Self Spiller/Worms In The Keys/Varia Records/2015 CD Re-Issue Review

  Self  Spiller  are  an  international  band  with  members  from  the  United  States,  Canada,  Norway  and  Japan  that  plays  a  very  experimental  and  avant  garde  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Worms  In  the  Keys"  which  will  be  re-issued  in  May  of  2015  by  Varia  Records.

  Middle  Eastern  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  avant  garde  elements  and  a  few  seconds  later  melodic  riffs  and  clean  singing  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  and  experimental  metal  sound  and  they  also  mix  the  ambient  and  heavy  parts  together  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts.

  Video  game  music  samples  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  acoustic  and  classical  guitars  at  times  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  saxophones  and  a  good  portion  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  add  in  grim  black  metal  screams  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  dark  and  melodic  and  also  demonstrate  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  elements  of  noise  and  symphonic  music  and  you  can  also  hear  a  small  amount  of  female  vocals  on  some  of  the  songs

  Self  Spiller  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  post  black  and  avant  garde  metal  and  mixes  them  together  with  more experimental  and  free  form  jazz  elements  to  create  a  a  very  original  sounding  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  covers  the  writings  of  Anthony  Bourain,  Alejandro  Jodorowsky  and  Corman  McCarthy  as  well  as  the  bass  players  own  experiences  with  health,  travel  and  loss  of  home.

In  my  opinion  Self  Spinner  are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental  and  avant  garde  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Folds  Of  Skin  To  Lay"  "Rot  On  Root"  and  "Strong  But  Damaged.  8  out  of  10.

http://www.selfspillerwitk.bandcamp.com 

  

Withering Soul/Adverse Portrait/Mortal Music/2015 CD Review

  Withering  Soul  are  a  band  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Adverse  Portrait"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Mortal  Music.

  Avant  garde  sounds and  synths  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  a  few  seconds  later  that  dominate  throughout  the  recording  and  after  the  intro  the  music  gets  a  lot  more heavier  while  still  using  melodies  as  well  as  adding  blast  beats  into  certain  sections  if  the  recording  and  grim  black  metal  screams.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and fast  parts  and  the  band  also  mixes  the  melodic  styles  of  black  and  death  metal  together  and  the  music  also  bring s in  deep  growls  and  times  along  with  a  great  amount  of  symphonic  elements  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  use  a  small  amount  of  clean  singing  vocals  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  gothic  atmosphere  and  some  of  the  heavier  riffs  also  show  an  influence  of  thrash  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  is  added  onto  a  couple  of  tracks  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  there  are  also  a  couple  of  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Withering  Soul  creates  a  melodic  black  metal  album  that  also  incorporates  a  decent  amount  of  symphonic  elements  along  with  some  goth,  thrash  and  death  metal  influences  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Ghosts,  Horror,  The  Paranormal  and  Death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Withering  Soul  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "No  Longer  Within"  "Hour  Of  Obstinacy"  and  "In  Absence".  8  out  of  10.

www.facebook.com/witheringsoulband

 

   

I Am The Trierme/Gnosis: Never Follow The Light/Horror Pain Gore Death Productions/2015 CD Review

  I  Am  The  Trierme  are  a  band  from  Pennsylvania  that  plays  a  mixture  of  symphonic  black  metal  and  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Gnosis:  Never  Follow  The  Light"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Horror  Pain  Gore  Death  Productions.  

  A  very  melodic  and  technical  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  solos  that dominate  throughout  the  recording  and  blast  beats  and  a  few  seconds  later  grim  black  metal  screams  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you  can  also  hear  acoustic  guitars  being  utilized  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  A  good  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  you  can  also  hear  clean  singing  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  while  the  riffs  and  solos bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  there  is  also  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  band  bringing  in  a  lot  of  elements  from  the  90's  style  of  both  symphonic  black   and  melodic  death  metal  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  I  Am  The  Trierme  plays  a  musical  style  that  combines  a  more  guitar  orientated  style  of  symphonic  black  metal with  melodic  death  metal  to  create  their  own  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  I  Am  The  Trierme  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  symphonic  black  metal  and  melodic  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Trusty  Noose"  "Grey  Fields  of  Ash"  "A  Sullen  Reflection  Of  Purity"  and  "Tamelane  (Chapter  2)".  8  out  of  10.

