The Sullen/Rituals Of Death/2020 EP Review

 

  The  Sullen  are  a  solo  project  from  Greece  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2020  ep  'Rituals  Of  Death".

  Tragic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.  Vocals  are  done  in  mostly  an  early  death  metal  style  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  showing  an  influence  of  early  90's  era  doom/death  metal.

  Grim  black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Spoken  word  parts  also  being  utilized  briefly  along  with  some  clean  playing  is  also  added  on  one  of  the  tracks  as  well  as  some  gothic  metal  influences  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  most  of  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  introspection  and  mysticism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  The  Sullen  is  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black,  doom,  gothic  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Rituals  Of  Death".  8  out  of  10.

https://thesullenband.bandcamp.com/album/rituals-of-death  

Ren Marabou/Valhalla Waits/Misanthropik Records/2021 Full Length Review

 

  Ren  Marabou  is  a  solo  artist  from  Ireland  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  Viking,  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2021  album  "Valhalla  Waits"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Misanthropik  Records.

  Dark  soundscapes  and  clean  playing  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  symphonic  musical  direction.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  the  vocals  also  bring  in  a  mixture  of  aggressive  shouts  and  clean  pagan  vocals  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  The  riffs  also  bring  in  the  heaviness  of  the  more  melodic  style  of  black  and  death  metal  at  times  while  battle  chants  can  also  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  music.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  some  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing.

The  music  also  mixing  in  influences  from  more  mainstream  styles  of  metal  as  well  as  some    acoustic  guitars  also  being  utilized  briefly  on  a  couple  of  songs  as  well  as  a  later  track  also  introducing  folk  music  elements  onto  the  album  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Norse  Mythology  and  Pagan  Folklore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ren  Marabou  is  a  very  decent  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  Viking,  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Guide  Me  To  Asgard"  "Prophecy  Of  the  Seer"  "Yggdrasil"  and  "Champion  Of  Midgard".  7/5  out  of  10.  

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4SO7ijOmWLl1eIOXgGMOGB?si=_vyNyI3yTAyyp51JXMp1zQ

King Of Asgard/svartrviðr/Trollmusic/2021 CD Review

 

  King  Of  Asgard  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  Viking,  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2021  album  "svartrviðr"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Trollmusic.

  A  very  heavy,  epic  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  solos  and  leads  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  riffs  and  leads  also  mixing  in  a  lot  of  Viking  metal  elements  as  well  as  some  songs  also  adding  in  some  pagan  choirs.

  Some  of  the  riffing  and  solos  also  add  in  touches  of  the  melodic  Swedish  death  metal  style  along  with  some  of  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking  as  well  as  a   couple  of later  tracks  also  introducing  classical  guitars  onto  the  album.,  keyboards  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  of  tracks  and  as  the  album  progresses  throat  singing  can  also  be  heard  and  the  album  closes  with  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Norse  Mythology,  Sagas, Rune  and  the  dark  secrets  of  the  Viking  world.

  In  my  opinion  King  Of  Asgard  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  VIking,  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  " frôðr"  "ammobiærg"  and  "harmdauðr".  8  out  of  10.

www.facebook.com/kingofasgard  

TrveSovereign/The Dewerstone/Necroplague Records/2020 Full Length Review

 

  TrveSovereign  are  a  solo  project  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  very  old  school,  melodic  and  Swedish  influenced  style  of  melodic  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2020  album  "The  Dewerstone"  which  was  released  by  Necroplague  Records.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to them.  When  the  music  speeds  up a   great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Most  of  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  Swedish  style  along  with  the  tracks  also  adding  in  elements  of  melodic  death  metal.

  Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  along  some synths  also  being  utilized  on  most  of  the  tracks  as  well  as  a  lot  of  the  music  also  sounding  like  it  could  of  been  recorded  and  released  more  than  20  years  ago.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  myths,  legends  and  history  of  South  Devon  and  Dartmoor,  England  as  well  as  adding  in  some  touches  of  occultism  and  witchcraft.

  In  my  opinion  TrveSovereign  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  old  school  blackened  death  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Giant's  End"  "The  Dewerstone"  and  "Vixana".  8  out  of  10.

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Aztlan Interview

 

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

We stopped activities due to the pandemic, but we have been composing new music, and recording new videos that will be released soon.

2.Earlier this year you had released a new album, musically how does it differ from your previous release?

This album has a heavier sound than the previous one, and brings more mariachi elements such as the trumpet, a new element that we are incorporating.

3.The band's name and some of the lyrics come from Aztec and pre-Hispanic Mythology and History, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

We really like mythology from all over the world, and in metal there are few bands that mix that Aztec mythology, that's why he encouraged us to do this project.

4.You also cover 'Mexican pride' with your lyrics, can you tell us a little bit more about what this means to you?

In Mexico people are very pessimistic, they do not believe in themselves, and they are mired in corruption, the only thing we try to do with our lyrics is to give a little encouragement to people who live in misery, we talk above all about the freedom of expression, against racism, and we speak faith union as the human race that we all are.

