As Light Dies Interview

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

Many things. This EP was recorded back in 2006 two months after we recorded our first album “A step through the reflection”. The band released 2 albums from then till now. The last one is “TLA vol.1”.

2.You have a new ep coming out at the end of June, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

I assume that you consider that we have recorded this stuff recently, but GEA is old stuff. The other track is one song included in the tribute to Enslaved in which we participate in 2012. Many things changed because the band was another people.

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

This lyrical concept was about the negative influence of mankind over the nature in terms of contamination and in terms of spirituality.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'As Light Dies'?

The meaning is about that all the magic use to happen when the light starts to fade away.

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

It is really difficult to choose our best show. All the members have different opinions about it. Some shows were special because we played fine, others because the energy of the public, another ones because we did had a good time in the travel, or maybe because we played in a very special show. Our performances are really distant and cold. We use video projections to introduce the song, and also we have some other macabre and highly extreme projections while we are playing the songs.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new ep is released?

We decided to stop playing because we didn’t have good proposals.

7.On the new ep you had done an Enslaved cover, what was the decision behind doing your own version of one of their songs?

Because Pictonian records offered us to participate in the tribute “Ond: A tribute” released back in 2012. We covered the song we wanted to do.

8.The ep is going to be released on Brutal Arratia Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Well, it is a recently created label which makes small editions of weird unreleased stuff. GEA EP was never released in 2006, so they offered us to release it now in 2015.They are really young people, they are small yet but they work fine.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of underground metal?

The reviews are good, but we didn’t noticed any change to our band during these two last years of releases. Maybe we are in the surfeit era, then it is really difficult to stand out over the others.

10.Are any of the band members also involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

Yes. I (Oscar)’m involved in Garth Arum, Aegri Somnia, Alien Syndrome 777 and other stuff.
Strudle and Maqueda are involved in classic music performance, and Pablo is playing in a surf rock band named Surflamingo.

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

I don’t really want to know. Maybe my vision is not really optimistic.

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Well, we always like the weird and dark stuff of all ages. Starting with Gesualdo, having in the way Mike Oldfield, and finishing in the most experimental music inside and outside of metal nowadays.

13.What are some of your non-musical interests?

We all really like cinema. Anyone has different opinions about it. Some we like more the auteur cinema, and others gore, B movies and similar. Also I am on writing and Strudle is on painting.

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We want to thank you very much for this interview. If anybody is interested in our music please check http://aslightdies.bandcamp.com

As Light Dies/Gea/Brutal Arratia Records/2015 EP Review

  As  Light  Dies  are a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  an  avant  garde  form  of  black  metal  along  with  some  elements  of  doom  and  goth  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "Gea"  which  will  be  released  on  June  26th  by  Brutal  Arratia  Records.

  Dark  avant  garde  sounds  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some ambient  style  synths  a  few  seconds later  and  after  the  intro  violins  are  added  into  the  music  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them and  the  music  also  starts  to  get  more  heavier  along  with  the  heavy  and  atmospheric  parts  being  mixed  in  together.

  When  vocals  are  added  the  music  they  use  both  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  guitars  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  goth  and  prog  rock  elements  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  are  utilized  and  you  can  also  hear  clean  singing  being  utilized  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording and  half  of  the  songs  are  instrumental  and  they  close  the  ep  with  a  cover  of  Enslaved's  "As  Fire  Swept  Clean  the  Earth".

  As  Light  Dies  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  the  avant  garde  black  metal  style  but  also  mixes  in  doom,  death,  symphonic  and  goth  elements  to  create  a  musical  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  depression, math  and  historical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  As  Light  Dies  are  a  very  great  sounding  avant  garde  black  metal  band and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Gea"  and  "As  Fire  Swept  Clean  the  Earth".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.aslightdies.com
http://aslightdies.bandcamp.com
http://www.facebook.com/aslightdies
http://www.twitter.com/aslightdies    

 

Withering Soul/Adverse Portrait/Mortal Music/2015 CD Review

  Withering  Soul  are  a  band  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Adverse  Portrait"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Mortal  Music.

