Heruka/Live in Rome/Rude Awakening Records/2026 Live Album Review

 

   Italy's  Heruka  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  them  bringing  their  modern  and  aggressive  style  of  black  metal  to  the  concert  setting  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  live  2026  album  "Live  in  Rome"  which  will b e  released  in  March  by  Rude  Awakening  Records.

  Symphonic  sounding  keyboards  and  orchestration  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats  can b e  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a r aw  feeling  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  vocals  also  add  in  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls.  Throughout  the  album  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style,  spoken  words  and  clear  singing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  their  is  also  some  audience  reaction  in  between  the  tracks

  On  this  recording  Heruka  focused  more  on  their  newer  material  of  the  last  few  albums  in  the  live  setting.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  introspection,  surrealism  and  visionary  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Heruka  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  modern  and  aggressive  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  live  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Zoryas  -  Emho's  Army"  "Npo  Sun  Dared  paa  Our  Windows"  "Francis  Bacon"  and  "Coisomo  -  Decption's  End".  8  out  of  10.

  https://linktr.ee/herukaproject

  

Heruka/Panacea/Rude Awakening Records/2025 EP Review

 
    Italy's  Heruka  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  very  modern  and  aggressive  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a review  of  their  2025  ep  "Panacea'  which  will  be  released  on  March  21st  by  Rude  Awakening  Records.

   A  very  fast,  raw  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  mixed  in  with  a  few  growls  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  spoken  words  can  also  be  heard  on  a  few  tracks.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  clear  singing  can  also  be  heard  at  times.  Symphonic  overtones  are  also  added  into  the  background  briefly  and  the  songs  also  mix  the  more  traditional  side  of  the  genre  in  with  the  more  modern  era,  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  finally  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  clean  playing  is  also  added  towards  the  end.

  On  this  recording  Heruka  brings  in  a  more  modern  and  aggressive  approach  to  black  metal.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Italian  and  cover  poetry  and  death  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Heruka  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  modern  and  aggressive  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Peisithanatos"  and  "Panacea".  8  out  of  10.

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zstSpEpg-xY

 https://linktr.ee/herukaproject  

  

   

Heruka/Deception's End/2024 Re-Mastered Version Review

 

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Heruka  which  shows  the  music  going  for  more  of  a  modern  and  aggressive  style  of  black  metal  and  the  album  was  originally  released  in  2018  and  called  "Deception's  End"  which  was  re-issued  and  re-mastered  in  2024  and  also  consists  of  re-recorded  tracks  from  theri  2005  ep  "Leggenda".

  A  very  fast  and  raw  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  a  lot  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  some  death  metal  growls  also  being  utilized  at  times.

  The  album  also  has  its  atmospheric  moments  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Epic  sounding  keyboards  can  also  be  heard  on  a  few  songs  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  At  times  the  music  also  adds  in  some  symphonic  touches  along  with  a  couple  of  songs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  choirs.  A  lot  of  the  more  current  recordings  also  add  in  more  brutality  then  what  was  presented  on  the  ep  tracks,  spoken  word  parts  and  folk  instruments  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  fantasy,  introspection,  surrealism  and  visionary  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Heruka  and  if  you  are  a f an  of  modern  and  aggressive  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  re-mastered  version.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Auxim's  Killing"  "A  Night  of  Agony"  "The  Thrr  Entities"  and  "Deception's  End".  8 out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/Herukaproject/    

Heruka/Leggenda/2005 EP Review

 

  This  is  a  review  of  an  older  recording  from  Italy's  Heruka  which  showed  the  music  going  for  more  of  a  fantasy  themed  form  of  black  metal  and  the  ep  was  self  released in  2005  and  called  "Leggenda".

  Water  sounds  and  epic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  ep  which  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts.

  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.  Symphonic  touches  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  the  tracks  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  all  of  the  drum  beats  are  also  programmed.

  On  this  recording  Heruka  played  a  style  of  black  metal  that  was  very  epic,  atmospheric  and  keyboard  orientated  sounding.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Italian  and  cover  Fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  a  very  great  sounding  recording  from  Heruka  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  fantasy  themed  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Heruka:  L'incontro"  and  "Takar:  L'engima".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/Herukaproject/

Heruka/Memorie/Rude Awakening Records/2022 CD Review

 

  Italy's  Heruka  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  more  of  a  modern  and  aggressive  style  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a review  of  their  2022  album  "Memorie"  which  will  be  released  on  May  24th  by  Rude  Awakening  Records.

