Nidstang Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
1. Greetings. Nidstang is very raw black metal/punk band I started around the beginning of Winter 2017. I had been wanting to work on a new project while my main band was on hiatus and seeing as I've been a part of the underground punk and metal scenes for a very long time now, i wanted to create a project that could work as a bridge between those two aspects of my musical life. So far i have released 2 full lengths and plan to continue to write and record. To me, Nidstang is a musical manifestation of so many often conflicting feelings and themes: self-hatred, nihilism, freedom, destruction, strength, weakness, witchcraft, nature, ignorance, regression, misanthropy, violence, inner-peace and so much more. There is also a very conflicting vibe of both beauty and hideousness, which i feel the cover of the first album captured perfectly and which comes out musically through the use of the more serene synth focused tracks and interludes and the overwhelmingly harsh metal tracks.

2.So far you have released 2 full lengths, how do they both differ from each other?
2. I would say that one of the most obvious differences between the two albums would be the production. I recorded the first album by myself at home on a four track i had recently acquired and worked within the limitations of that format to produce "Retribution Will Come".  For "Angstloch" I decided to record with my close friend Joey Seward in his home studio, I had recorded many albums from different projects with him and wanted to try and give the 2nd album a heavier over-all production that i felt was lacking a bit from the 1st. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy the low fi and necro sound of the 1st album, but just wanted to see what i could do with more tracking possibilities and a thicker sound.

Musically I would say that the two albums are fairly similer. The newer one uses a bit more different time signatures and beats but the general atmosphere feels very similer to me. I would say that the lyrics for  Angstloch are a bit more focused towards depression then on RWC but most of the same themes are still there. The new album definitly feels more emotionally charged to me but perhaps that just because the feelings going into Angstloch still feel fresh and familiar to me

3.A lot of your lyrics deal with Witchcraft and Occultism, can you tell us a little bit more about your interests in those areas?

4.I know the bands name comes from a cursing pole from Germanic Pagan tradition, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in Germanic Paganism?
3/4. Im going to cover these two questions in one answer as I feel the 3 subjects are heavily intertwined. I was raised in Cascadia and spent a lot of time in the forests and mountains around where I grew up. This deep love for nature and natural areas eventually gave birth to an early interest in Wicca, mythology and folklore from around the world. As I grew and became an adult these interests changed and continued to grow, particularly in the directions of chaos magic, celtic and nordic/germanic paganism. Nowadays I am particulalrly interested in runes/sigils and the magical energy that can be put forth through song and incantations and the way that this force can effect different people in different ways.

 I believe that magic is all around us, all the time and that if trained, people can become more aware of it and potentially recognize how to harness it. I believe it is very important for people to learn how to utilize the forces of chaos in their favor and for people to recognize what they are unable to influence and accept what they cannot change. I honestly believe that there is life force in all things, animate or otherwise, and something i always strive for is focusing my energy towards harmonizing with the long forgotten spirits of the natural world.

5.On the albums you record everything by yourself but have used other musicians in a live setting, would you be open to working with a full band in the studio?

5. At this point in time I can not foresee a point where i would be interested in working with someone else in the studio. I have other musical projects as outlets for collaboration with others but am content working alone in this endeavor. I am very much interested in the ways that we can come together as a greater community and benefit each other mutually but I also have a great appreciation for self reliance and would not want to compromise this particular project by adding anyone else to the creative or decision making process.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
6. The cover of the new album is a photo that i took at a ghost town near where I live in Olympia. The photo is taken from the outside looking into a basement area of one of the few remaining structures that is left. When writing and recording the album i was going through a particularly bad period of depression and I decided on the name Angstloch for the album.  An Angstloch is an opening into a dungeon cell or similar area and i wanted the album to serve as an opening into myself and my frame of mind at that time. I thought that the photo that i had taken would be a fitting cover for the new album as it shows a facade that is dilapidated and unkempt with a portal entering into utter darkness, representing myself and the darkness that I am so often overwhelmed by from inside

7.So far you have done a couple of live shows, how would you describe your stage performance and also are there any plans for any future live shows?
7. I would describe the live performances as pretty raw and powerful. After RWC came out i got together a live line-up to do a few shows in support of the tape featuring myself on guitar/vocals, and my close friends Danny and Mirce on bass and drums respectively. We did 2 shows that were pretty well received and then split up. In preparation for the release of Angstloch I have gotten together another live line-up, this time featuring myself on drums/vocals, Mirce on guitar and another close friend Jaysen on bass. We have one show planned so far, we will be playing a tape release show on July 5th at Cryptatropa in Olympia supporting Icesword. We will probably play at least one other show here in Olympia this summer and possibly one in Portland as well before splitting up again. After that we may play a few shows here or there but wont have anything specific planned until I put out another album.

