full zine - Infernal Masquerade

Editorial:
This month’s issue was done under some time pressure, but here is the zine. I am now living in
Mexico again, and its fuckking great!, Im drinking almost every day (a future alcoholic talking!), and the
scene here is great and it needs a lot of support, and you will hear me mention some bands in the future.
Please note that there are some articles in this issue, that concern Satyr of Satyricon, so please read them,
you will find them interesting!. In other things I will have more contributors and more reviews and stuff for
next issue, as well as some improvements in the layout, so wait for the next issue!. This is all for the
editorial, so enjoy the zine.
Dark Emperor.
Index:
1.- Editorial ......................................... 1
2.- Index ............................................... 1
3.- Playlist ............................................ 1
4.- Articles ........................................... 2
5.- Interviews:
Himinbjorg ............................... 3 and 4
Disgorge ................................... 4 and 5
6.- Album Reviews .............................. 5 - 9
7.- Demo Reviews ............................... 9 and 10
8.- Contributors .................................... 10
9.- Thanks ............................................ 10
10.- Next Issue ..................................... 10
Playlist of Dark Emperor:
1.- Maudlin and the well “ My Fruit PsychoBells ...... a seed combustible.
2.- Tristania “Beyond the veil”
3.- Somnus “Awakening the crown”
4.- The sins of thy beloved “Lake of sorrow”
5.- Borknagar “Borknagar”
6.- Therion “Theli”
7.- Presumed Guilty (compilation).
8.- Ancient “The halls of eternity”
9.- Judas Iscariot “Heaven in Flames”
10.- Elbereth “... and other reasons”
1
Articles:
“Black metal and Commercialism”
Black metal is a movement that since its beginnings has reflected everything that is dark and evil, the
spiritual. Black metal has been appreciated in its biggest exposure, its extreme, it goes beyond the
material and bane things. That it has been since its beginnings, exclusive and to be listened only by a few
and not for all. I am very proud of this, and to know that out there, there are people who belong to the
right path, to the left hand. This is something that makes us see beyond the earthly things, to listen and
hear at the same time. I appreciate and feel lucky to know of the black art of music, I know that everyone
else also feels this way. Then .. why should I want to change all of it, for something very insignificant, to
go for a despicable humanism, repressed, christian and very materialistic?, this is something stupid and I
would be hypocritical to have it ALL and change it for NOTHING.
Imagine all the fans of coal chamber, limp biscuit, Korn and all that shit that belongs to 15 year old
people, and to try and make them see the “Magic of the dark music”, this would be like trying to put
together all the crowd, all the followers, with somebody as secure, as spiritual, like us!.
This souldnt happened under any circumstance or excuse, and not even with economic and materialistic
ends.
I dedicate this article to: Satyricon, and to their tour with: Pantera and Poweman5000
LUZATAN.
“Black Metal and the Internet” (this article goes out to Satyr, specially).
Disclaimer: I (and Infernal Masquerade) don’t endorse the illegal download of MP3 or any other audio
files, this is the sole responsibility of the person that downloads them.
I have always thought of the wonder that the internet is., you can get almost anything you want. And for
us the people that like black, death, doom, or any other kind of extreme metal, it is a wonder, because
now we can know more about our favorite groups, and hear a lot of bands that otherwise we would have
never ever heard about!. So the other day I stumble on an article that Satyr wrote about the people that
use Napster, and I was pissed as hell about it!, I mean he has to have shit for brains to say what he said
there!. I mean all the people that use Napster aren’t nerds!, If we all where how the Fuck do you think all
the metal MP3’s got there?????. I think that the MP3 format in general helps a lot of bands in general, of
course there are some exceptions. But by downloading music from a band on the internet it has made me
buy a lot of CD’s from bands that I wouldn’t have bought just by seeing the cover of the album, or by
hearing about them. So I think that a lot of people actually buy the CD’s even though they get them from
the internet!, and especially in this kinds of music!, so please Fuck off!, a lot many people have become
fans of Satyricon or other bands that they have downloaded from the internet, because otherwise they
wouldn’t have heard of them!. And this people buy their CD’s or TS and go to their concerts!. So please
don’t say that shit!, and Fuck off!, I mean, Satyr, you are making your money out of the music you
supposedly say that you make for your self!, and don’t get me started in all the contradictions you have
fallen on!.
