Scuriu Interview

 

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the solo project since the recording of the new ep?

I personally recorded, mixed and mastered the whole work.

Actually, the recording was a bit slowed down by my job research, the change from VST sounds to the recording of bass and guitar parts through a pedalboard which works as an audio interface, and a lot of dissatisfaction with my vocal parts, which I eventually figured out how to render through a trial and error process.

 

2.You have a new ep coming out in July, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

This EP is musically less black and more gothic oriented than my previous demo. 

It also makes a lesser use of the double kick drum and basically has no guitar solo sections, but introduces 2 interpolations: Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and traditional Sephardic song "La prima vez".

3.The lyrics on the new ep are a concept album, can you tell us a little bit more about the story that you have covered with this new release?

The story I decided to cover comes from my need to let some personal issues out of my chest, and is mostly inspired by those very issues, which I'd prefer not to talk about.

As you may already know, the main character of the story is a man falling in love with whom he sadly finds out to be a bloodthirsty vampire lady.

There are many parts in the lyrics which are purposefully ambiguous and I'd like the listeners to give their own interpretation of those parts.

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

The name "Scurìu" comes from the dialect of my birthplace, Cagliari, which is the main city in Sardinia, and it means "dark".

I actually live in Northern Italy, and I learnt from some fellow musicians that the musician's own roots can be a really strong plus value.

This EP is in English, but I may seriously consider writing lyrics in Cagliari's dialect!

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

I commissioned the portrait of Wilhelmina (without the background) to an Italian illustrator called Valentina "Moon Child" Ghirardi.

I found out about her work while browsing Instagram and I felt that her style could fit my music.

You should definitely check her Instagram page, @fantasy_illustrations_ , she's really talented!

I eventually drew the background on my PC, inspired by my own line in the EP "Like you came from a world where sorrow doesn't exist".

6.With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?

Scurìu was born and intended as a solo project, and as of now I'd prefer to work solo. 

But in case I find some talented and really trustworthy musicians, I could think about bringing it live, probably as the lead guitarist.

7.In 2021 you where a part of a split with 'Black Flame', what are your thoughts on the other project that had participate on the recording?

The single split with Black Flame was a peculiar experiment.

I let him hear what eventually became "Wilhelmina I", the first track of this EP, and he wanted to make a cover of it, while I decided to make a cover of one of his tracks.

So he played my track in his dungeon synth style and I played his track in my dark ambient style.

I know Black Flame through the Italian collective Carcerem Lupi Underground Resistance, which I've been part of since April 2021 and whose third split album "From the deepest mist of the underground" 

I'm featured in with a dark ambient track. 

The guy behind Black Flame has a lot of creativity and is really talented.

I recommend his work as Black Flame, Shining Dawn and Kemelios.

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

As of now I'm unsigned and I haven't received any interest from any label, nor am I interested to look for one.

I've heard many stories of some independent labels acting unprofessionally and this led me to the conclusion that I'd prefer to self-release my own work.

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

Worldwide, many people praised the idea behind my music but moved constructive criticism to the arrangements of my demo, which I'm trying bit by bit to improve with new works.

Also, many people find it peculiar that I write "ov" instead of "of" in the lyrics. I do it purposefully to pay tribute to Behemoth, who is a strong influence to me as a lyricist.

10.When can we expect a full length and  also where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?

I have a couple of draft ideas which hopefully would lead me to a full length, but as of now I'd like to work on completely different stuff before getting back to finish some of the ideas.

I'm not a professional musician myself and here in Italy making a living out of music is extremely hard if not impossible, especially when it comes to underground genres like metal, ambient and so on.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that you are currently listening to nowadays?

Nowadays I'm listening to different bands and styles. HIM, Tool, Amenra, Krzysztof Drabikowski's Батюшка, Cradle of Filth, Alcest... but also some Italian underground hip hop realities, like DSA Commando or XVI Religion, just to mention a couple.

