Gnosis Of The Witch/Daudr Burdr Prysvar/Wohrt Records/2014 EP Review

  Gnosis  Of  The  Witch  are  a  band  from  the  United  States  that  plays  a  raw  and  dark  pagan  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  ep  "Daudr  Burdr  Prysvar"  which  was  released  by  Wohrt  Records.

  Dark,  distorted  and  evil  sound  effects  start  off  the  ep  giving  the  music  a  ritualistic  feeling  and  after  the  intro  clean  playing  makes  its  way  onto  the  recording  along  with  a  very  melodic  tone  which  leads  up  to  a  more  heavy  and  melodic  direction  before  going  into  a  very  fast  raw  black  metal  direction  along  with  blast  beats  and  grim  screams.

  The  tremolo  picking  the  band  uses  are  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  black  metal  sound  and  they  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melodic  guitar  leads  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  faster  parts  bring  a  lot  of  chaos  into  the  bands  musical  sound  as  well  as  having  a  war  like  feeling  to  them,  after  awhile  clean  playing  along  with  a  small  amount  of  synths  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  they  enhance  the  evil  atmosphere  this  music  creates.

  Gnosis  Of  The  Witch  have  a  very  raw  and  chaotic  approach  to  the  way  they  play  black  metal  and  they  also  bring  in  a  lot  of  the  best  elements  of  this  musical  genre,  the  production  sounds   very  dark,  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Germanic  and  cover  Dark  Thurisan  Worship.

  In  my  opinion  Gnosis  Of  The  Witch  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  old  school  dark  pagan/black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ormar  Eitr"  and  "Daudipursar  Seidr".  8/5  out  of  10.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Gnosis_of_the_Witch/3540379477

Malhkebre/Revelation/I, Voidhanger Records/2014 CD Review

  Malhkebre  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  orthodox  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Revelation"  which  was  released  by  I,  Voidhanger  Records.

  Evil  sound  effects  start  off  the  album  bringing  in  a  few  drones  along  with  spoken  word  ritualistic  parts  before  going  into  a  very  heavy  and  dark  direction  along  with  some  hateful  black  metal  direction  which  also  leads  up  to  faster  riffing  and  brutal  blast  beats  and  you  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  in  the  musical  instruments  and  there  is  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  throughout  the  recording  along  with  a  lot  of  raw  aggressive  and  angry  energy  in  the  true  black  metal  tradition.

     After  awhile  you  can  hear  a  decent  amount  of  melody  in their  musical  sound  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  standing  out  on  their  own  and  they  also  bring  back  the  drones  of  the  intro  along  with  the  sounds  of  human  depression  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  as  well  as  making  the  vocals  sound  more  grim  and  evil  and  a  good  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  You  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  the  2000's  era  French  black  metal  sound  in  the  bands  music  along  with  the  ability  to  mix  raw  and  technical  parts  together  along  with  a  good  amount  of  intros  before  the  tracks  which  add  a  more  chaotic  atmosphere  to  the  recording  and  the  way  the  band  approach  vocals  are  very  original   while  they  also  remain  true  to  black  metal  while  also  adding  in  new  elements  to  this  genre  and  as  the  album  progresses  deep  death  metal  growls  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.


  Malhkebre  creates  some  very  raw,  heavy,  technical  and  hateful  music  with  their  approach  to  raw  black  metal  as  well  as  adding  in  a  good  amount  of  originality  showing  this  genre  can  still  progress  with  the  use  of  traditional  instruments  as  well  as  being  a  pure  form  of  black  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  French  and  English  and  cover  Satanism,  Suicide,  and  Self  Mutilation  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Malhkebre  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw,  technical  and  orthodox  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "In  Pulverem  Reverteris"  "To  Become  Or  Die"  and  "IHSV".  8/5  out   of  10.    

http://www.malhkebre.org
www.malhkebre.bandcamp.com
www.reverbnation.com/malhkebre
www.theapostlesofignominy.org
https://www.facebook.com/malhkebre
  .

Cepheide Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

We're four 25 years old guys from paris.
The line up is drums, bass, two guitarists including a singer.
The project began there almost a year ago now!

2.Recently you have released your first album, how would you describe your musical sound?

We self-produced this album because we wanted to build it as we imagined, from the compositions to the final sound we have on tape.

We seek to recreate what we do in our rehearsals in paris.
So we recorded in the same studio where we played for a year no, without guitar overdub and without artifice
The overall sound of this demo is very raw and blurry and that's how we see our compositions because the general atmosphere gives another sense to the different melodies.

3.The band was formed early this year but have already released their first album, do you feel that you put a lot of time and effort into the band?

