Shamash Interview

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

Sure. The band started as a solo project of mine a while back, and it actually took quite a while to get the members for this. I started it as a change of musical directions and as a result of my growing interest in the occult, to which black metal felt natural. A while back, we released a demo album and are currently in the works of a new release.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?

I strongly prefer to leave impressions of both lyrics and sound to the listener. I believe that it may not be the same to me as it may to you and as such, I prefer to keep it individual.

3.Your lyrics cover Crowley, Thelema, and Occultism themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

It is much of the inspiration to this music and something I've taken some interest in since discovering it. It simply just felt natural to combine it with the music.

4.What was it about the name 'Shamash, that inspired you to name your band after that?

The name is taken from the solar deity of ancient Mesapotamia, Shamash. It is a slight perversion of the name, as he also stood for justice in some circles. I choose to see him as the god of the Sun, which bears quite a lot of meaning to me, however. It seemed to be the right choice when it all started.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band ha splayed over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

I think that our second show was the best. The show was rather small, but very intense. Our stage performance is an intense one. It's quite simple currently, but it is energetic, powerful and above all, intense. For the future, there are plans to bring fire on stage, when the time is right for that.

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

At the moment, we only have one or two shows on the schedule, but nothing big planned for the Summer aside writing new material.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

We have had some minor interest, but are still looking for a label to release our current and future albums on. Should anyone have interest, they will be more than welcome to contact us.

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

So far, the feedback has been great. We've heard a lot of good stuff and generally received a lot of positive words.

9.Are any of the band members involved with any other musical projects these days?

Yes, Akhôrahil has his own project, Tugt and Vákheimnir is currently the live drummer of Fjorsvartnir.

10.What are some bands styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

I would say the Polish and the Norwegian bands of the 90's have had their fair share of influence on the music we write here. Currently, I'm personally listening to a lot of new classical music.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I can't really comment for the others here but aside music, I read and study. I'm somewhat curious so learning is very important to me.

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

Not at the moment, no.

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Devius Interview

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

Hello friends, these days we are fully committed to the release of "The Absents Presence", our new album and at the same time we are rehearsing for the upcoming national tour. Everything is going great so far!

2. Recently you have released a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction of the new recording and also how does it differ from your past releases?

The Absents Presence is a big step forward for us in regard of the level of production and the sound quality that we achieved in this record. We are very pleased with how it sounds and how it showcases all the detail of the compositions. Musically is a very complex album, with lots of guitars and arrangements, making it interesting to listen to more than once, because you can hear new things each time, which is something we wanted to achieve. We also intended to do a more listenable album but at the same time keeping up with the brutality and general "sickness" of our previous albums.

The listener will find a wide range of musical influences and styles in each song of "The Absents Presence" but with the distinguishable touch of the band.

3. Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new release?

The lyrics of this album are interconnected, as in a concept album, but not in the sense of telling a structured story but more in the sense of dealing with certain topics concerning human existence from a philosophical perspective. We tried to put our own feelings and thoughts on certain important aspects of human existence, such as mortality, the awareness of our own weakness and limitations, the ability to choice out of existence, and such.

4. On the fb page, you had a lot of philosophers listed as influences; can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in philosophy?

This is a very good question. Yes, i (Gastón Praddaude) write all the lyrics and before and during the time i was writing "The Absents Presence" i was reading a lot of existentialist philosophers such as Nietzsche, Sartre, Camus and modern lecturers of this school of thought.

I studied Psychology so i always had been reading a lot, and i think the lyrics of the album are a reflection of my own views on the search of a meaning for life filtered through all these philosophical influences that i get when i study or read those authors and thinkers.

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

The name was found while shuffling through a Latin dictionary, it means "out of the path" or something like "deranged", that is the general idea behind the word. Our take on the name is that our music is really, really, really not intended as a commercial product or as an imitation of somebody else´s music. We do this following our own instincts and that for us is very important.

6. What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We play a handful of shows because we are very methodical and carful with the sound of each presentation. For us that is the most important thing, because if not then why bother to go to a venue and watch a band sounding awful? You´ll be better off listening to the cd. That is our philosophy for live presentations, so that is why we are very selective on where do we play and what the conditions of the venue are, regarding sound. With this type of complex music you can’t leave anything to chance.

7. Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

Yes, we plan to do a national tour on the second semester of this year, and also negotiating for a tour in Europe, but that will be 2015.

8. Over the years the band has put out albums on both Depressive Illusions and Black Medusa Records, do you feel these record labels have helped out the band a lot when it comes to getting your music out there heard?

We always have been an independent band when it comes to our releases, the people of Depressive Illusions helped us out this time with a limited edition of the album which we authorized so to have distribution in Europe. They have been very helpful in that aspect, but we as a band conduct all the business related with the edition, promotion and distribution of the albums.

9. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme and progressive metal?

So far it’s been great, far more wide than with previous albums and we have yet to find a negative review, since this music we do its completely non-trendy and very honest we found out that although they might be some critics, they will always be constructive, mainly because this music is really unique.

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

We haven´t stopped to think about a future album yet, we want to take our time with "The Absents Presence" as it is such a big step for us, but i think we will always remain true to originality and experimentation in our music. Plans for a new album are due for late 2015.

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Our all-time influences are Death, Opeth, Cynic, Behemoth, Necrophagist, Gojira, Akercocke, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Astor Piazzolla, Frank Zappa, King Crimson Decapitated and Meshuggah amongst many others. Nowadays i am listening a lot to: Wolves in the throne room, Woods of Ypres and Alcest.

12. What are some of your non musical interests?

I particularly love reading and i work as a psychologist, that’s the other part of my life besides music.

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

I wanted to thank you for doing your research and asking questions that are not just generic, as in many other interviews. And to everybody reading this, don’t forget to check out our new album "The Absents Presence" which you can stream online for free and also buy in cd or digital format, it is available worldwide. Have a great week!

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Phylogeny Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the project?
1: Our project is a studio/home project. We both study in different cities, we are 22 and 23 years old, so we don't have any source of income yet. We do our music just for the love of it. We had a grind band in the past but our drummer had to left, so we decided to make this little project on our own. we've been working for a year

2.How would you describe your musical sound?
2: our musical sound is a mix of influences, completely. From old school death metal to melodic stuff. We are also fanatics of black metal, specially bands like Windir or Dissection, just to mention any. We like contrast in our music, we seek to surprise those who hear our music, without stepping out of a death metal style, that is the unifier element thru all the mix we put in there.

3.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
3: we are still exploring with our lyrics. We plan to create our own Lore, based on our artwork. as an introduction, the pyramid that you see in the back came to that world with a mission, to grab all the alien race from that planet and take them to other places, new and forbidden for them. We are still developing this.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Phylogeny'?
4: Theres not much inspiration in that. We just looked for a short name that hasnt been taken yet, and that sound death metal enough. We know that its related to evolution of microorganisms, we plan to somehow use this concept in our lyrics as well.

5.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you chose to remain a duo?
5: We would love to have a drummer that can play what we program, or something close to that. Unf, that probably won't happen, but if any good drummer is interested on our project, we are open to accept him if he is good enough, and love death/black music.

6.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
6: No.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme metal?
7: It has been good so far. We are still expanding, and that takes time

8.Are the band members involved with any other musical project?
8. Polo has a solo project called polis south. Its kind of an electronic/indie music style

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
9: No one could guess that...

10.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
10: too many bands and influences. tech death bands like spawn of possession or necrophagist, Black bands like dissection or even inmortal, Slam bands...I do love melodic stuff a lot ( Rod ), I love wintersun, Kalmah , and bands like that. So as you can see, we dont have a limit in our tastes.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
11: Videogames, movies, Law, animals...

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

12: Spread the word of our legend. We need more people to hear us!!

Thanks for the interview. It's been written by Rod.

https://phylogeny.bandcamp.com/

Decembre Noir/A Discouraged Believer/FDA Rekotz/2014 CD Review

  Decembre  Noir  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  melancholic  form  of  blackened  doom/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Discourage  Believer"  which  was  released  by  FDA  Rekotz.

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  heavy  sound  and  a  few  seconds  later  growls  are  added  into  the  recording  and  after  a  minute  clean  playing  and  violins  are  added  in  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  while  also  keeping  around  the  heavier  parts  and  adding  in  some  melodies.

