Wan/Blazewitch/Fallen Temple/2024 EP Review

 

  Sweden's  Wan  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  raw,  old  school  and  satanic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  ep  "Blazewitch"  which  was  released  by  Fallen  Temple.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a r aw  feeling.  Vocals  are mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  ep  also  being  heavily  rooted  in t he  90's  era.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  some  of  the  riffing  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  melody.  A  touch  of  the  first  wave  era  can  also  be  heard  at  times  mixed  in  with  a  small  amount  of  80's  thrash  metal  elements  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  whole  ep  also  sticks  to  a  heavier  direction,  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  added  on  the  closing  track  they  also  stick  to  more  of  an  old  school  style..

  On  this  recording  Wan  remains  true  to  the  raw,  old  school  and  satanic  style  of  black  metal  they  have  established  on  previous  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occultism  and  Darkness  and  a  couple  of  tracks  are  written  in  Swedish.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Wan  and  if  you  are  a f an  of  raw,  old  school  and  satanic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Blazewitch"  and  "Fucked  by  The  Goat".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/TheUnholyWAN 

Wan/Antichristian Douchebags/Corrupted Flesh Records/Fallen Temple/2022 Full Length Review

 

  Sweden's  Wan  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  old  school,  raw  and  satanic  style  of  black  metal  from  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  "Antichristian  Douchebags"  which  will  be  released  on  February  25th  as  a  joint  effort  between  Corrupted  Flesh  Records  and  Fallen  Temple.

  A  very  heavy  and  aggressive  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  high  pitched  black  metal s creams  a  few  seconds  later.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can b e  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  and  growls  can  also b e  heard  at  times.

 The  music  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  first  and  second  wave  influences  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  some  of  the  riffing  also  adding  in  touches  of  punk  and  thrash  metal  and  the  whole  album  also  sticks  to  a  heavier  direction,  all  of t he  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  On  this  recording  Wan  remains  true  to  the  old  school,  raw  and  satanic  style  of  black  metal  that  they  have  established  on  previous  releases.  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in a  mixture  of  English  and  Swedish  and  cover  Satanism,  Anti  Christianity,  Occultism,  Paganism,  Darkness  and  Metal  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Wan  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  old  school,  raw  and  satanic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Viper"  Antichristian  Douchebag"  "Night  Of  The  Pagans"  and  "Roots  Of  Metal".  8  out  of  10.

https://corruptedfleshrecords.bandcamp.com/album/antichristian-douchebags    

Wan/Gammal ar aldst/Carnal Records/2018 EP Review

  Sweden's  Wan  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  raw,  old  school  and  satanic  black  metal  style  of  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  ep  "Gammal  ar  aldst"  which  will  be  released  on  December  21st  by  Carnal  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  raw  musical  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  adding  in  some  first  wave  influences  at  times  as  well as  the  music  being  mostly  rooted  in  the  90's  second  wave  era.

  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  some  thrash  elements  also  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  as  the  ep  progresses.

  On  this  recording  Wan  remain  true  to  the  raw,  satanic  and  old  school  style  of  black  metal  from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  Swedish  and  English  and  cover  Satanism,  Occultism,  Metal  and  Darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Wan  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw,  old  school  and  satanic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Out  Of  Your  League"  and  "Till  maskarna  slangd".  8  out  of  10.

https://wansweden.bandcamp.com/album/gammal-r-ldst

  

Wan/Wan Way To Hell/Carnal Records/2017 CD Review

  Wan  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  raw  and  old  school  form of  satanic  black  metal  with  a  touch  of  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Wan  Way  To  Hell"  which  will  be  released  February  10th  by  Carnal  Records.

  A  very  heavy  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  some  of  the  riffing  also  adds  in touches  of  thrash,  first  wave  black  metal  and  punk  along  with  the  vocals  also  mixing  in  some  of  the  old  school  80's  extreme  metal  style  and  blast  beats  are  used  during  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.

  During  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  second  wave  feeling  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of  the  riffing  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  and  as  the  album  progresses  death  metal  growls  are  added  into  some  parts  of  the recording  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  guitars  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Wan  remains  true  to  the  raw  and  old  school  style  of  black  metal  of  previous  releases  and  also  avoids  any  modern  sounds,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  old  school  while  the lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  Swedish  and  English  cover  misanthropic,  Satanism,  Occultism,  and  Darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Wan  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw  and  old  school satanic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "King  Of  Evil"  "The  Challenger"  "Spitfire  Metal"  and  "Wan  Way  To  Hell".  8  out  of  10.

Facebook.com/TheUnholyWAN
       

Curse/Styggelse/WAN/Necroholic/Satanath Records/Black Plague Records/The True Plague

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Iceland/Norway's  Curse  and  Sweden's  Styggelse  and  WAN  called  Necroholic"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Satanath  Records,  Black  Plague  Records  and The  True  Plague  and  we  will  start  off  the  album  with  Curse  a  band  that  plays  a  very  raw  form  of  thrash  influenced  black  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  raw  yet  melodic  old  school  black metal  sound  that  uses  a  good  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  and  the  music  also  brings  in  elements  of  punk  and  thrash  in  both  the  riffs  and  vocals  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

   The  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  some  of  the  vocals  have  a  very  different  yet  grim  approach  to  the  genre  with  its  semi  melodic  tone  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  they  close  their  side  of  the  split  with  a  cover  of  Motorhead's  "Ace  Of  Spades",  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  Curse  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  yet  melodic  thrash  influenced  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED   TRACK  "War  Of  One".

