Thursday, March 28, 2024

Dauþuz/Uranium/Amor Fati Productions/2024 Full Length Review

 


  Germany's  Dauþuz  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a n  epic,  melodic  and  raw  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Uranium"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Amor  Fati  Productions.


  A  very  fast,  raw  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  some  growls  and  a  small  amount  of  clear  singing  while  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.


  A  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Clean  playing  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  some  atmospheric  touches  at  times.


  Choirs  can  also  be  heard  on  a  few  tracks  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  modern  and  old  school  influences  as  well a s  some  of  the  harsh  vocals  also  adding  in  a  very  melancholic  and  depressive  atmosphere  at  times.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  German  and  cover  Mining  in  the  Eastern  German  days.


  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Dauþuz  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  epic,  melodic  and  raw  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Radonquell  1666"  and  "Uranfeuer  55".  8  out  of  10.


  www.facebook.com/dauthuzBM    

Korpituli/Pohjola/Korpituli Productions/2024 Full Length Review

 


  Finland's  Korpituli  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  an  atmospheric  and  folk  influenced  form  of  atmospheric  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Pohjola"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Korpituli  Productions.


  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  synths  giving  the  songs  more  of  an  atmospheric  feeling  when  they  are  utilized  and  blast  beats  are  also  added  into  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.


  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  while  pagan  style  singing  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  When  tremolo  picking  is  added  into  the  faster  riffing  they  also  give  the  album  ore  of  a  raw  feeling  and  a  couple  of  tracks  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length.


  Throughout  the  recording  you can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  one  track  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  as  well a s  some  elements  of  folk  music  also  being  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Finnish  and  covers  the  folklore,  paganism  and  mythology  of  their  home  country.


  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Korpituli  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  folk  influenced  atmospheric  pagan  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Pohjola"  "Syytta  suotta  sariolaan"  and  "Kalliolle  kukkulalle".  8  out  of  10.


  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Korpituli

Bandcamp: https://korpituli.bandcamp.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s.korpituli/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@korpituliproductions     

I C No Interview

 

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


The idea of I C No dates back 15 years ago, I've always had the idea of creating a black metal oriented project (even if we can define ourselves as post black, I accept it very well, it's coherent). Life and work have meant that I haven't worked much on my instruments. Following covid, I threw a lot of stuff out and I started to build up my music and set up a home studio. A lot of the riff of the EP even dates from my fasttracker 2 period (the geekiest will understand...).

 The project on EP was led by me, Ksar : all instruments, compositions, mix and mastering. The vocalist is Orcus (the heretic), I think he is a very talented guy with a lot of inspiration and disruptive ideas. I was helped by Matteo Bressan for drum programming because mine was not good enough, and lyrics by Mc Grungy.



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


Like i said before, we are between black and post black metal. Lot of influences from different genres for me. I'm quite eclectic in terms of music style actually. My brother is very well versed in gangsta rap, my favorite singer is Maria Callas and I start the day with grindcore or black! I have days with goa/trance and classical music but I'm coming back to metal in all ways, all styles combined. I'm against the dripping conservatism that typically molds the black metal scene. I'm looking for atypical, unstructured music, imbued with madness. Black metal served as a crucible for me to talk about it because I really want to vomit against this world, but I'm not trying to stick to the expectations of a basic black man guy who like again and again and again (and again(!!) the same shitty post of Euronymous in Facebook. Time is coming for evolution.



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


We are exploring all the darkness in our contemporary world. I don't like modern keywords. I think that global warming, climate change, pollution, politics or social issues are the main and hot subjects that everyone must talk about. On I ferrugineo Cochlearia, we are talking about rare-earth elements that we can find in your smartphone by instance. Lyrics are absurd but powerful in this song, because the situation is totally absurd and a disaster for everyone. Empaler le maitre de la mélée is about fucking management style in our society that slave all people but with a nice talk about freedom, Bullshit ! Scrum master, agile methodology must die (if you are computer scientist you will understand), On achève bien les idoles is about a big demonstration in France in the town of Lyon where Orcus the vocalist was near to put a bomb on the head... Logghoraine is a french word game / words fusions  between Logghorée and Haine (logghorée = a lot of talks without interruption, haine = hate), it was about my ex work in private banking where I was in the deep hole of myself. Elizabeth Bathory, I think you know that girl ! All lyrics are written by the almighty Mc Grungy, yes we have a dedicated lyricist, we are proud of that. He was the singer of black / death band Rawwar a few years ago.


