Dominanz/As I Shine/Industrial Silence/2011 CD Review

Dominanz are a band from Norway that mixes black metal with industrial and gothic music and this is a review of their 2011 album "As I Shine" which was released by Industrial Silence Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being thrown in at times, while the synths bring a very dark and industrial/gothic/atmospheric feel to the music,

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine black metal with industrial metal with some melodies being used at times, while the lead guitars are very distorted sounding industrial metal guitar leads.

Vocals range between high pitched black metal screams, industrial metal style shouts and growls mixed in with some clean singing male and female gothic vocals, while the lyrics cover dark and aggressive themes, as for the production it has a very powerful, heavy and professional sound and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion Dominanz are a very good black/gothic/industrial metal hybrid and if you are a fan of bands that mixes these styles together, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Agony And Domination" "Eternal Sin" "Last Day Of Your Life" and "The End Of All There Is". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Einvera Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?


The Einvera sound could be described as if a wide variety of genres and instrumentation were
crammed into a blender with the end result being an eclectic, colorful taste. Basically, we are fans of
music and that's how it comes across. We want to add all of these colors and tastes from every genre we love and make something enjoyable to listen to. Trips from Jazz to Black metal and Folk to Psychedelic rock.


2. How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the new album?
With "In Your Image" being our first album we were obviously very ambitious and energetic out of the gate. We made a very dynamic record and tried to included all of our favorite styles of writing as cohesively as possible. There are about fifteen some odd different instruments on the record ranging from trumpet to vibraphone and banjo to pedal steel. The textures that these array of instruments brings out seems very fitting and special to us and when coupled with an aggressive playing style it took from of something very "out there".


3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the music explores?


While were were already headed down a left hand path with this album, we agreed the lyrics had to as well to some extent. We didn't want to approach it with a traditional black metal/death metal mind set.
Not that we don't respect the hell out of it, but I wanted to only write about things I knew or have seen personally. With that direction it became a lot more personal. I tried to take an outsiders look at some common struggles like the desperation to succeed, drug abuse, deterioration of faith and personal loss.
You know, fun stuff.


4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?


If you look it up it literally means "Isolation." I suppose we are just trying to isolate ourself from common trends and try to go a different path if that makes any sense at all.


5.Has the band had any oppurtunities to do any live shows yet, if so what are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?


Absolutely! We have had a blast playing around the southern california area. Weather we were opening up for some European or American heavyweight bands or playing smaller scale local shows we have always been appreciative of the energy and noise the audience gives back. We like to really lay it all out in a live performance and cut loose. We dont stand around like its some kind of recital...theres definatly some movin' and shakin'.
6. Currently the band is unsinged, are you looking for a label and if so what kind of label do you feel that would be a perfect fit for your music?


At this point we are taking it one step at a time. We just want to share what we have.
We are doing well on our own now so when the right thing comes it will only benefit all parities involved, including listener, label and band alike.




7. Are there any side projects besides this band or is this a full time line-up?
We all stay busy with multiple projects ranging from bluegrass to fusion, as well as teaching, session work and working in recording studios. We like to dip into everything!


8. On a worldwide level how has your music been received by metal fans?


Very positive! Its just as nice to hear a local fan as well as, say, a fan from Hungary tell you that they appreciate what you are doing and your hard work meant something to them. Obviously the route of jamming tons of instruments on a record has been done but the thing we enjoy most is when we hear that the way we approached it was a breath of fresh air. I think we put a nice little spin on things for this round but there is obviously more to learn and more work to do on our end. We will always be "students" on this journey.




9. What direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?


That is defiantly an exciting subject for us. We have a lot of material piling up that goes even deeper down the rabbit hole, to use that cliché. We like to say the new stuff is like an expanding circle of our direction, meaning that all of the elements we use will increase ten fold. Louder, softer, layered, striped, faster, slower, more abrasive, catchier, ramble, ramble. You get it.


10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?


That is a loaded question so ill try to keep it simple. We feel it is our duty as musicians to investigate everything out there. It dosnt matter what it is Psych rock, jazz, metal, pop, old time country, folk etc. If its good its good and that's how Einvera was handled, dragged face down in the broken glass of all those genres.




11. Outside of music what are some of your interests?
Well sometimes it seems like every aspect of our lives, work and play, is consumed by music we still keep in check with other hobbies to stay sane! We are some pretty mean wiffle ball players.


12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Thanks for your time! Keep supporting the little guys!

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Scythia/Of War/2010 CD Review

  Scythia are a band from Vancouver B.C, Canada that plays folk metal mixed with melodic black/death metal and this a review of their self released 2010 album "Of War".

