Sathamel Interview

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

The concept for the band emerged late 2011/early 2012 and fell dormant for a time… A full line-up was secured January 2013. The band began playing live from June 2013.

2. In November you had released a live demo, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

Despite being “Live” it does not put across the live sound. Musically, it is in our opinion Death Metal with Blackened elements. The listener can make their own minds on this matter.

3. Your lyrics cover Occultism and Anti Religion topics, can you tell us a little bit more about your views on those topics?

Satanism is a widely talked about topic, especially in this genre of music. It should however be properly researched and is not a topic we “sing” about lightly. Lyrically we are based more the ideologies rather than worshipping a deity by screaming “SATAN!” Down the microphone… The “Devil”, the “idea” is within every single person, in mundane terms – we target that. You take the Christian concept of Satan and it is turned into something that is wretched, vile and widely hated, like many other things in this world. There is true beauty to be found in darkness. The opposition is what we as a band represent, even from an Atheistic point of view. We do not “fit in” such as with our image, people have their opinions… and like most things, we could care less.

4. The band was originally known as Sheol, what was the decision behind the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Sathamel'?

There are many bands - past and present running under the name Sheol, or some variant. With such overuse and the confusions between bands, it eventually came to the point where we did not want the association and needless to say the “drama” that the internet had presented us with. So we changed the name to Sathamel. Sathamel is a Demon. A protector and a Judgemental figure

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

Favourite support slots include supporting Hour of Penance on a one off date of their Regicide tour, or one of the “all-day festivals” we seem to be in a niche with at the moment. We have been a part of many fantastic line-ups. The performance itself would be considered “ritualistic” in a sense, our vocalist - Kruk emphasises this; we are developing this as time passes. We also use War paint and Blood which is a mainstay since the very beginning.

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

We have one date in Manchester booked currently on the 4th October at the Kraak Gallery. https://www.facebook.com/events/226982244163267/?fref=ts

…And also “Gore fest” in Leeds 25th October. https://www.facebook.com/events/1469722269935778/?fref=ts

We would like to tour at some stage.

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

It is not something on our agenda at the moment.

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

We stick to the live scene and within the places we play, steadily moving afar naturally. We before had some feedback from outside of the UK with Terrorizer magazine posting us as Band of The Day upon the release of our Demo. Whether these fans made the transition to the new name we are unsure. Generally at shows the response is positive. 9. Are the band members involved with any other musical projects these days?

Valdr is currently involved in two bands, far outside of black/death metal. KVN is currently session guitarist for a DSBM outfit.

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

We may have an EP towards the end of the year. 11. 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?

There are many bands who influence us but we try not to make them too obvious within the music we create. Bands such as Behemoth, Diabolical, Vesania, Hate, Decapitated, Tribulation.

12. What are some of your non musical interests?

The Arts, Reading, Writing, Films, Video games… “Normal things” really.

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

Thank you for the review previously! See you on the road! www.sathamel.bandcamp.com www.facebook.com/sathamelofficial Youtube – Sathamel

Ram-Page/The Retribution/Metal Scrap Records/2014 Single Review

  Russia's  Ram_Page  have  return  with  a  new  single  called  "The  Retribution"  which  continues  their  blackened  thrash  sound  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  single  "The  Retribution  which  was  released  by  Metal  Scrap  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  old  school  thrash  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  and  you  can  hear  some  melody  in  the  first  song  as  well  and  after  awhile  the  music  speeds  up  a  bit  along  with  some  blast  beats  before  slowing  down  again  and  adding  in  some  melodic guitar  leads  while  also  keeping  around  the  faster  sections.

  On  the  second  track  the  music  begins  with  a  heavy  thrash  riff  that  also  has  a  technical  feeling  to  them  while  the  growls  take  the  music  into  a  heavier  death/thrash  direction  while  the  black  metal  vocals  of  the  first  track  are  also  present  on  this  song  and  the  solos  the  band  uses  are  in  the  mid  80's  extreme  metal  tradition   and  once  blast  beats  are  added  into  the  song  the  music  starts  having  a  more  brutal  feeling.

