Friday, July 2, 2010

Maax/Six Pack Witchcraft/Abyss Records 2010 CD Review


  Maax are a band from Indiana that has been reviewed previously that started out as straight forward black metal but has evolved into a black/thrash metal band with this e.p and this is a review of their release "Six Pack Witchcraft" which was released by Abyss Records during the year of 2010.

Drums are mostly fast with some blast beats being thrown in at times, while the bass  playing has the classic thrash meets NWOBHM feel with somewhat of a hardcore punk attitude.

Rhythm guitars are mostly first wave of black metal mixed in with thrash style riffing, while the lead guitars are primitive 80's extreme metal guitar type of solos.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some thrash style gang back up vocals, while the lyrics cover drinking, Luciferian, and some hateful themes with a party attitude, as for the production it is very raw and primal and it gives the music the black metal edge even though this release is more black 'n' roll.

In my opinion this is a little bit better than the last album and I feel this style fits them a lot better, hardcore black metal fans might be disappointed, but fans of beer drinking black/thrash should enjoy this e.p. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Go Fuck Yourself" and "Six Pack Witchcraft". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Maax/Dawnbringer/Abyss Records/2009 CD Review


  Maax are a band from Indianapolis and Munice,Indiana and on this album they played a more raw form of black metal with satanic overtones and this is a review of their 2009 album "Dawnbringer" which was released by Abyss Records.

Drums are mostly slow to mid paced playing with some fast drumming and brutal blast beats, while the bass playing has a very heavy sound at times and there is a good mixture of slow and fast riffs being used.

Rhythm guitars are a mixture of slow and mid paced black metal riffs that have a depressive feel at times with some fast riffing and there is also a good amount of thrash influences being utilized, while the lead guitars are primitive guitar solos in the true black metal fashion mixed in with some darker thrash influences and on one song there is some classical guitars being used that have a very melodic feel to them.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams, while the lyrics touch on Satanism, Luciferian and other dark topics, as for the production it is very primitive and raw sounding.

In my opinion while Maax is probably not the most original or even one of the best black metal bands that I have heard, there are still a worthy band and this is worth a listen and adding to your collection if you are a black metal fan. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUD "Dawnbringer" "Veered In Impurity" and "Purge Of Depravity Luciferi Rex". RECOMMENDED  BUY,

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Thursday, July 1, 2010

Hordes Of Nebulah/And Blasphemous Night Shall Fall/2008 CD Review



  Hordes Of Nebulah are a band from Crawfordsville, Indiana that has been around since 1999 that plays a very raw form of black metal and this is a review of their compilation album which was recorded between 2002 and 05 known as "And Blasphemous Night Shall Fall" which was released by Abyss Records during the year of 2008.

Drums are very fast and brutal with a lot of evil sounding blast beats, while the bass plying which is low in the mixing sounds very dark with the riffs following the guitars and on some of the songs there are some ambient style effects thrown in that gives the music a depressing feel that also adds a little bit of an avant garde sounding piano.

Rhythm guitars are mostly fast and primal black metal rhythms in the riffing with a good amount of mid paced playing mixed in with some distorted reverb effects and a small amount of a death metal influence, while the lead guitars when they are rarely utilized are fast and raw black metal guitar solos that only appear briefly.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams with some deep growls thrown in on ocassion that bring a death metal feel to the music and on one of the songs there is some female vocals being utilized that are very dark dark and esoteric, while the lyrics cover misanthropy, war and nihilism with a true hatred for the Nazarene and some of the infernal names being called upon in true left hand path tradition, as for the production it is dark and raw in the true black metal fashion.

In my opinion Hordes Of Nebulah are a very good US black metal band, and this cd proves that even in the early 200's there was some great quality black metal coming out of this country, if you are a fan of true primitive black metal you should add this album to your collection.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Black Canonization" "Moontide" "When The Sun Was Bled Of It's Light" and "Reign Of Impiety". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Hat/The Demise Of Mankind/Abyss Records/2009 CD Review


  Hat are a band from Norway that plays primitive and hateful black metal and this is a review of their 2009 album "The Demise Of Mankind" which was released by Abyss Records.

