Tuskar/The Tide, Beneath, The Wall/Riff Rock Records/2018 EP Review

  Tuskar  are  a  duo  from  The  United  Kingdom  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  ep  "The  Tide,  Beneath,  The  Wall"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Riff  Rock  Records.

  Distorted  guitar  amp  noises  start  off  the  ep  before  adding  in some  very  heavy  doom  metal  riffs  which  also  capture  the  heaviness  of  sludge  while  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  vocals  adding  in  a  clean  stoner  rock  touch  as  well  as  adding  in  some  aggressive  screams.

  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffs  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  add  in  blast  beats  and  black  metal  elements  along  with  the  music  also  having  its  progressive  and  psychedelic  moments  and  at  times  the  riffs  also  go  into  more  of  a  mid  tempo  direction  which  gives  the  songs  more  diversity  and  clean  playing  can  be  heard  briefly  on  the  closing  track.

  On  this  recording  Tuskar  remains  true  to  their  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  while  still  having  a  slight  black  metal  influence,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Tuskar  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "The  Wall".  8  out  of  10.

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Velvet Dream/Darkened Mysteria/Into Endless Chaos Records/2018 Full Length Review

  Velvet  Dream  are  a  musical  project  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  bleak  and  dark  form  of  ambient  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Darkened  Mysteria" which  was  released  by  Into  Endless  Chaos  Records.

  Atmospheric  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  while  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  synths  also  adding  in  elements  of  ambient  music  as  well  as  some  field  recordings  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  you  can also hear  a  walk  through  snow  briefly.

  A  great  portion  of  the  music  is  instrumental  while  programmed  beats  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  the  synths  also  adding  in  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys  and  one  track  also  introduces  water  sounds  onto  the  recording  as  well  as  all  of  the  tracks  sounding  different  from  each  other  which  also  makes  the  music  more  diverse  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  thunder  sounds  can  also  be  heard.

  Velvet  Dream  plays  a  style  of  ambient  that  is  very  atmospheric,  dark,  diverse  and  bleak  sounding  while  also  keeping  every  track  in  an  instrumental  direction  and  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  Velvet  Dream  are  a  very  great  sounding  bleak  dark  ambient  musical  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Calling  Of  Morpheus"  and  "Vision  Saturna".  8  out  of  10.

https://velvetdream-iec.bandcamp.com/

Infinexhuma/Unasan/2018 Full Length Review

  Infinexhuma  are  a  solo  project  from  San  Rafael,  California  that  plays  a  very  dark  form  of  ambient  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2018  album  "Unasan".

  Atmospheric  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  demonic  sounding  spoken  word  parts  a  few  seconds  later  while  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  some  field  recordings  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  drones  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  music.

  Power  electronics  and  noises  are  also  used  briefly  while  the  synths  bring  in  elements  of  dark  ambient  onto  the  recording  along  with  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  being  instrumentals  as  well  as  the  music  also  having  its  ritualistic  moments  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  music  also  gets  more  diverse  and  some  tracks  also  add  in  spoken  word  parts  and  aggressive  vocals  and  bass  guitars  are  added  onto  the  closing  track.

  Infinexhuma  plays  a  musical style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  dark  ambient  while  some  ritualistic  and  drone  elements  are  also  used  at  times,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  while the  song  themes  focus  on  the  between  life  and  full  death  experiences  of  a  spirit  born  out  of  a  host  suicide.

  In  my  opinion  Infinexhuma  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark  ambient  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Asahkar"  "Dreaming  in  Nightmares"  "Violent  Tara"  and  "Goodbye Host".  8  out  of  10.

https://infinexhuma.bandcamp.com/album/unasan

Rigor Sardonicous/Ridenti Mortuus/2018 EP Review

  Rigor  Sardonicous  are  a  band  from  New  York  that  plays  funeral  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  ep  "Ridenti  Mortuus"  which  will  be  released  in  November.

