Hortus Animae/Secular Music/Flicknife Records/2014 CD Review

  Hortus  Animae  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  progressive  and  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Secular  Music"  which  was  released  by  Flicknife  Records.

  A  very  dark,  melodic  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  and  you  can  also  hear  elements  of  doom  metal  in  their  musical  sound  along  with  a  very  symphonic  atmosphere  as  well  as  some  clean  singing  vocals  being  utilized  at  times  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  You  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  progressive  and  gothic  elements  coming  out  of  the  keyboards  as  well  as  the  band  using  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  are  very  melodic  and  they  bring  an  80's  metal  feeling  to  the  recording  and  the  music  also  has  a  very  decent  balance  between  both  clean  and  heavy  parts.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  some  elements  of  brutal  death  metal  and  one  of  the  later  tracks  is  divided  into  3  different  parts  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  bit  of  the  90's  avant  garde  black  metal  sound  in  their  songs  and  halfway  through  the  album  small  amounts  of  female  vocals  and  ethic  music  sounds  are  brought in  briefly  and  the  band  also  brings  in  an  an  instrumental  before  returning  back  to  tracks  with  vocals  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  cover  of  Jethro  Tull's  "Aqualing"..

  Hortus  Animae  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  black  metal  but  bring  in  elements  of  death  metal  doom,  gothic  and  progressive  rock  to  create  a  very original  sounding  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics cover  anti  religion,  occult,  dystopian,  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hortus  Animae  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  and  symphonic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "God  And  His  Disgusting  Children"  "Dystopian  Apocalypse"  and  "Chamber  Of  Endless  Nightmares".  8  out  of  10.

http://hortusanimae.net/
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Kablo Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
I started playing guitar about five and a half years ago (I was 16) . After I got better at the instrument, I started composing and recording simple songs and riffs at home (mostly rock and heavy metal) just for the fun of it. I live in a small village and starting a band was not possible. Then, in early 2012, a dear friend told me to listen to a black metal band called Taake. I had never listened to that genre of music before and its sound and imagery captivated me. That started it all. In no time, I learned about dozens of bands and genres of black metal and experimented with that sound. At about mid-summer 2012, nearly half of what would be my first album was already made.

2.In September of 2013 you had released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
"Dark Moonlight Forest" was kind of an experiment sound wise. It has a whole lot of elements from different styles of metal. I knew I wanted it to be melodic but raw at the same time, with slow-paced clean guitars but also fast fast heavy ones. You could call that mash up of sounds melodic black metal, ambient black/death metal, etc. I like to call it Kablo-metal.

3.What are some of the concepts and images you bring out with your musical sound?
Nature in general but especially forests. My family comes from a northern zone of Spain called Galicia, very well known for its beautiful landscapes. I've always enjoyed long walks in the forests, trying to connect with nature. That's what I would like to evoke.

4.All of the music recorded so far has been instrumental, are you planning on using vocals in the future?
I am indeed! I wasn't able to put vocals in the first record because my singing is not very pleasant, but some people have offered their voice to sing for future songs.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Kablo'?
It's actually really dumb and funny. Years ago, my group of friends used to call me "Calvo" (wich means bald in Spanish) because I was the only one with very short hair. One day, one person extremely misspelled the word and wrote it like "Kablo" and everyone found it hilarious. It has been my pseudonym since that very day.

6.You record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you chose to remain solo?
I haven't had the opportunity to play in a band yet but I would like to someday. That being said, I don't think I would completely give up my solo project even while playing in a different band.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Not at the moment. Music is still only a hobby for me. I genuinely love to produce songs by myself.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
The album was actually very well received; a lot better than I expected considering my low experience producing music. The amount of downloads it had on bandcamp was quite high and the reviews generally good.

9.Are you involved with any other musical projects?
No. "Kablo" is my only project by now.

10.Where do you see your self heading into musically during the future?
I don't really see myself getting super serious with my musical project. I do it for fun and it helps me disconnect from my daily life. I hope to be able to keep making music and explore new genres for a lot of time, having the same amount of fun as I do now.

11.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?
Basically black metal bands like Taake, Burzum, Dissection, Emperor... but my music has been influenced by styles that go from crust-punk to death metal, and even post-rock.
Nowadays, I listen to almost everything that isn't extremely commercial or mainstream. I like lots of types of metal, rock, punk and some electronic music. I'm also a big fan of video game music.
12.What are some of your non musical interests?

