Code/Live In The Netherlands/Heidens Hart Records/2015 CD Review

  Code  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays a  mixture  of  progressive  black  metal  and  post  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  live  2015  album  "Live  In  The  Netherlands"  which  was  released  by  Heidens Hart Records.

  Dark  sound  effects  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  as  well  as  adding  in  grim  black  metal  screams  and  the  music  goes  for  more  of  a  modern  style  of  that  genre  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  band  also  adds  in  a  great  amount  of  progressive  structures  into  the  heavier  parts  of  their  musical  style.

  Blast  beats  can  be  heard  in  certain sections  of  the  recording  and  the  band  also  interacts  with  the  crowd  and  some  of  the  later  tracks  show  post  rock  elements  being  mixed  in  with  black  metal  as  well  as  adding  in  clean  singing  at  times  that  also  gives  the  music  more  of  an  avant  garde  feeling  and  clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.     

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  some  of  the  songs  also bring  in  a  small  amount  of  angry  shouting  style  vocals  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  are  very  melodic  and  also  display  a  great  amount of  talent  and  skill  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  bit  of  the  90's  Norwegian  avant  garde  black  metal  sound  at  times.

  Code  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  on  this  recording  that  is  very  modern  and  progressive  and  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  post  rock  and  avant  garde  elements,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  along  with  all  of  the  songs  being recorded  live  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paranoia,  Illness,  Personal  Weakness  and  Death.

  In  my  opinion  Code  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check out  this  live  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS INCLUDE "The  Cotton  Optic"  "Glimlight  Tourist" "The  Lazarus  Cord"  and  "brass  Dogs".  8  out  of  10.  

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A Forest/Worn Out/Satanic Records/2014 CD Compilation Review

  A  Forest  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  satanic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  compilation  album  "Worn  Out"  which  was  released  by  Satanic  Records.

  A  very  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with some  grim  screams  a  few  seconds  alter  that  also  takes  the  music  into  more  of  a  fast  and  raw  musical  direction  that  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  and  also  uses  a  great  mixture of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments on  the  album have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you can  also  hear  acoustic  guitars  being  utilized  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  you can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  melody  in  both  the  riffs  and  solos while the  whole  album has  a  very  vintage  second  wave sound and as  the  compilation  progresses  ritualistic  ambient  sounds  are  brought  in  at  times  while  the  main  focus  remains  more  on  a  raw  style  of black  metal.

  A  Forest  plays  a  style  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  second  wave sound  and  also  brings  in  a  very  raw  and  chaotic style  of  that  genre,  the production  sounds  very  dark,  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Cold,  Winter,  Hate  and  Nature  themes.

  In  my  opinion  A  Forest  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  old school  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE "A Trial  Of  Strength"  "Worlds  From  Light"  "Dark  On  Darkness"  and  "Litany".  8  out  of  10.

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Solemn Curse/Eruption Of Apocalyptic Curse/Exalted Woe Records/2014 CD Review

  Solemn  Curse  are  a  band  from  Texas  that  plays  a  very  fast, melodic  and  raw  form of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Eruption Of Apocalyptic Curse"  which  was  released  by  Exalted  Woe  Records.

  A  very  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  black  metal  direction  that  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  hateful  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  some  melodies  and  a  touch  of  death  metal  in  the  bands  musical  style  and the songs  also use  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  When solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding  and  you  can  also  hear  clean  playing  in  certain  sections of  the  recording  and  the  vocals  also  add  in  depressive  screams  and death  metal growls  at  times and  when  sound  effects are  used  it  gives  the  music  more  of  an  evil  atmosphere.

  Some  of the  faster  sections  bring  a  mid  90's  Swedish  feeling  to  the  songs  and  some  of  the  riffs  also  add in  elements  of  thrash  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  while  a  good  portion  of  the  songs  that  go  for more  of  a  faster  style  of  black  metal,  there  are  also  a  couple  of  tracks  that  go  for  more  of  a  slow  and  atmospheric  depressive  style  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  present  on the  recording  along  with  a  couple  of  the  tracks  being  instrumental.

  Solemn  Curse  plays  a  very  diverse  style  of  black  metal  with  some  songs  that  are  very  fast  and  raw  that  also  bring  in  a  touch  of  thrash  and  death  metal  and  they  also  mix  in  more  slow,  melodic  and  depressive  stuff on  some  songs  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  display  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover dark, apocalyptic  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Solemn  Curse  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw,  diverse  and  melodic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical genre,  you  should check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Merciless  Swords"  "Without  Drunkenness  Or  Prayer"  "My  Bitter  Passing:  and  "The  Casket  Whispers  my  Name".  8  out  of  10. 

https://youtu.be/CQSAfe56kfI

Sar Nath/Freshly Skinned And Left For Dead/Merdumgiriz Records/2015 Full length Review

  Sar  Nath  are  a  solo  project  from  Texas  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  atmospheric  style  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2015  album  "Freshly  Skinned  And  Left  For  Dead"  which  was  released  by  Merdumgiriz  Records.

