Gotland Interview

 

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

First of all, greetings to all the followers of A Different Shade Of Black Metal Zine and thanks to you in the editorial team for this space that you dedicate to us. The composition process behind the new album was really long, because it was our first time creating a concept album. It started in 2016 and ended in 2019, when we recorded all the tracks. After the recordings, unfortunately we had to postpone the works on the mixing and mastering process due to the Covid pandemic. In 2021 we started again to work on the album and in 2022 it was delivered to our label Earth and Sky Productions. Unfortunately, they had some post-pandemic problems, which caused the album's release to be postponed. But now, on September 15th, it was finally released and we are looking forward to letting everyone listen to it.

 

2. Recently you have released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past? 

We think that “Rise” it’s quite different from its predecessor “Gloria et Morte”, but it is also a natural evolution from that starting point. Since “Gloria et Morte” we started reducing the folk influences, but there were still present. With “Rise” me maintained and evolved the extreme metal music base (adding also some death metal parts to the already present black metal ones) and completely removed the folk metal instruments, like flutes and bagpipes. But we gave more importance to the epic and symphonic part, hiring the talented Gabriele Gilodi as a session member that composed all the orchestral and piano parts of the album.

 3. Other than a few singles this is your first full length since 2014, can you tell us a little bit more about the long wait? 

Yes, as we said before it was a mix of causes. First of all, we wanted to create a concept album and we took all the needed time to do researches about history, to compose tracks that could also fit the story atmospheres, to find the right guests and their characters and so on. Then, we also spent the right time to record and mix this album, which was not easy: we had a lot of orchestral tracks and instrument, many guests and we wanted to reach a professional sound quality, in which all this sounds wouldn’t have been confused. The last years, unfortunately, were not in our hands: we were forced to stop for the Covid pandemic and our label had some problems related to it. 

4. A lot of your lyrics cover the history of the Roman Empire and the Viking era, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

 It’s true, we are fond of history and, in particular, of the one of Italy and all our lyrics since the beginning of the band are related to these topics. With this album, we decided to focus on one character, Arminius, the chieftain of the Germanic Cherusci tribe who defeated the Roman Empire at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD. The album is all about his life, telling some personal and introspective events, but that also are intertwined with very important historical events, of which he is the protagonist. 

5. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Gotland'?

 It is quite strange, because we are from Italy and we tell about Italian history in our lyrics. So, why choosing the name of a Swedish island? This is because historians say that it was the island from which the first Barbarians moved and met the Romans. The meet and clash between these Barbarian population and the Empire is what put the basis for what Italy would be in the next centuries and even nowadays. 

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

The artwork cover represent a mask that was discovered by archeologists on the site where the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest was fought. This face mask originally belonged to a helmet of a Roman cavalry man. The fact that it is broken with a skull behind symbolizes the loss of the Roman Empire in that battle against the Germans. The background is divided: on the left side we have Roman ruins and on the right side you can see a Germanic forest. This represents the two parts that fought, but also the two souls of the protagonist Arminius, who was a German that was raised in the Roman Empire.

 7. 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 are proud of many live shows we had, but surely one of the bests was our opening for Abbath here in Italy in 2016. There a lot of people came and it was really fun to play in front of so many fans. But we also like festivals like Fosch Fest, Italic Pagan Fest, Malpafa Folk & Metal Fest or Eresia Fest, because we can have a better contact with the audience there and there is a friendlier atmosphere. During our live shows we firstly want to play our songs on the best way possible and with best sound. But we don’t want merely to reproduce the songs, but we try also to give a show to the audience, with face-painting, stage props and acted parts. 

8. Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album? 

We have two release parties here in Italy, one near our hometown Turin and one near Milan. During these shows we will play all the songs of the new album “Rise” with some guests and surprises. For more information about future live shows, keep an eye on our social channels. 

 9. You also have done some 'Windir' and 'Bathory' covers, what was the decision behind doing your own versions of their songs? 

We don’t do many covers, but sometimes we decides to do some first of all in order to pay homage to great artists, who are a great influence for us and without whom we probably would never have started making music. This is surely the case of our Windir and Bathory covers. However, we must say we also have real fun playing this tracks and the audience seems really to appreciate them during our live shows too! 

