Katharos/Of Lineages Long Forgotten/Willowtip Records/2022 CD Review

 

  Katharos  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  "Of  Lineages  Long  Forgotten"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Willowtip  Records.

  Marching  sounds  and  battle  horns  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction.  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  technical  sounding  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  symphonic  elements  also  being  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  A  lot  of  the  riffing  is  also  very  heavily  influenced  by  death  metal  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  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  most  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  a  lot  of  the  guitar  riffing  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  yet  technical  style,  growls  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  album.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Gnosticism,  Phenomenology  and  Anti  Christianity  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Katharos  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Those  Hornclad"  "The  World  Serpent's  Marrow"  and  "Most  Dread  Portent".  8  out  of  10.

https://katharosswe.bandcamp.com/releases

https://www.facebook.com/katharosswe

https://www.instagram.com/katharosofficial/

https://youtu.be/_GYl2ULd4tw          

Pillaging Villagers 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? It has been quite an adventure since recording! It has been so exciting seeing folks reacting to the album, getting positive reviews and airplay - I have to give a ton of props to Clawhammer PR for all they've done to support the project. I wouldn't be here talking with you if it weren't for them! The project is something I have been wanting to do for a while, maybe 20 years in total, so it has been a dream come true being reviewed by blogs and journalists that I have followed for years - I never unexpected that it would get this far when I sat down to write the first riffs for the album in 2020.

2.Recently you have released a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording? Of course! There are a lot of influences that were integrated into the sound you hear on the album, but my guiding philosophy for songwriting was as follows: 1) write strong, anthemic choruses, 2) build to them using melodic thrash riffing, 3) keep songs short and 4) always end with energy. The shorthand that I had in my mind was imitation of Ensiferum 'bangers' - every Ensiferum album has at least one really strong thrashing 'banger' that gets the listener really engaged - on 'Thalassic' it's 'Rum, Women, Victory', on 'Victory Songs' it is 'Blood is the Price of Glory,' etc. I always loved those songs, but always felt let down when the energy would drop on subsequent tracks - I wanted to write an album that took that sound and applied it to as many of the tracks as possible.

3.You refer to your music as being 'peasant metal', can you tell us a little bit more about this term? It sort of captures the boisterous, punk feel of the music while tying it to the 'medieval' viking/folk metal influences, like the aforementioned Ensiferum but also Forefather, Amon Amarth, etc. The music is a too raw and aggressive to fit under the traditional folk metal moniker, since contemporary folk metal has lately tended towards polished and even orchestral compositions and production, and it is too melodic to be classified as strictly crossover thrash, though it sits somewhere between the two. I also feel like so much of the subject matter of metal that takes on medieval battle as a subject matter does so from the perspective of the exploiters - Amon Amarth, for example, glorifies one of the greatest scourges of humanity in European history - the Viking invasions. In reality, vikings and knights and warlords trampled the masses in their wake as they sought glory, riches and slaves, their warrior ethos and blooddrunk mythology justifying expropriation and murder on a cataclysmic scale - I wanted to reimagine the traditional 'medieval' metal narrative from the perspective of those who are so seldom spoken of in the sagas and chronicles - the peasant underclass.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music? The album uses a narrative orientation to reimagine the great peasant rebellions of the middle ages, such as the Jacquerie and English Peasants Revolt, in a sword-and-sorcery world where the underclass rises up in triumph against the political, religious and economic elites. The story uses conventions of opera (by using multiple vocal styles for the various characters in the concept album) and lyric poetry of the troubadours to draw the listener into an immersive experience. It is my hope that listeners will enjoy the album as a story and enable themselves to be drawn in to the dramatic tension, character interplay and other elements that I worked hard to build through both music and lyrics - but, if the listener just hears one song and enjoys it as a standalone experience, that is great too!

