Gloomy Grim/Obscure Metamorphosis/Symbol Of Domination Productions/Murdher Records/2018 EP Review

  Finland's  Gloomy  Grim  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  that  continues  the  symphonic  style  of  black  metal  from  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  ep  "Obscure  Metamorphosis"  which  was  released  as  a  joint effort  between  Symbol  of  Domination  Productions  and  Murdher  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  that  also  get  very  deep  and  grim  at  times  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  A  great  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  fast  riffs  also  adding  in  some  tremolo  picking  and  later  songs  also  bring  in  more  symphonic  elements  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  On  this  recording  Gloomy  Grim  remains  true  to  the  symphonic  style  of  black  metal  from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Anti  Christianity,  Satanism,  Horror  and  Darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Gloomy  Grim  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Stars  Above  Me"  and  "Impressive  Physical  Sight".  8  out  of  10.

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Nocratai/Tormento/Grimm Distribution/The Ritual Productions/Black Metal Records/2018 CD Review

  Nocratai  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  an  industrial  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a review  of  their  2018  "Tormento"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Grimm  Distribution,  The  Ritual  Productions  and  Black  Metal  Records.

  Atmospheric  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  evil  laughter  a  few  seconds  later  while  spoken  word  samples  are  also  used  on  a  few  tracks  before  adding  some  industrial  elements  which  also  mixing  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  which  also  introducing  grim  black  metal  screams  onto  the  recording.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  music also  uses  a  great  amount  of  programming  and  noise  elements  along  with  the  songs  also  get  very  experimental  at  times  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  when  guitar  leads  are  finally  added  onto  the  recording  they  re  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  the  music  sticks  to  mostly  a  mid  tempo  style  and  on  the  closing  track  they  also  add  in  some  of  the  riffing  and  vocals  from  Darkthrone's  "Transilvanian  Hunger".

  Nocratai  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  industrial  and  black  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics cover  war,  anti  religion  and  destruction  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Nocratai  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture of  industrial  and  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "I  Spit  In  The  Eyes  Of  Christ"  "Jesus  Creek"  and  "Drugs  And  Their  Terrible  Consequences".  8  out  of  10.

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A Thousand Sufferings/Bleakness/Symbol Of Domination Productions/2018 CD Review

  A  Thousand  Sufferings  are  a  band  from  Belgium  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  'Bleakness"  which  was  released  by  Symbol  Of  Domination  Records.

  Atmospheric  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  which  also  introduces  melodic  riffing  onto  the  recording  while  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  vocals  bringing  in  more  of  an  aggressive  shouting  style  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Clean  playing  can  also  be heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  slow  riffing  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  sludge  and  doom  metal  along  with  the  screams  bringing  in  elements  of  black  metal  when  they  are  utilized  as  well  as  some  of  the  riffing  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  on  the  closing  track  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard

  On  this  recording  A  Thousand  Sufferings  remains  true  to  their  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  sludge  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  negative  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  A  Thousand  Sufferings  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  doom  and  sludge  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bleak"  and  "Faces".  8  out  of  10.

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Hipoxia/Ruinae Ira, Creans Ruina eo Tempore Est -Monumentum ab Khaos II/The Way Of The Hermit/2018 CD Review

  Hipoxia  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  has  had  an  album  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  doom,  sludge  metal  and  drone  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Ruinae  Ira,  Creans  Ruina  eo  Tempore  Est -Monumentum  ab  Khaos  II"  which  was  released  by  The Way  Of The  Hermit.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  most  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  some  grim  whispers  also  being  used  briefly  before  going  into  a  heavier  sludge  metal  direction  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  Elements  of  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  slower  riffing  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  post  metal  style  along  with  the  music  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  influences  which  show  up  mostly  in  the  screams  and  as  the  album  progresses  touches  of  drone,  gothic  rock  and  ambient  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  slower  direction.

  On  this  recording  Hipoxia  remains  rue  to  their  mixture  of  drone,  black,  sludge  and  doom  metal  while  also  adding  in  more  post  metal,  goth  rock  and  ambient  elements  this  time  around,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  form  Hipoxia  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  drone,  black,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Purification  Through  Amok".  8  out  of  10. 

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Internal Chronicles/Crimson Storm/Blood And Gut Records/2018 CD Review

  Internal  Chronicles  are  a  solo  project  from  Croatia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  melodic  black  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  album  "Crimson  Storm" which  will  be  released  in  2019  by  Blood  And  Gut  Records.

  Grim  black  metal  screams  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  doom  metal  direction  which  also  introduces  melodic  guitar  leads  onto  the  recording  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  most  of  the  tracks  being  long  and  epic  in  length  and  synths  are  also  used  briefly.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  90's  influences  along  with  a  brief  use  of  stringed  instruments  as  well  as  some  death  metal  growls  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording,  one  of  the  later  tracks  brings  in  ritualistic  chants  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  and  clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  and  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  are  added  on  the  closing  track.

