Negative Vortex/Tomb Absolute/Caligari Records/2015 Cassette Review

 

   Negative  Vortex  are  a  band  from  Oakland,  California  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  doom/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  demo  "Tomb  Absolute"  which  was  released  by  Caligari  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  demo  along  with  some  low  end  deep  death  metal  growls  that  also  bring  in  few  pitched  screams  and  the  music  starts  to  speed  up  and  incorporate  more  blast  beats  and  the  riffs  also  use  tremolo  picking  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  morbid  sounding  melodies  at  times  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  dark  and  chaotic  early  90's  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads  and  the  slower  sections  also  bring  in  a  very  heavy  dose  of  doom  metal.

  Negative  Vortex  plays  a  style  of  doom/death  metal  that  is  very  dark  and  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  while  the  death  metal  side  of  their  musical  style  mostly  dominates  the  songs  and  they  also  play  a  bit  more  faster  than  most  bands  in  this  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Negative  Vortex  are  a  very  great  sounding  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  cassette.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Chant  For  the  Undertaker"  and  "The  Burning  Orb".  8 out  of  10. 

Phantom Winter Interview

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

Phantom Winter are Andreas (guitar, screams) and Christof (drums) from Omega Massif plus Christian (growls), Martin (bass) and David (guitar). We play some kind of music we like to call „winterdoom“.



Soon you will release your debut-album new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

The sound is a rough and harsh one with a lot of dirt and without shiny effects and super hip sounds. We love it in your face. Listen to it very loud and you will know, what I mean.

3.The band formed out of the ashes of 'Omega massif', what was the decision behind disbanding that group and starting up a new band?

Nine years of Omega Massif was enough. I started Phantom Winter as a sideproject a week before Omega Massif split up so this became my main band. And I am fine with this decision now, even if I was really sad about the death of O.M. Now I have the chance to write the music 100% as I like it, that's a new but also very cool experience.

4.In 'Omega Massif' the music was all instrumental, what was the decision behind using lyrics in the new band?

There is no sense in copying our own band. Omega Massif is gone and was awesome as it was, but Phantom Winter has it's very own style even if you can hear the connection to O.M.

5.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

„Wintercvlt“ for example is about sheep who follow including some kind of ironic twist with the line „Destroy all cvlts, obey the wintercvlt!“. „Svffer“ is about the german way to accept their Nazi-past and the Holocaust. No one should ever forget, what happened. It is important to remember the Shoa forever. „Corpses Collide“ deals with the progress of becoming an adult. A lot of cool kids become real conservative and stubborn people and it is a reminder to myself, that I try to avoid that. „Finster Wald“ is about NSBM and bands who play with nazi-stuff to be very evil and cool and whatever. Fuck them.

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Phantom Winter'?

Christof and I love the word „Phantom“ and we always wanted to do something with it, a song, an album, whatever. So we played a bit around and came up with Phantom Winter and we knew...that's it!

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

Well, haha, we played two shows and both were wonderful because there were a lot of nice people and even from the first to the second show we felt the big progress of becoming a band and playing as a band and that was really important for us.

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

We will play about twenty shows this year including the wonderful VOID-festival, the Stateless-Society-Festival, the Golden Antenna-Summit in Leipzig and a lot of other shows with a lot of friends. We are really looking forward to every single show!

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been so far to your music by fans of sludge and doom metal?

The feedback was awesome. Both of our shows were kinda sold out, the people ordered more than 200 copies in less than one preorder day and the most important thing: a lot of people let us know how they appreciate our work and the development the music made from one band to the other. We are very happy that we seem to have a real fanbase even before our first album came out. Our hope is that we can fulfill the big trust a lot of awesome pepple seem to have in us.

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

Listen to CVLT and you know our musical future. Progression is not our kind of thing.

11.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 am listening to nearly everything but Ragga and Dancehall stuff. The variety of music goes from old Nasum to Napalm Death to a lot of Bossa Nova and Jazz-Stuff to HipHop. I don't care about musical boundaries and I am happy about it. The influence is everywhere.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

My wife and my kids are the center of my life. When I find the time I try to read a lot (lately „What I loved“ - Siri Hustvedt; „Inherent Vice“ - Thomas Pynchon; „Couples“ - John Updike) an I love doing sports and watching American Football. Ah, and I love Scotch Whisky.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks for the interest! Check out our music, it's not that bad.

Famishgod/Devourers Of Light/Xtreem Music/2014 CD Review

  Famishgod  are  a  duo from  Spain  that  plays  a  dark  mixture  of  death  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Devourers  Of  Light"  which  was  released  by  Xtreem  Music.

  A  very  dark  sound  along  with  a  small  amount  of  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  a  few  seconds  later  the  music  starts  going  into  a  heavier  doom  metal  direction  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding.

  Clean  and  atmospheric  sounds  are  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  parts  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  the  riffs also  bring  in  melodies  at  times  and  all  of  the  songs  are  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  darker  side  of  90's  doom/death  metal  and  also  use  a  great  amount  of  programmed  beats  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  pace  with  no  fast  parts  ever  used.

