Agos/Irkalla Transcendence/III Damnation Productions/2015 EP Review

  Agos  are  a  duo  from  Greece  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  occult  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "Irkalla  Transcendence"  which  was  released  by  III  Damnation  Productions.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  death  metal  influenced  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  a  great  mixture  of  both  grim  growls  and  black  metal  screams  and  a  few  seconds  later  morbid  sounding  melodies  are  added  into  the  music  and  the  solos  and  leads  that  are  utilized  display  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  to  speed  up  a  bit.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  elements  of  early  90's  occult  black  metal  being  mixed  in  with  old  school  death  metal  elements  but  done  with  a  production  that  gives  the  music  more  of  an  up  to  date  feeling  and  all  3  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  music  also  sticks  to  mostly  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  while  there  are  some  fast  riffs  and  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  ep  closes  with  female  vocals  that  are  all  melodic  and  ritualistic  chants.

  Agos  takes  a  style  of  occult  black  metal  and  adds  in  some  of  the  heavier  side  of  old  school  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sound s very  dark,  powerful  and  heavy  sounding  while  the  lyrics  cover  Sumerian  Civilization,  Mythology,  Occultism,  Gnosis  and  Death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Agos  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark,  heavy  and  occult  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Akkadian  Cenotaph".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPEOeHzXyuk

Odota/Fever Marshal/2014 Full Length Review

  Odota  are  a  solo  project  from  Estonia  that  plays  an  experimental  and  psychedelic  mixture  of  black  metal,  drone  and  doom  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2014  album  "Fever  Marshal".

  A  very  dark  doom/drone  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  experimental  sounds  in  the  background  and  after  a  minute  melodic  guitar  riffing  starts  becoming  a  huge  part  of  the  recording  while  a  few  seconds  alter  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  a  fast  and  raw  black  metal  sound  along  with  a  great  amount  of  high  pitched  screams.

  A  good  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  programmed  beats  taking  the  place  of  a  real  drum  kit  and  at  time s the  vocals  have  a  very  grim  approach  to  them  and  the  songs  also  bring   in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  also  bring  in  elements  of  industrial  metal  at  times.

  As  the  album  progresses  more  avant  garde,  experimental  and  psychedelic  elements  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  there  are  also  a  couple  of  tracks  that  are  instrumental  and  in  some  of  the  more  fast  black  metal  parts  the  programmed  beats  almost  sound  like  real  blast  beats  and  the  whole  album  is  very  diverse  with  each  track  bringing  in  something  different.

  Odota  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  mostly  raw  and  aggressive  while  also  mixing  in  elements of  doom,  drone,  experimental,  industrial  and  psychedelia  to  create  some  very  original  sounding  music,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Odota  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  mixture  of  black  metal,  drone,  doom,  experimental  and  psychedelia  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Horse  Thief  Special"  "Cannon"  and  "Rattlesnakes  Unfold".  8  out  of  10.

http://odota.bandcamp.com/



  

Elegos Interview

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

Elegos were formed in April 2014 by Admetos (all instruments) and Mantitheos (vocals and lyrics) in Thessaloniki, Greece. Soon after the formation we were put on-hold due to military duties of Mantitheos, as well as Admetos’ moving to Crete. However throughout that time we composed a lot of music, a part of which took flesh in our first demo release. We play black metal, with some epic and folk elements, while our lyrics talk about ancient battles, war and heroism.

2.Recently you have released a demo, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

In December 2014 we self-released our first demo entitled “To Those Lying in the Fields of Glory”, consisting of two tracks. We believe that our music sounds as pure black metal, with epic features, while the sound is mainly raw because we home-recorded the songs and did the mixing and mastering by ourselves. We want to make a more professional sound on our next release, something that will be closer to how we want to sound, however still raw and grim for sure. In general, we always try to compose music that most importantly sounds good to us as black metal fans.

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

The lyrical themes of our music are about ancient battles, fallen warriors and acts of heroism. Lyrics play an important role in our music, and we always try to elicit an epic feeling from both our music and our lyrics.

4.I know that the band name means ancient Greek mournful songs, how do you feel your songs compare to the ancient days of Greece?

Well, to begin with our music as you can imagine has nothing to do with ancient Greek music. However, we try to hymn those long gone days through our songs and elicit a feeling that might travel the listener to ancient Greek era and in specific to ancient battlefields, where acts of honor and valor were written in history.

5.This the paganism of your homeland's past also play a role in your music?

