Friday, May 31, 2013

Erkryss/Dimenshed Ascension/2012 CD Review


  Erkryss  are  a  1  man  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  depressive  and  melodic  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2012  album  "Dimenshed  Ascension".

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  melodic  and  depressive  black  metal  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  along  with  some  clean  playing  that  brings  a  pagan/folk  feeling  to  the  album  as  well  as  some  influences  from  other  genres  of  metal  in  the  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  black  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads  that  have  a  post  black  metal  feeling  to  them  at  times,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  enhance  the  dark  atmosphere  of  the  album.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  with  some  spoken  word  parts  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  some  clean  singing  in  addition  there  is  a  brief  use  of  deep  death  metal  growls,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  dark  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording  where  you  can h ear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  album  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Erkryss  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  depressive  and  melodic  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Solitude  Amplitude"  "Kanaadian  Life  Code"  and  "Ascension".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

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Mare Cognitum/An Extraconscious Lucidity/Milam Records/2012 CD Review


  This  is  a  review  of  another  album  from  Mare  Cognitum  which  was  released  in  2012  continuing  their  melodic,  depressive  and  atmospheric  approach  to  black  metal  with  the  recording  being  called  "An  Extraconscious  Lucidity"  which  was  released  by  Milam  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  synths  bring  a  very  experimental,  avant  garde,  dark  and  atmospheric  sound  to  the recording,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow, mid  paced  to  fast  depressive  black  metal  riffs  that  utilize  some  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sounding  elements  as  well  as  some  melody  and  atmospheric  elements  in  the  riffing  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding  black  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  and  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  with  some  spoken  word  parts  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  heavy,  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Mare  Cognitum  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic,  atmospheric  and  depressive  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Pyre  Of  Ascendance"  and  "Pulses  In  Extraconsciious  Lucidity".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Mare Cognitum/The Sea Has Become Known/Milam Records/2011 CD Review


  Mare  Cognitum  are  a  1  man   band  from  California  that  plays  a  very  atmospheric and  depressive  from  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011  album  "The  Sea  Has Become  Known"  which  was  released  by  Milam  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid paced  to  fast  drumming  some  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times,  while  the  synths  bring  a  very  dark  and  atmospheric  sound  to  the  recording,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  depressive  black  metal  riffs  that  use  some  raw  and  primitive  sounding  elements  as  well  as  some  dark  sounding  melodies  in  the  riffing  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  soft  and  clean  playing  along  with  some  thrash  influences  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  dark,  melodic,  and  atmospheric  sounding  black  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  all  grim  sounding  depressive  black  metal  screams,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  haunting  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it  with  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.  

  In  my  opinion  Mare  Cognitum  are  a  very  great  sounding  original,  atmospheric,  melodic  and  depressive  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Vain  Lament"  and  "The  Immortal  Plague".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Ashencult/Black Flame Gnosis/2012 CD Review


  Ashencult  are  a  band  from  Pennsylvania  that  plays  a  very  grim,  melodic,  raw  and  primitive  form  of  occult  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2012  album  "Black  Flame  Gnosis".

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very   strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  riffing.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to fast  black  metal  riffs  that  are very  dark,  melodic,  raw  and  primitive  sounding  with  a  good  amount  of  thrash  influences  being  thrown  into  the  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  black  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  enhance  the  dark  atmosphere  of  the  album.

  Vocals  range  from  grim  sounding  and  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  to  deep  death  metal  growls  and  grunts,  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  occult  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it  while  you  can  still  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  album  along  with  a  couple  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Ashencult  are  a  very  great  sounding  grim,  melodic,  raw  and  primitive  sounding  occult  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Glorious  Elegy"  "Plague  Revelation"  and  "The  Whore  And  The  Failure  Of  Light".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Servants Of Chaos/Debemur Morti Productions/2012 CD Compilation CD Review


  This  is  a  review  of  a  compilation  album  that  was  released  by  Debemur  Morti  Productions  in  2012  called  "Servants  Of  Chaos"  and  we  will  review  the  songs  one  by  one.

  Starting  off  the  compilation  is  Behexen  with  "We  Burn  With  Serpent  Fire"  a  very  heavy,  raw  and primitive  sounding  satanic  black  metal  song  that  uses  grim  sounding  vocals  and  melodic  riffing.

