Existential Emptiness/Neverending Pain-Everlasting Sorrow/Australis Records/2020 CD Review

  Existential  Emptiness  are  a  band  from  Chile  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album "Neverending  Pain-Everlasting  Sorrow"  which  will  be  released  on  June  21st  by  Australis  Records.

  Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  while  the  only  track  presented  on  the  album  is  over  31  minutes  in  length.  Synths  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  song  also  add  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.  Elements  of  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  track  along  with  some  atmospheric  sounds  also  being  used  briefly.

  Dark  sounding  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  some  whispered  vocals  also  being  utilized  at  times.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  track  also  bringing  clean  playing  into  certain  sections  of  the  song  and  towards  the  end  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  can  also be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  an  individual  that  goes  through  an  existential  crisis.

  In  my  opinion  Existential  Emptiness  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/Existential.Emptiness.Official/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtsHyxn5uxk

Actus Septem Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

We are Actus Septem. We are a black / doom metal band from a small city in Central Greece, Lamia.
We are four members in the band. Three of the members are brothers. We started playing together in 2016.

2.So far you have released an ep, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?

Well we wanted to express our emotional state through our music, so we naturally composed with this in our minds. We like to export our music heavy.

3.One of your songs references Greek Mythology',can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

You are right. Dominion Castigation is influenced by the Greek Mythology. Actually the song is about guilt and the struggle someone or everyone is carrying on deep inside. So the song referred to Orestis and his struggle against his guilts. Everyone has their guilt one way or another. Assert in Death has also a reference on the Greek History and the battle of Thermopylae.
Everyone has to guard their Thermopylae, on a moral level.

4.What are some of the other lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?

The lyrics on the EP and on songs except the EP, have an anthropocentric view. We write for what we believe; emotions that everyone has inside and tries to fight towards inner peace, redemption and freedom. Fear, sorrow, pain, culpability, loss it is what we are  mostly all of us made of.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Actus Septem'?

Actus Septem means in English, Seven Actions. Seven it is of course a symbolic number all over history and in most religion dogmas. It is a spiritual number. But it is also a main number in science: biology, maths, astronomy. Every Week consists of seven days. We live our seven days and act on them. Seven are also the deadly sins that more or less exist in every person. Day seventh is the day of mankind.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover?

Gustave Dore is the original artwoker of the cover. The artwork is about the biblical  Babel Tower where people tried to reach their God and failed. We chose this cover because it shows the will for searching the truth.

7.Has the band had any opportunities to do any live shows or open to the idea/

Until this day we decided not to do any lives until our album is released. We now have some discussions on live shows with other Greek bands.

8.Currently the band is unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

We are searching for a label so we can publish our next work. We have some offers mainly outside Greece.

9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and doom metal?

Well, luckily it's not that hard these days to promote your music through platforms like Bandcamp or YouTube. Obviously we do not have our audience yet but we received messages from in and outside Greece. Maybe black metalheads are a bit more supportive of our music than doom metalheads. Until now Brazilians are those who showed us the biggest support for sure and we are grateful to them.

10.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

In the end of July we are going to start recording our first full length album. We believe that in the middle of the Autumn we will release it.
The album will have a more black metal sound and direction.
We can't predict our future compositions. We just compose our music and who can say for the future? Surely we continue heavy.

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?

We started by the basics, like Metallica, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden.
Surely bands like Paradise Lost, Moonspell, Anathema, Rotting Crist and Behemoth are an inspiration .

Giorgos:
Nowadays I am listening to Riverside and their album Love, Fear and the Time Machine,
Dark Tranquility, Katatonia, Bruce Springsteen and Evergrey.
Nick :
Melechesh, Nevermore, Yoth Iria, Human Serpent

Vaggelis
Satyricon, Septicflesh

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts? 
Thank you for the interview and the opportunity to share our thoughts.
We want to thank all our brothers and sisters for their support.
Spread the Words; Actus Septem.

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The Outsider/From Ancient Gods And Forbidden Books/2020 Full Length Review

  The  Outsider  are  a  solo  project  from  Mexico  that  plays  a  symphonic  and  avant  garde  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2020  album  "From  Ancient  Gods  And  Forbidden  Books".

  Dark  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  A  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  music  also  having  its  symphonic  moments.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  avant  garde  sounding  while  the  vocals  bring  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams.  During  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  spoken  word  parts  also  giving  the  music  more  of  a  ritualistic  feeling  when  they  are  utilized.  Operatic  vocals  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks  as  well  as  one  song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  middle  eastern  and  Asian  style  musical  instruments.