  Avant  garde  sounds and  synths  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  a  few  seconds  later  that  dominate  throughout  the  recording  and  after  the  intro  the  music  gets  a  lot  more heavier  while  still  using  melodies  as  well  as  adding  blast  beats  into  certain  sections  if  the  recording  and  grim  black  metal  screams.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and fast  parts  and  the  band  also  mixes  the  melodic  styles  of  black  and  death  metal  together  and  the  music  also  bring s in  deep  growls  and  times  along  with  a  great  amount  of  symphonic  elements  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  use  a  small  amount  of  clean  singing  vocals  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  gothic  atmosphere  and  some  of  the  heavier  riffs  also  show  an  influence  of  thrash  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  is  added  onto  a  couple  of  tracks  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  there  are  also  a  couple  of  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Withering  Soul  creates  a  melodic  black  metal  album  that  also  incorporates  a  decent  amount  of  symphonic  elements  along  with  some  goth,  thrash  and  death  metal  influences  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Ghosts,  Horror,  The  Paranormal  and  Death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Withering  Soul  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "No  Longer  Within"  "Hour  Of  Obstinacy"  and  "In  Absence".  8  out  of  10.

www.facebook.com/witheringsoulband

 

   

Necroart/Lamma Sabactini/Masterpiece Distribution/2014 CD Review

  Necroart  are  a  band  from  Italy  that plays  a  very  avant  garde,  gothic  and  progressive  form  of  melodic  black/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Lamma  Sabactini"  which  was  released  by  Masterpiece  Distribution.

  A  very  dark  and  epic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  and  you  cna  also  hear  elements  of  traditional  Italian  music  in  the  background  and  a  couple  of  minutes  the  music  gets  a  lot  heavier  while  also  incorporating  some  avant  garde  and  prog  elements  into  their  musical  style  and  they  also  add  in  a  good  amount  of  grim  black  metal  screams  and  some  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

   You  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  melody  being  utilized  in  the  tracks  and  at  time s the  vocals  also  get  more  melodic  while  also  keeping  around  a  very  rough  edge  while  on  later  tracks  they  also  bring  in  a  few  death  metal  growls  and  most  of  the  tracks  stick  to  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound.

   A  good  amount  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  singing  gothic  metal  vocals  along  with  a  touch  of  melodic  doom  metal  while  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  few  seconds  of  operatic  female  vocals  and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Necroart  plays  a  style  of  music  that  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  melodic  death  and  black  metal  and  they  bring  in  some  avant  garde,  progressive  and  gothic  elements  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  poetic  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Necroart  are  a  very  great  sounding  avant  garde,  gothic  and  progressive  mixture  of  melodic  death,  black  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Demiurge"  "Joining  The  Maelstrom"  "Of  Ghouls,  Maggots,  and  Werewolves"  and  "Cyanide  And  Mephisto".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=IY4eRctLdQM

Tellus Terror Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Felipe Borges: We are a band from Brazil – Rio de Janeiro, and we do a mix of Metal styles in our songs throughout our album. We have just released our first album entitled EZ Life DV8 (read as: Easy Life Deviate), which we did work hard for 1 and a half year from creating the songs to record, edit, mix and master, to finally release. We have decided not to do any shows before we have our album released also.

2.Recently you have released your first album, how would you describe the musicla sound that is presented on the recording?
Felipe Borges: The musical sound is something that we can not describe. We know that we do mix some Metal styles through the songs, but is something that each and every person have a different opinion. Mine is that it is just ourselves trying to do something for the public (which is what we do value the most).

3.You label your musical style as M.M.S (mixed Metal Style), can you tell us a little bit more about your desire to mix every genre of metal together and also do you hope this could possibly create a new musical direction for future metal bands?
Felipe Borges: That is correct. I did create this style only to try to explain what we do with the music we create for the people. We do love Death Metal, Black Metal, Thrash Metal, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, Heavy Metal etc… but we wanted to blend it all to see what happened. As I said, we do it all for the people, and if they think this is good and if they want to use M.M.S. (Mixed Metal Styles) in their bands, it will be a pleasure for us. Without new invents, Human Race would not progress right?

