BlackenedDeathMetalZine

Clinging To The Trees Of A Forest Fire/Nesseria/Throatruiner Records/2011 Split Review

2012-01-24T13:15:00.000-08:00

This is a review of a split between Denver Colorado's Clinging To the Trees Of A Forest Fire and France's Nesseria which was released by Throatruiner Records and we will start of the review with Clinging To the Trees Of A Forest Fire who plays a mixture of blackened grindcore and filthy sludge.

Drums range from slow, mid apced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beats being thrown into the music, while the bass playing has a very strong and powerful sound to it.

Rhythm guitars combine noisecore, black metal, grindcore and sludge together to creat a sound of their own mixed in with alot of noisy distortion and there are no guitar solos or leads present on this recording.

Vocals are mostly high pitched noisecore/grind screams mixed in with alot of black metal influences, while the lyrics cover dark themes, as for the production it has a very dark,,heavy, raw and primitive sound to it.

In my opinion this is a great improvement from Clinging To The Trees Of A Forest Fore and if you like noisecore mixed with black metal and sludge, you should check out the music on this split. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Opaque" and "Lower Than Life, High As The Sky ". RECOMMENDED.

Next up is Nesseria form France that plays a mixture of black metal, crustcore, noise and hardcore.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beats being thrown into the music, w hile the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine black metal, crust, noise and hardcore together to create their own sound with a good amount of noisy distortion and there are little to no guitar solos or leads present on their side of the recording.

Vocals are all high pitched screams that combine black metal with noisecore, while the lyrics are written in French and cover dark themes, as for the production it has a very dark and heavy sound to it.

In my opinion Nesseria are a very great sounding black metal/crust/noise/hardcore hybrid band with the best music on this split and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Freistadt " and "Fils De La Fin De Siecle". REOMMENDED.

In my opinion this is a very great split album that I would recommend to all fans of black metal, sludge, noise and grindcore. RECOMMENDED BUY.

Omission/Merciless Jaws From Hell/War Productions 2012 Cassette Review

2012-01-14T14:53:00.000-08:00

Omission are a band from Spain that plays a very brutal form of black/thrash metal and this is a review of their album "Merciless Jaws From Hell" which was originallyy released in 2011 but re-issued on Cassete in 2012 by War Productions.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beats being thrown into the music, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast 80's style black/thrash metal riffs that are a very raw and primitive sounding, while the lead guitars are very distorted and chaotic sounding thrash metal guitar solos and leads mixed in with some traditional metal influences.

Vocals are mostly snarling black/thrash screams done 80's styles with some deep growls being thrown in at times as welll as a brief use of rough clean singing mixed in with some thrash gang style chorus, while the lyrics cover hateful and dark themes with an occult edge, as for the production it has a very powerful, heavy, raw and primitive sound to it.

In my opinion Omission are a very great sounding old school black/thrash metal band and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Northmen Wrath" "Fuckin Alone" "Day Of Your Death Arives" and "Ianus Rex Infernorum". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Lycus/Demo MMXI/The Flenser/2011 EP Review

2011-12-31T14:35:00.000-08:00

Lycus are a band from San Francisco< California that plays a mixture of funeral doom, sludge, and black metal and this is a review of their demo "Demo MMXI" which was released by The Flenser.

Drums are mostly slow drumming with not much in the way of fast playing or blast beats except for the last song, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are all slow riffs that combine funeral doom, sludge and black metal together to create their own sound mixed in with some dark and depressive sounding melodies as well as some fast raw and primitive riffing being used on the last song and there are no guitar solos or leads present on this recording.

Vocals are all deep funeral doom/death metal growls with some clean singing chanting being thrown in at times as well as high pitched black metal screams being used on the last song, while the lyrics cover dark and depressive themes, as for the production it has a very dark and powerful sound to it.

In my opinion Lycus are a very good sounding funeral doom/sludge/black metal hybrid and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACK "Aghast". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Rorcol/Solar Flare/2011 CD Split Review

2011-12-13T19:30:00.000-08:00

This is a review of a split album between Switzerlands Recoal and Solar Flare, and we will start out the review with Solar Flore that plays a mixture of doomcore and black metal.

There are no drums or bass guitars presented on the recording, while the noise effects when they are utilized bring a very dark avant garde feeling to the music with somewhat of a black metal feeling to them.

Rhythm guitars are all sludgy and very slow sounding doomcore riffs that show no variety whatsoever with a small amount of clean psychedilic playing and there are no guitar solos or leads present on this recording.

Rorcal only make an appearnace on the last song with some noisy sounding black metal that contains alot of high pitched black metal screams, and heavy bass lines that are very sludgy sounding.

In my opinion Solar Flame are a very good sounding blackened/doomcore band and if you are a fan of this style, you should check this band out. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Outaspace" and "La Rounde Souls". RECEMMMONDED BUY.

Toxic Holocaust Interview

2011-11-17T15:27:00.001-08:00

1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
Right now I'm taking a break from packing for our upcoming European tour. We have a lot of shows coming up in Scandinavia, Europe and the UK, not to mention a U.S. tour with the English Dogs.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and how it differs from previous releases?
A lot of people have mentioned that its a lot more aggressive and in your face. I think it is varied a bit more than previous records, I tried to incorporate a few different tempos and song structure ideas on this one.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new release?
Lyrical topics range from ancient and historical occult topics such as Necromancy, Witchcraft etc. I wanted the lyrics to be a lot darker on this one.

4. Out off all of the shows and tours that the band has done so far which one did you enjoy the most?
Actually the last show we played in L.A. was the biggest and the craziest of the whole tour. It was a great way to end the tour.

5. What are the touring plans for the new release?
We have a lot of touring plans actually, some I can mention some are still in the works. First up though is our Scandinavia/Euro/UK tour. We'll be over there for 6 weeks, take a couple weeks off then do something cool in January that I can't mention yet and then a U.S. tour with the English Dogs.

6. On a worldwide level how has the new album been received by underground metal fans?
It seems to be doing really well, getting good reviews and good press. There's always the shit talkers, but that's the nature of the beast. Can't please everyone, nor do I want to.

7. Have you received any backlash for being a younger person going for this music style, since your music is rooted in the 80's and a lot of metal heads from that era look down upon the younger generation?
Not so much anymore. I think that all died down because those people realized I was doing it from the heart. I mean I've been doing the same thing since I've been in high school. haha

8. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
Hard to say, it won't be the same as Conjure because I don't like to make the same record twice, but I will still sound like us. I never like to give the fans a curve ball too much where they feel cheated.

9. You have been on Relapse for a few years, how would you describe the support that they have given you so far?
Relapse has been truly amazing so far. I couldn't have asked for a better label.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced the sound of the new album and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Venom, Sodom, Slayer and Bathory come to mind for shaping the sound of the band. New records and bands are anything from bands like Nocturnal, Midnight, Vomitor etc.

11. Outside of music what are some of your interests?
I like reading, building electronics like guitar amps and pedals...ya know nerdy shit. I don't usually have much time for anything outside of the band though.

12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Thanks for the support. Keep metal nuclear.

Infest Interview

2011-11-02T14:23:00.000-07:00

1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

Regards!
Well, we just came back from a tour (Serbia, Macedonia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic), and now we need to book more dates for winter tour. New members joined the band, so even our album has been released few months ago, new songs and ideas are growing every day, so we are practicing and making some new stuff…

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and how it differs from previous releases?

New album sounds a little bit different from our past two albums, but it’s not some changing of style, it’s just that we all made a progress in musical way, so riffs are maybe complicated than on the past two. I think that spirit of Infest sound still strikes with the same energy, and maybe a little bit stronger.
Production also made a big progress here, regarded by Honza Kapak (Hellsound studio) , who produced this album.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new album?

Lyrics on new album are influenced by everything that surrounds me, and what make me so pissed off, and it’s so obviously that lot of things are not as they supposed to be here. Faith manipulation, politics, terror across the land, corruption on every corner…and many many more….

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

Meaning of a word Infest is when something is devastated, choked… We are playing aggressive music, and I think that this name really fits well in a whole thing. There is couple of band named Infest also, but we are here since 2002-03, so I don’t have in mind changing a name or stuff.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

One of the best shows ever was in Macedonia last year, but after this tour that we had, it’s really hard to choose the best show, because all of them have some message and some good atmosphere that give us straight to strike with new albums, shows and stuff…People accepted new album very well, so this tour we did was amazing for the same reason, because people knew the lyrics and it give really special effect to gigs .Our stage performance comes from itself, it’s just what we are, we show it on the stage. No fakeness, no compromises…only real death/thrash metal madness.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the new release?

Touring is very important to me, so I book concerts everywhere I can, and play a lot.
We have finished our GENOCIDE OVER EUROPE TOUR, and now booking has already began for some new shows.
We have in plan to tour with our brothers from The Stone in February, and in March we have some plans for Sweden shows, but It takes a lot of things to make before, so I will wait until we finish all the stuff, and then I will announce it …

7.Currently you are singed to Grom Records, how did you get in contact with this label and how would you compare it to your old label?
Milan is my very good friend, and we know each other for years. We don’t have such a label-band relation, it’s more like brotherhood. He understands all band problem with promotion, touring and stuff, so we have all the help we need by his side, and also from other 3 labels. (Butchered records, Zero Budget, Terror blast). Organization of some shows across the Balkan, printing flayers, picks and stuff...It’s just a small part of what he did for us.
We are in good relation with the old label, and that’s the main reason why we united 4 labels to release this album. As I said, brotherhood, not label-band relation.

8. On a worldwide level how has your new album been recieved by fans of black, death and thrash metal?

I received a lot of e mails from almost every part of the world, so i think that we still need some more time to let the people hear this album , and also to find our band. Distribution of new album is very very big, so I think that 8/10 is the right relation.

9. I know that in the past the band members participated in many other band is that still going on these days?
Zombi has a big portfolio behind.He played in The Stone, May Result, and still plays in Simargal & Vehementer, but Infest is his main occupation.Khil plays in his origin band Svargren, and Tyrrant is playing in Soul in Cage.I had to left all the other bands I’ve been involed in, because i have a lot of work to do with Infest.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Music that I mostly listen to is death metal from early days, and also black/thrash metal from early period.I am not a big fan of new kinds of metal that is „popular“ these days.Very old school, agressive and quality stuff from bay area, Swedish death metal and that kind of stuff is my favorite, and its the same with the other guys from a band.We are all influenced by that kind of stuff, but mostly from a bands Iron Maiden, Dismember, Unleashed, Slayer, old Sepultura, Sadus, Sodom...

11.Outside of music what are some of your interests?
Oh , its hard to say for everyone, but I practise wing chun kung fu, and I am football fan, so I visit games and stuff.For the rest of the guys, you’ll have to ask them J

12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Thanks a lot for your interview, it was a pleasure to answer your questions!
Best regards to your zine, and regards to all our fans and supporters world wide!
You guys rule!
666
Vandal & Infest

Gods Tower/The Eerie/MetalAgen/1997 CD Review

2011-10-31T16:15:00.000-07:00

Gods Tower are a band from Belarus that plays a mixture of black, doom and pagan metal and this is a review of their 1997 album "The Eearie" which was released by MetalAgen Records.

Drums range from slow to mid paced drumming with not much in the way of fast playing or blast beats with some percussion being thrown in at times, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at tmes they sound very powerful, as for the keyboards they bring a very dark and atmospheric feeling to the music, in addition there is a brief use of violins that bring a very dark and poetic feeling to the music.

Rhythm guitars are slow to mid paced riffs that combine doom, black, and pagan metal together and they utile alot of melodic riffing, while the lead guitars are very dark and melodic sounding guitar solos and leads, as for the accoustic and classical guitars when they are utilized they use finger picking and full chords to bring a folk music feeling to the music.

Vocals range from clean singing, raspy vocals, deep death metal growls and high pitched black metal screams and there are some spoken word passages being utilezed briefly , while the lyrics cover paganism and Battlefields, as for the production it has a very dark, raw, heavy and powerful sound.

In my opinion this was a great album from Gods Tower that mixed black, doom, pagan and melodic metal together and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band and album. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Regn Of Silence" and "Till Death Do Us Part". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Deathwitch/Momumetal Mutilations/Necropolis Records/1999 CD Review

2011-10-31T15:07:00.000-07:00

Deathwitch where a band from Sweden that played a mixture of black, death and thrash metal and this is a review of their 1999 album "Monumental Mutilations" which was released by Necropolis Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beats being thrown in, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that are very raw and primitive sounding and combine black, death, and thrash metal together, while the lead guitars are very raw and primitve sounding black/death metal guitar solos and present that have a mid 80's to early 90's feeling to them.

Vocals are a mixture of black/thrash growls mixed in with some deep death metal growls, while the lyrics cover Satanism, Occultism, Withcraft, Necromancy and Anti Christianity with a more primitive approach to the topics, as for the production it has a very raw and primitive sound to it.

In my opinion Deathwitch where a very great sounding raw and primitive black/death/thrash metal band and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS ICLUDE "Demonic Witch" "Jehova Shall Bleed" "The Rite Of Darkness" and "Necromancer". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Infest/Everlasting Genocide/Grom Records/2011 CD Review

2011-10-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

Infest are a band from Serbia that plays a very blackened form of death/thrash metal and this is a review of their 2011 album "Everlasting Genocide" which was released by Grom Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beats being thrown in, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine death and thrash metal with black metal with the intro having some weird sounding clean playing in addition there are some dark melodies being utilized, while the lead guitars are very chaotic sounding death metal guitar solos and leads that utilizes some melodies.

Vocals are mostly deep death metal growls mixed in with some angry shouts and some high pitched screams being used on the last song, while the lyrics cover hateful and conspiracy themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful, heavy and professional sound.

In my opinion Infest are a very good sounding blackened death/thrash hybid and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Upon The Suffering" "Deaththrash Sodomy" "Everlasting Genocide" and "Screaming In Butchery". RECEMMONDED BUY.

oVo Interview

2011-10-23T21:55:00.001-07:00

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

We started a bit more than 10 years ago, as a total improv-chaos band. We’re a duo since 2002, and since then our music started to be more and more organized. We’re a touring machine, we played about 700 shows since the end of 2000, mostly in North America and Europe, but also in Israel and Mexico . We released 6 albums (3 on my label Bar La Muerte , 2 on Load, 1 on Supernatural Cat), and a lot of split, collaboration and remix albums too. Stefania Pedretti sings and plays guitar and bass, I’m Bruno Dorella and I play half a drum set (floor tom, snare, ride).

2. How would you describe your musical sound?

We notice that our music is still described as very hard to file and “not for everybody”, which is surprising for us. We think it’s pretty simple and structured. It’s heavy, with a touch of weirdness. Definitely not like anything else you can find around though. It’s somewhere between sludge, noiserock and noise. We sound “minimal” cause we’re just two, and I only play this little drum set. But we found a way to still sound pretty powerful.

3. What are some of the lyrical themes that you try to ring out with your music?

Stefania’s lyrics have no meanings in any language. Which doesn’t mean they have no meaning to her. The themes often regards our political and esthetical ideas, but we prefer to keep them a bit secret, or at least not too obvious. Some of the titles regard very personal matters. It’s because our music really comes out from our guts and hidden body parts, more than from our brains… After many years this non-language that Stefania uses almost became a language. It’s how it worked in the early days. Stefania developed a way of communication.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the band's name?

It’s palindrome, and, when you write it, it can look like a lot of different things: a face, two bodies hand in hand, an owl… this is very much our kind of approach to the words “meaning “ and “message” behind OvO. There are lots of potential meanings. But people have to take their time to make them up. Which is not obvious at all in this beginning of the century, when nothing is considered but superficially.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

We’re definitely a live band, when you see HOW we play our music, you understand a lot more about the records, too. I remember the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco as one of the most incredible venues we played at, and Supersonic in Birmingham (UK), as one of the coolest and best organized festivals. But we love to play in exotic countries, and we’ll never forget Turkey , Mexico , Israel . We like to play in Russia , too, everything is really different there. A totally different mentality, very fascinating.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the new releases?

Oh, yeah! We’re touring Europe in April, then the UK and Ireland (and a festival in Romania !) in May, and hopefully the US in October.

7. On a worldwide level how has your music been received by extreme/underground music fans?

We are quite respected in the noise scene and in the most enlightened squatters scene. Now, being on Supernatural Cat and dealing with the metal scene as well, we have a quite interesting challenge. Heavy metal is one of the genres that had more evolution in the last years, but at the same the metal audience goes to very open minded to very narrow minded attitudes. We’re already noticing many more metal kids and metal t-shirts at our shows, but we know we won’t have the whole scene on our side.

8. Are there any other projects besides this band or is this a full time line-up?

Stefania has a solo act called ?Alos , from what I know it’s the first anarcho pagan queer doom project ever, She’s also a graphic artist and a performer. I play with the instrumental band Ronin, and with a duo called Bachi Da Pietra (in Italian). I run a small record label called Bar La Muerte , too.

9. What direction do you see the music heading into in the future?

You mean music in general? Wow, this is hard to tell. The digital revolution brought a big change, which kind of killed the business, which is not necessarily a bad thing… But it’s definitely hard to keep on being a musician or a label owner nowadays. The solutions will probably be unexpected. But there’s still a lot of great music around. This won’t change. It will be different than in the past, but it won’t change.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music, and lso what are you listening to nowadays?

I think that electronic music is the most interesting evolution at the moment. Breakcore, dubstep, extreme electronics, you can find very inspiring stuff, and lots of ex-rockers are now playing these kinds of music, bringing a sort of “touch” that other rockers can get and appreciate. Lately, I was shocked by the live performance of King Midas Sound. You don’t get that wall of sound with rock instruments, no matter how loud you play. I listen to a lot of early music, you know, Gregorian chants and so on. African music, too. We both like Earth, Neurosis, Wolves in the Throne Room, Dark Castle …

11. Does Occultism play any role in the music?

We’re fascinated by it, especially Stefania. But we’re too anarchists too belong to any branch of it. And we’re skeptical when it regards heavy metal bands, as for a lot of them it’s just a necessary complement for their music. But we’re definitely interested in Occultism and I’m personally interested in the history of religions, from a non-religious point of view.

12. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?

We don’t have much free time out of our music and the other activities described before. When we’re not working on OvO we’re working on our other bands, or Stefania is doing workshops, drawing, or taking part to queer or political activities. I work a lot on my label too. I can’t even remember when we took our last vacations…

13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

We recommend to go to www.supernaturalcat.com and listen to the album streaming, and get the deluxe edition of the album, an incredible piece of art with silkscreened cover and poster by Malleus, red or black vinyl, cd, live dvd, postcards with original drawings by Stefania, only 300 copies. And thanx for not having asked about Percy Shelley…

oVo/Cor Codium/Supernatural Cat Records/2011 CD Review

2011-10-21T14:02:00.001-07:00

oVo are a band that mixes noise, experimental music, black and doom metal together and this is a review of their 2011 album "Cor Codium" which will be released by Supenatural Cat Records.

Drums are mostly slow playing with only the ocassional fast drumming and there are no blast beats present on the recording, while the moise effects are very avant garde and experimental sounding, as for the bass playing it has a very strong, distorted and powerful sound with some slow and noisy playing.

Rhythm guitars are very slow and primitive doomy/drone/noise riffs that speed up to a punk level at times mixed in with alot of weird distorted sounds and there are little to no guitar solos or leads present on the recording.

Vocals are a mixture of high pitched noisecore and black metal screams with some ocassional clean signing vocals, while the lyrics pay homage to Percy Sheely a poet from the 19th century with a touch of Gothic horror and the songs are written in a mixture of English and another langauge which I cant tell what it is, as for the production it has a very dark and raw feel to it.

In my opinion oVo are a very good experimental band that mixes noise, avant garde, punk, doom and black metal together, and if you are looking for something original, you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Nosferatu" "Orcus" "Smelling Death Around" and "la Bestia". RECEMMONDD BUY.

The Way Of Purity Interview

2011-10-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard you before?
-We hate standard presentation, biography and introduction and we are not a band...We are a project, where around 15 people
can express theirselves with their own art and ideas. Some people play instruments and write the songs (me,Deathwish, WAD
ecc), other people like Steve J. Drakos, Susi Medusa Gottardi, Rhett P., Antisocial studio take care of the visual message,
Christian Donaldson and Jeffrey handle the technical part ecc...As long as you support us we will consider you part of the
project. We are not that kind of band that goes to reharsal room on Sunday evening making sure that piercing and haircut
are perfect ...Fuck that. We all live in different places around Europe and we don't fucking care to be called "Band". This
is a very bad word nowadays because most of the "bands" cannot really play instruments or don't really produce albums.
We have done a 50 gigs tour and people asked us, "where is this" , "where is that"...What? Where is What? We have no faces,
we have no names, we swap instuments, we don't fucking care to label ourselves as "Bassist", "Drummer" ecc ecc...But we
play music before thinking of other crappy things. We are here for a message, for a mission...Fuck the band. It is about
de-personalizing the people, suppressing individuality and egos in order to push the message forward.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?
-Well, i wrote the album so maybe I am the right one to describe it. I was in a black metal band in 91, I have hardcore
attitude and I am big fan of New Wave...Maybe our album is a combination of these things. Black Metal riffs, played with
hardcore attidude heavily influenced by new wave. We try to transfer to people our visions and our music could be described
like that...A mix of visionary creativity and convulse ideas.

3. What is the meaning behind the band's name?
-The meaning behind The Way Of Purity is painful. The Way Of Purity is the sacrifice that every man should do to keep his
own integrity alive. Life is a way, a quite long way when it comes to integrity, honesty, friendship, beliefs, marriage
because everyday we have to give proof of our integrity in front of temptations. For most of the people is really hard not
to betray their friends or partner, it is really hard to only eat vegetables, it is hard being 100% honest in front of
interests...Well, I guess you understand what I mean. The Way Of Purity is the way that ONLY FEW can understand and only
few can "walk on". For all the people that betray, say lies, only think about sex or surface we are the fucking painful
mirror. That's why we take 100% of our inspiration (in life and music) from animals...They never fail when it comes to
integrity.

4. How would you describe the lyrical content of the music?

-Our lyrics are about this above described concept. The whole message is about this. our Lyrics reflect the reality we live
in and can be described as a true and concrete message. we’re here to bring the animals’ message to liars, weak
individuals, prostitutes, drug addicts, nymphomaniacs and many more.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
-The best shwow we played is for sure in Timisoara (Romania). This was is Daos club, the club of Negura Bunget's Ageru
Pamantului. People were really into our show and I loved it. It was a really important moment because I am really friend
with Ageru and this was the first day of his club...I felt it in my heart.
Our show is like scary...This is what people say...we are really into what we do and every note we play is like the
universe...The totality. We alternate moments or real violence to deep and emotional patterns. We try to push our
perfomance at the real physical limits. It's quite hard.

6. I have read somewhere that one of the older members commited suicide, what was it that motivated you to keep the band
going after such a tragic loss?
-When a person commits suicide, everyone is affected. Family members, friends, bandmates, neighbors, and sometimes people
might experience feelings of grief, confusion, guilt and the sense that if only they had done something differently, the
suicide could have been prevented. With Betty was different.
The reasons behind Betty's suicide are really complex. It can't be hard to remember how it felt to be sick, caught in a
gray area between Christ and Satan, good and Evil. For Betty it was a period of great confusion and anxiety. She was
fighting to choose between EVIL and GOOD. "If Betty had an adequate religious affiliation may have an outlet to deal with
everyday frustrations..."
Bullshit, Betty committed Suicide in the name of her religion.
People say, to justify: "Betty had a psychological disorder, especially depression, bipolar disorder, and alcohol and drug
use (in fact, we all think that heroine played a role at the time of death)."
Bullshit, Betty only used heroine to meet her lord (don't know if Christ, Satan, Cross or whatever)...
She was serious in findind her way. "The reaction was possible in having found the band and having recorded the album...
She didn't had the power to wait the album release and see people reaction on her communication commitment and she tought
she failed." Bullshit, she committed suicide to show people that you can die for something and that you can be so strong to
face the death as the other side of the same coin. We are still here to bring you all her message of desperation and hi
level inspiration. The film is her story, please watch it, please listen to her songs and read her lyrics...
This is the only way to give Betty the vengeance she asked for. Betty is alive, Betty will be alive forever.
A Passage through the purity of pain.

7. You are still kind of a new band, but how has the reception been to your music from metal fans worldwide?
-We don't care...We are not here for fans. We don't really care of what people think about our music. We are here for a
message, so we care about people that write us and tell us that they are with us and they will fight with us keeping away
from politics, religions and shit like that. Of course we read all the messages we receive and we answer to everybody. Most
of the people try to support and encourage us. There are some some people who talk shit about us of course and we have fun
out of this. We don't really like the people that try to label us...People don't care anymore about labels. People MUST
HAVE concrete examples to choose their true way.

8. Do you have any plans to tour the U.S?
-we only work with people we like so if someone true that is really into our project we'll offer us an american tour we
will do it. Everyone that supports our message can offer us something, otherwise...Nothing...We don't tour to play concerts
and have fun. Our live set is something deeper to us.

9. What direction do you see the music heading into onfuture releases?
-I am trying to write some new songs now and some ideas are really interesting. I like the slow stuff that is coming out
and evolving in me. I think that the new album will be much more oriented in a doomcore direction but I want to be really
sure that I love what I am writing, so at the moment this is the only thing I can say. We will change ... will always
change so don't expect a copy of "Crosscore"...This is for sure.

10. Wh at are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and what are you listening to nowadays?
-Christian Death (first 2 albums) is our main influence. We like Sister Of Mercy, The Cure, Neurosis, Converge, The Pixies,
Scarlet, Botch, Morning Again, Unholy, Marduk, Darkthrone, Immortal, Sonic Youth... I think they influenced us a lot.
Nowadays I am listening to Ragnarok from Norway, Negura Bunget, Absu from USA, Opera IX old albums...I got these cds from
them. They are really good friends and I listen to their music.

11. What are some of your interests outside of music?
-I love animals and specially dogs. My biggest hobby is to go out with my dog and play with him.
I help animals during my spare time with donations, direct action ecc.
I like fast cars so I really try to talk to people that have the same passion. I go out with my car and I try to find
places where I can go really fast. Myabe one day this hobby will kill me. For sure, at the moment, I am losing my driving
licence. I love horror movies so I watch a lot of them at home with my wife. Last interest is cooking, but I am not good in
that and everytime I try some shitty food comes out...unfortunatly.

12. Any final words or thoughts?
-We remove vanity and unnecessary self-importance. We remove labels for the One who cannot be named. Nobility, self-
sacrifice, denial of ego.

The Way Of Purity/Crosscore/WormHoleDeathRecords/2010 CD Review

2011-10-19T17:11:00.001-07:00

The Way Of Purity are a band from Sweden that mixes black metal, doom metal, death metal, grindcore and metalcore together to create their own style and this is a review of their 2010 album "Crosscore" which was released by WormHoleDeath Records.

Drums alternate between slow drumming with some fast playing and brutal blast beats, while the bass playing has a dark tone that follows the riffs coming out of the guitars, as for the synths when they are utilized they are only there to give the music a more darker or distorted sound.

Rhythm guitars take alot of influences from many different style's of metal, with the slower riffs mixing doom metal and metalcore together, while the faster riffing mixes black metal and death metal together, and there are little to no lead guitars on the album.

