Forefather/Ours Is The Kingdom/Heidens Hart Records/2017 CD Re-issue Review

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  United  Kingdom's  Forefather  which  is  also  in  the  style  of  Anglo Saxon  metal  and  the  album  was  originally  released  in  2004  and  called  "Ours  Is  The  Kingdom"  which  was  also  re-issued  in  2017  by  Heidens  Hart  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  raw  black  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  while  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  clean  pagan  vocals  also  make  their  presence  known.

  Some  of  the  riffing  also  brings  in  elements  of  traditional  metal  while t he  songs  also  bring  in  a  great mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  grim  black  metal  screams are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  epic  sounding  synths  and  clean guitars  can  also  be  heard  on  a  few  songs  as  well  as  one  of  the  tracks  being  an  instrumental  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length.

  On  this  recording  Forefather  remained  true  to  the  Anglo  Saxon  metal  style  of  previous  releases,  the production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Anglo  Saxon  history,  paganism  and pride  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Forefather  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  pagan  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Shield-Wall"  "The  Golden  Dragon"  "The  Folk  That  Time  Forgot"  and  "Fighters  Of  The  Angelcynn". 8  out of  10.

https://heidenshart.bandcamp.com/album/ours-is-the-kingdom

  

Forefather/The Meads Of Asphodel/English Steel/Godreah Records/2017 SPlit CD Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  United  Kingdom's  Forefather  and  The  Meads  Of  Asphodel  called  "English Steel"  which  was  released  by  Godreah  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Forefather  which  continues  the  Anglo  Saxon style  of  pagan  metal  from  previous  releases.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  heavy pagan  sound  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  at e present  on  their  side  of  the  recording  and  after  awhile  grim  black  metal  screams  make  their  presence  known. 

  Melodic  pagan  vocals  are  added  into  their  songs  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  split  and  traditional  metal  influences  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  as  their  side  of t he  split  progresses  acoustic  guitars  are  also  used  briefly  and  they  also  add  in  a touch  of  folk  music  and when  the  music  finally  speeds  up a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  music  a  more  raw  black  metal  feeling  and  synths  are  added  onto  the  closing  track  which  is  also  an  instrumental.

  Forefather  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  Anglo  Saxon  style  of  metal  established  on  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Anglo  Saxon  History  and  Heritage.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Forefather  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Two  Sacred  Oaks"  and  "In  Victory  We  Feast".

  Next  up  is  The  Meads  Of  Asphodel  another  band  that h as  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  experimental  style  of  black  metal  on  this  recording.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  folk  instruments  and  a  medieval  atmosphere  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  musical  direction  along  with  a  great  amount  of g rim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  blast  beats  and  atmospheric  synths a re  also  added  to  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads a re  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them a long  with  operatic  female  vocals  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording,

   After  awhile  the  music  gets  more  experimental  and  acoustic guitars  are  also  used  briefly  while  some  tracks  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  clear  male  vocals  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  also  adding  in  Candi,  Stanton,  Sham  69,  The  Saints  and  Desaster  covers  which  also  display  elements  of  punk  rock.

  The  Meads  Of  Asphodel  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  experimental  style  of  black  metal  from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Anti  Religion,  Bible  Apocrypha,  Death  and  War  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  The  Meads  Of  Asphodel  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Infidel"  and  "Perfect  Day".

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

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Forefather/Engla Tocyme/Heidens Hart Records/2017 CD Re-Issue Review

  This  is  a  review  of  another  earlier  from  from  the  United  Kingdom's  Forefather  which  was  also  in  the  Anglo  Saxon  Metal  style  and  the  album  was  originally  released  in  2002  and  called  "Engle  Tocyme"  and  will  be  re-issued  in  2017  by  Heidens  Hart  Records.

  Nature  sounds,  keyboards  and  clean  singing  vocals  and  chants  start  off  the  album  and  they  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  and  melodic  sound  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  music  also  brings  in  more  of  a  traditional  pagan  metal  style  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  songs  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  shows  them  adding  in  a  touch  of  their  more  earlier  black  metal  influenced  style.

  Grim  black  metal  screams  are  also  used  on  a  couple  of  the  later  tracks  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  guitars  while  one  of  the  tracks  is  a  keyboard  instrumental  while  the  following  tracks  show  the  music  making  a  return  back  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  and  a  couple  of  the  songs are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  they  also  bring  in  another  instrumental which  is  more  guitar  orientated.

