Dakhma  are  a  band  from  Michigan  that  plays  a  mixture  of  atmospheric  post  black  metal,  experimental,  crust  and  grind  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  lp  "Suna  Kulto"  which  will  be  released  on  January  20th  by  Halo  Of  Flies.

  Clean  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  ep  and  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  post  rock  and  atmospheric  sounds  can  also  be  heard  in  the  background  and  after  awhile  the  music  goes  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  great amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  as  well  as  introducing  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  onto  the  recording.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  more  of  a  modern,  atmospheric  yet  melodic  style  of  black  metal  and  both  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  elements  of  crust  and  grind  are  added  into  the  songs  and  the  music  also  gets  very experimental  at  times  while  also  using  clean  guitars  on  both  tracks.

  Dakhma  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  raw,  atmospheric  and  post  styles  of  black  metal  and  mixes  them  together  with  elements  of  experimental,  crust,  and  grind  to  create  something  different,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Dakhma  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture of  atmospheric,  post  black  metal,  experimental,  crust  and  grind  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "East".  8  out  of  10.    

  Aethyr  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  an  ambient  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their 2016  album  "Uncanny  Valley"  which  was  released  by  Last  Candle  Productions.

  Ambient  style  synths  start  off  the  album and  they  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  side  of  the music  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  guitar  leads  bring  in  more  of  an  atmospheric,  melodic  and  modern  style  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody and  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  depressive  black  metal  screams.

  Growls  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  spoken  word  parts  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  ritualistic  feeling  and  samples  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  music  also  has  a  very  progressive  and  experimental  feeling  with the  synths  at  times  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  on  one  of  the  songs  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction.  and  they  also  bring  in  a  couple  of  instrumentals.

  Aethyr  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  either  slow  or  mid  paced  and  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount of  ambient  elements  to  create  something  very  different,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophy,  insights,  and  cosmos  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Aethyr  are  a  very  great  sounding  ambient  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Threshold"  and  "The  Old  Tree".  8  out  of  10.    

  Streams  Of  Blood  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  has  had  an  album  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and plays  a  very  raw  and  misanthropic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Allgegenwartig"  which  will  be  released  in  February  by  Folter  Records.

  Drum  beats  along  with  a  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along with  some  grim  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  fashion  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of  the riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of melody  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  music  also  brings  in  a  more  modern  style  of  black  metal  but  also  adds  in  some  old  school  influences  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  heavy  and  raw  musical  style  and  spoken  word  parts  along  with  melodic vocals  are  used  briefly  on the  last  track.

  Streams  Of  Blood  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  raw  and  misanthropic  style  of  black  metal  from  their  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds very  powerful  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  anti  human  and  self  destruction  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Streams  Of  Blood  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  misanthropic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Corrosion"  "Open  Your  Third  Eye"  and  "Transformation".  8  out  of  10.

  In  my  opinion  this

  Epoch  are  a  band  from  Belgium  that  plays  a  bestial  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Sacrosanct"  which  will  be  re-issued  by  Lavadome  roductions  on  January 31st.

  A  very  fast,  dark  and  brutal  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of blast  beats  while  the  riffs  also  mix  in  evil  sounding  melodies  and  after  awhile  bestial  growls  and  black  metal  screams  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  but  with  a  more  modern  feeling.

  Throughout  the recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  some  of  the  faster  riffing  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  war  metal  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and only  of  the  songs  brings  in  a brief  use  of  guitar  solos  or  leads  and  the  album  also  remains  heavy,  dark  and  brutal  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording  and  the  sounds  of  torture  are  also  used  briefly  on  the  last  track.

  Epoch  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  death  metal  while  also  mixing  in  the  more  bestial  side  of  black  metal  to  create  their  own  style,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover dark  and  cold  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Epoch  are  a  very  great  sounding  bestial  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Vision  Absolute"  "Hangman  Paradox"  and  "Sacrosanct".  8  out  of  10.

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording  and release of the new album?
First of all we did a release show in The Baroeg (NL), one of the leading underground stages in the Netherlands. During  this show we played the new album in it’s entirety. We did a mini tour with Misanthropia (NL) and Nattas (SE) to promote the new album. Furthermore we are busy booking new gigs since we want to promote the new album as much as possible. This year we celebrate our 20th anniversary with a special show on may the 13th, during this show we will play songs w hich we haven’t played in a long time.

2.In September you  had released a new album, 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?
...en doodenakkers tot den horizon is a mixture of black, viking and death metal. With every record coming out you hear the band grow in maturity musically. What is different from earlier recordings is that we omitted keyboards, we wanted a more direct live feeling on this record. Also the album is  a bit less technical and leaning more towards death metal if you compare it to the older albums. The end result is a more tight and aggressive sound, much to our liking.