We believe that our history reflects every part of our existence, defines who we are. The strong belief of our ancestors was one of the most important parts of their daily life, alongside with philosophy, science and arts. All these elements influence our way of life and this is something that we try to express through our music.

6.Currently there are 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?

The project began as a 2 member band due to the experimental nature of our first steps. We are now in discussions with some musicians to follow us on live performances, and who knows, if both us and them are happy with the collaboration we would never say no to fresh blood in the band.

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

We are very happy to announce that our next work will be released under the sign of Frostinghell Prod, a new Greek label that really gives flesh and blood for the Underground Hellenic Black Metal.

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

The feedback is very encouraging. When we first decided to release the demo we were thinking that if we make a bunch of people listen to our music and feel like shaking their heads in the rhythm we would have achieved our goal. Now, we feel a lot of support from outside the country, but mainly Greek metallers have been very supportive and we would like to thank everybody for their interest in our music.

9.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

We already have material for an EP or a full length album and we believe that in the following months we will enter the studio to start recording. In the meantime we are under discussions for some live performances in the near future, which we are looking more than forward to take place. Musically the album will be in the style of the demo, but we feel that it will sound more epic.

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?

Well, of course we are huge fans of the Hellenic Black Metal style, where bands such as Kawir, Rotting Christ, Varathron among others have definitely influenced, or more precisely inspired us with their music. We also have been inspired by the British Black Metal wave, with bands like Winterfylleth, Wodensthrone predominating our tastes, and the Slavonic bands, such as Drudkh, Hate Forest and Nokturnal Mortum.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

We really like to study history, both ancient and modern. Admetos is also a nature photographer while Mantitheos enjoys to spend his free time playing tabletop war games. And of course we both appreciate a bottle (or more) of high quality beer.

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

First of all we would like to thank you for the interview. To the friends of the OccultBlackMetalZine we would like to say Stay True, Stay Heavy and Support the Underground!

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Crowhurst/Self Titled/Ivory Antler Recordings/2015 Full Length Review

  Crowhurst  are  a  band  from  Los  Angeles,  California  that  plays  an  experimental  mixture  of  black  metal,  harsh  noise,  drone,  doom  and  sludge  and  this  is  a  review of  their  self  titled  2015  album  which  will  be  released  in  April  on  vinyl  and  8  track  by  Ivory  Antler  Recordings.

  A  very  distorted  and  heavy  bass  guitar  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  reverb  before  going  into  a  more  heavy  sludge/doom  metal  direction  along  with  some  melodies  and  harsh  noise  sounds  and  after  the  intro  more  of  an  atmospheric  black  metal  sound  is  added  onto  the   recording  along  with  a  great  amount  of  high  pitched  screams.

  Guitar  leads  can  be  heard  throughout the  recording  and  they  also  have  more  of  an  a modern  atmospheric  black  metal  influence  to  them  and  the  music  also  adds  in  parts  that  are  very  fast  and  raw  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  also  mixes  doom  with  black  metal.

  As  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the   recording  along  with  a  few  tracks  that  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  one  of  the  tracks  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  which  also  adds  in  elements  that  would  appeal  to  fans  of  the  post  genres  of  black   and  doom  and  all  of  the songs  are  very  diverse  and  original  while  also  remaining  very  heavy  all  at  the  same  time  and  the  last  track  also  brings  in  spoken  word  parts.

  Crowhurst  takes  a  very  raw,  melodic  and  atmospheric  style  of  black  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  heavier  side  of  sludge  and  doom  while  also  experimenting  with  harsh  noises  and  drones  to  create  their  own  style,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Crowhurst  are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental  mixture  of  atmospheric  black  metal,  doom,  sludge,  drone  and  harsh  noise  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Precipice  of  Stone"  "It  Is  The  Mercy"  and  "Langourous  Void".  8  out  of  10.

crowhurst.bandcamp.com
twitter.com/crowhurstnoise
   

Pneuma Hagion/Trinity I/2015 Demo Review

  Pneuma  Hagion  are  a  1  man  band  from  Texas  that  plays  a  bestial  mixture  of  black,  death  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released 2015  demo  "Trinity  I".

  A  very  fast,  raw  and  old  school  war  metal  sound  starts  off  the  demo  along  with  some  guttural  yet  demonic  vocals  and  the music  also  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  slower  sections  bringing  in  an  early  90's  doom/death  metal  feeling  which  is  also  mixed  in  with  a  bestial  sound.

