Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Anti Ritual/Self Titled/Indisciplinarian/2014 EP Review


  Anti  Ritual  are  a  band  from  Denmark  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  ep  which  will  be  released  by  Indisciplinarian.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  sludge  style  vocals  being  mixed  in  with  a  blackened  metal  sound  along  with  brutal  blast  beats  and  the  slower  sections  have  a  great  amount  of  hardcore  influences.

  When  the  other  tracks  kick  in  more  crust  and  punk  rock  influences  are  added  in  along  with  a  more  dark  style  of  post  hardcore  and  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  the  band  starts  utilizing  a  small  amount  of  melody  and  the  tracks  are  all  very  short  with  no  solos  or  leads  being utilized  on  any  of  the  tracks.

  Anti  Ritual  have  a  great  balance between  darkness  and  energy  with  their  blackened  hardcore sludge  metal  sound  along  with  a  very  dark  and  heavy  production  and  lyrics  that  criticize  the  mainstream  structures  of  society.

  In  my  opinion  Anti  Ritual  are  a  very  decent  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ideals  To  The  Fire"  and  "Blame  the  Victim".  7/5  out  of  10.

http://www.cvltnation.com/cvlt-nation-streaming-anti-ritual-ep-interview/
  

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Warthrone/Venomassacre/Ghoststorm Records/2014 CD Review


  Warthrone  are  a  band  from  Florida  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  and  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Venomassacre"  which  was  released  by  Ghoststorm  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  ritualistic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  demonic  laughter  before  going  into  a  heavy  blackened  death  metal  direction  along  with  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams  and  the  band  also  bring  in  heavy  breakdowns  and  deep  death  metal  growls  along  with  some  fast  melodic  Swedish  style  black  metal  influences  and  the  solos  have  a technical  death  metal  feeling  to  them  while  some  of  the  cleaner  sections  have  an  early  Satyricon  feeling  to  them.

  On the  other  tracks  the  music  becomes  a  mixture  of  brutal  death  metal  and  melodic  black  metal  having  the  perfect  balance  between  brutality  and  melody  along  with  symphonic  sounding  keyboards  being  thrown  in  at  times  as  well  as  a  mixture  of  growls  and  screams  and  the  keyboards  are  closer  to  the  90's  Nordic  and  Swedish  black  metal  sounds  than  the  modern  symphonic  sounds  that  bands  go  for  these  days.,  while  the  death  metal  elements  have  a  more  modern  feeling  to  them  at  times.

  Warthrone  have  a  very  interesting  sound  with  their  music  taking  the  melodic  and  symphonic  sides  of  90's  black  metal  and  mixing  them  in  with  the  brutality  of  modern  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  as  well  as  adding  a  small  does  of  thrash  along  with  a  very  professional  sounding  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  dark  spirituality  and  supernatural  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Warthrone  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  symphonic,  melodic  black  metal  and  brutal  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Violation  Of  The  Ethereal  Realm"  "self  Induced  Reckoning"  and  "Fate  Of  The  Spineless".  8  out  of  10.

www.warthronemetal.com

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Geist Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We started this band with a desire to do something technical but still heavy on the riffs and melodies. Today, there's much focus on technicality but very little thought about what actually constitutes a song. In this manner, melody is very important to us. Graham (Bassist) and I (Luke, Guitars/Vocals) have been plotting to put a band together for about a decade. However, he and I were always involved in other projects and time was not a luxury we had. We finally decided to put the thing into action. It took us about a year to find Zach (drums/percussion), and during that time we focused on songwriting and defining what we wanted the band to be about, song structure, lyrical content, etc. We had originally planned on Geist being an instrumental band. Then, once I had put lyrics to one song, I was pretty much forced into adding vocals to the rest of them.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?
Simply put, we try to make Progressive Black Metal. We take a lot from technical & progressive bands and try to arrange similarly thought out ideas and lay them over black metal melodies. So, in the end, we have music that is dark and disturbing in its reality that is not confined by time signatures, black metal that is freed from the commonalities.

3.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
I try to make the lyrics realistic. They may not all be about true stories, but they are certainly about real possibilities. Reality is far more frightening than fantasy.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Geist'?
We chose the name Geist from our fondness of the Philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. Geist means spirit or ghost. It is a living thing that is a part of all of us and, at the same time, extends beyond us. I like to view the idea of the Geist as something that acts as a witness. It watches us over time. It sees all of our actions, it knows our secrets. 

