Friday, May 31, 2013

News: Aborym

Industrial Black Metal band from Italy Aborym made the first CD of their new album Dirty through Noisey on the link below. There is also available on the same link an interview with Fabban, the founder of the band.
The album came out in Europe on the 28th of May and will be out in North America on the 11th of June through Agonia Records.

http://noisey.vice.com/blog/aboryms-new-record-dirty-will-make-the-world-safe-for-industrial-metal




Read more in:

http://www.aborym.it/
https://www.facebook.com/aborymofficial



News: Balfor

Ukrainian Black Metal band Balfor will be releasing a new album and you can already stream two of their demo songs: Heralds of the Fall and Wolfbreed on the band’s SoundCloud page at the following link:

http://soundcloud.com/balfor

Read more in:

http://balfor.info/
https://www.facebook.com/balforofficial



News: Eindhoven Metal Meeting festival

Seven new bands confirmed for this year's Eindhoven Metal Meeting festival which will be taking place from the 12th to the 14th of 2013 at the Effenaar in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. You can watch the trailer on the youtube link below.

So far, these are the bands in the bill (in alphabetical order):


ABORYM
ARCTURUS
ARKONA
BELPHEGOR
CARPATHIAN FOREST
CORONER
DESTRÖYER 666
THE DEVIL
GOTHMINISTER
HOODED MENACE
IMPALED NAZARENE
THE MONOLITH DEATHCULT
MORGOTH
NAPALM DEATH
NARGAROTH

THERION

More bands will be announced soon.

This year the festival will last for three days there will be a Heavy Metal / Thrash Metal party on Thursday evening on the main stage. Regular two-day combitickets are available from now on via the official website.
 




Read more in:






Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Lachryma Christi celebrates first birthday! See top ten articles.

Lachryma Christi is exactly one year old. Along this year, this webzine, dedicated to Black Metal and matters related to Black Metal, had over 18300 visitors from all over the world, so far.
Lachryma Christi has done interviews with many bands from all over the world too, as well as reviews to gigs, albums, EP's and even a book, always working to promote and share the work of musicians, artists and others, always related to Black Metal in a way or another.
The support from readers, from bands, promoters, labels and from friends has been just great, there are no words to express how much all of you have helped putting this project up. A big thank you!

Below you can see the most ten visited articles on Lachryma Christi so far. Enjoy, and keep reading!

  1 - Interview with Endstille (GER)
  2 - Interview with Mysticum (NOR)
  3 - Top Ten Black Metal albums for 2012
  4 - The book "Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult" by Dayal Patterson
  5 - Interview with Tsjuder (NOR)
  6 - Review: Blutmond's new album "Revolution is Dead!"
  7 - Interview with Blacklodge (FRA)
  8 - Interview with Upon Shadows (URY)
  9 - Review: THAW's debut album "THAW"
10 - Review to Saille's new album "Ritu"





Monday, May 27, 2013

Review: Forgotten Tomb @ The Garage (Upstairs) in London, UK, on the 6th of May

Lachryma Christi went to see Forgotten Tomb at The Garage in London (brought to us by Funeral of Mankind), almost one month ago, on the 6th of May. Apologies for publishing this review so late and once again without photos.
It wasn't a proper Black Metal gig, but a Black/Doom Metal gig, even though the bands who played before Forgotten Tomb were all more Doom than Black.
It was a sold out gig. Place is not big but was quite breathable in there, compared to so many unnamed venues in London.
The evening started with a band called Isole from Sweden, who played a very decent Doom Metal. The intro for the gig was the beginning of Vampire Hunters (by Anton Coppola, originally used as part of the soundtrack of Bram Stoker's Dracula, 1992) which was already a very good warm up. The band sings mostly with clean voices, with three of the members doing vocals, even though some of them were hardly audible at times, sadly. Proper traditional doom metal musically speaking, nothing too new, but good gig, good atmosphere.
Then it was the turn of Ereb Altor also from Sweden, who presented us with a kind of Viking Metal, very barbaric thing, with some sort of corpse paint. Very good gig, just one bad thing to point out: the backing track voices. Ok, it is impossible for them to sing as a choir as it would probably require more people to sing all those voices, but it is a bit disappointing to hear those voices in backing track. Apart from that it was very good, the band seems to bee quite cheerful and the public was very enthusiastic about them. The influence of Bathory was quite evident, and ending their performance with a cover of Twilight of the Gods was something extraordinary.
After these two amazing acts, it's time for the Headliners Forgotten Tomb from Italy, who are so famous for their suicidal Black Metal thing. It was a very good gig, and to Lachryma Christi it had nothing of suicidal, was actually a very uplifting gig. If you know their work and if you like them on CD, you would have loved this gig, as it was so loyal to the studio sound but much more stimulating. The band is quite interactive with the public, they really know how to move a crowd. Even the saddest and melancholic tracks and parts of tracks became really beautiful on that night, really surprising. One of the best and more emotional gigs Lachryma Christi has been recently. Do a favor to yourselves and go to see Forgotten Live, please. You will never regret.



