Lord Interview

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

Steven Kerchner (vocals): We've been busy since recording last August integrating our current drummer Tony Petrocelly into the creative process. We've got a handful of new songs for an upcoming EP, as well as a song in the works for an upcoming 7in split with our friends in Endmaker.


2. You have a new album coming out in May, 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?


Will Rivera (guitar): We pride ourselves on never having any two of our releases sound the same or staying in one niche for too long. After having gone in a more cerebral and progressive direction on Awake, we wanted Blacklisted to be a much more visceral experience. Awake was much more of an introspective album, whereas Blacklisted moves the focus to the outside world and the music needed to reflect what we're exposed to on a daily basis. It's a much angrier and vicious release, but in the end we want to offer hope. It's easy to be the misanthropist or nihilist, but much harder to find a reason to fight through all of the filth and ugliness we see. We definitely branched out musically and anyone who has paid attention to our releases will find a red thread that connects all of our music.  In my opinion, we expanded our sound to truly represent the pedigree of the band members but still retained LORD's signature vibe.

Kerch: I think anytime LORD has a new release or begins writing new material it is drastically evolved or varied from the immediately previous effort.  In this case, Awake was an emotionally supercharged and globally conscious album, whereas Blacklisted is faster, more raw, and while still maintaining a globally conscious edge is also definitely the most pissed off ever lyrically since I joined the band.  


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


Kerch: Mile After Mile, the opening track on Blacklisted, is a song about a man named Tom Mitchell who lost his daughter to childhood cancer.  Seeing the eyes of this man fill with such passion and conviction as he continues to fight to bring more research, more funding, more awareness and more support to children with cancer and their families, convinced me this was a man that is an inspiration to the rest of us.  Rising above personal loss and dedicating his life to his foundation, Stillbrave, he has relentlessly improved innumerable  lives.  This song in particular is about one of his fund and awareness raising adventures where he, just a regular dude, trained and trained in order to run a 200 mile marathon, each mile dedicated to a different child and he's doing it again this year!



4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name LORD?


Will: When LORD began in the Spring of 2005, the name was just meant to invoke something powerful without necessarily aligning us with any belief system or sound.  I was listening to a lot of releases from the Southern Lord label at the time so it just seemed like the logical connection for the sound we were initially going for in the beginning. It's taken on many connotations over the years and we even flirted with a mantra on Chief by enforcing the idea of self revelation and belief, but ultimately it's a term of power.






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


Will: I can sum it up in 3 words: Loud, Passionate and Chaotic.  We give it all we have every time we step on stage, because for us it's more than just a rock show, it's truly a method of catharsis.  There always seems to have been a black cloud that has followed this band and the members and instead of letting it destroy us, we unleash that on stage.  For us, it's not about who is the most extreme or even being popular, it's about integrity and being as real as we can be...warts and all.

Kerch: The Stoner Hands of Doom Festival in 2011 is still by far one of the most memorable shows of my entire life.  LORD played immediately after Cough, who features a former band mate from my first band so it was great to play with them.  We got to the venue to find out our then drummer was stranded two and a half hours away and we rushed out to get him and rushed to get back, the whole time questioning if we would make it back in time.  We made it with just moments to spare and the sonic bloodletting that followed ranks in my top five most memorable shows that I've been a part of.

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


Will: As far as touring plans go, we're looking to do a few long weekend stints and plenty of regional shows throughout the VA/WV/MD area.  We're also hoping to branch out into other regions if time and finances allow.  We're doing this all on our own so it has to work for the 5 of us to take these risks financially without any label support.


7. Currently the band is signed to Heavy Hound Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?


Kerch: I was booking a weekly metal show at a local bar here in Northern Virginia with two friends of mine.  After building a supportive community and gaining a lot of interest from more bands in the area, the idea eventually was to be able to offer quality local shows with a revolving door of bands, not just the same ones again and again, and be able to offer these bands inexpensive studio access as well as inexpensive production of said recordings. I met Xeukatre this away and was pleased to be able to record them at K Hole Studios.  Shortly after launching the label the venue closed for unrelated reasons and things lost momentum, but I continued to release albums mostly from bands I'm involved in. 


