Sunday, March 30, 2014

Yith/Self Titled/2014 Demo Review


  This  is  the  final  review  of  a  recording from  Yith  which  continues  his  atmospheric  mixture  of  black  and  doom  metal  with  the  demo  being  self  titled  and  self  released  in  2014.

  The  demo  starts  out  with  the  sounds  of  wind  and  a  few  seconds  alter  acoustic  guitars  start  to  kick  in  and  bring  a  classical  feeling  to  the  demo  before  going  into  a  more  fast  black  metal  direction  along  with  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  grim  screams  as  well  as  a  mixture  of  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  the  music  slows  down  you  can  hear  some  doom/death  metal  kick  in  along  with  the  guitars  bringing  in  some  evil  sounding  melodies  while  the  main  focus  is  on  black  metal.

  On  the  following  track  the  music  gets  more  doomy  and  melodic  along  with  solos  and  leads  becoming  a  part  of  the  music  and  you  can  also  hear  some  atmospheric  sounds  in  the  background  that  go  back  to  the  early  My  Dying  Bride  days  and  on  the  following  track  the  music  starts  going  for  a  more  melodic  black/doom  metal  sound  along  with  the  vocals  getting  more  grimmer  and  the  acoustic  guitars  also  make  their  return  in  some  parts  while  the  recording  focuses  more  on  the  heavier  parts.

  After  awhile  clean  parts  are  added  into  the  recording  and  they  bring  in  a  depressive  black  metal  feeling  to  the  music  along  with  the  heavier  parts  going  for  more  of  that  sound  while  still  keeping  around  the  doom  metal  sounds  and  later  on  the  fast  parts  and  blast  beats  make  their  return  to  the  demo  along  with  some  heavy  bass  lines  and  on  the  last  track  the  music  starts  going  for  a  more  dungeon  synth/dark  ambient  sound.

  This  demo  shows  Yith  remaining  true  to  his  mixture  of  black  and  doom  metal  while  also  bring  in  more  atmosphere  and  depressive  sounds  this  time  around  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  slow  and  long  sounds,  a  dark  and  heavy  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  dark,  supernatural  and  depression  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  demo  from  Yith  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  black  metal  and  doom,  you  should  check  out  this  recording. RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Willows"  and  "Eternal  Solitude".  8/5  out  of  10.

yithmetal.bandcamp.com

  

Yith/Demo 3/2013 Review


  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Yith  which  continues  his  approach  to  raw,  atmospheric  black  metal  and  doom  with  the  recording  being  self  released  in  2013.

  The  demo  starts  out  with  a  slow,  dark  and  heavy  doom  metal  sound  and  after  a  minute  the  music  gets  more  black  metal  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  guitars  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  bringing  in  traces  of  atmospheric  funeral  doom.

  On  the  following  track  the  synths  bring  in  some  atmospheric  sounds  along  with  the  music  going  for  a  more  grim  black/doom  metal  sound  along  with  some  dark  melodies  being  added  into  the  guitar  riffing  and  later  on  solos  and  leads  are  added  on  the  demo  and  acoustic  guitars  are  added  onto  the  3rd  track  and  they  bring  in  a  mixture  of  finger  picking  and  full  chords.

  After  the  acoustic  instrumental  the  music  returns  to  a  more  grim  and  black/doom  metal  direction  along  with  the  vocals  getting  more  evil  in  sound  as  well  as  bringing  in  elements  of  melodic  black  metal  and  some  of  the  slower  sections on  the  instrumental  have  a  very  depressive  feeling  to  them  and  the  last  track  sees  the  music  going  into  a  faster  direction  while  also  slowing  down  in  some  parts  and  letting  the  atmosphere  take  over.

  Yoth  show  a  good  amount  of  progress  with  this  demo  adding  in  more  melodic  parts  to  their  black  metal  side  as  well  as  bringing  in  synths  in  certain  parts  and  the  doom  metal  side  sounds  even  more  dark  and  more  evolved  than  the  last  time  around,  while  the  production remains  dark  and  raw  along  with  some  lyrics  covering  dark,  supernatural  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Yith  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw,  melodic  and  atmospheric  black  metal  mixed  with  doom,  you  should  check  out  this  demo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Woman  in  Black"  and  "Sentinel  Of  hell".  8  out  of  10.