Lachryma Christi's playlist for the week



Here is another playlist for you:

Windir - Arntor
God Seed - I Begin
Vreid - V
Marduk - Serpent Sermon
In the Woods... - Omnio
Primordial - Imrama
Negură Bunget - OM
Necromantia - Scarlet Witching Black
Morgul - The Horror Grandeur
Storm - Nordavind



Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Interview with Kim Holm (Vreid/Solstafir artwork cover artist)

For those who don't know who Kim Holm is, here is a short description: Kim Holm is a Norwegian cartoonist. Why is Lachryma Christi interviewing Kim Holm? Because this is the man who did the cover of last album of Black Metal band from Norway Vreid, Welcome Farewell. This cover includes an image for each song, and portraits of the band originally drawn live under concerts. Kim Holm also had already the chance to draw personal favorites such as Taake, Enslaved, Entombed, 1349, Urfaust, and Rotting Christ. He had also done the cover for Solstafir's Svartir Sandar, and various local bands works. 
Apart from the artwork covers, Kim Holm has also released a comic book which is an adaption of H. P. Lovecraft's Pickman's Model (nominated for Best Comic of 2012 in Norway). You can read a short review to this after the interview. And before you start reading the interview, you need to know that this man is the author of the current header image of Lachryma Christi's page, which he made on purpose and which is very much appreciated!








When did you become a cartoonist? When did you start working properly on that?

I was 8 years old when I read a Frank Miller comic that did screw with my head in ways I did not understand, and I decided to make it my profession to do the same to other kids. Since then I've been a professional cartoonist in my own mind. The last 9 years I've actually earned a meager living on my art, so slowly the world and my skills are catching up with my ego.

What kind of stuff do you prefer to draw?

As a storyteller I 'm attracted to genre-stuff; action, horror, fantasy, things that can be overblown yet still played straight. As an artist I like ugly brush-strokes and spattering ink all over the place. Things that look uncontrolled, untrained, yet intentional. So I try to find places where I can mix those elements.

How did the idea of drawing artists while they are on stage come up?

It was never an idea. I had tickets to see Rotting Christ and Urfaust at the Hole In The Sky festival here in Bergen, but we were so broke I had to try and sell the tickets. No one bought them. So I figured if I brought my sketch-pad I'd be doing something constructive with my time, and maybe someone would buy me a beer. I soon saw that there was some affinity between the music and my art. So I continued drawing. No one bought me a beer, though.

How has the reaction of the bands and artists been?

Phenomenal. Bands seem to get a real kick out of seeing the art straight after the shows, while the adrenaline is still pumping and the ink is still wet. A few buy originals, many use shots as their Facebook profile image, which I guess is a sign of appreciation, and, well... apart from the brush adding a few pounds, I haven't had any complaints.





What is your favourite piece from all you have done along the time? What is the one that gave you more pleasure doing?

The most pleasurable was without a doubt Entombed. I'm a huge fan, so sitting beside the stage, drawing, headbanging, and screaming along with every word. Fuck yeah! Suddenly someone tapped my shoulder, and I turned around to see L.G. Petrov crouching behind an amp with a huge smile, giving me two thumbs up! One of the greatest memories of my whole life, indeed.

How did the idea of doing Vreid’s Welcome Farewell album cover come up? Can you tell a bit about the process?

