Monday, July 13, 2015

Tengger Cavalry/Nine Treasures/Ego Fall/Mongol Metal/Mongo Metal Records/3 Way Split Review


  This  is  a  review  of  a  3  way  split  between  Inner  Mongolia,  China's  Tengger  Cavalry,  Nine  Treasures  and  Ego  Fall  called  "Mongol  Metal  which  was  released  by  a  label  that  also  shares  the  same  name  of  the  album  and  we  will  review  the  songs  from  Ego  Fall  first  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk  metal,  melodic  death  metal  and  metalcore.

  A  powerful  sounding  bass  guitar  starts  off  their  first  song  along  with  some  tribal  beats  and  melodic  yet  heavy  riffing  and  the music  also  mixes  in  folk  instruments  that  also  gives  their  song s more  of  an  ethnic  feeling  and  the  vocals  have  some  type  of  shamanistic  style  chanting  and  they  also  bring  in  black  metal  screams  and  some  of  their  songs  mix  in  growls  and  elements  of  melodic  death  metal  and  metalcore  along  with  a  touch  of  electronic  music  and  the y also  add  in  a  small  amount of  guitar  leads, spoken  word  parts  and  female  vocals,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  ethnic  themes  of  their  homeland.

  In  my  opinion  Ego  Fall are  a  very  great  sounding  folk  metal  band  with  elements  of  black,  melodic  death  metal  and  metalcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band  and  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Wind the  Horn"  and  "The  Legend".

  Next  up  is  Tengger  Cavalry  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk  and   melodic  death  metal.

  Acoustic  guitars  and  ethnic  instruments  start  off  their  first  song  along  with  some  folk  music  elements  and  heavy  guitars  as  well  as  some  black  metal  screams  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  elements  of  melodic  death  and  modern  metal  at  times  as  well  as  balancing  out  both  the  folk  and  heavy  parts  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody,  talent  and  skill,  the  production  sounds  very professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Tengrism,  Shamanism  and  Mythology.

  In  my  opinion  Tengger  Cavalry  are  a  very  great  sounding  folk  metal  band  with  a  touch  of  black  and  melodic  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "War  Horse"  and  "Legend  of  Horseback".

  Next  up  is  Nine  Treasures  a  band  that  plays  folk  metal.

  Bass  guitars  start  off  the  first  song  along  with  some  drums  and  a  few  seconds  alter  the  music  starts  to  get  heavier  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  the  vocals  they  use  are  in  more  of  a  folk  metal  direction  and  they  also  mix  in  acoustic  guitars  and  folk  instruments  in  with  the  heavy  parts,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Mongolian  Folklore.

  In  my  opinion  Nine  Treasures  are  a  very  great  sounding  folk  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fable  of  Mangas"  and  "Sonsii".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  folk  metal.  8  out  of  10.    

www.facebook.com/egofallband

www.facebook.com/tengger0cavalry

www.facebook.com/ninetreasuresofficial

     

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Take Over And Destroy/Vacant Face/Pulverised Records/Comfort Point/2015 CD Review


  Take  Over  And  Destroy  are  a  band  from  Arizona  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  blackened  form  of  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Vacant  Face"  which  will  be  released  in August  as  a  joint  effort  between  Pulverised  Records  and  Comfort  Point.

  Static  and  psychedelic sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars  and  a  few  seconds  alter  melodic  guitar  leads  start  becoming  a  huge  part  of  the  recording  along  with  the  music  getting  heavier  and  adding  in  aggressive  screams  and  growls  and  the  vocals  also  bring  in  elements  of  hardcore  at  times.

  Clean  singing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections of  the recording  and  they  also  mix  the  atmospheric  and  heavy  parts  together  and  at  times  the  music  speeds  up  a  bit  and  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some songs  also  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  there  are  also  a  couple  of  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  more  elements  of  70's  rock  are  added  into  the  music.

  Take  Over  And Destroy  plays  a  musical  style  on  this recording  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  black  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  sludge  and  elements  of  70's  psychedelic  rock  and  horror soundtracks  to  create  some  very original  sounding  music,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover horror,  power  and  chaos  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Take  Over  And  Destroy  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  and  sludge  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Summer  Isle"  "Terminal  Burrowing"  "Where  Seasons  Lay"  and  "Attrition".  8  out  of  10.  

Bandcamp
Blogspot
Facebook
Myspace
Official site @ archive.org
Spotify
  

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

As Light Dies Interview


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

Many things. This EP was recorded back in 2006 two months after we recorded our first album “A step through the reflection”. The band released 2 albums from then till now. The last one is “TLA vol.1”.

2.You have a new ep coming out at the end of June, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

I assume that you consider that we have recorded this stuff recently, but GEA is old stuff. The other track is one song included in the tribute to Enslaved in which we participate in 2012. Many things changed because the band was another people.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?

This lyrical concept was about the negative influence of mankind over the nature in terms of contamination and in terms of spirituality.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'As Light Dies'?

The meaning is about that all the magic use to happen when the light starts to fade away.