Most in general, if I like some artist / band I listen to them, whatever their musical style is.

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

Support underground art! There are many talented artists out there who deserve some attention.

I'd like to thank you for this interview and everybody who was and/or still is part of this crazy journey called life. 

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Scuriu/Wilhelmina/2022 EP Review

 

  Scuriu  are  a  solo  project  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  gothic  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  releas3ed  2022  ep  "Wilhelmina"  which  will  be  released  in  July.

  Tragic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  ep  while  also  giving  the  music  more  of  a  gothic  touch  as  well  as  mixing  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  some  elements  of  doom  metal  being  added  into  the  slower  sections  of  the  tracks.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  dark  sounding  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melancholic  yet  melodic  style  as  well  as  most  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  death  metal  growls  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  slow  or  mid  tempo direction.

  Scuriu  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  doom  and  gothic  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  a  man  who  falls  in  love  with  a  woman  who  sadly  discovers  she  is  a  vampire  thirsty  for  blood. 

  In  my  opinion  Scuriu  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  gothic  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "II"  and  "IV".  8  out  of  10.

  

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Spectrum Mortis/Bit Meseri - The Incantation/Listenable Records/2022 CD Review

 

  Spectrum  Mortis  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  ritualistic  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  "Bit  Meseri  -  The  Incantation"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Listenable  Records.

  Middle  Eastern  style  instruments  start  off  the  album  before  adding  some  clean  playing  onto  the  recording.  Grim  sounding  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  before  going  into  a  more  heavier  and  melodic  musical  direction  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  elements  of  doom  metal.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  vocals  bring  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams.  The  songs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  90's  influences  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  blast  beats.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  when  they  are  utilized  as  well  as  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  the  music  also  has  its  ritualistic  moments.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  Sumerian  saga  of  Apkallus  and  Ziggurats.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Spectrum  Mortis  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Utu-Abzu"  and  "El  Sol  de  Eridu".  8  out  of  10.

  

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1/2 Southern North/Narrations Of A Fallen Soul/Satanath Records/Fog Foundation/2022 CD Review

 

  1/2  Southern  North  are  a  solo  project  from  Greece  that  plays  an  experimental  and  avant  garde  mixture  of  black  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  her  2022  album  "Narrations  Of  A  Fallen  Soul"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Satanath  Records  and  Fog  Foundation.

  Avant  garde  style  synths  and  heavy  riffing  starts  off  the  album  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  elements  of  doom  metal.  Most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  clean  playing  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  operatic  female  vocals  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  this  release.

  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  sounding  at  times.  When  spoken  word  parts  are  utilized  they  also  give  the  album  more  of  a  ritualistic  feeling  along  with  some  folk  instruments  also  being  used  briefly  as  well  as  one  song  also  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  slide  guitars  and  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  black  metal  influences  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard,  the  recording  also  closes  with  a  cove r of  Bathory's  "Song  To  Hall  Up  High".  

  1/2  Southern  North  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  experimental,  avant  garde  black  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  her  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cove r Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  1/2  Southern  North  is  a  very  great  sounding  experimental  and  avant  garde  mixture  of  black  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hearts  Of  Hades"  and  "Remnants  Of  Time".  8  out  of  10.

https://satanath.bandcamp.com/album/sat336-1-2-southern-north-narrations-of-a-fallen-soul-2022      

The Gates/...Of Pandemonium/Northern Silence Productions/2022 CD Review

 

  The  Gates  are  a  duo  from  Canada  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  heavy  metal  with  elements  of  psychedelic  and  occult  rock  with  a  musical  style  they  refer  to  as  being  'Magik  Metal'  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  "...Of  Pandemonium"  which  was  released  by  Northern  Silence  Productions.

  Psychedelic  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  elements  of  traditional  metal  along  with  the  vocals  being  a  mixture  of  grim  black  metal  screams  and  clean  singing.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  The  music  also  takes  70's  era  occult  rock  and  mixes  it  with  a  more  modern  sound  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  doom  metal  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  also  bringing  in  more  of  a  retro  and  old  school  style  when  they  are  utilized  and  all  of  the  music  also  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction.