Dark Emperor.
2
Interview with:
This interview was conducted via e-mail with Nihasam of Himinbjorg, by Dark Emperor.
Dark Emperor: On what do you base your lyrics, and who writes them?
Nihasam: Our lyrics and musics are essentially coomposed by Elvan and Zahaah. Elvan, with his Swedich
origins, is passionately fond of Viking's culture, and he likes so to use this concept in his songs and lyrics.
Zahaah is only relating the things he lived, some inner feelings he needed to express : his songs are some
accounts of existences and experiences.
D.E.: Which bands influenced you?
N: I think a lot of bands influenced us, and are still influencing us : some bands like Enslaved, Bathory,
Emperor or Tiamat are good exemple…As far as he is concerned, Mathrien D. is influenced alot by the
famous French band Loudblast but also Iron Maiden.
D.E.: What does Himinbjorg means?
N: Located on Bifrost, Himinbjorg is one of the celestial residence of Heimdall, a german god in the
scandinavian mythology.
D.E: What can we expect of your next release?
N: You will feel more maturity in the songs, but I'm sorry I can't tell you more at the present time…but I
think you won't be disappointed.
D.E: What do you think about american black metal bands?
N: I don't know much about the american black metal bands.
D.E: What do you think of the so called “trendy” or “True” black metal bands?
N: I don't like the way to qualify the bands of "trendy" or "pure". I think there is "Black Metal" and
something else which is not Black Metal… that's all ! I like the first albums of COF and Dimmu Borgir,
but I do not consider their music as Black Metal. Black Metal is the expression of something you have in
your body, very dark and unhealthy. It's strange how the chat's subjects can be the same all over the world.
D.E: Why do you play this kind of music?
N: We play this music because we take pleasure to do this. Our music is the story of what we lived, and
also a flashback to our roots. We express all kind of feelings, from meditative phases to absolute fury's
ones… actually real life. If we wanted to become famous, we would rather play dance music !
D.E: Are you involed in any other projects?
Zahaah is involved in a solo project, called Koan. Elvan plays also in Nehemah. Mathrien D. and I didn't
play anymore in some other bands.
3
Interview with Himinbjorg (cont.)
D.E: What do you think Metal has waiting for it in the future?
N: I think metal will perdure and evolve… You got more kinds of metal you ever had ! I mean you have
for instance the traditionnal way with cult bands like Iron Maiden, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and so
on… you have also the extreme trend, with black metal… you have likewise a lot more kinds, some
trendies and some not. I'm not uneasy with the future of metal.
D.E: Any tours or gigs in the US or Mexico?
N: Nothing is planned at the present time, but I would personnaly like to play in the "New World" (!),
where I'have never been.
You could also find the review of their album “Where the ravens fly” in the album reviews section, and
also you can read their bio on the website of the zine.
Interview with: Disgorge
This inteview was conducted by Luzatan with Antimo from Disgorge, during a bus ride from Juarez to
Chihuahua.
Luzatan: First of all, thanks for the interview. In your first album "CRONIC CORPORAL INFEST"
you use the Brutal/Grind style in a grotesque manner, and at the same time, the pathological lyrics
harmonize as a whole. What is it that you want to reflect with this kind of lyrics?.
ANTIMO: The intention of them is to show the most repulsive things in men. Everything related to Gore :
Cannibalism , pedophile, zoophile, etc. ... all the atrocities combined with our way of feeling things in life.
L: Do you practice cannibalism in any way, in your real life, or its just something related to the
Brutal/Grind Style?, Would you like to try it?