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Yith/Demo 2/2012 Review


  Yith  are  a  1  man  band  from  the  United  States  that  plays  a  mixture  of  raw,  atmospheric  black  metal  and  doom  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2012  demo.

  The  demo  begins  with  the  sounds  of  wind  and  a  few  seconds  later  the  recording  goes  into  a  more  dark  and  raw  black  metal  sound  along  with  some  grim  vocals  and  screams  as  well  as  speeding  up  a  bit  and  adding  in  blast  beats  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  morbid  melodies  and  powerful  bass  lines  and  after  awhile  guitar  leads  become  a  part  of  the  music.

  As  the  demo  progresses  old  school  doom  metal  elements  are  added  into  the  music  and  a  couple  brief dark  ambient instrumental  make their  way  onto  the  recording as  well as  the  demo  adding  in  more  melodic  black  metal   sounds  on  the  following  tracks  while  also  having  a  more  grim  approach  and  bringing  the  doom  elements  into  the  slower  sections  of  the  guitar  riffing  and  the music  finds  its  sound  with  raw  black  metal  being  mixed  in  with  some  depressing  doom  metal.

  Yith  bring  in  an  original  sound  with  their  music  with  the  black  metal  parts  beign  as  dark,  raw  and  grim  as  that  genre  can  be  while  the  doom  metal  parts  bring  an  old  school  and  depressing  approach  to  the  demo  as  well  as  adding  in  instrumentals  that  are  in  the  more  dark  ambient  direction  and  the  production  is  very  dark  and  raw  sounding  along  with  the  lyrics  covering  supernatural,  cold  and  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Yith  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  raw black  metal  and  depressing  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ghosts  Of  Poenari  Castle"  and  "The  Coldest  grave".  8  out  of  10.

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Saturday, March 29, 2014

Sercati/The Rise Of The Nightstalker(Tales Of the Fallen Pt. 2)/Grom Records/2014 CD Review


  Sercati  are  a  band  from  Belgium  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  atmospheric  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "The  Rise  Of  the  Nightstalker(Tales  From  The  Fallen  Pt. 2)"  which  was  released  by  Grom  Records.

  The  album s tarts  out  with  spoken  word  parts  before  adding  in  some  symphonic  keyboards  and  after  the  first  track  the keyboards  remain  while  drums  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  music  goes  into  a  slow  black  metal  direction  along  with  some  grim  vocals/screams  and  after  awhile  the  band  starts  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  slow  and  mid  paced  parts  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads.

  When  we  get  more  into  the  album  you  can  start  hearing  more  elements  of  dark  ambient  and  dungeon  synth  being  mixed  in  with  a  more  melodic  style  of  black  metal  and  the  music  sticks  to  more  of  a  slow  or  mid  paced  direction  and  after  awhile  clean  playing,  acoustic  guitars  which  also  dominate  the  instrumental  track  and  melodic  vocals  are  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  some  powerful  bass  lines  while  the  music  sticks  to  mostly  a  heavy  sound  during  the  first  half  of  the  recording.

  Halfway  through  the  album  the  music  calms  down  a  bit  with  an  acoustic  track  along  with  the  following  songs  being  in  a  cleaner  direction  while  still  utilizing  black  metal  vocals  and  later  on  the  heavier  guitars  make  a  return  to  the  album  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  few  seconds  of  blast  beats  before  making  a  return  to  their  melodic  black  metal  sound  as  well  as  bringing  back  to  the  acoustic  guitars  in  certain  sections  and  they  add  a  folk  music  flavor  to  the  recording  and  on  the  last  track  there  are  some  spoken  word  parts  describing  the  end  of  the  world  before  returning  back  to  a  more  heavy  and  melodic  sound.

  Sercati  bring  in  a  very  interesting  sound  with  the  recording  with  the  main  focus  being  on  grim  and  melodic  black  metal  while  you  can  also  hear  a  good  amount  of  traces  of  dungeon  synth  and  dark  ambient  in  the  songs  along  with  a  very  professional  sounding  and  the  lyrics  being  a  concept  album  about  an  angel  name  The  Nightstalker  and  his  story  about  his  fallen  from  heaven  and  his  struggles  on  the  planet.

