Balmog/Necroangels Revelations/BlackSeed Productions/2015 EP Re-Issue Review

  Balmog  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  satanic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2010  ep  "Necroangels  Revelations"  which  was  re-issued  in  2015  by  BlackSeed  productions.

  A  great  amount  of  distortion  and  reverb  starts  off  the  ep  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  black  metal  direction  that  is  also  very  raw  and  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  grim  screams  along  with  a  very  old  school  feeling  and  at  times  the  vocals  can  be  very  deep  almost  bordering  on  growls.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  morbid  sounding  melodies  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  even  more  of  a  dark  black  metal  style  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  at  times  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  melodic  Gregorian  chants  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  over  9  minutes  long..

  Bammog  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  dark,  raw  and  evil  sounding  the  way  the  genre  is  meant  to  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  seem  to  have  a  concept  to  them  and  cover  Satanism,  Anti  Human  and  Darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Balmog  are   a  very  great  sounding  raw,  satanic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Second  Revelation".  8/5  out  of  10.

  

Nemesis Sopor/Glas/2014 Full Length Album

  Nemesis  Sopor  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  atmospheric  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Glas".

   Atmospheric  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  synths  and  after  a  minute  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  darker  direction  along  with  some  grim  black  metal  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  spoken  word  parts  in  some  of  the  songs  and  they  also  mix  the  heavy  and  atmospheric  parts  together.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  faster  sections  have  more  of  a  raw  black  metal  feeling  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  remain  true  to  a  melodic  and  atmospheric  black  metal  direction.

As  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  they  also  use  a  good  mixture  of  both  finger  picking  and  full  chords  along  with  a  brief  instrumental which  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  folk  instruments  before  returning  back  to  vocals  on  the  following  track  and  one  of  the  alter  songs  also  brings  in  deeper  vocals  along  with  the  music  getting  more  heavy,  dark  and  grim.

  Nemesis  Sopor  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  atmospheric,  epic  and  progressive  while  also  still  having  a  great  amount  of  rawness  and  heaviness,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  are  written  mostly  in  German  and  cover  Nature  and  Mankind  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Nemesis  Sopor  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Stille  Heimet"  "Weisse  Augen"  and  "Splitter".  8  out  of  10.
    

Torver Interview

1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We are a three-piece Pagan Black Metal band from the United Kingdom. If you are a fan of early Dimmu Borgir, Satyricon, Ulver and Emperor this band might be to your liking as we have a good mix of 90's style guitars and vocals, synths, violin and even spoken words and clear vocals in parts.


2. So far you have released a demo and have also been a part of a split, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?
That's right. We released a demo titled “From Beyond the Abyss” which was punked up, aggressive Black Metal in the vein of Darkthrone and Blodulv. We've also had the same four tracks put on a split cassette with Funeral Path which was released on Mordgrimm Records. But on the latest split release we've done with Arcane North, our material is very different as we've dropped the punked up Black Metal sound and gone in a new direction, creating more atmospheric sounding Black Metal which to me is sounding a lot more mature, fresh and unique compared to our early material.


3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
At first we wrote about anti-religion, occultism and demonology, but with Nicholas taking over lyric duties we've gone over to the more spiritual side of Paganism which is very suiting to this band.


4. Originally the band was called 'Sitri', what was the decision behind the name change?
Sitri didn't feel right as a band, but it also turned out there was also another Black Metal band from the US called Sitri, so I thought I'd re-name the band with something more original sounding and that's when I came across the name Torver.

5. I know that the name 'Torver' means a hamlet in Cumbria, can you tell us a little bit more about why you picked this is a band name?
Well, I was out walking with my friend in the countryside and we were on our way to Coniston, we walked through Torver during our travel and we started to joke about how Torver sounded like a Black Metal name. I decided to look into the name Torver and it turned out Torver was once a resting place where the Norse Vikings would go to settle down after getting tired of pillaging, so this seemed very suiting for the band and that's when I decided on the name change.


6. Has the band done any live shows or has this strictly been a studio project so far?
No, this is strictly a studio project and will most likely stay that way sadly, as myself, Azrael and Nicholas live in very distant parts of the UK, so the chances of us playing live are very slim.

