Lares/Et In Arcadia Ego/Argonauta Records/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Lares  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  psychedelic   mixture  of  black,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Et  In  Arcadia  Ego"  which  will  be  released  on  April  12th  by  Argonauta  Records.

  Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  noises  a  few  seconds  later  before  going  into  a  very  fast  direction  which  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  while  the  slower  sections  of t he  album  also  bring  in  elements  of  sludge  and  doom metal.

  The  only  track  that  is  present  on  the  album  is  also  over  27  minutes  in  length  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Synths  and  clean  playing  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  also  takes  the  song  into  more  of  a  psychedelic  direction  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  as  well a s  the  music  also  adding  in  some  90's  era  grunge,  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  also  add  in  more  of  a  mid  60's  rock  style. 

  Lares  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  sludge,  doom  metal  and  mixes  it  with  elements  of  grunge,  noise  and  psychedelic  rock  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Lares  are  a  very  great  sounding  psychedelic  mixture  of  black,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/ laresband

https://www.instagram.com/ laresmetal/     

Miruthan Interview

 

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new ep?

 

Ritual Priestess: We have been non-stop; which has been so awesome! As a band, right now we are spending a lot of time rehearsing; tightening up the set & choreographing the stage show ready for a really awesome run of shows coming up!

We have released our debut video for ‘Land of the Damned’ which features on the EP - we’re all so grateful and overwhelmed for all of the support & positive feedback we’ve received for it! 

We’ve also been smashing our socials, collaborating & launching our new website, wondering through the dense Australian bush land on photoshoots, and spending a lot of time in general in each other’s pockets!

 

2.You have a new ep coming out towards the end of April, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

Priest: we’re kind of a blend of black/melodic black metal and death metal, so we think of ourselves as a blackened death Metal band, but we have a tonne of influences so it’s hard to put an exact label on it. Our production style for the record is aimed at being a bit of a blend of the traditional Black metal sound and some more modern metal. So so we aimed to have the sound ride the line between raw old school and a more punchy contemporary sound.

Ritual Priestess: Our style in general is fairly melodic, theatrical, loud and hard hitting! 

This EP is very much all of these things on overdrive! We wanted to deliver an assault on the senses in the best way possible - we wanted to transport listeners into our world; our post apocalyptic cult!

 

3.A lot of your lyrics cover dark folklore themes, which aspects of this topic do you bring into your songwriting?

Ritual Priestess: Our songwriting is entirely based around the dark folklore we have created. We spend a lot of time conceptually piecing together and developing a world of darkness, chaos, survival and victory. This directly translates to our songwriting; lyrically and through the music as well as our stage performances, costumes and so on. 

 

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

Priest: We try to tell a continuous story though out our tracks, so each song leads into the next. We like to think of them as chapters in a overarching story. It’s all very narrative driven, this record is all about the origins of the characters and follows them as they try to navigate their way through a post apocalyptic world.

 

Our songs are about what people will do to survive and how they behave when society has broken down.

 

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

Priest: Miruthan is a Tamil word that roughly translates to Walking Corpse or Zombie in english, we had a bunch of name ideas but Miruthan was one that stood out! The phonetics of the word are great and it seemed to fit the subject matter perfectly.

 

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

Priest: Miruthan’s story is set around a ritualistic cult far in an apocalyptic future. So the cover for this record is really aimed at visually summing up that theme. The idea of our music is that’s it’s being sung as it’s being read from a tome, almost like a dark hymn that tells the story of the cults founding. We thought the blood drenched robed figure in a dark cathedral really emphasised up the juxtaposition between apocalyptic violence and culty/religious undertones In our music.

 

7.You also have 6 members in the band, what was the decision behind adding in a huge line up?

 

Ritual Priestess: We actually have 8 members! From a conceptual point of view, we did this to create a huge, somewhat intimidating, visual expression and soundscape. 

 

Miruthan is essentially a collective of storytellers: 

 - Nzambi  (The Zombie DemiGod): Guitar, Sprechstimme

- Mvumbi (Ghost): Vocals

- Baron: Vocals

- Priest: Lead Guitar

- Ritual Priestess: Vocals

- Fantoma: Vocals

- Witch Doctor: Bass

- Wrath: Drums

 

8.In the promo pics you also wear masks and cloaks, do these have any ritualistic aspects to them?

Ritual Priestess: We wear our masks & cloaks at all times of performance. They provide us, and anyone experiencing our performances, with a sense of the dark ritualistic nature of the world we have created through our folklore. 

When we perform, we envelop everything around us in our chaotic world and draw in our ‘recruits’; as a cult would!

 

9.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

Ritual Priestess: We have been blown away by the response to all of our shows! Our ‘recruits’ are a phenomenal, energetic and endlessly supportive bunch! The community of ‘allies’ we have been so grateful to play alongside are all equally phenomenal too! 

I would have to say, the energy and enthusiasm of All Ages shows really are something else though!

 

10.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new ep is released?

Priest: We’re actually about to start a tour for the release of the e.p! We’re all super pumped, it’s an 11 show tour that will take us up and down the East Coast of Australia. We’ve also got more shows locked in after that, and we’d love to look at touring overseas!

 

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

Priest: We decided to release this one on our own and see how far we could take it ourselves, we’re lucky enough to have our own recording studio so this was produced, recorded, mixed and mastered completely by us. For our album following this e.p we’re definitely looking at shopping labels!

 

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

Priest: It’s been really amazing! We know we’re a little different to traditional Black and Death Metal. But everyone so far has been really open to our twist on the genres and we’re really grateful for that! 

 

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

Priest: We’ve already got our full length written and in demo form, so it’s well on the way! We’re hoping to release it late in 2024 but that’s obviously dependent on how we go with our label search!

