Monday, May 31, 2010

Morbid Undead/Black Plague/Entwined In Nocturnal Empire/Split Album Review


Morbid Undead and Black Plague are 2 bands from the state of California that both play forms of ambient black metal and this is a review of their split album "Entwined In Nocturnal Empire" which was released in 2010 and we are going to start of the review with Morbid Undead who have also been interviewed in this zine a few months back.

Drum programming is mostly slow to mid paced beats that gives the music a very dark feel , while the keyboards have a dark/black ambient feel that sounds very evil, as for the vocals they are mostly whispered vocals that bring the black metal element to the music.

Song titles touch on a lot of dark and depressing themes that are heavily influenced by the occult and the left hand path, while the production has a very dark sound that captures all of the drum programming, keyboards and vocals.

In my opinion Morbid Undead are a very good band and if that there music is diverse enough to appeal to fans of the more occult, suicidal and ambient genres of black metal and also fans of regular black or dark ambient. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Entering The Vortex Of Hate" "Entwined In Nocturnal Empire" and "Depression And Fear".

Now we are going to review Black Plague's music.

Drum programming are mostly slow to mid paced beats that make the music sound very dark and there is a small amount of real drums which utilize a little bit of fast playing and blast beats, while the keyboards have a very dark and depressive sound that gives the music an ambient feel.

Vocals are high pitched black metal screams, while the lyrics cover a lot of dark, occult and depressing themes, as for the production it has a very dark sound that captures all of the instruments.


In my opinion Black Plague are the best band on this split since there music is more diverse, if you read what I said in the Morbid Undead paragraph, this band should also appeal to the same kinds of fans. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Black Auryal Anthem" "Walking Towards The Light" and "This Cruel World Of Mine". RECOMMENDED BUY.

https://www.spirit-of-metal.com/en/album/Black_Plague_-_Morbid_Undead_Split_(Entwined_in_Nocturnal_Emptiness)/177815

Monday, May 24, 2010

Ezurate Interview


1. Can you update us with what is going on with the band these days?
1.) let me start off by saying that we are currently looking for a permanent bass player!!lord wraith left the band in august of 2009!! our new cd "eve of desecration" will be released on june 8th 2010!! as far as shows!!we just played on may 1st in mt.prospect illinois and we our playing the 29th the rotting corpse records showcase!! and we our also playing the michigan deathfest 20th anniversary on august 20th ans 21st 2010!!that is all that we have set up as far as shows to this point!!we are currently writing and rehearsing the new material for the next album entitled"Summon thy Legions" and we plan on working on material for another album after that entitled "Warlord of the Apocalypse"when we get done writing and rehearsing all of the material we will be heading back to the studio to record both albums at the same time!!

2. According to the metal archives page the band originated in Michigan and is now living in Illinois, what made you decide to relocate?
2.)that isnt accurate!!we were never from michigan!the band originated in paletine illinois and eventually became a chicago band!!

3. How has the feedback been to the newer material from black metal fans worldwide?
3.)well as far as the fist 3 albums! the response has been great!!we have many fans worldwide!there is a huge buzz about our new cd!!early reviews have given us great marks as to how good the cd is and how good of musicians we are and our creativity and songwriting really caught thier attention!!and of course the brutality of our material!!we are well known for our speed and brutality which is our trademark!!but they liked the fact that we added a bit more slower riffs and classic metal riffs!!to keep the listener's attention!!the fans that i have talked to about the new cd have all loved it and say that it is our best album yet!!

4. Do you have any plans to tour Europe?
4.)well!we dont have any set plans at the moment!!because we dont have the money to do a tour yet!!if the cd sells very well!which we are expecting we feel that we can get on a major label with tour support!!and we will definitely tour europe as well as south america!!this is where the majority of our fan base is!!although we are getting more recognized here in the states!!countries like germany and italy and spain and france and sweden and even norway!are some of our biggest supporters!!and we are very well known in columbia and chile!as i have done interviews with zines down there they want us to tour there very badly!!they play our music on their radiostations!!and are very respected!!

