Evoker/Evil Torment/Blood Harvest/2020 EP Review

  Evoker  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  ep  "Evil  Torment"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Blood  Harvest.

  Rain  and  thunder  sounds  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  heavy  yet  melodic  riffing  a  few  seconds  later.  Most  of  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  era  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a   great  amount  of  blast  beats  as  well  as  the  vocals  being  mostly  blackened  metal  screams,

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  also  remain  very  true  to  an  old  school  style  while  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  death  metal.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  all  of  the  songs  sounding  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  more  than  25  years  ago  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Evoker  plays  a  musical  style  that  goes  back  to  the  early  90's  era  of  black  and  death  metal.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  death  and  evil  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Evoker  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Old  Evil"  and  "Sacrilicious  Lust".  8  out  of  10.

http://bloodharvestrecords.bandcamp.com/album/evil-torment   

Hexenbrett Interview

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

Mostly promotion work and working on the musics live implementation.
We did find suitable musicians in January with whom we've been in contact ever since.
Lots of supervising and directing so to speak.
Things were looking good and everything was ready for the live concerts in June but then Covid-19 hit, unfortunately.


2.In May you have a new album coming out, musically how does it differ from the ep you have released in 2018?

The demo was released on January 1st 2019, TTERBNEXEH didn't release anything in 2018.
ZWEITE BESCHWÖRUNG features a better production, better songwritting and a much tighter performance. It's better on all levels when compared to the demo.
The material is more diverse and captures the band during a certain moment in time. We are immensely looking forward to its relase.


3.A lot of your lyrics cover horror themes, can you tell us a little bit more about the films that have had an influence on your songwriting?

Horror, both in literature as well as in film, are our prime source of inspiration, that's right. Since we love the aura and atmosphere of not only Horror but
Euro Cult cinema in general, we wanted to incorporate that in our music - we thus created something we like to call
"the sound of the bloody iris" or simply "cemetery sounds".
Its an amalgamation of freedom, excess, depravity and perversion - its Rock 'n' Roll and Horror put together as one.

The tracklists of our releases provide you with the concrete answer to your question.


4.Some of your lyrics also touch on the occult, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in occultism?

We are actually not interested in anything that is considered occult. We don't invest time in any obscure or crypting writings by obscure and
cryptic authors. We prefer to watch a movie or listen to a Rock record.


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

It captures the Euro Cult atmosphere and can be seen as an hommage to Bava and Argento, the "darker" Giallo aesthetics.
There was and still is a lot of controversy going on which is great. Many people hate it and rant about it on the internet while others see what we see and
highly appreciate that.

Expect more controversy in the future.


6.Has the band done any live shows yet?

No.

7.On the new album you also done a cover of Townes Van Zandt's "The Spider Song", what was your decision behind doing your own version of this song?

It actually happened by accident. I was listening to my Townes records sometime in spring of last year
and as soon as "Spider" hit i knew that this was a TTERBNEXEH song in disguise.
Besides that he is one of my biggest musical heroes. It was also interesting to see what a "Black Metal" band could do with a country song.


8.Most of the music is also heavily rooted in the 80s and 90s, do you feel a lot of modern music fails the capture of the atmosphere of that era?

We wouldn't say that per se. There's still a lot of great modern music out there. It's just more, a lot more, like quantity-wise. Zillions of records
are being released each day so one has to dig a lil deeper in order to find a gem.
But believe what we say, there's still a lot of gems out there to be discovered.


9.The new album is also coming out on 'Dying Victims Productions; how would you compare working with them to 'Caligari Records'?

It's not comparable. Caligari just re-released our demotape while DVP helped us to progress, artistically speaking.
They are both great labels and if you'll ever be given the opportunity to work with either one of them, take it.


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

We have received a lot of positive feedback and sold a few records as well so it seems as if people appreciate what we do.


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

We unfortunately can't answer this question since we don't know it ourselves as of today.


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?

