The Lightbringer/From The Void To The Existence/2020 CD Review

  The  Lightbringer  are  a  band  from  Quebec,  Canada  that  plays  a  melodic  and  atmospheric  mixture  of  black,  death  and  gothic  metal  and  this  is  a  review of  their  self  released  2020  album  "From  The  Void  To  The  Existence"  which  will  be  released  in  July.

  Tragic  sounding  pianos  and  keyboards  start  off  the  album  while  also  using  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding keys  and  mixing  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music.  Operatic  female  vocals  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls.

  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  lot  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  music  also  having  its  atmospheric  moments  as  well  as  the  music  also  adding  in  some  elements  of  goth  metal.

  The  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  guitar  leads  being  done  in  a  melodic  style  when  they  are  utilized  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  short  in  length  along  with  one  track  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  they  also  bring  in  a  cover  of  Kitaro's  "Caravansary".  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  The  Lightbringer  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  atmospheric  mixture  of  black,  death  and  gothic  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "From  The  Void"  "The  Awakening"  "The  Seal  Of  Annihilation"  and  "To  Existence".  8  out  of  10.

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Lucynine/Amor Venenat/Inverse Records/2020 CD Review

 Lucynine  is  a  solo  project  from  Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  post  black,  sludge,  doom  metal, punk,  crust,  hardcore,  darkwave  and  experimental  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2020  album  "Amor  Venenat"  which  will  be released  in  July by  Inverse  Records.

   Music  and  spoken  word  samples start off  the  album  before  going  into  a   very  fast  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking.Vocals  are  mostly grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.  Keyboards  are  also  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times.

   All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  some  tracks  also  bring  in  clean  singing  along  with  some  tracks  also  adding  in  elements  of  post  rock  and  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  noisy  style  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Spoken  word  parts  also  make  a  return  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  as  well  as  the  music  also  having  its  experimental  moments  and  some  tracks  show  an  influence  of  darkwave.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  sounding  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  adding  in  some  touches  of  post  punk,  crust  and  hardcore  and  all  of  the  tracks  also  sound  very  different  from  each  other,  death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  psychedelic  and  blues  rock  elements  can  also  be heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  the  darkest  and  most  negative  sides  of  love.

  In  my  opinion  Lucynine  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  post  black,  sludge,  doom  metal,punk,  crust,  hardcore,  darkwave  and  experimental,  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "-Nine  Eleven"  "Things  I'll  Never  Know"  "White  Roses"  and  "Everyone  O  Lovedis  Dead". 8out  of  10.

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https://youtu.be/wfrVLjBgs4g

Okkultokrati/La Ilden Lyse/Southern Lord Recordings/2020 CD Review

  Norway's  Okkultokrati  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  into  more  of  a  mixture  of  black'n'roll,  sludge  metal  and  hardcore  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "La  Ilden  Lyse" which  was  released  by  Southern  Lord  Recordings.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.  Elements  of  black'n'roll  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  album  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  At  times  the  music  also  captures  the  raw  energy  of  hardcore  punk  while  the  keyboards  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  a  psychedelic  and  ritualistic  feeling  when  they  are  utilized.  The  guitar  riffing  also  adds  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  metal  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.,  melodic  guitar  leads  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  On  this  recording  Okkultokrati  takes  black'n'roll,  sludge  metal  and  hardcore  punk  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Luciferian,  Thelema,  Occultism,  Moon  Worship  and  Transcending  Death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Okkultokrati  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black'n'roll,  sludge  metal  and  hardcore  punk, you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Thelemic  Threat"  "Grimoire  Luciferian  Dream"  "Kiss  Of  Death"  and  "The  Dying  Grass  Moon".  8  out  of  10.

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Serene Dark/Enantiodromia/2020 CD Review

  Serene  Dark  are  a  band  from  Ottawa,  Ontario,  Canada  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  under  their  older  name  'Enddemise'   and  plays  a  melodic  and  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2020  album  "Enantiodromia"  which  will  be  released  in  July.

