Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Vorgrum/Nature Emerge/2022 EP Review

 


  Vorgrum  are  a  solo  project  from  Argentina  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  fantasy  orientated  form  of  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2022  ep  "Nature  Emerge".


  A  very  heavy  and  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams.  Elements  of  folk  music  are  also   mixed  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times  along  with  one  also  adding  in  some  clear  pagan  chants   and  accordions  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording.


  Most  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  mid  tempo  style  while  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  at  times.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  one  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.


  On  this  recording  Vorgrum  takes  hid  music  into  more  of  a  mid  tempo  folk  metal  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Fantasy  and  paganism  themes. 


  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Vorgrum   and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  folk  and  fantasy  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Path"  and  "Nature  Emerge".  8  out  of  10.


  Bandcamp: https://vorgrum.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vorgrum
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/vorgrum
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6hWSGko9tpuN1ReyF8YxPh?si=fHCSafWAR9S_eG5G0QE4wg

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vorgrumfolk   

Friday, November 25, 2022

High Fells/Catharsis/2022 Full Length Review

 


  High  Fells  are  a  band  from  Denton,  Texas  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2022  album  "Catharsis".


  Melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  off  the  album  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  brutal  sounding  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  riffing  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  elements.


  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.  Growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  album  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  a  couple  of  tracks  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing,  symphonic  sounds  can  also  be  hear d on  the  closing  song.


  High  Fells  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of t heir  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  mental  and  emotional  wellness  themes.


  In  my  opinion  High  Fells  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lingering"  "Hypoxian"  "Fall  With  The  Sun"  and  "Where  They  Call  my  Name".  8  out  of  10.


  https://youtu.be/JJ83eInk6fU


Highfells.bandcamp.comSpotify.

https://youtu.be/iWoznIVS4aY

Highfells.com | Facebook.com/highfellstx | Twitter.com/highfellstx | Instagram.com/highfells

      


  

Wednesday, November 23, 2022

Exist In Ruin/Self Titled/WormHoleDeath Records/2022 EP Review

 


  Exist  In  Ruin  are  a  solo  project  from  Seattle,  Washington  with  some  session  members  that  plays  a  melodic  and  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  titled  2022  ep  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  WormHoleDeath  Records.


  A  very  heavy  yet  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  while  all  of t he  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  When the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  along  with  the  vocals  being  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams. 


  Operatic  female  vocals  can  also be  heard  on  a  couple  of  the  tracks  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.  Clean  playing  is  also  utilized  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts .


The  songs  also  mixing  in  some  classical  and  orchestra  music  touches,  choirs  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  as  the  ep  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clear  male  vocal  and  spoken  word  parts  is  also  added  into  the  music. The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dystopia,  darkness  and  war  themes.     


  In  my  opinion  Exile  In  Ruin  is  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Stained  legacy"  and  "Although  i  Live  i  Die".  8  out  of  10.


  www.existinruin.com

www.youtube.com/ExistinRuin
 www.instagram.com/existinruin
 www.facebook.com/existinruin
twitter.com/existinruin

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

Frozen Dawn/The Decline Of The Enlightened Gods/Transcending Obscurity Records/2023 Full length Review

 


  Frozen  Dawn  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  black  metal  with  some  elements  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "The  Decline  Of  The  Enlightened  Gods"  which  will  be  released  in  2023  by  Transcending  Obscurity  Records.


  The  sounds  of  fire  burning  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  elements  of  thrash  metal  can  be  heard  in some  of  the  guitar  riffing.


  Rain  and  thunder  sounds  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  are  also  utilized  along  with  the  faster  riffing  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  tremolo  picking  and  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  classic  Swedish  style.


  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  couple  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  one  track  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing,  one  song  is  a  classical  guitar  instrumental  and  the  album  closes  with  a  cover  of  necrophobic's  "Blinded  by  Light,  Enlightened  By  Darkness".  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover    Winterland  themes.


  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Frozen  Dawn  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Mystic  Fires  of  Dark  Allegiance"  "Frozen  Kings"  "Oath  of  Forgotten  pat"  and  "The  Decline  Of  Enlightened  Gods".  8  out  of  10.


  Official Video Stream #1


Official Video Stream #2

Frozen Dawn Bandcamp


Frozen Dawn Facebook  


  


  

Thursday, November 10, 2022

Valve/Thermoclines/Moment Of Collapse Records/2022 Full Length Review

 


  Valve  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  sludge  metal  with  some  elements  of  post  hardcore  and  mathcore  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2022  album  "Thermoclines"  which  will  be  released  on  November  11th  by  Moment  Of  Collapse  Records.


  Cinematic  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  direction.  Elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  can  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  blackened  metal  screams.


