Thursday, April 12, 2018

Lagrima/Gilgamesh (The Quest For Immortality)/2018 Full Length Review


  Lagrima  are  a  duo  from  Lebanon  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  self  released  2018  album  "Gilgamesh  (The  Quest  For  Immortality)".

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  acoustic  and  classical  guitars  are  also  added  onto  some  of  the  tracks  along  with  the  vocals  being  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  songs  also bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  music  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  90's  influences  along  with  some  elements  of  traditional  and  thrash  metal.

 Some  of  the  fast  riffing  also  brings  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  while  piano's  when  they  are  used  briefly  bring  elements  of  classical  music  onto  the  recording  but  also  keeping  the  main  focus  on  a  heavier  style  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  being  instrumentals  before  return  back  to  vocal  songs  as  well  as   the  drum  beats  being  all  programmed  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  On  this  recording  Lagrima  takes  their  melodic mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  into  a  heavier direction  while  also  keeping  the  acoustic  parts,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  'The  Epic  Of  Gilgamesh".

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Lagrima  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Rival  Creation  (Enkidu)"  "At  The  End  Of  Enkidu  Comes"  and  "The  Great  Deluge".  8/5  out  of  10.

Bandcamp
Facebook
Myspace
ReverbNation
Twitter
YouTube Channel


    

Heron/A Low Winter's Sun/Sludgelord Records/2018 CD Review


  Heron  are  a  band  from  Vancouver  B.C,  Canada  that  plays  a  blackened  and  atmospheric  mixture  of  doom  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "A  Low  Winter's  Sun"  which  will  be  released  by  Sludgelord  Records.

  A  very  slow,  dark  and  heavy  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  music  also  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  after  awhile  growls  and  high  pitched  screams a re  added  onto  the  recording  and  they  also  add  in  elements  of  black  metal  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  parts  being  used  on a  few  tracks.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  good  amount  of  melody  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  clean  guitars  onto  the recording  and  at  times  the  music  gets  very  atmospheric  as  well  as  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  and  they  also  bring  in  a  piano's  briefly  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  as  the  album  progresses  melodic  guitar  leads  are  finally  added  onto  the  recording  and  atmospheric  drones  are  used  briefly  on  the  closing  track.

  Heron  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  atmospheric  sludge  metal  and  mixes  it  with  black  and  doom  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  insignificance,  existentialism  and  loss  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Heron  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  and  blackened  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Of  Gods  And  Goats"  "Uncomfortable  Silence"  and  "Fire  Twin".  8  out  of  10.

https://heronvan.bandcamp.com/album/a-low-winters-sun

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Thunderwar/Wolfpack/Lifeforce Records/2018 EP Review


  Thunderwar  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  very  old  school  and  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  ep  "Wolfpack"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Lifeforce  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  old  school  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  as  well  as  the  tremolo  picking  bringing  in  elements  of  black  metal.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  of  the  riffing  also  brings  in  elements  of  early  80's  era  traditional  metal  and  atmospheric  drones  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  one  track  bringing  in  melodic pagan  vocals.

  Thunderwar  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  black  and  old  school  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism,  Occultism,  Mythology,  War  and  Psychology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Thunderwar  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  and  melodic  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Wolfpack"  and  "Circle  Of  Runes".  8  out  of  10.

THUNDERWAR Facebook

Dystersol Interview

 1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We are Dystersol from Styria (Austria). Our band was founded back in 2013 and over the years we developed our unique style which is best described as modern metal.  What’s cool is that we are all from the same small village and know each other very well. Being in a band together can sometimes be quite tough, however, it’s a great pleasure to share all these band moments with some of your best friends.

2.So far you have released 2 albums, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?
Since our first homegrown demo album a lot has changed. “Welcome the Dark Sun” was supposed to be an album with two contrary faces. The first part was quite heavy and serious, whereas the second part consisted of rather melodious and folkish songs. Even though the concept was interesting and contained a lot of meaning, the clear line of the musical genre was missing and the result was very diversified. On our new album “The Fifth Age of Man” we tried to create one coherent piece of music. Every single one of us had a huge influence on the songwriting and we took way more time for all the details regarding the songs, but also for everything apart from the music, like album artwork and band image, for example. Soundwise, the new album is much heavier. We got rid of almost all the clean vocals and the guitars are even more riff-based and aggressive than on “Welcome the Dark Sun”. Even though the folk influence is still recognisable in some parts, the synth sounds have become more broad and orchestral. Another big difference is of course the quality of the new album. While the first demo was recorded in our rehearsal room, “The Fifth Age of Man” was recorded professionally at Realsound Studio in Italy. The collaboration with our label Wormholedeath helped us to bring our music to the next level.

