Northern Plague Interview

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

Fen: Hey! The releasing process takes much time, so we had some work since the end of the recording session. The cover, layout for digipack, working on the distribution channels... What`s more, the concerts are one of the most important parts of this music for us, so soon we`ll announce two tours. A lot of challenges for a young band, but this is what gets me going. I really like it.

2.You have a new album coming out early this year, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction it has taken and also how does it differ from the album you released in 2011?

"Manifesto" is our second release. After the first EP "Blizzard of the North" we played a lot of concerts but all this time we had many ideas for a new material. We wanted to record a full-length, cohesive album with good sound where we put all our hearts and emotions in the songs. "Manifesto" is definitely better arranged, with large variations of atmosphere and at the same time with a main idea, main theme in all songs.

3.Seem of your lyrics cover ancient mythology and misanthropy, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

Yes, you are right, lyrics on "Manifesto" contains different varieties of metaphors and references to mythologies. I really like myths, especially from the Near East and Ancient Rome. At my university I had a lot of lectures about that so I must remember some things . You know, history is absolutely amazing and you may find many analogies to modern times there. We live in strange times, at the edge of big changes and in texts you can find it.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Northern Plague".

At the beginning we sat in the rehearsal room and brainstormed like crazy. I do not remember who said that "plague from the north" (we live in north-east part of Poland) fits us and it wasn`t long till this idea was forged into "Northern Plague". And that`s the story :)

5.Out of all the live shows and tours you have done, which one did you enjoy the most?

Touring and concerts are always a big adventure. New places, new people, hundreds of kilometers in a van - there is nothing better for us. "Baptizing Europe in Blood" - last tour with the Brazilian devils of Unearthly was totally awesome. They are really nice guys and I hope we will meet in the future again.

6.What are the touring plans for the new album?

For some days we`ll play first show with the new material from "Manifesto". Soon we will announce two tours - one in Poland and Germany, second in Russia and other countries. During summer we have Under The Black Sun Festival [Germany] and Blackened Life Festival [Russia] and I hope it`s not the end.

7.The new album came out on Folter Records a label more known for black metal, and while you have that in your sound you also heavy a good amount of death metal, how do you feel that you fit on this label?

Folter Records is a VERY professional label with experienced management. We are proud they decided to release our album. We have full support from their side and I am sure that they believe in our music. Even if it`s death metal with black influences.

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

It is too early to talk about feedback but even now we have a lot of good reviews and orders from different countries. It`s pleasing.

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

I honestly don`t know. Now it`s time for "Manifesto" and we don`t think about future releases. It doesn`t matter at this time. 

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

I`m a big fan of Spotify, so every day I discover new bands and music. Now on my playlist you can find John Lee Hooker, Black Sabbath, Blindead, Nine Inch Nails, Gojira and Anaal Nathrakh.

11.Do you have any non musical interests?

Of course! Especially books - I read tons of books on my reader. I am tech-fan too - you know, mobile phones, tablets, new technologies :)

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

Listen and support - I hope we will meet on a Northern Plague concert in the future. Remember about our new album "Manifesto".

Best regards!

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Endless Chaos Interview

 Answered by Mike Menza (guitar) and lightly by Jordan Dorge (vocals)
Free Download @ http://endlesschaos1.bandcamp.com/ 

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

Endless Chaos was formed in 2011 by me and my brother Alex (ex-drummer) . Our songs are fuelled by the energy we get from our crowd. We focus on keeping our songs fast, technical and catchy.  

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is present on your ep?

 I would describe our sound as modern death and thrash metal.  I take everything I love about thrash, black and death metal and  incorporate those elements into our music. 

3.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
The lyrical topics of endless chaos focuses on gore, perversion and horror.  

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

The name itself has a couple meanings; First of all it refers to us on stage, we bring a high level of energy live when we play our songs. We love seeing our fans wrecking their necks. It also refers to the world we are living in surrounded by endless chaos; murders, bombings, and other acts of violence that affect peoples lives personally and physically. 

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

We aim for every show to be our best but one show that will always standout for me was when opening for Skeletonwitch in 2013. We played the set as a 3 piece just vocals guitar and drums and the crowd went nuts. To best describe our performance is energetic, loud and in your face. 

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

We are planning touring in the near future. We have a huge show in April with Kataklysm and Aborted which will be our first time playing live as a 5 piece and in addition to that we will be appearing at some festivals. We hope to play as much as possible into the new year. 

