Bleeding Utopia 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 album?
We have been writing some new stuff and have had some auditions for a new drummer. At last we found our guy Mauro.
So the lineup will soon be complete and we can get going with the rehearsals and get out there and do some gigs and tours.
And we also have been busy with the new records label we started, Its real fun but a lot of work.

2.In April you had released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from your previous full length and ep?
It's definitely different than our previous album and it's more defined towards how we want our sound to be.
Heavier, darker, faster and more melodic with a old school yet modern sound. More death metal and less thrash metal but the thrash influences will always be there.
The Ep and the first album was written by Andreas over a few years before there even was a Bleeding Utopia.
We just had to rehearse the songs and then enter the studio to records them.
On ”Darkest Potency” we wrote most songs together and took more time in pre-production.
We tried a lot of different arrangements in both music and vocals and re-wrote a lot of the riffs just to keep it more simpler and more right to the point.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
The lyrics are mostly about death and murder, which fits in with the musical style as well as the aggressiveness of the music, and there's more individual themes or stories within each song.
All the songs have their own story. But all the songs are about death and destruction is different kinds and ways.
We like to write as i am writing a script to a short film. And when you read the lyrics and hear the music you get o ”film” inside your head. Like when you listen to an Amon Amarth song you can almost see the battle in front of you.
Maybe everyone don’t get the same film in their heads , I hope that people create their own film and feeling when listening to our songs.

4.The band was broken up for awhile, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?
From the beginning (2003) it was only a project. Bleeding Utopia as a 100% band was formed in late 2009.
So this lineup (from 2009) never "broke up". Some of the guys wanted different things out of their life's so they left the band on a friendly basis. But we kept on writing and being creative all the time. So there was nervier a brake up just a reconstruction of the band in 2013.

5.The band was originally known as Operation SidEffecf then Delicous Deformed, what was the decision behind the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Bleeding Utopia'?
It was only a side project from the beginning, and I guess that you have to name it something.
Operation Sideffect was the name when it was only Andreas writing songs as a side project in 2003.
In 2004 Andreas wanted to to some gigs and asked a few friends to join and changed the name to Delicious Deformed,
the intention was to make it a band but  due the lack of time from almost every ”member” in was put on ice and almost forgotten, haha. But when Andreas band Astral Carneval called it quits in the fall of 2009 Andreas decided to take things to the next level in and do things seriously it was time for a new name…and it became BLEEDING UTOPIA.

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?
The best shows we played  was definitely when we played on home turf during the Scandinavian Aggression Tour and everything felt really good and we had the support of our friends and family as well.
Another really funny show was in Hyvinkää, Finland, where we played in a small town at a location that had almost no sound setup or designated stage, it was more playing in one of the corners. That show really turned out awesome though and we all had a great time.
We´ve always had a high standard when we play, no matter what kind of venue. Sometimes  the back line and lights has been a joke. But we always get up there and do everything we can to give you a great show.
When the band that is going up on the stage after us feels uncomfortable thanks to our show, we have succeeded.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Not at the moment, but now that we've found a drummer our future is looking very bright!
We are about to rehearse with the new line up and then hopefully get out on the road as much as possible.
So prepare your necks, hopefully our booking agent ”EAM-agentur” will book some cool shows around Europe and some cool festivals for spring and summer 2015.

8.The new album was released on Bleeding Music, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
It's a label we started ourselves in order to have more control over the music and also to try and help other bands out as well with distribution among other things. We have been in the music business a long time and felt that we wanted even more music in our lives. And there are so many great bands out there that deserve to be heard and seen so want to try to help those bands.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to the newer music by fans of extreme metal?
We've really been blown away by the awesome response that it has gotten and it's great to see so many people enjoy what we do best!
It feels like we have something good going on. People seems to like it and the reviews has been great so far.
Hopefully people will show up on our gigs and upcoming tours as well, haha.

10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are involved with?.
Right now bleeding utopia is our only focus. It takes time to give 110%. But having our own studio always creates ”late night creativity”. We have no other band than Bleeding Utopia but if anyone of us have something to record just for fun we do that of course. But Bleeding utopia is priority number 1 for all of us.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
You never know what the future holds, but we've really found our direction with this album and we're definitely gonna continue to develop our music and sound with this reference.
We will continue on the same path. It feels like we have our sound and will keep it that way. We stand our ground and will not try to make songs for the radio.

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Can't really pin-point where the inspiration comes from but listening to a lot of music and trying to come up with stuff that you like is basically the whole process.
Joakim enjoy good music regardless of genre and that can be all from Jazz, Blues, Fusion towards Death metal, Grindcore, Power Metal among others.
For David and Andreas almost everything goes back to the 90`s death and black metal. Bands like Dissection, Amon Amarth, Entombed, At the gates etc. Nowadays we listen and gets inspiration from all kinds of music.
Where one genre is lacking, another fills the void and vice versa.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?
Joakim is really into Cycling but his main hobby outside music is definitely computer gaming.
David is hanging out with friends drinking beer, motorcycles, animals,
Andreas have a big film interest and he watches almost everything that's on history channel and discovery channel.
But in the end almost everything we do has some kind of connection to music.

