Maestus/Voir Drive/Domestic Genocide/Glossolalia/2015 CD Review

  Maestus  are  a  band  from  Eugene,  Oregon  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  doom  metal  with  elements  of  ambient  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  'Voir  Drive"  which  will  be  released  in  March  as  a  joint  effort  between  Domestic  Genocide  and  Glossolalia.

  A  very  dark,  etherial  and  atmospheric  sound  starts  off  the  album  bringing  in  ambient  style  synths  which  also  bring s in  operatic  female  vocals  and  a  few  seconds  later  the  music  starts  to  go  into  more  of  a  heavy  and  melodic  doom  metal  direction  which  also  introduces  death  metal  growls  to  the  recording  and  a  good  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  black  metal  screams  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording.

   Both  the  atmospheric  and  ambient  elements  are  also  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  parts  throughout  all  of  the  tracks  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  at  times  clean  singing  male  vocals  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  some  sections  of  the  recording  also  add  in  clean  guitars  and  the  music  also  has  its  fast  moments  that  show  even  more  of  a  black  metal  side  and  blast  beats.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  a  very  melodic  sound  that  is  very  close  to  the  post  metal  genres  and  you  can  also  hear  some  elements  of  funeral  doom  and  a  good  touch  of  90's  styles  of  gothic  and  doom/death  metal  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  band  also  brings  in  an  ambient  instrumental  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  on  the  following  tracks  along  with  some  doses  of  fast  black  metal  tremolo  picking  and  the  last  4  tracks  all  follow  a  concept  which  also  shows  the  music  incorporating  more  symphonic  elements  and  on  the  last  track  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  are  added  into  the  song.

  Maestus  takes  black  metal  and  doom/death  metal  and  mixes  them  with  atmospheric  and  ambient  music  along  with  a  great  amount  of  melody  to  create  an  epic  sound  of  their  song,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  despair  and  romanticism.

  In  my  opinion  Maestus  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  doom  and  ambient  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Shrouded  by  Peaks,  Valleys  Speak"  "Tears  Of  Sky"  and  "Opaque  Shadows  In  Framed  Stillness  Part  III".  8  out  of  10.

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Blodspor/A Healthy Dose Of Hatred/Negative Vibe Records/2015 EP Review

  Blodspor  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  with  some  elements  of  grind,  hardcore  and  progressive  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "A  Healthy  Dose  Of  hatred"  which  was  released  by  Negative  Vibe  Records.

  A  very  heavy  bass  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  riffs  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  up  to  some  aggressive  hardcore  style  screams  which  also  bring  in  death  metal  growls  at  times  and  the  music  also  brings  in  the  energy  of  crust  and  grindcore  at  times  and  they  also  have  leads  that  bring  in  distorted  melodies  to  the  bands  musical  style.

  On  the  later  tracks you  can  hear  some  Norwegian  black  metal  elements  being  added into  the  bands  musical  style  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  slow  to  mid  paced  musical  direction  while  a  later  track  has  some  semi  black  metal  style  vocals  and  melodies  that  are  also  very  progressive  and  every  track  remains  true  to  a  heavy  sound.

  Blodspor  takes  influences  from  black,  death  meta,  grind,  and  hardcore  to  create a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  mostly  in English  with  one  song  written  in  Norwegian  and  they  cover  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Blodspor  are  a  very  decent  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death  metal,  grind  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bloodmarch"  and  "A  Healthy Dose  Of  Hatred".  7/5  out  of  10.  

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Exhumation/Opus Death/Dunkelheit Produktionen/2015 CD Review

  Exhumation  are  a  band  from  Indonesia  that  started  out playing  more  of  an  epic  form  of  death  metal  in  the  beginning  but  now  have  evolved  into  a  blackened  death  metal  band  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Opus  Death"  which  was  released  by  Dunkelheit  Produktionen.

  A very  heavy,  brutal,  raw  and  old  school  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  a  good  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  a  great  mixture  of  both  80's  and  early  90's  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  influences.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  dark  and  morbid  sounding  along  with  a  touch  of  melody  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  you  can  hear  a  lot  of  Brazilian  underground  metal  influences  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  while  the music  is  very  old  school  orientated  the  production  gives  the  tracks  more  of  a  modern  day  feeling  and  as  the  album  progresses  one  of  the  songs  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  haunting  and  ritualistic  keyboards  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  they  close  the  album  with  an  acoustic instrumental.

