Dammnatorum Interview

 

1. Can you let us know what's been going on in the band lately?

Our line-up has been enriched by a second guitar. Celer, due to his musical education, is a good reinforcement for the band. It took us some time to get in tune. Finally, we can play concerts as they were recorded in the studio. In July 2024, we published the first official video clip for the song "Per Mortem Vado". Working on it was a new, interesting experience. We enjoy performing on stage, where we have contact with the audience and see how they react to our music. We thank everyone very much for their support. Between concerts, we are preparing material for the next album (it will probably be two mini-albums spread out over time), which are to be recorded in 2025. The music will be recorded in a different studio than our debut.

2. In 2023, you released your first full-length album. Can you tell us a little more about the musical style you used in the recording?

Everyone can determine at their own discretion what style to pigeonhole us into. Our music is what we like to create and what we feel comfortable with. Generally, what we play can be described as death metal spiced with elements of black metal.

3. The band has existed since 2018, but waited 5 years to release its first full album. Can you tell us a little more about this long wait?

We haven't played instruments at all for twenty-something years. It took us some time to get good at it. It's about being good at executing the intended projects. Starting from scratch, you have to buy instruments, which is not easy at all, because there are some goals set, but unfortunately they cost money. Finding the right room to play was not easy either. We used to get chased away because of the noise.

During our inactivity, the music world has changed a lot for the better in many ways. It's about technology that didn't exist before. Electronics and the possibilities it brings have developed a lot. Now we can create projects to play at rehearsals and update them without leaving home. Social media has become very important. In addition to playing, you have to take care of additional tasks such as selling gadgets, online activities, etc.

From the beginning, we imagined that we would play with two guitars. We tried with several guitarists. We had spent a lot of time on that. However, they dropped out due to difficulties in mastering the material and lack of time.

Our debut was the song “Tenebrae”, which was released as a single. It was created very quickly. We were motivated to take part in the project “IN MEMORIAL”, in which famous artists from all over the world from different musical styles were offered to participate. Unfortunately, the project was not realized, but “Tenebrae” was released on popular streaming media.

Then it was time to record the album. Before the recordings, the first vocalist left us. We started a feverish search. We had several willing people. We made the final choice and, as it turned out, the right one.

We chose the most favorable studio for us. The start date of the recordings was postponed several times, but in the end, the drum part was recorded. It took 2 days, but the processing of this material was also postponed several times. The guitars and vocals went smoothly, but we had to wait a long time for the final mix. The whole production took us over a year.

4. What non-fictional topics has the band touched on in the lyrics so far? Are there any fictional lyrics in them?

Basically, all of our lyrics are non-fictional. We touch on the problem of evil, various states of mind and the matter of death in the context of human proclivities and frailties. “Aokigahara” is a story about a forest at the foot of Mount Fuji, which is a traditional place for committing suicide. “Necrophagus” is a true story of an ordinary man, a printing worker. The hidden side of his personality was necrophilia and cannibalism. The lyrics “Animarum Pernicies” talk about suffering and depression. In the other lyrics, you can find metaphorical references to modern times.

5. What is the meaning and inspiration of the name “Dammnatorum”?

The inspiration for the band's name is... Latin. It has many meanings. It signifies the damned or the curse.

6. Can you tell us more about the artwork on the album cover?

The artwork was created by Daniel Rusiłowicz, who works for bands such as BELPHEGOR and HATE. The artwork directly refers to the album title: “In the Shadow of Death”. At first glance, it is associated with a certain religion and in this context it is a provocation. When you look closely, you can see that the figure is crucified contrary to Christian iconography and, above all, it has no face. This figure has the face of every human being and is a symbol of suffering (crucifixion - that is, torment for a long time) that we experience for most of our lives, the arrows stuck in the body of the condemned (the damned - a reference to the name of the group) are a metaphor for death that awaits each of us.

