Wrathage/Discipline/Maa Productions/2015 CD Review

  Wrathage  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  symphonic  and  extreme  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Discipline"  which  was  released  by  Maa  Productions.

  Clean  singing  avant  garde  vocals  and  heavy  yet  melodic  guitar  riffs  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  symphonic  elements  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  awhile  the  music  incorporates  more  black  metal  screams  and  blast  beats  which  they  mix  in  with  the  avant  garde  and  symphonic  elements.

  Melodic  guitar leads  can  be  heard  on  a  regular  basis  throughout  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you  can  hear  quite  a  bit  off  the  90's  avant  garde  Norwegian  black  metal  sound  throughout  the  album  while  some  tracks  also  bring  in  more  of  a  modern  blackened  death  metal  sound  along  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  some  of  the  songs  also  incorporate  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  some  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  cover  of  Morbid  Angel's  "Dawn  Of  Angry".

  Wrathage  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  heavily  in  the  symphonic  and  avant  garde  Nordic  black  metal  tradition  while  also  updating  their  song  with  elements  of  blackened  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  fury,  hell  and  misanthropy  themes.

  In  my  opinion Wrathage  are  a  very  great  sounding  avant  garde  and  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dark  Matter"  "Walking  To  Death"  "Reptilian"  and  "The  Crawlspace".  8  out  of  10.

BANDCAMP: http://wrathage.bandcamp.com/album/discipline
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/wrathageband
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/wrathage

  

Zaria Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
The band was founded in 2011. Initially we’ve experienced some line-up changes, but have stayed the same since 2012 (Inez, Nika, Miha, Jakob, Rok and Gašper). Our wish is to write original songs. We prefer an epic, folky touch to the music and this reflects strongly in our style. Each member contributes a part of themselves to what we do and create.

2.So far you have released a full length and an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?
Our music is a blend of many different metal genres but we mostly describe our sound as a mixture of epic and folk metal and this influence is present in both of our releases. The difference between the two comes down to the EP being our first project, meaning we were still looking for the kind of sound that we wanted to achieve and also the songs have mostly been written by Inez and Miha. By the time we recorded the full length, we’ve already gained more experience and knew what lies ahead of us, allowing for better preparations. The main difference however is that each member contributed something to the full length, making it much more colourful.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Inez' lyrics are mostly about struggles in life and the ability to see good in every situation, but she has also written an imaginary story about our ancestors. Jakob is more into fiction and he's a storyteller. For Gašper, it could also be said that he's a storyteller, but his expression mostly comes through music, inside of which we can discover stories.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Zaria'?
At our first rehearsals (in 2011), each band member prepared some potential names for our band. In the end we have narrowed them down to two potential names, but according to MetalArchives, one of the two had already been »taken«. So the name that was left was Zaria. It is a name of a pagan goddess of morning and beauty. But we have also found out that Zaria is a name of one particular star – so this is where our logo comes from. We understand this name as a beginning of something new with the star as our guide.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Unfortunately, we haven’t had many shows so far, but I can say that each one is a bit better than the previous. We record most of our shows and we try to learn something from it. In general we agreed that the best show so far was when we played at Metaldays 2014, 2nd stage. Many people came to see us there and they were really great. They were dancing, headbanging and even lifted a rubber boat with 4 people in it into the air. The audience was very grateful and they gave us great feedback. Also the stage was bigger than any we have played before and we were able to move about more freely.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
There is no tour planned as of now, but there will be some gigs in the near future, including our first gig outside of Slovenia, which will take place in Waregem, Belgium on February 20th.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Having a label would be nice, but for now, we’re just going with the flow. We’ll see what opportunities arise.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of folk metal?
It has actually been great. I would not limit our fans only to those of folk metal, because many people who have expressed their support for us are not fans of folk metal at all. We incorporate elements of many different metal genres into our music and almost every headbanger can find something to their liking.
I have to say we had a great response worldwide even though our lyrics are written in our mother tongue.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
This is something we cannot say as of yet. Our style is developing all the time, because we try not to limit our inspiration and it sometimes leads us to take an unpredictable turn. We'll see what the future has in store 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?
Well, the answer to this question is different for every individual band member. However, in general we all look up to early Nightwish. They really made a mark in metal music. But there are also other bands who inspire us: Eluveitie, Epica, Ensiferum, Dream Theater, Equilibrium ... the great movie composer Hans Zimmer is also a strong inspiration for us.

