Exoskelett/Self Titled/Dod Vag Records/2019 Full Length Review

  Exoskelett  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  thrash  and  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2019  album  Which  was  released  by  Dod  Vag  Records.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to t hem. Vocals  are  done  in  more  of  a  first  weave  black  metal  screaming  style  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Most  of  the  music  is very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  while  also  sounding  very  modern  at  the  same  time.  Elements  of  thrash  and  heavy  metal  can  also  be  heard quite  a  bit throughout  the  recording.  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  sticking  to  more  of  an  old  school  style.

 Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  The  fast  riffs  also  utilize  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  while  one  track  also  adds  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  onto  the  recording  as  as  the  album  progresses  back  up  vocals  and  psychedelic  sounds  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  English  and  Swedish  and  cover  violence  and  darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Exoskelett  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  thrash  and  heavy  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Born  Accursed"  "Manniskoskal"  and  "Lycanthropy".  8  out  of  10.

https://open.spotify.com/album/1VahiYtF5Ke6znzPmKcO08?si=SwKUMBK7RlOzTeVgeWF_8A

Vircolac/Masque/Sepulchral Voice Records/Dark Descent Records/2019 CD Review

  Vircolac  are  a  band  from  Ireland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Masque"  which  will  be  released  in  March  as  a  joint  effort  between  Sepulchral  Voice  and  Dark  Descent  Records.

  Distorted  amp  noises  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.  Vocals  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blackened  metal  screams  while  the  riffing  is  more  rooted  in  the  death  metal  style  along  with  some  dark  sounding  melodies.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  more  of  an  old  school  and  chaotic  style of  death  metal  to  the  recording.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  while  horror  movie  style  synths  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  A  couple  of  songs  also  introduces  clean  guitars  onto  the  recording  while  the  music  also  has  its  technical  moments  and  the  album  also  closes  with  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  mass  industrialized  slaughter  of  much  of  Europe's  in  The  Great  War.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Vircolac  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  blackened  death  metal, you  should check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Titan"  "So  I  Hang  From  A  Wretched  Tree"  and  "The  Long  Trail".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/vircolacdeathmetal 

Bewitcher/Too Fast For The Flames/Shadow Kingdom Records/2019 EP Review

  Portland,  Oregon's  Bewitcher  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  black  and  speed  metal  mixture  of  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review of  their  2019  ep  "Too  Fast  For  The  Flames"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Shadow  Kingdom  Records.

  A  very  fast  speed  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  before  adding  in  some  first  wave  style  black  metal  vocals.  The  riffing  also  shows  an  influence  of  early  80's  thrash  metal  while  also  being  very  modern  at  the  same  time  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well as  all  of  the  instruments  sounding  very  powerful.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  remaining  true  to  an  old  school  style  and  the  close  the  ep  with  a  cover  of  W.A.S.P's  "Show  No  Mercy"  which  also  adds  in    a  small  amount  of  clean  vocals.  The  Production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  metal  and  hedonism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  from  Bewitcher  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  and  speed metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Too  Fast  For  The  Flames".  8  out  of  10.

http://shadowkingdomrecords.bandcamp.com/album/too-fast-for-the-flames

        

Basilysk Interview

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

We're currently rehearsing for upcoming shows, specifically the Stardust VII fest in New York City with The Ruins of Beverast and Dead Congregation on July 5 at Brooklyn Bazaar.  We also plan to hit the road for an east coast mini tour this summer.



2.Recently you have released your first full length, musically how does it differ from your previous demo's, single and ep?


Our new album Emergence is the first record with our current lineup. Previously, Basilysk released Seasons of Misanthropy in 2012 with a different lineup, aside from our frontman and guitarist Josh. You can hear the difference in quality and overall composition from the first release andEmergence, although those old school songs still shred. We really obsessed over the production process of this album to get the perfect death metal sound.


3.The band has been around since 2009 and while you have some demo's released you waited until 2019 to release the first full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the long wait?


This line up came together in late 2016 and we've covered a lot of ground since then. We have a solid team now, and we intend to keep that momentum moving forward with new tours and an EP in the near future.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with the newer music and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?


