Desolation Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?
Sure – thanks for giving us the opportunity to spread the word about DESOLATION! Well, we've been around since 1994 and so far we've recorded three albums that have established us as a fairly well-known underground act in the northern part of Germany. In 2014 we celebrate our 20th anniversary and hope to make yet some more new friends and fans.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?
That is always a difficult thing to do if your music doesn't fit the common categories easily. We've mostly been described as a melodic death- black metal act. Somebody recently pointed out that we have an urban feel to the music, and I guess that fits our new album DESORIENTED quite well.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Our new album deals with questions of belonging and the idea of home – where is our place in this world and which values do we navigate by? This may sound rather theoretical, but in the songs there's always a certain perspective that explores these concepts, for example in "Dorothy" I imagined how it would have been if the little girl from Kansas had not returned home but ended up a cheap whore who breathes her last in a seedy hotel, which itself is a metaphor for this world where we never quite belong... I guess some of the lyrics may seem a bit strange at first, but there's certainly plenty to explore.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name Desolation?
To be quite honest - we were fifteen, sixteen when we formed the band and wanted a cool-sounding, simple name that somehow would help to describe our sound. One of us idly flicked through his LP collection and pulled out a Morbid Angel record: Abominations of Desolation – and there it was. Apart from the fact that now there are a few other bands by that name in the US and GB, we're still very happy with it.

5.What are some of the best show that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
We've enjoyed sharing the stage with such fine bands as God Dethroned, Disillusion or Malevolent Creation. Currently we're playing some gigs with our good friends in Bloodwork. Our gigs tend to surprise fans who only know our CDs, as we have a much more brutal live sound while at the same time preserving the melodious aspects of the songs.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future/
As I said, 2014 will see our 20th anniversary and we'd like to play a couple of special shows to celebrate, but so far we haven't really made any definite plans.

7.Currently , you are unsigned are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
We are currently affiliated with Rebellion records, a small German label that supported us in our search for a distribution solution. We're very happy with the current arrangement, but if an interesting metal label were willing to back our work with a somewhat larger budget (i.e. larger than our own...), that would be a great opportunity.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
Worldwide? Wow – that’s a bit hard to tell from where I’m sitting J. Judging by the reviews we’ve received, people have responded well to the fact that our music is far from boring – that there are worlds within the songs that want to be explored. Fortunately (or unfortunately?) it’s not music for the masses, yet at the same time it’s not only music for the die-hard death metal fan, but other people can relate to the more melodic or experimental parts. So we’re very glad that there are always listeners who give the CDs the couple of run-throughs they need before you get hooked.

9.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
That’s impossible to say. We certainly will not part with any of our trademarks. DESOLATION without prominent keyboards would not be DESOLATION, no matter how much some people whine about the fact that we use them. And we’ve always liked to experiment, so I guess there will be lots of experiments in the future. However, our music has always come from the heart, not the head, so we won’t turn into a math metal band all of a sudden.

10.What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your msuic and also what are you listening to nowadays?
That is as diverse as the six people we have in our band. Our drummer and main songwriter is head over heels into progressive rock, while I listen to early nineties European death metal exclusively. The one band we can all agree on is Samael, so there may be some influence from that side…

11.Outside of music what are some of your interests?
Again, this is quite different for all of us. Felix is a passionate downhill biker, whereas to me bliss means a good bottle of wine and a fine piece of literature. The band and extreme metal is our common denominator and the basis of a fine friendship that has lasted almost twenty years. Job and family commitments allowing, we spend a lot of time with each other, so everything beyond that pretty much has to play second fiddle…

12.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
First of all thank you for taking an interest in DESOLATION. We love what we do and we’d love others to enjoy our particular kind of metal. If you’re the least bit curious now, go to www.desmetal.de to find out more and have a good listen.
Please go out and support your local underground – wherever that may be. Go to concerts, buy CDs and shirts, talk to the bands and keep the metal alive. HELL YEAH!

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Serpent Eater/Hyena/Alerta Antifacista Records/ CD Review

  Serpent  Eater  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge,  crust  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their    album  "Hyena"  which  was  released  by  Alerta  Antifacista  Records.

  "Ebola"  which  is  also  the  first song  on  the  album  opens  up  with  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  and  bass  riffs along  with  drums  and  deep  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  black  metal  screams  and  the  song  also  alternates  between  mid  paced  and  slow  parts.

