Valdrin/Beyond The Forest/Blast Head Records/2013 CD Review

  Valdrin  are  a  band  from  Ohio  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Beyond  The  Forest"  which  was  released  by  Blast  Head  Records.

  Nature  sounds  and  bells  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  distortion  and  whispers  a  few  seconds  later  along  with  some  avant  garde  sounding  pianos  which  lead  up  to  symphonic  sounding  synths  starting  to  kick  in.

  After  the  intro  the  music  goes into  a  more  fast  black  metal  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  as  well  as  adding  in  grim  vocals  and  atmospheric  elements  along  with  a  good  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  thrash  and  death metal  influences  being  a  huge  part  of  the  guitar  riffing  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  when  acoustic  guitars  are  added  into  the  music  they  bring  a  folk  and  progressive  feeling  to  the  album  along  with  a  good  amount  of  classical  guitars  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  and  talented  sounding  guitar  solos.

  The  synths  bring  in  the  symphonic  black  metal  elements  and  they  are  more  close  to  the  90's  side  of  the  genre  and  there  is  also  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  being  utilized  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  a  small  amount  of  death  metal  growls  are  utilized  while  the  main  focus  is  still  more  on  the  black  metal  vocals  and  the  album  is  very  diverse  in  sound  while  also  remaining  heavy  most  of  the  time.

  Valdrin  bring  back  the  90's  symphonic  and  black  metal  sound s of  the  90s  to  create  an  album   that  is  very  old  school  yet  very  heavy  all  at  the  same  time  along  with  elements  of  thrash  and  brutal  death  metal,  the  production  is  very  professional  sound  and  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  supernatural  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Valdrin  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  symphonic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Beyond  The  Forest"  "Impaled  Visions  Breed  Within  The  Vines"  "Come  Forth"  and  "Forgotten  Souls".  8/5  out  of  10.

Bandcamp

Facebook

Spotify

Anti Ritual Interview

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

Well, right now were waiting for the record to come out and preparing for playing some shows to support it and make our existence known to people.

2.You have a new ep coming out towards the end of April, can you tell us a little bit more about your musical sound?

Our sound is a natural emanation of our collective creative input. We all bring something different to the table, as we all have a history in other bands that are quite diverse. The sound is basically what naturally emerges when you put the four of us in a room with instruments.

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

The lyrics are a way of tackling our frustration with contemporary culture and politics. The lyrics are tied very much to the sound of the music, as the music is a vessel for the lyrical themes and vice versa.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Anti Ritual'

The idea was that we wanted to have a different take on being in a band. Having all been so before, we just wanted to steer clear of the whole social media circus for example. We didn’t want the hassle of creating and maintaining a profile on, say, Facebook. As such we kept the whole project a secret until the record was recorded and ready for streaming. Also the name expresses our general feeling of being in opposition to a lot of things, and us playing and singing is our act of getting out the anger of frustration.

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

We still have our debut show to look forward to, but there’s a few things in the works at this point.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

Yes, but so far there is still a few more pieces that need to fall in to place before we’re ready to talk about them.

7.Your ep is going to be released as a joint effort between Indisciplinarian and Vendetta Records, can you tell us a little bit more about these labels?

Well, Indisciplinarian is a label run by our drummer and guitarist focusing on heavy and aggressive music on vinyl. Vendetta is a well renowned label from Berlin. They have a quite impressive stable of bands that we are honored to be a part of, such as Thou, Salome, Ash Borer, Whitehorse and the list goes on. If you don’t know any of these labels, get on it now!

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of underground metal and hardcore?

So far we have received a handful of reviews of our EP and they’ve been quite positive. Being involved in the process of writing and recording a record can make it real hard for you do look at it objectively, so it feels amazing to see all the positive feedback.

9.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

As for a full length, only time will tell. We are all quite busy people, but let’s just say that recording this record has made us want more and assured us that this is not the end of Anti Ritual. As to where we are heading musically in the future, I’d say along the same path were on now. It seems to work out for us.

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

We are four individuals who are all musicnerds, so I can only speak for myself. These days, I’m really into a lot of Canadian and American black metal such as Délétère, Sanctuire, Hæthen, Lluvia, Bael Kultus, Odz Manouk, Xothist the whole Rhinocervs thing and pretty much anything put out by the incredible label Fallen Empire Records.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I work as a librarian, so obviously literature has always played a huge part in my life. Apart from that Im a huge musicnerd and record collector, so that, and politics takes up a lot of my time.

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

Not much besides thanking you for taking an interest in Anti Ritual. All the best.

https://indisciplinarian.bandcamp.com/album/anti-ritual

Heid Interview

1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
The proyect starts in summer 2011, when Drakhai and Sergio (ex Pagan Fire) decided to play together again the songs composed by Drakhai. On autumn, they both entered in Sons of Midgaard, introduced their songs and changed the name of the band to Heid. With them enters Marta, Sechem's flautist.
After a show on May 2012, the band decides to divide. Marta, Sergio and Drakhai decide to sing in Spanish and tell about History and traditions of their homeland, Castile.
From that autumn, different musicians have passed by the band and with them it was recorded its first demo, called “Heid”, in January. This was released on March, with Drakhai on vocals as they didn’t had any singer on the line-up. On June, Marta leaves the band. The present formation is not closed until August, with that in autumn 2013 they recorded their last EP “Voces de la Tierra Dormida”. This new EP contains 5 tracks where Heid mixes the rage of the Norwegian black metal, the sound of modern metal and deep ambiences made by the 
sound of traditional Spanish instruments that will guide you on a travel that you will want to walk over and over again.