8.The new album was released on cassette by 'Einsamkeit Tapes', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
8. Einsamkeit is a label that i started in 2009 as a vessel for releasing music by projects that I'm a part of and other bands from the Cascadia area. I mostly focus releases on black metal and dark ambient but also release some neo-folk and punk as well. In general I keep the label fairly low key and try and let the releases speak for themselves. At this point I do not intend to put out any tapes by bands from outside of the Cascadia region but perhaps someday that may change. I feel that even though vinyl sounds good and is appealing to look at, it is becoming more and more expensive and is a rather fragile format for shipping. I want to make my releases available to people from all over the world and from all different economic backgrounds, therefor i fully support free downloads and I release tapes for people who would still like a tangible but comparatively inexpensive release to collect and listen to.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your recordings by fans of black metal?
9. It seems like the albums have been received pretty enthusiastically. The  first tape sold rather well and the few live shows we did seemed to get a great response. Since the release of Angstloch, there's been a lot of spreading of the album and the tapes have been selling rather quickly as well. Next week we are doing our first show with the new line-up and we'll see how it goes over. It has been interesting as well reading about people debating whether Nidstang is a punk or black metal band, or a combination of the two. To me the band sits solidly on the line between the two but some people only hear one or the other. I figure that I must be doing something right if people are debating whether it is punk or not.

10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that you are a part of?
10. Ive always played in multiple bands/projects but lately there's been even more then usual. Huldrekall is my main focus, we play a very fast and psychedelic style of black metal. We've been on a bit of a hiatus for the last year but things are beginning to pick up again and we've got a new split tape with Spektral Hatchery coming out soon. I've recently started a new solo dark ambient project called Mourning Cloak which should be recording sometime this summer. For many years now I've been playing in a neo-folk project called River, we've been fairly inactive for the past few years but have been recording a new full length for a while now that should see a release before the end of the summer.  A few months ago i joined a local BM band called With the End in Mind. They've been playing together for a few years but they asked me to join a while back on 2nd drums and its been pretty interesting experimenting with multiple drummers. On top of those I've also been playing drums in 2 different hardcore punk bands, No Reason and Hoarder. No Reason plays 80's American style hardcore in the vein of Minor Threat and Jerry's Kids and Hoarder plays fast hardcore in a similar vein to bands like Gauze and Infest. Both bands have new tapes coming out within the next few months.

11.Where do you see yourself heading into musically during the future?
11. As far as Nidstang is concerned, I intend to play a few more shows with the current line-up and then probably disband before the end of summer. Once the fall comes I intend to begin writing again and working on a new album. So far i don't have any particular plans for new recordings. I often will think of new ideas that i really want to try out and then when the time comes decide that it may be best for a different project or the idea just doesn't work how i want it to after all, so i try not to get too far ahead of myself. For me different seasons lend themselves to different styles of creativity and inspiration, typically with the Autumn and Winter being the most productive for me. I also am usually so busy throughout the Spring and Summer that i rarely have a chance to sit down and work on new material. Nidstang songs in particular have a tendency to hit me like an unforeseen blizzard that totally envelopes me and I will sit down and write many songs all at once or over the course of just a few days. The musical future to me remains unseen and unwritten but i feel comfort in that abyss.

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?
12. There is a lot of music that has made huge impacts on me over the years. I got into punk/hardcore at a very young age and then got really into metal when i was around 15. From there things just kind of progressed and i continued to dig deeper. In general I have a tendency to take a lot of influence from melodic black metal, 70's kosmiche rock/ambient and punk/hardcore from the 70's-now.  When it comes to Nidstang, i feel that some of the bands that have had the biggest influence on me would be Ildjarn, Rudimentary Peni and Hellhammer.

Lately I've been listening to a lot of Paysage d'Hiver, Kitaro, Nagelfar, Ildjarn and Andreas Grosser but my tastes often change depending on my mood. Typically I fluctuate between mostly fast and harsh black metal and very soothing ambient but I also listen to quite a bit of hardcore, hip hop and folk music from around the world.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
13. Many thanks to my friends and collaborators, all the folks who have shown enthusiasm for the band and to you for setting up this interview. This world is a bleak and destructive place but there is still much beauty left in nature that is worth defending.

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Mongrel's Cross/Psalter Of The Royal Dragon Court/Hells Headbangers/2018 CD Review

  Mongrel's  Cross  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  an  old  school  mixture  of  black  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a review  of  their  2018  album  "Psalter  Of  The  Royal  Dragon  Court"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Hells  Headbangers.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  a more  raw  feeling.

  Elements  of  thrash  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  music  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  80's  and  90's  influences  but  keeping  everything  modern  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  mixing  synths  into  the  background  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  clean  guitars  are  added  onto  the  closing  track.