  "Last  Cold  Word"  begins  with  black  metal  style  guitar  riffs  before  adding  in  drums,  bass  guitars  and  high  pitched  screams  and  after  awhile  the  music  goes  into  a  faster  direction  along  with  a  mixture  of  growls  and  screams  before  slowing  down  again  and  adding  some  melody  to t he  guitar  riffing  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats.

  "In  The  Wall"  starts  up  with  melodic  guitar  riffs  before  adding  in  screams,  bass  guitars  heavier  guitar  riffs  and  drums  and a   minute  later growls  are  thrown  into  the  music  and  as  time  goes  on  by  the  music  gets  a  little  bit  faster  along  with  some  blast  beats  before  slowing  down  again.

  "Hyena"  opens  up with  blast  beats  from  the  drums,  black  metal  screams  and  fast  guitar  riffs  as  well  as  some  melody  and  then  it  slows  down  and  adds  in  death  metal  growls  which  also  leads  to  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  along  with  heavy  bass  guitars  before  returning  to  a  heavier  direction.

  "Lietmotif"  kicks  with  some  mid  paced  crust  crust  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  drums  and  high  pitched  screams  before  adding  in  some  deep  growls  and  halfway  through  the  song  the  music  goes  into  a  faster direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  then  slowing  down  again.

  "Trepanation  Nation"  which  is  also  the  last  song  begins  with  heavy  black  metal  guitar  riffs  before  adding  in  bass,  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams  and  then  slowing  down  and  adding  in  melodic  crust  elements  as  well  as  alternating  between  fast,  mid  paced  and  slow  parts.  

  Song  lyrics  dark  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  dark  and  professional  sound  and  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  along  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Serpent  Eater  are  a  very  great sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge,  crust and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Last  Cold  Word"  and  "Trepanation  Nation".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

https://alertaantifascistarecords.bandcamp.com/album/aa95-serpent-eater-hyena-lp

          

  

Dark Man Shadow Interview

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

1. We are currently practicing our live set on a nearly daily basis. Our setlist includes songs from our first two albums in a different version. Meanwhile we have around an hour's listening experience to offer. We are also currently searching for a good booking agency (as well as management) who could book us many gigs. For the bass guitar the bassist from the predecessor album, the then 16-year-old Araisen, is responsible and the 23-year-old Mark Edwards from Birmingham is on the drums for our 
gigs.

2.How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and also how does it differ from past albums?

2. In the third album we were able to connect together the first and second albums. Both the producer as well as our studio drummer Matze think that it is more "fluid" than its predecessor the Shore of Straying Souls (2003). Tears of Hate (2001) was not composed to the extent that we had planned due to our former drummer. Thus the album was "doomier".In addition, this time we took more care with the symphonic elements so that all instruments and the singing come into their own.

3.There was a 10 year gap between albums, can you tell us what was going on during that time?

3. In 2003 with our album The Shore of Straying Souls we signed a contract with Dark Music Productions (Portugal). However our album only came out in eastern and southern Europe. After a short while this company went into liquidation and our planned tour never took place. A year later Sorroth decided to take on the offer of his producer and move in with him in order to work on a couple of other musical projects. In these four years he composed the project Brandenburg, as well as the song Golden Machine (Silver Machine from Hawkwind) on one of the Perry Roden samplers that were distributed by Cargo etc... At the of 2007 Sorroth returned to Frankfurt am Main and decided with Samotha to compose a new album, which the record company Bellaphon was to release. After umpteen appointments and meetings it turned out after two years that they could not finance the production. Finally, we produced our albums ourselves in Empire Studios and in February 2011 signed with Schwarzdorn Productions.

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

4. In 2009 the singer Sorroth reached a low point and spent some time in the Frankfurter drug scene with his acoustic guitar, where he composed an unplugged version of the song Dying In The Corner. This song is dedicated to all the drug victims. Slur, Repayment For Committed Injustice as well as Betrayal Of Trust arose directly after Sorroth's return to Frankfurt am Main, because, alongside other reasons, there were constantly disputes with Carlos Peron (his then publisher) as to the music rights. The magazine Spiegel noted that Sorroth was being exploited. Majestic Uprising celebrates our patience and perseverance. 
The strength that you feel increasingly through the dark times is there to give the listener hope. The highest form of hope is overcome despair. Seven Seasons describes the 4-year-long separation of Sorroth and Samotha through the false declarations of the so-called "creatures". Len Dopis (Just A Letter) is a "thankyou" for the tears and years of sorrow. If Sorroth had not supported me and I him, we would probably not exist anymore. Once we gathered ourselves we applied to a smaller distributerwith a pre-production (of four songs), where we were told that we should do something slightly more commercial, as it would fill the coffers. Afterwards we would then get a fitting label. Out of our defiance the 
song Due Of Commercialisation emerged.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name Dark Man Shadow?

