Lord Shades/The Rise Of Meldral-Nok/Blue Wave Productions/2012 CD Review

  Lord  Shades  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  very  atmospheric  form  of  black, doom,  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "The  Rise Of  Meldral -Nok"  which  was  released  by  Blue  Wave  Productions.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times,  while  the  synths  bring  a  very  dark  and  atmospheric  sound  to  the  music  that  have  a  progressive  rock  feeling  to  them  at  times  along  with  some  violins  and  flutes  that  bring  a  classical/folk  music  edge  to  the  music,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

   Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  influences  from  doom,  black  and  death  metal  along  with  some  dark  sounding  melodies  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  along  with  some  technical  riffing  with  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length    while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  they  are  only  used  on  the  last  song  and  they  add  another  dimension  of  darkness  to  the  music  and  they  use  full  chords  and  finger  picking.

  Vocals  range  from  raspy  blackened  death  metal  screams  to  deep  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  along  with  some  clean  singing  gregorian  chanting  being  used  on  one  song  in  addition  there  are  some  female  operatic  parts,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  esoteric  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Lord  Shades  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  blackened  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ancient  Fear"  "The  Dark Fleet"  and  "Fool  For  Wisdom".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Skeletonwitch Interview

1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

Chance: We're on the road right now with The Black Dahlia Murder, Nile, and Hour of Penance. Having fun, meeting lots of new people, drinking beer. Shows are great! Life in the van you know?!

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album which has been out for a few months and how it differs from the previous releases?

Chance: I think "Forever Abomination" rocks out a little harder in general. Nate really let his rock n roll side come out writing this one in my opinion. It's rock, it's thrash, it's black metal, its death metal, it's classic metal. "Forever Abomination" is exactly the album i wanted it to be. Its a heavy metal record! Too many people these days want to micro-dissect shit and put it into some sub-genre of another sub-genre. Nothing can just be a "heavy metal" album these days it seems. In my head Skeletonwitch is a heavy metal band and we make heavy metal records. 

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new release and how would you describe the progression you have made as songwriters over the years?

Chance: I have really no interest in writing about the day to day trials of life. Example, I'm not going to write about politics, or oil prices. People are pounded into the ground with that stuff everyday already. I prefer more of an escape from that. A place where you can let your sick side out. Im pretty much writing short horror stories put to a heavy metal sound track I guess. 
And as with anything you love to do, with time you'll get better at it. Not to say I don't get stuck looking for the perfect line, word, or song title. It's hard for me to get the song started, but once I start actually telling the story it flows pretty quick from there. Also I won't work on the writing of more than one song during a day either. I want to give the writing of each song my total attention. I can't see how I can do that if I'm all over, here and there. I finish one, then the next day start another. After they are all written I'll go back and tweak anything that needs it, so it's exactly what I want to say. 

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

Our friend Ted Riffe came up with the band name. He had heard the guys playing way back when the band was playing instrumentaly and had no name. I guess that's what the music put in his head; Skeletonwitch. Fits perfectly to me. Besides, the name "Hard Shocker" just wouldn't get the right point across. Thanks Ted!

5. Out of all of the tours or shows that you have done over the years which one did you enjoy the most?

Chance: To be able to tour the world and play music as a career is the biggest joy in itself. It's really impossible to say "this tour" or "this show" was more enjoyable than another one because we just truly love being out on the road playing heavy metal. A shitty day on the road is always better than a great day at a job working for someone else punching a clock. But to give you more of the answer you're looking for, playing Wacken Open Air was unreal. I never thought I'd ever be able to go there, much less play there. So yeah, Wacken is way up there in my favorites!

6. What are the future touring plans?

Chance: Well we're on this current tour until April 20. Then in June we head over to Europe to play a bunch of Spring festivals. We're working on putting together an extensive headlining tour of the U.S., also trying to get to Canada this year as well. Lots of irons in our fire tour wise, which is the way we like it!

7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your new album by extreme metal fans?

Chance: The feedback on "Forever Abomination" has been great. It debuted at #153 on the billboard top 200 chart, made Decible magazines top 40 of last year and was on a lot of top metal album lists of 2011. Yeah, lots of good feedback. I truly believe it's the best thing we've done as well. 

