Rienaus  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  satanic  form  of black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Saatanalle"  which  will  be  released  on  My  26th  by  KVLT.

  A  very  heavy  yet  dark  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  after  awhile  grim  black  metal s creams  start  to  make  their  presence  known  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  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  During  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  can  be  heard  which  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  black  metal  feeling  while  the  guitar  leads  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  fashion  and  the  songs  also  bring  in a   great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Most  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  second  wave  style  without  sounding  too  retro  and  there  is  also  a  brief  keyboard  instrumental  that gives  the  album  a  horror  movie  feeling  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Rienaus  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw,  satanic  and  traditional  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Finnish  and  cover  Satanism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Rienaus  are  a  very  great  sounding  satanic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hanen  Armostaan"  "Valisoitto"  and  "Pimea  Hehku".  8  out  of  10.
   

  Heresiarch  are  a  band  from  New  Zealand  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  bestial  mixture  of  black,  war,  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Death  Ordinance"  which  will  be  released  in  July  by  Dark  Descent  Records.

  Atmospheric  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  which  also  introduces  bestial  death  metal  growls  onto  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  a  more  raw  war  metal feeling.


  Black  metal  screams  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of the  songs  and  you  can  also  hear  some  Australian  and  Boss  Bay  influences  in  the  bands  musical style  while the  solos  and  leads  also  add  in  more  of  a  chaotic  style  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  great  amount  of  brutality  and  some  of  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

 
  Heresiarch  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  bestial  mixture  of  black,  war  and  death  metal  of  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  a  future  ravaged  by  30  years  of  war.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Heresiarch  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  bestial  black/death  and  war  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Consecrating  Fire"  "Ruination"    "lupine  Epoch"  and  "Desert  Of  Ash".  8  out  of  10.

   

  Shadowflag  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  poetic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review of  their self  released  2017  album  "The  Delusion  Machine"  which will  be  released  in  June.

  Soundscpaes,  drones,  and  spoken  word samples  start  off  the album  before  going  into  a  more  heavier  and  melodic  direction  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  melody  in  the  solos  and  leads  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  During  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  the  riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  which  also  gives  the  music  a  more  raw  feeling  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  that  also  have  their  grim  moments  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,

  A  lot  of t he  songs  mix  both  the  atmospheric and  heavy  parts  together  and  some  tracks  also  add  in  avant  garde  elements  which  also  gives  the  songs  a  more  experimental  feeling  along  with  a  brief  use  of  atmospheric  synths  as  well  as  some  doom  and  thrash  metal  influences  and  a  couple  of  the tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  

  Shadowflag  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  modern  while  also  having  their  raw,  melodic  and  atmospheric  moments,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  poetic  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Shadowflag  are  a  very  great  sounding  poetic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  looking for  something  that  is  different,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Beasts  That  Perish"  "Kingdom  Of  Zero"  and  "Singularity  45".  8  out  of  10.

  Torc  are  a  band  from  the  Czech  Republic  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  raw  style  of  pagan  blackcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  ep  "Vzpominky  Na Slunce"  which  was  released  by  Murderous  Production.

  A  very  heavy  hardcore  influenced  hardcore  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  aggressive  vocals  that  are  also in the  same  genre  and  when t he  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  a  more  raw  feeling.

  High  pitched  black  metal  screams  are  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  along  with  the  riffs  also  using  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture of  slow,  mid  paced and  fast  parts  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording,

   When  guitar  leads are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  one  track  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  clear  singing  while  death  metal  growls  are  also  used  briefly  and  one  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.


  Torc  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  raw  mixture  of  pagan/black  metal  and  hardcore  from  their  previous  release,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  their  native  tongue  and  cover  society  and  Celtic  Paganism  themes.


  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Torc  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw  pagan/black  metal  and  hardcore,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Nakaza"  and  "Soumrak".  8  out  of  10.

