Monday, September 30, 2019

Perverted Ceremony/Witchcraft/Nighermancie/Black Candle Invoker/Nuclear War Now! Productions/2019 Split CD Review


  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Belgium's  Perverted  Ceremony  and  Finland's  Witchcraft  called  "Nighermancie/Black  Candle  Invoker"  which  will  be  released  on  October  19th  by  Nuclear  War  Now!  Productions  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with Perverted  Ceremony  a  band  that  plays  a  satanic  and  occult  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  powerful  sounding  bass  guitar  while  the  rhythm  guitars  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  while  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  style  and  when  the  music  speeds  up a  decent  amount  of blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  When  tremolo  picking  is  utilized  it  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  along  with  some  keyboards  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music.  The  guitar  solos  and  leads  stick  to  more  of  an  old  school  style  as  well  as  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  elements  of  death  metal  can  also  be  heard  throughout  their  side  of  the  recording.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Necromancy  and  the  Black  Arts.

  In  my  opinion  Perverted  Ceremony  are  a  very  great  sounding  satanic  and  occult  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out t his  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "In  Sin  With  The  Goat".

  Next  up  is  Witchcraft  a  band  that  plays  a  satanic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  along  with  some  demonic  yet  bestial  vocals.  All  of t he  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  keyboards  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  tremolo  picking  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling.

  Most  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  style  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  music  also  has  its  ritualistic  moments.  The  production  sounds  very  dark,  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occultism  and  Witchcraft  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Witchcraft  are  a  very  great  sounding  satanic  and  occult  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Seventh  Sabbath  Night".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  satanic  and  occult  black  and  death  metal.  8/5  out  of  10.

  https://nuclearwarnowproductions.bandcamp.com/album/nighermancie-black-candle-invoker 

Merda Mundi/Hatred/Malpermesita Records/2019 CD Review


  Belgium's   solo  project  Merda  Mundi  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  raw  and  misanthropic  style  of  black  metal  from  previous  releases  an  this  is  a  review  of  his  2019  album  "Hatred"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Malpermesita  Records.

   Dark  soundscapes  and  harsh  noises  start  off  the  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  A  small  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  All  of  the  music  also  sticks  to  a  very  heavy,  raw  and  brutal  direction  as  well  as  avoiding  any  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  and  the  songs  also  add  in  more  of  a  modern  black  metal  style  along  with  some  dissonant  structures  also  being  utilized  at  times.

  On  this  recording  Merda  Mundi  remains  true  to  the  raw  and  misanthropic  style  of  black  metal  he  has  established  on  previous  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  anti  religion  and  hatred  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Merda  Mundi  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw  and  misanthropic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Condemn  Them"  and  "Fucking  Hate  Them".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/YrpEX0kDT2k     

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Har/Anti-Shechinah/2019 Demo Review


  Israel's  Har  have  returned  with  a  new recording  which  continues  their  bestial  mixture  of  war,  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2019  ep "Anti-Shechinah".

A  very  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  demo  along  with  the  vocals  bringing  in  a  good  amount  of  high  pitched  screams.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in a  very  dark  and  chaotic  style  while  the  riffing  also  adds  in  elements  of  death  metal  as  well  as  some  blast  beats  being  used  during  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.

  A  great  amount  of  war  metal  influences  can  also  be  heard  along  with  some  bestial  growls  also  being  utilized  at  times.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also h ear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  music  also  is  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  at  times  as  well  as  keeping  a  modern  atmosphere,  dark  sounding  melodies  can  also  be  hear d in  some  of the  riffing.

  On  this  recording  Har  remains  true  to t he  bestial  mixture  of  war,  black  and  death  metal  from  previous  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw while  the  lyrics  cover  the  reverse  side  of  the   Qabalah,  Necromancy,  Darkness  and  Black  Magick  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Har  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  war,  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out t his  demo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Bor".  8  out  of  10.

https://harmetal.bandcamp.com/album/anti-shechinah    
https://www.facebook.com/harblackmetal/    

Invunche/II/Babylon Doom Cult Records/2019 LP Re-Issue Review


  Invunche  are  a  band  with  members  from  the  Netherlands  and  Chile  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  primitive  punk  and  psychedelic  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "II"  which  will  be  re-issued  on  vinyl  in  October,  2019  by  Babylon  Doom  Cult  Records.

  Ambient  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  punk  and  d  beat  influenced  direction  which  also  introduces  grim  black  metal  screams  onto  the  recording  along  with  the  music  also  bringing  in  influences  from  the  90's  second  wave  era  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Elements  of  psychedelic  and  surf  rock  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  Most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  short  in  length  as  well  as  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  percussion  and  flutes  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  shamanistic  feeling.