  After  awhile  all  of  the  musical  instruments  start  sounding  a  lot  more  powerful  along  with  the  music  adding  in  melancholic  and  depressive  elements  with  some  really  heavy  doom/death  metal  and  at times you  can  also  hear  spoken  word  parts  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  fast  and  raw  black  metal  influences  which  also  bring  along  blast  beats  with  them  as  well  as  the  vocals  using  more  grimness  when  the  blackened  parts  show  up  in  the  music.

  When  we  get  more  into  the  album  acoustic  guitars  and  symphonic  sounds  become  a  part  of  the  recording  while  the  heavier  parts  still  dominate  the  music  and  most  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and  length  with  the  average  song  being  over  7  minutes  while  there  is  also  a  couple  of   songs  that  are  around  5  minutes  or  shorter  and  on  the  last  tack  you  can  also  hear  a  small  amount  of  prog  metal  elements  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  vocals.

  With  this  album  Decembre  Noir  bring  a  very  depressive  and  melancholic  sound  to  doom/death  metal  while  also  being  heavily  influenced  by  black  metal  and  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  sorrowful  melodies  which  sound  even  more  powerful  with  a  professional  sounding  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  dark  and  emotional  themes.

  In  my  opinion  December  Noir  are  a  very  great  sounding  melancholic  blackened  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Thorns"  "Decembre  Noir"  and  "Escape  To  The  Sun".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.facebook.com/DecembreNoir

Shamash/Flame Of Baphomet/2013 Full Length Review

  Shamash  are  a  band  from  Denmark  that  plays  a  very  satanic  and  occult  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2013  album  "Flame  of  Baphomet".

   The  album  starts  out  with  a  very  dark,  slow  and  heavy  sound  and  a  few  seconds  later  death  metal  growls are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  melodies  and  the  band  goes  for  a  more  blackened  death  metal  sound  on  the  songs  that  are  presented  along  with  a  great  amount  of  mid  paced  sections.

  By  the  time  the  album  gets  into  the  third  song  the  music  speeds  up  a  bit  and  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  which  also  are  utilized  on  some  of  the  other  tracks  as  well  as  well  as  the  bass  guitars  adding  in  a  more  powerful  sound  and  the  music  also  has  a  good  amount  of  doom  metal  influences,  by  the  time  the  music  is  midway  through  the  fourth  song guitar  solos  and  leads  become  a  part  of  the  recording.

  Halfway  through  the  album  black  metal  screams  are  added  into  certain  parts  of  the  recording  along  with  the  leads  adding  in  the  more  melodic  side  of  that  genre  as  well  as  the  blast  beats  getting  a  bit  more  brutal  while  the  music  never  goes  away  from  a  death/doom  metal  direction  on  the  songs.

  With  this  album  Shamash  stick  to  a  more  blackened  death  metal  sound  along  with  some  slow  and  mid  paced  parts  that  bring  a  doom/death  metal  feeling  to  the  recording  and  at  times  the  music  speeds  up  and  adds  in  brutal  blast  beats  along  with  a  powerful  sounding  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  Satanism,  Thelema,  Crowley  and  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Shamash  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  "The  Scarlet  Woman"  "In  Sanctify  Of  Hadit"  "Lord  Banished  Me"  and  "Mater  Dei".  8  out  of  10.

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Anthems Of Sickness Interview

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

We are a relatively “young” band, we got together in 2012. The initial lineup was with 2 guitar players, in 2013 we began working on out first EP. After that, the 2 guitarists Rassa and Imperial left the band and soon were replaced by Daniel, the singer of Underwell (the other band where I play the guitar). In the meantime the EP was ready and I sent it to Worm with which I was very well acquainted because of his wonderful work with Underwell. He really dug the EP and he proposed us to publish“Through the eyes of a glorious raven” through his label Wormholedeath. So we’d like to thank him.