Vocals are mostly high pitched screams mixed in with some deep growls as well as clean female vocals, while the lyrics cover some nature and religous themes with alot of anger and cussing throughout the album, as for the production on this recording it has a very heavy yet professional sound that captures all of the instruments.

In my opinion The Way Of Purity are very original sounding and while there music has some influences from some music styles that I dont really follow meaning the metalcore influences I still feel there music is very good when they concetrate on their darker style. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Anchored To Suffocation" "Sinner" "Deathwish" which is a Christian Death cover and "Burst". RECOMMENDED BAND.

The Year of No Light/Asserwelt/Conspiracy Records/2010 CDD Review

2011-10-18T18:32:00.001-07:00

The Year Of No Light are a band from France that mixes shoegaze, sludge, drone, doom metal and black metal together together and this is a review of their 2010 album "Asserwelt" which was released by Conspiracy Records.

Drums are mostly slow drumming with some midpaced parts that dont use any fast playing or brutal blast beats except for maybe the last song with alot of ambient sounding effects being used, while the bass playing has a dark sound to it with some slower riffs.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow doom metal riffs that have a slight ambient black metal feel to them mixed in with some shoegaze elements, while the lead guitars are very droned out slow sounding guitar solos that have a depressive feel to them.

There are no vocals or lyrics on this album it is all instrumental and the production has a very dark, raw but still professional sound.

In my opinion The Year Of No Light are a very good band that would appeal to the more open minded fans of black metal, and doom metal, if you are a fan of drone, you should enjoy this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Peresphone I" and "Abbesse". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Fester interview

2011-10-14T14:18:00.001-07:00

1. Can you give us an update on what happened to the band members after the break up?

The period after the break up was quit difficult for all members..Having played together for some many years, it becomes a vacume in life when it all suddenly ends.. Jørgen was getting real sick at the time. It was much drugs and alcohol, and in the end he couldnt cope with it, and finally died. Jan Helge and I founded famillies, and because of that music was put on hold for a couple of years.. Rolf TOmmy was also getting sick at the time of the split , and he has sady enough, never recovered from his illnesses.. I started up a band called Sincera 9 years ago, in the good old vain, and we will also see an album later this year ..Thats like a long story short, eh ?

2. I have read recently that you have reformed, what was the cause of the split up and what made you decide to reform the band?

The split up was mainly caused by a couple of the members illnesses, and a bit due to Rolf Tommy wanting to go a different direction music wise. I have , personally, always said that I will make music ONLY when it comes naturally. When the creaticity pounds in my vains, and it just flows, if you know what I meen ? I have never made music just to make music, or making music to sound like this or that because of a hype or anything. When all the shit happened with the band some of the spirit just died. When all this was back ( creativity and spirit..), it was time to call for a ressurection.. A festering ressurection so to speak.. Thomas Andresen ( Algol/Sincera/ Deathseeker) has joined as a permanent member on vox. I am the only guitarist at the moment, Jontho ( Ragnarok) will session the drums on the new album, and Jon (Kampfar) will session bass.

3. How would you describe the musical sound of the current material and how it differs from the previous recordings?

It's a bit different to describe.. As said, I just make out what comes into my mind and hands, but some people says it's darker and colder.., Just a few has heard some out takes, but all claims that you can truly hear that it's FESTER, just almost 20 years later! Still midpaced or slow...Still melancolic and mystic.. Still a harsh and mean vocal.. Mayby some riffs are even more inspired by the old school, that being heavy metal or early Bm.. I dont know..

4. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects that you have explored with your music?

I can tell you a bit from the new tunes ? Old rituals, war, revenge, norse mythology, depression ... The lyrics, I would say, hasnt changed all that much. The themes evolves the same issues as before.. Mayby a bit harsher than on "Silence" though.. , and we have felt that the lyrics really has to fit the feel of each tune, and I think we have done this good for these new tracks.

5. What was the meaning and inspiration behind the band name?

It was Anders Oddin "Cadaver" who came up with the name, and drew the first logo.. Sounding more old school than most Norwegian bands at the time ( rise of the second wave of BM ), and sounding more Dm, I think it was a suitable name. We liked the feel, and the meaning, of men shit FESTEing our minds... Just to have said it; It has nothing to do with a surten uncle..

6. What where some of the best shows that the band has played and how would you describe your stage performance?

Our stage performances were never anything special.. He he.. We just stood there banging and playing hard music.. We did some blood spilling in some shows, but all in all never something special. I thing our best show was in Bergen in 93 with amo Taake. That was a bad ass show actually ! It was some big candles and stuff on stage, and I was more in movement so to speak, than in most shows, and the candlestakes , some amps and stuff got wrecked..

7. I noticed that when you came out in the 90s you had a sound that was a lot more different than most bands in Norway, how did the scene out there react to your musical sound?

As you might understand, it wasnt all that easy.. As you say, we sounded a lot more different than most uprising bands at the moment, and the scene was all about Bm.. I feel that we never got the recognition that we deserved, because of the mentioned reasons, but we never got hassled either , because I was a part of the scene evolving Helvete and Euronymous . AND we never gave a fuck what people ment or said ! We made music mainly to fullfill our dark thoughts and feelings.. not others. If people like it, thats of course cool, but rather 2 people lovong it, than 1000 people thinking it sounds OK..

8. Currently Abyss Records has re-issuedsome of your older albms, are you happy with the way the re-issues came out?\

Yeah ! Both the label and the artists has done a great job ! On " Winter of sin " we just made som small adjustments on the front cover and back, but all art inside is new. On the " Silence " re-issue, we did the whole thing new . I think they are really wordy re-releases, and the fact that "Wos" has been out of print for over 15 years, and I thpought it was about time people can get their hands on these releases without either downloading them on Rapidshit , or paying their asses off on E bay. The demo compilation that was releases last summer was smashing too .. Real old school cut and paste, out it sounds like freakin 92 !! Kyrck did a real good job with that one

9. What where some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music, and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Growing up with Heavy Metal and Thrash, one may hear lots of elements from these styles in our music, but of course darker stuff as well.. If I were to pick out some bands I would say : Early Sepultura, 1. Darkthrone, Celic Frost, Hellhammer, 1. Mötley Crüe(..), Kreator, King Diamond/Merciful Fate, early Metallica, Pestilence... Today I listen mainly to melancolic and dark music. Nostalgic as I am, I prefer old school Black and Death, but I can also put on Led Zeppelin , Black Sabbath or a syphony for that matter.

10. What role did Occultism play in the music and how would you describe your views on this topic?

I read, and still read. It has never been FESTER's most important inspiration though. That has been, and will always be the dark inner self. As for the topic I can qoute Crowley : Do as thou willt.......

11. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?

Being a responsible adult with familly... Ha ha, There are not much time besides work and them, but I enjoy reading, history, music, drawing, painting and being with friends and familly.

12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Thanx alot for the interview, and your questions. Do buy our new re-releases, and check out the new album that will be out late this year on Abyss.... Meanwhile you might also check out the side project Sincera. Play loud and stay proud !!!!

Fester/Silence/Abyss Records/2011 CD Re-Issue Review

2011-10-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

Fester where a band from Norway that played a mixture of black, doom, and death metal that recently had their other album reviewed in this zine and this is a review of their 1995 album which was recently re-issued by Abyss Records in 2011.

Drums range from slow to midpaced drumming with not much in the ways of fast playing or blast beats, while the keyboards when they are utilized bring a dark sound to the music with overdominating, as for the bass playing it has a very strong and powerful tone with some progressive sounding metal riffing.

Rhythm guitars range from slow to midpaced riffs that combine death, black and doom metal together with a great amount of rtaditional metal influences with some thrash style riffing being used on one song and melody, while the lead guitars are very melodic and progressive sounding metal guitar solos, as for the accoustic guiars whwen they are utilized they use finger picking and full chords to add a more dark, tragic and progressive sound to the music.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams mixd in with some grim sounding whispered vocals and on a couple of songs there are some spoken word passages, while the lyrics cover ddark and depessive themes that hace somewhat a feel of a classic gothic novel with some nuture orientated lyrics being added in, as for the production it sounds very dark and somewhat raw but still professional enough to the point where you can hear all of the musical instruments.

In my opinion this was a great album from Fester and while it is more melodic and experimental than the previous release, I still thought this was a good well put together album, if you are looking for something that was very different sounding even for the 90's, you should check out this recording. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Silent Is The Raven" "Voces From The Wood" "My World Of Thoughts" and "Precaution". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Tocxic Holocaust/Conjure And Command/Relapse Records/2011 CD Review

2011-10-10T15:10:00.000-07:00

Toxic Holocaust are a band from Oregon that plays a mixture of black, thrash and speed metal together with some punk influences thrown in and this is a review of their 2011 album "Conjure And Command" which was released by Relapse Records.

Drums range from slow, midpaced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beats being thrown in at times, while the bass playing has a very strong and powerful tone with some heavy riffing being thrown in.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, midpaced to fast riffing that combines black, thrash, speed metal and punk together bring ing back the 80's sound but adding a more modern toch to it, while the lead guitars are very chaotic and melodic sounding guitar solos and leads.

Vocals are mostly black/thrash sounding growls and screams, while the lyrics cover dark, satanic and hateful themes, as for the prodction it has a very 80's style of production to it while still being professional at the same time.

In my opinion Toxic Holocaust are a good black/thrash band and if you are a fan of this band, you should enjoy this recording. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Judgement Awaits You" "I Am Disease" "The Liars Are Burning" and "Revelations". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Fester/Winter Of Sin/Abyss Records/2010 CD Re-Issue Review

2011-10-07T15:09:00.001-07:00

Fester where a band from Norway that mixed black,death, and doom metal together and this is a review of their 2010 Re-Issue Of "Winter Of Sin" which was originally released in 1992.

Drums are mostly slow to midpaced with some fast playing and the ocassional blast beats, while the bass playing has a very dark sound with some morbid sounding bass rhythms, as for the synths which are only utilized briefly on one song, they are only there to add another dimension of dark atmosphere.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow to midpaced riffs that combine doom and death metal together that speed up at times with ocassional thrashy riffing and at times there are some touches of soft playing but that on a constant basis, while the lead guitars are very depressing sounding doom/death guitar solos that have alot of skill and talent to them.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams and some deep death metal growls with some ocassional spoken word passages, while the lyrics cover winter, anti-christianity and occultism, as for the production it has avery raw,dark feel to it but still giving all of the musical instruments a great sound.

In my opinion this was a classic album from an underrated band, I remember buying this album years ago and it is good that Abyss Records decided this re-issue this classic recording, if you are a fan of the early 90's classic black/doom/death sound, you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Winter Of Sin" "The Ancient Gods Wore Black" "Liberation" and "The Comminents That Shattered". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Livarkahil/Signs Of Decay/Listenable Records/2011 CD Review

2011-09-23T00:13:00.000-07:00

Livarkhal are a band from France that plays a very blackened form of death metal and this is a review of their 2011 album "Signs Of Decay" which was released by Listenable Records.

Drums range from slow, midpaced to fast drumming with alot of brutal sounding blast beats being thrown in, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, midpaced to fast blackened death metal riffing that is very technical at times and has somewhat a metalcore element in the riffing, while the lead guitars are very technical and melodic sounding death metal guitar solos and leads, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized briefly they use finger picking to bring a middle eastern feeling to the music.

Vocals are mostly deep death metal growls, with some clean singing and hardcore style shouts as well as some spoken word parts, while the lyrics cover occultism, anti christianity and hateful topics, as for the production it has a very powerful, heavy and professional sound to it.

In my opinion Livarkahil are a very good blackened death metal band with a metalcore edge and if you are a fan of this style, you should cgeck out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "When Hell Is Near" "Art Of Bleeding" "Above All Hatred" and "Heaven Shall Fall". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Excommunicated/Bone Fragments/2011 Digital Ep Review

2011-09-22T22:06:00.000-07:00

Excommunicated are a band from Lousiana that has had their previous album reviewed as well as being intereviewed by this zine that plays a very blackened form of death metal and this is a review of their 2011 digital e.p "Bone Fragments" which consists of songs that where recorded during the album recording with some demos and rough mixes.

Drums range from slow, midpaced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beats being thrown in as well as some druum programming being used on the remix that gives the musical an industrial feel, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times times they have a very powerful sound to them, as for the keyboards which are rarely utilized they add another dimension of darkness to the music.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, midpaced to fast dark blackened death metal riffs, while the lead guitars are very distorted sounding black/death metal guitar leads and solos and at times they have a melodic sound to them.

Vocals are mostly deep death metal growls mixed in with some high pitched black metal screams with one song having some rough sounding clean singing on it as well as some spoken word samples, while the lyrics are very anti christian and catholic with a satanic edge to them, as for the production it has a very dark and raw sound to it.

In my opinion while I prefer the full length from Excommunicated over this ep, I still feel this is a good recording and if you are a fan of this band, you will not be dissapointed. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "When Death Claims Its Most Righteous Dead" "The Abondonment Of All Hope" and "The Vatican Orgies". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Salem Interview

2011-09-07T14:15:00.001-07:00

1. Can you update us with what is going on with Salem these days?
Hi and thank you for having us over. Salem has just released our 7th album titled "Playing God and other short stories" on Pulverised Records. The album was released in Israel in April, in Europe in late May and is about to be out in the States.
We played a CD release show in Israel in April and we are planning to follow with some European shows in the next few months.
Last couple of months were busy promoting the release mostly in Europe and Israel.

2. Recently the new album came out on Pulverised Records, how has the support been so far from that label and how would you compare it to the other labels that you have been on?

The label is everything we ever wished for. I think this is the best promotion we've had since the early Morbid Records days.
Pulverised are very attentive, very professional and pretty well connected in the world of extreme music.
For the first time ever in my life, there is a drum contest held at sick Drummer Magazine where contestants need to play along the opening track of the new album. Check it out, drummers.

3.Your music has evolved over the years from being primitive black/death which helped influenced the 2nd wave of black metal, to the stuff that you doing now what makes you evolve with each album?

You know, we have been around for a quarter of a century. It is a long time and I think that our music is not the only thing that changed over this period. We have changed as people as well. Nothing stays the same. If our music did not reflect that, it would prove that we were not too credible.

4. Even your more black metal stuff was political, have you ever recieved any unwelcome critism due to having a lyrical approach that most bands in the genre never touch?

We used to receive some hate mail. Some people still bash us online. It is ok, we are not trying to please as many people as possible, trying to sell 2 million copies. I just think that it is weird that people would spend so much time and effort on something that they do not like and know that even if they sent us their hate mail, we would not disband. Instead of spending all this time with something that they think is good. I simply do not get this attitude.

5. Wht is going on nowadays with producing bands, and what are some bands that you are currently working with?

We stopped doing that. These days there is finally a metal scene in Israel, a pretty proud one. We can go about our business without worrying too much about other bands. Many bands go out of the country to produce their albums, many bands go on tours in Europe. It is finally happening, there is a metal culture in Israel.

6. You are seen as one of the pioneering bands in the Isreal metal scene what is your opinion on some of the bands that you have influenced?

It is a great honor to be considered a forefather. It is always a compliment to hear a band play a Salem cover or even mention Salem as an influence.
I think that there are some great metal bands in the country these days. Too bad that the industry is doing so badly. A lot of bands, locally and worldwide are not going to get the exposure they deserve, not because their music is not good but because of the state of the music business.

7. What are some of the best shows that the band has done so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

The show in April was amazing. The vibe was electrifying. We played a show with Obituary and that was one of our most intense ones ever. The show at the French Hellfest was an experience. The appearance we made at the Holocaust Remembrance service a couple of years ago with "Ha'ayara Boe'eret" was also an experience of a lifetime.
We are not playing too many shows a year so we are trying to pick up events that seem interesting to us and make each time we go on stage an event to remember.
I think that Salem's music is made for the stage. I think that the bands goes through very well on stage.

8. Are there any plans for a U.S tour?

I wish. We all wish. Thanks to MySpace and Facebook our fastest growing market is the USA.
If an American management office will be hip to that, maybe we will get to play for the American market for the first time ever. It will be something special.

9. How has the response been to the new album by extreme metal fans worldwide?

Pretty supportive. Of course there are always those who were never into the band and all of a sudden connected due to the nature of the new material and old school fans who feel that we betrayed our roots but generally speaking, the album has been received very well.

10. Out off all the albums that the band has put out so far, which one are you the most satisfied with?

After working with Colin Richardson of "A Moment of Silence" in 1997 we thought that nothing would ever sound better than that.
I think that the new release sounds pretty damn good. It was recorded in one of the best studios in Israel and mastered at Sterling Sound NYC.
I am not even getting into the fact that as the years go by we simply get tighter as a band and better players on our individual instruments.
Our latest is definitely our greatest.

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and what are you listening to nowadays?

Wow, this list would prove to be endless. The new release has many flavors. Some are not even related to metal. There are some West African music influences, Military music influences, Religious music, Raggae (there is a Bob Marley cover on the new album of "Exodus" and the list goes on.
Even in metal, there are so many great bands out there these days, it is unbelievable.

12. Does anyone in the band have an interest in the Hebrew Cabballa?

I was raised in a religious environment so I know a thing or two about that. To be honest, I am not that interested in mysticism. There were some Kaballistic symbols on the booklet of our first live DVD, "Live Demise".
That is about it.

13. What are some of your interests outside of music?

Mythology, physics, video games, sports, art in general.
You have to remember that most of us in the band are married with children. We have some mileage so our interests are varied.

14. Any final words or thoughts?

Thank you so much for you interest and support, we hope to see you live pretty soon, America. Feel free to find us online and drop us a line... only if you like what you hear. If not, write someone else who's music moves you. Rock on.

Nir Nakav

Dead In The Dirt/Fear/Southern Lord Records/2011 7 Inch Review

2011-09-01T06:57:00.000-07:00

Dead In The Dirt are a band from Atlanta, Georgia that mixes crust and hardcore together with grindcore and black metal and this is a review of their 2011 7 inch "Fear" which was released by Southern Lord Records.

Drums range from slow, midpaced to fast drumming with alot of brutal sounding blast beats being thrown in, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, midpaced to fast riffing that combines influences from black metal, grindcore, hardcore and crust punk to create a sound that is very dark, brutal and original sounding and there are little to no lead guitars or solos present on the recording.

Vocals range from deep grind/hardcore growls to high pitched crustcore screams that have a black metal edge to them, while the lyrics touch on dark on hateful thems, as for the production it has a very dark and heavy sound to it.

In my opinion Dead In the Dirt are a very good blackened hardcore/crust band and if you are a fan of this stylee, you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "The Screaming Wind" "Disease" "Skin Graft" and "Fear". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Absu/Abzu/Candlelight Records/2011 CD Review

2011-08-27T12:43:00.000-07:00

Absu are a band from Texas that has one of their previous records reviewed before in this zine that plays a very occultic form of black/thrash and this is a review of their 2011 album "Abzu" which was released by Candlelight Records.

Drums range from slow, midpaced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beats being thrown in at times, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they sound very powerful, as for the synths when they are utilized which is rare they add another dark dimension to the music without being too overdone.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, midpaced to fast riffs that combine black metal with thrash mixed in with some more esoteric influences while the lead guitars are very chaotic and melodic sounding guitar solos and leads, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized theyu use finger picking to add a very dark and medievel feel to the music.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams mixed in with the ocassional power/thrash high pitched screams, while the lyrics cover Thelema, Enochian Magick, Gnosticism, and Sumerian Mythology, as for the production it has a very powerful, heavy and professional sound to it.

In my opinion this is a good album from Absu and while I prefer their older stuff I still feel this is a great album and I can tell that they have gotten alot faster and heavier over the years and if you are a fan of their previous albums you will not be dissapointed. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Abraxas Connexus" and "A Song For Ea". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Salem/Playing God And Other Short Stories/Pulverised Records/2010 CD Review

2011-08-24T23:58:00.001-07:00

Salem are a band from Isreal that has a history that goes back to the 80's and they play a style that mixes black metal, death metal, doom metal and thrash together and this is a review of their 2010 album "Playing God And Other Short Stories" which was released by Pulverized Records during the year of 2010.

Drums are mostly slow to midpaced drumming that has a tribal feel at times with some percussion being used with little to no fast playing except for the last song that has some blast beats, while the bass playing is slow to midpaced riffing that follows the riffs coming out of the guitars and on some of the songs ther is a musical instrument that sounds like it came of a mid 60's to early 70's progressive rock album.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow to midpaced riffing that mixes black,doom, death, and thrash together along with some more modern mainstream neo metal riffing with little to no lead guitars or solos present on this album and on the last song there are some fast riffs that sound very primitive in the black/death vein.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black/death screams with some deep growls being used at times mixed in with some clean singing female vocals on some of the songs and some Hebrew chanting being used on the last song, while the lyrics covering folklore, biblical themes about war old testament style and some everyday themes with some lyrics in Hebrew, as for the production it sounds very professional and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this album.

In my opinion Salem are a very good band and while this album might dissapoint some of the older fans with the modern influences, from what I remember they had a more raw and primitive sound on the early albums, I still feel this is a good modern metal album that would appeal to a variety of different metalheads. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Exodus" "The Mark Of The Beast Part II" and "Playing GOd". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Barathrum/Saatana/Spinefarm Records/1999 CD Review

2011-08-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

Barathrum are a band from Finland that started out as a black/doom metal band but later evolved into a black/thrash band on this recording and this is a review of their 1999 album "Saatana" which was released by Spinefarm Records.

Drums mutilize a good mixture of slow to midpaced drumming with alot of fast playing and brutal blast beats, while the bass playing has a very powerful sound that is very easy to hear on this recording with a mixture of slow and fast riffing.

Rhythm guitars cover alot of ground with some slow doomy riffing mixed in with some faster playing that mixes black metal and thrash together with a good amount of melody and there are little to no lead guitars or solos on this recording.

Vocals are high pitched black metal screams with some back up shouting vocals and some spoken word parts, while the lyrics cover topics such as Satanism, Occultism, Beltane festival,vampirsm, and depressing themes, as for the production on this recording which was recorded aand mixed during the months of January through March of the year 1999 at Tico Tico Studio in Finland sounds very professional and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this album.

In my opinion Barathrum are a very good band and if you like black metal that mixes thrash and doom metal together, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Boundless Arts" "Beltane" "Regent Of Damnation" and "Countess Erszebeth Nadasdy". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Ashes/Death Has Made It's Call/Necropolis Records/1997 CD Review

2011-08-19T00:33:00.000-07:00

Ashes where a black/doom metal band with a thrash edge from Sweden that also has members od Opthalamia and this is a review of their 1997 album "Death Has Made It's Call" which was released by Necropolis Records.

Drums are a mixture of slow to midpaced drumming with some fast playing and blast beats being utilized, while the bass playing has a very dark tone and it is all rhythm bass.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow melodic black metal riffs that are heavily influenced by doom metal with a depressive touch as well as classic hard rock/metal while the fast playing has a thrash feel with some fast black metal riffing being utilized at times with some soft open string riffs being used at times, while the lead guitars are melodic death metal guitar solos that sound very technical with alot of influences from 70's metal.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams with some spoken word passages that are very poetic while the lyrics touch on depressing and anti christian themes with a touch of satanism, as for the production on this recording which was recorded at Bergakunden Studios during January of 1997 has a very raw but professional sound which makes all of the instruments easy to hear.

In my opinion Ashes where a very original and underrated band for their time and if you are a fan of black metal that has a doomy as well as thrash feel you should check this band out. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Darker Age" "The Battle" "Ashes" and "Heretic". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Everdark/Armageddon's Birth/FullMoonProductions/1996 CD Review

2011-08-17T03:15:00.001-07:00

Everdark are a band from New York that plays a style that I would describe as a mixture of black/death metal and doom metal and this is a review of their classic 1996 album "Armageddon's Birth" which was released by FullMoonProductions.

Drums range slow beats to some fast drumming with alot of blast beats while the bass playing has a very dark sounding tone with some riffs that take influences from black,death and doom metal and the bass lines follow the guitars with a little bit of lead bass.

Rhythm guitars are very raw and dark sounding with some fast black/death riffing as well as doom metal that contains a little bit of melody, with some ocassional acoustic guitar parts, while the lead guitars sound very primal with some fast and noisy leads, as for the keyboards when they are utilized they have an atmospheric as well as evil sound to it.

Vocals are a mixture of deep death metal growls with some high pitched black metal screams while the lyrics are a mixture of satanic and anti christian themes with some poetry as for the production on this albumwhich was recorded during the months of May and June 1995 sounds very raw , necro and old school sounding.

In my opinion Ever Dark where a very underrated band for their time and this is a classic album that should appeal to all underground black metal, doom metal and death metal fans. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "The Coming Of Legion" "From the Ashes (She Rises)" and "Chanting". RECOMMENDED BUY

Excommunicated Interview

2011-08-15T15:41:00.001-07:00

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

We’re pretty new on the scene as a band; but all come from a death metal background for the most part, and have toiled at this in one form or another for most of the last two decades. The guitarist Jason McIntyre was the founder of Suture, which was probably Louisiana’s top brutal death metal band for well over ten years. The other guitarist Jonathan was the founder of Despondency, which were more of a melodic and European style DM band from the Lafayette area. He currently helms Psychometry, which is an even more orchestral and eclectic type of metal band. I was the original member of Catholicon, a death/black metal band that toiled in the underground for about 15 years, putting out 4 rather raw and out of print albums. I was originally the vocalist, later the keyboardist and backing vocalist. All of our respective bands wound to a close in the 2000’s; we were sort of the last guy’s standing who still wanted to do this sort of thing on into the next decade, and who were able to. Fate kind of brought things together. I’d say we try to represent most of the strengths of our respective backgrounds, and bring them to this new entity.

2. How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the new album?

Well, I think it’s eccentric for sure, in that it pulls from a variety of influences. We’re drawing from death, black, even some thrash metal influence here; and there are nods to Amorphis, Morbid Angel, Deicide, Exodus, Obituary, Cemetary, Nocturnus, Mercyless, Monstrosity, Benediction, Celtic Frost, you name it. Lyrically, there are secret nods to all sorts of things too. One of the amusing things about the last band I was in, was that we never were quite able to be pegged as death or black metal. I think this project is far more perplexing in that respect. There’s something for everyone; but a purist of anything will be confounded. Basically, music for and by fans of the heyday of death and black metal; which I would say is 1990-1994.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new release explores?

The entire album is a concept based on the medieval history of Catholicism: abuse, corruption, cruelty, and perversity. We go into a lot of topics, and tried to steer clear for the most part of things that have been over-done; and hopefully shed some light on things that have been nearly forgotten or would hardly be believed.

3. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the band’s name?

Well, to be excommunicated is to be removed from the Catholic faith. By their doctrine, it also means damnation; no chance of salvation. “Extra Ecclesium Nulla Salus”, which in Latin means “outside the Church, there is no salvation”.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage perfomance?

We’ve never yet played live. We’re looking at that possibility now; but of course getting the record out was priority number one. We’re following, I think, in the grand tradition of black metal; which is to sort of keep to ourselves for a little while at first. Venom didn’t tour or play live until their second album; Bathory never did.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the new album?

