Friday, April 29, 2016

Voland/Self Titled/Mask Dead Records/2016 EP Re-issue Review


  Voland  where  a  duo  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk  and   symphonic  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2008  ep  which  was  re-issued  in  2016  by  Masked  Dead  Records.

  A  very  symphonic  sound  bordering  on  classical  starts  off  the  ep  bring  in  an  epic  feeling  to  the  recording  and  after  a  few  seconds  the  music  goes  into  a  very  fast  black  metal  direction  that  utilizes  a  great  amount of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  along  with  some  grim  screams  and  they  also  mix  the  symphonic  and  heavy  parts  together.

  Clean  singing  and  melodic  vocals  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of the  recording  giving  the  music  a  medieval folk  music  feeling  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  while  spoken  word  parts  along  with  elements  of  ambient  have  their  moment  on  some  tracks .

  Voland  played  a  style  of  symphonic  black  metal  on  this  recording  that  was  more  close  to  the  90's  side  of  the  genre  while  also  mixing  it  with  folk  music  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very dark  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  History  Of  Russia.

  In  my  opinion  Voland  where  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  folk/black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Leningard"  and  "Ii  Lado  Dei  Ciudi".  8  out  of  10. 

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Asura/Only Death For My Warriors/Masked Dead Records/2016 Demo Re-issue Review


  Asura  where  a band from  Italy  that  played  a  symphonic  and  gothic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2009  demo  "Only  Death  For  my  Warriors"  which  was  re-issued  in  2016  by  Masked  Dead  Records.

  Melodic  chanting  starts  off  the  demo  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  and symphonic  musical  direction  and  a  few  seconds  later  grim  black  metal  screams  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Death  metal  growls  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  keyboards  bring  in  the  atmosphere  of  a  gothic  horror  soundtrack  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  remain  true  to  a  very  melodic  musical  style  while  choirs  can  also  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  along  with  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  melodic  vocals  and  the  music  sticks  mostly  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  while  a  brief  use  of  fast  playing  and  blast  beats  are  added  onto  the  last  track.

  Asura  played  a  style  of  black  metal  that  was  very  symphonic  while  being  more  dark  and  underground  than  most  bands  of  that  genre  and  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  goth  and  death  metal  which  makes  the  music  stand  out  a  bit more,  the  production  has  a   very  dark  demo  sound  to  it  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  death  and  hate  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Asura  where  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  gothic/black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK "Escape  From  Death".  8  out  of  10.  

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Romuvos/Infront Of Destiny/No Colours Records/2016 CD Review


  Romuvos  are  a  solo  project  from  Lithuania  that has  been  featured before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  epic  form  of  folk/pagan  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2016  album  "Infront  Of  Destiny"  which  was  released  by  No Colours  Records.

  Thunder  and  rain  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  synths  a  few  seconds  later  before  adding in  pagan  chanting  and  acoustic  guitars  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of a  medieval  feeling  and  other  folk  instruments  can  be  heard  throughout  the  recording  and  it  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  side  of  the  music.

  At  times  the  music  can  be  very  atmospheric  and  clean  singing  pagan  vocals  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  the  music  also  alternates  between  both  folk  and  metal  parts  and  when  solos  and  leads  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  while  some  of  the  drums  bring  a  tribal  and  shamanistic  atmosphere  to  the  music.

  A  great  amount  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  you  can  also  hear  the  influence  of  black  metal  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  as  the  album  a  brief  use  of  whispers  can  be  heard  and  when  synths  are  finally  utilized  they  give  the music  more  of  an  epic  feeling  and  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or mid  paced  musical  direction.

  Romuvos  remains  true  to  the  pagan/folk  metal  sound  of  previous  recordings  while  also  mixing  in  some  black  metal  influences  in  the  guitar  riffing  to  create  a  very  heavy,  epic  and  melodic  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism,  Lithuanian  Traditions  and  Medieval  Times.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Romuvos  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  pagan  and  folk  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Infront  Of  Destiny  We  Shall  Face  Our  Death"  "Our  Spirits  Pass  Through  The  Underworld"  "The  Return  Back  Home"  and  "Let  thy  Gods  Sing  Your  Glory hymn".  8/5  out  of 10.