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Buy Darkest Potency, bang your head, See you on the road in the near future!

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Manimalism/Self Titled/2014 CD Review

  Manimalism  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  plays  an  avant  garde  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  and  self  released  2014  album.

  A  very  dark,  weird  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  and  melodic  riffing  and  the  music  has  a  very  avant  garde  vibe  to  it  and  after  awhile  female  vocals  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Most  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  slow  and  heavy  direction  and  brings  back  some  of  the  90's  style  of  Norwegian  avant  garde  metal  that  has  not  been  done  by  any  bands  in  a  long  time  and  on  some  of  the  tracks  spoken  words  are  utilized  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  synths  and  drones  being  brought  in  briefly  while  the  main  focus  remains  mostly  on  a  heavy  guitar orientated  sound  and  while  the  music  is  rooted  in  black  metal  none  of  the  screams  or  aggressive  vocals  of  that  genre  are  brought  into  the  music.

  Manimalism  brings  back  the  post  avant  garde  Norwegian  black  metal  sound   of  the  90's  and  adds  a  more  guitar  driven  approach  to  the  genre  as  well  as  keeping  the  vocals  melodic,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  have  a  very  dark  and  poetic  edge  to  them.

  In  my  opinion  Manimalism  are  a  very  great  sounding  post  avant  garde  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Demons  In  Tuxedos"  "Romance"  and  "The  Cocktail  Party  To  End  Them  All".  8  out  of  10.

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Northern Oak Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
Truthfully, after the album was done we had a bit of a break! We’d been working very intensively on preparing for the recording and then actually getting everything recorded, so we all took some time to relax. Since then, however, we’ve been very busy organizing everything for the release- getting together all the rewards for our Kickstarter backers, preparing merch and the album artwork, as well as finding time to play some shows here and there!

2.You have a new album coming out in October, how would you describe the musical sound of the new recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
Musically, I think this is our most complete album- we’ve spent a long time writing, practicing and playing these songs (some of them were written shortly before the release of our previous album, Monuments) and we’re very comfortable with them. There’s a lot more depth to this album- we added more sounds (violin, melodeon, clean vocals) and really tried to make it sound much heavier than Monuments. Having a recording wizard like Chris Fielding behind the desk really helped with that! I think Of Roots and Flesh differs from our previous material because it sounds much more focused, much richer and much more epic than anything we’ve done before.

3,This is going to be the first album to be released in 4 years, can you tell us a little bit more about the 4 year gap?
We released Monuments in December 2010, and spent most of 2011 promoting and touring the album- even getting to play at Bloodstock Festival, which is one of the UK’s biggest festivals for extreme metal. With the amount of shows we were playing, it was difficult to find time to work on new material and we each faced various difficulties in our personal lives that made it difficult to really begin working on the songs for Of Roots and Flesh. Apart from the creative barrier, we also had to figure out how we could afford the recording of the new album- Kickstarter was the best option for us, and our fans were spectacular in raising the money so that we could record this album properly.

4.Your lyrics cover nature, psychological, and philosophical themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?
The city which we hail from, Sheffield, is located right next to a huge national park called the Peak District- it’s a beautiful landscape of hills, lakes and forests which we draw a lot of inspiration from, and the power and majesty of nature is certainly something that inspires my own song-writing. The psychological and philosophical themes present in our work are because we didn’t just want to write songs about trees- we think it’s important to explore humanity’s relationship with nature and to see ourselves as part of that landscape, part of the living tapestry of the universe.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Northern Oak'?
Apart from being a fairly unsubtle nod to where we come from (the North of England) and our love of nature (exemplified in the Oak tree, which has a particularly special place in English folklore), there’s no great meaning in the band name- it was inspired by a camping trip that myself, our original vocalist, keyboardist and drummer went on in 2006, before the band had really started. We camped out on the side of a hill in the Peak District in February- there was snow on the ground and frozen puddles surrounding our tent. The beauty of our surroundings inspired us all, our keyboardist suggested the band name and it stuck.

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?
I think our finest moment was performing on the New Blood stage at Bloodstock Open Air 2011- we’ve been fans of the festival for many years and it was such an honour to get to perform there. I don’t remember a great deal about the performance (since I was much more nervous than I normally am) but I believe we had quite a big crowd! Another highlight was supporting Martin Walkyier’s Skyclad at his Viking Funeral Festival in Nottingham- it had been a great day and the crowd were really into it, so we got a fantastic reaction. I’d describe our performance as pretty energetic- we’ve been favourably compared to bands like Eluveitie, and do our best to put on a big, powerful show.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
We have a number of dates booked around the UK during October and November as part of an album launch tour- starting with the album launch gig in our hometown on October 4th and continuing until the 22nd of November when we’re performing at Valkyrian Festival with acts such as Cnoc an Tursa, Azylya and Ex Libris.

