Saturday, June 15, 2019

Seraph In Travail/Lest They Feed Upon Your Soul/2019 Full Length Review


  Seraph  In  Travail  are  a  band  from  Pennsylvania  that  plays  a  symphonic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2019  album  "Lest  They  Feed  Upon  Your  Soul".

  Choirs  and  symphonic  elements  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music.  During  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  both  modern  and  old  school  elements  along  with  most  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  one  of  the  tracks  also  introducing  female  vocals  onto  the  recording.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Seraph  In  Travail  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "At  The  Stormed  Shore  Of  Heaven"  "In  Frostbitten  Moonlight"  and  "The  Tide  I  Could  Not  Turn".  8  out  of  10.

https://seraphintravail.bandcamp.com/album/lest-they-feed-upon-your-soul

  

Friday, June 14, 2019

Anticosm/The Call Of The Void/Hell Kill Destroy Records/2019 Full Length Review


  Anticosm  are  a  band  from  New  Jersey  and  on  this  recording  goes  for  more  of  a  mixture  of  melodic  black,  traditional  metal  and  thrash'n'roll  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "The  Call  Of  The  Void"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Hell  Kill  Destroy  Records.

  Avant  garde  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  musical  direction.  The  solos  and  leads  also  utilizing  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  the  faster  sections  of   the  music  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  elements  of  thrash ,  traditional  metal  and  rock  music.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  one  track  also  introduces  a  brief  use  of  classical  guitars  onto  the  recording  and  death  emtal  growls  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music.

  On  this  recording  Anticosm  takes  the  black  emtal  side  of  their  music  into  more  of  a  melodic  direction  while  also  keeping  elements  of  thrash,  traditional  metal  and  rock  music  that  where  present  on  their  previous  recording.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Anticosm  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black,  thrash,  heavy  metal  and  rock  music,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Viral"  "Call  Of  the  Void"  "Behold  the  Venom  Crystals"  and  "Never  Enough".  8  out  of  10.

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Sunday, June 9, 2019

Tenebra Arcana/Martiri dell 'odio/Vacula Productions/2019 Full Length Review


  Tenebra  Arcana  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Martini  dell  'odio"  which  was  released  by  Vacula  Productions.

  Symphonic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  they  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music.  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  before  evolving  into  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  The  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  music  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  90's  influences.

  Chants  can  also  be  heard  briefly as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  the  keyboards  also  bring  in  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Italian  and  cover  darkness,  apocalypse,  gloom  and  melancholy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Tenebra  Arcana  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Martini  dell  'odio"  "Santa  Morte"  and  "Dolor  Aeternum".  8  out  of  10.


    

Heather Wasteland/Tre Sverd/2019 Maxi Single Review


  Heather  Wasteland  are  an international project  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  pagan  form  of  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2019  maxi  single  "Tre  Sverd"  which  also  contains  4  different  versions  of  the  same  track.

  Nature  orientated  soundscapes  and  battle  sounds  start  off  the  single  before  adding  some  folk  instruments  onto  the  recording  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  done  in  a  clean  style.

  Spoken  word  parts recorded by Mortiis  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  the  re-mixed  version  of  the  song  also  captures  the  atmosphere  of  a  fantasy  movie  or  television  show  soundtrack  along  with  some  elements  of  electronic  music.  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  one  version  being  an  acoustic  version  in  Russian  and  they  close  the  maxi  single  with  an  instrumental  version  of  the  same  song.

  On  this  recording  Heather  Wasteland  expands  on  their  pagan/folk  metal  style  by  adding  in  vocals  and  also  doing  4  different  versions  of  the  same  track.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  Norse  Paganism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Heather  Wasteland  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  pagan  and  folk  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  maxi  single.  8  out  of  10.
https://heatherwasteland.bandcamp.com/album/tre-sverd-maxi-single





  

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Postumo Lumbre/Empirikkal/Australis Records/2019 CD Review

Postumo  Lumbre  are  a  band  from  Chile  that  plays  a  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Empirikkal"  which  was  released  by  Australis  Records.



  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  being  introduced  into  the  music  a  few  seconds  later.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.