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

 Our fanbase is mainly in Italy, because we aren’t able to have many live shows outside of Italy due to our jobs. However, thanks to Internet, social medias and webzines like yours, our music is starting to be listened also abroad and we always had positive feedback for now. Our fear was to be too epic and symphonic for the death/black metal fans and too extreme for the melodic metal ones, but many people seem to appreciate the compromise we have tried to create between these two aspects. 

11. What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of? 

In this moment, all our member are mainly focused on Gotland. However, I (the singer Irmin) recently released an album with my ex-band Desecrate. Even if I won’t sing with them for the live shows, the vocals on “Lights of Contradiction” album are still mine! Our singer Insanus also released an album with his side studio project Le Horla, called “Remords”. Our bassist Var and guitarist EG Orkan released some tracks with their electronic/avant-garde project Acronym during the pandemic, but they don’t have any plans for more releases in the near future. 

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

 We are already working on the new material and we are really satisfied with the results! From one release to another, we always evolved our music and this time won’t be different. It’s really to soon to reveal something, but you can expect an evolution from what you heard on Rise. 

13. What are some of the bands or musical styles the band members are currently listening to nowadays?

 What we listen nowadays is what mainly influences our music. Our musical tastes are very varied: we are five members who listen to a lot of music. We go from world-class bands like Bathory, Septicflesh, Emperor, Nile, Windir and Summoning, to masters like Ennio Morricone, John Williams, Hans Zimmer and Alan Silvestri, just to name a few. But we also appreciate many local bands, which in our opinion are proving to have nothing to envy of the international giants: Furor Gallico, Atavicus, Selvans, Veratrum, Ponte del Diavolo, Lou Quinse, Hopeless, Scream3Days, Voltunma and many others that are making the Italian scene is increasingly interesting and above all increasingly high-level in its musical offering 

14. How would you describe your views on paganism?

 With our band we want to tell the history of the clash between the Barbarian population within the Roman Empire. Surely, the theme of the pagan gods and religion are sometimes present in our lyrics, but only on an historical level. 

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

 Thank you so much for the space that you dedicated to us, both for this interview and for the nice review you wrote about our album. Greetings to all your readers and all the friends who follow us. We are waiting for you under the stage

  Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/gotlandmetal/
  Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/gotlandmetal/
 Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/@Gotlandmetal
  Bandcamp page: https://gotlandmetal.bandcamp.com

Gotland/Rise/Earth And Sky Productions/2023 Full Length Review

 

 Gotland  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  play  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  album  "Rise"  which  will b e  released  on  September  15th  by  Earth  And  Sky  Productions.

  A  very  atmospheric  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  while  also  introducing  synths  onto  the  recording  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Shamanistic  sounding  beats  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  music  also  having  its  symphonic  moments  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  Melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast b eats.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  some  of  the  music  also  being  very  heavily  influenced  by  the  90's  era  and  death  metal  growls  are  also  added  in  certain  sections  of  the  album.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  tracks  also  adding  in  some  folk  instruments.  Tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  as  well  as  one  song  also  introducing  clear  pagan  vocals  into  the  music ,  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  some  of  the  songs  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  a  later  track  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  female  vocals. The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  Roman  Empire,  Vikings,  Battles  and  Middle  Age  History.

  In  my  opinion  Gotalnd  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  folk  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Roman  And  Cheruscan"  "Traitor  Or  Saver"  "The  Same  Blood"  and  "Rise".  8/5  out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/gotlandmetal/?ref=ts    .  

Cabrakaan/Aztlan/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Cabrakaan  are  a  band  with  members  from  Mexico  and  Canada  that  has  had  music  reviewed  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  symphonic  form  of  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  self  released  2023  album  "Aztlan"  which  will  be  released  in  November.

 Nature  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  folk  music  instruments  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  When  percussion  is  utilized  they  also  give  the  songs  more  of  a  tribal per-Hispanic  atmosphere  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Symphonic  elements  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  clear  females  vocals  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  album.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  a  lot  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  also  being  utilized  at  times.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  along  with  one  song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  as  well  as  a  couple  of  tracks also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  ylrics  are  written  in  Spanish  and  cover  pre-Hispanic  themes  and  Mexican  Folklore.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Cabrakaan  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic  folk  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tonantzin"  "Luces  y  Sombras"  "Yolot"  and  "La  Cigarra".  8  out  of  10.