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Pillaging Villagers'? The project name, and the self-title of the album, is all part of building a strong identity for the project. As the album's concept is about villagers who rise up and pillage, the name of the project and the album should give listeners something to connect to in terms of what to expect before they even hear the first note. So often, I listen to great bands that I have a hard time connecting with because they don't have a strong identity - what does their name mean? What are their songs about? I wanted the strong theme to help the project stand out in the minds of listeners. It's an album about Pillaging Villagers, from a band called Pillaging Villagers on their debut album, Pillaging Villagers - this redundancy is intentional, all to help build a strong connection to the listener. Bands like Alestorm do a great job of this - theming part of what makes them so appealing, they give listeners something to connect to.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover? The album cover is also part of the strong theming I strove for with the album's concept, as well as part of the immersive experience I was trying to create. There a lot of non-musical influences for Pillaging Villagers from a theming standpoint and one of them is Magic The Gathering (there's even an overt reference to a Beta series card in 'The Bishop') - I always loved the fantasy world the game created and so much of that was due to the amazing artwork. When it came time to get the album cover figured out, I dreamed about how great it would be to get a MTG artist to do it - I reached out to one my favorite MTG artists, Matt Stikker, who also did album cover work for Power Trip and Blazon Rite and to my huge surprise he agreed to take on the project. He worked really closely with me in developing the piece, reviewing lyrics and presenting several drafts. The album cover is so important to the experience of an album in my view - the art for Pillaging Villagers' cover does a really great job of both foreshadowing and giving visual representation to key moments from the album's story. It also is a visual feast - using the collage style evocative of the iconic Subhumans cover for 'The Day the Country Died' - that listeners can enjoy before, during and after they listen to the album.

7.Has the band done any live shows or open to the idea? We haven't done any live shows and I don't think I see it in the future; I toured and played in bands in my twenties and I am definitely over it, lol. I doubt there will ever be demand for my little project in a live setting, but if that were ever the case, it would be better to do it like 'Dracula: The Musical' with marionettes and stage design, as opposed to just guys in t-shirts playing on a stage. I would want to keep the theming consistent and just doing a standard metal performance would detract from the illusion.

8.on the new album you also have a few quests, can you tell us a little bit more about who they are and also their contributions to the recording? Yes! I was able to work with some incredible musicians on this project who were really essential in making it happen. I used to play shows around Wisconsin with Lords of the Trident guitarist Brian Koenig back when he played in Luna Mortis and he was the first person I thought of when I actually decided to move forward with recording the album (which was never the plan from the start) - to my immense surprise he was not only available, but interested. I recorded the album at SignatureTone Studios in Minnesota and the owner/engineer there, Adam Tucker, is an old buddy that I recorded an album with back in 2010 - he played bass on the album and recruited Jason Hirt of Ghost Bath for drums. I cannot say enough about how professional everyone was and how incredible their performances were. I had originally written the album in Guitar Pro, which creates like a MIDI version of the songs, complete with drums, so I could send tabs and sheet music to Adam and Brian and provide a click track and drum parts for Jason to work from and they handled everything amazingly. They recorded all separately and Adam did a spectacular job coordinating and tying everything together. I owe them so much for any success or acclaim the album receives - I was just the composer and vocalist, these guys really helped bring the project to life. 

9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of punk, thrash and folk metal? It's been awesome! I have gotten a lot of attention from places I never would have imagined would be interested - I've been reviewed in Norway, Germany and Mexico, as well as getting airplay in the UK, France, Australia - the list goes on. And feedback has been super positive consistently! I really can't believe that people are actually enjoying the album - I know how discerning a lot of metalheads and folks who review albums can be and to get positive feedback from the metal community has been great. I originally set out to just share the album with some friends and maybe get reviewed on Angry Metal Guy, which I have read everyday for the past four years or so. My expectations have been blown away and I really have to express my immense gratitude to anyone who picks up the album to listen to, let alone write a whole review on it or interview me about it, with all the albums that come out every week. 

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future? That's hard to say - I went into this project with no plans whatsoever. I never thought I would finish writing the album, or record it, or promote it, so thinking about what's next is tough. I have written heavy music all my life and I would like to try my hand at different styles - I am currently dabbling in atmospheric synth with the goal of putting together an album based on the history of the first crusade, which I find so fascinating as a historical context for storytelling. It would be amazing to work with an filmmaker, John Carpenter-like, to create a visual back drop for that concept, but that's pretty far in the future. 

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? I would say anthemic street punk bands like Onward to Mayhem and The Virus as well as folk metal bands like Ensiferum are the most straightforward influences, but I also got really inspired from a concept album standpoint by concept albums by Devin Townsend and King Diamond. My favorite bands right now are probably traditional and power metal like Atlantean Kodex, Dark Forest, Dream Troll and Judicator, but I listen to all sorts of stuff - I really like the new Vorga and Rolo Tomassi albums from earlier this year. 