5. Already in the creation phase of the band in 1996 we asked the local fans for a fitting band name. First the name "Black Wine" was celebrated, yet as the frontman Sorroth is a very dark guy he was called Dark Man. His ambition, potential and his appearance put ​​everything in the shade for which he was also partly named Shadow. Perhaps in Englishit would be correct to write "Dark Man's Shadow", but this would carry a different meaning.

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?

6. Until now we have enjoyed all gigs and with every appearance have collected new experiences as we do not utilise samplers or midis. This obviously also depends on the mixer who is responsible for the band. We have fond memories of the festival Rocktober in Paderborn, of the smaller gig in Salzgitter as well as the Nightmare Festival in Berlin. Even the open air festival Bretthart where we had no bassist and still received a very positive response. When we stand on the stage we insist on a good sound, as then we fall into a "trance" and can transfer this onto our audience. Oftentimes we bring the blood to the boil. We would be very pleased to deliver a show-spectacle this year.

7.DO you have any touring or show plans for the future?

7. As previously mentioned, we are currently in negotiations with management who could look for booking agencies for us. Unfortunatley nothing is certain as yet, but keep an eye on us as we are ready to perform at any time.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to the newer material by fans of black, gothic and death metal?

8. Fans from all over the world (both male or female, from 16-60) write us very positive feedback. Many were already very impatient about when the release would take place. As it is not yet released we cannot say very much about this so far; but at present most of the reviews have been very positive, about which we are very pleased. Nothing is worse for an artist, than to be destroyed by journalists in front of the whole world. We hope that the fans will like it both musically as well as the content. Our new album includes music for Death, Black and Gothic fans.

9.Are there any other musical projects going on these days?

9. We do not want to waste any more time on side-projects and want to firstly mainly concentrate on Dark Man Shadow, as it looks like there will be a lot of work coming our way. Apart from that, we have a few ideas we still want to work on.

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

10. The direction will probably always remain the same, as the music is mainly composed by Sorroth and Samotha; the idea would be to add a few new elements and maybe to change the concept of the course of the music. At this point we do not want to give any precise comments.

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

11. Sorroth's idols for singing were Ian Gillan, Robert Plant, Dio, 
Blacky Lawless and for guitar were Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi, Eddie van Halen and Kerry King. Samotha's prediliction for dark classical music complemented the idea, musically offering something for fans of every genre.Privately we do not listen to a metal radio station as it could influence our compositions.

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

12. To live our private lives, in whatever way, the main thing is it's fun.

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

13. Many thanks for your support through this interview. In addition, we hope that many new fans will be gained who don't just love the music, but also look inside themselves and think about how much further we will let inequality and injustice go on, instead of putting a stop to it.

Together we are strong.

Samotha

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Endemise/Far From The Light/Maple Metal Records/2013 CD Review

  Endemise  are  a band  from  Ottawa,  Canada  that  plays    a  very  symphonic and  melodic  form  of  black/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Far  From  The  Light"  which  was  released  by  Maple  Metal Records.

  "Haunting"  the  into  for  the  album  begins with  avant  garde sound  effects  and  nature  sounds  before  addign  in  heavy  guitars,  symphonic  synths,  drums  and  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  some  melodic  guitar  leads.

  "Lycaon"  which  is  also  the  first  actual  song  begins  with  symphonic  synths  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  as  well  as  drums  before  going  into  a  more  fast  black  metal  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  deep  death  metal  growls  which  also  utilize  some  black  metal screams  and  then  alternating  between  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  also  keeping  around  the  melodic  and  symphonic  elements.

  "Far  From  The  Light"  starts  off  with  symphonic  synths  and  blackened  death  metal  guitar  riffs  as  well  as  some  drums  which  lead  up  to  some  growls  and  screams  along  with  some  melody  being thrown  into  the  guitars  as  well  as  some  blast  beats  and  later  on  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  coming  in  and out  of  the  song.  

  "Edge  Of  Eden"  begins  with  some  synths,  bass  guitars  and  drums  before  adding  in  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  as  well  as  going  into  a  more  fast  and  melodic  direction  along  with  some  blast    beats  which  also  lead  up  to  some  black  metal  screams  and  growls  and  then  alternating  between  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  halfway  through  the  song  there  is  a  brief  use  of  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  being  utilized.

