Mefisto/2.0.1.6/Vic Records/2016 CD Review

  Mefisto are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  are  an  early  black/death/thrash  metal  band  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  comeback  album  "2.0.1.6"  which  will  be  released  in  February  by  Vic  Records.

  Classical  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  and  after  a  few  seconds  melodic guitar  leads  and  thrash  style  riffs  are  added  into  the  music  as  well  as  some  early  death  metal  style  growling  vocals  and  while  the  music  is  rooted  in  the  80's  the  production  gives  the songs  a  more  modern  sound  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful.

  At  times  the  vocals  bring  in  screams  and  the  songs also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  a  good  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and epic  in  length  and  you  can  also  hear  a  touch  of  early  90's  groove  metal  at  times  and  synths  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Clean  singing  and  spoken  word  parts are  added  into some  of  the  songs  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  there  are  also  some  70's  metal  and  hard  rock  influences  being  added  into  the  music  at  times  and  every  track  sounds  very  different  from  each  other  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  classical  guitars.

  Mefisto  goes  in  a  very  different  direction  than  what  was  presented  on  the  demos  from  30  years  back  still  having  a  bit  of  the  black/death  sound  while focusing  more  on  a  thrash  sound  this  time  around  as  will  as  sounding  more  up  to  date,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  hateful,  dark  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Mefisto  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  thrash  with  a  modern  production,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS INCLUDE  "Deathrace"  "Heads  In  The  Sand"  and  "Hate  Consumes  Me".  8  out  of  10.  

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Rotting Flesh/Infected Purity/Symbol Of Domination Productions/Murdher Records/2015 CD Re-Issue Review

  Rotting  Flesh  are  a  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  an  atmospheric  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  Infected  Purity"  which  was  re-issued  in  2015  as  a  joint  effort  between  Symbol  Of  Domination  productions  and  Murdher  Records.

  Ritualistic  sounding  synths  and  thunder  noises start  off  the  album  giving  the  music  and  epic  feeling  and  after  the  intro  and  after  the  intro  melodic  guitar  leads,  heavy riffs  and  death  metal  growls  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  the  faster  sections  utilizing  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  synths  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  parts.

  Black  metal  screams  can  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  growls  also  getting  guttural  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  and  some  of  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  touch  of  thrash  and  some  tracks  also  bring  in  ritualistic  chants  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  female  vocals  are  utilized  they  give  the  music  an  operatic  feeling  while  a  alter  track  also brings  in  elements  of  electronic  music.

  Rotting  Flesh  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that is  very  similar  to Septic  Flesh  but  adds  in  more  of  a  black  metal  influence  and  faster  riffs  to  make  their  music  stand  out  a  bit  more,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  violent  and  anti  christian  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Rotting Flesh  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Terrorscope"  "Withdraw  Christianity"  'Life  And  Torment"  and  "Mental  State".  8  out  of  10. 

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Mandragora Malevola/Black Flame Ov Illumination/2015 EP Review

  Mandragora  Malevola  are  a  band  from  Portugal  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of   death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  ep  "Black  Flame  Ov  Illumination".

  Dark  sound  effects  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  atmospheric  synths  which  also  leads  up  to  spoken  word  parts  along  with  the  music  getting  heavier  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  going  into  more  of  a death  metal  direction  as  well  as  speeding  up  and  adding in  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  and  melodic  guitar  leads.

 Vocals  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  both  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  you  can  also  hear  a  small  amount  of  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  classical  guitars  along  with  keyboards  are  brought  onto  the  last  track  briefly.

  Mandragora  Malevola  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  their  own  style  of  blackened  death  metal which  also  displays  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism  and  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Mandragora  Malevola  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Arkangelvs  Satanis  (The  Red  Moon  Wolves)".  8  out  of  10.

http://mandragoramalevola.bandcamp.com/releases


 

Terrorhammer/Under The Unholy Command/Deathrune Records/2015 CD Review

  Terrorhammer  are  band from  Serbia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  thrash  and  speed  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Under  The  Unholy   Command"  which  was  released  by  Deathrune  Records.