  Mongrel's  Cross  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  90's  era  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  thrash  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  and  Evil  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Mongrel's  Cross  are  a  very  great  sounding  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  "King  Of  The  Beasts"  "Khara"  and  "Trail  Of  The  Serpent".  8  out  of  10.

http://mongrelscross.bandcamp.com/album/psalter-of-the-royal-dragon-court

  

Schrat Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
Recordings were finished in December with some additional vocal tracking. Since then we have been pretty busy with mixing/mastering the album. Gerileme, with whom we already worked in the past (Drudensang, Unryht), took care of the technical aspects of this process. In parallel Gråin, who also runs Bavarian Black Arts (Layouts, Recordings, Mixing, Mastering), developed and ultimately finished the layout of “Alptraumgänger”, based on the front cover designed by Misanthropic-Art.
In January we played the last gig with our long-time guitarist Skilnir who left Schrat in February. Alptraumgänger is the last recording he participated in. Pestmeister Tairach of Pestnebel joined Schrat as session bass player, and Azag switched to guitar, so we had our live lineup completed pretty fast. It feels like there is a lot of change going on in recent time, but this also brings in some fresh momentum. So in general positive developments from our perspective.



2.You have a new album coming out during the end of April, 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?
The new songs certainly have a different atmosphere and sounding compared to our previous recording(s). The song “Beschwörung…” from Schattenwahn comes closest to the new stuff, though it is rather slow in comparison. The development, which took actually over 5 years, felt pretty natural to us. The new compositions have a more straight forward and aggressive attitude with strong links to the waves of 80’s and 90’s black metal. From a musicians perspective the level of playing has also increased considerably, which probably comes by the nature of things.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
The lyrical concept of Schrat has not changed too much since Schattenwahn. Lead topics are misanthropy, melancholy, annihilation, isolation, spirituality and the all including embrace of nature. Inspiration comes from what we experience in everydays life and what touches us emotionally. It’s hard to narrow it further down, since the lyrics do not follow strict rules, but more a general concept. The topics mentioned before are either directly or metaphorically elaborated.


4.I know that the band was named after a nature spirit from German myths, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this subject?
We feel a strong connection to nature in general. To us it’s like the complete opposite concept compared to today’s world: chaotic, yet beautifully rough and most importantly, balanced, from time to time free of human scum. We perceive this as a kind of utopia; it touches us on a very deep and primal level. Everyone who ever was out for a plain walk in the woods, probably experienced the liberating and relaxing effect this simple action has on one’s mind. Imagine the potential that lies in deeper interaction with the ancient spirits…
On a second thought, there is also significant importance when it comes to regional connection. Going back to the forest walk example it feels always different when you walk in new/strange regions compared to your homeland. Though other areas may appeal beautiful and inspiring as well, heart and mind are touched the deepest at home.
Taking this as the start point when thinking of a suitable name for the band, we looked for a term that provides the link to nature as topic as well as the regional aspect. That’s how we ended up with Schrat.


5.The cover artwork on the new album has the look of an ancient pagan ritual, can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork?
Actually, the story behind this is rather short. The artwork basically is an alteration of Schrat performing live, combining visual elements we use live as well as key elements of the lyrical concept.
The artwork shows the summoning of THE Schrat, the Alptraumgänger.


6.In the studio the band works as a duo, are you open to working with a full band in the studio again in the future?
For “Alptraumgänger” the drums were recorded by session drummers (Nefastus and Grond in this case). Same goes for Artefakt and Schattenwahn, for which the drums were recorded by Seraph. All other stuff was recorded by Gråin, Dragg and Skilnir, except some minor things like backing vocals. How we will handle recordings in the future is not entirely clear at this moment, but we are certainly open to work with a full band. It depends on musical perspectives and dedication of each individual. As always, we will do what feels most suitable to us to achieve our ideal musical conception. Working as a duo supported by session musicians as needed, will still be the basic set up if things mentioned before do not apply.



7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
When thinking back the shows in Olten/Switzerland and Barther Metal Open Air/Germany were probably one of the best we had so far.
When playing live the overall atmosphere is most important to us. We don’t limit this to the musical aspect, but also extend to the visual expression as well as other sensorial impressions. Therefore our stage concept comprises usage of candles (fire), rune trunks, skulls, bones, blood and incenses. Stage acting then naturally comes as true expression of the subconscious mind. Establishing the connection to these personal depths is the overall goal when performing live.


8.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
We are working with our label on some touring plans but nothing bigger fixed, yet. We will play some shows with our label mates Streams of Blood and Halphas in Germany over the next months until beginning/middle of 2019. We have some more shows scheduled for this year, amongst them the Under the Black Sun festival near Berlin. More will definitely come!


 9.The new album is coming out on 'Folter Records', how would you compare working with them to the other labels you have been a part of in the past?
Jörg has a very professional and dedicated way of working. The cooperation feels very energetic and prolific, just the right thing for us. The labels we have worked with in the past cannot be compared to Folter at all. No bad feelings or words to them, but this is just a different level.
In all aspects you can clearly see dedication and belief in what both sides are doing - perfect match for us.