8.Currently you are unsigned are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
With our last two albums we’ve made the decision to self-release; we negotiated a great deal with a small internet label to get our last album on iTunes, Spotify and other similar services and didn’t feel the need to approach any of the larger labels, since it was important to us that we had total control over our music and were able to keep as much of the money that we’d all spent on making it as possible. For Of Roots and Flesh, we’ll be approaching several labels with the hope of signing a deal- we’d like help promoting the album and spreading the word, and that’s something we feel a good label would really be able to help us with.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of folk and black metal?
We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from all over the globe- I know we have at least one dedicated fan in Japan, since he ordered a tshirt and CD through our website and I sent him a personal thank you message! Beyond that, we’ve definitely had some great feedback from fans across Europe- one fan of ours from Russia actually came over to the United Kingdom on holiday this summer, and pledged enough money to our Kickstarter campaign to be given a personal tour of the Peak District by us, which was very flattering.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
I consider Of Roots and Flesh to be the album where we’ve really established what our sound should be, so personally I can see us really just developing on our current approach- making bigger, heavier, more atmospheric songs, making the acoustic sections more nuanced and complex and generally just trying to improve on everything we’ve released so far. We’re very proud of this album, but I always think that we have room to improve!

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
We all have very different musical tastes, which I think is a big part of what makes us sound unique.  I’ve personally been influenced by bands such as Agalloch and pre-Heritage Opeth, but because I listen to a lot of diverse stuff (from Behemoth to James Brown to videogame soundtracks) and the rest of the band have their own wildly divergent tastes, our newer music is basically a big melting pot of all the things we love about music thrown together and crafted into Northern Oak songs. At the moment, I’m listening to quite a lot of black/death metal- Behemoth’s latest album 'The Satanist' is the best album to come out this year, in my opinion.

12.Does Paganism or Occultism play any role in your music?
Not directly- none of the band are practicing pagans or occultists, so we’ve tried to ensure that whenever we write a song about subject matter which is sacred or important to people who follow those traditions that we’re careful and treat it with respect. In a way, I think that English tradition and folklore blends together with paganism in a way few people realize- a lot of pagan traditions (the Green Man, well-dressing, maypoles) are an integral part of English culture and are just considered part of the cultural fabric of our nation.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?
Just as we all have very different musical tastes, we all have very different interests outside of the band- I’m a big ice hockey fan, and both play and watch the sport. I’m also an avid videogamer and comics writer, working on a couple of comics that I’ll hopefully find a publisher for soon! Our flautist Catie is really into morris dancing and motorbikes, while our bassist Rich loves football. Our non musical interests don’t really intrude on what we do in Northern Oak (apart from the musical influence I take from video game soundtracks), although Rich has tried to get us to write a song about football before...

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We’re really proud of what we’ve put together with Of Roots and Flesh- we wanted to create the best album that we possibly could, a record that would inspire and move people, and we hope that everybody who listens to it feels that way.

Thank you very much for the questions!

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PreEmptive Strike 0.1/Pierce Their Husk/Sonic Hell Records 2014 CD Review

 

  PreEmptive  Strike  0.1  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  a  mixture  of  harsh  dark  electro,  industrial  and  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Pierce  Their  Husk"  which  was  released  by  Sonic  Hell  Records.

    Dark  electro  industrial  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  spoken  word  samples  along  with  some  heavy  guitars  and  grim  screaming  vocals  which  they  also  mix  in  with  the  electronic  elements  and  the  band  also  does  a  remix  of  the  first  song  on  the  second  track  which  also  seems  them  adding  in  more  harsh  sounds.

  On  the  third  track  more  elements  of  extreme  metal  are  mixed  in  with  industrial  and  the  vocals  also  start  to  bring  in  more  black  metal  screams  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  this  song  is  also  followed  by  a  re-mixed  version  of  the  same  song  which  also  shows  the  black  metal  riffing  getting  a  bit  faster  as  well  as  bringing  in  blast  beats  and  most  of  the  album  sticks  to  a  very  heavy  style  of  industrial  along  with  long  of  the  later  tracks  adding  in  some  depressive  black  metal  elements.

  PreEmptive  Strike  takes  a  harsh  and  dark  form  of  electro/industrial  and  brings  in  heavy  guitars  and elements  of  black  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  and  the  album  also  has  Kvarforth  of  Shining  doing  some  quest  appearances  on  a  couple  of  the  tracks,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent,  hateful,  political  and  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  PreEmptive  Strike  0.1  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  harsh,  dark  ellectro/industrial  and  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  8  out  of  10.

<https://odiumrecords.bandcamp.com/album/preemptive-strike-01-with-n-kvarforth-pierce-their-husk>

https://odiumrecords.bandcamp.com/album/preemptive-strike-01-with-n-kvarforth-pierce-their-husk

   

Bloodred Interview

BLOODRED / interview answers by RON MERZ / A Different Shade Of Black / Webzine / 2014

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

Most of the time I've been busy promoting the EP, but I also worked on new music and reworked some of the older stuff as well.