11.Does Paganism play any role in your music?
Paganism is in some way a part of us. It is magical, full of great stories and beliefs, but I wouldn’t say it plays a great role in our music. It is there, just not too prominent. We get our inspiration from different things: everyday life, stories, legends... and paganism is one of them.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Again, it's different for individual members. Rok does wine tasting and speaks a whole bunch of languages, Gašper is really into Japanese culture, Jakob likes reading fantasy novels, Nika loves to party, Inez studies singing at the Music Academy of Ljubljana and has already had some opportunities to present herself as a soloist in different operas, and Miha is married and has recently moved to his new home, so it is safe to say he has his hands full. We definitely want to let our friendship grow. We all strive for a better tomorrow. Some of us are still students, some already work. We all wish to be good at what we do, to have enough time for our loved ones and gain happiness from our other interests as we do from the music we create.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Music is something that comes from within. It's like a voice of our soul and as long as you're true to it, it can grow and blossom. If you write what you feel and really work from within, your music will definitely touch other’s hearts. So, every musician should stay true to themselves and let their soul blossom.
Also everyone has his or her own path of life. We wish them all to find it and to follow it without any doubt. Just follow your star and you'll find what you are looking for.
Beside this thoughts, we wish that people would enjoy listening to our music. J

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Bretwaldas of Heathen Doom/Seven Bloody Ramparts/Caligari Records/2014 Cassette Re-Issue Review

  Bretwaldas  of  Heathen  Doom  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  stoner,  doom,  black  metal  and  crust  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2010  album  "Seven  Bloody  Ramparts"  which  was  re-issued  on  cassette  by  Caligari  Records.

  A very  dark  black  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  crust  direction  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  music  also  incorporates  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  bringing  in  more  of  a  doom  metal  style  along  with  some  vocals  that  are  both  aggressive  and  melodic  at  the  same  time.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  melodic  and  in  some  of  the  songs  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  are  utilized  and  there  are  also  a  couple  of  tracks  that  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow  and  mid  paced  parts  and  the  songs  bring  in  a  lot  of  80's  metal  and  punk  elements  but  done  in  more  of  a  modern  day  fashion.

  Bretwaldas  Of  Heathen  Doom  plays  a  style  that  is  a  little  bit  more  closer  to  old  school  crust  and  doom  and  they  update  the  music  by  mixing  in  elements  of  black  metal  and  stoner  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  yet  raw  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  Heathenism  and  Old  English  Forests.

  In  my  opinion  Bretwaldas  Of  Heathen  Doom  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  stoner,  doom,  black  metal  and  crust  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Raising  The  Wind"  "Flight  of  Curse"  and  "Smite".  8  out  of  10.  

 CaligariRecords.Bandcamp.com

Stone Circle/Self Titled/Terrorizer Records/2014 CD Review

  Stone  Circle  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  very  modern  and  progressive  form  of  death  metal  which  also  has  elements  of  melodic  black  metal  and  doom  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2014  album  which  was  released  by  Terrorizer  Records.

  Bee  noises  start  off  the  album  before  the  music  goes  into  a  heavy  and  modern  prog  metal  direction  along  with  some  deep  death  metal  growls  which  also  bring  in  black  metal  screams  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  melody  and  technical  elements  in  the  bands  musical  sound  and  the  solos  and  leads  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  talent,  skill  and  melody  to t he  band s musical  style.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  bring  in  a  trace  of  post  metal  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  some  clean  singing  being  utilized  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  while  the  main  focus  remains  more on  a  melodic  and  heavy  sound.

  A  good  portion  of  the  slower  riffing  shows  a  heavy  doom  metal  influence  and  as  the  album  progresses  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  aprts  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  they  also  take  the  modern  progressive  death  metla  sound  and  mix  it  in  with  some  influences  from  the  more  progressive  and  technical  death  metla  bands  of  their  early  90's.

  Stone  Circle  plays  a  modern  style  of  death  metal  that  is very  progressive  and  they  mix  in  influences  from  melodic  black/death  metal  and  doom  to  create  some  very  original  sounding  music,  the  production  sounds very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  mythological  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Stone  Circle  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Easter  Island"  "Mary  Celeste"  and  "Final  Thought".  8  out  of  10.

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Zaria/Po Poti Zivljenja [Upon The Trail Of Life]/2014 CD Review

  Zaria  are  a  band  from  Slovenia  that  plays  a  symphonic  and  epic  form  of  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  "Po Poti Zivljenja [Upon The Trail Of Life]".

  Water  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  symphonic  sounds  which  also  gives  the  music  and  epic  and  medieval  feeling  which  also  leads  to  flutes  becoming  a  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  going  for   more  of  a  heavy  and  melodic  metal  sound  which  they  also  mix  in  with  the  folk  and  symphonic  elements.

  Female  vocals  bring  a  very  melodic,  clean  and  operatic  feeling  to  the  recording  and  the  solos  and  leads  that  are  utilized  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  talent,  skill,  melody  and  traditional  metal  influences  into  the  bands  musical  style  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  male  vocals  are  utilized  they  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  clean  singing,  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  while  the  clean  parts  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  pagan  and  viking  metal  feeling  and  when  acoustic  guitars  are  used  on  some  of  the  tracks  they  bring  in  even  more  of  an  ancient  folk  music  feeling.

