Coffinwood/Acolytes Of Eternal Flame/2024 FUll Length Review

 

  Coffinwood  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2024  album  "Acolytes  Of  Eternal  Flame".

  War  and  news  samples  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  brutal  direction.  A  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  vocals  also  bring  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  and  blast  beats  are  also  added  into  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.

  Dark  sounding  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  fast  riffs  also  add  in  a  good  amount  of  tremolo  picking.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  melodic  style

    Spoken  words  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  some  tracks  also  adding  in  some  apocalyptic  soundscapes  as  well  as  some  synths  also  being  utilized  briefly,  war  samples  also  return  on  later  songs. The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  Chernobyl  power  plant  disaster.

  In  my  opinion  Coffinwood  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUD E "Disposition  Of  Doom"  Acolytes  Of  Eternal  Flame"  and  "Sarcophagus".  8  out  of  10.

  https://youtu.be/1mBrh4-Y9VA

Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify      

  

Mefitis/The Skorian//The Greyleer/Profound Lore Records/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Mefitis  are  a  duo  from  Oakland,  California  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death  and  dark  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "The  Skorian//The  Greyleer"  which  was  released  by  Profound  Lore  Records.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  technical  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  vocals  also  bring  in  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to them  and  synths  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  tracks  also  adding  in  a small  amount  of  clean  playing.

  Spoken  words  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  album  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  dark  metal  elements.  Chants  and  clear  vocals  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  tracks  as  well  as  some  of  the  riffing  also  adding  in  influences  of  doom  and  thrash  metal,  the  recording  also g as  its  avant  garde  moments  and  tremolo  picking  is  also  added  into  some  of  the  faster  riffing.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Mefitis  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death  and  dark  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "In  Halfsight,  The  Dustplanes"  "...And  The  Mason  Wept"  and  "The  Greyleer".  8  out  of  10.

  https://thetruemefitis.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/MefitisRising  

Ametropia/Original Sin/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Ametropia  are  a  band  from  Pennsylvania  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2024  album  "Original  Sin".

  Movie  samples  start  of  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  direction  which  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  add  in  a  mixture  of  old  school  and  modern  influences.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  along  with  some  of  the  fast  riffs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking.

  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  as  well  as  some  clean  playing  also  being  utilized  briefly  along  with  one  of  the  songs  also  being  an  instrumental  and  the  closing  track  is  a  cover  of  Death's  "The  Philosopher"  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Blasphemy,  Horror,  Gore,  and  Violence themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ametropia  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Erectative  Execution"  "Fright  Night"  and  "Original  Sin".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/AmetropiaOfficial

https://www.instagram.com/ametropia666/

https://ametropiaofficial.bandcamp.com/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0xDo5cVPx73oME9VraRIlZ

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/ametropia/1737967296

https://amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0D9J68Y7B

https://youtu.be/44yXWJCt2ag

Demon Sacrifice Interview

 

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

1. DEMON SACRIFICE is a black metal punk project from the abyss located in the special region of Yogyakarta Indonesia, with members: Moonlight Cult in Darkness: Guitar (Rhythm), Bloody, Massacre of Death: Bass, Black Funeral Terror: Drums, Praise from the Abyss: Vocals, infernal Cursed of Night: Guitar (Lead). formed in mid-2023, and released the first demo in early 2024 and launched the debut opus Ep in mid-2024, released on cassette and cd with the labels ironbound records (IDN), Morbid and misserable record (US) and the metal head box (US).

2.So far you have recorded a studio and live version of the ep, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recordings?

2. Actually, more or less the style of playing music in the studio and live is the same, maybe what makes the difference is the sound output that comes out when playing live tends to be more raw and organic, maybe that's what makes the difference between the two, but this is very interesting for Demon Sacrifice to achieve a sound that is similar to first wave black metal with an organic sound

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

3. The theme taken is from a Faith in human life is indeed the basis for living life. But what if the belief or trust is lost or no longer believed? Maybe it is a divine decree, or a coincidence that someone consciously forgets his beliefs and lives life of his own accord, regardless of whether he lives according to God's purpose for creating him or not.

Demon Sacrifice here tries to respond to the concept of faith or trust in its first EP "Under The Blacklight Of Divine".

This first EP explains the meaning of faith and faith itself, because in life, faith is a lamp from darkness to light. If faith does not exist, then the journey of "human" creatures who are destined to carry out His commands will end in endless losses, and continue to be far from the grace of His light.

There are 5 song tracks presented in this EP that summarize all the basic concepts of faith itself. So it is hoped that this can be the beginning of a response that can be heard and understood the nature of faith in universal life.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Demon Sacrifice'?

4. for the significant meaning, we don't really interpret it further, because we think from the beginning starting from the theme, maybe people who go deeper into the occult and the dark world, and sacrifice their souls for demons, maybe we take the bottom line to be demon sacrifice, and it seems to fit the theme we are raising. apart from the concept of the meaning of the name, we are free to interpret it whatever everyone wants

5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that you went for on the ep cover?