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

Will: Not sure how much of a worldwide impact we've had considering no label, lack of distribution and constant setbacks with line-up changes over the years, but I'd have to say that the stoner/doom/sludge scene has always been very good to us and has welcomed us back time and time again despite internal struggles and growing pains.  We wanna make good on people who've invested in this band and be able to be proud of the music that we create without bowing to expectations.  We feel that all we need to do is keep pushing and get ourselves in front of the right audiences.

9. 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?

Kerch: Palkoski released our final album in 2016 and I have since been focused mostly on LORD.  More recently however I got more serious about a hardcore grind project called Pain Tank whose debut album will be dropping not long before LORD's Blacklisted album, and I have been playing drums again in a project called Tumba Carcomida. 

Will: Tony is the main man behind the death metal band Construct of Lethe.  I am currently working on the follow-up to the Absent Sky debut and later this year will be releasing the long awaited debut EP by my dark folk project Barren River, which features the vocal talents of Ashleigh Chevalier.


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



Will: We've already started writing new material that will be released as a 7" vinyl split w/ Endmaker from Texas and also an EP that will hopefully see a Fall release.  So far, the material seems to be a cross between the progressiveness of Awake and the aggression of the Blacklisted material.  We're firing on all cylinders right now and the writing is definitely broadening our musical scope, with us incorporating influences from outside our usual arsenal.  We experiment with our sound to keep things interesting for us.

Kerch: The upcoming EP we're currently writing has quite a bit of dual percussion between myself and Tony, so it's definitely another journey, very unlike Blacklisted or any other previous effort.  I've chosen a few topics to tackle lyrically.  One song is called “Le Fleur Du Cobalt” and is about the use of child labor in the DRC to mine cobalt and other minerals needed for Western consumption.  Another one, entitled “Scorched” is a telling of the Earth revolting against its inhabitants.



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?


Will: Not many people know this but the idea for LORD was actually conceived when most of the original lineup went to see Crowbar with Entombed and The Mighty Nimbus in February of 2005.  If you add some Celtic Frost, The Melvins and Cathedral, you have the early blueprint for LORD.  Over the years, our sound has evolved and has begun incorporating post metal, death metal, thrash and even traces of old school black metal. My current musical obsessions would have to be Inquisition, Immolation, Karyn Crisis' The Gospel of the Witches, Profanatica and Mark Lanegan.

Kerch: My approach to our 2011 album Awake was heavily influenced by old school hip hop.  Sometimes people think I'm kidding, but I'm telling the truth! There's a raw honesty in a lot of old school hip hop and music that speaks to me, that is transparent, that is honest, that grips me physically with goose bumps or an increased heart rate and this is a quality I seek out in all forms of music.  This is a quality I seek to always include in my own music.  Meaning what I say in my lyrics and being passionate about what I'm saying translates through the experience of performing the song into the listen.  When I listed to what we have created I want to enjoy it too, be proud of something. 

Todd Wuehrmann (guitar): Steve has recently turned me on to Viscera Infest. I think they might be my new favorite band. Soilent Green's Sewn Mouth Secrets in currently in my disc player. 



12. What are some of your non  musical interests?


Will: I can't really say I have any non musical interests.  Music is truly my life's passion.  The only other things that occupy that aspect of my life would be film and writing.  I'd love to write a screenplay someday as well as compile some of my writing.  We'll see I guess, but music is truly what I obsess over.

Kerch:  I need to be active creatively all the time, it's a definitely a healthy outlet for me.  I have three fully active projects right now and I'm still trying to fill my time with playing more music, I can't help myself.  I've also spent a considerable amount of time learning Eyal Yanilov's Krav Maga, at one point even training to becoming an instructor.  I absolutely love spicy food and all kinds of peppers.  I have a pepper garden that is rapidly expanding every year and growing more varieties.  I love to make different hot sauces and spicy treats from my pepper garden and share them with my friends and family.

Todd Wuehrmann (guitar):  Kayaking, hiking, weight lifting. I like to keep my blood pumping.

