Grimorium Verum/Relict/Symbol Of Domination Records/Cold Raw Records/2015 CD Review

  Grimorium  Verum  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a review  of  their  2015  album  "Relict"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Symbol  Of  Domination  Records  and  Cold  Raw  Records.

  A  very  dark  ambient  keyboard  sound  starts  off  the  album  before going  into more  of  an  epic  and  symphonic  direction  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  very  fast  black  metal  direction  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams  which  they  also  mix  in  with  the  symphonic  elements.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  is  more  rooted  in  the  90's  style  of  symphonic  black  metal  and  the  riffs  also  get  very  melodic  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  deep  death  metal  growls  along  with  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  finally  added  into  the  music  they  also  enhance  the  melody  that  is  present  on  the  recording  along  with  a  touch  of  traditional  metal  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  one  song  also  brings  in  a  few  seconds  of  clean  singing.

  Grimorium  Verum  plays  a  style  of  symphonic  black  metal  that  is  more  closer  to  the  mid  90's  era  and  also  brings  back  some  of  the  blasphemy  that  has  been  missing  in  the  genre  for  years,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occultism  and  Anti  Christian  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Grimorium  Verum  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Rising  Morning  Star"  "Night  Burning  Icons"  "In  Satan  We  Trust"  and  "Odium".  8  out  of  10.     

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Blood Of The Wolf Interview

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

The band started in 2012 as a project of mine while I was playing guitar in Kommandant. We became a live band in 2013. We had a few member changes since then. As of right now the line-up is myself, Mike Koniglio, on guitar and vocals, Frank Garcia on guitar and vocals, Brandon Waszak on bass and Max Colunga on drums. We play blackened death metal with a lot of blasting and a heavy dose of melody.

2.So far you have released a demo, single and a full length, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?

I would describe it as blackened death metal with a lot of blasting and a lot of melody. I would say the writing style is akin to late 90’s/early 2000’s aggressive black metal. There is a lot of fast paced tremolo picking, dual guitar harmonies and melodies, and blast beats. Lots of blast beats.

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

Lyrics revolve around the ethos of warfare. Sometimes the lyrics describe the gore and brutality of war, but most of time they center on the philosophy of warfare and the ideal of completely destroying your enemy.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Blood Of The Wolf'?

It has no meaning. The inspiration came from watching a Nova documentary on the Viking sword. In that show they entertained one theory that the Vikings would grind the burnt bones of their ancestors, or enemies or animals they slew and use it to forge their swords. The bone made the steel stronger. The Vikings would also name their swords, often after animals like the bear or wolf, which would then give their sword that animal’s power.


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 played a show with Incantation, Cardiac Arrest and Abysme at the Beat Kitchen here in Chicago. That was the best so far. Our live shows are relentless. We play the songs without stopping. There is very little talking. The audience gets bulldozed.

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

Not at this point. We are just rehearsing, getting tighter and writing new material.

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

We’re not looking for a label. We’re doing everything ourselves and that’s fine with us.

8.On the new album you had done a Marduk cover, what was the decision behind during your own version of one of their tracks?

Marduk is one of my favorite black metal bands and a huge influence on my songwriting. “With Satan and Victorious Weapons” is one of my favorite songs and I thought it would sound cool with low vocals.

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

So far it’s been all positive.

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

Our drummer Max plays with Disinter. Frank plays guitar in Asphyxiator. Brandon and I only play in Blood of the Wolf. As for me, this is my sole musical pursuit. It’s the only thing I am interested in investing my free time in.

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?

I love Vader, Marduk, Belphegor, God Dethroned, and Infernal War. I would say those bands have had a great influence on my writing style. Currently I am really enjoying the new Temple of Baal album “Mysterium” and Malevolent Creation’s “Dead Man’s Path”.

12.How would you describe your views on Satanism and Occultism?

I have no interest in either.

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

None. Thank you for the interview!

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Blood Of The Wolf/I: The Law Of Retaliation/2015 Full Length Review

  Blood  Of  the  Wolf  are  a  band  from Chicago,  Illinois  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  with  a  touch  of  thrash  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  album  "I: The Law Of Retaliation".

  War  samples  and battle  samples  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  and  melodic  musical direction t hat  also  introduces  guitar  leads  that  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  onto  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  the  intor  the  music  goes  into  a  very  brutal  blackened  death  metal  direction.

  Blast  beats  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  during  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  and  the  vocals  use  mostly  death  metal  growls  while  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  a  lot  of  the  solos  and  leads  bring  in  a  90's  style  of  melodic  death  metal  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  of  the  heavier  riffs  also  bring  in  thrash  influences  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  cover  of  Marduk's  "With  Satan  And  Victorious  Weapons".

  Blood  of  The  Wolf  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  brutal  and  melodic  styles  of  death  emtal  and  mixes  it  in  with  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  influences   and  a  touch  of  thrash  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  war,  darkness  and  Satanism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Blood  Of  the  Wolf  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  "With  iron  Weapons  And  Will"  "The  Darkness  Of  Chaos"  "Of  Strength  And  Valor"  and  "With  Satan  And  Victorious  Weapons".  8  out  of  10.   

www.facebook.com/bloodofthewolfmusic

Thulnar/Nightfall In Theros/2015 EP Review

  Thulnar  are  a  band  that  plays  an  epic  form  of  fantasy  metal  that  is  a  mixture  of  symphonic  black  and  folk  metal  and  this is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  ep  "Nightfall  In  Theros".

