Legendary
Finnish black metallers return with their ninth masterpiece of
blackness. That is something any band should be proud of in this day,
considering most bands either break-up or completely change musical
direction over the years. But not Azaghal, they continue on with
their brand of hateful,violent Finnish black metal. Fast, furious
razor sharp guitars, blasting drums and vicious demonic screams
combined together to create the cold atmosphere that is Azaghal. Not
a lot more can be said about Azaghal - you either love this style of
pure, cold black metal or you hate it. But I can not think of any
other band does it better than Azaghal.
From the opening riff of 'Onward..' it is obvious the
members of Deathhammer are influenced by the classic black/thrash
sounds of the mid 80's/early 90's. With the aggressive, whirlwind
guitars mixed with the drummers aggressive blasts of fury, the band
does draw from their influences but without being a total clone band.
There is enough originality and well-thought out guitar patterns to
keep the old-school fanatics happy without having to rip-off any one
elder god band or certain country from the golden era of speed/thrash
metal. If you crave chaotic,insane blackened speed metal then look no
further. Deathhammer is here to crush all.
(Patrick)
('Onward
To The Pits' is one heluva album! This is a fuckin' nuclear power plant of
viciously ripping thrash and menacing black metal that's due to
annihilate at any given listen. Deathhammer rank up high on my list
alongside Aura Noir for wrecking musical havoc, no mean feat in
itself, ain't it? This gets 9 out of 10
from me - ED)
'The Spell Of Damnation' is the creation of Mexico's Ominous Crucifix. To be truthful I had my doubts for this band and
release, due to the massive amounts of bands that are playing and
releasing old-school styled death metal the last few years. But
Ominous Crucifix are really good and can be, and should be, added to
the list of bands that are doing the old-school gods right, by
playing and producing quality well-played death metal. Heavy, thick
mid-paced guitars and bass, deep growls spew out the lyrics. Ominous Crucifix have done a good job of creating old-school death metal that
is enjoyable and memorable.
'Death
Scroll Of The Seven Hells And Its Infernal Majesties'
(Hells
Headbangers)
This is a new band to my ears, and it's not a bad
listen at all. HELLVETRON play a very dark, heavy mix of early 90's
death/doom with slow pounding drums and crushing guitar chords.
HELLVETRON kind of remind of SKEPTICISM, dISEMBOWELMENT etc. to give
you some idea of their sound. There is a very dark atmosphere
intertwined within the death/doom to kind of give it a black,dark
metal atmopshere. Vocals are deep, slow almost talking like vocals
that fit perfect with the slow, bleak music. HELLVETRON are
definitely not for every metal fan out there but if you enjoy bands
like dISEMBOWELMENT, or slow death/doom they might be your cup of
tea.
One of
Serbia's most well respected and known bands return with their best
release to date! 'Golet' is the latest release from THE STONE and
shows the band still creating complex, uncompromising and above all
original black metal. The band's sound is firmly set in the roots of
black metal but is very hard to pin point a certain band they sound
similar to. The songs are mid-paced range but do speed up but usually
move back and forth between mid-range and fast as hell black metal
keeping the listener interested as to what the band will do next. The
band keeps their production somewhere in the middle not the most
crystal clear sounding band (personally black metal should never
sound like this to me) but it also does not have a real primitive,
rehearsal type of sound like so many of the early bands of the genre
had. THE STONE has been going strong since the mid 90's and one
listen to their latest release, 'Golet', you will understand why. All
hail THE STONE and Serbian metal!!!
Belgian blasphemers ENTHRONED
are releasing their ninth full-length album, 'Obsidium' this following week and
our contributor Patrick did an interview with
band's vocalist/guitarist Nornagest. This chat
first appeared on Patrick's own Winter Torment Zine and now he has
given me the permission of posting it on my site as well. We're all
in this together, aren't we?
Horns up.
Hails Nornagest, thank you for taking the time to fill out this
interview. Please introduce yourself to the readers who might not be
familiar with you or ENTHRONED.