10.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
Overall, the music of Schrat gets very good feedback, probably not only because people like what they hear but also since band and music project a coherent image. There is nothing artificial about how we do things and that is the key element for this kind of music. Black Metal is and never was only about music, but also about ideology, presentation and integrity! It seems like many of the newer bands tend to not understand this strong link and try to generate bastard like abominations of extreme music and safe space attitude. Fuck them and fuck the people who embrace this as Black Metal!  You obviously did not understand a damn thing..


11.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that both of the band members are a part of?
We both are part of two more projects. In Drudensang, Gråin is acting as the main composer of their music whereas Dragg supports live with bass play and backing vocals.
Last year we founded a new band with Dark Fortress’ former vocalist Azathoth called Gráb. Gráb goes in a total different musical direction, though we consider black metal still being the fundamental musical base. For this year composing and recording of the first album is planned.


12.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We will certainly proceed on the path we took on “Alptraumgänger” and develop this style further. Nothing more to say.


13.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?
Gråin: The songwriting and recording sound of albums from the 90s of bands like Gorgoroth (Under the Sign of Hell, Pentagram, Antichrist), Satyricon (Dark Medieval Times, The Shadowthrone, Nemesis Divina) or Tsjuder (Kill for Satan, Demonic Possession, Desert Northern Hell) have had a formative impact on me. Raw sound and a mangy recording which should neither be too bad or good in combination with simply ignored playing errors constitutes Black Metal sounding for me. The music needs to rumble and should not even remotely sound like superficial chart music.

Dragg: In terms of influences I would definitely name Endstilles former vocalist Iblis. Never saw a singer with such aggressiveness and presence on stage again, truly inspiring! Musically, bands like Urgehal, Krypt, Mayhem, Marduk, Horna but also Ascension, Helrunar (to name newer ones), influenced me. Looking up my current playlist, I listen a lot to Evilfeasts current output “Elegies of the Stellar Wind”, Riivaus - Lyöden Taudein ja Kirouksin and Perdition Winds - Transcendent Emptiness to name a few.

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

Death to all!

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Iskald/Innhøstinga/Indie Recordings/2018 CD Review

  Iskald  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  epic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Innhøstinga"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Indie  Recordings.

  Tremolo picking  starts  off  the  album  which  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  utilize  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  the  riffs  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  one  of  the  tracks  also  introduces  classical  guitars  onto  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  their is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  on  a  couple  of  songs.

  Iskald  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  melodic  and  epic  in  the  Nordic  Tradition,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  English  and  Norwegian  and  cover  a  story  about  those  who  have  lost  on  their  way.

  In  my  opinion  Iskald  are  a  very  great  sounding  epic  and  melodic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Atrocious  Horror"  "Even  Dawn  Drew  Twilight"  "From  Traitor  To  Beast"  and  "Innhøstinga".  8  out  of  10.

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Noestalgya/Terjebak Dalam Ruang Nostalgia/Kamar Lo-Fi Records/2018 Full Length Review

  Noestalgya  are  a  solo  project  from  Indonesia  that  started  out  in  more  of  an  ambient  direction  and  on  this  recording  goes  into  more  of  a  depressive  black  metal  direction  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2018  album  'Terjebak  Dalam  Ruang  Nostalgia"  which  was  released  by  Kamar  Lo-Fi  Records.


  Horror  movie  style  synths  and  rain and  thunder  and  rain  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  playing  a  few  seconds  later  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  which  also  introduces  grim  but  depressive  black  metal  screams  onto  the  recording  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  depressing  melodies.

  There  are  also  some  Nocturnal  Depression,  Trust  and  Happy  Days  cover  as  the  album  progresses  while  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  clean  playing  also  returning  on  some  of  the  later  songs  as  well  as  elements  of  dark  ambient  also  being  used  at  times  and  synths  are  also  used  quite a  bit  throughout  the  recording.

  When  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a very  raw  and  melodic  style  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  melodic  chants  can  be  heard  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to them  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  when  the  music  speeds  up  briefly  on  a  couple  of  tracks  which  also  gives  the  songs  a  more  raw  feeling.