  In  my  opinion  Sercati  are  a  very  great  sounding  grim,  atmospheric  and  melodic  black  metal b and  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hound  From  Hell"  "I  Failed"  "Lose  My  Mind"  and  "No  More  Fear".  8/5  out  of  10.

http://www.sercati.com
https://www.facebook.com/Sercati 

Friday, March 28, 2014

Eos/L'Avale/Fallen Empire Records/2014 Demo Review


  Eos  are  a  band  from  Quebec,  Canada  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  atmospheric  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  demo  "L' Avale"  which  was  released  by  Fallen  Empire  Records.

  The  demo  starts  off  with  ambient  drones  and  grim  voices  and  a  few  seconds  alter  the  recording  goes  into  a  slow  black  metal  direction  along  with  spoken  word  parts  and  after  awhile  black  metal  vocals  are  added  into  the  music,  a  few  minutes  later  melodic  guitar  leads  are  added  into  the  songs  along  with  acoustic  guitars  and  atmospheric  synths.

  The  musical  instruments  on  this  demo  all  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  a  few  minutes  of  a  more  clean  and  atmospheric  sound  they  start  bringing  in  more  fast  black  metal  parts  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  which  also  leads  up  to  the  band  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  at  times  the  vocals  have  a  very  deep  and  depressive  tone  to  them.

  As  the  demo  progresses  the  music  really  starts  going  for  more  of  an  atmospheric  black  metal  direction  while  focusing  on  the  more  raw  side  of  the  genre  while  the  melody  and  ambience  still  remain  in  the  tracks  tracks  that  are  presented  on  the  recording  and  on  the  last  track  more  early  90's  black  metal  elements  are  added  into  the  music  while  remaining  true  to  their  atmospheric  sound  and  bringing  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars.

  Eos  brings  a  very  different  approach  to  atmospheric  black  metal  with  this  recording  mixing  in  more  raw  parts  along  with  some  very  long  and  epic  songs  that  have  a  very  dark,  heavy  and  raw  sound  as  well  as  lyrics  that  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  French  And  English  and  cover  dark  and  dystopian  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Eos  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Dystopia".  8  out  of  10.

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Bael Kultus/Eoth/Leviathan Ouroboaro/2013 Demo Review


  Bael  Kultus  are  a  band  from  California  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  satanic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  demo  "Eoth"  which  was  released  by  Leviathan  Ouroboro.

  The  demo  starts  out  with  a  very  dark  and  raw  old  school  black  metal  sound  before  speeding  up  and  adding  in  grim  screams  and  blast  beats  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  The  band  brings  a  very  fast  and  raw  black  metal  sound  to  the  other  songs  with  the  music  being  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  true  and  underground  black  metal  sound  and  after  awhile  they  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  dark  sounding  drones  which  makes  the  demo  sound  a  lot  more  evil  sounding  as  well  as  adding  melody  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  over  7  minutes  and  towards  the  end  of  the  track  there  is  a  brief  use  of  melodic  guitar  leads  being  utilized.

  With  this  demo  Bael  Kultus  stick  to  a  very  true,  raw  and  underground  form  of  satanic  black  metal  that  ignores  all  of  the  modern  trends  along  with  a  raw,  heavy  and  old  school  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  satanic,  blasphemous  and  anti  christian  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Bael  Kultus  are  a  very  great  sounding  fast,  raw  and  satanic  old  school  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  demo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Forsaken  Grave  Desecration"  and  "Anti  -  Christ  Terrorism/Satanic  Glory".  8/5  out  of  10.

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Lluvia/Premonicion De Guerra/Fallen Empire Records/2013 Full length Review


  Lluvia  are  a  1  man  band  from  Mexico  that  plays  a  very  atmospheric  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2013  album  "Premonicion  De  Guerra"  which  was  released  by  Fallen  Empire  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  water  and  rain  sounds  before  adding  in  acoustic  guitars  and  after  a  minute  raw  black  metal  guitars  make  their  way  into  the  recording  and  after  awhile  the  music  speeds  up  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  grim  screams  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  bringing  in  atmospheric  elements.