I am Nornagest vocalist,
lead guitar player and song writer of ENTHRONED. ENTHRONED has been
performing black metal in the pure sense of the word for 20 years now
and we are ready to release our 9th album 'Obsidium' on
Agonia Records on April 10th in the US. (March 20th for
the European version - ED)
When did you all first meet? When did you get the idea to form
ENTHRONED? How would you describe ENTHRONED's music to the readers
who have never heard it?
I met Cernunnos, the first
drummer and founding member in 1992 at a SAMAEL/MORBID ANGEL show in
Antwerp, Belgium. The band was formed in 1993, the goal was to create
a band that would be the catalyst for the belief of its members using
the most powerful kind of sound to carry its energies, and what is
more powerful than extreme metal? ENTHRONED performs black metal,
meaning that our music is the soundtrack for our lyrical concept,
extreme and aggressive yet dark and full of variations, that's how I
could describe it the best IMO.
ENTHRONED has been
going strong in the black metal scene for nearly twenty years! When
you started the band did you ever think you and the band would still
be going this strong? What is it about ENTHRONED and the black metal
scene that has kept you motivated for so long?
Ha! There's
absolutely NOTHING about this scene that kept us doing what we do or
been doing for almost two decades; our honesty towards ourselves
would be more a factor. We never cared about anyone and from day one
we didn't even thought we would have a label knocking to our door to
give us a recording deal. Our thing was to do what we do for
ourselves and if it would reach someone fine , else who cares? But
things went in a very unexpected way, full of surprises and burdens
and in a way made us what we are today as persons, it only gave us
more comfort within our initial idea. ENTHRONED is a part of us as
much as our arms, legs and dicks, so it will always be there as long
as we are alive as it is something we do to first of all please
ourselves, to fulfill some goals we have set for our own and which
would be pretty hard to understand for most.
What is your opinion of the black metal scene today
compared to say 20-25 years ago? Do you feel it has gotten too
commercial? What does 'black metal' mean to you personally? Black
metal is to me satanic/occult message or concept with a metal
background, to me bands such as BLASPHEMY, ROTTING CHRIST, DEATH SS,
MERCYFUL FATE and MAYHEM are all black metal! They are as different
as night and day but in my eyes they're all black metal. This style
is different from others, as it is supposed to be with a strong
personal message behind it linked with the Left Hand Path or Median
Path belief of the persons who are performing it. The main
differences in between the actual scene and the scene as we knew it
20-25 years ago is the accessibility and the flock of pretenders
polluting this 'scene' and creating such a band only due to their
likeness of other bands. But luckily , there is still some bands who
are doing this for the good reasons and not just to show off or
pretend to be something they are not.
The band recently released it's new CD 'Obsidium' through
Agonia Records. How did you come in contact with the label? Are you
happy with them so far? I was in contact with Filip of
Agonia since 1995, he has been a fan since the beginning of the band
and knows our history, releases etc. by heart. He has always been
very supportive even tho we were not signed on his label. After the
demise of Regain Records, we had to start the search for a new record
label and although we had big record companies contacting us and who
were very interested, Agonia gave us the best deal, not necessarily
money wise, not at all, but the rest was far more important, like our
requests, support and most important; he knows ENTHRONED and how the
band is suppose to be, so he never interfered within our decisions,
he respected every single idea, imagery and message the band carries
on, which to me is of the utter most importance. How
long did it take the band to write and record the songs for
'Obsidium'? How has the response been from the fans and the press?
Does the band have any upcoming tours or shows in
support of the album? If yes - where will the band be touring and
playing?
We are working on a south American tour at the
moment and we have some dates planned in the UK, Belgium and Romania.
There might be a fest in Denver, Colorado for the summer. A European
tour is in discussion as well as a North American one.
Over the years I am sure ENTHRONED has shared the stage with
many great legendary and underground cult bands. Who have been some
of your favorite bands to tour with? If you could set-up a 'dream'
show/tour who would you love to tour with?
