Friday, January 31, 2014

Nigra Mors/Self Titled/Lupus Niger/2014 EP Review


  Nigra  Mors  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  raw  form  of  occult  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2014  ep  which  was  released  by  Lupus  Niger.

  The  ep  starts  out  with  a  slow,  dark  and  heavy  sound  along  with  all  of   the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  before  going  into  a  more  dark  black  metal  direction  as  well  as  adding  in  fast  parts  that  have  a  thrash  feeling  to  them  along  with  grim  vocals  which  also  have  a  ritualistic  edge  to  them.

  As  the  ep  moves  on  old  school  underground  metal  solos  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  blast  beats  and  they  bring  this  unholy  assault  to  other  songs  as  well  along  with  some  early  90s  style  black  metal  melodies  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  the  vocals  utilizing  a  more  depressive  tone  at  times  and  at  other  times  you  can  hear  some  deep  demonic  growls.

  With  this  ep  Nigra  Mors  take  the  old  school  occult  black  metla  sound  and  add  in  a  small  amount  of  underground  thrash  influences  and  create  a  sound  that  is  very  dark  and  raw  along  with  a  good  amount  of  fast  parts  and  unholy  aggression.

  Song  lyrics  are  written  in  Italian  and  cover  occult  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  heavy  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Nigra  Mors  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark  and  raw  occult  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Mater  Lacrimarum".  8  out  of  10.

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Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Arathgoth Interview


1.Can you give us an introduction to the band for those that will be hearing of you for the first time?

Arathgoth! This is the name of the only musician of this project of Dungeon synth, dark ambient and atmospheric black metal! So there is no group but one musician : who I am does not matter. I live in the musical world  that I’ve created and that is the foundation of my existence !

2.How would you describe the musical sound of all 4 of the albums and also how do they differ from each other?

I’ve started with Medieval Dungeon Synth for “the season of ashes” then I've lost myself in space and Science Fiction with “Interplanetary Travel”. After that, I was proud of “Man With No Fate” because it sounded exactly like what I had in mind. Finally, “Brutal Winter” was made in 2 times : first, the synth tracks inspired by winter and, then, the black metal ones inspired a lot by Conan The Cimmerian.

3.The earlier albums where more dungeon synth but the new one is more black metal influenced, what was the decision behind going into this direction and also will this direction continue on future releases?

I’m a guitar player so I wished to put guitars and vocals.. and by the way, I was angry at that time ;)

4.Can you tell us a little bit more about the themes you explored with the synth albums and also what style of lyrics did you use on the black metal recordings?

I often imagine an adventure or a feeling and I try to express that into music. Very often, this is sad or melancholic emotions, sometimes anger but never hate ! I’m inspired by what I felt when I read a book or watch movies. For the lyrics, I’m a fan of Conan from Robert E Howard. In fact, there is a song “ the deadly night “ which is about a short story of Conan “The Lair Of The Ice Worm”. “Brutal Winter” takes some parts of a poeme from Robert E Howard and “Gods of the North” is inspired by the short story “The Frost Giants Daugther”.  About the 2 others : “Lost in the blizzard” is about my anger and my will of going behond my limits and “Pale Moon” is about loneliness and the fact that, at the end, we’re always alone.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name Arathgoth?

I’ve created this character to illustrate my musical world. The name came by itself, without thinking !

6.Currently there is only 1 member in the band, do you see the line up expanding in the future or do you chose to remain solo?

Maybe… it’ll depends of the opportunity. On Brutal Winter, there is a bonus track made with Mystic Demonia, a friend of mine. I stay open to collaboration.

7.You have put out 4 albums in less than 2 years, would you say that music takes up most of your time?

Music takes time. To compose an album takes more than one day and, sometimes, it is hard to deal with music and everyday life at the same time. But I always have a bit of music in my head !


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

Right now I only have positive feedback. This is also what makes want to go further ! In “Brutal Winter” I tried to put some black metal elements in my music, we’ll see where it goes…


9.When can we expect the next album?