3.This is the first album to be released since 2005, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?
We had a few challenges in the line-up. In 2005 one of the co-founders and songwriters Vasco Lub left the band. He was the bass player and wrote most of the lyrics. Besides that he wrote most of the music together with Bas Westdorp. In the years that followed Fenris was busy creating a robust  lineup. We tried a lot of bass guitarists and failed, until 2010 when Chris joined the band. Then the process of writing songs went a lot faster. To give you an idea, in 2010 there was just one new song. Also in 2013 Joris Klaassen joined the band on guitars, he really completes the sound of Fenris and helps giving the live performance a boost. So most of the writing was in the past couple of years, also a day job doesn’t really help with the speed of releasing a new record.

4.With the name 'Fenris' and the song lyrics your music is rooted in Norse Paganism and
 Mythology, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?
The basis in the name Fe
nris comes from the mythological creature Fenrir, who is the son of Loki and Angrboda. For us Fenris is also a link to the Norse band Enslaved, they have a song called Fenris. Furthermore the subject also has links to our own history. On “..en doodenakkers tot den horizon” you can see this in the songs 834 and Ruined which describe the attack from the vikings  on Dorestad in the year 834. With the song Fenris we tell the
story of Fenris trying to convince Tyr to release him so he can unleash Ragnarok.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how  would you describe your stage performance?
Shows we like to remember are the ones we played supporting great bands like Enslaved, Rotting Christ, Tyr, Einherjer and Sear Bliss. Also shows in our hometown are always a success and we played a successful shows in Berlin.

6.Do you have any  touring or show plans for the future?
We haven’t planned any  tours at the moment, it is a real challenge combining a day job and a tour. If there is a good opportunity we would take it of course. Currently busy planning separate shows mainly in  the Netherlands. We hope to play at least 20 shows this year, and we look hope to do some shows in Germany and Belgium.

7.Currently you are  unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
We have a distribution deal with Snakebite records for the Benelux. They also dealt with the digital availability of the album worldwide. We have written to a number of small record labels but chances are slim in the musical genre. For the moment we are happy with the distribution we currently have. Anything can happen in the future.

8. On a worldwide le vel how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black, viking and death metal?
We have had a number of great reviews from blogs and websites mainly in Europe, it takes time for people because there number of releases is enormous. So we are hoping more people pick up the album  in the coming months. This is why we try to play as much shows as possible, given the possibilities we have of course To give you a few examples of reviews:
http://aminoapps.com/page/black-metal/8200812/review-fenris-en-doodenakkers-tot-den-horizon
http://nekronospromotion.blogspot.nl/2016/08/fenris-en-doodenakkers-tot-den-horizon.html
http://www.lordsofmetal.nl/nl/reviews/view/id/32965

9.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?
Our drummer is a former member of The Darkest Red, also he is a session drummer for the band Cthuluminati. Our bass player is a former member of Brandhaard and Infestis. Joris also plays in Beyond our Ruins. Gilbert also did vocals for Infestis,
https://www.facebook.com/Thedarkestred/
https://www.facebook.com/Cthuluminati/
https://www.facebook.com/BeyondOurRuins/

10.Where do you se
e the band heading into musically during the future?
If you look at the current re
cord which is mainly a mixture of black and death metal and less
viking than the previous a
lbums, this is the direction we will be heading with a big wink to
viking. The sound in the f
uture will probably be more of “...en doodenakkers tot den horizon”,
powerful riffs, epic guitar
solos, lots of screams in a mixture of black and death metal.
Currently we are busy clea
ning jam material and making new riffs besides keeping the set at
a proper live level.
https://www.facebook.com
/Cthuluminati/
https://www.facebook.com
/BeyondOurRuins/

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
If you look at the current record which is mainly a mixture of black and death metal and less viking than the previous albums, this is the direction we will be heading with a big wink to viking. The sound in the future will probably be more of “...en doodenakkers tot den horizon”,powerful riffs, epic guitar solos, lots of screams in a mixture of black and death metal. Currently we are busy cleaning jam material and making new riffs besides keeping the set at a proper live level.

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?
When we grew up our musical taste was formed by bands like obituary, Morbid Angel, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Enslaved, Mayhem, Slayer and Suffocation. In the past few years the influence would be coming mostly from the following bands: Enslaved, Dark Funeral, Nile, Obituary, Nader Sadek, Shining (SE),Origin, Vektor, Mayhem, Behemoth, Cattle Decapitation, Marduk, Dissection, Deicide and Dying Fetus

12.What are some of your non musical interests? We like action movies in the eighties genre but also horror, and off course a good beer and a piece of meat!

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We really appreciate you giving us the room to let the world know about our new album “...en doodenakkers tot den horizon” with a review and taking the time for this interview! Keep up the good work!
Hails!
Fenris