Unfathomed Of Abyss/Arise Upon Oblivion/2014 CD Review

  Unfathomed  of  Abyss  are  a  1  man  band  from  Texas  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  and  avant  garde  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2014  album  "Arise  Upon  Oblivion".

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  blast  beats  which  are  utilized  a  great  amount  throughout  the  recording  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  keyboards  being  utilized  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  there  is  also  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  present  throughout  the  recording  and  most of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  When  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  in  a  very  grim  and  high  pitched  direction  of  black  metal  and  you  can  also  hear  death  metal  growls  being  added  into  the  music  at  times  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  very  symphonic  style  while  still  being  very  heavy  and  melodic  at  the  same  time  and  you  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  in  the  way  the  instruments  are  performed.

  The  symphonic  black  metal  style  of  the  album  is  more  closer  to  the  mid  90's  era  of  the  genre  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  you  can  hear  some avant  garde  elements  being  added  into  the  music  but  done  in  a  more  heavier  fashion  and  at  times  you  can  hear  a  touch  of  funeral  doom  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  while  the  symphonic  elements  also  bring  in  influences  from  orchestra  and  classical  music.

  Unfathomed  Of  Abyss  creates  a  style  of  symphonic  and  avant  garde  black  metal  that  is  closer  to  the  90's  style  and  also  has  more  of  a  darker  and  heavier  edge  than  most  bands  of  this  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  doom,  existence  and  oblivion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Unfathomed  Of  Abyss  are  a  very  great  sounding  avant  garde,  symphonic  black  metal  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "To  Unequal  The  Balance  Of  the  Cosmos"  and  "Within  the  Void".  8  out  of  10.

https://unfathomedofabyss.bandcamp.com/releases

Saille Interview

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

Dennie: We took it easy for a while, so to speak. The recordings were quite heavy, since we (and especially Reinier) did almost everything ourselves and bad luck punched us in the face several times. So we only played 2 shows and focused on personal stuff for a couple of months. The only significant happening is that we made the sad decision not to go further with our bass player Didier. He was replaced by Kristof who's currently preparing with us for the release shows. But busier times are ahead, so nap time is over.

2.You have a new album coming out in November, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

Dries: We'd describe our music and sound as epic black metal. We used symphonic and melodic black metal as "tags" in the past, but that just doesn't cover our sound completely. The songs and general sound on "Eldritch" differs quite a bit from the previous recordings. Guitars form the base of the songs this time, in stead of keyboards being the start of the composition process in the past. We think "Eldritch" is much more guitar-oriented and we're very pleased with that. Soundwise we also changed the working process, Klas Blomgren did a great job and mix & mastered this album almost perfectly.

3.The lyrics on your album cover a lot of Lovecraft and Mythology themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

Dennie: I've been a passionate reader since I was a kid and horror has always been my favorite genre. Especially nihilistic “it is not going to be okay” sort of stories have stirred something in me since my teens. So I was immediately sold when I stumbled upon Lovecraft several years ago. The cold atmosphere, the grotesque descriptions, the destruction of our ethnocentric beliefs, … Simply brilliant. And of course it makes killer source material for lyrics, especially if the corresponding music has the same uneasy vibe that Lovecraft's stories often have. Same for mythology actually. I've been reading tales of classic mythology since my childhood and developed a great interest in Norse-Germanic mythology a small decade ago.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Saille'?

Dries: Saille is a letter in the old Irish "Ogham" alphabet. All letters in this alphabet are represented by a tree (Saille thus means willow) and were carved in rocks and trees. It was that combination, the willow tree and the carving in wood/stone, destruction with a purpose, that made us choose the band name. The general idea we want to bring with the songs and lyrics is exploration of the destructive powers everywhere. Spreading the beauty of destruction that's sometimes hidden.

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?

Reinier: I can fairly say playing both Graspop and Eindhoven Metal Meeting were awesome experiences for us. Playing gigs in the Netherlands are generally fantastic every time. In our tiny country we remember the Tongeren Metal Fest and a support show for Mayhem in the famous Ancienne Belgique in Brussels the most. And, to top it off, we did some great club shows in the UK in the past two years en we felt very welcome.

