Triverse Massacre Interview

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



How’s it going? Cheers for taking the time to ask us some questions! We’re doing great thanks, currently working away on our next release and looking to book shows wherever will have us!



2.How would you describe the musical sound of the newer material and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released on the past?

We seem to have been shoved into a sub-genre since the new EP titled “Blackened Thrash Metal”, which is pretty cool. We try to put a groove lathered cover over death/black metal, something you can bang your head to and smash around in the pit too.

 3.The lyrics on the ep are a concept album based on the 5 rivers of Hades in Greek Mythology, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

 Basically we're nerds, that love different mythologies, particularly Greek and Norse. As we were writing the release, Liam (our singer) mentioned the idea of it being a concept record as it was something he really loved the idea of constructing.  When he mentioned the 5 rivers of Hades and theming a song around each of them everyone was on board straight away.





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



We always joke about how often we get asked this and how we should have come up with something easier to explain! It’s a bit late now!! Basically, you have a universe, which is a singular verse that we exist in, then you have a multiverse, which is a hypothetical set of universes, including the universe in which we live, so we took the multiverse, multiplied it by three and caused massacres in all of them, Triverse Massacre, mainly we thought it sounded cool and unique.



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



Without a doubt playing at Bloodstock Festival is probably our favourite gig we’ve played, since it was a tick off the bucket list for all of us and the crowd was amazing, the whole experience was amazing. The final heat of the Metal to the Masses is also up there, our home crowd showed us so much support that night and went mental, the barrier had to be held in place because it was going to go over. Also up there is the gig we played with Raging Speedhorn and Skindred at the Brickyard, again the crowd was just awesome that night.



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



We do indeed, we are playing the mighty Hammerfest on Saturday 17th March alongside Sepultura, Hellyeah, Anaal Nathrakh and s many other awesome bands, our friends in Repulsive Vision and Obzidian are also playing so we’re really looking forward to that. After that we are going on a short tour with our brothers in All Consumed:



Grand Central, Manchester:  Thursday 5th April

The Twa Tams, Perth: Friday 6th April

The Lab, Northampton: Saturday 7th April

Firebug, Leicester: Sunday 8th April





7.Recently 'Sliptrick Records' re-issued your 2017 ep, can you tell us a little bit more about the newer version?



 The reissue through Sliptrick is all really about reach and getting to places that we can't really hit by ourselves, the team there really seem to believe in the band and now we're on a label we hope this will translate into us getting better shows and being able to play in front of new people that we wouldn't have been able to before.





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



We’ve been blown away by the positive response we’ve had, it’s been quite overwhelming actually, getting all these reviews and reaction videos through from people all over the world saying how much they’re into what we’re doing. It’s really awesome to see!



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



We’ve started working on new music, I think we’re around 2-3 songs in now, it all comes down to time and money. If we have enough songs together for a full length then we’ll do one, if we’ve been sitting on 4-5 tracks for a while then we’ll do another EP. I see us heading deeper into the dark elements of what we did on HADES – more black metal elements and just an overall heavier and faster feel – that seems to be the way things are naturally heading so we’ll keep going with it.



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



We all love Slayer, Cannibal Corpse,  Behemoth, At The Gates, Lamb of God, Black Sabbath. this could be a really long list so we reckon we’ll leave it there. The newer music seems to have more influences from the likes of Behemoth, Vallenfyre and The Black Dahlia Murder.


11.What are some of your non musical interests?



We’re all big into gaming, Skyrim, The Witcher, Dark Souls, Fallout as well as lots of indie titles. If we aren’t gaming or playing shows then we like to go to shows, local or big bands and have a few beers… or get absolutely wrecked.



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



Just thanks again for listening to us talk utter rubbish. Huge thanks to everyone that’s checked us out and has continually supported us and what we do. If you don’t know who we are, go check us out, catch us at a show, come say hi and have a beer with us..

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Ulkum/First Prophecy/Redefining Darkness Records/2018 CD Review

  Ulkum  are  a  band  from  Minnesota  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death  and  funeral  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "First  Prophecy"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Redefining  Darkness  Records.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  while  whispers  can  also  be  heard  briefly  before  going  into  a  heavier  funeral  doom  metal  direction  which  also  introduces  death  metal  growls  onto  the  recording  as  well  as  most  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  guitar  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion.

