Monday, November 30, 2015

Absolutist/Traverse/Broken Limbs Recordings/2015 EP Review


  Absolutist  are  a  band  with  members  from  both  Scotland  and  Ireland  that  play  a  blackened  form  of  crust  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "Traverse"  which  was  released  by  broken  Limbs  Recordings.

  A  very  fast  and  melodic  crustcore  sound  starts  off  the  ep  before  adding  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  angry  vocals  and  after  awhile  black  metal  screams  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

 Elements  of  post  metal  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  in  the  bands  musical  style and  they  also  bring  in  one  track  that  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  that  also  adds  psychedelic  and  clean  playing  into  the  music  and  some  of  the  riffs  also  bring  in  traditional  hardcore  influences  at  times  along  with  a  few  bass  leads.

  Absolutist  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  post  rock,  black  metal  and  crust  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  style  of  their  own, the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  angry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Absolutist  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  crust  and  post  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Traverse".  8  out  of  10.

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Sunday, November 29, 2015

Nightfell/Darkness Evermore/20 Buck Spin/2015 CD Review


  Nightfell  are  a  band  from  Portland,  Oregon  that  originally  started  out  as  a  doom/death  metal  band  but  have  evolved  more  into  an  atmospheric black,  doom  and  death  metal  mixture  with  their  newer  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Darkness  Evermore"  which  was  released  by  20  Buck  Spin.

  Dark  sounding  clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  cello's  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  and  melodic  doom  metal  direction  and  also  adding  in  death  metal  growls  and  most  of  their  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  after  awhile  black  metal  screams  make  their  presence known  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  one  of  the  interludesalso  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very dark  and  melodic  and  the  music  also  mixes  the  clean  and  heavy  parts  together  at  times  and  the  interludes  make  the  songs  sound  more  atmospheric and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  ritualistic  chanting  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  while  the music  does speed  up  briefly  and  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats.

 On  this  recording  Nightfell  takes the  doom/death  metal  sound  of  previous  recordings  and  mixes  it  in  with  elements  of  atmospheric  black  metal  which  also  makes  the  music  evolve  a  bit more,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Nightfell  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "At  Last"  and  "Collapse".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.nightfell.bandcamp.com

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Expander/Laws Of Power/Caligari Records/2015 EP Review


  Expander  are  a  band  from  Austin,  Texas  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  thrash,  punk  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review of  their  2015  ep  "Laws  Of  Power"  which  was  released  by  Caligari  Records.

  A  very  distorted  blackened  thrash  sound starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  aggressive  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  elements  of  punk  and  hardcore  in  the  music  and  the  songs   are  very  heavily  rooted  in  the   80's  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  very  melodic  and  when  the  music speeds  up  you  can  hear  both  d  and  blast  beats.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  some  of  the  riffs  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  and  you  can  also  hear  a  touch  of  crust  and  death  metal  in  the  bands  musical  style.

  Expander  plays  a  very  heavy  and  aggressive  musical  style  that  mixes  black  metal,  thrash,  crust,  punk  and  hardcore  together,  the  production  sounds  very  heavy  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  futuristic  landscapes,  devices  of  control,  evolution,  and  intergalatic  warfare.

  In  my  opinion  Expander  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  thrash,  crust,  punk  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Slime  Beach"  and  "Laws  Of  Power".  8  out  of  10.

https://caligarirecords.bandcamp.com/album/laws-of-power

Ethir Anduin/I Magen Av Svart Kaos/Satanath Records/Dark East Productions/Wolfshade Records/2014 CD Review


  Ethir  Anduin  are  a  solo  project  from  Russia  that  plays  an  instrumental  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2014  album  "I  Magen  Av  Svart  Kaos"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Satanath  Records,  Dark  East  Productions,  and  Wolfshade  Productions.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  drum  beats  a  few  seconds  later  before  going  into  a  heavy  and  melodic  post  metal  direction  and  you  can  also  hear  elements  of  black  and  doom  metal  in  the  music  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  none  of  the  songs  use  any  vocals  or  lyrics.

  A  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long   and  epic  in  length  and  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  you  can  the  more  atmospheric  side of  black  metal  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  one  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  synths.

