Celesterre/The Wild/Rain Without End Records/2017 CD Review

  Celesterre  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  plays  a  progressive  and  epic  mixture  of  heavy,  doom,  and  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "The  Wild"  which  was  released  by  Rain  Without  End  Records.

  Melodic  yet  heavy  doom  metal  riffs  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  touches  of  70's  traditional  metal  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  stick  to  a  very  old  school  style  while  the  vocals  start  off  in  a  more  clean  style  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  Clean  playing  along  with  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  synths  are  also  used  at  times  and  one  track  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  along  with  a  brief  use  of  female  vocals  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  they  also  add  in  elements  of  black  metal  and  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  high  pitched  screams  and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  adds  in  a  few  seconds  of  growls.


  Celesterre  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  traditional  doom  and  heavy  metal  while  also  mixing  in  some  progressive  and  black  metal  elements  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Nature  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Celesterre  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  mixture  of  heavy,  doom,  and  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Burst  Into  Life"  "The  Wild"  and  "A  Celebration  Of  Decay".  8  out  of  10.

 

  

Epping Forest/LebaBVoid/Unexploded Records/2017 CD Review

 Epping  Forest  are  a  band  from  Portugal  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their 2017  album  "LebaBvoid"  which  was  released  by  Unexploded  Records.

  Fly  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  black  metal  screams,  fast  riffs  and  blast  beats  while  death  metal  growls  are  also  used  at  times  along  with  a  small  amount of  melodic  singing  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  fashion.

  A  decent  amount of  melody  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  faster  riffing  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  spoken  word  parts  are  also  used  briefly  and  one  track  also  adds  in  middle  eastern  musical  instruments  briefly.

  As  the  album  progresses  avant  garde  style  piano's  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  a  brief  use  of  operatic  female  vocals  which  also  returns  on  some  of  the  later  songs  and  synths  and  one  track  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  saxophones  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  cover  of  Chants  Of  Maldoror's  "Cruel  With  Us".

  Epping  Forest  plays  a  style  of  blackened  death  metal  that  also  takes  the  genre  into  more  of  an  avant  garde  and  experimental  direction,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  and  Mythology  themes from  Sumerian  and  Ancient  Civilizations  sources.

  In  my  opinion  Epping  Forest  are  a  very  great  sounding  avant  garde  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  "Inception:  Everblasting  Doom"  "Kria:  Resistance  Is  Useless"  "Summong:  Three  Hundred  Out  Of  The  Sky"  and  "Herafter:  We  Are  Alone  In  The  End".  8/5  out  of  10.   

De Profundis/Decayed 2007-2017/Zero Tolerance Magazine/CD Review

  De  Profundis  are  a  band  from t he  United  Kingdom  that h as  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  progressive  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  compilation  album  "Decayed  2007-2017"  which  was  released  with  the  79th  issue  of  Zero  Tolerance  Magazine.

 A  very  heavy  yet  technical  sound  starts  off  the  compilation  along  with  some  death metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of t he  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  when t he  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Black  metal  screams a re  also  added  into  certain  sections of  the  recording  along  with  the  slow  riffs  being  very  heavily  influenced  by  doom  metal  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

   The  fretless  bass  gives  the  tracks  more  of  a  progressive  feeling  and  some  tracks  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  acoustic  guitars  along  with  some  jazz  elements  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  a  few  seconds  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Throughout  the  compilation  De  Profundis  brings  out  a  very  progressive  style  of  blackened  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  negativity,  solitude,  despondency  and  contemplation  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  collection  from  De  Profundis  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  progressive  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  compilation.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Kult  Of  The  Orthodox" "A  Strange  Awakening"  "Silent  Gods"  and  "Nihilism  Vortex".  8  out  of  10.  

Beneath/Ephermeris/Unique Leader Records/2017 CD Review

  Beneath  are  a  band  from  Iceland  that  started  out  more  as  a  brutal  and  technical  death metal  band  and  on  this  recording  mix  that  style  with  black  metal  and  a  touch of  prog  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Ephermeris"  which will  be  released  in  August  by  Unique  Leader  Records.

  Bass  leads  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  brutal  yet  technical  riffing  starts  off t he  album  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while t he  music  also  gets  very  progressive  at  times  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  at  times.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  technical  fashion  while the  mid  tempo  sections  also  add  in  touches  of  slam  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  elements  along  with  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  On  this  recording  Beneath  gives  a  blackened  touch  to  their  brutal  and  prog  style  of  technical  and  brutal  death  metal,  the production  sounds  very  professional  while the  lyrics  cover  science  fiction  and  futuristic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Beneath  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  and  brutal  technical  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Eyecatcher"  "Guillotine"  "Medium  Obscurum"  and  "Multiangular".  8  out  of  10.

  

Omnious Shrine Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Xahaal : Hello, first of all thanks for your support. Ominous Shrine is a French band I founded in
2016, After years of playing and composed for Malepeste I wanted to make something more
heavy, more death. I tried it with band called Temple of Worms, but I leaved this band in 2016 to
found Ominous Shrine with some friends. Seb from Dysylumn is our vocalist, he played rhythm
guitar too live. Tom is the drummer from Aeon Patronist a technical black/death band and Dimholt
is the ancient bass player of Osirion and Temple of Worms.
Ominous Shrine is an occult black/death metal band dedicated to the left hand path.

