Karpathia/Urhiemat Volanie Havranov/Morbid Winter/2009 CD Review

  Karpathia are a band from Slovakia that plays a very raw form of black/pagan metal and this is a review of their 2009 album "Urhiemat Volanie Havronov" which was released by Morbid Winter.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast with a lot of blast beats, while the keyboards bring a very dark and atmospheric sound to the music, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that following the riffing coming out of the guitars and at times they sound very powerful.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast raw/pagan/black metal riffs that have a thrasy feel at times, while the lead guitars are very distorted sounding black guitar solos when they are utilized, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized, the bring back the feel of the dark ages.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some clean singing pagan chants being used at times as well as the occasional growl, while the lyrics are written in their native tongue and cover Heathen Values and Virtues as well as Indo European Nations, as for the production it has a very dark and raw sound to it.

In my opinion Karpathia are a very good raw black/pagan metal band that should appeal to all fans of the genre. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Stronghold Of Wotan's Wolves" "Plameni Zatmenej" "Volanie Havranov" and "Stronghold Of Night Wolves". RECOMMENDED BUY.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Karpathia/83024

Fatal Discharge Interview

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

Sure. We are Fatal Discharge, from Tucson Arizona. The band was originally started by me, The Adversary Sodomaggot, and our drummer RapeHammer. Buer is on guitar and FISTFUCK is on guitars and bass. The point of this band is to go to war with the bullshit hipster Indi-scene in our city. Our city has been overrun by these pussy bands full of hip kids who bought some old Ramones shirt in a thrift shop last week when they decided to be punk. Now they scream and shout and trash the stage for their shows, but next week they will be wearing Ed Hardy and rapping some bullshit “artistic” underground hip hop or something. These fucks do not know who they are or what to be. With Satan on our side, and victorious hatred I think we should win.



2. How would you describe your musical sound?

Black Metal with heavy influence of Punk rock, D-beat and Thrash mixed in. It is fun to have fast and thrashy songs but at the same time we aim to keep a dark, blasphemous sound.

Actually we sound like shit.



3. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the band's name?

We try to have an explosive energy in our songs, like the discharge of a firearm. As a unit, Fatal Discharge seeks to be hated, as we hate you all. I think to see every last fucking human dead is our vision of a perfect world, world peace through extinction and genocide, so we are Fatalists. That and…….. we also smoke a lot of pot and watch a lot of Simpsons DVDs, we are huge simpsons fans.



4. What are some of the lyrical topics and concepts that the band explores?

Some lyrical themes of ours are Satan, hell, violence, the desert and the natural elements, murder, cannibalism, misanthropy, genocide, human extinction, ritual sacrifice and even tranquility which I associate with nature.

One song was written for us by our friend Nathan, who now lives in California. He wrote it about my dog and mailed it to us, so I have to give him credit for that one. It’s actually pretty fucking rad, because if my dog could he would kill and eat your children.



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

Yes we have done a number of live shows in Tucson. They have all been fun for us; maybe the best one for us was one of our Vaudeville shows where we were all pretty fucked up before we even went on. As far as the audience’s opinion goes, you would have to ask them what the best show was, because I don’t know or care what they think.

I don’t know what to say about our stage performance. We go all out and pour ourselves into every aspect of it, from our attire to our expenditure of energy. We try to engage the audience in a way which is fun for them, but preserves our integrity as being a serious band and not just a fucking novelty. Black metal should not be taken as a novelty, people who hold that opinion can fuck off and I would rather they don’t come to our shows.



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

Yes, we hope to tour a lot. Our message needs to be experienced firsthand, and we would all like to travel and bum audiences out nationwide. This takes money or support though, which right now is something we are lacking.



7. Right now, the band is unsigned, are you looking for a label if so what kind of label do you think would be the right choice for the band?

I don’t know if we are actively seeking to get signed, no. But of course it would be cool to get a deal, maybe then we could actually have some nice equipment to play through, and a studio to record in.

We would not sign with anyone who would try to control what it is we are doing or producing though, this project is ours and we won’t be told what to do with it or what direction to take it in. I think it would have to be a company dealing strictly with metal; I can’t stand when someone who does not know about, or is not a fan of metal starts trying to produce a “metal” sound.



8. How has your music been received so far by black metal/punk fans worldwide?

I don’t really know, or care. Good I guess, we have had some real positive feedback from Latin America. Nothing on a spectacular level though, I don’t think we are growing a giant fan base or anything like that, but we could care less either way. Fatal Discharge is intended for the enjoyment of Fatal Discharge and there are maybe only three or four people at home who I would say understand that and are our true fans, and they are the only ones whose opinion actually counts to us anyway. You know who you are.



9. Are there any other side projects besides this band, or is this a full time group?

The four of us all have other projects going on, but that does not mean we are not devoted to Fatal Discharge. I think, personally, that we put a lot of ourselves in to this band and it is a full time project when it can be. Right now I am living in Helsinki and the rest of the guys are back in Tucson so we are on pause until May. At that time it will go back full swing, chaos, death and Rape Hammers dick flopping out all over again.





10. What direction do you see the music heading into during the future?

Satanic Black Metal Devastation, pure and aggressive, of course we will always strive to play fast and hard, and be creative and original with our sound.



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

Damn, we love music. There have been so many different influences I can’t name them all. Some huge influences in the development of Fatal Discharge’s sound have been Dark Throne, Venom, Bathory, G.G. Allin, Marduk, Gorgoroth, Dekapitator, Burzum, Poison Idea, Spazz, Agathocles and of course all of the metal legends like Judas Priest and Dio.

