Goaß/Cruxifucked/Wolfmond Production/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Goaß  are  a  solo  project  from  Austria  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2023  album  "Cruxifucked"  which  was  released  by  Wolfmond  Production.

   Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  before  going  into a  heavier  direction  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  Vocals a re  mostly  death  metal  growls  along  with the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a   decent  amount  of  black  metal  style  tremolo  picking  and  brutal  blast  beats.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  High  pitched  screams  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  tracks  along  with  the  songs  also  mixing  in  influences  form  both  the  old  school  and  modern  era's  of  the  genre  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  very  heavy  and  brutal  direction.

  Goaß  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  a  very  melodic  form  of  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  brutal  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  English  and  Germany  and  cover  Blasphemy  and  Anti  Christianity  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Goaß  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  brutal  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cruxifuck"  "Buried  To  Be  Born"  and  "Ziegendisziplin".  8  out  of  10.

  

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Goa%C3%9F/3540538568

Order:

https://wolfmond-production.de/shop/produkt/goass-cruxifuck/

https://wolfmondproduction.bandcamp.com/album/goa-cruxifucked    

  

Malphas/Portal/M-Theory Audio/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Pennsylvania's  Malphas  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  more  of  a  symphonic  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Portals"  which  will  be  released  in  Match  by  M-Theory  Audio.

  Synths  start  off  the  the  album  while  also  adding  in  some  symphonic  touches  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  a  lot  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  some  of  the  songs  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  blast  beats. Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  on  a  few  tracks  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Clean  playing  and  classical  guitars  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  of  tracks  along  with  one  song  also  introducing  clear  vocals  onto  the  album  as  well  as  some  choirs  also  being  utilized  briefly,  female  vocals  are  also  added  towards  the  end.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  a man  who  makes  a  pact  with  the  demon  Malphas  to  achieve  his  high  political  ideas  and  this  backfires  and  ultimately  creates  a  demonic  totalitarian  government,

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Malphas  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic  and  melodic  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fiat  Empire"  "Candle  Hands"  "Pale  Eyes  To  Snowy  Skies"  and  "Man,  Raven  And  The  Portal".  8  out  of  10.

  https://music.apple.com/us/artist/malphas/1440307628

https://malphas94.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/therealmalphas

https://www.instagram.com/therealmalphas/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0BznQnNFP6qf7DISSjumhg?si=mPqmynqbTxedcWoo3TVZEw&nd=1&dlsi=9d66c829c2854cfe

https://www.youtube.com/user/OfficialMalphas     

Sea Of Consciousness Interview

 

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

Sea of Consciousness is the brainchild of guitarist Daniel Sirotski and drummer István Timmermans.

They have been playing since 2014 together and were trying to come up with a grand concept that Sea of Consciousness is now. The band Sea of Consciousness has been brought to life since 2019 and were trying to find the missing band-members. After multiple line-up changes we finally found vocalist Bionda Honings in 2022. Her vocals were the final missing link to finally develop our style further. Then we found guitarist Stefan Gerritsen and bassist Jeroen Koorn in 2023 and we completed our line-up and debut-album.

 

2.Recently you have released your first full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

The music is a huge mix of progressive technical metal with influences from death, black, thrash and heavy metal. We don’t believe in genre boxes and instead are trying to create our own genre that doesn’t let itself be defined by a narrow musical style.

 

We write music from the heart and the quality of the song is the most important. We try to think what a song needs instead of a fixed idea and/or ego.

 

The main songwriter, Daniel Sirotski, takes musical inspiration from every direction and tries to mold it all into one style. The reason is also because we, as a band, don’t want to be limited.

 

3.Some of the band members where previously a part of 'Inferus Dei', what was the cause of breaking up the previous band and forming the new group?

Guitarist Daniel Sirotski and drummer István Timmermans decided to break up the band because the musical vision had changed dramatically. Inferus Dei was the first attempt to flesh out the huge concept that Daniel and István had. After some time they decided that the attempt wasn’t what they wanted and looked at it as a learning school.

 

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

Mostly about life’s struggles covered in a spiritual/mystical veil. Writing music is for us a way to deal with reality and trauma in general. So it heals us in a way, and therefore, we hope that it will heal other listeners. Or at least enjoy our music, that’s cool too.

 

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Sea of Consciousness"?

