Dark Portrait/A Harrowing Atrocity/Xperiments XIII/2016 CD Review

  Dark  Portrait  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  a  very  melodic,  symphonic  and  gothic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "A  Harrowing  Atrocity"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Xperiment  XIII.

  A  very  dark  sounding  violin  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  symphonic  keyboards  being  added  onto  the  recording  a  few  seconds  later  and  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  a  classical  feeling  and  operatic  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  they  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  side  of  the  songs.

  When t he  music  speeds  up a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  can  be  heard  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  screams  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  you  can  also  hear  a  touch  of  goth  in  the  music  and  the  songs  also  bring  in a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  clean  singing  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  solos  and  lads  sticking  to  a  very  melodic  style  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Dark  Portrait  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  symphonic  and  melodic  while  also  adding  in  touches  of  goth,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Darkness  and  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Dark  Portrait  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  "Incantation  For  Lamia"  "As  I  Die"  "Fiend  Incarnate"  and  "Ocean  Of  Pain".  8  out  of  10. 

Incantation for Lamia: https://youtu.be/0N_PsvklGU0
The Rise of the Anti-Christ (feat. Hliana Tsakiraki): https://youtu.be/-14sBn73EY0

Cwealm Interview

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



Cwealm is a misanthropic one-man melodic black metal project founded by myself in 2014. The purpose from the beginning was twofold: to compose music that touches the inner core of the listener, through beauty and violence alike, and to spread a virulent hatred for mankind.      



2.Recently you have released your first full length album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?



A bit simplified I’d describe it as Swedish black metal in the mid 90’s No Fashion vein. It’s more progressive than that, for sure, since the songs are quite varied and explore a plethora of themes. But still, that’s very much what it sounds like.    



3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?



The lyrics focus mainly on death. In different ways, of course, and with various occult themes and anti-abrahamitic sentiments thrown in. The extermination of man, and the annihilation of the universe, are topics that run all through the album. 



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



Cwealm is Old English for death, that’s what I usually tell people. In fact Cwealm has many definitions depending on context: slaughter, torment, pestilence, contagion, etc. For example, ”Þurh deáþes cwealm” means ”through pain of death”. ”Ðú wást cwealm hátne in helle”, further, is Old English for ”thou knowest hot torment in hell”.    



5.With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?



I record everything by myself except drums. The drums on this album, Odes to No Hereafter were handled (brilliantly I might add!) by Jocke Wallgren, courtesy of Amon Amarth. So I have no problem working with other musicians, but they will be session or guest musicians, not members of the band.



6. The album was released on 'Dusktone', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?



Well, it’s an Italian label releasing mainly black metal, doom metal and more experimental stuff. I’m proud to be a part of its roster, with many great acts such as Svartelder, Scuorn and Until Death Overtakes Me.  



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



My album was released a week ago, so it’s hard to say, but the response so far has been very positive. I love the fact that folks from all over the world (from Brazil to Belarus!) has shown interest in Cwealm.



8.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?



I’m going to write and record another album. But I haven’t even started writing yet, so that’s going to take a while. I don’t really plan for the future as a musician, I just let my inspiration take me where it leads me. 



9.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?



Musically, my inspiration has a lot of sources. I’ve been influenced by about 50 per cent metal and 50 per cent other stuff. Bands like Dissection, early At The Gates, the old Norwegian masters etc. are important of course but also old thrash and death metal, like Dark Angel or Gorguts. For non-metal, I can’t name specific bands, but have been listening to flamenco, classical music, folk, circus music, and it all has inspired me.



What I listen to nowadays? I guess the above gives you a decent hint.      



10.How would you describe your views on Occultism?



I have a hard time using words to describe this meaningfully. It depends quite a lot on what you mean by occultism, but Cwealm is a partially occult band. So my advice would be to delve as deep as you can into the music and lyrics of Odes to No Hereafter, and some things will definitely become clear to you.       



11.What are some of your non musical interests?



I’m interested in a wide array of different subjects, e.g. philosophy, psychology and history (which partly explains my BA in the History of Science and Ideas). Other than that I enjoy being with my daughter, working out, and making the world unpleasant for abrahamitic scum.



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



I’d like to thank all of you who have supported Cwealm thus far, and encourage anyone with a dark soul to purchase Odes to No Hereafter from Dusktone. Ubi mors ibi spes!

