Kjeld/Banier fan Frisia/Heidens Hart Records/2018 EP Review

  Kjeld  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  plays  a  very  ferocious  and  atmospheric  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  ep  "Banier  fan  Frisia"  which  was  released  by  Heidens  Hart  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  which  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling  along  with  the  vocals  being  very  angry  sounding  and  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  synths  give  the  music  more  of  an  atmospheric  and  symphonic  feeling  along  with  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  influences  from  the  mid  90's  era  and  when  guitar  leads  are  used  briefly  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic style.

  Kjeld  plays  a  style  of  black  metal t hat  is  very  raw,  atmospheric  and  traditional  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Dutch  and  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Kjeld  are  a  very  great  sounding  ferocious  and  atmospheric  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Wanskepsel".  8 out  of  10.    

Pandiscordian Necrogenesis/Outer Supernal/Gilead Media/2018 Full Length Review

  Pandiscordian  Necrogenesis  are  a  solo  project  from  San  Francisco,  California  that  has  had  an  album  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  raw  and  improvised  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2018  album  "Outer  Supernal"  which  will  be  released  on  October  26th  by  Gilead  Media.

  An  ambient  noise  orientated  intro  starts  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  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  All  of  the  music  is  done  in  an  improvised  style  while  one  of  the  tracks  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  the  music  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  old  school  black  metal  influences  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  couple  of  ambient  instrumentals  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  some  of  the  later  riffs  also  show  an  influence  of  thrash.

  On  this  recording  Pandiscordian  Necrogeneses  remains  true  to  the  raw  and  improvised  style  of  black  metal  from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  have  a  concept  revolving  around  Supernal's  and  Ascension's. 

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Pandiscrodian  Necrogenesis  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw  and  improvised  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Outer  Supernal" "Hidden  Supernal" and  "Depth  Ascension".  8  out  of  10.

Degredo/A Noite dos Tempos/Harvest Of Death/2018 CD Review

  Degredo  are  a  solo  project  from  Portugal  that  plays  a  very  ritualistic  mixture  of  occult  black  metal  and  drone  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2018  album  "A  Noite  dos  Tempos"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Harvest  Of  Death.

  Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  lo-fi  direction  along  with  a  great  amount  of  drones  while  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  the  vocals  being  done  in  a  grim  black  metal  style  and  at  times  the  music  gets  very  ritualistic.

  Elements  of  ambient,  noise,  avant  garde  and  experimental  can  also  be  heard  in  the  music  while  the  songs  stay  away  from  the  use  of  any  traditional  metal  instruments along  with  some  percussion  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  distorted  reverb  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  recording,  clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  direction.

  Degredo  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  occult  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  ritualistic  drone  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  raw  and  lo-fi  while  the  lyrics  rural  and  ancestral  essays,  tales  from  the  Serra  De  Estrela  Mountain  and  its  surrounding  areas.

  In  my  opinion  Degredo  is  a  very  great  sounding  ritualistic  mixture  of  occult  black  metal  and  drone  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Parte  Um"  and  "Parte  Quatro".  8  out  of  10.  

Sargeist/Unbound/W.T.C Productions/2018 CD Review

  Finland's  Sargeist  have returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  misanthropic  and  satanic  style  of  black  metal  that  they  are  known  for  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Unbound"  which  was  released  by  W.T.C  Productions.

  A  very  fast  and  raw  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  which  also  have  their  deep  and  grim  moments  at  times  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies.

  All  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  old  school  Finnish  style  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  style  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  always  sticks  to  a  very  dark,  raw  and  heavy  musical  direction.

  Sargeist  creates  another  recording  that  remains  very  true  to  the  raw,  satanic  and  misanthropic  style  of  black  metal  they  are  known  for,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Evil,  Depression,  Misanthropy  and  Nihilism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Sargeist  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Psychosis  Incarnate"  "Death's  Empath"  "Unbound"  and  "Grail  of  the  Pilgrim".  8/5  out  of  10.  

Goddess/Raped Into Being/Medusa Crush Recordings/2018 EP Review

  Goddess  are  a  solo  project  from  Serbia  that  plays  a  very  raw  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2018  ep  "Raped  Into  Being"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Medusa  Crush  Recordings.

  A  very  fast  and  raw  musical  sound  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  while  the  vocals a re  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal screams  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  the  music  brings  in  both  modern  and  old  school  influences.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  riffs  only  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  melody as  well  as  one  track  also  adding  in a  brief  use  of  clean  playing.

