Echelon/Vivito! Creato! Moritor!/Gravity Entertainment/2014 CD Review

   Echelon  are  a  band  from  Austria  that  plays  an  avant  garde  form  of  melodic  black/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Vivito!  Creato!  Moritor!"  which  was  released  by  Gravity  Entertainment.

  The  album  starts  out  with  classical  guitars  and  a  few  seconds  later  militant  drums  and  spoken  word  parts  are  added  into  the  music  before  going  in  a  more  heavy  and  melodic  direction  along  with  some  solos  and  leads.

  After  the  intro  more  melodic  black  metal  elements  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  grim  screams  before  adding  in  death  metal  influences  and  growls  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  the  music  brings  in  a  mixture  of  clean  and  heavy  parts  as  well  as  adding  in  blast  beats.

  When  we  get  more  into  the  album  classical  guitars  and  spoken  word  parts  make  their  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  at  time s you  can  also  hear  traditional  metal  elements  being  added  into  the  music  along  with  a  small  amount  of  clean  singing  and  on  a  couple  of  the  tracks  they  bring  in  a  symphonic  sounding  orchestra.

  Echelon  has  their  foundation  based  in  melodic  black/death  metal  while  they  are  also  not  afraid  to  experiment  and  add  in  avant  garde  elements to  create  a  very  dark,  different  and  original  sounding  album  while  also  remaining  true  to  melodic  black  metal.

  Song  lyrics  are  written  in  their  native  tongue  and  cover  philosophical  points  of  view,  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  along  with  a  couple  of  the  tracks  beign  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Echelon  are  a  very  great  sounding  avant  garde  melodic  black/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Der  Baum  Der  Gehangtan"  "Desatre  De  La  Guerra"  "Die  Grauen  Des  Krieges"  and  "Totengeigen".  8  out  of  10.

www.cultofechelon.at
facebook.com/cultofechelon
youtube.com/user/CultOfEchelon

Chain Of Dogs/Burning Bridges In A World Of Death-De Ep's En Nog Get Miee/Witches Brew/2014 CD Review

  Chain  Of  Dogs  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  play  a  mixture  of  folk  metal,  punk  and  thrash  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  'Burning  Bridges  In  A  World  Of  Death - De  Ep's  En  Nog  Get  Miee"  which  was  released  by  Witches  brew.

  The  album  starts  out  with  an  intro  that  utilizes  traditional  folk  music  instruments  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  more  folk  metal  direction  while  the  guitars  and  vocals  are  more  closer  to  thrash  metal  while  they  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  singing.

   When  the  album  goes  into  other  songs  they  start  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  grim  black  metal  vocals,  death  metal  growls  and  punk  influences  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  and  you  can  also  hear  back  up  gang  shouts  and  melodic  pagan  chanting  in  the  music.

  When  we  get  more  into  the  album  the  music  starts  speeding  up  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  you  can  also  hear  blast  beats  at  times  and  they  also  bring  in  an  intro,  re-mixes  and  demo  songs  as  the  bonus  tracks.

  With  this  album  Chain  of  Dogs  bring  in  a  very  original  approach  to  folk  metal  with  the  way  they  mix  thrash  and  punk  with  this  genre  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  while  also  bringing  in  death  and  black  metal  influences  in  the  heavier  sections  of  the  recording.

  Song  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  Dutch  and  English  and  cover  drinking  and  folklore  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.

  In  my  opinion  Chain  of  Dogs  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  folk  metal,  punk  and  thrash  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "D'r  Zjwarte  Hond  va  Krapoel"  "Blood  Follows"  "Bridgeburners"  and  "Tooth  And  Jaw".  8/5  out  of  10.

Official Website: www.chainofdogs.nl
Facebook: www.facebook.com/chainofdogs
Myspace: https://myspace.com/thrashfolk
Booking Agent: booking@chainofdogs.nl

    

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
http://www.facebook.com/TaurusIsDust

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
https://www.facebook.com/cauldronblackramofficial