Heron/Empires Of Ash/Sludgelord Records/2022 Full Length Review

 

  Heron  are  a  band  from  Vancouver  B.C,  Canada  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  an  atmospheric  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  doom  and  post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  "Empires  of  Ash"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Sludgelord  Records.

  A  very  slow,  dark  and  heavy  sludge  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  also  mix  in  elements  of  doom  metal.  Most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  high  pitched  blackened  metal  screams  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  clean  playing  is  added  onto  the  on  a  couple  of  tracks  they  also  show  an  influence  of  post  rock  while   the  synths  also  takes  the  music  into  a  more  atmospheric  direction  when  they  are  utilized.  Melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  at  times  along  with  the  riffing  also  having  its  repetitive  moments  and  the  whole  recording  also  sticks  to  a  slower  musical  direction  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  when  they  are  added  on  the  closing  song.

  On  this  recording  Heron  focuses  more  on  a  blackened  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  with  some  atmospheric  and  post  metal  touches.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  a  larger  scope  of  turbulent  emotions.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Heron  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  post  black,  sludge  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Rust  And  Rot"  and  "With  Dead  Eyes".  8  out  of  10.

  

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Mind Erasure/Connive/Soman Records/2022 Full Length Review

 

  Mind  Erasure  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2022  album  "Connive"  which  was  released  by  Soman  Records.

  Dark  soundscapes,  synths  and  acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  album  while  percussion's  can  also  be  heard  briefly  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  melody  and  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  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  Throughout  the  album  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  songs  also  having  their  atmospheric  moments.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  clear  singing  and  choirs  as  well  as  some  female  vocals  and  whispers  also  being  utilized  briefly,  one  song  also  introduces  spoken  word  parts  onto  the  album.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  battles,  violence  and  schizophrenia  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Mind  Eraser  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  progressive  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  "Azrael"  "Sour  Eyes"  and  "As  First  Light  never  Comes  Part  III:  Life's  Epilogue".  8  out  of  10.

  https://youtu.be/OaIZpH1GLU8

https://www.facebook.com/MindErasure/

https://www.instagram.com/mind_erasure/

https://www.youtube.com/c/MindErasure

https://minderasure.bandcamp.com/album/connive

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0pEpN1fdyWU1lOs1okfi8A

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/mind-erasure/976409168    

Ravenoir/In The Womb Of Sin/Gothoom Productions/2022 Full Length Review

 

  Ravenoir  are  a  band  from  Czechia  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  "In  The  Womb  Of  Sin"  which  was  released  by  Gothoom  Productions.

  A  very  dark  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  while  also  introducing  clean  playing  onto  the  recording  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction.  Vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  blast b eats. 

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  music  also  adds  in  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  elements.  Synths  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  album  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  yet  old  school  style  when  they  are  utilized,  one  song  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  movie  samples.  and  the  album  also  closes  with  an  instrumental  before  adding  in  a  bonus  track  which  is  a  cove r of  Mercyful  Fate's  "Black  Funeral"..

  Ravenoir  plays  a  musical  styles  that  takes  the  melodic  forms  of  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  blasphemy  themes.     

  In  my  opinion  Ravenoir  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "In  The  Womb  Of  Sin"  "Stigma  Infernoir"  and "Lunar  Choir".  8  out  of  10.

  www.gothoomproductions.com/ravenoir

www.facebook.com/RavenoirOfficial   

The Blessing Way/Erik's Lament/2022 Full Length Review

 

  The  Blessing  Way  are  a  solo  project  from  Ireland  that  plays  a  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2022  album  "Erik's  Lament"  which  will  be  released  on  Halloween.

  Symphonic  elements  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats  can b e  heard  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls.

  Operatic  male  and  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  Classical  guitars  can  also  be  heard  on  a  few  tracks  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  on a  couple  of  songs.

  Touches  of  classical  and  folk  music  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  the  album  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  music  also  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  era,  one  song  is  also  an  instrumental  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  there  is  also  a  small  amount  of  session  work  from  Snowy  Shaw.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror  and  gothic  tales.

  In  my  opinion  The  Blessing  Way  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  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Hanging  Of  Joseph  Buquet"  "Terror  In  The  Graveyard"  "Delusions  Of  An  Opium  Eater"  and  "Erik's  Lament".  8  out  of  10.

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Bavaustrian Metalbrothers United/Fall Into Oblivion/Rebirth The Metal Productions/2022 Full Length Review

 

  Bavaustrian  Metalbrothers  United  are  a  solo  project  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  symphonic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2022  album  "Fall  Into  Oblivion"  which  will b e  released  on  October  28th  by  Rebirth  The  Metal  Productions.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  Death  metal  growls  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  while  black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  while  some  songs  also  add in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars.  The  album  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  riffing  also  mixing  in  some  elements  of  thrash  metal  at  times  and  a  few  tracks  also  add  in  some  keyboards  and  orchestral  arrangements  which  also  takes  the  recording  into  more  of  a  symphonic  direction.

  A  couple  of  songs  also  introduces  clear  vocals  into  the  music  along  with  all  of  the  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound to  them  as  well  as  some  of  the  faster  riffing  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking  which  also  enhances  the  black  metal  side  of  the  recording,  whispered  vocals  can  also  be heard  briefly.  One  track  is  also  a  brief  acoustic  instrumental  and  a  couple  of  the  songs  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  esoteric  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Bavaustrian  Metalbrothers  United  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  symphonic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Still  Alive"  "Fall  Into  Oblivion"  "Undead  Salvation"  and  "Riding  In  The  Dark".  8  out  of  10.