  On  this  recording  Forefather  went  for  more  of  a  melodic  style  of  pagan  metal  with  only  a  small  amount  of  black  metal  influences,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Anglo  Saxon  History  and  Pride  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  another  great  sounding recording  from  Forefather  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  pagan  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Iron  Hand"  "Fifeldor"  and  "Loyalty  BOund".  8  out  of  10.

  https://heidenshart.bandcamp.com/album/engla-tocyme

 

Forefather/The Fighting Man/Heidens HartRecords/2015 CD Re-Issue Review

  United  Kingdom's  Forefather  shows  their  earlier  beginnings  of  their  Anglo Saxon metal  style  which  combined  black  and  pagan  metal  together  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2000  album  "The  Fighting  Man"  which  will  be  released  on  October  14th,  2015  by  Heidens  Hart  Records.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  speeding  up  and  adding  in  more  of  a  raw  and  melodic  black  metal  style  that  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  grim  screams  and  they  also  mix  in  clean  singing  pagan  vocals  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Melodic  guitar  leads  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the recording  and  when  synths  are  utilized  they bring  a  very  epic  atmosphere  to  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  music also  adds  a  touch  of  melodic  death  and  folk  metal  to some  of  the  riffs  and  guitar  leads  and  as  the  album  progresses  folk  instruments  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  briefly  and  they  also  bring  in  a  track  that  is very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Forefather  created  another  recording  that  remained  true  to  the  Anglo  Saxon  metal  sound  of  previous  recordings  and  also  brings  in  the  perfect  balance  between  melody  and  heaviness  and  also  had  a  bit  more  rawness  than  their  newer  material,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Anglo  Saxon  and  Norse  paganism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Forefather  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  New  Dawn"  "The  Call  To  Arms"  "The  Last  Battle"  and  "The  Lady's  Gift".  8  out  of  10.

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Forefather/Deep Into Time/Heidens Hart Records/2014 CD Review

  Forefather  are  a  band  from  the  United Kingdom  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  musical  style  they  themselves  call  'Anglo  Saxon  Metal"  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1999  album  "Deep  Into  Time"  which  was  re-issued  in  2014  by  Heidens  Hart  Records.

  Nature  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  keyboards  in  the  background  which  also  adds  more  of  a  medieval  feeling  to  the  recording  and  you  can  also  hear  some sampled  spoken  word  parts  after  a  few  seconds  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  more  into  a  fast,  raw  and  melodic  black  metal  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  grim  screams.

  Melodic  clean  singing  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  they  also  add  in  more  elements  of  pagan  and  viking  metal  when  they  are  utilized  and  after  awhile  the  band  starts  using  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  the music  starts  getting  a  lot  more  atmospheric.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  that  are  on  this  recording  are  the  most  black  metal  influenced  material  that  the  band  has  ever  released  to  date  and  some  of  the  later  tracks  start  having  more  of  a  ritualistic  feeling  when  melodic  chants  are  added  the  music  and  the  band  also  brings  in  small  amounts  of  melodic  guitar  leads  at  times  and  the  keyboards  from  the  intro  are  also  utilized  again  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  and  one  of  the  2  bonus  songs  displays  more  in  a  traditional  folk  music  direction  before  closing  the  album  with  more  of  a  black  metal  style

  Forefather  had  more  of  a  raw  approach  to  pagan  metal  on  this  recording  bringing  in  more  of  a  black  metal  influenced  sound  than  what  was  to  come  on  later  recordings,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Anglo  Saxon  Paganism  and  Mythology.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  a  great  sounding  album  from  Forefather  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Natural  Chaos"  "Visions  Of  Elders'  and  "Ancient  Voice".  8  out  of  10.

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Forefather/Steadfast/Heidens Hart Records/2013 CD Re-Issue Review

 Forefather are  a  band  from  the United  Kingdom that  has   been   featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  they  call Anglo  Saxon Metal  which  mixes viking,  pagan  and  black  metal  together  and  this  is  a  review  of  their 2008  album  'Steadfast"  which  was  re-issued  by  Heidens  Hart   Records.

  "Brunanburh"  begins with  fast  and  melodic  pagan  metal  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  lead  to  some  black  metal  style  screams  and  some  melodic  viking  metal  vocals  and  then switching back  and  forth  from  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well as  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  briefly  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  "Cween  Of  The  Mark"  begins  with  some  melodic  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  lead  to some  black  metal  screams  and  after  awhile  melodic  guitar  leads  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song  and  as  the  song  moves  on  it  gets  more  melodic.

