Dystersol/The Fifth Age Of Man/WormHoleDeath Records/2018 CD Review

  Dystersol  are  a  band  from  Austria  that  plays  a mixture  of  folk  and  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "The  Fifth  Age  of  Man"  which  was  released  by  WormHoleDeath  Records.

  Pagan  war  horns  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  symphonic  direction  which  also  introduces  grim  black  metal  vocals  onto  the  recording  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  modern  death  metal  elements  in  the  riffs  and  growls  along  with  some  clean  vocals  also  being  used  at  times.

  A  great  amount  of  folk  music  elements  can  be  heard  throughout  the  recording  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  along  with  some  female  vocals  also  being  added  onto  some  of  the  tracks  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  as  well  as  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on a  couple  of  tracks  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Dystersol  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  folk,  symphonic  black,  melodic  death  and  modern  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  five  ages  of  man  as  described  in  Greek  Mythology.

  In  my  opinion  Dystersol  are  a  very  great  sounding  modern  mixture  of  folk,  black  and  melodic  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fifth  Age  Of  Man"  "Winterking"  "Children  Of  The  Wasteland"  and  "End  Game".  8  out  of 10. 

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Hortus Animae Interview

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

1)      Hi. This album celebrates our 20th anniversary, it was the perfect chance to release something very special, that is live, and on vinyl, which has been our dream in a drawer for many years. It’s been just released so for now we are enjoying the feedback from fans while preparing out 20th anniversary gig that will take place in our hometown, Rimini, Italy on May 18, 2018.


2.How would you describe the musical sound of your current music and also how would you describe your progress over the years as musicians?
2)      We have always been devoted to experimenting different sounds, by integrating diverse influences in our own vision of extreme metal. We stay true to this ideal to this day, even though we have moved towards a more technical and brutal side of our sound. Let’s say in the beginning we sounded a bit more blackish and now we are a little bit more death metal oriented, yet our gothic, progressive and avant-garde remains really vivid.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored over the years with your music?

3)      Lyrics are the representation of a personal path. I have explored many themes over the years but through the prism of my own vision and I have analysed mostly themes related to spirituality, mysticism, abstractionism of the soul, through a study I’ve made of their connection to the human feelings and ways of life.

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

4)      Hortus Animae is Latin for the Garden of the Soul. This moniker fully reflects what previously said not only lyrics-wise but also music-wise. Our music and lyrics make up a scenario where you can go and find shelter and time for rest and reflections.

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?

5)      It’s nearly 20 years that we hit stages and every time it’s a wonderful and magical experience. Our warmest memories go to the gigs we shared with Napalm Death, Ancient, Lacuna Coil, Mortuary Drape, Necrodeath and last but not least the almighty Necronomicon.

Our performances are mostly focused on the music, no frills. There is a big energy  from us to the audience and vice versa. This atmosphere has been fully captured in our live album “Piove Sangue”.

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

6)      Not yet, as said for now we are organizing our 20th anniversary gig, surely other gigs will follow during summer but nothing confirmed so far.

7.On the live album you had also done your own version of Slayer's "Raining Blood" what was the decision behind doing your own version of this song?

7)      Every metalhead on Earth has gone through Slayer and “Raining Blood”, it just seemed the perfect song to end our shows during the Total Metal Over Europe Tour, Pt. II with Necronomicon.

8.Also on the same song you also had some session work from the singer of 'Necronomicon', can you tell us a little bit more about his involvement on the recording?

8)      It was the result of fellowship we developed during the tour and that has culminated with this recording, which was totally unplanned and came spontaneously. It was the very last night and we knew we were going to record a live album there, Freddy came to me and proposed to do “Raining Blood” together, I said “fuck yeah!” and then he just came on the stage for a very fiery version of that song. It’s been awesome.

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

9)      We have a very good welcoming in our home, Italy. But I have to say we also have a loyal fanbase abroad as well. During our 8 years hiatus we kept receiving mails from fans from all over the world and they have played a big role to getting us reunited, beside making music together.


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)   Each and every one of us other bands also not related to metal. The bands that are mostly in the metal vein are Desmadre’s Crawling Chaos that play death metal and my solo project Martyr Lucifer where we play gothic.
11)   Right now we are writing new material for the follow up to 2014’s “Secular Music”, we really can’t tell what direction we will fallow as our way to compose is really unpredictable thanks to the fact that we all are musicians coming from different musical backgrounds.

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

12)   I don’t know, if we really have to mention bands, I think I might mention Enslaved, early Opeth but also Cradle of Filth at some point. But just to give you an idea, our vision of music is really personal in the end and we’ve always been extremely open minded and we listen to the most diverse styles of music. This surely contributes to the formation of our sound as well.

13.Does Occultism play any role in your music?

13)   Occultism, yes, it’s important. Not the main thing, though. Mostly spirituality, as said before, with no link to any particular religion. Pagan symbolism plays a big role as well.

14.What are some of your non musical interests?

14)   Even though music is one the leading lines of our lives we all have different interests, like everyone, like movies, reading, some of us are DJs, sometimes I do horse riding, etc.

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

15)   Thank you very much for this interview and we hope we’ll be playing in the US anytime soon. Cheers!



http://hortusanimae.net/

https://www.facebook.com/ HortusAnimae/

Strigampire/One Fix, Nine Clouds & Six Feet Deep/PRC Music/2018 CD Review

  Strigampire  are  a  band  from  Quebec,  Canada  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "One  Fix,  Nine  Clouds  &  Six  Feet  Deep"  which  was  released  by  PRC  Music.