 http://www.iamthetrireme.com
www.facebook.com/iamthetrireme    

Keeper/The Space Beneath Your Teeth/Crown And Throne Ltd/2015 EP Review

  Keeper  are  a  band  from  Fresno,  California  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge  and  doom  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "The  Space  beneath  Your  Teeth"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Crown  And  Throne  Ltd.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  melodic sound  starts  off  the  ep  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  grim  black  metal  screams  start  to  become  a  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  when  solos  and  leads  are utilized  they  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  add  a  touch  of  post  metal  to  the  songs  and  there  are  only  2  of  them  and  they  are  both  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Both  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  and  heavy  sludge/doom  metal  sound  and  there  are  no  fast  parts  or  blast  beats  ever  being  utilized  while  you  cna  still  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  presented  on  both  of  the  songs  which  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  distortion  and  reverb  sounds.

  Keeper  creates  another  very  heavy  sludge/doom  metal  recording  while  also  keeping  all  of  the  vocals  in  a  black  metal  direction,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  heavy  and  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Keeper  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  metal,  sludge  and  doom,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "The  Fool".  8  out  of  10.

Facebook - Facebook.com/keeperdoom
 Bandcamp - Keeperxdoom.bandcamp.com   

Leucrota/Sentient Ruin Laboratories/2015 Demo Review

  Leucrota  are  a  band  from  Santa  Cruz,  California  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge,  crust,  d  beat,  hardcore  punk  and  noise  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  demo  which  was  released  by  Sentient  Ruin  Laboratories.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  demo  and  after  a  minute  reverb  is  added  onto  the  recording  and  takes  the  music  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  a  great  amount  of  high  pitched  screams  that  are  heavily  influenced  by  hardcore,  black  metal  and  sludge  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  noise  rock  elements  in  the  bands  musical  style.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  blast  and  d  beats  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  and  the  vocals  also  bring  in  deep  growls  at  times  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melodies  at  times  and  some  of  the  songs  also  use  a  small  amount  of  guitar  leads.

  Leucrota  takes  black  metal,  sludge,  crust  and  post  hardcore  and  mix  them  together  along  with  a  variety  of  many  influences  to  create  a  sound  of  their own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Leucrota  are  a  very  decent  sounding  mixture  of   black  metal,  sludge,  crust,  d  beat,  hardcore  punk  and  noise  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Never  Again"  and  "Systematic  Violence".  7/5  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/leucrota/?fref=ts

Pavillon Rouge/Legio Axis Ka/Swamp Records/2015 CD Review

  Pavillon  Rouge  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal  and  industrial  with  a  touch  of  new  wave  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Legio  Axis  Ka"  which  will  be  released  on  April  20th  by  Swamp  Records.

A  very  atmospheric  and  symphonic  industrial  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  yet  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  grim  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later  and  you  can  also  hear  some  programmed  beats  in  the  background  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Some  of  the  tracks  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  singing  vocals  and  back  up  shouts  and  when  solos  are  utilized  they  are  in  a  melodic  industrial  metal  direction  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  most  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  mid  paced  musical  direction.

  Pavillon  Rouge  takes  a  more  melodic and  mainstream  form  of  black  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  industrial  and  new  wave  style  synths  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in   French  and  cover  beauty,  innocence,  purity  and  ecstasy.

  In  my  opinion  Pavillon  Rouge  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal  and  industrial  and  if you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Prisme  Vers  I'Odyssee"  "Mars  Stella  Patria"   "Droge  Macht  Frei"  and  "Klux  Santar".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=H3vZM7tKX0A    

Miellnir/Incineration Astern/Stygian Crypt Productions/2014 CD Review

  Miellnir  are  a  band  from  Ukraine  that  plays  a  mixture  of  viking  and  folk  metal  with  a  touch  of  black  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Incineration  Astern"  which  was  released  by  Stygian  Crypt  Productions.

  An  epic  sounding  synth starts  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  remains  atmospheric  but  gets  a  lot  more  heavier  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  start  becoming  a  huge  part  of  the  recording,

  Clean  playing,  acoustic  guitars  and  melodic  viking  vocals  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  folk  instruments  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  the  synth  also  makes  the  music  sound  very  epic  at  times  while  the  solos  are  very  melodic  and  the  vocals  can  also  be  very  guttural  at  times  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  soem  of  the  faster  sections  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  they  also  close  the  album  with  4  bonus  tracks.

