Vidharr/Cryo/Maa Productions/2013 CD Review

  Vidharr  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  grim,  raw  and  primitive  form  of  black'n'roll  orientated  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Cryo"  which  was  released  by  Maa  Productions.

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  drumming  with  only  a  small  amount  of   fast  playing  and  blast  beats  being  present on  this  recording,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording,  as  for  the  sound  effects which  are  only  used  briefly  they  bring  a  very  dark  and  avant  garde  sound  to  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow, mid  paced  to  fast  black  metal  riffs  that  are  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sounding  with  some  melody  being  thrown  into  the  riffing  at  times  along  with  some  doom  metal  and  black'n'roll  influences,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  black  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  add  some  progressive  elements  to  the  recording.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  along  with  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  as  well  as  some  deep  growls  in  addition  there  are  some  clean  singing  female  vocals  being  used  on  a  couple  of  songs  along  with  sludge  style  screaming  being  used  on  the  cover  tune,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  as  for t he  production  it  has  a  very  heavy,  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it  while  you  can  still  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on t his  recording  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Vidharr  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  black'n'roll  and  traditional black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Void"  "Cryo"  and  "Blank"  which  is  an  Eyehategod  cover.  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Grift/Fyra elegier/Nordvis/2013 CD Review

  Grift  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  very  atmospheric  and  melancholic  form  of    black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Fyra  elegier"  which  was  released  by  Nordvis.

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  drumming  with  no  fast  playing  or  blast  beats  being  present on  this  recording,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  following  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  on  one  of  the  songs  they  have  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  to  them,  as  for  the  violins  which are  only  utilized  on  the  first  song  they  bring  a  very  dark,  melancholic  and  atmospheric  sound  to  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  black  metal  riffs  that  are  very  atmospheric,  dark,  melancholic,  raw  and  primitive  sounding  along  with  a  good  amount  of  melody  being  thrown  into  the riffing  as  well  as  some  doom  metal  elements,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  atmospheric  and  melodic  sounding  black  metal  guitar  leads.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim sounding  black  metal  screams  with  a  brief  use of  spoken  word  parts,  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Swedish  and  cover   mans  insignificance  and  everything  unimaginable  before  Death's  triumph  while  also  adding  poetic  feeling  to  the  song  writing,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive sounding  with  some  of  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Grift  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark,  atmospheric,  melancholic,  raw  and  primitive  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dodens  dad"  and  "Bortgang".  RECOMMENDED  BUY. 

https://soundcloud.com/nordvis/grift-d-dens-d-d

Streams Of Blood/Ultimate Destination/Folter Records/2013 CD Review

  Streams  Of  Blood  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  form  of misanthropic  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Ultimate  Destination"  which  was  released  by  Folter  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  used  at  times,  while  the  synths  which  are  only  used  on  the  intro  bring  a  very  dark  and  atmospheric  sound  to  the  music,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  black  metal  riffs  that  are  very  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sounding  along  with  some  atmospheric  elements  and  melody  being  thrown  into  the  riffing  at times  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  along  with  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  misanthropic  themes  with  one  song  cover  New  World  Order  topics  as  well  as  another  one  being  written  in  German,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Streams  Of  Blood  are  a  very  great  sounding  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  misanthropic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Road  To  Burn"  "Bringer  Of  Light"  "Beast  Reflect"  and  "New  World  Order  2012".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

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Night Of The World/Drive the Knife DEEPER/Folter Records/2013 CD Review

  Night  Of  The  World  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  very  thrash  orientated  form  of  raw  and  primitive  sounding  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Drive  the  knife  DEEPER"  which  was  released  by  Folter  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  black  metal  riffs  that  are  very  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sounding  with  a  great  amount  of  thrash  influences  being  thrown  into  the  riffing  as  well  as  some  melody  and  there  are  little  to  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  are  all  hateful  and  deep  sounding  black  metal  screams  and  growls,  while  the  lyrics  cover  hateful  and  misanthropic  themes,  as  for  the  production  it h as  a  very  dark,  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Night  Of  The  World  are  a  very  great  sounding  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  misanthropic  black  metal  band  with  a  thrash  edge  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Throarcrush"  and  "Drive  the  Knife  Or  Yourself  Deeper".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Whorls/Lvmen Natvrae/Boue Records/Maniyax Records/2013 7 Inch REview

