Clovvder/Traits/2018 EP Review

  Clovvder  are  a  duo  from  Uruguay  that  plays  a  mixture  of  experimental,  drone,  dark  ambient  and  noise  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  ep  "Traits".

  Ambient  style  drones  start  off  the  ep  while  field  recordings  and  elements  of  noise  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  used  at  times  as  well  as  the  music  capturing  a  ritualistic  atmosphere  and  the  second  track  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  atmospheric  sounding  synths.

  Clovvder  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  experimental,  dark  ambient,  drone,  noise  and  field  recordings  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophical  and  metaphysical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Clovvder  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  experimental,  dark  ambient,  drone,  noise  and  field  recordings  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Hydrophilia'.  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/clovvder/
  

Iterum Nata/The Course Of Empire/Inverse Records/2018 CD Review

  Iterum  Nata  is  a  solo  artist  from  Finland  that  plays  a  psychedelic  and  occult  form  of  neo-folk  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2018  album  "The  Course  Of  Empire"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Inverse  Records.

  Ambient  style  synths  start  off  the  album  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  an  atmospheric  feeling  along  with  some  folk  instruments  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  vocals  are  done  in  a  clean  style  as  well  as  the  music  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  and  the  songs  are  also  heavily  influenced  by  60's  era  psychedelic  rock.

  Electric  guitars  are  also  used  at  times  and  they  also  add  melodic  leads  onto  the  recording  while  drones  are  also  utilized  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  along  with  percussion  also  being  added  onto  some  of  the  tracks  and  they  give  the  music  more  of  a  ritualistic  and  shamanistic  feeling  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  and  the  recording  closes  with  an  instrumental.

  Iterum  Nata  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  neo-folk  and  psychedelic  occult  rock  and  mixes  them  together  in  a  more  modern  way  to  create  a  sound  of  his own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  Hermetic  Philosophy  and  the  relationship  between  death  and  birth.

  In  my  opinion  Iterum  nata  is  a  very  great  sounding  occult  mixture  of  folk  and  psychedelic  music  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "All  Is  Mind"  "Solve  &  Coagua"  and  "The  New  Aeon".  8/5  out  of  10.  

Experiment#508/The Hollow Ward/Attenuation Circuit/2018 Full Length Review

  Experiment#508  are  a  solo  project  from  Portugal  that  plays  a  mixture  of  experimental,  ambient,  drone  and  noise  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2018  album  "The  Hollow  Ward"  which  was  released  by  Attenuation  Circuit.

  Atmospheric  sounding  drones  start  off  the  album  while  field  recordings  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  most  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  mixing  in  elements  of  harsh  noise  and  the  music  also gets  very  avant  garde  and  experimental  at  times.

  All  of  the  tracks  are  instrumentals  while  all  of  the  songs  sound  different  from  each  other  along  with  a  great  amount  of  atmospheric  soundscapes  as  well  as  elements  of  dark  ambient  also  being  used  at  times  and  one  song  also  adds  in  the  sounds  of  animals  being  slaughtered  onto  the  recording.

  Experiment#508  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  experimental,  ambient,  noise  and  drone  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own  while  also  keeping  everything  instrumental  and  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  Experiment#508  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  experimental,  ambient,  drone  and  noise  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Eerie  Desolation"  "Meatdrive  Tango"  and  "And  Then  Came  The  Ghosts'.  8  out  of  10.

https://emerge.bandcamp.com/album/the-hollow-ward

Absent/Minded/Raum/2018 CD Review

  Absent/Minded  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  post,  doom  and  sludge  metal  with  some  elements  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Raum"  which  will  be  released  on  November  24th.

  Field  recordings  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  some  drum  beats  while  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  some  whispered  vocals  also  being  used  briefly  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  as  well  as  the  vocals  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  growls  and  screams.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  slow  riffs  bring  in  elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  along  with  the  tremolo  picking  bringing  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  as  well  as  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats,  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  atmospheric  and  post  metal  elements  are  also  added  into  the  music  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard.

  Absent/Minded  plays a   musical  style  that  mixes  post,  sludge  and  doom  metal  with  touches  of  black  and  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  astronomy  and  esoteric  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Absent/Minded  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  post,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Treasure"  and  "Alpha".  8  out  of  10.

http://aminded.bandcamp.com )

Night Machine Interview

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



Mostly rehearsal for upcoming shows. I’ve also been organizing a Synthwave Showcase for 2019 in Nashville



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



With Themes of the Dead I was able to make a concept album. Compiling all my horror influences into one lump sum. With my other releases I tried to show more range with mixing different sounds and styles.