  Next  up  is  Porta  Nigra  with  "Megalomaniac"    a very  avant  garde  sounding  and  melodic  occult  black   metal  song  with  some  clean  singing  and  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  that h ave  a  depressive  tone  to  them  at  times  as  well  as  some  heavy  bass  riffs.

  Next  up  is  Setherial  with  "The  Neural  Cage  Of  Self  Infliction"  a  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  cold  style  Swedish  black  metal  with  some  dark  sounding  melodies  being  thrown  into  the  riffing.

  Next  up  is  Nunfuckritual  with  "Parthenogen"  a  very  long  and  epic  in  length  black  metal  song  that combines  old  school  elements  with  some  of  the  more  modern  elements  of  darker  black  metal  along  with  some  grim  and  evil  sounding  vocals.

  Next  up  is  Manetheren  with  "II"  a  very  long  and epic  in  length  atmospheric  black  metal  song  with  some  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  some  experimental  elements.

  Next  up  is  Slidhr  with  "Hex"  a  very  atmospheric  sounding  occult  black  metal  song  which  utilizes  some  Swedish  style  black  metal  elements  along  with  some  melodic  chanting.

  Next  up  is  October  Falls  with  "Bloodlines"  a  very  atmospheric  and  melodic  sounding  ambient  black  metal  song.

  Next  up is  Archgoat  with  "Penetrator  Of  The  Secong  Temple"  a  very  dark  and  heavy  bestial  black  death/metal  song  with  a  great  amount  of  raw  and  primitive  sounding  riffing.

  Next  up  is  Blut  Aus  Nord  with  "Epitome  II"  a  very  atmospheric  and  avant  garde  sounding  occult  black  metal  song.

  Next  up  is  Rex  Mundi  with  "The  Flesh  Begat"  a  very  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sounding  occult  black  metal  song  with  some  grim  sounding  screams.

  Next  up  is  Wallachia  with  "Dual  Nothingness"  a  very  atmospheric  sounding  black  metal  song  with  some  grim  sounding  screams  and  melodic  riffing  as  well  as  synths  which  bring  in  the  atmospheric  elements.

  Next  up  is  Infestus  with  "Down  Spiral  Derersonification"  a  very  long  and  epic  in  length  atmospheric  occult  black  metal  song  which  also utilizes  some  classical  guitars  towards  the  end.

  Closing  the  compilation  is  Monolithe"  a  very  long  and  epic  in  length  black  metal  song  which  also  utilizes  some  doom  metal  style  riffing,  deep  growl  and  atmospheric  riffing.

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  compilation  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  more  left  hand  path  orientated  black  metal,  you  should  add  this  album  to  your  collection.  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

https://dmp666.bandcamp.com/album/servants-of-chaos

Nontinuum Interview


1.Can you give us an update on what is going on the project these days?

- The project is currently inactive. This allows me to focus on other projects.

2. According to what I read I find that the project is disbanding and that you where concentrating on your other 2 projects, can you tell us a little bit more about it?

- That question more or less answers itself. Focusing on two other projects as that is what I feel like doing right now.

3. How would you describe the musical sound that was presented on the ep?

- Atmospheric, melodic, ambient, melancholic, depressive.

4. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the ep explored?

- Anxiety, love and the loss of, personal journey, growth.

5. On the ep, you worked solo, how would you compare that to working with a full band?

- Different. However, I wrote all the material so it was more or less a matter of teaching material to other musicians and then playing it together.

6. What where some of the best shows the project played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

- Gasometer Hotel with Encircling Sea and Islands.

7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback to the music by fans of black metal?

- I am unsure. Probably good and bad.

8. Currently you are working on 2 other projects, can you tell us a little bit more about them and how they differ from the music you worked on in the past?

- The first project is a heavy, atmospheric rock band. I guess I could compare it to Deftones, Isis, Meshuggah and Will Haven. It is very big riffs, clean and harsh vocals with creative drumming.

The other is a punky hardcore/grindcore band. Heavily influenced by the early work of Napalm Death, Terrorizer, Mindsnare and Captain Cleanoff.

9. Does Occultism play any role in the music?

- No, not at all.

10. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

- If anything does come from Nontinuum, it will probably be even less black metal and even more frowned upon by our local "black metal" peers.