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
One of our most fun shows was one that we recently played at the Blue Note in Columbia, MO. We had just played with Abigail Williams a couple of weeks before and that show did not go so well. We wanted the next one to be different. So, we booked up the venue with some of the "best of the best" in the area. We played with Creaturezoid, Legend, & A Hill To Die Upon. Great lineup with great friends equals a great night. 
Another good one was at a local DIY spot. I love the atmosphere in places like that because people are truly there for the music. There's no bullshit behavior, no drunks, no frat boys looking to score with drunk girls. Just the love of music. The crowd really got into it. Probably the best reception we've yet had.

6.Do you have any plans to do a tour outside of your state in the future?
We're possibly planning on a small, month-long tour this summer with a fellow label-band, As Earth Shatters. We played with them a couple of weeks ago and they are really great guys and a great band. They asked us to join them and, if it all works out, we will.

7.The new album is coming out on Hard Wood Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
It's a great group of guys with great ideas. They are really focused on getting good bands that know their stuff. They are really moving forward with positive ideas and we're glad to be a part of it all. Travis, the label head, has a TON of great ideas for the future and the drive to make it all happen. They have been more than eager to work with us and make us feel supported.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of progressive and extreme metal?
It's hard to say at his point. Since the release of our sing for "The Dark Core," we have been getting a lot more attention, mostly stateside but some around the globe as well. It's nice to have someone contact you from another country that digs what you do. It let's us know that we might be on the right track. We intend to make that continue even farther once the new album is out.

9.Can you tell us a little bit more about the other musical projects that some of the band members are involved with?
At the start of this band, I was in a straight-forward rock band called Triple P, but once Geist got signed, I decided to put all of my focus on this project. However, I have been working on a new project from time to time with a drummer. For this one it'll just be him and myself and I'll be playing bass. I also do a lot of solo recording. I just released an album last year and I'm working on another to be released later this year.
Graham is in another band called Don't Mind Dying. They are a blues-based rock outfit. It's blues at it's roots but it has a heaviness to it that is really fun. He was, until recently also playing with another group called The Mercury Trio, but he played his last show with them last weekend.
Zach is a busy dude. No doubt about it. He plays with us in Geist, he is in another band called Perceiving the Design (also on Hard Wood Records), and he also plays in a 3rd band called Nevalra. He also frequently plays in the local drum corps. He doesn't seem to mind being this busy though. Whatever makes him happy and keeps him outta trouble, ha! 

10.You have a new album coming out this year, what can metal fans expect from the record once it is released?
I know everyone wants to feel like they are breaking new ground. I can't say that we'll be inventing or re-imagining anything. I do however feel that we will turn some heads with the structure of the songs. Maybe not so much of the "what," but the "how" of what we're doing is different, if that makes sense. We're taking ideas from a few different levels and crossing them in ways I've not heard before. It'll be heavy, it'll be thought provoking, and I think it'll give the listener a lot to hold on to, even if we are blurring the lines between sub-genres.

11.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
The bands that have had the biggest influence, as far as my writing for Geist is considered, are fairly standard. Opeth, God Dethroned, Amon Amarth, Dimmu Borgir, & Diabolical Masquerade, to name a few. We take some ideas those bands and toss them in with what we like about more complex acts such as Blotted Science or Animals as Leaders.
Right now, personally, I'm into a lot of black metal. There's so many great acts that are totally underground and reveling in it (as they should). Sorcier Des Glaces' new album has been in constant play in my home. I love the atmospheric, the white noise, the screams of despair that are so prevalent in black metal.It's oddly meditative. 

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
I'm a student of Philosophy, History, and Religion. Not that I consider myself to be a philosopher, and I'm certainly not a religious person by definition. I mainly view it as a study of people. It's interesting to see what causes people to believe what they believe, looking at the big picture to see what gives rise to our choices.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We hope that everyone enjoys our music or, at least, can take something from it. We thank everyone for the support we have had thus far and we are looking forward to a very productive future with Geist.
Thank you!
-Luke

Friday, April 4, 2014

Norse/Pest/2014 EP Review


  Norse  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  ep  "Pest".