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
We are currently looking for a label to represent us.  We would love to take the chaos to the masses. 

8.Are the band members involved with any other musical projects?

All of us except myself are in other metal bands from Winnipeg peg. Jordan Dorge our singer also does vocals for black metal band Wilt. Our bassist and drummer Jeff Humarang and James Burton respectively play in metalcore band The Brugada Effect and our guitarist Mike Toews also plays bass in death metal band called Eyam. 

9.When can we expect a full length and what direction will it be in, music wise?

We are writing right now for our full length, we are looking to put about 9 - 10 songs on it. We are really focusing our writing toward riffs that are fun to play but still sound heavy and aggressive helping create our unique brand of blackened thrash and death metal. 


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

I draw influence and inspiration from tons of bands both old and new. I love a lot of the newer metal bands because they are setting the bar for how songs are written and performed. Lately I've been listening to a lot of the newer albums from 2013 like Skeletonwitch, Revocation, Carcass and Exhumed.

11.Do you have any non musical interests?

Outside of music I love riding on dirt trails on my bike and playing video games 

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

Endless Chaos plans on going full speed with the release of our EP.  With a refreshed lineup of band members and new material being written for a full length release I can't wait to see how the future of Endless Chaos plays out. 

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Hiss From The Moat/Misanthropy/Nuclear Blast Records/2013 CD Review

  Hiss  From  The  Moat  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Misanthropy"  which  was  released  by  Nuclear  Blast  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  an  intro  which  uses  sound  effects  and  avant  garde  elements  along  with  acoustic  guitars  which  bring  in  ethnic  influences  as  well  as  grim  vocals  in the  background  and  after the  intro  they  music  goes  into  a  brutal  blackened  death  metal  along  with  blast  beats  and  growls  as  well  as  a  mixture  of  slow  and  fast  parts  which  also  leads  to  black  metal  screams  and  melody.

  As  the  album  continues  the  music  continues  its  brutal  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  along  with  some  more  modern  extreme  metal  influences  as  well  as  bringing  in  melodic  and  technical  sounding  guitar  leads  and  solos  and  on  one  song  they  mix  in  a  brief  use  of  epic  and  symphonic  elements  on  a  couple  of  songs  but  remain  brutal  all  at  the  same  time  and  on  a  couple  of  other  songs  they  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  which  bring  a  ritualistic  feeling  to  the  recording.  

  On  this  album  Hiss  From  The  Moat  seem  to  have  a  very  perfect  mixture  for  their  music  while  the  song  is  half  black  and  death  metal  they  also  update  it  for  2013  and  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  melody  in  their  music  and  while  I  have  seen  this  band  being  labeled  as  deathcore  I  feel  that  is  very  misleading  and  the  music  is  pure  black/death  metal.

  Song  lyrics  cover  misanthropic  and  anti  christian  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  brutal  and  professional  sound  along  with  the  bass  guitars  being  mixed  down  low  in  the  mix.

   In  my  opinion  Hiss  From  the  Moat  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Conquering  Christianity"  "Misanthropy"  and  "The  Descent  From  The  throne".  8  out  of  10.

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Endless Chaos/Rejected Atrocity/2013 EP Review

  Endless  Chaos  are  a  band  from  Canada  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2013  ep  "Rejected  Atrocity".

  The  ep  starts  off  with  fast  and  heavy  thrash  metal,  guitar,  bass  and  drums  before  adding  in  blackened  metal  vocals  along  with  melody  which  also  leads  to  death  metal  growls  and  after  awhile  old  school  metal  solos  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  they  also  bring  their  old  school  retro  thrash  assault  to  the  other  songs  that  are  present  on  this  recording  as  well  as  bringing  in  brutal  blast  beats  at  times.

  Endless  Chaos  seem  to  know  their  old  school  thrash  metal  very  well  and  they  add  in  death  and  black  metal  influences  to  make  their  music  a  lot  more  heavier  as  well  as  having  a  more  up  to  date  sound.

  Song  lyrics  cover  violent  and  dark  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Endless  Chaos  are  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  TRACK  "Sacrificial  Ritual".  8/5  out  of  10.

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Nidra/Coma/Electrica Caelestis/2013 CD Review

  Nidra  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  very  atmospheric  form  of  blackened  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Coma"  which  was  released  by  Electrica  Caelestis.