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

Meschera/Zhatva/2023 Full length Review

 

  Meschera  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  has been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  atmospheric  and  blackened  form  of  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2023  album  "Zhatva".

 

Folk  instruments  start  off  the  album and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Clear  vocals  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  also  brings  in  more  of  a  medieval  atmosphere  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  amount  of  growls  and  black  metal  screams.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  atmospheric  sounding    while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.  Tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in   a  good  mixture  o  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Whispers  can  also b e  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Russian  and  cover the  culture  of  the  Meschera  people  a  Finnish-Ugric  tribe  from  the  13th  century.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Meschera  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  and  blackened  folk  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Жатва "  "Взор  Безликих"  "Сказки  Чёрных  Лесов"  and  "Тьмою  Седых Ночей".  8  out  of  10.

  Bandcamp: https://meschera.bandcamp.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meschera_dark/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mescheradark
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meschera
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@meschera

     

    

    

Sangdragon/Hierphant/Wake Up Dead Records/2023 Double Album Review

 

  Sangdragon  are  a  band  from  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  on  the  first  chapter  and  goes  into  a  medieval  folk  music  direction  on  the  second  chapter  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  double  album  "Hierophant"  which  will b e  released  on  October  by  Wake  Up  Dead  Records.

  A  very  ethnic  and  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  a  lot  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  and  some  of  the  tracks a re  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  choirs  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  tracks.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Some  of t he  songs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  and  touches  of  folk music  along  with  some  clear  male  and  female  vocals  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.,  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  utilized  briefly.  

  The  second  chapter  starts  out  with  more  of  a  medieval  which  was  introduced  on  the  first  disc  while  moving  away  from  the  metal  elements  of  the  first  chapter.  When  female  vocals  are utilized  they  also  bring  in  more  of  a  pagan  atmosphere  along  with  the  percussion  replacing  regulars  drums,  male  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  adding  in  choirs  and  one  song  is  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  and  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism, Medieval  Rites  and  Fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sangdragon  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  mixture  of  black,  death  metal  and  medieval  folk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Curse  of  Desert"  "War  is  War"  "Majesty"  and  "Back  To  Elysium".  8 out  of  10.

  Facebook : www.facebook.com/SANGDRAGON.AKHENATON.DAEMONIUM

Bandcamp (music, merch):www.sangdragon.bandcamp.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/sangdragon_official        

  

Evilon/A Warriors Way/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Evilon  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  melodic  mixture  of  folk,  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2023  album  "A  Warriors  Way"  which  will  be  released  in  September.

  A  very  epic  and  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  also  introducing  in  elements  of  folk  music  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  a  lot  of  the  guitar  riffing  and  the  vocals  bring  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  as  very  melodic  style  while  some  songs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing.  Clear  pagan  vocals  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  album  along  with  a  couple  of  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars,  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  and  most  of  the  recording  sticks  to  a  mid  tempo  direction.  

  On  this  recording  Evilon  brings  in  more  of  a  symphonic  and  melodic  mixture  of  folk,  black  and  death  emtal.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Norse  and  Celtic  Mythology  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Evilon  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  and  symphonic  folk,  black  and  death  emtal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Yggdrasil"  "A  Warriors  Way"  "Galdr"  and  Valkyria".  8  out  of  10.

  https://youtu.be/RGkECr3Gwbk

https://www.facebook.com/Evilon

https://www.tiktok.com/@evilonofficial

https://www.instagram.com/evilon_official/

https://www.youtube.com/@evilonofficial

https://open.spotify.com/artist/67rD9VXKbjnsZZxf5rZPMx

Skalmold/Ydalir/Napalm Records/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Iceland's  Skalmold  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  mixture  of  viking  and  folk  metal  from  their  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  album  "Ydalir"  which  will b e  released  on  August  18th  by  Napalm  Records.

  Acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  album  while  the  album  also  brings  in  elements  of  folk  music  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Clear  pagan  vocals  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  along  with  the  vocals  also b ring  in  a more  aggressive  approach  that  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  black  emtal.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a lot  of  melody.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  the y are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  keyboard  also  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  most  of  the  recording  sticks  to  a mid  tempo  direction,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  On  this  album  Skalmold  brings  in  more  of  a  melodic  and  mid  tempo  mixture  of  viking  and  folk  metal.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Icelandic  and  cover  Norse  mythology  and  Icelandic  Sagas.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Skalmold  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  viking  and  folk  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUD E "Ydalir"  "Verdandi" and  "Ullar".  8  out  of  10.