  Most  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  era  of  atmospheric  doom/death  metal  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats,  tremolo  picking  and  black  metal  elements  as  well  as  the  vocals  bringing  in  some  grim  screams  along  with  some  of  the  riffing  also  bringing  dark  sounding  melodies  onto  the  recording  and  the  last  3  songs  are  rehearsal  tracks.

  Ulkum  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  death  and  funeral  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

 In  my  opinion  Ulkum  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death  and  funeral  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Clothed  in  The  Ashes  Of  Fallen  Brethren"  and  "Children  Of  Ulkum".  8  out  of  10.

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The Dawn Razor/Renaissances/2018 CD Review

  The  Dawn  Razor  are  a  solo  project  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  thrash  and  death  metal  with  a  musical  style  he  refers  to  as  'sublime  metal'  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2018  album  "Renaissances"  which  will  be  released  in  March.

  A  very  heavy  yet  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  direction  which  also  introduces  blast  beats  onto  the  recording  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  while  the  vocals  stick  to  mostly  a  thrash  style  as  well  as  the  songs  and  leads  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Death  metal  elements  are  also  added  into  the  music  at  times  while  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  all  of the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  on  some  of  the  tracks  the  vocals  also  start  utilizing  a  more  melodic  tone  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  growls  can  also be  heard.

  The  Dawn  Razor  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  prog,  modern  thrash,  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  violent  and  hostile  themes  along  with  a  couple  of  tracks  being  written  in  German  and  Russian.

  In  my  opinion  The  Dawn  Razor  are  a  very  decent  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death,  prog  and  modern  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lisboa  1755"  "Hekla  Mountain"  "Fake  Paranoia"  and  "Half  Dead  Half  Reborn".  7  out  of  10.

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Judaswiege/Ashes Of The Heretic/Godz Of War Productions/2018 EP Review

Judaswiege  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death,  thrash  and  speed  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  ep  "Ashes  Of  The  Heretic"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Godz  Of  War  Productions.

  A very  dark  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  crazy  screams  a  few  seconds  later  before  going  into  a  very  fast  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  solos and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  old  school  style.

  A  great  amount  of  thrash  and  speed  metal  elements  can  also  be  heard  in  the  music  while  death  metal  growls  are  also  used  at  times along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  synths  can  also b e  heard  for  a  few  seconds  as  well  as  some  of  the  riffs  and  leads  also  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  melody.

  Judasweige  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  80's  and  90's era  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  elements  of  death,  thrash  and  speed  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  inquisition  and  heresy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Judasweige  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death,  thrash  and  speed  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical genres,  you  should c heck out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Inquisition"  and  "The  mass  Grave".  8  out  of  10.   

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Triverse Massacre/Hades/2017 EP Review

  Triverse  Massacre  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death,  thrash  and  groove  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  ep  "Hades".

  A  very  dark  and  epic  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  symphonic  elements  while  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion.

  Vocals are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  some  synths  also  being  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times  and  the  songs  also  incorporate  elements  of  modern  thrash  and  groove  metal  as  well  as  some  of  the  faster  riffing  also  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking.

  Triverse  Massacre  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  death,  thrash  and  groove  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  on  the  5  rivers  of  Hades  in  Greek  Mythology. 

  In  my  opinion  Triverse  Massacre  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death,  thrash  and  groove  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Styx"  and  "Phlegethon".  8  out  of  10.

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Gravehill/The Unchaste, The Wicked, & The Profane/Dark Descent Records/2018 CD Review

 Los  Angeles  California's  Gravehill  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  their  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "The  Unchaste,  The  Wicked  &  The  Profane"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Dark  Descent  Records.

  Dark  yet  melodic  sounding  guitar  leads  start  off  the  album  which  also  takes  the  music  into  more  of  a  heavier  direction  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  bringing  in a   great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  the  vocals  being  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  along  with  some  dark  sounding  melodies  also  being  used  at  times  as  well  as  some  songs  mixing  in  elements  of  thrash  and  they  also  take  an  80's  and  90's  style  and  make  it  sound  more  modern  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  and  the  album  closes  with  a  track  that  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Gravehill  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics cover  Occultism,  Murder,  Revenge  and  Death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Gravehill  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bestial  Genesis"  "Plague  Hammer"  and  "D.I.E".  8  out  of  10.