A: (sighs) Practicing it would be fucking hard, we worship and feel everything that is related to
cannibalism.
L: In your CD I hear a distant guttural voice, are this studio FX or are they natural?
A: The idea was that that voice would me more perceived, it is classical for Grind, but it was very
exaggerated in the studio. In the new album it appears as the way it should be!.
L: Is the new album selling o.k?
A:Great!. Until now we have sold like 5,000 copies. We hoped that they continue to issue more copies of it,
"American Line" is the label that has been supporting us.
L: Have you had any offers to make another tour, or is there another company that wants to sign you?
A:Repulse records has signed us to a 3 CD contract, they also have offered us to make a tour in Europe.
There is also another company from Checoslovaquia, that wants us, to tour there also, its called "Obscene
Productions", for now we just finished the devastation tour, and we are going to rest for 2 or 3 months, and
then we will tour again.
4
Interview with: Disgorge (cont:)
L: What's your opinion about black metal?
A: We like a lot of black metal bands like: Immortal, Marduk, Emperor, etc. But I should say that there are
some black metal bands, that suck like: Burzum.
L: In this times, there are some projects that the underground leaders have that follow an
Industrial/techno/futuristic line. What do you think about them?, what can we expect from disgorge?
A: For example, the split CD, "Thorns Vs. Emperor", its something dark, it sounds sick and crazy, but we
are not into that. There are some guys that are gay, those I don't like!, like Kovenant, Nagash looks like
Marilyn Manson (laughs).
L: What can we expect from your new album: "Forensick"?
A: It's more offensive, it has more work, more sound quality, and the cover is sicker!, so in a few words: it
has more of everything.
Wait for next month’s issue that will include Disgorge’s “Forensick” review.
Album Reviews:
(Note: This month’s album reviews are not in alphabetical order, because I havent seen a zine that
puts them in total chaos, so I’m trying diferent stuff!. – Dark Emperor).
Ulver “Klvedssanger”
The second album from this Nordic gods, and let me tell you, it is different from what you expect (a black
metal album). This album is very short in duration (35 min), and it doesn’t have nothing like black metal, it is
only acoustic guitars, some cello and clean vocals, but no screams. If you like folk music, you’ll love this
one. Of course the guitars are played excellently with great skills, and the vocals and choirs give a great
feeling to this album, because they sound like the slower parts of “Bergtatt”. In conclusion, if you wanted the
black metal Ulver, don’t go near this album, but if you liked the folk parts of “Bergtatt”, then you’ll love this
one.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10. – Dark Emperor.
Dimmu Borgir “Godless Savage Garden”
After being blown away by “Enthroned Darkness Triumphant” this was like a taste before “Spiritual Black
Dimensions”. And its not bad, but it lets me down, the new and redone tracks are o.k., but they where lacking
of something innovative that lifted their music a bit more. The live tracks are good, but they have some minor
changes on the riffs that where noticeable and to me, this was a turn off. The best track is the cover of Accept’s
“Metal Heart”, which is played almost to perfection, and with the addition of Shagrath’s vocals, the track is
more brutal than ever!.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10. – Dark Emperor.
raison d'être “Within the Depths of Silence and Phormations“ 1995 Cold Meat Industry
Fading in very slowly, Within the Depths... starts out with a gregorian chant on top of a slow, simple beat. This song ("Sephiroth") and the one
after it ("Ascent of the Blessed") are relaxingly minimalistic and prepare your mood for what's to come. The third song "In Abscence of
Subsequent Ambivalence" sounds quite strange at first, but once the slow and extremely sad strings come in it starts to make much more sense.
Voice samples of a woman who's been through something very sad are heard in a few places. A highlight on this release is "Inner Depths of
Sadness" (6th song), in which more saddening vocal samples are used, mostly from real newscasts about murders. They are not there to scare
you, but to dig deep into your mind by way of sadness. Not disturbing, not for everyone, and not bad at all. Actually great, if you ask me. If
you like any other raison d'etre material, then I suggest you get one. Rating: 8.5 out of 10. – Shane.
