The song opens with atmosphere rather than statement. Guitars stretch into the distance like flickers of light beneath clouded skies, their reverb soft yet foreboding. Nothing rushes; the rhythm takes shape gradually, as if conjured by invisible hands. When the drums finally enter, they do so with purpose: grounded, measured, almost ceremonial. Each strike seems to test the air, to gauge how much tension the silence can bear.

Yuri’s voice arrives not as a break in the texture but as an extension of it: textured, human, slightly weathered. His delivery leans inward, carried by reflection rather than declaration. The lyrics trace a spiritual relationship with creation itself, comparing inspiration to wind and storm: unpredictable, renewing, alive. “Music is my rain,” he sings, not to dramatize but to surrender; to show how creativity moves through him rather than from him.

As the song gathers force, it reveals Yuri’s talent for emotional architecture. The guitars grow darker, the percussion thickens, and yet the mix never loses its sense of space. The storm never fully breaks; instead, it circles, swells, and retreats, mirroring the emotional process of holding power just before its release. This restraint gives the track its brilliance, its ability to sustain suspense without collapsing into chaos.

Production-wise, Wind Before the Storm thrives on imperfection. The slight grit in the guitar tone, the organic ring of the cymbals, the gentle bleed between layers; they all feel intentional, part of Yuri’s rebellion against over-polish. It’s a reminder of the human hand behind every note, the breath between phrases. There’s a kind of trust here; in patience, in tension, and in the beauty of what isn’t yet resolved.

By the end, the intensity dissolves into a calm that’s almost sacred. The echo fades, but the feeling lingers, that charged quiet after everything has moved, when the air still vibrates with what just happened. Wind Before the Storm earns its attention, slowly, with gravity and grace. Samuel Yuri finds poetry not only in sound but in the spaces between sounds: the held breath before impact, the moment when creation waits to begin!

Q doesn’t try to win you over, it tries to unnerve you. Built on distorted minimalism, eerie synths, and fractured rhythmic patterns, the song plays like a scrambled transmission from a dream you can’t remember. Vocals drift in like whispers from a broken speaker: disembodied, unreadable, and oddly familiar. It’s disorientation as an aesthetic, and Vorpal leans in hard. There’s no sing-along moment here, just tension that tightens with each second.

This isn’t music meant to please. It’s a sonic act of defiance against streamlined content and predictable patterns. Think dystopia, but internal. Think poetry, but the kind written in static. Think emotion, but filtered through a screen until it flickers.

Vorpal’s genius lies in his ability to transform discomfort into a magnetic force. Q feels like the sound of scrolling endlessly at 2 AM, lost between information and identity, spiraling in and out of clarity. It’s cinematic without a film, deeply intimate yet emotionally distant. And somehow, it sticks with you.

If you’re looking for easy listening, keep moving. But if you’re willing to lean into the weird, Q might just be the track that reminds you how much art can still surprise you.

Now streaming, if you dare! 

The track opens with a warped siren that gives way to a sludgy guitar riff and a vocal that’s part sneer, part lament. “I saw myself today / In the face of another,” Yacovelli sings, setting the tone for a song that’s equal parts confessional and chaotic. There’s a clear influence from early Nirvana, but also flashes of the Pixies and even My Chemical Romance, especially in the final act where the song swells into a darkly dramatic climax.

What makes “Doppelganger” stand out isn’t just the distorted guitars or the punchy percussion, it’s the sense that the whole thing might fall apart at any moment. That volatility feels intentional. The lyrics spiral through themes of self-alienation and moral confusion, echoing a generation raised on both irony and anxiety. There’s something both unsettling and cathartic in watching it unfold.

By the final chorus, the track has transformed from a grungy spiral into something almost apocalyptic, more Carmina Burana than Cobain: It’s messy, theatrical, and emotionally volatile; and that’s exactly why it works!

This is a track for when you’re feeling like a stranger to yourself, and kind of loving it! 

