Sathanas/Necrohymns/Transcending Obscurity Records/2018 CD Review

  Sathanas  are  a  band  from  Pennsylvania  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Necrohymns"  which  will  be  released  in  July  by  Transcending  Obscurity  Records.

  Atmospheric  drones  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  direction  which also  uses  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  while  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  thrash  elements  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  blackened  metal  screams  and  the  solos and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  80's  and  90's  influences  but  done  in  a  more  modern  fashion  along  with  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  elements  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Sathanas  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  very  heavy  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occultism  and  Witchcraft  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sathanas  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "At  The  Left  hand  Of  Satan"  "Throne  Of  Satan"  and  "Witchcult".  8  out  of  10. 

  

Demonic Obedience/Fatalistic Uprisal Of Abhorrent Creation/Satanath Records/Severed Records/2018 CD Review

  Demonic  Obedience  are  a  band  originally  from  Greece  but  now  resides  in  Scotland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Fatalistic  Uprisal  Of  Abhorrent  Creation"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Satanath  and  Severed  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  along  with  the  vocals  being  death  metal growls  and  a  few  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  the  music  also  having  a  great  amount  of  90's  influences.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  solos  and  leads  stick  to  more  of  an  old  school  death  metal  style  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  as  well  as  one  of  the  tracks  being  all  instrumental  and   the  music  always  remains  very  heavy  and  brutal.

  Demonic  Obedience  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  brutal  and  blackened  style  of  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Demonic  Obedience  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Conjuration"Outbreak"  and  "Scythes  Bearer".  8  out  of  10.     

Hukutus/Oksitosiini/My Fate Music/2018 CD Review

  Hukutus  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  very  original  and  atmospheric  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Oksitosiini"  which  will  be  released  on  April 27th  by  My  Fate  Music.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  while  the  vocals  bring  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  grim  black  metal s creams  as  well  as  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  bringing  in  elements  of  doom  metal  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to them.

 When  keyboards  are  utilized  they  give  the  music  more  of  an  avant  garde  feeling while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  the  music  also  getting  experimental  at  times.

  Hukutus  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  with  some  atmospheric  and  experimental  elements  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Finnish  and  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hukutus  are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental  and  atmospheric  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ave  Mariana" "Tape  itse"  and  "Jokainen  Hautaa  Omansa".  8/5  out  of  10.

Aura Noir/Aura Noire/Indie Recordings/2018 CD Review

  Norway's  Aura  Noir  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  blackened  thrash  metal  style  of  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Aura  Noire"  which  will  be  released  on  April  28th  by  Indie  Recordings.

  A  very  heavy  80's  thrash  influenced  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  vocals  being  done  in  a  very  angry  black  metal  style  that  has  traces  of  both  the  first  and  second  wave  style  as  well  as  updating  the  music  for  a  more  modern  era.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  and  at  times  the  vocals  go  into  more  of  an  aggressive  thrash  direction  and  when  guitar  leads a re  utilized  they  also  remain  very  true  to  an  old  school  style  of  extreme  metal and  the  music  always  remains  heavy.

  Aura  Noir  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  blackened  form  of  thrash,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  evil,  blasphemy,  death and  darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Aura  Noir  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dark  Lung  Of The  Storm" "Demoniac  Flow"  and  "Cold  Bone  Grasp".  8  out  of  10.

        

Plague Pit Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We are a Black/Death Metal band from Dublin, Ireland. We are a new band, formed in 2016, but we've been metal musicians for over 2 decades.

2.So far you have released a demo, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Our first release is a self-produced effort that contains 7 metal tracks and 1 ambient outro. It's an eclectic mix of most of our influences.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
We write exclusively about magic and Satanism. 

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Plague Pit'?
Plague pits were mass graves for the victims of the Bubonic Plague. The Black Death did massive damage to Ireland and it's a topic of our interest. It also conjures a horrific image and helps set the mood for our music.

5.Has the band done any live shows or is this strictly a studio project?
Not as Plague Pit. We will not play live under any circumstances as this is something we've all agreed is detrimental to the atmosphere of our music and not something either of us has ever liked doing anyways.

6.There are no band pictures or social network pages, can you tell us a little bit more about it?
When we formed this band we agreed to not spend any time or energy on things that aren't musical. Our only goal with Plague Pit is to create dark satanic music that we would like to hear ourselves. Social networking is a big no for us. Our music will always be available to those who seek it -  for free - so there's no need to pander to people on the Internet.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a  label or have received any interest?
We are not actively looking for labels. There were some that showed interest in releasing our debut in physical media, and it may happen sometime in the future. We don't oppose the idea of making our material available to those that prefer it on a CD or some other format, though we personally don't care about it. We are open to collaborations with underground labels and splits with other bands, but it's not a priority for us. We will always make our music available for free download and streaming and we're comfortable with spending our own resources to record and produce the music.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
The feedback has been very positive, despite our limited reach. 

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We are currently recording our sophomore release. While I don't want to reveal much about the material, it won't stray very far from the debut. As for long-term plans, each of our future releases may have a stronger focus or either Death, Black or Doom Metal but they'll still be recognizable as Plague Pit.