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Okkultokrati/Snake Reigns/Night Jerks/Southern Lord Recordings/2016 CD Review


  Okkultokrati  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge,  d  beat,  crust,  hardcore  and punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  compilation  which  contains  the  "Snake  Reigns"  album  I  reviewed  in  2012  and  their  2014  album  "Night  Jerks"  which  was  released  in  May  by  Southern  Lord  Recordings.

  A  crust  punk  style  sound  starts  off  the  compilation  along  with  some  d  beats  and aggressive  non  melodic  punk  vocals  and  all  of the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  the  music  slows  down  elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  can  be  heard  and  after  awhile  grim  black  metal  screams  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording.

    Throughout  the  compilation  you can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  on  some songs  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  while  some  of  the  heavier  riffs  are  very  heavily  influenced  by  Motorhead  along  with  a  touch  of  first  wave  black  metal  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  add  in  more  of  an  early  80's  metal/punk  feeling  to  the  songs  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  intro  on  the  second  album  has  a  horror  movie  feeling  while  the  rest  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  heavy  style  and  they  close  the  recording  with  a  horror  move  soundtrack  style  instrumental.

   On  both  of  these  recordings  Okkultokrati  take  first  and  second  wave  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  sludge,  doom  metal, crust,  d  beat  and  hardcore  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  yet heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Darkness  and  Drug  themes.

     On  both  of  these  recordings  Okkultokrati  take  first  and  second  wave  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  sludge,  doom  metal, crust,  d  beat  and  hardcore  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  yet heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Darkness  and  Drug  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  compilation  from  Okkultokrati  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  metal,  doom,  sludge,  crust,  d  beat  and  hardcore  punk,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "No  Ouroboros"  "I  Thought  Of  Demons"  "We  So heavy"  and  "Moon  Dagger".  8  out  of  10.

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Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Rapheumets Well 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?

We have been working on amplifying our stage performance and visuals as well as gearing up for tours.  Touring is our main mission now as we want to reach abroad, sharing our music internationally.  Recently we have even taken to acting lessons to help give us some more tools in our stage performance. 

2.Recently you have released a new album how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

It has more emotion, more personal connections with it in contrast to the story in which it represents.  Being a science fantasy story, it is important to convey the story in such a way musically that the person feels the lore more than just giving the illusion. We have more technical riffs in on this album and faster burst of drumming, but all in all it is a more vibrant album than our first album "Dimensions".  Dimensions was portrayed a darker feel.  The Exile has a more demanding feel with a epic overtone that makes it more colorful in terms of sound textures.  Also adding a female opera singer and the complex leads of our newest guitarist makes it an more mature album in our musical evolution. 

3.From 2007 to 2014 there was no music being released, can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during that time span?

Well, it is very complex.  Merging 5 to 6 personal universes together for a single mission is quite a task and much like chemistry, certain elements can cause a disastrous reaction. Finding balance in attitudes and musical appreciation takes time though we are happy to say, we believe we found it. But yes, there is a myriad of actions that have taken place which has stunted our progress but time has given us a bit more wisdom to work with.   

4.Your lyrics have a sci fi and fantasy theme concept to them, can you tell us a little bit more about the song writing?

Our story is very deep, maybe too much for a 8 to 10 song album.  We developed a basic understanding for a multiverse and a verse in which consciousness is a force similar to electromagnetism, gravity, and the strong and weak nuclear forces.  We developed this hierarchy of powerful beings, created to aid in the propagation of sentient life.  We talk a lot about the formation of each multiverse in its birth, evolution, and decay. Matter is woven from the.  Deviations in the stream allow for dimensions to exist like a bubble in a pond.  But  this extends in quite a depth.  Then comes the comsic drama.  Beings loose favor, entire planets are destroyed, entire planetary systems wiped out. You see, there are these beings called the Atai which are "near" immortals who are coined "the architects" or sentinels.  They are quite powerful and very odd beings who in some ways, aid in the evolution of the dimension. The elder beings Sainath, Soyumoth, Eyu Na, Tael Udwafael, along with five others are locked into a war and that is where our story starts on the first album. 

