Apneica/Pulsazioni...Conversione/Club Inrerno.Ent/2015 CD Review

  Apneica  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  post  form  of  doom  metal  with  a  touch  of  dark  gothic  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Pulsazioni...Conversione"  whichwill  be  released  on  May  21st  by  Club  Inferno  Ent. .

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  and  adds  a  good  amount  of  post  rock  style  melodies  into  the  bands  musical  style  and  after  a  minute  the  music  starts  mixing  in  more  of  a  heavy  doom  metal  style  along  with  some death  metal  growls  that  also  use  high  pitched  screams  that  also  adds  a  black  metal  influence  onto  the  recording. 

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in length  and  the  songs  also  alternate  between  both clean and  heavy  parts  as  well  as  bringing  in  clean  singing  vocals  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  even  more  of  a  melodic  post  metal  influence  onto  the  recording  and  the  whole  album  also  sticks  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction  and  the  last  track  is  all  instrumental.

     Apneica  plays  a  musical  style that  takes  the  atmospheric  gothic  doom/death  metal  sound  of  the  80's  and mixes  in  with  the  more modern  post metal  style  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,   the  production sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Italian  and  cover  the  fragility  and  passion  of  humanity.

  In  my  opinion    Apneica   are  a  very great sounding  post doom  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Alba  Artificiale"  and  "In  Orbita".  8  out  of  10.

 

Nightslug/Loathe/Lost Pilgrim Records/2015 LP Review

  

  Nightslug  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  heavy  form  of  sludge  metal  with  the  energy  of  hardcore  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Loathe"  which  was  released  by  Lost  Pilgrim  Records.

  A  good  amount  of  reverb  and  distortion  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  spoken  word  samples  which  leads  up  to  a  very  heavy  sludge  metal  sound  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  some  elements  of  doom  metal  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  On  some of  the  other  tracks  the  music  goes  into  a  mid  paced  direction  and  also  mixes  in  the  raw  energy  of  hardcore  punk  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  distorted  and noisy  sounding  and  there  are  also  a  couple  of  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  whole  album  also  sticks  to  a  very  dark  and  heavy  musical  direction.

  Nightslug  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  sludge  metal  but  also  brings  in  a  touch  of  crust,  hardcore  punk  and  noise  rock  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  heavy  sound  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent,  angry  and  pissed  off  themes.

 In  my  opinion  Nightslug  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge  metal,  crust  and  hardcore  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Loathe" "Under  A  Bane"  and  "Tainted  Throne".  8  out  of  10.       

Vihaan Interview

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

Vihaan was formed in 2012 by Lorenzo Piccirilli as solo project based just outside of Detroit, MI. The focus is on the music, songwriting, and a range of influences from modern progressive death metal, 70s prog rock, and jazz fusion.


2.Recently you have released an album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

People familiar with Opeth’s material will be be accustomed to the sound; lots of lengthy songs with dark vocals, complex, yet groove laden rhythmic passages, and constant gyration between the extremes of total chaos and softer progressions. I like to layer sounds and include instruments with many types of timbres. Nothing written is overly complicated, but I think the final product is complex and deep.


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

The lyrics are purposely vague and open to interpretation. The lyrics are fairly eclectic, dealing with paradoxes, and current and personal events.


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

Vihaan means “a new dawn” in Hindi and “hatred” in Finnish. I wasn’t aware of the Finnish meaning until later, however I believe the dual meaning reflects the music quite nicely.


5.The band started out as a solo project, what was the decision behind forming a full line up?

The band still is a solo project, I brought on long time friends Chris Burrows (drums) and Anthony Lipari (Vocals) to fill out the sound in the original recording. We are jamming the record currently in preparation for potential live shows.


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

N/A


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

We are looking to play a couple local shows in the near future.


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

I am not looking for a label and it probably wouldn’t make sense right now for a big label to sign Vihaan. Perhaps in the future.


9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of the extreme and progressive metal genres?

It has been small but positive. I think this is a great launchpad for future albums and there is quite a bit of sonic diversity in the debut. It was a long and drawn out writing process, with some of the original recordings and final mixing spaced out by two years. In the end, a distillation of my best material made the cut, but in the future I plan to keep the incubation time (from start to finish) much shorter.


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

I see the project going from one extreme to the other and constantly pushing the envelope. Although I’m pleased with how Invicta turned out, I want to take more risks and push limits with at least parts of the next release. Whatever the sound and genre it happens to be, I want it to be intense to listen to.


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 listen to plenty of progressive metal, Opeth, Cynic, Lamb of God, Devin Townsend, and Between the Buried and Me, to name a few. Some artists outside of metal have been influential as well, such as Kimbra, Camel, Almost Free, Chvrches, and Hiatus Kaiyote.


12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Outside of music, I enjoy reading books on finance and building computers.


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

Wooden Stake/A Feast Of Virgin Souls/Razorback Records/2015 CD Review

  Wooden  Stake  are  a band  with  members  from  both  California  and  New  York  that  plays  an  occult  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and this  is  a  review  of  the  2015  album  "A  Feast  For  Virgin  Souls"  which  was  released by Razorback  Records.

  Ritualistic  sounding  bells  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  synths  and  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  a  dark,  melodic  and  heavy  doom metal  direction  and  a  few  seconds  later  death  metal  growls  and  screams  start  becoming  a  huge  part  of  the  recording.

  Clean  singing  female  vocals  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  remain  true  to  a  very  dark and  melodic  musical  direction  and  spoken  word  ritualistic  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  on  some  of  the  tracks  elements  of  traditional  metal  and  NWOBHM  can  be  heard in  some  of  the  riffs  along  with  the music  getting  a  little  bit  more  upbeat.