  Ram-Page  remain  true  to  their  blackened  thrash  metal  sound  on  this  single  and  these  2  songs  are  very  heavy  and  old  school  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  heavy  and  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  recording  from  Ram-Page  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  blackened  death  thrash,  you  should  check  out  this  single.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "ANgel".  8  out  of  10.

Instagram

Musclub

Myspace

VKontakte

Vorzug/I Am In Hell/Apollyon Entertainment/2014 CD Review

  Vorzug  are  a  band  from  Arizona  that  consists  of  band  members  from  a  few  legendary  death  and  black  metal  bands  from  that  state  and  play  a  mixture  of  brutal  death,  gore,  black  and  thrash  metal  with  this  project  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  single  "I  Am  In  Hell"  which  will  be  released  at  the  end  of  August  by  Apollyon  Entertainment.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  song  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  lead  which  leads  up  to  an  old  school  death  metal  direction  along  with  some  growls  and  then  the  song  starts  adding  in  more  black  metal  screams  and  melodic  riffing  while  also  keeping  around  the  death  metal  traces  and  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  track.

  With  this  track  Vorzug  display  more  of  an  old  school  death/black  metal  sound  and  I  would  like  to  hear  what  the  album  has  to  offer  once  it  is  released,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vorzug  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  single.  8  out  of  10.

Official Website: www.vorzug.net
Facebook: www.facebook.com/vorzugmetal 

Maur Interview

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

1. Hi   The members of the band are currently busy with personal stuff. But, we will enter the studio on August to record material for the split.

2.So far you have released an ep and a demo, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both recordings and also what are you listening to nowadays?

2. 'Elegy' is actually our second demo, introducing our new form with new members (Bass and 2nd Guitar). On 'Demo MMXIII', we still gathered our piece of music and still dont know how we will play in the future. But after couple of rehearsal and the arrival of new member, we decided to mix all genre we like into the Doom Metal form.

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

3. Despair, Grief, Darkest Side of Mankind, Dark Beauty of the Nature.

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

4. Honestly, that is an anagram from Maru the Cat! LOL. We just find it cool for a band name hahaha.

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

5. We only have 3 gigs so far, and each gigs have a different meaning for us. 

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

6. The nearest show probably on the end of August with some local bands. There are some plans to do a mini Java Tour November/December but we will see to that later.

7.According to another interview, you have 2 splits coming out later this year, can you tell us a little bit more about them?

7. Yes, we will do a split with Atavisma (France) and Candlegoat (Indonesia). Both bands are really awesome and its a honor to us to do split with them.

8.You have done Beherit and Black Sabbath covers on your recordings, what was the decision behind doing your own versions of these songs?

8. Beherit is one of the best underground band and 'The Gates of Nanna' had evil atmosphere that we want to include on our music. Black Sabbath' Solitude have that kind of emotion and we think its perfect to do the cover of this song as homage to the pioneer of Heavy music in our way.

9.So far you have worked with Sonic Funeral Records and Noisaurus Records, do you feel these 2 labels have been very helpful when it comes to getting your music out there heard?

9. Noisaurus Records (RIP) is a record label of mine and actually for the 'Demo MMXIII' we dont want to release it because of the quality of the recording. As for Sonic Funeral, Adi the owner is a cool dude and we glad that 'Elegy' would be release on the proper label.

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

10. For now, we only known on our hometown (hahaha) and we only want people that really like our music are the people that actually listen to music and buy our release. 

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

11. We will release EP first on January/February 2015 entitled 'The Mourning Wanderer'. We have plan to do full length but there are long journey to that!

12.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?

12. We listen to a lot of stuff, from Prog Rock to Noise. Every band we listened to have influence on our music and we dont worship any band or trying to be like 'that' band.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

13. Each member have different hobby/interest, from collecting Idol Group stuff to reading science fiction magazine. 

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

14. Thanks for the interview,   Kudos to all of you who reading this interview and if you never heard anything from us, check our bandcamp http://naturamaur.bandcamp.com/

Soul Annihilation/The Progenitory Symbols/2013 EP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Soul  Annihilation  which  shows  the  band  continuing  their  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  with  the  ep  being  self  released  in  2013  and  called  "The  Progenitory  Symbols".