Everyone loves acoustic tracks, right? At our place, we adore Jane N’ The Jungle, and we’ve had the honour of reviewing and interviewing them multiple times. Today, I will be sharing my review of the acoustic rendition of their hit song from 2024, “Life of the Party.” Let’s delve into it.

One word will sum up all the talking; they are highly influenced by Amon Amarth. Even the lyrics talked about the traditional topics of Amon Amarth “Wars and fights to conquer more lands.” If you are a fan of Amon Amarth you will distinguish that easily.

The music also was deeply influenced by Amon Amarth. Their music took me to the land of the Vikings with their strength, wars, fights and gods with ‘Nordic March’ powerful and strong tunes, catchy melodies and attractive solo. The vocals were incredible! They were like the actual screams of Viking warriors. All the lines of the track were highly organized and all the lines were put accurately together. The volume of each was excellent, no line louder than the other or faster, all served in one harmony. I loved the way, which the solo was represented; the melodies of the guitar break them all and force them to take a calm direction. The guitar proudly roared, “I am the king here.”

A final note about the vocals, though, Amr Hossam’s performance with Thorvald hundred times better than his performance with Excimer. This track is definitely a 9 out of 10.

Although Thorvald is still considered as a new band in the scene, it has great expectations with positive feedback from the listeners. They are beginners but they are beginning well. Will we have the Egyptian Amon Amarth and Viking Mythology spread more into our scene? Listen to ‘Nordic March’ and let us know what you think in the comments below.

Edited by: NJ Bakr

The lyrics of the track talks about the final moments before death and life after it. The track starts with perfect oriental riffs; it is similar to some songs heard ion the T.V. I loved the intro and orient essence to it. It brought pictures of our Middle East to mind.

Let’s move to the rest of the track; high harmony between the instruments, the lines are highly arranged and well performed. The solo was also really good. Even more, the oriental elements in the rest of the track were perfectly mixed. The process of recording was good, though sometimes I felt that there were some lines in some parts were higher than others. Most of the vocals were clean with some harsh touches. I have a note concerning the vocals: Mike, you are a good musician and good guitarist and you will have a very good career but you are the perfect vocalist, I’m not talking about your performance but I am talking about your voice itself. However, I do think more training would solve this minor problem. The track is an excellent start for a young talented band. I wish best of luck for Absolution and I give this track 6 out of 10.

Edited by: NJ Bakr

The band released their first album entitled, The Order Of The Black Light. It contained 8 original tracks and they are:

• At The Borders Of Infinity
• When Eternity Dwells In Frost
• Mighty Warrior
• The Order Of The Black Light
• Infernal War
• Nazarean
• Signs Of Horns
• Downfall

You may find some confusion about the genre but you will understand what Hecate meant by Atmospheric Extreme Black Metal. They mixed some depressive riffs and Atmospheric touches with the extreme music. For me, the album was something interesting and attractive; it was very rich. The lyrics of the album talk about anti-cosmos, evil and wars. The Title reflected the lyrical theme. The cover of the album explains the themes of the album; the face is the order of the black light’s warrior, and the chaos represents the evil feelings and coldness. The riffs -all of them- were excellent. I found that there was something special in every track, for example ‘When Eternity Dwells In Frost’, ‘Mighty Warrior’ and ‘The Order Of The Black Light’. They contained some depressive riffs and atmospheric touches. ‘Infernal War’ was the hardest and fastest track in whole album. ‘Nazarean’ and ‘Signs Of Horns’ were familiar to Hecate listeners because they were the first 2 tracks that were released by the band. ‘Downfall’ was the outro of the album. I found great variety of riffs. The vocals were the most attractive thing for me. Great vocals with all meanings of word. Adam is clear evidence that Egypt has great vocalists in its scene. In fact, I didn’t like ‘Nazarean’ and I think it is the weakest track in the album. I give this album about 8 out of 10. If you don’t listen to this album, you will lose a wonderful chance to listen to amazing music.

The Order Of The Black Light is one of the strongest albums that was released in the Egyptian Metal Scene. Different mix of music was added to the local scene, part from the future of the Black Metal shines from Egypt.