The lyrical themes have always dealt with real life atrocities and personal battles. They do not revolve around fantasy or fiction but they cover the full spectrum of non-fiction topics and human psychology. When Mike (drums) joined the band in 2015, the songwriting possibilities were endless and the music took on a more technical direction.



5.Some of your other lyrics have also covered occult themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

Josh was exposed to the occult at an early age and has been able to sprinkle the symbolism and themes from life experiences into the lyrics while keeping the messages relevant.


6.I know that the band name comes from mythology, can you tell us how this name fits in with the musical style that you play?

Just as our songs can take on different subgenres within themselves, the Basilisk is often depicted as varying combinations of reptilian, fire breathing, and feathered creatures.


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

The cover art is a manipulated photograph. The original titled, "Cicada Madness" was given to us by photographer, Gene Hilton, and then recolored by Josh. The cicadas follow the album title and symbolize the "emergence" of the band with the latest lineup after a long period of underground dormancy - true to the nature of cicadas.



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

We either remember the really great shows, or the really terrible shows, for very different reasons. Our stage show is just like our music, fast, aggressive, loud and tight.

- Our first show with our current line up was with Book Of Wyrms.
- Playing with our friends in Headrot in Providence for their hometown reunion show in 2017.
- Opening for Cannabis Corpse at the Philly Tattoo Convention
- Most recently, we played a DIY show in a school house-turned-concert venue to film our music video the song "Sad State Of The Art," which is also streaming at Kerrang right now. That video will be available soon.



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

We'll wait for the industry to come to us when the time comes. Until then, we strive to be a self-reliant unit. Josh is an incredible artist who designs our merch and album artwork. Our Emergence album might be self-released, but if you look at the packaging and listen to the quality of the product, it sounds like a band that could be on Nuclear Blast! And it definitely deserves to be, if we may say so ourselves.



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

People dig it. Not just extreme metal fans either. We’ve had a lot of people tell us they don’t listen to that much death metal, but enjoy our new album.

We certainly have the speed, complexity and brutality that comes with the "extreme" spectrum of metal, but our music also has hooks and melody, without losing its hardness.

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

Most of the songs on Emergence were already penned by Josh years before this line up came together. However, the last song on the album ”Karma” was a collaborative effort that the whole band wrote together. It is by far the most complex song on the album, on top of being 15 minutes long. So that is an exciting indication of what lies ahead of us. We have a thrashy new song in the works that we'll unveil this summer at Stardust VII Fest, and that too is something the entire band has written together.

13. 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?
Our music is influenced by early death metal, Scandinavian black metal, and thrash metal from the eighties. Each member of the band listens to different styles of metal, but we can say that the next album will draw heavily from our thrash metal record collections.




14.What are some of your non musical interests?

Luke is into engineering and electronics, both by trade and by hobby, also plays in a new band called Blood Spore with an album coming out in April.  He hopes to one day have a business making guitar effects and amplifiers for a living

Mike is a family man and makes his own Kambucha tea with Josh.  Mike also plays drums in Necrosexual.

Jimmy works in the fitness industry and sometimes wears Kiss make up for entertainment.

Josh is an artist, as you can probably tell by the gnarly album cover and art work he has cranked out for Basilysk.

15.before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts? 
Buy our new album at basilysk.bandcamp.com. It will shred your soul to pieces.

Bandcamp

ReverbNation

YouTube

Hiss From The Moat/The Harrier/M-Theory Audio/2019 CD Review

  Hiss  From  The  Moat  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  technical  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review of  their  2019  album  "The  Harrier"  which  will  be  released  on  February  22nd  by  M-Theory  Audio.

  A  very  dark  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  before going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.  Vocals also  bring  in  more  of  a  blackened  metal  style.

