Sanatana/Brahmavidya/Rising Moon/2017 Double CD Review

  Sanatana  are  a  band  from  Ukraine  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  folk,  new  age,  ethnic,  and  experimental  music  and  this is a review  of  their 2017  double album  "Brahmavidya"  which  was  released  by  Rising  Moon.

  Atmospheric  soundscapes  and  melodic  vedic  style  chanting  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some water  sounds  before  adding  in  melodic  guitar  leads  and  clean  singing  vocals  and  when  the  music  speeds  up a   great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  black  metal  influences  can  be  heard  and  the  music  also  gets  symphonic  at  times.

  Acoustic  guitars  are  added  onto  some  of  the  songs  which  also  add  in  elements  of  folk  music  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and tribal  style  beats  are  also  used  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing.

  Ethnic  style  folk  instruments  are  added  onto  some  of  the  tracks  and  keyboards  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  songs  and  as  the  album  progresses  female  vocals  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  some  of  the  tacks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  whispers  are  utilized  they  also  add  in  more  of  a  black  metal  touch  and  the  music also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  new  age,  oriental  and  experimental  elements  and  the  second  album  on  the  compilation  focuses  less  on  a  metal  scene  and  goes  for  more  of  a  relaxed  style  that  is  perfect  for  meditation  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Sanatana  plays a  musical  style  that  takes  black  metal,  oriental  folk  music,  new  age,  ethnic  and  experimental  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Vedism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sanatana  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  ethnic,  oriental  folk music,  new  age  and  experimental  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Black  Mother  Earth"  "Shiva"  "Maya"  and  "Brahma  Samhita".  8  out  of  10.

https://sanatanamusic.bandcamp.com/album/brahmavidya
 

Fleurety Interview

1. Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new ep?

We are currently preparing to release our first new album since 2000: "The White Death". I consists of eight brand new songs, and it sounds very Fleurety in my ears, at least. Apart from that we are also working on a cd release that compiles all the music from the EPs that we've been releasing the last ten years. This release is called "Inquietus", and will be released through Aesthetic Records some time in 2017.

2. Recently you have released a new ep. 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?

The EP "Fragmenta Cuiusvis Aetatis Contemporaneae" has a sound that is somewhat marked by experimental recording techniques and a lot of layering of instruments. Consider, for instance, the song "Consensus". We have recorded a lot of ukulele, triangle, piano, synthesizer, fretless bass and and acoustic guitars, for instance. So I guess this is the most complex release we've done thus far, at least in terms of orchestration and arrangements. In my ears it is very evocative music. But, obviously, the best thing is to listen for yourself and make up your own mind: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=sNNr-q-v2-M

3. All of the music on the ep is instrumental, are you planning on going back to using vocals again in the future?

Yes, the reason why we didn't include vocals on this last EP is that we had kind of painted ourselves into a corner where we couldn't make any of the vocals we tried fit the overall expression. So we decided that we didn't need any vocals for this particular release.

4. Since 2000 there has been no full length and before 2009 there was no new material and also there has only been an ep released once every 2 to 4 years, can you tell us a little bit more about it?

Fleurety more or less fell apart as a band during the late nineties. Most of the time since then we have been living on different continents, and for different reasons the notion of keeping the band going as a file exchange/internet project didn't seem so tempting. We had plans of making more music, but the years went by without much happening within the framework of Fleurety. I had made a couple of songs intended to be used in Fleurety, but they were released under the name Zweizz as the EP "Black Necrotic Obfuscation" in 2004. After a while we found out that it was better to keep doing things very slowly than doing nothing at all. Between 2004 and 2014 we tried to keep up this tradition of meeting up once a year to record a new song. Those are the songs that ended up on the four 7" EPs that we've been releasing. Then in 2014, we recorded a new album which is due for release some time the coming year, hopefully.

5. I know that the bands name came from a Goetic demon, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in Occultism?

At the time we chose the band name, we were 14 years old and wanted something demonic. We didn't know much about the subject; teenagers rarely do. We found the name Fleurety in an encyclopedia. These days I guess I'm more of a occultism/witchcraft nerd.

6. Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to becoming a full line up again or do you prefer to remain a duo?

We have no specific plans of playing concerts, so at the moment there is no need to recruit more personnell.

7. What where some of the best shows that the band played back in the days and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We only played some 5-6 shows back in the day, not much to be talking about. For those of you who are very interested, i recommend this clip from 1994: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=103DtO23lXA

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer material by fans of experimental, avant garde and black metal?

Seems most people enjoy our new material, even though there is also the occasional "meh". There have been comments from people that think we should be more prolific, and that is the only really non-enthusiastic feedback I've heard.

9. Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

I have some other projects going on. For instance you can check out a band where I play the drums, called Succuba, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=GDofo0Gunos

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

I HAVE NO IDEA!!!!!!!!!!

11. What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Most of the time I listen to whatever's on the radio. I used to be working as a music critic from 2002 to 2013, and it basically ruined my relationship with the "listening to music" situation, so I guess I'm still trying to recover from that.

12. What are some of your non musical interests?

Food, people, movies, visual art ... politics to some extent.

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

Thanks for paying attention!

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Sloth Herder/No Pity, No Sunrise/Grimiore Records/2017 Full Length Review

  Sloth  Herder  are  a  band  from  Maryland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge,  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of their  2017  album  "No  Pity,  No  Sunrise"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Grimiore  Records.

  Distorted  drones  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  and  fast  griindcore  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  as  well  as  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  power  violence  style  and  the  riffing  also  gets  very  technical  at times  while  the  slower  sections  are  influenced  by  sludge.

  Deep  growls  can  be  heard  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  some  of  the  fast  riffs  also  utilize  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  can  also be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  as  well  as  a  few  instrumentals  and  elements  of  post  hardcore  are  also  utilized  at  times.

  Sloth  Herder  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  black  metal,  sludge  and grindcore  mixture  of  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Sloth  Herder  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  metal,  sludge,  and  grindcore,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Antipathetic  Grades"  "Prijedor"  "Burial  Ethic"  and  "Privation".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/slothherder

http://slothherdermd.bandcamp.com

The Evil Dead Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?

We are mainly doing promotion at this moment ,some new music has been written too.



2.At the end of January, you had 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?

I don’t think its that much different from the previous album but it has a darker touch and it’s a lot more focused and cohesive perhaps ,the first one was a collection of songs we were doing live and Earth Inferno was written with an album in mind .That makes the listening experience more fluid .





3.You refer to your music as 'Electric Evil Metal', can you tell us a little bit more about this term?

We don’t care much about labeling the music but since people cant seem to pinpoint a genre to us that title sounds about right, metal that explodes in every direction and is fun and dangerous . Rock n Roll should always be dangerous ,it’s the Devil´s music after all.



4.This is your first album since 2012, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?

Touring the first album throughout Argentina ,rehearsing,writing and recording the new album. It took us a long time to find the right label and we are pretty happy with the overall result so far.

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

The whole album deals with darknes,,death ,insanity and the occult

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'The Evil Dead'?

The name came from the movie ,we didn’t give it much thought and should have,makes googling a bitch.We wanted a name that evoked evil and fun at the same time ,both characteristics of our music.

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

We did some really good ones opening for other bands , one gig that I remember was playing on a stadium in berazategui city for the Guinness book of records that wanted a whole week of bands playing non stop,two stages had been set up and when one band was done the other started .Was pretty bizarre. We try to make our live show an experience that draws the crowd in and give them the best show possible ,this is very hard to pull on small stages though.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

Not at the moment but we are open for any offers

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

So far reviews have been excellent but the album has only been out for 10 days ,it’s a little early to say but I think it will do well.

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

The band will tread the same path when it comes to music ,if we wanna pull a “load” or “st anger” i´ll do it as a solo project but The Evil Dead will remain the same.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Bands that have a direct influence on our music?Metallica ,Dissection,Iron Maiden,Blue Oyster Cult,ACDC,Mayhem,Bathory, Lynyrd Skynyrd and many many more .



12.How would you describe your views on Occultism?

This is very personal but I will say that I do believe in the Occult and that it is not to be taken lightly.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

Movies,books,traveling, drinking .I have an interest in languages too.



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

Thank you for the interview ,good interesting questions. Buy our album and get possessed ,hopefully well see you around on tour !





Michel Regueiro.




facebook.com/ theevildeadargentina

Band Contact:

theevildeadargentina@hotmail. com

Sons Ov Omega/Reign/Black Lion Productions/2017 CD Review

  Sons  Ov  Omega  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  progressive  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  with  a  musical  style  they refer  to  as  'apocalyptic  occult  metal'  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Reign"  which  will  be  released  on  February  18th  by  Black  Lion  Productions.

  Acoustic  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  singing   vocals  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  up  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  while  acoustic  guitars  are  also  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times  and  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  melodic  fashion.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  black  metal  screams  are  also  used  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  album  and  when  the  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.

  A  great  amount of  melody  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and    a  lot  of  the  songs  also  mix  in  elements  of  prog  metal  and  some  of  the  faster  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  symphonic  touches  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  ritualistic  spoken  words.

