Lachrimatory/Transient/Solitude Productions/2015 CD Re-Issue Review

  Lachrimatory  are  a  band  from  Brazil  that  combines  the  funeral, atmospheric and  melodic  styles  of  doom/death  metal  together  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011  album  "Transient"  which  was  re-issued  by  Solitude  Productions  in  the  year  of  2015.

  A  very  dark  and  atmospheric  sounding  keyboard  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys  along  with  some  violins  and  after  awhile  clean  playing  is  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  which  leads  up  to  more  of  a  slow  and  heavy  doom  metal  direction  that  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  growls.

  All  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  some  of  the  screams  also  have  a  black  metal  feeling  to  them  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  melody  in  both  the  riffs  and  guitar  leads  along  with  some  sections  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of spoken  word  parts  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  clean  singing  can  be  heard  on  some  songs  which  all  stick  to  a  very  slow  pace  from  beginning to  end  of  the  recording.

  Lachrimatory  take  the  genre  of  funeral  doom  and  mixes  it  with  atmospheric  doom/death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  depression,  loss,  despair  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Lachrimatory  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  funeral  doom  and  atmospheric  doom/death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Twilight"  and  "Void".  8  out  of  10.

YOUTUBE SONG - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKb1LtRpSlc 

SOLITUDE BANDCAMP - https://lachrimatory1.bandcamp.com/album/transient

      

The Slow Death/Ark/Chaos Records/2015 CD Review

  The  Slow  Death  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  funeral  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Ark"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Chaos  Records.

  A  very  dark,  melodic  and  depressive  funeral  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  which  also  introduces  solos  and  leads  to  the  recording  which  also  incorporate  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  after  awhile  clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  when  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  operatic  female  vocals.

  Synths  at  times  give  the  music  a  progressive  rock  feeling  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  deep  death  metal  growls  along  with  a  small  amount  of  black  metal  screams  while  clean  singing  is  still  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  one  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  war  samples  and  at  times  there  are  also  some  male  clean  singing  vocals  being  utilized.

   Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  some  of  the  later  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  which  adds  more  of  a  progressive  feeling  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  they  also  bring  in  a  brief  ambient  instrumental  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  on  the  remaining  tracks.

  The  Slow  Death  plays  a  style  of  funeral  doom  that  is  very  dark,  melodic,  melancholic  yet  very  heavy  sounding  and  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  influences  and  a  touch  of  black  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  disease,  suffering  and  agony  themes.

  In  my  opinion  The  Slow  Death  are  a  very  great  sounding  funeral  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Chosen  Ones"  and  "Adrift".  8  out  of  10.

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OXiST Interview

.

Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?

One Eon was released in CD & digital formats just two weeks ago. So lately we have been trying to find different ways to promote the album. At the same time we are also preparing limited edition picture vinyl release of the album. Last week we received the inserts (lyric sheet & poster) for it and also approved the vinyl test prints.

After the recording & mixing sessions we have been back at the rehearsal room to prepare our future live sets. As a result of that, we already did one short weekend tour in Lithuania and Latvia in December 2014.

2.Recently you have released a new album, 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 think that One Eon is heavier, darker and more doomy than our previous album Nil. I think that this time we managed to find overall sound that is very natural 0xíst sound. This might be very much due to the fact that we did the mix by ourselves, which ruled out a lot of studio wizardry and brought the whole thing closer to how we sound live.

3.This is the first album to be released in 3 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?

We went through some lineup changes. After Nil we lost two band members and got two new members in. It took a while to write all the tracks that ended up on the album. We also left some stuff unrecorded, just like we had done with Nil. Those tracks didn’t either feel good to play, or just didn’t find their place on the album.  I think that first One Eon tracks were written and rehearsed in 2012 and we had the whole thing ready about 2 years later. We also did our first central European tour in 2013 and some touring in the northern parts of the Europe. The latest thing that happened was that Sameli, who played bass on One Eon, left 0xíst in the summer of 2014. Since then we have our original bass player Ossi back in the band.

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

Many of our lyrics are about self-study & -development. As dark as they may seem, they also reflect the joy and full enjoyment of life and about fulfilling it the way how we see fit to ourselves. Music, lyrics and life is about constant development - sometimes for good, sometimes for worse. The key is in learning, making conclusions & actions, instead of surrendering and letting yourself to become phlegmatic and ignorant to necessary change & development.

