Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Ensiferum/Unsung Heroes/Spinefarm/2012 CD Review


  Ensiferum  are  a  band  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  pagan/folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Unsung  Heroes"  which  was  released  by  Spinefarm.

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  drumming  with  not  much  in  the  way  of  fast  playing  or  blast  beats,  while  the  synths  bring  a  very  epic  and  symphonic  sound  to  the  music  mixed  in  with  some  violins  that  bring  the  folk  music  elements  to  the  music,  as  for  the  bass playing  it  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  folk  metal  riffs  that  have  some  melodic  death  and  black  metal  influences  being  thrown  into  the  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  full  chords  and  finger  picking  to  give  the  music  a  medieval  feeling.

  Vocals  range  from  deep  death  metal  screams,  high  pitched  black  metal screams  to  clean  singing  male  and  female  viking/folk  metal  vocals  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts,  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Ensiferum  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  pagan/folk  metal  band  and  if  you  are a  fan  of  this  style  of  music,  you  should  check out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "In  My  Sword  I  Trust"  "Celestial  Bond"  "Retribution  Shall  Be  Mine"  and  "Passion  Proof  Power".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

http://www.earsplitcompound.com/site/2012/08/10/ensiferum-new-video-for-%E2%80%9Cin-my-sword-i-trust%E2%80%9D-unveiled/

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Dethcentrik/I Think You Got The Clean Version/Dod Incarnate Records/2012 CD Review


  Dethcentrik  are  a  band  from  Colorado  Springs,  Colorado  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical style  that  combines  black  metal,  doom,  punk,  industrial  and  noise  together  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "I  Think  You  Got  The  Clean  Version"  which  was  released  by  Dod  Incarnate  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  good  amount  of  brutal  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  programming  brings  elements  of  experimental,  harsh  noise  and  industrial  elements  to  the  music.

  Regular  guitars  and  bass  are  all  absent  from  this  recording  with  the  drums  and  programming  making  up  for  the  brutality  and  still  showing  you  can  bring  metal  elements  into  the  music  without  using  these  traditional  instruments.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal/noisecore  screams  mixed  in  with  some  spoken  word  industrial  elements,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  hateful  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  album  from  Dethcentrik  and  if  you  where  a  fan  of  their  previous  recordings,  you  should  enjoy  this  one  as  well.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Let  Us  Pray"  "Realization  Of  Being  In  Hell"  and  "A  Quick  Yet  Painful  Death".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

https://www.facebook.com/Dethcentrik/

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Sarah Jezebel Deva/Malediction/Listenable Records/2012 EP Review


  Sarah  Jezebel  Deva  is  an  artist  from  the  United  kingdom  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  which  plays  a  gothic  and  symphonic  form  of  metal  with  a  black  and  doom  metal  touch  and  this  is  a  review  of  her  2012  ep  "Malediction"  which  was  released  by  Listenable  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  drumming  with  not  much  in  the  way  of  fast  playing  or  blast  beats,  while  the  keyboards  bring  a  very  atmospheric,  gothic  and  symphonic  sound  to  the  music,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to mid  paced  gothic  metal  riffs  that  utilize  some  black  and  doom  metal  influences  as  well  as  a  great  amount  of  melody  being  thrown  into  the  riffing  and  there  are  little  to  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  are  mostly  clean  singing  female  vocals  as  well  as  some  male  clean  vocals  along  with  some  deep  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  being  utilized  on  the  last  song  in  addition  there  is  also  a  brief  spoken  word  part,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Sarah  Jezebel  Deva  and  if  you  are  a fan  of  her  past  work,  you  should  enjoy  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "This  Is  My  Curse".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Windfaerer/Solar/2012 EP Review


  Windfaerer  are  a  band  from  New  Jersey  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  that  mixes  melodic  black  metal  and  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2012  ep  "Solar".

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffs  that  dominate  throughout  the  recording, as  for  the   violins  when  they  are  utilized  they  bring  the  folk  music  elements  to  the  music.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  melodic  black  metal  with  death  and  folk  metal,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  black  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  classical  guitars  when t hey  are  utilize  they  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  bring  a  medieval  sound  to  the  music.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  some  death  metal g rowls,  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism  and  Nature  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording  and  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  recording  from  Windfaerer  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black  metal  mixed  with  death  and  folk  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Glimpse  Of  Light"  "Blackened  Voids"  and  "The  Morning  Star".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.