  You  can  hear  a  decent  amount  of  Australian  and  Ross  Bay  Cemetery  influences  throughout  the recording  along  with  a  good  dose  of  the  bestial black  metal  sound  and  the  songs  all  have  a  vintage  old  school  feeling  to  them  and  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  during  the  90's.

  Pneuma  Hagion  plays  a  very  old  school  style  of  bestial,  war/black  metal  on  this  demo  which  he  also  mixes  in  with  a  great  amount  of  death  and  doom  metal  elements  which  also  gives  his  approach  to  the  genre  a  different  touch,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  filthy,  raw  and  old  school  sounding  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Pneuma  Hagion  are  a  very  great  sounding  bestial  mixture  of  war,  black,  death  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "First  thought".  8  out  of  10.

http://pneumahagion.bandcamp.com


  

Elegos/To Those Lying In The Fields of Glory/2014 Demo Review

  Elegos  are  a  duo  from  Greece  that  plays  a  very  epic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  demo  "To  Those  Lying  In  The  Fields  Of  Glory".

  Classical  guitars  start  off  the  demo  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  melodic guitar  leads  are  added  onto  the  recording  which  sets  up  the  mood  for  some  grim  black  metal  screams  and  the  first  track  is  8  minutes  in  length  and  also  sticks  to  a  slow  and  mid  paced  musical  direction  while  still  having  a  very  old  school  feeling.

  When  the  demo  goes  into  the  second  track  it  starts  to  speedup  a  bit  along  with  an  early  90's  style  of  raw  black  metal  while  the  vocals  also  have  even  more  of  a  grim  and  high  pitched  approach  this  time  while  also  adding  blast  beats  into  the  faster  sections  of  the  track  while  the  slower  sections  utilize  melodic  leads  and  the  song  is  only  5  minutes  in  length  and  does  bring  in  some  flutes  at  times.

  Elegos  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw,  melodic,  old  school  and  epic  sounding  in  the  true  Hellenic  tradition,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  Ancient  Battles,  War  and  Heroism.

  In  my  opinion  Elegos  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  epic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  demo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "The Last  Remembrance  Of  A  Dying  Warrior".  8  out  of  10.

https://elegos.bandcamp.com

Desekratewhore/Mind's Deception/2014 Full Length Review

  Desekratewhore  are  a  band  from  Ontario,  Canada  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  old  school  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Mind's  Deception".

  Drum  beats  and  an  old  school  black/thrash  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  there  is  also  a  decent  amount  of  melody  on  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  the   vocals  are  grim  black  metal  screams  and  after  awhile  80's  death  metal  influences  are  added  into  the  songs.

  A  couple  of  the  tracks  on  the  recording  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  one  song  bringing  in  a  brief  use  of  war  samples  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  dark  and  melodic  while  also  remaining  true  to  the  old  school  tradition  of  the  bands  musical  style  and  as  the  album  progresses  elements  of  traditional  heavy  metal  can  be  heard  at  times  and  one  of  the  tracks  brings  in  a  brief  instrumental  that  is  all  classical  guitars  while  the  later  songs  show  the  band  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  while  a  couple  track  doe add  a  few  seconds  of  clean  playing  in  with  the  heavier  parts  and  the  album  closes  with  an  instrumental.

  Desekratewhore  take  the  first  and  second  wave  styles  of  black  metal  and  mix  them  in  with  death,  thrash  and  a  touch  of  classic  heavy  metal  to  create  some  very  raw  and  old  school  sounding  extreme  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  fantasy  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Desekratewhore  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  old  school  mixture  of  black,  death,  thrash  and  heavy  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Blatterian  Supremacy"  "White  Wolves"  and  "Nightmares".  8  out  of  10.

https://desekratewhore.bandcamp.com/  

Disharmonic Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
The recording of  “Magiche arti e oscuri deliri” took place during the year  2014 on Black Massacre studios in Pordenone, which has also produced other engravings of Disharmonic.


2.In the past few months you have put out a couple of albums, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both recordings and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
Surely the sound quality and the depth of the technique is increasing work after work, on this as on the EP “Il rituale dei non morti” mastering is edited by Giovanni Indorato on his Cyber Ghetto studios


3.The band was broken up for a few years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?
The group basically had never split-up, but a bit ' all we were taken by pauses of reflection , of course, only to return with good works that did widen the circle of our followers .

4.The lyrics cover a great amount of occult topics, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this subject?
I have always a great attention to the issues occult religions , as well as the culture of belonging cosmic.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Disharmonic'?
The definition of “Disharmonic” , is simply unsound , as sound a joke metric not successful , so devoid of harmony , as in architecture does not represent a relationship of coherence , all so disproportionate and not harmonious .


