Yob/Our Raw Heart/Relapse Records/2018 CD Review

  Yob  are  a  band  from  Eugene,  Oregon  that  has  had  an  album  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Our  Raw  Heart"  which  was  released  by  Relapse  Records.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  riffs  also  mixing  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  they  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  clean  stoner  style  vocals  as  well as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Death  metal  growls  and  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  clean  guitars  also  being  used  at  times  along  with  one  of  the  tracks  being  an  instrumental  which  also  brings  atmospheric  sounds  onto  the  recording  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  finally  added  into  the  recording  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  all  of  the  music  sticking  to  a  slower  direction.

  Yob  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  while  also  adding  in  some  post  metal  elements  at  times,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  spiritual  and  emotional  themes.   

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Yob  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ablaze"  "Beauty  In  Fallen  Leaves"  and  "Our  Raw  Heart".  8/5  out  of  10.  

Khemmis/Desolation/20 Buck Spin/2018 CD Review

    Khemmis  are  a  band  from  Denver,  Colorado  that  has  had  an  album  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Desolation"  which  will  be  released  on  June  22nd  by  20  Buck  Spin.

  Heavy  riffs  and  melodic  guitar  leads  start  off  the  album  which  also  adds  in  elements  of  classical  metal  onto  the  recording  while  the  riffs  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  stoner  metal  style  melodies  along  with  some  clean  vocals  also  being  used  at  times  which  are  done  in  a  traditional  doom  metal  style.

  A  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  along  with  some  grim  screams  and  death  metal  growls  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  at  times  the  music  also  adds  in  mid  tempo  parts  as  well as  the  music  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  70's  and  80's  influences  but  mixing  them  with  a  more  modern  atmosphere  and  as  the  album  progresses a   brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  and  stringed  instruments  can  also  be  heard.

  Khemmis  creates  another  recording  that  remains  to  their  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  loss,  death,  grief  and  remorse  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Khemmis  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Isolation"  and  "From  Ruin".  8  out  of  10. 

  

Graven Maul/Crushed Skull Moon/Redefining Darkness Records/2018 EP Review

  Graven  Maul  are  a  band  from  Fresno,  California  that  plays  a  mixture  of  doom,  death  metal  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  ep  "Crushed  Skull  Moon"  which  will  be  released  in  July  by  Redefining  Darkness  Records.

  Distorted  amp  noises  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  musical  direction  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  death  metal  growls  and  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  era.

  A  great  amount  of  doom  metal  elements  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  screams  also  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them, music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  hardcore  punk  influences  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Graven  Maul  plays a   musical style  style  that  takes  death,  doom  metal  and  hardcore  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of t heir  own,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  occultism  and  violence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Graven  Maul  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  doom,  death  metal  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Violence  Is  The  Highest  Law"  and  "Warcry  Of  The  Feral  Coven".  8  out  of  10.

Secret Cutter/Quantum Eraser/2018 Full Length Review

  Secret  Cutter  are  a  band  from  Pennsylvania  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  an  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  metal  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their   self  released  2018  album  "Quantum  Eraser"  which  will  be  released  in  July.

  Atmospheric  drones  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  sludge  metal  direction  along  with  some  angry  screams  while  the  riffs  also  capture  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Elements  of  grindcore  are  added  into  the  faster  sections  of  the  tracks  and  also  makes  the  music  sound  more  brutal  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  music  never  using  any  guitar  solos,  leads  as  well  as  only  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  at  times  and  a  couple  of  tsongs  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing.

  Secret Cutter  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  metal  and  grindcore,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  angry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Secret  Cutter  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  sludge,  doom  metal  and  grindcore,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Trampled  By  Light"  "Transient"  "Doormat"  and  "Oblivion".  8  out  of  10.

