Deathronation/Exorchism/Metalhit.com/2012 CD Re-Issue Review

  Deathronation  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  form  of  blackened  death  metal  with  a  thrash  edge  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011  demo  "Exorchism"  which  was  re-issued  by  Metalhit.com  in  2012  and  contains  demo  tracks  from  their  2006  release  "A  Soil  Forsaken".

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

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  raw  and  primitive  style  death  metal  riffs  along  with  a  great  amount  of  black  and  thrash  metal  influences  being  thrown  into the  riffing  as  well  as  some  dark  sounding  melodies,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  raw,  chaotic  and  primitive  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  classical  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  to  enhance  the  darkness  that  is  coming  out  of  the  music.

  Vocals  are  mostly  blackened  death  metal  growls  in  the  early  90's  tradition  along  with  some  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times  as  well  as  some  samples  from  horror  movies,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  occult  and  anti  christian  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a very  dark,  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sound  while  you  can  still  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Deathronation  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  primitive  blackened  death  metal  band  with  a  thrash  edge  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "One  Once  Forsaken"  "Church  Of  Salvation"  "Realm  Of  Shadows"  and  "Marooned".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Ectovoid Interview

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

Ectovoid was formed in autumn of 2010 as a three-piece. We had all been playing in a couple of other projects and decided to form something new that we would devote all of our time and energy to. We recorded our first demo, "Breathing Blackness," in January of 2011 and released it ourselves on CD-R and as a free download. We continued to work hard on writing material and we were ready to record our first album, "Fractured in the Timeless Abyss," by November 2011. The album was just released on CD by Hellthrasher Productions and will be released on vinyl by Blood Harvest Records towards the end of the summer. 

2. How would you describe your musical sound?

Our sound is very dark and atmospheric, while remaining very riff-based and energetic. We pride ourselves on writing distinctive and memorable songs that each follow their own unique themes and motifs. In terms of style we are definitely a death metal band first and foremost, but we take a lot of inspiration from black metal and doom as well. It is a high priority of ours to make music that's original and stands out on it's own terms. 

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

As the primary lyricist for the band, I try and make each song tell a story or paint a picture in the listener's head. Our songs are primarily about various afflictions and states that plague the mind and soul, both in a literal and metaphorical sense. Specifically, my main inspirations come from the idea of existence before and after death, consciousness as it functions inside and outside of the body, and the vast and unknowable depths of space and the cosmos. We write songs about topics and ideas that interest, frighten, or otherwise engage our imaginations. 

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

We sort of stumbled upon the name when we were trying to think of one before the band was officially formed. We knew the kind of sound and lyrical approach we were going for, and the name just kind of appeared before us. The suffix "ecto-" means "outer" or "outside," so the name quite literally means "outer void" or "outer space." We thought the name matched our ideas for the band perfectly.  

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

Most of the shows that we've played have been small local shows around the area where we live. The scene in our city is dedicated but very small and there aren't a lot of bigger bands that come through our area that we can play with. Nevertheless, we love to play live and take our live performances very seriously. We have always practiced on a regular basis so we can consistently deliver the best show possible. One of our immediate goals is to start traveling farther outside of our immediate area and play some higher profile shows with some better known bands. 

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

Not as of now, no. We are all busy with work and school commitments, so a tour is something that would be fairly difficult for us to organize at this point. But we certainly hope to be able to tour parts of our own country sometime in the next few years, and Europe as well. We also plan to try to play some festival dates when the opportunities arise. 

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

Hellthrasher Productions were actually the ones to contact us. We had finished recording our album and posted a song online for people that were already fans to listen to. Hellthrasher heard the track and told us they were interested in releasing the album. We hadn't heard of them before as they are still a very new label (formed in May of last year), but it quickly became clear to us that they are very professional and serious about what they are doing, and we agreed to their offer. So far their support for our band has been excellent. They've done a great job of promoting the album and gave us total creative freedom as to how to present and design the CD. Since we signed with them they have been discovering and releasing a lot of killer music, and I have no doubt that they are already on their way to becoming a major player in the underground. We're happy to be working with them. 

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

Well, our first album has only just come out, so there hasn't been much time for feedback yet. But so far the responses that we've received have been very positive. We've gotten some extremely flattering reviews from various webzines around the world, and there was a strong demand for our demo as well. We are also regularly complimented on our live performance. We look forward to seeing how the album is received as more people get a chance to hear it. 