  Exhumation  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  more rooted  in  the  mid  80's  to  early  90's  underground  side  of  the  genre  and  also  mixes  in  influences  from both  the  first  and  second  wave  black  metal  genres  along  with  a  touch  of  thrash  to  create  some  dark,  raw  and  underground  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  death  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  Exhumation  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  "Soul  Wanders"  "Witching  Evil"  "Labryinth  Of  Fire"  and  "Hymn  Of  Death".  8  out  of  10.

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Endlesshade/Wolf Will Swallow The Sun/Rain Without End Records/2015 CD Review

  Endlesshade  are  a  band  from  Ukraine  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  doom/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Wolf  Will  Swallow  The  Sun"  which  was  released  by  Rain  Without  End  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  atmospheric  sounding  keyboard  starts  off  the  album  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  the  music  starts  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  and  melodic  doom  metal  direction  which  also  introduced  spoken  word  parts  to  the  recording  along  with  a  great  amount  if  deep  death  metal  growls  and  some  black  metal  screams  being  utilized  at  times.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  you  can  also  hear  a  small  amount  of  whispers  being  utilized  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  most  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow,  yet  heavy  and  melodic  musical  direction  while  some  sections  also  speed  up  a  bit  and  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of female  vocals  that  are  in  more  of  a  spoken  direction.

  Endlesshae  plays  a  style  of  doom/death  metal  that  is  very  heavy,  melodic  and  atmospheric  sounding  and  also  incorporates  a  lot  of  black  metal  elements  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  nature  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Endlesshade  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  blackened  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Wolf  Will  Swallow  The  Sun"  and  "Truth  untold".  8  out  of  10.

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Doomhammer/The Law of The Drunk-Demo Compilation/Old Cemetery Records/2012 CD Review

 

  Doomhammer  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black, death,  thrash  metal  and  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  demo  compilation  "The  Law  of  the  Drunk"  which  was  released  by  Old  Cemetery  Records.

  A  very  raw,  distorted  and  old  school  black/thrash  metal  sound  starts  off  the  compilation  along  with  first  wave  style  black  metal  grunts  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  punk  rock  elements  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  you  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  crust  elements  in  the  bands  musical  style.

    Melodies  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  one  of  the  later  tracks brings  in  a  brief  influence  of  blues  rock  before  returning  back  to  more  of  a  punk/thrash  direction  and  one  the  later  tracks  the  bass  guitars  are  used  as  a  lead  instrument  at  times  and  you  can  hear  a  lot  of  death  metal  influences  in  the  vocals  which  also  use  a  great  amount  of  growls  at  times .

   There  are  3  demo's  on  the  compilation  which  starts  out  with  the  current  one  and  done  going  even  more  back  to  the  past  as  the  album  progresses  and  all  of  the  demo  tracks  remain  true  to an  old  school  style  of  punk  influences  blackened  death  thrash  and  on the  older  tracks  the  vocals  start  having  more  of  a  grim  approach  and  on  some  of  the  faster  sections  blast  beats  are  brought  in  at  times,  on  the  second  demo  a  couple  of  G.G  Allin  cover's  can  be  heard  along  with  some  of  the  later  songs  also  bringing  in a  small  amount  of  guitar  leads  and  the  last  demo  is  more  in  an  old  school  first  wave  black  metal  direction.

  Doomhammer  take  elements  of  both  1st  and  2nd  wave  black  metal  and  mix  them  with  death  metal,  thrash  and  punk  to  create  some  very  old  school  sounding  extreme  metal  that  is  also  very  fun  and  aggressive,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  alcohol,  evil,  satanic  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Doomhammer  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  death,  thrash  and  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Law"  "Disgust"  "Black  Metal  Revolt"  and  "Increasing  the  Pain".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Doomhammer/3540301478

Dark Circles/MMXIV/Desordre Ordonne/2014 Full Length Review

  Dark  Circles  are  a  band  from  Canada  that  plays  a  blackened  mixture  of  d  beat  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their 2014  album  which  was  released  by  Desorde  Ordonne.