We took the time to choose some songs, and to keep the others depending on the future of the project.
For this demo, we chose the first 4 songs we made as a band, but in a year of work we were able to prepare other compositions for other future projects.
We expected to be ready to release this demo, but also to have enough material not to lower the pace.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with their music?

there is no fixed subject, or something that we are prohibited.
There is a lot of work on the texts. They are written so that even detached from the music, it is balanced and has a true sense.
They are written in rhyme, as a a poem or prose.
Although for the moment the lyrics are not in booklet or accessible, know that we are looking up for each piece to create more something like text on a music than song lyrics.

For the tracks of this demo, DELUGE is about changing role, depending on the situation between two people in the current society and A LA CROISEE DES AMES deals with the influence of society on the way we think but another track is talking about transformation of the sun.
It is each time different subjects, but each time they are topics that we believe timely

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Cepheide'?

Since we are french and that all texts are also written in french, we wanted to find a french word that was connected to the general atmosphere of our songs and that at the same time evoked the recurring theme of astronomy

6.Has the band done any live shows or is this strictly a studio project?

We will surely make live shows before the next album, but for the moment nothing is confirmed

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

From now on we had to work without label and we produced and recorded this demo alone. We are not really searching for a label but we'll think about it when the time comes.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of atmospheric black metal?

The project comes out of the shadows and we are not looking to do a lot of promo, however we had a lot of very positive and encouraging feedback, a lot of support which was not expected, so we were pleasantly surprised that people to be receptive to our vision of black metal!

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

We all have parallel projects so when we formed this band the aim was to make every effort to do our best, we will see what will be the result of this!

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

We are four so there are very diverse backgrounds.
We can say that the main influential band are ASH BORER , ARS DIAVOLI , URFAUST , ELECTRIC WIZARD , DRUDKH ,GODSPEED YOU…

what are you listening to nowadays ? … hexis , the psyke projet , woods of désolation , Deathspell Omega , Solstafir , Russian Circle , Converge …

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

there is a great fascination for wine, the way that it oldens.
a great interest in cinema which sharpens our thinking in another form of art equally wide
Astronomy is also omnipresent. It has directly inspired us our cover, the title of some songs and the way to write texts



12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

leave the imagination to what we listen

Bandcamp

Facebook

Oltretomba/The Death-Schrierati Con La Morte/Fistbang Records/2014 CD Review

  Oltretomba  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  raw,  old  school,  satanic  and  occult  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "The  Death-Schrierati  Con  La  Morte"  which  was  released  by  Fistbang  Records.

  An  intro  with  distorted  noises  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  background  noises  and  after  the  intro  tribal  beats  make  their  way  on  the  album  with  some  heavy  guitars  and  deep  demonic  vocals  and  the  music  starts  to  go  for  more  of  a  raw  and  old  school  black  metal  direction  along  with  some  grim  vocals.

  Melodies  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  you  can  hear  influences  from  both  the  first  and  second  wave  styles  of  black  metal  in  their  sound  along  with  a  great  amount  of  thrash  elements  and  punk  rock   style  energy  and  after  awhile  more  fast  parts  and  blast  beats  find  their  way  onto  the  recording  along  with  some  old  school  guitar  leads  that  bring  an  80's  extreme  metal  feeling  to  the  album  while  also  having  their  melodic  moments  at  times.

  There  is  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  throughout  the  recording  with  the  faster  sections  displaying  a  more  raw  side  of  black  metal  and  some  of  the  later  tracks  shows  the  band  bringing  in  bass  guitar  leads  along  with  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  on  one  of  the  later  songs  and  at  times  growls  can  be  heard  in  the  music  and  they  give  the  album  more  of  an  early  death/thrash  metal  feeling.

  Oltretomba  takes  the  first  and  second  waves  of  black  metal  and  combines  them  to  create  an  album  that is  very  catchy,  old  school  and  evil  sounding,  the  production  has  a  very  raw,  old  school  and  heavy  sound,  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occultism,  Blasphemies,  and   Intolerance.

  In  my  opinion  Oltretomba  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw,  old  school  and  satanic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Altar  Of  Succubus"  "Silence..People  Are  Dying"  "To  Turn  A  Storm  Against  God"  and  "They  Are  Coming".  8/5  out  of  10.

Facebook

Homepage

SoundCloud

YouTube

Weltschmerz/Odium Humani Generis/Immortal Frost Productions/2014 CD Review

  Weltschmerz  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  fast,  raw  and  aggressive  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Odium  Humani  Generis"  which  was  released  by  Immortal  Frost  Productions.

  A  great  amount  of  distortion  and  reverb  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  black  metal  direction  along  with  blast  beats,  high  pitched  screams  and  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  they  also  bring  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  vocals  getting  more  deep  and  grim  at  times.