5. I noticed when I saw you play live, the band seemed to have members that were both veterans and also some younger people, how do you feel this add's to the music, having many different generations of metalheads in the band?
5.)yes when you saw us our bassist was very young while he was in the band he was between the ages of 16-20yrs old!and the rest of us were in our 30's!i felt it was a good thing!!he was able to add some youthful enthusiasm to the band!!and he was just as talented a musician as the rest of us!!we all liked around the same music!!but he wasn't into a lot 80's metal like us!!but it all worked out!!because we all like the same kind of black metal!!which is portrayed in our music!!we like fast brutal and evil black fucking metal to say the least!!hahaha!!

6. How would you describe the lyrical content of the music?
6.)our content is mainly that of a satanic nature anti christian and atheistic message!!which is what i write about!!blackthorn seems to get some of his lyrics from movies as well!!but when it comes to the christ bashing etc.. that is yours truely!Holocausto Inferni!!hahahaha!!

7. How would you describe the musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the band heading into on future releases?
7.)i would say that when ezurate started in 1993!which was way before i was in the band!!i wasnt a member until the end of 2002!! we wanted to be a brutal and fast black metal band!!when we started we were still influenced by a lot swedish death metal!!ala grave, unleashed, entombed etc..and also the early 90's U.S. dm scene brutality deicide and death!!just to name a few!!and you can tell this on the cd "an ending to revelations" which was all the demo material that we rerecorded and put out on cd!!which we rereleased on rotting corpse records in march of 2008!!and then we became better musicians and were into bands like marduk,dark funeral,setherial,enthroned and tsjuder!!all of the bands mentioned including dissection!!is where our biggest influences lie and i almost forgot to mention old mayhem de mysteriis dom sathanas!!one of my all time favorite cds!!!you take those bands and our own originality!!!and what do you get!!you get what is known as the ezurate of today!!and "eve of desecration" is a great representation of who we are!!and we are only gonna take it further and further with every release that we put out!it is always gonna be fast and brutal and evil!!!while staying creative and having slower and memorable moments!!with plenty of melody's and acoustics!!maybe a few keyboards for extra effects!!but mainly sticking to our formula!!just taking it to the next level and setting the bar a little higher each time!!this is our goal as a band first and foremost!!

8. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your musical sound and what are you listening to nowadays?
8.) well!!along with the bands that i just mentioned i would also say hypocrisy,abyssos,autopsy and many others from the early death/black metal in the 90's
i can only speak for myself on what we listen to these days! but we listen to the aforementioned bands!!i have been listening to a lot of death metal lately!!annotations of an autopsy,aborted,circle of dead children,suffocation,darkthrone,negator,blood red throne,severe torture,dying fetus,misery index!!!to name a few!as for black metal krypt,the new dark funeral is fucking great!!urgehal!!funeral winds!!tsjuder!!and too many to name!!i could go on all day!!i listen to a lot bands in metal!!i am a huge fan of the underground!!as well as a black metal vocalist!!people who know me!! and all my friends and family know how much the underground means to me!!and being in ezurate and being the vocalist that i am is my way of giving back to a scene that has given me so much over the years!!

9. Where did you take inspiration from on your pagan,occult,satanic or Anti Christian views from and how do you feel it affects the music?
9.)well mostly from my own personal life experiences!!when i was a child i was forced to go to church every sunday and a lot times on wednesdays!!being brainwashed!!i actually thought that i was a born again xtian by the age of 8 yrs old!!i have said in other interviews how close i supposedly was with the false god!!this is how i know god doesnt exist!!everyone knows that there is no god!!but they have been so brainwashed at an early age!!that they still believe in his existence!!when you think about it!!the religious aspect in today's life is totally laughable!!sane people shouldn't believe in ghosts and fairy tales!!religion was a way to keep people in line before there were laws!!religion has no bearing in everyday life!!it causes more misery than anything else i can think of!!if it wasn't for the money churches generate!!by taking advantage of ignorant followers!!it would have been gone along time ago!!lol!!also i am into satanic/occult books and movies!!as we all are in this band!!and i have a genuine hatred for religious!!how it affects the music is that the evilness and anti xtian message coincides with the music and gives us that eerie and dark ezurate sound!!i think the lyrics/music/vocals all feed off of each other!!my band mates attack their instruments!!and i attack the lyrics with seering evil hatred!!and that is what ezurate is truely about!!hatred for religion!!and the all out war against xtianity!!!