  A  keyboard  oriented  intro  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  brief  use  of  whispers  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction.  Vocals  are  mostly  angry  black  metal  screams  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  songs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  growls.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  one  song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  clear  vocals.  Symphonic  elements  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  album  as  well  as  couple  of  tracks  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  the  closing  track  also  adds  in  some  acoustic  guitars  and  folk  instruments.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Italian  and  cover  death  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Heruka  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  modern  and  aggressive  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Presagi"  "Indarno"  "Anossia"  and  "Passacagila".  8  out  of  10.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Herukaproject/

Bandcamp: https://herukaproject.bandcamp.com/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/herukaproject

ReverbNation: https://www.reverbnation.com/herukaproject

https://youtu.be/GSUAjngBWtU

  

Heruka/Dust From The Deception Sun - A Live Selection From Three Years Of Black Metal/Rude Awakening Records/2021 Live Album review

 

  Heruka  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  modern  and  aggressive  from  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2021  album  "Dust  From The  Deception  Sun  -  A  Live  Selection  From  Three Years  Of  Black  Metal"  which  was  released  by  Rude  Awakening  Records.

  Clean  playing  and  live  audience  noise  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction.  Vocals  are  mostly  angry  sounding  black  metal  screams  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.

  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  tremolo  picking  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  when  they  are  utilized.   Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  spoken  word  parts  can  also be   heard  briefly.

  Clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks  along  with  some  tracks  also  adding  in  symphonic  elements  as  well  as  the  music  also  showing  some  influences  of  both  the  modern  and  old  school  era,  touches  of  death  metal  can  also  be  heard  at  times.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  exploration  of  multiple  states  of  the  mind.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Heuka  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  modern  and  aggressive  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  live  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Amsarctra:  Nekrom's  Rescue"  "Twisted  Into  Form"  "The  Eleventh  Ruel'  and  "Time  Collapse".  8  out  of  10.

Dust from the Deception Sun (live album streaming, 2021)    

  

Heruka Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
Because of the Covid19 and the difficult moment that followed the gigs that were scheduled have been cancelled so we're spending this time writing new material for future releases.

2.You have a new album coming out in June, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
We think that "No sun dared pass our windows" is an album that shows an improved version of the band, a better way to  write songs compared to the previous two, a more personal sound which comes from our dark and deranged musical background, but always with a great amount of melody.

3.You refer to your music as being 'oniric black metal, can you tell us a little bit more about this term?
Well, what we mean is that with our music we try to plunge the listener in unreal and ethereal atmospheres, not only with the melodic parts or the mid tempo sections which may seem a better choice to achieve that intention but also with the use of very violent and fast music in order to sweep away reality.

4.Your earlier music had more symphonic elements while your newer music is more aggressive, what was the decision behind going into the musical direction?
It was more of a natural progression than a real decision, we never think in advance about how an album will sound like, generally we write some material and choose the songs or the parts that we like and we try to build a number of songs that have something in common, at least to us, so as to have a coherent album both lyrically and musically and paying attention not to repeat something we have already done without at least improving it, which is a terribly difficult thing to do. 

5.From 2005 to 2018 there was no new music being released, can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during that time frame?
After the release of the EP "Leggenda" in 2005 the project Heruka was abandoned because the only member (Adranor) decided to concentrate on other projects, (Throne of Molok, Legion of Darkness, Ars Macabra, Sirrush). In 2017, when Adranor and Nemuri-Shi met, it was the right moment to start again Heruka and from that moment on we never stopped and we have three releases out now (two albums and another EP).

6.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer album and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?
The new album is a little journey inside the minds of various mental patients, experienced in first person but with an  open mind so as to change perspective and understand that sometimes ours is not the best point of view or the only one. Every song deals with this subject in a different way, some feature very intricate mind patterns and are a bit cryptic at times, others are more understandable but they all convey a feeling of uneasiness. We tried to look from their side to us,the so called normal people and tried to understand if they could feel as much distance as we do from them, the same pity,
the same feeling of not wanting to be a part of our lives, maybe even appreciation for their condition that may be considered a better way to live. Some songs have a satirical approach and should be taken with a different frame of mind, it's a very complex album lyrically and it took a great deal of work to complete and refine the lyrics of every song. Please keep in mind that another important factor is the respect that we felt towards those who we consider unfortunate, in no way we meant any
kind of disrespect to any mental patient, on the contrary, it has been a way to step down from the pedestal and starting asking ourselves some questions and try to see things shoulder to shoulder.
It is extremely difficult to judge yourself as a songwriter, we all write in a very spontaneous way so our progress has been what has naturally sprung from the period we were living at the moment that a particular song has been written. To us it doesn't matter if a song is technically difficult or very simple, if it's fast or slow or in between, the only thing that matters is if we like it. It's a luxury you can have when your band is in the depths of the underground music scene so we don't have to worry about nothing. I hope we have progressed as songwriters but that's really up to you to say, we see a common thread between all the songs and since we haven't stopped writing it's something which is bound to continue but it goes back and forth and we really don't know how the next album will be, it could be anything, that's what's exciting.

