Howl/Bloodlines/Relapse Records/2013 CD Review

  Howl  are  a  band  from  Rhode  Island  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Bloodlines"  which  was released  by  Relapse  Records.

  Drums  range  from slow  to mid  paced  playing  along  with  a  brief  use  of  fast  playing  and  blast  beats,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow, mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  sludge  with  the  heaviness  of  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  with  some  melody  being t hrown  into  the  riffing  at  times,  while  the  lead  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  are  very  melodic  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  range  from  deep  death  metal  growls,  hardcore  style  shouts  and  high  pitched  sludge  screams  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  dark,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Howl  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  sludge  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Midnight  Eyes"  "Demonic"  "Your  Hell  Begins"  and  "The  Mouth  Of  Madness".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

Eternal Tears Of Sorrow/Saivon Lapsi/Massacre Records/2013 CD Review

  Eternal  Tears  Of  Sorrow  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that h as  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  that  combines  gothic,  doom  and  melodic  death  metal  together  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2013  album  "Saivon  Lapsi"  which  was  released  by  Massacre  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  only  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats being  utilized  at  times,  while t he  keyboards  bring  a  very  dark,  atmospheric,  gothic  and  symphonic  sound  to  the  recording  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  violins,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  gothic,  doom  and  melodic  death  metal  together  to  create  a  sound  of t heir  own,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  when  utilized  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  add  more  darkness  to  the  music.

 Vocals  range  from  high pitched  melodic  death  metal screams  to  clean  singing  male  and  female  vocals  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  back  up  shouts,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  as  for t he  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  dark  and  professional  sound  to  it  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  with  some  of the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Eternal  Tears  of  Sorrow  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dark  Alliance"  "Dance  Of  December"  "The  Day"  and  "Angelheart  Ravenheart".  RECOMMENDED BUY.

    

Nonsun/Good Old Evil/2012 EP Review

    Nonsun  are  a  band  from  Ukraine  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  doom,  drone,  post  metal  and  noise  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2012  ep  "Good  Old  Evil".

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  drumming  with  no fast  playing  or  blast  beats  being  present  on  this  recording,  while  the  sound  effects  bring  avant  garde  and  harsh  noise  elements  to  the  music, as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  riffs  that  combine  doom,  sludge,  post  metal  and  drone  together  to create  a  sound  of  their  own  with  a  good  amount  of  heavy  distortion  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  psychedelic  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  all  deep  sludge/doom  metal  growls,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  dark  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  with  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Nonsun  are  a  very  great  sounding  heavy  hybrid  of  sludge,  doom,  drone,  post  metal  and  noise  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this b and.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Jesus  Age"  and  "Forgotten  Is  What  Never  Was".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

Vadikan Interview

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

1. We have started building up new material bit by bit.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album?

2. What we got is a completely incomprehensible mixture. I can't or wouldn't describe our music by myself. Let's leave that for critics to do.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new release?

3. Roman Kiskin: Meditations of things eternal - the reason of life. Love. Senility. Death.

Wetri: The theme of love, of course, will never grow old or uninteresting, and where there is love there is also grieving, separation and loneliness, they walk through one's life side by side. Each our new wound destroys us so that we could be reborn, like a phoenix. Therefore, the lyrical theme that goes throughout the melodies of this album is the melody of life.

 4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

4. I think I must have heard this word in the titles of some soap opera some decade ago. I thought that this mix of two words — Vadik, which is short for my name Vadim, and Vatican, was fun.

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

5. We haven't played a live gig. This is a studio project.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the future?

6. We don't have such plans, but it really depends on the demand.

7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your new album by fans of gothic metal?

7. This is our debut album that is out since January. It is too early to say.

8. Are there any other musical projects besides this band or is this a full time line up?

8. Vadim Pashutin: Occasionally I do mixing and producing for other bands; at this point that is Gross Grolland.

Ilya Philipyev:  A blues - rock band.

9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

9. Some of the new songs will be considerably heavier than those in our debut. We may add male vocals. It is also likely that we will continue the tradition to cooperate with session musicians.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

10. Vadim Pashutin: Paradise lost, Entwine, Arch Enemy, Overkill, Cranberries, Megadeth…

Julia Tikhomirova: I got acquainted with heavy music like 10 years ago through the Ultra radio station, when it was still using the FM range. To this day I'm faithful to this format.

Ilya Philipyev: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kellie Rucker, Joe Bonomassa, Seasick Steve, Kenny Neal, Zz Top, Glen Hughes, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Morbid Angel, Pantera, Napalm Death, Slayer, Atheist, Sadist, Carcass, Dying Fetus, Decapitated, Cannibal Corpse, Hate Eternal 

11. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

11. Vadim Pashutin: Video games, motobike, tourism.

Julia Tikhomirova: It may range from a quiet homely pastime with my hand-made little things to a noisy night with a large company of friends in some kind of a bar, and walking trips

Ilya Philipyev: Outside the music I'm a bicycle guy.

