Briqueville/II/Pelagic Records/2017 CD Review

  Briqueville  are  a  band  from  Belgium  that  plays  a  mixture  of  post  metal,  drone,  and  field  recordings  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "II"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Pelagic  Records.

  Heavy  sludge  metal  style  riffing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  distorted  amp  noises  while t he  drums  also  get  very  aggressive  at  times  along  with  the  music  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  drone  and  field  recording  elements,  folk  instruments  can also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  All  of  the  tracks are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  post  metal  style  along  with  most  of  the  songs  being  instrumental  and  mixing  in  an  improv  feeling  as  well  as  mixing  in  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal,  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful sound  to  them  while  spoken  word  parts  along  with  angry  are  also  used  briefly,  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  psychedelic  elements  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction.

  Briqueville  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  post,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  with  drone,  field  recordings  and  experimental  elements  to  create  something  very  original  while  keeping  most  of  the  material  instrumental  and  the  production  sounds  very  professional.

  In  my  opinion  Briqueville  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  post  metal,  drone  and  field  recordings  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "II".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.briqueville.com http://www.facebook.com/briqueville

 



  

Svartsinn Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the musical project these days?

- I have just recently put the finishing touches on my new album "Mørkets Variabler" and got the masters back from the label. Sounds pretty good and I'm really stoked about this one. Curious to see how it will be received, being very pleased with it myself. Other than that there are some ideas and thoughts about a few other releases, collaborations etc. Some concerts are also being planned in addition to the announced ones. I can also mention that I have an idea for a new musical project, but it is in the very early stages so more on that later.


2.How would you describe the musical sound of your more recent music?

- Still dark and obscure ambient. The biggest difference on my more recent music is the use of cello and perhaps slightly more melodic. In addition to that I have spent more time on sound quality/production. I have become picky about more or less everything, but in the end it is the
overall atmosphere that counts.


3.What are some of the images and atmospheres you feel you capture with your music?

- Darkness in all its forms and variations. Coming from personal experiences, people close to me or specific cases etc that has had an impact on me.


4.With this project you record everything by yourself but have had experience playing in other bands, how would you compare the 2?

- When we started the band (Vandød) I din't know anything about playing instruments in that way, I had just used a bit of guitar and bass to make sounds for Svartsinn. So I had to start from scratch, just playing tabs that our vocalist wrote down for me. I didn't really have the patience to sit down and
really get into it and didn't go as far as coming up with my own bass lines or anything. As the band became more tight and skilled, felt I was holding them back.  So all in all, I realised I'm not a band kind of guy and feel more confident doing the thing the way I do in Svartsinn. But I learned a lot from it and took it with me for later use.


5.On the compilation you had also done a few collaborations, can you tell us a little bit more about the artists and musicians you worked with on these songs?

- Well to start off I can mention Northaunt, Herleif is my mentor so to speak. After discovering dark ambient being a genre and knowing deep down that this was what I wanted to do,  it was he who taught me how to use the tools, showed me the path. The others are people I got the privilege to befriend via the music/scene over the years, all whom I appreciate very much. And I am far from being done collaborating, no doubt...it is quite rewarding.


6.Currently you are signed to 'Cyclic Law', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

- After releasing my debut on Eibon Records in early 2002, Cyclic Law has been the main label for Svartsinn. I have known Frederic since before he started the label, we had contact via the old version of mp3.com. We both had our musical projects featured there and had the same taste in music. So when he started Cyclic Law  it felt very natural for me to join there. Cyclic Law quickly became known with excellent releases from the beginning and with unique cd design/packaging.
And today they are one of the most respected labels in the scene.


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

- Quite overwhelmingly good I must say. It still surprises me how many new followers I get, even when not making any new music for a few years. The interest
and thirst for both old and new Svartsinn music has also been quite an inspiration.


8.Are you still involved with any black metal projects these days?

- No, just dark ambient. Vand┐d was laid to rest after finally getting our music released. But I have been asked by some metal bands to collaborate in various ways, time and certain other factors will tell what I will participate on.


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

- I must really admit that my instrumental skills limits my musical endeavours, but I do plan to learn something new in the near future. Or at least try to. Especially for my new project which was briefly mentioned above. What I cannot learn myself, I will exploit the fact that I know many people who play various instruments on a level that I  cannot even dream of reaching - which is definitely needed for what I have in mind.