  While  the  music  is  mostly  focused  on  an  early  90's  style  of  raw  black  metal  you  can  hear  some  modern  elements  being  added  into  the  music  only  on  the  earlier  tracks  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  add  a  lot  more  melody  into  the  bands  musical  sound  and  on  the  3rd  track  rain  sounds  and  acoustic  guitars  find  their  way  onto  the  recording  along  with  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction.

  On  the  later  tracks  the  music  gets  more  darker  lyrically  while  still  having  a  90's  style  of  European  black  metal  being  utilized  along  with  a  great  amount  of  chaos  and  war  being  invoked  with  their  musical  approach  and  they  take  influences  from  the  earlier  Norwegian,  Swedish  and  French  bands  and  a  good  amount  of  the  music  sounds  like it  could  of  been  released  in  1993  and  some  of  the  later  songs  also  show  the  bass  guitars  bringing  a  more  powerful  sounding  presence  to  the  recording  as  well  as  acoustic  guitars  and  spoken  word  parts making  their  return  briefly.

  Weltschmerz  remain  true  to  their  raw  old  school  black  metal  sound  on  this  album  and  they  create  a  very  grim  sounding  recording  that  shows  how  black  metal  is  meant  to  be  done,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  suicide,  anti  christian,  occult  and  left  hand  path  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Weltschmerz  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw  and  of  school  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ending  Your  Life"  "Asmodeus"  and  "The  Night  Is  My  Domain".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.weltschmerzbm.nl

http://www.facebook.com/weltschmerzmetal

Capgrass/Reflections/2014 EP Review

  Capgrass  are  a  band  from  Argentina  that  plays  a  raw from  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  ep  "Reflections".

  A  very  dark  drone  sound  starts  off  the  ep  and  after  the  brief  intro  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  kick  in  along  with  some  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  the  music  sticks  to  mostly  a  mid  paced  direction  while  also  speeding  up  after  awhile  and  adding  in  a  more  raw  sound  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  powerful  bass  lines.

  After  awhile  the  guitars  add  in  a  more  atmospheric  edge  to  the  music  while  also  remaining  very  heavy  all  at  the  same  time  which  also  leads  up  to  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  and  rain  sounds  before  going  into  a  more  melodic  direction  and  adding  in  solos  and  leads  that  gives  the  ep  a  more  traditional  metal  feeling  while  on  the  last  track  they  bring  in  a  more  melodic  side  of  black  metal.

  On  the  later  tracks  there  is  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  being  utilized  along  with  the  vocals  adding  a  more  depressive  edge  to  the  screams  and  you  can  hear  a  bit  of  the  early  90's  black  metal  sound  in  the  rawer  and  faster  sections  of  there  music  and  they  also  make  every  track  sound  different  while  also  remaining  true  to  a  black  metal  sound  from  beginning  to  end  of  the  recording  and  the  last  track  also  sees  the  return  of  acoustic  guitars  along  with  a  small  amount  of  melodic  clean  singing  vocals.

  Capgrass  creates  a  very  raw  style  of  black  metal  with  their  music  which  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  aggression  in  the  true  old  school style,  the  production  has  a  very  raw  and  heavy  sound  while  the  lyrics  cover  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Capgrass  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dead  In  The  Crowd"  and  "Voice  Of  Perdition".  8  out  of  10.

- http://capgrass.bandcamp.com/

- http://youtu.be/xlO5hFBFiv4

- http://facebook.com/Capgrass

   

Nuklear Frost/Sugjugation/2014 CD Review

  Nuklear  Frost  are  a  band  from  Minnesota  that  plays  a  very  fast  and  raw  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Subjugation".

  Drones start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  and  melodic  guitar  playing  which  leads  up  to  drums  kicking  in  which  leads  up  to  a  heavier  direction  along  with  some  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  also  keeping  around  the  melodic  edge  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  direction  along  with  some  brutal  blast  beats.

    There  is  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  present  throughout  the  recording  along  with  some  primal  bass  guitars  and  a  good  dose  of  melodic  Swedish  black  metal  elements  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  anger  and  hate  in  the  vocals  and  at  times  clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  After  awhile  the  vocals  start  adding  in  some  deeper  parts  which  gives  the  music  a  more  death  metal  feeling  along  with  the  guitar  riffing  utilizing  more  thrash  influences  while the  main  focus  remains  on  a  fast  and  chaotic  black  metal  sound  and  one  of  the  tracks  shows  a  small  amount  of  melodic  Gregorian  chants  which  also  are  used  again  towards  the  end  of  the  recording  and  the  sounds  of  war  before  making  a  return  back  to  a  more  heavier  musical  direction  and  the  last  song  is  their  epic  track  with  the  song  being  over  8  minutes  in  length.

