Messiah In The Abyss/Epigram of The Unjust/Death Prayer Records/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Messiah  In  The  Abyss  are  a  solo  project  from  Venezuela  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  misanthropic  form  of  black  metal  an  this  is  a  review  of  his  2023  album  "Epigram  Of  The  Unjust"  which  was  released  by  Death  Prayer  Records.

  A  dungeon  synth  orientated  instrumental  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  musical  direction.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  van  be  heard.

   When  tremolo  picking  is  added  into  the  faster  riffing  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  album  also  being  more  rooted  in  the  modern  era  mixed  in  with  some  old  school  aggression.

  Messiah  In  The  Abyss  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw  and  misanthropic  sounding.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  Nihilism,  Chaos  and  Misanthropy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Messiah  In  The  Abyss  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  misanthropic  black  metal  solo  artist  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  RACKS  INCLUDE  "For  The  One  Who  Forged"  "I'm  hate"  and  "Look  How  I  Kill  Your  Pride".  8 out  of  10.

https://deathprayerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/epigram-of-the-unjust

  

Wynter Myst/Bitter Hymns/Death Prayer Records/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Wynter  Myst  are  a  solo  project  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  atmospheric  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2023  album  "Bitter  Hymns"  which  was  released  by  Death  Prayer  Records.   

  A  very  fast  and  raw  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well a s  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  melody  and  the  music  is  heavily  rooted  in  the  old  school  era.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  when  synths  are  introduced  into  the  music  they  also  give  the  album  more  of  an  atmospheric  feeling.

  Wynter  Myst  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw  and  atmospheric  sounding.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  winter,  depression,  life  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Wynter  Myst  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  atmospheric  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Frostbitten  Ophidian  Veins"  and  "Under  The  Spell  Of  The  Waxing  Moon".  8 out  of  10.

  https://deathprayerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/bitter-hymns   

Autumn Nostalgie/Hænesy/Awakening Mechanon/Purity Through Fire/Northern Silence Productions/2023 Split Album Review

 

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Slovakia's  Autumn  Nostalgie  and  Hungary's  Hænesy    called  "Awakening  Mechanon"  which  will  be  released  in  June  as  a  joint  effort  between  Purity  Through  Fire  and  Northern  Silence  Productions  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Hænesy  who  return  with  their  atmospheric  style  of  black  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  the  sounds  of  bells  along  with  some  clean  playing  and  atmospheric  sounding  synths  a  few  seconds  later  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  direction.  You  can  also h ear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on t heir  side  of  the  recording.  

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal   screams  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  When t he  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  as  well  as  both  of the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  at  times.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Hænesy  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Through  The  Storm  of  Everlasting  Complaints".

  Next  up  is  Autumn  Nostalgie  who  return  with  their  atmospheric  style  of  post  black  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  melodic  post  metal  style  guitar  solos  and  leads  while  both  of  their  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  The  music  also  has  its  atmospheric  moments  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  which  also  gives  their  side  of  the  recording  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  on  both  tracks  and  the  closing  song  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  nature  sounds  and  spoken  word  parts.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  nostalgia,  death  and  subjective  idealism.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Autumn  Nostalgie  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  post  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRQACK  "Sarepta".

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  atmospheric  and  post  black  metal.  8  out  of  10.

  https://youtu.be/zUS2TAIKLac  

    

   

Teitan/In Oculus Abyss/Void Wanderer Productions/Onism Productions/Zwaertgevegt/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Teitan  are  a  solo  project  from  the  Netherlands  that  plays  a  psychotic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2023  album  "In  Oculus  Abyss"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Void  Wanderer,  Onism  Productions  and  Zwaertgevegt.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  clean  playing  can  also be  heard  at  times.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  hypnotic  and  psychedelic  touches  and  blast  beats  are  also  added  into  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.