5.I know that the bands name is pronounced 'zero exist', how does it fit in with the musical style you play?

It is very powerful title, just as our music is powerful. As much as number 0 symbolize nothingness, it also symbolizes eternity and allness. Our band name describes a state in which either all or nothing exist. I see it as an inner mental state, which you either value and maintain, or let the flame die out and become nothing.

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

Lithuania has been my favorite so far, but we have had good ones in Belgium, France, Germany and Finland as well. I guess the show is good when it shows who we are musically, covers different eras of the band and gives as much enjoyment to the crowd as it gives to ourselves.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

We have been booking some European dates for spring 2015. First of all we’ll do a record release show in our hometown Riihimäki on 6th of March. In May we’ll go on the road and do couple of gigs in Poland, Romania, Slovakia & perhaps few more countries if we get lucky. We have been talking about doing another short tour in western parts of Europe later this year, or perhaps in early 2016.

8.The new album was released on Death Shrine Offerings, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

I came up with that title & idea for label through working with my death metal band Cynabare Urne. We did send out some label promos of One Eon, but at the same time we also became more and more fascinated about doing the whole thing on our own. The reality seems to be that most of the physical copies of our releases that get sold, are being sold at our shows. So why bother someone else with it, or why would anyone even want to get involved? Most of the offers that we got from labels were only for digital release. I guess that makes sense as more and more people seem to be happy with streaming music instead of purchasing it. However, this album was produced to become a vinyl album and a physical release with printed lyrics & graphics. There was no way of going around it.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to the newer music by fans of dark and  doom metal?

We are getting good reviews and feedback from all over the globe. There are people who seem to think that it is our strongest release so far, but there are also those who might have expected something different. One interesting thing is that each of One Eon tracks has been picked up by someone as their favorite tune of the album. We can see through our Bandcamp  & last fm page that there has been a peak in the streaming numbers, so I guess that people are checking the album out.

10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?

Juhani just released a new album with Apocryphal Voice. Saattue is working on finishing the third album and Cynabare Urne is working on the first release of the band. Mikael is active in a 50’ies rockabilly band Mr. Black & 5000 Cadillacs and he recently became the drummer of old Finnish thrash metal band National Napalm Syndicate.

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

I can’t see any other direction than keeping it dark and heavy. Naturally we’ll have to keep it interesting & motivating to ourselves, but right now I have no idea of what will it be exactly.

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?

That is quite a wide range. We listen to a lot of things from Pink Floyd to Bathory and from Fields of the Nephilim to Slayer. Personally, my all time favourites are Celtic Frost and Fields of the Nephilim. I will also mention Triptykon and Bethlehem, when I’m “guiding” people into the Dark Metal path that we are journeying on.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

Recently I’ve been reading about John Dee and gone through some hermetic literature. Traveling is on top of my interest list. I try to visit all sort of dark, mystical & historic places on my trips & vacations.

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

Thanks a lot for the interview. Check out our homepage www.zeroexist.net for recent news & additional info. Also have a look at www.deathshrineofferings.net

Merdarahta/As The Dark Clouds Swept Away We Could See The Sunset/2015 CD Review

  Canada's  Merdarahta  have  returned  with  a  new  album  that  continues  the  dark  ambient,  drone,  experimental,  harsh  noise,  doom  metal  and  sludge  mixture  of  previous  recordings  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  album  "As  The  Dark  Clouds  Swept  Away  We  Could  See  The  Sunset".

  Dark ambient  drones  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  voices  in  the  background  that  gives  the  music  more  of  a  ritualistic  feeling  and  after  awhile  harsh  noises  become  a  part  of  the  music  and  on  the  second  track  the  music  starts  to  get  more  heavier  with  a  sludge/doom  metal  sound  while  still  incorporating  the  experimental  elements.

  Vocals  when  they  are  added  into  the  music  are  high  pitched  screams  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  a  small  amount  of  whispers  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  of  the  other  tracks  go  for  more  of  a  drone/experimental  direction  while  some  of  the  other  songs  remain  true  to  a  sludge/doom  metal  direction  and  also  bring  in  melodic  riffing  at  times  and  the  last  track  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  singing.