   Nuklear  Frost  bring  a  lot  of  heaviness  ,  speed,  aggression  and  anger  into  their  style  of  black  metal  and  creating  one  of  the  heaviest  albums  this  genre  has  seen  all  year,  the  production  sounds  very  heavy  and  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent,  hateful,  war  and  anti  religion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Nuklear  Frost  are  a  very  great  sounding  fast,  raw  and  aggressive  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Theist  Holocaust"  "Vortex  Of  Horror"  and  "Become  Death".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/NuklearFrost
http://nuklearfrost.bandcamp.com/

      

Dunnock/Promo 2014/Psalm 88 Review

  This  is  the  final  review  of  a  promo  from  Dunnock  which  shows  them  continuing  their  raw,  atmospheric  and  depressive  mixture  of  black  metal  but  adding  in  elements  of  ambient,  noise  and  dungeon  synth  with  the  promo  being  released  in  2014  by  Psalm  88.

  A  very  fast,  raw  and  depressive  black  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  and  programmed  drum  beats  as  well  as  a  good  mixture  of  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  following  track  sees  the  band  adding  in  harsh  noises  and  a  lo-fi  style  of  black  metal  while  also  being  atmospheric  at  the  same  time.

  On  the  second  song  the  riffing  goes  into  a  slower  black  metal  direction  which  fits  the  track  perfectly  and  on  the  last  track  all  heavy  guitars  are  stripped  away  and  the  music  goes  into  a  more  atmospheric  ambient  orientated  dungeon  synth  direction  while  still  utilizing  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  screams.

  Dunnock  shows  off  a  more  experimental  side  this  time  around  adding  more  harsh  noises  and  elements  of   dungeon  synth  into  their  raw  atmospheric  and  depressive  approach  to  black  metal,  the  production  has  a  very  dark  and  raw  sound  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  promo  from  Dunnock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw,  atmospheric  and  depressive  black  metal  with  a  more  experimental  approach,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Raining  Season  II".  8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp

Facebook

       

Dunnock/Promo 2013 Review

  Dunnock  are  a  band  from  San  Francisco,  California  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  raw,  atmospheric  and  depressive  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2013  promo.

  A  very  fast  and  raw  black  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  depressive  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lo-fi  atmosphere  being  present  in  their  musical  sound  and  after  awhile  synths  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  On  the  following  track  the  music  is  all  instrumental  and  starts  out  with  some  dark  ambient  style  synths  and  after  awhile  spoken  word  samples  find  their  way  into  the  song  and  they  avois  any  trace  of  heavy  guitars  or  black  metal  elements.

  Dunnock  bring  in  a  very  raw  and  atmospheric  approach  to  depressive  black  metal  on  the  first  song  and  go  for  a  more  dark  ambient  direction  on  the  following  track  to  give  this  2  song  promo  a  decent  amount  of  variety,  the  production  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  lo-fi  sound  while  the  lyrics  cover dark  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Dunnock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw,  depressive  and  atmospheric  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  promo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Dwells in  Mud".  8  out of  10.

Bandcamp

Facebook

Cephheide/De Silence Et De Suie/2013 CD Review

  Cepheide  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  an  atmospheric  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "De  Silence  Et  De  Suite".

  A  very  raw  and  mid  paced  atmospheric  black  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  high  pitched  depressive  screams  being  added  into  the  music  a  few  seconds  later  which  leads  to  the  band  speeding  up  a  bit  and  adding  in  blast  beats  and  you  can  hear  an  atmospheric  sound  being  utilized  in  the  background  as  well  as  the  music  adding  in  more  melody.

  There  is  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  being  utilized  throughout  the  recording  along  with  some  elements  of  post  rock  and  after  awhile  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  band  also  seems  to  be  very  heavily  influenced  by  the  cascadian  style  of  black  metal  which  they  also  mix  in  with  a  more  depressive  sound.

  On  a  few  of  the  songs  the  band  cuts  back  on  the  vocals  and  lets  the  instruments  take  over  for  awhile  and  it  also  shows  a  more  raw  approach  to  the  bands  musical  style  as  well  as  adding  in  a  more  aggressive  and  heavy  approach  and  ignoring  some  of  the  lighter  elements  of  their  American  counterparts.

  Cepheide  create  an  atmospheric  style  of  black  metal  that  seems  to  be  heavily  rooted  in  the  American  cascadian  sound  but  done  in  a  more  fast,  raw  and  depressive  manner,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  when  they  are  used  are  written  in  French  and  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Cepheide  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  la  Croisee  Des  Ames"  and  "Deluge".  8  out  of  10.

http://cepheide.bandcamp.com

Infernal Awakening/Enlightened By Lucifer's Flame/2014 EP Review

  Infernal  Awakening  are  a  band  from  Arizona  that  plays  an  atmospheric  and  melodic   form  of  black  metal  with  elements  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  ep  "Enlightened  By  Lucifer's  Flame".

