Dayal Patterson je engleski novinar i osnivač odličnog labela Cult Never Dies putem kojeg izdaje knjige i radi distro muzike i majica. Ovaj fanzin je zapravo ono što piše u naslovu, preludij za njegovu trilogiju knjiga o black metalu. Fanzin je odlično napravljen, kao prava mala knjiga. Sadrži odlične interviewe s veličinama kao što su Mayhem, Beherit, Archgoat, Skitliv, Hades Almighty, Gorgoroth, Marduk, Impaled Nazarene, Sigh, Enthroned i Taake, dakle same legende i kulti bendovi. Posebno bih istakao odličan interview sa Frostom, legendarnim bubnjarem Satyricon i 1349. Tu je i meni jako zanimljiv scene report finske black metal scene. Lako se čita, interviewi nisu dosadni i relativno se brzo pročita pošto 64 stranica. Uz muzičke interviewe tu je i odličan artwork kao što se može već vidjeti na naslovnici zinea. Ovo je prava preporuka da se čita redoslijedom knjiga koje ćemo predstaviti u Kraykulli u bliskoj budućnosti. Ja sam svoj primjerak nabavio u knjižari Rockmark u Zagrebu, pa ako te zanima nabavi možda im je ostao koji primjerak.
Autumn is almost upon us, and what better way than to greet it with some quality black metal. USBM scene is great, brimming with superb bands and projects all around. Blackbraid is one of them being a one man entity and this is the third full length opus containing 10 songs one being Lord Belial cover. Blackbraid describes its music like Native American black metal and in fact it is a quality mixture of pagan and melodic black metal with blastbeats, but also slower atmospheric parts and epic melodies reminding of their Scandinavian counterparts. This opus kind of functions like one atmospheric instrumental, then one song and so on. Vocals are screaming black metal voice, but you can understand some of what is being sung so this is another plus. If you love your black metal aggressive, melodic and epic, melancholic at the same time, go listen to this one, you will not regret it. My personal favorites: And He Became The Burning Stars, The Dying Breath Of A Sacred Stag. Excellent record.
Solfatare are hailing from Belgium and this is their debut full length opus. This one contains six songs of mixture between black metal melody and at times melancholy with some death metal aggression with just hints of thrash metal here and there for good measure at least I heard it that way. Vocals are diverse, mostly more of death metal growling but also there are some clean vocals on this one and at times shouting. The songs are pretty long in duration but album doesn’t get boring for one second because there are diverse rhythm changes, atmospheric parts, back to aggressive blasting bombardment. Lyrics are in French if I am not mistaken, so I don’t understand what they are singing about but I let the music do the talking, My personal favorites on this record are: Des Monarques Anhedoniques, Sous des Cieux absents, also Du deuil affaire.
So, if you like your metal brutal, but at the same time blackened and harsh, this is the right one for you.
KRAYKULLA-WEBZINE 