Mourning Veil/Heresy Code/2024 Full Length Review

 

     Mourning  Veil  are  a  band  with  members  from  Iowa  and  Nebraska  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2024  album  "Heresy  Code".

  The  sounds  of  fire  burning  and  classical  guitars  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  direction  which  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Black  metal  screams  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody.

  Death  metal  growls  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  album  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  technical  style  along  with  the  tracks  also  mixing  in  a  good  amount  of  thrash  metal  elements,.

 All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  one  track  also  adding  slam  style  breakdowns  in  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  track  and  as  the  album  progresses  classical  guitars  also  make  a  return.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  death,  heresy  and  esoteric  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Mourning  Veil  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal,  melodic  and  technical  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Gnostic  Deceiver"  "Closing  In"  Before  The  Clutches"  and  "Conspirators  Of  Atrocity  III:  Shameless".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.instagram.com/mourningveilband/

  

Vale Of Pnath/Between The Worlds Of Life And Death/Willowtip Records/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Vale  Of  Pnath  are  a  band  from  Denver,  Colorado  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  melodic  and  technical  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Between  The  Worlds  Of  Life  And  Death"  which  will b e  released  in  may  by  Willowtip  Records.

   Cello's  start  off  the  album  which  also  gives  the  music  an  atmosphere  of  a  horror  movie  soundtrack  along  with  some  choirs  and  symphonic  touches  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  direction.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.

  Tremolo  picking  can  also b e  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  technical  sounding  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  when  they  are  utilized  as  well  as  one  track  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing.

  On  this  recording  Vale  of  Pnath  takes  a  melodic  and  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  technical  death  metal  to  create  a  very  aggressive  sounding  recording.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  science  fiction  and  horror  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Vale  Of  Pnath  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic,  symphonic  and  technical  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Silent  Prayers"  "Uncertain  Tomorrow"  and  "Burning  Light".  8 out  of  10.

  linktr.ee/valeofpnath.      

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

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   

Nothing Is Real/Acts of Despair And Faith/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Los  Angeles,  California's  solo  project   Nothing  Is  Real  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  progressive,  psychedelic  and  technical  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  doom  metal  and  experimental  noise  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2024  album  "Acts  of  Despair  And  Faith"  which  will  be  released  in  April.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  distorted  and  heavier  direction  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  tracks  also  adding  in  a  good  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  psychedelic  sounds  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  great  portion  of  the  songs  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  tracks  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  technical,  progressive  and  experimental  sounding  as  well  as  adding  in  a  good  amount  of  noise  rock  touches.  All  of  the  songs  also  sticks  to  an  instrumental  direction   and  a  lot  of  the  music  also  adds  in  more  of  an  improvised  atmosphere  while  the  production  also  sounds  very  professional.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Nothing  Is  Real  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  progressive,  psychedelic, technical  black,  sludge,  doom  metal  and  experimental  noise  rock,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Block  The  light"  and  "Split".  8  out  of  10.

  

Bandcamp

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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  

  

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/

      

 

 

The Convalescence/Harvesters Of Flesh And Bone/Cleopatra Records/2023 Full Length Review

 

  The  Convalescence  are  a  band  from  Ohio  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal  and  deathcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  album  "Harvesters  Of  Flesh  And  Bone"  which  was  released  by  Cleopatra  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  vocals  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  also b ringing  in  elements  of  deathcore.

 At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  technical  sounding  along  with  some   tremolo  picking  also  being  added   in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror  and  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  The  Convalescence  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  symphonic  black  metal  and  deathcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Reaper"  "Sacrificial Offering"  "Undead  Swarm"  and  "Experiment  Complete".  8  out  of  10.

  ​http://tconband.com​

​https://www.facebook.com/theconvalescence​
​https://www.instagram.com/theconvalescenceofficial​
​https://twitter.com/tconband

Exdestrier/Glorious Barbarism/2023 EP Review

 

  Exdestrier  are  a  band  from  Scotland  that  plays  a  progressive  mixture  of  black  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2023  ep  "Glorious  Barbarism"  which  will  be  released  in  April.

  A  very  powerful  sounding  bass  guitar  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  elements  of  sludge  metal.  The  solos  and  leads  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  one  of  the  tracks  is  also  an  instrumental.

