Hecate Enthroned/Embrace Of The Godless Aeon/M-Theory Audio/2019 CD Review

 

  United  Kingdom's  Hecate  Enthroned  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  symphonic  and  melodic  style  of  black  metal  while  also  keeping  some  of  the  death  metal  elements from  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019 album "Embrace Of  the  Godless  Aeon"  which  will  be  released  on  January  25th  by   M-Theiry  Audio.

  A  very  dark  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  horror  movie  style  keyboards  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  evolves  into  more  of  a  symphonic  direction  after  awhile.  After  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  heavier  direction  while  also  keeping  the  symphonic  elements  and  also  introducing  black  metal  screams  onto  the  album.

  When  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  are  brought  into  the  music  they  give  the  songs  more  of  a  90's  feeling  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  melody,  Death  metal  growls  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music.  The  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  A  great  portion  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  averaging  from  6  to  minutes.  One  track  also  adds  female  vocals  into  the  music  which  also  adds  in  more  of  an  operatic  atmosphere  as  well  as  a  touch  of  goth  metal  while  a  later  song  also  adds  in  a  few  seconds  of  clean  male  vocals  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them. As  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  is  also  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  the  small  amount  of  spoken  word parts  giving  the  music  more  of  a  ritualistic  atmosphere.  The  production  has  a  very  powerful  sound  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occultism,  Mythology  and  Darkness themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Hecate  Enthroned  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  their  previous  albums,  you  should  enjoy  this  release.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Revelations  In  Autumns  Flame"  " Whispers  Of  The  Mountain  Ossuary"  and  "Erebus  And  Terror".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/m8WSg5pcr5I

Dawn Of Ashes/The Crypt Injection II(Non Serviam)/Metropolis Records/2019 CD Review

  Dawn  Of  Ashes  are  a  band  from  Los  Angeles,  California  that  plays  a  mixture of  industrial,  ebm,  and  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "The  Crypt  injection  II(Non  Serviam)"  which  will  be  released  on  January  18th  by  Metropolis  Records.

  Ritualistic  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  electro  industrial  elements  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  the  intro  grim  black  metal  screams  and  heavier  guitar  riffs  start  mixing  in  with  the  more  industrial  and  ebm  style  while  also  adding  in  some  elements  of  aggrotech  and  the  music  also  has  a  great  amount  of  90's  influences.

  Harsh  industrial  style  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  spoken  word  parts  can also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  most  of  the  music  sticking  to  more  of  a  mid  tempo  style  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  synths  also  gives  the  music more  of  an  epic  atmosphere.

  Dawn  Of  Ashes  plays  a  musical  style t hat  takes  industrial,  aggrotech,  ebm  and  black  metal  ans  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occultism,  Anti  Christianity,  Death,  Torture  and  Violence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Dawn  Of  Ashes  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  aggrotech,  ebm,  industrial  and  black  metal  and  if  you  are    fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ahirman"  "The  Serpents  Of  Eden"  "Sitra  Ahra"  and  "Entering  The  Realm  Of  Shadows".  8  out  of  10. 

https://www.facebook.com/Dawnofashes/
https://www.dawnofashesband.com
https://twitter.com/dawnofashes666
https://www.instagram.com/dawnofashesofficial/

  

Internal Chronicles Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
Internal Chronicles started out as a black/doom project by my friend (and now ex-band mate) Antares and me (NoOne) in 2011. We were really into metal and wanted to write and record our own music, but it was hard to find other musicians who wanted to play this genre so we did everything ourselves. Unfortunately, we didn't have the money nor the knowledge to record a full album back then, so the whole project was put on a hold until 2017. when we finally managed to get all the recording equipment.

2.In 2019 you have a new album coming out, musically how does it differ from your previous material?
The first album (Out of Sanity's Reach) was pretty raw and slow-paced. The second album, called Crimson Storm,  coming out in January 2019.Is a little more fast-paced, more melodic (more leads, orchestrations, piano and viola parts) and the quality is better.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have exploredwith the duo?
Out of Sanity's Reach is dealing with the topic of alienation and estrangement that both of us felt at that time (and still feel to some degree). We both always felt that somehow we are different than most
people, so the album explores some aspects of this kind of life-style (which includes being angry and disappointed with the world, but also the problem of loosing people, whether through death or through abandonment).

