Hapless Wretch/Vol. 1/Cursed Monk Records/2021 EP Review

 

  Hapless  Wretch  are  a  solo  project  from  London,  England  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  sludge  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2021  ep  "Vol.  1"  which  was  released  by  Cursed  Monk  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  death  metal  influenced  sound  starts  off  the  ep  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.  Elements  of  sludge  metal  are  also  added  into  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  all  of  the  drum  beats  being  programmed  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  while  dark  sounding  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of t he  guitar  riffing.  90's  influences  are  also  mixed  in  with  a  more  modern  style  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  all  of  the  music  also  sticks  to  a  heavier  direction.

  Hapless  Wretch  plays  a  musical  style  that t akes  black,  sludge  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  horror  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hapless  Wretch  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  sludge  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Natrium  Myr"  and  "Kuru".  8  out  of  10.

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Tragedy And Triumph/Where Mountains Rise And Hearts Fall/MDD Records/2021 CD Review

 

  Tragedy  And  Triumph  are  a  solo  project  from  Germany  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  viking,  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2021  album  "Where  Mountains  Rise  And  Hearts  Fall"  which  will  be  released  on  June  18th  by  MDD  Records.

  Acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  musical  direction  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls. All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  screams  also  bringing  in  elements  of  black  metal  when  they  are  utilized.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  keyboards  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  a  couple  of  tracks.  A  lot  of  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  classic  Swedish  style  along  with  the  acoustic  guitars  also  returning  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  as  well  as  one  song  also  introducing  clean  Viking  vocals  onto  the  album.  

When  the  music  finally  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  along  one  song  also  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  Viking  war  samples  as  well  as  most  of  the  music  also  sticking  to  a  mid  tempo  direction  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard,  a later  track  is  an  instrumental  and  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Vikings  and  Paganism  themes.     

  In  my  opinion  Tragedy  And  Triumph  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  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "I,  Triumphant"  "Beneath  the  Howling  Gate"  "Ride  For  Revenge"  and  "Where  Mountains  Rise  And  hearts  Fall".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/tatvikingmetal/   

    

  

Numenor/Colossal Darkness/2021 Full Length Re-Issue Review

 

  Numenor  are  a  band  from  Serbia  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  an  epic  mixture  of  black  and  power  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Colossal  Darkness"  which  was  re-issued  in  2021  by  Elevate.

  A  classical  music  influenced  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  symphonic  elements  are  als  mixed  in  with  the  heavy  sections  of  the  songs.  Grim  black  metal  screams  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Power  metal  style  vocals  are  also  utilized  on  a  couple  of  songs  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  also  remain  true  to  a  classic  and  traditional  style  of  metal  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  utilized  on  a  few  tracks.

  When  the  music  finally  speeds  up  on  a  couple  of  tracks  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  as  well  as  a  couple  of  songs  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  whispered  spoken  word  parts  and  the  album  closes  with  some  Iron  Maiden  and  Rainbow  covers.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Fantasy,  Literature  and  the  writings  of J.R.R  Tolkien.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Numenor  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  epic  and  symphonic  black  and  power  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Eternal  Champion"  "The  Alchemist"  "While  the  Gods  laugh"  and  "Stargazer".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/N%C3%BAmenor-130231620372144/   

    

    

Dornenreich Interview

 

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

The actual recordings for the new album „Du wilde Liebe sei“ were finished in spring 2020 and mix and master were ready in late summer 2020. And as the pandemic started to peak again in autumn we took some extra time to elborate comprising editions for the album, that is, we spend a lot of time in the mountains and forests here in Tyrol and documented these hikes photographically. Theses photographs resulted in the comprehensive artbook-edition of the new album. Then, we decided to postpone the album and to release it in early summer of 2021, which also marks our 25th anniversary, according to the way we feel this album coming to all new fruition just like nature does every spring and summer…

Due to the fact that this year will be difficult too when it comes to concerts we have already started to work on new music, actually. It seems that quite a lot gathered over the course of the last seven years that is ready to

appear – and of course if feels good to have many ideas available.

 

 

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

As I perceive it personally this is an album that is a natural development of central characeristics such as dynamics, intense organic energy and mystic natural atmosphere – and I have felt that coming for many, many years. Just as our purely acoustic record „In Luft geritzt“ back in 2008 that I wanted to do since I recorded acoustic guitars for our demo tapte in 1997 it was clear to me since 2002 when I had started to experiment with percussive elements that the new album relies on that I wanted to do an album that has both an organic, hypnotic and vitally pulsating fundament consisting of various percussion and bass as well as an uplifting layer of yearning violins, acoustic guitars and vocals. And as some kind of link between the earthy fundament and the atmospheric upper layer I intended to incorporate very palpable-sounding electric guitars that are based on a special level of distortion that gets across an exhilarating blend of – let’s call it - sonic fog and sparkles of light, which I came to appreciate during the last years.