Maybe during spring or this summer ! I’m still trying to find a new direction but I think it will be more black metal with some atmospheric parts. I don’t really like doing the same thing again and again.

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

I’ve been influenced a lot in my youth by movie soundtracks such as : Dune, Willow, Dark Crystal, Star Trek, 2001 space odyssey, etc. Later I came to metal music. I’m also a huge fan of John Carpenters soundtrack et the OST of Conan by Polidoris, remains one of my favorite soundtrack. A part of that, I’m listening to metal, black metal and affiliate (Burzum, Dimmu Borgir, Amon Amarth, Summoning), dungeon synth, indus and electro… I also like Ministry, Nine Inch Nails… I’m searching inspiration in literature and Nordic culture.

11.Does paganism play any role in your music?

Not really. The cultural aspect of paganism is interesting… However I’m not affiliate to any religion nor political movement.

12.Do you have any non musical interests?

No, the music takes all my free time. It's a passion!

13.Before we wrap up this album do you have any final words or thoughts?

like my music or go to hell ! ( just kidding : Hell would be a great place to appreciate my music ;) )


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Sunn 0)))/Ulver/Terrestials/Southern Lord/2014 CD Review


  This  is  a  review  of  a  joint  album  between  U.S.A's  Sunn 0))  and  Norway's  Ulver  who  teamed  up  together  to  create  an  experimental  sounding  album  with  the  recording  being  released  by  Southern  lord  in  2014  and  called  "Terrestials".

  The  album  starts  out  with  experimental  sounding  drones  and  noises  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  elements  of  ambient  are  added  onto  the  recording  as  well  as  saxophones  which  leads  up  to  drums  5  minutes  later  as  well  as  a  more  doom  metal  orientated  sound  which  brings  in  the  introduction  of  bass  guitars.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  music  gets  a  lot  more  darker,  experimental  and  heavy  and  you  can  also  hear  synths  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  traces  of  psychedelia  and  after  awhile  a  brief  use  of  clean  and  acoustic  guitars  make  their  way  onto  the  album  and  on  the  last  song  there  is  a  brief  use  of  melodic  clean  singing  vocals  being  utilized.

  On  this  album  Sunn  0))  and  Ulver  team  up  to  create  a  more  experimental  drone  and  while  Ulver  started  out  as  black  metal  and  Sunn  0)))  experimented  with  it  in  the  past  there  are  no  traces  of  that  genre  on  this  recording  but  it  still  has  a  very  dark  and  ritualistic  sound  to it.

  Song  lyrics  are  mostly  absent  from  this  album  with  the  music  being  mostly  instrumental  but  the  short  amount  they  have  cover  poetic  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful  and  professional  sound  with  all  3  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  joint  effort  between  Sunn  0))  and  Ulver  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  experimental,  dark  ambient  and  drone,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Western  Horn".  8  out  of  10.    

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Den Saakaldte/Morke Og Depresjon/Bylec Tum/2014 Cassette Re-Issue Review


  Den  Saakaldte  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  plays  a  very  experimental  and  depressive from  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2008  demo  "Morke  Og  Depresjon"  which  was  re-issued  on  limited  edition  cassette  by  Bylec  Tum  in  2014.

  The  ep  starts  out  with  ambient  sounding  synths,  drones   and  experimental  sounds  and  after  the  intro the  music  goes  into  a  more  experimental  black  metal  direction  along  with  saxophones  and  then  it  goes  more  into  a  more  straight  forward  and  old  school  direction and  brings  in  grim  screams  and  vocals.

  As  the  demo  progresses  more  fast  parts,  melody  and  depressive  elements  are  brought  into  the  music  as  well  as  some  clean  parts  and  melodic  vocals  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  retaining  the  experimental  and  avant  garde  parts  and  on  other  songs  you  can  also hear  a  small  amount  of  death  metal  growls.  

