Shamash Interview

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

Sure. The band started as a solo project of mine a while back, and it actually took quite a while to get the members for this. I started it as a change of musical directions and as a result of my growing interest in the occult, to which black metal felt natural. A while back, we released a demo album and are currently in the works of a new release.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?

I strongly prefer to leave impressions of both lyrics and sound to the listener. I believe that it may not be the same to me as it may to you and as such, I prefer to keep it individual.

3.Your lyrics cover Crowley, Thelema, and Occultism themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

It is much of the inspiration to this music and something I've taken some interest in since discovering it. It simply just felt natural to combine it with the music.

4.What was it about the name 'Shamash, that inspired you to name your band after that?

The name is taken from the solar deity of ancient Mesapotamia, Shamash. It is a slight perversion of the name, as he also stood for justice in some circles. I choose to see him as the god of the Sun, which bears quite a lot of meaning to me, however. It seemed to be the right choice when it all started.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band ha splayed over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

I think that our second show was the best. The show was rather small, but very intense. Our stage performance is an intense one. It's quite simple currently, but it is energetic, powerful and above all, intense. For the future, there are plans to bring fire on stage, when the time is right for that.

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

At the moment, we only have one or two shows on the schedule, but nothing big planned for the Summer aside writing new material.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

We have had some minor interest, but are still looking for a label to release our current and future albums on. Should anyone have interest, they will be more than welcome to contact us.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?

So far, the feedback has been great. We've heard a lot of good stuff and generally received a lot of positive words.

9.Are any of the band members involved with any other musical projects these days?

Yes, Akhôrahil has his own project, Tugt and Vákheimnir is currently the live drummer of Fjorsvartnir.

10.What are some bands styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

I would say the Polish and the Norwegian bands of the 90's have had their fair share of influence on the music we write here. Currently, I'm personally listening to a lot of new classical music.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I can't really comment for the others here but aside music, I read and study. I'm somewhat curious so learning is very important to me.

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

Not at the moment, no.

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Devius Interview

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

Hello friends, these days we are fully committed to the release of "The Absents Presence", our new album and at the same time we are rehearsing for the upcoming national tour. Everything is going great so far!

2. Recently you have released a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction of the new recording and also how does it differ from your past releases?

The Absents Presence is a big step forward for us in regard of the level of production and the sound quality that we achieved in this record. We are very pleased with how it sounds and how it showcases all the detail of the compositions. Musically is a very complex album, with lots of guitars and arrangements, making it interesting to listen to more than once, because you can hear new things each time, which is something we wanted to achieve. We also intended to do a more listenable album but at the same time keeping up with the brutality and general "sickness" of our previous albums.

The listener will find a wide range of musical influences and styles in each song of "The Absents Presence" but with the distinguishable touch of the band.

3. Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new release?

The lyrics of this album are interconnected, as in a concept album, but not in the sense of telling a structured story but more in the sense of dealing with certain topics concerning human existence from a philosophical perspective. We tried to put our own feelings and thoughts on certain important aspects of human existence, such as mortality, the awareness of our own weakness and limitations, the ability to choice out of existence, and such.

4. On the fb page, you had a lot of philosophers listed as influences; can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in philosophy?

This is a very good question. Yes, i (Gastón Praddaude) write all the lyrics and before and during the time i was writing "The Absents Presence" i was reading a lot of existentialist philosophers such as Nietzsche, Sartre, Camus and modern lecturers of this school of thought.

I studied Psychology so i always had been reading a lot, and i think the lyrics of the album are a reflection of my own views on the search of a meaning for life filtered through all these philosophical influences that i get when i study or read those authors and thinkers.

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

The name was found while shuffling through a Latin dictionary, it means "out of the path" or something like "deranged", that is the general idea behind the word. Our take on the name is that our music is really, really, really not intended as a commercial product or as an imitation of somebody else´s music. We do this following our own instincts and that for us is very important.

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

We play a handful of shows because we are very methodical and carful with the sound of each presentation. For us that is the most important thing, because if not then why bother to go to a venue and watch a band sounding awful? You´ll be better off listening to the cd. That is our philosophy for live presentations, so that is why we are very selective on where do we play and what the conditions of the venue are, regarding sound. With this type of complex music you can’t leave anything to chance.

7. Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

Yes, we plan to do a national tour on the second semester of this year, and also negotiating for a tour in Europe, but that will be 2015.

8. Over the years the band has put out albums on both Depressive Illusions and Black Medusa Records, do you feel these record labels have helped out the band a lot when it comes to getting your music out there heard?

We always have been an independent band when it comes to our releases, the people of Depressive Illusions helped us out this time with a limited edition of the album which we authorized so to have distribution in Europe. They have been very helpful in that aspect, but we as a band conduct all the business related with the edition, promotion and distribution of the albums.

9. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme and progressive metal?

So far it’s been great, far more wide than with previous albums and we have yet to find a negative review, since this music we do its completely non-trendy and very honest we found out that although they might be some critics, they will always be constructive, mainly because this music is really unique.

10. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

We haven´t stopped to think about a future album yet, we want to take our time with "The Absents Presence" as it is such a big step for us, but i think we will always remain true to originality and experimentation in our music. Plans for a new album are due for late 2015.

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

Our all-time influences are Death, Opeth, Cynic, Behemoth, Necrophagist, Gojira, Akercocke, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Astor Piazzolla, Frank Zappa, King Crimson Decapitated and Meshuggah amongst many others. Nowadays i am listening a lot to: Wolves in the throne room, Woods of Ypres and Alcest.

12. What are some of your non musical interests?

I particularly love reading and i work as a psychologist, that’s the other part of my life besides music.

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

I wanted to thank you for doing your research and asking questions that are not just generic, as in many other interviews. And to everybody reading this, don’t forget to check out our new album "The Absents Presence" which you can stream online for free and also buy in cd or digital format, it is available worldwide. Have a great week!

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Phylogeny Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the project?
1: Our project is a studio/home project. We both study in different cities, we are 22 and 23 years old, so we don't have any source of income yet. We do our music just for the love of it. We had a grind band in the past but our drummer had to left, so we decided to make this little project on our own. we've been working for a year

2.How would you describe your musical sound?
2: our musical sound is a mix of influences, completely. From old school death metal to melodic stuff. We are also fanatics of black metal, specially bands like Windir or Dissection, just to mention any. We like contrast in our music, we seek to surprise those who hear our music, without stepping out of a death metal style, that is the unifier element thru all the mix we put in there.

3.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
3: we are still exploring with our lyrics. We plan to create our own Lore, based on our artwork. as an introduction, the pyramid that you see in the back came to that world with a mission, to grab all the alien race from that planet and take them to other places, new and forbidden for them. We are still developing this.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Phylogeny'?
4: Theres not much inspiration in that. We just looked for a short name that hasnt been taken yet, and that sound death metal enough. We know that its related to evolution of microorganisms, we plan to somehow use this concept in our lyrics as well.

5.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you chose to remain a duo?
5: We would love to have a drummer that can play what we program, or something close to that. Unf, that probably won't happen, but if any good drummer is interested on our project, we are open to accept him if he is good enough, and love death/black music.

6.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
6: No.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme metal?
7: It has been good so far. We are still expanding, and that takes time

8.Are the band members involved with any other musical project?
8. Polo has a solo project called polis south. Its kind of an electronic/indie music style

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
9: No one could guess that...

10.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
10: too many bands and influences. tech death bands like spawn of possession or necrophagist, Black bands like dissection or even inmortal, Slam bands...I do love melodic stuff a lot ( Rod ), I love wintersun, Kalmah , and bands like that. So as you can see, we dont have a limit in our tastes.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
11: Videogames, movies, Law, animals...

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

12: Spread the word of our legend. We need more people to hear us!!

Thanks for the interview. It's been written by Rod.

https://phylogeny.bandcamp.com/

Decembre Noir/A Discouraged Believer/FDA Rekotz/2014 CD Review

  Decembre  Noir  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  melancholic  form  of  blackened  doom/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Discourage  Believer"  which  was  released  by  FDA  Rekotz.

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  heavy  sound  and  a  few  seconds  later  growls  are  added  into  the  recording  and  after  a  minute  clean  playing  and  violins  are  added  in  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  while  also  keeping  around  the  heavier  parts  and  adding  in  some  melodies.

