Kanseil Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
We’re still working for some surprises for the fans. An official video clip, a lyrics video and an awesome release party are on their way. We’re excited for the upcoming jigs and we’re looking forward to fill our schedule for the summer.



2.You have a new album coming out in May, 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 demo?

We worked on the pieces aiming to a clear and warm sound, trying to express the melody at its best. This album differs from the previous works in the sound quality: much deeper and clearer; and also in the amount of different styles and keys we played in: different moods require different kinds of writing. We are satisfied of the improvements we achieved in these years.



3.Your lyrics cover the local folklore and history of your own country; can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this subject?

Since we were in high school we were keen on legends and old stories, as well as nature, hiking on the mountains, and we were also curious about the way things we take for granted today were done in the old days. Therefore, as well as many other folk metal bands from all across Europe we wanted to tell these stories of our Homeland in our music. Each piece is the result of research and deepening on the subject, which is both an occasion for us to learn something new about a topic we were already familiar with, and also for the listener for discovering a new story.



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

Our name is based what may be the ancient name of the Cansiglio plateau located in the North-East of Italy, which dates back to the pre-roman era. The ancient etymological root of our mountain’s name was something that fitted really well for the purpose. The name is both familiar as it strongly resembles the modern local name and mysterious since the spelling and the sounds that bring to a time when language and culture were something we’re totally unfamiliar with today.

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?

The best memories we have are of course the shows on the huge stages of big open-air festival with big names such as Korpiklaani, Enslaved, Arkona, Omnia and so on, with a large mosh-pitting crowd. Some of the best shows are also those we sometimes play for a very specific purpose or anniversary, in smaller clubs with local bands supporting us, where the fans are really passionate and create a family-like atmosphere. Our performances are very spontaneous, we try to involve the crowd in the show, showing off our instruments and moves fitting on the music. We have a lot of fun playing live shows and the fans seem to appreciate.



6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

Yes, we already have a pretty busy schedule for the summer: we planned many shows all across northern Italy.



7.The new album is coming out on 'Rockshots Records', how did you get in contact with this label and how would you compare working with them to your older label 'Nemeton Records'?

Rockshots Records took contact with us when we were still recording pre-productions a year before the recordings in the studio. When time came, they were still interested in our project, so we agreed it would be a successful collaboration. Rockshots Records works very professionally and gives a lot of value to your work. The now late Nemeton Records was a little label that suited best for a small band with its fist demo or album, and we’re grateful to their staff for the years of collaboration and the help we got at the beginning. When Nemeton got out of the business we took the chance to start a new journey with a bigger label such as Rockshots Records.



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

We got a surprisingly good feedback. Most of our fans are from Italy, but we got a lot of reviews, always good, from all of Europe, who appreciates the freshness brought to the genre and the unusual language we sing in. We got purchases on our online store from most of Europe, USA and Japan, and according to the stats of our social medias, a large part of likes and views come from Argentina, Mexico and Brazil, probably because of all the people there who have ancestry from Veneto and find our topics interesting. We look forward to know what the world thinks about the new album and hope to not disappoint the fans expectations.



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

We will continue to develop for sure, producing new music working on a better sound, doing experiments with various styles and moods.



10.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 are mostly influenced by the main bands in the folk-metal landscape of the last decade, both Italian and from other European countries, as well as the medieval and traditional music from Western and Eastern Europe. In both our albums you can hear the influence of post-metal and avant-garde bands such as Alcest or Agalloch, especially in the new one: we enjoyed experimenting the switch between harsh electric and melodic acoustic parts. When it comes to solos and rhythmic there’s still a strong influence from classic heavy-metal bands. These are the bands we still listen to nowadays, along with other non-metal or folk bands such as Italian artists and classic rock.



11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Our common interests are related to the passion for nature and the mountains, like hiking, skiing, biking and photography. Our bagpipe player is also a bagpipe maker, who works wood on the lathe making instruments and any king of wooden object.  



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

Thank you for your interest an attention, we hope the new album will be enjoyed by the old fans and discovered by the new ones, and we look forward to play it on stage!

