My Doppelganger/God Is A Lie/2014 CD Review

 

  My  Doppelganger  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  classic  rock  and  heavy  metal  with  some  death  and  black  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "God  Is  A  Lie".

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful sound  to  them  along  with  some  aggressive  vocals  along  with  some  clean  sections,  melodic  vocals  and  guitar  leads  and  the band  also brings  in  a  mixture of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts.

  The  keyboards  bring  a  70's  psychedelic  rock  sound  to  the  recording  and  the  band  also  brings in  some  death  and  black  metal  elements  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  as  well  as  having  some  aggressive  screams  and  growls  at  times  along  with  a  small  amount  of  aggressive  back  up  shouts.

  When  the  aggressive  screams  are  utilized  they  bring  some  screamo  and  emo  influences  into  the  music  and  each  song  has  a  very  different  sound  to  it  and  the  80's  metal  elements  are  the  strongest  part  of  the  recording  and  they  also  bring  in  a  few  power  ballad  tracks  while  also  keeping  around  the  heavier  parts.

  My  Doppelganger  create  a  sound  that  is  very  hard  to  classify  with  their  music  being  a  mixture  of  80's  metal  and  70's  rock  while  also  adding  in  some  heavy  screamo,  black  and  death  metal  elements  to  give  the  music  a  more  updated  feeling,  the  production  is  very  professional  sounding  and  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  metaphysical  and  anti  religion  themes.

  In  my  opinion   My  Doppelganger  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  many  different  forms  of  metal  and  rock,  and  if  you  have  an  open  mind,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Somewhere  in  My  head"  "The  Hunter"  "God  Is  A  Lie"  and  "Fallen  Angel".  8  out  of  10.

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                                http://mydoppelganger.bandcamp.com/

The Lustmord/Trapped In Purgatory/Lustmord Entertainment/2014 EP Review

  The  Lustmord  are  a  band  from  Arizona  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  ep  "Trapped  in  Purgatory"  which  was released  by  Lustmord  Entertainment.

  A  very  heavy  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  which  bring  the  black  metal  elements  into  the  music  and  the  ep  starts  sounding  very  technical  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  guitar  leads  and  powerful  soundign  bass  lines.

  On  the  other  tracks  the  music  gets  a  little bit  more  fast,  heavy  and  you  can  also  hear  some  brutal  death  metal  elements  being  added  into  the  songs  along  with  some  blast  beats  while  some  of  the  faster  riffing  really  shows  off  the  black  metal  side  of  the  band  and  they  also  start  incorporating  more  melody  in  their  music.

  As  the  ep  progresses  more  thrash  influences  and  east  coast  death  metal  elements  are  brought  into  the  music  and  the  band  sticks  to  a  heavy  sound  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  ep  while  also  making  the  songs  sound  very  diverse  and  on  the  last  track  the  band  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing.

  The  Lustmord  bring  a  very  heavy  sound  to  the  ep  that  is  closer  to  death  metal  while  some  of  the  faster  parts  and  screams  bring  in  the  black  metal  side  and  the  music  is  very  well  executed  blackened  death  metal  along  with  a  very  professional  sounding  production  and  lyrics  that  are  very  dark  in  subject  manner.

  In  my  opinion  The  Lustmord  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  and  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Trapped  In  Purgatory"  and  "Shadows  Of  the  Sun".  8  out  of  10.

Official Website: www.thelustmord.us
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelustmordofficial
Webstore: www.themord.bigcartel.com

Spatial/Silence/Metal Scrap Records/2014 CD Review

  Spatial  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Silence"  which  was  released  by  Metal  Scrap Records.

