Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Vex/Thanatopis/Horror Pain Gore Death Records Records/2010 CD Review


Vex are a band from Texas that plays a mixture of melodic black metal and progressive death metal with a thrash edge and this is a review of their 2010 album "Thanatopis" which was released by Horror Pain Gore Death Records.

Drums alternate between slow, mid paced to fast playing and not much in the way of blast beats, while the bass playing has a very strong tone with some progressive sounding bass riffs.

Rhythm guitars combine many different genres of metal together ranging from black, death and thrash metal that also combine  a lot of melody and progressive parts together, while the lead guitars are very melodic and progressive sounding black/death metal guitar leads, as for the acoustic guitars when they are used, they utilize a lot of open chords to add to the progressive elements.

Vocals are mostly high pitch screams that combine influences from black metal and thrash metal that also have a death metal edge at times, while the lyrics cover somewhat dark times that deal with more real life type situations, as for the production it has a very dark and raw feel while still having a professional sound that captures all of the musical instruments.

In my opinion Vex are a very good band for their style of music, if you are looking for a band that mixes black, death and thrash metal together with some progressive and melodic edges but a little bit more rawer, check this band out. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Motionless" "Eyes Of Wrath" and "Erosion". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Thursday, October 21, 2010

Forlorn/Opus III: Ad Caelestis Res/Napalm Records/1999 CD Review


  Forlorn are a band that started out as a more  folk orientated viking/black metal band but evolved into more of a symphonic black metal band with this release and this is a review of their 1999 album "Opus III: Ad Caekestis Res" which was released by Napalm Records.

Drums alternate between slow, mid paced to fast drumming with ablot of brutal blast beats, while the synths sound very dark, symphonic and atmospheric, as for the bass playing it has a very powerful and dark tone to it.

Rhythm guitars alternate between slow, mid paced to fast Norwegian style black metal guitar riffs that have a thrash edge to them at times, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding guitar leads.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some clean singing vocals being thrown in at times, while the lyrics cover darkness, magick and the atmosphere, as for the production on this recording which was recorded between May and June of 1999 at Mansion Studios sounds very heavy and professional and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion Forlorn are a very good symphonic and melodic Norwegian black metal band and if you are a fan of this genre you should check this album out. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Distant Worlds And Distant Moons" "Shadow Cult" and "Legends Of Creation". RECOMMENDED BUY.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Forlorn/1376

Chthonic/9TH EmPyrean/Root Of All Evil Records/2000 CD Review


 Chthonic are a band from Taiwan that plays a very symphonic from of black metal and this is a review of their 2000 album "9TH Empyrean" which was released by Root Of All Evil Records.

Drums are mostly mid paced to fast playing with a lot of brutal blast beats, while the keyboards are very symphonic and atmospheric sounding, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone which follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars and at times they have a very powerful sound of their own.

Rhythm guitars are mostly mid paced to fast black metal riffs that have a very melodic edge to them as well as some thrash influences, while the lead guitars are very skillful and melodic symphonic black metal guitar solos.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some deep growls and female vocals, while the lyrics are written in Taiwanese and English and cover Taiwanese myths and legends, as for the production on this recording which was recorded at Sahara Studios in Taiwan during the year of 2000 sounds very heavy and professional.

In my opinion this was a good album from Chthonic and if you are a fan of this band you probably already own this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Summon Of China" "Gods Souls Gathered" and "Invasion". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Darkmoon/.308 Antichrist/Tribunal Records/2001 CD Review


 Darkmoon are a band from North Carolina that plays a melodic form of black metal and this is a review of their 2001 album ".308 Antichrist" which was released by Tribunal Records.

Drums are mostly mid paced to fast drumming with a lot of brutal blast beats, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are mostly mid paced to fast black/death metal riffs that contain some melodies, while the lead guitars are very distorted and melodic black/death metal guitar solos without overdoing the melodies, as for the guitar synths they bring an atmospheric edge to the music.

Vocals are a mixture of high pitched black metal screams and deep death metal growls, while the lyrics touch on dark themes with some references to Paganism, as for the production it has a very raw and heavy feel to it.

In my opinion Darkmoon are a very good band and if you are a fan of black/death metal you should check this band out. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE ""Impenetrable" and "Pagan Graves". RECOMMENDED BUY.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Darkmoon/567

Troll/The Last Predators/Head Not Found Records/2000 CD Review


  Troll are a band from Norway that consists of many well known members of the Norwegian black metal, which started out as an ambient/industrial style of symphonic black metal but went for a more straight forward black/thrash sound with this release while retaining some industrial elements and this is a review of their 2000 album "The Last Predators" which was released by Head Not Found Records.

Drums are mostly mid paced to fast with a lot of brutal blast beats, while the bass  playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they sound really powerful, as for the loops and synths when they are utilized they bring an ambient/industrial as well as a symphonic feel to the music.

Rhythm guitars are mostly mid paced to fast Norwegian style black metal riffs that also take a lot of influences from thrash, while the lead guitars have a classic metal/rock feel to the guitar solos.

Vocals are a mixture of high pitched black metal screams and industrial style vocals and the occasional death metal growl, while the lyrics cover hateful style themes with a dose of anti Christianity with the songs being written in a mixture of Norwegian and English that also have somewhat of a sci-fi feel, as for the production it has a very powerful sound that gives all of the musical instruments a brutal sound.

In my opinion this was a very good album from Troll and if you are a fan of classic Norwegian black metal, you should check this band out if you have not yet already done that. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Fall Of The Marbled Galaxy" "Mending The Instincts" "Eyes As In I" and "The Last Predators". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Dissection/Reinkaos/BlackHorizon Music/The End Records/2006 CD Review


  Dissection where a band from Sweden that played a very melodic form of black/death metal and this is a review of their 2006 album "Reinkaos" which was release as a joint effort between Black Horizon Music and The End Records.