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Vitam Et Mortem/Sinfonia para el funeral de un Angel/Extreme Cut Records/2017 CD Review

  Vitam  Et  Mortem  are  a  band  from  Columbia  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  symphonic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  with  some  ethnic  and  ritual  music  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Sinfonia  para  el  funeral  de  un  Angel"  which  was  released  by  Extreme  Cult  Records.

  A  very  fast  sound  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  as  well  as  the  vocals  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  death  metal growls  and  black  metal  screams.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and fast  parts  while  the  music  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  ethnic  and  folk  music  elements  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars  and  symphonic  sounds  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of the  recording  and  clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  some  of the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  instrumentals  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard.

  Vitam  Et  Mortem  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  melodic  sides  of  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  some  symphonic,  folk,  ethnic  and  ritualistic  music  elements  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Spanish  and  cover  darkness  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vitam  Et  Mortem  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  with  some  folk,  ethnic  and  ritual  music  elements  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sinfonia  para  el  funeral  de  un  Angel"  "Sangre  y  lagrimes"  and  "Una  vida  inmortal  en  la  oscuridad".  8/5 out  of  10. 

https://vitametmortem.bandcamp.com/album/sinfon-a-para-el-funeral-de-un-ngel

      

Unflesh/Savior/2018 CD Review

  Unflesh  are  a  band  from  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  technical  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Savior"  which  will  be  released  in  May.

  Avant garde and  symphonic  style  keyboards  start  off   the  album  along  with  some  clean  playing  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  the  vocals  being  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams.

  At  times the  music  gets  very  technical  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  demonstrating  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  one  track  also  introduces  classical  guitars  onto  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  riffs  also  start  incorporating  more  elements  of  thrash.

  Unflesh  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  melodic  and  technical  sides  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  death  and  suicide  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Unflesh  are  a  very  great  sounding  technical  and  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres, you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Savior"  "Erosive  Devotees"  and  "Disintragation  God".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/Unflesh/
https://unflesh.bandcamp.com/album/savior​
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgIPtHYjLDKhEbszA53mY0Q
https://www.instagram.com/unfleshofficial/   

Lagrima/Gilgamesh (The Quest For Immortality)/2018 Full Length Review

  Lagrima  are  a  duo  from  Lebanon  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Gilgamesh  (The  Quest  For  Immortality)".

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  acoustic  and  classical  guitars  are  also  added  onto  some  of  the  tracks  along  with  the  vocals  being  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  songs  also bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  music  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  90's  influences  along  with  some  elements  of  traditional  and  thrash  metal.

 Some  of  the  fast  riffing  also  brings  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  while  piano's  when  they  are  used  briefly  bring  elements  of  classical  music  onto  the  recording  but  also  keeping  the  main  focus  on  a  heavier  style  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  being  instrumentals  before  return  back  to  vocal  songs  as  well  as   the  drum  beats  being  all  programmed  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  On  this  recording  Lagrima  takes  their  melodic mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  into  a  heavier direction  while  also  keeping  the  acoustic  parts,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  'The  Epic  Of  Gilgamesh".

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Lagrima  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Rival  Creation  (Enkidu)"  "At  The  End  Of  Enkidu  Comes"  and  "The  Great  Deluge".  8/5  out  of  10.

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Heron/A Low Winter's Sun/Sludgelord Records/2018 CD Review

  Heron  are  a  band  from  Vancouver  B.C,  Canada  that  plays  a  blackened  and  atmospheric  mixture  of  doom  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "A  Low  Winter's  Sun"  which  will  be  released  by  Sludgelord  Records.

  A  very  slow,  dark  and  heavy  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  music  also  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  after  awhile  growls  and  high  pitched  screams a re  added  onto  the  recording  and  they  also  add  in  elements  of  black  metal  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  parts  being  used  on a  few  tracks.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  good  amount  of  melody  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  clean  guitars  onto  the recording  and  at  times  the  music  gets  very  atmospheric  as  well  as  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  and  they  also  bring  in  a  piano's  briefly  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  as  the  album  progresses  melodic  guitar  leads  are  finally  added  onto  the  recording  and  atmospheric  drones  are  used  briefly  on  the  closing  track.