  Vocals  are  mostly  done  in  a  blackened  metal  style  along  with  some  growls  also  being  utilized  at  times  while  the  music  also  has  its  progressive  moments.  On  some  of  the  tracks  the  riffing  goes  into  more  of  a  technical  direction  as  well  as  a  a  couple  of  the  songs  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  clear  stoner  vocals  and  shots  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  one  song  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing.

  Exdestrier  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  sludge  and  progressive  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  fantasy  realms,  tales  of  medieval  landscapes, gruesome  warriors  and  a  looming  gloom.

  In  my  opinion  Exdestrier  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  mixture  of  black  and  sludge  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Glorious  Oblivion"  and  "The  Place  Of  Grim  Reckoning".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/Exdestrier  

    

        

Apokatastasis/The Consecratory Secretion/Hessian Firm/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Apokatastasis  are  a  solo  project  from  Phoenix,  Arizona  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  album  "The  Consecratory  Secretion"  which  will  be  released  in  2023  by  Hessian  Firm.

  A  keyboard  orientated  intro  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier,  darker  and  brutal  direction.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  lot  of  blast  beats  can  also b e  heard.

  Vocals  are  mostly  deep  yet  guttural  sounding  death  metal  growls  while  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  are  also  utilized  at  times.  Tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  also  has  its  technical  moments.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in   a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  also  bringing  in  elements  of  slam,  keyboards  also  make  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  tracks  being  long  and  epic  in  length  and  melodic  chants  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Divine  Wrath  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Apokatastasis  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  and  melodic  blackened  death  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Divine  Hypocrisy"  "Black  perversion"  "Dejected  Core  of  Earth"  and  "God  Save  Us".  8  out  of  10.

  

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Renunciation Interview

 

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

The band was established in 2019 as a side-project of four skilled and experienced musicians. The main music idea was to mix elements of different heavy metal subgenres (especially black and death metal) in an inventive cocktail and still remain comprehensible without falling into an experimental and eclectic approach. At this moment Renunciation has released 2 singles and one EP, the full-length album will be out in October. More on that below.

2. In October you have your first full length coming out, musically how does it differ from your previous ep?

The album will be more technical, intensive and solid than our music was before. The EP was more experimental and now we are on the way to find our unique style.

3. According to the Facebook page you refer to your music as being 'Desecrative Black metal', can you tell us a little bit more about this term?

This refers to our lyric themes. We try to fight religious illusions in a broad sense in a more intelligent ways that it is usually done in extreme metal. As regards the term, we found the word 'desecrative' in a dictionary and decided that it sounds cool.

4. All of the band members are also in other bands, what is it that you bring into the music of 'Renunciation' that you are not able to do with your other groups?

Some bands that the members play in are more technical and progressive than Renunciation, some are more traditional. Renunciation is an attempt to be at the margin of perspicuity, so to say.

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

As we said before, main topic is intellectual criticism of religious and magic worldview. We don't sing about nuns masturbating with crucifix or obscurant occult things. Songs with Russian lyrics are mostly about fate and personal choice.

6. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Renunciation'?

Band name is related to the main lyric concept: renunciation of dogmas, illusions and invalid constructs that spoil human consciousness.

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

The cover art isn't just a strange feast. It shows symbols of main religions in state of decay and destruction: rotting fish (christianity), crescent piece of moldy cheese (islam), broken menorah (judaism), faded lotuses (hinduism and buddhism). They are situated in art over earth regions which are usually associated with the corresponding religion. Spilled wine of course symbolizes the blood of mankind.

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

We never played live but definitely age going to. Renunciation was a side project for everyone involved but now becomes the main band for some of us. So live shows are highly expected in 1-2 years.

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

The reaction was very positive but limited of course. We have only one EP released but hope that the album will consolidate this success.

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

We have distributed our EP via Portuguese label Brutal Cave Productions, the album will be released via Russian label Sound Age. We are open to other proposals but realize that we don't live in 80's and no one will provide us with a tour bus full of whores and cocaine just for good music. Let us become more than just another underground band from "the rest of the world" and then we will see...

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

Alexey (guitar) and Vadim (bass) play together in technical/progressive death metal band Humaniac, which released a new album this August. Insane stuff (without too much modesty we say), but not for all. Our vocalist Demether has three own projects: Zmey Gorynich (slavonic folk deathcore), Bes (heathen black metal), Grailight (symphonic epic metal) and also sings in many other death metal and sympho-black metal bands. Polina (drums) is also playing in all-female extreme metal band Blackthorn and melodic death metal band Instorm, both bands are preparing new LP's.

