Lord Mantis/Universal Death/Profound Lore Records/2019 CD Review

  Chicago,  Illinois's  Lord  Mantis  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  blackened  sludge  metal  style  of  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Universal  Death"  which  will  be  released  on  November  22nd  by  Profound  Lore  Records.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  blackened  metal  screams as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  the  vocals  also  adding  in  an  angry  shouting  approach  at  times.  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  As  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  synths  and  clean  playing  are  also  added  onto  the  recording  as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  album  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  desert  like  atmosphere  and  a  later  song  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  vocals,  blast  beats  can  also  be heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  and  Darkness with  some  touches  on  Sante  Muerte  and  the  Qliphotic  demons.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Lord  Mantis  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Santa  Muerte"  "Qliphotic  Alpha"  and  "Fleshworld".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.lordmantis.com

https://www.facebook.com/lordmantisofficial

 

Charlene Beretah/Ram/Division Records/2019 CD Review

  Charlene  Beretah  are  a  band  from  Switzerland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  doom  metal  and  crust  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Ram"  which  will  be  released  on    November  8th  by  Division  Records.

  Ambient  style  synths  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  horror  movie  samples  also  being  used  briefly  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also h ave  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  screams  are  very  heavily  rooted  in  black  metal.  During  the  mid  tempo  sections  influences  of  crust  punk  can  be  heard  as  well  as  the  music  also  adding  in  some  stoner  and  southern  metal  touches  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  when  the  music  speeds  up.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  at  times.  Spoken  word  parts  and  whispers  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  clean  playing  onto  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  you  can  also  hear  a  brief  use  of  distorted  guitar  leads.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  depression,  murder,  drugs  and  demonic  possession  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Charlene  Beretah  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  doom  metal  and  crust  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out t his  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Call  Of  Darkness"  and  "Kurdes  Game".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/CharleneBeretah

    

Bethledeign/Iconography Of Suffering/2019 Full Length Review

  Bethledeign  are  a  band  from  Virginia  that  plays  a  melodic  and  brutal  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2019  album  "Iconography  Of  Suffering"  which  will  be  released  in  December.

  A  very  fast  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls.  The  riffs  also  utilize  a  lot  of  melody  as  well  as  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  blackened  death  metal  elements.  even  with  a  lot  of  the  songs  being  written  over  15  years  ago  the  music  is  still  as  brutal  as  most  of  the  modern  bands  as  well  as  remaining  very  true  to  the  old  school  style,  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  all  of  the  music  also  sticks  to  a  heavier  direction.

  Bethledeign  plays  a  style  of  blackened  death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  and  melodic  sounding.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  evil  and  chaos  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Bethledeign  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  brutal  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Domain"  "Eight  Pointed  Star"  and  "Prasy  For  Oblivion".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Bethledeign/12654  

King/Coldest Of Cold/Indie Recordings/2019 CD Review

  King  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Coldest  Of  Cold"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Indie  Recordings.

  A  very  dark  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into a   heavier  direction  which  also  introduces  grim  black  metal  screams  onto  the  recording.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a great  use  of  blast  beats.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody  along  with  the  music  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  melodic  death  metal  elements.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  recording  and  the  music  also  adds  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  old  school  and  modern  influences  as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  clean  playing  onto  the  recording,  melodic  chants  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  life,  death  and  our  existence  as  a  part  of  the  universe.

  In  my  opinion  King  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Conqueror"  "One  More  War"  "Beyond  The  Exosphere'  and  "My  Master,  my  Sword,  My  Fire".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/cPrd2F1EYXU

Evangelion/Sacro Macello/Auric Records/2019 EP Review

  Evangelion  are  a  band  from  Switzerland  that  plays  a  very  old  school  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  ep  "Sacro  Macello"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Auric  Records.

  Fire  burning  sounds  and  bells  start  off  the  ep  while  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Folk  elements  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  most  of  the  vocals  being  grim  black  metal  screams.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  music  goes  back  to  the  90's  era  of  Swedish  black  and  death  metal.  Growls  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  along  with  the  tracks  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  which  also  gives  the  music  a  ritualistic  feeling  at  times  and  clean  singing  also  being  used  in  some  parts  of  the  tracks,  classical  guitars  and  synths  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  the  ep  also  closes  with  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  dealing  with  the  30's  Year  War.

  In  my  opinion  Evangelion  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Sacro  Marcello".  8  out  of  10.

https://auricrecords.bandcamp.com/album/sacro-macello

Suidakra/Echoes Of Yore/MDD Records/2019 CD Review

  Suidakra  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  has  had  an  album  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  folk,  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Echoes  Of  Yore"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  MDD  Records.

  Nature  sounds  and  narrative  spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier and  melodic  musical  direction.  Vocals  are  mostly  black  metal  screams  along  with  some  clean  yet  rough  pagan  singing  also  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  some  folk  instruments  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  recording.

  The  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  elements  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  recording  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  medieval  feeling.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  During t he  faster  sections  of  the  songs  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard,  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  symphonic  elements  are  also  added  onto  the  recording.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Celtic  Mythology,  Arthurian  Legends,  and  Fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Suidakra  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  folk,  melodic  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Wartunes"  "Morrigan"  "Pendragon's  Fall"  and  "Lays  From  Afar".  8  out  of  10.