It's quite crowdy on stage with the six of us and we keep things going. We add extra musical ideas, to avoid playing exactly what has been recorded and we have some visual aspects, but it depends on the size of the stage. Every now and then we bring a guest musician too. Like I said, it's pretty busy on stage.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

Dennie: We're currently negotiating with a certain party about touring next year and you'll read all about that when it's official. When it comes to shows we have some great things planned. For starters we'll have a 3 show mini-tour in Belgium and Holland with our British friends in Winterfylleth. Next we'll be playing Eindhoven Metal Meeting again, which is the greatest indoor metal fest in the Netherlands with bands like At The Gates and Morbid Angel headlining this year. Several other shows are booked and even more are in the making, so people will have plenty of opportunities to watch us play.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of melodic and symphonic black metal?

Reinier: We do get a lot of feedback, now more than ever, which means we're spreading. Apparently we're getting more fans outside Europe, mainly in South-America, probably because the metal genre is sort of booming there finally. There's some work to be done in Eastern Europe and for instance in France and Spain, but we're working on that. All in all the response is fantastic and motivating and so far positive, for which we are grateful of course.

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

Reinier: Besides Kevin (drummer) none of us is really doing anything else on the side. Nothing big, that is. It's just too much hassle and not feasible to combine 2 bands at the moment and it gets in the way at some point. Eventually you get in trouble with schedules, dates and obligations and Saille doesn't cancel shows. I can understand the urge to do something else on a creative level, but we are a busy band and it's better to keep focused.

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

Dennie: Not an easy question, since we're a six-piece with quite different musical tastes from time to time. Personally I hope that we'll succeed in creating a darker, more atmospheric sound that sends shivers down your spine. I have several ideas, and I hope that I'll also be able to contribute music wise, instead of just lyrics and vocals. But let's focus on Eldritch first, shall we?

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

Reinier: Naturally, there are influences from all kinds of styles, without actually realising it, but I can't say we deliberately make use of influences.

The thing is we try our best to combine all our personal styles and taste with cool riffs and great orchestral stuff, without too much boundaries and that's already hard as it is. We all like different music and at some point we find overlaps, luckily... What we did for "Eldritch" was trying another formula for composing this time, by working the other way round: the first album Dries (keys) started with the orchestral layers, while for this album the guitar parts were ready before anything else.

While the others are more open to all styles of metal and some even to jazz (Dries), I'm enjoying this year's Behemoth, Cannibal Corpse and Calm Hatchery the most.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Dries: Every band member has his own personal interests of course. Dennie loves literature, Reinier is traveling the entire world, Kevin is racing his car and Jonathan, Kristof and myself are, amongst other interest, raising their children. We share the passion for science, knowledge, nature, but of course we're most of all loving music in all it's forms.

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

Reinier: I would like to invite everyone to come to shows, of course to ours, but to all shows in general. It's very important for bands to have an audience and it's just not the same to watch it afterwards on YouTube, you've got to be there. Without an audience there are less shows and that would be sad.

And finally, please check us out and listen to a song or 2. Buy the album if you like it, because it looks pretty awesome.

Thanks for the interview!

Bandcamp

Facebook

Facebook

Homepage

Myspace

ReverbNation

SoundCloud

Twitter

Youtube

Havenless/The Crimson Lines/WormHoleDeath Records/2014 CD Review

  Havenless  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  melodic  and  progressive  form  of  black/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "The  Crimson  Lines"  which  will  be  released  by  WormHoleDeath  Records.

  Nature  sounds  along  with  some  synths  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  prog  metal  direction  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  adding  in  more  melody  as  well  as  getting  a  bit  more  heavier  along  with  some  solos  and  leads  that  are  very  melodic  and  progressive  sounding  along  with  a  couple  of  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  When  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  in  the  growling  death  metal  vein  and  they  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  which  also  enhance  the  progressive  nature  of  the  music  while  still  focusing  mainly  on  a  heavier  sound  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  early  Opeth  influences  in  the  bands  musical  sound  and  some  of  the  later  tracks  add  in  elements  of  psychedelic  music.