8. What direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?

Chance: We would really need to actually sit down and start writing new stuff and see where it's goin on it's own in order to truly know what the future is. One thing I do know is whatever we do next will be unmistakably Skeletonwitch! I don't think for a second we're going to throw a wrench in our sound and go off in some different direction. We do what we do. Things will progress, we'll become better players and writers, and the music will show these things. But like I said, it'll always be 100% Skeletonwitch. 

9. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your newer material and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Chance: We'd really have to ask Nate on this one. He is primary song writter. The riff master if you will. He demos the basic music to the rest of the guys and they put their spin on their parts. We love bands like Immortal, Satyricon, Overkill, and Cannibal Corpse, but when it comes time to write we don't put these albums on and say "let's do something like this on this album." I think "Forever Abomination" sounds the way it does simply because that's where we are in our career right now. 

10. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

Chance: Im into motorcycles, I love to ride when I'm home. I like dicking around in the woods, camping & hiking ect. Lately I've started to enjoy cooking as well. Probably because I'm sick of the available food while on tour!

11. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Chance: I'd like to thank everyone that has made this heavy metal dream a reality! From the 4 other dudes on stage with me, to everyone that has picked up an album or has come out to a show! Thank all of you all for making this possible-

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Nexhymn Interview

1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with theband these days?

Holly Wedel = Well, we just released our debut EP last month, but we are already planning on getting back in the studio late this year to record our first full-length together. We are also beginning to play shows outside of our own metropolitan areaand are looking forward to continuing that.

2. How would you describe the musical sound that ispresented on the album?

Holly Wedel = The music is aggressive.  It characterizes the vicious elements behind the album’s lyrics.

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

Holly Wedel = We agreed to maintain the theme of death, asthe band’s name suggests, however, to dig a little deeper, the topics really explore the diverse ways in which brutal or undesired deaths befall living things, or societies.  I try to discuss destructive practices and patterns humans share, as well as the ultimate ferocity of the natural world.

4. I know that the band evolved out of ThroCult, what wasthe decision behind the name change of the band?

Ivan Alcala=At first wewanted to continuous with Throcult/ Nexhymn due to the fact all the originalThrocult members left, and the music was changing, but the idea felt through very quickly and everyone went separate ways.  It was until months later when I decided to put sort of the band together with new members, and since Nexhymn really was a cool name created by the David Csicsely (ex-Throcult drummer), I just basically use it, but really we don’t have any association w/Throcult, other than it was my previous band

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5. Out of all the shows that the band has played so far,which one did you enjoy the most?
Holly Wedel= A couple come to mind.  The first was a food and toy drive that was put on by the local Pyrate Punx here.  Each person brought a non-perishable food item or a toy for admission, and the genres were very diverse, attracting a great crowd for a good cause.  The second was memorable to me simply because the venue was small and had a tiny stage, but the turnout was really good that night, so the place was just pumped full of energy.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the future?

Holly Wedel = Oh, absolutely!  A big part of what we love to do is play in front of an audience.  We would love totake this out on the road.

7. Currently the band is unsigned are you looking for a label and if so, what kind of label do you feel that would be a perfect fit for the music?

Holly Wedel = Yes, we are entertaining offers.  The kind of fit we need from a label is help with production, promotion and tours.  Past that, one that respects the creative endeavors of the artist.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of brutal death metal?

Holly Wedel= You know, I was very pleased to read some of the response and feedback we have received. There has been, what seems to me, a tremendous amount of peaked interest from various countries.  This is exciting…..this  is the audience we want to get out to see.

9. What is going on with the other projects these days?

Holly Wedel= I have no other projects but NEXHYMN.  This is a full-time gig.

10. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

Holly Wedel= To be quite honest, we’re really working towards something with very traditional death metal themes. 

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Holly Wedel= Morbid Angel, Pestilence, Vader and  Suffocation are certainly some major influences of mine.  As for what’splaying these days?  Behemoth, Hate,Destroyer 666 and Ghoul.

12.Outside of music what are some of your interests?

Holly Wedel= I like to cycle, spend time with my family,weld, read and just get away from the city. And feed popsicle's to my boyfriend.

13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Holly Wedel= Well, I just want to say thanks to you before we’re done here for giving us your time.

