Kiova/Empty Fields And Smoked-Filled Skies/Off Records/Maniyax Records/2020 EP Review

 

Kiova  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  post  black,  sludge  metal  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  ep  "Empty  Fields  And  Smoked-Filled  Skies"  which  will  be  released  on  October  30th  as  a  joint  effort  between  Off  and  Maniyax  Records.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  post  hardcore  elements.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  sludge  style  growls  and  black  metal  screams  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  

  The  songs  also  add  in  a    decent  amount  of  d  beat  elements  while  all  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  post  metal style  as  well  as  all  of  the  music  sticking  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction  and  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up a   small  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also b e  heard.

  Kiova  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  post  black,  sludge  metal  and  hardcore  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Slavic  mythology  and  the  writings  of  H.P  Lovecraft.

  In  my  opinion  Kiova  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  post  black,  sludge  metal  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres, you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "From  Man  Of  God  To  Voracious  Beast".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/Kiovaband 
https://kiovaband.bandcamp.com

https://youtu.be/6pGiwBTIpJY

Hedon/In Blasphemy Reborn/Downfall Records/2020 EP Review

 

  Hedon  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  ep  "In  Blasphemy  Reborn"  which  was  released  by  Downfall  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black metal  screams  while  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  Swedish  era  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  music  also  adds  in  a  decent  amount  of  death  metal  elements.  A  couple  of  songs  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  along  with  a  brief  use  of  growls  and  the  closing  track  is  also  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Hedon  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  90's  melodic  styles  of  black  and  death  metal and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  blasphemy, occultism  and  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hedon  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRCACK  "The  Beast  Of  A  Thousand  Demons".  8  out  of  10.

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Twisted Mist Interview

 

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band? Twisted Mist is the result of a musical project in which we compose morceau mixing a rather brutal and primitive metal tainted with medieval sounds. Our music can be perceived as pagan or folk metal. We try to relate a tale through concept albums, which are mostly made of instrumental songs. Traditional instruments, such as the hurdy gurdy, the bombarde or certain types of flutes are featured in our albums. Our next album, Orbios, will be released in November and deals with legacy. 

2.In November you have a new album coming out in November, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past? Musically, Orbios is quite different from our old stuff. With "Mortui Vivos Docent" and "Le brâme", our goal was to offer a travel throughout the album, halfway between traditional song and death metal. Even if it’s the goal behind Orbios too, the travel isn’t the same here. We wanted something more spiritual, with a large panel of feelings and tried to highlight this during the writing and composition process. However, in Orbios, we needed to emphasize the topic of the legacy, therefore we decided to sing in languages such as Latin or old French.

 3.Your earlier music was instrumental while the newer music has vocals, what was the decision behind going into this direction? In our previous albums, we wanted to create an atmosphere, more than relating a tale. On this new album, it’s totally different. If it’s still important for us to make people travel through our album, we wanted above all a narration, a message behind the concept.

 4.A lot of your lyrics cover Paganism themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic? We are fond of the Middle-Ages, Pagan legends and the History of Music more globally. It was pretty obvious for us to incorporate some pagan stuff during the writing process. That’s why Orbios is an album which deals with spiritual legacy. This topic means a lot to us so that’s why we wanted to allude to it and even present it throughout our lyrics. 

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Twisted Mind'? Actually, we wanted to create a “misty” or “tortuous” aspect to the path taken by Twisted Mist and its compositions. We venture to music in which we experiment, thanks to a substantial collection of traditional instruments. We explore new things and we think that this name is a representation of what we create. It is not constantly the same, we don’t follow a straight path, from time to time it’s brutal, joyful, melancholic, and often spiritual… We also like to think of it as branches of a tree. We can also add that there is a forest in Verzy, near our city, Reims, in which we can gaze at Faux, trees which are naturally tortuous. So this was also an allusion to these trees, that we can also find in the logo of the band... 

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on this album cover? There are a lot of aspects to take into account. First, the colour. We chose to use mainly the red and it is scattered by black spots. On the one hand red represents life, energy and most importantly blood, the first true legacy of a parent to their child even before birth. Black, on the other hand, represents death, void and is an addition to the duality dealt with in Orbios. The hand symbolizes a mark. A mark is a visual and tangible track of somebody's passing. It corresponds to the theme of our album. Finally, there's a circle which surrounds the handprint in the centre of the sleeve and which is like the representation of the album: cyclic and without beginning or end, just like an Ouroboros 

7.Has the band done any live shows or open to the idea? Considering the number of instruments played and the fact that we are a pair, even if we’ve played live on our own in the past, it’s difficult to think about a live performance for the moment because of some logistical reasons. Of course the COVID context doesn't really help us. Anyway, we’re not opposed to this idea, but we’ll need more time to think about it and more musicians to help us play all these instruments during a show.

