Faustcoven/In The Shadow Of Doom/Nuclear War Now! Productions/2018 CD Review

  Faustcoven  are  a  duo  from  Norway  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "In  The  Shadow  Of  Doom"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Nuclear  War  Now!  Productions.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  deep  death  metal  growls  and  grim  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  Elements  of  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  style  along  with  some  ritualistic  spoken  word  parts  also  being  used  briefly  as  well  as  the  music  also  bringing  in  a  lot  of  80's  and  90's  influences  but  also  being  modern  at  the  same  time.

  The  music  always  sticks  either  to  a  slow  or  mid  paced  direction  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  harmonica;s  can  also  be  heard  awhile  there  are  also  a  few  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  last  track  also  adding  in  ocean  sounds,  keyboards  and  melodic  chants.

  Faustcoven  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Death,  Horror  and  Anti  Religion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Faustcoven  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Devil's Share"  "Sign  Of  Satanic  Victory"  and  "As  White  As  She  Was  Pale".  8 out  of  10.

http://nuclearwarnowproductions.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-shadow-of-doom

Oltretomba/L 'Ouverture Des Fosses/Caligari Records/2018 Demo Review

  Oltretomba  are  a  band  from  Denmark  that  plays  a  nihilistic  mixture  of  black  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  demo  "L  'Overture  Des  Fosses"  which  was  released  on  cassette  by  Caligari  Records.

  Distorted  sounding  bass  guitars  start  off  the  demo  along  some  horror  movie  style  organs  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  style  as  well  as  the  vocals  being  mostly  spoken  yet  grim  at  the  same  time  and  the  slow  riffs  are  also  heavily  influenced  by  doom  metal.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  drum  beats  have  a  very  militant  and  industrial  influenced  feeling  to  them  along  with  the  music  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  elements  and  the  vocals  also  add  in  grim  screams  with  that  influence  as  well  as  all  of  the  music  sticking  to  a  slower  direction.

  Oltretomba  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  black  and  doom  metal and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  while  keeping  everything  in  a  slower  direction,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Danish  and  cover  Egypt,  Occultism,  Surgery  and  Death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Oltretomba  are  a  very  great  sounding  nihilistic  mixture  of  black  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Thoth"  and  "L  'Overture  Des  Fosses".  8  out  of  10.

https://caligarirecords.bandcamp.com/album/louverture-des-fosses   

Tyrannic/Ethereal Sepulchre/Seance Records/2018 CD Review

Tyrannic  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  an  old  school  mixture  of  black,  doom,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Ethereal  Sepulchre"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Seance  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  old  school  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  screams  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  the  music  is  heavily  influenced  by  the  80's  and  90's  era.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  being  heavily  influenced  by  doom  metal  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  old  school  style  while  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  also  being  used  at  times  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  mixing  in  elements  of  thrash  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  horror  movie  style  keyboards  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Tyrannic  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  doom,  death  and  thrash  metal and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  death  and  desolation  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Tyrannic  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  mixture  of  black,  doom,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are a   fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Serpent  Scythe"  and  "Tyrannic  Deluge".  8/5  out  of  10. 

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Hellish Interview

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

The album was finished recording at the beginning of February, and the final master was finished at the beginning of March. Since then, the band has participated in several gigs, one of the most important being the "Evil Confrontation Festival Open Air" where we participate with bands from Latin America and others like Angel Witch, Demmolition Hammer, Bolzer, Tribulation, among others.

2.You have a new album coming out in July, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

Compared to the sound of our first works, we believe that the sound achieved in "The Spectre of Lonely Souls" is much darker, faster and more damned. We are always listening to new bands from different styles and we believe that this has helped us a lot to make compositions more elaborate and polished to a new extreme. In this album we have added a little more melodies to our riffs, sometimes making time changes, and we have also looked for a cleaner sound but without losing the rawness that has identified us in our demos and first album.

3.Most of the music is very heavily rooted in the 80's, do most of the band members prefer the classic era of metal to the more modern era?

We are all metal fans at all times, but without a doubt, we prefer the decade of the 80s. However we like several current bands that are making very good metal obviously influenced 100% by the 80s.

4. A lot of your lyrics over the years have covered Satanism, Occultism and Ancient Beliefs, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in those topics?

As a group, we have always been interested in all that lost and hidden knowledge. We believe in the ultraterrestrial forces and in the constant balance between light and darkness. On the other hand, we live in a land full of mythology and legends, we are from a province out of Santiago, and it has been known since the Spanish conquest as a land of witches; therefore, we wanted to rescue part of the folklore of our land.