10.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?

- I guess I could name handfuls of artists/bands that in some way have been or still is influencial to me in some way. But I honestly try to avoid taking direct inspiration
from a certain artist/band/album. But I know that when the time comes for me to sit down in my little studio, when everything has come together and turns into a song I  am pleased with - a lot of what I have heard since I was a young man up until the day I sat down making that song could have sneaked its way into that song or album.   I just like to think that the way I make my music, my way of
choosing sound sources, my way of tweaking raw material and the way I hunt for that certain atmosphere - is somehow unique. Like many other dark ambient artists also do I suspect. But when it comes to what I listen to, I can say that a lot of different styles have founds its way into my ever growing collection. Apart from being an old school metalhead (thrash, death, doom, black) and the obvious taste for dark ambient I can mention some bands being played the recent weeks: Bohren & Der Club Of Gore,  Chelsea Wolfe, Mark Lanegan, The Devil And The Universe, Wardruna, Heilung, Pallbearer, Schammasch, Horrendous, Tchornobog, Rafael Anton Irisarri, Madrugada/Sivert H°yem, Genesis, David Bowie, Urfaust, S≤lstafir, Gong, Portrait and Ruphus.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

- The outdoors, hiking, fishing, enjoying nature, cooking, my cabin in the mountains. Other than that I enjoy reading and watching movies/series. Mostly in the gloomy / sci-fi / dark categories.


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

 - Just wanna say thanks for taking an interest in Svartsinn!

https://svartsinn.bandcamp.com/

Sektarism 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?

Armrek: We are working on the next album, music is already recorded and artwork is almost done. The next ceremony will be located in French Pyrenees mountains, September 29th, it will be a very special fest with entities like Stile Volk, Ingrid Obled, Gouffre, Carne, to name a few...

2.Recently you have released a new alum, 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?

« La Mort de l'Infidèle » keep the ritualistic basis of Sektarism, working on trance and devotion, it is Holy Ritual Doom. On this album the sound is far more powerful, the work was done at the Drudenhaus studio, and even if we recorded live as we do on all previous Sektarism's offerings, the great technical abilities of Xort and it's artistic comprehension of what we want at the moment make it clearly effective.

3.All of the other band members also play in black and death metal bands but with this project you go into more of a funeral doom metal direction, how would you compare the 3 different styles?

With Sektarism, we do not do typical doom metal as it is commonly understood, nor funeral doom as the music itself consists on a ritual, even if we play heavy parts, of course.
Someone could say: « why not to play all those styles in only one band as Malhkebre evolve on a close spiritual path? ». To give a simple answer, the interior energy and the imagination necessary to give birth of these creations is not the same at all, and Sektarism, Malhkebre, Malekhamoves are emanations of our multifaceted art.

4.What is the form of Satanism that you bring into the lyrical topics of the albums?

It is about the revelation, the madness brought to Man when this one is close to the breath of the Almighty. It is clearly a sinister and negative form of satanism, and the goal is to reach a level of clear-sightedness, an ecstatic elevation from the abyss... Sektarism is at the same time the depraved man walking on the faustian path and the ascetic religious man crushed by the merciless glory of God.

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

We took a simple and evocative term, Sektarism is the modus operandi we choose to express our visions. Anyone who saw us on stage can understand it, we are a sect with it's apostles and with it's disciples. May the Lord bless us...

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

It is a hard question, I am not the right person to describe the result I provoke myself. One of the best performance we done is certainly the last one on Le Rex, Toulouse because of the great venue, the impressive sound and the good amount of spectators. Les Voûtes, Paris was a particular ritual because of the intense devotion from both the band and the audience.


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

In fact we are discussing with several individuals/bands about a tour, if you read this and want to do something with Sektarism, feel free to contact us.

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

Extreme. It is notable that people hate us or love us, which is fine, as Sektarism is not following an easy and common path. Temperance, moderation are are not fitting words to describe our quest, so it is logical that some reviews are awful, ahah! Most important is to see some novices staring wide-eyed after a gig, showing that we are not preaching in the desert...

9.Are you happy with the support 'Necrocosm' has given you so far?

E. Berzerk, the vocalist, is running Necrocosm with the precious help of the disciples of Sektarism N. Kapalika and Vikarious H., so yes we are working like a family. By the way, Sektarism is released by Zanjeer Zani Productions, a sub-division of Necrocosm (the distributor) focusing on doom and related experimental music.