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Felipe Borges: EZ Life DV8 talks about how life and everything happened as per our specimen knows, how it did transformed into our planets and galaxies, how our home was positioned in our galaxy, what we Human Race do with this gift of living here at Tellus (Tellus means planet Earth in Latin Language), we talk about the wonders such as the Equinox where light and Darkness are equal, passing through the Panorama of the end of the times, and getting to the conclusion that everything that we could possibly imagine about ow our world will end it is an Error.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Tellus Terror'?
Felipe Borges: I wanted to have a common name that could allow me to write about things and situations that were commom for every Human Being and living being here at Tellus. So I thought of a name wich was easy to speak, which were global in a way, and were commom independently of everyone´s choices of Religion, politics and commom to every race. For us, everyone have the same value no matter if you are black or white, rich or poor, and Tellus Terror was a perfect fit for this idea (Again, Tellus means Planet Earth in Latin Language)

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Felipe Borges:  We will be playing now here in Brazil with Behemoth on November 08, 2014, and November 09, 2014. These 2 shows together will gather a little bit more than 4 thousand people. That will be awesome. Behemoth is fantastic!!

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Felipe Borges: We do, but still is soon to say something about it, but we do aim to hit China, Japan, India and South Korea in our actual conversations with a producer. Also we really want to hit EUROPE.

8.You had some big names help produce your first album, how did you get in contact with some of these legendary musicians and producers and also van you tell us a little bit more about their contributions to the recording?
Felipe Borges: When I was thinking about giving our best to the public, I realized that we should seek the best also in everything regarding the process itself. That is why I choose to work with Fredrik Nordstrom, Pat Power and Seth Siro Anton for this album, and the result was great! I did called them and sent some e-mails to explain and discuss our project ideas, and how we would like this to look like.
Seth Siro Anton did create our band Logo and Symbol, and he also did create 100% our EZ Life DV8 album artworks. He is awesome!! I told him “Seth, whatever you think that would be better, do it. We know you are the best”
Fredrik Nordstrom did mix and master our album, and we did send lots of e-mails to listen to each and every track to check on minimal details, it was a very long and extensive process, but the result was great. Fredrik is the Master!
Pat Power, I remember that I did send one picture of our drum to Fredrik Nordstrom, and He showed the picture to Pat Power, and he volunteered to do the drums click corrections in our album, because he liked the size of our drum and the fact that we did use 24 channels to record only the drum. Pat Power is awesome also, and we love this guy!

9.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Felipe Borges: We are open to hear from the labels, but meanwhile we are working the best way we can by ourselves. Right now we are working on our 2 album, and we intend to record the new album 100% at London-England.

10.What is going on with some of the other musical projects or bands these days that some of the band members are a part of?
Felipe Borges: Everybody disbanded from their other bands, and we are all working only for Tellus Terror

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Felipe Borges: To whatever the public tends to be as long as it is Metal.

12.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?
Felipe Borges: Well, I listen to everything within Rock And Roll and Metal, these days I was listening to New Order, Johnny Winter, Morbid Angel, Agathocles, Marduk, Cradle Of Filth, Septic Flesh, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Soundgarden, Systers of a Mercy, The Offspring, AC/DC, Smashing Pumpkins, Beherit…

13.What are some of your non musical interests?
Felipe Borges: I ride ATV´s (All terrain Vehicles), like racing and doing aerial stunts, I am very good doing barbecue´s (believe me that is true), these days I have been doing stand up paddle a little, I love a good wine and I am fascinated with Video Games

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Felipe Borges: I would like to thank you for the opportunity and space, and also encourage people to know the work that we have been doing for you all. Hope to see you all soon in some GIG´s!!

Thanks!

Facebook

Official site @ archive.org

ReverbNation

SoundCloud

YouTube

Tellus Terror/EZ Live DV8/2014 CD Review

  Tellus  Terror  are  a  band  from  Brazil  that  combines  various  of  metal  and  hard  rock  genres  together  with  a  musical  style  they  call  M.M.S (Mixed  metal  Styles)  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "EZ Live  DV8".

