Suffering Souls/True Godfucking Souldbright/Schwarzdorn Production/2020 Full Length Review

  Suffering  Souls  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "True Godfucking  Souldbright"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Schwarzdorn  Production.

  Symphonic  sounds  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in a   decent  amount  of  melody.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  era.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  one  of  the  tracks  also  being  a  brief  instrumental  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  and  a  later  track  also  introduces  death  emtal  growls  onto  the  recording,  the  closing  track w as  also  recorded  live.

  On  this  recording  Suffering  Souls  remain  true  to  the  symphonic  style  of  black  metal  that  was  established  on  their  previous  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Anti  Christianity,  Misanthropy  and  Death  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  "Beyond  The  Nocturnal  Gates  Of  Uncertainty"  "Queen   Of  The  Night"  "The  Throne  Unite  Dimensions"  and  "Punishment  For  the  Believe  To  Christianity".  8  out  of  10.

 https://www.facebook.com/SUFFERING-SOULS-Official-155361931188672/

  

Empyreal Sorrow/PRÆY/2020 Full Length Review

  Empyreal  Sorrow  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  melodic  and  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2020  album  "PRÆY"  which  will  be released  in  November.

  Clean  playing start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  which  also  introduces  melodic  guitar  leads  and  solos  onto  the  recording.  Synths  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  melody.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very powerful  sound  to  them  while the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  90's  era  Swedish  influences.  When  the  music  speeds  up  on  a  couple  of  songs  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  clean  vocals  and  more  modern  elements  onto  the  album  as  well  as  some  clean  playing  also  making  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Empyreal  Sorrow  plays  a  musical  style that  takes  the  melodic  forms  of  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  devastation  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Empyreal  Sorrow  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  "Thrown  Into  The  Fire"  "Come  Down  With  Me"  "Scars  Of  Old"  and  "A  Night  Without  Armor".  8  out  of  10.

Website - https://www.empyrealsorrow.de/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/empyrealsorrowmetal/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/empyrealsorrow/
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCotlWovcAgd-WXMn0es0J2w
Pre-save PRÆY - https://snd.click/praey    

Nomvdic/Euphoria/2020 CD Review

  Nomvdic  are  a  band  from  Florida  that  plays  a  mixture  of  post  black,  melodic  death,  progressive  metal,  djent  and  deathcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2020  album  "Euphoria".

  Melodic  guitar  leads  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  some  prog  and  djent  elements.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  bringing  in  touches  of  Swedish  style  melodic  death  metal.

  Vocals  are  done  in  more  of  a  metalcore  style  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  style  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  vocals  also  having  their  melodic  moments.

  Grim  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  influences  of  deathcore  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  and  touches  of  blackgaze  can  also  be  heard  at  times and  some  tracks  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  covering  the  human  psyche.

  In  my  opinion  Nomvdic  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of   post  black,  melodic  death,  progressive  metal,  djent  and  deathcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Euphoria"  "Dysmorphia(Im  So  Sorry)"  "Dead  Oaks"  and  "Blue  Jay".  8out  of  10.

Website: https://nomvdic.com
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/34XRjMu
Facebook: https://facebook.com/NOMVDIC
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nomvdicofficial
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nomvdic     

  

Protokult/Transcending The Ruins/2020 Full Length Review

  Protokult  are  a  band  from  Toronto,  Ontario,  Canada  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk  and  pagan  metal  and  this  is  a  review of  their  self  released  album  "Transcending  The  Ruins"  which  will  be  released  in  October.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  while  synths  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the recording.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Vocals  are  mostly  blackened  screams  that  also  add  in  a  touch  of  death  metal  along  with  some  rough  pagan  metal  singing  also  being  utilized  at  times.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  recording.

  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  some  folk  instruments  also  being  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times.  Female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks  as  well  as  some  of  the  riffing  and  back  up  shouts  also  showing  an  influence  of  thrash  metal.

  When  the  music  speeds  up a   decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  as  well  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  symphonic  and  orchestra  sounds  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  some  power  metal  style  vocals  being  added  on  a  couple  of  tracks.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism,  Folklore  and  Historical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Protokult  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  pagan  and  folk  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Mark  of  Thunder"  "Oy  Kanada!"  "Valley  Of  thorns"  and  "Dead  new  World". 8out  of  10.

Protokult.com
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Transcendence/Towards Obscurities Beyond/Blood Harvest/2020 Full Length Review

  Transcendence  are  a  band  from  Los  Angeles,  California  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their 2020  album  "Towards  Obscurities  Beyond"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Blood  Harvest.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  all  of the musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  High  pitched  black  metal  screams  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  along  with  the  vocals  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  death  metal  screams.

  The  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  Swedish  and  90's  influences  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  tracks  also  add  in  a  lot  of  blast  beats.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  s  very  melodic  style.

. The  riffs  also  mix  in  a  decent  amount  of  thrash  elements  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  clean  playing  onto  the  recording,  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples,  synths,  whispered  vocals  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  darkness,  blasphemy  and  obscurity  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Transcendence  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  "Infernal  Resurrection"  "Drowned  Screams  of  the  Departed  Souls"  and  "In  Silent  Procession".  8  out  of  10.

http://bloodharvestrecords.bandcamp.com/album/towards-obscurities-beyond 
     

Nemesium 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 have been in and out of lockdown due to the virus, but we have basically finished our first song for the next album and are continuing to write new material. We really wanted to be out there touring and promoting the new album but just like everyone else in the world it's just not happening. So its basically just sit down and lets get another album done!

