Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Downcast Twilight Interview


1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a bit about band?
First off, greetings! It’s a sincere pleasure to talk to you and to your readers. We really appreciate it! “Downcast Twilight” were formed in late 2015 as a folk / Viking death / black metal project by OG, who is the musical mastermind behind every composition and also handles the rhythm guitars section. Vitold Buznaev is on vocals, Jan Twothousandarrows Tamb is on lead guitars and solos, Chris Zindros on bass and the fretless bass solo in “The Red Queen” track, Shannon Lee Stott-Rigsbee on violin and Marios Koutsoukos tackles all the lyrics. In 2016, we signed with Stygian Crypt Records, in Russia. Very recently, our first album, “Under the wings of the Aquila”, was released in CD. Note that it is also available as an online release on CDbaby.com. It has been a privilege to also cooperate with guest musicians on said album: Hildr Valkyrie did the vocals for “The Red Queen”, Eva Oswald sang in “Death in Alexandria” and we also had additional bass recordings by Jan Banaś.

2.Recently you have released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Hopefully, it’s exactly what fans of the folk / Viking metal genre would expect: heavy, pounding, melodic yet with brutal and raw overtones, ideal for headbanging and spilling your beer (or mead) all over the place. OG, the maestro extraordinaire of “Downcast Twilight” handled the mixing and mastering of the album, bringing his professional expertise and years of experience into creating a sound that is solid, full-bodied and, we believe, will satisfy even the most demanding of listeners.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
In this particular album, “Under the wings of the Aquila”, the lyrics deal exclusively with themes from Roman antiquity: some songs are about historical events, such as the final days of Mark Anthony and Cleopatra (“Death in Alexandria”) or an abbreviated history of the exploits of the 6th legio ferrata (“The Ironclad Legion”). Other songs deal with the more religious aspects of Roman times, such as the feast of the Lupercalia (“Orgiastic Lupercalia”), which evolved into modern-day “St. Valentine’s day” or the Roman witch-hunt (“The witches of Anglesay”), which, Pliny assures us, was a thing that Romans actually did in his time and, to put it in his words, “the world owes an immeasurable debt to Rome for purging off the face of the earth the barbarous rites of human sacrifice”. Still, “Under the wings of the Aquila” is not a concept album. It has a uniform cultural theme, yes, but every song is its own separate narrative. Future “Downcast Twilight” albums will deal with totally different cultures and civilizations.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Downcast Twilight'?
Well, we are aware that the band’s name sounds more appropriate for a “goth” or “doom” band than for a folk / Viking death metal band but we didn’t want to go with something that would be too cliché or conjure up any specific cultural image to mind. “Downcast Twilight” reflects, rather, that bitter-sweet melancholy feeling, that vague nostalgia one gets when mentally exploring the pages of history and legend of the human race – its glories and shames, triumphs and tragedies, follies and moments of enlightenment. If you will, it’s also an allegory for the “murky” and faded understanding that modern man has, through scattered and fragmented accounts and findings, about his actual past.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
In truth, we are not so much of a live-gig band as much as we are a studio project. With our members being dispersed all over the globe, getting physically together and rehearsing for a live show is currently out of the question, yet who knows what can happen in the future? Perhaps we’ll man a “touring line-up” or something. Everything is on the table and the sky’s the limit! Therefore there’s no stage performance per se to describe as of yet, but I can let you in on a little secret: I do one hell of an air guitar in my shower.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Alas, due to the restrictions mentioned above and the very nature of “Downcast Twilight”, such plans for the time being have to remain in the sphere of wishful thinking.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of folk and extreme metal?
Actually, the response of the fans has been overwhelmingly great! We are extremely pleased and, at the same time, grateful to all those people who take the time to leave a comment on our social media pages, sharing their enthusiasm with us and the rest of the world. It’s the most amazing feeling really and it always brings a smile in our faces! So, we would like to take this opportunity and shout out to all of you folks who love and support our music – “You’re the best! You rock!”. We believe that what we do has truly something new to offer to the folk / extreme metal genre and, apparently, discerning fans have picked up on it and are embracing “Downcast Twilight” with an ardor that is honestly moving.