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Stojar Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
1. Stozhar Group welcomes readers' ... and the interviewer! At the moment the band is Stozhar in full combat readiness, rehearsals, preparing new material.

2.Recently you have released a new album, 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?
2. On the new album we tried to make the sound more powerful and dense, worked on the sound, as on the previous album, Ilya Morok and in our opinion the work he coped brilliantly.

3.Your lyrics cover Slavonic Paganism and Patriotism themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these subjects?
3. The pagan worldview is our life, we live it, that in fact is reflected in our music and creativity.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Stojar'?
4. The Slavs believed that it rotates around Stozhar Perun Wheel of Time and the Universe. Stozhary - not just the center of the universe of the Milky Way, and even they patronize Russia.

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?
5. Stozhar Group is quite active concert, one of the highlights of the show was held recently Folk Summer Fest.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
6. Of course we have the material for a new album, and we are already closely involved in the preparation of new songs. Most likely we will soon be releasing the single Internet.

7.The new album was released on 'Stygian Crypt Productions, are you happy with the support they have given you so far?
7. All of our albums come out, come out, and I hope will come out on Stygian Crupt prod. We like to work with this label, I want to emphasize the high level of professionalism of people who work there, for which they thank you very much.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of pagan and folk metal?
8. The new album, the audience perceived well, also quite high ratings given the resources that have made a review of the new album.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
9. What concerns the future of the group, we are not going to stop there, a lot of plans and we will bring them to life.

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?
10. Groups that have affected our work a lot, both Russian and foreign, but we tried not to be like no one of them, and to develop his own style. As for the groups that we are listening to right now they are also very much, mostly Russian metal scene.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
11. Well, in fact, many members of the group have families and children, and free time is not much, so the main one hobby is music, many are involved in sports by music.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
12. And finally I want to say, listen to metal, go to concerts, and support your favorite team.

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Cwealm/Odes To No Hereafter/Dusktone/2016 CD Review

  Cwealm  are  a  solo  project  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review of  his  2016  album  "Odes  To  No  Hereafter"  which  was  released  by  Dusktone.

  Horror  movie  style  keyboards  start  off  the  album  along  with  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  after  the intro  the  music  goes  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  a  great  amount  of  melodic  guitar  leads  and  grim  black  metal  screams  and  the  music  also  gets  very  technical  at  times  and  blast  beats  are  used  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.

  You  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  in  the  fast  riffs  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  which  also  bring  in  middle  eastern  style  scales  briefly  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals.

  The  music  is  very heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  also  incorporated  a  great  amount  of  melodic  death  metal  elements  and  keyboards  also  make  a  return  later  on  during  the  recording  and  one  of t he  tracks  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length..

  Cwealm  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  90's  Swedish  styles  of  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  misanthropy,  occultism,  and  annihilation  themes.

  In  my opinion  Cwealm  are  a  very  great  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Pale  Maleficence"  "Serpent  Of  Rebirth"  and  "Kadavret".  8  out  of  10.

www.cwealm.com

www.facebook.com/cwealm

www.twitter.com/cwealmlegion

 

Netherbird/The Grander Voyage/Black Lodge Records/2016 CD Review

  Sweden's  Netherbird  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  that  continues  the  melodic  style  of  black  metal  from  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "The  Grander  Voyage"  which  will  be  released  by  Black  Lodge  Records  on  October  28th.

  Water  and  thunder  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  guitars  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  awhile  melodic  guitar leads  and  grim  black  metal  vocals  are  added  onto  the  recording  which  also  leads  up  to  a  heavier  direction  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  during  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have a   very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  bring  in a  great  mixture  of  slow, mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  into certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  faster  riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  are  heavily  influenced  by  doom  metal.

  Netherbird  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  melodic  black  metal  style  of  previous  releases  while  also  moving  away from  the  symphonic  style  and  adding  in  touches  of  doom  metal  to  take  their  style  to  another  level,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover darkness  and  struggles  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Netherbird  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hinterlands" "Pillars Of  The  Sky"  and  "Emerald  Crossroads".  8  out  of 10.

https://netherbird.bandcamp.com/track/windwards-2

 

IceThurS/Unlocked Door/Bud Metal Records/2016 CD Review

'

  IceThurS  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  pagan/folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Unlocked  Door"  which  was  released  by  Bud  Metal  Records.