  Dark sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavy  doom  metal  direction  which  leads  up  to  some  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  along  with  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  melodies  and  after  awhile  melodic  vocals  are  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  As  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  is  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  music  focuses  more  on  being  dark  and  heavy  and  they  also  bring  in  a  good  amount  of  melodic  death  metal  elements  into  their  sound  as  well  a s bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  guitar  leads  on  the  later  tracks  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  and  as  time  goes  on  by  acoustic  guitars  are  brought  in  at  times  for  a  few  seconds  and  the  band  brings  in  a  mixture  of  modern  metal  and  old  school  doom  metal  elements  to  all  of  the  tracks  on  the  recording.

  Spatial  bring  a  very  interesting  sound  to  the  album  with  the  music  being  closer  to  doom/death  metal  but  with  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  black  metal  influences,  the  production  is  very  professional  sounding  and  the  lyrics  cover  death,  hate,  melancholy  and  occult  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  Spatial  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  doom  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Silence"  "Knights  Of  the  Forgotten  Realm"  "Golem"  and  "Revenge".  8  out  of  10.

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Woebegone Obscured/Marrow Of Dreams/I, Voidhanger Records/2013 CD Review

  Woebegone  Obscured  are  a  band  from  Denmark  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  funeral  doom/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Marrow  Of  Dreams"  which  was  released  by  I,  Voidhanger  Records.

  A  more  relaxed  ambient  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  more  heavy  and  melodic  direction  along  with  some  melancholic  elements  which   also  leads  up  to  a  mixture  of  clean  singing  and  growls  and  then  the  music really  starts  going  into  a  very  dark  funeral  doom  metal  direction  and  mixing  in  some  black  metal  screams.

  When  we  get  more  into  the  album  you  can  hear  clean  parts  and  acoustic  being  utilized at  times  along  with  small  amounts  of  spoken  word  parts  and  in  some  of  the  heavier  doom  metal  sections  melodic  guitar  leads  are  added  in,  the  band  brings  a  great  amount  of  emotion  and  sorrow  in  their  music  with  all  of  the  songs  being  long  epic  songs  that  remain  in  a  slower  direction.

  The  songs  on  the  album  have  a  great  amount  of  variety  to  them  with  some  influences  from  early  90's  U.K  doom/death  metal  beign  mixed  in  with  the  more  modern  and  darker  funeral  doom  metal  as  well  as  a  touch  of  grim  black  metal  and  the  singer  brings  in  a  great  mixture  of  growls,  screams  and  melodic  singing  which  also  makes  the  music  sound  more  progressive  and  original  sounding.

  Woebegone  Obscured  have  a  very  interesting  and  original  approach  to  blackened  funeral  doom/death  metal  bring  in  a  good  balance  between  heavy,  slow,  dark  and  melancholic  sounds  along  with  a  dark,  powerful  and  heavy  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  dark,  depressive  and  schizophrenic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Woebogone  Obscured  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  funeral  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.   RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Vacuum  ocean"  and  "In  Suffering  Darkness  Dwell".  8/5  out  of  10.

https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/marrow-of-dreams   

Acheron Interview

ACHERON interview with Vincent Crowley

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

VC- We actually have been working on some new material, while we have been lining up some upcoming gigs. In March ACHERON will start playing some live shows to help promote the new album.

2.You have a new album coming out in March, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction it has taken and also how does it differ from your past releases?

VC- I wanted to keep the ACHERON feel, yet continue to evolve musically. One thing I really wanted to concentrate on is creating very memorable riffs within the songs that would stay within the listener’s mind. Lyrically there are all sorts of dark and sinful topics that are influenced by all past ACHERON releases. Our goal was to has a sound and production like something that would have been recorded back in the late 80’s or early 90’s. Having Dan Swano mix and master this album did just that. I think this is an album both old and new fans will enjoy.  

3.On the new album while you kept the satanic and anti christian lyrics you also added in some Aleister Crowley this time, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this founder of Thelema?

VC- Well, lets face it, To Mega Therion was a very interesting man and magician. He lived a bazaar life. I always though his story of invoking Choronzon would make a great song topic. And indeed it did. Crowley was a man or knowledge, humor and perversion. His entire existence was indeed something to keep your attention. A man declared The evilest man in the world who ended up dying as a poor junkie. Such an insane tale.