Since I came to Helsinki I have been listening to a lot of David Allen Coe and Hank Williams to remind myself of home. Lately I have been listening to a lot of Finnish Black Metal, and folk/pagan metal. The Finnish Black Metal is still grimy and evil as fuck. Also I listen to a kick ass band called Forest of Impaled from the U.S a lot. I think RapeHammer is listening to a lot of thrash and NWOBHM. Buer has been listening to a lot of Ding Diamond, Death, Cannibal Corpse and Terrorizer he loves that shit. FISTFUCK, he listens to a lot of shit, a little bit of it all, music is in his blood so he does not limit himself to any one thing you know.



12. Does Occultism or Satanism play any role in the music?

Absolutely. No fucking doubt about that. Ritual sacrifice appears in a lot of our songs.

More than one song has to do with Armageddon, the final war, the death of all human beings, killing in general and the triumph of Satan over the righteous and holy. I think I have an attraction to the dark side of humanity, we all have hate inside of us and I think there is no problem in letting that hate out. When did the world shift into this current paradigm of love thy neighbor, be politically correct in everything you say and help your fellow man? It is bull shit, people disgust me and I know they disgust all of you out there too; you’re just too afraid to accept that.

Satan comes in to play because Christian morality disgusts me, Catholic conformity and stupidity disgusts me, Islam disgusts me, Judaism disgusts me, Buddhists and there smug sense of peace and satisfaction disgusts me, I would like to see them all dead. Fucking religion disgusts me in general. Sure I believe in, and embrace Satan. What I don’t believe that he is a big red monster with a trident and spiky tail, sitting down in the kingdom of hell punishing all the sinners of the world. That would automatically place me in the category of a believer in god, or at least as being somewhat religious my self, which is something i am completely against. Religion and god are a crutch, they offer people false senses of hope and security. To believe in Satan as a deity is just as pitiful as the belief in Christ. Satan is a state of being, he exists in us all, Satan for me is representative of the human ability to be evil. As individuals we can make the choice to do as were told and live righteous, “productive” lives accepting everything society dictates and never think for ourselves, or we can choose Satan and fight back against the system that forces god on the population to keep them all pacified and under control. God is social control. Satan is individual freedom, and in my point of view that means hatred for society, its trends and popular culture. We harbor a very strong hatred for human beings, and if a reason for this hatred helps people to understand it, then sure we do it in the name of Satan. Why not. Although inside myself I would say that it may just be pure unfounded and absolute hatred, but most people just can’t grasp that concept.

I do want to stress though that we are NOT NS black metal, and we are NOT Nazis. We do not exclusively target any one group, we hate everyone. In fact more than anyone I hate Nazis, I think they are weak. I think they are pussys who band together to pick on others because they can’t stand on their own or think for themselves. I hate Nazis for the same reason I hate Christians, they are sheep, they are bandwagoners, they follow a group and do as they are told and not one actually thinks for themselves. Like Christians Nazis are some of the stupidest individuals and they should suffer violent ends.



13. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

We like to drink and fuck. We all smoke pot, I don’t care what the black metal community thinks about pot that shit is fun, and it makes a boring shitty life funny.

Are those interests?



14. Any final words or thoughts before we close this interview?

Yeah, hey everyone FUCK YOU, die.

Krallice Interview

1. Can you update us with what is going on with Krallice these days?
We just finished our third album, recording it a couple of weeks ago and it will probably be released in April of 2011 and we also just played a show in New York for the first time since May and then we went to Portland, Oregon for a fest called Fall Into Darkness and we played with a bunch of cool bands and we played with a band from Profound Lore called Worm Ouroboros and some northwestern bands, black metal bands like Souliism and Fauna which where worth checking out.

2. What can we expect the next release?
April 2011

3. What label will the new album be coming out on?
It will be coming out on Profound Lore the same label as the last 2, which is our home label.

4. Are you happy with the support that the label has given you so far?
Yeah definitely, it is a very good label and it is not like other American indie labels, they are not out to throw you on tour and take percentages from the merchandise and they are very good at getting the music out there and we have the same artistic vision with the label, and the label has bands like Ludrica, Aggaloch, Portal and Slough Feg, i has the best roster of any label.

5. What direction is the third album going into?
It is our most traditional metal record, there is going to be more of a focus on death metal and there is going to be more vocals and it is going to be less roomy and eerie than the previous 2, and musically it is being to be a bit less of the sound that was used a lot where we had 2 guitarists playing 2 different riffs and there is going to be a lot more composing of everybody playing the same riff and it is to have much more of a traditional metal feel to my ears.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the new album once it comes out?
No not right now, we are taking the rest of the year off, we just recorded our third album which is a milestone, we are not going to play any shows for the rest of the year, but it seems like we always do some live thing, tour each spring and summer since we have been a band so, I am sure something like that will materialize but that is not what we are thinking about right now.

7. What where some of your places to play at on the last couple of tours?
I always really liked Canada. Montreal and Toronto have always been great, we have been there twice on the tour and Richmond is also awesome, it always seems like there is a lot going on down there, we played with some local band there, Cleveland is another place I really like and then places like New York , Boston and Philly, those are pretty awesome to.

8. Your music has been labeled esoteric by some, how would you explain your vies on the esoteric side?
Well I think Esoteric from England is a fantastic band, Really I don't know I am not exactly sure what that term means esoteric in a dictionary sense meaning, it intends to be more understood by a small number of people, where all black metal and all metal, esoteric is not meant for general consumption, it is an expression of a certain specific set of things, I once read an interview with Eric Rutan of Hate Eternal where he said it is death metal but it brings different modes, it is not a lot to most. So in terms of esoteric it is some certain adjective for something progressive, as for our music I am not sure if I understand, I think we have our own sound.