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being used at times, while the folk instruments and keyboards bring a very dark and medieval feel to the music, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they sound very powerful.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast folk metal riffs that have some melodic black/death metal influences, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding folk metal guitar solos, as for the classical and acoustic guitars when they are utilized they use finger picking to bring a dark and medieval feel to the music.

Vocals range from clean singing male and female vocals mixed in with some heavy shouts, growls, screams and spoken word passages, while the lyrics cover Medieval folklore and warfare, as for the production it has a very powerful and professional sound for being a self released album.

In my opinion Scythia are a very good folk metal band and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Fierce Riders Of Scythia" "Elegy" and "Adamantium". RECOMMENDED BUY.

ScythiaFolkMetal.com

Einvera/In Your Image/2011 CD Review

 Einvera are a band from Los Angeles, California that mixes black,  death,  folk,  melodic and progressive metal together and this is a review of their self released 2011 album "In Your Image".

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being thrown in at times, while the keyboards bring a symphonic edge to the music with a great amount of folk instruments being utilized that bring a very dark, avant garde and medieval sound to the music, as for the bass playing it sounds very powerful and heavy with riffing that dominates throughout the whole album.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffing that combines black metal with melodic death, folk, traditional and progressive metal with a great amount of melodies being used, while he lead guitars are very melodic sounding guitar leads that have a traditional metal feel to them, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized they bring a progressive rock folk music feel to the music.

Vocals are a mixture of high pitched black metal and modern day melodic death metal screams with a good amount of clean singing being thrown in at times, while the lyrics cover dark and everyday themes, as for the production it sounds very powerful and professional for a self released recording and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion Einvera  are a very good and original sounding progressive/melodic/black/death/folk metal band and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Static Ascension" "Prismatic Distortion" and "The Gift Of A Ghost". RECOMMENDED BUY.

http://einveramusic.com
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Desideria Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

Most of you can be sure never to have heard about us. We are from France in a city next to Germany where I was born. I met some years ago the female vocalist of Desideria, Mylène, because we worked together for a gothic fanzine. Then we looked for band members and there were recurring changes in the line-up until last year. Finally we are seven musicians now and the other members are Samuel and Julien on the guitars, Marc on the bass, Jérémie on the keyboards and Tim on the drums.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?

It’s more difficult to attribute one’s music to a particular music style if you are involved. There is not the distance that you need for. So I let reviewers and listeners decide about what we play. Most of them say we are a gothic metal band. Others say we are a symphonic black metal band. If I had to choose one label I would say a wild and symphonic dark metal band.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new release explores?

Most of the lyrics are about what goes in the knights’ minds when they face some circumstances as the loss of their love (“Island Of Death”) or the loss of their trust in human (“Wolf Cruelty Claw”) choosing the company of wolves. There are lyrics about knights who are in a sanctuary to save a girl who is the reincarnation of the goddess of wisdom. They have twelve hours to save her and must go through twelve houses and each house has its guardian who represents one sign of the zodiac. The song “Excalibur” has the most explicit lyrics for this concept. The others are “Another Dimension” and “Lightning Bolt”. And with “HellCorrespondence.com” there is one song about a girl you can contact at midnight if you want to send someone to hell. If you pull the string of a straw doll she has given to you she comes and drags your enemy to hell and your soul the day you die goes to hell too.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

It took a long time before all members agreed with a name and that was Desideria. It was Mylène who had suggested the name. Desiderio is the Italian translation for “Desire”. Desire creates something dynamic in the life of each one of us. It’s something obsessional that dictates our acts and our thoughts. Because Mylène likes names such as Sirenia and Tristania she changed the last letter into an “a”.

5. Has the band had any opportunities to do a live show, if so what are some of the best gigs that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

Yes we did some live shows with local bands. Some gigs were better than others but I wouldn’t describe anyone of them to be one of our best gigs. I think the best gigs will come. I hope so. With our new line-up we will see how we will perform together. Now it’s too early to say how we are but in the next months I could answer better this question.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the future?

When all the members meet again we will discuss about next gigs. But if they are it will be not before autumn.

7. Currently you are unsigned are you looking for a record label and if so what kind of label do you feel that would be a perfect fit for the band’s music?

Now it’s the first time we have really thought whether we should or not look for a label. We will discuss about this subject. Nothing is sure. If we do it we know that it will be difficult to find a label that could be ready to invest in a new band. The times are hard with this worldwide economic crisis. I feel there are not many labels that would fit with what we do. Most labels are focused in classic heavy metal and more in extreme metal.

8. On a worldwide level how has your music been received by metal fans?

On our myspace we have sometimes nice comments about our music that are very important for us and encourage us to continue. From the day we have released our music we know that we have to accept bad comments. Some metal listeners don’t like our music, some others like it. There is no music that everyone can enjoy.

