Passion For Sorrow/Rotting Immortality/WormHoleDeath Records/2014 CD Review

  Passion  For  Sorrow  are  a  band  from  the  Czech  Republic  that  plays  a  mixture  of  gothic  and  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Rotting  Immortality"  which  was  released  by  WormHoleDeath  Records.

  Violins  and  acoustic  guitars  which  also  gives  the  recording  a  classical  feeling  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  bells  ringing before  going  into  more  of  a  melodic  and  heavy  death  metal  direction  which  they  also  mix  in  with  some  elements  of  gothic  rock  and  after  awhile  high  pitched  screams  and  deep  growls  find  their  way  onto  the  recording.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  added  onto  the  recording  they  continue  the  melodic  tradition  of  the  bands  musical  style  and t he  band  also  starts  bringing  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  with  the  heavier  parts  bringing  in  a  heavy  Gothenburg  90's  death  metal  influence  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

   Some  of  the  later  tracks  also  shows  the  band  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  keyboards,  spoken  word  parts  and  clean  singing  as  well  as  a  few  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  halfway  through  the  recording  a  brief  use  of   melodic  female  vocals  are  added  onto  a  few  of  the  songs  as  well  as  some  of  the  slower  riffing  bringing  in  elements  of  doom  metal  while  the  acoustic  parts  start  getting  more  progressive  towards  the  end  of  the  recording.

  Passion  For  Sorrow  takes  a  90's  style  of  melodic  death  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  gothic  metal  of  that  era  to  create  a  very  dark,  heavy  and  melancholic  sounding  album  that  also  brings  in  a  touch  of  progressive  rock,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  tragic  and  melancholic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Passion  For  Sorrow  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  gothic  and  melodic  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  put  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Secrets  of  the  Dark"  "Lost"  "Dying"  and  "Rotting  Immortality".  8/5  out  of  10.  

      

Ideogram/Life Mimics Theater/WormHoleDeath Records/2014 CD Review

  Ideogram  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  and  avant  garde  from  of  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Life  Mimics  Theater"  which  was  released  by  WormHoleDeath  Records.

  Middle  Eastern  style  sounds  and  whispers  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  and  melodic  clean  singing  female  vocals  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  a  heavy  and  modern  metal  sound  along  with  some  black  and  death  metal  vocals  and  a  symphonic  background  which  also  brings  in  violins  and  elements  of  folk  music  as  the  album  moves  in  into  the  other  tracks  which  this  not  take  away  from  the  melodic  death  metal  sound  that  they  focus  on  quite  a  bit.

  Elements  of  industrial  can  be  heard  in  the  music  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  they  also  mix  the  operatic  vocals  in  with  the  more  extreme  style  of  metal  vocals  which  also  brings  in  back  up  gang  shouts  and  times  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  are  in  a  more  melodic  metal  tradition  and  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  the  band  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars.

  Throughout  the  album  the  classical,  avant  garde  and  symphonic  elements  mix's  in  very  well  with  the  bands  melodic  and  extreme  approach  to  metal  and  they  also  bring  in  more  elements  of  electronic  and  synth  music  as  the  album  progresses  almost  giving  the  recording  a  pop  music  feeling  while  the  heaviness  keeps  it  away  from  the  that  style  and  on  some  of  the  later  songs  the  music  starts  having  more  of  a  symphonic  black  metal  sound  as  well  as  the  male  vocals  also  bringing  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  and  the  last  2  songs  are  2  bonus  acoustic  tracks.

  Ideogram  creates  a  very  avant  garde  style  of  metal  that  takes  classical  and  symphonic  music  and  mixes  it  in  with  some  of  the  heavier  parts  of  death,  black  and  gothic  metal  to  create  and  album  that  is  very  original  and  melancholic  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  both  English  and  Italian  and  cover  dark,  poetic  and  metaphysical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ideogram  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic,  avant  garde  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Life  Is  Pregnant  Of  Death"  "Evil  (In  Her  Hands)"  "Geisha  For  my  Demons"  and  "Death  is  Pregnant  Of  Life".  8/5  out  of  10.

Trysth Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We are a post-metal/sludge band created in Sofia, Bulgaria in late 2005. In the beginning we played raw black metal but the discovering of the great Isis caused a dramatic change of style. We turned to slower, more epic, and more progressive type of songs. After a lot of shows and rehearsals we are finally ready with our debut album “Soulchambers” which will be released in the beginning of November.


