Necronomicon/The FInal Chapter/El Puerto Records/2021 CD Review

 

  Germany's  Necronomicon  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  mixture  of  thrash,  power  and  first  wave  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2021  album  "The  Final  Chapter"  which  was  released  by  El  Puerto  Records.

  A  very  heavy  German  thrash  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing. Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  first  wave  style  black  metal  growls and  clean  power  metal  vocals  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  yet  aggressive  style.

  The  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.  Most  of  the  music  is  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  era  but  mixed  in  with  a  more  modern  day  aggression  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  a  couple  of  tracks  as  well  as  a  later  song  also  introducing  clean  playing  onto  the  album  and  synths  and  classical  guitars  are  also  added  on  the  closing  track.    

  On  this  recording  Necronomicon  continue  the  mixture  of  power  metal,  german  thrash  metal  and  first  wave  black  metal  that  they  have  established  on  previous  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  evil,  death,  occultism  and  suffering  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Necronomicon  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "I  Am  The  Violence"  "Purgatory"   "World  On  Fire"  and  "Stormreaper".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_Pz_R4qUG8&feature=youtu.be      

Necronomicon/Invictus/Metal Scrap Records/2020 CD Review

  Necronomicon  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  where  a  part  of  both  the  first  wave  of  black  metal  and  the  80's  German  thrash  metal  scene  and  over  the  years  have  evolved  into  more  of  a  power/thrash  metal  direction  and  this  is  a  review of  their  2020  album  "Invictus" which  was  released  by  Metal  Scrap  Records.

  Spoken  word  and  thunder  samples  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  musical  direction.  Blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  while  the  riffs  also add  in  a  great  amount  of  thrash  metal  elements  and  the  vocals a redone  in  a  very  rough  and  melodic  fashion  and  adding  in  touches  of  power  metal.

  Most  of  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  while  also  mixing  it  with  a  more  modern  day  aggression.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  clean  playing  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  recording.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  yet  old  school  style  along  with  the  spoken  word  samples  also  making  a  return  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  as  well  as  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  synths,  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  and  stringed  instruments  can  also  be  heard.  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Evil,  Death,  Satanism,  Occultism,  Mythology,  and  Suffering  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Necronomicon  and  if  you  are  a f an  of  power,  thrash  and  first  wave  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Invictus"  "Thoughts  Running  Free"  "Upon  Black  Wings"  and  "Possessed  By  Evil". 8  out  of  10.

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Necronomicon/Invictus/Massacre Records/2012 CD Review

Necronomicon are a band from Germany that started out playing black/thrash metal but have evolved more into a thrash band with a power metal edge and this is a review of their 2012 album "Invictus" which was released by Massacre Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being thrown in at times, while the bass playing has a very strong and powerful sound with riffs that dominate throughout the recording.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast thrash/speed/power metal riffs that do not have the black metal influence of the early albums except for the re recorded and live tracks in addition there is a brief use of soft and clean playing being used on a few songs, while the lead guitars are very meldoic sounding 80's metal guitar solos and leads, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized they use full chords to bring a classic rock felling to the music.

Vocals are a mixture of thrash style growls and rough style power metal clean singing with some samples being thrown in at times as well as spoken word parts, while the lyrics cover dark themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful and professional sound to it and the bonus tracks where recorded live.

In my opinion while I prefer the older material from Necronomicon and have only heard the first 2 albums they style play a decent form of power/thrash and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Unleashed" "Upon Black Wings" "Possessed By Evil" and "Magic Forest". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Tiamat/Clouds/Century Media Records/1992 CD Review

  Tiamat are a band from Sweden that started out ss a black/thrash band then evolved into doom metal and later on gothic rock and this is a review of their 1992 album "Clouds" which was released by Century Media Records.

Drums are mostly slow beats on this album with some occasional fast playing and the occasional blast beat, while the keyboards have a very dark and atmospheric sound, as for the bass playing it follows the riffs coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are a mixture between slow doom riffs with some mid paced to fat riffing that has a little bit of a black metal influence mixed with Swedish death metal, while the lead guitars are melodic guitar solos, as for the acoustic guitars they bring a small amount of light with some exotic scales played on a classical guitar to the dark music that is present on this album.

Vocals are mostly Swedish style death metal vocals that are very easy to understand with some spoken word passages, while the lyrics cover depressing, esoteric, and satanic themes, as for the production on this album which was recorded and mixed at the Woodhouse Studio in Germany sounds very professional and you can hear all of the instruments that are present on this album.

In my opinion this was one of Tiamat's best albums, and if you are a fan of Tiamat you probably already have this album. Recommended Tracks Include ""In A Dream" "The Sleeping Beauty" and "The Scapegoat". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Bandcamp (Napalm Records)

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Bathory/Twilight Of The Gods/Black Mark Productions/1991 CD Review

  Bathory are a band from Sweden that started out as a black/thrash metal band that created black metal today as we know and they are also one of the creators of what is known today as viking metal and this is a review of their classic 1991 album "Twilight Of The Gods" which was released by Black Mark Productions.