I met Vreid backstage at Hulen, Bergen, after having drawn them. Hvall was impressed with the art and asked if I was interested in doing something inspired by some old art by Otto Valstad. I didn't really expect to hear back from them, because bands often talk a lot, but months later they contacted me about drawing their whole cover and inlay, down to the liner notes. Hvall had the concept for the cover locked, so that was just a question of iteration upon iteration until we found something suitable between Valstad and my style, something both old and modern, and not calculated. For the inlay-artwork, Hvall wanted to give me creative freedom to interpret the songs. He sent me a bunch of photographs of woods where he had walked while writing the songs, and I listened to Vreid's music, quickly sketching something that had something to do with the lyrics, something to do with the photos, and something to do with nothing. It was a pleasure working with them, and while I'm lucky enough to never have made art for an album I didn't enjoy, «Welcome Farewell» is a very special album that I'm real proud of having been a tiny part of.

Can you tell a bit about other works you have done for bands, like covers for their albums?

The first major work I did was for Solstafir's «Svartir Sandar» where they gave me absolute free reign to intrepret their music and lyrics and make some art of it. Getting to spend a summer listening to the rough mixes of a fantastic album and dreaming up a sort of conceptual image-space half-story to go along with it... that was magic. An ideal job. Before that I had only done a few front-covers and merch-pieces, mostly for local acts.




Speaking of your adaption of Lovecraft’s Pickman's Model tale, as a graphic novel, where did you get the inspiration for the drawings? Have you just read the book and come up with ideas or was there something else?

In my mind, Lovecraft has always been particularly suited to visual intrepretations, and I've always been disappointed with other Lovecraft-adaptions. I mean, sex and gore and tentacletitties are fun, but it's not really Lovecraft. The only chance I had of reading the adaption I wanted to read, was to make it myself. I used his original text to compliment and contrast my images, trying to remain faithful in spirit and having the imagery make the reading less needlessly complicated. I didn't want to make him easy to read, but without sacrifice I could make it easier to focus on the actual story by showing what an acetyl-lamp in the 1920's or an ancient ten-panelled door in Boston's North End, should look like. So it was an intense amount of research to be sure every historical detail was correct. But more importantly, I wanted to find a way to make Lovecraft's own impossibly horrific imagery spring to life in the readers imagination, and not ruin it with my intrepretations. So, after a few false starts, it was 3 and a half years of banging my head against creative brickwalls. And in the end, I think I've made one of the most faithful adaptions ever, and still the art argues with and against the text in interesting ways.

Are you satisfied with the results?

I'm never satisfied with any of my work, but I'm more proud of it than anything else I have ever done.

Are you a fan of Lovecraft?

Fan in the sense of fanatic, yes. I read everything I can find about the man and his work.

Do you read? If yes, what are you reading at the moment?

I tend to read more non-fiction than fiction. That way my mind can dream up stories while reading. Still reading a lot of Lovecraft-criticism and books about American architecture, gearing up for my next adaption. And I try to stay somewhat up to date on comics. «The Underwater Welder» by Jeff Lemire has been laying on my desk for a while, so that's up next.

How was Inferno Metal Festival in Norway? Did you accomplish all you were wishing to regarding opportunities to draw live performances of musicians? Are you happy with the results?

This was my second year drawing concert at Inferno, and... well, it's a mixed bag. As an experience, it's incredibly fun. Good people, good music, loads of beer. But my head isn't wired for festivals, and I'm still a wreck now a month later. Economically it was disasterous. Not that I expect to get rich drawing bands that don't make money themselves, but still... Artistically, on the other hand, it went very well. On a good night I recon that about 2 out of 10 of my concert drawings come out good, and I think that every night this year was more than good. And I ended up with 83 new pieces, so good or bad that's fantastic.



What kind of music do you usually listen?

I listen to everything from Hank Williams to Merzbow, with some classical, hip-hop, and techno inbetween, but metal has always been closest to my heart ever since I was 8 and first heard Rob Halford scream like a banshee. I often lean towards things that are not «pure», so everything from mid-period Entombed and Enslaved to Isis or Fantomas. I'm the kind of person that can listen to the same few records again and again for ages. But thanks to drawing concerts I get exposed to a lot of great music that I would otherwise ignore, and bands like Solstorm, Solstafir, Vreid, Posthum, Vinterbris, Aura Noir, Purified in Blood, and a ton of others now regularly appear in my playlists. When working I often pick out a soundtrack for each project in order to get in the right mood. So Pickman's Model was drawn almost exclusively to Shining (SE) I-IV and Neurosis «The Sun that Never Sets» and «Times of Grace». Good albums to listen to for 3 and a half years.


What are your plans for the near future? What can we expect?

