Night Crowned/Tales/Noble Demon/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Night  Crowned  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  album  "Tales"  which  will  be  released  on  November  10  by  Noble  Demon.

  Dark  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  direction.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  folk  instruments  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  of  tracks.  Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  on a   few  songs  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  female  vocals  onto  the  album  as  well  as  the  keyboards  also  making  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  album,  clear  vocals  also  make  their  presence  known  at  times.

  On  this  recording  Might  Crowned  expands  on  their  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  Swedish  and  English  and  cover  nihilism,  death,  darkness  and  apocalyptic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Night  Crowned  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "She  Comes  At  Night"  "Flickan  Som  Forsvann"  and  "Old  Tales".  8  out  of  10.

  

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Nekromantas/Hades Of The Unseen/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Nekromantas  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2023  album  "Hades  of  The  Unseen".

  Symphonic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs.  Sounds  of  winds  and  bells  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  the  music  is  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  90's  era.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  The  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  operatic  female  vocals  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  album  closes  with  a  Noenum  cover.

  Nekromantas  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  symphonic  and  old  school  in  the  mid  90's  European  tradition.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  evil  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Nekromantas  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "In  The  Erebos  Night"  "Wolf  Stronghold"  and  "In  League  With  The  Ancient  Presences".  8  out  of  10.

  Bandcamp: https://nekromantas.bandcamp. com/album/hades-of-the-unseen

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ profile.php?id=100090157657721
YouTube: https://youtu.be/D7G0mYXuReM? si=oiOtjFauCWf8_nTr
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl- it/artist/ 3vcfN6u43QO2mdcVZVyWRT

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

Deathcode Society/Unlightenment/Osmose Productions/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Deathcode Society  are  a  band  from  France  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  album  "Unlightenment"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Osmose  Productions.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  aggressive  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats.  Symphonic  elements  are  also  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  angry  black  metal  screams  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody.

  Most  of  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  90's  era  while  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Growls  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

 Clear  vocals  are  also  added  in  certain  sections  of  the  album  along  with  one  song  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  male  and  female  choirs  and  as  the  recording  progresses  spoken  word  parts  also  make  their  introduction  into  the  music.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  French  and  cover  dark  themes.  

Waldläufer Interview

 

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

The project “Waldläufer” was born in 2021 in light of the approaching 10th anniversary of the death of one of my best friends Matthias. He lost his life back in 2013 together with his brother Jan and another comrade in a tragic accident in the mountains of South Tyrol.

„Waldläufer“ was Matthias' personal stage name, under which he worked as a drummer in the black metal band "Nargal" together with my brothers Thomas, Harald and me.

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?

It actually is not released yet, I wanted to release it through a label but I changed my mind and now plan to self release it.

Stylewise I went for black metal but I kept all doors open, so there’s some other styles involved. Listening to the finished EP now, I think you could label it something like blackened melodic death metal.

 

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

The songs tell the story of the Waldläufer, a hermit, who is living alone but yet happy in the mountains. He is thoughtful about the "hurried life in the valley" and despises the "crowds of people". The Waldläufer is content with the nutrition the earth offers to him and he lives in harmony with nature. Animals are dear to him, people less so. The song "Tempus" deals with the theme of transience. The lyrics in the title song "Der Ewige Augenblick" are an expression of the ongoing displeasure, but also of the acceptance of life changing events.

 

4.All of your lyrics are also written in German, what was the decision behind using this language in your songwriting?

I’m born in South Tyrol, a bilingual region in Northern Italy and my native language is a German dialect. I found it easier to express myself with the language I do speak daily. I also find that the German

language can be used in a very aesthetic way.

 

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name ' Waldläufer?

>> Already explained in question 1 and 3

 

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

The painting is the artistic representation of the settlement of a hermit - the Waldläufer - in a clearing in the mountains, made by father Gottfried Wieser and digitized by Samuel Stelzer, who took care of the design as well as the project logo.

 

7.With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to expanding into a full line up?

Technically it would be possible to expand this into a live project, but I don’t have concrete plans yet.

 

8.On the ep you also had a few guests, can you tell us a little bit more about who they are and also their contributions to the recording?

All people that collaborated with me on this project are family or close friends and that’s what makes it so special to me. I had my brothers Thomas and Harald doing guest vocals on 3 songs, my friend Elmar doing the instrumental outro, my father Gottfried painting the artwork, my friend Samuel doing the digitization of the artwork and creation of the logo and his brother Benjamin doing the mastering of the EP.