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

"The Lost Ones" definitively shows the more Black/Death Metal side of Bloodred. The title track starts with a typical Black Metal blast beat intro and then changes into a  more midtempo song with some groovy riffs. If you listen closely you can also hear some Thrash-inspired parts. "Spirits Of The Dead" is as close as I maybe will ever venture into Black Metal: fast paced with some epic parts and typical riffing. There are some really cool drum parts in it too.

3.The project has been around since 2009 but so far has only released an ep and a single, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during the 5 years?

I started Bloodred when I realized that my (former) band mates didn't share my musical taste anymore, since I was going into the more extreme side of metal. It then took a while to create a musical identity and to refine the sound of Bloodred. I wrote many, many songs which from a today's perspective have nothing or little to do with the Bloodred sound nowadays. But I was ready to spend this time, because I wanted - and still want - to create music, which is 100% me. No compromises!

I also needed some time to learn the basics of recording and producing your own music in the home studio. There are so much more possibilities today than 10 or 15 years ago. But you have to have the right equipment and the necessary software tools. Working with these tools is a real time killer too ...

4.On the ep you had some inspiration from Samuel Bamford and E,A Poe, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these poets?

It's not so much a special interest in those poets mentioned above. It's more that I'm always searching for lyrics about a certain topic that will fit to the music. What I especially like about these older texts is the use of uncommon words or syntax. Finally those writers are much better in finding unusual metaphors than I will ever be capable of.

The music is always first, so finding poems/lyrics that fit to the rhythm and the parts of the song isn't that easy. But when sucessful I find it very rewarding and it always adds to the whole song.

5.With the exception of drums you record everything solo, do you feel this adds to the creativity of the music?

On the one hand it surely adds to the creativity. There's no arguing about anything: musical ideas, songwriting, artwork etc. and this makes it all easier in a way. On the other I have the feeling that sometimes other opinions would be helpful in the process of songwriting. When your at a dead end maybe someone else would come up with the next riff or idea ... And of course: you can't play live when you're alone. I miss that a lot.

6.On the ep you had the drummer of Atrocity on drums and the singer produce the record, where you happy with what they have brought into your musical sound?

Yes, absolutely! Both guys are super nice and they helped me a lot. The studio is actually only a few kilometers away from where I live, so it was a obvious choice for the recording of the EP. Alex has produced many albums over the years and he has a very well equipped studio. He also helped me a lot when I was recording vocals, because of course he has great experience of being the vocalist in a death metal band. Alex also came up with the idea of getting Joris for the drum recordings. Joris was up for the task in no time and he did a great job. He really is a amazing drummer! He was able to play everything I had programmed and moreover added his own subtle drum patterns here and there.

But the best part of working with both guys was, that they always respected my choices and never tried to force anything. Especially Alex with all his experience was very supportive in every way. It's very helpful if you can learn from a person like him!

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

Recording the EP in a pro-level studio is a first step and I think the songs and the quality of the recording are definitively good enough to send the EP out to the respective labels. I haven't received any interest from labels yet, because I think they simply don't know of Bloodred. But this will change in the not too distant future ...

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

So far the feedback has been very good for most parts. What still makes a great impression on me is the fact, that I get feedback from all over the world. The very first reaction came from Australia, I got many messages from South America and even my friends up in the north in Iceland reached out with some great feedback. And this is one motivation of why I make music: I want people to react and interact! If they like it or not, I really appreciate every feedback.

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

Currently I'm not planning to do a full length. There are first talks about recording another EP with two or three songs, but this is not carved in stone yet. If this will happen, the songs will show a more melodic side of Bloodred but they still will be recognizable as Bloodred. So far there are no major changes to the music in sight.

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

I'm listening to metal for over 25 years now, so I think that many bands or genres have left a mark on me one way or another. But I think some of my main influences are Emperor, Moonsorrow, My Dying Bride and early Amorphis & Metallica. Each band also represents a musical style that influenced me over the years. Generally speaking I think the music from Scandinavia influenced me the most.

Some of the newer bands I listen to are Skalmöld from Iceland (their new album is coming up in october), Eldkraft, Iskald or Vattnet Viskar.

11.How would you describe your views on Atheism?

I am an Atheist and for me Atheism is the absence of belief that any deities exist. I "believe" in reason and scientific evidence. And I think the late Christopher Hitchens was right when he said that "religion poisons everything". One can see this on a global but also on a local level, e.g. with the great influence the church has on so many decisions that should only be made by governments.

However I try to keep this topic out of Bloodred, because music should be fun in the first place. The only exception is the song "Enemies Of Reason" after the BBC series with the same name by Richard Dawkins. But as a person I try to be an advocate for a more secular society.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

In most of my spare time I'm actually working on music or other things concerning Bloodred. But with the start of a new season of "Game Of Thrones" or "Doctor Who" you can find me in front of the TV. I also read a lot or listen to audiobooks. Family is of course also a big part of my life.

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

First of course I want to thank you for the review of "The Lost Ones" and the interview. It was a pleasure!

