V:XII/Rom, Rune And Ruin:The Odium Disciplina/Aesthetic Death/2020 CD Review

  V:XII  is  a  solo  project  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  doom  metal,  industrial,  drone,  dark  ambient  and  noise  and  this  is  a  review  of his  2020  album  "Rom,  Rune  And  Ruin: The Odium Disciplina"  which  will  be  released  on  February  29th  by  Aesthetic  Death.

  Power  electronics  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  music  also  adds  in  a  decent  amount  of  ritualistic  soundscapes.  Atmospheric  sounding  drones  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Industrial  style  programmed  beats  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  album  while  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  at  times.  Harsh  noises  are  also utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording along  with  the  spoken  word  parts  also  enhancing  the  ritualistic  side  of  the  music  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  adding  in  elements  of  dark  ambient    and  all  of the  songs  also  sound  very  different  from  each  other,  synths  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  V:XII  plays  a  musical style  that  takes  black,  doom  metal,  industrial,  drone,  dark  ambient  and  noise  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  Darkness,  Occultism  and  Norse  Rune  themes.

  In  my  opinion  V:XII  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of   black,  doom  metal,  industrial,  drone,  dark  ambient  and  noise  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  New  Black"  "Ururz"  and  "Vanagandr".  8  out  of  10.

https://vxii.bandcamp.com/releases     

    

Maudiir Interview

For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project? MAUDIIR is a one-man project that started in Montreal at the end of 2018. After working with various people on different projects, I needed to do something on my own. Having always been a guitar player, I decided to buy a bass guitar, and try out on vocals, to be able to depend only on myself and eliminate compromise.



Recently you have released an ep, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording? On ‘Le Temps Peste’, I’m mixing black metal, thrash metal, and NWOBHM. I think there is also a punk drive in some of the riffs. I was aiming for a mix of old school and modern stuff.



What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored so far with the musical project? Consumer society, religion, science going awry, addiction to technology, environmental decay.



What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Maudiir'? The name is derived from the French word ‘maudire’, which means ‘to curse’. My brother and a few of his good friends got together and came up with the name. I thought it was quite fitting with the lyrics of the songs and the general mood of the music. Even if all the songs are in English, we wanted a name that could also reflect my culture as Québécois.     



Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover? The picture is of an old garbage incinerator in Montreal. It was taken during a recent snowstorm. I think it represents very well the lyrical themes of the EP, and it is also a prominent sight in the particular neighborhood of Montreal where it is situated. 



With this musical project you record everything by yourself but have experience working with full line ups, how would you compare the two? These days I very much like the freedom of working alone. Despite the fact that writing and recording everything by oneself is a lot of work, it’s actually much faster than waiting around for people to do their parts. There is irreplaceable chemistry and camaraderie that comes with working in a band situation, but the right people are hard to find, and it takes a lot of time and dedication. My experiences led to hiring musicians that recorded their parts the way they wanted on songs that I had written. The results were good, I think, but it becomes a long, costly and draining process.     



Currently, you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest? I’m not shopping around for a label. If ever I would receive an interesting offer, I would consider it. 



On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black, death and thrash metal? The EP has been out for only 2 weeks, so it’s pretty hard to evaluate a worldwide reaction for now. People, in general, seem to be very enthusiastic about the music, more than any other project I’ve worked on so far, which I find very encouraging.



What is going on with 'Trinity Blast' these days? We have released 2 new singles at the beginning of the year, so with the release of the MAUDIIR EP, I find it’s a pretty good start to the year for me.



When can we expect a full length and also where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future? I think I’m going to continue doing EPs for a while as it takes less time to publish new music. I already have 2 songs written for the next MAUDIIR release.



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? I’m influenced by modern and old-school black metal, classic 80’s metal such as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, thrash metal. These days I’m really enjoying the new Obsequiae album, which I think is brilliant, as was ‘Aria of Vernal Tombs’. The new Mayhem album is great too. I’m listening to a lot of different music, from The Beatles to extreme metal.   



What are some of your nonmusical interests? TV series, movies.



Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts? Thank you very much for your interest in me and MAUDIIR, it is very much appreciated.

Facebook.com/Maudiir-100174698189554/ Spotify

Telepathy/Burn Embrace/Svart Records/2020 CD Review

  Telepathy  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  an  instrumental  mixture  of  post  black, sludge  and  epic  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  which  will  be  released  on  March  27th  by  Svart  Records.

