Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Lunar Shadow/The Smokeless Fires/Cruz Del Sur Music/2019 CD Review


  Lunar  Shadow  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  traditional  and  melodic  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review of  their  2019  album  "The  Smokeless  Fires"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Cruz  Del  Sur  Music.

   Fire  burning  and  classical  music  style  keyboards  start  off  the  album  before  adding  some  melodic  guitar  leads  onto  the  recording  while  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  During  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  you  can  also  hear  some  blast  beats  and  elements  of  speed  metal.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and fast  parts  while  the  fast  tremolo  picking  riffs  are  heavily  rooted  in  black  metal.  Vocals  are  mostly  clean  traditional  metal  vocals  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  A  lot  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  while  the  black  metal  elements  gives  the  songs  a  more  up  to  date  feeling.  Acoustic,  classical  guitars  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  brief  use  of  nature  sounds  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  post  punk  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the lyrics  cover  sorrow,  love,  loneliness,  sex,  perseverance  and  power  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Lunar  Shadow  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  heavy  and  melodic  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Catch  Fire"  "Pretend"  and  "Hawk  of  The  Hills".  8  out  of  10.

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

  

Sunday, April 21, 2019

Ragnhild Interview

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

-- Since the release of our album, we are currently looking forward to get some live gigs in India for now.
-- Since metal music in India is not very popular, but we do have metal heads here who love the music, we are focusing on reaching out to them in form of live shows.
-- We are also looking towards making of a few play troughs, more lyric videos and a couple official videos of a couple more songs from the album.
-- Other than that, we have also begun the process of writing new songs, which eventually, will lead us to the beginning of our next album.




2.In March you had also released your first full length,  can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?

-- Our music is basically of the Melodic Death Metal kind. However, we were more inclined towards the over all "viking" or "pagan" or "Celtic" melodies, that we incorporated in our compositions. This makes our "melodic" part of the death metal slightly different.
-- Not just this album, but in general, our way of looking at the next song that we will compose, includes heavy drums, northern melodies, sometimes clean guitars, powerful bass-lines and eventually, the growls and screams.




3.A lot of the lyrics cover Viking Mythology and Paganism, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

-- As mentioned, we were more inclined towards the northern melodies, we decided to stick to its roots. Honestly, being from India, we had a very little understanding about what Viking or Pagan culture was like. But since we were adapting the over all song style, we didn't want our lyrics to move away from the subject.
-- Hence, we studied the culture a bit online, read about their ideology and wrote them in our own words and imagination in the form of the song lyric.




4.The band is also from India which also has a mythology and history of its own, do you also have an interest in the culture of your home country?

-- Absolutely. India had great rulers in the past. Their adventures can easily make up a long list of songs. India being a multi-religious country, there are various mythologies as well.
-- We already have many bands in our country who are dedicated towards Indian song styles. What we wanted to do was something different. Something that is not here in our country.
-- Also, since this is our first album, we didn't really wanted to keep it close to its roots, due to which, we kept the songs as close as possible to the Viking culture.
-- We do believe that the stories about our kings and queens with the touch of our pagan / melodic death music, will indeed sound nice and yes, we will try it out sometime soon.




5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

-- The artwork was a well thought idea by Shardul plays guitar for the band. He had the idea written down in points which included literally everything - the early morning light, crows flying, burning tavern, viking warrior bleeding, the snow fall, etc.
-- We have a amazing artist here - Mr. Aaron Pinto, who is also the drummer of quite popular death metal band - Gutslit from India.
-- After discussing with Aaron, he read all the lyrics for all the songs, even listened to our songs and referred to the points that we sent him.
-- We wanted the artwork to resemble to one of our songs from the album, preferably the title track itself - Tavern Tales.
-- According to the lyrics of the song 'Tavern Tales', there are Viking warriors that share their tale about a war they had faced, the brothers they lost and all those who survived.
-- Aaron nicely incorporated it to the artwork, which turned out exactly the way we wanted it to.