10. What are some of the best shows that you have played so far?
10.)hellfire manifest in alabama in 2006, both chicago metal devastation's that we played were fucking killer!! when we played in new jersey with bloodthrone!!in 2005!!that was one of my favorite shows that we played!!we had a lot of fun out there!!and a lot of people attended the show!!met a lot cool people and i am still friends with them to this day!!they know who they are!!and i saved the best for last!!in 2007 we played with 1349 and goatwhore in chicago!!at the pearlroom!!we played very well!and it was a lot fun!!we had a great crowd response!!and we made a lot friends and fans!!!

11. Out of all the albums you have recorded so far which one are you the most satisfied with?
11.) actually i am very satisfied with all of the albums!!for various reasons!!as i think all my bandmates would agree!!but if i had to pick the one i am most satisfied with it is definitely "eve of desecration"our newest cd!!here is why!!it is our best songwriting yet!!it is the fastest one and yet we have plenty of slower breakdowns!!and cacthy riffs!!it is our most creative these are the best vocals i have ever recorded in my life!!the lyrics are top notch!!the best guitar solos/leads!!marbas' drumming is phenomonal!!and this album shows you a look into the future of what ezurate is becoming and where we are gonna continue to expand in this direction!!making it more musical and creative!so the listener doesnt get bored!!we want to make it more interesting without losing the brutality!!!we are just gonna continue to make loud fast evil black metal music!!which is what ezurate said we were gonna do from the beginning!!we make the type of black metal that we want to hear!!and we feel that ther are a lot of other people out there that want to see and hear a band that started fast and brutal and stays that way!!!without being boring or just writing the same album every time!!i wont mention any names!but the fans know what bands do that shit!

12. What are some of your interests outside of music?
12.)well we all like sports!!and movies!!i am a football fan!! and into most sports!!i love horror movies and comedies!!ya know!the good comedies!!not those dumbass chick flick comedies!!that my mother would watch!!lol!!

13. How did you get in contact with Rotting Corpse Records and how has the support been so far from the label?
13.)well our guitarist valac made this happen!!i am not sure who contacted them first out of my band!!but it was valac's idea to go to rotting corpse after hearing good things from a good friend of his!! the support has been great from them on every album thus far!!they have always supported us and come to our shows when possible!!ron and lori are good people!!and i consider them my friends and ezurate's good friends as well!we have a great relationship with them!!i am especially happy with how well they are promoting the new cd!!they are doing a wonderful job!!response has been great already and the cd wont be out for another couple of weeks!!so we are all real excited about the potential of this cd!!and i feel that as this grows in popularity!!the other albums will start selling real well also!!

14. Any final words or thoughts?
14.)thanx for your time and for the interview!!!i would just like to say to all of our fans out there!!buy the new cd!!you wont be disappointed!!!and spread the word about ezurate!!so we can get more well known!!so we can play in your town or country!!!we need your support!!and we appreciate your support!!more than you will ever know!!!without you!we are nothing!!we know who we are and where we came from!!we appreciate you and respect you!!be proud of being an ezurate fan!!!!!i know i am!!haha!!hailz/hornz!!!!i will see you all soon!!at shows or on tour!!looking forward to it!!~Holocausto Inferni~666

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Thursday, May 20, 2010

Ezurate/Eve Of Desecration/Rotting Corpse Records/2010 CD Review


  Ezurate are a band from Chicago, Illinois that has been around since the 90's that plays a very fast and heavy form of black metal and this is a review of their 2010 album "Eve Of Desecration" which was released by Rotting Corpse Records.

Drums are mostly fast with a lot of blast beats while the keyboards are only used as a sound effect and they are rarely utilized on this album, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone that follows the riffs coming out of the guitars and they sound very powerful in one of the instrumentals.

Rhythm guitars are mostly fast black metal riffs that use a small amount of melody with some slower playing open string riffs being used on occasion as well as some slower heavy riffing with a small dose of classic metal being used on one of the songs, while the lead guitars are very heavy solos that have some thrash and death metal influences as well as a melodic edge, as for the acoustic guitars when they are used they have the feel of a classical guitar and gives the music a darker edge.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams with some deep death metal growls being used, while the lyrics cover satanic, anti christian themes with some mythology but my only complaint would be some of these lyrics are unoriginal and could use a little bit more improvement and go deeper into the occult instead of being typical Christ bashing that has been done by plenty of bands, as for the production on this recording it has a very heavy but professional sound that captures all of the instruments.

