The Astroplex/The Chronicles Of Az'hul'Tar/2016 Full Length Review

  The  Astroplex  are  a  band  from  Canada  that  plays  space  metal  with  elements  of  black  and  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released 2016  album  "The  Chronicles  Of  Azhul'Tar".

  Ambient  style  keyboards  start  off  the  album  bringing  in  the  atmosphere  of  an  80's  science  fiction  movie  and  spoken  word  samples  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  direction  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  being  utilized  and  rough  yet melodic  vocals  are  also  used  quite  a  bit.

  Keyboards  are  also  used  on  the  heavier  tracks  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  while later  tracks  also  start  incorporating  more  black  metal  screams  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  operatic  female  vocals  can  be  heard  along  with  more  spoken  words  and  back  up  shouts.

  The  Astroplex  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  and  melodic  death  metal  and  mixes  them  with  sci-fi  orientated  sounds  and  symphonic  elements  to  create  their  style  of  space  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  science  fiction  themes.

  In  my  opinion  The  Astroplex  are  a  very  great  sounding  space  metal  band  and  if  you  are  looking  for  something  original,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Prophecy"  "The  Red  Emperor"  and  "Battle  For  Azhul'Tar".  8  out  of  10.

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Ironhand/Hello, Operator/Xperiemnt XIII Records/2016 EP Review

  Ironhand  are  a  band  from  New  jersey  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  industrial  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "Hello,  Operator"  which  was  released  by  Xperiment  Xiii Records  and  also  consists  of  a  great  amount  of  remixes.

  Spoken  word  samples  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  nature  sounds  and  radio  static  noises  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  going  into  ore  of  a  heavier  yet  atmospheric  industrial  direction  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  black  metal  screams  while  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  elements  of  ebm,  ambient  and  aggrotech.

  A  great  amount  of  samples  can  be  heard  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks a re  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  some  of  the  vocals  also  start  bringing  in  more  of  a  traditional  industrial  style  while  the  synths  also  start  getting  more  powerful  and  some  tracks  also  bring  in  symphonic  elements  and  the  remixes  focus  even  more  on  the  electro  industrial  side.

  Ironhand  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  many  different  styles  of  industrial  and  mixes  them  together  with  black  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ironhand  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal  and  industrial  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "From  The  Shadow  He  Follows"  "You  Will  Be  Dead  Soon"  and  "Choke".  8  out  of  10. 

https://ironhandnj.bandcamp.com/track/from-the-shadows-he-follows
   

Pentarium/Schwarzmaler/Boersma Records/2016 CD Review

 Pentarium  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  goth  and  melodic  death  metal  and this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Schwarzmaler"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Boersma  Records.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  black  metal s creams  and  symphonic  elements  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  solos and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic fashion  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  death  metal  growls.

  A  great  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  throughout  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  on  the  later  tracks  the  music  starts  incorporating  more  goth  elements  along  with  some  modern  metal  touches  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  guitars  can  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks  while  some  of  the slower  riffing  brings  in  some  doom  metal  influences  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word parts.

  Pentarium  plays  a  musical  style that  takes  black,  melodic  death,  doom  and  goth  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  their  own  form  of  dark  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  German  and  cover  suicide,  murder,  social  criticism,  and  conflicts  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Pentarium  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  melodic  death,  gothic  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Drachenstein"  "Kronzeuge"  "Seelenhell"  and  "Weltenbrand".  8  out  of  10. 

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Vinterbris/Solace/Triton's Orbit/2016 CD Re-Issue Review

  Vinterbris  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Solace"  which  will  be  re-issued  in  September  by  Triton's  Orbit.

  Acoustic  guitars start off  the album  along  with some  melodic leads  making  there presence known  a  few  seconds later  which  also  leads  up  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  and  when t he  music  speeds  up a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  as  well  as  some  deep  death  metal  growls  and  high pitched  black  metal  screams.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  you  can  also  hear  touches  of  melodic  death  metal  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  fast  riffs  also  use  a  decent amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  a  few  of  the tracks are  very long  and epic  in  length  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a touch  of  folk  music.

  Vinterbris  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  in  the  melodic  tradition  of  Swedish black  metal  while  the  folk  and  melodic  death metal  elements  makes  the  songs  stand  out  a  bit  more,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vinterbris  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dysphora"  "The  Aurora  Of  Despair"  and  "Euphoria".  8  out  of  10.

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Avenge The Throne/The Burning Chariots In The Skies/2016 Full Length Review

  Avenge  The  Throne  are  a  band  from  Salinas,  California  that  plays  a  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "The  Burning  Chariots  In  The  Skies".

 Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  and  after  a  few  seconds  the  music  starts  going  into  a  more  heavy  adn  melodic  musical  direction  along  with  some  keyboards  and  grim  black metal  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and after  awhile  the  music  starts  incorporating  more  symphonic  elements  and  the  songs  also bring in  a  great mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  when  acoustic  guitars  are  utilized  they give  the  music  more  of  an  experimental  feeling  and  some  of  the  tracks a re  very long  and  epic  in  length  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  they  also  bring  in  a  couple  of  instrumental tracks  and  some  songs  also  bring in  elements of  ambient.