  Either  Anduin  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  a  modern  post  metal  sound  and  mixes  it  with  atmospheric  black  and  doom  metal  while  also  avoiding  any  vocals  or  lyrics  to  create  a  style  of  his  own  and  the  production  also  sounds  very  professional.

  In  my  opinion  Either  Anduin  are  a  very  great  sounding  instrumental  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  post  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Och  Ljuseet  och  Morket"  "Kall  Vinter"  and  "Boning  Song".  8  out  of  10.

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Monday, November 23, 2015

Sanctus Infernum/Other Gods/Satanath Records/Niberu Records/Thanatology Productions/214 CD Review


  Sanctus  Infernum  are  a  band  from  Kansas  that  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their 2014  album  "Other  Gods"  which  was  released  as a  joint  effort  between  "Satanath  Records,  Niberu  Records  and  Thanatology  Productions.

  A  heavy,  melodic  and  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls and  black  metal  screams  and  after  awhile  solos  and  leads  make  their  presence  on  the  recording  which  also  brings  in  elements  of  traditional  metal  and  violins  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  singing  can  be  heard  at  times  and  the  music  is  very  heavily rooted  in  the  early  to  90's  and  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  classical  guitars  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  direction.

   Sanctus  Infernum  plays  a  musical  style that  is  very  close  to  the  90's  style's  of  symphonic,  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  brings  back  a  very  retro  and  old  school,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Lovecraft,  fantasy  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sanctus  Infernum  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Opener  Of  The  Way"  "Nyarlathotep"  and  "Lord  Of  Fantasy".  8  out  of  10.

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Sektor/Alpha/Satanath Records/Rebirth The Metal Productions/2014 CD Review


  Sektor  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Alpha"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Satanath  Records  and  Rebirth  The  Metal  Productions.

  Dark  sound  effects  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  and  fast  blackened  death  metal  direction  that  uses  a  good  mixture  of  high  pitched  screams,  death  metal  growls  and  blast  beats  along  with  a  great  amount  of  thrash  influences  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing.

  At  times  some  of  the  riffs  get  technical  while  the  blast  beats  also  give  the  music  more  of  a  brutal  edge  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  an  early  90's  melodic  style  of   thrash  metal  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  touch  of  groove  metal  and  they  also  bring  in  a  brief  synth  interlude  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  on  the  following  songs  and  all  of the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Sektor  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  a  very  modern  style  of  thrash  and  mixes  it  in  with  black  and  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  angry  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sektor  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Iron  Cold" "A  Fire  Burns"  "Social  Predator"  and  "Ritual".  8  out  of  10.  

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Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Masacre/Brutal Aggre666ion/Xtreem Music/2014 CD Review


  Masacre  are  a  band  from  Columbia  that  has  been  around  since the  mid  80's  and  plays  a  very  barbaric  and  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Brutal  Aggre666ion"  which  was  released  by  Xtreem  Music.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  brutal  death  metal  sound  along  with  some  growling  vocals  and  blast  beats  start  off  the  album  bringing  in  a  classic  South  American  sound  and  morbid  sounding  melodies  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Black  metal  screams  and  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  solos  and  leads  add  more  of  an  early  90's  death  metal  style  to  the  music  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  both  South  and  North  American  influences  and  one  track  brings  in  a  few  seconds  of  melodic  chants while  another  track  also  brings  in  clean  playing  before returning  back  to  a  brutal  sound.

  Masacre  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  a  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  blasphemy  of  black  metal  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics are  written  in  a  mixture  of Spanish  and  English  and  cover  Satanism,  Death  and  Violence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Masacre  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Mutilated"  "War  In  Hell"  and  "Satanic  Peace  Agreement".  8  out  of  10.

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Visions Of The Night/Visions Of The Night Vs, ReMechanized/2016 CD Review


  Visions  Of  The  Night  are  a  band  from  Toronto,  Ontario,  Canada  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  album  "Visions Of The Night Vs, ReMechanized"  which  will  be  released  in  2016  and  is  an  industrial  remix  of  their  2013  album  "Guerrillas  Within  Their  Midst".

