Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Dyrnwyn Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We are a Pagan Folk Metal band based in Rome, a bunch of friends with two common passions, Roman history and music.

2.Recently you have released your first full length, musically how does it differ from your previous ep and demo?
It is another world completely.  In the mean time as we were composing Sic Transit Gloria Mundi we grew up a lot both as musicians and as people. We learn to communicate and understand each other and this new found complicity and harmony between the members of the band brought us this album and we cannot be more proud of it!

3.Your lyrics cover Paganism and Ancient Roman History, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these subjects?
We believe that if someone decide to play and compose folk metal he has to talk about his folkloric history and what greater history if not the one about Rome for us that were born and grew up here in the eternal city.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Dyrnwyn'?
This one is actually kind of funny story. We were at the beginning of our musical journey and the direction to take was really blurred and unsure.We all came from different music backgrounds and each of the name we picked represented more ourselves as single people then the band. We fought and we discussed for quiet a few days until exhausted we decided that the first who will propose a name, whatever it would have been, in the next few hours would be the official name. Let’s say that
we’re happy it wasn’t something silly ahahah Dyrnwyn is one of the thirteen tresure of England. Is a black sword which when wielded by a pure of heart will harness the power of fire to his favour but when wielded by someone unworthy it will burn him to ashes.


5.Can you tell us a little bit more abut the artwork that is presented on the album cover?
The name of the album is Sic Transit Gloria Mundi that translated it would be “and that’s how the glory of the world disappeared” . Based on this concept we worked with Gianmarco Colalongo in order to represent it on paper and we can all see the result of this process.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
The best show we did until now  are definitely the one with our brothers Atavicus in Rome and in Pescara. The atmosphere and the bond of friendship that binds us just made the concerts , pre, during and post a great experience all around.


7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
Not yet but we’re starting to plan an italian tour really soon followed by some dates in europe, germany, swiss, austria etc.

8.The new album was released on 'Soundage Productions', how did you get in contact with this label?
Our bassist and founding member ,Ivan Cenerini , has a remarkable cd collection and some of them have been bought through the soundage distr

9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your newer music by fans of pagan and folk metal?
It has been really really good. We’ve received some first reviews and are extremely good  8,5/10, plus everyone who listen to the album really enjoys it and send us compliments about it.

10.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?
Almost all of the band members are involved with other projects: Alessandro Mancini our guitarist and composer is currently on board of other two different projects , Drakens Orden (MelodicDeath) with whom is going to release a full lenght this month  and DragonhammeR (Power Metal) who recruited him as live guitarist.
Ivan Coppola our drummer is part of Ulfhednar  (Black Metal) with whom is taking part in a lot of concert here in Italy. The new found vocalist Thierry Vaccher is the singer of Manner (industrial metal) and Ivan Cenerini and Michelangelo Iacovella as well as Mauro Ricotta (former guitar) are composing for an original Atmospheric Black Metal project call AITA.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
A balanced mix between Black Metal, Atmospheric Black Metal and Classic Pagan Folk .

12.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?
Here we need to make a brief list: Falkenbach, Manegarm, Moonsorrow, Draugr, Svartsot, Kawir, Istapp, Saor, Romuvos, Skyforger etc etc…
Nowadays they are pretty much the same with some occasional discoveries but in the same field as the one mentioned before.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?
Kick boxing, MMA, Historical re-enacment, D&D, Hiking, Trekking in nature and DRINKING ahahahah

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We hope to be able to bring this album everywhere and play as many live show as possible especially out of italy. But to do so we need to ask everyone of you a favor, be curious of new music, give a chance to small names because they might surprise you and if you can, support them as you can. We play and compose our music for all of you out there because we want to connect with you in some way, conveying our emotion and ourselves into our songs and nothing give us more happiness then knowing that you’re there headbanging in your car or at home or down the stage listening to us!

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Fordomth/I.N.D.N.S.L.E/Endless Winter Records/2018 CD Review


  Fordomth  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  sludge  and  funeral  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "I.N.D.N.S.L.E"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Endless  Winter  Records.

  Tragic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times  before  adding  in  some  clean  playing  while  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful.

