Nest/Metempsychosis/Sludgelord Records/2018 CD Review

  Nest  are  a  duo  from  Kentucky  that  plays  a  blackened  mixture  of  doom  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album "Metempsychosis"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Sludgelord  Records.

  A  dark  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  distorted  drones  before going  into  a  heavier  sludge  direction  which  also  introduces  black  metal  screams  onto  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  A  great  amount  of  doom  metal  elements  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  some  growls  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  when  guitar  leads  are  finally  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  fashion  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  one  of  the  tracks  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  adds  in  elements  of  harsh  noise.

  Nest  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  them together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  misanthropic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Nest  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Cowardice  Ans  Rashness  Of  Courage"  "Heretic"  and  "Life's  Grief".  8  out  of  10.

 facebook  •  bandcamp

Under Siege/Self Titled/2018 CD Review

  Under  Siege  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  melodic  black/death  and  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  and  self  released  2018  album.

  Bagpipes  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  while  melodic  chants  are  also  used  briefly  along  with  the  riffs  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  some  symphonic  elements  also  being  used  briefly  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  screams  that  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal.

  Melodic  pagan  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times  on  some  of  the  tracks  while  battle  sounds  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  when  acoustic  guitars  are  utilized  they  bring  in  elements  of  folk  music  as  well  as  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  While  the  music  also  incorporates  elements  of  death  and  doom  metal  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  along  with the  vocals  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  growls  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Under  Siege  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  black/death metal  and  mixes  it  with  folk  metal  and  some  elements  of  doom  and  power  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while the  lyrics  cover stories  of  courage,  rebellion,  tales  of   lost  worlds,  journeys  to  uncharted  territories  and  drinking  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Under  Siege  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  melodic  black/death  and  folk  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Warrior  I  Am"  "Invaders"  and  "Bright  Star  of  Midnight".  8/5  out  of  10.

http://www.facebook.com/undersiegemetal
http://undersiegemetal.bandcamp.com

Blood Of The Wolf/II: Campaign Of Extermination/2018 Full Length Review

  Blood  Of  The  Wolf  are  a  band  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  brutal  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "II:  Campaign  Of  Extermination"  which  will  be  released  in  April.

  Thunder  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  direction  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  vocals  bring  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams as  well  as  the  riffs  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  vocals  being  very  easy  to  understand  as  well  as  the  fast  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  of  tracks  and  the  closing  song  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  stringed  instruemnts.

  Blood  Of  The  Wolf  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  brutal  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  violence  and  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Blood  Of  The  Wolf  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  brutal  and  melodic black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Thunder  The  Drums  Of  War"  "Erupting  Volcnic  Wrath"  and  "A  Sermon  of  Slaughtered  Foes".  8  out  of  10.

bloodofthewolf.bandcamp.com

Silent Kingdom/Where Secrets Meet/Darknagar Records/2017 CD Review

  Silent  Kingdom  are  a  band  from  Bosnia  that  started  out  as  a  melodic  blackened  death  metal  band  but  over  the  years  have  evolved  into  more  of  a  dark  progressive  rock  direction  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Where  Secrets  Meet"  which  was  reelased  by  Darknagar  Records.

  Acoustic  guitars  along  with  some  clean  vocals  start  off  the  album  while  drum  beats  and  progressive  rock  elements  are  added  onto  the  recording  a  few  seconds  later  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  as  well  as  adding  in  touches  of  folk  music  at  times.

  Psychedelic  elements  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  a  couple  of the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  female  vocals  and  when  keyboards  are  utilized  they  give  the  songs  a  more  tragic  atmosphere.

  On  this  recording  Silent  Kingdom  move  way  from  a  melodic  black/death metal  direction  and  goes  into  more  of  a  dark  progressive  rock  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  English  and  Bosnian  and  cover  darkness, fear  and  oblivion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  recording  from  Silent  Kingdom  and  while  some  fans  of  their  melodic  black/death  metal  style  may  not  be  into  it  as  much, I  can  see  this  album  finding  a  fan  base  among  fans  of  dark  progressive  rock.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Alone"  "Silence"  and  "Memories  of  Tomorrow".  8  out  of  10.