Well, right now Pickman's Model is nominated for Best Comic of 2012 in Norway, so that's exciting. Plans are to release a special edition in colour, but that will take a crowdfunding campaign to pull off. And I'm starting my next Lovecraft project, which will be a different intermediary step before the next full-blown adaption. A kind of technical excercise on some of Lovecraft's shortest and most overlooked stories. And I've illustrated a story by Dan Hill in the upcoming Outre Anthology, which will be released digitally for free next free comics day. It's the first time I've illustrated someone else's comic script, so that's... different? So to make a long story short, I'm working on way too much stuff.

Anything else you would like to say, or anything in special you would like to advertise in here?

Making a living doing art is hard, making a living doing art you release for absolutely free use... well, that's borderline insanity. But it's important that artists stand up for free speech and work towards a copyright reform that does not mainly protect big companies but also preserves our freedom and benefit both artists and consumers. Whether you're a capitalist or anarchist or just don't give a fuck, the anti-piracy insanity is indefensible and has to stop. And that's why I have to release all my art under open licenses. So if you like what I do, please find a way to support it, whether through buying my stuff or using it for free or just telling someone about it. Because my shit is made to be spread. A good place to start might be www.facebook.com/DUHHfans or www.freecomics.no






(112 pages, black and white, paperback. Cover design by Robert Høyem
Art and adaption by Kim Holm. Original text by H.P. Lovecraft)

It was almost randomly that Lachryma Christi came across this brilliant artist on facebook, Kim Holm. After getting in touch because of Vreid's album and Vreid's Welcom Farewell cover, Kim Holm told LC that he had kinda recently released his comic book which consists in an adaption of H.P. Lovecraft's novel Pickman's Model. Postal addresses were exchanged and only a couple of days later, arrived at LC's inbox this awesome book, as you can see in the image above. Lovecraft is not easy to read and to understand and this adaption didn't make things easier either! Which is obviously a very good thing. So, if you are a fan of Lovecraft you will just adore this comic book. The story is there and the images are very graphic and understandeable even in black and white only. It is really pleasant and interesting and you end up reading it very quickly without stopping as it is so intriguing that you really want to know what happens next and how it is going to end. Even if you are not a big fan of Lovecraft literature and imaginary you will certainly like this adaption, as the suspense and horror are there, every drawing is very expressive and impressive. Kim Holm is a true artist, and his art is available for you to see for free online (yes, the Lovecraft's adaption is all there too!), or for you to buy as a way of supporting his art (please find the links below). 

Again, Lachryma Christi would like to thank Kim Holm for the header picture, which will stay on for a long while.


Read more in:

https://www.facebook.com/DUHHfans
http://www.freecomics.no/


As for you, (Black Metal related) artists out there, if you like the idea of having your work published here, just e-mail lachrymachristizine@gmail.com





Tuesday, May 21, 2013

News: Gravdal

Norwegian Black Metal band Gravdal just announced that they are parting ways with guitarist Specter, due to other projects he needs to dedicate more time to, which the band totally supports and understands.

Read more in:

https://www.facebook.com/gravdalofficial



News: Glorior Belli

French Avantgarde Black Metal band Glorior Belli inked a deal with Agonia Records and next album is supposed to come out in Autumn 2013.

Glorior Belli started their North American tour debut last week. The US appearance will include a show at Maryland Deathfest and European fans will have the opportunity to see the band live at Brutal Assault festival in Czech Republic this September.

Upcoming live shows:

16.05 – Milwaukee (WI), Frank’s Power Plant, USA
17.05 – Chicago (IL), Ultra Lounge, USA
18.05 – Indianapolis (IN), Indy’s Jukebox, USA
19.05 – Columbus (OH), Carabar, USA
20.05 – Pittsburgh (PA), Belvedere’s, USA
21.05 – Syracuse (NY), Club Fusion, USA
22.05 – Somerville (MA), P.A.’s Lounge, USA
23.05 – Providence (RI), Dusk, USA
24.05 – New York (NY), Union Pool, USA
25.05 – Philadelphia (PA), Kung Fu Necktie, USA
26.05 – Baltimore (MD), Maryland Deathfest, USA
26.05 – Baltimore (MD), Sidebar, USA
27.05 – Louisville (KY), Diamonds, USA
7-10.08 – Brutal Assault Festival, Czech Republic




Read more in:



News: Frostwork

British Ambient/Black Metal band Frostwork signed a deal with UKEM Records for the release of a split with Cruelty's Heart, which is supposed to come out in 2014.