  A  very  dark  and  distorted  guitar  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  more  fast,  raw  and  melodic  direction  along  with  some  fast  drumming  and  you  can  hear  some  synths  and  orchestras  in  their  music  which  leads  up  to  blast  beats  and  grim  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  You  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  in  the  bands  musical  sound  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  added into  the  music  the  band  starts  having  a  more  technical  and  melodic  edge  to  them  and  after  awhile  the  riffing  and  vocals  start  combining  death  metal  influences  into  the  bands  musical  sound.

  You  can  hear  a  quite  a  bit  of  Norwegian  and  Swedish  influences  of  90's  black  metal  in  the  bands  musical  sound  and  they  also  bring  in  a  couple  of  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  synths  and  orchestras  enhance  the  deathphonic  elements  of  the  bands  musical  sound  and  at  times  the  blast  beats  bring  a  more  brutal  death  metal  feeling  to  the  recording  and  on  the  last  track  the  band  adds  in  a  few  seconds  of  clean  playing  to  clam  down  the  chaos  a  bit.

  Infernal  Awakening  creates  a  very  synth  orientated  from  of  black  metal  that  is  not  overproduced  like  the  more  mainstream  bands  that  play  this  style  and  they  have  a  more  raw  and  evil  approach  with  their  musical  sound  along  with  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  influences  being  mixed  into  their  style  of  black  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occultism,  and  Darkness.

  In  my  opinion  Infernal  Awakening  are  a  very  great  sounding  deathphonic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Enlightened  By  Lucifer's  Flame"  and  "The  King  Ov  Hell  Has  Arrived".  8  out  of  10.


http://infernalawakening.bandcamp.com/

  

Ak-11 2014 Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band in the last 2 years since we talked?

 AK-11's first Demo/EP 'Legendary, Demonic & Invincible' (2011), my solo project, was & a blueprint for a : 'Strategic, Left Hand Path, Military, Pagan, Propaganda Band'. I was living in Germany at that stage & had a good opportunity to do the demo recordings. Upon returning to Melbourne, Australia in 2012, I immediately began searching for like minded Heathens, who would help me terrorise the feeble music world & join me in the WAR against the organized religions of the 'white light'. An old comrade & drummer - Morturus offered to take up the Battery. At this stage the six string Axe duties was taken up by the rookie, Davddareth.

The Black Metal WAR spirit fueled AK-11's drive for triumph. Preparations for debut album recordings & the first wave of AK-11's live assaults began. After hitting the stages of Melbourne & Brisbane, we entered the studio in late March 2014 to record our debut full length album 'Once Upon A Time In Europa.' The recording was completed at the end of April. This was immediately followed by a trip back to Germany in May 2014 for the very first AK-11 European album launch-show dates & the spreading of our Propaganda internationally.

Currently, back in Melbourne, we are re-grouping & getting ready for our Australian album launch in September. A new battle plan & 2nd album material is also in the works.

2.Recently you have released your first full length album, how much progress do you feel you have made as musicians since the demo that you had released a couple of years back?

  A fair amount of practice is required for sure. You can say I am a much better bass player now then I was during the 2011 demo sessions. I can also scream my head off for longer periods of time. I have known Morturus for years now & I can say he has evolved into a drummer who excels in his craft. He can really get those war-beats going.

3.Also how would you describe your progress as a song writer with the new album?

   I always had a hunger for writing morbid & sinister music. Like with others, developing as a song writer over the years has been just a natural progression. The hate never dies but grows stronger, fuelling the desire for personal musical conquests. It sharpens the visions of one's objectives, which expose new inspirations, granting the will to write more demonic tunes, as well as to be a better composer.

 The tracks on new album compared to the demo, have more diversity, with longer intros, instrumentals, stronger new music passages & rhythm changes. There is a lot more controlled anger in the lyrics. With 'Once Upon A Time In Europa', the tracks are like chapters in a book, tying into each other & also there is a (Europa) song trilogy which defines the title.

4.On the new album you also re-did a couple of tracks from the demo, what was the decision behind re-doing some of your older material?

The demo was a solo project with a drum machine. My goal was always to re-record those songs for a proper album with a full line up & inject new & stronger dark energies into the music.

5.On the demo you where all solos but with the new album you have a full line up, do you feel this has made your music sound a lot more powerful?

Yes, of course. The 'Legendary, Demonic & Invincible' demo is only my personal aggression & demons. 'Once Upon A Time In Europa' is a 3 piece band attack, so the feel & dynamics are a lot more complex. Having real drums smashing away to the devastating style of Black Metal is second to none. And even though 95% of the guitars were recorded by Davddareth, he managed to capture the melodies with conviction, bringing forth the obliterating sound track of our 'message' which is essential to the WAR.

