Showing posts with label Bicephalic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bicephalic. Show all posts

Friday, October 22, 2021

Bicephalic/Bellows Of The Black Depths/2021 EP Review

 


  Bicephalic  are  a  band  from  Portland,  Oregon  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  raw  and  melodic form  of   black  metal  with  elements  of  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2021  ep  "Bellows  Of  The  Black  Depths".


  A  very  dark  synth  orientated  intro  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  before  going  into a  very  fast  and  raw  musical  direction  which  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a   very  powerful  sound  to  them.    


  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  A  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style,  death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  briefly.


  On  this  recording  Bicephalic  goes  for  more  of  a  raw,  melodic  and  traditional  style  of  black  metal.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Vampirism  and  Horror  themes.


  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Bicephalic  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw  and  melodic  black  emtal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Upon  A  Bleeding  Castle"  and  "Satan's  Bard".  8  out  of  10.


https://bicephalic.bandcamp.com/album/bellows-of-the-black-depths


     

Monday, July 26, 2021

Bicephalic Interview

 

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

1) Answered by Ariton: We're a bastard child of Craigslist. All jokes aside, that is how we all met. We're all passionate about black metal and what we do. Each of us have widely different influences, which has created our sound that has been described as raw, aggressive, powerful and as you have said, misanthropic


2.So far you have released an ep and you have a new release coming out on Halloween, musically how do they both differ from each other?

2) Ariton: 'Nihilistic Dreams' was written and recorded in the span of three months with one shitty microphone on an old BR-864. Its simplicity has been effective, however the upcoming album has layers to it and some production value. That being said, it's still going to have our raw edge to it.


3.Some of your lyrics cover occultism themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

3) Answered by Lord Ibex: A strong question. The interest for myself personally began at a very early age despite being raised religiously. Although the lyrics are brutal they are also meant to be poetic and captivating as being exposed to Satanism, free thinking, folklore, etc, were to me originally. There is a strong resentment towards organized religion and the pure facade that they shroud themselves in, but more so I am hopeful it’s able to transfer those few listeners who take the time to experience the music in whole to the extreme scenarios we depict that artistically appeals to our shared misanthropy.



4.The lyrics on the new release are going to be horror themes, can you tell us a little bit more about the songwriting approach the newer music is going for?

4) Ibex: Black metal has existed for a long time. It’s a very traditional, close-minded form of musical cult. Knowing this I ask myself how to keep it “Trve” while still adding something more impactful than that of ordinary second and third wave black metal bands. Horror has always appealed to me and fascinated my senses. Be it the imagery, jump scares, or simply the creepy music. Obviously many bands incorporate this into their projects already however, I believe we’ll be able to summon something truly fearsome sounding that draws adrenaline. 


5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Bicephalic'?

5) Ariton: Bicephalic is a creature with two heads. Having bipolar in this life I thought it was a fitting name. When Ibex and Lord Unferth came up with the band's logo it really solidified the decision.


6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover?

6) Ariton: As previously mentioned Lord Unferth made the logo, a two headed snake strangling Jesus on the inverted cross. While Golgota Calvary made the artwork behind the logo. If you read the lyrics you'll see that the design incorporates a piece from each song.


7.Has the band done any live shows or open to the idea?

7) Ariton: We have not, yet we're very much looking forward to it. Unfortunately we've had Spinal Tap luck when it comes to bass players, so we may start out playing as a three piece. It is black metal…


8.You also released a cover of Darkthrone's "Transilvanian Hunger' this year, what was the decision behind covering this song which has already been done before by plenty of bands instead of a lesser known Darkthrone song?

8) Ariton: We attempted to be featured on a USBM tribute to Darkthrone, but somehow missed the deadline. The rationale was that's arguably their most popular track, so go big or go home. Fortunately another band from the Pacific NW, Dioghaltas, chose to perform the same track and was featured. 


9.Currently the band is signed to 'Analog Ragnarok', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

9) Ariton: Yes, it is run by Siara, who is located in the UK. He comes up with amazing tape designs and deals solely in cassettes. The experience of working with him has been amazing and humbling. We've grown to become good friends, partly due to our Polish descents. 


10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?

10) Ariton: We've garnered positive attention from all over the globe. The first person to purchase our music is from Russia. And quite possibly our biggest fan, John G, is from Scotland.


11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

11) Ariton: Lately I'm really digging into bands from the US that started around the same time as us, such as Stake Driver, Dioghaltas and Alghol. Of course the second wave always gets me going. Outside of BM I enjoy classic rock for nostalgic purposes and some classical for the dark undertones. And you can always find our drummer, Crusher, listening to old school death metal.


12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

12) Thank you for providing us this opportunity. Support the underground, support BM and stay twisted as fuck. Or don't.

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Sunday, July 11, 2021

Bicephalic/Nihilistic Dreams Of An Empty Forest/Analog Ragnorok/2020 EP Review

 


  Bicephalic  are  a  band  from  Portland,  Oregon  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  misanthropic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  ep  "Dreams  Of  An  Empty  Forest"  which  was  released  by  Analog  Ragnarok.


  A  very  dark  yet  distorted  sounding  intro  starts  off  the ep  while  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  synths  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction.  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.


  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  The  songs  are  also  heavily  rooted  in  the mid  90's  to  early  2000's  era  along  with  some  melodies  also  being  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  as  well  as  some  of  the  riffs  also  showing  an  influence  of  thrash  metal,  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  finally  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly.


  Bicephalic  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw,  melodic  and  misanthropic  sounding.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Horror,  Necromancy,  Anti  Christianity,  Nihilism  and  Misanthropy  themes.


  In  my  opinion  Bicephalic  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw,  melodic  and  misanthropic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Candlelight  In  The  Cavern"  and  "Shadow  Dimension".  8  out  of  10.


https://open.spotify.com/artist/5EWzBvmhkv0VoSBkDIE98R?si=dBeyckSzTg29NZNoj8d-4g&utm_source=copy-link&dl_branch=1