  Field  recordings  and  atmospheric  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  drum  beats  a  few  seconds  later  before  going  into  more  of a  melodic  direction.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Elements  of  post  black  metal  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking.  All  of  the  slower  riffs  are  also  heavily  rooted  in  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  the  guitar  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  all  of  the  tracks  also  sticking  mostly  to  an  instrumental  direction,  one  track  also  introduces  clean  playing  onto  the  recording  and  at  times  the  music  also adds  in  a  touch  of  shoegaze,  As  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  and  aggressive  vocals  can  also  be  heard   on  a  couple  of  tracks,  stringed  instruments  are  also  added  on  the  closing  track  and  the  production  also  sounds  very  professional.

  In  my  opinion  Telepath  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  post  black,  sludge  and  epic  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Eternal  Silence"  "Pariah"  and  "Sorrow  Surrenders  Its  Crown".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/telepathyband/

  

Baron SAMEDI/11/Maaninen Henki Records/2019 EP Review

  Baron  SAMEDI  are  a  solo  project  from  Russia  that  has  recently  been  featured  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  goes  for  more  of  a  mixture  of  ambient,  experimental,  drone  and  noise  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2019  ep  "11"  which  was  released  by  Maaninen  Henki  Records.

  Dark  soundscapes  and  field  recordings  start  off  the  ep  while  both  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Voices  can  also  be  heard  in  the  background  briefly  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  noise  elements  and  ambient  sounds  are  also  utilized  at  times.

  The  music  also  gets  very  experimental  at  times  along  with  the  music  also  capturing  a  very  ritualistic  and  demonic  atmosphere.  Both  of  the  tracks  also  sound  very  different  from  each  other  while  the  second  song  goes  into  more  of  an  atmospheric  drone  style  as  well  as  having  some  diversity

  On  this  recording  Baron  SAMEDI  takes  noise,  experimental,  ambient  and  drone  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  something  that  is  very  different  from  the  previous  album  reviewed  and  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Baron  SAMEDI  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  ambient,  drone,  experimental  and  noise,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Dead  Calm  Kab".  8  out  of  10.

https://mhrecords.bandcamp.com/album/11

Maudiir/Le Temps Peste/2020 EP Review

  Maudiir  is  a  solo  project  from  Montreal,  Quebec,  Canada  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2020  ep  "Le  Temps  Peste".

  A  very  fast sound  with  blast  beats  starts  off  the  ep  while  also  introducing  melodic  guitar  leads  onto  the  recording.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  traditional  metal  influences  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  fast  riffing  while  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  some  elements  of  death,   thrash  metal  and  punk,  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  a  couple  of  tracks   and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  on  the  closing  song.

  Maudiir  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  melodic  death,  thrash  and  traditional  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  consumer  society,  religion,  science  going  awry,  addiction  to  technology  and  environmental  decay  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Maudiir  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those musical  genres,  you  should  check  out t his  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Product"  and  "Snakes  Of  Creation".  8  out  of  10.

Facebook.com/Maudiir-100174698189554/ Spotify   

Baron SAMEDI Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?

Hi, I'm from Novokuznetsk, Kuzbass region. In 1997. Me and my friend are influenced by: Sepultura,Sodom, Korrozia Metalla, Diecide and other extreme bands. They started rattling at my house.

 Since we did not have money for normal musical instruments (in the 90-ies in Russia we lived poorly, even for clothes we did not have enough money). We stole from the school music class: a bass in the shape of A Paul McCartney violin, two snares, and cymbals. They rattled, but since the game we could not, it turned out noisecore act.
 In 2000, I bought a Cassio synthesizer and started playing music alone. The project was then nameless. I made recordings on Sharpe's tape recorder.
 In 2005, I made a self-release of cassettes with my songs, called "Project Golem". Now these recordings can be heard on the albums "Я - Пустота" and bonuses on "Ralph Werner-Project Golem". In 2007, I renamed the project Baron Samedi.

Later I because of this name, my social networks consisted of 50% of fans of rap and hip hop)). Metalheads were repelled by this name))

 2.Your recent full length came out in September, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

It is completely spontaneous and dirty recorded. I worked on tracks at different times without imagining how they would sound. The oldest song on it, "Black'n'roll Necronomicon", was recorded in 2001.

 3.You have also work with a variety of many different musical genres on your recordings, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical styles you have brought into your music?

