Preludium/Redemption/Transcending Obscurity/2013 CD Review

  Preludium  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  I  would  describe  as  being  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Redemption"  which  was  released  by  Transcending  Obscurity.

  "Soul  Torment"  which  is  also  the  first  song  on  the  album  opens  up  with  dark  sound  effects  before  adding  in  some  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  and  a  few  seconds  later  drums  kick  in  which  also  leads  to  deep  death  metal  growls  coming  into  the  music  shortly  after  that  and  a  minute  later  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song  and  you  can  also  hear  the  bass  guitars  in  certain  sections  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  black  metal  influenced  vocals.

  "Altars  Of  Redemption"  begins  with  some  fast,  heavy  and  brutal  blackened  death  metal  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  drums  before  adding  in  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  black  metal  screams  and  the  drums  also  utilize  some  blast  beats  before  alternating  between  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  song  moves  on  you  can  hear  bass  guitars  as  well  as  atmospheric  background  sounds  before  getting  heavy  again  as  well  as  mixing  melody  into  the  guitar  riffing.

  "Incarnations"  opens  up  with  heavy  and  dark  sounding  guitar  riffs  before  adding  in  drums  and  blackened  death  metal  vocals  and  then  the  music  speeds  up  along  with  some  brutal  blast  beats  as  well  as  the  guitar  riffing  utilizing  some  melody  and  then  the  song  starts  to  alternate  between  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  guitar  leads  and  towards  the  end  the  bass  guitars  start  utilizing  more  power.

  "Root  Of  Suffering"  picks  up  where  the  last  song  left  off  with  sound  effects  before  going  into  some  fast,  heavy  and  brutal  guitar  riffs  along  with  blast  beats  from  the  drums  as  well  as  mixture  of  death  and  black  metal  vocals  before  alternating  between  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  "Circle  Of  Life"  starts  off  with  heavy  guitar  riffs,  drums  and  blackened  death  metal  vocals  and  then  the  music  speeds  up  a  bit  as  well  as  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  as  well  as  alternating  between  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  "The  Seven  Gates  of  Hell"  kicks  in  with  fast  and  brutal  guitar  riffs  and  drums  before  adding  in  the  growls  and  going  for  a  more  mid  paced  direction  and  then  alternating  between  fast  and  mid  paced  parts  as  well  as  bringing  in  blast  beats  and  black  metal  screams   and  halfway  through  the  song  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  "Destiny  Of  Mortals"  hits  it  off  with  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  drums  before  adding  in  deep  growls  and  then  the  music  goes  into  a  faster  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  then  alternating  between  slow  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  adding  melody  into  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  a  small  amount  of  black  metal  screams.

  "Arena  Of  Souls"  makes  its  way  in  with  fast  and  heavy  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  blast  beats  from  the  drums  and  deep  growls  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  to  alternate  between  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  melody.

  "Hatred  Brings  Suffering"  is  introduced  with  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  a  few  seconds  alter  blackened  death  metal  vocals  make  their  way  into  the  song  and  then  the  music  goes  into  a  faster  direction  along  with  some  brutal  blast  beats  and  then  alternating  between  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  halfway  through  the  song  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  added  in  the  music  and  you  can  also  hear  bass  guitars  in  the  background.  

  "Sins  Of  Mankind"  which  is  also  the  last  song  on  the  album  begins  with  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  and  background  atmosphere  before  going  into  a  more  fast ,  brutal  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  blast  beats  from  the  drums  as  well  as  a  mixture  of  death  and  black  metal  vocals  and  after  awhile  the  music  goes  into  a  more  mid  paced  direction  and  then  speeding  up  again  towards  the  end.

  Song  lyrics  cover  morality,  determination,  and  escapes  from the  circles  of  life  and  death,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Preludium  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Soul  Torment"  "Root  Of  Suffering"  "Destiny  Of  Mortals"  and  "Sins  Of  Mankind".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

http://transcendingobscurity.bandcamp.com/album/redemption

Preludium Interview

1.Can you update us with what is going on with the band these days?Preludium (Lukasz): Hi. The band is making a steady progress these days. Last year the MCD label released our 2 albums: ‘Abomination’- consists of 4 ‘new’ compositions together with demo material coming from ‘Infernal force’ 2002. In addition to that we managed to release our full-length album ‘Impending Hostility’ for a new record label- Diabolical Conquest. After a 2 –year-break we started playing concerts. Things are getting better.
Thanks to broadening our cooperation with Mythrone Promotion, the information about releasing the new stuff and also about signing the contract with Diabolical Conquest Records appeared in the most of music website services in Poland.
We are fully satisfied with the cooperation with DC Records. Kunal every time gives us support and has confidence in us and our actions. He does his best to make our music be heard all around the world.
We are receiving from abroad the reviews of our new album and lots of inquires about interviews. In Poland, on the other hand, there are reviews of ‘Abomination’ but we are still waiting for the first opinions of our latest full length album.



2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album, and how does it differ from previous releases?