  A  very  dark  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  heavier  funeral  doom  metal  direction  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  deep  and  guttural  death  metal  growls  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Grim  screams  can  also  be  heard  briefly  will  most  of  the  riffing  is  done  on  power  chords  along  with  the  songs  sticking  to  a  slower  direction  and  no  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  ever  utilized  and  the  songs  focus  more  on  a  primitive  style  of  funeral  doom  metal and  on  the  closing  track  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Rigor  Sardonicous  plays  a  style  of  funeral  doom  metal  that  is  very  slow  and  heavy  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  obscurity  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Rigor  Sardonicous  are  a  very  great  sounding  funeral  doom  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Smiling  Dead"  and  "Intereo  Parum  Infantia".  8  out  of  10.

 https://rigorsardonicous1.bandcamp.com/album/ridenti-mortuus-2018-pre-order

Riven/Hail To The King/2018 Full Length Review

  Riven  are  a  solo  project  from  Belgium  that  plays  an  experimental  form  of  funeral  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2018  "Hail  To  the  King".

  Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  atmospheric  sounding  synths  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  slow  and  heavy  funeral  doom  metal  sections  of  the  music  while  all  3  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along with  the  vocals  being  mostly  guttural  death  metal  growls.

  A  small  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  some  church  organs,  piano's  and  violins  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  an  experimental  feeling  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  melody,  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  all  of  the  tracks  stick  to  a  slower  direction.

  Riven  plays  a  style  of  funeral  doom  metal  that  is  very  heavy,  atmospheric  and experimental  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  plague  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Riven  are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental  funeral  doom  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "The  Bells  Sound  Once  More".  8  out  of  10. 

https://www.facebook.com/Riven-1800758369937308/

https://rivendoom.bandcamp.com/releases 

Desiderii Marginis/Vita Arkivet/Cyclic Law/2018 CD Review

  Desiderii Marginis  are  a  solo  project  from  Sweden  that  has  been  around  for  more  than  20  years  and  plays  dark  ambient  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2018  album  "Vita  Arkivet"  which  was  released  by  Cyclic  Law.

  Atmospheric soundscapes  and  drones  start  off  the  album  while  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  synths  bringing  in  elements  of  dark  ambient  and  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  power  electronics  also  being  used  briefly.

  Most  of the  music  is  instrumental  while  field  recordings  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  songs  along  with  all  of  the  tracks  sounding  very  different  from  each  other  as  well  as  some  melodic  chants  being  used  briefly  and  they  give  the  music  more  of  a  pagan  orientated  atmosphere  and  as  the  album  progresses  avant  garde  and  industrial  elements  are  added  into  the  music.

  Desiderii  Marginis  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  dark  ambient  while  also  adding  in  touches  of  drone,  industrial,  field  recordings  and  avant  garde  elements  and  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  Desiderii  Marginis  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark  ambient  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Scattering"  and  "Eulogy".  8  out  of  10.

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Zevious 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?


We just recently had our record release show with Cleric and Mick Barr at a place called Ceremony in Brooklyn which went really well. We love playing with those guys and it was great to celebrate the release of the record with friends and family. We have another Brooklyn show at Alphaville next week and then some plans to get out of NYC and potentially do some northeast shows over the next few months.


2.Recently you have released a new album, what are some of the things you feel you have done different musically with this recording that you were not able to do with your previous releases?


For the most part, I felt like the music on Lowlands lent itself to be a bit more open and exploratory then much of the music on our previous releases. We purposely developed the material to be longer and include more dramatic, textural-improv type sections as opposed to shorter songs with a million complicated parts and polyrhythms. So when we were in the studio with Colin this time around we were able to spend more time trying to get creative, high energy takes as opposed to trying to nail the parts perfectly every time.


3.So far all of the music you have released has been instrumental, would you be open to using any vocals on future releases?

That’s a fun thought, but I’m afraid not :)  We’re obviously not opposed to vocally driven music, but none of us can sing and the stuff we write I feel like doesn’t lend itself to vocals anyway.


4.According to your facebook page, one of your interests in astrophysics, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

Basically we’re nerds!! We like science and outer space, plain and simple… :)

Like our facebook page says, we also like pasta.


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



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

After we had finished the recording, we started looking around for art that was reminiscent of sci-fi, psychedelic 70s prog albums. We stumbled onto the collage work of Bryan Olson, thought his work fit perfectly with what we were going for and immediately got in touch with him.


We wanted to make Lowlands feel like some kind of extra-planetary ritual, and both Bryan and our long time friend Kris LoCascio who developed the layout really nailed a visual aesthetic to compliment the music.


 The name of the painting is Galaxy Selector BTW.



