W.E.B/Tartarus/Apathia Records/2017 Full Length eview

  W.E.B  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  gothic  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Tartarus"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Apathia  Records.

  Stringed  instruments  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  keyboards  a  few  seconds  later  that  also  add  in  touches  of  classical  music  which  also  leads  to  more  of  a  symphonic  direction  and  they  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  while  a  great amount  of  grim  black  metal  screams  can  be  heard.

  Death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  operatic  vocals  are  also  used  briefly  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion 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.

 Tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  while  some  of  the  tracks  are  a  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  music  also  incorporates  a  decent  amount  of  goth  metal  elements  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  can  be  heard  and  one  song  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  the  one  track  that  uses  clean  vocals  are  provided  by  Sotris  Vayenas  of  Septic  Flesh  and  a  later  song  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  female  vocals.

  W.E.B  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  symphonic  black  metal  while  also  mixing  in  a  decent  amount  of  goth  elements,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Melancholy,  Darkness  and  Greek  Mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  W.E.B  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  goth  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tartarus"  "I,  The  Bornless"  and  "Thanatos  Part  II  -  Epitaphios".  8/5  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INQ3Y98bq4Y 

Pink Mass/Necrosexual/2017 Full Length Review

 Pink  Mass  are  a  band  from  New  Jersey  that  plays  a  blackened  mixture  of  crust  and  grindcore  with  a  touch  of  punk  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  "Necrosexual".

  A  horror  movie  soundtrack  orientated  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  fast  grind  and  crustcore  direction  along  with  some  blast  bears  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  black  metal s creams  as  well  as  some  death  metal  growls  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  short  in  length.

  A  small  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  riffing  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  melodic  guitar  leads  can  also  be  heard  and  another  track  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  spoken  word  samples  and  some  songs  also  mix  in  elements  of  punk  rock  and  doom  metal.

  Pink  Mass  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  metal,  doom,  punk,  crust  and  grindcore  and  mixes  them  together  to  create a   sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  BDSM,  Perversion,  Sex,  Punk,  Blasphemy,  and  Sexual  Freedom  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Pink  Mass  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  mixture  of  punk,  doom,  crust  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hedonist  Lament"  "Crypt  Perversor"  "Vorified  Master"  and  "Excorciated  Purity".  8  out  of  10.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1CAgcrT-Bc&feature=youtu.be

    

LaColpa/Mea Maxima Culpa/Toten Schwan Records/2017 CD Review

  La  Colpa  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  doom,  sludge  metal  and  noise  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Mea  Maxima  Culpa"  which  was  released  by  Toten  Schwan  Records.

  Experimental  and  avant  garde  sounds  start  off  the  album  and  also  mix  in  with  the  powerful  bass  guitars  a  minute  later  along  with  some  grim  screams  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  to  a  more  heavier  sludge  metal  direction  and  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  After  awhile  black  metal  screams  start  to  make  their  presence  known  while  the faster  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  some  elements  of harsh  noise,  spoken  word  parts  are  also  used  briefly  and  elements  of  drone  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  tribal  beats  are  added  onto  the  closing  track  as  well  as  the  riffs  bringing  in  doom  metal  style  melodies.

  La  Colpa  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  doom,  sludge  metal  and  noise  and  mixes them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  LaColpa  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  doom  metal  and  noise  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Scars".  8  out  of  10.

https://lacolpa666.bandcamp.co m/releases

Incursed/Amalur/2017 Full Length Review

  This  is  another  review  of  a  recording  from  Incursed  which  is  also  in  the  pagan,  viking  and  folk  metal  style  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  "Amalur".

  Nature  orientated  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  folk  instruments  a  few  seconds  later  and  they  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  while  the  grim  vocals  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  guitar  solos   are  utilized  they  are  utilized  they  bring  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  the  vocals  also  bring  in  death  metal  growls  along  with  some  screams  clean  pagan  singing  as  well  as  some  back  up  shouts ,  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  The  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  keyboards  when  they  are  brought  into  the  music  also  add  in  a  touch  of  prog  rock  along  with  acoustic  guitars  also  being added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  female  vocals  can  be  heard.

  On  this  recording  Incursed  bring  in  more  of  a  melodic  style  of  viking,  pagan  and  fol  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  battles,  war,  Paganism  and  nature  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Incursed  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  viking,  pagan  and  folk  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cry  Havok"  "The  Awakening"  "A  Crownless  King"  and  "Brothers  In  Arms".  8  out  of  10.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IncursedOfficial/

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Bandcamp: https://incursed.bandcamp.com/

Incursed/The Slavic Covenant/2017

  Spain's  Incursed  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  pagan,  viking  and  folk  metal  mixture  of  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  ep  "The  Slavic  Covenant".