  Dark,  melodic  and  atmospheric  sounds  start  off  the  album  and  once  the  grim black  metal  screams  kick  in  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  fast  and  raw  direction  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  melodic  guitar  leads  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts. 

  Deep  growls  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  of t he  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  the  faster  sections  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  early  90's  second  wave elements  while  the  music  is  more  noisier  than  that  style  and  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  depressive  melodies.

   When  synths  are  utilized  they  give  the  music more  of  a  dark  and  evil  atmosphere  while  the  music  can  also get  experimental  at  times  adding  in  a  touch  of  noise  and  power  electronics  at times  and all  of the  songs  bring in  a  great  amount  of  diversity  and  there  is  also  one  track  that  is very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  introducing  clean  vocals  onto  the  recording    and  some of  the  slower  riffing  also  brings  in  a  touch of  doom metal  at  times.

  Sar  Nath  creates  a  style  of black  metal  that  is  very  dark  and  raw  in a  second  wave  tradition  but  also  can be  very  depressive,  original  and  experimental  at  times,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  Ghosts,  Demons,  Mental  Illness  and  Private  Hells. 

  In  my  opinion  Sar  Nath  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  experimental  black  metal  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Incision  Has  Not  Yet  Appeared"  "Rainshards"  "The  Bloodies  Ghost  Of  the  Sepulchure"  and  "Succumbing  To  Possessions  Fire".  8  out  of  10. 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarnathblackness 
Bandcamp: https://travisniemeyersreigngarden.bandcamp.com

Anicon/Aphasia/2015 EP Review

  Anicon  are  a  band  from New  York  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  atmospheric  form  of  black  metal  along  with  some  elements  of  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  ep  "Aphasia".

  Dark  and melodic guitar  leads  start  off  the  ep  and  they  also  dominate  in  all 3  of  the  tracks  and  a  few  seconds  later  heavy  riffs  that  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  onto  the  recording  and  the  songs  mix  raw  and  atmospheric  black  metal  together  that  also  have  a  touch  of  the  cascadian  sound  to  them  at  times.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  there  are  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  being  utilized  on  the  recording  and  the  vocals  are  in  more  of  a  grim  black  metal  screaming  style  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  being  heavy  influenced  by doom  metal  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  and  a  couple  of  the  songs  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing.

  Anicon  creates  another  recording  that  displays  a  very  raw  and  atmospheric  cascadian  influenced  black  metal  style  that  also  utilizes  a  great  amount of  epic  melodies,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  depressive  and  nature  themes.

  In  my opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Anicon  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "To  See  Into  The  Night".  8  out  of  10. 

https://anicon.bandcamp.com/album/aphasia

Katachthon/Self Titled/Black Sun Cult Productions/2015 Demo Review

  Katachthon  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  a  very  bestial  form  of  war/black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2015  demo  which  was  released  by  Black  Sun  Cult  Productions.

  Rain  and  thunder  sounds  start  off  the  demo  along  with  some  militant  style  drumming  and  powerful  bass  guitars  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  the  intro the  music  starts  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  black/war  metal  direction  that  also  uses  bestial style  black/death  growls  and  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.

  High  pitched  screams  can  be  heard  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  in a  very  dark  and  old  school  black/death  metal  direction  and  some  songs  also  mix  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  in  with  a  more  raw  and  bestial  style  and  some  of  the  alter  tracks  also  bring  in a  small  amount  of  sound  effects.

  Katachton  plays  a  very  raw  and  old  school  of  black/war  metal  that  also  mixes  in a  great  amount  of  bestial  growls  to create  some  very  dark,  heavy  and  aggressive  music,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  War,  Hellenic  Mythology  and  History.

  In  my  opinion  Katachthon  are  a  very  great  sounding  black/war  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  demo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Realm  Of  Hades"  and  "War  Against  All".  8  out  of  10. 

https://katachthon.bandcamp.com/album/katachthon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRMrWJa-Fv8

 

Anti-Freeze/Unloved Sounds/2015 CompilationReview

  This  is  a  review  of  another recording  from  Anti-Freeze  which  continues the  atmospheric  and raw  post  black  metal  sound  of  the  previous  recordings  with  elements of  ambient and this  album  was  self  released  in  2015  and  call  "Unloved  Sounds"  which  consists  of  rare  songs  that  have  not  been  on  any  of  the  other albums  and  compilations.

  A  very  dark  and  raw  atmospheric  black  metal  sound  starts  off  the  compilation  along  with  some  grim  yet  high  pitched  screams  a  few  seconds  alter  and  the  riffs  also  have  a  very  depressive  feeling  at  times  and  there  are  also  a  few  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  music  also  brings  in  more  of  a  raw  style  of  black  metal  at  times  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Throughout  the  compilation  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of  the  songs  also  bring in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing,  acoustic  guitars  which  also  bring  elements  of  folk  into  the  songs  and  melodic  post  black  metal  guitar  leads   and  some  of  the  riffs  mix  in  elements  of  punk  with  a  more  lo-fi  style  of  black  metal. 