Azure Emote/The Gravity Of Impermanence/Selfmadegod Records/2013 CD Review

  Azure  Emote  are  a b and  from  Pennsylvania  that  plays  a  very  avant  garde  and  industrial  form  of  death  metal  with  grind,  doom,  and  black  metal  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2013  album  "The  gravity  Of  Imperanence"  which  was  released  by  Selfmadegod  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  good  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  present  on  this  recording,  while  the  sound  effects,  synths,  violin,  and  harmonica  bring  a  very  experimental,  avant  garde  and  industrial  sound  to  the  recording,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  death  metal  riffs  that  are  very  heavy  and  brutal  sounding with  influences  from  doom,  black,  death,  grind,  industrial,  experimental  and  avant  garde  as  well  as  a  great  amount  of  melody  being  thrown  into  the  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars a re  very  melodic  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  they  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  add  more  avant  garde  touches  to  the  recording.

  Vocals  range  from  deep  death  metal  growls  to  clean  singing  opera  vocals  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  samples,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  occult,  philosophical  and  Illuminati  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  dark,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Azure  Emote  are  a v ery  great  sounding  heavy  and  brutal  avant  garde  death  metal b and  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sunrise  Slaughter"  "Dissent"  "Annunaki  Illuminati"  and  "Puppet  Dieties".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.      

From Oceans To Autumn/Pareto Analysis Volume 1/Siber Records/2013 EP Review

  From  Oceans  To  Autumn  are  a  band  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  I  would  describe  as  being  doomgaze  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  ep  "Pareto  Analysis  Volume  1"  which  was  released  by  Siber  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  playing  with  no  fast  playing  or  blast  beats  being  present  on  this  recording, while  the  synths  are  very  dark,  atmospheric  and  ambient  sounding,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow   to  mid  paced  riffs t hat  combine  doom  metal,  ambient,  experimental  and  shoegaze  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  with  a  good  amount  of  melody being  thrown  into  the  riffing  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

   Vocals  and  songwriting  are  absent  from  this  recording  with  the  music  being  all  instrumental,  while the  song  themes  cover  darkness,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  From  Oceans  To  Autumn  and  if  you are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "I"  and  "III".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

Vadikan/Hydrargyrum/Metal Scrap Records/2013 CD Review

  Vadikan  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  gothic/doom  metal  with  some death  and  black  metal influences  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Hydrargyrum"  which  was  released  by  Metal  Scrap  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  only  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording, a s  for  the  synths  when  they  are  utilized  they  bring  a  very  dark,  atmospheric  and  gothic  sound  to  the  recording  as  well as  a  brief  use  of  violins.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  gothic/doom  metal  riffs  that  utilize  some  dark  sounding  melodies,  death  and  black  metal  influences  in  the  riffing  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  soft  and  clean  playing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  gothic  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads. 

  Vocals  range  from  clean  singing  female  gothic  metal  vocals  with  some  deep  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  that  bring  the  death  and  black  metal  influences  to  the  recording,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  poetic  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.    

  In  my  opinion  Vadikan  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  gothic  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Break  The  Templates"  "Chestnut  Candles"  "I  Remember  You"  and  "Wicked  Love".  RECOMMENDED  BUY. 

Call Of The Void/Dragged Down A Dead End Path/Relapse Records/2013 CD Review

  Call  Of  The  Void  are  a  band  from  Denver,  Colorado  that  plays  a  mixture  of  hardcore,  punk,  crust,  sludge,  power  violence  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Dragged  Down  A  Dead  End  Path"  which  was  released  by  Relapse  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  good  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  have  a v ery  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  hardcore,  punk,  crust,  sludge,  power  violence  and  grindcore  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  are  mostly  hardcore/grind  screams  and  growls  with  some  crust  elements  being  thrown  in at  times  as  well  as  some  samples,  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  hateful  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to   it.

  In my  opinion  Call  Of  The  Void  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  sludge,  power  violence,  crust,  grind,  punk  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of t his  musical  genre,  you  should c heck  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Failure"  "Endless  Ritual  Abuse"  "The  Liar's  Heart"  and  "I  Hope  You  Two  Fuck".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Krypts/Unending Degradation/Dark Descent Records/2013 CD Review

  Krypts  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  very  heavy,  dark  and  old  school  form  of  death/doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Unending  Degradation"  which  was  released  by  Dark  Descent  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being utilized  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  old  school  death  metal with  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal  as w ell  as  a  good  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  being  thrown  into  the  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding  doom/death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  all  deep death  metal  growls,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  dark,  powerful  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Krypts  are  a  very  great  sounding  heavy  and  brutal  death/doom  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Blessed  Entwinement"  "Dormancy  Of  The  Ancients"  and  "Day  Of  Reckoning".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.