Siamo una band piuttosto "giovane", ci siamo formati nel 2012. La formazione iniziale comprendeva 2 chitarristi e nel 2013 abbiamo iniziato a lavorare al nostro primo ep.
Successivamente abbiamo avuto uno split del tutto pacifico con Rassa e Imperial (i due axeman e Daniel, il cantante degli Underwell (l'altra mia band) è subentrato loro. L'ep nel frattempo era concluso e l ho spedito a Worm che già conoscevo per via dell'ottimo lavoro svolto per gli Underwell.
Lui gradì molto il materiale e così ci propose di far uscire "Through the eyes of a glorious raven" per la sua label Wormholedeath. E così grazie a lui eccoci qua a parlare.

2.Recently you have released a new ep, can you tell us a little bit more about your musical sound?
"Through the eyes of a glorious raven" is a very dark album, both the music and the lyrics. We tried to build our sound on hardcore influences mixed with black metal, trash and even sludge. We even got a dash of rock’n’roll influenced by motorhead, who however influenced a lot of the genres we stated previously.

"Through the eyes of a glorious raven" è un album molto oscuro sia musicalmente che liricamente.
Dal punto di vista del sound abbiamo innestato su una base hardcore influenze che vanno dal black metal, al thrash fino allo sludge. Nel mezzo si è infilato anche un tiro rock'n'roll mothoreadiano che d'altronde per via traversa ha influenzato tutti i generi prima citati.

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

Desperation. The album’s lyrics are a reflecting a very dark and nichilistic point of view.
The sensation of emptiness, which our generation knows too well. Emptiness in our values (like in The voice of God and Stone cold eyes). Emptiness in the way of life (Midnight riders which may seem like a party anthem and it is, in a certain way, but it derives from otherwise bitter thoughts.
Disperazione. Le lyrics dell'album riflettono una visione davvero cupa e nichilista. Il senso di vuoto che la nostra generazione conosce bene. Vuotezza nei valori (come in The voice of God e Stone cold eyes) vuotezza nel modo di vivere come in Midnight riders che sembra un party anthem (e in un certo senso lo è) ma deriva in realtà da una riflessione piuttosto amara.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Anthems Of Sickness'?

A.o.S a.k.a Anthem of Sickness, it’s basically the best description of the intentions of the band. Making an anthem to the sickness, without hope, without faith, without a guideline. Nihilism in form of music.

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

We’ve made a few gigs around the swamp for now. But we had thepleasure of playing on a skate competition in a skate park which is really close to Alessandria. It was a really great feeling that I will surely keep in the good memories compartment of my head. Hardcore e skate were always connected afterall, am Iright?

Per ora abbiamo suonato ancora pochi show qua nei dintorni della nostra palude. Però abbiamo avuto il piacere di suonare ad una festa di uno skate park vicino ad Alessandria. Una situazione davvero fantastica che ricorderò con molto piacere. Hc e skate dopotutto sono sempre andati a braccetto no??!!

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

Of course we do. We don’t have anything fixed for now, but you can bet on it! This kind of music is made to be played on a stage live. We would love to play from the other side of the borders of Italy…we’ll do the best we can.

Naturalmente. Attualmente non c'è ancora nulla di definito ma potete scommetterci! Questa musica è fatta per essere suonata dal vivo. Ci piacerebbe molto suonare fuori dalla povera italia…faremo il possibile per concretizzare ciò.

7.The new ep came out on WormHoleDeath, how would you describe the support they have given you so far?

Worm, as I previously mentioned is very professional and Wormholedeath is a structure that works well and is in a constant growth.
The relationship that ties us thogether after all these years is friendly and being friends with the label is a great vantage point in a world where there are labels who don’t give two sh*ts about the fact that they are working with human beings in the first place. I am very happy for the support and the opportunity they gave us.

Worm come ho accennato prima è un grande professionista e Wormholedeath è una struttura che lavora bene e in costante crescita.
Il rapporto che ci lega dopo tutti questi anni è di amicizia anche e ciò è sicuramente un vantaggio notevole in un mondo di label che se ne fregano totalmente dell'aspetto umano. Sono contento di lavorare con loro anche con questo progetto e dell'opportunità dataci.


