Coliseum/Mirmillion/Envenomed Music/2015 CD Review

  Coliseum  are  a  band  from  Belgium  that  plays  a  very  epic  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Mirmillion"  which  was  released  by  Envenomed  Music.

  Sword  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  spoken  word  samples  and  epic  synths  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  the  intro  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  into  certain sections  of  the  recording  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  along  with  the  vocals  being  black  metal  screams.

  A  touch  of  pagan  metal  can  be  heard  in  the  bands  musical  style  while  death  metal  growls  are  also  utilized  at  times  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  leads  up  to  the  music  bringing  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Coliseum  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  the  melodic  forms  of  black  and  death  metal  together  to  create  an  epic  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in Belgian  and  cover  Gladiators  and  Roman  Empire  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Coliseum  are  a  very  great  sounding  epic  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  "Le  Dernier  Hurlement"  "Coliseum"  and  "La  Legende".  8  out  of  10.

https://envenomedmusic. bandcamp.com/album/mirmillon

Perihelion/Orveny/Apathia Records/2017 Full Length Review

  Hungary's  Perihelion  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  that  continues  the  avant  garde  style  of  post  black  metal  from  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Orveny"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Apathia  Records.


  Heavy  riffs  along  with  some  clean  avant  garde  style  vocals  start  off  the  album  while  all  of t he  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  post  metal  style.

  Synths  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  the  music  being  very  experimental  along  with  some  of  the  riffing  also  adding  in  elements  of  post punk  and  clean  guitars are also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  after  awhile  black  metal  screams  start  to  make  their  presence  known  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  blast  beats  are  also  used  briefly.

  Perihelion  creates  a  recording  that  goes  for  more  of  an  avant  garde  post  metal  style  while  the  influence  of  black  metal  is  still  there,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Hungarian  ans  cover  dreamlike  passages  towards  the  subconscious.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Perihelion  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  avant  garde  and  post  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Kihalt  Egi  Folyosok"  "Fenyt!"  and  "Bardo".  8  out  of  10.

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Bloodmoon/Trapped Within Burning Machinery/Midnight Collective/2017 SPlit Album Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  California's  Bloodmoon  and  Trapped  Within  Burning  Machinery  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Midnight  Collective  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Bloodmoon  a  band  that  plays  a  progressive  mixture  of  black,  sludge  and  doom  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  dark  yet  heavy  riffing  along  with  some  screams  that  are  in  between  sludge  and  black  metal  and  there  track  is  over  11  minutes  in  length  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them along  with  some  elements  of  post  metal.

  A  great  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  riffs  also  mix  in  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  as  well  as  mixing  in  clean  singing  into the  background  and  they  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  which  also  gives  the  song  a  more  progressive  feeling,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  space,  time,  death  and  mind  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Bloodmoon  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  sludge  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.

  Next  up  is  Trapped  Within  Burning  Machinery  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  and  funeral  doom  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  atmospheric  synths  and  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  while  the  track  is  over  17  minutes  in  length  along  with  some  melodic  vocals  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  once  the  music  gets  heavy  it  goes  into  more  of  a  funeral  doom  metal  direction.

  Vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  while  elements  of  sludge  are  also  added into  the  heavier  riffing  along  with  some  melodic  guitar leads  as  well  as  some  grim  black  metal  screams  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  melody,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  anti  existence,  misanthropy,  industrialism,  and  drug  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Trapped  Within  Burning  Machinery  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge  and  funeral  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.

  In  conclusion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  black,  sludge  and  doom  metal.  8  out  of  10.

https://trappedwithinburningmachinery.bandcamp.com/album/split-w-bloodmoon

Primitive Man/Caustic/Relapse Records/2017 Full Length Review

  Denver,  Colorado's  Primitive  Man  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  blackened  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  from  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Caustic"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Relapse  Records.

   Distorted  amp  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  sludge  and  doom  metal  direction  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  while  also  mixing  in  black  metal  screams  at  times  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

    Elements  of  harsh  noise  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  d  beats  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  brutal  blast  beats  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  more  of  an  atmospheric  and  melodic  post  metal  style.