  Synths  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  also mix  in with  both  the  clean  and  heavy  parts  along  with  a  couple  of  instrumentals and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  some  songs  also  bring  in  elements  of  ambient  and  noise  music  and  you  can  hear a  doom metal  influence  in  some  of  the  slower riffs  and  one  of  the  alter  tracks  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  neo-folk.

  Anti-Freeze  display  more  of  a  raw  style  of  black  metal  with  these  unreleased  tracks  than  what  was  presented  on the  full  length  along  with  a  more  depressive  atmosphere  while  the  music  is  also  a  bit  more  experimental  at  the same  time,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  depression,  hate  and  revolution.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Anti-Freeze  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of experimental,  raw,  depressive,  atmospheric  and  post  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  compilation.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Stench  Of  Death"  "Throat  Infection"  "Eviscerated  by  Hounds"  and  "I  Woke  Up  From  My  Dream  In  Shame".  8  out  of  10.

https://weirdocan.bandcamp.com/album/unloved-sou  

Anti-Freeze/Aftermath/2014 Full Length Review

  Anti-Freeze  are  a  solo  project  from  Canada  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  atmospheric  form  of  anarchist  post  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2014  album  "Aftermath".

  A  very  dark,  melodic  and  raw  atmospheric  black  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  soem  grim  and  high  pitched  screams  a  few  seconds  alter  that  leads  to  the  music  speeding up  a  bit  and  also  introducing  blast  beats  onto  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  more  of  an  epic  and  melodic  feeling  to  the  songs  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  mixes  in  the  more  modern  post  black  metal  sound  with  the  90's  atmosphere  and  a  small  amount  of  clean  singing  can  be  heard  at  times.

   When  synths  are  brought  into  the  music  they  add  elements  of  dark  ambient  into the  music  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  progressive  feeling  and  some  of  the  more  fast  material  adds  in  a  touch  of  punk  to  the  raw  style  of  black  metal and  the  album  closes  with  a  bonus  instrumental  ambient  track. 

  Anti-Freeze  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  rooted  in  the  90's  style  of  raw  black  metal  but  also  adds  in  some  of  the  more  modern  and  atmospheric  post  black  metal  and  a  touch  of  ambient  and  punk  to  create  his  own  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  sloppy  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  depression,  hate  and  revolution.

  In  my  opinion  Anti-Freeze  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  atmospheric  post  black  metal  project  and  if  you are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Kingdom"  and  "Internal  Filth  (Fuck  You)".  8  out  of  10.

https://weirdocan.bandcamp.com/album/aftermath-lp
 

Nocturnal Depression Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording off the new album?

Lord Lokhraed : Recording took a bit time cause of member’s availability for recording. The album has been composed since 2009 but we toured a lot and get life changing that took for some of us priority. Also we got music side projects which for some us became more important cause its personal band.

2.You have a new album coming out in June, 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?

This album is special for us because for one time we didn’t wrote lyrics but this will be explained on the following question. Musically, we did something back in time by performing a more traditional Black Metal including Nocturnal Depression sound and melodies. It’s something interesting cause since 2009 you see a step back to the old metal ways. I think “Spleen Black Metal” is really more about old way of playing black metal than evolution to mix it with shoegaze, death, thrash or old school heavy metal as you may hear lot of bands actually this way.

3.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics that are present on the new album?

It’s something we wanted since a long time with Nocturnal Depression entity. Literature has a strong importance in our band as most of lyrics are about a parallelism of feelings from the main character. Like “The one haunting my mind” is a musical interpretation of Lovecraft novel. “Spleen Black Metal” is a gathering of poetries from French authors all meeting to the depressive, sad and melancholic point of mind.

4.The album title and one of the tracks is name 'Spleen Black Metal', can you tell us a little bit more about this term?

“Spleen” is a term well used by Baudelaire which is close to Melancholy. I wanted to use this name like for band name: a mix between lyrical theme (Spleen) and music performed (Black Metal). We can’t be described as Suicidal like in past as we talk more about sorrow, sadness, depression… and not about basic propaganda “Kill yourself”. Also as we make a kind of condensate of poetries, I thought it will explain more the concept of album with this title than another one.

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

Nocturnal is an adjective for nocturne, we thought it as classic music style which is very slow and sorrowful. Depression stands for the lyrical theme like longing for death, suicidal thoughts and pessimism. With this band name, you know directly what you will hear. I don’t like bands name without meaning that when you take cd you don’t know what you will find. Of course, for some “so-called intelligent people” it sounds stupid but I fuck them. I don’t need their advice and they can blow their friend bands.

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?

We performed around 100 shows worldwide but I remember each one of them with some particularities. You got great memories with shows intensity and crowd as example but also some bad with worst technic conditions or promoters doing the less possible for saving their money. Some of the bests in a personal way were Kings of Black Metal, Metaldays, Germans and Italian shows. When we go on stage, we leave our human mind away and corpse paint change or face to the hidden beast deep in us. It’s like theatre and it’s our particularity to live each note we play.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

We will headline a festival in Italy during july 2015 and later we will tour across Europe together with our brothers of Forgotten Tomb. I think we will perform some few gigs after and work on album.

