Ferentes Tenebris breathe new life into dark sounds

Ferentes Tenebris have created a unusual mixture of cathartic female vocals on the one hand and rough and raw black metal elements with growling vocals on the other. 

The bandpicture is unusual like the music Ferentes Tenebris released.

Besides this contrast in vocal presentation it's also the melodies and performance of the other musicians that add something outstanding into the package that is the newest single called "Sirens of the deepest sorrow".  

It all starts openly with harmony in a opening section before the sky turns dark for the first time and heavier distortion and growling takes the stage. 

Shortly after this attack the female light returns but is once more pushed aside by the dark voices.

The instrumental section to follow set's up few dark notes in a midtempo pattern. Softer notes are to follow like in a jam session but shortly afterwards it becomes all harder once more. 

You can also listen to the single on Spotify.

I've been heavily surprised listening to this song. I would have expected it to be one of the many Black Metal releases out there but this is not what can be heard everywhere. The production has also been chosen cleverly and clearly so it adds it's share to make "Sirens of the deepest sorrow" stand out.

Let's see how the story of the band moves on. Follow them on social media sites such as Facebook or Instagram so you won't miss a thing.

Single Review: Fullmåne - Started A War (Black Punk, 2022)

The London based band talks about being an outsider and going down a destructive path chasing an ever more distant dream. I think in today's context many people can relate to the lyrics of this track.

Fullmåne released a brand new single today.

As for the music this particular track is a hardly ever heard combination of Black Metal elements with strong splitters of Punk inside. The vocals dominate to the front of the sound giving it a pure underground charme. "Started A War" takes no prisoners but goes down a straight route without being too brutal, so happily it's not a one sided Black Metal attack.

This goes even more for the guitars and the spacy keyboards which are held in the background and give the feeling of being recorded a very basic way that has not been altered at any way. The good old four track tape recorder comes to my mind. I think lot's of bands that start out in the garage know how this feels. The voice reminds me of Blackie Lawless on the very first W.A.S.P. records from back in the 1980s.

Finally make sure to listen for yourselves on Spotify and please share it on your playlists.

You can also follow Fullmåne on Facebook and Instagram. Two more singles and a album are said to be in the working stages.

The Nightstalker - a mysterious project living in books, movie and music

In these times we're living in we need something that takes us away from the everyday troubles. You know like using the spare time before going to bed. Some time to come down.

The cover for the movie already gives a little glimpse that something strange is about to knock on our door.

But what can be seen and heard that's not so well known already but could be worth it? Something new and exciting. I like mysterious stories and this particular one got me in quickly. It's taken of the story description for the movie "The Nightstalker Case: Found Footage".

All begins with the discovery of the corpse of a young man in the city of Natural City. Sergeant Patrick Matennen arrives first at the scene of the crime. He picks up a camera near the body. He decides to watch everything that the camera has recorded in order to understand what happened. 

Michel Garsou buys an action-camera and is witnessing a strange murder. The latter contacts one of his friends who has been investigating for some time the mysterious appearance of a nocturnal protector in their hometown. They will exploit all possible tracks to find information. 

From there,events follow each other quickly. Michel finds himself in spite   
of himself dragged into this dangerous investigation. 

I like that The Nightstalker project is something like a a story that lives in many ways  through music, a movie and books (in french language).

The music side stems of two projects - Sercati and The Nightstalker. Both are held in a rougher style combining rough dark metal but with lot's of atmospheric elements in it. The songs include spoken passages and strong sung parts. It's
not of the usual kind but makes it overall more attractive. It feels more like a narrative that are transported through heavy sounds based on riffs and sounds but with slower rhythm.

I picked this one track to give you a overview on the mood of the music.

You can download the movie called "The Nightstalker Case: Found Footage" and also buy books in french language that spin the story further.

Keep a eye on the Facebook page so you won't miss out how the story evolves further both musically and storywise. Or check the Sercati homepage for detailed information and links to purchase the music.

Lets speak with...Haiduk (Black Metal, 2019)

How far can one man alone come when he put's all of his passion into music? Haiduk crafts a special form of Black Metal. His songs are short but always feature some melody with it that can be remembered once heard. It leaves something on your mind but listen for yourselves.


Heavy Metal Underdogs had the honour to speak to Haiduk about the beginnings, inspiration for his special way of crafting music and how people react to his music at liveshows.

Heavy Metal Underdogs: What does the name "Haiduk" stand for?
Haiduk: Haiduk is the death metal solo project. The name is based on ‘hajduk’ - a warrior from the forests of Europe.

Can you remember the time you started the project Haiduk? What happened in those days?
In the early 2000’s I wrote a lot of material but then abandoned it. The songs sat dormant for years until I finally revisited and recorded them in 2009. That became the demo ‘Plagueswept’.

I would say that one of the marks that sets Haiduk sound apart from similar music are the little melodies you can find in each track. Are those coming to your mind in special situations or do they find you while working on the material?
It all comes from playing and coming up with riffs and combinations.