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Alaric/Atriarch/Split LP/20 Buck Spin/2012 CD Split Review

  This is a review of a split album between Oakland's Alaric and Portland's Atriarch which was released in 2012 by 20 Buck Spin and we will start of the review with Alaric which plays death rock with a crustcore edge.

Drums range from slow to mid paced drumming with nothing in the way of fast playing or blast beats, while the synths bring a very dark, gothic and atmospheric sound to the music, as for the bass playing it has a very strong and powerful tone with gothic/death rock riffing that dominates throughout the recording.

Rhythm guitars range from slow to mid paced gothic/death rock riffs with some influences from crustcore, punk rock and new wave, while the lead guitars are very dark sounding dream pop/gothic rock guitar solos and leads.

Vocals are all clean singing vocals, while the lyrics cover dark and emotional themes, as for the production it has a very dark and powerful sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion Alaric are a very good sounding death rock band and while this is not material that usually gets covered in my zine, I s till feel that they are very good at what they do and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACK "So Far Down". RECOMMENDED.

Next up is Atriarch a band that mixes death rock with black metal, sludge and doom metal.

Drums range from slow to mid paced playing with some fast drumming and blast beats, while the bass playing has a very strong and powerful tone with gothic/doom metal riffs that dominate throughout the recording, as for the synths when they are utilized they bring a very dark and avant garde edge to the music.

Rhythm guitars are all slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine black, doom, sludge and gothic rock together with the last song being very long, while the lead guitars are very primitive sounding doom metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals range from clean singing, aggressive vocals, deep death metal growls, high pitched black metal screams and spoken word parts, while the lyrics cover dark and desolate themes, as for the production it has a very dark and heavy sound to it.

In my opinion Atriarch are a very great sounding death rock/black/sludge/doom metal hybrid with the best music on this split and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACK "Offerings". RECOMMENDED.

In my opinion this is a very great sounding split and if you are into gothic rock, crust, sludge, black and doom metal, you should add this album to your collection. RECOMMENDED BUY.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alaric/201671150715

https://www.facebook.com/pages/ATRIARCH/241062512127

Nexhymn/BlackHorizon/2012 EP Review

  Nexhymn are a band from Denver, Colorado that plays a blackened form of death metal with some grindcore influences and this is a review of their self released 2012 ep "Black Horizon".

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a great amount of brutal sounding blast beats being thrown into the music, while the bass playing has a very strong and powerful tone with brutal death metal riffing that dominates throughout the recording.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast death metal riffs that are very heavy and brutal sounding with some influences from death metal and grindcore with some technical riffing being thrown in at times while the lead guitars which are only utilized briefly are very chaotic sounding death metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals are all deep death metal growls, while the lyrics cover dark and hateful themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful, heavy and professional sound for being a s elf released recording and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion Nexhymn are a very great sounding blackened death metal band with a grindcore edge and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Undetermined Supplication" and "Exquisite Plague". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Amok/Execution Compilation/Misantrof ANTI Records/CD Compilation Review

  Amok are a band from Norway that plays a mixture of death, black, thrash metal and grindcore and this is a review of their demo compilation "Executuin Compilation" which was released by Misantrof ANTI Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a great amount of brutal sounding blast beats being thrown into the music, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and the sound more powerful on the later demos that are present on this compilation.

Rhythm guitars range  from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine influences from black, death, thrash metal and grindcore to create a sound of their own while the lead guitars when they are utilized are very chaotic sounding death/thrash guitar solos and leads.

Vocals range from deep death metal growls to high pitched black metal/grindcore screams along with some samples, while the lyrics cover violent, war and hateful themes, as for the production it has a c ery dark, raw and primitive sound to it.

In my opinion Amok are a very g reat sounding black/thrash/death metal/grindcore hybrid and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Nuclear Warbeast" "Skullfucked" "Organized Hate" and "Toxic Slayer". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Time Kills Everything/2006 Song Preview

Time Kills Everything are a band from Canada that h as had one of their previous albums reviewed in this zine with a musical style that combines experimental, industrial, grind, crust, technical death metal and black metal together and this is a review of some songs they recorded in 2006 for a split album.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a great amount of brutal sounding blast beats being thrown into the music, while the synths and sound effects bring the experimental and industrial influences to the music, as for the bass playing it has a very strong and powerful tone with technical death/grind riffs that dominate throughout the recording.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine black metal, technical death metal, grind and crust together with a great amount of melodic riffing to create a sound of their own, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding guitar solos and leads.

