Charming  Timur  are  a  1  man  band  from  Finland  that has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  alternative  form  of  post  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2015  album  "For  The  Duration  Of  Psychiatric  Treatment".

  Spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  album  along  with  a  harsh  noise  before  adding  in  a  melodic  nu  metal  style  sound  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  which  also  use  some  reverb  and  it  also  gives  the  music  an  industrial  feeling  and  after  awhile  clean  singing  vocals  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  turn  tables.

  When  black  metal  screams  are  utilized  more  they  bring  more  of  a  grim  and  depressive  feeling  to  the  music  along  with  the  music  bringing  in  more  shoegaze  and  post  rock  style  melodies  into  the  leads  while  a  great  amount  of  the  slower  riffing  bring  in  elements  of  doom  and  sludge  metal  that  makes  the  music  have  more  of  a  heavy  sound  and  one  of  the  later  tracks  brings  in  elements  of  dream  pop  and  indie  rock  and  the  songs  stick  to  mostly  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction   while  there  still  is  a  great  amount  of  variety  throughout  the  recording.

  Charming  Timur  creates  another  diverse  recording  with  this  album  taking  elements  of  depressive  and  post  black  metal  and  mixing  in  some  of  the  slower  riffing  of  doom  and  sludge  metal  and  also  adding  in  elements  of  the  more  mainstream  nu  and  alternative  metal  genres  to  create  an  album  that  is  too  heavy  for  the  nu  metal  crowd  but  not  grim  enough  for  the  kvlt  black  metal  crowd,  the production  sound s very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  depressive  and  everyday  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Charming  Timur  and  if  you  are  looking  for  something  that  is  very  different,  you  should  check  out  this  album.   RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "You  Are  Next"  "Fly  With  Me"  "Close"  and  "A  Human  Cell".  8  out  of  10.  

   

  

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?

Ecferus began simply as a way to explore the riffs that weren't getting used in my other band. I gravitate more towards black metal aesthetics when I write, and my band at the time was more of a thrashy hybrid. Inevitably there were some riffs getting shelved. I've been recording for a while so Ecferus was just another extension of that. It's by far the most realized thing I've ever done, though.

2.You have a cassette coming out later this year, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

I tried to create an atmosphere of traveling through prehistoric times and landing in different parts of the world. Not sure I achieved that, but that's how I envisioned it. I also used some soundbites of a brilliant mythology writer and scholar, Joseph Campbell, to sort of mold this primitive consciousness I was trying to create. Musically the aesthetics are fairly black metal influenced, but I don't adhere to any strict traditional standards that might imply. Sometimes you have to come up with words to describe your music to people, and that tends to be "atmospheric black metal".

3.Your lyrics cover evolutionary anthropology, mythology and science, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

Prehistory implies that no written record exists to describe the psyche of early humans. Anthropology and science give insight into migrations, behavior, diet, tool making - but can't tell a personal story of human struggle. The impetus for Ecferus was a fascination in inventing this early psyche and writing about its struggle for survival. I like to think that on an unconscious level what I'm doing is not so different than primitive mythologies of the world. They were using their imagination to explain the unknown. Honestly I'm only a novice when it comes to these subjects but they resonate with me strongly when I write.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Ecferus'?

Ecferus is Latin for "savage". I just stumbled upon it one day and immediately it seemed perfect.

5.With this project you record everything solo, are you open to working with other musicians on this project in the future?

I'd really like to work on some splits. It would be great to put something together that's somewhat a collaboration and not just throwing a random song at a project. As far as other artists performing on Ecferus songs, I wouldn't count that out, as I'm friends with plenty of great musicians, but nothing is planned for the foreseen future.

6.The cassette is going to be released on Fragile branch Recordings, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Fragile Branch is label based out of West Virginia that focuses on cassette and vinyl releases. They've been consistently putting out quality stuff, co-releasing with other labels, and keep a very respectable distro stock. I discovered them while researching some of the great Appalachian black metal going on right now. My dad's side of the family all come from West Virginia, and I never got the opportunity to know any of them. My great grandfather was a fiddle player and worked in coal mines his entire life. I guess being a part of a label that supports that music gives me a bit of a kinship with that part of my lineage.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music so far by fans of black metal?

Well, because this is a debut, not many people have heard it at all. My friends dig it, but I haven't gotten feedback anywhere else besides the label. Over the coming months I look forward to hearing people's reaction to it, though.

8.Are you also involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

The band I was playing in when Ecferus was conceived has since dissolved, but there were some songs left over that never got recorded. One or two of us will probably reinvent it as a recording project sooner or later.

9.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?

I'd like to work on my drumming chops and double bass a bit; get a little faster. I don't use programmed drums, so don't want my drumming limitations to hold back the music. As far as the sound of recordings go, I want to layer a lot more guitar parts and create a bigger, more massive sound. I'm working on a couple of new songs at the moment and hope to employ all these elements.

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?

Some bands that have blown me away recently are Howls of Ebb, Thantifaxath, a lot of the Icelandic metal going on right now is killer, like Carpe Noctem and Svartidauði. I caught Anicon and Yellows Eyes on tour recently and they were both incredible. Both of their most recent releases are outstanding.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Well, I'm married and have a young son, so music is about all I have time for. Maybe when my son gets a little older I'll actually read a book again or something.