8.A few months back a heard a band from Italy doing a cover of your song 'Host', do you feel you have been a huge influence on a lot of the newer depressive black metal bands?

I, as leader, have no feeling to be an influence to new band in DSBM scene. I wouldn’t have this kind of pretention. If some bands felt influenced by our music and want to cover it, it would mean that something in this song touched them deeply and it got an importance to them. Really, I wouldn’t blame a band to cover ND. When we did this music, it was (and still is) our feelings put in music. We never thought to be “important” or even signed on such important labels like Avantgarde Music or Sun & Moon Records (who made us known to whole scene) or even to be part of such important fests like Kings of Black Metal or Metaldays.

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

I won’t tell you anything particular cause as we always lead the direction of the band (and still do), we don’t get any importance to advices, reviews or critics of our albums. I think nobody should tell a band how to sound. I read an interview from Peter (Vader)on Metallian who said something like “we don’t ask ACDC to sound like Nickelback…so Vader sounds like Vader”. I totally approve. The ones who spit on us and talk about no evolution are frustrating people and I don’t give a shit about their view on our music.

10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that the band members are a part of?

Any member of Nocturnal Depression got several musical projects in a large panel like Black, Death, Thrash, Heavy, Covers, Classic… so talking about each one would be very long and complicated. As ND is not a priority to other members cause they don’t take part in writing, their other bands became more important to their eyes. It’s this way of working when you play in several band : fixing priority.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically doing the future?

Nowhere particularly actually. We will see how things are going during tour and if we can manage gigs but about music we will try to create something same way as we perform now but maybe including some Doom/Dark influence… future will tell…

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

When you are 4 people, it’s hard to find a specific influence. For me it will remain on Nocturnal Depression roots : Forgotten Tomb and Nargaroth. Of course there is a masterpiece like “Filosofem” from Burzum also.

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


Thanks for your support and to people following us. Thanks to the others spitting on our faces, you give us free promotion.

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Vargnatt Interview

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

At the moment, we are busy with doing the promo work for the album. Beside this, we are also writing on some new material for an upcoming release – but I actually don't know, what kind of release this will be. Maybe a new album, haha.

2.You have a new album coming out in May, 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?

For us, 'Grausammler' is the logical developement of our past releases. It contains the melancholic, dreamy parts from 'Nur ein Traum' and mixes it with the rough parts from 'Durch die Stille'. The songs sound more mature and are containing new elements and influences – it's mixture of traditional and modern black metal, without loosing the roots of the typical Vargnatt sound. For me, it feels like the first real Vargnatt release since 'Nur ein Traum', because 'Durch die Stille' was more like a personal tribute to french underground bands like 'S.V.E.S.T.' or 'Vlad Tepes'.

3.This is the first release in 3 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?

As I recorded the first song of this album in late 2012, there were no plans for a debut album. The idea for Grausammler came after I recorded a couple of songs. I noticed, that they fit well together, whereupon I made a musical concept for a debut album. So, 'Grausammler' had a long and uncertain development process. For realising some new ideas, I needed some musicians. So I got in contact with H.es.a.e and Wiedergaenger. Also we took the time to search for a new convenient label, because we had some problems with our first label, where Grausammler should be released. Fortunalety we came in contact with Eisenwald.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your newer music?

I would say that the lyrics are mainly based on general and critical thoughts about life. Sometimes very abstract like in 'Weltverloren', sometimes more obvious, like in 'In der Irre'. Topics about the fugacity of all being, nature mysticism or transcendental experiences . Sometimes I got my inspiration from literature, 'Vor den Toren' for example is inspired by Jean-Paul Sartres “No Exit'.

But I don't want to interpret my own lyrics here, this is the task for the audience.

5.Is the name 'Vargnatt' from the Ulver song of the same name or does it have a different meaning  for this project?

To be honest, I really took the name because of the same titled album from Ulver. When I found Vargnatt 9 years ago, all old Ulver releases, especially 'Vargnatt', were one of my favourite albums of all time (and still are). They have this unique mystic atmosphere, which is fascinating me until today. I think were important reasons, wherefore I chose the name 'Vargnatt'.

6.On the new album you had a couple of other musicians, can you tell us a little bit more about them and their contributions to the recording and also are they permanent members?

H.es.a.e. is a permament member of Vargnatt- He played viola and sang the choir parts on Grausammler. He is also part of the neoclassic band 'Nachtreich' and the modern classic project called 'Himmelsrandt'. Wiedergaenger played drums on Grausammler. He is mainly active in his black metal bands 'Total Negation' and 'Nachts'.

I needed a good drummer for the album and wanted some classical influences, so I got in contact with both musicians.

7.In 2008 you had also done a live show with this musical project, are you open to doing this again in the future or was this a one time thing only?

Yeah, we had one gig, but I think that Vargnatt will not play any live shows in the future. We don't have the time or know some convenient session musicians to play some live gigs. Also, my interest in playing live is not very big.