5
Mayhem “Grand declaration of War”
I have listened all kinds of comments about this album, and believe me that 60% of them are negative
critics. In my opinion, this album is the best in terms of production quality, and I have to confess that I
really liked it. One of the most suprising things is the way that Hellhammer changes rhythms, from a
killer “Speed” to a “a tempo”, I could say that he is a machine, all most inhuman. Maniac vocals
appears with some clean vocals, simple, but Dark. Also you could hear some FX on the vocals, a thing
that gives them a futuristic touch. On the other hand, the lyrics have a harsh reality about the filthy
Christianity. This is the follow up of “Wolf’s Lair abyss”. With out doubt there will be a lot of fans
that will not accept this album, and they will prefer to block themselves and not evolve. This is a very
mysterious album, weird, but if you like to hear what everybody doesn’t, you’ll love it, and I really
liked it!. Rating : 9.5 out of 10. – Luzatan.
Abyssos “Fhinsthanian Nightbreed”
This is an excellent Swedish group of black metal, submerged in vampirism, in a style that the call “Witching Metal”, their first album in 1997
was “together We Summon the Dark”. In a first look the seem like a pretentious band when you look at the booklet, but when you hear them
more this changes, nec miror et gaudeo!. Fhinsthanian Nightbreed its their second album, and it has 9 tracks, their music is fast and full of
power. They make an excellent mix of Black Metal and classic metal. Abyssos has also female vocals (Sedusa), and keyboards, the female
vocals are minimally used, and the keyboards really become something essential of the sound, because they are good. The screams are
excellently combined with the clean vocals when this ones are used. You could find a lot of similarities with Dimmu Borgir’s “Enthroned
Darkness Triumphant”, but with a more metalish style. The evolution of the album is great, the only bad thing is that you have a hard time
recognizing some songs, but when you think that all is chaos and speed, they have some great piano intro’s like in “Worthless soul for sale”
and “Wherever the witches might fly”, a song that surely will become a classical one. There is some other orchestral part in the album, that
really tires me, because the synth can be greatly played, but it will never compare to the excellence of a symphony, but the try is good. The last
track “Firebreathing Whore” is also great and so is this album.
Rating: 9.3 out of 10. – Micer Baeliel
Dissection “Storm of the light’s bane”
This is a killer album, excellently played. They have a very unique style that makes them excel from
most black metal bands. They don’t depend much on the keyboards like many bands do, their guitar work
is what gives them their brilliant sound. The vocals are great, because they fit the music perfectly, and
they sound very powerful. Too bad I only have them on tape, because if I had the CD I would praise
them more. So in case you didn’t got the review, this album is one of the best.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10. – Dark Emperor.
Robert Rich “A Troubled Resting Place” 1996 Hearts of Space/Fathom
"A Troubled Resting Place" is a sort of compilation of compilation tracks that Robert Rich wrote, all the while planning to make an album out
of the songs. This disc starts out with a very strange wind instrument sounding pretty chaotic and unsettling, which throws you off for what
you're really going to hear for the remainder of the album. It reminds me of something I heard from Lustmord's "Paradise Lost" a while back.
Anyway, after that first bit of strangeness, things get a little more "Robert-Rich-ish" with percussive sounds and varied drones, mainly a windlike sound that drifts throughout the track. But overall, the piece is darker and less melodic/ethnic than most newer Rich material. I have yet to
hear the Trances/Drones era-stuff, so maybe this is closer to that side of Rich's creativity.
According to the booklet: "Sound sources include synths and samplers, steel guitar, bamboo flutes, di-tzu, sorna, gongs, bells, shakers, flower
pot, udu drum, sheet metal, waterphone, feedback systems, voice."