6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Usually our performances are in exclusive private setting, with a private invitation to a congregation .

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
At this time i can not really answer this question.  Everywhere cosmic’s factor lead me to the world , my sound it will channel flow.

8.The new album was released on Beyond productions, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
“Beyond…Productions” is the most influential label, also for the variety of bands with which it collaborates or produces , has always interested , we really wanted to stay in Italy as production .

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and doom metal?
Already within a few days of release of the new work the responses were very interesting , definitely foreign has a great potential for the art that we offer . We will focus as much as possible to any place is interested in our art.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
There are already new stuff for the upcoming year , the reissue of “Carmini Mortis” fused with the EP “ Il rituale dei non morti” , all completely remastered in Cyber Ghetto studios

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?
Surely the music genres I use to listen are jazz, dark rock , but also prog . Some psychedelic rock , obviously metal in its nuances.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
My interests outside of Disharmonic, definitely are the philosophical arts , magic and the occult sciences and stellar.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have nay final words or thoughts?
Buy our work for a dip in other cosmic dimensions.

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Sovereign/Nailing Shut The Sacrosanct Orifice/Broken Limbs/2015 Cassette Review

  Sovereign  are  a  band  from  the United  States  that  plays  a  very  raw,  satanic  and  occult  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Nailing  Shut  The  Sacrosanct  Orifice"  which  will  be  released  in  February  on  cassette  by  Broken  Limbs.

  A  very  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  heavy,  fast  and  raw  black  metal  direction  that  uses  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams  that  also  get  more  depressive  and  suicidal  on  later  tracks  along  with  a  good  dose  of  death  metal  elements  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Melodic  guitar  leads  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  guitar  riffing  also  uses  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  a  few  tracks  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length  and  you  can  hear  a  great  dose  of  old  school  black  metal  elements  throughout  the  recording  while  the  band  also  brings  in  quite  a  bit  of  the  modern  occult  sound  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  brief  instrumental  while  the  main  focus  remains  more  on  a  heavy  and  raw  style  of  black  metal.

  Sovereign  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  dark,  melancholic,  fast  and  raw  sounding  and  also  brings  in  a  touch  of  death  metal  in  the  true  U.S  tradition,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  Anti  Cosmic  Satanism,  Occultism,  Death,  Hate  and  Suicide.

   In  my  opinion  Sovereign  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw,  melancholic,  satanic  and  occult  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  cassette.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Orbiting  Lunar  Curse"  "Sulfur's  Cross"  "Bared  Teeth  Of  The  Fog"  and  "Nailing  Shut  the  Sacrosanct  orifice".  8  out  of  10.

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Harrow/Fallow Fields/Broken Limbs/2015 Cassette Review

  Harrow  are  a  band  from  British  Columbia,  Canada  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  raw,  melodic  and  atmospheric  form  of  cascadian  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  cassette  "Fallow  Fields"  which  will  be  released  in  February  by  Broken  Limbs.

  Atmospheric  sounds  start  off  the  cassette  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars  and  after  a  minute  cello's  are  added  onto  the  recording  which  also  leads  up  to  more  heavy  parts  kicking  in  and  then  the  music  starts  adding  in  more  of  a  raw  black  metal  sound  that  also  uses  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  music  also  alternates  being  acoustic  and  heavy  parts  quite  a  bit  with  the  more  acoustical  material  bringing  in  a  heavy  folk  music  influence  along  with  folk  instruments,  violins  and  keyboards  being  added  in  at  times  and  after  awhile  clean  singing  vocals  are  added  into  some  parts  of  the  tracks.

  At  times  they  music  can  be  very  progressive  with  the  acoustic  parts  along  wit h a  psychedelic  feeling  coming  out  in  some  parts  that h ave  a  70's  feeling  to  them  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  the  cascadian  atmosphere  that  is  common  in  a  lot  of  northwest  black  metal  while  also  being  a  lot  more  original  than  a  lot  of  those  bands  and  they  close  the  album  with 2  acoustic  tracks  that  are  in  more  of  a  folk/progressive  rock  direction  while  the  last  track  does  bring  in  a  little  bit  of  electric  guitars.