  "Lament  Eternal"  opens  up  with  some  synths  before  adding  in  some  drums  and  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffing  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  leads  before  growls  and  screams  start to  kick  in  and  then  the  music  goes  into  a  faster  direction  as  well  as  alternating  between  mid  paced  and  fast  parts a s  well  as  adding  in  some  blast  beats  and  after  a  few  minutes  the  synths  take  over  and  the  song  gets  a  little bit  more  calm.

  "Entranced  By  Twisting  Skies"  comes  in  with  acoustic  guitar  playing  and  synths  before  adding  in  drums,  bass  and  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs and  a  few  seconds  alter  female  choirs,  growls   and  screams  start  to  make  their  way  in  and  then  the  song  goes  into  a  faster  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  for  a  few  seconds  and  then  alternating  between  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  adding  in  guitar  leads  and  solos  as  well  as  mixing  in  some  calm  parts.

  "Echoes"  makes  it  way  in  with  synths  before adding  in  bass  and  drums  and  then  adding  in  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  growls  and  screams  and  as  the  song  moves  on  their  is  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats  being  utilized.

  "Enroaching  Dusk"  is  an  instrumental  song  that  is  all  done  on  synths  and  has  a  very  symphonic  and  classical  music  feeling  to  it.

   "Of  Death  And  Forgotten  Lore"  brings  back  to  the  album  to  being  heavy  along  with  some  guitars,  drums,  growls  and  screams  as  well  as  keeping  around  the  synths which  also  leads  up  to  some  blast  beats   before  slowing  down  and  adding  in  some  melody  as  well  as  the  blast  beats  coming  in  and  out.

  "Amidst  The  Ancient  Suns"  which  is  also  the  last  song  on  the  album  starts with  heavy and  melodic  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  synths  and  drums  and  then  screams  and  growls  come  in  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  later  on  melodic  guitar  leads  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  groove  metal  elements  and  then  alternating  between  soft  and  heavy  parts..

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark  and  metaphysical  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Endemise  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  and  melodic  black/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS INCLUDE  ""Lycaon"  "Lament  Eternal"  and  "Amidst  The  Ancient  Suns".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

http://youtu.be/4kHCsEN9zao       .

  

Dark Man Shadow/Victims Of Negligence/Schwarzdorn Productions/2013 CD Review

  Dark  Man  Shadow  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  melodic,  gothic  and  symphonic  form  of  black/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Victims  Of  Negligence"  which  was  released  by  Schwarzdorn  Productions.

  "Repayment  For  Committed  Injustice" which  is  also  the  first  song  on  the  album  starts  off  with  some  synths  and  clean  guitar  playing  along  with  some  melodic  female  vocals  before  getting  heavy  again  with  some  drums  and  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  some  male  clean  singing  which  also  leads  to  some  faster  guitar  riffing  and  blast  beats  being  that  come  in  and  out  of  the  song.

  "Betrayal  Of  Trust"  begins  with  clean  singing  male  and  female  vocals  along  with  some  symphonic  synths  before  adding  int  some  drums  and  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  a  minute  later  blast  beats  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song  which  also  lead  to  some  more  aggressive  vocals  and  a  couple  of  minutes  later  there  is  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  before  adding  in  some  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  before  getting  heavy  again.

  "Slur"  open  ups  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  before  going  into  a  fast  death /thrash  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats,  synths  and  aggressive  vocals  while  also  throwing  some  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  a  minute  later  female  vocals  are  added  into  the  song.

  "Len  Dropis  (Just  A  Letter)"  starts  with  some  acoustic  guitars  and  melodic  female  vocals  before  adding  in  some  drums  and  bass  guitars  which  in  return  also  lead  up  to  some  synths  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  heavy  guitar  riffs  start  making  their  presence  known  in  the  song  along  with  some  male  vocals.

  "Due  Of  Commercialisation"  kicks  off  with  heavy  guitar  riffs,  drums  and  symphonic  synths  along  with  some  blast  beats ,  bass  guitars  and  melodic  male  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  utilize  some  death  metal  elements  before  adding  in  female  vocals  and  a  few  seconds  black  metal  screams  come  in  for  a  few  seconds.