We have only (in recent days) begun to talk about even the possibilities and logistics of pulling off a live show. I think the consensus is that we’d do it if the opportunity were right; but we’re mostly focused on just promoting the record and working on the second one right now. We’re also in the middle of several other important recording projects; which kind of takes the fire out of much discussion about touring.

7. On the album you had some guest appeareances from a few legends in the underground metal scene how did you get in contact with them?

I’ve known Vincent Crowley from Acheron for twenty years; and consider him a true friend and warrior. Having his appearance on the record gives it an air of authenticity that I can’t begin to describe. I wrote those words for Vincent as much as for the album’s concept; because I know they represent exactly how he and I both feel regarding the subject, without compromise, without any pretense. Andy LaRocque, I’ve been in touch with here and there for a year or two. It really just came down to asking, and having some patience, and the luck of a small window of opportunity being open in his schedule. One thing that’s true, which I told him as well, is that I’ve chased after the King Diamond concept album “The Eye” my whole life. It’s my favorite record of all time, and a continuous inspiration. This was the second time in my life that I’ve put together a set of lyrics for a record that basically is my homage to what The Eye tried to do, and nothing would validate that better than having the actual guitarist from The Eye grace the record briefly. Fortunately for us, he was agreeable to the idea as well.

8. On a worldwide level how has your music been recieved by death/black metal fans?

So far, the response has been amazingly positive. We’re still kind of crossing our fingers. Haha the record really has just hit the streets as far as the press, with some press packages still waiting to go out; and at the time of this writing, it is one day out from official release (August 15’th). I’ve given a copy to a large circle of old close friends; whom I’ve always sort of used for feedback, and they’ve all been extremely positive. Much more so than anything I’ve been involved in prior.

9. Are there any side projects besides this band or is this a full time line-up?

Everyone does multiple projects, yes. Both guitarists are in multiple other bands, and I’m working on a side project record with one of the guitarists also. As a mix and mastering engineer and ‘bedroom record label/distro’ operator; I’ve always got my hands in other projects, it seems like, as well. Excommunicated, as a band, is my main focus though.

10. What direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?

Actually heavier and more on the side of heavy oldschool death metal, if anything. The next record, if anything, will be more consistently straightforward death metal. It’s not that we’re trying to sell-in or sell-out; that’s just the direction we’ve decided to take with it. What’s cool about the first album is that it’s got a lot of ideas put forward and gives us a starting point to go into a lot of different directions. I want to know what parts of it people respond well to; but I think we’ve already kind of settled on where the next one is going to go. It’s going to be more merciless.

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Well, firstly, I just turned 37; so I’m getting up there. I’m actually a lot more open minded about music now today than I ever was when I was younger. 20 years ago, I only wanted to hear Deicide, Morbid Angel, or something that was even more satanic or sick than that. 21 years ago, it would have been Slayer. 22 years ago, it would have been Anthrax and Megadeth and Overkill. When something like Cynic’s album ‘Focus’ came out in 1994, by that point it just went over my head. I was more interested in the debut Cradle of Filth or Lord Belial records that came out that year. It had to be full on satanic. Something I never got into until literally the last couple of years was the so-called brutal or guttural death metal. I thought singing about body parts was just immature. But today I actually enjoy it and appreciate it for what it is. I get it. Some things before, I just didn’t get. I also find myself listening to stuff that is totally not metal, and appreciating artists like Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, even something as of the wall as Tegan & Sara or Matt & Kim. Some stuff, I purely listen to for production value; and try to figure out how they got such a good snare sound or guitar sound, etc. I like The Cure, I like the Tony Martin-era Black Sabbath stuff. There are a few bands I have been listening too, for what seems like all my life without ever a period of dissatisfaction. Those are King Diamond, Mercyful Fate, Tiamat, and I guess I’d add Therion, Samael, Hypocrisy, Lake of Tears, and Bathory. I’ve been listening to Venom since the 80’s, but their only good stuff is from the 80’s.

12. I know that the music is very Anti Catholic but does Satanism or Occultism play any role in the music?

It hasn’t yet; but keep in mind we have only that one record so far, which is a concept album on Catholicism. My former band was more into exploring dark paths and dark arts and so forth; this hasn’t played any part yet in Excommunicated, and doubtful that it will in the near future. The next record is going to sort of pick up where Skeleton Key leaves off, as far as telling the ongoing tale of the damage wrought by Christianity on our world and culture. So we sort of have a course laid out for us already. My former band wrote a lot of occult themes, suicide, murder, Satanism, animosity. I wrote most of that stuff too; I know it comes from a dark place because that’s the place I was in when I wrote it. I know I have a lot of personal demons, and that stuff kind of tugs at my fragile sanity; even though the research that went into writing Skeleton Key did the same thing to me, in a different sort of way. For my own stability, I try to stay focused on more cut and dried fact-driven lyrics these days. I find it also less preachy and arrogant, in a strange way; to simply be the person warning you what not to believe; opposed to telling you what to think.

13/ How would you describe the death/black metal scene in Lousiana?

It’s healthy, it’s still around. It’s probably a lot stronger now than it was when we all started out, and certainly has gotten a lot better in the recent years, post-Hurrican Katrina. That storm basically stopped everything around here, music wise, for a long time… but it seems to be all coming back to life now. It’s funny, you know you are getting old or out of touch when there are death and black metal bands now in Louisiana that you don’t even know about and who don’t even know you. That’s kind of where I’m at now, there is a black metal band or two right here in Baton Rouge that I’ve never even met. When I started out with my former band some sixteen or seventeen years ago, there was nothing. We were the first to release a black metal album from Louisiana.

14. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

I have some knowledge and passing interest in computer hardware as well as audio electronics and manufacturing, making high quality cables, etc. I wouldn’t call them obsessions or even deep interests so much anymore; more like things I know in order to help do what I really love doing, which is music and making records. What I have a passion for, and where I have the most room to improve, is as a recording engineer and mix engineer. I love making a record, or helping others to make a record. It’s hard, a lot of stress and headache and challenge; but very fun and rewarding also. I’ve got a long way to go on that; but hope to get to focus more on it in the future.

15. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Thanks, I appreciated the opportunity to talk. I really hope people give the record a chance; and look forward to hearing from those who’ve listened!

Excommunicated/Skeleton Key/Undrworld Records/2011 CD Review

2011-08-11T19:28:00.000-07:00

Excommunicated are a band from Lousiana that plays a blackended from of death metal and this is a review of their 2011 album "Skeleton Key" which was released by Underworld Recordings.

Drums range from midpaced to fast drumming with a great amount of blast beats being thrown in at times, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars, as for the piano which is only used briefly they sound like an evil church chior and on the last song there is a small amount of keyboards being utilized.

Rhythm guitars range from midpaced to fast brutal death metal riffs that have a great amount of black metal influences being thrown in and on one song there is some slow soft playing being used, while the lead guitars are very technical, chaotic and melodic death metal guitar leads and solos.

Vocals are a mixture of deep death metal growls and high pitched screams with some church choirs being used briefly on a couple of songs song in addition there is a spoken word passage on a couple of songs that has a Catholic getting ready to go in battle with a pagan, wgile the lyrics are very anti christain and anti catholic, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful, heavy and professional feel to it.

In my opinion Excommunicated are a very great Anti Catholic black/death metal band and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Cry To Heaven" "The Vatican Orgies" "When Death Claims Its Most Righteous Dead" and "Keys To The Kingdom Of God". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Skitliv/Skandinavisk Misantropi/Seasons Of Mist/2009 CD Review

2011-08-11T02:39:00.000-07:00

Skitliv are a band from Norway that consists of Maniac formally of Mayhem and Kvartorth the mastermind behind Shining that play a musical style that I would describe as a mixture of black metal, doom metal and noise and this is a review of their 2009 album "Skandinavisk Misantropi" which was released by Season Of Mist.

Drums are mostly slow throughout the album which gives the music a very doomy feel mixed with some midpaced drumming while the effects utilize alot of noises that are influenced by avant garde noise music as for the spoken word parts they are very poetic as well as depressing.

Bass playing is all slow with only rythyms being utilized that follow the riffs coming out of the guitars, while the rythym guitars are all slow doom metal riffing with some effects being used and they ocassionly use midpaced riffs and on one song there was some fast black metal riffing as for the guitar leads have a noisy sound that seems to be influenced by 70's metal as well as some black metal.

Vocals are high pitched black metal screams with some clean vocals that are present on one song that where provided by David Tibet of Current 93 fame have a very poetic feel to them, as for the piano when it is used it has a very dark avant garde feel.

Production on this recording which was recorded at Loco Studios in January 2009 with Kvartorth's guitars being recorded by Grim at Grining Studios sounds very professional and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are on the album, as for the lyrics they cover theology, Satanism and some depressing themes.

In my opinion this is a good album and I would recommend to all fans of black metal influenced doom metal, however if you expect this album to sound like Mayhem or Shining you might be disapointed. RECOMMENDED TRACKS ARE "Slow Pain Coming" "Skandinask Misantropi" "Towards The Shores Of Lies" and "A Valley Below".

RECOMMENDED BUY

October Tide/A Thin Shell/Candlelight Records/2010 CD Review

2011-08-08T22:12:00.001-07:00

October Tide are a band from Sweden that has a history that dates back to the 90's and also has members of Katatonia and they play a style that I would desceibe as being melodic/black/doom metal and this is a review of their 2010 album "A Thin Shell" which will be released by Candlelight Records.

Drums are mostly slow to midpaced drumming with no fast playing or blast beats, while the bass playing follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars with its slow doomy riffing.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow to midpaced doom/death riffs that have a small amount of black metal influence and contain a good amount of melody, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounging guitar solos, as for the accoustic guitars they use open chords and fingerpicking open chords that gives the music a very progressive feel.

Vocals are mostly deep doom/death growls that utilize a black metal edge, while the lyrics cover dark and depressive subjects, as for the production it sounds very professional and all of the musical instruments have a very good sound.

In my opinion October Tide are a very talented melodic doom/death metal band that will not dissapointed fans of this genre with their new album. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Deplorable Request" "Blackness Devours" and "SCorned". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Echtra/Paragate/Temple Of Torturous Records/2011 CD Review

2011-08-05T03:43:00.001-07:00

Echtra are a band from Oregon that plays a style that I would describe as being atmospheric blackened drone/doom metal and this is a review of their 2011 album "Paragate" which will e released by Temple Of Torturous Records.

Drums are mostly slow playing with some fast parts but not much in the way of blast beats being used on this recording, while the synths when they are heard have a dark ambient feel to them, and there are no bass guitars being used on this recording.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow riffs that combine influences from black,drone and doom metal and there is a small amount of fast black metal riffing being utilized briefly, and tere are no guitar leads or solos on this recording, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized they are very dark and repetitive sounding with some fingerpicking and full chords being used.

Vocals when they are utilized have a very dark and grim black metal feel to them with some ocassional clean singing, there are no lyrics on this recording but the music touches on the winter on autumn solstices with a feeling that some dark spirits are being invoked, as for the production on this album, it has a very dark, raw and heavy sound to it.

In my opinion Echtra are a very good black/drome/doom metal band and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED BUY.

Ancient Wisdom/For Snow Covered The Northland/Avantgarde Music/1995 CD Review

2011-08-05T01:40:00.000-07:00

Ancient Wisdom are a band from Sweden that plays a very atmospheric and melodic form of black metal that is heavily influenced by doom metal and this is a review of their 1995 album "For Snow Covered The Northland" which was released by Avantgarde Music.

Drums are mostly slow to midpaced beats with no fast playing or blast beats being utilized and at times there is some percussion and drum programming being used, while the pianos and keyboards gives the music a very dark and atmospheric edge, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone that follows the riffs coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow to midpaced black metal riffing that contains alot of melody and a mixture of doom/death metal as well as first wave black metal influences, while the lead guitars are very melodic with the guitar solos having alot of classic metal influences, as for the classical guitar it is all fingerpicked giving the music a cold atmospheric/ambient feel.

Vocals are high pitched black metal screams with the ocassional clean vocals as well as deep death metal growls being used at times, while the lyrics cover alot of depressing and nature themes with a touch of evil and some ritual summoning from the left hand path, as for the production on this recording which was recorded at The Garageland Studio during December of 1994 has a very raw and dark feel but still retains a very professional approach.

In my opinion Ancient Wisdom where a very talented and underrated band from the beginning of the second wave of black metal, if you are a fan of melodic black metal with a doom edge you should check this band out. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "They Gather Where Snow Falls Forever" "Through Rivers Of The Ancient Blackness" "No Tears At His Funeral" and "Forest Of Summoning Spirits". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Auroch Interview

2011-08-04T17:48:00.001-07:00

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

Auroch arose from the Canadian underground in MMXII. We have toured throughout Canada, played over 100 shows and released one full length album and a few demos to date.

2. How would you describe the musical sound that is presented both on the split and the album?

We play metal, and we don't bother with any silly prefixes in front of the word. We have always been and will always be influenced by a wide variety of music, and more specifically, a wide variety of metal music. This leaks into our writing and playing style. At gunpoint, I would say death metal, but we have blended in elements of grind, thrash, black metal and progressive metal and music.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

We are hugely influenced by the works of the great Howard Phillips Lovecraft, along with certain sects of both Eastern and Western mysticism, the Satanic and undivine and the many paths to transcendence.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

The name has taken on more meaning then we could have originally imagined. Once an attempt to find something unused, it has become apparant to our growing eyes the importance of the Auroch in the very things we have come to take interest in. I wish I could elaborate more, but upon release of our second record people will come to see the paradigm on the Auroch, through many different "eyes."

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

August 17, 2010- Opening for Exodus. A remarkable experience to open for one of the legendary thrash acts.

July 28, 2010- Playing with the mighty Inquistion in Winnipeg and witnessing their hypnotizing live performance.

July 17, 2010- First show live in Montreal. Great venue and wicked crowd. Awesome city for metal and otherwise!

6. Do you have any touring plans for the new album?

Next week we embark on tour to spread the songs from the upcoming record aswell as hopefully sell the first record out of print. Once this tour is over we will discuss touring plans for next year, and hopefully, plans to tour either the U.S.A., Europe or South America.

7. Currently you are unsigned are you looking dfor a label and if so, what kind of label do you feel that would be a perfect fit for your music?

Once we get this second record out we will begin looking for a label to release it. We hope to find one that can get us touring endlessly around different parts of this world.

8. On a worldwide level how has your music been recieved by extreme metal fans?

The reaction has been really great, and recieving all positive reviews from places as far as Italy, France, Singapore, Chile, Sweden etc has been really humbling! We look forward to an epic campaign one day to all of those places, hopefully.

9. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

As a group, our three favourite acts are probably Death, Morbid Angel and Carcass. I can't speak for the rest of the band too much, but for myself, some of my favourites which never leave the regular rotation are Nile, Akercocke, Blasphemy, Conqueror, Mercyful Fate, Cryptopsy and old Houde-era Kataklysm. Recent rotation of Delerium's Karma has been a pleasant addition.

10. What role does Satanism and Occultism play in your music, and how would you describe your views on these topics?

Satan is the manifestation of the undivine and the godself. This is a concept we pay homage to.

11. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

I work at a gym as a personal trainer. Physical fitness and good health is important for me. Cuillen and Zack are both in school to become recording engineers.

12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Thanks to our fans around the globe and to Bringer of Death blog. Beware, the new record shall be unveiled soon.
Regards

Seidr/Winter Fire/Flenser Records/2011 CD Review

2011-07-30T01:56:00.001-07:00

Seidr are a band from Kentucky that mixes black metal with atmospheric doom/death metal and this is a review of their 2011 album "Winter Fire" which was relkeased by Flenser Records.

Drums are mostly slow playing with not much in the way of fast drumming or blast beats, while the bass playing has a very dark tone that is mixed down low in the mix and seems to follow the rifing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they sound very powerful with some slow heavy doomy riffs.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow doom/death metal riffs with some melodies that are also influenced by black metal with some of the softer riffing having an ambient feel to them, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding, as for the accoustic guitars when they are utilized they bring a folk music feel to the music.

Vocals are mostly deep death/doom growls with some black metal being thrown in at times in the higher pitched growls with some clean singing being used on one song, while the lyrics cover Norse Paganism, Nature, Cosmos, Stars, Folklore, and Memory, as for the production it has a very heavy and professional sound to it.

In my opinion Seidr are a very good black/doom/death metal band and if you are a fan of bands that mix these styles together, you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "On The Shoulders Of The Gods" "In The Ashes" and "A Gaze At The Stars". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Dimentianon/Collapse The Void/Paragon Records/2010 CD Review

2011-07-29T16:00:00.001-07:00

Dimentianon are a band from New York that plays a style of black metal that also takes influences from doom, death, ambient and progressive music and this is a review of their 2010 album "Collapse The Void" which will be released by Paragon Records.

Drums cover alot of different ground with some slow to midpaced beats mixed in with a good amount of fast drumming and brutal blast beats, while the keyboards bring in a good amount of atmospheric, progressive and symphonic elements to the music, as for the bass playing it has a very dark and progressive sound that contains alot of strength and depth.

Rhythm guitars mix fast melodic black metal riffs with some doom metal riffs that also contain a brutal death metal edge as well as progressive parts mixed in with some thrash influences, while the lead guitars have a very dark progressive death metal feel to them mixed in with alot of different influences from many different styles of metal.

Vocals are high pitched black metal screams that also take influences from classic metal with some deep growls being used at times mixed in with a small amount of clean sung female vocals., while the lyrics cover everyday life type of themes, as for the production it sounds very professional and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion Dimentianon are a very original band that should appeal to all fans of melodic black metal as well as symphonic black metal. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Breathe Deep" and "All Goods Things End". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Ophtalamia/To Elisha/Necropolis Records/1996 CD Review

2011-07-28T17:02:00.001-07:00

Ophtalamia are a band from Sweden that was another one of IT's projects and they played a style that I would describe as being a mixture of black metal and doom metal, and this is a review of their 1996 album "To Elishia" which was a reissue of all their demos and this album come out in 1996.

Drums are mostly slow and midpaced on this recording with only a small amount of fast playing or blast beats with the exceprion of their cover of Mayhem;s "Deatcrush", as for the keyboards when they are used they have a 70's metal vibe to them, as for the bass playing it has a very dark and heavy sound mixed in with a primal edge.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow riffs that mix black metal, doom metal and 70's metal together and since these are demo songs they sound more primal than the full length albums that came out later and there is a little bit of some fast playing, while the lead guitars have a very melodic and doomy feel to them.

Vocals are a mixture between high pitched black metal screams and deep death metal growls mixed in with a little bit of clean singing male and female vocals, while the lyrics are written in a mixture of English and Swedish that cover some depressing themes and also seem to have a mythology of their own, as for the production it has a very raw demo sound to it.

In my opinion Ophthalamia where a very original band for there time and if you interested in hearing the roots of black/doom metal you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "A Lonely Ceremony/The Eternal Walk" "Enter The Darkest Thoughts Of The Chosen/Agony's Silent Paradise" and "Sacrifice" which is a Bathory cover.

Auroch/Stranger Aeons/2010 CD Review

2011-07-27T23:12:00.000-07:00

Auroch are a band from Vancouver, B.C, Canada that plays mixture of death,black, thrash and progressive metal and this is a review of their self released 2011 album "Stranger Aeons".

Drums range from slow, midpaced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beatd being thrown in at times, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they sound very powerful.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, midpaced to fast riffing that combines death, black, thrash, power and progressive metal together with a great amounft of melody being thrown in at times and on one song there is some brief slow soft playing that brings a more darkened edge to the music, while the lead guitars are very progressive and melodic sounding guitar solos.

Vocals range from deep black/death metal growls and screams to clean singing power metal vocals with some ocassional spoken word ritualistic passages, while the lyrics cover Occultism, Darkness and Egyptian Mythology, as for the production it has a very powerful and heavy sound to it.

In my opinion Auroch are a very talented and original band that combines black metal with death, thrash and power metal and if you are looking for a band that mixes these styles together, you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Acoyte" "Osiris" "Black Art Ritual" and "Haunter Of Darkness". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Escape From Interview

2011-07-17T20:59:00.001-07:00

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

ESCAPE FROM was formed in December 2005. Till now we have recorded two materials - promo CD entitled “Ciemna Strona Duszy” released in December 2007 and EP “Opętani Okrucieństwem” released in October 2009. At the end of this year we are going to record our first full length which will be entitled “Architekci Apokalipsy”. The actual line-up is: Ghoc – vocals, Chunk – guitar, Urgul – guitar, Wolish – bass and Seeg – Drums.

2. How would you describe the musical sound that was presented on the current demo and how it differs from the previous demo?

Tracks from Promo 2007 were pure metalcore. After this release the band completely changed its style. Tunes from EP 2009 are much more death metal oriented. We wanted to play faster, more aggressive. When we were releasing „Opetani Okrucienswtem” we described our music as blackened death metal but… now I think it was not the best description. We mix a lot of styles in our music, so I think it would be better to describe it as extreme metal. Yeah, definitely. It’s much more wide term than death metal, black metal, etc.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and concepts that the band explores on the demo?

Ghoc is responsible for the lyrics, so I think I’m not the right person to talk about them. All I can say is that they are about pathologies, the dark side of human nature. They’re antichristian in some way, too I think. All the lyrics are Polish written but everybody could find their English translation on our myspace in blog section. So, check them out.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

It’s very simple – the band is our asylum. It’s our escape from all this shit that surrounds us. All these stupid people, real life problems, you know… On stage all that really matters is our music, our fans and nothing more.

5. Has the band had any opportunities to do live shows, if so what are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

Yeah, of course. We played a lot of gigs so far but it’s very hard to point out the best ones. We have played in small pubs, big pubs, open air, in front of 20 people, 300 people and so on. Every gig is different and every is important for us. We always play at 100% of our abilities, try to show people our energy and passion. I think it works. We have great feedback after every show no matter if we play for 20 or 1000 people. It’s great! We just love to play live!

6. Do you have any touring plans for the future?

Yes. We’ll play on IX Festiwal Mocnych Brzmien with HATE, LOST SOUL and some other great bands on 30th July. We are going to play next mini tour this fall but we can’t tell any specific dates or places. We got some great propositions, we’ll see what future will bring.

7. Have you received any label interest yet for the demo?

Yeah, but they are rather very small labels. We are not sure if we are interested in such collaboration. We just don’t want a label that do for us less than we could do ourselves. We have an internet era, so a lot of things bands could do alone… yeah, it’s not so easy and it’s really hard work but it’s worth it. Apart from writing great music promoting the band is our primary goal. If someone can’t do more than we could do by ourselves – we are not interested.

8. Are there any side projects besides this band or is this a full time line up?

It’s full time line-up. We are not interested in any side projects. ESCAPE FROM is our priority and it won’t change I think.

10. What direction do you see the music heading into during the future?

It’s hard to say. Metal music develops all the time. Twenty years ago there were only a few genres like death metal, black metal, thrash metal. Today we have metalcore, deathcore, industrial metal, gothicmetal, groove metal, etc. It’s great! I think that after all the future of music is… industrial… but who really knows?! haha

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

We are listening to a lot of stuff nowadays. We are open minded, we listens to rock, industrial, blues, ambient, movie scores, etc… oh, and metal of course, hahaha. All music that is ambitious is worth to check it out no matter if it’s metal or not I think.

I can’t point out any specific bands that influenced our music. Yeah, sure, someone could tell that we are a copy of Behemoth. We love this band, it’s for sure, but we don’t copy them... we don’t copy anybody! We play on the same scales so the music could sound similar in some places to Behemoth but not the same. It’s like saying that Melechesh copies Behemoth, you know. The process of composing music is very natural in our case. We are playing what we think sounds good. We don’t assume: this time we will compose a track in Nile style. No, no, it doesn’t work this way, haha.

12. Does Occultism play any role in your music?

No, definitely it does not.

13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Thank you for your interes and support. It was great to answer your questions. Greetings for you and all our fans. Check out our website: http://www.myspace.com/escapefrom666 and download our EP for free: http://lix.in/-5fef15

See you on some gigs!

STAY BRUTAL!

Alastis/The Other Side/Century Media Records/1997 CD Review

2011-07-07T17:14:00.000-07:00

Alastis are a band from Switzerland that plays an atmospheric form of atmospheric black/doom/death and this is a review of their classic 1997 album "The Other Side" which was released by Century Media Records.

Drums are mostly slow drumming with no fast playing or blast beats and there is some percusion being used at times, while the computers have a very dark and atmospheric sound, as for the bass playing it is all rhythm bass that follows the riffs coming out of the guitars and you can hear the instrument alot on this album.

Rhythm guitars are all slow to midpaced riffs that have alot of melody and mix black metal and doom metal together mixed in with a little bit of industrial and thrash influences, lead guitars when they are used on this album sound very melodic and sad also at times there is alot of guitar synth that makes the music sound very dark and atmospheric and at times there are some accoustic guitars that gives the music a depressive feel.

Vocals are deep growls that are very east to understand with some spoken word passages while the lyrics are very philosophical and poetic with somewhat of an anti christain theme, as for the production on this recording which was recorded and mixed at Woodhouse Studiosin Hagen, Germany during December of 1996 sounds very professional and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this album.

In my opinion Alastis where a very good band and if you are a fan of atmospheric black/doom/death metal you should check this band out and they also had connections with Samael who are also from the same country.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "In Darkness" "The Other Side" and "Slaves Of Rot". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Escape From/Openti Okrucienst/2009 EP

2011-07-07T16:01:00.000-07:00

Escape From are a band from Poland that plays blackened death metal and this is a review of their self released 2009 demo "Openti Okrucienst".

Drums range from midpaced to fast drumming with a great amount of blast beats being thrown in, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that comes out of the guitars and at times they sound very powerful.

Rhythm guitars range from midpaced to fast death metal riffs that are technical at times and also contain some black metal influences and there are little to no guitar solos or leads present on this recording.

Vocals are mostly deep death metal growls with some high pitched screams being thrown in at times and on one song there are clean vocals being used briefly, while the lyrics are written in Polish and cover dark themes, as for the production it sounds very powerful, heavy and professional sounding for a demo.

In my opinion Escape From are a very good and brutal sounding blackened death metal band and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Urodzona, by byc glawcona" and "Seszon kosmarow". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Night Conquers Day/Rebellion Is The Art Of Survival/Hammerheart Records/1999 CD Review

2011-06-28T23:30:00.000-07:00

Night Conquers Day wher a band from New York that played a progressive mixture of black, doom, and death metal and this is a review of their 1999 album "Rebellion Is The Art Of Survival which was released by Hammerheart Records.

Drums are mostly slow to midpaced beats with some fast playing and blast beats while the while the keyboards have a very atmospheric and symphonic as well as progressive sound, as for the bas playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the guitars and at times have a very powerful sound.

Rhythm guitars are mostly mid slow to midpaced black riffing that also has progressive death metal, thrash and doom influences, while the lead guitars are distorted guitar solos that have a good sense of melody and alot of talent that takes influences from progressive metal, as for the accoustic guitars that have a progressive feel that makes the music darker and at times there is a classical guitar being utilized.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams as well as a little bit of deep death metal growls mixed with some whisper passages and some clean singing that hits some very high notes, while the lyrics touch on the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche with some anti christain themes as well as some Luciferian and esoteric lyrics, as for the production on this recording which was recorded at Mortuary Temple Studios sounds ver professional and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this album.