9. Are there any side projects besides this band or is this a full time line-up?

Most of us have no time to have more than one band. Marc helps out in another band until he has its own bass player. Julien is setting up his own band in a more brutal death metal style.

10. What direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?

Up to now Samuel was after the departure of our former guitar player Cédric rather alone to compose soundtracks for Desideria. Now we will see what we will have when Marc and Julien contribute too. I think the music will keep the spirit of our first release and we will also have the one or other song in a different style than that we used to have.

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

At the beginning I imagined music close to Theatre Of Tragedy and The Sins of Thy Beloved with a fragile female voice opposed to mine. But I imagined it faster. With our main composer Samuel the music is going faster than I imagined and I love it. He and all the other members of Desideria listen to all kind of metal styles from the pioneers to the newest bands. We reproduce the metal sound but we are not conscious about influences when we are in a composition process. We know that we have influences but we don’t know from whom they come.

12. Does Paganism play a role in your music?

Most lyrics are about paganism in the way that I going about polytheistic religions. They talk about knights devoted to their goddess Athena from the Greek mythology in a battle against knights devoted to their god Odin from the Norse mythology. But legends that you find in them are twisted with other components that are imagined. These knights don’t use weapons like swords or axes but draw their fight technics from Cosmo energy. In “Excalibur” that is the mythical sword of King Arthur I talk about this sword like a gift from the goddess Athena to her most loyal knight and the shaping technique of this sword is now in his arms. All this to say that yes, paganism plays a role in the music but unlike other bands who portray Vikings in how they used to live their life as described in history books there are in these lyrics realities that had never been met and components out from fantasy or science-fiction.

13. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

I don’t have really other interests apart from manga where the stories of the lyrics come from. Mylène loves the literature of the XIXth century. Samuel loves to travel. Jérémie loves to walk in the forests. Tim enjoys to see friends. Marc loves to draw and Julien likes to go to concerts.

14. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

First I want to thank you for your effort in this preparation of this interview. And then to the few metal saints who have read this interview since we are still quite unknown.

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Desideria/End The Curse/2011 CD Review

  Desideria are a band from France that plays a mixture of black, death, pagan, folk, gothic and traditional metal and this is a review of their self released 2011 album "End The Curse".

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beats, while the synths bring a very dark, gothic and atmospheric sound to the music, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffing that combines death, gothic, black, folk and traditional metal together with a good amount of melody being thrown in the music, while the lead guitars are very melodic heavy metal guitar solos that have a very traditional and classic metal feel to them, as for the acoustic guitars which are only used briefly they being a very dark and medieval folk music sound to the music.

Vocals range from deep death metal growls, high pitched black metal screams, clean singing male and female vocals with some occasional spoken word passages, while the lyrics touch on mythology, as for the production it has a very dark, heavy and powerful sound to it.

In my opinion Desideria are a very good melodic black/death/gothic/folk metal band and if you are looking for a band that mixes these styles together, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Dragon Bravest Blizzard" "Island of Death" and "Excalibur". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Planks/The Darkest Of Grays Solicit To Fail/Southern Lord Records/2011 CD Review

 Planks are a band from Germany that mixes crust/punk noise rock, black metal and black'n' roll together and this is a review of their 2011 album The Darkest Of Grays Solicit To Fail" which was released by Southern Lord Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beats being thrown in, while the bass playing has a very heavy and strong tone with a lot of powerful sounding riffs that are very noisy and distorted, as for the synths which are only utilized briefly they bring a very dark avant garde edge to the music.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine influences from crust/punk, noise rock, black metal and black 'n' roll  to create a sound that is very original sounding and on the instrumental there is some soft and slow playing, while the lead guitars when they are utilized they are very dark, distorted and melodic sounding.

Vocals are a mixture of crust/hardcore style yells and screams that are also heavily influenced by black metal with some occasional spoken word passages and samples, while the lyrics cover everyday and hateful themes, as for the production it has a very heavy and raw sound to it while still being professional enough to the point where you can hear all of the musical instruments.

In my opinion Planks are a very good and original band that combines sludge with noise rock, crust/punk, black metal and black'n' roll together and if you are looking for a band that combines these styles together, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Sacred And Secret" "The Dead Return To War" "A Casket City" and "Into The Nothingness Within". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Sinstorm/Self Titled/2011 CD Review

Sinstorm are a band from California that has been interviewed as well as had their previous e.p reviewed by this zine with a style that I would describe as melodic black/death with some symphonic elements and this is a review of their self titled and self released 2011 album.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a great amount of blast beats being used at times, while the bass playing is kind of mixed down low in the mix and seems to follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars, and on some songs there are symphonic elements but not much in the way to over dominate the music with some dark keyboard effects.