9. How have metal fans worldwide react to your first 2 albums?
You would have to ask them but in general on the continents I think there is a very complex way of references, there are certain people that have dismissed it due to certain people that where involved, I have heard the terms indie black metal and post rock which are terms that I don't know the meaning of, we are black metal catering to death metal, we have a sound that has been described as depressive, we don't necessary have the European sound of melody like most black metal does, but for the people that have listened they said there is a whole lot of black metal and death metal some influences from some bands like Neurosis, I am certainly happy with their reaction.

10. Have you had any chances to tour Europe yet?
No, not yet?

11. I have read somewhere that the band members participate in many side projects, is that still going on these days?
Yes, our drummer is a professional drummer so he plays in a lot of interesting groups of bands for money and fun, we have another metal project for some stuff that I do, we have one member in a band called Gorguts which is a well known death metal band, which recently did a tour in Europe, which was their first tour in 11 years and they are working on their new album, most of our side projects right now are hibernating so, but I think all of them will do some stuff in the next year or so, but in terms of right now they are on hold

12. What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had a huge influence on your music?
We all like the Norwegian bands that everyone already knows like Immortal or early to mid term Gorgoroth, Ulver and their album Nattens Marginal early on, and some other influences such as Weakling and The Ukranian bands like Drudkh, Hate Forest, also some of the Russian bands like Forest, but we don't feel like we sound like any of those bands with our song structure, we also have some influences from death metal bands like the new album from Incantation, Outside of metal I listen to a fair amount of classical music where I can hear someone singing, for metal this has been one hell of a year with some really good new releases from Agalloch, Ludrica, Nightbringer, I keep up with all of the metal stuff that is coming out

13. What are some of your interests outside of music?
I am interested in visual work, I made the cover for the second album but I am not going to do the third, I am also interested in analog type of stuff

14. Do you have anything else to say before we close the interview?
No

15. Thanks for the interview?
Thank you.

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Azaghal/Omega/Moribund Records/2008 CD Review

  Azaghal are a band from Finland that has been interviewed and had their music reviewed by this zine, that plays a style that I would describe as being black terror metal and this is a review of their 2008 album "Omega" which was released by Moribund Records.

Drums are mostly mid paced to fast and technical with a lot of brutal blast beats, while the bass playing has a very dark tone which follows the riffing that is coming out of the guitars, as for the synths when they are utilized they bring a lot of darkness to the music.

Rhythm guitars are mostly mid paced to fast black riffs that also have some death and thrash metal influences and a good amount of melody, while the lead guitars are very primal and melodic black metal guitar leads.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some clean signing being used at times, while the lyrics are written in Finnish and cover darkness, occultism and ancient mythologies, as for the production it has a very heavy and professional sound that makes the music sound even more brutal.

In my opinion this was another good album from Azaghal and if you are a fan of this band you probably already have this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Quetzalcoatl" "Vihana Raivoavina Valtameria" "Kuolemankulti" and "Kaikkinakevan Silman Alla". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Vomit Ritual/Rehearsal 2008/CD-R Review

 Vomit Ritual are a band from Orange County, California that has been interviewed by this zine that plays a raw and primitive style of goat/war/black/death metal and this is a review of their 2008 rehearsal  demo.

Drums are mostly fast with a lot of brutal blast beats, while the bass playing has a very dark tone which follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are mostly fast and primitive style black/death metal riffs and there are no guitar leads or solos present on this recording.

Vocals are mostly deep black/death growls, while the lyrics are very dark and perverted, as for the production it is very primal and raw sounding.

In my opinion Vomit Ritual are a very good goat/war/black death metal band that should appeal to all fans of this genre. RECOMMENDED.

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Hexenwald/Ceremonial Of Ancient Flesh/Hail Productions/2008 CD Review

Hexenwald are a band from Colorado Springs that plays a very Germanic form of occult ritualistic black metal and this is a review of their 2008 album "Ceremonial Of Ancient Flesh" which was released by Hail Productions.

Drums alternate between slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beats, while the bass playing has a very deep and dark tone, as for the synths when they are utilized they bring a very dark and medieval feel to the music.

Rhythm guitars are a mixture of slow, mid paced to fast old school black metal riffs that go far back into the past with somewhat of a doomy edge as well as a small amount of melody being used at times as well as some classic death metal and thrash influences, while the lead guitars are very primal and melodic sounding black metal leads, as for the acoustic guitars they add a lot of darkness and melody to the music.

Vocals are a cross between high pitched black metal screams mixed in with some suicidal cries and deep growls with some clean singing being used at times, while the lyrics touch on Germanic Occultism,, rituals, Satanism and National Socialism with the songs being written in a mixture of German and English, as for the production it has a very raw and dark feel to it.

In my opinion Hexanwald are a very good band that should appeal to all fans of occultic ritualistic black metal. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Temple Ov The Witch" "Illuminati Noctem Divana" "Germanic Black Witchery" and "National Satanisten". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Black Autumn/Rivers Of Dead Leaves/Antichristian Front Records/2008 CD Review

  Black Autumn are a band from Germany that plays an ambient form of black metal with a doomy edge, and this is a review of their 2008 album "Rivers Of Dead Leaves" which was released by Antichristian Front Records.