In my opinion Night Conquers Days was a very talented and underrated band for their time and if you are a fan of melodic black metal that is very progressive you should check this band out. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "The Perseverance Of Ignorance" "Rebellion Is The Art Of Survival"
and "DReam Deep SOrcery". RECOMMENDED BUY

Somnus/Awekening The Crown/Root Of All Evil Records/1999 CD Review

2011-06-21T15:33:00.001-07:00

Somnus are a band from Ohio that plays a mixture of black, doom, death, atmospheric,symphonic, and gothic metal and this is a review of their classic 1999 album "Awakening The Crown" which was released by Root Off All Evil Records.

Drums alternate between slow, midpaced and fast drumming with some brutal blast beats, while the keyboards have a very darjk sound that is very melodic, and symphonic sounding and has the epic feel of a medievil warrior film, while the bass playing is all rhythm and follows the riffs coming out off the guitars and at times the bass lines sound very powerful.

Rhythm guitars are very melodic with the slower riffs being influenced by doom metal while the faster riffs are mostly black metal riffing with some death metal influences while the lead guitars are melodic solos that mix mix classic metal, doom metal and melodic black metal together.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams mixed with some deep death metal growls as well as some spoken word parts and the female vocals remind of off a more weel down black metal band of their mid 90's and early 2000's which I dont feel are necessary to announce here.

Lyrics on this album cover somefantasy style lyrics that are inflenced by paganism, alchemy and some anti-christian themes from a gnostic point of view while the production sounds very professional and you can hear all of the instruments that are present on the album.

In my opinion Somnus where a very talented band and had the potentainal to be as well known as their European counterparts but since they qwhere from America at the time when the country was only getting recognized fro brutal death metal they got ignored. If you are a fan of symphonic black metal before it became the trend it is today you should get this album. STANDOUT TRACKS INCLUDE "The Alchemist" "Beyond The Shore" Fulfilling The Throne". RECOMMENDED BUY

Alastor Interview

2011-06-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
JA - Well, we just got our fourth album out which includes the unreleased first album. Besides that, nothing is going on. We already recorded most stuff of 4 songs and we're still not sure of what to do with that...

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and how it
differs from previous releases?
JA - I think that this album is more Thrash and less Black than the previous ones. That wasn't intentional, but it seems to have turned out that way. That I think, is the biggest difference. The sound is also a bit clearer on this one.

3. Whatr are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new release
explores?
JA - Well, for the first time, I had nothing to do with the lyrics, but it seems that GC managed to stick to the theme I've been using, with his own twist. Eradicate Christianity!

4. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how
would you describe your stage performance?
JA - Although I formed the band back in 1988, our first gig was in 2008. And besides that, we played 5 songs at the release party of the new album. So there isn't that much to talk about our live performances.

5. i have noticed with the new album you have lyrics written in both your
native tongue and English, which is the style that you prefer to write in?
JA - Actually we only use portuguese on our albums now. The english lyrics are the songs from the debut unreleased album. That was the only album with english lyrics. I like to write in portuguese cause it sounds very different from english and the metric is also very different.

6. With the new release you have covered both Motley Crue's Red Hot and
Black Sabbath's Children Of The Grave, what made you decide to do these
cover tunes instead of the traditional German thrash or Celtic Frost cover
tunes that most bands go far which i felt has been done a million times
over?
JA - Again, we're talking about two albums. The cover of MC was done cause we're all MC fans and that song has been one of my fave for years. BS was done in 1996 and at that time I wanted to do this version of the original song, a faster version. We did the usual bands in the other two albums though.

7. Currently you are signed to War Productions, how did you get in contact
with this label anfd how would you describe the support that they have given
you so far?
JA - I've been in touch with them for some years, eventually we talked about ALASTOR and how I was looking for a new label... that was it. They like to keep it simple, just like me, it seems to be working ok.

8. Your music is more rooted in the first wave black metal area, what are
you vies on black metal from the early 90s to modern day?
JA - I don't give a fuck about the NWONBM (new wave of norwegian black metal)! VENOM is Black Metal!

9. Are you currently involved in other bands, or is this a full time
project?
JA - My main band is DECAYED. ALASTOR is one of my projects, alongside HOTH, THUGNOR, NETHERMANCY...

10. On a orldwide level how has your music been recieved by black/thrash
metal fans?
JA - People seem to like what we do. Not that many people though, there's a lot of talk about the revival of Thrash Metal, but to my ears, this new Thrash, sounds more like Hard Core than Metal... especially the "angry" vocals...

11. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
JA - I have no idea. Like I said, we're already working on 4 songs for a future release and these songs are pretty much in the vein of the album. Next year I hope to release a new album, so, then, and only then, will I know how the new album is going to sound.

12. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music
and also what are you listening to nowadays?
JA - From Hard Rock to early Death Metal, everything has influenced me. VENOM being the biggest influence. I don't listen to that much new stuff since I honestly think that Metal started to decay in the late 80's. There are a few good releases, but... it's getting harder and harder to find anything interesting.

13. What role does Satranism or Occultism play in your music and how would
you describe your views on these topics?
JA - I am not a Satanist, but I do think of me as a Ancient Pagan. These are not topics to me, these are ideals and to be spoken in private since humans are a bit dumb and usually tend the distort what one says.

14. outside of music, what are some of your interests?
JA - Travelling, photo, drawing, reading, food, smoking, drinking, movies and talking.

15. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
JA - Thanx for the support, all the best and anyone interested in contacting me for some merchandise or info: chroan@sapo.pt

Opera IX Interview

2011-06-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

1. Can you update us with what is going on with Opera IX these days and when we can expect new material?
1 Our 20th anniversary dvd, we concentrated on the production of the follow up to Anphisben. We decided to take a little more time, also as we are coming up to the 20th anniversary of Opera IX we wanted to recover some old material left out in the past such as the re-printing of the first demo’s and the DVD, which I can assure took up a lot of time, we had to recover a lot of material which often wasn’t in our possession. Right now, in these autumn months we are concluding the pre-production of our next album, I can say it will be the ‘darkest’ album of the history of Opera IX, and this will conclude the trilogy that started with Maleventum, the main theme will still be witchcraft, however, this time it will all be in a medieval setting.

2. Were did you come up with the idea for the band name?
2 Opera IX was born to represent an emotional form of what we wanted to project esoterically in the music, a part from living a symphonic aspect straight from the beginning it is necessary to analyze the first letter of Opera, which means ‘creation, or the plasmation whilst the ‘nine’ assumes directly an ‘occult’ connection, with our name we wanted to bring to the real world the sensations that we get from other worlds, those that exist out of the material realm

3. What direction is the new material heading into?
3I can say that the next job will be very dark, symphonic and more direct…if I had to describe it to you in pictures I’d direct you to a book by author Umberto Eco, The name of the rose… We are recording everything in my Occultum studios and I am taking maniacal care of every detail, until it matches exactly what we want we will not publish the material, but we still need to see which label to work with, unfortunately this is still to be determined.

4. What are some of the best live shows that you have played so far?
4After twenty years of Opera IX career is difficult to quantify the best, certainly the public in response to Romania and the tour dates in Mexico but I remember with pleasure the first major live in Italy in 1995 and also along with Absu ... moments were very intense with occult friendship.....

5. According to the Metal Archives the band is currently unsigned, what kind of label are you looking for?
5. We are looking for a label that can help us to reach the maximum of our possibilities, and most importantly that they don’t treat us only as a historical band that can sell a few thousand extra copies from their roster..Up to now the band has only helped others earn money and has not been valued to the maximum of its possibilities…we’ll see!

6. Are there any plans for a U.S tour?
6. Maybe! It’s years that we’ve been trying to organise to come to the USA, but unfortunately we have not been able to collaborate with a serious promoter, we had contact with a few large festivals over the last few years, such as the Milwaukee metal fest and the Monster of Madness Metal festival in Galveston but at the end of the day we didn’t conclude anything, we hope to get there in the near future.

7. What are your main influences music wise or non music wise?
7. Our main musical influences are to be compared to the 80’s extreme metal, bands such as Celtic Frost, Bathory, Mercyfull Fate, but also antique music, medieval and classic have brought us inspiration.

Surely our religious interests towards Paganism and Occultism has been inspirational for our symphonies…I admit that most times my references don’t come from my mind, but from the whispers of ancient spirits…

8. What are you listening to nowadays and what would you recommend?
8. Hope not to let you down but lately I’m only listening to Opera IX, this question comes at a time when we are composing and therefore, as in past years, I close myself in the studio only with Opera IX. I can certainly recommend some albums I was listening to up to a short time ago, Absu…..geniuses, it’s as if they have awoken from a 10 year hibernation and continued with that same musical dimension from their past. I was also impressed by the latest Gorgoroth, I find Infernus has returned to the origins of the band, they have all my respect.

9. How would you describe the band's approach to paganism and occultism?
9. Occultism and most of all Paganism are a great source of life for our band, personally I am very much involved in the neo-pagan movement, both myself and all my family. A part from being interested in Paganism for the search of historical origins and traditions of our ancestors, it gave me a clear path for contact with the divine, which for the traditions I follow has a large connection with celtic sciamanism. With this I have found a way of life that matches my nature, where the mysteries of life are celebrated in direct contact with nature, that can be Mother healer or the dark destroyer..it’s fascinating and overall I am my own pastor… The analysis of this spiritual path often connects me with magical and esoterical practices, that project me through the ‘worlds’ and from there I listen to the echo’s that I bring back and transform into music with the Opera IX

10. What are some good books or films that you would recommend?
10. Lately I have not seen films that have caught my attention, I remain on the classics such as the series of ‘Conan the barbarian’ or better the 13th warrior, to which I tie up the book written following the film ‘eaters of death’, this for the more epic theme. Another book on my table is ‘the spirit of the trees’ by Fred Hageneher, along with ‘fire in the head’ by Tom Cowan and ‘I Benandanti’ by Carlo Ginzburg. But I actually have more than 300 texts all on witchcraft and European Paganism…it’s difficult to draw up a list of my favourites. One day I will also finish the book I’ve been writing over the last 5 years, this talks about modern Druidism.

11. How does your home country react to your music, would you say that your best fans are in Italy or would you say they are in other countries?
11.Your never prophet’s at home…at least this is the case in Italy, which pays more attention to music from abroad, therefore I can say the majority of fans are not in Italy.

12. Any final words?
12. My last words are for you, who I thank for this interesting interview, spread our name as much as possible in the USA and sooner or later we will bring our witchcraft to you too…that’s a promise!

13. Thanks for the interview?
13 May the anciet Gods be with you!

www.operaix.it

www.myspace.com/officialoperaix

The Living Fields Interview

2011-06-14T16:56:00.001-07:00

1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

The album comes out July 12th, so we're getting all of our website & social media stuff in order, having merch made and answering interviews.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and how it differs from previous releases?

I think it's a lot more polished than previous efforts. Jay Walsh's (Farview Recording) mix and having Chuck Bontrager (violin/viola) and Petar Kecenovici (cello) on board both made huge improvements to this album's production. Musically, it's more riffy, more guitar-oriented. That was a conscious decision because a lot of the memorable bits on The Miseries Never Cease and The Living Fields aren't guitar parts. So I manned up and wrote more riffs this time out. Also - and I could be wrong about this - the previous releases seemed to have more folk and exotic stuff going on; Running Out of Daylight is more "Western," for lack of a better word.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new release explores?

We have a couple historical tunes… The title track is about Galileo in his last days, Perseverance is about Sir Edmund Hillary (the first man to scale Mt Everest and live) and From Miseries to Blood-Drenched Fields is a continuation of the story we started on The Miseries Never Cease and gets into the American Civil War. Remnant is based on the classic sci-fi novel "I am Legend". Bitterness and When the Walls Go Up are more personal. Glacial Movements is about geology and time. All of Jon's lyrics and notes can be read in the Discography section of our website: www.thelivingfields.com

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

I was just looking for something organic and somewhat positive. There was no deep thought put into it, but my upbringing in the countryside of Michigan certainly had something to do with the "fields" part.

5. Has the band had any opportunities to do any live shows? If so what are some of the best shows that the band has played o far and how would you describe your stage performance?

Sadly, no. Only Samu and I have met and jammed so far. Hopefully we'll be able to make that happen in the future, but it's a big financial and logistical hurdle.

6. What are some of the things you hope to accomplish with the new full length when it comes out?

Sell enough copies to keep us in Candlelight's good graces and hopefully get the name out so we have an opportunity to play live at some point.

7. Are there any side projects besides this band or is this a full time band?

The Living Fields is definitely not some bedroom vanity project, but we're not really a "real band" since we've never played a show or even met (besides Samu and I), so we all have side projects that are more or less our "real bands". Jon's baby is Monsterworks, a high-energy metal band that puts out a new album every 15 minutes (I think they've released three in the time it took us to make Running Out of Daylight). Chad's a full-time drum instructor in Canada who plays with a lot of local artists and occasionally plays with larger acts (Paul DiAnno, Exciter, etc.). For myself, I have Earthen Grave, a traditional Chicago-style metal band with Ron Holzner (ex-Trouble) on bass and violinist Rachel Barton Pine. Samu has his own brilliant project, Cairn, which has an EP coming out any day now. Additionally, Samu and I are working together on two other side projects - Fields of Burden (somewhat folky European "pagan" stuff) and Wintering (death metal).

8. On a world wide level how has your music been received by metal fans?

Hard to say, but we sold a lot more CD to people Europe than the US, which is a good sign since Europe seems to have much better taste in metal than the States.

9. What direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?

The next album, tentatively titled Delta, is about half written. Unless we really screw up, it should be another step up from Running Out of Daylight. I have no intention of dumbing down our music, but there will be an effort towards more economical songwriting, not having a gazillion things on at once, etc. We've asked too much of listeners on certain things in the past. We'll also have room for more of Samu's ideas and hopefully have Chuck writing more of the string arrangements, so that should bring a couple new voices to the process. After Delta, there are plans for a concept album, but that needs to wait until we have enough cash in our pockets to afford a proper production (like getting us all together for pre-production, recording in the same studio, etc.).

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

For me, this band all goes back to the first albums by the UK death/doom bands, specifically Anathema, Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride. Modern bands like Primordial and Moonsorrow are also probably in there somewhere. Film scores are another big source of inspiration for me. Jon's a huge Queen fan, which is a bit surprising to some.

Recently, I've been all over the map. One day it's John Coltrane, the next it's The Doors, then it's old Sepultura then it's Swedish death metal demos then it's on to something else. I can't sit still.

11. Does Occultism or Paganism play any role in your music?

Occultism, definitely not. Paganism, probably not. Too many meanings for that word for me to commit to one.

12. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?

Samu and I both love film. Lately we've been comparing notes on Herzog's films with Kinski (I've been coming up woefully short on useful observations). Can’t really say for Chad or Jon as I don't know them well enough.

13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Thanks for having us! We hope people give the new album a chance to sink in and enjoy it when it does. Check out our website (www.thelivingfields.com), find us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/thelivingfields), and poke around our other projects (www.earthengrave.com, www.supermetal.net, www.raisethecairn.com).

The Living Fields/Running Out Of Light/Candlelight Records/2011 CD Review

2011-06-08T15:19:00.000-07:00

The Living Fields are a band that plays an epic and progressive form of gothic doom metal mixed with black metal and this is a review of their 2011 album "Running Out Of Daylight" which will be released by Candlelight Records.

Drums range from slow to midpaced drumming with some ocassional fast playing and not much in the way of blast beats, while the violins and chellos bring a dark and depressive feel to the music with some symphonic elements as well as some pianos and keyboards., as for the bass playing it sounds very strong and powerful with some deep and heavy riffing.

Rhythm guitars range from slow to midpaced riffing that combines doom metal with melodic black metal, while the lead guitars and there are little to no guitar slos or leads present on this recording, as for the accoustic guitars they bring a progressive edge to the music.

Vocals are a mixture of mainstream high pitched black metal screams, deep death metal growls mixed in with alot of clean singing that has an avant garde feel to it as well as a power metal edge at times, while the lyrics cover dark themes, as for the production it has a very powerful and professional sound to it.

In my opinion The Living Fields re a very good avant garde black/doom/Symphonic band and if you are afan of this style, you should check out this band. RECEMMONDD TRACKS INCLUDE "Remnant" "From Miseries To Blood" and "and "Glacial Movements". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Alastor/Demon Attack/War Productions/2011 CD Review

2011-06-07T17:04:00.000-07:00

Alastor are a bad from Portugal that has a long history in the underground with a style that I would describe as being primitive black/thrash/retro metal and this is a review of their 2011 album "Demon Attack" which was released byWar Productions.

Drums range from slow, midpaced to fast playing with a good amount of blast beats, while the bass playing has a very heavy and dark tone with some primitive sounding black/thrash riffing, as for the sound eff very dark and evil sounding.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, midpaced to fast riffs that are very primitive with riffing that utilizes influences from black and thrash metal, while the lead guitars are very primitive and old sounding underground metal guitar solos that utilize melodies at times, as for the accoustic guitars they are only used ocassionly and bring a dark and depressive feel to the music with some classical guitars being used at times.

Vocals are a mixture of raspy thrash vocals and first wave high pitched black metal screams, while the lyrics are written in a mixture of Portugueese and English and cover Satanism, Occultism, Necromancy, evil and darkness with some of the songs being cover tunes, as for the production it has a very dark and raw feel to it.

In my opinion Alastor are a very good raw and primitive sounding black/thrash band and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Evocao A Lilith" "Necromante" "Posessed By Darkness" and "Spawn Of Evil". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Katatonia/Discouraged Ones/CenturyMedia Records/1998 CD Review

2011-05-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

Katatonia are a band from Sweden that started out as a black/doom metal band but went into a more gothic direction with this album and this is a review of their 1998 album "Discouraged Ones" which was released by Century Media Records.

Drums are mostly slow to midpaced playing with no fast drumming or blast beats present on this recording, while the keyboards are very dark and tragic sounding, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they sound very powerful with some bass leads.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow to midpaced gothic metal riffs that also have an indie rock feel to them as well as a doomy edge, while the lead guitars are very depressing and sounding guitar solos, as for the accoustic guitars they bring a very haunting and tragic sound to the music.

Vocals are all clean singing with none of the growls or screams that where used on previous albums, while the lyrics are very poetic and sad, as for the production on this recording which was recorded and mixed at sunlight studios during July and August of 1997 sounds very professional and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion this was a very good album from Katatonia and while some fans did not like this album because they dropped the heavier vocals, I still liked this recording alot. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "I Break" "Relention" "Cold Wags" and "Saw You Drown". RECEMMONDED BUY

In Mourning/Monolith/Pulverised Records/2010 C Review

2011-05-19T15:51:00.000-07:00

In Mourning are a band from Sweden that mixes a very progressive brand of melodic death metal/gothic metal and a lkittle bit of black metal together to create their own sound and this is a review of their 2010 album "Monolith" which was released by Pulverised Records.

Drums are a mixture between slow to midpaced playing with little to no fast drumming or blast beats being employed, while the bass playing has a very heavy and powerful sound with some progressive riffs that are death metal influenced.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow and midpaced riffs that mix death metal with metalcore style riffing and there is also a good amount of melody that is gothic/doom metal influenced mixed in with some fast parts that have a black metal edge, while the lead guitars are very melodic and progressive sounding guitar solos and there is a small amount of accoustic guitars being used on ocassion.

Vocals cover a variety of styles with some deep death metal growls mixed in with some high pitched black metal screams and clean vocals, while th lyrics cover poetic and depressing themes, as for the production it sounds very professional giving each musical instrument a very heavy sound.

In my opinion In Mourning are a very talented band that should appeal to people that are into melodic death metal, gothic metal and the more mainstream sounding black metal. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "For You To Know" "The Poet And The Painter Of Souls" and "Pale Eye Revelation". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Preludium Interview

2011-05-17T12:25:00.000-07:00

1. can you update us with what is going on with the band these days?Preludium (Lukasz): Hi. The band is making a steady progress these days. Last year the MCD label released our 2 albums: ‘Abomination’- consists of 4 ‘new’ compositions together with demo material coming from ‘Infernal force’ 2002. In addition to that we managed to release our full-length album ‘Impending Hostility’ for a new record label- Diabolical Conquest. After a 2 –year-break we started playing concerts. Things are getting better.
Thanks to broadening our cooperation with Mythrone Promotion, the information about releasing the new stuff and also about signing the contract with Diabolical Conquest Records appeared in the most of music website services in Poland.
We are fully satisfied with the cooperation with DC Records. Kunal every time gives us support and has confidence in us and our actions. He does his best to make our music be heard all around the world.
We are receiving from abroad the reviews of our new album and lots of inquires about interviews. In Poland, on the other hand, there are reviews of ‘Abomination’ but we are still waiting for the first opinions of our latest full length album.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album, and how does it differ from previous releases?

Our music can be described as brutal death metal in so called ‘US style’. In no way it can be described as highly technical or intricate, on the contrary, the music is rather simple with an emphasis placed on the climate of the whole composition.

Our music is under the influence of the newcomers who joined our band after releasing ‘Raping Mankind Disorder’ especially the appearance of Piotr as the drummer has had a significant impact on the rhythmical elements.

Trying to be uniquely original is not the main goal of our band. Each release follows a certain convention. Our main goal is to work on improving the quality of our compositions.
Our last album contains 9 entirely new compositions including one instrumental. When working on ‘Impending…’ for the first time we used seven-string guitars. What’s more we tuned them in a way to achieve ‘heavier’ effect. The compositions resemble our style, however, we add some new elements: more varied vocals and we also decided to resign from didgeridoo, which appeared both on ‘Eternal Wrath’ and ‘Raping Mankind Disorder’

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and concepts the new release explores?

The lyrics present military-related topics adequate to our music. We derive our inspirations from books and films. No preaching.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

The founder of the band and the inventor of the band’s name is Janek. Frankly speaking I’m not able to say what lay behind his decision to name the band-Preludium. I would say that even Janek does not know it or does not remember it, cos it was long time ago. From my point of view it’s quite original name for the group which plays such extreme music. We like it- if someone has problem with it…..I don’t care.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

We believe that our best shows are yet to come. So far, we’ve played 2 concert tours in the south-east part of Poland. What’s more we’ve appeared on the Conquer Fest in Malbork and we’ve played in Slovakia. As I’ve already said we’ve had a 2-year- break from playing concerts. I hope that it will change because our music is simply perfect for such performance. Our gig can be compared to a war. We come in, play our death metal and we take no captives. A few days ago we learned that we will play on a two-day festival in Katowice together with such groups as Entombed, Krisiun, Kataklysm, Belphegor, DHG and lots more. Obviously, we are really excited about it. It will be a test for us and for the impact of our music.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the new releases?

Unfortunately, we don’t have any touring plans. Still, we are open to interesting offers.

7. Currently you are signed to Diabolical Conquest Records, how did you get in contact with this label, and how would you describe the support that they have given you so far?

The owner of Diabolical Conquest Zine reviewed ‘Raping…’. He took a liking to our music and that’s why we started to correspond. What’s more he offered to help us with finding a new label for our new material.
After recording ‘Impending Hostility’ Kunal informed us that he starts with his own label and that he would go to any lengths to get our signatures on the contract. The word became flesh and soon we signed the papers.
Kunal spreads propaganda about PRELUDIUM all over the world. As a result we receive lots of reviews and inquires about interviews.

8. On a worldwide level how has your music been received by brutal death/black metal fans worldwide?

Our music usually meets with a warm reception from the listeners. The reviews show us that our music is worthwhile to pay it interest. We are glad that death metal fans appreciate it.

9. What direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?

For the time being, we don’t think about composing new material, now we focus our attention on the concerts. All we can do is to assure you that we will still play insane death metal with hellish vocals.

10. Are there any side projects besides this and, or is this a full time line-up?

For the boys Preludium is a full time line-up, but not for me. I’m also involved in a post-black metal project called “Mord’a’Stigmata”. We’ve just signed a contract with Romanian Sun & Moon Records and on 11 April 2011 there will be the premiere of the second album ‘Antimatter’

Last year we played to successful concert tours all around Poland with Massemord and Infernal War. What’s more we’re composing material for the next album. Frankly speaking, I don’t know yet what will be the outcome of our work.

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music, and also what are you listening to nowadays?

I listen to various kinds of music. Apart from metal, I love listening to electronic music, dnb, ambient, noise and film music. In my opinion, music is not the only factor which influences what we create in Preludium. Our music style is very often compared to Incantation, Morbid Angel or Immolation. Being compared to these bands is a great honour for us. Personally,
I don’t see any similarities between our music.

12. What role does Satanism, Occultis or Anti-Christianity plan your music, and how would you describe your views on these topics?

Religion is for fools. I don’t want to share with you my private views on these topics.

13. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

I love playing football and cooking.

14. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Thank you for the interview.
Zdrowie! Cheers.

Gravehill/When All Roads Lead To Hell/Dark Descent Records/2011 CD Review

2011-05-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

Graveill are a band from California that has had their previos albumj reviewed in this zine that plays a style that I would describe as being a mixture of black, death and thrash metal and this is a review of their 2011 album "When All Roads Lead To Hell" which was released by Dark Descent Records.

Drrums range from slow, midpaced to fast drumming with alot of brutal sounding blast beats, while the bass playing is kind of mixed down low in the mix and seems to follow the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, midpaced to fast riffs that combine influences from black, death and thrash metal with some morbid sounding melodies being utilized at times, while the lead guitars are very distorted sounding underground metal guitar solos in the mid 80's to Early 90's vien.

Vocals are a mixture of black metal and blackened death/metal screams that also have German thrash feel to them and some deep death metal growls as well as samples from films, while the lyrics cover Satanism, Occultism, War, Killing and Metal, as for the production it has a very heavy and raw feel to it.

In my opinion this is another great album from Gravehill and if you where a fan of their previous releases, you will not be dissapointed. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Unholy Executioner" "Devil Worshipper" "Hell Metal Holocaust" and "Consumed By Rats". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Willow Wisp/Antihuman Manifesto/Blastzone Entertainment/2010 CD Review

2011-05-01T14:49:00.000-07:00

Willow Wisp are a band from Hollywood, Ca that has a history that goes back as far as the 80's that plays a very avant garde form of gothic black/death metal and this is a review of their 2010 album "Antihuman Manifesto" which was released by Blastzone Entertainment.

Drums range from slow to midpaced parts with alot of fast playing and brutal blast beats, while the synths when they are utilized have a very dark atmospheric avant garde feel that has a gothic doom metal feel at times, as for the bass playing, as for the bass playing is all rhythm bass that follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are heavy riffs that mix some brutal death metal with some fast to midpaced black metal riffing as well as some slow doomy riffs, while the lead guitars are heavy solos that have influences from early 90's death metal with some progressive playing being used at times, as for the accoustic guitars when they are utilized use alot of open chords and fingerpicking that gives the music a trippy feel.

Vocals are a mixture between high pitched black metal screams and deep death metal growls with some clean singing being used at times, while the lyrics touch on some Anti Christian, Satanic, Nietzsche philosophy, as well as a hatred for mankind with a poetic touch, as for the production on this albumwhich was recorded and mixed between May 2008 and October 2009 at Satori Studios in Torrance, Ca sounds very professional and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are on this recording.

