Velkhanos/The Wrath/Art Gates Records/2020 CD Review

  Velkhanos  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "The  Wrath"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Art  Gates  Records.

  A  very  dark  sounding  intro  along  with  some keyboards  which  also  returns  on  later  tracks  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  death  metal  growls  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording.

  Clean  female  vocals  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.  Classical  guitars  can  also  be  heard  on  a  few  tracks  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  music  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  elements.

 The  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody  along  with  some  clean  male  vocals  also  being  utilized  briefly  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you  can  also  hear  a  touch  of  traditional  metal  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  mixed  in  with  some  more  modern  extreme  metal  touches,  a  couple  of  the  songs  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  album c loses  with  a  Spanish  guitar  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Velkhanos  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Black  Omen"  "Dagon"  "Moloch"  and  "The  Eyes  of  God".  8  out  of  10.

http://facebook.com/velkhanosmetal
http://instagram.com/velkhanosmetal
http://twitter.com/velkhanos  

Witching/Vernal/2020 CD Review

  Witching  are  a  band  from  Pennsylvania  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  sludge  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2020  album  "Vernal"  which  will  be  released  in  June.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  sludge  metal  direction  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.  When  the  music  speeds  up  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  dark  sounding  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  riffing.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style.  Melodic  vocals  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  album,  clean  male  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  some  tracks  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  but  keeping  the  main  focus  on  the  slower  side.

  Witching  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black, sludge  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  anger,  depression  and  mental  illness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Witching  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  sludge  and  death  metal and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Witness"  "This  is  What  You  Deserve"  and  "Eschaton".  8  out  of  10.

https://witching.bandcamp.com/https://www.facebook.com/witchingband/https://www.instagram.com/witching_philly/   

Ba'alzamon/A Desolate Place/2019 Full Length Review

  Ba'alzamon  are  a  band  from  Arkansas  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2019  album  "A  Desolate  Place".

  Ritualistic  chants  and  whispers  start  off  the  album  while  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  choir  vocals  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction.  Keyboards  are  also  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  and  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  symphonic  feeling  and  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  era.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  deep  death  metal  growls  and  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  a  lot  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic style  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  female  vocals  and  spoken  words  onto  the  recording.  The  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  parts  as  well  as  one  song  also  bringing  clean  playing  into  the  music,  the  album also  closes  with  a  cover  of  Raf's  "Self  Control".  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the lyrics  cover  darkness  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ba'alzamon  are  a  very  great sounding  symphonic  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Heathens  Of  The  Blackest  Fold"  "There  Was  No  Blood"  "Knights  Of  Soth"  and  "Quest  For  The  Twelfth  Sphere  Of  Amaroth".  8  out  of  10.

https://baalzamon.bandcamp.com/album/a-desolate-place

  

Luna13/Wicked Gods/Cleopatra Records/2019 CD Review

  Luna13  are  a  band  from  Los  Angeles,  California  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  industrial,  electronica  and  bass  music  and  this  is  a  review  of their  2019  album  "Wicked  Gods" which  was released  by  Cleopatra  Records.

  A  very  dark  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album while  also  introducing  spoken  word  parts  and  samples  on  the  recording.  On  the  first  track  the  music  goes  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  the  vocals  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  screams  and  all  of  the  drum  beats  are  programmed.

  Elements  of  electronica  and  bass  music  are  also  mixed  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  while  also  adding  in  touches  of  industrial.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  some  synths  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  the  music  also  having  its  ritualistic  moments.

  Programmed  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  music  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  groove  as  well  as  the  music  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  distortion  pedals.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism  and  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Luna13  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  industrial,  electronica  and  bass  music  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Serpent"  "Leviathan"  and  "Onyx  Witch:.  8  out  of  10.

https://www.instagram.com/luna13official
http://luna13.net/
https://luna13music.bandcamp.com/
https://twitter.com/Luna13official
https://pandora.com/artist/luna-13/ARn5mwVJqZVt46K
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7mzWnPp42hjTU6ZCAJX6Ae
https://www.facebook.com/luna13official/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV83QW5Hm3TV3TDMUi3n9iw    

Inlandsys Interview

Antonin - Inlandsys 

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

Inlandsys offers an innovative blend of Scandinavian-influenced Death and Black Metal. Vocals are performed by several band members, which brings variety in the tracks.



2.So far you have released an ep and a full length, musically how do they both differ from each other?

There is five years between the two productions so our music is more mature now. The full length includes more variety in atmospheres and more complexity in the tracks. Production quality is also better on the full length.