  Vocals  bring  in  a  mixture  of  clean  singing,  guttural  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal screams  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  are  very  heavily  rooted  in  funeral  doom  metal  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  spoken  word  parts  onto  the  recording  and  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  a  poetic  atmosphere,  all  of the  music  sticks  to  a  slower  direction  and  also  captures  the  heaviness  of  sludge  metal  and  as  the  album   progresses  slide  guitars  and  stringed  instruments  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Forndomth  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  sludge  and  funeral  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  covering  based  upon  eternal  damnation,  developed  under  it's  satanic  perspectives.

  In  my  opinion  Forndomth  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  sludge  and  funeral  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Chapter  II  Abyss  Of  Hell"  and  "Chapter  V  I.N.D.S.L.E".  8  out  of  10.

fordomthband@gmail.com
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www.instagram.com/fordomth.666
http://endless-winter.org/
www.facebook.com/EndlessWinterDoomMetal

    

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Omega Point Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the musical project these days?

I’m in the middle of promoting the album of course. I’m also trying to write new stuff, however the musical direction my writing is taking at the moment is a bit different from OMEGA POINT’s stuff. It’s more along the lines of “epic” and less “black metal”, you could say. So that’s why I don’t know if the next album will be an OMEGA POINT album or maybe some kind of solo record or even another project album.

2.So far you have released 2 albums this year, how do both of them differ musically?

The first album “The Descent” has a much rawer sound to it, it’s kinda more black metal than “Isolation”, you could say. You could say that I’ve explored a new sound for me with the first album and that I’ve taken it to the next step with “Isolation”. The second album is much more coherent than the first one. On the first one, I’ve had 3 singers and 2 bassists and no coherent lyrical concept, only outlines. On “Isolation” however, we don’t have such a mixture, we have Jonathan as the main singer, Maxi as the lyricist, Chris on drums and me doing the rest.
Also, what could explain the musical differences as well is that I’ve written “The Descent” in the middle of a personal, emotional crisis and “Isolation” is part of my recovery process. It still deals with a lot of the same moods, however the direction the music is taking is much clearer than on the first album.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored on both of the recordings?

OMEGA POINT deals with emotions such as despair, hate, anger and sadness. Like I’ve said before, I’ve let the people writing lyrics for the first album most of their freedom, thus creating an interesting mixture of impressions of their darker sides. It deals with thoughts about suicide, taking farewell and emotional issues.
The second album “Isolation” is more of a story. It’s about a protagonist whose friend has killed himself and who now must face different dark and negative emotions. Still fighting against those, his emotional state slowly gets worse and in the he has to face the same problems his friend has faced.

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

Well, it’s kinda weird to explain to be honest. But I’ll try. In the end, when everything collapses – talking in a broader sense - it ultimately means that everything will be nullified. Meaning that for example all of humanities achievements, all the big accomplishments as well as all our personal problems and goals will be for nothing. That may seem like an interesting thought from the perspective of someone who’s feeling suicidal, to be honest, because it kind of gives you a feeling of security. Everybody has to die and, in the end, when mankind, earth or even the universe is on the breach of collapse, it won’t matter what you have done – or not done.
That’s at least how I’ve looked at this topic from time to time. This of course isn’t fully congruent with the spiritual belief of the “Omega Point”, where everything in the universe is spiraling towards a final point of unification.
The original idea for this name is based on the lyrics for the song “At Omega Point”, which is written by Thomas Jahnke from Sadistic Sacrament.

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

This artwork was made by Danko Designs specifically for this album. You can of course interpret it in different ways. It could for example resemble a person that has hanged himself, though you cannot see the rope. It might be a metaphor for an “inner death”, the loss of your will to live. Of course, you can also interpret it as a person that is rising “into the light”, as in “rising to heaven”. But of course, you can interpret it in any way you want.

6.I have read that this is a studio project and your looking for a live line up to do some shows, how has that been working out so far?

That hasn’t been working out that well, to be honest. The singer Jonathan and me moving away hasn’t made trying to find a line up easier, which is why that is put on hold for the moment. I’m concentrating on song writing again now and I’m looking for another project I can take part in at my new center of life.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

I have looked for labels in the past but I’ve decided to stay unsigned for now. This project still is kind of small and for most big labels, you have to buy yourself in to get a deal if you’re smaller. If there are labels interested though I will always reconsider because label support makes promotion and selling your music much easier.

8.What are some of the other bands or musical projects that the musicians that played on the recordings are a part of?