4.I remember on one of your past albums you had some lyrics written about the Temple Of Vampire, do you have any contact with them these days?

VC- No. I felt the teaching an their mythos of the TOV made a great album concept. I studied and became a member while doing it. But there were things I didn’t agree with, just like everything else, soI went my own way. But I did take a lot of interesting ideas from their practices with me in my everyday life.

5.While the band is known for their allegiance to the Church Of Satan, what are some of the other forms of occultism do you find interesting?

VC- ACHERON is not aligned with the CHURCH OF SATAN anymore! I resigned from the Priesthood back in 2000. After LaVey died things changed a lot. And after some personal issues I decided to leave the ranks. At that time I wanted no membership affiliation with any organized religious groups. As for my occult interest I am fascinated with all kinds of dark practices from all over the world. I do not limit myself to only one thing.

6.What are your thoughts on the modern day Luciferian organizations and theistic Satanists who disagree with the writings of Anton Lavey?

VC- It al depends on their interpretation of what “Theistic Satanists” are. There are so many who think differently. Personally, the worship of any deity our dedication to a religion is not for me. My ideas and beliefs have remained on the Left Hand Path, but they have indeed evolved very much. To me, Satanism is a philosophy and lifestyle. I will not longer call it a religion! It was not meant to be some manipulated organization ran by others. Nor is it some fairy-tale belief in some deity to help you get through your life. It is basic lesson in self preservation and self-fulfillment. My occult side pays homage to that dark energy that I tap into, which could be symbolized as Satan, but it is not my god or higher power. It is that force of nature I draw energy from that helps me become one with the darkened light. Put that is a whole other story, which I prefer to keep to myself these days. But in the end I still don’t worship anything!

7.There has been a five year gap between albums, can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during those days?

VC- We released a really good album called “THE FINAL CONFLICT: Last Days of God” and the record label was not doing any promotion for it what-so-ever! That could some inner conflicts within the band. Members just started drifting apart. So eventually, I just wanted to get away from everything about the music industry. So I disbanded the group. 10 months later, my drummer Kyle Severn and I ended up meeting together for some beers and talked things out. We decided not to let the industry destroy ACHERON. So we agreed not to pursue a record label at that time and just do shows and start enjoying playing for the fans again. And we did so for several years! After awhile we did start writing new songs and we recorded a 2-song demo. Kyle’s other band INCANTATION was signed to LISTENABLE RECORDS, so we decided to send them a copy to check it out. They loved the demo and signed the band. Since then we have been back on track with a record label that actually cares about the band. So we are all very psyched for the release of “KULT DES HASSES”!

8.Over the years what are some of the best shows and tours that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

VC- I think the 2 best tours we did in the past years was with OBITUARY in Brazil and DARK FUNERAL in Mexico. We had a great time on both tours and the bands were great people to hangout with. Great memories, indeed! And ACHERON live show is like being smashed in the face with a Satanic sledgehammer! (Ha, Ha)

9.Do you have any touring or show plans for the year of 2014 for the new album?

VC- Absolutely! They are trying to work on some tours in Europe and South America for us as we speak. We also plan on hitting all the major cities we can in the USA. I’m actually down for playing anywhere! Asia would be amazing to play.

10.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to the newer material by fans of satanic metal?

VC- It has really been incredible! I’m actually on FACEBOOK and I like to keep in touch with the fans and get their feedback. So many supportive ACHERON fans from all over the globe have really embraced the new material we have made public. I know they are really going to enjoy the album as a whole as soon as it is released. Without our fans we are nothing. They have kept the hellfires burning all these years!

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

VC- I think it will be a perfect follow-up to “KULT DES HASSES”. We already have 3 songs written for it. Again, we will keep the ACHERON feel, but we will not give you the same albums over and over again. I think everything we have done sounds like an ACHERON album, but all are very different and unique. We will stick to that method.