  Harrow  continue s with  their  raw  cascadian  black  metal  sound  while  also  expanding  upon  it  and  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  folk  music  elements  to  create  and  album  that  could  be  classified  as  black/folk  metal  but  done  in  more  of  an  underground  and  grim  fashion,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  yet  powerful  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  heathen  myth,  esoteric  tradition  and  observation  of  natural  cycles.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Harrow  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  the  raw,  atmospheric,  cascadian  and  folk  styles  of  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Through  the  Grey"  and  "Awake  Before  The  Dawn".  8  out  of  10.

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Barshasketh/Void Ritual/Broken Limbs/2015 Split EP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  ep  between  New  Zealand/Scotland's  Barahasketh  and  New  Mexico's  Void  Ritual  which  will  be  released  in  February  by  Broken  Limbs  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Barahasketh  a  band  that  plays  a  very  raw,  melodic  and  occult  form  of  black  metal.

  A  very  dark  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  their  side  of  the  split  along  with  some  guitar  leads  and  grim  screams  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  the  music  goes  into  a  faster  direction  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  which  also  leads  up  to  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  after  awhile  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  and  both  of  their  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  with  a  great  sounding  production  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  and  lyrics  that  cover  death,  misanthropy,  occult  and  left  hand  path  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Barshasketh  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw  and  melodic  occult  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Dominion  Of  Ashes".

  Next  up  is  Void  Ritual  a  1  man  band  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  hateful  form  of  black  metal.

  A  very  fast,  raw  and  primitive  old  school  black  metal  sound  starts  off  his  side  of  the  split  along  with  a  good  amount  of  blast  beats  and  deep  yet  screams  which  also  bring  in  a  good  amount  of  high  pitched  shrieks  and  the  music  also  has  a  Swedish  feeling  at  times  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  adding  in  more  modern  elements  while  the  main  focus  remains  more  on  a  90's  style  and  the  songs  also  stick  to  either  a  fast  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  while  also  having  a  very  dark  and  raw  production  along  with  lyrics  that  cover  bizarre  cults,  their  philosophy  and  theologies  and  the  last  track  closes  with  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing.

  In  my  opinion  Void  Ritual  are  a  very  great  sounding  fast  and  raw  black  metal  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  his  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Temple  Of  The  Sun".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  the  raw,  melodic,  and  occult  sides  of  the  black  metal  genre.  8  out  of  10.  


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Void Ritual:
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Taake/Stridens Hus/Candlelight Records/2015 CD Review

  Taake  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  has  been  around  since  the  90's  and  also  has  had  an  album  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  continue  their  Norwegian  style  of  black  metal  from  previous  recordings  while  also  taking  their  music  into  different  areas  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Stridens  Hus"  which  will  be  released  in  February  by  Candlelight  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  melodic  black  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  old  school  riffing  that  can  be  very  raw  and  times  while  also  mixing  in  solos  and  leads  and  when  vocals  are  added  onto  the  recording  they  are  grim  and  high  pitched  screams  while  also  adding  in  angry  and  hateful  shouts  at  times.

  Clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  bringing  in  small  amounts  of  blast  beats  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  element s of  punk  and  black'n'roll.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  viking  chanting  and  clean  singing  along  with  the  music  being  very  progressive  and  dark  at  times  while  some  of  the  later  songs  also  add  in  a  few  seconds  of  spoken  word  parts  while  the  music  never  loses  focus  on  a  raw  Norwegian  black  metal  sound.

  Taake  creates  another  grim  and  raw  Norwegian  style  black  metal  album  that  also  goes  into  different  directions  but  also  avoids  the  mainstream  trappings  a  lot  of  their  countrymen  have  been  falling  into  for  the  last  10  or  more  years,  the  productions  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  also  powerful  at  the  same  time  and  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Norwegian  and  cover  darkness.  death,  autumn,  winter,  hell,  pain  and  Satanism.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Taake  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Orm"  "Stank"  and  "Vinger".  8  out  of  10.

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Corpus Christii/Luciferian Frequencies/Folter Records/2015 Vinyl Re-Issue Review

  Corpus  Christii  are  a  band  from  Portugal that  has  had  an  album  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  occult  and  satanic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011  album  "Luciferian  Frequencies"  which  was  re-issued  on  vinyl  by  Folter  Records  in   the  year  of  2015.

  A  dark  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  adding  in  more  heaviness  and  after  the  intro  grim  black  metal  screams  are  added  into  the  music  which  also  leads  up  to  some  fast  and  raw  parts  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Angry  shouts  and  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  at  times  and  you  can  hear  the  progress  from  previous  recordings  when  it  comes  to  the  way  the  guitar  riffing  is  approached  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  add  more  dark  sounding  melodies  onto  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  some  of  the  band  old  school  approach  to  the  genre  makes  its  return  on  some  of  the  tracks  while  still  progressing  into  a  different  direction  and  some  of  the  alter  tracks  also  add  in  some  atmospheric  elements.

