King/Coldest Of Cold/Indie Recordings/2019 CD Review

  King  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Coldest  Of  Cold"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Indie  Recordings.

  A  very  dark  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into a   heavier  direction  which  also  introduces  grim  black  metal  screams  onto  the  recording.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a great  use  of  blast  beats.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody  along  with  the  music  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  melodic  death  metal  elements.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  recording  and  the  music  also  adds  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  old  school  and  modern  influences  as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  clean  playing  onto  the  recording,  melodic  chants  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  life,  death  and  our  existence  as  a  part  of  the  universe.

  In  my  opinion  King  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  "Conqueror"  "One  More  War"  "Beyond  The  Exosphere'  and  "My  Master,  my  Sword,  My  Fire".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/cPrd2F1EYXU

Evangelion/Sacro Macello/Auric Records/2019 EP Review

  Evangelion  are  a  band  from  Switzerland  that  plays  a  very  old  school  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  ep  "Sacro  Macello"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Auric  Records.

  Fire  burning  sounds  and  bells  start  off  the  ep  while  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Folk  elements  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  most  of  the  vocals  being  grim  black  metal  screams.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  music  goes  back  to  the  90's  era  of  Swedish  black  and  death  metal.  Growls  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  along  with  the  tracks  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  which  also  gives  the  music  a  ritualistic  feeling  at  times  and  clean  singing  also  being  used  in  some  parts  of  the  tracks,  classical  guitars  and  synths  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  the  ep  also  closes  with  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  dealing  with  the  30's  Year  War.

  In  my  opinion  Evangelion  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  TRACK  "Sacro  Marcello".  8  out  of  10.

https://auricrecords.bandcamp.com/album/sacro-macello

Suidakra/Echoes Of Yore/MDD Records/2019 CD Review

  Suidakra  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  has  had  an  album  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  folk,  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Echoes  Of  Yore"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  MDD  Records.

  Nature  sounds  and  narrative  spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier and  melodic  musical  direction.  Vocals  are  mostly  black  metal  screams  along  with  some  clean  yet  rough  pagan  singing  also  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  some  folk  instruments  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  recording.

  The  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  elements  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  recording  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  medieval  feeling.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  During t he  faster  sections  of  the  songs  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard,  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  symphonic  elements  are  also  added  onto  the  recording.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Celtic  Mythology,  Arthurian  Legends,  and  Fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Suidakra  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  folk,  melodic  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Wartunes"  "Morrigan"  "Pendragon's  Fall"  and  "Lays  From  Afar".  8  out  of  10.

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ShadowThrone 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?

After album’s recording we started to search a new label for Elements’ Blackest Legacy .
We produced previously album Demiurge Of Shadow on nipponic Hidden Marly Prod / Zero Dimensional Records that was good for old album but now we needed for an european label . Sent promo album to a lot of labels but dutch Non Serviam Records answered us so fast and with so much interest for it  . This is great cause Non Serviam Records listened the full album and believed in our work . We knew it by occult metal band Darkend and Nazghor that personally I love . Signed for NSR and planned work and promotion . At moment we’re reading reviews and they are all excellent , working for live events and a new single composed by a cover song but prefer don’t say nothing before it come out .

2.Recently you have released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

Demiurge Of Shadow is our first full album with a different line-up and we were searching a sound .Past sound was very inspired by symphonic black metal albums like In The Nightside Eclipse by Emperor or Spiritual Black Dimension by Dimmu Borgir . Was my first work after ten years inside Theatres Des Vampires line-up so I wanted to get away from gothic scene and return to style close to me . Started with simple riffs and classic orchestral sound . After first album we started to write new material more heavy and less inspired , cutting orchestral sound and introducing sidereal and synth keyboards for a more cold and cosmic dimensions . It’s an album with different line-up and different attitude than years ago .

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?

At beginning was very simple to fall into lyrics about norse mitology cause now is trendy but I wanted music more close to cold and dark dimension like arctic sky during the night . Exploring a frozen peak under black stars and cold steel where there is no life , no gods but only disturbing silence . Elements’ Blackest Legacy is not a concept album but try to open the door on this dimensions through its atmospheric music and lyrics . Zilath’s lyrics
try to describe these sensations of darkness and crystallizing moons .

4.Some of your lyrics also touch on Satanism, Occult and Anti Christina themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the dark arts?

I think Satanism and Christianity is the same product generated in the name of mass control. Christianity and Church used devil icons to subject people and lands for their dirty purposes replacing the old pagan traditions but a great part of men were fascinated by evil icons cause
undoubtedly witchcraft and demons are more charming than angels and holy life . They are part of darkside of our mind and I’m interested to exploring any darkside . Generally we use word occult for something that we don’t understand or have explanation and we see a sinister side but how many phenomena of nature we can see and can’t understand? Part of men try to understand through dark arts or spiritual sensations .

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'ShadowThrone'?

It’s simple remind to Satyricon’s album The Shadowthrone . Probably for a little part that’s right but at beginning was imagining a throne into a cave inside a black mountain like in Lord Of The Rings book and decided for this name .