  Primitive  Man  remains  true  to  the  blackened  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  form  previous  releases  while  also  mixing  in  more  elements  of  harsh  noise  this  time  around,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  hatred  an  misanthropy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Primitive  Man  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "My  Will"  "Commerce"  "Sugar  Hole"  and  "Inevitable".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.primitivemandoom.com
http://www.facebook.com/primitivemandoom

Mazikeen/Self Titled/Iron, Blood And Death Corporation/2017 CD Review

  Mazikeen  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  atmospheric  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2017  album  which  was  released  by  Iron,  Blood  And  Death  Corporation.

  Atmospheric  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  heavy  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  influenced  by  the  Swedish  styles  of  black  and  death  metal.

  A  lot  of  the  music  is  rooted  in  the  90's  but  done  with  a  more  modern  twist  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  On  the  outro  acoustic  guitars  are  also  used  briefly  before  going  into  the  bonus  tracks  while    a  couple  of  the  songs  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  introduces  death  metal  growls  onto  the  recording  along  with  a  couple  of being instrumentals  as  well  as  having  a  more  raw  production  to  it.

  Mazikeen  plays  a  musical  style  that  goes  back  to  the  90's  era  of  atmospheric  and  melodic  Swedish  style  blackened  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Mazikeen  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  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  "No  Name"  and  "Ceulian  v3".  8  out  of  10.

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Ensiferum/Two Paths/Metal Blade Records/2017 Full Length Review

  Finland's  Ensiferum  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  that  continues  the  folk  metal  style  of  previous  releases  while  still  also  mixing in  the  heaviness  of  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Two  Paths"  which  will  be  released on  September  15th  by  Metal Blade  Records.

  A  very  epic  sounding  intro starts  off  the  album  while  also  bringing  in  the  atmosphere  of  a  fantasy  movie  as  well  as  introducing  female  vocals  and  pagan  choirs  onto  the  recording  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  after  the  intro  the  music  gets  a  lot  more  heavier.

  Vocals  bring  in a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  along  with  some   melodic  singing  that  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  power  metal  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Symphonic  elements  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  some  digital  accordion's  also  being  utilized  at  times  which  also  bring  in  elements  of  folk  music  while  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  back  up  shouts  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  some  tracks  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars.

  Ensiferum  creates  another  recording t hat  remains  true  to  the  melodic  black  and  death  metal  inspired  style  of  folk  metal  from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  legends,  fantasy.  battles,  sorrow,  and  heathenism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Ensiferum  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "For  Those  About  To  Fight  For  Metal"  "Two  Paths' "Feast  With  Valkyries"  and  "God  Is  Dead".  8/5  out  of  10.

http://www.facebook.com/Ensiferum
http://www.ensiferum.com
http://www.metalblade.com/ensiferum

Crimfall Interview

Mikko Häkkinen – Vocals, lyrics
Jakke Viitala – All music

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
MIKKO
A lot of waiting for sure. The recording itself took quite some time since we didn't have the label to financially support us and had to use time consuming means to get everything on tape. Then the actual mixing took surprisingly long, but it must have been something to do with hundreds and hundreds of tracks the songs contained. When we finally had the complete album in our hands we approached various record labels and started the negotiations for the deal. And of course the actual release of the album took months. Meanwhile we have been doing few live shows, shooting our first music video and planning for the future.

2.You have a new album coming out during the end of August, 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?
JAKKE
AMAIN is a beast. It is the most epic Crimfall album so far. It has the enegry of our first album but also the mood and visuality from our second. So it is kind of hybrid but with everything tuned up to eleven.

The songwriting, musicalship, arrangements and the whole production is taken to a complete new level. So, like everyone usually tend to say about their latest work "this is our best album so far"...but it really is... seriously!

3.You label your music as 'epic cinematic metal', can you tell us a little bit more about this term?
JAKKE
Coming up with a term has been a difficult task. We have had a chat about it with all of our record labels and promoters, but we simply cannot cover our music with one term without giving wrong impression about the music. Our material varies a lot by taking inspiration from all the possible sources. But there are few elements which have been present since the beginning of our band. Epicness and movie scores.