Starting off with the most known bands, Chris Dovas is currently the touring drummer for Vital Remains and the regular drummer for the Symphonic Metal Band Seven Spires. Maxi, who has also written the lyrics for “Isolation”, is creating a concept album himself right now under the name of “Quiet Observer”, and the first album consisted of musicians by the bands Sektor and Sadistic Sacrament.

9.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?

I want to continue with OMEGA POINT or some other personal projects for sure. Due to my affinity for covering, I could also see myself joining a touring band or another new band as a regular member.
I’m right now studying Sound And Music Production at the University Of Applied Sciences in Darmstadt, Germany, so producing other bands will also be coming up.

10.What are some of the bands or musical projects that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

At the moment, I like listening to bands like Myrkur, ColdWorld, Tantara, MaYan, Guilt Machine or Pain Of Salvation. Some of my evergreens are Wintersun, Coroner or Vektor.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I love watching anime, other than that my life is pretty music-centered, I just love producing sounds, doing covers for my YouTube-Channel and making music in general. Sometimes I also like to code.

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

Yeah, thanks for the interview and the interesting questions. Of course I would be honoured if the people reading this would check out the album (https://open.spotify.com/album/37wdjT3nq0UsCbcoyU5IkU?si=qqtxIui4T5-6no5jBUrQdg).

Other than that, stay safe and stay creative, people. Hit me up if you need any second opinion on your music or some kind of production advice, or you just want to make a collaboration cover for YouTube - you can find my website here (http://ristridi.de)



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Monday, October 29, 2018

Neos Gheron/Potius Nihil, Potius Desultus/Masked Dead Records/2018 CD Review


  Neos  Gheron  are  a  duo  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal  and  dungeon  synth  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Potius  Nihil,  Potius  Desultus"  which  was  released  by  Masked  Dead  Records.

  A  very  epic  synth  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  also  captures  the  atmosphere  of  a  fantasy  fil  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  along  with  some  battle  sounds  also  being  added  into  the  background  at  times  as  well  as  the  music  also  mixing  in  elements  of  dungeon  and  neo-classical.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  no  traditional  instruments  are  ever  utilized  in  any  of  the  songs  along  with  the  songs  bringing  in  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys  as  well  as  some  soundscapes  also  being  used  at  times  and  the  music  also  has  its  symphonic  moments,  background  voices  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  as  the  album  progresses  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  vocals  and  some  tracks  also  add  in  programmed  drum  beats.

  Neos  Gheron  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  metal  and  dungeon  synth  and  mixes  it  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own, the  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Italian  and  cover  medieval  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Neos  Gheron  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal  and  dungeon  synth  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Potius  Nihil...  Potius  Deseltus  (Act.  I)  Ars  Falsarum Imaginium  Extintarum  (Act.  II)"  and  "Subdecti  Nostras  Memorias  Nequitunt  Laedere Inferiores".  8  out  of  10.

https://maskedeadrecords.bandcamp.com/album/potius-nihil-potius-deseltus

  

Sunday, October 28, 2018

Marsh Dweller/Wanderer/Eihwaz Recordings/2018 CD Review


  Marsh  Dweller  are  a  solo  project  from  Pennsylvania  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  moves  way  from  his  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  to  go  into  more  of  a  sludge/post  metal  direction  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2016  album  "Wanderer"  which  was  released  by  Eihwaz  Recordings.

  Distorted  noises  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  post  metal  direction  while  the  vocals  bring  in a  mixture  of  growls  and  screams  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  the  slower  riffing  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  sludge  metal.

  Have  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  atmospheric  sounding  synths  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  being  utilized  when  the  music  speeds  up  as  well  as  some  clean  playing  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording,  a  small  amount  of  black  metal  screams  and  clear  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  at  times  the  music  gets  very  atmospheric  and  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  synths  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard.

  On  this  recording  Marsh  Dweller  moves  way  from  his  melodic  style  of  black/death  metal  and  goes  into  more  of  an  atmospheric  and  post/sludge  metal  direction,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  following  the  wanderer.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Marsh Dweller  and  while  some  black  and  death  metal  fans  will  not  like  the  new  style,  I  can  see  this  album  winning  a  fan  base  among  fans  of  sludge  and  post  metal.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Wander  I"  and  "Fall".  8  out of  10.

