Odious/Mirror Of Vibrations/Shaytan Productions/2019 Vinyl Re-Issue Review

  Odious  are  a  band  from  Egypt  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  mixture  of  melodic  black  metal,  Egyptian  and  Middle  Eastern  folk  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2007  album  "Mirror  Of  Vibrations"  which  was  re-issued  on  vinyl  in  2019  by  Shaytan  Productions.

  Middle  eastern  folk  music  instruments,  chanting  and  dancing  start  off  the  album  while  also  mixing  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times.  Synths  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  recording  while  the  whispered  vocals  also  give  the  songs  more  of  a  ritualistic  feeling  when  they  are  utilized.

  During  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  while  the  vocals  are mostly  grim  black  metal  screams.  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow, mid  paced and  fast  parts.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  music  also  has  its  symphonic  moments.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars  also  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while the  black  metal  side  of  the  music  seems  to  more  rooted  rooted  in  the  90's  style,  melodic chants  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  the  closing  track.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  past  leaders  of  Egypt,  philosophy,  mystery  and  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Odious  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic black  metal  with  elements  of  Egyptian  and  Middle  Eastern  folk  music,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Poems  Hidden  On  Black  Walls"  "Invitation  To  Chaotic  Revelation"  and  "Upon  The  Broken  Wings".  8/5  out  of  10.

www.shaytanproductions.bandcamp.com

www.shaytanproductions.com 

Ragnhild/Tavern Tales/2019 Full Length Review

  Ragnhild  are  a  band  from  India  that  plays  a  mixture  of  viking  and  melodic  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self released  2019  album  "Tavern  Tales".

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  being  introduced  onto  the  recording  a  few  seconds  later.  The  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  a  lot  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  during  the  faster  sections  of  the  music.

  Most  of  the music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  Swedish  style  while  back  up  viking  shouts  are  also  utilized  at  times.  Acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  on some  of  the  tracks  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  a  couple  of  songs  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  viking  ships  and  nature  sounds  along  with  the  closing  track  also  adding  in  folk  instruments.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  viking  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ragnhild  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  viking  and  melodic  blackened  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of t hose  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Vikings  Mosh"  "Battle  On  My  Grave"  "Glory  Of  Our  Mighty  King"  and  "Tavern  Tales". 8 out  of  10.

 'Under the Red Sky': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajQalepIw90

Stronghold: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tdiGe5Tg6c
 

    

Last Wail/Forgotten/Stygian Crypt Productions/2019 CD Review

  Last  Wail  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk,  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Forgotten"  which  was  released  by  Stygian  Crypt  Productions.

  Epic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music.  The  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  some  grim  screams  that  also  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  Folk  instruments  are  also  mixed  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  one  track  also  introduces  acoustic  guitars  and  spoken  word  parts  into  the  music.  A  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  along  with  a  later  track  being  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  battles  and  magick  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Last  Wail  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  folk,  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Runes"  "Walking  Bird"  "DragonSlayer"  and  "Fallen  Mountain".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/Last-Wail-116698101689802/        

Heathe/On The Tombstones, The Symbols Engraved/Wolves And Vibrancy Records/2019 Full length Review

  Heathe  are  a  band  from  Denmark  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  drone,  sludge,  doom  metal  and  noise  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "On  The  Tombstones,  The  Symbols  Engraved"  which will be  released  in  May  by  Wolves  And  Vibrancy  Records.

  Drum  beats  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  slow  and  heavy  doom metal  riffing  a  few  seconds  later.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  tortured  black  metal  screams  while  the  only  track  on  this  album  is  over  38  minutes  in  length  along  with  the  music  also  capturing  an  improv  atmosphere.

  Horns  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  and  also  gives  the  song  more  of  an  avant  garde  feeling.  A  small  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  which  also  captures  the  heaviness  of  sludge  metal,  At  times  the  riffing  get  very  repetitive  sounding  along  with  the  same  riff  being  used  for  minutes  upon  minutes  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  influences  of  drone  and  noise  rock.

  Heathe  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  sludge,  drone,  doom  metal  and  noise  rock  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  when  they  are  utilized  cover  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Heathe  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  doom  metal,  drone  and  noise  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/heathedeath      

Widower/Cataclysmic Sorcery/Black Market Metal Label/2019 CD Review

  Widower  are  a  band  from  Austin,  Texas  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  form  of  blackened  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Cataclysmic  Sorcery"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  black  Market  Metal  Label.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  music  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  thrash  metal  elements  as  well  as  some  death  metal  influences  also  being  used  at  times.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  old  school  style.  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  tremolo  picking  at  times  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  musical  influences  from  the  80's  up  to  the  modern  era  and  the  music  always  sticks  to  a  heavier  direction  along  with  the  last  track  being  long  and  epic  in  length.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Widower  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  and  blackened  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "House  Of  the  Lord"  "Bestial  Endowment"  "Tree  of  Ignorance"  and  "Forgotten  Realm".  8  out  of  10.

 widoweratx.bandcamp.com/track/ cosmic-holocaust    

Delirium 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? After we had finished recording “Urkraft“ we continued with the search of a label to publish the new album. Fortunately, we were lucky and got signed by MDD Records. Moreover, we have been playing a bunch of gigs and are looking forward to playing further gigs to promote “Urkraft“.