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Meschera Interview

 

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

We had presentations of the album in three cities. The process of preparation was pretty much hectic, we were so excited as long as for us these concerts were extremely significant. What’s more we were invited to four big summer music fests. The rehearsal process was rather challenging as well: the majority of the group members live in a different city which is three hours away from Moscow if you go by train, so I had to waste a lot of time to reach them, but it all finally payed off. We are really delighted to see the result of our work!

We record and mix the songs ourselves, that’s why this time was quite tense and gripping. Dmitriy Kokarev (multi-instrumentalist, guitar player) was responsible for the composing part, Maxim Ayupov (bassist) was the one to mix the songs, the cover was created by our drummer, Svyatoslav Krekov.

For us the positive reaction of the audience is the best reward: this is just our debut album, but we already feel the deep love of the fans.

2.So far this year you have released both an ep and full length, musically how do they both differ from each other?

The songs which were represented on the EP were all mixed from scratch one more time for the full length album. The tracks which are in our first album include more genres then the EP ones, as long as the debut EP was just our first attempt to find the “true sound” of our songs which expresses our emotions, suits and reveals the meaning perfectly.

Now that we understand more clearly where our personal rode to progress in terms of the music genre leads to and did our best to make our tracks sound as ideal as possible.

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

The main idea of the album is to make people remember that every cloud has a silver lining: even in the harsh times of war there still are such things as love and friendship. Our songs have a strong historical background and through stories, fairy tales and legends which were weaved into our songs we tried to express that all emotions are natural. It goes without saying that we also pay tribute to the Meschera tribe who used to live in Moscow and Ryasan regions and in the floodplain of the Oka River. It was a Finno-Ugric tribe which assimilated with the Slavs and generally speaking is one of the ethnic groups of the Russian nation. We want to remind people that even though all Russian people do differ from each other all of us are one nation.

4.I know that the band was named after a Finno-Ugaris tribe that lived around the 13th century, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

All the band members share one common deep interest in history. As far as we live on the territory of Moscow and Ryasan regions this topic became really attractive for us, so we decided to dive deeper into it and do some research on this topic. We read a ton about excavations which were held on the territory of the floodplain of the Oka River. There we found some information about Meschera’s jewelry, culture, what they were into, how skillful and subtle their foremen were and how wonderful and quality their weaponry was. By the way it was the 8th-9th century! The tribe at the moment managed to process metal far better than the Slavs. It’s so cunning to read and research any information on the topic. We really can’t believe that these were our ancestors!

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

This a Meschera witch, who impersonates the mother of the tribe. She steps out of the thicket accompanied by the spirits of the forest. She embodies the long-forgotten tribe and will make everyone remember it.

6.Has the band had any opportunities to do any live show or open to the idea?

Yes, we have already had our first concert which was held this year in February. We performed at the Black Metal festival “Winter M.O.R.”. Our next goal were three big concerts which were devoted to presentation of our album. What’s more we were invited to four huge summer music festivals. Speaking about the future, currently we are in the process of preparing for our autumn-winter grand tour to support and promote out first album.

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

We are friends with one Russian label called “Sound Age” which helps us with the physical copies of our CDs and vinyls. We haven’t received any other offers yet.

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

We received more than friendly and positive feedback from foreign listeners who like black metal and folk music. Of course for the majority of people the mixture of these two genres became something brand new, yet we are delighted that the worldwide metal community accepts new representatives of the genre with their own vision of music that eagerly. We also received an offer to perform in Bulgaria.

9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?

Dmitry, Svyatoslav and Maxim are members of the group “Sympuls-E”. At the moment the band has decided to take a break. 

Both of my bands (“Zmey Gorynich” and “Smorodina Reka”) do function at the moment. Several times all the three groups performed at the same festival. “Zmey Gorynich” was invited to five summer fests and “Smorodina Reka” – to two and we are actively composing new songs to introduce to our listeners as soon as possible.