  Tragic  sounding  keyboards  which  also  uses  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys  and  spoken  word  samples  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Death  metal  growls  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  the  riffs  also bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  symphonic  elements  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful sound  to  them  along  with  the  music  also  having  its  brutal  moments.  The  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  both  old  school  and  modern  influences  as  well  as  a couples  of  them  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  throat  singing  and  clean  singing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  a  couple  of  tracks,  spoken  word  parts  also  make  a  brief  return  on  a  couple  of  later  songs.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophy,  stoicism,  hermeticism  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Serene  Dark  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  and  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  "Of  Serpentine  Form"  "Dweller  In  The  Void  of  Spirit"  " Grieving  The  Distortion  Of  Self"  and  "Onward,  Burning,  Radiance".  8  out  of  10.

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Varus/A New Dawn/2020 Full Length Review

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Germany's  Varus  which  continues  the  symphonic  and  melodic  mixture  of  folk,  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  the  album  will  be  self  released  on  June  27th,  2020.

  Stringed  instruments  along  with  some  symphonic  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  a  brief  use  of  operatic  female  vocals  which  also  appear  on  later  tracks  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  but  keeping  the  symphonic  elements.  Vocals  are  mostly  black  metal  screams  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  Folk  instruments  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  When  the  music  speeds up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  A  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.  The  songs  also  add  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  some  death  metal  growls  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  recording  and  some  tracks  also  add  in  some  clean  pagan  vocals  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  English  and  German  and  cover  local  myths/legends,  the  art  of  drinking,  Romanticism,  War  and  Historical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great sounding  recording  from  Varus  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic  and  melodic  folk,  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Awakening"  "Ein  Lebewohl"  and  "The  Minstrels  Chant".  8  out  of  10.

 https://youtu.be/fjVK1I4nFVk

Varus/Till The Sun Rises/2020 CD Review

  Varus  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  symphonic  form  of  folk  metal  along  with  some  elements  of  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Till The  Sun  Rises".

  A  very  symphonic  and  epic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  also  adding  in  some  touches  of  classical  music  while  also  capturing  the  atmosphere  of  a  fantasy  movie  soundtrack  and  the  symphonic  elements  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Black  metal  screams  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  clean  pagan  vocals  are  also  utilized  at  times.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  some  death  metal  growls  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  music.

  Folk  metal  elements  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  some  blast  beats  also  being  added  into  the  faster  sections  of  the  music.  The  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of   folk  instruments  and  whispered  vocals  can  also  be  heard,  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  the  closing  track.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in a  mixture  of  English  and  German  and  cover  local  myths/legends,  the  art  of  drinking,  Romanticism,  War  and  Historical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Varus  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  and  melodic  mixture  of  folk,  black  and  death  metal and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres, you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "One  Day"  "Nachtgiger"  "Des  Winters  Tod"  and  "Till  The  Sun  Rises".  8  out  of  10.

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Ba'alzamon Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

Marc: We all lead separate lives for the most part. This is mostly due to living so far from each other. While this hinders any hopes of live performances at the moment, we still have fun trading riffs and continuing to create music together. The internet and digital workstations have been great to us in that regard.

Rob: We are starting to track some demos for the follow up album. As a band that likely won’t be doing any touring, we want to keep the ball rolling somehow. We talked about it and I will be 50 in eight years, we’d like to have four albums out by then. So, one every 2 ½ to 3 years for the next decade.

2.In September you released your first full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

Rob: Well, what we released in September was more a demo than anything, the fully mixed and mastered album officially released in May 2020. We weren’t shooting for any particular style; we just write what we think sounds good and build upon that. 

Marc: I think we initially were trying to just redo most of the older songs as a fun project that helped keep us connected as friends. We had older demo recordings from around 1999 and wanted to update them to reflect what we have learned as musicians over the last couple decades. Once those were completed, we continued to write in the same vein musically because that just seems to be how things fall into place for the three of us. In a nutshell, I don't think we're ever going for a particular sound exactly. I think we just play what comes to us and it sounds how it does.

3.The band formed in 1998 and broke up in 2001, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?

Marc: Towards to end of our initial run there was some turmoil brewing within the group. We had other guys playing with us at the time and things just didn't seem to work out overall. During the past couple decades, we were all involved in music somehow and I think it was just decided that we should try to get those original songs recorded for our own personal enjoyment. Once we started that process it just kind of took off for us again.

