Cultus Sanguine Interview

 

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

We completed recordings and mastering in January, than we had a few gigs here in Italy, both headlining or festivals, all with a good response in performance and audience participation, then we practiced live version of the new album songs, now we are planning gigs in Europe and Italy, and starting creating new tunes of decadence.

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

I think it keeps our shadow metal trademark with an improvement, we have grown in these years. as men, musicians and composers, our style is recognizable, and keeps the mark we left with "The sum of all fears", keeping our style alive.

3.The band was broken up for 17 years, what was the cause of the split up and the decision to reform?

We splitted one year after the release of The sum, stress among us was too high, the pressure in creating a new album better than previous damaged relationships among us, so we decided for a quit, even if keepin in touch among us, in fact, in 2018 during a talk between Federico (guitars) and me we spoke something like "do you know ? I am writing new stuff" ... "me too" , "ok, why dont we create a new album ?" and here we are.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?

The main theme behind lyrics is the failure in life, all these lives going on day by day in the deeper grey, without passion, with poor relationships and no intentios; in my opinion this is one of the greatest tragedies, dont you agree ?

As lyric composer I wish my pen blade is sharper, and creates deeper wounds, as musicians we are imroved, and more closer among us, we rehearse weekly, so our understood is better, both as musicians and as friends, besides our life engangements as full time jobs and families we try to hang out together in order to share new ideas and for our friendship.

5,Most of the band members have been involved with underground metal for more than 3 decades, do you feel metal has changed a lot from the early era when you first formed the band?

It has changed a hell of it ! when we started back in '93 bands got signed to labels due to the quality of their demo tape, great songs and being original, now bands got deals due to the number of followers, and music in not a main point of choose, speaking music wise, and being a fan before a musician I see main events being a sort of "Best of 80ìs or 90's metal revival", and the bigger problem in music is the dramatic failure in records sales. 

6.Your music also stood out as being very different in the 90's, do you feel that you were a huge influence on the later black, dark and doom metal bands that came out in the past 3 decades"/

Yeah, back in early 90's bands like us, Deynonichus, Bethlehem played a weird mixture between dark, black and doom metal, mixed with a jant dose of insanity,  something that had influence and got extremized into funeral doom or dark metal, some bands admitted our influence in their music, and this is for us a pride , I think that this happened because when we started of course we put our influecies in our music , but we never tried to sound like a particular band. 

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

We always had weird artwork, dark and funeralish, all the images in "Dust once alive" were taken by a great friend of us, they have been shot in an abandoned mental hospital in Parma, 

Artwork for us has always been really important, it must drown the listener deeper into music and lyrics, and in my opinion this one reflects our music.

8.Out of all the shows the band has played over the years, which one stands out the most?

We have in our memory some great shows we had the opportunity to play, in the past I remind with great pleasure back in 2000 "Darkness upon Italy" festival with Carpathian Forest, Mortuary Drape, Opera IX, with a huge audience and all great performances from all the bands, among last ones we had a great show at Rock Hard Festival in Milan.

9.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

We are planning shows for the new album right now, so if some promoter is interested is welcome, we are planning a release party near Milan, and we will play the whole new album for that special gig, besides this we are already confirmed for some festivals in Italy and Europe. We cant plan a propher tour due to our full time jobs, but if someday will arrive a good opportunity we'll consider it

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

I think we are appreciated by fans of all these genres and also disliked by fans of all these genres ah ah, because we cant be recognized in a single genre, we dont have a defined audience, or not ? fans into REAL dark metal without gentle vocals or arrangements.

11.In 2021 you were also a part of a split with 'Black Oath', what are your thoughts on the other band that had participated on the recording?

Personally I love Black Oath ! they are a great band and first of all great people, I know them since 1995, and we are friends , we played a great gig together last year and personally I wait to share stage with them again, if we can we hang at each other gigs, I also had the opportunity to do guest vocals in their last great album. IN particular that tape is a limited tape we did for that show we did together and was sold out at the show.

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

Into a doomer, darker, weirder form, we are far from reaching the perfect funeral sound, so await new albums, we want to give a sound to the smell of tomb.

13.What are some of the bands or musical styled the band members are listening to nowadays?

Above all for me there are Celtic Frost, Devil Doll and Christian Death, then also Death SS,Bathory, Paradise Lost, Depeche Mode, Current 93 and Slayer, a strange mixture that maybe gives a picture of who we are.

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

First of all thanks  for this interesting interview, was a pleasure to reply, drown yourself into suicidal dark metal thru "Dust once alive"

Joe F/Cultus Sanguine

 

https://badmoodmanmusic.bandcamp.com/album/dust-once-alive

Terminalist/The Crisis As Condition/Indisciplinarian/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Terminalist  are  a  band  from  Denmark  that  plays  a  very  technical  and  blackened  form  of  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  album  "The  Crisis  As  Condition"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Indisciplinarian.

  A  very  fast  and  aggressive  thrash  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  technical  and  progressive sounding  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  blackened  metal  screams  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody.     

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  also  bring  in  more  of  an  old  school  style  while  the  music  still  has  roots  in  the  modern  era.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  couple  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  clean  playing  is  also  added  on t he  closing  track.  

  Terminalist  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes technical  thrash  metal  and  mixes  it  with  black  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  a  contemporary  crisis  ridden  society.  