2. So far the band has released a demo and ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both recordings and alos how do they differ from each other?
The first difference is the studio quality and the voice. You can find the second one on the lyrics: at the demo we still wrote about some Norse mythology issues, but with “Voces de la Tierra Dormida” we declared ourselves a full-Castilian folk metal band.

3. The song lyrics cover Castilian folklore and Paganism, how would you describe your interest in this topic?
From high to wow much interest so Castilian such Pagan wow (hahaha)

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Heid'?
Heid is a character of Nordic Mithology that caused discord between night and day, between the physical and the mystical worlds. There are references to her at the first verses of the Völuspá.

5. 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 highlight the gig we shared with Pimeä Metsä and Survael last November in Madrid. The venue was full, we really enjoyed playing with those friends and the crowd gave a great response to our music.

6. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
On May the 2nd we are dated with Celtibeerian and Ocelon here in Madrid, and on November we are gonna hit the stage of Pax Julia Metal Fest (PT).We are working on more dates in festivals and venues outside Madrid, our 
booking is open!

7. Currently the band is unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
We have talked with some Spanish extreme labels but we haven’t signed with anyone. By now we are happy as an independent band, as no one brings an interesting trait.

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans
of black, death and folk metal?
Recently we’ve received a review from the US giving us 5/5 stars. In Romania and Russia our EP has reported us very respectful words, and inour country the public is having a very good reaction. People abroad and Spaniards are understanding our proyect and the work made by the producer Erik Monsonís and Destroyer Management is making everything easier.

9. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We’d like to offer a deeper and richer vision of the Castilian folklore through our own style, without closing any door to genres and sounds.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Moonsorrow, Numen, Ensiferum, Korpiklaani, Helheim, Aiumeen Basoa, Arkona in the folk metal scene; Lamb of God, Molotov Solution, Immortal, Marduk, Crimfall and some names and forms from the Renaissance period.As we are six people in Heid, we come from different styles but we all have in common the extreme music and the folk.

11. Outside of music what are some of your interests?
We love food and cooking, and we enjoy learning about History.

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

We’d like to thank you for making us this interview; it’s a great support for us! And we’d like to talk directly to our readers: listen to us, give us a chance and let us know what you think!

Bandcamp

Facebook

ReverbNation

Twitter

Graves At Sea/Sourvein/Seventh Rule Recordings/2014 Split EP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  ep  between  Oregon's  Graves  At  Sea  and  North  Carolina's  Sourvein  which  will  be  released  by  Seventh  Rule  Recordings  in  2014  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Graves  At  Sea  a  band  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  blackened  form  of  doom/sludge  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  off  with  some  distorted  sounding  drones  before  going  into  a  very  slow,  dark  and  heavy  doom/sludge  metal  direction  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  and  after  awhile  they  also  bring  in  some  growling  vocals,  as  time  goes  in  by  the  band  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  sections  while  mainly  focusing  on  a  heavier  sound  and  both  of  the  tracks  they  bring  to  the  split  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  you  can  hear  the  vocals  using  some  sludge  elements  on  the  second  song  and  the  music  starts  having  a  more  stoner  vibe  to  it.

  Graves  of  Sea  continue  the  sound  they  are  very  well  known  for  on  this  split   and  the  music  is  as  heavy  is  it  always  is,  along  wit h a  very  powerful  and  heavy  sounding  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Graves  At  Sea  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Betting  On  Black".

  Next  up  is  Sourvein  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  off  with  drum  beats  and  distortion  before  going  into  a  more  70's  doom  metal  direction  along  with  some  melodic  vocals  and  they  start  getting  more  aggressive  as  the  music  progresses  and   when  they  add  in  guitar  solos  and  leads,  the  music  starts  evoking  a  more  retro  vibe  to  it  and  they  also  bring  in  psychedelic  elements  on  the  other  tracks  and  there  are  only  3  songs  on  their  side  of  the  split  wit h the  last  one  returning  back  to  the  heavier  direction  of  the  first  song  as  well  as  adding  in  some  heavy  sounding  bass  guitars.

  Sourvein  have  a  more  calm  and  retro  sound  than  the  previous  band  reviewed  with  their  music  before  closer  to  70's  doom  metal  while  also  having  the  modern  day  elements  of  sludge  being  an  influence  on  their  sound,  along  with  a  very  heavy  sounding  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  dark  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Souvein  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Equinox".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  black,  doom  and  sludge  metal.  8  out  of  10.

http://www.facebook.com/GravesAtSea
https://www.facebook.com/pages/SOURVEIN/238932972468

Trobar/Charivari/2014 CD Review

  Trobar  are  a  band  from  Quebec,  Canada  that  plays  a  progressive  from  of  folk  metal  with  elements  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  album  "Charivari".

