Paradise In Flames/Blindness/Xaninho Discos/Demoncratic Records/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Paradise  in  Flames  are  a  band  from  Brazil  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  with  elements  of  Brazilian  folk  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Blindness"  which  will b e  released  in  July  as  a  joint  effort  between  Xaninho  Discos  and  Demoncratic  Records.

  Symphonic  sounding  keyboards  and  orchestration  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  while  clear  female  operatic  singing  and  choirs  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  blast  beats  are  also  added  into  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  on  a  few  tracks  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts   

  Tremolo  picking  and  also  be  heard  in  a  lot  of  the  faster  riffing  along  with  some  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  touches  of  Brazilian  bossa  nova.  Clear  male  vocals  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  tracks  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them. The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  a  philosophical  work  that  describes  religions  as  a  psychological  illness.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Paradise  In  Flames  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Black  Wings"  "The  Cure"  and  "Angels  And  Devils".  8  out  of  10.

  Online Store - https://paradiseinflames.loja2.com.br/​

Bandcamp - https://paradiseinflames.bandcamp.com/​

Spotify - https://sptfy.com/QZRx         

Synopsis Interview

 

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

1. Yes, of course. We are SynopsiS, a Ukrainian group from the city of Kherson. In fact, we are more of a studio project than a group, because in almost 15 years of existence, we had only 3 live performances. I can also note that we are the first band in history in our city and district to play Sympho Black Metal. Cat (Igor Salivanov) is a permanent leader, band creator, musician, singer, bass guitarist, author of lyrics and music. The project also includes guitarist Andri Tomilov (nickname Funeral) and keyboardist Alexandr Ivanov (Alex). 

2.In 2023 you had released a new album, musically how it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

2. First of all, our new album differs in the language of performance. The previous two SynopsiS albums were in Russian. Due to the fact that Russia invaded Ukraine and started the ongoing war, it was decided not to perform in Russian and therefore this album is already in Ukrainian which is now the national language of Ukraine. It can also be noted that in musical terms, our new third album is different in style. We started playing pure Sympho Black Metal again, like on the first album, but this time with Dark Metal elements. It contrasts with the second EP of the album, which was essentially performed in the Death Metal genre.

3.From 2013 to 2022 there as no music being released, can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during that time frame?

3. Yes, we've had an unannounced rather long pause, or even a crisis. It's hard to say. I had written future material for SynopsiS and actively thought about recording but there were some circumstances that prevented me from starting a new album. There were extremes, either a busy job or a total lack of funding for the studio. I had two more projects at that time: there was a studio Thrash-Punk Metal project "Infantry of Saboteurs", which existed from 2013 to 2019 and has 4 albums. There is also a fully functioning Industrial Gothic Rock band "Metameria", which has existed since 2015 to this day, has two albums, and many concerts played around the country, but now, because of the war, it has also become more of a studio project. Well, I also had two children, which also significantly affected the speed of my creative activity.

4.Some of your lyrics cover Satanism and Esotericism themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in those topics?

4. Since 2011, I began to study conspiracy and related sciences, and I also began to read a lot of esoterics. In fact, to date I have read most of the classics of esoteric authors. Also, at one time I was interested in various religions and beliefs. Maybe I was looking for myself because I was young and naive. In the end, I came to Satanism, studied the Bible of Satan and many other authors promoting Satanic teachings. Satanism turned out to be the closest and most suitable to me, from the inner and personal point of view of perception of the world. My texts in SynopsiS, in fact, are representation of all my life experience and worldview.

5.What are some of the other lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored over the years with your music?

5. In addition to Satanism, esotericism and conspiracy, SynopsiS texts very often tell a lot about war, history, the Middle Ages, our days and the future, prophecies

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Synopsis'?

6. In general, SynopsiS is the first history textbook in Kievan Rus. I couldn't help but catch on to it, because in our case, in our lyrics, as I said earlier, both the past and the future and the present are illuminated. I found some kind of conceptual connection in all of this. And so, SynopsiS just seemed to me a good and successful unique name from one word that sounds good and is easily remembered. For example, just like the legendary "Immortal". 