6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

-- We have had opportunities to play at various gigs and we loved them all.
-- One of the best shows would be the gigs organized by Stormbringer, Dawn of the legion and Blood Eagle Organizers in Pune.
-- There are a lot of things that matter when we come on the stage.
-- Firstly our music style is different than other bands in India. Secondly, people look at us with a "question" about "Viking? huh? Will they really impress us?"
-- There is always a tiny bit of pressure about being different, but we have learned to make our way pass that.
-- Now, we go up on the stage to enjoy and have fun just like others who have come to watch us play live. Helps us build a connection with our audience.





7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

-- None as of now to announce. But soon we will have something coming up.





8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

-- We did receive a few emails, that we cannot disclose here. For now, we still need to plan this out. We may stay unsigned for this album. But if we find a good deal with any record label, we will look into it as well.





9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of viking, pagan and melodic death metal?

-- We have received a few comments from metal-heads in European and North-american regions mainly. They have enjoyed our music a lot and we are thankful to them for the appreciation.
-- We also received a few comments from African regions as well. All nothing but good comments indeed.
-- We will soon start some ad campaigns on Facebook to try to reach out to more people by selective targeting in the northern countries.
-- For now, the most response that we have received is from Bandcamp where we have our full length album available.





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

-- We aim at sustaining - which means, we may make a few changes in our composition style, but the root and the backbone of the melodies will remain the same.
-- We might introduce some folk instruments if we find good artists for the same. Honestly, we really want someone to play bagpipes :)





11.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?

-- We started with Amon Amarth, Ensiferum, Eluvitie and At the gates.
-- Over the years of browsing through YouTube channels, we also enjoy Alestorm, Kalmah, Korpiklaani, Wadruna, Tyr, Enslaved, Moonsorrow, and many others.





12.What are some of your non musical interests?

-- The band loves beer. All of us just love beer and we can't get enough of it.
-- So after our jam sessions, if time permits from our busy daily lives, we head up to a local bar where our vocals guy Mr. Rohit Jalgaonkar works as a DJ, and have some beer.
-- All the band members are employed and working in a corporate world to make living. So as a band, the most time we spend is in our jam sessions and a local tavern.





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

-- Metal in India is rare. Only certain cities and in those cities, only certain places "may" have some metal music being played.
-- But the metal bands like us, here are striving for keeping metal alive in the country.
-- Seeing the names of Indian Metal Bands in greater charts of Metal bands across the world, will be a dream come true.
-- Us being one of those bands will be indeed, a part of that same dream.
-- I hope with this interview, people will learn more about Ragnhild as well as something that we call as "The Indian Metal Scene".

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Friday, April 19, 2019

Odious/Mirror Of Vibrations/Shaytan Productions/2019 Vinyl Re-Issue Review


  Odious  are  a  band  from  Egypt  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  mixture  of  melodic  black  metal,  Egyptian  and  Middle  Eastern  folk  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2007  album  "Mirror  Of  Vibrations"  which  was  re-issued  on  vinyl  in  2019  by  Shaytan  Productions.

  Middle  eastern  folk  music  instruments,  chanting  and  dancing  start  off  the  album  while  also  mixing  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times.  Synths  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  recording  while  the  whispered  vocals  also  give  the  songs  more  of  a  ritualistic  feeling  when  they  are  utilized.

  During  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  while  the  vocals  are mostly  grim  black  metal  screams.  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow, mid  paced and  fast  parts.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  music  also  has  its  symphonic  moments.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars  also  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while the  black  metal  side  of  the  music  seems  to  more  rooted  rooted  in  the  90's  style,  melodic chants  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  the  closing  track.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  past  leaders  of  Egypt,  philosophy,  mystery  and  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Odious  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic black  metal  with  elements  of  Egyptian  and  Middle  Eastern  folk  music,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Poems  Hidden  On  Black  Walls"  "Invitation  To  Chaotic  Revelation"  and  "Upon  The  Broken  Wings".  8/5  out  of  10.

www.shaytanproductions.com 

Monday, April 15, 2019

Ragnhild/Tavern Tales/2019 Full Length Review


  Ragnhild  are  a  band  from  India  that  plays  a  mixture  of  viking  and  melodic  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self released  2019  album  "Tavern  Tales".

