Daedalean Complex/After The Fall/PRC Music/2017 CD Review

  Daedalean  Complex  are  a  band  from  Quebec,  Canada  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black,  goth  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their 2017  album  "After The  Fall"  which  was  released  by  PRC  Music.

  Symphonic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  music  also  mixes  the  symphonic  and  heavy  parts  together  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  along  with  a  few  death  metal  growls  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  elements  of  goth  can  also  be  heard  and  some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  male  and  female  vocals  and  a  couple  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Daedalean  Complex  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  symphonic  and  melodic  mixture  of  black,  goth  and  death  metal  from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  mythological  and  metaphysical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Daedalean  Complex  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic,  goth,  black  and  melodic  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Fall  Of  Icarus"  "The  Illusion  Of  Freedom"  "The  Cosmological  Riddle"  and  "To  Etemenanki".  8  out  of  10.

https://prcmusic.bandcamp.com/album/daedalean-complex-after-the-fall-cd



          

Sar Isatum/Shurpu/2017 Full Length Review

  Sar  Isatum  are  a  band  from  Denver,  Colorado  that  plays  a  very  technical  and  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  "Shurpu"  which  will  be  released  on  November  17th.

  Symphonic  keyboards  and  ritualistic  drums  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  symphonic  elements  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  vocals are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.

  A  great  amount  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  90's  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  along  with  growls  also  being  heard  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  as  well  as  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  can  be  heard  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  getting  very technical  at  times  along  with  some  clean  playing  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  music  also  has  its atmospheric  moments.

  Sar  Isatum  plays  a  style  of  symphonic  black  metal  that  is  very  aggressive  and  technical  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the lyrics  cover Sumerian,  Annunaki  Empires  and  Northern  Wabanaki  Legends  and  Darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sar  Isatum  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  and  technical  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sar  Isatum"  "Black  Gate"  and  "Halls  Of  Pestilence".  8  out  of  10.

 http://www.indymetalvault.com/2017/11/10/track-premiere-sar-isatum-black-gate/ 

      

Dracena Interview

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

A lot of planning and waiting. Right now I am working on arranging the new material for the next album and planning the album concept for the lyrics and graphic appearances. Besides that we are waiting with excitement for the response of the latest album, Cursed To The Night.
We’ll see what the future holds…


2.How would you describe the musical sound of the current material?

I would call Cursed To The Night a classic Dracena release, there are a lot of typical Dracena riffs all in the vein of old school metal genres, thrash/black/heavy metal. We asked shred machine Fredrik Folkare (Unleashed/Firespawn) to spice up the songs with lead solos and melodies and he played some really outstanding stuff which took the album to a higher level.

For the sound of the album itself we were looking for a cool and raw sound as a follow up to the previous mini-CD release, Ravenous Bloodlust, and I am very pleased with how great the production turned out, thanks to our main studio - Studio Cave  - where all the mixing and mastering was made by Pontus Ekwall

This album was recorded in 3 different studios, I recorded the vocals, the guitars and the bass at Studio Cave, additional vocals by Ola Malmström (Sorcery) and the drums was recorded and played by Jocke at MediEvil Studios and all the lead solos and melodies was recorded and played by Fredrik Folkare at Chrome Studios.



3.Since 2001 there has only been 3 releases, can you tell us a little bit more about the gaps in between releases?

As I am writing all the music and lyrics myself, as well as playing most of the instruments and vocals too, it usually takes a few years to get the whole album arranged and rehearsed for the studio. This means I spend practically every hour I am not occupied doing ”necessary” stuff with my guitar and home studio.
I also design the graphic appearance of the albums, with artwork ideas and lay out, the photos, web sites and take care of all correspondence and social interaction… and working a full time job.


4.Some of your lyrics are based upon the writings of Dante, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this author?

A few years before I started writing on the material for Infernal Damnation I found a book in a second hand bookshop, Dante - The Divine Comedy.
This particular copy is illustrated by Gustave Doré and since I have always admired his engraved illustrations of various classical literature I decided to buy it.
Of course the story in itself is a very interesting work with its medieval view of the Afterlife - Inferno, Purgatory - so I used it as inspiration for the album lyrics… although my story ends in Hell.