  A  very  blackened  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  blast  beats  as  well  as  the  music  adding  in  crustcore  style  growls  and  elements  of  d  beat  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  at  time s you  can  also  hear  some  melodies  being  utilized  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  A  great  amount  of  high  pitched  screams  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  a  melodic  post  metal  feeling  to  the  recording  and  the  music  also  adds  in  a  great  amount  of  hardcore  elements  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  drones  and  ritualistic  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  on  one  of  the  tracks  before  the  album  returns  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  the  last  track  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing.

  Dark  Circles  takes  crust,  d  beat  and  hardcore  and  mixes  it  with  black  metal  to  create  their  own  musical  style,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  yet  heavy  and  powerful  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  hateful  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Dark  Circles  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  crust,  d  beat  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Collapse"  "Downcast"  and  "The  Coldest  Year".  8  out  of  10.

https://darkcircles.bandcamp.com/album/mmxiv

Viper Solva/Carving An Icon/Massacre Records/2015 CD Review

  Viper  Solva  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death,  gothic  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  :Carving  An  Icon"  which  was  released  by  Massacre  Records.

  A  very,  heavy  and  melodic sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  female  vocals  which  also  mix  in  quite  a  bit  with  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  throughout  the  recording  and  after  awhile  blast  beats  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  music  mixing  the  heavy  parts  in  with  the  atmosphere  of  gothic  metal.  

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  music  being  very  symphonic  at  times  and  in  the  slower  riffing  you  can  hear  a  very  heavy  doom  metal  influence  and  you  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  diversity  throughout  the  recording  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  elements  of  folk  music  while  some  tracks  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  while  some  of  the  faster  sections  bring  in  a  brutal  style  of  black  and  death metal

  Viper  Solva  plays  a  style  of  dark  metal  where  they  take  the  heaviness  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  the  more  melodic  symphonic  and  gothic  genres  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Viper  Solva  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death,  doom,  gothic  and  symphonic  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Funeral  of  Kings"  "Vulture  Kingdom"  "War  On  Zion"  and  "Whispers  And  Storms".  8  out  of  10.

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Cendra/666 Bastards/Xtreem Music/2015 CD Review

  Cendra  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  thrash  and  crust  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "666  bastards"  which  was  released  by  Xtreem  Music.

  Demonic  sounds  and  noises  start  off  the  album  and  a  few  second s later  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  a  crust  and  old  school  black  metal  direction  along  with  some  grim  black  metal  screams  and  after  awhile  morbid  sounding  melodies  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  You  can  hear  a  lot  of  first  wave  black  metal  elements  throughout  the  recording  along  with  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  at  times  the  music  also  mixes  in  elements  of  speed  metal  into t heir  old  school  and  retro  style  of  80's  extreme  metal  as  well  as  adding  in  back  up  gang  shouts  at  times  and  some of  the  songs  also  bring  in  guitar  leads  that  are  melodic  but  fit  the  approach  the  band  is  going  for  with  their  style  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  death  metal  influences  can  be  heard.  

  Cendra  plays  a  style  of  metal  that  combines  first  and  second  wave  black  metal  together  with  thrash,  punk  and  a  touch  of  death  metal  to  create  some  very  old  school  and  retro  sounding  extreme  music,   the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  misanthropy,  nihilism,  hate  and  alcohol  along  with  a  few  tracks  being  written  in  Spanish.

  In  my  opinion  Cendra  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  thrash  and  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE "Satanic  -  D  beat"  "666  Bastards"  "Dimonis  Motorizats'  and  "Castell  Okupat".  8  out  of  10.  

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrCLRMxFJA4
   

Sardu Interview

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

Baron Sardu (aka. Ionas von Zezschwitz) here, songwriter, guitarist and vocalist for speed metal punks Sardu out of Barrie, Ontario, Canada. We come from a local independent film/music group called She Died Productions, and everyone who’s played in the band so far is a core member (drummer Bone, bassists Maskab and Taso Loko). We are also responsible for the cult zombie film Walking Among the Dead, a lot of YouTube comedy shorts, as well as representing the all-female hardcore band Beaver Slap, and roots rockers Mickey Moone and Rebecca Wilde. Sardu is a project I began writing for back in 2009, with our first live appearance happening in early 2012. Currently I’m building a new touring lineup to support our debut record Standing at the Precipice, available now on tape from Fuck the Mainstream… We Are The Mainstream Records, and out on CD through Barbarian Wrath in April 2015.