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

Well, for now we don’t have a lot of feedback, sincethe EP isn’t still on the market, so we are still in the initial phase of promoting it. But for now I would say that the majority is good feedback. The music was appreciated by people who love black metal and others who love hardcore and crust. I think that with our music we might satisfy a great number of different audience types. It’s up to the audience to approach us in the right way, without any prejudice about genres and so on…we are like that, we play like that and we don’t want to be labeled in any way.

Beh per il momento abbiamo ancora feedback ridotti visto che il disco non è ancora uscito e la promozione si può dire appena iniziata.
Però per il momento direi buono, abbiamo ricevuto apprezzamenti sia da blackster incalliti sia da fan dell'hc e del crust. Ritengo che la nostra proposta potrebbe riuscire a mettere d'accordo un gran numero di fan dei generi più disparati. Sta solo al pubblico  il dovere di approcciarci nel modo giusto, senza inutili preconcetti di generi e così…noi siamo questo, suoniamo così e non vogliamo essere catalogati in un modo particolare.

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

We hope for doing more live gigs and to put out another album. We are currently working on new stuff. We are incorporating new influences with a lot of care in the details. It’s too early to get specific about this for now, but we are working hard and I am sure that all our efforts in arrangementand composition will be worth it.

Speriamo di suonare sempre più dal vivo e pubblicare un nuovo disco.
Stiamo già lavorando a nuovi brani e devo dire che segneranno una netta evoluzione. Stiamo incorporando nuove influenze con una nuova cura verso i dettagli. Per ora è presto parlare nello specifico di questo ma stiamo lavorando sodo e gli sforzi in fase di arrangiamento e composizione daranno i loro frutti.

10.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Well as I mentioned previously I am big fan of hardcore and of black metal in equal proportions. I love Burzum and Converge. Presonally I am a person that really listens to anything from stoner to rap to dubstep, it just needs to impress me. I find that one of the biggest limits in a certain something-core scene nowadays is the lack of a message and an emotion to transfer to the listener. It’s just a formula for looping something we already heard a million times. This is one of the worst ways for artistic approach. Art comes from the inside.

Beh come prima accennavo sono un grande fan dell' hardcore e del black meta in egual misura. Adoro sia Burzum che i Converge. personalmente sono uno che ascolta davvero di tutto dallo stoner al rap alla dubstep. Basta che riesca ad emozionarmi. Trovo che uno dei limiti più grandi di una certa scena -core attuale sia il fatto che non mi trasmette alcuna emozione. E' diventata tutta forma e reiterare formule già sentite. E questo è il modo peggiore per approcciarsi a qualsiasi cosa di tipo artistico. L'arte viene da dentro.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I love traveling, cooking, eating and drinking, watching documentaries and reading. I am currently in the university and I have a girlfriend. Regular, normal life.
Adoro viaggiare, cucinare, mangiare e bere, guardare documentari e leggere. Studio all'università, ho una ragazza. Insomma cose normali.

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


Take care of yourselves and of the world that surrounds us. It’s a very simple thing which is easily forgotten. Thank you for your time and attention. Follow us on facebook and youtube.

Abbiate cura di voi stessi e del mondo che vi circonda. E' una cosa semplice ma che viene spesso dimenticata.
Grazie per il tempo e l'attenzione. Seguiteci su facebook e youtube

https://www.facebook.com/aoshc/.

Phylogeny/Self Titled/2014 EP Review

  Phylogeny  are  a  duo  from  Spain  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  technical  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  and  self  titled  2014  ep.

  The ep  starts  out  with  a  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  with  some  spoken  samples  before  getting  more  heavy  and  technical  along  with  a  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  vocals  and  then  the music  gets  more  fast  and  brutal  along  with  programmed  blast  beats  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  mixture  of  technical,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  After  awhile  all  of  the musical  instruments  start  sonnding  very  powerful  as  well  as  bringing  in  deathcore  elements  and  atmospheric  synths  while  also  remaining  brutal  all  at  the  same  time  and  later  on  experimental  parts  are  added  in  with  the  brutality  this  music  produces  and  for  a  few  seconds  the  keyboards  bring  a  gothic  horror  feeling  to  the  recording  and  the  last  track  has  a  very  dark  and  raw  feeling  to  it  as  well  as  being  all  instrumental.