Rhythm guitars range from low, mid paced to fast melodic black metal riffs that are also heavily influenced by death metal, while the lead guitars are very melodic and chaotic sounding black/death metal guitar solos that also utilize a lot of skill, as for  the acoustic guitars when they are utilized they bring another dark dimension to the music.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams mixed in with some deep death metal growls and on one song there is a spoken word ritualistic passage, while the lyrics cover Heathenism, Occultism, killing, hatred and death, as for the production it sounds very heavy and professional for a self released album.

In my opinion this is another great release from Sinstorm and if where a fan of their previous recordings, you will not be disappointed.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "CelestialExtinction" "Transcending Dimension" "Storms Of The Heretic Millennium" and "Trooper" which is an Iron Maiden cover. RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Suidakra/Book Of Dowth/AFM Records/2011 CD Review

  Suidakra are a band from Germany that mixes melodic black metal with folk music and this is a review of their 2011 album "Book Of Dowth" which was released by AFM Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast with a great amount of brutal blast beats, while the keyboards are very atmospheric and symphonic with some pagan sounding flutes being utilized at times, as for the bass playing it is kind of mixed down low in the mix and seems to follow the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast melodic black/death metal riffs that are also influenced by traditional metal, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding heavy metal guitar solos, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized they use finger picking and full chords to bring a folk music feel to the music.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams that are also influenced by melodic death metal in the growls with a good amount of clean singing male and female vocals being thrown in at times and the occasional spoken word passages, while the lyrics cover Celtic Paganism and Fantasy, as for the production it has a very powerful and professional sound to it.

In my opinion Suidakra are a very good melodic folk/black/death metal band and if you are a fan of bands that mix these styles together, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Battle-Ciarns" "Mag Mell" "Balor" and "Stone Of Seven Suns". RECOMMENDED BUY.

http://www.suidakra.com

Hyperborean Interview

by Magnus Persson/ Vocalist of Hyperborean

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?
1 We are from Sweden, we formed 11 years ago so we've been around for a while although the band has not always been active it was on hold for some years before we decided to go and record The Spirit of Warfare. Our music has quite a few influences, I see most people are defining us as melodic black metal and I guess that fits, although I would hesitate to fully use the black metal moniker as we do incorporate elements from other genres such as Thrash metal for example.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and how does it differ from previous releases?
2 A mixture of different extreme metal genres, mostly from black metal. The album differs quite allot from our early demos, they were more melodic in nature and had allot of focus on keyboards. The sound of The Spirit of Warfare is harsher, although there still is allot of melodic parts mixed in there. The music is more guitar driven and riff oriented than our previous works. The songs are also generally longer and have more of an epic atmosphere to them.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new release explores?
3 The overlapping lyrical theme is warfare ( obviously ). Mostly focusing on world war 1. Most of the songs deal with that time period in one way or another. Weapon Mankind is about the preface leading up to the war. Killing Grounds is about the trench warfare and the fevers that plagued the soldiers. Viper and The last stand.. deals with the battle of Thermopylae and are the only songs about pre modern warfare. A new Sun rises deals with the aftermath of the war and the intellectual despair that followed it in a combination of a lost faith in mankind after the atrocities she produced during the war, and also sense of spiritual emptiness left behind by philosophers and scientists that challenged and in some ways discarded religion. The sick man of Europe is about the war torn former Yugoslavian nations leading up to world war 1 and ending with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo in 1914, an event that triggered ( although its important to point our that it didnt cause ) the great war.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?
4 Hyperborea is an ancient greek word describing a mythological extreme north. A Hyperborean would then be a inhabitant of said north. We thought it fit well as most of our early material focused on norse mythology, it would probably have been more logical to pick a name derived from old Norse instead of old Greek, but what can you do, sometimes things doesn't make perfect sense.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and wow would you describe your stage performance?
5 We don't have a full lineup so playing live isn't an option right now, so I guess we are a studio band at the moment, that might change in future though. We did play some live gigs early on but those were years ago so that's not really relevant today.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the new release?
6 No

7. On a worldwide level how has your music been received by melodic black metal fans?
7 Well the album has just been released so its hard to tell at this point, but the reactions so far seems good.

8. Are there any other projects besides this band or is this a full time line up?
8 Hyperborean is our main priority, there are some small projects here and there but nothing of importance.

9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
9 The lyrical approach wont deal as much with war as I am kind of feed up writing about that subject at the moment. Misery will be the main theme musically so the lyrics will follow on that subject and then there will be some other underlying themes as well( do not worry, there will be no suicidal teenage angst crap ) Also most of the songs on Spirit were written five or six years ago so the next batch of songs we write will probably reflect that.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
10 as for musical influences you would have to ask Andreas our guitarist. Personally I mainly listen to older bands like Emperor, old Satyricon, Dissection, Taake and also some classical stuff mixed in there as well, I like Dvorcak.