  Avenge  The  Throne  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  a  little  bit  different  mixing  the  atmospheric and  symphonic  sides  of  the  genre  together  while  also  adding  in  ambient and experimental  elements,  the  production  sounds very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while the  lyrics  cover emotional,  nature  and  spirituality  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Avenge  the  Throne  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  and  symphonic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE "Metamorphosis"  "The  Burning  Chariots  In  The  Sky"  "To  The  Scaffolds"  and  "Nebulous  Chasm".  8  out  of 10.

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Mumincunt Interview

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

Well, we started out in May 2015. In the beginning this band was more of a project of entertainment that we didn't take to seriously. But as time went on our songs started to sound better. We received a lot of great feedback on the songs that we published on Facebook and Youtube. That's when we realized that this band had potential and we started to take it more seriously.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the album?

The closest thing we can define our genre with would be a mixture of black and death metal, but we often try to incorporate other elements such as heavy, thrash and doom. Our music can be quite dynamic with some drastic changes between heavy blast beats and more melodic parts which sometimes involve symphonic elements.

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

Our lyrics often bring up sensitive subjects such as depression, rape, murder and suicide. We often take on a very humorous approach regarding these subjects because we believe that it gives us more shock value which is much needed in this modern society where you're not allowed speak your mind. We also think that taking on these subjects in a humorous way proves to people that we don't intend to encourage any of these vicious acts.

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

The name is an inspiration from our first song "Knullad av en mumin", which means "Fucked by a mumin". The word Mumin is inspired by the finnish/swedish kids books called Mumintrollet, then we added the word cunt because it suits our lyrical themes. We thought changing when the band got more serious but we decided to keep it because it sounds right.

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

Our first rhythm guitarist left the band because of personal reasons we've tried hard to find someone to replace him. And we are sorry to say that we need a rhythm guitarist to be able to play live, and since we haven't found one we haven't been able to play live yet. Therefore we have started with our recordings first and decided that live gigs would be our second priority.

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

We're currently focusing on performing locally here in Sweden but when we get the opportunity to expand our tours further, we'll be glad do it. We've got a lot of plans for upcoming shows that will be revealed in the future.

7.Heathen  Tribes  Records are re-issuing your album on CD in September, how did you get in contact with this label?

Yes they are, and we are really happy about that. Actually it was them who came in contact with us first. According to them they found us while searching for music on YouTube. They enjoyed our music and they left a message on our Facebook page and now we're here. We are really proud having them printing our album.

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

It has honestly been amazing. The feedback has been way better and bigger than what we've ever could have expected. We thought people would judge us more because we bring in different elements to our music and because of some of our lyrical themes, but we were wrong, people really do enjoy the music.

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

Well a second album is in the making. We started working on the second album almost immediately after we released Visor Från Muminskogarnas Mörker. It will have a much more dark and depressive theme. We're heading more into a black metal sound. The new album is a lot more organized and well made. Hopefully people will like this album as much, if not even more. The title of the album is planned to be Morrans Vinterrike, but that might change before release. Without telling to much, we can promise that our future looks bright.

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?

We're not completely sure about any particular band, but we've taken inspiration from styles such as black, death, doom and heavy metal, while also incorporating some symphonic influences. The bands we listen to are a bit different from member to member, but we enjoy bands such as Insomnium, Mgła, Dimmu Borgir, Rammstein and some softer metal such as Dream Theater.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I'd say we are in to alot of things. History, mostly Swedish and WWII. We like to drink and do all sorts of crazy shit. We that we can't speak for all of us but those are the ones that we share together.

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

Well, we'd like to start out and thank you guys for a really exciting interview!
We would also like to thank Heathen Tribes Records for being so supportive, without you guys we'd never have come this far. Go check out their other bands at their official bandcamp page.
Also, thank you to all of our friends that support us and buy our albums and so on!
Lastly we'd like to thank everyone out there we've forgot to mention.

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Kalloused/Damn You Believer/Third I Rex/2016 EP Review

  Kalloused  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  blackened  doom,  sludge  and  post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2016  ep  "Damn  You  Believer"  which  was  released  by  Third  I  Rex.

 Clean  playing  starts  off  the  ep  and  whispers  can  also  be  heard  in  the  background  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  a  great  amount  of  post  metal  elements  can  be  heard  in  the  music  while  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  are  more  rooted  in  sludge  and  doom  metal.

  Most  of  the  vocals  are  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  most  of  the  music  also  sounds  very  modern  while  also  bringing  in  a  touch  of  hardcore  and  after  awhile  a  small  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  can  be  heard  briefly  and  there  is  only  a  brief  use  of  guitar  leads  while  all  of  the  songs  also  remaining  very  true  to  a  slow  musical  direction  while  clean  guitars  also  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken   word  parts  and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  brings  in  a  few  seconds  of  drones.

  Kalloused  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  doom,  sludge  and  post  metal  and  mixes  them together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  yet  heavy  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  angry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Kalloused  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  blackened doom,  sludge  and  post  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check out  this  band.  8  out  of  10.

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