   The  band  also  brings  a  great  amount  of  fast  parts  in  the  other  songs  while  the  slower  riffs  have  an  atmospheric  and  depressive  feeling  to  them  and  acoustic  guitars  also  make  their  return  in  certain  sections of  the  recording  which  make  the  raw  parts  sound  even  more  grim  when  they  go  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  later  on  during  the  album  you  can  hear  small  amounts  of  melody  being  utilized  at  times  along  and  towards  the  end  an  instrumental  with  synths  is  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  whisper  before  return  back  to  a  heavier  direction  on  the  last  track  and  closing  the  album  with  some  atmospheric  synths

  Lluvia  bring  a  more  heavier  and  raw  approach  to  atmospheric  black  metal  which  mixes  in  more  fast  parts  and  blast  beats  than  most  bands  of  this  genre  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  few  songs  that  are 10  minutes  along  and  the  production  is  very  dark,  raw  and  heavy  sounding  along  with  lyrics  that  are  written  in  Spanish  and  cover  war,  hate  and  nationalism.

  In  my  opinion  Lluvia  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw,  atmospheric  black  metal  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sombras  Imperiales"  "La  Oscuridad  Doth  Dar  La  Immortalidad"  and  "En  Medio  Del  Suelo  Ensangratado".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Lluvia/3540373147

Thursday, March 27, 2014

C.O.F.O.C/The Insult Is Alive/The True Blackevil/2014 EP Review


  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  C.O.F.O.C  that  sees  the  band  playing  a  very  raw  form  of  black  metal  with  elements  of  punk  and  with  the  ep  being  called  "The  Insult  Is  Alive"  and  released  by  The  True  Blackevil.

  The  ep  starts  out  with  brutal  drums  before  going  into  a  more  fast  and  raw  black  metal  sound  along  with  grim  screams  and  blast  beats  and  you  can  also  hear  some  guitars  in  the  background  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  adding  in  elements  of  harsh  noise  and  punk.

  When  we  get  more  into the  recording  the  vocals  get  more  grim  along  with  some  depressive  cries  and  moans  as  well  as  a  heavy  early  90's  black  metal  influence  and  at  times t he  music  slows  down  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  white  noise  style  distortion  being  utilized  on  the  tracks  as  well  as  the  band  slowing  down  in  certain  parts  of  the  recording

  With  this  ep  C.O.F.O.C  create  a  very  noisy  and  raw  black  metal  sound  that  is  more  underground  sounding  than  most  bands  of  this  genre  and  would  not  appeal  to  the  average  black  metal  fan  but  will  appeal  to  the  true  fanatics  along  with  a  raw  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  blasphemous,  metal,  punk,  killing  posers,  satanism  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  ep  from  C.O.F.O.C  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw  and  noisy  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Insult  Of  Satan"  "Dogs  of  Hell"  and  "Shut  Up  And  Fuck  Up".  8/5  out  of  10.

C.O.F.O.C/Dogs Of Hell/The True Blackevil/2014 EP Review


  C.O.F.O.C  are  a  band  from  Brazil  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  on  this  recording  that  mixes  raw  and  blasphemous  sounding  black  metal  with  elements  of  noise  and  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  ep  "Dogs  Of  Hell"  which  was  released  by  The  True  Blackevil.

  The  ep  starts  out  with  harsh  noise  sounds  and  demonic  growls  along  with  some  drums  in  the  background  and  a  very  lo-fi  and  raw  black  metal  sound  and  the  vocals  also  go  into  that  direction  as  well  as  bringing  in  more  grim  elements.

  As  the  ep  progresses  more  bestial  black  metal  sounds  are  brought  into the  music  along  with  the  drums  being  the  most  powerful  sounding  instrument  on  this  recording  and  the  last  track  is  a  cover  of  G.G  Allin's  "Bite  It  You  Scum".