3.After 2014 you waited until 2018 to release the next album, can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during that time frame?
First of all, we took a lot of time to write new material. After releasing our demo album, we felt that in some songs, the overall sound and especially regarding the artwork the love for detail was missing because we did everything under a lot of pressure. So, we wanted to think everything through carefully and take all the time we need for these details. In 2016, we had already started recording our next single on our own, when we first got in touch with Wormholedeath. They offered us a great deal to record a LP the following year, so we had to write a few more songs. We also spent a lot of time to find our identity as a band. It was clear that we had to define our sound and specify our image in order to become more professional. In early 2017 we did all the pre-recordings in our rehearsal room and made the final adjustments on our songs before we hit the studio in July. While we were waiting for the final results of our mixes and masters, we put a lot of effort into all the stuff surrounding the music, like merch, artwork, videos and so on. Of course, we also played a lot of concerts during this time.

4.Your lyrics cover 'Ancient Mythology, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?
For many topics, it seems that they haven’t changed a lot over the centuries. Many of today’s human thoughts and problems are not vastly different from those hundreds or even thousands of years ago. What makes ancient texts and particularly mythology so interesting in our opinion is that they had a certain perspective on things which would not even be considered these days. They have a rather “free” (at least by today’s standards), ambivalent and variable view on life, moral and mortality.  Associating those views with our modern worldview brings up a lot of interesting thoughts and ideas to think about.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Dystersol'?
Dystersol is Swedish and means dark - or rather gloomy sun. This oxymoron leaves room for interpretation in various ways, and can be seen as an allegory for numerous topics, as well. It involves an ambiguity which is part of humanity, and therefore, part of us, too. The dark side of the sun represents our awareness of misery and sorrow in the world, whereas the bright rays of the sun illustrate our positive attitude, as well as our passion for music we want to share with our audience.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
It’s really hard to pick the favourites because a lot of shows were great fun. Opening the amazing Kaltenbach Open Air back in 2015 was definitely one of the highlights of our career. It was our first festival show and the biggest stage we’ve played so far. What’s more, the Volk Metal Jacket tour 2017 has to be mentioned, especially the stop in Graz at the club Explosiv was really nice. We’re lucky that there are many great bands and passionate people who keep the Styrian metal scene alive and support each other.
7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
We have a couple of upcoming shows in 2018, like the Volk Metal Jacket vol. 4 or the Dead Man Walking festival, for example. Currently, we’re also working on our album release show in early June. All the dates and details will be released on our website and Facebook page. At the moment, we have no upcoming tour, however, we hope that the new album gives us the chance to play more national and international shows and tours.
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme metal?
The official release date of “The Fifth Age of Man” is on May 4th, so it’s a bit too early to talk about feedback. However, the response to our first single “Down to Nothing” has been very positive so far. Since the press release in March a couple of our songs have been broadcasted in radio stations all around the world, especially in the US. At the moment, we’re really excited about the feedback and we can’t wait to see the reactions.
9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
As we are just releasing this album, we haven’t talked about our future in detail, yet. Our further plans also depend on the reactions on “The Fifth Age of Man”. We’ve put a lot of time and energy into this album, which was really exciting, but also an enormous amount of work. We already have a couple of ideas for new riffs and lyrics and we’ll start to write new songs after the CD has been released.
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?
All of us are really open-minded when it comes to music. We all love heavy stuff, but each of us has slightly different preferences. In the early days, folk metal bands like Finntroll or Korpiklaani, but also heavy metal bands like Accept had a big influence on our first songs. Over the past years, heavier stuff like Kataklysm or InFlames has become more important. The rhythm section probably listens to the most extreme stuff like Dark Funeral, Benighted and The Black Dahlia Murder. One of our guitarists is really into post and atmospheric black metal. The other one is more an old school guy and likes Metallica and Pantera but also bands like Queens of Stone Age. Our singer has listened to almost everything over the years, but at the moment he is really looking forward to see Ex Deo this year.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
We live in a small village where we’re surrounded by nature, so we often play football or basketball together or just spend some time outside and go swimming or hiking. Of course, also partying is an essential part of being a metal band, so we all share a passion for beer.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We want to thank all the people who supported us and helped to create “The Fifth Age of Man”. If you’re interested in our music or want to get in touch with us, visit our website and Facebook page to stay tuned.
Thanks for the interview

