Hortus Animae/Piove Sangue - Live In Banska Bystrica/Metal Scrap Records/2018 Live Album Review

  Hortus  Animae  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  progressive,  symphonic  and  avant  garde  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  live  2018  album  "Piove  Sangue - Live  In  Banska  Bystrica"  which  was  released  by  Metal  Scrap  Records.

  Avant  garde  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  music  being  recorded  live  and  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  as  well as  the  vocals  also  using  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  screams.

  Clean  vocals  and  death  metal  growls  are  also  used  at  times  along  with  the  music  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  symphonic  elements  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  progressive  yet  melodic  fashion.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  some  tracks  also  show  a  goth  metal  influence along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  closing  track  also  brings  in  some  quest  vocals  from  the  singer  of  Canada's  Necronomicon  which  is  also  a  cover  version  of  Slayer's  "Raining  Blood".

  Hortus  Animae  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  avant  garde,  symphonic  and  progressive  sounding  along  with  some  goth  touches,  the  production  has  a  very  raw  and  live sound  while  the  lyrics  cover  Surrealism,  Death  and  Sadness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hortus  Animae  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic,  avant  garde  and  progressive  black  metal b and  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  live  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Chamber  Of  Endless  Nightmares"  and  "There's  no  Sanctuary".  8  out  of  10.

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Susperia/The Lyricist/Agonia Records/2018 CD Review

  Susperia  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  thrash  and  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "The  Lyricist"  which  was  released  by  Agonia  Records.

  A  very  heavy  thrash  influenced  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  power  metal  style  singing  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  old  school  fashion  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  80's  and  90's  style  in  with  a  more  modern  atmosphere  as  well  as  adding  some  death  metal  growls  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  synths,  spoken  word  parts,  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length.

  On  this  recording  Susperia  expands  on  their  melodic  blackened  thrash  metal  style  by  adding  in  more  traditional  metal  elements,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  inner  struggles,  relationship  issues  and  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Susperia  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black,  thrash  and  heavy  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Heretic"  "Day  I  Died"  "Feed  The  Fire"  and  "Come  Alive".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/WGQr4cLF63Q

  

Oracle/Into The Unknown/Rain Without End Records/2018 CD Review

  Oracle  are  a  band  from  Birmingham,  Alabama  that  has  been  featured  before  in this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Into  The  Unknown"  which  will  be  released in  April  by  Rain  Without  End  Records.

  Classical  guitars  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  stringed  instruments  being  used  briefly  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  direction  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  the  vocals  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  black  metal s creams  and  death  metal  growls.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  atmospheric  sounding  keyboards  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  the  music  also  having  its  technical  moments.

  Some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  vocals  and  as  the  album  progresses  more  brutal  and  symphonic  elements  are  added  onto  the  recording  while  one  track  also  introduces  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  into the  music  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  clean  playing  also  returns  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  female  vocals  and  one  song  is  an  instrumental.

  Oracle  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  while  also  adding  new  things  into  their  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophical  and  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Oracle  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Caressed By  The  Hands  Of  Fate"  "Fro  Blue  To  Black"  "Drafted"  and  "Becoming  Nemesis".  8 out  of  10. 

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Wykan/Solace/2018 EP Review

  Wykan  are  a  band  from  Montreal,  Quebec,  Canada  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  doom,  stoner. psychedelic  and  blues rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  ep  "Solace"  which  will  be  released  in  April.

  Shamanistic  and  tribal  style  chanting  starts  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  heavier  blues  rock  direction  which  also  mixes  in  the  heaviness  of  stoner  and  doom  metal  while  the  vocals  are  done  in  a  clean  70's  rock/proto  metal  style  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  bringing  in  more  of  a  retro  style.

  Black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  all  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  acoustic  guitars  and  psychedelic  elements  also  being  used  on  a  couple  of  songs  and when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  are  utilized  and  on  a  couple  of  tracks  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Wykan  plays  a  musical  sound  that  takes  black  metal,  doom  stoner,  psychedelic  and  blues  rock  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Ethnobotany,  and  the  Amanita  Muscaria  mushroom  rituals  that  are  performed  among  the  Saami  shamans  of  North  Europe.

  In  my  opinion  Wykan  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  stoner,  doom  metal,  psychedelic  and  blues  rock  and  if  you  are  looking  for  something  original,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Wykan  (The  Shamanic  Trance)".  8  out  of  10.

https://wykan.bandcamp.com/releases

Lychgate/The Contagion In Nine Steps/Blood Music/2018 CD Review

 Lychgate  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  an  apocalyptic mixture  of  avant  garde black  and  funeral  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2018  album  "The  Contagion  In  Nine  Steps"  which  will  be  released  on  March  30th  by  Blood  Music.

  Horror  movie  style  organs  start  off  the  album  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  funeral  doom  metal  style  while  the  music  also  brings  in  piano's  and  mellotron's  along  with t he  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  after  awhile  ritualistic  spoken  word  parts  are  added  onto  the  recording.

  Clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  an  avant  garde  feeling  along  with  most  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  a  great  amount  of  grim  black  metal s creams  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  guitar  solos and  leads  when  they  are  utilized  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  most   of  the  music  always  sticking  to a   very  slow  direction and  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Lychgate  plays  a musical  style  that  takes  avant  garde  black  metal  and  funeral  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  inspired  by  the idea's  of  Stanislaw  Lem,  Plato,  Hegel,  Le  Bon  and  Cannetti's  about  civilization,  consciousness  and  crowd  psychology.