  Corpus  Christii  remain  true  to  their  satanic  and  occult  style  of  black  metal  on  this  album  as  well  as  keeping  the  raw  elements  of  previous  recordings  while  also  expanding  and  adding  something  new  to  their  sound  as  well  as  keeping  around  a  very  heavy  and  dark  approach  to  the  genre,  the  production  sound s very  dark  yet  powerful  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Luciferian,  Occultism  and  Darkness  with  a  very  philosophical,  esoteric,  and  metaphysical  touch.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  recording  from  Corpus  Christii  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  satanic  and  occult  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Own  Resurrection"  "Pictrix"  "Be  Dark,  Thy  Light"  and  "In  The  Rivers  of  Red".  8  out of  10.

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Eternal Armageddon/Black Thrash Bastards/2015 Demo Review

  Eternal  Armageddon  are  a  band  from  Bangladesh  that  originally  started  out  as  more  of  a  melodic  black  metal  band  but  now  plays  a  raw  mixture  of  black and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  demo  "Black  Thrash  Bastards".

  A  very  powerful  sounding  bass  guitar  and  drum  beats  start  off  the  demo  and  a  few  seconds  later  melodic  guitars  leads  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  they  also  return  in  other  songs  as  well  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  having  more  of  an  old  school  black  metal  feeling  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  to  speed  up  a  bit.

  You  can  hear  quite  a  bit  of  thrash  and  first  wave  black  metal  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  it  also  mixes  in  with  the  vocals  as  well  while  some  of  the  screams  do  have  a  second  wave  feeling  to  them  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  also  having  a  very  raw  feeling  and  they  close  the  ep  with  a  cover  of  Sodom's  "Blasphemer".

  Eternal  Armageddon  plays  a  style  of  black/thrash  metal  that  is  very  raw  and  old  school  sounding  bringing  out  a  sound  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  first  wave  style  while  still  having  a  touch  of  early  90's  in  the  songs,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Violence  and  Thrashing  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Eternal  Armageddon  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  old  school  mixture  of  black  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hate  Reincarnated"  and  "Satanic  Whispers".  8  out  of  10.  

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Earth And Pillars Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Me (Z) and the bass player (I) started playing together a long time ago, but we haven't been a real band until we met F, back in 2013. From then on, we really started thinking about arranging ideas in the form of songs, rather than just playing riffs together. I've been composing material for (what was to become) Earth and Pillars since a long time, but until 2013 they were vague shapes of songs, they were more pieces of atmosphere, a soliloquy for myself.

2.In December you had released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Well, I would say it is simply black metal. The focus is on the atmosphere and this is the reason why songs are "long" and somehow repetitive. Repetition and “fluency" are the basic ingredients which can really evoke atmospheres: the evolution of feelings and emotions is slow, and thus music needs to reflect this aspect. It’s a sort of ritualistic and spiritual side of music, capable of strengthening and clarifying the essence of experiences in life.

The sound comes naturally from the atmosphere: the massive wall of guitars you can hear in "Earth I" is connected to the overwhelming power of sensations and emotions to which nature gives rise. Instead of a classic “necro”/low quality-production, the use of huge reverbs on highly distorted (yet distinguishable) guitars creates the effect of resonant melodies in open areas.


3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
This answer is somehow connected to the previous answer. Earth and Pillars focuses on nature (earth) and our world (pillars), the world we built and in which we live in: the contrast, the apparent incompatibility of these two entities is one of the things that puzzles me most. I always had the feeling that there is something magical between humans and nature, something we are almost forgetting or even worse rejecting: the relationship between us and nature is something capable of unveiling a lot of our experiences, of our true essence.

So it is not a mere description of a landscape, of nature itself, but everything about Earth and Pillars is connected to the relationship between me and nature, it is a reflection of my feelings into music. The sound/atmosphere of "Earth I" itself represents the sense of smallness that I often feel when I'm in wild areas: this sense of smallness does not mean at all something negative, demeaning or depressing, rather a sense of reverence towards nature and existence. “Earth I” can be seen as a long ritual, a spiritual cycle in water, where a lot of topics are metaphorically explored through nature.