  Heron  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  atmospheric  sludge  metal  and  mixes  it  with  black  and  doom  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  insignificance,  existentialism  and  loss  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Heron  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  and  blackened  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Of  Gods  And  Goats"  "Uncomfortable  Silence"  and  "Fire  Twin".  8  out  of  10.

https://heronvan.bandcamp.com/album/a-low-winters-sun

Thunderwar/Wolfpack/Lifeforce Records/2018 EP Review

  Thunderwar  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  very  old  school  and  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  ep  "Wolfpack"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Lifeforce  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  old  school  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  as  well  as  the  tremolo  picking  bringing  in  elements  of  black  metal.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  of  the  riffing  also  brings  in  elements  of  early  80's  era  traditional  metal  and  atmospheric  drones  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  one  track  bringing  in  melodic pagan  vocals.

  Thunderwar  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  black  and  old  school  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism,  Occultism,  Mythology,  War  and  Psychology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Thunderwar  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  and  melodic  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Wolfpack"  and  "Circle  Of  Runes".  8  out  of  10.

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Dystersol Interview

 1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We are Dystersol from Styria (Austria). Our band was founded back in 2013 and over the years we developed our unique style which is best described as modern metal.  What’s cool is that we are all from the same small village and know each other very well. Being in a band together can sometimes be quite tough, however, it’s a great pleasure to share all these band moments with some of your best friends.

2.So far you have released 2 albums, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?
Since our first homegrown demo album a lot has changed. “Welcome the Dark Sun” was supposed to be an album with two contrary faces. The first part was quite heavy and serious, whereas the second part consisted of rather melodious and folkish songs. Even though the concept was interesting and contained a lot of meaning, the clear line of the musical genre was missing and the result was very diversified. On our new album “The Fifth Age of Man” we tried to create one coherent piece of music. Every single one of us had a huge influence on the songwriting and we took way more time for all the details regarding the songs, but also for everything apart from the music, like album artwork and band image, for example. Soundwise, the new album is much heavier. We got rid of almost all the clean vocals and the guitars are even more riff-based and aggressive than on “Welcome the Dark Sun”. Even though the folk influence is still recognisable in some parts, the synth sounds have become more broad and orchestral. Another big difference is of course the quality of the new album. While the first demo was recorded in our rehearsal room, “The Fifth Age of Man” was recorded professionally at Realsound Studio in Italy. The collaboration with our label Wormholedeath helped us to bring our music to the next level.

3.After 2014 you waited until 2018 to release the next album, can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during that time frame?
First of all, we took a lot of time to write new material. After releasing our demo album, we felt that in some songs, the overall sound and especially regarding the artwork the love for detail was missing because we did everything under a lot of pressure. So, we wanted to think everything through carefully and take all the time we need for these details. In 2016, we had already started recording our next single on our own, when we first got in touch with Wormholedeath. They offered us a great deal to record a LP the following year, so we had to write a few more songs. We also spent a lot of time to find our identity as a band. It was clear that we had to define our sound and specify our image in order to become more professional. In early 2017 we did all the pre-recordings in our rehearsal room and made the final adjustments on our songs before we hit the studio in July. While we were waiting for the final results of our mixes and masters, we put a lot of effort into all the stuff surrounding the music, like merch, artwork, videos and so on. Of course, we also played a lot of concerts during this time.