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

7. The cover depicts some kind of surrealism in a rough psychedelic form. From the very bottom we can see the underground world that exists under our earthly disk. It depicts a bunch of devils and its own separate sun of the underworld. From above, the bulk of the cover is occupied by our world, which on the cover depicts a scorched post apocalyptic desert. Well, from above we see a round aircraft of another intelligent race of architects.

8.Has the band done any live shows or open to the idea?

8. During our 15 years of existence, we had only 3 live performances: one in 2012, the second and the third almost at the same time - in the winter of 2021. All the performances were under the drum machine.

In fact, I always wanted SynopsiS to be a live band, but with time I realised that this is not possible, because we lived in a provincial small town, where the black metal culture is not particularly developed and there are few musicians in general, especially in our style. Then I actually lost the desire to become a live group and there were no opportunities for this. Now, since there is war in the country, I live in another city. Guitarist Funeral and keyboardist Alex stayed in Kherson, besides, we have been having disagreements lately. Now, I have two children for a long time, not enough time and because of all this, I think that SynopsiS will remain a studio project. I don't think we'll ever become a live group unless we can leave Ukraine or the war finishes.

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

9. Yes, I wouldn't mind finding a label to cooperate with. I'm interested in promoting SynopsiS. I hope we can do something together. 

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

10. It's hard for me to judge because firstly I don't follow it too much and secondly we don't have too much popularity. But, based on what I saw, the comments on the Internet are mostly flattering, positive. Many found our music cool, dark and interesting. 

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

11. SynopsiS will continue to make music in the Sympho Black Metal genre, at least because I still have music in this style for the future. Maybe we will become a little more progressive and add elements of the industrial, but the general idea was and will be - Sympho Black Metal 

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?

12. Styles: Sympho Black Metal, Sympho Black/Death Metal, Dark Metal, Black Metal. Groups: Cradle Of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Behemoth, Hypocrisy, Immortal, Riul Doamnei, Carach Angren.

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

13. We take the best from our ideas, we make dark, daring, fierce conceptual and prophetic music. We don't issue an album every year or two years. We release albums like Mayhem - rarely but at the end of the creation process you will get a real darkness, a real true Sympho Black. SynopsiS is not going to stop, we have never thought so. The next few years we will bring surprises with our cool releases.

VKontakte | Bandcamp

Mourning Veil/Heresy Code/2024 Full Length Review

 

     Mourning  Veil  are  a  band  with  members  from  Iowa  and  Nebraska  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2024  album  "Heresy  Code".

  The  sounds  of  fire  burning  and  classical  guitars  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  direction  which  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Black  metal  screams  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody.

  Death  metal  growls  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  album  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  technical  style  along  with  the  tracks  also  mixing  in  a  good  amount  of  thrash  metal  elements,.

 All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  one  track  also  adding  slam  style  breakdowns  in  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  track  and  as  the  album  progresses  classical  guitars  also  make  a  return.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  death,  heresy  and  esoteric  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Mourning  Veil  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal,  melodic  and  technical  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Gnostic  Deceiver"  "Closing  In"  Before  The  Clutches"  and  "Conspirators  Of  Atrocity  III:  Shameless".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.instagram.com/mourningveilband/

  

Living Inferno/Triumvirate/2024 Full Length Review

 

   Living  Inferno  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  very  brutal,  melodic  and   blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2024  album  "Triumvirate".

  Stringed  instruments  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  direction  which  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  while  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Synths  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  some  songs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  back  up  shouts. When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  along  with  the  tracks  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody.

  A  couple  of  song  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  clear  vocals  along  with  some  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing.  A  lot  of  the  music  also  takes  the  melody  of  the   90's   Swedish  bands  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  brutality  of  the  old  school  American  bands  as  well  as  remaining  very  modern  at  the  same  time.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  death,  horror  and  murder  themes  and  a  couple  of  songs  are  also  written  in  Finnish.

  In  my  opinion  Living  Inferno  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  brutal  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Carrion  Swarm"  "Into  The  Endless  Night"  and  "Written  in  Blood".  8  out  of  10.

  https://linktr.ee/livinginfernoofficial

Demande à la Poussière 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?

