Monday, May 6, 2013

Sekoria/Iter Stellarum/2012 CD Review


  Sekoria  are  a  band  from Germany  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  and  melodic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2012  album  "Iter  Stellarum".

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  good  amount  of  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  orchestra's  bring  a  very  dark,  atmospheric  and  symphonic  sound  to  the  recording,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  atmospheric  and  melodic  death  metal  riffs  that utilize  a  good  amount  of  death  metal  influences  in  the  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  black  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  when they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  enhance  the  epic  elements  of  the  recording.

  Vocals  range  from  grim  sounding  and  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  to  deep  death  metal  growls,  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  German  and  English  and  cover  dark  and  depressing  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  dark  sound  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Sekoria  are  a  very  great  sounding  epic,  symphonic,  and  melodic  black  metal b and  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ursprung  Der  Zeit"  "Sonium"  "Summon  The  Demon"  and  "Do  You  Repent!".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Orchid Visions/Dante's Inferno/2011 EP Review


  Orchid  Vision's  are  a  band  from  Costa  Rica  that  plays  a  mixture  of  symphonic,  black,  gothic  and  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2011  ep  "Dante's  Inferno".

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  playing  with  no  fast  drumming  or  blast  beats  being  present on  this  recording,  while  the  keyboards  bring  a  very  dark,  atmospheric,  symphonic  and  gothic  sound  to  the  recording,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to t hem.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  tiffs  that  combine  melodic  black  metal,  gothic  and  traditional  metal  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  heavy  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  range  from  clean  singing  female  vocals,  deep  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  black  metal s creams,  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  on  Dante's  Inferno,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  dark  sound  to  it  with  the  last  3  songs  being  recorded  live  and  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Orchid  Vision's  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  symphonic,  black,  gothic,  and  heavy  metal  and  if   you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dante's  Inferno"  "Red  Moon"  and  "Archangel".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Sunday, May 5, 2013

Atra Vetosus/Voices From The Eternal Night/Immortal Frost Productions/2013 CD Review


  Atra  Vetosus  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  a  very  atmospheric  and  melodic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Voices  From  The  Eternal  Night"  which  was  released  by  Immortal  Frost  Productions.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  keyboards  when  they  are  utilized  bring  a  very  dark  and  atmospheric  sound  to  the  recording,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  melodic  black  metal  riffs  that  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding  black  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  classical  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  enhance  the  dark  atmosphere  of  the  recording.

  Vocals  range  from  grim  sounding  and  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  to some  clean  singing  and  spoken  word  parts,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  metaphysical  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  dark  sound  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Atra  Vetosus  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  melodic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this   musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Skies  Of  Obsidian  Rain"  "Spirit  Of  The  Forgotten  Woods"  and  "Tortured  By  The  Light  Of  A  Thousand  Star".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Deathillusion/Invisible Lights/2011 Demo Review


  Deathillusion  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  an  occult  form  of  melodic  black/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their self  released  2011  demo  "Invisible  Lights".

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  drumming  with  some  fast  playing  and  blast  beats  being  present  on  this  recording,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  occult  black  metal  with  melodic  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  black/death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  classical  guitars  they  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  enhance  the  occult  elements  of  the  music.

  Vocals  range  from  deep  death  metal  growls,  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  spoken  word  occult  chanting,  while  the  lyrics  cover  Luciferian,  Anti  Cosmic  Satanism  and  Left  Hand  Path  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  dark  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Deathillusion  are  a  very  great  sounding  occult  melodic  black/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical genre,  you  should  check  out  this  demo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Invisible  Lights"  "Reflections  Of  Black  ink  II -Chaos"  and  "Holes  In  The  Sky".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Valtari/Fragments Of A Nightmare/2012 CD Review


  Valtari  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  melodic  death,  gothic  and  modern  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2012  album  "Fragments  Of  A  Nightmare".

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

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  black,  melodic  death,  gothic  and  modern  metal  together  to  create  a  sound of  their  own  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  soft  and  clean  playing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic sounding  black/death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  range  from  deep  death  metal  growls  to  high  pitched  black  metal  screams,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressing  themes,  as for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  dark  and  professional  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Valtari  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  black,  melodic  death,  gothic  and  modern  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Black  Sun  Rising"  "Judas  Lie"  "Inside  My  Darkness"  and  "Dying  Light".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Eternal Storm/From The Ashes/2013 EP Review


  Eternal  Storm  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  progressive  from  of  melodic  black/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2013  ep  "From  The  Ashes".