  Merdarahta  creates  another  recording  that  still  has  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  while  still  also  being  very  ritualistic  and  experimental  at  the  same  time,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Merdarahta  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  dark   ambient,  drone,  experimental,  harsh  noise,  doom  metal  and  sludge,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Dark  Clouds"  and "Poverty  Will  Spread".  8  out  of  10.  

https://merdarahta.bandcamp.com/album/as-the-dark-clouds-swept-away-we-could-see-the-sunset  

Aires & Rui P. Andrade/Panico-Ambiente/Colectivo Casa Amarela/2015 Cassette Review

  Aires  &  Rui  P.  Andrade  are  2  artist's  that  have  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  continue  their  mixture  of  noise,  experimental,  drone,  ambient,  electronic  field  recordings  and  shoegaze  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  cassette  "Panico_Ambiente"  which  was  released  by  Colectivo  Casa  Amerela.

  Harsh  noises  and  power  electronics  start  off  the  cassette  and  after  awhile  the  music  gets  more  experimental  and  adds  in  soundscapes  which  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  an  atmospheric  feeling  and  both  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  after  awhile  field  recordings  are  mixed  in  with  the  harsh  noises.

  All  of  the  music  on  the  recording  is  instrumental  and  as  the  cassette  progresses  elements  of  ambient  and  shoegaze  are  added  onto  the  recording  but  done  in  more  of  a  darker  and  less  mainstream  approach  to  those  genres  and  at  times  the  music  calms  down  a  bit  while  there  still  is  a  great  amount  of  harsh  and  loud  noises  and  on  the  second  track  the  more  ambient  side  really  starts  to  show.

  Aires  &  Rui  P.  Andrade  continue  the  experimental  harsh  noise  sounds  of  previous  releases  and  also  continue  to  experimental  with  ambient  and  field  recordings  to  create  some  very  dark  music  and  the  production  also  sounds  very  dark  and  raw.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Aires  &  Rui  P.  Andrade  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  harsh  noise,  you  should  check  out  this  cassette.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Panico".  8  out  of  10.


https://casaamarela.bandcamp.com/album/p-nico-ambiente

      

OXiST/One Eon/Death Shrine Offerings/2015 CD Review

  OXiST  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  very  dark  form  of  doom/death  metal  with  some  black  metal  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "One  Eon"  which  was  released  by  Death  Shrine  Offerings.

  A  very  dark,  haunting  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  wit h more  heaviness  and  doom  metal  elements  a  few  seconds  later  and  when  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  grim  screams  that  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  black  metal  feeling  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  The  Solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  gives  the  album  more  of  a  dark,  melodic,  melancholic  and  depressive  feeling  and  the  deeper  vocals  have  more  of  a  darkened  death  metal  feeling  to  them  and  one  some  of  the  tracks  clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  as  the  album  progresses  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  singing  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow,  heavy  and  dark  musical  direction  with  no  fast  or  mid  paced  parts  ever  utilized.

  OXiST  plays  a  style  of  doom/death  metal  that  is  very  dark  and  also  adds  a  touch  of   black  metal  in  the  vocals,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  Death,  Sorrow  and  Nihilism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  OXiST  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Enshrine"  and  "No  Life  To  Bother".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIcxAIS46us

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn32XEJzYdA

Order Of Victory/Lost December/Casus Belli Musica/2014 CD Review

  Order  From  Victory  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  has  had  past  material  reviewed  before  in  the  zine  and  continues  their  mixture  of  martial  and  neo-folk  on  this  recording  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Lost  December"  which  was  released  by  Casus  Belli  Musica.

  Spoken  word  samples  start  off  the  album  and  after  a  minute  militant  drum  beats  and  neo-classical  synths  along  with  some  elements  of  dark  ambient  are  added  onto  the  recording  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  an  epic  edge  and  when  vocals  are  utilized  they  bring  in  more  of  a  neo  folk  feeling  to  the  musical  sound  on  the  recording.

  At  times  the  vocals  can  get  very  aggressive  and  a  good  portion  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  and  there  are  also  some  tracks  that  incorporate  acoustic  guitars  along  with  spoken  word  samples  making  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  violins  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  a  little  track  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  electric  guitars.

  Order  From  Victory  creates  another  album  that  continues  the  martial  neo-folk  sound  of  previous  albums  as  well  as  giving  each  track  and  epic  atmosphere,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Russian  and  cover  military  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Order  Of  Victory  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  neo-folk  and  martial,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE "Lost  December"  and  "Sorrow".  8  out  of  10.