  The  Gates  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  doom  and  heavy  metal  and  mixes  it  with  psychedelic  and  occult  rock  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Psychedelic  Experiences  and  old  school  B  movies.

  In  my  opinion  The  Gates  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  heavy  metal  with  elements  of  psychedelic  and  occult  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Cosmic  Crypt"  "The  Wizard"  and  "The  Ghost  Of  The  Night".  8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp: https://thegates-northernsilence.bandcamp.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3bZ9FjdzPRaF1OQNXojbk1?si=5MkVFJoJTbGsVdVmJeV0tg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.g.a.t.e.s/

Cadaver Coils/Offerings Of Rapture And Decay/Iron Bonehead Productions/2022 CD Review

 

  Cadaver  Coils  are  a  solo  project  from  Greece  that  plays  a  very  old  school  and  blackened  form  of  doom/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2022  album  "Offerings  Of  Rapture  And  Decay"  which  was  released  by  Iron  Bonehead  Productions.

  Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  which  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  era.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  elements  of  doom  metal  also  being  added  into  the  slower  sections  of  the  album,  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  and  as  the  recording  progresses  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  can  also  be  heard  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Cadaver  Coils  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  an  early  90's  style  of  death  metal  as  well  as  mixing  in  elements  of  black  and  doom  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Cadaver  Coils  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  doom/death  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fruits  Of  Avarice"  and  "Arid  Sand  Tomb".  8  out  of  10.

http://soundcloud.com/iron-bonehead-productions/cadaver-coils-splenetic-voices  

Chthonic Cult Interview

 

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

Hyperborean: We are Chthonic Cult and we play Death Metal with elements of Black and Doom. The band was formed in 2014, and our first full-length album I Am the Scourge of Eternity was released at the turn of 2015 and 2016 by Iron Bonehead/Necroshrine. The first lineup was Hyperborean on guitars and vocals, P. on drums, and Skandaz on bass. This lineup never recorded anything more. The current lineup (Hyperborean + Oblivion on bass) recorded a new album in 2021 with the help of a session drummer. This stuff has just now been released on CD by Putrid Cult under the title Become Seekers for Death. Tape edition is also coming soon. We are now looking for a regular drummer to start playing live shows (we’ve only played one so far, in 2016). I’m also recording demos for the third album now.

2.Recently you have released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

H: I am the Scourge of Eternity was in some ways simpler and in some ways more complex than Become Seekers for Death. The first album is over 40 minutes long, but only has 4 songs. These are based on simple riffs in the vein of Hellhammer and very early Sodom, arranged in atmospheric and hypnotic way. The second album, however, has 8 songs clocking in at about 40 minutes: the songs are simpler, but the riffs are way more complex (without being too technical) and there is a lot of leads. Some of these tracks have been compared to Immolation, which shows how much of a difference there actually is. 

All in all, Become Seekers for Death is in my opinion the better work, as it’s more varied, dynamic, and powerful. Nevertheless, some people have told me that they like the first album more: I guess it’s the guys who are more into the more “primitive” forms of Metal, as well as BM rather than DM. So as always, to each his own, but I still think the second one is superior, and this is the direction I’m taking the music right now: doing more with more.

3.This is also your first release in 7 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?

H: Well, there was no actual 7-year break, we were active most of this time in one way or another, in one lineup or another. Right after I Am… we recorded a second album: I wanted it to be a bit of a change in direction, leaning more towards BM relying on dissonant chords. This, however, turned out to be too much of a departure, and was ultimately released as Deathlike Dawn Deliria and Dreams (Putrid Cult, 2020): check it out, if nihilistic BM is what you’re into. 

Then we made demos for another full-length, but I stopped the process 90% of the way through because I didn’t like the result: it sounded like the first album, but worse.