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

 Two come to mind. The first is a Melbourne performance which occurred on the 12th April 2014 at the Central Club. Leading up to the night, my two comrades & I have been perfecting our set for some time. We were more than ready for battle, so when we came out on stage, we blasted away with speed, precision & hate. Playing Black Metal at a rapid pace & screaming out in the night can summon up some pretty unholy feelings.  I felt that we had a bond with something 'profane' that night. The crowed response was very positive as well.

The second assault I will mention was our debut European album launch show, which occurred on 31st May 2014 at Gaby's Gruft in the German city of Stuttgart. The venue was a small 'Keller' with limited stage gear & needles to say it was packed. And once again we did not falter in executing our material, with aggression & speed being the essence in our performance.The crowed response was really intense & they would not let us leave until we played an encore. Some maniacs were already familiar with the material, so that is always a great feeling especially when performing in a foreign country. What also made that night was the copious amount of beer with old mates & the new bonds, friendships that were formed. A memorable night indeed.

Our stage performance can be described as a 'sonic assault' on the pathetic, back word philosophies & consequential actions of the weak minded, human garbage that continues to plague our lands. AK-11 is a weapon against such 'slave mentality' fairy tales, deeds & wishful thinking. The vocals are the victorious battle cries which describe the demise & forth coming devastation. Each beat is a bullet into the heart of our enemy. The notes & chords are the Hell Fire that vaporises & cleanses everything that stands our way. Any remaining ashes are scattered over the abyss.

 The aim of each performance is to inspire & unite all the 'like minded' under the WAR banner of Black Metal & to call upon them to join us in our cause. So each AK-11 performance is not just a group of 'buddies on stage', gathering together for a good time & a few beers. Its an event with a purpose, that requires visual & auditory brutality, mostly relentless style of playing & merciless oratory.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new release?

A live on air performance at a local radio station (PBS 106.7fm) by Burning Bitumen is being arranged for early September. Our Australian (Melbourne) album launch will take place on Saturday, 20th September 2014 at the Central Club. There is another Melbourne performance coming up on the 6th of December at the Reverence Hotel. Also as mentioned earlier, we are 're-grouping' the AK-11 battalion after the European tour, so there are a few suprises coming up.

8.How have extreme metal fans worldwide react to the musical sound of the newer album?

The metalheads that have been following AK-11 have only positive things to say about the new recording & those familiar with the demo have voiced their opinion on how much progress has been made over the last couple of years. There has been a lot of support & interest for the band locally & internationally.


9.Where do you want to see the band heading into musically during the future/

I envisage AK-11 becoming more brutal & hostile as our mission continues & the WAR intensifies. I always aim to work towards interesting music, something that is memorable & can be listened to over & over again. Some bands just play fast & heavy for the sake of it. Their song ideas have been already done by others many, many times over, so its boring, safe & predictable. For me music like that is heard once & then forgotten. So I do try to experiment when it comes to song writing & I'm open to new ideas. I can say for sure however that AK-11 will remain dark, militant, heavy & always dedicated to the Left Hand Path.


10.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

COME JOIN OUR WAR. MARCH TO VICTORY WITH AK-11. UNITE IN BLACK METAL.

HAILZ,

VALAK

Bandcamp

Facebook

ReverbNation

YouTube

Martelo Negro/Equinocio Espectral/HellProd/2014 CD Review

  Martelo  Negro  are  a  band  from  Portugal  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black, death,  thrash  and  speed  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Equinocio  Espectral"  which  was  released  by  HelldProd.

  Animal  and  demonic  sounds  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  a  very  raw,  heavy  and  old  school  kicks  in  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  a  mixture  of  growls  and  screams  as  well  as  the  music  combining  old  school  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  together  and  the  bass  guitars  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  There  is  a  great  amount  of  energy  in  the  bands  musical  sound  that  is  very  close  to  punk  rock  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  are  in  a  very  melodic  and  old  school  metal  direction  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  perfect  balance  between  first  and  second  wave  black  metal  while  the  death  metal  side  of  the  bands  musical  sound  is  heavily  influenced  by  the  early  Florida  wave  of  this  genre.

  All  of  the  music  on  the  album  sound s like  it  could  of  been  recorded  being  88-91  while  the  production  gives  the  music  a  more  modern  sound  and  on  one  of  the  track  they  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  melodic  chanting  and  some  of  the  later  tracks  bring  in  some  brutal  blast  beats  which  gives  the  music  a  more  raw  black  metal  feeling  along  with  a  great  amount  of  early  80's  speed  metal in  the  bands  guitar  riffing and one of the later tracks bring in a brief use of spoken word ritualistic parts and they close the album with an outro  that  brings  in  a  very  dark  and  occult  sounding  synth.
 