3.The band has been around since 2011 but so far have only 2 releases, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap in between releases?

We all have other activities outside of music. And composing an Inlandsys’s song takes some time, doing it together with guitars and keyboard playing different things takes even longer. So many bands takes times to release a production even if it’s a debut album to make it similar too our expectations.



4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?

The full length is a concept-album telling a story based on punical mythology. A fiction about the god Hammon baal and is desire to conquer the city of Carthago.



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

In french an inlandsis is a common word for the unexplored frozen lands located in the Earth poles. The word is a little bit unknown so is therefore a little mysterious.



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

The work therefore illustrates part of the concept of the album. El Ash, one of our guitarist, draw the central chapter of the story, when the army of Hammon Baal besiege Carthago.



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?

The best show we did was a support show for Insomnium during their Winter’s gate tour part 2. We have encountered technical issues but went through the whole set. All the feedback's from the audience and reviewers were really good and talked about our professional stage charisma.



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

Yes, we are looking for partners to release our second album. We have already received interesting proposals, we need to think about and take the best decision for the band’s future.



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

Overall the reactions was pretty good. Our music is a blend of death and black metal witch can satisfy fans of both. We have a very rich music but still understandable even if it’s enhanced by various vocal styles.



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

Composing the second full-length album keeping the same philosophy than the first one but taking into account the feedback we got. So the future songs of Inlandsys will be an evolution of the 10 first songs.



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

Band members have many different influences, sometimes conflicting, but we can quote Septicflesh, Dark Tranquillity, Dimmu Borgir. But some of us can also be influenced by Gotheborg death metal like At the gates or Power melo death like Kalmah.

Nowadays it differs for each band members : it goes from video-game ost to Eurodance music but always with a great dose of metal.



12.Does Occultism play any role in your music?

No.



13.What are some of your non musical interests?

Video games but we also like to laugh and telling bad jokes, especially when we are on tour !



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

(Grebe : It is a palmiped bird with silver and grey feathers who living in north amercia!)


We hope you will enjoy our music and maybe to meet you on tour.

https://www.facebook.com/InlandsysBand/

Welicoruss/Siberian Heathen Horde/El Puerto Records/2020 CD Review

  Welicoruss  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Siberian  heathen  Horde"  which  was  released  by  El  Puerto  Records.

  Wind  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  tribal  style  drums  a  few  seconds  later  before  adding  in  some  symphonic  elements  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of the  songs.  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Vocals  are  done  in  an  angry  yet  deep  style  while  the  music  is  also  mostly  rooted  in  black  metal.  Clear  singing  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  some  clean  playing  also  being  utilized  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  and  during  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while the  lyrics  cover  Philosophy,  Theosophy,  Esoteric,  Heathenism,  Astral  Travels,  Mystery  and  Siberia  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Welicoruss  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  black  metal band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Speelcaster"  "Metaphysical"  and  "Hymn  Of  Lost  Souls".  8  out  of  10.

BAND:  https://www.facebook.com/welicoruss

Official merchandis: https://welicoruss.bandcamp.com/merch

Instagram:  https://bit.ly/2TyORbd

Follow the band on Spotify:  shorturl.at/egE24    

Inlandsys/Carthago/2018 Full Length Review

  Inlandsys  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Carthago".

   Rain  and  thunder  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  keyboards  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  can  be  heard  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Throughout  the  album  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  death  metal  growls  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording.  Black  metal  screams  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  songs  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks  along  with  the  solos and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  A  couple  of  the  songs  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  the  music  also  having  its  symphonic  moments,  towards  the  end  a  brief  use  of  clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard. The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  death  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Inlandsys  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Carthago"  "Siege  For  Souls"  and  "Burn  For  Baal".  8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp

Facebook

ReverbNation

SoundCloud

YouTube

  

Valdrin/Effigy Of Nightmares/Blood Harvest/2020 Full Length Review

  Ohio's  Valdrin  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  continuing  the  melodic  and  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  from  their  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Effigy  of  Nightmares" which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Blood  Harvest.

  A  very  dark  and  synth  orientated  intro  starts  off  the  album  while  whispered  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction.  Symphonic  elements  are  also  utilized  at  times  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.

  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  music  also  have  a  decent  amount  of  90's  influences.