Secondly I want to encourage all of your readers to send me feedback to my music via Facebook, Twitter or the website. As I said earlier: getting in touch with people is a great motivation for me.

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Bleeding Utopia/Darkest Potency/Bleeding Music/2014 CD Review

  Bleeding  Utopia  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays a  very  melodic form  of  blackened  death/thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Darkest  Potency"  which  was  released  by  Bleeding  Music.

  Spoken  word  samples  start  off  the  album  before  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  heavy  and  melodic  direction  musical  direction  along  with  blast  beats  and  deep  death  metal  growls  and  the band  also  uses  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  after  awhile  blackened  metal  screams  are  added  into  the  music.

  The  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  are  very  melodic  and  epic  sounding,  while  the  riffing  incorporates  elements  of  both  modern  and  old  school  metal  and  they  also  add  in  back  up  gang  shouts  at  times  as  well  as  adding  a  heavy  thrash  influence  into  their  musical  sound  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  and  after  being  in  a  very  heavy  direction  for  most  of  the  recording  the  band  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  on  a  couple  of  the  tracks  before  going  back  to  a  more  blackened  death  metal  direction

  Bleeding  Utopia  play  a  style  of  blackened  death  metal  throughout  the  recording  that  is  very  heavy  and  melodic  at  the  same  time  and  they  also  have  a  good  balance  between  both  modern  and  old  school  influences  in  their  musical  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Bleeding  Utopia  are  a  very  great  sounding  heavy  and  melodic  blackened  death/thrash  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Your  Kingdom  Will  Fail"  "All  Life  Withers"  "Bring  Me  your  Dead"  and  "Nighttime  Divine".  8  out  of  10.

www.bleedingutopia.com
www.facebook.com/bleedingutopia 

First Dawn/Final Epoch/2014 Full Length Review

  First  Dawn  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Final  Epoch"/

  A  very  dark  and  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  a  few  seconds  later  which  leads  up  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  along  with  some  grim  black  metal  screams  and  they  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  as  well  as  making  most  of  the  tracks  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  After  awhile  the  music  starts  to  speed  up  a  bit  along  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times  and  the  symphonic  elements  are  a  huge  part  of  the  bands  musical  sound  and  they  also  add  a  great  amount  of  melody  into  their  songs  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sounding  presence  on  the  recording.

  When  fast  parts  are  utilized  they  bring  back  memories  of  the  90's  style  of  melodic  black  metal  and  on  the  2nd  track  melodic  guitar  leads  find  their  way  onto  the  recording  along  with  a  brief  use  of  background  choirs  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  faster  riffs  have  more  of  a  dominant  presence  on  the  album  while  the  synths  also  start  bringing  in  more ambient  elements  and  on  the  last  track  there  is  a  brief  use  of  violins  being  utilized.

  First  Dawn  plays  a  style  of  melodic  black  metal  that  is  very  symphonic  and  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  tradition  of  this  musical  genre  and  they  bring  a  more  darkened  atmosphere  that  has  been  missing  in  this  musical  genre  for  the  last  few  years,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  First  Dawn  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  and  melodic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "To  The  Stars"  and  "Edge  of  The  Universe".  8  out  of  10.        

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Hortus Animae/Secular Music/Flicknife Records/2014 CD Review

  Hortus  Animae  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  progressive  and  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Secular  Music"  which  was  released  by  Flicknife  Records.

  A  very  dark,  melodic  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  and  you  can  also  hear  elements  of  doom  metal  in  their  musical  sound  along  with  a  very  symphonic  atmosphere  as  well  as  some  clean  singing  vocals  being  utilized  at  times  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  You  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  progressive  and  gothic  elements  coming  out  of  the  keyboards  as  well  as  the  band  using  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  are  very  melodic  and  they  bring  an  80's  metal  feeling  to  the  recording  and  the  music  also  has  a  very  decent  balance  between  both  clean  and  heavy  parts.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  some  elements  of  brutal  death  metal  and  one  of  the  later  tracks  is  divided  into  3  different  parts  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  bit  of  the  90's  avant  garde  black  metal  sound  in  their  songs  and  halfway  through  the  album  small  amounts  of  female  vocals  and  ethic  music  sounds  are  brought in  briefly  and  the  band  also  brings  in  an  an  instrumental  before  returning  back  to  tracks  with  vocals  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  cover  of  Jethro  Tull's  "Aqualing"..

  Hortus  Animae  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  black  metal  but  bring  in  elements  of  death  metal  doom,  gothic  and  progressive  rock  to  create  a  very original  sounding  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics cover  anti  religion,  occult,  dystopian,  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hortus  Animae  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  and  symphonic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "God  And  His  Disgusting  Children"  "Dystopian  Apocalypse"  and  "Chamber  Of  Endless  Nightmares".  8  out  of  10.

http://hortusanimae.net/
https://www.facebook.com/HortusAnimae
http://www.reverbnation.com/hortusanimae
https://twitter.com/HortusAnimae (@HortusAnimae)

 



  

Kablo Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
I started playing guitar about five and a half years ago (I was 16) . After I got better at the instrument, I started composing and recording simple songs and riffs at home (mostly rock and heavy metal) just for the fun of it. I live in a small village and starting a band was not possible. Then, in early 2012, a dear friend told me to listen to a black metal band called Taake. I had never listened to that genre of music before and its sound and imagery captivated me. That started it all. In no time, I learned about dozens of bands and genres of black metal and experimented with that sound. At about mid-summer 2012, nearly half of what would be my first album was already made.