  Avant  garde  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  loud  noises  and  after  the  intro the  music  goes  for  more  of  a  thrash  direction  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  a  few  seconds  later  grim  black  metal  screams  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  and  the  riffs  also  get  melodic  at  times.

  Most  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  first  wave  style  while t he  vocals  have  more of  an  early  second  wave  vibe  and you  can  also  hear  elements  of  speed  metal  in  the bands  musical  style and  the  solos  and  leads  remain  true  to  a  classic  style  of  metal  bringing  in  a  Motorhead  influence  and  the  whole  album  stays  very  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording  and sounds  like  it  could  of  easily  been  released  during  the  mid  90's  retro  thrash  days.

  Terrorhammer  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  influenced  by  both  the  first  and  second  waves  and  mixes  it  in  with  thrash,  speed  metal  and  punk  to  create  some  aggressive,  extreme  old  school  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  retro  yet  heavy  at  the  same  time,  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  and  War  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Terrorhammer  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  thrash  and  speed  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Necro  Speed  Megolomania"  "Dawn  Of  The  Pentagram"  and  "Church  Of  Sodomy".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_TUESyuuTo&feature=youtu.be

 

Scum Noise Interview

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

SCUM NOISE was born somewhere end 2012...after hearing certain bands/demo's etc I wanted to create some really harsh music...after listening 25 years to black and death metal i wanted to create some myself....Scum Noise is a hybrid of black/crust/ambient/punk/noise....if it sounds scary, haunting and dark then it fits Scum Noise

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?

Audio Horror hahaha....I guess as mentioned above Scum Noise has many influences

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?

Lyrical topics have a wide range...Most of the time it's about Hatred towards humans, Anti christian, it depends a bit of what the song and sound of the song demands...E.g. the split with Mhnunrrn is about WW II when Germany invaded Belgium. I have also topics about goats and wild boars and aliens or even Lovecraftian themes
The first song i recorded for Scum Noise even had real live wild boar snoring  as samples/chorus. I went to a local place where the breed these huge wild boars and recorded the snoring they make while fighting etc...was a real cool experience hehehehe

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Scum Noise"/

Scum Noise is actually inspired by my love for black metal and harsh music. The name itself is derived from one of my all time favourite LP's....'SCUM' from the mighty Napalm Death (I even have that tattooed on my back in the form of the carcass logo)...i added noise because everyone thats not familiar with the scene lists the music i listen to as 'noise'

5.You have released a lot of music in the last couple of years, do you put a great amount of time and effort into writing and creating music?

Sometimes I do put a lot effort in it, sometimes less... All drums are programmed, and its not that i use pre programmed drums...they need to be done hit by hit...so that can take some time, Then search the rigth samples, or go out and record them ,adjust them process them etc
NO GUITAR IS USED on any Scum Noise release except the first demo doen together with the mighty Zarach 'baal' Tharagh. Wath you hear is 8 string, 4 string and 2 string Bass guitar!!!! As for the riffs, half of it i write in function of the song/drums  or I put drums unto riffs i had. Other half is pure improvisation.... But sometimes like the song 'The russian exorcism' that contains a audio sampel of a real russian exorcism it has 33 layers of sounds, samples and bass, vocals etc
Some songs are done i 5 mintes like Sort Vokterian Worship

6.With this musical project you record everything by yourself, do you feel this gives you more freedom to be creative with your musical style?

It gives me a great amount of freedom, but also sometimes stress when i want to record an idea and lack skill to play it corret or when i have a great riff but can not find  some other things to go with and create a song with it...
I have oftend worked with different vocalists like kay grimmsberg, i often get help from Zarach baal Tharagh, and a Stillnox member and Some song with Necrosadik from mexico
Sometimes it would be cool to record with some other people yes ...But in the end....well i guess i like recording the basic track on my own

7.You have been a part of a few splits over the years, can you tell us a little bit more about the bands or musical projects you have worked in on these releases?