7. You also wear masks in promotional photos. What do they symbolize and mean to you?

Masks are our “armor”, our “dehumanization”. Our image directly refers to the music and lyrics.

8. What are the best concerts the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

We remember every concert fondly and every performance is a valuable experience. It would be very hard for us to single out the best one. We definitely don't remember the first 2 performances fondly due to our lack of experience (we were inactive for almost a quarter of a century), although we learned important lessons for the future from them, so they weren't completely unsuccessful concerts.

9. Do you have any plans for a tour or performances in the future?

Unfortunately, a lot doesn't depend solely on us and it's hard to plan anything specific in certain matters. We post planned performances on our band's FB. Of course, we would like to play concerts as often as possible and reach the widest possible group of metal fans. First of all, we plan to record new material.

10. The band currently has no signed contract. Are you looking for a label or have you already met with interest?

Thank you for this question. We are open to cooperation. We will consider any proposal. We can confirm that we have already analyzed the offers, but they did not meet our expectations.

11. What is the reaction of black and death metal fans around the world to your music?

The reactions are very positive. Interestingly, the response to our music came from various corners of the world, even from such an exotic country as Peru, where we sent our records and T-shirts.

12. What musical future do you see for the band?

The future is primarily to play and practice as much as possible. Musically, we are evolving a bit, the new material will be a bit more developed and technically slightly more difficult, but there will also be a greater emphasis on melody in solos - of which there will be a bit more now thanks to the second guitarist - Celer.

13. What bands and styles of music do the band members currently listen to?

Of course, each of us listens to metal, with a special emphasis on death and black metal.

Dziab

I uncritically love Decapitated. I listen to (apart from metal) the most guitar music: Vai, Plini, Satriani, Malmsteen, etc. I also listen to a lot of classical music and occasionally jazz. My great love in music is progressive metal like Dream Theater. For many years, Symphony X has been my number 1 band, a mix of progressive and neoclassical metal.

Max

I listen to a variety of music. But metal has always been and will always have a place of honor in my life. I think that our domestic bands are among the world's top. Bands like Hate, Decapitated, Vader are our pride.

Mef

That's a difficult question for me. I know that for the rest of the band too, because I've been listening to bands for several decades and if I were to go back to the beginning of my adventure with metal music, listing the bands would fill an entire page, and this is only part of it. You know, we musicians listen, absorb a huge amount of new music and exchange it with each other, talk about bands. Sometimes I laugh, because when we talk in a band I have the impression that we are small encyclopedias of music. So ok, I will put it this way: I listen to metal in every possible variety, starting with bands from my city, country and the world. I think that Polish bands have their own recognizable character. I like some genres of jazz and electronic music, especially the monumental kind. At work, usually Polish hip hop.

Celer

I have been very closed in on the musical diversity of what I listen to for the last year or two, because I know how much it influences the way I play. So recently I have been listening mainly to Necrophagist, Obscura, and Death. Personally, I think that the first one is the best band of all time, I know that it is not the most accessible music, even in the world of metal, but it has a unique atmosphere, something that has not been repeated later in the history of music. Apart from that, I sometimes get lost in music from the Middle Ages, Renaissance or Baroque. I really like listening to John Dowland, his music increasingly shows me more and more details that I haven't heard before. It's like discovering new threads in an old story.

Vesper Locust

Metal and other interesting songs from different genres and because of varied reasons.

14. Before we end the interview, do you have any last words or thoughts?

Dziab

Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram

Let's hurry up to love people, the world and music - because we're leaving quickly. Let's live and let live.

Mef

Metal is the music of freedom and fight! We don't give in to the system! As my brother in metal said: LOVE YOU MOTHERFUCKERS AND ROCK AND ROLL!!!

Lava Abyss Interview

 

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

- Our project is dedicated to dark theatre, where the most dismal and grim reality comes through our "Plague Metal". We try to embody and revive all the darkness we feel from this world

2.So far you have released an ep and a full length, musically how do they both differ from each other?