2.In September of 2013 you had released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
"Dark Moonlight Forest" was kind of an experiment sound wise. It has a whole lot of elements from different styles of metal. I knew I wanted it to be melodic but raw at the same time, with slow-paced clean guitars but also fast fast heavy ones. You could call that mash up of sounds melodic black metal, ambient black/death metal, etc. I like to call it Kablo-metal.

3.What are some of the concepts and images you bring out with your musical sound?
Nature in general but especially forests. My family comes from a northern zone of Spain called Galicia, very well known for its beautiful landscapes. I've always enjoyed long walks in the forests, trying to connect with nature. That's what I would like to evoke.

4.All of the music recorded so far has been instrumental, are you planning on using vocals in the future?
I am indeed! I wasn't able to put vocals in the first record because my singing is not very pleasant, but some people have offered their voice to sing for future songs.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Kablo'?
It's actually really dumb and funny. Years ago, my group of friends used to call me "Calvo" (wich means bald in Spanish) because I was the only one with very short hair. One day, one person extremely misspelled the word and wrote it like "Kablo" and everyone found it hilarious. It has been my pseudonym since that very day.

6.You record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you chose to remain solo?
I haven't had the opportunity to play in a band yet but I would like to someday. That being said, I don't think I would completely give up my solo project even while playing in a different band.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Not at the moment. Music is still only a hobby for me. I genuinely love to produce songs by myself.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
The album was actually very well received; a lot better than I expected considering my low experience producing music. The amount of downloads it had on bandcamp was quite high and the reviews generally good.

9.Are you involved with any other musical projects?
No. "Kablo" is my only project by now.

10.Where do you see your self heading into musically during the future?
I don't really see myself getting super serious with my musical project. I do it for fun and it helps me disconnect from my daily life. I hope to be able to keep making music and explore new genres for a lot of time, having the same amount of fun as I do now.

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?
Basically black metal bands like Taake, Burzum, Dissection, Emperor... but my music has been influenced by styles that go from crust-punk to death metal, and even post-rock.
Nowadays, I listen to almost everything that isn't extremely commercial or mainstream. I like lots of types of metal, rock, punk and some electronic music. I'm also a big fan of video game music.
12.What are some of your non musical interests?

I really love exploring new places and walking through forests and mountains is one of my favorite pastimes. I also enjoy basketball and video games a lot.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Well, I would like to thank darkdoomgrinddeath.blogspot.com for taking the time to interview me and for the great review of my album. Also all of my gratitude to the people that support me all over the internet. Expect some new material in the near future!

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Bloodred/The Lost Ones/2014 EP Review

  Bloodred  are  a  1  man  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released 2014  ep  "The  Lost  Ones".

  A  very  dark,  melodic  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  before  speeding  up,  adding in  blast  beats  and  black  metal  screams  and  after  awhile  you  can  hear  elements  of  death  metal  being  added  into  the  music  and  there  is  also  a  good  mixture  of  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  throughout  the  first  track  as  well  as  a  very  melodic  approach  to  black  metal  along  with  a  very  dark  atmosphere  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments.

  Blast  beats  and  fast guitar riffs  start  off  the  second  track  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  a  few  seconds  later  as  well  as  some  vocals  which  also  bring  in  death  metal  growls  at  times  and  the  music  also  brings  in  elements  of  doom  in  the  slower  sections  and  thrash  metal  in  the  mid  paced  parts  of  the  song  and  the  leads  which  are  added  into  the  song  a  few  minutes  later  are  in  more  of  a  melodic  musical  direction.

  Bloodred  plays  a  style  of  black/death  metal  that  is  very  melodic  and  heavy  sounding  at  the  same  time  on  these  2  tracks  which  also  show  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Bloodred  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  blackened  death  metal  project  and  if  you  are    fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "The  Lost  Ones".  8  out  of  10.

Homepage: http://www.bloodredband.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bloodredofficial

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloodredband

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/bloodred_de

Bandcamp: http://www.bloodredband.bandcamp.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bloodredband

 



  

Kablo/Dark Moonlight Forest/2013 Full Length Review

  Kablo  are  a  1  man  band  from  Spain  that  plays  and  instrumental  and  melodic  mixture  of  ambient,  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2013  album  "Dark  Moonlight  Forest".

  Acoustic  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  finger  picking  and  full  chords  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  getting  a  lot  more  heavier  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  and  the  music  sticks  mostly  to  a  mid  paced  and  melodic  style  of  black/death  metal.