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Our Place Of Worship Is Silence/With Inexorable Suffering/Translation Loss Records/2018 CD Review

  Our  Place  Of  Worship  Is  Silence  are  a  band  from  Los  Angeles,  California  that  has  had  an  album  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "With  Inexorable  Suffering"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Translation  Loss  Records.

  A  very  powerful  sounding  bass  guitar  starts  off  the  album which  also  leads  to  more  of  a  heavier  direction  while  violent  samples  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  the  faster  sections  of the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  brutal  blast  beats  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  deep  yet guttural  death metal  growls.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of black  metal  elements  with  the  tremolo  picking  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  sticking  to  a  more  chaotic  death  metal  style,  the  music  always  remains  very  heavy  and  brutal  as  well  as  the  closing  track  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Our  Place  of Worship  Is  Silence  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  blackened  death  metal  style  of  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  existentialism,  blasphemy  and  violence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Our  Place  of  Worship  Is  Silence  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Chronicles  of  Annihilation"  and  "The  Decay Maxim".  8  out  of  10.

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Mithridatic/He Who Lies Underneath/Xenokorp/2018 CD Review

  Mithridatic  are  a  band  from  France  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  live  album  "He  Who  Lies  Underneath"  which  was  released  by  Xenocorp.

  A  very  dark  and  disturbing  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  decent  amount  of  distorted  sounding  melodies  along  with  some  black  metal screams  also  being  introduced  onto  the  recording  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts.

  When  the music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  brutal  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  death  metal  growls  are  also  used  at  times  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  chaotic  fashion  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  vocals  adding  in  more  of  a  grim  black  metal  touch  on  some  of  the  later tracks.

  On  this  recording  Mithridatic  takes  their  blackened  death  metal  style  to  the  stage  by  playing  some  tracks  of  their  recordings  live  as  well  as  capturing  a  great  audience  reaction,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  depression,  social  failures  and  oppression  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Mithridatic  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  live  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "For  Tear  And  The  Crowd"  "Dispense  The  Adulterated"  "Hell's Compasses  Point"  and  "I  Will  Harm".  8  out  of  10.

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Baculum/Baculumesque/2017 Full Length Review

  Baculum  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  "Baculumesque".

  Atmospheric  drones  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  which  also  introduces  black  metal  screams  onto  the  recording  along  with  some  angry  shouts  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  are  heavily  influenced  by  doom  metal.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on   the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  solos  and  leads are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  along  with  some  tracks  also  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  vocals  and  one  track  also  introduces  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  recording  as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  the  music  speeds  up a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  on  the  closing  track  the  music  goes  into  more  of  an  experimental  direction.

  Baculum  plays  a  music  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  black  and  doom  metal  but  also  takes  it  into  more  of  an  original  and  experimental  direction,  the  production  sounds  very powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  French  and  cover  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Baculum  are  a  very  great  and  original  sounding mixture  of  black  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this b and.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Richard'  "Kern" "Socialcore"  and  "Hassanats".  8  out  of  10.

 https://baculum666.bandcamp.com/releases

Epitaphe Interview

1/ For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band
EPITAPHE : Epitaphe is a Doom / Death Metal band from the French Alps. We are four long-time friends that share a passion for extreme and strange music. We started to play together in high-school.
At first, the music we wrote was really different from nowadays, more focused on the Death Metal from early 90’s. With the years we progressively decided to tune-down our guitars and to bring thick atmospheres and complex structures to the forefront.
We are releasing this year with Chaos Records our first demo.

2/ Recently you have released your first demo, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the demo
EPITAPHE: With our demo, we present 40 minutes of music conceived as a whole. It evokes extreme feelings, which navigate between momentums of blind violence and rage, as much as more melancholic, or almost spiritual and contemplative moods. All these instants are linked by a global frame of doom and chaos.
To speak in more classical terms, we have a solid Death / Doom metal basis, but you also can find Black Metal, Noise & Psychedelic elements in the music.