10.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?
We are heavily into some of the Black and Death Metal classics such as Celtic Frost, Bathory, Blasphemy, old Morbid Angel, Incantation, old Norwegian Black Metal, Sarcofago, Bestial Warlust, Beherit and so on and so forth. Other than this core group of old Black and Death Metal we're always looking for the fringes of Black and Death Metal for the truly depraved and unusual bands.

11.How would you describe your views on Satanism?
We subscribe to the understanding of magic as a psychological phenomenon and of conditioning one's mind through ritual and meditation to manipulate the astral light. Satanism fits into our worldview as a symbolic mechanism that enables us to reach out to the uninitiated through the usage of widely known symbols that they personally associate with memories, emotions and objects of the real world. The main reason why we do not reveal our lyrics is that we want the listener who truly seeks to commune with us to use these symbols we provide to craft their own magical journey.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you very much for taking the time to review our music and for the interest in Plague Pit. We will be making the debut release available on most digital markets, including Spotify, and it will always be available for free on our Bandcamp page. We are recording a second album at the moment, and, much like the first, it will be available for free streaming and download on Bandcamp.

Carcinoma/Abyssal/Apanthropinization/Goatprayer Records/2018 Split CD Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  United  Kingdom's  Carcinoma  and  Abyssal  called  "Apanthropinization"  which  was  released  by  Goatprayer  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Carcinoma  which  plays  an  atmospheric  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  clean  playing  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  music  also  brings  in a  great  amount  of  dissonant  structures  and  the  vocals  are  in  between  black  metal  screams   and  death  metal  growls.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  their  side  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  part  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  and  the  slow  riffs  also  bring  in  elements  of  doom/death  and  noise,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Carcinoma  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  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  "Silent  Master"  and  "A  Light  To  Pierce  The  Void".

  Next  up  is  Abyssal  a  band  that  plays  an  atmospheric  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  atmospheric  soundscapes  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  which  also  introduces  deep  death  metal  growls  onto  the  recording  while  the  faster  sections  of   the  songs  while  the  slower  sections  are  very  heavily  rooted  in  doom  metal.

  Synths  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  guitar  leads  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  fashion  when  they  are  utilized  along  with  the  vocals  also  mixing  in  some  grim  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  the  solos and  leads  bringing  in  more  of  a  90's style  but  also  getting  very  modern  at  times  and  the  closing  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  oppression  and  decay  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Abyssal  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sinews  Weave  Vicissitudes"  and  "Veins  Of  Satiation".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  atmospheric  black  and  death  metal.  8/5  out  of  10.       

Vomitor Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the and since the recording of the new album?
Waiting hahaha, pressing plants are so backed up its taken 9 months for the LP`s to finally be released

2.You have a new album coming out in April, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Total Death, raging tremolation from beyond all space and time

3.This is your first full length since 2012, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?
We did a US tour and 2 european tours during that time, and released a LIVE rehearsal LP in 2016, and a demos LP set in 2017, so things were busy enough for us lazy bastards

4.Some of the band members have a background in the earlier Australian war metal style, but the music you have released with this band has always been in more of an 80's black/death/speed metal style, what was it that motivated you into going into this direction during the mid 90's when you formed the band?
The bands I was playing in during the mid 90`s were great , but just not what I was wanting 100%, the original incarnation o vomitor was during `91 to `93, I wrote a bunch of our album trax back then, but ended up playing in other bands instead, so when I left Spear of Longinus the time was right to get it going properly again

5.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer release?
Death , satan, Hate , War, magik, nothing has changed

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Vomitor'?
Fuckin Mayhem, total Metal Madness

7.Out of all the shows and tours the band has played over the years, which one stands out the most?
Too many good times to mention just one, the US was a blast, what a disaster that country is, always love finland and Sweden too, so many maniacs out there

8.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
We canceled out plans for the US tour this year because of the visa and tax situation there now, fuck their government, we are in talks for a 24 date tour of Europe for 2019, if that happens we will be playing a lot of countries we havnt played before

9.The new album is coming out on Hell's  Headbangers, how would you compare working with them to the other labels that you have been a part of in the past?
They released a live album for us 10 years ago, and they’ve been our US label since then, for this album we went exclusive with them, theyre are pretty big label, and they have always been good for us, we are still doing other things with invictus prod and iron bonehead prod doing LP re-issues etc, we never had any problems with labels , cuase we only work with hardcore metal labels

10.I have read that one member lives in Ireland while the rest live in Australia, is that still going on these days?
Yes, ive been in Europe for 7 years now, the only time I see the other guys is when we tour or record

11.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer music by fans of underground metal?
Seems to be good feedback so far on the promo trax, the album just got released 2 days ago, I love it that’s all that matters

12.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/
Horror Illogium is still with PORTAL and just released their new album, I think Hellcunt is not playing drums for anyone else at the moment, but he likes to be playing all the time, so he will probably help some other bands out again soon

13.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Exactly the same direction

14.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Band wise, judas priest, old Sodom, old sepultura, old morbid angel, slaughter lord, old destruction and creator, I don’t listen to much new stuff cause the productions suck, some that don’t are Chevalier, Malkarpatan, the new Bolzer is killer

15.How would you describe your views on Satanism and Occultism
Hail Satan

16.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Cheers for the support, may your nether regions never be cancer ridden and your beer always cold, our NEW album is out NOW, buy it cunts, Death Metal or DIE!!!!!!