Any dark, aggressive, pompous genre can appear on my recordings. Dark rock, dark folk, industrial, noise, ambient, free jazz, power electronics, death industrial, glitch, gorenoise, death metal, dark metal, black metal, terrorcore. I used all these genres in my music еxcept rap and hip hop.

 4.You have also covered some occult topics with your lyrics, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in occultism?

I have always had an irrational, mystical perception of the world. But in theoretical occultism, I am not well versed, if you compare me with some Alister Crowley. From occult books I read two books by Elena Blavatsky, a few Apocrypha, Everything related to the Necronomicon, Russian black witchcraft.

 I sometimes dedicate my music to the essence of Graov, which is worshiped and invoked by homeless vagabonds, inhaling the smell of burned beetles-mediums. The essence of Graov is similar to the evil shown in the movie "the Fifth element".

 I use glossolalia when singing. Sometimes I use decoctions of herbs to fall into a trance, then the essence speaks through me. I record it and use it as vocals., this can be heard in the track Graov and Жнец

I also sell for graves.


 5.What are some of the other lyrical topics and subjects you have explored with your music?

Sad stories about a witch's house or a forest fire. Social: bad neighbors, corrupt cops, spitting in modern art. Abstract texts about death, mystical journeys.

 6.I know that the musical project was named after from Haitian Voodoo, can you tell us a little bit more how you got interested in this deity?

 In the nineties, there were many books with witchcraft spells, they were sold in every kiosk. .
 It was scary to live (crime,devastation, poverty, drug addiction), people conjured. My grandmothers had spell books. These books contained spells from all religions, and I learned about Baron Samedi from them. For Siberia, this name sounded original.
I don't practice voodoo myself. I plan to rename the project to "Пан Zимородоk".

 7.With this musical project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?

Yes, I record everything alone.I am open to working with other musicians, but my knowledge of musical instruments is poor and I can't read music.So I'm not good for serious musicians. I can work with noise industrial musicians.


 8.Are you also involved with any other musical projects/

In 2007-2008, I was the bassist of the band "Kolobus". Played brutal death metal. Then I went into business (construction) and there was no time to play.

 9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of metal, experimental and industrial?

Metal fans are throwing shit, they need well-recorded music. Fans of experimental and industrial music reacted positively.

 10.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?

I will also try to make dark music. I don't plan to perform. I played concerts with Colobus in 2007 and I didn't like it.

 11.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?

Inspired to make music: Sepultura, Korrozia Metalla, Sodom. Later Samael, Agonoize, Suicide commando. But you won't find much musical borrowing from them. I didn't grow up to them as a musician.Technically, I can't borrow from them.  Now I listen to everything, but mostly it's power electronics, ambient, raw noise black metal. I order interesting releases on cassettes.

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

The problem of rock fans and generally conditionally "Good music" is that they think that everyone is seriously listening to music. While simple and often not stupid people just need a background and not a loaded product . Due to the fact that their ability to enjoy listening to music and composing quirks, is much lower than music lovers. They don't fucking need it.

Study well, listen to your mom and dad and don't tell them you want to play hell's throat. Don't upset your loved ones.

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Lychgate/Also sprach Futura/Debembur Morti Productions/2020 EP Review

  Lychgate  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  progressive  and  avant  garde  mixture  of  black  and  funeral  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  ep  "Also  sprach  Futura"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Debembur  Morti  Productions.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  The  songs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  avant  garde  elements  along  with  the  faster  sections  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  blast  beats  and  clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  Death  metal  growls  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  yet  progressive  style.  The  slower  sections  of  the  songs  are  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  funeral  doom  metal  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  some  blackened  screams  in  some  parts  of  the  recording.

  Clean  playing,  organs  and  mellotron's  can  also  be  heard in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  one  track  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  along  with  the  music  also  taking  some  of  the  mid  90's  avant  garde  black  metal  style  and  mixing  it  with  some  more  modern  influences.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  transhumanism,  simulacra  and  simulation,  post-humanity,  the  uncanny  valley,  Pygmalionism,  and  the  fictional  machine  Golem  XIV  which  exceeds  human  intelligence.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Lychgate  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  progressive,  avant  garde  black  metal  and  funeral  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Progeny  Of  The  Singularity"  and  "Vanity  Ablaze".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/Lychgate

https://lychgate.bandcamp.com