The cover of Haiduk's latest album "Exomancer"

 
So far you've put out 3 releases. Would you say that there are connections between those records? Having checked out them on Bandcamp I somehow felt like they could be related to each other.All albums are based on black magic and fantasy set in the realm ‘Callost’ which I’ve been developing. Every release delves into some aspect of that world.

The lyrics are held very short. Do you feel that short messages get more attention than longer one's?The vocals are there to reinforce the theme, not to grab attention. My focus is on the music. Music is more powerful than words.

Do you have plans to play live shows with the new album "Exomancer" ?
There have been shows for 'Exomancer' and there will probably be more.

A shot of Haiduk at one of his live performances.

Would you say that people react different at your liveshows compared to other bands of the dark genre?
Yes, I’ve seen a lot of strange reactions, but always a lot of support.

How important are CDs these days in your eyes? Do you think people prefer to pick music the digital way?
Physical format is best because it lets you add more to the album; extra texts, artwork, maps, stories, etc., and push the album concept further.

Can you give us please a little insight into the creation process of new songs?
I usually pick a key and tempo and start writing riffs in that style. The best riffs are arranged so the song builds momentum and atmosphere. When things align, the song takes a life of its own.

Have you built alliances to be able to write and release music or how do you go along?
Haiduk is a lone wolf. I work with no one.


Keep in touch with Haiduk through these links:
www.haiduk.ca

www.facebook.com/haidukmetal

www.youtube.com/haidukplague

CD Review: Dö - Tuho (Dark Stoner Doom Metal/2016)

This album has a calming and positive effect on me. It helps you to distress from things and besides that comes with much variations in the songs.

Introduction

Dö is a dark stoner doom trio from Helsinki, Finland. The origins of the band go all the way back to 2007, but the current style has been developed only for a few years. The men behind the wall of sound are Deaf Hank (Bass & Vox), Big Dog (Guitar & Vox) and Joe E. Deliverance (Drums & Vox - 'E' stands for 'Epic')

The band's music is a genuine combination of stoner, doom, sludge with death/black metal twists here and there.  "Tuho" has been released in April 2016 and is the second release of the trio.

The cover of Dö's album "Tuho", Cover Art by Big Dog, (c) by Big Dog, used with kind permission

Summary

The record that comes under the title of "Tuho" (meaning Devastation) has a dark basic tonality no question. The vocals are black and doomy but the music has a constant movement and note inside of it. It's this continuous song structure that makes me feel positive about it. It's like that the songs go slowly but they always move along. They may never take big steps but you feel all along that they keep the direction. It's this permanent movement that makes me feel so good about it.

The first two tracks are typical for this style. The production is heavy and strong but there's also much clearness in the sound. The drums for example shine through fine and clear something that cannot be found too often in these musical style. Everblast II (The Aftermath) is a bit faster, yet it's still midtempo, something much welcome to me in times where music often tends to be played all just too fast.

Ex Oblivione is a surprise It's a slow track with a great melody inside and feels as if it has been written in a jamming session. But beware: it's a great song that unfolds slowly just to blast you away towards the end. One of the best tracks I've heard in a long time!

Kylmä is a bit mixed to me. A rough and edgy track but I somehow dislike it. I doesn't feel so harmonic through it's various parts in it so I don't like it as much as the other numbers on the record.

The album closes out with the shortest and the longest songs of the whole release. The first one Hail The Fire comes as a short clear guitar intermission - a welcome pause after the rough music in the track before. Forsaken Be Thy Name reminds me the most of the longtracks that Black Sabbath did release back in their early days. A mighty riffer with a jammed melodic and clear intermission part. You nearly don't notice when it's over that it was about twelve mintes long. A great way to round out a fine release.

Album stream

The full record can be heard from the Bandcamp widget below.



Purchase-Link

The album is available as a paid download on Bandcamp. If you decide to give a few bucks more you'll have the chance to get your hands on one of the CD-R copies. The price includes worlwide shipping so it could be a nice addition to your stoner/doom collection. It's well worth the money since I guess a lot of the fans of the mentioned genres will pick the album up often to have another listen and relax from the daily stress.

Contact Data

Be sure to keep in touch with Dö using Facebook or Twitter, maybe you'd also like to add them to your watch list on Spotify. They are looking for a label to release the album on vinyl so if there's someone interested out there - don't hesitate to contact them!

CD Review: Vision Lunar - Luna Subortus

Band Introduction

The band was founded by Alexandre Julien (who has also played in Soufferance, Citadel Swamp,Éphémère and Vision Éternel, to name a few). From 2006 to 2007 Vision Lunar released seven demos. After going through a hiatus and ultimately breaking up in early 2009, a complete discography CD was issued, entitled “Phase One (2006-2009)”. This was given away to close friends and collaborators eventually released as a free download, massing over four hundred downloads since October of 2010.

A re-issue of that release was put out on a limited run of CDs starting August 29th 2015 by Abridged Pause Recordings. This second pressing features upgraded artwork, proper chronological track listing and a new song that was discovered in 2014, not found on the original issue.

