Onheil/In Black Ashes/Black Lion Records/;2023 Full Length Review

 

  Onheil  are  a  band  from t he  Netherlands  that  plays  a  melodic  and  blackened  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  album  "In  Black  Ashes"  which  was  rleeased  by  Black  lion  Records.

  A  very  dark  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  Melodies  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  and t he  vocals  are  mostly  black  metal  screams.

  Elements  of  thrash  metal  can  also b e  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  album  also  adds  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Angry  shouts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  adding  in  death  metal  growls,  a  few  songs  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  whole  recording  also  sticks t o  a  heavier  direction.

  Onheil  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  a  melodic  form  of  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  death  and  thrash  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  apocalypse,  misanthropy  and  self  destruction  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  Onheil  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Night  Terror" "Beneath  A  Steel  Sky"  and  "Master  of  Disease".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.onheil.com 

https://www.facebook.com/ONHEILMusic 

https://www.instagram.com/onheil_metal/   

Machinations Of Fate/Celestial Prophecies/Redefining Darkness Records/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Machinations  Of  Fate  are  a  band  from  Kentucky  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this recording  plays  a   melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  album  "Celestial  Prophecies"  which  was  released  by  Redefining  Darkness  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  black  metal  screams  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  One  song  also  introduces  acoustic  guitars,  clean  playing  and  stringed  instruments  onto  the  recording  along  with  some  of  the  heavier  riffing  also  bringing  in  elements  of  death  and  thrash  metal  as  well  as couple  of  songs  also  being   instrumentals.

  On  this  recording  machinations  Of  Fate  remain  true  to  the  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  that  they  had  established  on  their  previous  release.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  scientific,  philosophical  and  esoteric  themes.   

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Machinations  Of  Fate  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black,  death  and  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Split  Second  Of  Divinity"  "Cosmic  Womb"  "Void  Indoctrination  Ritual"  and  "Demise".  8  out  of  10.

  https://music.apple.com/us/artist/machinations-of-fate/1494336487

https://machinationsoffate.bandcamp.com/album/celestial-prophecies

https://www.facebook.com/machinationsoffate

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4B75FZTL7Xk4eS1ZeLVVuC?si=lNlXjvINRB6rqzXi3PJn8g&nd=1   

Zlórtcht/Welcome To The Zlórtchterhaus/Witches Brew Records/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Zlórtcht  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  doom,  thrash  metal  and  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  album  "Welcome  To  The  Zlórtchterhaus"  which  was  released  by  Witches  Brew  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  to t hem  while  the  growls  and  screams  are  done  in  more  of  Hellhammer  and  Celtic  Frost  style.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  music  also  being  very  heavily  rooted  in t he  80's  era  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  an  old  school  style.

  At  times  the  music  captures  the  raw  energy  of  punk  rock  while  most  of  the  album  brings  in  more  of  a  first  wave  black  metal  style.  Elements  of  thrash  metal  can  also b e  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  doom  metal,  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  closing  track  is  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

   Zlórtcht   plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  doom,  thrash  metal  and  punk  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion   Zlórtcht   are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  doom,  thrash  metal  and  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Winter"  "Priestess  Of  The  Sun"  and  "Summer  (Parts  I-III)  I  -Genesis,  II  -  Evolution,  III  -  Termination".  8  out  of  10.

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

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

Instagram: witchesbrewthrashes

Bandcamp: https://zlrtcht.bandcamp.com/album/welcome-to-the-zl-rtchterhaus

Bandcamp: https://witchesbrewthrashes.bandcamp.com/music  

   

The Mosaic Window/Plight Of Acceptance/Willowtip Records/2023 Full length Review

 

  The  Mosaic  Window  are  a  solo  project  from  Los  Angeles,  California  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2023  album  "Plight  of  Acceptance"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Willowtip  Records.

  Nature  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  a  brief  use  of  whispers  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  direction.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

 

 Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.   When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  death  metal  elements,  classical  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  one  track  also  introduces  synths  onto  the  album,  spoken  word  samples  are  also  added  on  the  closign t rack.

  The  Mosaic  Window  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  melodic  forms  of  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Esotericism,  Existentialism,  Mythology  and  Horror  themes.

  In  my  opinion  The  Mosaic  Window  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  'Comatic  Burial"  "Spiritual  intoxication"  and  "Consumed  By  A  Thought".  8  out  of  10.

  

https://themosaicwindow.bandcamp.com/album/plight-of-acceptance   

Skalmold/Ydalir/Napalm Records/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Iceland's  Skalmold  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  mixture  of  viking  and  folk  metal  from  their  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  album  "Ydalir"  which  will b e  released  on  August  18th  by  Napalm  Records.

  Acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  album  while  the  album  also  brings  in  elements  of  folk  music  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Clear  pagan  vocals  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  along  with  the  vocals  also b ring  in  a more  aggressive  approach  that  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  black  emtal.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a lot  of  melody.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  the y are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  keyboard  also  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  most  of  the  recording  sticks  to  a mid  tempo  direction,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  On  this  album  Skalmold  brings  in  more  of  a  melodic  and  mid  tempo  mixture  of  viking  and  folk  metal.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Icelandic  and  cover  Norse  mythology  and  Icelandic  Sagas.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Skalmold  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  viking  and  folk  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUD E "Ydalir"  "Verdandi" and  "Ullar".  8  out  of  10.