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  the  vocals  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  music  is  very  heavily  influenced  by  the  Swedish  style  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking.

  As  the  album  progresses  some  of  the  riffs  and  leads  also  bring  in  more  of  an  80's  hard  rock/metal  style  while  one  song also  introduces  clean  playing  onto  the  recording  along  with  a  later  track  also  bringing  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  evil  laughter  and  towards  the  end  a  small  amount  of  clean  guitars  can  also  be  heard.

  Strigampire  plays  a  style  of  blackened  death  metal t hat  is  very  melodic  in  the  Swedish  style  while  the  music  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  80's  metal  at  times,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  melancholy,  solitude,  rage,  bitterness  and  sorrow  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Strigampire  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Only  Hell  I  Know"  "Dead  of  Night"  "It's  Up  To  You"  and  "Into  Tale  Of  Woe".  8  out  of  10. 

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

Hortus Animae/Piove Sangue - Live In Banska Bystrica/Metal Scrap Records/2018 Live Album Review

  Hortus  Animae  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  progressive,  symphonic  and  avant  garde  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  live  2018  album  "Piove  Sangue - Live  In  Banska  Bystrica"  which  was  released  by  Metal  Scrap  Records.

  Avant  garde  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  music  being  recorded  live  and  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  as  well as  the  vocals  also  using  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  screams.

  Clean  vocals  and  death  metal  growls  are  also  used  at  times  along  with  the  music  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  symphonic  elements  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  progressive  yet  melodic  fashion.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  some  tracks  also  show  a  goth  metal  influence along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  closing  track  also  brings  in  some  quest  vocals  from  the  singer  of  Canada's  Necronomicon  which  is  also  a  cover  version  of  Slayer's  "Raining  Blood".

  Hortus  Animae  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  avant  garde,  symphonic  and  progressive  sounding  along  with  some  goth  touches,  the  production  has  a  very  raw  and  live sound  while  the  lyrics  cover  Surrealism,  Death  and  Sadness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hortus  Animae  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic,  avant  garde  and  progressive  black  metal b and  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  live  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Chamber  Of  Endless  Nightmares"  and  "There's  no  Sanctuary".  8  out  of  10.

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Susperia/The Lyricist/Agonia Records/2018 CD Review

  Susperia  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  thrash  and  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "The  Lyricist"  which  was  released  by  Agonia  Records.

  A  very  heavy  thrash  influenced  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  power  metal  style  singing  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also 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  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  old  school  fashion  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  80's  and  90's  style  in  with  a  more  modern  atmosphere  as  well  as  adding  some  death  metal  growls  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  synths,  spoken  word  parts,  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length.

  On  this  recording  Susperia  expands  on  their  melodic  blackened  thrash  metal  style  by  adding  in  more  traditional  metal  elements,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  inner  struggles,  relationship  issues  and  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Susperia  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black,  thrash  and  heavy  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Heretic"  "Day  I  Died"  "Feed  The  Fire"  and  "Come  Alive".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/WGQr4cLF63Q

  

Oracle/Into The Unknown/Rain Without End Records/2018 CD Review

  Oracle  are  a  band  from  Birmingham,  Alabama  that  has  been  featured  before  in this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Into  The  Unknown"  which  will  be  released in  April  by  Rain  Without  End  Records.

  Classical  guitars  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  stringed  instruments  being  used  briefly  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  direction  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  the  vocals  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  black  metal s creams  and  death  metal  growls.

  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  some  atmospheric  sounding  keyboards  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  the  music  also  having  its  technical  moments.

  Some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  vocals  and  as  the  album  progresses  more  brutal  and  symphonic  elements  are  added  onto  the  recording  while  one  track  also  introduces  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  into the  music  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  clean  playing  also  returns  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  female  vocals  and  one  song  is  an  instrumental.

  Oracle  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  while  also  adding  new  things  into  their  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophical  and  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Oracle  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Caressed By  The  Hands  Of  Fate"  "Fro  Blue  To  Black"  "Drafted"  and  "Becoming  Nemesis".  8 out  of  10. 

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Wykan/Solace/2018 EP Review

  Wykan  are  a  band  from  Montreal,  Quebec,  Canada  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  doom,  stoner. psychedelic  and  blues rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  ep  "Solace"  which  will  be  released  in  April.

  Shamanistic  and  tribal  style  chanting  starts  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  heavier  blues  rock  direction  which  also  mixes  in  the  heaviness  of  stoner  and  doom  metal  while  the  vocals  are  done  in  a  clean  70's  rock/proto  metal  style  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  bringing  in  more  of  a  retro  style.

  Black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  all  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  acoustic  guitars  and  psychedelic  elements  also  being  used  on  a  couple  of  songs  and when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  are  utilized  and  on  a  couple  of  tracks  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Wykan  plays  a  musical  sound  that  takes  black  metal,  doom  stoner,  psychedelic  and  blues  rock  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Ethnobotany,  and  the  Amanita  Muscaria  mushroom  rituals  that  are  performed  among  the  Saami  shamans  of  North  Europe.

  In  my  opinion  Wykan  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  stoner,  doom  metal,  psychedelic  and  blues  rock  and  if  you  are  looking  for  something  original,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Wykan  (The  Shamanic  Trance)".  8  out  of  10.

https://wykan.bandcamp.com/releases