Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Ides of Gemini/Old World New Wave/Neurot/2014 CD Review


  Ides  Of  Gemini  are  a  band  from  Los  Angeles,  California  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  doom,  psychedelic  and  shoegaze  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Old  World  New  Wave"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Neurot.

    A  very  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  female  vocals  and  after  awhile  you  can  hear  a  little  bit  of  the  post  black  metal  sound  in  the  guitar  riffing  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  some  guitar  leads  that  add  more  of  a  shoegaze  feeling  to  the  bands  musical  sound.

  Most  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  slower  direction  from  beginning  to  end  of  the  recording  and  they  also  bring  in  a  couple  of  long  epic  tracks  as  well  as  the  vocals  getting  more  ethereal  as  the  album  progresses  and  some  of  the  later  songs  have  a  slight  70's  psychedelic  and  occult  rock  feeling  to  them  at  times  and  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  Ides  Of  Gemini  create  another  dark  sounding  recording  which  continues  their  melodic  and  ethereal  doom  metal  sound  while  still  having  some  black  metal,   shoegaze  and  psychedelic  elements  in  their  musical  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  esoteric  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Ides  Of  Gemini  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Black  Door"  "White  Hart"  "The  Adversary"  and  "Scimitar".  8  out  of  10.  

http://idesofgemini.blogspot.com
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http://idesofgemini.bandcamp.com

  

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Solace Of Requiem/Casting Ruin/ViciSolum Productions/2014 CD Review


  Solace  of  Requiem  are  a  band  from  Virginia  that  plays  a  very  technical  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Casting  Ruin"  which  will  be  released  on  August  29th  by  ViciSolum  Productions.

  Dark  sound  effects  which  are  also  used  on  soem  of  the  later  tracks  as  well  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  a  heavier  sound  which  utilizes  both  technical  leads  and  riffing  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  and  you  can  also  hear  some  atmospheric  styling's  in  their  musical  sound  along  with  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Some  of  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  are  very  melodic  and  progressive  sounding  while  also  having  more  of  an  extreme  metal  approach  to  them  and  after  awhile  more  melodies  are  added  into  the  guitar  riffing  and  all  of  the  songs  and  musical  instruments  on  this  recording  display  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  along  with  a  few  long  and  epic  tracks  which  also  shows  the  band  adding  in  more  modern  and  progressive  metal  elements  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  tribal  beats  which  gives  the  music  more  of  a  shamanistic  feeling  while  the  main  focus  remains  more  on  a technical  and  brutal  sound  while t he  last  track  sees  the  band  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars.

  Solace  Of  Requiem  takes  the  technical  side  of  death  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  black  metal  along  with  a  more  progressive  and  atmospheric  edge  to  create  some  very  original  sounding  music,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  scientific,  philosophical  and  alchemy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Solace  of  Requiem  are  a    very  great  sounding  technical  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Defiling  The  Spectrum"  "Song  Of  Shards"  "Heaving  Bile  And  Ash"  and  "Bio-Alchemy".  8  out  of  10.

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Deconstructing Sequence/Access Code/2014 EP Review


  Deconstructing  Sequence  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  progressive  and  avant  garde  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  ep  "Access  Code".

  Futuristic  spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  more  melodic,  progressive musical  direction  along  with  some  deep  death  metal  growls  and  industrial  style  vocals  which  lead  up  to  some  black  metal  screams  and  the  band  also  bring s in  a  good  amount  of  fast  parts  and  blast  beats.

  The  leads  and  solos  the  band  uses  are  in  a  very  progressive  and  technical  musical  direction  and  after  awhile  synths  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  which  also  gives  the  musical  a  progressive  rock  feeling  along  with  a  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  both  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  second  song  bringing  in  elements  of  modern  metal.

  Deconstructing  Sequence  creates  a  very  original  sound  with  their  musical  sound  taking  the  heaviness  of  death  and  black  metal  and  mixing  it  with  modern  metal,  progressive,  rock,  avant  garde  and  industrial  to  create  their  own  musical  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  science  fiction  and  atheism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Deconstructing  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  and  avant  garde  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "A  Habitable  World  is  Found".  8  out  of  10.    

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Friday, August 8, 2014

Ahvawe/Drink Till You Fucking Puke/2014 Demo Review


  Ahvawe  are  a  band  from  Mexico  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  speed  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2013  demo  "Drink  Till  You  Fucking  Puke".

  Spoken  word  samples start  off  the  demo  before  the  music  goes  into  more  of  an  old  school  thrash/speed  metal  direction  along  with  some  grim  black  metal  vocals  while  on  the  last  track  they  have  more  of  an  anger  punk  rock  approach which  also  take  the  music  into  a  faster  direction  along  with  the  raw  energy  of  punk  rock  and  the  music  sounds  like  it  could  of  easily  been  recorded  in  the  80's.

  All  of  the  current  trends  in  metal  are  ignored  by  the  band  which  leads  up  to  the  music  having  more  of  a  raw  approach   as  well  as  having  a  drunken  and  fun  atmosphere  and  you  can  hear  the  Motorhead  influence  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  demo  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  remain  true  to  the  80's  tradition.

  Ahwave  go  back  to  the  early  styles  of  black,  speed  and  thrash  metal  to  create  some  very  raw  and  old  school  music  that  is  full  of  energy,  the  production  sound s very  dark,  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  alcohol,  sluts  and  Satanism.

  In  my  opinion  Ahvawe  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  mixture  of  black,  speed  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Underage  Sluts".  8  out  of  10.