7. Recently you were a part of a split with 'Arcane North', what are your thoughts on the other band that have participated on the split?
I've always been a supporter of Arcane North and I am good friends with William, he's been sending me over rough mixes of the Arcane North material since he spoke to me about putting the project together. I'm a massive fan of his work and it's been a real honour working with him.

8. The split was released on Blackwood Productions, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
Blackwood Productions is a small DIY label started up by myself and Steven, we originally put the label together just to release this split, but since starting the label we have decided to make something of it and release other bands. We both have great ideas so it's going to be interesting to see what we do next.

9. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
So far the feedback has been great and we've had some really positive comments said about our new songs, so I'm pretty pleased with it.

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 off?
I've currently been recording new material with my other projects Helvellyn and Skiddaw and I've also got a few gigs lined up this year with Ulfarr. Azrael is currently working on his band Heathen Deity and I believe Nicholas has been in the studio with Aklash recording material for their next release, which should be fantastic!

11. When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
You can expect a full length album hopefully at some point this year as we're currently working on new material. I haven't really thought that far ahead to be honest, but I'd just be happy if we manage to get all our songs released on vinyl and cassette and keep creating music together for as long as we can. Whatever else comes along will be a bonus I guess.


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?
My main influences are Darkthrone, Mare, Mayhem and Gorgoroth as I'm a massive fan of 90's sounding Scandinavian Black Metal. I've been listening to a lot of Taake, early Satyricon, Mysticum, Motorhead and Iron Maiden at the moment and right now I'm listening to UK Black Metal band  Wreodan Healh, check them out if you are a fan of really early Dimmu Borgir, For All Tid era.

13. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
I'd like to say thank you to everyone who has supported Torver and picked up a copy of our new release “From Moonrise to Moonset” and I'd like to thank your good self for taking the time to talk about Torver.

Dominus.

Projekt NOIR Interview

1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about
the musical project?
M.R. Projekt NÖIR was formed late 2014 in Portugal by me Mário Rodrigues guitar player from Karbonsoul and producer at Fatsound.Productions Studios with the guest musicians José Gonçalves, drummer on Empire band and Jóhann Örn, vocalist from the Icelandic black metal band Dynfari.

2. Recently you have released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
M.R. These four songs come out from my inspiration, my deepest feelings of fear and despair, it’s all about landscapes of darkness and coldness where you can hear the music and feel that chill in your spine. All the songs were recorded at first take, one by one, over four days of inspiring solitude at the studio, just me and my guitar.

3. Your lyrics are written in Icelandic, can you tell us a little bit more about them?
M.R. All lyrics are from Jóhann, he better than me can talk about that.
J.Ö. The lyrics are an existential mantra on our mortality and the futileness to understand our insignificance. It is a beginning and it is an end, it is an attempt to capture our spiral existence and consciousness through millennia. It expresses disappointment with contemporary society and its betrayal toward our nature and
origins. It is an ode to darkness and a rejection to light - albeit turning your back toward the light completely will let you see but the shadow of yourself. Once you reach the summit there is no peak visible anymore.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Projekt NOIR'?
M.R. For me “noir” it’s the word that best describes for blackness or darkness and I wanted to make a project based on pure black and white, in a whole, the artwork, the photography and the sounds.

5. Except for the vocals, you record everything by yourself, are you open to turning this project into a full band in the future?
M.R. Turning this project into a band that is not something on my plans for now, Projekt NÖIR is mainly a musical escape of my deepest and darkest hopes and fears not thought or planned to perform them live. There’s a lot of inspiration to this project, playing live is one thing I see not in the near future.

6. The vocals on the recording where done by the singer of Dynfari, can you tell us a little bit more about his performance on the recording?
M.R. Jóhann is a great musician, very talented and professional. It was a great pleasure to have him working on this record with me and I sure hope we’ll maintain this collaboration many more times in the future. He’s very creative and his lyrics are very good.

7. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
M.R. I think it will be the next step, a specialized label in Black or Post Black Metal is welcome for sure. We are ready to make some new dark records and I’m with a burst of ideas to explore new soundscapes and textures.

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
M.R. Since the beginning (and being this a new project on the market) there has been a certain buzz around it. I honestly was not prepared for such a great reception by the fans of Black Metal and all its subgenres, I think there’s a new generation of post black metal fans that still listens to Black Metal oldschool but eagerly receptive to new sounds that are coming for all over the world. That’s why a whole new bunch of projects are popping a bit from all over, even from south America and central Europe, with a new approach to the black metal sounds.