Vince : Well, we’ve been on tour over a week in France just after the release of the album. It was great to meet the public and play new songs from Kintsugi. After a year of work on the recording without gigs we were really looking forward to playing live again. 

2.Recently you have released a new album, musically, how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

Vince : In my opinion, Kintsugi is less dark compared to the previous album. Maybe more doomy and sludgy I would say, that reminds me a bit of the first Demande A La Poussière, but we are still in the crossroads of different music genres. The main difference is the vocals done by Simon, our new singer, who brings something new for Demande A La Poussière. 

3.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrics that are present on the new album and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?

Simon: the lyrics are mainly about negative feelings from start to finish. The overall theme is about rebuilding yourself after having been destroyed by life itself, which can be viewed as optimistic, but every song is about all the excruciating mental pain you have to go through. Pain of loss, frustration, despair, … Neil wrote half of the songs, and I wrote the other half. My writing is more like, angry, coarse, straightforward. His style is more into metaphors, contemplation. There’s a duality, where one side tends to have some hope, and the other side denies every form of hope.

Over the years, my songwriting has improved quite a bit. Since I’m part of multiple bands, this is hard work all the way, but I’m having so much fun I often have trouble considering this as “work”.

4.I know the band's name means 'Ask (to) The Dust', in French, how does this name fit in with the musical style that you play?

Vince : This name was a kind of inspiration for the recording of the first album “Demande A La Poussière”, some lyrics directly come from the book of John Fante. It made sense back in the time to relate to this book. For the next ones the lyrics has been written by ourselves, talking about life and human sorrows. 

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

Vince : The artwork of Kintsugi is done by Vade Retro, two french, very talented guys. We really like their work for bands but also different festivals. They agreed to work with us for this new record and we are truly grateful. 

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

Vince : We played a couple years ago with two great french bands, Svart Crown that sadly doesn’t exist anymore and Regarde les Hommes Tomber who recently opened for Behemoth. It was such a great moment for us. Our first gig was also with Decline Of The I, this one is a very special one too. 

We try to give the best experience for the public in our live shows, even in small venues, in terms of sound but also with a special light synchronized show and background video. I am personally a big fan of live music, especially in metal, we all  come to the show to see a special moment. That’s what we try to do each time. 

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album/

Vince : Yes we are currently working on it. It’s not finalized yet, but we want to promote this album as much as possible. We are proud of what we achieved with the work we did on the show, so let’s hope we will manage to be booked in France and elsewhere.

8.The last 2 albums where released on 'My Kingdom Music', how would you compare working with this label 'Argonauta Records'?

Vince : The work of My Kingdom Music is beyond our expectation, we are truly grateful to be supported by Francesco. Without him, it would not be the same. We have a great confidence on his judgment.  And he does a huge work on the promotion coupled with the work of Agence Singularité our press agency. 

9.On  a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black, sludge, doom and post metal?

Simon: lots of people loved it. We had loads of positive feedback during our promotional tour.

On a worldwide view, I bet we fell in quite a number of foreign ears!

10.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?

Simon: My black metal project, Anthropovore, released two albums in February, and my other black metal band, Supplices, will release its second album this year. My thrash/death metal band, Muertissima, is currently working on its second album after a line-up change. My post-stoner band, Smoke, is working on its second album. My rock band, Circle of trust, is looking forward to record its first album. My punk/rock band, Dready, is aiming to do their first gigs very soon. I am also part of a deathcore project with a friend of mine, called CHAGS. I also have a solo post-black metal project called Arachnotrone, the first EP will be released this spring.

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

Simon: more doom, more despair, more violence, more sludge, more grunge, and above all… More nasty riffs!

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

Simon: I’ve always been a huge fan of bands like Midnight Oil, and I still listen to them from time to time. I also listen to a lot of hardtek, rap, stuff like that. In terms of metal, I’m more of an early 2000’s guy. But I always enjoy listening to something new!

Vince :  I listen to a lot of different music styles myself. I go from metal to jazz, I won’t list all the bands but it could be famous bands or upcoming ones. 

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

Vince :  We would like to thank all the people following us on shows, the people we buy our record, all of this wouldn’t be possible without their support.