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

- Rock, black metal, post rock, doom, sludge, hardcore, shoegaze.

12. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

- Drinking and socialising (surprisingly).

13.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

- Apologies for a lack of depth(s) in responses.

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Thursday, May 30, 2013

Vetus Obscurum/Blood Revelations/Debemur Morti Productions/2009 EP Review


  Vetus  Obscurum  are  a  band  from  Seattle,  Washington  that  plays  a  very grim  and  pathogenic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2009  ep  "Blood  Revelations"  which  was  released  by  Debemur  Morti  Productions.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  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  with  some  melody  and  atmospheric  parts  being  thrown  into  the  riffing  throughout  the  album,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  black  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  range  from  grim  sounding  and  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  to  deep  death  metal growls  along  with  a  brief  use  of  melodic  chanting  being  used  on  the  last  song,  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  anti  christian  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it  with  a  couple  of  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Vetus  Obscurum  are  a  very  great  sounding  grim  and  pathogenic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Omen  From  The  East"  and  "Blood  Revelations".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Vetus_Obscurum/3540293369

Way To End/Desecrated Internal Journey/Debemur Morti Productions/2009 CD Review


  Way  To  End  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  very  avant  garde  form  of  occult  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2009  album  "Desecrated  Internal  Journey"  which  was  released  by  Debemur  Morti  Productions.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  traditional  black  metal  riffs  that  use  a  great  amount  of  progressive,  avant  garde  elements  and  dark  sounding  melodies  in  the  riffing  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  primitive  parts,   while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  avant  garde  black  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as for  the  classical  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  use  finger  picking  to  add  more  avant  garde  and  experimental  qualities  to  the  music.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  with  some  deep  death  metal  growls  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  some  melodic  chanting,  while  the  lyrics  cover  Alchemy,  Occultism,  and  Magick,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  dark  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on this  recording  with  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.    

  In  my  opinion  Way  To  End  are  a  very  great  sounding  occult,  avant  garde  black  metal  band  and if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Step  Into  The  Void"  "The  Worm"  and  "The  Sore  Of  Creation".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Mormant De Snagov Interview


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

Mormânt De Snagov is a Finnish Black Metal band founded in 2008. We have released one full length album in 2010 and few smaller limited releases. Our second full length album will be released on June 30th 2013. The basic idea of Mormânt De Snagov is not to create unique music or ideology, but to perform such music and lyrics that comes out by itself in the writing process. 

2.How would you describe your musical sound?

You can find elements of traditional Scandinavian Black Metal in our music mixed with elements from death metal and other sub-genres as well. The second wave of Black Metal is very strong influence to myself, which is of course heard in our music, but you can also find surprising and uncommon riffs there. The first album was more traditional and the second one takes us to more atmospheric and experimental areas.

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

The lyrics deal with the issues mankind is facing. First of them is of course religion and the blindness it causes. People cannot see the obvious anymore, but instead tend to believe all kind of shit that is told to them, especially in religion, but also in politics. However Mormânt De Snagov is not a political band! The lyrics also deal with things that I read in the news. Death is also a fascinating thing to explore when writing lyrics. It's really interesting the way people handle it. Most people try to avoid talking about death and find excuses so they don't need to think about it. For example the belief of paradise and afterlife. It's all just nonsense that keeps people's hopes "high" and keeps their thoughts away from the truth that when you die, you simply don't exist anymore. Sometimes our lyrics are straight forward stuff about subjects mentioned. In some songs I have hidden the ideology behind a horror story and in other songs I might just keep it simple and concentrate to giving middle finger to all religions and their gods. 

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

The bands name refer to Dracula's grave. It's a very common subject in metal, but we decided to use Romanian language in the name to make it sound a bit more different. I have always been a big fan of horror books and movies, and when I came up with that name, it was clear to me that this is the right name for the band. 

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

We haven't played too many shows during our career. We love playing live though and we are willing to travel different places to play live just to spread the word and our ideology. So far our show has been an overall experience. We had corpse paints, blood, dead animals (pig heads, dead and dissected rats, etc...) a big upside down cross with a bible impaled to it and so on. In every show people in the crowd rip pages away from the bible and burn them. It's a very hateful and aggressive experience. Since then we have changed our outfit a little bit to match our current music. We have taken away the corpse paint and cleaned up the image bit. We haven't played any shows after this change so it will be a mystery what Mormânt De Snagov live show will be next time. I'm sure we will still have that cross and bible ready to be desecrated again. Come and see.

6. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

We have booked only one show next autumn in Finland, but we are about to book some more once we get the new album out. So no tour in plan at the moment, but we do not fear to hit the road if there is a demand for it.

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

It's been positive. I've seen only one negative crush review from our first album. The new album hasn't been reviewed yet in many places, but I have a feeling it might get good grades. Anyway the album is recorded and I'm proud of it so it really doesn't matter. Mormânt De Snagov will go on even if no one likes us. 

The thing is that the current state of underground Black Metal is very healthy, almost too healthy. That means there are thousands of bands out there and it's very difficult to stand out from the mass. Especially when we haven't done anything that hasn't already been done. Our mission is not to be different and make a big fuss about us. I see things like this: If you want to hear good BM with killer lyrics and dark ideology, then buy our album and come to see a concert. If you're not interested, then don't buy it and go see some other band.

8.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

We have three new songs completely ready and the direction is slightly more progressive than before. A bit longer songs and more complicated riffs. To keep the balance we have also written possibly our simplest song ever. We have no plans or blueprints of the future material. We keep doing things as we have done before: write stuff that sounds great to us.

9. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

When I first started this band I listened a lot to Secrets Of The Moon at that time. I had been listening to Black Metal for ages, but somehow their album Antithesis lit the spark in me to write Black Metal myself. Before Mormânt De Snagov I have played in several bands, but never written music or lyrics myself. It goes without saying that we sound very different than SotM, but you can pick hints from them here and there. So Secrets Of The Moon was the spark for Mormânt De Snagov but still the biggest overall influences are Emperor and Mayhem, although personally my all time favorite band is surprisingly Megadeth. In Mormânt De Snagov everyone listens to a bit different kind of music from death metal to progressive stuff. 

10.Does Occultism play any role in your music?

No. We concentrate only on mocking religions, waking people up and creating conversation. I do not believe in gods, spirits, ghosts on any other such things. For example to me Satan represents simply the common sense of mankind. A common sense that makes people ask questions and criticize what they are told. We use some Satanic symbols like inverted crosses and pentagrams. Those symbols represent the freedom of will to me. The freedom to criticize and to speak out loud whatever you want. That freedom is exactly what for example Christians fear the most. In other words, Satan!

11.Outside of music what are some of your interests/

This might be a bit surprising but I play golf an spend a lot time with my family. I also love cooking, especially when the end result is successful. I'm not a common visitor in local bars. I only get out to see interesting live shows and festivals. 

12.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

The new Mormânt De Snagov album "Derisive Philosophy" is out on June 30th 2013. I can't tell the details about distribution yet, but follow Mormânt De Snagov website / facebook and Pest Records website / facebook. If you find out that you don't like OUR dark art, then spend you money to some other bands records and t-shirts. The underground metal will never die, but it doesn't harm if you support it. Thanks!


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Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Helel/A Sigil Burnt Deep In The Flesh/Debemur Morti Productions/2009 EP Review


  Helel  are  a  band from  France  that  plays  a  very  raw  and primitive  form  of  industrial  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2009  ep  "A  Sigil  Burnt  Deep  In  The  Flesh"  which  was  released  by  Debemur  Morti  Productions.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  good  amount  of  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  keyboards,  programming  and  samples  bring  an  industrial  sound  to  the  recording,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  black  metal  riffs  that  are  very  dark,  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sounding,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  industrial/black  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  range  from  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  to  industrial  style  vocals,  while  the  lyrics  cover  occultism  and  mass  destruction  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful  and  heavy  sound  to  it  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length  and  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Helel  are  a  very  great  sounding heavy,  raw  and  primitive  industrial  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Sigil  Burnt  Deep  In  The  Flesh"  and  "Cosmos  Is  Out Of  Order".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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(V.E.G.A)Alienforest - A Sick Mind's Hologram/Debemur Morti Productions/2008 CD Re-Issue Review