 

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

I already sent out the mastered EP to a couple of labels that would fit, and I have received some suggestions for deals but most of them want to create physicals and want me to contribute a certain percentage of the production costs of course. I want this EP to stay a zero budget project and that’s why I decided to release it by myself.

 

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

We will see once it’s released.

 

11.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?

Well, my main project is the technical death metal band Virial that is also doing live shows, therefore most of my time goes into that one. I don’t plan to do a full length, but it might be possible

that I’m going to do another EP sometime in the future.

 

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?

As main influences on the EP I’d name Dissection, Der Weg Einer Freiheit, Ensiferum, maybe a little bit of Children Of Bodom.

These are bands that I’m listening to of course, but my musical horizon goes way beyond these ones. I’m very much into prog and technical metal from Plini to Gorod, but I also enjoy some good power metal like Helloween, Eternity’s End or Dragonforce and fast death metal like Aborted, Benighted or Vader.

 

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

If anyone enjoys this EP or any other underground project, don’t forget to spread the word. Share it with your friends, show them your favourites and new bands you find. That’s the most important thing one can do to keep underground projects like Waldläufer alive.

Tele.S.Therion/VERB.D.SVM C.S.T ARCON/Radical Matters/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Italy's  Tele.S.Therion  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  them  expanding  on  their  acousmatic  style  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  album  "VERB.D.SVM  C.S.T  ARCON"  which  will  be  released  on  Halloween  by  Radical  Matters.

  Dark  soundscapes  and  drones  start  off  the  album  while  also  adding  in  some  heavy  guitar  riffing  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  black  and  doom  metal.  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  and  avant  garde  sounding  along  with  the  percussion  also  taking  the  recording  into  more  of  a  ritualistic  direction.

  The  only  track  that  is  presented  on  this  recording  is  also  very  close  to  being  80  minutes  in  length  while  a  lot  of  the  music  also  sounds  improvised.  Trumpets,  trombones  and  daxophones  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  distorted  guitar  amp  sounds  also  adding  in  touches  of  noise.

  The  whole  album  also  sticks  to  an  instrumental  direction  along  with  the  music  also  getting  more  diverse  sounding  as  the  track  progresses.  At  times  the  music  also  captures  the  atmosphere  of  nightmares  and  violent  hallucinations  as  well  as  some  fast  drumming  and  blast beats  also  being  utilized  briefly  and  after  almost  an  hour  piano's  are  also  introduced  onto  the  recording,  a  small  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  production  also  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Tele.S.Therion  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  avant  garde,  experimental  and  ritualistic  black  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  tihs  album.  8  out  of  10.

  www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wte3JaCtl9Y

https://telestherion.bandcamp.com              

Dyssebeia/Garden of Stillborn Idols/Transcending Obscurity Records/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Dyssebeia  are  a  band  from  Switzerland  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  progressive  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  album  "Garden  of  Stillborn  Idols"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Transcending  Obscurity  Records.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  heavier  riffing  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  being  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  the  vocals  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  along  with  the  album  also  having  its  progressive  moments,  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  and  clean  playing  also  makes  a  return   on  a  couple  of  the  later  tracks  as  well  as  one  song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Dyssedeia  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  progressive  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Dyssebeia  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  "Retribution"  "Sacrificed  On  The  Threshold"  and  "Funeral  Ink".  8  out  of  10.

  Official Video Stream #1

Official Video Stream #2

Dyssebeia Bandcamp

Dyssebeia Facebook

Wratheon/Becoming Nil/Seek And Strike/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Wratheon  are  a  band  from  the  United  States  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  album  "Becoming  Nil"  which  was  released  by  Seek  And  Strike.

  A  very  heavy  yet  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  faster  direction  which  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  thrash  metal  elements  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  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  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  Shouting  vocals  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks  along  with  the  whole  album  also  always  sticking  to  a  heavier  and  aggressive  musical  direction,  one  song  is  also  an  instrumental.

  On  this  recording  Wratheon  takes  their  mixture  of  black  and  thrash  metal  into  more  of  a  melodic  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  nihilism  and  horror  movie  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Wratheon  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black  and  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Horde"  "Bathory"  and  "Becoming  Nil".  8  out  of  10.

  https://music.apple.com/us/artist/wratheon/1526904792

https://wratheon.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/WratheonOfficial

https://www.instagram.com/wratheonofficial/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2gHr1QhqdYhG5xikeSjHXm?si=WT8nI8NBQVSej7HRMdKJNw&nd=1