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Lucifer's Dungeon is band with a strong ideology. Against occupation by Christianity covered by good things but doing shit
...here they act so aggressively. A few tracks are dedicated to one person (The Forest, Destruction, My Eyes)
For nearly 8 years It was my solo project called Dark Cellar (2008 - 2014). In 2014, I met with Cerberus from First Martyr
and he joined me right after I explained the idea. The he introduced me to Iscariot and we started he practice and did few gigs together.

2.Recently you have released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
I think the audience should judge. But first and second (up-coming) albums sound differently.
I like clear sound of guitars so me and listeners can easily hear what I play and maybe figure out how to play it)))

3.Some of your tracks are all black metal while some are all dark ambient, how would you compare the 2 different styles?
Both are dark. Metal track were written in one circumstances, feelings and mood while ambient in others.
I think ambient is darker by its feeling or at least my feelings when I wrote it.

4.The band has been around since 2008 but waited till 2017 to release any music, can you tell us a little bit more about the long wait?
As I said above, It was my solo project. I couldn't find proper musicians sharing same ideology. Well, there were some people tried to join me
but for them its just a having fun ones or twice a week. They didn't want anything more like touring and of course invest in it.
Finally I met with Cerberus and Iscariot from First Martyr. They have mostly the same view on things. Cerberus is a great man and drummer.

5.A lot of your lyrics leans towards the satanic and anti Christian side of things, can you tell us a little bit more about what this means to you?
Hmm...Difficult to believe but I was in christian school for 1 year lol....Now seriously, Church did inquisition, forced people to accept  its religion by "sword and fire", they completely destroy russian history before 8-9th centuries, so why do I have to like it?
Same things happened in Northern countries...but at lease they still know their original gods and their stories, history and so on.
What about us?? Nothing. There are few folk stories for elementary school and a little bit about gods. Didn't we exist before 8th century?
We did and thanks to archeologists for research.
Talking from christian perspective, what have Satan done bad? He gave people consciousness, so we became homosapiens. Instead of being just another animal.
Well, we actually are but you all get the idea, I think. Anything bad happens its Satans work...WTF? Poor Satan in christianity. He just wanted the equality.
Same thing with politics.

6.Originally the band was called 'Dark Cellar', what was the cause of the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Lucifer's Dungeon'?
Dark Cellar is my soul. No one knows what's in there, Its dark. But Lucifer's Dungeon suites more to lyrical themes. but still there was cellar, now dungeon.

7.In the beginning the band was a solo project, what was the decision behind hiring a full line up?
Spread the word by gigs. I love gigs. At the time of Dark Cellar, I played a bit with some cover band...We played Iron Maiden, for example.

8.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
The last one I think. In local rock club. Its the only place where you can listen metal bands live.
First few concerts Iscariot was a vocalist and bassist. But from last show I'm vocalist and a guitarist.
I liked that show because everything went great and we did it with DSBM band Akari (I love their material).
Their leader, KoNo, did vocal on Destruction in first
album. Now, he is about to join Lucifer's Dungeon as solo-guitarist.

9.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We plan to set few gigs writhing state but welcome for invitations to other places. Call us and we will make you raise horns up!

10.The album was released on 'Grimm Distribution;, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
They are simply great. Do their job well. Whatever they promised was done and on time. Im happy with this cooperation.

11.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal and dark ambient?
We are not something sweet to be liked by everyone. Actually, I don't follow such info.
I just do my job and label does its own. But locally, I have a good feedback after concerts.

12.Where do you see the band heading into music
ally during the future?
Tours, fests, recording new albums (I write a lot).

13.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?
Influences, When I wrote the first song The Forest I didn't even know about Black Metal. My first inspiration in metal was Iron Maiden when I was 13. But then, a month after I wrote The Forest, a friend of mine showed me Satyricon. Then it was DarkThrone, Gorgoroth, Taake, Dark Funeral and so on. Later I was amazed by Moevot.
Now I listen mostly Arckanum (I have all his LP), Gorgoroth, Taake, Carpathian Forest.

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
I just wish people to stop being fakes and followers. Be yourself. Open up your eyes.
Look for Knowledge and Freedom.