  Famishgod  plays  a  style  doom/death  metal  that  is  very  heavy,  dark  and  slow  and  goes  back  to  the  more  underground  style  of  the  90's  but  done  with  more  of   and  updated  take,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Famishgod  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark  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  "Famish'  "Premature  Grave"  and  "Brightless".  8  out  of  10.

  

Yattai/Fast Music Means Love/Bonobostomp/2015 CD Review

  Yattai  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  grindcore,  crust,  death  metal,  postcore  and  doom  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Fast  Music  Means  Love"  which  was  released  by  Bonobostomp.

  A  very  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  doom  metal  direction  and  also  adding  in  high  pitched  screams  and  death  metal  growls  and  the  music  does  also  speed  up  quite  a  bit  and  adds  in  brutal  blast  beats  along  with  some  melody  being  utilized  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  a  grindcore  direction  while  some  of  the  later  tracks  also  bring  in  elements  of  thrash  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  there  are  also  a  few  tracks  that  are  recorded  live  and  while  most  of  the  tracks  stick  to  a  heavy  sound  one  of  the  songs  does  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing.

  Yattai  plays  mostly  a  brutal  style  of  grindcore  but  they  also  mix  in  doom  death  metal,  postcore,  thrash  and  crust  to  create  a   sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  hateful  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Yattai  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of   grindcore,  crust,  death  metal,  postcore  and  doom  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Can't  Stand"  "Before  You  Go"  "Evil  Daniel's  Style"  and  "AK-47".  8  out  of  10.   

Valve/Apnee/Wooaaargh/2015 Vinyl Review

  Valve  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  metal  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Apnee"  which  was  released  by  Wooaaargh.

  A  very  dark,  melodic  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  music  starts  mixing  sludge,  doom  metal  and  post  hardcore  together  and  death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  some  of  the  alter  tracks  also  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  reverb  sounds  as  well  as  adding  melodic  guitar  leads  into  some  of  the  songs  and  when  clean  singing  is  used  they  enhance  the  post  metal  elements  that  are  also  a  huge  part  of  the  bands  musical  style  and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  and  slide  guitars  can  be  heard  briefly  before  making  a  return  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  towards  the  end  one  of  the  tracks  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats.

  Valve  takes  a  very  dark  and  heavy  style  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  more  melodic  and  post  side  of  hardcore  to  create  their  own  sound  on  this  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  esoteric  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Valve  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  metal  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lapsit  Ex  Ellis"  and  "777".  8  out  of  10.

   

Link/Chapter IV/Distro-y Records/2015 LP Review

  Link  are  a  band  from  Belgium  that  plays  a  mixture  of  doom  metal,  crust  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Chapter  IV"  which  will b e  released  in  April  by  Distro-y  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  a  few  seconds  later  melody  and  elements  of  crust  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  some  growling  vocals  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  hardcore  in  the  bands  musical  style.

  When  the  music  slows  down  that  is  when  the  doom  metal  influence  is  the  most  powerful  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  d  beats  and  as  the  album  progresses  they  also  bring  in  a  couple  of  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Link  takes  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  crust  and  hardcore  and  mixes  it  in  with  doom  metal  and  a  more  extreme  vocal  approach  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Link  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  doom  metal,  crust  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Wasteland"  and  "History  Repeats".  8  out  of  10.

  

Herscher/Self Titled/2015 Full Length Review

  Herscher  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  doom  metal,  sludge  and  noise  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  and  self  released  2015  album.

   A  very  dark,  heavy  and  retro  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  and  atmospheric  elements  that  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  modern  day  feeling  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  you  can  also  hear  some  spoken  word  parts  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Aggressive  screams  and  growls  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  on  the  songs  and  there  are  most  of  the tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  as  the  album  progresses  more  drones  and  noises  find  their  way  onto  the  recording  along  with  a  couple  of  instrumental  tracks  and  the  songs  also  always  remain  true  to  a  slow,  dark  and  heavy  sound  while  the  last  track  adds  in  more  mid  paced  parts.    

  Herscher  plays  a  style  of  doom  metal  and  sludge  that  is  very  slow,  dark  and  heavy  and  also  brings  in  elements  of  noise,  atmospheric  music  and  melody  to  create  a  sound  of t heir  own,  the  production  sound s very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes  along  with  some  songs  being  written  in  French.

  In  my  opinion  Herscher  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  doom  metal,  sludge  and  doom  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Old  lands"  and  "Electric  Path".  8  out  of  10.

    

Phantom Winter/CVLT/Golden Antenna Records/2015 CD Review

  Phantom  Winter  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  metal  and  psychedelic  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  'CVLT"  which  was  released  by  Golden  Antenna  Records.

  A  very  dark,  melodic and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  high  pitched  screams  being  added  in  a  few  seconds  later  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  a  few  minutes  avant  garde  style  keyboards  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  some  whispers.

  A  good  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  bring  in  drones  at  times  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  touch  of  early  90's  melodic  doom/death  metal  while  elements  of  post  rock  can  also  can  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  the  music  also  speeds  up  at  times  and  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Spoken  word  samples  can  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  dark  and  melodic  in  sound  and  when  clean  parts  are  added  into  the  songs  they  bring  in  an  influence  of  psychedelia  while  the  main  focus  of  this  recording  is  on  a  more  heavy  style  of  sludge  metal.