  Invunche  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  metal,  primitive  punk  and  psychedelic  rock  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Dutch  and  cover  shamanism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Invunche  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  primitive  punk  and  psychedelic  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ciudad"  "Asfalto"  "Entre  el  mar  y  la  montana"  and  "El  wekufe".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euuq-nYnAGs&t=169s&mc_cid=fa59b245ea&mc_eid=ac55772fc3

        

Cthonica Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
1. Cthonica started as the evolution after a brief incubation of a first appareance; twisting the elementals of our own self-exploitation we conceived a more ravaging form of performing the music that we wanted to transmit. Also, after the lethargy, a renewal of concept was conceived as well and everything was specifically signed to the purpose we wanted to transmit with it.

2.You have your first full length coming out in October, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?

2. The recordings on Typhomanteia are basically a return to the primitivism where we started from; it’s all primordially reduced to that. As I’ve mentioned before, we’ve exploited the most extreme side of the ideas we had and conceived something, in our perception, more ‘relentless’ and ‘heavy-sounding’. All that thanks to Necrosound Studios who had a perfect approach on what we’ve first recorded and also translated it into towards abyss where we wanted to recite this work.

3.Some of your lyrics show an influence of Nietzsche, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in his work and also are there any other philosophers that have an influence on your views?
3. Nietzsche has undoubtedly been a huge motivation in my life-experience definitely, and specially in this times we’re living, for sure. Correctly accepted, his notions joined with our ethos were well-amalgamated although the idea on Typhomanteia wasn’t to be a nietzschean apology; but the influence is present, indeed. I should also add other magnific minds as Isidore Lucien Ducasse (for his majestic- romantic approach on natural human evil), Dante Alighieri (for his glorious everlasting verses that materializes passages from absolute glory to infinite horror), Charles Baudelaire (for his permanent épater that dissolves reason into human perdition); which is basically the main focus on the axiom “Sacred Triarchy Of Spiritual Putrefaction” and, of course I have to mention François Rabelais, which in a deeper philosophical way, depicts the act of living as a crawling creature in his own bowels: copious and negligently scratching his last breath to a miserable end

4.You also go into some occult and left hand path areas lyrically, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the dark arts?

4. The Supreme And Absolute Omnipresence Of Death. The other notions added to this base, are just the convulsing-expanding tentacles of that primal will.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Cthonica'?
5. Claiming the THrone Of Noxious Illuminative CAtharsis; perpetually reciting.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
6. The whole artwork (cover and inlay) was an attachment from BMS Illustration; and depicts perfectly the symbols / mottos / “logos” of Typhomanteia’s concept: The Sacred Triarchy of Death.

7.The band members also participate in 'Okkvlt', musically how do they differ from the work you have done with 'Cthonica'?

7. Okkvlt was a first step given in order to claim the beginning of what would manifest later under the name of “Cthonica” and specifically translated through “Typhomanteia”. The creative process was very similar and also was something that since today we still enjoying and consider an elemental part to understand what Cthonica would become later. Unfortunately due foreign circumstances, all the labels that supposedly “supported” that work, ended up in a total deception due their lack of responsibility; until we finally released it through Panamanian label Profaner Records, reaching it at what we considered an acceptable release considering the standarts we wanted to maintain with for that one specially.

8.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to expanding your line up or do you prefer to remain a duo?
8. Cthonica started as a two-headed entity and will prevail until the end of his time.

9.Your album is coming out through 3 different labels, while I am familiar with the first two mentioned I am not so much with the third one, can you tell us a little bit more about 'Clavis Secretorvm'?
9. With Clavis Secretorvm we have a very brief relationship but it’s definitely what I should consider a fact to be thankful for. As much as we are with Sentient Ruin and Caligari Records for making all this possible.

C.S. operates as one of (in my opinion) the most devoted labels whose premise is to uphold underground sonorities with all the compromise. I guess it is (and should be) all about that, Compromise and devotion.

10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of dark, extreme and underground metal?
10. Recent comments have been quite positive and of course we appreciate them as well for the support to this new apparition; we’re thankful with everyone out there who supports this work physically or not.


11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
11. Surely the same as today. Live performances are something that we’re not interested in right now, and it’ll not be part of our schedule for a long time probably, although we don’t discard anything.

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. Relentless and primitive Black Metal of Death; abyssal ambiances and obscure transmissions from the wretched. For all those who walk under that sign, we hold respect.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
First of all thanks to you for this consideration. Nevertheless and from now on Cthonica will not respond any other interview; as basically what we had / have to say, it’s firmly and honestly wrote in this previous lines.

Expect the further spasms of the birth we gave and is slowly disemboweling.