  When  tremolo  picking  is  utilized  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Synths  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  clear  vocals  also  giving  the  music  more  of  an  avant  garde  feeling  when  they  are  utilized.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  one  of  the  tracks  also  being  an  instrumental,  drones  and  death  metal  growls  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  tracks  as  well  as  a  couple  of  songs  also  being  long  and  epic  in  length.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Dutch  and  cover  philosophy  and  Existentialism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  ATeitan  are  a  very  great  sounding  psychotic  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Menstrual  Blood  And  Pomegranate"  "Drowning  The  Knowledge"  "The  Die  Is  Cast"  and  "Purple  Void".  8 out  of  10.

  

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Alghol Interview

 

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the solo project since the recording of the new album?

 1. Since I finished recording "Night Eternal", I've basically just been focused on getting everything ready for the release. This is the first time I've done a proper release without working with a label, so there are a lot of moving parts. It's a bunch of fun though and I've got some good friends who know what they're doing that are helping me out. It's not going to be entirely self-released though. Black Occult is going to be doing the vinyl release again, but everything else will be self-released. I've also started writing for the album after "Night Eternal", but that is still in the very early stages.

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

2. I think the new album builds on what I've done previously. My goal with every release is to out-do the release before it and to continue progressing, and I think I pulled it off on this new album. The riffs are better, the synths are catchier, the production is a little bit cleaner. Overall, it just feels like a step up from my last album. 

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subject you explore with the newer music and also how would you describe your progress as a songwriter over the years?

3. "Night Eternal" is the sequel to my last album, "The Osseous Key". They're both technically "concept albums", but I don't really like that term. It feels a bit pretentious haha. But both albums are 100% story based, with the newer one continuing the story where "The Osseous Key" left off. "Night Eternal" is actually going to be part 2 of a trilogy of albums, with the 3rd album finishing this storyline. I've always been really inspired by King Diamond and Ghoul and the storytelling and world building that they do, and I try to emulate that in my own way. Over the years, I think I've just managed to kind of refine my process a bit. I never wrote short stories or anything like that, so all this is pretty new to me. There's still a lot I'm figuring out as far as songwriting goes from both a musical and lyrical standpoint, but I hope to improve a little bit with each release.

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

4. Algol is actually the name of a star, also known as "The Demon Star". I first came across the name in a Lovecraft story. I think it was "Beyond the Wall of Sleep". At the time I was looking for names for my project, and I thought that was a super cool band name. I did a quick google search and found a few other bands called "Algol" so I figured I'd toss a silent "h" in the middle and go on my way haha. But "Alghol" is absolutely a reference to The Demon Star, which is also a prominent character in the world I'm attempting to build, and the stories I'm attempting to tell haha.

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

5. So for all of my art needs, I work with my good friend Logan Hamilton who is just insanely talented and I think does an amazing job creating art that fits well together with the music. As far as I’m concerned, he is the visual aspect of Alghol and I plan on working with him exclusively going forward. For this piece, and for everything else we do, I typically send him all the music and lyrics, as well as any vague ideas I might have for the piece and just let him run with it. He’ll send me a few sketch ideas to choose from, and then build on the idea that I pick. We usually wind up having a few beers on FaceTime/Zoom and nailing down the finer details as well, but I don’t overly involve myself because his vision for a piece always winds up much better than anything I ever could have thought of haha. With the cover art for “Night Eternal”, he really went above and beyond, creating a piece that I think compliments the music and themes of the album perfectly. I really couldn’t be more pleased with the final product.

6.With this project you record everything by yourself, do you have any experience playing with musicians in other bands or projects?

6. Not really. I had some friends I used to jam with back in high school, but we never took it very seriously. I'm also a control freak when it comes to the music I write. In a band setting, I think I would either need to have complete and total creative control, or just be a hired gun, there to help bring someone else's vision to life. I think a lot of cool stuff can come from musical collaboration, but for this project, I like doing everything myself.

7.In 20220 you where a part of a split with 'Panzerwar', what are your thoughts on the other project that had participated on the recording?

7. Panzerwar was great. We had a blast putting that split together, and everything just came together very naturally. But he kind of dropped off the face of the earth a couple years back and I haven’t heard from him since.

8.You have worked with 'Geistrum Records' and 'Black Occult' on the physical versions of your previous full length, are you open to working with any other label again in the future?

