Antitheus/The Faults of Our Kind/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Antitheus  are  a  duo  from  Seattle,  Washington  that  plays  a  melodic  and  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2023  album  "The  Faults  Of  Our  Kind".

  Synths  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times  while  the  music  also  has  its  symphonic  moments.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  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.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.  Tremolo  picking  is  also  utilized  when  the  music  speeds  up  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  all  of  the  drum b eats  also  being  programmed,  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  on a  couple  of  tracks  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly. 

  Antitheus  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  the  issue  of  humanity  and  the  constant  error  of  its  ways.  

  In  my  opinion  Antitheus  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Outcast"  "Baba  Yaga"  and  "The  Knot".  8  out  of  10.

  https://antitheus.bandcamp.com/album/the-faults-of-our-kind

https://www.facebook.com/AntitheusBand

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ9Ine_kY_GzmvQ14uoSpog

https://www.instagram.com/antitheusband/   

Nuclear Storm/Tales From The Depth/Wolfmond Production/2023 Cassette Review

 

  Nuclear  Storm  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  with  elements  of  traditional  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  album  "Tales  Form  the  Depth"  which  will  be  released  on  cassette  in  February  by  Wolfmond  Production.

  Acoustic  guitars  and  synths  start  off  the  album  before  introducing  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  onto  the  recording.  The  heavier  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  album  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  The  songs  also  add  in a  g odd  mixture  of  both  old  school  and  modern  influences  while  the  more  melodic  side  of  the  music  also  brings  in  elements  of  traditional  metal.  At  times  the  vocals  also  add  in  more  of  a  clean  style  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  one  song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  and  most  of  the  album  also  sticks  to  more  of  a  mid  tempo  direction  as  well  as  some  of  the  riffing  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  thrash  metal.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  evil  and  folklore  themes.     

  In  my  opinion  Nuclear  Storm  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  with  elements  of  thrash  and  traditional  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Animal"  "The  great  White"  "Evil  Spirit"  and  Undertaker".  8  out  of  10.

  www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBnZEBYBIII     

Kromheim/Journey To Divinity/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Kromheim  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in t his  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  mixture  of  viking  and  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2023  album  "Journey  To  Divinity"  which  will  be  released  in  February.

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast b eats.  Vocals  are  mostly  blackened  metal  screams  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  the  music  is  heavily  rooted  in t he  classic  Swedish  style.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to t hem  while  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  one  song  also  introducing  synths  and  viking  metal  elements  onto  the  recording,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  are  also  utilized.

  On  this  recording  Kromheim  goes  for  a  musical  style  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  Swedish  styles  of  viking  and  melodic  death  metal.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Vikings  and  Norse  Paganism  themes.   

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Kromheim  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  viking  and  melodic  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "War"  "1000  Lives"  and  "Journey  To  Divinity".  8  out  of  10.

  https://youtu.be/_brcN5oZDgM

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5QnA6BnzlbyqtDe9oFucUl

https://kromheim.bandcamp.com/album/journey-to-divinity  

  

Gates Of Mourning/Ruination/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Gates  Of  Mourning  are  a  solo  project  from  Florida  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2023  album  "Ruination"  which  will b e  released  in  February.

  Dark,  heavy  and  melodic  riffing  starts  off  the  album  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  along  with  the  music  also  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  classic  90's  era  Swedish  style.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  classical  guitars  and  keyboards  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  a  couple  of  the  tracks  also  being  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  operatic  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  as  well  as  one  song  also  being  an  instrumental. 

  Gates  Of  Mourning  plays  a  musical  style  that  goes  back  to  the  90's  era  of  Swedish  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  medieval  and  sorrow  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Gates  of  Mourning  is  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  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Silver  Strands  of  Winter's  Graze"  "When  Grave  Worms  beckon  A  New  Reign"  and  "A  Dagger  Bejeweled  Strikes  The  Very  heart  Of  the  Righteous".  8  out  of  10.

  Bandcamp: 

Gates of Mourning (bandcamp.com)

Metal Archives:

Gates of Mourning - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives (metal-archives.com)

Spotify:

Spotify – Gates of Mourning

Instagram:

𝕲𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖘 𝖔𝖋 𝕸𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌 (@gatesofmourning) • Instagram photos and videos    

Nerumia/Fatal Delirium/Sadist Records/2021 Full Length Review

 

  Nerumia  are  a  band  from  Switzerland  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  blackened  form  of  death  emtal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2021  album  "Fatal  Delirium"  which  will  be  released  in  February  by  Sadist  Records.

  Synths  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  a  few  seconds  later  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can b e  heard.

 Tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of the  faster  riffing  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  grim  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls.  Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections along  with  a  couple  of  songs also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  the  songs  also  ad d in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Nerumia  plays  a  musical  style   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  social hypocrisy,  history  nd  philosophy  of  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Nerumia  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of b lack  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Apocalyptic  Blast"  "Un  jour  viendra"  "Fallen  In  A  Dead  pass"  and  "Painful  Obscurity".  8  out  of  10.

      https://nerumia.bandcamp.com/album/fatal-delirium

https://www.nerumia.com/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063719281797

Tyrmfar/Dialectic Of Ego And The Unconscious/MTAF Records/2022 Full Length Review

 

  Tyrmfar  are  a  band  from  Switzerland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  "Dialectic  of  Ego  And  The  Unconscious"  which  was  released  by  MTAF  Records.

