Electric Deathbeat/Dead Echo Paranoia/2015 Full Length Review

  Electric  Deathbeat  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  goth,  industrial  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  album  "Dead  Echo  Paranoia".

  Gothic  style  keyboards  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  guitars  and  spoken  word  parts  that  evolve  into aggressive  screams  that  bring  elements  of  death  and  black  metal  onto  the  recording  and  clean  singing  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  the  riffs  also  use  melodies  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Growls  can  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  the  keyboards  also  bring  elements  of  industrial  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding  and  as  the  album  progresses  there  is  a  brief  use  of  exotic  sounding  scales  and  the  music  sticks  to  a  mid  paced  direction  and  you  can  also  hear  modern  prog  metal  at  times.

Electric  Deathbeat  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  goth  and  industrial  while  also  having  the  heaviness  of  death  and  black  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my opinion  Electric  Deathbeat  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  goth,  industrial  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Death  Beats  The  Tainted"  "Sister  Sin"  "With  A Poisonous  Kiss"  and  "End  Of  Horizon".  8  out  of  10. 

Soijl/Endless Elysian Fields/Solitude Productions/2015 CD Review

  Soijl  are  a  solo  project  from  Sweden  that  plays  an  atmospheric  form  of  doom/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2015  album  "Endless  Elysian  Fields"  which  was  released  by Solitude  Productions.

  A  very  dark  and  atmospheric sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitars  a  few  seconds  as  well  a s some  death  metal  growls  and  the  music  goes  for  more  of  an  early  90's  style  of  doom/death  metal  and  you  can  also  hear  black  metal  screams  being  utilized  at  times  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  very  dark  and  melodic.

  All  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  keyboards  also  make  the  music  more  atmospheric  and  as  the  album  progresses  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  tracks  remain  true  to  a  slow  musical  direction  while  the  music  does  speed  up  briefly  on  one  of  the  tracks.

  Soijl  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  a  melodic  and  atmospheric  style  of  90's  style  doom/death  metal  that  also  mixes  in  influences  from  black  metal  to  create  a  style  of  his  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  despair,  fear  and  suicidal  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Soijl  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  "Endless  Elysian  Fields"  'The  Formation  Of  A  Black  Nightsky"  and  "The  Shattering".  8  out  of  10.

 

Graveshadow/Nocturnal Ressurection/Mausoleum Records/2015 CD Review

  Graveshadow  are  a  band  from  California  that  plays  symphonic  metal  with  elements  of  power,  thrash,  goth,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Nocturnal  Ressurection"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Mausoleum  Records.

  Symphonic  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  a  few  seconds  later  heavy  guitars  start  mixing  in  along   with  some  high  pitched  screams  that  add  a  touch  of  black  metal  to the  recording  before  adding  in  operatic  female  vocals,  melodic  riffs  and  death  metal  growls  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  add  a  great  amount  of  melody  to  the  songs.

 Some  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  some  of  the  mid  tempo  riffs  add  elements  of  thrash  onto  the  recording  while  the  slower  sections  are  very  heavy  influenced  by  doom  metal  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  some songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  the  keyboards  add  a  good  amount  of  gothic  structures  to  the  recording  and  one  song  brings  in  Ralf  Sheepers  of  Primal  Fear.

  Graveshadow  plays  a  musical  style  that is  mostly  rooted  in  symphonic  and  goth  metal  while  also  mixing  in  elements  of  thrash,  death,  doom  and  black  metal  to  give  the  melodic  songs  more  aggression,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  fantasy themes.

  In  my  opinion  Graveshadow  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Namesake"  "Lycan  Lust"  and  "Blood  And  Fire".  8  out  of  10.   

Gateway Interview

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

Gateway is a one-man death/ doom project infused with dreadful sludge and ancient medieval horror.

2.So far you have released a demo and one full length, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings?

The demo went really fast and sloppy, this can be heard in the overly compressed sound. It's a loud and harsh offering but it was well-received. The full length has a more thick and old school approach to the sound. It's dynamic and low-end to give it a more claustrophobic, capturing sound.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?

Torture, inquisition, the dark ages, grotesque fictional beings.

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

Maybe a transition between reality into a dark, fictional world. An entrance where my emotions and concepts form into sonic stories. Other than that I think it's a simple, mysterious name that speaks images.

5.With this musical project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer the solo route?

Well, I'm actually meeting some musicians to finally hit some (local) stages in 2016. So I'm definitely open for that. Gateway grows only stronger with added vision and ambition from other like-minded people.

6.Hellthrasher Productions is releasing your album in October, can you tell us a little bit more about how you got in contact with this label?

Hellthrasher contacted me shortly after the release of the full length. I was actively searching for a good label and they knew I wanted to do a physical release, we closed a deal and that's it. Glad to be on board.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of doom and death metal?

At this point pretty good as far as the underground goes.

8.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musicain in the future?

On a dusty stage, bulldozing people's ears and minds.

9.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?

Mainly the early 90's death/ doom metal and sludge scenes had a great amount of influence on the sound of Gateway: Winter, Autopsy, Cianide, Rippikoulu, Grief, Buzzov•en, Noothgrush,...

New albums by Ahab, Windhand and Uncle Acid are on heavy rotation around here.

10.Does Occultism play any role in your music?

Sure, but it's done to death in extreme metal. I rather try to reinvent that kind of symbolism with personalized tales. Instead of writing songs about Satan, I try to create my own Satan. The track "Kha'laam" is such an embodiment for example.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Nature, family, friends, horror movies, tea and beer.

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

Doom what thou wilt.