YouTube: ORDER OF VICTORY - I Won’t Be Your Tears… [with English subtitles]  YouTube: ORDER OF VICTORY - Lost December

Galllileous/Voodoom Protonauts/Epidemie Productions/2014 CD Review

  Gallileous  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  started  out  playing  funeral  doom  metal  but  have  evolved  into  more  of  a  stoner/doom/sludge  metal  direction  over  the  years  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Voodoom  Protonauts"  which  was  released  by  Epidemie  Productions.

  Wind  and  nature  sounds  start  off  the  album  and  a  few  seconds  later  heavy  guitars  find  their  way  onto  the  recording  and  once  bass  guitars,  psychedelic  sounds  and  clean  singing  vocals  are  added onto  the  recording  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  a  stoner  doom  metal  direction  along  with  some  elements  of  70's  rock.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  organs  also  bring  in  elements  of  60's  rock  at  times  an d the  songs  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  the  only  thing  that  keeps  this  music  from  sounding  completely  retro  is  the  sludge  influence  which  makes  the  album  have  more  of  an  up  to  date  feeling  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  stick  to  more  of  a  proto  style  of  metal  and  the  whole  album  sticks  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction  from  beginning  to  end.

  Gallileous  stay  away  from  the  funeral  doom  metal  sound  of  earlier  recordings  and  plays  more  of  a  70's  style  of  doom  metal  and  psychedelic  rock  while  also  mixing  it  in  with  the  heaviness  of  sludge,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the lyrics  cover  paranormal,  metaphysics,  occult  and  mythology  themes.

In  my  opinion  Gallileous  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  psychedelic  rock,  doom  metal  and  sludge  and  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Voodoom Protonauts"  and  "Omen  Of  Death".  8  out  of  10.

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Plateau Sigma Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
-1) we ve had a wonderful minitour in the eastern Europe,together with our Great friends echo,trying to promote the new album

2.In September you had released a new album, how would you describe the musicla sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the ep you had released in 2012?
-2) The new one is more mature,gloomy,armospheric and slow,with a discrete improving on the sound i suppose

3.Your lyrics cover some rituals, ancient mythology, esoteric and science themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?
-3)the lyrics are very important For us,they have more and less the same importance of the music,we talk about dreams,rituals,erotism,science,and antique history and many of them come from unreleased romance and unreleased ideas of Manuel's poems

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Plateau Sigma'?
-4)the name plateau sigma takes origin from a benighted in sodom s name album,he was actually one of the major influences especially in the last.We love His music,and we thought it could be a very particular and evocative name
Especially in the past

5.What are some of the best show that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
-5) our stage performance is built to be simple and effective...no stage dress no make up or complexe game of lights or fireworks we just prefer to let the People be driven the music,and,of Course,we Always try to give our best in every situation and in every condition because being live and seeing How People react is Always a good to motivation to play and to improve!
The best show we did i think we did in Bucarest.Wonderful People,very good sound and a good performance

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
- 6) at the moment we are planning a pair of dates in the North of Italy

7.The new album was released on Beyond Productions, how did you get in contact with this label and also how would you describe the support they have given you so far?
-7) We ve been contacted by the Beyond s boss in the 2012 when we sent him our e p called "White wings of nightmares",then we decided to sign with them,and the support is pretty good so far,and we hope we can improve and grow in strength together

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of doom and death metal?
-8) the feedback is very good especially with our new one and especially in the East of Europe,in fact our next task Will be to take a bit of listeners even in the North,precisely in Germany and Scandinavia,countries with a Great heavy metal culture,and,of Course in Great Britain,the country where our gente is born

9.Are any of the band members also involved with any other musical project or band these days?
-9) Well Francesco,is involvedbin a post rock band called Uragano,Maurizio the bass player has an hardcore punk band called BrutessaHC,and Nino is totally involved in music with jazz and pop projects

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
-10) We ll Plan to do very good concerts to promote the new album and we ll work to brand new songs in the future...

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?
-11) Are influences come from doom to new wave,Evoken,Ahab,the british triades anathema,My dying bride,Paradise lost,fields of the nephilim,dead can dance,cocteau twins,and many Others from Death and Black metal

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
-12) We love reading,watching good Movies,visiting cultural places,making Long walking to Reach our beautiful landscapes,hills and Mountains

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
-13) Thank you For Your interview,thank you For your kindness and keep supporting extreme metal!!Cheers

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