Monday, July 2, 2012

Wulfshon/Prinnit Mittilagart/Art Gates Records/2012 CD Review


   Wulfshon  are  a  band  from  Argentina  that  plays  pagan  black  metal  with  a  melodic  death  metal  edge  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Prinnit  Mittilagart"  which  was  released  by  Art  gates  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  good  amount  of  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  melodic  pagan/black  metal  with  death  metal  along  with  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  black/death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads, a s  for  the  classical  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  give  the  music  a  medieval  feeling.

  Vocals  range  from  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  to  deep  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  parts  and  clean  singing,  while  the  lyrics  Norse  Paganism  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Wulfshon  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  melodic  pagan/black  metal  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style  of  music,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Death  In  The  Light"  "Sons  Of  Wolves"  and  "Pride  Of  Death".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Monday, May 28, 2012

Osman Arabi/Beast Mutation Rituals/Kalpamantra/2011 Album Review


   Osman  Arabi  are  a  band  from  Libya  that  plays  dark  ambient/drone  with  a  black  metal  influence  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011  album  "Beast  Mutation  Rituals"  which  was  released  by  Kalpamantra.

  Synths  bring  a  very  dark  ambient  and  atmospheric  drone  sound  to  the  music,  while  the  sound  effects  bring  in  harsh  noise  and  psychedelic  sounds  to  this  long  and  epic  25  minute  song  which  uses  a  variety  of  many  different  sounds,  as  well  as  some  samples  from  black  metal  songs.

  Vocals  when  they  are  utilized  are  mostly  black  metal  screams  with  some  spoken  word  samples  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  song  theme  revolves  around  dark  occult  rituals,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Osman  Arabi  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark  ambient/ritual/drone/Black Metal  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED.

https://www.facebook.com/electrifyingtheair/

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Dreaming Dead Interview


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

Things are a bit on the mellow side right now. Gearing up to play a few shows in So. Cal, while working on putting new material together. Aside from that I’ve been swamped with all the 
‘business’ aspect of being in a band. Manufacturing cds & vinyl, filling order, overseeing PR, etc.
Keeps me outta trouble.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and how it differs from the older releases?

It’s hard to describe the sound of this album in general terms. There are so many different
passages throughout the album that emanate feelings of sorrow, anger, doubt, resolution. 
If anything this album, from beginning to end, takes you on an full circle experience.
And unlike previous releases it’s easy to say we wrote this album together, from the heart 
and during what might be the most challenging times of our lives.

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

My initial thought was to engulf and conceptualize the idea of nightmares 
throughout the entire album. The end result is the personification and atmosphere 
of that idea itself throughout each song. 


4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the band’s name?

Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft. It’s somewhat of a play of words that portrays a sense 
of imbalance, challenging the idea of our inner reality or dreams vs. our surroundings. 
We dream when we sleep and when we’re awake. We die when our dreams are shattered.

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

Our best shows were definitely on the Nile tour we did a few years back. Best crowds, bands, etc.
Our set usually runs between 30 to 40min. We mix things up a lot between our 2 album. We play very closely to the songs. Once someone told me we sound just like the album, but I feel we play better live than in the studio. Our performances are always high energy and high quality.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the new release?

We’re currently piecing together a  small West Coast tour for July 2012. Other
than that, for the time being, we’re keeping it fairly local.



7. Currently you are unsigned are you looking for a label and if so, what kind of label do you feel that would be a perfect fit for your music?

At this point I have completely abandoned the idea of searching for a label. It’s a huge
waste of time for me to force that idea after all my efforts in finding one and for absolutely 
nothing to come of it. 
The perfect fit for our music is a label that believes and ready to make shit happen.

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

After releasing the album we have received tons of amazing reviews from all over the world,
orders from Germany, Finland, France, Spain, etc. The response has been fantastic!

9. Are there any other projects besides this band or is this a full time line up?

This is for the most part a full time line up, although Mike plays drums in a local
rock band called Feast of Fetus and with his very long time black/death metal band 
Exhausted Prayer.
I also play piano in my spare time. This is something I’m looking to pursue on a more
serious level in the future.

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

That’s always hard to tell. You can only sketch the parts out, move them around here and there, and leave the rest to chance. I never approach songwriting with a preconceived notion of what I’m about to compose. I feel that takes the magic away, it takes away the fun of adventure and discovery. I purely guide my songwriting by my current state of mind and let the music come to me.

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

Opeth, Emperor, Akercocke, Bloodbath, Slayer, Megadeth, Stone Temple Pilots, 
Faith No More, My Dying Bride, Yann Tiersen, Pantera, Dead to this World, Old Skool hip hop.

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

I like to play piano in my spare time, read, play with my cats, go to the gym, clean my house, 
observe and analyze life. Be nostalgic.

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

Thank you very much for the chance to speak out my thoughts and experiences 
in the metal world, and thank you for your support. Cheers!

~Liz


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