Slagthammer/Redneck Black Metal/Wolfmond Production/2020 CD Review

 

  Slagthammer  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review of their  2020  album  "Redneck  Black  Metal"  which  was released  by Wolfmond  Production.

  A  very  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  thrash  metal  influenced  direction  while  blast  beats  can  be  heard  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  vocals  also  adding  in  more  of  a  first  wave  style.

  Back  up  shouts  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  while  grim  second  wave  influenced  black  metal  screams  are  also  utilized  at  times.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  melody.  

  When  banjo's  are  utilized  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  an  American  redneck  vibe  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  some  of  the  faster  riffing  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking,  elements  of  black'n'roll  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording.

  As  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use of  clean  singing  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  of  songs  as  well  as  one  of  the  tracks  also  being  an  instrumental  along  with  one  song  also  adding  in  some  violent  wife  beating  samples  and  the  album  closes  with  a  cover of  Demolition  Hammer's  "Human  Dissection".  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  German  and  English  and  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Slagthammer are  a  very  great    sounding  blackened  thrash  metal  band  and  if  you  are  looking  for  something  that  is  original  sounding,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "FY!  "Genocidal  Holocaust"  "Wife  beater"  and  "Human  Dissection".  8 out  of  10.

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The Machinist Interview

 

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

John:

We’re from Manchester in the UK, and we play rather heavy industrial blackened death metal. We started in the latter half of 2018, but really came together with the focus of lockdown in 2020, despite not really being able to together to play shows. We’re pretty heavy,  really the best thing is to just check out our youtube channel and bandcamp, that will really tell you everything you need to know. 

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

John:

Some of it was by design, some was by accident. I’ve always been into extreme metal music and electronic music, so I wanted to combing the two! A lot of my influences are both death metal and black metal, so the form it took was more of a blackened death sound. Primarily I was indeed looking for a drummer, using the machine as a stop gap to demo songs, but after a while we really just started to explore the possibilities and the range of sounds the drum machine could offer! 

Originally, I asked Scott to see if he wanted to contribute some vocals to the album, but he contributed so much and the performances were so strong, we felt having two vocalists was the only way to go!

3.Some of the band members are also a part of 'Reign Of Erebus', what is it that you bring into the music of 'The Machinist' that you are not able to do with your other band?

John:

The focus here is really more towards the industrial sound, being able to explore the extended range of sounds overtly electronic instruments can bring you. It’s also much more heavily geared towards death metal, which of course can allow for lower tuning and deeper vocals. In our case however, we tried to make sure the blackened parts really shrieked, so we opted for 7 string guitars to get that range. Reign uses good old fashioned 6 strings because that sound is utterly perfect for that band.

The lyrical focus is driven by myself, whereas Reign’s lyrical focus is more driven by Scott. In Reign he is also the lead vocalist, whilst we both take a fair crack at it in The Machinist

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

John:

Lyrically, I suppose I explore the frailty of life, our relationships with each other, and the crazy lengths our existential dread will push us to in order to feel significant. 

The inevitability of entropy, the idea that on a cosmic time scale and in the cosmic arena, we really aren’t that significant. It’s something of a common idea, and to some degree with all know this, but it’s really remarkable that even despite having this knowledge, we still occupy ourselves with petty grievances, racism, and territorial pissing contests. We also waste what precious time we have on greed, institutions, religion and ideologies specifically designed to make one person feel superior over another. None of us are getting out alive, and surely that means we should make what precious time we have count!

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

John:

It seemed like such a fitting name considering the cold, perfectly quantised sound of the drum machine. We’re really made no attempt to try and make them sound realistic at all, and even included a lot of obviously electronic sounds like distorted 909 and 808 kicks, as well as 909 snare rides. 

The stark, slightly unnerving nature of that evoked mechanical imagery, and of course a cold production was practically mandatory with that!

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

John:

The brief to the artist, Roberto Toderico, was  to create an image that evoked a sense of mortality, the alien, other worldliness, body horror and lovecraftian unknowability. The symmetry and coat of arms totally too us by surprise, and we were really blown away by what he came out with. It’s one of those images where something different jumps out at you each time you look at it

7.Are there any plans for live shows once the pandemic is over with?