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Dawn of Existence Interview

 

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

- Astor: We’ve really been busy getting our new studio in order. We’ve been working on getting the studio back together and preparing for an EP and pre-production on the second album while still focusing on Ancient Arts.

    We’re also starting to rehearse and get our live show together for shows in early 2024 as well as relaunching our merch.

2. In May you had released a new album, musically how does it differ from your previous ep?

- Astor: Musically, it’s the same, just with three additional tracks. The EP we released was more of a demo for us to find other musicians and maybe get some initial reactions from our style of music. It served its purpose.

3. This was also your first release since 2019, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?

- Astor: The EP in our minds was definitely more of a demo than anything else. On the production side, we used amp sims and electronic and programmed drums.

    After the release of the EP we found a drummer, Fern Lemus, who recorded drums for the album at his studio, FL Recordings, in November of 2019. Our initial intention was to release the album in early 2021. We started working on finishing the album… and then the pandemic hit. 

    We essentially came to a stand still for about six months or so then on top of that, I had some family stuff come up. 

    Even after things started opening back up, supply chains were very slow and we needed a few things in the studio to finish the album and I was set on building custom guitar cabinets. Getting the needed components and equipment seemed to take forever but we got everything finished and sent to Fern for mastering. 

    Then we ran into multiple obstacles with music videos... and then I moved hahah. We ultimately had to do all of them on our own in a short time frame. 

4. A lot of your lyrics cover history, fantasy and the occult, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

- Astor: Our interests essentially come from us growing up in the late 80s and early 90s watching horror movies, TV, reading books, playing video games, playing with Ouija boards, and listening to other bands and reading their lyrics..

5. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Dawn of Existence'?

- Votan: The name ‘Dawn of Existence’ conjures up questions about the nature of time, history, how we got here, mysteries, and things of that nature. The name itself comes from a bit of lyric from an old Borknagar song I was listening to one day. 

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

- Votan: The cover art is like a visualizer for the album as a whole; it's dark but colorful and dynamic. It evokes mystery and drama much the same way the music does.

7. On the albums you only work with 2 members, are you open to working with other musicians on the albums or do you prefer to remain a duo in the studio?

- Astor: We’re definitely open to working with other people but Votan and I equally share the writing responsibility, both musically and lyrically. We’ve known each other for 30+ years and have written a lot of music together in several different bands so we know how each other writes and take each other’s criticism well most of the time.

    We also usually write and record full demos. For Ancient Arts and the EP we’re working on, we had completed drum parts but when we get the tracks to Fern to record, we definitely allowed him to put his own style on there.

8. I have read the band is currently looking for a different line up for live shows, how has that been working out so far?

- Astor: Finally fairly well haha. We talked with a lot of guitarists we know but they were either committed to multiple projects, on tour, or starting new bands. As of recently, we do finally have a guitarist and a drummer who have committed to playing with us for live shows… we’re not quite ready to announce the lineup though.

    We are currently working on our live show and rehearsing so we do have quite a lot going on at the moment.  

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

- Astor: Surprisingly, it has been overall positive, just on a fairly small scale at present. We’re excited to show our fans our live show and new music and hopefully welcome new fans on a much wider scale.

10. Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?

- Astor: We’re focusing on our live show gearing up for shows in early 2024 as well as working in the studio on a, somewhat unexpected, EP and pre-production in our second full length album. We already have quite a bit of material going into the second album.

11. What are some of the bands or musical styles you are currently listening to nowadays?

- Astor: I listen to a lot of different types of music and love finding new bands. Right now I’m listening to newer bands like Fires in the Distance, Voidfallen, Hinayana, The Spirit, and stuff like that. I know both of us have been listening to a lot of Blackbraid, Imperium Dekadenz, and Thulcandra recently as well.

    On top of that we’re always listening to stuff like Behemoth, Hypocrisy, The Halo Effect, Immortal, Bæst, Bloodbath, Paradise Lost, Insomnium, Unto Others, the list goes on.

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

- Astor: If anyone is looking to support us, spread the word and be sure to follow us on our social media as we’ll finally be posting again with new stuff and new merch very soon!

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Meschera 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?

We had presentations of the album in three cities. The process of preparation was pretty much hectic, we were so excited as long as for us these concerts were extremely significant. What’s more we were invited to four big summer music fests. The rehearsal process was rather challenging as well: the majority of the group members live in a different city which is three hours away from Moscow if you go by train, so I had to waste a lot of time to reach them, but it all finally payed off. We are really delighted to see the result of our work!

We record and mix the songs ourselves, that’s why this time was quite tense and gripping. Dmitriy Kokarev (multi-instrumentalist, guitar player) was responsible for the composing part, Maxim Ayupov (bassist) was the one to mix the songs, the cover was created by our drummer, Svyatoslav Krekov.