  Phantom  Winter  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  they  mix  it  in  with  the  melody  and  psychedelic  and  post  rock  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

In  my  opinion  Phantom  Winter  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  metal  and  psychedelic  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Suffer"  and  "Wintercvlt".  8  out  of  10.  

vod Interview

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

vod is a one-man band based on bass guitar and improvisation as driving forces. It all started in August 2014 when I wanted to push the boundaries of down-tuning to the max. The album deciduus - free on bandcamp - was recorded with the low B string of my bass dropped 7 full tones, to A00, one octave lower than A0, for the majority of the songs. A bit of this stayed for ᑑᕐᖓᐃᑦ (Tuurngait): the basses are in drop A (A0), but an octaver is used on the ‘bass-bass’ track so that the sub-bass frequencies are still present. Playing on a string dropped down 7 tones kinda restricts the things you can do.

2.So far you have released an ep and have also recorded a full length, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?
First, the album ‘deciduus’ was released, like I said, to make the most absurd down-tuned band ever, and it was supposed to end there, hence the name of the last track: ‘the end’. However, I found myself quite liking the opportunity I had with that project to create music all by myself, with no need for other people’s work. I work quite quickly, and deciduus took me less than two days to record, produce, and release, entirely. In the beginning of winter, or late fall, I wanted to make an album about winter, because it’s a season I really like and it has some sort of mystic aura around it, so I improvised and recorded Tuurngait. It took me around 5 days to do so, but I wanted it to sound more professional than deciduus so I found Jon on a music forum. He’s really talented and our visions of music are parallel so it was a charm working with him on the mix. The only thing is that it made the album’s release be pushed back to March, and then April, but it will totally be worth it. Also for this album, I searched a bit on the web and found April’s drawings, and immediately fell in love with her art. So I sent her a message and she agreed to work on the album art for Tuurngait. That’s why you can see the awesome cover art.
After I finished recording Tuurngait, I wanted to make a short ‘Anti-Christmas’ album, since Christmas is just about overconsumption and equates money spent with how much you love your children. I decided to honour the old Pagan ritual Jul (or Yule). I used runes for the titles because I like to do things differently
Finally, in early 2015, I began a compilation, ∅, where I would put silly and fun stuff that I record. Up to now, I’ve covered the Adventure Time opening song, the Epic Sax Guy who was a popular meme a few years ago, the Can’t Hug Every Cat by songify this, and This Sick Beat™.


3.What are some of the themes and concepts you bring out with your musical sound?
On deciduus, I wanted to make a horror-themed album, because I thought it fitted nicely the 'super-low-tuned string hitting violently on the fretboard' sound. I made a cover of Richard Wagner’s prelude to Rheingold, the first part of his epic opera The Ring, just because it’s the longest classical piece of drone in the common repertoire. It’s tuned in Eb00, which is even lower than the A00 used on the rest of the album.
On ᛃᚢᛚ (Yule), I wrote about Odin, and Sleipnir, which is believed to have served as inspiration for Rudolp the red-nosed reindeer, the gods Njor and Freyr, a short prayer on a King, and the last song is about grief.
On ᑑᕐᖓᐃᑦ (Tuurngait), like I said, winter, cold, and other things related serve as the concept of the album. The Inuit mythology and syllabary also help in that regard.
On my two full-length albums, I do subtle references to a certain anime, but that’s a secret!


4.The song titles are written in symbols, can you tell us a little bit about what these symbols mean?


Those symbols are the Inuktitut syllabary. The title of the album ᑑᕐᖓᐃᑦ (Tuurngait) means, loosely translated, a ghost, or spirit. In the order of the album, the song titles mean alone, cold, sunset, fire, night, northern lights, air, and soul. It’s all loosely translated, however. There are no real equivalent between the two languages.
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'vod’?

vod is simply ‘void’ without ‘I’.

6.The band is considered as a solo project but there are band members listed, is this done for more of a live setting?

No, the band members listed helped on recording the album. François helped with backing vocals, Jon mixed and mastered, and also added a big bunch of effects, Nicolas recorded trumpet, Laurence some vocals, and April did the artwork. I’m planning on building up a live band, too, but for now there’s nothing made.

7.On the album the bass took over fro the guitars, are you planning on using guitars in the future or do you prefer to keep the bass guitar as a lead instrument?

I’ll keep bass as the main instrument. I don’t think there will ever be guitars in vod, except bass guitars.

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

None.
9.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

I would love to, but it’s always quite difficult to work with a band involving more than just one person. Everybody’s got their priorities. I’m trying hard to build something right now, but only time will tell if I will be successful.

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

I am not looking for one. I would be interested in it if I keep all my artistic and creative freedom in the process.

11.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your recordings by fans of underground music?

It’s been surprisingly positive! I did the music for myself, first and foremost, and I’m glad to see that other weirdos like the same stuff I do.