2.In June you released your first full length, musically how does it differ from your previous ep?
It's more extreme! We took one of the songs off the EP and re recorded it as we thought we never captured the true sound we wanted from it. But on the Continua album we brought it to life! Musically we got more advanced in technicallity and song structure and kept pushing on our recording abilities.

3.This is also your first release in 5 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?
Well after our EP we lost our bassist Luke so we had to then find a new bassist for which we found in Dave, He was in the band for about 3 years and right before bass was about to be recorded for Continua we decided to go back to our original bassist Marcus. So he then had to come back into the band and write all new bass parts for the album within a couple of months which he did amazingly! So basically we were just writing/gigging and fine tuning our line up. Which we are 100% happy with now.

4.A lot of your lyrics cover science fiction themes can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?
I've been a huge Sci Fi fan for as long as I remember and movie/tv buff. So basically all my lyrics are based off Movies I love or TV episodes I love. Parallel Dimensions/Time Travel are full of endless ideas, Shit if Star Trek can make god knows how many episodes about it I can dable in the idea as well haha. And being death metal the stereo type is to sing about death etc... But its over done and to me not very interesting so I write about what I enjoy.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Nemesium'?
Nemesium is Latin plural for Nemesis. The inspiration basically just came from searching for cool words

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
The artwork was done by the amazing Kirill Seminov, I found him on Instagram and was hooked! I love the sci fi H.R. Giger that he goes for but he puts his own little spin on it. The idea that we gave Kirill is that each side of the cube is a different Parellel Dimension giving you multiple stories out of each world.

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Personally the best shows I have played is when we supported Omnium Gatherum or Krisiun in our home town. Such amazing International acts and we get to support them which was amazing!

Our stage performance we try to go as hard as we can each show and make it as aggressive as possible. It's loud and tight!

8.In 2015 you also done a 'Damaged' cover, what was the decision behind doing your own version of one of their songs?
We all grew up with Australian bands being a huge inspiration for us. And Damaged being a regional band like us and been at an international level of greatness we always wanted to pay homage to them.


9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your newer music by fans of melodic black and death metal?
Very positive! We have been overwhelmed with positive comments and reviews. I think we have created something that is fresh and new but also keeping in with the old sound which is exactly what we were after. We all are fans of multi genres and we all bring them into the mix to create something different.

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?
Clint - I'm in a few other bands at the moment, an old school death metal band Munitions with Marcus our bassist. And also a Post Black Metal band titled Visha Kanya.
Chris - Plays in an old school death metal band also in our home town called Destruktor

11.Where do yo you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We want to basically keep doing what we're doing. We're all happy with the way we write and with the reviews coming back it looks like we're on the right track.

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
We all love different genres of Metal and music. From old school death metal and black metal to the more modern melodic death and black, to Grind and all things tech. Even Post Rock and classics like Queen. So we have a lot of influence between us which I think is great!

Nowadays personally I can't get enough of the Post Black Metal genre so Harakiri For The Sky and Numenorean to name a couple.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?
Music is basically my main interest, outside of the bands I have a Huge family to take care of. 6 kids...... And I run my own Carpentry business so I don't have time for anything else haha

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Cheers for the interview guys! And stay tuned to our Facebook page for any new updates coming up soon. We really want to get out there and start playing live again and to show the world what we can bring to it.

But in saying that, support the underground and keep Death Metal alive!


Order Continua:
https://nemesiumblacklion.bandcamp.com/album/continua (CD, Digipak LP, Merch, Digital)
https://www.indiemerchstore.com/b/black-lion-records (CD, Digipak, LP, Merch)


For More Info:

https://www.facebook.com/NemesiumOfficial
https://www.instagram.com/nemesiumofficial_/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2IUsvIFmFQ45sSuRwSbMRK

https://www.facebook.com/blacklionrecordsswe
https://twitter.com/Blacklionrecswe
https://www.instagram.com/blacklionrecordsswe
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdKzG_KjmK7A-PnunzLvzdQ   

Midgard/Tales Of Kreia/Sliptrick Records/2020 CD Review

  Midgard  are  a  band  from  Ukraine  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk,  viking  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Tales  Of  Kreia"  which  will  be  released  on  August  18th  by  Sliptrick  Records.

  Melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  off  the  album  while  death  metal  growls  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  the  screams  adding  in  touches  of  black  metal.  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  blast  beats  are  also  utilized  during  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  some  songs  also  add  in  folk  instruments.  Female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  music  also  showing  some  influences  of  the  Swedish  style  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  yet  old  school  style,  clean  male  pagan  vocals  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard.

  Midgard  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  folk,  viking  and  melodic  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  fantasy  themes  and  philosophical  issues  about  life  and  death.

  In  my  opinion  Midgard  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  folk,  viking  and  melodic  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Necromancer"  "Dwarf  King"  "Elven  Blade"  and  "Ice  Spirit". 8  out  of  10.

Official Website | Facebook | Youtube | Instagram | VK | On Sliptrick