Mist Of Misery/Temple Of Stilled Voices/2015 EP Review

  Mist  Of  Misery  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays a  very  atmospheric and  depressive form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review of  their  self  released  2015  ep  "Temple  Of  Stilled  Voices".

  A  very  slow,  raw  and  depressive  black  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  grim  yet  high  pitched  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  some  atmospheric  sounds  in  the  background  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length and  the  solos  and  leads  that  are  utilized  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding.

  Synths  when  they  are  utilized  give  the  songs  more  of  a  symphonic  feeling  along  with  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  nature  sounds  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  are  utilized  and  as  the  ep  progresses  a  brief  use  of acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard.

  Mist  Of  Misery  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw,  melodic  and  depressive  and also  add  in  symphonic  elements  that  also  makes  there  music  stand  out  a  bit  more,  the  production  sounds very  raw  yet  heavy  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Mist  Of  Misery  are  a  very  great  sounding  depressive  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.   RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bleak  Autumn"  and  "Temple  Of  Stilled  Voices".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/MistofMisery?fref=ts

      

Human Bodies/Leather Chalice/Broken Limbs/2015 Split EP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  ep  between  Massachusetts's  Human  Bodies  and  New  Hampshire's  Leather  Chalice  which  will  be  released  on  September  22nd  by  Broken  Limbs  and  we will  start  off  the  review  with  Human  Bodies  a  band  that  has  been  featured  and  plays  a  raw  mixture  of  black  metal and  punk.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  reverb  and  a  powerful  sounding  bass guitar  before  adding  in  a  blackened  crust  punk  direction  and  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  melodies  or  d  beats  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  faster  sections  utilize a  lot  of  raw  aggression  and  blast  beats  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  remain  true  to  an  80's  style  of  metal  punk  and  both  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  mid  paced  and  fast  parts, the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  hateful  themes.

 In  my  opinion this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Human  Bodies  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  punk  influenced  black  metal,   you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Malice  Prepense".

  Next  up  is  Leather  Chalice  a  band  that  plays  a  raw  mixture  of  black  metal  and  post  punk.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  black  metal  screams  and  melodic  post  punk  solos  and  leads  and  the  riffs  have  a  great  amount  of  rawness  to  them  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  alternate  between  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  the  production  sounds  very  raw while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  from  Leather  Chalice  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  raw  black  metal  and  post  punk,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Last  Gifts  Of  Worship".

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  metal  and  punk,  you should  check  out  this  ep. 8  out  of 10.

HUMAN BODIES:
FACEBOOK
BANDCAMP

LEATHER CHALICE:
FACEBOOK
BANDCAMP

Alda/Passage/BindruneRecordings/Eisenwald/2015 CD Review

  Alda  are  a  band  from  Tacoma,  Washington  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  atmospheric  form  of  cascadian  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Passage"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  by  Bindrune  Recordings  and  Eisenwald.

  Nature  sounds  and  drones  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  post black  metal  direction  that  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  when the  music  slows  down  a  great  amount  of  melodies  can  be  heard  while  the  vocals  are  very  grim  yet  high  pitched  screams  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  All  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  very  melodic  while  some  of  the  slower  riffs  bring  elements  of  doom  metal  onto  the  recording  and  the  vocals  also bring  in  angry  shouts at  times  and  when  clean  playing  along  with  a  small  amount  of  classical  guitars  are  utilized  it  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  progressive  feeling  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  singing,  female  vocals  and  elements  of  folk  music  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  they  also  bring  in  an  instrumental  before  closing  the  recording  with  a  vocal  track  which  also  brings  in a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Alda  remain  true  to  the  cascadian  style  of  black  metal  that  was  established  on  previous  releases  while  also  getting  more  progressive  and  adding  in  more  elements of  folk  music  this time  around,  the  production  sound s very  raw  yet  powerful  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  nature  and  the  atavistic  reclamation  of  the  world.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Alda  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Animis"  and  "Weathering".  8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp

Facebook

Official website

Spotify

 

      

  

 

When Bitter Spring Sleeps/Spirit In Flames/Pagan Flames Productions/2015 EP Review

      When  Bitter Spring  Sleeps  are  a  solo  project  from  Iowa  that  plays  an  raw,  melodic  and  atmospheric  form  of  pagan  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2015  "Spirit  In  Flames"  which  will  be  released  on  September  15th  by  Pagan  Flames  Productions.