In my opinion this is another good album from Ezurate and this is probably one of the most aggressive and fast black metal bands from the U.S, if you are a fan of Ezurate you should not be dissapointed and you can hear the progression from their previous works. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Invocation Of The Seven Gates" "For I Am Thee Almighty" "Thy Infernal Diety" and "Jehoval Bleed". RECOMMENDED BUY.

www.myspace.com/ezurate 

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Wolven Ancestry Interview


WOLVEN ANCESTRY INTERVIEW: May 2010
Interview by: Lord Defiler (vocals/lyrics)

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that are not familiar with your music?

LD - Wolven Ancestry plays Pagan influenced Black Metal and hails from the Northern Ontario community of Sudbury in Canada.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?

LD - Our sound varies on each album, as we do not believe in making the same album over and over again however our roots lie deeply in the Black Metal spectrum. We try to experiment with each album and this perhaps makes our style unique, which is exactly what we are trying to accomplish. Dark and melodic Black Metal.

3. What is going on with the band nowadays?

LD - The band has been quite busy catching up with our personal lives since the release of Silence of the Boreal in 2009. We did some tours to support the album in Canada and a few US dates and fests, and now we are currently preparing for some smaller tours of the US and Canada this summer to be included with our co-headlining appearance at the 20th annual Michigan Death Fest.

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

LD - It has many interpretations to each individual, but personally I believe it to mean or translate metaphorically perhaps, into the meaning of life itself. An ancestry of Wolven descent, and as we know the Wolf is the dominant species in their habitat. We too, hold the throne for this in retrospect to the planet as a whole so a Wolven Ancestry would be a group of individuals connected that have passed knowledge to future generations, ensuring they remain the dominant species. Most men are capitalist murderers however, and therefore the Wolves are the ones who see this threat amongst their own habitat, one which they have helped maintain and create through the ages.

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

LD - I cannot personally describe my own stage performance, however many people have said we are among the best live bands out there. We believe that if someone is paying Federal Reserve notes to get into a show, then they should at least get the experience of their life so we try to achieve the best live performance possible with each show we destroy.

We have shared the stage with many great bands to date, including Mayhem, Rotting Christ, sigh, Impaled Nazarene, 1349, Goatwhore, 3 Inches of Blood, and an onslaught of other bands we hold in high regards.

6. Have you had an opportunity to tour Europe?

LD - Sadly no, but we are patient wolves..someone should send us an offer :)

7/ Out of all the bands that you have played with or toured with so far, which one did you enjoy the most?

LD - We get a great response from our Sudbury Metal fanbase, and therefore I would have to say shows in our home town are always the best shows. Many great bands have had the opportunity to play in Sudbury and its always good to show these bands what our community is made of and how much support metal gets. We have played much bigger shows and festivals in other cities but nothing beats hearing the crowd chant and sing your music back to you, overtop of the music. Many souls joining and sharing such energies together is epic and powerful.

8. Are there any bands that you would like to tour with but not had the opportunity yet?

LD - Many bands yes. We are a younger band and still quite underground so we have mostly toured with Canadian bands we are friends with but if we had the chance to pick a band to tour with, I would have to say I would choose Negura Bunget (come to Canada already Negru)

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

LD - Very deep stuff. The sort of stuff that may change the way you view yourself, and the world around you.

10. I read in one interview that you where going to add Canadian Mythology to your lyrics, how would you describe the mythology of the country, and how is it different from the Canadian Native American tribes who have a mythology of their own?

LD - Yes, that must have been an older interview for our first album The Wrath of Gaia. Our newest album, Silence of the Boreal is a concept album, each song being based around historical Canadian subjects in relation to Pagan and earthen beliefs for the most part.