4.The album title was 'Earth I', do you have a concept planned out for the recordings?
Yes there is a concept which will be developed in the first three albums. I have already started working on the second, even before "Earth I" was finished, and hopefully it will be ready by the end of this year. If "Earth I" is mainly focused on nature, next album will be centered on my (human) experience: it will be related to a trail I often follow during winter times.

The other thing I'm willing to anticipate is that next album won't be "Earth II"..so, it's an easy guess.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Earth And Pillars'?
It is hard to recall exactly when the name came to my mind for the first time. In that period of my life (around 2012) I was reading a lot of Rilke, Holderlin and Montale’s works, and the words "Earth" and "Pillars" can be found often in their texts. I think these two images started to slowly grow inside me, building the final shape of what was the idea I already had in mind.


6.Has the band done any live shows or is this strictly a studio project?
We never did live shows, just some "live rehearsing" for friends. For the moment being, there is no opportunity to have a full live line-up, furthermore I'll live abroad for some months. Except this practical reasons, I'm not much interested in live shows, I prefere to focus on writing and composing new music, it is something that I really need to do, something I feel as a part of myself.

Playing live is something that requires a lot of dedication and work: you need to rehearse constantly and to be able to reproduce the same feeling of the album on a stage, something that is often really hard to do. In this moment of my life I prefer to use my energies on other aspects of life I find more "worthy".

But this doesn't mean a live show will never happen...


7.The album was released on Avantgarde Music, are you happy with the support they have given you so far?
Yes, we are really happy and honored to be part of Avantgarde Music: Roberto had been really positive from the very beginning. I sent him a rough "demo" of “Earth I", without vocals and synths, before mixing and mastering was done, and yet he was interested in the development of the album. So, when the work was almost done I sent him a better quality "demo" and the deal was done, immediately. We couldn't ask for anything better: he has been really supportive to us and he is still doing a lot to promote our music.


8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of atmospheric black metal?
I would say highly positive and a bit unexpected. We were not really aware of what we were doing, especially for me, it was impossible to judge those songs, they were/are part of me and, even now, I'm not able to say that I'm satisfied or disappointed.

The "third" person judgement is something I'm not used to: I've always composed music for myself and the "coming out" was something that I both "feared" and I was not searching for. But yes, it happened, somehow, and the response and interest has been far above our expectation.


9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
It is unpredictable, I have two others albums in my mind, one finished and the other one still a work in progress. Everything I composed so far is atmospheric black metal, so the only thing I can say is that the next two albums will be in the same (yet different) direction of "Earth I". Earth and Pillars was born for this and black metal is its natural essence: I'm pretty sure that I will remain on this path until the “doors” on the Earth and Pillars world will close.


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?
My biggest musical influences are Paysage d’Hiver, Darkspace, Lunar Aurora and Blut Aus Nord: of course, I do not forget Burzum as the father of atmospheric black metal but, due to the "time distance” between me and “Hvis Lyset Tar Oss", I’m more bonded to bands who developed their sound when I was already into black metal.
Also doom and funeral (Thergothon, Skepticism, Evoken, Nortt for instance) can be considered an influence: the slow evolution of these music is something that is not so far from what I'm searching with Earth and Pillars.
Besides metal, I listen to atmospheric folk (Tenhi, Valì, Nest) and ambient: these two styles are, in different ways, connected to my passion for atmosphere and they play an important role too, in developing my sound.

In these months, I’m listening mostly to Paysage d'Hiver (of course, it’s winter), Darkspace, The Ruins of Beverast and the new album of Arstidir Lifsins (one of the greatest band of the last 4-5 years).


11.What are some of your non musical interests?
As I have already said, I love reading, especially poetry.
I also hike a lot, almost every weekend if possible, and this is for sure one of the biggest source of inspiration to create music for Earth and Pillars. Actually, the photos you find in the artwork of “Earth I” are all taken from my roamings in nature.
I’m not a “party guy”, I don’t like dancing or going to clubs and discos, so that’s it eheheh...



12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you very much for your interest in Earth and Pillars. It has been a pleasure to answer to your questions.

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Diapsiquir/LSD/Necrocosm/2015 CD Review

  Diapsiquir  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  very  raw,  experimental  and  industrial  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "LSD"  which  was  released  by  Necrocosm.

  Distorted  noises  and  spoken  word  parts  which  are  also used  quite  a  bit  later  on  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  industrial  black  metal  direction  along  with  some  hateful  sounding  screams  and  the  also  uses  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  melodies  being  added in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  which  also  has  an  atmospheric  background.