Drum programming is mostly slow to mid paced beats with no fast playing or blast beats, while the synths bring a very dark ambient feel to the music, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone which follows the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow to mid paced primal ambient black metal riffing that also takes a lot of influences from doom metal, while the lead guitars are depressive sounding black metal leads, as for the classical guitars they bring a lot of melody and darkness to the music.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some deep growls being utilized at times, while the lyrics touch on gloom, death, and darkness mixed in with some samples, as for the production it has a very dark feel to it without being to over produced.

In my opinion Black Autumn are a very good ambient black metal band with a doomy edge and if you are a fan of this genre you should check this band out. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "A Darkness Profound" and "Ophelia". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Bestia Arcana/To Anaboinon ek tes Abysso/2008 CD Review

  Bestia Arcana are a band from Green Mountain Falls, Colorado that is a side project of Nightbringer as well as other members of The Horde Of Darkenwood, who play a very dark and ritualistic form of black metal and this is a review of their 2008 album "To Anaboinon ek tes Abysso".

Drums alternate between slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a lot of blast beats, while the synths bring a very dark and ritualistic sound to the music that also has a dark ambient feel at times, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone which follows the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars alternate between slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffing that sometimes has a very doomy feel to it, while the lead guitars are very primal and distorted sounding leads.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams, mixed in with some deep growls and ritualistic spoken word passages, while the lyrics are very left hand path and ritualistic with some darker cabbalistic, typhonian magick being utilized, as for the production it has a very dark and raw feel which is perfect for the ritualistic music this album produces.

In my opinion Bestia Aracana are a very good ritualistic black metal band that should appeal to all fans of this genre, there is only one song on this album that is 40 minutes long and it never gets boring since the song is broken into many different segments. RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Sacrifice At The Alter Of The Satanic Blood Angel-A Tribute To Von/Rusty Axe Records/2008 CD Review

  Von where a black/death metal band from San Francisco , California in the early 90's that where a very influential black metal band and this is a review of bands paying homage to Von "Sacrifice At The Alter Of The Satanic Blood Angel-A Tribute To Von" which was released by Rusty Axe Records.

Blasphemophagher open up the album with their cover of "Lamb" giving the song a goat metal feel.

Beastcraft bring us their cover of "Satanic Blood" which stays true to the original version.

Tjolgtjar brings us "Christ Fire" and brings a raw goat/black/death feel to their cover while keeping the song very primitive with a brutal guitar solo thrown in.

Unholy Crucifix brings us "Evisc" giving the version a primitive goat/black metal feel that brings back memories of the early 90's black metal scene of the Ross Bay era.

Frostmoon Eclipse brings us "Watian" with their cover having a very primitive black/death feel with a morbid sounding guitar solo being used in the song.

Sumeria brings us their cover of "Von" adding their raw and primitive black metal feel to their version while staying true to the rawness of the original.

Askelon brings us their version of "Release" with their cover having a feel of the 90's French black metal scene while still having the primitive feel of the original.

Espirit Derange brings us their cover of "Devil Pig" bringing a primal war/black metal feel to their version.

Godslaying Hellblast brings us "Vienen" with their cover sounding very primal in the war/black metal vein.

Raw Hatred brings us their cover of "Backskin" and their version sounds very primal with a heavy sound coming from the bass guitar.

Necroholocaust brings us their cover of "blood Angel" having a very primitive black/death sound that stays true to the original with one of the most primal sounding guitar solos.

Enlilulugugal brings us their cover "Lamb" and their version is very primal war/black metal with a very brutal sound.

Sjenovik brings us their cover of "Vennt" and their version is very primal sounding goat metal with alot of heavy distortion.

Brobdinghagian brings us their cover of "Veadtuck" which adds alot of heaviness and noise to their version and cover is very brutal.

Dawn Of Sorrow brings us their cover of "Christfire" bringing a very raw and primal black metal sound to their version and a good amount of distorted noise.

Exekrator brings us their cover of "Von" and their version is very primal black/war/death metal.

Sermon Of Foulness brings us their cover "Chalice Of Blood" and this is probably one of Von's more slower songs while still remaining primal and it does spped up into a very fast and primal black metal song.

Godless brings us their cover of "Dissecting Inhuman" and their version is pure primal and raw black metal with some suicidal screams being thrown in at times and some heavy bass playing.

Black Vomit brings us their cover of "Devil Pig" wwith their version being very brutal goat metal.

Burning Blood brings us their cover of "Goat Christ" which is another brutal goat/black/death metal version of the song.

Volkermord brings us their version of "Watain" and their cover is some very primal war/black metal with a very raw sound that is very heavy.

Nuclearhammer brings us their version of "Blood Angel" with their cover having a very primal black/death feel that stays true to the original.

Ceromonial Castings brings us their version of "veinen/Veadtuck" and thir cover is very primal black/death and a departure from the more atmospheric black metal sound this band is known for.

Istridraj closes off the album with their cover of "Satanic Blood" gringing their primal black/war metal edge to their version.

In my opinion this is a very good tribute to Von and fans of this band should enjoy this album and I would also recommended this album for those that are into the most primitive black/death metal that there is. RECOMMENDED BUY.

https://www.discogs.com/Various-Sacrifice-At-The-Altar-Of-The-Satanic-Blood-Angel-A-Tribute-To-Von/release/2033937

Brown Jenkins/Angel Eyes/Moribund Records/2008 CD Review

 Brown Jenkins are a band from Austin, Texas that has been interviewed before by this zine, with a music style that mixes black metal with drone and  funeral doom and this is a review of their 2008 album "Angel Eyes" which was released by Moribund Records.