Curtis: Well the disbanding was brought on by many things. A big portion was due to not having support in the local scene (which was thriving at the time). There was national publicity in the Little Rock sludge scene which I was a part of, but somehow Ba'alzamon was not. On any given weekend, you would see some amazing extreme band come through with 2 or 3 stoner bands made up of the same handful of guys, and that was beyond frustrating. All that, along with previous members causing turmoil within the band, just killed it for all of us for a while.

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

Marc: The original songs from the 1998-2001 era were kind of all over the place. There was no one solid topic that we used. We had a protest song (There Was No Blood), a song about cults (Heathens of the Blackest Fold), and even a song about celestial rebirth (A Vow of Celestial Fealty). We were younger then and were exploring many topics based on the state of the world then and also our influences at the time.

Curtis: Subjects tend to gravitate toward Cults and cult type activity, astral projection, breaking out of dark places in life and destroying what oppresses you. One song is a dedication for my love of nature and the beauty of the Ozarks.

5.I know that the band’s name comes from Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time” series, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these writings and also are there any other fantasy authors that have had an influence on the music?

Marc: Unfortunately, I'm not much of a fantasy reader. That would be Rob who read those books and suggested the name. I'm personally more of a Sword and Sandals guy, while The Wheel of Time is Sword and Sorcery type stuff.

Curtis: Knights of Soth is about a character in the Dragonlance / Ravenloft series.

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

Marc: We wanted to capture some of the area where Ba'alzamon first got together as a band and started writing while also keeping things a little spooky.

Curtis: I took that while at sunset on a swampy part of Lake Conway.

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?

Rob: Probably a show we did at a place called Vino's. It is a staple club in the scene (has been for decades), and it was kind of a rite of passage to play there. Plus, I can still remember the after-party pretty well, and that was, I think, where we were peaking with that particular line-up.

Marc: We were a wild bunch for sure. Lots of DIY theatrics. We would use fake blood, homemade stage lighting and whatever else we could think of to try to give the crowd the best show possible. My personal favorite show that we ever played was at Vino's in Little Rock. We had all seen many bands that we loved there so sharing that same stage finally was a great experience. Other shows that are memorable were at The Parlor Tattoos in Little Rock and The Electric Moo in Russellville.

8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

Marc: I don't believe we've received any interest at this point. It may be a bit soon for that considering the album just got released. I think if the right offer were to come around, we may be interested.

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

Marc: People into metal seem to like it so far and we've received some good reviews. I'm not sure how many international listeners have heard us at this point, however.

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

Marc: I think we'll keep writing music and working on the next release. With modern technology and faster ways of trading ideas, we could probably do this for a long time to come.

Rob: When we last spoke on it, we talked about doing 3 more albums before evaluating if it was worth continuing. For now, we are starting to lay some tracks for the next album.

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?

Rob: A lot of early second wave black metal and early symphonic black metal. Those first few Emperor, Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir albums, anything produced by Peter Tägtgren, some early melodic death metal. That is what influences me. I listen to a wide variety of things but lately have enjoyed the newest mgła album, Deathspell Omega, Dark Funeral’s Angelus Exuro pro Eternus.

Marc: I think we had a lot of black metal influence early on. I've personally never been much of a true death metal fan and was always the guy trying to get Luca Turilli into the CD rotation at parties. Cradle of Filth was a favorite especially during the Dusk and Her Embrace/Cruelty and the Beast era. Dimmu Borgir's Spiritual Black Dimensions was another one I think we all listened to often. There was also Borknagar, Manowar, Acid Bath, Rwake, Emperor, etc. Nowadays I'm listening to mostly bands like Nargaroth, Rotting Christ, Lustre, None, and Insomnium.

Curtis: UADA, Dopethrone, Graves at Sea, Origin, Cattle Decapitation


12.What are some of your non-musical interests?

Marc: I'm actually an avid trading card collector. I mainly stick with baseball, football and Star Wars cards. I have a good time buying, selling and trading with others like me who just enjoy the hobby.

Curtis: Camping, kayaking, youth football really all the youth sports we are involved in.

Rob: I am currently working on a PhD in Communication and Information Studies. I am in the dissertation phase, with two kids aged seven and one, as well as teaching undergraduate courses, so all that eats up most of my time. Any free time I usually dedicate to music.

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

Marc: Just that we appreciate every single person who has given us a listen and hope to continue making music. Thank you to everyone who has listened and reviewed us as well.
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