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

The feedback has mostly been good. Especially 'Nur ein Traum' gained a lot of postive reactions. Many people liked the adaption of the 'Secret of the forest' theme from the SNES game 'Chrono Trigger'.

9.What is going on with some of the other musical projects these days that you are a part of?

At the moment, me and some friends are working on the first release from our band 'Trautonist' – a mix of urban post black metal and shoegazy sounds. It can be compared as a mix of older Lantlôs and the dreamy moments of Whirr. Also, we are still searching for a label. You can listen to a preview track here: https://trautonist.bandcamp.com

Also I'm primarily responsible for the atmospheric black metal band 'Impavida', we had a release about 7 years ago. But I don't know if we will ever record more releases. Time will show, maybe. And I play bass in a stoner-like rock band called 'Eat More Plastic'.

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

I think Vargnatt will maintain the course of Grausammler. According to that, we will still experiment with elements of traditional and modern black metal. I don't have concrete plans or a special concept, thats not my typical working method.

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

In the writing process of Grausammler, I had no knowingly influences. I only listen rarely to black metal and just to a few bands or records, but all the 90s black metal and some underground bands of course had unconsciously influenced me over all the years.

Nowadays I'm listening to many bands and musicians from all genres, I don't set myself boundaries in music. So my current playlist is very versatile, with jazzy musicians like 'Mac Demarco', or 'Homeshake', which released some great albums the last years. Also shoegazy stuff like 'Whirr'. In black metal, the last releases from 'UNRU' and 'Paramnesia' were very great. There is so much good music, it would be a shame, if you only listen to black metal.

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

I wish you all the best with the occult black metal zine.

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Trivax Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Trivax is an Extreme Metal/Rock n Roll band formed at the heart of the underground in the Middle-East which later was moved to the birthplace of Metal which is Birmingham, England by myself and then re-formed with other British members while I still fronted the band and composed for it. The band exists to deliver the energies and storms that are meant to take place at this time but also drive utter chaos across the worlds through a musical weapon.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?
It’s a combination of a lot of things really, the kind of atmospheric vibes that you get from Depeche Mode’s Violator album mixed with lots Black and Death metal in a very old school and primitive way but combined with a certain modern sound and way of delivering that I myself haven’t heard much before, maybe a little from bands like Tribulation but that’s about it. The music of Trivax is more of a storm rather than anything else, a storm which you can get lost in and then at the end you wake up wounded in the middle of nowhere.

3.Your lyrics cover some satanic and occult topics, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the black arts.
I’m not sure if that is 100% accurate, yes they do point at things of such nature but I don’t consider myself to be the most educated people when it comes to the occult and though I have a great interest for it I’ve never been inspired to write about it that much and in terms of being Satanic I’ve always took matters in my own hands to discover certain things so everything I write is based on personal experience, the lyrics are more of a prayer really that spread energies throughout the world that will like everything else find their way back on us and it’s to force that unto the listener as well so they can consume my heart and be open for possession.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Trivax'?
The name comes from the first album by this very obscure group called Lavizan Jangal which was titled “Trivax Motamaneling Humanism…” but the word Trivax was pronounced differently I believe, although I’m not sure if it was their first album because Lord Aghdas who formed the band released 5 albums on the day of the band’s formation and he’s a massive cunt who also played guitars in Trivax a few times in both 2009 and 2010 but I kept kicking him out and yeah he’s not sure himself which one was the first because I think he recorded all of the albums and then put them together as albums later.
He's also my wife actually but we can't have sex because I'm not gay so one time when were trapped in a house at the outskirts of Rasht (north Iran) I stabbed him in the arm which I swear I saw it somewhere on the net a couple of months ago, he must have paid bbc or something.

5.Originally the band started out as a solo project, what was the decision behind hiring a full time line up?
The reason it was a solo project was because I didn’t know any other musicians let alone people interested in metal or even worse Extreme Metal which is what I was after and finding a drummer was a nightmare at the time, it’s only now that there’s suddenly so many people this kind of thing publicly from over in Iran, besides I was only 14 years old when I started this thing but it had one advantage and it was that my songwriting was not limited at all and I got to really exercise my creativity at a young age which ended up working in the band’s favour, although I still don’t think the guy from the band can deliver them the proper way but I actually find it very interesting because they sort of add a layer of innocence to the work and give it more soul instead of it being just a solid vision created by only me… makes it more of a band which is what I was interested in having since day one.
Although it’s not as easy as it was for me because there was a time that I had no ego and was just discovering psychedelics and all that stuff and was quite calm but now it’s the opposite and I just hate everyone even more than before and want to watch the world turn into ashes so I suppose it’s good I haven’t killed anyone for constantly butchering my songs, I am however grateful to even have been able to have a line-up here and actually perform live because playing gigs was something of a life-long dream when I was back there and it only happened 3 times and they were all incredibly underground and limited scenarios where we could have no vocals so I’m quite pleased that I can now get in front of a hundred people and tell them go kill themselves, it’s an absolute blessing!

6.Originally the band was from Iran a country that is very dangerous if you are a metal band but now reside in the United Kingdom, do you feel your are able to express your musical vision a lot more in this country?

