Fraught/Splitting Tongues/Cursed Monk Records/2021 EP Review

 

  Fraught  are  a  band  from  Ireland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2021  ep  "Splitting  Tongues"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Cursed  Monk  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  while  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing.   When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also be  heard  while the  vocals  are  also  a  mixture  of  sludge  style  shouts,  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Elements  of  doom  metal  are  also  added  into  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  some  semi  clean  playing  also  being  utilized  briefly  and  the  music  also  shows  some  influences  of  crust  and  grindcore  at  times  and  melodic  guitar  leads  can  also  be  heard  on  the  closing  track.   

  Fraught  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  sludge,  doom  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Fraught  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Throne  Of  Traitors"  and  "Fracture".  8  out  of  10.

https://cursedmonk.bandcamp.com/album/splitting-tongues

Stream on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pTwbwUC43t4  

Hogstul/Ominous Fragmenta Tuptdair/2021 Full Length Review

 

  Hogstul  are  a  solo  project  from  Norway  that  plays  a  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2021  album  "Ominous  Fragmenta  Tuptdair"  which  will  be  released  on  February  12th.

  A  very  fast  and  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams.  

  All  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  orchestra  structures.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  along  with  some  choirs  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  recording  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  90's  Nordic  influence  but  keeps  it  modern  at  the  same  time.

  Operatic  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  music  also  having  its  cinematic  moments.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  as  well  as  some  growls  also  being  utilized  at  times,  all  of  the  drum  beats  are  also  programmed.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

 In  my  opinion  Hogstul  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Tomb".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/eL3r8bvlDHU

https://www.facebook.com/Hogstul/

https://www.instagram.com/hogstul/

https://soundcloud.com/hogstul

https://hogstul.bandcamp.com/

    

Mountainscape/Acceptance/Trepanation Recordings/2021 CD Review

 

  Mountainscape  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  ambient,  black,  doom,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2021  album  "Acceptance"  which  will  be  released  on  February  26th  by  Trepanation  Recordings.

  Post  rick  style  riffing  starts  off  the  album  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  When  synths  are  utilized  they  also  bring  in  elements  of  ambient  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  while  all  of  the  music  is  instrumental.  All  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  clean  playing  along  with  some  black  metal  style  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  being  utilized  when  the  music  speeds  up  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Mountainscape  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  ambient  and  post  rock  and  mixes  it  with  black,  sludge  and  doom  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  as  well  as  keeping  everything  instrumental  while  the  production  sounds  very  professional.    

  In  my  opinion  Mountainscape  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  ambient,  black,  sludge,  doom  and  post  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Supernova"  "Lavawalker"  and  "Descent".  8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp: https://mountainscapeuk.bandcamp.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mountainscapeuk/ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84a3DdXn-iY - Resurgence Official Video 

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=474491409717576 - Acceptance Live 

Mephisto Interview

 

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

The most logical thing would be to do a tour presenting the album, playing the entire album repertoire, since many of those songs we have played mixed with other repertoires, but the great idea would be to play the entire album on tour. We were only able to give two concerts in our city due to the epidemiological situation that the island is suffering. Nowadays it is impossible because the circumstances are becoming apocalyptic, so we have turned to preparing the conditions for the next album. We have a repertoire for 3 more albums, however in the past we did not have the conditions and the technology to record with quality. As such unfortunately bad sounding demos circulated. What we are doing is rescuing all that, modernizing it and including the orchestrations that we are using today. Apart from that, an album of unreleased songs is already in the process of writing, but when we get to that point I'm sure we'll have two more albums ready for recording.

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

It differs in musical maturity, in better arrangements, in an incredible orchestration. We have also fixed the letters and the metric of it. The songs on the album are organized in an organic way so that in the end the listener believes that they have already traversed a whole universe of stories connected in one way or another to each other. Similar to a good "hook" book, this album is designed for a shocking beginning and ending that leaves you wanting more.

The band has been around since 1996 and while they were a few demos over the years the band waited until 2016 to release an album, can you tell us a little bit more about the earlier days?

The band has officially existed since 1997.

We didn’t really make a decision to wait until 2016 to release an album, but rather were forced to do so. The main reason for this was the conditions of an orthodox country, where digital technology was a long time coming… Without the digital technology and internet, it really forced us to wait for better times. 

We have lost 30 years of our lives in the vicious circle of events and concerts throughout the island, without being able to take our music to other countries. This was because years ago travel for Cuban citizens was prohibited and in addition private recording studios were also prohibited. Today these studios exist but only clandestinely. 