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

I have a terribly bad memory when it comes to our shows since we’ve been playing together for a really long time. I especially feel like the New York shows over the past few years have really started to blend together, since we often play with alot of the same bands and musicians. Our record release show with Cleric and Mick as well as a show we recently did at Mercury Lounge with Krallice and Imperial Triumphant come to mind as being particularly awesome.



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

One thing we were talking about with Greg was potentially trying to get a bunch of the Nefarious bands together to do a showcase of some kind. Maybe in New York or Philly or maybe on the road…


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

Well nobody I know of aside from the occasional youtube troll has complained too much about what we’ve been doing over the years, so given the current state of the world, I’ll take that as positive feedback!


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?

Outside of Zevious, the main bands I play and tour in are Sabbath Assembly and Desertion Trio. Both of those bands put out records this past year and both projects have recently recorded new material that will hopefully make its way to the public next year some time.  Jeff is hard at work with Dysrhythmia (as usual) and I believe those guys will have new material and show plans going into next year. Mikey’s recently been recording music for a new synth project called Timetracker which we’re all super excited about and will hopefully be released soon.


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

Interestingly this the is the first period in the band’s 10 year history where we don’t have new written material in the works. So to compensate, we’ve been spending a lot of time at rehearsals just improvising and recording which is something we never did as a band outside of the context of one of our songs. I think it’s definitely going have an impact on how we shape the next batch of material.


13.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?

These days I think overall as a group we’ve been really drawn to electronic and  ambient music across various genres. Anything from early 70s Terry Riley, Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze to minimal-techno like Ritchie Hawtin or Sleeparchive seems to be on all the time when we’re hanging out. Mikey and I also both have various electronic music projects in the works and using software to compose and create demos has been a big part of making music for Zevious over the years.


14.What are some of your non musical interests?


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

https://zevious.bandcamp.com/

Sorrowful Land/I Remember/Solitude Productions/2018 CD Review

  Ukraine's  solo  project  Sorrowful  Land  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  atmospheric  style  of  funeral  doom/death  metal  of  his  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2018  album  "I  Remember"  which  will  be  released  on  October  26th  by  Solitude  Productions.

  Tragic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  slow  and  heavy  funeral  doom  metal  sections  of  the  songs  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  at  times  as  well  as  all  of t he  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Clean  vocals  are  also  utilized  at  times  while  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  some  death  metal  growls  also  being  used  at  times  as  well  as  the  music  also  having  its  atmospheric  moments  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  and  stringed  instruments  can  also  be  heard,  all  of  the  songs  have  a  different  singer  with  the  musicians being  from  some  well  known  bands  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  slower  direction.

  Sorrowful  Land  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  atmospheric  style of  funeral  doom/death  metal  of  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  loneliness,  sorrow  and  grief  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Sorrowful  Land  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  funeral  doom/death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "When  The  World's  Gone  Cold"  and  "The  Kingdom  Of  Nothingness".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/sorrowfulland/

Ivan/Memory/Solitude Productions/2018 CD Review

  Ivan  are  a  duo  from  Australia  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  funeral  doom/death metal    and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Memory"  which  was  released  by  Solitude  Productions.

  Clean  playing  along  with  some  stringed  instruments  start  off  the  album  while  both  of  the  tracks  are  over  20  minutes  in  length  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  funeral  doom  metal  direction  which  also  introduces  death  metal  growls  onto  the  recording  as  well  as  some  keyboards  also  being  used  at  times.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  screams  also  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  tragic  and  melodic  style  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  avant  garde  elements  and  the  music  always  sticks  to  a  slower  direction  and  the  riffs  also a dd  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  Ivan  plays  a  style  of  funeral  doom/death  metal  that is  very  dark,  slow,  atmospheric  and  melodic  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ivan  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  and  melodic  funeral  doom/death  metal  duo  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Time  is  Lost".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/IvanBandAU/

Doomcult Interview

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



Doomcult is a one-man band from the Netherlands. Doomcult glorifies doom-metal while introducing some DSBM and proto-black influences.



2.In July you had released a new ep, what are some of the things you have done different musically with the new material that you have not been able to do on your previous releases?



The first release by doomcult contained ideas which originated way back in time. I started writing doom songs a long time ago, but I was never in a band that played such music. I was too busy playing in all kind of bands to really take the time to craft these doom riffs into songs. That changed a couple of years ago. This resulted in the first album ‘End All Life’ which was released by Morbid Syndicate in 2016. The new release only contains new material and no old ideas. I think it better reflects my current state of mind.