4.Your lyrics cover 'Ancient Mythology, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?
For many topics, it seems that they haven’t changed a lot over the centuries. Many of today’s human thoughts and problems are not vastly different from those hundreds or even thousands of years ago. What makes ancient texts and particularly mythology so interesting in our opinion is that they had a certain perspective on things which would not even be considered these days. They have a rather “free” (at least by today’s standards), ambivalent and variable view on life, moral and mortality.  Associating those views with our modern worldview brings up a lot of interesting thoughts and ideas to think about.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Dystersol'?
Dystersol is Swedish and means dark - or rather gloomy sun. This oxymoron leaves room for interpretation in various ways, and can be seen as an allegory for numerous topics, as well. It involves an ambiguity which is part of humanity, and therefore, part of us, too. The dark side of the sun represents our awareness of misery and sorrow in the world, whereas the bright rays of the sun illustrate our positive attitude, as well as our passion for music we want to share with our audience.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
It’s really hard to pick the favourites because a lot of shows were great fun. Opening the amazing Kaltenbach Open Air back in 2015 was definitely one of the highlights of our career. It was our first festival show and the biggest stage we’ve played so far. What’s more, the Volk Metal Jacket tour 2017 has to be mentioned, especially the stop in Graz at the club Explosiv was really nice. We’re lucky that there are many great bands and passionate people who keep the Styrian metal scene alive and support each other.
7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
We have a couple of upcoming shows in 2018, like the Volk Metal Jacket vol. 4 or the Dead Man Walking festival, for example. Currently, we’re also working on our album release show in early June. All the dates and details will be released on our website and Facebook page. At the moment, we have no upcoming tour, however, we hope that the new album gives us the chance to play more national and international shows and tours.
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme metal?
The official release date of “The Fifth Age of Man” is on May 4th, so it’s a bit too early to talk about feedback. However, the response to our first single “Down to Nothing” has been very positive so far. Since the press release in March a couple of our songs have been broadcasted in radio stations all around the world, especially in the US. At the moment, we’re really excited about the feedback and we can’t wait to see the reactions.
9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
As we are just releasing this album, we haven’t talked about our future in detail, yet. Our further plans also depend on the reactions on “The Fifth Age of Man”. We’ve put a lot of time and energy into this album, which was really exciting, but also an enormous amount of work. We already have a couple of ideas for new riffs and lyrics and we’ll start to write new songs after the CD has been released.
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?
All of us are really open-minded when it comes to music. We all love heavy stuff, but each of us has slightly different preferences. In the early days, folk metal bands like Finntroll or Korpiklaani, but also heavy metal bands like Accept had a big influence on our first songs. Over the past years, heavier stuff like Kataklysm or InFlames has become more important. The rhythm section probably listens to the most extreme stuff like Dark Funeral, Benighted and The Black Dahlia Murder. One of our guitarists is really into post and atmospheric black metal. The other one is more an old school guy and likes Metallica and Pantera but also bands like Queens of Stone Age. Our singer has listened to almost everything over the years, but at the moment he is really looking forward to see Ex Deo this year.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
We live in a small village where we’re surrounded by nature, so we often play football or basketball together or just spend some time outside and go swimming or hiking. Of course, also partying is an essential part of being a metal band, so we all share a passion for beer.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We want to thank all the people who supported us and helped to create “The Fifth Age of Man”. If you’re interested in our music or want to get in touch with us, visit our website and Facebook page to stay tuned.
Thanks for the interview

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Arkveid/Self Titled/Metal Scrap Records/2018 Full Length Review

  Arkveid  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  an  atmospheric  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2018  album  which was  released  by  Metal  Scrap  Records.

  Fire  burning  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars  a  few  seconds  alter  which  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  a  folk  music  feeling  while  stringed  instruments  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  keyboards  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  song.

  The  song  is  almost  40  minutes  in  length  while  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  when  they  are  utilized  and  after  awhile  grim  black  metal  screams  start  to  make  their  presence  known  along  with  the  slow  heavy  riffs  bringing  in  elements  of  doom  metal  as  well  as  some  clean  vocals  also  being  used  at  times  and  some  of  the  riffing  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking.  and  whispers  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Arkveid  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  doom  and  folk  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Arkveid  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  folk  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  8  out  of  10.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Arkveid/3540439066

Primitive Man/Steel Casket/Tartarus Records/2018 EP Review

  Denver,  Colorado's Primitive  Man  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  where  they  move  away  from  their  blackened  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  by  bringing  in  more  of  a  mixture  of  harsh  noise,  drone  and  ambient  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2018  ep  "Steel  Casket"  which  will  be  released  on  April  25th  by  Tartarus  Records.

  Ambient  style  drones  start  off  the  ep  while  clean  guitars  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  they  give  the  music  more  of  an  experimental  and  avant  garde  feeling  along  with  both  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  after  awhile  power  electronics  and  harsh  noises  make  their  presence  known.