9. Are you also involved with any other musical projects these days?
M.R. Yes, I’m still with my band Karbonsoul in a full time bases and currently working on a new CD.
J.Ö. My main band Dynfari is releasing a new album "Vegferð tímans" on digipack CD in March. Songs from the album are online. We are also crowdfunding for a vinyl version and planning lots of live appearances later this year.

10. When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see yourself heading into musically during the future?
M.R. In a near future perhaps, within this year I still hope to record a full length record with Projekt NÖIR, continuing to explore the dark and cold imaginarium that categorizes our sound.

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?
M.R. I can only speak for myself; I listen to a lot of black metal projects, in all its forms, since Burzum to Myrkur. Ambient sounds, all that can shivers through my spine, with feelings, without these Music is pointless.

12. What are some of your non musical interests?
M.R. Besides Music, I’m into combat sports, martial arts, yoga, and bodybuilding. I also enjoy reading, particularly about the occult and the dark arts (and all its shades…).

13. Before wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
M.R. I hope for you to enjoy and understand the concept behind Projekt NÖIR, as the same way I do and that can sense the cold and dark ambiance that were put on this songs and also, if you can, keep up to track our work in its various digital platforms (…) Also buy our soon to be released physical CD or tape, on sale during this March.
J.Ö. Enjoy the dark vibes of Projekt NÖIR and look out for it in the future. If you like it, I think you should check out my band Dynfari:  http://www.facebook.com/Dynfari

Fell Ruin/Devices/2015 Full Length Review

  Fell  Ruin  are  a  band  from  Michigan  that  plays  a  mixture  of  raw  black  metal,  death,  doom  and  sludge  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  album  "Devices".

  A  very  fast  and  raw  black  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  grim  screams  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  after  awhile elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  are  added  into  the  bands  musical  style  and  all  of  the  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  At  times  you  can  hear  a  bit  of  the  post  black  metal  sound  in  the  bands  musical style  while  there  music  is  too  dark  for  that  genre  and  they  also  add  clean  playing  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  briefly  before the  band  makes  a  return  back  to  a  heavier  direction.

  Fell  Ruin  takes  a  very  raw  style  of  black  metal  and  adds  in  a  heavy  influence  from  sludge  and  doom  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Fell  Ruin  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  sludge  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "    

Xvarhnah Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Æterna: We decided to establish this project around September 2014, and we immediately started gathering riffs and ideas for our first work.
Veirg: As said by Æterna we decided to start a new band, for me it was and is a great challenge in terms of composition, for the first time I can experiment without  any limits.

2. In February you had released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Æterna: Although we don’t have any particular interest in labelling what we do, I think there’s a bit of every musical influence of ours to be heard, most prominently Black Metal and Doom, but these are very general coordinates. There are obviously distorted guitars, generally slow tempos, atmospheric synths and a mix of harsh and clean female vocals.
Veirg: Personally  I believe Xvarhnah doesn't has a genre , I'm glad  about the result and I would love to continue this project, I am very curious about the evolution of music and the endless possibilities of experimentation. I think that there’s a curious mix of different influences between me and Æterna, I think it sounds really good. I'm personally  very attached to DSBM, I have never experienced so much and I have never felt so free musically.

3.You have some lyrics that deal with Spirituality and mysticism, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?
Æterna: The relationship with my spiritual side is essential to me, and I’ve always been interested in exploring it through Music. Specifically to Xvarhnah, the lyrics on the Ep describe a process of spiritual elevation and personal evolution from a human, subjective, emotional perspective, using the concepts of nobility and battle as metaphors.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Xvarhnah'?
Æterna: A former band mate of mine once asked me to come up with a suitable name for him to use, and I picked Khvarenah. It’s a word I was always fond of and it comes from the Avestan language and from Zoroastrism. It means divine glory, understood as a transcendental, mystical force, and it’s an attribute of the most noble kings. Back when it was time to choose a moniker for this project, I thought this could be a perfect band
name, but since I didn’t want to use the very same word I opted for an alternate spelling, which means the same thing.

5. Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you chose to remain a duo?
Æterna: The whole thing will pretty much always be me and Veirg, with possible session people for the instruments we’re not able to play ourselves, such as drums.

6.The cd is only released with 66 copies, are there any plans for repressing in the future or are you going to stick with the digital format?
Æterna: I personally don’t think there will be a second print, but it all comes down to possible interest of labels.
Veirg: Anything is possible, but as mentioned by Æterna all depends on the labels.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and doom metal?
Æterna: It’s too soon to say, but people seem to like it so far.
Veirg: I think that the first listen sounds very strange to people, but I have had positive feedback about it.

8.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that the band members are a part off?
Æterna: Beside Xvarhnah, I am involved in another band called Nahabat, and we’re currently recording new music. In the meantime, I’m having the pleasure to perform some guest appearances on a couple of good bands’ works.
Veirg:  I have other bands active, Suicide Emotions and Astray, the new work of S.E. is in the mixing stage and I'm very satisfied with the result. While the album of Astray was released  by Self Mutilation Services on February 25.

9.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Æterna: The future of Xvarhnah is nearly unpredictable at this point, we might start working on a full-length tomorrow and having it recorded in a week, or never. Same thing style-wise; I’m an advocate for creative freedom and I could never see myself sticking to any specific genre with any of my projects.
Veirg: I think yes, but for the genre I don’t know, it’s a  very experimental project.

10.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?
Æterna: I will virtually listen to just about anything as long as it’s something I find emotionally relatable. I’m totally a musical omnivore. Extreme metal is but a small percentage of my taste in Music, which also includes electronic stuff, grunge, punk, classical, opera, ambient, progressive rock, pop, you name it. All of this influences me when it comes to writing a song. Lately I’ve been listening to Blut aus Nord, Chelsea Wolfe, Comando Praetorio, Franco Califano and Italian Renaissance composer Claudio Monteverdi, and this pretty much says it all.
Veirg: I listen generally Black Metal with its sub genres, especially DSBM, as mentioned before I’m very attached to it, I think there are also a lot of influences by Blut aus Nord.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Æterna: Photography, animal rights, anthropology. I’m also an astrologer.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Æterna: Thank you for this interview. : )
Veirg: Thanks for this interview.

Funerary Bell 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 up?

At the moment we are composing material and rehearsing for our second full length and some upcoming gigs.

2.In April you have a 2 song ep coming out, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

The new EP was recorded professionally with a full 5-piece line up while the previous catalog was more or less home produced and usually max three members performing. Our updated sound is rooted very heavily on traditional heavy and death metal, having some hints of black metal here and there and this time we added also way more keyboards than before.

3.Your lyrics cover some Occult topics,can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in Occultism?

When I was a kid and youngster I experienced some bizarre hauntings which led me to study more about otherwordly topics. I'm lucky that I kept my eyes open and never killed my inner child as the world is so much more than what one who spends his life in a rat race can ever expect.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Funerary Bell'?

As our themes and imagery deal more or less with death and decay, the name is perfect. Since my childhood I've always been into the calm mood of the churchyards.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

If I have to choose one word that describes our show perfectly it would be energetic. In my opinion our best show this far was the band's debut gig in Ilokivi in spring 2013, a club in our home town.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

We will play at Saturnal Fest in Jyväskylä with some other Finnish bands in 24th of April. Maybe some little European touring will follow in autumn but those plans will be revealed later.

7.The new ep is coming out on Saturnal Records,can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

It's a fresh Finnish label with very professional attitude, formed by some of our mates. Perfect for our band.

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

Very good. Most of our dedicated fans come from Southern Europe.

9.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?

Besides Funerary Bell (and some related bands) I'm currently working with a new punk / new wave project involving also other Finnish metal musicians. I'm not too sure what our other members are doing with their bands so I'm speaking only on my behalf.

10.When can we expect to see another full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

The new full length will be released in 2016 through Saturnal Records. The album will continue the direction we set with Graveyard Séance EP.

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?

I have always been into metal / rock / punk etc. Nowadays I'm mostly spinning stuff like Iggy and The Stooges, Lords Of The New Church, Paul Chain, Fields Of The Nephilim, Acheron, Rotting Christ, Master's Hammer to name a few.

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

Thanks for your support!