Witchgoat Interview

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

[P. Scyther] Witchgöat was created by guitarist P. Scyther who had the idea of setting a musical project that would play the type of music he had been a fan of his whole life. This included Latin American thrash from the 80’s and old school death metal as well as blackened death metal of the 90’s. He found M.Miasma  to be the vocalist with the identity and personality required to give the line-up the right spirit. Both respectively composed the music and the lyrical concept of the band together with E. Driller as well as the charismatic bassist C. Fog. They recorded the demo Umbra Regit which was released on July 31, 2018.

2.So far you have released a demo, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

[P. Scyther] The Umbra Regit demo evokes and mixes the sound elements that we like within metal, high speed revolutions, doses of blast beats, melodies in minor keys, violence, and raw and rough vocalizations of black metal. We have not invented anything and neither are we trying to be original. Simply we play what we love. Before we were musicians we were fans of metal our whole life and as fans we have passed to be from enthusiastic spectators to be the protagonists of something that we have always liked.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

[M. Miasma] I am interested in merging lectures related to different currents on occultism, ancient civilizations and ancient beliefs. Also a little bit of war tales, honestly there is no boundary on which topic to talk about right now is this but on the coming album could be different there is completely no  bounds, we will do whatever we feel interesting to do for us.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Witchgöat'?
[M. Miasma] The name was decided with P. Scyther we know the words “Witch” and “Goat” are being used by other bands on their names but we do not give a fuck about that, I think the music/lyrics of the bands gives a band a solid name, you can have a “killer” band name but if the production, music and content is bullshit then the band will be bullshit so there is not much concern about that situation. We choose that name because it gets along well with the intention of the music and lyrics for this project, we want an obscure, aggressive and gloomy vibe In the music and that name fits good for us.

5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the demo cover?
[M. Miasma] Symbolizes the rebirth after death, a step closer to find the answer of one of the biggest mysteries of humanity, death, perfect and determined as our vision within this band, determined to vomit tunes of death, aggressiveness and without any compromise. Also the only commitment we can take is towards ourselves, to be honest while composing music without any intention to build any egocentric bullshit around it, we do not have nothing to prove to anyone just to  ourselves.

6.Has the band had any opportunities to do any live shows yet?

[P. Scyther] So far we have only rehearsed privately for the making of Umbra Regit and for the recording of the complete album that the title will be released soon. It should be released before the year ends. For now, we are concentrating in producing music before we start playing live shows. The conditions in El Salvador to do live performances are not the best, however, we do not rule out making live shows in the near future.

7.The demo was released on 'Morbid Skull Records', how did you get in contact with this label?
[M. Miasma] Yes, it was a good option since I own that label.

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

[P. Scyther] We are a new band and making a path is complicated and can be hard work. Up to now, we have had good reviews from people who are enthusiastic of the genre in the underground thanks to Umbra Regit. We did not expect this response and it has been surprise in a positive way, even though there are less favorable opinions related to the precariousness of the sound and concerning that the sound of the band does not include novelty elements or innovative resources. However, as mentioned before our interest is not in that direction and we believe that a good underground project must keep a certain level of precariousness and realism in the sound of its instruments. Personally, we do not like so much, metal with a refined sound or an artificial level of production.

9.Right now you are working on your first full length album, what can we expect musically once it is released?

[P. Scyther] Our first album is fully recorded. Some details are missing but the music is about to be produced. The album will give continuity to the Umbra Regit demo that right now reflects the band at this moment. The other songs from the full-length are the same kind as the demo and you can expect the same speed, vocal ferocity, melody, blast beats, and evil riffs in minor keys, and lyrics are as the ones already described. If you have liked the demo you will absolutely enjoy the album.

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?

[P. Scyther] There is a bit of everything you know, great albums of thrash metal like Schizophrenia from Sepultura and the first releases from Bathory, Sarcófago, Aura Noir, Dissection, Destruction, Possessed, Death and the melodies of bands like Mercyful Fate are among some of the classics that have been an influence for us. From nowadays, blackened European thrash bands like Nekromantheon, Inculter, Obliteration, Quintessenz, Sepulcher, Black Magic, DeathHammer or Latin American bands like, Sierpes, Destroyer Attack, Conceived by Hate, Mortem, Disorder and that kind of style also have an influence.