4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'I C No'?


The bizarre name of the project comes from the following observation. I say no to today's world, for me, for young people, for everyone, but I wanted to avoid a name like 'the suffering denial of death'. As a result, a more bizarre name came. I C No, a play wording in Franglais: I C No, i say no, i see no. It is fashionable to be in denial, but it is also necessary to act for a useful purpose. To see, to hear, to defend oneself intellectually against the current pitfalls. I'm no longer a yes man, but a no man in short. The logo is inspired by a tattoo that I share with my wife.


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


L'enfer des autres, c'est moi the EP title, is allusion of the french philosopher Sartre (https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Paul_Sartre) with his work "l'enfer c'est les autres" (hell, is others) but... he was a big jerk in my eyes, so I give him a little booger as I pass... Other people's hell is me, it's like waiting for an ill-intentioned guy (a mad guy!) on a street corner. That guy could be you tomorrow. This guy is also that guy who is taking the violent climate change on his face (losing his children on a massive fire maybe?) and hasn't done anything concrete to deal with it. He is dealing with his fate. He's angry and he wants to steal from you to survive. Sweet irony.


7.The band members live in both France and Switzerland, what impact does this have on the musical style that you play?


No impact ! I guess more our ages differences but definitively, it was a bug strength. Orcus has a lot of DSBM influence and shoegaze but also like singing in alternate way death or black metal. sometimes in pig squeel. For me, i have more experience as listener but like i say in second question i'm listen what i like, i don't wanna be close in jail for a music gender. We are mainly focus on our work to deliver the best work in fact we don't compare ourselves with french or switzerland band.


8.On the ep you also did a 'Tormentor' cover, what was the decision behind doing your own version of one of their songs?


Few reasons for choosing Tormentor ! It's really fun to play first, i also like a lot the Dissection's cover (aah Dissection, i like a lot a lot Reinkaos! Storm and Somberlain of course, but the risk on Reinkaos is enormous, i like risk). We say no, i say no..No to the story of the countess, too much dumb thing on this women, so we wanted to make this cover to think about the truth behind the myth. We don't change too much lyrics (in french, rhythmic placements are also different) but we believe, are you sure about the story, did you verify ? No, no and no !


9.The physical version was released on 'Crypt of Dr.  Gore', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?


This label can be considered as a true underground label. You can help when you have time, you can discuss, it's a very good organic entity with a good spirit. DIY of course, but friendship is the clue, music, loudy music of course ! Also very good releases, look with Gergovia, Cryptic Process, Horoh, Gummo ! Excellents releases with a powerful background in death metal, brutal death metal or grindcore. https://sites.google.com/view/cryptofdrgore/merch-distro/c-o-d-g-records?authuser=0


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


Not a lot of reactions for being honest, we don't have facebook or instagram, just streaming platforms. But for the moment we have positive returns by bandcamp, mail or reviews, some good criticism for being better musicians too. It's hard to spread his work actually but we keep the faith to say No to everyone. Let time take his time.


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


Yes! We are currently working hard on the recording of a full length album. We got a real drummer, Orcus is totally possessed with his vocals (really...) time to hear something different in black metal ? I think we are. Lyrics are just perfect with Grungy that take time to create singular texts with deep meaning. I think these lyrics are the closest to poems and slam (yes slam). Compositions are extended, coming to doom to heavy to brutal black, and running with the death part. We are proud and impatient to give this album. We thought of releasing it in the first quarter of 2025.


12.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?