3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with the music?



Doomcult is about abuse of power, propaganda, loss of self-control and blasphemy. To translate these topics into words, many references to occult themes are introduced.



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



Well, I think the name is a perfect match with the music, since it’s doom and thematically it covers occult themes. It is a powerful name.



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



It is a devil that I met when I visited Germany. It was on the door of an old building, which was a fire station. I manipulated the photo a little to make it appear more alive. I thought it was cool to use a devil from the fire station and combine it with the title Ashes. Hahaha.



6.With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?



Well, I really like playing in a band. Playing together with other musicians gives new ideas and creativity. I would really like to do some doomcult songs with a complete band. Unfortunately, there are not too many doom fans among the musicians that I know. They all play much too fast… Maybe in the future.



7.The new ep was released by Loneravn Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?



Loneravn Records is a label from the Ukraine that is specialized in doom-metal in all its forms. It is worthwhile checking out their roster.



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



So far, it has been great. As for all underground bands it is hard to grab the attention of people. There is so much great music, there are so many great bands to discover. However, the people that did discover doomcult come from all over the world and they appear more positive then I could ever imagine. Many hail the atmosphere in my music. Of course, all these positive things doesn’t affect me being doomed. hahaha



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



For the near future, doomcult will release it’s second full length album. All music is recorded and mixed. This will be either at the end of 2018 or the start of 2019. I hope to release a split album sometime at the end of the winter. In the meanwhile I will continue writing and recording new material.



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 either listen to Manowar or to Slayer… If there is some spare time, maybe My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost and some old Anthema. I’m really into Dautha and Necros Christos the last few months. And of course Urfaust and Celtic Frost…



11.How would you describe your views on occultism?



I drink my coffee out of the skull of a goat. For the rest I merely use references to the goatlord and the occult for describing all dark parts of our brains as humans.



12.What are some of your non musical interests?



The human mind.

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

Thanks for the opportunity to express myself and to introduce doomcult. Many hails to you for supporting the underground.

Bandcamp

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The Crawling/Wolves And The Hideous White/Grindscence Records/2018 Full Length Review

  Northern  Irelands's  The  Crawling  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  doom/death  metal  style  of  previous  releases  along  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Wolves  And  The  Hideous  White"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Grindscene  Records.

  A  very  dark,  slow  and  heavy  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  some  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  the  vocals  being  mostly  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  a  few  screams  which  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  black  metal.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  music  is  also  has  a  lot  of  90's  influences  but  still  maintaining  a  very  modern  atmosphere  along  with  the  guitar  leads  being  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  style  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts, when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing.

  On  this  recording  The  Crawling  remains  true  to  the  doom/death  metal  style  of  previous  releases  while  also  still  having  a  touch  of  black  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  human  desire  to  belong,  the  sacrifices  to  be  made  to  be  a  part  of  someone,  disillusion  from  loss  of  self  and  the  final  inability  to  escape.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  The  Crawling  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  doom  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Wolves  And  The  Hideous  White"  and  "Promises  And  Parasites".  8  out  of  10.

URL: www.thecrawlingband.co.uk

FB: facebook.com/thecrawlingband

YouTube: youtube.com/thecrawlingband

  

Sobaki Tabaka/XX-XXIV/Wooaaargh/2018 Double Tribute Album Review

  Sobaki Tabaka  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  industrial,  dark  ambient  and  sludge  and  this  is  a  review  of  a  tribute  album  to  them  called  "XX-XXIV"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Wooaaargh  and  consists  of  many  bands  and  we  will  review  the  songs  one  by  one.

  khost  brings  us  "The  New  Body"  which  starts  out  with  some  atmospheric  soundscapes  along  with  some  heavy  sludge  metal  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  while  industrial  style  vocals  and  screams are  also  used  at  times  as  well  as  the  music  always  sticking  to  a  slower  direction  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  elements  of  drone.

  Alan  Dubin  brings  us  "Chujie"  which  starts  out  with  atmospheric  sounding  drones  along  with  some  grim  spoken  word  parts  that  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  before  evolving into  sludge  and  industrial  style  screams  along  with  some  programmed  beats  and  synths  also  being  used  at  times  as  well  as  soem  harsh  noise  elements.