Hard Rock and Heavy Metal music in general as well as Movie Soundtracks of course.
From 60s Garage sounds to 90s Black Metal basically.

Here's a lil overview of our current playlists

Scarlettina:
Flotsam and Jetsam, Cirith Ungol, early Immortal, Darkthrone, Phantom Blue, Halloween, Omen, Warlock and Malokarpatans current record

Josto:
The musical menu since mid March consisted of David Bowie's discography until "Station to Station",
German "Minor League" Thrash (Assassin, Violent Force, Exumer, Deathrow), Vampire Hunter D OST, The Grateful Dead and Blood Incantation.
The upcoming month will focus on The Doors, more Grateful Dead, 70s Country Music, classic US Death Metal
as well as newer bands like Death Valley Girls, Big Cheese and King Gizzard with alltime favs like Rush, Kiss and Blue Öyster Cult always in the mix.

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

Thank you very much for having us, we really enjoyed asnwering your questions.
"Zweite Beschwörung: Ein Kind zu Töten" will be out on May 22nd.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Hexenbrett

Zatyr/Ornament Of Proposition/Dying Victims Productions/2020 EP Review

  Zatyr  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  and  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  ep  "Ornament  Of  Proposition"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Dying  Victims  Productions.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  era.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  remain  true  to  a  very  melodic  yet  old  school  style.

  Vocals  are  done  in  mostly  a  traditional  metal  style  while  also  throwing  in  some  black  emtal  screams  at  times.  Touches  of  the  first  wave  era  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  recording  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  being  utilized  when  the  music  speeds  up  and  most  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  mid  tempo  style, ritualistic  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  the  closing  track.

  Zatyr  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  early  80's  traditional  metal  while  also  mixing  in  black  metal  screams  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  and  Darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Zatyr  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  and  heavy  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Forbidden  Rites"  and  "Heart  And  Vision".  8  out  of  10.

"Fire Prophecy":
 

  

Ritual Dictates Interview

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



We’re Ritual Dictates from Vancouver BC, Canada. We’re a two piece metal band consisting of Ash Pearson and myself.



2.You have your first album coming out in April, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?



Ash and I were both in heavier metal bands before we joined 3 Inches of Blood, and that’s kind of what we were revisiting when we started writing songs. More death and grind based metal music.



3.Most of the band members also have experience playing with other bands, what is it that you bring into the music of 'Ritual Dictates', that you where not able to do with your other groups?



More creative freedom, I guess? 3 Inches of Blood was a band before Ash and I joined, and although I wrote lots of 3 Inches of Blood songs and enjoyed doing so, I couldn’t really steer too far off the style that was 3 Inches of Blood. With Ritual Dictates, because we are a new band, we can kind of do whatever we want, and that’s what we did with this record.



4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored so far with the music?



Ash is the primary lyricist for this record, and I co-wrote lyrics to a handful of tunes.

Our inspiration for Ritual Dictates lyrical themes come from a range of different places. Sometimes we'll explore a theme like hypocrisy, or living forever. Other times we’ll take a line from a song or a book we read and expand on the story and write lyrics around that, like a quote from Neil Peart’s book, or William Blake, or even a line from a Blue Oyster Cult tune. We’ll take inspiration from something like that and run with it in our own way.



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



I can’t remember exactly what the discussion was, but Ash said "ritual dictates" in a conversation we were having, and I just said that’s our band name. What a story!



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



The artwork for the CD and LP was all done entirely by Rheanna Fancypants of Vancouver. She is an incredible artist and one of my best friends. She also did the graphic layouts for all the EP covers that we released prior to the album.

The EP artwork for “Given to Despair” was done by another great artist from Vancouver, Megan Richter. And the photograph on the cover of the “Terror of Time” EP was shot by Derek Carr.



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



We haven’t played in quite a while, but I suppose the Black Requiem Mass show in Vancouver with Kafirun, Omnipotence, Firecult, Finite, and illithid would be my favourite so far.



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



Shows? YES! Tours? We’ll see.

