2 Wolves/Our Fault/Inverse Records/2019 CD Review

  2  Wolves  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  death,  doom  and  gothic  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Our  Fault"  which  was  released  by  Inverse  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  solos  and  leads  also  utilize  a  great amount  of  melody.  Clean  goth  style  vocals  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  keyboards  are  also  added  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music.

  Elements  of  doom  metal  can  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  some  clean  playing  also  being  added  in  some  parts  of  the  recording.  When  grim  screams  are  utilized  they  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  as  well  as  the  music  also  utilizing  a  decent  amount  of  death  metal  growls.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  being  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  couple  of  brief  acoustic  guitars  along  with  one  of  them  being  an  instrumental  are  also  added  onto  the  recording,  one  song  also  introduces  stringed  instruments  into  the  music  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  a  tragic  love  story  set  in  a  haunted  house  scenery

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  2  Wolves  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  death,  doom  and  gothic  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Unwritten  Names"  "Dreaming  Beneath"  and  "The  Fault  is  Ours".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/2Wolvesfinland/https://www.instagram.com/2wolvesband/ https://www.youtube.com/user/2WolvesBand

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0hackU3l6hcL7GwBcZP4t5?si=RMtAjOAFTtOcSN46_17u7Q 

    

Helevorn/Aamamata/Solitude Productions/BadMoodMan/2019 CD Review

  Hellevorn  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  doom,  death  and  gothic  metal  with  some  touches  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Aamamata"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Solitude  Productions  and  BadMoodMan.

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  doom  metal.  Keyboards  are  also  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  and  clean  goth  vocals  are  also  utilized  at  times.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  Acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  tracks  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  utilized quite  a  bit  as  the  album  progresses. 

Some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  ethnic  style  instruments  and  female  vocals  are  also  added  on  a  later  tracks  as  well  as  some  of  the  music  also  showing  a  slight  black  metal  influence  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  slower  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  solitude,  dreams  and  past  time  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Hellevorn  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  goth,  doom  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Sail  To  Sanity"  "Blackened  Waves"  "Forgotten  Fields"  and  "The  Path  To  Puya".  8 out  of  10. 

HELEVORN - Blackened Waves (Official Video)     

  

Amber Tears/Where No Trails/Bad MoodMan/2019 CD Review

  Amber  Tears  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  melodic  and  pagan  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Where  No  Trails"  which  was  released  by  BadMoodMan.

  Atmospheric  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  which  also  introduces  melodic  guitar  leads.  The  slower  sections  of  the  songs  are  very  heavily  rooted  in  doom  metal  while  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Death  metal  growls  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  while  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  A  great  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  synths  also  returning  on  the  later  tracks  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  and  percussion's  can  be  heard,  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  all  of  the  music  sticking  to  a  very  slow  direction.

  Amber  tears  plays  a  style  of  doom/death  emtal t hat  is  very  melodic  and  atmospheric  sounding  along  with  a  touch  of  folk  music.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism,  Experiences  and  Nature  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Amber  tears  are  a  very  great  sounding  pagan  and  melodic  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  "Where  i  Stayed"  and  "Where  There  Is  No  Spring".  8  out  of  10.

https://ambertears.bandcamp.com/track/sing-the-wind-sing-the-raven

Lapsus Dei/Officium Triste/Broken Memories/Australis Records/2018 Split CD Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Chile's  Lapsus  Dei  and  Netherland's  Officium  Triste  called  "broken  Memories"  which  was  released  in  2018  by  Australis  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Lapsus  Dei  a  band  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  heavy  riffing  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them. Synths  are  also  mixed  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  as  well  as  some  stringed  instruments  also  being  used  at  times  and  the  vocals  also  add  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  screams.

  Elements  of  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  along  with  some  clean  playing  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  songs.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  slower  direction,  clear  vocals  can  also  be  heard  on  the  closing  track.

  Lapsus  Dei  plays  a  style  of  doom/death  metal  that  is  very  melodic  and  atmospheric  sounding.  The  production  on  their  side  of  the  recording  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death  and  religion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Lapsus  Dei  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "The  Feeling  Remains".

  Next  up  is  Officium  Trise  who  return  with t heir  melodic  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  drum  beats  along  with  some  keyboards  and  melodic  guitar  leads  a  few  seconds  later.  Clean  vocals  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  their  side  of  the  recording  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  doom  metal.