  Elements  of  melodic  death  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  utilized  briefly.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are utilized  they  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  a  couple  of  tracks  also  introducing  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing,  acoustic  guitars  and  spoken  word  parts  onto  the  album  and  as  the  recording  progresses  whispered  vocals  also  return  briefly,  the  closing  track  is  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  continuing  their  own  mythos  and  story  of   Valdrin  Ausadjur.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Valdrin  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic  and  melodic  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Exsanguination  Tunnels"  and  "Down  The  Oubliette  Of  Maelstrom".  8  out  of  10.

http://bloodharvestrecords.bandcamp.com/album/effigy-of-nightmares    

Creature/Ex Cathedra/I, Voidhanger Records/2020 CD Review

  Creature  are  a  solo  project  from  France  that  plays  a  very  progressive,  symphonic  and  avant  garde  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2020  album  "Ex  Cathedra"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  I,  Voidhanger  Records.

  Avant  garde  style  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times.  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  progressive  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  symphonic  and  classical  music  elements.

  Blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  during  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  while  the  vocals  are  done  in  a  very  aggressive  sounding black  metal  screams  along  with  a  few  deep  death  metal  growls.  Horns  are  also  mixed  in  with  the  more  brutal  parts  of  the  music  at  times  as  well  as  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  music  also  having  a  great  amount  of  90's  influences  which  they  also  mix  in  with  a  more  modern  style.  Operatic  vocals  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them. 

 One  of  the  later  songs  is  also  an  instrumental  as  well  as  some  of  the  riffing  also  adding  in  some  dissonant  structures.  Elements  of  60's  to  80's  French  pop  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  violins,  acoustic  gutiars  and  hip  hop  style  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  French  and  and  cover  poetic,  metaphysical  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Creature  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive,  avant  garde  and  symphonic  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fugue  en  Sol  Mineur"  "Note  Anticosmique"  and  "Ethemellement".  8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp

YouTube

        

WOWS Interview

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

Hi there, first of all thanks a lot for your interest in our band! Sice we’re in lockdown since 11 of march, poeple can just listen to our music digitally or buy our merch, unfortunately no live shows. Anyway we feel the new album has been welcomed in the metal scene and we are so glad about it. 

2.Recently you have released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

It differs quite a lot. We continue our research on atmospheres ut we added more aggressiveness as well as more depth in our music. In 5 years we gew a lot as musiciand and as peolple, our personalities became more complex and more mature, and all this is into Ver Sacrum.

3.This is also your first release in 5 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?

We played a lot. Mainly that but also we met a loto f musician, labels, venues, artists that help us to have different prospectives on music and on how to be a band. Without then our music would have suffered, that’s for sure.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?

We don’t have a message, such as political or ideological, none of that. Our goal is chatarsis, abstraction and detachment from reality. Our lyrics are very poetic, ermetic and surrealistic, we describe deam-like (better nightmare-like) scenarios, it’s like a fairy tale but a very fucked up, dark and disturbing. Ver Sacrum is a celebration of the path that goes from destruction to emptiness, rebirth and than desctruction again, all lyrics are functional to this concept.

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

The name was supposed to be an acronym for War On Wall Street, but then the name WOWS claimed his own life, so we lose the dots and keept it that way. We like it for the sound, nothing to do with the exclamation “wow!”. We also discover that wows is a parameter on old analog delays, a weird effect generated by the tape, and yeah we kind of feel like a weird sound effect I guess.

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

The front artwork is a oil on canvas painting by Paolo Girardi. It’s the second cover that Paolo painted for us, for Ver Sacrum he took inspiration from the earthquakes that shook Italy and caused a loto f death and pain. So you can see the destroyed structures and the smoke in the sky, a perfect representation of destruction, such as the very beginning of the path we celebrate in Ver Sacrum.

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?

Well I have to say we enjoy almost every gig we had. We played Rottura del Silenzio and Krakatoa fest, amazing venues with amazing bands, but we also remember gladly our first tours with Postvorta and Zolfo, of our gigs in our hometown Verona at Colorificio Kroen or at The Factory. I would describe our performances as deep, heavy, loud, ritualistic and atmospheric, but it’s really up to everybody else to confirm that.

8.The new album was also released through a good amount of labels, can you tell us a little bit more about the labels you worked with on the new album?

Sure! Dio Drone was the first label who showed interest in our new album and we are really happy for this, we look up to every artist in the label and we love the dark and atmospheric attitude they have, we feel very close to their vision of music and art. Shove records is a historic DIY label on Italy, an istitution for the hardcore and estreme scene in Italy as well as mailorder of pretty unique titles, we are so glad to e a part of it! They also recently loaded all releases on bandcamp, i strongly suggest to look it up! We came across Coypu Records and Hellbones Records in the processo of looking for a label, we liked each other and we decide to collaorate. We are very happy of our labels, we like DIY scene, it’s full of passion and love for music. Coypu Records in particolar is not a metal label, they just put out what they like, so we are even more happy to be a part of it alongside great artist like Soviet Soviet, even if the musical genere is diferent; we love this attitude, pure passion!