  Clear  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Hardcore  style  growls  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  some  of  the  riffing  also  bringing  in  more  of  a  dissonant  style  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.


  Clean  playing  can  also b e  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  touches  of  post  hardcore  and  mathcore  as  well  as  the  tracks  also  adding  in a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  at  times.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  despair  themes.


  In  my  opinion  Valve  are  a  very  decent  sounding  blackened  sludge  metal  band  with  elements  of  post  hardcore  and  mathcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Kabuki"  and  "Schism".  7  out  of  10.


  https://www.facebook.com/VALVE.PARIS/  

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

The Blessing Way Interview

 

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


The Blessing Way began out of a desire to record my own songs that I had been writing for a few years. I had been in a band previously but didn’t really like the idea of setting up another one as I much preferred playing by myself. I always found that when I played with other people there would always be too may disagreements between band members and it got quite tiring after a while. On my first release my brother played drums for me but since then I have just programmed the drums myself and kept it as a solo project although my brother, Colin, still helps out from time to time with guitar solos and he helped me do the recording on the first album.


2.Recently you have released a new album, musically how does it differ from your previous releases?


The early stuff I was writing was very much melodic death metal sounding, it was more in the vein of early In Flames and Dark Tranquility. Then I started incorporating more classical instruments like harpsichord, pianos and choirs and the sound morphed into more symphonic black metal. There is still a good dose of melodic death metal in the music though.


3.In the 13 years this band has been together there has only been 2 full lengths and an ep, can you tell us a little bit more about the long wait in between releases?


The main reason for the gap between the first E.P and the album was mainly down to a lack of funds. I was training to be a tattoo artist around that time so I did not have a lot of money to spare and when it is a solo project obviously I have to pay for everything myself. The music can take quite a long time to write as well. I usually start a song and it might not get completed for a few months due to adding parts in and taking other parts out.


4.A lot fo your lyrics cover horror and gothic tales, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?


Since I was young I have always had an interest in horror books and movies. Books would have been a major influence for me and still to this day I read a lot of horror novels. I am also a big fan of concept albums. The first album, From Empty Plates We Dine, was all based on the Anne Rice novel, Interview With The Vampire. The most recent album, Erik’s Lament is all based on The Phantom Of The Opera.


5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'The Blessing Way'?


The name comes from an episode of The X files of which I was a massive fan when I was younger and I just thought it would make a nice band name.


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


When I was searching for an album cover I came across an old painting by a French artist called George Roux. The cover immediately jumped out at me and I think it conveys the atmosphere and theme of the music perfectly.

7.With the new album you recorded most of the material by yourself but there was a full line up in the past, are you open to expanding the line up again in the future or do you prefer to work solo?


My brother played drums on the first E.P but since then I have always recorded everything myself. I have an exact idea in my head how I want it to sound and so I have little interest in working with other people. Bar a few guitar solos or vocal parts from other people I much prefer to do it all myself.


8.Back when you had a live performance did you have any opportunities to do any live shows?


I have never played live with The Blessing Way and I do not have any interest in doing so. Live performances do not hold much interest for me.


9.On the new album you also had some session work from Snowy Shaw, can you tell us a little bit more about his contribution to the recording?


I have been a huge fan of Snowy’s vocals since I heard him sing on Therion’s Gothic Kabbalah and had followed his career ever since. I noticed he was doing a lot of session work and when I began recording the new album I reached out to see if he would be interested in lending his vocals to a few songs and thankfully he liked the material and said yes. I had always wanted to have strong clean vocals on my songs and I am extremely happy with how it all turned out and am looking forward to working with him again in the future.


10.The new album was self released while you have worked with a label before in the past, are you open to working with another label again in the future?


The only way I would work with a label again is if they offered me a lot of money haha.


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


The first album a pretty positive reaction and I have yet to see, but I hope that people enjoy the new one just as much.


12.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?


I will continue to write albums in the same vein musically as the previous two but I am hoping to add even more clean vocals next time around. I can’t see the style of music changing drastically but it is always nice to throw in parts from different genres here and there so I hope to continue doing that.



13.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?


Some of my biggest influences growing up would have been Iron Maiden, Cradle Of Filth, Meat Loaf, Dark Tranquility, In Flames, Madder Mortem, Therion, Blind Guardian. I like stuff that is theatrical yet also very melodic. The most recent band I have discovered that  I am a big fan of is the Danish band, Wuthering Heights. Their album, Far From The Madding Crowd would be in my top 10 albums now. I am also a big fan of certain pop bands like Abba, The Beatles, Chris De Burgh and The Doors.


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


Thanks for taking an interest in my music and thank you to anyone out there who has bought my music or supported me in anyway shape or form. And thank you for the interview!