Solarsteinn/The Challenge Of Thor/2014 EP Review

  Solarsteinn  are  a  1  man  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  viking,  pagan,  melodic  black  and  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2014  ep  "The  Challenge  Of  Thor".

  Thunder  sounds  and  viking  warships  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  dark  sounding  synths  which  leads  up  to  acoustic  guitars  and  flutes  that  add  in  a  medieval  folk  music  feeling  to  the  18  minute  track  which  can  also  be  very  epic  at  times  and  after  awhile  heavy  and  melodic  guitars  are  added  into  the  song  taking  the  recording  into  a  pagan  metal  direction.

  When  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  growls  and  screams  that  are  more  in  tune  with  both  black  and  death  metal  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  in  the  track  and  in  certain  sections  of  the  track  you  can  also  hear  melodic  viking  chants  and the  synths  also  make  their  return  at  times  giving  the  music  a  symphonic  feeling  and  closer  to  the  end  the  song  speeds  up  a  bit  and  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Solarsteinn  creates  an  18  minute  track  that  brings  in  a  melodic  black/death  metal  sound  and  mixes  it  in  with  pagan,  viking  and  folk  metal  to  create  an  epic  song,  the  production  has  a  very  professional  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  based  on  Henry  Wadsworth  Longfellow's  Norse  ballads.

  In  my  opinion  Solarsteinn  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  viking,  pagan,  melodic  black  and  folk  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  8  out  of  10.

https://solarsteinn.bandcamp.com

Mystic Wonders/Prophecy Of The Chosen/2014 Full Length Review

  Mystic  Wonders  are  a  band  from  Maldives  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Prophecy  of  the  Chosen".

  A  very  melodic  and  technical  sounding  guitar  solos  starts  off  the  album  and  they  are  also  a  huge  part  of  all  of  the  tracks  and  some  of  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  traditional  metal  feeling  at  times  and  on  the  second  track  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  a  melodic  black/death  metal  sound  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  growls  and  screams.

  You  can  hear  a  heavy  thrash  influence  in  the  bands  musical  sound  at  times  along  with  a  good  balance  between  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  singing  power  metal  style  vocals  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  some  of  the  later  tracks  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  which  also  bring  in  a  touch  of  brutal  death  metal  to  the  bands  musical  sound  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  the  band  also  adds  in  elements  of  neo-classical  in  the  leads  and  solos  at  times.

  Mystic  Wonders  plays  a  very  modern  style  of  melodic  death  metal  that  is  heavily  mixed  in  with  black  metal,  neo-classical  and  a  touch  of  thrash  to  create  an  album  that  brings  in  the  perfect  balance  between  melody  and  heaviness,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  realistic  themes  with  a  touch  of  fantasy.

  In  my  opinion  Mystic  Wonders  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Maiden's  tear"  "Purgatory"  "Utopia"  and  "Prophecy".  8  out  of  10.

 https://mysticwonders.bandcamp.com/releases
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Dystopian Wrath/Self Titled/UKEM Records/2014 EP Review

  Dystopian  Wrath  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  symphonic  form  of  black/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2014  ep  which  was  released  by  UKEM  Records.

  A  very  epic  and  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  faster  direction  along  with  some  grim  screams  and  brutal  blast  beats  which  they  also  mix  in  with  the  symphonic  elements  as  well  as  adding  in  death  metal  growls  at  times  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  incorporating  more  melodies  into  the  songs  which  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts..

  As  the  ep  progresses  you  can  hear  more  traces  of  thrash  and  death metal  being  added  into  the  bands  symphonic  black  metal  sound  and  it  also  gives  the  music  more  of  an  aggressive  sound  than  most  bands  of  this  genre  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  very  melodic  sounding  as  well  as  demonstrating  a  great  amount  of  skill  and  talent  and  one  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  while  one  of  the  alter  tracks  brings  in a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  and  the  band  also  closes  the  ep  with  a  cover  of  bathory's  "Woman  Of  Dark  Desires".

  Dystopian  Wrath  take  a  very  symphonic  and  melodic  style  of  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  the  aggression  of  death  metal  which  also  makes  there  music  more  heavy  than  most  symphonic  black  metal  bands,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Dystopian  Area  Philosophy  and  Psychology.

  In  my  opinion  Dystopian  Wrath  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  black/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Suffering  State"  and  "Black  Sea  of  Tree's".  8  out  of  10.

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Azathoth Circle Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Well,its all started by the end 2012 i started looking for musicians for my new band, been working on some material for a while, and was ready to get in in rehearsal room
It was not easy to get musicians for such stuff, i had two self made demos with a drummer, a close friend of mine helped me with that, anyway summer 2013 i met Alexandra and Mike, so we gathered to make it all happen, after a while we got 5 tracks to be recorded, and we started to look for a studio, this is how Azathoth Circle started

2.So far you have released 2 ep's, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?
The first EP was just a first our try to look on what we have done working together, mixing ideas, riffs, vocals, arrangements and perfect drumming by a friend of ours Erland
it was representing our mood at that time, passion and sadness in one work, second one is more powerfull work, we been on our way of mixing what we all love, from alternative metal, black metal, stoner, progressive, doom, and the mix of all of it, you can hear on both EPs we all listen to different music, but we gathered just to get it together in a mix of what you hear

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
its all matter of our lives, fights with ourselves, what we feel, what`s our fears, what it covers in us

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Azathoth Circle'?
Life Circles, your dark sides, your bright sides, you can be the god of your dark side, or bright, you choose, it`s your circle, its a matter of what your are going to join
Are you in a Circle?)