Drums cover some variety with some slow to mid paced drumming mixed in with a lot of fast playing and brutal blast beats, while the bass playing is mixed down low in the mix and seems to follow the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars mix a lot of different styles of black metal together with the slower riffs having an early 90's depressing feel while the fast riffing is all primitive and dark as well as morbid in the classic Norwegian way with some mid paced riffing that almost has a thrash feel to it but is for the most part pure black metal, and there is little to no guitar leads present on this album except for the occasional effects.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams, while the lyrics are written in a mixture of English and Norwegian with anti Christianity and Anti Life themes, as for the production it is very dark and raw sounding the way true Norwegian black metal should sound.

In my opinion Hat are a very good black metal band and this is probably the most primal black metal that I have heard coming out for years and the evil music makes me want to slaughter Xians in the Norwegian Woods, if you are a true fan of real black metal you should add this album to your collection. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Eternal Damnation Of The Soul" "Dyrets Fremmarsj" "Skydom" and "The Demise Of Mankind". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Christ Beheaded/Open The Gates Of Hell/Abyss Records/2008 CD Review


 Christ Beheaded are a band from Indianapolis, Indiana that haves some members from some well known Midwestern bands and this is a review of their 2008 e.p "Open The Gates Of Hell" which was released by Abyss Records.

Drums are very fast with a lot of brutal blast beats mixed in with some slow to mid paced drumming, while the bass playing is all rhythm bass with fast riffs that follow the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are mostly fast black metal riffs with some mid paced and slower heavy parts that have a blackened death metal feel and a small amount of evil sounding melodies on the last song, while the lead guitars when they are used are noisy and chaotic sounding black metal guitar solos.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams while the lyrics cover Anti Christianity, Satanism and death, as for the production it is very raw and primitive the way black metal should be.

In my opinion Christ Beheaded are a good black metal band and while this is not the most original sounding black metal that I have heard Christ Beheaded still put out quality Satanic metal and this is a band that I would like to see in concert, if you are a fan of true satanic black metal you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Open The Gates Of Hell" and "The Cleansing Ritual". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Funereus Interview


1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

We are Funereus, we play funeral hexing black metal for the glory of the devil.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?

Our craft is old-school black metal, in the vein of early 90's black metal.

3. What is the meaning behind the band's name?

Funereus translates to Funeral in the ancient language.

4. How would you describe the lyrical content of the music?

Our lyrics are about worshiping the devil.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

The Gathering of shadows fests In Colorado, and Conjuring the dark II fest In Minneapolis, we channel the black energies thru our craft of black metal ritualistically profane the holy and rejoice in blasphemy is what describes a live Funereus ritual.

6. Are there any upcoming shows or tours coming up?

At this moment there is nothing scheduled.

7. How has your music been received so far by black metal fans worldwide?

The public has heard our music and have written numerous reviews on our demo and ep alike and most recent our split with Helsefyr (SWE), they describe our music as "Raw& Evil”, to us this tells us we are in the right path of Evil!

8. Out off all the releases that the band has put out so far which one are you the most satisfied with?

We are satisfied with all of our releases, but the most satisfying would have to be our first full length entitled "Profane Rite Of Morbid Glorification".

9. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music?

All I have to say is the early 90's wave of black metal.

10. How would you describe your views on Anti Christianity, Satanism and Occultism?

Christianity is for the enslavement of the weak, Satanism & occultism is that for the followers of the left hand path of Enlightenment.


11. Any final words or thoughts?

Funereus would like to thank Occult Black Metal Zine for the interview

Only Death Is Real!



-Sargatanaz
Anno MMX

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Saturday, June 19, 2010

Typhon Interview


1.Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?
1. We formed in 2006 in Wichita KS out of the ashes of a thrash metal band called RANCOR, the bassist and our current guitarist Zach Collins ended that, drafted myself on vocals and Nolan Weber on drums forming TYPHON, we released our demo in 2007 to fifty hand printed and numbered copies. It was re-released in 2009 by Nusantarajim Productions to 66 hand numbered copies, that sold out as well. Shortly after we released our Eternal Scorn EP to 50 copies as a way to put out something with better production before the time it would take to put together our full length. Currently we are working on our self-titled full length, and should be released in the fall.

2. What is the meaning behind the band's name?
2. Typhon, historically to the Greeks he was a giant who the Greeks feared most. For Zeus' act of imprisoning the titans Typhon rebelled against the gods and attempted to destroy him. He was also identified to the Egyptians as Set, the god of darkness. Thus, to us Typhon represents the rebellious nature of man, the decay of society, humanity, and morals, and ultimately the culmination of the Anti-culture of black metal.

