Dead To A Dying World/Litany/Tofu Carnage/Gilead Media/Alerta Antifascista/2015 CD Review

  Dead  To  A  Dying  World  are  a  band  from  Texas  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge,  doom,  crust  and  post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Litany"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Tofu  Carnage,  Gilead  Media,  and  Alerta  Antifascista.

  Atmospheric  sounding  violins  start  off  the  album  and  after  a  few  seconds  the  music  goes  into  a  very  fast  black  metal  direction  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  high  pitched  screams  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  the  music  slows  down  a  lot  of  doom  metal  elements  can  be  heard  and  they  also  bring  in  clean  singing  vocals  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  clean  guitars  are  utilized  they  give  the  music  a  very  progressive  feeling.

  Female  vocals  are  brought  into  the  music  at  times  and  the  growls  also  add  a  touch  of  crust  and  death  metal  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  a  variety  of  many  different  string  instruments  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses more elements  of  sludge  and  post  rock  are  added  into  the  music  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Dead  To  A  Dying  World  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  metal,  sludge,  doom,  crust  and  post  rock  and  mixes  it  in  with  stringed  instruments  to  create  an  original  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  epic  scenes  of  pain  and  death.

  In  my  opinion  Dead  To  A  Dying  World  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge,  doom, crust,  and  post  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Hunt  Eternal"  and  "Narcissus".  8  out  of  10.    

http://www.deadtoadyingworld.com

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Wolfhorde Interview

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



Wolfhorde is a Folk Metal band from Finland with a couple of self-released EP’s and a new upcoming debut album Towards The Gates of North. Mostly our music is combination of acoustic and electric instruments with intention to create atmospheric, but heavy soundscapes based on mythological and symbolic themes.



2.In 2016 you have a new album coming out, 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?



As a new element on the debut album we have introduced quite massive orchestras, which are not dominative in the sound, but rather in the background. Also the music does not solely rely on any particular instrument. It is more a combination of a lot of different sounds forming a huge stage of sound. As always, we wanted to have quite an organic sound to the album and I think we succeeded in this very well. Maybe it doesn’t sound as heavy and processed as modern metal nowadays, but atleast it sounds real. Also we are proud of the production on this one. None of the instruments were recorded in a real recording studio. Everything is still self-produced, but only better in every possible way.



3.This is going to be the first release in 4 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?



We have been making this debut album during many years. Personally I (Werihukka) started doing the demos of these songs already in 2012. A lot of time went into making orchestral arrangements for these songs. Then we wanted to rehearse every song at the rehearsals together. The evolution of these songs at the rehearsing stage was the most important part of the process. In every occasion, we tried different things, drum arrangements, improved the groove and feel of the songs. This is important because the music only comes alive after it is actually played by a band and not intented to be played by drum machines and so on.



Also a lot of time went with completely other things during the making of this album. Unfortunately not all the time can be spend to making music.



4.Your lyrics cover a lot of Pagan topics, can you tell us a little bitmore about your interest in Paganism?



Norse mythology has been interesting subject for a long time for many of us in the band and also common travels to go hiking in the mountains of Norway brings closer to these landscapes. Pagan subjects are mostly sources of inspiration, not so much to do with religion. Imagination is a powerful tool of making art, but no one should base their believes in imaginery things.



5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Wolfhorde'?



Wolfhorde as a name comes from a long forgotten song of ours. After deciding the name, the style of music has become something more suited to this name. Wolves have always been one of many powerful sources of inspiration. They are strong and independent animals, yet able to form even stronger one as a united pack. That is what the band is all about as well.



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



So far no live shows. We have only done this as a studio project, but most certainly it would be nice to perform these songs live in the future.



7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the deal you have signed with Inverse Records?



We were already making this album and Inverse contacted us to make deal with them about the release, distribution and promotion of this album. We were very pleased about their offer and we still are.



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



The feedback has been surprisingly positive all the time. Even the earliest releases received very good impressions a long time ago. I think our music has changed a little bit since those times, but the band is definitely still the same.



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



Nothing is certain, but personally I would like to experiment with more simplistic approach next time and concentrate more on band and sit less at the computer doing orchestras and sorts of things. Something heavier and darker will definitely be on the way at sometime in the future.



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?



There are too many bands to mention, but some of the bands that we would consider influential are Moonsorrow, Finntroll, Eluveitie, Ensiferum, Wintersun, Amorphis, Kiuas, Korpiklaani and so on. Not all the influence comes from folk metal or metal bands at all. And of course we just try to sound like Wolfhorde.



We listen to all good music without restrictions.



11.What are some of your non musical interests?



Mythology and nature.



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



Hopefully you will like our new album coming in 22nd of January 2016.  Prepare yourselves for journey Towards The Gates of North.


Best regards,

- Werihukka

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Abaton/We Are Certainly Not Made Of Flesh/DrownWithin Records/Unquiet Records/Martire/2015 CD Review

 Abaton  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  post  metal,  doom  and  sludge  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "We  Are  Certainly Not  Made  Of  Flesh"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Drown  Within  Records,  Unquiet Records,  and  Martire.

  A  very  dark  and  melodic  musical  sound  starts  off  the  album  which  also  leads  up  to  a  heavier  sludge/post  metal  direction  along  with  some high  pitched  screams  that  are  influenced  by  black  metal  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  melody  in  the  solos  and  leads.

  At  times  the  music  gets  very  atmospheric  and  the  slower  riffs  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  doom  metal  elements  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  and  influences  of  hardcore  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  some  songs  also  mix  in  a  small  amount  of  death  metal  growls  and  spoken  word parts  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  there  are  also  a  few  tracks  that are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  there  is  alos one  song  that  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  melodic  vocals.