Track 2 brings me back to the beautiful soundscapes that I look forward to from Robert Rich. It's an extremely atmospheric track which
focuses mainly on what sounds like a flute, with synths and slightly-rhythmic drums backing it up. Track 3 keeps this up with very melodic
drifts of synth sounds and who knows what else. Track 4 gets a little darker and more abstract with much less going on than the previous two
tracks (at first); just tiny clanking atmospheric noises, more great drones, and various bell sounds. This 'song' has so much unidentifiable
experimentation in it that I'm lost for words. Umm... The same goes for track 5 & 6 (six being my favorite here, it's an epic dark ambient track
if there ever was one). I'm about to give up. I just know I like this stuff, and if you have a liking for any other Rich material, then I seriously
doubt you could go wrong here. This is original and varied dark ambient of high quality. For those of you who have no Rich albums, I
recommend "Stalker" before this one, but I can see this one being a common spin in the ol' CD player for me.
Rating: 8 out of 10. – Shane.
Dont forget to visit our website at:
http://infmasq.cjb.net
6
Pandemia “Spreading the Message”
This is a Brutal Death Metal band from the Czech Rep., and they play an old style death metal, that has
nothing too remarkable or out of the ordinary. The vocals are a mixture of some death metal growls with
some screams that add power to the music. This style as I have previously mentioned is old, but it can still
be effective if you hear it from a band that executes it very well. The do have years of experience so that’s
why they are good at their style. The drumming is fast, and the riffs also, and they go perfectly with the
vocals. So if you lived the years of death metal, and want to hear a band that makes you live them again,
hear Pandemia on lost disciple records, and you wont be disappointed.
Rating: 8 out of 10. – Dark Emperor.
Diabolos Rising “Industrial Vampiric Art”
This is a weird band that plays something like industrial black metal. The vocals are in parts black metalish, but the industrial touches are given
by the crushing guitar riffs and the super fast drumming, which by the way is a drum machine. Since their first release I was impressed by the
cross over they made with Industrial and black metal, and they totally kick ass. Some songs are just noises and stuff like that giving more
variety to the album making it easy to listen to. So if you are looking for a band like Mysticum or you haven’t heard anyone of them, get
Diabolos Rising and you’ll be on a good start.
Rating: 8 out of 10. – Dark Emperor.
Darkthrone “Transilvanian hunger”
This release from this legendary band has a funny fact, the killer of the so called father of Nordic black
metal wrote half the lyrics of the songs here!. This doesn’t mean that they are bad or that they souldnt be
listened to. Darkthrone has been one of my standards in comparing so called “True” black metal releases,
mainly because their albums really reflect the meaning of Nordic black metal and because their albums
also kick ass. This release is great, the drums, the guitars and the vocals are excellent, because what else
do you expect of Darkthrone.
Rating:8 out of 10. – Dark Emperor.
Thomas Köner “Kaamos” 1998 Mille Plateaux
I just found out that "Kaamos" is a Finnish word that means "period of darkness." Appropriate. This particular type of dark ambience
(isolationist) might possibly bore the hell out of your average Joe. I know most of my friends don't understand it one bit. Oh well. On this disc
you will find plenty of ultra-minimalistic songs (my understanding is that the sound source used is mainly gongs... coulda fooled me). Köner is
often referred to as the "master of glacial ambience" and I see why. Heavily edited and manipulated sounds fade in and out, unrecognizable,
often giving the chilly atmosphere of a desolate and frozen landscape. This is one of my favorite discs for sleeping background music. The
repetitive, minimal nature of the songs will either put you right to bed or send your mind off into a meditational state. After several listens I can
say that I think Köner knows what he's doing, and other people just have no idea how to appreciate it.