9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black, doom, post metal and hardcore?

Reviews are going nicely, we get a lot of appreciation, for sure more than the previous release, I hope we’ll have the same interest also in live shows, when it will be possible of course.

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

We have some ideas, surely we won’t follow any mainstream line, but we could say it only when we actually have new music I think.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

We are six people so I would say a lot. I speak for myself, I like graphical arts and in this lockdown I started drawin a lot. If you wanna know more I’m afraid you have to buy us each a beer.

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

Thanks to everyone interested in our music, thanks to everybody who helped us to realize Ver Scarum, you know who you are!

https://www.facebook.com/thewows/  - https://thewows.bandcamp.com/

Helioss/Devenir Le Soleil/Satanath Records/Mourning Light Records/2020 CD Review

  Helioss  are  a  band  from  France  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays a  very  melodic,  progressive  and  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Devenir  Le  Soliel"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Satanath  and  Mourning  Light  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while symphonic  elements  are  also  mixed  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music.  Vocals  also  bring  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  as  well  as the  solos  and  leads  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  melody.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  on  a  few  tracks.  The  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  prog  metal  elements  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  One  track  also  introduces  stringed  instruments  onto  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  drum  beats  being  programmed.  A  lot  of  the  solos  and  leads  also  add  in  touches  of  the  neo-classical  and  shred  style  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  and  melodic  male  and  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  the  synths  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  psychedelic  influences  and  the  album  closes  with  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  French  and  English  and  cover  dark  and  scientific  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  form  Helioss  and  if  you  are a  fan  of  melodic,  symphonic  and  progressive  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Wall  Of  Certainity"  "Singularity"  "La  Lepre  Des  Hommes"  and  "Now...Shine!".  8  out  of  10.

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Vitam Et Mortem/El Rio De La Muerte/Satanath Records/Exhumed Records/2020 CD Review

  Vitam  Et  Mortem  are  a  band  from  Columbia  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  melodic  and  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "El  Rio  De  La  Muerte"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Satanath  and  Exhumed  Records.

  Symphonic  elements  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  and  female  vocals  can  also  be heard.

  During  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  death  metal  growls  are  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording.  Throughout  the  album  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  A  couple  of  tracks  also  introduces  clean  playing  and  classical  guitars  onto  the  recording  as  well  as  some  clean  vocals  and  folk  music  elements  also  being  used  briefly.  as  the  problem  progresses  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  and  the  closing  track  is  also  a  Masacre  cover.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Spanish  and  cover  death,  war,  chaos,  history  and  ancient  culture  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Vitam  Et  Mortem  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic  and  melodic  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Los  cuerpos  en  el  rio"  "El  animero"  "Plegaria  a  los  muertos"  and  "Rito  de  muerte".  8  out  of  10.

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Mazikeen/The Solace Of Death/Satanath Records/Iron, Blood And Death Corporation/2020 CD Review

  Mazikeen  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "The  Solace  Of  Death"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Satanath  Records  and  Iron,  Blood  And  Death  Corporation.

  Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  drum  beats  and  whispered  vocals  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction.  The  music  also  adds  in  a  great  amount  of  symphonic  elements  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody  and  the  vocals  also  bring  in  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  while  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  music  also  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  but  modern  at  the  same  time.  Some  tracks  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  vocals  as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  classical  guitars  onto  the  recording.

  Harsh  noises  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  couple  of  instrumentals  can  also  be  heard  and  the  album  closes  with  some  Mayhem,  Dissection,  Dimmu  Borgir  and  Darkthrone  covers  and  re doing Freezing  Moon  and  Transylvanian  Hunger  in  2020  is  completely  useless  and  there  original  material  is  good  enough  to  the  point  where  they  have  no  need  in covering  these  songs.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  destroying  souls,  death  and  darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Mazikeen  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Solace  Of  Death"  "Fratricide"  and  "Cerulean  Last  Night".  8  out  of  10.

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Cauldron Black Ram/Slaver/20 Buck Spin/2020 CD Review

  Australia's  Cauldron  Black  Ram  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  doom,  death  and  thrash  metal  from  their  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Slaver"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  20  Buck  Spin.

