Grimah  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  an  occult  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  single  "Serpens-Invicta".

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  start  off  the  song  before  speeding  up and  also  adding  in  blast  beats  and  angry  black  metal  style  shouting  vocals  and  the  tremolo  picking  also  gives  the  song  a  more  raw  feeling  while  also  adding  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  track  is  also  7  minutes  in  length.

  Grimah  plays  a  style  of  occult  black  metal  that  is  very  raw  and  melodic  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  deal  with  the  Ouroboros  Serpent  and  the  eternal  effort  of  existence  and  nature  to  the  everlasting  rebirth  of  cycle.

  In  my  opinion  Grimah  are  a  very  great  sounding  occult  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  single.  8  out  of  10.

  https://grimah.bandcamp.com/    

  Germany's  Zeit  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  that  continues  their  mixture  of  raw  black metal,  doom  and  sludge  and  this  is  a  review of  their  self  released  2017  album  "Konvergence".

  Clean  guitar  playing  along  with  drum  beats  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  faster  direction  which  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  which  also  gives  the  songs a  more  raw  feeling  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  tracks  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  slow  riffs  mix  in  elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  as  the  album  progresses  touches  of  stoner  metal  can  be  heard  at  times.

  Zeit  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  black  metal,  doom,  and  sludge  mixture  of previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  German  and  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Zeit  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  metal,  doom  and  sludge,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Verzerrt"  "Trub"  and  "Latenz".  8  out  of  10. 

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
1.Hi, we are Framheim, an atmospheric black metal duo from Italy.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?
2. The kind of music we play is an atmospheric yet raw form of black metal, which is inspired by a certain 90s style. Other than that, we use synths to soften the sound and to add an ambient touch, which is logical to us regarding our lyrical themes.

3.You refer to your music as 'polar black metal', can you tell us a little bit more about this term?
3. "Polar black metal" is a term which basically refers to our lyrical themes. As I said before, we play a style of atmospheric black metal with a massive use of synths, aiming to create a feeling of "musical snowstorm". Our goal is to conjure the imagery of the Poles through our music!

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
4. As I said before, our imagery is mainly based on the North and the South Poles. More specifically, our goal is to bring some of the black metal stereotypes (cold and winter) to a next level. We tried to put these themes in an historical context, talking about polar explorations and the achievements of the explorers as specifically as possible (the song "San Giuseppe Due" is a great example). But, beyond that, there is also space for other themes, like descriptions of polar landscapes and the feelings of desolation, annihilation and solitude you can get at extremely cold temperatures.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Framheim'?
5. The band name is connected to our concept too. Indeed, "Framheim" was the name of the campsite where the Norwegian explorer Amundsen had his base during his South Pole expedition. The name is literally "House of the Fram" in Norwegian, Fram was the ship that Amundsen and his companions used to reach Antarctica.

6.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you chose to remain a duo?
6. We'll remain a duo. Framheim will always be a studio project and we reached a great balance with just two members. I don't think there will be changes in the future.

7.Currently the band is signed to 'Xenoglossy Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
7. This is an interesting question, because Xenoglossy Productions is the label we run together with other two guys. It is more of a collective than an actual label, we use it to self-produce the works we create within our circle. We have 5-6 releases as of now and we've just started releasing our stuff on vinyl CD. We have many more releases on the go and I hope to achieve great results with our label. I'll leave some links below, you can find other interesting releases on there:
https://www.facebook.com/XenoglossyProductions
https://xenoglossyproductions.bandcamp.com/

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of atmospheric black metal?
8. We are obviously a very young band and we didn't promote ourselves that much, so we don't have a lot of feedback as of now, but I must say that who listened to us loved what we did and appreciated our brave and innovative themes. By the way, I'd like to mention that the song "Lu fredd" on our first demo, is completely sung in the Abruzzo dialect. I wish to thank Stilgar (member of Batrakos and Veia, and former member of Arvensvarthe) for writing the lyrics.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
9. I don't know about that, as of now we're trying to make good music, we'll see how far we can get.