  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  (V.E.G.A)  with  the  musical  style  being  a  hybrid  of  primitive  black  metal,  industrial  and  dark  ambient  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2000  album  "Alienforest  -  A  Sick  Mind's  Hologram"  which  was  re-issued  by  Debemur  Morti  Productions.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  used  at  times,  while  the  synths  and  programming  bring  elements  of  industrial,  dark  ambient,  avant  garde  and  experimental  to  the  recording,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  black  metal  riffs  that  are  very  dark  and  heavy  sounding  with  some  raw  and  primitive  elements,  melody  and  avant  garde  influences  being  thrown  into  the  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  dark,  distorted  and  melodic  sounding  black  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  with  some  spoken  word  parts  and  avant  garde  clean  singing  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  industrial  style  vocals,  while  the  lyrics  cover  drugs,  satanism  and  weird  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sound  with  a  couple  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length  and  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  this  is another  great  sounding  album  from  (V.E.G.A)  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  avant garde  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Kill  Me"  "Fish,  Smoke  And  Satan"  "Ocean  Woods"  and  "Alienforest".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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VI/De Praestigiis Daemonum/Goathorned Productions/2008 EP Review


  VI  are  a  duo  from  France  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  primitive  form  of  satanic  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2008  ep  "De  Praestigiis  Daemonum"  which  was  released  by  Goathorned  Productions.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars,  as  for  the  sound  effects  which  are  only  used  briefly  bring  a  very  dark  and  occult  sound  to  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  black  metal  riffs  that  are  very  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sounding  with  some  dark  sounding  melodies  being  thrown  into  the  riffing  at  times  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  are  mostly grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  along  with  a  brief  use  of  occult  and  Gregorian  chanting,  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  French  and  cover  Satanism  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it  with  the  last  song  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  VI  are  a  very  great  sounding  heavy,  dark,  raw  and  primitive  satanic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Et  maintenant  je  lui  appartiens"  and  "Si  le  sommeil  de  ma  raison".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Ars Diavoli/Pro Nihilo Esse/Debemur Morti Productions/2008 CD Review


  Ars  Diavoli  are  a  1  man  band  from  Portugal  that  plays  a  very  depressive  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Pro  Nihilo  Esse"  which  was  released  by  Debemur  Morti  Productions.

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  playing  with  some  fast  drumming  and  blast  beats  being  present on  this  recording,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars,  while  the  synths  bring  a  very  dark  and  atmospheric  sound  to  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  depressive  black  metal  riffs  that  are  very  raw  and  primitive  sounding  along  with  some  repetitive  riffing  as  well  as  some  dark  sounding  melodies  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  depressive  and  suicidal  black  metal  screams  along  with  a  brief  use  of  chanting,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  depressive  and  suicidal  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Ars  Diavoli  are  a  very  great  sounding  depressive  and  suicidal  black  metal b and  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ira  Auto-Infligida"  "Veneracao  Suicida".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Unru Interview


