Maleficent Vigor/Novus Ordo Seclorum/Twin Peaks Records/2014 CD Review

  Maleficent  Vigor  are  a  band  from  Los  Angeles,  California  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  with  elements  of  thrash  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Novus  Ordo  Seclorum"  which  was  released  by  Twin  Peaks  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  an  intro  that  uses  dark  and  evil  sounding  synths  which  also  bring  a  symphonic  feeling to  the  recording  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  heavier  direction  closer  to  death  metal  and  then  speeds  up  along  with  brutal  blast  beats  before  slowing  down  a  bit  and  adding  in  blackened  death  metal  vocals  while  also  keeping  around  the  faster  elements.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  music  starts  adding  in  more  traces  of  melodic  black  metal  and  thrash  and  after  awhile  solos  and  leads  become  a  part  of  the  music  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  being  utilized  on  certain  tracks  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  epic  and  symphonic  parts  later  on  during  the  recording  and  on  one  of  the  tracks  there  is  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples.

  With  this  album  maleficent  Vigor  combine  a  variety  of  many  different  genres  of  metal  ranging  from  melodic  black  metal,  brutal  death  metal  and  thrash  to  create  a  very  interesting  and  heavy  album  that  also  has  a  bit  of  diversity.

  Song  lyrics  cover  darkness,  anti  christian  and  new  world  order  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  along  with  the  bass  guitars  being  mixed  down  low  in  the  mix  while  having  a  bit  of  power  on  the  last  track  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  tracks  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Maleficent  Vigor  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Internal  Nightmare"  "New  World  Order"  "Living  A  Lie"  and  "Demagogue".  8  out  of  10.

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Negative Voice/Infinite Dissonance/Inverse Records/2014 CD Review

  Negative  Voice  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  mid  tempo  form  of  black/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Infinite  Dissonance"  which  was  released  by  Inverse  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  very  dark  sound  bordering  on  classical  and  after  a  minute  the  music  goes  into  a  more  heavy  and  melodic  direction  along  with  grim  black  metal  vocals  as  well  as  bringing  in  guitar  leads  and  you  can  also  hear  elements  of  doom  metal  in  the  music.

  The  band  also  bring  this  approach  to  other  songs  as  well  and  the  vocals  also  get  deeper  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  elements  to  the  music  and  after  awhile  clean  vocals  and  spoken  word  parts are  brought  in  on  certain  tracks  and  the  album  ends  with  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  gutiars.

  With  this  album  negative  Voice  bring  a  very  different  sound  to  melodic  black/death  metal,  keeping  everything  mid  tempo  along  with  traces  of  doom  metal  and  it  has  a  more  original  feeling  than  most  bands  of  this  genre.

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark,  depressive  and  philosophical  themes,  while  the  production h as  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  dark  along  with  the  bass  guitars  being  mixed  down  low  in  the  mix  as  well  as  some  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Negative  Voice  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic,  mid  tempo  black/death  metal b and  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Grey  Pools  Heaven"  "Into  Oblivion"  and  "Rejection".  8  out  of  10.

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Taurus/No/Thing/2014 CD Review

  Taurus  are  a  band  from  Portland,  Oregon  that  plays  a  very  psychedelic  form  of  blackened  drone/sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "No/Thing".

  The  album  starts  out  with  dark  experimental  sounds  and  spoken  word  samples  as  well  as  mixing  in  heavier  and  noisier  sounds  along  with  black  metal  vocals  which  leads  to  a  more  drone/doom  metal  direction  along  with  melodic  vocals  and  riffing  and  you  can  also  hear  death  metal  growls  in  the  music.

  The  band  also  bring  this  approach  to  other  songs  while  also  bringing  in  more  psychedelic  and  atmospheric  elements  and  on  one  of  the  tracks  they  bring  in  melodic  ritualistic  chanting  and  folk  instruments  while  also  remaining  heavy  at  the  same  time  and  there  are  also  a  good  amount  of  synths  and  organs  being  utilized  on  this  recording  na d towards  the  end  the  music  starts  going  in  a  more  experimental  direction.

