Arroganz/Morsus/Supreme Chaos Records/2020 CD Review

  Germany's  Arroganz  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  brutal  blackened  death  metal  style  from  their  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Morsus"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Supreme  Chaos  Records.

  Stringed  instruments  and  clean  playing  start  off  the  album  along  with  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  clean  singing  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  the  music  speeds  up a   great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Vocals a re  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Electronic  music  sounds  can  also  be heard  briefly  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  melodies  at  times  as  well  as  spoken  word  parts  and  clean  singing  also  making  a  return  on  one  of  the  later  songs. 

  Pianos  and  synths  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  some  elements  of  doom  metal  also  being  added  into  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  as  well  as  the  music  also  showing  more  diversity  then  previous  releases,  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  on  the  closing  track.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Death,  Possession,  Anti  Religion,  Chaos  and  Liberation  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Arroganz  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Morsus" "Dead  Man  Gallery"  "Next  level  Stan"  and  "I  Dealt  With  The  Devil".  8  out  of  10.

 https://youtu.be/8WAFzDpm5NU

http://arroganz.info
https://www.facebook.com/arroganzgermany
https://arroganz.bandcamp.com

https://www.instagram.com/arroganz666

https://www.youtube.com/user/ARROGANZ666

    

Garth Arum/The Fireflowers Tale/Darkness Within/Darkwoods/2020 CD Review

  Garth  Arum  are  a  solo  project  from  Spain  that  plays  an  avant  garde  and  progressive  mixture  of  black  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2020  album  "The  Fireflowers  Tale"  which  will  be  released  on  August  24th  by  Darkness  Within/Darkwoods.

  Nature  sounds  start  off  the  album  while  ambient  style  soundscapes  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  most  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Operatic  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  on  one  of  the  songs  and  when  synths  are  utilized  they  also  give  the  tracks  more  of  an  atmospheric  feeling.

  Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  on  the  second  track  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  At  times  the  music  also gets  very  progressive  sounding  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  death  metal  growls  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording.

  Blackened  screams  can  also  be  heard  some  parts  of  the  music  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Elements  of  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  tracks,  clean  singing  and  whispers  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  throughout  the  album  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  The   production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dreams  and  the  deep  voyages   within.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Garth  Arum  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  avant  garde,  black  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Flowers  Of  Life"  and  "The  Gods  Are  Beholding  You".  8  out  of  10.

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Emperor Of Myself/All My Feelings Exposed/2020 Full Length Review

  Greece's  duo  Emperor  Of  Myself  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  atmospheric  mixture  of  black  and  gothic  metal  from  their  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2020  album  "All  My  Feelings  Exposed".

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  vocals  also  bring  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  music  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  gothic  metal  elements.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  Influences  of  of 90's  era  atmospheric  doom/death  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  some  touches  of  the  more  modern  post  metal  style  as  well  as  most  of  the  music  sticking  to  a  mid  tempo  direction  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  on  the  closing  track.

  On  this  recording  Emperor  of  myself  remains  true  to  the  atmospheric  mixture  of  black  and  gothic  metal  that  they  had established  on  previous  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Emperor  Of  Myself  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  black  and  gothic  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sunken  Eyes"  "All  my  Feelings  Exposed"  and  "October".8out  of  10.

https://emperorofmyself.bandcamp.com/album/all-my-feelings-exposed   

Skeleton Interview

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

S: Yeah we are a band from Austin, Tx. established in I believe 2014. We are about experience, intensity, and dystroying every other band out there. Every show is a war zone and every song is a blast from a gun. We create with honesty and intention to pummel mediocrity.

2. You have your first full length coming out, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

S: We recorded this album nearly two years ago at this point, and some of the songs were already "old" at that time. So, this album is more a glimpse of where we came from than where the band is currently at in our eyes. We've all played in a number of Punk, HC, Noise, etc. bands and draw from all those influences in our writing. Our goal has always been to try and write the hardest, darkest, and most extreme songs we could while placing a huge focus on the riff. I imagine listening through the bands catalog you might be able to see this progression. Our next LP will only continue this...

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

S: One thing I would like to make clear is that there are 0 "Satanic" lyrics in our songs. Not that I have a problem with that theme, but I am not a practicing Satanist so why would I ever sing about that? I see bands dishonestly choose that route and it is beyond embarrassing. I don't think they even realize how stupid they look... Very few bands in history ever were actually Satanic in my opinion.

I have always enjoyed songs with very few lyrics, but the couple present invoke such a concept or feeling there is no need for more. Stripping the story or point down to one powerful line and delivering it with full conviction.

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

S: There isn't much... It's not an overcomplicated name and seemed available for us to associate a sound to it. For as often as we hear, "There are so many bands called Skeleton..." we hear equally, "I can't believe no one has named their band Skeleton before...". So I don't know, I found a Texas thrash band from the 80's with the name but they only ever released a demo. Being that they are from Texas as well, I'd buy them a beer for taking the name and we would probably be friends. But, some guys in Europe I believe just started a band called Skeleton and put a record out so fuck them. It's ours.