4.The musical project has been around since 2011 but waited until 2018 to release any music, can you tell us a little it more about the earlier years?
We wrote the first album (guitars and lyrics) in 2011. But couldn't find anyone to play bass and drums nor did we have the money to record the whole thing, so out of frustration and lack of motivation the
whole project was paused. But then, in 2017. I met a friend of ours who was selling his drum kit so he sold the kit to us for cheap (thanks Baco!) and another guy that I knew was selling his bass
guitar. Finally we decided to just buy the recording equipment and do it all ourselves and in 2018. Out of Sanity's Reach saw the light of day.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Internal Chronicles'?
Each album is (and will be) dealing with a certain topic, a certain central emotional state that I'm in at the time. In a sense it is a musical diary of my emotional life. I'm using music as "track record"
of everything that is happening to me, as sort of a chronicle. That is internal... You get it. I'm also using it as a catharsis so that once this emotions are recorded I can psychologically move one. It is a
selfish pursuit I must confess.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
The new album is called Crimson Storm, so the artwork is literally that - a storm, that is crimson in color. It is a metaphor for love, so the album deals with all the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of
love, but ends on a positive note. It is dedicated to my one and only. It's not a popular theme in black metal, but it is what I feel so I'm not going to make any compromises just to stay "kvlt". Also, I'm
pretty sure all those angry black metallers also felt love at some point in their life haha.

7.The band started out as a duo but is now a solo project, do you feel it is a lot more easier to get things done better musically this way?
Well, since Antares quit because of lack of motivation and time constraints it is easier. I don't have to wait around for a day when he has the time and motivation to write so I get a lot more done on my
own. On the other hand, I have the final say now so it's hard to stay objective sometimes. Also his creative input was different from mine and that worked great. Because of that he still remains a session member and we still write together sometimes.

8.You also keep your identity a secret, do you feel it is a lot more important to let the music do the talking?
That is exactly right. I felt it didn't matter who I was or what I look like in real life (hence the name "NoOne"), so I created this persona that I use to push my music forward. I really don't care about
looks, live shows, what guitar I'm playing etc. The only thing that matters is the music. It must be true and have a purpose. Everything else is irrelevant.

9.The new album was released on 'Guts And Blood Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
Guts and Blood is a small label form South America that releases extreme metal genres. They actually found me and asked if they could release the second album as a Compact Disk. So far, they have been great. They did all the marketing and set the whole thing up for the release while respecting my wishes and my creative freedom.

10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and doom metal?
It was great. A lot of sites noticed me and I did a few interviews already. The fanbase is steadily growing. I'm satisfied since I didn't expect anyone to even listen to this shit, let alone like it.

11.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?
I want to continue recording albums (the third album is in the planning stage right now) and working with different artists. On Crimson Storm I managed to bring in Sonia who is a professional viola
player (who also played the piano and other orchestrations), a friend of mine (Djere)  who did a great guitar solo, and Klara who did some speaking vocals and who also did both artworks for both albums. On the third album I'll be working with all of them, but I'm also bringing in a female vocalist (I hope) and a professional violin player (If everything goes as planned).

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?
Nowadays I'm listening to almost everything. Most metal genres, jazz, rap, classical music etc. I'm searching for motivation everywhere, but the bands that influenced Internal Chronicles the most are Draconian, My Dying Bride, Dark Tranquility, Wintersun and the Norwegian black metal scene from the 90's. It's a weird mix now that I think about it.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?.
Thanks for the interview and stay tuned for the Crimson Storm in January 2019. And a lot more from Internal Chronicles because I'm just getting started. Cheers!
Cheers

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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. 

https://youtu.be/rcdx9w0ZO5g