What you'll hear primarily on the songs here are: a washy or staticy background drone, extremely low frequency booms, and soft drifts of
droning notes. All the sounds you hear on this disc lack any resemblance to typical instruments. I hope that doesn't sound too uninteresting,
because this is actually quite likeable, if you like your ambient to be dark and emotional. The songs aren't very melodic, but there is a presence
of deep feelings. That is a hard thing to do. So, as most people pass this disc off as "a bunch of ocean sounds and shit," I'm sitting here reaching
a higher state of mind; seeing mental images of snowdrifts scattering across a barren arctic area, with the clouds covering and uncovering a sun
which will never melt anything here. What can you do.
Rating: 8 out of 10. – Shane.
Sephiroth “Cathedron” 1999 Cold Meat Industry
Holy hell, the artwork in the inlay of this disc is amazing. The music is very impressive as well. This is another one of those great Cold Meat
solo projects (this one consists of Ulf Söderberg) that strives to bring back images of ancient cities and dark times (see also: raison d'être and
Desiderii Marginis). At first listen, I didn't find the album to have much variation or interesting parts, but now that I've given it a few more
spins, I'm noticing the careful structuring and true beauty of the music here. There are some references to old raison d'être, and Mourthound, of
course, because this is a similar style of ambient industrial.
Track 1 is less complex than the rest, but it does have the "basic" Sephiroth elements-- samples, keyboards, and tribal rhythms. My favorite
track is probably "Abyssanctum" which starts out very calm and scares the shit out of you with one of those rhythms. The tribal beats are what
set this project apart from the rest, and the fact that they are very energetic in the midst of relaxing atmospheric passages sets Sephiroth apart
from the others. I'm glad Ulf Söderberg had the balls to experiment like that because it ended up sounding really good.
The rest of the tracks contain many sounds that are very hard to explain. Most of the tracks are introduced with a low drone, and then
percussive elements, chants, and slow keyboards find their way into the soundscape. Each song has its own unique characteristics which may
be hard to separate early on.
I recommend this to any fans of raison d'être, In Slaughter Natives, and the rest of the mighty Cold Meat roster... You won't be sorry if you buy
this one.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10.
7
Perkele “Erotic Circus”
This is a gothic band, that is formed by only 2 members and the music is very primitive, mainly because its an old release!. This album has a
few high point, maybe some keyboard parts can be the best thing they have. The music is slow and it can put you to sleep!, because it has
only clean vocals, they are not bad, but they can really get to annoy you!. This album is clearly on its Gothic style, and the music doesn’t
have much elaboration, and all the songs sound like they are on the same beat, because the drumming sound very monotonous, and
repetitive. So only get this album if you are a Goth, and you feel very depressed (like always!). Maybe the best thing is that the CD comes in
a Digi-pack!.
Rating: 6 out of 10. – Dark Emperor.
Even Song “Path of the Angels”
After being disappointed by Theatre of Tragedy’s “Aegis”, I was looking for another band with a similar
sound to theirs, and I found Even Song. Their sound is more diverse than ToT’s because it has different
elements that makes them original, such as the use of clean vocals along with growls and the female
vocals, but in this release the clean vocals don’t suck!, they just complement the growls and gives them a
gothic touch to the music. The keyboards aren’t abused, and because of this their sound is different using
some great riff’s. The female vocals are very good also, because they aren’t too soft, and they don’t take
away the atmosphere of the music. If you liked Theatre Of Tragedy, you’ll completely like this
Hungarian band, which came out with this excellent release.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10. – Dark Emperor
raison d'être “Collective Archives” 1999 Cold Meat Industry
"Collective Archives" is a double CD of raison d'etre tracks that are on compilations, rare, remixed, and unreleased. Ranging from the very
first rd'e material (the old Aprés nous le Déluge tracks) to the amazing newer stuff (like "In Emptiness" and "Through an Arcane Passage"),
this documents the life of this project quite well. This also shows how very experimental Andersson could and can be, while still sounding
good. I'm glad this album was put together, it saved me from having to buy tons of compilations and old tapes to hear most of the songs. My
favorite track on here has to be the one from the Palace of Worms compilation, called "In Emptiness." Like all of the newer material I've
heard (like "The Verge of Somnolence" from The Absolute Supper and some interludes that used to be on the official website), it's extremely
sad and beautiful, with gregorian chants, slow & melodic strings, and atmospheric sounds. If you're interested in hearing how this project
sounded in its beginnings and also want those hard-to-find comp tracks, get this one. And don't forget about "Reflections From the Time of
Opening" on the label Bloodless Creations, which has most of the old tape material which wasn't featured on Collective Archives.
