Stone Circle/Self Titled/Terrorizer Records/2014 CD Review

  Stone  Circle  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  very  modern  and  progressive  form  of  death  metal  which  also  has  elements  of  melodic  black  metal  and  doom  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2014  album  which  was  released  by  Terrorizer  Records.

  Bee  noises  start  off  the  album  before  the  music  goes  into  a  heavy  and  modern  prog  metal  direction  along  with  some  deep  death  metal  growls  which  also  bring  in  black  metal  screams  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  melody  and  technical  elements  in  the  bands  musical  sound  and  the  solos  and  leads  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  talent,  skill  and  melody  to t he  band s musical  style.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  bring  in  a  trace  of  post  metal  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  some  clean  singing  being  utilized  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  while  the  main  focus  remains  more on  a  melodic  and  heavy  sound.

  A  good  portion  of  the  slower  riffing  shows  a  heavy  doom  metal  influence  and  as  the  album  progresses  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  aprts  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  they  also  take  the  modern  progressive  death  metla  sound  and  mix  it  in  with  some  influences  from  the  more  progressive  and  technical  death  metla  bands  of  their  early  90's.

  Stone  Circle  plays  a  modern  style  of  death  metal  that  is very  progressive  and  they  mix  in  influences  from  melodic  black/death  metal  and  doom  to  create  some  very  original  sounding  music,  the  production  sounds very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  mythological  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Stone  Circle  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Easter  Island"  "Mary  Celeste"  and  "Final  Thought".  8  out  of  10.

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Zaria/Po Poti Zivljenja [Upon The Trail Of Life]/2014 CD Review

  Zaria  are  a  band  from  Slovenia  that  plays  a  symphonic  and  epic  form  of  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  "Po Poti Zivljenja [Upon The Trail Of Life]".

  Water  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  symphonic  sounds  which  also  gives  the  music  and  epic  and  medieval  feeling  which  also  leads  to  flutes  becoming  a  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  going  for   more  of  a  heavy  and  melodic  metal  sound  which  they  also  mix  in  with  the  folk  and  symphonic  elements.

  Female  vocals  bring  a  very  melodic,  clean  and  operatic  feeling  to  the  recording  and  the  solos  and  leads  that  are  utilized  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  talent,  skill,  melody  and  traditional  metal  influences  into  the  bands  musical  style  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  male  vocals  are  utilized  they  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  clean  singing,  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  while  the  clean  parts  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  pagan  and  viking  metal  feeling  and  when  acoustic  guitars  are  used  on  some  of  the  tracks  they  bring  in  even  more  of  an  ancient  folk  music  feeling.

  Zaria  plays  a  style  of  folk  metal  that  is  very  symphonic,  heavy  and  melodic  sounding  along  with  a  touch  of  black  and  death  metal  which  adds  a  bit  more  aggression  into  the  music,  the  production  sounds very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Slovenian  and  cover  Epic  Tales,  Journeys,  Freedom  and  Folklore.

  In  my  opinion  Zaria  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  folk  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Voice  From  Within"  "Darkness"  "A  Nameless  Power"  and  "Follow  the  Star".  8  out  of  10.

WEBSITE: http://zaria-band.si/Ang/home.html
BANDCAMP: https://zaria-band.bandcamp.com/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Zaria.band

  

Ur Draugr Interview

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

I've been laying down the foundations for a forthcoming Ur Draugr full-length. Writing started almost as soon as the EP was finished last year, so we're quite some ways along already.

2.In January you had released a new ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

Ur Draugr started very much as an attempt to capitalise on the textural and rhythmic diversity of progressive music while retaining the brutality and dark sensibilities of black and death metal. I think the record is – at its core – a marriage of those two principals, though not without the occasional foray into drone, sludge, or and folk.

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

'The Wretched Ascetic' is built very much around the abandonment of organised religion and the philosophical path toward asceticism (and all of the ramifications and rewards held therein).

