Horrores Nocturnos #0

FOREWORD TO CHAOS

Metal changed a lot since the first fanzines came out and many of us didn’t think this kind of publications made much sense in today’s digital world until a couple of years ago. But, as with many other things, internet and digital revolution didn’t bring only good things to the table. Truth is, now there is a shitload of releases every day, a shitload of online and paper publications telling you what is good and what’s not and a shitload of concerts you can spent your money on. Considering you don’t own an unlimited monthly budget on culture, how do you make your choices and stay focused on the bands you truly like without just “consuming” everything, listening to it once or twice and turning to the next “new” thing without even digesting the albums your downloaded and forgot right after you “covered” them up with a fast listen. That’s not an easy question, but the truth seems to be somewhere in the underground, keeping yourself informed to some extend, but refusing to be a part of the grinding system that spits new bands every day on one side and buries them, with dreams shattered and debts to pay, on the other end. On this matter, we do believe paper underground fanzines have a saying. By bringing metal communities closer, by providing them “slow” readings and mind-alike fans’ opinions, instead of just featuring bands of labels who support them with advertisement. That is why Horrores Nocturnos was created. We hope you can come in board with us and enjoy the ride. horrores_nocturnos@sapo.pt

DE VERMIS INDEX

The Mute Gods...................................... 02 Ur Draugr............................................... 05 A Dream Of Poe..................................... 07 Himinbjorg............................................. 10 Nachtlieder............................................ 12 Vigilance................................................ 14 Gaijin..................................................... 16 Matubs.................................................. 17 A Lifer’s Life - Rick Thor......................... 18 Overlord SR............................................ 22 Blacklash................................................ 25 Reviews................................................. 28 Reissues................................................. 39

Nick Beggs, the British proficient bass player that does magic in the Steven Wilson and Steve Hackett bands, has a new own musical project. With him, keyboardist Roger king (Steve Hackett) and drummer Marco Minnemann (Joe Satriani) complete THE MUTE GODS, which have just released their debut «Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me». Being out on InsideOut, you would expect it to be prog. What you don't expect is that it sounds so adult, mercurial and nicely crossed with contemporary pop/rock. Beggs weights in on the experience of the whole thing.

How did this project took form?

It came about as a result of touring with Steve Hackett and Steve Wilson.With so much time to kill between shows I started writing an recording my hotel rooms and in dressing rooms.

What was the click and the process?

I used a lap top and a sound card to demo my ideas and when I got home I developed them in my home studio. Once I was happy with the songs I shared files with Roger King and then Marco and the other contributors.

«Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me» seems to have some very strong and present lyrical issues. Do these themes also influenced the composition of the music somehow or was it something that appeared just when you wrote lyrics?

The lyrics are a direct reference to the world and the times in which we live. So I suppose you could say it has contemporary themes.

What's behind the title of the album?

The title song has many levels, but it was inspired by the speeches of General Eisenhower

when he warned the world of the danger from the Military Industrial Complex. Now the U.S.A. has and average of three D.U.M.B.S. - Deep, Underground, Military Bases – per-sate.

How does the composition work in The Mute Gods?

I write the material. Then I share it with the others.

Is it a full democracy?

It’s not that kind of set up. This is a project I put together as a vehicle for my own writing predominantly.

How was the album recorded?

On the road in 2014 and 2015. They, the other contributors, recorded their parts in their own studios.

Who produced it and what kind of sound were you looking for?

Roger King produced the album. I wanted a hard edged record with a contemporary production.

Comparisons between this project and the bigname bands you're all involved are going to pop up inevitably. Do you think their fair?

I don’t think there is anything wrong with comparison. It’s not a question of being fair. If people think the album reminds them of something then it must be true. But my style is very mercurial and has many influences.

There will be no tours or live shows until after the second album is released.

Do you have plans?

No plans yet. If people like it after the second album I will consider playing live with it.

Having worked with so many artists, composed so many songs and played in so many stages, what's your motivation to start now a new project from scratch and try to make it happen in today's music scene which is basically a jungle?

I have only one reason to do this project. And that is because I have something to say. Once I’ve said it I will leave it alone. I don’t know how many records that will take. But I am happy with the first one. I am making the music for me and no one else.nIf people like it then that will be a bonus.

Is music always joy for you or do you have days when it looks just like another regular day job?

Some times you have to go through the motions because you are tired or missing home. But I know every day that I am lucky to do what I always wanted to. So it never feels like a regular job. How could it?

Do they make any sense?

I guess we will have to wait and see. I don’t know yet as the record is not released until Jan 2016.

Having said that, what do you consider to be your main influences for the songs you write for The Mute Gods? Musical and beyond.

The biggest influence are my life experiences and world view.

In some ways the record is autobiographical.

How will this band work, in terms of live concerts and tours?

The Mute Gods

Horrores Nocturnos 03

T

aking the long way home in the black/ death metal ride, UR DRAUGR, from down under, are about to release their debut full-length «With Hunger Undying» (it'll get relesed in December through Aeternitas Tenebrarum Musicae Fundamentum) and take even further their progressive approach to the style. The trio comprised by Drew Griffiths (bass, guitar, vocals), Dan Grainger (drums) and Dean Lockhart (guitar) isn't new to all things extreme, with bands such as Aythyr, Corpsebitch, DeathFuckingCunt and Wardaemonic in their worksheet, but with Ur Draugr things go into the next level in terms of intensity, depth and complexity. Drew Griffiths told us how this wall of sound was built.

Your mixture of black and death metal is quite progressive, atmospheric and intense. How did you get to this sound? Was it planned, somehow?

It was certainly planned, to an extent. I'd played in various bands with both Dean and Dan before the writing of Ur Draugr's first wave of material, so the songs were very much intended for the eventuating line-up. Dan's drumming style remains quite bombastic and organic in the midst of strange time signatures, for example, which was a perfect match for the right-handcentric guitar work of the EP. The forthcoming album is another step forward along that pathway of synergy.

You guys are all involved in a few other bands in the scene. What does Ur Draugr bring to the table that you don't have already achieved in the other projects?

For myself, it's an opportunity to write music that's both progressive and brutal, with neither aspect being sacrificed at the altar of the other.

We've all - Dan, Dean, and myself - been in a few projects that engage with varying levels of experimentation, but the particular scope and nuance of Ur Draugr's versatility – which is very much a result of the band's influences and predilections – is of particular interest to me personally. It feels rather limitless.

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You had a major setback in the recordings of «The Wretched Ascetic», didn't you? Did that affect the album? I mean, did it turn out any different than if you hadn't been struck by that unlucky bolt?

Absolutely. I think the loss of that material - in its releasable form - really informed the tenacity of the writing that would follow; both in terms of the tracking process, and the intensity of the material itself.

What do you consider to be the main musical influences you had in the composition of both Ur Draugr

Ur Draugr

Horrores Nocturnos 05

«With Hunger Undying» and the previous EP «The Wretched Ascetic»? Can you clearly identify them in the musical output of Ur Draugr?

All of us listen to - and indeed perform - a fairly wide variety of music, so there's subtle influences from well outside the realms of metal that I think have made themselves apparent in both the EP and forthcoming record. We all listen to folk and acoustic guitar music - Dean is a rather skilled classical guitarist in his own right - and I've got a foot in a few different doors; ambient music, for example. Songs like «Solace in Torpor» and «Sombre Moribund» draw heavily from those influences, but the meat of what we do certainly takes a degree of inspiration from the more “progressive” heavy acts like Absu, Enslaved, Opeth, Behemoth, Gorguts, and the like.

What do you consider to be the main musical differences between «The Wretched Ascetic» and «With Hunger Undying»?

While I certainly consider the EP to be a definitive release in its own right, I think that the forthcoming album, «With Hunger Undying», has a greater clarity of purpose and a more coherent sound throughout the tracklist. The unification of our individual playing styles is rather more aligned this time around, and some of the technicality has become more subtle as a result, though certainly no less outlandish.

What topics do you explore in the lyrics of this new album? Is there a concept line uniting the songs, as the EP had?

«With Hunger Undying» dwells on the corruption of human civilisation through avarice, starting from the very origins of agriculture in pre-history. The cessation of nomadism as a way of life gave those first agricultural societies the means to amass 'gross' wealth for the first time, and the resulting religiopolitical machinations that preyed upon that greed – and the fear of not having enough – are pitiable diseases that have remained with our species to this day. «With Hunger Undying» charts that journey, and asks the inevitable question; where does it end?

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You come from Australia which, despite from having a really strong metal scene, is pretty afar geographically from the European and American markets. In this internet age, does that fact still affect a band's career?

Certainly. The internet has done wonders for obscure bands looking for a foothold – particularly, as you say, in smaller countries.

But the reality of flight and touring costs, and opportunities for support slots etc., are vastly diminished outside of those larger markets.

What actual underrated bands can you advise us from your shores?

Sanzu, The Ritual Aura and Wardaemonic - Dan's black metal outfit - are a few names that come to mind from our home-state of Western Australia.

There are some fantastic underrated groups from over east too of course: Mephistopheles, Drowning The Light and Adamus Exul, to name but three.

What's the role that this musical project play in your life? Does your music define you or do you – your personality and way of life – define your music? Or are they two completely different aspects?

I wouldn't want to speak on behalf of Dean or Dan, of course, but I'd certainly veer towards the latter in my case. I've always felt that the focus should be on the music itself, rather than any scene or “collective genre consciousness” – the limitations of which I've often found drains originality rather than inspiring it. Having said that, I struggle to imagine my life without pursuits like Ur Draugr or indeed any of the other projects with which I've been involved over the years.

Having already released an EP and a fulllength album, do you consider the “Ur Draugr sound” to be completely established by now or can you take a serious turn in future compositions?

We'll definitely continue to evolve as we move forward – we've already started writing material that's a sharp turn from the full-length, and I fully expect that trend to continue for as long as we endure as a band.

Ur Draugr

If doom/death metal is melancholy, there aren't many bands with the mental structure and authority to play the style as A Dream Of Poe has. Coming out of one of the mist melancholic places in the world – Azores islands, in the Atlantic ocean – their debut album, «The Mirror Of Deliverance», showed up an irresistible attraction for all things bleak and solitude in 2011. Now, «An Infinity Emerged», record number two, shows us mastermind and multi-instrumentist Miguel Santos relocated to another island – the UK – and a slight different approach to the style, sweeping grunts and diving deeper in sadness, melancholy and introspection.