  Whorls  are  a  band  from  Denmark  that  plays  a  mixture  of  grim  sounding  black  metal  and  post  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  seven  inch  "Lymen  Natvrae"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Boue  Records  and  Maniyax  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  playing  with  only  a  small  amount  of  fast  drumming  or  blast  beats  being  present  on  this  recording,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow, mid  paced  to fast  riffs  that  combine  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sounding black  metal  with  post  hardcore  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

 Vocals  range  from  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  to  post  hardcore  style  screams  and  growls,  while the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Whorls  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  grim  black  metal and  post  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Lymen  Natvrae".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.
  
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The Infernal Sea/Call Of The Augur/2012 CD Review

  The  Infernal  Sea  are  a  band  from  England  that  plays  a  very  dark,  atmospheric,  raw  and  primitive  form  of  black  metal  with  some  death  metal  influences  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2012  album  "Call  Of  The  Augur".

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording, as  for  the  sound  effects  when  they  are  utilized  they  bring  an  avant  garde  and  occult  sound  to  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced,  to  fast  black  metal  riffs  that  are  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sounding  with  a  good  amount  of  death  metal  influences  and  melody  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  and  leads  present  on  this  recording,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  add  some  more  darkness  to  the  recording.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal s creams  with  some  deep  death  metal  growls  and  clean  singing  which  brings  an  avant  garde  edge  to  the  music  as  well  as  a  brief  spoken  word  sample,  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  occult  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  The  Infernal  Sea  are  a  very great  sounding  hybrid  of  raw  and  primitive  sounding  black  metal  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE "A Prayer  For  The  Cleansing"  "Sermon  Of  The  Augur"  and  "Ritual  Invocation".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

http://theinfernalsea.bandcamp.com/album/call-of-the-augur

Patria Interview

. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

MANTUS - Well, first of all we just released our fifth opus called "Nihil Est Monastica" through the great french label Drakkar Productions. We also recently filmed a video clip that will be created by the outstanding swedish producer Håkan Sjödin, who previously worked for the latest official video of MARDUK "Souls for Belial". We re-started the rehearsals and we're looking for good shows, probably for the second semester of 2013. At last but not least, we're already recording some exclusive songs for a future split CD with the killer italian Black Metal band XEPER, planned to be out around June or July by Drakkar again.


2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and how it differs from previous releases?

MANTUS - I should say this new album has a bit more fresh compositions as also a little better production. We just forget about any walls and try to make a good mix from distinct influences and elements. I'm a big fan of progressive, ambient and experimental music, so I thought‚ why not trying to use this on PATRIA songs in a more discreet way? Anyway, of course it's barely used in a general context. We don't want to change our music, but we like to experience different sounds and ways to do our music, always preserving that necro and lowfi feeling traditionally. "Nihil Est Monastica" is probably the very best album we did so far in my opinion. A mix of everything we have made in the previous releases, still with something extra. Maybe even straighter than all the others.


3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new release?

MANTUS - Our inspirations for the lyrics in this album came from the forces of nature, darkness, occultism themes, ancient mythology and specially that anti-religion vein.


4. The new album has a Sarcofago cover, what was the decision behind the cover and how do you feel yours differs from the other versions that have been then?

MANTUS - We're constantly doing kind of "homages" for bands who we really care about and Sarcofago is definitely one of them. We already made a cover in our second album for an unknown and old brazilian band called Songe d'Enfer, which we fucking love, and in our last album "Liturgia Haeresis" we worked in a cover version for the song "Black Winter Day" from the great Amorphis. This time we thought maybe something extremist would fit better, so we couldn't choose another one but Sarcofago. We didn't play the song as original and I never heard a version with this approach we got, so it's kind cool at last.