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

The name "Hellish" was born as a consensus when forming the band. We wanted to do something energetic and dark, therefore we needed a name that reflected our passion for shadows and the old sound. The name was born spontaneously.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the cover artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

We work with "Visceral," a well-known artist in Chilean underground metal, because he has worked with several bands. The art is the perfect mix of what we wanted to represent in music, in lyrics, and in the general concept of the new album. We put the idea to him generalized and in detail, and "Visceral" had total freedom to interpret it. And we believe that he did it perfectly, achieved what we wanted as art for the album.

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

Well it is very difficult to remember each one of the presentations. Since 2010 we have been doing shows and we have not stopped. We believe that each of the shows has something special; we always try to do our shows with the greatest energy and passion that's possible, it is what we like to do. As I said before, one of the most important shows was the "Evil Confrontation Festival Open Air" since we had the honor of participating with great bands from the national, Latin American and historical world metal expos.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

Currently we have no tour considered, but we have scheduled several gigs for this year and next.

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

We have received very good reviews from many critics of different countries - that is something that makes us happy as it gives us more courage to continue with our work. Though many of those appreciations are made by people who do not have musical abilities, and all the knowledge of metal they possess will never be able to express it through their own music.

10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?

Cristian and I (Francisco) are active with Armored Knight (heavy / speed metal) - we will soon release new material, and we have some gigs scheduled. Necromancer is currently with a new project called "Delirium" which is post-punk, and Noctumbra is the leader of Parkcrest (power thrash metal) will soon enter the studio to record their second album.

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

We have never considered what we want to do in the future, or what sound we want to achieve, or what variations we want to make in our compositions. The band has been characterized by spontaneous and constant work. If we talk about what we want in the future, it is simply to continue with our music, which I do not think will change drastically because we have always been consistent with our work, obviously evolving but without changing the style.
We would be glad to play out of Chile, but we haven't have the opportunity.

12.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?

We are faithful fans of thrash and heavy metal, but as far as Hellish is concerned, the main influences are Slayer, Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, Violent Force, Assassin, Bathory, Possessed, and Exorcist (Poland). Lately, the last record of Antichrist (Sweden) has caught our attention.

13.What are some of your non-musical interests?

It doesn't matter.

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

First of all, we are very happy for the reception that the new album has had; we have played live songs from the album and the response from the audience has been great. We are very excited and encouraged with this. On the other hand we are already working on new Hellish material - we are in the process of composition, we believe it will be an EP which people will enjoy a lot.
https://unspeakableaxerecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-spectre-of-lonely-souls

Woebegone Obscured/The Forestroamer/Aesthetic Death/2018 CD Review

  Woebegone  Obscured  are  a  band  from  Denmark  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  blackened  form  of  funeral  doom/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "The  Forestroamer"  which  was  released  by  Aesthetic  Death.

  Nature  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  riffing  a  few  seconds  later while  clean  playing  is  also  utilized  at  times  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  funeral  doom  metal  as  well  as  some  atmospheric  synths  being  mixed  in  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs.

  A  great  amount  of  dark  and  depressive  sounding  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  along  with  a  few  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Melodic  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times   while  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  along  with  one  of  the  later  tracks  being  a brief  instrumental  as  well  as  some  whispered  vocals  also be  used  briefly  and  as  the  album  progresses  female  vocals  are  also  added  into  the  music  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  elements  of  prog  rock  and  ambient.

  On  this  recording  Woebegone  Obscured  expand  on  their  blackened  style  of  funeral  doom/death  metal  by  adding  in  more  elements  of  ambient  and  progressive  rock,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  nature,  occultism,  melancholy  and  suicide  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Woebegone  Obscured  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  and  funeral  doom/death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Memory  And  The  Thought"  and  "The  Forestroamer".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfiBs8lrmHo

De Profundis/The Blinding Light Of Faith/Transcending Obscurity Records/2018 CD Review

  United  Kingdom's  De  Profundis  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  their  progressive  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "The  Blinding  Light  Of  Faith"  which  was  released  by  Transcending  Obscurity  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  blast  beats  a  few  seconds  latter  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  blackened  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  as  well  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  at  times  the  music  gets  very  progressive.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  songs  also bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  as  well  as a  couple  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  acoustic  guitars  and  jazz  elements  can  also  be  heard  as  the  album  progresses  and  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing.