In my opinion this is a very good album from Willow Wisp that is much heavier than their past work which was more gothic and industrial influenced, and if you are a fan of the heavier side of Willow Wisp you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "The Dead Man's Ballad" "7734999" and "Floating On A Cloud". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Willow Wisp Interview

2011-05-01T14:31:00.001-07:00

1. Can you update us with what is going on with the band these days?
TOE KNEE-We just released our new Eclectic/Esoteric/Psychological Black Metal Epic entitled 'Antihuman Manifesto' to a world which will surely be taken aghast by it's transcending qualities.All emotions will be evoked and questioned upon initial and repeated listens.
M6D6M6A-**Willow Wisp is very busy writing new songs that continue to desecrate the names of the nations' deities, as well as being busy performing for the sic and twisted damned that flock to our shows to be brutally entertained and absolved of all their sins.
MR HORRORBLE-The creative output is growing exponentially right now. The new material is faster with more complex riffs. The overall smoothness & flow of the compositions are starting to have a more professional feel to them.
:LAZ: Revamping & rehearsing the most intense brutal sound since 1988.

2. You have a history that goes back to the 80's, how did your music sound back then, I noticed when I listen to your music it sounds too modern to be confused for an 80's band?
TOE KNEE-This monster always evolves.It eats it's members if they cannot sate it's hunger and appease it's will to emote musical excursions for die hard devotees .Willow Wisp has always experimented with varying fabrics and sound tapestries. In the beginning we were heavily influenced by Bathory,Mercyful Fate,Destruction and Metallica, yet we were also inspired by the Glam movement with such bands as Tiger Tailz,Twisted Sister,Motley Crue and W.A.S.P. as well as progressive metal like Voi Vod,Fates Warning and Rush.We were a strange amalgam of those bands if you can picture such a monstrosity .Currently we have found our sound and honed it to a fine devil tail .Willow Wisp will always be eccentric but in a more refined manner and less confusing to the listener.
MR HORRORBLE-Cool! Thanks!
:LAZ:Because the band is a perpetual work in progress, perpelled in a constant state of evolution, just as the universe we live in.---

3. How do you feel your image has influenced other black metal or gothic bands, you have had the imagery before most of the bands?
TOE KNEE-Curiously enough many newer Black/Death metal and Gothic metal fans think we ripped the image from Cradle of Filth or Gorgoroth,etc. but we started wearing rusted,homemade spiked gauntlets and early,primitive corpsepaint as far back as 1986.We were also covering songs by Bathory,Impaler and Destruction in 1986/87 .Research is important,especially if you make false claims as to a band's lineage.You cannot pass a test without study.Most fools usually get straight F's......failures, one and all.
MR HORRORBLE-Willow's members past & present have always realized the importance of the dramatic theatrical presentation that sets us apart from typical "blackmetal" bands. Though inspirational to us on multiple levels, black & white is overused & boring. Willow has always had an extreme look that transcends genres. A little of this & a little of that is how we approach it. Other bands & local metal musicians seem afraid to do a look like we do & often criticize it. Fear of being called gay is a lot of it.
:LAZ: Pushing the bounderies and fundamentaly destroying the norm of what everyone assumes is Ideal. And occasionally reviving the roots of the original originality.

4. Have you had the opportunity to play shows outside of California and what are some of the best shows that the band has played so far?
TOE KNEE-We performed in Chicago in 2003,New York in 1996 and 2002,Vegas in 2009,England in 2000 and did a mini tour of Germany in 2005.Thus far our most favorable shows were with Dark Funeral at The Key Club in Hollywood in January 2007,Deicide and Usurper at The Gathering of The Bestial legions at The Rink in Los Angeles in 2004,with Mayhem at The Whisky in Hollywood in 1998 and with Christian Death twice in 1997 at The Roxy in Hollywood and recently at The Castle in Riverside,Ca. in February of 2010 .Those are some of the standouts in my memory.
M6D6M6A-****Vegas was great because the place that booked us had no idea what they were getting themselves into. We tend to be able to shock even those that have seen us before, so I know that crowd will never forget what they witnessed that night.
MR HORRORBLE-We played Las Vegas at some awful little meth driven club. The reception was overwhelming & the show devastated everybody there. They didn't expect the devastation we create live.

5. What are some of the best bands that you have done shows with and what are some bands that you would like to do shows with?
TOE KNEE -All of the above mentioned.Some of the bands we desire to perform with are-Cradle Of Filth,1349,Gorgoroth,Kiss,Alice Cooper,Immortal,Watain,Akercocke,Cannibal Corpse,Marilyn Manson and Lady Ga Ga.
M6D6M6A-**Rebel Rebel have been real cool to play with. I like the shows they put on.
MR HORRORBLE-The Wisp has played with so many pro level bands in the past. Personally, I'd love to open for Immortal, Watain, Cradle, Dimmu, Gorgoroth, etc... my fantasy would be to open for Iron Maiden but we're too extreme for the type of acts they generally tour with.

6. A few months ago me and my wife saw a porno film that had your band in it, do you have any more plans to do porno's?
TOE KNEE-Well, to correct you that was for a former band I was involved in called Astrovamps and i did not actually perform in the video .I was a (not so innocent) bystander during the proceedings .I wanted to cut the young ladies and involve urine rites but the director declined.
MR HORRORBLE- There's been some discussion. It would take an ultra creative visionary to do a porn film with our music as the soundscape. Of course, we'd write new material for such a project. There's been rumors of a more satanic approach with the band taking part on a more fleshly level.

7.How has your newer material been received so far by extreme music fans worldwide?
TOE KNEE-Considering we are by far harsher and more vicious than ever musically and the way we present ourselves on stage the fans have been more receptive .There will always be those far less adept and unqualified 'fans' who mock and scorn us out of sheer,uninformed stupidity but the more savvy and researched will understand and appreciate our progression.
M6D6M6A-**The release of the AntiHuman Manifesto is fast approaching but until then I can't say for sure. I know one thing, if you don't like you can go right to hell.
MR HORRORBLE-"I Watched You Drown" has been an instant favorite for people. That's cool because it's brand new & on the cd. Kind of funny because it's a departure from the rest of the songs on the cd.

8. How would you describe the lyrical content of the music?
TOE KNEE-Quite possibly the world's most supremely written observations on the human condition.The style is very,very avant garde in it's approach, deviating from the standard formula of verse,chorus,bridge,solo,repeat chorus,etc. Some of the Poe-etry does not even mention the title of the song.It's all very stream of consciousness and broad based in it's concepts.I will say though that a recurring theme seems to be eternity and the mystery of death as well as the will to power and the exploration of all human emotions.Of course we do throw in some of the most taboo breaking idealism and rants on the menace of religion for good measure!!
M6D6M6A-**Our new cd AntiHuman Manifesto lives up to its name in many different ways. Just pick up that booklet that comes along with the cd and read along with the lyrics and discover the misanthropic stories told by each song.
MR HORRORBLE-Have you read Toe-knees work? He's really fucked up in the head...in a GOOD way. The stories alone are great, very intellectually & emotionally challenging. There's double meanings, metaphores, weird meter. Definitely not your typical pop lyrics for the weak minded.

9. I have noticed over the years you have been on a few record labels, which record label do you feel has done the most to support your music?
TOE KNEE-We anticipate that our current distributor Blastzone Entertainment will exceed any past success but up to this point Fullmoon Productions (a label from Florida we were on from 1999 to 2001) did a tremendous job of advertising,distributing us and paying for our studio budget.

10. Out off all the releases you have recorded so far which one are you the most satisfied with?
TOE KNEE-Upon repeated observations I have come to the conclusion that 'Antihuman Manifesto' is our best yet
MR HORRORBLE-The obvious answer is "Antihuman Manifesto". It summed up where the band was a few years ago when it was recorded. The new material is technically & sonically a step up. The world will have to wait for the next cd (which several songs are already written) to find out what we're most proud of. We really like to look forward instead of looking back. For me, Karza's keyboard work on "Emnity" was stellar. The producton on "Manifesto" is so great, especially for the extremely limited resources we have. That's something we're all very proud of. Daniel Satori did magic for us in his studio.

11. You have many different elements in your music, how would you describe the fans that go to your shows, I am sure you have more than just black metal fans at your shows?
TOE KNEE-I would describe them as being of various stature,height,weight,facial features and scent .Basically just humans who love metal!! We are blessed (by whatever forces beckon) to have any fans and we are honored to perform for them.
M6D6M6A-**I think we've been fortunate to be able to play some shows that ended up having fairly diverse crowds, whether that's just because of the show that was booked or what I don't know but I have no problem spreading the gospel of Willow Wisp to each and every ear that will listen.
MR HORRORBLE-It's very interesting & disturbing. You get teenagers that dress cool but not metal by any means, some typical jean/concert shirt metal dudes, some hot goth chics, some huge depressed girls, some tweekers, some stoners, a few middle aged people that understand we're not about fame, just the music & pushing the boundries of what people consider black metal or goth or extreme music in general.
LAZ: We have fat chicks fugly gimps, cretins the resemble your dying grandma's asshole cunt askewed into one mucusing pubic person. and various freaks and carnival rejects. (LOL)

12. How would you describe the musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?
TOE KNEE-We have conquered by leaps and bounds, as time has advanced we have advanced with it.The mystery of the future brings with it the mystery of future composition.
MR HORRORBLE-We feel like we're on the other side of a black hole where all the powers of the universe are infinitely condensed, where everything is possible & impossible at the same time. We just write & don't think about what it means or where it will fits in. Though every miserable human on the planet hates us & criticizes us for what we do, it lets us clearly know that what we're doing really is art. You can't just walk away unaffected. You're going to have a strong reaction (positive or negative). This is the definition of art, to tap into emotions unexpectidly.
LAZ: into a more machine like drivin force, representing man's darkest deviations, in a modern misanthropic form of new age DE-evolution.

13. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and what are you listening to nowadays?
TOE KNEE-I am influenced by any artist with integrity .I listen mostly to Metal, which encompasses about 80 percent of my listening excursions but the other 20 percent constitutes things that most bipeds would not even believe I adore, such as-Aleisha Keys,Lady Ga Ga,The Carpenters,The Doors,Michael Jackson,The Beatles,Diamanda Galas,Robert Johnson,Elvis,Nirvana,Rolling Stones,etc. very diverse tastes. Never cheat yourself of your emotions or fear others opinion.If you do you are just taking ill advise from a future corpse.
M6D6M6A-**I like new and original music. Something that hasn't quite been done before. Since I feel Willow Wisp is full of this originality I expect the same from my music in whatever form it is.
MR HORRORBLE-We all listen to different shit all the time. Naturally, it's always metal of some sort, but we channel everything. Even stuff as remote as The Carpenters & The Beach Boys & Johnny Cash. The new Immortal is killer. Cannibal's "Evisceration Plague" is good. Typical, but good. I still listen to Maiden, Van Halen, Ratt, Dokken, Crue, Immortal, Mayhem, Gorgoroth, Emperor, etc., but listen to a lot of classical.
LAZ: Influences involve ; Mayhem, Decide, Pantera, Metallica, Cannibal Corpse, Accept, Kiss, Judas Priest, Queen, & Burzum. etc.
Nowadays I listen a wide variety ; Berzerker, Diva Destruction, Mayhem (NEW), Nile, Crystal Castles, Hocico, Mournful Congregation, Interpol, Bring Me the Horizon, Portishead, Ancient, Limbonic Art, & Switch Blade Symphony.

14. Where do you feel you stand at in the Los Angeles metal scene?
TOE KNEE-Usually on the side of the road opposite traffic.In other words we could care less .Willow Wisp is it's own entity far from the ravaged and prejudice thoughts of the 'competition'.
M6D6M6A-**Willow Wisp will always be one of the most eclectic/esoteric/god hating bands wherever it is that you put us, Los Angeles is no exception.
MR HORRORBLE-Artistically, nobody can touch us except somebody like Dead By Day.
LAZ: somewhere between your mom's legs.

15. How would you describe your views on Satanism and what are some occult authors, philosophers and orders that have influenced your views?
TOE KNEE-I would describe them as complex. I have studied many religions and their ideas and have come to the conclusion that they are all just mini orders with varying monikers overseen by crazed megalomaniacs who crave power and energy to feed their delusional values.Some are very logical, others completely asinine with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.Satanism is by far the supreme order, but only in the way of survival of the not only the fittest but the most astute,crafty and determined. I adhere to Anton lavey's philosophy as well as Friedrich Nietzsche's but at times you need the pure,unbridled barbarity of medieval Satanism to accomplish things.I prefer a mixture of the logical and the absurd. "Which is it? Is man only God's mistake or God only man's mistake?"
M6D6M6A-**Satanism for me deals primarily with the possession of my body before performing a show. If you come see a concert you will be looking upon the result of prolonged exposure to Traditional Satanism. And any questions you had about the concept will be answered many times over.
MR HORRORBLE-I went through a concerted effort to summon all evil by reading Anton LeVey & a little Crowley. It seemed to back-fire becaues all the spells I cast seemed to fuck me over & not the intended victims. That stopped that shit. But, the overall modern satanic philosophy is exactly what Satan was accused of...having a will to do your own thing. That's how we look at it. The satanic or evil imagery & lyrics is the fun part. You see how frail people's minds are that can believe that anything other than human actions is evil. It has always struck me as odd that people cling to the character of Satan that came from Judeo-Christian philosophy as the villian who loses in the end. See how retarded people are? The don't even know what they're believing in or trying to conjur up. The only real power a human has is his/her own mind. Everything else is superfluous. I've found Dr. Wayne Dyer's books helpful in developing my own mind & thoughts outside of religious or occult forums. To each his own.
LAZ: "They're all wrong because they're all right. If we don't all evolve we don't evolve at all."

16. What are some of your interests outside of music?
TOE KNEE-My soul mate,rituals,exercise,painting,poetry,reading,horrormovies,history,nature,pussy,
periodic drinking binges
M6D6M6A-**If you don't mind I'd rather mention what I do outside of Willow Wisp, which is a very frightening industrial/electro project called SleeperCell. You can expect a track from SleeperCell on Willow Wisp's new AntiHuman Manifesto cd entitled "Let Me Eat Your Dead". You can also find more SleeperCell at www.myspace.com/sleeper666cell.
MR HORRORBLE-All things beach & surfing for me. Out in the water you realize how insignificant we & our problems are. We're shark bait with egos. I love shooting hand guns, assault & sniper rifles. Being alone in nature has to be the epitomy for me. It's the only time everything is real. Your humanity, your thoughts, survival. We all need eachother as humans but the best place to experience your humanity is alone.
LAZ: My Psychic pulses that are Illuminating and controlling of the minds of mankind, Theroies of the galactic and infinite possibilities of everything, and inevitably the substance of Nothing, and don't forget CIRCLES, everything goes in circles.

17. Any final words or thoughts?
TOE KNEE-Well, I suspect that those will come from my soul and brain right before the moment of my divine exit from this mortal coil.DEFY THE FUCKING MUNDANE HORDES OF HUMANITY FOREVER!!!!!!!!
M6D6M6A-**From one avid metal fan to another, do yourself a goddamn favor and get the new Willow Wisp cd AntiHuman Manifesto. It will in fact reinvigorate a long stagnate scene. And I don't know how anyone else feels but personally I'm getting sick of black and death metal sounding exactly the same from one band to another. I dare you to listen to our new cd and not hear a multitude of sounds you've never heard before. I fuckin dare you. WWW.MYSPACE.COM/WILLOWWISPBA
MR HORRORBLE-Thanks to the fans that have stayed loyal to the vision of Willow Wisp. We all hate when members change in bands but there's usually good reasons for it. Bottom line, you're into the style of music or you're not. Dani Filth is a great example of keeping his vision for the band going while members came & went. Toe-knee is the same way...dedicated till the end. We believe that 3 of us are core right now & are in it for the long haul. We need one or two members that believe & behave as we do. The Wisp ain't goin' away.
LAZ: the definition of a God is :A Creator. and we are GODS.

Incarceri 9 Interview

2011-04-30T20:47:00.000-07:00

1. Can you give us a brief history of the band?

Kol: Well, I started writing the songs in late 2005, but didn't have any members. I tries out various members , with various band names including Centuryspawn, then Black Swamp Chain Gang. Both of those last names were somebody elses ideas. The last group of folks tried to kick me out and our bassist Bst, and our old drummer Marco came with me. We kept the songs He and I wrote, and I came up with the name Incarceri 9. We got Jordan in the band in March of 2008, and thus the current lineup was made. Sadly , in late 2008 we had to let our drummer Marco go for various and irreconcilable reasons. We have since carried on without a permanent drummer until we find the right fit. We released the first album in april 20 2009.

Bst : I made contact with Kol after almost convincing myself to ditch the whole scene. Slow start and much wasted time past while we shuffled through some bad lineup choices, before securing Jordan and expanding our arsenal.

2. How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you before?

Bst: Someone stepping on a placental membrane

Jordan: We see ourselves as a synthesis of all that is metal. We explore a wide range of metal subgenres and someone who is new to the band can go into it expecting to hear familiar styles fused with more challenging approaches in a surprisingly natural union.

Kol: I agree with Jordan and would add that all of our songs are either about dark and emotional themes , or freedom and individualism by rejecting religion and the guitar hero culture that is ruining society today.

3. What is the meaning behind the band's name?

Kol: Incarceri 9 broken down means: In Carceri (italian for prison) 9(in numerology 9 stands for the end or completion) so the name of the first album IN PRISON TIL THE END Iis also the meaning of the bands name. The prison is life , the end is death when we are released.

4. What are some of the best live shows that you have played so far?

Jordan: There's a club here in town called New Street Studio that's always been really good to us. We always enjoy playing for them. Sadly, however, a great many of the venues here in Atlanta are extremely corrupt flat out refuse to pay bands for the services they render. Then they act like the bands are being unreasonable for wanting to get paid. I could write a book (and I just might) about all of the garbage that gets spewed our way in this regard. We actually played a festival gig here one time where we tried to get paid and the promoter said "well I had to pay the bartender and the catering and the bouncers and the sound guy and the lighting guy and the camera guy and I didn't have any left over to pay you." Well guess what- without the bands, none of those other people would have a reason to be there! I have a tendancy to rant about this too much in interviews, so I wont go on, but this is a business and we can't operate our business at a loss. There was a time when people played gigs for each other because they were part of a scene and didn't worry about money, but now that comradery has been corrupted into this petulant "something for nothing" mentality. People ask where I get off not being willing to play gigs for no money and I just say "Who is John Galt?"Bst: I really liked the Atrium venue, a hip hop club in southeastern Atlanta. I’m surrounded by hand painted portraits of various hip hop artist, feeling kinda uncomfortable, like I was playing at their party or something.

5. Are there any plans for a tour?

Bst: As long as I can pass the check for it.

Kol: No plans, but would love to tour Europe,Japan,Canada,South America,Africa,etc. I left out the US because I feel they aren't ready for us because we don't sound like Lamb Of God.

Jordan: As the various markets open up to us, we'll be hitting the road and hitting it hard. Right now the focus is on getting the right label, management, and agent behind us so that we have the proper backing.

6. Have you received any label interest yet?

Kol: There has been from minor overseas labels who want to distribute the new album

Bst: some

Jordan: We've actually been approached by some independant labels from overseas. We've got internet distribution through CDBaby and are in negotiations for in-store distribution in several areas. We don't pretend to be one of these "we don't want to get signed we're all about the music" bands. Fuck that- we want to quit our day jobs and do this full time.

7.How would you describe the lyrical content of the music?

Jordan: We explore a lot of dark topics but there's definately a sort of transcendental aspect to our lyrics as well. Kind of like what Albert Camus proposed in his Theory of Absurdism but with a heavy dose of Ayn Rand Objectivist philosophy and Franz Kafka-esque paranoia. Essentially we argue that life is what you make of it, and no matter how dark and bleak your situation, you can still shape it into something wonderful and beautiful in its own right.

Kol: We delve in to a couple subjects, but the main one is the rejection of religion in order to live stronger and more complete lives without the concern of the fabled afterlife.

Bst: Sick fantasies acted out for the public.

8. What direction do you see the band going into on future releases?

Bst: We are writing songs together now from scratch, putting together more complex arrangements. It will be interesting to see where we go.

Kol: More of a group effort than individual contribution. As a whole it will be heavier and faster on the next album from what I'm seeeing now.

Jordan: When we cut In Prison Till the End, we had basically written our individual song contributions on our own and brought them to the table as completed works. As we've written new material its been more of a group effort and so while listeners can still expect the genre hopping we've done in the past, it will be smoother and more elegant, with each song moving through different styles in a more conscious, atmospheric fashion.

9. What are your main influences music wise or non music wise?

Kol: Life in itself influences me the most. I will go over the bands that influence me the most in the various genres. BM- Celtic Frost, GM- Tiamat, ProgM- Amorphis. Overall , I would say Sabbath, Mercyful Fate, and Iron Maiden

Bst: I believe the biggest influence in what we do is history and cultural study. Grasp that, and then begin to dissect everything around you. Or just watch the biographies of half ton fat people, you’ll get the idea. I take a lot of inspiration from the concept in science fiction that people can evolve socially beyond the need for rigid doctrines and social order.

10. What are you listening to nowadays and what are some good bands or releases that you would recommend?

Jordan: I'm a huge fan of Sigh, which is this Japanese metal band that fuses black metal with jazz fusion. Their album Imaginary Sonicscape is one of the most criminally under appreciated records in history. I'm also a big jazz head, so I would recommend Miles Davis, Pat Metheny and John Zorn. I think the last few Residents albums, since Demons Dance Alone, have been incredible. Especially Animal Lover and Tweedles.

Kol: Really liking Aggaloch right now, but still listen to Celtic Frost, Darkthrone, Tiamat, In Flames, Dark Funeral, Lacuna Coil, Opeth, Amorphis, the list could go on , buit you get the idea.

Bst: I believe in a different type of music for every mood though I never found any use for electronic or dance pop music. Right now I’m diving deep into the vaults of early American blues and grungy garage rock from the 50s and 60s. Fireball Ministry, they fuckin kill.

11. Does Satanism or Occultism play a role in your music and life?

Bst: :no stock in Satan or the occult. Some of my songwriting themes are mathematical, but I tend to live my own simple philosophy.

Kol: Philosophically, I agree with Satanism, but I am not a member of the religion , because I am anti religious. It plays a big role in my writing for this band though. I myself am agnostic about the idea of divinity, but I'm an atheist when it comes to ALL of the worlds religions. To me , if there is a god, it does't care.

Jordan: I'm the only member of the band who is an official Satanist, but we're all sympathetic to the philosophy. I have always viewed religions as tools for programming the mind and Satanism is just about the only one that acknowledges this and places the reigns in the hands of the practitioner rather than some pompous ass preacher or a sniveling congregation. I use Satanism as a means to conciously strip away all mental barriers that could hinder me in my pursuit of my goals in life. I find this to be extremely empowering, and its led me to realize that many of the things in my life that I thought were serious obstructions are just paper tigers, to borrow from the Communist lexicon.I definately recommend studying Aleister Crowley as well as Isreal Regardie so as to have a fully informed understanding of occult thought, but I strongly advise against joining any of the modern incarnations of the organizations they championed as many of them now thrive on the kind of intimidation and group-think that has cause Christianity and Islam to out-stay their welcome.

12. What are some good books or films that you would recommend?

Jordan: I absolutely recommend the writings of Harlan Ellison. His work changed my life early on when I read stories like "I Have no Mouth and I Must Scream" and "The Deathbird." I have 26 of his books in my collection and he's the only author whose work I collect so rabidly. I actually have three copies of Stalking the Nightmare, two of them hardcover first editions. As for other authors my favorites include Haruki Murakami, Philip K. Dick, Franz Kafka, Herman Hesse, Ayn Rand, and many others.For films I recommend Takashi Miike's titles like "Audition," "Visitor Q," "Ichi the Killer," and so on. Shinya Tsukamoto's work is amazing is well like "A Snake of June," "Bullet Ballet," and Tetsuo I and II. Kyoshi Kurosawa is fantastic as well. "Cure," "Pulse," "Charisma" and "Bright Future" are really stunning.

Bst: Eric Bogosian’s one man show, Robert Heinlein’s Time Enough For Love, Leonard Pitts, Edward Current, Frank Herbert, Douglas R. Hofstadter, Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh

13. How would you describe the metal scene in your home state?

Bst: Weak, under promoted, underappreciated.Kol: total shitJordan: There's a huge scene when it comes to established bands. I went to the show Nightwish played here recently and it was a packed house. Same thing with Dream Theater, Queensryche, Megadeth, etc. The problem is that there's no support network for local bands trying to get established. There's a great deal of apathy when it comes to supporting new bands.

14. Any final words?

Kol: We look forward to spreading our music , and thanks for your zine, love the work your putting in to help expose bands like us.

Bst: thanks for your time , look forward to seeing some of you soon.

Jordan: Thank you for your interest in and support of Incarceri 9. When we conquer this insipid planet, your name shall be on the Good List and no harm will come to you.

15. Thanks for the interview?

Jordan: Thank you.

Incarceri 9/In Prison Till The End/2009 CD Review

2011-04-27T14:44:00.000-07:00

Incarceri 9 are a band from Atlanta,Georgia that plays a mixture of doom,black,gothic and thrash metal and this is a review of their self released 2009 album "In Prison Till The End".

Drums on this recording are for the most part fast with alot of blast beats and some ocasional slow beats, while the bass playing seems to follow the riffs coming out of the rhythm guitars and at times it plays a role of lead bass, as for the keyboards they seem to be gothic influenced.

Rhythm guitars cover alot of ground with some doom/gothic metal influenced riffs and at times they speed up and turn into really fast thrash riffs, while the lead guitars utilize alot of melody and distortion with the solos being heavily influenced by 80's underground metal. Acoustic guitars sound really clean and utilize alot of full chords.

Vocals on this album contain a bunch of variety with some clean singing gothic vocals mixed with some high pitched black metal screams as well as some thrash influenced yells and and there are also some death/doom growls, as well. On some songs there are some spoken word parts that seem to have an anti christianity tint.

My copy of the promo did not come with any lyrics but judging by the bio they seem to be straight forward and about everyday live situations, while the production sounds good for a self released album and you can hear all of the instruments.

In my opinion this is a good album for this style of metal and while this is not something I listen to on a regular basis and this is not the type of album that would appeal to underground black metal listeners, this is still a good album and I can see fans of more mainstreamm black metal, gothic metal or even people that listen to mainstream metal in general liking this album, if a corporate label signed this band and promoted there music right this group could get really big. Another thing that I liked about this release was that they make every song sound different. A recommend release.