Midnattsol Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
Carmen: We have promoted the album through interviews, Facebook chat with the fans, small video clips etc. We have made a music video to our new song «The Purple Sky», a «behind the scenes» video of the recording process to the cover song «Herr Mannelig» and a lyric video to the song «The Aftermath». We have organized some Brand new merch for our fans, and most of all we have practiced and practiced to the two release shows in Germany last weekend. I just came home from the shows, and now I`m ready for more interviews J

2.You have a new album coming out during the end of May, 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?
Carmen: I think it is always difficult to categorize our music. We call our musical direction nordic folk metal, but it doesn`t mean that there are only such elements. The album is varied musically, so I guess there is something for everyone: besides the a bit darker and more complex singles, you have emotional ballads like «The unveiled truth», folk songs like «Vem kan segla», «Syns Sang» and «Eitrdopar», and also more midtempo songs like «Ikje glem meg» and «The Aftermath» and last but not least an instrumental song. I think there is a red line between all the albums and you still find the melancolic melodies and hard riffs of the past. Still, there are new elements that for example our new member Stephan has brought into our music, like darker and more complex elements that you find in the longer songs  «The Purple Sky» and «Herr Mannelig». A huge new element on this album is Liv`s contribution and voice, which we are so grateful for! She wrote the song «Eitrdopar» and sings on it alone. We have so many possibilities together when it comes to the vocals now. Our range of voice together is quite big, with Liv with her angelic voice reaching incredible high notes and my rather folky voice coming quite deep. Stephan is also a great singer, and on the album you can hear all three of us sing together.

3.This is your first album since 2011, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?
Carmen: Believe it or not, we started writing the songs a short time after we were finished with the promotion of the last album, the touring etc. But the problem was that the song writing process was very inefficient. We had so many ideas and couldn`t finish the songs, because we focused on different things and musical directions. We also had different ideas how the songs should be written. Huge private changes in our lives such as getting children, building houses, new work etc didn’t make it easier. All in all, the years went by, but luckily, our keyboarder and organizer Daniel early 2016 said: Guys, now we need to finish these songs, it`s now or never! And then we started going through all the material and ideas that we had (which were a lot), decided what we wanted to use and rewrite, and we wrote some totally new songs as well. And the process went very well this time and made a lot of fun!

4.Your lyrics cover 'Norwegian folk tales', can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this subject?
Carmen: I have always been very interested in Norwegian folk tales. I`ve been told tales my whole child hood, I`ve read so many old books, seen films, and now i`m telling old tales to my children. Earlier days and the way that the people lived, their belief and traditions interest me. I often imagine how it would be to live like that, and I even wrote small books about a girl in the earlier days living in the woods when I was a small girl. I should try to find all those again hehe ;) It`s important to keep the old stories and songs and remember our traditions I think.

5.You have written lyrics in both Norwegian and English, how would you compare the 2 different languages?
Carmen: Both are very beautiful to write in and it makes a lot of fun to write in these languages. Often I feel that the Norwegian lyrics get more personal, more under the skin, and it`s very natural to write in since it is my mother tounge. But English has a lot more words than Norwegian, and more people can understand it, so it`s good to use both.

6.I know that the bands name means 'midnight son' in Norwegian, how does this name fit in with the musical style you play?
Carmen: Midnattsol is a special Nordic nature phenomenon and there`s something very mystical about it. It gives a special atmosphere while looking at it, like an escape of the thoughts to another dimension. In the older days it was said that when the midnight sun shines, nature creatures like trolls and elves comes out from their hidings. So it shines in a mystic time where the phantasy can go wild, like in many of Midnattsol`s lyrics. It`s a symbol of one of our big inspirations sources; the nordic nature.

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Carmen: Oh difficult to Choose from, there have been so many awesome gigs together with our great fans! One special show was the last concert of TMM tour in Italy, where Midnattsol and Leaves Eyes were sharing stage banging together like hell hehe. What a special atmosphere, people were in euphorie! We were continuing in front of the stage and were partying all night with the fans. The Metal Female Voice Fest in Belgium is always awesome, it felles like coming home in a way. We meet so many fantastic fans from all over the world! The stage is great and you have lots of place to perform. Our performance is a magical expereince together with the fans, we feel so connected to them when we play! We give everything and do what feels right in this and this moment. It`s full of feelings where you try to be one with the music and rock rock rock! ;)

8.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
Carmen: Besides our release shows in Germany, there is not planned any tour yet unfortunatly. We want to meet our fans and play the new songs live, but right now it`s a bit difficult to go on tour because of our small children. But as they get older, it will get easier, and hopefully we will play a tour, or at least at some festivals next year.

9. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer music by fans of symphonic metal that have heard it so far?
Carmen: The album has just been released, and we have got overwhelming response on the Internet!  I`m so grateful that people waited for us all these years and that they still believe in us. That means a lot! It seems to me that people find the theme and the message of the album very interesting, almost all the journalists I am talking to have liked it so far. Both singles, «The Purple Sky» and «Herr Mannelig» are so far very well received by the fans. We have also got fantastic reviews so far, some of them you can read on our fb page.

10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
Carmen: Actually when it comes to my other band from Norway, SAVN, we are soon finished with our next album! The mastermind Øyvind Lende has written almost everything on this album besides the vokallines and lyrics, we are so excited to soon be Able to finally show our fans the new songs! Liv is working on her solo album as well, so I guess you will soon hear news from her regarding this as well.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Carmen: I can imagine that we get more and more in a folky direction, covering more folk songs and making our special versions out of them. I can also imagine that we make some really uptempo powerful songs as well in the future. We are soon going to start writing new songs and will not wait another sehen years, hopefully only a couple of years befor the fans will hear some new songs. That is our goal!

12.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?
Carmen: We all have different influences that we bring into the music, which I guess you can hear on the variation of the songs. It`s not one special band or only one musical direction.Folk music and folk metal are inspiring me for example. Because of our release concerts last weekend, I`ve only listened to our album and some of the old songs lately, I didn`t have time to listen to antyding Else ;) I wanted to be one with our new songs on the shows.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?
Carmen: I am a person who loves to do too much hehe ;) I think it`s extremely difficult to balance it all, there are so many things I want to do, and I never feel that I have finished something. I spend of course a lot of time with my kids, but still I to be more with my children, friends etc, so these are feelings that I carry inside every day. I love languages, I am a full time language and music teacher for youth, and I have the responsibility for a class at the secondary school. I also love to be in the nature, at the sea and in the woods in the nearby. Fresh air, the sound of birds, rivers, Waves, the beautiful sights – that give me a Lot of energy. Please give me more hours a day so that I can sleep hehe!

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Carmen: Thank you for doing this interview and for your support! We really hope the fans like the new songs! I can`t describe how happy we are that we finally made it to finish the songs and bring out the new album. Thanks a lot to everyone who supported us through all these years and never gave us up, that means a lot to us! J Stay tuned!!

Horrorgraphy/Season Of Grief/Satanath Records/United By Chaos/2018 CD Review

  Horrorgraphy  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  goth,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Season  Of  Grief"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  by  Satanath  Records  and  United  by  Chaos.

  Symphonic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  the  slow  riffs  being  heavily  rooted  in  doom  metal  while  the  riffing  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  when  female  vocals  are  used  they  give  the  songs  a  more  operatic  feeling.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  the  clean  male  vocals  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  goth  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  black  metal  screams  being  added  to  a  few  tracks.

  Some  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  music  also  has  its  avant  garde  moments  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  music  speeds  up  briefly  and  also  introduces  blast  beats  onto  the  recording  along  with  one  track  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  Asian  folk  instruments,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  cover  of  Therion's  "The  Rise  Of  Sodom  And  Gomorrah".

  Horrorgraphy  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  symphonic,  goth,  doom  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  depressive  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Horrorgraphy  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  mixture  of  goth,  doom,  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of   those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out t his  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "In  A  Dark  Time"  "The  March  Of  Dead"  "Join  Me  In  Suicide"  and  "The  Rise  Of  Sodom  And  Gomorrah".  8  out  of  10.   

Destroyer Of Light/Hopeless/Heavy Friends Records/2018 EP Review

  Texas's  Destroyer  Of  Light  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  their mixture  of  stoner,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  ep  "Hopeless"  which  was  released  by  Heavy  Friends  Records.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  heavier  doom  metal  direction  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  style  while  the  clear  vocals  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  stoner  and  proto  metal  style  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Both  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  acoustic  guitars,  synths  and  psychedelic  elements  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  down  tuned  riffing  also  mixing  in  some  of  the  doom/death  metal  heaviness  as  well  as  all  of  the  music  sticking  to  a  slower  direction  and  the  ep  closes  with  some  spoken  word  samples.

  On  this  recording  Destroyer  Of  Light  goes  into  more of  a  traditional  stoner/doom  metal  direction,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  depression,  suicide  and  drug  addiction  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Destroyer  Of  Light  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  stoner  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Drowned".  8  out  of  10.