-The first album was lyrically and musically conceptual, incorporating all the tracks into a single mood. While "Secret of the Black Soil" is a single EP-length track with a more pronounced story and development.

3.You refer to your music as being 'plague metal', can you tell us a little bit more abotu this term?

- In 1347–1351 plague pandemic was called as “Black Death”, it was tough times for civilization. Since we play blacked death metal we decided to call it “plague metal”, it’s shorter and adding new meanings.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?

- All lyrics except "Secret of the Black Soil" is based on natural unstoppable forces of creations and destructions, initiated by those, forever firing metals and rocks called "magma", which gave the life for all we have now,  it was the start and it will be the finish. (And soon will be a new song, exactly about the theme of creations by these processes.

And for example song "Supervolcanic Obscuration" is about what would be with the current life on Earth in case if supervolcano will erupt.

And it will be sooner or later... It's just a matter of time.

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

- I have been attracted to fire since childhood, and with age it has grown into something more... There is nothing hotter and more destructive than an abyss filled with boiling lava, it must be an incomparable sight!

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

-Well, first cover was made by me, as all “decorations” for videos clip “Finishing the era” it’s real inverted cross size of human height, I put all my soul while I was making it haha. But if to be serious I caught big interest in doing that and soon will be some new releases , as in music so In videos

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

-We've started working on new material, and most likely on new album will appear new masters of metal

8.One member lives in the United States while another lives in Ukraine, what impact does this have on the musical style that you play?

-Very interesting question.

-Thanks to ethnic differentiations our performance mix becomes more unique, but still these are nuances as we have one "metal" nation, and as American and European culture is very close to me and it was the conception of everything that we will now do and play, although today many are confused and do not know what it truly means, and what truths and knowledge it should carry

9.Recently 'Archivist Records', re-issued your 2021 album, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

-These are people of steel temper, they have survived the "ruzz" occupation and under constant bombing they continue their work. We are very glad that they have published our album.

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

-Most of the reviews and feedbacks were surprised to hear such unusual mix of black and death metal, which is unsurprisingly for us as we don't have a goal to sounds or build compositions like standard (if I dare to say this word) blackned death metal, or deathned black metal haha.

11.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that the band members are a part of?

-Well, Mike and I have worked on other death metal projects but we are more concentrated on Lava Abyss.

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

-Only work and progress, I have composed more than 80-100 tracks in my life, and only about 30 have been implemented and I continue to do so, everything will be implemented through the Lava Abyss prism.

13.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?

Deicide, Satyricon, Dark Funeral, Gorguts...

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

-We want to say thank you for inviting to the interview and for spreading metal onto masses!

https://www.facebook.com/LAVA.plague.metal

Shaarimoth/Devildom/W.T.C Productions/2024 Full Length Review

 

   Shaarimoth  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  goes  for  an  occult  and  blackened  style  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Devildom"  which  will  be  released  on  Halloween  by  W.T.C  Productions.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  synths  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  some  ritualistic  chants  and  angry  shouts  also  being  utilized  at  times.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  as  well  as  the  vocals  also  in  mostly  death  metal  screams  and  the  music  also  adds  in  a  lot  of  black  metal  elements

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  chaotic  style  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  brutal  blast  beats.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  couple  song  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing.

  A  couple  of  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  one  song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  clear  vocals,  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  and  one  track  also  introduces  spoken  word  parts  onto  the  album  and  they  also  bring  in  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  occultism,  devil  worship,  darkness,  death,  rebellion  and  the  acosmic  forces  of  the  infernal. 

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Shaarimoth  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  occult  black  and  deat h metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Midnight  Sentinel"  "The  Voiceless  Call"  and  "For  HIs  Eyes  of  Judgement  Are  Forever  Upon  You".  8  out  of  10.

  www.facebook.com/shaarimoth     

Butcher/On Fowl Of Tyrant Wing/Osmose Productions/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Butcher  are  a  band  from  Belgium  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  goes  for  a  mixture  of  black,  speed and heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "On  Fowl  Of  Tyrant  Wing"  which  will be  released  in  October  by  Osmose  Productions.