  With  this  ep  Phylogeny  take  a  very  brutal  and  technical  form  of  death  metal  and  mix  it  in  with  a  good  amount  of  black  metal  influence  along  with  some  melody  and  atmospheric  sounds  as  well  as  having  a  very  professional  sounding  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  horror  and  gore  topics.

  In  my  opinion  Phylogeny  are  a  very  great  sounding  technical  and  brutal  blackened  death  metal b and  and  if  you  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Seizure  Of  The  Tremoctopus".  8  out  of  10.

https://phylogeny.bandcamp.com/

Imaginator/Self Titled/2014 EP Review

  Imaginator  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  plays  a  very  atmospheric  form  of  blackened  death  metal  with  atmospheric  and  prog  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  and  self  released  2014  ep.

  The  ep  starts  out  with  atmospheric  synths  and  a  heavy  djent  sound  and  a  few  seconds  later  bass  guitars  and  aggressive  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  and  they  bring  in  more  death  and  black  metal  influences  in  the  screams  and  growls  and  then  robotic  clean  singing  becomes  a  part  of  the  music.

  Later  on  melodic  solos  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  clean  playing  and  the  clean  singing  starts  sounding  a  lot  more  normal  while  they  also  keep  around  the  growls  and  on  the  following  track  the  music  gets  more  progressive  and  atmospheric  while  also  being  very  heavy  at  the  same  time  and  at  times  you  can  also  hear  acoustic  guitars  in  the  background  along  with  small  amounts  of  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times

  With  this  ep  Imaginator  take  a  variety  of  metal  genres  from  black,  death,  prog  and  djent  and  combine  them  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  while  also  having  a  good  amount  of  melody,  atmospheric  and  technical  parts,  while  the  production  sound s very  professional  for  a  self  released  recording  with  the  song  lyrics  covering  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Imaginator  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death,  djent  and  prog  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "God  Mode".  8  out  of  10.

https://imaginator.bandcamp.com/

Devius/Infinity Echoes/2009 Full Length Review

  Devius  are  a  band  from  Argentina  that  plays  a  very  progressive  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2009  album  "Infinity  Echoes".

  The  album  starts  out  with  an  intro  that  utilizes  both  acoustic  guitars  and symphonic  sounds  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  very  heavy  progressive  death  meal  direction  along  with  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  solos  are  a  huge  part  of  the  music.

  Once  the  growling  vocals  are  added  into  the  album  all  of  the  musical  instruments  start  sounding  a  lot  more  powerful  and  you  can  hear  some  black  metal  elements  being  utilized  at  times  and  as  time  goes  on  by  acoustic  guitars  make  their  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  more  thrash  influences  being  added  in  and  later  on  another  instrumental  is  brought  into  the  recording  before  making  a  return  to  the  tracks  with  vocals  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  mixture  clean  progressive  and  extreme  metal  parts.

  With  this  ep  Devius  play  a  very  progressive  form  of  death  metal  while  also  having  some  black  metal  and  thrash  influences,  and  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  album  along  with  song  lyrics  that  are  very  in  depth  with  philosophy  and  psychology.

  In  my  opinion  Devius  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Inner  procession"  and  "Theory  Of  Murder".  8  out  of  10.

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Domains/Sinister Ceremonies/The Sinister Flame/2014 CD Review

  Domains  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  very  satanic,  luciferian  and  occult  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Sinister  Ceremonies"  which  was released  by  The  Sinister  Flame".

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  very  heavy, fast  and  brutal  blackened  death  metal  sound  along  with  blast  beats  and  after  awhile  the  album  brings  in  a  mixture  of  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  deep  growling  vocals  and  the  bass  guitars  also  sound  very  powerful  sounding  on  this  recording  before  adding  in  solos  and  leads.

  When  the  album  goes  to  other  songs  the  music  sticks  to  a  brutal  direction  as  well  as  combining  old  school  and  brutal  death  metal  with  elements  of  black  metal  and  at  times  there  is  some  melody  and  slow  parts  being  mixed  in  with  the  brutality  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  very  dark  and  evil  atmosphere.