Read more in:

https://www.facebook.com/frostworkofficial





News: Australasia

Italian post Rock band Australasia are releasing their EP Sin4tr4 through Hypnotic Dirge Records website and bandcamp and you can now listen to it for free.

You can also find a review for Sin4tr4 by Lachryma Christi here:

http://lachrymachristizine.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/review-australasias-debut-ep-sin4tr4.html

The band is also working on a new album which is supposed to be released next Autumn.




Read more in:






 

News: Seth

French Black Metal band Seth are unveiling a second song from their upcoming album which will be called The Howling Spirit. This album is scheduled to be released through Season of Mist on the 7th of June.
The song is titled One Ear to the Earth, One Eye on Heaven and you can listen to it on:

Radiometal (France)
Rock Overdose (Greece)
Sonic Seducer (Germany)
Wings of Death (The Netherlands)
Zero Tolerance (UK)


Read more in:

http://www.season-of-mist.com/
https://www.facebook.com/innomineseth






News: Arckanum

Black Metal band from Sweden Arckanum are streaming their latest album, Fenris Kindir.
You can now listen to it here:

In the UK, Fenris Kindir is streaming on Terrorizer
In Finland, Inferno is streaming it here
Sweden Rock has it here
Germany's Metal.de's link is here
Loud! (Portugal) is here
Imhotep (Norway) is here
You can also listen to the album on bandcamp here


Please, find a review to Fenris Kindir by Lachryma Christi here:






Read more in:





News: Blood of Kingu

Ukrainian Black Metal band Blood of Kingu just signed a deal with Season of Mist. The band is currently working on their third album, which will start being recorded in the Autumn and released through Season of Mist’s Underground Activists division.

Read more in:

http://www.season-of-mist.com/



Lachryma Christi's playlist for the week



As mentioned couple of weeks ago, last week there was no playlist for the week. Lachryma Christi is now back with a new playlist this week though, hoping you will enjoy!

Progenie Terrestre Pura - U.M.A.
Thaw - Thaw
In Vain - Ænigma
Wardruna - Yggdrasil
Arckanum - Fenris Kindir
Moonspell - Under Satanæ
Dimmu Borgir - Stormblast
Episode 13 - Death Reclaims the Earth
Covenant - In Times Before the Light~
Mortiis - Født til å herske

News: Written in Torment

British Black Metal band Written in Torment just released their first album called Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes through Glorious North Productions on the 14th May. It is a ten track album released in CD version with a twelve page booklet, and is also available for digital download in various formats, including high quality MP3 and FLAC. 
You can now stream the whole album on Bandcamp page here:

http://gloriousnorth.bandcamp.com/album/bellum-omnium-contra-omnes




Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes tracklist:

01.  Earth Decimated
02.  Eternities of Suffering Endured
03.  Beast of the Depth
04.  Descent into Total Madness
05.  O’ Fortuna
06.  Grief
07.  Solitude
08.  Behold the Trinity Maimed and Rotten
09.  A Pig Hung in Golgotha
10 Necessary Evil

Read more in:

https://www.facebook.com/writtenintormentofficial


Monday, May 20, 2013

News: Carach Angren

Dutch Horror Black Metal band Carach Angren just announced their first Japanese tour and European festival dates:







Read more in:

https://www.facebook.com/carachangren?fref=ts
http://www.season-of-mist.com/

News: Balfor

Black Metal band from Ukraine Balfor just announced a drastic change on their line up, where all members left the band, remaining only the frontman and guitarist Thorgeir, who says:
“We parted ways for a variety of reasons and we hadn't actually worked together for a very long time. This decision was not an easy one, but it was a necessary one that took into account the needs and interests of all the band members, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the guys for all this time we worked together, it was a great experience! But sometimes a change is necessary if you want to move forward.”

The new line up consists of of Thorgeir on vocals and guitars, Warider on guitars and backing vocals, Athamas on bass and vocals and Khaoth on drums. Thorgeir is quite positive about this change.