  A  very  underground  industrial  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  adding  in  machine  future  that  also  takes  their  music  into a  more  brutal  musical  direction  that  also  uses  a  great  mixture  of  both  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams while  the  faster  sections  use  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  they  mix  the  industrial  and  metal  parts  together.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  synths  also  add  in a   touch  of  ambient  and  the  music  also  sounds  very  militant  at  times  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  add  melody  onto  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  riffs  also  get  very  melodic  at  times  and  some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  samples  and  melodic  chants.

  Visions  Of  the  Night  take  their  blackened  death  metal  sound  and  mix  it  in  with  industrial  as  well  as  re-mixing  their  previous  album  to  create  a  recording  that  is  very  original  sounding, the  production sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  war  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Visions  Of  The  Night  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  death  and  industrial  metal,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "War  Is  Our  Religion"  "Assaulting  Fortress  Europe"  "Lost  In  The  Red  Snow"  and  "Guerrillas  Within  Their  Midst".  8  out  of  10.

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Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Iscarioth/I Am The Arm/Symbol Of Domination Records/Vacula Productions/2015 CD Review


  Iscarioth  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  an  experimental  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "I  Am  the  Arm"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Satanath  Records  and  Vacula  Productions.

  A  choir  starts  off  the  album  along  with some  elements  of  classical  music  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  blackened  death  metal  direction  along  with  growling  vocals  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  are  utilized  and  synths  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  songs.

  Melodies  are  brought  into  some  of  the  riffing  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  clean playing  and  spoken  words  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  tracks  of  black'n'roll  and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  along  with  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  briefly.

  Iscarioth   plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black and  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  avant  garde  and  experimental  music  to  create  an  original  style,  the  production sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover   dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Iscarioth   are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental   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  "Mountain  Echo"  "The  Sail  Of  Mental  Sea"  "The  Domain  Of  Seven  Seas"  and  "Long  Live  The  Emptiness".  8  out  of  10.  

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Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Gor Morgul/Heresy/Satanath Records/Death Portal Studio/2015 CD Review


  Gor  Morgul  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Heresy"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Satanath  Records  and  Death  Portal  Studio.

  A  very  fast,  heavy  and  brutal  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  morbid  sounding  blast  beats  before  adding  in  growling  vocals  and  the  songs also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musicla  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

 When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  remain  true  to  a  death  metal  style  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  influences  in  the  bands  musical  style  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  being  utilized  at  times  and  some  of  the  riffs  also  mix  in  technical  parts and  the  whole  album  remains  very  brutal  form  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording  with  no  soft  or  clean  parts  ever  utilized.

  Gor  Mogul  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  and  blasphemous  while  also  mixing  in  a  very  heavy  dose  of  black  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional while  the  lyrics  cover  blasphemous  and  anti  religion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Gor  Mogul  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Under  The  Light  Of  Darkness"  "Apostasy"  and  "Trinity  Of  Lies".  8  out  of  10.

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Necrocult/For Thine Is The Kingdom, And The Power, And The Glory/Satanath Records/Ira Militias Productions/2015 CD Review


  Necrocult  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "For  Thine  Is  The  Kingdom,  The  Power,  And  The  Glory"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Satanath Records  and  Ira Militias Productions.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  after  a  few  seconds  blast beats  and  powerful  bass  lines  start  becoming  a  very  huge  part  of t he  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  it  gets  more  brutal  along  with  some  growling  vocals  and  black  metal  screams  and  the  riffs  also  get  melodic  at  times.

 Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  some  riffs  also  bring  in  elements  of  thrash  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  songs  are  perfectly  balanced  between  both  black  and  death  metal  influences  creating  a  mixture  of  the  2  genres  and  all  of  the  songs  avoid  any  use  of  solos  and  leads  and  all  of the  songs  remain  very  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Necrocult  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  a  very  fast  style  of  death  metal  that  also  gets  very  technical  at  times  while  also  being  very  heavy  all  throughout  the  tracks,   the  production  sounds very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  and  Dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Necrocult  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Forbidden  Heaven"  and  "The  Godsend".  8  out  of  10.