In what way is «An Infinity Emerged» different from «The Mirror Of Deliverance»? Were the differences planned or more of a reflection of a natural evolution?

In terms of composition, the writing process, it is the reflection of a natural evolution. I do not really plan it as I prefer to let the music flow, just when I have the base of the song ready is when I truly start working in more depth, applying changes and defining directions. But even then it sometimes doesn’t really works that way, for example, for this album, one thing that I had in mind since the beginning was the use of growls, we did actually record some growling parts but it wasn’t flowing, it wasn’t feeling natural to me, in a way it was like if the songs were telling me that on this album they didn’t want any growls. They did allow me to perform some raging spoken words though. I believe «An Infinity Emerged» in a way is a more dynamic album when compared with «The Mirror of Deliverance». It’s a bit more in your face, with the vocals playing an even bigger part on it. It follows and shares the same principals of «The Mirror of Deliverance» but this time delivered on some different ways. It terms of lyrics, it is indeed the continuation of «The Mirror of Deliverance», but this time the character had to destroy everything he achieved on the last album to start from scratch again.

A Dream Of Poe

In between, you moved to Scotland, didn't you?

In what way did this influence the composition of the new album and the way it sounds?

That’s correct, I moved to Edinburgh in 2014.

It didn’t influence the composition of the album simply because it was already done when I moved. Although, vocals wise, it was all done here in Scotland, and that is where, I think, the moving had a greater impact. So, I had to find a singer to perform on the album and in future live gigs, after a short while I found Kaivan [Saraei].

Having Kaivan putting his ideas forward for the vocals was the biggest influence that moving to Scotland had on the album. Kaivan having a very versatile vocal allowed us to explore in more depth some areas that we explored on «The Mirror of Deliverance».

It seems you just can't escape living in an island, don't you? Is it the island-melancholy that draws you to write songs such as «The Isle Of Cinder» and «Lighthouses For The Dead»?

You can take the man out of the island but not the island out of the man. And I did trade an island - São Miguel - by another one, this one just a wee bit bigger, the UK. It is my background, where I grew up, where I was made a man, so is no surprise that, that islandmelancholy as you called it, will show up more Horrores Nocturnos 07

often than not, and again, I just let the music flow, so having that background will always lead me to unconsciously write songs like «The Isle of Cinder», «Lighthouses for the Dead», «Os Vultos», «The Lady of Shalott» and so on.

Logistically, how does the project work? You still work with Paulo Pacheco for the lyrics, but you have a live band now in Scotland, don't you?

With my moving to the UK in 2012, after a while I had to come with a difficult decision, just like AIE, destroy to rebuild, it would be logistically and financially near to impossible to work with the same musicians that played live with me and recorded «The Mirror of Deliverance».

My desire to take A Dream Of Poe forward, to achieve new goals, meant that it was a decision I would have to take, sooner or later. Paulo Pacheco started working with me just after the release of «Delirium Tremens», he is in charge of all the lyrics and to come up with the history and themes of each album. As long as he feels like being part of A Dream Of Poe he will always be in charge of the lyrics department. To take A Dream Of Poe to a new level, to achieve our goals, we need to play live more often than we used to and in different countries too. With that in mind I started to look for musicians wiling to join me in this adventure, it was relatively easy thanks to Kaivan’s knowledge of the local scene. We

are rehearsing since January with this Scottish line up and so far things are working very well, there’s a great chemistry between us. It’s taking longer for us to get to the level I want but that’s a bit of reality check. In the Azores we used to rehearse at In Peccatum’s rehearsal room, it was free and we could rehearse as many times as we wanted. Here in Edinburgh we have to pay for the rehearsal room so it does limit the amount of times you can rehearse on a month. But still it is great to see the commitment of this Scottish line up as all of us rehearse by our own at home so we can have very productive rehearsals. The musicians that are part of the A Dream of Poe live line-up are: Kaivan Saraei – Vocals, James Skirving – Guitar, Miguel Santos – Guitar, Joe Turner - Bass Guitar and Euan McPherson – Drums.

Is A Dream Of Poe still – and will ever be – your own project, with your own visions or do you consider opening up the creative process to the live musicians that you play with right now?

In a way A Dream Of Poe is a project that let the other musicians to be involved on the creative process. When I invite a musician to play with me, on the album or live, I always ask him to give his personal input. Kaivan for example worked on the vocals on its own, I then assisted him, a wee change here and there, just like any producer would, so as long as I, as a producer, am happy with the results that we are achieving then it means it will be part of the song. The same applied to all the other musicians that took a part on the album. To open the creative process totally to the musicians might happen, I will not rule it out as long as the A Dream Of Poe identity isn’t affected, but if it does happen it will be something natural, something that will not be forced.

How's the Edinburgh metal scene?

Were you able to blend in already?

The Edinburgh metal scene is very active, one of the most actives that I have seen so far. There are great bands and brilliant musicians that I have had the pleasure to meet and be friends

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A Dream Of Poe

with. There are lots of venues that offer metal concerts every week, sometimes several times a week, that’s essential to support and ensure the development of the local scene. It was fairly easy to blend in, the metal community here is very friendly and supportive, not only here in Edinburgh but across Scotland.

away from the island too due to professional reasons so that’s why things are now very quiet.

We started to record new songs at my studio in the Azores but Hélder Almeida absence and my moving to the UK clearly slowed things a bit.

As of this moment I am not quite sure about my position in the band, the other musicians were talking about getting a new keyboard You moved to Solitude Productions for this player to join them as soon as Hélder Almeida album. Did the fact that you had returns to the island. Although the debut album released by an I am now able to visit the island Ukrainian label helped you get much more often, pretty much more exposure in that part of whenever I want due to now the world and, thus, noted by having low-cost companies “Having that Solitude? flying there, and be able Definitely. Our old label ARX [island melancholy] to commit my self to most worked with many different rehearsals and gigs - we were background will labels that end up distributing never a band to play that many always lead me our album, Solitude Productions gigs anyway, and also the metal was one of them. So that scene in the Azores nowadays to unconsciously definitely opened the door to has become too quiet - I totally write songs like one of the most recognised understand their wish to have a doom metal labels.

«The Isle of Cinder», musician based on the island.

Anyway if that happens I and «Lighthouses for Doom/death metal is somehow the general public will then be being swallowed by sludge/ officially notified. the Dead», «Os doom and classic heavy/doom Vultos», «The Lady of Do you think A Dream Of metal bands, in a kind of trend of the moment. Do you think Shalott» and so on.” Poe get the recognition it this is good for the specific style deserves in the Portuguese you play and, ultimately, for this scene? Is there somehow a project? bigger struggle for a band of It’s true that there is now this “hype” around the islands to get exposure to the mainland in mainly sludge and stoner doom bands, but I Portugal? believe there is space for everyone, including A Well, we never played in Portugal mainland, but Dream Of Poe. Anyway, 2015 was a very good I hope that it will change in 2016. For that reason year regarding doom/death metal releases, so I would say that the general awareness of the in the end I don’t think that hype is influencing band is still somewhat lower than what I would negatively the doom/death metal scene, it prefer. I do try to fight that using the internet, might actually be beneficial as more people and try to get as much exposure in Portugal might become aware of the style. mainland as possible, but the most effective way would be without any doubts by performing live, What's the status of your other band, In especially in events like Under the Doom Fest or Peccatum? You haven't released anything new SWR Barroselas Metal Fest. It’s a bigger struggle in six years. Your move to Scotland slowed due to the costs that it involves, or involved, things up a little bit more? things now are much easier than what it was In Peccatum, as far as I know, is taking a break, before due to Ryanair and EasyJet flying to the the last rehearsal the band had was back in the Azores, but the reality is that now there are not first months of 2012, just before I left to the that many active metal bands in the Azores, at UK. The main writer, Hélder Almeida, has been least not as many as we had some years ago.

A Dream Of Poe

Horrores Nocturnos 09

France's HIMINBJORG is an entity above all kinds of tides and waves in the black/viking metal scene. Led by multi-instrumentist Zahaah for almost 20 years, it's responsible for some of the most brilliant moments of the genre in the same period of time, namely with albums such as «Haunted Shores» and «Chants d'hier, Chants de guerre, Chants de la terre...». In a time when Osmose is releasing worldwide the album the band have put out last March, «Wyrd», we spoke to Zahaah so he could weight in about Himinbjorg's seventh full-length, is inspiration and the state of the world.

Considering that «Chants D'Hier...» were comprised of songs originally composed back in the nineties, this new album is the first set of newly composed songs in nearly ten years.

Were you not simply inspired all these years or there is just a small percentage of your creations in this new album?

I waited until I had something really interesting to tell. I don't intend to redo the same album over the years, increasingly poor. Each album of Himinbjorg is a particular voyage, and the discography is also.

In addition I do not have an actual contract with a label which pushes me to produce an album every two years, so I do what I want.

Was it ever a concern to you, when composing and recording «Wyrd», not to “evolve” too much and not to get to far from the “Himinbjorg trademark sound” - if there is one – so that the fans wouldn't be too alienated from the new music?

I do not impose myself any limits, just look at the album «Chants d'hier, Chants de guerre, Chants de la Terre...»; it is far from all the usual gimmicks of the metal scene. It's music, and it must remain so. I do not care that it sounds totally metal or not. For me it is the content that matters, the energy that carries your music and not the style.

10 Horrorres Nocturnos

What's behind the title of the album, «Wyrd»?

Is there a sense of fate – or karma – going through all the songs in the album, like a kind of concept?

Wyrd is the Fate of romantic soul, but also its immutable laws. It is written in advance, and only the individual has the choice to be dignified and to assume with courage, or to appear weak and losing any place in the universe. I always perceived its laws in my life. I have always followed my path and I contemplate now clearly its power. Each song in the album recount the steps I have crossed throughout my life.

You worked with a couple of guest musicians for this album. What was the criteria to pick them and what kind of freedom and instructions did you give them for their work?

Christophe Morvan, Labenne Baptiste and Patrick "Darkhris" G., who mixed the album, are people I met completely randomly on my life. But we think about it, we say that a will is beyond us behind. We became friends, the entire album was made from meetings and events of involuntary consequences. Each of the guests sent me his instrumental proposals, I just picked what seemed to be the strongest pieces.

Himinbjorg

strong feelings when he listens to it. It seems to be also the opinion of the criticism in general. It is a choice of heart on his part, he does everything he can to bring this album to a wider audience.

And that's what I consider a great deal.