  After  awhile  all  of  the  musical  instruments  start  sounding  a  lot  more  powerful  along  with  the  music  adding  in  melancholic  and  depressive  elements  with  some  really  heavy  doom/death  metal  and  at times you  can  also  hear  spoken  word  parts  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  fast  and  raw  black  metal  influences  which  also  bring  along  blast  beats  with  them  as  well  as  the  vocals  using  more  grimness  when  the  blackened  parts  show  up  in  the  music.

  When  we  get  more  into  the  album  acoustic  guitars  and  symphonic  sounds  become  a  part  of  the  recording  while  the  heavier  parts  still  dominate  the  music  and  most  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and  length  with  the  average  song  being  over  7  minutes  while  there  is  also  a  couple  of   songs  that  are  around  5  minutes  or  shorter  and  on  the  last  tack  you  can  also  hear  a  small  amount  of  prog  metal  elements  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  vocals.

  With  this  album  Decembre  Noir  bring  a  very  depressive  and  melancholic  sound  to  doom/death  metal  while  also  being  heavily  influenced  by  black  metal  and  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  sorrowful  melodies  which  sound  even  more  powerful  with  a  professional  sounding  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  dark  and  emotional  themes.

  In  my  opinion  December  Noir  are  a  very  great  sounding  melancholic  blackened  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Thorns"  "Decembre  Noir"  and  "Escape  To  The  Sun".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.facebook.com/DecembreNoir

Shamash/Flame Of Baphomet/2013 Full Length Review

  Shamash  are  a  band  from  Denmark  that  plays  a  very  satanic  and  occult  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2013  album  "Flame  of  Baphomet".

   The  album  starts  out  with  a  very  dark,  slow  and  heavy  sound  and  a  few  seconds  later  death  metal  growls are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  melodies  and  the  band  goes  for  a  more  blackened  death  metal  sound  on  the  songs  that  are  presented  along  with  a  great  amount  of  mid  paced  sections.

  By  the  time  the  album  gets  into  the  third  song  the  music  speeds  up  a  bit  and  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  which  also  are  utilized  on  some  of  the  other  tracks  as  well  as  well  as  the  bass  guitars  adding  in  a  more  powerful  sound  and  the  music  also  has  a  good  amount  of  doom  metal  influences,  by  the  time  the  music  is  midway  through  the  fourth  song guitar  solos  and  leads  become  a  part  of  the  recording.

  Halfway  through  the  album  black  metal  screams  are  added  into  certain  parts  of  the  recording  along  with  the  leads  adding  in  the  more  melodic  side  of  that  genre  as  well  as  the  blast  beats  getting  a  bit  more  brutal  while  the  music  never  goes  away  from  a  death/doom  metal  direction  on  the  songs.

  With  this  album  Shamash  stick  to  a  more  blackened  death  metal  sound  along  with  some  slow  and  mid  paced  parts  that  bring  a  doom/death  metal  feeling  to  the  recording  and  at  times  the  music  speeds  up  and  adds  in  brutal  blast  beats  along  with  a  powerful  sounding  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  Satanism,  Thelema,  Crowley  and  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Shamash  are  a  very  great  sounding blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Scarlet  Woman"  "In  Sanctify  Of  Hadit"  "Lord  Banished  Me"  and  "Mater  Dei".  8  out  of  10.

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Anthems Of Sickness Interview

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

We are a relatively “young” band, we got together in 2012. The initial lineup was with 2 guitar players, in 2013 we began working on out first EP. After that, the 2 guitarists Rassa and Imperial left the band and soon were replaced by Daniel, the singer of Underwell (the other band where I play the guitar). In the meantime the EP was ready and I sent it to Worm with which I was very well acquainted because of his wonderful work with Underwell. He really dug the EP and he proposed us to publish“Through the eyes of a glorious raven” through his label Wormholedeath. So we’d like to thank him.

Siamo una band piuttosto "giovane", ci siamo formati nel 2012. La formazione iniziale comprendeva 2 chitarristi e nel 2013 abbiamo iniziato a lavorare al nostro primo ep.
Successivamente abbiamo avuto uno split del tutto pacifico con Rassa e Imperial (i due axeman e Daniel, il cantante degli Underwell (l'altra mia band) è subentrato loro. L'ep nel frattempo era concluso e l ho spedito a Worm che già conoscevo per via dell'ottimo lavoro svolto per gli Underwell.
Lui gradì molto il materiale e così ci propose di far uscire "Through the eyes of a glorious raven" per la sua label Wormholedeath. E così grazie a lui eccoci qua a parlare.