11. Does Occultism or Paganism play any role in your music?
11 Not really, our first demos focused on norse mythology but we have moved away from that as I find it kind of boring to always write lyrics on the same theme, I would say our world view is more rational in nature, Darwin before Crowley so to speak.

12. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?
12 I read allot of books about history and that's mainly how I find subjects to write lyrics about for Hyperborean.

13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
13 Thanks for this interview, keep up the good work with the zine and keep promoting the underground!
















13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

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Hyperborean/The Spirit Of Warfare/Abyss Records/2011 CD Review

  Hyperborean are a band from Sweden that plays a very melodic style of black metal and this is a review of their 2011 album "The Spirit Of Warfare" which was released by Abyss Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beats, while the bass playing has a strong and somewhat powerful tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars, as for the keyboards when they are utilized briefly they bring a very tragic feel to the music.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast melodic black metal riffs that are also technical at times with some thrash death and traditional metal influences, while the lead guitars are very melodic, progressive and technical metal guitar solos, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized they use finger picking and full chords to bring another element of war to the music.

Vocals are very high pitched black metal screams with some occasional deep death metal grows, while the lyrics cover Lovecraft style themes and war as for the production it has a very dark and heavy sound to it.

In my opinion Hyperborean are very good melodic black metal band, and if you are a fan of t his style you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Chanelling The Spirit Of Warfare" "Viper" and "The Sick Man Of Europe". RECOMMENDED BUY.

http://www.myspace.com/hyperboreanofficial

Diabolical/Ars Vitae/Abyss Records/2011 CD Review

  Diabolical are a band from Sweden that has been interviewed by this zine before and plays a musical style that mixes melodic black metal with technical death metal and this is a review of their 2011 album "Ars Vitae" which was released by Abyss Records.

Drums are mostly technical slow to mid paced playing with some fast parts but that much in the way of blast beats, while the synths are very dark sounding and don't over dominate the music, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they sound very powerful.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow to mid paced to fast technical death metal riffs that are also influenced by melodic black metal and thrash, while the lead guitars are very technical and melodic metal guitar solos.

Vocals are mostly deep death metal growls that have somewhat of a black metal edge to them in the high pitched screams, while the lyrics cover death and the apocalypse with an occult edge, as for the production it sounds very heavy and professional with some songs being recorded live.

In my opinion this is another great album from Diabolical and if you where a fan of their previous releases, you will not be disappointed. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Sightless" "Suicidal Glory" "Guidance Of Sin" and "The Dreaming Dead". RECOMMENDED BUY.

 www.diabolical.se 

 www.facebook.com/diabolicalofficial 

www.myspace.com/religionist 

 www.vkontakte.ru/club23028073 

Amon Amarth/Surtur Rising/Metal Blade Records/2011 CD Review

  Amon Amarth are a band from Sweden that has a very long history and are one of the best known Viking melodic black/death metal bands and this is a review of their 2011 album "Surtur Rising" which was released by metal Blade Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast playing with a good amount of blast beats, while the bass playing sounds very powerful and heavy at times and serves as a perfect background for the rhythm guitars, as for the synths that are only used on the last song, they bring a very symphonic and tragic feel to the music.

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Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine death, black and traditional metal together with a great amount of melodies being added in, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding traditional metal guitar solos that utilize a lot of skill and talent, as for the the acoustic guitars when they are utilized briefly, they bring a very dark medieval feel to the music.

Vocals are a mixture of high pitched black metal screams and deep death metal growls, while the lyrics touch on Norse Paganism and Mythology, as for the production it has a very heavy and professional sound to it with all of the musical instruments coming out sounding great.

In my opinion this is another great album from Amon Amarth and if you where a fan of their previous releases, you will not be disappointed. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "War Of The Gods" "Destroyer Of The Universe" "Wrath Of The Norseman" and "Doom Over Dead Man". RECOMMENDED BUY.

http://www.surturrising.com

http://www.amonamarth.com

http://www.facebook.com/AmonAmarthBand

http://twitter.com/amonamarthband

http://www.myspace.com/amonamarth

Xereth/II/Candlelight Records/2011 CD Review

  Xereth are a band from the United Kingdom that plays a very symphonic and progressive form of melodic black/death metal and this is a review of their 2011 album "II" which will be released by Candlelight Records.

Drums range from slow to mid paced drumming with no fast playing or blast beats and on the last song there is some tribal drumming, while the keyboards are very symphonic and atmospheric sounding and at times they have a classical feel to them, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone which is kind of mixed down low in the mix and seems to follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they sound very strong and powerful.

Rhythm guitars range from slow  to mid paced riffing that takes influences from black, death, thrash, groove and progressive metal with a lot of technical riffing, while the lead guitars are very melodic and technical sounding guitar solos, as for the classical guitars when they are utilized briefly, they bring another dimension of darkness to the music.