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts? Thanks so much for letting me do this! I really appreciate the support you give to independent bands - it's really important to support unsigned bands - you do the scene a great service! 

https://pillagingvillagers.bandcamp.com/album/pillaging-villagers

Pillaging Villagers/Self Titled/2022 Full Length Review

 

  Pillaging  Villagers  are  a  band  from  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin  that  plays  a  mixture  of  punk,  thrash  and  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  and  self  released  2022  album  which  will  be  released  by  March  11th.

  Heavy  riffing  and  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  off  the  album  while  the  vocals  mix  black  metal  screams  and  aggressive  thrash  style  shouting  style  together.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  some  clean  vocals  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  the  music  also  adds  in  a great  amount  of  thrash  metal  elements.

  At  times  the  music  also  captures  the  raw  energy  of  punk  rock  while  Celtic  folk  instruments  are  also  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  when  they  are  utilized.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  keyboard  onto  the  recording  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  some  songs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  death  metal  growls  and  back  up  shouts.

  Pillaging  Villagers  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  punk,  thrash  and  folk  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  victory  and  sorrow  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Pillaging  Villagers  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  punk,  thrash  and  folk  metal  and  if  you  are  a f an  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Wretched  Of  The  Earth"  "The  Emperor"  "Smash  The  Factory"  and  "Freedom  Is  Ours".  8  out  of  10.

https://pillagingvillagers.bandcamp.com/album/pillaging-villagers

https://www.facebook.com/pillagingvillagers

https://www.instagram.com/pillaging_villagers/

https://twitter.com/pillaging_vgers      

    

  

Qaalm/Resilience & Despair/Hypaethrael Records/2022 Full Length Review

 

  Qaalm  are  a  band  from  Los  Angeles,  California  that  plays  an  atmospheric  mixture  of  black,  sludge  and  funeral  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  "Resilience  &  Despair"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Hypaethrael  Records.

  Atmospheric  soundscapes  and  keyboards  start  of  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  being  heavily  rooted  in  funeral  doom  metal  and  capturing  the  heaviness  of  sludge  metal.

  All  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  vocals  bring  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams.  Clear  vocals  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  of  songs  as  well  as  one  track  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  stringed  instruments  and  all  of  the  music  also  sticks  to  a  slower  direction  and  at  times  you  can  also  hear  an  influence  of  post  rock.

  Qaalm  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  atmospheric  black,  sludge  and  funeral  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  personal  experiences,  depression  and  adverse  aspects  of  humanity.

  In  my  opinion  Qaalm  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  atmospheric  black,  sludge  and  funeral  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Reflections  Doubt"  and  "Lurking  Death".  8  out  of  10.

  http://twitter.com/qaalmband

http://www.instagram.com/qaalmband    

    

Agathodaimon/The Seven/Napalm Records/2022 CD Review

 

  Germany's  Agathodaimon  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  more  of  a  gothic  and  symphonic  style  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  "The  Seven"  which  will  be  released  on  March  18th  by  Napalm  Records.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  some  growls  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  clean  vocals  also  give  the  songs  more  of  a  gothic  metal  touch.    All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  album  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  at  times  the  music  also  gets  very  symphonic  sounding.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  a  couple  of  tracks  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.  Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  songs  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  Seven  Deadly  Sins.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Agathodaimon  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic  and  gothic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "La  Haine"  "Ghosts  Of  Greed"  "Estrangement"  and  "The  Divine".  8  out  of  10.

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https://youtu.be/_2S04OM9css

Nýr Gata Interview

 

1.A few months back you had released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

In my opinion LUNA AETERNA is heavier and more linked to death metal than our debut SERAPHIM.

We chose a deeper tuning for the songs and also wrote some elements which are not typical for Black Metal at all, without losing our style known from the first Album.

2.This is also your first release in 6 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?

Nordmann and me are doing a lot of music together. Between the two Nýr Gata albums we released the “CIEL NOIR” EP of our Band Immorior, the debut Album of Stardust and YARR & I released the first EP of my solo project MIRAI.

Also we were part of the recordings of the Blazing Dawn Debut “In the Light of a Nocturnal Moon”

3.Both of the band members are also involved with other bands, what is it that you bring into the music of 'Nýr Gata' that you are not able to do with your other groups?

The more technical riffing and aggression is a big aspect of the music we put into Nýr Gata.

