Showing posts with label Windfaerer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Windfaerer. Show all posts

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Windfaerer/Tenebrosum/2015 Full length Review


  Windfaerer  are  a  band  from  New  Jersey  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  melodic death  metal  and  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  album  "Tenebrosum'.

  Folk  instruments  start  off  the  album  giving  the  music  an  atmospheric  feeling  before  getting  more  heavy  and  adding  in  more  of  an  epic  black  metal  sound  along  with  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  are  brought  into  the  music.

  When  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  use  both  grim  growls  and  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  very  melodic  and  the  songs  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot of  modern  melodic death  metal  elements  in  the  bands  musical styles.

  When  acoustic  guitars  are  utilized  they  bring  in  more  elements  of  folk  music  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  some  parts of  the  songs  bring  in  a  ritualistic,  tribal  and  shamanistic  feeling  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  both  acoustic and  heavy  parts.

  Windfaerer  continues  their  style  of  melodic  black  metal  of  previous  recordings  and  also  keeping  the  death  and  folk  metal  elements  while  also  making  the  songs  more  epic  and  atmospheric,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  myths  of  the  Iberian  Peninsula.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Windfaerer  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Celestial  Supremacy"  "Santeria"  and  "The  Outer  Darkness".  8  out  of  10. 

http://www.nocleansinging.com/2015/06/30/an-ncs-premiere-windfaerer-celestial-supremacy/

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Windfaerer/Solar/2012 EP Review


  Windfaerer  are  a  band  from  New  Jersey  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  that  mixes  melodic  black  metal  and  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2012  ep  "Solar".

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffs  that  dominate  throughout  the  recording, as  for  the   violins  when  they  are  utilized  they  bring  the  folk  music  elements  to  the  music.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  melodic  black  metal  with  death  and  folk  metal,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  black  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  classical  guitars  when t hey  are  utilize  they  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  bring  a  medieval  sound  to  the  music.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  some  death  metal g rowls,  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism  and  Nature  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording  and  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  recording  from  Windfaerer  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black  metal  mixed  with  death  and  folk  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Glimpse  Of  Light"  "Blackened  Voids"  and  "The  Morning  Star".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.


Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Windfaerer/Tribus/2010 CD Review


 Windfaerer are a band from New Jersey that has had previous ep reviewed by this zine as well as had an interview, with a musical style that mixes folk metal with melodic death metal and black metal and this is a review of their self released album "Tribus".

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a great amount of blast beats, while the bass playing is mixed down low in the mix and seems to follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they have a very heavy and powerful doomy sound of their own, as for the violins when they are utilized, they bring a folk music element to the music with some violins being used on one song.

Rhythm guitars combine influences from folk metal, melodic death and black metal with the riffing ranging from slow, mid paced to fast with a great amount of melody and some traditional metal influences, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding death metal guitar solos, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized briefly, they bring a much more darker tone to the music as well as a small amount of classical guitar.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some clean singing vocals being used on the last song, while the lyrics touch on the paganism and history of the Iberian Penisula and nature elements, as for the production it has a very heavy and professional sound to it, for being self released.

In my opinion this a good full length from Windfaerer and if you where a fan of their previous demo, you will not be disappointed. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "A Gentle Touch On Ravaged Ruins" "The Invader" and "The Seafaerer's Legend"> RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Windfaerer Interview


1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?
First of all, warm greetings and hails to everyone interested in Windfaerer. Second of all, I don't think most people have heard of us (if they say so, they may be lying). Windfaerer began as a project of ideas I've had for years. Its concept started as I was trying to write songs for a band I was in with friends from high school, called Skies Devoured, we played a mix of melodic death metal and power metal. While writing I was yearning to inject a sort of folkloric edge, but not everyone was on the same page. It was frustrating experiencing the gridlock and writer's block in that band, being that we wanted to do everything, yet we always accomplished nothing! So, I said, "to hell with it!" and began keeping ideas for myself. I composed a few songs and fellow band-mate, JP, was willing to record the drums for me, which led to the demo. Eventually I got in touch with Valèek to perform violin. The stars aligned and Windfaerer finally saw light.


2. How would you describe your musical sound?
The concept of Windfaerer is to create metal music with folkloric edge--the keyword is "metal". Windfaerer, is first and foremost, a metal band. The music is written on guitar, down to the violin's melodies--maybe in the future we will begin to write using the violin, but for now, it's all guitar-determined. I would describe the music as epic, heavy, melodic, heartfelt and angry.


3. What is the meaning behind the band's name?
Windfaerer is a compound word simply meaning to voyage with the wind. I chose this combination of words to beckon a feeling of freedom and capture the vibe of someone lost at sea, guided by the earth's energy, the wind. In a way, I feel like I am lost at sea, I am not clairvoyant, nor am I omniscient, thus I am unaware of what is to come of the future. I can only sail with a goal and purpose in mind, hoping to reach that in the end, but discovering along the way. This is the essence of Windfaerer.

4. How would you describe the lyrical content of the music?
The way I like to describe most of the lyrics is that they deal with common emotions in an ancient setting, likely Hispania (present day Portugal and Spain). A lot of the lyrics are a result of the feelings evoked from the music itself. In terms of Hispania, Windfaerer puts its head around the aura of the Iberian peninsula and its history. Rather than follow the route treaded upon by tons of folk-inspired bands and write about Vikings and drinking (which are cool in their own respect), I wanted to bring forth something dealing with my own ancestry; something I can connect with. I want to write about the history of my ancestors (who don't get a very audible voice in metal), like the Lusitanians, Celtiberians, Visigoths, and of course, conquistadors. One of my favorite figures from the Roman era is Viriathus. He is, to me, a symbol of rebellion. Without rebellion our lives are complacent and stagnant. We must rebel to live--constantly challenging ourselves, our thoughts, in order to advance. I am looking to make that a constant theme.