  C.O.F.O.C  create  a  very  blasphemous  sound  on  this  recording  without  having  to  really  on  guitars  and  proves  that  black  metal  can  still  sound  very  evil  with  drums  and  vocals  along  with  a  raw  and  primitive  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  satanic,  anti  christian,  alcohol  and  hateful  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  C.O.F.O.C  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw  and  blasphemous  black  metal  mixed  in  with  noise  and  punk,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "666  to  Pope"  and  "Bite  It  You  Scum".  8  out  of  10.       

Eskhaton/Worship Death/Chaos Records/2014 CD Review


  Eskhaton  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  a  bestial  form  of  black/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Worship  Death"  which  will  be  released  by  Chaos  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  very  heavy,  dark  and  evil  war  metal  sound  along  with  some  brutal  blast  beats  and  bestial  black  metal  vocals  which  gets  even  more  powerful  sounding  once  you  get  past  the  intro  and  more  dark  death  metal  influences  are  added  into t he  music  along  with  some  chaotic  solos  and  leads.

  When  we  get  more  into  the  album  the  music  becomes  a  mixture  of  Australian  war  metal  and  bestial  black/death  metal  along  with  the  vocals  utilizing  some  deep  demonic  growls  and  when  they  add  in  slower  parts  you  can  hear  a  good  amount  of  Incantation  influences  in  their  music  while  the  main  focus  is  on  the  more  fast  parts  along  with  a  great  amount  of  raw  aggression  coming  out  of  the  tracks  on  the  recording.

  With  this  album  Eshhaton  take  some  fast  and  chaotic  bestial  black  and  war  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  darker  side  of  death  metal  along  with  a  great  amount  of  brutality,  a  raw  yet  very  heavy  production  as  well  as  some  dark,  occult  and  blasphemous  lyrics  and  this  is  one  of  the  best  albums  I  have  heard  in  months.

  In  my  opinion  Eskhaton  are  a  very  great  sounding  bestial  black/death  metal b and  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Obdeathed"  "Worship  Death"  "Dark  Era"  and  "Antilife  Antichrist".  8/9  out  of  10.

http://chaos-records.bandcamp.com/album/worship-death 

Vorbkt Interview


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

For those who have never heard, which would be almost the entire planet, Vorbkt is a project started in late 2012 consisting of one sole member with intent to create ugly, oldschool misanthropic black metal, not made for the 'normies'! 

2.How would you describe your musical sound?

The musical approach I take is minimal. very dark themes, lo-fi productions, raw sensibilities, guitars made of razorblades, crappy electronic drums, reverb. Sounds of death

3.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects that you explore with your music?

Lyrical themes include: Misanthropy, Negativity, Melancholy, Hatred, Death, Suicide, Extinction…I explore a lot of what my mind dwells on in the dark hours of the cold winter nights..

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

Vorbkt - pronounced 'Vor-kuh'. There is no real meaning behind the word, this is a project with no boundaries and the word fits what I want to portray. Perhaps inspiration could be taken from the 90s Les Legions Noires bands..

5.Currently there is only 1 member in the band, are you planning on expanding the line up or do you chose to remain solo?

I do not want anyone else in on this project, as the quality of material released will only be shite! this is an interpretation of my mind, what comes out of Vorbkt is not something you can sit down and write with your 'buddies'! it must be taken from the darkest of places, a perversion of my brain in this futile human world.

6.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

I could care less about labels that rip you off and suck you dry! fuck them all! I will do everything by myself from day one until the end. If I receive any interest, most likely I will promptly tell them to fuck off!!


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

The little feedback I have received has been positive, yes the normals who are not into this music would not 'get it', but I do not create this for anyone but myself. Fuck you if you aren't a fan, and if you are It really doesn't matter. 

8.Are you involved with any other musical projects besides this one?

I play drums in a local band called Winterhearth, but that is it. 95% of my time spent, and musical abilities come from being alone. 

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

In the future, who can say. I do not think that it is such a big thing, this project, and I do not treat it like its 'important' It is just a reflection of my mind at the time of recordings.. 

10.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Black metal. I only listen to white noise. 

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Hate, War, Death, Observing Suffering 

12.Can you provide some links so people can hear more of your music?

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
If something is not worthwhile - end it (all) 

-Vorbkt 

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Conjuro Nuclear/Self Titled/2014 EP Review


  Conjuro  Nuclear  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  on  this  recording  that  combines  black  metal  with  elements  of  crust,  doom,  ambient  and  psychedelia  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  and  self  titled  2014  ep.