Legion Of The Damned Interview

2011-04-22T14:57:00.001-07:00

1. Can you update us with what is going on with the band these days?
-Actually just preparing for the neckbreakers ball tour, we are leaving tonight

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the album and how does it
differ from the previous releases?
-The sound is whats most different if you compare this one to Cult of the dead, also we took more time
in writing the new songs, they are alot more groovies this time. Musically in general it didn't change much

3. What are some of the lyrical concepts and topics the new releases
explores?
-The concept of Descend into Chaos is loosely focused on terror and violence as occurring in cultural myth and reality - from mankind's historical penchant for violence to Lovecraftian horrors that undermine the anthropocentric worldview. Lyrical themes from previous albums continue and reoccur but this time a little more focused violence, while the antichristian theme is less prominent. Current titles are Killzone, Night of the Sabbath, Repossessed, Lord of the Flies, Holy Blood Holy War, Shrapnel Rain, The Hand of Darkness, They Drew First Blood and one other tentatively titled Desolation Empire, and an intro.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the band name Legion of
The Damned?
-There is no real meaning behind it. It comes from WWII, there are several books on The Legion of the damned. We got it from our song Legion of the damned and we had to figure a new name within days.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and
how would you describe your stage performance?
We have done tons of shows, so its hard to describe which one was/is the best. A stage performance from legion is agressive and straight in your face I must say, especially when we play the smaller clubs, which I prefer the most

6. Do you have any touring plans for the new releases?
Yes the neckbreakers ball tour in europe with Kataklysm that we are doing starting tomorrow.

7. Are there any current side projects going on these days with the
other band members?
Not that I know off, but then again the band is sucking up alot of our free times already

8. On a worldwide level how has your new album been recieved by extreme
metal fans?
Excellent. All of our albums have been picked up really well

9. What direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?
As for Legion of the damned? I have no idea, I am happy we have this release on the shelf, no idea what the future will bring

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your
music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Band influences come from the bands from the 80's, Slayer, Possessed, Pestilence, Dark angel, Death, Destruction, Sodom. I listen to whole range of bands from thrash to Death metal to Mayhem/Darkthrone/bathory

11. Does Occultism or Satanism play any role in your music?
Our lyricwriter Tony is into this and he writes lyrics about it, he is the one who wrote all the lyrics for Legion of the damned

12.Outside of music what are some of your interests?
I am running my own video production company and work for nuclearblast, so my free time enjoyments are also my works. My intrests are mostly into film stuff and computers, 3d animation, stuff like that

13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Thanks man for the interview!!

Legion Of The Damned/Descent Into Chaos/Massacre Records/2011 CD Review

2011-04-22T13:44:00.001-07:00

Legion Of The Damned are a band from The Netherlands that plays a mixture of death, thrash and black metal and this is a review of thei 2011 album "Descent Into Chaos" which was released by Massacre Records.

Drums alternate between midpaced and fast bass playing with alot of brutal blast beats, while the bass playing has a very dark tone which seems to follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they sound very powerful.

Rhythm guitars are a mixture o midpaced to fast riffing which combines thrash, death and black metal together with alot of cathiness and a mall amount of soft playing being used on one of the intros to the songs, while the lead guiars are very distorted sounding guitar solos which are influenced by mid 80 to early 90's extreme metal.

Vocals are a mixture of early 80's black tharash style of vocals mixed with some deep growls and gang style yelling chorus style of vocals, while the lyrics cover rage, death, war and nucluear doom, as for the production it sounds very powerful and heavy.

In my opinion Legion Of The Damned are a very good band that brings the classic death/thrash/black sound to modern days and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACS INCLUDE "A Night At the Sabbath" "War Is My Blood" "Lord Of The Flies" and "THE HAND Of Darkness". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Death Wolf/Self Titled/Regain Reords/2011 CDRevi

2011-04-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

Death Wolf are a band from Sweden that has members of Marduk that plays a style that mixes black metal, thrash, punk, and death rock together and this is a review of their self titled 2011 album which was released by Regain Records.

Drums range from slow, midpaced to fast with a good amount of blast beats, while the bass playing has a dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times it is very easy to hear.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, midpaced to fast riffs that mix black metal, thrash, punk and death rock together, while the lead guitars are very distorted sounding guitar solos.

Vocals are a mixture of punk styled yells, Danzig style clean singing that also has the agression of black metal, while the lyrics touch on dark topics with an occult feel, as for the production it sounds very raw but still very professional.

In my opinion Death Wolf are a very good and original band that mixes black metal with thrash, punk, and death rock and if you are looking for something original, you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Circle Of Abomination" "The Other Hell" "Come Forth By Night" "Dawn Of Flesh". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Metalomorph Interview

2011-04-08T11:28:00.000-07:00

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

Metalomorph is a one man studio project formed in 2006 (based on ideas collected since the mid 1990's) that aims to capture the pure essence of oldschool extreme metal but emphasize it with a unique touch of authenticity.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new demo?

As a well refined mixture of Black, Thrash and Death metal with oldschool feeling, deep raw vocals, and imposing guitar sound based on the classic Gibson SG model with Tony Iommi's signature pickup.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics the new demo covers?

Psychedelic experiences , mystical SF stories , cosmological themes with a personal philosophical touch.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the band's name?

In SF literature the "Metalomorph" is an exotic life form based on liquid metals and capable of shape shifting. I thought this is appropriate both to the lyrics and the music which blends fluently various genres of extreme metal.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

As I said, this is a one man studio project. No gigs.

6. Currently the band in unsigned, are you looking for a label, and if so what kind of label do you feel that would do the most to support your music?

Yes, I'm looking for a label, the most realistic option is one of the small to medium sized European or American labels in the scene.
Hopefully, a label that will agree to finance the rest of the recordings or at least the digital mastering.

7. Avccording to the Myspace palge, the band members have over 20 years of experience in the underground metal scene, what is it that keeps you going after all of these years?

Ongoing hunger for this music and a profound creative urge.
This is a part of me, so I can't imagine not doing it.

8. How has your music been recieved so far by underground metal fans worldwide?

Quite well. I've got over 15,000 profile views in Myspace withing just 5 months. Surprisingly, a very large part of those come from the USA, which I didn't expect at all. Also, feedback has been very positive,as you can see on my comment board.

9. Are there any side projects besides this group, or is thie a full time band?

This is 'The' project for me, there are no others.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Mostly the classic metal founding bands who released albums between 1970-1994. I'm also influenced by psychedelic electronica from the 1990's and some classical compositions. This is also what I'm listening to most of the time. newer bands are nice, but not as good as the classics.

11. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?

Research in alternatives to mainstream dogmas in all fields of science and medicine. this is usually where the truth is found.

12. Any final words or thoughts before we close this interview?

The demo can be purchased by transfering payment to my Paypal account : metalomorph@gmail.com (this is also my official contact)
cost is 7$ (standard package) or 8$ (registered package)

Graphic designers who are interested in designing a logo for Metalomorph will get a free copy(and full credit on Myspace) if their work is selected.
More details at my website:
www.myspace.com/metalomorph

Kvelertak Interview

2011-04-04T18:51:00.001-07:00

answered by Erland:

1. Can you update us on what is going on with the band these days?

Hey. Yes, we just released our album in the US and have just gotten back from a short (& sweet) tour over there. The next item on the agenda is going on a European tour with Comeback kid before playing shitloads of summer festivals.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album?

It's kind of hard to describe because there is so many different elements in the mix, like hardcore, punk, 70s rock and even some bits of black metal, so nowadays I just call it rock to keep it simple.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new release explores?

So far the subjectmatter has been mostly old nordic mythology, devilworshipping and even some personal subjects. I basically just sing about things that interests me and I think sound badass. I might do something different for the next album, I haven't decided yet.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

Kvelertak means chokehold in English. There's not much meaning behind it other than it sounding good and being short, straight to the point. I don't know who came up with it, Bjarte thinks it was him. I think it was me, hehe.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has done so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

I think the shows we just did at SXSW in Austin were among the best shows we have done, especially the one we did at a place called Prague. They had cheap gin and tonic, and the stage was basically like a big junglegym with pipes to climb in the ceiling and so on, so that was perfect for me. The crowd was really into it.

To describe our stage performance, I'll just say that we're six sweaty guys who play every show as if it's the last one. At least that's what we aim to do.

6. Are there any plans for a U.S tour?

Yes, I think we're planning on coming back over in October for a eastcoast tour. Join our facebook to keep yourself posted.

7. On a worldwide level, how has your music been received by extreme metal fans?

Extremely well (pardon the pun)! Ofcourse you always have the tr00 elitist forum-nerds talking shit, but it seems a lot of different kinds of people including extreme metal fans are into the music, which we appreciate.

So far the album has been getting nothing but good reviews, so we've been pretty lucky in that aspect.

8. How wuld you describe your musical progress over the years and what direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

We started out as a shitty punkrock basementband in 2006, so we spent about three years rehearsing, figuring out what the hell we were doing and finally getting a proper line-up together. So I'd say there's been a huge progress, concidering where we started to being the place we're in now.

As for what musical direction the music is going to take in the future, that's really a question for our guitarist Bjarte. He makes all the music, but I'm sure the future releases also will sound like Kvelertak.

9. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Another question for Bjarte, hehe. I've said this probably a thousand times, but he has everything between Marvin Gaye to Gorgoroth in his car and is influenced by almost everything he listens to. To him good music is good music (regardless of genre), which I think is a good approach.

Personally I've been listening a lot to Djevel lately, a blackmetal-band that I'm in and just finished recording the debutalbum with. The album should be out in June, check it out on myspace if you're into old school norwegian black metal.

10. What role does Asataru or Satanism play in your music and how would you describe your views on these topics?

Like I said earlier, I basically sing about subjects that interests me and make for good lyrics. I'm not that heavily into the subjects in my personal life, other than it representing my nonbelief in christianity.

11. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?

My hobbies? Not that interesting really, I like chilling out with videogames, movies, reading and music. In the weekends I get drunk, hehe.

12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Check out our album, though it's not occult black metal, and thanks for the interview!

Erlend Hjelvik

Summon The Crows/One More For The Gallows/Southern Lord Records/2011 CD Review

2011-03-27T18:44:00.000-07:00

Summon The Crows are a band from Norway that plays a mixure of crust/punk, thrash and black metal and this is a review of their 2011 album "One More For The Gallows" which will be released by Southern Lord Records.

Drums range from midpaced to fast with a great amount of blast beats being utilized, hile the bass playing has a very heavy sound with alot of crust/punk style riffing.

Rhythm guitars range from midpaced to fast riffs that combine influences from thrash, crust/punk, and black metal while the lead guitars are very distorted sounding punk/metal guitar solos.

Vocals are mostly deep growls that have a black metal feel to them with some high pitched screams being used at times, while the lyrics cover everyday type themes with some songs being influenced by mythology, as for the production it sounds very heavy and raw but still professional enough to the point where you can hear all of the musical instruments.

In my opinion Summon The Crows are a very good blackened crust/punk/metal band and if you are a fan of this genre, you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "The Slavedrivers Of Ur" "Black Hole" "Beasts Of The Night" and "The Trojan Whores". RECEMMONDED BUY

Metalomorph/2010 Demo Review

2011-03-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

Metalomorph are a band from Isreal that plays a mixture of black, death and thrash metal and this is a review of their 2010 demo.

Drums alternate between slow, midpaced and fast drumming with some blast beats, while the bass playing has a very dark sound which follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars alternate between slow, midpaced to fast riffs that combine thrash, death and black metal together with alot of a primitive edge, while the lead guitars are very rrimal sounding guitar leads.

Vocals are mostly black/death growls in the early 90's vein with some spoken word passages, while the lyrics cover dark themes, as for the production it is very primal sounding and brings a classic extreme metal feel to the music.

In my opinion Metalomorph are a very good band that brings back memories of early 90's black/death/thrash metal and if you atre a fan of that style you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "The Great Attractor" and "Metalomorphosis". RECEMMONDED BUY.

The Amenta/Vo1d/Listenable Records/2011 CD Review

2011-03-23T17:40:00.000-07:00

The Amenta are a band from Austria that mixes death and black metal together with industrial/experimental and ambient music and this is a review of their 2011 album "Vo!d" which was released by Listenable Records.

Drum programming is a mixture of slow to midpaced beats that have a very heavy and mechanical feel to them, while the samples and synths bring in some very dark and drone sounding elements to the music with alot of remixes being done on this recording, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone which is kind of mixed down low in the mix and seems to follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow to midpaced riffs that have influences from death, black, thrash and industrial metal with a great amount of heavy riffing and there are little to no guitar solos or leads present on the recording.

Vocals are a mixtrue of screams and growls that have alot of influences from any different styles of extreme metal without being limited to one genre and on one song there is a small amount of clean singing, while the lyrics cover occultism, nihilsm, drugs and some hateful topics, as for the production it sounds very raw but heavy and at the same time.

In my opinion The Amenta are a very good and original sounding industrial death/black metal band, and if you are looking for something different, you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Ache" "Erubus" "Junky" and "Vermin". RECEMMONDED BUY.

The Prophecy23 Interview

2011-03-22T13:12:00.001-07:00

Interview with Hannes (Thrash Vocals, Guitar) from The Prophecy²³

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

We are four brutal thrash maniacs from Germany, born in the 80ies and here to burn some moshpits down. After thrashing the underground for years, we've signed our first record deal with massacre records to release our debut album "...TO THE PIT".

2. How would you describe your musical sound?

It's a mix of thrash and death metal with moments of surprise and a touch of humour.
The songs are catchy. Both old school fans and those who love progressive music like our songs.

3. What is the meaning behind the band's name?

THE PROPHECY is inspired by Iron Maiden's song with the same title. But somehow, these damned "23" sneaked into the band name and nobody knows why. Unfortunately, we don't know what this number means. Since then, we all are desperately looking to find the answer. Maybe you get a couple of valuable information on the new Album "...TO THE PIT"?

4. How would you describe the lyrical content of the music?

We have a couple of fun song, such as A BACKPACK FULL OF FLESHSNACKS but also very serious lyrics about the shit that happens on this world. In general, we do not want to restrict ourselves to certain themes and styles, we are quite open minded. The most important thing for us is to have fun with our songs.

5. Have you had any opportunities to do live shows yet, if so what are some of the best shows that the band has played so far, and how would you describe your stage performance?

Our stage performance is 100 percent fun and action in the pit. Thrash and death -- fast and groovy! Maybe naked girls. Watch some of your live videos on www.theprophecy23.de. During the last month playing live gigs, we learned a lot and supported bands such as "Die Apokalyptischen Reiter", "Debauchery", "Brainstorm", "Death Before Dishonor", "Dark Age" and many more. The audience was always great and celebrated a non-stop party with our songs, moshpit action and stage diving.

6. What are some of the other projects besides this band?

We all live for THE PROPHECY. Beside Tobias also sings in the death metal band SKEPSIS, Hannes plays in a country/stoner/comedy project called "John Zero&Band" and Florian is a highly demanded session drummer for various bands and projects.

7. How has your music been received by death/thrash fans worldwide?

We are totally overwhelmed about the international feedback to "...To The Pit". We received very positive reviews from magazines in UK, Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, France and Austria. This was a perfect surprise as we were mainly known in Germany before.

8. How would you describe your musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?

In the beginning, we had three guitarists and played very melodic music with clean vocals.
Since Tobias joined the band in 2006, we have found our very own style with the mix of thrash and death metal. It was a process for us to find ourselves and our unique music style, especially since it is one of the first band experiences for us all. At the first two demos, we were not very mature yet, and had to deal with two line-up changes. Now we are fully loaded and 200 percent motivated! Our fans say it was definitely worth waiting a couple of years for our first album.

We already have developed some cool ideas for our next album, however have no final songs yet. We will remain true to our style and of course our songs have to rock when playing live. There will be one or another funny surprise -- stay tuned.

9. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced the music and what are you listening to nowadays?

We love old school thrash and death bands as well as modern stuff. Every band member has a slightly different taste in music. Flo listen to a lot of old hardcore, Tobias is a typical death metal freak, Dennis and me love all those thrash bands. You can feel that this variety in music tastes influences our songs.

10. How would you describe the support from Massacre Records so far?

It is a stroke of luck for us as newcomer band to sign a contract with Massacre Records. Here a lot of famous bands have "their home", also those which we love since we listen to metal. Massacre is full of energy and the guys there love metal, that's why this is perfect for us.

11. What are some of your interests outside of music?

We all are big fans of comics and all the action hero stuff. Hannes is collecting Marvel comics and Dennis action figures (in original packing). Tobi and Flo are more the sportive guys. Flo is doing endurance biking and Tobi is a big wrestling fan.

12. Any final words or thoughts?

Thank you for the interview! Check out our debut album "... TO THE PIT" -- out now. We hope to see you soon in a crazy moshpit !

Obsidian Interview

2011-03-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

1. Can you update us with what is going on with the band these days?
At the moment there is a lot going on around the band because we welcomed two new members to the family: our bass player Gerben became a dad, and a couple of months before I did the same! So that is the main focus for some of us at the moment. But, as Candlelight released our second full length Point Of Infinity in November, we are receiving a lot of positive feedback in the press and that is absolutely great! We are planning to do some shows and touring as soon as possible!

2. Currently you are signed to Candlelight Records, what expectations do you have of the label and how do you feel about the support that they have given you so far?

Just getting picked up by Candlelight, being one of the metal label icons, is very cool. A lot of the bands that really got me into metal were also signed to Candlelight – that we might end up being label mates with them is something I never expected! As the reviews and interviews are getting in from all over the globe, it seems like they stood up to their end of the bargain concerning promotion of the record – and that’s great, because we would be nowhere if people never heard our material.

3. How would you describe the musical style and lyrical content of the new album?

Every metalhead seems to interpret a subgenre in his or her own way , so throwing around subgenres to pin down a style is mostly a futile occupation. But to give it a try: it’s a crossover between death-, math- and progmetal with a juicy tinge of trippy guitar freakery in the background. We tried to give the tracks on ‘Point Of Infinity’ a bit more consistency, as we felt that the tracks on our previous record ‘Emerging’ had a bit too much of everything in every track.
All in all the new album feels as a more solid work, still containing a lot of different elements, but more jelled together. As you can see in the beautiful artwork – done by Robbe K and Sjaak – the atmosphere is very dark and fiery - very metal indeed! The lyrics deal with images and impressions of what a human being might experience during the journey through live. It’s a mental and emotional exploration of the different sceneries too which your mind is exposed and of the way the mind works to create the world you live in. Are you a victim of circumstance or just an overwhelmed conductor in front of the biggest orchestra you ever experienced? Something like that. Anyway, in the end it’s just what you guys, the listeners, make from it. So don’t be misguided by my blabbering, just check it out for yourself and see what you find!

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the band's name?

Obsidian is a volcanic glass that through history obtained a lot of mystical and mythical characteristics – especially in the Inca and Aztec tradition. As the name of the band was already chosen before I became a member, I’m not really familiar with the initial motivation to choose the name. I think that because of the dark but translucent, mystical quality of the material and its sharp cutting properties when worked, the name suits the band very well.

5. Do you have any plans for a U.S. tour with the new album?

Touring the US is one of the things we really would like to do! We hope that the attention the album is gaining in the media will enable us to make the transatlantic jump! At the moment we are exploring ways to make it happen – the possibilities with booking agents etc. – but if anyone reading this wants to see us play in the US: help us make it happen!

6. How have extreme metal fans worldwide reacted to your musical sound so far?

Over all the reactions are very positive: some people directly and totally tap into the Obisidan vein but some are a bit more reserved. Our style is not that easy to get into if you’re not already inclined to listen too experimental and progressive acts in metal. On the other hand, fans of the really extreme stuff think we are not extreme enough and fans of math-tech stuff think we are not mind bending enough. It’s very difficult to please everyone and still do what you feel like doing – unless you are a prefab pop industry robot whore.

7. What direction would you like to take the band into on future releases?

We would like to continue to get our music out there more and more, which should be possible with the help of a label like Candlelight, providing international exposure. We all are working guys with families and what not, far from able to live from our music. So we’ll have to balance music and private live, but – as said – we are aiming to get out into the world, play and tour in Europe and hopefully the US because that’s what we really would like to do!
Music wise I have no idea what will happen. We tend to surprise ourselves with the compositions that turn up and we never know how they will develop before they end up on stage or a record. I personally think that the slower, heavier, darker groovy stuff is what we are good at. So I would like to dive into that side of the band a bit. But I can’t resist a well placed blast beat or a battering polka, so we’ll see what happens.

8. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you
listening to nowadays?

Death, Opeth and Cynic are some of the bands we almost all listen to. But we also have very different tastes and likes. Robbe and I really like the Dave Matthews Band for example, while Sjaak and Simon and Robbe too also really dig the more experimental styles of music. Gerben has a hidden lust for funk rock (Primus and the Chili Peppers) which I really share. It’s all in the mix and I couldn’t really tell you exactly how it all influences, but it does. Chilling to some Ravi Shankar on a Sunday morning might lead to a very interesting jam the following evening in the rehearsal room.

9. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?

Also very different! Sjaak and I are into running, Robbe is very creative and just as Simon working in audio engineering and production. Gerben likes to travel and he has his sporty streaks now and then. Nothing special to be honest, we’re all pretty ordinary guys. Except for Simon because he is a ninja, but you can’t tell that to anyone.

10.Any final words or thoughts before we close this interview?

Thanks a lot for giving us a chance to voice ourselves! If you did not already: check us out and if you like what you hear, spread the word!

Kvelertak /Self Titled/Indie Records/The End Records/2011 CD Review

2011-03-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

Kvelertak are a band from Norway that mixes black metal/rock with punk and thrash metal and this is a review of their self titled album which was released as a joint effort between Indie Recordings and The End Records.

Drums range from midpaced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beats, while the bass playing has a very heavy and distorted feel with alot of punk rock riffing.

Rhythm guitars range from midpaced to fast riffing that mix black metal, thrash, punk and classic rock together with alot of energy and psycheldelic distortion and at times there is some 70's rock style ccoustic guitars, while the lead guitars are classic rock style guitar solos.

Vocals are a mixture of high pitched black metal screams mixed in with some punk rock style shouting and gang vocals and on a couple of songs there is a small amount of clean signing, while the lyrics are written in a mixture of Norwegian and English which cover Norse Mythology and Satanism, as for the production it has a very heavy and professional sound to it.

In my opinion Kvelertak are a very good band that mixes black metal with punk and classic rock, and if you are looking for something original, you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Mjod' "Blodtorst" "Offernatt" and "Sultans Of Satan". RECEMMONDED BUY.

The Prophecy23/To The Fit/Massacre Rcords/2010 CD Review

2011-03-15T11:18:00.001-07:00

The Prophecy 23 are a band from Germany that plays thrash in the mid 80's vien with influences from death and black metal to bring the music up to date and this is a review of their 2010 album "To The Pit" which was released by Massacre Records.

Drums are a mixture between midpaced drumming and fast playing with some blast beats being used on ocassion, while the bass playing is all rhythm bass with some fast playing mixed in with some death metal influences that follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are mostly midpaced to fast thrash riffing that contains a good amount of melody and death metal influences that makes the retro music sound more modern, while the lead guitars are melodic sounding guitar solos.

Vocals are mostly thrash style vocals with some deep death metal growls, high pitched black metal and grindcore screams thrown in to keep the music from being stuck in the 80's, while the lyrics cover thrashing and everyday type of situations, as for the production it sounds very professional and all of the musical instruments have a good sound.

In my opinion The Prophecy 23 are a very good band that brings the classic thrash sound of the 80's to the modern day and gives it a modern update, if you are a fan of retro thrash and want something that is a little bit different you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "B.T.M Brutal Thrash Maniacs" "Mind Your Own Shit" "23 Thrash B.C" and "Avoid Dull People". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Korpius Interview

2011-03-09T15:50:00.001-08:00

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

We are a death metal band hailing from Sherbrooke, Quebec. Our musical style is very broad, with influences ranging from classic death metal to black metal and even progressive music. We started as a band in 2003 and previously released 2 EPs. Our last effort was released in 2007 on Cryogenic Records and is entitled 'Apocalyptic Vision'. We are releasing our first full lenght album 'Shades of Black' this year on Maple Metal Records.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album, and how does it differ from previous releases?

We have been working on 'Shades of Black' for the last 4 years. Some songs were completed 3 years ago and some have been composed in the past year or so. The new compositions follow kind of the same vibe than the 4 songs off 'Apocalyptic Vision' but we took the time to develop the song structures alot more and we made sure the whole record flows very well this time around. Apart from the production which is a huge improvement over our first releases, the playing also reflects the experience we acquired as a band, playing together for the last 8 years. We also worked hard on the lyrics, to which almost every members of the band have contributed.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects that the new releases explores?

The new album is entitled 'Shades of Black' because it represents the topics of most of the songs on the record. The lyrical topic in general is very dark and the social message we are trying to pass is usually portrayed in short stories or metaphorical passages.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

Korpius just sounds really good to us, and there is no meaning to this word. Funny fact, there is a 'George Korpius' that seems to have worked at the White House at some point in the 1990's... You can Google that.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe our stage performance?

The best shows we played were in our hometown with bands like Cryptopsy or Belphegor and Krisiun. However, we had the chance to hit Rouyn-Noranda a few times and that city has always been awesome for us. We played a few times with Despised Icon and these guys have always been a very good sport. On stage, we are an energic act and we are there to fire up the stage!

6. Out off all the bands that you have done shows with, which one did you enjoy the most?

We always enjoy playing gigs with local buddies in Archons or Derelict. These guys are awesome and down to earth.

7. Do you have any touring plans for the new releases?

We will be doing week-end shows in April, May and June.Check out our website for the official dates, they will be updated on a regular basis.

8. On a worldwide level, how has your music been recieved by death/black metal fans worldwide?

Up to now, our releases have mostly been sold locally. However, the 'Apocalyptic Vision' Ep has been available on the internet for a while and the response about it has been great. With the new album, we hope to attract the attention of people worldwide.

9. Are there any side projects besides this band, or is this a full time line-up?

This band is our full-time project but almost every member of the bands has other side projects in order to play different music styles. We have all studied music at some point and we all feel the need to explore different styles of music. This helps us bring fresh ideas to the music we make. However, Korpius remains our priority.

10. How would you describe your musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the music heading into onfuture releases?

I think with this new release we started making good songs with killer riffs, instead of songs which have good riffs in them. We worked hard on the structures and since both guitarists are also lead singer, we made sure the vocal lines really fit the music. We haven't started the composition process for future releases but we are not planning any major style change.

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music, and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Some bands every one of us enjoys are Opeth, Cephalic Carnage, Martyr or Dimmu Borgir. This draws in a huge variety of influences and shows that we don't limit ourselves to any style in particular.

12. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?

We all enjoy good food and wine, we regularly gather up for dinner.

13 Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Thanks for your time, and be sure to check out our new album 'Shades of Black' out April 4th on Maple Metal Records. To get the info about the band you can head to:

www.korpius.com
www.reverbnation.com/korpius
www.myspace.com/korpius
www.facebook.com/korpius
www.twitter.com/korpius

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 7 Mar 2011 18:34:37 -0800
From: deathdoomgrinddeath@yahoo.com
Subject: DarkUndergroundMusicZine Interview Questions
To: contact@korpius.com

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album, and how does it differ from previous releases?

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects that the new releases explores?

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe our stage performance?

6. Out off all the bands that you have done shows with, which one did you enjoy the most?

7. Do you have any touring plans for the new releases?

8. On a worldwide level, how has your music been recieved by death/black metal fans worldwide?

9. Are there any side projects besides this band, or is this a full time line-up>

10. How would you describe your musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the music heading into onfuture releases?

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music, and also what are you listening to nowadays?

12. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?