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

Even though we have already developed our own style, each and every song has its own personal sounding. We ourselves are interested to find out how our music will evolve in future. It seems to me that we won’t stop experimenting. There are a lot of contrasts in our music which is now our distinctive feature. It’s not that obvious what you can expect even in a minute. Our idea is to create songs which will be liked by us in the first place. And of course our initial idea to make each track catchy and unforgettable will keep living on.

11.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?

One of the references which we had while mixing the album is the sounding of Myrkur’s songs. Yet, we have made our sounding unique: the atmosphere is slightly similar, but it’s still different. I am also a big fan of the “Sylvaine” group: their atmosphere and the variety of the vocal parts were inspiring me a lot while recording the album.

“Wardruna” and “Eluveitie” also took roots deep inside of me.

Dmitry’s and my musical tastes are similar, so I should also mention that his personal absolute preferences are “Children of Bodom”, “Wintersun” and many other famous bands. His love for melodic dead metal influenced him greatly. Dmitry is also into composing soundtracks and orchestral music. It becomes clear if you listen to our album carefully.

12.Does Paganism play any role in your music?

As long as the Meschera tribe plays a significant role in our songs we should not forget that they lived approximately in the 8th century which is two centuries before the baptism of Rus, it goes without saying that they were pagans. They worshipped nature and its power, honored stones, trees, water, fire and other natural elements which is also represented in the lyrics of our tracks.

Our media image was also influenced by paganism: runes, deer antlers, costumes, logo and so on... For instance, our male armor is a real reconstruction of the ones found during the excavations and our rune was created personally for us by a specialist who is an expert in pagan traditions. But it’s not just a beautiful symbol, it has real meaning: energy, moving forward and the unity of people. 

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

Don’t get lost in the night, follow the moonlight.

Bandcamp: https://meschera.bandcamp.com/ 

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mescheradark 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meschera 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@meschera 

ORCumentary/Self Titled/2023 EP Review

 

  New  England's  ORCumentary  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for a   mixture  of  folk,  death  and  power  metal  with  a  musical  style  they  refer  to  as  being  'orc  metal'  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  and  self  released  2023  ep  which  will  be  released  in  August.

  Folk  instruments  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Symphonic  sounds  can  also be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  vocals  being  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams.

  Keyboards  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  The  songs  also  mix  in  influences  from  power  metal  into  the  more  melodic  side  of  the  music  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats,  spoken  word  parts  are  also  added  on  the  closing  track.   

 On  this  recording  ORCumentary  goes  for  more  of  a  mixture  of  symphonic  black,  death,  folk  and  power  metal.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  fantasy  and  humor  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  ORCumentary  and  if  you a re  a  fan  of  folk,  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Blood"  and  "Into  The  West".  8  out  of  10.

  https://youtu.be/fc1Pf7dcwY4

https://open.spotify.com/artist/71XpqE5MgSFHgSSs6TLBFA

https://orcumentary.bandcamp.com/album/orcumentary-2 

Hexvessel/Polar Veil/Svart Records/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Hexvessel  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  doom  rock,  goth,  ritual,  folk  and psychedelia  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2023  album  "Polar  Veil"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Svart  Records.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  clear  vocals  a  few  seconds  later.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  elements  of  doom  metal  as  well  as  the  music  also  having  its  avant  garde  moments  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  synths  also  add  in  some  psychedelic  touches  when  they  are  utilized.  Pagan  folk  metal  vocals  are  also  introduced  on  one  of  the  songs  along  with  the  shouts  also  giving  the  music  more  aggression  when  they  are  utilized  and  black  metal  screams  are  also  added  on  one  of  the  tracks.

  On  some  of  the  songs  the  synths  also  add  in  more  gothic  overtones  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  black  metal  style  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  are  also  utilized,  acoustic  guitars  can  also b e  heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  personal  spiritual  transcendence  and  nature  mysticism  themes.    

  In  my  opinion  Hexvessel  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  doom  rock,  goth,  ritual,  folk  and  psychedelia  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Older  Than  The  Gods"  "Eternal  Meadow"  and  "Homeward  Polar  Shift".  8 out  of  10.

  Hexvessel website

Hexvessel Facebook
Hexvessel Instagram
Hexvessel YouTube
Hexvessel Spotify

    

Evoking Winds/Bald Mountain/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Belarus's  Evoking  Winds  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  more  of  an  atmospheric,  melodic  and  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2023  album  "Bald  Mountain".