5. The deeper meaning of this cover artwork is more about presenting the meaning of the sacrifice of the soul itself, which we depict with the hand of a demon and a human skull as a symbol of death, like surrendering to the god of darkness. The artwork itself was created by our vocalist, Praise from the Abyss, who is also an artist.

6.Has the band done any live shows or open to the idea?

6. When we first released the EP, we had never done a live show before, so for our first experience we did it at the same time as our tour agenda around Indonesia, an epic moment because a new band that had never done a live show suddenly did a tour to promote their first EP and that was an unforgettable moment.

7.So far the band has worked with 'Ironbound and Morbid And Miserable Records', do you feel these labels have been helpful when it comes to getting your music out there heard?

7. very very grateful to iron bound and morbid and miserable record not to forget also the metal head box who printed our cd version for the US market, the big influence and good impact that we got from them really helped to promote our first EP with the big market all over the world out there.

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

8. The audience out there, especially in Indonesia and abroad, is very good, for example when we tour our merchandise and cassettes are sold out and that is one of the impacts of record label promotion, and the US market also interacts with us and follows us on social media and many foreign music media share our EP and that is a positive response for a band that may still be rarely heard with this kind of music style.

9.What is going on with 'Drain Death' these days, a band that also shows a couple of the same members?

9. drain death is one group with demon sacrifice, and one area in the special region of yogyakarta. let me tell you a little about this drain death is the first project of the vocalist and guitarist demon sacrifice, which brings death metal music with a mixture of punk, so in terms of theme and music it is a bit similar but drain death is indeed a relaxed duo project so in terms of album release it is much slower than demon sacrifice

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

10. for this album we are still in the process of making new material, because this year we also have a split project with several bands but the material is almost finished for the split project, and after that we will continue to make a full album. for the music style it might not be much different from our first EP maybe with a touch of deathrock, gothic rock not forgetting the black metal punk seasoning!

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?

11. Yes, we play black metal with a mix of punk, we are influenced by music like Bathory, Venom, Darkthone, Tribulation and Devil Master and all the bands that inspire us.

12.Does Occultism play any role in your music?

12. Occult things are indeed very interesting to listen to and explore, one of the inspirations for the name Demon Sacrifice and the concept in the lyrics and delivery of our musical style.

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

!3. no words , but i want to say eternal hails to all underground music fans all over the world !!

thank you very much john for this interview

https://www.instagram.com/mydemonsacrifice/

Wolf Hex Interview

 

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

1. GORMAN-Well, we have Sam on the bass, brian on the drums, gorman on the guitar and badger on the vocals and artwork.  We all are from rhode island and previously played together in a few bands to say the least, ie Straight to Hell among others.  This band is a smoother machine, we’re all enjoying ourselves and there’s no pressure.  We all have jobs, lives and personal shit going on so this band is one of the only personal enjoyments I personally afford myself.

2.In December you had released your first full length, musically how does it differ from your previous demo?

2. GORMAN- The same influences that drove us during the demo stage were at play during the subsequent songwriting.  I’ve always been a huge fan of German and Australian thrash metal so that’s always going to pierce through and grab my ear.  There’s really nothing like getting in my truck and putting in scream bloody gore or Destruciton’s release from agony.  Gospel of the Horns is probably one of my all-time favorite bands ever so if those influences will be there for sure.   We still also listen to new stuff coming out as well.  We buy new records, follow and support touring bands when they coming into providence or boston. 

3.Most of the band members have a background in punk, crust, grind and hardcore how would you compare the blackened thrash metal style you currently play to other genres you have worked with in the past?

3. GORMAN- It’s really not too different.  Some tremolo picking, more song parts, maybe a lead or two.  It has to have a hook that grabs and it’s still fast as fuck.

BADGER-  We cut our teeth on hardcore punk, which is how and where we learned to play fast, aggressive, angry music.  We continue to play fast and aggressive music, but with longer, more technical songs and lyrical themes about sinisterism and the occult rather than politics.   Going from hardcore thrash punk to thrash metal wasn't that big of a change for us, especially since we've all loved metal even back when we were playing hardcore, and there was always a slight metal edge in my past bands.

4.Some of your lyrics cover occultism and folklore themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in those topics?

BADGER- The occult is interesting.  I am also obsessed with folklore, and how it has either traveled physically or metaphysically from various, seemingly unconnected cultures over millennia.   My ode to the horned god (The Lord Of Beasts) is inspired by the Pashupati seal found in what is now modern day Pakistan.  The back of the lyric sheet is my modern day reboot of that ancient motif.

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

BADGER- Piss On Humanity's Grave and Echelons Of Decadence are about the likely coming of a totalitarian police state and the fall of the Western capitalist, Christian empire.  XVII is about the immense Cicada brood X from 2021.  Crucible Of Mammon is about the demon of gluttony, but is also a cautionary tale illustrating the folly of excessive behavior.