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

That's hard to say. Our songwriting process is very organic, and we just write what we feel when we are inspired. I can tell you that we are interested in pursuing some more experimental guitar playing techniques, as well as a more varied vocal approach. But time will tell how these sorts of progressions will be implemented in the future. We have already started writing for our second album and so far I can tell you that the material is a natural evolution from our debut. 

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

Ectovoid is primarily influenced by death and black metal bands that are able to achieve a distinctive atmosphere and write memorable music in the process. In terms of classic death metal bands, we love Immolation, Gorguts, Incantation, Autopsy, Demilich, and The Chasm, just to name a few. For newer bands, lately we've been listening to a lot of Ignivomous, Dead Congregation, Pseudogod, Necrovation, and Grave Miasma. We're also big fans of black metal bands like Sargeist, Inquisition, Taake, Leviathan (U.S.), The Ruins of Beverast, Aosoth, and many others. We all listen to a lot of different kinds of music and these are just a few examples. I must stress that, while these bands have influenced and inspired us personally, we never go out of our way to write a riff or a song that sounds like any band that we listen to. 

11. Does Occultism play any role in your music?

No, not really. Ectovoid is the project of our own imaginations, and outside influences like Occultism or other belief systems and practices don't play any part at all. 

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

Music is our primary passion, but to an extent we all enjoy film, video games, and literature as well. But music is the primary way that we interact and connect with one another -- it is what allowed the three of us to meet and became friends several years ago, after all. When we are not working on music we are usually focusing on our jobs and studies and enjoying the company of our friends. 

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

Thanks a lot for the interview, we appreciate the support. Our first album, "Fractured in the Timeless Abyss," is now available on digipak CD from Hellthrasher Productions, and the vinyl version will be out later this year on Blood Harvest Records, so make sure you pick it up!

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Outrage/Go To Hell/Metal On Metal Records/2011 CD Review

  Outrage  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  has  a  history  that  goes  back  to  the  80's  with  a  musical  style  that  I  would  describe  as  being  black/thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011  album  "Go To  Hell"  which  was  released  by  Metal  On  Metal Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  thrown  into the  music  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  tone  with  primitive  black/thrash  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  black/thrash  metal  riffs  that  utilize  a  dose  of  doom  metal  in  the  riffing  as  well  as  mixing  modern  day  and  old  school  black/thrash  together,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  old  school  underground  metal  style  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  mostly  raspy  blackened  metal  growls  and  screams  with  a  small  amount  of  deep growls  as  well  as  some  thrash  style  screams,  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  mythology,  occultism,  demonology,  anti  christian and  black  metal  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  while  you  can  still  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.


  In  my  opinion  Outrage  are  a  very  great  sounding  black/thrash  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Into  The  Abyss  Of  Belial"  "Astaroth"  "Pact  Of  The  Wicked"  and  "Black  Metal  Attack".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Scythe/Beware The Scythe/Primitive Reaction 2012 CD Review

  Scythe  are  a  band  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death,  doom  and  thrash  metal  with some  veterans  from that  scene  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Beware  The  Scythe"  which  was  released  by  Primitive  Reaction.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  tone  with  classic  underground  metal  riffs  that  dominate  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  influences  from  black,  death,  doom,  and  thrash  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  and  primitive  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars they  are  only  utilized  briefly  and  use  finger  picking  to  enhance  the  darkness  that  is  coming  out  of  the  music.

  Vocals  range  from  deep  death  metal  growls,  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  and  samples,  while  the  lyrics  cover  supernatural  and  occult  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Scythe  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  black,  thrash,  death  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Iron  Witch"  "Beware  The  Scythe"  "Opus  Dei  Of  The  Dead"  and  "Planet  Of  The  Humans".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Disolvo Animus/Aphesis/Darknagar Productions/2012 CD Review

  Disolvo  Animus  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  an  occult  form  of  death  metal  mixed  in  with  some  symphonic  black  metal  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Aphesis"  which  was released  by  Darknagar  Promotions.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  synths  when  they  are  utilized  bring  a  very  symphonic  and  classical  music  sound  to  the  music,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  death  metal  riffs  that  are  very  heavy,  brutal  and technical  sounding  along  with  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  influences  and  melody  being  thrown  into  the  riffing,while  the  lead  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  are  very  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  to  enhance  the  darkness  that  is  coming  out  of  the  music.