5. Has the band played out live or is this a studio project only?

MANTUS - We started as a studio project only, but since 2010 we decided to become a full band with rehearsals and all that shit. Anyway, for the albums we're still keeping it as a duo, to make everything faster and as we want. So, it's more correct to say we're a duo but we have a live line-up ready for shows. Well, we just played in 2 live gigs so far, but both were an amazing experience. We don't like to play everywhere and all the time, but as I said before, we're looking for professional promoters interested to make our ritual alive. Firstly in Brazil, but later in South America and even Europe. Let's see what happens!


6. I have noticed that the band is from Brazil, how does that add to the aggression of your music, since people out there have more problems with Catholics and Christians than Americans or Europeans?

MANTUS - I agree brazilians generally have a particular way to make METAL somehow, so maybe it's in our veins and it will be present in PATRIA music. But honestly my main influence come from the "european" metal, specially from the norwegian black metal. Regarding the religion thing, I really don't think so. Brazil is a fucking giant and multicultural country, so even being in the most part christians/catholics, there's no reason to happen that kind of "dictature" here, you know. I think it probably can be a much bigger pain in the ass for Europeans and Americans. At least we never had to face problems like this.


7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your new album by fans of black metal?

MANTUS - The feedback is being really awesome! I still didn't hear anything negative about the album, which's rare (lol). So, it means all people is enjoying and understand it. We're always concerned to do what will truly pleasure our own ears as real Black Metal fans, you know. So, maybe this good acceptation is a result from this goal. We're also receiving great reviews from small to major media channels and it's a very good thing too.


8. What is going on with the other musical projects these days?

MANTUS - At the moment I'm a bit stopped with my all other musical activities to focus on PATRIA new album and promotion. But I'll start to work on a new album for my other band MYSTERIIS soon and our vocalist Triumphsword is already working on a second album for his other band THORNS OF EVIL. Both to be released in 2013, but nothing really concrete yet.


9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

MANTUS - It's difficult to say cause it depends of many things in the future‚ What I'll be listening, my mind and personal feelings and many other details that will surely affect the way of composing. But if you're asking me about a first view basic plan, the idea would be to make a music even darker, heavier and straighter, mixing the traditional Black Metal way with some twisted weird melodies and some progressive drums, always trying to capture our own identity, developing our personality without loss the focus.


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

MANTUS - Norwegian scene is the Top one for me. It was brilliant in the early days with so many references in bands, who practically created a style to make music, visual and act. To say a few‚ Burzum, old Darkthrone, Ulver, Satyricon, Borknagar, Mayhem, Immortal, Emperor, Hades, Enslaved etc. And there's also some current Black Metal bands doing a great job there today. Well, I listen all kind of music‚ I must say that I'm a reeeeally eclectic person‚ In this last month I have listened things like the new and epic ANATHEMA "Heathen Systems", "Deathlike" from the outstanding ANCIENT VVISDOM, ENSLAVED "Riitiir", AUDREY HORNE "Youngblood" and some not so new stuff like SEPTIC FLESH "The Great Mass", the last TROLL album "Neo-Satanic Supremacy", BORKNAGAR "Urd" and also some random stuff like SLAYER "South of Heaven", IRON MAIDEN "Piece of Mind", ALICE IN CHAINS, ULVER and A-HA‚ specially the first releases, among many many others. I work in a computer, so it's what I have added on iTunes and I'm constantly listening it :)


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

MANTUS - Music is already part of my life. I work indirectly with music, so it's difficult don't be surrounded by this atmosphere all the time. But I'm very interested in ART in a general context‚ Cinema is something that catches me A LOT. I spend a big part of my hours watching movies, reading about etc.


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

MANTUS - First of all mega thanks for the space and support! We really hope the true worshippers of darkness can enjoy our new album as much we do. See you around!!! Cheers from the South American misty mountains.

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Altaar/Self Titled/Indie Recordings/2013 CD Review

  Altaar  are  band  from  Norway  that  plays  a  mixture  of  depressive  black  metal,  doom,  ambient,  drone  and  psychedelic  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  album  which  was  released  in  2013.