 

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

 

After the release of our eigth studio album „Freiheit“ in 2014 we wanted to reunite with our artistic roots consciously. That’s why we communicated that this album might be the last studio album for quite some time. And that’s how things turned out as we all know now seven years later (laughs). In 2014 after 18 years, many studio and live albums, countless concerts and numerous tours throughout Europe in we really felt the urge to reexamine in silence what our initial motivation and joy was to start the band in 1996 and to begin to express ourselves artistically. Moreover we wanted to see which significance artistic expression still had for us. And we did not have to wait long for already back in 2015 new music started to come into existence naturally, that is, intuitively; just the way it has always been with Dornenreich. That showed us quite clearly that artistic expression is deeply interwoven with our way to live and perceive as human beings. To make oneself aware of such coherences can be very inspiring and invigorating for it is quite a challenge to keep up truly dedicated artistic work over 25 years and more so in times like these that have to cope with the – let’s put it that way – digital shift. At least that’s what I experienced.

 

4.You refer to your music as 'black arcane rock', can you tell us a little bit more about this term?

To begin with it – without any doubt – is a very difficult venture to come up with three words at a max that one puts out there to summarize the work of years (laughs)…However, we wanted to come up with something on our own because people have made up the most adventurous and often quite misleading descriptions in the case of a band like Dornenreich which tends to burst genre boundaries with each and every release.

Besides, we think that this very album sounds like no other album out there. So, we really wanted to do justice to that by labelling it anew as ‚black arcane rock‘. As we perceive it the album has its atmospheric and emotional roots in Black Metal, it is mysterious and arcane in its spiritual depth and it might speak to a lot of different people that have a certain preference for ‚rock music‘ and when speaking of ‚rock music‘ we think of its core as powerful heart- and handmade expression.

 

5.The band started out playing melodic black metal but has gotten more neo-folk influenced over the years, can you tell us a little bit more about going into this musical direction?

We have always been into hand- and heartmade music on ‚natural‘ acoustic instruments. So, as I have mentioned above there are many acoustic guitars on our demo-tape (1997) and we already had a cello playing on our second studio album (1999). I am a classically trained guitar player and our violionst is a studied violin teacher who has a wide backround in classical music an jazz. So, to us it has always felt natural to work with acoustic instruments as a basis. Acoustic instruments tend to be very honest when it comes to one’s skills as player and to the quality of a song. Whenever the energy, harmony and melody works on acoustic instruments it would work as a metal song as well in all probability. And that’s what we often do: we are working with our music continuously. For instance we elaborate special live arrangements and there are songs that are acoustic ones on the record that we play as metal songs live and vice versa. The acoustic core of our music is the pure well of vital and passionate energy that we try our best to stay in touch with.

 

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

This ninth album is a conceptual album that explores the facets, assumptions and misunderstandings of and all around love in the scope of its ten songs. And it does not only cover the relational aspects of love among human beings but also tries to unveil this comprising theme as a special quality to be, to exist – on the most personal level of the single human individual. But don’t get that wrong: this album is far from being a purely romantic affair. There is a lot of darkness and pain that the listener has to face too when joining us on this intense journey for there are countless misunderstandings and entanglements on the vast plains of love.

Regarding our progress as songwriters over the years I would say that I personally like the fact that this new album offers everything from adventurously crafted and quite complex epic tracks as well as very short energetic songs that start immediately. And in spite of the fact that every single song has its very own atmosphere and character the entirety of the album is characterized by a hypnotic flow that – in my perception – relies on the continuous rhythmic structure of the album. The pulse is always there from song 1 to song 9 – be it massive or subtle - whereas the last and tenth song roams freely.

 

7.You have also had some philosophical lyrics on previous albums, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

From the start in the mid-nineties Dornenreich has always been focused on existential contents for we have always experienced artistic expression – and Black Metal in particular – as elemental and profound involvement with the mysteries and qualities of life, of nature, of perception. The human condition in synopsis with the cycles and conditions of nature is – I dare to state –  something that we have to face as an individual as well as society as a whole sooner or later.

 

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

We intended to have black/white aesthetics in combination with a lush dark red relying on a photograph at an early stage. And as we share a certain understandig of artistic expression and its aesthetics with Markus Stock our accomplished producer (Empyrium, The Vision Bleak, Sun Of The Sleepless a.o.) it was a great oppportunity to collaborate with him in an additional field. Markus also is a personal friend of mine and that’s why I knew that he is into nature photography early on. I am convinced of his eye, his special talent when it comes to capture atmospheres. The way the distinct „D“ of our logo, the album title and the overall atmosphere of the picture conflate to a very energetic and suggestive whole in this case is something that I am deeply satisfied with.

 

 

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

Whenever we enter a stage we let ourselves be taken on an intense journey by the music. We react to oneother, to the location and to the energy among us and the audience. We really intend to live through the music together with our audience and we dedicate ourselves to this very moment totally. There’s is no click-track, there is just pure will to express, energy – and a lot of sweat (laughs).

Obviously the two shows (metal as well as acoustic) that are documentet on our live dvd (‚Nachtreisen‘) hold a special place in my heart but actually I enjoy every single opportunity to live through the music in a live context together with our audience because there is a tremendous exchange of mutual passion and energy happening every time. And of course I will enjoy it even more – and more consciously, too – when we will be able to reenter the stage for the first time after the pandemic paralysis at this year’s Prophecy Fest in the cave of Balve in September.

