Vaeok  are  a  duo  from  the  United  States  that  plays  an  atmospheric  and  occult  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  ep  which  will  be  released  in  2020  by  W.T.C  Productions.

  Classical  guitars  and  atmospheric  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  ep  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams.

  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  At  times  the  music  also  captures  the  atmosphere  of  the 90's  while  also  being  very  modern  at  the  same  time  as  well  as  the  songs  also  adding  in a   decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  the  closing  track.

  Vaoek  plays  a  style  of  occult  black  metal  that  is  very  atmospheric  sounding  while  mixing  both  the  old  school  and  modern  styles  together  to  create  something  very  different.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  occultism  and  mysticism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vaeok  are  a  very  great  sounding atmospheric  occult  black  metal  duo  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Terricula  Nox"  and  "Souls  Void".  8/5  out  of  10.

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  This  is  a  review  of  an  older  album  from  Satyricon  which  showed  the  music  going  into  more  of  an  experimental  black  metal  direction  and  the  album  was  released  in  1999  and  called  "Rebel  Extravaganza"  with  the  re-issue  being  released  in  2019  by  Napalm  Records.

  Air  raid  sirens  start  off  the  album  while  most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  can   be heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Touches  of  the  black'n'roll  style  the  band  got  known  for  where  also  introduced  on  this  recording  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  sounding  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  tracks  being  brief  instrumentals  one  of  which  also  introduces  clean  playing  onto  the  recording  and  some  songs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  keyboards  and  the  clsong  track  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  female  vocals.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  from  Satyricon  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tied  In  Bronze  Chains" "Prime  Evil  Renaissance"  and  "The  Scorn  Torent".  8  out  of  10.

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  Deviser are  a  band  from  Greece  that  has  ben  interviewed  before  by  this  zine  and  also  has  had  albums  reviewed  here  and  on  this  recording  played a  very  melodic  and  atmospheric  form  of  black  metal  and  this is  a  review  of  their  1998  album  "Transmission  To  Chaos"  which  was  re-issued  by  Sleaszy  Rider  Records.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  angry  yet  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  some  keyboards  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  At  times  the  music  gets  very  atmospheric  and  sounding  sounding  while  the  songs  are  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  Greek  style.  During  the  faster  sections  of  the  tracks  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  a  raw  feeling  and  a  couple  of  songs  are  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  a  few  tracks  also  introducing  spoken  word  parts  onto  the  recording.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  Abstract,  Occultism,  Other  Worlds  and  Darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Deviser  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  and  atmospheric  occult  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Transmission  To  Chaos"  "Satyr,  Hail"  "The  Dark  Moon  Gathered"  and  "Oneiric  Aphas".  8  out  of  10.

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1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

Frozen Winds is currently working on new material for our next release. We hope to finish the composition and pre-production by the end of 2020 so we can release it in 2021. We are also preparing for a few live shows, hopefully outside of Cyprus.

2.In 2018 you had released your first full length, musically how does it differ from your previous demo, ep and single?

We were very young when the ‘Luciferian Calls’ demo and the ‘Prophets with Distorted Faces’ EP were released. The fact that ‘Necromantic Arts’ took 7 years to be produced says a lot. Of course, there were many obstacles, line-up changes and personal issues that delayed the release of our debut. However we strongly believe that it was worth it in the end because we couldn’t be more pleased with the result. ‘Necromantic Arts’ is more mature and is aesthetically and atmospherically more sinister than our previous releases. In addition it obviously has a better sound and production.

3.The band has been around since 2007 but has only put out a small amount of music, can you tell us a little bit more about the gaps in between releases

As I mentioned before, there were many obstacles and delays that kept the band stagnant in a way such as unreliable band members and other issues. However now we have a strong and solid line-up that is interested in producing Art and the band is more active than ever.

4.Your lyrics also cover Occultism and Left Hand Part themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the dark arts?

Although I won’t go into many details it’s no secret what Frozen Winds represents and expresses. We draw influence from many cultures, from Ancient Occult Traditions such as Sumerian, Hellenic, Egyptian,Canaanite traditions, Left Hand Path spirituality, including Luciferianism, QliphoticMagick, Demonolatry etc.. It’s a thematology which requires endless research, patience and practice. As a result we have an ideal blend between the music and the thematology and this projects an amalgamation we like to characterize as our Craft.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Frozen Winds'?

The inspiration for the name occurred back in 2007 when were only 17 years old due to a personal experience. However I prefer it to remain private. My apologies…

6.On the album cover you also contain a Necronomicon symbol, can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork?

