Postcards From Arkham/Spirit/MetalGate Records/2018 CD Review

  Czech  Republic's  Postcards  From  Arkham  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  into  more  of  an  atmospheric  folk  direction  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Spirit"  which  was  released  by  MetalGate  Records.

  Ambient  style  synths  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars  and  post  rock  elements  a  few  seconds  latter  while  the  whispered  vocals  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  as  well  as  some  tribal  sounding  percussion's  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  A  great  mixture  of  both  full  chords  and  finger  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  the  acoustic  guitars  along  with  some  elements  of  folk  music  while  nature  sounds  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  some  metal  elements  also  being  added  into  the  unplugged  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  electric  guitar  leads  can  also  be  heard  as  well  on  an  instrumental  track.

  On  this  recording  Postcards  From  Arkham  move  away  from  their  post  metal  style  to  focus  more  on  an  atmospheric  style  of  folk  music,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  are  based  upon  the  writings  of  H.P  Lovecraft.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Postcards  From  Arkham  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  post  rock  and  atmospheric  folk  music,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "From  The  Bottle  of  The  Ocean"  "Thousand  Years  For  Us"  and  "Elevate".  8  out  of  10. 

 https://youtu.be/KBDytGIxTik

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/

Postcards From Arkham 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?

Just a few weeks before the release, we started doing live shows to support AEON5 album and the first one was at BRUTAL ASSAULT, one of the biggest festivals here in the Czech Republic. Then we continued with our DREAMSCAPES tour. Now, we are preparing the European tour – so stay tuned for more information.
I also started composing some new material for upcoming third album and I’m still working on the visual presentation of the current album

2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

The whole production as well as process were bigger than in OCEANIZE era. I was working on it for almost two years and I wanted to push my limits to the edges. The album was recorded in the new studio and published by a new label. Everything went better than I had expected.
I wanted a dynamic and atmospheric sound, similar to movie soundtracks and I can say that I am pretty satisfied with it. Hope that you are as well …

3.The last album was released on Metal Gate, are you still signed to this label?

Yes. The whole cooperation was without problems on both sides, so there’s no reason to change. We are planning some new stuff in the future where I want Metalgate to be involved in again. They support my art and I have always appreciated people like them...

4.The band name and a lot of the lyrics come from the writings of H.P Lovecraft, do you have any interest in other authors that write in the same genre?

I am inspired by many classical writers: E.A.Poe, A.C.Doyle, S. King and also H.P.Lovecraft . His art is very special for me, it opens my fantasy and creativity.
But I don’t want to be fixed on this writer or on anyone else. It’s very important for me to have my own space for my own ideas and thoughts.
Not only writers are my inspiration, there are also movies, drawings, sceneries ...

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

As I mentioned at the beginning, BRUTAL ASSAULT was one of the first shows in current band line-up and it was really memorable. It is not easy to play this atmospheric music live, but every gig is kind of magic ritual and I always enjoy the whole show.
We always do our best to be natural and “human” on stage without any cliche or theatrical poses. Every gig is original.

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

There are plans for European tour after the success of Dreamscapes tour here in Czech Republic. So if there is any promoter that is interested just let me know.
Doing live shows is very important for every band and it is one of the main reasons why do I have a band, so I want to play as much as I can.


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

I am quite surprised that everyone loves the new record, despite its complicated genre.
It proves that people are really open minded and the feedback from around the world is amazing! I appreciate every single fan and it doesn’t matter from where they are or what kind of music they usually listen to.

8.Are any of the other band members involved with any other bands or musical projects?

Whole band contains musicians from other bands - which is good for creativity. Even I have second melodic death black metal band called AWRIZIS . It is my second side of creativity, more aggressive and energetic stuff . Check this out if you like bands like In Flames or Gojira

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

I like experiments in music and pushing the borders to the other genres. I don't want to make similar albums. Next album will be definitely different but I don't have specific vision of sound or compositions. Everything must be natural. There is some new stuff already written and I am really looking forward to dive into the new writing process.
The gap between the first and the second album was almost three years and it is a long time. There are some  plans for acoustic arranges of already written songs - I am really looking  forward to it.

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 have to say that my playlist is full of different music. From movie soundtracks, across grind core or EBM, to black metal and post rock…

One of my most favorite artist since two years has been TYCHO . Their music is visionary and very inspiring.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

PFA are kind of multi-medial project because I am involved in audio -video presentation of the band and graphic presentation as well.
I am interested in every aspect of music production from graphic artworks to music videos. Everything is somehow connected with music, even if I go for a walk I listen to music … when I am thinking about it, there are no non musical interests for me :-D

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

Thank you very much for your support , keep it up. Be creative and always open minded - that is the only way to be free!

https://www.facebook.com/PostcardsFromArkham/

Postcards From Arkham/Aeons/2016 Full Length Review

  Postcards  From  Arkham  are  a  band  from  the  Czech  Republic  that  plays  a  mixture  of  post  rock  and  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "Aeons".

  Ocean  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  winds  before  adding  in  post  rock  style  synths  and  spoken  word  thoughts  and  after  a few  seconds  the  music  gets  more  heavy  and  atmospheric  while  also  adding  in  melodic  guitar  leads  and  the  vocals  also  start  displaying  more  aggression  which  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  extreme  metal.

  Clean  playing  and  programmed  beats  can  be  heard quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  songs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  ambient  elements  while  also  being  very  progressive  at  the  same  time  and  black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  some  songs  also  mix  in  traces  of  electronic music.

  Postcards  From  Arkham  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  post  rock  and  progressive  metal  and  mixes  them  together  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  inspired  by  the  writings  of  H.P  Lovecraft,  E.A  Poe  and  H.  Murakami.

  In  my  opinion  Postcards   From  Arkham  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  progressive  metal  and  post  rock  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Aeon  Echoes"  "Elevate"  "Woods  Of  Liberation"  and  "One  World  Is Not  Enough".  8  out  of  10. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS_JgL_q87M&feature=youtu.be