  Next  up  is  Styggelse  a  band  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  old  school  form  of  black  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  drum  beats  and  noisy  distortion  that  evolves  into  a  raw  black  metal  style  that  is  heavily  influenced  by  both  the  first  and  second  wave  along  with  some  grim  screams  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  add  in  a  touch  of  rock'n'roll  and  punk  to  the  bands  musical  style.

  Some  of  the  faster  riffs  also  mix  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  from  the  drums  and  their  is  also  a  brief  use  of  back  up  gang  shouts  and  some  thrash  influences  and  while  the  music  has  an  old  school  feeling  the  way  it  is  produced  sounds  more  modern,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  hateful,  satanic  and  anti  christian  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Styggelse  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  old  school  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Stay  true  To  Satan  For  Eternity".

  Closing  the split  is  WAN  a  band  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  raw  and  satanic  form  of  black  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  raw  and  old  school  90's  influenced  black  metal  sound  and  after  a  few  seconds  grim  black  metal  screams  make  their  presence  known  in  the  songs  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  some  of  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  that  almost  has  a  first  wave  feeling  at  times.

  Throughout  their  side  of  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  none  of  the  songs  ever  utilize  any  guitar  solos  and  leads  while  their  side  of  the  split  remains  very  heavy  from  first  to  last  track  which  also  sees  spoken  word  parts  and  back  up  shouts  being  added  into  the  music,  the  production  has  a  very  raw  yet  powerful  and  heavy  sound  while  the  lyrics  cover  satanism,  darkness  and  hateful  themes.

   In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  WAN  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Dirty  Bastards".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  fans  of  old  and  school  black  metal  that  like  hearing  this  genre  with  a  more  modern  production.  8  out  of  10. 

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Curse/4765
https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Styggelse/80033
https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Wan/3540303340
         

 

Wan/Enjoy The Filth/Carnal Records/2013 CD Review

  Wan  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  I would  describe  as  being  a  raw  and  primitive  form  of  satanic  black  metal and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Enjoy  The  Filth"  which  was  released  by  Carnal  Records.

  "Day  Of  Reckoning" begins  with  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums and  grim  sounding  black  metal  vocals  and  then  the  song  starts mixing  in  first  wave  black  metal  elements  in both  guitars  and  vocals.

  "Pentagram  Rockers"  begins  with  some  old  school  black  metal  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  grim  vocals  and  their  are  also  some  black'n'roll  elements  being  thrown  into  the  song  along  with  some  80's  influences  and  the  music  all  mid  paced  to  slow.

  "Swing  The  Hammer"  begins  with  some  fast  and  primitive  black  metal  guitar  and  bass  riffs  which  leads  up  to  some  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams  along  with  some  back  up  shouts  and  then  the  music  starts  slowing  down  a  bit  and  then  switching  back  and  forth  between  slow  and  fast  parts.

  "Ni  Skall  Do"  begins  with  black  metal  screams,  guitars,  bass  and  drums  and  is  under  a minute  with  some  primitive  riffing.

  'Helvite" begins  with  some  slow  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  black  metal  vocals  and  after  awhile  thrash elements  are  added  into  the  song.

  "Pagan  Metal  Damnation"  begins  with  some  old  school  black  metal  guitar  riffs  before  the  bass  drums  and  grim  screams  kick  in  and  then  the  music  gets  more  primitive  sounding  and  the  music  is  all  mid  paced  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  riffing  being  utilized  towards  the  end.

"The  Charger"  begins  with  some  dark  and  melodic  guitar  riffing  before  the  black/thrash  riffs  and  drums  kick  in  along  with  some  1st  and  2nd  wave  style  black  metal  vocals  and  the  music  starts  getting  a  lot  heavier.

  "Northern  Brothers"  begins  with  some  dark  guitar  riffs  and  drums  before  the  grim  black  metal  vocals  start  kicking  in  and  after  awhile  the  bass  guitars  get  more  powerful  and  the  music  gets  more  fast  and  primitive  along  with  some  blast  beats  before  returning  to  a  more  mid  paced  direction  while  also  returning  to  the  faster  parts  at  times.

   ''Enjoy  The  Filth"  begins  with  some  primitive  bass  and  guitar  riffs  before  adding  in  some  blast  beats  and  black  metal  vocals  along  with  some  deep  demonic  growls  before  slowing  down  a  bit  and  then  switching  back  and  forth  between  fast  and  slow  parts  and  the  song  also  utilizes  some thrash  influences.