I realize now that I could have still done the same thing from over in Iran and released my vision from there but there would have been no touring, no money, no proper record sales, no playing with other bands that don’t suck and just so many other things and plus once you start performing live you add this natural feel to your music that I also learned from watching so many live bands here that I wasn’t getting it right while watching them all from bootleg DVDs back home and that is something that ALL Iranian bands lack and that’s why they need to be put to death and I’m ashamed that so many people are that talentless that we had to wait until my generation so then we would come and say that okay Iran actually has people who play metal from their hearts not because distortion and technique are cool for Facebook likes.
All in all I think both countries fucking suck anyway just like everywhere else where living things reside!



7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We’ve done lots of them but ones that I can think of was our first and last show and this one time when we played in London Camden 2 years ago when even the sound guy was going apeshit.
our first show was quite interesting too, we played in an underground amphitheater of a high school in Tehran near the area of Tajrish and after 40 minutes of us playing the kids went crazy and set the place on fire so we had to evacuate, it was a great experience I’ll never forget it and especially what we went through to even play that goddamn show.
2 weeks ago we played at the O2 Academy in Birmingham after over 2 years and the crowd was really good, we even brought John Wilcox from Funeral Throne on stage with us to do our usual live cover of Into The Crypts Of Rays by Celtic Frost.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
No but I know we want to play in Italy.

Being back in Iran or playing anywhere in front of an Iranian audience with the true Trivax that has been working in the past 4 years would be an incredible honour!! But of course no other band gets to do it so I don’t feel very left out, I’m actually probably one of the fewest people in the whole world who has played metal shows both inside and outside of Iran if not the only one… go figure that!
at least if it becomes available one day I’d still be one of the first, not only that but to come outside of that country to play fucking Black Metal out of everything, fuck you and your Iranian Post Rock morons who want to be the next Metallica!
Go find me another person who’s had the balls to do anything like that and I’ll get them a fucking drink with an umbrella in it.
Fuck You All

9.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
We’ve had some interest yes, both from people with proper active labels with working bands and those with the “sore me englis no gud” kind of approach but nothing that’s been of my interest, our main focus is to have a deal for the album with the right label for the right audience and I… let’s say I have some kind of trust issue thing going on so everything has to be completely right and spot on and besides the band has way too much behind it already to agree to any label, they must consist on the fact that the band was originally formed in the center of the world where none of this is allowed and then ended up where metal itself started… not to sound full of myself but for any intelligent person observing the situation would agree that this is nothing but the truth!
But yes we will have our lawyer to work on some deals for us once everything is ready to go. 


10.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
The feedback has generally been positive but we’ve had some negative ones in the earlier years too, I suppose I’m used to both in a way now so it doesn’t really get into my head even when I pay attention to it.
I wouldn’t even say majority of our supporters are the general extreme metal fans, it’s mostly just people genuinely interested in rock music and what certain things can offer and I do believe that our music has the power to reach much further than just a small black and white patch on an angry long haired kid’s jacket. Don’t get me wrong, extreme metal is everything to me and in this band we’ve done our fair share of covering Celtic Frost, Nifelheim, Bathory, Mayhem, Dissection, Darkthrone and even Watain and Behemoth which we played live years ago and we’re not even trying to fit in anywhere because I don’t really think we can so I suppose I’m just trying to prove that “Hey you retired Scandinavian dudes, me and my brothers used to live with your music and bleed with it at a place where metal is banned and illegal”
I do however (just like everyone else who actually cares for it does) believe that metal in general has been missing some salt I think maybe being from a completely different cultural upbringing than everyone else credited in the genre has been and literally having to bleed and make sacrifices just to even perform Metal can be the cause of us bringing something new to the table for everyone else… now how many people are going to hear it is not important to me at all and it’s all about blending the energies and giving out something very unique and touching some people at the heart and showing them the true musical potential and mind from Iran, which is something that I don’t think you’ll get from a cheap political bands like a certain group of people from Mashad who just want to appeal to the people and be metal celebrities… our intentions differ highly from that!


11.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
you see… each time this band has tried to release something there’s been lots of turbulence in my life and especially this last EP really took its toll on me mentally and physically but the album is already done and it covers everything from 6 years ago until now but I think we’ll probably have to have a few band members killed before we can properly do it and I can tell you that musically it’s probably what everyone in metal and extreme metal has thought they’ve wanted to hear but have not hear it yet!
that’s all I can say, maybe you just needed the juice and the energies from the other side of the world that never got to contribute to the scene, Brazil did an alright job for sure but that's old now.


