Friday, June 21, 2019

Allone/Allone.../Aesthetic Death/2019 CD Review


  Allone  are  a  duo  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  avant  garde  black,  dark  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Allone..."  which  was  released  by  Aesthetic  Death.


  Wood  burning  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  slow,  melodic  and  heavy  musical  direction  which  also  introduces  elements  of  dark  and  doom  metal  onto  the  recording.  Synths  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  and  all  of  the  instruments  sound  very  powerful.

  All  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  clean  vocals  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  an  avant  garde  feeling.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Classical  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  the  album  closes  with  an  instrumental,  towards  the  end  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  isolation  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Allone  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  avant  garde  black,  dark  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out t his  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Challenge  To  The  Dark"  and  "Ruins".  8  out  of  10.

https://allone2018.bandcamp.com/releases


Thursday, June 20, 2019

Seraph In Travail Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
-We're just three guys trying to write the most powerful songs that we can. There's nothing special about us individually, so we try to create something greater than the sum of its parts.

2.Recently you have released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
- Lest They Feed Upon Your Soul is really just a maturation of the sound we've been building for years now. More speed, more tech, more atmosphere, more melody.

3.This is your first album since 2015 can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during that time frame?
-Most of this album was written and recorded before the end of 2017. I couldn't finish the lyrics to most of the songs even after the music was recorded. Nothing seemed good enough. The rest of the guys jumped in to help me and we finished it. Part of the time we were just obsessing over the mix and master which we did ourselves. We learned a lot in the process and have committed ourselves to releasing something every year from here on out.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored over the years with your music?
-The main themes: death, dying, the inevitability of death, and of course, being dead. I've found that to think often and well of death builds a firm and lovely frame in which to view the life held therein.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Seraph In Travail'?
-In highschool my buddy Wes played guitar with me; at a practice he said I sounded like an angel giving birth. The phrase struck a chord with me. Later it went through a thesaurus and came out as Seraph In Travail; it's now more of a mascot name than anything.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
-Ollie Gill is a tattoo artist/composer/guitarist from Ireland. His band is called The Blessing Way. I've been following his art and music online for awhile, and I realized he would probably be able to hear the music and represent it visually. I was right. All I told him is I wanted to see a warrior with his back toward the viewer, facing down a massive evil force.

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
-Our best shows have been since Mike Shaw took over on drums in 2016. He's a dyed-in-the-wool death metal drummer who leaves nothing to chance. We've really only ever played locally, but our best shows were at the Whiskey Tango and the Trocadero in Philadelphia, both of which are closed now RIP. We try to use movement and facial expression make the show a convicted communication of the music rather than a recitation.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
-We will continue to play locally for now; further out, if the album is decently well-received, we'll look at options to do our first tour as a buy-on situation rather than book it ourselves.

9.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
-There was some marginal interest from a few newer labels after our first album, nothing since this last album. We're not really out shopping either. If somebody wants to come in and can help us do specific, objective things that we cant do for ourselves we'll consider it, otherwise we'll just keep making music at our pace.

10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black, death and symphonic metal?
-Hard to gauge from where I stand. Seems like a few diehards are really into it just from what I can see on the comments. It seems like the video for Temptress has alot of views. I'm looking forward to getting some critical reviews.

11.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
- Dan is working on a solo project which is mainly finalizing unfinished material from his last band. He's considered doing it as a Seraph album. Mike has done fill-in tours with Grave Gnosis and session drums with Nakhiel, hes also studying for a degree in music so he's playing all the time. I filled in with Malphas for a few months until they got a full time bassist.

12.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future? -Were working on two things now, one is probably going to be an EP full of covers of classical music in tech death style: Bach, Vivaldi, etc. The other is a concept album on which we're trying to create a more soundtrack feel and sharpen our rhythmic edge.

13.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? Obviously classical music is a big player for us. My greatest phobia is plagiarism, so if I hear a great song I try not to listen to it often. That said, I've recently listened to Abiotic, the Kennedy Veil, Angelseed, Since The Fire, and Erciyes Fragment (!) ...do yourself a favor.

14.What are some of your non musical interests?
-Science and math. I used to love sci-fi, but the -fi part just got boring. So I'm back in school. Every day is like the one good part in a movie where they explain the hypothetical ideas or drop words you want to look up.

15.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
-We appreciate the opportunity to do these questions. To the reader, thanks for giving our music a chance. If it means something to you please give it to someone else.

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Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Tovarish/If The War Comes Tomorrow/Argonauta Records/2019 CD Review


Tovarish  are  a  band  from  Providence,  Rhode  Island  that  plays  a  mixture  of  experimental,  noise,  drone,  dark  ambient, black,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "If  the  War  Comes  Tomorrow"  which  will  be  released  in  July  by  Argonauta  Records.



  Spoken  word  samples  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies.  A  touch  of  black  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  screams  along  with  some  ambient  style  synths  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music.



  Elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  while  harsh  noises  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  songs.  Spoken  word  samples  are  also  brought  onto  some  of  the  later  tracks  as  well  as  one  song  also  introducing  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  recording.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  avant  garde  and  experimental  sounding  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  As  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of field  recordings,  female  vocals  and  demonic  growls  can  also  be  heard,  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  Soviet  era  Communism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Tovarish  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  experimental,  noise,  drone,  dark  ambient, black,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "They  Know"  "Silver  And  Lead"  From  Trench  To  Triumph"  and  "If  The  War  COmes  Tomorrow".  8  out  of  10.

https://tovarish.bandcamp.com

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