Norse/The Divine Light Of The New Sun/Transcending Obscurity Records/2017 CD Review

  Australia's  Norse  have  returned  with  a  new  album  that  continues  the  melodic  style  of  blackened  death  metal  from  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "The  Divine  Light  Of The  New  Sun"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  transcending  Obscurity  Records.

  A  very  heavy  yet  melodic guitar  sound  starts  off  the  album a long  with  some  drum  beats  a  few  seconds  later  and  a  few  seconds  later  black  metal  screams  along  with  atmospheric  sounds  start  to  make  their  presence  known  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the recording.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  progressive  structures  along  with  the  music  also  bringing  in  a great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  avant  garde  elements  while  always  remaining  heavy.

  On  this  recording  Norse  takes  their  melodic  style  of  blackened  death  metal  in  a  more  dissonant and  bleak  direction,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  misanthropy  and  escapism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Norse  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  and  dissonant  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Supreme  Vertical  Ascent"  "The  Divine  Light  of  A  New  Sun"  "Sandarkan"  and  "Cyclic".  8  out  of  10.

METAL INJECTION VIDEO PREMIERE

DECIBEL MAGAZINE PREMIERE

NO CLEAN SINGING PREMIERE

LEGACY MAGAZINE PREMIERE

TOILET OV HELL PREMIERE

ECHOES AND DUST VIDEO PREMIERE

Norse/Pest/2014 EP Review

  Norse  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  ep  "Pest".

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  progressive  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  aggressive  screams  and  powerful  bass  lines  and  the  music  also  speed  up  at  times  and  brings  in  blast  beats  as  well  as  the  black  metal  sound  kicking  in  and  the  vocals  use  of  mixture  of  grim  screams  and  growls  and  after  awhile  spoken  word  parts  are  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  on  this  ep  along  with  the  musical  direction  going  for  more  of  a  progressive  and  melodic  style  of  black/death  metal  and  at  times  the  faster  parts  bring  in  some  brutal  elements  to  the  recording  and  on  some  of  the  lighter  sections  you  can  hear  some  drone  and  psychedelic  sounds  which  sound  very  powerful  on  the  last  track.

  With  this  ep  Norse  go  into  a  different  direction  than  their  previous  recordings  with  the  music  being  more  progressive  and  experimental  this  time  around  while  still  having  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  elements  along  with  a  very  dark  yet  powerful  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  dark  and  misanthropic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Norse  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  and  progressive  black/death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Disarmed,  toothless,  And  Weak"  and  "Aimless".  8  out  of  10.

 https://transcendingobscurity.bandcamp.com/album/pest-dissonant-black-metal

Norse Interview

1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
Norse has always had to deal with a lot of changes. It just seems to be something that happens to this band regardless. Recently, the biggest change was losing our singer/guitarist Treelo.  The time came for him to move on and pursue a totally different career path. That takes a fair bit of backbone to turn your life around like this, and I applaud his strength of will to go ahead with it!
It was a shame to see him go, but I was resolved not to do the weak, easy thing and throw my hands up in the air and walk away from it. What doesn't kill you...
The new line up now consists of a new full time member who is handling lyrics and vocals, and a session guitarist, both of whom will be announced with the release of our new EP titled 'PEST'

2.How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and also how does it differ from your previous releases?
The difference between the latest album, All is Mist and Fog vs. Hellstorm is pretty big. With Hellstorm we were still learning. We thought we were able to play what we wrote, but personally for me, it fell short of the mark. It just wasn't up to my expectations. Not due to anyone's fault, but we threw so many ideas at that album. Black metal, some melodic Viking stuff, tried to play some dissonant DM etc. Sure there's some standout moments on Hellstorm, but overall I wasn't 100% happy with it personally.
With All is Mist and Fog, Norse had concentrated from a 4 piece into a duo of like-minded musicians. Treelo and I had the same ideas and concepts, and we worked really hard to make sure we nailed it.
We didn't want a glossy production, we wanted raw, real instruments with no edits or manipulations. We wanted to make an album that balanced on the brink of noise/chaos, but with every listen, you could discern something new. The last thing we wanted was to be easily categorized or put on the shelf along side similar sounding bands. Judging by the reviews and feedback, we created exactly what we set out to achieve.
It isn't an easy album to listen to, and it took a lot of fans by surprise. We sure lost a few along the way, but  for once we released something I was proud to put my name to.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new release explores and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?
Treelo and I both decided with lyrics, we should try and write separately and then combine. What was suprising, was that a very large amount of our ideals matched up and we were able to work them all together to make sense. We have had our lyrics described as 'misanthropic-escape-ism'. However, I believe when lyrics are presented in this semi-abstract form they are open to interpretation.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name Norse, and also how would you describe your views on Nordic Mythology?
This question does come up a lot and unfortunately the answer is:  there is no hidden  meaning to our name. We just wanted an easy 1 word name that stuck in your head. If there I was pushed, I would say Norse is acknowledging our ancestors who traveled from the top of the globe all the way to the ends of the earth. If that isn't a trek worth paying homage to, I don't know what is.