  Nature  sounds  and  synths  start  off  the  album  giving  the  music  a  folk  music  feeling  along  with  acoustic  guitars  that  add  a  progressive  and  medieval  feeling  to  the  recording  and the  band  also  starts  to  add  in  more  folk  instruments.

  After  the  intro  the  music  starts  to  get  heavier  and  goes  into  a  more  folk  metal  direction  along  with  some  growls  and  screams  that  bring  in  the  death  and  black  metal  elements  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  on  some  of  the  alter  tracks  keyboards  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  melodic  pagan  male  and  female  vocals.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  added  on  the  album  the  music  starts  having  a  more  melodic  and  epic  sounding  feeling  and  the  acoustic  guitars  are  make  a  return  on  some  of  the  tracks  without  taking  away  from  the  heavier  aspects  of  the  recording  and  they  also  bring  in  more  tribal  and  prog  elements  later  on  during  the  recording  and  they  also  bring  in  back  up  pagan  shouts  to  give  the  music  a  more  battle  like  feeling  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  psychedelic  elements  being  added  onto  some  of  the  later  tracks  and  they  also b ring  in  a  couple  of  instrumentals.

  Trobar  bring  a  more  progressive  and  darker  approach  to  their  folk  metal  sound  while  also  mixing  in  the  heaviness  of  black  and  death  metal,  the  production  is  very  professional  sounding  and  the  lyrics  are  written  in  French  and  cover  Celtic  Mythology.

  In  my  opinion  Trobar  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive/folk  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Troubadors"  "Le  Sacrifice"  "Tyran"  and  "Pactes  A  Mort".  8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp

Facebook

Myspace

Patreon

YouTube

  

Grey Skies Fallen/The Many Sides Of Truth/Xanthros Music/2014 CD Review

  Grey  Skies  Fallen  are  a  band  from  New  York  that  plays  a  mixture  of  melodic  black  metal,  doom  and  progressive  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "The  Many  Sides  Of  Truth"  which  will  be  released  by  Xanthros  Music.

  A  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  progressive  rock  sounding  keyboards  which  also  leads  up  to  some  melodic  vocals  and  later  on  the  band  brings  in  a  mixture  of  both  acoustic  and  heavy  parts  as  well  as  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  black  meal  influences  with  some  screams  and  blast  beats  and  mixing  them  with  the  cleaner  vocals.

  On  some  of  the  other  tracks  the  band  brings  in  acoustic  instrumentals  as  well  as  adding  cellos  and  violins  in  some  of  the  songs  while  remaining  heavy  most  of  the  time  and  they  also  add  more  death  and  doom  metal  into  the  guitar  riffing  and  when  they  add  in  guitar  leads  they  enhance  the  melody  and  darkness  of  the  recording  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  you  can  hear  more  experimental  and  psychedelic  element s being  mixed  in  along  with  some  very  powerful  sounding  bass  lines  which  also  leads  to  the  black  metal  vocals mixing  in  death  growls.

  Grey  Skies  Fallen  have  a  very  interesting  sound  with  their  music  taking  a  very  melodic  form  of  doom  metal,  mixing  in  fast  and  grim  black  metal  parts  along  with  the  heavier  riffing  of  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  sounding  on  this  recording  and  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  metaphysical  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Grey  Skies  Fallen  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  progressive  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out t his  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ritual  of  the  Exiter"  and  "Of  the  Ancients".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.greyskiesfallen.com
http://greyskiesfallen.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/GreySkiesFallen

  

Heid/Voces De La Tierra Dormida/2014 EP Review

Heid  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  pagan  form  of  black/death  metal  with  elements  of  folk  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  ep  "Voces De La Tierra Dormida".

  The  music  starts  out  in  a  heavy  direction  along  with  some  epic  pagan  atmosphere  being  mixed  in  as  well  as  a  great  amount  of  medieval  melodies  and  grim  vocals  that  combine  black  and  death  metal,  and  in  the  faster  sections  you  can  also  hear  a  good  amount  of  blast  beats  and  in  the  slower  sections  you  can  hear  some  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars.

  The  folk  instruments  and  acoustic  guitars  on  the  album  do  not  over  power  the  music  with  the  band  really  focusing  on  a  more  black/death  metal  sound  while  the  folk  metal  sound  is  still  a  very  strong  part  of  the  recording,  in  some  of  the  riffing  you  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  thrash  influences  and  the  guitar  leads  and  solos  are  very  melodic  sounding  when  they  are  utilized  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  on the  last  track  emlodic  pagan  chanting  is  added  into  the  song.

  Heid  bring  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  into  their  melodic  pagan/folk  metal  sound  while  also  keeping  around  the  black  metal  elements  that  are  a  huge  part  of  their  sound  along  with  a  very  powerful  and  professional  sounding  production,  and  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Basque  and  cover  Paganism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Heid  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  pagan,  death  and  folk  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "No  Habra Paz"  and  "la  Mana  Negra".  8  out  of  10.

https://heidpaganmetal.bandcamp.com/album/voces-de-la-tierra-dormida-2014