Drums are mostly slow beats with no fast playing or blast beats, while the bass playing is all rhythm bass that follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars, as for the orchestra when it is used on this album it has a soundtrack feel with a classical influence.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow riffs with no fast playing while the lead guitars are distorted guitar solos that contain a lot of melody, as for the acoustic guitars they utilize a lot of open chords that give the music a pagan feel and there are also classical guitars that are used at times.

Vocals are all clean singing and have no black metal vocals like the earlier albums, while the lyrics touch on Norse Mythology, the fantasy writings of Robert E. Howard and the philosophy of Freidrich Nietzsche, as for the production on this recording it sounds very professional for the time it came and you can hear all of the musical instruments present on this masterpiece.

In my opinion this is a classic album from Bathory and if you are a fan of Bathory you probably already have this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Through Blood And Iron" "Under The Runes" and "To Enter The Mountain". RECOMMENDED BUY.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Bathory/184

Try Redemption Interview

1. Can you give us a brief history of the band?
Yes. Try Redemption formed from two high school bands: Undecided and Kismet. We all went to the same high school so things came together quick and easy when the 5 of us decided to jam. Before we knew it, teeth were lost, hair was falling out, kids had been had, and now we're fat and old!But seriously we've played together since 2000 and retained the same line up throughout. We've played shows from Seattle, to Texas, to Milwaukee, to Pennsylvania and been lucky enough to share the stage with many of our childhood influences: Testament, DRI, Nuclear Blast, Exodus,Deicide, Cephalic Carnage, Jag Panzer, etc..

.2. How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you before?
We usually like other people to describe our sound because when we writesongs, we don't typically try to sound like anybody. Our individual tastes in music is pretty wide and we like to think that comes through in our songs.

3. Are there any plans for a tour?
You buying? We get out as much as we can, but sometimes can't afford much past the weekend warrior thing...

4. Have you received any label interest?
Yes, but many of the labels have been small and weren't able to offer more than what we were doing on our own. We've also been pretty scrutinous of contracts we've received and it seems like that has scared a couple labels off...

5. How would you describe your musical progress over the years, I have noticed that your newer stuff is a lot heavier than the cd's you gave meat a couple of shows a few years back?
I think that songwriting-wise, it's much easier to write stuff on the fly as a band now. Before, one or two of us would bring a few riffs or a whole songs to practice, but now we come up with most everything together. Plus we practice with a metronome which makes it much easier to get tight on songs with the quickness.

6. What are some of the best shows the band has played?
The Louder, Harder, Faster festival in Allentown, PA in 2005 was probably the most fun we've had. All the bands were put up in a four star hotel and fed and taken care of real well. The original line up of Testament played that show too so we're grateful to have been a part of it.But sometime the best shows are the local ones where everyone is just in the mood to tear shit up. We've always thought it would be cool to hear the crowd scream lyrics and stuff back at us so when we play at home,and everyone screams, "DIRTY, FILTHY, FUCKING, WHORE!" with Hammer, it's the best shit ever!

7. What releases have you put out so far?
2003 - Confessions of a Tortured Soul2005 - Prey For Us Sinners2008 - Resurrection of Reason

8. What role does Anti-Christianity play in the music?
Not so much in the music - meaning it doesn't really influence the riffs and stuff - we kind of have a "live and let live" mentality. But Hammer writes about it when he's in the mood... Lately, his lyrics have been more on the death/gore side...

9. What are some of the band's main influences music wise or non music wise?
Like I said earlier, our musical interests are pretty widespread. From Pantera to 80's hair metal and obscure 80's pop stuff, to 70's rock and funk, to Edward's beats (techno/Industrial). And we all enjoy contemporary metal: Cannibal, Amon Amarth, The Faceless...Non-music wise: Nintendo... sweet Christ Nintendo! Good beer (everyoneloves a Hefe!) LOTRO, South Park, Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job...it's an awesome show... they do a great job... SpongeBob, CartoonNetwork, Harry Potter, Delorians, D&D, Bob and Tom, the good ol' collegetry, too much to list here..

10. What are you listening to nowadays and what good bands would you recommend?
Daigle has been listening to the hell out of the last Faceless CD. James- Sonata Artica. John - Informatik.We would recommend Scalafrea, Kastigation, and Khrinj.

11. What are some good books or films that you would recommend?
Harry Potter series (books and movies), Lord of the Rings (the movies),Cannibal, Orgazmo, Baseketball, South Park the movie, Team America,Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory(movie), Back to the Future series, The Matrix, The original Exorcist(book and movie).

12. How would you compare the metal scene in Colorado Springs to Denver?
The bands seem to get along better in Colorado Springs... maybe there's just fewer bands here though... There's many more places to play in Denver and the population is more... but we've always enjoyed Colorado Springs. We've been asked if we've ever considered moving to Denver and we haven't. We've lived in Colorado Springs our whole lives so this is home.

13. Any final words?
Choerl! Pro. Thanks for the interview... and go to YourAssCast.com

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