Saturday, October 6, 2018

Stormcast/The Ghost Eater/2018 Full Length Review


  Stormcast  are  a  band  originally from  Cyprus  but  now  resides  in  the  United  Kingdom  and  plays  a  melodic  and  atmospheric  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "The  Ghost  Eater"  which  will  be  released  in  November.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  the  vocals  also  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  while  clean  playing  is  also  utilized  at times  along  with  melodic  vocals  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts,  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  an  instrumental  is  added  onto  the  recording.

  Stormcast  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  melodic  and  atmospheric  sides  of  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  feelings,  corruption,  nature  and  anger  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Stormcast  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  and  melodic  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  "Resonance"  and  "Lushai  Hills".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/stormcastband/

Thursday, October 4, 2018

Norilsk/Weepers Of The Land/Hypnotic Dirge Records/2018 CD Review


  Norilsk  are  a  band  from  Quebec,  Canada  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  doom,  death  and  post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Weepers  Of  The  Land"  which  will  be  released  on  October  12  by  Hypnotic  Dirge  Records.

  Clean  yet  distorted  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  slower  riffs  bring  in  elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  vocals a re  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams.

  A  couple  of  the  tracks are  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  and  death  metal  growls  are  also  used  at  times  as  well  as  one  track  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  samples,  elements  of  post  metal  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  slower  direction,  clean  vocals  and  acoustic  guitars  are  added  onto  the  closing  track.

  Norilsk  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  doom,  death  and  post  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  English  and  French  and  cover  History  and  Mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Norilsk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  sludge,  doom,  death  and  post  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "No  Sacred  Ground"  and  "Weepers  Of  The  Land".  8  out  of  10. 

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i Helvete/Pimeyden ytimessa/Umpikuja/2018 EP Review



  i  Helvete  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  ep  "Pimeyden  ytimessa/Umpikuja".

  Melodic  yet  heavy  riffing  starts  of  the  ep  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  black  metal  screams.

  Death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  one  of  the  tracks  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  elements  of  doom  metal  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  as  well  as  both  of  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  at  times  the  music  also  has  its  atmospheric  moments and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  synths  and  spoken  word  parts.

  i  Helvete  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Finnish  and  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  i  Helvete  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres, you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Pimeyden  ytimessa".  8  out  of  10. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01G7984-H1w

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Cor Serpenti Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
1)   Sure ! first let me thank you for the opportunity to describe the band and this first album which, we hope, will appreciated by metalheads of all kinds.
Cor Serpentii is a black/death project that is just about to release its first album, 10 tracks of rather agressive and dark sound altogether. The project got created upon the ashes of Insain, together with the great contribution of Frederic Gervais, the founder, bassist and singer of the French avantgarde band Orakle. I think this mix of different profiles and styles was exactly what Cor Serpentii needed : to intend taking the best from each extreme style and propose our own blend, materialized in this fully blown album as a starter.

2.Recently you have released your first full length can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on this recording?

2)   As you can surely guess, the album has a tendency to step onto Black metal and Death metal paths. It is quite interesting to hear about the feedbacks from listeners as most of them describe the album as rather original, with even some Heavy Metal sounds and atmospheres sometimes. I think this comes from the creation process in which i create the guitar tracks, which are then enriched by Bono and Sangli, and finally magnified by Fred. We all have different influences and all ideas are welcome, the only sacred way being turbulent, dark sound.

3.The band formed out of the ashes of 'Insain', what was the decision behind the split and forming a new band?
3)   Insain members decided to part ways due to internal issues that i will not develop here. 3 former members decided to work together on a brand new project that is Cor Serpentii. What came as a proposal from me as an experience trial soon became a solid project. This is how it started, with a strong willingness to create and explore new sounds and atmospheres, taking advantage of the fact that each members have great ideas to tackle. The project took a whole new level after we got in touch with Frederic and Studio Henosis.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores on the album?
4) A good part of the lyrics were inspired by Bergen Grey’s first book, « Frénésie picturale » with a painter slowing declining and getting invaded by loops of « tentacular » insanity. « Ubik » was obviously inspired by the Book from K Dick. Overall, i would say that science-fiction, human decadence and twisted atmospheres form a good basis for our lyrics. We will most probably continue getting inspiration from literature moving forward.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Cor Serpentii'?
5) Cor Serpentii is the name of a star. The idea of an entity yet to be explored attracted us. The image of the serpent often viewed as sitting at the origins of mankind resonated pretty well with the title of the first album as well.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the album cover?
6) This artwork was created by 3mmi Design (Pierre-Alain Durand). We got amazed by the first draft, that we slowly helped to shape up until the final result was here. The contrast between a static body and the stellar immensity was an interesting outcome for us. This turns out to be a great support for our music.

