Tranquillizer/Des Endes Anfang/2015 CD Review

  Tranquillizer  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  album  "Des Endes Anfang".

  A very  dark  and  heavy  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  making  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  a  few  seconds  later  and  once  the  drums  kick  in  all  of  the  musical  instruments  start  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  the  intro  elements  of  thrash  are  added  into  the  music.

  The  vocals  use  a  great  mixture  of  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  deep  growls  while  the  riffs  also  utilize  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  you  can  hear  elements  of  modern  metal  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  small amount  of  whispers  and  clean  playing  while one  track  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  folk  instruments  and  the  focus  remains  mostly  on  a  heavy  and  melodic  black/death  metal  style.

  Tranquillizer  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  melodic  forms  of  black  and  death  metal  and  mix  them  together  with  a  more  modern  sound  to  update  the  genre  for  modern  days,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  German  and  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Tranquillizer  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  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  "Ein  andere  Welt"  "Kapitulation"  and  "Ins  Licht".  8  out  of  10.

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Sekoria/Im Reich Der Schatten/Kernkraftritter Records/2015 CD Review

  Sekoria  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  epic,  melodic  and  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Im Reich Der Schatten"  which  will  be  released in  November  by  Kernkraftritter Records.

   A  very  symphonic  and  epic  keyboard   sound  starts  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  gets  heavier  and  adds  in  grim  black  metal  screams  and  melodic  riffs  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  When  solos  and  leads  are   utilized  they  are  in a  very  melodic  metal  direction  and  the  symphonic  and  heavy  parts  mix  together  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  a  lot  of  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  more  modern  metal  style  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them   while  the  vocals  also  mix  in  both  deep  and  high  pitched  screams  and  growls   and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  a  couple  of  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Sekoria  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  epic  and  symphonic  in  the  90's  style  while  also  mixing  in  modern  elements,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  German  and  cover  suicide,  hate,  desolation,  depression  and  desire  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sekoria  are  a  very  great  sounding  epic  and  symphonic  black  metal  band  and  if you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Im Reich Der Schatten"  "Wessen  Der  Zeit"  "Der  Fall"  and  "Ein  Letztes  Mal".  8  out  of  10.

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Selvans/Lupercalia/Avantgarde Music/2015 CD Review

  Selvans  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk  and  symphonic  black  metal  and  this  is a review  of  their  2015  album  "Lupercalia"  which  was  released  by  Avantgarde  Music.

  Nature  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  folk  instruments  and  epic sounding  keyboards  which  also  leads  up  to  more  of  a  heavy  and  symphonic  black  metal  style  which  also  incorporates  a  great  amount  of  melodic  guitar  solos  and  the  fast  parts  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this recording.

  When  vocals  are  brought  onto  the  recording  they  are  mostly  grim  and  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  symphonic  style  of  the  genre  while  the  folk  elements  the  songs  sound more  modern  and  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  present  throughout  the  recording.

   Most  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  the  vocals  also  bringing  in a  small  amount  of  whispers  and  as  the  album progresses  the  riffs  start  utilizing  more  melody and  the  folk  instruments  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  parts  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  present  on  the  last  track.

  Selvans  plays  a  style  of  symphonic  black  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  they  update  this  style  by  mixing  it  in  with  pagan  folk  music,  the  production  sound s very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Italian  and  cover  Folklore,  Mysticism,  Oral  History,  Nature,  Tradition,  Surrealsim  and  Art.

  In  my  opinion Selvans  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  pagan  folk  and  symphonic  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Versipellis"  and  "Scurtchin".  8  out  of  10.

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Perihelion/Zeng/Apathia Records/2015 CD Review

  Perihelion  are  a  band  from  Hungary  that  plays  a  mixture  of  post  rock and  avant  garde  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Zeng"  which  was  released  by  Apathia  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  atmospheric  ambient  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  distorted  guitars  that  also  bring  in  drones  before  going  into  a  very  melodic  post  metal  direction  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  along  with  soem  clean  singing  vocals.

  After  the  vocals  kick  in  the  music  goes  into  a  very  fast  black  metal  direction  that  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  great  amount  of  melodic  guitar  leads along  with  a  touch  of  shoegaze  and  the  music  is  perfectly  balance  between  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  avant  garde  metal  elements  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  in  some  of  the  faster  parts  a  brief  use  of  black  metal  screams  can  be  heard.

  Perihelion  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the mid  90's  avant  garde  black  metal  style  while  focusing  more  on  a  regular  style  of  singing  and  mixing  it  in  with  a  more  modern  style  of  post  rock  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Hungarian  and  cover  spiritual  and  cosmic  journey  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Perihelion  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  avant  garde  black  metal  and  post  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tundockles"  "Vegtelen  Kek"  and  "Hajad  Szel".  8  out  of  10. 

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Tine/The Forest Dreams Of Black/2015 CD Review

  Tine  are  a  band  from  Pennsylvania  that  plays  a  symphonic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  self  released  2015  album  "The  Forest  Dreams  of  Black".

  Nature  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  bass  guitars  and  melodic  guitar  leads  kick  in  along  with  some  drum  beats  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  getting  more  symphoniuc  as  well  as  adding  in  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  musical  tradition  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Melodies  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  singing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  they  also  bring  in  a  couple  of  instrumental  tracks  while  most  of  the  other  songs  bring  in  vocals  and  at  the  times  the  keyboards  also  bring  in  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys.