12.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?
I think everyone in the band would have a different answer, I don’t think actually I know.
personally I draw my influences in playing from so many people I couldn’t even name 10 people and feel that I’ve given a fair answer but of course James Hetfield of Metallica is where most of my guitar playing energies take their formation from and in terms of vocals I’ve always said it’s a combination of Tom G Warrior and late GG Allin and pretty much all of Mayhem’s vocalists that I get my voice from.
when it comes to being music listeners we listen to a lot of different stuff on our own but I myself have been spending a good part of the past 6 months just listening to the usual Motorhead, Judas Priest and Rainbow which I have always loved plus lots of Type O Negative, Depeche Mode and Klaus Schulze and just the general Black Metal stuff like Revenge, Mercyful Fate, Archgoat, Bathory, Lavizan Jangal, Peste Noire, Merciless, Necrovore, Dissection and just so much stuff in general but I’m also a great fan of Swedish Rock like Kent and of course Rammstein I still listen to them because they’re sick. One thing that I’ve had since I was a kid is that I really listen to music by heart and really get into it so most of the time I’m still listening to old school metal stuff but there’s that 20% of my music listening which goes to Extreme Metal and when I do that I really fucking get into it and go mental.
Few weeks ago me and my bass player also discovered this rare band that sounds like Hawkwind from their guitarist when we were buying bootleg shirts from him and they’re called The Lysergics I believe, pretty cool 60’s sounding stuff.



13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for the interview and including Trivax in your zine, sir! Hopefully one day we will come to your country and burn it down to ashes once again.
Also a great appreciation and gratitude for those loyal comrades who have been buying our merch and supporting us by dragging the Trivax name and logo across the world, if you're yet to get our merchandise and still haven't done so then you can check our bandcamp page: https://trivax.bandcamp.com/merch

As for everyone reading, I have a suggestion for you:
take LSD, go outside, put on Trivax, stare at the moon and slit your wrists so you can join it.

We are Trivax, Fuck The World!!!

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Lifestream Interview

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

We are a french black metal band formed in 2012 by members from the underground scene of Bordeaux. Our first album "Post Ecstatic Experience" have been released in april 2015 on Emanations, a division of Les Acteurs de L'Ombre Productions, a french black/avant garde label.

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

We would describe it as dark, occult but also ethereal, melodic and mesmerizing. Those two sides reflect the album theme, and lead the listener in a hypnotic spiral.

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

Lyrics evoke the duality between rapture and collapse. Each song offer its own approach of this concept. For example we broach this idea through themes as loneliness, mourning, naive faith etc...

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

We wanted a powerful name, mystic and mysterious, which stand out from traditional names in the black metal circle. Lifestream can refer to many things, as an invisible force who links everything around us, or as existence itself, whose death is a part of it. Its meaning can be understood in different way. Finally, it's a name who describe us pretty well.

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

We did not play so many show during those three last years but each one is occult, messianic, tragic and bright. Visually, there is a will to think outside the box and not to fall into usual black metal cliché, using for example light clothes.

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

Lifestream will play a gig in Bordeaux at the end of May with The Great Old Ones, and other shows in France on which we're working on, but no tour is planned for this year.

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

Feedbacks are positive and encouraging . We think people are surprised, but at the moment, this is too soon to have an opinion. Our Label LADLO make a great effort to promote our album.

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

Currently , we are working on new material. Our aim is to push to its limits the two faces of our music. More occult, more mind-blowing.

9.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 all listen a lot of different kind of music but all of us are in black metal stuff of course. Some listen death metal, hardcore or rock and other styles which have nothing to do with the metal scene. Our influences are large, if we had to name some bands it would be probably Enslaved, Ascension, Emperor, Mayhem, Darkthrone... But our personal influences allow us to incorporate different elements into our black metal vision.

10.How would you describe your views on Occultism?

Art, and particulary music, is a privileged way to access to occultism. From our point of view, our music, visual or lyrical themes have to be occult to bring us to introspection. In this sense, we want people to think about themselves. Our vision of occultism is purely artistic and philosophical.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

( désolé, on ne sait pas trop quoi répondre )

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

Thanks to all the people who support us and thanks to you for your interest ! Keep the grey flame alive !

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Ninkharsag/The Blood Of Celestial Kings/Candlelight Records/2015 CD Review

  United  Kingdom's Ninkharsag  have returned  with  a  new  album  that  continues  the  raw  and melodic  occult  black  metal  sound  of  previous  recordings  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "The  Blood  Of  Celestial  Kings"  which  was  released  by  Candlelight  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  raw  old  school   90's  influenced  black  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  as  well  as  some  of  the  riffing  bringing  in  melodies  and  once  the  high  pitched  screams  start  to  kick  in the  songs  start  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound to  them  and  the  vocals  also  sound  very  grim  at  times  and  the  music  also  brings  in  an  old  school  Swedish  feeling  at times  but  with  more  of  a  modern  take  on  that  style  and  as  the  album  progresses  classical  guitars  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections of  the  recording  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  stick  to  a  melodic  musical direction and  towards  the  end one  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Ninkharsag  creates  another  very  fast,  raw  and  melodic  old  school  black  metal  sound that  is  still  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  but  done  with  more modern  technology  being  involved,  the  production sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  Ancient  History,  Magick,  War  and  Occultism.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Ninkharsag  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Essential  Salts  Of  Human  Dust"  "Tartarus  Unbound"  and  "Dawn Of  the  Age  Of  Aquarius". 8  out  of  10. 