Vocals are a mixture of high pitched black metal screams, deep death metal growls and some clean singing, while the lyrics touch on science fiction and theology, as or the production it has a very powerful and professional sound to it.

In my opinion Xereth a  very good progressive death/black metal band and if you are a fan of this genre, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "God Of The Frontlines" "Sworn To Sacrifice" "Numbered Among The Dead" and "The Glorious Death". RECOMMENDED BUY.

http://xerath.net

http://www.facebook.com/xerathuk

http://www.myspace.com/xerath

Wolfchant Interview

> 1. Can you update us with what is going on with the band these days?

Nortwin: Actually we are doing fine, as the new album is released now and most of the reviews are are received and very positive.
We are very proud of C.O.T.B.W. as it worked out to be exactly what we imagined when we wrote the album.

> 2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and how
> does it differ from previous releases?

Nortwin: Being quite new in the band gives me an interesting view on the whole thing. If you follow all the releases up to now you'll find a clear path that leads to our actual one. All of these albums really sound like Wolfchant but each one creates a different atmosphere which was right for the time when the albums were written. Anyway, the sound as well as the songwriting developed over the years, and of course the fact of having two different style singers now in the band creates lots of new excitement and new ground to explore for us and for the listeners.

> 3. What are some of the lyric topics and subjects that the new releases
> explores?

Nortwin: There is on one hand a strong emphasis on the forces of nature especially in "Naturgewalt" and in the title track "Call Of The Black Winds". On the other hand there are topics related to paganism and for example the relegious persecution that happened in the past ages to heathen tribes: "Black Fire", "Heathen Rise"
The title "Eremit" is about freedom, self choosen solitude and being in accord with nature."The Last Farewell" is about the loss of beloved persons. Among these topics there are of couse also songs which are standing for the typical pagan metal values like honour, victory, unity and fighting spirit.

> 4. You have written songs in both German and English, which language do
> you prefer to write in?

Nortwin: It's kind of a natural process within Wolfchant to write in the language which fits best to the emotions and messages that are carried with the different songs . Some things can be simply delivered better in the native tongue, others sound better in english. It also happens that both languages are used in one song when it feels right, for example in "Stormwolves".

> 5. The new album has a strong sound, where you satisfied with the
> production?

Nortwin: Yes. we were sure from the beginning that the sound will not disappoint us. It's simply a question of having the possibility to work with the right studio and the right producer. Well the result is great in our opinion, no doubt.

> 6. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

Lokhi: We live dirctly in the national park area of bavaria. And the wolves reserve of the park is
very clos to our place. So in the summer time if we made campfires this time, it was possible to hear the screams of the wolves.
So we made the decision to give us the name WOLFCHANT


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

Lokhi: We have a very powerful and strong stage performance. Always in dxirect contact with the audience... We
always want to make a big Party if we are on stage. We always give the best we can. Some of the best Shows was the Ragnarök Festival Shows
und the Summer Night Festival Shows in the last years.

> 8. On a worldwide level how has your music been received by
> pagan/viking/black and melodic death metal fans worldwide?

Lokhi. We got more and more fans over the last years. From album to album the fanbase in the different countries was growing a lot and we
are very happy about this situation. It is an unbelievable good feeling if you can find people around the world listening to your music.
As we started WOLFCHANt nobody thought that is it possible that we got such a huge feedback from People all over the world.



> 9. What are the touring plans for the new releases?

Lokhi: We play a lot of Festivals in Germany and different other countries. In November we make an Tour over Europe and in the beginning of 2012 we make
some Shows in the US.... So i thing we will not be bored in the next time.

> 10. What direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?

Nortwin: We will continue our advanced way as started with COTBW. There are so many things to try and to explore that is very inspiring for the future songwriting. Especially from the vocal side up to now we just scratched all the possibilities which we can have now.

> 11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your
> music, and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Nortwin: It's difficult to speak for everybody in the band, but we are surly influenced by a broad range of musical styles, or better said metal styles. Some of them are surly black, pagan, power and death metal. It's difficult to name bands here, as there are too many of them. Representative I would say Mithotyn, Dimmu Borgir.

> 12. What role does Viking and Norse Paganism play in your music, and how
> would you describe your views on these topics?

Nortwin: Of course these topics are providing a big part of the inspiration for our music and our lyrics. For me personally paganism is not standing for the believe in some viking gods, but for the ultimate freedom of faith and thinking. A religious belief in a known and experienced way is only limiting these highest values.

> 13. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?

Nortwin: For me it is mainly fitness training, movies and travelling.

> 14. Any final words or thoughts, before we wrap up this interview?