For this EP, i was deeply with Deathspell Omega, Diapsiquir, Paramnesia, Reigan-Do, Elseetoss or Gorgoroth. I like to come back regularly with Deicide, i don't support the thrash style (boring to play first). I like hearing a lot of stuff even if it's not metal like I said before, it's a good source of inspiration. On the next release, there is a song with some Django Reinhard riffing look alike. I think we all precedent questions, you can see i'm really strange with that side of me. Orcus is normal ! But are we really normal ? fuck normality. No ! Again.


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



Stay curious musically or intellectually, be gentle with your nearest family, listen to death and black metal. We are in the final apocalypse on this fucking world, open your eyes to survive !

 Thanks a lot Occult Black Metal Zine for giving me the opportunity to talk.



https://icno.bandcamp.com/album/lenfer-des-autres-cest-moi

Necht Interview

 

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


We are Necht, a black metal band based in Calgary, Canada.  Our Temple is comprised of a Zenith and three Ascendants.  Our music is inspired by, and dedicated to, the memory of our most ancient ancestors, the long-forgotten civilization of the Enkari.


 


2.In May you have a new album coming out, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?


Our Meditation, “The Prophecy of Karnifor”, is musically a cross between classic, aggressive, second-wave black metal and more modern, epic black metal - with some death metal thrown in.  Perhaps a good indication would be to take Helrunar’s Grátr as a starting point and add a touch of Crescent’s Carving The Fires Of Akhet.  Our intent is to conjure both the martial reality of the Enkari’s daily existence and some of the awe-struck divinity of their belief system.


 


3.Lyrically you cover the Enkari civilization and the discoveries of Karl von Mecklenburg and the research of Birgitta Olsson, can you tell us a little bit more about the civilization of the Enkari people?


The Enkari are the most ancient culture yet discovered that can be thought of as a ‘civilization’.  Whilst initially harmonious, it descended into a state of on-going civil war between the two principal city-states of Lashmir and Ishpan, driven by a series of religious imperatives in the form of visions and prophecies.  The two sides thus became entrenched in what became known as the Ceaseless War, which mirrored the endless struggle of B’ahn, sun-god of the Lashmiri, against His Mother, the dragon Karnifor.  Both sides believed, for differing reasons, that endless war was necessary for the salvation of the world.


 


4.In the promo pics you also wear middle age style war gear, can you tell us a little bit more about the concept behind the battle gear?


On stage, we embody the Cult of B’ahn – the army of Lashmir. All that is known about the Enkari is taken from the Enkari-B’ahn Scrolls - the written records kept by the series of Qa’ars, whom were the priest-kings of the Ishpani. Whilst these are not adorned with any illustrations, it is described that the Cult of B’ahn wore black armour and kept their eyes covered at all times, and that the Zeniths moreover wore a yellow hood and carried both shield and spear that reflected the Thunder Shield and Lighting Spear of B’ahn. 


 


5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name ‘Necht’?


One of the honorifics of the Mother Dragon, Karnifor, was “Breath of the Night” – of course, it was during the night that the radiance of B’ahn was hidden from the Cult, and what the Cult ultimately feared was ‘the long night’ that would occur if ever B’ahn were defeated. For the Cult, the night was truly full of terror, so we chose Necht, which is an old Scots word meaning ‘night’, as our Zenith hails from those lands.


 


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


The artwork portrays one of the dead Qa’ars of Ishpan, mummified within the catacombs underneath the city.


 


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


Our stage performance is a Ritual.  During each Ritual, the faithful are led through a series of Sermons commemorating the history of the Enkari; and invited to join the Cult of B’ahn – or renew their commitment – by partaking in the Ritual of Ashes. 


 


Though each Ritual is to be savoured, we are particularly gratified to have played in the Wacken Metal Battle Canada Final in 2023 in Toronto.  Although this is far from our home city, we were enthusiastically welcomed and many were initiated into the Cult on that day.


 


8.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?


Yes.  We will be conducting a tour and performing Rituals at several festivals around the province of Alberta.  In 2025 we plan to take our Rituals further afield, hopefully to the US and to Europe.


 


9.Currently the band is unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?