  A  very  dark  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  spoken word  parts  and  elements  of  folk  music  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  on  a  few  tracks  along  with  some  songs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars.

  At  times the music  also  gets  very  symphonic  and  atmospheric  sounding  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

   All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  melody.  Growls  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  tracks  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  when  they  are  utilized ,  one  song  also  introduces  clear  vocals  onto  the  album  and  spoken  word  parts  also  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  album  and  the  songs  also  add  in  some  orchestral  and  dungeon  synth  touches.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  and  cover ancient  tales  from  Eastern  Europe.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Evoking  Winds  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric,  melodic  and  symphonic  black  and  folk  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Wild  Hunt"  "The  Oath"  "In  The  Whispers  of  Stars  Far  Away"  and  "Night  of  The  Elders".  8  out  of  10.

  https://youtu.be/F0-h62wZvfU

https://evokingwinds.com/

https://www.youtube.com/c/evokingwinds

https://www.instagram.com/evokingwinds/

https://evokingwinds.bandcamp.com/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ZhIgXy9GVTPnJEyWUzVN1

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/evoking-winds/1576893625

  

Carthus/Images Of Tyranny/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Carthus  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  self  released  2023  album  "Images  of  Tyranny".

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  and  melodic  musical  direction  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls.  Black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  blast  beats  and  all  of  the  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Touches  of  groove  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  one  track  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  The  riffs  and  leads  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  folk  metal  style  melodies  and  some  of  the  riffing  also  shows  an  influence  of  thrash  metal,   keyboards  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  the  album  closes  with  an  instrumental. The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  social-political  views  and  historical  wars. 

  In  my  opinion  Carthus  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death,  folk,  thrash  and  groove  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fed  To  The  Lions"  "Method  in  The  Madness"  and  "Blind  Supremacy".  8 out  of  10.

  https://carthus.bandcamp.com/album/images-of-tyranny 

https://www.facebook.com/CarthusOfficial

https://www.instagram.com/carthus_official/

https://www.youtube.com/@CarthusOfficial

Orkrist Interview

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

After releasing the new album (January 2023) we of course tried to promote it and played few gigs in Czech republic and Slovakia. There was one special concert in our hometown, just very recently (end of June) where we played on a small courtyard, so open air, old walls, and own sound production (little bit underground style) 😊

 

2.In January you had released a new album, musically how does it differ form the stuff you have released in the past?

We have a typical footprint from the late 90’s – melodic black/doom metal, with keyboards, flute, female voice and male grunts, melodic or slow doom guitars. This is something what media is telling us is wrong – that we do not change ourselves. However I am not taking that so badly, you need to have a typical footprint (Iron Maiden has, it, AC/DC as well, ...) and evolve even. We try to bring always some small elements on top – in this case it was more acoustic guitar playing in parallel with the electric one, male clean voice in few songs and live (not much to be heard in the recording) we use a timpan (hit orchestral instrument) which is very rare. (also expensive 😊 )

3.The band was also broken yup for a few years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?

We have this question in almost every interview 😊. It was simply the destiny – me (as a composer) was empty of ideas, few band members started their own families or travelled abroad. We met together after 14 years, with having family life little bit stable and tried to put something together. Since the comeback (2018) we released 2 albums, what we did not expect. We somehow thought we will only play the old songs, as we have seen many people wishing our comeback, but we had luck there were ideas even for 2 albums. 

4.The lyrics and the band name comes from the writings of J.R.R Tolkien, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in his writings and also do you have any interest in other fantasy authors?

Apologies if you got wrong information. Inspiration by Tolkien was with us in 2003 on our 2nd album „Grond“. The last album is inspired by old Slovak (our country) faerytales and castle legends. Do you know that Slovakia is the country with most of castles / ruins per one citizen? With that lot of old legends come and we try to use them in the lyrics. Normally these are stories about unhappy love, romantic topics, wizards, dragons, witches, prophecies, curses .... all the themes from the new album are captured on the album layout if you watch carefully.

The stories normally end sadly, therefore also the album name LUEA (Living Unhappily Ever After).