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Saturday, October 27, 2018

Myopic Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?

Aside from everything involved in putting the album out, we’ve been working hard to make sure we nail everything live, playing some shows, and working on new material.

2.In November you have a new album coming out, what are some of the things the band done different musically on this recording that you were not able to do on previous releases?

Clean singing. Something like half the vocals on this record are are sung (more or less) clean. Adding clean vocals wasn’t something we really set out to do, as much as it was something the songs we were writing were calling for.  We also spent time working out a conceptual soundscape through and between songs.

3.This is your first release in 4 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?

Working, traveling and moving. Our hardest problem for a while was making time for the band through all the different changes from work scheduling and vacation planning. We try to play gigs fairly regularly and spent a lot of time writing and working on the music on this album.

4.In the beginning the band played more of a death metal style but over the years have evolved more in a black, sludge or post metal direction, what was the decision behind the musical change?

We never really set out to play a particular style, so we’ve moved with our musical interests and our development as songwriters. Our music has been getting more complex through the years and so that often prompts changes in tone and aesthetic. We’ve always followed a more linear, narrative approach rather than a cyclical structure. It’s also hard to only write dark-sounding music, it’s nice to be adding more melody and colors to our palate.

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

Derived from the word “Myopia” meaning nearsightedness, in a literal sense, or lack of foresight, long term plans. We (most likely) chose it because it sounded cool, but it’s since become sort of a representation of the band’s unwillingness to define itself. We write what we want to hear.

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

The front cover is inspired by the lyrics and concept for the song Pillars of Time. The album follows a man wandering through a deserted world, having visions and memories of the past. It’s not entirely clear what killed the population and left the world barren, only hinted at in places. In Pillars of Time he finds these great monuments to an ancient civilization, still standing because of their great size.  The back cover is based on the lyrics to Resting Place and the conclusion of this story. The art was done by Casey Drogin, who also used to be in the band before Myopic released anything.

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?

Within the last year we played with Thantifaxath at Atlas Brew Works in DC, that was a great show and a great venue, especially since we work in the beer industry as well. After the release of Crawling Mountain Apogee we played a Grimoire Showcase at Metro Gallery in Baltimore. It’s always nice to play with all the talent on our label. In 2016 we played Shadow Woods Metal Festival with a ton of amazing bands. The whole weekend was incredibly fun. Our stage performance is all about playing as tight and perfect as we can while still putting as much energy and emotion in as possible. We’ve been working on making the set a cohesive whole as well, a lot of consideration goes into song order and how one song flows into the next.

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

We’re in the process of stringing together a small tour this winter with At the Graves.

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

Actually worldwide our biggest fan base might be in Russia. A few years ago we somehow found that a Russian torrenting website had stolen our EP ‘Vacuous’, uploading for download on their website, and even watermarking our album artwork. Shortly after, we had our biggest spike of listens ever on our bandcamp.

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

We’re a band that likes to change and go in new directions, it’s hard to predict, but I think we’ll see a continuation of our favorite aspects of this album as well as branching out and trying new things.

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?

We tend to play with a lot of different genre blends based in blackened atmosphere and post-rock energy. Some influences over the past two years have been: Yob, Gojira, Meshuggah, ISIS, Emperor, High On Fire, The Chasm, Immortal...

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

We all have visual art hobbies as well, photography, design, painting. We homebrew beer, mead, and wine, and play Starcraft 2 as a team.

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

We hope our listeners enjoy the album and all the work put into it. We put a lot of thought into the track order and presentation, and hope people will listen to the whole album. It’s somewhat of a concept album, so it’s best experienced that way, as an album, and not just a collection of separate songs, which seems to be getting less common these days, and if you live around the Washington, DC area, come and see us live!

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Thursday, October 25, 2018

TrollWar/Oath Of The Storm/2018 Full Length Review


  TrollWar  are  a  band  from  Quebec,  Canada  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk, black  and  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Oath  Of  The  Storm"  which  will  be released  in  November.

  A  very  dark,  epic  and  nature  orientated  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  symphonic  sounding  keyboards  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  mixes  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  which  also  utilize  a  great  amount  of  accordion's  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  folk  music  feeling.

  A  great  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  vocals  also  bringing  in  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  clean  vocals  are  also  utilized  at  times on  a  couple  of  tracks.