3/What are some lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with music
DRZ : The lyrics on the demo are written by LBK and myself with a quite opposite style. They all evoke vain personal struggles and roaming, with a distance and a disabused vision.
When I write, I think a lot about the rhythm and the consonance of the words. I use a quite direct style, without all the diversion used in poetry. I like when it’s anchored in personal experience and when it can easily speak to others through their own vision. On the demo I wrote the text for the song “Smouldering Darkness”, which evokes with violence different steps of a human life and it’s relation towards dynamics of power: how people can first learn to follow and find comfort in an imposed frame, then understand, question, and deconstruct, to come to a destructive mind when they consider all is equally void. Emerging from this, they finally become new powers that impose to others: “Eternal rehash”. If you read it superficially, some words can be understood as instructions, but it has to be said that Epitaphe has nothing to preach. We only consider the chaos of existence.
LBK : I use a more literary and illustrated type of writing than DRZ, to fit with the personal, abstract and opaque core of the music. You can read the lyrics and put several concepts and interpretations behind them, but the main themes are mostly a reflection on the time, death, deception and the vacuity of our human conditions. DRZ lyrics and mine are shaping well the various emotions you can find in Epitaphe’s music: anger, violence, chaos and nihilism, but also a profound and solemn sense of loss and despair.

4/ What is meaning and inspiration behind the name Epitaphe
EPITAPHE: Epitaphe is a French word who define a scripture you can see on gravestone. The final words when life ends, that echoes to our music and lyrics.

5/What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance
PBFK & VLVR: For us it was a show we had in a squat “Le Moulissimo”, in Grenoble, with Orange and Les Chevals Hongrois, two non-metal but extraordinary bands. Full of drinks, filled with food, the show was very good and the audience incredibly receptive.
DRZ : I think our best show was in Garave, a squat in a town near Grenoble (France) in which I used to live. I was the main organizer and for it, we built a DIY closed stage made of pallets and set up with incredible static blue lights and fog. We played with Whoresnation, Warfuck and Defenestration, three great bands from France that we salute. There was a lot of people, like 200 or 300 pers.
LBK : We actually only played a handful of shows with the songs and the dynamic we have with the demo. Most of our past shows featured older songs, songs that have not that much in common with what we are doing today. A new live direction has still to be think, but we already have a precise idea of what we want, both musically and visually: create an intense, wrapping and continuous atmosphere, which puts you on a journey through your darkest self.

6/Do you have any touring or show plans for the future
VLVR : I am currently studying in London since September, so we are still trying to figure out how we could manage with this. Plus we are currently recording an album, so we are more focus on this for now. But playing live again is something that we want to do. We just need a bit of time to see how we can handle it with our personal schedules & obligations. 

7/EP was released on Chaos Records, are you happy with the support that they have given so far ?
PBFK : Yes, this label is doing a good job, despite the distance between our two countries. You should check his catalogue and distro, plenty of killer stuff in there!

8/On worldwide level how was the feedback been to your music by fans of black, doom, and death metal ?
EPITAPHE : We can’t really talk of a “worldwide level” for now, cause it’s our first demo and it just came out, but the reviews and feedbacks are really good and encouraging for the future.

9/ Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future
EPITAPHE : For now the writing of our first album is complete, and we are currently recording it. It will bring some new influences, both metal and not. We don’t know what will follow after this first album. No gates are closed.

10/ What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
EPITAPHE : Our music has a strong Death Metal basis, and, even if there’s not that much of “doom metal parts” in our songs, we like to see ourselves as a Doom / Death Metal band with some Black Metal, Psychedelic and Noise elements.
To do a quick name dropping, the following artists are, in a way or another, influential to us: Incantation, Dead Congregation, Full of Hate, Revenge, Bolzer, Evoken, Immolation, early Pink Floyd, Chaos Echoes…
DRZ : In my teenage years, I was mostly a grindcore / powerviolence and hardcore fanatic. With years, I started to really enjoy gothic punk, coldwave, death rock, and all that kind of stuff. To finish, I also like being aware of nowadays popular music.
PBFK : For the second part of the question, I’d say that the last albums of Portal and Hooded Menace are really strong. The crazy line-up of Kill Town Death Fest this year is kinda insane too.
LBK : Same as PBFK regarding the Kill Town Death Fest line up. For 2018 I have high expectations with Mournful Congregation, Anna Von Hausswolf & Primordial new albums. If my tastes are mainly rooted in Heavy Metal, I also have a lot of curiosity for different styles such as folk music, psychedelic and progressive rock, ambient stuff… It navigates from Judas Priest to Jackson C. Frank, passing through Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Angelo Badalamenti, Camel, And Also the Trees, Porcupine Tree, The Haxan Cloak...
VLVR : I have a classical formation in percussion and I also brought a lot from Iannis Xenakis (contemporary composer, he wrote a lot for percussion) in term of drumming, and from classical contemporary style in general, which is a lot closer than we could think from metal. All those noisy sounds we have, the fact that we like to take time for express a musical idea and settle a mood, the repetitive parts, are very close to some work from Yoshihisa Taïra, Iannis Xenakis, Georges Benjamin, Steve Reich etc… We are certainly less refined but if you are curious and put an ear on their work you will see, perhaps, some similarities.
The greatest part of this band is that we all bring our personal influences, which are really different sometimes, put them together, and see what happens. We don’t have control on a creation, just a general direction. 

