Judaswiege/Moribundo/Sonambula/Barbarian Swords/Tetrarchia Ex Bestia/Negre planY/2019 Split CD Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Spain's  Judaswiege,  Moribundo,  Sonambula,  and  Barbarian  Swords  called  "Tetrarchia  Ex  Bestia"  which  was  released  by  Negre  planY  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Judaswiege  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  and  thrash  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  fast  and  aggressive  sound  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  mostly  blackened  metal  screams  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  as  well  as  some  elements  of  first  wave  black  metal.

  Elements  of  thrash  metal  can  also  be  heard  on  their  side  of  the  split  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  music  also  having  a  good  amount  of  80's  and  90's  influences  but  also  keeping  modern  at  the  same  time,  melodic  yet  old  school  guitar  leads  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  death  metal  growls  are  also  utilized  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  inquisition  and  heresy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Judaswiege  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  and  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out t heir  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Pear  Of  Anguish"  and  "The  Middle  Age".

  Next  up  is  Moribundo  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  funeral  doom  and  death  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  horror  movie  style  soundtrack  synths  and  programmed  beats  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  also  introducing  death  metal  growls  onto  their  side  of  the  split  and  when  grim  vocals a e  utilized  briefly  they  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal.

  Throughout  their  side  of  the  split  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  some  elements  of  funeral  doom  metal.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  their  side  of  the  split  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  one  of t heir  tracks  is  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  guitar  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  death  and  despair  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Moribundo  and  if  you  are  a f an  of  funeral  doom  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Amor/Entierro".

  Next  up  is  Sonambula  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  and  death  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  tragic  sounding  keyboards  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  which  is  also  heavily  influenced  by  the  90's  style  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal growls  and  screams  as  well  as  some  blast  beats  being  added  into  the  faster  sections  of  their  songs.

  Elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  at  times  as  well  as  the  tracks  also a dding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also h ave  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Spanish  and  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Sonambula  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  sludge,  doom  and  old  school  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Entranas".

  Closing  the  split  is  Barbarian  Swords  a  band  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  nihilistic  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  sludge  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  ritualistic  soundscapes  along  with  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing. All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  both  of  their  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  the  vocals  being  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams.

  Elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  the  guitar  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  dark  and  distorted  style.  Synths  are  also  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  which  also  add  in  a  touch  of  death  metal  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  song  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  mythology  and  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Barbarian  Swords  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  doom  and  sludge  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "The  Eternal  Axe  Of  The  Goddess".

In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  black,  sludge,  doom,  death  and  thrash  metal.  8  out  of  10.

JUDASWIEGE: https://judaswiege.bandcamp.com
MORIBUNDO: https://moribundo.bandcamp.com
SÖNAMBULA: https://sonambula.bandcamp.com
BARBARIAN SWORDS: https://barbarianswords.bandcamp.com           

      

Noctu/Augu Sigyn/Temple Of Decadence/BloodCrown Records/2018 Split Album Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Italy's  Noctu  and  Denmark's  Augu  Sigyn  called  "Temple  Of  Decadence"  which  was  released  by  BloodCrown  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Noctu  a  solo  project  that  plays  a  very  synth  orientated  form  of  funeral  doom  metal.

  His  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  dark  ambient  style  synths  along  with  some  depressive  yet  melodic  guitar  leads  before  added  onto t he  recording  after  the  synth  while  the  synths  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

 All  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  very  slow  direction  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  while  the  music  also  gets  symphonic  and  brings  in  elements  of  dungeon  synth  at  times  and  most  of  his  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  the  spoken  word  parts  having  a  grim  black  metal  edge  to  them  and  when  guitar  leads  are utilized  they  are  done  in a   very  dark  yet  melodic  fashion,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  sorrow,  negativity,  self  harm,  suicidal  thoughts  and  darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Noctu  are  a  very  great  sounding  synth  orientated  funeral  doom  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  his  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Lacerazioni  Tra  Le  Ombre".

  Next  up  is  Augu  Sigyn  a  duo  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  and  doom  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  heavy  doom  metal  sound  along  with  some  angry  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  parts  and  clean  vocals  also  being  used  briefly and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  and  one  of  their  tracks  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Danish  and  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Augu  Sigyn  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Doden".

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

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Noctu/3540411215
https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Augu_Sigyn/3540419736


 

  

Sea Of Bones/Ramlord/Broken Limbs/2016 EP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  ep  between Connecticut's  Sea  Of  Bones  and  New  Hampshire's  Ramlord which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Broken  Limbs  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Sea  Of  Bones  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  funeral  doom  metal,  sludge  and  drone.

  Their  side  of the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  dark  yet  heavy  doom  metal  side  along  with  some  melodic  riffing  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  their  track  is  over  10  minutes  in  length  and  also  mixes  in  some  of  sludge  heaviness  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  make their  presence  known  on  the  track.

  The  whole  song  also  remains  true  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction  while  some  of  the  vocals  also  add  in  a  touch  of  hardcore  along  with  a  small  amount  of  grim  screams  that  seem  to  be  influenced  by  black  metal  and  towards  the  end  melodic guitar  leads  are  utilized,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  track  from  Sea  Of  Bones  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  funeral  doom  metal  and  sludge,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.