  On  this  recording  Noestalgya  moves  away  from  the  dark  ambient  sound  of  previous  releases  and  goes  into  more  of  a  depressive  black  metal  direction,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics a re  written  in  Indonesian  and  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Noestalgya  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  depressive  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bunuh  Diri" "Mendung  Kelabu"  "Lost  The  Last  Memories"  and  "When  The  Midnight  Arrives".  8  out  of  10.

https://kamarlo-fi.bandcamp.com/album/terjebak-dalam-ruang-nostalgia

Teloch Vovin/Grave Gnosis/Transmissions/Plate XII Records/2018 Split EP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  ep  between  New  York's  Teloch  Vovin  and  Florida's  Grave  Gnosis  called  "Transmissions"  which  will  be  released  in  July  by  Plate  XII  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Teloch  Vovin  who  return  with  their  style  of  occult  black  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  distorted  amp  sounds  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  some  grim yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  the  song  also  brings  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  their  side  of  the  split  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  track  is  12 minutes  in  length  along  with  a  brief  use  of  ritualistic  chimes  as  well  as  the  vocals  getting  deep  at  times  and  there  are  also  some  raw  yet  melodic  guitar  leads  also  being  used  briefly,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  Qlithotic  Worlds,  The  Nightside  Emanation  of  the  Khaos  before  Creation  and  the  Tree  of  Death.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  track  from  Teloch  Vovin  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  occult  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.

  Next  up  is  Grave  Gnosis  a  band  that  plays  an  atmospheric  form  of  occult  black  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  atmospheric  sounding  keyboards  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  side  of  the  music  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  song  also  use  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  which  also  gives  the  music  a  more  raw  feeling  and  the  vocals a re  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams.

  Throughout  their  side  of  the  split  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  along  with  the  track  being  over  12  minutes  in  length,  ritualistic  shouts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  the  guitar  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  used  briefly,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  Cherokee  Lore, Vampirism,  Heart  Chakra  Autocannibalism,  Therianthropic  Trance  and  Dilitriomancy  themes.

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

  In  conclusion  I  think  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  occult  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  8/5  out  of  10.

https://telochvovin288.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/TelochVovinOfficial

https://gravegnosis.bandcamp.com

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With The End In Mind/Unraveling; Arising/Temple Of Torturous/2018 CD Re-Issue Review

  With  The  End  In  Mind  are  a  solo  project  from  Olympia,  Washington  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  psychedelic  form  of post  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review of  his  2016  album  "Unravelling;  Arising"  which  will  be  released  in  July  by  Temple  Of  Torturous.

  Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of    a  post  rock  direction  which  also  introduces  clean  playing  onto  the  recording  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  some  clear  vocals  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  During  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  music  more  a  raw  feeling  while  atmospheric  synths  are  also  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times  along  with  a  great  amount  of  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  music  also  incorporates  elements  of  psychedelia  and  dark  folk  along  with  the  music bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  aggression  from  the  cascadian  style  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  instrumental  can  also  be  heard.  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  bringing  in  acoustic  guitars,  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  female vocals  are  added  onto  the  closing  track.

  On  this  recording  With  The  End  In  Mind  expand  on  their  atmospheric  style  of  post  black  metal  by  adding  in  psychedelia  and  dark  folk  music  elements  to  take  his  sound  to  another  level,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Myths  and  the  eternal  cycles  of  our  world.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  With  The  End  In  Mind  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  post  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Anguish  Symmetry"  and  "From  The  True  Source".  8  out  of  10.

 https://youtu.be/ck2f0vci4qg 

Ecos Postumos/Escombros/2018 Full Length Review

 
Brazil's  Ecos  Postumos  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  takes  their  depressive  black  metal  style  in  a  different  direction  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  demo  "Escombros".

  Depressive  sounding  melodies  start  off  the  demo  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  clean  playing  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  as  well  as  some  keyboards  also  being  utilized  in  the  background.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  melodic  chants  and  singing  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling.

  The  vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  depressive  black  metal  screams  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and fast  parts  along  with  some  symphonic  and  progressive  elements    also  being  used  briefly  and  all  of  the  tracks  sound  very  different  from each  other  as  well  as  the  guitar  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  On  this  recording  Ecos  Postumos  get  more  experimental  and  creative  with  their  depressive  style  of  black  metal  while  also  mixing  in  new  sounds,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Portuguese  and  cover  mental  disorders,  inner  struggles,  depression  and  suicide  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Exos  Postumos  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  depressive  black  metal  that  is  very  creative  and  original,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lascas"  "Detritos"  and  "Reticencias".  8/5  out  of  10.

https://ecospostumos.bandcamp.com/album/escombros

Kalaallit Nunaat/Au Revoir/Memories From Desolate Battlefields/This Winter Will Last Forever/2018 Split CD Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Italy's  Kalaallit  Nunaat  and  U.S.A's  Au  Revior  called  "Memories  From  Desolate  Battlefields"  which  was  released  by  This  Winter  Will  Last  Forever"  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Kalaallit  Nunaat  a  solo  project  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  atmospheric  form  of  black  metal.

  His  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  atmospheric  sounding  synths  before  adding  in  some  heavy  yet  melodic  riffing  while  both  of  his  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars  also  being  used  briefly  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  a  more  raw  feeling.

  Blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  during  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  while  the  vocals a re  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  music  also  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  as  well  as  some  experimental  elements  and  mid  paced  riffing  on  the  second  track,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  cosmography,  fantasy  frost  and  mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Kalaaallit  Nunaat  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  atmospheric  black  metal  solos  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  his  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Miracles  Through  The  Gate  of  Time".

