My Life's Despair/Invoked With Passion And Pain/2015 CD Review

  My  Life's  Despair  are  a  band  from  San  Diego,  California  that  plays  a  very  atmospheric  form  of  gothic/doom  metal  with  some  elements  of  death  and  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  album  "Invoked With Passion And Pain".

  Rain and  thunder  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  demonic  spoken  word  parts  that  also  leads  up  to  a  very  melodic,  heavy  and  atmospheric  doom  metal  sound  kicking  in  along  with  some  synths  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  vocals  use  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams.

  Operatic  female  vocals  can  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  along  with  a  small  amount  of  whispers and  spoken  word  parts  and  clean  playing  can also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  of t he  riffs  also  bring  an  early  90's  doom/death  metal  feeling  to  the  songs while  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding  and  there  are  also  a  couple  of  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length and  all  of  the  songs also  stick to either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction.

  My  Life's  Despair  plays  an atmospheric  style  of  gothic/doom  metal  that  is very  heavily rooted  in  the  90's  and  also  mixes  in  influences  from  black  and  death  metal  to  create  their  own  musical  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  depression,  love,  suicide and life  experiences.

  In  my opinion  My  Life's  Despair  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  gothic/doom  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE "As  Flames Ignites"  "She  Said  Forever"  "Regrets"  and  "In  The  Cosmic  Laboratory".  8  out  of  10.   

Mizantropia Interview

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


Our band was founded on February 23, 2003 and the same day our first rehearsal took place.

Initially the band was focused on Gothic Rock. With the lapse of time, tastes and preferences of the band members have changed. Today Mizantropia's creativity is a mix of Gothic, Doom, Black, Melodic Death Metal shrouded in a dark romance atmosphere.


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?


The sound of the new album are became more heavy heavy and aggressive than it was in the past earlier. But it happened not only just because our sound engineer did a good job, but because the music itself become became heavier itself. The songs sound exactly as we wanted them to. In general,  this album has a took finished form shape,  from the fist to the last song.


3. This is the first album to be released in 5 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?


This album was created and recorded at the end of 2012. We even filmed «I'm after you» video as a promo, but due to certain disagreements Sergey (lead guitar) and Nastya (drummer) left the band and started their own project. During the whole year of 2013 year Mizantropia remained inactive: rare rehearsals, no new songs. Band members Jack and Max focused on their side project. Release of this album was delayed once more.

So, in the end of 2013, Kate (vocals), Sergey and Nastya decided to work together again to revive Mizantropia as a band and to release this album, “Oblivion”. The result of joint work became crystallized into a new single “Nowhere”: music for that song was composed by Sergey & Nastya during 2013, while Kate’s vocals made it complete. On February 23, 2014, this single was released on the internet. Early in 2015 all current line-up was formed. Bass player  Anton “Lis” (ex-Chaoscult, Death Metal band from Ukraine), and Sergey Voitenko, former Mizantropia guitar player, joined the band. However, exactly namely 2015 is the a proper year for Mizantropia’s the second  studio album of Mizantropia to come into the world on Metal Scrap Records.


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


Love and suffering are considered to be traditional subjects for our lyrics, and new album is no exception. And yet, creating this album as a whole, we tried to speak out a holistic concept: sooner or later, all our feelings, everything aforesaid would be buried in oblivion. In our latest works we start to explore other topics, such as honor, dignity, dedication, devotion, world structure and a man's place in it, among other issues.


5. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Mizantropia'?


It means an objection of the “human things” that people possess. We are talking about self-destruction which people aspire to. This is some sort of reluctance to resist their inner animals (in a bad sense) . Everyone wants just to go with the flow like pieces of shit and get a cheap pleasure from this kind of life. It is inherent to all of us. But at the same time, this is the reason for our hatred. Nevertheless, we don’t sing about our hatred to all the people in our songs, but this idea is like a shadow in all of them.


6.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 can't boast of a numerous shows that we have played. The most memorable for us was a Goblin Show (Odessa, 2009), this was our first gig on a big stage with many people; later in 2009 we had a gig in our native town with that guys from Japan named Gothika, who played some kind of electronic music; and our gig with the guys from Italy named Dark Lunacy in 2012, Ukraine.

Our live shows are not surprising at first sight. Grim clothes, hair banging. Everything is quite typical for gothic and black metal. But the atmosphere that we create at the concert is unique.


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


No, we haven’t. Now we are focused on one-off concerts and studio work.


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


We’ve got a lot of good reviews all over the world. Previously known in the countries of the former Soviet Union only, now we receive acknowledgements from very distant places of the world. This motivates us to continue our work and do our best.


9. Are any of the band members also involved with any other musical projects or bands these days?


For now, only Kate, our singer, is involved in the band named Fever Pitch. Rest of the line-up is currently focused on Mizantropia.


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


As any reasonable person, we hope for the best. We are willing to reach higher levels, produce more professional shows on the bigger stages, constantly improve our recordings and compose better songs.


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?


Surely, metal music, in all its variety. We can name such bands as In Flames, Crematory, Behemoth, My Dying Bride, Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir.


12. What are some of your non-musical interests?


Sex, drugs, rock’n’roll. Just kidding. Each of us has some particular interests: sports, parties, cycling trips, tourism, watching TV-shows, photography, etc.


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


Listen good music, visit concerts, support your favorite bands and stay metal.

Officium Triste/Reason/Vic Records/2015 CD Re-Issue Review

  Officium  Triste  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  plays  a  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2004  album  "Reason"  which  will  be  re-issued  in June  by  Vic  Records.