  After  awhile  the  music  gets  more  diverse  along  with  both  of  the  tracks  being  instrumentals  along  with  some  natural  noises  also  being  used  at  times  and  both  of  the  songs  sound  very  different  from  each  other.  and  the  acoustic  guitars  have  more  of  a  dominant  sound  on  the  second  track  and  towards  the  end  spoken  word  samples  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  On  this  recording  Primitive  Man  move  way  from t heir  blackened  sludge/doom  metal  style  and  go  into  more  of  an  instrumental  mixture  of  harsh  noise,  drone  and  ambient  and  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Primitive  Man  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  ambient,  drone  and  harsh  noise,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "A  Life  Of  Turmoil".  8  out  of  10.

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The Canyon Observer/Noll/Vox Project/Kapa Records/2018 CD Review

  The  Canyon  Observer  are  a  band  from  Slovenia  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  post.  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Noll"  which  will  be  released  on  April  20th  as  a  joint  effort  between  Vox  Project  and  Kapa  Records.

  Distorted  sound  drones  and  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  some  guitar  leads  while  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  vocals  also  bringing  in  a mixture  of  growls  and  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  bringing  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  elements  of  post  metal  along  with  a  small  amount  of  melody  also  being  used  at  times  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion,  elements  of  harsh  noise  and  experiemntal  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  crust  punk  influences  can  also  be  heard  while  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  is  added  onto  the  recording  and  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  progressive  feeling  and  on  the  closing  track  the  vocals  go  into  more  of  a  melodic  sludge  direction.

  On  this  recording  The  Canyon  Observer  expands  on  their  mixture  of  black,  post,  sludge  and  doom  metal  by  adding  in  elements  of  crust,  experimental  and  noise  to  take  their  sound  to  a  different  level,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark and  disturbing  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  The  Canyon  Observer  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  post,  sludge  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Noll"  "Abstract"  and  "Circulation".  8  out  of  10.

www.kaparecords.com
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Stortregn/Emptiness Fills The Void/Non Serviam Records/2018 CD Review

  Stortregn  are  a  band  from  Switzerland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018 album  "Emptiness  Fills  The  Void"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Non  Serviam  Records.

  Acoustic  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  direction  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  vocals  bring  in  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  along  with  the  music  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  90's  era  Swedish  influences.

  A  great  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  whispers  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

 Some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  while  acoustic  guitars  also  make  a  return  on  some  of  the  later  songs  along  with  a  couple  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  some  of t he  faster  riffing  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  instrumental  can  be  heard  before  returning  back  to  vocal  tracks.

  Stortregn  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  scientific  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Stortregn  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Through  The  Dark  Gates"  "Nonexistence"  "The  Eclipsist"  and  "Children  Of  the  Obsidian  Light".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/Stortregn

     

Aethyr/Cruor/Zero Hour Recordings/2015 EP Review

  Aethyr  are  a  band  from  Moscow,  Russia  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  played  a  blackened  mixture  of  drone,  sludge  and  doom  metal  while  this  recording  shows  more  of  a  melodic  black/death  metal  style  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "Cruor"  which  was  released  by  Zero  Hour  Recordings.

  Distorted  sounding  drones  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy riffing  and  melodic  guitar  leads  a  few  seconds  later  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  the  music  speeds  up a   decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  mix  in  elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  as  well  as  some  death  metal  growls  also  being  used  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and fast  parts.

  On  this  recording  Aethyr  goes  into  more  of  a  melodic  blackened  death  metal  direction  while  style  keeping  in  some  elements  of drone,  sludge  and  doom  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  and  Esoteric  Discipline  themes.

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

https://aethyr.bandcamp.com/ 

Kamikaze Zombie Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?  Sure, The band started in 2014 With myself (Clint) And Damon, who at the time was the drummer. we just wanted to do something that was different than most of the shit around us at the time. We both grew up with 80's thrash/punk/hardcore and the metal bands of the 90's and we just wanted to make music we wanted to hear. lol

2.In 2017 you had released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording? A Car wreck - just a nasty, heavy sound. I like music to be kind of like a tornado, you don't really know where we are going, you just gotta ride it out.