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 made our first two shows alredy, both in local clubs, biggest and most influential stages in our city, we all been playing before in different bands and have a great experience of being on stage, but for the firs time Azathoth Circle appears as one part, as a band itself, nice performances, nice audience, we know what to do, how to make stage performances even better

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
As any band we are willing to make awesome tours, big shows, getting more and more recognizable

7.Does Occultism play any role in the music?
not any, we are dark persons, but not as much )

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

we started promoting ourselves on biggest musical social networks (reverbnation,bandcamp, lastfm....) the feedback on our first EP was fantastic, so its a great start for a local
band to get a wordwide respect, by working hard on songs and live performances

9.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We want to record our 3d EP and make it also digital, maybe limited edition CD, album? well there are no reasons to make an albums our days for no major label bands i guess
itunes, amazon, shows how ep`s , singles are sells, so, album, we will do it, after third EP i guess it will be the right time to make it

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 all listening to different stuff, wide range of musical styles and bands that`s why are not sure, what exactly we are playing ))))

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
we all open minded and looking for some cool stuff, for something new, something interesting )) watching discovery channel (lol)

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for you time, for checking our stuff, give it a like on facebook, oh yes, we have a facebook page, you can find latest news there, also don`t forget to share
and support local scene, all bands needs your support, cheers !!

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Bloody Terror Interview

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

Mr.Styx: Bloody Terror is an international black/death metal band created in late 2010. The very first record was the cover of Kalmah's song named “Dance Of The Water”.
After this we started to compose the material for debut album. At the same time Dr.Trajan has joined the band as a bass player. During the 18 months the first album was in process.
Debut full-length album "Shadow Of Death" out 15/09/2012 on a various labels.
In early 2013 Dr.Trajan was replaced by Brutal Baphomet on bass/back vocals. With a new line-up we started to compose the very new material for the sophomore album that was finished in august 2014.
Fall of 2014 we signed a contract with Metal Scrap Records. Our second full-length album, "Diaboli Celeritate", was released on November 14, 2014 as a digital edition. On CD album planned to release in 2015.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?

Powersquad: Melodic and furious Black Metal with the little Death Metal touches, demonic lyrics and epic choirs!

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

PS: When we record our first album mainly I wrote all the lyrics.
Some of them were like joke, some of them sarcastic. But when Brutal Baphomet joined the band he brought dark atmosphere to our band from his occult ideas for lyrics and we have left from humorous lyrics to more serious occult topics.

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

PS: Back in 2011 when we`ve started to record our debut album we simply searched for the name that has not yet been used by other bands but represents our style and atmosphere. Mr Styx suggest Bloody Terror, and it was exactly what we needed!

5.The band members are both from Ukraine and Russia, how does this work in the recording process?

MS: We collaborate through Internet - recording all stuff in our studios and sending it to each other.

6.Has the band done any live shows or is this studio project?

MS: We`re apart by the thousands of kilometers, perhaps, we`d like to perform a live but still we don`t have such chance yet. That`s the reason why this is a studio project for now.

PS: We have proposals from few festivals to play live. It's possible and very interesting, but we need time & money to meet each other while, as we are now busy with our main bands. Only time will tell .. ;)

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

MS: Quite positive. The second album attracted great interest among the metalheads than debut record.

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

MS: I have my own solo project named Metal Styx, symphonic folk metal. At late spring of 2014 the EP "Curuvar Firtalion" was out. Also Brutal Baphomet has his own band Evilgod,in whin I`m a bass-player.About a 2 months ago we had our the very first live. Perhaps, we`ll start to make the third album soon.

PS: I'm a guitarist of Ukrainian metal band Majesty Of Revival. Sometimes I playing with other bands as a session guitarist/drummer. Also I released few solo-albums under the name "PowerSquad".

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

PS: We have a lot ideas for future records but now we cant say more about this, because our second album was out only few weeks ago as a digital edition, and planned to release on CD in early 2015. Also we hope that someday we will toured with this band.

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?

MS: My influence is Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Graveworm, Crematory.
Now I mostly listen to Iron Maiden, Eluveitie.

PS: I'm influenced by prog/power/heavy metal bands like Symphony X, Sonata Arctica, Time Requiem, Metallica, Annihilator, etc. Also I`m big fan of Crossover music (Waltari) and melodic death metal (Kalmah, The Wake, C.O.B.). Currently on my playlist is Silent Voices, Waltari and Bloody Terror :)

11.Does Occultism play any role in your music?