John:

Absofuckinglutely! Hell.. we’re also looking into streams and live playthroughs. It goes without saying that as soon as this is over? We’ll be playing gigs 

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

John:

It’s been a mixed bag. Some labels are just unable to release at this time because of the pandemic, some labels have expressed admiration for the music but have just flat out said “it’s not the kind of thing we put out”. Death metal and black metal tend to be  very ‘pure’ genres, but I do find that while some listeners are “kvltists”, most are a lot more open minded than many labels give them credit for.

At this point I’m In two minds. We are in a good position in the sense that we have many platforms to get out music and news out to potential fans more than ever, despite the ever constricting social media algorithms that favour daft pet videos or bullshit fake news to art. If social media paid half as much attention to art as it did in spreading fake, enlightenment-undoing bullshit, we’d be up to our eyeballs in stunning music,

If the right label was to come along? Of course we’d be interested! Label support always helps, and we always want more like minded people to hear our music!

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

John:

The feedback that we have has has been super positive, which is a pleasant surprise as usually people only really speak up on the net to tell you something sucks! Haha! Even those on the more “pure” end of the spectrums have been positive, and we’ve managed to get onto compilations that otherwise feature more “KVLT” bands, so its encouraging!  

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

John:

It’s hard to say. We’re still kinda in the embers of this record, so where we could go next could be anyones guess. I’m not one to repeat the same thing again, so whatever it is, it’ll be different, but it’ll still be extreme. I really can’t say more than that! 

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?

John:

Bands like Anaal Nathrakh, Mayhem, The Berzerker and Emperor have all been a massive influence. We’re not afraid to slow down to really let the heaviness set as well, so bands like Amenra and Neurosis are also an influence. 

As for what I’m listening to now? For heavy listening, it’s usually the classics, haha! But there are an awful lot of good bands out there! For newer stuff, right now I’m oscillating between Akhlys  and Batushka (the first album before it went mental) for black, Devourement for death and Katatonia, Officers, Salem and Boards Of Canada for everything else, but that list is ever changing.

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

John:

Thank you so much for the interview and for giving us a platform to talk about our music! We hope you enjoy the album when it’s released, and when we do start to play shows, we hope to see you there! 

It’s a crazy old time, so look after yourselves and each other!

www.facebook.com/TheMachinistUK

Mayhemic/Mortuary Feast Of Skeletons/Awakening Records/2020 EP Review

 

  Mayhemic  are  a  band  from  Chile  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  ep  "Mortuary  Feast  Of  Skeletons"  which  was  released  by  Awakening  Records.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  thrash  metal  influenced  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  blackened  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  80's  era  German  influences.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  remain  true  to  an  old  school  school  and  while  the  music  is  heavily  rooted  in  the  past  it  still  sounds  modern  at  the  same  time.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  some  melody  at  times,  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  the  music  always  sticking  to  a  heavier  direction.

  Mayhemic  plays  a  music  style  that  takes  first  wave  black  and  German  thrash  metal  and  mixes  them  together  with  a  more  modern  take  on  the  genres.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  destruction  and  violence  with  a  satanic  vibe.

  In  my  opinion  Mayhemic  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  thrash  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Shaking  Ground"  and  "Mayhemic". 8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/Mayhemic-705028416515501  

        

Vulpecula/Fons Immortalis/Nuclear War Now! Productions/2020 EP Review

 

  Vulpecula  where  a  band  from  Kansas  City,  Missouri  that  played  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  ep  "Fons  Immortalis"  which  will  be  re-issued  in  December  2020  by  Nuclear  War  Now!  Productions.

  An  ambient  orientated  synth  intro  starts  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  while  dark sounding  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing.  Black  metal  screams  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  along  with  the  riffing  also  adding  in  some  early  90's  era  death  metal  elements.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  while  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  style.  The  slower  riffing  also  shows  an  influence  of  doom  metal  along  with  the  ambient  elements  also  making  a  return  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction.

  Vulpecula  played  a  musical  style  that  was  mostly  rooted  in  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  style  of  black  metal  as  well  as  mixing  in  elements  of  ambient,  doom  and  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while the  lyrics  cover  astronomy,  cosmology  and  esoterica  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vulpecula  where  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  death  metal band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fons  Immotalis"  and  "Seven  Layers  Of  Light".  8  out  of  10.

http://nuclearwarnowproductions.bandcamp.com/album/fons-immortalis   

Sequestered Doom Interview

 

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

Hello everyone and thanks for interviewing me. Sequestered Doom is just me, one - man project, music from the soul. Born as a project formally in 2007, but exists for ever as soon as I am alive.