Chris Dugay (bass): I'm a volunteer firefighter with Citizen's Fire Company in Charles Town, WV and I love hiking civil war battlefields along with other local historic/scenic sites.


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



Will: I'd like to thank everyone who has supported us through years, all of the people who've taken a chance on booking us, and the bands that have shared a stage with us.  We're sincerely grateful to be able to continue to create our art and have anyone care about what we'd do.  This is something that we would do even if there wasn't an audience, but to have anyone else invest themselves in what we do is truly humbling.

Kerch: I am grateful to everyone who has been a part of this journey through life and the music that LORD has created.  Specifically in correlation to the Blacklisted album, I want to thank Tom Mitchell from the Stillbrave foundation for his role in inspiring and contributing vocals to the song Mile After Mile and the women, among them Amber Lyon of Reset, that inspired the lyrics for the song The Heart of a Hero.

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My Silent Wake/Invitation To Imperfection/Opa Loka/2017 Full Length Review

 My  Silent  Wake  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  started  out  playing  more  of  a  goth  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  in  the  beginning  but  evolved  into  a  more  doom  ambient  direction  on  this  recording   and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Invitation  To  Imperfection"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Opa  Loka.

  Stringed  instruments  along  with  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  both  ambient  and  experimental  beats  while  also  adding  tribal  beats  into  certain sections  of  the  recording  and  the  music  also  gets  very  ritualistic  at  times  and  the  keyboards  also  add  a  bunch  of  diversity.

  When drum  beats  are  utilized  they  give  the  songs  a  more  militant  feeling  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  goth  style  female  vocals  along  with  a  touch  of  industrial  and  a  lot  of  the  tracks  are  instrumental  and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  when  flutes  are  brought  into  the  music  they  add  in a  touch  of  folk  music  and  a  later  track  also  adds  in  male  neo  folk  style  singing  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  there  is also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  My  Silent  Wake  move  away  from  their  doom/death  beginnings  and  goes for  more  of  a  mixture  of  ambient,  experimental  and  folk  on  this  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  My  Silent  Wake  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  ambient,  experimental  and  neo  folk,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bleak  Spring"  "The  Fear"  "You  Drift  Away"  and  "Return  Of  The  Lost  At  Sea".  8  out  of  10.

www.mysilentwake.com

Lord/Blacklisted/Heavy Hound Records/2017 CD Review

  Lord  are  a  band  from  Virginia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  hardcore,  stoner,  and  sludge  metal  with  some  elements  of  prog,  punk,  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Blacklisted"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Heavy  Hound  Records.

   A  very  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  elements of  thrash  and  hardcore  punk  when  the  music  speeds  up  and  the  vocals  bring  in  a  mixture  of  clean  singing  stoner  vocals  and  death  metal  growls  and  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing and  the  solos  and  leads  bring  in  a  retro  rock  style.

  A  great  amount  of  doom  and  sludge  metal  elements  can  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  and  black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  riffs  and  leads  also  mix  in  a  decent  amount  of  progressive  elements  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  guitars  on  a  few  tracks.

  Lord  plays  a  music  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  sludge,  stoner metal  and  hardcore  while  the  punk,  prog,  thrash,  black  and  death  metal  elements  gives  the  songs  more  originality, the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  destruction  of  the  earth.

  In  my  opinion  Lord  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  stoner  and  sludge  metal  and  if you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "They  Lied"  and  "The  heart  Of  A  Hero".   8  out  of  10. 

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Gridfailure/Hostile Alchemy/2017 EP Review

  Gridfailure  are  a  musical  project  from  New  York  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a   mixture  of  experimental,  ambient,  industrial  and  dark  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2017  ep  "Hostile  Alchemy"  which  will  be  released  in  March.

  Drones  and  ambient  soundscapes  start  off  the  ep  nad the  synths  and  power  electronics  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  darker  style  and  elements  of  industrial  and  hardcore  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  very ritualistic  vibe  and  spoken  word  samples  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Traces  of  harsh  noise  are  added  into  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  some  tracks  also  bring  in  aggressive  industrial  style  vocals  while  a  couple  of  songs  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  ep  progresses  the  music  starts  getting  more  diverse  along  with  a  few  instrumentals  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  demonic  growls  and  grim  screams  which  add  in  touches  of  black  and  death  metal  and  there  is  also  session  work  from  certain  members  of  Wolvhammer,  Vastum,  the Company  Corvette,  Bellringer,  Those  Damn  Gnomes  and  Megalophobe.

