Sixes/Methistopheles/Black Bow Records/2018 CD Review

  Sixes  are  a  band  from  California  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  stoner  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Methistopheles"  which  was  released  by  Black  Bow  Records.

  Powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  start  off  the  album  while  the  slow  riffs  bring  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  along  with  the  vocals  bringing  in  black  metal  influenced  screams  as  well  as  most  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  add  in  touches  of  stoner  rock.

  Growls  and  hardcore  style  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  some  drones  also  being  used  at  times  and  on  some  tracks  the  vocals  also  add  in  some  clean  yet  rough  singing  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  music  speeds  up  briefly  and  also  introduces  blast  beats  onto  the  recording and  acoustic  guitars  are  added  onto  the  closing  track.

  Sixes  plays  a  musical style  that  takes  black,  sludge,  stoner  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  misery,  drugs  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sixes  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  stoner  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Acid  God"  "Methistopheles"  and  "Voidkiller".  8  out  of  10.

 https://sixesdoom.bandcamp.com/releases

Urarv/Argentum/Svart Records/2018 CD Review

  Urarv  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  plays  an  avant  garde  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Argentum"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Svart  Records.

  Ethnic  instruments  and  ritualistic  voices  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  avant  garde  structures  and  when  clean  playing  is  utilized  it  gives  the  music  more  of  a  progressive  feeling  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  clear  vocals  can  also  be  heard.

  Urarv  plays  a  style  of  Norwegian  avant  garde  black  metal  that  they  take  into  a  more  modern  direction,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Norwegian  and  cover  esoteric  and  emotional  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Urarv  are  a  very  great  sounding  avant  garde  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Kracketjott"  and  "Sannhet".  8  out  of  10.

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Mortuorial Eclipse/Urushdaur/Black Market Metal Label/2018 CD Review

  Mortuorial  Eclipse  are  a  band  from  Argentina  that  plays  a  mixture  of  symphonic  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Urushdaur"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Black  Market  Metal  Label.

  Symphonic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  along  with  a  great  amount  of  orchestral  arrangements  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  as  well as  the  vocals  being  mostly  death  metal  growls.

  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  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  used  briefly  as  well  as  the  music  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  elements  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  folk  instruments  can  also  be  heard  and  there  is  also  an  acoustic  instrumental and  the  last  track  is  a  symphonic  outro

  Mortuorial  Eclipse  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  symphonic  black  and  brutal  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Ancient  Cultures,  Heritage  and  Wisdom  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Mortuorial  Eclipse  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  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  "Lost  Bloodline"  "Secret  Of  The  Revenants"  and  "In  Extremis".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3Nnb2Nheik

Thunderwar Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new ep?


We played a couple gigs, including two with Mayhem. Generally speaking we are preparing for the release of our new album.




2.You have a new ep coming out in May, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?


It’s going to be a short but intensive stuff influenced by late Bathory and Crust Punk. A nice combination, isn’t it? The main difference is that the material has been recorded by the new drummer Pavulon. Our music got a solid kick thanks to his brilliant technique and feeling.




3, In your lyrics i have seen references to Slavic and Norse Paganism, Hindu, Aghori and other types of occultism, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in those topics?


These are simply great topics for metal lyrics. To us the most important thing is to achieve harmony between the music and the subject of the lyrics -then it has a double effect. We like especially the Slavic mythology. It’s a fascinating topic that still is undiscovered.




4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Thunderwar'?


In the very beginning the band was called Perun, the slavic god of thunder and war. To avoid potential pronunciation problems we decided to combine the two attributes and the result is Thunderwar


5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?


Regardless of stage size we want to play each concert better than the previous one. With the benefit of hindsight it’s difficult to say now which one was best because we’ve been trying to raise standards all the time. It would be easier to mention our worst gig 😊 When it comes to our gigs please don’t expect a theatre. The biggest fun for us is playing per se and watching people’s reaction to our music and not what we do on stage. Our weapons are instruments and not scenery.




6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the ep is released?


Yes, two concerts in Poland have been booked already. As for a full-featured tour we will think of it after the “Wolfpack” release


7.On the ep you had also covered a 'Darkthrone' song, what was the decision behind doing your own version of one of their songs?


We are big fans of Fenriz and Nocturno Culto. We played the song on our concerts even before the release of our first album “Black Storm”. We thought due to its punk rock character it would fit perfectly the concept of our new release.


 8.The new ep is coming out on 'Lifeforce Records', how would you compare working with them to 'Witching Hour Productions'?


Currently we and Lifeforce Records are at an early stage of promoting “Wolfpack” so it’s too early to comment on that to the full but it is apparent they are acting efficiently and clearly.




9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?




We send our records to USA and Japan so it’s not that bad. More and more people are contacting us and asking about new stuff


10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?


Anything can happen. It’s difficult to predict how far we can go with our music.




11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your current music and also what are you listening to nowadays?


The bands that influenced me most are Iron Maiden, Dissection and Bathory. But for some time now I’ve been listening to stuff like Wolfbrigade – Run With the Hunted, Bombus – Repeat Until Death or Judas Priest - Firepower




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


History and SciFi. I’m a big “Star Wars” fan



13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?