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

It depends on reaction to the album, we want to analyze the feedback we will get. But Renunciation definitely won't be more primitive or lighter.

13.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?

Main influences are technical death and black metal classics, however, we don't ignore modern tendencies and sometimes incorporate them in our music. As regards our music tastes, we still mostly listen to black and death metal in all variations but also like less extreme types of metal and non-metal music too: post-rock, folk, classical music, darkwave etc.

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

Thank you for your interest and not cliched questions. Check out our new album in October, there's a lot interesting to hear.

https://renunciation.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Renunciation.band/

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

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6I6upPO89YthG7Bbvpnk3a

Renunciation/Autelmorte/2022 Full length Review

 

  Renunciation  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  technical  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2022  album  "Autelmorte"  which  will be  released  in  October.

  A  very  fast  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  emtal  growls  and  high  pitched  black  metal  screams while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  yet  technical  style  while  aggressive  shouts  can  also  be  heard  at  times.  Acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  on  one  of  the  tracks  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  both  old  school  and  modern  influences  as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  back  up  shouts  into  the  music,  spoken  word  parts  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  one  track  is  also  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Renunciation  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  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  "Ariopolis"  and  "Kugelblitz".  8  out  of  10.

  https://renunciation.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Renunciation.band/

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

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6I6upPO89YthG7Bbvpnk3a

      

  

Epoch Of Unlight Interview

 

Questions answered by Scott Baggett (vocals) and Tino LoSicco (Drums):

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

Scott: We recorded the album from October 2021 to December 2022, with mixing and overdubs done for the next few months after that. Since then we’ve actually been working on material for the next album (we don’t intend to wait 17 years for the next one!) and playing shows locally here in Memphis (opening for Obituary was definitely a dream come true for me, John Tardy is the blueprint for extreme vocals). Once the album is officially released, we plan to do some short tours to promote it.

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

Scott: A couple of things have changed since the last album – John Fortier has joined since then, and brought with him a melodic and technical lead style, and he has also written or contributed to the new songs, which added a new dynamic to the songwriting. I also joined and I think I’ve got a much different style than previous vocalists.

Tino: Given the amount of time we've worked on some of these songs, my hope is that the natural progession of the band is reflected in the final product. We were able to spend as much time as we needed during the recording and mixing process. Given this was a luxury we did not have on the previous 3 full-lengths, we were able in my opinion to really capture the sound of the band with all the nuances we've tried to incorporate into the music over the years.  

3.This is also your first full length since 2022 and while there was an ep in 2015 and a couple of demos released between then and 2017 there has not been much in the way of new material, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?

Scott: In my opinion, the lack of new recorded material was due to lineup changes, mostly. I joined in 2016, but even not being in the band before then, I’d see guys come and go. It’s difficult to sit down and create something permanent like an album with a shifting lineup like that. We chose to re-record the songs from the EP with the current lineup not because we lacked new material, but because we didn’t want those songs to be forgotten, since that EP wasn’t properly released, plus Alan Burcham did an amazing job with the recording, so those songs sound brand new to us.

Tino: Even with the line-up changes, we never stopped writing, rehearsing and performing since the last album. Most of our shows during this time were more regional than national. We did play some of that new music live. It just didn't have the exposure as the previous releases.

 

4.The newer music is also more death metal orientated than previous releases while that influence has always been a huge part of your musical style, what was the decision behind going into this direction?

Scott: I probably had a little to do with that just with my vocal style. In my other bands, I mostly did deep vocals, with some highs thrown in for dynamics. Epoch’s vocals were previously almost entirely based on highs. When you throw in the deep vocals and mid-highs, the music sort of transforms itself into death metal.

Tino:  There was really no conscious decision to steer the music toward one particular influence. It's possible that some of the production plays a role. But to Scott's point, his vocals lean toward a more traditonal, extremely brutal, death metal style.

 

5. A lot of your lyrics over the years have covered fantasy, horror and science fiction themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics and also are there any certain authors that have had an influence on your songwriting?

