Bofo Kwo/Legend Of A Cannibal King/2017 EP Review

  Bofo  Kwo  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  with  some  elements  of  tradsitioanl  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  ep  "Legend  Of  A  Cannibal  King".

  A  very  dark  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  ep  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  musical  direction.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  music  also  mixes  the  symphonic  elements  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  as  well  as  some  touches  of  traditional  rock  also  being  used  at  times.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  Death  metal elements  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  recording  along  with  a  couple  of  tracks  also  introducing  clean  playing,  female  vocals,   spoken  word  parts  and  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  ep  and  a  couple  of  songs  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  most  of  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  era  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  cannibalism,  death,  power,  devastation,  war,  space  travel  and  violence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Bofo  Kwo  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  mixture  of  black,  death  metal  and  traditional  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Enduring  The  Smell  Of  Burning  Flesh"  and  "Black  Unicorn".  8  out  of  10.

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Misanthropic Aggression/Alcoholic Polyneuropathetic Freaks In Hell/Boris Records/2020 EP Review

  Misanthropic  Aggression  are  a  band  from  Atlanta,  Georgia  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  thrash,  death,  doom  metal,  d  beat  and  crust  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  ep  "Alcoholic  Polyneuropathetic  Freaks  In  Hell"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Boris  Records.

  Spoken  word  samples  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into a   heavier  direction  while  elements  of  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  music.  D  beats  are  also  utilized  at  times  while  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  thrash  metal  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  blackened  metal  screams.

  Death  metal  growls  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  old  school  style.  Tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  all  of  the  instruments  also  have  a  very powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  touches  of  crust  also  being  added  into  some  pars  of  the  recording.

  On  this  ep  Misanthropic  Aggression  remains  true  to  the  mixture  of  black, doom,  death,  thrash  metal,  d  beat  and  crust  that  they  established  on  their  previous  release.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  alcohol,  depression  and  sociopathology  themes.
 
  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding recording  from  Misanthropic  Aggression  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  doom,  death,  thrash  metal,  d  beat  and  crust,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Blacklisted".  8  out  of  10.

https://borisrecords.bandcamp.com/album/alcoholic-polyneuropathic-freaks-in-hell 

  

Vortex Unit/The Bringer Of Sun/Slovak Metal Army/2020 CD Review

  Vortex  Unit  are  a  band  from  Slovakia  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "The  Bringer  Of  Sun"  which  was  released  by  Slovak  Metal  Army.

  A  very  dark  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  female  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs.  Death  metal  growls  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  also  adds  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.  Black  metal  growls  are  also  brought  into  some  parts  of  the  music  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  stringed  instruments  and  classical  music  elements  onto  the  recording  as  well as  the  music  also  bringing  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  modern  and  old  school  influences,  some  of  the  faster  riffing  also  adds  in  tremolo  picking  and  as  the  album  progresses  an  instrumental  is  also  added  onto  the  recording  and  a  later  song  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vortex  Unit  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  "Into  The  Saturnine  Realm"  "I  Speak  With  Verity"  "Visions"  and  "The  Fall  Of  The  Gilded  City".  8  out  of  10.

http://vortexunit-sma.bandcamp.com

Thy Despair/The Song Of Desolation/Rockshots Music/2020 CD Review

  Thy  Despair  are  a  band  from  Ukraine  that  plays  a  dark  mixture  of  black,  gothic,  doom,  symphonic  and  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "The  Song  Of  Desolation"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Rockshots  Music.

  A  very  heavy  and  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  Female  goth  metal  style  vocals  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  along  with  some  blackened  metal  screams  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  songs.

  Elements  of  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  while  keyboards  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  used  briefly.

  Touches  of  melodic  death  metal  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  clean  goth  male  vocals  and  growls  onto  album  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of clean  playing  can  also  be  heard,  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  most  of  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction.  The   production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  Ukrainian  and  English  and  cover the  war  in  Eastern  Europe.

  In  my  opinion  Thy  Despair  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark  mixture  of  black,  gothic,  doom,  symphonic  and  melodic  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sabbath"  "War' "Army  Of  Dead"  and  "Ghost  Rider".  8  out  of  10.

Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2xr4gDj
YouTube - https://youtu.be/oiH0ATAy_Y4 

Facebook.com/thydespairInstagram.com/thydespair   

Warlust/Unearthing Shattered Philosophies/Dying Victims Productions/2020 CD Review

  Warlust  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Unearthing  Shattered  Philosophies"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Dying  Victims  Productions.

  A  very  dark  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  while  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  synths  and  clean  playing  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very melodic  style.  The  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of Swedish  influences  along  with  the  tracks  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Vocals  are  mostly  blackened  metal  screams  along  with  the  music  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  death  and  thrash  metal  elements.  Most  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  but  still  captures  a  modern  atmosphere  as  well  as  couple  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  they  both  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  classical  gutiars.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occultism,  War,  Devastation  and  Torture  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Warlust  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Burning  Eyes  Of  Satan"  "In  The  Shadow  Of  The  Alchemyst"  and  "To  Fall  Aprt".  8  out  of  10.