  Wooden Stake  plays  a  musical style that  takes  a traditional  style  of doom  metal  and  mixes it  with  the  heaviness and  darkness  of  death  metal to create  a   sound  of their  own, the  production  sounds very professional while the  lyrics  cover  the legend of  Elizabeth Bathory and  the  1871  gothci  nover 'Carmillia"by  Joseph Steridan.

  In my  opinion  Wooden  Stake  are  a very  great sounding  occult  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  "Rise  From  The  Bleeding  Coffin"  "Cross-Scalded  Flesh"  "Hanging  From The  Inverted  Cross"  and  "Curse  Of  The  Cauldron  Countess".  8  out  of  10.   

Mizantropia/Oblivion/Metal Scrap Records/2015 CD Review

  Mizantropia  are  a  band  from  Ukraine  that  plays  a  very  extreme  form  of  gothic  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Oblivion"  which  was  released  by  Metal  Scrap  Records.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  atmospheric  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  powerful  sounding  synths  and  a  few  seconds  later  melodic  female  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  that  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  black  metal  feeling  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  very  90  orientated  gothic/doom  metal  sound.

  Acoustic  guitars  and  clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  some  modern  goth  and  prog  metal  elements  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing  at  times  and  some  of  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  stick  to  a  very  melodic  musical  direction  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  death  metal  growls  and  influences  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  folk  instruments  can  be  heard  briefly.

  Mizantropia  plays  a  style  of  gothic/doom  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  also adds  in  a  touch  of  death,  black  and  modern  metal  to  make  their  music  heavier  fro  this  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  love  and  sorrow  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Mizanthropia  are  a  very  great  sounding  extreme  gothic  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Castle"  "Tomorrow  Never  Comes"  "Fragments  Of  The  Void"  and  "Insomnia".  8  out  of  10.

    

Abjvration/The Unquenchable Pyre/Caligari Records/2015 Cassette Review

  Abjvration  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays an  old  school  mixture  of  death  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "The  Unquenchable  Pyre"  which  was  released  on  cassette  by  Caligari  Records.

   Distorted  sounds  start  off  the  ep  and  after  a  few  seconds  guitar  riffs  are  added  into  the  music  and  they  also  use  melodies  at  times  and  they  also  add  in  the  sounds  of  people  suffering  before  going  into  a  very  heavy  doom  metal  direction  and  adding  death  metal  growls  into  the  music  and  the  songs  also  have  a  very  dark  feeling.

  Most  of  the  songs  are  very  heavily  rooted  in  an  early  90's  doom  metal  sound  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  stick  to  a  very  dark,  melodic  and  old  school  style  when  they  are  utilized    and  you  can  also  hear  a brief  use  of  screams  and  chants  in  some  of  the  tracks  and  when the  music speeds  up  brutal  blast  beats  are  added  onto  the  recording.

  Abjvration  plays  a  style of  death/doom  metal  and  avoids  any  of  the  modern  trends  of  the  last  20  or  more  years,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  heavy  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness. death  and  anti  religion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Abjvration  are  a  very  great sounding  old  school  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  "The  Dessicated  Womb"  and  "The  Clawed  Redeemer".  8  out  of  10.

Rolling Through The Universe Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?

Since we were in the studio, we have been building a new practice space and honing the songs to keep them fresh in our minds.  The album has just been released so not much has happened yet.  We are booking a west coast tour this June and will be playing a local gig on May 18....Aside from that,  just the seasonal allergies and over consumption of adult herbs, and beverages.

2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

The sound of the album is more full than our previous albums.  The songs tend to touch most of our inner thoughts, which is really noisy.

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

We write a lot of about the universe, consciousness, culture and society... all that neo-psychedelic intellectual rhetoric. That said, not much of it is distinguishable and is just meant to add to the sound, to become another instrument in the dusty sound that we produce.

4.Originally the band was all instrumental, what was the decision behind adding vocals into the music?

A tin can.  Really it was singing into a tin can that made it come to life. REVERB REVERB REVERB!


5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Rolling Through the Universe'?

We are all rolling through this universe... Did you forget that we are on a some what of a round planet?


6.Originally the band was from North Dakota but now lives in Oregon, what was the decision behind the move, and also how would you compare the two states?

Well, ND is pretty much a cultural/environmental wasteland, so moving to Portland was an amazing and rewarding experience.  The Band was moved here to escape a life of monotonous cycles of self-harm and lack of good beer.

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

We opened for Yob and it was the best show ever.  Our stage performance was sort of like Yob's, but more on the funny side of things:)

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

Yes: we will be touring the southern west coast in June! In late august we will be touring the northern part of the US. In spring we plan to do a European tour, as most of our album sales/interest are incorporated over seas.

9.The new album was released on Hidden Temple Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

We have been an independent band the inteire time.  Our music does not fit the regular day to day scedule of most labels so we created our own.  You never make money in the music industry, why not go down with your own fucked up idea?

10.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of sludge, doom and post metal?

Really early to ask this question but, it seems to be taking hold in Europe and Mexico, oddly enough.... by taking hold we mean, people who have been downloading our new album overseas.  This is a first for us to see the interest spark so quickly.  Its like a flame that will keep burning.  We hope it consumes the planet.

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

Forward.

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?

Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, heart.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

Coconut oil, wet pants, spicy tuna, bearded clams, shredding pussy, and Totino's Pizza Rolls.

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

Don't ask this question in an interview!