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

Ur Draugr's name was very much inspired by my fascination with ancient religions and cultures. 'Ur' is a Proto-Germanic prefix that indicates a state of primitivity or primality. 'Draugr' is derived from the Proto-Germanic word 'Draugaz', meaning mirage or deception, but used to describe a ghost or restless spirit in Old Norse.

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

Ur Draugr is, at present, a studio project.

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

It's definitely a possibility, but our energies are better spent writing and recording for the moment.

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

We're currently not able to discuss this at length. Suffice it to say, there may be some news on the horizon.

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

Overwhelmingly positive. We've been truly honoured and humbled by the reception, and I can't wait to unveil what will come next.

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

Dan Grainger's infamous outfit Wardaemonic (for which he performs drums and vocals) is preparing for the release of their fourth cd 'Obsequuium' in March, which by all accounts is shaping up to be a monstrous success.

Otherwise, I'm working on a long-term ambient/drone project that has been in development for almost twelve months, and should see the light of day before the year's end (with any luck).

10.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

We're aiming for a 2015 release. At this stage – given how the material is developing – I'm inclined to say that this full-length will be a touch different from the EP, though certainly still rooted firmly in a blackened death metal ethos.

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?

All of us are broad music-listeners, and frequent jazz, folk, rock, classical, and many other genres besides. I've personally spent the last few months alternating between Gorgoroth, Blut Aus Nord, Sting, and Stevie Wonder.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

I'm an avid reader and writer, and a documentary enthusiast (to say the least), but I find that music rarely leaves much time for other interests.

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

Nothing that seems particularly pertinent! Many thanks to yourself and to anyone else out there for listening, and be sure to check out Wardaemonic's 'Obsequuium' when it arrives.

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Northland/Downfall And Rebirth/ 2015 CD Review

  Northland  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death,  viking  and  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  album  "Downfall  And  Rebirth"

  Jew  harps  and  nature  sounds  start  off  the  album  giving  the  music  a  folk  music  feeling  along  with  some  violins  and  a  few  seconds  alter  the  music  gets  heavier  and  adds  in  death  metal  growls  while  also  mixing  in  with  the  folk  elements  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Clean  singing  viking  metal  vocals  can  be  heard  throughout  the  recording  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  that  also  mixes  in  an  influence  from  black  metal  and  at  times  acoustic  and  classical  guitars  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  some  of  the  heavier  riffs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  thrash  influences.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  all  more  of  a  melodic  and  traditional  metal  feeling  to  the  songs  that  they  are  utilized  on  and  as  the  album  progresses  their  is  a  brief  acoustic  instrumental  before  the  band  backs  a  return  back  to  a  heavier  sound  on  the  following  tracks  while  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  pianos  and  keyboards  at  times  and  there a re  also  a  few  songs  that are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  one  of  the  alter  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  while  another  adds  in  female  vocals  briefly.

  Norhland  takes  for  a  very  melodic  style  of  black/death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  viking  and  folk  music  to  create  a  very  epic  sounding  album,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism  and  Battles.

  In  my  opinion  Northland  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death,  viking  and  folk  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bloodred  Sunrise"  "Fury's  Unleashed"  "Spirit In  Darkness"  and  "Newborn  Star".  8  out  of  10.

Website: http://www.northland.cat

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northlandofficial Bandcamp: https://northlandmetal.bandcamp.com

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/northlandofficial

Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/northlandmetal

Metal Archives: http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Northland/110230

Sabhankra/Seers Memoir/Haarbn Productions/2014 CD Review

  Sabhankra  are  a  band  from  Turkey  that  plays  an  epic  and  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Seers  Memoir"  which  was  released  by  Hairbn  Productions.