There are a few
bands that we both musically and personally enjoyed to share stages
with, the best moments were probably with bands like GORGOROTH (the
real GORGOROTH that is), DESTROYER 666, USURPER, EMPEROR, SHINING,
SADUS, ROTTING CHRIST, HELL MILITIA and ANTAEUS. Maybe doing some
kind of festival tour with those same bands would be just utopia,
especially on the personal, human point of view. You
play the guitars and perform the vocals duties in the band, at what
age did you start playing guitars? Are you self-taught or did you
take lessons in the beginning?
I started playing at the
age of 13 and before that my first instrument was bass guitar. I am
completely self-taught, to be honest I do not even know partitions,
solfège or any pedagogical solmization, I just let my feelings flow
or being puked through my guitar, this is the best way to express
yourself I think. Who are some of your
influences/favorite guitarist? Do you play other instruments?
My influences are pretty vast; my first years as a guitar
player were bath by the influences of guitar players such as Kerry
King, Axel Rudi Pell, Jimmy Hendrix, Quorthon, Jeff Waters and Adrian
Smith amongst others. But the principal thing is that I always
tried to do my own thing, which gave me hours of headache and serious
nervous breakdown to be honest, but it was very rewarding. I also
play bass, piano, keyboards, sistrum and the tubular bell.
Nornagest
You are also the vocalist for the band, when did you first
become interested in singing? who are some of your favorite singers?
Before I joined ENTHRONED, I was the vocalist of every band I
was involved with, so when our previous vocalist was removed from the
line-up, the other members wanted me to take over the vocals. For
them it was only logical as I write all the lyrics and they loved my
vocals, but then I really did not want to do that mainly due to the
fact that I appreciated my position as lead guitarist and I didn't
want to be the center of attention on stage, but well, when Phorgath
was asked to join on bass he told me that the he would gladly accept
at the condition that I would do the vocals, so I gave it a shot and
after a while got use to it and actually appreciate the fact that I
could give my lyrics the correct and right feeling into them. As for
my favorite vocalists, few would be BM ones but Ihsahn (EMPEROR) and
Attila (MAYHEM, SUNN O))), TORMENTOR) would be my stand outs. Else I
really appreciate Nick Cave, Sivert Høyem (MADRUGADA), Lou Reed
(VELVET UNDERGROUND era), Bruce Dickinson and Arno (Belgian artist)
among others. Do you do anything special to keep your
throat/voice healthy when recording a release or on tour?
Yes,
smoke and drink booze! Sometimes I just have to make a break of
course, you can't just keep doing this on tour, but I've noticed that
if I completely stopped smoking on tour it just got worse, just had
to keep on smoking but in a 'reasonable' way.
Which usually comes first, the music or the lyrics of the song?
What are some topics/subjects you all write about?
It
depends really, for the previous album 'Pentagrammaton',
the lyrics were written first and the whole work was to literally
translate those lyrics into music, which is a titanic work. Else, it
really depends of the song, but one side always influences the other,
for example; If the music is written first, I'll write lyrics that
matches, represent the emotions involved within the music and
likewise is the lyrics are written first.
Our topics are always dealing with Satanism/Occultism in the pure
sense of the word, no BM Satanism or gimmicks, we are dealing with
what really lies behind the veil. On the three last albums, the
concept is identical, each album is a follow up to the previous one,
like three different volumes following the same concept and ideals.
'Tetra Karcist' is dealing with the reality of
occultism how it is, without any gimmick nor supposition, how things
are within the occult. 'Pentagrammaton' retrace
experiences, real lived experiences through those doctrines and
practices we talked about on 'Tetra Karcist',
now with 'Obsidium' the concept deals with what
we learned, the achievement we reached in one form or another through
those experiences, all written in a way that only people who are
actually within the occult circle can understand fully.
Well
Nornagest, we have reached the end of interview. Do you have anything
you would like to add before we end the interview?