  Next  up  is  Ramlord  a  band  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal  and  crust.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts out  with  melodic  riffing  and  clean  playing  before  adding  in  a  doom  metal  influenced  sound  and  black  metal  screams  as  well  as some  death  metal  growls  and  after  awhile  the  music  gets  more  mid  paced  as  well  as  adding in  elements  of  crust  and d  beat  and  you  can also  hear  all  of t he  musical  instruments  that  are  present on  their  song  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  melodic  guitar  leads,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  track  from  Ramlord  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  metal  and  crust,  you  should  check  out their  song.

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

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Sea_of_Bones/104959
https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Ramlord/3540370463  

Darvulia/Sektarism/Nuclear War Now Productions/Dead Sea Productions/2015 Split Album Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  France's  Darvulia  and  Sektarism  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Nuclear  War  Now  Productions  and  Dead  Sea  Productions  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Darvulia  a  band  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  ritualistic  form  of  black  metal.

  A  very  distorted  sounding  bass  guitar  sound  starts  off  their  side  of  the  split  and  stick  to  a  very  slow,  dark  and  repetitive  direction  for  a  few  minutes  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  an  avant  garde  and  ritualistic  feeling  along  with  drum  beats  being  brought  in  at  times  and  as  the  song  progresses  more  occult  style  soundscapes  can  be  heard  while  a  few  minutes later  grim  voices  are  added  onto  the  track  and  they  also  bring  in  more  of  a  black  metal  influence  when  they  are  utilized  while  a  few  minutes  later  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  can  be  heard    and  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  along  with  the  only  track  being  17  minutes  in  length  which  they  also  close  with  more  of  a  raw  black  metal  riff.

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

  Next  up  is  Sektarism  a  band  that  plays  a  very  ritualistic  form  of  funeral  doom  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  off  with  melodic  ritualistic  chanting  and  drum  beats  before  adding  in  more  of  a  heavy  and  dark  funeral  doom  metal  sound  while  also  keeping  around  the  chants  while  also  adding  in  more  of  an  understandable  approach  to  growling  and  screaming  vocals  that  also  have  somewhat  of  a  black  metal  feeling  to  them  as  well  as some  spoken  word  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  song  is  over  20  minutes  along  with  occult  style  lyrics.

  In  my  opinion  Sktarism  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  ritualistic  music  and  funeral  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fan s of  black  metal,  funeral  doom  and  ritualistic  music.  8  out  of  10.  

SEKTARISM FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/sektarism
SEKTARISM BANDCAMP: http://sektarism.bandcamp.com/
SEKTARISM WEBSITE: http://www.sektarism.org/
DARVULIA FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Darvulia?fref=ts

Grue/Word Of Unmaking Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the musical projects for those that have never heard of them?
Grue is a two-person black metal band that’s been slowly getting off the ground over the past year, and Word of Unmaking is a funeral doom studio project that I recorded while living in a barely-heated farmhouse the winter before last.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of both of the projects and how they differ from each other?
The back stories behind them are pretty different. The Word of Unmaking track on this split was recorded in bits and pieces over a period of several months, so I spent a lot of time adding and fine-tuning parts before burying them all in the mix. I was trying to make it not sound like “a band” (that you could visualize standing side by side with instruments in their hands), and more like a disembodied piece of music, if that makes sense. On the other hand, although I wrote all the Grue songs, the drummer and I arranged them together so the end result sounds much more band-like, to me at least: you’ve got your drum kit, you’ve got your loud guitar-thing, andyou’ve got a voice on top of it all.

3.  What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects that you explore with the music?
Both bands kind of converge in terms of lyrics, in that so far they’re all coming from a place of feeling disillusioned with a
human-dominated planet, and pessimistic about its future. Not really in the sense of being a “nature person” - I’ve lived in cities for most of my life and don’t own hiking boots - but more in the sense of feeling that a lot of human endeavor comes at a huge cost when you look behind the curtain. No matter how far we “progress” or how smart we think we’ve become, horror and futility are never far behind.

4. What are the meanings and inspirations between the names of Grue and Word of Unmaking?
“Grue” is a word that H.P. Lovecraft used in some of his letters to describe things that creepy or supernatural - I assume it came from "gruesome.” It’s also a creature in a Jack Vance book. “Word of Unmaking” was inspired by “The Word of Unbinding,” which is the title of an early Ursula Le Guin story.

5. Currently both of the projects are solo, are you planning on creating a line up for any of the musical projects in the future?
I unsuccessfully tried to put together a live lineup for Word of Unmaking years ago, before this recording. Some great people were willing to give it a shot with me, but it wasn’t really a great format for writing and arranging this kind of music. I wouldn’t rule out doing the odd one-off live show, though...

Grue, on the other hand, has played a few live shows already and was always meant to be a live band. It’s been slowing down a bit this fall but we’ve got a new drummer and are writing new songs again; hopefully we’ll be playing out again by the time winter is underway.