  Miellnir  plays  a  musical style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  folk  and  viking  metal  but  does  add  in  elements  of  black,  doom  and  melodic  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Norse  Paganism  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  Miellnir  are  a  very  great  sounding  folk/viking  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Prey"  "Journey  Through  the  Nine  Worlds"  "Embraced  By  Ire"  and  "Valhalla  Awaits".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfx8UbWzVn4

Macerie Interview

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

Hi everyone we are Macerie, 4 guys from around Florence, we've been playing together for a year. All of us are really active in music, we had and have at least two bands each. the band started as a joke, while drunk one night we decided to form an "extreme music" band, me (Ivan) and Lorenzo put bass and guitar in various tones, Giuliano started doing blast beats and Alessio (the first singer who recorded the demo) started doing growls and screams.

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

Yes our EP came out on tape for two labels (Sentient Ruin Laboratories and Yambushi Recordings) and we are happy about this release! Alex (who plays with me in Carlos Dunga and xDeloreanX) recorded the EP DIY-style at his house. What came out of the recording is a dark and evil sound, it sounds open in some parts (especially the slow ones) but closed in the parts with blast beats.


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

The lyrics are simple and direct, in Italian. Alessio our old singer had written some very dark lyrics, with very few words repeated. They are hermetic (obscure) and about worms, ruins and wreckage. The new lyrics by Eugenio are longer and obscure...


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

After playing for a while we couldn't find a decent name. One night after practice we were drinking and smoking, and after thousands of senseless names (i remember “Rosafante" was an option, Barney's drunk pink elephant friend) we found the name Macerie which represents the kind of music we make. (Macerie means "ruins" or "rubble" in Italian)


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

I wouldn't know which was our best concert, but we are a young band, we went on tour once, and in Italy we've only played in our region, Tuscany.
But i have good memories of all our tour dates, even the ones with not so many people, playing around Europe is always fantastic! Especially when you go and play in Holland and you smoke some good stuff before, during and after the gig!


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

We don't have much planned for the future, we are all busy with jobs and other bands. Soon we'll play with Eyehategod in Livorno and we can't wait to open for such an incredible band! Then we want to go on tour again soon!

7.In the US you have Sentient Ruin Laboratories and in the UK you have Yambushi Recordings, do you feel these 2 labels have been very helpful when it comes to getting your music out there heard?

Yes these labels have been very helpful in getting our name out! They both put out good music, ​I​ liked the latest release from Sentient Ruin, by Abstracter, and the tape of our friends Buioingola. I appreciated Sesso Violento released on Yambushi. And anyway both these labels are nice underground scenes, it's nice when someone from the other side of the world (we are Italians, they are american and english) appreciates your music and decides to release a record of it!​ W​e really hope we can meet Mattia and Umberto in person, maybe on tour in USA or England (this is a veiled request to bring us to play over there!)

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

We've had good feedback from different parts of the world! you know now with internet it's all global and you don't just get feedback from your friends or from people who come to your gigs. now everything is available to everyone (this is good on some levels, and bad on others.. but that's a different story). Basically lots of people added us on Facebook and complimented us on our music, so I’d say the feedback has been positive!


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

We were thinking of recording our soon pieces soon, and doing a split (on vinyl) maybe with one of our friends' bands from around here. I think we'll need some more time for the full-length, but after the split we'll definitely get down to work making enough pieces for an LP!


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

We all listen to music that's different, but similar. Recently I’ve been into slow/drone/experimental stuff, I’m going through all the releases of Donovali Records. Giuliano is more into grind, and Euguenio has been slaughtering his ears with black metal and doom for years; Lorenzo is a hipster (ahahah). The band's influences are: everything we listen to, mixed together: black metal, doom, drone, grind, and a bit of crust which never hurts!


11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Our non musical interests are different and mixed, Lorenzo love​s​ fishing, ​G​iuliano ​is a hot-air balloon​ enthusiast​, Eugenio lives in an ​squat and is an anarchic activist, and I (Ivan) am trying to get my degree (it's going to happen soon and I’ll be the only one in the band with a degree).