Also with the development of music production software, anyone can now record at home which certainly changes things here for us. We recorded our latest album with little access to many things required to make a recording and did it all whilst combating restrictive and challenging conditions. The listeners will be amazed by the good production of the Pentafixion album; however I don’t think they’d believe us if we explained how it was recorded. The good result has the following ingredients: years of training and study, dedication, patience and talent.

On the other hand, there have always been government recording studios, but their engineers are not experienced in recording and editing metal music. Their knowledge does not go beyond the sound of traditional Cuban music and salsa, so going to record there is a huge loss of time and money.

This is also your first album since 2016; can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?

We were recording demos throughout those years (Seven dead cities, Knowledge of Necronomicon, Creation of the magnificent, Dominion Satanas, Blasphemy and evil), and an album in 2000 (Carpathian tales) that despite sounding ok and being well received by the underground fans and platforms throughout the country, they just really did not pass muster for an official release. 

Apart from that, many concerts throughout the country, many line-up changes, more concerts, steadily creating and building up a kind of legend in the national metal scene. None of that was known in the world due to the isolation that we suffered on the island. Luckily today the internet exists and now we are visible. Keep in mind that we are the pioneer band of Black metal in Cuba and nobody knows that.

A lot of your lyrics cover satanic and occult topics; can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the dark arts?

Just as a dictatorship reinvents history and shapes it at its convenience, Christianity has manipulated the facts to indoctrinate all of humanity. 

They have painted Satan as a horrible and evil being who wishes the evil of men and the destruction of the world. The story is different, we are beings enslaved by a supposedly omnipotent and all-powerful being whose only power is to create life, or at least had it at the beginning. 

I liken it to being like a mother that begets and has influence over that life, but does not have absolute power over it. That is why it needs extra help, like a book (the bible), the churches and the prophets, or the sacrifice of a son so that they believe in him and the final deception: The theory of free will. 

Lucifer, the preferred angel of God, the most beautiful and powerful, and also intelligent, realized the autocracy of the Lord, a being who plays with all of us as if we were chess pieces and laughs and enjoys our misfortunes and killings, like someone who watches an apocalyptic series on Netflix. Lucifer simply rebelled, but was defeated. That is all. Thrown to hell? Hell does not exist. Anyway we use all the Christian conventions of the goat, the pentagram, fire, hell and those things for the sake of the dark atmosphere that we need for our music, but the reality is simpler, we are under the dictatorship of the omnipotent and Satan is our symbol of rebellion and freedom

What are some of the other lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored over the years with your music?

The poetry of Baudelaire, the cursed poet. Also the universe of H.P. Lovecraft and his theory of The Ancients. We have addressed Tolkien's heroic fantasy, and in the future we will delve into Hermeneutics and ancient history about the irreparable damage that Christianity has done in the millenary cultures of countries. We may also do something about Norwegian paganism. Ah, I forgot: also the myth of Dracula.

What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Mephisto'?

When the band was still an idea, I was looking for a name that would synthesize the entire atmosphere that the songs were going to create and by chance the book “Faust”, by Goethe, fell into my hands. In this book I see for the first time a new denomination for Lucifer: Mephistopheles. It cannot be denied that this name, of Greek phonetics, sounds like wisdom, power and divinity. I just reduced it to Mephisto, for better visibility.

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

Pentafixion is simply the crucifixion of a person on a pentagram, not on a cross, a method that is usually applied in satanic rituals. What better pentacrucifixion than that of the lord of manipulation and lies, the great enslaver and indoctrinator of humanity. The one who cannot die yet played dead in a carnival show to finish convincing every one of the divinity of the father, creating the most harmful, corrosive and corrupt religion in the history of humanity. A religion that has caused so many crimes and has delayed the course of science and human progress with its cloak of obscurantism and the denial of the nature of man.

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

I think the best was the concert at the Eddy Suñol theatre in our city with the Holguín Symphony Orchestra. Apart from being the first concert of a Cuban metal group with a symphony in all of Cuba, it resulted in the recording of a CD / DVD that was published by Bis Music (Cuban record company) and the audio CD was also published by Concreto records, from Mexico.

Mephisto is not a band that lies in the studio and then live we are something else, like some other bands. First we test ourselves live and then the recordings come, so the live shows are powerful and a direct reflexion of the albums we release.