  De  Profundis  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  progressive  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  anti  Abrahamic  religion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  De  Profundis  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  progressive  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Obsidian  Spires"  "Bastard  Sons  of  Abraham"  and  "Bringers  Of  Light".  8  out  of  10. 

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Witchgoat/Umbra Regit/Morbid Skull Records/2018 Demo Review

  Witchgoat  are  a  band  from  El  Salvador  that  plays a  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  demo  "Umbra  Regit"  which  will  be  released  on  July  31st  by  Morbid  Skull  Records.

  A  very  old  school  thrash  sound  starts  off  the  demo  along  with  all  of  the  musical instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Dark  sounding  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  and  90's  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  old  school  style  as  well  as  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  elements  of  death  metal  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  they  close  the  demo  with  an  acoustic  instrumental.

  Witchgoat  plays  a  musical  style  that  goes  back  to  the  80's  and  90's  era  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  occult  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  Witchgoat  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Proliferation  Of  The  Dark  Souls".  8  out  of  10.

https://morbidskull.bandcamp.com/album/umbra-regit-demo  

Moloch Letalis/Krwawy sztorm/Old Temple/2018 CD Review

  Moloch  Letalis  are  a  band  from Poland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their 2018  album  "Krwawy  sztorm"  which  was  released  by  Old  Temple.

  Thunder  sounds  along  with  some  drum  beats  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  the  vocals  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  some  death  metal  growls  also  being  utilized  at  times.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in an  old  school  death  metal  style  along  with  the  music  also  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  the  songs  on  the  album  always  remain  very  heavy  as  well  as  the  faster  riffing  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking.

  Moloch  Letalis  plays  a  musical  style  that  goes  back  to  the  90's  era  of  black  and  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Polish  and  cover  anti  Christianity,  death,  misanthropy  and  hatred  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Moloch  Letalis  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this b and.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Wielka  egzekucja"  "Zatanczysz  ze  mna  kurwa  w  piekle"  "Palownik"  and  "Zar".  8  out  of  10.

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Witchfuck/Disgusting Rock'n'Roll/Old Temple/2017 EP Review

  Witchfuck  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  thrash  and  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  ep  "Disgusting  Rock'nRoll"  which  was  released  by  Old  Temple.

  A  very  heavy  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  black  metal  style  screaming  while  the  music  has  a  lot  of  first  wave  influences  as  well  as  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  using  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and fast  parts  while  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  thrash  metal  and  punk  elements  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  bringing  in  more  of  an  80's  extreme  metal  style  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  used  briefly  and  they  close  the  ep  with  a  cover  of  G.G  Allin's  "Violence  Now.

  Witchfuck  plays  a  musical style  that  takes  black,  thrash  metal  and  punk  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  violence,  alcohol,  sex  and  blasphemy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Witchfuck  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  thrash  and  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Disgusting  rock'n'roll"  and  "Unholy  Cunt".  8  out  of  10.

Old Temple   

Svartkonst/Devil's Blood/2018 Full Length Review

  Svartkonst  are  a  solo  project  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2018  album  "Devil's  Blood".

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  using  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  style  while  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  they  are  mixed  down  low  in  the  mix  but  get  more  powerful  on  a  later  track  as  well  as  one  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  riffs  start  utilizing  more  melody.

  Svartkonst  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  very  dark  sounding  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  occultism,  darkness,  death  and  disease  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Svartkonst  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  death  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are    a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Black  Light  Burning"  "Devil's  Blood"  "I  Am  Nothing"  and  "Cloven  Hoof".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/Svartkonst/

https://svartkonst666.bandcamp.com/

    

Vanhavd/Lat kottet do/2018 EP Review

  Vanhavd  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  an  atmospheric  and  blackened  form  of  funeral  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  "Lat  kottet  do"  which  will  be  released  on  July  19th.

  Atmospheric  sounding  drones  start  off  the  ep  while  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  slow  riffs  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  funeral  doom  metal  as  well  as  the  vocals  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  and  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  style  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.

  Vanhavd  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  an  atmospheric  form  of  funeral  doom  metal  and  mixes  it  with  black  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Swedish  and  cover  visceral  and  existential  horror  along  with  some  inspirations  from  the  writings  of  Norwegian  antinatalist  philosopher  Peter  Wessel  Zaphe  and  horror  author  Thomas  Liggotti.

  In  my  opinion  Vanhavd  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  and  blackened  funeral  doom  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Drommaren".  8  out  of  10.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8Cefd6Q_F4