Wooden Shadow/Eternal Land Of Wrath And Mourn/Inverse Records/2023 Full length Review

 

  Wooden  Shadow  are  a  solo  project  form  Finland  that  plays  a  melodic  and  symphonic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2023  album  "Eternal  Land  Of  Wrath  And  Mourn"  which  was  released  by  Inverse  Records.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  and  also  brings  in  elements  of  folk  music  along  with  some  symphonic  sounding  keyboards  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs.  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast b eats  can  be  heard  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  and  tremolo  picking  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  also  being  utilized  at  times,  clear  vocals  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  nature  and  melancholy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Wooden  Shadow  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  symphonic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  folk  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Nocturnal  Force"  "Rain  of  Tears"  and  "Dweller  in  The  Morning  Forest".  8 out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/Tormentius 

https://www.instagram.com/woodenshadowofficial
https://woodenshadow.bandcamp.com

https://youtu.be/QOvR9vHn9v8

  

  

Moonskin/Lunar Ascendence/2023 EP Review

 

  Moonskin  are  a  band  from  British  Columbia,  Canada  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  symphonic  and  melodic  mixture  of  black,  dark  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  theri  self  released  2023  ep  "Lunar  Ascendence".

  A  very  heavy  and  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  female  vocals  a  few  seconds  later.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  emtal  growls  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody as  well  the  mid  tempo  sections  also  adding  in  touches  of  groove  metal.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  keyboards  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording.  Clear  male  vocals  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  dark  metal  elements  and  the  ep  closes  with  a  cover  of  Black  Sabbath's  "Paranoid".

  On  this  recordingMoonskin  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  melodic  and  symphonic  forms  of  black, d ark  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  with  a  touch  of  groove  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  supernatural,  horror,  lycanthropy,  high  fantasy,  exploration,  loss,  healing,  ascension,  power,  life  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Moonskin  and  if  you  are  a  fan    symphonic,  melodic  black,  dark  and  death  metal  and  ,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Subjagation  And  Oppression"  and  "Altering  the  Entity".  8 out  of  10.

  https://youtu.be/_Hx4AvMf-8U

https://www.facebook.com/moonskinofficial

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk71hQq9v4191YJDIX9212g

https://www.instagram.com/moonskinmetal/

https://www.tiktok.com/@moonskin_

https://moonskin.fanlink.to/Listen-Lunar-Ascendence

https://open.spotify.com/album/5afcZTY31Z0ZBKQgn3i6tc

https://music.apple.com/ca/album/lunar-ascendance-ep/1638347673

https://www.deezer.com/us/album/343480057

https://listen.tidal.com/album/240358341

https://www.amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0B7YWJRV9

https://music.amazon.ca/artists/B0787922VS/moonskin

https://www.moonskin.ca/lunar-ascendence-release-epk    

3xperimental/Cosmic Tales/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Germany's  solo  project  3xperimental  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  an  atmospheric  and  symphonic  style  of  black  metal  with  electronic  music  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2023  album  "Cosmic  tales".

  Electronic  music  sounds  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  the  songs  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  melody  and  blast b eats  and  also  added  into  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.

  Tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  a  lot  of t he  fast  riffs  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  atmospheric  sounding  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  sci-fi  style  clear  vocals  into  the  music  and  the  music  also  has  its  symphonic  moments.

  Synths  and  orchestra  sounds  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  tracks  along  with  some  operatic  choirs  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  album,  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  programmed  beats  also  being  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording.  All  of  the  music  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them and  the  closing  song  is  also  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  survival  and  hope  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  3xperimental  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  and  symphonic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Transmission"  "Cosmic  Tales"  adn  "Extinction".  8  out  of  10.

  Bandcamp: https://3xperimental.bandcamp.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/3xperimentalofficial
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@3xperimental_official
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7FfVUqDrJou7hZpMuNpMdB

V:XII/Lu-Cipher-Sabbatean/Sentient Ruin Laboratories/2023 Full Length Review

 

    V:XII are  a  solo  project  from  Sweden  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  mixture  of  black, death metal,  industrial,  dark  ambient  and  harsh  noise  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2023  album  "Lu-Cipher-Sabbatean"  which  will  be  released  in April  by  Sentient  Ruin  laboratories.