  "Theodish  Belief" begins  with  some  traditional  metal  guitar  riffs  and  drums  along  with  some  melody  that  kicks  in  a  few  seconds  later  and  sets  up   the  mood  for  the  black  metal  vocals  to  make  their  way  into  the  song  and  as  the  song  moves  on  there  are  some  melodic  clean  singing  vocals  that  start  coming  on  and  out  before  the  pagan  metal  guitar  leads  start  becoming  a  part of  the  song.

  "Hallowed  Hills"  begins  with  some  fast,  heavy  and  melodic guitar  riffs  along  with  some drums  and  after  a  few  seconds  clean  singing  vocals  make  their  way  into  the  song  along  with  the  music  going  into  a  slower  direction  shortly  after  that  and  then  getting  fast  and  adding  in  some  melodic guitar  leads  that  come  in  and  out  of  the  song  as well  as  switching  back  and  forth  between slow  and  fast  parts  and  you  can  also  hear  the  bass  guitars  getting  alot more powerful  in  certain  sections.

  "Steadfast"  begins  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  mid  paced  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  lead  to  the  black  metal  vocals  and  bass  guitars to kick  in  as  well  as  some  guitar  leads  that  come  in  and  out of  the  song  and  after  awhile  the  music  slows  down  and  clean  singing  is  added  to  the  song  and  then  the  song  starts  switching  back  and  forth  from  slow  and  mid  paced  parts.

  "Three  Great  Ships"  begins  with  some  fast,  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  lead  to  some  black  metal   style  vocals  and  blast  beats  and  a  few  seconds  clean  singing  makes  its  way  into  the  song  while also coming  around  the  heavier  vocals  and  adding  in  some  melodic  guitar  leads  that  come  in  and  out  of  the  song,  as  the  song  moves  on  it  goes  into  a  slower  direction  for  awhile before  reverting  back  to  its  fast  roots.

  "Eostre"  begins  with  some  clean  guitar  playing  and  heavy  bass  guitars  which  then  evolve  into  melodic guitar  riffs  and drums  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  this  song  is  all  instrumental  with  no vocals.

  "Fire  From  The  Sky"  begins  with  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  and  then  goes  into  a  mid  paced  and  melodic  direction  which  leads  to  the  black  metal vocals  kicking  in  along  with  some  clean  singing  and  guitar  leads  that  come  in  and  out  of  the  song  and  then  the  song  starts  switching  back  and  forth  between  slow  and  mid  paced  parts.

  "Mellowing  Of  The Mains"  begins  with  some  acoustic  guitars  that  utilize  full  chords  which  lead  to  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  and  after  awhile  the  black  metal vocals  start kicking  in  and after  a  few  minutes  there  is  a  brief  use  of  melodic guitar  leads  before  going  into  a  cleaner  direction with  the  rhythm  and  bass  guitars  and  then  getting  heavy and  melodic again.

  "Wolfheads Tree'  starts of with some  fast and  melodic  black  metal  style  riffs  and   drums  which lead  to  the  screams   to  kick  in  and after awhile  the  song  slows  down  and  brings  in  some  clean  singing  vocals  along  with some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  powerful  bass  guitars  and  towards the  end  the music  gets  fast  again  and  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats  and  slowing  down  before  the  end.

  Miri  it  is"  begins  with some clean  singing  and  melodic guitar  leads  which  lead  to some  drums  and  power  chord  guitar riffs while also  keeping  the leads  around  and  as  the  song  moves on  it gets  heavier  and  you  can hear  some  bass  guitars.

  Song lyrics cover  Anglo  Saxon  Paganism  and  History,  while  the production  has a very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional sound.

  In my opinion this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Forefather  and  if  you are  a  fan  of  pagan/viking/black  metal,  you  should   check  out  this recording. RECOMMENDED  TRACKS INCLUDE  "Cween Of  The  Mark"  "Steadfast" "Fire  From  The  Sky"  and  "Wolfheads Tree".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Forefather/Last Of The Line/Metalhit.com/2012 CD Review

  Forefather  are  a  band  from  the  U.K  that  has  been  interviewed  before  by  this  zine  which labels  their  music  Anglo  Saxon  Pagan  Metal  which  takes  influences  from  viking,  black  and  traditional  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Last  Of  The  Line"  which  was  released  by  Metalhit.com.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being thrown  into  the  music  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  tone  with  riffs  that  dominate  throughout  the  recording,  as  for  the  synths  when  they  are  utilized  they  bring  an  atmospheric  sound  to the  music

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  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  influences  from  viking,  black  and  traditional  metal  moving  even  more  further  away  from  the  more  black  metal  sound  of  the  earlier  albums  as  well  as  having  a  great  amount  of  melody   being  thrown  into  the  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  add  a  progressive  feeling  to  the  music.

