  as  well  as  the  vocals  being  mostly  death  metal  growls.

  Black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars  also  being  utilized  on  some  of  the  tracks  as  well  as  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  they  also  close  the  album  with  an  instrumental.

  From  Ashes  Reborn  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  melodic  sides  of  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  resurrection,  reflection,  life,  society  and  hope  themes.

  In  my  opinion  From  Ashes  Reborn  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  ut  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fight  For  The  Light"  "Infected'  and  "Homicidal  Rampage".  8  out  of  10. 

https://youtu.be/jDL62oFMunI

Valdrin Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
Since recording the new album, we have continued playing live in as many places as we can. The band has been playing material from "Two Carrion Talismans"  live since about 2013 and overtime we've been filling our setlist with more material from this album. We are also constantly writing new music and becoming more obsessed with our current vision of where the band is going. Our second guitarist, Colton, joined the band in early 2016 and has added a lot to the current music we're working on.

2.You have a new album coming out in September, what are some of the things you feel you have done differently with this recording that you where not able to do with your previous release?

The first thing anyone would notice is that we have a real drummer now. Ryan has been a part of our history since we started, but unfortunately he wasn't a part of the band during the recording of our first album. He rejoined in 2013 and we haven't looked back since. We immediately began crafting the intense and hateful hymns that would end up on "Two Carrion Talismans," it was a great time creatively and I am proud of how truly unique and dark this album is. We wanted to create the most angry, and villainous album we possibly could, and I think we achieved it.

3.This is your first album since 2014, can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during that time span?

Mostly what I explained above. Working on the music that would become "Two Carrion Talismans" and playing across the midwestern United States. We finished writing the music of "TCT" in 2015 and went into the studio early November of that year. The album took about a year to record, and about a year after that to get it out of the engineers hands and into the right hands to be mixed and mastered by our friend Dan Klein at Iron Hand Audio. We started talking to Blood Harvest Records about releasing the album at the end 2017, and here we are today. Unfortunately, life is tedious, and goals often take longer to achieve if you want to do them the right way. Nonetheless, Im confident that you wont have to wait another 4 years for the next Valdrin release.

4.The lyrics on the new recording are a concept album, can you tell us a little bit more about the story that was covered on this release?

All of our music is conceptual and part of the Ausadjur Mythos. The story's protagonist, Valdrin Ausadjur, is the root of which the whole story is based upon. "Beyond The Forest" (our debut album) was the beginning of his story, which will most likely be a trilogy of albums. "Two Carrion Talismans" is a prequel to the events of that album, and is the only album we will create that is solely dedicated to the Antagonist, Nex Animus. This story begins at the end of his earthly life, in a prehistoric period of mankind, and his post-mortal creation of the dark netherworld known as the Orcus, where the events of "Beyond The Forest" later take place. Without revealing too much, I will say that this story accounts for centuries of rule over the Orcus, and the journey to his enlightenment, where he discovers a way to create armageddon and survive it. What ends up taking place on "Beyond The Forest" is a result of this conspiracy, and it leads to Nex being able to destroy the triad of worlds in which Earth is the fulcrum and escape into the universe. Valdrin - the pawn for his scheme - escapes as well. One day we'll see what happens next.

5.Your lyrics also have a lot of occult themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in Occultism?

We all have an interest in the Occult to varying degrees. However, I want to stress that we are not an occult band. Our music is a story, a concept, a mythology of our own creation. The 'Ausadjur Mythos' is informed by many ancient religions, mythologies, occult practices and basically is a synthesis of all spiritual concepts from the past, and sees humans as the creators of this spiritual energy. The afterworlds we've created: The Aurae (the light world) and The Orcus (the dark world) are channelled through a conduit within mankind that we call The Spirit Genome. This is more or less the DNA of the soul, that was created in prehistoric times from a great conflict that we call 'Junnatox'.

These are examples of how our music might appear occult, but it isn't. We aren't giving guides to esoteric rituals or anything like that, we are entirely based within our own concept.


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

It has no inherit meaning. We thought we made the name up, but it turns out its an Albanian name commonly used for both men and women. It translates to something like 'wave.' But it is simply the name of our protagonist, and any other connections could only have been made after the fact. His surname, Ausadjur, is where all the meaning lies.

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

The album cover features the antagonist, Nex Animus. What you see on the cover is a concept of duality. In this instance it is the perceived self, and the actual self. It represents what we consider to be the archetypes of all villainous, antagonist characters. In the foreground, you see a haggard, feeble old man who bares the scars from his past and his own inner anguish, but in the reflection you see a grandiose evil tyrant, who exists only to conquer and destroy. This is the dichotomy of evil: that which is made into evil through a real or perceived injustice, and that which is purely evil and wishes to destroy for no reason but to create suffering. The concept of duality is also reflected in the album title, "Two Carrion Talismans." These talismans are in the eyes of the Ausadjur sword on the cover.

The artwork was done by an amazing artist and friend named Lucas Ruigerri and he did an amazing job at bringing this concept to life.

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?

We've enjoyed them all in different ways. Some that stick out are when we played with Zemial in Lexington, KY or the two times we've shared the stage with Incantation in our hometown of Cincinnati. Taking part in the Blood Of The Wolf festivals I-III in Lexington (put on by our allies in Tombstalker and the Wolven Brotherhood) were all great moments. Playing in cities like Richmond, VA, and Philadelphia, PA we're also very rewarding experiences. We'll play anywhere that wants us. We hope to play more across the US and hopefully in Europe in the future.

9.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

We definitely have plans to play in as many cities as possible once the album is released. When we have our copies, we'll hit the road and see what happens.