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  being  introduced  onto  the  recording  a  few  seconds  later.  The  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  a  lot  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  during  the  faster  sections  of  the  music.

  Most  of  the music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  Swedish  style  while  back  up  viking  shouts  are  also  utilized  at  times.  Acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  on some  of  the  tracks  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  a  couple  of  songs  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  viking  ships  and  nature  sounds  along  with  the  closing  track  also  adding  in  folk  instruments.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  viking  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ragnhild  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  viking  and  melodic  blackened  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of t hose  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Vikings  Mosh"  "Battle  On  My  Grave"  "Glory  Of  Our  Mighty  King"  and  "Tavern  Tales". 8 out  of  10.

 'Under the Red Sky': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajQalepIw90

Stronghold: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tdiGe5Tg6c

 

    

Sunday, April 14, 2019

Last Wail/Forgotten/Stygian Crypt Productions/2019 CD Review


  Last  Wail  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk,  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Forgotten"  which  was  released  by  Stygian  Crypt  Productions.

  Epic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music.  The  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  some  grim  screams  that  also  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  Folk  instruments  are  also  mixed  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  one  track  also  introduces  acoustic  guitars  and  spoken  word  parts  into  the  music.  A  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  along  with  a  later  track  being  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  battles  and  magick  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Last  Wail  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  folk,  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Runes"  "Walking  Bird"  "DragonSlayer"  and  "Fallen  Mountain".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/Last-Wail-116698101689802/        

Heathe/On The Tombstones, The Symbols Engraved/Wolves And Vibrancy Records/2019 Full length Review


  Heathe  are  a  band  from  Denmark  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  drone,  sludge,  doom  metal  and  noise  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "On  The  Tombstones,  The  Symbols  Engraved"  which will be  released  in  May  by  Wolves  And  Vibrancy  Records.

  Drum  beats  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  slow  and  heavy  doom metal  riffing  a  few  seconds  later.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  tortured  black  metal  screams  while  the  only  track  on  this  album  is  over  38  minutes  in  length  along  with  the  music  also  capturing  an  improv  atmosphere.

  Horns  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  and  also  gives  the  song  more  of  an  avant  garde  feeling.  A  small  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  which  also  captures  the  heaviness  of  sludge  metal,  At  times  the  riffing  get  very  repetitive  sounding  along  with  the  same  riff  being  used  for  minutes  upon  minutes  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  influences  of  drone  and  noise  rock.

  Heathe  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  sludge,  drone,  doom  metal  and  noise  rock  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  when  they  are  utilized  cover  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Heathe  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  doom  metal,  drone  and  noise  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/heathedeath      

Thursday, April 11, 2019

Widower/Cataclysmic Sorcery/Black Market Metal Label/2019 CD Review


  Widower  are  a  band  from  Austin,  Texas  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  form  of  blackened  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Cataclysmic  Sorcery"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  black  Market  Metal  Label.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  music  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  thrash  metal  elements  as  well  as  some  death  metal  influences  also  being  used  at  times.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  old  school  style.  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  tremolo  picking  at  times  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  musical  influences  from  the  80's  up  to  the  modern  era  and  the  music  always  sticks  to  a  heavier  direction  along  with  the  last  track  being  long  and  epic  in  length.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Widower  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  and  blackened  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "House  Of  the  Lord"  "Bestial  Endowment"  "Tree  of  Ignorance"  and  "Forgotten  Realm".  8  out  of  10.

 widoweratx.bandcamp.com/track/ cosmic-holocaust