I really love exploring new places and walking through forests and mountains is one of my favorite pastimes. I also enjoy basketball and video games a lot.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Well, I would like to thank darkdoomgrinddeath.blogspot.com for taking the time to interview me and for the great review of my album. Also all of my gratitude to the people that support me all over the internet. Expect some new material in the near future!

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Bloodred/The Lost Ones/2014 EP Review

  Bloodred  are  a  1  man  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released 2014  ep  "The  Lost  Ones".

  A  very  dark,  melodic  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  before  speeding  up,  adding in  blast  beats  and  black  metal  screams  and  after  awhile  you  can  hear  elements  of  death  metal  being  added  into  the  music  and  there  is  also  a  good  mixture  of  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  throughout  the  first  track  as  well  as  a  very  melodic  approach  to  black  metal  along  with  a  very  dark  atmosphere  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments.

  Blast  beats  and  fast guitar riffs  start  off  the  second  track  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  a  few  seconds  later  as  well  as  some  vocals  which  also  bring  in  death  metal  growls  at  times  and  the  music  also  brings  in  elements  of  doom  in  the  slower  sections  and  thrash  metal  in  the  mid  paced  parts  of  the  song  and  the  leads  which  are  added  into  the  song  a  few  minutes  later  are  in  more  of  a  melodic  musical  direction.

  Bloodred  plays  a  style  of  black/death  metal  that  is  very  melodic  and  heavy  sounding  at  the  same  time  on  these  2  tracks  which  also  show  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Bloodred  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  blackened  death  metal  project  and  if  you  are    fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "The  Lost  Ones".  8  out  of  10.

Homepage: http://www.bloodredband.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bloodredofficial

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloodredband

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/bloodred_de

Bandcamp: http://www.bloodredband.bandcamp.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bloodredband

 



  

Kablo/Dark Moonlight Forest/2013 Full Length Review

  Kablo  are  a  1  man  band  from  Spain  that  plays  and  instrumental  and  melodic  mixture  of  ambient,  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2013  album  "Dark  Moonlight  Forest".

  Acoustic  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  finger  picking  and  full  chords  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  getting  a  lot  more  heavier  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  and  the  music  sticks  mostly  to  a  mid  paced  and  melodic  style  of  black/death  metal.

  The  solos  and  leads  that  are  utilized  on  the  recording  display  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  and  after  awhile  clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  of  the  later  tracks  also  shows  the  music  speeding  up  a  bit  and  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Kablo  creates  a  very  interesting  sound  with  his  instrumental  approach  to  melodic  black/death  metal  as  well  as  adding  in  elements  of  ambient  music  to  make  his  music  sound  more  original  and  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Kablo  is  a  very  great  sounding  instrumental  mixture  of  melodic  black/death  metal  and  ambient  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dark  Moonlight  Forest"  "Storm"  and  "The  Mighty  Tree".  8  out  of  10.

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Hymn Above Traumatic Emotion/Trauma IX/2013 EP Review

  Hymn  Above  Traumatic  Emotion  are  a  1 man  band  from  Japan  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black/death  metal  and  metalcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2013  ep  "Trauma  IX".

  Dark  sounding  keyboards  and  melodic  female  vocals  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  more  heavy  and  melodic  direction  along  with  some  aggressive  shouts/growls  and  blast  beats  which  they  also  mix  in  with  the  female  vocals  and  there  is  also  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  bring  in  a  more  melodic  edge    and  on  the  second  track  the  song  starts  out  with  a  very  dark  and  tragic  sounding  keyboard  before  going  into  a  more  aggressive  and  melodic  black/death  metal  direction  while  the  vocals  start  incorporating  more  elements  of  metalcore  and  the  guitar  starts  coming  that  element  as  well.

  Hymn  Above  Traumatic  Emotion  takes  a  very  melodic  form  of  black/death  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  a  more  modern  metalcore  sound  as  well  us  using  female  vocals  and  symphonic  elements  to  create  his  own  sound,  the  production  has  a  very  powerful  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hymn  Above  traumatic  Emotion  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  melodic  black/death  metal  and  metalcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Trauma  IX".  8  out  of  10.  

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Nothgard interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the old album?

First of all we’ve had some changes concerning the line up. We’re now playing with three guitars as Skaahl from Wolfchant joined the band in 2012. We were also playing a lot of shows in Europe and took our time to write and prepare for the new album which was some intense and hard work.