  Drums  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  bass  guitar  before  introducing  more  traditional  metal  style  riffing  onto  the  recording.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  old  school  style  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  speed  metal  elements.

  Blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  are  also  added  into  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  while  the  vocals  bring  in   more  of  a  first  wave  black  metal  style  along  with  some  touches  of  power  metal.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  as  well as  the  music  also  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  era .

 Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  one  song  also  introducing  back  up  shouts  onto  the  album  as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  ethnic  style  folk  instruments  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  one  track  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  death  metal  growls.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occultism,  Violence,  Fighting  and  Metal  themes.      

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Butcher  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  speed  and  heavy  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Speed  Metal  Samurai"  "Keep  the  Steele  (Flamin  Hot)"  and  "An  Ending  In  Fyre".  8  out  of  10.

  Bandcamp: https://osmoseproductions.bandcamp.com/album/on-fowl-of-tyrant-wing

All Digital Links: https://bfan.link/BUTCHER-on-fowl-of-tyrant-wing    

Bewitcher/Spell Shock/Century Media Records/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Portland,  Oregon's  Bewitcher  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  mixture  of  black,  thrash  and  speed  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Spell  Shock"  which  will  be  released  on  September  27th  by  Century  Media  Records.

  Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  speed  metal  direction  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  classic  metal  style  and t he  vocals  are mostly  first  wave  black  metal  screams.

  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  album  also  mixes  in a   lot  of  thrash  metal  elements.  A  lot  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  era  as  will  as  being  very  modern  at  the  same  times  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  back  up  shouts  and  one  of  the  songs  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing,  synths  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Paganism  and  Hedonism  themes

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Bewitcher  and  if  you  are  a f an  of  blackened  thrash  and  speed  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Starfire  Maelstrom"  "Out  Against  The  Law"  "We  Die  in Dust"  and  "Ride  of  The  Iron  Fox".  8 out  of  10.

  www.bewitcher.us

www.facebook.com/BewitcherOfficial
www.instagram.com/bewitcherofficial

Unreedemer Interview

 

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

Sure! We formed officially in early 2019, when I moved to Finland from Croatia, and we started rehearsing in a full lineup.

Pretty soon we had a couple of local gigs, and went to record the first EP. More gigs and another EP followed, and we were preparing for our first show abroad when our drummer and friend Jani passed away suddenly.

We did that show in his honour, and took some time after to consider our options.

In the end, we decided to go on, onboarded new drummer and a bassist, and are working on new material.

Initially we were considering ourselves to be a death-thrash, or groove metal, but someone suggested after a recent gig that we sound like "blackened thrash", and we liked the sound of that, so we decided to stick with it.

2.So far you have released 2 ep's, musically how do they both differ from each other?

They were recorded and produced in different studios, and featured different drummer and bassist.

Additionally, 4-19-23 was recorded live, with very little track editing, so it's more raw and "dirty", and Word Become Flesh is a bit more polished, and dare I say, mature.

Also, we experimented with some electronic sounds for the intro, and ended up sticking it to the first track on 4-19-23.

That's why we re recorded it on Word Become Flesh - so you don't have to listen to a 2 minute intro track to get to Defiance :) 

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?

The topics vary wildly, but what all have in common is that it must be a personal experience. So, either something directly from my life, or something that touched me enough to leave some kind of mark.

For example, "Shewolf and an Oak" talks about my wartime memories, and my parents' experience of raising kids during wartime in Croatia, where 4-19-23 is about some gruesome murders that happened in Croatia, and made me wonder about human capability for cruelty. 

"Lutrizio" is full of personal memories about the friends that are no longer with us, and "Underdog" is inspired by being looked down upon as an immigrant.