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

I would love to keep making music as I am now. I wouldn’t like to make music my main source of revenue, because I would most probably have to make music with ‘fans’ or ‘sells’ in mind, and I would hate that. If I have a steady money income besides music, I can do whatever I want, and keep making weird music like I love to.

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 didn’t have really anything in mind when I recorded vod’s albums. I just tried to think about the theme I was centered around, either horror or winter/cold, and let music happen. In the end, I’m aware that all that I’ve ever listened to and what I’m listening to at the moment plays a big role in how I will sound like, but I didn’t keep this music particularly in mind. Lately, I just received Alkaloid’s new album, bought Entheos’ EP, received Becca Stevens Band’s new album, as well as Tigran Hamasyan’s one. There is so much great music coming out!
]
14.What are some of your non musical interests?

I like science, video games, astronomy, I do sports and would like to begin martial arts soon. I also read, but much less than what I used to. I have a music blog called Can This Even Be Called Music?, focusing on small, independent and innovating bands.

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

Make music for yourself. That’s how real innovation will come.

Frost Tears/Nine Chapters/Magnum Music/2014 Double CD Review

  Frost  Tears  are  a  band  from  Taiwan  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  form  of  gothic  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Nine  Chapters"  which  was  released  by  Magnum  Music  and  comes  with  a  bonus  cd  that  includes  re-mixes  and  video's.

   A  very  symphonic  neo-classical  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  also  gives  the recording  an  epic  feeling    along  with  some  operatic  female  vocals  and  after  the  intro  heavy  and  melodic  guitars  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  also  mix  in  with  the  symphonic  side  of  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  vocals  also  start  combining  opera  and  gothic  metal  together.

   At  times  there  are  choirs  that  include  both  male  and  female  vocals  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  seem  to  be  heavily  influenced  by  traditional  and  power  metal  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  elements  of  progressive  rock  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  synths  also  start  bringing  in  a  variety  of  many  different  keys  along  with  a  couple  of  the  tracks  being  power  ballads  and  the  heavier  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and one  of  the  songs  is  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Some  of  the  tracks  bring  in  traces  of  Asian  folk  music  as  well  as  adding  in  musical  instruments  that  are  native  to  that  culture  and  they  mix  it  in  with  both  the  heavy  and  soft  parts  and  one  of  the  later  tracks  also  brings  in  a  few  seconds  of  aggressive  chants  along  with  a  few  of  the  songs  bringing  in  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  and  blast  beats  and  towards  the  end  of  the  album  they  also  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  and  an  instrumental  before  closing  the  first  album  with  2  vocals  tacks  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  cover  of  "Amazing  Grace"  and  the  second  disc  has  one  original  track  and  3  remixes  from  the  album  reviewed.

  Frost  Tears  creates  a  symphonic  style  of  gothic  metal  that  is  very  melodic  and  but  does  add  in  touch  of  black  and  death  metal  at  times  to  create  some  original  sounding  music,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Frost  Tears  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  gothic  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should c heck  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Barren  Land"  "Rule  The  Land"  and  "Flames  Of  War".  8/5  out  of  10.      

Midhaven 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?

Midhaven has been really busy over the past few months! We're working on a music video, tour dates and merch! We had a tour last year and it went really well so programming some more for 2015!


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?

Spellbound was written over a period of 2 years where the main song writing was done in 2013. Our previous release was Tales From The Tide (EP) in early 2013 as a teaser to the main album. There are three songs on the EP but 9 on the album. The two big jumps from The EP to the Spellbound were - Production and Going heavier. I could say we're closer to finding our sound!


3.Your lyrics cover both Hindu and Greco-Roman Mythology, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

Well, I've always been interested in different cultures, especially ancient civilisations that had an important role in modern society. We're from India and our history of Hinduism dates back to ten thousand years. Older than almost every other civilisation in the world, the similarities to Norse Mythos and Greek Mythos is not even funny! Conceptually, we wanted to create a universe where each of our albums can grow and their stories can be told. So in Spellbound, the story unfolds through each song as it takes you on a journey where Shiva brutally kills Apollo, by infiltrating his abode in Olympus. Heaven is corrupt and the prophecy claims that Shiva will take down the mighty Sun-God.


4.Originally the band was known as 'Temple Smoke', what was the decision behind the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Midhaven'?

We didn't have a fixed name for the band. Ideas always floated around about using a mythologically based character or word, even infusing them together to make one. Sadly, none of them stuck. After a few months I came up with the idea of combining the astronomical term 'Midheaven' and the word 'Haven' to make it 'Midhaven'. My interest in astronomy got us the name!


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

We've had some amazing memories that we carried back home from tour. Recently, we played in Guwahati where the energy of the crowd was electrifying! Our stage performance to me, is a mixture of extreme energy as well as laid back. The contrast of our album's different genres gives us time to breathe between heavy songs. A ton of fun for me, hair everywhere!


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

Can't reveal just yet! But yes, this year seems busy for us!


7.The new album was released on Universal Music Group, how did you get in contact with this label and also how would you describe the support they have given you so far?