"My final Sacrifice":

Oath Of Damnation/Fury And Malevolence/Gore House Productions/2020 CD Review

  Oath  Of  Damnation  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  a  virtuoso  and  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review of  their  2020  album  "Fury  And  Malevolence"  which  will  be  released  on  March  13th  by  Gore  House  Productions.


  A  very  dark  sounding  interlude  starts  off  the  album  while  classical  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  some  keyboards  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.

   Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  demonstrating  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  symphonic  sounding  as  well  as  a  couple  of  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  music  also  having  its  technical  moments,  all  of  the musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  one  track  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the lyrics  cover  darkness  and  blasphemy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Oath  OF  Damnation  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  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  "The  Abortuary"  "In  Death's  Dominion"  and  "I  Curse  Thee,  O"  Lord!".  8  out  of  10.

www.facebook.com/OathOfDamnation 

https://youtu.be/ZYMu1RJ-vNE

Khôra Interview

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

KHÔRA was formed in Budapest around 2012-2013 when I was still doing my degree, but when I moved to Germany in 2015, was when I started to develop my old ideas and in 2016 I managed to release a small Demo



I have played drums in bands in the past, but always wanted to compose my own music and develop my own ideas and structure of music composition.



2.In April you have your first full length coming out, musically how does it differ from your previous demo?

The demo that I released in 2016 was a bit more simple in terms of genre, it’s a bit more traditional atmospheric black metal, without vocals and without bass, as I didn’t have Kranos and Lars at that stage yet.



3.This is also your first release since 2014, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?

This is the first release since 2016, not 2014.
Since 2016 I have moved to Ireland and from 2017 was busy settling and composing music, I wasn’t rushing the debut, I kinda let it cook on small fire, then in 2018 I had a bit more time and things sped up in terms of recording and production, and eventually looking for a label after the album was fully done.



4.The lyrics on the new album are also inspired by the writings of Plato, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in his work?

Yes I think the centre of intellectual progress came from Greece, at least philosophically, and astronomy always fascinated me so my ideas are kind of a combination of the two



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

It’s a metaphysical idea of being and non-being, think of it as a formless interval, where the non physical essences are held



6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
The story is about how to universe was created, three alien races/deities create the universe for man, the lyrics talk about the corruption of the mind, the purpose of life, future of the human race and existence.



7.Originally the band started out as a solo project, what was the decision behind expanding into a full band?

I wanted to represent my music properly, and for that I would have to add vocals, bass and the rest of it, I knew that the next step from the Demo is a debut and for that to happen it wasn’t enough to just have a full-length, but a properly recorded album, I was then lucky enough to find brilliant musicians such as Kranos on vocals and Lars on bass with whom I share the same passion for music and we mostly listen to similar bands, which makes it easier to organize everything


8.Has the band done any live shows or is this strictly a studio project?

Not yet, we all live in different countries, I’m in Ireland, Kranos in Greece, Lars in Norway, Dan and Wayne are the two new Orchestra/Effects guys from the U.S.A, and the last member to join is Kjetil from Norway on Orchestrations and Keyboards.

I am however trying to get people within Ireland who may want to play my music and gig locally, to start with at least, I got a few interests and some recruitment is under way at present.


9.On the new album you also have a few guests, can you tell us a little bit more about who they are and also their contributions to the recording?

There are quite a few guests yes, many different keyboard players appear on Timaeus because I couldn’t find a permanent member/s at the time.
I suppose the most known guest members would be Henri Sorvali from Finntroll/Moonsorrow who did Keyboards on one song.
Vicotnik from Dødheimsgard on vocals on one song.
Antti from And Oceans on keyboards.
Frederic from Orakle on vocals on two songs, plus his tips around recording were paramount.
Arn from Deathcode Society on vocals on one track
Erlend Antonsen from Quadrivium on Keyboards and a few others...


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

So far we’ve only released one single but the reactions were extremely positive and everyone has been very interested in getting their hands(or ears) on more songs so it means a lot, especially as it’s the debut, and I am mostly a drummer.



11.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/

Kranos has a few projects, Savaoth is his own solo project which I personally listened to before knowing Kranos, and Arkhangelsk is his black metal band, they had an EU tour recently.
Lars is playing in Dødheimsgard which includes gigging around the world and also his project with his brother called INI, which is an amazing project and I highly recommend everyone to check it out.
Wayne and Dan play gigs and record with Wilderun, hopefully they have a gig in europe so we can meet!
Kjetil plays in Profane Burial, Haimad and in his own solo project called Hogstul, really good stuff


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

I think we will play more or less around this genre, but we will see, there is a concept for the next album already, but now we focus on releasing Timaeus


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?

A variety of stuff obviously, but to name a few, I’d say Mayhem, Emperor, Dødheimsgard, Keep of Kalessin etc...

Oleg: nowadays I listen to Avslut, Nordjevel, Genesis.. yes yes.
Kranos: Ihsahn, Leprous and lots of Greek-Eastern-Balkan folk music😊
Lars: Corpo-Mente, Bölzer, Poppy
Wayne: Gorod, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Devin Townsend
Dan: Dark Fortress, Finntroll, Death Grips
Kjetil: Slagmaur, Burzum, Mayhem


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

We are humbled by your support, thank you!

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