5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name ’Dracena'?

When we first decided to name the band it seemed like all the nominations we came up with already had been taken by other bands. I recall we actually thought of Dimmu Borgir for a while until we were told there was a Norwegian band using that name.
I’ve always been a fan of fantasy and mythology, and ever since I was a kid my favourite mythical beast has been the Dragon, so I decided to find a word for this that we could use and came up with Dracena.
Dracena (the ”c” is pronounced as a ”k” in my version) is a version of the latin word Dracaena, which derives from the ancient greek word Drakaina -  meaning ”female dragon”

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

We had a bunch of shows between 1997-2001, but that’s so long ago I can’t say any show was better than the next. After 2001 Dracena only had one live show in 2014 in Münster, Germany, supporting local act Savagery for their release party.


7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

Right now there are no shows planned, perhaps there will be gigs during 2018 depending on opportunities.


8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black, death and thrash metal?

Actually our audience spans over most of the metal genres despite the listeners main preferences and I guess that is probably because Dracena is playing the kind of mixed metal we do. We mainly get positive feedback both from fans and press.


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

Dracena will keep creating the kind of metal that appeals to us, I guess we will progress in the same direction as our influences  do. Then hopefully there will be a  major record deal so I can quit my job and focus on writing new songs and play a lot of shows!

 10.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?

My favourite bands are mainly from the 80’s heavy/thrash/speed metal scene, like Bathory, WASP, Running Wild, Metal Church, Kreator, Testament etc and I still listen a lot to those albums.
There’s never been any intention in the band to create any certain style or metal genre, I write and chose the riffs I like the most and then I blend it all trying to create an interesting mix using various tempos to build up the specific song and also the album as a whole.

Nowdays I try to find the old metal bands I never had the chance to hear before, and hope they surfaced digitally somewhere, I am also trying to keep up with all the new releases from my favourite acts like Kreator, Testament, Annihilator etc
but I don’t limit myself to any special genre at all as I also listen to a lot of music that’s non metal as well.

11.Does Satanism or Occultism play any role in your music?

No, the inspiration for the songs are a blend of dark fantasy and horror, like short stories of a strange nightmare reality filled with dark desires, blood and death.


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

There will be blood, there will be pain… there will be darkness and death… keep the blood running down the screams!
Thanks for the interview and see you out there!

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Jason Aaron Wood/Emanations/2017 Full Length Review

  Jason  Aaron  Wood  is  a  solo  artist  from  Washington  D.C  that  plays  a  mixture  of  dark,  symphonic,  neo  classical,  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2017  album  "Emanations"

  Distorted  yet  melodic  riffing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  neo-classical  style  guitar  solos  and  leads  a  few  seconds  later  while  clean  vocals  are added  onto  the  recording  a  few  seconds  later  as  well  as  mixing  in  some  death  metal  screams  and  black  metal  screams  at  times.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  progressive,  atmospheric  and  doom  metal  elements  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  clean  playing  can  also be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  When  synths  are  utilized  they  give  the  songs  more  of  an  symphonic  feeling  while some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  along  with  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts,  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  as  well  as  one  of  the  tracks  being  an  instrumental.

  Jason  Aaron  Wood  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  dark,  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  with  a  more  clean  vocal  approach  as  well  as  some  progressive,  symphonic  and  neo-classical  elements  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  sorcery,  darkness,  and  mysticism  themes.

  In  my  opinmion  Jason  Aaron  Wood  is  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  dark,  symphonic,  neo  classical,  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Enchanter,  Destroyer"  and  "The  Great  Pestilence".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.jasonaaronwood.com/emanations

    

Sacral Night Interview

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

The Band was born by the desire for play with Antoine (Singer).I saw him with his bands and for me it was an evidence. My friend Morkk and Mick wanted to help me for his project. I want to create the most Powerful and Darkest Band of Heavy Metal. With whiff of Necrowretch and Sanctuaire force…my past bands.