Universal Music Group has been our label since December 2013. They originally contacted us for a meeting about the indian metal scene, and soon after we struck a deal and signed! Spellbound was released and they've been a great help in releasing it worldwide. It's tough to do it on your own, especially with getting it into stores, that's where they come in!


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

It's been great. I've read most of the reviews and articles about us, from places like Rolling Stone to independent music journalists. Fans have been very active in our sales and we're really happy that there's a good buzz around for us, but the more the better!


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

Hopefully a few albums down the line, our genre will have changed once again, for we're ever-evolving musicians with a history in many different genres and sub-genres.


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?

Most of Midhaven's music is inspired by prog rock and prog metal but we all sub genres of metal have influenced us. From death metal to power metal, each one of us has a different genre as a background. I've been listening to a lot of contemporary classical music and a ton of jazz recently!


11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Besides music, I've always been interested in gaming, science and poetry. Astronomy has inspired me to write a ton music!


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

Hope you enjoyed the album! Thanks a ton for the interview.

Minsk/The Crash & The Draw/Relapse Records/2015 CD Review

  Minsk  are  a  band  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  plays  sludge,  psychedelia  and  post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "The  Crash  &  The  Draw"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Relapse  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  atmospheric sound  starts  off  the  album  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  clean  playing  is  added  onto  the  recording  and  it  also  brings  in  more  of  a  post  rock  feeling  to  the  bands  musical  sound  before  adding  in  heavy  guitars  which  are  very  heavily  influenced  by  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  the music  also  brings  in  a  great  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts.

  When  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  in  a  clean  singing  direction  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  at  times  the  music  speeds  up  and  bring s in  a  small  amount  of  growls,  high  pitched  screams,  and  blast  beats  and  the  guitar  riffs,  solos  and  leads also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  most  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  

  Psychedelic  sounds  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  they  also  give  the  recording  more  of  an  experimental  feeling  when  they  are  utilized  and  there  are  also  4  songs  related  to  each  other  which  also  gives  the  album  more  of  a  conceptual  vibe  and  they  also  bring  in  an  ambient  instrumental  before  returning  back  to  a  post/sludge  metal  sound  on  the  following  tracks  while  a  more  tribal  orientated  instrumental  is  used  before  the  2  closing  tracks  which  also  introduce  spoken  word  parts  onto  the  recording.

  Minsk  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  heavier  side  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  but  also  brings  in  the  melody  of  post  metal  and  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  experimental  music  and  psychedelia  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Hermeticism,  Alchemy  and  Esoteric  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Minsk  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge,  psychedelia  and  post  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Within  An d Without"  "Onward  procession  II:  The  Soil  Coils"  "The  Way  Is  Through"  and  "When  The  Walls  Fell".  8  out  of  10.
 



  

Hadal/The Obscure I/2014 Demo Review

  Hadal  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  an  old  school  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  demo  "The  Obscure  I".

  Clean  playing  and  melodic  vocals  start  off  the  demo  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  a  few  seconds  later  the  music  adds  in  more  of  a  heavy  doom  metal  direction  while  also  mixing  in  the  clean  parts  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  death  metal  growls  in  the  bands  musical  style.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  remain  true  to  an  early  90's  melodic  doom/death  metal  sound  and  the  clean  vocals  also  mix  in  with  the  growls  at  times  and  the  clean  sections  also  gives  the  music  a  progressive  and  atmospheric feeling  when  they  are  brought  into  the  songs  and  every  track  sticks  to  a  very  slow,  melancholic,  melodic  yet  very  heavy  musical  direction.

  Hadal  plays  a  style  of  doom  metal  that  takes  the  epic  80's  side  of  the  genre  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  more  atmospheric  and  melodic  doom/death   style  of  the  early  90's  to  create  a  sound  of their  own,  the  production  sound s very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  depression,  despair,  death,  loss,  and  grief.

  In  my  opinion  Hadal  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  atmospheric  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  "Low  Winter  Sun"  and  "The  Obscure  I".  8  out  of  10.   

vod/Tuurngait/2015 Full Length Review

 

  vod  are  a  band  from Quebec,  Canada  that  plays  a  mixture  of  drone,  doom  metal,  post,  sludge,  and  prog  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  album  "Tuurngait"    which  will  be  released  in  April.

  Dark  sound  effects  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  bass  guitars  a  few  seconds  alter  which  are  actually  the  lead  instruments  on  the  recording  and  after  awhile  they  take  the  music  into  a  heavy  sludge  direction  while  also  bringing  in  melodies  at  times  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  prog  metal  feeling.

  Most  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  a  mixture  of  screams  and  growls  and  at  times  clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  drones  and  as  the  album  progresses  trumpets  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  vod  takes  the  heaviness  of  doom  and  sludge  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  melody  of  prog   and  post  metal  as  well  as  adding  in  drones,  experimental  and  avant  garde  elements  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sound s very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  and  song  titles  are  written  in  code.

  In  my  opinion  vod  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of   drone,  doom  metal,  post,  sludge,  and  prog  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "itji"  "unnauk"  and  "Anirniit".  8  out  of  10.  

Nudist Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
By now we are planning a tour in Europe and working on new stuff.