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Wolf Hex'?

BADGER- Since all the cool one word metal band names are already taken, it sounded like a cool metal name, and to the best of our knowledge no other band was using it.  As far as the meaning, hex can be used as either a noun or a verb (i.e. - hex meaning A curse, or hex meaning TO curse).  So a Wolf Hex (noun) might mean someone cursed to be a lycanthrope, or when used as a verb, the action of transforming someone into a werewolf.

7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

BADGER- The cover is a combination of both Eastern (demon in lotus position, many arms, wielding a club) and Western (antlers, smashed cross, European style crown) left hand path concepts and aesthetics.  The torn out heart, stitched heads, and chains with hooks are a nod to the Cenobytes from the Hellraiser movies.  Ugra Karma is an obvious touchstone, as is Celtic Frost's original heptagram motif.  

8.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

8. GORMAN-  Best shows we’ve played?  I dunno, probably with Ascended Dead at Dusk and the final Dusk show with Stress Angel.  Those two shows had the place packed like cigarettes and the bands were cool although that last Dusk show was a bittersweet time.  It was our favorite venue in PVD with awesome staff and great tours coming through.  

9.Do you have any touring or show plans for 2025?

9. GORMAN- Right now we are working on writing new stuff for another album.  It take us a long time to get a song down.  We have a show coming up fast on 1/24 at the news cafe in pawtucket and one other show in the middle of april hopefully with a band from norway not announced yet.

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

10. GORMAN- Globally?  I can’t speak to any global success.  We sold a demo to some poor soul that paid shipping on that all the way to France.  That’s about it.  Hopefully we’ll get some listens and someone will ask us to “come to brazil”.  Things are much easier to share stuff now globally but also there’s much more saturation.  We’re competing for ear time so all there is to do is focus on ourselves playing well, not overthink things and enjoy ourselves. 

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

11. GORMAN- I try to practice guitar as much as I can so in the future there will just be a greater focus on playing tighter.

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?

12. GORMAN- I’m a huge fan of Into the Dark Past by Angel Dust.  Great record before they went power metal.  I love the way Malfeitor (WashingtonDC) would go into breakdowns right in the middle of a blazing fast song with no heads up.  I’m a huge fan of the ferocity of Morbosidad and how they’ve put out great stuff with zero abatement for so many years.  As I stated before, Gospel of the Horns from Australia is the GOAT.  I can’t get enough from that continent.  Huge supporter of Nocturnal Graves and Destruktor. 

BADGER-  all time faves and main vocal influences are early Death, Blood Feast, and Pestilence.  Recently I have been listening to a lot of Christian Death, Floor, Funeral Nation, Manilla Road, Righteous Pigs, Dead Horse, Numskull, Morbid Angel, Sangraal, DMZ and Slang.

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

13. GORMAN- Wrapping up I think all i can say is we really try to focus just on our music and not image or social media shit stain stuff.  We’re not going to try and meme our way to success for yucks and likes.  Fuck edge-lording and Burzum still sucks.

http://armageddonlabel.bandcamp.com/album/profane-heresies

wolfhex.bandcamp.com

Obscureviolence/Refuting The Flesh/Transcending Obscurity Records/2025 EP Review

 

  Obscureviolence  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2025  ep  "Refuting  The  Flesh"  which  will b e  released  in  February  by  Transcending  Obscurity  Records.

  Distorted  soundscapes  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  brutal  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  and  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  more  of  a  90's  style  along  with  one  song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing.

  Obscureviolence  plays  a  style  of  blackened  death  metal  that  is  very  fast,  aggressive  and  brutal  sounding.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  horror  and  violence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Obscureviolence  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Refuting  The  Flesh"  and  "Pulse  of  Subconscious  Cruelty".  8  out  of  10.

  Official Video Stream #1

Official Video Stream #2

Obscureviolence Bandcamp

Obscureviolence Facebook      

Thy Legion/Grand Cosmic Funeral/Art Gates Records/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Thy  Legion  are  a  band  from  Malta  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Grand  Cosmic  Funeral"  which  was  released  by  Art  Gates  Records.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  adding  in  some  melodies  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  brutal  blast  beats  van  also  be  heard.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  tremolo  picking  is  also  added  into  some  of  the  faster  riffing.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  spoken  words  and  chants  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  album  as  well  as  couple  of  songs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing.

  Thy  Legion  plays  a  style  of  blackened  death  metal  that  is  very  modern  and  aggressive  sounding.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  and  Darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Thy  Legion  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Black  World  Funeral"  "Those  Who  Are  Awake"  and  "Upon  A  Wretched  Time".  8  out  of  10.

  https://artgatesrecords.com/artists/thy-legion

https://youtu.be/yKW0Asl7vnM