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


​F​
inal thought: METAL!
You buy our beautiful tapes that will be out soon, and we hope to play as far from home as possible! See you soon and thanks a lot for the interview!

Bandcamp

Facebook

Macerie/Self Titled/Sentinent Ruin Laboratories/2015 EP Review

  Macerie  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  blackened  mixture  of  sludge  metal  and  crust  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2015  ep  which was  released  by  Sentinent  Ruin  Laboratories.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  a  few  seconds  later  a  good  mixture  of  growls  and  screams  are  added  onto  the  recording  an  you  can  hear  element s of  post  metal  in  the  melodies  and  when  the  music  speeds  up it  brings  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.

  The  faster  sections  bring  in  elements  of  crustcore  while  the  slower  parts  are  more  influenced  by  doom  and  sludge  metal  and  the  vocals  bring  in  traces  of  black  and  death  metal  and  every  song  has  a  sound  of  its  own  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  bringing  in  atmospheric  elements  and  a  more  brutal  sound and  the  last  song  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing.

  Macerie  takes  a  very  dark  and  heavy  style  of  sludge  metal  and  mixes  it  with  black  metal  and  crustcore  along  with  a  touch  of  post  metal  and  hardcore  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Italian  and  cover  dark  and  desolate  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Macerie  are a  very  great  sounding  blackened  mixture  of  sludge  metal  and  crust  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Agonia"  and  :Macerie".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.cvltnation.com/exclusive-cvlt-nation-streaming-macerie-agonia/

Vetten Aparat Interview

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

We're preparing for recording an album and our upcoming gigs this summer and fall.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?

We work in the general framework of folk metal but don't limit ourselves to just one end of the genre. Sydäntalven Viha as long song is a good reflection of our music as a whole with it's combination of low and distorted guitars, heavy drumming and our traditional folk melodies.

3.The band has been around since 2006 but waited until 2011 to release any material, can you tell us a little bit more about the first 5 years?

Back in the year 2006 we were still just kids. We started everything from scratch. While playing some Ensiferum covers in our school's band room the line up changed many times. We needed to buy all instruments and amps by ourselves and that took time because getting money that young wasn't that easy.

Also it took a long time to find people on the same wavelength. The current line up stabilized just one year ago and we're now finally ready to start making more process. We had a rocky start but the whole time our main concept has had time form and it's always been worth the effort and the wait. With all this time and the current line up our vision is more clearer than ever. Just wait for the album.

4.The band considers themselves part of the second generation of Finnish folk metal, how does the newer generation differ from the older bands?

We can only speak for ourselves on this one since every band has their own approach on the music. In our mid and late teen years we were influenced by the big five from our country. During "the golden years" of the first wave of folk metal in Finland (2005-2009) these band toured heavily here and we were all in the audience every show.

Now we're trying to bring in some theatrical elements to our live shows for giving an unique experience driving the genre forward. We believe the show needs more visual elements not just great music. For example creating a whole atmosphere of a cold dark winter forest on stage with trees and props or using the smell of tar to convey an otherworldly essence of nature.

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

They range from our version of the classic themes of describing the harsh but beautiful northern nature to expressing personal feelings in a lore form of battles and old tales. Sami processes a whole variety of strong emotions from his life through his lyrics.

Sydäntalven Viha or Winterheart's Wrath is about the destructive spirit of the north that demolishes an invading army
The chorus also conveys the desperation in a place where no one can hear you cry in rage.

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Vetten Aparat'?

Vetten Äpärät is kinda old finnish. Straight translation is "Bastards of Waters". Word "Vetten" means "Waters'" but can be used as "Lakes". "Äpärät" word means "bastards". The idea of the name is that back in old days in Finland, kids born outside of christian marriage were not blessed. So we use that word instead of for example the word "pagan". Another idea is when people went to explore the wild north they encountered "natives" and called them "Bastards of the North of Thousands of Lakes". And later shortened as "Bastards of Waters" - Vetten Äpärät.

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

We could say we had three shows which stand out from the others. First was in Nosturi which is the one of the biggest concert places in Helsinki. It was during one band competition. Even though it was not a whole set, just playing on that big of a stage felt good.

The second was at Semifinal where we first tried out decorating the whole stage to look like winter in Finland. We had some poetry and some acting on stage. Not the average "that song was... We are Vetten Äpärät. The next song is... Are you guys ready to rock" type of boring bullshit.