  Gridfailure  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  mixture  of  experimental,  ambient,  industrial  and  dark  hardcore  from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds very  dark  and  raw  while  the  song  themes  focus  on  telepathy  and  alchemy.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another great  sounding  recording  from  Gridfailure  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  experimental,  ambient,  industrial  and  dark  hardcore,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Unvieled  Abyss'  "Mannequins"  "Scourge  Telepathy"  and  "Hostile  Alchemist".  8  out  of  10.   

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daRKRam Interview

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

This is my first dark ambient black metal project. It is since twenty years that I work in different music fields, from avanguarde jazz to rock, to musical improvisations and experimentation's, I have always loved dark, doom and black metal textures and I told myself that it would have been wonderful to realize this particular sound with my instrument, without the use of synthesizers but only trumpet and flugelhorn connected to my effects pedal board and my amplifiers. It was a wonderful and very exciting challenge.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

“Stone and Death” has a cavernous and deep sound, and it seems to me like living in an underwater and totally dark space. Then, occasionally, you bump into fantastic figures that impose themselves on the way and that way, is a musical writing that reminds the Richard Wagner or Shostakovich’s brass sections.

3.Can you tell us a little bit more about the concept that is presented on the album?

The concept of the album was born from a thought, the image of being submerged by an hallucinating catastrophe, a devastation by stones and then, being buried for a long time and after seventy years you wake up and find yourself alive with a new role, a new work, you embrace corpses keeping everything in order and clean.

4.All of the songs on the album have no vocals or traditional metal instruments, are you open to working with those features on albums?

I wanted the album to be an introspective work, a very long and suspended mood. I also wanted it to bring the listener to a subterranean dimension, almost to trance, this is why I haven’t included distracting elements. I actually wrote a text for each of the tracks that, throughout the live set, will be recorded by an actor and added to the music. The album will be published in a digital support on February 26th, 2017 and also in a numbered edition of a 66 copies media book, a kind of breviary with photographs and all texts translated in six languages including the cd, everything in a total black style. I would absolutely like to work and collaborate with black metal musicians adding other instruments to the compositions, I’m already thinking about such a collaboration.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'daRKRam'?

The ram has always been a black metal icon animal; moreover “ram” is the initial part of my name, Ramon. Dark + Ram, I think it’s a perfect pseudonym, isn’t it?

6.With this project you record everything by yourself, do you feel this adds to the creativity that is presented on the recording?

It’s since many years that I use a unique set for my instrument, meaning that I connect my trumpet to my pedal board with guitar effects and to my very powerful amplifiers. This approach brings my creativity to the maximum level and in this project I have brought it to the limit allowing myself the opportunity to explore extreme sounds and experimenting continuously. Without any brag or arrogance, I believe this is absolutely a unique project in this musical field, done from a classical instrument such as the trumpet.



7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of dark ambient and black metal?

Like in all musical genres I think that we must dare more and more, move on, open our mind and explore new ways, this is valid for everyone, both making or listening music.

8.What is going on with some of your other musical projects these days?

I’ve just published the original sound track from the film “I Cormorani” with my friend and colleague Paolo Spaccamonti, guitarist; I’m working to new material with the “3quietmen”, the trio I am playing with since twenty years and I am also playing in a duo of electronic music with an other trumpeter, Giorgio Li Calzi. Additionally I was thinking in these days, that I would like to use the same set of “Stone and Death” to arrange some of Johann Sebastian Bach’s scores, another interesting challenge!

9.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?

In the future I see myself as a musician beyond all categories, collaborating with uncommon and unique  musicians, which are abstracts and afar from rules. I see myself placing my style and my music in unusual locations, interacting with other forms of art such as cinema, dance, contemporary art.

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?

