Vorvan/Once Love Was Lost/WOOAAARGH/Darkened Days/2016 Full Length Review

  Vorvan  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a mixture  of  hardcore  and  extreme  metal  with  some  elements  of  crust  and  sludge  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Once  Love  Was  Lost"  which  will  be  released  in  October  as  a  joint  effort  between  WOOAAARGH  and  Darkened  Days.

  A  very  dark  yet  melodic sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodies  being  utilized  at  times  and  after  awhile  drums  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  touches  of  post  hardcore  and  after  awhile  angry  shouting  vocals  and  d  beats  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  some blast  beats  also  being  used.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the recording h ave  a  very  powerful  sound  to them  and  death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  as  well  as  some  high  pitched screams  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  female  hardcore/crust  vocals.

  Some  tracks  also  bring  in  more  of  a  technical side  while  other  songs  also  use  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  sludge  elements  in  the  slower  sections  of  the songs  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Vorvan  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  hardcore  and  post  metal  and  mixes  them  together  with  elements  of  crust  and  sludge  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover dark  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion Vorvan  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  punk,  hardcore,  post  metal,  crust  and  sludge  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sirens"  "The  Black  Kaleidoscope"  and  "The  End  (Hemicrania)".  8  out  of  10.  

Deprive/Temple Of The Lost Wisdom/Memento Mori/2016 CD Review

  Deprive  are  a  solo  project  from  Spain  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  old  school  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  s  review  of  his  2016  album  "Temple  Of  The Lost  Wisdom"  which  was released  by  memento  Mori.

  A  very  dark  yet  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  speeding  up  and  adding  in  blast  beats  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  which  also  gives  the  music  a  very  old  school  feeling  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  are  very  heavily  influenced  by  doom  metal  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melody.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  even  more  of  a  dark  and  melodic  style and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  in  some  songs  the  vocals  start  utilizing  more  of  a  grim  feeling  while  other  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  atmospheric  synths  and  there  is  also a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  and  a  couple  of  the  songs  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  violins  are  also  used  for  a  few  seconds  of the  last  song.

  Deprive  creates  another  recording  that  takes  the  doom  and  death  metal  styles  of  the  90's  to  create  some  very  dark  yet  heavy  music,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  Satanism,  Occultism  and  Ancient  Myths.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Deprive  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  doom  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out t his  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Other  Earth"  "Hyperborean  Serenades  -  The  Elder  Race  Mystery"  "Fall  Of  Atlantis"  and  "Incarnation  Of  The  Macabre".  8  out  of  10.   

Kurokuma/Advorsus/Medusa Crush Recordings/2016 EP Review

  Kurokuma  are  a  band  from  the United  Kingdom  that  plays  a mixture  of  psychedelic  drone,  sludge,  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "Advorsus"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Medusa  Crush  Recordings.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are present  on  this  recording  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  the  vocals  are  done  in  mostly  a  growling  fashion  and  psychedelic  drone  elements  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Some  of  the  vocals  bring  in  a  touch  of  hardcore  while  high  pitched  sludge  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic fashion  and  all  3  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  one  song  brings  in  clean  guitars  and  a  small  amount  of  tribal  style  percussion  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a ritualistic  feeling  and  all  of  the  tracks  remain  true  to  a  slow  musical  direction.

  Kurokuma  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  heaviest  elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  psychedelic  drone  to  create  a  musical  style  of their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics cover  darkness  and  Occultism themes.

  In  my  opinion  Kurokuma  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  psychedelic  drone,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Kali".  8  out  of  10.

     

Grizzlyman Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
Right now we're actually taking it pretty slow, because there's a lot happening in our personal lives. But we've not walked off the face of the earth and we will continue to make music.

2.So far you have released a demo, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
We would like to think that the songs on this EP is a mix of everything we like to listen to outside of this band. We tried to incorporate some of our different influences as well as our musical backgrounds and connect it all into these three songs. We basically wanted to mix the heavy melodies of sludge with the droning parts of the post metal scene. We're really a bass and drum band, with the bass taking a leading role and the guitar steps back and supports the drums in keeping the rhythm down.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
We base the idea of Grizzlyman on personal struggles and the rift between the animal and human side in everyone. All this is personified with the bear god Shardik, a creation originally from the minds of Stephen King and Richard Adams. On future releases we will expand on those themes and go deeper with the imagery of split personality and the natural elements.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Grizzlyman'?
We wanted a name that explained the heaviness and low tune we were going for and something that represented the struggle and split personality we talked about earlier. The name is also loosely based on Timothy Treadwell who in 2003 was killed and eaten by bears but it was not our intent to take on his name and legacy. We named the band before we heard about him, but when we did it all kind of fell into place.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We only have about ten shows behind us, but the best show must have been the release of our EP, the atmosphere was really amazing. Or the first show we ever played, we opened up for the swedish doom giants Switchblade which was pretty intense. It feels like every show we've done so far has just been like a rehearsal, as relaxed. But with more friends.
On stage we want to enhance the dark and heavy atmosphere by having the lights at our backs, creating a special kind of mood with only our silhouettes on stage. This combined with excerpts from movies and atmospheric sounds in between the songs, we hope that we can give the audience an extra dimension of our music seeing us live.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Not at the moment, but it's definitely something we want to do more.