8. Yeah absolutely. I love working with those guys and they're both good friends of mine. Like I mentioned earlier, Black Occult will be releasing the vinyl version of “Night Eternal”, and my buddy Adam, who runs Geistraum, is actually helping me get the tapes and CDs made up. I would definitely be open to working with other labels in the future, but it all depends on the label and what they can bring to the table. In the meantime though, I figure if I can do something myself, I might as well.

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

9. I’m not entirely sure to be honest haha. I’ve definitely made a lot of friends from all over the world through this music and the Black Metal “scene” on instagram. In the grand scheme of things though, this project is tiny so its kind of hard to gauge something like that. It seems like most of the reactions to my stuff has been positive, but I’m sure theres also people out there who think it sucks haha.

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

10. I’m just planning on continuing to make the music I want to make, and hopefully continuing to improve along the way. I don’t really have any sort of goals set in stone. I just do this because I love it and will continue to do so as long as that love is still there. 

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that you are currently listening to nowadays?

11. I’ve been listening to a ton of Reggae lately. Especially the classic stuff that came out of Studio One in the 60s and 70s. I’ve also been really into this Finnish thrash band Stone, which was the band Roope Latvala was in before he joined Children of Bodom. It’s just fucking great beer drinking music. And speaking of great beer drinking music, I pretty much always have some Motorhead and King Diamond in the rotation as well. I like Power Metal stuff too. Sacred Outcry just put out an insane album. I tend to listen to more Black Metal in the winter, but I’m pretty much always up for a bit of Dissection or Immortal. I try to keep an eye on the bandcamp Black Metal charts too to see what new stuff is coming out.

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

12. Man, I’m just happy to be here doing this interview! Thanks for the opportunity! As for final thoughts, I guess I just hope everyone who takes the time to check out the new album enjoys it as much as I do. Crack a cold one, sit back, and enjoy the ride! 

 https://linktr.ee/alghol

Wampyric Ghostlord/Relentless Cold Despair/2022 Demo Review

 

  Wampyric  Ghostlord  are  a  solo  project  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  raw,  misanthropic,  old  school  and  vampyric  form  of  black  metal  with  elements  of  dark  ambient and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2022  demo  "Relentless  Cold  Despair".

  Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  demo  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  a  few  seconds  later  before  introducing  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  onto  the  recording.  A  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  and  the  songs  also  mix  in  a  lot  of  old  school  influences.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  Elements  of  dark  ambient  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  the  ep  closes  with  a  dungeon  synth  style  instrumental.

  Wampyric  Ghostlord  plays  a  very  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  misanthropic,  old  school,  raw  and  vampyric  sounding  as  well a s  adding  in dark  ambient  soundscapes  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  vampirism,  darkness,  misanthropy,  hate,  despair  and  melancholy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Wampyric  Chostlord  are  a  very  great  sounding  misanthropic,  old  school,  raw  and  vampyric  black  metal  solo  project  with  elements  of  dark  ambient  and  dungeon  synth  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  demo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Will  Of  The  Night's  Emperors"  and  "Wallachian  Apparitions".  8  out  of  10.

https://wampyricghostlord.bandcamp.com/album/relentless-cold-despair?from=hp              

Raakimus/Tuskien taival/2023 EP Review

 

  Raakimus  are  a  duo  from  Finland  that  plays  a  very  experimental  and  old  school  mixture  of  black  metal  and  dungeon  synth  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2023  ep  "Tuskien  taival".

  Dungeon  synth  style  synths  start  off  the  ep  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast beats  can  be  heard.

  When  tremolo  picking  is  added  the  faster  riffing  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling  while  the  songs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  old  school  influences.  The  recording  also  has  its  experimental  moments  along  with  the  tracks  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts

  Deep  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  one  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Finnish  and  cover  Anti  Christianity,  Darkness  and  Folklore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Raakimus  are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental  and  old  school  mixture  of  black  metal  and  dungeon  synth  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tuskien  taival"  and  Syntyinen".  8/5  out  of  10.

  https://raakimus.bandcamp.com/album/tuskien-taival?from=hp