8.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
In truth, all of our band members as well as our guest musicians are veterans of the metal scene and even have a long-standing presence in other forms of artistic expression as well. As a result, everyone is one way or another involved with numerous side projects. OG works as a professional sound engineer with a multitude of bands, both in the UK and worldwide; Jan Twothousandarrows Tamb and Hildr Valkyrie may be known to many of you from the many “Folkearth” and “Folkodia” albums in which they have participated. Vitold Buznaev is also a member of bands such as “Impakt”, “Amederia” and others while you may know of Chris Zindros from other bands he’s involved in, such as “Aenaon” and “Absinthiana”. Shannon Lee Stott-Rigsbee is a classically trained violin player and concert musician. Marios Koutsoukos, apart from his work as lyricist for metal bands like “Folkearth”, “Folkodia”, “Dimlight” and other,  is also a professional author of fiction novels, writing in both English and his native Greek.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
It’s difficult to say with any certainty. I mean, musical evolution is like personal growth: the more you learn, the better equipped you are, the more you change and adapt to an ideal of what is “good” and “beautiful” that is constantly coming more and more into focus. Rest assured, however, that “Downcast Twilight” will remain true to its musical “brand” and you’ll always know what to expect from us. It’ll only get better with each album. We are ever striving towards excellence and cooperation with the best musicians in the scene, so be ready for awesome surprises in the near future!

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Well, we’re obviously heavily influenced by the norms of the Viking / death / folk metal genre. Bands like Tyr, Amon Amarth, Thyrfing and Mithotyn are among our favorites yet we do not like to limit ourselves. Each member of “Downcast Twilight” has his or her own special preferences, ranging from hard rock to black metal. Our creative process is like an Athanor, an alchemical furnace, where all these individual influences are smelted together in the refined amalgam of our sound. We listen to pretty much anything nowadays – always depending on the moment and the mood: all sorts of metal genres, from power / progressive to symphonic black metal, then we might even jump to Icelandic folk music, medieval canticles, dark rock crooners, jazz and blues… seriously. Anything. If you had audio access to all our heads it would sound like an asylum for the musically deranged!

11.Does Paganism play any role in your music?
As a band, regardless of the personal beliefs of any of our members, we try to keep it as secular as possible. We are story-tellers, not preachers, after all. Of course, when dealing with themes from antiquity and mythology we do not shy away from approaching Paganism in its historical context. Depending on the theme of the song and its narrative perspective, we may deal with the beauty found in the simplicity of ancient religion or, just as well, with some of its more bizarre and gruesome practices. In order to better understand the “whys” and “hows” of any ancient culture, one must first understand, deeply and without bias, their conception of the divine. Among our members, we have Christians (of various denominations), practicing Pagans and secular thinkers as well. However, “Downcast Twilight”, as a group, does not have a religious agenda and that is why we all get along and have cartloads of fun making music together!

12.What are some of your non-musical interests?
Well, they are as varied as the personal interests of each of our members. But, at the end of the day, we’re normal guys and gals doing normal, boring stuff: underwater archeology, knitting, historical reenactment, occult research at the risk of our sanity (to say nothing of our immortal soul and the off-chance of awakening the Great Old Ones), beer brewing, ESP / super-soldier training, gardening, some rocket science in an attempt to contact the Aldebaran civilization and also cooking on the side. Because it’s the little things that keep you going and give your strength throughout the day, you know?

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you very much for your time; it has been a real pleasure talking to you and we appreciate it. To all the people out there who enjoy our music, we salute you and thank you for your support – it is you who keep “Downcast Twilight” going and make our hard work worth every minute! Stay strong, creative and keep in mind the words of the Roman poet, Propertius: “let each man pass his days in that wherein his skill is greatest”.

Facebook
Spotify
YouTube

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

A Flourishing Scourge/Self Titled/Begotten Records/2017 Full Length Review


 A   Flourishing  Scourge  are  a  band  from  Seattle,  Washington  that  plays  a  progressive  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2017  album  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Begotten  Records.

  Death  metal  growls  and  melodic  guitar  leads  start  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  fast  riffs  and  blast  beats  while  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  all  of  the  musical instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  a  good  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Classical  guitars  and  symphonic  sounds  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and fast  parts  while  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  prog  elements  and  black  metal  screams  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  and  some  of  the  fast  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  all  instrumental.

  A  Flourishing  Scourge  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  in  with  a  great  amount  of  progressive  elements  to  create  something  very  different,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  A  Flourishing  Scourge  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  progressive  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tp  The  Stench  Of  A   Rotting  Corpse"  and  "Solace".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.aflourishingscourge.com/

Saturday, April 15, 2017

Downcast Twilight/Under The Wings Of Aquila/Stygian Crypt Productions/2017 CD Review


  Downcast  Twilight  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk  and  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Under  The  Wings  Of  Aquila"  which  was  released  by  Stygian  Crypt  Productions.

  A  very  heavy  and  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  when t he  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  along  with  the  riffs  utilizing  a  lot  of  melody  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the recording  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  start  to  make  their  presence  known.

  When  screams  are  utilized  they  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  they  also  mix  folk  instruments  in  with  the heavier  sections  of  the  songs  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  female  vocals  along  with  clean  guitars  are  added  onto  the  closing  track.

