Infernal Thorns/ChristusVenari/Personal Records/2025 Full Length Review

 

  Infernal  Thorns  are  a  band  from  Chile  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2025  album  "Christus  Venari"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Personal  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  as  well as  the  music  also  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  European  style.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  also  remain  very  true  to  an  old  school  style  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  A  lot  of  the  music  also  sounds  like  it  cold  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  more  then  25  years  ago,  tremolo  picking  is  also  added  into  some  of  the  faster  riffing  and  later  tracks  also  introducing  clean  playing,  spoken  words  and  synths  onto  the  album.

  Infernal  Thorns  plays  a  musical  style  that  goes  back  to  the  mid  90's  era  of  melodic  and  brutal  black  and  death  metal.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  death  and  blasphemy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Infernal  Thorns  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  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  "Death  Chants"  "Black  Flesh"  "Profane  The  Mass"  and  "Illuminated  By  The  Flames".  8  out  of  10.

  http://personal-records.bandcamp.com/album/christus-venaris

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Tedd Deireadh Interview

 

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

1. We are melodic death metal band from Brodnica in Poland and we’re getting started on a polish underground scene.

2.You have your first full length coming out in August, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

2. As for our style, we’re aiming at heavy riffing along with melodies and it all filled with Michał’s growls. We’re still developing and learning, but in the future You may expect something tied to what we do now. 

3.A lot of your lyrics cover viking themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this toipic?

3. We’re viking fans as well as metalheads! As all of us are Amon Amarth fans, it was very likely that we’ll follow the topic with our debut for the lyrics. However, the main viking topic stays on the first album and we’ll move to another topic in the second one which we’re writing right now. What’s it going to be? You’ll find out in the future, but there are some hints �� 

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

4. The meaning of ‘Tedd Deireadh’ is ‘Time of the End’ in the elvish in The Witcher’s world. The inspiration is the world shown in The Witcher itself written by Andrzej Sapkowski. 

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

5. The art covers vikings in a battle against enemies with a mysterious person in the middle. Who’s this? Let’s hope You can find out by yourselves �� 

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

6. As for our best shows, we’ll pick 5.07.2024 in Voodoo in Warsaw (support for Znich) and 20.07.2025 in Gdańsk (on tour with Morbithal and Morlord). Our stage performance is quite good and we really enjoy playing live, however for now, there are no additional features during live shows, but we plan some of them in the future. 

7.Do you have nay touring or show plans once the new album is released?

7. We’re on our tour right now – well, at the end of it. We played 19.07 in Toruń, 20.07 in Gdańsk, 26.07 in Poznań and 27.07 in Łódź and we’re playing 15.08 in Katowice (yeah, the premiere concert!). As for the future gigs, we’re planning them, but there are none confirmed yet. 

8.The new album is coming out on 'Via Nocturna'. how did you get in contact with this label?

8. Our guitarist Sony wrote to the label and shared released singles. Via Nocturna replied with enthusiasm, we set agreements and so the releasing of the album began. 

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

9. For now, we’ve released just three singles, but we’re getting a lot of positive feedback from listeners from all of the world. It means a lot for us. Thank You all, guys! 

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

10. Musically we’re heading kinda the same way we took at the beginning. There might be some differences as we’re not going to play all the tracks the same way as previous ones, but the main musical concept remains the same. However on the second album You may feel a little of romancing with black metal. 

11.Whar are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

11. The list is going to be really long… It’s not a surprise that the biggest influence and inspiration is Amon Amarth and we say it proudly and with no hesitation. However each of us has different influences on our own. For example, our bassist/vocalist Michał is a really big fan of Opeth, our guitarist Szymon prefers Death, Behemoth and Children of Bodom, our drummer Tyr’s the most favourite band is Insomnium and our founder and guitarist Sony’s biggest influences are Mgła, Kanonnenfieber and Panzerfaust. We also all love classics like Slayer, KAT (only with Roman Kostrzewski!), Kreator etc. and black metal bands (mainly polish) like Batushka, Patriarkh, Varnheim, Zorza or Zmarłym. The list really never ends. 