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  progressive  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  aggressive  screams  and  powerful  bass  lines  and  the  music  also  speed  up  at  times  and  brings  in  blast  beats  as  well  as  the  black  metal  sound  kicking  in  and  the  vocals  use  of  mixture  of  grim  screams  and  growls  and  after  awhile  spoken  word  parts  are  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  on  this  ep  along  with  the  musical  direction  going  for  more  of  a  progressive  and  melodic  style  of  black/death  metal  and  at  times  the  faster  parts  bring  in  some  brutal  elements  to  the  recording  and  on  some  of  the  lighter  sections  you  can  hear  some  drone  and  psychedelic  sounds  which  sound  very  powerful  on  the  last  track.

  With  this  ep  Norse  go  into  a  different  direction  than  their  previous  recordings  with  the  music  being  more  progressive  and  experimental  this  time  around  while  still  having  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  elements  along  with  a  very  dark  yet  powerful  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  dark  and  misanthropic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Norse  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  and  progressive  black/death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Disarmed,  toothless,  And  Weak"  and  "Aimless".  8  out  of  10.

 https://transcendingobscurity.bandcamp.com/album/pest-dissonant-black-metal

Lord Mantis/Death Mask/Profound Lore/2014 CD Review


  Lord  Mantis  are  a  band  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this   zine  and  plays  a  very  blackened  form  of  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Death  Mask"  which  will  be  released  by  Profound  Lore.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  a  minute  later  you  can  hear  background  voices  before  the  blackened  sludge  style  screams  start  to  kick  in  and  the  riffing  starts  utilizing  some  melody  and  at  times  the music  speeds  up  a  bit  and  blast  beats  are  added  in  while  the  main  focus  is  on  the  slower,  darker  and  heavier  aspects  of  the  music.

  The  album  starts  to  find  its  own  sound  on  the  other  tracks  with  the  music  becoming  a  mixture  of  black  metal  and  sludge  and  at  times  you  can  hear  small  amounts  of  punk  rock  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  mixing  dark  and  melodic  parts  together  to  create  an  evil  atmosphere and  on  one  of  the  tracks  traces  of  industrial  and  noise  are  brought  in  along  with  a  brief  use  of  more  spoken  and  melodic  vocals.

  When  we  get  more  intro  the  album  drones  and  psychedelic  sounds  become  a  part  of  the  music  at  times  along  with  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  while  the  main  focus  is  still  on  being  very  heavy  and  on  a  couple  of  the  tracks  they  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  fast  and  raw  black  metal  riffs  that  sound  even  more  powerful  when  the  blast  beats  are  added  in  and  on  one  of  the  tracks  they  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  robotic  vocals  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  track  that  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  mixing  in  traces  of  melodic,  post  black  metal  with  sludge..

  With  this  album  lord  Mantis  continue  the  blackened  sludge  of  previous  releases  while  also  being  a  bit  more  experimental  and  adding  in  more  melody  this  time  around  while  also  having  a  very  professional  sounding  production  and  showing  their  misanthropic  and  hatred  for  the  human  race  in  their  song  lyrics.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Lord  Mantis  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Death  Mask"  "negative  Birth"  and  "Three  Crosses".  8  out  of  10.


https://www.facebook.com/lordmantisofficial
http://www.lordmantis.com

  

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Negative Voice Interview


Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
The band is currently actively engaged in the creation of the material for the second album, which we plan to record in the studio at the end of this year. The new album is likely to be very different from the debut album in stylistics and sound. The whole band now are involved in writing the new material; everyone brings ideas and influences the final result. After recording a new album we plan to continue an active concert schedule.

Recently you have released a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction of the new recording and also how does it differ from your past recordings?
Infinite Dissonance is our debut album, and it is the aim and the logical culmination of a long enough, more than a decade years evolution of Negative Voice`s ideas. During this period band recorded several inconspicuous demo-tapes, went on long pauses, changed the line-up, the band conception and style of music played. So Infinite Dissonance as our first creation is some kind of a milestone. Stylistically, the album has included elements of several styles of metal.

The band was broken up for a few years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?
In fact the band has never ceased to exist. In 2004 there was a pause associated with location of band`s members (at that time - Andrew and Yaroslav) in different cities, and with their participation in other musical projects. In 2010 it was decided to continue the activities of the band and to record a new demo tape with a few songs.

Can you tell us a little bit about the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
All themes of the lyrics on the Infinite Dissonance could be characterized by the phrase "intentional self-destruction of the individual in modern human society." All lyrics are filled with depression mood, sadness, thoughts of return to the past, mental anguish, mental degradation and madness. The last song leaves hope for the life salvation outside of society by refraining from the madding crowd.