  After  awhile  acoustic  guitars  are  brought  into  the  music  along  with  melodic  guitar  leads  and  on  every  song  they  bring  in  a  different  sound  as  well  as  having  an  instrumental  which  continues  the  ambient  sounds  of  the  intro  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  classical  music  feeling  and  then  the  demo  goes back  into  a  heavier  yet  still  experimental  direction

  On  this  demo  Den  Saalkaldte  show  a  great  amount  of  diversity  and  they  take  influences  from  the  traditional,  melodic  and  depressive  forms  of  black  metal  and  mix  them  in  win  avant  garde  and  experimental  elements  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.

  Song  lyrics  are  written  in  Norwegian  and  cover  depressive  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  heavy  sound  along  with  the  bass  guitars  being  mixed  down  low  in  the  mix  as  well  as  some  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  last  2  songs  are  bonus  tracks,  one  being  a  2006  demo  track  and  the  other  a  live  track  from  2009.

  In  my  opinion  Den  Saakaldte  are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental,  depressive  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  cassette.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Drikke  Ens  Skal"  "Ode"  and  "Mesias".  8/5  out  of  10.

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Monday, January 27, 2014

The Committee Interview


First of all our whole collective would like to thank you for your interest in our band.

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
In the time that we should be taking a break, we decided to take own steps in promoting the new album in any way we can. For now we keep all communication channels open and keep ourselves busy.
Last few rehearsals we were working on new stuff for 2015. For now we are busy with assisting our label with all the needed preparations for the release of “Power Through Unity”.



2.You have a new album coming out early this year, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction that you have taken with the new recording and also how does it differ from your previous demo?
We wanted to take the demo a few steps further towards a more defined sound that is dominated by low depressive tones, yet still very pronounced. Our EP “Holodomor” is more in the direction of “early” work of THE COMMITTEE stretching back to 2007. The full album tends to be more uniform with the lyrics and the story of the whole album. There's more black metal influences that dominate the palette. This was not intentional, but came as a result of combination of different factors to create a unity of music and feeling. We all have different musical influences which we try to combine and experiment with. What came out of our collaboration seems to be black metal for the most part.


3.I have read that this band started out as a solo project, what was the decision behind forming a full line up?
It happened by accident. Our drummer heard the raw unfinished pieces one day and took interest in the whole project. He found it to be worthy of his time and saw a future in it. After that moment it only took a short time before our guitarist and bass player joined the ranks. You can say that they were a bit intrigued by the strange concept. Now however, they play very specific roles inside the band. Our full album could not have been written without them. I could never achieve this kind of music on my own. The different input from our members is what makes our music come to life.






4.The lyrics cover Occultism, History and Conspiracy Theories, can you tell us a little bit more about your interests in these topics?
Strangely enough it's not only my interest. All of the 4 members take interest in these topics.
Because I don't follow the modern media, I like reading and researching strange bizarre things and events. Being blessed with the opportunity to see life in the West and in the East, I can assure you that we are never told the whole story about what happens around us. Only the top of the ice berg is visible. I don't like the word: conspiracy theory. I think in “pragmatic” terms. If we can put our moral judgement and emotions aside, we can see that the whole time there are conflicts of interest happening parallel to life's events. I feel that nothing is happening by accident. I like to educate myself to read between the lines and to see who benefits from those big nasty events that could have been “conspired” against us all. People are not stupid. They know that those empty and loud words like “freedom” and “democracy” are not fooling anyone anymore. I'm very happy to see that our fans understand us.
I like history too. And I'm simply amazed by how many times it repeats itself. The new album for example is an “alternative” view of history where opposing sides reconcile their difference because they see who benefits from their mutual slaughter.



5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'The Committee'?
The Committee is a group of people who handle their affairs as one unit. Without a hunger for fame and yearning for good life. Only the music and the message is important. The Committee is us and it's our fans. It's amorphous, liquid and adaptive. It has no central structure and no rigid rules and systems. It is something that every one of our fans can see in themselves. I see the name not as an institution, but as one unit.