  Melodic  guitar  riffs  and  folk  instruments  start  off  the  album  as  well  as  going  into  a  heavier  direction  and  after  awhile  grim  screams a re  added onto  the  recording  and  they  also  bring  in  an  influence  of  black metal  into  the  music  while  death  metal  influences  and  back  up  chants  can  be  heard  at  times.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  female  vocals  are  also  used  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  and when  guitar  leads a re  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  when  synths a re  utilized  they  bring  in  touches  of  electronic  music  and  as  the  album  progresses  thrash  influences  along  with  some  blast  beats  are  added  onto  some  of  the  tracks  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  IceThurS  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly rooted  in  pagan/folk metal  while  also  mixing  in  the  heaviness  of  black  and  melodic  death  metal  along  with a  touch  of  thrash  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in a  mixture  of  Russian  and English  and  cover  Nature,  Norse  and  Slavic  Paganism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  IceThurS  are  a  very  great  sounding  folk  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Gift"  "Loki"  "War"  and  "Vengeance  Of  Veles".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36EjfJ3-UzE



 

Vorgrum Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We are a Pagan/Folk Metal band from Argentina. Our music goes from the rawest Black Metal; to the most Humpa Folk you can hear. We like to say that we are a hybrid of the genre, we don’t search to be or more blackers or more folker. We mix the thing to be delightful for everyone who likes both genres.

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

Our first release; The Awakening, was released on 2011, this EP could be described most like a Troll Metal album. Are 4 songs with lot of Humpa screeching rhythms guitars and accordions, and a really characteristic sharpie voices.
The album, Last Domain, is an evolution of all our music. The different kinds of rhythms and different folklores are noticed on this album. Making these release a huge evolution of the band.

3.The band has been around since 2009 but so far there has only been 2 releases, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap in between recordings?

The first album was recorded for the original members, Folter, Olek and Kryz. It was released for have some material and also the search of musicians to play this genre. The time lapses between The Awakening and Last Domain, 5 years, was because lot of members leaved the band, and was hard to have a regular formation. After many time, Folter, Kryz, Patrick and Olek recorded the album.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?

In our lyrics we talk about Vorgrum world and how they want to prevent the advance of human race which want to destroy all the forest and nature from the World to build all they builds and etc. Vorgrum job is to prevent that.
We transmit a message of preserve nature and roots of each one, but this message is talked from the point of view of this creature. Which also likes to drink and dance in the forest till pass out.


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

To search a name for this particular creature, an ancient creature..

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

I (Iti) think that our best show was the show with Skiltron for the anniversary of “The Clans Have United”. The venue was full, and we player right before Skiltron, a lot of moshpits, sings of approval and a lot of fun, of course.
We describe our show as a party. We want to give people something else besides music. Is not only the execution of the instruments at the hour of give a show. You have to give something “extra” to the audience. We dance a lot, we have fun, and we make jokes to the public and between us. We think that if you want to hear only music, stay in your home and listen to the album, but if you want to have a lot of fun and drink with us, come to a show, and enjoy the party.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We’ll be touring around Europe on October.

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

At worldwide level, we have a lot of feedback. People from lot of parts of the world write on our fb page, or Instagram. Most of the reviews of the album comes from European countries, and there a lot of bandcamps sells from different parts of the world.

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

More Albums, more tours, more mature musicians


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 listen to all kinds of Metal, but we enjoy other types of music and we use them for Vorgrum, too.

11.How would you describe your views on paganism?

We in some kind are attracted to paganism. We don’t practice it. But we like the theme and we use it as philosophy of life, not belief. Of course, or songs had a lot of paganism and etc. But is not a concrete one, like Odinism, Wicca, or druidic. We use philosophies for all of them, and mix with magical creatures of folklores from Europe and rest of the world

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
That is a personal question. Respect me, I like to read a lot, videogames, and spend time with my dogs.
A group level, I have to said hang out for a beers or make asado (Argentinian Barbeque)

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

First of all, thanks for taking you time for sending this questions. We liked to answer them. Also, to all European Folks, we’ll be touring on October over Europe. So if you want to see a show, join us! We’ll be glad to know to every one of you, and meet new places.
Follow our tour at: https://www.facebook.com/vorgrum or https://www.instagram.com/vorgrumfolk
THANKS!