3.On the album you had a variety of many different metal styles ranging from 80's to modern era, which era of metal do you prefer to the most?  The album was based off of 80's punk/ hardcore and 90's era melvins and metal bands like, White Zombie,Slayer, Crowbar, Pantera, Sepultura Ect. and of course our gigantic love for the New Orleans music scene. Necorphagia was also a big influence. Rest in power - killjoy.

4.Your lyrics cover a lot of horror movie themes, can you tell us a little bit more about the horror films you had explored on the new album?  yeah, so I love movies as you can tell. A lot of our song titles are movie titles. lyrics I use metaphors most of the song are about real life shit, with horror movies and other sifi themes to express the real life emotions in the songs. The song "The Stone Giant"  I used the movie: "Daimajin"  its a japanese horror film from the 60's to its about, a Giant stone statue that guards the gates of hell comes to life to protect japan. I also, used my favorite book "Moby Dick" on this one. Other songs, I use werewolves, Satan, though with Satan- its never about him, just Satan is the great antagonist. 1226 and Death Rides A horse. both are real life monsters. 1226 is about the Chinese Cultural Revolution, that shit is worse than horror movie you could imagine. Death Rides A Horse ( one of my favorite western) is about the Mason Murders. "Manhunter" and "The Story Of Jane Doe" are Mirror's of each other.  Silence of the lamb and ManHunter are the movies I pull from.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Kamikaze Zombie'? It means nothing. That was the point. I wanted a name that was just Weird but cool. Something we could make whatever. KZ was it!! the idea of a Zombie being a kamikaze was absurd to me, I couldn't stop laughing. We originally were going to be "The Crude Mutants" so we kept it to describe or fans and ourselves. So now we are Kamikaze zombie - "the Crude Mutants"  but with Kamikaze Zombie- I really make a conscience effort not to have anything to Kamikaze Japan, I try to steer clear of all of that,shit. lol

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance? Ok, Best shows? Last year at Full Terror Assault 3 was pretty fucking rad!!  We have been lucky enough to play with a lot of the bands we look up too, which RULES. But some of small local shows that just come together can be some of the best.  Stage performance - We are in the works to scale up the stage stuff. we want movies and crazy shit going on the background. We also try to have samples from the albums live. I hate to hear a album then live it's completely different. but, also with us. Steve and Myself,especially. we like the show to be fun and light hearted. I get tired of seeing night after night of dudes coming out beating their chest and all. So we just come out telling jokes and cutting up. keeping it fun. We let the music speak for itself.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future? YES!! we have two tours booked this summer with our friends in HailShot. We are going Cost to Cost. We start in denver, Co and end in Savannah, GA . other than that. We play with Eye Hate God in a few days. We have a couple of festivals we are in the works to play. which will takes us through the rest of the summer. Then come September we hit the road again. Gonna go North after that tour. We come home and start work for our next Album. We start recording back at LedBelly December 2018 and that is our plan for this year.

8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest? YES!! We are definitely looking. We are in talks with a smaller but very cool label now. but We gotta keep it under the hat for now. One of our major goals is HouseCore Records. that would be a dream come true.But we will see where the road takes us.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme metal?  Actually and quite honestly -surprisingly we have been getting a lot of great feedback from Europe!!! which rules. So I've been trying to push that interest. Who knows? we may get froggie enough to jump across the pound in the next year or so...We will see.

10.What is going on with the other bands or musical projects these days that the drummer is a part of?  Lol I don't really keep up with them. to be honest. I just focus all my time on KZ. everything else, is none of my business.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?  We have 8- or 9 songs in the works now, for the new album. I can tell you. They are more trashy than this album. but they are also, heavier and lean on grindcore stuff .. but its still very much KZ. We haven't deviate that much from Night Of The Nuberus". But, we will let you guys decide.

12.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?
Black Flag, Minor Threat, The Bad Brains, Celtic Frost, CrowBar, SuperJoint, Slayer, White Zombie, Pantera,The Melvins, Gwar, Goatwhore, Acid Bath, Suicidal Tendencies, Metallica, The Misfits and about a million others have all influenced us.  Currently There are two bands that I love to death. the Band Child Bite. which I am lucky to call my friends. The have some amazing tunes. I jam their stuff on the daily, A fun fact - Shawn knight of Child Bite, did our album cover. Dude is a super talented dude. The other band I cant seem to get enough of is Us Bastard. I'll jam their album for like a week straight. Just really good shit!! My buds in Against the grain and Hailshot also have great tunes out right now, that are worth checking out.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?  None music.I teach 8 step preying mantis kung fu, I love drawing and then of course horror movies, comic books.I screen print all of our KZ's shirts and Im a massage therapist for my day job.