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

S: Our friend Jeremy Cook did the artwork for the album. He is an accomplished tattoo artist in Austin, but has a unique style and process for his paintings. We did not want to go with the "typical" style cover art you see every cross-over/death metal band using these days. While they do look cool, I think they have about as much originality to them as you discover the music has when you put the record on. When you walk into your record store, you'll see our album stand out on the shelves from across the room and think, "There it is."


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

S: Any TX. band line up is going to be a good show because we absolutely have the best bands down here. Skourge, Frozen Soul, Seclusion, Iron Age, Creeping Death, Afflictive Nature, Army, Blank Hellscape, The Pose, Dress Code, and Nosferatu are just a few to mention of a long list of allies. Everyone holds their own and when we play together shows go off harder here than anywhere I've seen. Moshing, stage diving, and just a general good time with big turnouts. Also, shows are nearly always All-Ages because music is for everyone and bringing youth into this is important.

7.The new album is going to be released on '20 Buck Spin' how would you compare working with them to 'Super Secret Records'?

S: They are two completely different labels. We are very happy to have this LP come out with 20BS and they have been nothing short of amazing to work with. Being a part of a label that is more directly tied into the musical stylings we resemble makes a lot of sense as well. However, without the support that Super Secret Records showed us, it would be very conceivable that this band wouldn't still exist. We've been lucky to collaborate with such amazing people on both of those labels and we appreciate them greatly!

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

S: Well if anyone is too stuck to being affiliated or identify with one genre I don't know if they would get what we do. We would like to think there is something everyone could relate to, regardless of what genre they need to call themselves. We do not create with the intention of pleasing the listener or to fit in any genre, but rather write what we hear inside and is enjoyable to us. In general, the reviews we have seen have been overwhelmingly positive which is flattering.

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

S: Staying true and continuing our efforts of writing the most crushing riffs with the highest intensity we can.

10.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?

S: There is some very special quality or energy a band needs to possess for us to care about them that I don't know how to put into words but we are tuned into. Most bands are forgettable or mediocre at best... This quality we are honed in on can exist in any genre of music, which is maybe why people have a hard time pinning us to any singular style and why we seemingly jump from sound to sound. It's an honesty and intention that's expressed through music that I think we look for rather than a style. But if we want to talk general metal bands we like, a few of note would be: Dissection, Unleashed, Bolt Thrower, Dystopia, and Kyuss. As of late, David and I have been listening to a lot of early Dying Fetus.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

S: David is studying blacksmithing, Cody skates, and Victor likes to travel.

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

S: Thank you for the thoughtful questions and support of the album. Represses of the record have been ordered and should be available soon! At the end of the month we will be recording our next full length so keep an eye for when that comes out on 20 Buck Spin. We intend on touring Europe, Asia, and Mexico in addition to the United States as soon as possible. Much thanks to the readers, listeners, and supporters who bought the record.
See you soon,
Skeleton

https://www.facebook.com/Skeleton
http://www.skeletonatx.bandcamp.com
http://www.instagram.com/Skeletonatx

Dephosphorus/Sublimation/7 Degrees Records/Selfmadegod Records/Nerve Altar Records/2020 CD Review

  Greece's  Dephosphorus  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  their  mixture  of  black,  death  metal  and  grindcore  from  their  previous  releases  with  a  musical  style  that  they  call  'astrogrind'  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Sublimation"  which  will  be  released  in  September  as  a joint  effort  between  7  Degress,  Selfmadegod  and  Nerve  Altar  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  e-bow's  can  also  be  heard  briefly  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  grindcore  elements,  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.  Vocals  are  mostly  blackened  metal  screams  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  some  melodies.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  sci-fi  sounds  can  also  be  heard  at  times.  The  music  also  mixes  in  some  death  metal  and  post  hardcore  influences  into  the  riffing  along  with  the  guitar  leads  being  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  when  they  are  utilized  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  melody,  clean  chants  and  singing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  the  closing  track  is  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length. 

  On  this  recording  Dephosphorus  remain  true  to  the  astrogrind  style  that  they  have  established  and  previous  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  Iain  M.  Banks  sci-fi  novel  "The  Hydrogen  Sonata".

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Dephosphorus  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  death  metal  and  grindcore,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Devoured  By Aeons"  "Towards  the  Eerie  Light  Of  The  Core"  "Neural  Lace"  and  "The  Mists  Rose  Like  Departing  Dreams".  8  out  of  10.


http://www.dephosphorus.com
www.dephosphorus.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/dephosphorus
www.instagram.com/dephosphorus 

Walls Of Hate Interview

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

Walls of Hate for now is just a studio project. The idea to bring this project to life comes from last year (2019) when I realize that I have enough material to record and spread the music to the people. What I'm looking for with this band is to take out and compose all my own ideas without limits or restrictions. In my experience playing with other bands here in Honduras (such as Dragon Eyes, Necrofear, Ashes of Death) There are always different opinions and music influences in between the musicians when composing. It is obvious because each one of us are different and are influenced with different styles, genres, etc. To avoid restrictions, and to share with all of you my ideas, Walls of Hate will be the path for it.