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

Its been great, honestly. Sometimes people aren't sure wether to call us black metal or death metal, and that is interesting to watch what people label us. Nonetheless, there seems to be people out there who are really catching on to what we are doing, and some of these people are reading into the lyrics and the story, and getting very into the concept. This is the greatest reward we could ever receive. It doesn't matter if its 10 fans or 10,000.....if someone gets it, then we don't feel entirely alone. Our music, after-all, is a complete escape from this garbage world, and is a way for us to create a place to inhabit that is infinitely more interesting than this boring place we've been born into.

11.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?

Colton's band Lucis Absentia are currently on hiatus from playing live. I believe they'll be back one day and they'll continue making great metal music. They recently released a full length album called "Gehenna Gate" and its doing very well. I did a demo with a close friend of mine around 2016 with a band called Grim Feast. The demo did well and garnered some good press. Its mostly a project though, maybe one day we'll do an album. Ryan composes a lot of music on his own time for himself, and so does James. For the moment though, we've all had a tunnel vision focus on our current direction with this. Every member has contributed greatly to what is coming in the future.

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

I see the music getting a lot darker and more haunting. The new songs reflect a lot of hatred, fear, misanthropy, and terrifying visions from nightmares. I don't want to give any information on where the story is going, but I will say that this will be the music of bloodred nightmares and haunting, isolated torture.

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?

Some of the bands/musicians that influenced us to find our own identity were stuff like: Bathory, Peste Noire, Dissection, The Chasm, Xasthur Leviathan, Mutiilation, Morbid Angel, Windir, Manes, Order From Chaos, as well as the compositions of Nobuo Uematsu. Nowadays I've been listening to a lot of different stuff like Abigor, Katharsis, Dawn, Endless Dismal Moan, Judas Iscariot, Thergothon, Lycia, Belketre. As far as new bands, I've been obsessed with some of the current black metal coming from Sweden, stuff like Azelisassath, Grav, Ganipahalan, Beketh Nexehmu and more.

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

Thanks for the interview! We appreciate everyone's support for our music worldwide. Hope you all enjoy "Two Carrion Talismans."

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Felis Catus/Banquet On The Moon/Masked Dead Records/2018 EP Review

  Felis  Catus  is  a  solo  project  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  experimental,  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2018  ep  "Banquet  On  The  Moon"  which  will  be  released  on  September  25th  by  Masked  Dead  Records.

  Atmospheric  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  grim  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later  while   clean  playing  is  also  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  the  songs  also  bringing  in  elements  of  ambient  and  electronic  music  which  is  also  mixed  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  and  the  music  also  has  its  avant  garde  moments.

  At  times  the  music  gets  very  experimental  along  with  a  great  amount  of  progressive  rock  elements  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  add  in  some  session  work  from  Grey  Ravenmoon  and  Alessandro  Riva  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  parts  and  whispers  being  used  briefly  and  death  metal  growls  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording,  as  the  ep  progresses  a  brief  use  of  middle  eastern  style  chants  can  also  be  heard  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  Felis  Catus  plays  a  music  style  that  takes  black,  death  metal,  experimental,  ambient  and  electronic  music  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  science  and  space  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Felis  Catus  is  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  experimental,  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Banquet  On  the  Moon"  and  "Baron  Munchausen".  8  out  of  10.

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Rapheumets Well/The Elder's Anthology/Test Your Metal Records/2018 Compilation Album Review

  North  Carolina's  Rapheumets  Well  have  returned  with  a  compilation  that  is  in  the  progressive  and  symphonic  style  of  black/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their 2018  album  "The  Elder's  Anthology"  which  also  consists  of  remixed  and  remastered  songs  from  their  3  albums  and  will  be  released  on  October  26th  by  Test  Your  Metal  Records.

  Acoustic  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  compilation  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  symphonic  elements  are  also  mixed  in  with  the  heavy  parts  off  the  songs  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  vocals a re  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  technical  style  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  riffs  having  their  melodic  moments  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Clean  male  and  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly while  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  music  also  capturing  the  atmosphere  of a  science  fiction  movie  soundtrack  as  well  as  mixing  in  elements  of  orchestral  and  classical  music into the  more brutal  parts  of  the  songs.

  On  this  compilation  Rapheumets  Well  brings  out  some  of  the  best  symphonic  and  progressive  black/death  metal  material,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  their  self  created  science  fiction  lore  which  focuses  on  the  fictitious  universe  of  the  Atai.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great sounding  collection  from  Rapheumets  Well  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic  and  progressive  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  compilation.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Resurrecting  The  Blood  Gate"  "The  Witch  Of  Darkspire"  "They  Cometh  in  Fire"  and  "Ghosts  Walkers  Exodus".  8  out  of  10. 

https://youtu.be/kPym5DiG700    

Psyclon Nine/Icon Of The Adversary/Metropolis Records/2018 CD Review

  Psyclon  Nine  are  a  band  from  San  Francisco,  California  that  plays  a  mixture  of  aggrotech,  industrial  and  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Icon  Of  The  Adversary"  which  was  released  by  Metropolis  Records.

  Industrial  sounds  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  along  with  some  spoken  word  samples  also  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  the  vocals  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  screams  and  industrial  style  vocals a re  also  used  at  times.

  Elements  of  aggrotech  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  programmed  beats  and  synths  are  also  used  at  times  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  can  be  heard  and  the  closing  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  which  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  vocals.

  Psyclon  Nine  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  aggrotech,  industrial  and  black  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Psyclon  Nine  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  aggrotech,  industrial  and  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Crown  of  the  Worm"  "Warm  What's  Hollow"  "and  With  Fire"  and  "The  Last".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/psyclonnineofficial/