Rating: 8 out of 10. – Shane.
Himinbjorg “Where Ravens Fly”
First of all, they are a French band, even though their logo and layout looks Nordic, from which the runic writing stand
out. The music of this album has a lot of Nordic influence, it is solidly executed, even though it sounds repetitive in
some parts. The add to this work, some elements of medieval folk, paganism and some epic touches. The use of acoustic
elements and pre-recorded sounds give the music great ambientation, as the keyboards do, but they are used as a mere
complement and they never acquire a principal role. Beginning the album with “Lightning of blood”, the power and
violence that they mark the music with, makes you jump out of your hole, get your sword and start fighting enemies, to
defeat them. Unfortunately, it doesn’t last long, because you return to the dream world, with a question in mind. You
couldn’t understand why they used the clean vocals you have just heard. You doubt it for an instant, but then you
confirm it. The surely try to give some medieval aspect to the concept, but they only manage to depress you, or make
you laugh. It’s a weird feeling, but after a while you get used to it, because they use it on the whole album. So when the
album ends with “Where the ravens fly” you have to play the album again, and to enjoy it, once you have assimilated the
clean vocals. In general, this French band is good, and this album is excellent as a whole.
Rating: 8 out of 10. – Micer Baeliel
Caul “The Sound of Faith” 1996 Katyn Records
I bought this because I read it was similar to my personal favorite project, raison d'etre. Well, I wouldn't say it's an exact match but I guess
they'd go in the same very-specific category if it came down to it. The disc starts out with the very droney "Kyrie". Quite enjoyable if you
have the attention span for this kind of thing. "Somnia A Deo Missa" and "Nature and Grace" both use acoustic guitar (a surprise for this
genre) mixed with some synths and atmospheric noises. All the tracks are very original, but it seems originality scares people nowadays...
Different is often good if you give new shit a try. The human brain obviously doesn't have the mental connections made when it's confronted
with something new, so there's no chance of enjoyment if you don't know what the hell's going on. Don't forget that. Where was I? Anyway,
this album impressed me enough to make me want more Caul. After the two acoustic guitar-filled tracks, we get back to the soft, dark
droning on songs 4 and 5. Track 6 features a more "regular music" type approach of synth strings for two minutes. The rest of the album
features similar musical shenanagans. The bottom line is, if you like raison d'etre's style then I think you'll like Caul's, too. You'll probably
also like Desiderii Marginis and Sephiroth also... . Rating: 7.5 out of 10. – Shane.
Cradle Of Filth “Dusk and her embrace”
This is my favorite album from CoF, putting aside all the shit that is said about them, they are good
musicians and this album is a proof o that. Thy used a lot more keyboards in this album than in the
previous 2 albums of them, this gave them a more gothic sound that goes together with their concept. The
vocals are great because Dani with his inhuman shrieks elevates the music to another level. The guitar is a
little bit drowned by the keyboards, but its there, and the riffs sound great. In a whole, this album is greatly
done, and if you like CoF, its a must have for you, and if you don’t like them because they are trendy or
that shit, give them a chance, you’ll like their music. Rating: 9 out of 10. – Dark Emperor.
8
Judas Iscariot “Heaven in Flames” – Red Stream.