  Drums  are  all  slow  playing  with  no  fast  drumming  or  blast  beats  being  used  on  this  recording,  while  the  synths  bring  in  the  ambient,  drone  and  psychedelic  elements  to  the  music,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  are  all  slow  riffs t hat  combine  depressive  black  metal,  heavy  doom  and  psychedelic  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  along  with  a  great  amount  of  heavy  and  soft  and  clean  playing  being  thrown  into  the  riffing  along  with  some  dark  sounding  melodies  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

   Vocals  are   deep  black/doom  metal  growls  and  screams,  while  the  song themes  cover  darkness,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  dark  and  heavy  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Altaar  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  black  metal,  doom  and  psychedelic  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  of  checked  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Tidi  Kjem  Aldri  Att".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Distorted Cognitions/Incipient/2012 Cassette Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  cassette  from  Distorted  Cognitions  which  continues  their  drone,  depressive  black  metal  hybrid  which  was  released  in  2012  called  "Incipient"  which  also  has  their  2009  ep  "Shadows".

  Drums   programming  when  they  are  utilized  are  all  slow  beats,  while  there  are  some  sound  effects  that  are  used  at  times  and  they  bring  in  more  noise,  ambient  and  drone  elements  to  the  recording  with  the  second  ep  being  mostly  in  that  direction  with  little  use  of  guitars  and  vocals  except  for  some  parts.

  Rhythm  guitars  are  all  slow  riffs  that  combine  depressive  black  metal  with  drone  and  doom  metal to  create  a  sound  of  their  with  the  riffing  being  dark  and  primitive  sounding  along  with  a  good  amount  of  heavy  distortion  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  are  all  grim  sounding  and  high  pitched  black  metal  screams,  while  the  song  times  cover  metaphysical, nihilism,  and  philosophical  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Distorted  Cognitions  and  if  you  are  a fan  of  depressive  black,  drone,  ambient  and  doom,  you should  check  out  this  cassette.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Quantum  Doctrine"  "The Constraint  Of  Metaphysics"  "Nihilistic  Foundation"  and  "Vigor  Axiom".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Distorted Cognitions/Synthesis/2012 CD Review

  This  is  another  review  of  a  recording  from  South  Carolina's  Distorted  Cognitions  with  the  music  continuing  their  hybrid  of  depressive  black  metal,  doom  and  drone  with  the  album  being  self  released  and  called  "Synthesis".

  Drum  programming  are  all  slow  beats  that  have  some  influences  from  underground  electronic  music,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming out  of  the  guitars,  as  for  the  sound  effects  which  are  only  used  briefly  they  bring  an  experimental  and  avant  garde  sound to  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  are  all  slow  riffs  that  combine  depressive  black  metal,  doom  and  drone  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  with  some  distorted  parts  being  used  at  times  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  are  all  high  pitched  depressive  black  metal  screams,  while  the  song  themes  cover  philosophical,  metaphysical  and  Hegelian  topics,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it  with  some  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding recording  from Distorted  Cognitions  and  if you  are  a  fan  of  depressive  black  metal,  drone  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Vorben"  "Hegelian  Dialectic"  "Tanscendental  Ratio"  and  "Mass  Action".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Distorted Cognitions/Reduction/2011 CD Review

  Distorted Cognitons  are  a  band  from  South  Carolina  that  plays  a  very  drone  sounding  form  of  depressive  black/doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2012  album  "Reduction".

  Drum programming  are  all  slow  beats, while  the  synths  bring  a  very  dark  ambient  drone  sound  to the recording,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

   Rhythm  guitars  are  all  slow  riffs  that  combine  depressive  black  metal,  doom  and  drone  together  to  create  a  sound  of   their  own  with  some  raw  and  primitive  elements  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on this  recording.