Absolutely.  We hope to work with a label that is interested in helping us to spread the word of B’ahn to the sleeping masses, for Karnifor is coming, and our time is short…


 


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


We are pleased to see that at each live Ritual, many of the sleeping are awakened to B’ahn’s glory and choose to take part in the Ritual of Ashes!  Further afield, our mission is just getting started, but the response is currently most gratifying.


 


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


We continue to write new Sermons and are working on our second full-length Meditation already.  While we expect to continue in a similar vein to that presented on “The Prophecy of Karnifor”, as with all musical projects, we grow and evolve.  We shall see where the divine inspiration of B’ahn takes us.


 


12.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?


All members of the Temple are fans of black metal, both old and new, as well as other genres.  I have recently been enjoying Krigsrav, Blackbraid, Chapel of Disease, Weald & Woe, Decipher and many others.


 


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


Our thanks to you, Herald, for your support.  For those reading this, we encourage you to listen and learn about the Enkari.  GLORY TO THE SUN!

https://www.facebook.com/people/Necht/61550493020359/
https://www.youtube.com/@NechtBlackMetal
https://www.instagram.com/nechtblackmetal/
https://soundcloud.com/user-227088367
https://necht.bandcamp.com/album/the-prophecy-of-karnifor
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5Wb4y2UcuDY48xH8ftksFu

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Verberis/The Apophatic Wilderness/NoEvDiva/2024 Full Length Review

 


  Verberis  are  a  band  from  new  Zealand  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  an  aggressive  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "The  Apophatic  Wilderness"  which  will  be  released  on  march  29th  by  NoEvDiva.


  Dark  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  playing  a  few  seconds  later  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction.  All  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams.


  Dissonant  style  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  show  an  influence  of  doom  metal.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also be  heard  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  also  being  utilized  at  times.


  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  album,  when  tremolo  picking  is  added  into  the  faster  riffing  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling  as  well  as  some  guitar  solos  and  leads  also  being  added  towards  the  end.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  occultism,  hubris,  submission,  worship  and  ruin.  


  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Verberis  and  if  you  are  a f an  of  modern  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The Emptying  Of  God"  and  "Arteries  Unto  Ruin  II".  8  out  of  10.


  www.facebook.com/verberis 

Threnomancy/Beholden To The Nightspirit/Humanity's Plague Productions/2024 Full Length Review

 


  Threnomancy  are  a  solo  project  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  old  school  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2024  album  "Beholden  To  The  Nightspirit"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Humanity's  Plague  Productions.


  A  very  fast  and  raw  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  second  wave  tradition  era  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.


  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  a  lot  of  the  music  sounds  like  it  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  30  years  ago.   A  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  whole  ealbum  also  sticks  to  a  heavier  direction.


  Threnomancy  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw  and  old  school  in  the  90's  second  wave  Scandinavian  tradition.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  night,  nature  and  solitude  theme.


  In  my  opinion  Threnomancy  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  old  school  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  erecording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cold  Wind  Of  Solitude"  and  "Deep  Forest  Trance".  8  out  of  10.


  https://threnomancy.bandcamp.com/album/beholden-to-the-nightspirit   

Borgtårn/Sorte Makt/Humanity's Plague Productions/2024 Full Length Review

 


   Borgtårn  are  a  solo  project  from  Norway  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  lo-fi  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2024  album  "Sorte  makt"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Humanity's  Plague  Productions.


  A  synth  orientated  intro  starts  off  the  demo  which  also  introduces  grim  yet  high  pitched  sounding  black  metal  screams  onto  the  recording  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  musical  direction  which  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  and  the  music  also  captures  a  very  lo-fi  atmosphere.


  Throughout  the  demo  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  synths  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs.  most  of  the  riffing  is  also  done  on  power  chords  along  with  some  melodic  riffing  also  being  utilized  briefly  and  all  of  the  songs  also  avoid  the  use  of  any  solos  or  leads.


   Borgtårn  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw  and  lo-fi  sounding.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Norwegian  and  cover  darkness,  night  and  nature  themes.


  In  my  opinion   Borgtårn  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  lo-fi  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Skogens  Dyp"  and  "Sorte  makt".  8  out  of  10.


  https://borgtarn.bandcamp.com/album/sorte-makt