Drum programming ranges from slow, mid paced to fast beats, while the bass playing has a very dark tone which follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow to mid paced riffs that combine black metal, doom metal, drone and noise rock together to create something very dark and heavy, and there are no lead guitars or solos present on this recording.

Vocals are mostly deep growls, while the lyrics cover darkness and dying, as for the production it has a very dark and heavy sound to it.

In my opinion this was a great album from Brown Jenkins and if you are looking for a band that combines funeral doom, drone and black metal together you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Black Procession" "The Ash Eaters" and "Forever Funeral". RECOMMENDED BUY.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Brown_Jenkins/98074

Necronoclast/Haven/Moribund Records/2008 CD Review

  Necronoclast are a band from Scotland that plays a very suicidal form of black metal that also takes a lot of influences from doom metal, who also by the way have been interviewed by this zine, and this is a review of their 2008 album "Haven" which was released by Moribund Records.

Drums alternate between slow, mid paced to fast playing with some blast beats, while the synths when they are utilized bring a very dark edge to the music, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone which follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars combine raw black metal with doom metal mixed in with a good amount of melody and an occasional thrashy edge, while the lead guitars are very melodic and depressive sounding guitar solos that mix black and doom metal together, as for the acoustic guitars when they are used they utilize a lot of finger picking to give the music a much more dark sound.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some deep growls being used at times, while the lyrics dark and depressive topics, as for the production on this recording which was recorded between August 2007 to July 2008 sounds very dark while retaining a very professional feel.

In my opinion Necronoclast are a very good band that should appeal to someone that is looking for a band that combines suicidal black metal together with melodic doom meta. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "That Which Crawls Among The Shadows" "Entombed In Silence Above" and "Slashed By Shards Of Existence". RECOMMENDED BUY.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Necronoclast/38175

Grimbane/Let The Empires Fall/Moribund Records/2008 CD Review

  Grimbane are a band from Vancouver B.C, Canada that has also been interviewed by this zine before, which consists of an ex member of Blasphemy with their music being anti-christian war/black metal and this is a review of their 2008 album "Let The Empires Fall" which was released by Moribund Records.

Drums are mostly primitive mid paced to fast with a lot of brutal blast beats, while the samples are very anti christian, as for the bass playing it has a very dark and primitive tone which follows the riffing that follows the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they have a very powerful sound.

Rhythm guitars are mostly mid paced to fast raw war/black metal riffs that have a thrashy edge to them at times, while the lead guitars are very primitive sounding black/death guitar solos that occasionally have a melodic feel to them, as for the classical guitars when they are utilized they bring a darker dimension to the music.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some deep growls being used at times, while the lyrics are very anti christian as well as anti religion of any kind mixed in with a dose of evilness, as for the production on this recording which was recorded at Fiasco Studios in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada from the months of February to October 2007 it has a very dark and raw feel to it while still retaining a professional sound.

In my opinion Grimbane are a very good band that should appeal to all fans of war/black metal. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Tyrnize Christians" "Unscrupoulous Religion" "Overload Of Chaos And Evil" and "Before The First Day". RECOMMENDED BUY.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Grimbane/119071

Leviathan/A Silhoutte In Splinters/Moribund Records/2008 CD Review

  Leviathan are a band from San Francisco that is known to be a black metal band, who also have had an album reviewed in this zine, on this recording they went for a more dark ambient sound and this is a review of their 2008 album "A Silhouette In Splinters" which was released by Moribund Records.

Distortion on this album has a very dark and somewhat heavy feel on this recording,, while the synths bring a very dark ambient feel to the album, as for the noise effects they have an underground avant garde feel to them.

The music on this album touches on the darker side of humanity, while the production has a very dark feel to it, as for the bass playing when it is utilized it brings an extra dimension of darkness to the music.

Acoustic guitars when they are utilized have a very weird sound that makes the music sound more avant-garde and dark with a good amount of full chords and finger picking, while the vocals have a very cryptic feel to them mixed in with some black metal growls when they are utilized.

In my opinion this was a very good album from Leviathan and while some of their more hardcore black metal fans would probably not enjoy this album, I still feel this recording would appeal to someone more open minded that is looking for something that is dark and original. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Particular Dis-ease" and "A Silhouette In Splinters". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Dodsferd/Death Set The Beginning Of My Journey/Moribund Records/2008 CD Review

  Dodsferd are a band from Greece that has been interviewed and had plenty of their music reviewed in this zine, that plays a very raw, hateful and depressing form of black metal and this is a review of their 2008 album "Death Set The Beginning Of My Journey" which was released by Moribund Records during the year of 2008.

Drums alternate between slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beats, while the bass playing has a very dark and raw tone which follows the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars mix slow, mid paced to fast raw and depressive black metal riffs together with a punk edge being used at times, while the lead guitars are very primitive sounding black metal guitar solos.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams mixed in with some suicidal cries, while the lyrics cover hateful and suicidal themes, as for the production of this album which was recorded at Studio 5 in February of 2008 and mixed and mastered during July of the same year it has a very dark and raw feel to it.

In my opinion this was another great album from Dodsferdd and if you are a fan of this band you probably already own this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Suicide Was Created By Your Incompetence" and "Death Set The Beginning Of My Journey". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Ayat/Six Years Of Dormant Hatred/Moribund Records/2008 CD Review

  Ayat are a band from Lebanon that have also been interviewed by this zine and I will add that  they did have a friendly attitude towards the zine, they have a music style that I would describe as being raw black metal with a punk and industrial edge and this is a review of their 2008 album "Six Years Of Dormant Hatred" which was released by Moribund Records.