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?
10. The very first works by Blut Aus Nord, Paysage d'Hiver, and some depressive black metal projects like Gris and Hypothermia for the guitar sound. Actually, we are listening to a lot of different music right now, but for Framheim these are our main reference points as regards composition. We'll try to incorporate new influences and try new solutions on our next work, right away.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
11. Some of our interests are connected to the lyrical themes of Framheim, like history and geography. Also, we are both interested in philosophy and current world events.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
12. We wish to make music  as long as we want to. We thank you for giving us space and we invite everyone reading this interview to listen to us and to share our music. Let yourselves be conquered by our Polar Black Metal!
https://framheimblackmetal.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/Framheim-381659398897063/

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
Suicide Forest is a solo musical project that I originally had conceived back in 2015, it had originally been intended to be a project between myself and one other person but it just ended up working out to be a solo project. The intention was to create a project that focused on atmosphere above all else while exploring nihilistic philosophies and bleak existentialism.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the album
The sound can be described like I said before as very atmospheric, focusing more on ethereal soundscapes as opposed to riff-driven extreme metal. While it has elements of traditional black metal, I like to think of it more as an exploration within the style.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?
Lyrically, I tend to focus on depressive and suicidal thoughts and emotions and exploring bleak existentialism and nihilism and I like to do this primarily using metaphors involving the natural world; forest, trees, mountains, etc.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Suicide Forest'?
The name Suicide Forest was inspired obviously by the Aokigahara forest in Japan which is most well known as the suicide forest due to its reputation as a place to commit suicide. But it also works very well with the lyrical themes as I said earlier where I approach topics such as suicide and depression using metaphors involving forests, trees, etc.

5.On the album you recorded everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians on the album or do you prefer to work solo?
When it comes to the recording and writing process with Suicide Forest, I keep that strictly a solo work, as I feel that at this point, bringing in other musicians (however talented they may be) would bring something foreign to the project, creating a new entity all on its own. There are however, several musicians I work with to perform Suicide Forest live.

6.What are some of the best shows your live band has done so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
So far, I would have to say our best performance was opening for Xasthur in Tempe, Arizona. That was the first show where we started incorporating physical elements into the performance including lighting and a prop tree. With this aesthetic, we are able to create an experience that better reflects the depressing and ethereal atmosphere.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We are performing at Festum Carnis with Nachtmystium in California this July, but other than that, no.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of depressive black metal?
The Suicide Forest recordings have been released by two different labels, one based in the United States and one based in Italy. The reception on behalf of both labels has been nothing but positive.

9.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?
 In my private life, I study 21st century music composition at the University of Arizona. Unlike a lot of people who call themselves musicians, this is something I do 100% full-time and therefore only make plans to be a musician both as a performer in my various bands and as a composer.

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?
Being a composer and just an avid music fan, my music taste is varied and eclectic. Some days I will find myself listening to jazz, various periods of classical music, as well as countless types of extreme metal/ heavy metal, almost all eras of rock, and some mid-century pop. I also listen to a lot of contemporary classical music and find a lot of inspiration for Suicide Forest in the music of Arvo Part, Phillip Glass, Steve Reich, Marc Mellits, as well as bands such as Shining, Thy Light, Totalselfhatred, Make A Change… Kill Yourself, Wolves in the Throne Room, Leviathane, etc.

11.Do you have any online links where people can hear your music?
The first two Suicide Forest demos, “Emptiness” and “Indifference”, can be downloaded for free on my Bandcamp page, suicideforestblackmetal. bandcamp.com. You can also purchase physical mediums through either of my labels, folkvangerrecords.bandcamp.com and at waragainstyourself.bandcamp. com.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Nobody exists on purpose, nobody belongs anywhere, everybody is going to die.

  One  Master  are  a  band  from  the  east  coast of  the  United  States  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  occult  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their 2017  album  "Lycanthropic  Burrowing"  which  will  be  released  in  July  by  Eternal  Death.

  Ritualistic  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  musical  direction  that  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  along  with  a  great  amount  of  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  fashion  and  the  sons  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  influences  are  a  perfect  mix  between  old  school  and  modern  black  metal  elements  and  atmospheric  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  the  riffing  at  times  and  ritualistic  spoken  word  parts  are  added  onto  the  closing.

  One  Master  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  occult  black  metal  style  of  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Paganism  and  Darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  One  Master  and  of  you  are  a  fan  of  occult  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Claws  Of  Dionysus"  and  "Erosion".  8  out  of  10.