1.Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?
UNRU is a four-piece from Bielefeld, Northrhine-Westphalia, Germany. We've been active for about one year now as UNRU, but most of us already had projects together before.
2.How would you describe your musical sound?
I guess we would not necessarily say dark, evil and so forth, though associations like these might come to mind. others have said that our sound is unsettleing and anxiety-inducing and so on and without having a strict concept on how to achieve this emphatic perception of what we are creating, it seems it worked out pretty well.
it is also important to us that guitar, vocals, bass and drums add layers to create one sound where at times things aren't distinguishable anymore but a distinct feeling or sound aesthetic emerges. our friend rouven who recorded and did the producing played a big role in that part.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
anxiety, impotence, displacement, escapism, dissociation, catharsis. our lyrics and aesthetic are more influenced by theory and imagery that puts personal and interpersonal conflict into focus rather than looking at society, politics and so on.
Also, we are into misanthropic, nihilistic, morbidity inducing literature, art/music etc.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?
it's a made up word. it can be read as "Unruhe" - "disconcertment" or "Unruh",which is the german word for the "heart" of a watch or clock, a metaphor for being unable to break out of the boundaries of our anxieties, addictions, compulsions and so on, as the "Unruh" is unrelenting going on and on without speeding up or slowing down, unable to abandon its habits.
5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
we haven't played that many shows so far but the shows on our small tour with Sun Worship were all very good. live we use lots of fog and very little illumination and everyone of us is kind of in his own world so we can't really describe what our stage performance looks like. we do not play seperated songs but a set of our songs with noise / drone interludes trying to create a trance like state where we and the people attending can get lost in. we've been told that we managed to achieve that. for others it was only blurry and very loud noise.
6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
some of us are pretty busy with other things so we don't tour that much, although we would really love to. maybe there will be a small weekender with deuil from belgium in november and another one with abest, but things aren't settled, yet. Furthermore we are thinking about a longer tour in spring 2014, but our current priorities definitely are recording new stuff an so on.
7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or received any interest?
beeing strongly rooted in diy culture we are not really looking for a label to sign us. for the forthcoming release(s) we would love to get help by a diy label or different diy labels to do a co-release. our demo will be re-released on tape by caligari records in north and south america and in germany by our friend Schojo/colossus tapes from Berlin but besides these facts, we didn't recieve any interest, yet.
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal and crust?
We got a lot of really nice blog-reviews. All in all there has been more positive feedback than we would have ever expected. Generally, the musical background seems to be really mixed up, just like the people attending our shows.
9.Are there any other musical projects or is this a full time line up?
besides unru some of us play in abest, pttrns and negativvm.
10.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
the songs we are working on right now are more black metal and doom and less crust. and we experiment more with noise and drone - not only as interludes but as part of the songs. we're not heading in some specific direction - couple of next songs could be more crusty or something totally different.
Some further ideas we have are applying spoken-word passages on noise/drone interludes, experimenting a little bit more with vocals in general and doing an art/literature-zine.
11.What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
what influences made us play what we're playing can be heard on the recordings we think. Besides we all have widespread musical preferences and couldn't break it down to some that are more worth than others to be mentioned.
12.Outside of music what are some of your interests?
We're all more or less interested in the whole wide spectrum of left-wing politics and therefore most of us are more or less participating in our local autonomous centre, where we also have our rehearsal-room. Besides that, we are into diy-culture in general and as already mentioned literature, art-stuff, movies and so on... one of us already has a kid and another one is going to become a daddy soon... it's hard to outline this in a satisfying way.
13.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
thank's to you for making this possible and thank's to everyone who supported us and what we do in whatsoever way. we would've never expectet UNRU to become what it is now and we're very grateful for all the encouragement we got until now.

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Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Animus Mortis/Atrabilis (Residues From Verb & Flesh)/Debemur Morti Productions/2008 CD Review


  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Animus  Mortis  with  the  musical  style  being  desolate  black  metal  with  dark  ambient  elements  with  the  album  being  called  "Atrabilis  (Residues  From  Verb  &  Flesh)"  which  was  released  by  Debemur  Morti  Productions.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times,  while  the  synths  when  they  are  utilized  bring  a  dark,  atmospheric  and  ambient  sound  to  the  recording,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  black  metal  riffs  that  are  very  raw  and  primitive  sounding  with  some  melody  being  thrown  into  the  riffing  at  times  as w ell  as  a  brief  use  of  soft  and  clean  playing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  black  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  with  some  clean  singing  being  used  at  times,  while  the  lyrics  cover  misanthropic  and  desolation  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it  while  you  can  still  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Animus  Mortis  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  cold  and  desolate  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hosannas  From  The  Depths"  "Among  The  Phlegm  Of  God"  and  "Splendour  Ruins".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Nastrond/Muspellz Synir/Debemur Morti Productions/2008 CD Review


  Nastrond  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  sound  I  would  describe  as  being  atmospheric,  occult  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2008  album  "Muspellz  Synir"  which  was  released  by  Debemur  Morti  Productions.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  synths  bring  an  atmospheric,  ritualistic  and  occult  sound  to  the  recording,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  occult  black  metal  riffs  that  use  some  raw  and  primitive  sounding  elements  as  well  as  melody  and  doom  metal  influences  in  the  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  raw  and  primitive  sounding  black  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  with  deep  demonic  growls  being  used  at  times  as  well  as  a brief  use  of  Gregorian  chanting,  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Asataru  and  Left  Hand  Path  themes  with  a  couple  of  songs  being  written  in  Swedish,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  recording  from  Nastrond  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  occult  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fenrir  Prophesy"  "Dark  Fyres"  "Calling  The  Serpentine"  and  "Nastrond".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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