Reviewed by: Rana Atef
Edited by: NJ Bakr and Nehal A.Ali

How did the idea of forming a band occur to you?
Was a wish since we were kids in high school, Watched bands back in 1993 when we were so young and were fascinated by the intensity of metal music live shows. So in 99 we formed Crescent but it was under a different name back then.

What was the reason for choosing this name “Crescent”?
It signifies where we come from, amongst the Arabic speaking nations. We had it on our old flags and it even goes back to our ancestors where crescent shaped crowns were worn by different ancient Egyptian gods so basically it shows part of our identity.

What was your biggest challenge?
Finding suitable musicians to fit the role. It doesn’t only come down to being a good musician, it has a lot to do with your character, dedication, time management and willing to prioritize things in your life.

Explain to us the lyrical theme of the band?
The theme lately inclined towards ancient Egyptian history obviously from the songs titles and the cover artwork. We tackle different subjects depending on what we feel and how we reflect on what surrounds us. It can be ambiguous and it can be a very direct message. In some songs it can also be metaphorical; we like to leave the reader to interpret what we say in their own way.

What is the hardest memory you have about you first concert?
None. It went perfectly fine as far as we could remember. We blasted 3 of our early songs and covered Mayhem’s ‘Pagan Fears’.
Tell us the story behind “Pyramids Slave” album.
Took us two and half years of work, we were actually taking it easy. The musical and lyrical milestones of the songs started to shape up until we reached a point where we were satisfied with its final form.
We hit the Studio (Hold Fast Recordings) by Alan Hurley and the recording sessions went extremely smooth. It was amazing working with Alan and we were really fortunate recording our album with him. Simultaneously Akram Fadl one of the most prominent Fine Artists in Egypt honored us with painting the art work which is basically a one meter square oil painting.

How do you see the Egyptian scene nowadays?
Growing indeed. There is a big potential in Egypt’s small scene and it can get bigger for sure, also having an annual event like Metal Blast is an important pillar. We really appreciate how those guys are doing their best to take the scene a step higher with their efforts and hard work. As for the bands they actually got to support each other genuinely to be able to grow bigger and stronger.

Have you got any influence from Egyptian bands?
We were inspired in the 90’s by Osiris. The first Egyptian Melodic Black Metal band that had a record in 1997. They are our friends and the generation that was right before us. They definitely inspired us at that time although our music style is vastly different. The inspiration was more in the sense of having a band, creating your own music and of course incorporating Egyptian themed melodies into your music.

Why did you shift from Black Metal to Blackened Death, and what makes Crescent a special band among Death Metal bands in Egypt?
Expecting a band to sound the same in every record isn’t a very healthy sign of the musician’s maturity. If our sound changed in a good direction then that’s what basically matters.

Why do you think fans compare Crescent to Behemoth?
Maybe because of our hyper fast blast beats and probably some similar Black Metal essence in our riffing. The comparison is certainly a big compliment to us but we always seek our own way to have our own sound.

Tell the readers more facts about your tour in Europe. How did you plan this?
You need to be all ready for something like that. We worked with Flaming Arts Agency and they booked us on the Metal Apocalypse Euro tour opening up for Hirax and of course sharing the stage with Bonded by blood and Nuclear. Touring is an essential experience for any band that considers themselves “serious” and I’m not talking about showing up in one or two shows in 2 countries or so. I’m talking about driving 6000KM yourself in 10 consequent days, on being able to give 100 percent on stage every day, to be sleep deprived in some days and being cooperative with everybody on the tour. It adds a lot to you when you experience different crowds from different countries. It was an amazing experience and we were blessed by having the other bands on this tour, we were literally one big family and their support meant a lot to us. Wonderful people and wonderful positive vibe they gave us. We have had the support also from a very dear friend of mine that without her it would have been very challenging.

What was the feedback you guys received from other bands in Wacken, as you were the first Egyptian band to join this battle?
Positive feedback and big support. Some already knew us from all online mediums and we were pleased how they were actually into what we do!! It felt like an accomplishment on its own. All of the bands that we bumped into were very friendly and easy going people. Felt like we were in the right place since day one.