Scott: In the past. Tino wrote almost all of the lyrics, but I wrote half the lyrics on this album to take some of that workload off of him -- writing lyrics is hard! My style in other bands has been more rooted in realism, typically with "anti-religious zealotry" themes, so I tried to weave that into the sci-fi/fantasy realm Epoch is known for. For the next album, I plan to lean more into sci-fi themes since I’m a huge fan of science fiction, with my favorite author being Isaac Asimov. As to who wrote which lyrics on this album, you can probably tell because Tino has a bigger vocabulary than I do!

Tino: I am a huge fan of the English author Brian Lumley. So much so that I emailed Mr. Lumley years ago asking for his permission to use a line from his novel for our first album title (a phrase common to his Necroscope series). It would be difficult for me to detail every aspect of his novels that I enjoy. Primarily, I am a fan of his writing style. Lumley is very detailed in his narratives, frequently describing stories-within-stories. He never seems at a loss for new character background that fit perfectly within the confines of the sci-fi/horror based worlds he created. Best of all, when Lumley writes about his creatures, there is no mistaking them for the "young-adult" sparkly vamps that have saturated the genre.

 

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

Scott: It was done by Eka Saputra, who goes by the business name of Pzychopart. He has a pretty unique style, and you’ll notice his art on a lot of metal releases the past few years. Great guy to work with. We gave him the concept and it was almost like he read our minds when we received the rough draft. I think it matches the style of the lyrics, could be the cover of an old sci-fi paperback book. He’s responsive and patient, and his prices are reasonable, so please check him out on Facebook!

7.The band was also considered a part of the original U.S black metal, do you feel you have been influential musically to later bands that also come from your home country?

Tino: Although it would be flattering for the band to be considered an influence on others, I'd be hard-pressed to name any current bands that I felt were directly influenced by us musically. (However, considering we've had so many people in the band over the years, there's bound to be a similar sounding riff floating somewhere out there in the musical ether.)  

 

8.out of all the tours and shows you have played over the years, which one stands out the most?

Tino: I've appreicated all of the opportunities we've had to really hit the road. If I had to pick 1, I'd say the 2 week tour we did with Enslaved still stands out the most to me. On this tour, both bands piled into a 15 passenger van with along with 2 of our friends that helped drive and run merch. [#cozy]  This was the only tour we did where we had the opportunity to travel and really get to know the band on the tour....and when its one of your favorite bands that is also overflowing with creative talent, energy and humor, it makes for an incredible and rare experience.

 

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

Scott: Yes! We really haven’t done much touring because you typically tour to promote something, and we haven’t had anything new to promote. Now that we have a new album out, we plan to do some short tours. We all have jobs that make it impossible to do long stretches of touring, but we’re going to try to do as much as we can.

 

10.The new album is going to be released on 'Dark Horizon Records', how would you compare working with this label to your previous label 'The End Records'?

Scott: I wasn’t around for The End, so I’ll let Tino answer that part. But working with DHR and the owner Typhus has been great. The guy has been around as long as we have, running his label and being in various extreme metal bands (Morpheus Descends, for example), so if he wants to release an album, it means he’s into it. This release is more of a distribution partnership, which is what we actually sought since we were shopping a finished product. Check out the DHR roster and you’ll see he has an ear for quality extreme metal.

Tino:  As Scott mentioned, our collaboration with DHR has been a good experience for the reasons he mentioned and we are excited going forward.

Our work with T.E.R. was different in nature. As a new label working with a young band, they provided us with some unique opportunities [early tour support and a recording budget] to which I was appreciative of while they were developing their business model.  We were part of the initial roster of the label and one of the few bands that actually played live during that time so I feel that we mutually benefitted each other.  

 

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

Scott: Fans of black metal might be a little disappointed that we don’t still sound like the first two albums, but the last album was already trending towards the style we play now, so delving deeper into the death metal side of things shouldn’t be a surprise. Overall though, the reaction has been positive, even from people who were fans since the USBM demo days. Our fans seem excited about the release, which just really makes all the work we put into it worth it.

Tino: I think only time will tell with this new release. The intial feedback has been very positive which is exciting after so much time. The music has all of the elements that we've always had, just with a more refined approach which I think fans of both genres should be able to appreciate.