I supposed that they(I mean “him”) played black metal, but when I received their CD I was blown
away. If you are looking for a unholy black metal band, from US, look no more. This release can be
equal or superior to many Nordic black metal releases. The music is Dark and violent, this gives you a
feeling of destruction, a long with some excellent vocals that sound straight from Hell, this release is
everything a black metal fan could hope so. The drumming is great, and so are the minor synth touches
that create the cold atmosphere that surrounds this music. So look no more for Nordic metal, with
Judas Iscariot and some other american bands, you’ll have your hands full
Rating: 9 out of 10. – Dark Emperor.
Demo Reviews:
Catholicon “Last Chronicles of the war in heaven”
This is an american band that according to them they play black metal. I don’t usually like to trash bands on their demos or
first releases, but this band in one work: “Sucks”. They have a very weird style, because they seem like they are confused, very
confused. The music doesn’t have much quality, and they just don’t know what to play. They have some keyboard interludes,
and this element also sucks, because they sound like a childish attempt to play a keyboard and they fail to achieve something
good. I wont tell you anymore, but be warned that this CD is no good. Another thing the cover is horrible!.
Rating: 3 out of 10. – Dark Emperor
Contact: www.geocities.com/sunsetstrip/Palms/2296/cath.htm or [email protected] .
Azazel “ 2 song promo”
This is a black metal band from the Florida, and they play a very brutal black metal. By saying that they play a very brutal
black metal I don’t mean that they are great, because they aren’t. They just yell at the microphone and they start to slam the
drums and the guitars, maybe its because this is an advanced version and they don’t have a good sound quality. The Mayhem
cover is well done. If you like your black metal with a lot of screams, then you’ll sure like this band.
Rating: 6 out of 10.
Contact: 801 NE 18th Ct. #104, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33305. Or [email protected] or [email protected] .
Disturbed “Sampler”
This demo is composed of 2 songs “Stupify” and “The game” which are repeated in both sides of the tape. Everyone that likes
Rage against the Machine and their similars, will love this demo. For my taste I could assimilate “Stupify”, because it has the
advantage of being an easy to remember song, but “The game” really exceeded my tolerance. This is another project that
surges in order to feed the people that are hungry for more Korn or R.A.M music. The distorted guitars, the bass, and some
electronic sounds, the vocals mixing reggae and rap, this all put together, makes them commercial and trendy. The lyrics only
talk about protest and margination.
Rating: 4 out of 10.- Micer Baeliel.
9
Shuvel “Sampler”
By only listening to them once, I had enough, but because its a very short demo, against my will I heard it a couple of times
while I was writing this review. I can really talk much about this guys because they play a music which is not one of my
favorites, and its out of style for this zine. I will only say that the demo has 2 tracks: “Hit list” and “SlackJaw Yokel”, and its
very short (6:43 min), and we could call this a Rap-Metal release. If you liked Disturbed, you’ll probably like this band more,
because they are on the same style, but it’s not for me!.
Rating: 3 out of 10.- Micer Baeliel
Contributors:
Dark Emperor ([email protected])
- Editor, Interviews, Album and Demo reviews, translations, web master and designer. (MEX)
Shane Cotee ([email protected])
- Album Reviews (???)
Micer Baeliel ([email protected])
- Album and Demo reviews (MEX)
Luzatan
- Album reviews, and Interviews. (MEX)
Rurik ([email protected])
- Album Reviews (E.U)
Thanks to: All the bands mentioned, to Red Stream, Dark Symphonies, Lost Disciple records and others. To Dont Panik.
Natalia, Josh, Mike, Jason, Angie, Azul, Chris and all the people that stand me!!!.
A big fuck off to: Satyr, and all the cheap ass people like him!. To Christine, and all the religions in the world.
Next Issue:
Interviews with: Long winters stare, and others.
Album reviews of: Haggard, Tristania, Opeth, Forest of Impaled, Notre Dame, and more.
Demo reviews of: Orcus, Dolmen, Evangelium, and others.
And maybe some more articles, and now with new writers and other contributors, so until then, stay
Dark!!!