  Goddess  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw  and  traditional  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  animal  rights,  environmental  stewardship  and  ancient  mythology  revolving  around  the  goddess  Poine.

  In  my  opinion  Goddess  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw black  emtal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Raped  into  Being" and  "Poine".  8 out  of  10.  

Life/Demo Two/Pacific Threnodies/2017 Cassette Compilation Review

  Life  are  a  solo  project  from  Illinois  that  plays  a  very  depressive  and  atmospheric  form  of  post  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  compilation  album  "Demo  Two"  which  consists  of  both  of  his  demos  and  will  be  released  in  November  on cassette  by  Pacific  Threnodies.

  A  very  dark,  lo-fi  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  compilation  before  going into  a  very  fast  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  to  give  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched depressive  black  metal  screams  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  elements  of  post  metal.

  A  great  portion  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  clean  vocals  also  being  sued  at  times  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody,  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound,

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  acoustic  guitars  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard on  some  of  the  songs  along  with  the  music  also  having  its  atmospheric  moments  as  well  as  some  keyboards  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  as  the  compilation  progresses  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  one  of  the  tracks  is  all  instrumental.

  Life  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  raw,  depressive,  atmospheric  and  post  forms  of  black  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressing  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Life  is  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  and  depressive  post  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  cassette.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Travelling  Waters"  "Pathwalk"  and  "Twelve  Travel".  8  out  of  10.

Tezcatlipoca Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?

We continue to be persistent, trying to improve through rehearsals, offering concerts and composing new songs.

2.In October you have a new album coming out, how does it differ musically from the album you had released in 2015?

As for essence, focus and ideology does not differ, however with the addition of a member to the band creates an atmosphere according to our interests, especially in live concerts.


3.The band has been around since 2011 but so far has only released 2 albums, can you tell us a little bit more about it?

Basically it was due to intrinsic and external factors, such as the incorporation of a new member to the band and the lack of opportunities for the release of the first album, as well as the delay that the last album had in terms of production and correction  of small details.

4.Both the bands name and lyrics are from the pre-hispanic era, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the ancient religion of your homeland?

We decided to incorporate the Mexica ideology in order to magnify our ancient gods and the traditions they represent, and whose greatness matches what we want to convey, that is why we chose a strong and representative name to reaffirm how proud we are of our roots.

5.In the last few years a lot of bands lyrically have moved towards the pre-Columbian roots of your home country, how would you say your culture differs from the European cultures that a lot of European black metal bands tend to include in their lyrics and stage shows?

The Aztecs had a perspective in which their deities remained in a constant struggle against the darkness and assumed that when the sun went out the world would end, for this reason and in order to help the gods to keep the light they made human sacrifices which consist in extracting the living heart and offering.

In the same way, his vision of life also contemplates aspects of life after death, specifying that those who died in battle would fight in the underworld against darkness.



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

The artwork refers to a nocturnal ritual in which Tezcatlipoca and his alter ego Quetzalcoatl appear, likewise, in spite of the influence of one or another deity, the relationship between nocturnality and the ideology that prevails where the cult to the night concludes with an offering.


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 performed at “El Bunker” in San Luis Potosi, also, we had an amazing show in Monterrey, we keep good memories about it.

In our shows we make rituals to our ancient gods and basically, we try to capture the ideology of the band and establish a certain connection between the people and the band.


8.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

Yes, we have contemplated doing several shows in Mexico and if the opportunity arises, offer concerts internationally.


9.So far you have worked with 'Diabolus' and 'Iron Bonehead Productions' on getting your albums released, do you feel both of these labels have been very helpful when it comes to getting your music out there heard?

Definitely, both brands have given us a lot of support; nationally Diabolus has made an excellent dissemination of our proposal and ideology, meanwhile, Iron bonehead has given us the necessary facilities for the release of our second album as well as the dissemination of this internationally.

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

Fortunately we have received a good response from the public, from organizers as well as from magazines interested in our musical project. In general, we can say that there has been a lot of support.

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

We intend to remain focused on the same goal, improving music and professionally to always offer quality music and concerts.

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?

We like bands like Nocternity, Isvind, Nocturnal Mortum, Temnozor, Kroda, Peste Noire, and actually we like all about Pagan Black Metal.

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

We appreciate the interest and the opportunity and above all, for the space to transmit our ideals. Thank you very much on behalf of all the members of Tezcatlipoca.