  Halfway  though  the  album   there  is  an  intro  which  utilizes  both  acoustic  guitars  and  synths  which  also  enhance  the  dark  and  occult  atmosphere  of  the  music  before  going  into  an  even  more  brutal  direction  on  the  following  tracks  while  also  bringing  back  the  cleaner  elements  in  an  instrumental  on  one  of  the  tracks.

  With  this  album  Domains  takes  a  very  heavy  and  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  dark  and  occult  atmosphere  of  black  metal  to  create  an  album  that  is  very  heavy  and  evil  all  at  the  same  time  along  with  a  good  balance  between  melody  and  brutality.

  Song  lyrics  cover  Death  Worship,  The  order  Of  the  Nine  Angles,  Theistic  Satanism  and  Luciferian  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  dark,  brutal  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Domains  are  a  very  great  sounding  heavy  and  brutal  satanic,  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Domains"  "Infernal"  "Crowned"  and  "Sinister".  8/5  out  of  10.  

www.domainsoftheendless.com

    

Fisthammer/Infallible/2014 CD Review

   Fisthammer  are  a  band  from  Pennsylvania  which  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  technical  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Infallible".

  The  album  starts  out  with  acoustic  guitars  and  dark  sounds  before  adding  in  growls  and  screams  which  leads  up  to  the  recording  going  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  solos  and  leads before  going  into  a  more  brutal  death  metal  direction.

  As  the  album  progresses  blast  beats  are  added  into  certain  parts  of  the  recording  along  with  a  mixture  of  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  some  melody  and  black  metal  elements  and  at  times  acoustic  guitars  are  added  in  briefly  and  the music  also  gets  very  technical  sounding  at  times,  and  when  we  get  more  into  the  recording  black  metal  vocals  are  added  in  certain  parts.

  With  this  recording  Fisthammer  continue  their  brutal  and  technical  approach  to  blackened  death  metal while  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  a  dark  and  occult  atmosphere  being  mixed  in  at  times.

  Song  lyrics  cover  darkness,  occultism  and  mythology  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  brutal  and  professional  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  album.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Fisthammer  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  brutal,  technical  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Evoking  The  Wrath  Of  The  Revenants"  "Temple  Of  Poseidon"  "The  Coven"  and  "The  Conjuration  Of  the  Fire  God".  8  out  of  10.

www.facebook.com/Fisthammer
http://fisthammer.bandcamp.com/

Visions Of The Night Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?

Sure, we finished up a tour of Australia, Japan and Taiwan. We're currently in the middle of a music video for the title track of 'Guerrillas within their Midst', which includes some live footage from the tour along with some footage from the wars in the Middle East and some green screen effects. Also been writing new riffs and are in talks for some more tours.

2.A few months back you have released a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction of the new recording and also how does it differ from your previous releases?

There's actually some horns, sitars and even some middle eastern singing in this one, while still being death metal. That might sound contradictory here, but it all flows perfectly. There's no sudden stop and then going off into weird shit just for the sake of it. I even did some actual singing instead of growling (something I thought I'd never do) in the beginning of 'Lost in the Red Snow' and there's even some bassdrops in one of the songs. Although obviously (and thankfully) they're used nothing like dubstep. Aside from that, there's quite a bit less keyboards in this one and it comes off more war-like overall.

3.What are some of the wars you have covered with your song lyrics on the new recording?

WWI : 'Breaching the Somme' (a bit of a play on words from the Suffocation album 'Breeding the Spawn'), WWII : 'Lost in the Red Snow' and 'Assaulting Fortress Europe', finally Afghanistan and Iraq :'Guerrillas within their Midst'. 'We Will Conquer' isn't about a specific war, but is about the Roman Legions and 'War is Our Religion' isn't a specific battle either but takes the viewpoint in the modern age. 'Thousand Yard Stare' is in the modern age as well and is based on a sniper in a covert operation. I read up on some marine corps sniper manuals to get a better insight into that one.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Visions Of the Night'?