Thank you for the interview and see you on our concerts!

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Xael/The Last Arbiter/2018 Full Length Review

  Xael  are  a  band  from  North  Carolina  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk,  symphonic  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "The  Last  Arbiter".

  Symphonic  sounds  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to t hem  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  used  at  times  and  the  vocals  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  growls.

  Clear  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  technical  style  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  elements  of  80's  synth  music  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  as  well  as  some  black  metal  screams  also  being  used  at  times.

 Clean  playing,  acoustic  guitars  and  folk  music  elements are  also  added  onto  some  of  the  tracks  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  of  the  songs  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  music  gets  more  tribal.

  Xael  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  black,  brutal  death  metal,  symphonic,  folk,  tribal  and  80's  synth  music  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  science  fiction  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Xael  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  folk,  symphonic,  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Last  Arbiter"  "Apathy  of  The  Immortal"  and  "Harvesting  The  Elders  Genome".  8  out  of  10.

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

  

Grimorium Verum/Revenant/Symbol Of Domination Productions/Cimmerian Shade Recordings/The True Plague/Black Metal Records/2018 CD Review

  Grimorium  Verum  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  has  had  an  album  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Revenant"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Symbol  Of  Domination  Productions,  Cimmerian  Shade  Recordings,  The  True  Plague  and  Black  Metal  Records.

  Symphonic  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  some  songs  also  add  in  elements  of  thrash  and  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  female  vocals  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  male  vocals  are  also  added  onto  the  recording,  there  is  also  a  brief  instrumental  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  on  the  following  tracks.

  Grimorium  Verum  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  symphonic  style  of  black  metal  from  their  previous  release,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism  and  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Grimorium  Verum  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Born  Son  Of  The  Devil"  "The  Light  Of  Dark  Father"  "Sacred  Temple  Of  Blood" and  "The  Resurrected Of n  The  Devils  Hands".  8/5  out  of  10.

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Medieval Demon Interview

1.      Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
- We are walking in the shadows,  into the caves and deep into the forests, in the same ritualistic ways that we did 20 years ago.
We worship the goat of lust that attacks the heavens with its horns!!!

2. In June you have a new album coming out, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you released in the past?
- Our sound is to use and hit the darkest notes, under the fullmoon and  the light of the black candles, to lie together along the circle of the pentagram, in order to communicate with the spirits of the underworld and worship Satan. Medieval Necromancy is more obscure and occult from the stuff we released in the past.

3. You refer to your music as 'spiritual necromantic black metal', can you tell us a little bit more about this term?
                - We create  Black metal with divination from the dead.

4. Your lyrics go in depth with necromancy, black magick and Satanism, can you tell us a little bit more about your dedication to the dark arts?
- As individuals we are against Christianity and for decades we are dedicated ourselves to darkness and the black arts.

5. The band was broken up for 15 years, what was the cause of split and also the decision to reform?
- We wanted to isolate our souls and study the necromantic texts of the late Middle Ages, the medieval magic and occult practise. Now as a promethean fire we want to keep the black metal flames of Lucifer alive!

6. I remember reading a story in the mid 90's about one of the band members facing prison time, can you tell us a little bit more about what actually happened?
- Two members were suspected as vandals and stayed in prison for a few days as they had already a history of such acts in the past.

7. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Medieval Demon'?
- The name of the band came after the invocation of a demon.

8. Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
- It's a necromantic ritual in action. The great artist Mark Ridick made all our artwork. He is a true unholy brother.

9. What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
- We have performed 2 shows during the 90s. Our performance was old school and devoted to the black metal cult spirit.

10. Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
- No. Exception would be only a night forest ceremony for  mystics and true Devil worshippers.

11. A couple of the band members also own a record store and a metal label, can you tell us a little bit more about it?
- Yes, brothers Lord Apollyon & Sirokous are the owners of Bowel of Noise records located in the centre of Athens, Greece. It's focused on extreme and satanic metal music. Sirokous also runs LVX INFERNVM  label &  Lord Apollyon ALTAR OF THE BLACK RAM.

12. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
- We buried the band but the interest from the fans is still alive.

13. Where do you see the band heading into musically during future?
- We create only true black metal. No experimentations in our rituals!

14. 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?
- Many bands from the past such as old Samael, old Master's Hammer, old Bathory, old Darkthrone, old Gorgoroth, old Morbid Angel, old Mayhem, Grave, Dark Funeral,  Profanatica, Demoncy, old Rotting Christ, old Necromantia, old Ancient Rites, Malefic Oath, Engraved, old Immortal, Tormentor, Impaled Nazarene, Beherit, Sarcofago, Mutilator, Sextrash, Funereal Moon, Goblin, Antonius Rex, Jacula, Coven, Aphrodite's Child - 666, The Black etc.

15. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
- Oh Satan, Spirit of the Earth, God of Liberty, open wide the gates of Hell
And come forth from the abyss...

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