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
7) Cor Serpentii will release its first album at the end of october 2018. It will remain a studio project with other albums to come as we for sure enjoyed the experience of Phenomankind, but there are no plans for gigs at the moment.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
8) Cor Serpentii has no plans for gigs at the moment.

9.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
9) Phenomankind has been released as a self production. I am very happy with the process and the amazing work that Studio Henosis was able to do on this album. We have been looking for a label, but it seems that a 10 tracks album as a first release is not a risk that everybody wants to take. All we want now is focusing on launching this album properly. The rest does not really matter.

10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
10) We will be able to tell when the album will have been released officially but i can tell you that the journalists feedbacks are all very positive !

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
11) Cor Serpentii will most probably remain a dark and agressive metal project. We will include other influences in upcoming tracks, always trying to put atmospheres and harmonies forward. This recipe we have achieved with Phenomankind is a good call for further exploration in the future.

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on the music of 'Cor Serpentii'?
12) There are so many bands that have fostered our sound. Talking about the guitar creation, i can say Emperor, Zyklon, Morbid Angel, Arkaik, Unholy Matrimony, Blut Aus Nord, Deathspell Omega and more. But i also like to cultivate atmospheres the way totally different bands do, with the likes of Skinny Puppy, Dead Can Dance, Ulver and so on. I think all members of the band have different influences. What really counts is a catchy and original outcome.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
13) Thanks for reading this interview. Go and listen to « Phenomankind », our first album, and give us feedbacks !

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Skalmold/Sorgir/Napalm Records/2018 CD Review


  Skalmold  are  a  band  from  Iceland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk  and  viking  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Sorgir"  which  will  be  released  on  October  13th  by  Napalm  Records.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  a  vocal  style  that  is  done  in  a  semi  growl  style  and  clean  pagan  vocals  are  also  used  at  times.

  Black  metal  screams  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  fast  riffs  also  showing  an  influence  of  thrash  metal  as  well  as  a  few  blast  beats  and you  can  also  hear  elements  of  folk  metal  but  done  in  a  heavier  style,  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  operatic  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  and  acoustic  guitars  are  added  onto  the  closing  track.

  Skalmold  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  folk  and  viking  metal  together  while  focusing  more  on  a  heavier  and  guitar  driven  approach  to  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Icelandic  and  cover  Battles,  Norse  Mythology  and  Icelandic  Poetry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Skalmold  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  folk  and  viking  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ljosid"  "Barnid"  and  "Mara".  8  out  of  10.

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Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Cor Serpenti/Phenomankind/2018 CD Review


  Cor  Serpenti  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Phenomankind"  which  will  be  released  in  October.

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  vocals  are mostly  black  metal  screams  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  some  clear  singing, whispers and  death  metal  growls  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  used  briefly,  clean  guitars  and  spoken  word  parts  are  also  introduced  on  later  tracks  and  at  times  the  music  also  has  its  technical  moments.

  Cor  Serpenti  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  technical  and  melodic  styles  of  black  and death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  with  a  touch  of  power  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  scientific  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Cor  Serpenti  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  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  "Retrieval"  "Sand  Storm"  "Reversed  Evolution"  and  "Ubik".  8  out  of  10.

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



Upon Ruins/Legacy Of Desolation/PRC Music/2018 CD Review


  Upon  Ruins  are  a  band  from  Nova  Scotia,  Canada  that  plays  a  mixture  of  viking  and  melodic  black/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Legacy  Of  Desolation"  which  was  released  by  PRC  Music.

  Heavy  riffs  and  melodic  guitar  leads  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  viking  battle  sounds  in  the  background  briefly  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.

  Vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  clean  vocals  adding  in  touches  of  pagan  metal  as  well  as  the  screams  showing  an  influence  of  black  metal  when  they  are  utilized  and  the  music  is  also  is  very  heavy  influenced  by  the  90's  era  Swedish  style.

  The  riffs  also  mix  in  elements  of  thrash  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  classical  guitars  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  one  of  the  tracks  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  a  later  song  adds  in  a  few  seconds  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Upon  Ruins  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  viking  and  melodic  black/death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of   their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  humanity's  ruinous  legacy  and  inevitable  path  to  desolation.

  In  my  opinion  Upon  Ruins  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  viking  and  melodic  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Where  Mountains  Collide"  "Of  Distant  Shores"  and  "A  Cold  Empty  Throne".  8  out  of  10.

https://prcmusic.bandcamp.com/album/upon-ruins-legacy-of-desolation-cd