  Oddateee  brings  us  "Hui  Bez  Hleba"  which  starts  out  with  some  electro  industrial  elements  along  with  some  programmed  beats  while  industrial  style  screams  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit along  with  the  music  adding  in  elements  of  noise  rock,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  John  3:!6  brings  us  "Greh  Bogatstvo  Lyubov  I  Azart"  which  starts  out  with  some  atmospheric  sounding  drones  before  going  into  more  of  an  industrial  direction  along  with  some  programmed  beats  and  bass  guitars  as  well  as  some  heavy  riffs  and  aggressive  vocals  are  also  used  at  times.

  BKGD  brings  us  "Audio  Chujie  Strangers"  which  starts  out  with  some  programmed  beats  along  with  some  elements  of  early  industrial while  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  and  avnat  garde  at  times

  GSDahlquist  brings  us  "Beside  You"  which  starts  out  with  some  ambient  style  synths  and powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  while  spoken  word  parts  also  being  used  at  times  before  going  into  more  of  an  industrial  direction  which  also  utilizes  programmed  beats.

  Gnaw  Their  Tongues  brings  us  "The  new  Body"  which  starts  out  with  atmospheric  sounding  drones  along  with  some  elements  of  underground  electronic  music  a  few  seconds later  while  black  metal  screams  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  spoken  word  parts  are  also  used  briefly  as  well as  some  touches  of  classical  music.

  Maspin  Dosasivaya  brings  us  "Ledenec  Jizni"  which  starts  out  with  some  elements  of  ambient  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  atmospheric  sounding  drones.

  Styxian  Industries  brings  us  "V  Tele  Hrista"  which  starts  out  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffing  along  with  grim  black  metal  screams a   few  seconds  later  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  elements  of  industrial  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Headscan  brings  us  "The  New  Body"  which  starts  out  with  some  programmed  beats  and  industrial  style  vocals  while  the  music  is  done  in  more  of  a  electronic  style  along  with  a  small  amount  of  ambient  noise  elements.

  end  user  brings  us  "Chujie"   which  starts  out  with  some  ambient  elements  and  programmed  beats  while  drones  can  also  be  heard  at  times  as  well  as  a  touch  of  the  more  underground  industrial  style.

  Angela  Martyr  brings  us  "Angel  Moi"  which  starts  out  with  drum  beats  before  adding  in  synths  and  black  metal  screams  before  taking  the  music  into  a  heavier  industrial  metal  direction  along  with  some  heavy  riffs.

  Roman  Urodovskikh  brings  us  "Golova"  which  starts out  with  electronic  music  elements  and  powerful  sounding  bass  before  going  into  more  of  a  harsher  industrial  direction  while  also  being  very  experimental  at  the  same  time  and  clean  vocals  are  also  used  at  times.

  BkGD  returns  with  "Audio  Morning  In  Te  Subway"  which  starts  out  with  ambient  style  soundscapes  before  adding  in  some  programmed  beats  while  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  dub  style  vocals  along  with  some  elements  of  dance  music.

  Guvibosch  brings  us  "Live  In  Me"  which  starts  out  with  programmed  beats  and  ambient  elements  while  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  some  elements  of  dance  music  as  well  as  getting  very  experimental  at  times.

  John  3:16  returns  with  "I  Refuse"  which  starts  out  with  some   ambient  style  drones  and  distorted  spoken  word  parts  before  adding  in  some  bass,  heavy  riffs  and  programmed  beats  that  adds  in  a  touch  of  noise  rock  and  post  rock  style  guitar  leads  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

   Dave  Phillips  brings  us  "Let  Me  Breathe  You  In.  Live  In"  which  starts  out  with  some  programmed  beats,  screams  and  soundscapes  while  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  at  times  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  heavy  riffing  and  tortured  voices  are  used  in  the  background  briefly.

  Convulsif  brings  us  "Absolutnoe  Net"  which  starts  out  with  atmospheric  sounding  drones  while  the  track  is  11  minutes  in  length  before  adding  in  some  ambient  style  soundscapes  and  distorted  sounds  along  with  some  bass  guitars  also  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  the  music  also  having  its  experimental  and  avant  garde  moments  and  spoken  words  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  tracks  and  when  screams  are  utilized  they  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal.

  The  Austrasian  Goat  brings  us  "Dosasivaya  Ledenec  Jizni"  which  starts  out  with  ambient   style  synths while  atmospheric  sounding  drones  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  all  of  the  music  is  instrumental.

