Xaemora/At Dusk Of Existence/2020 EP Review

  St.  Louis,  Missouri's  Xaemora  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the    symphonic  style  of  black  metal  from  their  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2020  ep  "At  Dusk  Of  Existence".

 A  very  fast  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  while  also  mixing  the  symphonic  elements  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  90's  era.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  recording  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  On  this  recording  Xaemora  remain  true  to  the  symphonic  style  of  black  metal  that  they  have established  on  their  previous  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  misanthropy,  chaos  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Xaemora  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic  black  metal, you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Descent  To  Oblivion"  and  "At  Dusk  Of  Existence".  8 out  of  10.

 Xaemora.bandcamp.com    

SWMM/Trail Of The Fallen/2020 Full Length Review

  SWMM(Sometimes  We  Make  Music)  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  folk,  black  and  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020 album  "Trail  Of  The  Fallen".

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  also  introducing  symphonic  elements  onto  the  recording  a  few  seconds  later.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  some  clean  vocals  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  blackened  screams.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  spoken  word  parts  onto  the  recording.

  The  songs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  melodic  death  metal  elements  along  with  some  folk  instruments  also  being  utilized  at  times.  one  track  also  introduces  clean  vocals  onto  the  album  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  touch  of  ska  can  also  be  heard  and  female  vocals  are  also  added  onto  the  closing  track.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Norwegian  folklore  and  ancient  times.

  In  my  opinion  SWMM  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  mixture  of  folk,  black  and  melodic  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "By  The  Might  Of  The  Crow"  "Demon"  and  "Two  Kings".  8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp https://swmm.bandcamp.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sometimes.we.make.music/

  

Lycantrophilia/Blood Moon Chronicles/2020 Full Length Review

  Lycantrophilia  are  a  duo  with  members  from  Germany  and  France  that  plays  a  symphonic  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2020  album  "Blood  Moon  Chronicles"  which  will  be  released  on  April  17th.

  Symphonic  elements  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Elements  of  slam  death  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  music  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing.

  One  track  also  introduces  back  up  shouts  onto  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses     clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks   and  at  times  the  music  also  shows  an  influence  of  90's  era  symphonic  black  metal.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Lycantrophilia  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  yo  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Queen  Of  Night"  "Sinister  Gospel"  "Hymn  Of  Lies"  and  "Footsteps  In  Our  Path". 8  out  of  10.

 Homepage: https://lycantrophilia.bandcamp.com/
Contact: info@lycantrophilia.de

Rise Of The Stateless Wolf Interview

A - Strings Nomad, Spiritual Throat
F. - Strings and Fury Throat

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

A. - The R.O.T.S.W. project start in 2019. At that time all of us are involved in our strictly esoteric black metal project called Nurmur. We decided to put our force and dedication into a new entity, where our musical attitude and styles will not be caged into a specific genre/scene. The mission: explore meditative sound and turn them into furious vehemence.

2.So far you have released an ep, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?

A. - A dark mixture of our influences/style put together to match the lyrical concept. Crust/d-beat drum pattern and Black-Death metal riffs to give a violent ripetitive-obsessive texture and furious, low and not so clean vocals.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?

A. - The main lyrical topic is simple yet ambitious: the eternal climb to the one's self Holy Mountain, and the risk of failure that a quest like this can involve.
In fact, this EP is dedicated to Emilio Salgari, a famous Italian writer of the past century who has write hundreds of book describing in details places and territory he never visited. A man with a powerful and limitless mind. In the same powerful way he ended his life with Seppuku. The ritual suicide.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Rise Of The Stateless Wolf'?

A. - After thousands of years of migration under persecution, the wolf is indeed a stateless animal. Driven by his instinct of survival, that made him the antithesis of the modern man...let's celebrate him, he didn't surrender!

5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover?

A. - The Elephant's head with a broken tusk...will forever be our animal guide. In the induistic tradition he represent the instinct of survival, destruction of obstacles, equilibrium, an archetipe full of simbolic meanings. To put him on our first cover art was more mandatory than natural.

6.Has the band had any opportunities to do any live shows yet?

F. - We had to do our first concert in May, but due of Covid-19 virus that is scourging our country, everything is postponed.
We will be ready when the time comes.

7.The ep was released on 'Italian Extreme Underground', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

F. - Italian Extreme Underground is my DIY label/distro. Born in 2014 as a Facebook page (still active), it turned into a label/distro a few years later and has a dozen releases.
For info: https://www.facebook.com/italiaextreme / http://ieudistro.altervista.org / https://italianextremeunderground.bandcamp.com

8.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black, sludge metal and hardcore?

F. - We are trying to get our music out of Italy, at the moment we don't have much feedback from abroad. But those few we have, they have been positive.

9.When  can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

F. - After this EP is it worth considering the idea of doing a full-length? We do not know this.
When we meet after this quarantine period we will think about the path that our project will take.
Musically we set no limits. We take every source of inspiration and even this dark moment of our life will help us, especially for the lyrics.

10.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?

A. - Musically speaking, our main influences are the Crust/D-beat fury of acts like Discharge and Wolfpack; the lyrical and atmospheric exploration of Inquisition and few other Black Metal band, the old-school thrash and death metal scene, particulary the album Schizophrenia from Sepultura and the complete discography of Bolt Thrower. Godflesh and Mysticum for the use of drum machine. And some neo folk act like Death in June and Current 93.
Speaking of new band, Mitochondrion, Portal, Youth Code.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

A. - Read, study, meditate and training for the end.

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

A./F.- We want to thank again your 'zine for giving us this space to promote our project and for the review...OSU

https://www.facebook.com/rotsw/

Rise Of The Stateless Wolf/Born Dead/Year Of The Rats/Italian Extreme Underground/2020 EP Review

  Rise  Of  The  Stateless  Wolf  are  a  band  from  Italy that  plays  a  mixture  of  black, sludge  metal and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  ep  "Born  Dead/Year  Of  The  Rats" which  was  released  by  Italian  Extreme  Underground.