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

To a greater elaboration of the music, we have learned a lot over the years and we plan not to stagnate musically, but we are also careful not to stray too far and make the mistakes of many, which start in one way and in the end they are so different that you almost have to rename them. Simply the future is music with a more complex and mature atmosphere delivered professionally both in a live environment and in the studio.

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?

The first influence was Septic Flesh, that's why Death metal is still so present, then the influence of Black metal arrived and that was where the group's influences were formed. 

We have never been influenced by raw black, that is, Norwegian black metal, the symphonic calls us more, call it Cradle of filth (old) and Dimmu Borgir. Also the diverse musical tastes of the members influence greatly the arrangements of the band. Personally, I follow the trajectory of Septic Flesh, Dimmu Borgir and I'm listening to other things like Fleshgod Apocalypse, Turisas, Ensiferum, and a lot of death metal (Dying fetus, Cannibal corpse, Nile, Suffocation)

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

Yes. All the strategies we are taking to take Mephisto's music as far as possible and put Cuba on the world metal map is not an effort for us alone, we want to open a way for the Cuban metal scene to come out of isolation and darkness in which it is plunged. Pentafixion is only the beginning, behind comes a whole legion to destroy the world.

MANAGEMENT CONTACT:

Jeremy Harris E: mephistobandcuba@gmail.com

Australian Cell: +61 419 966 948 / Cuban Cell: +53 5676 3715

LABEL: Worm Hole Death Records 

LABEL WEBSITE: http://www.wormholedeath.com

LABEL CONTACT: Natasa Pribac naty@wormholedeath.com 

Australian Press Agent: Black Roo’s Promotion 

Press Contact: Michael Lueders michael@black-roos.com

Get ready for the

“PENTAFIXION”

 

"Pentafixion" Single is available on all digital stores HERE

Stream the single HERE

Mp3 available HERE

 

Official Website – https://mephistoband.com  Official Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/MephistoCubanMetalBand

Official Fan Group FB Page – https://www.facebook.com/groups/400206567176071

Official YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR-gbytXK0GqmDgdfpE-0mA

Twitter – https://twitter.com/Mephist49840300  Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/mephistoband

Sound Cloud - https://soundcloud.com/Mephistocubanmetalband  Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/487Vf8CZplEQDl1kg3ooxE

Mephisto - Official Pentafixion Music Video - https://youtu.be/UtCwRWyUhIw

 

WEBSITE LINKS

Feskarn Interview

 

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

I found inspiration again, after computer crash in 2015 i lost all my music recordings and settings. But in late 2019 i bought a new studiosystem and adds to my music program. I met my girlfriend in 2019 and she gave some inspiration to make me produce music again. And also some new albums by for example Equilibrium or Mumincunt.

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

This album has way better sound quality, deep and even more viking sound to it, the older albums have more raw dirty/trashy sound.

3.This is also your first release since 2014, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?

Sadly my computer crashed in 2015 and i lost all my datafiles for my studio and with that i lost my inspiration. Still i have played mouth harp and jamed for fun at partys etc. Been at festivals to get new inspiration also.

4.Your lyrics cover Viking Mythology, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

Historical interested about my ancestors and viking culture, mead and even in urkraft.

5.Before you started playing metal you where doing electronic music, how would you compare the two different genres?

I had an electronic era yes, compared to metal the gabber/hardcore/psytrance have some hardness to it also. But metal has always been my favorite genre since childhood.

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Feskarn'?

Feskarn is actually "The fisherman" in Sweden Gothenburg. Also you can say fiskarn, that has the same meaning. But i prefered Feskarn. I always been a fisherman, love the nature and fishing. Also i do magnet fishing today.

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

Per Månsson has taken the main cover picture for the album, i have always liked Raven birds, the birds have some cool mystery to them. Me and my girlfriend has taken most of the pictures and also some other friend. Nature is the true inspiration to the album artwork.

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

Yes thats right, also my girlfriend joined this album as a guest artist for the song Yggdrasil. I have plans for team up with other musicans, i have one other project called Voldugra, but that is a little on the ice for the moment, but it is Viking music.

9.The new album is coming out on 'Vegvisor Distribution', how would you compare working with this label to your previous label 'Pesttanz Klangschmiede'?

Actually it has the same owner behind it and i have only good things to say to the both, i have a great label manager.

10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of folk and Viking metal?

Pretty good i must say, i have many fans from Mexico, Germany and even Japan, yeah pretty much from the whole world in a small scale.

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

To keep on record Albums and perhaps do some live events in some form with band or not.