  Spoken  word  parts  and  folk  instruments  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  vocals  bring  in  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  death  metal  growls  are  also  used  at  times.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  back  up  shouts  and  clean  pagan  vocals  are also  utilized  at  times  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  some  prog  rock  elements  also  being  used  briefly  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  keyboards  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  they  close  the  ep  with  a  cover  of  A-ha's  "Take  On   Me".

  Incursed  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  pagan,  and  viking  style  of  folk  metal  from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  battle,  war,  Paganism  and  nature  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Incursed  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  pagan,  viking  and  folk  metal, you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Slavic  Covenant"  and  "Wild".  8  out  of  10.

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Perdition's Light/Endzeit/2017 Full Length Review

Perdition's  Light  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  dark  and  avant  garde  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Endzeit"

  A  very  heavy  sound  along  with  some  avant  garde  style  synths  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  music  more  aggression.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  singing  and  melodic  vocals  which  takes  the  music  into  even  more  of  an  avant  garde  direction  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  also  being  utilized  at  times,  elements  of  post  rock  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Perdition's  Light  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  in  an  avant  garde  black  metal  style  that  is  very  close  to  the  mid  90's  Norwegian  era  of  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  poetic,  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Perdition's  Light  are  a  very  great  sounding  avant  garde  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dark  Passenger"  "Mighty  Observer"  "Mournings  Breeze"  and  "Blackened  Wine  Of  Remembrance".  8  out  of  10.

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Odraedir 2017 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 and the time in between 2013 to 2017?
Yes, definitely. We didn´t want to underestimate the preparation. At first we needed to compose the new material and after that we started recording the stuff on February 2015. In 2016 we did some improvements and started mixing and mastering on March 2017. And now the album is finally done. So we spent all the time to record everything correctly and in the last point we needed to make some rearrangements in background music made by flutes, bagpipes and so on to fit the songs perfectly. It was a long way where we learnt how to operate with details and I must tell you the time worth it, it brought us a lot of valuable experiences which we’ll use the next time.

 2.How does the new album different from the stuff you have done in the past?
I don´t think it´s so different, we just continued in our ingrained style: heavy rhythms, melodies supplemented by background music and harsh vocals. Maybe there´s a difference in the amount of orchestras, it´s increased compared to the previous albums. Also the production is much better and we spent waaaaay more time to record and complete this stuff :D.

3.How would you describe your songwriting progress over the years?
It´s hard to describe but we focused more on structured and complex composing. The songs are compact as we put a stress on deeper details. In fact it’s probably only us who takes care about them as those details are pretty hidden but we simply like it :).

4.Since 2013 have you done any live shows that have stood out in your memory?
First it was in 2013, when we went on the small tour with two bands full of great guys, Knaat and Heathen Foray. That was an amazing experience which we‘ll never forget. Than in 2014, we played on Made of Metal open air festival here in the Czech Republic, which was our first big festival experience.

5.Are there any touring or show plans for the new album?
Sure, it’s very important to promote our new album in the Czech Republic and abroad as well. Concerning the domestic shows, some are already behind us and several are planned in the near future. We would like to make some small tour including Germany and Austria, as in 2013, in the first half of the next year but there are no certain dates yet. We´d also love to play at some open air festivals, we’ll definitely apply for some in Germany.

6.Last time we talked you where unsigned and the new album is self released, has any labels showed any interest in your newer music?
No but we haven’t been so visible in past years which is not the case of nowadays. Now we have a new album which represents our music on a good level. We plan to ask around whether some label would be interested in cooperation as music distribution… we’ll see.

7.How have you fans reacted to your musical progress over the years?
Our fans were positively surprised by the progress we made. We also noticed a high interest in having our CD :-). It can be told we spread CD’s all over the world as it reached even USA and Japan. On the other hand this is also caused by better connection between bands and their fans via Bandcamp, Facebook, Youtube and other mediating parties which went more and more into our daily lives over past years.

8.Are there any current musical influences or inspirations over the years that have played a role in your newer music?
There is a number of bands we all like and there is definitely an influence on our creations but it’s impossible to name any certain. Simply, what we compose is formed by our taste which doesn’t have any strict borders.

9.What are some of the things you would like to try out musically during the future that you where not able to do with the new album?
We can’t say we were not able to do but we want to experiment a little bit. For example we plan to drop our tuning. Plus we wish to try bringing our music into a concept album but that’s a challenge for sure... a tempting one :D.

10.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We are thankful for the great support which we got over those years as well as the one we got during the last months as Legends of the Dark Times album was released. We also let some T-shirts made to this occasion and it’s a wonderful feeling to see fans with our T-shirts on below the stage, that’s really a great support for us, thank you. And few very final words... we are looking forward to see each other at concerts, visit us and you´ll be kindly rewarded... :-)

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