2.Recently you have released a mini album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

It’s a time into Darkest Catacombs… The deep in my imagination…
I can not give influences, it’s just a vomit of my torments.


3.The band has been around since 2013 but waited until 2017 to do any live shows or release any music, can you tell us a little bit more about the first 4 years?

I didn’t have time for work on this, very busy by Necrowretch, Sanctuaire, Cemeterywitch (my embroidery patchs company), Serial colors (My T-shirts printing Compagny in the past) and personal objectives.


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

It’s my imaginary in medieval time, a priesthood…sect…sacrifices…mysterious cohort under a secret influence and procession…


5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Sacral Night'?

It’s just for : “Sacred Night” because it’s the moment for the children sacrifices under the moonlight.
Important in the EP Story, it’s the departure of an so called resurrection.


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

Just One show for us actually : with the finnish band Ranger… so this one.

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

Yes we are going to play at courts of chaos Fest (France) In May with Tokyo blade/Praying Mantis…


8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black, death and heavy metal?

Well actually, they tell the original Characters of Sacral Night.

9.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?
The actual line up :
Antoine Volat play with Electric Shock(Hard rock) & Silverwind (Heavy Metal), Laurent (Session guitarist) with Electric Shock & Epitaph (Death Metal).
Morkk & Me just for Sacral Night Now.

Ancient member : Mick play with Lonewolf & Elvenstorm (Heavy Métal)


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

In the same Way !

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

Personally I’m listening heard now : Dokken, Lizzy borden, Icon, Fortune, Tribulation, Necrowretch (New album), Judas Priest…so the influence ? I don’t know… my influence is the life.


12.Does Occultism play any role in your music?

No I don’t believe it.


13.What are some of your non musical interests?

Embroidery, Technical Printing, Social work, Traveling, Nature, Horror movies. Girls, Geopolitics, Cars…


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

Thank you man for this interview, Any informations at : sacralnight@gmail.com

Norilsk/Le Passage Des Glaciers/Hypnotic Dirge Records/2017 CD Review

  Norilsk are  a  band  from  Quebec,  Canada  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  doom,  death  and  post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Le  Passage  Des  Glaciers"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Hypnotic  Dirge  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  also  mixing  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  a  few  seconds  later  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  fashion.

  A  great  portion  of  the tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  after  awhile  deep  death  metal  growls  start  to  make  their  presence  known  along  with  the  clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  also  adding  in  elements  of  post  rock  when  they  are  utilized.

  Black  metal  screams  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording   while  the  tremolo  picking  also  brings  in  influences  from  that  genre  along    melodic  vocals  also  being  used  briefly  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  mix  in  elements  of  dark  metal. 

  Norilsk  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  back,  dark,  doom,  sludge,  death  and  post  metal and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  French  and  cover  mythology  and  history  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Norilsk  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  post,  doom and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Le  Puits De  I'  oubl"  "La  Voie  Des  Morts"  and  "L'  Erosion  (Passage  Part  II)".  8  out  of  10.

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Dracena/Cursed To The Night/Inferno Records/2017 CD Review

  Dracena  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death,  thrash  and  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Cursed  To  The  Night"  which  was  released  by  Inferno  Records.

  Nature  and  music  box  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  musical  direction  which  is  very  heavily  influenced  by  the  80's  and  90's  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  old  school  elements  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams.

  A  great  amount  of  thrash  and  first  wave  black  metal  influences  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when t he  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  little  bit  of  tremolo  picking,  clean  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Dracena  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  Swedish  style  melodic  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  elements  of  thrash,  death  and  heavy  metal  to  create  a  very  heavy  and  retro  sounding  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  blood,  pain,  anger  and  the  writings  of  Dante.

  In  my  opinion  Dracena  are  a  very  great  melodic  and  old  school  sounding  mixture  of  black, death,  thrash  and  heavy  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "That  You  Fear  The Most"  "Elusive  Madness"  and  "The  Shadow  Of  What  Once  Was".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1hLAFoBkEI