Xoth Interview

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

    Hi! We are currently promoting the upcoming release of “Invasion of the Tentacube” while simultaneously booking a West Coast tour for November.  Both have taken a lot of time and energy but it should all pay off in the end.

2.You have a new album coming out during the end of October, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from your previous ep?

    The songwriting between the EP and the album is pretty similar. I would say that we honed in our sound more on the album and a lot of the newer songs are more attuned to the style we aim to achieve. Semi complex song structures, with lots of dynamics, but never drifting too far into the prog realm.

3.Your lyrics cover Sci Fi, Lovecraft, Conspiracies and Ancient Mysteries, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest on those topics?

    I have been obsessed with horror movies and books for a long time. I was introduced to Lovecraft by movies like “From Beyond” and “Re Animator.” His ideas always struck me (and many other people) as very profound and somewhat possible. Graham Hancock and his book “Fingerprints of the Gods” got me into ancient mysteries. There are a lot of crazy thing that can’t be explained by the history we are taught in school. Conspiracy theories have been a interest of mine for a while now. It is pretty difficult to see through the smoke and mirrors to know what is true, but interesting nonetheless. Just don’t let it control your life hahaha.  I don’t subscribe to any beliefs but I think it is ignorant to assume we know what is out there in the cosmos.

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

    Xoth is a planet in the Lovecraftian Cthulhu Mythos. It is a green binary star where cthulhu mated with Idh-yaa to spawn some of his wretched demigod offspring. We thought it sounded cool and was it was only one word. GOOD.

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

    I would say the three best shows we have played are the Hotel Monte Vista in Flagstaff (huge and very drunk turnout. The hotel was very nice and we got a free room), the Black Castle in Los Angeles, and HAIL SANTA VI at the Highline in Seattle. Our live show consists of humorous spoken word descriptions of each song, sampled electronic tracks between songs, and of course our music. We try to put on a high energy upbeat performance every time.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

    We have a two week West Coast tour in November with Sarcalogos from Portland. It will start in Seattle, go all the way to Tijuana, and end in Medford, OR. Check out our bandcamp or facebook page for tour dates.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
    Yes we would be interested in signing with the a label. We are looking for a label that will give us a fair deal and present us with opportunities we could not get on our own. So far we have received a few offers from small indie labels, but were not convinced they could make a difference for us. We are confident that we will meet the right people one day.

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

    Limited but good. We have sold albums to people in various countries in Europe and Asia. One of our main goals with this album is increase our international awareness level. Hopefully the worldwide response picks up and we reach a much bigger audience.

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

    We really want to write more super dynamic epic compositions. I am really into playing and collecting Synthesizers and it would be awesome to incorporate them more. Aside from that, we will just keep pushing our musical boundaries to create the best stuff we can.

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

    The styles that have influence us the most are Metal (of course), prog rock, old school electronic music, and a lot of other stuff.  Bal-Sagoth, Obscure, King Diamond, Abusu, Akercoce, Goblin, Tangerine Dream, Vektor. Really anything from Suffocation to the Bee Gees we can get into.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

    Books, bad 80s movies, camping/hiking, traveling, selling shit on ebay, jelqing, cats, dogs, and various other species of animals.

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

  
    Thanks for taking the time to interview us and review our album! Those reading should prepare for way more Xoth in the future. Keep an eye on our youtube for some cool videos soon. Make sure to check out facebook page for updates on the band. One last thing, don’t believe in the lies of society... be yourself and all that junk.

https://www.facebook.com/ beholdxoth https://xoth.bandcamp.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/ beholdxoth

https://twitter.com/behold_ xoth

https://www.instagram.com/ behold_xoth/
http://www.metal-archives.com/ bands/Xoth/3540384828

Shambles/Realm Of Darkness Shrine/Nero One Records/2016 LP Review

  Shambles  are  a  band  from  Thailand  that  plays  a  very  dark  and  blackened  form  of  death  metal  with  some  elements  of  doom  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Realm  Of  Darkness Shrine"  which  was  released  by  Nero  One  Records.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  deep  death metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  are  very  heavily  influenced  by  doom  metal  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  elements  of  black  metal  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  Most  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of  the  faster riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking and  the  riffing  also brings  in a  decent  amount  of  melody at  times  and  none  of  the  songs  ever  use  any  solos  and  leads  and  the  album  also  remains  very  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Shambles  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  dark  and  rooted  in  the  90's  while  also  mixing  in  elements  of  black  and  doom  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  blasphemous  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Shambles  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Call  From  The  Further  Tomb"  "Onward  Into  Chasms"  and  "Bitter  Abysmal  Depths".  8  out  of 10.

Shambles Bandcamp

Shambles Official Facebook

Arriver/Emeritus/Scioto Records/2016 EP Review

  Arriver  are  a  band  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  plays  a  very  progressive  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "Emeritus" which  was  released  by  Scioto  Records.

  A  very  dark  yet  melodic  guitar lead  starts  off  the  ep  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you  can  also h ear  a  touch  of  post  hardcore  in  the  guitar  riffing  will  the  vocals  bring  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  and  the  music  also  gets  very  progressive  at  times.