  The  solos  and  leads  that  are  utilized  on  the  recording  display  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  and  after  awhile  clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  of  the  later  tracks  also  shows  the  music  speeding  up  a  bit  and  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Kablo  creates  a  very  interesting  sound  with  his  instrumental  approach  to  melodic  black/death  metal  as  well  as  adding  in  elements  of  ambient  music  to  make  his  music  sound  more  original  and  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Kablo  is  a  very  great  sounding  instrumental  mixture  of  melodic  black/death  metal  and  ambient  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dark  Moonlight  Forest"  "Storm"  and  "The  Mighty  Tree".  8  out  of  10.

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Hymn Above Traumatic Emotion/Trauma IX/2013 EP Review

  Hymn  Above  Traumatic  Emotion  are  a  1 man  band  from  Japan  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black/death  metal  and  metalcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2013  ep  "Trauma  IX".

  Dark  sounding  keyboards  and  melodic  female  vocals  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  more  heavy  and  melodic  direction  along  with  some  aggressive  shouts/growls  and  blast  beats  which  they  also  mix  in  with  the  female  vocals  and  there  is  also  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  bring  in  a  more  melodic  edge    and  on  the  second  track  the  song  starts  out  with  a  very  dark  and  tragic  sounding  keyboard  before  going  into  a  more  aggressive  and  melodic  black/death  metal  direction  while  the  vocals  start  incorporating  more  elements  of  metalcore  and  the  guitar  starts  coming  that  element  as  well.

  Hymn  Above  Traumatic  Emotion  takes  a  very  melodic  form  of  black/death  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  a  more  modern  metalcore  sound  as  well  us  using  female  vocals  and  symphonic  elements  to  create  his  own  sound,  the  production  has  a  very  powerful  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hymn  Above  traumatic  Emotion  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  melodic  black/death  metal  and  metalcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Trauma  IX".  8  out  of  10.  

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Nothgard interview

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

First of all we’ve had some changes concerning the line up. We’re now playing with three guitars as Skaahl from Wolfchant joined the band in 2012. We were also playing a lot of shows in Europe and took our time to write and prepare for the new album which was some intense and hard work.

2. In September you will release a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction of the new recording and also how does it differ from from the previous full length and demo you had released in the past?

There is definitely a big difference between „Warhorns Of Midgard“ and „Age of Pandora“.Soundwise, „Age of Pandora“ sounds way fresher, clearer and more powerful, but not just because of the three guitars. We have tried out a lot of stuff during the songwriting process and only took the best ideas which are hearable on the new album. The songs are more technical, include lot’s of powerful orchestral/symphonic elemtens and feel faster. Also we went more in the direction of epic melodic death metal on the new record.

3.Your lyrics cover some Pagan topics, can you tell us a little bit more about your views on Paganism?

As we´ve changed our musical style into Epic Melodic Death Metal, the new lyrics don´t include anything concerning paganism.

4.The band was originally known as Nordavind, what was the decision behind the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Nothgard'/

We’ve changed the bandname into Nothgard as Nordavind was unfortunately already used several times by other bands. The name Nothgard refers to the word „nothgarde“, which also means striking out for a counter attack in sword combat.

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

That’s a tough question. We’ve had some great shows in England where we’ve had fans singing along to every song, knowing all the lyrics and partying hard during the show. Shows in the Czech Republik are also always fun as the people are always having a big party. We also love playing festivals, where we get the chance to perform our songs to people that may have never heard about Nothgard before. The show we’ve had a few weeks ago at the „Runen der Nacht Festival“ has also been a blast!
In general it’s always a pleasure and a lot of fun for us, and that’s what we’re showing on stage during our shows. You can see that we enjoy being together on stage.

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

Yes! We are going to have a tour in September in Spain, which will be called „Black Clouds Over Iberia“. We also have plans for another tour, but right now we can’t tell you any informations about that ;)

7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been so far to the newer music by reviewers of extreme metal?

Until now we haven’t received much feedback from reviewers, because the promotion has just begun, but what we have got by now was really good. For example, we received a very positive album review in the German metal magazine „Legacy“ and in general a lot of positive feedback from the few other people who have heard the new stuff.

8.What is going on with the other musical projects these days that some of the band members are involved with?

Dom R. Crey has just joined Equilibrium and is currently playing some big shows with them. He is also a member of Wolfchant. Same goes for Vik S. and Skaahl. Wolfchant is currently recording their new album which will definitely be another killer release.

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

We definitely want to develop ourselves and become more technical in the future. But right now, we’re very happy with the current music style and want to stick to it.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on 'Nothgard'?

There are several bands, which have had an influence on the music style, especially because they affected the guitar, bass and drum style, which our members have now and which are hearable in the music or rather songwriting. To mention some of those bands, there’s for example Children of Bodom, Arch Enemy, Ensiferum, Kalmah and many others.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

It depends. Most of our spare time we use to develop our skills on our instruments. Otherwise we like hanging around with friends, partying, listening to music, visit concerts. Also all of our members are busy with studying and working.. Random stuff ;)

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

We want to thank EVERYONE out there who supports us and visits our shows. If you are interested in listening something new, fresh and powerful, you should definitely check out our new album „AGE OF PANDORA“, which will be released on the 12th of September 2014. We keep you updated on our social medias like facebook and also our official homepage. For those who can’t wait until September, we will release some snippets of the new stuff over the next weeks.