The third was at Club PRKL. We were warming up for Kivimetsän Druidi and the place packed during our set. People were actually there to watch folk metal instead of just drinking in a bar with live music. Getting actual reactions from the crowd felt extremely positive.

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

We have already booked some shows for the next summer. After the album comes out next fall we are going to have the release gig/tour.

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

Generally it has been always positive. We've gotten lot fans from Central and South America. There is a surprising amount of love for all folk metal there. It's harder to gain attention in Europe and especially in Finland because there is so many other band pushing their music and trying to be the next big thing metal no matter the genre.

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

New album will be released sometime next fall. In the future the music will be more and more close to ancient times but also people's daily life. We'll be figuring out more and more ways to sound more primal and raw. Down to earth but not black metal.

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?

Hard to tell what will influence us next but here is something from our current playlists:

Sami: More and more neopagan folk music like Wardruna, Omnia and Faun. I highly appreciate composers like Tuomas Holopainen and the new Nightwish album is worth listening.
Leo: Actually I haven't listened to that much metal lately. There is so much too average or borderline boring metal coming out just now. Last few months I've gotten in touch with Southern Gothic music and 90's harder rap acts. It's good have a diverse taste in music.
Anton: Wide range of metal, some EDM, glimpse of acoustic folk music and I also really like certain movie scores.

12.Does Paganism play any role in your music?

It's hard to say. The six of us come from varying ideologies. Sami identifies himself as a pagan and as our main songwriter he writes about paganism but does not preach it. Vetten Äpärät is more influenced by different European lores and mythologies than just paganism.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

Fitness and fatness. Some of us come from the same group of friends so social gatherings with alcohol included is our thing from time to time. Also Skyrim and gaming in general.

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

Buy our album and come see us live. Get ready to surf on the second wave!
Have a cheerful and beerful spring people!

Vetten Äpärät

Bandcamp

Facebook

Homepage

SoundCloud

Spotify

Twitter

VK

YouTube

Piah Mater Interview

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

Luiz Felipe Netto: Piah Mater is a two-piece metal band from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that consists of myself - Luiz Felipe Netto - and Igor Meira and we play extreme metal with unconventional deviations, I guess we could put it that way…

2.In December you had released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

LFN: The sound we achieved on those 7 songs was a product of experimentation with different song structures and combinations of opposing feelings such as restlessness and quietude, frantic riffs in contrast with acoustic passages and so forth. It is beyond me to classify what we created into a specific genre though.

3.The band has been around since 2010 but waited 4 years to release an album, can you tell us a little bit more about the first 4 years?

LFN: We took the two initial years to mature ourselves as musicians, settle down our expectations and define our goals. The writing process for the debut itself wasn't so long though, it took us less than an year to put the whole thing together. By early 2013 we had the album completed, and in the time span between that and the release date we worked to get the production sounding exactly as we wanted (we only got so close!)

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

LFN: I wrote the lyrics for Memories of Inexistence from a very personal stand-point, about things that are close to home for me as I find that would be the only honest way to deliver these tracks, making them personal enough so that others can relate.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Piah Mater'?

LFN: For the name, we wanted a clean slate to start with, something that evoked no prior interpretations to the minds of the average person when exposed to it for the first time. When I eventually came across the name I felt an immediate connection to it. I pitched it to Igor and we both agreed that it couldn't be anything else. It had to be that one.

6.Currently there are only 2 members in the band are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you chose to remain a duo?

LFN: We have plans to expand into a quartet and we are currently working a few connections to make that happen. But if it doesn't, we have no problems keeping the core band as a duo. We'll see how it unfolds…

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

LFN: No labels have stepped up so far. Although that is not something we discard for the future, we definitely are not losing sleeping over it.

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

LFN: It's been good so far. At this point I can't say we had exposure enough for me to distinguish between the feedback from the metal and the prog camps. From where I sit, it feels like we are reaching the intersection first, the people that already are familiar with both ends of the Prog Metal scope. Maybe from here on it will become clearer which side will embrace us stronger.

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

LFN: We already have a second album pretty much sorted out. I am so deeply involved with it that is hard to say in which ways it sets apart from its precedent, but if I should risk a few words I would say it's more focused, more melodic and overall emotionally heavier than 'Memories of Inexistence'.