12.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?

Equilibrium, Ensiferum, Wintersun is some of my favorite bands and inspiration.

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

I will try to deliver even more songs and albums in the future. I have some cool ideas, maybe some humouristic stuff as well.

https://soundcloud.com/Feskarn
https://www.facebook.com/Feskarn-Official-229312910457661

Cruentus Interview

 

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

At the moment we are recording material for our second album. Most of the basis are done, but there are a couple of songs left to record and also most of the vocals. We have not set a date yet for the release but the goal is to have the album finished this year. 

2.In 2020 you had released your first album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical styles that you went for on the recording?

We consider ourselves mainly a death metal band but have always had elements of other metal genres such as thrash, black and heavy. On the album we wanted to create a great mix of these ingredients to achieve variety and not become too repetitive. 

3.The band has been around since 1998 but waited until 2020 to release any music, can you tell us a little bit bit more about the long wait?

From early 2000 until somewhere around 2010, the band wasn’t very active at all. The main reason was that during this time we lived in different parts of Sweden which made it impossible to rehearse on a steady basis. In 2010 this situation had changed, and the interest grew again, but it wasn’t until a couple of years later we really decided to go for it and set up a goal to release an album. From that point on we have been much more committed, and our creativity has steadily grow. This have resulted in a lot of material written, both for the present album and also future albums.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new album?

Some lyrics are observations of the human being and its behavior in different situations and in different states of mind dealing with existential questions etc. It is however not a thematical album so there are other topics as well and most of the lyrics are possible to interpreter in different ways. 

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Cruentus'?

It is a Latin word meaning blood-stained or bloodthirsty. If I remember correctly I think I saw that word in a book just around the time the band first started, and I thought it would be a suiting name for a metal band. 

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

It was drawn by William Persson Öberg of Obscenum Art. It’s not really clear what it is. That’s what makes it interesting, that it’s not really defined. It can be viewed as different things. To me it looks like a creature-like being in the process of melting…

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

Since early 2000 the band have consisted of only two members. Before that it was three. In the early days we performed live, but since becoming a duo we have never played any shows. We’ll see in the future if this will change.

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

We are currently unsigned. There has been some interest, but at the moment we have not made any deal.

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

It has been very good actually. I don’t think we would have bothered that much if we would receive some criticism, but of course it’s always nice if people appreciate what you have created. 

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

I think we will always be somewhere around these parts within the metal sphere where we are now. Hopefully we will do everything a little bit better as we progress as a band and as songwriters etc. but genre-wise this is where we belong. 

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?

Our main musical references have always been the old school Scandinavian extreme metal. Bands such as Amorphis, Dismember, Entombed, Edge of Sanity, At The Gates to name a few, have been great inspiration to us, especially in the early days. But we have never tried to copy anything or tried to sound exactly the same as any particular band. To name a few more recent bands that we listen to is for example Vanhelgd, Tribulation, Sweven and Lik.

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

We hope people will enjoy our album. If they do, there is more metal from Cruentus coming probably within this year, so be sure to keep your eyes open. Thanks and greetings from Sweden.

Bandcamp

Facebook

Instagram

Spotify

YouTube

In Tormentata Quiete/Krononota/My Kingdom Music/2021 CD Review

 

  Italy's  In  Tormentata  Quiete  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  progressive  mixture  of  folk  and  avant  garde  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2021  album  "Krononota"  which  will  be  released  in  February  by  My  Kingdom  Music.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also have  a  very  powerful  so8und  to  them.  Keyboards  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  music  along  with  the  music  also  having  its  progressive  moments  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  while  while  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  avant  garde  metal  elements.  Some  of  the  tracks  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  saxophones  along  with  the  music  also  mixing  in  a decent  amount  of  cinematic  atmospheres  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Black  metal  screams  are  also  added  on  most  of  the  tracks  along  with  some  clean  female  and  male  vocals  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.  When  acoustic  guitar  and  accordions  are  utilized  they  also  add  in  influences  of  folk  music  onto  the  album  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  adding  in  samples  of  20th  century  era  Italian  music.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Italian  and  cover  conceptual,  philosophical  and  metaphor  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  form  In  Tormentata  Quiete  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  folk,  progressive  and  avant  garde  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Urlo  Del  Tempo"  'Lo  Squarda  D'Anteo"  and  "Odor  mediterrano".  8  out  of  10.

http://facebook.com/intormentataquiete

https://youtu.be/18NcF-KwqXM