Well I worked togetger with Zarach Baal Tharagh a lot because he is one hell of a cool dude!!! and his musical output and taste i like a lot ;-)
I worked together with mhnunnrn a great band and  a great Artist/painter/creator of art that is behind that band...you should all check him out https://www.facebook.com/jaroslav.divis.140 and we did one song all 3 together ZBT, SN and Mhnunrrn

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

Feedback has been a mixed bag hahaha some like it others really hate it....I put Scum Noise to rest a couple of months ago to focus on another project and now people are starting to show interest in the band and its releases hahaha Some do not like the fact Scum Noise has so many releases in such a short period...but the inspiration just kept coming...some turned other better then others hahaha

9.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?

hmmm thats not so easy....i would like to develop my playing skills a lot ;-) learn new things to play etc....but i giess it will be Always harsh and heavy ;-)
i was briefly in an old school death metal project but i foudn it rather difficult to complete the recording ...it was finished at the end buit i was not that satisfied with it...
so i guess i keep doing things on my own and ask help from time to time from friends 

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

Musical inflences for myself are Motorhead, Alice Cooper, ramones, early Imapled nazarene, early absu; Necromantia etc as those are the bands that I really love /liked when I was a young guy....
Influences for the Scum Noise project are  GOATFAGO!! Sadomator/Sadogoat, Profanatica, Havohej.....It was when i heared the gathfago/baphometian split demo that i thougth ogh i want to record something similar sick and ahrs as this is...
Nowdays i still listen to the same stuff as I ever did E.g. I order about 100€ music every month being lately Mutiilation ' sorrow galaxies' and destroy your life for satan re release on LP, but als I bought the Varathron box for 'untroden corridors of hades', and about 6 Agathocles releases, tapes and lp and cd's. I also was able to buy Blood Storms 'breed of pestilence' a band i listen to a lot lately.Graven compilation LP, Zepulkr a great band from france that everyone should check!!
I am looking forward to have my copy of Ares Kingdom 'the uburiable dead!
the song 'burning and scourging' for example was influenced a lot by Profanatica a band i really like a lot

I also have a horror/ambient project Vox Impia https://voximpia.bandcamp.com/
and a project in whom i only use self made instruments ag oens tring abss guitars etc SKULL WORSHIP
https://skullworship.bandcamp.com/

11.Does Satanism or Occultism play any role in your music?

Satanism had big influence on me when i was a young person...nowadays not really. Anti religious/christian themes do tend to surface in my lyrics yes. Occultism doe shave a great impact yes. I am nihilistic by nature, but that does not restrain me or hold me back from doing things.
I push the boundaries even though at the end it doe snot really matter all that much.
I have a chaos cross tattooed on my chest...so you could say chaos gnosticism is on my list of interests but if that influences my music .... maybe more then i was aware off...i create some noisy/chaos music that sometimes sounds as if the world is facing it end ;-)


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


thanks for your time and the interest in Scum Noise

check out the bandcamp page

https://scumnoise.bandcamp.com/

Ethir Anduin Interview

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


Well, this project is created to share the idea of corruptibility of living with the listeners, the idea that one should not ignore sorrow, grief, pain, etc. These are important constituents of each of us, part of all that fills us up. From these feelings we learn to see the better outcome of certain events in our lives. My music does not have any specific framework. It’s not a commercial project, but just feelings and experiences expressed in sounds. This is the music for those with developed synaesthesia, those for whom not the words are important, but sensations.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?
I tried to get the sound reflecting all the black and darkness of the human soul, the sound of ancient evil. Wall of malice and despair, where colors of the life fade away, leaving only black and white gradient. However for many people this is just Black and Doom metal. I see it somewhat differently.
   
3.Most of your music has been instrumental, are you open to using any vocals in the future?
Yes, from the very beginning the project was intended to be instrumental. However, it was decided later to use vocals from time to time or even on a constant basis. But it turned to be difficult to find a vocalist who could, first and foremost, enrich and understand my music. More often people want to express themselves, which makes music completely different, creates another different atmosphere. So the position of a vocalist is still vacant.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Ethir Anduin'?
The name was taken from the Tolklien’s books. I’m greatly inspired by the world created by this author. ‘Anduin’ is the name of the river in the Middle-earth.  Ethir Anduin means ‘Mouths of Anduin’ - the area where the river broadens dividing the land into halves. It makes it look like a giant mouth of an unknown creature. So, I wanted to create my own world made of sounds and music. 