  The  ep  starts  out  with  dark  sounding  ambient  synths which  they  use  heavily  on  the  first  2  tracks  while  the  second  track  also  brings  in  some  melodic  gothic  rock  sounds  on  the  guitars  as  well  as  adding  in  more  black  metal  influences  and  blast  beats  along  with  some  vocals  in  the  background.

  When  we  get  into  the  third  track  crust  and  old  school  punk  elements  are  introduced  in  the  music  and  mix  in  with  the  synths  and  black  metal  parts  and  they  also  bring  a  brief  instrumental  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  on  the  following  tracks  as  well  as  bringing  in  grim  black  metal  vocals  that  are  mixed  down  low  in  the  mix  along  with  some  programmed  blast  beats  and  they  also  do  another  synth  track  before  returning  to  a  heavier  direction  on  the  last  song  as  well  as  bringing  in  some  psych  elements.

  With  this  ep  Conjuro  Nuclear  continue  their  mixture  of  80's  orientated  synth  music  with  black  metal  and  crust  along  with  some  dark  lyrics  written  in  their  native  tongue  and  raw,  heavy  and  lo-fi  production.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Conjuro  Nuclear  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw  black  metal,  crust  and  synth  music,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bosque  de  craneos"  "Oscura  lisergia"  and  "Divinorum".  8  out  of  10.

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Kaoskult Interview


1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
Hi. It is too soon to say what has been going on with Kaoskult since the release of „Secret Serpent”,
because the album’s been available only for a few weeks. After completing „SS”, we were
looking for a record label. Now we are promoting our music and this is the main task.

2.Recently you have released a new album, can you tell us a little bit about the musical direction of the new recording and also how does it differ from the demo you had released a few years back?

I think that musically the Promo from 2009 and „Secret Serpent” are very close to each other, but the new album has better sound and some tracks have a taste of the 90’s avantgarde BM.
Of course it is not the Ved Buens Ende or Fleurety style, but I think that our music resembles that of Christ Agony or Triptykon and maybe old greek BM bands without synthesizers but with newer elements.
I would like to emphasize that this is only my opinion.


3.The band members are veterans in playing black metal, what are some of the things you are able to bring out with this band that you were not able to do with the previous groups?
I think that Kaoskult is a continuation of our early works in other bands, specially In The Depth Of Night. Both in that band and in Kaoskult I am/was the composer of music. Some similarity is inevitable, but Kaoskult has its own, new „spirit”.

4.According to the Metal Archives page the band has been around since 2006 but so far there has only been a demo and one full length released can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during those 8 years?


In the years 2006 – 2009 we were composing music for „Secret Serpent”. After that we recorded „Manifest - Promo 2009” and then „SS” in a few sessions between September 2009 r. – June  2011 r. We had some big problems with the producer of our record and that was the reason for this delay.
Next we were searching someone who could compass our music and could do a good job of mixing and mastering our music. This process lasted for six months.
Then we were looking for a record label. I think that’s all.

5.Your lyrics cover Chaos Magick and Occultism, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in those topics?

Chaos Magic is the best system in today’s sick world.
It is like a good cocktail with psychedelic mushrooms.
We use it because we want to realize ourselves and understand the meaning of this cruel and soulless world.

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Kaoskult'?


Kaoskult is something like primal cosmic energy.
It is like a virus which we must force into the bloodstream, infect the system and reprogram ourselves.

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We played only one gig as Kaoskult and that was in 2009.
I think that our stage performance is „normal” - in the sense of BM culture.
This isn’t our strength today.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new release?

We don’t have any touring or show plans but who knows what will happen in this respect in the upcoming years.

9.The new album came out on Odium Records, how did you get in contact with this label and also how would you describe the support they have given you so far?

I know Shadow – the leader of the Odium Records for fifteen years.
I sent him our album and he was interested in releasing it on Odium. He is a maniac of BM and extreme music in general and I think that he is doing a good job when it comes to promoting this kind of music.