The mythology of Canada lies within its Native peoples, who were enslaved and killed when the Europeans came here. Some allied with the French or the English, however most were killed and forced out of their lands by the early European settlers. Back then there was no borders of countries, or at least it was not hard to go from Canada into the United States so many fled North or South, even West. There are still tribes today, however most were forced into what is symbolic to a Nazi concentration camp, and are living on Native reservations in order to still practice their traditions passed down to them from their elders.

11. How would you describe your musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the band heading into on future releases?

LD - We have certainly and purposely progressed over the years and this will continue to show in the music we create. There was alot more clean singing and less keyboard focused parts on our latest album however it was much more technical in comparison to our demo The Wrath of Gaia.

We are very passionate about our music and each member brings alot to the table in regards to creativity. The next album which is currently being written, should be out in late 2010 or early 2011.

12. Out off all the albums and demos that you have recorded so far, which one are you the most satisfied with?

LD - Every album has a soul, or life force about it. Its like creating a child. Wolven Ancestry would never release anything we were not proud of so anything we put out in my opinion is a monument.

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

LD - The response has been really well, even since we released our first album. We have put out all of our albums through Archaic North Entertainment and have sold albums all over the world so it is really great to see that the Wolven sound is not isolated to Canada, or North America solely. Alot of bands have support in their local area and that is where it stops, so it gives us a great feeling of accomplishment to know that our albums are being played all over cyclical earth.

14. What forms of paganism are the most inspiring to your music and philosophy on life?

LD - I do not practice the religious aspect of Paganism, however this does not mean that I do not believe in some or all of its viewpoints. The thing I find most inspiring about Paganist viewpoints is perhaps the most vital to the system, and that is the realization that the earth and cosmos are the most fundamental aspects in all existence. We, as a species are included in this cyclical spectrum and depend on its energies and elemental powers completely. The common individual takes this for granted, and therefore takes their own life for granted and in most cases does not understand the power of nature, and their own relation to the flow of these energies. This is perhaps Animism, a topic which I wrote about on the Silence of the Boreal album. The inuit peoples believed that even a stone on the ground had a soul, or energy about it and played an important role in being there. To most, it is just a stone at their feet but every stone has a history and origin.

I believe that Paganism has evolved radically and is no longer a religious viewpoint as it is perhaps considered by many as common science. Spirituality and powerful earthen energies perhaps differentiate the religious aspect from the scientific now, and to understand this is vital to understanding the ancient and original Pagan beliefs.

15. What is the metal scene like nowadays in your home country of Canada?

LD - There is great support for metal here in Canada, and some of the larger scenes include Montreal and Quebec of course, Toronto, Sudbury, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton, Vancouver and this little place in Northern BC called Prince George. It is a far drive between cities in Canada, but the scenes are very strong and each seem to have great rising bands at the helm.

Canada has always had a very strong "scene" and has given birth to countless innovative bands. I will admit that there is an over-saturation of bands in alot of countries around the world including Canada, and only a handful are really doing something original and will continue to function and progress as a band. Too many people want to be in a band nowadays and make it big, but in the metal world only the strong survive. One must understand that when they get into a metal band, 98% of the time it will remain a hobby, and not a job and this will happen until their lives expire.


16. I have seen some of your videos on YouTube, which video have you filmed so far that you are the most satisfied with?

LD - A fan from Turkey made a video for "Ourstarguided Journey to the Realm of Neverending Life" using clips from the King Arthur movie which can be found on Youtube. I stumbled upon the video and thought it was really cool that a fan would take the time to create that for our music, and synch the parts with the crescendos and builds of the song itself. Must have taken him some time to complete it. Currently we have just one video that we have produced ourselves, for the song "A Bloodline of Immortal Pasison Bestowed The Harmony of Man and Wolf". That is my favourite video of course as we made it ourselves, and our drummer Guyzus did all the editing and construction of it. It turned out really well for our first home made music video and he did a really great job editing it all and getting it the way we wanted it. We wrote a story line out for the video to accent the lyrical content of the song and we all believe it turned out really well.

At the moment we are planning out ideas for the first Wolven DVD and will be working on a new video for a track for our newer album Silence of the Boreal. At this time, all our non-live videos on Youtube are from our first album so we still have to catch up with our videography.