2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
“Soulchambers” is full of heavy post-metal/sludge tunes as well as a lot of atmospheric and psychedelic moments. We’re very happy with the sound and it was great working with Vasko Raykov (Odd Crew) who helped us a lot.


3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
We are focused on the inner self so all our topics are deeply introspective. Such is our debut album which general lyrical concept is the metamorphosis of the soul during the human life.


4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Trysth'?
In general it means sad in French, but spelled differently. We just liked how it sounded, how it looked written and so we decided to stick with it.


5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
That’s a tough one, but maybe our two best shows were this year – the one with the mighty Nadja and the other at the Gathering of the Elements. We opened for Nadja in March 2014 and it was really an amazing show. The other very important and wild performance was at the end of June with other three great Bulgarian bands – Upyr, Obsidian Sea and Muddy.
Our live shows are very energetic and at the same time we try to make an almost trance-like atmosphere because it’s what our music is all about - becoming one with the music.


6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
On 8.11 we’ll be presenting the album live here in Sofia. After that we don’t have any show plans till the end of the year. We’d like to make some kind of a tour in future, but it’s just an idea for the moment.


7.The album was released on Serpent Eve Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
It’s a Bulgarian label created in 2013 so it’s relatively new. The guy behind it – Vladimir Petrov is very energetic and very eager to establish the label as a large underground source of music in Bulgaria. We are very happy that he decided to work with us and release a cassette format of the album. So far he’s been very supportive and is always willing to share knowledge and to help us in any way.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of atmospheric sludge metal?
The album isn’t officially ready yet (in terms of physical copies), but we already have some reviews from zines/blogs outside Bulgaria. All are very positive and so far “Soulchambers” is very well received which is great news for us being it a debut album.


9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We’re not trying to make special plans related to our music because it’s more important to just relax and play. Usually we make our songs from long, sometimes 30-minutes long jams and we pick the best parts. In general we’ll try to stick to our current style of playing and rely on the natural course of events.


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?
We have a lot of influences; the main ones are Isis, Neurosis, Shrinebuilder, Callisto, Cult of Luna, etc. Recently I fell in love with the new Yob and Earth albums. They’re true masterpieces and deserve the label modern classics.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
The three of us are obsessed with music – listening, playing it, and talking about it. We have little spare time for anything other and we like the usual stuff – hanging with friends, watching movies, watching quality porn, etc.


12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We just want to thank you for the interview and enjoy listening to our music.

Today Is The Day/Animal Mother/Southern Lord Records/2014 CD Review

  Today  Is  The  Day  are  a  band  from  Maine  that  has  been  around  for  more  than  20  years  and  plays  a  style  of  metal  that  is  very  extreme  with  elements  of  noise  and  psychedelia  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Animal  Mother"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Southern  Lord  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  melodic  noise  rock  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  guitar  lead  and  powerful  bass  guitars  and  a  few  seconds  later  spoken  word  parts  which  leads  up  to  a  more  heavy  sound  along  with  sludge  style  screams  and  growls  which  also  have  a  death  metal  feeling  to  them  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  some  drones  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  There  is  a  good  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  throughout  the  recording  and  the  music  sticks  to  mostly  a  slow  direction  and  on  the  3rd  track  you  can  hear  a  slight  thrash  influence  being  added  into  the  music  as  well  as  some  elements of  hardcore  and  doom  metal  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  and  after  a  few  tracks  in  a  heavy  vein  the  band  brings  in  an  acoustic  piece  which  also  shows  the  vocals  getting  more  melodic  and  they  also  bring  in  a  psychedelic  feeling  and  they  also  use  acoustic guitars  again  on  a  later  track.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  band  starts  adding  in  the  psychedelic  sound  effects  in  with  the  heavier  side  of  their  musical  style  and  the  music  on  this  recording  sounds  a  lot  more  heavier  than  from  what  I  remember  from  their  past  material  while  also  still  being  very  experimental  and  they  still  have  a  good  amount  of  noise  rock  in  their  style  which  they  mix  in  with  the  heaviness  of  extreme  metal.

  Today  is  the  Day  creates  another  album  that  is  very  heavy  while  also  keeping  around  the  experimental  and  noise  rock  elements  as  well  as  adding  some  psychedelia  into  some  of  the  tracks  to  create  a  record  that  does  not  fit  in  a  particular  category,   the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  pain  and  hate.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  Today  Is  The  Day  and  if  you   are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Animal  Mother"  "Law  Of  The  Universe"  "Mystic"  and  "Zodiac"  8  out  of  10.