2.Can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you have went for on the recordings so far?

It is dark, raw, spiritual music. The only style for this music is intended to be the darkness in all forms. So that is probably how the music on published records may fit into the frame of atmospheric black metal, funeral doom metal and dark ambient.

3.So far all of your music has been instrumental, are you open to using any vocals in the future?

Sequestered Doom is a solely instrumental project, and should remain so, since it is trying to bring the listeners into a meditative, dreaming state of mind and soul, to let you to dive into the world of cold and darkness, to feel the spirits all around us and inside, to return to the fundamental state of the humans nature - no words are needed for this, no language can subscribe this inner journey of each of us.

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

The meaning would be something like "isolated fate". What I am trying to say is, that each of us will make its own journey through the music, each listener will be isolated from the humanity and remain only with himself.

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

All artworks represent the nature in its dark side - gloomy forest under the snow, mountains covered with woods, fog on the river. The nature is the only source of inspiration for Sequestered Doom, as it represents our origin and the only spiritual roots on the mankind.

6.With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solos?

For this project I am doing everything on my own and this should remain unchanged, since I am trying to “leave” the real world and place myself in the spiritual world, which is linked to me through the music that I am writing. That's why I have a lot of songs written, but rarely finished and released - they all will appear at the proper time.

7.You have also worked with a good amount of record labels on your album, can you tell us a little bit more about the labels you have worked with so far?

Depressive Illusions Records (TAPE edition) is an amazing label from Ukraine doing awesome job releasing truly dark art. Black Mystic Productions (CD edition) was a really great discovery for me, to find such an interesting label from Asia releasing so many creative and awesome underground bands. Kryrart Records (Digital edition) is a label that I have founded with some supporters. It is dedicated to support the honest and dark art coming from the worldwide underground music scene, mainly focusing on black and death metal.

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

The reaction was much better that I was expecting. The first recording (Hiems Symphonia) was done in 2008, and then after the short life time self-released on MySpace, it disappeared in the abyss. I decided to release this record again officially exactly 10 years later, as a try to proof, that there are enough people around that will like to hear something without super production, without super promotion, without super well known people involved. I wanted to show, that the underground is alive, that a homemade raw, unpolished, old, one-man and totally "anti-mainstream", but honest record can gain some attention as some piece of art. And really, I was surprised, how many people have supported me, spreading, buying and commenting this work. Other 2 short records of Sequestered Doom that I published subsequently have gain same attention as the first one.  

9.Can you tell us a little bit more about the other musical projects that you are a part of?

My main topic throughout the years has been dark ambient. You can feel it in Sequestered Doom, but other projects are more into it. The Proprius Project is my one-man dark ambient project dedicated solely to the Chernobyl Disaster and the catastrophic consequences of our industrialized civilization. Alchon is a collaborative project with a friend of mine, dedicated to nature - feel the rain, the thunder, the sky above us, the wind, see the field and the grass, touch the trees... Alchon is similar to Sequestered Doom by soul, but the production is less raw, purely ambient, and contains some vocals. Kaminnuu Xpect is another dark ambient project of mine, totally abstract music, containing some symphonic / neoclassical elements. Dance of Shadows is the only from my projects that has had a live line-up, but currently restored as an international project creating epic symphonic and atmospheric black metal. Legio Sergia is a melodic death metal project dedicated more to inner feelings and personal struggles - the last album released this year is based actually on my own life story, it is about the mental self-burning. The conceptual story is happening basically in the mind of the protagonist, who meets nevertheless the personification of death in the physical world.

10.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?

I will be always creating honest and dark art, the music just as I feel it, without consideration of any industry trends.

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?

A short list would be : Pantheist, Colosseum, Katatonia, Ulver, Emperor, Dissection, Satirycon (early), Immortal, Opeth, Cynic, Jeremy Soul, If These Threes Could Talk, In Flames (early), Anathema, Cradle of Filth (early), Children of Bodom (early), Pink Floyd, Tenhi and a lot of others.

