Costa  Rica's  Dusk  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  an  atmospheric  and  industrial  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2023  album  "Rethronody"  which  will  be  released  in  may.

 Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  some effects,  electronic  and  industrial  style  beats  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  All  of  the  drum  beats  are  also  programmed  while  the  synths  also  give  the  music  more  of  an  atmospheric  touch  when t hey  are  utilized.

  Spoken  word  parts  and  whispers  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  of  songs  while  all  of t he  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  High  pitched  black  metal  scream  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  along  with  some  clear  chants  also  being  utilized  briefly  and  some  of  the  riffing  also  adds  in  a lot  of  melody, when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  and  they  also do  an  industrial  version  of  a  Metallica  song  on  the  closing  track.

  On  this  recording  Dusk  focuses  more  on  the  electro-industrial  style  of  their  musical  sound  as  well  as  reining  some  of  the  black  metal  elements  of  earlier  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  revolving  around  the  themes  of  Rethronody.

  On  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Dusk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  industrial  and  atmospheric  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUD E "Rethronody  II"  and  "Rethronody  VI".  8  out  of  10.

  Barditus  are  a  duo  from  Germany  that  plays  an  acoustic  mixture  of  black  metal  and  neo-folk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  ep  "Dein  Schwert"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Purity  Through  Fire.

  Apocalyptic  soundscapes  and  war  sounds  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars  a  few  seconds  later  which  also b ring  in  elements  of  neo-folk.  Electric-acoustic  guitars  can  also be  heard  at  times  while  some  of  the  more  aggressive  vocals  bring  in  touches  of  black  and  pagan  metal  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  medieval  sounding  while  synths  and  folk  instruments  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of t he  recording.  When  percussion  is  utilized  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  a  tribal  feeling  along  with  all  of  the  songs  also  sounding  very  different  from  each  other  as  well  as  the  vocals  also  adding  a  semi  melodic  style  on  some  of  the  tracks,  blast  beats  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly..

  Barditus  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  emtal,  neo-folk  and  medieval  music  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  German  and  cover  Germanic  Paganism,  Greek  Mythology,  Christian  Symbolism  of  the  Early  Middle  Ages  and  Natural  Romanticism. 

  In  my  opinion  Barditus  are  a  very  great  sounding  acoustic  mixture  of  black  metal  and  neo-folk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fragen  an  Dresden"  and  "Dein  Schwert".  8  out  of  10.

  www.noltex.de          

  Tide  Harvester  are  a  solo  project  from  Kansas  City,  Missouri  that  plays  a  fantasy  inspired  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2023  album  Palemoon  Spelltome"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Syrup  Moose  Records.

   Tragic  sounding  pianos  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times  while  also  using  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  yet  atmospheric  style  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while most  of  the  songs  also  have  an  instrumental  interlude  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction.  Melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  one  track  also  being  an  instrumental  and  blast  beats  and  fast  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  towards  the  end

  Tide  harvester  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  atmospheric,  epic  and  pianos  orientat4ed  sounding.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Tide  Harvester  are  a  very  great  sounding  fantasy  orientated  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRQACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Betrayal  Of  The  Sun"  "Tide  Harvester"  and  "Druids  Of  the  Astral  Sorceries".  8  out  of  10.

  https://tideharvester.bandcamp.com/releases

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

Altari was created in and around 2014. I had been a member of another Black Metal band called Abominor for about 6 years at that point, where the main goal was to create a very blasphemous and heavy music. I had written some riffs that I could never use in that band and thought I should hold on to them. A sort of pre-Altari band emerged between me, the drummer and guitarist of Abominor, where we wanted to explore some other aspects of Black Metal and challenge ourselves in creating music. That is when I knew I could do something with the earlier stuff I wrote. Altari was then an on and off project for me until I recorded the album.