 Death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  music  while  a  couple  of  their  tracks  are  recorded  live  along  with  one  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  slower  musical  direction  as  well  as  being  very  heavily  tooted  in  the  90's  atmospheric  style,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  the  closing  track.

  On  this  recording  Officium  Triste  take  their  style  of  doom/death  metal  into  a  different  direction  which  is  also  very  different  from  the  stuff  they  released  in  the  early  90's.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  thoughts,  gloom  and  pessimism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Officium  Triste  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  and  atmospheric  doom/death  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "On  The  Crossroads  Of  Souls". 

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  melodic  and  atmospheric  doom/death  metal.  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/lapsusdeifan
https://www.facebook.com/officiumtriste/      

Ulfven/Folklore/2019 Full Length Review

  Ulfven  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  with  some  black  metal  influences  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2019  album  "Folklore".

  Nature  sound  along  with  a  brief  use  of  shamanistic  humming  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  musical  direction.  Elements  of  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls.

  When  screams  are  utilized  they  bring  elements  of  black  metal  onto  the  recording  while  the  acoustic  guitars  when  they  are  brought  into  the  music  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  progressive  feeling.  along  with  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  some  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  being  added  onto  the  recording  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  acoustic  instrumental  is  also  added  onto  the  recording.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  Scandinavian  Folklore.

  In  my  opinion  Ulfven  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Mother's  Betrayal"  "Nocturnal  Watcher"  and  "The  Black  Waters".  8  out  of  10.

https://open.spotify.com/album/18Ep3CgsZzKYDc2eyEYir6?si=VL-IkwTuSrmpLJcBvxuqlw

https://ulfven.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/Ulfvenofficial/   

   

    

Painthing Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Sure! The band formed around 2014. We are a bunch of friends living in Warsaw. In the past we played in various bands and shared few gigs bills together but didn’t had the chance to play together
in one band. As our previous bands disbanded some time ago, the right opportunity has come to try
to make music together and time has shown that it was a great idea. We had a lot of fun making the
record.

2.Recently you have released your first full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?
On our debut album “Where Are You Now…?” you can expect old school doom metal played in the vein of English pioneers of the kind such as Anathema or My Dying Bride. All of us are doom enthusiasts so it was an obvious choice of style of our music on that record.

3.The band has been around since 2014 but waited until 2018 to release an album, can you tell us a little bit more about the first 4 years?
We have struggled with lineup changes during the first years and took our time to write the record the best way we could. As we weren’t rushed by any deadlines and wanted to have the best lineup it took us some time to achieve that goal.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores on the album?
First of all, the lyrics is relevant and inevitable part of the album. Music and lyrical parts combined together make this work completed. Regarding the topics – if I would say that they treat about life, death, fear, joy etc… I would say nothing. It doesn’t mean that they are so generic and vague that it’s impossible to identify the point, as it frequently happens in so called “doom metal poetry”. They are quite simple, but you may be touched by them in your very personal way, as they refer directly to emotions. This is why I strongly encourage you to read them by yourself and have your own interpretation

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Painthing'?
We use the music as painters use the paint to create their vision out of emotions. As the result you get the piece of art, filled with colors, structures, shapes…The complete composition takes you into your personal journey through your sensibility, feelings and reflections. Our music is our painting and because there’s lot of pain and sadness within, this word play – pain(ful)thing / painting brought us to PAINTHING.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the album cover?
The artwork was created by Michał “Xaay” Loranc. Michał is a great artist. And very experienced. Luckily, Darek and Michał have been friends since secondary school and it came naturally that we have chosen Michał to take care of cover and layout. The conception of cover was ours and Michał and Darek have been working on it to achieve the final result.

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We have played 6 shows so far mainly in Warsaw and it’s region. Our first show had a lot of energy and unknown vibe. It was quite a unique performance for us. To play those songs live for the first time and see the feedback of the audience. We played also a gig in Minsk Mazowiecki near Warsaw in a small venue which was really cool, the crowd responded really well that evening. As for our stage performance we are playing at our best, have fun and give the energy to the crowd to make the evening as unique as possible.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for 2019?
We are scheduling few dates but nothing is confirmed yet. Definitely we will hit the stage.

9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of atmospheric doom and death metal?
The reaction so far has been really great. We are receiving a lot of positive messages and the press is good. So far the record is received really well which makes us more happy.