  Melodic clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  psychedelic  70's  rock  elements  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  doom  metal  direction  as  well  as  using  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  before  adding  in  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  blast  beats  and  after  awhile  elements  of  deathcore  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  symphonic  sounds  and  the  album  also  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  After  awhile  melodic  yet  rough  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  traditional  metal  influences  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  on  the  later  tracks  elements  of  hardcore,  metalcore  and  clean  singing  gothic  metal  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  and  every  track  has  a  very  different  sound  to  them  along  with  all  of  the  music  being  a mixture  of  all  different  extreme  metal  styles  and  a  few  of  the  tracks  also  shows  the  band adding  in  a  small  amount  of  female  vocals.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  band  starts  adding  in  more  old  school  death  metal  and  modern  deathcore  influences  and  the  symphonic  black  metal  elements  start  having  more  of  a  powerful  sounding  presence  on  the  recording  while  all  of  the  other  metal  and  hardcore  styles  remain  a  huge  part  of  the  bands  musical style  and  there  are  also  a  few  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Tellus  Terror  take  influences  from  every  genre  of  metal  along  with  some  hardcore  and  rock    to  create  some  music  that  is  very  melodic,  heavy,  brutal,  symphonic  and  original  sounding  without  belonging  to  a  particular  sub  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  original  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  space,  life  and  death,  history,  aliens,  life  and  suffering  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Tellus  Terror  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic,  symphonic  and  brutal  mixture  of  all  metal  genres  and  if  you  are  looking  for  something  that  is  very  original  and   hard  to  put  in  a  category,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Stardust"  "3rd  Rock  From  The  Sun"  "Civil  Carnage"  and  "Endtime  Panorama".  8  out  of  10.  

Facebook

Official site @ archive.org

ReverbNation

SoundCloud

YouTube

Ashes Of Moon/The Darkness Where The Past Lay Sleeping/WormHoleDeath Records/2014 CD Review

  Ashes  Of  Moon  are  a  band  from  Austria  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "The  Darkness  Where  the  past  Lay  Sleeping"  which  was  released  by  WormHoleDeath  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  and  traditional  metal  elements  before  adding  in  some  grim  black  metal  vocals  and  after  awhile  solos,  leads  and  death  metal  growls  start  mixing  in  with  the  black  metal  elements  and  you  can  also  hear  a  bit  of  more  modern  style  of  metal  in  the  bands  musical  style  at  times.

  Clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  at  time s on  some  of  the  tracks  and  they  also  add  a  gothic  feeling  to  the  bands  musical  sound  when t he  spoken  word  parts  are  utilized  as  well  as  adding  in  a  bit  of  the  early  90's  goth  metal  style  and  as  the  album  progresses  you  can  hear  elements  of  progressive  rock  being  added  into  the  bands  musical  style

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  a  perfect  balance  between  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  the  slower  sections  also  bring  in   a  very  melodic  doom/death  metal  sound  at  times  and  on e of  the  later  tracks  shows  the  band  adding  in  a  few  seconds  of  clean  singing.  

  Ashes  of  Moon  plays  a  style  of  melodic  black/death  metal  that is  more  closer  to  the  90's  era  of  these  2  styles  as  well  as  bringing  in  some  elements  of  gothic,  doom,  progressive  and  a  touch  of  modern  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  poetic,  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ashes  Of  Moon  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  "Black  Coffin"  "The  Dark  He  Invoked"  "In  the  End"  and  "Wind".  8  out  of  10.

http://youtu.be/maPbUP-mPzA          

Dark Mirror Ov Tragedy/The Lunatic Chapter Of Heavenly Creatures/WormHoleDeath Records 2014 CD Review

   Dark  Mirror  Ov  Tragedy  are  a  band  from  South  Korea  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  gothic  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "The  Lunatic  Chapters  Of  Heavenly  Creatures"  which  was  released  by  WormHoleDeath  Records.

   A  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  choirs  which  gives  the  music  a  very  epic  feeling  and  after  the  intro  melodic  guitar  leads  and  a  heavier  sound  find  their  way  into  the  music  along  with  some  black  metal  style  screams  as  well  as  keeping  around  the  symphonic  elements  and  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats.