Read more in:

http://balfor.info/




Review: Hate Meditation's upcoming album "Scars"

American Black Metal band Hate Meditation is about to release their first album called Scars on the 27th of May through Indie Recordings.
Hate Meditation formed in 2003. Ten years later here they are to show us a very good work. Despite the muffled production and sound, the music is really good. Really old school Black Metal, very icy, aggressive, strong, imposing and majestic. Reminds a bit of Mayhem in the riffs and even in the melodies, but has keyboards, which gives more ambiance to the songs. In fact, if you close your eyes you can think it reminds you of "something", as it kinda sounds similar to a band you know, you just can't tell which band is that. The album sounds so familiar, everything is so welcome to our ears, and so perfect, that it is almost as if we know it already, hence the familiarity.
The last two tracks are maybe the most melodic ones, Scars and Shadow World (outro).
It is a good album, very strong, just the production could be a bit brighter, to make things a bit more clear. Apart from that, as said before, there is nothing negative to point out, really. The musicians seem to be very organized in their compositions, very assured, very confident, voice is also really good and really matching everything else, really nothing wrong to point here. A week away from another amazing release coming out, it's worth the wait. Everyone should listen to Scars.




Friday, May 17, 2013

Review: Moonspell @ The Underworld, London, UK, on the 23rd of April 2013

Even though many of you say Moonspell is not Black Metal, and even though they are usually labeled by magazines etc as Gothic Black Metal, it is undeniable that the Portuguese band released some Black Metal works and still have huge Black Metal influences. Thus, Lachryma Christi couldn't leave them behind and let them play in London without seeing them and reviewing the gig. Again, no pictures available (and again, if you took any, and if you want to see them published here, just e-mail Lachrymachristizine@gmail.com).
It was a sold out show, there was a Finnish band playing as special guests. This band is called Insomnium, which are usually labeled as Melodic Death Metal but there is a great Goth influence there. It was the first time Lachryma Christi saw them or ever heard them at all, and it was a great gig. There were lots of fans of them as well, and everyone seemed very pleased with the gig from the beginning until the end. Very nice music, catchy songs, good tuned performance, really nice band and a good choice as special guests.
About Moonspell, Lachryma Christi has seen them countless times in the past. Bad gigs, good gigs, so so gigs... And at the Underworld it was maybe the best one so far. It was quite long, there was a huge complicity between the musicians and the public, and it was amazing to see how many Portuguese people were there, it was a very emotional gig. The singer Fernando Ribeiro at some point spoke of the crysis and fearful situation not only in Portugal but also in all Europe, just before the band played a song that very well mirrors all that, called Em Nome do Medo.
Moonspell managed to present us with not only songs from their latest albums, but also with old stuff, from their heaviest and darkest phases. They also played some unexpected tunes such as Ataegina, which made everyone jump and sing along. There was also time for songs from their so acclaimed Goth era and albums. In short, that was a gig for every taste, impossible to go there and to go home unsatisfied.
All hits were played and everyone was happy, despite of some technical problems with one of the guitars at times.
There was a bit of mosh and punch, which is natural, some crowdsurf too, endind up with the roadies pushing hysterical fans from the stage back to the crowd.
In the end the band was terribly tired, but they still did the so desired encore and were still for a bit longer on stage to salute their fans and shake hands with everyone.
A night to remember.




Thursday, May 16, 2013

Review: Endstille @ Electrowerkz, London, UK on the 13th of April

Again, before you start scrolling down, there are no pictures of this gig. Lachryma Christi has been failing taking pictures, hopefully this situation will be sorted out soon. Apologies for that.
So, about the gig, Lachryma Christi managed to see Decrepid, Verdelet, De Profundis, Eastern Front and obviously Endstille. Sadly, Decrepid and De Profundis seemed to be a bit wrongly included on the bill. Both are amazing bands, but both seemed to be out of place. Decrepid were really cool (they are playing tomorrow in London at the Boston Music Room, by the way), but too Death Metal, not matching properly the majority of bands. De Profundis were also very good, they really are a good band, but as Decrepid, they seemed to be a bit in the wrong place. And sadly the sound was a bit too high pitched and loud while they were playing, which didn't help their performance.
Eastern Front was one of the weirdest gigs ever. It was the first time Lachryma Christi was seeing them, and it was odd. Odd performance (of all members), odd presence, odd music, odd everything. Still, Lachryma Christi is open to see another gig and see how it goes.
Verdelet performed one of the best Black Metal gigs ever. Music is really good, they are really tuned, really united, really cohesive. Every musician played their role in perfect manners, even though there were apparently problems with stage sound (for every band). Vocals is just perfect to the music the band plays and let's hope they play many more times!
Endstille was massive, aggressive as it should be, fast and furious, War Black Metal at it's best. Again, besides some stage sound problems, they were just great, public was quite cheerful and there was a lot of mosh even ending in accidental violence, as a girl was punched and there was a bit of blood everywhere, but nothing very serious. It was the second time Lachryma Christi saw Endstille live and again, they always play their stuff with a huge motivation which is really contagious and it gets really easy to get into the mood and be part of it. There was a bit of a weird vibe all night, but Endstille managed to help dissipating that and all the memories from their gig are good.
If any of you readers was there and has pictures to share, feel free to e-mail Lachrymachristizine@gmail.com
Thank you.



