Formicarius/Black Mass Ritual/Schwarzdorn Productions/2017 CD Review

  Formicarius  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Black  Mass  Ritual"  which  will  be  released in  July  by  Schwardorn  Productions.

  A  very  heavy  and  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  the  riffs  also m using  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  hear  while  the  vocals a re  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  along  with  a  few  growls  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  some  of   the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  demonstrate  a  great  amount  of talent  and  skill  along  with  clean  playing  along  with  a  small  amount of  acoustic  guitars rare  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Formicarius  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  melodic  and  symphonic  sounding  while  also  demonstrating  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Formicarius  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE "Lake  Of  The  Dead"  "Under  Darkness"  and  "Master  Of  The  Past  And  Present".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBDFmGJi4bw

 
 

Wolvenguard Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
 1. The band is currently comprised of six members. Will Rohirrim and Justin Buller on Guitar, Adrian Steve on keyboards, Nikos Riekstins on drums, Ethan Wissman on bass/vocals and Jake Wayman on vocals. We started early 2016 and have been working diligently on shaping our own lane in the metal world. We are based out of Austin Texas.

2.You have an ep coming out in June, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
2. The music is our take on combining  some of our favorite metal genres.  Each song has it's own thing going on but the ep has a consistent stylistic thread running throughout  which makes it come together as something all our own.
Fans of melodic death metal, folk metal and even black metal should be able to take something away from what we are doing with the band.

3.You label your music as 'primal archiac extreme metal', can you tell us a little bit more about this term?
3. The atmosphere of the music has this real primal, archaic spirit to it. It makes you think of the times of old.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
4. The ep title track  "Elemental Reclamation" is about nature reclaiming the planet back from the human race. The destruction and rebirth of earth. "Formless Aeons" is basically about the creation of the universe and "Vangrimst" is a battle song through and through.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Wolvenguard'?
5. The Wolvenguard is one of our local native american tribes. We felt it fit the sound of our music and relates to future topics we are looking to write about.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
6. We are still working towards our first few round of shows.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
7. No plans set in stone yet but we are definitely driven towards hitting the road in the future.

8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
8. We are currently on the search for the right fit for our brand of metal. Nothing set in stone there yet.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and melodic death metal?
9. We have received an overwhelming amount of amazing feedback from people all around the world. It's great seeing that people are connecting with what we are doing with the band.

10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
10. Ethan's band Cerebral Desecration plays regionally quite often and has a solid fanbase. Justin's band khringe plays regularly and his other band In oblivion is till active as well. Niko's plays for bands Sitri and Death Motif. They both play regularly in the Austin area. Will's other band Vesperian Sorrow is writing a new record.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
11. We are recording a full length record sometime in the near future, which will expand on the sound established on the ep. We are motivated towards playing live, touring.

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an infleunce on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
12. Wolvenguard is mainly influenced by bands such as Amon Amarth, Borknagar, Bathory, Enslaved.
The newest Borknagar and Insomnium records have been on heavy rotation.

13.How would you describe your views on Paganism?
13. We do take up the pagan metal tag when describing the band so we do stand behind several different pagan viewpoints, philosophically and spiritually.

14.What are some of your non musical interests?
14. Spending time with friends and family, cooking out and catching a good metal show are all a few things we enjoy doing outside of the band.

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

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Gates Of Ishtar/A Bloodred Path/Vic Records/2017 CD Re-Issue Review

  Gates  Of  Ishtar  where  a  band  from  Sweden  that  played  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of their  1996  album  "A  Bloodred  Path"  which  will  be  re-issued  in  June  of  2017  by  Vic  Records.

  Blast  beats  along  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffing  starts  off  the  album  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  while  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  blackened  metal  screams  while  the  riffs  also  mix  in  the  more  melodic  side  of  death  metal  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  really  displays  a  great  amount  of  influences  from  the  Swedish  bands  of  that  era and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  synths  can  be  heard  as  well  a s a  small  amount  of  clean  guitars  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  cover  of  W.A.S.P's  :I  Wanna  Be  Somebody".