 8.The new album is coming out on Music-Records, how did you get in contact with this label? We were looking for a label that could understand the way we decided to take on Orbios and the work behind this concept album. We wanted to work with people who are passionate and ready to support our music. We were lucky enough to hear about Music-Records. We were able to talk about our album and they perfectly understood our approach. 

9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of pagan and folk metal? It is too soon to really know and tell. We’ve already had good feedback on our previous compositions and they are also really positive for the first single of “Orbios”. Some listeners tell us that they “travel thanks to our music”, it is obviously heart-warming for us. 

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future? To be honest, we still have some difficulties imagining things that far. For the moment, we want to support, promote Orbios and share our music as much as we can. We are beginning to think about the successor of Orbios.

 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? We often listen to traditional medieval music. We particularly enjoy some of the performances of Guillaume de Machaut’s morceau. We are interested by traditional formation such as “Les derniers Trouvères” or the Belarusian band “Stary Olsa”. We also admire bands such as Danheim or Wardruna. We really are fond of metal music: we can listen to Iron Maiden, Hypno5e, Gojira, Meshuggah, Grorrr, Sepultura, Avatar, Eluveitie, etc. 

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?  We would like to thank you for showing interest in our project and also thank the label Music-Record for putting their trust and helping us promote our creations !

https://www.facebook.com/twistedmist2014/
https://www.instagram.com/twisted.mist/

Poison Wind/Virus!/Eleventh Key/2020 CD Review

 

  Poison  Wind  are  a  band  from  the  United  States  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  doom,  death,  thrash  metal,  avant  garde,  crust  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Virus!"  which  will  be  released  on  October  30th  by  Eleventh  Key.

  Hardcore  style  shouts  and  crust  influenced  riffing  starts  off  the  album  while  elements  of  thrash  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing.  At  times  the  music  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  80's  era  grindcore  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Death  metal  growls  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  recording  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  When  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  and  avant  garde  sounding  along  with  most  of  the  tracks  also  sounding  very  different  from  each  other  as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  clean  singing  onto  the  recording,  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  and  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also be  heard  and  one  track  also adds  in  touches  of  harsh noise.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  COVID19  pandemic.

  In  my  opinion  Poison  Wind  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  doom,  death,  thrash  metal,  avant  garde,  crust  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Branch  CoVidians"  "Viral  Tales"  and  "Weight".  8 out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/poisonwind     

Skalmold/10 Year Anniversary - Live In Reykjavik/Napalm Records/2020 Live Album Review

 

  Skalmold  are  a  band  from  Iceland  that h as  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  Viking  and  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2020  album  "!0 Year  Anniversary  -  Live  In  Reykjavik"  which  will  be  released  on  October  23rd  by  Napalm  Records.

  Live  audience  reaction  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  pagan  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  At  times  the  vocals  add  in  more  of  a  semi  rough  style  while  black  metal  screams  are  also  utilized  in  some  parts  of  the  music.  Keyboards  and  folk  music  elements  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  songs  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic in  length,  When  the  music  finally  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard,  some  of  the songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts. 

  On  this  recording  Skalmold  takes  their  mixture  of  folk  nd  Viking  metal  plays  a  bunch  of  songs  from  albums  they  have  released  over  the  years  to  a  live  audience.  The  production  sounds  very professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Norse  Mythology,  Icelandic  Poetry  and  Battle  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Skalmold  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  Viking  and  folk  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  live  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Aras"  "Niflheimur"  "Daudi"  and  "Kvadning".  8  out  of  10.

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Strydegor/Isolacry/MDD Records/2020 CD Review

 

  Strydegor  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of   black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Isolacry"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  MDD  Records.

  A  very  dark  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  brief  use  of  synths  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  melodic  direction.  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  clean singing  is  also  utilized  at  times.  

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  spoken  word  parts  into  the  music.

