Syndrome/Floating Veins/ConSouling Sounds/2011 CD Review

  This  is  another  review  of  an  album  from  Syndrome  with  the  music  being  dark  ambient  drone  mixed  with  doom  and  post  metal    and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011  recording  "Floating  Veins"  which  was  released  by  ConSouling  Sounds.

  Drum  programming  are  all  slow  beats,  while  the  synths  and  sound  effects  bring  the  dark  ambient/drone,  post  rock  and  experimental  elements  to  the  music,  while  the  bass  guitar  when  it  is  utilized  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  as  for  the  guitars  are  all  slow  doom/post  metal  riffs  along  with  some  clean  playing  and  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  when  they  are  utilized  are  all  clean  singing  vocals, while the  song  themes  cover  darkness,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it  while  you  can  still  hear  all  of  the  music  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  along  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Syndrome  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  dark  ambient/drone  mixed  with  doom  and  post  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Floating  Veins"  and  "Absence".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

 

  

Syndrome/Monotonos/Sequences/Fall Of Man/ConSouling Sounds/2011 Split CD Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Belgium's  Syndrome,  France's  Monotonos  and  Sequences  called  "Fall  Of  Man"  which  was  released  by  ConSouling  Sounds  in  2011  and  we  will start  of  the  review  with  Syndrome  with  their  music  this  time  being  dark  ambient/drone/doom  metal.

  Rhythm  guitars  are  all  slow  riffs  that  combine  drone  and  doom  metal  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own   as  well  as  a  good  amount  of  soft  and  clean  playing,  while  the  sound  effects  bring  the  experimental  and  dark  ambient  sounds  to  the  recording.

  Vocals  and  song  writing  are  all  absent  from t heir  side  of  the  recording  with  the  music  being  all  instrumental,  while  the  song  themes  cover  darkness,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sound  with  the  song  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Syndrome  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  dark  ambeint/drone/doom  metal  you  should  check out  their  side  of  the  recording.  RECOMMENDED.

  Next  up  is  Monotonos  a  band  that  combines  dark  ambient/drone  with  neo  folk.

  Acoustic  guitars  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  add  the  neo  folk  elements  to  the  recording,  while  the  synths  bring  the  dark  ambient/drone  elements  to  the recording  and  they  are  the  only  2  instruments  that  are  present  on  their  side  of  the  recording.

  Vocals and  song  writing  are  all  absent  from  their  side  of  the  recording  with  the  music  being  all  instrumental,  while  the  song  themes  cover  darkness,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark  raw  and  primitive  sound  with  the  song  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Monotonos  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  dark  ambient  and  neo  folk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of   the  recording.  RECOMMENDED.

  Next  up  is  Sequences  a  band  that  plays  dark  ambient/drone.

  Synths  and  song  effects  bring  the  dark  ambient  drone  elements  to  the  music  along  with  some  distorted  noise  elements  and  they  are  the  only  musical  instrument  present  on  this  side  of  the  recording  bringing  a  ritualistic  quality  to  the  split.

  Vocals  and  song  writing  are  all  absent  from  their  side  of  the  recording  with  the  music  being  all  instrumental, while  the  song  theme  covers  darkness,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  with  the  song  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  On  the  last  song  all  3  bands  team  up  together  to  create  a  very  long  and  epic  dark  ambient  drone  song.

In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to all  fans  of  dark  ambient/drone.  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

  

Amenra/Live/ConSouling Sounds/2012 CD Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  live  album  from  Amenra  which  continues  their  hybrid  of  sludge,  doom  metal  and  hardcore  which  was  released  by  ConSouling  Sounds  in  the  year  of  2012.

  Drums  are  all  slow  playing  with  no  fast  drumming  or  blast  beats  being  present  on  this  recording,  while  the  sound  effects  bring  elements  of  experimental  and  drone  to  the  music,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  are  all  slow  riffs  that  combine  sludge,  doom  metal  and  hardcore  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  with  some  dark  sounding  melodies  being  thrown  into  the  riffing  as  well   as  some  clean  playing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  doom  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  sludge  screams  with  some  clean  singing  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  everyday  and  ritualistic  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  dark  and  professional  sound  with  all  of  the  songs  being  recorded  live  and  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Amenra  and  if  you  are  a f an  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  live  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Your  Shapelss  Pain"  "Thurifer"  and  "Razoreater".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

Amenra/Mass II/2005 EP Review

Amenra  are  a  band  from  Belgium  that  has  been  featured before  in  this  zine  with  a  music  style  that combines  sludge,  stoner  and  doom  metal  together  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2005  ep  "Mass  II".

   Drums  are  all  slow  playing  with  no  fast  drumming  or  blast  beats  being  present  on  this  recording, while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing that  dominates  throughout  the  recording,  as  for  the  sound  effects  when  they  are  utilized  they  bring  elements  of  drone  ad  experimental  to  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  are  all  slow  riffs  that  combine  sludge,  stoner,  and  doom  metal  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  with  some  dark  sounding  melodies  being  thrown  into  the  riffing  at  times  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  to  add  more  psychedelic  elements  to  the  recording.

  Vocals  are  mostly  sludge  style  screams  with  some  spoken  word  samples  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  some  clean  singing,  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  depression  and  ritualistic  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  dark  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Amenra  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  hunt  down  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Promise  To  Make"  and  "Ritual  I".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

Chve/Nate Hall/ConSouling Sounds/2012 Split 7 Inch Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  7  inch  between  Belgium's  Chve  and  U.S's  Nate  Hall  which  was  released  by  ConSouling  Sounds  in  the  year  of  2012  and  we  will  start  the  review  with  Chve  which  plays  dark  neo-folk.