2.In April you have a new album coming out, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

I never really thought much about any sort of direction I was taking the album. It came very naturally to me, but of course very slow as I had other projects to focus on. I've always listened a lot to the old classics, be it rock and roll or metal. I found that the overall sound I wanted to create was to try and emulate that old class feel, which I may or may not have achieved. Most of it is derived from playing with some of my contemporaries here in Iceland, which has its roots firmly placed in the avant-garde, orthodox style and lastly the 80's and 90's Black Metal. So I guess you could say I just put everything in a small cauldron and worked my way from there.  

3.The band worked on the new album for 9 years, can you tell us a little bit more about the time and effort that you put into this recording?

It took me quite a long time to see that I had an album in my hands. I worked when I could, when I had the inspiration and as I got better at recording demos. It wasn't until spring 2020 that I finally could sit down and put everything together, as I did that the album was very fast paced. The lyrics were already written and I spent many sleepless nights writing about things I had to face and researching old writings from Iceland.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?

Most of the subjects I write about come from my own experiences and choices I've made throughout my life. It can vary from dealing with my past substance abuse, heartbreak and overall feeling of resentment or other things. That underlying narrative takes place in the form of creating settings and stories that are inspired from the native tales that we as Icelanders grow up with. The choice to sing it in Icelandic was a decision that Altari found fitting, trying to honor the old texts.

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

There is no meaning. It wasn't taken and it was a name we liked.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

The artwork is done by our guitarist K.R Guðmundsson. It is his experiment in using colours in a formless way to try and create forms. The overall artwork was done by him when Fagradalsfjall erupted a few years ago so it may be he took some inspiration from that event and it fueled this painting in a way.

7.Has the band done any live shows or open to the idea?

Not yet, we have Ascension coming up in May and we are very open to the idea to tour the album.

8.The new album is coming out on 'Svart Records', how did you get in contact with this label?

It was chance luck on my part. A very dear friend was working at Roadburn and happened to both know and to be working in the next booth from Tomi at Svart Records. I had just been in contact with her asking how she was, which she replied with having talked with Tomi. I instantly wanted her to introduce Altari to him.

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

It seems to me to be positive, I can't say much as there isn't any data to rely on. I hope that people will enjoy the record either way.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

I don't really like to try and see anything related with the future of the band. Right now I am only focused on finishing up some work on a couple of songs. Maybe heavier, more guitars, who knows really.

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?

On an instrumental level I can safely say that both of the guitarists in Sinmara have had a huge impact on my playing level throughout the years that I've known them. Being able to see those two guys play made me want to be a better guitarist and look at music from a whole other perspective.

To name a few though: Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Blue Öyster Cult, Sinmara, Blut Aus Nord, Ulver.

These days I'm really into Aurora. Have been listening to her albums for a number of years now and it amazes me what an extraordinary talent she is. "Monumension" by Enslaved has been on repeat the past month and I look forward to the new Dödheimsgard album.

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

Thank you for the interview and listen to 666° Norður.

Altari on Instagram

  Moon  Oracle  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  archaic  and  eldritch  mixture  of  black  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  album  "Ophidian  Glare"  which  will  be  released  in  April  as  a  joint  effort  between  Signal  Rex  and  Bestial  Burst.

  A  very  fast  and  raw  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  sounding  black  emtal  screams  while t he  songs  also  add  in  a a  lot  of  old  school  influences  and  the  slower  sections  of t he  songs  also b ring  in  elements  of  doom  metal.

  Dark  sounding  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  riffing  while  synths  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.  The  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with   a  couple  of  track s also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  words  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  also  sticking  to  more  of  an  old  school  style  when  they  are utilized,  the  closing  track  is  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing.

  On  this  recording  Moon  oracle  remain to  the  archaic  and  eldritch  mixture  of  black  and  doom  metal  that  they  have  established  on  previous  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  battleground  between  the  Id  and  the  Ego.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Moon  oracle  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Numinous  Gate  Opens"  and  "Abysmal  Crimson  Desert".  8  out  of  10.

  http://moonoracle.bandcamp.com/album/ophidian-glare

facebook.com/MoonOracleFinland // moonoracle.bandcamp.com