It started with the song ‘’Sea of Consciousness’’. When the song was being written, Daniel named it ‘’Sea of Consciousness’’ because it just felt it was the best way to describe the song and feeling it had. Afterwards, István had the genius idea to name our band that. Since then, we took the song as a basis from where we wanted to develop our sound further.

 

After a while, the name got more and more meaning. Sea of Consciousness symbolizes the reality around us. Every living being on this world is a small drop in the endless sea of consciousness that spans our globe. It is everything and nothing at the same time. We all try to traverse this endless stream and holding on to that which we know. But in the end, everything is random (or fate). From this principle we want to make music how it comes to us, instead of defining ourselves with a genre. We want to create our own genre because life is so much more than those few drops of consciousness most bands associate themselves with. The quest for knowledge, self-improvement and constructive thinking is one of the most challenging and rewarding paths that a human can take. We try to tread that path to enlightenment through music.

 

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

The white robed figures represent the instrumentalists in the band. The black figure in the lake is our vocalist and the nature around us is the Sea of Consciousness. We are summoning ‘’Spirit’’ that ultimately unites every element and transcends us.

 

7.Has the band done any live shows or open to the idea?

We had our first show on the 12th of January 2024. Currently we are trying to find shows that we can play so we can hone our craft. We have some shows planned in March but we want more!

 

 

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

We had a label approach us with a deal 1,5 weeks after releasing our album. Honestly, nobody expected it so soon so we kind of freaked out in a good way. But after some thought we decided that it is too soon to sign ourselves to a label. It is a goal that we ultimately want to achieve, but it has to be on our own terms.

 

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

The reaction is huge! Seriously, we did not expect this response. I mean, we even had a viral TikTok video about us with over 40K likes and counting..

It has been almost 3 weeks since the launch of the album and we got from 80 monthly listeners to almost 5000 on Spotify. Its crazy.

 

A lot of reviews also with some really good constructive feedback that we will take with us in future songs.

 

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

I don’t think you can really assess your own musical development, but we want to focus on capitalizing on our ‘’unique’’ style of composition. With the amazing feedback we have had, this wont be a problem.

 

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?

The list is too long to effectively tell you what kind of influences we all have. The main songwriter, Daniel Sirotski, listens to reggae-ska, old-school hip-hop, 1940’s jazz, satanic black metal, aggressive thrash metal, 80’s pop songs etc. The list is too much. Daniel never listens to one band for a long time and instead has periods were he listens to a specific genre before moving on to the next thing. His baseline musical influence is Metallica and Dissection though.

 

Stefan Gerritsen is a huge metal fan in general, but can listen to almost every other genre too. He likes drum & bass, country, Celtic music and also classic pop music. He loves a song as long as it has substance and it can reach his soul. But if he has to name a specific band, it would definitely be Avenged Sevenfold.

 

István Timmermans greatest inspiration is Arch Enemy. That band is the main reason he picked up the drumsticks. But most of his inspirational percussion ideas come from bands like Obscura, Amorphis and Septic Flesh. But because we don’t only write brutal metal music, István takes influences from blues and up tempo rock music to come up with fresh ideas.

 

Bionda Honings remembers when she was 9 years old a friend of her father always played guitar for them. She really was inspired by the fact that you can process your emotions through music instead not knowing how to deal with feelings in general. Music was the best way to deal with reality.

Bionda always steered towards rock music and begun listening to The Rasmus, Evanescence and Linkin Park. Then she found out that more extreme music had more impact and found bands like Orbit Culture and Decapitated. Bionda was inspired by bands that really put their emotion into the music. Because of this Bionda is also very all-round in her musical taste. Its all about the feeling that the listener gets my hearing the auditory journey.

Jeroen Koorn started with rock music on the radio like Queen, ACDC and Green Day. This peeked his interest and later, as a teenager, he met people who introduced him to heavier music like Pantera, Slayer and Iron Maiden. Slowly but surely Jeroen got rolled into the world of metal. His first real favorite bands were System of a Down and Slipknot.

The urge to pick up the bass guitar came when Jeroen listened to Behemoth and Opeth for the first time.

 

Beside metal music, Jeroen also listens to reggae, oldschool gangsterrap and goes to drum and bass parties frequently.

 

All-in all, everyone had a very wide range of musical influences.