  Nature  sounds  start  off  the  ep  and  after  a  few  seconds  the  music  starts  going  for  a  very  raw  and  atmospheric  black  metal  style  along  with  some  riffs  and  leads  that  are  also  very  melodic  and  the  clean  singing  vocals  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  pagan  atmosphere  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  you  can  also  hear  clean  playing  being  used  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  are  utilized  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to them  and  the  solos  also  bring  in  the  melodies  of  traditional  metal  at  times  and  as  the  recording  progresses  elements  of  ambient  and  synths  are  brought  into  some  of  the  tracks  along  with  a  small  amount  of  chants  and  tribal style  drumming  that  also  gives  the  music  a  shamanistic  feeling.

  When Bitter  Spring  Sleeps  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw  and  melodic  while  also  avoiding  any  screams  and  growls  to  use  more  of  a  clean  singing  pagan  style  which  also  gives  his  music  more  of  and  original  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  Nature,  Paganism  and  Ritualistic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  When  Bitter  Spring  Sleeps  are  a  very  great  sounding  pagan/black  metal  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Witch  Of  November"  and  "Spirit  In  Flames".  8  out  of  10.

"Raven In The Ribcage" (Promo Video): www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXS_W1g5j58

Black Bleeding/A Bright Future/Nihilistic Holocaust/2015 Cassette Review

  Black  Bleeding  are  a  band  from  Belgium  that  plays  a  very  fast  and  aggressive  form  of  black  metal  with  a  touch  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their 2014  album  "A  Bright Future"  which  was  re-issued  on  cassette  by  Nuclear  Holocaust.

  A  very  heavy,  raw  and  old  school  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  fast  black  metal  direction  that  utilizes  both  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  blast  beats  as  well  as  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  grim  screams  and  death  metal  growls  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

 When  solos  and  leads  are  used  they  remain  true  to  a  90's  style  of  black/death  metal  and  some  of  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  touch  of  traditional  metal  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  there  are  also  some  tracks  that  have  a  live  feeling  to  them   along  with a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  while  a  couple  of  later  songs  also  brings  in  a  few  seconds  of  melodic  chanting  and  singing while  the  main  focus  remains  more on  a  black/death  metal style.

  Black  Bleeding  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  style  while  also  being  very  melodic  and  also  bringing  in  elements  of  death  metal  at  the  same  time,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  stay  away  from  the  usual  black  metal  topics  and  focus  more  on  real  life  and  humorous  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Black  Bleeding  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Curse  Of  Self  Respect"  "Older,  Fatter,  Balder"  and  "Can  Food  And  Weapons".  8  out  of  10.      

https://youtu.be/hUe_UGthP2Q

 

Mord 'A'Stigmata/Our Hearts Slow Down/Pagan Records/2015 EP Review

  Mord  'A'  Stigmata  are  a   band  from  Poland  that  has  been  featured  before in  this  zine  and  plays  an  avant  garde  form  of  post  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "Our  Hearts  Slow  Down"   which  will  be  released  September  25th  by  Pagan  Records.

  Drum  beats  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  melodic  riffing  and  after  a  few  seconds  grim  black  metal  screams  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  some  of  the  riffs  bring  in  elements  of  doom,  post  rock  and  shoegaze  and  when  the  music  speeds  up a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  are  utilized  along  with  some  angry  vocals.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have   a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the songs  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy parts  which  also gives  the  recording  more  of  a  progressive  feeling  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  there  are  also  parts  that  go  into  more  of  a  raw  style  of  black  metal  and  there  was  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Mord  A'  Stigmata  continue  their  avant  garde  approach  to  post  black  metal  while  also  keeping  the  raw  and  progressive  elements,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  negativity,  esoteric's,  misanthropy  and  spirituality  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Mord  'A'  Stigmata  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Those  Above".  8  out  of  10.   

Facebook
Bandcamp

ProFanatism Interview

 1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Hidden: We have know each other almost 25 years. Between 1989 and 1995 we were involved with a few  local bands. over the years we have been active in the underground in many different ways.So it was a good reason to get back to playing after more then 20 years.When Baron grabbed his guitar,send to me a few riffs,it felt like the right time to attack from the music band side.And in the initiative of Baron,ProFanatism was formed in 2012.