You know when you're out at night and you see something (sometimes just for a second) and you don't know what it is? Your mind can instantly take something mundane and turn it into a threat or something it's not. Everyone seems to have a story of this happening to them at one time or another. It also works with the darker subject matter and equally well with the military side of things when you think of it. I remember a book called 'Helmet for my pillow' of a marine in a jungle in the pacific during wwii in which his squad saw 3 pairs of small lights coming towards them during the night. Thinking it was some kind of enemy secret weapon, everybody fired everything they could at the objects until they disappeared, but every night it came back. They eventually realized it was just the reflective eyes of 3 crocodiles swimming down the river. Although I didn't read that book until after I already had the band name, it is a good example.

5.The band originally started out as a solo project, what was the decision behind hiring a full line up?

After I first recorded a song on my own (with a friend on backing vox), another friend of mine asked me if she could play it on her extreme metal radio show. After that she asked if I also wanted to play at a metal festival she was putting on for the show. I never really considered playing live before that, but at that moment I knew I wanted to and that I'd need a full band for that. There were some full time members throughout the years, but aside from the first full length cd, I always ended up pay for the all the studio time anyway. The current situation of myself with paid session members how I want to keep it. It actually makes touring easier, if someone can't go, I can just hire someone else and nobody gets pissed off about it.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

The shows in Tokyo have always had great support for us. Aside from that, I'd say opening up for Cradle of Filth in 2001 in Toronto was a very memorable show also. These days we wear army bdus and camo facepaint. By the end of the set the face camo is normally melts or smears a bit due to the intensity and I can taste a bit of it in my mouth. I should probably make sure that it's non-toxic before the next show. I've been hoping to get a snow machine to use for the song 'Lost in the Red Snow', but it's proving a bit difficult, not to mention the added weight and flight costs. Still, where possible, I'd like to expand the imagery for the live shows.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

Right now we're in the middle of talks for a tour closer to the end of this year. I don't want to say where it is because it's not 100% although talks are very favourable right now. I will say that it's somewhere within North America that we haven't played before. As for 2015, we hope to return to Japan, Taiwan and hopefully another country as well.

8.Recently you where a part of a split which included many black metal bands, what are your thoughts on the other bands that had participated on that album?

I was amazed at the level of quality within such relatively small bands. I asked the main guy behind it (from Redesekration) how he found all these bands and he said he did it through metal-archives. We all still communicate in a group discussion, really good bunch of guys from all over the world. I'd like to do a show or tour with all the bands at one point.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to the new album by fans of black and death metal?

It seems pretty universal that it's generally the extreme metal veterans (of any country) who appreciate it the most. People that perhaps thought that the genre was getting a bit stale or that too much rehashing was going on with a lot of bands. I guess it's refreshing to hear some new ideas.

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

I've got a new song with some really freaky riffs based on the Vietnam war. It sounds like you're in a jungle surrounded by traps and corpses. I guess death metal with creepy guitars is a good way to describe it. Another new one is actually part doom metal (something else I thought I'd never do) and part black metal. It's called Struggle Through Loss. I've noticed the older you get, the more people leave your life through dying than new people enter. Without getting into too many personal details, the song is based on that. That's probably the only song I'll ever write in that style, the riffs just kind of flowed and they were too good to pass up on.

11.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Slayer, Deicide, Black Sabbath, Sacrifice, Marduk, the 1st Cradle of Filth album all had a good influence on my sound. Lately, I'm finding slam death metal really easy to get into, maybe because of all my visits to Japan. Aside from that I'm primarily listening to a lot of the same bands I listened to 20 years ago. I recently picked up the latest from Carcass, Biohazard and Suicidal Tendencies.

12.How would you describe your views on Occultism?

My personal belief is that there's a kind of energy you can tap into. I'm not going to pretend to know it's exact origins, but it feels dark if that makes any sense. Use it, don't let it use you. That's why the hexagram in our logo is dual encircled, representing strength and control.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

WWII documentaries, shooting guns, collecting tanks, video games, I'd also like to get back into Russian Martial Art at some point.

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

Yes, a friend of mine recently moved to from here to Germany for work. He asked me for some cds to spread the word and perhaps set up a tour in the future. Shortly after this, he wrote back saying that many people automatically assume anything extreme metal with military imagery are nazi bands over there. I can't overstate how stupid such an assumption that is. I could list several reasons why that would be completely ridiculous, but I'll just say when in doubt, read the lyrics. Firepower and metal have always went well together!

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