13 Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Die Hard/Evil Always Return/Abyss Records/2008 Cd Review

2011-03-08T14:36:00.000-08:00

Die Hard are a band from Sweden that mixes thrash, death and black metal and this is a review of their 2008 e.p "Evil Always Return' which was released by Abyss Records.

Drums are very fast abd brutal with alot of blast beats, while the bass playing is very fast and primal with riffs that follow the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are very fast with alot of brual death/thrash riffs that contain a small amount of a black metal influence, with some very fast guitar leads and solos being thrown in.

Vocals are mostly death/thrash style grunts with some deep death metal growls, while the lyrics cover Satanism, death, and hate, as for the production it sounds very heavy and primal with all of the instruments coming out with a brutal sound.

In my opinion Die Hard are a very good band that any true fan 0f death/black/thrash should enjoy and they bring back alot of memories of the death and black metal bands of the 80's. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Black Mass" and "The Weak Lead The Blind". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Korpius/Shades Of Black/Maple Metal Records/2011 CD Review

2011-03-07T14:44:00.000-08:00

Korpius are a band from Sheerbroke,Quebec,Cananda that play a very technical form of black/death metal and this is a review of their 2011 album Shades Of Black" which was released by Maple Metal Records.

Drums range from slow, midpaced to fast drumming with alot o technical parts and brutal blast beats, while the bass playing has a very strong and dark tone with some strong riffing that is easy to hear at times.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, midpaced to fast riffs that are very technical with some melodic parts that combine death and black metal together and on one song there is a small amont of soft playing being used for a few seconds on a couple of songs with some fingerpicking style classica guitar, while the lead guitars are very technical sounding dath metal guitar solos that ae also very melodic t times.

Vocals are mostly deep death metal growls with a great amount of high pitched black metal screams being thrown in, while the lyrics cover evrday life tye of situations, as for the production i has a very strong, heavy and professional sound to it, with all of the musical instruments sounding very brutal.

In my o-pinion Korpius are a very good technical/death/black metal band and if you are a fan of this genre, you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUE "Shades Of Black' "Stigmatixed" "Awekening Terror" and "Six Feet Deep". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Preludium/Impending Hostillity/Diabolical Conquest Records/2010 CD Review

2011-03-04T23:45:00.000-08:00

Preludium are a band from Poland that plays a blackened form of death metal and this is a review of their 2010 album "Impendyu Hostillity" which was released by Diabolical Conquest Records.

Drums range from slow, midpaced to fast drumming with alot of brutal blast beats, while the bass playing has a very dark tone which is mixed down low in the mix and seems to follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, midpaced to fast death metal guitar riffs tnat are very black metal influenced, while the lead guitars, while the lead guitars are very chaotic and technical sounding death metal guitar solos.

Vocals are mostly deep death metal growls with some high pitched black metal screams being thrown in, whilw the lyrics cover blasphemy, war and desecration, as for the production it has a very heavy raw, and yet somewhat heavy production sound to it.

In my opinion Preludium ar e aver good blackened death metal band, and if you are a fan of this style, you should ceeck out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Legacy Of Destruction" "Blessing Of War" "Death Of Campaign; and "Warfare". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Angrepp/Warfare/Abyss Records/2010 CD Review

2011-03-03T17:19:00.001-08:00

Angrepp are a band from Sweden that mixes together black metal, thrash and punk and this is a review of their 2010 album "Warfare" which was released by Abyss Records.

Drums are mostly fast with alot of blast beats being thrown in, while the bass plaing follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars and it is all rhythm bass and at times it has a very powerful sound.

Rhythm guitars are mostly fast black/thrash riffs that mix in a punk as well as a rock 'n' roll attitude with some slower riffs being used at times that have some death metal influences, while the lead guitars are primal 80's sounding guitar solos.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams with some deep growls being thrown in on ocassion, while the lyrics murder, hate, death and melencholy, as for the production which was recorded at Unisound with Dan Swano producing, sounds very heavy and all of the instruments sound brutal.

In my opinion Angrepp are a very good black/thrash metal band that should appeal to all fans of that genre.RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Five Horded Formation" "Rape Kill Rock'n'Roll" "Firebrand" and "For Now I Have Risen". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Morbid Carnage/Night Assasins/Pulverized Records/201o CD Review

2011-03-01T14:33:00.000-08:00

Morbid Carnage are a band from Hungary that consists of some members of the Hungarian black metal and they play a style that I would describe as retro black/thrash and this is a review of their 2010 album "Night Assasins" which was released by Pulveriized Records.

Drums are mostly fast throughout the album with some ocassional blast beats, while the bass playing is all fast rhythm bass that follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are mostly fast thrash rhythm's that also have some black metal influences, while the lead guitrars are chaotic sounding guitar solos in the 80's thrash vein.

Vocals are mostly thrash style screamy vocals with some deep growls being used on ocassion and there are also thrash style back up vocals on some songs, while the lyrics deal with gore, death and hatred with a small amount of occultsim as well as a dose of anti christianity, as for the production it sounds very powerful and makes this 80's sounding thrash band sound modern with all of the instruments having a very heavy sound to them.

In my opinion Morbid Carnage are a very good black metal influenced thrash band that brings the classic sound into the modern day without sounding weak or generic and id you are a fan of this style of metal you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Warlust" "Funeral Pyre" and "Castle In Pain". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Gravehill/Rites Of The Pentagram/Metal of Death/Ibex Moon Records/2010 CD Re-Issue Review

2011-02-28T16:09:00.000-08:00

Gravehill are a band from California that plays a brutal mixture of black metal, death metal and thrash and this is a review of the "Rites Of The Pentagram" which also has "Metal Of Death" included on it with this album being released by Ibex Moon Records.

Drums are mostly fast with alot of brutal blast beats throughout the album,while the bass playing has a powerful tone that is very easy to hear on this album and it follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars and there are some samples from horror movies being used throughout the album.

Rhythm guitars mix elements of black metal, death and thrash together with alot of fast and catchy riffs being employed throughout the album and there are also some slow and heavy riffs thrown in to give the music a good balance, while the lead guitars are very distorted sounding solos that bring back memories of the mid 80's and early 90's and there is also a small amount of classical guitar that makes the music sound even more darker.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal sounding growls that also are influenced by the classic death/thrash bands of the mid 80's with some deep growls and back up vocals, while the lyrics cover Satanism, Luciferion, Occultism, Death Metal, Anti Christian, Dying, Murder and Hatred, as for the production it has a very raw and heavy feel that captures the brutality of all of the instruments and you can hear all of them on this album.

In my opinion Gravehill are a very good band that brings back the memories of the classic black, death and thrash bands into modern days, and if you a fan of bands that mix these elements together you need to get this album in your collection. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Pissing On Your Grave" "The Luciferian Mark" "Purifier Of Flesh" and "Ravager".

Order From Chaos/Stillbirth Machine/Decapitated Records/1993 CD Review

2011-02-27T22:40:00.000-08:00

Order Of Chaos wher a band from Kansis City, Missouri that also included a member of Angelcorpse/Revenge that played a style that I would describe as a blackened death/thrash and this is a review of their 1993 album "Stillbirth Machine" which was released by Decapitated Records.

Drums are mostly fast with alot of blast beats, while the bass guitar has a very distorted tone with alot of fast riffs.

Rhythm guitars are very fast blackened death/thrash riffs while the lead guitars are very noisy and chaotic guitar solos that where very brutal for the time period this album was released.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black/death metal screams that are also very heavily influenced by thrash with some deep death metal growls being used at times, while the lyrics are very philosophical and talk about the ignorance of mankind, as for the production on this recording which was recorded and mixed during the summer and fall of 1991 at The Second Factory in Olathe, Kansasit has a very raw and heavy feel to it.

In my personal opinion Order From Chaos where a very good band that was very influental and if you are a fan of classic blackened death/thrash you should check this band out. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "The Edge Forever" "Iconoclasm Conquest" and "Stillbirth Machine". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Angelcorpse/The Inexorable/Olympic Records/1999 CD Review

2011-02-27T20:06:00.000-08:00

Angelcorpse are a legandary blackened death metal band with a thrash edge that originaly came from Kansas than relocated to Florida and this is a review of their 1999 album "The Inexorable" which was released by Olympic Records.

Drums are very fast and brutal with alot of blast beats while the bass playing has a very powerful and fast sound which follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are very fast riffs that have alot of death metal influences mixed in with a good amount of black metal as well as black/thrash, while the lead guitars are noisy and chaotic guitar solos that combine alot of classic death metal and death/thrash influences.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black/death screams with some deep death metal growls, while the lyrics cover war, the dark magick of Aliester Crowley,Left Hand Path occultism and the philosophy of Nietzsche, as for the production on this recording which was recorded during the month of May, 1999 at Morrisound and Audiolab Studios sounds very heavy and professional and you can hear all of the instruments.

In my opinion Angelcorpse are a very good blackened death metal band and this is one of their best albums. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Smoldering In Exile" "A Predator To Prey" and "Begotten (Through Blood And Flame". RECOMMENDED BUY.

But We Try It Interview

2011-02-21T14:30:00.000-08:00

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never
heard of you before?
We are "But We Try It" from Wuppertal/Germany, our music is a mixture of modern trash and death metal and the band exist since 2008. After a six song self titled ep and many shows in Germany, in january 2010 we went to the "Woodhouse Studio" and recorded "Dead Lights" our first full length album with our Producer Waldemar Sorychta. Last year we signed a record deal with "Massacre Records" and from 28th of january you can buy the album everywhere in the world.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album?
AWESOME! Hahahahah...no but seriously, everyone in the band has different musical backgrounds and on the album we bring them together. I would say it's thrash metal with some hardcore brutality and lots of guitar melodies. We 're very proud of this album cause it has cost a lot of time and energy.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects that you explore with your music?First of all I think the lyrics mostly can be divided in two categories. The more personal ones and the ones that deal with todays society and social critics. The lyrics from our singer Jörn are inspired by the things that happen in todays politics. There is so much going wrong. We don't provide any solution, but I think through Jörns lyrics we can show the people what`s going wrong in our opinion and maybe some will think about it for themselves.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?
We have all played in various bands in the past with little success. That's why we all really wanted to get somewhere with this new project. So we decided to make our motto "but we try it" the band name. As everybody knows it gets more and more difficult to find a name for ones band. First of all we all get overwhelmed with music through the internet. In general this is, of course, a positive development, because the result is a nearly unlimited choice of different music styles for the listener. But it also leads to the fact, that being recognized as a band is really hard. Second of all, the importance of individual bands or songs is being diluted, because thanks to illegal downloads, music has become a low cost massconsumption item. Mainly young listeners hardly buy CDs or mp3 anymore, maybe because the appreciation of music, with regard to the willingness to pay for music, has deminsihed. It is like it is: Hard Times... But We Try It.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and
how would you describe your stage performance?
The support show for "The Ghost Inside" was awsome and we had a good time with all bands which played there.We are a liveband in an absolute way. So it's furious, but we deny to let it seem like a choregraphy. In the end you have to come to one of our shows to see whats about. Mostly it's all about having a good time on stage and share this with the kids.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the new releases?
For this year our primary focus will be to play a European tour and as many festivals and shows in general as we can. We recently started working with a well known booking agency go down believing booking), which is very helpful.

7. how has your music been recieved by extreme metal fans on a worldwide level ?
The feedback is very good from all over the world. Sure, you always have people which don't like the music you´re playing or your style or whatever. Not everybody in the band has long hair and looks like the typical metal head. There are some guys out there who can't handle Haha. (But in general the people respond really good to our music.)

8. Are there any side projects besides this band?
Mark (drums) and me (guitar) are playing in a rock band called "freefall". I'm the singer and I know these guys for over 12 years. It's just a good old friends thing, not serious but fun.

9. What direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?
First of all our main focus is to promote the latest album and play so much shows as possible.We will see what the future brings and how all the new experience influence us and our music. But we all try to get better and bring our music to a higher level.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music, and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Death and thrash metal are unmistakeable stylistic devices in our music, but every bandmember has his own taste of music and so we got a little bit of Power Metal and Harcore influences as well. Our common content is hard handmade metal music and that`s it;-) There is no special band which serves as role model for us! (exept for darkest hour and lamb of
11. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?
Sex and drugs! And keep metal alive! No seriously we all have different interest like me for example snowboarding travelling and music in general. But we all have one thing in common, we all live for the music.

12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
First of all thank you very much for giving us the opportunity to do this interview. It's an onor for us!We want to encourage young people to start making music and to not letting setbacks discourage them. Particular in recent years it could be observed that more and more ever-younger kids started rock/metal/hardcore bands and that the average musical standard, which eans technical abilities and musicianship in general, has increased considerably. That's an awesome development. Furthermore we hope that listeners stay interested in new bands, give them a chance and maybe, without wanting to sound arrogant, value the work behind the music a little more.

Wurdulak/Ceremony Of Flames/Baphomet Records/2001 CD Review

2011-02-20T19:16:00.000-08:00

Wurdulak wher a side project of Norway's Maniac(Mayhem,Skitliv) Killjoy(Necrophagia, Viking Crown) Frediablo(Gorelord), Jehmoc (Bloodthorn) Ihizahg (Perished) and Ihizahg (Immortal) that plays a retro thrash rock style of black metal and this a review of their cult 2001 album Ceremony Of Flames" which was released by Baphomet Records.

Drums range from slow to midpaced beats with some faster drumming that utilizes alot of brutal blast beats while the bass playing is mixed down low in the mix and has alot of fast black/thrash riffing.

Rhythm guitars are mostly midpaced on this album with riffs that mix black metal, thrash and rock together with some faster riffs being used at times that have a mid 90's Norwegian black metal sound while the lead guitars are noisy guitar solos that are very retro metal sounding.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal scremas with some blackened death metal growls being used at times, while the lyrics are very anti christian with a dose of Satanism as well as some songs being based on horror films as for the production on this album which was recorded at Skansen Studios in Trondheim, Norway during March of 2001 and mixed in April of that same year sounds very raw but still has a professional sound and you can still hear off the musical instruments.

In my opinion Wurdulak where a very good band and this was a classic album, if you are fan a fan of thrash influenced black metal you should have this album in your collection. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Satanic Utopia" "Containment Of Inferno" and "Chosen Below". RECOMMENDED BUY

Nifelhiem/Devil's Force/Necropolis Records/1998 CD Review

2011-02-20T19:06:00.000-08:00

Nifelhiem are a band from Sweden that has been around for more than 20's that have a music style that I would describe as a form of black metal mixed with death/thrash and this is a review of their classic 1998 album "Devil's Force" which was released by Necropolis Records during the tear of 1998.

Drums are very fast with alot of brutal blast beats while the bass playing has a very powerful sound with alot of fast riffs that sound all evil and necro.

Rythym guitars are very fast riffs that mix some of the classic underground 80's death thrash in the Brazillian / Eastern European vien with the early 90's Swedish black metal sound while the lead guitars are very noisy with a heavy dose of chaos as well as melody.

Vocals are high pitched screams that seem to be both influenced by black metal as well as thrash metal with some ocassional deep death metal growls, while the lyrics cover a very primitive form of Satanism that kind of has a horror movie feel, as for the production on this album which was recorded during the month odf November 1997 at Maestro Musik, in Gothenburg, Sweden sounds very raw but retaining a professional sound.

In my opinion this was a classic album from Nifelheim and if you are a fan of death thrash influenced black metal you need to get this album for your collection, and even today this band is still highly respected by black metal fans worldwide. STANDOUT TRACKS INCLUDE "Deathstrike From Hell" "Deminic Evil" and "Devil's Force". RECOMMENDED BUY

Nekromantheon/Divinity Of Death/Vendlus Records/2011 CD Review

2011-02-09T16:39:00.000-08:00

Nekromantheon are a band from Norway that plays retro black/thrash and this is a review of their 2011 album "Divinity Of Death" which was released by Vendlus Records.

Drums range from midpaced to fast drumming with alot of brutal blast beats, while the bass playing has a very dark tone which is mixed down low in the mix and seems to follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from midpaced to fast riffs that are in the traditional classic tradition, while the lead guitars re very primal sounding guitar solos.

Vocals are mostly raspy black/thrash growls, while the lyrics cover Greek Mythology, issues and death, as for the production it sounds very primal and old school sounding.

In my opinion Nekromantheon are a very good black/thrash band and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Gringo Death" "Cry Havoc" "Tortured In Tartaros" and "Alcoholy Terror". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Dragonlord/Rapture/Spitfire Records/2001 CD Review

2010-11-30T19:33:00.001-08:00

Dragonlord are a symphonic black/thrash side project of Eric Peterson best known for being the mastermind behind Testament and this is a review of their 2001 album "Rapture" which was released by Spitfire Records.

Drums are a mixture of midpaced to fast drumming with alot of blast beats, while the keyboards are very symphonic andatmospheric sounding, as for the bass playing it sounds very professional with alot of bass leads and riffs that follow the rhythms of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars cover a good amount of variety with some midpaced and fast riffs that have alot of European black metal and thrash influences with a good amount of melody, while the lead guitars sound very technical, melodic and distorted with the guitar solos and there is a small amount of acoustic guitars on the last song of the album.

Vocals are a mixture of high pitched black metal screams and thrash style vocals with a small amount of deep growls and clean singing, while the lyrics touch on a poetic sort of mysticism and only a small amount of Satanism, as for the production on this recording which was recorded at Driftwood Studios in Oakland, California during the months of Febuary and April 2001 sounds very professional and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this album.

In my opinion Dragonlord are a very good band and if you are a fan of symphonic black/thrash tou should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Unholyvoid" "Born Into Darkness" "Wolfhunt" and "Rapture". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Demoniac/Stormblast/Osmose Productions/1998 CD Review

2010-11-30T19:23:00.000-08:00

Demoniac where a retro black/thrash band originally from New Zealand that relocated to England and this is a review of their classic 1998 album "Stormblade" which was released by Osmose Productions.

Drums use alot of fast playing with the ocassional blast beats while the bass guitar has alot of melody and fast riffs that mix black metal,thrash and punk together and ther are some keyboards used at times that have a classic metal feel.

Rhythm guitars contain alot of variety with alot of catchy and melodic riffs that mix black metal, thrash, classic metal and punk together with alot of guitar solos that are very melodic sounding with alot of classical metal influences as for the accoustic guitars when they are used they use some open chords and melody.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with one song utilizing the vocals which where later used in depressive black metal with alot of back-up vocals as well as some ocassional clean singing being utilized while the song lyrics cover some occult/satanic topics with an anti christian message as well as a small amount of national socailism, while the production on this album which was recorded at Marmalade Studios during September of 96 sounds very professional and you can hear all of the instruments on this album.

In my opinion Demoniac where one of the best retro black/thrash bands of the 90's and this is a classic album that all true black/thrash fans should have in their collection. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Dont Burn The Witch" "Hatred Is Purity" and "Fight The War". RECOMMENDED BUY

Nocturnal Breed Interview

2010-11-30T19:18:00.001-08:00

1. Can you update us with what is going on with Nocturnal Breed these days?
We're in the making of a new album, due to recorded during summer this year. But at the time the date is depending on Rattleheads hands, cause he broke both of his wrist her a few weeks ago, and as I'm sure you can see,it's hard to riff like we do with both hands splintered hehe, I hope we could get the new album out September. Originally we planned easter for recording, but we just can't make it. But it's all down to the bones right now. We're planning on taking the whole machine out of the barn and oil it up again, and start touring and doing live shows. We really have'nt been around much since late 2005. So it's about time to give people some value for their money again;)

2. How would you describe your stage performance and what are some of the best shows that you have played so far?
Well, I quess our stage performance is very Breed hehe, we've been doing live shows for 13-14 years now so we've done all kinds of things up here, strippers,insane lights, full screen film as backdrop,pyros famous quest artist. U fucking name it we've done it. There's been a million people on stage head banging all over the stage,drinking beer with us, smoking joints or being a crazy motherfucker with the band. We like wild gigs were both of us and the audience gets in each other's face hehe. It's really hard to pick out single shows but the early shows in 97 and shit are really cool. Cuz we had no idea people would react to us in such a positive way. Maybe I could include shows like a Milano, Oct 97, which just completely took off. But some of the smaller gigs kick ass too, like the really small ones, 150 people crammed into a bunker somewhere in Germany. Just giving it the full works and kicking ass for the metal lord,drunk crazy and wil hehe In Belguim we had a full bunch of skins holding the stage together, laying on stage drinking and holding stuff in place, cuz the whole place went apart. Head banging their heads into the stage floor, begging us to head-butt them hehe wild Belgians man hehe some of the best shows we did locally in Oslo was insane to. We have some good friends who own pyro, lightning companies, and we've some stuff on stage worth millions. Awesome fucking lights and pyros. At a place called "Mars" in Oslo, we did several gigs in the 90's, and at one of them, rigged a fucking rocket with a pyro. It whooshed one foot over people's heads creating a fun scene exploding into the walls behind Tex hehe and as I's sure u know, there's been a fair share of beutiful strippers on stage to. We used it for many years. And we use only expensive professionals, no fucking amateur Goth-otter;)

3. Are there any other projects going on besides Nocturnal Breed if so, who are they and what style of music do they play?
There's a bunch of projects tied to us, Rattlehead has his ever infamous punk rock act cockroach clan which he's done since the dawn of the dinosaurs. A band truly worth a listening experience. Hes also playing in "Horsehead Union". A dark western inspired bluegrass band. I'n the making this year. Ben has tested out several projects over in Los Angeles, but to date I don't know what he's doing with that. For a while he did guitars in Skrapmetal(US), but I quess that did'nt last. Tex did Nuctemeron (no) for several years, but as that band kind of evolved into two fractions, we teamed up with a couple of the old members and reated Conjuration. Extremely cool Death Metal, very sick and twisted hehe me on vocals, tex on drums, and ex Nuctemeron members Fineideath and Immolarsen on guitars. Await the forthcoming album "House on Nuclear Hill" late this year.
On my behalf, I've got all my time running Aiwass up and going but I am using my old name, svart alf on that. I've been writing on this since 92-93 and it's turning out insanely cool. T's black, industrial in a ministry kinda way but more organic. Sharing this project is Dolgar from Gehenna, Ravn from 1349, Ronny Tekro TNT and a few more specials.It'll shock your ass off... coming soon too !!! then I have some small hings laying around. Stuff I've recorded over through the years that needs to be released etc. and due to the fact that I've kind off kept out of the business along time, I thought time for some serious audio retalliation hehe. I will relase the SVARTALV solo demos, recorded during the last 15 years as well as a cou[ple of other little projects. As well as Ravn (1349)and I will record our long time planned HELL album. A project that I've done with him since we recorded some demo material in 1999/2000, pure fucking Norwegian black hehe, so as u see, we've got more than enough to put our minds too;)

4. Are there any plans to bring your live show to the American shores?
We sure as fuck hope so. Our biggest fan base is in the states, and its about High time we get over there to kick some ass. So if there's any promoters or agencies who wnats to, well hell we're back on track this summer!!! so we can just hope, but it is a sure prioroty man !!!

5. How has the newer material been recieved so far from the metal community?
Pretty good. The release kind off flaunked a little bit due to some business misunderstandings, so we'll get more feed back when it get's nore out there together with the forth coming new album. But till now the reviews on field to rot have been awesome.

6. Out off all the albums that you have recorded so far which one are you the most satisfied with?
U know that's impossible for me to have a clear mind on (I cnat help but getting caught up in what I'm making at the moment, so at the time of cause fiels to rot is my fave,but the coming songs will be better hehe. Response wise, Aggressor truimphs alone hehe it kicked ass to release that lol.

7. How would you describe your musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the band heading into on future releases?
Since we started out spontaneously, we had a very naively aggressive old school thrash approach in the start. We did'nt give a fuck, and u can hear that it. It's very pure and un- destilled and obviously influenced by old Sodom, Destruction and Motorhead etc. but as time got on I think we got more into the art of actually making a sturdy thrash-hancrafted album in the real sense. We kinda studied all the tricks in the book. analyzing and listening to everything we like and that influenced us. I quess that's why breed sounds abit more American than other thrash bands from Norway like Aura Noir, newer Dark Throne, Inferno or Audiopain. We listen to more American thrash and it shines through as we develop through the years. On "Fields to rot" we kinda almost wanted to say like " hey, Dave Mustaine- u think u are the only one who can play fuckin' fast and cool) lol hehe here u go, fuckin chew on this one ;)
As I see the new material develop in front of us now, I can see it's going to be much darker and dirtier than the last few years, more back to basic again.

8. How would you describe the lyrical content of the new material?
It comes straight from the liver. I wanted to take the gruesomeness of war all the way to the edge, and kinda end up dreating a little horrorible universe for this album. Each song portrays a different war, and a different gruesome side of it. I spent alot of time making sure the lyricks really sits well, and this time thry turned ot really long lol, bur personally Im very pleased with'em. I like bending the rules for how to use words and mix and fuck with it to the best of my knowledge, and I hope it really came through this time ( enjoy the violence hehe

9. What are some of the more underground bands that have influenced your music, we already know of the more well known ones like W.A..S.P and Venom?
I can only speak for me , as we all have such different taste in music, and all over the specter. Nut as I was young I was very influenced by Norwegian bands like “Equinox” and local demo band in Oslo “Death Mission” raw thrash that got me really hooked on riffing. Another local band from Norway is “Incarnator”, probably one of the best bands in the world. Sadly only a couple demos came out before it was over. But those songs made a huge part in early breed stuff, especially songs like dead dominions, possessed and Armageddon nights reflects this very well.
Munch is another band that really played a lot, one of the first dark wave bands. Grim as hell, released on old Tatra records from nesodden Norway (the lable who nurtured Moonfoog back in the day)

10. What are you listening to nowadays?
Apart from the voices in my head, a good mix between Hocico (mex), 16 horsepower, Candlemass, Autopsy and coroner hehe I listen to everything but since it’s grim winter here now, I turn more to the blacker albums. Diamanda galas – Gloomy Sunday is ever present every winter, as well is Burzum –filosofem. But also Megadeth’s remastered “Killing is my business…” is running hot at the time. I’m realy not good at listening to new music. The new immortal must be the best new shit I’ve heard in a long time.

11. What role does Satanism or Occultism play in the music?
In breed it doesn’t matter shit hehe it’s not religiously focused at all. I have other bands for that. In breed it’s straight forward “in your face Aggressiveness. I’ve used it as backgrounds to stuff in a couple lyrics, but not as “Satanism” .more to color the atmosphere of the song etc.

12. What are some of your interests outside of music?
I write books and screenplays, and have a couple huge projects coming there. But my “hobbys” have a tendencies to turn into something I want to “Produce” ore release in one way or the other.
I have a 13 yr old daughter which takes a lot of time, she does bands and shit too hehe.
Apart from that I tattoo a little. Not good only necro tatts’, so if anyone wants grim necro tats, send a mail hehe

13. Any final words or thoughts?
Keep your antennas in tune, and await the new coming of the breed

Metal to the bone

D.

Obsidian/Point Of Infinity/Candlelight Records/2010 CD Review

2010-11-21T16:11:00.000-08:00

Obsidian are a band from the Netherlands that plays a very tecnical form of death metal with a blackened edge and this is a review of their 2010 album "point Of Infinity" which will be released by Candlelight Records.

Drums range from slow, midpaced to fast drumming with some blast beats and alot of tecnical parts, while the bass playing has a very dark tone which follows the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times the bass has a strong and heavy at times.