  Tine  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  symphonic  black  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  more  modern  style  of  blackened  death  metal  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production sounds  very  professional  for  being  s  elf  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Mysticism,  Occultism,  Mythology,  Darkness,  Mystical  Forest,  Legends  and  Evil  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Tine  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Horrors  at  Antioch"  "The  Crusade  of  Dracul"  and  "The  Watchful  Eye".  8  out  of  10.

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Tine - The Crusade of Dracul

Hypermass Interview

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

We are a melodic Death Metal band consisting of 5 members from Trondheim, Norway, all in the ages of 19 to 20. We’ve played together since late 2012. Our musical influences include The Black Dahlia Murder, Revocation and the more brutal side of the melodic Death Metal spectrum, though that’s only a small fraction of our influences.

2.Recently you have released an EP, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

It’s hard to describe it without resorting to mindless genre referrals, but it’s basically a buffet of melodic, technical, and groovy Death Metal with a side of exotic jazz fusion.

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

The lyrics are mostly very critical of humanity as a whole, with certain underlying philosophical themes. We try to not get too obvious in our writing, and leave a lot of it up for interpretation. I’m a sucker for lyrics myself, as for me they can define a great song. Clutch is one of my favorite bands mostly for that reason, I never tire of Neil Fallon’s abstract and satirical lyrics. But with every band the lyrics must complement the music in a special kind of way. What we try to do is contrast those lyrics of misanthropy and negativity with melodic and «epic» parts, if that’s a word that’s possible to use without sounding like a douchebag. I think it’s a great effect, nonetheless.

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

Hypermass is essentially another word for «black hole», although it’s not a frequently used word anymore. That stuff always intrigued me, you know, along with the fact that dark matter/energy constitutes about 95% of the universe, with no one having the slightest clue of what it actually is. It also complies with our subject matter in a way. I will admit that it had also to do with the fact that it’s pretty hard to find a recognizable band name now that pretty much everything has been used, but I think we lucked out on that one.

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 try to be as energetic as possible, and let the crowd know they’re just as big a part of the show as we are. We just try to have fun on stage no matter how big or small the crowd is. If there’s only 5 people in the crowd, it’s your job to give those 5 people the greatest show you can give them. We try to keep that in the back of our heads every gig, although we’ve fortunately yet to play for that small of a crowd. People are there to have a good time, so it’s also important not to take yourself too seriously. Some of the best shows we’ve played have been local club gigs, those are always really fun.

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

We’re doing some local gigs in the coming months. We may go on tour soon, when the time is right. As of now we’re in writing mode for the full-length though, so that comes first.

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

We have received interests from various underground labels, which is awesome. Still, we think we have a lot more to offer than what’s presented on the EP, and I don’t wanna sound reluctant, but we’re kind of holding it off at the moment until our full-length is done, or at least until the right contract is presented.

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

It has been overwhelming, to say the least. We really didn’t have any expectation on whether people would like it or not, to be completely honest. Luckily for us people seem to enjoy it, as we’re yet to get a bad review.

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

Too early to say when the full-length will be nearing release, I’m afraid. All I can say is that we’re in serious writing mode, and that the songs so far sound great. The new stuff I’d say is a little bit more focused, in terms of writing, as well as it’s a lot more technical and faster than the previous stuff. We’re still a melodic Death Metal band though, as far as genres go.

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?

Guitar-wise I’d say the top 3 would have to be The Black Dahlia Murder, Revocation and Allegaeon, as we’re often lumped into the same category as those bands. But you know, we’re very easily inspired by stuff. We don’t like to shut out ideas just ‘cause it doesn’t necessarily comply with other influences. Then it would become tedious and boring.

Currently I’m really digging the latest Rivers of Nihil album. Those guys really caught me by surprise, with possibly the best combination of atmosphere and heaviness I’ve ever heard. My other top 5 records of the year so far has to be the new TBDM, Clutch, Cattle Decapitation, Ghost and Nile.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Outside of music we’re pretty versatile people when it comes to other interests, but I guess everyone is into some form of sport. I’m a rabid MMA fan myself, our other guitarist likes golf, our vocalist and bassist is really into football («soccer» if you’re American I guess), and our drummer likes fishing, although I don’t know if that’s officially declared a sport by now. It should be. That stuff is tiring.

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

Thanks for the interview, and be sure to keep an eye out for our debut album coming up!

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Islay/The Angels' Share/Final Gate Records/2015 CD Review

  Islay  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their 2015  album  "The  Angels'  Share"  which  was  released  by  Final  Gate Records.

  Drum  beats  and  powerful  sounding  bass  guitar  solos  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  melodic  leads  and  blast  beats  that  dominate  throughout  the  recording  and  when  growls  are  added  into  the  music  it  gives  the  tracks  more  of  a  Swedish  feeling  along  with  some  high  pitched  black  metla  screams  being  added  in  at  times.

 Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  melodic  styles  of  black  and  death  metal  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  singing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  they  also  give  the  songs  more  of  a  modern feeling  when  they  are  utilized  while  the  classical  guitars  when  they  are  brought  in  add  progressive  elements  onto  the  recording  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  few  seconds  of  atmospheric  keyboards  that  are  almost  close  to  being  symphonic  at  times.

  Islay  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  90's  Swedish  melodic  styles  of  death  and  black  metal  and  mix  them  in  with  some  modern  elements  to  update  the  sound  for  current  times,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  war  and  anti  religion  themes  along  with  one  of  the  tracks  being  written  in  German.

  In  my  opinion  Islay  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Under  The  Sway  Of  God"  "Blind  messiah"  "Napalm  Shower"  and  "The  Angels'  Share".  8  out  of  10.

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