  Black  metal  screams  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  style.



  Chants  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  a  ritualistic  feeling  while  some  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  songs  also  add  in a   good  mixture  of  both  modern  and  old  school  influences  and  a  couple  of  tracks  also  introduces  clean  playing onto  the  recording.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Spanish  and  cover  sadness  and  solitude  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Postumo  Lumbre  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lacerad"  "Fascinacion  Interfectuz"  and  "Manos  Postumas".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/postumolumbre.talca/    

Friday, June 7, 2019

Antartandes/Illvsio Machina/Australis Records/2019 EP Review


  Antartandes  are  a  band  from  Chile  that  plays  a  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  ep  "Illvsio  Machina"  which  will  be  released  in  July  by  Australis  Records.

  Ritualistic  spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  musical  direction.  At  times  the  vocals  sound  very  deep  while  synths  and  symphonic  elements  are  also  mixed  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  and  after  awhile  black  metal  screams  are  added  onto  the  recording.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Antartandes  plays  a  style  of  black  emtal  that  is  very  dark,  symphonic  and  melodic  sounding.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  Luciferian, Occultism,  Battles  and  Death  themes.

In  my  opinion  Antartandes  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of t his  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out t his  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lucifer  Arquetipo  Acorporeo"  and  "This  Is  The  Flame".  8  out  of  10.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcwHeh5hb7k&fbclid=IwAR0Y7Glz9dkc6xr3TYF2CXXjwpv9HRtf66UQSIZijSRcMvRgXJ6uI2xzydQ&app=desktop    

Thursday, June 6, 2019

Tyrmfar 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?
We played 5 shows in Germany and Switzerland. Managing digital distribution and our new brand merch. The release party will be the 22 of June in Martigny.

2. You have a new album coming out in June, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
The diversity of the riffs is even more noticeable in this new album. Indeed, these are more sought-after and correspond as closely as possible to the style we want to make appear.
We have also the sound quality that we want.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored so far with the music?
In this album the lyrics are talking about how and why the humankind is destroying itself. It talks about chaos and desolation. It’s a kind of story who follows the track number. It starts with the arrival of evil forces and ends with the end of the world.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Tyrmfar'?
It’s a secret ;)

5. Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
We asked our friend from Venezuela, John Quevedo Janssens, to draw the artwork for our new album. We send him a description of what we wanted and what the albums talks about and he did this awesome painting for us. We’re really satisfied about that.

6. What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Last year we played on the second stage of the Metaldays. It was such a great experience. We also played at the mighty Z7 in Pratteln.
On stage we’re all full of energy, headbanging the most we can and trying to give our best performance on each show. For all of us it’s always exciting to play a show, wherever it is.

7. Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
We have 3 shows planned in Germany and 2 in Switzerland. Other shows will be soon confirmed for France, Germany and Italy. No touring yet.

8. Currently the band is signed to 'MTAF Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
MTAF is the 2nd label of our friend Asterix. The first one, Asgaard Hass, being intended for black metal projects, so the 2nd label has been created to allow other bands in other kinds of metal to be under a label.

9. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
Pretty well. I mean, we’re not a big band but we sold our merch worldwide and we have good feeedbacks all around the world. For the new album, we have pre orders in England, Ireland, Denmark, Canada, Germany and Switzerland.

10. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We will continue to compose in the same vein as our last two albums because that is what makes Tyrmfar so strong. Trying to improve the diversity of the riffs, the quality of the lyrics and the structure of the songs.

11. What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and what are you listening to nowadays?
Most of the people will tell you Amon Amarth but they are wrong. We are mainly influenced by bands like Kataklysm, At the Gates or Hypocrisy for the Death Metal parts of our music and inspired by Sargeist, Angantyr, Imperium Dekadenz… for the Black Metal passage.

12. What are some of your non musical interests?
We live in the South of Switzerland, in the mountains.. so we all like hiking and enjoy the wilderness with beers or some wine and good stuff. I think it’s part of our music influences too.

13. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
First thanks for the opportunity to write those few words and express ourselves.
We are extremely motivated and we already working on the next album. It will probably be recorded at the beginning of next year.
Cheers.

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