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

Sincerely, I don't know. Maybe we will explore deeply the ritual/ambient/noise path, maybe we will reinforce the metal side, time will tell...

11.What are some of the musical influences you bring into this band that you are not able to do with your other groups?

Hard to say, all of the band members listen to a lot of different music, from Deathspell Omega to Diamanda Gallas, from Genocide Organ to Reverend Bizarre, from Aluk Todolo to Arabrot... Surely, noise/power electronics has an impact equal to doom for me, at least on stage.

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

Thank you a lot for your interest on Sektarism! AMSG!

Bandcamp

Facebook

Myspace

Official website

Postcards From Arkham/Manta/Metal Gate Records/2017 CD Review

  Postcards  from  Arkham  are  a  band  from  the  Czech  Republic  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  post  rock  and  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2017  album  "Manta"  which  was  released  by  Metal  Gate  Records.

 Tribal  style  beats  and  world  music  elements  start  off  the  album  before adding  in  more  of  a  post  rock  style  along  with  some  whispers  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  black  metal  screams  are  also  used  briefly  and  some  parts  also  add  in  touches  of  ambient  and  electronic  music.

  When  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  while  the  songs  also  bring in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  elements  of  shoegaze  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  tracks  also bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts,  some  of  the  tracks  are  instrumental  while  synths  are  also  utilized  more  as  the  album  progresses  and  a  couple  of  the  songs  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  death  metal  growls  are  added  onto  the  closing  track.

  On  this  recording  Postcards  of  Arkham  expand  on  their  post  metal  style  adding  in  some  touches  of  ambient  and  world  music  along  with  a  slight  black  metal  influence,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  based  upon  the  writings  of  H.P  Lovecraft.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Postcards  Of  Arkham  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  post  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Kvlt  Ov  Dream"  "Symmetric  Kakophony"  "Dunwich  Shaman"  and  "Her  Cosmic  Song".  8 out  of  10.

https://postcardsfromarkham.bandcamp.com/

Devth Of The Sunn/Kvpsvm Vlcere Odervm Cilest/2017 Demo Review

  Devth  Of  The  Sunn  are  a  duo  from  Brazil  that  plays  a  dark  and  ritualistic  mixture  of  drone  sludge,  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  demo  "Kvpsvm  Vlcere  Odervm Cilest".

  Distorted  sounding  drones  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  a  few  seconds  later  that also  add  in  touches  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  after  a  few  minutes  grim  black  metal  screams  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  most  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,

   As  the  demo  progresses  the  music  gets  more  ritualistic  and  spoken  word  parts  are  also  utilized  at  times  while  elements  of  experimental  and  ambient  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  very  slow  yet  dark  musical  direction.

  Devth  Of  The  Sunn plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  drone,  ritualistic  music  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  and  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  lo-fi.

  In  my  opinion  Devth  Of  The  Sunn are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  drone, ritual  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Vrks  II - Vpep  Eclipsis".  8  out  of  10.

  https://devthofthesunn.bandcamp.com/album/kvpsvm-vlc-r-d-rvm-cil-st-demo 

Gridfailure/I Shall Not Survive Another Winter/2017 Full Length Review

  New  York's  solo  project Gridfailure  have  returned  with  a  new  recording which  shows  the  musical  direction  going  into  a  post  apocalyptic  mixture  of  dark  ambient,  hardcore,  world  music  and  jazz  and  this  is  a  review  of his  self  released  2017  album  "I  Will  Not  Survive  Another  Winter"  which  will  be  released  in September.

  Field  Recordings  and  elements  of  avant  garde  noise  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  dark  soundscapes  and  when  percussion  is  utilized  it  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  tribal  and  world  music  feeling  and  the  music  also  gets  very  harsh  at  times  and  some  of t he  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Elements  of  industrial  and  dark  ambient  can  also  be  heard  at   times  while  all  of  the  tracks  sound  different  from  each  other  along  with  some  real  drums  also  being  utilized  briefly  and  as  the  album  progresses  guitars,  bass,  piano,  keyboards,  analog  synth,  harmonicas  and  theremin's  can  be  heard  in  certain sections  of  the  recording as  well  as  some  touches  of jazz  music  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  noisecore  style  screams  and  clean  singing.