Nortwin: Thank you for the interview. To all the people out there: "Call Of The Black Winds" is in the stores now. Please give it a try and watch out for our coming live shows. Check out our myspace page for actual information. Cheers & Skol

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Withering Soul Interview

1. Can you update us with what is going on with the band these days?



The last year we took a little break from playing live shows to take some personal time. It is only healthy for a band to “recharge”. That also gave me a chance to save up some money and upgrade my home studio. We’re rehearsing again full-time now, and we have about 8-9 songs almost ready for our next album, which I hope doesn’t take another five years to come out. *Haha*



2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album?



We pretty much take in our favorite elements of different genres and melt it all down. On the surface, you would probably hear Symphonic Black Metal. But after listening to No Closure, you can hear other influences, whether it is the harmony and precision of Melodic Death Metal, the otherworldly atmospheres of Dark Wave, and even the upfront catchiness of Traditional Metal. We try to keep it diverse, but let it flow consistently all the same.



3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new release explores?



Our lyrical topics are basically a flipside of the norm. They cover subjects that many people are unlikely to discuss or engage in a conversation about. For example, there is much below the surface of the world we live in. We like to address themes and ideas that people tend to ignore and pretend are not there.



4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the band’s name?



The name Withering Soul, for us, serves as a metaphor for the relationship between the present and the future. Living everyday can be a difficult struggle, but nobody really knows what comes next. While we are alive, we are constantly striving for something, but most never find it.



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



Playing direct support for Dark Funeral and Enslaved was definitely one of our proudest moments. It was an amazing bill and we had a very ecstatic crowd. Gothicfest 2005 was also a nice memory. I hope that every new experience becomes our best experience. Our performances have always been very animated and on the theatrical side. It’s a concept that we hope to expand on when we have a bigger budget.



6. Do you have any touring plans for the new releases?



We’re looking into some possible tours for later this year, but also with a focus on getting on a few festivals. However, nothing has been confirmed at the moment.



7. Currently you are signed to Mortal Music, how did you get in contact with this label and how would you describe the support that they have given you so far?



The founders of Mortal Music took an interest in us years prior, and paid attention to what we were doing. When we recorded No Closure and gave them a demo copy, they liked what they heard and the discussions began. The support has been phenomenal, and they have opened up opportunities that we did not have before. We’re extremely happy to be a part of the Mortal Music family.



8. On a worldwide level, how has your music been received by symphonic black metal and melodic death metal fans?



I gotta say that our fanbase is pretty diverse. Our music is versatile enough that we have been able to share the stage with many different types of bands…anywhere from Gore Grind to Goth. The overall response has been very positive. We’re just going to keep making the type of music that we enjoy and hope that more will appreciate it.



9, Are any of the band members currently involve with any side projects, or is this a full time line-up?



Mykil and I actually had been tinkering with an Industrial side project called “Psyclone”. Kind of a futuristic and gritty electronica mixed with heavy guitar riffs. That project has been put on hold to focus our efforts on WS. Perhaps it will be revived in the near future, when we have some down time.



10. What direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?



I think our style of music will stay pretty consistent for now, with the exception of a few unexpected twists. Our fans can expect every album that we write to sound like a Withering Soul album, but we will try to keep it fresh and interesting.



11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music, and also what are you listening to nowadays?



We try to expand our tastes as much as possible, however for me personally, my heart will always belong to Metal. As a kid I grew up on the classics, such as Black Sabbath, Slayer, Maiden & Metallica. In the mid 90’s, I eventually shifted over to the European/Death Metal scene. Bands like My Dying Bride, Morbid Angel, Emperor, and Carcass really opened my mind to the darker and extreme variety. As for Non-Metal, I’ve recently been listening to a lot of Porcupine Tree, The Birthday Massacre, and Wojciech Kilar. I lump most of my music into two categories; good & bad.









12. What role does the paranormal and occult play in your music, and how would you describe your views on these topics?



It is pretty much the foundation of our music. When developing our lyrical content, we wanted to write about darker natured themes, but we didn't want to focus on religion as much per se. We want our music to be entertaining as well as intriguing. We've all grown up on good old-fashioned ghost stories. I’m not going to testify that I have had any direct experiences myself, but I've taken the thrill of visiting allegedly haunted locations before, and must say that they are fun to explore if you’re a History buff like me. We're also a bunch of book worms when it comes to that stuff. It's a morbid fascination that I don't think I'll ever grow out of!



13. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?



My girlfriend and I like to travel. So far, it has been mostly modest vacations and road trips to obscure destinations in the US. Door County, WI, is a beautiful place to visit during the summer and it is very affordable. I usually enjoy simple pleasures, such as jogging outdoors (which I can’t really do much in the winter) and cooking. I’ve found out that (almost) everything tastes good when you add garlic.



14. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?



Thank you for conducting this interview and we look forward to hearing from you again. Cheers!