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Saturnian Mist/Chaos Magick/Candlelight Records/2015 CD Review

  Saturnian  Mist  are  a  band  from Finland  that  plays  an  occult  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Chaos  Magick"  which  was  released  by  Candlelight  Records.

  Distorted  spoken  word  parts  and  sound  effects  start  off  the  album  and  after the  intro  the  music  starts going  for  more  of  a  raw  black  metal  direction  as  well  as  adding  in  solos  and  leads  that  dominate  throughout  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  use  both  percussion  and  drums   and  the  vocals  are  all  grim  and  high  pitched  screams.

  Blast  beats  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  of  the  leads  also  bring  in Middle  Eastern  style  scales  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  bringing  in  death  metal  growls  at  times  and  some  of  the  tracks also  bring  in  ritualistic  and  avant  garde  elements.

  Spoken  word  parts  also  male  a  return  at  times  and  the  percussion  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  tribal  feeling  and  a  later song  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of synths and  psychedelic  sounds  while  most  of  the  album  sticks  to  a  heavy  musical  direction  and  towards  the  end  the  band  also  bring  in  a  track  that  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  hav  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them..

  Saturnian  Mist  plays  a  style  of  occult  black  metal  that  is  very  raw  while  also  having  more catchy  riffs  than  most  bands  of  this  genre  and  also  hire  a  full  time  percussion  player  and  they  also  add  in  ritualistic  elements  at  times  to  create  some  very  original  sounding  music,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occultism,  Chaos  Magick,  Mysticism,  Voodoo,  Vedic,  and Left  Hand  Path  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Saturnian  Mist  are  a  very  great  sounding  occult  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Heart  Of  Shiva"  "Third  Eye  Contemplation"  "Voodoo  Satan"  and  "White  Void  Of  All  Being".  8/5  out  of  10. 

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Khors/Night Falls Onto The Fronts Of Ours/Candlelight Records/2015 CD Review

  Ukraine's  Khors  have  returned with  a  new  album  that  continues   in  the  atmospheric  pagan/black  metal  tradition  of  previous  recordings  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  release  "Night  Falls  Onto  The  Front  Of  Ours"  which  was  released by  Candlelight  Records.

  A  very hard,  melodic  and  atmospheric  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  angry  sounding  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  use  a  great  amount of  melody,  talent  and  skill  and  keyboards are  also  a  huge  part  of  most  of  the songs  and  a  couple  of  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  When  the  music  speeds up  it  brings  in  more  of  a  raw  black  metal  style  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you  can  also  hear  a  bit  of  the  modern  atmospheric  black  metal  sound  in  the  bands  musical  style  at  times.

  Clean  playing  can be  heard  in  certain sections  of  the  recording  and  the band  also  brings  in  an  instrumental  track  before  getting  heavy  and  using  vocals  again on the  later  tracks  and  the  vocals  also  get  more  grim and  high  pitched  and  the  keyboards  also  start  bringing  in more  of  an  epic  and  pagan atmosphere  to  the  recording  and  there is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing.       

  Khors  remains  true  to  their  atmospheric  pagan/black  metal  sound  of  previous  recordings  while  also  showing  a  great  amount  of  progress  as  musicians,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism,  Mysticism  and  Space  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Khors  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dead  Birds  Valley"  "1664"  and  "My  Cossack  Way".  8  out  of  10.  


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Druzhina/Third Henosis/Gateway Music/Asgaard Hass/2015 CD Review

  Druzhina  are  an  international  band  with  members  from  both  Denmark  and  Switzerland  and  plays  a  raw  and  atmospheric  mixture  of  black  and  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Third  Henosis"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Gateway  Music  and  Asgaard  Hass.

  A  very  fast,  raw  and  atmospheric  black  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  synths  in  the  background  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts and  when  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  very  hateful  and  grim  sounding  screams  and  some of  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  A  great portion  of  the  tracks  are  very long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  synths  also  bring  in the  atmosphere  of  a  fantasy  movie  at  times  and  the  band  also  adds  in tribal  beats  at  times  while  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  are  in  a  very  melodic  direction  and  the  back  up  shouts  also  adds  more  of  a  pagan  feeling  to  the  songs.

  Later  tracks  start  bringing  in  more  of  a  viking/folk  metal  sound but  done  with  guitars  instead  of  folk  instruments  and  they  also  bringing  in  a  brief  instrumental  before  returning  back  to  vocals  on  the  following  tracks  which  also  shows  death metal  growls  being  added  onto  the  recording and  the  last  track  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of whispered  vocals..

  Druzhina  plays  mostly  a  raw,  epic  and  atmospheric  style  of  pagan/black  metal  that  also  brings  in  elements  of  death  and  folk  metal  at  times  to  create  a  sound  of  their own ,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  nature,  war,  glory  and  sadness.

  In  my  opinion  Druzhina  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  and  epic  pagan/black  metal  band  with  some  elements  of  folk  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Breath  Of  Kronborg"  "Eclipse  Of  Mankind"  and  "Psalm  Of  The  Void".  8  out  of  10.


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