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

Elements’ Blackest Legacy artwork realized by occult artist Nestor Avalos that worked for Dark Funeral , Moonspell , Rotting Christ… It represents the pure elements of the earth like ice , fire , air and water . If you start from down to up you can see the colors change from red like fire to white/blu like ice with a flow of energy on mountain of skulls .

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?

We done good shows last years to promote Demiurge Of Shadow . I don’t remember if there is a best show cause every show was different and different feelings . Toured with Absu , Rotting Christ , Arcturus … and honored to play in front their crowd . Our show is a simple show with dark lights  and smoke without a theatrical performance . We like to go up on stage and play our songs so people can listen our music without show distractions . I think we play like a classical heavy metal band J

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

At moment we are guest at Ade’s Rise Of Empire released party on November 29th and confirmed at Black Winter Fest XII with Hellhammer , 1349 , Kampfar and other bands .on November 30th . We’re planning gigs and show for 2020 so we need to wait answers .

9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your newer music by fans of symphonic black metal?

Great ! Reviews are excellent and every day new fans follow the band page . Rates under the singles Path Of Decay and Black Dove Upon My Shoulder are good cause this is not like usually symphonic black metal inspired by Cradle Of Filth or Dimmu Borgir . We pushed inside new album our influences from old black metal to death metal passing for soundtrack and avantgarde atmosphere .

10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?

Francesco and Davide have their projects inside other bands like Deceptionist or Brvmak but I don’t know their upcoming events for these bands . Zilath was the singer of Etruscan black metal band called Voltumna and at moment he’s the Shadowthrone’s singer . About me I ‘ve an upcoming old black metal side-project  involved with members of two Italian black metal bands but prefer to talk about this when album will be complete .

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

I don’t know . I like to write new material everytime and now I’m writing new tracks .
Life can change in every moment .

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

I started to listen heavy metal when I went at school , very young , buying Ozzy Osbourne’s Speak Of The Devil vinyl cause the artwork was amazing . From there I started to listen the rest like Iron Maiden , Motley Crue , Metallica , King Diamond / Mercyful Fate but during 90’ I was reading about Bathory , Emperor , Mayhem , Darkthrone buying paper zines and ordering albums by mailorder (have original first press) . I think all these bands and many others inspired me for the rest of my musical life and part of style life . Listen metal music everyday finding new actually bands.

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

Thanks to A Different Shade Of Black Metal zine from ShadowThrone for interview and invite the reader to listen our old and new album following our page

www.facebook.com/shadowthrone

Kaamos Warriors/Shadows Of Northern Chaos/Inverse Records/2019 Full Length Review

  Kaamos  Warriors  are  a  duo  from  Finland  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  dark,  melancholic  and  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Shadows  Of  Northern  Chaos"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Inverse  Records.

  Melodic  guitar  leads  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.  The  riffs  also  utilize  a  lot  of  melody  along  with  the  vocals  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Symphonic  elements  are  also  added  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  while  one  song  also  introduces  black'n'roll  style  riffing  onto  the  album.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  with  the  average  being  under  3  minutes  along  with  the  death  metal  influences  being  utilized  a  lot  more  than  the  previous  release  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  classical  guitars  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  melancholy,  darkness,  winter  and  night  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  form  Kaamos  Warriors  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  dark,  melodic  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Chaos  Walks  The  Earth"  "Shadows  Of  Northern  Cross"  and  "Moon  And  Stars".  8  out  of  10.   

https://youtu.be/1dhrWNVmXsI 

  

Raven Legacy/Sol Invictus/2019 EP Review

  Raven  Legacy  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  ep  "Sol  Invictus".

  Operatic  female  vocals  start  off  the ep  along  with  some  symphonic  elements  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs. Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  while  death  metal  growls  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  when t he  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  during  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  choir  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  One  track  also  introduces  clean  playing  onto  the  recording  along  with  the  riffs  also  add  in a   decent  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style,  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.   The  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  mythology,  darkness  and  anti  religion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Raven  Legacy  are  a  very  great  sounding   symphonic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out t his  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Infernal  hearlad"  and  "Unconquered  Sun  Cult".  8  out  of  10.

buy digital/streaming : https://smarturl.it/listentoRavenLegacy

youtube channel "Sol Invictus" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6mJ0GFDIYc

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RavenLegacy.official/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raven_legacy_band/?hl=fr

       

Messora Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?



Z- Messora is a band that plays a seemingly non-identifiable subgenre of Metal, but we attach the label Progressive Death Metal for the sake of fitting somewhere. It’s pretty much a one-man band/solo project with me, Zach Dean, at the head of the project. The first live lineup was formed in early 2017.



2.Recently you have released a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?