 

10.The band has been around since 1996, what is it that motivates you to keep going after 2 and a half decades?

A profound urge to get in touch with the essence of life in an artistic and deeply human way. It means so much to me to see songs take shape and feel the emotion gathered in there in the most vital and intense way, in a way that gets in touch with other people’s hearts and minds in the end.

 

11.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your newer music by fans of black metal and neo-folk?

What I really think highly of is the fact that the intensity and integrity of our expression seems to get through to people all over the world regardless of whether they understand the lyrics in the first place or not. The depth in the music speaks and –  as a fan of music myself – I dare to say that this depth is rare these days, it is precious and one should stick to it whenever one comes across such a rare gem. At least that’s what I do whenever I discover an artist that is here for reasons I can relate to emotionally (and intellectually) that I have pointed out above.

 

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

At the moment all I know is that we carry a lot of new music, visions, ideas with us and that I hope that it won’t take another seven years until all that comes to fruition. We will remain faithful to our hearts and minds – and we will stay as vivid and passionate as possible. And that means that we will stay unpredictable in the most exciting way one could wish from an artist as I perceive it.

 

13.What are you currently listening to nowadays?

Whatever touches me in one way or another … Here is a tiny list of some of the music that is on heavy rotation here at the moment. How comprising an entire list would be you can imagine:

Djerv, Aldous Harding, Kampfar, Oehl, Suspiria (OST 2018; Thom Yorke), Faber, Midsommar (OST 2019; Bobby Krlic), Dodheimsgard, Kvelertak, Misfits, Madder Mortem, Kerstin Blodig, Omnia, The Doors, Hexvessel, Primordial, Type o Negative

 

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

Actually, I would like to thank you for your detailed and interesting questions – and to all of you out there:

If you are into thrilling, multi-faceted and atmospheric music that is hand- and heartmade and if you want to discover an album that sounds like no other recording out there – give our new album ‚Du Wilde Liebe Sei‘ a listen!

 

www.dornenreich.com
www.facebook.com/Dornenreich.official
www.instagram.com/dornenreich_official

 

 

Arcane Existence/Colossus/2021 Full Length Review

 

  Arcane  Existence  are  a  band  from  San  Jose,  California  that  plays  a  melodic  and  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2021  album  "Colossus"  which  will  be  released  in  August.

  A  very  heavy  and  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  operatic  female  vocals  can  also be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  vocals  being  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody.

  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.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mix  of  both  modern  and  old  school  influences,  harps  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  album  also  closes  with  an  instrumental.

  Arcane  Existence  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  symphonic  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  melodic  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Fantasy  and  Fairy  Tale  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Arcane  Existence  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  symphonic  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  "Mystic"  "Conclave"  "Castle  On  The  Hill"  and  "Beneath  Withered  Stone".  8  out  of  10.

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Dornenreich/Du wilde Liebe sei/Prophecy Productions/2021 Full Length Review

 

  Dornenreich  are  a  band  from  Austria  that  plays  a   musical  style  they  describe  as  being 'black  arcane  rock'  which  mixes  black  metal  and  neo-folk  together  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2021  album  "Du  wilde  Liebe  sei"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Prophecy  Productions.

  Tribal  style  percussion  starts  off  the  album  and  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  shamanistic  atmosphere  while  the  acoustic  guitars  also  bring  in  elements  of  neo-folk.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  clean  goth  style  vocals  and  blackened  metal  screams  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  recording.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  violins  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  album.  Whispered  vocals  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  tracks  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  songs  also  being  long  and  epic  in  length  and  adding  in  some  melodic  riffing,  influences  of  classical  music  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  tracks  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction.

  Dornenreich  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  metal  and  neo  folk  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  German  and  cover  love  and  alienation  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Dornenreich  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal  and  neo-folk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "In  Stromen  aus  Verwandlung  ein  flac"  "Der  Freiheit Verlangen  nach  goldene"  "Das  Sehnen  von  Mond  und  Sonne"  and  "Freiheit  erlosen".  8  out  of  10.

www.dornenreich.com
www.facebook.com/Dornenreich.official
www.instagram.com/dornenreich_official

    

  

Voland/Voland III: Царепоклонство - Il culto degli Zar/2021 EP Review

 

  Voland  are  a  duo  from  Italy  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2021  ep  "Voland  III:  Царепоклонство  -  Il  culto  degli  Zar".

  Folk  instruments  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  symphonic  musical  direction  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  some  operatic  style  singing  also  being  utilized  at  times.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.  Some  of  the  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  one  song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

 When  guitar  solos  and  leads  ar e utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  are  also  added  onto  one  of  the  tracks  as  well as  the  recording  also  adding  in  some  elements  of  classical  music  and  the  2  closing  tracks  were  recorded  live,  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  Russian  History  and  the  Cult  of  Tsars.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Voland  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tzera  Roma"  and  "Lennigard".  8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp: https://volandblack.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/voland.band