Drums alternate between slow, mid paced to fast with a lot of blast beats, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follows the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are a mixture of slow, mid paced to fast melodic black/death riffs that are very melodic sounding that also take influences from thrash and traditional metal, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding guitar solos, as for the acoustic guitars they bring a lot of darkness and melody to the music as well as some classical influences.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with the last song having clean singing female vocals, while the lyrics cover Anti Cosmic Satanism, Left Hand Path, Qlipoth, Sumerian, Egyptian, Norde and Eastern Occultism as well as alchemy, as for the production it has a very heavy and professional sound to it.

In my opinion this was a very good album from Dissection and while some of their more hardcore fans did not enjoy this album, I still liked it a lot because it went deeper into the occult than their previous albums. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Black Dragon" "Dark Mother Divine "God Of Forbidden Light" and "Maha Kali". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Monday, October 18, 2010

Conspiracy Interview


1. Can you update us with what is going on with the project these days?


We are thinking about making an original video clip. So if anybody can help us with that or can suggest someone, please get in touch with us at www.myspace.com/metalconspiracy



2. How would you describe the musical style of the new album?


CONSPIRACY is a lifelong quest to create original blend of dark and extreme, yet harmoniously enjoyable material with the main ingredient – Black Metal.


This time I can add the word “progressive” to the description, because of the unorthodox arrangements spiced up by orchestration, proper heavy metal solo guitars and different style of vocals, which are not always the traditional BM raspy scream.



3. What are some of the lyrical topics and concepts the new album explores?


Generally speaking the album title is about fate. Humans take life for granted, but in fact nobody is guiding and everything is chaos – consequences of occasional coincidences.


Many songs on this album contain classical poetry by authors like Aleister Crowley and Charles Baudelaire. Most of the songs feature some satanic horror episodes for the purpose of the dark mystic entertainment.



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


I think I came up with that name in 1994. I meant the obvious grip on power by the religious authorities that subdue and slow down progress and enlightenment all over the world.


The name is a protest against the monotheistic dogma.



5. You where a member of Meleschech for a long time what made you decide to quit that band and concentrate on this project?


Melechesh was going to leave Osmose Productions and sign the record deal with Nuclear Blast in 2008. It became obvious to all of us that I couldn’t participate any longer because I wasn’t ready to commit to the schedule from 90 to 150 tour dates per year!!! Besides that issue I had to move away from the main Melechesh concept – Middle Eastern music flavor. Just got tired of it. Final and the main reason was the creative autocracy within Melechesh. In that band only one person decides which riffs and concepts are good and which aren’t usable. I am a composer, not just a musician who is happy to be in a famous band. Despite all that I am happy that Ashmedi and Moloch are still my friends and I even got to help them a little bit with their new album which was released on the 1st of October.






6. Do you have any plans in the future to use other musicians and do live shows?


My music is not made for the stage. Best place to listen to my music is in the car, during a long drive when you can reflect on things, when nothing disturbs your imagination, when the subject of that dark episode is not interfering with a reality of some ridiculous nerd sipping his beer in apathy and picking his nose while I transmit the demonic harmonies from the stage...
Some alcoholic beverages, like beer, enjoyed better in a crowded, cozy pub – others, like Remy Martin XO are for the dark evenings by the fireplace.


As for using other musicians – yes, this album is collaboration between me and Aryan Blaze, a brilliant guitarist and composer. Who knows, maybe we’ll use more talented musicians next time.



7. How has the new album been received so far by metal fans worldwide?


To be honest, I didn’t expect so many nice comments on myspace and e-mails from people who call it awesome and tell me that they listen to it every day. This is the best reward for me.





8. how would you describe your musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?



Over the years I went deeper into more intricate arrangements and moved away from just exhibiting cool nasty riffs. Good technical skills and correct sound without songwriting talent mean nothing to me. I create different song structures and strive to make the album interesting as a whole. Not just one success formula repeated, not a salad of riffs, empty brutality, monotonic harmonies and squashed overproduced mixes. CONSPIRACY will not be to your taste, if you like to hear the same concept one track after another.


Future albums will deffinitely have more epic depth, catchy melodies and more dark mysticism.


9. What are some band or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?


Main influences in the 80’s and 90’s where Judas Priest, King Diamond, Black Sabbath with Dio and Tony Martin, Venom, Celtic Frost and to some extent Death, Deicide and Marduk.


Today I listened to Tyrantz Empire, ABSU, Assassin and Onslaught


I listen to many heavy metal bands when I work out: Helloween, Grave Digger, Accept, Running Wild, Saxon, etc. I also like old thrash like Overkill, Exodus, Testament, Destruction and Kreator.


The albums of the 80’s bands are still as much enjoyable as they were then. For me at least. So if the music is good and honest – it is timeless!









10. What role does Occultism and Paganism play in the music?


I hate monotheism in all forms. I embrace Satanism as a form of protest and the true Occult as a form of research of what exists beyond the material reality surrounding us.


Paganism means “polytheism” – worshiping of many deities. It is an ancient custom from the times when humans were not aware about the universe we know today.



11. Outside of music what are some of your interests?


I travel a lot. I am interested in other cultures and history in general. Every day I spend about one hour in the gym, pumping iron. I shoot big guns at the shooting range 1-3 times a week. I’d like to dedicate more time to kick box.



12. Any final words or thoughts before we close this interview?
I’d like to thank all the people who support CONSPIRACY, buy albums and find time to send those nice comments about CONSPIRACY music on myspace.

Myspace