 2. Recently you have released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past? Firstly and without a doubt, there has been a musical development in terms of playing our instruments as well as composing. In our opinion the songs sound much more mature than the previous ones. Secondly, we tried to include more catchy melodies and added clean vocals as well. But despite all progression we still try to stick to our own unique style.

3. This is your first release since 2014, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame? Quite a lot has happened since 2014. Of course we have to mention the songwriting-process first which took quite lots of time due to private occurrences. Furthermore, we extended our live presence which culminated in our biggest show so far at Ragnarök Festival and our first gig abroad. Besides, we moved into another rehearsal room and switched to a new recording studio for “Urkraft“ (Soundbath Studio, owner: Travos/Thormesis).

4. Your lyrics cover Norse and Germanic Paganism, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic and also do you have an interest in other forms of paganism? Our singer Manuel who is responsible for the lyrics really feels connected to German neopaganism and developed an interest for old tales concerning this topic. That's why he's keen on handing this knowledge down to our listeners.

5. You also cover Franconian history with your lyrics, can you tell us a little bit more about this topic? Every member of Delirium is interested in the history/tales/sagas of our Franconian homeland.What contributes to this interest is the fact that on the one hand almost every Franconian village has its own history/tales/sagas and on the other hand these old customs are still present to some extent. What also contributes is a strong Franconian local patriotism ;) (meant in a positive way; not to be confused with any right-wing bullshit!). With our music we simply wish to counteract the oblivion of Franconian history.

 6. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Delirium'? Believe it or not but our band's name doesn't have a specific, deep meaning. Actually the band was founded in a beery mood, in Delirium so to say. Nevertheless, this name fits us perfectly because we really enjoy partying intensely ;)

7. Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the album cover? Well, there's really not that much to tell. The cover shows a Franconian warrior who occupies the “Urkraft“ (meaning elementary power or primal force by the way). We had some ideas concerning the cover and finally found an artist who implemented our ideas. That's it.

 8. What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance? To begin with, we had a lot of fantastic shows but there are two that really stuck out. The first one was our gig at the 2015 Ragnarök Festival. Playing there had always been a dream of us ever since our foundation so it absolutely was a dream come true. The show was totally insane because over 1,000 people showed up, something which we had never expected. The second one was our first gig abroad which took place in South Tyrol so we can say we actually played in Italy. The first gig in another country is very special for every band, isn't it? Describing our stage performance is something we have never been asked before. We would characterize it as a full power, straight-in-your-face kind of live performance, raw and direct. We always try to both have a good time on stage and party with the people in front of the stage. Come to one of our shows and see it for yourselves ;)

9. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future? In the future we want to extend our live presence and play more shows, especially at festivals. Due to private issues such as family or job it is unfortunately rather difficult to plan tours.

10. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of pagan metal? To be honest, we have no clue at all. Really, we can't judge that. The only thing we can say on this topic is that we have shipped CDs worldwide, e.g. to Canada. Maybe that is a hint on whether we are appreciated by the worldwide (pagan) metal community?!

11. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future? We always want to advance or enhance musically and establish our style. What also floats in our heads is a concept album sooner or later.

12. What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays? We get inspired by pretty much everything, may it be Black Metal or Classic Rock. Lots of inspiration comes from our circle of acquaintances, particularly by the people who also play music. Within the band everybody has his own preferences so we never lack new influences. What's also beneficial is the fact that we don't set any musical boundaries when it comes to composing our music.

 13. What are some of your non musical interests? Family and friends, sports, enjoying nature and, as already mentioned, partying ;)

14. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts? Well, we would like to say thank you for this interview of course. We hope the people will like our
new album and hopefully we see some of you at one of our future shows.

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Vargrav/Reign In Supreme Darkness/Werewolf Records/2019 CD Review

  Vargrav  are  a  solo  project  from  Finland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  old  school  form  of  symphonic  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2019  album  "Reign  In  Supreme  Darkness"  which  will  be  released  on  April 26th  by  Werewolf  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  ritualistic  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  while  also  introducing  symphonic  elements  onto  the  recording  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music.  During  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  Clean  vocals  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  Most  of  the  music  is  very  heavily rooted  in  the  90's  era  while  clean  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  a  couple  of  tracks  as  the  album  progresses  and  the  closing  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occultism,  hatred  and  Misanthropy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Vargrav  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  old  school  symphonic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Glory  Of  Eternal  Night"  "As  The  Shadows  Grow  Silent"  and  "Arcane  Stargazer".  8  out  of  10.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9twUf6nmG9g