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Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Sathamel Interview


1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
The concept for the band emerged late 2011/early 2012 and fell dormant for a time… A full line-up was secured January 2013. The band began playing live from June 2013.
2. In November you had released a live demo, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Despite being “Live” it does not put across the live sound. Musically, it is in our opinion Death Metal with Blackened elements. The listener can make their own minds on this matter.
3. Your lyrics cover Occultism and Anti Religion topics, can you tell us a little bit more about your views on those topics?
Satanism is a widely talked about topic, especially in this genre of music. It should however be properly researched and is not a topic we “sing” about lightly. Lyrically we are based more the ideologies rather than worshipping a deity by screaming “SATAN!” Down the microphone… The “Devil”, the “idea” is within every single person, in mundane terms – we target that. You take the Christian concept of Satan and it is turned into something that is wretched, vile and widely hated, like many other things in this world. There is true beauty to be found in darkness. The opposition is what we as a band represent, even from an Atheistic point of view. We do not “fit in” such as with our image, people have their opinions… and like most things, we could care less.
4. The band was originally known as Sheol, what was the decision behind the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Sathamel'?
There are many bands - past and present running under the name Sheol, or some variant. With such overuse and the confusions between bands, it eventually came to the point where we did not want the association and needless to say the “drama” that the internet had presented us with. So we changed the name to Sathamel. Sathamel is a Demon. A protector and a Judgemental figure
5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Favourite support slots include supporting Hour of Penance on a one off date of their Regicide tour, or one of the “all-day festivals” we seem to be in a niche with at the moment. We have been a part of many fantastic line-ups. The performance itself would be considered “ritualistic” in a sense, our vocalist - Kruk emphasises this; we are developing this as time passes. We also use War paint and Blood which is a mainstay since the very beginning.
6. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We have one date in Manchester booked currently on the 4th October at the Kraak Gallery. https://www.facebook.com/events/226982244163267/?fref=ts
…And also “Gore fest” in Leeds 25th October. https://www.facebook.com/events/1469722269935778/?fref=ts
We would like to tour at some stage.
7. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
It is not something on our agenda at the moment.
8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
We stick to the live scene and within the places we play, steadily moving afar naturally. We before had some feedback from outside of the UK with Terrorizer magazine posting us as Band of The Day upon the release of our Demo. Whether these fans made the transition to the new name we are unsure. Generally at shows the response is positive. 9. Are the band members involved with any other musical projects these days?
Valdr is currently involved in two bands, far outside of black/death metal. KVN is currently session guitarist for a DSBM outfit.
10. When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We may have an EP towards the end of the year. 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?
There are many bands who influence us but we try not to make them too obvious within the music we create. Bands such as Behemoth, Diabolical, Vesania, Hate, Decapitated, Tribulation.
12. What are some of your non musical interests?
The Arts, Reading, Writing, Films, Video games… “Normal things” really.
13. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for the review previously! See you on the road! www.sathamel.bandcamp.com www.facebook.com/sathamelofficial Youtube – Sathamel

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Ram-Page/The Retribution/Metal Scrap Records/2014 Single Review


  Russia's  Ram_Page  have  return  with  a  new  single  called  "The  Retribution"  which  continues  their  blackened  thrash  sound  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  single  "The  Retribution  which  was  released  by  Metal  Scrap  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  old  school  thrash  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  and  you  can  hear  some  melody  in  the  first  song  as  well  and  after  awhile  the  music  speeds  up  a  bit  along  with  some  blast  beats  before  slowing  down  again  and  adding  in  some  melodic guitar  leads  while  also  keeping  around  the  faster  sections.

  On  the  second  track  the  music  begins  with  a  heavy  thrash  riff  that  also  has  a  technical  feeling  to  them  while  the  growls  take  the  music  into  a  heavier  death/thrash  direction  while  the  black  metal  vocals  of  the  first  track  are  also  present  on  this  song  and  the  solos  the  band  uses  are  in  the  mid  80's  extreme  metal  tradition   and  once  blast  beats  are  added  into  the  song  the  music  starts  having  a  more  brutal  feeling.

  Ram-Page  remain  true  to  their  blackened  thrash  metal  sound  on  this  single  and  these  2  songs  are  very  heavy  and  old  school  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  heavy  and  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  recording  from  Ram-Page  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  blackened  death  thrash,  you  should  check  out  this  single.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "ANgel".  8  out  of  10.

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Monday, August 4, 2014

Vorzug/I Am In Hell/Apollyon Entertainment/2014 CD Review


  Vorzug  are  a  band  from  Arizona  that  consists  of  band  members  from  a  few  legendary  death  and  black  metal  bands  from  that  state  and  play  a  mixture  of  brutal  death,  gore,  black  and  thrash  metal  with  this  project  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  single  "I  Am  In  Hell"  which  will  be  released  at  the  end  of  August  by  Apollyon  Entertainment.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  song  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  lead  which  leads  up  to  an  old  school  death  metal  direction  along  with  some  growls  and  then  the  song  starts  adding  in  more  black  metal  screams  and  melodic  riffing  while  also  keeping  around  the  death  metal  traces  and  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  track.

  With  this  track  Vorzug  display  more  of  an  old  school  death/black  metal  sound  and  I  would  like  to  hear  what  the  album  has  to  offer  once  it  is  released,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vorzug  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  single.  8  out  of  10.

Official Website: www.vorzug.net
Facebook: www.facebook.com/vorzugmetal