 

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

We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to tell our story here! The response is amazing and we are thankful for your attention!

https://seaofconsciousness.bandcamp.com/album/sea-of-consciousnes

Bloody Falls/Amartia/Art Gates Records/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Finland's  Bloody  Falls  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death,  thrash  and  groove  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Amartia"  which  was  released  by  Art  Gates  Records.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  groove  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to t hem.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  and  when t he  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast b eats  can  also b e  heard.

  Melodies  are  also  added  into  a  lot  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  synths,  spoken  word  parts  and  back  up  shouts  also  being  utilized  on  a  couple  of  tracks.

   Clear  singing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  another  song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  a  couple  of  the  songs  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length,  elements  of  thrash  metal  can  also  be  heard  at  times.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Darkness,  Evil,  Violence  and  Death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Bloody  Falls  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black,  death  and  groove  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sorrow  Is  My  Name"  "Mand  Undying"  and  "I  Met  My  Death".  8  out  of  10.

  https://artgatesrecords.com/artists/bloody-falls

https://youtu.be/LbsW2fdOYso     

Beyrevra Interview

 

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

Yes, so Beyrevra was founded by M.S. and M.D. in 2018 after they met at the ‘Born to Rock Festival’. M.S. moved to Nuremberg during the songwriting process and became acquainted with me (S.L.) at a local metal club. At that time, four songs were nearly ready, and the rough concept and tone of the album were defined. A little later we had to look out for a drummer to complete Beyrevra for the moment and we met A.B. From now on, one and a half years of songwriting and elaboration were used to complete the instrumentals for the first album. In August 2020 we started recording our results at the ‘Mordor Sounds’ studio from Hannes Großmann (Tryptikon, Dark Fortress, etc.) and during the following year the vocals and keyboards were added. As you can imagine, the covid pandemic threw up our time schedule enormously, but in February 2022 we finally had a completely mastered album with ten tracks. The mastering was done by Magnus Devo Andersson from ‘Endarker Studios’. A release during lockdowns and no chance to play live anywhere was out of the question for us, so we had to be patient and used the time to search for a label that fits to us, and we signed with TrollZorn Records. September 2022 we finally played our first live gig together at the ‘Metal im Woid’ festival, and thenceforth several gigs in Germany and Czech Republic. 

 2. You have your first full length coming out in February, musically how does it differ from your previous ep?

 Musically, there is no difference. The EP was released by us before we signed with our label to have something to show when it comes to e.g. festival applications. All three songs from this EP are part of our full album. 

3. Your lyrics cover religious oppression and historical topics, can you tell us a little bit more about the subjects you have explored so far with the music? 

The historical references in our lyrics are shown in different ways. This can be seen in a specific case such as the life and death of Thomas Müntzer, a revolutionary priest during the German Peasants’ War, which is discussed in the song ‘Beheading the Truth’, as well as in very general topics such as the Christianization of Europe or the Inquisition. However, most of the content are fictional stories which are taking place in different historical periods.

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

Beyrevra is the name of a destructive incarnation of Shiva, the great god of Hinduism. We came across the name in the ‘Dictional Infernal’ and took it because it sounds cool, so there is no deeper meaning behind our name.

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

The artwork is a painting from ‘Northem Art’ and commissioned by M.S. in 2018. We wanted a colorful artwork and we were overwhelmed when we saw the result. All the little details and the overall tone of this picture are simply stunning. I think we couldn’t have a better cover for our first full length album. The original painting is now brightening up our rehearsal room. 

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

The best gig so far was certainly at the Schlichtenfest 2023. Everything was organized so well and all the staff there was great. The festival took place in a quite hilly forest after weeks of rain and we got stuck at the forest path with our truck during arrival, but we made it there on time. Despite the bad weather, many people came to see our show and we had so much nice conversations at the merch table afterwords. Truly a memorable day for all of us. On stage we don’t have any special outfits or gimmicks different to many bands nowadays, just pure and honest 60 minutes of music. M.D. has a very powerful stage presence and motivates the crowd as well as the rest of the band. 

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

Not yet. Sadly. We wanted to play our first live gig after the release at the ‘Rise of Trolls’ in Belgium but the event got cancelled. But we are working on a replacement release show, and we can give more information in the next weeks. 