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

The cassette will be released soon so check Fragile Branch's site to pick it up. Also, I hope to have some splits and/or EP's coming out later this year. Thank you to OBMZ for taking the time to do this interview.

   Atra  Hora  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  continue  their  atmospheric  and  melodic  approach to  dark  metal  on  this  recording  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2014  ep  "Metahom"  which  was  released  by  Darknagar  Records.

  A  very  melodic  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  keyboards  and  deep  death  metal  growls  and  after  awhile  solos  are  added  into t he  music  and  they  end  up  becoming  a  huge  part  of  the  songs  and  also  add  more  melody  when  they  are  utilized  and  at  times  clean  singing  vocals  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  good  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  along  with  the  cleaner  sections  bringing  in an  exotic  and  tribal  feeling  at  times  along  with  soem  acoustic  guitars and  after  awhile  the  black  metal  elements  of  earlier  recordings  also  make  their  return  on  some  of  the  songs  along  with  a  small  amount  of  high  pitched  screams  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  traces  of  electronic  music.

  With  this  recording  Atra  Hora  plays  more  of  a  dark  and  melodic  style  of  death  metal  while  still  having  elements  of  black  metal  and  you  can  also  hear  a  touch  of  doom  in  their  musical  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Philosophy,  Mythology  and  Religion.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Atra  Hora  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  dark  metal,  you  should c heck  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Metamorphoses"  "Tartaros"  and  "They  Live".  8  out  of  10.  

  Worm  are  a  band  from  Florida  that  plays  a  very  dark,  raw,  atmospheric  and  grim  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  demo  "The  Deep  Dark  Earth  Underlies  All".

  A  very  dark  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  the  leads  bringing  in  more  of  that  style  and  they  are  also  a  huge  part  of  most  of  the  tracks  along  with  small  amounts  of  clean  playing  which  leads  up  to  the  music  getting  more  heavier  along  with  some  grim  black  metal  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  some  atmospheric  sounds  in  the  background  at  times  and  a  good  portion  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length.

    All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  whispers  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  both  acoustic  and  heavy  parts  and  at  times  the  music  can  also  be  very  ritualistic  and  experimental  sounding  along  with  some  psychedelic  elements  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  some  of  the  later  tracks  bring  in  a  little  bit  of  the  fast  and  raw  style  of  black  metal  which  also  sees  blast  beats  being  added  onto  the  recording..

     On  some  of  the  other  tracks  the  band  brings  in  a  raw  sound  a  raw  sound  but  use  a  slower  yet  heavy  style  of  guitar  riffing  which  they  mix  in  with  the  more  atmospheric  approach  of  the  beginning  songs  and  the  album  gets  more  diverse  with  each  track  and  one  of  the  songs  is  an  ambient  instrumental  along  with  other  tunes  bringing  in  deep  demonic  growls  and  a  few  seconds  of  clean  singing  while  the  other  songs  go  back  to  the  more  grim  yet  experimental  style  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  one  song  is  a  short  funeral  song  done  with  organs.

  Worm  creates  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw,  dark,  and  grim  while  still  being  very  atmospheric  and  melodic  as  well  as  the  group  also  being  very  original  by  bringing in  songs  that  bring  in  more  of  an  experimental,  ambient  and  ritualistic  atmosphere  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  Darkness,  Occultism,  Paganism,  Satanism  and  Anti  Christian  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Worm  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark,  raw,  grim,  atmospheric  mixture  of  occult  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Illumination"  "Legends  From  the  Essence  Of  Hell"  "More  Cruel  Than  Any  Midnight"  and  "The  Deep  Dark  Earth  underlies  All".  8/5  out  of  10.

   

   

  Kerker  are  a  duo  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  raw,  atmospheric  and  depressive  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "A  Dime  For  The  Bleak  Faces"  which  was  released  by  Nihilistische  Klangkunst.

  A  very  fast,  raw  and  old  school  black  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  good  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  great  amount  of  grim  screams  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  European  tradition.

    Both  of  the  earlier  songs  stay  away  from  any  modern  elements  that  are  a  part  of  today's  black  metal  sound  along  with  most  of  the  songs  going  back  to  the  second  wave  style  of  the  genre  and  you  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  raw  energy,  darkness  and  hate  throughout  the  recording  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  melody  being  utilized  at  times.

  As  the  album  progresses  some  of  the  slower  riffing  brings  in  a  depressive  feeling  to  some  of  the  tracks  along  with  a  small  amount  of  atmospheric  sounds,  clean  singing,  spoken  word  parts  and  the  bass  guitars  having  a  very  powerful  sounding  presence  and  the  music  also  starts  bringing  in  small  amounts  of  synths  while  the  later  songs  go  back  to  more  of  a  raw  style  of  black  metal  while  still  having  a  few  seconds  of  clean  playing  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Kerker  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  mostly  raw,  grim  and  old  school  sounding  while  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  more  atmospheric,  depressive  and  experimental  sounding,.  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

    In  my  opinion  Kerker  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw,  old  school  style  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dethronement  Of  Old  Kings"  "Prague"  and  "His  Farewell  Left  Decay".  8  out  of  10.