Voland/Voland III: Царепоклонство - Il culto degli Zar/2021 EP Review

 

  Voland  are  a  duo  from  Italy  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2021  ep  "Voland  III:  Царепоклонство  -  Il  culto  degli  Zar".

  Folk  instruments  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  symphonic  musical  direction  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  some  operatic  style  singing  also  being  utilized  at  times.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.  Some  of  the  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  one  song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

 When  guitar  solos  and  leads  ar e utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  are  also  added  onto  one  of  the  tracks  as  well as  the  recording  also  adding  in  some  elements  of  classical  music  and  the  2  closing  tracks  were  recorded  live,  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  Russian  History  and  the  Cult  of  Tsars.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Voland  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tzera  Roma"  and  "Lennigard".  8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp: https://volandblack.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/voland.band

Morgarten Interview

 

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

 

Well, as we finished the recordings around April 2020, there has not been so much going on since then with the band. We could play 2 shows since then, which would be ridiculous normally, but almost a miracle those days… Otherwise, we rehearsed the new songs, prepared the release of the new album and had a few kids.

 

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

 

I would say it’s more mature in every aspect. All the compositions are more interesting, there is more variation between the songs, the black parts are more black, the death parts more death and so on. I think it takes what makes Morgarten unique and brings it to another level. We added some clean vocals parts and bagpipes, which were not present on the previous record, but also many other elements. The recordings of the drums, the mixing and the mastering were done at Fascination Street studio, which really brought the sound to another level. I would say that if someone liked our previous album, he will definitely love this one!

 

3.This is also your first release in 6 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?

 

Yeah, you could think that we took a break with Morgarten during this time frame, but in fact we worked hard, haha. “Risen to Fight”, was our first album, so we really took the time to promote it, do some shows in Europe, before we started to work seriously on “Cry of the Lost”. We could for example do the opening for Finntroll, it was great! Then as we wanted to do a concept album with 12 songs, it took quite a lot of time to create the concept, compose the songs and so on. And with the Covid coming on board, we postponed the release date for a year.

 

4.The lyrics on the new recording are a concept album, can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical content present on the new release?

 

Yes, that’s right. In fact our previous album was also a concept album in which we told a story. If you read all the lyrics, you will have the complete story, but we were quite limited with the amount of text one can put in one song, so the tone was very narrative and superficial. For this new album we wanted to go deeper into the story so that the listener doesn’t just read the story, but can really live it and feel what the hero feels. So we decided to write a complete story and then just pick some key events of this tale to write a song about it. The lyrics were written in the first person, to immerse the listener into the story. To write our novel, we were inspired by the Swiss legendary hero called Arnold von Winkelried and included an event of his life into our story, which was then built around it.

 

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

 

The Artwork was done by David Benzal, a spanish artist, and the scene illustrates the song “The last Breath”. In this song, the hero of the story is caught in a snowstorm and is exhausted. He realises that his whole life may have been for nothing, as he will not be able to reach the goal of his quest if he falls today. We really wanted this cry of despair that he expresses when he realises that everything is in vain to come through in the artwork. A careful eye will see that the warrior is actually a member of the band ;-)

 

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

 

They are a few but “Elements of Rock”, “Devil’s Rock for an Angel”, and  the “Brainstorm Festival” were among the best shows we played. Oh, and the opening for Finntroll was crazy! I guess the best way to describe our stage performance is that we try to tell a story and give a positive message. We want to go deeper than just having fun drinking a beer while listening to a gig. Of course that’s part of what we want to share with the crowd, but even more we want the public to live the story with us and finish the concert with a smile, strength or motivation.

 

7.The new album is going to be released on 'Inner Wound Recordings', how did you get in contact with this label?

It was through our booking agency Desert Rose Agency. At first, we were a bit wary as we value our independence and didn’t really see the benefit of signing with a label. But the more we talked with them the more we saw they were serious. We don’t regret it at all, as they are great to work with.

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

 

We are amazed by the response to the clip of the single we released “To victory”: 250’000 views in about a month, that’s enormous for us. I mean, we received a lot of messages from all around the world, and it’s awesome to see how people take our concept, our lyrics and put their own interpretation on them. It’s great.

 

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

 

It's hard to say honestly. I think we're clearly going to stay close to what we've done so far in terms of atmospheres, concepts, emotions. We're going to keep that medieval/Celtic influence and try to improve every aspect of our music, but keep the variety of styles that we like to have between our songs. We will probably try to include new instruments or sounds, but sometimes we are rather spectators of what we create, so we’ll see!

We will also perform an acoustic show at the Brainstorm Festival on the 5th of November, so it could well allow us to explore new musical horizons

 

10.What are you currently listening to nowadays?