Z- The style that we were going for was definitely within the “Progressive Death Metal” realm, but we weren’t trying to sound “Proggy” or like any particular prog band. I had lots and lots of ideas that I wanted to put into each song and lots of moods that I thought should be explored and touched on in each piece, which resulted in the record having many long, multi-faceted songs, and each song bringing a different atmosphere and mood to the whole. The idea was also always to be conceptual, in the traditional sense in terms of lyrical theme, but also musically by having each song fit perfectly with the others and creating an overarching work and not just a collection of songs.



3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored so far with your music?



Z- The Door is a concept album that explores the desire to escape from the world, how one achieves this escape and what one is running from in the first place. I think that many people can relate to this situation in a variety of ways, so the lyrics are fairly obscure and “big picture” rather than focused on a particular situation.



4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Messora'



Z- The name is extremely meaningless. I wanted to use the name Messorem, which is Latin for the word Reaper. There were already a few bands using that name, so I altered the word and that that it was fitting.



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



Z- The artwork was drawn by my sister Maya. She’s a phenomenal artist, and she’s only 17 years old. It’s meant to depict the “character” that the lyrics revolve around, the person wanting to escape. The figure is being pulled towards outside of the frame, representing the deep desire and pull that they feel to escape their world and be thrown into a different one.



6.The band started out as a solo project, what was the decision behind expanding into a full line up?



Z- I was playing in a band called Whispers in the Maze with Ben, our current bass player. I had asked him to record bass on an early version of the song The Door, and we were both so happy with the way that that song turned out that we decided that the project needed to expand into the live world, and not stay just a solo recording project. At the time the project didn’t have a name or anything behind it, but we completed the live lineup pretty quickly and it’s been going well ever since.



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



Z- Montréal has been very kind and welcoming to us. The band was originally formed in the Ottawa region but I’ve relocated the project here, and it’s been very nice here. The first time that we played at Piranha bar here in Montréal was extremely memorable. Everyone was so into it, the whole place was on fire. Rob the Witch from Necronomicon was there, and came up and congratulated all of us on our performance. I still see him wearing one of our shirts sometimes. More recently, we played our release show for The Door at a place called O Patro Vys. It’s a smaller venue but it has a cool vibe and we packed the place. It was super satisfying, everyone had great things to say about the show and the album, and the atmosphere was full of love and support.



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



Z- Unfortunately the current live lineup is not extremely well equipped or touring, so we’re not going to be able to hit as many cities as I would have liked to. We did our release show in Montréal, and at the moment we’ve got Pembroke and Ottawa coming up, with a possible date in North Bay as well. The touring will definitely get more intensive in 2020.



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



Z- I honestly don’t know whether I want to work with a label in the future. I am planning on doing a bit of “label shopping” for our next release, but my decision to work with a label will come down to the type of deal that we get. As it stands working independently is going very well for us, so I would need to be offered a beneficial deal in order to want to give up this independence.



10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of extreme metal?



Z- The record has been receiving a lot more attention internationally than I had initially expected. We’ve had Bandcamp sales in Poland, Slovenia, Mexico, Japan, the US, and the Netherlands to name a few. Most of our Spotify listeners are also American rather than Canadian, which I found surprising. It’s cool to see, I really didn’t expect the record to reach this far after having been released for not even two weeks. The record has also been reviewed by many foreign publications, and always positively.



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



Z- I have plenty of ideas for the future of Messora, and I think we’re going to have a heavily varied discography in the coming years. I think it’s going to get more experimental and progressive, and at the same time more simple and streamlined. I think it’s going to stay generally conceptual. The Door is already fairly out there and challenging, so I don’t feel that we’ve painted ourselves into a corner musically or anything like that. I think that those who enjoy our debut will be along for the ride for wherever we go in the future. I’m very excited to see what we come up with.



12.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?



Z- The bands that I listened to the most when I was getting into the heavier side of metal, around the time that I was 15ish, were Slayer, Opeth, Lamb of God, Children of Bodom and Whitechapel. I think that naturally your first influences are often the ones that stick with you the most. I don’t think that our music sounds like any one of these bands at all, but you can absolutely hear the influence there. I’ve obviously discovered and fell in love with countless bands since then, but I feel like these five bands are the foundation of what I do in terms of heavy music. Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of old Prog, namely Emerson, Lake and Palmer, King Crimson and Camel. It’s crazy to me how out there these bands wanted to be and how far they wanted to push Rock music. I’ve also been interested in simpler and more textural music, like Swans and the latest Daughters album.



13.What are some of your non musical interests?



Z- I like reading quite a bit, fictional novels as well as comic books. I’ll usually try to discover new books by buying ones that seem interesting for super cheap at thrift stores. Sometimes I’ll find an absolute gem (The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran comes to mind), but sometimes I end up loathing what I’ve gotten myself into and just want to finish it so I can move onto something else (Twilight of The Idols by Nietzche, total wankery). I’ve recently been enjoying bouldering with my friends as well, but that takes a toll on my arms and makes it difficult to play guitar so I don’t really see myself becoming a climber any time soon.



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



Z- Go listen to The Door! It was extremely satisfying for us to make it and I’m extremely proud of the album. Go read the lyrics while you’re at it.

Thanks a lot

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