  Atmospheric sounds  start  off  the  album  and  a  few  seconds  later  heavy  guitars  start  to  mix  in  and  the  synths  also  bring  in  a  progressive  feeling  at  times  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  grim  and  deep  vocals  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  after  the  intro  melodic  guitar  leads  which  are  also  a  huge  part  of  most  of  the  tracks  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  elements  of  thrash  and  melodic  death  metal  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  There  are  a  great  amount  of  fast  playing  and  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  present  throughout  the   recording  along  with  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  few  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  singing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections of  the  recording  along  with  the  guitar  leads  adding  in  folk  elements  into  their  melodic  sound  and  the  synths  also  make  a  return  on  some  of  the  later  songs  giving  the  album  more  of  an  epic  feeling  while  towards  the end  one  of  the  tracks  brings  in  acoustic  guitars.  

  Sabbankra  plays  a  style  that  mixes  the  melodic  sides  of  black  and  death  metal  together  which  they  also  mix  in  with  thrash  and  folk  influences  along  with  some  epic  synths  to  create  a  sound  of their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  epic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sabbankra  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  epic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  folk  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Against  The  False  Gods"  "Dancing  With  Death"  and  "A  Star  to  Shine".  8  out  of  10.

VIDEO FROM THE ALBUM SEERS MEMOIR "AGAINST THE FALSE GODS"





  

Frosthelm/The Endless Winter/Black Work (Alkemy Brothers)/2015 CD Review

  Frosthelm  are  a  band  from  North  Dakota  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "The  Endless Winter"  which  will  be  released in  March  by  Black  Work  (Alkemy  brothers).

  Classical  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  stringed  instruments  in  the  background  and  after  a  minute  the  music  starts  going  into  more  of  a  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  musical  direction  along  with  a  heavy  does  of  thrash  metal  elements  and  after  the  intro  spoken  word  samples  are  added  in  at  times  along  with  the  music  getting  a  lot  faster  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  all  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  the  music  has  a  very  heavy  and  melodic  Swedish  black  metal  feeling  to  it  while  the  band  never  forgets  their  thrash  roots  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  music  at  times  also  brings  in  the  brutality  of  death  metal  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  bring  in  a  very  melodic,  extreme  and  old  school  metal  sound  to  the   recording  along  with  some  sections  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing.

 Frosthelm  remain  true  to  the  melodic  black  metal  sound  of  previous  recordings  while  also  mixing  in  even  more  thrash  elements  this  time  around  along  with  a  touch  of  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  winter  and  fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  form  Frosthelm  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black  metal  and  thrash,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Storm  Of  teeth"  "Beneath  Dead  Horizons"  "Endless  Winter"  and  "The  Dragon".  8  out  of  10.

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www.frosthelm.bandcamp.com

Primitive Man/Home Is Where The Hatred Is/Relapse Records/2015 EP Review

  Primitive  Man  are  a  band  from  Colorado  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  blackened  form  of  doom/sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "Home  Is  Where  The  hatred  Is"  which  will  be  released  in  February  by  Relapse  Records.

    A  very  distorted  reverb  sound  starts  off  the  ep  before  adding  in  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  which  eventually  takes  the  music  into  more  of  a  sludge/doom  metal  direction  along  with  some  blackened  death  metal  growls  and  screams  and  on  some  parts  of  the   recording  the  music  does  speed  up  at  times  and  also  brings  in  a  good  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  of  the  riffs  bringing  melodies  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  an d  in  some  of  the  faster  sections  you  can  hear  elements  of  grindcore  and  crust  influencing  their  musical  style  while  the  main  focus remains  more  on  a  slow  black/sludge/doom  metal  direction.

  Primitive  Man  creates  4  very  dark  and  heavy  sounding  blackened  doom/sludge  metal  songs  on  this  recording  and  also  remain  true  to  the  sound  they  established  on  their  last  release,  the production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent,  hateful  and  negative  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding   recording  from  Primitive  Man  and if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Loathe"  and  "Bag  Man".  8  out  of  10.

https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/rmjexp/primitive-man-bag-man-video