  You  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  thrash  and  death  metal  influences  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  after  awhile  growls  find  their  way  into  the  music  along  with  some  violins  and  doom  metal  elements  as  well  as  some  acoustic  guitars  which  also  bring  in  traces  of  classical  and  folk  music  while  the  music  sticks  to  mostly  a  heavier  sound  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  As  the  album  progresses  you  can  hear  some  prog  metal  elements  being  mixed  in  with  the  more  symphonic  and  extreme  sides  of  the  band  and  they  also  bring  in  a  brief  acoustic  instrumental   before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  sound  on  the  later  tracks  and  the  band  shows  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  with  both  the  guitar  riffs  and  solos  with  the  music  having  a  technical  feeling  at  times  and  a  few  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  towards  the  end  a  brief  use  of  melodic  female  vocals  find  their  way  onto  one  of  the  tracks.

  Dark  mirror  Ov  Tragedy  plays  a  very  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  that utilizes  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  influences  along  with  a  gothic  touch  to  create  a  sound  of  its  own,  the  production  sounds very  professional  and  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  poetic  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  Dark  Mirror  Ov  Tragedy  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  gothic  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Thy  Sarcophagus"  "Dancing  In  The  Burning  Mirror"  and  "The  Constellation  Of  Shadows"  and  "The  Noumenon  I  Carved".  8  out  of  10.  

Bandcamp

Daum

Facebook

Instagram

Myspace

Twitter

Website

  

Embrace Of Disharmony Interview

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

Well, not too much, since the production was finished just a few months ago! We had a brief pause, and now we are focused on preparing ourselves for promoting the album with a proper live activity.

2.You have a new album coming out in May, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction of the new recording and also how does it differ from your previous ep and demo?

With the album we kept walking the path sketched with the previous recordings, from which we have taken four songs out of nine. This time we improved performance and production to a professional level, and for what concerns the sound we have added a touch of theatricality. The arrangements on the album often feature the presence of a full orchestra, which was absent in the previous ep and demo.

3.This is the first release since 2010, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on with the band in the last 4 years?

Things moved rather slow. At first we had some serious lineup problems. In 2011 Emiliano Cantiano (Shores of Null, Noumeno) joined the band on drums and we started rehearsing the new songs. Then in late 2012 we started the production of the new album which took a whole year, mainly for reasons not depending upon us.

4.The new album has a concept, can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrics the band has on the new recording?
It’s not a concept album “tout court”, but there’s an underlying theme that permeates it and characterizes the mood of the entire work starting from its title. In ancient Greek mythology Ananke was the personification of fate and every song in our album is about human beings facing their destiny, palely surrendering to it or trying to change its course. Some of our lyrics are about fictional characters like Elric of Melniboné or the main character of Poe’s short story “A descent into the Maelstrom”, some others are not related to a specific figure but totally tied to this leitmotif.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Embrace Of Disharmony'?
It has been a hard decision to make: we wanted a name that could recall both the vocal interweaves that characterize our music and the progressive and sometimes disharmonic streak of it.

6.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 played as opening act for Haggard (December 16, 2012) and Orphaned Land (October 22, 2013). In both cases it has been an honour to play our songs with such bands that, in addition to be internationally known, are extremely important in our cultural background.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

Not yet, but we will surely try to boost our live activity as much as possible in order to promote the album and the band at our best!

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme, progressive and avant garde metal?

Without a full length and a label, things that we have only now, it is difficult to be exposed to a high number of people, so this question will have a complete answer in some months. Up to now feedbacks from reviews and live reports around the internet were positive, with some peak of appreciation, hence we can consider ourselves to be satisfied.

9.Are any of the band members involved with any other musical projects these days?

Our drummer Emiliano is involved with many other bands: Noumeno, an instrumental Prog Metal band, which have just completed its second album, and Shores of Null, a Gothic/Doom band which have just released its debut album. Leonardo, our bass player, has recently joined a newborn Djent band called Alien Red.