  Dark  ritualistic sounds  start  off  the  ep  before  going    into  a  more  brutal  blackened  death  metal  sound  along  with  blast  beats  and  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  they  also  bring  in  a  good  amount  of  technical  parts.

  After  awhile  melody  and  symphonic  elements  find  their  way  into  the  bands  musical  sound  with  only  a  few  seconds  of  the  later  mentioned  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  some  of  the  slower  sections  having  a  doom  metal  feeling  to t hem  at  times.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  enhance  the  technical  feeling  of  the  recording  and  you  can  hear  some  Norwegian  and  Swedish  black  metal  in  their  sound  but  mixed  in  more  with  an  American  death  metal  sound  and  the  music  is  very  heavy  from  beginning  to  end  of  the  recording.

  Soul  Annihilation  showed  a  great  amount  of  progress  on  their  recording  making  their  blackened  death  metal  sound  more  brutal  and  melodic  as  well  as  demonstrating  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  on  their  musical  instruments,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  and  heavy  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  and  Mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Soul  Annihilation  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Returning  To  The  Void"  and  "The  Gaze  of  Balor".  8  out  of  10.

Facebook

Myspace

YouTube

      

Soul Annihilation/Early Grave/2011 EP Review

  Soul  Annihilation  where  a  band  from  Boston,  Massachusetts  that  played  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  with  elements  of  thrash  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2011  ep  "Early  Grave".

  A  very  fast,  heavy  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  blast  beats  before  adding  in  growls,  screams  and  technical  parts  and  after  awhile  the  band  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  melodies  and  after  awhile  there  is  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing.

  The  bands  musical  style  combines  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  together  and  they  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  with  their  musical  sound  as  well  as  making  every  track  sound  very  brutal  and  they  also  go  back  to  the  early  90's  style  of  black  and  death  metal  as  well  as  ignoring  modern  trends  and  the  last  track  sees  the  band  adding  in  melodic  guitar  leads.

  Soul  Annihilation  had  a  very  interesting  approach  to  the  way  they  combine  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  together   as  well  as  having  a  great  balance  between  brutal,  technical  and  melodic  parts,  the  production  sounds  very  heavy  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Mythology,  Anti  Christian  and  Existential  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Soul  Annihilation  where  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hell's  Fire"  and  "As  The  Universe  Decays".  8   out  of  10.

Facebook

Myspace

YouTube

   

Nihil/Nights Of Silence/2013 Full Length Review

  Nihil  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  blackened  from  of  death  metal  with  elements  of  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2013  album  "Nights  Of  Silence".

  Dark  sound  effects  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  drum  beats  which  leads  to  a  more  heavier  sound  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  which  leads  up  to  growls  being  added  into  the  music  as  well  as  a  more  doom/death  metal  musical  direction  before  adding  in  more  blast  beats  and  technical  riffing.

  Black  and  doom  metal  style  melodies  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and  they  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  most  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  after  awhile  blackened  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads  become  a  huge  part  of  the  songs  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  There  are  some  high  pitched  screams  being  utilized  at  time s in  the  more  brutal  sections  of  the  recording  and  when  acoustic  guitars  are  brought  in  for  a  few  seconds  they  make  the  music  have  a  more  progressive  feeling  while  the  main  focus  remains  on  a  more  heavy  and  brutal  sound  and  on  the  3rd  track  they  go  for  a  more  slow  to  mid  paced  direction  which  displays  the  doomier  side  of  the  bands  musical  style  and  they  stick  mostly  to  this  style  on  the  remaining  tracks  while  also  still  having  their  fast  moments.

  Nihil  creates  a  very  heavy  and  brutal  sound  with  their  approach  to  blackened  death  metal  while  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  doom  metal  elements  to  create  the  sound  that  is  presented  on  the  recording,  the  production  sounds  very professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Nihil  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Frozen  Hope"  and  "Singularity".  8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp

Facebook

ReverbNation

SoundCloud

Twitter

YouTube