  "Djevelsang" begins  with  drum  beats,  primitive  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  grim  screams  and  the  song  is  under  a  minute  and  towards  the  end  the  song  slows  down  and  you  can  hear  the  bass  guitars.

  "Trollmor"  begins  with  drums  and  black  rock  style  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  bass  guitars  and  shouting  style  vocals  and  the  song  switches  back  and  forth  between  slow  and  mid  paced  parts  along  with  a  brief  use  of  grim  screams.

  "Belial"  begins  with  some  primitive  black  metal  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  grim  vocals  which  also  utilize  a  small  amount  of  melodic  elements  and  the  song  stays  in  a  slow  direction.

  "Burn"  begins  with  some  powerful  bass  guitars  and  drums  before  the  thrash  influenced  guitar  riffs  and  black  metal  vocals  start  kicking  in  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  switching  back  and  forth  between  slow  and  fast  parts.

  Song  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  English  and  Swedish  and  cover  Satanism,  Occultism,  Paganism,  Anti  Christianity  and  Filth  themes,  while  the production  has  a  very  raw  and  primitive  sound  while  you  can  still  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Wan  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  old  school  satanic  black  metal, you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Pentagram  Rockers"  "Hellvite"  "Enjoy  The  Filth"  and  "Belial".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wan/177073592317817

www.myspace.com/theunholywan

Wan Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

We formed in 2009 as an unholy trinity. All of us tired of today's neo metal crap, and hungry for some old school filth. Evil was born 24:th of july when we had our first gathering as a band. We are three old bastards with history in various bands, still hungering for more.


2. What is the meaning behind the band's name?

The name means pale/gloomy. A fucking perfect name for the band and suitable to the music, lyrics, our minds and our appearances.


3. How would you describe your musical sound?

We sound like it did back in the 80´s. No keyboards or effects of any kind. Just a pounding bass and a single guitar, giving it that obscure raw sound that we want. Sometimes less is more.


4. How would you describe the lyrical content of the music?

Hate, aggression and worshiping. I write all lyrics and get the inspiration from my antichristian beliefs and from the mighty cold north and the evil and chaos that dwells therein.


5. Have you had any opportunities to do any shows, if so what are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

No unfortunately we have not been able to perform live yet. This is of course something that we´ll see too that it will happen. Just like our music, the stage performance will be simple and filthy. A chaotic show drenched in goat blood.


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

Rather fucking good I must say. People seem to be sick of today's modern tunes and enjoy our old sound. Mostly great response in reviews too I think. Of course there´s been one or two that pissed in our faces. But overall a decent reception and a few (female reviewers for some reason) that has truly understood what we´re about.


7. What direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?

We won´t change course or direction in any way what so ever! The venomous flame of old school simplicity will burn forever more


8. Are there any current side projects besides this band, if so who are they and what kind of music do they play.

Aganaroth have his solo projects Sapfhier (black metal), Angellust (death metal) and Inside Scars (doom/dark).
Isengrim have his solo projects Fornborg (black metal), Misery MMIX (ambient) and the totally fucked up project The TrueBadours (acoustic tedium)
I´m involved in The TrueBadours as well. I also write lyrics for several bands.


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

There´s no big surprise I guess that we got influences from bands such as Bathory and Venom. We still listen a lot on these old heros, but obviously to other bands and other music styles too. My personal favourites of today are bands like Dissection, Mayhem, Deathspell Omega, Watain, to mention a few.


10. What role does Satanism and Occultism play in the music?

Satan lives within us all. I detest Christianity, and the hate and aggression I possess is well used in Wan.


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

I find most kinds of art interesting. Paintings, photos, tattoos... And an occasional fishing trip is appreciated.


12. Any final words or thoughts?

Actually, I´m thinking that my hangover is treating me rather unfair today. We were supposed to record some crap with a different band yesterday but the equipment failed and the beer took the upper hand.
Thanks for the interview, and to you out there who not yet have discovered Wan I suggest you look us up and get your mind raped.
Enjoy the filth!

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Wan/Wolves Of The North/Abyss Records/2010 CD Review

  Wan are a band from Sweden that plays a very raw form of satanic black metal that has an evil death metal feel at times, and this is a review of their 2010 album "Wolves Of The North" which was released by Abyss Records.

Drums alternate between slow to mid paced drumming mixed in with a lot of fast playing and brutal blast beats, while the bass playing is very primal and follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars and at times they sound very powerful.

Rhythm guitars cover a lot of ground with some fast primal black metal riffing and some mid paced and slow riffs that have a good amount of death metal and thrash influences, while the lead guitars are primal  sounding guitar solos.

Vocals alternate between high pitched black metal screams mixed in with some death metal growls and there is also is some 80's extreme metal influences in some of the vocal passages, while the lyrics are written in both English and Swedish and they are very satanic, as for the production it is very raw sounding.

In my opinion Wan are a very good band that should appeal to all fans of 90's era satanic black metal. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "13 Sons Of The Devil" "Wargoat" "War Of The Unholy" and "Rapid Satan". RECOMMENDED BUY.

www.myspace.com/theunholywan