  A  great  amount  of  death  metal  elements  can  also  be  heard  throughout  all  of  the  tracks  while  the  music  also  gets  very  technical  sounding  at  times.  The  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  atmospheric  soundscapes  can  also  be heard  briefly.  A  couple  of  tracks  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  before  returning  back  to  a  more  brutal  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover religion,  politics  and  dictatorship  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Hiss  From  The  Moat  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  technical  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Harrier"  "Slaves  To  War"  "The  Allegory  Of  Upheaval"  and  "The  Decay  Of  Lies".  8  out  of  10.

www.facebook.com/hissfromthemoat
www.twitter.com/hissfromthemoat
www.instagram.com/hissfromthemoat

Basilysk/Emergence/2019 Full Length Review

  Basilysk  are  a  band  from  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  with  a  progressive touch  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Emergence"  which  will  be  released  on  February  22nd.

  A  very  dark  sounding  intro  along  with  some  powerful  sounding  bass  guitar  leads  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  some  heavy  riffing.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.

  Vocals  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  while  the  music  also  gets  very  progressive  and  technical  sounding  at  times.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads a re  utilized  they  are  also done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.  As  the  album  progresses  they  also  bring  an  acoustic  instrumental  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  on  the  following  tracks.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover misanthropy  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Basilysk  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  death  metal  band  with  some  progressive  and  technical  touches  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Molestor  Of  Dreams"  "Fire(In  The  Temple  Of  Sacrifice)"  and  "Clouds".  8  out  of  10.



https://basilysk.bandcamp.com/album/emergence
https://www.facebook.com/basikyskofficial/

Heretical Sect Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
1. Our guiding light is Black Metal but our vision is not limited to a genre. We are exploring heavy music in a very open way, without too many preconceptions about what we need to song like. Our ideas seem to oscillate between black, doom and death. We craft songs that are artistically driven, we want to create immersive and rewarding music. We have both introspective and brutal lyrical content focused on the grief of our genocidal race and the insignificance of all our suffering.

2.Yo have your first ep coming out in March, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?
2. Stylistically this album was recorded as a demo. We went for a truly live sound. All of these songs are full uncorrected takes of the entire band recorded in a single day. Basically, hit record and see what you get. Then we did vocals and a lead guitar after. We are interested in music that is honest and ugly. All the mistakes are in there and it is much more interesting to hear people struggle and perceiver. Often when music is polished to perfection it lacks character.

3.Most of the band members also having experience playing in other bands, what is it that the members bring into this band musically that they are bot able to do with their other groups or projects?
3. This band is truly collaborative. There is lots of open sharing of ideas and respect for a shared vision. We are pushing each other,  no one could create this band alone. Everyone serves the collective vision. Our process involves lots of jamming and contemplation.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?
4. The lyrical content is fictionalized perspectives on the psychical and spiritual genocides of the Southwest. Imagining in detail the suffering and strife and confusion that is bled into the land. Disease, torment and miserable death. There are ruins of a civilization out side my door, people who experienced true apocalypse, I like to meditate on that as a reminder of our own fragility.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Heretical Sect'?
5.Heretical Sect was a label given by the Catholic Church to groups it persecuted. There where many such groups and being a party of one was a death sentence. The Heretical Sects had different doctrines but generally focused on liberation from the control of the church, usually proponents an ascetic existence that was in direct conflict with the wealthy ruling class.   The  Waldensian movement was one of these Sects that still exists to this day. Other movements like Catharism, a gnostic revivalist doctrine, where persecuted so harshly that all the practitioners where hunted down and executed. This was during the era of the medieval witch trails, which where a class war against all ideas that contradicted early catholic capitalism. Worker’s rights, women’s autonomy, natural wisdom, property rights, and spiritual freedom. Our name is a tribute to the resistance against the church in all it's different forms.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover?
6. It is a photograph by an artist named Kara Duval. She shoots actual film and, in this case, the negative was left to rot in water for any years before she processed the photo. So the distortion of the photo is actually the film degrading.The image perfectly captures the idea of the personal rotting into the cosmic; unbeing, not just dying but unbecoming. That juxtaposed with the female crucifix is a very potent image. It is eloquent but still uniquely brutal.

