Torrens Conscientium/All Alone With The Thoughts/Solitude Productions/2014 CD Review

  Torrens  Conscientum  are  a  band  from  Ukraine  that  plays a  very  atmospheric  form  of  doom/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "All  Alone  With  the  thoughts"  which  was  released  by  Solitude  Productions.

  A  very  dark  and  atmospheric  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  a  few  seconds  later  which also  leads  up  to  tragic  sounding  keyboards  and  after  the  intro  the  band  goes  for  more  of  a  heavy  doom  metal  direction  while  also  keeping  around  the  atmospheric  elements  which  they  mix  in  with  a  touch  of  ambient.

  Deep  death  metal  growls  are  a  huge  part  of  the  bands  musical  style  while  also adding in  grim  vocals  at  times  that  also  adds  a  black metal  feeling  to  the  recording  and  a  good  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  bring  in  a  great amount  of  depressive  melodies  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  the  music  also  starts  to  a  very  slow,  heavy  and  dark  sound  while  also  being  very  diverse  at  the  same  time  and  a  couple  of  the later  tracks  melodic  guitar  leads  are  added  onto  the  recording.

  Torrens  Conscientum  plays  a  style  of  doom/death  metal  that  is  very  dark,  heavy  and melancholic  while  also  being  very  atmospheric  and  melodic  at  the  same  time  as  well  as  adding  in  a  touch  of  black  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  oppressive  and  loneliness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Torrens  Conscientium  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Black  Fog"  "An  Evening  Behind"  and  "Being  Lonely".  8  out  of  10.



       

The Whorehouse Massacre/Altar Of The Goat Skull/VI/Transcending Obscurity International Distribution/2015 CD Review

  The  Whorehouse  Massacre  are  a  band  from  Canada  that  plays  a  mixture  of     sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  their  ep's  "Altar  Of  the  Goat  Skull"  and  "VI"  which  will  be  released  on  February  20,  2015  as  a  full  length  album  by  Transcending  Obscurity  International  Distribution.

  A  very  dark and  heavy  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  music  also  brings  in  few  pitched  screams  at  times  and  after  awhile  dark  and  melodic  guitar  leads  are  added  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  A  few  of  the  tracks  are  instrumental  while  the  song s with  vocals  bring  in  an  early  90's  doom/death  metal  feeling  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  band  brings  in  a  few  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  at  times  the  guitar riffing  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow,  heavy  and  dark  musical  direction.

  The  Whorehouse  Massacre  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  early  90's  doom/death  metal  sound  and  mixes  it  with  sludge  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  focus  more  on  a  dark  subject  matter.

  In  my  opinion  The  Whorehouse  Massacre  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Indignation"  "Altar  Of  The  Goat  Skull"  "Bowles  Of  hell"  and  "Sob  Story".  8  out  of  10.     

Whispering Woods/Perditus et Dea/Loud Rage Music/2015 CD Review

  Whispering  Woods  are  a  band  from  Romania  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  form  of  gothic/doom  metal  and  this is  a  review  of  their 2015  album  "Perditus  et  Dea"  which  was  released  by  Loud  Rage  Music.

  Classical  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  tragic  keyboards  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  adding  in  heavy  guitars  while  also  keeping  the  keyboards  and  also  mixing  in  folk  instruments  and  operatic  female  vocals  while  the  heavier  parts  bring  in  a  doom  metal  sound  and  all  of  the musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  You  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing  throughout  the  recording  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  grim  screams  and  growls  which  also  gives  the  recording  a  black  and  death  metal  feeling  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks.

  One  of  the  later  tracks  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  ritualistic  feeling  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  add  more  melody  to  the  recording  while  a  later  track  is  all  instrumental  and  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Whispering  Woods  plays  a  very  symphonic  style  of  gothic/doom  metal t hat  is  very  heavily  influenced  by  opera  and  folk  music  as  well  as  adding  in  the  heaviness  of  black  and  death  metal  at  times  to  give  the  music  more  of  an  original  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  poetic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Whispering  Woods  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  gothic/doom  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Original  Sin"  "Autumnal"  "If  Ever"  and  "Dea".  8  out  of  10.