We’re playing in Victoria BC on April 16th at Cavity Curiosity Shop, followed by a show in Vancouver on April 17th at The Black Lab, and April 18th at Neptoon Records.



9.You also have a few guests on the new album, can you tell us a little bit more about who they are and also their contributions to the recording?



Shawn Hache was a guest vocalist on “Dominance and Will”. He performs in Night Profound, Mitochondrion, Auroch, and Reversed.

And of course, Danko Jones! He laid some vocals down for “Poisonous Proclamation”. Our engineer Michael Kraushaar also provided some vocals for “Aperiam in Porta”, and Shane Clark who was in 3 Inches of Blood and Bison performed acoustic guitar in “Given to Despair”. It was rad having them all contribute.



10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of extreme metal?



So far so good! We’ve only released two songs so far, and the reception seems to be a positive one. We have one more single to release before the album, and another couple of videos, so let’s keep this train a rollin.



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



We’ll always be a metal band, but I’m not afraid to explore new influences and inspirations. So, there will be surprises on the next album for sure.



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?



Lately I've been listening to Orville Peck a lot. The Footloose soundtrack is on my record player now, and the last couple of records I've spun were Type O Negative "Bloody Kisses" and Diana Ross & The Supremes Greatest Hits.

So many bands and styles have shaped my style, but a few bands off the top of my head that really inspired my metal direction were



Zyklon-B, Assuck, Tsatthoggua, and Order from Chaos. Of course, Slayer and Morbid Angel were among the leaders of the pack.



13.What are some of your non musical interests?



Now that the sun is out more I’m on my bike quite often. It’s a fixed gear, which keeps my legs in shape. So yeah, bike riding. And taking pictures of my black cats and my dog. He’s a corgi.



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



GIVE IN TO DESPAIR!

www.facebook.com/ritualdictates

Karnstein Interview

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

 Ria: So the band started roughly September 2019 shortly after I had gotten back from a UK Metal festival called Bloodstock. I was super inspired by Batushka's live set and their over the top theatrics and atmosphere, but conversely was also very impressed by Blasphemer's old school Death Metal sound. We'd been talking about forming a band of this kind for a while but after seeing those two alongside Cradle of Filth, it pumped me up again to get this band going.

 2.Recently you have released a demo, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?

 Ria: Yeah, the idea was definitely to have very old school black metal riffs with big chunks of bleak doom and flashes of death metal, all very mid to late 90s stuff, but wrapped up in this big epic symphonic/gothic keyboard sound

 3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?

 Ria: It's mostly gothic nonsense to be honest, like short horror stories. No End In Sight... is about a worm so huge that it creates irreversible damage to the whole world and Lycanthrope is fairly self-explanatory. Some songs have a little bit more going on though, like Inevitable End is about climate change and there's one that we're working on that uses the Witch Trials as a metaphor for homophobia and transphobia.

 4.Most of the band members were also in 'Dark Theory' how does the music of 'Karnstein' differ from what you where doing in your previous group?

 Ria: In a lot of ways Karnstein is a continuation of what we were doing with Dark Theory, but where Dark Theory had a lot of old school thrash influence and a lot operatic clean vocals, we've got a lot more focus on Doom riffs and dual screaming vocals.

Brett: I joined Dark Theory quite late into it's lifespan so most of the keyboard stuff had already been written, so my influence on the keys was fairly limited, however as I've been with Karnstein since the beginning I'm able to have a greater influence on the music.

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

 Ria: It's taken from the classic pre-Dracula vampire novel 'Carmilla'. Near the end of the novel her real name is revealed to be Countess Mircalla Karnstein, and the name definitely stuck around in my head when it came to forming this band

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

 Ria: Haha, well it's just a photo of me in corpsepaint with the logo's around it really. Even though I put together I'm not personally super into it but the rest of the band liked it.

7.Has the band had any opportunities to do any live shows yet?