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

I touched this topic in the previous answer. It is a collage of all various tales and legends being used in the song lyrics. You will find an abandoned cursed castle, maid jumping from a cliff because ending her life due to an unhappy love, wizard calling a dragon, witches flying above the mountains and few others. In te part with the mountains we incorporated the highest hill of our country, which has a typical abyss seen on the first look.

We like the artwork much and it was created by a talented guy Joan Llopis Domenech.

6.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 mainly small underground concerts (70 – 250 people in the audience) and they have one thing in common – great atmosphere coming from the fans. We try to communicate with people and lead them to support us by clapping some rhythmical parts.

 

What is maybe unusual is ( I mentioned already earlier) – using  timpani, which is a great instrument – if visually or sound wise. 

 

It is not easy to set up the sound for it, therefore we rather use it for the open air concerts. For smaller or indoor events we have an alternative – a tom hidden in  piece of wood. People always ask us if that is real. It is.

 

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

Currently we have set a summer break. We are a small band, without label – it is not easy to get to festivals, speaking about some known ones. We can rely only on luck and friendship / support of some local promoters. Here we had a great opportunity to play as support of Eluveitie last year, the last band before they started. That was great, you do not have this kind of luck normally. (we had something similar long time ago when we played in front of Nightwish). If you are successful to get to some festival, band of our size, which is completely unknown normally gets playtime very early when not much people are in.

Our dream was to get to some bigger festivals in Germany, however not successful there. Nevermind, we know that music is business as well. 

8.Currently the band is unsigned but has worked with a label in the past, are you open to working with another label again in the future or do you prefer to be independent?

We released our last 2 albums by ourselves. There are pros and cons to be with some label.

Pros – much better promotion, distribution, chance to get to better concerts.

Cons – you are somehow bound, and we do not prefer that. In the current situation we have complete freedom (but of course losing the pros)

We do our music from heart, it is not our money income (rather money absorber 😊 ).

I am not saying label yes or no, but feeling fine where we are.

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

We are a small band from a country which is not that known on the worldwide metal map. We have a small, but strong and heartful fan base in our country. If I take a look where did we send our albums, then it is Czech republic, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, UK, US, Japan, Russia, .... But very small quantities – every country to be counted on fingers of one hand.

Still, it is very hard to get successful nowadays. There are so many bands, so much competition. Some of them are more stronger virtually (reactions on facebook, views on youtube), but what we learned from smaller bands – strong virtul presence does not mean autoamtically success.

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

Nobody knows. Ideas are coming as they are. There is no band with never ending source of ideas – everybody will start to repeat themselves. Here is the advantage to be not contracted with a label and feel the pressure to produce even being not convinced about well deserved result. 

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles the band members are currently listening to nowadays?

Every of us liks something different. Schwarzwald (guitarist) likes more power bands like Statovarius, Evergrey, Kabi (bass guitar) likes Finntroll, XIII, stoleti, Rob (drums) some old Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth and of course some drum strong bands like Behemoth, Lydia (female voice, flute) likes not only metal. Myself, Crom (keyboards, male vox) loves bands from mid of 90’s – Summoning, Bal Sagoth, Therion, Hecate Enthroned, .... in the last year I listen much to old friend band from Germany – Ancient Ceremony.

 

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

What else I can do instead of – thanking you (for space for our band, and interest) and to everybody who reads this. If we are new to you and you like atmospheric melodic metal music (with emotions, little bit medieval/folk touch – flute, with keyboards, beauty and the beast vocal style, ...) drop some minutes to listen to us where you can find us online.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orkristofficial/

Arkona/Kob/Napalm Records/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Arkona  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  pagan  and  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  album  "Kob"  which  was  released  by  Napalm  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  spoken  chants  a  few  seconds  later  Ritualistic  soundscapes  and  whispered  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction.  Most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  black  metal  screams  and  growls  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of t he  recording.

  Keyboards  are  also  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  times  while  clear  pagan  vocals  can  also b e  heard  on  most  of  the  tracks.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  riffs  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  can  be  heard  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  tracks  as  will  as  the  wind  instruments  also  adding  in  elements  of  folk  music  when  they  are  utilized.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Russian  and  cover  Slavic  Paganism  and  Mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Arkona  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Kob'"  "Mor"  and  "Razryvaya  plot'  ot  bezyskhodnosti  bytiya".  8  out  of  10.

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