Crown of Asteria/Cypher/Fiadh Productions/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Michigan's  Crown  Of  Asteria  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  folk  inspired  form  of  atmospheric  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  her  2024  album  "Cypher"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Fiadh  Productions.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  When  synths  are  utilized  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  an  atmospheric  feeling  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  When  stringed  instruments  are  utilzied  they  also  bring  in  touches  of  folk  music  while  most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Some  of  the  tracks  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  tremolo  picking  also  giving  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling  when  it  is  utilized  as  well  as  the  album  also  having  its  experimental  moments  with  touches  of  ambient,  one  song  is  also  an  instrumental  and  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  nature,  folklore,  animism  and  mysticism  themes.     

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Crown  of  Asteria  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  folk  influenced  atmospheric  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Far  Shooter  Of  The  Moon"  and  " Wild  Rue,  Resin  And  Vows".  8  out  of  10.

  https://crownofasteria.bandcamp.com/album/far-shooter-of-the-moon-2

Crown Of Asteria/Canis Dirus/A Harminous Union Of Vibration/Fiadh Productions/2023 Split Album Re-Issue Review

 

 This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  U.S.A's  Crown  Of  Asteria  and  Canis  Dirus  called  "A  Harminous  Union  of  Vibration"  which  was  originally  released  in  2021  and  will  be  re-issued  during  April  by  Fiadh  Productions  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Crown  of  Asteria  a  solo  project  who  returns  with  her  folk  inspired  style  of  atmospheric  black  metal.

  Her  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  nature  orientated soundscapes  along  some  acoustic  guitars  a  few  seconds  alter  which  also  bring  in  elements  of  folk  music  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while t he  vocals  bring  in a   mixture  of  black  emtal  screams  and  growls.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  atmospheric  sounding  along  with  some  keyboards  also being  added  into  certain  sections  of t he  recording.  When t he  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast b eats  can  also be  heard  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  clean  playing,  folk  instruments, shouts  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  one  song  also  adding  in  a   small  amount  of  clear  male  vocals  along  with  some  of  the  slower  sections  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  doom  metal,  when  tremolo  picking  is  added  into  the  fast  riffing  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  nature,  folklore,  mysticism  and  animism  themes,.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Crown  Of  Asteria  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  folk  inspired  atmospheric  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  her  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Raise  Her  From  Beneath  The  Threshold".

  Next  up  is  Canis  Dirus  a  ban d that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  folk  inspired  form  of  atmospheric  black  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  fast  and  raw  sound  which  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  their  side  of  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Both  of  their  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  the  music  also  having  its  atmospheric  moments,  Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  which  also  adds  in  elements  of  folk  music  and  flutes  are  also  added  on t he  second  track.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  nature,  death  and  darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Canis  Dirus  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  folk  inspired  atmospheric  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Wendigo  Nefast".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  folk  inspired  atmospheric  black  metal.  8  out  of  10.

https://crownofasteria.bandcamp.com/album/a-harmonious-union-of-vibration  

       

  

Crown Of Asteria/Cycles/2014 EP Review

  Crown  Of  Asteria  are  a  1  woman  band  from  Michigan  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  the  musical  style  on  this  recording  being  an  instrumental  and  atmospheric  form  of  black  metal  with  elements  of  folk  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  her  self  released  2014  ep  "Cycles".

  Dark  atmospheric  ambient  synths  start  off  the ep  and  a  few  seconds later  you  can  hear  nature  sounds  in  the  background  which  also  leads  up  to  folk  music  style  acoustic  guitars  and  after  a  few  minutes  the  music  starts  to  get  more  heavier  with  some  electric  guitars  which  then  speed  up  and  takes  the  music  into  a  more  raw  and  atmospheric  black  metal  direction  while  keeping  around  the  synths  as  well  as  adding  in  some  melodies  and  leads  and  a  few  minutes  later  it  starts  going  into  a  slower  direction  which  also  adds  a  depressive  feeling  to  the  recording  before  going  back  to  the  acoustic  style  beginnings  of  the  track  while  keeping  around  the  distorted  guitar  leads  which  also  brings  the  track  back  to  a  black  metal  direction  a  few  minutes  later  and  towards  the  end  of  the  song  the  music  starts  going  for  a  more  shamanistic  and  ritualistic  ambient  sound.

  The  following  track  starts  off  with  atmospheric  drones  and  acoustic  guitars  which  take  the  song  into  a  folk  music  direction  and  this  this  track  is  all  acoustic  and  a  lot  shorter  than  the  previous  song.

  With  this  ep  Crown  Of  Asteria  continues  her  atmospheric  black  metal  sound  while  also  keeping  around  the  folk  music  elements  of  previous  recordings  and  stays  away  from  the  vocals  this  time  around  to  create  a  very  heavy  atmosphere  along  with  a  powerful  sounding  production  with  one  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Crown  of  Asteria  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  instrumental,  atmospheric  black  metal  with  elements  of  folk  music,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cassiopeia  -Queen  Above the  Skyline".  8  out  of  10.

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Twilight Fauna/Crown Of Asteria/Spirit Of The Wildwood/Red River Family Records/2013 Split Cassette Review

This  is  a  review  of  a  split  cassette  between  Tennessee's  Twilight  Fauna  and  Michigan's  Crown  Of  Asteria  both  solo  projects  that h ave  been  featured  in  this  zine  with  the  recording  being  called  "Spirit  Of  The  Wildwood"  and  being  released  in  2013  by  Red  River  Family  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Twilight  Fauna  that  plays  a  very  folk  orientated  form  of  atmospheric,  depressive  black  metal.