  With  this  album  Taurus  create  a  very  dark,  heavy  and   ritualistic  sound  while  also  bringing  in  psychedelic  and  experimental  elements  along  with  the  heaviness  of  black  metal,  drone,  doom  and  sludge  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark,  ritualistic  and  occultism  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  dark  sound  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Taurus  are  a  very  great  sounding   psychedelic  blackened  drone  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lives  Long  For  Own"  and  "Increase  Loneliness".  8  out  of  10.

http://taurusisdust.bandcamp.com
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Hiidenhauta Interview

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

We are Finnish black metal band with some melodic influences. We have both, female and male vocals and our lyrics are written in Finnish. We bring strongly influences of the nature, darkness and mythology to you.

2. You have a new album coming out and you also put out 2 ep's last year, 

how would you describe the musical sound that is present on all 3 recordings and also how do they differ from each other?

 The difference between those three recordings is mainly in our musical growth. In the first ep band searched its form and we had more folk influences then. In the second ep, we had strong symphonic influences.  And in our newest album we are more pure black metal than we are in the other albums, but we still have strong melodies.

3. You write your song lyrics in Finnish 'kalevalametre' what was the decision behind using this ancient language?

Our vocalist Fornjotur has worked with kalevalametre for many years.  It felt natural to bring our own culture with. The common factor from the beginning has been lyrics in kalevalametre and lyrical themes.


4. Your lyrics also cover Finnish-Baltic Paganism and Anti Christian themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

These topics are about us, these are the values that we stand for. Inside the band we have strong beliefs of Finnish-Baltic mythology, and anti-Christianity.

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

It has several meanings. “Hiisi” means an ancient sacred place and also the dark spirits of nature and “hauta” means a grave. So Hiidenhauta means pre-Christian growth to us and that all the ancient habits have not been forgotten.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We don’t do gigs yet. We have been concentrating on making songs. We are not very excited about bringing us to the excessive people. We are quite misanthropic.

7. Do you have any touring or show plans for the new release?

We have been asked to, and we have plans. But we are not sure about anything.
8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?

It has been as positive feedback as on black metal can be! For our surprise, we have received positive feedback from places we didn’t even know.

9. Are any of the band members involved with any other musical projects these days?

Our vocalist Fornjotur writes lyrics for Korpiklaani and Jonne Järvelä’s solo project.
And some of us have smaller projects, but not anything bigger.

10. Where do you see this band heading into music wise during the future?

We have always done our music the ways we want to. I hope that in the future we still do it like that. I would like to see that we have more supporters all around the world and notice that our musical atmosphere would reach more people.

 

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

Inside the whole band, the scale is very large. 90’s black metal is a very big influence, but there’s also classical and folk music. But we like silence more.


12. What are some of your interests outside of music?

We are into history, nature, nationalism, anti-Christianity, Finnish war history and so much more! Our music is about these things what we are outside of music. They walk hand in hand.


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

 “Grove rips off my light, may the wolf increase within.”

Fornjotur & Riena

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Cauldron Black Ram/Stalagmire/20 Buck Spin/2014 CD Review

  Cauldron  Black  Ram  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  doom,  sludge  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Stalagmire"  which  was  released  by  20  Buck  Spin.

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  along  with  some  blackened  death  metal  vocals  as  well  as  some  melodic  leads  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  bit  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  the  recording  having  an  old  school  feeling  which  also  leads  to  blast  beats  becoming  a  part  of  the  music.

  As  the  album  moves  on  the  music  gets  a  lot  darker  and  starts  mixing  black,  doom  and  thrash  together  along  with  traces  of  sludge  and  at  time s they  also  bring  in  brutal  old  school  death  metal  sounds  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  using  a  mixture  of  screams  and  growls  and  after  awhile  an  instrumental  is  added  in  along  with  spoken  word  ritualistic  parts  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Wit h this  album  Cauldron  Black  Ram  continue  their  mixture of  black,  doom,  sludge  and  thrash  metal  of  their  previous  recording  as  well  as  adding  in  more  death  metal  this  time  around  and  this  album  is  very  heavy  and  old  school  sounding.