17. Who did the artwork for both of your albums?

LD - When we put out an album, we like to use original art such as paintings or images designed by artists depicting wolves in their natural habitat. Our first album cover, The Wrath of Gaia was an oil painting by a Canadian artist by the name of Maurade Baynton and the cover art for Silence of the Boreal is an image called "Nightspell" and was created by a British artist named Geoff Taylor. The album booklet art for Silence was done by myself, and the Wrath of Gaia was done by Tim Boughton from Dissonance Studios.

18. Where do you see extreme metal heading into during this decade?

LD - I wish that question was changed to "What" do you see it heading into. Extreme metal is where it needs to be now, but we have some very important issues at hand which I think the metal community should be uniting to confront, and that is the New World Order. Fans all around the world can feel the oppression this force has inflicted upon humanity for centuries, and using music can be a very effective way of uniting the metal fans around the world to speak out against it. That would be a great evolution, turning to a revolution...

19. What are some of your interests outside of music?

LD - I mostly study outside of music to be honest. I spend much of my time researching several different topics and not wasting my time with what sports team is winning, or what celebrity is fucking who. I spend my time wisely and have recently got into documentary film making. I have just completed one entitled "The Formation of Resistance" which deals with war, religion, new world order corruption and human spirituality in retrospect to the control the government has upon us all. Ironically if you split the word governmental into two, you are left with two common words. "Govern" or control, and "Mental" or the mind. Therefore Governmental agencies are only existant to control our minds and I find it quite strange how most people would never realize this simple word. There is many secrets in our world, and these secrets lie hidden deep in the Occult. The word occult actually translates to "hidden", so the occult is also something I have been studying quite alot lately.

20. Any final words or thoughts?

LD - Wolven Ancestry albums are now available worldwide through Century Media Distro. Help spread the Wolven word and we hope to be touring outside of North America soon. See you all on the road. Until then

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Friday, May 14, 2010

Nachzehrer/Black Thrash Ritual/2010 Demo Review


  Nachzehrer are a band from Boston, Massachusetts that plays raw black metal with black/thrash influences and this is a review of their 2010 demo "Black Thrash Ritual".

Drums mix some slow to mid paced drumming with a lot of fast playing and brutal blast beats, while the bass playing is all rhythm bass that follows the riffs coming out of the guitars and at times the instrument sounds really powerful with a lot of thrash influences.

Rhythm guitars have a mixture of mid paced and fast raw black metal riffs mixed with a lot of thrash riffing and a small dose of slow doomy parts, while the lead guitars utilize a lot of brutal solos that have a primitive black/thrash feel.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams while the lyrics touch on war, chaos, death and anti christian themes, as for the production on this demo it has a very raw, heavy and primal feel.

In my opinion Nachzehrer are a very good band that mixes black/thrash with raw black metal, and if you are a fan of both styles you should check out this demo. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Incestual Demoncy" and "Plague Bearer: Death March Commerce". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Blasphemous Interview


1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard you before? I formed Blasphemous in Philadelphia back in 2003. At that time there wasn't many bands doing what we set out to do musically. We are very uncompromising in the way we approach our music. We are not out to satisfy anyone but ourselves.

2. How would you describe your musical sound? A combination of late 1980's-early 1990's Black and Death Metal. With a healthy dose of thrash.

3. What is the meaning behingd the band's name? Our former drummer chose the Blasphemous name, and it told people what we are about with no hidden agendas. When someone who's never heard the music hears the name, they know that we are out to attack all that is sacred.

4. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your live performance? One of the best shows we had the opportunity to play was with Watain. Seeing their live performance was something I will always remember, and I dont mean the stench of rotting roadkill either. Another great show was when we played with Incantation and Goreaphobia, old-school underground Death Metal at it's finest. As far as our own live performance, I would say it's intense and hard driving. I am sore for a few days after a performance because of the amount of intensity I put out.

5. Are there any touring plans? Right now, we are without a bass player, and a couple of the guys are involved in other projects along with Blasphemous. So extensive touring isn't in the plans right now. But we are looking for festival appearances. And we'll do some shows on the East Coast.

6. How has your music been received so far by both black metal and death metal fans worldwide? The response to the new CD so far has been good. There was a lot of effort put into the making of it. When it's all said and done, we were satisfied with what we put out. And if others like it, it's a good sign.