Ria: Not yet, the whole Coronavirus thing hit just as we were first starting to talk about looking for shows and putting our setlist together, so that's put it all on hold

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

 Ria: No idea really, we haven't thought that far ahead yet. If a label is interested and it looks like something that's mutually beneficial then I'm sure we'd go for it

 9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black, doom and gothic metal?

 Ria: We're kinda too new to really have any worldwide audience yet, but people who have listened to it have been very positive, although I think it's a little too gothic for some of the Black Metallers

 10.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

 Ria: Pretty much as soon as all this Coronavirus stuff has passed and it's safe for us to meet up and go to the studio again. We were looking at studio's the week before it became a pandemic here in the UK, so we're really raring to go when it comes to a proper release. As for where it goes musically I have no idea, we've got a lot of ideas and different influences, we could get more doomy, we could go more death metal, more gothic, maybe more melodic or more brutal, hard to say till we do it.

 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?

 Ria: I'm really into the early days of extreme metal where the exact differences between Thrash, Death and Black Metal weren't that well defined, so bands like Slayer, Kreator, Celtic Frost, Venom, Death and Possessed are big influences. The whole 2nd wave Black Metal thing is an obvious influence too, especially Mayhem, Darkthrone and Satyricon for me. Then on the Doom side I'm big into My Dying Bride, Candlemass, Triptykon and Bismuth. then rounding up the Gothic/Symphonic end definitely Cradle of Filth, DImmu Borgir, Sirenia, SepticFlesh and Fleshgod Apocalypse. In terms of what I'm listening to right now I've been listening to a lot of My Dying Brides latest album, 'The Ghost of Orion', as well as a lot of smaller bands who've been putting out their recent bandcamp releases for free such as Penance Stare, Allfather, Wretched Empires and 1727.

Draca: I'm a big fan of Death metal, bands like Cattle Decapitation and Dying Fetus, also black metal and atmospheric black metal bands such as Forgotten Tomb, Elderwind, Taake and Horna. These black metal bands tend to influence my guitar style in Karnstein. Right now I am listening to a lot of Lustre, Katalepsy and Psychonaut 4

Brett: Coming from from a theatrical background my music influences are quite varied, operatic, classical, symphonic metal, gothic metal, black metal. In terms of bands I would say Cradle of Filth, Cold World but my biggest influence has to be Nightwish. I like music that tells a story. In relation to what I have been listening to nowadays, I've been listening to Cradle of Filth's Cruelty and the Beast remastered album, Therion, Lacrimosa and Virgin Black

 12.What are some of your non musical interests?

 Ria: For me it's definitely art and video games. I'm absolutely obsessed with games to the point that I'm actually an indie game developer, so check out Destroy The Shogun on Twitter and Instagram if you're into old school action platformers.I do all the art, music and programming for it!

Draca: I paint nearly everyday. I create dark, surreal and macabre art normally painted in oils and acrylics. Check out my Facebook page Draca Wilford Dark Artist to have a look

Brett: I enjoy and partake in the performing arts, I write scripts, I enjoy gaming, gothic and horror art, photography, philosophy and the supernatural.

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

 Ria: Yeah, go check out Karnstein on bandcamp if you're into Goth/Doom/Black Metal, check out our old band Dark Theory too if that sounds up your street. I'm also in a Crust/Grind/Sludge/Noise band called Oriza if you wanna hear some maddingly heavy stuff, and if you want something in a more depressive black metal vein then hit up Draca's solo-project Led By Delusions. And lastly of course thank you to Blackened Death Metal Zine for the review and interview

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Hexenbrett/Zweite Beschwörung: Ein Kind zu töten/Dying Victims Productions/2020 CD Review

  Hexenbrett  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  doom,  speed,  heavy  metal  and  deathrock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Zweite  Beschwörung:  Ein  Kind  zu  töten"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Dying  Victims  Productions.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitars  leads  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  elements  of  death  metal.  Vocals  are  mostly  angry  sounding  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  synths  gives  the  songs  more  of  an  atmospheric  feeling.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  influences  of  speed  and  first  wave  black  metal  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  adding  in  some  melodies.