  "Where  Earth  Meets  Sky"  begins  with  some  folk  music  acoustic  guitar  playing  which  utilizes  both  finger  picking  and  full  chords  and  sounds  of  nature  and  after  awhile  a  distorted  and  melodic  guitar  lead  makes  it  self  a  part  of  the  song  and  as  the  song  moves  on  a  heavy  black  metal  guitar  riff  makes  its  presence  known  along  with  some  grim,  depressive  screams   and  the  song  stays  in  that  direction  for  a  few  minutes  before  closing  with  nature  sounds  and  open  not  riffing.

  "By  Starlight"  begins  with  nature  sounds  and  acoustic  guitars  as  well  as  some  percussion  which  leads  to  some  whispers  being  going  into  melody  chanting  and   the  song  is  a  7  minute  long  folk  piece.

  Song  lyrics  cover  nature  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  raw  and  primitive  sound  with  both  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Twilight  Fauna  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  folk orientated  atmospheric  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Where  Earth  Meets  Sky".  RECOMMENDED.

  Next  up  is  Crown  Of  Asteria  which  plays  a  nature  orientated  form  of  atmospheric  black  metal.

  "Sun  Molted  Bark  Growth"  begins  with  soft  acoustic  guitar  playing  which  utilizes  both  finger  picking  and  full  chords  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  atmospheric  black  metal  guitar  riffs  kick  in  along  with  some  drums  and  melodic  clean  singing  and  after  a  couple of  minutes  its  goes  into  a  more  primitive  direction  along  with  some  synths  in  the  background  briefly  and  after  awhile  blast  beats  make  their  presence  known,  after  awhile  the  chaos  comes  known  and  leads  to  some  melodic  guitar  leads  before going  back  to  its  heavier  roots  for  a  couple  of  minutes  and  then  going  into  a  softer  direction  with  some  synths  and  nature  sounds  as  well  as  acoustic  guitars  in  the  background  and  they  get  more  powerful  sounding  after  awhile  and  then  make  a  return  to  the  more  primitive  black  metal  sound  ans  closes with  a  more  soft  and  clam  direction.

    "Dreaming  Meadows  Beneath  Blackened  Skies"  begins  with  acoustic  guitars  and  nature  sounds  and  there  are  no  other  musical  instruments  or  vocals  present  and  the  song  is  an  acoustic  instrumental.

  Song  lyrics  cover  nature  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  raw  and  primitive  sound  with  one  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Crown  Of  Asteria  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  nature  and  folk  orientated  atmospheric  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  recording.RECOMMENDED

  In  conclusion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I   would  recommend  to  all  fans  of  folk  and  atmospheric  black  metal.  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Twilight_Fauna/3540346865
https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Crown_of_Asteria/3540362538    

Crown Of Asteria Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the project for those that have never heard of you before?
Crown of Asteria is a black metal project that seeks to convey the mystic and esoteric concepts found in nature.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?
Atmospheric/ Ambient black metal with some post-black metal influence.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Reverence for the natural world, unity among all living things, ancient knowledge and beliefs.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the projects name?
Asteria is the Titan Goddess of oracles, prophetic dreams, the reading of stars (astrology), prophecies of night and necromancy. She is generally considered the Goddess of Night overall, and it is her Mystic and Sage like attributes that I felt a connection to. Crown is in the name to show that those qualities of mysticism are governing the music.

5. Currently there is only 1 member in the band, do you feel this gives you alot more freedom on how you compose your own music instead of doing with a full band?
Yes, it does give me more freedom to compose the music.

6. Recently Trinidoid Records released the demo, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
It is a label out of Minnesota that works with all shades of metal. Recently the label is focusing more on black metal, sludge, thrash and doom.

7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
I would say the feedback has been good.

8. Are you involved with any other musical projects or is this full time?
This is currently a full time project.

9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases/
There will most likely be more acoustic elements brought into the music, and instrumental compositions.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
The black metal coming out of the Pacific Northwest has influenced the music but not entirely. I would say everything from doom to folk to punk rock can have influence on the music, whatever inspiration calls for really.  I ‘am currently listening to traditional folk music and film scores, Blood of the Black Owl and Panopticon when it comes to “metal”.

11. Does Paganism play any role in the music?
There are some ideological concepts that can be found in the music that are found in Paganism, but I’am not using the band as a conduit to speak and or write about Paganism exclusively. I do not believe it plays a major role in the music.

12.Outside of music what are some of your interests?
Gardening, Hiking, Reading, Writing Poetry, Painting.

13.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
 I would like to thank you for your time, and thank you for your interest in the band.

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Crown Of Asteria/Demo XIII/Trindroid Records/Cassette Review

  Crown  Of  Asteria  are  a  1  person  band  from  Michigan  that  plays  a  very  atmospheric  and  nature  orientated  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  demo which  was  released  on  cassette  by  Trindroid  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars,  as  for  the  sound  effects  and  synths  when  they  are  utilized  bring  elements  of  dark  ambient  and  nature  sounds  to  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  atmospheric  black  metal  riffs  that  use  a  god  amount  of  raw  and  primitive  sounding  elements  as  well  as  melody  in  the  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding  black  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  use  finger  picking  to  enhance  the  dark  atmosphere  of  the  demo.

  Vocals  which  are  kind  of  mixed  down  low  in  the  mix  are  very  high  pitched  sounding  black  metal  screams,  while  the  lyrics  cover  nature  and  heathen  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Crown  Of  Asteria  are  very  great  sounding  nature  orientated  atmospheric  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  demo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hymn  Of  The  Northern  Bowers"  and  "Ascendancy  Of  The  Stars".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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