  TrollWar  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  folk,  black  and  melodic  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  are  based  on  the  writings  of  J.R.R.  Tolkien  and  H.P  Lovecraft.

  In  my  opinion  TrollWar  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  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  "Summoning"  "The  Forsaken  One"  "Home  OF  Forbidden  Lore"  and  "Winter's Night".  8  out  of  10. 

https://www.facebook.com/Trollwar
https://twitter.com/trollwarqc
https://www.instagram.com/TrollwarMetal

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Hierophant/Spawned Abortions/Unholy Anarchy Records/2018 EP Review


  Hierophant  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  ep  "Spawned  Abortions"  which  was  released  by  Unholy  Anarchy  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  bring  in  elements  of  sludge  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  as  well the  vocals  being  in  between  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  chaotic  yet  melodic  style  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  also  adding  in  elements  of  grindcore  and  they  also  bring  in  a  cover  of  Bolt  Thrower's  "Realm  of  Chaos".

  Hierophant  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  sludge,  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  anti  religion  and  misanthropy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hierophant  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Spawned  Abortions".  8  out  of  10.

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Monday, October 22, 2018

Sinnrs/Profound/Dark Matter/2018 Full Length Review


  Sinnrs  are  a  band  from  Denmark  that  plays  an  orchestral  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Profound"  which  was  released  by  Dark  Matter.

  A  very  dark  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  demonic  vocals  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  direction  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  deep  black  metal  growls  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  orchestra  elements  are  also  added  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  melodic  death  metal  elements  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  fast  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  being  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style, they  also  bring  in  a  couple  of  instrumental  tracks  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  the  closing  track.

  Sinnrs  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  symphonic  and  orchestral  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  melodic  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sinnrs  are  a  very  great  sounding  orchestral  and  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  "To  Derive  Eden's  Flame"  "No  Promise  To  Mankind"  and  "Commemorate  None".  8  out  of  10.

Absence Betrayal/Emotions/2018 Full Length Review


  Absence  Betrayal  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  very  atmospheric,  symphonic  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Emotions".

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  starts  off  the  album  while  the  synths  which  are  also  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  symphonic  and  atmospheric  feeling  as  well  as  the  vocals  also  adding  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  the  music  also  has  a  lot  of  90's  influences  as  well  as  maintaining  a  very  modern  atmosphere  and  clean  playing  is  added  onto  the  closing  track.

  Absence  Betrayal  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  a  very  atmospheric,  symphonic  and  melodic  form  of  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of t heir  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  tragic  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Absence  Betrayal  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic,  atmospheric  and  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  "A  Cruel  Dream"  "In  My  Eyes"  "We  Are  Close  To  Heaven"  and  "When  The  Sun  Goes  Out".  8  out  of  10. 

https://www.facebook.com/absence.betrayal/

Stormcast 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?
Since we finished the recording of ‘The Ghost Eater’ we have been focusing on bringing our live performance up to speed. Besides rehearsing the songs, I was also planning the album release and sorting out any band logistics that are part of any band’s album release! Now that the album is finally out, we’ve been focusing more on rehearsals and looking into booking some shows.

2.Recently you have released a new album what are some of the things you feel you have done different musically with this release not you where not able to do on pat recordings?
This album is different to our previous album ‘Frame of Mind’ as I have approached the song-writing in a different way and have explored other areas of the metal genre. In this album you will hear a few more progressive and technical elements which were not so evident in our previous release. On the other hand, this time around we have not included orchestral elements in our songs as we have done in the past, as I feel they wouldn’t fit well in these songs.

3.The band took a 2 year hiatus can you tell us a little bit more about it what?
The band went on hiatus 2 years ago and the future of the band was a bit uncertain. The other members at the time are not part of the band now and so the line-up had to be built again. This took some time and during that time I also focused on writing music for a new album.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
The lyrical concept behind the songs is largely represented through the name of the album ‘The Ghost Eater’. The main essence is about facing your fears and not letting one’s ghosts get the better of him or her. To rise above everything bringing you down and take control of your fears, in simple terms. Each song interprets this meaning in its own way while also letting listeners interpret their meaning in their own way.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Stormcast'?
The name came about when we were young and I guess we thought the name sounded cool at the time haha! While that is largely true, I’m happy we chose that name at the time as I like to think that the band’s music is made up of a small ‘chaos’ (or a storm!) in itself and we want to cast that onto others and make them feel what our music makes us feel.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
We worked with this very talented artist called Lenore (Ani Artworks) who designed the artwork of the whole album. The artwork is based on the name ‘The Ghost Eater’ and I wanted to represent that through some dynamic imagery. I wanted it to be bold and impactful, dark but elegant. Lenore perfectly grasped the concept I was going for and made the artwork ‘match’ the aesthetic of the music in such a great way. I’m extremely pleased with how it turned out!