7. How would you describe the lyrical content of the music? My lyrical approach goes beyond simply being anti-christian. There are more religions that exploit people's fears. People need to liberate their minds and live beyond their fears. And my lyrics attack those that exploit, and also condemn those who continue to live blindly in fear

8. How has the support been from Baars records so far? Well we were originally going to release the CD on Grim Nocturnal Records, who put out our last CD, but at the last moment they folded. So we quickly decided to put it out on BAARS Records instead of playing the waiting game.

9. How would you describe the musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the music heading into on future releases? I've seen us progress and grow as musicians, we've gone from basement recordings to what you have now, and I can see us growing on our terms

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and what are you listening to nowadays? Bands like Morbid Angel, Incantation, Obituary, Celtic Frost, Venom, Slayer and Immortal are big influences on us. Lately I've been listening to Triptykon, Kult Ov Azazel

11. What role does Satanism or Occultism play in the music? Satanism is a huge part of who I am. And it definitely play a role musically. But with all members involved and writing, we all bring our own ideals to fuel our music.

12. What are some of your interests outside of music? Reading, going to shows.

13. Any final words or thoughts? Thanks for your support. Stay evil

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Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Blasphemous/Bearer Of The Darkest Plagues/Baars Records/2010 CD Review


  Blasphemous are a band from Philadelphia/New Jersey that plays anti christian black metal that takes influences from both death metal and thrash and this is a review of their 2010 album "Bearer Of The Darkest Plagues" which was released by Baars Records.

Drums range from mid paced to fast drumming with a lot of brutal blast beats that mix the heaviest black metal and death metal together, while the bass playing has a very strong tone that sounds very dark and evil.

Rhythm guitars cover a lot of ground with a lot of fast and raw black metal riffing mixed in with some dark death metal and thrash riffs, while the lead guitars have a distorted and melodic feel that is heavily influenced by the masters of mid 80's and early 90's extreme metal.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some deep death metal growls thrown in, while the lyrics seem to be very hateful and anti christian with a satanic edge, as for the production on this recording it has a very heavy and raw feel while still having a professional sound that captures all of the musical instruments.

In my opinion Blasphemous are a very talented band that takes underground black metal and mixes it with classic blasphemous death metal, and if you are a fan of anti Christian black metal or even satanic death metal you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Genocide Of The Kingdom" "Path To Our Demise" "Among The Wolves" and "Decimator Of Holy Manifestations". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Monday, May 10, 2010

Vow/In The Blood Of Beasts/2009 CD Review


 Vow are a band from Philadelphia that has had another cd reviewed in this zine and this is a review of their self released 2009 album "In The Blood Of Beasts".

Drums are mostly fast with a lot of brutal blast beats, while the keyboards just like their previous work are only used to enhance atmosphere and ambiance, as for the bass playing it is mixed down low in the mix follows the riffs coming out of the guitars and at times there are some very powerful bass lines.

Rhythm guitars are mostly mid paced to fast primal black metal riffs that have an mid 90's European feel that have a depressive edge at times with a good amount of melody that also has thrash and death metal influences, while the guitar solos are very distorted and melodic sounding with a dark ambient edge, as for the acoustic guitars they use open chords and finger picking to give the music a darker and more progressive edge.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some deep death metal growls thrown in and some spoken word and clean singing female vocals, while the lyrics seem to be very philosophical, nature orientated and anti christian, as for the production on this album it has a very dark, raw and primal sound.

In my opinion this is another good album from Vow and if you are a fan of underground atmospheric black metal you should check this album out. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "In The Blood Of Beasts" "The Sheep Come Armed" and "Through Flesh". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Sunday, May 9, 2010

Infernus Interview


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


"well we are black metal band from Oregon and we formed in the fall of 2006."


2. How would you describe your musical sound?


"We are a very heavy and blasting black metal band, with a huge old school thrash and death influence! Our lyrics are very hateful and our hymns are haunting."

3. How would you describe your stage performance and what are some of the best shows that you have played so far?


"Well we really do enjoy performing live rituals. We play very aggressively and our shows have gotten better with each advance! We have been honored to share the stage with some great bands, our favorites so far would have to be Horna and Inquisition."