Having said that, what do you consider to be the importance of recorded music in today's age, in a scene totally overloaded with bands, records and shows?

I think we are in an age of degeneration and mediocratisation in all areas. Metal music is no exception to this!

What role do your influences still have in the Himinbjorg music when compared, for instance, with the band's musical identity and sound?

I'm not able to tell, the listener is the judge in that matter. I remain deeply marked by the 90 album of bands such as Ulver, Burzum, Heilhem, Enslaved...

You now have a distribution deal with Osmose.

Having already played the label game and gone on your own with European Tribes, what are the pros and cons of working in a DIY basis and having a wider platform but having to work with – and depend on – a third party.

I do not depend on third parties; Osmose doesn't offer anything special. The label manager Hervé considers «Wyrd» a great album because he has Himinbjorg

The fact that you have a band – and a label – does refrain a little bit your love as a fan for the music? I mean, do you tend to look at it today with “professional eyes” and did you feel you have lost a little bit of the old passion for it? Or is still the same like when you started?

Haha, I am free and I do whatever I want. As you said I have stayed two times for five years without releasing an album because that is how I felt things. I actually maintain an authentic approach.

You have a really strong and honest spiritual approach to your music and interviews, so I can't avoid asking you this: how do you look at the current state of the world in general and Europe in particular? Did you see this coming?

I am sufficiently informed not to be surprised by what we are experiencing. We live under a dictatorship, soon total, of speculative financial forces behind the puppet democracies in order to consume all life in this world. This embodies the primitive giant Germanic tradition. The destructin of peoples, cultures and races in every way possible to brutalize humanity in order to submit completely. People would do well to meditate on it...

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If you think of desolation, melancholy and loneliness, you'll hardly get a better soundtrack to it than Sweden's NACHTLIEDER. The project certainly gets benefits from being operated by a woman with the aesthetic vision, the depth and the talent of Dagny Susanne, but when it comes down to it, «The Famale Of The Species», her second album, is just a masterpiece of dark art and a Swedish black metal manifesto. Susanne share the concept with us.

Do you remember what inspired you to ever play in an instrument?

I actually don’t. I have always had a need to create things, and I’ve always been musical. I remembered I had a dream of playing in a rock band when I was very little, like six or seven years old. I guess when I was 14 I thought it was about fucking time to start pursuing that dream, so that’s when I started to play guitar.

century are the most interesting since they are about a whole philosophy, not just an aesthetic style. My first album had surrealism in mind, and «The Female of the Species» is largely about minimalism. Expressionism is nice because it’s way more extreme than anything else. It’s really difficult to listen to and that’s why I’m intrigued by it. I actually stole some lyrics for the new album from the libretto of Pierrot Lunaire by Schönberg.

Is Nachtlieder your first musical project, the first band you're involved?

No, I’ve been in many bands before this, of various styles and genres. But if you want to get something done, say release an album, you’ve got to do it yourself, haha.

You remain as the only official member of the band, although you work with other musicians in the recordings, right? What's the reason behind this?

I have a drummer helping me out for the reason that I can’t play metal drums, it’s as simple as that. Martrum is an important piece of Nachtlieder, but he only comes in when it’s time to get the drums done for a new release while I live with this project every day. It would be really unfair to credit him as a part of the band instead of a session musician, which he is.

When did you find out you could sing like this?

I had to start singing in order to get songs recorded when I started this project back in 2008. And at that time I really couldn’t sing at all. But once I found that it was not that difficult I started to progress fast. Just use regular singing technique and apply rasp to it instead of notes, piece of cake. With that said I do feel I have a long way to go before being really satisfied with my vocals. I don’t have as much control as I would like to have. But on the other hand, some times that can create a cool effect too.

What are your actual influences and inspirations – music-wise and outside of the musical spectre?

I listen to many kinds of music beside black metal and I think the art ”-isms” of the early 20th 12 Horrorres Nocturnos

How would you compare, musically, the latest release «The Female Of The Species» with your debut, self-titled album?

I felt like my first release was way too meek and didn’t have a red thread, musically. So I deliberately went for more aggression and linearity this time.

Later in the process I still found myself being conformist in my own writing, so I tried starting to do things I normally don’t do. This gave the result that there are also a lot of melodic parts on the Nachtlieder

album, even though I often claim to hate melodic music. Now that everything is finished I’m glad I decided to go that way after all. Tore Stjerna, that produced the album, is really good at melodic stuff and was able to highlight these elements beautifully in the production. I feel like everything worked out perfectly in the end.

Lyrically, «The Female Of The Species» is a bit of a concept album, isn't it? What theme does it explore?

It was never intended to be a concept album but the ideas grew gradually and I really like how everything turned out. Every song is written individually, but as a set they really serve as chapters in a story about life, liberation and finally liberation from liberation, which the title track is about. The concept of Eve and her departure from Eden was applied way after the songs were finished and to me that’s mostly about aesthetics. But it’s also the thing that holds the album together, all of the songs can relate to it in some way. And even if it was an after construction, in a way, I don’t think it feels forced at all. The title is «The Female Of The Species», but looking at just the songs individually, it could really be about anyone. I want my listeners to know that they are free to interpret my work in their own way.

Up so far, Nachtlieder is just a studio project, right? Is this a part of your vision or just due to logistical reasons? Having said that, do you plan to have your music played live in the future?

Correct. I would like to play live some day, but for that I need reliable people. And at the moment I don’t even have unreliable people, haha. I’m not exactly a socially skilled person, so unfortunately I think it will be long until Nachtlieder will take the stage.

Another one-girl-black-metal band is making it big these days: Myrkur. What are your thoughts on her music and does the comparison between both project make any sense to you?

Female musicians have been compared to other female musicians without having anything in common since the beginning of pop music, so I’m not at all surprised it happens to me now. Like there’s only room for one, so we’ll need to decide who’s the ”better” one, the one most ”worthy” of attention.

This is the main problem with being female in a male dominated place - or any kind of ”minority”, for that matter - it’s hard to be neutral and get your work evaluated for what it is. But to answer your question, I enjoyed «M» very much. Amalie Bruun is obviously a very skilled composer, especially when it comes to piano and choir arrangements. I will definitely follow her future work with interest.

“This is the main problem with being female in a male dominated place - or any kind of ”minority”, for that matter - it’s hard to be neutral and get your work evaluated for what it is”

Nachtlieder

Horrores Nocturnos 13

Black/heavy metal of high-class, great musicianship and pure raw energy is what VIGILANCE, from Slovenia, has to offer. After five years of career and a few releases, they get to their second full-length, «Hounds Of Megiddo», stronger than ever, with a tight sound, a clear production and a handful of killer songs. Gilian Adam [guitar, vocals] spoke to Horrores Nocturnos about the reality of a metal band in Slovenia.

How do you compare your new release, «Hounds Of Megiddo», with your previous material?

It is hard to describe, really. In a way it is a fullon continuation of both the EP and «Queen Of The Midnight Fire», but on the other hand it comes as something quite a bit different.

It's much more raw and aggressive, but it still retains that core sound of Vigilance, which is built around prominent guitar harmonies and rhythmical diversity. We've taken a big step towards our own personal style, as we've all grown as musicians.

What are your musical influences? Do they all contribute to what is Vigilance's sound or do you have some boundaries in the band's style which you don't cross no matter what?

There are so many things that influence the sound of Vigilance, it is nearly impossible to point out only a few of them. Our music taste is very broad, and we never limit ourselves with invisible barriers of what we can or can't do. I think every influence counts, if you manage to translate it into the right context.

14 Horrorres Nocturnos

The band has had some line-up changes since it was formed. Do these changes refrain a little bit the enthusiasm and motivation around the band, as you have to adapt to other musicians every time a new member get in?

Every little stir in our micro-cosmos makes an impact on our music. And I see that as an utterly positive thing. Every line-up change stems from one reason or another, and it is usually a step in the right direction. We have gained a lot with the new line up as our creative drive and input is stronger than ever.

Your lyrics seem to be all about escapism and dark themes. Do they somehow have a connection to real events and the “real world”or all they exclusively dedicated to escapist issues?

That's for you to decide! Our lyrics are mostly connected to dark things, be it literature, cinema or real life events, but we try to write them in a way which allows the listener to make their own connections.

Why did you pick the song «Sacrifice», from Bathory, to record as a cover for this release?

Vigilance

Bathory have had a huge influence on us, both same day, not far apart. That gives bands and musically and personally. They were one of the first promoters an unneeded sense of competition... "extreme" bands I've heard, and the music floored me. Every part of Quorthon's musical journey What other good bands can you advice us from is a majestic saga on its own, but the debut your scene? album is something that Check out Teleport, Kripl, Ater inspires our music the most.

Era, Hellsword and just dig It's an honest and humble deeper, as there is a lot of good tribute to one of the most metal coming out of Slovenia. prolific individuals in the scene.

“Slovenia isn’t What are the advantages and normally associated the disadvantages of a Slovenian What's the scene like, in Slovenia? Are there many with metal music and band trying to break through in bands, places to play, support the international metal scene? that’s the biggest It's definitely a challenge on its from media and audience?

Despite being a small country, own. Slovenia isn't normally “disadvantage”. which usually isn't associated associated with metal music and with metal, we have a lot of good For example, Sweden that's the biggest "disadvantage". bands and fans that support has a strong scene For example, Sweden has a strong them. I'd say our underground and a lot of great bands, and a lot of great scene community is pretty strong, and that's a seal of approval on bands, and that’s it's own for most people. It has considering these facts. The problem stems from the fact a seal of approval.” a strong connection to metal that our country is relatively music, it always had. If you think small and there is a limited of Slovenia, good metal music number of proper places to probably isn't the first thing that play, and they're usually within falls on your mind, but we're a small radius from one another. working on changing that. We This culminates in an overactive scene, where don't really see it as a problem, but more of more often than not, more gigs happen on the another challenge to conquer!

Vigilance

Horrores Nocturnos 15

When you cross the “technical death metal” style with the “new, young bands” tag, you should come across with GAIJIN, a recent five-piece band from Mumbai, India, which just nails it. Their debut EP is out now and is a must-have for all those into forward thinking death metal, as they like to call it. Guitarists Vinit Jani and Jay Pardhy took their time to answer a few exploratory questions.

What are your main musical influences? What bands inspired you to pick you your instruments and start playing metal?

We all started off on the staple MetallicaMegadeth diet as kids, and gradually branched out into heavier music. Bands like like Anata, Necrophagist, Cannibal Corpse, Spawn of Possession to name a few along with several progressive metal/rock bands like King Crimson make the top of the list for us. The best thing about the band is that almost everyone is quite open to different styles of music which kind of helps us while writing.