  At  times  the  vocals  also  go  for  more  of  an  early  80's  black  metal  style  as  well  as  some  tremolo  picking  also  being  added  into  the  faster  riffing.  Touches  of  traditional  metal  and  death  rock  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  the  music  also  takes  both  the  80's  and  90's  styles  and  makes  them  modern  again,

 As  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  and  classical  guitars  can  also be  heard  on  a  couple  of  songs  along  with  a  brief  use  of  whispered  vocals,  clean  singing  and  spoken  word  parts.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  English  and  German  and  cover  horror  and  occultism  themes,.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Hexenbrett  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of    black,  doom,  speed,  heavy  metal  and  deathrock,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ein  Kind  zu  töten  I"  "The  Spider  Song"  "Attraverso  sette  porte  all' inferno"  and  "Le  requiem  des  vampires".  8/5  out  of  10.

"Lass Schlafende Leichen Ruhen":


"Attraverso Sette Porte All'Inferno"
   

Karnstein/The Apocalypse Demo/2020 Demo Review

  Karnstein  are  a  band  from  The  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  gothic  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2020  demo  "Tje  Apocalypse  Demo".

  A  horror  movie  orientated  intro  starts  off  the  demo  while  also  introducing  keyboards  onto  the  recording  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music.  Elements  of  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams.

  Most  of  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  era  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  some  growls  also  being  used  at  times  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  elements  of  gothic  metal  and  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  all  of  the  drum  beats  being  programmed.

  Karnstein  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  doom  and  gothic  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror  and  apocalyptic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Karnstein  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  gothic  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "No  End  In  Sight..."  and  "Lycanthrope".8  out  of  10.

https://karnstein.bandcamp.com/releases    

Hellixxir Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
We finished our new music video for the song “Oxymoronic way of life” (https://youtu.be/kBu9kl4rOuQ). We plan to record a 2nd one during the summer 2020. We also try to book some shows from next September and we’re working on new songs.


2.In October you also had released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff  you have released in the past?
The Black Fortress is our 3rd full length album, was released on october 18th. In my opinion, it has by far the darkest but at the same time the most refined and subtle atmosphere we ever created in our music. We worked a lot on the sound, the lyrics and visuals. We are pretty proud of the end result. To my mind, it differs from the previous albums and demos because this album is much more extreme, aggressive and our new singer Alexandre comes from the Black Metal scene. However, the melody and the main riffs remain what Hellixxir always did. At the moment, it sells pretty well thanks to our label Music Records, a vinyl disc is now available.

3.This is also your first release since 2011, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?
In 2011, we also lost our bassist/singer and true friend Camille in a tragic car accident, so we needed time to go on.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?
The Black Fortress is about loss of self, ordinary madness and absurdity of today's era expressed in a sharp and dark Thrash-Black metal. It also refers to the band's headquarters, an old manor house in northern Isère that has a certain historical past, in which Hellixxir composed and recorded the album. Songwriting is a very intuitive process for us, so the main goal is to keep spontaneity, simplicity and the good feeling.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name "Hellixxir'?
Hellixxir is a combination from various words: first the “Elixir”, as the magical or medicinal potion, then “Hell” for the spiritual realm of evil and suffering and finally “XXI” for the 21st century.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
All the pictures were taken in our headquarters in order to illustrate the concept of The Black Fortress. As for the songwriting, we worked quickly with no particular effects to keep spontaneity. Looking at the artwork produces me a mysterious feeling between dream and reality in a very dark atmosphere… did you see the ghost on the cover?




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?
We want to play simple but right, with the good intensity and feeling: that’s all. Sobriety is the main word. We shared the stage with international bands such as Entombed, Belphegor, Melechesh or Decapitated, such an honor! But the good show is not necessary the biggest one: we want to share emotions and have fun.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
Normally we had several concerts from March to June 2020, but everything is postponed because of the COVID-19 situation. We will see later when everything will be safe.