  Touches  of  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  as  well  as  the  music  also  having  a  decent  amount  of  90's  influences  but  also  sounding  very  modern  at  the  same  time, when  percussion's  are utilized  they  also  give  the  recording  more  of  a  tribal  feeling  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief use  of  acoustic  guitars,  saxophones, clean  singing  and  jazz  influences  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  cosmic  horror,  dark  sc-fi  scenarios  and  mythology  while  also  having  some  influences  from  the  writings  of  H.P  Lovecraft.

  In  my  opinion  The  Outsider  is  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  and  avant  garde  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "I  Belong  To  Te  Stars"  "The  Wish  That  Became  A  Curse"  "Suicide  Is  Progress"  and  "Lost".  8/5  out  of  10. 
   

Ea/Ea Taesse/Solitude Productions/2020 Album Re-Issue Review

  Ea  are  a  band  with  embers  from  Russia  and  the  United  States  that  plays  a  very  atmospheric  and  blackened  form  of  funeral  doom/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  20006  album  "Ea  Taesse"  which  will  be  re-issued  in  July,  2020  by  Solitude  Productions.

  Atmospheric  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times.  Elements  of  funeral  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  riffing  while  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark,  depressive  and  melodic  style,  Death  metal  growls  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  recording  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  some  female  vocals  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  the  music  also  mixing  in  some  elements  of  atmospheric  black  metal,  one  of  the  tracks  is  also  an  instrumental  and  the  whole  album  also  sticks  to  a  slower  direction

  Ea  plays  a  style  of  funeral  doom/death  metal  that  is  very  atmospheric  sounding  along  with  some  elements  of  black  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Ancient  Sacred  Texts  in  A  Dead  Language.

  In  my  opinion  Ea  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  blackened  funeral  doom/death  metal b and  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Laeleia".  8  out  of  10.

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Ethir Anduin/Pathway To Eternity. The Agony/Grimm Distribution/2020 CD Review

  Russia's  Ethir  Anduin  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  band  adding  vocals  into  their  mixture  of  black,  doom,  progressive  and  post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Pathway  to  Eternity.  The  Agony"  which  was  released  by  Grimm  Distribution.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  and  melodic  musical  direction  while  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Clear  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.  Spoken  word  parts  and  whispers  can  also be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  post  rock  elements.

  The  slower  riffs  also  bring  in  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal  along  with  the  music  also  having  its  progressive  moments.  Clean  playing  also  makes  a  return  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  and  some  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  synths  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks   and  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Ethir  Anduin  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  doom, progressive  and  post  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Awareness  Of  The  Frailty  Of  Being"   "Eternal  Shining  Star"  and  "Last  Struggle".  8  out  of  10.

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Cirkeln/Kingdoms That No One Remembers/Naturmacht Productions/2020 CD Review

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Sweden's  Cirkeln  which  continues  his  old  school  and  epic  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  heavy  and  the  album  will  be  released  on  June  25th  by  Naturmacht  Productions  and  id  called  "Kingdoms  That  No  One  Remembers".

  Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  while  spoken  word  samples  can  also  be  heard  briefly  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.

  Elements  of  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of   the  songs  while  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  are  also  utilized  when  the  music  speeds  up. The  tracks  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  both  old  school  and  modern  influences   along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  When  acoustic  guitars  are  utilized  they  also  add  in  some  touches  of  folk  music  along  with  the  songs  also  having  their  atmospheric  and  epic  moments.  Keyboards  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length. 

All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them as  well  as  some  of  the  riffing  also  showing  some  influences  of  thrash  and  traditional  metal  and  one  track  also  introduces  clear  pagan  vocals  onto  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  movie  samples  can  also  be  heard  and  most  of  the  music  also  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  style.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  fantasy,  mythology  and  some  of  the  writings  of  J.R.R.  Tolkien.   

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Cirklen  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  old  school  and  epic  black,  doom  and  heavy  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "In  His  Deep  Hidden-Hall"  "The  Dreaming  City"  and  "Kingdoms  That  No  One  Remembers".  8/5  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MliVTJuwWL0&feature=youtu.be  

Cirkeln/Stormlander/Mourning Light Productions/2020 EP Review

  Cirkeln  are  a  solo  project  from  Sweden  that  plays  an  epic  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2020  ep  "Stormlander"  which  was  released  by  Mourning  Light  Productions.

  A  very  dark  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  a  brief  use  of  clear  chants  and  percussion  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  musical  direction.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  while  elements  of  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs.

  Most  of  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  era  while  the  music  sticks  to  mostly  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  some  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts.

  One  track  also  introduces  folk  instruments  onto  the  recording  along  with  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.   A  couple  of  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  some  keyboards  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording,  the  music  also  adds  in  some  influences  of  traditional  metal  and  as  the  ep  progresses  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while t he  lyrics  cover  Paganism,  Ancient  Lore  and  Fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Cirkeln  is  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  and  epic  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  heavy  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Old  Demon  King"  and  "As  The  Gods  Burn".  8/5  out  of  10.

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