Is there an inspiration for your music coming from the fact that you live in India, your surroundings and social cultural situation?

Not quite. We are not really focused – theme 16 Horrorres Nocturnos

and lyric wise – on the angst of being in this sort of culture and being rebellious; it’s more about making and playing heavy music. Our influences are purely musical, coming from all over the world! The band is called “Gaijin”, which means a foreigner or an outsider. That’s pretty much the way we have approached the writing on the album i.e. from a third person perspective.

A person who is an observer of the human race and narrates it to the listener in its absolute form.

What are the lyrics in your songs dealing with?

The song «Dead Planet» revolves around the birth and death of a planet, around the fact that everything that begins, eventually ends. The only thing that matters is how, what and who brings the end in. The first song is almost like an Gaijin

introduction to what’s about to come. One could say that we’re setting the scene with it.

we’re glad that it’s here. Can’t wait to put more material out soon!

You had your debut EP How's the technical death produced by Pierre Remillard, metal scene in India? What which obviously shows your “We are not really bands can you advise us from ambition. Just what are your your shores? focused – theme goals for the EP and for this The death metal scene is pretty project in general? and lyric wise – on vibrant here, coming from all We wanted to release material the country. While there the angst of being over more than anything else! Pierre are quite a few with technical has been one of the best things in this sort of culture elements, they’re either brutal to have happened to the band or old school and being rebellious; death/grindcore and we are quite sure that in the vein of Death (the band), it’s more about we’ll be working with him in rather than proper tech death. the future because the level of making and playing We have been massive fans knowledge, understanding and of the legendary Myndsnare, heavy music”. patience that he has shown a three-piece band from towards us is phenomenal. Our Bangalore which is sadly no goal for the EP honestly is to longer active. Gutslit is another get the music out there. We - death metal/grindcore – band want to make the music we like for a very long that is pushing the boundaries of extreme metal, time and want to play our music live around the great stuff! Eccentric Pendulum is another world. This EP has been a long time coming and diverse band that deserves a mention.

MATUBES

“I have no idea what you're talking about”. S., vocalist and bass player of Matubes, doesn't seem to know any struggles a young black metal band has to face nowadays in the Bulgarian scene. As if play unholy, straight forward extreme metal in such a country was the most natural thing in the world.

But then again, Matubes is a strenght of nature by their own right and their debut three-track EP, «The Return Of Black Metal», show exactly that. Despite of their young blood, S. explains that the five musicians in the project aren't exactly unexperienced. “Every brother taking part in Matubes was in other musical projects before”, he starts. “For example me and [guitar-player] Temeurt were both part of Claymore in different periods of their career. [Drummer] Hrasate has lots of solo projects and another band with Temeurt named Zlokoba. [Guitar-player] D. was in a band called Gaijin/Matubes

Aboardage which disbanded in 1995...not quite sure on the year for I don't follow this calendar as much”.

With mere months of existence, Matubes geled as only the meant-to-be could gel. And have the same kInd of attitude any band with plenty of Marduk and Gorgoroth influences and a heart full of enthusiasm would have.

“We have not been seeing each other for quite some time for various reasons”, S. explains. “Suddenly we met again and began playing different instruments with the intention to create. I think we always had this inner urge to express ourselves. You know how the human being works - what comes in has to come out. Combining our knowledge and experience in the black arts Matubes was brought to light. D was invited to play live for one single appearance but now he stays with us. Amazed at the results from our first recordings, we realized it would have been very selfish not to share with the outside world”.

Horrores Nocturnos 17

A lifer’s life

RICK THOR Rick Thor, bass player of Filii Nigrantium Infernalium and vocalist/bassist of Ravensire and Perpeträtor, is one of the most humble and genuine metalheads you can find in the Portuguese scene.

And one of the most talented too.

Throughout the next pages, we'll get to know the past, influences and even the day job of this lifer, who has a past also in bands such as Ironsword, Axe Murderers and Morbid Lust.

Do you remember when you got started into heavy metal? What was the click?

Sure, it’s quite unforgettable to me. Back in 1987 I was a 14 year old kid who didn’t even know heavy metal existed. I went into a record shop up the street from my house and suddenly I was face to face with Iron Maiden’s «Live After Death» in exhibition on a shelf at a wall. I could hardly believe it. I thought it was the best cover artwork I had ever seen. I still do. I asked the salesman whether the music was any good. He said it was very popular and that he could play a bit for me. I liked it and took the album home – the double tape edition as I only had a walkman back then, I only bought the vinyl version years later. I started listening to it and was totally hooked. For months and months I would listen to that double album, three, four, five times a day. I kid you not. I realized this was a heavy metal album. I started buying Metal Hammer – a good magazine back in those days – I started reading the Heavy Metal page in the local music newspaper I used to buy, and I started buying albums. I could only afford about once a month or so. Still, soon my collection grew… The feeling of listening to new bands, new albums back then is indescribable. So heavy metal was a calling. I didn’t start hearing it because my pals at school listened to it or anything. I got into that store and it was there waiting for me. A magic moment that altered the course of my life forever; metal 18 Horrorres Nocturnos

became pretty much the only thing that was ever present in my life thenceforth.

Some of the people that got into metal in the heyday suffered the so-called “evolution” and started to listen other kinds of music as well – or even abandoning heavy metal – classifying it as a “musical growth”. Did you ever felt the urge to listen other genres of music? Was there any conscientious decision and effort in keeping the “metalhead attitude” all these years?

I am seen by many as a backwards and deeply orthodox metalhead. I am glad it is so and wouldn’t have it any other way. I am extremely libertarian in everything – except metal! I cannot understand this necessity some seem to have to make metal bland and acceptable, to play crappy alternative rock or some shit like that and wanting to call it metal, and pouting if someone disagrees. Metal was different from the rest of music. That was one of its greatest attractions.

There was a strongly marked boundary, in style, in attitude, in sound. Maiden, Venom, Slayer, and so on, were a world on its own, far removed from the rest of music. There were cultural markers – the youth, the fuck you attitude, long hair, studs and leather. There were skulls and death and shock, there was that fucking teenage rage, there was a sound that everyone else thought was shitty noise. There was a lot more to metal than just the music. We were a Rick Thor

tribe. All that changed throughout the decades, and now true old school metalheads are few and much more scattered. Back in the eighties we were all teenagers or young adults. A long time has passed. Not many withstood this. Many died, many others cut their hair and got married, others moved on to other fads. A few felt metal in a way that was absolutely unrelenting. They will always be metal and will always keep the metal flame burning. I once wrote some lyrics about this, to a song called «Proud Pariahs».

So the answer is, no I never felt the urge to listen to anything other than metal – there is so much amazing metal that I will never be able to listen to all of it no matter how hard I try, so I see absolutely no point in wasting time listening to inferior music. And the metalhead attitude is not so much a conscious effort but an inevitability.

What about your life as a musician? How did it start - what influences did you have, and how did it all happened?

I must have been about 16 when I bought my first electric guitar. I remember I used to try to play stuff like Sodom’s «Sepulchral Voice» - coincidentally, very recently I played that cover live, ahah – Sepultura’s «Troops of Doom», Celtic Frost’s «Circle of the Tyrants» and stuff like that. But there was no internet and I didn’t know many people who could give me hints as to how to play the damn thing. I started doing bands with high school friends, but none of them were into metal – and none could play as well.

We did noise, fun stuff at rehearsal studios on rented time and called it “hardcore”. Later I did some stuff with real metal people who could actually play. We used to do original stuff, and so did I at home on my own. Eventually I was asked whether I wanted to pick up bass and join Filii Nigrantium Infernalium. I bought a bass because of that. It would still be a while

before actually becoming a member of the band, because Tetragrammaton, the former bass player, postponed his departure. But I was a friend of the guys from the beginning. Their first two gigs in 1993 happened with my bass on stage (the one I had bought because of the band), even though it was Mantus playing it (today again a member of Filii). By late 1994 I was a full member, recording the band’s first mini CD «A Era do Abutre» - recently rereleased on vinyl – and in 1995 I played my first few gigs with them. That was 20 years ago…

Those were good, fun times. I left the band the following year and stopped playing altogether

for years. I’d only pick the bass up again around 1999, never to stop this time.

What balance do you make of your musical career thus far. Were/is there any goals you set that you did already achieve and some you still have to reach?

Hah, good question! Truth is, I consider myself to be lucky. Without ever learning to properly play anything much, I ended up participating in albums I enjoy very much, and that many other people enjoyed in the metal underground. I was lucky to play in several countries throughout Europe and attend great festivals, see great bands, meet great people. I never had any illusions or intentions to ever live off music or

“I cannot understand this necessity some seem to have to make metal bland and acceptable, to play crappy alternative rock or some shit like that and wanting to call it metal, and pouting if someone disagrees”.

Rick Thor

Horrores Nocturnos 19

even play in a “bigger” band. I don’t practice nearly enough or dedicate myself to a “career”. It takes a lot of work to thrive in this milieu, mainly now when things are so different. But I measure success in a different way, and to me it’s truly a privilege to have been able to have done so much to satisfy my personal drive for metal. It’s a privilege to be on stage with the bands I play in and to record albums and have them released.

If a few people enjoy and compliment them, it’s a huge reward. And since I started to try being a vocalist as well I even have invitations to record as a guest musician in other people’s bands, as in Martelo Negro’s latest and killer album… I had more releases in the last few years than in the rest of my life. So I hope and expect this goes on for years to come and that I can go on living metal, and for metal, in this way. Those are my goals, really.

Your degree as an archaeologist was a choice influenced by metal, anyhow? Are both things manageable together or they live separately in your world?

Well… Everyone is interested in archaeology, but few decide to follow a career in it. Perhaps the kind of people who are into metal are more inclined to actually go and do something like that. I myself only followed that direction all the way through later in life. From my 20 to 30 years of age I was more of a wanderer, even if I also started a history course I didn’t finish back then, and I worked in different stuff. I worked for a couple of years in a cartoon animation studio and I loved it! If it hadn’t closed down I’d still be gladly working there and I would have never gone back to studying archaeology. That said, in my university I had three colleagues very much into metal, two of them very active in the underground… And when I started working after the degree it was with another old metal friend who had been working in the area for years.

And I know several other metal people in Portugal connected to archaeology.