  "Seven  Seasons"  enters  into  the  album  with  symphonic  synths  and  spoken  word  parts  before  adding  in  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  which  also  use  some  melody  and  then  adding  in  some  bass,  drums  and  melodic  male  and  female  vocals  and  a  few  seconds  later  there  is  a  brief  use  of  black  metal  vocals.

  "Dying  In  The  Corner"  comes  in  with  synths  and  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some drums  before  speeding  up  a  bit  and  adding  in  melodic  yet  aggressive  male  vocals  and  towards  the  end  the  female  vocals  come  in  briefly.

  'Majestic  Uprising"  which  is  also  the  last  song  on  the  album  kicks  off  with  symphonic  synths  before  adding  in  heavy  guitars  and  drums  and  a  few  seconds  later  black  metal  screams  start  kicking  in  along  with  some  female  vocals  which  also  lead  up  to  some  blast  beats  and  male  singing  and  then  going  into  a  more  mid  paced  direction

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark,  depressive  and  poetic  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  In   my  opinion  Dark  Mand  Shadow  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  gothic,  symphonic,  black  and  melodic  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Repayment  For  Committed  Injustice"  "Slur"  and  "Dying  In  The  Corner".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

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Desolation/Desoriented/Rebellion Records Germany/2013 CD Review

  Desolation  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  symphonic  form  of  black/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Desoriented"  which  was  released  by  Rebellion  Records  Germany.

  "Home  Is  Where  The  Heart  Is"  which  is  also   the  first  song  on  the  album  begins  with  heavy  guitar  riffs,  drums,  synths  and  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal screams  before  adding  in  some  melodic  guitar  leads  that  come  in  and  out  of  the  song  and  a  few  seconds  alter  the  music  speeds  up  in  some  parts  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  you  can  also  hear  the  bass  guitars  at  times.

  "Dorothy'  starts  up  with  some  melodic  guitars  riffs,  drums,  synths  and  a  mixture  of  black  metal  and  death  metal  vocals  and  it  leads  to  some  heavier  parts  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  utilizing  some  symphonic  elements  as  well  before  adding  in  some  guitar  solos  and  leads  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  while  also  keeping  around  the  growls  and  screams  before  adding  in  some  spoken  word   parts.

  "Desorientated"  which  is  also  the  title  track  begins  with  heavy  guitar  riffs,  drums,  synths  and  blackened  death  metal  vocals  and  a  few  seconds  alter  guitar  leads  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  before  getting  heavy  again  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  which  also  lead  to  some  high  pitched  screams  and  growls  before  alternating  between  fast  and  slow  parts.

  "On  Bloodshed"  begins  with  some  symphonic  synths and  a  few  seconds  alter,  drums,  melodic  guitar  riffs  and  black  metal  screams  make  their  way  into  the  song  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  a  minute  later  guitar  leads  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  whispers  and  towards  the  end  the  bass  guitars  start  utilizing  more  power.

  "L'auberge  d'esolation"  kicks  off  with  psychedelic  sounds  before  adding  in  guitars,  drums,  synths  and  melodic  vocals  as  well  as  some  melodic  guitar  riffing  and  progressive  sounding  bass  which  also  leads  to  growls  and  screams  to  kick  in  and  after  awhile  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song  before  adding  in  some   fast  parts  and  blast  beats  for  a  few  seconds  along  with  a  small  amount  of  female  spoken  words.

  "The  Sainthood  Of  the  Fallen"  opens  up with  symphonic  synths  and  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  before  adding  in  some  growls  as  well  as  some  screams  and  a  minute  later  guitar  solos  start  coming  in  briefly  along  with  some  doom  metal  influences.

  "Ava  Maria"  hits  off  with  some  classical style  violins  before  adding  in  some  drums,  heavy  guitars  and  spoken  word  parts  which  lead  up  to  some  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  some  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  alter  before  adding  in  some  guitar  solos  and  leads  and  halfway  through  the  song  there  is  some  power  being  added  into  the  bass  guitars.

  "Contagion"  makes  its  way  in  with  symphonic  synths,  drums,  heavy  bass  and  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  growls  and  screams  and  then  the  guitar  riffing  starts  utilizing  some   melody  as  well  as  putting  in  some  spoken  word  parts,  halfway  through  the  song  there  is  a  brief  sue  of  melodic  clean  singing  vocals  being  utilized  briefly  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  being  utilized  and  the  song  closes  with  some  clean guitars.