5.You have released a lot of music over the years, do you put a great amount of time and effort into the musical project?
This project is one of the first priorities in my life and takes most of my time and effort. I create music in a certain state of mind and soul. It’s not possible to express all the melancholy of life without feeling it.

6.With this musical project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to remain solo?
Yes, I’m open to working with others. Currently I record an album which is expected to be released in 2016. Some of the tracks will be done together with invited musicians – mostly vocalists and may be a drummer.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and doom metal?
We generally communicate in social networking sites (Vkontakte, Facebook). Sometimes I reply to offers and questions via e-mail. It’s a great pleasure when listeners find you and get interested in your music.  I receive messages containing opinions and comments from all over Europe and Asia. Most of them come from Ukraine and Czech Republic.

8.Are you also involved with any other bands or musical projects?
Yes, I am. Apart from this project I participate in several other bands as a lead guitarist: Bestial Deform (satanic death metal) and The Taos Hum (deathcore/hardcore). One more non-metallic project - ERNAA( darkwave/8-bit)

9.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?
Well, I had thoughts to create something in a style of heavy metal of eighties. But I hope to continue grow further in Black Metal.

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?
When I started listen Metal the first project I learned of was Burzum!! It made the deepest impression on me. Later on I learned more bands and found those which impressed me pretty much as well. They were  Thy Serpent, Dimmu Borgir, Nyktalgia, Windir, Shining(sweden), Darkthrone, Satyricon, Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, Immolation.
Now  more and more often I’m listening to Depressive Black Metal and Beatdown Hardcore, Deathcore, Funeral Doom. Some of them are Coldworld, Suicide Silence, All Shall Perish, Doom:vs, Swallow the Sun, Black Sun Aeon, Forgotten Tomb, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Nasty etc.

11.Does Paganism or Occultism play any role in your music?
Yes, of course. I see the world through the lens of northern paganism; all my music and feelings pass through it. It is a part of me. Occultism is an integral part of music and life as well. The place where I live is shrouded in legends and scary tales of sacrifices, rituals, witches and different forces. You can feel everything walking in our northern woods.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Except music, I am drawing, doing photography and interested in history. I like reading books on post apocalypse and occultism. When the weather is mild and warm enough I spend all my free time outside walking in the woods and marshes.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
I don't even have the words, heh. I’m very pleased to know my music is appreciated in such country as USA. It’s really cool! There is something I want to tell the listeners: If you want to get a deep feeling of the essence of northern life, understand feelings of people living here, you have chosen the right music!
Thank you for the interview, HAIL666!\m/

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Scum Noise/Grindlover/Symbol Of Domination Productions/2013 Split CD Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Belgium's  Scum  Noise  and  the  United  Kingdom's  Grindlover  which  was  released  in  2013  by  Symbol  Of  Domination  Productions  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Scum  Noise  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  grind,  noise  and  ambient.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with harsh  noise  sounds  and  chants  are  also used  briefly  and  they  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  power  electronics  along  with  a  touch  of  ambient  and  drone  and  on  the  second  track  a  very  powerful  sounding  bass  guitar  and  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  make  their  presence  known  and  they  also  bring  in  programmed  blast  beats  in  certain  sections  of  their  songs,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  lo-fi  while  the  lyrics  cover  hateful  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Scum Noise  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  grind,  noise  and  ambient  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Power  Of  Hatred"  and  "The  Birth  of  hatred".

  Next  up  is  Grindlover  a  band  that  plays  electro  noise/grindcore.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  porno  samples  that  are  also  a  huge  part  of  their  side  of  the  recording  and  after  awhile  electro  and  heavy  parts  are  added  onto  their  side  of  the  recording  along  with  some programmed  blast  beats  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  they  also  bring  in  a  track  that  is  25  minutes  in  length  and  the  music  is  more  experimental  than  some  of  their  other  recordings,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  pornography  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Grindlover  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  grindcore,  noise  and  experimental,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Hurry  Sex  With  A  Taxi  Driver.

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  fans  of  black  metal,  grind,  noise  and  experimental.  8  out  of  10. 

https://symbolofdomination.bandcamp.com/album/sodp007-scum-noise-grindlover-scum-noise-grindlover-split-2013