  Christian  Garcia-Gaucher  brings  us  "Life  In  Me"  which  starts  out  with  some  distorted  sounding  drones  while  the  track  is  over  6  minutes  in  length  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  used  at  times  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  adding  in  some  noise  rock  style  riffing  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  both  heavy  and  clean  riffs.

  Cosmic  Ground  bring  us  "Venki  Zabvenyia"  which  starts  out  with  some  ambient  style  drones  while  the  track  is  11  minutes  in  length  as  well  as    the  music  also  getting  very  experimental  at  times along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  and  whispers  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  track,  clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  in  the  background  briefly.

  Kernal  brings  us  "Trees  Shade  Curves"  which  starts  out  with  some  atmospheric  sounding  drones  while  the  track  is  over  9  minutes  in  length  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  also being  utilized  at  times  and  towards  the  end  programmed  beats  are  added into  the  music.

  Swarm  Intelligence  brings  us  "V  Tele  Hrista"  which  starts  out  with  some  elements  of  industrial  and  noise  before  adding  in  some  ambient  style  synths  before  adding  in  touches  of  a  more  underground  electronic  music  style. 

  Phillippe  Petit  brings  us  "Yatchita  Yu  Knigu  Parouski"  which  starts  out  with  sci-fi  orientated  soundscapes  and  ambient  elements  while  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  and  avant  garde  at  times.

  Terminal  Sound  System  brings  us  "Venki  Zabveniya"  which  starts  out  with  some  am  radio  sounds  before  adding  in  some  spoken  word  parts  while  elements  of  drone  and  noise  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  after  awhile  programmed  beats  start  making  their  presence  known.

  Yantra  Mindir  closes  the  compilation  with  "Trees  Shade  Curves"  which  starts  out  with  some  industrial  sounding  noises  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  atmospheric  soundscpaes  and  elements  of  ethnic  music  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  parts.

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  industrial,  dark  ambient,  sludge,  black  metal,  dance  and  experimental  music.  8  out  of  10.

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Evoken/Hypnagogia/Profound Lore Records/2018 CD Review

  Evoken  are  a  band  from  New  Jersey  that  plays  a  mixture  of  funeral  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Hypnagogia"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Profound  Lore  Records.

  Atmospheric  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  while  the  slow  riffs  are  very  heavily  rooted  in  funeral  doom  metal  along  with  most  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  most  of t he  vocals  being  death  metal  growls.

  Dark  sounding  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  stringed  instruments  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  utilized  at  times,  when  screams  are  utilized  they  also  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal.

 The  guitar  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  couple  of  instrumentals  are  added  onto  the  recording  while one  track  also  introduces  clean  playing  onto  the  recording  along  with  some  clean  male  and  female  vocals  also  being  used  briefly.

  Evoken  plays  a  style  of  funeral  doom/death  metal  that  is  very  slow,  dark  and  heavy  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  the  horrors  of  World  War  I.

  In  my  opinion  Evoken  are  a  very  great  sounding  funeral  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Fear  After"  "Hypnagogia"  and  "The  Weald  Of  Perished  Men".  8/5  out  of  10.

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Acolytes Of Moros Interview

Answered by: Christoffer (vocals/bass)





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?


Since the recording of The Wellspring we have been doing a few gigs and of course been writing new material. We also recorded two songs that will appear on a split release with the Australian band Lucifer's Fall that hopefully will be released before the end of this year.


2.Recently you have released your first full length, what are some of the things you feel you have done different musically with this recording on  your  previous  demos,  ep  and  splits?


Nothing really! What resulted in The Wellspring I think was a natural evolution. If you compare this album to the Your Fate is Sealed demo there is of course a huge difference, but if you listen to Illusions of Progress I still think you can hear that it was there we found our sound and we simply continued from there.


3.Most of the music seems to be mostly rooted in a traditional doom metal  style but growls and black metal screams are added into the music at times, do you feel this makes you stand out a lot more in the genre that you play?


Sure, but even Reverend Bizarre had those things, a growl here and there so I don't think we are THAT unique in that sense. A little desperate black metal screaming is good for your soul from time to time and a perfect way to express angst and sorrow, but you should not overuse it so to speak. We are still playing Traditional Doom Metal.