11.Does Occultism play any role in your music?
[M. Miasma] Incorporate it into music I see it more as a consequence of something more global, this includes topics that are of personal interest for our lives.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
[P. Scyther] We would like to thank everyone that has read this interview and given their support to the band and our project. We hope to have the news of our upcoming album soon and that everyone enjoys it.

https://www.facebook.com/witchgoatsv/

Veilburner/A Sire To The Ghouls Of Lunacy/Transcending Obscurity Records/2018 CD Review

Veilburner  are  a  band  from  Pennsylvania  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  an  experimental  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "A  Sire  to  The  Ghouls  Of  Lunacy"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Transcending  Obscurity  Records.



  Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  avant  garde  elements  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  mix  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  along  with  some  clean  playing  being  used  at  times  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  grim  sounding  clear  vocals  and  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  high  pitched  black  metal screams.



  Death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  along  with  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  the  music  also  has  its  technical  and  progressive  moments  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  avant  garde  style  clean  vocals  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  on  most  of  the  tracks  throughout  the  album  and  some  tracks  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  psychedelic  touches..

  On  this  recording  Veilburner  goes  into  more  of  an  avant  garde  and  experimental  direction  of  blackened  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Gnosticism,  Nihilism  and  Occult  Practices.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Veilburner  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  experimental  and  avant  garde  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Panoramic  Phantoms"  "A  Sire  To  The  Ghould  Of  Lunacy"  and  "Where  Torment  Has  Danced  Before".  8  out  of  10.

Official Video



  

Vst interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Vst is a Symphonic black/death metal project, created back in 2011, we have released our first album “An-ki Ekleipsis” in 2014 by Ablaze Prods, and this year we have released our second album called “The Beast Manifesto” which features a new line-up, and we could say it’s the most interesting work we’ve done so far, full of darkness, atmosphere and aggression.

2.Recently you have released a new album, what are some of the things you feel you have done different musically with this recording that you where not able to do with your previous release?
For this album since the writing and preproduction process we invested more time than never, I mean, first song was created 2 years ago, we took 6 months working in preproduction, we focused in each detail, each arrangement, each riff and drumbeat, it was also our most collaborative work to date. In the recording process we spent dedicated time to each instrument, no pressure, all takes needed and we worked also there in better ways to arrange some songs, so we are really proud of the final outcome.

3.The band has been around since 2011 but so far has only released 2 full lengths, can you tell us a little bit more about it?
We use to take plenty of time to work with each of our projects, maybe because we are a band with busy members and we don’t really like to release no-full length productions, so we give the proper to each album until we feel satisfied and fulfilled creatively and spiritually.

4.A lot of your lyrics deal with Satanism and Occultism, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the dark arts?
We all felt attracted to this dark and hidden themes since early age, but most important in freedom, we do not agree with religions, we do not follow any doctrine, we believe in common sense, in facts, in science indeed, we believe in the power of the human mind, which leads to really dark corners of reality, Satan it’s not a horned beast in two legs, it’s the representation of freedom, of power, inner light, Lucifer is the illumination, the will of opening your eyes and brake any chains, but we also do love those fantastic and horrific graphic interpretations.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Vst'?
Vst it’s pronounced as beast, so that’s the first meaning, that’s the projection we want to do as a congregation of 5 beasts doing this act, also they’re the initial letters for a Sumerian phrase that means: Blood thirsty warriors.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
We wanted to follow the same path as in our same production, plane layout and a symbol in the middle that points the direct approach of the album, this occasion we have a golden sigil a conjunction of letters that could be an M and a V, initials for Vst and Manifesto, then we have a two-headed serpent, which is the duality that appears in all civilizations, the serpent is the common alive being that existing in every corner of the planet, coincidence?... also, we have the old look in the cover, this is because it simulates and old book an encyclopedia of horrors and supremacy.

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?
I can remember right now, opening Mayhem in 1349 back in January 2016, also local show with Necrophobic and Thy Antichrist was just killer.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
Yes, we’re planning a show presenting the new album here in hometown, León, México at December and we’re waiting for confirmation of some promotional tours.

9.The new album was released on 'Concreto Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
Well, this is the most important Mexican Metal label in all the country, it’s having a huge projection worldwide, they manage all kind of metal genres, we encourage you to give them a shot, you’ll find a wide catalogue of the best and most select metal bands from México.

10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
I think it has been really grateful, we’re having lot of promotion outside our country, really good comments coming from everywhere.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We wanted to reduce time between releases, so maybe next year we could start thinking in a new production, also we’ll certainly do promotion in media and the really aim of this, live shows and some tours.