  Next  up  is  Au  Revior  a  band  that  plays  an  atmospheric  form  of  post  black  metal.

  His  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  atmospheric  sounds  while  his  track  is  over  18  minutes  in  length  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  high   pitched  black  metal  screams  and  the  music  sticks  to  a  very  slow  and  repetitive  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

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

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  raw  and  atmospheric  black  metal.  8  out  of  10.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Kalaallit_Nunaat/3540431223 

Al Ard/Self Titled/Code666/2018 CD Review

  Al  Ard  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  harsh  noise,  industrial  and  black  metal  with  some  dubstep  and  drum'n'bass  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2018  album  which  was  released  by  Code666.

  Children  singing  voices  start  off  the  album  while  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  before  adding  in  some  harsh  noises  onto  the  recording  while  the  tribal  beats  gives  the  music  more  of  a  ritualistic  feeling  and  after  awhile  dubstep  and  drum'n'bass  elements  are  added  onto  the  recording.

  Black  metal  screams are  also  added  into  some  parts  of t he  tracks  while  the  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  gives  the  songs  a  more  raw  feeling  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  The  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  also  mixing  the  electronic  and  industrial  elements  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  and when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  on  the  closing  track  a  brief  use  of  Asian  folk  instruments  can  also  be  heard.

  Al  Ard  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  harsh  noise,  industrial  and  black  metal  and  mixes  them  together  with  some  elements  of  dubstep  and  drum'n'bass  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Al  Ard  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  harsh  noise,  industrial  and  black  metal  with  some  dubstep  and  drum'n'bass  elements  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "For  A  Hint  Of  Divinity"  "Who  Want  To  Live  Forgotten"  and  "Scrutinizing  A  Glimpse  Of  Chaos".  8  out  of  10.

 https://www.nocleansinging.com/2018/06/07/an-ncs-premiere-al-ard-who-wants-to-live-forgotten/

  

Eriphion/Hossana/2018 EP Review

  Eriphion  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  a  very  traditional  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  ep  "Hossana".

  A  very  fast  and  raw  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  style  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  deep  and  grim  black  metal  screams  and  the  music  has  a  lot  of  90's  influences.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful sound  to  them  along  with  a  brief  use  of  atmospheric  synths  and  stringed  instruments  on  a  couple  of  songs  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody,  a  couple  of  the  tracks  brings  in  whispered  vocals  and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Eriphion  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw,  melodic,  atmospheric  and  old  school  sounding  but  also  with  a  more  modern  take  on  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Eriphion  are  a  very  great  sounding  traditional  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "My  Fate"  and  "The  Forest".  8  out  of  10.

http://eriphion.bandcamp.com

Akasha/Consuming The Soul/Grey Matter Productions/2018 EP Review

  Akasha  are  a  solo  project  from  California  that  plays  a  vampyric  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2018  ep  "Consuming  The  Soul"  which  was  released  by  Grey  Matter  Productions.

  A  very  dark  and  ritualistic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  occult  style  synths  a  few  seconds  later  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  which  also  introduces  melodic  guitar  leads  onto  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  a  more  raw  feeling  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  music  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  90's  influences  as  well  as  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style,  as  the  ep  progresses  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  and  the  closing  track  also  brings  in  some  session  work  from  Lord  II  of  Byyrth.

  Akasha  plays  a  style  of  vampyric black  metal  that  is  very  raw,  old  school  and  ritualistic  sounding,  the  production  sounds  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  Vampirism  and  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Akasha  are  a  very  great  sounding  vampyric  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "BloodSpell"  and  "Fuck  The  Sun".  8  out  of  10.

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Nidstang/Angstloch/Einsamkeit Tapes/2018 Full Length Review

  Nidstang  are  a  solo  project  from  Olympia,  Washington  that  plays  a  very  raw  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2018  album  "Angstloch"  which  was  released  by  Einsamkeit  Tapes.

 Ambient  style  synths  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  a  few  seconds  later  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  as  well  as  introducing  some  crazy  sounding  black  metal  screams  onto  the  recording.

  A  lot  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  while  elements  of  punk  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  some  tracks  that  are  very  short  in  length  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  some  harsh  noise  elements  in  between  a  few  tacks,  when  spoken  word  parts  are  utilized  briefly  they  give  the  music  more  of  a  ritualistic  feeling  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  melodic  riffing  can  also  be  heard  and  the  album  closes  with  a  cover  of  Ildjarn's  "No  Place,  Nowhere".

  Nidstang  plays  a  style t hat  is  very  raw  and  the  90's  tradition  while  also  mixing  in  some  elements  of  punk  and  noise,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Witchcraft,  Nature  and  Revenge  themes.