  Downcast  Twilight  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  folk  metal  while  mixing  in the  heaviness  of  melodic  death  and  black  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  fantasy  and  mythological  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Downcast  Twilight  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  folk  and  melodic  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Soldier  Of  Pompeii"  "The  Ides  Of  March"  "The  Ironclad  Legion"  and  "The  Red  Queen".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0UErzTJcL0

Friday, April 14, 2017

Pereplut/V Starodavine Goda/Stygain Crypt Productions/2017 CD Review


  Pereplut  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  pagan,  folk  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a review  of  their  2017  album  "V  Starodavine  Goda"  which  was  released  by  Stygian  Crypt  Productions.

  Acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  album  and  they  also  bring  elements  of  folk  music  onto  the  recording  while  other  folk  and  stringed  instruments  are  also  used  at  times  and  they  also  mix  this  side  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording. 

  Clean  yet  aggressive  singing  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  after  death  metal  along  with  black  metal  screams  are  also  used  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  along  with  some  of  the  riffing  also  mixing  in  elements  of  thrash  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Pereplut  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  pagan  and  folk  metal  while  also  mixing  in  the  heaviness s of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Russian  and  cover  folk  tales,  paganism,  mysticism,  and  anti  Christian  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Pereplut  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  pagan,  folk  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Rualya"  "Vedmachya  Vecherya"  and  "Zmievyi  Valyi".  8  out  of 10. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkYify_O45M
 

Mudbath/Brine Pool/Grains Of Sand Records/2017 CD Review


  Mudbath  are  a  band  from  France  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  blackened  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Brine  Pool"  which  was  released  by  Grain  Of  Sand  Records.

  Clean  guitars  and  drum  beats  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  awhile  heavy  yet  melodic  riffs  make  their  presence  known  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  that  are  very  heavily  influenced  by  black  metal  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length.

  When  the  music  speeds  up a   decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  are  very  heavily  influenced  by  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  touches  of  scream  and  post  hardcore  are  also  used  at  times  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  some  tracks  also  bring  in a  small  amount  of  doom  growls  and  clean  playing  also  makes  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  one  track  is  all  instrumental  and also  adds  in  a  touch  of  ambient  and  drone. 

  Mudbath  creates  another  recording  that remains  true  to  the blackened  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge,  and  doom  metal  from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Mudbath  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  metal,  sludge,  stoner  and  doom, you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "End  Of  Cold"  and  "Fire".  8  out  of  10.

bandcamp • facebook • bigcartel

 

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Mind Mold/Self Titled/Sentient Ruin Laboratories/2017 EP Review


  Mind  Mold  are  a  band  from  Calgary,  Alberta,  Canada  that  plays  an  avant  garde  mixture  of  black  and doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2017  ep  which  was  released  by  Sentient  Ruin  Laboratories.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  a  mixture  of  growls  and  black  metal  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  influences  of  sludge  and  hardcore  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  melody  while  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.

  All  of  the musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  at  times  the  vocals  also  have  a  semi  melodic  tone  to  them  and  as  the  ep  progresses  synths  are  added  onto  the  recording  while  the  songs  also  mix  in  influences  from  noise  rock,  shoegaze,  avant  garde  and  experimental  music  and  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Mind  Mold  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  black  metal,  doom,  sludge  and  avant  garde  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  surreal  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Mind  Mold  are  a  very  great  sounding  avant  garde  mixture  of  black  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Antipath"  and  "Nyx".  8  out  of  10.

https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/album/mind-mold?utm_source=ALL&utm_campaign=2fc01e2960-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_04_06&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6a669a183c-2fc01e2960-443412889
 

   

Thursday, April 6, 2017

King Satan/King Fucking Satan/Saturnal Records/2017 CD Review


  King  Satan  are  a  solo  project  from  Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  industrial  and black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2017  album  "King  Fucking  Satan"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Saturnal  Records.

  Industrial  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  riffs  and  distorted  vocals  start  off t he  album  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  also  being  used  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  while  elements  of  ebm  are  also  used  at  times.

   In  some  parts  of t he  songs  the  vocals  bring  in a  more  melodic  tone  while  influences  of  death  metal  and  aggrotech  are  also  added  into  most  of  the  tracks  along  with  a  touch  of  hard  rock  and  spoken  word  parts  are  also  used  at  times  and  one  track  also  brings  in a  brief  use  of  female  vocals  while  they  have  more  of  a  punk  feeling  when t hey  are utilized  and  clean   playing  is  also  used  briefly.

  King  Satan   plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  black  metal,  industrial,  ebm  and  aggrotech  to  create  something  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occult  Philosophy  and  Psychological  themes.


  In  my  opinion  King  Satan  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  industrial  and  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dance  With  The  Devil"  "Sex  Magick"  "Spiritual  Anarchy"  and  "Kali  Yuga  Algorithm".  8  out  of  10.