tisdag 16 februari 2016

Azaghal / Oath Split

Here we have a new heavy beast split from the icy Finnish shores!


First off i have to say i am far from being an expert on Azaghals vast back catalogue besides from the only album i have my self and that is the smashing "Perkeleen luoma" album from 2004 so i will only base my comparisons from that to this almost 12 year newer material....So what can i say about this new three songs from one of Finlands satanic bulldozers?
Well they are for sure some strong and pretty long compositions as always Azaghal never disappoints but i would say this is not their hottest material, one reason is the production is a bit too warm (compared the the only album i have which is ice cream cone cold and steely eviiil blasphemy bliss!) and the other can i guess can be put on Oaths material that is bleeding extra much here so its hard to see.... the best parts of Azaghals competent songs is the subtle guitar melodies and bends,pics etc that put the "i" in intriguing i think other then that all is delivered good & hard as usual but not really up to old standards. (the same year (2015) as this one they released another split AND another full length...damn!)

Oath as i hinted is the best part of this split plus i have a little more insight on them as well.
They as before make pretty long and doomy transcending music in a very satanic way but here i think they almost out done themselves in vastness and meditativ atmosphere...probably their longest songs to date.
They put you into a dark murky trance that pulls you deep into the impenetrable dark river of Styx... the riff repeating works fine as the riffs is solid and the overall constructions is well thought out, nothing original but traditional doomy devil spells is what they do & do good. (and dont miss the coming new full album from Oath now in May!)



All in all a "well worth getting split" whatever i said or did not say.

 It´s Finnish, it´s true beast!

Track list:

1.     Azaghal - Nukkuja     09:50    
2.     Azaghal - Vedenpaisumus     09:35    
3.     Azaghal - Taivaankairaaja     04:33    
4.     Oath - The King     12:03    
5.     Oath - Evernight     11:14    
                                Total:47:15    


Label link:
Immortalfrostproductions@hotmail.com
Band link:
https://www.facebook.com/Oath-560816623947688/?fref=ts

lördag 13 februari 2016

ChaosWolf - Templo de palabras muertas



This is probably one of the best releases coming out from
Caligo Arcanum Productions (and Symbol of Domination Prod.)
 and also one of the best black metal albums
in a long time coming out from the depths of Mexico!


Even as they claim in the booklet that "Chaoswolf is a psychic infection,
delusional, not another trendy BM band." there is no denying that
Chaoswolf also pays its tributes without hesitation from the cold Nordic
Scandinavian second wave outlet more then anything else but at the same
time they manages to wave its own dark and devilish patterns without worshipping
 to much... sure some Mexican roots is to be found here also naturally.

The best thing with the songs is that they build up with layers upon
layers of great (even though traditionally) compositions and never let a song
stamp on and on with out infectious injections of inspirational manifestations.

You can hear Early Burzum, Emperor, Tjuder and many more here and there much in the guitars
but also much so in the vocals but they dont stop with only raspy rooster howls but also
mix around with some clean agro styles to great effect.
Extra plus to the energetic drums on some of the first songs...sounds like there is some programmed drums on track 9 though.

Sharp grand evil vibes is flowing through out with some nice moody atmospheric keyboard
 interludes for good measure.Everything connects really nicely and dramatic.

The overall production is raw but not "rehearsal raw" and it has a nice
punch and volume to it. Just right balance for this album.

A very entertaining & engaging album in all the correct ways and even if i cant
any Spanish i dont feel left out in the cold (in the lyric department)as the artists
black fire reaches through from his end to mine with ease.




This is Chaoswolf second full album and the first full release i hear and it
certainly got me hungry for more.

Best songs is 2, 5, 10 but there are no filler at all here though.

A modern classic Mexican BM album.
Just get it!

Track list:

1.     La escisión de Ouróboros     02:59    
2.     Orgasmortem (o de la Libido Perpetua)     04:21    
3.     Irreverencia (o el evangelio negro de la VeraLux)06:10    
4.     Tanatema     04:06    
5.     La muerte de Calvarium Funestus 07:21    
6.     El retorno de lo reprimido     05:38    
7.     El discurrir de un cáncer del ser     05:38    
8.     Extraducción a lo inconsciente     02:48    
9.     Wings of Paradox (In the Cynic Valley)     05:54    
10.     The End of Black Metal Paradise     03:43    
                                                                Total time: 48:38    

Label link:
https://www.facebook.com/CaligoArcanum/?fref=ts
band link:
https://www.facebook.com/ChaoswolfSitioOficial/?fref=ts

lördag 6 februari 2016

Hekel Interview!


1.Hailz! 
Welcome back to RAW WAR!
 Last time we spoke it was under the Gestalt banner, how have the time been since then? 