  Martelo  Negro  take  the  first  and  second  waves  of  black  metal and  combine  them  with  death,  thrash  and  speed  metal of  the  late  80's  to  early  90's  variety  along  with  the  raw  energy  of  punk  rock  to  create  the  musical  sound  that  is  presented  on  the  recording,  the  production  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  Portuguese  and  English  and  cover  occult  and  left  hand  path  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Martelo  Negro  are  a  very  great  sounding mixture  of  black,  death,  thrash  and  speed  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Culto  Hermetico"  "Born  Again  Antichrist"  "Sworn  To  The  Heptagram"  and  "Caronte".  8/5  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/martelonegro

Dark Blasphemer/Singles 2013-2014/Compilation Album Review

  Dark  Blasphemer  are  a  band  from  Argentina  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  raw  and  depressive  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  compilation  album  "Singles  2013-2014".

  A  very  dark  and  raw  black  metal  sound  starts  off  the  compilation  along  with  some   blast  beats,  heavy  bass  lines  and  high  pitched  depressive  screams  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  after  awhile  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music.

  You  can  hear  a  good  amount  of  melody  being  displayed  throughout  most  of  the  tracks  which  they  mix  in  with  their  raw  musical  approach  at  times  and  the  faster sections  have  a  lot  of  early  90's  black  metal  influences  being  added  in  while  the  lead  guitars  are  more  in  a  modern  and  melodic  musical  direction.  


  On  these  single  tracks  Dark  Blasphemer  continue  their  raw  approach  to  depressive  black  metal  that  was  presented  on  this  recording  as  well  as  being  a  lot  more  guitar  driven  than  most  bands  of  this  genre,  the  production  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  old  school  sound  while  the  lyrics  cover  suicidal  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Dark  Blasphemer  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw,  depressive  black  metal,  you  should  check   out  this  compilation>  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Land  Is  Mine"  and  "Drowning  In  Depression".  8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp

Facebook

Myspace

ReverbNation

SoundCloud

YouTube

YouTube II

    

Hod/Book Of The Worm/Artic/2014 CD Review

  Hod  are  a  band  from  Texas  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  old  school  black  metal  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Book  Of  The  Worm"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Artic.

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  blast  beats  which  leads  up  more  fast  parts,  grim  black  metal  screams  and  growls  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  the  band  starts  using  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  adding  in  some  guitar  leads  that  bring  a  more  old  school  death  metal  feeling  to  the  bands  musical  sound.

  There  is  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  in  the  bands  musical  sound  and  they  take  the  heaviest  elements  of  black  and  death  metal  and  combine  them  together  along  with  a  great  amount  of  raw  mixture  being  done  in  the early  90's  tradition  and  the  music  can  also  be  very  brutal  at  times  and  after  awhile  the  guitar  riffing  and  leads  start  bringing  in  more  melody  into  the  chaotic  sound  this  band  creates  with  their  music.

  In  the  faster  sections  of  the  bands  musical  sound  you  can  hear  some  elements  of  war  and  bestial  black  metal  but  done  with  more  talent  and  skill  than  most  bands  of  that  genre  and  they  mix  that  style  with  the  rawness  of  thrash  and  the  album  is  heavy,  raw  and  brutal  form  beginning  to  close  of  the  recording.

 Hod  remain  true  to  their  fast,  heavy,  raw  and  brutal  mixture  of  black  and  death metal  on  this  album  and  there  is  never  a  soft  moment  presented  on  any  of  the  tracks  that  are  present  on  this  recording,  the  production  has  a  very  professional  sound  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Darkness  and  the  writings  of  H.P  Lovecraft.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Hod  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  fast  heavy, raw  and  brutal  black/death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "When  The  Ghouls  Feed"  "Death  Whores"  and  "Where  Are  The  Demons".  8  out  of  10.

http://hodmusic2.bandcamp.com/album/the-uncreated-demo
http://www.reverbnation.com/hodtheband
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hod/118127951554999?ref=ts&fref=ts 

The Unchaining/Fornost Erain/2014 Full Length Review

  Italy's  1  man  band  The  Unchaining  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  that  continues  his  epic  and  atmospheric  approach  to  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of his  self  released  2014  album  "Fornost  Erain".

  Epic  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  bringing  in  the  atmosphere  of  a  fantasy  movie  soundtrack  along  with  elements of  dungeon  synth  and  after  the  instrumental  ambient  track  programmed  beats  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  raw  guitar  riffing  and  grim  screams  which  takes  the  music  more  into  an  atmospheric  black  metal  direction.

  There  is  a  good  balance  between  synths,  guitars  and  vocals  throughout  the  recording  and  the  songs  stick  mostly  to  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  all  of  the  tracks  have  an  epic  feeling  to  them  along  with  one  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  synths  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  medieval  atmosphere's  into  the  musical  sound.