  In  my  opinion  Terminalist  are  a  very  great  sounding  technical  blackened  thrash  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a f an  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Life  Wont  Last"  "A  Future  To  Weave"  and  "Move  in  Strife".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/terminalist

https://www.instagram.com/terminalistcph

https://terminalist.bandcamp.com

  

Overthrow/Ascension From The Entombed/Redefining Darkness Records/2023 EP Review

 

  Overthrow  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  blackened  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  ep  "Ascension  From  The  Entombed"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Redefining  Darkness  Records.

  Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  ep  along  with  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  before  going  into  a  heavier  death  metal  direction.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  growls  and  black  metal  screams  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  at  times  and  the  solos  and  leads  also b ring  in  more  of  a  90's  style.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Elements  of  thrash  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  and  the  tracks  also  capture  a  very  modern  day  brutality.

  Overthrow  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  war,  death,  chaos,  evil  and  Mayan  Mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  overthrow  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lords  of  Xibalba"  and  "Caustic  Vengeance  (Bloody  Driven)".  8 out  of  10.

  https://overthrowmetal.bandcamp.com/album/strike-down-the-saviour

https://www.instagram.com/overthrowdeath/

https://twitter.com/overthrowdeath

Maniak/Speed Metal Terrorist/Dawnbreed Records/2023 EP Review

 

  Maniak  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  speed  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  ep  "Speed  metal  Terrorist"  which  was  released  by  Dawnbreed  Records.

  A  keyboard  orientated  intro  starts  off  the  ep  while  also  introducing  grim  black  metal  screams  into  the  music  before  going  into  a  heavier  dir3ection.  Elements  of  thrash  and  speed  metal  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  which  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  an  80's  first  wave  vibe.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  while  the  solos  and  leads  also  remain  very  true  to  an  old  school  style.  Tremolo  picking  is  also  added  into  some  of  the  faster  riffing  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times.,  a  small  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing.

  Maniak  plays  a  musical  style  that  goes  back  to  the  80's  era  of  black,  thrash  and  speed  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  metal,  blasphemy,  violence,  death  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Maniak  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  speed  emtal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Speed  Metal  Terrorist"  and  "Filthy  Christians".  8  out  of  10.

  https://maniakband.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/official_maniak/    

  

Novere/Nothing Stays Hidden In Daylight/Trepanation Recordings/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Novere  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  progressive  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  album  "Nothing  Stays  Hidden  In  Daylight"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Trepanation  Recordings.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing.  Vocals a re  a  mixture  of  growls  and  blackened  metal  screams  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  bringing  in  elements  of  doom  metal  and  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Clear  vocals  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  When  clean  playing  is  utilized  they  also  give  the  songs  more  of  a  progressive  feeling  along  with  one  song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats  and  most  of  the  album  sticks  to  a  slower  direction  and  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  post  metal  style,  spoken  word  parts  are  also  added  on  the  closing  track.

  Novere  plays  a musical  style  that  takes  black,  doom,  post  and  progressive  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  light  and  darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Novere  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  post  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hydra"  and  "Cromlech".  8 out  of  10.

   https://novere.bandcamp.com/album/nothing-stays-hidden-in-daylight

Cultus Sanguine/Dust Once Alive/Solitude Productions/Bad Moon Man/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Cultus  Sanguine  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  gothic  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  album  "Dust  once  Alive"  which  will  be  released  in  September  as  a  joint  effort  between  Solitude  Productions  and  Bad  Moon  man.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction while  the  vocals  are mostly  black   metal  screams.  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  the  keyboards  also  giving  the  songs  more  of  a  gothic  touch  when  they  are  utilized  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  era.

 

 Clear  vocals  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style.  Elements  of  doom  metal  are  also  added  into  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  clean  playing  also  returns  in  some  parts  of  the  album  and  the  whole  album  also  sticks  to  a  slower  direction.   

  Cultus  Sanguine  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  doom  and  gothic  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  tragedy  of  the  gray  and  mundane  life.     

  In  my  opinion  Cultus  Sanguine  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  gothic  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Facing  Vulture  Season"  "Delusion  Grandeur"  "The  Greatest  of  Nothing"  and  "Days  Fall  From  Life".  8  out  of  10.

  https://badmoodmanmusic.bandcamp.com/album/dust-once-alive

Vörst/Burn The Priest/Zenith Records/2023 Full length Review

 

  Vörst  are  a  band  from  Austin,  Texas  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  album  "Burn  the  priest"  which  was  released  by  Zenith  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  retro  sound  starts  off  the  album  which  also  brings  in  elements  of  thrash  and  traditional  metal.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  which  also  makes  an  80's ers  style  sound  more  modern  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  at  time s the  vocals  also  add  in  more  of  a  first  wave  touch.

  All  of t he  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads a re  utilized  they  also  remain  very  true  to  an  old  school  style  along  with  one  song  also  introducing  clean  playing  onto  the  album ,  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  of  songs  as  well  as  one  track  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  clear  vocals.

  Vörst  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  thrash  and  heavy  metal  an  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism, Occultism  and  Anti  Christianity  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vörst  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  heavy  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Burn  The  Priest"  "Hellbound"  "Cursed"  and  "Through  The  Fire  We  Ride".  8  out  of  10.

  https://youtu.be/mHdTxXfswpM

https://zenithrecords.bandcamp.com/album/burn-the-priest

https://www.facebook.com/vorstband

https://www.instagram.com/vorstband/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/512MJURinoOSLTPxJiuOtf