8. The new album is going to be released on 'TrollZorn Records', how did you get in contact with this label? 

As mentioned before, we had a long time between the recording and the release. In this time, we applied to labels across Europe and TrollZorn replied that they were interested in releasing our album and after a few weeks of mail traffic we decided to visit the guys behind TrollZorn in their hometown so we can talk about everything. We got along great, drank a whole lot of beer together and in the following time the contract was signed. 

 9. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by melodic black and death metal?

 Nearly entirely positive. It’s always a pleasure when someone who came across your festival gig by chance, tells you afterwards at the merch table that he really liked our show and music and when there will be an album to purchase. Also on social media we got many supporting messages and commentaries over the last two years and we are very happy that our hard work for all this is starting to pay off. 

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

We have already started to work on our second album and at the moment it is quite hard to say where this process will take us. Of course there are always things you can make different or better and although we are happy with our result from the first recording, there is still room for improvement. 

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? 

I think it’s obvious that our music was mainly influenced by the 1990s old school Melodic Death Metal wave from Scandinavia, especially Sweden, and also some Black Metal bands from this time. Bands like In Flames, Darkthrone, Hypocrisy, Insomnium, Dissection, Unanimated, and many more are bands we still enjoy listening. 

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

At first, we would like to thank you for the interview and TrollZorn for making all this possible. We can no longer wait for February 29th! See you then

https://www.facebook.com/BeyrevraOfficial

https://www.instagram.com/beyrevraofficial

https://beyrevra.bandcamp.com

Eye Of Fenris/The House Of Hades/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Eye  Of  Fenris  are  an  international  band  with  members  from  Denmark,  Portugal  and  the  United  States  that  plays  viking  metal  with  elements  of  black  and  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2023  album  "The  House  Of  Hades"  

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  a  lot  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  clean  singing  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  song  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.  Elements  of  thrash  and  groove  metal  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  a  couple  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  synths  can  also  be  heard  briefly  which  also  adds  in   touch  of  industrial  and  most  of  the  album  sticks  to  a  mid  tempo  direction  and  one  track  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  folk  instruments.

  Eye  Of  Fenris  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  viking,  black  and  melodic  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Greek  Mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Eye  of  Fenris  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  viking,  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Spartans  Rise"  "The  Labyrinth  Of  Minos"  {"Medusa's  Lair"  and  "All  Hail  Hades".  8  out  of  10.

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

https://www.tiktok.com/@eye.of.fenris

https://www.facebook.com/eyeoffenris

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4mMRnBBJgh1qfHh0Qm1YqO

https://eyeoffenris.bandcamp.com/

https://soundcloud.com/eye-of-fenris

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/eye-of-fenris/1697536262

https://www.deezer.com/en/artist/221726425

https://www.amazon.com/music/player/artists/B0CBW5R18S/eye-of-fenris  

  

Hand Of Kalliach/Corryvreckan/Prosthetic Records/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Scotland's  duo  Hand  Of  Kalliach  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  Celtic  form  of  folk  metal  with  elements  of  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Corryvreckan"  which  will  be  released  in  February  by  Prosthetic  Records.

  Nature  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clear  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  while  synths  are  introduced  onto  the  recording   a  few  seconds  later  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  the  harsh  vocals  add  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams.

  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  progressive  sounding  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  touches  of  Scottish  folk  music,  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  most  of  the  tracks  stick  to  a  mid  tempo  direction.

  On  this  recording  Hand  Of   Kalliach  takes  their  Celtic  folk  metal  style  into  more  of  a  modern,  melodic  and  progressive  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  inspired  by  an  ancient  Irish  text  "Cormac's  Glossary".

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Hand  Of  Kalliach  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  Celtic  folk  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Three  Seas"  "Cirein-croin"  "Unbroken  You  Remain"  and  "Of  Twilight  And  The  Pyre".  8  out  of  10/.

  https://www.facebook.com/HandOfKalliach

       

Illusion of Fate/King Of Serpemts/2021 Full Length Review

 

  Illusion  Of  Fate  are  a  band  from  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin  that  plays  a  very  atmospheric,  melodic  and  technical  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2021  album  "King  Of  Serpents".

  Rain  and  thunder  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  atmospheric  sounding  and  the  vocals  ad d in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams.