  Some  songs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  singing  along  with  the  synths  also  making  a  return  on  one  of  the  later  tracks  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  instrumental  can  also  be  heard,  and  a  later  track  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  scientific  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  Strydegor  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  "Innocence  Corroded"  "World  In  Your  Hands"  "As  April  Slowly  Fades"  and  "Still  Alive".  8  out  of  10.

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Nachtblut Interview

 

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

Skoll: Since we recorded Vanitas we spend a lot of time to prepare the release - photo-, video shoots, planning the promotion etc. Unfortunately, due to the Corona pandemic, all festivals and shows for 2020 have been postponed. Regarding shows, we're just hoping for better times, crossing fingers for 2021 and waiting. 

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

Skoll: I believe with Vanitas we offer a lot of facets and variety, but still managed to have a homogenous sound, upholding the fundamental vibe. It’s exciting to have such a diverse album and the feedback from fans and critics approves that. Regarding the sound, I think we found what we were aiming for. 

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

Skoll: As diverse as songs on the album, so are the lyrics. Of course, we are dealing with transience, mortality and death, but we didn’t stop there. Further the Vanitas art is also about deliberate, reflecting your lifestyle, your present and what choices you make. So, from the kind of moral dogmas nowadays, gathered in “lifestyles”, in which each thinks it’s superior to the others, to the question of who is in charge of your knowledge, point of view on things or your definition of happiness, dictatorship and unusual bonds between people, you will find a whole range of topics on Vanitas. 

4.I know that the bands name means 'Night blood' in German, how does this name fit in with the musical style that you play?

Skoll: There are several rumors out there, stating why we chose the name or what it means actually. I won’t comment on this ;-). But for sure, the name itself has something dark and sinister, so is our music.

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

Skoll: As the record is called Vanitas and deals with aspects of this art, it was obvious to include the Vanitas-still-life-art at our artwork for the album. Inspired by the paintings of the 16th and 17th century you will notice certain symbols on the cover. They are not randomly chosen. Every object has a symbolic meaning. It’s like a code, which gives you a detailed picture of the thoughts of the artist, or the issues addressed. What the several objects are representing, is to figure out by everyone by himself. I won’t spoil this, it would take away all the fun. 

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

Skoll: For me personally the very first show in China was a highlight. I didn’t know what to expect, and I was touched by the energy and emotions of the people. Over the last years there are many great concerts and experiences. Of course, playing Wacken for the first time is very special, so are small club shows in which the crowd goes nuts and water/sweat is dripping down the ceiling. I would say our shows are full of energy. It’s always have been part of our shows to have a lot of movement on stage and in front of it. So for example we stage dive and having moshpits with the fans. Nothing for a quiet and comfy evening. 

7.Since 2012 all of your albums have been released on 'Napalm Records', do you feel they have been very supportive when it comes to getting your music out there heard?

Skoll: Yes! It’s great to be with Napalm Records, they are always supportive. You hear a lot of stories about other labels and bands not getting along. Even sometimes labels interfere into the music or artistic decision. I can’t say anything like that about Napalm, it’s always have been a cool with and never an against each other. Over the years, a certain bond manifests. 

8.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your newer music by fans of dark metal?

Skoll: Very good, almost overwhelming. Fans as critics like the record. Of course, you will always find one that isn’t convinced or the old stuff in general is better. But for those people it doesn’t matter what you do, they will always find something to moan about. It also seems that the international interest grew compared to Apostasie. So all in all a very well-received album! 

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

Skoll: I don’t know. Like I said, for me we found the sound we were aiming for. Regarding songwriting, we never sat down and brainstormed like “the next record needs to be like this and this, because it’s a trend”. Things are developing naturally, call it evolution. So the direction will depend on what we are into at the very moment the songs are written. But no worries we will stay true to ourselves. 

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?

Skoll: I think every one of us listened or still listen to Rammstein and Cradle Of Filth. Also, we all enjoying Black Metal. But as we are 4 individuals everyone brings in another backstory. Speaking for myself, I don’t care too much about the label put on the music. I listen to all kinds of genres, depending on the mood. Probably if I would turn on the music right now, it would be Ghost. 

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Skoll: I like to do sport, like to read, mainly scientific books, or books about a certain topic. There are just a few fictional, storytelling books I really like. But to be honest, most of the time, it's about music. Drumming, bands, touring, you name it. 

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

Skoll: Famous last word of every band in an interview - listen to our new album Vanitas, out now! Enjoy and in those times, stay safe and stay healthy. Thanks for having me, thanks for the interview!

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