5. What is it like being a Folk Metal band in America with most of the bands playing this style are usually from Europe and do you hope to create a folk metal movement in this country?
My essential goal is to create music that I, personally, would like to hear. It's great that others enjoy it and I love that, but it's truly a personal experience. If this takes me somewhere, great, if not, I will still be doing it, because I'm impassioned. Being part of a movement would be interesting, but it is not imperative. Unfortunately, movements (or "scenes") tend to cause trends and dull whatever edge the original music had. Scenes also take authenticity away from the music, making you question, are people playing this music because it's in their hearts or just because all the cool kids are doing it? You cannot control such things. Everything happens for a reason, and even scenes push music forward, making way for the next one. All in all, it would be cool to leave a mark.


6. Have you had any opportunities to do live shows yet, if so what are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
We haven't had a chance to play live yet. The idea to play live came to me recently, so I'm still working on mobilizing that aspect of the band.

7. How has your music been received so far by folk metal and melodic black.death fans worldwide?
Regarding the reception of the two-song 'Glorybound' demo (which can be downloaded for free at www.purevolume.com/windfaerer), it has been overwhelmingly positive. The only complaint I have been hearing is that the demo was "too short". Hopefully, they'd still be wanting more after the full-length, 'Tribus' gets released.

8. How would you describe your musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?
Throughout the years, I have been learning to keep focused and have a mental agenda of what I want to do. Considering that I have a lot of musical influences I have to filter through a lot of ideas before I create something for Windfaerer--fortunately, sometimes it's on the spot! There are points where I want to create a band for every genre (black metal, grindcore, brutal death, goregrind, power metal, hardcore, doom, etc); there's just so much metal! As far as I can see, I plan to continue Windfaerer with a straight-to-the-throat attack with the music. I am trying to keep this as cheese-free as possible. Some future songs (that have not been recorded professionally yet) will have a darker, more brutal sound, while others will keep the melodic melee. The challenge is retaining a flow. I plan on doing a short concept album, or a few songs, dedicated to the age of discovery and Iberian conquest of the Americas--hopefully sooner than later.

9. Do any of the band members have any side projects besides this band if so who are they and what kind of music do they play?
JP and I both play in Grimus (from New Jersey, not Romania), which play death metal. JP also just started playing with The Breathing Process, which have a groovy melodic death/black style. Violinist, Valèek is pursuing violin studies at his university and also utilizes his talents in raw heathen black metal band Mjollnir (New Jersey).

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and what are you listening to nowadays?
Windfaerer's sound is influenced by a lot of melodic death metal, black metal, power metal, and various folk music. In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Mithotyn, Catamenia, Vintersorg, Dalriada, Moonsorrow, Windir, Forefather, Agalloch, Wintersun, are amongst the direct influences. Finally, one of my favorite bands in the folk metal subgenre and a great subconscious influence, Mägo de Oz. I also really enjoy Morbid Angel. But, I like a wide spectrum of music, from rumba to dream pop. Nowadays, my ears have been digging Alcest, Amesoeurs, Year of No Light, Cypher Seer, Katatonia, Beyond the Flesh, Sotajumala, Burzum, and a bunch of other stuff.

11. Does Paganism play any role in the music?
Paganism interests me, but not to the extent where it would greatly influence the music. When writing lyrics I try to avoid anything that implies the absoluteness of monotheism or polytheism. In the philosophy of the music there is an enigmatic force or spirit that oversees the happenings on earth. You may call this spirit Providence, Gaia, God, or whatever. I just try to keep in mind that a lot of these peoples' lives were governed by religion, be it a god or serpents, and it was a major factor. Paganism plays a role, as long as it is appropriate to the story being told.


12. What are some of your interests outside of music?
I love traveling, be it Maine, Mexico, Paris or Portugal. I think every place in the world has its own vibe and a story to tell. The thought that you can be miles away from you home on another point of the earth is exhilarating to me. I suppose it's my inner-conquistador trying to explore/conquer! I also enjoy the histories of these places. I'm young and I plan to travel much more--there is so much to see. Besides that, I have a weak spot for animals and I studied graphic design in New York.


13. Any final words or thoughts?
I would like to send my regards to everyone who supports me and Windfaerer. I would also like to thank you for the great questions, it has been a pleasure answering them.

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Windfaerer/Glorybound/2009 EP Review


  Windfaerer are a band from New Jersey that plays a style I would describe as folk metal with melodic black/touch and this is a review of their 2 song demo "Glorybound" which was released in 2009.

Drums are a mixture of mid paced to fast drumming with a lot of blast beats thrown in, while the flute has a Celtic folk music feel to it, as for the bass playing it uses a mixture of mid paced to fast riffs that follow the playing of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are mostly fast black/death riffing that has a thrash feel with a good amount of melody, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding guitar solos.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black/death screams with some deep growls thrown in on occasion, while the lyrics cover the Iberian rebellion against the Romans, as for the production it sounds very powerful and captures all of the sounds coming out of the instruments.

In my opinion Windfaerer are a very good band and I would like to hear a full length album from this band. If you are a fan of folk influenced melodic black/death metal you need to check this band out.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "The  Great  Fire".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Facebook
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Myspace
Official website
ReverbNation
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