  In  certain  sections  of  the  recording  clean  singing  vocals  are  utilized  and  most  of  the  death meal  elements  of  the  bands  musical  style  are  more  closer  to  the  90's  European  sound  and  you  can  also  hear  keyboards,  symphonic  and  atmospheric  elements  being  utilized  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  you can  hear  some  influences  from  later  day  Enslaved  and  Ishann  albums  which  also  add  in  a  touch  of  Norwegian  black  metal  and  you  can  also  hear  a  slight  influence  of  that  genre  in  some  of  the  screams  when  they  are  utilized.

  Havenless  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  progressive  bringing  back  to  the  early  Opeth  sound  while  also  mixing  it  with  some  of  the  more  progressive  element s of  the  Norwegian  scene  to  create  a  very  dark  and  heavy  sounding  recording,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  mysterious  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Havenless  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sons  of  the  Raging  Season"  "Orphans  Of  Magic"  "In  The  Sorness  Chamber"  and  "Shades  in  The  Moor".  8  out  of  10.

http://httpv://youtu.be/0r0y4kIWXFw         

Frostbitten Kingdom/The Winter War Symphony/WormHoleDeath Records/2014 EP Review

  Frostbitten  Kingdom  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  ep  "The  Winter  War  Symphony"  which  was  released  by  WormHoleDeath  Records.

  Acoustic  guitars  and  atmospheric sounds  start  off  the  ep  and  you  can  also  hear  elements  of  classical  music  being  added  onto  the  track  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  heavier  guitars  and  folk  music  elements  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  a  symphonic  background  which  also  leads  up  to  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  making  their  presence  known  on  the  recording.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  in  more  of  a  melodic  yet  extreme  metal  direction  and  at  times  death  metal  growls  can  he  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  most  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction.and  on  a  couple  of  the  tracks  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  is  utilized  and  they  bring  in  a  progressive  touch  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  on  the  last  track  the  music  starts  to  go  for  a  more  faster  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  beign  added  into  the  song.

  Frostbitten  Kingdom  brings  back  a  90's  style  of  melodic  black  metal  and  also  adds  in  a  great  amount  of  symphonic  elements,  death  metal  influences  and  some  of  the  more  modern  metal  sounds to  create  their  own  musical  style,  the  production  sound s very  dark,  heavy  and  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  Fantasy,  Gore  and  War  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Frostbitten  Kingdom  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  blackened  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Warfare  And  Wilderness"  and  "Lucid  Nightmares  Of  barbaric  Brutality".  8  out  of  10.

Facebook

In Tormentata Quiete/Cromagia/My Kingdom Music/2014 CD Review

  In  Tormentata  Quiete  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture of  folk,  progressive  and  avant  garde  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Cromagia"  which  will  be  released  on  November  17th  by  My  Kingdom  Music.

  Progressive  style  synths  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  playing  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  slowly  leads  up  to  a  heavier  direction  along  with  a  good  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  the  intro  there  are  some  elements  of  electronic  music  being  added  into  the  mix.

  When  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  start  out  with  some  clean  melodic  singing  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  both  male  and  female  vocals  and  after  awhile  they  start  bringing  in  more  grim  black  metal  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  prog  metal  influences  in  the  bands  musical  sound  along  with  some  violins  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  acoustic  guitars  have  a  very  powerful  sounding  presence  throughout    the  recording.

  At  times  the  music can  be  very  avant  garde  and  experimental  and  every  song  manages  to  sound  different  from  each  other  along  with  a  few  long  and  epic  tracks  as  well  as  a  few  instrumentals  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  more  of  a  melodic  sound  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  black  metal  influence  gets  even  more  powerful  as  the  album  progresses  and  on  one  of  the  tracks  you  can  also  hear  some  elements  of  death  metal  with  the  growls  and  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats.