Rhythm guitars are very technical and heavy sounding death metal riffs that also takes influences from other form of metal with some melodic parts being utilized at times, while the lead guitars are very melodic and technical sounding guitar solos, as for the accoustic guitars when they are utilized they bring a very dark edge to the music.

Vocals are mostly deep death metal growls with some high pitched screams and vlean singing vocals, while the lyrics cover every day type of themes with somewhat of an esoteric feel, as for the production it has a very heavy and professional sound with all of the musical instruments sound very powerful.

In my opinion Obsidian are a very good technical death metal band and if you are a fan of this style you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Breach" "Tidal Waves" "DEsolate Rage" and "Incinerate". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Demonic Ressurection/The Return To Darkness/Candlelight Records/2010 CD Review

2010-11-18T22:04:00.000-08:00

Demonic Ressurection are a band from India that plays a very symphonic form of black/death metal and this is a review of their 2010 album "The Return Of Darkness" which will be released by Candlelight Records.

Drums alternate between midpaced to fast drumming with some blast beats, while the keyboards have a very dark and symphonic sound to them, as for the bass playing it is mixed down low in the mix and seems to follow the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from midpaced to fast riffing that is very melodic and has influences from black, death, thrash and power metal, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding guitar solos that have alot of talent and skill to them, as for the accoustic guitars when they are utilized, to bring an extra dimension of darkness to the music.

Vocals are mostly deep blackened death metal growls mixed in with some high pitched screams and some clean singing vocals that have a heavy power metal influence to them, while the lyrics cover dark themes, as for the production, it has a very powerful and professional sound to it.

In my opinion Demonic Ressurection are a very talented melodic/ symphonic/blackened death metal band and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Between Infinity And Oblivion" "The Warriors Return" "Lord Of Pestilence" and "Omega I". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Thor's Hammer/May The Hammer Smash The Cross/Ancestral Research Records/2000 CD Review

2010-11-16T21:42:00.001-08:00

Thor's Hammer where a band from Poland that played a style that I would describe as NS pagan black/death/thrash and this is a review of their 2000 album "May The Hammer Smash The Cross" which was released by Ancestral Research Records.

Drums are all fast drumming with alot of brutal blast beats with some slow to midpaced drumming being used at times, while the keyboards bring a very dark pagan atmosphere style of sound to the music, as for the bass playing it has a very powerful that you can still easily hear despite the raw sounding production.

Rhythm guitars back some fast primal black metal riffing with some death/thrash influences and there are also some riffs that have a RAC feel to them while the solos have a very primitive and melodic sound to them.

Vocals are mostly deep death metal growls with a blackened touch, while the lyrics touch on Paganism, war, anti christianity, the philosophy of Ragnar Redbeard and national socialism, as for the production on this recording it has a very raw sound but you can still hear all of the instruments.

In my opinion Thir's Hammer where a very good band and if you are a fan of such genres such as NS black metal, pagan metal, black/thrash and RAC you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "May The Hammer Smash The Cross "Their Modern Freedom" and "Gates Of Heaven". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Absu/Barathrum : V.I.T.R.I.O.L/Osmose Productions 1993 CD Review

2010-11-16T21:35:00.001-08:00

Absu are a band from Texas which I would describe of Mytholigical Occult black/death metal and this is a review of their debut album "Barthrum : V.I.T.R.I.O.L" which was released by Osmose Productions during the year of 1993.

Drums are a mixture between midpaced drumming mixed with some very fast playing and brutal blast beats, while the synthesizers give the music a very atmospheric and ritualistic feel, as for the bass playing it has a very dark feel and follows the riffs coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars mix some slow death metal riffing while the fast riffs are influenced by both black metal and thrash, while the guitar leads have a satanic death metal feel.

Vocals are high pitched black metal screams that have some death metal influences with some female vocals that have an opera feel while the lyrics touch on a variety of occult topics such as Celtic, Greek and Italain Witchcraft, Qabalah, Chinese mysticum, and Sumerian, as for the procuction on this album it has a very raw and dark feel.

In my opinion this was one of Absu's best albums and if you are a fan of Absu you probably already have this album. RECOMMEND TRACKS INCLUDE "Descent To Acheron" "The Thrice Is Greatest To Ninnigal" and "Fantasizing To The Third Of The Pagan Vision". RECOMMEND BUY.

The Order Of Apollyon Interview

2010-11-11T11:01:00.000-08:00

1. Can you introduce the band to my readers?

B.S.T. : Hailz. Daniel Wilding (drums) and I formed THE ORDER OF APOLLYON during summer 2008, while we both were already playing together in ABORTED. Although we had a lot of fun playing in that band, we felt something was missing for it to be a more deep and intense projetc, the visual and spiritual aspect I guess... It meant a lot to me in particular, as my background is mostly underground and religious black metal.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album?

B.S.T. : As I always say our music is a sort of tribute to the late 80's early 90's extreme metal scene, the one we grew up with. We want our albums to sound powerful but at the same time raw, natural, and not overproduced, like most records this day, especially in the US and Swedish Death metal scenes. I'm not even talking about Death-core. I enjoy way more the way albums were recorded back then, it just feels more genuine, and I don't mind the fact that it sounded less "perfect", on the contrary.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new album explores?

B.S.T. : The whole album is a concept around the contrast between flesh and spirit, the material versus the spiritual... We preach a form of distanciation from all the corrupt and futile aspects of life, and the living of an existance full of devotion, everyday getting closer to the one true God.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the band's name?

B.S.T. : The Order is a religious group that came to life with the band, consisting of other people who do not necessarily play in the band. The name Apollyon is a greek translation of the hebrew Abaddon, "The Destroyer". It's a character that we can read about in St-John's Apocalypse, as well as in a few other texts... To us it symbolises a form of destruction necessary to the liberation of the soul, an inexorable evil each of us must face in order to get closer to God.

5. Has the band had any oppurtunities to do live shows yet, if so what are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

B.S.T. : So far we played only one show, in London, with Shining (SW) and Enthroned (Be). And it was a great experience, most of the people attending showed a lot of support and respect for what we do. We have a short European tour scheduled for next january, looking forward to it... Very much. As far as our performance goes, I'd say we try to be as professional as possible, and stand for what we preach. There is nothing to fancy yet in our stage presence or live show in general, although we're working on the visual aspects as we speak. But we're not planning on having anything too... shiny, if you know what I mean. We're meant to stick to a strict appearance to fit what the band is : A propaganda tool for a religious cult.

6. Currently you are signed to Listenable Records, how did you come in contact with the label and what are your expectations when they put out your new album?

B.S.T. : I have been in touch with Laurent for a long time, and we always got along well. We were looking for a label big enough to promote us properly, and help us out building something, but at the same time we wanted to avoid being a small fish in a huge sea... Listenable was the best choice we had, and we're glad we made it.

7. The band consists of many different veterans of the extreme metal scene, do any of the members still play in other bands or is this a full time project?

B.S.T. : This is a real band and not a simple side projetc, however we all have other bands : James plays in Cradle of Filth, Daniel plays in Trigger the bloodshed, and Peter plays in Akercocke. I also play in Aosoth, Balrog, and Genital Grinder, but those are quite underground projects.

8. How has the support been so far by extreme metal fans worldwide that have heard your music?

B.S.T. : We got pretty good reactions online, and I can't wait for the album to be released in the US. Sales seem to be doing okay so far, although nowadays it's way easier to dowload an album illegaly than to buy it. But that's just the way things are now, we have to live with it, there are so many bands, and so many releases every month, can't really expect people to buy everything, can we? At least those who bought it or downloaded it seem to enjoy the music, and our message has reached a few people...

9. What can we expect from the band in the future?

B.S.T. : We'll play live as much as possible, and I guess we'll give it a year or so before starting working on the next album, we have a few riffs ready, and everyone is going to be involved in the composition, so it should be more diverse and interesting, musically.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

B.S.T. : I still mostly listen to the bands that first influenced me, old Slayer, Metallica, Sepultura, Death, Morbid Angel, Marduk, Deathspell Omega, Immortal... And I also listen to lots of 70s rock bands like Deep Purple, Led Zepellin, Black Sabath, Pink Floyd, or even the Rolling Stones...

11. What role does Occultism or Satanism play in the music?

B.S.T. : I wouldn't use the word "Satanism", I never really liked this word, although our belief system has some similarities with a few radical Satanist groups. I would say we have a big visual influence from orthodox christianity, but our ideology is also very much inspired by the Torah, and the Coran. We believe in people being mainly sheeps, led by the ones who hear God's Word in a clearer way. We believe that the absence of choice, and free will, for men, is nothing but a Fact. All derives from the Lord, and we are mere pieces in a design we are far too small to understand, Absolute devotion is the only Key. True servants will be rewarded.

12. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?

B.S.T. : Religion. I also enjoy the exploration of our own perception of things through the use of narcotics, a form of transcendance, during which we lose out grip to the material world.

13. Any final words or thoughts before we close this interview?

B.S.T. : Thank you for your time. Judgement is upon us. Praise the Lord.

--
www.myspace.com/bst616
www.myspace.com/aosoth616
www.myspace.com/templeofapollyon
www.myspace.com/balrogbm
www.myspace.com/genitalgrinderdm

The Order Of Apollyon/Piste/Listenable Records/2011 CD Review

2010-11-08T13:27:00.000-08:00

The Order Of Apollyon are a band from the United Kingdowm that plays a very dark form of blackened death metal and this is a review of their 2011 album "Piste" which will be released by Listenable Records.

Drums alternate between slow, midpaced and fast drumming with alot of blast beats, while the bass playing fas a dark tone that is kind off mixed down low in the mix and seems to follow the riffs that are coming out of the guitars, as for the effects they add alot of atmosphere and darkness to the music.

Rhythm guitars are a mixture of slow, midpaced to fast blackened death metal riffs with alot of talent being utilized as well as some melodic and thrash riffing, while the lead guitars are very chaotic sounding death metal guitar leads and solos that have an early 90's feel with alot of skill being utilized.

Vocals are mostly deep death metal growls with some high pitched screams being used at times mixed in with the ocassional spoken word passages and clean singing female vocals, while the lyrics touch on Spiritual Satanism and Spirituality, as for the production it has a very heavy and professional sound to it.

In my opinion The Order Of Apollyn are a very talented blackened death metal band, that should appeal to all fans of this genre. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Ich Been Das Licht" "Fifth" "Flesh Of YHVH" and "L"Orgueil". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Abominant/Where Demons Dwell/DeathGasm Records/2010 CD Review

2010-10-28T11:46:00.000-07:00

Abominant are a band from Kentucky that plays a brutl form of blackened death metal and this is a review of their 2010 album "Where Demons Dwell" which was released by DeathGasm Records.

Drums range from slow, midpaced to very fast with alot of brutal blast ceats, while the bass playing has a very dark tone which follows the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are a combination of slow, midpaced to fast death metal guitar riffs that also take a good amount of influences from black metal with some ocassional thrash metal sounding riffing and a small amount of melody, while the lead guitars are very distorted and melodic sounding death metal guitar s9olos.

Vocals are mostly deep death metal growls with some high pitched black metal screams, while the lyrics cover gore, mutilation, death, and horror with a demonic edge, while the production has a very dark, raw and heavy edge.

In my opinion Abominant are a very good and talented blackened death metal band, that should appeal to all fans of the genre. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Baptized By Steel" "Blackened Earth" and "Where Demons Dwell". RECEMMONDED BUY.

Nunwhore Commando 666/World Whore III/Stuhlang/Merciless Records/2010 Cd Review

2010-10-27T23:50:00.000-07:00

Nunwhore Commando are a band from Germany that plays a brutal style that mixes black metal, grindcore, noise and industrial together and this is a review of their 2001 album "World Whore III" which was released by both Stuhlgang and Merciless Records.

Drum machines are all fast beats, while the keyboards have an industrial sound with a good amount of samples and beats being utilized, as for the bass playing it is all distorted and fast riffs that are very heavy.

Guitars are all fast riffs that mix black metal, grind and noisecore while the vocals are a mixture of hogh pitched black metal/grindcore screams mixed in with some deep gurgled black/death metal growls.

Lyrics touch on sick, demented and perverted topics as well as some anti christian as well as satanic themes, while the production on this album which was recorded at the Taboo Room of the Holy Order of St. Francis has a very raw feel to it which makes the music all brutal.

In my opinion Nunwhore Commando 666 are a very brutal band that has an original sound which sounds good to my ears and if you are a very of noisecore influenced black/grind you should check this band out. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "666 Goatfuck Boomering" and "Unholy Atomic Whore Disaster". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Third World Abortion/Infected With Hatred/Exterminate The Brutes Records/2009 CD Review

2010-10-27T23:43:00.000-07:00

Third Word Abortion are a band from Mississippi that payes a mixture of black metal, death metal and noise and this is a review of their 2009 e.p "Infected With Hatred" which was released by Exterminate The Brutes Records.

Drums are mstly slow to midpaced beats with no fast parts oer blast beats, while the bass playing is very primal and follows the riffs coming out of the guitars.

Guitars on this e.p are mostly slow to midpaced riffs that mix death metal and black metal together with some grove parts and no guitar leads, while the vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some death/thrash style of vocals.

Lyrics are mostly abouthatred with some gore elements of gore while the production is very raw sounding with the sound of it being recorded on a tape recorder.

In my opinion Third World Abortion are a very good band with a fuck you attitude towads the mainstream and if you are a fan of raw death/black metal you should give this band a listen. RECOMMENDED BUY

FragMento DeeMento Interview

2010-10-27T23:38:00.001-07:00

1. Can you give us a brief history of the band?

It all started about three years ago. I needed some kind of release and a way to express myself. Writing my thoughts on paper just didn't cut it anymore. I thought it would be a good idea just to, whatever cheap way I can, make music to get rid of all the tension I had and also to have some sort of hobby to keep my mind off of things. It turned out to be an obsession, in a good way.

2. How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard you before?

Well, all I can say is that you need an open mind of all genres of electronica, industrial, metal based music. I personally like noisy sounds to zone out to. Even when it's thumping and scratching the inside of my head out. You just have to hear it for yourself.

3. Were did you come up with the name for your project?

It came from somewhere inside. I started saying it under my breathe one day, like I was possessed, over and over again then over and over again till next morning and soon made sense. I came to realize that Fragmento Deemento means freedom to how I express myself through music with no boundaries. Fragments of all genres that I care for and Deemento for whatever way of words to express myself with without censoring myself or even trying to make sense of it all. Just pure, raw, and honest emotion.

4. Are there any plans to use guitars in your music during the future?

I am starting to use digital based guitars. I have some tracks completed. I layer straight sounds over each other and with distortion and adding notes, I get a nice gritty cold guitar sound. It's abit time consuming and I could use a real guitar but can't afford it. But, overall I dig the whole cold digital sound anyway.

5. Have you recieved any label interest?

No, I haven't really promoted my music much. I do want people to listen to my music and enjoy it. So right know I am my own label.

6. I noticed you put your songs online for people to download, are there any plans to put out an actual cd or record?

I really can't afford to make cd's. I looked into it. But, overall, I just want them to be heard. Times are tough and I enjoy making my music, regardless. I may make up some t-shirts down the road for fun.

7. What are your main influences music wise or non music wise?

Music wise, I enjoy making music raw and gritty. Not having to worry of polishing it. I tried that in the past and the songs just lost the innocence, the emotion behind them. Bands like Libido Airbag, Nunwhore Commando 666 really got me into the style I have now and want to keep in future. Non music wise, life experiences, self doubt, pain, death, tragedy. All the things I had to deal with in my life and still dealing with. This is my only escape.

8. What rule does Satanism or Occultism play in the music and life?

I see Satanism as Humanism with theatrics. I studied the Levian way and have all of Lavey's books and add my personal experiences/beliefs to the whole. We as humans are always evolving, atleast for me that is. I never know how I will feel about anything in this bleak future of ours. All I know is that I am passionate with whatever I believe in now.

9. What are some good books or films that you would recommend?

Anything fun and/or makes you think and question. Read Lavey. It has it all and the controversy, till this day. It is both intelligent and mockery of the human race.

10. What is your opinion of the music scene in your home state and what are some groups to be on the lookout for?

The only bands that I know represent CT is Hatebreed, Stress Bomb, and Circus Of Dead Squirrels. The only bands that were true and knew where they came from. Past or present.

11. Any final words?

If you get into music. Does not matter what you use or how you do it. As long as it makes you happy and feeds your desire, Just do it. And if your friends are digging it, you may have something. That's all that matters. Do it for yourself and don't try to fit in to any specific genre. Let it come natural. Let the dominoes fall as they may. We are who we are and all in all we are the same. It's just that many are misguided by the ways of the majority. Even that is understandable for those who struggle day by day, paycheck by paycheck, unable to think outside the box, unable to focus on anything but to survive. It's those who are the ones out of reach, full of greed, and stink like swine feeding off of the hard working people, thinking they are better than. Sry, tend to ramble on the last question. Don't get me started on politics and the scum of our race. That is a whole other interview. Thanks for your interest in my music. Much appreciated and glad to share. HAIL!

12.Thanks for the interview?

FragMento DeeMento Mp3's Review

2010-10-27T23:33:00.001-07:00

FragMento DeeMento is a 1 man band from Conneticut that mixes noise, black metal,, industrial, gabber andd breakcore and this is a review of their MP3's

Drum machines on this recording contain alot of fast beats, while the keyboard utilizes alot of industrial influences and mixes alot of samples into the songs.

Vocals on this recording have some black metal screams but use mostly industrial type vocals that would of perfectly fit on a Wax Trax recording from the early 90's and they utilize alot of distortion, while the production on these MP3's sound really professional.

In my opinion this is a really good group and while this is not a style of music I listen to on a regular basis I still feel the music is really good since this takes darkness to a new level. If you have an open mind towards music I would recommend listening to this and if you go to FragMento DeeMento's Myspace page you can download their song

Argholslent/Incorrigible Bigotry/Moribund Records/Drakker Productions/2003 CD review

2010-10-18T02:25:00.000-07:00

Argholslent are a band from Oakton, Virginia that has members of Grand Belial's Key and While Heaven Wept that play N.S Melodic black/death metal with some hatecore and RAC influences and this is a review of their 1993 album "Incorrigible Bigotry" which was released by Moribund Records under exclusive pact with Drakkar Productions.

Drums are mostly fast with alot of brutal blast beats, while the bass playing has a very powerful sound that is easy to hear at times and it is all rhythm bass that follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars with some bass leads.

Rhythm guitars are very melodic and technical riffs that are very heavy and mix death and black metal together with a good amount of thrash as well as hatecore influences, while the lead guitars are melodic and very technical guitar solos that have a classic metal as well as melodic death metal feel.

Vocals are mostly deep death metal growls that are very easy to understand with a good amount of black metal influences, while the lyrics about European pride with alot of hatred for blacks, jews, and christians and you can tell that the songwriting did alot of reasearch on his anti semetic lyrics, as for the production on this recording which was recorded south of the Mason Dixon line sounds very professional and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this album.

IN my opinion Argholslent are a very good band and if you are an open minded fan of all n.s styles of metal or melodic black/death metal you should add this album to your collection. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Flogging The Cargo" "Quelling the Simian Surge" and "Hereditary Taint" RECOMMENDED BUY.

Abomination/Rites Of The Eternal hate/Destroyer Recs/2000 CD Review

2010-10-18T02:13:00.000-07:00

Abomination are a blackened death metal band from Brazil and this is a review of their 2000 album "Rites Of The Eternal Hate' which was released by Destroyer Recs.

Drums range from midpaced drumming to alot of fast parts that utilize alot of brutal blast beats while the bass playing has a very powerful sound and it is mostly rhythms that follow the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are mostly fast and technical death metal that is very brutal sounding with some melodic riffs and ther are some slow parts being utilized on songs added to give the music an even balance while the leads are very fast and technical with alot of melody.

Vocals are a mixture of deep and high pitched death metal growls while the lyrics are very anti christian and satanic as for the production on this album which was recorded at "Da Tribo Studio" in Sao Paulo, Brazil during Febuary of 2000 has a very raw but professional sound that captures all of the instruments and you can hear all of them very well.

In my opinion Abomination are a very food satanic Brazillian death metal band that where kind off underrated compared to their country mates that where making a huge name for themselves in the early 2000's. If you are a fan of Brazillian death metal you should check this band and album out.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Abomination Of Creation" "Diabolical Redemption" and "Burn On Behalf Of God". RECOMMENDED BUY

Morbid Path Interview

2010-10-18T02:09:00.001-07:00

1. Can you update us with what is going on with the band these days?
1.These days we are preparing to record our first M-LP.

2. What is the meaning behind the band's name?
2.It's the title of our last song in the 'Nightfall' demo which was somewhat about the end of our world, caused by the morbid path that mankind has taken. Besides that, it's just sounds awesome.

3. How would you describe the lyrical content of the music?
3.The lyrical content is varied, each song deals with something else. We have a new song called 'Mourning Ceremony' which is about a man
that lose his sanity and sees his shadow as his lifelong companion. Other songs might be about nature, wars, life experiences, some
personal thoughts and more. We don't have a sole concept that we always write about and we don't try to be philosophical smart asses and
change the world. We write lyrics that fits the music.

4. How has the reception been to your music so far by extreme metal fans worldwide?
4.Quite decent. In terms of recording quality, we didn't released a professional produced release yet , only two demos, yet they got a well
reception. We sold out our 'Nightfall' demo (only dozens of copies were made), got quite much positive mails from USA and Europe, we have
been played more than 20 thousands times in MySpace and we also received an offer from a label in New Zealand. We didn't take that offer
because we felt it's early and we won't release world wide something that we aren't totally satisfied with, no matter how much time it will take.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
5.No best show, each show is different, playing live is fun. How we would describe our stage performance? Just come and see for yourself
hehe.

6. Do you have any plans to tour Europe or the United States?
6.We definitely do. It probably will take time, but touring around the world is something we'll hopefully do in the future.

7.. How would you describe the musical progress over the last couple of years and what direction do you see the music heading into during the future?
7. Our demos were more or less categorized as melodic death / black metal. Our next release however, will be much different.
The new material is much more sophisticated comparing to what you've already heard from us. Each song is like a journey, starting in one
place and ends in a different distant edge. Some of the songs has a continuous progression and so many different layers that it won't be easy
for the listener to comprehend these songs in first listenings. Keyboards are also attending here and there and throw an occasional vibes and
also some clean guitars are presented as a fugues between the walls of distrotion.The new material is also more folk oriented and lengthy,
some songs clock out at 8 minutes and loaded with tons of riffs. We hope that we'll be able to record this material as soon as possible, but we
won't let time to force us compromise with anything. It will be however, extremely different from what we've released so far.

8. What are some bands or music styles that have influenced your music and what are you listening to nowadays?
8. Influences are subliminal so we can't really put a finger on something specific. Music is not the only source of inspiration for us as well.
We listen to everything that is good: Metal , hard rock , funk, electronic music,dubstep, classical music, hardcore, ...
we listen to what we like. We aren't closed minded "tough metalheads" or satanist weirdos that wear corpse paint, hate religous
people and have some bad feelings towards Jesus. It's none of our business. We are not fucking Dimmu Borgir. We are coming from a much
different angle.

9. Does Paganism or Occultism play any role in the music?
9. Paganism is far too primitive for humans in 2010. Occultism is something we haven't experienced yet, it might have some role in the future.

10. What are some of your interests outside of music?
10.Cory Hoffman (vocalist) studies cinematography and also dealing with websites here and there. Some of us are also interested in sports
(skateboarding, basketball), just living our life.

11. Any final words or thoughts?
11.Check out our MySpace page " http://www.myspace.com/morbidpath " and stay tuned for our M-LP, you woudln't want to miss it
when it comes!

Dead Congregation/Purifying Consecrated Ground/2008 CD Review

2010-10-18T02:02:00.000-07:00

Dead Congregation are a band from Greece that plays blackened death metal in the classic vein and this is a review of their 2008 album "Purifying Consecrated Ground".

Drums range from slow beats to some very fast and brutal blast beats while the bass playing is all rythym and follows the riffs coming out of the guitars with a very dark tone.

Rythym guitars on the album cover alot of ground with some slow doomy riffs mixed in with some fast death metal playing that takes some influences from black metal while the guitar leads are rooted in the early 90's death metal scene with some melodic guitar solos.

Vocals are very low pitched death metal growls while the lyrics are full of anti christianity as well as hatred for the white light, as for the production on this album it is very dark sounding while still keeping a very professional sound and you can hear all of the musical instruments.

In my opinion this is probably not the most original album ever made but it is still a very good album and it contains all of the best elements of early 90's death metal, if you are a fan of classic death metal that is very anti-christian you will not be disapointed.

RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Feasting Angelcunts" and "Dowward Spiral Of Morbidity". RECOMMENDED BUY

Nefaustus Dies Interview

2010-10-18T02:00:00.000-07:00

1. Can you give us a brief history of your band?

The band started around 2005, and evolved from a more typical black metal sound to what we have now. We released a 2 song promo, and then followed up with our first album, Urban Cancer, recorded in 2006. Because of several label issues, it was only released in 2008 through Candlelight USA. In january 2009 we released a 2 song promo over the internet to show the progression in our sound since the first album, and keep the fans happy while they wait for us to finish the second one. We will enter the studio this summer to record it.

2. How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard you before?

A mix of black metal melodies and death metal dynamics with a complete disregard to the usual borders put upon these genres

3. Are there any plans for a U.S tour?

We have been to the US twice, we're looking at maybe another 3 day weekend in upstate New York soon, but as far as a full tour goes, not until the 2nd album is released.

4. What are some of the best shows that you have played so far and what crowds would you say are the craziest or best?

As far as the US goes, our best show was in Billings.

5. When can we expect new material?

Just plain meaner songs. More precise, shorter more effective songs, less melodie and more dissonance than our earlier material

6. How was the response for your first album?

Good for the most part, the bad reviews mostly came from true black metal fans that didn't appreciate our mixture of styles

7. How would you describe the lyrical content of the music?

Staright forward bitching. We are not a political band as we offer no solution, this is simply a vehicule for us to vent our frustrations with daily life. No fantastic bullshit here, no talking about Satan or vikings.

8. What are some of your main influences music wise or non music wise?

We're very picky, and all have different tastes. One of the few bands we all agree on is Suffocation. Non music wise, I've taken inspiration for lyrics from comic books on one or two occasions.

9. Are there any satanic, occult, left hand path, paganism or anti-christian themes that influence the music?

They only influence our music in the sense that we completely avoid them, and sometimes even make fun of the more extremist narrow-minded people who suscribe to such ideologies.10. what are you listening to nowadays and what are some good bands that you would recommend?My favorite album lately is Sculptured - Embodiement. I'd recommend that people check out my other 2 bands:

The Last Felony www. myspace. com/thelastfelony

Vatican www. myspace. com/vaticanblackandroll

11. What are some good books or films that you would recommend?

THANK YOU FOR SMOKING is a fucking great movie.

12. What is the metal scene like in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and what are some good bands from that area?

Neuraxis has a new album out, those guys are awesome and pretty cool.

13. Any final words?

We have uploaded our 2 new songs in CD quality MP3 just check our blog on our myspace to know where to download them!

14.Thanks for the interview?