Tuesday, August 24, 2021

NervoChaos/Dug Up (Diabolical Revelations)/Xenocorp/2021 CD Review

 


  Brazil's  NervoChaos  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  mixture  of  black, death,  doom,  thrash  metal  and  hardcore  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2021  album  "Dug  Up  (Diabolical  Revelations) "  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Xenocorp.


  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later.  Black  metal s creams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  mid  tempo  sections  also  show  an  influence  of  hardcore  punk  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  old  school  extreme  metal  style.


  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  90's  influences.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.


  Some  of  the  riffing  also  shows  an  influence  of  thrash  metal  along  with  some  melodies  also  being  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing.  When  the  music  slows  down  touches  of  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  as  well  as  the  whole  album  also  sticking  to  a  heavier  direction,  spoken  word  parts  are  also  utilized  briefly  on  the  closing  song.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover    Satanism,  Occultism,  Anti  Christianity  and  Darkness  themes.


  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  NervoChaos  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  doom,  death,  thrash  metal and  hardcore  punk,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "I  Hate  Your  God"  "Pazuzu  Is  Here"  "Dark  Chaotic  Destruction"  and  "The  Devil's  Work".  8  out  of  10.


https://youtu.be/y1dXe4IrIkU      

Mastiff/Leave Me The Ashes Of The Earth/(eOne)/2021 CD Review

 


  Mastiff  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  doom  metal,  grind,  hardcore  and  power  violence  and  this  is  a  review  if  their  2021  album  "Leave  me  The  Ashes  Of  the  Earth"  which  was  released  by  (EOne).


  Dark  soundscapes  and  synths  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  drum  beats  a  few  seconds  later.  the  bass  guitars  also  have  a  very  dominant  sound  throughout  the  recording  while  the  vocals  also  add  in  some  high  pitched  blackened  screams  and  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in t he  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.


  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  grindcore  elements  can b e  heard  while  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  riffing.  Hardcore  style  shouts  and  growls  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  showing  influences  of  power  violence  as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  also  being  short  in  length,  distorted  sounding  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  riffing  and  harsh  noises  can  also b e  heard  briefly.


  Mastiff  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  sludge,  doom  metal,  grind,  hardcore  and  power  violence  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  betrayal,  depression,  self-loathing  and  total  despair  themes.


  In  my  opinion  Mastiff  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  doom  metal,  grind,  hardcore  and  power  violence  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Hiss"  "Midnight  Creeper"  "Endless"  and  "Lung  Rust".  8  out  of  10.


http://www.mastiff-hchc.com
http://www.facebook.com/mastiffhchc
http://twitter.com/mastiffhchc?lang=en

http://www.instagram.com/mastiffhchc      

Thursday, August 19, 2021

Aeons Interview

 

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


Sure. We’re from the Isle of Man, which is a large island between mainland England and Ireland. It’s isolated but beautiful and full of people who love going to the pub and watching live bands. What more is there to ask for? Aeons formed from the Manx Metal scene in 2016 and released the first album in 2019. “A Tragic End” did exceptionally well, but COVID ruined our chances of touring and promoting. So, we spent the time wisely and wrote the second album over 2020. The IOM didn’t have the lockdowns other countries had to suffer so we were lucky to be able to practice and gig locally almost the entire time. We could not have produced the new album otherwise. We were lucky.


 


2.You have a new album coming out in September, musically how does it differ from your previous release?


“A Tragic End” was us finding our feet and rising to the challenges of writing complicated music. It’s a great album and I love listening to it and playing it live but “Consequences” is like two steps ahead. The song writing is tighter, the themes more defined, arrangements dialled in and the performance honed. The thematic concepts are still very Aeons, but the package is a firmer whole. These aren’t just cool riffs with singing on the top; These are very much works from the heart.


 


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


The lyrics are an integral part of the song-writing process, so a song is shaped by its theme. For that we usually look to historical tales, emotional introspection, character studies or modern allegories. Consequences asks questions of ourselves, of others and – of course – the consequences of each of those scenarios. That’s the pervasive theme. We are looking for concepts that intrigue us with a good story to tell. There is a booklet with the CD and a digital version of the lyrics with the digital downloads because they can hopefully be read as a work of literature not just as words to a song.


 


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


In 2015 I wrote a song called “Strange Aeons” when I was in another band and while Skippy the singer was over he said “If you ever want to start a band to play music like that I’m in.” So we did. I think we were three songs in and were giving them shortened names in the group chat, so when Scott said “Aeons” meaning that song I just liked the way it looked. It speaks of deep time and sounds expansive. Which is exactly what we were looking for to describe the music. We all instantly agreed – which is the most unusual thing for the five of us to ever happen – and there you go… And of course we write long songs so it’s literally describing how long it ill take to listen to one…


 


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


Consequences was originally going to be EP1 of a two EP set, with the other being called “Gods and Monsters”, but we realised a 4-track EP wasn’t going to be enough to contain the concept so we expanded. The Butterfly cover art is a direct reflection of the chaos theory term which I’m sure everyone knows about : A butterfly flapping it’s wings and causing a tornado weeks later somewhere else. While that’s not really the exact context of the quote it’s an easily recognisable iconography and I think when you see a butterfly and the word “Consequences” they sit well together as shorthand. And it looks pretty. Which always helps.