 Vocals  are  all  high  pitched  depressive  black  metal  screams,  while  the  song  themes  cover  philosophical,  esoteric  and  metaphysical  subjects,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Distorted  Cognitions  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  depressive  black  metal,  doom  and  drone  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Empiricist  Criterion"  "Truth  And  Utility"  "Mechanism  Of  Gaia"  and  "Eternity  Opens  As  In  Ancient  Times".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Inter Arma/Sky Burial/Relapse Records/2013 CD Review

 Inter  Arma  are  a  band  from  Virginia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  raw  and  primitive  sounding  black  metal,  doom,  sludge,  psychedelic  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Sky  Burial"  which  was released  by  Relapse  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording,  as  for  the  synths  and  sound  effects  bring  a  very  dark  ambient  and  psychedelic  sound  to  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  raw  and  primitive  sounding  black metal,  doom,  sludge  and  grindcore  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  with  some  dark  sounding  melodies  being  thrown  into  the  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  psychedelic  sounding  doom/sludge  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  full  chords  and  finger  picking  to  add  a  southern/classic  rock  feeling  to  the  recording  as  well  as  mixing  in  some  steel  and  slide  guitars.

  Vocals  range  from  high  pitched  black  metal/sludge  screams  with  some  deep  growls  being  used  at  times,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  powerful,  strong,  dark  and  heavy  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on this  recording  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Inter  Arma  are  a  very  great  sounding hybrid  of  black  metal,  sludge,  doom,  grindcore  and  psychedelic  music  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Survival  Files"  "Destroyer"  and  "Sky  Burial".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Dark Desolation/Rites Of Blasphemy/DarkZone Productions/2012 CD Review

  Deep  Desolation  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  mixes  occult  black  metal  with  some  first  wave  black  metal  and  doom  influences  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Rites  Of  Blasphemy"  which  was  released  by  DarkZone  Productions.

  Drums  range  from  slow , mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  not  much  in  the  way  of  blast  beats,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording, as  for  the  sound  effects  when  they  are  utilized  they  in  psychedelic  elements  to  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  second  wave  occult  black  metal  with  first  wave  and  doom  metal  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  with  some  dark  sounding  melodies  being  thrown  into  the  riffing,  while  the lead  guitars  are  very  psychedelic  sounding doom  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  along  with  some  deep  demonic  growls  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  ritualistic  samples,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  occultism  and  blasphemous  themes  with  a  couple  of  songs  being  written in  Polish,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in   length.

  In  my  opinion  Deep  Desolation  are  a  very  great  sounding hybrid  of  1st  and  2nd  wave  occult  black  metal,  psychedelic  and  doom  metal,  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Between  The  Tits  Of  A  Witch"  "Blasphemous  Rite"  and  "Necromouth".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Inglorious/Death Syndrome/The Second Step To Hell/DarkZone Productions/2010 CD Review

  Inglorious  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  primitive  form  of  misanthropic  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2010  album  "Death  Syndrome"  which  was  released  by  DarkZone  Productions.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout t he  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  black  metal  riffs  that  are  very  raw  and  primitive  sounding  as  well  as  some  thrash  and  death  metal  influences  along  with  some  melody  being  thrown  into  the  riffing  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  black/death  metal  guitars and  leads.

  Vocals  are  mostly  deep  and  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  with  some  spoken  word  samples  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  lyrics  cover  hateful  and  misanthropic  themes  with  a  touch  of  Luciferian  philosophy,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it  while  you  can  still  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Inglorious  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  primitive    misanthropic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Come  For  Death"  "The  New  Beast  Of  The  Apocalypse"  and  "Burn  My  Body".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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thehappymask/Ruines/Domestic Genocide/2013 CD Review

  thehappymask  are  a  1  man  band  from  Russia  that  mixes  post  black  metal  with  post  rock  and  shoegaze  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Ruines"  which  was  released  by  Domestic  Genocide  Records.

  Drum  programming  ranges  from  slow,  mid  paced  beats,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very   strong and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording,  as  for  the  synths  they  bring  a  very  dark,  atmospheric  and  ambient  sound  to  the  music.

  Rhythm  guitars range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  riffs  that  combine  black  metal  with  post  rock  and  shoegaze  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  mixing  some  raw  and  primitive  elements  as  well  as  some  dark  sounding  melodies  in  the  riffing,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  they  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  add  more  melancholy to  the  recording.