  The  album  starts  out  with  drone  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  which  start  getting  heavier  once  drums  are  added  in  and  a  few  seconds  alter  blackened  death  metal  vocals  are  added  in  and  after  awhile  melodic  solos  become  a  part  of  the  music  along  with  clean  playing  and  melodic  vocals.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  music  gets  more  dark  and  melodic  as  well  as  adding  in  synths  while  also  remaining  heavy  and  depressive  all  at  the  same  time  and you  can  also  hear  more  black  metal  influences  making  their  way  onto  the  record  and  you  can  also  hear  orchestra  style  sounds  coming  out  of  the  synths  at  times  and  throughout  the  album  the  music  always  sticks  to  a  slower  sound  while  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars and  the  last  song  is  a  Blut  Aus  Nord  cover  which  they  turn  into  a  more  doom  metal  sounding  version.

  On  this  album  Nidra  take  a  very  melodic  and  atmospheric  form  of  doom  metal  and  make  it  even  darker  and  heavier  with  elements  of  black  metal  and  with  all  of  those  elements  they  create  a  very  original  and  melancholic  sound.

  Song  lyrics  are  written  in  Russian  and  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  dark  sound  to  it  and  the  last  song  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  

  In  my  opinion  Nidra  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark  and  atmospheric  blackened  doom  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sulphuric  Woe"  "Wholesale  Deaths"  "Oblivion"  and  "Procession  Of  The  Dead  Clowns"  which  is  a  Blut  Aus  Nord  cover.  9  out  of  10.

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Isacaarum/Whorecraft/MetalGate Records/2013 CD Review

  Isacaarum  are  a  band  from  the  Czech  Republic  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Whorecraft"  which  was  released  by  MetalGate  Records.

  The  album  begins  with  a  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  sound  along  with  growls  and  blast  beats  before  adding  in  black  metal  screams  and  when  the  music  slows  down  it  adds  in  brutal  death  metal  elements  and  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars.

  as  the  album  progresses  melodies  are  added  in  with  the  brutality  along  with  more  black  metal  influences  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  punk  and  crust  elements  and  there  is  a  brief  use  of  bass  solos  which  remind  me  of  90's  era  Pungent  Stench  as  well  as  a small  amount  of  noises  and  at  times  you  can  also  hear  traces  of  modern  death  metal  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  melody  and  on  one  song  there  is  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Iscaarum  bring  out    a  lot  of  speed and  heaviness  with  their  mixture  of  black,  brutal  death  metal  and  old  school  grindcore  and  they  combine  all  of  these  in  all of  their  songs  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.

  Song  lyrics  cover  porn  and  perverted  themes,  while  the  production  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  Isacaarum  are  a  very great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Spermafrost,  "Born  For  Porn"  "Whoreshift"  adn  "Cum  Together".  8/5  out  of  10.

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Return To Innocence/The Ring Of Moon/MetalGate Records/2013 CD Review

  Return  To  Innocence  are  a  band  from  the  Czech  Republic  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death,  black,  and  atmospheric doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "The  Ring  Of  Moon"  which  was  released  by  MetalGate  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  classical  music  style  intro  which  brings  and  epic  feeling  to  the  recording  before  going  into  a  heavy  and  atmospheric  direction  as  well  as  utilizing  some  blast  beats  and  death  metal  growls  along  with  a  small  amount  of  melodic  vocals  and  black  metal  screams   which  also  leads  to  the  guitars  bringing  in  melody.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  band  continue  their  mixture  of  black,  death  and  atmospheric  doom  metal  as  well  as  bringing  in  gothic  and  symphonic  elements  to  the  record  and  they  also  bring  in  melodic  guitar  solos  and  on  the  4th  song  powerful  bass  guitars,  female  vocals  and  more  epic  elements  are  added  onto  the  recording.

  On  this  recording  Return  To  Innocence  bring  in  a  lot  of  elements  ranging  from  death,  black  and  doom  metal  and  mixing  them  with  melody,  atmosphere,  gothic  and  symphonic  elements  and  this  album  could  of easily  came  out  in  the  90's  and  they  show  that  this  mixture  can  still  be  alive  and  well  in  2014.

  Song  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  fantasy  themes,  while  the  production  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  Return  To  Innocence  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  doom,  death,  gothic  and  symphonic  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tristan's  Dream"  "Wasted  heart"  and  "The  Ring  Of  The  Moon".  8/5  out of  10.

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