How did you guys feel representing Egypt in Wacken?
Responsible to deliver our uttermost best show and manifest to the international audience coming from all parts of the world what we are and who we are. 

What is the upcoming stop in Crescent’s career? New albums?
More concerts and gigs and yes of course we have been working on our new material already.

What piece of advice you would like to give to the upcoming generation of musicians?
Originality is a must.

Keep the Metal flame burning!
Thank you for the interview

Edited By: Nehal Ali

“Gorynov released their first recorded track two months ago entitled ‘Divide And Conquer’. This track was performed live twice before its recording and it was represented in one of the videos which the band released on their official YouTube channel.

A lot of points attracted me during listening to the track, so let’s cover them one by one. The first point is the title of the track; ‘Divide And Conquer’ and the story behind it. Divide and conquer is a famous method any enemy used for invading any land, dividing its nation and having the upper hand. It was an excellent choice and an excellent subject to cover it in thrash music. The title, the lyrics and the band’s name, even the music are all on the same line, which the band sought around the war theme. It is happening now nationally and internationally.

The second point is the music. It was good. Every instrument player knew its role and its time, high harmony in music and high power. You will love headbanging on this track, powerful solo guitar, and the dark touches. Every riff reflected its owner’s character so I found a great mixture.

Third point is the riffs. The riffs were not fixed; they changed a lot to attract the listeners as much as possible.
Fourth point is the vocals. The vocals kinda made me confused. Like, really confused! Some parts were supposed to have stronger and higher pitch, however after few times of listening to the tracks I thought they were in excellent harmony in music. The band still has a lot of way to go and definitely more training, but in fact they were much better than before.

I think Gorynov did a good job and I give this track 8 out of 10. The track gained a great success; as it was played in some European Radios playlists.

Edited by: NJ Bakr

This was my first concert to review since, forever! Till now I do have the chills of getting dressed in my black t-shirt, setting up my little blue notebook and black pen, and most importantly the well-known and my personal trademark: The grey vest.

First, let me tell you why it deserved the name “The wicked Friday”:

Our one and only Lina El-Gohary was exposed to bad news as her father passed away two weeks before the concert. We had to ask for a substitute: FotoLigia’s help leaded by the well known concert photographer Tootee Faied, to be stunned by the hurtful news of losing her mother just less than a week before the gig along with my own uncle passing away!

Still not convinced?

Prior to that vocalist Sayed Ragai of Sinprophecy is set to have a knee surgery on the background of a really old moshpit injury.

So simply, put it: Concert VS. Fate!

For those who didn’t realize, the only band that was non-melodic death or doom was Devour. Still they packed in a huge punch to the sleepy, yet music hungry crowd of the day. Electricity was in the air as it’s the summer season opener; it started a bit late as usual along with some organizing issues – thanks for the professionalism, Sawy Culturewheel! – Which made many people even more fed up with this atmosphere.

Stepped in to find Metamorphia finishing up ‘Clouds of Agony’ growled by Zander of Destiny in Chains – tell you what? Chit chats around the arena said there wasn’t a fixed vocalist, that’s why the first track was featuring a new star Ahmed Derbawy or as many of you remember him as “The guy from the audience who sang with Sinprophecy last time they did a concert” or simply “Mokka” again with Zander. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to build a complete judgment for the reasons above, but those are my pointers:

– Sayed Ragai of Sinprophecy featured a track called ‘Roads to perdition’ and ‘Maestro of destruction.’ By: Yory Hatem.

– Derbawi was amazing as he was the dark horse for the whole crowd. Kudos, my boy!

– Zander also was the throat behind ‘Purified’ as well.

– The band – excluding the bassist – are former members in other bands at the same gig.

– Youssef ‘Joe’ the drummer was a real blast machine! And he is the first drummer bigger than his drum set as well.

Up next was the joyful and stunning Devour those who are a mixture of good ol’ bands like Wyvern, Karma, and T.H.E – led by Ragi Akram, they played a set of alternative metal tracks some of them are now well known like ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Scars’ and ‘Freak’ which is mainly dedicated to those who stereotype others and in this state: Metalheads VS. Society. You can check “Freak” through here.

