Friday, March 21, 2025

Morningstvr/A Fate Engraved/2025 Full Length Review

 


  Morningstvr  are  solo  project  from  the  United  States  that  plays  a  synth  orientated  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  release  2025  album  "A  Fate  Engraved"  which  will  be  released  in  June.


  Battle  horns  start  off  the  album  before  introducing  epic  sounding  synths  which  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  all  of  the  drum  beats  are  also  programmed  while  the  music  also  captures  a  very  lo-fi  atmosphere  and  all  of  the  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.


  The  album  also  has  its  atmospheric  moments  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  mix  of  both  old  school  and  modern  influences.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  some  blast  beats  also  being  utilized  on  a  couple  of  tracks  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up,    spoken  words  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  album  as well  as  one  song  also  being  an  instrumental  and  most  of  the  recording  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction.


  Morningstar  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  mid  tempo,  epic  and  synth  orientated.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  medieval  lore,  ancient  battles  and  fallen  empires.


  In  my  opinion  Morningstvr  are  a  very  great  sounding  synth  orientated  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Beyond  The  Cold  Wastes"  "When  Mountains  Behold  Tombs  Of  Nine"  "Her  Eyes  In  Winter  Fog"  and  "Whispers  of  Nameless  Fear".  8  out  of  10.


   https://youtu.be/5sztPKjZ42E

https://linktr.ee/morningstvr        

Lhaäd/Beyond/Amor Fati Productions/2025 Full Length Review

 


     Lhaäd  are  a  solo  project  from  Belgium  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  goes  for  a  hadopelagic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2025  album  "Beyond"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Amor  Fati  Productions.


  Dark  soundscapes  and  field  recordings  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  playing  a  few  seconds  later.  Whispers  can  be  heard  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  which  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  a  raw  feeling


  Vocals are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  while  the  synths  also  give  the  music  more  of  an  atmospheric  feeling  while  also  introducing  elements  of  ambient.  All  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  album  also  having  its  cosmic  moments,  spoken  words  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  of  tracks  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.


  On  this  recording  Lhaäd  expands  on  the  hodepelagic  style  of  black  metal  that  he  had  introduced  on  previous  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while t he  lyrics  cover  the  ocean  and  the  dark  abyss.


  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Lhaäd  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric,  ambient  and  cosmic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Beyond  II"  and  "Beyond  VI".  8  out  of  10.


  www.facebook.com/thenoxentity       

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Grey Aura/Zwart vierkant: Slotstuk/Avantgarde Music/2025 Full Length Review

 


  Netherlands's  Grey  Aura  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  very  atmospheric  and  avant  garde  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2025  album  "Zwart  vierkant:  Slotstuk"  which  will  be  released  on  march  28th  by  Avantgarde  Music.


  A  very  heavy  yet  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  and  avant  garde  sounding  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats  which  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  a  raw  feeling.


  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  spoken  words  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  album.  Harsh  vocals  are  done  in  more  of  an  angry  black  metal  style  mixed  in with  a  touch  of  hardcore  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  recording  also  has  its  atmospheric  moments.


  A  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  post  metal  style  when  they  are  utilized,  clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  on  a  few  songs  as  well  as  some  clear  chants  also  being  used  briefly  and  wind  instruments  are  also  introduced  on  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  based  upon  the  second  half  of  Ruben  Wij'acker's  novel  "De  protodood  in  zwarte  haren".


  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  decent  sounding  recording  from  Grey  Aura  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  avant  garde  and  atmospheric  post  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS   INCLUDE  " Daken  als  kiezen"  "Opgehangen  afgrond"  and  "Slotstuk".  7/5  out  of  10.


  https://www.facebook.com/greyaura3

https://greyaura3.bandcamp.com      


     

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Satan's Sigh/Impaled Nazereno/Murder Records/2025 Full Length Review

 


  Satan's  Sigh  are  a  band  from  Brazil  that  plays  an  old  school  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2025  album  "Impaled  Nazareno"  which  was  released b y  Murder  Records.


  Demonic  voices  and  ritualistic  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  vocals  also  bring  in  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  old  school style  and  blast  beats  are  also  added  into  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.


  A  lot  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  and  early  90's  while  the  tremolo  picking  in  the  fast  riffing  also  gives  the  album  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffs  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.


  The  album  also  adds  in  elements  of  thrash  metal  at  times  along  with   the  recording  also  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  classic  underground  Brazilian  style,  synths  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  English  and  Portuguese  and  cover  Satanism,  Darkness,  Evil  and  Anti  Christianity  themes.


  In  my  opinion  Satan's  Sigh  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  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  "Eternal  Evil"  "Primitive  Future"  and  "...Impaled  Nazareno".  8 out  of  10.


  

linktr.ee/satanssigh            

Flagg/Diabolical Bloodlust/Purity Through Fire/2025 Full Length Review

 


  Flagg  are  a  duo  from  Finland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  fast,  melodic  old  school  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2025  album  "Diabolical  Bloodlust"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Purity  Through  Fire.


  Melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams   while  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  era  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody. 


  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  keyboards  can  also  be  heard  at  times.  The  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  the  music  focuses  more  on  the  classic  European  style. 


  On  this  recording  Flagg  goes  for  more  of  a  fast,  melodic  and  raw  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  90's  tradition.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  darkness,  misanthropy  and  anti  religion  themes.


  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Flagg  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  and  old  school  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Storming  The  Gates"  "The  Book  Of  Death"  and  "Omega  Dawn".  8  out  of  10.


  www.facebook.com/flagg.official 

Svartsyn/Vortex of The Destroyer/NoEvDia/2025 Full Length Review

 


  Sweden's  Svartsyn  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  very  fast  and  aggressive  style  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2025  album  "Vortex  Of  The  Destroyer"  which  will b e  released  on  march  28th  by  NoEvDia.


 A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.  Some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  angry  sounding  black  metal  screams.


  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  Throughout  the  album  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  recording  also  bringing  in  a  more  up  to  date  approach  to  an  old  school  style.


  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  along  with  one  track  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  demonic  voices  as  well  as  the  whole  album  also  sticking  to  a  heavier  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  Atlantis,  Norse  Mythology,  Promethean,  Satanism,  Luciferian,  Death  Worship  and  Darkness  themes.


  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Svartsyn  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  fast  and  aggressive  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dwelling  In  the  Dark  Golden  Age"  "The  Prometheus  Of  Dark  Dreams"  "Agents  Of  Lightbearers"  and  "Offerings  Of  Darkness".  8  out  of  10.


  www.facebook.com/svartsyn666   


  

Sunday, March 16, 2025

Nattfly Interview

 


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

Nattfly is my solo black metal project, based on distorted and clean violins. The debut album “Sånger för den kalla modern” (”Songs for the Cold Mother”) was released digitally 2023, but the idea for the album had been brewing for many years. To get the album re-released in tape format by War Productions feels like the end of a cycle, a physical honouring of the cold mother and a tangible ground to stand on as I prepare for new rituals.



2.So far you have released one full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

Ever since the late 90s when I first encountered the sound of second wave Black Metal, I have had this vision of the fragile acoustic violin alone in a harsh world of heavy distortion. In “Sånger för den kalla modern” I experimented with layers of distorted violins, harsh vocals and classic black metal drum patterns to build that world. I wanted a forest, a wild sacred space for ritual and transformation. The clean violin brings vulnerability to that space, an openness to listen and receive.


3.On the album you also use a electric violin as a lead instrument on the album, what was the decision behind avoiding traditional metal instruments on the recording?

I use only acoustic violin. The distortion is added to the acoustic recordings in the DAW, usually simultaneously with the recording so I can monitor the effect just like with an electric guitar. I have an electric violin and made my first attempts to create the sound of Nattfly with it together with a physical distortion pedal many years ago, but the sound was not right. It sounded tinny and artificial, flat. The forest did not grow. When many years later, as technology had developed, I experimented with recording my violin through a microphone and distort it with a plugin it sounded chaotic and wild. Then I knew it was the right way to go. After that I have refined the sound with a microphone made for violin and by changing my style of playing to produce the right kind of depth and texture. 

It was not a decision to avoid traditional metal instruments. The decision was to find a way to express my inner world through black metal even though I don’t play guitar. Since those first encounters with black metal in the 90s I felt this flow of liberation, something that is touched and set free deep inside me. Nothing else has the same effect. There are emotional and spiritual layers in me that can only be expressed through black metal. 

I actually tried to teach myself to play guitar back in the day, but it took away practice time from my violin, so I had to make a choice. The violin has so many similarities to the guitar, it felt natural to me that many of the sounds produced by a guitar should also be possible to do with a violin. But it was difficult to accomplish, especially since the vision I had was so precise and needed that special texture. If guitar had been my instrument I would have made my debut album 25 years ago. But of course, it would have been different.


4.A lot of your lyrics cover animistic rituals, spiritual struggles and nightmares, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

Animism is the belief or the knowing of possible spiritual essence and agency in everything, the competence of detecting and communicating with these essences and the practice of seeking balanced relationships with spirited surroundings. 

My animism is more intuitive than intellectual. I feel the presence of other than human entities, the personhood of trees and rocks and waters, and it comes natural to me to strive for a respectful encounter. If a stream talks to me, I will try to listen. When I step on the ground I try to be mindful of the spirit I am treading on. With openness to recognize personhood in other than human entities there is the potential for relationship and communication, friendship or diplomacy. With this attitude, and some practices that tear down my defensive walls, I can be struck by awe of the world in all its complexity. This brings me to a longing to give myself over to the streams and winds and forests, be one with it all and dissolve these boundaries of individual humanness.