As for “Gods and Monsters”… Well, you’ll have to wait a little…


 


6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?


Unfortunately, COVID scrapped our biggest plans to tour in 2020 – as I’m sure everyone else will bitch about equally! So, for now we’ve just been playing locally, again lucky enough to do so during the Pandemic while others were not so fortunate. But for me the best gig so far was the 2019 “A Tragic End” album launch where in a close, packed venue, we had everyone singing our choruses back to us and dancing along to every song. We hadn’t played live for six months before then and it blew our minds. The Consequences launch gig is coming up soon and we are already buzzing thinking about that one… The IOM music scene is the best in the world.


 


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


Heh…. Under discussion. Between ourselves and other people. We’ll let you know. I think Consequences has shown off what we can do and made some people sit up and notice us. Which is hard enough to manage when you are stuck on an island in the Irish Sea. Let’s see what happens …


 


8.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of progressive and extreme metal?


We were stunned by the response! We sold A Tragic End in so many countries I lost count. I started to colour in a map I had on my wall for every country we had sold to, but it just became a nightmare to maintain. We couldn’t believe it. Again, we are so lucky the metal fan scene is so exceptionally behind the artists. We attended the World Metal Conference in 2019 and stay in touch with the Global Metal Community. Hopefully they will like Consequences as much as they seemed to enjoy A Tragic End. Every time we get an email or a FB message from someone in another country saying how much they like what we do it makes us appreciate the community even more… Again, we are lucky… You lot are awesome. Never forget that.


 


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


We try and keep a ratio of “catchy banger” to “long prog” so we don’t alienate any one musical preference over the other.  But recently we just said to each other “no genre is out of the question.” We should just do what we feel like. I hate genre boundaries. As long as it’s full of groove, melody and vocal hooks and slams like only metal can we are all in for anything.


 


10.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?


I know a lot of bands say this but we really are an eclectic bunch. Of assholes maybe but definitely eclectic. I think the only band we agree on is Aeons. As long as it’s crushingly heavy, full of melody, has dynamics and makes us want to sing along then it’s all good with us. Between us we like practically everything : Metal, Jazz, Country, EDM, DnB, Hop-Hop, Orchestral, whatever…


As far as other bands outside Aeons go we as a 5 only agree on one. Opeth. Literally that’s it. But that’s what keeps us unique. We have to satisfy 5 different tastes with everything. And it brings genre influences in way outside the usual to the writing.


Oh wait… Mick Gordon. Yeah, definitely Mick Gordon. So that’s two other bands we all agree on. Just two.


 


11.How would you describe the metal scene in 'Isle of Man'?


Fucking incredible. Honestly there is a scene for almost anything here: Celtic music, Rock, EDM, Nu-Folk, Hip Hop, whatever. But the two biggest for us are the Manx Punk and the Manx Metal scenes. Which are basically the same people at their core. Everyone respects and supports each other. I’m not just saying that to be sound gracious, I totally mean it. Again, the IOM is a special place and they are special people. You should all come over here and hang out. You’d all love it …


 


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


Just that we hope you’re all safe and happy in these troubled times, and that if you get the opportunity we’d love you to listen to Aeons and the Consequences album and hope that it makes you feel a little better about the world. And put a smile on your face and throw some horns in the air. Go on, have a little mosh around the front room. No one will mind. Not if it’s loud enough….


Head to the Aeons website
Visit Aeons on Facebook
Shop at the Aeons Bandcamp page

Wednesday, August 18, 2021

Wulfgar Interview

 

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


We have had some changes in the lineup, Robin Karlsson took over the guitar after Jimmie dropped out and Andreas Skarphagen is our new bass player. So we have been working with our new members and getting everybody fit for fight.


2.You also have a new album coming out towards the end of August, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?


The new album does not have so much folk metal parts as our earlier work. The new material is more old school death metal but without loosing our own sound. Also the production is much higher quality we think.


3.This is also your first release since 2010, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?


We hade some members drop out in 2011-2012 so the band was put on hold for a while. And then Thommy started a family and had his hands full with that for a while so it just felt natural to take a little break from it all. 


4.Your lyrics cover Viking and Norse Mythology, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?


Well the world of mythology is fantastic. So many stories to tell and it's a great source of inspiration.

Also we think the stories works great with our music.


5.On your earlier albums you covered more misanthropic themes, what was the decision behind the lyrical change?


Norse mythology was the only topic we could think of that all the members liked so it felt natural to us. We never wanted to be a political band so our way of staying away from that was to write about mythology and historical events. 


6.The namd 'Wulgar' has been used in 'Beowulf' and also a character in R.A Salvatore's Forgotten Realm' novels, where did you get the inspiration for the name?


Well it's a old norse name mening guarded by wolves and we just thaught it would make a great band name.