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

LFN: Igor and I both listen to and get inspired by all sorts of music. Currently I have been listening to some Tears for Fears, Alcest's Shelter and Enslaved's In Times. Igor has been digging Memento Mori, latest Obituary and Cannibal Corpse records and Brazilian virtuoso Edgberto Gismonti.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

LFN: I'm a senior in film school and Igor is majoring in engineering so…  that pretty much summons up our external interests in life.

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

LFN: Thank you for arranging this interview and thanks to the readers who have made it this far. We have big things coming in 2015 and it's good to know we're not alone on this.

Bandcamp

Facebook

Spotify

YouTube

Piah Mater/Memories Of Inexistence/2014 Full Length Review

  Piah  Mater  are  a  duo  from  Brazil  that  plays  a  very melodic  and  progressive  form  of  black/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Memories  Of  Inexistence".

  Dark and  melancholic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  after  awhile  black  metal  screams  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  a  progressive  death  metal  direction  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  melody  in  the  bands  musical  style.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  clean  playing  which  also  brings  in  a  good  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  and  heavy  parts  and  melodic  vocals  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  at  times  the  music  brings  in  death  metal  growls  and  screams  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  As  the  album  progresses  some  of  the  songs  start  bringing  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  utilizing  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  at  times  and  one  of  the  later  songs  is  an  acoustic  ballad  while  the  later  tracks  show  the  band  making  a  return  back  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  while  some  of  the  acoustic  sections  do  bring  in  a  touch  of  70's  progressive  rock  at  times..

  Piah  Mater  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  dark  and  progressive  and  also  brings  in  a  touch  of  melodic  black  metal  at  times,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  encounters,  loss,  and  healing.

  In  my  opinion  Piah  Mater  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  progressive  black/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Anticipation"  "Young  Rust"  and  "A  Greater  Freedom".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Piah-Mater/633422666784294

 https://piahmater.bandcamp.com   

Sigh/Graveward/Candlelight Records/2015 CD Review

  Sigh  are  a  band  from  Japan  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  symphonic, experimental  and  avant  garde  from  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Graveward"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Candlelight  Records.

  A  melodic  guitar  lead  which  also  dominates  throughout  the  album  and  symphonic  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  the  guitars  using  a  lot  of  old  school  metal  riffs  and  after  awhile  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  deep  growls  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  clean  singing  vocals  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  At  times  the  music  can  be  very  avant  garde  and  experimental  and  the  songs  also  mix  in  a  lot  of  traditional  Japanese  music  elements  in  with  the  heavier  parts  and  there  is  also  a  good  mixture  of  both  male  and  female  choir  vocals  present  throughout  the  recording  and  at  times  both  the  solos  and  synths  bring  in  a  heavy  influence  of  70's  psychedelic  and  progressive  rock  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  As  the  album  progresses  Japanese  folk  instruments  can  be  heard  at  times  and  some  of  the  later tracks  also  bring  in  spoken  word  parts  along  with  an  influence  of  noise  music  being  brought  in  at  times  and  the  heavy  parts  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  thrash  influences  while  the  saxophones  enhances  the  avant  garde  side  of  the  bands  musical  style  and  they  also  bring  in  a  couple  of  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Sigh  creates  another  album  that  is  still  very  heavily  rooted  in  black  metal  but  just  like  with  previous  efforts  the  music  also  remains  avant,  garde,  symphonic  and  original  sounding  while  the  band  has  gotten  back  a  lot  of  their  heaviness  over  the  years,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror  movie  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great sounding  recording  from Sigh and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Graveward"  "The Molesters  Of  My  Soul"  "The  Casket  Burner"  and  "Dwellers  In  Dream".  8  out  of  10.  

http://www.earsplitcompound.com/site/2015/04/17/sigh-legendary-japanese-avant-extreme-metal-quintet-to-release-tenth-studio-album-via-candlelight-next-month-new-tunes-posted/

Omrade Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Bargnatt : Edari is our first release. We are two in this band, I play guitar and vocals
Arsenic : I play drums and keyboards.