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

12. We’re really happy and honored that You wanted to ask us these questions. It means a lot. We really hope that people will enjoy our new album and so we can see on the upcoming gigs – if You want us to play somewhere – write to us! Thanks for the interview, You’re great!

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An Abstract Illusion/The Sleeping City/Willowtip Records/2025 Full Length Review

 

  An  Abstract  Illusion  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  atmospheric,  melodic  and  progressive  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2025  album  "The  Sleeping  City"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Willowtip  Records.

  Atmospheric  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times.  At  times  the  recording  also  gets  very  progressive  sounding  while  most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  black  metal  screams  mixed  in  with  a  few  death  metal  growls.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  clear  vocals  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  album.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.

  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well as  some  of  the  tracks  also  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing,  spoken  words  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  depths  of  human  suffering  the  the  psyche  with  some  touches  of  dystopian/science  fiction.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from An  Abstract  Illusion  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric,  melodic  and  progressive  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "No  Dreams  Beyond  Empty  Horizons"  and  "The  Sleeping  City".  8  out  of  10.

  https://linktr.ee/AnAbstractIllusion    

Cardinal Sin/Spiteful Intents/Regain Records/2025 EP Re-Issue Review

 

  Cardinal  Sin  where  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1996   ep  "Spite  Intents"  which  will  be  re-issued  in  August  by  Regain  Records.

  Acoustic  guitars  and  spoken  words  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  and  melodic  direction  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  a  lot  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  vocals  being  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls.

  Most  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  90's  Swedish  style  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  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  a  later  track  is  also  a  brief  instrumental  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  cover  of  Death's  "Infernal  Death".

  Cardinal  Sin  played  a  musical  style  that  is  was  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  90's  era  of  Swedish  black  and  death  metal  as  well  as  having  members  from  Marduk  and  Dissection.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Cardinal  Sin  where  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  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  "Spiteful  Intent"  and  "Ante  Mortem".  8  out  of  10.

  http://regainrecords.bandcamp.com/album/spiteful-intents-2  

Medieval Demon/All Powers Of Darkness/Hells Headbangers Records/2025 Full Length Review

 

  Greece's  Medieval  Demon  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  melodic  and  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2025  album  "All  Powers  Of  Darkness"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Hells  Headbangers  Records.

  Symphonic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats  can  be  heard  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  the  music  is  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  90's  era.

  Melodies  are  also  added  into  a  lot  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  A  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style,  when  spoken  words  are  utilized  they  also  add  in  more  of  a  ritualistic  atmosphere  and  choirs  are  also  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  folk  and  wind  instruments  are  also  added  towards  the  end.

  On  this  recording  Medieval  Demon  remain  true  to  the  melodic  and  symphonic  style  of  black  metal  that  they  have  established  on  previous  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Demonology,  Black  Arts  and  Left  Hand  Path  themes.   

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Medieval  Demon  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  and  symphonic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Raging  Lord  Of  The  Deeps"  "Fullmoon  Over  The  Temple  Of  Belial"  and  "All  Powers  Of  Darkness".  8  out  of  10.

Preorder info can be found HERE.

   

Tedd Deireadh/Fight To Death/Via Nocturna/2025 Full Length Review

 

  Tedd  Deireadh  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  viking  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2025  album  "Fight  To  Death"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Via  Nocturna.

  A  very  heavy  and  aggressive  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  death  metal  growls  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  classic  Swedish  style.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  viking  metal  elements.  Screams  are  added  into  the  background  briefly  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  being  utilized  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  and  acoustic  guitars  are  added  on  the  closing  track.

  Tedd  Deireadh  plays  a  musical  style  that  take s the  melodic  forms  of  viking  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Vikings,  Battles  and  Norse  Mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Tedd  Deireadh  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  viking  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fight  To  Death"  "Savior" "Mercenary"  and  "As  The  Sword  Falls".  8  out  of  10.

  https://youtu.be/_D4a6th1H7k

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Kalrog Naar Interview

 

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

Hello to you and all the readers of ADifferentShadeOfBlackMetalZine, here's Cesare "Kalrog Naar " Sannino speaking! Thanks for this great opportunity to make an interview for your 'zine. I activated the Kalrog Naar project again in 2021, after splitting up my previous one-man-bands Animae Capronii/Trust your Heart (2003-2014/2015-2021). The intention was to return to play old school underground heavy metal with an occult dark fantasy feeling and various influences. The first incarnation of the project (simply called Kalrog) appeared beetween 1999-2001, recording just some unreleased acoustic demo tapes.