  In  mt  opinion  Nidstang  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sewn  Sied"  "Creeping  Normality"  "Unhindered  Rge"  and  "Eye  For  An  Eye".  8  out  of  10.

https://nidstang.bandcamp.com/

    

Goatskullt Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Zaisswar Sielusurma: Goatskullt is a new black metal band from Helsinki, Finland. Three people who share the passion for performing aggressive and ritualistic riff-driven black metal. We summon the atmosphere that lured us into the world of this music in the first place; darkness, presence of evil and sheer sonic violence. Our first full-length release "Refuse To Exist!" will be released before the end of june, and we have plans for further activities in the future.

2.You have an album coming out this summer, can you tell us a little bit more about musical style you where going towards on this album?
Zaisswar: We do not re-invent the wheel, our music is on a certain level an homage to the bands we grew up listening to. And I think you can hear that
on the album. We wanted to bring back certain kind of catchiness riff-wise, because our songwriting always begins with a riff. Also the shrouded mysticism is important, the atmosphere that transcends the listener beyond your regular heavy metal music. But even though I have thrown big words like ritualistic and mysticism, we do not want to negate rock n' roll altogether, we do realise that even black metal is based on earlier forms of heavy music and originally the rock music of the past. But it is all the devil´s music, the cult of the goat!
With the lyrics and the vocal approach I want to be adamant that it is not just wrath without direction, everything has to follow a strict ritualistic pattern. People unfamiliar with such things might just hear sing-along one-liners, but if that is a way to draw them towards the hidden and the darkness, my task is completed.

3.Your music is very heavily rooted in the old school tradition, what are your thoughts on the more modern styles of black metal?
Zaisswar: If you are reffering to the myriad of bands playing different variations of "post-black metal" and "blackgaze", they are not black or metal. If you do not truly let your music to be a vessel or a vent for hatred and satan, it is not BLACK metal. And if you do not have any aggression or heaviness in your sound, it is not black METAL.
How many bands have I heard that claim to have been influenced by so-called atmospheric black metal? All these people with no ties to the culture, and no deeper meanings jumped on the bandwagon. There is so many new bands out there that claim to be rooted in black metal, but I cannot hear it, and most of all I cannot
FEEL it. I think the dynamic foundation was layed in the eighties, with further mysticism and wrath added in the nineties. I need to hear and feel that in the music. There has to be a certain kind of dark aura, and the feeling of  threat in the form of imminent violence. And the lyrics, they lose their meaning if you cant stand behind your words; a humanist preaching death to mankind turns it all into a cheap horror-story circus. Black metal is not your safe-space where you can play with fire without getting burnt. And all these prefixes, you do not need them if you truly are a black metal band channeling the darkness. I am very conservative with my taste, so it cannot be too technical musically either. This is something all of our members do not agree on, just my personal view. But there is still so many new quality true black metal bands out there, especially in Finland things are beyond vibrant.

4.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects you explore on the album?
Zaisswar: Mysticism and the presence of evil are important lyrically. This emanetes into words as darkness and violence, and can also be fused into hatred towards mankind and the pitiful beliefs it has created. "Godfeces" for example is sheer wrath directed at all the major religions, they teach we cannot never equal the divine, so these believers lower themselves to the level of mere feces of their gods. These bugs shall be crushed by those with the strength of spirit. All the true practises of spirituality the abrahamic agents were set out to destroy will rise the individual to a higher state instead of becoming mere slaves. Christianity preaches peace, tolerance and multiculturalism, yet all the abrahamic religions have been the single most effective disease wiping out old traditions and other forms of spirituality; one god, one mankind, one truth... well they shall see it burn!
"Refuse To Exist!" is not a theme-album as such, but some of the lyrics do deal with nothingess and the end of all existence. he title itself is not just an anti-life sentiment, it is also a commandment to transcendent everyday reality, or what the modern man is taught by all these outside-forces. Never exist by their terms, your own path is the only thing that matters in this rotten plane of existence.


5.Your song titles are in both English and Finnish, how would you compare the 2 different languages?
Zaisswar: Difficult to say, but I guess you obviously reach more people with english. The lyrics written in english on this album tend to be more direct and more hateful, whereas the finnish lyrics are more mystical and following the patterns I discussed earlier. In both cases, the words just come to me, usually in total isolation on long walks in the nature. I like powerful sentiments, or indeed one-liners, around which I start to build the whole body. But the album also includes chanted lines in ancient sumerian and latin, almost as mantras. Not to forget the abuse of other "holy" languages, arabian and hebrew. Blasphemy to them all!