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Sunday, November 8, 2015

Vingulmork Interview


1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

First of all, thanks for your interest in Vingulmork! We really appreciate the support! We are a Norwegian band, and we play aggressive blackened thrash with loads of energy. We love playing live shows, and we like to think that our concerts emit a sense of metal aggression combined with the feeling of togetherness you get at a great metal show! I guess you could say that Vingulmork is a result of many things. Martin and Simen, the guitarist and drummer, are brothers and we are all friends, going way back. We enjoy spending time together not just in rehearsals, but in the pub, drinking beer, listening to Slayer, basically all the great things that metal brothers do! What drives us as a collective is the love for metal, and there is a great sense of togetherness in the shared passion for writing, listening to and living metal. We try to take all the great stuff from both metal and life in general and put it into Vingulmork, and so far it's working out!


2.So far you have released an ep and have your first full length coming out in November, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings?

The first EP, which was self released, was kind of a demo which made it to a sort of CD release handed out on concerts and put out on the internet. It's quite rough, yet I think it has a bit of a "coldness" quality to it. It was a good starting point for us, and we were still trying to find our platform to stand on. I think you can hear the progression from the first EP to our full length debut "Chiaroscuro". We didn't really try to do anything differently, but as is the case with most bands, you progress your sound, your song writing, your lyrics and your live performance. I think Chiaroscuro is more accomplished in these regards. We tried to focus on what felt right to us, the authenticity if you will, and writing songs that encapsulates aggression and energy. We also like to stick some melodies into the mix, so there is plenty of that as well. If I was to describe the music on Chiaroscuro, I would call it blackened thrash that sometimes dives into both classic heavy and death metal!


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

The name of the album "Chiaroscuro" is a term that is used to describe contrasts between light and darkness, used to portray emotion and atmosphere in works of art. And that sums up the lyrical topics perfectly. The lyrics tell stories of human kind when faced with huge challenges. The adaptability, the frailty, the strength and weakness and the fact that life gives and takes, regardless of how you live it. There is anger and aggression in the lyrics, of course, and the rejection of all dogmatic limitations on how to go through life is a central theme. We put a lot of effort into the lyrics. While we have great respect for bands taking on religion and the naive dogma of religious rule, we wanted to do something different. It's not about what's expected from a band playing blackened thrash metal. It's about what we care about, and what we want to do!


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

First of all, we thought Vingulmork sounded great! It has a great tone when you say it out loud, plain and simple. Also, it says something about our heritage and background, as it is the old Norse name of the area of Norway where we come from.


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

Two shows come to mind. One of our earliest shows was at an outdoor festival in Norway, called Alenfestivalen. This festival is pretty weird, and the bands playing vary from hippie bands with tambourines and flutes, to black metal and death metal. The festival moves around from year to year, and the location is not really advertised anywhere. It's always in a forest somewhere, though, so the atmosphere is usually pretty great. Anyways, we played this festival a few years back, took the stage at midnight, and had such a great time. People were banging their heads, and we just got into a really good thing with everyone there. It was amazing. Also, we recently supported Enslaved for one concert on their recent Norwegian tour. That was awesome for us, since Enslaved, obviously, is one of the most legendary Norwegian metal bands. The show took place in my home town, so that was pretty special too. Lots of people came to the gig, and we had a great time. Our live shows are really energetic. There aren't really any breaks. We try to go out all guns blazing, and just kill it. We love playing live, and I think that shows! I think the most important factor for a successful concert is that you enjoy yourself, don't worry too much about anything and just immerse yourself in the experience.


6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

Yes indeed! We are playing a release concert on the date of release, November 13th, with label mates Arkentype. That will be a good night and of course a huge party. Also, we will do a release celebration on January 16th, in Oslo. We really wanted to play Oslo again, so we booked a small venue, invited all our friends, so that should be really epic. And then, in the end of February, we go to Russia for a ten date tour, together with a couple of other really cool extreme bands. After that, there will be a few gigs here and there, and hopefully some festivals, before we do another tour in the fall. We haven't booked this yet, but we are aiming for continental Europe and the United Kingdom. 


7.The new album is going to be released on Crime Records, can you tell us a little bit more about how you came in contact with this label?

Crime Records is from my area, so I had heard about them before we started working with them. Basically, I contacted them, told them a bit about Vingulmork, our plans and ambitions, and from there it just went really fast. We had the recording pretty much done, and Crime liked it. The guys in the label are really approachable, and they do a great job for us. We are very happy with them. I think the most important thing is that the label is run by metal fans. They are in it heart first, and that means everything!