Review: Carrier Flux's upcoming album "Objection"

Black Metal project from USA Carrier Flux will release a new album called Objection on the 17th of June of 2013 through Code666 (Aurall Music).
For those who don't know, Carrier Flux is a one man band and this will be their third album.
Objection contains 12 tracks.
People usually label Carrier Flux as Avant Garde Black Metal project, but this album is proper Black Metalish. It is a very good album which shows us how Jeff Philips is a great instrumentalist. He is also the responsible for the mixing and mastering of the audio in his studio.
This is quite an atmospheric album, very touching with it's melodic riffs and melodies and even clean voices at times. It is a very pleasant journey. It is the kind of album that you listen many times on a row and feel like: "is it already over again?"
All songs are very introspective and catchy, easy to memorize. Also very emotional.
Very hard not to like it and not to want to listen to it over and over again.
Again, Jeff Philips is a great musician and composer and deserves to be heard, so go for it!




Review: Pest's upcoming album "The Crowning Horror"

Swedish Black Metal band Pest will be releasing a new album on the 18th of June of 2013 (and on the 9th of July in North America) through Agonia Records, and it will be called The Crowning Horror.
This album is absolutely amazing, certainly one of the best albums of 2013 to Lachryma Christi.
The Crowning Horror contains 10 tracks.
What can you expect? You definitely should expect a lot of old school Black Metal. If you are a fan of Bathory or even Celtic Frost you will love this record. You can also find some thrashy parts, really heavy and dragged tracks, voice is just perfect and there are a lot of magical guitar riffs, really really good. Very heavy and groovy rhythms. If you are one of the those who were waiting for five years with much anxiety and curiosity, Pest are back to remind you of how good they are, how amazing musicians they are.
The Crowning Horror will be available as a 8 panel digipack CD and also vinyl.
Lachryma Christi really recommends this album, very good Black Metal with some touch of Death Metal too, really inspiring stuff!



News: Svartsyn

Swedish Black Metal band Svartsyn just unveiled a second track from their upcoming album Black Testament. The song is called Revelation In The Waters and you can hear it on Sweden Rock Magazine, on the following link:

http://www.swedenrock.com/index.cfm?pg=55&cobView=263

Black Testament is scheduled to be released on the 28th of May in Europe and on the 11th of June in North America through Agonia Records.




Read more in:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Svartsyn/102465529861216



Wednesday, May 15, 2013

News: Slegest

Black Metal project of Ese, former guitarist of Norwegian Black Metal band Vreid, just signed a deal with Dark Essence Records for the release of the band's debut album, which should come out in the end of 2013.

Read more in:

http://www.slegest.no/



News: Ewigkeit

Black Metal band from UK Ewigkeit have just posted a Reggae Dub version of  Burzum's Det Som Engang Var.

You can watch it here:



This cover will also appear as a bonus track on the upcoming Ewigkeit album which will be called Back to Beyond and which should come out later in 2013.

Read more in:

www.facebook.com/ewigkeitofficial
www.deathtomusic.com



News: Aborym

Italo-Norwegian Industrial Black Metal band Aborym just released a series of stills taken during the filming of the band’s new video for the track Dirty of their upcoming album, also called Dirty.
The video is directed by Alberto Falcone and is currently being edited. It will feature the three members of the band and also actors.
You can see the photo stills from the video on the official facebook page for the band on the following link:

https://www.facebook.com/aborymofficial

Please find a review for the album Dirty by Lachryma Christi, here:

http://lachrymachristizine.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/review-aboryms-upcoming-album-dirty.html

Dirty is scheduled to be released on the 28th of May through Agonia Records.