 

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

Scott: Since I’m not a good guitarist, I could only lend my vocals to a side project, and this style of “singing” really takes a toll, so I’m content just focusing on this band. Josh has been in another band for a long time called Powers That Be. Joe has also has a couple of side projects he’s spinning up that are far different than Epoch of Unlight, but they are currently in their early stages. We keep John locked in a box so that he can't play in other bands ... or rather he works a lot and only has time for Epoch.

Tino:  "Incineration" (death/grind from Memphis) is still going strong and we are finalizing the material for our next recording later this year. "Ash of Cedars" (black metal from Arkansas and TN) has been on a hiatus for the last few years with everyone in the bands schedules however I am hopeful that things pick up later this year/early 2023.

 

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

Tino: We are already working on music for the follow up. We have about 10 songs so far and they follow as a natural progression from the new recording in both intensity and melody. (With Josh and John in the band I'm sure there will be their fair share of leads/solos as well. )

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

Scott: It may seem odd, but I don’t listen to a whole lot of death metal. I love it of course, but these days there’s so much music out there, I just gravitate towards great songwriting, no matter the genre. The last Voivod record, amazing as always. Haunt is another band I’ve been listening to a lot lately.

Tino: On the Metal side, bands like AngelCorpse, December Wolves, Kreator, Immolation and Terrorizer never get old to me.  "Newer" bands like Havukruunu, Harakiri for the Sky, VLTIMAS, Werewolves, and Winterfylleth are also in heavy rotation for me. (That new Dio mix is pretty killer as well.) I also have a healthy interest in bands like Lazerhawk, BMSR, Tobacco and Zombi.

 

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

Scott: On behalf of the other guys, I apologize for taking so long to release a new album! I assure you, the final product is worth your time and will reward your patience.

Tino:  Thank you for the support and the interview! (And as a somewhat biased participant, I can confirm Scott's sentiments that fans of this music will not be disappointed!)

https://epochofunlight.bandcamp.com/ 

Epoch Of Unlight/At War With The Multiverse/Dark Horizon Records/2022 Full Length Review

 

  Epoch  Of  Unlight  are  a  band  from  Memphis,  Tennessee  that  has  a  history  that  goes  back  to  the  90's  and  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  "At  War  With  the  Multiverse"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Dark  Horizon  Records.

  A  very  heavy  yet  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  technical  sounding  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  One  of  the  tracks  also  introduces  synths  and  clean  playing  onto  the  recording  along  with  the  music  also  having  its  brutal  moments  as  well  as  the  music  also  mixing  the  90's  style  in  with  a  more  modern  day  brutality.

  On  this  recording  Epoch  Of  Un light  expands  on  their  more  death  metal  side  of  their  musical  style  as  well  as  retaining  the  melodic  black  metal  elements  of  previous  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  fantasy  and  science  fiction  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Epoch  Of  Unlight  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  and  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Numbing  Stillness"  "Beneath  A  Dying  Sun"  :Night  Hunt"  and  "The  Lie  of  Tomorrow's  Dream".  8  out  of  10.

https://epochofunlight.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/EpochOfUnlight

https://www.instagram.com/epochofunlight/

Epoch of Unlight Spotify

https://youtu.be/xBRwNb5XE4Q

  

    

Bekor Qilosh/Throes Of Death From The Dreamed Nihilism/I, Voidhanger Records/2022 Full Length Review

 

    Bekor  Qilosh  are  a  solo  project  from  Italy  that  plays  an  avant  garde  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2022  album  "Throes  Of  Death  From  The  Dreamed  Nihilism"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  I,  Voidhanger  Records.

  Black  metal  screams  and  heavy  riffing  starts  off  the  album  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.  Death  metal  growls  are  also  utilized  at  times  along  with  the  music  also  having  its  technical  and  progressive  moments  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  technical  style  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Synths  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  tracks  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  avant  garde  elements  as  well  as  adding  in  some  synths,  stringed  instruments  and  session  work  from  members  of  Cosmic  Putrefaction,  Landscape  Of  Zeroes  Fleshgod  Apocalypse  and  Sadist,  .

  Bekor  Qilosh  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  progressive  black,  technical  death  and  avant  garde  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  nihilistic  and  apocalyptic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Bekor  Qilosh  are  a  very  great  sounding  avant  garde  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  "Cryptic  hatred"  and  "Wretched  Dawn".  8  out  of  10.

https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/throes-of-death-from-the-dreamed-nihilism