NIHIL VERUM NISI MORS.

https://www.facebook.com/CthonicaTriarchiaSacrae/

Katharos XIII/Palindrome/Loud Rage Music/2019 CD Review


  Katharos  XIII  are  a  band  from  Romania  that  have  had  an  album  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  evolve  into  more  of  a  mixture  of  depressive  black,  dark,  doom  metal  and  post  jazz  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Palindrome"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Loud  Rage  Music.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  while  the  keyboards  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  haunting  atmosphere.  All  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  clean  female  vocals  also  being  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  when  saxophones  are  utilized  they  also  add  in  elements  of  jazz  music.

  Depressive  black  metal  screams  are  also  added  into  some parts  of  the  songs  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  also  add  in  elements  of  dark  and  doom  metal.  Dark  sounding  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  and  at  times  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  and  avant  garde  sounding,  one  track  also  introduces  spoken  word  parts  onto  the  recording  and  all  of  the  songs  sticks  to  a  slow  direction.

  On  this  recording  Katharos  XIII  evolves  into  more  of  a  mixture  of  depressive  black,  dark,  doom  metal  and  post  jazz  to  take  their  sound  to  another  level.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  suicide,  death  and  misanthropy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Katharos  XIII  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  depressive  black,  dark,  doom  metal  and  post  jazz,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Vidma"  and  "No  Sun  Swims".  8  out  of  10.

 https://loudragemusic.bandcamp.com/album/katharos-xiii-palindrome-2





Saturday, September 28, 2019

Nordkvade Interview

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

Olle: We are a Swedish Black Metal band that was formed in late 2017 by Marcus and I. We started with an intention to play old school Nordic, rock n roll influenced black metal. We released our first demo on cassette in September 2018 and later it was re-released on a 7” vinyl by Fallen Temple I February this year. At the same time we signed a contract with Naturmacht who will release our full length debut album.

2.You have your first full length coming out during the end of September, musically how does it differ from the demo you had released in 2018?

Olle: I would say that it doesn’t differ that much, we still play the same music and have a similar sound. Of course we aim to progress as a band so perhaps you can hear something like a natural development even though some of the songs already was written when the demo was released.

Marcus: I agree with Olle, production is perhaps a little bit different since I was spending more time on it. But other than that, not so much, and that was sort of the point of the demo.

3.Your lyrics cover 'Norse Mythology', can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

Olle: It has been an interest for a very long time and it is part of our heritage and history. I have spent a lot of time around the Grebbestad/Tanum area where my parents have a summer house. In the area there is a lot of history with rock carvings, grave fields etc.. I find it fascinating with runes and the stories about the heathen gods.

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

Olle: It is the words Nord and Kväde combined and it means North and poem. We are Northmen and we have poems about our history, Nordic mythology, war against the monotheistic religions etc…

5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

Olle: The artwork is drawn by Sofia Gefyr (Gefyr Art Design) and she is my girlfriend. We wanted something that we felt was representative for the music we make and the lyrics we write. It is strongly combined with the music, with the fallen warriors, the runestone (which contains a lyrical extract from the song “Allfader”, Hugin & Munin and so on… So we are very pleased with the result.

6.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to expanding your line up or do you prefer to remain a duo?

Olle: We are open for suggestions if we get the right people. However we are working good together as a duo and it has worked with a session drummer and on the album another guy played the bass on two tracks. We’ll see how it will be in the future, time will tell. In the future we also aim to perform live, but it will be when the time is right, then we obviously need some more people and we hopefully have some people that are interested in this.

Marcus: We are currently not a rehearsing band, even tho I know Olle is craving for it. Malte, who played bass on some songs on the album also showed interest in playing live and rehearsing. Myself I like to just write music, so we decided to focus on the next album, for now.

7.So far you have worked with 'Fallen Temple'and 'Naturmacht Productions' on your releases, do you feel that they have been very helpful when it come sot getting your music out there heard?

Olle: Yes, they have been very helpful! Starting with Fallen Temple we are more than pleased with the 7” release. It is great to have it in a gatefold format, a sticker with it and a die hard version with a patch was great! It got us quite some attention which has been good. Then we have the upcoming release with Naturmacht and it has boosted the attention even further. The full length will come in four different versions (vinyl, cassette, A5 digipak CD and regular CD) which is amazing! We couldn’t be happier with how they have done everything for us.

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

Olle: Overall it has been very good! People really seemed to like the demo and hopefully they will like the full length album as well.

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

Olle: We will continue do create the music we love ourselves and go further on the path we have paved so far. Some songs are already written, and we aim forward on creating more good black metal.

Marcus: That’s hard to answer, but since the completion of the first album there are 4 new songs almost done and those are in the style ranging from  “traditional 90’s black” to more melodic black in the style of “Allfather” from “Visdom & Makt”. But I think there will be a few tracks that’s a bit more atmospheric on the next album, we’ll see, which tracks ends up on the next record are not decided yet.