Vocals range from deep death metal growls, high pitched screams that combine black metal and grindcore together, crustcore style shouting along with a great amount of spoken word samples, while the lyrics cover dark, satanic and occult themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful, heavy and professional sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion this is another great recording from Time Kills Everything and if you are a fan of industrial black/death/grind, you should check this out. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Fire Forge A Messiah II" "Axes Of Evil" and "The Sceance Knows". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Time Kills Everything/Self Titled/2004 CD Review

  Time Kills Everything are a band from Canada that is a side project of Fuck The Facts with a style that mixes experimental, industrial black metal, grincore, crust and technical death metal together and this is a review of their self released and self titled 2004 album.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a great amount of brutal sounding blast beats being thrown into the music, while the bass playing has a very strong and powerful sound with technical riffing that dominates throughout the recording, as for the samples, sound effects and synths when they are utilized they add another dark dimension to the music.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine influences from black metal, grindcore, crust, experimental and technical death metal to create a sound of their own with a great amount of melody and there are no guitar solos or leads present on this recording.

Vocals range from deep death metal growls, high pitched screams that combine black metal and grindcore, crustcore shouts along with some spoken word samples, while the lyrics cover dark, occult and hateful themes, as for the production it has a very strong, heavy, powerful and professional sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion Time Kills Everything are a very great sounding experimental, industrial, black metal, crust, grind and technical death metal hybrid and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "A Soulside Journey" "Left Hand Path" and "From Beyond And Back". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Dead Summer Society Interview

Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?
-Hi, first of all thanks a lot for your review of "Visions from a thousand lives"! So...DEAD SUMMER SOCIETY's going well, got some great reviews and fans seem to be glad about it! Is a project in which I put all my musical influences and experience, a kind of oasis where I can completely express myself. After the release of "Visions from a thousand lives", the debut album, I'm already writing new material for a second one, with some more collaborations from singers/musicians...

How would you describe the musical sound of the newer music and how it differs from older material?

-Well...DEAD SUMMER SOCIETY started with an instrumental demo in 2010, titled " the heart of autumnsphere". After that work I soon started writing new material with the intention to add vocals to the new music, in order to get songs more interesting, more complete...but I think it's not the only difference, "Visions.." offers a wider range of musical directions, I think it has more influences, not only doom/gothic but also a hint of black/death, electronic, folk...everything is connected with different feelings and emotions...but everything is on evolution, and the next album's going to be a little different...

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

-About the lyrics I can say that emotions and sentiments are very different too, I delve into love, death, regret, everything within a dark-coloured vision of life...

-What is the meaning and inspiration behind the project's name?

- Well...I was searching for something which could remind a grey, sad, dreary season of life as the coming autumn is within the year...

-Currently you are a one man project with some sessions members, are you planning on expanding the line-up or do you choose to remain solo?

-I surely add other collaborations, both singers and musicians, but DEAD SUMMER SOCIETY will remain conceptually a solo project. I mean, I write all the music and lyrics and I want everything unchanged about that, but I like to have collaborators who can add personality to the work, so they have the freedom to try what they want and experiment on their own.

-Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label and if so what kind of label do you feel that would be a perfect fit for the music?

-Having a label could help a lot of course, but only if you deal with somebody reliable and passionate...there are so many labels which offer you tons of illusions and often pass away after a while...but luckily there are still people who love music and spend time (and money) into it...even if I'm unsigned I work with responsible and trustworthy people who help me with distro and promotion...about a label that could sign DEAD SUMMER SOCIETY...we will see!

-On a worldwide level how has your music been received by fans o/doom/black metal?

-I have to say that people appreciate "Visions", I'm working hard both on promotion and distribution in order to let the people know about my project...I think a fine aspect of the album is that it's not so immediate at the first listening, so you need some more to fully understand it and its variety...but even if I'm satisfied with it I consider "Visions" as a starting point of course, I'm conscious I have to go on in order to get to a mature and more personal and interesting sound :-)

-Are there any projects besides this band or is this a full time project?