  Industrial  style  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  while  the  synths  also  bring  in  elements  of  dark  ambient  when t hey  are utilized.  Death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  some  harsh  noises  and  power  electronics  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  All  of  the  drum  beats  are  also  programmed  while  the  music  also  adds  in  touches  of  martial  at  times.  On  some  of  the  tracks  the  music  also  goes  into  more  of  a  ritualistic  direction  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  each  song  also  sounding  very  different  from  each  other,  melodic  chants  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  

  On  this  recording   V:XII  takes  black,  death  metal,  industrial,  dark  ambient  and  harsh  noise  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  very  diverse  album.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  religious  and  ritualistic  power  leading  to  a  world  drowned  in  darkness  and d read.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  V:XII  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of   black, death metal,  industrial,  dark  ambient  and  harsh  noise,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Blood  Strategies"  "Hivermind  Nation"  and  "Mindworm".  8 out  of  10.

BANDCAMP RELEASE            

Caedeous/Malum Supplicium/Black Sunset/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Caedeous  are  a  band  from  Portugal  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  album  "Malum  Supplicium"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Black  Sunset.

  Synths  and  spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  symphonic  elements  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Operatic  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  blast  beats.

  Tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  while  the  vocals  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  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  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  when  they  are  utilized,  choirs  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while t he  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  horror  stories  dealing  with  good,  evil,  angles,  demons,  heaven  and  hell  with  some  inspirations  from  the  writings  of  Lovecraft,  Barker  and  Alighieri.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Caedeous  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cruxis  Inferni"  "Pandemonium"  and  "Malum  Supplicium".  8  out  of  10.

  Official Website: https://www.caedeous.com/-

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

Ophirae Interview

 

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

The band was born in 2012 as a solo project and was taking shape as a full band in the first years. From the beginning we opted to not divulge anything until we had something consistent to present to the public, with a well defined musical genre and line up. During these years we chose to hide our identities so the focus of the public is on our art.

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

From the beginning our ambition has been to create a strong musical identity. To organize this we simply said to ourselves: "Let's try to sound as heavy and aggressive as possible but at the same time as beautiful as possible. With this goal we merged our musical experiences to create our identity.

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

We criticize religions and the moral constructs of today's society through personal experiences that we literally face during our lives. Like every predominantly Christian country, Brazil is full of injustice and hypocrisy. So there is no lack of inspiration.

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

It´s an interesting question! The band was born with the name "Ophidian" and our debut album would be self-titled. All lyrics were written using the concept of this name. However one of our record labels made a suggestion that we look for another name since there was already a musically similar band called "Ophidian I". As we want to explore more the Brazilian musical culture in the next albums, the name Ophirae was chosen, which is a Brazilian indigenous war dance.

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

As mentioned before, the lyrics are reflections of our life experiences regarding religion and moral social constructions. Another detail is that the lyrics are narrated from the point of view of a central character: The Serpent. We sent this concept to the Brazilian artist Bruno Delgado, who hand painted (oil on canvas using spatula) the cover with the old man and the serpent.

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 are from São Paulo, but as soon as the album was released we booked a tour through the northeast of Brazil, including some dates with the American band Toxic Holocaust. All the concerts were amazing and it´s very difficult to choose the greater one. But I believe that Juazeiro do Norte/CE was special because it was the band's first show. ...the public was really amazing.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for 2023? 

In 2023 we are working on our second album that should be released between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. The plan is to tour again in 2024 to promote this second album.

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

Actually the album was released through a partnership between Mutilation Productions and Black Metal Store. We were very pleased because they are two of the greatest extreme metal labels in Brazil and probably in Latin America. The physical material was made with a quality that impressed us a lot!