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Xereth/III/Candlelight Records/2014 CD Review

  Xereth  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  technical,  symphonic  and  progressive  form  of  black/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "III"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Candlelight  Records.

  Epic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  giving  the  music  a  symphonic  feeling  along  with  some  whispers  and  elements  of  electronic  music  before  adding  in  a  more  heavier  direction  with  the  symphonic  sounds  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  and  back  up  shouts  and  you  can  hear  a  good  amount  of  progressive  metal  in  their  musical  sound.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  you  can  hear  some  aggressive  vocals  that  lean  more  towards  thrash  and  groove  metal  along  with  some  clean  singing  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  are  more  in  a  melodic  80's  metal  direction  mixed  in  with  some  progressive  rock  elements  and  the  music  sticks  mostly  to  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  at  time s you  can  also  hear  violins  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  towards  the  end  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  for  a  few  seconds.

  Xereth  expands  on  their  heavy,  progressive  and  symphonic  approach  to  black/death  metal  showing  a  great  amount  of  skill  and  progress  as  musicians  on  this  album,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Xereth  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "I  Hold  Dominion"
"Death  Defiant"  "Passenger"  and  "The  Chaos  Reign".  8  out  of  10.

www.facebook.com/xerathuk

 

  

Northern Oak/Of Roots And Flesh/2014 CD Review

  Northern  Oak  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk  music  and  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Of  Roots  And  Flesh"  which  will  be  released  in  October.

  Nature  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  bass  guitars  and  flutes  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  and  a  few  seconds  later  growls  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  and  blast  beats  shortly  after  that  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  melody  in  the  bands  musical  style.

  Acoustic  guitars  when  they  are  added  into  the  music  enhance  the  folk  elements  that  are  present  on  this  recording  as  well  as  giving  the  recording  a  more  progressive  sounding  edge  and  there  is  also  a  decent  amount  of  melodic  chanting  present  on  some  of  the  tracks  as  well  as  a  great  amount  of  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Most  of  the  music  sticks  to  more  of  a  slow  or  mid  paced  direction  while  the  music  also  has  its  fast  moments  at  times  and  some  of  the  alter  songs  also  sees  the  band  adding  in  clean  singing  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  and  the  faster  sections  of  their  music  really  show  off  the  black  metal  side  of  their  musical  sound  and  after  awhile  more  violins  and  melodean's  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  a  couple of  instrumentals  and  a  few  long  and  epic  in  length  tracks  

  Northern  Oak  creates  a  very  progressive  style  of  folk  metal  that  also  has  a  heavy  black  metal  influence  to  it  along  with  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  some  death  metal  elements  to  create  a  very  original  sound,  the  production  sound s very  professional  for  being  a  self  release d recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  nature  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Northern  Oak  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  folk  music  and  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Dark  Of  Midsummer"  "Nerthus"  "The  Gallows  Tree"  and  "Only  Our  Names  Will  Remain".  8/5  out  of  10.  

www.northernoak.co.uk
www.facebook.com/northern.oak

Cenotaph/Riding Our Black Oceans/Chaos Records/2014 CD Re-Issue Review

  Cenotaph  where  a  band  from  Mexico  that  played  a  melodic  form  of  black/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1994  album  "Riding  Our  Black  Oceans"  which  was  re-released  by  Chaos  Records  in  the  year  of  2014.

  Spoken  word  parts  which  also  return  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  as  well  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars  a  few  seconds  later  which  leads  up  to  a  more  heavy  and  melodic  blackened  death  metal  direction  along  with  a  mixture  of  growls  and  blast  beats  which  also  leads  up  to  blast  beats  and  melodic  guitar  leads  being  added  into  the  music  as  well  as  some  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars.

  The  bands  musical  style  sounded  for  technical  and  progressive  for  the  time  this  album  was  recorded  and  they  also  bring  in  a  couple  of  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  a  small  amount  of  clean  singing  being  used  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  All  of  the  tracks  have  a  very  dark  atmosphere  to  them  while  also  remaining  heavy  at  the  same  time  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  in  the  instruments  and  as  the  album  progresses  small  amounts  of  clean  playing  can  be  heard  at  times  along  with  a  brief  acoustic  instrumental  before  making  a  return  back  to  a  heavier  musical  direction.

  Cenotaph  had  a  very  different  sound  for  their  time  playing  a  melodic  and  technical  from  of  black/death  metal  and  this  is  an  early  example  of  that  musical  genre  and  they  had  the  perfect  balance  between  melody,  heaviness  and  darkness,  the  production  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  heavy  sound  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Cenotaph  where  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  black/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Soulless"  "Macabre  Locust  Celesta"  and  "Soul  Profundis".  8  out  of  10.

http://chaos-records.bandcamp.com/album/riding-our-black-oceans