-I'm writing music for a doom/death project called Temple of Prometeo, think it will be a very interesting creature :-) I'm also involved in How like a winter, a gothic/doom band, we're slowly, slowly working on a second album after a debut released more than 10 years ago...

-What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

-Of course I love doom/gothic and related subgenres, I love bands such as Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Opeth, Tiamat, Samael, Katatonia (my favourite band so far...) and their influence can be surely found into my music. At the moment I'm listening to several kinds of music, a lot of doom metal of course but also dark ambient as well as experimental music...

-Does Occultism play any role in your music?

-mmm no...

-Outside of music what are some of your interests?

-Well, I like reading, and if I had enough time I'd also like writing...poetry is something I really like...I like sport, I like to travel when I have time and possibility...

-Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?


-Simply thanks for your support, and thanks a lot for the time you dedicated to DEAD SUMMER SOCIETY, both for review and interview...and of course greetings to all the readers. Here you'll find some links to find info and updates about DEAD SUMMER SOCIETY:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dead-Summer-Society/140007062732886
http://soundcloud.com/deadsummersociety
www.myspace.com/deadsummersociety
deadsummersociety@libero.it
Thanks again!

Black Death Pagan Salute Vol 2/Salute Records/2011 CD Compilation Review

  This is a review of a compilation called "Black Death Pagan Salute Vol 2" which was released by Salute Records during the year of 2011 and we will review the songs one by one.

Bloodshed Wahalla brings us "Warrior Of The Northern" a very atmospheric and epic sounding pagan/black metal that has a heavy folk music edge and melodic guitar solos to it as well as some clean singing pagan metal vocals along with ancient sounding acoustic guitars.

Next up is Godhate with "Antichristianity" a very fast and brutal sounding death metal song with Anti Christian lyrics and you can hear the heavy Deicide influence in the song.

Next up is Falgar with "Torches Of Wisdom" a more mid paced sounding black metal that utilizes alot of grim black metal screams.

Next up is J.A.B.U.A.B with "Last Apostate" a more blackened death metal song with deep growls and melodic sounding guitar riffs.

Next up is Hemfonia with "Armargana" a more symphonic and melodic sounding song that combines symphonic and melodic black metal with power metal with a mixture of clean singing, spoken word parts and high pitched black metal screams.

Next up is Omen with "Eternal Towards Infernal" a very raw and primitive style old school black metal song with a great amount of evil high pitched screams and this song has a little bit more melody than most of their other material.

Next up is Kristus Kut with "Sadist Perfector" a very evil and ritualistic song that has a dark ambient feeling to it.

Next up is Skool Of Dead with "World Is War" a more slow and atmospheric song with a melodic guitar solo and clean singing vocals then it turns into more aggressive guitars along with a mixture of black metal screams and deep growls while still retaining the symphonic elements.



Next up is Ajal with "odd Oracle" a very traditonal and old school sounding occult black metal song with evil sounding high pitcged black metal screams and melodic riffing.

Next up is All My sins with "Where The Wild Wind Blow (To Akron) a very fast, melodic, raw and primitive sounding black metal song with a mixture of high pitched screams and deep growls with an acoustic guitar in the middle of the song.

Next up is Bemskiant with "Enslaved In Our Fear" a very atmospheric and primitive sounding black metal song with a good amount of grim sounding screams along with some deeper growls as well as some melodic guitar riffing in addition there is a spoken word part towards the end of the song.

Next up is Barzakh with "Light The End" a more symphonic sounding black metal song with melodic riffing, grim black metal screams and deep growls as well as some heavy bass lines.

Next up is Asbel with "Last Day Here" a very dark, primitive and raw sounding black metal song that contains some very evil high pitched screams.

Next up is Demonic with "My Master Luciferi" a very fast, primitive and brutal black/death song with evil lyrics and demonic growls.

Next up is Upon Shadows with "Nihilism Is All That Remains" a very epic and symphonic sounding black metal song.

Next up is Prayer Of The Dying with "Dead Embers" another black metal song that leans more towards the symphonic side of the genre with a very melodic sounding guitar solos being utilized in the song.