  On  this  recording  Gridfailure  keeps  a  very experimental  and  dark  ambient  style  while  also  adding  in  elements  of  world  music,  jazz  and  hardcore  to   create  something  very  different  and  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Gridfailure  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  experimental  and  dark  ambient,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sew  Nothing,  Reap  Nothingness"  "Hari  Kari  Superstars"  and  "No  Longer  Communicable".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.facebook.com/gridfailure

http://www.gridfailure.bandcamp.com

https://twitter.com/GRIDFAILURE

https://www.instagram.com/gridfailure

JoDoden/Sittandes I Sjon Med Vatten Over Huvudet/Nordvis Produktion/2017 CD Review

 JoDoden  are  a  solo  project  from  Sweden  that  plays  an avant  gsrde  mixture  of  folk  music  and  ambient  with  a touch  of black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2017  album  "Sittandes  I  Sjon  Med  Vatten  Over Huvudet"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Nordvis  Produktion.

  Acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  album  and  they  also  bring  in  elements  of  folk  music  and  finger  picking  is  also  utilized  at  times  while  most of  the  music  is  instrumental  and  on  the  second  track  drums  and  bass  guitars  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  when  vocals  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  grim  black  metal  style.

  Elements  of  metal  can  be  heard  in  the  heavier  guitar  riffing  which  also  brings  in  melodies  at  times  while  guitar  leads  are  also  utilized  briefly  and  some  songs  also  add  in  touches  of  ambient  and  post  rock  and  most  of  the  tracks  sound  different  from  each  other  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  music  gets  more  psychedelic  and  avant  garde  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  spoken  word  parts  are  also  used  briefly  and  he  album  closes  with  a  cover  of  Burzun's  "Hermodr  A  Helford".

  JoDoden  plays  a musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  folk,  ambient  and  avant garde  while  also  adding  in  some  black  metal  elements  at  times  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own  and  the production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  JoDoden  is  a  very  great  sounding  avant  garde  mixture  of  folk  and  ambient  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bottenlos"  "Persiennaernas  Portar"  and  "Hermodr  A  Helford".  8  out  of  10.  

http://jododen.bandcamp.com    

Picture Ann/Sketching Darkness/Floodgate Mood Productions/2017 EP Review

  Denmark's  Picture  Ann  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  is  also  in  the  ambient,  experimental  and  metal  direction  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  ep  "Sketching  Darkness"  which  was  released  by  Floodgate  Mood  productions  and  consists  of  rough  sketches  recorded  in  between  2010-12.

  Clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  ep  and  on  the  second  track  ambient  style  synths  are  added  onto  the  recording  while  all  of  the  tracks  are  instrumental along with  a  few  tracks  being  short  in  length  and  elements  of  harsh  noise  can  also  be  heard  at  times while  all  of  the t racks  sound  very  different  from  each  other.

  On  this  recording  Picture  Ann  played  more  of  a  guitar orientated  form  of  dark ambient  while  also  keeping  everything  instrumental  as  well  as  being  very  experimental  at  times  and  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Picture  Ann  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  dark  ambient  and  experimental  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sketch  2"  and  "Sketch  4".  8  out  of 10.

  https://floodgatemoodsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/sketching-darkness

Black Mare/Death Magick Mother/Magic Bullet Records/2017 CD Review

  Black  Mare  are  a  solo  project  from  Los  Angeles,  California  that  plays  an  ethereal  mixture  of  atmospheric  rock,  darkwave  and  goth  and  this  is  a  review  of  her  2017  album  "Death  Magick  Woman"  which will  be  released  in  September  by  Magic  Bullet  Records.

  Clean  playing  along  with  some  drones  start  off  the  album  as  well  as  some  drum  beats  a  few  seconds  later  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  darkwave  and  post  rock  elements  and  the  vocals  also  give  the  songs  more  of  an  ethereal  and  goth  style.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  while  some  goth  rock  and  death  rock  influences  from  the  80's  and  90's  are  also  used  at  times  but  done  in  a  more  modern  fashion  along  with  some  male  vocals  also  being  utilized  briefly  and  on  some  of  the  tracks  the  guitars  get  more  distorted  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  a  touch  of  black  metal  can  also  be  heard  on  the  closing  track.