 2.You have a new album coming out in March, 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?
Well, the sound of the new album is very different from the other two. First of all due to the voice...It is the first time we use it. At the beginning the intent was to us it as an additional instrument, creating sounds and effects, then came the need to add some lyrical content in it.
The sound in this album is much heavier and gloomy compared to the old stuff and the permanently delayed voice gives an effect of distance and depressive atmosphere.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
“See the light beyond the spiral” is a concept album divided in five parts. The lyrics describe an hypothetical post industrial future world where nature is devastated, dried out by human behaviour and life on the surface is impossible, humanity is concealed in an underground world, where life is scanned by the rhythms of industry.
The character finally realises his dream...to see the sky and the surface, but finds out that his search for freedom brings him to death.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Nudist'?
The idea of calling the band “Nudist” comes from our need to explore many different sound dimensions and not to wear the “dress” of a specific musical genre or style.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We played lots of concerts over the years and it's really hard to choose a “Best Show”.
We shared the stage with many good bands like Red Fang, Generation of Vipers, ZU, Morkobot, Conan, Jucifer, Fuzz Orchestra and many others.
Every time we play, for us that is the best show, when you see the audience enjoying your music and mosh...that's what we play for.
About describing our stage performance, playing with two drums is probably a distinctive trait of our live sets. The two drummers often play the same patterns and watch them moving synchronized has an unavoidable scenic effect...
Than I would say...High Volume and a great energy alternate with melodic and psychedelic moments leading the audience through a various and dynamic show.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
The next show is for our release party the 20th of March. The 21st and 22nd we have other two shows in northern Italy.
We are planning to do a short tour passing from France, Germany and Belgium, but still to confirm.


7.T

he new album is going to be released through a variety of many different labels, can you tell us a little bit about them?
We are releasing this album with all independent labels from Italy and Spain. They are all small realities from the underground scene.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of doom metal and other underground genres?
Actually we are starting now to get a bit more out of Italy thanks to our labels and all the foreigner friends we met at the shows that talk to their friends about us. People really like the sound which is a good mixture of psychedelic elements and groovy riffs. Every song has an it's own inner evolution that brings the listener in many different places and atmospheres during the same song...that's mostly what people say.
People actually is captured from our sound in live shows which are really energic and powerful.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We started in the last two months to jam together and write new songs...we still don't know where the next album will bring us to...maybe it will be more rough...more direct...probably loosing a bit of the slower parts opening the way to a more hard core way of writing the songs.

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?
Melvins, Noxagt, Ex Models, Russian Circles, Entombed, Prong. Ministry, Jesus Lizard.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
dogs cats guitars Drugs and friends.

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

Evolvent Interview

EVOLVENT
Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
EVOLVENT: Since the recording of the new album, we have made and released a new music video on our single “Love doesn’t love me”. I was our very first professional video. Now we are working on promotion and   preparing our first European tour with many rehearsals. We have a new set, some new musicians, and we particularly focus on giving ourselves a strong identity.
LUDO: What has been going? A new bassist! Fuck yeah

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?
CLEMENT: Well, our style is considered to be between Melodic and Symphonic Metal. The symphonic orchestra can provide either strong and rhythmic patterns or smooth ambiances and can easily enhance the power of the Drum/Guitar/Bass base. The voice comes to link these and highlight the emotions from the music.
Compared to our previous album, "Whatever Happens" is really more powerful. The drums are a lot more aggressive, coupled with the guitar and the bass for heavy riffs. The musical pace is also higher, and the whole album really more dynamic. Check it out to hear by yourself!
EVOLVENT: All musicians have changed since the released of Delusion in 2011. We had to adapt at first the style to Emma’s lyrical and powerful voice. But also to the new musicians’ influence which were closer to symphonic metal.

Originally the band started out as a doom/death metal band but has evolved into more of a melodic and symphonic gothic metal band over the years, what was the decision behind going into this direction?
SEB: Emma‘s arrival accelerate the direction taken by the band after Delusion’s. We wanted to make heavier music and with Emma’ powerful voice and energy while singing it was an evidence. As a fan of symphonic music, it was a new challenge I took up with pleasure!

What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
EMMA: For the first time, lyrics are now written by its singer. The album is full of different atmospheres, sometimes nostalgic, sometimes energetic and deals with themes such as unconditional love, passion and rebellion. It’s full of my experiences but will probably touch to everyone. I try to give a positive message through all songs and hope I will give courage to people listen to them.

 What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Evolvent'?
SEB: Evolvent is a mix of two French words “evolution” which also means “evolution” in English and “vent” which means “wind” in English. Evolvent would refer to something in constant evolution, light as the air, always travelling. Special isn’t it?

Originally the band was a studio project, when did you decide to take the band into more of a live direction?
SEB: After many goods reviews of “Spiritual Confession” from media and requests of fans, we finally gave in to the call of the stage!