So I guess it’s rather metal an activity, yes. It is a great source of inspiration for lyrics and ideas. The forthcoming 20 Horrorres Nocturnos

Ravensire CD, for example, features a trilogy based on the site I have been excavating for years now. I guess archaeology influences my metal more than the other way around, but I’m lucky to work in a museum where I can wear metal t-shirts every day. Things that are really important in my life tend to co-exist in my dayto-day.

Do you consider yourself a “lifer”? When things go wrong, do you question your choices and wander what would be like if you haven't done these choices in life and stick to them no matter what?

I’m not too inclined to such musings. I am nostalgic, I guess mainly about metal. But the present moments are some of the finest I’ve ever lived concerning metal, so… And many things are very different, but the scene didn’t die. It’s very contaminated, but many still partake of the old spirit. Perhaps some things are meant to happen, but from my life I conclude that often a small action can have the effect of sending one in absolutely different directions, with deep consequences.

I’m sure I’d always be a metal maniac though; it would always happen, as soon as I would come into contact with this sound and lifestyle. More than wondering about the past and what might have been I try to shape my attitude the best I can towards the future. I’m not a teenager any more,

Rick Thor

RAVENSIRE

and haven’t been in a long time, even if I behave as one in many aspects of my life. I feel a pressing need to do the most I can from the years ahead. I strive to be indomitable. I strive to learn from my failures‌ Even if I sometimes fail to do even that.

But many things are happening in my life, many exciting and stimulating events.

You're also a vegetarian, aren't you? What are the reasons behind that choice?

Yes, I have been a vegetarian for over 20 years now. The decision was the result of a lengthy process of information and much pondering. I bought a number of books on the subject - this was a bit before the internet was widespreadand I also had a colleague in the university who was a vegan and who was a valuable source of handy tips. Today there are numerous vegetarian food stores and options around, it was not so back then. He was the bass player in X-Acto, a straightedge band. So I was soon quite convinced, having taken my decision due to three main reasons: it's far healthier not to eat meat - as it has been continuously verified throughout these past decades, despite the huge amount of money the meat industry spends in discrediting campaigns; the present meat consumption scheme on a global scale is terribly damaging to the environment and Rick Thor

absolutely illogical concerning energy production, forest and water depletion, and the feeding itself of the population; and also an ethic concern about the inhumane procedures of the industry most people don't even imagine (and don't want to, ignorance is bliss). So I decided to quit meat, coincidentally, on the day I saw Carcass live in their Heartwork tour (unrelated, although they were vegetarians too), and so I know precisely when it was as I always keep my concert tickets. It was the day after my 21st birthday. I was a vegan for several years; I'm not, now, but I keep dairy products to a minimum. I hardly ever eat eggs, and I only eat some cheese and yoghurts once in a while. And for meat and fish, after all these years it doesn't even seem like food any more and I never missed it.

Thank you for your interview, rick. Any final words for our readers?

First of all, thank you and best of luck. It's great to see paper zines are still thriving! Keep metal old school. A lot of time has passed, but at the core, a few are still living it the way it used to be - and any musical endeavour I dedicate myself to is primarily for them. I am a libertarian in just about everything, except for music. Keep Metal Metal! Cheers!

Horrores Nocturnos 21

If you like NWOBHM and to dig a little bit deeper than the obvious bands, you know Overlord SR. The band from North Carolina started out in 1979 (back then with the name Rheagan) and released in 1985 one of the most hailed demos in the heavy metal underground: «Medieval Metal». Then, under the monicker Overlorde, all stars seem to be aligned for them to explode in the scene, and they even got into one of the infamous «Metal Massacre» compilations. But all of a sudden, after demo number two, the group disapperead from the radar, to return sporadically for a few compilation in the early 10's and now finally with a full-length album, aptly called «Still Standing». Band leader and guitar player George "Wildman" Koerber spoke to us about Overlord SR stand.

You recently released your debut full-length album. For a band of the 80's, that's a long time for a full album. Why did you took so long?

We could of released some of the songs that were written back then but we would have been lost in a sea of Guns N' Roses, Whitesnake, Megadeth, Cinderella, Warrant bands and no one would of heard it then. The thing that keeps a lot of bands from getting their music recorded well and out there is money! You spend a lot of money buying your instruments, your gear and here in North Carolina you had to own your own PA and light show if you wanted to play the 22 Horrorres Nocturnos

clubs. No one here has PA or lights in their club; you had to provide everything. So when you have over $50,000.00 in PA and lights and you're paying off loans for the equipment you do not have a bundle of money left to pay to go into a studio with 24 track 2” tape at the time and get a good demo. That is what we did with «Medieval Metal» demo cassette. We worked on the songs in our studio then went up to a studio at CMC studios and recorded the four song demo on a 2” 24 track system which was the best in the 80's. Now you can get a great sound in the computer and edit and not have to spend the Overlord ST

money per hour like you did then. If the studio in the computer would have been around then we would have had material out much faster and would not have spent so much in studio time.

playing metal music. People thought here with the southern up bringing that we were playing devil music. The crowds always came out but not making a lot of money its hard to record your songs and get them out there to the rest When writing the songs for «Still Standing», the of the world. We should have had our first fact that «Medieval Metal» became in between demo «Medieval Metal» out in 1982 or 83 not a kind of a cult release worked as a pressure 'till 1985. The computer has closed the gap on for you? Because you knew this new material getting songs to the rest of the world but it would be compared to that, right? also has ruined the record industry with free We just write songs. We have no formula or downloads and record companies going out of say it needs to be this good or sound like this. business. We have heard from people in Europe If we as a band love performing it after we are that Overlord SR are the Judas Priest or Iron done working it out then we will play it. It has Maiden in popularity of the underground metal to be fun for us to play as well. scene. There is no way for us Can't be like “Well we wrote here in the US to verify that. another one hope the people We just keep writing songs and like it!” no we have to love it and playing festivals here in the if we really like it then usually U.S.A. until someone will pay “Lemmy from someone will like it too. Lemmy enough to make the trip to Motörhead said it us from Motörhead said it best, Europe and play festivals. We “You write the songs, record the best, “You write the want to play Europe, we know songs, then run them up a flag are doing well there but songs, record the we pole and see who salutes them” need to make enough money to then you know which ones they songs, then run them go over there to play. Overlord like. up a flag pole and see SR fans need to request us over there and they will bring us over So, having said that, how would who salutes them” to play for them. you compare the new songs then you know which with the 80's style and sound of Back in the day you were ones they like. the band? featured in the compilation These songs are and sound like «Metal Massacre». From that us, Overlord SR. The songs we volume, only Sacred Reich are writting now will sound just made it big afterward. But what like the ones on «Still Standing» were your favorite songs of that and «Medieval Metal». We stay volume? true to our style and we have our own sound. Ours of course, Sacred Reich, Gargoyle, and We will run the next CD of songs up a flag pole Viking's song. Wasn't a fan of some of the other and see how many people salute them. We have songs on that release. fun writing songs that are fun to play and listen too as well.

You're still rockn' after all these years. What's the secret to your longevity?

How do you deal with the fact that Overlord SR Sticking to what you know and love. Do not is kind of an underground favorite but never try to be trendy or play music that is popular really made it to the mainstream? Do you have at the time. Just be true to yourself and write any regrets for what you could have done in the and play the music that moves you. If you do past but didn't? the right thing and stick to your guns and play We feel we had the songs and had the sound but what you know is in your heart to create and we were here in the Bible Belt in the south in play, you will play it and perform it and your North Carolina and was always an uphill battle fans will know it is true, not fake or trying to Overlord SR

Horrores Nocturnos 23

be something you are not. We love performing and playing our music and want everyone to enjoy our music also.

When you compose new music nowadays, do you still have the same kind of influences you had in the 80's or is it more a “classic Overlord SR” kind of sound now?

We listen to new music today but a lot of it is just not that great. We are big fans of bands we were listening to back then: Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Saxon, Scorpions, and they still turn out really good music today. We stick to our sound and will write songs that move us and if they are classic Overlord SR then even the new songs will be classic Overlord SR then.

Someone out there will find it and like it now or someday.

How do you look at the metal scene today and the evolution it took since the 80's?

It has gotten to the point of drop D tuning on every song and "Cookie Monster” vocals that you can not even understand. I am not a fan of that , but even Avenged Sevenfold went to a traditional metal sound on their last CD. I really like that and that CD is doing well. We will write in NWOBHM style or traditional metal or hard rock but like on «Still Standing» we have different kinds of metal songs that appeal to all

24 Horrorres Nocturnos

types of metal fans and that we as a band love playing for our fans also.

Do you consider bands such as Slipknot and Korn metal at all, for instance?

They have their own place in metal but it is not my cup of tea. I have met Korn several times in California when I lived there and they are great people and a very good band. Someone really likes both these bands and that style is their type of Metal. Thats what is great about metal: there are different styles and you have to find the band or bands that play the style you really like.

Do you still listen to new music? What bands and albums impressed you lately?

I like Avenged Sevenfold, Pop Evil and Halestorm to name a few. These bands sound good live as well. If you record in the studio well but can not sound the same live then it turns me off. You need to play live like you do in the studio. We have a live CD coming out in 2016 because we feel we sound even better live than in the studio.

So people will be able to hear what we sound like live doing our songs. We need the fans in Europe to bug their promoters there and bring us over to play live in Europe for our fans! Like us on Facebook as well. Thank you so much and keep the Metal going. See you at a festival near you.

Overlord ST

It's not easy to reproduce the classical NWOBHM sound these days and do it with quality material, but Germany's BLACKLASH do both things in spades. The young band's second full-length album, «Sinister Lightning», is out now through Iron Shield Records and puts another favorite record in the list of Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy fans looking out for new guns. Vocalist Clemens Hass told us all the band wants to do is be a part of the reborn NWOBHM wave.

How would you compare «Sinister Lightning» with your debut album?

«Sinister Lightning» is way heavier, including more up-tempo songs, than our debut album «Separate But Equal». The new songs sounds much more solidified and grown up concerning style and songwriting due to the great corporation with Vagelis Maranis, from Maranis Studio. Therefore «Sinister Lightning» marks a big stride towards professionalism in Blackslash’s career, not least because of the outstanding cover artwork.

How do you deal with your influences in your composition? For instance, if you write a riff, a Blacklash

melody or a solo that looks too much like a part of a band you enjoy, do you leave it that way or do you scrap it?