       

Dystopia/Human = Garbage/Tankcrimes/2014 CD Re-issue Review

  Dystopia  are  a  band  from  California  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  metal  and  crust  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1995  album  "Human  =  Garbage"  which  will  be  re-issued  by  Tankcrimes  in  October  of  1014  and  also  has  some  bonus  tracks  from  a  few  split's  and  compilations.

  A  very  dark  sounding  bass  guitar  starts  off  the  album  and  a  few  seconds  later  clean  playing  and  spoken  word  parts  are  added  onto  the  recording  which  are  also  very  angry  sounding  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  drum  beats  start  to  kick  in  which  leads  up  to  more  of  a  heavy  sludge  metal  direction  along  with  some  screaming  vocals.

  You  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  crust,  hardcore  and  death  metal  elements  in  the  vocals  along  with  a  few  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  which  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  adding  in  more  mid  paced  parts  that  shows  more  of  the  bands  crustcore  roots  while  the  guitars  also  start  to  add  more  melody  into  the  riffing.

  On  some  of  the  tracks  spoken  word  samples  can  be  heard  and  as  the  album  progresses  you  can  also  hear  small  traces  of  harsh  noise  at  times  and  on  the  bonus  tracks  you  can  hear  a  small  amount  of  70's  influences  and  melodic  chanting  while  the  main  focus  remains  on  a  heavy  and  aggressive  crust/doom  sound  along  the  vocals  bringing  in  more  grindcore  style  growls  and  screams  and  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  you  can  also  hear  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  being  utilized.

  Dystopia  played  a  style  of  sludge  and  crust  metal  in  the  90's  that  still  holds  up  today  as  well  as  being  heavier  than  most  of  the  younger  bands  and  you  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  aggression  and  heaviness  throughout  the  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  depressive  and  misanthropic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  some  great  material  from  Dystopia  in  the  90's  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  sludge,  doom,  crust  and  grind,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hands  that  Mode"  "Ignorance  Of  Pride"  "Green  Destroyed"  and  "Sleep".  8/5  out  of  10.

    

Enemy of Reality Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band these days?
The band has been rehearsing, non stop, these days, experimenting with some ideas for new songs (jamming), and we 're about to appear in two scheduled shows in Greece,and the MFVF,right after.

2.In June, you has released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound you went for on the album?

Musically,we wanted to be free,and use our imagination to produce a crossover between many different styles,to combine our different influences into something unique,that can be heard by people with different taste in music. You can find influences from classical music, baroque, opera, black metal, straight heavy metal, prog, even Greek folk music! But the most important thing was to identity ourselves,we wanted people that hear all of the songs to understand that it's us. The songs came to us very naturally,and as time went by,the songwriting process became much easier and more natural to us.

3.Your lyrics cover Greek Mythology, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

Indeed,we have a quadrilogy that deals with the myth of Orpheus and Euridice. Thanos,our bass player has written those lyrics. In general we 've all grown up to this type of literature, ancient Greek history and mythology is enough to inspire lyrics for two lifetimes!

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Enemy Of Reality'?

Let me put it this way. Life doesn't always treat us well. Modern society has created many problems for our generation. Instead of focusing on fixing what 's wrong around us, poverty, wars, poor education systems and so much more, we have established a certain way of life, have neglected the essence of our existence and our spirit, and base our lives around material possessions. We 've been raised believing we 'll become what we 've been fed by popular culture and end up with psychological issues, stress, and disappointment. In the end,by thinking in this way we 've become our own enemy. Reality can sometimes be generous,but on most occasions it 's disappointing. And οn these occasions people have to fight against it, in order to make our short lives better and the world around us as well.

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

Τhe band hasn't played any shows yet! Our members have performed with other bands in the past, but the shows I mentioned earlier are our first live shows as a band. And we really can't wait to hit the stage as a team!

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

We have many plans for individual shows and touring for the future. However none of these can be revealed at the moment.. We like to reveal our plans only when something becomes official.

7.On the album you had some well known quests on your album, do you feel having these musicians that influenced your sound being on the recording will help your name get out there a lot better to the right people?