The artist that I have always been influenced by - both in music and life - is Miles Davis. Jazz in my artistic career as a musician has always been important. I have listened and listen to different genres, from rock to metal to classical music. I do really think that everything comes from classical music and I keep listening to it. Then, I love obsessive moods and extreme sounds, I very much like Burzum, Wolves in The Throne Room, Mayhem, Nortt, Ulver, Leviathan.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I love driving and high speed. I like traveling to wastelands, with few humans. I love animals, in particular dogs. I like ham and Philadelphia rolls and beer.

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

I’d like people to be more introspective and taciturn.

https://darkram.bandcamp.com/

Sleepwalker Interview

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

This is a one man project, some times I have guest musicians. Original tracks have been prepared for my other project. But in the process they sounded different and I decided to release it under Sleepwalker. Many times I think about a new project and this is time to realize all my ideas through Sleepwalker.



2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?

The sound is very cinematic, like soundtrack. But not the soundtrack to the film, as well as the soundtrack to the existence of a certain time. I am used to many different instruments brought from different places of the world. Just a lot of experimental tools that I'll do for themselves. Ritual instruments, noise/industrial tools. Many field recordings from different places around the world. And we have guitar dark ambient/drone music with spiritual and ritual vision.



3.All of your music is instrumental, are you planning on using vocals in the future?

I am working on a new full album, maybe 1-2 tracks will  have some vocals.



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

one of the most difficult, stressful periods of life I have had frequent insomnia, failures in time. I simply did not remember that it was a few days ago, or thought it was a dream or some kind of fantasy. Given the fact that I do not drink alcohol, drugs. It had been months of travel in dreams. Crazy journey. And at some moment I read the book, then looking for a filmography of the directors (i
I write music for films very often). And time after time I came across the phrase about sleepwalking, insomnia. So the idea was born.



5.Has the band done any live shows or is this strictly a studio project?

Yes, I play.but not often, because my shows have been very difficult video,light installations. I have a few shows on festivals. And we are working on European tour.



6.Recently you where a part of a split with 'Fen', what are your thoughts on the other band that had participated on the recording?

Few times we where talking with the band about ideas, sound. And decide working together, i sent to them my demo tracks, they send me. 4 moths we working on this split. Music is built in such a way that from track to track is strengthening the atmosphere,emotions. This is complex work. And Fen band very very good musicians, professional band with good future. They have unique sound.



7.The split was released on 'Ksenza Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

I know this label  from their start, I have helped  Ksenza with distribution and production of some releases. And first Sleepwalker release they do on  7”. I like this label and their idea and position.



8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of dark ambient and drone?

We have good feedback from other labels, dark ambient community, this split top seller on other labels.



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

I am working on a new album and tours. time will tell.



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?

I listen many music styles: raw black metal, doom death, classical music, dark jazz. I have a big collection. You can check it on my personal Instagram page https://instagram.com/sleepwal ker_drone



11.How would you describe your views on Occultism?

Some reviews on my music are common names like occult rock, occult ambient. Its not right, I tell about spirituality, about music like a ritual and my spiritual contact with sound and instruments, when I create this like a trance, astral journey on another side, i don’t hear around me nobody. I can sit down with my instruments in the morning and to wake up in the evening, did not understand what happened. This is not normal, but who said that all musicians are normal? Occultism it is primarily a personal experience. no one can tell you how it should be. Only give a way, like a teacher. And then it all depends on your strength and energy and power of mind.



12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Books, many many books, I have a big library, thousands books. You can check it on my page too) .Traveling and hard physical trainings. 



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

Thanx for this interview. And listen music because its journey to another realms.

https://vk.com/sleepwalkerproject

The Crawling/Anatomy Of Loss/Grindscence Records/2017 CD Review

  The  Crawling  are  a  band  from  Northern  Ireland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  with  some  black  metal  touches  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Anatomy  Of  Loss"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Grindscence  Records.

  Melodic  riffing  and  spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  album  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  presented  on  the  recording  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  along  with  a  few  black  metal  screams  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Some of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  slow  riffing  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  doom  metal  along  with  a  great  amount  of  early  90's  influences  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  tracks  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  rain  and  thunder  sounds  are  added  onto  the  last  track.