  Vocals  are  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  with  some  high pitched  death  metal  screams  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times  as  well as  some  spoken  word  samples  being  utilized  on  the  last  song,  while  the  lyrics  cover  a  concept  dealing  with  absolution  from  sin  with an  anti  christian  theme,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Disolvo  Animus  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  blackened  death  metal  band  with  symphonic  and  orchestra  elements  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  this  album  out.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Unorthodox  Lament"  "Illumination"  and  "Words  Of  Regression".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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The Wretched End/Inroads/Candlelight Records/2012 CD Review

  The  Wretched  End  are  a  band  from  Norway  with  some  well  known  musicians  from  the  Norwegian and  Swedish  black  metal  scenes  with  a  musical  style  that  mixes  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  together  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Inroads"  which  was  released  by  Candleight  Records.

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

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  black,  death  and  thrash  metal together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  distorted,  technical  and  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black/thrash/death  metal  growls  and  screams  with  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  and  spoken  word parts,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  hateful  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  powerful,  strong,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  album  from  The  Wretched  End  which  contains  more  black  metal  elements  than  the  last  one  while  remaining  true  to  death/thrash  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band, you should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Deathtopian  Society"  "The Haunting  Ground"  "Fear  Propaganda"  and  "Throne  Renowned  Of  Old".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Thornafire/Eclipse Nox Coagula/Australis Records/Ibex Moon Records/2012 CD Review

  Thornafire  are  a  band  from  Chile  that  plays  a  very  dark  and  brutal  form  of  death  metal  with  a  blackened  edge  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Eclipse  Nox  Coagula"  which  was  released as  a  joint  effort  between  Australis  and  Ibex  Moon  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  as  for  the  synths  when  they  are  utilized  they  are  only  there  to  bring  a  dark  avant  garde  atmosphere  to  the  music  without  being  a  lead  instrument.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  death  metal  riffs  that  are  very  heavy  and  brutal  sounding  with  a  blackened  metal  edge  as  well  as  some  dark  sounding  melodies  being  thrown  into  the  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  which  are  only  used  for  a  few  seconds  they  bring  an  ethnic  feeling  to  the  music.

  Vocals  are  mostly  deep  death/thrash  metal  style  growls  and  screams  along  with  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  clean  singing,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes  with  some  lyrics  being  written  in  Spanish,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy and  professional  sound  to  it  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Thornafire  are  a very  great  and  original  sounding  death  metal  band  with  a  blackened  edge  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Malefactor  Manifesto"  "Inmortal  Agonia"  "Disarmonica  Tension"  and  "Final".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Ectovoid/Fractured In The Timeless Abyss/Hellthrasher Productions/2012 CD Review

  Ectovoid  are  a  band  from  Alabama  that  plays  a  very  atmospheric  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Fractured  In  The  Timeless  Abyss"  which  was  released  by  Hellthrasher  Productions.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with dark  riffs  that  dominate  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  early  90's  style  doom/death  metal  riffs  that  are  also  heavily  influenced  by  the  atmosphere  of  black  metal  bringing  darkness  into  the   more  melodic  side  of  the  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  dark  sounding  death/doom  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

   Vocals  are  mostly  deep  guttural  death  metal  growls  with  some  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times,  while  the  lyrics  cover  Space,  Cosmos,  and  Darkness,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  while  you  can  still  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Ectovoid  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  this  album  out.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Shapeshifting  Mass"  "Splintered  Phantasm"  "Murmurs  From  Beyond"  and  "Locked  In  Dismal  Gaze".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Lord Shades Interview

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

Lord Shades is currently working a lot on the promotion of the album, we’re also looking for
gigs and tours, some partnerships that could give us any kind of support, and a professional
label.
Of course, apart from that, we’re rehearsing a lot to offer the best stage performance we can
when we’re playing.

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

The musical sound of the new album is much more professional than that of the previous one,
even if we worked a lot on the latter. The thing is, we had better means on that second album.

We tried to be the more precise we could on the sound recording of the instruments (guitars,
bass, drums), every detail had to be perfect. Then, the sound was mixed at LSD Ton Studio,
Germany, which succeeded in giving it the deepness and powerfulness the first album lacked.
One of the biggest challenges was the bass, because we – especially Alex (bass/vocals) –
wanted it to be audible, powerful, twangy and groovy.

The samples represented the part not to be missed during the mixing of the album.
Olivier Perrin worked hard on it, and arranged it perfectly, then Lasse Lammert found the
homogeneous, precise and powerful mixing it needed.

We are satisfied of the sound of this album, even if, when we think about it, we have some
regrets, as some parts could have been ever better carried out. However, we have to remind
everyone the whole album is autoproduced, and that we’re working with what we got.