Our music can be described as brutal death metal in so called ‘US style’. In no way it can be described as highly technical or intricate, on the contrary, the music is rather simple with an emphasis placed on the climate of the whole composition.

Our music is under the influence of the newcomers who joined our band after releasing ‘Raping Mankind Disorder’ especially the appearance of Piotr as the drummer has had a significant impact on the rhythmical elements.

Trying to be uniquely original is not the main goal of our band. Each release follows a certain convention. Our main goal is to work on improving the quality of our compositions.
Our last album contains 9 entirely new compositions including one instrumental. When working on ‘Impending…’ for the first time we used seven-string guitars. What’s more we tuned them in a way to achieve ‘heavier’ effect. The compositions resemble our style, however, we add some new elements: more varied vocals and we also decided to resign from didgeridoo, which appeared both on ‘Eternal Wrath’ and ‘Raping Mankind Disorder’



3. What are some of the lyrical topics and concepts the new release explores?

The lyrics present military-related topics adequate to our music. We derive our inspirations from books and films. No preaching.



4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

The founder of the band and the inventor of the band’s name is Janek. Frankly speaking I’m not able to say what lay behind his decision to name the band-Preludium. I would say that even Janek does not know it or does not remember it, cos it was long time ago. From my point of view it’s quite original name for the group which plays such extreme music. We like it- if someone has problem with it…..I don’t care.



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

We believe that our best shows are yet to come. So far, we’ve played 2 concert tours in the south-east part of Poland. What’s more we’ve appeared on the Conquer Fest in Malbork and we’ve played in Slovakia. As I’ve already said we’ve had a 2-year- break from playing concerts. I hope that it will change because our music is simply perfect for such performance. Our gig can be compared to a war. We come in, play our death metal and we take no captives. A few days ago we learned that we will play on a two-day festival in Katowice together with such groups as Entombed, Krisiun, Kataklysm, Belphegor, DHG and lots more. Obviously, we are really excited about it. It will be a test for us and for the impact of our music.



6. Do you have any touring plans for the new releases?

Unfortunately, we don’t have any touring plans. Still, we are open to interesting offers.



7. Currently you are signed to Diabolical Conquest Records, how did you get in contact with this label, and how would you describe the support that they have given you so far?

The owner of Diabolical Conquest Zine reviewed ‘Raping…’. He took a liking to our music and that’s why we started to correspond. What’s more he offered to help us with finding a new label for our new material.
After recording ‘Impending Hostility’ Kunal informed us that he starts with his own label and that he would go to any lengths to get our signatures on the contract. The word became flesh and soon we signed the papers.
Kunal spreads propaganda about PRELUDIUM all over the world. As a result we receive lots of reviews and inquires about interviews.


8. On a worldwide level how has your music been received by brutal death/black metal fans worldwide?

Our music usually meets with a warm reception from the listeners. The reviews show us that our music is worthwhile to pay it interest. We are glad that death metal fans appreciate it.



9. What direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?

For the time being, we don’t think about composing new material, now we focus our attention on the concerts. All we can do is to assure you that we will still play insane death metal with hellish vocals.



10. Are there any side projects besides this and, or is this a full time line-up?

For the boys Preludium is a full time line-up, but not for me. I’m also involved in a post-black metal project called “Mord’a’Stigmata”. We’ve just signed a contract with Romanian Sun & Moon Records and on 11 April 2011 there will be the premiere of the second album ‘Antimatter’

Last year we played to successful concert tours all around Poland with Massemord and Infernal War. What’s more we’re composing material for the next album. Frankly speaking, I don’t know yet what will be the outcome of our work.



11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music, and also what are you listening to nowadays?

I listen to various kinds of music. Apart from metal, I love listening to electronic music, dnb, ambient, noise and film music. In my opinion, music is not the only factor which influences what we create in Preludium. Our music style is very often compared to Incantation, Morbid Angel or Immolation. Being compared to these bands is a great honour for us. Personally,
I don’t see any similarities between our music.



12. What role does Satanism, Occultism or Anti-Christianity plan your music, and how would you describe your views on these topics?

Religion is for fools. I don’t want to share with you my private views on these topics.



13. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

I love playing football and cooking.


14. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Thank you for the interview.
Zdrowie! Cheers.

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Preludium/Impending Hostillity/Diabolical Conquest Records/2010 CD Review

 Preludium are a band from Poland that plays a blackened form of death metal and this is a review of their 2010 album "Impending  Hostillity" which was released by Diabolical Conquest Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a lot of brutal blast beats, while the bass playing has a very dark tone which is mixed down low in the mix and seems to follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast death metal guitar riffs that are very black metal influenced, while the lead guitars, while the lead guitars are very chaotic and technical sounding death metal guitar solos.

Vocals are mostly deep death metal growls with some high pitched black metal screams being thrown in, while the lyrics cover blasphemy, war and desecration, as for the production it has a very heavy raw, and yet somewhat heavy production sound to it.

In my opinion Preludium are aver good blackened death metal band, and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Legacy Of Destruction" "Blessing Of War" "Death Of Campaign; and "Warfare". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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