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?
Anyone who has ever seen us live knows that we put on a great live performance and we give it our all every time – and that’s true. I hate seeing a band playing live and seeing them look bored and not feeling their own music, it’s such a huge anti-climax and a shame really. We always try our best to put on a good show because, at the end of the day, it’s a SHOW! Without a doubt, our best show we played is MetalDays festival in 2013 in Slovenia. Although it was at 12:30 noon and raining, the energy we got from playing on a huge stage at a big festival was indescribable and our performance that day was most probably our best to date. Another notable gig was our album release show – the venue was packed and we had a great time celebrating our release…good times!

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
For the moment we aren’t focusing on booking a tour in the near future but will most certainly start booking a few UK shows. Touring isn’t completely out of the picture, I’d just like to get some live experience with the new line-up first before we can take this to an audience outside of where we are based. Things will be a bit more clean in the next few months!

9.Currently the band is unsigned but has worked with a label before in the past, would you be open to working with another label again in the future?
Only if the opportunity is completely worth it. A DIY band can do a lot for itself nowadays with the use endless tools the internet offers if they put the work and effort into it. With certain labels the benefits are obvious and worth considering, but at the moment I am happy to be a DIY band.

10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your newer music by fans of black and extreme metal?
We’ve gained some good following from scattered places around the world and receive messages supporting us which is a lovely feeling and we appreciate it hugely. I haven’t picked up on a certain influx of attention from black metal fans specifically, as I don’t really consider our music to have many black metal elements, but fans of different metal genres have a expressed a liking to our music which I think is great as we can appeal to various types of fans.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
It’s really hard to say at this point as we are solely focusing on ‘The Ghost Eater’ and haven’t written any material for the future yet. One thing is for certain, the musical direction will not be entirely the same as our previous work as I like to explore different influences when writing music…nobody knows really!

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?
When someone asks me what kind of music does Stormcast play I answer, “Well, something between the style of Opeth, Rotting Christ, Gojira and Porcupine Tree…but not exactly!”. Those bands have been a huge inspiration for me over the past years and it was inevitable they would influence my songwriting…I have been listening to a bit more ‘proggier’ styles over the past couple of years and it has creeped in to my songwriting, but the recent album still does contain that main ‘Stormcast’ sound to it. I like exploring other music as well though, I’ve been listening to the alt-rock band Arcane Roots a lot for the past year or so, they’re a UK band and incorporated a lot of cool electronic elements on their last record – extremely creative stuff, highly recommended to anyone.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?
I watch a lot of movies and Netflix series! I’m currently watching the series Vikings which is pretty good. Apart from that I’m interested in Digital Marketing and is also what I do in my day job…I also like to exercise often and cook quite a lot…and travelling to new places whenever I get the chance!

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
I’d just like to say thank you to everyone who has supported Stormcast up to now, it’s been a huge help and encouragement for the band to continue strong and make great music. Also thank you to you for taking the time to have a chat about the band and our album! I hope you enjoy it!

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Sunday, October 21, 2018

1914/The Blind Leading The Blind/Redefining Darkness Records/Archaic Sound/2018 Full Length Review


  1914  are  a  band  from  Ukraine  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  blackened  mixture  of   death, sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "The  Blind  Leading  the  Blind"  which  will  be  released  in  November  as  a  joint  effort  between  Redefining  Darkness  Records  and  Archaic  Sound.

  Music  samples  from  the  world  war  era  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  along  with  the  riffs  also  utilizing  a  lot  of  melody  and  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams.

  Elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  are  added  into  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  while  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Spoken  word  and  war  samples  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  other  tracks  while  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  when  they  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  the  also  bring  in  a  cover  of  The  Exploited's  "Beat  The  Bastards",  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  1914  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  blackened  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  and  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  World  War 1  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  1914  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  death,  sludge  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE "Arrival.  The  Meuse-Argonne"  'Beat  the  Bastards"  and  "The  Hundred  Days  Offensive".  8  out  of  10.