  Acoustic  guitars  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  bring  the  neo-folk  sound  to  the recording,  while  the  vocals  are  all  clean  singing  vocals  that  have  a  very  dark  and  haunting  sound  to  them,  with  the  lyrics  covering  dark  and  depressing,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark  sound  where  you  can  hear  the  vocals  and  guitars  very  well.

  In  my  opinion  Chve  are  a  very  great  sounding  neo-folk  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of t his  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  recording.  RECOMMENDED.

  Next  up  is  Nate  Hall  who  plays  neo  folk  mixed  with  post  rock  and  blues.

  Rhythm  guitars  are  all  slow  riffs  that  combine  post  rock  and  blues  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  with  some  melody  in  the  riffing  as  well  as  some  lead  guitars  and  solos,  while  the  acoustic  guitars  use  full  chords  to  add  the  neo  folk  elements  to   the  recording.

  Vocals  are  all  clean  singing  neo  folk/blues  singing,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful  and  professional   song  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  guitars  and  vocals.

  In  my  opinion  Nate  hall  is  a  very  great  sounding  neo-folk  blues  rock  hybrid  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  his  music.  RECOMMENDED.

  in  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  neo  folk  music.  RECOMMENDED  BUY.     

The Sea Charmer Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

Well, we're  bunch of guys who brought together in Spring 2011. Our previous bands were stagnant so we decided to make a new project. Actually, the first impulse to found a band went from Zdenek Kurka (nowadays in Born Again) who had left Five symbols some time ago. Then we found new members and started writing stuff and so on. Unfortunately he and our former guitarist Tomáš Pípa left us within few months so we had to find a good replacement. The guitar's gap were filled by Lukáš Slavík. We also tried few guys on voc but that was definitely a loss of time so we are vocalless now, even still trying to get the right guy or a girl in. The current line up is: Petr Pádivý - guitars, Lukáš Slavík - guitars, Jakub Štefl - bass guitar and Jakub Žáček - drums.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?

It's not that hard to find the right words. Yeah, it's just a more or less experimental concoction of hardcore, punk and metal. Easy ;). 

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

Our lyrics mainly point to the fact how mean and stupid the human being is. Sad but true. The forthcoming full-length called "Farewell to the gods of flesh" is a conceptual worship of misanthropy. The lyrics are veiled in a sorrowful form, but they are nihilistic by no means. There is always a way to change our future.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

The Sea Charmer might be felt as a fictious person evoking ancient powers off the sea to finish the reign of man.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

Well, we've played just four gigs so far, so it's hard to review that, but yeah, we've got a chance to share the stage with such a great bands like Suffocate with your fame etc.. We are also going play a show with the The Psyke Project or All We Have in a few weeks so we are fucking thrilled!!! We try to be always as vigorous as we can when performing the live set. Ofcourse there are licks which can't be played well if you mosh as a jerk :D. 

6. Do you have any touring plans for the future?

In fact, nothing particular at the moment. Our second guitarist has got it's final exams at high school and I will try to pass the entrance exams at university so these are the biggest goals right now :D.  

7. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label and if so what kind of label do you feel that would be a perfect fit for the music?

That would be cool to get under a label, but we really don't care that much about. It's always fun to do what you love, DIY or in a high style.

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of hardcore?

The feedback is really good, especially from abroad, especially from US and UK. We ain't that much known here. But we believe it's gonna change while we play more gigs and stuff. 

9. Are there any other musical projects besides this band or is this a full time line up?

We are fully involved in just The Sea Charmer, except our drummer, who plays in Awaken the bitter star as well. But who knows, we may found a project in the future :).

10. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

I believe we will still be devoted to experimentation within the boundaries of cliche.  I am sure we can't bring anything new to the table, but still we love making the music we love.

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Mate, that's a pretty long list, actually! We are kinda openminded persons so our musical range is really wide. From pop, jazz and classical music to furious deathcore and mathcore. When speaking of me, my biggest influence comes from The Dillinger Escape Plan, Architects and Meshuggah. There are thousands of others which should've been mentioned though.  

12. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

 I love reading books, watching films, the rest of my guys love hanging out, drinking beer and schnaps until they're dead, going to gym etc. :D

 

13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Thank you,  , so much for your time and this space. Guys, try to change yourself before you talk about how you'd change the world. Thank you. Petr 

Syndrome/Now And Forever/ConSouling Sounds/2012 CD Review

  Syndrome  are  a  1  man  band  from  Belgium  that  is  a  side  project  of  AmenRa  with  a  musical  style  I  would  describe  as  being  a  mixture  of  post  rock  and  ambient  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Now  And  Forever"  which  was  released  by  ConSouling  Sounds.

  Percussion  are  all  slow  beats  which  give  the  music  a  tribal  feeling,  while  the  synths  bring  in  elements  of  dark  ambient  to  the  recording,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  they  use  full  chords  and  finger  picking  to  bring  a  post  rock  sound  to  the  recording  along  with  some  amplifier  effects.

  Vocals  are  mostly  clean  singing  neo  folk  vocals  along  with  some  female  back  ups,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful  and  dark  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  with  the  only  song  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Syndrome  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  post  rock  and  ambient  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  BUY.