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

We realize that on a worldwide level we have a good audience on our streaming platforms but it is difficult to know how much of this audience really knows us because we are on the other side of the ocean. A little over a month ago I moved to Portugal precisely with the intention to start our work in Europe.

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

As I mentioned before, our idea for the future is to bring more of the Brazilian culture into our art and present it to the world, without losing that "sounding as heavy and aggressive as possible but at the same time as beautiful as possible" goal. At the moment this is our focus.

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?

We listen to a lot of Swedish bands like Dawn, Dissection, Sacramentum and At The Gates. We also listen to bands like Uada, Woods of Desolation, Cult of Fire and Acherontas. About classic death metal bands we like a lot Carcass, old Deicide and Death. But there are many other influences... we also like other things than extreme metal.

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

Thank you very much for granting us this interview, we hope this will help people to know our work a little better.

 https://open.spotify.com/album/21iJ6amw6xVMnAfXOnbGRX

Weissravana Interview

 

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

WeissRavana is a Melodic Death / Blackened Deathcore band with vocalist Shiki UTAGAWA and guitarist Hiori NISHIORI.

Formed in Tokyo, Japan in 2019.

They create music that combines the speed of thrash, the brutality of death metal, and emotional and dramatic melodies.

＞2.So far you have released an ep, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

There are two things I emphasized during the recording.

The first is to use sound to express the emotions that arise from the story of a song, which was previously expressed in musical notation.

The combination of dynamics and song development expresses this, but I tried to make sure that all the ensembles express the same feeling.

As a result, I think that when I listen to music, I can feel sadness, pain, a sense of release, and a sense of speed.

The second is balance.

The balance of the mix was very important because there were so many sounds.

Besides volume, the balance between stillness and movement, the balance between melody and riff, etc. is the most important in everything.

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

WeissRavana's songs all have a story within a common universe.

It's a dark fantasy set in a modern, futuristic world.

The lyrics and poems are the story of each one of them.

It has a structure that builds one world by gathering multiple of these.

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

The name of the god "Vaiśravaṇa" is the origin of the band name, and the spelling is slightly changed.

Vaiśravaṇa is a god in Indian mythology and Buddhism.

I chose this band name because I like the sound of the name.

It has no deep meaning.

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

The artwork expresses the world view more visually than the story expressed in lyrics and poetry.

It is a world that can be called "Twilight" that exists between reality and unreality.

I would like you to listen to the song while imagining the story that will be spun there by looking at the artwork.

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

We don't have any particular problems with the two of us right now, so we don't have any plans to actively increase the number of members.

It's an extreme example, but even if it's a 6-member line-up without the two original members, I don't think it's a problem as long as it's in the best condition for the band.

＞7.The ep was released on 'Sliptrick Records', how di you get in contact with this label?

I sent demos and biographies of the band to several labels and got some responses and contract offers.

One of them was Carlo, and after exchanging various emails, I knew I could trust him.

Also, there was a Japanese band that I knew, so I decided to sign with Sliptrick Records.

＞8.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of melodic black, death metal and deathcore?

"Awakening of The Ancient Blood" will be Weiss Ravana's first sound source, so I don't know the reaction of the fans, but the label that sent the demo has generally received a good response.

Artists I know also like the EP.

We hope that fans of melodious and extreme music around the world will like this EP.

＞9.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

The full album will be completed by the end of this year.

We have a lot more good new songs than we originally planned, so we are rearranging the composition.

Recording has also started.

As for the future of the band, I think it will evolve from the current musicality, incorporating many new technologies and incorporating a wider range of musical elements.

＞10.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 are many bands that have influenced me, but representative ones include Inflames, Arch Enemy, Children Of Bodom, Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, and X Japan.

In terms of music style, I am influenced by classical music, film scores, animation and game soundtracks.

People who like this kind of music will like WeissRavana's songs.

＞11,Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Thanks for the interview.

And thanks for reading the interview.

Anyway, I hope that many people around the world will listen to this EP.

If you like melodious, dramatic and extreme music, you will love it.

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