5.What are some of the best  shows that the band ha splayed so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
Out of the mess of memories I have, I think playing alongside Dark Funeral (which was also our album launch for All is Mist and Fog) was a great show. Absu was  good and I love playing with Portal. Amazing band.
Interestingly enough, playing small regional shows is always fun.  People in rural Australia rarely get to see bands, and the response you get is overwhelming from them. Having 100 kids lining up at the merch desk and demanding everything be signed, photos taken etc makes it worthwhile driving out to the middle of nowhere to perform.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We are currently finishing vocals to our new EP titled - 'PEST'.  Our new singer is blowing me away with his performance on this release, so im very keen to get back onto the stage to promote.
There will definitely be tours to support PEST, but right now I'm concentrating on mixes, lyric editing and tracking vocals...

7.Currently you are unsigned are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
We have received interest from labels but Im really not that interested in handing over my creative control. There isn't a lot record companies can do that I can't if I really get involved. Promotional and distro companies are popping up everywhere nowadays, and the internet gives me all the tools I need to get my band out onto the world market.
People still seem to have the idea that a record company will make you huge. Its totally not true. They lose 80% of business to the internet.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
The feedback for All is Mist and Fog has been FAR better than I imagined...  I was certain people would be unsure, or  not understand what we are doing. However it has been a real surprise to see such positive reviews and respect for the album.
...planning To put a stop to that with the next release.


9.Are there any other musical projects going on these days?
I'm always busy with other projects. I do a lot of session work in the downtime between shows and albums, and I just finished up with Australian band The Amenta this year.  I wish I could play guitar better, but there's not enough hours in the day to practice both instruments unfortunately.
Shayne our guitarist has a lot of his own projects. Murderworld and  Human Forgery to name a few. He is one of those musicians who is always busy as well. Writing or recording inbetween shows.

10.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
I am keen to continue pushing the boundaries. Be it with composition, production or otherwise. My roots are firmly grounded in extreme metal in general, so there will never be an acoustic album or organ solos.  The biggest drive for me is to create new and exciting atmospheres. Something to make me sit up and listen again. Chasing an impossible goal of recapturing the excitement I had for Mayhem and emperor albums from my teens.

11.What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
No bands influence. I don't want to sound like other bands. There are similarities to be found by every listener for sure. I never go into the studio thinking: ''I want to rip off ' De mysteriis dom sathanas'..! ''
as far as music I am listening to these days: Tycho, Burial, Access to Araska, Boards of Canada, Flashbulb, Lorn, Obfusc.

12.Outside of music what are some of your interests?
Nature. Getting away from everyone. I love my job working in  pine forests, as I'm by myself every day.


13.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Thankful for the great questions!
You can check out Norse here:
http://norsemetal.bandcamp.com/
www.facebook.com/norse.official

Norse/All Is Mist And Fog/2013 CD Review

    Norse  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  black/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2012  album "All  Is  Mist  And  Fog".

  "Neglect"  which  is  the first  song  on  the  album  begins  with  some  dark,  melodic  and  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  before  getting  fast  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  black  metal screams  before  alternating  between  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and   towards  the  end  shouts  are  added  into  certain  sections.

  "Worn  And  Grey"  begins  with  some drums  and  fast,  melodic  black  metal  guitar  and  bass  riffs  before  adding  in  screams  before  alternating  between  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  halfway  through  the  song  there  is  a  brief  use  of  shouts  and  death  metal  growls  before  adding  in  some  clean  parts.

  "Towards  The  Shining  Sky"  opens  up  with  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  before  adding  in  drums  and  black  metal  growls  along  with  some  melody  and  death  metal  growls  which  also  lead  to  some  electronic  music  elements  and  after  awhile  blast  beats  start  coming  in  and  out  along  with  a  small  amount  of  melodic  guitar  leads.

  "Black  Ocean"  starts  of  with  some  heavy,  melodic  and  progressive  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  before  adding  in  screams  and growls  and  after  awhile  the  music  speeds  up  a  bit  along  with  some  blast  beats  as  well  as  mixing  in  some  guitar  leads  and  solos.

  "Silently  Awake"  has  its  start  with  modern  metal  guitar  and  bass  riffs  before  adding  in  some  drums  and  screams  and  a  minute  later  shouts  and  melodic  guitar  riffing  start  coming  into  the  song  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  the  song  closes  with  a  guitar  lead.

  "Plaguewhore"  hits  off  with  spoken  word parts  before  adding  in  brutal  blast  beats,  growls  and  screams  along  with  some  technical  and  melodic  guitar  and  bass  riffs  and  a  minute  later  their  is  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  small  amount  of  pianos  before  getting  heavy  again.

  "Concrete  Wastes"  takes  off  with  dark  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  before  getting  heavy  along  with  some  bass  guitars  and  drums  before  getting  fast  along  with  some  screams,  blast  beats  and  melodic  guitar  riffing  which  then  leads  to  a  more  mid  paced  direction  while  also  remaining  fast  in  certain  sections  and  halfway  through  the  song  death  metal  growls  are  added  in  along  with  spoken  word  parts.

  "Magus"  opens  up with  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  before  adding  in  some  melody  and  black  metal  screams  and  halfway  through  the  song  modern  and  progressive  metal  elements  are  added  into  certain  sections.

  "Gravel" which  is  also  the  final  song  on  the  album  starts  up  with  dark  sounding  guitar  riffs  before  getting  heavy  along  with  some  bass  guitars  and  drums  as  well  as  added  in  some  black  metal  vocals

  Song  lyrics  cover  Misanthropic  and  Escapism  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  album.

  In  my  opinion  Norse  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  black/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical genre  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Neglect"  "Towards  The  Shining  Sky"  "Plaguewhore"  and  "Magus".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.