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Goatskullt'?
Zaisswar: There had to be a goat in the name of the band as a reference not only the black metal heritage, but also our local area and its folkore. The combination of the three words forced together is based on certain occult activities in the past of our home town. But the actual word Goatskullt... I do not want to present an image that we take everything so damn seriously, so to be honest the band name started as an inside joke, an homage to all the unintentional misspelling of old extreme metal. Lyrics, band names and album titles that are clumsy, yet istantly memorable. Nonetheless, pretty soon the name was stuck, especially after I had designed the logo. Goat, skull and kult, what more could you possibly need? And in the end, it is the music that defines the band name, not the other way around.


7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the album artwork?
Zaisswar: We wanted to keep it simple, let the music do the talking, especially since it is our debut. Certain kind of artwork can be a distraction
and there is a lot of really crappy black metal album covers. Then again, that is part of the appeal of it all I guess. But for "Refuse To Exist!" we wanted to have something iconic, just to present the band logo and the album title. Light of the darkness rising from the abyss.


8.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Zaisswar: We have not performed live yet, but we do have plans. That being said, it has to be something special, I could never go onstage playing Goatskullt with just jeans and a t-shirt on with crappy corpse paint. It has to be an event, the ritualistic nature of our essence has to be presented properly.

9.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
Zaisswar: I think full-length touring is out of the question. At least for the time being.


10.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Zaisswar: If a label should want to distribute our album, we are open for that. There has been some interest for releasing the album in certain corners of the world, but we haven´t received any deals that would make any sense. We will not pay money for someone else selling our music on shitty vinyl in Venezuela.


11.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music so far by fans of black metal?
Zaisswar: I think we are still relatively unknown. But the few comments we have been getting so far are promising. People clearly want to hear this kind interpretation of black metal.


12.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Zaisswar: It is getting more diverse. Some of the new songs we have already written are less direct focusing more on the atmosphere, almost to the point of being hypnotic mantras. Then some of the songs are even more in-your-face than the ones on "Refuse To Exist!". I had a really strong period of listening to a lot of black n' roll and blackened trash, and that definitely can be heard on some of the new tracks we have written.

13.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?
Zaisswar: Too many bands to name, but I think personally it all started with Impaled Nazarene and Ugra-Karma at the tender age of thirteen, that was the first black metal album I consciously listened to. After that there was no turning back, the music and the culture sucked me in. Black metal in the style of Impaled Nazarene does not necessarily still hold a huge importance in the whole spectrum of my taste, as I pretty soon gravitated towards more atmospheric style. Yet a band like Darkthrone is still huge to me, no question. But for Goatskullt collectively, Mayhem with both "De Mysteriis" and "Wolf´s Lair"-EP, the eponymous Thorns album and "Rebel Extravaganza" by Satyricon are the cornerstones we all can agree on.

14.How would you describe your views on Satanism?
Zaisswar: It is the synonym for walking your own personal spiritual path. And I have to be clear that to me satan and satanism are not just a derivation of pitiful hebrew traditions and entities, to me satanism means channeling any dark tradition for ones spiritual growth. This often results with expression and means that are violent and offensive. Black metal is the musical equivalent of satanism. If there is no satanism in any form it is not black metal.

15.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Zaisswar: Stay strong, listen to black metal and hail Satan!

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Omenfilth/Hymns Of Diabolical Treachery/Eternal Death Records/2018 Cassette Review

  Omenfilth  are  a  band  from  the  Philippines  that  plays  a  very  raw,  melodic  and  old  school  form  of  black  metal  with  some  death  and  thrash  metal  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Hymns  Of  Diabolical  Treachery"  which  will  be  released  in  July  by  Eternal  Death  Records.

  Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody as w ell a s  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  using  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling.

  A  great  amount  of  thrash  elements  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  an  old  school  extreme  metal  style  as  well  as  the  music  also  adding  in  death metal  influences  at  times,  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in length  and  as  the  album  progresses  traces  of  traditional  metal  and  classical  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  on  the  closing  track  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  ritualistic  direction.

  Omenfilth  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw,  melodic  and  old  school  with  some  elements  of  death  and  thrash  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  misanthropy,  apathy,  desolation,  heretic  wisdom,  occult  and  esoteric  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Omenfilth  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw,  melodic  and  old  school  black  metal  group  with  some  elements  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Shadows  Of  An  Unholy  War"  and  "Under  The  Scythe  of  The  Infidel". 8/5  out  of  10.

https://eternaldeath.bandcamp.com/album/hymns-of-diabolical-treachery


  

Pestlegion/Entsage Gott/Bleeding Heart Nihilist Productions/2018 EP Review

  Pestlegion  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  ep  "Enstage  Gott"  which  was  released  by  Bleeding  Heart  Nihilist  Productions.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy   sound  starts  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  a  few  growls  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  influences  from  the  Swedish,  Norwegian  and  Finnish  styles  of  the  genre  and  the  second  track  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  synths  in  the  background.

  Pestlegion  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw  and  traditional  in  the  Northern  European  tradition,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism  and  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Pestlegion  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Final  Sacrifice".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/9YIu4a3XdXo