  A  very  slow,  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  also  capturing  the  heaviness  of  sludge  metal.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  along  with  some  of  the  faster  riffing  also  mixing  in  elements  of  thrash  metal  and  guttural  death  metal  growls  are  also  utilized  at  times.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  grim  blackened  metal  screams  are  also  utilized  at  times.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  along  with  the  music  also  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  but  modern  at  the  same  time.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  couple  of  instrumentals   are  also  added  onto  the  recording,  semi  melodic  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  death  and  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Cauldron  Black  Ram  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  sludge,  doom,  death  and  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Flame"  "Graves  Awaiting  Corpses"  and  "The  Pit".  8  out  of  10.

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God Dethroned Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
Well we did a European tour right on top of the release of the album and we even managed to finish it, because some bands who started a tour a week later couldn’t finish their tours anymore due to the shutdown of countries to contain the corona virus. Now we are waiting for better times like everyone else.

2.Recently you have released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
On this album we added a lot of additional layers in the music. Especially vocals and keyboards. This created an extra dimension and lifted the atmosphere. We are glad we did this experiment, because at first we discussed if we just keep it basic like we did on the World Ablaze album. The songs themselves were strong enough to do without this, but we had the time to try all these extras, so we did.

3.The band split up for a couple of years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?
I just needed some time off for myself. I didn’t know if it would be a definite ending or a break, but if i would have called it a break then people would have kept on asking me about shows and stuff. This was something i wasn’t looking forward to at that time, so i decided to quit for real. Then after a couple of years i noticed i missed it and decided to come back.

4.The album title is 'Illuminati', can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the Illuminati,Freemason's and other secret societies?
I just wanted to add something new to write about, so i looked into the Illuminati. Everybody has heard about this secret society and the mysteries surrounding it. I found out that they were basically fighting for freedom. Wanting to be able to read books that were forbidden at that time and to discuss things that weren’t allowed to discuss about. They infiltrated in certain organisations to blend in. I took this point of view and projected it upon religion.

5.Over the years you have also covered some satanic and demonology topics and made some references to grimoires and the writings of Aliester Crowley, can you tell us a little bit more about how you got interested in occultism and also how has your interest evolved over the years?
It’s just something that i like to read about and especially Aleister Crowley was a big influence. I don’t use this so much in my lyrics though. Mostly i use stories from the bible and turn them into my own earthly view of it and i use some sarcasm to do so.

6.You have also covered some war topics over the years, which past war has the most interest to you?
I’m interested in history generally. I used to visit Ypres a lot in the past, because one of our guitarists used to live there. I got fascinated by seeing all these people from the UK going there every weekend to visit the graves of their relatives who died there during WWI. Then i visited the war memorial sites, museum and so on and decided to write a concept album about it. It was received so well that we ended up doing two more.

7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
The artwork is done by Michal Xaay Loranc who also did artwork for Nile. He created some really beautiful artwork for us. The cover shows a vortex of souls and fits very well to our music and lyrics on this album.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for 2020?
We did, but not anymore. Now we have to wait patiently for 2021 to be able to back out on the road again. We have more European tours in the works and also South America and Canada at the moment.

9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your newer music by fans of black and death metal?
The response on the new album is overwhelmingly positive. Many people regard this as one of the best albums in a long time. We also played 4 songs of the new album on tour and although the album was just out since a week, the songs were appreciated a lot by the audience.

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?
Most of those bands are just things on the side and i don’t know that much about it to be honest.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
That’s too early to tell right now.

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Can’t say which bands as we try to not get influenced by other bands so much when we are writing new songs, but having loads of melodies in our songs is very important to us. So for me my love for Iron Maiden songs will probably show a little in our music.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts? 
Hope we can go back to normal sooner than later, so we can go back on the road and play!

Cheers, Henri
God Dethroned

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(0)/SkamHam/Napalm Records/2020 Full Length Review

  (0)  are  a  band  from  Denmark  that  plays  a  progressive  mixture  of  post  black,  sludge  metal  and  drone  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "SkamHam"  which  will  be  released  on  April  24th  by  Napalm  Records.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavier  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  growls  and  deep  growls  while  the  music  also  adds  in  a  great  amount  of  progressive  and  post  metal  elements.  Elements  of  sludge  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  clean  playing  also  making  a  return  on  some  of  the  later  tracks.

  A  great  portion  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as well  as  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  and  as  the  album   progresses  drones  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording,  the  closing  track  is  also  an  instrumental. The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Danish  and  cover  dark  and  gloomy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  (0"  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  mixture  of  post  black,  sludge  metal  and  drone  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tyndere  end  Hud"  "Rod  Glorie"  and  "SkamHam".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/42qW87QjajI