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Wolfchant/Call Of The Black Winds/Massacre Records/2011 CD Review

Wolfchant are a band from Germany with a music style that I would describe as being pagan/viking/folk/black metal with a melodic and symphonic edge and this is a review of their 2011 album "call Of The Black Winds" which was released by Massacre Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats, while the keyboards are very symphonic and epic sounding with some occasional folk music instruments that give the music a medieval pagan feel, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone which is mixed down low in the mix and seems to follow the riffs that are coming out of the guitars and at times they sound very powerful.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast melodic black metal style riffs with some influences from traditional and death metal, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding guitar solos that have a classic and traditional metal feel to them as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized they use full chords to give the music a tragic feel.

Vocals are a mixture of high pitched black metal screams, clean singing viking vocals that have a power metal feel at times and some  deep death metal growls, while the lyrics cover Nordic Mythology, Paganism, and Anti-Christianity with some of the songs being written in the German language, as for the production it has a very powerful and heavy sound to it.


In my opinion Wolfchant are a very good viking/pagan/folk/melodic black metal band and if you are a fan of this genre, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Stormwolves" "Black Fire" "Heathen Rise" and "Call Of The Black Winds". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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LIK-Lekamen Illusionen Kallet/The Second Wind/Nordvis Records/2011 CD Review

 Lekamen Illusionen Kallet called LIK for short are a band from Sweden with some well known members of the Swedish black metal scene that mixes black metal with occult and gothic rock together and this is a review of their 2011 album "The Second Wind" which will be released by Nordvis Records.

Drums range from slow to mid paced drumming with no fast playing or blast beats present on the recording, while the bass playing has a very dark tone which is mixed down low in the mix and seems to follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they sound very powerful with a 70's rock feel.

Rhythm guitars alternate between slow to mid paced riffs that combine black metal with 70's and Gothic rock with an avant garde and doomy feel and there are little to no guitar solos or leads present on the recording.

Vocals alternate between grim sounding black metal scrams and clean singing that mixes gothic rock and avant garde together, while the lyrics are written in a mixture Of English and Swedish and touch on Occultism, Religion, Mysticism and  Spiritism, as for  the production it has a very dark and raw feel to it.

In my opinion LIK are a very good and original band that mixes black metal with Avant Garde 70's and Gothic Rock, and if you are looking for something original sounding, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TACKS INCLUDE "Death Breeder" "The Delusionist" and "The Second Wind". RECOMMENDED BUY.

www.myspace.com/lekamenillusionenkallet 

Cruachan/Blood On The Black Robe/Candlelight Records/2011 CD Review

  Cruachan are a band from Ireland that has had an album reviewed in this zine in the past, with a style that mixes pagan/Celtic/folk music with black and traditional metal and this is a review of their 2011 album "Blood On The Black Robe" which will be released by Candlelight Records.

Drums alternate between slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats, while the various folk instruments bring a medieval folk music feel to the music, as for the bass playing it has a very dark, powerful and distorted tone with some heavy riffing.

Rhythm guitars alternate between slow, mid paced and fast riffing that combines black metal and traditional metal together with a good amount of melody, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding without a lot of guitar solos, since the music concentrates mostly on rhythm, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized briefly they use full chords to enhance the darkness of the music.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some occasional clean singing female vocals that bring an esoteric New Age feel to the music, while the lyrics cover Irish Paganism, Folklore, Mythology and History with some anti- Christian themes, as for the production, it has a very heavy and professional feel to it.

In my opinion this is another great album from Cruachan and it is their heaviest and most black metal sounding album in years, while still retaining the folk elements and if you are a fan of their previous albums, you will not be disappointed. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "I Am Warrior" "Blood On The Black Robe" "The Voyage Of Bran" and "Pagan Hate". RECOMMENDED BUY.

http://cruachan.metalfan.nl

Withering Soul/No Closure/Mortal Music/2011 CD Review

 Withering Soul are a band from Chicago, Illinois that plays a very symphonic form of black metal mixed with melodic black/death and this is a review of their 211 album "No Closure" which was released by Mortal Music.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a lot of brutal blast beats, while the keyboards are very atmospheric and atmospheric sounding,as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they sound very powerful.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffing that is also very melodic and utilizes influences from both death metal and traditional metal, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding metal guitar solos.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams mixed in with some deep death metal growls and some clean singing mixed in with a short use female vocals, while the lyrics cover Ghosts, the Paranormal, and Horror, as for the production it has a very professional and heavy sound to it.

In my opinion Withering Soul are a very good melodic, gothic, symphonic black metal band, and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Phantasmal Chaos" "Sadistic Redress" and "Lifeless They Lie". RECOMMENDED BUY.


www.witheringsoul.com