2.Recently you have released a new ep, can you tell us a little bit more about your musical sound?
"Through the eyes of a glorious raven" is a very dark album, both the music and the lyrics. We tried to build our sound on hardcore influences mixed with black metal, trash and even sludge. We even got a dash of rock’n’roll influenced by motorhead, who however influenced a lot of the genres we stated previously.

"Through the eyes of a glorious raven" è un album molto oscuro sia musicalmente che liricamente.
Dal punto di vista del sound abbiamo innestato su una base hardcore influenze che vanno dal black metal, al thrash fino allo sludge. Nel mezzo si è infilato anche un tiro rock'n'roll mothoreadiano che d'altronde per via traversa ha influenzato tutti i generi prima citati.

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

Desperation. The album’s lyrics are a reflecting a very dark and nichilistic point of view.
The sensation of emptiness, which our generation knows too well. Emptiness in our values (like in The voice of God and Stone cold eyes). Emptiness in the way of life (Midnight riders which may seem like a party anthem and it is, in a certain way, but it derives from otherwise bitter thoughts.
Disperazione. Le lyrics dell'album riflettono una visione davvero cupa e nichilista. Il senso di vuoto che la nostra generazione conosce bene. Vuotezza nei valori (come in The voice of God e Stone cold eyes) vuotezza nel modo di vivere come in Midnight riders che sembra un party anthem (e in un certo senso lo è) ma deriva in realtà da una riflessione piuttosto amara.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Anthems Of Sickness'?

A.o.S a.k.a Anthem of Sickness, it’s basically the best description of the intentions of the band. Making an anthem to the sickness, without hope, without faith, without a guideline. Nihilism in form of music.

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

We’ve made a few gigs around the swamp for now. But we had thepleasure of playing on a skate competition in a skate park which is really close to Alessandria. It was a really great feeling that I will surely keep in the good memories compartment of my head. Hardcore e skate were always connected afterall, am Iright?

Per ora abbiamo suonato ancora pochi show qua nei dintorni della nostra palude. Però abbiamo avuto il piacere di suonare ad una festa di uno skate park vicino ad Alessandria. Una situazione davvero fantastica che ricorderò con molto piacere. Hc e skate dopotutto sono sempre andati a braccetto no??!!

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

Of course we do. We don’t have anything fixed for now, but you can bet on it! This kind of music is made to be played on a stage live. We would love to play from the other side of the borders of Italy…we’ll do the best we can.

Naturalmente. Attualmente non c'è ancora nulla di definito ma potete scommetterci! Questa musica è fatta per essere suonata dal vivo. Ci piacerebbe molto suonare fuori dalla povera italia…faremo il possibile per concretizzare ciò.

7.The new ep came out on WormHoleDeath, how would you describe the support they have given you so far?

Worm, as I previously mentioned is very professional and Wormholedeath is a structure that works well and is in a constant growth.
The relationship that ties us thogether after all these years is friendly and being friends with the label is a great vantage point in a world where there are labels who don’t give two sh*ts about the fact that they are working with human beings in the first place. I am very happy for the support and the opportunity they gave us.

Worm come ho accennato prima è un grande professionista e Wormholedeath è una struttura che lavora bene e in costante crescita.
Il rapporto che ci lega dopo tutti questi anni è di amicizia anche e ciò è sicuramente un vantaggio notevole in un mondo di label che se ne fregano totalmente dell'aspetto umano. Sono contento di lavorare con loro anche con questo progetto e dell'opportunità dataci.


8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal and hardcore?

Well, for now we don’t have a lot of feedback, sincethe EP isn’t still on the market, so we are still in the initial phase of promoting it. But for now I would say that the majority is good feedback. The music was appreciated by people who love black metal and others who love hardcore and crust. I think that with our music we might satisfy a great number of different audience types. It’s up to the audience to approach us in the right way, without any prejudice about genres and so on…we are like that, we play like that and we don’t want to be labeled in any way.

