Antipope/Apostle Of Infinite Joy/Fertile Crescent Productions/2020 Full Length Review

 
  Antipope  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  and  progressive  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  with  some  elements  of  goth,  industrial  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Apostle  Of  Infinite  Joy"  which  was  released  by  Fertile  Crescent  Productions.

  Atmospheric  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  playing  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  progressive  feeling.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  whispered  vocals  are  also  utilized  briefly.

  A  great  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  the  heavier  guitar  riffing  while  the  vocals  are  also  done  in  a  grim  black  metal  style.  Some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  prog  metal  elements  as  well  as  some  death  metal  growls  also  being  utilized  at  times.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  as  well  as  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Some  songs  also  mix  in  some  influences  of  industrial,  goth  and  traditional  metal  as  well  as  the  slower  sections  of the  music  also  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  doom  metal,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  at  times  the  vocals  also  add  in a   semi  melodic  tone.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  occultism  and  self  realization  in  an  esoteric  and  metaphoric  sense.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Antipope  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  and  progressive  black,  doom  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out t his  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Harbringer  Of  Dawn"  "Red  Goddess"  and  "Serpent  Of  Old". 8  out  of  10.

www.antipope.info
www.facebook.com/Antipope/
twitter.com/antipope_band
www.instagram.com/antipope_band/ 

 

   

Feed Them Death/Panopticism:Belong/Be Lost/I, Voidhanger Records/2020 Full Length Review

  Feed  Them  Death  is  a  solo  project  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  an  avant  garde  mixture  of  black,  sludge  metal,  experimental,  noise  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2020  album  "Panopticism:  Belong/Be  Lost"which  will  be  released  in  April  by  I,  Voidhanger  Records.

  Powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  riffing  a  few  seconds  later.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  grindcore  elements  and  the  riffs  also add  in  a  small  amounts  of  melody.

  A  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  short  in  length  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  A  great  amount  of  guitar  amp  distortion  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  elements  of  sludge  metal.

  Experimental  and  avant  garde  sounds  are  also  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times.  Touches  of  drone  and  harsh  noise  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  parts  of  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  stringed  instruments,  female  vocals  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  before  returning  back  to  a  more  brutal  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  inspired  by  "Discipline  And  Punish"  and  "Madness  And  Civilization"  by  philosopher  and  social  theorist  Michael  Foucault.

  In  my  opinion  Feed  Them  Death  is  a  very  great  sounding  avant  garde  mixture  of  black,  sludge  metal,  experimental,  noise  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Zoneless  Confinement"  "For  Our  Insolent  Dead"  "Black  Blue  Bahquet"  and  "Dead  Is  Better".  8 out  of  10.

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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