Drums are mostly mid paced to fast with a lot of brutal blast beats, while the bass playing has a dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they have a sound of their own and dominate some of the songs.

Rhythm guitars are mostly mid paced to fast raw black metal riffs that also have influences from punk and thrash and a slow doomy riff being used on the last song, while the lead guitars when they are utilized are mostly chaotic sounding guitar solos.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some deep growling and clean singing male and female vocals being used at times mixed in with some industrial style screams, while the lyrics cover anti-Islam, perversity, murder, suicide, and hatred for humankind, as for the production on this recording it sounds very dark, raw and heavy.

In my opinion while Ayat where not too friendly in the interview they still produce great raw black metal with a punk/thrash edge and if you are a fan of bands that play that kind of style you should enjoy this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Fornication And Murder" "Collective Suicide In The Bouldoir(Feeling Wonderful Tonight)" "Curses! Curses! And Never Sleep" and "Thousand OF Pissed Motherfuckers". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Blackwinds/Flesh Inferno/Regain Records/2008 CD Review

  Blackwinds are a band from Sweden that has some members of Setherial that plays a very raw, brutal and fast form of Satanic atmospheric black metal and  this is a review of their 2008 album "Flesh Inferno" which was released by Regain Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a lot of blast beats, while the keyboards bring a very dark sound to the music, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone which follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that contain a good amount of melody and a slight death metal edge, while the lead guitars are very primitive and melodic sounding guitar solos.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some deep growls being thrown in at times along with some spoken word passages, while the lyrics touch on dark spirituality, biblical passages, self mutilation, Satanism and the philosophy of Hegel, as for the production it has a very heavy, dark but still very professional sound.

In my opinion Blackwinds are a very good atmospheric satanic black metal band that should appeal to all fans of this genre. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Enter The Pandemonium" "Inquisition" "Conceptualizing The Devil" and "Quintessence Of Hell". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Nocturnal Fear/Code Of Violence/Moribund Records/2010 CD Review

  Nocturnal Fear are a band from Detroit, Michigan that have also been interviewed by this zine that plays a style that I would describe as being war/black/death/thrash metal and this is a review of their 2008 album "Code Of Violence" which was released by Moribund Records.

Drums are mostly fast with a lot of brutal blast beats, while the bass playing utilizes a lot of fast riffs which follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they have a very powerful sound.

Rhythm guitars are mostly fast riffs which combine war/black/death and thrash metal together with only a small amount of slow playing being used at times, while the lead guitars are very chaotic sounding war/death thrash guitar solos.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some deep growls being thrown in at times, while the lyrics touch on violence, war, and metal with some references to the philosophy of Fredreich Nietzsche and the Necronomicon, as for the production on this recording at the Tempermill Studios in Detroit, Michigan during February of 2008 has a very, raw, heavy and professional sound to it.

In my opinion this was another great album from Nocturnal Fear and if you are a fan of this band you probably already own this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Code Of Violence" "Rotting In Hell" "Skull Splitter" and "Path To Power". RECOMMENDED BUY.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Nocturnal_Fear/10246

Mt Cairn/Demo 2010 CD Review

  Mt Cairn are a band from Loveland, Colorado that has had there music reviewed and also have been interviewed by this zine that plays a raw style of black metal and this is a review of their 2010 demo.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a lot of brutal blast beats, while the bass playing follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast raw black metal riffs, while the lead guitars are very primal sounding black metal guitar solos that has the feel of the dark ages.

Vocals are high pitched black metal screams, while the lyrics touch on some dark topics with an occult edge, as for the production it has a very dark and raw sound to it.

In my opinion this is a good demo from Mt Cairn that will not disappoint black metal fans at all. RECOMMENDED.

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Borgne Interview

1. Can you introduce the band for those that have never heard of you before?
Borgne is a swiss industrial black metal solo project which was formed in 1998 “entraves de l’âme” will be the 5th opus.

2.How would you describe the musical sound of the new album?

This last journey sound more organic than the preview album. It has been recorded in the same way and with the same materials. I did more work on mixing and mastering from CZ. My sound is more succeeded, darker and stranger. I use new sounds and aims into the dark world of Borgne.

3.What are some of the lyrical concepts or topics the new album explores?

Entraves de l’âme is the Borgne first album where the lyrics are written into the cd’s booklet. Into the past, Borgne was talking about other unknown and unexplored worlds. But on this one I talk about realities, loneliness, hate and sadness.

These lyrics have been written by Peter and Skahl for me. We have worked subjects together and they have been written by them, but it talks about me and my devils. It’s good to have big brothers to talk about yourself. Isn’it?

4.The new album had appearances from CZ of Vinterrikett and Malefic from Xasthur, how did you get in contact with these people and where you satisfied with the final result?

Malefic, we are in touch for few years already and it was decided once to have a working agreement on an album or a split cd but it was more with Enoid (my other black metal project). I asked him to make an intro for this album because I like his music and his state of mind. I have lots of respect for him.

CZ, I’ve known him for about a year. We met each other from “Grim” who played in Borgne too. With CZ, We have understood quickly than collaboration through our damned souls will be possible. He does the outro for this album. He is excellent in doing sounds and atmosphere and everything I needed to end this journey. CZ become an important friend for me, I have lots of respect for everything he does with Vinterriket, Atomtrakt and all his other projects.