Beh per il momento abbiamo ancora feedback ridotti visto che il disco non è ancora uscito e la promozione si può dire appena iniziata.
Però per il momento direi buono, abbiamo ricevuto apprezzamenti sia da blackster incalliti sia da fan dell'hc e del crust. Ritengo che la nostra proposta potrebbe riuscire a mettere d'accordo un gran numero di fan dei generi più disparati. Sta solo al pubblico  il dovere di approcciarci nel modo giusto, senza inutili preconcetti di generi e così…noi siamo questo, suoniamo così e non vogliamo essere catalogati in un modo particolare.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

We hope for doing more live gigs and to put out another album. We are currently working on new stuff. We are incorporating new influences with a lot of care in the details. It’s too early to get specific about this for now, but we are working hard and I am sure that all our efforts in arrangementand composition will be worth it.

Speriamo di suonare sempre più dal vivo e pubblicare un nuovo disco.
Stiamo già lavorando a nuovi brani e devo dire che segneranno una netta evoluzione. Stiamo incorporando nuove influenze con una nuova cura verso i dettagli. Per ora è presto parlare nello specifico di questo ma stiamo lavorando sodo e gli sforzi in fase di arrangiamento e composizione daranno i loro frutti.

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

Well as I mentioned previously I am big fan of hardcore and of black metal in equal proportions. I love Burzum and Converge. Presonally I am a person that really listens to anything from stoner to rap to dubstep, it just needs to impress me. I find that one of the biggest limits in a certain something-core scene nowadays is the lack of a message and an emotion to transfer to the listener. It’s just a formula for looping something we already heard a million times. This is one of the worst ways for artistic approach. Art comes from the inside.

Beh come prima accennavo sono un grande fan dell' hardcore e del black meta in egual misura. Adoro sia Burzum che i Converge. personalmente sono uno che ascolta davvero di tutto dallo stoner al rap alla dubstep. Basta che riesca ad emozionarmi. Trovo che uno dei limiti più grandi di una certa scena -core attuale sia il fatto che non mi trasmette alcuna emozione. E' diventata tutta forma e reiterare formule già sentite. E questo è il modo peggiore per approcciarsi a qualsiasi cosa di tipo artistico. L'arte viene da dentro.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I love traveling, cooking, eating and drinking, watching documentaries and reading. I am currently in the university and I have a girlfriend. Regular, normal life.
Adoro viaggiare, cucinare, mangiare e bere, guardare documentari e leggere. Studio all'università, ho una ragazza. Insomma cose normali.

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


Take care of yourselves and of the world that surrounds us. It’s a very simple thing which is easily forgotten. Thank you for your time and attention. Follow us on facebook and youtube.

Abbiate cura di voi stessi e del mondo che vi circonda. E' una cosa semplice ma che viene spesso dimenticata.
Grazie per il tempo e l'attenzione. Seguiteci su facebook e youtube

https://www.facebook.com/aoshc/.

Phylogeny/Self Titled/2014 EP Review

  Phylogeny  are  a  duo  from  Spain  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  technical  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  and  self  titled  2014  ep.

  The ep  starts  out  with  a  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  with  some  spoken  samples  before  getting  more  heavy  and  technical  along  with  a  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  vocals  and  then  the music  gets  more  fast  and  brutal  along  with  programmed  blast  beats  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  mixture  of  technical,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  After  awhile  all  of  the musical  instruments  start  sonnding  very  powerful  as  well  as  bringing  in  deathcore  elements  and  atmospheric  synths  while  also  remaining  brutal  all  at  the  same  time  and  later  on  experimental  parts  are  added  in  with  the  brutality  this  music  produces  and  for  a  few  seconds  the  keyboards  bring  a  gothic  horror  feeling  to  the  recording  and  the  last  track  has  a  very  dark  and  raw  feeling  to  it  as  well  as  being  all  instrumental.

  With  this  ep  Phylogeny  take  a  very  brutal  and  technical  form  of  death  metal  and  mix  it  in  with  a  good  amount  of  black  metal  influence  along  with  some  melody  and  atmospheric  sounds  as  well  as  having  a  very  professional  sounding  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  horror  and  gore  topics.

  In  my  opinion  Phylogeny  are  a  very  great  sounding  technical  and  brutal  blackened  death  metal b and  and  if  you  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Seizure  Of  The  Tremoctopus".  8  out  of  10.

https://phylogeny.bandcamp.com/