  Synths  are  also  utilized  at  times  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  The  music  also  has  its  technical  moments  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Illusion  Of  Fate  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  atmospheric,  technical  and  melodic  forms  of  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Illusion  Of  Fate  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric,  melodic  and  technical  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "King  Of  Serpents  Movement  II:  The  Warlock"  "March  Of   The  Lepers"  and  "Paradigm  of  Madness".  8  out  of  10.

  https://linktr.ee/visions_of_sunless_skies   

Gates Open Interview

 

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

Greeting!

We are constantly working on new songs.

We already have a handful of new songs with lyrics waiting for final recordings and arrangements, which means more material is being created all the time.

We train and work on/record our songs at home, at the moment both working alone.

So we are working remotely in our band for at the moment.

So far, it has worked well that way.

We live 170 km from each other, so we don't see each other often.

We work on our material by exchanging messages and changing tracks via Google Drive.

We update social media almost daily, as news about our upcoming album keeps coming from all over the world.

Our songs are played on smaller and medium-sized internet radio stations around the world.

And this is the fourth interview this month, so there is action.

2.You have your first full length coming out in February, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

Our musical style is full metal, with a very dark tone.  In our opinion, our style is mostly blackened death/thrash metal, but there are nuances from other genres, also outside of metal music, for example from punk.

3.Both of the band members where previously in 'Down In Silence', what was the decision behind splitting up the group and forming a new project?

Tommi:

I was in the ranks of Down into Silence from 2007 to 2020.

I have great memories from those years.

I got gigging experience and became familiar with studio recording.

In 2020, I moved to another town, 170 km away from the other band members.

I tried for a while to continue and go to training, but that year there were a lot of unpleasant things in my personal life, so my motivation dropped a bit in regards to everything.

And the distance to that as an equation, I could no longer continue in that life situation and decided to leave the band.

The band finally stopped its activities in 2022.

Jere:

Down into silence was stopped due to lack of motivation and time of the members.

A few years later, we decided to start a new band with Tommi in a new style.

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

Some of the album's lyrics are written by external authors.

For example, the author of the song "The Awakening" was inspired for the lyrics when he had read Jordan Peterson's writings and watched his Biblical series lectures on YouTube.

The inspiration for the lyrics of the song writer A Place Called Home came from her own real personal experiences at a young age.

The lyrics, which are our band's own handwriting on the album, were inspired by e.g.  The Gates Open title song is about people's selfishness, the evil of the world, the current way the world is going.

The song about death was inspired by the loss of a loved one.

But we also live in the Nordic countries, this northern dark season inspired us to make a song about that topic on the album.

But all the unpleasant things, bad events, etc. read daily inspire us.

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

Gates Open tells stories about the world's darkness, evil, life and death.

Part as fiction, part based on reality.

The gates are open, but where, you decide.

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

We have created the cover art of the album using artificial intelligence.

The picture was made based on the phrase "voice after silence", I probably wrote something else to it.  The picture chosen for the cover of the "Voice After Silence" album was just perfect for the cover of our debut album, there were a few other options.

The person in the picture, presumably a woman, looks into the distance and presumably hears a voice from somewhere far away.

That's how we see the picture ourselves.

And if we open up the idea of ​​the name of the album, we came up with it as a continuation with our new band Gates Open from our old band Down into Silence.

It was a few quiet years after the Down into Silence band broke up and as old members of that band we founded a completely new band Gates Open, so the name of the debut album was perfectly suited "Voice After Silence".

7.Currently there are only 2 members in the band are you open to expanding the line up or do you prefer to remain a duo?

Yes, that has been the idea, as long as we get a good line-up together.

Live gigs could certainly be offered soon, it would be great to also perform our songs live in the future.

We both have some live performance experience from our old band days.

8.The new album is going to be released on 'Inverse Records', how did you get in contact with this label?

Inverse Records approached us with a message last spring thanks to our own active promotion.

We don't know exactly where they did spotted us, but I assume it was from the conversations/broadcasts of the Swedish Veckans Band Metal Radio.

In this case, it was ideal that we didn't approach them, but they approached us, so somehow we immediately aroused interest.

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

All the feedback we have received has been nothing but positive.

It feels really great.

We hope that the general public, especially in metal community, will discover our band and find something for themselves in our songs, whatever that may be.

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

It very much depends on what Jere's note pencil turns out to be in terms of style.

Jere composes, Tommi sings.