10.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
Currently only our bass player is involved in the band Thesis which plays more rock/post rock oriented music.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We will still play doom, it’s in our veins. We are trying few ideas now and it sounds really doomish. No doubts on that. We will play more gigs for sure and try to bring Painthing on stages outside Warsaw.

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?
Tough question. We are listening to a lot of different music so in some way, voluntarily or not, our music must be influenced by what we are listening to. We really enjoy music so we are listening to all kinds of good music, from grindcore to progressive rock, pop or classical. It would be difficult to pick just few names.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?
Every day brings something interesting and inspiring. It makes the life a constant adventure.There are too many things to name them all.

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you very much for this interview and for giving a chance to bring Painthing to your readers.
Meanwhile – feel free to listen to our music online or via Tidal, Spotify etc. and join us on
https://www.facebook.com/painthingband/

Cheers!

Miscarriage Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the musical project since the recording and release of the new album?



Miscarriage: We are in the process of releasing our new album, “Imminent Horror”, through Sentient Ruin on physical media. Along with that we are beginning the writing for our next album which we believe will be quite the experience once completed. Hopefully we will be able to have it finished and released this year.



2.At the end of 2018 you had released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?



Miscarriage: We would say the most noticeable difference is that it is much slower than what we have previously created. We wanted to embark on something much more atmospheric and monstrous.



3.On the new album you went for more of a sludge/doom metal direction while previous releases where more grindcore orientated, what was the decision behind going into this musical direction?



Miscarriag: Ultimately the decision came to mind that we wanted to have music that resembled a nightmarish embodiment, a creature devouring civilizations if you will. As it started to take shape, we believe it became much more than that.



4.Since 2017 there has been 5 different releases, do you spend a great amount of time writing and creating music?



Miscarriage: We are very focused on writing and creating new music for Miscarriage. We aim to release one new album every year if not more. Currently we easily have over five albums we plan to pursue over the next several years.



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



Jon - Lyrically in the beginning Miscarriage was quite personal. More or less I bled the words onto a page in many ways. I think the lyrics have started to become much more conceptual and much more about what perpetuates through our sound. Our future works will become much more about the imagery, feelings, and thoughts that come to mind from the music.





6.One member lives in the United States while another lives in Sweden, how does this work out in the recording process?



Miscarriage: We discuss very heavily and thoroughly what we are wanting to accomplish prior to the writing process. From there Ulf will write and record drums to have sent over to Jon to record guitars, bass, and vocals to. Sometimes lyrics are already ready to be implemented and sometimes lyrics come together after the music is completed.





7.Would the band be open to doing any live shows if the opportunity came?



Miscarriage: We wouldn’t mind to play shows together if the opportunity ever presented itself, but it is unlikely due to the far distance in which we live apart. Creating music is what is most important to us so even then we would rather focus on creating as much as we can.



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



Miscarriage: We are not necessarily looking to be signed, but if an offer were to be made that was right for us we may take that route in the future.



9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of grindcore, sludge and doom metal?



Miscarriage: Overall we would say the reaction has been quite positive and even more so with our upcoming album. It’s actually been somewhat surprising to see how much support we have received to be honest.



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



Miscarriage: We plan to venture into all kinds of different territories for future releases. Nothing is off limits when it comes to what we will create.



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?



Jon - Last Days of Humanity, Circle of Dead Children, Hexis, Primitive Man, Vermin Womb, Daughters, See You Next Tuesday, and probably more... kind of an endless amount of sources of inspiration and influences really. I listen to anything from synthwave to ambient instrumental music to the most vile music obtainable recently.



Ulf – In regards to what bands that have had an influence in our sound, Jon has more or less covered it. Its pretty rare that I check out newer bands that much these days in all honesty. These days I listen to music that I listened to growing up and that I listened to during my mid mid 20s – early 30s. But if I would have to mention what I’ve been listen to recently would be Jesus Piece, Full of hell, Vein, Reverorum Ib Malacht, Demonomancy, Texas Murder Crew etc.



12.What are some of your non musical interests?



Jon - I am very involved with extreme and horror movies. I can’t seem to get enough of them.

Ulf – More or less anything related to horror be it in terms of movies, books, art etc. Apart from that: history, psychology, mythology, nature (exploring and hiking), painting, writing etc.



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



Jon - Thank you for this opportunity and for those reading we hope you dig what you hear!



Ulf – Thanks for the support.