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

The feedback is very good. Of course we know reality of today’s scene and we only do what we want to do. We do not expect a big success. Today’s BM newer fans are mostly gigabytes maniacs (of course not all of them) and this is very nasty.
They don’t feel the climate of this music because they only collect files.
If you want to go deeper and break on through to the other side you must focus on our music. This is the Secret (Serpent).

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

I don’t know. Maybe we will play space-ritual-industrial-dark metal J.
The subconscious (mind) tells us what we must do with Kaoskult music. We are unpredictable.

12.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music
and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Nowadays I am listening to a lot of kinds of music, eg. BM, experimental and industrial, psychedelic music, doom etc. I think that early BM and doom metal scene have had an influence on our music. These are our roots.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

The kids and families – this is our today’s non musical interests and partly forced hobby.
Then the low emission economy, renewable energy and business.
In the 90’s this was mostly hot chicks J.

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Be yourselves and change the reality.

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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Moloch/Verwustung/Human To Dust/2014 CD Review


  Moloch  are  a  one  man  band  from  Ukraine  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  ambient  and  depressive  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2014  album  "Verwustung"  which  was  released  by  Human  To  Dust.

  The  album  starts  out  with  ambient  drones  which  also  brings  a dark  and  atmospheric  feeling to  the  recording  and  after  the  first  track  the  music  goes  into  a  more  fast  and  raw  black  metal  direction  along  with  blast  beats  and  grim,  depressive  screams  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  slow  and  fast  parts  and  you  can  also  hear  a  good  amount  of  melody  in  the  music  and  after  awhile  clean  playing  is  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  When  we  get  more  into  the  album  the  music  starts  adding  in  more  slower  parts  which  also  enhance  the  darkness  of  the  recording  as  well  as bringing  in  atmospheric  sounding synths  at  times  and  the  music  still  retains  a  great  amount  of  fast  parts  along  with the  vocals  having  a  more  suicidal  feeling to  them  and  the  music  also  incorporates  a  great  amount  of  old  school  black  metal  elements  while  always  having  a  dark  atmosphere.

   By  the  time  the  album  gets  into  the  seventh  track  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  is  brought  into  the  album  before  going  into  a  more  slow  and  depressive  suicidal  black  metal  direction  along  with  a  mixture  of  screams  and  cries  and  on  the  following  track  the  music  goes into  a  more  avant  garde  classical  direction  with  the  track  being  a  remake  of   a  Frederic  Chopin  piece  will  also  being  more  dark  and  modern  than  the  original  version  and  the  ambient  side  of  this  project  really  shines  through  on  this  song  and  the  following  track  is  a  demo  track  that  returns  the  music  back  to  black  metal  as  well  as  being  the  last  song  on  this  album.

  With  this  album  Moloch  cut  back  on  the  dark  ambient  parts  of  the  previous  recordings  while  still  utilizing  them  in  some  parts  and  creates  a  more  straight  forward  depressive  black  metal  sound  with  this  recording  along  with  lyrics  covering  nature,  depression  and  individualism  and  having  a  very  dark,  raw  and  heavy  production.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Moloch  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  depressive  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Todestille"  "Negativitat"  "Die  Kalte  der  Ewigkeit"  and  "Nur  de  Tod  ist  wiklich".  8  out  of  10.

http://molochukr.bandcamp.com/

Monday, March 24, 2014

Malauriu Interview


1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Malauriu was born in 2013 from an ideo of Asmodeus (guitars, bass, keyboards and songwriter)
The band was set up with the idea of playing raw black metal inspired by the scene of the early 90’s
We are from Western Sicily and at the moment we have just released of debut EP entitled “Presagi di Morte”

2.Recently you have released a new ep, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction you have taken with this recording?
With this EP we have created and tested a sound withi are indeed still consolidating: raw and direct black metal with no innovation nor sound’s experimentation. To put it simple who is looking form technical and polished blackmeal should look elsewhere, on the contrary who is eager of old school black metal is welcome. We still have to work on defining our sound and on improving some things here and there, nevertheless the ep is getting positive review and is quite appreciated by the listeners.
3.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new release?
The lyrics  are mostly about death, hatred, sorrow and religion.