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

Well, no one can tell, and that's the beautiful part of it! By making too much plans or having expectations things can come out contrived. For the present day, after finishing the parts for the album, there is slightly more attention in exploring electronical sounds rather than orchestral ones, but things may change quickly. It's just about being spontaneous and write the music that comes out from you.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

In the latest years there has been one name above all: the Norwegian Avantgarde scene, so experimental bands like Arcturus, Winds, Borknagar, Solefald and so on. This musical scene has been a big influence on our approach, which met the other major reference, Progressive Metal.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Matteo: is writing music a non-musical interest? Hmm, maybe not. I guess the same would apply to playing guitar and collect and painstackingly listen to metal cds. So what's left? Eating fatty food, watch some movie at times, and above all making lots of dumb things with friends.
Leonardo: I enjoy passing my time in front of a computer screen and trying to make things work (rarely achieving this goal). In my spare time I work as a physicist.
Emiliano: Studying and teaching drums could be a non-musical interest? Ahahahah, ok seriously... i love reading and watching movies at the cinema whenever i can.
Gloria: I am a compulsive reader with a strong interest for videogames, crosswords and make-up artistry (although this strange mixture of hobbies apparently doesn’t make any sense).

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

We hope that you people can find some time and patience to listen to this album, and maybe also enjoy it. There is a very part of our souls in it.

Bandcamp

Facebook

ReverbNation

YouTube Channel

Mirzadeh/Desired Mythic Pride/Inverse Records/2014 CD Review

  Mirzadeh  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  gothic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Desired  Mythic  Pride"  which  was  released  by  Inverse  Records.

  Nature  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  more  heavier  gothic  and  symphonic  gothic  metal  direction  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  and  the  music  also  utilizes  a  melodic  edge  in  both  the  riffing  and  solos  as  well  as  incorporating  death  metal  growls  and  some  of  the  slower  sections  have  a  doom  metal  feeling  to  them.

  The  music  on  this  album  is  very  90's  orientated  and  goes  back  to  the  melodic,  symphonic  and  gothic  side  of  black  metal  that  was  released  in  that  era  and  they  also  use  a  good  amount  of  clean  playing  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  you  can  easily  hear  that  band  is  heavily  influenced  by  the  black  and  doom  metal  bands  of  their  home  country.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  album  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  on  some  of  the  tracks  they  also  add  in  elements  of  traditional  Finnish  folk  music  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  in  the  heavier  and  faster  parts  of  the  music  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  songs  get  more  diverse  in  sound  while  you  can  also  tell  that  it  is  the  same  band  on  all  of  the  tracks  and  they  also  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  which  gives  the  album  a  more  progressive  feeling  along  with  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  before  returning  to  a  heavier  direction.

  Mirzadeh  show  a  great  amount  of  diversity  with  their  music,  their  sound  is  firmly  rooted  in  the  symphonic,  gothic  and  melodic  sides  of  black  metal  put  they  also  have  a  good  amount  of  pagan,  doom  and  death  metal  element s in  their  sound,  the  production  is  very  professional  sounding  and  the  lyrics  cover  Ancient  Finnish  Paganism.

  In  my  opinion  Mirzadeh  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic,  gothic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Secrets'  "Rain  Of  Blood"  "Demented  Visions  Of  Madness"  and  "Rise  With  Norther  Witchcraft".  8/5  out  of  10.

Facebook

Homepage

Mikseri

Myspace

YouTube

Embrace Of Disharmony/Humananke/My Kingdom Music/2014 CD Review

  Embrace  of  Disharmony  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  progressive  and  avant  garde  form  of  metal  with  some  black  and  gothic  metal  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Humananke"  which  will  be  released  by  My  Kingdom  Music.

  Sounds  of  war  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  more  orchestra  sounds  which  also  bring  a  symphonic  and  avant  garde  sound  to  the  album  and  a  minute  later  they  add  female  operatic  vocals  to  the  recording  which  also  leads  up  to  a  more  heavy  direction  while  also  keeping  the  symphonic  and  avant  garde  sounds.

  Progressive  rock  elements  are  mixed  in  with  melody  throughout  the  album  and  they  also  bring  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  growls  while  also  keeping  around  the  melodic  male  and  female  vocals  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  the  guitar  leads  and  solos  are  very  melodic  sounding  and  utilize  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  and  at  times  spoken  word  parts  are  added  into  certain  parts  of  the  recording.

  A  good  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats  being  utilized  on  the  record along  with  the  music  taking  a  modern  approach  to  progressive  metal  while  also  being  more  heavier  than  most  bands  of  that  genre  and  when  acoustic  guitars  are  utilized  they  bring  in  even  more  classical  music  elements  along  with  a  medieval  atmosphere.  

