Onkel Hryum/Ragnaroll/2015 CD Review

  Onkel  Hryum  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  folk  metal  with  elements  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  album  "Ragnaroll".

  Animal  sounds  starts  off  the  album  before  adding  in  folk  instruments  and  a  heavier  musical  sound  where  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  and  when the  music  speeds  up a  great  amoiunt  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  give  the  songs  more  of  a  melodic  death  metal  feeling  and  the  music  also  gets  very  symphonic  at  times  and  elements  of  black  metal  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  songs  and as  the  album  progresses  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  spoken  word  parts  and  the  songs  stick  mostly  to  a  mid  paced  musical  direction.

  Onkel  Hryum  creates  a  different  style  of  folk  metal  going  for  more  of  a  heavier  approach  that  is  very  heavily  influenced  by  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  as  well  as  being  less  melodic  than  most  bands  of  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Russian  and  cover  folklore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Onkel  Hryum  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  folk,  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Puzzle"  "Achad"  and  "Come  To The  Forest  With  My  Beauty".  8  out  of  10.

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Phobous/Realm Of Disorder/2015 Full Length Review

  Phobous  are  a  solo project  from  Campbell,  California  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  and  melodic  mixture of black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2015  album  "Realm Of Disorder".

  A  very  tragic  sounding  keyboard  starts  off  the  album  and  after  a  few  seconds  melodic  guitar  leads  are  added  into  the  music  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  that  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  they  also  mix  the  symphonic  and heavy  parts  together  while  the  riffs  also  use  a  lot  of  melody.

  Death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  are  used  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of  the  faster  riffs  use  a  great amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  the  songs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  90's  influences  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing.

  Phobous  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  symphonic  black  metal  while  also  mixing  in  a  lot  of  melodic  death  metal  elements  to  make  the  music  stand  out  a  bit  more,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Phobous  are  a  very  great  sounding mixture  of  symphonic  black  and  melodic  death  metal  and  if you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you should  check  out  this solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Blood  Ties  To  Bloodshed"  "Vain  Sacrifice  And  Desperate  Hope"  and  "Chosen  Bereavement".     

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Bushwhacker Interview

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


We play our own songs and prefer to write them together as a collective, but sometimes apart also. Our songs typically have lots of parts and at sometime end…usually. Geoff gets an itchy mouth when he eats apples and 3/4 of the band are not circumcised


2.So far you have released 2 full length's and an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?


There is some sort of cohesiveness between all of the albums, something that makes them all very “Bushwhacker”. The first album is very thrash rooted with an added psychedelic twist. Fish guy is something of a bridge between the gap of the 1st and 2nd full lengths. Still maintaining a psychedelic edge, Fish Guy ventures into a more extreme and technical sound. The latest record, The False Dilemma is a lot more aggressive and dark, showcasing the impact the move from Yukon to Vancouver had on the band, now being immersed in a thriving metal scene.


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


Lyrically this album explores the relationships between individual inner struggles/conflicts and how they are a microcosm of society’s conflicts at large.


4.Originally the band was known as 'Minotaur' what was the cause of the new change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name ‘Bushwhacker'?


At the age of 15 when we first started the band, we strived to have a very fierce metal sounding name and “Minotaur” seemed to do the trick. Soon realizing that there are 100’s of metal bands all over the world with that same name, we figured a change was necessary. “Bushwhacker” not only represents our home of the Yukon, but reflects our mentality of going against the grain and forging ones own path.



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?


Recently we have opened up for bigger acts such as Kylesa and Cult of Luna here in Vancouver and can safely say that those have been a couple of our biggest shows to date. One of our most memorable shows was the Atlin Music Festival in northern BC prior to us moving south to Vancouver. Being the only metal band to ever play a major folk music festival on a big stage in front of hippies and families we remember it as a very fun and interesting experience.


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


We have our record release show here in Vancouver at the Astoria with locals ASTRAKHAN, THE HALLOWED CATHARSIS & SEER onMarch 5th. Following that there is talk of doing a stint of western Canadian dates. Aside from that we have no big touring plans until the summer of 2017 as we have plans to be back in the studio very very soon.


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


With the music industry constantly changing it would depend on any given label and what they are offering. As of this time we have not received any serious offers.


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


People in both Russia and Norway have purchased albums so that has got to count for something.


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


We are currently writing new material that is bringing out the psychedelic and progressive rock elements in a much more refined way.



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?


Ranging from classic metal heroes to avant garde mystics and riff wizards, we also have the guts to say that we have a soft spot for tastefully done country, pop, and electronic types of music. We think keeping an open mind to all types of music really keeps the creativity fresh and original. Some of our all time favourites to mention are:

Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pink Floyd, Scorpions and Carpenter Brut.


11.What are some of your non musical interests?


Some of our non musical interests include:


Drinking and Drugging

Breaking furniture

Cliff jumping/muff diving

Yelling/scaring neighbours

Stupid jokes & laughing…if you haven’t noticed.

Philosophy, Science, Psychology, and the Occult.


We like to describe ourselves as “intellectual idiots”


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


We are out of milk, so coffee is going to fucking suck tomorrow.
https://bushwhackeryukon.bandcamp.com/album/the-false-dilemma

Rats Of Reality/Obsequies/2016 EP Review

  Rats  Of  Reality  are a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  has  been featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  doom,  death,  crust  punk  and  thrash  and  this  is  a  review  of  their self  released  2016  ep  "Obsequies".