Continuing with their music you feel the same anger vibe you get listening to Breaking Benjamin or Three Days Grace; those old tongues of the youth, people fell in love with each and every second of Devour‘s act, powered up by Omar Assem’s progressive bass lines and Omar Damien’s skilful solos throughout the rest of the orgasmic set:

– Worthless.
– Patronize.
– Ablaze.
– Reflections.

And boys…? We think you should record those tracks.

Familiar growls gathered scattered fans to the arena to attend a feast of melodic death/doom delivered by Sinprophecy opened by an intro linked to ‘Tears of a sinner’… and necks started to fire up. By: Yory Hatem.

Doom-ish atmosphere ruled starting with the next track, which was ‘Farewell bird of prey’, personally I call this track the most spectacular track ever played live by the band EVER! The same grief and power over and over translated in brutal breakdowns back-grounded with well-conducted keyboard tunes, sailing in a neck breaking cloud of doom/death song. I just love it!

The surprise-fanatic band after that play a brand new single ‘The Midnight Walker’, an atmospheric doom track most people didn’t really like as Sayed Ragai literally “sings” in this track which was a bit weird. ‘Roots of Bleak’ came next to treat doom lovers to the limit, once it ended the crowd screamed asking for ‘The Summoning’ and they have got it with a little surprise; Mishmish of Metamorphia was back-vocaling this time! Like –the band- had an agreement to never do the track without outer cooperation. Giving closure to the gloomy night played ‘Spectrum Illusion’ and last but not least ‘You’re The One Who’ll Smile At My Funeral’. And YES, it was intentional to make the set list doom oriented as per the band themselves after the gig.

Speaking of surprises, do you know what does Segadoras mean?
It actually means “Grim Reapers” in Spanish! That will give you an indicator why they looked that way on-stage.

All dressed up in grim reaper’s hood and cloak, the night’s modern melodic death act ruled the stage, jump starting by ‘My existence’ then ‘The ultimate sacrifice’. To stop here and point out some headlines is necessary, as it was plain to who has eyes that the little guy with long hair holding the bass guitar is where he belongs – regardless of lack of movement caused by really tight cloak he wore – this really young guy will go places for him loving his music that much. To the other side of him we had a fresh face called “Leo”, the very silent new live keyboardist of the band.

And of course behind them and leading the band through the track list was Michael Khater one of the oldest drummers in Egypt playing with Karma, Beyond East, and Varden along the road. And by the way Michael had his share of bad luck as he fell off the back of the stage when he was settling over his throne of drums to hurt his knee and having to spray it with spray anesthetic between tracks.

Female vocals are always valuable gems in any band, so we had the chance to behold Lady Rose with the band in a couple of tracks – she was a bit shaky from stage fright; however, she did okay but not to the point that grabs attention.

Along with their signature track ‘The Rise’ joined Gasser, the new oriental voice in the band, glowing better than last time with Segadoras that was a bit unlucky for him. This time he owned the Arabic lines and made it harmonized inside the song. Well done!

Remember the screamer who came side by side with Gasser? All the vocalists acknowledge this monster in this day as “A designated grinde core vocalist”. The name is Scott Tyler, await him

Will the band take my advised and lose the makeup as it looks like corpse paint? No? A’ight!

The main fault – yet power house – that the band plays really complicated and multi-layered melodies but yet they seize to master it onstage, that’s why the audience agreed that for them to really judge they will need to have this music on CD’s. And it was my lucky day to overhear Bahaa’ the band’s vocalist telling someone that they will enter the studio in one month, so here is the news ladies and gentlemen!

Their track list was as follows:

– Ultimate sacrifice.
– The reaping.
– Undefeated.
– The Rise.

Stay very tuned for other gigs this season as we still have more to come and more to review, until we meet folks.

Reviewed by: Ahmed A. Atteya
Photography brought to you by: Lina El Gohary

Edited by: NJ Bakr