11/ What are some of your non-musical interests
DRZ : Family, good food, work & friends.
PBFK : Cinema, comic books.
VLVR : Good food and lovely people, hiking, happiness.
LBK : Literature, cinema, art, alcohol & most of all, my cat.

12/ Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final word or thoughts
EPITAPHE : Thank you for the review and the interview.

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Metamorphosis/The Secret Art/The Devils Ground Productions/2017 Full length Review

  Metamorphosis  are  a  solo  project from  Germany  that  plays  an  atmospheric  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  his  2017  album  "The  Secret  Art" which  was  released  by  The  Devils  Ground  Productions.

  Classical  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  rain and  thunder  sounds before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in a   very  melodic  fashion  along  with  the  vocals  being  blackened  death  metal  growls  and  the riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies.

  Most  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  bringing  in a   decent  amount  of  atmospheric  sounding  synths.

  A  couple  of  the  tracks  are  instrumentals  and  also  bring  in  elements  of  classical  music  onto  the  recording  while  acoustic  guitars  are  also  used  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  evil  laughter  can  also  be  heard.  as  well  as  some  of  the  synth  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  psychedelic  elements.

  Metamorphosis  plays  a  musical  style that  goes  back to  a  more  early  90's  European  atmospheric  black/death  metal  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism  and  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Metamorphosis  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are   a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Secret  Art"  "As  Legions  Rise"  "Holy  Wounds"  and  "The  Crypt".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/oZNjkXLACm4

     

Acheron/Rites Of The Black Mass/Vic Records 2018 CD Re-Issue Review

  Acheron  are  a band  originally  from  Florida  but  now  based  in  Ohio  and  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  played  and  early  form of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1992  album  "Rites  Of  The  Black  Mass"  which  will  be  re-issued  on  February  23rd  by  Vic  Records.

  Ritualistic  sounding  keyboards start  off  the  album  and  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  horror  movie  atmosphere  along  with  some  satanic  chanting  a  few  seconds  later  before  going  into  a  very  fast  direction  which  also  uses  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  along  with  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  elements.

  Vocals  are  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  while  the  solos  and  leads  stick  to  a  more  traditional  Tampa  Bay  style  along  with  some  intros  before  each  track  as  well  as  the  heavy  riffing  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  and  elements  of  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  On  this  recording  Acheron  played  more  of  a  ritualistic  blackened  death  metal  style  that  is  more  simplistic  than  most  bands  of  the  genre while  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  doom  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  Laveyan  Satanism.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  a  very  great  sounding  recording  from  Acheron  and  if  you  are  a  fan of  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRRACKS  "To  Thee  We  Confess"  "Ave  Sathanas  "Unholy  Praises"  and  "Let  Us  Depart".  8/5  out  of  10.

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Argonavis/Passing The Igneous Maw/2018 Full Length Review

  Argonavis  are  a  duo  from  Canada  that  plays  an  atmospheric  and  blackened  form  of  doom/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Passing  The  Igneous  Maw".

  Water  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  atmospheric  synths  a  few seconds  later  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  doom  metal  direction  while  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  growls.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  along  with  some  elements  of  black  metal  as  well  as  some  high  pitched  screams  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  fashion  and  on  some  of  the  tracks  the  atmospheric  and  heavy  parts  are  also  mixed  together  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  operatic  vocals  can  also  be  heard.

  Argonavis  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  atmospheric  doom  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  an  allegorical  journey  from  the  Katabasis,  the  depths  of  the  serpent  Rarek's  mouth,  to  the  Katharmos,  the  triumphant  ascension.