 

We cannot list everything that we are listening to in the band as we all listen to various styles of music/bands. I can just answer for myself (Pierric). These days I like to listen to some “acoustic neofolk” music, like the band “Thurnin” or to Atmospheric black metal with bands like “CânBardd” or “Eldamar”

 

11.Does Paganism play any role in your music?

 

No. Some people said we play pagan metal or something like that, but we don’t recognize ourselves in paganism at all.

 

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

 

Thank you for your job, and thank everyone that listen to our music and supports us!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MorgartenSwissMetal
 Website: http://www.morgarten.net

Chestcrush/Vdelygmia/2021 CD Review

 

  Chestcrush  are  a  duo  from  Scotland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black, sludge,  post,  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2021  album  "Vdelygmia"  which  will  be  released  in  July.

  Drones  start  off  the  album  while  stringed  instruments  and  whispers  can  also  be  heard  briefly  before  going  into a   heavier  direction.  Elements  of  sludge  metal  are  also  added  into  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  and  grindcore  influences.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  distorted  sounding  noises  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  recording.  Death  metal  growls  are  also  utilized  at  times  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  small  amount  of  melody  also  being  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  90's  underground  metal  style  as  well  as  some  tremolo  picking  also  being  added  into  some  of  the  faster  riffing  and  as  the  recording  progresses  small  touches  of  post  metal  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  violence  and  political  situation  in  Greece.

  In  my  opinion  Chestcrush  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  post,  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Digester"  "Theocracyst"  "Skullcrush"  and  "Vaptizetai  O  Doulos".  8  out  of  10. 

https://metaldevastationradio.com/thebeast/blog/14379/new-promo-chestcrush-vdelygmia-blackened-death-metal-sludge-grind 

    

Jarun/Rok Spokojnego Slonca/Godz Of War Productions/2021 CD Review

 

  Jarun  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  mixture  of  progressive,  folk  and  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2021  album  "Rok  Spokojnego  Slonca"  which  will b e  released  on  May  21st  by  Godz  of  War  Productions.

  A  very  fast  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  The  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  synths  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  album. 

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  folk  instruments  also  being  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Death  metal  growls  are  also  utilized  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  some  shouts  also  being  utilized  briefly,  as  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts,  acoustic  guitars  and  clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Polish  and  cover  nature  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Jarun  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  progressive  and  folk  influenced  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "W  Swiatlo  Stycznia"  and  "Pierwszy  Snieg".  8  out  of  10.

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Cult Of Occult/Ruin/Breathe Plastic Records/MusicFearSatan/2021 EP Review

 

  Cult  Of  Occult  are  a  band  from  France  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  blackened  mixture  of  drone,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2021  ep  "Ruin"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  by  Breathe  Plastic  Records  and  musicFearSatan.

  Distorted  sounding  drones  start  off  the  ep  before  adding  in  a  very  slow  and  powerful  bass  guitar  which  also  introduces  elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  onto  the  recording.  After  the  heavy  guitar  riffs  are  added  into  the  music  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  also  start  making  their  presence  known.

  Both  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  vocals  also  add  in  more  of  a  deep  yet  aggressive  growling  sludge  metal  style  vocals  at  times.  Dark  sounding  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  some  clean  playing  also  being  utilized  briefly  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  dark  style  when  they  are  added  onto  the  recording.

  When  synths  are  utilized  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  a  nightmare  oriented  atmosphere  and  on  the  second  track  the  vocals  also  start  getting  more  deep  and  demonic  sounding  as  well  as  all  of  the  music  also  sticking  to  a  slower  direction  as  well  as  the  second  track  also  being a   re-mixed  version  of  the  first  song.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover satanism,  alcohol  and  hatred  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Cult  Of  Occult  and  if  you  sre  a  fan  of  drone,  black,  sludge  and  doom  metal.  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  8  out  of  10.

www.facebook.com/cultofoccult

www.cultofoccult.bandcamp.com       

Eonian Interview

 

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

 

Eonian is a symphonic extreme metal solo project that I started in early 2020, mostly as way to keep my mind busy during the first lockdown. It originated as an instrumental project, but as I began composing and recording the first songs, I changed directions and decided to incorporate lyrics and harsh vocals.

 

2.You have an ep coming out this year, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

 

I have always been a fan of bands that combine all the elements of metal music with epic orchestras and choirs, no matter the style of metal they play. I have spent countless hours listening to bands like Nightwish, Epica, Blind Guardian, and Rhapsody of Fire, but for this project I thought that darker compositions with black/death metal vocals fit better. 

 

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

 

“The Nomad” is a concept EP. All five songs tell the story of the protagonist, a mysterious character condemned by the gods to drift through hostile lands for eternity after his reign of terror is overthrown. The lyrics borrow from myths, legends, and fantasy, but there is also a subtle social commentary against dictatorships and the use of violence to subdue the population, which is what ultimately brings about the downfall of this character.