6.The band members all come from different countries, how do you get together to create and write music together?
We all live in one country for the moment. 2 of our members have roots in different countries. And other 2 are actually born in different countries. This is not as uncommon as it might seem. Underground black metal scene is quite diverse and many nationalities are ever present during shows and festivals. It was almost unavoidable to end up with the team we have now.


7.You have a show scheduled for a festival in Germany this year, is this going to be your first show or has the band done any live shows in the past?
The German show on the UNDER THE BLACK SUN festival is our first ever live performance. This show is arranged by FOLTER RECORDS. We are simply amazed by this fact. Right now negotiations are conducted in order to organise a release show in Belgium to announce our new album. We are very honoured to play in the country that we visit many times every year to see our favourite bands. For the gig in Germany I am learning to speak German for easier communication with our fans.



8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
Simply put; We were blown away by the amount of positive feedback! We were not prepared for this at all. It toppled on us like an wave. Up to this day I cannot thank our fans enough for spreading the word of THE COMMITTEE. We keep our channels of communication open at all times and the news and feedback is pouring in every day. We put our fans above everything and their words have kept us going to do even more. It was due to their request, that we decided to play live.


9.Where do you see the band heading into music wise during the future?
For now we are brainstorming for the new full length album due in 2015 and will be concentrating more on live shows. We have planned 2 full albums ahead and will be delivering on our promise.  It's hard to say how we will be accepted as a live band, but our predictions are positive. My goal is to have this conversation again after a few years and evaluate how everything has evolved. For now we will be working hard to spread our music and surprise our fans with new concepts and future releases.



10.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
The strangest thing is that ALL of our 4 members have their own genres that they like. It ranges from Old Skool Black and Death metal to heavy metal and even old skool 70's rock. We like to get back to the roots of metal sometimes and hear the pioneers from the past.
Right now I'm quite obsessed by Winterfylleth, Mgla, Urgehal and Tsjuder. However I like to sneak a few albums of Black Sabbath and W.A.S.P to the rehearsals once in a while.


11.Do you have any non musical interests?
Yes off course. For now my interests are:  learning new languages, traveling, nature exploration,  applied psychology and sociology, reading, writing and fine cuisine. Our members off course have their separate passions that they pursue daily.


12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Once again I would like to thank you for this interview and especially want to thank the German ( and world wide ) metal fans who believe in us and support us.  It’s been a very interesting development.

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Astaroth/Chaosatanas/Polypus Records/2013 CD Review


  Astaroth  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  plays  a  satanic  and  occult  form  of  black  metal  with  elements  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Chaosatanas"  which  was  released  by  Polypus  Records.

  The  ep  starts  out  with  an  intro  which  uses  clean  guitars  and  atmospheric  sounds  and  after  the  intro  the  music  remains  in  a  clean  direction  for  awhile  before  getting  heavier  and  more  atmospheric  along  with  grim  black  metal  screams  which  also  leads  to  a  faster  direction  along  with  blast  beats  as  well  as  mixing  slow  and  fast  parts  together  as  well  as  bringing  in  dark  sounding  melodies.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  music  gets  more  diverse  and  you  can  hear  the  clean  parts  making  their  returns  at  times  as  well  as  having  melodic  guitars  leads  being  added  into  the  music  along  with  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  a  blackened  death  metal  edge  being  utilized  at  times  which  also  leads  up  to  brutal  sounding  blast  beats.

  When  we  get  more  into  the  album  the  music  goes  more  a  more  dark  and  evil  direction  along  with  fast  bass  guitars  and  this  is  probably  the  darkest  album  i  have  ever  heard  from  a  Norwegian  band  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  deeper  vocals  being  utilized  on  one  song  and  on  the  outro  synths  are  brought  in  to  bring  a  dark  closing  to  the  record.

  With  this  recording  Astaroth  bring  out  a  very  dark  and  evil  sound  with  their  approach  to  satanic,  occult  black  metal  while  being  rooted  in  true  black  metal  the  music  also  has  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  death  metal  influences.