  Abaton  takers  the  black  metal,  doom  and  sludge  mixture  of  previous  recordings  and  also  mixes  in  more  melody,  post metal  and  hardcore  influences  to  expand their  musical  style  out  a  bit  more,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  yet  powerful  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Abaton  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  metal,  sludge,  doom  and  post  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ananta"  "Nadi"  and  "Echo".  8  out  of  10.

https://drownwithinrecords.bandcamp.com/album/we-are-certainly-not-made-of-flesh  

Wolfhorde/Towards The Gate Of North/Inverse Records/2016 Full Length Review

  Wolfhorde  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  folk  metal  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "Towards  The  Gate  Of  North"  which  will  be  released  in  2016 by  Inverse  Records.

  Classical  guitars  and  folk  instruments  start  off  the  album  and  when  keyboards  are  added onto  the  recording  they  give  the  songs  more  of  an  epic  and  symphonic  feeling  and  on  the  second  track  tribal  beats  find  their  way  onto  the  album  and  they  bring  in  a  shamanistic  feeling  when  they  are  utilized  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  a  very  melodic  folk  metal  feeling  to  the  songs   and  the  vocals  bring  in  both  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  guitar  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  to  the  tracks.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you  can  also  hear  spoken  word  parts  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording and  the  clean  vocals  bring  in  elements  of  pagan  metal  and  the  music  at  times  also  brings  in  a  medieval  atmosphere  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Wolfhorde  plays  a  style  of  folk  metal  that  is  very  epic  and  symphonic  sounding  while  also  mixing  in  the  heaviness  of  black  and  melodic  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  English  and  Finnish  and  cover  Viking  heritage and  mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Wolfhorde are  a  very  great  sounding  folk  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fuimbulvter"  "The  Retribution"  and  "The  Gates  Of  North".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.wolfhorde.com
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Against The Plagues/Purified Through Devastation/Non Serviam Records/2015 CD Review

  Against  The  Plagues  are  a  band  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Purified  through  Devastation"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Non  Serviam  Records.

  A  very  fast,  brutal  and  technical  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  growling  vocals  and  blast  beats  and  you  can  also  hear  atmospheric  sounds  in  the  background  at  times  and  after  awhile  melodies  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Black  metal  screams  are  utilized  quite  often  and  the  songs  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  solos  and  leads  bring  in  more  elements  of  melodic  death  metal  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  symphonic  elements  at  times  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken word  samples and  there  is  also  a  short  acoustic  instrumental  before  closing  the  album  with  2  heavy  tracks.

  Against  The  Plagues  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  brutal  death  metal  with  symphonic  and  melodic  black  metal  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Inner  Strength  and  War  Themes.

  In  my  opinion  Against  the  Plagues  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  and  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  "All  Flesh  Had  Corrupted"  "TerrorForm"  and  "Enemy  Herein".  8  out  of  10.

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Satarial/Lunar Cross/Satanath Records/Metallic Media/Black Plague Records/2014 CD Review

  Satarial  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk,  gothic  and  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Lunar  Cross"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Satanath  Records,  Metallic  Media,  and  Black  Plague  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  which  bring  in  a  touch  of  traditional  metal  and  a  few  seconds  later  operatic  female  vocals  and  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  make  their  presence  known  in  the  music  and  all  of  the musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

   Some  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  after  awhile  blast  beats  and  elements  of  industrial  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  whispers  being  utilized  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  riffs  also  mix  in  the  energy  of  gothic  rock  while  some  songs  also  bring  in  symphonic  elements.

  As  the  elements  progresses  elements  of  folk  music  are  added  into  some  of  the  tracks  while  the  influence  of  industrial  can  be  heard  at  times  and  most  of  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  the  album gets  more  diverse  with each  track  mixing  in  a  variety  of  many  different  influences.

  Satarial  plays  a  musical  style  which  mixes  symphonic  black  metal,  goth  rock,  industrial  and  folk  music  to  create  a  very  original  sounding  style,  the  production  sounds  very professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  and  Paganism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Satarial  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  goth  rock,  industrial  and  folk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Horned  One"  "Witches  Night"  "Flower  Of  Datura"  and  "Spell  Of  Formation".  8  out  of  10.  

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Fortress Black/I.N.R.I/Demons Run Amok Entertainment/2015 EP Review

  Fortress  Black  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge  and  hardcore  and  this is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "I.N.R.I"  which  was  released  by  Demons  Run  Amok  Entertainment.

  Drum  beats  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  heavy  yet  dark  musical  direction  along  with  some  screams  that  mix  black  metal  and  sludge  together  and  the  music  also  brings  in  the  anger  of  hardcore  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  very  dark  and  melodic  and  also  brings  in  elements  of  modern  post  metal.

  Some  of  the  riffs  utilize  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  some  of t he  tracks  also  bring  in  growls  and  angry  shouts  along  with  a  touch  of  post  hardcore  and  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  while  the  music  does  speed  up  briefly  along  with  a  few  seconds  of  blast  beats  and  you  can  also  hear  the  more  modern  side  of  black  metal  being  mixed  in  the  bands  musical  style  at  times  and  one  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing.

  Fortress  Black  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  metal,  post  metal,  sludge  and  hardcore  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  very  dark  and  heavy  musical  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  heavy and  modern  while  the  lyrics  cover  social,  emotional  issues  and  anti  fascist  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Fortress  Black  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Leave  me  Alone"  and  "I.N.R.I".  8  out  of  10.

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