Oracle/Into The Unknown/Rain Without End Records/2018 CD Review

  Oracle  are  a  band  from  Birmingham,  Alabama  that  has  been  featured  before  in this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Into  The  Unknown"  which  will  be  released in  April  by  Rain  Without  End  Records.

  Classical  guitars  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  stringed  instruments  being  used  briefly  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  direction  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  the  vocals  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  black  metal s creams  and  death  metal  growls.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  atmospheric  sounding  keyboards  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  the  music  also  having  its  technical  moments.

  Some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  vocals  and  as  the  album  progresses  more  brutal  and  symphonic  elements  are  added  onto  the  recording  while  one  track  also  introduces  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  into the  music  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  clean  playing  also  returns  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  female  vocals  and  one  song  is  an  instrumental.

  Oracle  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  while  also  adding  new  things  into  their  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophical  and  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Oracle  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Caressed By  The  Hands  Of  Fate"  "Fro  Blue  To  Black"  "Drafted"  and  "Becoming  Nemesis".  8 out  of  10. 

Bandcamp

Facebook

Official website

YouTube

  

Oracle Interview

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

We are a melodic blackened death metal band from lower Alabama that prides itself on epic music that incorporates many genres of metal.



2.In 2016 you had released an album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

Diverse with a heavy attention on creating different ways to make the listener either head bang or feel emotions. An adventure and journey that carries you through ups and downs with topics of hatred, uprise, battle and death itself.




3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

Ancient gods and goddesses, serpents, war, death, fire and ice all used in metaphors for everyday ailments such as anger, sadness and hatred. We like to leave the lyrics open ended enough that the listener can inject his or her own emotion and life experiences into the songs.




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

A bringing of music in a grand fashion. The prophecy coming so to speak. To be grand in nature and represent us in a way that allows us to be broad and creative in our music.



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

We have played a lot of great shows. Probably the best was Devil's night which had an artist named Nate the knife create the entire stage. He also produced a very theatrical flow between bands the whole night. This plays right into our hands as our stage show is very energetic and up beat with very little breaks and we keep a pretty set plan in between songs. Many songs even run together to where you don't always know a new song has begun.




6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

Of course. We plan to do as many shows as we can and even considering a tour. We currently have 3 or 4 scheduled over the next month or so and just got done doing a couple.




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

If the right situation would reveal itself, we would sign. We have had offers but turned them down as we are able to do so much of oracle on our own.




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

Very well. You just never know if your doing something right or not and the ever growing fan base suggests that we are doing something good.




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

We want to dig deeper into what we've started. Be more creative. More darkened. More insane. More experimental. More epic.



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?

Emperor, Gojira, Amon Amarth, Aborted, Dissection, The Black Dahlia Murder, Dimmu Borgir, Sylosis, Watain, Sepultura, Megadeth and a lot more. All are bands we listen to and that have influenced us greatly.



11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Horror movies, sports, Astronomy, Mythology, Western and Chinese philosophy(Descartes is a favorite), reading Lovecraft and Poe, and playing chess. Favorite video games are Mortal Kombat, Killer Instinct, and Resident Evil.




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

Keep listening and follow us as we will be making more in the future. We would also like to thank each and every listener out there. Hit us up. Send us a message. Let us know what you think personally. We love to hear from each and everyone no matter how good or bad. We keep an open ear as we are all on the same journey of life and can learn from each other.

Bandcamp

Facebook

Official website

YouTube

Oracle/Beyond Omega/2016 Full Length Review

  Oracle  are  a  band  from  Alabama  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "Beyond  Omega".

  Dark  sounding  synths  and  drum  beats  start  off  the  album  before  introducing  melodic  yet  technical  guitar  leads  onto  the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  vocals  bring  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  while  the  riffs  also use  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  elements  of  brutal  death  metal  are  also  used  at  times  along  with  some  atmospheric  sounds  and  traces  of  groove  can  also  be  heard in  the  guitar  riffing    and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  sound  very  powerful  and  one  song  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  while  the  last  track  is  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Oracle  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  a  melodic  and  atmospheric  style  of  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  brutal  and  technical  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  perspective  and  metaphor  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Oracle  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Aeons  Of  Madness"  "Nocturnal  Creatures"  "Tomb  Of  Serpents"  and  "Blood  Stained  Epitaph".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfVheXVZ2cY