4. Do you have any touring plans?


"We have a lot of shows in the works in the northwest regions for the summer, and are performing on the Godhate tour 2010! and hopefully more to come!"

5. Have you recieved any label interest yet, and if so what kind of label do you feel would do the most to support your music?


"We have been in contact with several labels, and are really just getting a feel for it at the moment, we really want to find a Label that represents the type of music we are playing! And really want a label that would help us get out there and tour like crazy"

6. How has the response been to your music so far by black metal fans worldwide?


"the support we have received has been great. It's good to know there are still people around the world who still care for true black metal. Horns to them!

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


"the Lyrical content in Infernus is very aggressive, its very cold, and very direct. Tear down the walls of the church, distinguish their pathetic lies, and to drown the listener into the abyss of misery that is our pathetic existence."

8. How would you describe the musical progression between the first and last release and what direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?


"we have come a long way musically from our first demo, we have matured as musicians and a band, and I am very pleased in the direction it is going. Our first full length "nex um monastica" is a very solid release and i am very proud of it! I think people will like our new music, it is very thrashy, blasting and hateful!"

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


"There are a lot of bands and and albums that have influenced us over the years, in a lot of different genres, too many to list in reality, but a couple that deeply influenced us were Sarcofago and Sargeist." as far as new bands go I've really been digging Kult of Azazel and 1349's new cd's."

10. Does Satanism or Occultism play a role in your music?


"Occultism is a big part of our lyrical spectrum, as well as Satanism, but more so in a sense of personal empowerment and tearing down the Lies of the church, not the christian devil."

11.How do metal fans in Oregon react to your music?


"I don't know, i can barely see past the wall of spinning hair in the crowd when we play live!!!"

12. What are some of your interests outside of music?


"INTOXICATION"

13. Any final words or thoughts?


Horns for the interview! Stay evil.

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Vow/Ageless Woods/2008/CD Review


  Vow are an atmospheric black metal duo from Bethlehem,Philadelphia and this is a review of their 2008 self released album "Ageless Woods".

Drums mix some mid paced parts with some fast playing and blast beats, while the keyboards add some atmosphere and atmosphere to the music and are not used as a lead instrument, as for the bass playing it is mixed down low in the mix and follows the riffs coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars mix some mid paced and fast black metal riffs with some melodic parts and there are some influences from death metal and thrash, while the lead guitars are very melodic and progressive sounding guitar solos, as for the acoustic guitars they use a lot of finger picking that gives the music a medieval  and ambient edge.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some deep death metal growls thrown in and some spoken word female vocals being thrown in, while the lyrics seem to touch on nature, hateful and war themes, as for the production on this album it has a very dark and raw feel.

In my opinion Vow are a very talented band and I see a good future for them, if you are a fan, if you are a fan of underground black metal that is atmospheric with a European feel you should check this band out. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Phantoms Of War" "Ageless Woods" and "Dogmatic Terror". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Friday, May 7, 2010

Infernus/Nex Um Monastica/2010 CD Review


  Infernus are a band from Albany,Oregon that plays black metal in the vein of the 90's Swedish black metal masters and this is a review of their 2010 album "Nexx Um Monastica".

Drums are mostly fast playing with a lot of blast beats but they do slow down when the music calls for it, while the keyboards are only used on occasion as an effect instead of a lead instrument, as for the bass playing it has a very powerful sound which has its strongest moment on the cover of Impaled Nazarene's "Armageddon Death Sguad">

Rhythm guitars are mostly fast black metal riffs in the classic Swedish vein with a little bit of melody and the mid paced riffs have some thrash and death metal influences and at times there is some slower open string riffs as well as a small amount of acoustic guitar that uses open chords, as for the lead guitars while the lead guitars are very melodic and heavy that mix influences from both the first and second wave of black metal.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams and on the last song they use first wave black/thrash screams, while the lyrics are very anti christian and hateful with a dose of Satanism, as for the production on this recording it has a very raw but professional feel.

In my personal opinion Infernus are a very good U.S.B.M band that sounds more Swedish than American and if you are a fan of Swedish black metal in the 90's vein, you should check this band out. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "War In The Vatican" "Witching Sanctum" and "Anti Christian Artillery". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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