Vhod/Dreamcleaver/Inverse Music/2015 Full Length Review

  Vhod  are  a  solo  project  from  British  Columbia,  Canada  that  plays  an  experimental  mixture  of  death,  stoner  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a review  of  his  2015  album "Dreamcleaver" which  was  released by  Inverse  Records.

  Heavy  guitars  starts  off  the  album  and  a  few  seconds  later  programmed  blast  beats,  fast  riffs  and  death  metal  growls  are  added  into  the music  which  also  has  an  industrial  feeling  at  times  and  you  can  hear  hear  melodies  being  added  onto  the  recording  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced and  fast  parts.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  melodic  in  the  old   school  death  metal  tradition  and  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  bring  elements  of stoner  and doom  metal  onto  the  recording while  some  of  the  tracks  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  the  music  starts  getting  more  atmospheric  and  experimental  while  a  later  track  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  while  another  song  also  uses  a  small  amount  of  clear  guitars.

  Vhod  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  old  school  death  metal  but  also  brings  in  elements  of  experimental,  stoner and  doom  metal  to  create  a  style  of  his  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vhod  are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental  mixture  of  death,  stoner  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Spectre's  Behest"  "Dragon  Sand"  "Flesh  For  Our  Swords"  and  "Dreamcleavwer".  8  out  of  10.

Gateway/Self Titled/Hellthrasher Productions/2015 CD Review

  Gateway  are  a  solo  project  from  Belgium  that  plays  doom/death  metal  with  a  touch  of  sludge and  this  is  a review  of  his  self  titled  2015  album  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Hellthrasher  Productions.

  Distorted  drones  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  ritualistic  spoken  word  parts  a  few  seconds  later  and  after the intro the  music  starts  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  doom/death metal  direction  which  also  brings  in  deep  guttural  growls  and  tortured  screams  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  style.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  a  lot  of  the  slow  heavy  riffs  are  very  heavily  influenced  by  sludge  and  spoken  word  parts  also  make  their  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  and  groove  while  solos  or  leads  are  rarely  utilized and  every  track  remains  true  to  a  very  slow,  dark  and  heavy  musical  direction.

  Gateway  plays  a  style  of  doom/death  metal  that  is  very  heavy  and  dark  in  the  90's  tradition  while also  adding  in  elements  of  sludge  and  keeping  everything  slow  and  heavy,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  old  school  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  depraved  tales  of  ritualistic  horror  and  grotesque  beings  in  a  conceptual  Medieval  theme.

  In  my  opinion  Gateway  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  doom,  death  metal  and  sludge  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Vox  Occultus"  "Vile  Temptress"  and  "The  Shores  of  Daruk".  8  out  of  10.  

Sloth Interview

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

It is my solo doom/sludge metal project inspired by the pace and sheer velocity of the sloth. It's been active for about a year now, and my first album comes out at the end of the month.

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

If I was to put it into one sub-genre I would say doom metal, but others have described it as post-rock and stoner. It's mostly sludgy/doomy riffs which get broken up by clean sections full of echo and reverb. Sometimes I get distracted and start throwing black and death metal into the mix too.

3.When you have lyrics, what are some of the topics and subjects you cover?

Well the only song with any real lyrics is 'Awaken That Which Lies Amongst The Trees'. It's about a lost traveller stumbling upon an ancient, hibernating giant sloth. He wakes it up and the sloth proceeds to destroy him and then begin its path of destruction across the planet. That last part isn't actually in the lyrics, but it's how I imagine the story to continue realistically. I might do a sequel to this song in the next album.

There are also vocals in 'Nothing But Leaves', but they're mostly just samples of David Attenborough talking about sloths.

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

Originally I wanted the music to be more stoner metal than doom. I was brainstorming names with my friend and thought of Sloth and I just immediately knew that was the one. It's the animal embodiment of a stoner! It's one of the seven deadly sins too which gives it a slightly more metal double meaning.

5.With this musical project you record mostly everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo instead?

I've got some loose plans to get a band together so that I can do this live. By 'loose plans' I mean that I want to do it, but haven't made any plans whatsoever. I don't really have the time at the moment, or any of the appropriate equipment.

I feel like making music on my own lets me dedicate my time to the music a lot more than when working with others. I can just sit down and start recording, instead of waiting for three other people to stop talking and scrolling through Facebook. So I would say I prefer recording solo, but if I were to ever do this live it would definitely be with a band.

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

I haven't sent it to any labels, I wanted to release this on my own and see what happened first. I would be happy to record with a label as long as they don't try to get a sloth mascot to jump around on stage with me while I'm playing.

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

It's been pretty positive so far from the couple of reviews its had, but not many people have heard it yet. We'll see when it releases on the 28th how it's received.

8.Are you also involved with any other musical projects?

Yes, but none of them are active at the moment. Another solo black metal project called Empyreal Blasphemy. I wrote one song for a concept album and never got round to finishing it off because Sloth took over.

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

Well I'll definitely be recording more Sloth albums, whether it's in a studio or in my bedroom. I've got plans to record something with a friend or two, but we don't know what it's going to be yet, probably black metal. That should be next year.

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?

Bongripper, Boris and Pallbearer are the main influences for Sloth. One song which I would say is the root of Sloth is 'Farewell' by Boris on the album Pink. That song changed my life.

Other than that, some of my favourite bands include Nile, Winterfylleth, Municipal Waste and Gojira.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Screenwriting and novel writing. Sloth actually started when I hit a wall in the novel I'm writing called 'Jobseekers'. I'm still stuck at that wall, I really should get writing again soon.

I also like football and video games, but who doesn't? Arsenal are my team, so I've got a naturally untrusting nature haha.

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

Just want to do a shout-out to Ra, God of the Sun, for all he's helped me with in my life. And a big thank you to you for the interview.