  Vocals a re  all  absent  from  this  recording  with  the  music  being  all  instrumental,  while  the  song  themes  cover  darkness,  poetic  types  of  atmosphere,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  while  you  can  still  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  thehappymask  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  black  metal,  post  rock  and  shoegaze  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ruines"  "Old  Broken  Bridge"  and  "As  Dusk  Falls".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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A Transylvanian Funeral/Gorgos Goetia/Forbidden Records/2013 CD Review

  A  Transylvanian  Funeral  are  a  band from  Indiana  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  on  this  recording  as  being  raw  and  primitive  occult  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Gorgos  Goetia"  which was  released  by  Forbidden  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow, mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  on  this  recording, while  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  occult  black  metal  riffs  that  are  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sounding  with  some  thrash  influences  and  melody  being  thrown  into  the  riffing  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  soft  and  clean  playing  and  their  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals a re  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal screams  as  well  as  some  chants  and  deeper  vocals  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  some  samples,  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Crowley,  Left  Hand  Path  and  Percival  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it  while  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  as  well  as  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  A  Transylvanian  Funeral  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of t his  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Burning  Astral  Hunger"  "Mars  Exalted  In  Capricorn"  "Pervival  In  Armor"  and  "Hymn  To  Gorgon".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Patria/Nihil Est Monastica/Drakkar Productions/2013 CD Review

  Patria  are  a  band  from  Brazil  that  plays  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Nihil  Est  Monastica"  which  was  released  by  Drakkar  Productions.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  synths  when  they  are  utilized  they  bring  a  very  atmospheric  and  epic  sound  to  the  recording,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they h ave  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Rhythm guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  black  metal  riffs  that  are  very  old  school,  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sounding  with  a  good  amount  of  melody  being  thrown  into  the  riffing  while  also  adding  in  some  thrash  influences,  atmospheric  and  experimental  elements  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  soft  and  clean  playing,  while  the  lead  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  are  very  melodic  sounding  black  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  and  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  that  have  a  depressive  tone  to  them  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  chanting,  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  misanthropic,  and  occult  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  old  school,  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Patria  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric,  melodic,  raw  and  primitive  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dark  Cosmic  Legend"  "Ravens  Almighty"  "Evoking  The  Ancient  Spirits"  and  "The  Black  Vomit"  which  is  a  Sarcofago  cover.  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Rorcal/Vilagveve/Cal Of Ror Records/2013 CD Review

  Rorcal  are  a  band  from  Switzerland  that    has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  on  this  recording  that  I  would  describe  as  being  a  mixture  of  dark  ambient,  sludge,  doom  and  raw  and  primitive  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of their  2013  album  "Vilagveve"  which  was  released  by  Cal  Of  Ror  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  playing  with  some  fast  drumming  and  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  synths  when  they  are  used  bring  a  dark  ambient/drone  sound  to  the  recording,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful s ound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow, mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  heavy  sludge  and  doom  with  dark,  raw  and  primitive  black  metal  with  a  great  amount  of  heavy  distortion  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  melody  being  thrown  into  the  riffing  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this   recording.

  Vocals  are  mostly high  pitched  depressive  screams  that  have  a  depressive  tone  to  them  at  times  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  male  and  female  that  bring  an  opera  feeling  to  the  recording,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sound  while  you  can  still  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  from  Rorcal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Doom"  "Black  V"  and  "Black  VI".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Immolith Interview

1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
Shortly following the release of our first full length album, Storm Dragon, we went on a hiatus. I was feeling a bit burnt out on the whole thing after four years of pouring everything into the band and needed some time off. I had thought about keeping the band a solo studio project for some time and continued to slowly work on new material. After about a year of being a hermit, I realized I was just kind of spinning my wheels creatively. Without a full band, and constant rehearsals I had no real drive to work on new material. So I got back in touch with the guys at the end of 2012, and we decided to start getting together on a regular basis and writing the next album together starting back this January 2013. And that is where we are at, now. We are writing the new album, and hope to be back in the studio recording it with Chris Grigg late summer, or fall 2013.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and how it differs from previous releases?
My goal hasn’t changed since I started the band back in 2008. I wanted to be in a straight ahead classic sounding black metal band. Hopefully the material we are writing now will continue in that track. I know lots of bands and musicians love to talk about how they evolve and progress creatively and that’s great for some bands, but that’s not what I worry about for Immolith. I’m actually a big fan of bands that remain true to their original sound or style for the most part over the years. I tend to drop bands very quickly if they stray too far from what I like about them in the first place. So I hope the next Immolith album will get a lot of the same comparisons Storm Dragon recieved after it’s release in the press- and that was that it sounded very much like the second wave of black metal.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new release?
I write about medieval and ancient history, the occult, and topics drawn from fantasy literature and fantasy role playing games.