The lyrics of “Sånger för den kalla modern” are all spells or incantations used in rituals, or written after rituals as a way of processing and preserving the experience. It was a time of despair and longing, sensing the spirited world around me but finding myself enclosed in dense silence, isolated, rejected. The first three songs originate from desperate invocations to break through the veil. “Fullbordan” and “Ur hennes källa” (“Completion” and “From Her Source”) were written in the meditative otherworldly space after the cold mother received my sacrifices and opened her wisdom and embrace. The last two songs represent the end of the cycle. The isolation and silence returning after the veil has thickened again and the fear, the doubt, the cold loneliness.

The magic of “Sånger för den kalla modern” is that when I listen to it now, I am no longer in that place of silence and doubt. Pouring my honest spiritual struggles into the music transformed them into something that opened a path for me, a stability in the contact with my own spiritual essence and thus with the spirited surroundings as well. This is why the theme is spiritual struggles and not dogma or liturgy.

The nightmares are most present in the second song, “Marans Märke”(“Mark of the Mara”), since the Mara (the Nightmare Hag) is a frequent visitor by my bedside since childhood. The song is an attempt to appease her and form a less destructive relationship by inviting and accepting her presence in my life. Her influence and the nightmare theme will be deeper explored in my upcoming album.


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

Nattfly is a type of moth in Swedish. The type that flickers around in the summer nights, drawn to any light during its short life. In Swedish the word Nattfly sounds like “Night escape” or “Night flyer”. Those moths are the main diet of many types of spiders, insects and small animals. They tend to lie dead or dying on the ground, their wings already half decomposed as ants and maggots come to feed. To me the name represents the cycle of life and the meaning of death, the futile attempts to fly towards something better during a lifetime both short and endless. The fragile, broken moth wings resemble the fragile, broken sound of the acoustic violin, imperfectly played alone in a forest of blastbeats and distortion.


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

The cover art is made by Thaumaturge Artworks. It originates from a vision I had of Hel, the Norse goddess of the underworld. She always shows herself to me covered in dark veils and I need to walk and swim through cold underground rivers to reach her.


7.With this project you record everything by yourself but work with another musician in a different project, do you prefer to work solo?

I can only access my true creative flow, this wild and primal source that connects me to the flow of everything, when I am alone. To create alone without interruptions or additions by others is a life necessity. This solo project is how I survive, how I keep breathing. It is my ritual space and my offering, my sacrifice and my vessel for receiving. 

That being said, I get help from trusted friends with handling technology, mixing, designing drum patterns. My reluctance to let somebody into the process to help set my debut back several years, so asking for help is a lesson I have had to learn. Aside from Nattfly, when that need for unhindered creative flow in solitude is satisfied, I also enjoy cooperating with other musicians in other projects. 


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

Surprisingly positive. I have received comments from all over the world from people who have enjoyed and been touched by the particular sound of Nattfly.



9.Can you tell us a little bit more about your other project 'Kalmanvaki'?

It is a collaboration that is growing between Honka and me. I contribute with the violin, and he does everything else. Kalmanväki is rooted in Finnish nature and has a nerve of the pain and struggle of being human. Our raw creative flows come from different sources, yet when we come together, they blend to something else that maybe we both need.


10.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?

I have already finished the recordings for the next Nattfly album, “Flocken” (the Flock). It has a different, more dissonant sound since the nightmarish theme required it. Hopefully it will be released during the coming months, but that is not within my control since the work that needs to be done to finish it is the drum patterns and mixing which I can’t do myself. 

I have just started to try out the right sound for the album to follow Flocken, and I have found that every album has its own soul. As a listener I sometimes wish that bands would stick to a sound that I enjoy but now as a musician I am starting to understand that this is not for the artist to decide by will. The sound shapes itself around the theme and emotion. It cannot be forced or molded into something else. I will need to evolve as a musician as I evolve spiritually and emotionally.

Nowadays I have contacts and could ask someone to fill in with guitar and bass, but by now I feel at home in my violin-based sound, so I have decided to not add anything. Instead, I am trying to deepen and broaden the sound with a second violin, stringed as a viola. I also hope to get help from a session drummer since real drums would make a big difference, especially for “Flocken”. But cooperation comes with the risk of hold ups and misunderstandings as well as a mix of intentions that can obscure the power of the ritual. We will see. 


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?

The sound of “Sånger för den kalla modern” was inspired by early Bathory, Darkthrone, Ulver, Blodsrit, Ondskapt… I have also always listened to folk music, both Swedish and other, and some of the rhythms and melodic patterns can be traced to the Swedish fiddler tradition. Classical music has always been important to me, especially the sonatas and partitas for solo violin and cello by Bach, the violin concertos of the romantic and modern eras and the works of some modern minimalists. 

In present day those above mentioned still last. I also listen to more modern styles of black metal and enjoy how the genre is still evolving. Of course, most new releases will not touch me at all but every year there are new gems to be found. Last year new releases by Gjendod and Udaad blew my mind. 


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

Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. The questions made me reflect and seek for answers on a deeper level.


https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093560748904