What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
EMMA: We have done so wonderful shows! I will remember all of them with their good and less good moments that still make us laugh today.
The concert in Paris with Elferya in September 2013 was a beautiful moment. With receive much support from the public and we spend nice moment with the band. It was also the best stage with play on.
Our first show in Switzerland was also memorable. It was in November 2014, with the cover band, Alkemy. There were very few people, but we there was a fan who took the train from France for two hours only to see Evolvent on stage. It really upset me!
I think the upcoming tour will bring us unless as much emotions as the last one.
EVOLVENT: Now the lineup is stable, we are starting to build a real show. It’s easier now that the songs are made of all of us and that they are more dynamical. Live shows will be better and better with time. As we are a young line up, we need to learn from each other, to spend time together which will reinforce our complicity in real life and on stage.

Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
EVOLVENT: We have some shows in France of course and in some other countries in Europe as Italy and the Netherlands the first part of 2015.

The new album was released on Bernett Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
EVOLVENT: That was the case on the album Delusion, today our partner Dooweet fulfills promotion and distribution.

On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer music by fans of metal?
EMMA: The first EP with Emma a lead singer called “Human instinct” and released in May 2014 has the aim to show the shift taken by Evolvent. We received both good reviews and less good. It’s understandable as we have totally decided to leave doom metal, which of course have displeased to some people. Fortunately, we have managed to convince many followers who love our new sound! Moreover, whatever Sébastien compose, his style is clearly identifiable and full of emotion.

Are any of the band members currently involved with any other musical projects or bands these days?
SEB: Since 2011 I have been working as an arranger for Monolithe which is a funeral doom project.
Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
EMMA: it’s quite difficult to know, I hope we will evolve into symphonic metal music, but we will never keep quiet what we love to fit the genre.

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?
EMMA: I am still a big fan of symphonic metal band and singers especially Tarja and Nightwish, Amy Lee and Evanescence. I admire as well my singing teacher Soanny Fay. Today I also listen to other kind of music, for example London Grammar is for me the band of 2015!
FRED: I am found of heavy metal, grunge and rock music, like Metallica, The Foo Fighters, Porcupine Tree, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Audioslave…

What are some of your non musical interests?
EMMA: Great cuisine!
FRED: My wife and my children, motorcycle, mountain bike, movies and series.
LUDO: I love airsoft, movies, video games, nature and animals.
CLEMENT: Informatics, cooking, video games...

Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
EVOLVENT: Thanks a lot for this interview. A little note for those who read this and like our new album: don't hesitate to write to us on our Facebook page: EVOLVENT OFFICIAL, we love to know what exactly our fans like in our music! Like every band, we need all the support possible! we are really looking forward to meet our fans on the 2015 tour, and have them discover our new album!
: https://www.facebook.com/pages/EVOLVENT-OFFICIAL/213082918739395?fref=ts

Spectral Darkwave Interview

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

The band has been in the pipeline for some years, Dan (the drummer) and myself (Steve - Guitar/Vox) are twins and always promised ourselves we’d get create a band that captured the scope of all the computer game music we listened to in the late 80’s early 90’s. Whilst Dan studied in Japan, I sent him some demos, he told me which songs were in the shared perception of our childhood. When he got back we learnt to play the demos and wrote the rest of the album. Our first bassist was someone I’d worked with extensively before but then we were lucky enough to find someone just as nerdy and doom oriented as ourselves to play bass in Jon when Ben emigrated (not because of us!)

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the album?

It’s Symphonic Death/Doom metal if we’re looking for a genre classification but more importantly it’s large. Very large. As the saying goes ‘Big League’. We did whatever we could to make the record sound as epic in scale as we could and yet be hooky and memorable – something that a lot of newer metal dispenses with in favour of fucking with peoples ears.

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

The themes are about the dark nature of humanity in its quest for survival each written as a short story. ‘Retake Mars!’ deals with the inevitable war that will be fought for it should we try to fully colonize it where as ‘Milk and Oil’ is about the disastrous lengths a husband will go to for a wife who has lost their child during childbirth. A gallery of humanity's desperation and failures.

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

In keeping with our science of evil vibe, we always imagined it as ‘the moment you scan something unknown on the edge of space and look at your readings, but there is a massive absence of information - because it knows you’re there… and your next!’ Oh, the horror of THAT moment…

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

Best shows - we once had everyone who watched our show move into the middle of the room for the best stereo image of our nukes and other audio fireworks we bring live. In fairness, our stage show, though themed on observing human horror and suffering tends to become a rather black shared joke that only nerdy metal people tend to get.

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

We will be supporting the record with shows across the UK in April-June then toward the end of the year. Off the back of this we hope to secure some festival slots next year. Maybe we’ll get invited to Europe.

7.The new album is coming out on Occidental Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

It’s our own label so they can wind-up the company not us personally when we go massively into debt trying to make the difficult second album! It suits our purposes to formalise our arrangements in the long term but maybe as we grow then the roster of Occidental may grow too.

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

Well it’s all very early in the promotion cycle for us at the moment so no one knows we exist in the vast ocean of music out there. When we’ve had radio play on tbfm online, people taking the time to come and speak to us after our UK shows and early reviews – everyone has been really positive. Which I find really weird. I know it’s good in principle and that we’ve worked hard at it. That’s about it.