  Vocals  range  from  clean singing  viking  metal  vocals  and  some  black  metal  screams  and  growls  as  well  as  a  brief  spoken  word  part  being  utilized  on  one  song,  while  the  lyrics  cover  Anglo  Saxon Paganism, as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  recording  from  Forefather  and  if  you  enjoy  their  most  recent  material,  you  should  enjoy  this  one  as  well.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Chorus  Of  Steel"  "Wolves  Of  Prayer"  "Shadows  Of  The  Dead"  and  "The  Downfallen".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Forefather Interview

1. Can you update us with what is going on with Forefather these days?

We are in the process of demo-ing and choosing songs for our next album. This time we have many more songs than usual, so we’ll have enough material for at least half the next one too. Other than that we are just preparing our studio and dealing with the day to day tasks of selling some CDs, shirts etc.

2. Where did you come up with the band name?

It was quite a simple choice in the early days of starting the project. We needed something which represented times gone by. It was a matter of making sure nobody else had used it yet, which luckily they hadn’t. Other than that there is not much story behind the name.

3. I noticed that the band changes direction with each album, how would you describe the musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?

We never make any intentional changes in direction, but inevitably our writing styles may change over time with experience. I think most of the changes we’ve gone through are down to sound rather than the music, although we seem to have naturally lost some of the more straight black metal stuff to more “traditional” or “heavy” metal. The black metal riffing is still there though, and I think it’s an integral part of our sound. Over the years we’ve become more elaborate in our vocal and synth work, and perhaps added melody on the guitar. I see this kind of stuff continuing on the next album; though if I had to give a more definite prediction I would say it may sound a bit like a mixture of the last 2 albums.

4. When can we expect new material?

We no longer give predictions of release dates as we got into lots of problems with this before “Steadfast”. All I can say is that we’re working on demos and I very much hope to get an album out this year. We shall see. In the end I think it’s better not to rush things. It’s not like we have a record company putting pressure on us. Things just get done when they’re ready.

5. Out off all the albums you have recorded so far which one are you the most satisfied with?

“Steadfast” because overall it is, in my opinion, the best thing we’ve created music wise, production wise and performance wise. However in some ways I think “Deep into Time” because of its simplicity and rawness. Not much was asked of it, so it lived up to our expectations.

6. How has your music been received so far by pagan metal fans worldwide?

Usually very positively, especially since “Steadfast” which seems to have gone down particularly well with many people. I haven’t heard many negative things for quite a few years now. Maybe this is because Pagan/Viking metal is more popular now, so the piss-taking remarks about “hey nonny nonnyisms” have died down.

7. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your live performance?

We have never played a live show so this is a somewhat empty paragraph from me.

8. Are there any plans for a U.S tour?

No. There are still no plans for any live performances.

9. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and what are you listening to nowadays?

Firstly metal such as Iron Maiden, Burzum, Rhapsody, Manowar, Bathory and also some ambient, folk and medieval music has influenced us. These days (personally speaking) I listen to very little music besides the new Burzum album and Vangelis, with some folk and medieval music occasionally. When you are around music so much, sometimes you don’t want to hear it anymore. Things can become stale and it’s more and more difficult to find something fresh sounding without digging back into the classic metal past to find a gem you never discovered, or continuing to follow the more established bands.

10. How would you compare Anglo Saxon Mythology to Norse Mythology?

They are very similar and have essentially the same roots. Differences come in the names of gods and festivals, but the important thing is the essential meaning of it all. Eostre and Nerthus seem to be particular to the English, but some may argue with that. Overall I see the two as basically the same ideas in a different mask. I’m more interested in the meaning, not the superficial side.

11. What are some of your interests outside of music?

Formula 1 racing, alternative views of history, the origins of religions, English history, films, exploring the outdoors.

12. Any final words or thoughts?

Thanks for the questions. If you’re interested in the band keep an eye on HYPERLINK "http://www.forefather.net" www.forefather.net . I hope to be able to offer the new material this year.