12.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?
There’s many extreme metal projects we listen and inspire from, also many not so related to the genre I could mention some like Dark Funeral, Behemoth, Dimmu Borgir, Metallica, Slayer. Currently I’ve been listening to some different tunes like Goth rock or Darkwave and also Black Metal, it’s always on my playlist, I try to keep it versatile, I enjoy many dark and obscure genres of music.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Sure, first of all thanks a lot for your time and interesting questions, keep an eye to our social media for any announcements, keep rocking and Hail Satan.

Bandcamp

Facebook

Sectorial/Vyr/Noizr Productions/2018 CD Review

  Ukraine's  Sectorial  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  their  mixture  of  ethnic  and  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Vyr"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Noizr  Productions.

  Water  sounds  and  folk  instruments  start  off  the  album  which  also  adds  in  elements  of  ethnic  music  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars  also  being  used  briefly  as  well  as  clean  vocals  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  vocals  bring  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  ethnic  music  elements  also  being  added  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times.

  The  riffs  also  add   in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style,  as  the  album  progresses  they  also  bring  a  couple  of  instrumentals  onto  the  recording  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  one  track  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  vocals.

  On  this  recording  Sectorial  remains  true  to  the  mixture  of  blackened  death  metal  and  ethnic  music  from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  social  issues  and  ecologism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Sectorial  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  blackened  death  metal  and  ethnic  music,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Exodus  Of  The  Winter"  "Foggy  Hill" "The  Last  Tower  Will  Fall"  and  "Inhuman  Ones".  8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp: https://sectorial.bandcamp.com/track/the-observer 
Youtube: https://youtu.be/_czPB41EomE 

Aempyrean/Fireborn/Cyclopean Eye Productions/2018 EP Review

  Aempyrean  are  a  band  from  India  that  plays  a  blackened  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  ep  Fireborn"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Cyclopean  Eye  Productions.

  A  very  heavy  thrash  influenced  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  black  metal s creams  and  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  more  of  an  old  school  death  metal  style  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  clean  playing  onto  the  recording,  they  also  bring  in  a  cover  of  Morbid  Angel's  "Chapel  Of  Ghouls".

  Aempyrean  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Aempyrean  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "On  The  Warpath"  and  "Undying  Scourge".  8  out  of  10.

https://cyclopeaneyeproductions.bandcamp.com/album/fireborn-black-death-metal    

Siniestro/Artic Blood/Black Lion Records/2018 EP Review

  Siniestro  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  thrash  and  hardcore  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  ep  "Artic  Blood"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  black  Lion  Records.

  A  very  heavy  thrash  influenced  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  blast  beats  a  few  seconds  later  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  elements  of  hardcore  punk.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  crust  style  growls  and  black  metal  screams  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  hardcore  style  breakdowns and  one  song  also  brings  acoustic  guitars  into  the  recording  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  the  closing  track.

  On  this  recording  Siniestro  remains  true  to  their  mixture  of  black  metal,  thrash  and  hardcore  punk,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  Swedish  and  English  and  cover  misanthropic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Siniestro  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  metal,  thrash  and  hardcore  punk,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Artic  Blood"  and  "Exitium  Vivorum  Omnes'.  8  out  of  10.

https://siniestroblacklion.bandcamp.com/album/arctic-blood-ep 

Vouna/Self Titled/Artemisia Records/2018 Full Length Review

  Vouna  is  a  solo  project  from  Olympia,  Washington  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  funeral  doom  metal  and  folk  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  titled  2018  album  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Artemisia  Records.

  Female  vocals  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  are  very  heavily  rooted  in  funeral  doom  metal  along  with  the  music  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  epic  and  atmospheric  sounding  synths  and  blast  beats  are  added  into  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.

  When  tremolo  picking  is  utilized  it  brings  in  elements  of  black  metal  while  clean  male  vocals  are  also  utilized  briefly  along  with  the  acoustic  guitars  adding  in  influences  of  Greek  folk  music  as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  brought  into  the  songs  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  one  of  the  songs  is  an  instrumental  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  finally  brought  onto t he  recording  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  Vouna  plays  a  musical  style that  takes  atmospheric  black,  funeral  doom  metal  and  Greek  music  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics cover  the  devastating  and  beautiful  journey  of  being  the  last  person  alive  on  the  planet.

  In  my  opinion  Vouna  is  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  atmospheric  black,  funeral  doom  metal  Greek  folk  music  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Place  To  Rest"  adn  "You  Took  Me".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/VOUNAMETAL

https://vouna.bandcamp.com