 

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

 

The name of my project is as a homage to one of the pioneers of this genre, Dimmu Borgir. ‘Eonian’ is the title of their latest album, released in 2018. I wanted a short name and ‘Eonian, which means “everlasting” or “continuing forever,” goes really well with the story I tell in the EP and the character’s forced exile and perpetual search for a place to call home. 

 

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

 

Spanish digital artist Javier Barjollo created the artwork for “The Nomad” and he absolutely nailed it. The cover captures the mysteriousness of the protagonist, accentuated by his glowing blue eyes that are reminiscent of those of the White Walkers from Game of Thrones and serve to dehumanize him and to show that there is something evil in him.

 

6.This band is mostly a solo project but would you consider working with a full line up in live performances?

 

Definitely. I played in a couple of bands before I moved to the US, and I miss being on stage.

Now that things seem to be slowly opening up again (at least here in NYC) it would be very cool to play these songs live and to write new songs with a band. 

 

7.You also have a great amount of session musicians on the recording, can you tell us a little bit more about who they are and also their contributions on the recording?

 

11 session musicians from all over the globe collaborated in this EP. Every single one of them brought something to the table that I could never have come up with myself. Ex-Entrails drummer Freddy Ortscheid (Sweden), Helioss’s vocalist DM (France), Koroth’s bassist Francesco Loconte (Italy), and orchestra composer Diego Soldi (Argentina), recorded in all of the songs. The rest of the guest musicians recorded solos. There are two guest guitar solos, performed by Frozen Shield’s Isaac “Whitefingers” Solanas (Spain) and Dethknell’s Manish Kashyap (India); two violin solos, recorded by Margarita Chernova (Russia) and Tales of Gaia’s Néstor Català (Spain), who shredded in his electric violin; and three keyboard/piano solos, performed by Utópica’s keyboardist Pablo Pallares (Argentina), Desvirtual’s Andrés Samboní (Mexico), and Polina Chornaya (Ukraine).

 

 

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

 

Having the support of a label obviously makes things easier and, if a label were interested, I would definitely hear what they have to say. However, getting signed is not a priority at the moment for me. 

 

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

 

So far, the feedback has been very positive. I will be able to tell you more once the EP is officially released, but I’m pleased to see that people are reacting so well to it.

 

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

 

I already have a lot of ideas for a new EP. Like I mentioned, it would be great to transform this project into a band and to write new songs with other members. In the meantime, my plan is to start recording the first demo by myself during the summer, in order to visualize better what works and what does not. We will go from there!

 

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?

 

To write this EP, I took inspiration from bands such as Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth, Emperor, Fleshgod Apocalypse, and Gorgon. When I’m not writing, I like listening to instrumental stuff. For example, lately I have been listening a lot to some of my guitar heroes, especially to John Petrucci, Paul Gilbert, Kiko Loureiro, Andy James, Nita Strauss, and Angel Vivaldi. I have also been listening to Bodom After Midnight’s EP. Alexi Laiho was one of the main reasons I picked up the electric guitar, and his last compositions are amazing. He influenced an entire generation of guitar players, and his legacy will live on forever.

 

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

 

I would like to thank all of my guest musicians for making this EP a reality and for their awesome performances. I would also like to thank Fernán Nebiros, from Peruvian death metal legends Mortem, for his involvement in the early stages of this project and for his valuable input. And lastly, I want to thank you for this interview and for your positive review of “The Nomad”!

Red Antlers/Deadwood/2021 Full Length Review

 

  Red  Antlers  are  a  band  from  Gothenburg,  Sweden  that  plays  a  mixture  of  post  black  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2021  album  "Deadwood"  which  will  be  released  on  May  21st.

   A  very  dark  and  distorted  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Blast  beats  are  also  added  into  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  the  vocals  being  done  in  a  very  angry  and  shouting  blackened  metal  style.

   Elements  of  sludge  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  while  the  music  also  adds  in  a  lot  of  post  metal  influences.  Clear  vocals  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  recording  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  and  one  track  also  introduces  clean  playing  onto  the  album.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  a  couple  of  the  tracks  also  being  instrumentals  as  well  as  most  of  the  music  also  sticking  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  fast  playing  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Swedish  and  cover  the  psyche  of  man  and  actual  real  life  events.    

  In  my  opinion  Red  Antlers  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  post  black  and  sludge  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Opia"  and  "Kenopsia".  8  out  of  10.  

https://www.facebook.com/RedAntlersOfficial/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaj-UbzD7PFSC1jbQ-IxdBA

https://www.instagram.com/redantlersswe/