Simon: always remember, in dire times, there is always a light, whatever you name it.

https://www.facebook.com/DALPdoom

Synopsis/Pontifex Maximus/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Synopsis  are  a  band  from  Ukraine  that  plays  a  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2023  album  "Pontifex  Maximus".

  Symphonic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent amount  of  melody  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.

  Death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  amount  of  90's  influences  as  well  as  remaining  modern  at  the  same  time.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  one  song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  clear  vocals  and  when t he  music  finally  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.

  Synopsis  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  symphonic  and  mid  tempo  sounding.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Ukrainian  and  cover  History,  War,  Esotericism  and  Satanism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Synopsis  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  "Діти  Із  Бруду"  "Земля  Скляних  Веж"  and  "Рефлексія".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOyX_o9-pKI

VKontakte | Bandcamp

Bloodcross Interview

 

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

Bloodcross is a metal band that was started a few years ago. We incorporate a lot of different musical elements from black metal, neoclassical metal and traditional heavy metal. While not exactly a new or unique mix of elements, I think our sound is not one you'll hear from every other band.

2.You have your first full length coming out in July, musically how does it differ from your previous demo?

The album, Gravebound, is more melodic, varied and technical than the demo and quite a leap forward in my own view. While "more technical and more melodic" doesn't automatically mean that the music is better, of course, I believe that for us it represents refinement and evolution of the same elements that were already on the demo.

3.The band formed out of the ashes of 'Angelscourge', what was the decision behind splitting that band up and forming a new one?

Bloodcross forming out of the ashes of Angelscourge is correct in some ways but needs a bit of clarification. Angelscourge never quit per se, but has been on hold for a few years due to some of the members having other things to do.  Both bands share some members but not all.

Bloodcross is a different band that is less black metal and more of a hybrid as far as influences go.

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

Most of the songs on the album have different themes and are about various specific topics. The themes of death, afterlife and underworlds of different mythologies are the most common themes but there are also tracks that are about something completely different. 

For example, one song on the album is based on certain Western films and a particular Yngwie Malmsteen inspired song is about various people in history who have been accused of making a deal with the devil for their musical talent.

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

There isn't any truly deep meaning behind the name. Personally, I'm fascinated by blood in an aesthetic and thematic sense and it's also kind of a reference to an Angelscourge song.

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

It's designed by a great Mexican artist by the name of Nestor Avalos. I discovered them when I was browsing through album artwork from other bands, looking for a suitable artist for our album. 

The artwork itself relates to the title track of the album, Gravebound, and its lyrics. He created the artwork based on the lyrics and various other art references I sent to him.

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

We've only played a few shows thus far but I'd say they have all been good. If I had to pick the best one, it would probably be our latest since we played with awesome bands like Jävelin and Beatrix.

We try to be energetic and also play well since our music has some technical elements that don't sound very good if played poorly.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

Not right now but I'm sure some will come up.

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

The album isn't out yet so we haven't had that much feedback but everything I've heard so far has been positive. That usually tends to be the case with smaller bands, of course. You usually start to see more negative feedback when a band gets popular.

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

I've written some new material after the album was recorded (which was a year ago, in fact) and I'd say it's in the same style as Gravebound. What it's going to be like in a few years, I cannot say. Maybe even more traditional heavy metal influences? 

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?

From my own perspective as the songwriter, the most important and obvious influences would be Dissection, Necrophobic, Dark Funeral, Children of Bodom, Yngwie Malmsteen and Iron Maiden. 

As for what I'm currently listening to, it's mostly power metal, traditional heavy metal, guitar virtuoso music and popular music from the 80s. Extreme metal I listen to less than I used to.

12.Does Occultism play any role in your music ?

Yes and no. I'm not an occultist but I'm very interested in occult and esoteric topics in a scholarly sense. That does find its way to the music and lyrics sometimes.

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

Stay tuned for our album Gravebound and I hope you like it as much as we do. I am personally very pleased with the result and I'm excited that the album is finally getting released.

Regards,

Aleksi/Bloodcross

www.facebook.com/bloodcrossmetal