One thing that I felt was a limitation with this record was the playing time. Me and Olle loves the Vinyl-format so in order to keep a good sounding record, we had to land on a maximum of 20min per side since a gatefold double-vinyl was out of the question.

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

Olle: Marcus should answer about the musical part on this but for me lyrically the inspiration comes from all the music I listen to I guess, subconsciously or for some parts more consciously, as well as everyday happenings, life in general and the earlier mentioned Nordic mythology is inspirational.
I listen to a lot of music but at the moment it is Advent Sorrow, Vitriol, Hellripper, Mork, Arckanum, Rimfrost… the list could be very long, hehe

Marcus: The bands that influenced the songs on “Visdom & Makt” I guess are Burzum, King of Asgard and The Hellacopters. I’ve listened A LOT to those bands in the last 3 years. But I wouldn’t go as far and say I actually can hear the influences... That’s up to the people listening, to decide.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Olle: As I am a mechanical engineer I must say that technology is a big interest as well as design. Then we have Nordic mythology of course but the music is the main interest.

Marcus: Spending time with friends in the forest, just lighting a fire and drink some beers. That’s good times. But I’m also a huge gamer.

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

Olle: Thanks for the interview! “Stenar ska resas till vårt minne och runor ska ristas igen!”.

Vedmin Krug/Totem/2019 Full Length Review


  Vedmin  Krug  are  a  solo  project  from  Russia  that  plays  a  pagan  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2019  album  "Totem".

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  utilizing  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.

  When  tremolo  picking  is  utilized  it  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  atmospheric  and  epic  sounding  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  90's  influences.

  Synths  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  one  track  also  introduces  elements  of  folk  music  onto  the  recording.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  mysticism  and  the  Paganism  of  the  Northern  European  and  Slavic  people. 

  In  my  opinion  Vedmin  Krug  are  a  very  great  sounding  pagan  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Non  Serviam!"  "The Dawn  of  A  New  World"  and  "Father  North".  8/5  out  of  10.

Bandcamp band page: https://vedkrug.bandcamp.com
YouTube (full album): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeQWNHquS3E

Friday, September 27, 2019

Eternal Abyss/iV/Dark Ritual/2019 Demo Review


  This  is  a  review  of  another   recording  from  Paraguay's  Eternal  Abyss  which  was  recorded  as  a  solo  project  but  still  sticking  to  a  very  raw  and  old  school  style  of  black  metal  and  the  demo  is  called  "IV"  and  will  be  released  on  cassette  in  October  of  2019  by  Dark  Ritual.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  demo  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  musical  style  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  meal  screams  while  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  style  as  well  as  some  synths  also  being  used  briefly.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  One  of  the  tracks  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  guitar  leads  when  they  are  utilized  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  style  and  as  the  demo  progresses  clean  playing  also  makes  a  brief  return  as  well   as  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  depressive  sounding  melodies.

  On  this  recording  Eternal  Abyss  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw  and  old  school  but  also  utilizing  synths  which  makes  the  demo  sound  a  little bit  different  from  the  full length.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  misanthropy  and  darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Eternal  Abyss  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw  and  old  school  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  demo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Death  And  Destruction  To  This  Fucking  Humanity"  and  "Waiting  For  The  End  Of  Our  Cursed  Existence".  8  out  of  10.

https://dosp.bandcamp.com/album/iv  

Eternal Abyss/Doomed To Eternal Abyss/Void Wanderer Productions/War Productions/Desecration Of Souls Productions/2019 CD Review


  Eternal  Abyss  are  a  band  from  Paraguay  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  old  school  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2019  album  "Doomed  To  Eternal  Abyss"  which  will  be  released  in  October  as  a  joint  effort  between  Void  Wanderer, War  and  Desecration  of  Souls  Productions.

  A  very  fast  and  raw  sound  starts  off  the  album  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  while  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  era.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  A  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  old  school  style  when  they  are  utilized,  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  one  of  the  tracks  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  clean  vocals  are  also  added  onto  the  closing  track.

  Eternal Abyss  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw  and  old  school  sounding  in  the  90's  tradition.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  misanthropy,  chaos,  darkness  and  blasphemy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Eternal  Abyss  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  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ancestral  Forces"  "Old  Times  Of  Blasphemies"  and  "Night  Of  Blood  And  Death".  8  out  of  10.

https://dosp.bandcamp.com/album/doomed-to-eternal-abyss 

Moon And Azure Shadow Interview


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

Thanks for taking the time to interview me!  It’s actually my first interview so I probably have a lot to say.  Moon and Azure Shadow was formed in 2012 - at the time my two biggest obsessions were Japanese soundtrack composers like Susumu Hirasawa and also Atmospheric Metal like Bathory, Summoning, Burzum, Masters Hammer, Ildjarn, Darkthrone, Isengard, etc.  I thought if I could combine these passions I could make some truly dark and ethereal immersive music.