2.You have an album coming out in April, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Bargnatt : Our music is like a picture, every song is a contemplation of a situation or a simple landscape. Like painters, we try to capture an intense moment and  a definition of sadness, light, and human emotion. It's our vision of darkness and beauty, but our songs could be read in different axes, it's not easy to follow all the time our evocation of cold feeling.
Arsenic : for me "Edari" is a journey between past and future; we have chosen old and modern sounds to reach that goal

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Bargnatt : There is different lyrical, sometimes we talk about our experience of hardest life, the abandon sentiment or sometimes about anger and rage of human being. Our lyrics are special and sometimes ironic, the constant of our lyrics is the melancholia, sadness, every song is a short history, a mutilation of fairy tales.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Omrade'?
Bargnatt : Område is very specific field or area of neighborhood.
Arsenic : it can be understand like a friendship too

5.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you chose to remain a duo?
Bargnatt : It's an interesting question, we have a lot of great guests on our album, and I think a duo is better for a project like Område. But who knows what the future holds...
Arsenic : we have several great projects for Område, some are in the pipes and they are awesome, it may includes other people but for the moment we go straight.

6.Has the band done any live shows yet or is this strictly a studio project?
Bargnatt : It's not a strictly studio project, but due to other projects, it doesn't let for arsenic and I the time for this, but I would like play our music on stage.
Arsenic : it also depends of the feedbacks we will have on the album, we will see...

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of metal?
Bargnatt : It's fun, because sometimes metal heads don't understand our music, because we have a lot of inspiration and we listen different kind of music. It's very hard for a pure metal heads to classify Område. It's our goal to do a music, we would like listen with different things, like Manes, Ulver, god is an astronaut, Head control system, Gazpacho, Nordic giant, Dodheismgard, I love the avant garde scene with a metal basis.
Arsenic : honestly the promotion is only at the very beginning, our first review gave us a 8/10 (and it was today :)
We hope they're will be more and more like that; moreover, our first clip "Mótsögn" is acclaimed by the critics; a really good start

8.Are any of the band members also involved with any other bands or musical projects?
Bargnatt : I have a band, but we prefer keeping the secret because now the important matter is Område.
Arsenic : me too, but at this time we want to separate the projects

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Bargnatt : I see Område in a perfect evolution with no restriction. I have a dream play Område's music in a theatre with an orchestra.
Arsenic : Musically, we are exploring new sides, we have to merge our 2 universes, it's sometimes hard but we are now convinced that we did the right choices on "Edari"; the next album could be different but always with our own personality, we will see...

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Bargnatt : My first influence is The Doors, I like Ulver, Manes, Dodheimsgard, Paradise Lost, Caspian, Leviathan, Treha Sektori, Gazpacho. And a lot of other bands, the list is very long, I listen all time music.
Arsenic : some many bands, from Soilwork to Queen

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Bargnatt : I like reading, and writing, poetry and litterature for me are the best inspirations.
Arsenic : I am very busy to create music but i like art in general


12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Bargnatt : I would like to thank you for the great itw, and I take this opportunity to thank our great partners of “Edari” release Francesco from My Kingdom music and our PR agent Christophe Sousa and his team from Dooweet promotion.
Arsenic : we also want to thanks the great guests we had on "Edari" (Asphodel, Guillaume Bideau, Leo Sors, Kriss Mandra, Damien Legret) and our friend Benoit Tillier for the great teaser and clip production

https://www.facebook.com/Omradetheband/

Orakle/Eclats/Apathia Records/2015 CD Review

  Orakle  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  very  experimental  and  progressive  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Eclats"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Apathia  Records.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  progressive  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  atmospheric  synths  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  when  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  start  out  with  clean  singing  and  bring  an  avant  garde  feeling  to  the  recording  and  the  music  also  brings  in  elements  of  70's  prog  rock.

  When  solos  are  added  onto  the  recording  they  are  very  melodic  and  progressive  while  the  vocals  also  bring  in  grim  black  metal  screams  at  times  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  in  some  sections  of  a  few  songs  and  each  track  also  brings  a  diverse  sound  to  the  recording.

  Orakle  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  has  a  lot  in  common  with  the  avant  garde  side  of  the  genre  of  the  90's  while  also  being  very  experimental  and  adding  in  a  touch  of  the  more  modern  and  progressive  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  French  cover  Nature,  Curse  and  Mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Orakle  are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental,  progressive  and  avant  garde  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS    TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Solipse"  "Apophase"  and  "Aux  Eclats".  8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp

Facebook

Homepage

Myspace

ReverbNation

Twitter

Youtube

Omrade/Edari/My Kingdom Music/2015 CD Review

  Omrade  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  an  avant  garde  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Edari"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  My  Kingdom  Music.