      

Nihilo 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?
It has been a great year since we've released the record. We played a few great shows in Switzerland. For example we played at the most famous venue in the french part of Switzerland, which is called Fri-Son. We shared the stage with the almighty Carnal Decay and Virvum. Beside of that we've put the record on vinyl. With a little help of our fans (crowdfunding) we finally realized our dream to have it on vinyl. This is definitely a milestone in the history of our existence.

2.In March you had released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
The music combines an old schoolesk death metal and modern elements with a little pinch of grindcore and doom metal. Especially doom metal is getting more vital in the sound of Nihilo. Maybe in the near future we will release a doom metal record. :D

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
It's basically criticism on our society, like on all the records we've released so far. But this time not everything is negative. There might be a solution for all the problems in the world - it must. We don't have a precise solution but as long as we breathe, we hope the world - which is dangling on the brink right now - will turn its course towards a greater future. The literally translation of the album title "dum spiro spero" is: As long as i breathe, I still hope.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Nihilo'?
For a few years we were called Ex Nihilo, which is latin and means "out of nowhere". But because of legal problems we had to change the name. So we just cut the "ex", so now we're called Nihilo. We're still happy with that name. Everyone in Switzerland knows the name and the brand "Nihilo". We hope that in the near future we'll play a few show abroad to meet new people and of course to spread the awareness of our 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?
This is always a difficult question to answer.  But there are two shows which I'll always remember. Once we played in the most famous venue of Switzerland, the Z7 in Pratteln. We're not used to play on big stages. At that day about 1000 people showed up and made that show unforgettable. On of our best shows we recently had in Geneva together with Defaced, one of the rising stars in the swiss death metal Scene. Somehow everyone was ready to put up a great show and we connected with the audience. After the show we went to an electro party and shook our booties till dawn. ;)  We're born to play live. As far as I can remember, we've always been a live band, not a studio band.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Not quiet yet. But we're chatting with a few friends abroad in Netherland, Ireland and Germany. And maybe we're lucky and get requested to join a tour. Let's see what the feature will bring.

7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the deal you have with Wooaaargh?
Thanks to Onur from Decaying Purity(their newest album will be released through WOOAAARGH as well) we came in contact with Cris and WOOAAARGH.
We exchanched ideas and stuff and short after were ready to collaborate together.


8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to the newer music by fans of extreme metal?
Very positive. I think we've developed our music to a new level. Every member has improved on playing skills. And since Damiano, our drummer, was involved in the whole writing process (not like the last time, we're he just joined before we recorded the last album), the music has become much more old-schoolish, which we all very love. And the doom music is accepted by extreme metal fans, thankfully. ;)

9.Where do you see the band heading into musical during the future?
I don't know. I truly believe we'll add some more doom/sludge stuff and maybe counterblast it with some grindcore. :)
I'm sure our Sound will develope more and more, expermeting and mixing with new elements, not only doom an grind, but black metal and other Genres too without forgetting the past.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
We're all still into the old-school stuff. But doom is rising. :) Bands like Conan, Pallbearer, Yob or Hooded Menace have a massive influence in our sound. But also death and black metal groups like Morbid Angel, Necros Christos, Angelcorpse, Lvcifyre, Dead Congregation, Mystifier, Impiety, Behemoth, Bolt Thrower and many more had and still have some influence on our visions. I'm sure you will find some interesting stuff on future things to come ;-)

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Definetly books and tv series. Both types are crazy mindfuckers. We love to discuss several books and series during rehearsal sessions. It's a fun way to diversify rehearsals. Sports should be mentioned as well.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Keep supporting music in any way. Music represents the last garrison of bright future which hasn't been molested by religion, jealousy, or any other unneccesary society-destroying crap. Keep supporting it and we might have a chance to avoid the self-destrucional ending humanity is facing right now. Dum spiro spero

Exgenesis/Aphotiv Veil/Rain Without End Records/2015 EP Review

  Exgenesis  are  a  duo  with  members  from  both  Columbia  and  Sweden  and  also  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "Aphotiv  Veil"  which  was  released  by  Rain  Without  End  Records.