The band started out as «Valhalla» what was the decision behind the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name «Negative Voice».
Valhalla name was coined in late 1999 for the just formed new band. At that time we had influence of pagan doctrines on our ideology - both in lyrics and music. A little later, with the change of the course the name was changed to more neutral. Meaning of the words Negative Voice for us is "vote against" - the ability to speak out against the prevailing attitudes, and the canons of morality, as well as the expression of the negative voice in all of us, our dark half or "second self."

What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
For today it is a concert in the city of Kazan, which has been played as a part of our mini tour in late 2013. We were warmly welcomed and well supported technically.

Do you have any touring or show plans for the new release?
We are currently planning a tour for upcoming summer, hoping to capture some cities in Baltic countries through Belarus, probably getting to Poland. World web community firstly became acquainted with the album in the summer of 2013, and the official release at the Inverse Records came in the spring `14th. Therefore, several concerts as the presentation of the debut album have already been given in 2013.

On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
Fans usually tell that music from our release is some continue from an old Katatonia era, it’s a pleasure for us to know that people from different parts of the world enjoy our music, hope we’ll be able to play in every such country.

Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We do not think what style we want to play and who we’d look like. Today, it is important for us that our music is more diverse and less iconic, and would not cause association with well-known albums of well-known groups. Each of us brings to the music part of his perception of the future Negative Voice’s music, his personal view  the structure of the songs and overall band’s concept. And partly we ourselves wonder how the second album will be. There will be more influence of progressive and some «post»-like subgenres. The vocals will be more varied, with rich arrangements.

Are the band members involved with any other musical projects these days?
Konstantin (drummer) takes himself in side-projects from time to time, for example in death metal bands. Today, he continues to help his former colleagues from Inis (Moscow, Black metal). Andrew has its own, but currently suspended due to lack of time studio project.

What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening nowadays?
Our musical taste ranges from DSBM to fusion. The key thing for us is that we listen to many different kinds of music. Some of us are ‘metalheads’ preferring math and progressive metal, some enjoy and old classic rock bands such as Black Sabbath, the Who, King Crimson. We accept each other’s preferences with respect, trying to acquaint with the bands one of us was not aware of.

What are some of your non musical interests?
Usually we are setting churches on a fire, wearing corpsepaint along with a rusty nails sticking out our jackets (just kidding). Each of us has a permanent place of work, so the music for us - the main interest in our spare time. We all like travelling; some of us spend time with family. In general, we are the peaceful and kind people trying to live an interest life.

Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts
We wish all the best and good luck to the ADifferentShadeOfBlackMetalZine blog, hope you guys get a large amount of a bands respecting you as we do.

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Saturday, March 29, 2014

Luke Offield/Wakings/2014 CD Review


  Luke  Offield  is  a  solo  artist  from  Columbia,  Missouri  that  plays  a  mixture  of  melodic  black/death  metal,  country,  jazz  and  post  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2014  album  "Wakings".

  The  album  starts  out  with  gothic  horror  sounding  keyboards  and  rain  sounds  before  going  into  a  more  melodic  black  metal  direction  along  with  some  grim  screams  as  well  as  bringing  in  some  death  metal  elements  and  after  awhile  solos  and  prog  elements  are  added  into  the  track.

  On  the  following  song  the  music  goes  for  more  of  a  post  rock  direction  while  still  having  elements  of  metal  and  the  song  is  all  instrumental  along  with  a  good  amount  of  melody  and  a  small  amount  of  solos  and  when  it  goes  into  the  next  track  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  a  country  rock  sound  along  with a  blues  and  rockabilly  feeling.

  The  following  track  brings  a  more  80's  new  wave  sound  in  along  with  some  melodic  vocals  and  the  following  track  is  a  jazz  instrumental  and  the  last  track  sees  the  music  making  a  return  to  melodic  black  metal  while  also  having  a  psychedelic  rock  feeling  as  well  as  some  death  metal  growls  and  grim  screams.

  With  this  album  Luke  Offield  brings  in  a  different  sound  to  every  track  and  does  not  follow  any  rules  and  creates  an  album  that  has  no  musical  category  while  you  can  hear  a  good  amount  of  metal  elements  along  with  a  powerful  sounding  production  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Like  Offield  is  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death,  post  metal,  rock,  jazz  and  country  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  artist.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Death  Ender"  and  "A  Grand  Conclusion  Od  A  Minute  existence".  8  out  of  10.

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