  In  Tormentata  Quiete  creates  a  very  interesting  style  with  their  music  taking  the  90's  avant  garde  black  metal  sound  that  a  lot  of  Norwegian  bands  where  doing  back  then  and  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  folk  and  progressive  music  to  give  their  style  more  originality,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Italian  dark  and  melancholic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  In  Tormentata  Quiete  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  progressive,  folk  and  avant  garde  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "II  Profumo  del  Blu"  "Verde"  "La  Carezza  del  Giallo"  and  "La  Visione  del  Nero".  8  out  of  10.

web: wwwintormentataquiete.com
facebook: www.facebook.com/intormentataquiete

  

Death Comes Pale/World Grave/Deepsend Records/2014 CD Review

  Death  Comes  Pale  are  a  band  from  Denmark  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "World  Grave"  which  was  released  by  Deepsend  Records.

  Dark  sound  effects  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  semi  clean  distorted  playing  which  slowly  leads  up  to  a  heavier  direction  which  also  uses  a  good  amount  of  melody  before  adding  in  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  and  at  time s you  can  also  hear  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  There  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  present  throughout  the  recording  as  well  as  the  perfect  balance  between  melody  and  brutality  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  added into  the  music  they  bring  in  a  very  90's  sounding  melodic  style  of  black/death  metal  to  the  bands  musical  sound  along  with  a  technical  feeling.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  music  starts  getting  slightly  more  atmospheric  as  well  as  adding in  elements  of  modern  death  metal   along  with  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  being  used  at  times  while  the  main  focus  remains  on  a  very  heavy  and  brutal   sound  and  some  of  the  later  tracks  also  shoe  the  band  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing.

  Death  Comes Pale  plays  a   style  of  blackened  death  metal  that  combines  both  the  brutal  and  melodic  side  of  both  genres  together  to  create  a  very  heavy  sounding  recording t hat also  displays  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  political  and  anti  religion  themes.

  In   my  opinion  Death  Comes  Pale  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  brutal  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "World  Grave"  "From  The  Lips  Of  The  Dead"  "Modern  Enslavement"  and  "Silent  Genocide".  8  out  of  10.  

www.facebook.com/deathcomespale
www.reverbnation.com/deathcomesplace
www.twitter.com/deathcomespale

Usnea/Random Cosmic Violence/Relapse Records/2014 CD Review

    Usnea  are  a  band  from  Portland,  Oregon  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  funeral  doom/death  metal  with  elements  of  sludge  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Random  Cosmic  Violence"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Relapse  Records.

  Dark  sounding  ambient  drones  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  psychedelic  noise  elements  and  after  awhile  the  music  goes  into  a  very  slow  and  heavy  funeral  doom/sludge  metal  direction  along  with  some  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  death metal  growls  and  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  in  the  bands  musical  style.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  bring  in  a  very  dark,  distorted  and  melodic  sound  onto  the  recording  and  after  awhile  spoken  word  ritualistic  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  band  also  brings  in  clean  parts  at  times  and  all  4  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  you  can  hear  a  lot  of  the  90's  doom/death  metal  style  in  the  way  the  band  plays  their  instruments  while  the  sludge  elements  gives  the  album  a  more  up  to  date  feeling.

     On  the  title  track  acoustic  guitars  are  added  into  the  song  and  they  also  add  a  stoner  and  classic  rock  vibe  to  the  music  along  with  some  clean  singing  being  added  in  after  a  few  seconds  and  they  are  only  used  briefly  before  the  music  makes  a  return  back  to  a  heavier  direction  along  with  the  music  speeding  up  at  times  and  adding  in  elements  of  blackened  death  metal  while  the  acoustic  guitars  do  make  a  return  on  the  last  track.

  Usnea  plays  a  very  heavy  style  of  sludge  that  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  funeral  doom,  the  occult  atmosphere  of  black  metal  and  the  darker  side  of  death  metal,  the  production  sound s very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  occultism  and  dystopian  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Usnea  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge,  funeral  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lying  In  Ruin"  and  "Detritus".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.stereogum.com/1716620/stream-usnea-random-cosmic-violence-stereogum-premiere/music/album-stream/