 

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

Priest: We all listen to a bunch of different stuff, we’ve all actually got a pretty diverse taste in music. Of course most of us listen to a fair bit of Black and Death Metal and all of the various sub-genres (I’ve been on a bit of a slam kick lately), but heaps of the band members are very much into genres like Punk, Rockabilly and western swing, Rock, Blues & Bluegrass. Some of us listen to a lot of jazz and some love indie stuff too.

So yeah super diverse!

 

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

Priest: We urge you Join The Cult ov Miruthan!

 https://www.facebook.com/Miruthanband

Ossilegium/The Gods Below/Personal Records/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Ossilegium  are  a  band  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "The  Gods  Below"  which  will  be  released  in  may  by  Personal  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  while  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  Swedish  tradition  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.  Back  up  shouts  are  also  added  on  a  couple  of  tracks  along  with  one  song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  as  well  as  some  of  the  songs  also  being  long  and  epic  in  length  and  they  also  add  in a   couple  of  classical  guitar  instrumentals.

  Ossilegium  plays  a  musical style  that  goes  back  to  the  mid  90's  era  of  Swedish  melodic  black/death  metal.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Science  Fiction,  Fantasy  and  Literature  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ossilegium  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  "Nightborn"  "Beyond  The  Clandestine"  and  "The  Gods  Below".  8  out  of  10.

  http://personal-records.bandcamp.com/album/the-gods-below

www.facebook.com/ossilegium.666 

  

Moisson Livide/Sent Emperi Gascon/Antiq/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Moisson  Livide  are  a  duo  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  folk,  power  and  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Sent  Emperi  Gascon"  which  will be  released  in  may  by  Antiq.

  Acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  album  and  also  bring  in  elements  of  folk  music  before  going  into  more  of  a  faster  direction  which  also  utilizes  a  good  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in a   very  melodic  style  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  mixed  in  with  some  clear  power  metal  style  singing.  Folk  instruments  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  

 All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  whispered  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  one  of  tracks  also  being  an  instrumental,  influences  of  punk  rock  can  also  be  heard  at  times.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Gascon  and  cover  everyday  life  and  old  legends.

  In  my  opinion  Mossson  Livide  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  folk,  power  and  heavy  metal  and  if  you  are  a f an  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "La  sèrp  d’Isavit"  "Sent  Empèri  Gascon"  and  "Caçaire d’eternitat".  8  out  of  10.

  Facebook          

Suffering Souls/An Iconic Taste Of Demise/Satanath Records/Fetzner Death Records/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Germany's  Suffering  Souls  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  symphonic  style  of  black  metal  from  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "An  Iconic  Taste  Of  Demise"  which  will  be  released  in  may  by  Satanath  and  Fetzner  Death  Records.

  A  very  dark,  melodic  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  symphonic  elements  and  clear  vocals  a  few  seconds  later.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  and  a lot  of  the  music  is  also  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  90's  era.

  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.  Tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  spoken  word  parts  and  female  vocals  into  the  music.

  Clear  male  vocals  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks  along  with  one  song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing,  back  up  shouts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  a  couple  of  songs  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  they  also  bring  in  a  couple  of  instrumentals.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Death  and  Misanthropy  themes.    

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Suffering  Souls  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Soul  Devourer"  "A  Touch  of  Evil  Kindness"  and  "Cruelty  in  Love  And  Fear".  8  out  of  10.

  

linktr.ee/suffering_souls  

  

Miruthan/Cult Of The Dead/2024 EP Review

 

  Miruthan  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2024  ep  "Cult  of  The  Dead"  which  will  be  released  on  April  26th.

  A  very  heavy,  melodic  and  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  a  couple  of  tracks  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Some  of  the  guitar  riffing  also  adds  in  elements  of  punk  rock  while  the  music  is  mostly  heavily  rooted  in  the  modern  era.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also be  heard  along  with  some  clear  chants  also  being  utilized  briefly  and  most  of  the  tracks  stick  to  more  of  a  mid  tempo  direction.

  Miruthan  plays  a  musical  style  that takes  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  a  touch  of  punk  rock  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  folklore,  dystopian  and  post-apocalyptic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Miruthan  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.  RECOMMENDD  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "At  The  Barricades"  and  "Land  of  the  Damned".  8  out  of  10.

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuSAVb-oRE8    

 

Ren Marabou And The Berserkers/Helgafjell/WormHoleDeath Records/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Ren  Marabou  And  The  Berserkers  are  a  band  from  Ireland  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  aggressive  form  of  viking/pagan  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Helgafjell"  which  was  released  by  WormHoleDeath  Records.

  Viking  horns  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  heavier  and  melodic  direction  while the  vocals a re  mostly  death  metal  growls  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  also  being  utilized  at  times.  Clear  pagan  singing  is  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  some  of  the  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  folk  instruments,  clean  playing,  spoken  word  parts  and  synths.  A  lot  of  the  album  brings  in  more  of  a  modern  metal  style  along  with  some  old  school  touches  as  well  as  some  of  the  riffing  and  vocals  also  adding  in  elements  of  thrash  metal  and  most  of  the  songs  also  stick  to  more  of  a  mid  tempo  direction.  

   Ren  Marabou  And  The  Berserkers  plays  a  musical style  that  takes  viking,  pagan,  melodic  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Norse  Mythology,  History  and  Paganism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ren  Marabou  And  The  Berserkers  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  viking,  pagan,  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Journeys  Of  Rig"  "Curse  Striker"  "The  Duel  of  Flint  And  Steel"  and  "Holy  Mountain".  8  out  of  10.

  www.facebook.com/renmarabou

www.instagram.com/renmarabouandtheberserkers

www.youtube.com/@RenMarabouandtheBerserkers