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

VC- I listen to all kinds of music. As for Metal, I like all styles of it. Bands like CELTIC FROST, VENOM, MERCYFUL FATE, BATHORY, SLAYER, SODOM and KREATOR have always been the bands that influenced me to play music in the first place.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

VC- Actually, I really enjoy going on long hikes in national parks. Getting away from society is such a great thing to experience. I also am a Horror Movie freak. I can’t get enough of the stuff. And the studying the art of human sexuality and sadomasochism.

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

VC- Thank you for your interest in ACHERON. We hope everyone picks up our new album “KULT DES HASSES” on LISTENABLE RECORDS in March 2014! We hope to see you on the road very soon and raise some fucking HELL! Ad Maiorem Satanae Gloriam!

Vincent Crowley - ACHERON

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Decembre Noir Interview

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

Hey, I’m Sebastian, guitarist and founder of the band Decembre Noir. A band from the middle of Germany which is dedicated to the melancholic side of Death-Metal.

2.You have a new album coming out in May, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

I think we got a good mix of music we are fascinated by at ourselves. The roots of Decembre Noir are to be found in Doom. As time passed and all musicians came together our sound got his own style. A style between melancholic and complaining melodies, hard riffs, cheerful parts with a certain pressure all the time.

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

The lyrical topics of every song fit together in a certain way and tell us a story. This story needs the order the songs are arranged on the album. Subjects are desperation, searching for the right way, the one’s own end, but even self-awareness, self-confidence, giving up hope to be led in life.

4.The band started out as a duo, what was the decision behind forming a full line up?

At the beginning it was not our goal to create a complete band. We have played in bands which performed also live and were fully stretched. Decembre Noir was more like a project which is not formed for stages. Friendly musicians asked for playing together and create a real band. I thing this was very positive. Everybody of us shaped the band and it’s more than fun to perform live.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Decembre Noir"?

On our way searching for a name we found many possibilities. It should reflect what the music is about for us. Therefore we didn’t focus the lyrics but our emotions.

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?

Oh that’s difficult. I think the performances get better and better. That’s not impressed by how many people are on the concert or what great bands we play with. It’s the feeling about it. Our emotions and energy in the shows are increasing. That feeling transfers immediately to the fans and the performance on itself increases until the last song.

7.D0 you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

Of course we are happy about every opportunity to perform but we no finished plans for the summer. We want to work on new songs and get on stage in autumn again. But this is never fixed. We are open for every chance and wouldn’t decline any invitation.

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

FDA Rekotz give us the chance look forward the usual horizon. We found out that our music impressed metal fans free from their normal likings. We are anxious about how the album will appeal worldwide. We unite a lot of styles and that’s what’s interesting for many people.

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

We would not press ourselves into a corset and would not cherish on a defined way. We want to build up new songs very naturally on our existing work and want the band to grow up out of our emotions. We look forward to everything which will happen. Only recently we got new experiences in the studio and with the video shooting. Of course we want to perform on festivals but we don’t want to disappoint ourselves with too big goals and have fun with Decembre Noir all the time.  

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

I have to admit that I don’t listen to music very often in contrast to my band members. We are affected by the great bands of Doom and Death metal which we absorbed the last years all the time. We are finding fantastic new bands in the internet which impress us a lot. With these influences we work on new songs, get ideas and pursue them.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Non musical we are totally different. There’s not much time left because most of us play in other bands too. But Mike is a fantastic photographer with his project “Blendenkombinat Ost”. Kevin is on his way to change the world for the better and reflect the society. I take my time for sleddog sports and escape into the wood with my huskies.

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

Thanks for the interview! You can order the album here http://fda-rekotz.com/gx/product_info.php?info=p4449_decembre-noir---a-discouraged-believer---cd--special-pre-sale-price-.html

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