  Website: https://rtmproductions.bigcartel.com/

Bandcamp: https://bavaustrianmetalbrothersunited.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bavaustrianmetalbrothersunited
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpbEUx4AqYYAWkyi0EgLg6w

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bavaustrian_metalbrothers_uni/        

The Wolves Of Avalon/Y Gododdin/Godreah Records/2022 Full Length Review

 

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  The  Wolves  Of  Avalon  are  a  band  from  the  united  Kingdom  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  progressive  mixture  of  pagan  and  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  "Y  Gododdin"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Godreah  Records.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  while  also  introducing  elements  of  folk  music  onto  the  recording  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Spoken  word  parts  can  also b e  heard  briefly  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  Vocals  are  done  in  a  very  aggressive  blackened  metal  style  while  keyboards  can  also  be  heard  at  times.  Clear  pagan  vocals are  also  utilized on  a  lot  of  tracks  along  with  some  blast  beats  also  being  added  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  times  as  well  as  the  music  also  having its  progressive  moments.  Session  work can  also  be  heard  from  members  of  Venom  Inc,  Drudkh,  Taake,  Forefather  and  Aklash  and  most  of  the  album  also  sticks  to  a  mid  tempo  style.

  On  this  recording  The  Wolves  of  Avalon  takes  their  pagan  style  of  folk  metal  into  more  of  a  progressive  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  ancient  battles  described  in  the  ancient  Welsh  poems  written  by  the  bard  Aneirin.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  The  Wolves  Of  Avalon  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  progressive  pagan  folk  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Men  Of  Gododdin"  and  "Dead  mans  Cloak's"
.  8  out  of  10.

  www.thewolvesofavalon.co.uk

www.facebook.com/thewolvesofavalon

https://youtu.be/McD2wn1QkxI  

Arctora Interview

 

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

Arctora started with me creating a solo-album as a side-project. I just wanted to write and record songs and practice mixing on them for fun basically.

For a long time I had no plans on forming a band around it, because getting a band together is usually such a pain with not only having to find good musicians, but good people you want to hang out and create music with.

But I ended up trying my luck anyway after the album was mostly finished, and I found all the members in a span of a week. I would have never believed that to happen!

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?

When I started the project, I had the intention of writing a “real” black metal album, but I quickly realized that’s not what I actually wanted to do.

After that I stopped worrying about musical style and just started writing whatever felt right.

There’s a ton of blast-beats, tremolo picking and nordic melodies, but also some progressive elements and technical riffing.

I’d say the albums genre is blackened melodic death metal, but everyone can decide for themselves.

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

The lyrics are mostly introspection about stuff I’ve been dealing with wrapped in a theme or a story.

For example, in the song “Arbiter of Fate” I tell about personal feelings, how sometimes the pressure of wanting to achieve and succeed is the only thing driving you forward, even though you might feel exhausted and close to burning out. 

And I combined those feelings with inspiration and themes from Berserk to tell the story.

Every song on the album has its own topic, some are more fantasized and some more grounded in reality.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Arctora'?

I came up with the name around a decade ago, when I was 15 or 16.

It was supposed to be the name of my first band, but we decided on a different one back then.

Simply put, it’s just a combination of “Arctic” and finnish word “Tora” or “Torahammas” which mean “altercation” or “fang” respectively.

No deeper meaning than that, just something that sounded cool for my teenage-self back then and for some reason stuck in the back of my mind for all these years.

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

I wanted the album art to portray what I see in my head when I think of the songs and albums feel overall.

In my mind the album feels lonely, cold and barren, but also beautiful and vast in a way.

The art was made by Heino Brand, you can find more of his work here: https://www.heinobrand.com/

He was great to work with and he nailed what I was going for!

6.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 only played three shows so far, and all of them were an absolute blast to play, even the first show which was a bit of a nightmare scenario. Our gear had some weird technical issues all night, like in-ear monitors acting strange and even my guitar jack lost input connection as soon as I stepped on stage. 

But we made it through and had an awesome time!

I’d say we are quite energetic live, with two guys doing the vocals and everyone constantly moving and moshing around!  Not a lot of standing still and looking at your feet.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

We plan on gigging as much as we can in Finland at first and hopefully extending out abroad next year!

8.The new album was released on 'WormholeDeath' Records, are you happy with the support they have given you so far?

We’ve been very happy!

Communication between us and them is always quick and professional. If we have any questions or suggestions, they always answer real fast.

And they’ve been doing an awesome job getting us seen and heard globally.

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

I have been surprised by the amount and how positive the feedback has been.

I’ve mostly just seen people praising the album.

I originally thought the feedback would be more lukewarm, since it is a home-produced album, but no. It has been great!

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

This is a question for which I do not know the answer, since we now have five people involved in making the music instead of just me.

I know we will have real drums on the next record at least!

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 have to mention Jari Mäenpää and Alexi Laiho as the biggest influences for sure!

They are the reason I ever picked the guitar.

Amon Amarth and Insomnium are the two bands I really fell in love with also, and inspired me to start practicing vocals and writing songs of my own!

These days I listen to pretty much all metal genres and a ton of different bands, but a finnish band called Stam1na and the giant Mastodon have really grown on me the most these last few years.

Also, nowadays I listen to a lot of orchestral music and soundtracks.

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

We just released a music video for the track “I Am Human”, you can find it here:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ETrMDZreds

Thank you for the interview and the review!

And thank you reader for reading and listening to the music.

Hope to see you all live someday!