9.The new album was released on 'Music Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
Jeff and Valentin are doing a good job for us in France but also all over the world, and working with a small structure allowed us to go fast.

10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your newer music by fans of black, death and thrash metal?
No idea! Hellixxir is a small band but our reviews have always been positive, honestly. We are thankful of that.

11.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
In the past we all played in different bands but we do not have enough time now. Hellixxir has always been my true project. I work sometimes for friends by recording guitars, the last one is the song “The Worship Of The Sun” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3fJRWFSVT0).

12.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We live and enjoy the present first! There is no particular plan for the future but we still have inspiration and ideas.



13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks a lot for your support and all the job you do for the metal scene. Let's kill the Covid-19!

https://www.facebook.com/Hellixxir/

Acherozu/Vendetta Ocean/Talheim Records/2019 CD Review

  Acherozu  are  a  band  from  China  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Vendetta  Ocean"  which  was  released  by  Talheim  Records.

  Ritualistic  soundscapes  start off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  riffing  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  thrash  metal.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  style.

  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  music  also  has  a  lot  of  old  school  influences  which  they  mix  in  with  a  more  modern  day  aggression.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  blast  beats  also  being  added  into  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.

  As  the  album  progresses  a  brief  synth  instrumental  is  added  onto  the  recording  which  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  on  the  following  tracks  as  well  as  some  female  vocals  also  being  used  briefly  and  the  closing  song  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  based  upon  the  battle  of  the  Yellow  Sea  in  1894  and  a  shaman  that  found  alongside  the  Chinese  army. 

  In  my  opinion  Acherozu  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Demon  Phantom"  "Dragon  Flags"  "Gashan"  and  "Broken  Waves:  Manchuria  Revelation".   8  out  of  10.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acherozu/Sina Weibo: https://www.weibo.com/u/5538864851

Putrid Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
Well, we just finished the recording of our album, and due to everything which has happened already we have scheduled shows and a lot of live activity which, I suppose, it won’t be done. Most assured that we’ll plan the upcoming Putrid recording. For now, we should record either a third album or an EP with some covers.
That is what we have defined so far. If our live activities decrease, we won’t care too much.


2.This year you have a full length and a couple of splits coming out, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
2.- The difference may be that we’re more experienced in how to handle our sound. We have a sound that it is very personal regarding to keep trying for a new sound each time we have a recording. Lyrically, I didn’t want to make thing more complex really, I think that things have been very distanced from what is and represents Southamerican Black Death metal and it has been doing things that have become ridiculous already. Bands which think that this is some sort of Masonic Lodge or stupidities that never had anything to do with metal and also bands which have turned black metal into some sort of icon which they can mock or laugh at.
Black Metal ceased to be something transgressing to become something which can be done by effeminates. Good news about this record, Antichrist Above,  has taken away all those people we despise.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?
3.-   The lyrics, as I said already, are going to be straight, nothing about gay Gothic poetry or grimoires coming from a pseud sorcerer with an i-phone, that’s not going to happen in Putrid and if people don’t like it they can fuck off. Regarding music, I think that now it is more brutal and it is one of the reasons by which the lyrics turned out more brutal as well.

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

4.- When the band was created, it was the singer who named the band because he wanted to do something dirty and corrosive. Mixing punk with metal. Musically it couldn’t be done at the end but the spirit is the same. That’s the reason behind the name.

5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
5.- That picture was taken by my girlfriend. As a matter of fact, if you watch closely, it is a more modern version of Mortuary Drape’s All the Witches Dance. It think that this cover (Mortuary Drape’s, that is) reflects what we want to do with our music, something direct and raw.
The idea was recreated pretty well, and by the other side, we wanted to go back to the style of pictures for covers and not drawings.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
6.- Definitely the one we played in Arequipa, Peru. The audience behaved pretty well, and all of them were very savage as well.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
7.- Well, everything was fucked due to the COVID-19, but that’s not important. AS a matter of fact, with the low assistance of audience to the shows, I think that they are not that important anyway. We are more focused nowadays into the forthcoming recordings. 