We have to deal with; it’s anything but unusual. However, I don’t feel the need to scrap everything which might remind you of some other great bands. This is actually what happens every single day in music business. The clue is to find a good balance between variation and adaptation of certain ideas, which does not necessarily mean to make a one-to-one copy. And by the time, I think, Blackslash created an individual style, somewhere in between the NWOBHM and Horrores Nocturnos 25

the 80’s US-power metal, which exposes similarities to Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy in some way, but never appears to be the same.

Having said that, what are your common influences that make it to the sound of Blacklash and what are each member's more strange tastes in music?

As already mentioned the common influences are the great heavy metal Bands of the 80's including Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy and Vicious Rumors. But in view of the fact that Blackslash is a heavy metal band, you can definitely call some member’s tastes in music strange. For instance, Alec [Trojan], the bass player, is an avid fan of Red Hot Chili Peppers. And I really enjoy jazz; especially at Christmas time, I love listening to those great songs by Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

The lyrics are just stories, carrying no meaning at all. Because Blackslash is not about spreading a serious message. In my opinion – at least concerning heavy metal - the lyrics are just a tool to accentuate a song with as much cool sounding words as possible or to write a hook, which fits any heavy metal cliché.

There's a kind of a revival of classical heavy metal nowadays, with great bands such as Enforcer, but also some that are mere copycats. How do you look at this revival – is it a good thing for the style and for metal in general?

It definitely is! In order to keep classical heavy metal alive, these young, ambitious bands are what we need. Some of them might be mere copycats, but so what! Never change a winning I’m pretty sure some “There are many punk team. dudes out there are kind of bands celebrating tired of listening to Iron Maiden Is there a German metal DNA in your music? I mean German a fuck-off attitude all day long and therefore they metal history is strong and might enjoy “copycats” anyway. great, but I wonder if you could and they might play Especially for young heavy be playing the kind of music powerful, enthusiastic metal fans, these bands are you're playing if you were, for the only opportunity to enjoy shows; however, traditional heavy metal in a instance, a Swedish band?

This is a tough one. But I think concert, because the glorious their songs are it’s not a German metal DNA of their heroes are long complete bullshit. days which characterizes our music, gone. Concerning our career, but rather the great amount Youth aggression is this kind of NWOTHM-revival of different influences, which to become a no quality attribute to ispartourof chance actually appear to be more “something” in heavy British or American than characterize a good metal history. It offers a chance German. Of course German to play more concerts, to sell band.” metal history is full of great more records, to travel more bands such as Accept or Victory, countries; just because of a who we already shared a stage rapidly growing community and with, but there are bands from a relived heavy metal mania due Spain, like Hitten, and Italy – to bands such as Enforcer, Skull Ruler – which are absolutely terrific as well. So Fist or Vanderbuyst. now, to come back to your question, it might be true to some extent, that there is a special There's a lot of youth aggression definitely German Metal sound; however I would say that involved in your music. Do you think older we, as Blackslash, do not contain such thing as a bands like Iron Maiden can still replicate this German metal DNA within us. rebellious feeling in their new albums and concerts?

What are the lyrics dealing with, in the songs of The first thing might be true. Nonetheless I this new album? don’t agree that a good album or a powerful 26 Horrorres Nocturnos

Blacklash

performance is a question about a certain feeling or attitude. I don’t see the need to replicate anything of this. Iron Maiden in their early days definitely extroverted this spirit of rebellion, but though I like the “new” Iron Maiden (since 2000) much better. Because of their improved song writing, because of the great guitar work, because of the always brilliant Bruce Dickinson, who is even better than in the 80s. There are many punk bands celebrating a fuck-off attitude and they might play powerful, enthusiastic shows; however, their songs are complete bullshit. Finally youth aggression is no quality attribute to characterize a good band. So there might be a time for rebellion and there might be a time to grow up; but good songs and good bands will remain, apart from attitude or age. Moreover if these elderly gentlemen of Iron Maiden spread slogans like “We fuck the system with beer and rock’n’roll”, then you would raise the question about authenticity, wouldn’t you?

What are the main difficulties a good, young heavy metal band like yourself need to face in

Blacklash

order to be known by every true metalhead out there in this internet and globalization era?

In course of globalization it definitely became easier to spread your music all over the world, which does not necessarily mean that it will be recognized all over the world as well.

Thereby globalization and the internet also involves a quantitative development of album releases, causing a strong need to create an individual, outstanding band identity in order to be recognized at all. But we can also benefit from these developments concerning a closely connected metal community, which is helpful to find great locations for gigs and to meet new bands to play with.

What are your main goals for this band?

Our current goal is of course to make our new album «Sinister Lighting» popular among the European metal community. We want to play a lot of shows in 2016 including some festivals in order to promote «Sinister Lightning» as good as possible. Furthermore we keep working hard, we stay tough and we still hope to become one of the most popular bands among this NWOTHM revival!

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REVIEWS '77 Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Century Media 7/10 As a band formed specifically to bring the 70's classic rock'n'roll to the 21st Century, '77 don't have a big space for evolution. Still, they jive between influences and manage to give each one of their four albums, released since 2010, a kind of a different and fresh taste. ««Nothing's Gonna Stop Us» is no exception and, if it's not exactly news that the AC/DC influences are almost completely gone (they were already nearly absent from «Maximum Rock'n'Roll» in 2013), there's a bit of more blues rock presence in the '77 approach to the Led Zeppelin legacy. Still, the Spaniards know how to build good songs of their own, using a sound deeply rooted in the past.

The 12 tracks in «Nothing's Gonna Stop Us» aren't extraordinarily infectious or deadly, but altogether they make a good rock'n'roll album with attitude and very decent material ABATUAR Vejación De La Bestia/ Fosa Común Dunkelheit Produktionen 6/10 If you missed the first two demos of Abatuar, the black/death metal project of Cadaver – one of the most active musicians in the Panama scene – don't worry. Dunkelheit deliver it to you in this cool digipack edition (with poster!).

So, now you don't have an excuse to stay away from this primitive, raw, ear-rapping attack of tracks with titles such as «Huésped portador de muerte infecciosa por necrovirus membranoso prehistórico oculto en los glaciares de Beringia».

It's quite direct, simple and plain, but with that enthusiasm and underground atmosphere that the South-american metal fans can't miss.

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AMARANTHE Breaking Point: B-Sides 2011-2015 Spinefarm Records 6/10 There's quite a discussion about the Danish/Swedish combo Amaranthe: are they even metal or just a commercial pop/rock stepping on the extreme field just enough to draw attention? Despite the hype, their latest album was irresistible for those into “modern” and hot on the heels of that success comes now this compilation of the best b-sides and bonus tracks of their career. It's basically an acoustic-versions records with two bonus studio songs. Vaguely interesting for fans, obvious cash-in and nothing for those who want to know the band – those should start by their latest offering, «Massive Addictive» and prepare for an huge guilty pleasure.

BLACKLASH Sinister Lightning Iron Shield Records 9/10 Sometimes it's all about simplicity and Blacklash just have it.

While other strive to bring back the classical heavy metal sound, the young Germans do it effortlessly in every riff, in every decibel they deliver. Twin guitars, astonishing solos, galloping rhythms and that unexplainable mixture between Iron Maiden and early Metallica that only a few bands can reach – like for instance their countrymen Enforcer. «Sinister Lightning», Blacklash's second album have all the ingredients a true metalhead love, in abundance and in spades.

Reviews

BLOOD RED SAINTS Speedway Frontiers Records 7/10 OK, maybe hard rock/ AOR isn't your thing, but if it is, look no further than Blood Red Saints for your regular fix of melodic, soulful hymns. «Speedway» is the second album from the British band featuring Glenn Hughes' band guitar player Lee Revill and ex-Eden's Curse drummer Pete Newdeck. The album features 12 tracks and 49 minutes of classic, undiluted had rock/AOR in the vein of historic bands such as FM, Dare or Newman. But, instead of being just another tribute act, Blood Red Saints mix their own soul and style to it, coming up with a more modern sound and warmer approach.

BLOODWRAITH The Omnipresent Darkness Demos Self-released 7/10 Second life for exShadows Of Sin guitar player and drummer Kevin Wargoat's own project, Bloodwraith. After a short-living career between 2010 and 2012 (in which he released a full-length album and a demo, by this specific order) he's now returning to action with a full band and this five-track demo. War black metal in it's purest and rawest form, with direct and somehow primitive approach to production and a few surprises in store for the genre fans. «Hail Prothemeus», the initial track, features a pretty slow rhythm and some melodic chants while tracks such as «Black Desecrating Metal» embody all the Scandinavian influences to a style that, despite it's not truly their own, Bloodwraith embody fairly well. The demo is available digitally in bandcamp and Kevin Wargoat and his mates are currently looking for a label to released it physically.

BODE PRETO Mystic Massacre Iron Tyrant 7/10 Hot on the heels of compatriots Sarcofago and Grave Desecrator, Bode Preto play fast Reviews

unholy black metal, the south-american way.

The vocals are pretty much down-pitched, the rhythms are pretty much speed-straightahead and the song running times are one/ two minutes. There's nothing to dislike in this second opus from Teresina's darkest three-piece, unless you're looking for a pint of originality. But who said originality and south-american down to earth black metal fit well together in the first place?

BOOZE BUG Booze Your Illusion Bret Hard 7/10 Germany has a bottomless well for bigballs-rock'n'roll and that shows up in the quality of new acts coming up all the time. Booze Bug is one of the latest and «Booze Your Illusion», their debut album, drinks from the same fountain as every other Judas Priest/Motörhead/AC/DC influenced band, but they do it with attitude and a clear enthusiasm. Thus, eight tracks with titles such as «Booze Cruise (Leather Beasts)», «Burn (BBQ's Revenge)» and «Troublemaker» will make your day when you're up for some simple, straightfoward and party rock'n'roll with that typical German attitude. You have heard this before, yes, but there's nothing wrong in «Booze Your Illusion» so you can as well hear it all over again!

CIRITH GORGOR Visions Of Exalted Lucifer Hammerheart Records 8/10 Cirith Gorgor is one of the pillars of the Dutch black metal scene and, for one, they behave like one. Their approach to the genre have been, since the band's inception in 1993 (back then, still as Dark Sorceress), one relentless, with no melodies, no post-shit, just Horrores Nocturnos 29

pure fucking black metal. That's exactly what «Visions Of Exalted Lucifer», their sixth fulllength album brings. No-frills-black-metal, cold as ice and sharp as a knife, in the vein of old Marduk, Enthroned and Gorgoroth, made for the elite that still has the old spirit. Done with utterly competence, clear and visceral production and the level of enthusiasm only available in the true underground. Not more, but not less either.