2.So far you have released an ep, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?

I have a lot of influences and I like a lot of subgenres that metal has given us through the time. The musical idea for Walls of Hate is to always make the songs feel and sounds as dark as possible! The main genres that can be appreciated in Walls of Hate music are Black Metal, Blackened Death Metal and Death Metal. I´m always open to experiment with different sounds and styles as long as we dont
loss the essence of the original idea of the compositions, and obviously it has to sound good. For this first recording I think that I found the perfect equilibrium in between the melodies, the rhythmic riffs, background ambient, the tempo variation and the style of voices recorded.

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

In this debut EP, the lyrics are about Sci-fi, History and Antireligious. For further recordings I will be using a lot of the same topics written before and also themes such as mysticism, occultism, mythology and secrets-conspirations. These are themes that I personally like and would like to transform it in songs. At some point of the project, I would also like to write about Social problems, since my country is involved with injustice and corruption.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Walls Of Hate'?

There is not a meaning for the name of the band. I just took it because around 4 - 5 years ago I heard that phrase in the news and I like it because it sounds good to me.

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

It is a really simple cover. It was created by my brother Oscar. The cover is an alchemy symbol named Antimony and represents as an ancient symbol your interior nature, your natural origin and your wild spirit. I really like the meaning of the symbol since this work represents the ideas I have in my own to be shared with all of you. Now I have to find a way to make this symbol a part of the official logo (which needed to be worked properly in the future).

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

Yes I record and compose all the guitars and bass, and also compose and write digitally the other instruments. For the vocals of the recording, I contact Juan Ayestas from Alien Media Prods (studio were mastering, mixing, eq and all that stuff took place), a musician and friend here in Honduras to help me since I suck in doing growls and stuff related to vocals haha. And of course, I am open to having collaborations from other musicians, especially friends, as long as their collaborations and ideas match with what I am looking for..

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

I am not looking for a label. Here in Honduras, the music industry in general is very weak. I have received a couple of underground metal labels emails from Europe with their info but at this time I have not paid the proper attention to this kind of stuff.

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

It has been great. Honestly, I didn't expect that something that I compose and write in my house here in Honduras can be heard in different parts of the world, but it is happening and it feels great. The comments and reviews have been very decent. I think people like it. I hope my music reach more and more metalheads around the world, and with the help of my friend Oleks, from Grand Sounds PR (which is doing really nice work) it is possible to happen.

9.Are you currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

Yes. I love to play music and share time with my friends. I'm involved with two more bands right now, heavy metal Dragon Eyes and death metal Ashes of Death.

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

I already have the music for the full length. It will be complemented with this EP songs. The plans for the full length is to have it done and ready for the metalheads in the first couple of months of next year, 2021. Since it will be a full length, it will be released in digital and in physical ways.

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?

The main influence  of my music style is the black, death and blackened death metal genres. I catch a lot of ideas and influences by listening to bands such as Rotting Christ, Dissection, Behemoth, Maat, Diabolical, Emperor, just to mention some.

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

I would like to thank you for the interest in knowing details from my project. It was very kind of your part. Also want to thank my friend Oleks for sharing my material with you and other metal music lovers from all around the world. This will not be the first/last time you'll hear Walls of Hate around, I will be back soon with much more music!!! HAILSSS! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0NWiSGPZoE

Blackevil/Forever Baptised In Eternal Fire/Dying Victims Productions/2020 Full Length Review

  Blackevil  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Forever  Baptised  In  Eternal  Fire"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Dying  Victims  Productions.

  A  very  dark  and  ritualistic  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  brief  use  of  synths  and  spoken  word  parts  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction.  The  riffs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  thrash  metal  elements  while  the  also  add  in  melodies  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Vocals  are  done  in  mostly  and  80's  German  thrash  metal  style  while  death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times.  Elements  of  first  wave  black  metal  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  the  music  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  past  but  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  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  old  school  style.  Spoken  word  parts and  synths  also  make  a  return  in certain  sections  of  the  the  recording  as  well  as  the  faster  riffing  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking.

  Back  up  shouts  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks  as  well  some  of  the  songs  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  Gregorian  chants  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  of  songs  along  with  later  tracks  also  mixing  in  influences  of  speed  and  traditional  metal.  The  production  sounds  very professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Luciferian,  Occultism,  Purgatory  and  War  themes.


  In  my  opinion  Blackevil  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  "Satan's  Crown"  "Forever  Baptised  In  Flames"  and  "Lucifer's  Supremacy".  8  out  of  10.

"Black Fire Tornado":