  Halfway  through  the  album  a  brief  instrumental  is  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  synths  use  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys  and  bring  a  folk  music  feeling  into  the  song  before  returning  back  to  a  more  raw  and  atmospheric  black  metal  direction  on  the  following  track  along  with  some  influences  of  doom  metal  being  added  into  the  slower  sections  of  the  guitar  riffing  and  you  can  also  hear  some  acoustic  guitar  playing  being  added  into  the  music  briefly,  in  certain  sections  the  synths  bring  in  a  symphonic  feeling  while  the  guitars  always  remain  in  a  rawer  direction  and  on  some  of  the  songs  towards  the  end  they  start  adding  in  small  amounts  of  melodic  guitar  leads  and  the   album  closes  with  another  dungeon  synth  style  instrumental.  

  The  Unchaining  remains  true  to  his  raw  and  epic  atmospheric  black  metal  sound  on  this  recording  and  he  makes  the  music  more  interesting  by  always  keeping  the  vocals  grim  and  the  guitar  riffing  adds  a  raw  side  of  black  metal  into  his  musical  sound,  the  production  has  a  very  dark  and  raw  sound  while  the  lyrics  cover  nature,  spirituality,  myth  and  introspection.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  The  Unchaining  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  epic  and  atmospheric  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Stream  Of  Silver  Swords"  and  "Fornost  Erain".  8  out  of  10.

http://theunchaining.bandcamp.com/


     
  

american Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

1. Jim: We’re two guys from Virginia who live a few hours away from each other that like to make music we want to hear. I do vocals, drums, and power electronics. Mike does guitar, bass, vocals, and power electronics as well.

2.Recently you have released a full length album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

2. Mike: The sound presented is very bleak and we experimented a bit more with noise. While we've kept up with the melody our music normally carries, I think this album is a lot meaner than anything we've written in the past. 

    Jim: We tried to make something that was absolutely relentless. I'd like to think we succeeded.

3.In the last year you have put out a full length, split, 2 demos and a couple of singles, do you feel that you put a lot of time and effort into the band?

3. Mike: We've definitely committed to this project. Since we both live about 3 hours apart any chance we could get together we'd just crank out as much material as we could. We've tried to consistently write for the past few years and we've been pretty good about keeping up with it.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

4. Jim: Suicide. Social Justice Issues. Crises. 

5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the band name and the decision to spell the bands name all in lower case?

5. Jim: We’d rather not talk about it.

6.Currently there is only 2 members in the band, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you chose to remain a duo?

6. Mike: The two of us work really well together so the duo setup has been working for us really well for writing and recording. If we ever start playing shows though we would have to expand.

7.Has the band done any live shows or is this strictly a studio project?

7. Mike: We haven't done any live shows yet. I'd certainly like to at some point.

    Jim: Late 2015

8.A year back you where a part of a split with Crone, what are your thoughts on the other band that had participated on this recording?

8. Jim: Anthony Vi is a god. He’s a great musician and an incredibly talented audio engineer. Crone is his solo post rock project he seldom releases music as. When he does, its great.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal and other extreme genres?

9. Mike: We've had some great feedback. All the reviews we've gotten exceeded any expectation I had especially considering I never thought we'd be getting reviewed any time soon.

 Jim: The support we’ve received was completely unexpected. We’re outsiders and the fact that people enjoy us and want to help us is wild. Sean at Cvlt Nation as been backing us since the demo. Mattia at Sentient Ruin is fucking awesome and the fact that he believes in us so much is awesome. We’re forever grateful for the support. 

10.Where do you see this band heading into musically during the future?

 Jim: The support we’ve received was completely unexpected. We’re outsiders and the fact that people enjoy us and want to help us is wild. Sean at Cvlt Nation as been backing us since the demo. Mattia at Sentient Ruin is fucking awesome and the fact that he believes in us so much is awesome. We’re forever grateful for the support. 

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

11. Mike: I know we both took some influence from The Body. I've also been inspired by Wolves in the Throne Room, Bastard Sapling and Black Monolith. I've been listening to a lot of music as of lately like Type O Negative, Sleep, Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, Elliott Smith, Boards of Canada, Ministry, Black Breath, and Pantera to name a few.

     Jim: A lot of Tears For Fears and Skinny Puppy influence for me on Coping With Loss. Lately, I’ve just been listening to a lot of Lil Ugly Mane. 

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

12. Mike: Movies are pretty sweet. 

     Jim: I’ve been reading a lot as of late. That and writing in a journal as a form of free therapy. It’s great. Reflecting on yourself is important.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

13. Mike: We're very grateful for all the support we've been getting. Thank you.

      Jim: Shout out to Unsacred, Bastard Sapling, God Suffers, Meth Lab, and Lil Ugly Mane

Bandcamp

Facebook