7.Third I Rex are re-issuing your 2014 demo, what are your thoughts on the final product?
Roberto (Third I Rex) has released some great albums in the past and it's an honor be up amongst the other bands.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of sludge and doom metal?
Thanks to Ljudkassett and Tartarus who helped release the demo back in 2014 we reached out through Europe and the response has been great. It feels like people from all over the globe have been ordering shirts and tapes in the past year. And we hope that this release will help us reach out to even more people.

9.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
That's at least another year away. But we want to keep mixing heavy melodies with slow pace riffs. That's what we are here for.

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 listen to a lot of different bands and it feels like it changes on a daily basis. But when we wrote these songs we listened a lot to bands like ISIS, Cult of Luna, Kylesa, Kongh, Neurosis and Switchblade. We also get alot of inspiration from other genres in how you can create certain vibes or atmosphere.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Our guitar player paints a lot, mostly designs for shirts and record covers for other bands. For the rest of the band there’s also, of course, a lot of gaming, movies and series watching. The bass player has a kid, that’s a full time (awesome) job right there!

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Huge thanks for taking interest in our music and our band, it really means a lot to us. We think it's important to support the artists’ that you like in anyway you can, so they can continue to make music. Download, buy records, buy shirts, go to shows, spread music, anything to keep the scene alive. With that said, please check out the other releases of Third I Rex, there are some really amazing bands in that catalogue.

The Great Sabatini/Godstopper/No List Records/2016 Split EP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  ep  between  Montreal,  Canada's  The  Great  Sabatini  and  Godstopper  which  was  released  by  No  List  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  The  Great  Sabbatini  a  band  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  metal  and  noise  rock.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  spoken  word  samples  that  are  also  used  on  other  tracks  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  which  also  brings  in  elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  into  the  music  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Some  of  the  riffs  also  use  melodies  and  the  vocals  have  a  very  melodic  yet  rough  edge  to  them  and  you  can  also hear  elements of  noise  rock  and  female  vocals  are used  on  the  last  track  along  with  some folk  instruments,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  raw  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  the  Great  Sabbatinni  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  sludge,  doom  metal  and  noise  rock,  you  should  check  out their  side  of t he  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "I'm  Not  The  Man  Of  The  Hour"  and  "The  Ear  Collector".

  Next  up  is  Godstopper  a  band that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  and  noise  rock.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  hard  and  heavy  noise  rock  sound  that  also  brings  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  while  also  mixing  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  metal  and  the  vocals  are  done  in  a  clean  singing  fashion  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to them  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  very melodic  and  both  of   the  songs  stick  to  either  a  sow or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of g rowls,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while t he  lyrics  cover  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Godstopper  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  noise  rock  and  sludge  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "A  Prayer".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  noise  rock,  sludge  and  doom  metal.  8  out  of  10.

      

   

Unalei Interview

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

Hello, sure willingly!
I gave birth to “Unalei” in early 2013. I use to play since I were a kid, but that was the right moment to concentrate on creating something new, strong, original: the project with whom I would exit from the shell. But for this kind of things you need, first of all inspiration. As I found it, I started immediately composing “A Sua Immagine”.

2.You have an album coming out in August, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

There are moments in the album in which I ask to myself: is this really my stuff? The production lasted nine months, intense and deleterious. The highlight of “Taedium Vitae” is that manages to have its own personality in the musical sea in which we live today, both from the melodic/armonic and the non-canonic production points of view. It’s original and experimental, but it shows, at the same time the solid root of the genres where I come from. If “A Sua Immagine” hadn’t a concrete personality, “Taedium Vitae”, on the other side, become, during the play, a lot of things without esitate. A creature that transfigure itself very naturally. The tracks aren’t born from a collage of scattered riffs, but from the continuous development of a starting one. All sections of the songs were accordingly starting from the initial melody and bringing it to an end, a complete cycle.

3.You label your music as 'Decadent Post metal', can you tell us a little bit more about this term?