3.All of your music deals with horror themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this genre?



I can remember being completely freaked out watching Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors at a very young age. Since then I’ve always been fascinated with the darker side of things. Those soundtracks setting the mood.



4.The project formed out of the ashes of 'Iraconji' a band in the death/thrash genre, what was the decision behind going into more of a synth orientated direction?



Not really in the ashes of Iraconji but in tandem. At the time Iraconji was on hiatus, our drummer was handling some family business. I’ve always dabbled with electronic music and with the downtime from Iraconji I wanted to keep myself occupied. It’s something I can control 100%.



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



If I recall correctly, I just blurted it out when talking with a friend about possible names for the project. My first and middle initials are N.M. So I’ve always been a fan of the NM combo. I have a mascot, he’s the real “Night Machine”. My idea was that a terminator T-800 was bitten by a zombie and the living flesh zombified over it’s metal exoskeleton.



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



The artwork was done by Geoff Collins. He was asked what direction I wanted to go with the cover and I said “neon crypt”. The disco ball moon shines down on the gallows in the cemetery while Death lurks below.



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



The best show was in Atlanta with Watch Out For Snakes, Gregorio Franco and Acid Gambit. My stage performance is fun it matches the mood. Lots of strobes, smoke and synth



9.O you have any touring or show plans for the new album?





Not at the moment. I’m working on some merch ideas and a synth fest in Nashville for 2019



10.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?



I haven’t shopped the album around. I’ve talked with a couple small labels but I mainly do this for myself. If the right offer comes along there may be a possibility.



11.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of synthwave and metal?



It’s been cool. I’ve got some people listening in Europe and Canada. I’ve had some reviews from synthwave and metal blogs. The synthwave fans love it so far. The metal fans dig it but don’t quite understand it yet but a lot of synth artists come from metal backgrounds so they’ll come around.



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



Hopefully ever evolving. Writing and playing, keeping a good balance between them.



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?



I love metal, classic rock, punk, classical, new wave, most everything really.

I’ve mostly been listening to the new Gunship, Twin Temple and Flight of the Concords lately.



14.What are some of your non musical interests?



 Cartoons, Horror films, Tattoos and Baking



15.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts? Thanks for taking the time to talk. I really appreciate it.

https://nightmachine.bandcamp.com/

Wolcensmen/Songs From The Fyrgen/Indie Recordings/2018 CD Re-Issue Review

  Wolcensmen  are  a  solo  project  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  neo-folk  music and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2016  album  "Songs  From  The  Fyrgen"  which  will b e  re-issued  on  November  30,  2018  by  Indie  Recordings.

  Acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  album  which  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  finger  picking  and  full  chords  and  also  bring  in  elements  of  folk  music  while  the  clean  vocals  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  pagan  atmosphere  along  with  some  stringed  instruments  also  being  utilized  at  times.

  Synths  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  tracks  while  some  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  percussion  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  some  neo-classical  touches  also  being  added  into  the  music  at  times  and  one  of  the  songs  is  an  instrumental.

  Wolcensmen  plays  a  style  of  neo-folk  that  also  adds  in  some  influences  of  pagan  and  black  metal  to  create  a  sound  of   his  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  old  European  spirituality  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Wolcensmen  are  a  very  great  sounding  neo-folk  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Fyre-Bough"  ''Neath  A  Wreath  Of  Furs" adn  "The  Bekens  Are  aliht".  8/5  out  of  10.

  

Comatose Vigil A.K/Evangelium Nihil/Non Serviam Records/2018 CD Review

  Comatose  Vigil  A.K  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  funeral  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Evangelium  Nihil"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Non  Serviam  Records.

  Atmospheric  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  while  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  slow  riffs  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  funeral  doom  metal  as  well  as  the  vocals  being  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  and  when  screams  are  utilized  they  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  a  brief  use  of  Am  radio  noises  are  also  brought  into  the  music  briefly  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  at  times,  clean  playing  is  added  onto  the  closing  track  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  very  slow  direction.

  Comatase  Vigil  A.K  plays  a  style  of funeral  doom  metal  that  is  very  slow,  dark,  heavy  and  atmospheric  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  COmatose  Vigil  A.K  are  a  very  great  sounding  funeral  doom  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Evangelium Nihil"  and  "The  Day  Heaven  Fell".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/ComatoseVigilAK