2.Recently you have released an album, how would you describe the musical sound that is
presented on the recording?
Xahaal : Well this is old school death metal with some occult, dissonant black metal parts, with
powerful and deep vocals.

3.The lyrics on the album are very much in the Luciferian, Left Hand Path, Occultism and Sinister
Path traditions, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the dark arts?
Xahaal : Yes, the lyrics describe more or less the path to deification like only Left Hand Path can
offer. I am passionate about all esoterism in general, I like to study all mythologies or current. But I
found myself in the sinister way. The Luciferian Gnosis is a glorification of personal knowledge and
spiritual strength, you are free, your mind stays yours, you are not a part of any God’s plan. YOU
are the only God you need in your life.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Ominous Shrine'?
Xahaal : This name is to express a dark religion idea. Something between spirituality and devotion,
nothing is black OR white, this is always black AND white. A shrine is a place where you can feel
good, safe, but this one is ominous, as all sanctuary really are when you open your eyes to the
truth.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you
describe your stage performance?
Xahaal : Well, for the moment Ominous Shrine just played one show, others are planned but for
the moment we just have on experience with this band. We all have a lot with other bands, but
this first one for OS was really good. Great feedbacks and energies on stage. I wanted to do
something more “classic”, simpler than the Malepeste’s shows. No candles or other decorum, just
some incense to help us to feel it on stage. But nothing more.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
Xahaal : Just a couple of shows in my town with bands like Pensée Nocturne, Anus Mundi, Azziard,
The Negation etc… But we are looking for more. The stage is very important for me.

7.The new album was released on 'Goathorned Productions', are you happy with the support they
have given you so far?
Xahaal : Goathorned Productions is a very good label, and Luis is now a friend. He is really involved
in his job and it’s a real honor for me to have his support for Ominous Shrine.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death
metal?
Xahaal : Maybe it’s too short to answer correctly, but for the moment feedbacks seems to be
really good.

9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the
band members are a part of?
Xahaal : Malepeste and Dysylumn are working on a split together and an album for each band.
Aeon Patronist is going to release a really good EP too. And of course some shows in Europe like
Forest Fest, Ragnard Rock or Little Devil festival.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Xahaal : I will continue to compose music in this way, and I hope to play a maximum gigs in some
different places.

11.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?
Xahaal : This is bands like Grave Miasma, Dead Congregation, Maveth, Sheol or other bands of the
occult black/death scene who makes my vision of what I am looking for in death metal. But I am
listening a lot of things from In Solitude to Dalek, via Urfaust, Hetroertzen, Inferno, Subrosa,
Sektarism, Chelsea Wolfe or Schammasch. But these are just a very little parts.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Xahaal : Nothing more than saying thanks to you for your support. And to all people who
continues to make this music real.

Sons Of Crom/The Black Tower/Nordvis Produktion/Bindrune Reocrdings/2017 CD Review

   Sons  Of  Crom  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  an  epic  mixture  of  heavy,  doom,  pagan  and  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "The  Black  Tower  which  will  be  released  in  August  as  a  joint  effort  between  Nordvis  Production  and  Bindrune  Recordings.

  An  epic  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  synths  and  they  also  bring  in  the  atmospheric  of  a  fantasy  movie  and  after  awhile  melodic  pagan  vocals  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  very  fast  black  metal  direction  that  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  as  well  as  adding  in  some  high  pitched  screams.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  folk  instruments  are  also  used  at  times  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  stringed  instruments  along  with  the  guitar  riffing  and  leads  also  adding  in  touches  of  traditional  metal  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  a  couple  of  tracks  while  the  slow  riffs  add  in  elements  of  doom  metal  along  with  all  of  the  tracks  sounding  very  different  from  each  other  an d they  also  close  the  album  with  an  instrumental  track.

  Sons  Of  Crom  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  an  epic  style  of  heavy/doom  metal  while  also  getting  very  aggressive  at times  and  mixing  in  more  of  a  pagan  black  metal  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  war,  glory,  honour,  and  Norse  Mythology.

  In  my  opinion  Sons  Of  Crom  are  a  very  great  sounding  epic  mixture  of  heavy,  doom,  pagan,  and  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "In  Fore  Reborn"  "Summoning  The  Starborn"  and  "Viimeinen  Laki".  8/5  out  of  10.   

Whore Of Bethlehem/Extinguish The Light/Black Market Metal Label/2017 CD Review

  Whore Of  Bethlehem  are  a  band  from  Texas  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  brutal  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Extinguish  The  Light"  which  will  be  released  on  July  21st  by  Black  Market  Metal  Label.

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  speeding  up  and  introducing  blast  beats  and  death  metal  growls  onto  the  recording  while  black  metal  screams  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  remain  true  to  a  very  chaotic  black/death  metal  as  well  as  having  their  melodic  moments  style  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of   dark  sounding  melodies  at  times  along  with  the  fast  riffs  also  utilizing  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  one  of  the  tracks  is  all  instrumental  and  the  music  always  remains  very  heavy  and  brutal.

  Whore  Of  Bethlehem  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  brutal  blackened  death  metal  style  of  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Murder,  Hatred  and  Armageddon  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Whore  Of  Bethlehem  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  brutal  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Invocation"  "Extinguish  The  Light"  and  "Ravenous  Undead  Predators".  8  out  of  10.