Read more in:

www.aborym.it


News: Fortíð

Viking Black Metal band from Iceland Fortíð just started working on a new album. They will start recording it in Summer and all lyrics will be in Icelandic. The new album has no title yet.

Read more in:

https://www.facebook.com/fortid



News: Cadaveria

Italian Black Gothic Metal Cadaveria just released a video for the song Death Vision, from their latest album Horror Metal.
You can watch it here: 





Read more here:

https://www.facebook.com/cadaveria?fref=ts





Saturday, May 11, 2013

Holidays

Lachryma Christi will be on short holidays until middle of next week. You should expect more news and reviews by then.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Lachryma Christi's playlist for the week

And because yesterday was Forgotten Tomb's night (review coming up shortly), Lachryma Christi had no opportunity to upload here the playlist for the week, but you can now see it below. Please be advised that next week there won't be playlist for the week, due to short time abroad.



Dimmu Borgir - For All Tid
Forefather - Last of the Line
God Seed - I Begin
Forgotten Tomb - ...And Don't Deliver Us From Evil...
Ov Hollowness - The World Ends
Progenie Terrestre Pura - U.M.A.
Wardruna - Yggdrasil
Moonspell - Under Satanæ
Episode 13 - Death Reclaims the Earth
Australasia - Sin4tr4

Sunday, May 5, 2013

News: Ewigkeit

Black Metal band from UK Ewigkeit are about to re-release their album from 2005 Conspiritus, through Death To Music.

You can hear a teaser to this work here:





Read more in:

https://www.facebook.com/ewigkeitofficial?fref=ts


News: Aenaon

Greek Avant Garde Black Metal band Aenaon signed a new deal with Code666 (Aural Music). Aenaon formed in 2005 and released the album Cendres et Sang in 2011. New album is scheduled to be released in late 2013.

Read more in:

https://www.facebook.com/aenaonofficial?fref=ts



News: Carrier Flux

Avant Garde Black Metal band from USA Carrier Flux signed a deal with Code666 (Aural Music), with who they will release three albums. New album is coming out sometime in June 2013, and it will be called Objection
For those who don't know, Carrier Flux is a one man band formed in 1999 and released two albums so far.

Read more in:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carrier-Flux/138441382992416


Review: Arckanum's upcoming album "Fenris Kindir"

Swedish Black Metal band Arckanum will be releasing a new album called Fenris Kindir on the 10th of May (14th of May in US), through Season of Mist.
As the title of the album reveals, Fenris Kindir is dedicated to Fenrir, the giant wolf who breaks free from his chains and swallows the sun and the moon, in the end of days, when the old Norse gods engage in final battle with the giants, and when Mankind will burn in fire and all land drowns in the oceans.
This is an epic album, a must have.
The album has 10 tracks, all of them very powerful. The intro is quite short and quite atmospheric. If you read the small description above about what the album is about you will understand the noises and the windy sounds on the intro. 
This is such a good work, very theatrical, very strong and inspiring. Quite heavy and even rocky at times. You can also notice Death Metal influences, as well as 80's and 90's Black Metal similarities, as on previous releases, if you are a connaisseur of Arckanum work; but in Fenris Kindir the proper Black Metal itself is more evidenced, more direct and raw. 
There are amazing riffs that will pop up into your brain later after you switched it off, the drums are simply awesome, very very powerful and full. And bass is also very audible, which is not that common. The sound quality is so good you can really distinguish every little detail of every instrument.
There are also howls and growls, Fenrir's howls and growls presumably. 
Seriously, 5 days to come. Just get it!





News: Enthroned

Black Metal band from Belgium Enthroned confirmed new live dates in Europe, as support of their latest album Obsidium released last year through Agonia Records:

26.04 - Wroclaw (Poland) - Club Liverpool
27.04 - Kraków (Poland) - Club Studencki Kwadrat
31.05 - Beograd (Serbia) - Darkness Rising Festival  (with Emptiness)
29.06 - Barcelona (Spain) - Move Your Fucking Brain Extreme Festival
27.07 - Buze-Steenwijk (Holland) - Stonehenge Festival
03.08 - Spital am Semmering (Austria) - Metal Invasion Open Air Festival
08.12 - Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (UK) - Northumbria University


Read more in:

https://www.facebook.com/Frater.Silurian