For us the positive reaction of the audience is the best reward: this is just our debut album, but we already feel the deep love of the fans.

2.So far this year you have released both an ep and full length, musically how do they both differ from each other?

The songs which were represented on the EP were all mixed from scratch one more time for the full length album. The tracks which are in our first album include more genres then the EP ones, as long as the debut EP was just our first attempt to find the “true sound” of our songs which expresses our emotions, suits and reveals the meaning perfectly.

Now that we understand more clearly where our personal rode to progress in terms of the music genre leads to and did our best to make our tracks sound as ideal as possible.

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

The main idea of the album is to make people remember that every cloud has a silver lining: even in the harsh times of war there still are such things as love and friendship. Our songs have a strong historical background and through stories, fairy tales and legends which were weaved into our songs we tried to express that all emotions are natural. It goes without saying that we also pay tribute to the Meschera tribe who used to live in Moscow and Ryasan regions and in the floodplain of the Oka River. It was a Finno-Ugric tribe which assimilated with the Slavs and generally speaking is one of the ethnic groups of the Russian nation. We want to remind people that even though all Russian people do differ from each other all of us are one nation.

4.I know that the band was named after a Finno-Ugaris tribe that lived around the 13th century, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

All the band members share one common deep interest in history. As far as we live on the territory of Moscow and Ryasan regions this topic became really attractive for us, so we decided to dive deeper into it and do some research on this topic. We read a ton about excavations which were held on the territory of the floodplain of the Oka River. There we found some information about Meschera’s jewelry, culture, what they were into, how skillful and subtle their foremen were and how wonderful and quality their weaponry was. By the way it was the 8th-9th century! The tribe at the moment managed to process metal far better than the Slavs. It’s so cunning to read and research any information on the topic. We really can’t believe that these were our ancestors!

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

This a Meschera witch, who impersonates the mother of the tribe. She steps out of the thicket accompanied by the spirits of the forest. She embodies the long-forgotten tribe and will make everyone remember it.

6.Has the band had any opportunities to do any live show or open to the idea?

Yes, we have already had our first concert which was held this year in February. We performed at the Black Metal festival “Winter M.O.R.”. Our next goal were three big concerts which were devoted to presentation of our album. What’s more we were invited to four huge summer music festivals. Speaking about the future, currently we are in the process of preparing for our autumn-winter grand tour to support and promote out first album.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

We are friends with one Russian label called “Sound Age” which helps us with the physical copies of our CDs and vinyls. We haven’t received any other offers yet.

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

We received more than friendly and positive feedback from foreign listeners who like black metal and folk music. Of course for the majority of people the mixture of these two genres became something brand new, yet we are delighted that the worldwide metal community accepts new representatives of the genre with their own vision of music that eagerly. We also received an offer to perform in Bulgaria.

9.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?

Dmitry, Svyatoslav and Maxim are members of the group “Sympuls-E”. At the moment the band has decided to take a break. 

Both of my bands (“Zmey Gorynich” and “Smorodina Reka”) do function at the moment. Several times all the three groups performed at the same festival. “Zmey Gorynich” was invited to five summer fests and “Smorodina Reka” – to two and we are actively composing new songs to introduce to our listeners as soon as possible.

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

Even though we have already developed our own style, each and every song has its own personal sounding. We ourselves are interested to find out how our music will evolve in future. It seems to me that we won’t stop experimenting. There are a lot of contrasts in our music which is now our distinctive feature. It’s not that obvious what you can expect even in a minute. Our idea is to create songs which will be liked by us in the first place. And of course our initial idea to make each track catchy and unforgettable will keep living on.

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?

One of the references which we had while mixing the album is the sounding of Myrkur’s songs. Yet, we have made our sounding unique: the atmosphere is slightly similar, but it’s still different. I am also a big fan of the “Sylvaine” group: their atmosphere and the variety of the vocal parts were inspiring me a lot while recording the album.

“Wardruna” and “Eluveitie” also took roots deep inside of me.

Dmitry’s and my musical tastes are similar, so I should also mention that his personal absolute preferences are “Children of Bodom”, “Wintersun” and many other famous bands. His love for melodic dead metal influenced him greatly. Dmitry is also into composing soundtracks and orchestral music. It becomes clear if you listen to our album carefully.

12.Does Paganism play any role in your music?

As long as the Meschera tribe plays a significant role in our songs we should not forget that they lived approximately in the 8th century which is two centuries before the baptism of Rus, it goes without saying that they were pagans. They worshipped nature and its power, honored stones, trees, water, fire and other natural elements which is also represented in the lyrics of our tracks.

Our media image was also influenced by paganism: runes, deer antlers, costumes, logo and so on... For instance, our male armor is a real reconstruction of the ones found during the excavations and our rune was created personally for us by a specialist who is an expert in pagan traditions. But it’s not just a beautiful symbol, it has real meaning: energy, moving forward and the unity of people. 

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

Don’t get lost in the night, follow the moonlight.

Bandcamp: https://meschera.bandcamp.com/ 

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

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meschera 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@meschera