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

Stay yourself, listen to your inner spirits and save our mother nature.  

Thanks!

26.11.2020

Proprius / Sequestered Doom

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Extirpation/A Damnation's Stairway To The Altar Of Failure/Redefining Darkness Records/2020 Cassette Re-issue Review

 

  Extirpation  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  has had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  an  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  progressive  form  of  blackened  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "A  Damnation's  Stairway  to  the  Altar  Of  Failure"  which  will  be  re-issued  on  cassette  in  December,  2020  by  Redefining  Darkness  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  avant  garde  sounding  keyboard  intro  starts  off  the  album  which  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.  

  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  thrash  metal  elements.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  music  also  taking  an  old  school  style  and  making  it  sound  modern  modern  as  well  as  the  album  also  having  its  progressive  moments  and  as  the  recording  progresses  synths  also  make  a  brief  return  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  madness,  hate, paranoia  and  world  decay  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Extirpation  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  progressive  and  blackened  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Into  Disease"  "Faith  Of  The  Parasite"  and  "...to  The  Altar  Of  Failure".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/OO_dQjFZauo      

      

Sequestered Doom/Hiems Symphonia/Kryrart Records/Depressive Illusions/Black Mystic Productions/2018 Full Length Review

 

  Sequestered  Doom  are  a  solo  project  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  atmospheric  black,  funeral  doom  metal  and  dark  ambient  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2018  album  "Hiems  Symphonia"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Kryrart,  Depressive  Illusions  Records  and  Black  Mystic  Productions.

  Dark  ambient  style  synths  start  off  the  album  while  also  mixing  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs.  Elements  of  funeral  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  along  with  all  of  the  drum  beats  also  being  programmed  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  style.

  At  times  the  music  also  captures  the  more  atmospheric  side  of  black  metal  while  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  All  of  the  music  is  also  instrumental    along  with  one  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  the  whole  album  also  sticks  to  a  slower  direction.

  Sequestered  Doom  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  atmospheric  black,  funeral  doom  metal  and  dark  ambient  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own  as  well  as  keeping  everything  instrumental  while  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  Sequestered  Doom  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  atmospheric  black,  funeral  doom  metal  and  dark  ambient  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "In  The  Shade  Of  The  Great  Forest"  and  "On  The  Hills  Foldet  in  Mist".  8  out  of  10.

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The Machinist/I Am Void/2020 Full Length Review

 

  The  Machinist  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  industrial  and  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2020  album  "I  Am  Void"  which  will  be  released  in  December.

  Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  grim  sounding  spoken  word  parts  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  industrial  elements.  Synths  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  also  returning  on  the  later  songs.

  One  of the  tracks  is  also  an  instrumental  along  with  some  of  the  drum  beats  also  being  programmed  as  well  as  some  of  the  faster  riffing  also  utilizing  tremolo  picking,  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Anti  Religion  and  Darkness  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  The  Machinist  are  a  very  great sounding  mixture  of  industrial  and  blackened  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Skin  Is  Not  Enough"  "Death  Cults  Of  Abraham"  and  "Schwarzschild  Radius".  8  out  of  10.

www.facebook.com/TheMachinistUK    

 

 

Zed Destructive/Corroded By Darkness/Grimm Distribution/Wings Of Destruction/2020 CD Review

 

  Zed  Destructive  are  a  band  from  Israel  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Corroded  By  Darkness" which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Grimm  Distribution  and  Wings  Of  Destruction.

  A  very  fast  and  brutal sound  starts  off the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  also  bring  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams.  Melodies are  also added  into  some  of  the guitar  riffing  as  well  as  the  music  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  90's  influences but  keeping  it  modern  at  the  same  time.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  Some  of  the  tracks  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  classical  guitars   before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the recording  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  technical  sounding  along  with  some  of  the  songs  also  being  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  some of  the  faster  riffing  also  adding  in  some  tremolo  picking  and  the  album  also  closes  with  a  cover  of  Deicide's  "The  Truth  Above".  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  occultism,  anti  religion  and  anti  social  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Zed  Destructive  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Repulsive  Society"  "Church"  "Your  Lies"  and  "Eternal  Damnation".  8 out  of  10.