- Greetings, Dagon speaking.
 Correct, with Gestalte it was some time ago now. Things had been a bit stormy on the personal side... but i am in more neutral waters now

2. Ok, first question is the usual one but i have to ask how you geared up in 1994 and how the road was for you towards getting the first demo "Doodskou" out in 1997(98?) through One Thousand Days in Sodom Productions? How was the end of the 90´s in Netherlands? 


- Yes, Those were very different times. 
Me and Mictian at that time had both other bands those days, also did other bands together too, back then.... I started to write material for Hekel around 93/94... 
than it came to a halt for a short period...
and later in 94 i asked Mictian to do drums for this when it was still a project, he Joined, and it became a band. The drummer and me had similar ideas on Mysticism and Occultism, from these spiritual ways and ideas Hekel was formed. we tried keeping it personal and anonymous for very personal spiritual reasons(that worked quite a wile, the secret identity etc...) but gone to hell eventually in the late 90's... too many people were talking, the coming of the internet with all its crap etc... we could not stop it... and the rumors became worse between 2000 and 2006, later after De Dodenvaart was unleashed through Total Holocaust Records we made clear it was Me and Mictian, and a some session members. 

When our first demo was released in the 90's : Doodskou'' it was no problem keeping it all a secret. 
Hekel is still Me and Mictian now, and forever be so. And its also no secret who the session members are, it changes sometimes, all good friends of us. One can find it easily on the Net.

the end of the 90's... yeah changed a lot, crappy internet etc.... the destruction of underground tape-trading and zine's, those were the better days. One thousand days in Sodom was Mictians label, we released much our stuff on his his label tus also Hekel.



 3.Then what happened with the band for it to stay silent until 2006?!

- yes, we had quite a silence after 2006.. it was ok for us.... people could not grasp us. we did a one private concert though in 2006, for a deceased comrade... together with our comrades of Funeral winds and Weltbrand.

 4.The first full album "De dodenvaart" (2006) is sure a creepy, dark and good album, how was the work behind it? And who the fuck is creeping on the cover? 


The Dodenvaart was a concept album, Me , Mictian, and one of our session members wrote it down.... it followed up the 'Doodskou' cassette, as a Occult dark journey of dark-Heathen/Luciferian paths of enlightenment... with Germanic-heathen-shamanistic elements, the Rune's, Choas gnosticism, and local elements and hauntings of the local areas were Hekel was born... The front cover/piture is our drummer Mictian, the picture in side on the booklet is Me.

5.Can you shed som light on the stories/lyrics to these two songs: De eeuwige jachtvelden & Sater's Wederkeer ? 

- De eeuwige jacht velden' (Fields of The Eternal hunt)... is a song about the past being very much alive, but only not for everybody to see or sence. Its also about the betrayal of the common human worthless sheep. Its also about dark personal episodes etc... 
But its also about longing for a certain darkness thats not easely to see or find anymore... to find it once agian- the journey requires to lower and to destroy the false human ego. its about a personal Dark-Heathen/Luciferian path. And 'Sater's Wederkeer' (The Sator's Return), is about the return of The dark forces of Nature. These are both old songs, were re-recorded for the Dodenvaart, though De eeuwige jachtvelden originally came from an older promo, not the 'Doodskou' cassette

6.Then in 2010 Heidens Hart Records released the Rehearsal 2005 tape, was this tape never proper released in 2005? I think i saw some about Reissue of the demo “Doodskou” on CD? 

- The 2010 tape through Heidens Hart, was originally an old promo indeed, with re-recordings for the later Dodenvaart full length. We thought also to release these promo versions, limited, Heidens Hart wanted to do this for us back then. And it is correct, there is a re-release of our original ''Doodskou' cassette from the 90's now on cd...
still available on Heidens Hart.

 

7.I saw you played some live rituals recently in Under the Black Sun Festival! Great band line-up i say! 
How was it to play there? Did you get to see some band yourselves? 

- Yes, UTBS was a nice experience for us, We wernt really Used to the intense summer heat in middle Germany. the heat really fucked me up. 
but we had a great time, sometimes a bit chaotic, we played for quite a good crowd of fanatics. And bands we saw, Korgonthurus from Finland, nice to see them there, we also played with them with Gestalte in Finland, we saw Craft, Impaled nazarene, etc and much more

 8.Any Hekel t-shirt in the works? 

- There are still some limited Logo/Flame shirts to get from Hekel, through our FB official, or through Heidens Hart

 
9.And the big question i guess is: when can one hope to hear new music from Hekel? 

- We are working on new Hekel episodes... it can take a wile, but there is more new Hekel to come

10. Thanks for your answers! 
Last word is yours.

Thanks! 
hails!