  Song  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occultism,  The  Dark  Side  of  the  Qabalah  and  Left  Hand  Path  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  dark  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Astaroth  are  a  very  great  sounding  satanic,  occult  black  metal  band  with  traces  of  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Qliphoth"  "Xeper  I  Apep"  "World  Enslaved".  9  out  of  10.

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Conjuro Nuclear/Luna Ilena Y Radiacion/2013 Full Length Review


  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Conjuro  Nuclear  which  continues  their  mixture  of  black  metal,  crust  and  dark  ambient  with  the  album  being  self  released  in  2013  and  called  "Luna  Ilena  Ilena  Y  Radiacion".

  The  album  starts  out  with  an  intro  which  is  more  in  the  synth  pop/new  wave  direction  along  with  atmospheric  and  ambient  elements  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes into  a  more  old  school  black  metal  direction  along  with  grim  screams  as  well  as  maintaining  an  atmospheric  background  and  when  they  bring  in  leads  they  have  a  post  black  metal  feeling  to  them  which  also lead  up  to  blast  beats.

  As  the  ep  progresses  it  starts  bringing  in  slow  heavy  parts  that  also  bring  in  a  doom  metal  influence  while  also  keeping  around  the  atmospheric  black  metal  elements  which  also  leads  to  the  band  bringing  in  psychedelic  sounds  and  after  awhile  crustcore  influences  and  d  beats  are  added  onto  the  record  which  also  leads  to  the  bass  guitars  having  a  more  powerful  sound  to  them.

  With  every  song  that  is  present  on  this  album  the  band  brings  a  different  sound  to  them  one  minute  the  music  will  be  soft  and  experimental  and  then  it  goes  into  a  more  raw  and  old  school  black  metal  direction  and  unlike  a  lot  of  bands  that  are  experimental  the  band  keeps  a  more  raw  approach  to  the  black  metal  elements  and  on  the  last  song  you  can  also  hear  traces  of  dark  dungeon  synth  music.

  With  this  album  Conjuro  Nuclear  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  diversity  and  originality  while  their  music  is  more  based  on  old  school  black  metal  they  make  things  more  interesting  by  bringing  in  parts  of  crust,  doom,  psych,  ambient,  synth  pop  and  new  wave  to  create  an  album t hat  is  very  original  but  still  having  true  black  metal  elements.

  Song  lyrics  are  written  in  Spanish  and  cover  Apocalypse  and  Nightmare  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  dark,  raw,  heavy  and  old  school  sound  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  Conjuro  Nuclear  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  metal  that  is  not  afraid  to  experiment  ore  be  original,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Luna Ilena Y Radiacion"  "Pesadillas  Fractales"  and  "Suenos  De  Destruccion". 9  out  of  10.

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Conjuro Nuclear/Bosque de Craneros/2013 EP Review


  Conjuro  Nuclear  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  black  metal  with  elements  of  crust  and  dark  ambient  and  this is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2013  ep  "Bosque  de  Craneros".

  The  ep  starts  out  with  dark  synth  pop  sounds  which  also  bring  in  elements  of  ambient  and  after  a  minute  raw  black  metal  guitar  riffs  make  their  way  into  the  music  along  with  melodic  leads  and  on  the  second  song  crust  influences  and  grim  screams  make  their  way into  the  ep  as  well  as  the  music  getting  more  up  beat.

  As  the  ep  progresses  it  has  an  old  school  black  metal  sound  but  with  elements  of  crust  and  you  can  hear  atmospheric  sounds  in  the  background  and  the  music  is  also  not  afraid  to  experiment  and  they  also  bring  a  different  sound  to  every  song  and  at  times  you  can  also  hear  psychedelic  sounds  being  added  in.

  On  this  ep  Conjuro  Nuclear  show  a  great  amount  of  diversity  at  times  when  they  are  in  a  softer  mode  they  have  a  new  wave/synth  pop  meets  ambient  feeling  while  the  heavier  parts  combine  old  school  black  metal  and  crust.

  Song  lyrics  are  written  in  Spanish  and  cover  dark  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Conjuro  Nuclear  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  crust  and  dark  ambient  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "II"  and  "III".  8  out  of  10.