First off,it 's a huge compliment and honor to us to work with those people. None would agree to play as a guest if they didn't actually like the material. That 's a win to us. Secondly, being realistic and thinking as a fan, I 'd be more likely to check out a new band with whom an artist I already know and like participates. So,probably yes.

8.The album was released on F.Y.B Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

F.Y.B. Records is an independent label based in Belgium. It started out with only a few bands and is constantly growing. The first band that got bigger with FYB were Skeptical Minds and little by little the company signed other bands as well and the future will reveal more. We have a great relationship with the company,they 're helpful and understanding, and most of all care about their bands.



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

So far it 's been amazing! I mean even in the beginning,having released only one demo track on youtube,people embraced us,and trusted us on our indiegogo campaign and that proved to be really helpful!
The interest οf the people is more than I personally could expect and wish for! I 'm the kind of guy that thinks both the best and worst scenarios. On the feedback subject, I 'm extremely happy about the way the fans of the symphonic sound are treating Enemy Of Reality.

10.Are any of the band members involved with any other musical projects these days?

Our bass player,Thanos plays with Cthonian Alchemy,a black metal band. Philip is playing drums in One Of These Days,a grind core band. Iliana participates as a guest in many different projects from time to time,while Marianthie and me have Steelborn,a progressive metal band,we 've now put that on ice for a little while,but we 're constantly writing new material!



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

Ι have no idea! We haven 't tried to sound like something else,we have our influences,combine them and produce what comes naturally. So far,it 's what you hear on 'Rejected Gods'. I imagine this will evolve in different levels. Just wait and we 'll see what the future brings..


12.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?


 Well,I was an 80's kid, mostly. That means I 'm into all the classic metal & rock stuff,especially if it was guitar oriented! I mean I grew up with Metallica,Megadeth, Maiden, Sabbath, Deep Purple, Guns 'n' Roses and all those major 80 's bands. Lots of instrumental music as well,by players such as Becker, Malmsteen, Vai, Satriani and others.
And of course many prog rock/metal bands from Rush and Camel to Dream Theater and Symphony X. As far as styles go,I can go on forever: Anything from Classical, Baroque and Romantic up 'til Pop, Jazz, Flamenco, Greek Folk stuff, Country and many others. I believe that good music can be found anywhere,as long as you keep your ears open. Lately I find myself enjoying some good old AOR bands, some new stoner bands and virtuoso guitar albums,as always.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

My time is limited,due to a heavy schedule of guitar lessons at my home studio or via Skype. I used to read a lot of literature and psychology. Nowadays not as much as I used to. I 'm still a huge movie enthusiast,I always find some time to enjoy either a huge blockbuster or an independent European film. I occasionally enjoy drawing too, sketching to be exact.

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

I 'd like to thank you firstly for this interview. And I 'd like to express my gratitude to those people that constantly support us by spreading the word about

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Trysth/Soulchambers/Serpent Eve Records/2014 CD Review

 

  Trysth  are  a  band  from  Bulgaria  that  plays  a  very atmospheric  form  of  post  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Soulchambers"  which  was  released  by  Serpent  Eve  Records.

  Atmospheric  sounds  and  drones  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  clean  playing  finds  its  way  onto  the  recording  which  leads  up  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  after  a  couple  of  minutes  and  after  awhile  the  band  adds  in  some  melodic  post  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads  to  a  heavy  doom  orientated  rhythm.

  Most  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  very  slow  and  heavy  doom/sludge  metal  direction  and  on  the  third  track  growling  vocals  are  added  onto  the  recording  bringing  a  death  metal  influence  into  the  bands  musical  style  while  you  can  also  hear  a  bit  of  hardcore  in  the  way  the  vocals  are  approached  and  after  awhile  melodic  singing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts.

  As  the  album  progresses  you  can  hear  a  perfect  balance  between  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  along  with  some  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  on  the  later  songs  the  atmospheric  side  of  the  bands  musical  style  starts  having  a  more  dominating  sounding  presence  on  the  recording.

  Trysth  creates  a  very  heavy,  melodic  and  atmospheric  sound  that  is  heavily  rooted  in  sludge  and  doom  metal  in  the  heavier  parts  while  also  bringing  in  the  atmosphere  and  melody  and  post  metal  along  with  a  progressive  touch  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  poetic  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Tyrsth  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric,  post  sludge  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ordeal  Vision"  and  "The Undying".  8  out  of  10.