2.Recently you have released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

The first album was a complete work of desperation.  I was around 23 and felt I had absolutely nothing to show for my life.  It came to a point I couldn’t even enjoy other peoples films or music anymore as I was so depressed I had no creative accomplishments of my own.  In 2012 there was talk of the end of the world coming and I really felt as if I should just end my pathetic existence if I couldn’t at least accomplish something by that date - December 21st, 2012.  I had never tried to do any black metal vocals or record guitar or anythings like that before.  But that feeling of desperation got me through the obstacles and the self titled album was completed.



For the new album “Age of Darkness and Frost’ I knew that I could finish an album so I decided I needed to go all out and try and create some kind of epic personal masterpiece.  Not in comparison to other peoples work but just to push myself and try to create something I could be proud of.  It turned out to be a complete nightmare.  I was working on a 2007 laptop that was completely messed up and overheated and rebooted every 10 minutes or so.  I worked on the album for years with blood streaming from my eyes.  The laptop died and I lost a ton of the work I did and had to save up for a new one.  I had given up on it so many times, its a complete miracle there is any final product at all



3.This is also your first album in 7 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?

It’s called failing at life.  After the first album I moved to Los Angeles and had to get used to adult challenges like having to constantly move to new apartments and find jobs.  I was just defeated by the instability of life.  When things started looking up and I got a car and a more steady job and living situation things would take a turn for the worse



Some random felon decided to target me and try and steal my car and rob me.  Basically he slashed my tires and when I started trying to drive to the gym he started ramming his vehicle into my car over and over again.  I tried to drive away and flee the scene but he smashed his vehicle into me and I was caught between his car and a pole.  He got out and tried breaking my window with a wrench.  Luckily I was able to shift into reverse and push his vehicle back a bit and get away.  The police got him but my car was completely totaled



Also I was in a relationship with a really cool girl for about 4 years but pretty much nothing got accomplished musically.  After a while I had to realize at the end of the day I don’t have time to commute to work, be in a relationship, and create music.  I decided I wanted to have a higher purpose in life and went monk mode and completely cut off any social life, relationship  and quit a job to get the album completed.  Over time I’ve learned that in order to achieve dreams some sacrifices have to be made



4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with the new album and also how would you describe your progress as a songwriter over the years?



Both are concept albums with a story.  The first album was set in a world of ruins and shadows.  It was more about isolation and depression.  The second album has a more epic dark ages type theme, this is because after the first album I discovered the music of Basque solo project “Elffor” and was completely blown away by it.  Back in Massachusetts I would drive home from work while it was snowing listening to “Heriotz Sustraiak” and was captivated, I felt I had to do my own take on a dark ages fantasy themed album.  I don’t like to say too much about lyrics or story because it’s best if the listener imagines what they want instead of me saying exactly what everything is about



5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Moon And Azure Shadow'?

The name Moon and Azure Shadow was taken from a Japanese Soundtrack by the composer Koh Ohtani who made the music for Shadow of the Colossus and Haibane Renmei among others.



6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

The artwork was created by M dot Strange, director of animated films such as “We are the Strange, Heart String Marionette, I am Nightmare”.  M dot was my creative hero after I graduated high school and was lost.  With his first film “We are the Strange” he realized and completed a massive dream.  The flame of this dream was so bright that it could be seen from afar by a lot of young creators just starting out.  And on his youtube channel he told everyone to pursue their passions, look down and start making small steps.  Even if you suck just keep going and do something cool.  Don’t be just another slave in the rat race wasting your life doing what the system tells you to.  Even though I am a complete failure most of the time, his message has guided me ever since



7.With this musical project you record everything by yourself, have you worked with musicians in other musical projects in the past or present?

If you have a vision for an album its like waking up from a beautiful dream and trying to remember and hold onto that dream.  Its easy to let the vision slip away.  I would be more open to collaborate these days but back then I felt like I needed to express something personal on my own



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

It’s been mixed as it should be.  I knew I was creating a rather inaccessible album.  When I hear most albums that have a cool atmospheric instrumental intro and then its just brutal metal for the rest of the time.  It kind of bores me.  I wanted to try and make a truly immersive experience where it was not just metal track, atmospheric intro track, but more interwoven together.  But I realize this is excruciatingly boring to some and just sounds like one intro after the next.  But at the end of the day, I made the album I wanted to make



9.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?

I am 30 now and feel more woke than ever.  I feel like I made most of the obvious dumb mistakes in my 20’s but made it out on top and will be focused and dedicated now.  The future is bright



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

From Japanese soundtracks - Toru Takemitsu, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Yoshihiro Kanno - Angels Egg soundtrack, Susumu Hirasawa - Sim City album/Berserk, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Ico, Haibane Renmei, Akira, Vampire Hunter D, Testuo the Iron Man, Kenji Kawai, Koh Ohtani, Joe Hisaishi, Yasunori Mitsuda, Akira Yamaoka, Michiru Yamane, Masashi Hamauzu, Yoko Kanno, Nobuo Uematsu, etc.