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Sibireal/Blood Color Sky/Grimm Distribution/Wings Of Destruction/2020 CD Review

 

  Sibereal  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Blood  Color  Sky" which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Grimm  Distribution  and  Wings  Of  Destruction.

  Tribal  drums  and  Slavic  folk  instruments  start  off  the  album  along  with  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts,  percussion's,  throat  singing  and  ritualistic  chants  before  adding  in  a  very  powerful  sounding  bass  guitar  which  also  takes  the  music  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  the  music  also adds  in  a  great  amount  of  thrash  metal  elements.  Vocals  are  mostly blackened  metal  screams  along  with  some  back  up  shouts  and  death  metal  growls  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  The  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  both  modern  and  old  school  influences  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  balance  between  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  One  of  the  songs  also  introduces  clean  vocals  onto  the  album  and  the  recording  closes  with  a  cover  of  Fatal  Energy's  "Paradoxes  Of  Time".  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sibereal  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  "Blood  Colr  Sky"  "The  Way  Of  The  Ego"  and  "Symbols".  8  out  of  10.

VKontakte

  

Warfect/Spectre Of Devastation/Napalm Records/2020 Full Length Review

 

  Warfect  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Spectre  Of  Devastation"  which  was  released  by  Napalm  Records.

  Melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  drum  beats  before  going  into  a  heavier  thrash  metal  direction.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  blackened  metal  screams.

  The  songs  also  take  an  80's  style  and  mixes  it  in  with  a  more  modern  sound  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  also  remain  true  to  an  old  school  style  of  extreme  metal  along  with  one  song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  as  well  as  some  songs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  back  up  shouts,  one  track  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Warfect  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  80's  thrash  metal  and  mixes  it  with  a  black  metal  vocal  approach  and  a  more  modern  day  heaviness  and  aggression  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Warfect  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  "Pestilence"  "Hail  Caesar"  and  "Witch  Burner".  8  out  of  10.

https://warfect.bandcamp.com/album/spectre-of-devastation    

Depleted/A Vintage Death/Nailbat Tapes/2020 EP Review

 

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  ep  between  U.S.A's  Depleted  and  Italy's  A  Vintage  Death  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Nailbat  Tapes  and  we  will  start  off  the  ep  with  Depleted  a  solo  project  that  plays  a  mixture  of  funeral  doom/death  metal  and  harsh  noise.

  His  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  distorted,  slow  and  heavy  funeral  doom  metal  direction  while  his  track  is  also  over  12  minutes  in  length.  When  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  along  with  the  vocals  being  deep  yet  guttural  death  metal  growls.

  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  some  grim  screams  also  being  added  into  the background  briefly  which  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  black  metal.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  harsh  noises  can  also  be  heard  at  times,  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Depleted  ate  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  funeral  doom/death  metal  and  harsh noise  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.

  Next  up is  A  Vintage  Death  who  returns  with  a  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal.

  His  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  clean  playing  and  drum  beats  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  also  introducing  death  metal  growls  into  the  music.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  some  clean  vocals  also  being  utilized  briefly  and  black  metal  screams  are  also  utilized  at  times.  

When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  brief  use  of  cries  as  well a s  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  depression  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  A  Vintage  Death  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  his  side  of  the  split.  

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal. 8  out  of  10.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Depleted/3540444169

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/A_Vintage_Death/3540448174       

Speedkiller/Midnight Vampire/Edged Circle/2020 CD Review

 

Speedkiller  are  a  band  from  Brazil  that  plays  an  old  school  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Midnight  Vampire"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Edged  Circle.

  A  very  dark  and  horror  orientated  intro  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction.  Dark  sounding  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  faster  riffing  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  and  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  80's  style  death  metal  growls  and  black metal  screams.

  The  musical  style  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  Brazilian  style  of  the  80's  and  early  90's.  while  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  old  school  style.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  thrash  metal  elements  and  all  of  the  tracks  also stick  to  a  heavier  direction.

  Speedkiller  plays  a  musical  style  that  goes back  to  the  80's  and  early  90's  styles  of  Brazilian  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  street  fights,  vampirism,  occultism,  perversion  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Speedkiller  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres, you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Night  Spell"  and  "Valley  of  Death".  8  out  of  10.

http://edgedcircleproductions.bandcamp.com/album/midnight-vampire 

www.facebook.com/speedkiller666