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

It is really difficult to choose our best show. All the members have different opinions about it. Some shows were special because we played fine, others because the energy of the public, another ones because we did had a good time in the travel, or maybe because we played in a very special show. Our performances are really distant and cold. We use video projections to introduce the song, and also we have some other macabre and highly extreme projections while we are playing the songs.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new ep is released?

We decided to stop playing because we didn’t have good proposals.

7.On the new ep you had done an Enslaved cover, what was the decision behind doing your own version of one of their songs?

Because Pictonian records offered us to participate in the tribute “Ond: A tribute” released back in 2012. We covered the song we wanted to do.

8.The ep is going to be released on Brutal Arratia Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Well, it is a recently created label which makes small editions of weird unreleased stuff. GEA EP was never released in 2006, so they offered us to release it now in 2015.They are really young people, they are small yet but they work fine.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of underground metal?

The reviews are good, but we didn’t noticed any change to our band during these two last years of releases. Maybe we are in the surfeit era, then it is really difficult to stand out over the others.

10.Are any of the band members also involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

Yes. I (Oscar)’m involved in Garth Arum, Aegri Somnia, Alien Syndrome 777 and other stuff.
Strudle and Maqueda are involved in classic music performance, and Pablo is playing in a surf rock band named Surflamingo.

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

I don’t really want to know. Maybe my vision is not really optimistic.

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Well, we always like the weird and dark stuff of all ages. Starting with Gesualdo, having in the way Mike Oldfield, and finishing in the most experimental music inside and outside of metal nowadays.

13.What are some of your non-musical interests?

We all really like cinema. Anyone has different opinions about it. Some we like more the auteur cinema, and others gore, B movies and similar. Also I am on writing and Strudle is on painting.

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We want to thank you very much for this interview. If anybody is interested in our music please check http://aslightdies.bandcamp.com

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Psychophobia/The Fall/Metal Scrap Records/2015 EP Review


  Psychophobia  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "The  Fall"  which  was  released  by  Metal  Scrap  Records.

  Classical  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  ep  and  a  few  seconds  alter  the  music  starts  going into  more  of  a  heavy  and  melodic  musical  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  black  metal  screams  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  very  heavily  rooted  in  melodic  death  metal  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  traditional  metal  feeling  at  times  and  in  some  of  the  parts  the  band  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  thrash  and  modern  metal  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  Swedish  influences  and  there  are  also some  death  metal  growls being  utilized  at  times  along  with  a  brief  use  of  melodic  screams  and  spoken  word  parts.

  Psychophobia  plays  a  very  heavy  and  melodic  musical  style  that  mixes  death  and  black  metal  together  as  well  as  having  a  good  mixture  of  both  modern  and  old  school  influences, the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Anti  Priest  and  Humanity  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Psychophobia  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK "The  Fall".  8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp
Facebook
Homepage
Myspace
YouTube

         

    

 

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Maze Interview


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



Welcome. MAZE is a continuation of our road on the underground metal scene, that we walk for over a decade. MAZE is a musical journey through the forgotten paths of old-fashioned sounds. MAZE is an nostalgia for the old scene. Currently, the band it's me and M.Mist. I play the guitar, M.Mist is a vocalist and bassist. Other musicians participated in the recording session only. They are: S.Goat and D.Morph. They play or played in other bands.



2. So far you have released a demo and finished recording a full length, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on those recordings?



The material contains a lot of elements characteristic of heavy metal music, presented by us in a more aggressive form. The material is full of characteristic melodies known thanks for recordings of Swedish and Greek bands from the nineties. When we created sounds we focused on the atmosphere of individual tracks. We wanted to have something distinctive and worth remembering in every song.



3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?



Try interprete the lyrics and try to get the essence of things yourself. Each interpretation will be good, because your own. Maybe you'll find appeal to the paintings, movies, literature? But remember: "Something stirs in the cosmic mist, Something wakes in a swirling black, Something wanders, moves and twists, breaking through the gloomy clouds".



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



First of all, our name could not restrict us musically. Second, it was supposed to be a little mysterious and not very obvious. Third, was supposed to be a short and easy to remember. That's all.



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



Few years ago we played live under a different name. So far, we have been focused on making music and recording the full-length album. We haven't any live shows plans yet.



6. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?



Currently we finished recording full-length album. Live performance is a good form of promotion, so probably we will promote our band by playing live. We have some interesting ideas, but it's too early to talk about them.



7. In the email you said you where looking for a label, what kind of label do you fell would be a perfect fit for the band?



I believe, that every band being in our place, try to reach with their music to as many listeners. Every band depends on loyal audience. Only involved record label, who believes in the potential of the band, is able to help us in this matter. We are looking for a label, who believes in our capabilities.



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



We have just started the promotion of the band. We provide whole demo for download, we prepare the packages with our materials for dispatch. Consequently, it's too early to say anything more about it. Time will tell.



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



MAZE is a band, which is a part of underground metal scene and so will be. Maybe in the future our name will be more recognizable in the underground. Although we don't care about this so much.  We will continue create our sound and realize our musical visions. First of all, we care about music development of the band.



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?



Although our music refers to the metal scene of the eighties and nineties, a large part of the material was created very spontaneously. We play music for many years. We know, how and what we want to play. Our music isn't accidental. We love good music, all genre. Primarily old metal tunes, but also hard rock from seventies... mostly old sounds.