2. Recently you have released a promo, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the demo you had released in 2014?

hidden:  Difference is large. from the arangement and composition as well as thesound. "Painful Incarnations"was recorded in Metal Sound Studio with a professional sound engineer. He made a very good job, but the final mix was not how we expected.The exeption  is "Catharsis (Lighstealer)", which was mixed by our friend Slawek.Even if was very raw and primitive sound,it was a kind of right direction.The sound of 
"My Kingdom Come" we created ourselves, as well as the larger part of  mix.The final mastering is made by Marek Krupa from Media Sound Studio.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

Hidden; Themes of lirycs does not comes out of black metal and will not be. There will always be a place for the cosmic Chaos, infinite black and Satan.From one side ,lryics are simple antihuman and anti-religious like "Breaking Anel Wings" from the demo or "Ether Of Hades". The others are full of metaphors and effects of a vision and look into myself, as a  journey in the dark side of my soul, for example; "I Cold" "Dark Essence" and "My Kingdom Come".

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

Hidden:  .ProFanatism is playing with words "profanation" and "fanatism". This game with words describes our music and our personality.Baron has  good imaginatio and suggested the name.

5. Currently there are only 2 members in the band are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you chose to remain a duo?

Hidden: Like i have told before,the history of Baron and me runs many years back in time.And the knowledge,understanding and communication has matured between us over the years.We have shared a musical journey,and ProFanatism has become a result of this.Therefore we dont see any other person joining our project as a member,but we plan to use a session drummer  in the future.


6. One member lives in Poland while another one lives in Norway, do you feel the isolation from each other makes the music sound more darker?

Hidden: . I can explain about  technical challenges,as well as communication by phone and @,to make good results can take more time then sitting in the same room together.But to visit Norway is a great inspiration itself,beauty and the great number of black metal bands.

Baron: No,the isolation doesnt make music darker,if music has a dark atmosphere its comes from inside not from outside.

7. The demo was released on Dark Omens Productions, while the promo is self released, are you open to working with another label again in the future?
Yes we are.Mostly we play for ourselves and by coincidence Dark Omens Production  contacted us,after listening our songs on youtube.So "Painful Incarnations"wasreleased by Dark Omens Production,the promo 2015 we realized ourselves to search the  new label

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

Hidden:.The opinions of the people, who got to know our music were and are positive. Let us remember that we are a young bandonly with demo and promo.We are sure this will change.

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

Hidden: That's true we have also solo side projects. Baron has  death metal project Elegis, and i have a black metal project Wolfsgott. Im almost finish a few tracks.I hope to record during autumn and release before the end of the year. Baron also has a plans with Elegis.

Baron: Elegis is death metal projet, but I am not focus only on a typical death metal, dark and monumental sounds plays the main role,i will  start to work with a new album "Superhuman Syndrome",and hope to release at 2016.

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

Hidden: We will continue making and to stay in the black metal style.The ways are different. Just spin our hell. Time will tell how painful will be the moments spent in it.

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?

Hidden: I listen to mostly black and death metal. Mostly underground, there is still a lot of fire into music,and honest and surprisely  playing. Of course, I do not forget about the classics, on which I grew up. Recently in my player is a new record of norwegian band Hagl, Corpus Christii, Blaze of Perdition and Infernal War. about the influences in profanatism, there is nothing to hide, we are fascinated by the Norwegian black metal scene. Since it began. Will not to mention specific bands. It is all about atmosphere and style.We are trying to do it in our own way,but  we're not focus strictly about originality. Other influences are more subconscious. Some people even  hear in two, three songs Death from their middle of periode. We love Death, but it was completely unintentional.Anyway, everyone has the right for comparing.

12. Does occultism play any role in your music?

More than half of my life I'm interested in the occultism,its general knowledge of spiritual dimension. However i dont connect myself with any school of occultism, I don't use a specific references or citations. Now the occultism has a personal dimension, developed through years of observation and conclusions. Thats exactly what Profanatism is.

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

Hidden: thanks for your support and interest! Check us on soundcloud, you tube and Facebook. Our first demo cd, you can still get in Dark Omens Production

Burn in hell.

Bandcamp

Facebook

SoundCloud