On this cd, there is also Ardelean (Fosse) and Juno Nitta (Juno Bloodlust) who do some apparitions with guitar and keyboard. I am really satisfied on their works.

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

I have lots of good and very positive feedbacks about Borgne since the release of Borgne II. Especially from USA and Japan, a bit from France too. But since Borgne IV feedbacks are more often and come from everywhere. Canada and Russia for example. I have got also some from Switzerland. Thanks to Sepulchral for his excellent work.

6.How would you describe your musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?

12 years ago, Borgne was born but without identity. For few years I thought about myself and I had lots of experiences. It’s from Borgne III that I found the right direction that Borgne should follow. With this 5th album I found my proper identity. For the future I think it will go in the same way.

7.Currently you are signed to Sepulchral Productions, how would you describe the support the label has given you so far?

I believe that Sepulchral is a real good label which gives to Borgne the chance to be exported. That’s true that Borgne IV is better built that the previous one but with this label Borgne had more diffusion and distribution. Sepluchral is a really good label which works on quality and I hope keep on working with it into the next future.

8.Are there any current side projects going on besides this band?

Yes, I still work with Enoid (brutal black metal project) and Decomposition (ambient project) which it is planned to do some shows. But it’s especially Borgne that take all my time recently. I have also participated with others projects that I have to keep secret for the moment.

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

I listen especially bands like XASTHUR, LUNAR AURORA, MYSTICUM, BURZUM, ATOMTRACT and ENDLESS DISMAL MOAN that I use only a bit as influences. I try for a long time to influence more myself than before. I really try to create everything that come to my mind. I compose lots of songs for Borgne and I’ve got lots that I haven’t used yet. It might be stupid but I listen lots of what I do and for this last album I deleted more than 30 minutes of music because I didn’t find it was good anymore.

10.Does Occultism or Satanism play any role in your music?

Satanism isn’t a part of Borgne’s story. I have never included politics or religion or other believes into my music.

11.Outside of music what are some of your interests?

I am afraid that I haven’t any others interest than music at the moment. Or maybe watching horror movies. A bit cliché isnt’it?

12.Any final words or thoughts before we close this interview?

First of all, thanks to you for this interview and thanks to all people who is a part of this cd.

Open yours souls, make them let go through all hindrances and let yourself spread out by this dark Borgne’s music before being completely fool.

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Neige et Noirceur/La Seigneurie des Loups/Sepuchral Productions/2010 CD Review

  Neige et Noirceur are a band from Quebec, Canada that plays a raw form of ambient black metal with a drone/doom edge and this is a review of their 2010 album "La Seigneurie des Loups" which was released by Sepuchral Productions.

Drums range from slow, mid  paced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beats, while the synths bring a very dark and atmospheric edge to the music with a lot of noise effects being used at times that bring an industrial edge to the music, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone which follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars, when the flutes when they are utilized they bring a folk/pagan feel to the music.

Rhythm guitars combine slow, mid  paced to fast ambient black metal riffs with some doom influences, while the lead guitars are very distorted sounding black metal leads, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized they bring a folk music sounding medieval feel to the music.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some deep growls being thrown in at times mixed in with the occasional clean singing, while the lyrics touch on Occultism, Quebec history and heritage with the songs being written in the French language, as for the production it has a very dark and tragic sound to it.

In my opinion Neige et Noirceur are a very good band that should appeal to all fans of ambient black metal as well as fans of pagan/black metal. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Croix de Feu- Croix de Fer" and "La Seigneurie des Loups". RECOMMENDED BUY.

www.myspace.com/neigeetnoirceur

Forteresse/Par Hauts Bois et Vastes Plaines/Sepulcharal Productions/2010 CD Review

 Forteresse are a band from Quebuc, Canada that plays an ambient form of black metal and this is a review of their 2010 album "Par Hauts Bois et Vastes Plaines" which was released by Sepulcharal Productions.

Drum programming is mostly slow beats with some faster beats being used at times, while the keyboards have a very dark and epic sound to them, as for the bass playing it is mostly slow ambient black metal riffs which follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow repetitive ambient black metal riffs that speed up at times and there are no lead guitars or solos present on this recording.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams, while the lyrics touch on Quebec Nationalism and history with the songs being written in the French language, as for the production it has a very dark and primitive sound to it.

In my opinion Forteresse are a  very good ambient black metal band and if you are a fan of this genre, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Track 1" "Track 3" and "Track 7". RECOMMENDED BUY.

www.myspace.com/forteresse

Borgne/Entraves_de_I'Ame/Sepuchral Productions/2010 CD Review

  Borgne are a band from from Sweden that plays a very depressing form of ambient/industrial black metal and this is a review of their 2010 album "Entraves_de-I'Ame" which was released by Sepulchral Productions.

Drums alternate between slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a lot of blast beats, while the synths and programming sounds very dark, epic sounding and depressive with some weird ambient noise effects being used at times mixed in with some militant industrial style programming, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone which follows the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars combine slow, mid paced, to fast raw ambient/black metal riffs that are very depressive and dark with some of the atmosphere evoking a Swedish style black metal sound, while the lead guitars are very depressing sounding black metal leads that contain some melodies at times, as for the acoustic guitars they add a great amount of tragedy and sorrowfulness to the music.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some deep growls thrown in at times, while the lyrics touch on misanthropy, death and other dark and depressing themes, as for the production it sounds very dark and raw with the feel of a black and white horror film.