Then there was the pandemic, lineup changes, etc., and I got busy recording Become Seekers for Death around 2019, and here we are now.

4.What are some of the other lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored over the years with your music?

H: I Am the Scourge of Eternity is kind of a concept album: it does not have a narrative like typical concept albums do, but there is “concept”, an idea that binds all the lyrics on the album together. The idea is the exploration of the meaninglessness of the existence of the world and life from the perspective of Vedic and gnostic mythologies. I think the similarities are astounding, considering the history and the geography, so I decided to explore these.

On Become Seekers for Death there isn’t such a single idea behind the lyrics. The subjects range from, again, Gnosticism (the title of the album is a quotation from a gnostic apocrypha), through the perception of death and violence in Greek mythology, to pure darkness and nihilism. My interpretation of the title of the album is that you should look for more than your material life in this world: this life is in my opinion in its essence meaningless. 

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

H: For many years before starting Chthonic Cult, I was involved in practicing Indo-European polytheism (some will call it “paganism”). At some point I realized that I only find some aspects of the mythology meaningful, and others are simply too mundane and life-worshipping. These aspects that I found significant were those related to the underworld and the beyond, these aspects are also explored now in my lyrics. “Chthonic” is Greek for “of the underworld/related to the underworld”, so it was only natural for me to pick this name. 

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

H: This is a variation on a symbol we’ve been using for a few years now: it’s this triangle form thing you can see on our Facebook page, CD layout, etc. It signifies uncreation, unbeing, and the ultimate liberation from the world and from time. This is closely connected with the topics we explore in our lyrics. Although while the symbol itself looks rather “clear”, the version you can see on the cover of Become… is rawer, even barbaric I would say, as if the symbol itself was extremely ancient.

7.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to expanding the line up again or do you prefer to remain a duo?

H: I’m definitely looking to expand: we’re looking for a regular drummer now so that we can play live. A second guitar player might not be a bad idea either further down the line, as there is and there will be even more double guitar work, not just two guitars playing the same thing. 

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

H: We’ve done just one, in 2016. It went very well, actually. I have a lot of stage experience from other bands, so does Oblivion, so we are planning to play live as soon as it’s doable.

9.The new album was released on 'Putrid Cult' how would you compare working with this label to 'Necroshine Records'?

H: Putrid Cult is doing an incredible job promoting the new album: there’s more reviews this time, more interviews, many more people are getting in touch with us, so I can say the cooperation with the current label has been seamless. I think it also makes sense to release your stuff in the same country where you live/come from: people seem to mostly follow their own scene in the underground, despite the seemingly overwhelming globalization.

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

H: I am the Scourge… had good reviews but there wasn’t much actual interest in it from listeners, Become… has mixed reviews but the overall response is much better. This reaction is much more positive than I had anticipated after 7 years of zero presence anywhere, when now even in the underground you have to “compete” with bands that seem to be on social media 24/7 and do gigs every single weekend.

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

H: I’m now working on our next album already and that way it’s looking is that it’s going to be faster, heavier, more atonal, and slightly more technical. I play guitar much more now (it’s not that I’ve suddenly learned how to do it now, though), so I don’t really feel like playing these simple riffs like we did originally, that is just boring. We’re also working on shorter, more aggressive versions of some songs from the first album, so that we can do them live without boring people to death.

12.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?

H: I think that when you listen to Become…, my influences become quite obvious: it’s ‘80s European Thrash and Doom Metal, ‘90s Death Metal, and contemporary Black Metal. On the first album it was mostly Hellhammer, as I’ve already mentioned. Since I’m now working on a new album I don’t listen to metal at all, and when it’s not metal for me, it’s usually classical, some subgenres of jazz, the darker albums of post-punk, some hardcore punk, some prog.

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

H: Become seekers for death!

https://chthoniccult.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/chthonic.cult/

https://www.instagram.com/chthonic_cult/

chthonic.cult@gmail.com