The second album is abit more personal and takes place on a planet called Vranath Su and is from the perspective of a military commander who challenges a rouge Atai who begins mining people for s their organic fluids to feed a rare mineral which is built into a gate which can bend space and time, thus bringing forth the antagonist from the first story who was banished (well, it is a lot more complicated than thaat ha). The Main character Darmak defies his conquest and is tortured is a very insidious way.  He watches his family being murdered and he himself has his skin ripped from his bones many times a day (cursed with eternal life) in hopes that his very spirit is fragmented which is the ultimate death.  But, he ends up kicking some butt and blowing up the planet ha!!


5.According to the fb page the band also has an interest in ancient mythology, metaphysics and astronomy, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

Well, some of us are quite academic.  My self, I spent eight years in medical school in which I took anthropology classes, physics, and many of us have a affinity towards mythology.  in a subtle way, our music hints abit at the "ancient alien" concept though we do not prescribe purely to their shared beliefs or methods.  But, we do find value in science and the art equally which is used in creating our own science fantasy mythology.  Even my medical degree sheds light on Taoist philosophies and eastern constructs in which provokes thought. We like to be exploratory, educational, and entertaining with our topics in music.  

6.Originally the band was known as 'Blue Man's God', what was the decision behind the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Rapheuments Well'?  Well, we came up with this name many years ago and before the band "Blue Man's Group" came out.  You can already see the problem here. Jokes persisted and people thought we were some how affiliated with Blue Man's Group (which I really like by the way).  Rapheumets Well is a name constructed in our own universe.  Here is the actual definition:  Rapheumet is the name of a deity personified as a trickster, “a master of portals and inter-dimensional travel” who “often creates chaos for unsuspecting voyagers”, and in the band’s name “Well” refers to gravity wells, “which like black holes are catalysts of change and gateways between the cosmic plains.”

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?

Well, our most memorable has to be playing with Black Crown Initiate recently as well as Unleash the Archers.  Both bands inspired us.  Just seeing they dedication to their craft as well as their love for their fans.  We opened for these bands and the response was great.  We were able to learn alot which will serve us in our future endeavors. 

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

Yes, we are already scheduled for a tour coming this July.  Past that, we are working closely with Test Your Metal Records and our label owner and manager Grant Truesdell in developing more tours internationally. 

9.The new album was released on 'Test Your Metal Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?  Test Your Metal Records was founded by Grant Truesdell who is also the guitarist for the renown band Unleash the Archers on Napalm Records.  He has been absolutely amazing in giving us hope and guidance.  He really works with us and is crystal clear about the objectives. He actually cares for the musicians on his label.  Test Your Metal Records is a rising label in which we have already grown a loyalty torwards.  It is the labels mission that is important, which actually focuses on helping the band acquirer the tools for success.  it is a partnership of a sorts, a feedback system in which makes us work equally as hard and we appreciate that.  We firmly believe that big things will keep rolling from this label. 

10.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black, death, symphonic and progressive metal?'

Well, so far it has been outstanding.  Our international fan base has grown and mostly positive feedback.  
11.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days? 

Well, I am working with a band called Enthean from our area in whcih I am doing some drum work for.  They are phenomenal musicans and they are gaining some well deserved attention  Our gutarist Hunter Ross has a project called Carving the Architect which is amazing.  So, we doing a lot of "sharing" between the bands here.

12.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?  We have no limits so it is hard to say.  International tours, and developing a following both musically and for our story.  It is my hope that a video company may take notice or even a comic book company to make our story come to life.  This is our sole passion so we looking for this to be our predominant career. 