CONTRARIAN Polemic Willowtip Records 8/10 On paper, Contrarian should be just another technical death metal band debuting on the competitive progressive brutal music world, but the team involved shoots it all to a different level. George Kollias (Nile) on drums, Brian Mason (Sulaco) on guitar, Leon Macey (Mithras) on guitar, Cody Mconnell (Goemagot) on vocals and Ed Paulsen (bass) and Jim Tasikas (guitar), both from Delirium Endeavor, make up one hell of a band. And yep, you read right – three guitar players. «Polemic», their debut album, makes some musical sense out of technical riff over technical riff, jazzistic passages and multilayered rhythm patterns, making it a tech-death metal orgy for the maniacs.

CULTURE KILLER Throes Of Mankind Metal Blade 7/10 Forget shallow metalcore bands.

Culture Killer, from Florida, brings on the most vicious and unforgettable experiences in glueing metal and hardcore in the last couple of years. Armed with both classical death metal (think Autopsy and Obituary), deathcore and hardcore influences, the band spills out a debut 30 Horrorres Nocturnos

album that is both heavy as fuck, groovy, melodic and evil. I know it's hard, by now, to even get close to something that reeks the “metalcore” tag, but if you experience the riffs, big grooves and even the occasional solos of «Throes Of Mankind», you're very likely add Culture Killer to your collection of just good records, no matter what.

DARKEST ERA Gods And Origins Cruz Del Sur Music 8/10 After two full-length albums, the British heavy/celtic/folk metal band Darkest Era return to EPs with this 7” released in vinyl in regular black and swamp green colours (the last one being limited to 150 copies). «An Dadga» is a typical heavy/celtic metal song done by Darkest Era: a circular riff, a very decent melody and solid structure. «Elohin» is an acoustic piece, exploring more in-depth the celtic/folk side of the Northern Ireland five-piece approach. A good purchase if you're in this kind of Primordial, Slough Feg heavy metal.

FUCKING INVINCIBLE I Hate Myself And I Want You To Die Atomic Action! Records 7/10 Pretty corrosive hardcore /powerviolence is what Fucking Invincible, from Rhode Island, U.S.A., have to offer in this sevenminute EP packed with eight songs. The material is pretty raw and fast and has the same kind of abrasive approach than Cryptic Slaughter and D.R.I.. No wonder, since we're talking about a crew composed by elements of Dropdead, Daughters, Soul Control and Sweet Jesus, among others. So, if powerviolence and fast, nasty punk/hardcore is your thing, you don't want to miss this one.

FUNERAL MOORI The Deer Woman Minotauro 8/10 There are a lot of clones in the current doom/ psych scene and that is precisely why we should Reviews

praise and support a band who does it in their own terms, like Italian masters Funeral Moori.

The four-piece hailing from Tuscany soak their doom/heavy metal into heavy psychedelia 70's keyboards that are basically the tradition of Italian heavy and horror music. The result is just as inspiring as atmospheric and deeply psychedelic in their second release, «The Deer Woman».

Totally deserve to be treated apart from the herd.

HEMELBESTORMER Portals Sick Man Getting Sick Records 8/10 After a very promising EP released in split with Vanessa Van Basten last year, the Belgian post-metal instrumentalists returned this year with the release of their debut album «Portals». It came out in tape edition in March and contains two long tracks of their atmosphere-filled, doom/sludge influenced postmetal, being the last one so low it messes with your columns (well, that's actually a recording trick, but it makes you think twice). Quite expansive and evolving stuff. It's now being released in vinyl by Sick Man Getting Sick (limited to 500 pieces; 100 in clear/black, 400 in black vinyl), so I wouldn’t take too much to order a copy.

HERR GEISHA & THE BOOBS Book Of Mutations Atypeek Music 7/10 The project behind the funny name Herr Geisha & The Boobs is a French trio playing experimental, independent music which ranges from noise rock to indie, from Tool-alike-progression to doom rock. The schizophrenic nature of the music, in this fourth release, is underline by a single 47 track with a lot of different “movements”, shifts and changes.

Herr Geisha & The Boobs, however, always move Reviews

effortlessly between the styles they use to make their painting so rich and varied and «Book Of Mutations» flows really easy and nicely.

HOODED MENACE Darkness Drips Forth Relapse Records 8/10 If there is a band that represents doom/death metal in its murkier form, that band is definitely Finland's Hooded Menace. The band literally splits their time between EPs, small releases done with other bands and a few fulllength albums, from which «Darkness Drips Forth» is their fourth effort. The four slowmovers unapologetically step on the band's darkest realm of bleak-funeral-doom-death with quite a few more epic guitar leads to help giving the whole thing a sense of some dynamics.

Still,this is slow, heavy and from the book as Hooded Menace got us used to. No surprises, but also no letdowns. Just pure doom/death metal, done by the style's prodigal sons.

HORNWOOD FELL Yheri Avantgarde Music 8/10 It's not like Hornhood Fell doesn't have the experience and the know-how to make a good, appealing black metal albums. With members coming from bands well placed in the Italian scene such as Kailash, Krom, Hastur and Vinter Fresa, this three-piece can basically do whatever they want. In Hornhood Fell their approach is more of a balance between aggressive, fast and cold black metal and a more melodic, acoustic and intimate ambience.

In «Yheri» they do it a little bit better than on their debut, and very likely they'll continue to improve and evolve as one of the best Italian black metal entities of the decade.

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INTRONAUT The Direction Of Last Things Century Media 8/10 Intronaut, the American progressive post-metal mammoth featuring exExhumed drummer Danny Walker and ex-Mouth Of The Architect bassists Joe Lester is widely known, so for this review let's just start by the fact that «The Direction Of Last Things» is their latest, fifth full-length album. And quite a good one also.

It's not a surprise that the band's approach is quite proggy, rhythmic and mostly instrumental at times. What comes really as a surprise in «The Direction Of Last Things» is that the four piece still pulls out great songs and a cool amount of good ideas in this Isis-meets-Mastodon thing and that they don't obviously repeat themselves and their formula. Quite an achievement for a band surrounded by this amount of praise and hype.

KAMPFAR Profan Indie Recordings 9/10 Kampfar basically own the Norwegian pagan metal throne for a decade and a half now.

All their aspects are subject to being cult: the music, the imagery, the lyrics and the approach to the scene. And, although they've witness a certain shallow in the Scandinavian pagan metal scene in the last few years, they kept strong, with «Profan» being the third full-length released in merely four years, in what seems to be their most proficient period ever. Despite that, the seven tracks in «Profan» hit as hard and in-depth as the best records done by Kampfar. Intense and cold as only they can be, the band thrives on pagan black metal and delivers a few fast-paced tracks alongside more mid-tempo, darker anthems that redefine the words “frozen bleak”. All in all, a great effort released by a band in the peek of their artistic evolution.

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LOS BASTARDOS FINLADESES Bad Motherfucker's Ball Bret Hard Records 6/10 If you like uncompromising, ruthless rock'n'roll, you must have come across with Lost Bastardos Finlandeses somewhere in the last few years. The Finish band with the funny name five full-length albums since 2007, with the last two topping the local selling charts. And now, on their sixth effort, they're just being Lost Bastardos Finlandeses once again: gritty rock'n'roll, mixing Motörhead and ZZ Top approach to the style, with songs that rock and roll effectively, nice solos and all that. It's made out of the same wood as dozens of other “classic” hard rock'n'roll albums,so don't expect nothing new in «Bad Motherducker's Ball», but if you're about to jump on a car to a Saturday night ride through town, this might do the trick as good as any other half-baked Motörhead, ZZ Top wannabe.

LUCID DREAMS Built And Destroy Red Ball Productions 8/10 Already in 2013, with their debut album, Lucid Dreams showed a good melodic heavy metal ADN, despite a lack of a pushier production and some natural mistakes. Now «Built And Destroy», the Norwegians' second opus, is about to raise the bar. Putting a bit more emphasis in heaviness, they keep their awesome melodies and enlisted Fredrik Nordström for production.

The result is a set of songs brilliantly standing between classical heavy metal, European power metal and melodic hard rock. The sound is huge, the composition is intelligent and varied and «Built And Destroy» rolls like a thunder towards the top of the Norwegian heavy/power metal.

LURID MEMORY Dematerializing Funeral Noise Records 8/10 Lurid Memory might seem a new name to you, but if you think of Californian technical Reviews

brutal death metal powerhouse Gortuary, you're almost there. This is a more atmospheric and progressive take on death metal done by former Gortuary vocalist Oscar Padilla and guitar player Glenn Davis, and quite an interesting and in-depth one as well. Five tracks comprise this second EP from the band, featuring a technical and not-so-straight ahead style, along with some introspective acoustic parts. It reminds of The Chasm at times, but with a cool own personality.

Cattle Decapitation's Travis Ryan checks in for a guest appearance also.

MACHINAE Clockwork Concorde Music Company 6/10 As much appealing as the tag “a mix of Stone Sour and Amorphis” may sound, the truth is that, on their debut album, Finnish youngsters Machinae aren't there yet. They seem to have the will and the talent to get there, though. «Clockwork» shows some ability to mix pop keyboards, clean gothic vocals, heavy guitars and the typical Finnish melody. But Machinae still have some problems.

Not all vocal tones are stellar here and the songs need a push in composition if this band really wants to get big. Otherwise, it'll just be a project halfway between Stone Sour and Amorphis, without really getting nowhere.

MALRUN Oblivion Awaits ViciSolum Productions 8/10 There are a couple of dozen of bands trying to be the next Mercenary, especially in Scandinavia, but only a few can fucking nail that sound like Malrun does. Coming out three years after their debut album, this six-track EP shows just how mature the Danish guys have Reviews

become, mixing melodic metal, grooves, energy and modern approach with seemingly no flaws or big efforts. Surely, it does sound like their mental masters, but that's the whole point, isn't it? They even scored the famous Jacob Hansen (Amaranthe, Volbeat) for the production work, so if you're into this kind of music, there's no reason why you shouldn’t try «Oblivion Awaits».