Thanx
for the interview and be sure to get our 9th album 'Obsidium'!
Thankfully,
that 'thrash revival' wave seems to be largely over by now and you
can bet I'm fucking glad about that. I'm not against guys having fun
and chugging down beers, a good party is a must obviously, it was
just that the music and the zombie-themed lyrics simply didn't made a
lasting impact on me. FORTRESS neither made one to a full extent as
well, but there's some real promise in this band and I'd like to see
if the Polish lot would be able to hone their craft on the future
offerings. These eight tracks are well-composed and played with real
flair, they know what good, hefty, non-Pantera type, groove is and
when to use it, the guitar work is tasty, with some nice soloing
that's not simply slapped over for the sake of it, and the rhythm
section holds their end pretty well. The vocals are near perfect too
and are the reason I'm constantly reminded of good ole OVERKILL
whilst listening to this, plus they're using some of the classic
'gang-style' choruses thrash has been known for since time immemorial
(read, the 80's), which is OK in my book. Had this been more violent
and lose I'd have probably liked it tad more, but apparently the band
knows their strength and influences and this album should go over
well with those who like it energy-laden and musically proficient.
Fans of TESTAMENT, FORBIDDEN and DARK ANGEL, yes – I'm talking to
you! And yeah, no cheap zombified 'fun' in the lyrics here. Thanks,
FORTRESS! [7,5]
(Abyss
Records) A very powerful production of the Norwegian band Fester.
Doom metal riffs and death metal growls in this savagery art
performance,there are a few changes in the riffs but the tracks are
constructed very well, it keeps your attention until the end of the
CD. The guitar sound is awesome, nasty and raw along with the the
vocals, in fact that match with the band's sound, the production has
paid attention to the guitars so that offer a very solid sound. In
general this album left me a very good taste and I think it's worth
listening to it. Another great release of Abyss Records!
Centurion
are a vile bunch of lunatics, purely musically speaking. 'Serve No
One', their second album, is a constant, 28 minute long, bash-fest of
death metal brutality. Right from the opening attack of 'Total
Terror' these Polish freaks are making a bold statement that they
know the name of their game and not an ounce of rage and intensity
would be spared on the listener's expense. Not only that but this is
slightly more memorable than your usual band playing the style,
Centurion have been honing their craft for over a decade now and,
frankly, it shows. Those Morbid Angel/Immolation-inspired guitar riffs and solos
are a welcome addition, the vocalist, while guttural, has a knack of
coming up with fist pumping 'chorus' lines ('Total Terror', 'Cut The
Throat' and 'Thy Portal' all are good examples of this) and the blast
are right on target – so much so that I'm starting to believe it's
easier spotting a sober Pole on a Friday night than a mediocre Polish
drummer. Alright, couple of tracks flew over my head but the
aforementioned ones, alongside 'Gateways To Condemnation' and 'No One
To Serve' still make for an album worth checking out. Kudos to
Progresja Studio for the excellent production job as well. Na
zdrowie, panowie! [7,5]
Those on
the lookout in the doom scene have been well aware of this band for
some time now, and deservedly so, I hasten to add. Ain't it great
when one's attention is captivated solely by the music, instead of
the, oh so prevalent nowadays, stunts, gimmicks and flashy 'PR'
actions (spamming)? That's right it
is – and
Oath Of Woe's slow, anthemic dirges could very well induce the
precious feelings of melancholy, sorrow and inner strength which doom
lovers attribute as crucial and a privilege to the best acts of the
genre. Hats off to A. Thunbo for coming up with such monolithic
sounding 3 song demo and succeeding in capturing an aura that often
eludes bands with more experience and/or members. The pacing of these
songs allows the listener to pick all these little nuances that add a
charm of its own to this band and the vocal chants are a beast of
their own – memorable and addictive to a great effect, which is one
of the stand-outs there for me. Do yourself a favour and check out this
promising band in their prime. Next to the original CD-R in cardboard