Brutal Baphomet: UNDOUBTEDLY OCCULTISM play a certain role. Without him we wouldn't have been a black metal band.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

MS: fantasy books, videogames

PS: Programming, electronics, books

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

Thanks for interesting questions. We hope that you like our new album. Thanks all fans around the world for great feedbacks and support. Metal is forever \m/

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Hegemone/Luminosity/2014 CD Review

  Hegemone  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays a  mixture  of  black  metal,  post  rock  and  sludge  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Luminosity".

  Distorted  sounding  experimental  music  sounds  start  off  the  album  and  after  a  minute  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  heavy  sludge  metal  direction  along  with  some  aggressive  vocals  that  also  bring  in  black  metal  screams  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Most  of  the  tracks a re  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great amount  of  post  metal  style  melodies  and  there  are  also  some  saxophones on  some  of  the  tracks  that  also  gives  the  music  more  of  an  avant  garde  feeling  while  some  of  the  other  songs  are  heavily  influenced  by  shoegaze.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  music  speeds  up  a  bit  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  adds  in  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  which  also  displays  more  of  the  bands  black  metal  side  and  they  also  add  in  melodic  leads  and  solos  at  times  and  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  more  clean  playing  is  added  into  the  music  and  they  bring  a  progressive  feeling  to  the  album  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  that  bring  in  a  psychedelic  feeling  when  they  are  utilized.

  Hegemone  plays  a  very  original  style  of  music  that  combines  the  more  melodic  side  of  black  metal  with  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  a  good  amount  of  progressive,  post  rock  and  shoegaze  elements  to  create  some  very  interesting  sounding  music,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  melancholic  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hegemone  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  post  rock  and  sludge  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Hunt  Within"  and  "Nightingale".  8  out  of  10.

http://hegemone.bandcamp.com/  

Havenless Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Hi, and thank you very much for this interview!
We are a progressive death metal band strongly influenced by bands as Opeth, Ihsahn, Enslaved. Founded in Toulouse at the beginning of 2012 by the Composer-Singer-Guitar player Fred Blanchard. A few months later, our first EP “Architecture of plague” came out, we played some gigs in the southwest of France while working on our first album.

2.Recently you have released your first full length, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the ep you had released in 2012?
To us, this album is following the same line as our first EP recorded in 2012, even if songs are different, they are less experimental more intelligible for the audience. About the sound now, we have maintained a natural and human touch, but in a professional studio this time. We are all very satisfied of this!

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
The lyrics tell to the listener some mysterious and unnatural stories… even for us! ^^
Stories to be more specific could be considered like “Thrillers”, in wich victims and guilty are present. For example, the first four tracks in the album tell about two young boys who kill their mother because they are driven by a kind of supernatural ghost entity … but I’m not going to spoil anything, I prefer to let the curious read the booklet!


4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Havenless'?
As I said previously, in our stories, victims are present and their aggressors always achieve their goal . So these victims are helpless against this fantastic strength, without refuge… Havenless.
This is also a music title from a band I particularly appreciate: Enslaved

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?
Our best souvenir: I would like first to mention a live in Albi to celebrate 10 years of “Une nuit en enfer” with Necrocult, Trashnasty and Oldskull , the ambiance was perfect! The show in Montpellier with “Negura Bunget” and finally our live in Montblanc, at the “Garrigue fest” with our friends “Orob”!
I think we have been improving and we can’t wait to play our full album on stage next year!

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
We are now in the progress of organizing a tour in the north of France with “Orob” for February 2015. We will also participate in a maximum of concerts and competitions to promote best as possible our first new album!

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of progressive and extreme metal?
People liked our first EP, but we haven't really been able to export our music a lot ... that’s why we signed with the international label “Wormehole death”. Famous French webzines and magazines have supported us (such as Rock Hard, Metallian) but each reviews always ended with sentences like: “so excited to hear a complete album”!

8.What is going on with some of the other musical projects or bands these days that some of the band members are a part of?
Other projects of members in the band are not very active at the moment, exception for projects of our new bass player “Christine Lanusse” (Qantice, Hretghir, Brain Collapse)
Ben, our guitar player, plays with his cover band 70’s “Devik” on a regular basis & Fred (singer guitarist) project, Osuaire (old school death metal) is currently preparing an album.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We’ll just let the music evolve in our future songs certainly with more clean vocals. As it starts with our new songs of the future second album, the atmosphere is in the way to be more 70’s while remaining melodic death metal! And we are working to have our sound evolving also.

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?
The main musical genres, which our composer is inspired by are Swedish metal, progressive rock, Doom/death metal, heavy metal of course and nice bands of non-traditional black metal.
To cite some band names : Opeth, Ihsahn, Katatonia, Hypocrisy, Emperor, Enslaved, Bathory, Ereb Altor, Isole (best doom/death band ever!), Porcupine tree, Steven Wilson project, etc… they are to many.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
We don’t have a lot of non-musical interest…Just our drummer “Romain” wich is a Geek! Chris also likes photography.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We wish to thank you once again for your interest in our band and interest for our first album! I have no doubt that progressive melodic metal lovers will like it !

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