Official FB: www.facebook.com/ SilentKingdomOfficial

Bandcamp: https://silentkingdom. bandcamp.com

    

Battlesoul/Sunward And Starward/CDN Records/2018 CD Review

  Battlesoul  are  a  band  from  Ontario,  Canada  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  melodic  form  of  Celtic  blackened  death  metal  with  a  touch  of  folk  and  power  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Sunward  And  Starward"  which  will  be  released  in  February  by  CDN  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album along  with  a  great  amount of  blast  beats  while  power  metal  style  vocals  and  melodic  riffing  are  added  onto  the  recording  a  few  seconds  later  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  the  music  also  mixing  in Celtic  folk  music  elements.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts while  the  tremolo picking  brings  in  elements  of  black  metal  along  with  some atmospheric  sounding  keyboards  as  well  as  some  screams  and  death  metal  growls  also  being  used  at  times  as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  some  songs  also bring  in  a  small  amount  of  female  vocals  and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Battlesoul  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  black  and  brutal  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  folk  and  power  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Celtic  Themes  and  History.

  In  my  opinion  Battlesoul  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  brutal  mixture  of  black,  death,  folk  and  power  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "All  I  Understand"  "The  Watcher"  "The  loss  Of  Sons"  and  "Break  The  Day".  8/3  out  of  10.

Battlesoul

    

Abinchova/Weltenwanderer/Massacre Records/2018 CD Review

  Abinchova  are  a  band  from  Switzerland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk  and  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Weltenwanderer"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Massacre  Records.

  An  epic  sounding  intro  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  stringed  instruments  a  few  seconds  later  and  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  the  screams  also  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very powerful  sound  to  them  while  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  the  solos  and  leads also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  when  keyboards are  utilized  they  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  symphonic  feeling.

  Female  vocals  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  they  also  add  in  more  of  a  goth  and  operatic  feeling  while  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the music  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  melodic  death  metal  elements  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  growls  can  also  be  heard  and  one  track  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic guitars.

  Abinchova  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  folk  and  melodic  black/death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Swiss  and  cover  Swiss  Mythology  and  Folklore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Abinchova  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  folk,  melodic  death  and  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Weltenwanderer"  "Eulemann"  "Pestwind"  and  "Sennenpuppe".  8/5  out  of  10.   

http://www.abinchova.ch https://www.facebook.com/Abinchova https://twitter.com/abinchova https://www.youtube.com/abinchova https://www.instagram.com/abinchova https://open.spotify.com/artist/4Zape1JhnU8g7iC1t9eEpR

  

Greyfell 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 recorded this album 2 years ago, we are currently composing new songs.
Now we are a four-piece band, it changes a lot of things, so we are working with this new line up and booking couple of good gigs for the next months

There is also something really cool, we are working on with friends on a new concept for us, two bands writing an album together.

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?

It's hard to precisely describe, it's a huge evolution on many aspects, but we think about it as a continuity of the first album. We also made a big work to find new sounds and textures. All those researches led us to different atmospheres.


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

The lyrics were written the same way on this album than they were on the first. It's always related to personal subjects, like an introspection treated in a metaphoric way.
The topics evolve in the same time than we do.

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

The name Greyfell comes from the Nordic mythology, it's one of the different universe that we draw inspiration from.


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?


Our trip to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem was a great adventure. Playing at the Motocultor festival this summer was massive. We also had a lot of good memories during some « wild » tours across Europe.
And about the stage performance, I think you’d better ask this question to someone in the crowd :)

6.DO you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

We are working on a couple of mini tours in France for the release of the album.
We are talking about booking a European one this summer.

7.The new album was released on 'Argonauta Records' and 'Atypeek Music', are you happy with the duo support that they have given you so far?

Yes, it is new for us, we are very happy to release this album with two labels, It's great to have this collaboration supporting us, and it really makes this release happening in a good spirit.

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

Our first album was relatively confidential.
This one has just been released so we have to wait a little more to have feedbacks.
I think we cross over different styles and inspirations so that many people can get in our music, whatever the scene or the predilection kind of music they like. Some people might think we are not enough in one style or another, but that is the way we like it.


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

That's sure that we will go on experimenting and digging all the time about what we create as a band. That's the way we do music. We will continue to multiply influences to stay in a constant evolution.

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?

There are a lot of bands and musical scenes that influence us. It can be Kraut Rock, Death Metal or D-beat Punk, it depends of the mood. we listen to a lot of bands and I guess that they all have a part of influence in our music. This week I only listened to Leftover Crack and Booba’s latest album.


11.What are some of your non musical interests?

We are active within the Soza collective, who presents and broadcasts different forms of art and expression. We try to mix up every disciplines in a same way of apprehending things, the same spirit in different medias. It's a big part in our lives when we are not playing music.


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

We hope you will enjoy our new album.
Support your local scene.
We have a lot of friends who release music stuff through the Soza collective like The Sharkettes, MNNQNS, Elephants or Servo, go listen to them and support

Can't wait to tattoo my face myself with a sewing needle to make my mom cry.
Keep in touch in 2018 for the new stuff we are working on.

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