Haunted Plasma/I/Svart Records/2024 Full Length Review

 

   Haunted  Plasma  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  psychedelic  form  of  black  metal  with  elements  of  techno  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "I"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Svart  Records.

  Sci-fi  orientated  synths  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  playing  a  few  seconds  later  before  adding  in  some  spoken  word  parts.  Touches  of  techno  and  krautrock  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  while  most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  

  Clear  singing  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  album  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  programmed  beats.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  along  with  the  music  also  having  its  psychedelic  moments  and  mixing  in  the  heaviness  of  black  metal,  clean  playing,  harsh  screams  and  noises  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Haunted  Plasma  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  techno,  krautrock,  noise  and  psychedelic  black  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  writings  of  William  Gibson  and  Phillip  K.  Dick.

  In  my  opinion  Haunted  Plasma  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  techno,  krautrock,  noise  and  psychedelic  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Reverse  Engineer"  and  "Echoes". 8  out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/p/Haunted-Plasma-100064487333162

https://www.instagram.com/hauntedplasma/        

      

Reverb On Repeat/Self Titled/These Hands Melt/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Reverb  On  Repeat  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a mixture  of  blackgaze,  shoegaze ,  goth,  post  punk and  post  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2024  album  which  was  released  by  These  Hands  Melt.

  Melodic  shoegaze  style  guitar   solos  and  leads  start  off  the  album  while  the  clean  sections  of  the  songs  are  heavily  rooted  in  post  rock.  The  clear  vocals  are  done  in  more  of  a  gothic  rock  style  along  with  synth  also  being  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Melodies  are  also  added  into  a  lot  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic   in  length.  When  the  music  speeds  up  on  a  couple  of  songs  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  black  metal  style  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  and  most  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  slower  direction.

  Reverb  On  Repeat  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  blackgaze,  shoegaze,  punk,  gothic  and  post  rock  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  romanticism  and  isolation  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Reverb  on  Repeat  are  a  very  decent  sounding  mixture  of  blackgaze,  shoegaze,  goth,  punk  and  post  rock  and  if  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Aurorean  Dreams"  and  "Spawning",  7/5  out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/reverbonrepeat

https://www.instagram.com/reverbonrepeat

https://reverbonrepeat.bandcamp.com

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Malconfort/Humanism/Transcending Obscurity Records/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Malconfort  are  a  band  from  the  united  kingdom  that  plays  an  experimental  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Humanism"  which  will b e  released  in  July  by  Transcending  obscurity  Records.

  High  pitched  black  metal s creams  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  and  avant  garde  riffing  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  When  clean  playing  is  utilized  it  also  takes  the  album  into  more  of  a  progressive  direction  and  spoken  word  parts  and  synths  can  also  be  heard on  a  few  tracks.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  sounding  while  elements  of  free  form  jazz  can  also  be  heard  at times.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  yet  dissonant  style  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction,  whispered  vocals  are  also  added  on  a  couple  of  songs.

  Malconfort  plays  a  style  of  black  metal t ha t is  very  avant  garde,  progressive  and  experimental  sounding  as  well  as  mixing  in  elements  of  free  form  jazz  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Malconfort  are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental  sounding  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cruelty  (Elation)"  and  "Carnivore  (God)".  8  out  of  10.

  Official Video

Video Stream

Malconfort Bandcamp

Malconfort Facebook          

Folterkammer/Wiebermacht/Century Media Records/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Folterkammer  are  a  band  from  New  York  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Wiebermacht"  which  will  be  released  on  April  19th  by  Century  Media  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  aggressive  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  operatic  female  vocals  a  few  seconds  later.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  symphonic  elements  are  also  added  into  the  heavier  parts  of  the  album  and  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.

  Black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  album  also  mixes  in  a  good  amount  of  classical  music  elements.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  on  a  few  songs  and  classical  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  the  close  with  a  Velvet  Underground  cover .

  Folterkammer  plays  a  musical  style  that   takes  a  very  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  classical  and  opera  music  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  BDSM  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Folterkammer  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  "Anno  Domina"  "Kuess  mir  die  Fuessel"  and  "Venus  In  Furs".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/folterkammer.music/

 

Pantheon Omega/Harmonizing The Death Essence/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Pantheon  Omega  are  a  solo  project  from  Ontario.  Canada  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black, death  and  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2024  album  "Harmonizing  The  Death  Essence".

  A  very  fast  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  a  lot  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  vocals  also  add  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  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  the  keyboards  also  give  the  songs  more  of  a  symphonic  and  atmospheric  feeling  when  they  are  utilized.  When  acoustic  guitars  are  utilized  they  bring  in  elements  of  folk  music  along  with  one  song  also  introducing  clear  vocals  into  the  music,  some  of  the  tracks  also  also  long  and  epic  in  length.

  pantheon  omega  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  black,  death  and  folk  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  enlightenment  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Pantheon  Omega  are  a  very  great  sounding melodic  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  "The  Journey  Alone"  "Harmonizing  The  Death  Essence"  and  "I  Release  Thee".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556967957143

https://pantheonomega.bandcamp.com/album/harmonizing-the-death-essence-2

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd5ZZ0ty8PpXC3Ryp7e_OUQ

  

  

  

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