From Atmospheric Metal - Bathory, Summoning, Darkthrone, Elffor, Paysage D’hiver, Ulver, Burzum, Celtic Frost, Master’s Hammer, Morrigan - Headcult album etc.



These days I’ve been obsessed with 60’s music, The Zombies, The Beach Boys, The Monkees, Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Left Banke, Sagittarius, Donovan, Lots of garage rock.  I just found out about this new Los Angeles band called “The Premonitions”  I’m excited to try and catch them live



11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Books, trying to check out more Yukio Mishima stuff.  Temple of the Golden Pavilion was super amazing



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

Thanks for letting me talk about the music.  I’ve always tried to let the music stand on its own and not say much so this is a first.  Your work is much appreciated!


Bandcamp

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Myronath/Into The Qliphoth/Non Serviam Records/2019 CD Review


  Myronath  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  an  occult  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Into  The  Qliphoth"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Non  Serviam  Records.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  grim  black  metal  screams  being  introduced  into  the  music  a  few  seconds  later.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of a   raw  feeling.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to them  while  growls  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  some  semi  clean  singing  and  spoken  word  parts  also  being  used  briefly.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  one  track  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  synths  and  clean  playing  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  ritualistic  feeling,  Gregorian  chants  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Luciferian,  Qliphoth,  Left  Hand  Path  and  Santa  Muerte  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Myronath  are  a  very  great  sounding  occult black metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out t his  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Ancient  Slumber"  "La  Santa  Muerte"  and  "Hymn  To  Lucifer".  8/5  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/3VLaROG1enE 
.    

Horse Drawn/Nonbeliever/2019 EP Review


  Horse  Drawn  are  a  duo  from  Ohio  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  aggressive  form  of  black  metal   and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2019  ep  "Nonbeliever".

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later.  When  the  music  speeds  up a   decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  and  the  tracks  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Touches  of  post  and  metal  can  be  heard  in  the  music  but  done  in  more  an  aggressive  style  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  also  show  an  influence  of  sludge  metal  and  both  of  the  tracks  stick  to  a  very  heavy  musical  direction. 

  On  this  recording  Horse  Drawn  sticks  to  the  raw  black  metal  style  of  their  previous  release  while  also  adding  in  some  more  influences  of  sludge  and  post  metal.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  depression  and  psychedelic  experiences.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Horse  Drawn  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  aggressive  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Cursed".  8  out  of  10.

hddm.bandcamp.com 


Grand Demise Of Civilization Interview

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

    Grand Demise is a 4-piece band with two guitarists, bass player and drummer.  With no true lead vocalist, both guitarists and bass player switch vocal parts throughout each song, making a 3-headed attack on vocals.  Our style is mostly based on black metal style chord riffing with melodic melodies and harmonies between the guitar players, but we use seven and eight string guitars to add the extended range of notes. Drumming style uses a lot of blast beats, but still adding plenty of diversity in drum beats and groove oriented parts in our songs.

2.So far you have released 3 albums, musically how do they differ from each other?

    All three albums have a bit of a different style to them; our first album "Black Goat Apocalypse" was written with a different group of musicians in the band at that time, Songs consist of a lot of different riffs in each song, but yet flow together nicely. The album has more of an aggressive sound to it, lots of speed and driving force to each song.
    The second album "The Repent of the Sentient Being" was done as more of a solo studio project, the band was basically broken up at that point, but I wrote and recorded a one 43-minute track with the other guitarist from the band, Shawn Jensen, consisting of breaks and interludes between chapters.
     The third album "Below the Feet of Kings" was written when the band decided to reform with a new drummer and a new guitar player, and Shawn Jensen switching to bass. The style to the "Kings" album is more melodic and diverse through each song, we started to use seven and eight string guitars to give us a wide variety of sound to it. The album has songs that are very fast with blast beats, but also with a good mix of groove oriented double-bass beats. Almost all the songs are around the ten minute mark, except one being around six minutes, with lots of sections in each song, bringing the listener to feel like there's little repetition, and each song has its own "sound" to it.

3.There seems to have been either a 4 to 6 year gap in between releases, can you tell us a little bit more about it?