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


It's a combination of sorrow and spirituality. The everyday gloom that tears on your mind urges you to reach for something higher than the mortal life. It's not religious or anything but spiritual. In a sense you can say that you have a desire to leave your fleshy prison behind to explore the deeper planes. Many people might find that religious or even sci-fi, but for us it is serious. If you are depressed and have had an astral projection, you WILL want to find out more, and the realm of the living seem to mean less to you as times passes.


5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Acolytes Of Moros'?


The name "Moros" derives from Greek mythology, where he serves as the spirit of doom, the spirit that drives you to the unavoidable fate (Death). As such, our name can be translated into "Followers of Doom".


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


The artwork was made by the American artist Adam Burke. What you see is a barren landscape lacking any life, until you get close to a river that comes from a crack in the mountain. From this crack the life-giving waters of The Wellspring flows and forces the flora and fauna to grow and expand. The Wellspring act as a portal to the spirit realm of life and forces our dying world to cling to life basically. There is of course more to it but i would not be able to cover the entire concept in a interview


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


This is a hard question, since we enjoyed so many gigs. The Doom Metal forces from Finland have been the best, and we have even been playing with some of the bands that influenced us (Horse Latitudes, Caskets Open and Garden of Worm) but I gotta say the last three gigs we did with Church of Void and Cardinals Folly. We are good friends with these two bands so we had a blast when we did the mini-tour to promote our split album Coalition of the Anathematized. I also think we did very well on stage, the spirit of doom was very much alive on those gigs.


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


No, nothing that we have planned at the moment but we sure would like to do a few gigs and maybe a tour. Only time will tell.


9.The new album was released on 'Nine Records', how did you get in contact with this label?


In 2015 we released the demo-tape 'Herald of the Imminent' to promote our upcoming full-length, and sent it to various labels. No one seemed to be interested in us at the time so we figured that we might as well record the actual album so that we would have something ”real” to show the labels. Right before we entered the studio we had struck a deal with the German label Barbarian Wrath and all seemed to go well. Right after we finished the recording Hart (label owner) got ill and could not release the album as planned. We are eternally grateful that Hart believed in our music and was willing to release it and we hope for his recovery. All the best to Hart and his wife!

Now to answer your question; we sent Nine Records our finished album and Rafal gave us a good deal. We knew that it was a good and trustworthy label since it had our fellow bands Lucifer's Fall and Cardinal Folly in it's rooster.


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


Very good actually. We know that the Doom Metal scene is very small but powerful nonetheless.


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


We will release a split-album with the Australian band Lucifer's Fall in the end of the year, other than that, we have been writing new songs.


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?


Our main influences are Reverend Bizarre, Revelation and Burzum.

We listen to everything basically, everything from Ambient to the coldest Black Metal. Lately I have been very into Goth-rock like Sisters of Mercy, Love Like Blood, Fields of the Nephilim and so forth. We do not let genres restrict us, good music is good music.


13.Does Occultism play any role in your music?


No, not really. We deal more with Spiritual Mediumship and Astral Projection. Some people might say it is Occult but we don't see it like that. We are very interested in the spirit realm and the order of the universe. The spiritual plays a huge role in Acolytes of Moros, even our sigil is a combination of two of the seven major chakras (Throat and Third Eye).


14.What are some of your non musical interests?


We enjoy the solitude of the forest, being out in the wild away from civilization does great things to your mind. Other than that we have a huge interest in Craft Beer and I even brew beer from time to time.


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


We would want to thank our fans! Without your support you we would be nothing.

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Druj/Chants To Irkalla/Godz Of War Productions/2018 CD Review

  Druj  are  a  band  from  Alaska  that  plays  a  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Chants  To  Irkalla"  which  was  released  by Godz  Of  War  Productions.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  all  sounding  very  powerful  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  bringing  in  elements  of  doom  metal  as  well  as  the  vocals  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  growls  and  screams  which  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  black  metal.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  along  with  some  clean  playing  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  the  music  also  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  style, as  the  album  progresses  the  music  starts  speeding  up  at  times  and  introduces  blast  beats  onto  the  recording  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Druj  plays  a  style  of  doom/death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  while  the  occasional  black  metal  scream  updates  the  sound  for  the  modern  era,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Sumerian  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Druj  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ziggurant  Ablaze"  and  "Ashes  Of  Immortality".  8  out  of  10.

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