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

We’ve written most of the next record already and it’s shaping up to be even more about story-telling than ‘Last First Contact’. We’re going to bring in some more electronic elements and some more really interesting use of tribal percussion in songs like ‘A Season of Abyssal Screams’ - which is about Mayan human sacrifice. We hope that people will want more of the same on the second record but with even better production values.

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?

Initially, Rammstein’s slower stuff was a big influence for Dan and myself, but then someone put me on to Opeth’s Blackwater Park and we realised that great metal could twist and turn and be a journey rather than be all about the shred. These days we’ll on a fairly (un)healthy diet of Draconian, Devin Townsend and The Vision Bleak.

11.Does Occultism play any role in your music?

Not directly - we view occultism as just one way human intelligence has tried to negotiate the problems of it’s own existence with the limited information it can gather through 5 senses. Such is humanity’s selfish nature that much new thought was historically treated as ‘the work of the devil’ and punished by those in positions of power. Smart people tend to fall into two camps - those know when they do not know and those that pretend they know in order to exploit the ignorance of others. There is definitely an unwritten Spectral Darkwave song in it.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Dan is a bit of a drum animal but is also the most likely of us to hit the gym, Jon studies Historical European Martial Arts and between the band and teaching Film and TV, I’m lucky if I can get a few games of Pro Evolution Soccer on my Xbox just to zone out entirely.

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

Enjoy the light you live in, make the most of it whilst you spark in the darkness, you are the nerve endings of the universe.
Very. Lucky. You.

Evolvent/Whatever Happens/Bernett Records/2015 CD Review

  Evolvent  are  a  band  from  France  that  started  out  as  a  doom/death  metal  band  but  have  evolved  more  into  a  symphonic/gothic  metal  band  over  the  years  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Whatever  Happens"  which  was  released  by  Bernett  Records.

  A  very  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  album  giving  the  recording  a  classical  music  feeling  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  heavy  and  melodic  direction  as  well  as  introducing  guitar  leads  and  clean  singing  female  vocals  to  the  music  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Symphonic  and  heavy  parts  mix  together  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  as  the  album  progresses  death  metal  growls  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  a  few  ballads  can  be  heard  on  the  album  while  there  still  is  a  good  amount  of  heavy  tracks  which  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  male  vocals  at  times.

  Evolvent  strays  away  from  the  doom/death  metal  sound  of  the  earlier  recordings  and  creates  some  quality  symphonic/gothic  metal  on  this  recording  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Evolvent  are  a  very  great  symphonic/gothic  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dawn"  "Love  Dose'nt  Love  Me"  "We  Are"  and  "Siempere".  8  out  of  10.

  

Rogue Coma/Redemption/VDH/2015 EP Review

 

  Rouge  Coma  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  an  occult  mixture  of  doom  and  post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "Redemption"  which  was  released  by  VDH.

  A  very  dark  and  avant  garde  sound  starts  off  the  ep  and  after  a  few  seconds  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  a  heavier  doom  metal  direction  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  music  also  incorporates  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  post  metal  elements.

  When  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  very  aggressive  sludge  style  screams  which  also  have  a  very  grim  feeling  to  them  at  times  and  after  awhile  spoken  word  samples  and  clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  as  the  ep  progresses  a  small  amount  of  growls  can  be  heard  at  times.

  Rouge  Coma  plays  a  style  of  doom  metal  that  incorporates  a  great  amount  of  sludge,  occult  and  post  metal  elements  that  make  their  music  sound  very  dark  and  heavy  yet  very  original  at  the  same  time,  the production  has  a  very  powerful  sound  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Rogue  Coma  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  doom,  sludge  and  post  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Stranger"  and  "Redemption".  8  out  of  10.

  

Spectral Darkwave/First Last Contact/Occidental Records/2015 CD Review

  Spectral  Darkwave  are  a  band  from  England  that  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "First  Last  Contact"  which  will  be  released  on  March  30th  by  Occidental  Records.

  Electronic  music  sounds  start  off  the  album  and  a  few  seconds  later  heavy  and  melodic  guitars  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  a  great  amount  of  symphonic  elements  and  after  the  intro  war  samples  are  brought  in  briefly  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Once  growls  are  added  into  the  music  the  album  starts  evoking  more  of  a  death  metal  feeling  and  the  music  also  adds  in  elements  of  modern  metal  at  times  and  after  awhile  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  a  small  amount  of  clean  singing  can  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks.

  Clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  some  songs  bring  in  female  vocals  and  computer  music  along  with  a  touch  of  industrial  and  there  is  also  a  brief  instrumental  before  returning  back  to  vocal  tracks  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  mostly  a   slow  to  mid  paced  musical  direction.

  Spectral  Darkwave  plays  a  style  of  doom/death  metal  that  mixes  in  more  modern  sounds  and  a  great  amount  of  symphonic  and  electronic  music  elements  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  science  fiction,  war  and  horror  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Spectral  Darkwave  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  mixture  of  death  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Retake  Mars!"  "My  Hand  The  Gavel"  "I  Am  Shadow"  and  "To  Feast  On  Milk  And  Oil".  8  out  of  10.