  Zaria  plays  a  style  of  folk  metal  that  is  very  symphonic,  heavy  and  melodic  sounding  along  with  a  touch  of  black  and  death  metal  which  adds  a  bit  more  aggression  into  the  music,  the  production  sounds very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Slovenian  and  cover  Epic  Tales,  Journeys,  Freedom  and  Folklore.

  In  my  opinion  Zaria  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  folk  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Voice  From  Within"  "Darkness"  "A  Nameless  Power"  and  "Follow  the  Star".  8  out  of  10.

WEBSITE: http://zaria-band.si/Ang/home.html
BANDCAMP: https://zaria-band.bandcamp.com/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Zaria.band

  

Ur Draugr Interview

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

I've been laying down the foundations for a forthcoming Ur Draugr full-length. Writing started almost as soon as the EP was finished last year, so we're quite some ways along already.

2.In January you had released a new ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

Ur Draugr started very much as an attempt to capitalise on the textural and rhythmic diversity of progressive music while retaining the brutality and dark sensibilities of black and death metal. I think the record is – at its core – a marriage of those two principals, though not without the occasional foray into drone, sludge, or and folk.

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

'The Wretched Ascetic' is built very much around the abandonment of organised religion and the philosophical path toward asceticism (and all of the ramifications and rewards held therein).

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

Ur Draugr's name was very much inspired by my fascination with ancient religions and cultures. 'Ur' is a Proto-Germanic prefix that indicates a state of primitivity or primality. 'Draugr' is derived from the Proto-Germanic word 'Draugaz', meaning mirage or deception, but used to describe a ghost or restless spirit in Old Norse.

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

Ur Draugr is, at present, a studio project.

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

It's definitely a possibility, but our energies are better spent writing and recording for the moment.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

We're currently not able to discuss this at length. Suffice it to say, there may be some news on the horizon.

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

Overwhelmingly positive. We've been truly honoured and humbled by the reception, and I can't wait to unveil what will come next.

9.What is going on with some of the other musical projects or bands these days that are some of the band members are a part off?

Dan Grainger's infamous outfit Wardaemonic (for which he performs drums and vocals) is preparing for the release of their fourth cd 'Obsequuium' in March, which by all accounts is shaping up to be a monstrous success.

Otherwise, I'm working on a long-term ambient/drone project that has been in development for almost twelve months, and should see the light of day before the year's end (with any luck).

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

We're aiming for a 2015 release. At this stage – given how the material is developing – I'm inclined to say that this full-length will be a touch different from the EP, though certainly still rooted firmly in a blackened death metal ethos.

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?

All of us are broad music-listeners, and frequent jazz, folk, rock, classical, and many other genres besides. I've personally spent the last few months alternating between Gorgoroth, Blut Aus Nord, Sting, and Stevie Wonder.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

I'm an avid reader and writer, and a documentary enthusiast (to say the least), but I find that music rarely leaves much time for other interests.

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

Nothing that seems particularly pertinent! Many thanks to yourself and to anyone else out there for listening, and be sure to check out Wardaemonic's 'Obsequuium' when it arrives.

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Northland/Downfall And Rebirth/ 2015 CD Review

  Northland  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death,  viking  and  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  album  "Downfall  And  Rebirth"

  Jew  harps  and  nature  sounds  start  off  the  album  giving  the  music  a  folk  music  feeling  along  with  some  violins  and  a  few  seconds  alter  the  music  gets  heavier  and  adds  in  death  metal  growls  while  also  mixing  in  with  the  folk  elements  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Clean  singing  viking  metal  vocals  can  be  heard  throughout  the  recording  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  that  also  mixes  in  an  influence  from  black  metal  and  at  times  acoustic  and  classical  guitars  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  some  of  the  heavier  riffs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  thrash  influences.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  all  more  of  a  melodic  and  traditional  metal  feeling  to  the  songs  that  they  are  utilized  on  and  as  the  album  progresses  their  is  a  brief  acoustic  instrumental  before  the  band  backs  a  return  back  to  a  heavier  sound  on  the  following  tracks  while  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  pianos  and  keyboards  at  times  and  there a re  also  a  few  songs  that are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  one  of  the  alter  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  while  another  adds  in  female  vocals  briefly.

  Norhland  takes  for  a  very  melodic  style  of  black/death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  viking  and  folk  music  to  create  a  very  epic  sounding  album,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism  and  Battles.

  In  my  opinion  Northland  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death,  viking  and  folk  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bloodred  Sunrise"  "Fury's  Unleashed"  "Spirit In  Darkness"  and  "Newborn  Star".  8  out  of  10.

Website: http://www.northland.cat

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northlandofficial Bandcamp: https://northlandmetal.bandcamp.com

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/northlandofficial

Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/northlandmetal

Metal Archives: http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Northland/110230