  Clean  playing  and  melodic  guitar  leads  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  crust  punk  direction  which  also  utilizes  a  more black  metal  vocal  approach  and  the  drums  also  mix  in  a  lot  of  d  beats  and  they  also  mix  in  the  atmosphere  of  goth  rock  at  times  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length.

  Deep  death  metal  growls  can  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  and  when t he  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  while  some  of  the  riffs  are  also  heavily  influenced  by  thrash  and  the  slower  riffs  add  in  a  touch  of doom  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  add  in  a  touch  of  NWOBHM  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  With  this  recording  Rats  of  Reality  go  into  even  more  of  a melodic  blackened  crust  direction  this  time  around  while  some  elements  of  doom,  death,  and  thrash  are  present  in the  music,  the  production  sound s very  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover   dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Rats Of  Reality  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic,  blackened  crust,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE "Catharsis"  and  "Mar".  8  out  of  10.  

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Bushwhacker/The False Dilema/2016 Full Length Review

  Bushwhacker  are  a  band  from  Vancouver  B.C,  Canada  that  plays  a  progressive  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "The  False  Dilema"  which  will  be  released  in  March.

  Spoken  word  samples  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  more  heavier  and  progressive  metal  direction t hat  also  introduces  black  metal  screams  onto  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  leads  and  solo  also  bring  more  of  a  melodic  style  to  the  recording.  

  Death  metal  growls  mix  in  quite  a  bit  with  the  black  metal  screams  throughout  the  recording  while  the  riffs  can  be  very  melodic  at  times  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  they  also  bring  in  a  couple  of  instrumentals  and  when t he  music speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and    they  also  mix  in  elements  of  thrash and  when  clean  playing  is  utilized  it  enhances  the  progressive  elements  that  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of t he  bands  musical  style  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of melodic  singing.

  Bushwhacker  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  prog  metal  and  mixes  it  with  melodic  black  and  death  metal  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  as  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  mind,  reality,  war,  mankind  and  the  apocalypse.

  In  my  opinion  Bushwhacker  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  prog,  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tower"  "Shikadance"  "A  Path"  and  "Golden  Shell".  8  out  of  10. 

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Tagarot Interview

1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We are a band from Carinthia, Austria, and we combine metal with acoustic instruments just like flutes, bagpipes, accordeon and mandolin. Our melodies are influenced by traditional celtic tunes.

2. Recently you have released and ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
While mixing the ep we tried to receive an intimate sound, especially for the acoustic instruments, for example a sound you might hear when you are sitting in a pub and listening to a gig of a folk band. A sound that creates a feeling as if the (flute)player sits direct in front of you. On the other hand we were looking for a big metal sound for drums and guitars with a powerful low end.

3. There is a concept in your lyrics, can you tell us a little bit more about it?
Yes, the ep is following a concept. Most of the songs are dealing with the legend of the germanic priest Veleda. She lived a few decades AD and was an important personality in the Batavian rebellion against the Roman Empire. Veleda predicted the victory of the Germanic people in that war. But finally the rebellion failed and Veleda got arrested. Our songs are dealing with the emotional involvement of different people in this uprising.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Tagarot'?
“Tagarot” is Old High German and means dawn. When we were searching for a band name we soon decided to choose one in a really old language because we wanted a name that sounds totally different from most band names we usually know.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Sadly we haven’t played any show yet. Our band formation crashed because of the occupational way some members devided to choose. Know we have a new formation and looking forward to play some shows
6. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

At the moment nothing is tangible.

7. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label are you looking for any interest?
No, we are not interested in sign a conduct with a label. Maybe in the future but now we are managing ourselves.

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of folk metal?
Tagarot isn´t very famous at the moment and we have a small fan base. So the world wide feedback keeps within a limit but we have already fans from over 40 countries and we received great personal feedbacks from some guys which makes us really happy.

9. When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Actually we are composing new songs but we haven’t decided until yet if there will be a full length album or a second EP but we can say that we are working hard and trying to improve our skills and learning new instruments to bring our music to the next step.

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?
Enisferum, Moonsorrow, Nightwish and Eluveitie but also a lot of folk bands such as The Bothy Band, Lúnasa, Caladh Nua and Grada. These are also the bands we are listening to nowadays and many more.

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

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Gloria Morti/Kuebiko/Willowtip Records/2016 CD Review

  Gloria  Morti  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  melodic  black,  death  metal  and  thrash  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Kuebiko" which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Willowtip  Records.

  Spoken  word  samples  start  off  the  album before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  death  metal  growls  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  after  awhile black  metal  screams  can  be  heard.

  A  great  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  the  music  is  mostly  rooted  in  a  blackened  death  metal  direction  and  the  music  can  be  atmospheric  at  times  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  more  of  a  melodic  direction  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  spoken  word  samples  also  make  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  a  lot  of  riffs  are  very  heavily  influenced  by  thrash  and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Glori  Morti  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  in  the  blackened  death  metal  style  taking  both  the  brutal  and  melodic  sides  of  the  genres  and  mixing  them  together  with  a  touch  of  thrash  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  dark  and morbid  side  of  real  life.

  In  my  opinion  Glori  Morti  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  melodic  black,  brutal  death  and  thrash  metal and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Joseph  Fritzl"  "Gallows  Built  In  Rows"  and  "The  Termination  Of  All  Bonds".  8  out  of  10. 

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