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Sunday, January 26, 2014

Sado Sathanas/Homos Hamartia/Naturmacht Productions/2014 CD Review


  Sado  Sathanas  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  satanic  and  occult  form  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Homos  Hamartia"  which  will  be  released  by  Naturmacht  productions.

  The  album  starts  out  with  dark  ritualistic  ambient  sounds  before  going  into  a  fast  and  melodic  black  metal  direction  which  leads  up  to  dark  and  grim  vocals  along  with  a  mixture  of  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  also  adding  in  slower  elements  at  times  along  with  acoustic  guitars  and  synths  but  mostly  sticking  to  a  heavier  direction  as  well  as  bringing  in  blast  beats  at  times  and  high  pitched  screams  and  in  certain  parts  you  can  hear  melodic  chanting  in  the  background.

  As  the  album  moves  on  the  music  brings  a  progressive  approach  to  occult  black  metal  as  well  as being  heavy,  dark  and  atmospheric  all  at  the  same  time  and  the  vocals  also  have  a  melodic  tone  to  them  at  times without  losing  the  grim  approach  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  melody  in  the  music.

  With  each  song  the  band  brings  to  the  album  they  all  sound  different  from  each  other  and  at  times  you  can  hear  the  bass  guitars  along  with  the  music  having  some  very  fast  and  heavy  parts  in  certain  sections  of  the  record.

  On  this  album  Sado  Sathanas  bring  a  very  original  sound  to  satanic  and  occult  black  metal  with  their  ability  to  write  some  fast  and  heavy  stuff  while  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  atmosphere  and  melody  along  with  progressive  and  epic  elements  and  this  is  probably  going  to  be  another  great  highlight  of  black  metal  in  the  year  of  2014.

  Song  lyrics  cover  the  relation  and  interchanges  between  rules  and  freedom,  the  law(order)  and  the  spirit(Chaos)  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  dark  and  professional  sound  along  with  most  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Sado  Sathanas  are  a  very  great  original  sounding  satanic,  occult  black  metal  band  with  a  great  amount  of  diversity  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Nomos  Hamatia"  "P.A.N  Demonia"  and  "Codex  Diaboli".  9  out  of  10.

Official: www.sadosathanas.de 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/SADO-SATHANAS/213253486149

Agael/Trost/Naturmacht Productions/2014 CD Review


  Agael  are  a  1  man  band  from  Germany  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  I  would  describe  as  being  a  raw  and  atmospheric  form  of  black  metal  with  elements  of  dark  ambient  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2014  album  "Trost"  which  will  be  released  by  Naturmacht  Productions.

  The  album  starts  out  with  dark  ambient  sounds  and  synths  which  leads  up to  melodic  female  vocals  and  a  few  seconds  later  the  music  goes  into  a  more  melodic  black  metal  direction  along  with  grim  screams  which  also  use  have  a  very  depressive  tone  to  them  at  times  as  well  as  bring  in  a  dark  and  melancholic  atmosphere  as  well  as  using  a  mixture  of  clean  and  heavy  parts  which  also  leads  up  to  melodic  guitar  solos.

  As  the  album  continues  the  music  remains  in  a  dark  and  melancholic  direction  combining  soft  atmospheres  with  raw  black  metal  and  clean  singing  gothic  male  vocals  are  also  added  into  the  music  at  times  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  on  other  songs  you  can  also  hear  traces  of  melodic  doom  metal  and  the  recording  also  takes  a  slow  pace  from  beginning  to  end  and  on  one  song  there  is  a  brief  use  of  deep  growls  along  with  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars.

  On  this  album  Agael  take  some  melancholic  sounding  ambient  elements  and  mix  it  win  with  atmospheric  black  metal  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  gothic  and  doom  metal  to  create  an  album  that  is  very  dark  and  melodic  as  well  as  having  a  great  amount  of  variety  and  diversity.

  Song  lyrics  are  written  in  German  and  cover  dark  and  poetic  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  raw,  dark  and  heavy  sound  along  with  some  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.    