Alexandre Julien started working on new Vision Lunar material back in February of 2015. After some re-thinking he finally re-animated the band and has just recently put out a brand-new EP entitled "Luna Subortus".

(c) by Vision Lunar, used with kind permission

Summary

So normally when I think of Black Metal I mostly think of very brutal music. It brings the raw power and energy of metal out the most direct and sounds uncompromising like only few. This band called "Vision Lunar" has surprised me a lot. It is Black Metal for sure but with a very atmospheric and haunting attitude in it. It shows that this musical style is not necessary limited or even bound to it's pure darker tone but can also bring in a lot of melody and vibe to it.

Album-Stream
 

Track-by-track Review

Listening to the new EP on Bandcamp I was very pleased to be introduced with a melodic first track called "Desperation". It takes you into a own mood which makes you calm. It perfectly fits to the change of nature which is going on these days with the summer leaving and the silence and darker sounds of autumn coming it. It also prepares you to listen closely.

The second track "Spiritus Luna" see's us going into a heavy metallic guitar storm, proofing the riff abilities of Vision Lunar. Here comes the moment that you realize the heavyweight of the EP. Still it all remains a instrumental song. I think band's doing instrumental stuff need to bring a lot to the table to keep the listener at the Stereo system but this riff monster definitely manages to do so.

Finally the third song "In Hues of Blood Orange" leads you away from the heavy style and brings you back to the melodic site of the record. You're leaving with your mind filled with new impressions. Plus I think you'll long for more once you've taken a ear on this. A very promising release and one which made me think on a different and new way when it comes for mixing musical styles that may sound impossible on a first try.

Final Words and Purchase Link

What makes this release so special is that it follows a sort of release circuit. In earlier times of the band from 2006 to 2007 Vision Lunar released seven demos, always on the day of a  full moon. The September 28th 2015 release date was chosen deliberately as it was the night of a full moon and also a lunar eclipse.

The full moon captured in Lingen, Photopgraphy taken from me in 2014

"Luna Subortus"  (meaning "revived moon" in Latin) is offered digitally. A cassette version is also in the works. Just head over to the Bandcamp page of the record company to purchase the EP.
There's also a physical version available on CD that comes in a clear DVD case for all readers living in Europe. Just head over to the website of Winterwolf Records (based in Germany) or visit their shop at Ebay to get a copy.

Manach Seherath to play first show with new guitarist

Happily Symphonic Heavy Metal Band Manach Seherath found a new guitarist after some time of rehearsing several candidates. The new man on the guitar is called Joe Dardano (ex-Marshall; ex-Heavenshine).

In addition to this already great news the band announced their next live show, which is going to take place on 30th of September 2015 at Hades Pub in Naples. The band will play stuff from their first demo as well as give a insight into the upcoming album. There will be no entrance fee taken so don't miss out this show and band. See the promo poster for all the details of this event.

Posted by Avernus Media on Dienstag, 1. September 2015

The opening act on this evening will be thrash-black metal outfit Terrorfront, a band from Naples,too. They have a EP coming up called "We don't come in peace" and will kick in to the evening with a very raw and heavy package of music. The single for the EP already sounds promising so get ready for them.

Make sure to let the people out there know that you'll take part on the show through the Facebook event page and invite all of your friends to this special night full of metal!

In the meantime check out some music from both bands in the player below.

Mediascope: Helloween, Avantasia and Black Metal movie

Wow, the new year has just begun and there are already lot's of new things online that you can check out freely. For example german metal legend "Helloween" has recently put out their newest studio album called "Straight out of hell". In cooperation with the biggest daily german newspaper "Bild" the band has set up a stream of the entire album right here.

The head of Avantasia is Tobias Sammet. With their last show the band played at the Wacken Open Air 2011 the project was officially laid to rest but Tobias Sammet felt afterwards that their was so much left unsaid and music still in his head that he had to go back and start the project once again. Actually the recordings are already finished for a new album called "THE MYSTERY OF TIME". It is set for release in March 2013. The tracklist will be:

01.  Spectres
02.  The Watchmakers' Dream
03.  Black Orchid
04.  Where Clock Hands Freeze
05.  Sleepwalking
06.  Savior In The Clockwork
07.  Invoke The Machine
08.  What's Left Of Me
09.  Dweller In A Dream
10.  The Great Mystery

A first trailer revealing that Michael Kiske will also be on board for some guest vocals has been put out. There will be in fact a big amount of guest stars on the album since Biff Byford,Bruce Kulick, Russell Gilbrook (Uriah Heep) Arjen Lucassen (Ayeron), Joe Lynn Turner and Ronnie Atkins have been confirmed to do guest appeareances of the album. In addition you can also have a ear on some snippets of the album by checking out the trailer below.

There are more preview videos available, just check out the Avantasia youtube channel to see them.

Least for today is the stream of a full movie that had it's premiere on the Sundance film festival. It's called "Black Metal". The story is set around the main question that ask's, if and in which way are musicians responsible for the deeds of their fans? The story tells the story out of the perspective of a vocalist of a Black Metal band who has to deal with a fan driven deed of strong brutality.