Next up is Terra Australlis with "Ode To Thy Infernal" a very heavy and brutal sounding black/war metal song with a mixture of slow and fast riffing as well as some satanic/occult lyrics.

Next up is Fenrisulf with "Blood Moon" a very fast raw and primitive sounding black metal song with a lo-fi production along with some more slow and mid paced riffing along with some heavy bass guitar and suicidal sounding screams.

Next up is Premonition with "Commence The Revolution" a song more along the lines of blackened death thrash with a good mixture of deep growls and high pitched black metal screams along with a more rock/metal guitar and lead.

Closing the compilation is Stormtroopers with "Walang Humpay Na Pagwask" a very goat/black/death metal orientated song and a perfect closing for this compilation.

In conclusion this is a very great sounding compilation and has a little bit of everything for fans of black, death and pagan metal, if you enjoy those styles, add this to your collection. RECOMMENDED BUY.

https://www.spirit-of-metal.com/es/album/Black_Pagan_Death_Salute_Vol.2/217684

My Blackest Of Souls Vol 4/Salute Records/2011 CD Compilation Review

This is a review of a compilation called "My Blackest Of Souls Vol 4" which was released by Salute Records during the year of 2011 and we will review the songs one by one.

Non Serviam from Peru brings us "Imperio Tiranio" a very raw and primitive sounding South American style black metal song with evil lyrics and a ggod amount of old school thrash influences.

Next up is Scraphead Symphony from Sweden with "Rock'n'Roll" a more traditonal NWOBHM/hard rock type of song that could of easily came out in the mid 70's or early 80's with a good amount of melody and flashy guitar solos.

Next up is The Meatfuckers from Mexico with "Pornorama" a more black/thrash type of song with catchy rhythms and talented guitar solos along with a mixture of high pitched black metal screams and deep demonic death metal growls.

Next up is Baalberith from the United Kingdom with "My Withering Soul" a more atmospheric sounding occult black metal song that has the classic early 90's underground black metal with some evil sounding high pitched screams along with some doom metal influences in the slower riffing as well as a brief use of clean playing.

Next up is Astral Rebirth from Mexico with "Distortion Mental Process" a very raw and primitive sounding black metal song with atmospheric synths and dark sounding melodies as well as some high pitched black metal depressive screams.

Next up id Ad Noctem Project from Chile with "Der Reich der dauern Land Teil II" an acoustic song with gothic style female vocals and a good amount of classical and acoustical guitars.

Next up is Benetnash from Mexico with "Pagan Reborn" a more symphonic pagan/black metal song that still has somewhat of a primitve approach and high pitched black metal screams.

Next up is Nekrosadik from Mexico with a black metal version of Radiohead's "Creep" which sounds more grim, evil and depressive than the original with a melancholic sounding piano.

Next up is Veldraveth from Venezuala with "No Life, No Light" a very fast and brutal sounding black/war metal song with some dark and primitive riffing.

Closing the compilation is Amon Kur from Chile with "Knights Of The Southern Cross" a very fast, raw and primitive South American black metal song that combines deep and high pitched black metal screams.

In Conclusion this is a very great compilation that has something for fans of all the different types of black metal, and all black metallers should add this album to their collection. RECOMMENDED BUY.

https://pl.rateyourmusic.com/release/comp/various-artists/my-blackest-of-souls-awakes-vol-4/

Valkiria/Upon This Earth/2009 CD Review

  Valkiria are a band from Italy that has a few of their albums reviewed in this zine with a musical style that mixes gothic/doom metal with melodic black metal and this is a review of their self released 2009 album "Upon This Earth".

Drums are all slow playing with no fast drumming or blast beats, while the keyboards bring in a very dark, atmospheric and gothic sound to the music, as for the bass playing it has a very strong and powerful tone with gothic rock riffs that dominate throughout the recording.

Rhythm guitars are all slow gothic/doom metal riffs abandoning the melodic black metal influences of the previous efforts with a good amount of instrumentals being used on this recording, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding gothic metal/rock guitar solos and leads, as for the acoustic guitars they use finger picking to add to the darkness that is coming out of the music.