So yeah, all over the place, but with a common theme of being my personal therapy vessel 😂

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

It represents a reversal of the religious concept of redemption, where all humans are by default relieved of sin, and therefore responsibility for their actions.

Remove that certainty, and you put the human fate back into their hands, set them free, for better or worse. 

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

"Word become flesh" was inspired by an inscription on an old german executioner sword, but we interpreted it more like "put words into action", so the cover is actually a photo of my arm while I was having the band's logo carved into it.

6.The band members also come from different parts of the world, what impact does this have on the musical style that you play?

There is a bit of that, how different geographic regions prefer different types of metal on average, but I think it's more about individual preference in such a small group. 

We had a number of bandmates come and go, and I like to think each of them left a bit of themselves in the music.

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

Most notable ones were the Pannonian Rock festival in 2023 in Croatia, which we did in Jani's memory, and the one on a Shadow Room event in 2022 when we had a person doing hooked suspension during the show.

And about the performance - well, personally I don't like to see a band just climb the stage and play the music, there's got to be some energy in it. In lieu of that, I alway give my best to explode with energy and transfer it to the audience, even if the audience is just 4 drunken guys (and we played shows like that :) )

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

Only confirmed gig we have for now is next year's Tyyne Rock festival in Finland, but we're actively looking for gigs to stay in shape, so here's an open invitation to any producers and venue owners to book us!

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

Haven't really thought about it, so far the indie thing has worked for us, but who knows, if something comes along..

 

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

Hard to talk about global - the online comment we got were positive :D 

We heard only good stuff wherever we played live though, so working on spreading the word.

11.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Actually, our plan was to just release a series of singles as we make them, and then make a "singles compilation" at one point. Considering the digital distribution landscape and today's audiences' attention span, that looks like a good strategy. 

A year or so it takes to record a full album just looks like a long time to be silent, especially considering we already had a year long hiatus.

It could be a subconscious reaction, but since Jani's passing, the music we're making is a bit darker. We shifted the tuning, and introduced more of "blackish" influences, so prepare for something more sinister in the future.

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?

When we all came together it was all about the thrash and groove classics: Slayer, Patera, Sepultura, and a bit of newer stuff like Lamb of God, Meshuggah, Gojira, but we picked up some new favourites lately, and like I said previously it's generally a bit more dark and extreme.

Personally, I'm into more extreme genres, especially if the vocals are doing weird stuff, like Cattle Decapitation, Anaal Nathrak, Lorna Shore, or Archspire.

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

We end all our shows with the same message, so why not the interviews too:

We are Unredeemer, and you have all just been unredeemed.

https://www.facebook.com/unredeemer.band

https://www.instagram.com/unredeemer_band/

https://unredeemer.bandcamp.com/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4ocpHtIVIQ9xrmZOL88ZxG

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp6DrCNmbKhPSBmznpzIHcw

https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCFtjKtzY7ROeQp9_GbnbQlg

Deathrite/Flames Licking Fever/Into Endless Chaos/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Deathrite  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death  metal  and  noise  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Flames  Licking  Fever"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Into  Endless  Chaos.

  A  very  distorted  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking.  Vocals  also  add  in  a  lot  of  black  metal  screams  mixed  in  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  hardcore  style  shouts  and  the  music  also  adds  in  a  lot  of  noise  and  punk  elements.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  old  school  metal  punk  style  along  with  the  music  also  mixing  in  a  lot  of  80's  and  90's  influences  as  well  as  being  modern  at  the  same  time,  a  couple  of  tracks  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  apocalyptic  interlude  can  also  be  heard  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction.

  Deathrite  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  death  metal  and  noise  punk  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  ecstasy  and  psychosis.

  In  my  opinion  Deathrite  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death  metal  and  noise  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Crippled  Ego"  "Misanthropic  Rush"  "Deadbeat"  and  "All  Consuming  Fire".  8  out  of  10.

  www.facebook.com/deathrite666