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

This second album is a direct sequel to our first opus. Every album will be a chapter of the
story the band imagines step by step.

The worlds represented in our lyrics are imaginary, but they keep a kind of link with the
actual medieval era, plus a bit of fantasy and magic.
If we had to compare it, we could mention LOTR, with a more developed spiritual aspect and
much more darkness.

Our stories are made of bloody fights, journeys through fantastic worlds, encounters with
mystical characters and terrible choices our main character will have to do.

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

When Lord Shades was a solo project, Alex had already established what the main character
would go through and what its universe would look like.

This name had to be simple and representative of the story.

You will certainly have to wait for some more chapters to understand why this name was
chosen…

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

We played at a festival named Epipapu in August 2011, which enabled us to realise what
would be Lord Shades like on a professional stage.
We did really great, even if we think we might have needed a bit more work regarding stage
performance. Anyway, it was the first time the band played on a big stage, and we were
heading towards the unknown.

Then, in December 2011, we played in a festival in Limoges (town in the centre region of
France). This festival lasted for 2 days and we were given the privilege to close the first
day. Sound, lights, audience, everything there promised a great performance. We can say
we have completed the challenge, given the excellent feedback we received concerning our
performance.

Lord Shades and its intense atmospheric and symphonic aspects offers more than a simple
metal concert, it allows the audience to travel through a dark and mystic world.

We’re thinking about the future and working our stage performance a lot. We wish to offer
the best we can and keep on playing on great stages.

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

You have to keep in mind we are an autoproduced band, we do almost everything on our own
(promotion, booking, distribution). We contacted a lot of associations and booking agencies to
suggest our participation to one of their concert or tour.

Unfortunately, the answers are often negative, as the associations are often overcrowded
due to the too many bands present. We are ready to move and get available if we have an
opportunity to tour, we’re more than motivated! Sooner or later, Lord Shades will take over
the stages!

7. Can you tell us a little bit more about Blue Wave Production?

Blue Wave Production allows us to get Lord Shades known in the whole world! By
collaborating with them, we can find a number of webzines interested in writing reviews
on our new album, and thus introduce our music to a larger audience. Besides, Blue Wave
Production tries to broadcast some of our songs on different radio stations around the world.

This kind of collaboration is a great support for the band, and helps us to cope with the great
amount of promotion work we have.

8. On a worldwide level how has your music been received by fans of atmospheric black,
doom and death metal?

The international promotion just began, via Blue Wave Production. We are eager to receive
feedback from different countries.

In France, the album received top honours from the great majority of reviewers. The feedback
is quite amazing!

We know our music style, because of its symphonic and atmospheric aspects, cannot be
appreciated by everyone and we may receive negative feedback, but we have to take these
criticisms into account to move on and continue working on our objectives. Most of all, we
want to keep on evolving in our style, remaining faithful to ourselves. We don’t want to
change our music to follow the mode or do something we don’t really like!

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

All the members of Lord Shades give their body and soul to the project! We don’t have time
for other projects besides, because we think that if we want Lord Shades to be here for a long
time and become a renowned band, we have to devote it enough time, and even more than
that… You don’t get something for nothing!

We all live in different regions of France, but we manage to meet up regularly for the band.
Every member of the band is greatly and personally involved in the project. All the rest is
secondary.

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

Our music is full of dark, symphonic, ethereal, violent atmospheres.

We’re going to keep up with this, and get deeper in this style, trying to give it another
dimension and push it more to the extremes.

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

Well, about that, we have to admit we’re all fans of Septic Flesh, without exception, but we
are also fans of much more violent bands like Nile, with their totally mind-blowing passages,
Krisiun, because of their powerfulness, some albums by Dimmu, Death, Orphaned Land,
Emperor, Enslaved, and many others… but who had the biggest influence on us, we really
don’t know!

12. Does Occultism or Mythology play any role in your music?

We’re all quite interested in the medieval/fantastic universe, because it totally corresponds to
the music we make. This universe, as well as its characters, landscapes, weird atmospheres, is
a major inspiring influence for our music. However, we never mention anything that has to do
with religion!

Our songwriter, Laurent Barbarit, is very keen on fantastic literature, and perfectly managed
to adapt his texts to the different atmospheres our music contains.

To be brief, we try to draw all the elements that could make our music more powerful,
enchanting, ambitious from the fantastic universe… to add a bit of magic!

We noted that the audience seems to appreciate the “literary” aspect of the band, given the
reviews and feedback we received.