Lyrics are created from both sides, partly together.

And if we get hold of great lyrics, we'll of course turn it into a song.

Together we fit the pieces to its final form.

Lets see what the future holds.

In any case, we would think that we will stay largely on the lines given by our first album, musically and stylistically.

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?

Tommi:

My own singing style at the Gates Open was largely influenced by the singing styles of Children of Bodom's Alexi Laiho, Cradle of Filth's Dani Filth, Dimmu Borgir's Shagrath, and Turmion Kätilöt's Spellgoth and Mc Raaka Pee.  Norther's Petri Lindroos should also be mentioned.

I listen to music everywhere, different genres, depending on my mood.

But mostly I listen to metal and nowadays I listen to a lot of all new bands and songs from various lists.

But Pantera, of course, is the world's best metal band of all time.

Currently, among Finnish bands, I recommend Warmen and Bloodred Hourglass.

But I also recommend checking out Inverse Records' wide range of music, there are really good bands there.

Recently, I've been listening to Inverse Record's Spotify list, a really hard set can be found in our own stable. 

I recommend getting to know, without mentioning more than one band.

Jere:

The first bands that made me pick up the guitar were Metallica, Sepultura, Pantera, Testament and so on.

Then came Dimmu Borgir, Immortal, Dissection, Children of Bodom, Cannibal Corpse to name a few, with whom I started listening to more Brutal metal.

From Finland, I recommend the Stam1na band if you are interested in Finnish-language metal and the Swedish Orbit Culture is currently being listened to.

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

Thanks for the interview!

It was great answering your questions.

Keep on rocking, stay metal!

https://www.facebook.com/gatesopenband 
https://www.instagram.com/gatesopenband 
https://gatesopen.bandcamp.com 

Sea Of Consciousness/Self Titled/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Sea  Of  Consciousness  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  plays  an  atmospheric,  melodic,  progressive  and  technical  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  and  self  released  2024  album.

  Synths  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  fast  and  melodic  direction  which  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  clear  singing,  death  emtal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  while  the  music  also  gets  very  technical  sounding  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a   very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  A  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  clean  sections  of  the  album  taking  the  music  into  more  of  a  progressive  direction.

  Tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  along  with  the  music  also  having  its  atmospheric  moments  and  one  of  the  tracks  is  also  an  instrumental  which  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  field  recordings.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  life's  struggles.    

  

  In  my  opinion  Sea  of  Consciousness  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric,  melodic,  progressive  and  technical  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sea  Of  Consciousness"  "Reflections"  and  "Torchbearer".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Sea_of_Consciousness/3540537389

https://www.facebook.com/SeaofConsciousness.official

https://instagram.com/sea.of.consciousness

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGJ3NqDCT/

https://seaofconsciousness.bandcamp.com/

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sea-of-consciousness/1625977396

https://www.deezer.com/en/artist/171124367

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4jMjkPnS3oAFqhngqKCo3o

https://soundcloud.com/sea-of-consciousness  

  

Gates Open/Voice After Silence/Inverse Records/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Gates  Open  are  a  duo  from  Finland  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Voice  After  Silence"  which  will  be  released  in  February  by  Inverse  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  aggressive  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls.  Elements  of  thrash  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  riffs.  

  Most  of  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  modern  era  while  a  few songs  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing.  Synths  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  album  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  most  of  the  recording  also  sticks  to  a  mid  tempo  direction.

  Gates  open  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  song.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover the  darker  side  of  the  world  and  mankind,  life  and  death.

  In  my  opinion  Gates  Open  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Awakening"  "A  Place  Called  Home"  "We  Are  No  More"  and  "Northern  Dark".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/gatesopenband 

https://www.instagram.com/gatesopenband 
https://gatesopen.bandcamp.com 

 

https://youtu.be/aJiwCXSQaW0

https://youtu.be/pUxw7F8ZdOQ

https://youtu.be/KcgtVqrLHsQ         

     

72 Legions/What A God Could Be/2023 EP Review

 

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Ohio's  72  Legions  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  brutal  and  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  the  ep  was  self  released  in  2023  and  called  "What  A  God  Could  Be".

  A  very  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilzied  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  the  vocals  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  brutal  sounding  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  music  also  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  modern  era,  synths  can  also  be  heard  in  the  background  briefly.  