2. In September you will release a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction of the new recording and also how does it differ from from the previous full length and demo you had released in the past?

There is definitely a big difference between „Warhorns Of Midgard“ and „Age of Pandora“.Soundwise, „Age of Pandora“ sounds way fresher, clearer and more powerful, but not just because of the three guitars. We have tried out a lot of stuff during the songwriting process and only took the best ideas which are hearable on the new album. The songs are more technical, include lot’s of powerful orchestral/symphonic elemtens and feel faster. Also we went more in the direction of epic melodic death metal on the new record.

3.Your lyrics cover some Pagan topics, can you tell us a little bit more about your views on Paganism?

As we´ve changed our musical style into Epic Melodic Death Metal, the new lyrics don´t include anything concerning paganism.

4.The band was originally known as Nordavind, what was the decision behind the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Nothgard'/

We’ve changed the bandname into Nothgard as Nordavind was unfortunately already used several times by other bands. The name Nothgard refers to the word „nothgarde“, which also means striking out for a counter attack in sword combat.

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?

That’s a tough question. We’ve had some great shows in England where we’ve had fans singing along to every song, knowing all the lyrics and partying hard during the show. Shows in the Czech Republik are also always fun as the people are always having a big party. We also love playing festivals, where we get the chance to perform our songs to people that may have never heard about Nothgard before. The show we’ve had a few weeks ago at the „Runen der Nacht Festival“ has also been a blast!
In general it’s always a pleasure and a lot of fun for us, and that’s what we’re showing on stage during our shows. You can see that we enjoy being together on stage.

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

Yes! We are going to have a tour in September in Spain, which will be called „Black Clouds Over Iberia“. We also have plans for another tour, but right now we can’t tell you any informations about that ;)

7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been so far to the newer music by reviewers of extreme metal?

Until now we haven’t received much feedback from reviewers, because the promotion has just begun, but what we have got by now was really good. For example, we received a very positive album review in the German metal magazine „Legacy“ and in general a lot of positive feedback from the few other people who have heard the new stuff.

8.What is going on with the other musical projects these days that some of the band members are involved with?

Dom R. Crey has just joined Equilibrium and is currently playing some big shows with them. He is also a member of Wolfchant. Same goes for Vik S. and Skaahl. Wolfchant is currently recording their new album which will definitely be another killer release.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

We definitely want to develop ourselves and become more technical in the future. But right now, we’re very happy with the current music style and want to stick to it.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on 'Nothgard'?

There are several bands, which have had an influence on the music style, especially because they affected the guitar, bass and drum style, which our members have now and which are hearable in the music or rather songwriting. To mention some of those bands, there’s for example Children of Bodom, Arch Enemy, Ensiferum, Kalmah and many others.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

It depends. Most of our spare time we use to develop our skills on our instruments. Otherwise we like hanging around with friends, partying, listening to music, visit concerts. Also all of our members are busy with studying and working.. Random stuff ;)

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

We want to thank EVERYONE out there who supports us and visits our shows. If you are interested in listening something new, fresh and powerful, you should definitely check out our new album „AGE OF PANDORA“, which will be released on the 12th of September 2014. We keep you updated on our social medias like facebook and also our official homepage. For those who can’t wait until September, we will release some snippets of the new stuff over the next weeks.

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Xereth/III/Candlelight Records/2014 CD Review

  Xereth  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  technical,  symphonic  and  progressive  form  of  black/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "III"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Candlelight  Records.

  Epic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  giving  the  music  a  symphonic  feeling  along  with  some  whispers  and  elements  of  electronic  music  before  adding  in  a  more  heavier  direction  with  the  symphonic  sounds  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  and  back  up  shouts  and  you  can  hear  a  good  amount  of  progressive  metal  in  their  musical  sound.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  you  can  hear  some  aggressive  vocals  that  lean  more  towards  thrash  and  groove  metal  along  with  some  clean  singing  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  are  more  in  a  melodic  80's  metal  direction  mixed  in  with  some  progressive  rock  elements  and  the  music  sticks  mostly  to  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  at  time s you  can  also  hear  violins  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  towards  the  end  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  for  a  few  seconds.

  Xereth  expands  on  their  heavy,  progressive  and  symphonic  approach  to  black/death  metal  showing  a  great  amount  of  skill  and  progress  as  musicians  on  this  album,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Xereth  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "I  Hold  Dominion"
"Death  Defiant"  "Passenger"  and  "The  Chaos  Reign".  8  out  of  10.

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