  A  good  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  there  are  also  some  parts  where  you  can  hear  melodic  guitar  leads  and  machine  style  vocals,,  avant  garde  singing  as  well  as  a  brief use  of  operatic  female  vocals  and  the  album  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  experimental  elements  and  synths  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  black  metal  screams  start  to  get  more  high  pitched  while  the  music  art  times  also brings  in  growls  along  with  incorporating  a  slight death  metal  influence  into  their  musical  style.

  Diapsiquir  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  fast,  raw,  chaotic yet  melodic at  the  same  time  and  also  mixes  in  element s of  industrial,  experimental  and  avant  garde  music  to  create  a  very  original  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Lust,  Urban  Degeneracy  and  Deviance.

  In  my  opinion  Diapsiquir  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  experimental,  industrial  black  metal  band and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Satan  Postmortem"  "Lubie  Satanique  Depraave"  and  "G.A.S".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/DIAPSIQUIR/223591860864?sk=info&tab=page_info

 

  

AegeonNocturnal Glorification/Elegy Records/2014 CD Review

  Aegeon  are  a  1  man  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  very  raw,  atmospheric,  and  blasphemous  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2014  album  "Nocturnal  Glorification"  which  was  released  by  Elegy  Records.

  A  very  dark,  raw  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along   with  some  grim  screams  and  an  atmospheric  background  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  at  times the  music  can  also  be  melodic  with  both  the  guitar  riffing  and  leads  along  with  a  few  tracks  that  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length

  Whispers  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  most  of  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  along  with  the  vocals  also  bringing  in  depressive  screams  into  some  parts  of  the  tracks  along  with  a  slight  ambient  black  metal  feeling  that  seems  to  have  some  USBM  influences  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  music  speeds  up  at  times  while  also  introducing  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  onto  the  recording.

  Aegeon  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  epic,  grim,  melodic  and  atmospheric  while  also  sticking  to  more  of  a  slow  or  mid  paced  style  and  the  music  also  keeps  around  a  good  portion  of  raw  elements,  the  production  has  a  very  dark, r aw  and  heavy  sound  while  the  lyrics  cover  Inner  Darkness  and  Anti  Christian  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Aegeon  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  black  metal  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Glorification  Of  The  New  Pandemia"  "The  Cult  Of  The  October"  and  "The  Eternal  March  Of  The  Nameless".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVj9qgI3u4Y

Darvulia/Sektarism/Nuclear War Now Productions/Dead Sea Productions/2015 Split Album Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  France's  Darvulia  and  Sektarism  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Nuclear  War  Now  Productions  and  Dead  Sea  Productions  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Darvulia  a  band  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  ritualistic  form  of  black  metal.

  A  very  distorted  sounding  bass  guitar  sound  starts  off  their  side  of  the  split  and  stick  to  a  very  slow,  dark  and  repetitive  direction  for  a  few  minutes  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  an  avant  garde  and  ritualistic  feeling  along  with  drum  beats  being  brought  in  at  times  and  as  the  song  progresses  more  occult  style  soundscapes  can  be  heard  while  a  few  minutes later  grim  voices  are  added  onto  the  track  and  they  also  bring  in  more  of  a  black  metal  influence  when  they  are  utilized  while  a  few  minutes  later  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  can  be  heard    and  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  along  with  the  only  track  being  17  minutes  in  length  which  they  also  close  with  more  of  a  raw  black  metal  riff.

  In  my  opinion  Darvulia  are  a  very  great  sounding  ritualistic and  occult  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.

  Next  up  is  Sektarism  a  band  that  plays  a  very  ritualistic  form  of  funeral  doom  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  off  with  melodic  ritualistic  chanting  and  drum  beats  before  adding  in  more  of  a  heavy  and  dark  funeral  doom  metal  sound  while  also  keeping  around  the  chants  while  also  adding  in  more  of  an  understandable  approach  to  growling  and  screaming  vocals  that  also  have  somewhat  of  a  black  metal  feeling  to  them  as  well  as some  spoken  word  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  song  is  over  20  minutes  along  with  occult  style  lyrics.

  In  my  opinion  Sktarism  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  ritualistic  music  and  funeral  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fan s of  black  metal,  funeral  doom  and  ritualistic  music.  8  out  of  10.  

SEKTARISM FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/sektarism
SEKTARISM BANDCAMP: http://sektarism.bandcamp.com/
SEKTARISM WEBSITE: http://www.sektarism.org/
DARVULIA FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Darvulia?fref=ts