  On  this  recording  72  Legions  goes  for  more  of  a  modern,  brutal  and  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  and  Anti  Religion  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  72  Legions  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  brutal  and  melodic  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Darker  And  Darker"  and  "What  A  God  Could  Be".  8 out  of  10.

  https://linktr.ee/72legionsband 

  

Aneon/The Chaos Of Your Wake/2023 Full length Review

 

  Aneon  are  a  solo  project  form  Texas  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2023  album  "The  Chaos  of  Your  Mind".

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  a  lot  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  songs  also  mix  in  elements  of  death  metal.

  Growls  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  some  of  the  riffing  also  shows  an  influence  of  the  Swedish  style.  Some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  of  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  when  they  are  utilized.

   Keyboards  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  of  tracks  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  music  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  modern  and  old  school  influences.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Aneon  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Awaken"  "Fragments  Of  Immortality"  and  "To  Depravity  i  Succumb".  8  out  of  10.

  

https://twitter.com/aneonmusic

https://open.spotify.com/artist/26rEJBE5vxF9mrYWV5OzxM

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/aneon/654962520

https://aneon.bandcamp.com/album/the-chaos-of-your-wake    

Blood Of The Wolf/IV: The Declaration Of War Eternal/Horror Pain Gore Death Productions/2022 Full Length Review

 

  Blood  Of  The  Wolf  are  a  band  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  melodic,  brutal  and  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  "IV:  The  Declaration  of  War  Eternal"  which  was  released  by  Horror  Pain  Gore  Death  Records.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  brutal  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  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,  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  and  the  whole  album  also  sticks  to  a  very  heavy  and  brutal  direction.

  On  this  recording  Blood  Of  The  Wolf  takes  their  blackened  style  of  death  metal  into  a  more  brutal  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  War  and  Violence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Blood  of  The  Wolf  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  brutal  and  melodic  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "With  Lightning  For  Vengeance"  "The  Sword  Everlasting"  "Ritual  overkill"  and  "The  Declaration  Of  War  Eternal".  8  out  of  10.

  https://bloodofthewolf.bandcamp.com/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0i8q3A1HKGWnwaGUxJrXqN

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSwwgEP5LNxnebthhCBIQTw

https://www.facebook.com/bloodofthewolfmusic/

https://www.instagram.com/bloodofthewolf.band/

  

    

Feleth/Divine Blight/Rob Mules Records/2022 Full Length Review

 

  Feleth  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  plays  a  melodic  and  technical  mixture  of  black,  death  metal  and  deathcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  Divine  Blight"  which  was  released  by  Rob  Mules  Records.

 

 Melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  off  the  album  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.  Vocals are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  blast  beats  and  the  music  also h as  its  technical  moments.

  Elements  of  deathcore  can  also  be  heard  in  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  tracks  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  album  along  with  the  recording  also  getting  very  brutal  sounding  at  times,  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  and  one  track  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  clear  vocals  and  keyboards.

  Feleth  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  a  melodic  form  of  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  technical  death  metal  and  deathcore  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  politics,  human  nature  and  environmentalism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Feleth  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  technical  mixture  of  black,  death  metal  and  deathcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Caretaker"  "The  Serpent"  "Deadlands"  and  "Avarice".  8  out  of  10.

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

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@feleth6872
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2gm0VpLO1JoQFZdnMUGwQO?si=_Id2tRrLSjGvyaFGmeO3YQ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/felethband/

      

 

 

72 Legions/Self Titled/2023 EP Review

 

  72  Legions  are  a  band  from  Cleveland,  Ohio  that  plays  a  brutal  and  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  and  self  released  2023  ep.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.  Vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Elements  of  thrash  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  old  school  and  modern  influences.  When t he  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  and  the  whole  recording  also  sticks  to  a  very  heavy  and  brutal  direction.

  72  Legions  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  brutal  and  melodic  forms  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  mixes   them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while t he  lyrics  cover  the  Ars  Goetia.

  In  my  opinion  72  Legions  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  brutal  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Paradise".  8 out  of  10.

  https://linktr.ee/72legionsband 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4TlavEuQFHlPiB4ElR8V5d

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/72-legions/1669580353

https://www.youtube.com/@72legions

https://www.instagram.com/72legionsband/

https://www.facebook.com/72Legions/