  Sons  Ov  Omega  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  melodic  forms  of  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  with  prog  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Left  hand  Path,  Lovecraftian  and  Apocalyptic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sons  Ov  Omega  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  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  "Quatzalcoatl"  "Malleus  Maleficarum"  "Kali"  and  "Cthulhu".  8  out  of  10.

https://sonsovomegablacklion.bandcamp.com/album/reign?utm_source=Promo%2BList&utm_campaign=1618176c71-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_02_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b7d3bffdfc-1618176c71-159719745    

Helioss/Antumbra/Apathia Records/2017 CD Review

  Helioss  are  a  band  form  France  that  plays  a  symphonic  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Antumbra"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Apathia  Records.

  Tragic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  after  a  minute  the  music  goes  into  a  very  fast  and  heavy  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  bring  in  a  mixture  of  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  along  with  the  riffs  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Symphonic  and  heavy  parts  mix  together  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  there  is also  a  brief  use  of  classical  guitars  on  some  of  the  tracks  and  they  also  bring  in  a  brief  instrumental  before  returning  back  to  vocals  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a very powerful  sound  to  them  while  spoken  word  samples  and  nature  sounds  are  also  used  briefly  and  a  few  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Helioss  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  a  symphonic  and  melodic  style  of  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the lyrics  cover  light,  religion,  death  and  where  men  belongs  in  this  world  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Helioss  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  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  "The  World  is  Ours"  "Forsaken"  "Screaming  In  Silence"  and  "The  Sun  Is  Gone".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU2YsJ3D4xo

Katharos Interview

Katharos Interview

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

I would describe our music as symphonic black metal, influenced by classical music and death metal. What we try to accomplish is, without trying to be pretentious, a certain complexity to our songs, simply because we find it stimulating. Therefore I would say that our songs could be quite rewarding to be listened to several times. At every moment in the songs, there are several layers of guitars and synths.

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

On Exuvian Heraldry we promoted a more clean and epic sound, rather than the typical black metal rawness. With so much going on in the songs, with several layers of different guitar riffs/leads and synths, the soundscape is more emphasized on mid and treble, rather than bass.

3.This is your first release since 2007, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?

Rehearsing, writing and recording is, as all who ever played in a band knows, very time– and energy consuming. Hence, a break was needed. A break that lasted for several years, but ended as we felt that the time and motivation had come back. We have several uncompleted songs and have started to write new ones. So expect the next release not to take as long as Exuvian Heraldry.

4.Your lyrics cover Gnosticism, Anti Christian and Phenomenology themes. can you tell us a little bit more about your intrest in those topics?

Religion in general, and Gnosticism in particular, was one of my major interest when writing the lyrics for Exuvian Heraldry. It goes without saying that as fans of death- and black metal, we are interested in understanding subjects that are beyond conventions and norms, and especially views that are contrarian or anti those. The contrarian standing-point of Gnosticism is quite fascinating and inspiring, which made it easy to apply as setting for the album lyrics. On Exuvian Heraldry the lyrics that touches upon themes of phenomenology or anti-christianity trickled down from the overarching gnostic theme.

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

The name also relates to Gnosticism, as Katharos was the denomination the Cathars applied to their community. The Cathars were a loosely organized, unhierarchical religious movement in midieval southern Europe which by the Catholic church was branded as heretic. As a result its members were persecuted and later massacred. The name is actually the greek word for pure or clean; Katharos. An interesting fact is that the Catholic church continued to call enemies of the catholic church, in general, Cathars. Today, in several languages, the word for heretic directly stems from this use of Cathars, that is; people who are against the church. Even so in the Swedish language.


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?

Katharos has yet not performed live, even though all of us frequently performed live with our other bands.

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

We are getting offers, and are preparing to be able to play live after the album has been released on vinyl.

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

It has been really great. I am especially humbled by a small group of people who, since our demo (‘De Cinere’ in 2007) have kept writing to us, wondering about when new material would be released.

9.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

Yes, ‘Repuked’ and ‘Negative Self’ are two metal outfits that our members are active in.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
   
In general we will probably maintain several elements from Exuvian Heraldry, while some of the new material, however, will have a slower tempo. The guitars will probably fill a bigger space in the soundscape, while the synth arrangements might become more symphonic. I guess ‘epic and brutal’ is the mindset!

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?

Our main inspiration from the symphonic black metal genre is definitely Emperor, particularly in how you combine guitar leads with synths. To me, Dimmu Borgir and Anorexia Nervosa are also two major sources of inspiration.

Today I would say we consume all kinds of music, including the bands mentioned above. Within the genre, I currently listen to Obsequiae and Deathspell Omega.
  

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

Just a big ‘thank you’ to all those who enjoy and spread our music!

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