6. Currently you are unsigned are you looking for a label and if so, what kind of label do you feel that would be a perfect fit for your music?
In every other band I’ve been in that put out records, there was always another member with more visual art and design experience, so this demo might be the first time I’ve personally tried to convey anything through the visual presentation of the record. I know I’ve got a lot to learn in that area, so I guess it’d be cool to work with people who were also into that?

7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your musical projects by fans of black metal and funeral doom?
So far I’ve gotten a few orders from Europe, which has been great.
Locally we’ve been lucky enough to play some awesome shows with bands like Nachzehrer, Obsidian Tongue, Hekseri - Eastern Massachusetts is a great place for metal these days.

8. What direction do you see the music heading ito on future releases?
For Word of Unmaking, I’ve been thinking about doing the next recording with an actual drummer - layering everything on top of a live bass+drums rhythm track instead of doing it all myself. For Grue, I’m excited to start writing new songs again and eventually play some more shows.

9. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
In terms of doom, I’ve been pretty picky about recent bands because I’m not usually that into the “stoner metal” and “sludge” ends of the spectrum, which means I feel pretty out of touch with what “doom”seems to mean to a lot of people in 2012. The bands that have influenced me the most in that area have been ones whose music was heavy in a way that sounded otherworldly and non-human, rather than heavy in a “dudes rocking out with guitars” way - bands like
Skepticism, Wormphlegm, Stabat Mater, Mournful Congregation, earlyAhab, Disembowelment, Catacombs.

As far as black metal goes, there’s a lot more coming out that I like these days. In the past few years I’ve been really into Mgla, Nazxul, Inquisition, Angantyr, Portal, Sargeist, Arckanum, Deathspell Omega. Locally bands like Torture Chain, Obsidian Tongue, and Nachzehrer haveput out some great records and tapes. In terms of more general influences early Emperor will always be huge for me, as well as the Quebecquois metal scene from Voivod to Gris to Forteresse.

Outside of metal, I also listen to a lot of North American, Canadian, Scotch/Irish, and Breton folk music. It doesn’t necessarily have adirect “influence” every time I pick up a guitar, but it’s always in the background for me.

10. How would you describe your views on Occultism?
I wouldn’t say I was a “believer” in the sense of literally believing in supernatural influences or revelations, but do feel a strong affinity for art and folk traditions that attempt to deal with the non-rational or Dionysian aspects of human existence. For me, musican be a big part of that but I know people for whom things like painting or chaos magic fill a similar need.

11.  Outside of music what are some of your interests?
Lately I’ve been really into older fantasy writers, like Lord Dunsany, William Morris, E.R. Eddison, and obviously Lovecraft. I think that they were much better at capturing the primal weirdness of the world as they saw it, compared to later fantasy writers who were fundamentally predictable and orderly, no matter how “weird” they tried to be. I’ll always love Tolkien, but fantasy literature took a huge turn for the worse in his wake.

12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Nope. Sorry this has taken me so long to finish.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Grue/3540349889
https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Word_of_Unmaking/3540350079

Grue/Word Of Unmaking/Lo, The Curse Of The World Cometh/2012 Split Cassette Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  self  released  cassette  between  Boston,  Ma's  Grue  and  Word  Of  Unmaking  which  was  released  in  2012  and  we  will  start  of  the  review  with  Grue  a  band  that  plays  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  form  of  occult  black  metal.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  black  metal  riffs  that  are  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sounding  that  utilize  some  old  school  and  modern  day  elements  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  their  side  of  the  recording,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  which  are  only  utilized  briefly  they  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  enhance  the  darkness  that  is  coming  out  of  the  music.

  Vocals  are  all  high  pitched  hateful  black  metal  screams,  while  the  lyrics  cover  Dark,  Left  Hand  Path and  Occult  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  with  the  songs  not  being  too  short  or  long  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Grue  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark,  raw  and  primitive  occult  black  metal  band  with  the  best  music  on  this  split  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ascending  The  Necrolith"  and  "Across  Black  Seas  Of  Infinity".  RECOMMENDED.

  Next  up  is  Word  Of  Unmaking  a  band  that  is  a  side  project  of  one  of  the  members  of  Grue  with  a  musical  style  that  I  would  describe  as  being  funeral  doom  metal.

  Drums  are  all  slow beats  with  no  fast  playing  or  blast  beats  being  present  on  their  side  of  the  recording,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  are  all  slow  funeral  doom/metal  riffs  that  are  very  depressive  with  a  good  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  being  thrown  into  the  riffing  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  that  gives  the  music  an   ambient  sound  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  their  side  of  the  recording.

  Vocals  are  all  deep  funeral  doom/death  metal  growls,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it  with  their  only  song  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

   In  my  opinion  while  this  is  something  you  dont  see  regular  in  this  zine  I  still  feel  that  Word  Of  Unmaking  are  a  very  great  sounding  funeral  doom  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED.

  In  conclusion  this  is  a  really  great  split  and  I  would  recommend  this  to  all  fans  of  occult  black  metal  and  funeral  doom  metal.  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

grue.bandcamp.com

wordofunmaking.bandcamp.com