Vocals a re all clean singing with some whispers on this recording with no death metal growls or black metal screams that where present on the early material, while the lyrics cover dark, depressing and esoteric themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful and professional sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion this is another great album from Valkiria which shows them going into a pure gothic metal/rock direction as well as showcasing their musical talents and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Break The Silence" "Gods Of The Sun" "Prophecies" and "Tears". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Valkiria/Of Dreams And Pain/2007 CD Review

  Valkiria are a band from Italy that has had a view of their albums reviewed in this zine whichs plays a very melodic form of gothic black/doom metal and this is a review of their self released 2007 album "Of Dreams And Pain".

Drums range from slow to mid paced playing with not much in the way of fast drumming or blast beats, while the keyboards bring a very, dark, atmospheric and gothic sound to the music, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they have a very powerful sound to them.

Rhythm guitars range from slow to mid paced gothic metal riffs that utilize influences from black and doom metal, while the lead guitars are very meldic sounding gothic metal guitar solos and leads, as for the acoustic guitars when they are used they use finger picking to add to the darkness of the music.

Vocals range from deep death metal growls, high pitched black metal screams and clean singing gothic metal vocals, while the lyrics cover a concept of dreams, as for the production it has a very strong and powerful sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion this is another great recording that is even more gothic, meodic and doom sounding than their previous recordings, and if you are a fan of this style you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Dream Illusion" "Falling Into The Dream" "Mystical Dream" and "Trapped In A Dream". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Valkiria/Blood On Blood/2006 CD Review

  Valkiria are a band from Italy that has had one of their previous recordings reviewed in this zine with a musical style that I would describe as being melodic black/doom/gothic metal and this is a review of their self released 2006 album "Blood On Blood".

Drums range from slow to mid paced playing with not much in the way of fast drumming or blast beats, while the keyboards bring a very dark, atmospheric, gothic and symphonic sound to the music, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow to mid paced riffs that combine influences from melodic black metal, gothic and doom metal together to create a sound of their own while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding gothic metal guitar solos and leads, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized they use finger picking and full chords to enhance the darkness that is coming out of the music.

Vocals are a mixture of clean singing, deep doom/death metal growls and high pitched black metal screams, while the lyrics cover dark and depressive themes, as for the production it has a very strong and powerful sound to it.

in my opinion this is another great album from Valkiria that goes into a more gothic metal direction than their previous releases and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Blood On Blood" "I've Refused You" and "Something To say". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Valkiria/Thur Kuarankhorn Sthorn/2004 Demo Review

  Valkiria are a band from Italy that plays a mixture of symphonic melodic black metal and gothic/doom metal and this is a review of their self released 2004 demo "Thur Kuarankhorn Sthorn".

Drums range from slow to mid paced drumming with some fast playing and blast beats, while the keyboards bring a very dark, gothic, epic and symphonic sound to the music with a good amount of intros before the songs, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they have a very powerful sound to them.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine melodic black metal with gothic/doom metal, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding guitar solos and leads, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized they use full chords to bring a very dark avant garde sound to the music.

Vocals are mostly deep blackened death metal growls and screams along with some spoken word parts and clean singing with some Gregorian chants, while the lyrics are written in Italian and cover dark themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful and heavy sound to it.

In my opinion Valkiria are a very great sounding melodic blackened/gothic/doom metal band and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Aradan" "Emukron" and "Valkiria". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Vomit/Still Rotting/Lyderhorn Records/2007 Record Re-Issue Review

Vomit where a band from Norway that played a very blackened form of raw death/thrash and this is a review of their 2007 compilation "Still Rotting" which was released by Lyderhorn Records which includes their demo and a few rehearsals that where recorded in the years of 1986 and 87.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a great amount of brutal sounding blast beats being thrown into the music at times, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast raw and primitive sounding death/thrash riffs that utilize the black metal influences that where available at the times with a brief use of clean playing being utilized on one song, while the lead guitars are very raw, noisy and chaotic sounding death/thrash guitar solos and leads.

Vocals are mostly death/thrash screams with some deep growls being used at times, while the lyrics cover dark, gore, satanic and occult themes, as for the production it has a very dark, raw and primitive sound to it.

In my opinion Vomit where a very great sounding blackened death/thrash metal band and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Armies Of Hell" "Tormentor" "Sadistic Mind" and "Boiling Puke". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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