  Black  Mare  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  atmospheric  rock,  darkwave  and  goth  rock  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  her  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  hidden  realms,  fragments  of  dreams,  submerged  memories  and  mythological  imagery  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Black  Mare  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  atmospheric  rock,  ethereal,  darkwave  and  goth  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ingress  To  Form"  "Coral  Vaults"  and  "Inveted  Tower".  8  out  of  10.

http://theblackmare.com

http://www.facebook.com/Black-Mare 

Iurta/Notes Towards A Mental Breakdown/Cyclic Law/2017 CD Review

  Iurta  are  a  duo  from  Portugal  that  plays  a  mixture  of  dark  ambient  and  drone  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Notes  Towards  A  Mental  Breakdown"  which  was  released  by  Cyclic  Law.

  Field  recordings  and  drones  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  ambient  soundscapes  a  few  seconds  later  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  most  of  the  music  being  instrumental  while  some  tracks  also  add  in  elements  of  harsh  noise  and  when  synths  are  utilized  they  give  the  songs  a  more  dark  atmosphere.

  A  lot  of  the  tracks  sound  different  fro  each  other  which  also  gives  the  music  more  variety  and  one  track  also  brings  in  the  use  of  non  traditional  instruments  and  on  some  songs  the  music  gets  more experimental  and  avant  garde.

  Iurta  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  noise,  dark  ambient  and  drone  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  song  themes  are  inspired  by  dystopia  and  the  writings  of  J.G  Ballard  and  A.  Tarkovski.

  In  my  opinion  Iurta  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  dark  ambient  and  drone  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Organic  Units"  "Spinal  Levels"  "Fragmentation  Field"  and  "Illuminated  Man".  8  out  of  10.

https://cycliclaw.bandcamp.com/album/notes-towards-a-mental-breakdown

     

TeHOM/Live Assault/Cyclic Law/2017 CD Review

  TeHOM  are  a  solo  project  from  Croatia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  ritual,  dark  ambient  and  industrial  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  live  2017  album  "Live  Assault"  which  was  released  by  Cyclic  Law.

  Ambient  style  soundscapes and  field  recordings  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  elements  of  noise  and  some  touches  of  a  more  dark  and  underground  style  of industrial  and  all  of  the  music  is  recorded  live  and  after  awhile  drones  and  ritualistic  style  chanting  start  to  make  their  presence  known.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  they also  give  the  music  more  of  an  occult  atmosphere  while  the  music  also  gets  very  lo-fi,  experimental  and  avant  garde at  times  along  with  more  of  an  improv  feeling  and  the  music  also  gets  more  shamanistic  when  trival  style  percussion  is  utilized  and  as  the  album  progresses  elements  of  martial  and  neo-classical can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  TeHOM  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  industrial,  ritual  and  dark  ambient  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  lo-fi  along  with  all  of  the  music  being  recorded  live.

  In  my  opinion  TeHOM  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of ritual,  dark  ambient,  and  industrial  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  8  out  of  10.

www.tehom.org 

www.facebook.com/tehom.croatia  
www.tehom.bandcamp.com

Vasilek/The Dark Road/Translation Loss Records/2017 Cd Review

  Vaselik  are  a  solo  project  from  New  York  that  plays  a  mixture  of  electronic  and  dark  ambient  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2017 album  "The  Dark  Road"  which  will  be  released  on  August  25th  by  Translation  Loss  Records.

  A  black  metal  influenced  dark  ambient  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  drones  and  elements  of  noise  a  few  seconds  later  while  demonic  screams  can  also  be  heard  in  the  background  and  the  synths  and  programmed  beats  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  darker  and  atmospheric  feeling.

  All  3  of  the  songs  sound  very  different  from  each  other  along  with  guitar  riffs  and  leads  also  being  used  briefly  and  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  at  times  and  the  last  and  the  last  track  is  over  33  minutes  in  length  and  most  of  the  music  is  instrumental  while  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Vasilek  plays  a  musical  style  that takes  dark  ambient  and  electronic  and  mixes  it  in  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own  and  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  Vaselik  are a   very  great  sounding  mixture  of  electronic  and  dark  ambient  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "The  Green  Lady".  8  out  of  10.

https://vasilek.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/vasilek666

John Steven Morgan/Solo Piano Works/Dark Martha Records/2017 Full Length Review

  John  Steven  Morgan  is  a  solo  artist  from  Acton,  California  who  also  plays  for  the  experimental  black  metal  band  Wreche  and  with  his  solo  material  brings  in  a  mixture  of  soundtrack,  acoustic  piano,  experimental,  metal,  jazz  and  classical  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2017  album  "Solo  Piano  Works"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Dark  Martha  Records.

