http://www.myspace.com/satanicholocausto

Resoaring from the Depths (referencing their latest release since 1997) is a short MCD - three tracks, never much over four minutes, and an intro.
Heavy melodic guitars range from black metal to recognisably mainstream death / gothic metal, aided by unimposing but no less unambitious keyboards.
From Depths have incorporated ’symphonic’, modern-gothic influences since their inception in 1991. The newest material strips away some of the more blatantly mainstream elements giving it a darker, Black Metal focused atmosphere.
The genre From Depths are recording is well established and predictable, as such if your interests reach that far you will find an enjoyable sound, well executed EP, and a band with a decent history to dig into.

Zlo, hailing from the same country, formed to play explicitly old school metal. For inspiration there could be no other choice.

Evangelium 666 is as perfect a tribute to Czech metal circa 1990 you could hope to find. It has all the trademarks but retains an individual approach. A carbon copy could never compare.
The songs are not as diverse or inspired instead Zlo’s approach is thickly produced thrashing guitars, keyboards that cast an ambient shadow and a masterful inclusion of timpani. The guitar work is not the twisted genius of the originators; though it bears a strong resemblance with some of the melodies and general atmosphere. Vocals are roared to great effect, occasionally dual layered. These are direct anthems, ready to explode on first listen.

There is a Maniac Butcher connection, which helps explain such an accomplished debut demo, with Blasphemer on drums and Nekro of the MB-affiliated Detonator666 on guitar. An album is being prepared for the end of 2008.

*No.

It’s difficult to write about Rust without mentioning their influences, and perhaps presenting them as unoriginal because they are so backwards.

String bending buzz saws, loud reverb vocals, and heavy hit drums just well-enough mic’ed. This is biker jacket and aviator metal. Sharp sounds and metal uh’s! Early Darkthrone with more Hellhammer retained.
Five solid tracks. Energy, attitude, pace and spirit is crystallized in “A Dream of Skulls” and the remaining tracks build on and feed off it.

The amount of new ‘retro’ bands grows every year. Tangorodrim is notable, and Rust stands out alongside them as a quality example. This release is all about presenting Rust the idea, future releases will hopefully expand on that.

The cellar door cracks open!

My breaking point came with La Figurine Plastique and much of the title-track. Polis Rouge (the track) isn’t entirely bad, but it wanders, looses its focus and at over 11 minutes is not as tight as the other songs. La Figurine Plastique is an entirely electro track and feels completely alien to this record.
Resigned to the fact that such an abstract record will eventually roam too far, it’s a minor problem because the remaining 32 minutes are fantastic.

Remmirath have only one other release, a demo from 2005. At the time they described it as a tribute to Nordic Black Metal. It was influenced by and to a degree emulated that style, but with a genuine appreciation and understanding. Even then it seemed like a band showing their appreciation as an outsider. Polis Rouge feels like Remmirath’s first personal release, the result of four Slovanian’s with a diverse love of music and real skill. With HV focusing his Nordic passion into Temnohor, the decision was clearly made for Remmirath to be their creative outlet.

Much will be made of the irregular instruments or effects, but at its core Polis Rouge is a killer guitar driven metal album. AS and HV with session members Peter and Tomas are all very competent players, handling traditionally Black Metal riffs and bluesy solos with equal skill.
Polis Rouge is marked by its diversity, from the obvious to subtle changes in tempo, playing styles, drum rhythms. As mentioned previously the members of Remmirath are all very competent and the production is a strong studio release.
This is not a Black Metal release, it retains many musical hallmarks but lyrically it can be classified alongside Amesoeurs - generally negative reflections on our modern culture.

On the strength of this album Remmirath deserve just as much attention as other experimentally-’black’ metal bands like Lifelover. They may not have the mystique but the quality of their material is certainly strong enough.

Polis Rouge is scheduled for release later this year on Ravenheart.

Guitars are fed through heavy distortion, there is very little that even approaches melody here. Vocals are raspy and reverberated. Overall the sound is harsh, metallic with the minimum amount of bass.

As an initial exposure to Belzebuth the self-titled demo presents a project that does not expand beyond the boundaries created by its contemporaries, but does hint at a good use of dark ambient, blending the overall chaotic production into a bleak atmosphere.

Pagan Land is first. Billed as an album but barely reaching MCD length, the material is good but by not making use of their strengths it falls short of excellent. Other Ukrainian bands like Kroda, Svarga and a glut of Russian bands have stepped in during the lifespan of Pagan Land and led the way, bringing traditional instruments into the core of songs.
Acoustic breaks and choral vocal sections are evocative and powerful. Unfortunately they are a contrast to the majority of the music which has a thin production. A drummer is used although it is hard to believe these are not programmed. Keyboards are used fairly heavily and in replacement of the real instruments. If this was purely a folk-metal recording that would be a problem, but they bring an ethereal quality like early Norktunal Mortum, aided by some expressive guitar solos.