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

So far it has been amazing. We are overwhelmed by the response we are getting. Lots of people have gotten in touch with us through social media, and the reviews of Chiaroscuro have so far been really, really good. Most importantly, when we play concerts, people are very excited about us, and there has been so much praise and good words after concerts. As I am sure you've understood, playing concerts really is our main thing that we love doing, and we pride ourselves in doing great shows for the people who pay money to come see us. Therefore, all the positive feedback to our music and concerts is really important to us!


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

It's hard to say, really. But we will definitely always be a hard hitting, energetic extreme metal band. You won't see us suddenly releasing a prog album, introduce a DJ on electronics or any such garbage. I hope that we will continue progressing, getting better and better, and keep churning out aggressive music that you can bang your head to!


10.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?

Influences come from all over the place, but obviously, all the great classic bands have been important for us. Personally, I have been a metal fan all my life, starting with Iron Maiden when I was just six or seven years old, and then moving on to thrash in the late 80's and early 90's. I discovered death metal in the 90's, and that is my main genre these days. Having made that journey has been important to me, as it means I have a quite wide taste in metal. Being Norwegian, black metal has made an impact on me as well, but I think the really good bands are few and far between to be honest. Lately, I've been listening to a lot of Blood Red Throne, Skeletonwitch and Inanimate Existence.


11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I play games. That's what I do when I'm not doing music.


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

Yeah! Thanks for reading this, it means a lot! Also, check out our facebook, and our videos on youtube. Our debut full length "Chiaroscuro" is out on November 13th on both CD and LP. Hope to see all of you on the road some day!

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Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Emperor Of Myself/Destined To Fail/2015 Full Length Review


  Greece's  Emperor  of  Myself  have  returned  with  a  new  album  that  continues  the  gothic  blackened  doom  metal  sound  of  previous  recordings  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  album  "Destined  To  Fail".

  A  very  dark,  melodic  and heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  up  to  very  depressive  gothic/doom  metal  direction  and  the  solos  and  leads  that  are  utilized  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  90's  influences.

 At  times  the  music  takes  the  melody  of  Greek  black  metal  of  twenty years  ago  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  United  Kingdom  doom/death  metal  sound  from  the  same  era  and  clean  playing  along  with  a  small  amount  of  atmospheric  sounds  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  songs  sticks  mostly  to  a  slow and  melodic  musical  style   while  the  music  does  speed  up  on  the  last  song  and  one  track  brings clean  singing  vocals.

  Emperor  Of  Myself  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  90's  influenced  gothic  blackened  doom  metal  sound  of  previous  recordings  as  well  as  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  sorrow,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Emperor  Of  Myself  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  metal,  goth  and  doom  metal,  you  should  enjoy  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Why  it  Burns  Inside"  "The  Pain  I  Hide"  "Pale  Face"  and  "My  Despair".  8  out  of  10.

https://emperorofmyself.bandcamp.com/album/built-in-distrust

       

Monday, November 2, 2015

Weeping Birth/The Crushed Harmony/Apathia Records/2015 CD Review


  Weeping  Birth  are  a  solo  project  from  Switzerland  that  plays  a  very  brutal  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of his  2015  album  "The  Crushed  Harmony"  which  was  rleeased  by  Apathia  Records.

 A  very  dark,  heavy  and  brutal  blackened  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  the  music  speeding  up  a  few  seconds  later  and  also  adding  in  blast beats  and  growling  vocals  and  high  pitched  screams  can  be  heard  at  times  and  the  solos  and  leads  that  are  utilized  are  very  melodic  and  technical  sounding.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of  the  riffs  also  bring  in  elements  of  modern  metal  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  melody  at  times  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  atmospheric  sounds  and  the  last  track  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing.

  Weeping  Birth  creates  a  blackened  death  metal  album  that  is  very  brutal  and  technical  at  the  same  times  while  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  modern  metal  to  create  a  style  of  his  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  hateful  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Weeping  Birth  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  death  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Atonality"  "Sunburnt"  "Life  in  A  Blood  Spasm"  and  "The  Crushed  Harmony".  8  out  of  10.

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