  Dark  sounding  synths  start  off  the  ep  before  adding  in  a  very  powerful  sounding  bass  guitar  while  the  slower  riffing  brings  in  elements  of  sludge  metal.  Vocals  are  mostly  blackened  metal  screams  along  with  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  showing  an  influence  of  hardcore.

  Dark  sounding  melodies  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats.  The  songs  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  modern  and  old  school  influences  along  with  some  touches  of  crust  punk  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  finally  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  chaotic  style and  spoken  word parts,  demonic  voices  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  on  the  closing  track.

  Rise  Of  The  Stateless  Wolf  plays  a  musical  style that takes black  sludge  metal,  crust  and  hardcore  and  mixes them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  spiritual  and  death  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  Rise  Of  The  Stateless  Wolf  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black, sludge  metal,  crust  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Born  Dead/Year  Of  TT.O.Dhe  Rats"  and  "T.O.D".  8  out  of  10.

https://italianextremeunderground.bandcamp.com/album/i-e-u-009-rise-of-the-stateless-wolf-born-dead-year-of-the-rats

    

Hallowed Hands/Bleeding Pixels/Blue Bedroom Records/2020 EP Review

Hallowed  Hands  are  a  duo  from  Madison,  Wisconsin  that  plays  a  progressive  form  of  post  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  ep  "Bleeding  Pixels"  which  was  released  by  Blue  Bedroom  Records.



  Growling  death  metal  vocals  and  heavy  riffing  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some black  emtal  screams  a  few  seconds  later.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  yet  progressive  style  and  some  of  the  mid  tempo  riffing  and  shouts  shows  an  influence  of  hardcore.



  Elements  of  post  metal  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  a  touch  of  sludge  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  music.  Video  game  samples  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  the  whole  recording  mostly  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction  and  the  music  also  speeds  up  briefly  on  the  closing  track  and  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.

  Hallowed  Hands  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  death,  sludge,  progressive  metal,  hardcore  and  video  game  music  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own. The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cove r video  games,  wasted  youth,  health  problems  and  growing  up.

  In  my  opinion  Hallowed  Hands  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  post  black  metal  band  with  elements  of  death,  sludge  metal  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bullet  Hell"  and  "Final  Form".  8  out  of  10.

  

Wells Valley Interview

Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?

WV: Since the recording and release of Reconcile the Antinomy, we’ve been given interviews to the press and also presenting the album on live acts.
On December we were at Under The Doom Fest at RCA Club in Lisbon where we played with several bands such as Alcest, Daylight Dyes, Consecration and Petrichor.
We’ve played with our good friends Soul of Anubis in our vinyl release party with our labels Chaosphere and Raging Planet, at Sabotage Club in Lisbon.

In November you had released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

WV: For us this is another step that we’ve taken, we know each other better than before and we’re exploring our creativity in new approaches without losing our darker ambience, adding new textures in our process.

The lyrics on the new album go into Hermeticism, Occultism, Cosmology and Theology, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in those topics?


WV:  RTA is the reconciliation of man with spirituality, the new dawn of a long forgotten inner light and a dusk for a painful era. In this record we focused on numerous aspects and themes and all converged into one;  we have to move forward from the mundane and systematic routines that enclures our hearts and souls. RTA lyrics focus on a ancient remembrance that have to be summon from her slumber.

What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Wells Valley'?

WV: Wells Valley come from the history of mankind, for centuries Man occupied the valleys where they felt safe and where it as possible to survive, than one of the major factor was the well, for some it was life because of the water, for others was a weapon where you could poison your enemies and also where some people choose to put en to their life.

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

WV: The cover art of RTA is based on the alchemical tree of metals, this image has a lot of symbolic meaning and that fits perfectly on the Wells Valley imaginary and it’s based in a very old illustration. The original picture belongs to a compendium of alchemical manuscripts that got something like three centuries. So after we discussed and tried different concepts this was the one that fitted entirely in the graphic prototype that we have looked for. We just applied a new vision and graphic style to the concept.
 
What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

WV: This is a common place, but every show has its value to us.
We’ve been performing since 2015: Burning Light festival, SWR festival in Barroselas, playing with bands such as Bolzer, Mantar, Weedeater, Jucifer , Bizarra Locomotiva, Process of Guilt, Earth Drive; Soul of Anubis, they mean a lot for us.
In stage we like to perform accurately and give as much as possible the air impact of our musical approach.

Do you have any touring or show plans for 2020?

WV: Honestly we don’t have nothing closed yet but our goal is to play in some European venues. Keep and eye on our Facebook page, or at www.wellsvalley.net.
We’ll share all the news!

On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your newer music by fans of avant garde, black, doom, sludge and post metal?

WV: We’ve been praised by some fans from all wide world, United States, Germany New Zealand... The common feeling is that our fans like our new album and they want us to play near them, so maybe the future will bring us surprises.


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

WV: Musically the future will be denser and heavier, we got some ideas and now we are planning the moment to start making some preproduction of new material

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?

WV : We listen and got tons of influences from classical music to the most extreme metal. We pay attention to all.

What are some of your non musical interests?

 WV: Families, movies, pets, plastic arts, books… There’s a lot of stuff.


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

WV: Keep on supporting Wells Valley, buy our material and go see us live. Nothing gives us more pleasure than being at a show absorbing new experiences with a crowd.

http://www.wellsvalley.net 
https://www.facebook.com/pg/WellsValley
https://www.instagram.com/wellsvalley