7.Your earlier lyrics cover more fantasy themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?
In truth in the first releases the lyrics focused a lot on personal and introspective topics but they were “masked” by the fantasy setting that we chose to give to the whole thing.To summarize briefly in the lyrics there's an imaginary and visionary transposition of a section of Adranor's life path which, subsequently, got mixed with the paths of the other members of the band.The fantasy genre is and will continue to be a topic very much appreciated by us but at the moment something else is coming
naturally and we're not trying to push things in the other way.

8.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Heruka'?
Erice is the name of a little city in the western part of Sicily where the band was born and began developing.The name “Heruka” comes from a distortion of the ancient name of Erice , "Iruka", used during the Elimi's domination people coming from Troy together with people from the land according to the Athenian historian Tucidide.

9.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
The cover has been realized in Palermo by the artist Daniele Paternostro, the layout instead is by our singer Nekrom.
Both the dark room on the cover, in which there's an alienated and suffering figure in various moments, moving frantically all over it and the Rorschach spots under the lyrics in the booklet convey a sick atmosphere and should prepare the listener to what the album is about.

10.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Even if there's a certain limitation about time we, as Heruka, prefer playing in festivals.
We have very fond memories of the "Magma Pure Underground Festival III" where we played in 2017. It was the first played by the new line-up and after the long period of inactivity of the project. A very good location and a great vibe with all the other bands as well as with the staff, not forgetting the appreciation that we received from the people present there.

11.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your newer music by fans of black metal?
We have received good to very good reviews and comments but we never forget that we are an underground reality to say the least (even if sometime this is a plus).The only difficulty is to obtain a real good promotion but in the end we're satisfied of the results.

12.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We'd like to explore new musical frontiers and, why not, add experimantations. Also we'd like to continue recording and releasing new records and playing live.

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?
Every member of the band has a very wide musical background and more than any other thing, different from the other members. So there's no point in selecting one or two bands in particular as a reference.Everybody in the band tries to put something personal in the songs, mixing everything in the best possible way without limits or particular goals. It's up to the listener, if he/she feels like, to discover the influences.

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
First of all we'd like to thank you for the interview, it's always exciting to know that there's someone interested in our music and in going deeper inside it. We never take these things for granted really, we think of ourselves as fans of music more than anything else.To wrap up things we hope to continue with the band, releasing albums and playing shows for as long as possible, when you're lucky enough to still have something in your lives that thrills you and keeps you going, what more do you need?
If anybody is interested in our music these are the official sites:
https://www.facebook.com/Herukaproject/
https://herukaproject.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/herukaproject
https://www.reverbnation.com/herukaproject

Heruka/No Sun Dared Pass Our Windows/Rude Awakening Records/2020 CD Review

  Heruka  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a   musical  style  they  describe  as  being  Oniric black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "No  Sun  Dared  Pass  Our  Windows"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Rude  Awakening  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  angry  sounding  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Elements  of  death  metal  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  tremolo  picking  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  One  track  also  introduces  clean  playing  and  synths  onto  the  recording  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  old  school  and  modern  influences.

  Melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  a  a  couple  of  tracks  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  vocals.

  When  keyboards  are  used  briefly  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  a  symphonic  touch  as  well  as  the  guitar  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  when  they  are  utilized  and  they  also  bring  in  a  brief  acoustic  instrumental  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  on  the  following  songs and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  introspection,  surrealism  and  visionary  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  Heruka  are  a  very  great  sounding  modern  and  aggressive  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE   "Time  Collapse"  "The  Eleventh  Rule" "Two  Heads,  one  Brain"  and  "Let  No  One  Ne  Saved".  8 out  of  10.