11. What are some of your non musical interests?



First of all, we are fans of the music. Music fills most of our free time. Creating and playing our tunes is fascinating, as listening the tunes of our favorite bands. We collect rare LPs, CDs, MCs... we buy a lot of them. We participate in gigs, festivals and other musical events. I know, that M.Mist, reads much books and he loves mountain climbing... You'd have to ask him.



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



Thank you for this interview and the interest in our music. Of course, thank those who will read this interview. I greet you and all readers of your blog. Support MAZE and check our tunes:

https://soundcloud.com/thebandmaze

www.facebook.com/thebandmaze

http://thebandmaze.wix.com/maze

Friday, July 3, 2015

Palinopsia/Murmurs From The Well Nothing More/2015 EP Review


  Palinopsia  are  a  band  from Vermont  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  doom/sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  ep  "Murmurs  From  The Well Nothing  More".

  Distorted  reverb's  start  off the  ep  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  and  melodic  sludge  metal  direction  and  a  few  seconds  alter  growls  and  black  metal  screams  are  added  into  the  music  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  elements  of  doom  metal  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  at  times  the  music  speeds  up  a  bit  and  adds  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when   solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  give  the  music  more  of  a  southern  and  stoner  metal  feeling  and  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording and  some  of  the  riffs  have  almost  a  70's  vibe  at  times  while  the  music  is  still  very  modern  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  on  one  of  the  tracks.

  Palinopsia  plays  a  music  style  that  is  mostly  in  a  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  direction  and  mixes  it  in  with  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  elements  to  create  a  very  heavy  sounding  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Palinopsia  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  sludge/doom  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Three Sisters"  and  "Celestial  Rift".  8  out  of  10. 

Bandcamp
Facebook

 

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Abaton Interview


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

Abaton born in 2009 as a mate's band that spent time in rehearsal-room to create something together. After finding a good balance in 2011, was released the first full length album "Hecate". In 2015, after having closed friendship with Viscera///, we decided to record this collaboration, two tracks with mixed line up.


2.So far you have released a full length and a split ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?


Whereas the band is constantly in evolution, it's hard to characterize a specific musical style. The constant aim is to engage the listeners in landscapes that bring them to the emotions we had feel in the writings time.

Differences between Diade(ms) and Hecate is obvious, becouse they were composed and recorded by different people and inspirations.


3.The band has been around since 2009 but so far has only put out 2 releases, can you tell us a little bit more the gap in between recordings?


We had to change line up and we had internal path which made the process of writing new material more difficult. Besides we try to make for us every detail perfect of each song and concept. So the writing process take a long time from the draft to the complete project.


4.On the ep you had team up with Viscera////, how would you compare their own musical style to yours?


Our musical genres, although slightly similar, they definitely have different sounds and rhythms. Indeed, what bonded us it was not the likeness of musical style but the real interpersonal connections. For these reasons we decided to make a real collaboration, not a simple split album.


5.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?


The lyrics are music's extensions. it describe the landscape created from the music and vice versa. Hecate's album theme was the evolution through the suffering, Diade(ms) and our currently theme has been talking about the concept of the evolution through the knowledge, transcending the suffering.


6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Abaton'?


The fundamental value that binds Abaton is a shared passion by the members of the band, what we are able to create together and all the experiences that we live together. Abaton is a greek word, which literally means inaccessible, more detail, however, is a sacred place, inside a sacred place. A room of a subterranean temple, accessible only by those who have taken a spiritual journey.

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


The last gig was at Santa Maria Summer Fest, in Beja - Portugal (we take this opportunity also to thank all the staff) it was really amazing.

To name others concerts, various dates of tours, Pilsen in Czech Republic in 2014, Macigni Fest in Milan in 2014.

Our stage performance tries to be a visual as well as emotional involvement, through the use of specific lights.


8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?


Sure, we are planning a European tour (Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Czech Rep) at the end of October, as well as other Italian dates for the promotion of Diade(ms), where we will be on the stage with Viscera///.


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


For now, they have always been positive, in some cases more than others.

We hope to continue to be like that. People appreciate us especially on the stage and it's something that makes us very proud.


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


We will release the next full leght album "We are certainly not made of flesh" in October (in which there will be a guest vocal by Sean Worrel from Nero di Marte, who we thank heartfully) and, for the future, we're already at work for the concept of the next full, we hope to do collaborations with other bands, such as this one.

It 'hard to predict which style we will hit for the next compositions, the new album is much atmospheric and liquid, compared to Hecate, which was very visceral and scratchy.


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?


Everyone of us listen to different genres, from hardcore to punk, from doom to sludge. It's difficult to name bands that particularly affect the way we compose music.


12.What are some of your non musical interests?


We like every forms of art, paintings, tattoos, nature ... and having fun together and meet new crazy people.


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


We would thanks those who will read this interview, Viscera///, all the labels involved in releasing Diade(ms), Maicol from Soundscape Studio, all the amazing bands that we have known and created great friendship and all the people those who follow us.

Bandcamp
Facebook
Myspace
ReverbNation