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars,  as  for  the  pianos  when  they  are  utilized  briefly  they  bring  a  dark,  depressing  and  atmospheric  sound  to  the  music.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  melodic  black  metal  with  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  when  they are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  add  the  progressive  elements  to  the  recording.

  Vocals  range  from  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  to  deep  death  metal  growls,  while  the  lyrics  cover dark  and  philosophical  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  dark,  heavy  and  professional  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Eternal  Storm  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  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  "From  The  Ashes"  "A  Picture  In  The  Dark"  and  "Grey  Skies".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Friday, May 3, 2013

Burial Vault Interview


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

We are in the final steps for the release of our new album “Incendium” and can’t await the first reactions. “Ekpyrosis (Periodic Destruction)” was received really well and it will be interesting to hear what people think about our new stuff in relation to that.

Right before the release we are going to play some selected shows and we’ll present some of the new tunes for the first time. Everything is really exciting.


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

The music on “Incendium” is much more diverse than what we did before. There is a lot going on. We have acoustic guitars as well as interludes with a more symphonic appeal. We extended the range of ingredients a lot. It’s still (Melodic) Death Metal with a progressive attitude and influences of Black and Thrash Metal but the “mixing ratio” is different.

But aside from just being more diverse the new album is also arranged in a way that it sounds more like one big entity. Sometimes we transfer melodies from one song into another by putting them into a different musical context. This may not be obvious in the first place, but even if you don't realize it, it (hopefully) makes the whole record more accessible for the listener.

Production wise, it was also a big step for us. Even if it was the same studio (Soundlodge) and producer (Joerg Uken), we had a lot more time and you can hear that on the new record. It sounds a lot more powerful.


3. Can you tell us more about the lyrical concept of the new recording?

The lyrical concept is influenced by parts of the book “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury. The setting is a near future in which people aren’t allowed to read. The job of the firemen is to burn books and the protagonist is one of them. But something is different with him. Some special incidents change his view and he goes through a metamorphosis, from a blind follower to a resolute opponent of the system.  


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

Back in the day, we just wanted a name that fits our preferred musical genre. Yet as time went by, the meaning changed. “Burial Vault” is not just a ‘crypt’ but a fictitious icon of a society that is not very careful for its environment. Humanity starts wars, sticks at nothing and maybe one day we all will end in the “Burial Vault”.


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

That’s a tough one. The show at Legacyfest 2009 was a very remarkable one for us. It was the first time we played a festival of that size and it was a blast.

But we also played some very great smaller club shows. Last year we played two shows in a row in Eastfrisia (Northern Germany) and they were awesome, too. Eastfrisia is not that far from our hometown Papenburg and sometimes we think that we know all the “metalheads” over there. But these two shows really surprised us. It felt like it was the first time we played there.

Our stage performance is very minimalist on the one hand but very energetic on the other hand. The focus is always on the music. So we go on stage, dressed in black and give the best of us.


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

We don’t have particular touring plans so far. But we want to plan something in the near future so keep on checking our page.


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

To be honest, we’re blessed if we know ;) But we realized that something’s going on there. On Facebook the number of followers increased immensely since the release of “Ekpyrosis (Periodic Destruction)” and sometimes we achieve mails from somewhere outside of Germany by people who like our stuff.


8. What is going on with the other musical projects these days?

We’re not sure about this question.

If you want to hint at other musical projects in general, we’ll say that it is quite hard for musicians these days. You can’t blame people for downloading music that they are interested in. Music shall be for everyone. The problem is that people don’t worship what they hear. It is hard work to write, rehearse and record music. And it costs a lot of money to do this. Don’t misunderstand that, it’s not about the money. We don’t want to be the next big thing and get rich, but it is indeed an immense cost factor to be an artist (or whatever you want to call us ^^).


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

Our main goal is to not record the same album twice. We try to evolve and to extend our musical range. We have no idea where this rollercoaster ride will take us but it will be different from “Incendium”.


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

The musical influences are more or less the same. It's obvious that you can find more than 90% of these influences in the extreme metal scene. When we write music nowadays, we try to get inspired by things outside of music. The musical influences are important to create a certain sound but how it's meant to turn out depends on an idea. The fact that “Incendium” is a concept album had a bigger impact on how the music turned out than new musical influences.


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

We all have very different personal interests. Some of us like movies, others are more into sport. We also have our jobs or go to university. Life is a full-time job.


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

Thanks for the interview. We really appreciate your support. It truly means a lot to us!


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