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts? Yeah, thank you for you time. thanks to all our Crude mutants for their support and check us out at www.kamikazezombie.com - See you on the road.

https://kamikazezombie.bandcamp.com/releases

ClawHammer PR

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Kamikaze Zombie/Night Of The Nuberous/2017 Full Length Review

  Kamikaze  Zombie  are  a  band  from  Birmingham,  Alabama  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  thrash  metal  and  crossover  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  "Night  Of  The  Nuberous".

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  horror  movie  samples  also  being  used  at  times  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  sludge  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  A  lot  of  80's  era  crossover  and  hardcore  punk  elements  can  also  be  heard  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  a  great  amount  of  thrash  influences  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  most  of  the  tracks  being  very  short  in  length  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times and  when  guitar solos  and  leads  are utilized  they  remain  very  true  to  an  old  school  style  of  metal  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Kamikaze  Zombie  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  death,  sludge,  thrash  metal,  hardcore  punk  and  crossover  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror  and  slasher  movie  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Kamikaze  Zombie  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death,  thrash  metal,  crossover  and  hardcore  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Manhunter"  "In  The  Mouths  Of  Madness"  "Death  Rides  A  Horse"  and  "As  The  Moon  Stares  At  Death".  8  out  of  10.

kamikazezombie.bandcamp.com/album/night-of-the-nuberus

Kanseil/Fulische/Rockshot Records/2018 CD Review

  Kanseil  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Fulische"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Rockshot  Records.

  Firewood  burning  along  with  some  folk  instruments  start  off  the  album  while  spoken  word  parts  are  also  used  briefly  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  which  also  introduces  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  onto  the  recording  as  well  as  the  faster  sections  of t he  songs  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Folk  music  elements  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  clean  vocals  also  adding  in  elements  of  pagan  metal  as  well  as  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  the  guitar  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  when  they  are  utilized  along  with  spoken  word  parts  also  making  a  return  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  and  one  of  the  songs  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  they  also  bring  in  a  folk  music  track  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  on  later  songs  which  also  introduces  female  vocals  onto  the  recording.

  Kanseil  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  folk  and  pagan  metal with  the  heaviness  of  black  and  melodic  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Italian  and  cover  the  local  folklore  and  history  of  their  homeland  along  with  some  nature  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Kanseil  are  a  very  great  sounding  folk  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "La  battaglia  del  solstizio"  "Orcolat"  and  "Densiloc".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/Kanseil/
https://twitter.com/KanseilOfficial
https://www.instagram.com/kanseil_official/

Dystersol/The Fifth Age Of Man/WormHoleDeath Records/2018 CD Review

  Dystersol  are  a  band  from  Austria  that  plays  a mixture  of  folk  and  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "The  Fifth  Age  of  Man"  which  was  released  by  WormHoleDeath  Records.

  Pagan  war  horns  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  symphonic  direction  which  also  introduces  grim  black  metal  vocals  onto  the  recording  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  modern  death  metal  elements  in  the  riffs  and  growls  along  with  some  clean  vocals  also  being  used  at  times.

  A  great  amount  of  folk  music  elements  can  be  heard  throughout  the  recording  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  along  with  some  female  vocals  also  being  added  onto  some  of  the  tracks  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  as  well  as  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on a  couple  of  tracks  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Dystersol  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  folk,  symphonic  black,  melodic  death  and  modern  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  five  ages  of  man  as  described  in  Greek  Mythology.