  Gates Of  Ishtar  played  a  musical  style that  takes  the  Swedish  forms  of  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  mixed  them  together,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  the  era  it  was  recorded  while  the  lyrics  cover  depression,  solitude  and  inner  struggles  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  Gates  Of  Ishtar  where  a  very  great  sounding  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  "Where  The  Winds  Of  Darkness  Blow"  "The  Dreaming  Glade"  and  "A  Bloodred  Path".  8  out  of  10. 

https://www.facebook.com/gatesofishtarofficia

 

 

Wolvenguard/Elemental Reclamation/2017 EP Review

 Wolvenguard  are  a  band  from  Texas  that  plays  a  primal  and  archaic  form  of  black  metal  which  is  also  heavily  influenced  by  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  ep  "Elemental  Reclamation"  which  will  be  released  in  June.

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  grim  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  ;after  while  death  metal  growls  are  also  used  at  times  and  the  solos  and leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  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  clean  singing  is  also  used  at  times  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  heavy  style  while  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  Swedish  influences.

  Wolvenguard  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  melodic  styles  of  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  their  own  style  of  primal  archaic  extreme  metal,  the  production  sounds very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Wolvenguard  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  black/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Formless  Aeons".  8  out of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5Y5f0V4Deo

El Camino/Cursed Congregation/Night Tripper Records/2017 CD Review

 El  Camino  are  a  band  from  Sweden   that  started  out as  a  stoner/doom metal  band  and  on this  release  expanding  on  the  style  by  mixing it  with  black  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Cursed  Congregation"  which  will  be  released  in  July  by  Night  Tripper  Records.

  Clean  guitars  and  nature  sounds  start  off  the  album   and  after  awhile  the  music  goes  into  a  heavier  direction  where  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  along  with  the  riffs  also  using  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  after  awhile  grim  black  metal  screams  make  their  presence  known.

  When  solos  and  leads a re  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  fashion  and  as  the album  progresses  elements  of  thrash  are  added  onto  the recording  and  some  of  their  early  stoner/doom  metal  style can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  tracks  and  spoken
word  parts can also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  a  couple  of  the  tracks  being  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  either  to  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction.

  On  this  recording  El  Camino  takes  black  and  thrash  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  stoner/doom  metal  sound  they  are  known  for  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Lovecraft,  Darkness,  Decadence  and  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  El  Camino  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  thrash,  stoner  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Into  The  Dark"  "Penance  On  The  Pyre"  "Vengeance"  and  "Ordeal  Of  Faith".  8  out  of  10. 

www.facebook.com/elcaminocvlt

   

PreEmptive Strike 0.1/Eternal Masters/DWA/2017 EP Review

  PreEmptive  Strike  0.1  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine   and  plays  a  blackened  form  of  industrial  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  ep  "Eternal  Masters"  which  was  released  by  DWA.

  Atmospheric  soundscpaes  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  electro  industrial  elements  a  few  seconds  alter  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  faster  side  of  the  music  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  during  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in   a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  spoken  word  samples.

You can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  vocals  also  get  vrry  deep  at  times  and  the  songs  also  utilize  a  great  amount  of  synths  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  session  work  from  members  of  bands  such  as  Borgne,  Iperyt,  Eibon  La  Furies,  Dominanz,  Ered  Wethrin  and  Wolfheart.

  On  this  recording  PreEmptive  Strike  0.1  goes  for  more  of  a  blackened  style  of  electro-industrial  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  science  fiction  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  PreEmptive  Strike  0.1  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  blackened  industrial  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Eternal  Masters  Vs.  Borgne"  and  "Panet  Eradication  Vs.  Eibon  La  Furies".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/PreEmptiveStrike0.1/

Plaguewielder/Writhing In Mental Torment/2017 Single Review

  Plaguewielder  are  a  band  from  Ohio  that  plays  a  blackened  mixture  of  doom  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  single  "Writing  In  Mental  Torment".

  Drum  beats,  heavy  guitars  and  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  start  off  the  song  while  the  riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  melody and  back  up  shouts  along  with  elements  of  black'n'roll  are  also  added  into  the  track  along  with  a  very  powerful  sounding  bass  gutiar  and  the  slow  riffs  mix  in  influences  of  doom  and  sludge  metal.

  Plaguewielder  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  metal,  black'n'roll, sludge  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  dark  sounding  track,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Plaguewielder  are  a  very  great  sounding blackened  sludge  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  single.  8  out  of  10.

https://plaguewielderoh.bandcamp.com