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

The members have various interests. Nico (drums) absolutely wants to become the better
tennisman on Earth (laughs). Cyril (lead guitar) tries to ward off the attacks of the young
karatekas of his club. Alex, (bass/vocals), merges with his computer to create software and
programs that most of human beings cannot understand.

And Fabien (guitar)… we don’t really know about his other activities…

Generally, we like to spend time together with a good meal, enjoying good local wine and
cheese, and of course, eating snails and frog legs (laughs).

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

LORD SHADES is now dedicating all its time to the search of gigs in the whole world. We
would be glad to introduce our music to as many people as possible!

Thank you very much for your invitation, we hope everyone will rush to our website
www.lordshades.com/en to discover our music!!

Hellspawn Interview

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

We’re about to release our second full-length album, and we’ve got a few cool shows coming, so we’re pretty excited.

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

I think there is a good balance between dirt and heaviness. When compared to our previous releases, “The Great Red Dragon” sound much more professional. I’m responsible for the sound of our releases, and since I’m gainging expertise in the field of musical production, Hellspawn’s music sounds better and better.

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

I’m glad you ask, as this is by far the most conceptually unified album. Our drummer writes all the lyrics in Polish, and I translate them into English and adapt them to songs, and it’s been like that since day one with very few exceptions. This time you can call it a ‘concept album’, as all the lyrics revolve around William Blake’s series of paintings entitled “The Great Red Dragon”. He painted them to depict various scenes from the Biblical Book of Revelation, and by the name the The Great Red Dragon he meant the Devil. Blake’s incarnation of this lyrical figure is simply amazing, and basically that is why we decided to use Blake’s output as a general theme for our album. The lyrics, as always, have not much of an explicit meaning, and you’re free to interpret them as you like. However, a few days ago I realized that there might be a certain limit to it. One reviewer of the album stated that our lyrics are anti judeo-christian, which I didn’t like, but what can you do? He troubled himself only for that kind of interpretation and I must accept it, haha.

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

It’s hard to tell for me, really. When I joined the group someone had already come up with the name, and I never really questioned it. This is some sort of homage for Morbid Angel, I guess, and since it sounds cool and fits the genre we kept with it. Although there have been some other groups using the name, I think we’ve become the most popular, haha.

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

By far most of the shows we give are on small club stages. We always give our best no matter how many people are there to listen to us. I’m aware of how arrogant it might sound, but when compared to most other bands we play with, we’re really professional about what we do. We just get on stage, do our shit, and get off – no bullshit, no stalling: that’s the way it’s meant to be. If more bands were like us in that respect, the world would be a better place, haha.

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

Not much of touring, per se. But we’ve got some shows coming and we’re still organizing some more. That’s the way it’s always been. We don’t make money playing, so giving performances is more of a weekend thing, rather than touring.

7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer album by fans of evil death metal?

Well it still awaits its release, but for the very few bits of sneek preview we’ve given out together with our new promotor, GODZ OV WAR, the response has been beyond satisfying. We’ve worked and waited for it for almost too long, and now it’s finally paying off, haha.

8. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

I never think about it, and I think the rest of the guys do not as well. We just do our stuff, and let it evolve on its own. We’ve never had any ambition to be the fastest, the most innovative etc. This does not, however, mean that we do not pay attention to what we produce. When I think of all the pain I’m through when writing music, I must say that the opposite is true, haha.

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

I love the latest Hate Eternal album. After a very demanding previous release “Fury & Flames”, they’ve delivered an album which I have been waiting for. It’s brutal, good-sounding, and with numerous memorable moments, which is a truly rare thing with modern death metal. Also, I enjoyed latest Decapitated album. I’m really happy to see (or rather hear) them strong as never before, despite the tragic events they’ve been through. It’s truly inspiring for me.

10. How would you describe your views on Satanism and Occultism?

It’s a form of religion, and what follows is the fact that it does not resonate with me, really. I’m an atheist (or a non-religious person, if you will) and my worldview is devoid of any form of superstition or mythology, and this includes Satanism, which in certain respects makes more sense than most types of Christianity. But still, if you have enough knowledge of the world and of the universe and its history, Satanism seems as pointless and Christianity or any kind of religion or mythology. I understand how and why things like these emerge, but they are cultural phenomena, and they do not reflect the reality effectively, so I simply dismiss them.