4.This is your first full length since 2011, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?
JAKKE
Since our previous album "the writ of sword", quite a lot has happened. We were already working on these new songs in 2011 when our previous label had to let us go due to their financial problems. We were alone again.... without anyone supporting us. Because of that we were struggling quite a lot with our motivation and even had a meeting about our future. But as the new album was already written and the demos already sounded pretty impressive, we decided to try one more time... and make it perfect! And as we had to pay everything from our own pockets, we also had to do as much as possible by ourselves... But still invest huge amount of money to the production.

The recording and editing process itself took more than one year from drums to vocals. Mixing all the 1600 tracks to one album took almost half an year. So even if 6 years is a long time indeed, we have been working on AMAIN almost for the whole time. Doing as massive album as this one by yourself (while having a daily job) simply cannot be done any faster.



5.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
MIKKO
One of the themes is facing unsurmountable odds with your back against the wall and coming through that storm a changed man, with tempered new truths. We also want to celebrate freedom in its many forms, rebellion against rules of oppression and outright lies meant to bind your will. This time we are dealing more with contemporary topics than dwelling in the past and myths.

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Crimfall'?
MIKKO
It doesn't really have such a deeper meaning. We wanted a name that wouldn't point too evidently to any genres and wouldn't necessarily carry too obvious meaning. Rather a symbol that raises images and connections from your subconscious. I can say we were thinking of Finnish autumn when ending up with the name.

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?
MIKKO
I could mention two highlights. One was the sold out concert in London warming up Turisas where we felt really welcome. Another one was Metal Fest Open Air in Pilsen with an awesome location. But we do enjoy playing in small stinking clubs where the audience is spitting beer in your face. We aim to bring on stage all the visuality and intensity of the music but without cheap gimmicks. Building a journey or arc of drama and contrast with the music.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
MIKKO
Few shows have been released but otherwise it seems our plans will be delayed until next year. It is a shame since we are eagerly waiting to get back to the stage to play the new songs.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer music by fans of folk, viking and black metal?
MIKKO
The first reviews are only now pouring in so it remains to be seen what the final reception will be. So far it has been mostly positive and we have been finding new audiences amongst the people who don't normally listen to this kind of music. Also our music video did get lot of positive feedback and we are excited how it turned out. We wanted something that would really capture the relentless and dismal atmosphere of the song.

10.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
MIKKO
I have somewhat darker pagan metal band Draugnim that is actually older than Crimfall but hasn't been able to gather as wide audiences. It is more uncompromising and closer to black metal and I'm extremely satisfied how the latest album "Vulturine" turned out so feel free to keep the name in mind. Helena used to have quite many different projects but to my understanding she will be focusing more on song writing and staying in the background with those. I would imagine Jakke to have other projects at some point but currently he is way too consumed by efforts he puts on Crimfall.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
JAKKE
It is too early to say. All the Crimfall albums are pretty different to each other. As our music comes straight from the heart and is not giving a poo about the trends or public opinion, the sound and style starts to find its form sometime during the writing process. They all represent the era they were written, the music, movies or other sources of inspiration which were playing important role that time.


12.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?
JAKKE
I'm listening mostly movie scores and classical music. Of course I have been listening to metal music since I was a little bastard, but nowadays rarely find any impressive new albums. So for me movie score have much more to give at the moment.

The story telling and kind of visuality that type of music has is something I try to create with Crimfall as well.


13.How would you describe your views on Paganism?
MIKKO
Paganism to me is most of all source of vehement inspiration, it taps into roots of all archetypes, subconscious gods if you will that resonate vigorously when conjured. One cannot also forget the primeval understanding of man being part of nature and not the king of creation, or even kingmaker with his figment gods.

14.What are some of your non musical interests?
MIKKO
Collecting literature, especially of esoteric nature. Good craftsmanship on drinks and dining. Traveling. Previously I would have said movies but the new golden age of tv-series has changed that a bit. Oh and wrestling drunk in Finnish summer cabin. Jakke hunts, but rarely hits anything.

15.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
MIKKO
If you feel that our music has given you something, please support it by coming to the shows, sharing our tunes, spreading the word and feeding the flame.

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