Sulphur Aeon/Swallowed By The Ocean's Tide/FDA Rekotz/2012 CD Review

  Sulphur  Aeon  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Swallowed  By  The  Ocean's  Tide"  which  was  released  by  FDA  Rekotz.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing,  as  for  the  synths  when  they  are  utilized  they  bring  a  very  dark  and  atmospheric  sound  to  the  music.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  melodic  sounding  black  metal  riffs  with  brutal  blackened  death  metal,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  black/death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  range  from  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  to  deep  death  metal  growls,  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  occult,  Lovecraft  and  horror  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Sulphur  Aeon  are  a very  great  sounding  mixture  of  melodic  black  metal  and  death metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Incantation"  "The  Devil's  Gorge"  "Monolithic"  and  "Zombi'.  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Grai Interview

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

At the very moment we’re composing the material for the 3rd album. In the first half of 2013 the recording may be begun. Besides, we’re planning to take part in some gigs – we’re preparing for them. But mainly we compose the new material which’s going to gladden our listeners, suppose.

2.How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and how it differs from previous releases?

The album’s full of different wind-instruments sounds, female vocal-trio and more lively and merry music development. Though we couldn’t’ do without ballads, we tried to expound them more brightly. Moreover, in comparison with the previous one this album is more merry, bold and energetic.

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

In particular we continue composing and playing music touching upon the theme of the holidays and our ancestors’ mode of life, some stories of nature. It contains much humor on a level of serious themes. But the major aim is to tell the listeners about all the sides of our ancestors’ way of life – from our point of view. We add to our music more wind- and folk instruments – a jew’s harp, kalyuka, bag-pipe, whistle.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

One shouldn’t rely on the literal translation though there’s a grain of it in it’s meaning. That’s the cry or a song of a bird which can be heard in the sky and everywhere. Like us for we want our song be hears everywhere.

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

Each gig is great and unique in it’s way, but most of all we were impressed by the open-air “Peredvizhenye” in Pereslavl’ –Zalessky, “Bylinny bereg 2012” in Kimry, Folk-fest – 2012 in Ufa. We shared stage with Troll bends Fir, Skolot and many other well-known bands,. Fresh air, pure nature, great scene and sound and a friendly audience stuck in our memory.

6.Do you have any touring plans for the new release?

Yes, we’re planning to go to the festival “Nasledye 2012” in Tambov in the nearest future. But before that we’re going to visit Kazan. Ulianovsk and after that Izhevsk at the end of this year. Moreover, we’ve got some plans to visit Europe in 2013.

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

There were rather flattering feedback from the fans from South America, Chili, France – there were lots of reviews! Thanks to everyone for those pleasant opinions. And Russia. Of course. Thanks to everyone who knows and listens to us!

8.Are there any other musical projects besides this band or is this a full time line up?

Yes, some of us participate in side-projects, But GRAI is first-priority, naturally)) Ruzveld, Andrey and Irina take part in the project of Alex Nightbird Soloviev – Serdze-Kamen’.

9.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

We think, it’s going to be a bit more complicated and melodious but thought-provoking, of course – more wind-instruments and merry inflammatory tunes. That’s going to be directed on folklore and nature even more.

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

One can’t say that playing this music we listen to folk music only. Some of us listen to electronic music, some like jazz or classical music. Some listen to progressive, the others – pagan-metal. That would take too much time to enumerate all the genres and the bands. Concerning the first part of the question - our music was influenced be Cruachan, Gods Tower, Alkonost, Korpiklaani e.t.c.

11.How would you describe your views on Paganism?

Paganism is a way of displaying of patriotism and honoring and giving respect to your Native Land. To esteem former times when all the Slavic folks were a single whole when there were no fat feudal lords. I think we should never loose the pivot making us what we are. We all should know who we are and where we live.

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

Unfortunately, we have a lack of time. Mainly we spend it at the rehearsals and at work. But some of us are fond of travelling, going cycling, arranging the gigs and celebrating some holidays))))

13.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Spend your time rationally, do what you like doing and the result won’t keep you waiting, That’s going to be beyond any expectations. Listen to true music! Wish you peace and all the best!

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Frosthelm Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

D - Frosthelm is a metal band from North Dakota with black/thrash metal influences.

JI - Comeing out of the friggid depths of North Dakota, we embody all that is Frosthelm. With freezing riffs and thundering rythm we ride the plains, slaying all in our quest for the Froshelm!!

2. How would you describe your musical sound?
D - Tight, catchy metal tunes brah!
T - We're an aggressive thrash inspired band.
JI - I would say that we are a Thrash/Melodic Death Metal band that utilizes strong Black Metal influences.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band

explores with the music?
T - Lots of fantasy, the dark aspects of life.
D - Video games, fantasy, murder, evil, ghosts, goblins, epic battle, the power of darkness, ect
Ji - The Frosthelm!!!

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

D - I'm not sure. We picked four or five names and did some secret ritual black magic thing with 12 sided dice or something and Frosthelm is the one that got chosen. Ghost of Gygax?
Ji - The cold, war torn battle helm of a northern warrior.

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

T - We played the Cino de Metal show in Minot with two of our favorite North Dakota bands (Gorgatron and Enviovore) and it was a fucking blast! All the bands played awesome!

Jim - Just got done playing an awesome show with Resistant Culture, the tribal crust/grind band feat. members of Terrorizer. We had a blast!

JI - I honestly love every show we play. No matter if it's 5 or 500 peaple, I always have a blast.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the future?
D - Not at the moment
JI - Let's just hope that in the not too distant future Frosthelm will ride across this great nation on our bloody quest.

7. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label and if so what kind of label do you feel that would be a perfect fit for the music?
T - Yes we are looking. A label that believes in us and is willing to invest in our music would be swell! 

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme metal?
D - We've only gotten a few reviews from our recent EP so far, but they have been swell!
JI - Feedback has been positive so far. Can't wait to hear from more of our metal brothers and sisters around the world.

9. Are there any other musical projects besides this band or is this a full time line up?
D - Jim and I have a grind band called Ditchpig. I'm also a troubadour.
T - I have a solo acoustic project called Pfliger Fantasy.
JI - I'm trying to start some stuff. We will see what happens.

10. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
D - The music we write is pretty varied as far as style goes, so I don't really know. I'm thinking about trying to bring nu-metal back.
JI- Let the evil ones decide.

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

D - Metallica and Slayer are the bands that inspired me to play guitar in the first place, so my riffing style is heavily influenced by thrash. Bands like Dissection and Amon Amarth taught me about melody. I've been listening to Witchery, Dark Funeral and W.A.S.P. lately.
T - Bands like Scorpions and Gwar got me into being in a band. Also, I like Cattle Decapitation, Cephalic Carnage, Setherial; bands like that. I have been spinning discs by Deathspell Omega, Portal, and Noisear.
JI - The others guys kinda nailed it. What more can I say?

Jim - I've always had it for those dark and eerie type bands i.e. Immolation, Belphegor, Dark Funeral to name a couple. Early Sepultura is what really got me hooked on playing guitar though. Lately I've been listenening to Ketzer, Watain, and Martyrdod.

12. How would you describe the metal scene in North Dakota?
D - There are not a ton of metal bands here, but the ones that are playing are all good and pretty much cover the whole metal spectrum.

T - Isolated, Starved for national acts, but our local metal bands do a good job and support one another and the local scene.

JI - Though most may not think there is much metal in ND, we do have our share.

Jim - Unpredictable.

13. Outside of music what are some of your interests?
D - I like knives, video games, books, craft beers, hunting, fishing, and general out-of-doors activity.
T - Sluts, drugs, beer.
JI - That crazy shit no body wants to talk about.

Jim- Really into recording/producing music, and other shit like that.

14. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
D - Buy our EP! Stay frosty!
T- Ditto, son.

JI - Keep it metal!

Jim-

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Catamenia/The Best Of Catamenia/Massacre Records/2012 Digital Compilation Review

  Catamenia  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  that  I  would  describe  as  being  gothic,  melodic  and  symphonic  sounding  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  digital  compilation  album  "The  Best  Of  Catamenia"  which  was  released  by  Massacre  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow.mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times ,  while  the  synths  bring  a  very  dark, atmospheric,  symphonic,  and  gothic  sound  to  the  music,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing t hat  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Rhythm  guitars range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  melodic  black/death  metal  riffs  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  soft  and  clean  playing,  while  the  lead guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads  that  have  a  traditional  metal  feeling  to  them.

  Vocals range  from  high  pitched  black  metal  screams,  deep  death metal  growls,  clean singing  and  spoken  word  parts,  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  Finnish  and  English  and  they  cover dark  themes,  as  for the production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  compilation  from  Catamenia  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cavalcade"  "Closed  gates  Of  Hope"  "The  Heart  Of  Darkness"  and  "Farewell".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Miseria Visage/Offering/III Rooks Records/2012 Single Review

  Miseria  Visge  are  a  band  from  The  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  single  "Offering" which  was  released  by  III  Rooks  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  good  amount  of  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  song,  while  the  synths  bring  a  very  dark,  atmospheric  and  symphonic  sound  to  the  music,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing t hat  dominates  throughout  the  song.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  black  metal  riffs  that  utilize  a  good  amount  of  melody  in  the  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads  with  a  traditional  metal  feeling  to  them.

  Vocals  are  all  high  pitched  black metal  screams.  while  the  lyrics  cover  occult  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on t he  song.

  In  my  opinion  Miseria  Visage  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre, you  should c heck  out  this  single.  RECOMMENDED.

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Cernunnos/The Beast/2003 EP Review

  Cernunnos  are  a  band  from  Georgia  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  form  of  black/pagan  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  3003  ep  "The  Beast".

  Drums  range  from  slow,  to  mid  paced  drumming  with  not  much  in  the  way  of  fast  playing  or  blast  beats,  while  the  keyboards  bring  a  very  epic,  atmospheric  and  symphonic  sound  to  the  music as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing t hat  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  mainstream  style  black  metal  riffs  with  a  good  amount  of  melody  being  thrown  into  the  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  range  from  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  to  clean  singing  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  deep  death  metal  growls,  while  the  lyrics  cover  Celtic Paganism,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark  sound  that  is  more  underground  sounding  than  most  symphonic  black  metal  bands  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Cerrunnos  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  black/pagan  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Perpetual  Avalon"  and  "Battle  Hymn  Of  The  Motherland".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Frosthelm//The Northwinds Rend Flesh/2012 EP Review

  Frosthelm  are  a  band  from  North  Dakota  that  plays  a  mixture  of  melodic  black  and  thrash  metal and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2012  ep  "The  Northwinds  Rend  Flesh".

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  tone  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  melodic  black  metal  with  thrash  metal  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads  that  have  a  traditional  metal  feeling  to  them,.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  growls  with  some  deep  death  metal  growls being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  nature  and  corruption  themes,  as  for  the  production it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording  and  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In my  opinion Frosthelm  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  melodic  black  metal  and  thrash  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Damage  Over  Time"  and  "The  Northwinds  Rend  Flesh".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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