7.Onstage the band members wear masks to hide their identity, can you tell us a little bit more about it?
7. We are interested in presenting a performance that is congruent with our sound. It is something that seemed quite natural. We do not play shows often, it is a special occasion and something we do for ourselves. We want the audience to be immersed in the performance and that means transforming the self into into something more ominous. We are also interested in the history of black metal and participating in our own way.

8.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
8. Our first show was played in darkness to an unexpecting audience. This was an excellent experience.

9.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
9. We will tour at the end of this year or early 2020. Half of our group has a busy year with another band. They are doing international festivals and an east coast tour. Our next album is being written and is half recorded. Writing is probably our most important focus, currently.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
9. We will tour at the end of this year or early 2020. Half of our group has a busy year with another band. They are doing international festivals and an east coast tour. Our next album is being written and is half recorded. Writing is probably our most important focus, currently.

11.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?
11. There is a lot of great music being made and we admire bands that craft a personal vision, Portal, Oranssi Pazuzu, Magoth, Krypts, Ultha... But the bands we relate closest to are Sinmara, Misþyrming, Serpents Lair, Spectral Wound, and so on.


12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
12. This existence is all you get, so rock out before you rot out.

Bandcamp

Obskkvlt/Blackarhats/Nooirax Productions/2019 Full Length Review

  Obskkvlt  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  an  occult  and  progressive  mixture  of  black,  death  and  groove  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Blackarhats"  which  was  released  by  Nooirax  Productions.

  A  very  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  the  vocals  adding  in  more  of  an  aggressive  groove  metal  style  along  some  clean  vocals  also  being  used  at  times.  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  the riffs  also  add  in  elements  of  prog  metal.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style   while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.  Some  of  the  screams  are  also  influenced  by  black  metal  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  The  riffs  also  capture  the  heaviness  of  death  metal  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  parts  and  samples  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  ritualistic  sounding  instrumental  is  added  onto  the  recording  which  also  introduces  clean  playing  into  the  music.

  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  cosmogenesis,  occultism,  esotericism,  sacred  geometry,  physics,  cymatics,  the  creating  of  language,  other  realities,  astral  projection,  lack  of  faith  and  universal  patterns  along  with  some  inspirations  from  the  writings  of  Aliester  Crowley,  H.P  Blavatsky,  Carl  Jung  and  Jiddu  Krishnamurti.

  In  my  opinion  Obskkvlt  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  and  occult  mixture  of  black,  death  and  groove  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Demons"  "Blackarhats"  and  "Lux".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/obskkvlt/

Monad/The Long Haired Kings/Ascetic Visions/2019 EP Review

  Monad  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  ep  "The  Long  Haired  Kings"  which  was  released  by  Ascetic  Visions.

  A  very  dark  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  A  great  amount  of  death  metal  elements  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  faster sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  first  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  The  first  song  is  also  an  instrumental  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  also  adding  in  more  of  a  blackened  death  metal  style.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls.  When  tremolo  picking  is  utilized  it  gives  the  music  more  of  a  black  metal  influence  along  with  the  music  also  having  its  atmospheric  and  psychedelic  moments.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  quasi-mystical  Merovinian  dynasty  with  it's  Gnostic  tenets  which  connects  through  generationally      to  this  day.

  In  my  opinion  Monad  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Desert  Drowns".  8  out  of  10.

https://asceticvisions.bandcamp.com/

Lucifera Interview

1. Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
R/: Greetings to all readers of BlackenedDeathMetalZine, here David HellRazor, guitarist and composer of Lucifera, ffter having recorded the new album we’ve been focused on resting a bit and programming the following productions, some of them are ready, for example, the Colombian tribute to Sabbat (JAP), we’ve two more productions pending between these months, a Compilation of 10 years of the band where we gather tracks of each production, unpublished tracks and some covers, for the month of March or April we’ll have a split with a band from Lima / Peru (Damonik), we believe the most important thing for a band are their productions, the physical material that can leave in his legacy, and that we have very clear, for that reason we don’t stop and despite having finished the recording of the new album we continue working on new and future productions!