release (available from the band) this is going to be put out on tape format by
Burn Records soon, so if you pledge commitment to the 'Doom over the
world' aesthetic - there's a demo you'd need in your collection. [8]
Add yet
another jewel to the Polish death metal crown. Sphere are one of
those bands that have realized that you can actually mix different
influences alongside brutality and sheer aggression, thus keeping
things more vibrant and interesting for the listener. I won't be
laying and say this is one hundredth percent awesomeness, but I can
see myself reaching for this album in the coming future. These guys
seem to be fuckin pro's on their chosen instrument and the production
makes them justice – drumming is really top shelf stuff, guitars
have those little intricacies that makes you pay attention and
they've been clever enough to give the bassist his time in the
spotlight. And then there's the romantically named Analripper
demonstrating his ability of sounding both brutal and coherent at the
same time. I can't see why anyone who's been raised on a steady
musical diet of Morbid Angel, Deicide, Suffocation and Krabathor
would willingly overlook Sphere. That said, my personal fave off
'Homo Hereticus' is the punk/d-beat nurtured 'Sadisfucktion', closely
followed by the grindy lead out 'War'. That's just me however. [7,5]
I
didn't know much about this band, but damn it! What a killer sound
they have, it seems that a lot of bands from USA are ready to kick
ass, these guys from New Jersey play heavy rock and roll directly to
the vein, 7 songs of pure adrenaline including a great version of
AC/DC "If you want blood(You got it)". It's really cool to
hear ...a band sound in a such way that makes you grab a beer and
bang your fucking head like a maniac, Hammer Fight definitely do a
great job in this awesome self-release promo 2011, this is the band
the world needs, so what are you waiting for? Go find your beers and
enjoy this band, Hammer Fight will smash your skull with no mercy!!!
A mysterious beginning
around 2004 found the world of utopian.hope.dystopian.nihilism (that's
right, all lower case...hmm – ED), the enchanting
sounds and
absolute originality blend so perfectly when it hits your ears
.
Elvio Rodrigues, the architect of this band, searched for the
extremity of music and mind bringing this album to life
, his song 'Self-Inflicted Metamorphosis' is a breath of
fresh crisp
serenity to my ears... This album may not be for everyone but it
definitely
warrants attention on all levels, despite the minor lack
of production which would of increased this album's eclectic beating
blood drenched heart 100 fold. His lyrics need attention but when you
heard it you will be entranced.
It's definitely worth listening to,
so soak up some of this now!
Deviant Syndrome started their journey in Russia 2005, definite melodic death
metal. Originality is a little lost with this album but it makes it
up with some medium to heavy lyrics. The
band is in rhythm with each other, a lot of bands nowadays forget the
importance of that. Monstrous jams
and underground bands are a dying breed, if any of you like the
formidable sounds of Kalmah and Children Of Bodom, then by all means
you will mosh to this album. There is a potential for
growth musically with Deviant Syndrome . Lets hope we get another
album soon.
GUILTY AS SINseemingly do things right. There must be something really cool about their new album, 'Psychotronic' to warrant them positive reviews both by me (read it here) and our contributor Dale Roy on his own Canadian Assault. Keep in mind that both of us would be mostly deemed being of the "not-easily-pleased" type of listeners/reviewers. Kudos to the band for releasing an impressive album.
Not only that but they are class guys as well.
Now we have 5 CDs of 'Psychotronic' to give away to our readers.
Yes, five of you will win a free copy.
To enter the giveaway, just send your MAILING address to:
deadvoiddreams [at] gmail.com
We'll pick the winners randomly, contest will close at midnight, EET, on February 17th.
Violent,
raw, and visceral black metal. From the very first track, the title
track, 'The
Arts of Destruction' is
set to non-stop aggression and blazing speed, a furious blend of
black metal and thrash, and while this combination is far from
anything new, Desaster manage to make something fresh out of it.