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

We also speak against oppression, authoritarianism, the repression exercised by the government.

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

There is a codex called Mendoza, in this painting the founding of Tenochtitlán the capital of the Aztec Empire is reflected, with the eagle on a cactus in the middle of a lake, the legend says that this was the signal to found their city, if they found the eagle over the lake there they must have settled, this vision is of Lord Huitzilopochtli who was one of the main deities of the Aztecs.

In the beak of the bird it has a kind of braid, it is a duality of water and fire called Atl-Tlachinolli in the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs means water burning, conceptualizing two elements allusive to war and that was placed in the mouths and feet of the characters as a scroll, symbolizing a call or allegory of the sacred war. It is also interpreted as "The war cry".

The conjunction of the eagle and the duality of water and fire is called "Teocalli of the sacred war". the word Teocalli means "Temple", which is known as pyramids. The Teocalli stone is the only archaeological piece that has the symbol of the founding of Tenochtitlan engraved: the eagle perched on the nopal. There is a character called "Copil" and he has a fight with Lord "Huitzilipochtli", he kills "Copil" and his heart is thrown in the middle of the lake, and from the heart of "Copil" the "tunal" will grow, which is where the nopal will grow where the eagle pose. The eagle is the solar symbol, which means the victory of the sun.

In the painting "Copil" it is the skull that has its mouth open and from there comes the root of the nopal.

On the sides of the cover the Aztec past is represented with weapons such as arrows, and on the right side are bullets and rifles that represent the time of the Mexican revolution that occurred in 1910.

below the left side is a Jaguar Warrior, representing the Aztec militia, and on the right side a skull with a balaclava representing the "Zapatista" movement, which is an armed movement of the indigenous people of southern Mexico against the current government.

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

We have not been able to play live yet due to the pandemic, when our first album came out, months later the pandemic arrived, so we decided to release a second album to compensate for the fact that we will not be able to play for a long time.

8.Both of your albums have been released on 'Metal inside Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

It's the record label of an old metal friend. He was the first who was interested in releasing the first material on physical disc and it was great for us, since we only had thought about releasing the discs online. Metal Inside Records is a young record label and they have been very supportive and we thank them for everything they have done for us.

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

The response of the people has been very good and we appreciate it a lot, all the support gives us energy to continue producing more material.

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

The band goes into a deeper exploration, with folk rhythms from both Mexico and Latin America.

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?

What influences our music is the exploration of folk music from around the world, we have influences from Santana to Cannibal Corpse for example, we are music lovers. From the music we've been listening to lately are bands like DrakhaBrakha from Ukraine, Heilung from Germany, Tlen Huicani from Mexico; Inti Illimani, Los Jaivas de Chile, and much more music

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

We thank you for the space on your page, and we also send a big greeting to all the people who support us.

Website: www.aztlan-official.com
Bandcamp: https://aztlanofficial.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AztlanOfficialBand/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbfcrHyRkFKQGdv3YDpFI_A
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5JO1ShiUsRZ2emtk2uRecI?si=20eNF9-GTi2nsRgEXak35Q&utm_source=copy-link&nd=1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aztlan_official/

Pulsa DiNura/If it Bleeds, We Can Kill It/2021 Full Length Review

 

  Pulsa  DiNura  are  a  duo  from  Kentucky  that  plays  a  mixture  of  atmospheric  black  metal,  industrial  and  dungeon  synth  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2021  album  "If  it  Bleeds,  We  Can  Kill  It".

  Industrial  style  beats  and  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times.  All  of  the  drum  beats  are  also  programmed  while  the  synths  also  add  in  a  touch  of  dungeon  synth  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  music  also  has  its  atmospheric  moments.  Programmed  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  along  with  a  couple  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  growls  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  most  of  the  music  also  sticking  to  a  mid  tempo  direction,  spoken  word  samples  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  the  closing  track.

  Pulsa  DiNura  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  atmospheric  black  metal,  industrial  and  dungeon  synth  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  misanthropy  themes.

  In  my  opinion   Pulsa  DiNura  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  atmospheric  black  metal,  industrial  and  dungeon  synth  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Evolution  Of  American  Filth"  "No  Exit"  and  "Slanted  Stairs  to  Salvation".  8  out  of  10.

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Havamal/The Shadow Chapter/Art Gates Records/2021 CD Review

 

  Havamal  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  VIking,  folk,  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2021  album  "The  Shadow  Chapter"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Art  Gates  Records.

  Epic  sounding  keyboards  and  folk  music  elements  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times.  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  choirs  and  symphonic  structures  at  times  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  blackened  metal  screams.

  Elements  of  melodic  death  metal  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  a  few  growls  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.  Throughout  the  album  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  of  the  melodic  sections  of  the  songs  also  showing  an  influence  of  power  metal  as  well  as  some  of  the  faster  riffing  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Norse  Mythology  and  Paganism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Havamal  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  Viking,  folk,  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fenris"  "Empire  Of  The  Ashen  Sun"  and  "The  Curse  Of  Grendal".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/Havamalofficial
https://www.instagram.com/officialhavamal