  A  very  dark  atmospheric  and  ambient  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  a  few  seconds  later  clean  singing  vocals  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  a  small  amount  of  saxophones  and  after  a  few  minutes  black  metal  screams  become  a  huge  part  of  the  music  and  the  synths  also  get  more  symphonic  and  also  add  in  an  influence  on  classical  music.

  Elements  of  industrial  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with some  traces  of  trip  hop  and  electronic  music  and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  some  of  the  tracks  along  with  spoken  word  parts  and  female  vocals  being  utilized  at  times  and  there  are  also  a  few  tracks  that  are  long  and epic  in  length  and  the  music  gets  more  progressive  halfway  through  the  recording.

  Omrade  creates  and  album  that  brings in  a  variety  of  many  different  musical  genres  from  black  metal,  avant  garde,  trip  hop,  electronica,  ambient,  industrial  and  post  rock  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  Swedish  and  English  and  cover  dark  and  psychotic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Omrade  are  a  very  great  sounding  avant  garde/post  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Mostsogn"  "Satellite  And  Narrow"  and  "Friendly  herpes".  8  out  of  10.

http://youtu.be/-i5kIREyCKY

Vetten Aparat/Sydantalven Viha/Inverse Music/2015 Single Review

  Vetten  Aparat  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  very  heavy  form  of  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  single  "Sydantalven  Viha"  which  will  be  released  on  March  27th  by  Inverse  Music.

  Nature  sounds  start  off  the  song  before  adding  in  acoustic  guitars  and  synths  that  add  a  folk  music  feeling  to  the  music  and  a  few  seconds  alter  clean  singing  vocals  are  added  into  the  track  which  leads  up  to  the  song  going  into  a  heavier  direction  and  after  awhile  the  vocals  start  to  get  aggressive  and  add  in  element s of  death  and  black  metal  and  melodic  guitar  leads  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  back  up  gang  shouts,  and  after  the  acoustic  parts  make  their  return  the  song  starts  utilizing  some  symphonic  elements.

  Vetten  Aparat  plays  a  style  of  folk  metal  that  is  very  heavy  and  melodic  and  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  Nordic  black  metal  and  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Finnish  and  cover  foklore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vetten  Apaarat  are  a  very  great  sounding  folk  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  single.  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/vettenaparat

http://www.vettenaparat.com/  

Sulphur Aeon/Gateway To The Antisphere/Van Records/Imperium Productions/2015 CD Review

  Sulphur  Aeon  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Gateway  To  The  Antisphere"  which  will  be  released  in  April  as  a  joint  effort  between  Van  Records  and  Imperium  Productions.

  Rain  and  ritualistic  spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  synths  and  a  few  seconds  alter  melodic  chants  and  heavy  guitars  are  added  into  the  music  and  after  the  intro  more  melodies  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  a  small  amount  of  black  metal  screams.

  Blast  beats  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  solos  and  leads a re  used  they  are  very  dark,  melodic  and  technical  sounding  and  the  songs  also  mix  in  the  atmospheric  elements  in  with  the  heavier  and  melodic  parts  of  their  musical  style.

  At  times  the  music  goes  fro  a  brutal  style  of  death  metal  which  they  also  mix  in  with  some  atmospheric  and  melodic  black  metal  influences  and  the  sound  effects  from  the  intro  also  make  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  display  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  throughout  the  recording  and  they  also  close  the  album  with  a  very  atmospheric  outro.

  Sulphur  Aeon  creates  another  album  that  is  in  the  blackened  death  metal  direction  and  mixes  brutality  and   melody  with  atmospheric  elements  and  epic  structures  to  create  an  album  that  will  show  them  getting  known  on  a  higher  level,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  writings  of  H.P  Lovecraft  and  Darkness.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Sulphur  Aeon  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Devotion  To  The  Cosmic  Chaos"  "Abysshex"  "Seventy  Steps"  and  "Into  the  Courts  Of  Azathoth".  8/5  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcaWMa23C4M&feature=youtu.be