  The  Crawling  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  doom  and  death  metal  mixture  of  their  previous  release,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  loss,  regret,  and  despondency  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  The  Crawling  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  doom/death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album. RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Poison  Orange"  and  "The  Right  to  Call".  8  out  of  10.  

www.thecrawlingband.co.uk
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daRKRam/Stone And Death/Club Inferno Ent./2017 CD Review

 daRKRam  are  a  solo  project  from  Italy  that  plays  a black  metal  influenced  form  of dark  ambient  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2017  album  "Stone  And  Death"  which  will  be  released  on  February  26th  by  Club  Inferno  Ent. .

  Dark  ambient  style  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  atmospheric  synths  and  trumpets  are  also  used  as  a  lead  instrument  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  an  experimental  and  avant  garde  feeling  and  touches  of  harsh  noise  can  lsao  be  heard  at  times  along  with  a great  amount  of  black  metal  influences.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  songs  also  mix  in  influences  of  classical  music  and  all  of  the  songs  are  instrumental  and  a  great  amount  of  drone  elements  can  be  heard  throughout  the  recording  and  they  also  have  a  distorted  effect  that  is  close to  a  guitar  sound  and  the  music  also  gets  very  ritualistic  at  times.

  daRKRam  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  dark  ambient  and  mixes  it  with  neo-classical,  experimental  and  black  metal  to  create  a sound  of  his  own  while  also  keeping  everything  instrumental  and  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  daRKRam  is  a  very  great  sounding  black  metal  influenced dark  ambient  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Inner  Need"  "Reaction  To  Conflict"  "Evolution"  and  "Inner  Essence".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.facebook.com/daRKRamofficial 

Infected Fetus/I Have Spoken To God...He Has Abandoned Us/Grey Matter Productions/2016 Cassette Review

  Infected  Fetus  are  a duo  from  the  United  States  that  plays  an  experimental  mixture  of  death  industrial  and  harsh  noise  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  compilation  album  "I  Have  Spoken  To God...He  Has  Abandoned  Us"  which  was  released  on  cassette  by  Grey  Matter  Productions.

  Harsh  noises  and  power  electronics  start  off  the  cassette  along  with  some  experimental  elements  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  music  also  adds  in  touches  of  industrial  and  programmed  beats  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  some  tracks  also  add  in  field  recordings  and  drones  along  with  some  loops  and  voices  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  all  of  the  songs  sound  different  from  each  other  along  with  some  tracks  also  adding  in  a lo-fi  atmosphere.

  Infected  Fetus  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  experimental,  death  industrial  and  harsh  noise  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  and  the  production  also  sounds  very  dark,  raw  and  lo-fi.

  In  my  opinion  Infected  Fetus  are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental  mixture  of  death  industrial  and  harsh  noise  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Murder  Noise"  and  "Trails  Of  Decay".  8  out  of  10. 

https://greymatternoise.bandcamp.com/album/i-have-spoken-to-god-he-has-abandoned-us

Raven/Neoliberal Dictatorship/Grey Matter Productions/2016 EP Review

 Raven  are  a  solo  project  from  Serbia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  power  electronics  and  harsh  noise  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2016  ep  "Neoliberal  Dictatorship"  which  was  released  by  Grey  Matter  Productions.

  Harsh  power  electronics  and  brutal  noises  start  off  the  ep  along  with  a  great  amount  of  distortion  and  reverb  and  the  music  also  brings  in  the  brutality  of  noisecore  while  also  adding  in  an  avant  garde  and  experimental  approach  to  harsh  noise  along  with  one  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  tracks  are  instrumental  while  also  having  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  death  industrial.

  Raven  plays  a  style  of  harsh  noise  that  is  very  raw  and   brutal  sounding  while  also  being  all  instrumental,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  song  themes  focus  on  anarchism,  animal  liberation,  Anti  fascism,  veganism,  and  environmental  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Raven  are  a  very  great  sounding  harsh  noise  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Neoliberal  Dictatorship"  and  "Millions  Of  Dead".  8  out  of  10.  

https://www.discogs.com/ru/Raven-Neoliberal-Dictatorship/release/10368574