  In  my  opinion  Lychgate  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  avant  garde  black  and  funeral doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Republic"  and  "Atavistic  Hypnosis".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.lychgate.net/
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Goreworm Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
#1. We are a 5 piece Death Metal band based out of Southern Ontario Canada. As far as our sound goes, we aim for fast paced, aggressive death metal that has a melodic edge to it. We dip into several sub genres of Death/Black metal to keep things fresh and new, including slam, brutal death, tech death, melo death, and even some death core influences mixed in as well. We also love our blast beats and pig squeals. We are currently playing shows locally and are in the process of writing a full length album.

2.Recently you have released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
2. On our ep " The Path to Oblivion " it is hard to catagorize our sound in a specific genre/sub genre. We included a wide variety of different styles within each song. One minute a song will be melodic and technical, then the next section is heavy and brutal to name one scenario you will encounter upon listening to the ep. We do stay consistent with a fast paced, heavy, melodic, aggressive and brutal approach with our overall writing style as a band. The ep is very fast paced and filled with blast beats, harmonized guitar riffs and brutal vocals ( anything from pig squeals, gutterals and shrieking highs ).

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
3. Most of our lyrics are about brutal stories, with the exception of a few songs that have a more serious approach that touch on topics such as depression, anxiety, and other things that plague peoples every day lives. Some songs are even based off of classic horror films

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Goreworm'?
4. The name Goreworm did not come from any of the bands members. It was originally from an acquaintance of founding member Brent Moerschfelder. This guy had a " band " called Goreworm for several years but he never went anywhere with the project. So when he announced that he was giving up on the project Brent asked him if he could use the name and the name was granted to him. Brent always found Goreworm to be a genius name for a Death Metal band and took this opportunity to make it into something for fun. And that's how this " Gorewom " came to be

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
5. As far as shows go we only have 2 down, with a few more booked in the spring. As of now the band is not even a year old and only started playing shows in January 2018. The two shows we have played went very well and we where received very well but the crowds, resulting in very positive feedback. Our stage performances have gone very well, our main goal is to play as tight as we can, while being entertaining for the spectators with energy such as head banging and moving around on stage as much as we can.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
6. We don't have any tours planned as we are not a full time band. We all have children and houses to pay for and just do music as a hobby, but if an opportunity to do a tour of Canada came our way, we would do so since it is a goal of ours. We do have a few local shows upcoming later this year in Southern Ontario.

7,The ep was released through 'CDN Records', how did you get in contact with this label?
7. We got in contact with CDN the day we released our single " Final Nightmare " off of our ep " The Path to Oblivion ". A representative for CDN Records had seen our album artwork that our hired artist shared on social media back in June of 2017, it grabbed his attention but at the time we had no music ready to show him so he told me to show him the music when we had it ready. On November 25th 2017 we released the single and when we shared it with the same CDN representative, he offered to sign us. We had other offers from other record companies but since we are not full time musicians, we went with CDN because they where most fitting for us.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
8. As far as worldwide feedback we don't have much to base off of because so far we have only released a single from the ep. We have had several very positive reviews of the ep, rating the ep anywhere from 7/10 to 8.5/10. On social media we have had very positive feedback as well with lots of support from new fans. If we have learned anything from the reviews  feedback it's that people can't pinpoint what sub genre of metal best suits us since we have incorporated so many different styles to our music.

9.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
9. We are currently in the process of writing a full length already, We already have 4 songs composed ( 2 we are already playing live ) and we are very excited about the new material. It's more of the same but amped up even more. Founding member Brent Moerschfelder wrote all of the instrumentals on the ep, but now with a full line up of members we now have a whole new dynamic and wave of input to put towards song writing.

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?
10. To name a few bands that have inspired us are The Black Dahlia Murder, Despised Icon, Fleshgod Apocalypse, First Fragment, Ending Tyranny and Disentomb and many more. Musically we mix several styles into our songs ranging from Brutal Death Metal to morbid melodic Balck metal and everything in between. Lately I  ( Brent Moerschfelder, guitarist) have been listening to Alterbeast, First Fragment, Dark Funeral, Der Weg Einer Freiheit and even some Sum41 ( they are my non metal guilty pleasure).

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
11. Honestly outside of music I ( Brent ) don't really have many interests outside of music, I might play the odd video game and hang out with friends but most of my downtime is dedicated to my guitar.


12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
12. Goreworm would like to thank you for the opportunity to do this interview and we hope everyone out there that hears us enjoys our music!

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Scientist/Barbelith/2018 Full Length Review

  Scientist  are  a  band  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  expands  on  their  mixture  of  sludge  and  post  metal  on  this  recording  by  adding  in  elements  of  prog  and  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Barbelith"  which  will  be  released  in  April.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  some  psychedelic  elements  also  being  used  at  times  and  the  vocals  bring  in  sludge  style  shouts  and  screams.

  A  great  amount  of  prog  elements  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  distorted  yet  melodic  fashion  as  well  as  some  clean  vocals  also  being  used  at  times  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing.

 Some  tracks  also  bring  in  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  tremolo  picking  while  slide  guitars  are  also  used  briefly  along  with  the  tracks  also  bringing  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  music  also  incorporating  a  great  amount  of  sludge  and  post  metal  elements.

  On  this  recording  Scientist  expands  on  their  sludge  and  post  metal  mixture  by  adding  in  vocals  and  more  black  metal  influences  this  time  around  to  take  their  sound  to  a  different  level,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  and  Grant  Morrison's  comic  book series  "The  Invisibles".

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Scientist  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  sludge  and  post  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Magick  Mirror"  "Retrogade"  and  "(Home)At  last".  8  out  of  10.

https://scientistchicago.bandcamp.com/