  Embrace  Of  Disharmony  show  a  great  amount  of  originality  with  their  music,  having  a  sound  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  progressive  metal  while  also  having  the  heaviness  of  death  and  black  metal  as  well  as  mixing  in  a  lot  of  classical,  symphonic,  opera,  gothic  and  avant  garde  to  create  a  very  diverse  sounding  album,  the  production  is  very  professional  sounding  and  the  lyrics  cover  the  struggle  in  fate  or  circumstances,  identified  in  Ananke,  primordial  deity  in  Greek  mythology.

  In  my  opinion  Embrace  of  Disharmony  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  avant  garde  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Shards  of  Apocalypse"  "Identify"  "By  The  Hands  Of  The  Moirai"  and  "A  Descent  Into  The  Maelstrom".  8  out  of  10.

 http://facebook.com/embraceofdisharmony

Shores Of Null/Quiescene/Candlelight Records/2014 CD Review

  Shores  Of  Null  are  a  band  from  the United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  melodic  black,  doom  and  gothic  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Quiescene"  which  was  released  by  Candlelight  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with   a  very  dark  and  heavy  doom  metal  sound  along  with  some  melodies  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  adding  in  more  melodic  black  metal  elements  along  with  solos  and  leads  which  also  lead  up  to  death  metal  growls  becoming  a  part  of  the  music  as  well  as  being  mixed  in  with  melodic  clean  singing  vocals.

  When  the  album  moves  on  the  music  starts  getting  more  progressive  along  with  the  vocals  bringing  in  more  black  metal  elements  while  the  guitars  are  heavily  influenced  by  doom  and  more  modern  forms  of  metal  and  on  a  couple  of  the  songs  they  speed  up  for  a  few  seconds  and  the  music  starts  having  an  atmospheric  black  metal  feeling  to  it  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  while  for  the  most  part  the  music  sticks  to  a  more  slow  but  still  heavy  direction.  

  Shores  of  null  create  a  very  heavy,  dark,  melancholic  and  melodic  album  with  the  way  they  mix  black,  doom  and  gothic  metal  together  while  also  having  the  structures  of  progressive  metal  and  this  is  a  very  diverse  record  and  there  is  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  emotion  behind  the  music.

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  as  well  as  some  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Shores  Of  null  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  melodic  black,  gothic  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Kings  Of  Null"  "Ruins  Alive"  "Time  Is  A  Wasteland"  and  "Eudaemonia".  8  out  of  10.

www.facebook.com/shoresofnull
twitter @shoresofnull

Dark Man Shadow Interview

1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

1. We are currently practicing our live set on a nearly daily basis. Our setlist includes songs from our first two albums in a different version. Meanwhile we have around an hour's listening experience to offer. We are also currently searching for a good booking agency (as well as management) who could book us many gigs. For the bass guitar the bassist from the predecessor album, the then 16-year-old Araisen, is responsible and the 23-year-old Mark Edwards from Birmingham is on the drums for our 
gigs.

2.How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and also how does it differ from past albums?

2. In the third album we were able to connect together the first and second albums. Both the producer as well as our studio drummer Matze think that it is more "fluid" than its predecessor the Shore of Straying Souls (2003). Tears of Hate (2001) was not composed to the extent that we had planned due to our former drummer. Thus the album was "doomier".In addition, this time we took more care with the symphonic elements so that all instruments and the singing come into their own.

3.There was a 10 year gap between albums, can you tell us what was going on during that time?

3. In 2003 with our album The Shore of Straying Souls we signed a contract with Dark Music Productions (Portugal). However our album only came out in eastern and southern Europe. After a short while this company went into liquidation and our planned tour never took place. A year later Sorroth decided to take on the offer of his producer and move in with him in order to work on a couple of other musical projects. In these four years he composed the project Brandenburg, as well as the song Golden Machine (Silver Machine from Hawkwind) on one of the Perry Roden samplers that were distributed by Cargo etc... At the of 2007 Sorroth returned to Frankfurt am Main and decided with Samotha to compose a new album, which the record company Bellaphon was to release. After umpteen appointments and meetings it turned out after two years that they could not finance the production. Finally, we produced our albums ourselves in Empire Studios and in February 2011 signed with Schwarzdorn Productions.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new release explores?