  A  very  epic  and  symphonic  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  melodic  guitar  leads  that  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  the  vocals  are  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  you  can  hear  blast  beats  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Operatic  female  and  male  vocals  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  power  metal   and  there  is  also  a  brief use  of  death  metal  growls  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  riffs  incorporating  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Thulnar  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  symphonic  black  metal  and  folk  metal  and  mixes  it  with  a  touch  of  death  and  power  metal  to  create  a  style  of t heir  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Thulnar  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  symphonic  black  and  folk  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "City  Of  the  Golden  Halls".  8  out  of  10.

https://thulnar.bandcamp.com/releases 

    

 

Zardens/Blackness Unfolds/Satanath Records/Death Portal Studio/2015 CD Review

  Zardens  are  a  band  from  Belgium  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of their  2015  album  "Blackness  Unfolds"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between Satanath  Records  and  Death  Portal  Studio.

  Clean  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  and  invokes  a  very  dark  atmosphere  before  adding  in  melodic  guitar  leads  that  start  becoming  a  very  huge  part  of  the recording  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  at  times  when  the  music  starts  getting  heavier  you  can  hear  a  lot  of  melodies  and  elements  of  thrash.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  a death  metal  influence  in  the  music  while  the  fast  parts  also  use  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  along  with  a  few  growls  and  the  songs  also  bring  in a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  goes  back  to  the  80's  styles  of  melodic  Swedish  black  and  death  metal  and  clean  playing  also  makes  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  they  close  the  album  with  an  instrumental  track.

  Zardens  plays  a  musical style  that  goes  back  to  the  more  melodic  sides  of  the  90's  black  and  death  metal  genres  and  also  add  in  a  touch  of  thrash  and  some  modern  blackened  death  metal  elements  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  obsession  with  death  and  the  dark  side  of  human  nature.

  In  my  opinion Zardens  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  "The  Berserker"  "Slave  To  The  Moon"  "Lifeblood"  and  "Among  The  Dead".  8  out  of  10.

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Selvans Interview

Answers by Selvans Haruspex

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Selvans is the celebration of Italic folklore and cults -  through lyrics, music and aesthetics -inspired by the different traditions of our nation.

2.So far you have released a single, ep and a full length how  would you describe the musical sound that is presented on those recordings?
It’s atmospheric black metal with archaic and modern Italic 'folk' instruments; the lyrics – in italian, english but also middle Italy dialect and latin – are about Italian history, legends and fables from different time periods and different points of view.

3.Your lyrics cover the different ethnic groups from Italy that dwelt there before in the past, can you tell us a little bit more about this concept?
I don't consider it a concept album: as I’ve already said, I am simply attracted by 'the other side of the coin' so I chose not to tell only facts about my region or my town, by the point of view of my ancestors possibly brave and pagan (as is fashionable). I like to study topics that interessed me so I have written songs with lyrics about the mount Soracte or the river Clitunno which are kilometers far away from me, simply documenting about their role in the ancient times and visiting them to breathe that atmosphere imagining tales and facts about braves and cowards that dwelt there before me.

4.Can you tell us a little bit more about the meaning behind the masks?
They are inspired by the Hirpi Sorani myth, an etruscan legend: the priests devoted to the god Soranus could turn into wolves, probably because they were cursed. A track on the album is also named Hirpi Sorani, you can find the lyrics on our website www.templeofselvans.com

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Selvans'?
Selvans or Silvanus is an ancient divinity who represents nature, and particularly the woods are the perfect scenario for our stories: such mysterious and unchanged places are the only real thread among our songs.

6.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you choose to remain a duo?
We’ll remain a duo.

7.At one time both of the members where in Draugr, is this band a continuation of your previous group?
No, it has nothing to do with that project. I gave a lot to Draugr because this is the way I am, but what I now do with Selvans is what I feel I should have done from the beginning.


8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
Astonishing. We are very surprised by the how the foreign zines and fans are welcoming ‘Lupercale’...this is probably because even if the themes and melodies are Italian, the general atmosphere is universal.



9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We’ll see in the future. All I can say is that some of the innovative elements you can hear in ‘Lupercalia’ will be developped in the next album.

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?
I listen to metal, rock, ambient, folk music and other kinds of music, that are apparently far from my works: electro, punk, italian and french songwriters, jazz...
About the influences I’d say Inchiuvatu and the eastern heathen black metal scene Nocturnal Mortum, Kroda, Negura Bunget...), but, as I told you, both Sethlans and I are influenced by everything we listen to.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Literature and literary essays (mostly historical and revisionist), sports.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for this interview! Greetings to the ADifferentShadeOfBlackMetalZine readers...check our ‘Lupercalia’, you won’t regret it.

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Cult Of Occult/Five Degrees Of Insanity/Deadlight Entertainment/2015 CD Review

  Cult  Of  Occult  are  a  band  from France  that  plays  a  blackened mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Five  Degrees  of  Insanity"  which  was  released  by  Deadlight  Entertainment.

  Drones  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  noisy  reverb  and  after  a  minute  the  music  gets  a  lot  more  heavier  and  goes  into  more  of  a  sludge  and  doom  metal  direction  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  and  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  dark  and  distorted  sounding  and  as  the  album  progresses some  of the  riffs  start  utilizing  more  melodies  and  the  vocals  also  bring  in  growls  at  times  and  on  a  later  track  the  music  speeds  up  a  bit  and  brings  in  more  of  a  raw  style  of  the  genre  along  with a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  before  returning  back  to  a  slower  musical  direction  and  a  later  track  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  psychedelic  elements.

  Cult  Of  Occult  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  the  heaviest  styles  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  black  metal  to  create  a  sound  of t heir  own,   the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satan,  Alcohol,  hatred  and  Ant  Christian  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Cult  Of  Occult  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  sludge  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Nihilistic"  and  "Satanic".  8  out  of  10.

https://soundcloud.com/cvltnation/cult-of-occult-alcoholic