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


The artwork is done by our old friend Jan yrlund at darkgrove design. He has done all our records in the past and we really love his work so we just keep getting back to him every time we need nice artwork. 


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 played at firebox metalfest in Finland together with bands like dark tranquillity and impaled nazarene many years ago and I would personally rank that one our biggest gig yet. We have also played a little in germany and of course a lot of gig here in Sweden. 

I would say that we try to bring the feeling and atmosphere of the cold north when we play without using a lot of props or so. It can be done with the right lighting and stuff like that and that what's we prefer.


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


Well that's hard for us to say. But usually we get pretty good response on our music. 


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


Well hopefully this covid shit will pass soon so we can start booking some gigs again. It's been far to long since we stood on a stage together.

Also we are thinking about making a new video.


11.What are you listening to nowadays?


Wulfgar of course. ;) 


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


Just stay tuned and hopefully we will see you at a live show real soon.

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Ghorot/Loss Of Light/Inverse Records/Transylvanian Records/2021 Full Length Review

 


  Ghorot  are  a  band  from  Boise,  Idaho  that  plays  a  blackened  mixture  of  sludge,  stoner,  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2021  album  "Loss  Of  Light"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Inverse  and  Transylvanian  Records.


  A  very  dark  yet  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  more  stoner  and  70's  influenced  proto  style  along  with  the  vocals  are  mostly  angry  sounding  death  metal  growls.


  Most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.  High  pitched  black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  good  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies.


  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  along  with  one  song  also  introducing  clean  playing  onto  the  album  as  well  as  the  music  also  stickling  to  mostly  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction  and  the  music  also  has  its  atmospheric  moments.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.  


  In  my  opinion  Ghorot  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Charioteer  Of  Fire"  and  "In  Endless  grief".  8  out  of  10.


https://www.facebook.com/ghorot

https://ghorot.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/ghorotdoom/

https://youtu.be/JMKmcpO8lqc

https://youtu.be/dTN_S4_z6PQ  

Friday, August 13, 2021

Aeons/Consequences/2021 Full Length Review

 


  Aeons  are  a  band  from  Isle  of  man  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  progressive  metal  with  some  touches  of  metalcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2021  album  "Consequences"  which  will  be  released  in  September.


 Spoken  word  parts  and  cinematic  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction.  Elements  of  prog  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar riffing  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.


  The  vocals  also  bring  in  a  mixture  of  nu  metal  style  shouts  and  death  metal  growls  while  clear  singing  is  also  utilized  at  times.  When  clean  playing  is  utilized  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  a  progressive  feeling  along  with  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.


  Synths  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  tracks  along  with  the  screams  also  adding  in  touches  of  black  metal  when  they  are  utilized.  One  of  the  songs  also  introduces  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  recording  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.


  In  my  opinion  Aeons  are  a  very  decent  sounding  mixture  of  black, death,  progressive  metal  and  metalcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Rubicon"  "Blight"  and  "Evelyn".  7  out  of  10.


https://aeons.online/


https://youtu.be/K7fbTrOa2Mk      

Wulfgar/From The Ashes/Downfall Records/2021 Full Length Review

 


  Wulfgar  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  Viking,  black  and  death  metal  along  with  a  musical  style  that  they  refer  to  as  'Midgardian  Metal'  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2021  album  "From  The  Ashes"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Downfall  Records.


  Heavy  yet  melodic  riffing  starts  off  the  album  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Vocals  are  mostyl  death  metal  growls  along  with  the  music  also  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  Swedish  style  along  with  the  screams  also  adding  in  elements  of  black  metal  when  they  are  utilized.


  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  synths  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks.  Most  of  the  music  also  sticks  to  more  of  a  mid  tempo  direction  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  when t he  music  finally  speeds  up.


  Wulgar  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  melodic  styles  of  black,  death  and  Viking  metal  and  mix  them  together  to  create  a  very  aggressive  sounding  recording.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  Vikings  And  Mythology  themes.


  In  my  opinion  Wulfgar  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  Viking,  black  and  death metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "From  The  Ashes'  "Where  Dark  Elves  Dwell"  "With  Gods  in  Your  Hearts"  and  "In  Valhalla".  8  out  of  10.


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Thursday, August 5, 2021

Stozhar/Dukhomsvobody, razryvaia okovy/Stygian Crypt Productions/2021 CD Review

 




  Stozhar  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zien  and  plays  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2021  album  "Dukhomsvobody,  razryvaia okovy"  which  was  released  by  Stygian  Crypt  Productions.


  Epic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  clean  female  vocals  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  album  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.


  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while the  songs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  folk  music  elements.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.


  Black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking  also  being  added  into  some  of  the  faster  riffing  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard,  the  closing  track  is  also  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Russian  and  cover  Slavonic  Paganism  themes.


  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Stozhar  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  folk  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Духом свободы,  разрывая  оковы..."  "Павший  воин"  and  "Холод  осеннего  утра...".  8  out  of  10.


https://vk.com/stojargroup
stozhar-band.ml
stozhar.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/stojarband/