4. I know that one of the members writes for the online version of Metal Maniacs, how are things going these days with that project?
I’m lucky to have the chance to write for Metal Maniacs. Since it’s a volunteer gig, I’m fortunate that I can contribute on my own schedule and really just get to write about bands and albums that I really like. I get asked to do reviews by bands and labels quite often, but I tend to turn a lot of that down. As a musician in a band I feel it really isn’t my place to review other bands. If I’m really into an album I might write a review, but otherwise I try to stick to interviews of bands that I really like. While I was on my hiatus from Immolith last year, and being somewhat of a recluse, I didn’t really contribute that often. I’m going to try and post a bit more regularly on Metal Maniacs again this year.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
We’ve gotten to share the stage with a lot of cool bands. Turnout wise, our best show was probably opening for the Enthroned/Destroyer 666 tour a few years back. There was a really good sized crowd there early enough to see us, so that was very cool. On a personal note for me, having been such a huge Celtic Frost fan as a kid, opening for Triptykon and getting to meet Tom G. Warrior and speak with him for a few minutes was probably the most rewarding part of an Immolith live show for me so far. As far as our live show it’s pretty much what you would expect from a traditional black metal band, meaning we do the full corpse paint, blood, fog, spikes thing that most people think of when they think of traditional black metal. 

6. Do you have any touring plans for the future?
Well, since I’m an older guy with a regular career, I don’t see the band every actually touring anywhere unfortunately. I’m way past the age of “let’s get in a beat up van and go tour..” So outside of maybe getting invited to open for some bands in the NY/NJ/PA area where we live or maybe being invited to play an a fest somewhere we could travel to for a weekend I don’t see any real touring happening for this band.

7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
The band has really gotten strong support over the years, and the almost all of the reviews of our first full length have been very, very positive.

8. In 2013 there are alot of younger black metal fans and bands that have the opposite view of what black metal should be compared to the older days, what are your thoughts about it?
To me black metal has always just been evil, dark, aggressive music and that’s what it will always be. If other people think of it as something else, I will disagree with them, but I could really care less. I’m not going to grandstand or get on a soap box to try and tell someone else what to think. But if your band calls yourself black metal, and it’s not evil, dark, and aggressive, I probably won’t listen to it.

9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
Again my goal is to create traditional 80’s and 90’s influenced traditional black metal. That won’t change.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your newer music fans also what are you listening to nowadays?
I don’t really listen to anything new. Or if it is new, it sounds like the old days of black, death and thrash metal. 

11. How would you describe your views on Satanism and Occultism?
I’ve read a ton back 20 years ago, from LeVay and Crowley, to Grimoires on Ceremonial Magic. More recently I’ve read some of Michael W. Ford’s books on Luciferian and Chaos Magick. As a young man I was really into the idea of demons and spirits and all the paranormal stuff that typically comes to mind when people think of the occult. But as a much older and I would like to think, a wiser man, I’ve decided I’m a firm atheist and really don’t believe in paranormal anything. To me Occult practice really comes down to a focusing of the will for a desired outcome. And as such it is a good and powerful thing. But for me there are no gods, no devils.

12. Outside of music what are some of your interests?
I still read a lot of history, which is what I studied in college, as well as fantasy and horror books. I’m a hockey fan, and like riding my harley. Other than that, I have a family that I devote most of my time to. 

13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Thanks for taking the time to interview us, and I hope some people will check us out and listen to the last album, and keep an eye out for the next one later this year or early next year.

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