Even though components of this takes part of the songwriting in our other bands, Nýr Gata will always stands unique. Less raw than MIRAI, less atmospheric than IMMORIOR, less epic than NELADNHIR but as powerful as they all combined.

Even as every of our bands is settled in a certain subgenre, we feel free to explore all borders of it

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

The story and setting is influenced by the divine comedy and thoughts about the perception of the angels.

Usually we know and see them just as messenger of god. My intention was to give them more depth and individuality. My interest was to tell a story about a Seraphim, who is rethinking his own position in heaven.

Who compares himself and men and envied the love of god to them.

65What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Nýr Gata'?

The meaning is “a new path”.  The music and story was written actually for a Band I was playing then. But it was kind of declined because the music didn’t fit the usual sound of that band. I didn’t want to rewrite the album or change it in any way. That’s why I decided to start something new. To walk on a new path with it. I like the “Nordic” languages and especially Icelandic. So it was a match, even if I know that Nýr Gata isn’t the best translation for “New Path” I like the sounding of the words just too much.

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

The Artwork represents the journey of the Seraphim trough the two Albums. As the phases of the moon, getting bigger and stronger with the journey through the levels of hell and finally becoming death in the purest form. But like the moon loses power and fullness, the Seraphim ends up frail by recognizing this hell of emptiness he created. And so, by finding a way to correct his failure, he remains in the world paler than before.

7.The band started out as a solo project, what was the decision behind expanding into a duo?

I asked Nordmann to help me out with the recordings. We started a small studio a year before, to be able to record when and as much we want without spending thousands of Euro.

Nordmann took on the role as our sound engineer and also the Studio is located in his house.

Within the recording sessions, he got really hooked on the music and asked to join. Of course I said yes!

8.The new album was released on 'Nahetal Klangschmiede', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

The “Nahetal Klangschmiede “ is both, Label and Studio. Since we have a lot of bands together, we thought it would be make sense to found a label that would serve as a kind of “roof” for all our bands.

Since then we released some of our  music and also were able to release two albums of Japanese bands.

The label gives us the freedom to do whatever we want, even it is very unknown.

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

We don’t get that much reaction usually but so far the album was very positively received.

At this point I want to thank everybody  who send us feedback and nice words!

10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?

At the moment we are working on the next IMMORIOR release. We have to do the final cut on the song writing and Artwork but I think we won’t start recording  before autmn / winter because Nordmann is very involved with his work.

Meanwhile I will start the re-recording of an upcoming MIRAI EP and also we still working on new Nýr Gata songs

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

As always we do what we like. But I don’t see Nýr Gata leaving the Death / Black Metal genre so far or something like this. But of course we will try some new things within the Nýr Gata universe. Stay tuned!

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?

There is too much to list. Nordmann and me are still into all kind of metal and theres still so many to discover.

Recently I am a lot into Japanese bands also outside the borders of metal ( thanks to my wife ) and Nordmann found his love again to some good old American rock and blues.

So this could get a nice mixture in the future.

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

Thanks for this interview and thanks to all supporter of our music!

As we are living in really fucked up times, I hope you all stay safe and strong, wherever you are from!

Bandcamp: https://nyrgata.bandcamp.com/

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

Stellagen/From Dying Stars/2022 Full Length Review

 

  Stellagen  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death,  thrash  and  power  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2022  album  "From  Dying  Stars".

  Heavy  riffing  starts  off  the  album  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  power  metal  style.  Black  metal  screams  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bringing  in  blast  beats  and  thrash  metal  elements  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.  

  At  times  the  vocals  also melodic  sounding  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Death  metal  growls  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  tracks  along  with  some  clean  playing  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  one  song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars,  as  the  album  progresses  a  couple  of  instrumentals  can  also  be  heard  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Stellagen  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  black,  death,  thrash  and  power  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  science  fiction,  fantasy,  literature  and  real  life  experiences.   

  In  my  opinion  Stellagen  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death,  thrash  and  power  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Die  in  my  Mind"  "Beowulf"  and  "The  ENd".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/mp8cbi-1AYg

https://stellagenmusic.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/stellagenmusic

https://www.instagram.com/stellagenmusic/

https://stellagenmusic.bandcamp.com

https://open.spotify.com/track/5Rd0DxKN822DTn6dSQnbkx

https://music.apple.com/au/album/freedom-single/1606551564

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMJNRQBQzup0VKT0CY7pwSA