  A   very  epic  sounding  keyboard  orientated  intro  starts  off  the  album  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams. 

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing.  A  lot  of t he  music  is  also  very  heavily  influenced  by  the  Swedish  style  along  with  a  couple  of  songs  also  introducing  clean  playing  onto  the  recording,  one  song  is  also  an  instrumental. 

  On  this  recording  Tyrmfar  remains  true  to  the  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  that  they  had  established  on  their  previous  release.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Tyrmfar  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Supreme  Justice"  "Inner  Destruction"  and  "The  Altar  of  The  Damned".  8  out  of  10.

  https://linktr.ee/tyrmfar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNeKaJHQQYk

Self-Deceiver 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?

The album was mostly recorded in 2021 and then we took our time until we have the final mix and released in December of 2022, so, since the finish of the recording session we keep rehearsing and started writing some new material, now, since the release of the album, we have been promoting it and getting in touch with people around the world, also we keep rehearsing in order to start playing live shows this year and making some plans for the future (music videos, new songs, merchandising, finding a record label or some distribution, etc). 

2. In December you had released a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

Across The Styx is the result of mixing our musical tastes and our abilities as musicians. We listen to almost all the metal genres and also like bands like Pink Floyd and Deep purple. However, we never planned to play a certain genre or style, we just started jamming and writing, then what came up was some kind of melodic death metal with some stuff from other genres.

3. The band has been around since 2012 but waited until 2022 to release an album, can you tell us a little bit more about the long wait?

Across The Styx is the result of many years of on and off activity as a band and time we also used to grow as musicians. At some point we were in different countries. In 2017 we started rehearsing seriously again, looked at all the songs we had and made some changes, and then some new material was written. The long wait is also due to the time we spent producing, making arrangements, recording and mixing the album due to busy schedules and money factors too. However, right now with the response the album has had and the inertia we have, for sure the next material won't take that long.

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

The main topic for our lyrics in this first record is human existence and its meaning, but we also write about violence, the pursuit of glory, war, deceit and the hypocrisy of religions.

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

The concept behind the cover is to show the river Styx that separates the world of the living from the dead. It is known as the river of hate because the beings submerged in it are constantly attacking each other and also everyone who falls into it. For us is a metaphor about people's leaders, who manage to manipulate the masses to hate, attack, and kill one to another while they are pursuing personal goals. So when these leaders die, they will lose their disguises and face all the hate they spread, maybe falling into the Styx.

6. Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to expanding the line up or do you prefer to remain a duo?

At this point it is difficult to get bandmates since We've been just a two piece band for a long time. If we manage to stay true to the sound of the album live, We don't think it will be necessary to search for a third member. We have considered the possibility of integrating a bass player but maybe just for live shows.

7. Originally the band was from Brazil but have re-located to Colombia, can you tell us a little bit more about the mover?

We did our postgraduate studies at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil. We both have a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering. We studied and also worked for some years designing integrated circuits (chips) for Brazilian companies. After a while Sergio moved to Buenos Aires Argentina with his girlfriend (at the time) and Jorge continued in Brazil until 2016 were both met again in Bogotá Colombia and resumed the band.

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

Yes of course, we are interested in a record deal and recently we have submitted our material to some companies. At the moment we have received a proposal for a label that is being created in Finland. 

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

We are amazed by the amount of feedback from people around the world, we have seen the comments on the YouTube channels of people who have shared our album and we are quite surprised with the response. Since the first of December that we released the album on platforms, people noticed it and have contacted us. We did not expect such a response since we do not have the support and promotion of a record label, and because, you know, we are proud of our album but you don't know if others are going to like it, especially if you are an emerging band.

10. What is going on with 'In Veins' these days?

Once we released Across The Styx with Self-Deceiver in December, Sergio went to the studio and recorded the drums for what will be the second EP from In Veins due in the first half of 2023. We hope to put out an EP with 3 or 4 songs and reactivate the band and restart playing live. We have some other songs written but it's been a bit difficult for the 4 of us to work together and polish them due to job schedules.

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

At the moment, the couple of songs we have been working on have a Black Metal vibe, but we don't plan what direction to take for a record as a whole, each song will drive us. We just want to do what sounds great to us and not to what others expect.

12. What are some of the bands or musical styles the band members are currently listening to nowadays?

Recently we have been listening to a lot of Melodic Death metal and Black metal, bands like Insomnium, Be’lakor, Gaerea, Behemoth, The Halo Effect, Mgła, Mistur, Windir, Vreid, Enslaved, Emperor, Groza and Borknagar among many others.

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

First of all thanks to ADIFFERENTSHADEOFBLACKMETALZINE for the interview and the interest in Self-Deceiver. Second of all thanks to the readers of this article and the people who have listened to Across The Styx. Finally, we hope to start playing live soon and put some new material out, stay tuned and cheers from Colombia!

https://self-deceiver.bandcamp.com/

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