2.Can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you have went for on the recordings so far/

Yes, of course! While i initially started to play a classic underground epic heavy metal with also some punk rock vibes in the two early albums (Shocking Dark & Fantasy Warrior), with the third one (A Curse Take Place Over Esperia) i embraced a more epic gothic/folk/black metal style. With the last album i mixed both the things all together.

3.Since 2021 you have released a great amount of material, do you spend a great amount of time writing and creating?

I'm always in a costant process of creation. I have a lot of fantasy in my mind, and i feel the need to create in every moment. Its my life and my passion.

4.You refer to your music as being 'epic fantasy metal' and also write your lyrics in this genre, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

I was always influenced by fantasy/sci-fi literature. I wrote some short stories myself, and i also used to create role playing games/board games with the same topics in the past. I love to create fantasy stories with different characters created by myself, or to write lyrics inspired by books that i've read.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Kalrog Naar'

Anthoritan Kalrog was the name of my main character while i played Dungeons & Dragons in my youth. Naar was added later. Its the name of the Master Lord of Darkness in Joe Dever's Lone Wolf Roleplaying Books Series.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork on the latest album cover?

The cover artwork of Dark Metal represent the hero Lord Parias facing a horde of evil creatures in front of a dark tower. In the layout there's another drawing with the Warrior Princess Elbior searching for the Vampire Lord in his Castle's ruins.

7.With this project you record everything by yourself but have experience playing in other bands, do you prefer to work solo?

To work solo is a great advantage because you take all decisions by your own. With the other bands where i played/play is much difficult to choose every little decision, we must work together as a team and sometimes is not that easy at all.

8.Ove the years you also have done a great amount of cover versions, can you tell us a little bit more about the bands and songs you have covered?

I like to tribute both famous and also underground bands of almost every genre in beetween rock & metal, but also some darkwave/goth/synth-pop acts sometimes. I love to give my own interpretation of their songs in a very essential way. I covered too much artists to mention through the years with my various projects/bands, but my personal favs are the Celtic Frost & Dimmu Borgir covers.

9.Most of the albums are also released though your own label, are you interested in working with a different label?

I was, but i haven't found a serious label interested to release my music, probably because its too underground for actual standards.

10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of underground metal?

Very poor, cause i'm not a great promoter. 

11.Are you currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

Yes, i'm the vocalist of the thrash/crossover band Violent Shit since 2007 (check out the new album 'Infamous Monsters', out now!!). Its the most professional band where i play. I'm also the vocalist/guitarist of the black metal band Nocturnal Flame. We also have our 1st full length out in 2024, with also the official video of the song Power of the dying saviour out on Youtube! Give it a view if you're into True Black Metal.

12.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?

Hope to become always more professional and capable. Cannot wait to unleash more underground heavy metal upon the masses.

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?

Very interesting question. I'm always interested in very underground music, but i listen almost everything in metal (or rock or everything) which is epic and with feelings. 

I love bands like Enid, Celtic Frost, The Elysian Fields, The Sins of thy Beloved, Siebenburgen, Battlelore, Furia but also Sine Macula, Sarcofagus, Black Widow, Death ss, and also italian epic power metal stuffs like Pandaemonium, Shadows of Steel, Skylark, Projecto and many many others, too much to mention. And i don't open the argument Black Metal because we will have an overlong interview, eh eh!!

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

Thank you for reading this long interview!! All hails to you for this opportunity again, and check out my music, freely downloadable from my pages, but i invite you to ask physical copies of my albums writing at capronii@libero.it.  Stay underground my metal brothers, and stay true!! Eternal Hails. Kalrog Naar. 

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