  Song  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  occult  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  dark  and  old  school  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Cauldron  Black  Ram  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  doom,  sludge,  death  and  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fork  Through  Pitch"  "A  Litany  Of  Sailor's  Sins"  "Cavern  Fever"  and  "The  Devil's  Trotters".  8  out  of  10.

http://cauldronblackram.bandcamp.com
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Hiidenhauta/Noitia on Minun Sukuni/Inverse Records/2014 CD Review

   Hiidenhauta  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  form  of  folk/black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Noitia  on  Minun  Sukuni"  which  will  be  released  by  inverse  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  nature  sounds  along  with  some  dark  sounding  keyboards  and  drums  that  bring  a  gothic  horror  feeling  to  to  the  music  before  going  into  a  more  black  metal  direction  along  with  grim  vocals,  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  band  also  start  mixing  slow  and  fast  parts  together  and  bring  in  melodic  female  vocals.  

  When  the  album  goes  into  other  songs  the  band  start  going  into  a  mid  90's  symphonic  black  metal  direction  and  the  female  vocals  also  bring  a  more  pagan  folk  music  sound  to  the  recording  and  after  awhile  acoustic  guitars  and  male  vocals  are  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  they  also  enhance  the  folk  music  elements  that  are  present  on  this  record  while  most  of  the  album  sticks  to  a  symphonic  black  metal  direction.

  Hiidenhauta  bring  back  the  mid  90's  approach  to  symphonic  black  metal  with  their  music  while  also  adding  in  folk  music  to  update  this  genre  for  modern  times  and  this  album  stays  away  from  the  more  mainstream  side  of  that  genre  and  this  is  one  of  the  best  melodic  or  symphonic  black  metal  albums  to  come  out  in  years.

  Song  lyrics  are  written  in  Finnish  and  cover  Finnish-Baltic  mythology  and  anti  christian  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  as  well  as  some  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Hiidenhauta  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic folk/black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tuhkasta"  "Hiiden  Virsi"  and  "Kaartuvat".  8/5  out  of  10.

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Craving 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?

Hello there, here is Ivan - the Singer and Guitarist of the Craving. Well, the band went on two weeks european tour the day after release called Hell Revisited Tour 2013 together with two other bands. Right now we are prepairing for the Ragnarök & Darktroll Festivals which are coming up in April and May plus starting to book shows for the end of the year.

2.Recently you have put out a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction it has taken and also how does it differ from your previous recordings?

The music goes into a more grow up direction, the difference to our previous record is deffenetely the musical thickness of the album. The music it self is more thought-out but still full of energy and hooks. The production this time is really heavy but still clear and punchy, responsible for it was Christoph Brandes who also produced such bands as Necrophagist, Finsterforst, Unlight etc. in the past.

3.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new album?

There are different lyrical themes: from personal feelings, to nature worship over Russian silverage poetry to Philosophy. We use two poems by Nikolaj Stepanovich Gumilev the Russian silverage poet on track Mik and Olga. The song "Targaryen Wrath" is about Daenaries Targaryen of the House of Targaryen (Geordge J. J. Martin - A Song of Ice and Fire) starring Chris Caffery (Ex-Savatage) on the lead guitar. "Sons of the Rebellion" is about Luke Skywalker during the attack on the Deathstar. Olga is a poem by Gumilev based on Russian history about Olga of Kiew, its basically about her four revenges on the murderers of her husband. "Breath after Breath" is a song against the project 2045, which is crazy in our opinion. The lyrics for "In die Nacht hinein"(English: Into the Night) were written during a rainstorm. As you can see there is no particular topic, we write down our interests, thoughts and feelings on paper. 

4.I have noticed that you write lyrics in English, German and Russian, what was it that motivated you to put 3 different languages on an album?