In my opinion Borgne are a very good band that has a sound that is more powerful and professional than most bands that go for a depressive ambient/industrial black approach, if you are a fan of that genre, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Die Trying To Take Off The Rope" "Suffering To Buy Our Poison" and "The Plague". RECOMMENDED BUY.

http://www.myspace.com/borgne

The Secret Interview

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

*We started the band in 2003 in Trieste, Italy. Marco, our singer, and I are the only founding members left. We changed drummers and bass players a million times, and now the band consists of Marco Coslovich (vocals), Enrico Uliana (bass guitar), Tommaso Corte (drums), and me, Michael Bertoldini (guitar).
We previously released two albums on the Canadian label Goodfellow Records, and our Southern Lord debut "Solve et Coagula" came out last week.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?

*I grew up listening to a lot of early 90's black metal and then started to go to punk and hardcore shows when I was 16. I also like a lot of Scandinavian grindcore, d-beat, crust bands so both metal and hardcore has influenced our sound. We're trying to be loud, raw, fast and aggressive and keeping some dark atmosphere in it.


3. What are some of the lyrical topics that you have written about before on past releases, and what did you write about on the new album?

*The lyrics on the album are a reflection and reaction to what our nation and our world are moving towards.
The main concept driving the album is the total loss of faith towards politics, religion and media. We are definitely a band with punk/hardcore roots and this time we decided to speak about the decline of everything that surrounds us while past albums have been more concerned with our personal relations with society.


4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the band's name?

*The name is really old, and personally there isn't much meaning to it anymore. When we started we wanted a name that sounded different than typical metal bands around at that time. We wanted something obscure so we came up with 'The Secret'.

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

*The whole US tour we did last year with our fellows Early Graves from San Francisco was awesome.
We played our last American show at LA Murderfest. It was great to share the stage with bands as Rotten Sound or Eyehategod. OurlLast shows were great too. We played at a festival in Bologna, Italy a few weeks ago, and turnout was very good.

6. What are some of the touring plans for the future, any US dates lined up?

*We're working on a 4 week long American tour right now. We should be on the road next year around April/March. After that we plan on playing some festivals here in Europe, come back to Italy, and work on a European tour around June/July.

7. The new album came out on Southern Lord, how would you describe the support that the label has given you so far?

*Being on Southern Lord is just great, we feel lucky to be part of such an amazing roster. Press for the moment has been better than we expected, SL is doing a great job. The first reviews have been really good, so we can't really complain.

8. How have extreme metal fans worldwide react to your music so far?

*The feedback for the new record has been great both in the States and here in Europe. We'd love to tour other parts of the world in 2011, right now we're talking about some shows in Israel, we should have more news soon.

9. How would you describe your musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?

*Things have changed a lot since we started. We recorded our first full length when we were still very young and we nearly completely disbanded after it came out. We had a completely new line up for our second album "Disintoxication" and it was a new beginning for us. I think the foundations of our sound can be found in "Disintoxication" but after that record came out we felt we needed a more straight-forward approach to really give our best. In the new record songs are faster and shorter and song structure is usually very simple. We wanted to keep everything as pure as possible and "Solve et Coagula" is the result. We're already writing some new stuff, but the direction we're gonna go in on the next record is still unclear. New songs maybe have a stronger black metal influence but we mainly have a bunch of riffs we're toying with in our practice space.

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

*There are tons of bands that influenced our sound. I listen to a lot of different kinds of music, basically everything from The Beatles to Black Metal, basically everything but electronic music. Lately i've been listening to a lot of Led Zeppelin live recordings and early Swedish death metal like Entombed or Dismember. Right now i'm listening to an awesome british band called Guapo; they play very dark cinematic prog jazzy music with a lot of different elements. They remind me of an Italian band from the 70's called Goblin mixed with some psychedelic/ethnic elements. Great band.

11. Does Occultism or Satanism play any role in the music?

*Not really. We love occult imagery but i really don't believe in anything. God, Satan and other religious icons are just a subtle invention the church used to spread fear to obtain power over the centuries. Our message is definitely more an attack to the hypocrisy of organized religion. Here in Italy the Vatican still has a lot of power and a great influence in our politics and it's a shame. Anyway i read La Vey's works and i am definitely a fan.

12. Are there any other side projects besides this band or is this a full time group?

*This is definitely a full time band even though we all have shitty day jobs to make a living.

13. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

*Cinema, food, contemporary art, smoking pot, big amplifiers, coffee, tea, the occult.

14. Any final words or thoughts before we close this interview?

*No gods, no masters.

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Inverted Trifixion/The Black Empire Of The Lord Of Lies/Grim Nocturnal Records/2008 CD Review

 Inverted Trifixion are a band from Maryland that plays a very atmospheric form of raw black metal and this is a review of their 2008 album "The Black Empire Of The Lord Of Lies" which was released by Grim Nocturnal Records.

Drums alternate between slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a lot of brutal blast beats, while the keyboards sound very dark, epic, and atmospheric, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone which follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars mix slow, mid paced and fast raw black metal riffs together with a good amount of melody, and there are little to no guitar leads or solos present on this recording, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized they bring a nature orientated form of darkness to the music.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams mixed in with some spoken word female vocals, while the lyrics are written in a mixture of Spanish and English which cover nature, misanthropy, darkness, and rituals, as for the production which was recorded during the 3rd week of April 2008 at Orion Studios in Baltimore, Maryland sounds very dark and raw sounding.

In my opinion Inverted Trifixion are a very good atmospheric black metal band, and if you are looking fro a 90's style atmospheric black metal band, you should check this group out. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Ravens Blood" "Voices From Beyond" and :The Black Empire Of The Lord Of Lies". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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