Despite
the stance of raw aggression the band takes on this album, there are
moments in the chaos of actual brilliance and, dare I say,
catchiness, and these are more than just brief moments, but whole
songs that stick in your head! Many of the riffs on here (notably
“Lacerate with Hands of Doom”) are surprisingly hook-laden and
mind-blowingly well-played for a black metal band that seemed, at
first, to put unfiltered extremity as their number one priority.
The band has found
a real knack for balance, between brutal force and semi-melodic
riffing, meaning that you still take the beating one would expect
from a black/thrash album, but it also leaves you with many things,
melodies, hook-filled riffs, that can be remembered later. It isn’t
the norm lately to have a black metal album with such attention to
structure and composition, and it’s very refreshing to see the
amount of diversity as well, from slower, heavy breaks in tracks,
“Phantom Funeral,” to a strong hardcore punk influence in “Queens
of Sodomy.” We even get treated to the occasional solo!
Overall,
this is a black/thrash album that isn’t afraid to expand into other
territories to make their music more interesting, an album that can
actually stick with you after you’ve finished listening to it, and,
while far from the likes of many experimental black metal acts today,
the amount of versatility on this album is refreshing, while not at
all compromising the raw aggression of the band’s sound in any way.
Job well done, and quite the enjoyable listen.
[7,5]
(Andrew
Oliver)
(Can't find any of the new songs on You Tube, but Hell - 'Metalized Blood' is always a great choice! Disagree? You're on the wrong site then.
Andrew managed to beat me at my own game with this review, one just can't compete with the youth,hah. Awesome album but I've been expecting nothing less from the Total Desasters - this gets 9 out of 10 from me! - Vladimir ED)
This
is (to some degree, at least - ED) a one man band and that one man should be known to anyone into the
UG heavy / speed / thrash metal scene of the last decade or so. I am
talking about Athenar (aka Jamie Walters) besides Midnight, he was
also in Destructor and in the past was part of Boulder, Abdullah and
more. Just listening to this album, it is painfully clear Jamie is
one dedicated motherfucker and is a devout worshipper at the altar of
metal. Despite 'Satanic Royalty' being the bands debut album,
Midnight has been releasing demos, split EPs, EPs, and even a live
album since 2003! This is some mean, dirty shit bro, I am telling you
I have never tangibly smelt Canadian Whiskey, cigarettes, pot,
leather and the crotch of bar sluts emanating from my speakers
before, but there is a first time for everything. You get fast and
angry speed metal with lots of energy and some large nods to the
early works of bands like Piledriver, Kreator, Destruction, Celtic Frost and big dose of the almighty Venom with a dash of punk. Hah,
even the vocals sound an awful lot like Cronos. So yes it is retro
and nothing new, but it is done with such dedication and ferocity you
can not help but respect it. Not to mention it is catchy and
memorable as hell, with great singable choruses and all out head bang
inducing riffage. It is really a must for old school goats like me
that can never get enough of this classic sound. Satan himself could
not have conjured such a cacophony of audio debauchery!
Alaska's
THOUSAND YEAR WAR have released a great release of heavy
straight-forward death metal but there is also a lot of melodic
over-tones to give the band a nice mix of straight-forward brutal
death metal and melodic death metal. Fast, thunderous drumming
patterns mixed with some intense outbursts of blasting rage. The
guitars are heavy and thick sounding within their approach but there
is also some well written complex riffs and solos. The vocals are
powerful, deep growls and some blackened shrieks. THOUSAND YEAR WAR
does have some darker, more melodic parts, but the band seems more
comfortable and at home playing the heavier straight-forward death
metal style.
Finland's Saturnian Mist have created an
interesting release with their newest release mixing black metal,
industrial, and even some heavier progressive guitar riffs. All of
the members of Saturnian Mist are good at their instruments and I
give the band a lot of credit for trying to be original and creative
(something that is lacking in music today) but in this case I think Saturnian Mist have bitten off more than they can chew. Maybe if they
only combine two elements together like prog and black metal or black
metal and industrial it might be more memorable. This might appeal to
the newer fans of black metal but as for me I say pass.