Facebook

Homepage

ReverbNation

SoundCloud

Spotify

Twitter

YouTube

  

ShadowThrone 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 album’s recording we started to search a new label for Elements’ Blackest Legacy .
We produced previously album Demiurge Of Shadow on nipponic Hidden Marly Prod / Zero Dimensional Records that was good for old album but now we needed for an european label . Sent promo album to a lot of labels but dutch Non Serviam Records answered us so fast and with so much interest for it  . This is great cause Non Serviam Records listened the full album and believed in our work . We knew it by occult metal band Darkend and Nazghor that personally I love . Signed for NSR and planned work and promotion . At moment we’re reading reviews and they are all excellent , working for live events and a new single composed by a cover song but prefer don’t say nothing before it come out .

2.Recently you have released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

Demiurge Of Shadow is our first full album with a different line-up and we were searching a sound .Past sound was very inspired by symphonic black metal albums like In The Nightside Eclipse by Emperor or Spiritual Black Dimension by Dimmu Borgir . Was my first work after ten years inside Theatres Des Vampires line-up so I wanted to get away from gothic scene and return to style close to me . Started with simple riffs and classic orchestral sound . After first album we started to write new material more heavy and less inspired , cutting orchestral sound and introducing sidereal and synth keyboards for a more cold and cosmic dimensions . It’s an album with different line-up and different attitude than years ago .

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?

At beginning was very simple to fall into lyrics about norse mitology cause now is trendy but I wanted music more close to cold and dark dimension like arctic sky during the night . Exploring a frozen peak under black stars and cold steel where there is no life , no gods but only disturbing silence . Elements’ Blackest Legacy is not a concept album but try to open the door on this dimensions through its atmospheric music and lyrics . Zilath’s lyrics
try to describe these sensations of darkness and crystallizing moons .

4.Some of your lyrics also touch on Satanism, Occult and Anti Christina themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the dark arts?

I think Satanism and Christianity is the same product generated in the name of mass control. Christianity and Church used devil icons to subject people and lands for their dirty purposes replacing the old pagan traditions but a great part of men were fascinated by evil icons cause
undoubtedly witchcraft and demons are more charming than angels and holy life . They are part of darkside of our mind and I’m interested to exploring any darkside . Generally we use word occult for something that we don’t understand or have explanation and we see a sinister side but how many phenomena of nature we can see and can’t understand? Part of men try to understand through dark arts or spiritual sensations .

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'ShadowThrone'?

It’s simple remind to Satyricon’s album The Shadowthrone . Probably for a little part that’s right but at beginning was imagining a throne into a cave inside a black mountain like in Lord Of The Rings book and decided for this name .

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

Elements’ Blackest Legacy artwork realized by occult artist Nestor Avalos that worked for Dark Funeral , Moonspell , Rotting Christ… It represents the pure elements of the earth like ice , fire , air and water . If you start from down to up you can see the colors change from red like fire to white/blu like ice with a flow of energy on mountain of skulls .

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We done good shows last years to promote Demiurge Of Shadow . I don’t remember if there is a best show cause every show was different and different feelings . Toured with Absu , Rotting Christ , Arcturus … and honored to play in front their crowd . Our show is a simple show with dark lights  and smoke without a theatrical performance . We like to go up on stage and play our songs so people can listen our music without show distractions . I think we play like a classical heavy metal band J

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

At moment we are guest at Ade’s Rise Of Empire released party on November 29th and confirmed at Black Winter Fest XII with Hellhammer , 1349 , Kampfar and other bands .on November 30th . We’re planning gigs and show for 2020 so we need to wait answers .

9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your newer music by fans of symphonic black metal?

Great ! Reviews are excellent and every day new fans follow the band page . Rates under the singles Path Of Decay and Black Dove Upon My Shoulder are good cause this is not like usually symphonic black metal inspired by Cradle Of Filth or Dimmu Borgir . We pushed inside new album our influences from old black metal to death metal passing for soundtrack and avantgarde atmosphere .

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?

Francesco and Davide have their projects inside other bands like Deceptionist or Brvmak but I don’t know their upcoming events for these bands . Zilath was the singer of Etruscan black metal band called Voltumna and at moment he’s the Shadowthrone’s singer . About me I ‘ve an upcoming old black metal side-project  involved with members of two Italian black metal bands but prefer to talk about this when album will be complete .

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

I don’t know . I like to write new material everytime and now I’m writing new tracks .
Life can change in every moment .

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?

I started to listen heavy metal when I went at school , very young , buying Ozzy Osbourne’s Speak Of The Devil vinyl cause the artwork was amazing . From there I started to listen the rest like Iron Maiden , Motley Crue , Metallica , King Diamond / Mercyful Fate but during 90’ I was reading about Bathory , Emperor , Mayhem , Darkthrone buying paper zines and ordering albums by mailorder (have original first press) . I think all these bands and many others inspired me for the rest of my musical life and part of style life . Listen metal music everyday finding new actually bands.

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

Thanks to A Different Shade Of Black Metal zine from ShadowThrone for interview and invite the reader to listen our old and new album following our page

www.facebook.com/shadowthrone