    I think it takes a while to write good material, we always demo our songs first, set all the different vocal styles and parts and really listen to it and how it sounds before we start to learn the songs as a band. I've seen a lot guys talk about how they wrote two songs in twenty minutes, or have a new song written and completed in one night at practice, but how good are those songs going to be? A guitar has six to eight strings and twenty-four frets for a reason, if all your songs are written on the two low strings and the first five frets with nothing but chunka-chunka-chunka riffs, there isn't going to be much quality or diversity to your songs. We tend to compile and record a lot of riffs or sections and put stuff together in sessions on our computers. The material is written by myself and Dan Lerach, demoed and recorded and then presented to the band where we learn the songs and make any changes we feel are necessary at that time.

4.You refer to your music as being 'hell metal', can you tell us a little bit more about this term?

    We call our style "Hell metal" because we took elements of mostly black metal and the chord driven big, full sound of it, but also use seven and eight string guitars to get those low heavy notes from death metal. We also have a mixture of vocal styles to our songs, based mainly on the higher screams of black metal, but also use the gutteral lows of death metal, also using a lot of triple vocal parts to create a hellish combination. When you see us perform live, you don't know where the next vocal part is coming from next, we try to produce what we do on our albums in our live performances as best we can.

5.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new release and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?

    We like to cover darker topics or scenarios in history, we're not a satanic band, but we still like to have dark topics to our lyrics. Below the Feet of Kings has songs with different topics; The song "The Trough" is about ancient times where slaves were forced to work, Nostrigoi is about vampires, Curator of the Wicked is about the Zodiac killer. The music style definitely progressed on this album, long songs with a lot of different sections, making the songs always moving forward and progressing to a new sound or feel. When Dan Lerach joined the band, he brought his ideas and style of adding a lot of guitar parts with multiple harmonies and melodies written over other parts, which is something we had not done a lot of on previous albums.

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Grand Demise Of Civilization'?

    The name Grand Demise of Civilization is basically what it sounds like. All our songs have been based on scenarios or topics involving the destruction of the human race, in one form or another; some are real scenarios and others are more fantasy based, but that is big part of what we write about.

7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

    The artwork depicts a pile of crushed bones, below the feet of kings. A big theme with this album, in one way or another, is leadership and ruling over a group of people or person.  I think all our album covers kind of depict something that has to do with what the main topic of that album is.

8.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 don't play a lot of shows, probably the best show we played was when we opened for Mayhem in Minneapolis. We got a phone call a couple days before the show asking if we would open the show, apparently all the opening tour bands had left the tour for some reason so we were given the chance to be the opening act.
    When we're on stage we try to represent our songs as accurate as possible, I always hated seeing a band that could not play their own material because it was all studio tricks.  We present a well coordinated three-headed vocal attack that gives the audience a lot to look at. We don't usually see a lot of mosh pits, but more of the crowd just watching us being interested in what we are doing.

9.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

    No, we don't have any plans to tour, we don't really play a lot of shows and are mostly interested in playing in the Minneapolis area at this point. We want our albums to be distributed and enjoyed by as many people as possible, but the live aspect is not a big focus for us.

10.Currently the band is unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

    We are looking for a label to do mostly distribution. We always record all our albums ourselves in our own studio so we don't need a label to pay for recording, but distribution is tough, we want to get our music out there and would love to get signed with a label that can really help us with that. The hardest part is getting a label to listen to our album, give it a chance, I think we have a quality product.

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

    We get a lot of positive reactions to our music, people seem to really enjoy our vocal attack and style to our music. Because our music style is mostly black metal based, we get labeled as a such, but there are a lot of elements to what we do that are not traditionally considered black metal; but generally if you're a fan of that kind of music, you'll like what we're doing.

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

    Our drummer, Pat Ruhland, is the only member in Grand Demise that is involved in other projects. He has another band called Obsolete that is more of a tech death/thrash style, it's with a long time friend of his, Lucas Scott, from the band Sunless, also out of Minneapolis.

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

    I think the next step for us recording an EP. We have some ideas written and assembled, but nothing is in full song structure yet.  Style wise, we'll have to see where the songs take us. We will always have our "style" but there are other elements we may add to that, we're all fans of tech death and great guitar players, but not sure if we'll ever introduce some of that to our music, you never know.

14.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?

    Influences come in many different ways. For us, classical music plays a big part in the big sound, dynamics and section based writing. In metal, I've always liked the chord style riffs that a lot of Swedish black metal bands like Dawn or Dark Funeral do, but also the melodic parts and harmonies that bands like Death, Dissection and Carcass do. I think that Black Sabbath has always had an influence on the heavy groove aspect in many of our past bands we've been in, and something we still like to incorporate. We tend to listen to a lot of black metal or tech death bands, like Spawn of Possession, Alkaloid, Dodecahedron, Deathspell Omega, Nightbringer, Opeth, Ne Obliviscaris, Dodheimsgard, Emperor, Necophagist, really anything that is interesting and not too repetitive.

15.Does Occultism play any role in your music?

    No, not really. We like dark topics and art, but to say we are into the occult or satanism would not be correct.