3. How would you describe your musical sound?
3. We play very aggressive black metal with death metal undertones. We try to make our music influence people with violence, negativity, and curiosity.

4. What is it like being a brutal black.death metal band in the state of Kansas most of the bands that I have heard from that state are more commercial, and the only other black metal band that I can think of out there are Anwyl?
4. From the metal community here, we receive nothing a following and it's praise, but being we are in the heart of the bible belt, the following is nothing close to other states. In general we receive much resentment and criticism, most venues, with the exception of our brothers at The Oz Cafe, refuse to book us, or if so on a Monday or Tuesday, out of general fear of violence that ensues at our shows, rumors of National Socialist ties, or no support of extreme music. Anwyl are a major influence to us, we even had the founding member, Olc, on guitar for a while. However with most acts from Kansas, including CORPUS DELECTI, most of the members have degenerated themselves out of the scene. Today there is not much to mention in Kansas except for CHRIST HATE out of Lawrence, they are a breath of fresh, blistering air. SANCTUS INFERNUM from Wichita, they play very menacing doom metal. And of course the legendary MANILLA ROAD, but they have separated themselves from this desolate state. Most people here cling on to ORDER FROM CHAOS/ANGELCORPSE/ARES KINGDOM, although technically they are from Missouri.

5. How would you describe the lyrical content of the music?
5. I write themes of nihilistic reflection and judgment on the world we live in. Whether it is the praise of death, the criticism of weak minded morals, values, and religions, or rejection of our putrid society. I aim to make the listener question himself and this life, and hate what it stands for.

6. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
6. Playing with DEICIDE was amazing for us, along with CEREMONIAL CASTINGS, LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH, and MASTER. In Kansas it is rare to receive noteworthy bands to play with so we were honored to have performed with them.
Our live shows can only be described as violent and pure aggression, as this is what we try to bring to our audience, we try to hurt them any way we can with our music. Its rare to go to one of our shows in Wichita and not see fights, teeth, or blood stain the ground.

7. Do you have any touring plans for the future?
7. In the future we are hoping to do some midwest touring, hoping to go as far north as Chicago and play a few dates with our brothers in S.S.W.G., and we are planning each coast as well, but that is further in the future.

8. How has the feedback been to your music so far from black/death metal bands worldwide?
8. Very accepting and positive, while far and few.

9. How would you describe your musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?
9. Our music is always growing in the negative light the more we grow as musicians, we are all fairly young, none of us over 20, so only the future will tell.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and what are you listening to nowadays?
10. We have all been influenced by the early and modern USBM scenes; acts like JUDAS ISCARIOT, ABSU, DEMONIC CHRIST, PROFANATICA, VON, THY INFERNAL to even more recent acts like BLOOD STORM, ACHERONIAN DIRGE, SUMMON, KULT OV AZAZEL etc. outside the U.S. like REVENGE, ANTAEUS, INFERNAL WAR, as well from the Polish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Austrian and French scenes. Really any Black/Death/Thrash/Doom Metal that handles themselves with integrity.

11. Are there any side projects besides this band, or are the members of Typhon dedicated to this band only?
11. The members are all devoted to Typhon, as we dont just let anyone in because they have musical accomplishments, we seek a devotion to not only our cult, but comradery with each other and an allegiance to the ideology of black & death metal. Drew, our newest member is the founder of the death metal band GAROTED and Nolan drums in this as well.

12. What roles does Satanism or Occultism play in the music?
12. These things do not play any role in our music, except for some minor personal influences because their historical workings against Christianity, and more importantly society. However these are all works of fantasy, by the human ego to make us try and think we are all special, and we're all 'individuals', but the truth is that only death is real.

13. What are some of your interests outside of music?
13. I have recently began GOSPEL OF HATE PRODUCTIONS, as a way to further propagate the ideology of myself and Typhon, we are working to bring more true metal to Kansas, put together art and inlays for other bands, and further negativity and hate in music.

14, Any final words or thoughts?
14. Hails to those who respect us.
To redeem the world in peace
But the peace did not embrace men
The peace shall be strangled by our wrath
And our wrath shall redeem the earth

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