A crossover with the aforementioned Kroda is cemented with Tini Zabutih Predkiv who share members with this band as well as Pagan Land, and provide the majority of content on this CD (the remaining nine tracks).
Where Pagan Land would be considered Black Metal + Pagan/Folk influence; TZP have a heavier, Death Metal influence. TZP’s overall sound is very close to Pagan Land. It again uses acoustic guitars and sung, choral vocals very well and brings these traditional sounds into the main metal-songs, to a degree.

This is one of the most unified split albums you can find. Bands share members and both recorded at the same studio. Both integrate folk, Pagan Land do it better.
Overall a good example of this style and highly unlikely you’ll only be listening to one side of the split!

The material presented in their promo is a fairly perfected blending of Doom, Death and Black Metal. Bands like (early) Shining are probable influences; Forevig Smarta uses a Mayhem riff extensively. The death-metal influence is minimal and really only apparent on “Tear my heart out”. Despite that title, this is not melancholic/emotional music; it is slow black metal with the dark oppressive atmosphere in-tact.

Life Illusion was formed to transfer some of Golgara’s personal writing to music. It could have resulted in a boring sound thrown together around the vocals. With Golgara arranging the music himself, of course it does not. The music was crafted during 2007 and recorded the same year. In February 2008 the remainder of the songs were completed.

The intention of Life Illusion is clearly to make a powerful, thick sound with up-front drums, a solid buzz of guitar - simple, often duel strike and sluggish - and bass. The production is not perfect and a little harsh at times, but overall a professional full sound.

A strong production, no drum machine and a tight execution highlight a band that will most likely be receiving increased interest after the release of their debut album, which is scheduled to be on Grotesque music this year.
The three tracks presented in the promo (I Mitt Morker, Tear my heart out, Forevig Smarta + instrumental) will all feature in their forthcoming album.

The one further previewed track, As Blackness fell over my eyes, from the album introduces more pace to the Life Illusion sound. Good to keep the album varied, but it does have a less distinct sound to the crawling I Mitt Morker.

Into The Darkness of My Soul is set for release in 2008.

http://www.myspace.com/lifeillusionsweden

A second Hammemit album is also 50% complete and may see a 2008 release.

You can view personal updates from U.I. here, also note the link to anXpm where you can sample a couple of tracks from the forthcoming EP which we have previewed.

The band’s lineup has shifted considerably over its relatively short existence:
“The Gaunt Hill” demo, 1998
“Malicious” demo/rehearsal 2005
Originally a project of Hygegeomor and Wyrm, the second recording “Malicious” saw Unknown Ikon of EMIT join as guitarist. The lineup for this new EP is without Hygegeomor and Wyrm. U.I. is joined by Adiatrikon (drums) and Old Koth (session bass). Adiatrikon is a member of a revitalised EMIT but also of the devout REVERORUM IB MALACHT.

During the recording of this EP in Sweden, U.I. caught an illness at Uppsala and the resulting vocal performance is understandably, naturally and painfully Sick! (The same vocal infection can be heard in Adiatrikon on a future Reverorum ib Malacht album, “Urkaos”.) They are strained, only just managing to vomit each line and in the final song as if recited under hysteria. Ranging from animalistic growls to the wails of a sanitarium patient with as much variation on the delivery, you really get the impression this was an almost unbearable strain.

It was recorded at Reverorum ib Malacht’s studio (Urkaos 1350), if you’ve heard their material you already know the bizarre, melting atmospheres they are able to create.

In order to gain some inspiration for the recording the members visited Falu Koppar Gruva, an old copper mill in Falun. Deep and extensive, sounds riding and crashing around like violent waves. Ante Cryst is not reproducing the ‘RiM sound’, but the impact of both members and equipment from RiM is strong. That is not a bad quality, RiM can be utterly mesmerizing.
The old Ante Cryst is not lost among the shifting lineup and altered recording process. It opens with “Where Corpses Hang” from “Malicious” and the ‘FULLMOON-guitars’ are still as strong. Losing most of the raw harshness of that tape but replacing it with a thicker, more expansive atmosphere. Guitars are a glowing furnace of aggressive chords; warm grinding reverberating for a thousand miles, drums well played and varied with the production softening/humbling them to stay almost in tone with the guitars.
Everything combines into a solid, perfectly balanced total with tidal movements existing and destroying within.

Look for this in 2007 on the French label Niessedrion. Emit maniacs will already know Niessedrion for the great DLP release of “A Sword…”, also look for the vinyl version of the Emit / Vrolok split from him at some point in the future.