16.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
 
    If you like aggressive metal, check us out. We're playing music that we like; we're not reinventing the wheel, but we try to do our own thing in this genre. You can find our stuff on bandcamp for sale. Also, some of our albums are on Spotify and we have songs and live performances available on Youtube. Connect with us on Facebook to keep up with latest news and updates.

Bandcamp
Facebook

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Ancient Flame/Tyrant Blood/Morbid Chapel Records/2019 CD Review


  Ancient  Flame  are  a  solo  project  from  Pennsylvania  that  plays  a  traditional  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2019  album  "Tyrant  Blood"  which  was  released  by  Morbid  Chapel  Records.

  Melodic  guitar  leads  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later.  Synths  can  also  be  heard  in  the  background  on  all  of  the  tracks and  also  gives  the  music  more  of  an  atmospheric  and  epic  feeling  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a great  amount  of  melody.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast parts  along  with  the  music  also  having  a  good  amount  of  90's  influences  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Ancient  Flame  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw,  melodic,  atmospheric,  epic  and  traditional  sounding.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  paganism,  barbarism and  darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ancient  Flame  are  a  very  great  sounding  traditional  and  epic  sounding  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Arrow  Of  Truth  And  Hate"  "The  Drid"  and  "Tyrant  Of  Blood".  8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp
        

Blut Aus Nord/Hallucinogen/Debembur Morti Productions/2019 CD Review


  France's  Blut  Aus  Nord  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  them  expanding  on  their  experimental  style  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Hallucinogen"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Debembur  Morti  Productions.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  atmospheric  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  All  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  Synths  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  as  well  as  some  choir  vocals  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music.

  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  while  the  music  also  shows  some  influences  of    60's  to  70;s  era  progressive  rock  but  also  keeping  it  very  modern  at  the  same  time.    Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  grim  black  metal  screams  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  album.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  and  avant  garde  sounding  along  with  one  song  also  introducing  fast  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  onto  the  recording  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling  but  keeping  the  focus  more  on  a  mid  tempo  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  professional while  the  lyrics  cover  hallucinogens.  mysticism,  occultism,  philosophy  and  individualism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Blut  Aus  Nord  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Nomos  Nebuleam"  "Anthosmos"  and  "Cosma  Procyiris".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/Vindsval.official

  

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Fless/Frenzied Bloodlust Underneath A Black Moon/Lunar Apparitions/2019 CD Re-Issue Review


  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Canada's  Fless  which  was  also  done  in  a  raw  and  old  school  style  of  black  metal  and  the  album  was  originally  released  in  2018  and  called  "Frenzied  Bloodlust  Underneath  A  Black  Moon"  which  will  be  re-issued  on  October  21st  by  Lunar  Apparitions.

  Field  recordings  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  avant  garde  style  keyboards  also  being  used  briefly  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction.  Both  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  grim  black  metal  screams  and  demonic  growls  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies.

  Rain  and  thunder  sounds  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  When  the  music  speeds  up  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  a  raw  feeling  as  well  as  the  music  also  capturing  a  lo-fi  atmosphere  at  times.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  music  also  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  as  well  as  some  depressive  vocals  also  being  used  at  times,  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  the  second  track.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  vocals  cover  traditional  witchcraft,  vampirism  and  self  hatred  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Fless  and  if  you  are  a f an  of r aw  and  lo-fi  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENEDED  TRACK  "Vampyric  Drain  Through  Hypnotic  Force".  8  out  of  10.

www.rawflesh.bandcamp.com 

  

Fless/Volume I/Lunar Apparitions/2019 CD Re-Issue Review


  Fless  are  a  solo  project  from  Canada  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  old  school  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2017  album  "Volume  I"  which  will  be  re-issued  on  October  21st  by  Lunar  Apparitions.

  A  very  dark  and  lo-fi  sound  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  grim  yet  high  pitched black  metal s creams  a  few  seconds  later  while  demonic  growls  can  also  be  heard  at times.  A  lot  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  style  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  dark sounding  melodies.

  When  tremolo  picking  is  utilized  it  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  while  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Whispered  vocals  can  also  be  hear d in  some  parts  of  the  music  along  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  when  the  music  speeds  up  and  most  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  mid  tempo  direction,  one  track  is  also  a  very  ritualistic  sounding  instrumental  and  on  the  closing  track  clean  playing  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Fless  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw  and  old  school  sounding.  The  production  sounds  vert,  dark, r aw  and  lo-fi  while  the  lyrics  cover  traditional  witchcraft,  vampirism,  blood  rites  and  self  hatred  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Fless  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  old  school  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out t his  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Orgy  Of  Vampires"  "Raped  on  The  Altar"  and  "Moonlit  Fornication".  8 out  of  10.


www.rawflesh.bandcamp.com