8.You also have a couple of splits coming out later this year, can you tell us a little bit more about the band you are sharing these recordings with?

8.- One of the splits coming out is the one with Morbosidad from USA. Well, talking about them is pointless because they are one of the most aggressive bands nowadays. After this there will be an split with Grave Desecration from Lima. Supposedly that split should be out this year, although I’m not really sure about that.
Regarding Morbosidad, the music is finished already, only the vocals are missing.

9.In the past you have also done 'Hadez' and 'Slayer' covers, what was the decision behind doing your own versions of their songs?
9.- The Hadez cover was made for a tribute album. Everybody says that Aquelarre is the best album from them, and I don’t think it is bad at all, but I enjoy their “Even if you die…” better. … I think you can make better versions than those made on that record. As a matter of fact, it is my favorite album so far. Regarding Slayer, that song was recorded for a Spanish compilation album which was digitally released. I’m not very satisfied with the mixing on that cover, but it is no longer important.



10.The new album is coming out on 'Godz Ov War Productions', how would you compare working with them to the previous labels you have been a apart of in the past?
10.- It is very good indeed, as a matter of fact Godz ov War have made a very good work and we are really satisfied with them. The labels we have worked together with in the past were smaller and they hadn’t the same range of GOW; so everything is fine with them.


11.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black, death and thrash metal?
11.- The álbum has had a very good response so far, perhaps more that I originally expected.
Personally, the highest peak was when Gene Palubicki wrote us saying that he had listened to the album already and he thought it was really good. That’s enough to me. I mean, if the guitarist whom you are inspired by to play Metal tells you that you’ve made a good work, is something very powerful.

12.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?
12.- I’ve decided to leave aside all bands I was playing in only to focus in Putrid. The rest of the band members also have projects, but we’re more focused in Putrid now.



13.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
13.- I think that we’ll record two or three additional albums. After that, the band is dead. I don’t think it’s necessary to keep pushing a band only to feel the need to keep it active. When the time comes, it will die. Our nearest goal right now is doing something in Europe, I mean playing there and touring. I don’t think it will be easy, but I would be something important.
Musically, I don’t have the need to change style. I think that we can make more brutal stuff, but without betraying our roots.

14.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?
14.- Nowadays I’m listening pretty much the new Immortal stuff. Goatblood, Goatsmegma, the new stuff from Impiety is great and I’m enjoying pretty much the new album of Perdition Temple.

15.How would you describe your views on Satanism and Occultism?
15.- I don’t believe in dogmas. I believe in the Destruction of ideas and Chaos. I’ve never considered myself as a projection of an idea developed by someone else. That’s my vision and that’s what I’m always going to preach.
Now, the Satanism managed by some bands only is useful to do medieval drawings with symbols they can’t even comprehend themselves. If they hadn’t knew Black metal in the first place, then the sorcerers syndicate wouldn’t have too many affiliates. 

16.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
16.- Chaos. War. Death

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Eternal Armageddon/In Light In Dark In Hate/2020 Full Length Review

  Eternal  Armageddon  are  a  band  from  Bangladesh  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2020  album  "In  Light  In  Dark  In  Hate"  which  will  be  released  on  April 10th.

  A  very  heavy  and  fast  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  blackened  metal  screams.  The  riffs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  thrash and  first  wave  black  metal  elements  but  with  a  more  modern  aggression  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  at  times.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  solos  and  leads  also  remain  very  true  to  an  old  school  style.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  one  track  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  all  of  the  music  also  sticks  to  a  heavier  direction.

  Eternal  Armageddon  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  and  thrash  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Darkness,  Thrashing,  Anti  Christianity  and  Hate  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Eternal  Armageddon  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  thrash  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Black  Thrash  Bastards"  "No  Lord  Above"  and  "Satanic  Whispers".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/Eternalarmageddon
https://www.instagram.com/eternal_armageddon
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjj7JAO4FEzhepSTMzPp2CQ