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Agael  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic,  atmospheric  melancholic  black  metal  with  elements  of  dark  ambient,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sternenklang"  "Ewige  Heimkehr"  and  "Trost".  8/5  out  of  10.

Official: www.agael.info
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Agael/2003916500261040


Primitive Graven Image/Traversing The Awesome Night/UKEM Records/2013 CD Review


  Primitive  Graven  Image  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  I  would  describe  as  being  a  heavy  and  melodic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Traversing  The  Awesome  Night"  which  was  released  by  UKEM  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  fast  and  heavy  black  metal  guitar  riffs  along  with  drums  and  grim  screams  and  after  awhile  the  music  speeds  up  along  with  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  as  well  as  mixing  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  together  as  well  as  bringing  in  atmospheric  synths.

  As  the  album  continues  the  band  stick  to  a  modern  Norwegian  style  black  metal  direction  while  also  adding  in  thrash  influences  and  melody  which  also  have  a  90's  Swedish  feeling  to  them  and  as  the  recording  progresses  old  school  solos  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  melodic  clean  singing  shortly  after  that.

  When  we  get  more  into  the  album  the  screams  start  sounding  more  high  pitched  and  evil  as  well  as  the  fast  parts  becoming  grimmer  while  the  music  does  not  forgot  its  melodic  roots  and  there  is  a  lot  of  diversity  being  utilized  in  the  songs  and  on  the  short  instrumental  there  is  a  classical  orchestra  music  feeling  which  brings  epic  like  elements  to  the  recording  and  then  the  band  return  back  to  a  heavy  and  melodic  direction.

  On  this  recording  Primitive  Graven  Image  show  that  they  have  grown  a  lot  as  musicians  over  the  years  and  this  album  is  very  diverse  with  the  way  they  mix  speed,  heaviness,  grimness,  darkness, atmosphere  and  melody  together  to  create  a  very  diverse  record.

  Song  lyrics  cover  darkness,  nature  and  fantasy  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  dark  sound  along  with  the  bass  guitars  being  mixed  down  low  in  the  mix.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Primitive  Graven  Image  and  if  you  like  your  black  metal  heavy,  dark  and  melodic,  you  should  check  out  this  album>  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bringer  Of  Light  And  Dark"  "Fear  And  Fire"  "None  Shall  Stand"  and  "Blood  Red  Heart".  9  out  of  10.

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Saturday, January 25, 2014

Avulse interview


1. Can you tell us a little bit about the project for those that have never heard of you before?
1. Avulse started back in 2009. I've released 3 Albums, 2 EPs, A split and a demo in that time.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?
2. Musically, it straddles the line between punk and black metal, although with a more atmospheric approach.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
3. I tend to sing about resistance, things that are fucked up and why they have to be there. Also about my struggles with alcohol.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?
4. Avulse means to Tear or to rip, so its fitting with the music i feel.

5. Currently there is only 1 member in the band are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you choose to remain solo?
5. I might get a live line up, but this is me and me alone for all recording

6. I have read that you run the record label The First Church Of The Left Hand Path, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
6. Ugh no.

7.On a world wide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal and punk?
7. People seem to be receptive to it. Mostly its love it or hate it, no middle fucking ground.

8. What is going on with the other musical projects these days?
8. Auspicium is getting ready for the ten year anniversary, maybe a new album by the years end? Black Chalice just put out a new record, Obsidian. Field of Spears put out a new LP and Wholy Failure continues to weird everyone out.

9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
9. Its probably gonna be more of the same. hah

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
10. Specificly to Avulse? Poison Idea, Darkthrone, Sheer Terror, Burzum, Slapshot.

11. How would you describe your views on Occultism?
11. Eh its a cool hobby and definitely interesting as hell to read about, but I am definitely a rationalist and don't expand my interest into the practical.

12. Outside of music what are some of your interests?
12. If im not working, you'll find me on the water, walking on the shore or fishing.

13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
13. "If you dont listen to manowar than you are afraid of yourself!"


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