  Melodies  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very long  and  epic  in  length  and  clean  singing  can  also b e  heard  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  clean  singing  can  also  be  heard  in certain  sections  of  the  recording and  clean  guitars  along  with  full  chords  can  be  heard  briefly  towards  the end  of  the  ep..

  Arriver  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  progressive,  death  and  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  hardcore,  noise  rock,  and  post  punk  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  the  Chernobyl  incident  of  1986.

  In  my  opinion  Arriver  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  looking  for  something  that  is  very  different, you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Demon  Core"  and  "Emeritus".  8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp

Facebook

Myspace

Official website

SoundCloud

  

Sepulchral Curse/At The Onset Of Extinction/Transcending Obscurity Records/2016 EP Review

  Sepulchral  Curse  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  originally  started  out  as  an  old  school  style  death  metal  band  but  have  evolved  into  a  more  blackened  death  metal  style  with  their  newer  release  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "At The  Onset  Of  Extinction"  which  will  be  released  in December  by  Transcending  Obscurity  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  a  great  amount  of  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  the  vocals  being  very  guttural  death  metal  growls  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  and  the  guitar  leads a re  also  very  dark  and  melodic.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard  in  certain sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to a   very  heavy  musical   direction  and  the  last  track is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  adds  in a   touch of  doom  metal.

  Sepulchral  Curse  creates  a recording  that  takes  their  old  school  death  metal  roots  and  mixes  it  in  with  more  black  metal  influences  to  take  their  music  to  a  different  level,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  war  and  occultism  themes.

 In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Sepulchral  Curse  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Envisioned  In  Scars"  and  "Gospel  Of  Bones".  8 out  of  10. 

Sepulchral Curse Official Bandcamp

Sepulchral Curse Official Facebook

Auroch/Mute Books/Profound Lore Records/2016 CD Review

  Vancouver,  B.C's  Auroch  have  returned with  a  new  recording  that  continues  the  blackened  death  metal  style  that  was  on  their  previous  release  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Mute  Books"  which  will  be  released  on  October  21st  by  Profound  Lore  Records.

  Avant  garde  style  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  after  a  few  seconds  the  music  gets  more  heavy  and  brutal  along  with  some  death metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  while  melodic  guitar  leads  are also  added  onto  the  recording  and  whispers  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  a  great  amount  of blast beats  can  be  heard  during  the  faster  sections  at  times.

  A  decent  amount  of melody  can  be  heard  in  some  of the riffing  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  very  chaotic  sounding  and  remain  true  to  a  very  extreme  metal  style and  the  songs  also bring  in  a  great  mixture of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of melodic  chanting  while  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  tracks  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to them  and  the  avant  garde  elements  also  make  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Auroch  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  blackened  death  metal  style  of  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics cover  Occultism,  Alchemy,  H.P  Lovecraft  and  Misanthropy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Auroch  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "He  Wreaths  The  Cross"  "The  Keeping"  and  "Cup  Of  Hemlock".  8  out of  10.

http://www.auroch1.bandcamp.com

http://www.facebook.com/aurochmetal

http://www.twitter.com/aurochband

Xoth/Invasion Of The Tentacube/2016 CD Review

  Xoth  are  a  band  from  Seattle,  Washington  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "Invasion  Of  The  Tentacube"  which  will  be  released  in  November.

  Science  fiction  style  synths  start  off  the  album  along  with  a  heavier  sound  and  melodic  guitar  leads  being  added  onto  the  recording  a  few  seconds  later  and  you  can  also hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  after  awhile  black  metal screams  and  blast  beats  make  their  presence  known.

  Death  metal growls  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of technical  elements  along  with  some  touches  of  thrash  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts and  synths  also  make  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recordings  while  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  classical  guitars  and  the  fast  riffs  also  use  a  great   amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Xoth  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  a  90's  style  of  technical  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  black  and  shred  metal  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Ancient  Mysteries,  Lovecraftian  Horror,  Science  Fiction,  Metaphysics  and  Conspiracy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Xoth  are  a  very  great  sounding  technical  mixture  of  black,  death  and  shred  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Antediluvian  Annihilation"  "Digital  Mausoleum"  and  "Ancient  Sentient  Ooze".  8  out  of  10.  

http://xoth.bandcamp.com/album/invasion-of-the-tentacube

https://www.facebook.com/beholdxoth

https://twitter.com/Behold_Xoth

youtube.com/user/beholdXOTH

 

Wretched Soul/The Ghost World/UKEM Records/2016 CD Review

  Wretched  Soul  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death,  thrash,  and  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "The  Ghost  World"  which  was  released  by  UKEM  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some traditional  metal  style  clean  singing  and  you  can  also  hear  elements  of  speed  metal  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  vocals  also  mix  power  and  thrash  metal  together  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  are  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  melodic  and  also  gives  the  music  more of  an  old  school  edge  and  when  the  music  speeds  up a   decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  traces  of  black  metal  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  screams  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  faster  riffing also  uses  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo picking  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard.

  Wretched  Soul  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  black,  death,  thrash  and  traditional  metal  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Literature,  Death,  and  Wretchedness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Wretched  Soul  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death,  thrash,  and  heavy  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Necromancer"  "The  Great  Destroyer"  and  "The  Ghost  Road".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.ukemrecords.co.uk/product/wretched-soul-the-ghost-road-package-deal/