Im Russian native speaker, so it is easy for me to express myself in Russian language. The same goes with German and English, well we like English. The whole three language thing startet spontaniausly. At first with "Into the Forest" (Craving - s/t 2012) and "Wolfsherz" (The heart of the wolf), where the lyrics appered at first. Music is art and its about to express yourself, so we decided to put all the lyrics on the album. I really love Gumilevs poems, so we used them as lyrics. Finish bands like Amorphis are doing it with Kalevala all the time, why shouldn't we do that? Plus we do speak those tongues, so its comes for us pretty natural.

5.The band started out as 'Erebos' what was the decision behind the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Craving'?

We were just kids back than searching fastly for a band name due to our first concert on 24.04.2006, so we decided to call the band "Erebos" on the run. (Erebos: Greek for Darkness or Greek God of Darkness). The name was already taken by quite a few bands so we decided to rename the band. We had the names Hybris and Craving to choice from, so we decided to name the band Craving. It represents perfectly our craving for music and the whole passion behind it.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

Our stage performance is very energic and entertaining, we try to communicate as much as possible with the crowd and make them feel to be a part of the performance. Thats actually what they are for when they're going to see a show. Our best show so far? There were so many shows in the past years, the deffinetely best Show on the recent european tour was the last gig in Mlada Boleslav (CZ) in the Club called Fararova Sluj. It was located in an old wine basement with almost no light which created an amazing atmosphere on and off the stage. The crowd was amazing and interacted perfectly with us.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new recording?

As I said before we were on tour last year and right now we are planing the autumn shows. Before that you can see us in Germany on the Ragnarök Festival 2014 and Darktroll Festival 2014 among bands like Finntroll, Satyricon, Manegarm etc.

8.On the new album you had some well known people in the metal genres doing session work, how did you get in contact with some of these well known musicians and also where you satisfied with the final results?

Yes we have some guest appeariences on the album! Chris Caffery, the guitarist of the infamious Prog Rock/Metal superstars Savatage has contributed a guitar solo on "Targaryen Wrath". I have contacted Chris via Email at the end of 2012 and suprisingly to myself he liked what he heard and contributed to the album. Niels Löffler is the Bassplayer (!) of the German Power Metal newcomers Orden Ogan, who is actually a really really great guitarist, so I asked him to contribute on "In die Nacht hinein" he is performing the epic guitar solo in the middle of the song. Agalaz is the front man of the German Pagan Metal band Obscurity, after some shows with them we became friends and I asked him if he would like to contribute already on our debut album unfortunately he has no time back in 2010, so he contributed the lead growls to the song "Schwarze Flügel". Andreas Möller is the man with the great voice and the front singer of Bremens local Power Metal band Dystopolis, we asked him to do the Choirs on "Dance with the Wind" due to my low voice range, he did an amazing job. The other musicians are our friends and we are very happy to have them on board.

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

Suprisingly good. Resentlry I get tons of  requests from people from Brazil. We get very good response all over the world. We even have Fans in Japan, thats fantastically crazy!

10.Can you give us an update on what is going on with some of the  band members other musical projects these days?

They have only Craving as the main project. If you concentrate 100% on many musical projects (At least your name is Devin Townsend or Ayreon Lucassen)

11.Where direction do you see the music heading into during the future?

We hope the music will evolve in the positive way and be still as energic as now no matter which further musical direction we will choice. 

12.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays? Me and our guitarist Thorsten Flecken and Leonid Rubinstein are huge Iron Maiden fans. Thorsten had once a big vinyl/flag/cd collection of Maiden. Still we all have our particular taisted, our Drummer for example listens mostly to tech death metal/brutal death metal, you can guess why hehe

I have to many bands to mention, the list is just to big.

13.How would you describe your views on paganism?

Our views of paganism, well we are not following some pagan religion. What I think is important in live is to be yourself and do what thou wilt. Nature is sacred and we are a part of it, but unfortunately we do forget.  

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

Thank you for this interview! Thanks to everyone who have made it so far!

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