Facebook
Homepage
YouTube

Sunday, April 8, 2018

Arkveid/Self Titled/Metal Scrap Records/2018 Full Length Review


  Arkveid  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  an  atmospheric  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2018  album  which was  released  by  Metal  Scrap  Records.

  Fire  burning  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars  a  few  seconds  alter  which  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  a  folk  music  feeling  while  stringed  instruments  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  keyboards  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  song.

  The  song  is  almost  40  minutes  in  length  while  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  when  they  are  utilized  and  after  awhile  grim  black  metal  screams  start  to  make  their  presence  known  along  with  the  slow  heavy  riffs  bringing  in  elements  of  doom  metal  as  well  as  some  clean  vocals  also  being  used  at  times  and  some  of  the  riffing  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking.  and  whispers  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Arkveid  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  doom  and  folk  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Arkveid  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  folk  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  8  out  of  10.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Arkveid/3540439066

Primitive Man/Steel Casket/Tartarus Records/2018 EP Review



  Denver,  Colorado's Primitive  Man  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  where  they  move  away  from  their  blackened  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  by  bringing  in  more  of  a  mixture  of  harsh  noise,  drone  and  ambient  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2018  ep  "Steel  Casket"  which  will  be  released  on  April  25th  by  Tartarus  Records.

  Ambient  style  drones  start  off  the  ep  while  clean  guitars  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  they  give  the  music  more  of  an  experimental  and  avant  garde  feeling  along  with  both  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  after  awhile  power  electronics  and  harsh  noises  make  their  presence  known.

  After  awhile  the  music  gets  more  diverse  along  with  both  of  the  tracks  being  instrumentals  along  with  some  natural  noises  also  being  used  at  times  and  both  of  the  songs  sound  very  different  from  each  other.  and  the  acoustic  guitars  have  more  of  a  dominant  sound  on  the  second  track  and  towards  the  end  spoken  word  samples  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  On  this  recording  Primitive  Man  move  way  from t heir  blackened  sludge/doom  metal  style  and  go  into  more  of  an  instrumental  mixture  of  harsh  noise,  drone  and  ambient  and  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Primitive  Man  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  ambient,  drone  and  harsh  noise,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "A  Life  Of  Turmoil".  8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp
Facebook
Homepage
Twitter
YouTube

      

Saturday, April 7, 2018

The Canyon Observer/Noll/Vox Project/Kapa Records/2018 CD Review

  The  Canyon  Observer  are  a  band  from  Slovenia  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  post.  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Noll"  which  will  be  released  on  April  20th  as  a  joint  effort  between  Vox  Project  and  Kapa  Records.

  Distorted  sound  drones  and  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  some  guitar  leads  while  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  vocals  also  bringing  in  a mixture  of  growls  and  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  bringing  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  elements  of  post  metal  along  with  a  small  amount  of  melody  also  being  used  at  times  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion,  elements  of  harsh  noise  and  experiemntal  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  crust  punk  influences  can  also  be  heard  while  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  is  added  onto  the  recording  and  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  progressive  feeling  and  on  the  closing  track  the  vocals  go  into  more  of  a  melodic  sludge  direction.

  On  this  recording  The  Canyon  Observer  expands  on  their  mixture  of  black,  post,  sludge  and  doom  metal  by  adding  in  elements  of  crust,  experimental  and  noise  to  take  their  sound  to  a  different  level,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark and  disturbing  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  The  Canyon  Observer  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  post,  sludge  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Noll"  "Abstract"  and  "Circulation".  8  out  of  10.

www.kaparecords.com
KAPA Records Bandcamp
KAPA Records Facebook
KAPA Records Twitter