 1914 on FB
 
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1914 on Soundcloud
 
1914 on Instagram
 
1914 on YouTube

  

Saturday, October 20, 2018

Dyrnwyn/Sic Transit Gloria Mundi/SoundAge Productions/2018 CD Review


  Dyrnwyn  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  pagan  form  of  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Sic  Transit  Gloria  Mundi"  which  will  be  released  on  October  24th  by  SoundAge  Productions.

  Rain,  thunder  and  tribal  drumming  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  folk  instruments  being  added  onto  the  recording  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the riffs  also  bringing  in  a  lot  of  melody  as  well  as  some  epic  sounding  keyboards  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  some  tracks  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  spoken  word  parts  onto  the  recording  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  an  instrumental  is  added  onto  the  recording.

  Dyrnwyn  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  black,  pagan  and  folk  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Italian  and  cover  Pagan  Roots  and  Ancient  Rome  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Dyrnwyn  are  a  very  great  sounding  pagan  folk  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sic  Transit  Gloria  Mundi"  "...Para  Bellum"  and  "L'assedio  di  Veio  -  CCCVCVI  A.C".  8/5  out  of  10.   

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Black Coven/Everlost/Moonlight Productions/2018 EP Review


  Black  Coven  are  a  band  from  Austria  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  pagan  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  ep  "Everlost"  which  was  released  by  Moonlight  Productions.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  vocals  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  high  pitched  black  metal s creams.

  Death  metal  elements  are  also  utilized  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  music  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  tracks  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  in  the  90's  and  acoustic  guitars  are  added  on  the  closing  track.

  Black  Coven  plays  a  musical  style  that  goes  back  to  the  90's  melodic  era  of  black,  death  and  pagan  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism  and  Nature  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Black  Coven  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  old  school  mixture  of  black,  death  and  pagan  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Ovation  of  the  Wolves".  8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp; https://blackcovenband.bandcamp.com/releases

Spotify; https://open.spotify.com/artist/4HgGsEkQKGGSCAtuMinfZ2?si=3hy6VEuESPKTYX6W2K5fuQ

Deezer; https://www.deezer.com/en/album/74145372

iTunes; https://itunes.apple.com/se/album/everlost-single/1437276155?l=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackcovenofficial

Official Website : www.blackcoven.com

Metal Archives; https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Black_Coven/3540445588

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Omega Point/Isolation/2018 Full Length Review


  Omega  Point  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  progressive  and  melodic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Isolation".

  Atmospheric  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  and  also  gives  the  music  a  symphonic  feeling  at  times  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  melodic  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  blackened  metal  screams  that  also  have  a  touch  of  death  metal  to  them.

  Clean  singing  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  which  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  when  clean  playing  is  utilized  it  gives  the  music  more  of  a  progressive  feeling  and  spoken  word  parts  are  also  used  briefly  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Omega  Point  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  melodic  and  progressive  sounding  along  with  some  symphonic  and  death  metal  elements,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Omega  Point  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  progressive  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Last  Light"  "Eye  Of  The  Storm"  and  "Isolation".  8  out  of  10.

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Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Glacial Tomb/Self Titled/Gilead Media/2018 Full Length Review


  Glacial  Tomb  are  a  band  from  Denver,  Colorado  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  which  will  be  released  on  October  26th  by  Gilead  Media.

  A  very  fast  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  bring  in  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  some  angry  shouts.  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  and  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  elements  of  sludge.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  music  also  has  its  technical  and  dissonant  moments  along  with  the  music  also  capturing  the  raw  energy  of  punk  rock  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them, w hen  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  death  metal  style and  the  music  always  remains  very  heavy  and  brutal.

  Glacial  Tomb  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  dissonant  black  metal,  brutal  death  metal  and  sludge  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional while  the  lyrics  cover  existential  dread,  misanthropy  and  failure  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Glacial  Tomb  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death  and  sludge  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Monolithos"  "Of  Flesh  And  Worship"  and  "Shackled  to  The  Burning  Earth".  8 out  of  10.

Bandcamp: https://glacialtomb.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glacialtomb
Web: https://glacialtomb.com