  A  very  dark,  melodic  and  heavy  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  and  a  few  seconds  later  death  metal  growls  and  guitar  leads  that  also  utilize  a  great  amount  of  melody  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  a  small  amount  of  black  metal  screams  and  at  times  clean  playing  and  whispers  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  At  times  the  music  brings  in  more  of  a  modern  prog  metal  sound  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  on  the  songs  while  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  stick  to  mostly  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction   as  well  as  always  having  a  very  dark  and  heavy  atmospheric  feeling  and  one  of  the  songs  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Exgenesis  plays  a  style  of  doom/death  metal  that  is  very  dark,  melodic,  heavy,  atmospheric  and  progressive  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Exgenesis  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  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  "Cloudburst"  and  "Futile  Horizon".  8  out  of  10.

  

Doomraiser/Reverse (Passaggio Inverso)/BlackRock Records/2015 CD Review

 

  Doomraiser  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  dark  and  epic  form  of  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Reverse  (Passaggio  Inverso)"  which  was  released  by  BloodRock  Records.

  Psychedelic  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  spoken  word  samples  before  getting  a  lot  more  heavier  and  going  for  more  of  a  doom  metal  direction  which  also  has  clean  parts  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  when  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  mostly  clean  singing  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  While  the  vocals  are  very  melodic  they  can  also  be  aggressive  at  times  and  they  also  bring  in  more  of  an  early  80's  doom  metal  flavor  along  with  the  riffs  being  both  heavy  and  melodic  at  the  same  time  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  a  70's  rock  feeling  but  done  in  a  more  modern  fashion.

  Some of  the tracks  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  violins  and  synths  along  with  a  good  portion  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  deep  death  metal  growls  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  slow  or  mid  paced  direction  of  doom  metal  while  also  being  heavy  influenced  by  the  sub  genres  that  are  related.

  Doomraiser  plays  a  style  of  doom  metal  that  is  very  dark  and  epic  as  well  as  being  a  bit  more  closer  to  the  traditional  form  of  the  genre  while  the  music  does  get  very  aggressive  at  times  and  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  doom/death  metal,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Doomraiser  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark  and  epic  doom  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Addiction"  and  "In  Winter".  8  out  of  10.    

Deprive/Into Oblivion/Memento Mori/2015 CD Review

  Deprive  are  a  1  man  band  from  Spain  that  plays  an  old  school  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2015  album  "Into  Oblivion"  which  was  released  by  Memento  Mori.

  A  very  dark,  slow  and  melodic  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album    and  a  few  seconds  alter  the  music  speeds  up  and  adds  in  old  school  death  metal  elements  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  growling  vocals  as  well  as  mixing  in  solos  and  leads  when  they  are  needed in  the  songs  and  they  also  stick  to  a  90's  tradition  of  extreme  metal.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  small  amount  of  grim  screams  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  as  the  album  progresses  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  of  the  alter  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  bring  in  more  of  a  powerful  doom  metal  sound  during  the  slower  sections  and  one  of  the  later  tracks  also  brings  in  a brief  use  of  Gregorian  chants  while  another  song  also  adds  in  keyboards  while  the  main  focus  remains  more  on  a  heavy  and  dark  doom/death  metal  direction.

  Deprive  plays  a  style  of  doom/death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  all  of  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  during  that  time  frame,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occultism,  Ancient  Myths and  Death.

  In  my  opinion  Deprive  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fall  Of  Entropy"  "Dethroned  Messiah"  "Divine  Blood  Of  The  Deceased"  and  "Below  The  Screams  Of  The  Dying".  8  out  of  10.