2. You have a new album coming out towards the end of February, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
R/: Since the release of our album ''Preludio del Mal'' and now with ''La Caceria de Brujas'', Lucifera has matured musically compared to our past productions, identifying the sound, concept, ideology and adapting it to your band not always it’s done overnight, it takes time to build a strong story for your music, and this process has been very long for Lucifera, the dark and analogous sound gives that personal touch to the band, we don’t want to sound many bands they do the same genre, we don’t want to sound like the bands of our country, it’s important to have your own identity and get out a bit of that copy of copies!

3. The lyrics on the new album also cover a great amount of occult topics, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the dark arts?
R/: This particular album speaks a lot about Witches, Paganism, Satanism and above all about our culture, our culture has always been very close to the dark arts, and I believe in any culture, no matter where you’re from, the dark arts are very stucked to your roots, there can be no light without darkness, starting from this idea, Lucifera always includes occult, Satanist, pagan and even mythological themes to our lyrics.

4. What are some of the other lyrical topics and subjects you have explored over the years with your music?
R/: Chaos, destruction, politics, religion have even explored the human psyche, its greatest fears, egos, frustrations, desires and others, there are always many topics to explore, it also depends on the moods or the situation in which it was made the track or lyric, the lyric exploration is good until you find the main thematic axis.


5. I know that the bands name came from a song from the Belgium speed metal band 'Acid', how does this name fir in with the musical style that you play?
R/: At the beginning this name influenced a lot in the music of the band, we had the idea to do the same genre and to emulate the sound of that and other bands more of that time, but as I said before, the band evolved until finding its own sound and concept, we never wanted to change the name, the band was already known under this name and many of the productions were made under this ideology, so it seemed useless to change the name as change the music and concept, make music and above all Metal is a constant learning and evolution, we must not go beyond the limits but not stagnate in sounds that remained in a golden age of Metal Music.

6. Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
R/: The cover art has many elements that make reference to the theme of witches and all that this means, hecate as the main symbol of art, wiccan elements, sigils of invocation, impossible to miss the representation of baphomet on the sides, backgrounds with altars of sacrifice and offerings to our ancestors, spirits of evil, but the element that I want to highlight in art is the symbol that is at the center of all, the 8-pointed star (auseklis), known in our culture and as EL SOL DE LOS PASTOS, the spiritual manifestation of our peoples and ancestors, descendants of the sun god, our natives carried this symbol in honor of our land where they were born, even this symbol was used by many other cultures from different parts of the world, but in my region is a significant element of our race, I think it is the most important element in the art of our album!

7. Currently the band is a duo but there was a full line up in the past, are you open to expanding the duo again or do you prefer to remain a duo?
R/: Lucifera was always a duo, Alejandra Blasfemia and I were the ones who founded the band and we did everything from the beginning, all the other musicians went through the band were simply support musicians, for live shows, tours. videos and others, but the band has always been and will be a duo, it is very difficult to maintain the same lineup over the years, so we always decided to work as a duo, it is easier to do everything this way!

8. What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
R/: Well, there are many shows at this moment I remember and fill me with a certain nostalgia, a show in 2010 in Peru with the legend of the Peruvian Metal Hades, it was very brutal to see hundreds of people gathered and celebrate their 30 years of Metal, a small tour through Ecuador with the well-known Witchtrap from Medellin, to be special guests in the first '' BIG 4 COLOMBIA '', along with Perpetual Warfare, Sagros, Neurosis and Witchtrap! excellent night! Share the stage with two legends of Metal in the world, Onslaught and Exumer, quality of bands and very simple people, The first show in El Salvador of our third international tour, a night full of alcohol, metal and good memories! and I think that finally the show with Masacre of Medellin, celebrating its 30th anniversary! These are some of the concerts that I remember, Lucifera doesn’t play much live, we dedicate more to the musical creation than to the live participation, but when we do we give all our energy on stage!

9. Are there going to be any more live shows in the future?
R/: We have planned a fourth international tour for this year, we hope everything goes according to plan and to be able to carry out this project, for now, we just want to continue creating music and think about the next album, Lucifera never rests!

10. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and thrash metal?
R/: Excellent, it’s not very common that a Colombian band that play our genre is recognized worldwide, we've noticed in many places of the world this genre is not very liked, it even seems that it has disappeared, but they always refer to the sound and the harshness with which it’s executed, being a duo, it’s more interesting to read reviews where they clearly say that as it’s possible that only two people do this kind of music, as it’s possible for a woman to be the vocalist and sing in this way, such It’s a surprise for someone who listens for the first time to Lucifera, and that is just what we want, we don’t care if our music is something melodic, if it has death, black or thrash metal passages, if some tracks are very extensive and others very short, if our sound is not very pleasant and readable, we do what we like because it should be, and it seems that this is what most fans of this genre like, the music of Lucifera is highly contagious and appreciated in many places in the world, forgotten on our own country and city! I suppose that is what makes a virus massive and deadly, Metal Music is immortal!

11. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
R/: I hope my music reaches every corner of the planet, my personal desire isn’t to be heard or remembered, but if I want my music to have a legacy, and tmore important than this transcends over time, every musician and artist has that task with yourself, endure and leave a legacy is essential, I hope  time is not against me and to achieve this in the future!

12. What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
R/: In short, Black Metal has been one of my greatest influences, I enjoy other genres like Heavy, Thrash, Death, even of bands from the 60's and 70's, the pop music of the 80's, but I have a great since with Black Metal, I think it’s the only genre that maintains its ideology and concept besides that its sound generates other perspectives of music, I can’t mention bands specifically influence me to make music, but they are all in Black Metal Music, I work most of the day in a computer and sometimes I need a respite from Metal, I really like all the retro wave of the 80's, the synthesizer, the experimental and instrumental music, they are good to expand the creative field of your brain and also help to concentrate when you have a lot of work, I'm a lover of all the pop culture of the 80's and all the music of that time is spectacular, it doesn’t matter if I talk about metal, pop music, soundtracks, series or any other, everything in this time was perfect!

13. Before we wrap up this interview,do you have any final words or thoughts?
R/: I want to thank all the people who take some of their time to know a little more about Lucifera, all those who do reviews, interviews and publish the news in their personal blogs, especially our label Dunkelheit Produktionen for given us the honor of belonging at your command! Without your support and trust none of this would be possible! likewise, to all the readers and to the metalheads who buy our material and share our ideology! Greetings to all of you, without you the Metal Music would not exist!

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Heretical Sect/Self Titled/Redefining Darkness Records/Caligari Records/Vendetta Records/2019 EP Review

  Heretical  Sect  are  a  band  from  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2019  ep  which  will  be  released  in  March  as  a  joint  effort  between  Redefining  Darkness, Caligari  and  Vendetta  Records.

  A  very  slow,  dark  and  heavy  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  very  fast  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  some  black  metal  screams  also  being  utilized  at  times.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  When  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  style.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  some  of  the  riffing  also  shows  an  influence  of  thrash  metal.

  Heretical  Sect  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  anti  Christianity  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Heretical  Sect  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  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Visceral  Divination"  and  "Punish  the  Christ".  8  out  of  10.

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Imprecation/Damnatio Ad Bestias/Dark Desecent Records/2019 CD Review

  Imprecation  are  a  band  from  Texas  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  blasphemous  and  satanic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Damnatio  Ad  Bestias"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Dark  Descent  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  horror  movie  style  keyboards  also  being  utilized  at  times.  Morbid  sounding  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  early  90's  style  as  well  as  the  vocals  also  bringing  in a   great  amount  of  death  metal  growls.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Elements  of  doom/death  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  as w ell  as  the  music  also  adding  in  some  black  metal  influences  at  times.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  ritualistic  sounding  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  while  keeping  the  main  focus  more  on  a  heavier  style.  As  the  album  progresses  some  of  the  guitar  leads  also  start  incorporating  some  dark  sounding  melodies.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occultism  and  Blasphemy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Imprecation  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  satanic  and  blasphemous  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Temple  Of  The  Foul  Spirit"  "Beasts  Of  The  Infernal  Void"  and  "Ageless  Ones  Of  None".  8  out  of  10.

darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/damnatio-ad-bestias