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

I’m afraid there are none, haha. Beside playing music, I also enjoy recording and engineering music, which is almost an entirely separate thing on its own. Basically, those two things consume all the energy I have, and beyond them, there’s not much elso I do, hobby-wise that is, haha

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

It’s been great to be able to answer your questions. Stay brutal and check out our latest album “The Great Red Dragon”, and other releases by our label Wydawnictwo Muzyczne Psycho. If you’re into extreme music, I guarantee you’ll find something you’ll like in there.


HELLSPAWN:

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Ram-Page/Blooming Rust/Metal Scrap Records/2012 CD Review

  Ram-Page  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Blooming  Rust"  which  was  released  by  Metal  Scrap  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  used  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  tone  with  riffs  that  dominate  through  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  along  with  some  dark  sounding  melodies  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  clean  and  soft  playing,  while  the  lead  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  are  very  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals a re  all  grim  sounding  and  high  pitched  black  metal  screams,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and everyday  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion Ram-Page  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Man"  "Sea  Waves"  and  "Time  Fluctuations".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Hellspawn/The Great Red Dragon/Wydawnicto Muzyczne Psycho/2012 CD Review

  Hellspawn  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  evil  form  of  blackened  death  metal and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "The  Great  Red  Dragon"  which  was  released  by  Wydawnicto  Muzyczne  Psycho.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  as  for  the  synths  which  are  only  used  on  the  intro  they  bring  in  a  very  dark sound  to  the  music.

  Rhythm  guitars range  from slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  blackened  death  metal  riffs  that  are  very  heavy  and  brutal  sounding  with  some  technical  parts  being  thrown  into  the  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  chaotic  and  technical  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  with  some  high  pitched  blackened  death  metal  screams  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times,  while  the  lyrics  cover  devil  worship  and  Anti  Judeo  Christianity  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Hellspawn  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  death  metal  band    and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  First  Banner  In  The  Fields  Of  The  Devil"  "Diabolic"  "Revelation  Of  The  Great  Red  Dragon"  and  "The  Greatest  King  Among  Demons".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

http://www.facebook.com/Hellspawn.Metal
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Heritique/Ore Veritatus/Wydawnicto Muzyczne Psycho/2012 CD Review

  Heretique  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Ore  Veritatus"  which  was  released  by  Wydawnicto  Muzyczne  Psycho.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a very  strong  and  powerful  tone  with  death  metal  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording,  as  for  the  synths  when  they  are  utilized  which  is  very  rare  they  bring  a  very  dark  and  atmospheric  sound  to  the  music.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow, mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  black,  death  and  thrash metal  together  along  with  some  dark sounding  melodies  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  soft  and  clean  playing  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  chaotic  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads  that  utilize  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Vocals a re  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  with  some  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  violent  and  hateful  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  heavy,  powerful  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In my  opinion  Heretique  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should c heck  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Rain  Of  Fire"   "Tribe"  and  "Lashing  And  Contempt".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Chaos Inception/The Abrogation/Lavadome Productions/2012 CD Review

  Chaos  Inception  are  a  band  from  Alabama  that  plays  a  mixture  of  Florida  style  death  metal  and  Brazilian  style  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "The  Abrogation"  which  was  released  by  Lavodome  Productions.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  brutal  riffs  that  dominate  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  death  metal  riffs  that  are  very  technical,  heavy  and  brutal  sounding  with  influences  from  both  death  metal  scenes  of  Florida  and  Brazil  along  with  a  blackened  death  metal  edge  being  added  to  the  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  chaotic  and  technical  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  range  from  deep  death  metal  growls  to  high  pitched  blackened  death  metal  screams,  while  the  lyrics  cover  Sumerian  Mythology,  Necromancy,  Occultism  and  dark  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  brutal  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Chaos  Inception  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check out this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lunatic  Necromancy"  "Pazuzu  Eternal"  "Ancient  Ways  Prevail"  and  "The  Exterminati".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

Centurion/Serve No One/Wydawnicto Muzyczne Psycho/2012 CD Review

  Centurion  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review of  their  2012  album  "Serve  No  One"  which  was  released  by  Wydawnicto  Muzyczne  Psycho.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  bass  playing h as  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  have  a very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  death  metal  riffs  that  are  very  heavy  and  brutal  sounding  with  some  black  metal  influences  being  thrown  into  the  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  chaotic  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  range  from  deep  death  metal  growls  to  high  pitched  blackened  death  metal  screams,  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  anti  christian  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Centurion  are  a  very  great  sounding  heavy  and  brutal  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sacrilege"  "Cut  The  Throat"  "Desecration  Of  The  Holy  Kingdom"  and  "Ritual  Massmurder".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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New song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Eq34DyjcAg