It simply is what we play, a decadent music with a strong inspiration in Metal... You could consider it a mix of poetic and decadent atmospheres, with a strong Metal structure and an alternative and Indie touch to what we intend to express and show. Anyway, I don’t like labels…

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

Well, the reasons are various and all valid:
The feminine symbolism, the woman cult have ever been one my favourite topics in art, it’s something sublime that it’s hard to describe it every time that someone ask me that. I think that an ideal partner in live, an ideal love, with an everlasting passion, a genuine life, will always be the foundation of “Unalei”, like those that you can found in folk novels. In fact, I usually take inspiration, unconsciously, from the right opposite of what I get and this era we live…I’m actually making clarity deep inside of me.
Another reason it’s that I’ve a femininity quite developed that manifests itself in the most different situations. I get along very well with woman, but I can’t stand with the majority of man and their way of think, speak, walk. And the male body, much more caducous of woman’s, disgust me.
For a moment, at the beginning I decided to dedicate the whole project to a person, but soon this purpose faded within my hopes and the short ray of happiness of the moment…

5.Currently the band is a duo, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future?

Yes, today I’ve the first meeting with a guitarist and today with a drummer! Not for a stable line-up, but just for a possible couple of very important concerts coming up very, but very soon, we’re in a hurry. Let’s see how it goes, it’s an improvised line-up… It’s not in my planes yet to organize a tour or what else, I’d like to concentrate on some other aspect of my life, now that “Taedium Vitae” it’s archived.

6.Has the band done any live shows yet?

No, never. But the various shift workers know the tracks, we’re good players after all, although not perfect.


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

I guess it’s soon to say that, but you can be sure: the work will be appreciated more from other genres listeners, rather than metalheads and post metal fan’s…it’s too various. Fortunately. I’ve been always glad that so many different kind of people liked my music, or just something in a track, a riff or a vocal….

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

I don’t know. I spend everyday of the last three years on “Taedium Vitae” and now I’m filled up. Since I finished to record I play very rarely, I mainly listen no new music, but I don’t wanna think about Unalei’s future. I’m more worried about Federico’s one. I’m so young and I want to live these years out of the recording studio. Anyway, I have the structure of two new album’s almost ready in my hard disk ( laugh ). It’s a continuous battle with myself.

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?
The hardest questions. Right now I’m listening to Lene Marlin and Cèline Dion. I was a metalhead during teenage. At last, I came to the conclusion that I like only doom and black metal, old and moderns, better if influenced and mixed with other stuff. I started studying classical music, and today I’m trying to listen to metal the least possibie. ‘Til now I’ve been influenced from Novembre, Oblivio, Radiohead, Amesoeurs, Yoko Kanno, Nobuo Uematsu, Faye Wong, Utada Hikaru, Colapesce, Bjork, Massimo Volume, The 3rd And The Mortal, Opeth, Ulver, Tori Amos, Dead Can Dance, Massive Attack, Portishead, Baustelle, My Dying Bride, The Gathering,Tactile Gemma, Slowdive, Deathspell Omega, The Smiths, Katatonia & October Tide, Klimt 1918, Devin Townsend, Agalloch, Draconian, Dark Sanctuary, Bloodbath, , Behemoth, Lantlos, Alcest, Paradise Lost. But the metal prevailed. Now I definitely to change approach to my music, and you know what? I’m sure to can express myself without a metal sound. I imagine a melancholic and epic pop/rock with an electro  arrangement, clean vocals, I don’t knoe.Well…I liked a manga called “Steins; Gate”. Check it out!!
Now I’m rediscovering classical music, but most of the stuff the thrilled me came from the soundtracks. Soundtrack from videogames, series, japanese anime and films. That’s maybe it’s Unalei’s future!

10.What are some of your non musical interests?
Books, silence, flowers, large spaces, nature, hiking, scouting, goth culture, post-modernisms. Get tired of something and then feel the pleasure to free from that.

11.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts? 
Sure!
First of all thanks for this interview and the space!!
We need all the support that the fans can give to us.
So, I tempt all the readers to share our music, if you like it, maybe comment, give likes. I don’t like this, definitely. But nowadays is how it works, the only you can do it’s to accept what you find when come to this world. All this new technology and progress, gave me the chance to make this interview and publish “Taedium Vitae”. I was born in a very small town, and that it would be impossible for me in another time….
So, support Unalei!! If someone would like to write me in private, I’m a normal person who enjoy meet new ones and have a casual chat. I feel alone.
Thanks.

Giger/Self Titled/Sepulchral Silence Records/2016 EP Review

 

 Giger  are  a  band  from  Columbus,  Georgia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  stoner  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2016  ep  which  was  released  by  Sepulchral  Silence  Records.

  A  very  dark  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  ep  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  direction  along  with  some  vocals  that  are  aggressive  while  also  having  a  melodic  tone  and  all  3  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to t hem.

  All  of  the  songs  bring  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  a  very  melodic stoner  metal  sound  to  the  music  and  after  awhile death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  3  of  the  tracks  stick  to  a very  slow  musical  direction.

  Giger  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  it  in with  a  touch  of  death  metal  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Giger  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge,  stoner  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Sun  Funeral".  8  out  of  10.