  In  my  opinion  Argonavis  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  and  blackened  doom/death  metal  duo  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Carving  The  Wapta  Gorge"  and  "Katabasis".  8  out  of  10.

https://katabasisargonavis. bandcamp.com/album/passing- the-igneous-maw    

Encrypted Interview

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

We are a death metal two-piece founded in the north rhine westphalia area in Germany. We've known each other since quite some time and were always joking about starting a band. Much to our suprise, that actually happened in 2012. We've since recorded a demo tape (still searching for a sound that felt right) and an EP.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?

 Our demo contains the first 3 songs we've ever written. It's a mix of primtive death and black metal, performed with limited skills, presented in a shitty DIY sound. So everything you'd expect from a first demo haha.
Our EP sounds more mature, as we knew what style we feel comfortable with and we progressed as songwriters as well. It's pure death metal, strongly influenced by 90's finnish and american death metal.

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

We're trying to keep true to the imagery used in death metal. The EP is actually kind of a concept album regarding the lyrics. They're about real life problems and social criticism, but we're using words to create horrific paintings, embedded in a mankind ending doomsday scenario.

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

We always liked the word „crypt“ and wanted to use it somehow in our bandname. We were thinking about names like „Forgotten Crypt“, „Encryption“ and the likes but finally „Encrypted“ felt natural to us. If you play darker death metal like we do without your generic song structures, the music might sound cryptic especially to people who're not used to this kind of music haha. But there's not really any special meaning behind our name.

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

We actually like being a 2-piece. As mentioned before we know each other pretty well and we have the same death metal background and preferences, which makes writing songs together in the rehearsal room fairly easy. For live shows we would obviously have to ask people to step in, as we'd definitely need at least 2 more guys on bass and second guitar.
As we're living in different regions of Germany now, rehearsals have become a pretty difficult subject, that's why we haven't peformed live yet. But we're trying to solve this issue...

6.The mini album was released on 'Star Spawn Society' are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?

The deal with SSS was perfect and exactly what we've been looking for. Mr Hacker, our label boss, death metal brainiac and high priest of the Cthulhu cult, is well know in the death metal underground. He does all the trades with the small underground labels and knows which maniacs around the globe might enjoy our music. We're really thankful and owe him a lot.

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

The feedback from the death metal community has been very good so far. Reviews from different zines have been quite postitive and even few black metal heads from Luxembourg really like the CD (but they're friends, so who knows haha). Luckily people who think you suck rarely send you a message to tell you that...

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

I don't think we'll change much musically. A few parts have been written here and there, but we can't REALLY say if the material is gonna differ much from what you can hear on the EP. It will obviously be tighter as we're improving our playing skills, but apart from that, who knows... Sometimes it feels like we're going into a more brutal direction digesting our US death metal influences, some parts on the other hand feel more gloomy and complex in a Norwegian death metal way. We can't tell yet in which way or form we're gonna release new material. Stay tuned! We're excited as well.


9.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?

We're listening to a vast array of different bands and styles, not only metal. But we chose to only use the death metal we hold dearest as an influence to our music. This means dark finnish death metal (some nods to Sweden and Norway) and the groove of US east coast and Texan death metal. Which is a hard thing to combine and we're still working on the right dose for everything… That's what we had in mind in a nutshell and always comes naturally. We don't have to think about what's right or wrong for us.

Some current favorites:

Sacrificulus:
- New Norwegian death metal school: Execration, Diskord, Reptilian, …
- The 3 mighty S's (until I die): Sabbath, Suffocation, Slayer
- Quite some non metal. Lots of Trip Hop, Hip Hop, 70s Progressive Rock, …

T666:
- Escarnium
- Krypts
- Engulfed
- Desolate Shrine
- Solstafir

10.Does Satanism or Occultism play any role in your music?

Honestly, no. We might play with this kind of imagery, but it's nothing more than a gimmick for us.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Can't speak for T666, but if we're only talking about arts/entertainment... I'm interested in scientific (natural sciences), horror/sci-fi and philosophical literature, graphic novels, old action/horror movies. There are too many enjoyable things in life, sadly not enough time. That's probably as well the reason why we're such sluggish songwriters... haha
S.

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