Showing posts with label Vokodlok. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vokodlok. Show all posts

Monday, February 17, 2025

Vokodlok/The Egregious Being/2025 Full Length Review

 


  Vokodlok  are  a  band  from  Romania  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  modern  and  aggressive  form  of  black  metal  with  elements  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2025  album  "The  Egregious  Being"  which  will  be  released  in  March.


  Epic  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a decent  amount  of  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  mostly  angry  sounding  black  metal  screams  mixed  in  with  a  few  death  metal  growls  and  the  tremolo  picking  in  the  fast  riffing  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  a  raw  feeling.


  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.


  The  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  modern  and  old  school  influences  along  with  some  of  the  riffing  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  thrash  metal  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  towards  the  end.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  primordial  aspects  of  fear  and  faith.


  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Vokodlok  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  modern  and  aggressive  black  metal  with  elements  of  death  and  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Human"  "Disdain"  "Denizen"  and  "The  Monster".  8  out  of  10.


  Spotify: https://open.spotify. com/artist/ 2MzXvkxQfDTVZ7pCsfei5R

Bandcamp: https://vokodlok. bandcamp.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube. com/@Vokodlok
Instagram: https://instagram. com/vokodlok_official
Facebook: https://www. facebook.com/VokodlokOfficial

TikTok: https://www.tiktok. com/@vokodlokofficial    


  

Saturday, July 11, 2020

Vokodlok Interview


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

Hi!
Since the album 'Mass Murder Genesis' was released in 2003 we continued playing concerts and a couple of mini tours until the fall of 2008 when our drummer left the band.
Having a hard time finding a replacement we decided to put the band on hold and went on with our lives and other projects.
Besides VokodloK, GhiauR plays in a Swedish Black-Metal band called 'Burning Darkness' and Urmuz in several Black-Metal bands 'Nocturn', 'Ordinul Negru' and Grind-Core 'Blutrina' .


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

Our latest Ep , 'Oracle Fury' , was revealed on the 13th of  May 2020 and musically is less aggressive and at slower pace compared with the album 'Mass Murder Genesis'. It's more in the vein of the demo 'Unchain the Wolf'. The vocals are a little more diverse and the production is much better then the previous releases. We would like to have different sounds on every release and that will also be heard on our next album.


3.The bands was also broken up for more than 10 years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?

The energy has always been there but the main reason was, as usual, hard time in finding members - especially a drummer - to work with.
We din't give up the idea of continuing our work with Vokodlok, we were just waiting for the right moment. And that time is here. 


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

We continue along the same path and covering different themes like death, mythology, religion, human mind. The actual meaning of 'Oracle's Fury' can be found in the song titles: The Myths, Alive In the Mind O.f. The Weak. It has been thought as a whole entity where each song is a piece of the puzzle that in the end will construct the idea behind the album.


5.I know that the bands name is another Slavic word for werewolf, do you have an interest in the werewolf and vampire legends of your home country?

Yeah, we are interested of myths and legends of all kinds which is the reason that our demo 'Unchain the Wolf' uses elements from werewolf  related legends and our latest release 'Oracle's fury' from greek mythology while the album 'Mass Murder Genesis' is more straightforward anti-religious themed.


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

The artwork has been created by mastermind Costin Chiorean which is renowned for his great art creations and collabs with established bands in the extreme metal scene.
It was inspired by listening to the album along with reading the lyrics and its a great visual representation of the message and vibe in our songs.


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?

I would say that the gigs we did in smaller clubs because of the powerful mood created by the closeness and interaction with the public.
The Battlefield mini tour with the Defilement band in march 2008 was a great experience.


8.Currently the band is unsigned but has worked with a label in the past, are you open to working with another label again in the future?

Yes, of course, we are actually planning to collaborate with a label for our next releases.


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

We got really good feedback, the fans were surprised by our comeback and 'Oracle's Fury' was well received.


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

All the songs are ready and we are currently preparing the recording of our next creation in the form of an album that will start in the autumn. If everything works as planned it will be to be released in the autumn of 2021 or not later than the spring of 2022.
Our plans include also gigs and touring in order to promote it. I can also reveal now that our line-up is now complete for both studio and live performances.


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

We started like most metal heads, listening in our younger days to Slayer, Metallica, Pantera and then got into the more extreme metal styles.
The bands that influenced us most have always been the old Black-Metal and also Death-Metal bands from the '90s like Mayhem, Immortal, Marduk, Brutality, Hypocrisy to name only a few.
Nowadays we listen to almost all kinds of metal and not so much of the other genres. 

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

Thank you for the support and this great interview!

https://vokodlok.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/VokodlokOfficial
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2s694nEY5hoFYo0YB5hDjA
https://www.discogs.com/artist/1433015-Vokodlok

Saturday, July 4, 2020

Vokodlok/Oracle's Fury/2020 EP Review


  Vokodlok  are  a  band  from  Romania  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  aggressive  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2020  ep  "Oracle's  Fury".

A  very  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  aldo  be  heard,

  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.When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  vocals  also  changing  the  approach  to  black  metal  screams  at  times.

  Classical  guitars  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks  and  as  the  ep  progresses  a  brief  use  of  synths  are  also  added  into  the  music  and  the  songs  also  add  in  a  mixture  of  both  old  school  and  modern  influences  and  they  close  the  ep  with  a  cover  of  Dies  Irae's  "I  Build  The  Symmetry  Of  Chaos"  which  also  adds  in  some  death  metal  growls.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  are  inspired  bu  Ancient  Greek  Philosophy  and  Human  Feelings.

  In  my  opinion  Vokodlok  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  aggressive  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Myths"  and  "The  Weak".  8  out  of  10,

https://vokodlok.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/VokodlokOfficial
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2s694nEY5hoFYo0YB5hDjA
https://www.discogs.com/artist/1433015-Vokodlok