2. On Halloween you had released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

The sounds you hear are a stew of 80’s extreme punk and metal sounds, ranging from Discharge and Amebix on the punk side, to Venom, Bathory et al, on the metal side. The list would be as long as my arm if I mentioned all the inspirations, but there’s also some 90’s black metal vibe there in the form of the Greek scene, and Norwegian stuff like Immortal and Darkthrone.

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

Thematically this album is a concept record in the tradition of Hawkwind, Rush’s 2112 and The Omega Man, a story about The Vagrant, a social pariah who witnesses the downfall of mankind and ultimately becomes the lone survivor of total extinction. The songs explore his spiritual journey beyond human consciousness as well as recounting his experiences during the end times. He is accompanied by a bird totem which guides him to his destiny as the Champion of Our Doom! I enjoyed pairing some proggish ideas with a really sleazy speed metal sound! I feel like it’s a modestly new spin on the black-thrash and metalpunk archetypes.

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

If you want to do some research, simply track down a copy of Troma Team’s 1976 grand guignol horror film Bloodsucking Freaks, which was shot under the title Sardu: Master of the Screaming Virgins!

5.The band members are the founders of a musical/film group called 'She Died Productions', can you tell us a little bit more about it?
Answered in #1

6. Has the band done any live shows or is this strictly a studio project?

We have done a fair amount of live shows over the past couple years, mostly in our home province of Ontario, but we have plans to do some more extensive touring in the years to come. We’d especially like to tour Europe and South America, which is where we’ve picked up the most international support! It’s just a matter of finding the right people to round out the lineup.

7. The cassette version of the album was released on 'Fuck The Mainstream...We Are The Mainstream Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

FTMWATM Records is run by a metal punk maniac named Stefan Hertz out of Bautzen, Germany. He has put out a number of excellent tapes by like minded acts such as Whipstriker, Iron Fist, Motor, as well as our  fellow countrymen Iron Dogs! If you are a tapered, make sure to go check out his stuff!

We have also signed with another excellent German label Barbarian Wrath for the CD edition, which is very exciting for me as a fan of their work in underground metal. They are home to some great acts like MEGIDDO and COUNTESS!

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

I’ve been quite humbled at the great feedback and support for the band and album from fans, other musicians, and writers. This band is very important to me, and I look forward to twisting some brains with every upcoming release!

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

I already have an album’s worth of songs in various stages of completeness. This next record will break from the concept approach, and be more stylistically diverse, employing some more melodic (but still gritty as fuck!) speed metal, trad metal, as well as some simpler straight ahead punk stuff. Also the lyrics will be more grounded in my personal view of the world. Following that album, I’d like to return to another heavy concept, perhaps more of a sic-fi thing. Time will tell where the inspiration lies!

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

I’ve already mentioned some of the more obvious influences, but I should mention that I grew up a punk/rock ’n’ roll kid obsessed chiefly with Bo Diddley, Motörhead, The Clash, American roots music and Jamaican stuff. I have wide ranging tastes, and all those influences affect my musical approach in subtle ways. It was only in my 20’s that I was introduced to more extreme punk and metal and fell in love, but one never really escapes one’s early loves.

These days, I listen to a lot of old heavy metal and prog, as well as keeping up with my fellow metal punk acts. The bands that I have probably driven my girlfriend half crazy with over the past year have been Rush, Iron Maiden and Scorpions, but there’s also a ton of more underground stuff in the mix. My favourite albums of 2014/15 off the top of my head are Zemial - Nykta, Satan - Trail of Fire, Scanner - The Judgement, Crotchmutt - And Now... EP.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I do a lot of art and design, both as the in-house guy at She Died and for metal/punk acts all over. You can check out some of my work at http://facebook.com/ionasart

Myself and my She Died brother Mickey Cardoni (aka. Bone, Mickey Moone) are also a dynamite filmmaking team, and we are currently developing our second feature film, which is a deadly genre cocktail that will definitely appeal to fans of Sardu!

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

I’d like to shout out my brothers in Crotchmutt, Germ Bomb, Iron Fist, Bonehunter, Whipstriker, King Humungus, Epi-Demic, Bomb Scare, Speedboozer (RIP), Fred Lake and all the MPDS sisters and brothers worldwide! Thanks for the opportunity to do this interview, keep it fast and loose!

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