  A  very  dark, melodic  and  heavy  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  you  can also  hear  a  small  amount  of  keyboards  at  times  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  utilize  a  great  amount  of  depressive  melodies  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  At  times  the  keyboards  have  a  more  powerful  sounding  presence  giving  the  music  more  of  an  atmospheric  feeling  as  well as  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  violins  at  times  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in a  small  amount  of spoken  word  parts  and  all  of  the  songs  also  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction  from  beginning  to  end  of  the  recording.

  Officium  Triste  played  a  style  of  doom/death  metal  on  this  recording  that  was  very  slow,  dark  and  heavy  as  well  as  utilizing  more  keyboards  than  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  thoughts,  gloom  and  pessimism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Officium  Triste  are  a  very  great  sounding  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Silent  Witness"  "Sun  Doesen't  Shine  Anymore".  8  out  of  10. 

Zatokrev/Silk Spiders Underwater/Candlelight Records/2015 CD Review

  Zatokrev  are  a  band  from  Switzerland that  has  been  featured before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Silk  Spiders  Underwater"  which  was  released  by  Candlelight  Records.

  A  very  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  album  along with  some  powerful  sounding bass  guitars  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  up  to  melodies  becoming  a  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  the  band  also  brings  in  clean  singing  vocals  at  times  and  the  heavier  parts  bring  in  elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  band  also  throws  in  a  great  amount  of  aggressive  screaming  vocals  throughout  the  recording  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  music  brings  in  a touch  of  post  metal  at  times  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  being used  in some parts of  the songs  and as  the album  progresses  the  music  speeds  up  at  times  and also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of blast  beats  while  a  later  track  also  brings  in  a  grief  use of  violins.

  Zatrokrev  creates  an  album  that  is  still  very  heavily  rooted  in sludge  and  doom  metal  but  also  mixes  in  more  post  metal  elements  this  time  around  while  still  also  having  a  touch  of  death  metal  in  their  musical  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In my  opinion this  is another  great  sounding recording  from  Zatokrev  and  if  you  are  a  fan of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Runaway  Soul"  "Loom"  and  "Swallow  The  Teeth".  8  out  of  10.     

Opium Lord/Eye Of Earth/Candlelight Records/2015 CD Review

  Opium  Lord  are  a  band from  The United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "The  Eye  Of  The  Earth"  which  was  released  by  Candlelight  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sludge/doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along with  some  melodic  sounds  in  the  background  and  a  powerful  sounding  bass  guitar  and  when  vocals  are  added  into the  music  they  are  very  grim  sounding  sludge  screams  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  some  of  the  vocals  also  use  a  small  amount  of  growls. 

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding  and  all  of  the  songs  remain  true  to  a  very  slow,  dark  and  heavy  musical  direction  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  there is  never  a  soft  or  weak  moment  to  be  heard  in  any  of  the  tracks  and  the  last  song  is  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Opium  Lord  plays  one  of  the  slowest  mixtures  of  doom  and  sludge  metal  that  has  been  heard  in  a  long  time  taking  both genres  back  to  their  roots,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  misery,  drugs  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Opium  Lord  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  "Pink  Mass"  "Azazel"  and  "KRocdil".  8  out  of  10. 

Mare Infinitum/Alien Monolith God/Solitude Productions/2015 CD Review

  Mare  Infinitum  are a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  an  atmospheric  mixture  of  doom  and  death metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Alien  Monolith  God"  which  was  released  by  Solitude  Productions.

  A  very  distorted  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  solos  and  leads  that  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  also  dominate  throughout  the  recording  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  getting  a  lot  more  heavier  and  death  metal  growls  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  atmospheric  sounding  synths.

  A  good  portion  of  the  songs  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to them  and  the  clean  singing  vocals bring  in  elements  of  epic  doom  metal  into  the  songs and  some  of  the  screams  and  whispers  bring  a  touch  of  black metal  onto  the  recording.and  some  of  the  sound  effects  also  bring  an  experimental  feeling  to  the  recording  while  the  synths  also  bring  in a  touch  of  ambient  at  times  and  all  of the  songs  stick  to  a  slow  musical  direction.

  Mare  Infinitum  plays  a  very  slow  musical  style  that  combines  the  epic  traditional  doom  and  doom/death  together  with  a  great  amount  of  ambient  and  atmospheric  elements  to create a  musical  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  sorrow,  pain  and  loneliness  themes  along  with  some  lyrics  inspired  by  the  writings  of  H.P  Lovecraft.

  In  my  opinion  Mare  Infinitum  are  a  very  great  sounding  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  "Alien  Monolith  God"  and  "The  Sun  That  Harasses  My  Solitude".  8  out  of  10.  

   

Jointstereo/Circles/Another Side Records/2015 EP Review

  Jointstereo  are  a  band  from  Russia that  plays  a   progressive  mixture  of  doom/death  metal,  atmospheric  and  post  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "Circles"  which  was  released  by  Another  Side Records.

  Clean  guitar  playing  starts  off   the  ep  and  also  brings  in  elements  of  both  progressive  and  post  rock  into  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  very  melodic  and  when vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  in  a  clean  singing  direction  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  ambient,  atmospheric  and  depressive  rock  elements  into  the  songs.

  All  of  the  music  sticks  to  a very  slow  musical  direction  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them and   after  awhile  the  music  starts  adding  in  more  heavy  doom  metal  elements  as  well  as  some  screams  and  growls  that  are  very  heavily  influenced  by  death  metal  which  they  also  combine  with a  touch  of  post  metal  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  both  calm  and  heavy  parts.

  Jointstereo  plays  a  musical  style  that  goes  for  a  modern  style  of  progressive  and  post  rock/metal  which  they  also  mix  in  with  the  heaviness  of  doom  and  death  metal  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark, mythological  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Joinstereo  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  mixture  of  doom/death  metal,  atmospheric  and  post  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  " Ouroboros"  and  "Fractual  Universe".  8  out  of  10.