The artwork is based on the Necronomicon mythology and Sumerian Mystical Tradition. Basically we wanted to illustrate abstract imagery based on this system and how these energies were filtered through our own individual minds. Since we are honoring subjects and entities that are primordial, ancient and formless we can only express such imagery based on our own perception. Of course we have been influenced by the images and that have been witnessed through booksand visualizations however that doesn’t mean that we can’t project them in through our own mind’s eye.

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

Our best show was probably in 2018 when we had our headlining album presentation for ‘Necromantic Arts’ in Nicosia, Cyprus. I don’t know how but the crowd really felt the energy we projected while performing (that’s what they told us) and everyone congratulated us for the whole live. Regardless of how cliché and predictable it might sound, our live performances are rituals, whether in the conventional manner or something we do in our own unique way. Since we have our priests on stage it certainly gives an energy and psychodrama boost to the whole show. It provides an excellent blend of music and obscure atmosphere.  As a result you have a Frozen Winds show.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

We are performing as special guests with our very close friends and local Grindcore/Thrash Metal band Zivanished on the 26th of December at Nicosia Downtown Live in Cyprus, for their album release presentation. We also plan to play live in other countries as well to promote our music as much as possible.

9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?

For an underground band such as ourselves it has been quite positive so far. However we don’t expect everyone to find our music and whole concept appealing and it’s not supposed to be. Especially with this genre which is called Black Metal. If Black Metal was appealing and attractive to everyone, specifically bands with an Occultconcept then something just doesn’t fit in. Even though I have noticed that this genre is growing (which is good because there are many great artists out there) so are the picky people who are rarely satisfied with many things they listen to. Maybe it is because of biased attitudes. But that doesn’t mean that a person has to take the concept seriously and not just enjoy the music.

10.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?

We started a side project about a year ago with our bassist Andreas called Uncle Philth and it’s been progressing gradually. We found a permanent drummer a few months ago and began composing original material. We are very pleased with the way things are going because it’s been something that both me (Adonis) and Andreas wanted to pursue for quite some time. Uncle Philth however explores different genres and is influenced by styles such as Sludge Metal, Stoner Rock, Psychedelic Rock and Hardcore Punk.Lets just say that we are exploring a different musical and personal side to us.





11.When can we expect newer music and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Even though we’ve been preparing for live shows promoting ‘Necromantic Arts’, in the meantime we’ve also been composing new material for our next album. It is expected to be released with 8 brand new songs in 2021. However we can never be certain on when it will be released. It will have a distinctive approach in general and the new material is very different than anything we’ve ever done in the past. This album will be a lot more personal.



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?

We’ve all grown up with Extreme Metal and Heavy Metal in general. Black Metal however has had a specific impact on all of us and that is why Frozen Winds chose to do this Art. Besides Metal we have a lot of other influences such as Classical Music, Dark Ritual Ambient, Traditional Folk Music and Electronic Music. Nowadays I personally have gone back to exploring old school Black Metal since there is an abundance of underground bands that haven’t been discovered yet. Let us just say that im revisiting my standard influences with a different mindset and from a different perspective. It is always fascinating to search for obscure 80’s and 90’s bands however that doesn’t mean that we don’t also explore new artists. There are so many new amazing bands out there that it is sometimes overwhelming.



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

Thank you very much for your time and effort to get acquainted with Frozen Winds. Expect to hear a lot more from us in the future. My respects… Adonis.

  Empire  Of  The  Moon  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  an  occult  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "Eclipse"  which  will  be  released in  2020  by  Iron  Bonehead  Productions.

  A  very dark  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  which  also  introduces  synths  onto  the  recording  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of an  epic  atmosphere  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction.  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.

  Vocals  are  mostly grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  growls  are  also  utilized  at  times.  The  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  Greek  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  melody.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  yet  old  school  style  along  with  the  spoken  word  parts  also  giving  the  songs  more  of  a  ritualistic  feeling  when  they  are  utilized,  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  melodic  vocals  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard,  Gregorian  chants  can  also  be  heard  on  the  closing  track  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  magick,  occultism,  necromancy,  spirituality  and  mysticism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Empire  Of  The  Moon  are  a  very  great  sounding  occult  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of t his  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Imperium  Tridentis"  and  "Devi  Maha  Devi".  8/5  out  of  10.

http://soundcloud.com/iron-bonehead-productions/empire-of-the-moon-imperium-tridentis