  In  my  opinion  Dystersol  are  a  very  great  sounding  modern  mixture  of  folk,  black  and  melodic  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fifth  Age  Of  Man"  "Winterking"  "Children  Of  The  Wasteland"  and  "End  Game".  8  out  of 10. 

www.facebook.com/dystersol
www.dystersol.com
www.youtube.com/Dystersol

Hortus Animae Interview

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

1)      Hi. This album celebrates our 20th anniversary, it was the perfect chance to release something very special, that is live, and on vinyl, which has been our dream in a drawer for many years. It’s been just released so for now we are enjoying the feedback from fans while preparing out 20th anniversary gig that will take place in our hometown, Rimini, Italy on May 18, 2018.


2.How would you describe the musical sound of your current music and also how would you describe your progress over the years as musicians?
2)      We have always been devoted to experimenting different sounds, by integrating diverse influences in our own vision of extreme metal. We stay true to this ideal to this day, even though we have moved towards a more technical and brutal side of our sound. Let’s say in the beginning we sounded a bit more blackish and now we are a little bit more death metal oriented, yet our gothic, progressive and avant-garde remains really vivid.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored over the years with your music?

3)      Lyrics are the representation of a personal path. I have explored many themes over the years but through the prism of my own vision and I have analysed mostly themes related to spirituality, mysticism, abstractionism of the soul, through a study I’ve made of their connection to the human feelings and ways of life.

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

4)      Hortus Animae is Latin for the Garden of the Soul. This moniker fully reflects what previously said not only lyrics-wise but also music-wise. Our music and lyrics make up a scenario where you can go and find shelter and time for rest and reflections.

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?

5)      It’s nearly 20 years that we hit stages and every time it’s a wonderful and magical experience. Our warmest memories go to the gigs we shared with Napalm Death, Ancient, Lacuna Coil, Mortuary Drape, Necrodeath and last but not least the almighty Necronomicon.

Our performances are mostly focused on the music, no frills. There is a big energy  from us to the audience and vice versa. This atmosphere has been fully captured in our live album “Piove Sangue”.

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

6)      Not yet, as said for now we are organizing our 20th anniversary gig, surely other gigs will follow during summer but nothing confirmed so far.

7.On the live album you had also done your own version of Slayer's "Raining Blood" what was the decision behind doing your own version of this song?

7)      Every metalhead on Earth has gone through Slayer and “Raining Blood”, it just seemed the perfect song to end our shows during the Total Metal Over Europe Tour, Pt. II with Necronomicon.

8.Also on the same song you also had some session work from the singer of 'Necronomicon', can you tell us a little bit more about his involvement on the recording?

8)      It was the result of fellowship we developed during the tour and that has culminated with this recording, which was totally unplanned and came spontaneously. It was the very last night and we knew we were going to record a live album there, Freddy came to me and proposed to do “Raining Blood” together, I said “fuck yeah!” and then he just came on the stage for a very fiery version of that song. It’s been awesome.

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

9)      We have a very good welcoming in our home, Italy. But I have to say we also have a loyal fanbase abroad as well. During our 8 years hiatus we kept receiving mails from fans from all over the world and they have played a big role to getting us reunited, beside making music together.


10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
10)   Each and every one of us other bands also not related to metal. The bands that are mostly in the metal vein are Desmadre’s Crawling Chaos that play death metal and my solo project Martyr Lucifer where we play gothic.
11)   Right now we are writing new material for the follow up to 2014’s “Secular Music”, we really can’t tell what direction we will fallow as our way to compose is really unpredictable thanks to the fact that we all are musicians coming from different musical backgrounds.

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

12)   I don’t know, if we really have to mention bands, I think I might mention Enslaved, early Opeth but also Cradle of Filth at some point. But just to give you an idea, our vision of music is really personal in the end and we’ve always been extremely open minded and we listen to the most diverse styles of music. This surely contributes to the formation of our sound as well.

13.Does Occultism play any role in your music?

13)   Occultism, yes, it’s important. Not the main thing, though. Mostly spirituality, as said before, with no link to any particular religion. Pagan symbolism plays a big role as well.

14.What are some of your non musical interests?

14)   Even though music is one the leading lines of our lives we all have different interests, like everyone, like movies, reading, some of us are DJs, sometimes I do horse riding, etc.

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

15)   Thank you very much for this interview and we hope we’ll be playing in the US anytime soon. Cheers!



http://hortusanimae.net/

https://www.facebook.com/ HortusAnimae/