  Tragic  sounding  pianos  start  off  the  album  and  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  a  classical  feeling  while  also  bringing  in  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys  and  all of  the  tracks  are  instrumental  and  some  tracks  also  add  in  more  of  a  soundtrack  orientated  atmosphere  at times.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  music  gets  more  avant  garde  and  experimental  while  pianos  are  the  only  musical  instrument  being  presented  on  the  recording  and  all  of  the  songs  sound  very  different  from  each  other  and  some  songs  also  add  in  influences  from  jazz  and  metal  and  some  songs also  bring  in  stride  piano's  and  piano  solos.

  John  Steven  Morgan  creates  a  recording t hat  is  all  done  on  pianos  and  mixes  classical,  jazz,  metal,  experimental  and  soundtrack  to  create  something  very original  while  keeping  everything  all  instrumental  and  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  John  Steven  Morgan  is  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  classical,  jazz,  metal,  experimental  and  soundtrack  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  artist.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Robots"  "Letters"  "Terra  Damnata"  and  "Amia".  8  out  of  10.

https://johnstevenmorgan.bandcamp.com/  

Sum Of R/Orga/Czar of Revelations/2017 CD Review

  Sum  Of  R  are  a  band  from  Switzerland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  dark ambient,  doom metal, noise,  post  rock,  experimental,  drone,  electronic  and  psychedelic  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Orga"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Czar  Of  Revelations.

  Atmospheric  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  drones  and  ambient  style  synths  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  awhile  spoken  word  parts  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  guitars  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  an  experimental  and  avant  garde  feeling.

  When  programmed  beats  are  utilized  they  give  the  music  more  of  a  militant  feeling  while  some  songs  also  add  in  more  electronic  and  noise  music  elements  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  instrumentals  and  a  later  song  also  brings  in  the  actual  use  of  real  drums  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  music  starts  incorporating  more  psychedelic  touches  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  add  in  traces  of  doom  metal  and  post  rock

  Sum  Of  R  creates  a  recording t hat  is  done  in  more  of  a  ritualistic  dark  ambient  style  but  also  mixes  in  traces  of  psychedelic,  post  rock,  drone,  doom  metal,  experimental  and  electronic  music  to  create  something  very  original  and  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  Sum  Of  R  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  dark ambient,  doom metal, noise,  post  rock,  experimental,  drone,  electronic  and  psychedelic  music  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Overgrown"  "Cobalt  Powder"  "After  The  Passing  Of  Risk"  and  "One  After  The  Other".  8  out  of  10.

sumofr.ch
facebook.com/sumofr
sumofr.bandcamp.com

The Pod/Self Titled/Accident Prone Records/2017 Full Length Review

  The  Pod  are  a  solo  project  from Chapel,  North  Carolina  that  plays  a  mixture  of  ambient,  drone,  psychedelic  and  experimental with  touches  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  titled  2017  album  which  was  released  by  Accident  Prone  Records.

  Drum  beats  and  psychedelic  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  elements  of  drone  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  music  also  incorporates  a  great  amount  of  synths  and  after  awhile grim  black  metal  screams  start  to  make  their presence  known  and  the  music  also  adds  in  a  great  amount  of  ambient  touches.

  A  great  amount  of  experimental  and  electronic  music  elements  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  heavy  guitar  riffs  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  a  couple  of  the  songs  are  all  instrumental  and  when  guitar  leads  are utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  fashion  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  an d epic  in  length  and  slide  guitars  are  also  used  briefly.

  The  Pod  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  ambient,  psychedelic,  drone  and  experimental  and  mixes  it  in  with  black  metal  vocals  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  The  Pod  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  ambient,  psychedelic,  drone,  experimental  and  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Folded  Eyes" "The  Desert"  and  "That  Wa  New  York".  8  out  of  10.

https://twitter.com/FukYouIamThePod

https://www.facebook.com/thebandthepod

https://thebandthepod.bandcamp.com