  Internal  Chronicles  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  black  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Internal  Chronicles  is  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Beautiful  Day  To  Die"  "The  Life's  Cure"  and  "Crimson  Storm".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9UjzrqFZIk

Forbidden Rites Interview

1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We are a mexican black death metal band inspired by the metal of the 90's. We talk a little about occult knowledge and secret societies.



2. Recently you have released an album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?
This album is a black death metal with 90’s shades,looking for a metal as powerful as melodic, aggressive and sometimes a bit tearing.



3. Your lyrics deal with  ancestral occult knowledge and secret societies can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in those topics?
These are topics that interest us a lot, how much of that knowledge have been lost over time and nowadays it is only embodied in signs and symbols of ancient civilizations, how human beings were closing their knowledge channels and now it has led them to being in a state of lethargy and obscurantism. Hell is here, hell is now, and we like to shout it in the face of people through our music. It’s worth mentioning that 6 of the lyrics were written by Alonso Guzmán, a mexican writer and good friend of the band, and the other two lyrics by Sergio Campos, who has always supported the project and has a lot of knowledge about these matters.



4. Originally the band started out playing covers, what was the decision behind writing and creating your own songs?
Actually, the covers were played only for a while and at the same time we started to compose our own material, the idea was always to generate our own music and expose in it everything we had inside.



5. The band originally started in 96 and waited until 2018 to release the first album, can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during that time frame?
Exactly, the band started in '96 and after a while some of the members separated and started new projects,they looked for new sounds, etc. Hugo Olivos moved to Cyprus and Raúl Campos to Tijuana Mx, after those years, some members of the band were still in touch, some more, some less, everyone in different projects until at last, in 2017, a common friend, Rubén Contreras, put us in touch again and we decided to resume the ritual we had left pending.



6. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Forbidden Rites'?
Mainly, the name was inspired by the ancient rituals carried out by the leaders of some secret societies with occult knowledge, those rituals that wrapped knowledge and could be used for any purpose, rites that today are forgotten, and were forbidden before. It also has a personal connotation and we allude this name to the musical rites that had been forgotten among us back in the 90’s.



7. Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the album cover?
It is the whole representation of those secret sects, which in ancient times hid their temples in the woods to carry out their rituals away from the curious and the blind.



8. Most of the band lives in Mexico while another member lives in Cyprus, how does this work out in the recording process?
It was a complicated process, but not that painful. In Mexico the guitars and bass were made, and we sent them to Hugo in Cyprus, he made the drums and returned the proposals, and so on and on until we were satisfied with the result. Later, Vlad Marin added voices to achieve the final product. At the recording studio, the process was similar.



9. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
It is true that the album still has a short time in the market and that still does not give us a full picture of the acceptance of it. So far we have received good reviews and the support and appreciation from the people who have heard it, which we are very grateful for.





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?
Hugo Olivos continues with his project Vomitile (who already released a third album), Raúl Campos and Juan Carlos Mtz finished their previous projects to dedicate themselves to Forbidden Rites and Vlad Marin has his Xiutecutli project on stand-by.



11. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We will always seek to perfect our music, but above all continue to seek how to communicate through it, that music has to tell you something and make you feel something. We also believe that talking about the future of Forbidden Rites music is a bit difficult since we like to live in the here and the now.



12. 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?
Definitely bands like Dissection, Necrophobic, Satyricon, Vinterland, Old man’s child, Dawn were great influence for these 4 metalheads. Today any subgenre of metal is in our playlists but we also move to genres like jazz and progressive rock, but mostly, extreme metal.



13. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
First of all, we greatly appreciate this space and this interview, and also thanks to all the people who have shown us their support and empathy with this project, and to all those who have been with us throughout these years from the beginning.

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Fenrir/Legends Of The Grail/2019 Full Length Review

  Fenrir  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  album  "Legends  Of  The  Grail"which  will  be  released  in  2019.

  Epic  sounding  violins  start  off  the  album  bringing  in  the  atmosphere  of  the  dark  ages  which  also  mix  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  a  great  amount  of  female  vocals.

  When  acoustic  guitars  are  utilized  they  also  bring  in  more  elements  of  folk  music  while  the  music  also  brings  in  elements  of  heavy  and  power  metal  at  times  along  with  a  great  amount  of  fiddles  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  and  clean  male  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  grim  black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  they  also  bring  in  a  couple  of  instrumentals.

  Fenrir  plays  a  style  of  folk  metal  that  is  very  melodic  sounding  while  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  at  times,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  based  upon  the  legends  of  King  Arthur  and  The  Knights  Of  The  Round  Table.

  In  my  opinion  Fenrir  are  a  very  great  sounding  folk  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A Red Sun  Rises"  "Conquest  Of  Britain"  "The  Son  Of  Pendragon" and  "Mordred".  8  out  of  10.

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