  "Agnus  Dei"  comes  in  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  synths,  blast  beats  and  black  metal screams  and  a  minute  alter  the  music  goes  into  a  more  mid  paced  direction  along  with  some  growls  before  alternating  between  fast  and  mid  paced  parts  as  well  as  adding  in  some  slower  sections  and  guitar  leads  and  a  minute  alter  melodic  vocal  make  their  presence  known  for  a  few  seconds.

  "Iche  Hassee  Ein  Bisschen  Die  Welt"  which  is  also  the  last  song  on  the  album  begins  with  powerful  bass  before  adding  in  melodic  guitar  riffs  and  drums  along  with  some  synths  black  metal  vocals  along  with  some  growls  a  few  seconds  later  and  halfway  through  the  song  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  coming  into  the  song

  Song  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  German  and  English  and  cover  dark  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  along  with  some  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Desolation  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  and  melodic  black/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Home  Is  Where  The  Heart  Is"  "L'auberge  d'esolation"  "The  Sainthood  Of  the  Fallen"  and  "Agnus  Dei".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

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Secret Of Darkness/(In)Humanity/Metal Gate Records/2011 CD Review

  Secret  Of  Darkness  are  a  band  from  the  Czech  Republic  that  plays  a  mixture  of  melodic  black  metal  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011 album  (In)Humanity"  which  was  released  by  Metal  Gate  Records.

  "The  World  (Origin)'  which  is  the  intro  opens  up  with  some  dark  sounding  synths and  sound  effects  and  is  under  a  minute.

  "The Sovereign"  which  is  also  the  first  official  song  of  the  album  starts  with  some  blast  beats,  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  death  metal  growls  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  before  adding  in  some  melodic  guitar  riffing  and  towards  the  end  solos  and  leads  start  coming  into  the  song.

  "Smell  Of  Lies"  begins  with  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  blast  beats  before  adding  in  black  metal  vocals  and  melody  as  well  as  some  growls  and   a  minute  later  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  coming  into  the  music  for  a  few  seconds  before  going  back  to  its  normal  pace.

  'Destroyed  Illusions"  kicks  of  with  some  soft  acoustic  guitar  playing  before  going  into  a  more  heavy  groove  metal  direction  a  few  seconds  later  along  with  some  drums  before  the  melodic  riffs,  growls,  and  screams  kick  in  along  with  a  small  amount of  blast  beats  and  the  song  closes  with  some  guitar  solos  and  leads  along  with  some  growls  and   blast  beats.

  'Voices  Of  Truth"  opens  up with  some  spoken  word  parts,  drums  and  melodic  guitar  and  bass  riffs  before  getting  a  lot  heavier  along  with  some  growls  and  screams  and  the  song  mostly  sticks  to mid  paced  parts.

  "On  The  Other  Side"  comes  into  the album  with   some  atmospheric  sounds  before  adding  in  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  then  it  goes  into  a  faster  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  black  metal  vocals  before  going  into  a  more  mid  paced  direction  and  adding  in  some  growls  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  riffing  which  also brings  in  some  guitar  leads  and  solos  briefly  before  returning  back  to  its  normal pace.and  the  song  closes  with  some  clean  bass  and  classical  guitars.

  "No  Night  No  Day"  hits  off  with  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  before  adding  in  some  bass  guitars  and  drums  along  with  some  blackened  death  metal  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  and  a  minute  later  the  music  speeds  up  along  with  some  blast  beats  before  returning  to  a  mid  paced  direction  for  awhile  but  returning  to  some  blast  beats  towards  the  end.

  "Desolated  Dreams" which  is  an  instrumental  tack  begins  with    with  nature  sounds  and  epic  synths  before  adding  in  some  acoustic  guitars.

  "Self  Insurrection" which  also  brings  the album  back  to  normal  opens  up  with  melodic  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  before  adding  in  some  growls  and  screams  as  well  as  getting  a  lot  heavier  and  halfway  through  the song there  is  a  some  guitar  solos  and  leads  that  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song.

  "Katharsis"  which  is also  the  final  song  as  well  as  a  bonus  track  starts  off  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums,  growls  and  screams  and  halfway  through  the  song  acoustic  guitars  come  in  briefly  before  faster  guitar  riffing  and  blast  beats are  added  before  slowing down  and  adding  in  some  guitar  leads  and  the  song  closes  with  some  blast  beats and  another  melodic  guitar  lead.

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark and  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Secret  Of  Darkness  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  black/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The Sovereign"  "Voices  Of  Truth"  and  "Self  Insurrection".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

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