4.The band members named themselves  Asmodeus, Otis and Marbas all goetic demon names, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in Occultism?
I have been always fascinated by Occultism. Over the year I have broaden my knowledge on the matter through books and researches. I am still pretty much into the matter.

5.I know that the band name means 'bad/ill omen' in Sicilian, what was the decision behind using it as a band name?
I (Asmodeus) am really attached to my homeland so I decided to use this term which is part of the Sicilian culture.
I did not really want to use the usual and trite Englishe names. Maybe Malauriu is a name quite difficult to grab outside of Sicily as there is not direct/simple translation but I don’t quite care about that.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We have never performed live so far and yet we don’t have a live line up. Despite that we have got some offers to play live and we are evaluating them.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
For now live shows are not a priority of ours

8.The new ep came out on Melqart productions, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
Melqart Productions is a tiny label of ours through which we publish our material until the time we find a better label seriously interested into our music.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
On a worldwide level we have received very positive reviews, every day we get mails from every corner of the globe of people that show interest in our EP. We are happy about it and we do hope that in future we will be producing material released by a label that will make our discs circulate abroad as much as possibile

10.What is going on with the other musical project these days that the guitar player is involved with?
Urlo Nero is currently on stand by as we are fully dedicated to Malauriu. Maybe we will release another already recorded work under the name Urlo Nero, but it’s not sure yet-
11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
I see a frutiful future ahead of us, we already have many new ideas to record!.

12.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
I have been influenced by so many bands, so many that I won’t be listing them. Let’s say that I have great respect for the pillars of black metal, especially those which contributed to create  the very first scene in Norway. Also the  first wave of Italia black metal was a remarkable influence for me. Currently I have been listening a lot to Peste Noire and Inquisition. Furthermore I do listen to some other genres that have a certain degree of influence on my music.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

Besides music I do like reading and watching movies

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

I just would like to thank Occult Black Metal Zine, all those who follow us and in general all those who support the black metal scene


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Saturday, March 22, 2014

Forgotten Deity Interview


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

Forgotten Deity is my one-man band. It's mainly instrumental music, depicting the beauty of nature. It takes listener into forgotten forests among pure mountains. My music is full of ambient synths, black metal guitars and slow tempo drums. Vocals (black metal screams or whispering) appear very rarely up to this moment.

2.A few months back you had released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

Sound is clean and atmospheric.  Something in between Lustre, Basarabian Hills and Evergreen Refuge if comparing to other projects. 

3.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?

Some lyrics are about nature, other are fantasy, some are patriotic - about love to homeland, native forests and mountains. Some of them are inspired by ancient myths. But most of my tracks have no lyrics at all. 

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

It's a tribute to a memory of  forgotten "pagan" Gods.

5.Currently there is only 1 member involved with this project, do you feel this gives you a lot more room to be creative with your musical sound?

Yes, making music only by myself let's me do it really efficiently and I can feel free to do whatever I like with my compostions. Nobody tells me what to do. It's a complete creative freedom.

6.The new album came out on Le Crepuscule du Soir, how did you get in contact with this label and also how would you describe the support they have given you so far?

To be honest I just e-mailed the label with links to my music. It's a great label releasing great music and I'm very glad they answered. They released my CD perfectly just as I wanted it to be.

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

People comment on youtube and facebook. Those comments are mostly positive, but I'm still awaiting for the moment when my music will be really well known and noticed like Lustre is.

8.Are you currently involved with any other musical projects besides this one?

At this particular moment no, but in the past I made few amateur projects. None of them is worth mentioning.

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

I think the tracks will be much longer, and more progressive, with more samples of nature sounds.

10.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

I'm inspired by such bands as Evergreen Refuge, Basarabian Hills, Lustre or Summoning. I listen to various types of music from atmospheric black metal to classical music and ambient. For example I like Hyperborea ambient project. I like listening to new and not well-known things as well.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I love fantasy literature like for example Tolkien, Sapkowski or Ursula K. Le Guin. Another one of my passions is the history of European Antiquity and early Middle Ages. I like European mythologies, esp. my own native Slavonic myths.

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

I would like to invite everybody to my youtube channel, where I upload my newest trackshttps://www.youtube.com/user/forgottendeityband