4. In 2009 the singer Sorroth reached a low point and spent some time in the Frankfurter drug scene with his acoustic guitar, where he composed an unplugged version of the song Dying In The Corner. This song is dedicated to all the drug victims. Slur, Repayment For Committed Injustice as well as Betrayal Of Trust arose directly after Sorroth's return to Frankfurt am Main, because, alongside other reasons, there were constantly disputes with Carlos Peron (his then publisher) as to the music rights. The magazine Spiegel noted that Sorroth was being exploited. Majestic Uprising celebrates our patience and perseverance. 
The strength that you feel increasingly through the dark times is there to give the listener hope. The highest form of hope is overcome despair. Seven Seasons describes the 4-year-long separation of Sorroth and Samotha through the false declarations of the so-called "creatures". Len Dopis (Just A Letter) is a "thankyou" for the tears and years of sorrow. If Sorroth had not supported me and I him, we would probably not exist anymore. Once we gathered ourselves we applied to a smaller distributerwith a pre-production (of four songs), where we were told that we should do something slightly more commercial, as it would fill the coffers. Afterwards we would then get a fitting label. Out of our defiance the 
song Due Of Commercialisation emerged.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name Dark Man Shadow?

5. Already in the creation phase of the band in 1996 we asked the local fans for a fitting band name. First the name "Black Wine" was celebrated, yet as the frontman Sorroth is a very dark guy he was called Dark Man. His ambition, potential and his appearance put ​​everything in the shade for which he was also partly named Shadow. Perhaps in Englishit would be correct to write "Dark Man's Shadow", but this would carry a different meaning.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

6. Until now we have enjoyed all gigs and with every appearance have collected new experiences as we do not utilise samplers or midis. This obviously also depends on the mixer who is responsible for the band. We have fond memories of the festival Rocktober in Paderborn, of the smaller gig in Salzgitter as well as the Nightmare Festival in Berlin. Even the open air festival Bretthart where we had no bassist and still received a very positive response. When we stand on the stage we insist on a good sound, as then we fall into a "trance" and can transfer this onto our audience. Oftentimes we bring the blood to the boil. We would be very pleased to deliver a show-spectacle this year.

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

7. As previously mentioned, we are currently in negotiations with management who could look for booking agencies for us. Unfortunatley nothing is certain as yet, but keep an eye on us as we are ready to perform at any time.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to the newer material by fans of black, gothic and death metal?

8. Fans from all over the world (both male or female, from 16-60) write us very positive feedback. Many were already very impatient about when the release would take place. As it is not yet released we cannot say very much about this so far; but at present most of the reviews have been very positive, about which we are very pleased. Nothing is worse for an artist, than to be destroyed by journalists in front of the whole world. We hope that the fans will like it both musically as well as the content. Our new album includes music for Death, Black and Gothic fans.

9.Are there any other musical projects going on these days?

9. We do not want to waste any more time on side-projects and want to firstly mainly concentrate on Dark Man Shadow, as it looks like there will be a lot of work coming our way. Apart from that, we have a few ideas we still want to work on.

10.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

10. The direction will probably always remain the same, as the music is mainly composed by Sorroth and Samotha; the idea would be to add a few new elements and maybe to change the concept of the course of the music. At this point we do not want to give any precise comments.

11.What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your newer music and alos what are you listening to nowadays?

11. Sorroth's idols for singing were Ian Gillan, Robert Plant, Dio, 
Blacky Lawless and for guitar were Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi, Eddie van Halen and Kerry King. Samotha's prediliction for dark classical music complemented the idea, musically offering something for fans of every genre.Privately we do not listen to a metal radio station as it could influence our compositions.

12.Outside of music what are some of your interests?

12. To live our private lives, in whatever way, the main thing is it's fun.

13.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

13. Many thanks for your support through this interview. In addition, we hope that many new fans will be gained who don't just love the music, but also look inside themselves and think about how much further we will let inequality and injustice go on, instead of putting a stop to it.

Together we are strong.

Samotha

Facebook

Homepage

Myspace

ReverbNation