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

Black Crown Initiate, Enfold Darkness, Fallujah, Obscura, Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, Uneash the Archers, Iron Maiden, Devin Townsend, Kintaro, Danny Elfman, tears for fears, Acid Bath, Opeth, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Septic Flesh, Cradle of Filth, Amon Amarth, and Morbid Angel are some of our most influential bands. 

But, just as much we are inspired by our native bands such as Enthean, Everthrone, Crow Hollar, Neverfall, Occido, Kill the Host, Daedalus, Blood Written, Necrocosm, Skinn Jakkitt, Marrow of Earth, Black Demize, and Behind the Sun to list a few have been the foundation of the scene here in the south east and I feel they deserve the attention. 
14.What are some of your non musical interests?
Well, we have some martial artists practitioners and a weapons instructor in the band as well as a acupuncturist.  We are from the mountains so we tend to engage in some camping, fire building, squirrl eating, you know, mountain hillbilly things.  We have actress in the band and we are all video game fanatics for the most part.  We enjoy trying to unravel the mysteries of the cosmos but more so we like Chinese buffets. 

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

Well, we are very appreciative of your time and for you allowing us to speak.  We are humble musicians working hard for our passion, like so many other bands.  We are hoping to bring some attention to our area of the Carolinas as their is a lot of untapped potential here.

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Thursday, April 21, 2016

Rapheumets Well/The Exile/Test Your Metal Records/2016 Full Length Review


  Rapheumets  Well  are  a  band  from  North  Carolina  that  plays  a  symphonic  and  progressive  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "The  Exile"  which  was  released  by  Test  Your  Metal  Records.

  Classical  guitar playing  starts  off  the  album  and  after  a  few  seconds  starts  going  into  more  of  a  brutal a nd  fast  symphonic  direction  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  death  metal  growls  and  you  can  also  hear  melodies  and  technical  elements  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  after  awhile  black  metal  screams  start  becoming  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  remain  true  to  a  blackened  death  metal  style  and  all  of  the musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  clean  singing  male  and  female  vocals  are  utilized  they  give  the  music  more  of  a  operatic  feeling  and  some  of  the  heavier  riffing  also  brings  in  elements  of  prog  metal  while  the  symphonic side  of  the  songs  have  a  classical  music  influence  to  them  while  later  tracks  also  show  them  bringing  in  a  touch  of  ambient  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Rapheumets  Well  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  symphonic  styles  of  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  ad  something  different  to  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  their  own  sci  fi  and  fantasy  creations.

  In  my  opinion  Rapheumets  Well  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Epic  Of  Darmak"  "Witch  of  Dark  Sphere"  and  "Planetry  Cenotaph".  8  out  of  10.   

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Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Malevolentia/Republique/Epictural Production/2016 CD Review


  Malevolentia  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  and  orchestral  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Republique"  which  was  released  by  Epictural  Production.

  A  very  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  orchestras  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  very  fast  black  metal  direction  that  uses  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking,  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams  which  they  also  mix  in  with  the  symphonic  elements  and  tthe  solos  and  leads  stick  to  a  melodic  direction.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  choir vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  female  vocals  are  also  used  at  times  and  they  both  give  the  music  more  of  an  operatic  feeling  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  music  at  times  also  brings  in  more  of  a  ritualistic,  metaphysical  and esoteric  atmosphere  and  the  last  track  brings  in  male  vocals  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  goth  feeling.

  Malevolentia  plays  a  style  of  black  metal t at  is  very  aggressive  and  symphonic  while  also  mixing  in  a  touch  of  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in French  and  is  a  concept  album  based  upon  an  Orwellian  type  of  society  with  deep  politics  and  some  occult  references.

  In  my  opinion  Malevolentia  are  a very  great  sounding  symphonic  and  orchestral  black  metal  band  with  a  touch  of  death  metal  and  if you are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Annuit  Coeptis"  "Magus  Frater  Spectat  Te"  "Orbo  ab  Chao"  and  "Eschatos".  8  out  of  10.

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