MÅNEGARM Månegarm Napalm Records 8/10 Sweden's Månegarm have been doing good, authentic folk metal before folk metal have become the shallow trend it is today. This selftitle effort arrives as their eight full-length and brings on their finest trademarks: perfect mix between Scandinavian folk music and black metal, perfect balance between melodic and aggressive black metal, variety in songwritting and (mostly) Swedish-sung songs. Their underground authenticity is completely gone by now, but «Månegarm» almost completely compensate with competence, tightness and a great production work. It's hardly better than their middle-career albums, but it's still way better than 90% of the so called “folk-metal” that is out there today.

MIRROR Mirror Metal Blade 8/10 Tas Danazoglou (Satan's Wrath, ex-Electric Wizard), Jaime Gomez Arellano (producer of bands such as Ghost, Catheral and Paradise Lost), Stamos K (Satan's Wrath), Matt Olivo (Repulsion) and a vocalist called Jimmy Mavromatis is the unlikely line-up of Mirror, a new heavy metal project now releasing it's debut self-titled album.

By “heavy metal” we mean “real heavy metal”, with influences ranging from Candlemass to King Diamond with a pit stop on Rainbow and W.A.S.P. Mid-career material. «Mirror» is still a little bit ground-exploring in terms of the Horrores Nocturnos 33

band's sound and tightness, but Mirror already show some good songs, pretty decent riffs, an authenticity in sound and, most important, will to play heavy metal by it's (golden) rules.

MORTALICUM Eyes Of The Demon Metal On Metal Records 8/10 Swedish trio Mortalicum are the unsung heroes of doom/heavy metal, true heirs of the Candlemass legacy. They've been proving it album after album since «Progress Of Doom», their 2010 debut. And now they do it again with ten tracks that, alongside featuring a perfect mixture of hard rock, heavy metal and doom – Candlemass meets Black Sabbath era «Dehumanizer» - actually concentrate on great songs. The ability of Mortalicum to write doom/ heavy metal that is actually composed by superb riffs, melodies and solo lines (as opposed to just ambience and drop D tuning) is what makes them apart from most of the competition out there.

And «Eyes Of The Demon» an instant classic.

MOURNING BELOVETH Rust & Bone Ván Records 8/10 It's truly impressive how Mourning Lenore always manage to give a step forward, musically speaking, without ever getting out of the doom/death metal rigid boundaries. Look no further than the 16-minute opening track of their sixth, new full-length for a masterclass in originality and feeling, with the Irish lads starting on pretty atmospheric and obnoxious doom/death and ending in a black metal tone.

Next tracks is a two-minute acoustic and truly melodic interlude, putting the variety in «Rust & Bone» to an extreme. It's this stuff Mourning Lenore era 2015 are made of. An, in a time when Swallow The Sun release a stunning triplealbum, it's a goddamn great end of the year for traditional doom/death metal.

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NACHTLIEDER The Female Of The Species I, Voidhanger Records 8/10 Entirely operated

by Dagny Susanne, Nachtlieder is a Swedish black metal entity that cannot be overlooked.

«The Female Of The Species», her second album, shows clearly why: uptempo Swedish black metal, cold, catchy and intense, mixed with more mid-tempo doomy atmospheres and rhythms, all spiced up by vocals full of despair and hate. The eight tracks of the release resemble at times the obvious Marduk influences, but then again there's a punk-rock-Motörhead-style that raises it's head briefly at times, and the above mentioned slower moments also help making «The Female Of The Species» a varied, strong album. Furthermore, Dagny sings about Eve as a destructor/creator and has a strong vision on the burning of Eden, making it all more interesting and appealing.

NECROPSY Buried In The Woods Xtreem Music 8/10 When it comes to Finnish death metal, Necropsy is often disregarded or overlooked because they only released a full-lenght album, back in 2011, through the obscure Tritonus Records.

But we're talking about a band that have been releasing demos since 1987 and, most of all, that shows an unparalleled quality to their death metal. Even for the Finnish standards. «Buried In The Woods», their second full-length opus, brings forth the qualities old-school and morbid of the band, like if Carcass where playing slower and were influenced by Runemagick and Hooded Menace. Yes, «Buried In The Woods» is that good.

ON THORNS I LAY Eternal Silence Sleaszy Rider Records 6/10 Struggling to have a decent outfit for their music since the demise of Black Lotus Records, the Reviews

Greek gothic/doom metal project On Thorns I Lay felt dormant since 2003, not before they recorded a seventh fulllenght, kept unreleased.

Now it surfaces through Sleaszy Rider, remixed and remastered, keeping the exquisite atmosphere of Paradise-Lost-meets-oldTheatre-Of-Tragedy of the 90's, but somehow fall short to the expectations of what the band's potential. It features some interesting songs, but the production is below the pair and the structures are a bit too complex for the song's sake. Let's wait for their real new material.

PANOPTICON Autumn Eternal Nordvis Produktion 10/10 A. Lunn hardly misses a move in his rich and fantastic Panopticon discography, but on his now offering, «Autumn Eternal», everything is just a little bit closer to perfection. It's pure melancholic/folk black metal, created layer by layer like a painting with various emotions, styles, approaches and tones, and yet with a sense of unity and cohesion that it's hard to beat in today's scene. As always, Lunn tackles americana, black metal and acoustic moments and melt them to form the kind of colours he need to paint an Autumnal image, full of melancholy, rage, wonder and all emotions in between. Black metal taken to state of the art as Agalloch, Wolves In The Throne Room and Leviathan always wanted to to but never quite nailed it like A. Lunn does now. Perfect.

Reviews

PYRRHON Growth Without End Selfmadegod Records 7/10 The labels describes them as “Daughters, Brutal Truth, Merzbow and Autopsy getting together and writing” and they're not too far from the truth. Pyrrhon is a mathcore/ultratechnical death metal band that has very few limits to speed, breaks and vocal techniques.

«Growth Without End» is a five-track, 14 minutes EP that sounds even more extreme than any of Pyrrhon's two previous albums mainly because it's short and straightforward.

The band seems to be at their, erm, creative peek and technical-wise, there is nothing they can't do and they seem to show it at every song, at every minute of music they write and record.

For what it's worth, they manage to pull this mish-mash-of-technical-stuff-no-melody pretty well and their ability is awesome, but for those looking for a little bit more than just dissonant mathematical chaos, «Growth Without End» should be avoided.

SECOND TO SUN The First Chapter Self-released 7/10 When you think of instrumental music, there aren't all that many projects that can have their thing done and still keep dynamics and real music interest in their creations. But then again, Second To Sun isn't your average instrumental metal band. Starting with the brilliant name and ending on a second album called «The First Chapter», the three Russian lads sail turbulent shores of black metal, some djent, death metal and what they call “finno-ugric” music with mysterious ease and mastery. The nine tracks in the album are naturally eclectic, unpredictable and almost physically dangerous, but throughout all the process, Second To Sun manage to get an unity and tightness that makes the whole listening experience pleasant and involving. Not many young instrumental metal Horrores Nocturnos 35

bands can say that but, then again, Second To Sun isn't exactly your average instrumental – or metal – band.

SO HIDEOUS Laurestine Prosthetic Records 9/10 Before you rule out So Hideous for being a post-black metal/ shoegaze band, you need to know a couple of things. First one is, they're into orchestral sound. I'm mean, 30-elements orchestra recordings, soundtrack to movies never been made and Beethoveninspired orchestral sound. Second thing, their second album «Laurestine» is a fantastic and all-round concept on the seven minutes that it is said that the brain has of activity when the body dies, allegedly making a person's life flash before their eyes. They way the New York four-piece blends all these elements together is brilliant, elegant and truly breathtaking. A true work of art for all those into post-black metal, shoegaze, orchestral sounds or purely good music.

SPECTRAL LORE Gnosis I, Voidhanger Records 9/10 Spectral Lore, the oneman project of Greek m u l t i - i n st r u m e nt i st Ayloss, came across in the last years as one of the most intelligent and talented spectres in the ambiental black metal scene. «Gnosis» is a new EP, which pairs with «Voyager» (released in the Summer) as – and these are the label words - “shorter and more experimental” releases. Basically, during five tracks and 49 minutes, Ayloss pushes the hypnotic button even harder, concentrating 32 Horrorres Nocturnos

on (mostly) instrumental pieces, which range from experimental/progressive/ambiental black metal to amazing introspective acoustic songs as the brilliant Arabic-inspiried «Averroes' Search».

A rich, textured and multi-layered release which can bring ambiental black metal to new heights.

How many bands can say they have one?

TAPHOS NOMOS West Of Everything Lies Death Hammerheart Records 9/10 One of the wonders of the underground is that it can totally hits you by surprise when an unknown band, coming from nowhere, plays exactly the kind of music you like. Taphos Nomos don't come exactly from “nowhere” (they're actually from Pennsylvania) but the mixture of death metal old school, horror black metal and doom metal they play hits the ground running when it comes to atmosphere, charisma and musicality. «West Of Everything Lies Death» is their debut EP, has 31 minutes and four tracks and it rings a bell for anyone even remotely connected to undeground with a haunted production, doom themes which can run to the death/black metal field riding a gothic/ punk voice and all the way around. The band is highly original and talented, so there's no way they're gonna stay in the underground for long. «West Of Everything Lies Death» will be the spot where it all started and you can testify if here and now.

THE BENDAL INTERLUDE Reign Of The Unblinking Eye Black Bow Records 8/10 To have your label describing your sound as a mixture of 16, Rwake, Eyehategod, Down and Reviews

Slayer is always inspiring.

UK's The Bendal Interlude live up to the expectations created by these kind of statements though. Their sludge, mixed with southern rock, thrash and groove metal is filthy and drenched in whisky and sweat and, in their debut full-length, the band featuring two SSS members manage to stand apart from the “southern/sludge” herd out there. Which is saying a lot. But then again, the riffs and low-end in the tracks of «Reign Of The Unblinking Eye» are enough to TRAMPLE an heard.

THE BODY & KRIEG «The Body & Krieg» At A Loss Recordings 7/10 Sludge metal experimentalists The Body bring in Krieg's mastermind N. Jameson and press “play”. Apparently, the black metal visionary showed up for rehearsals armed with just an acoustic guitar, a few pedals and a bottle of whisky, but the result of «The Body & Krieg», the collaboration between both entities, is far from simple or relaxed. Eight tracks, 37 minutes of pure noise, black metal and industrial maelstrom, done sometimes without the slightest sense of musicality and with the noise wall turning all into a big pulp. Enormous doom-ish riffs, exasperated shrieks and a bleak atmosphere fill in the tracks and, despite it's a nasty and devastating experience (not always in the best way), «The Body & Krieg» has that sense of urgency and extremeness that makes all good experimental records really worth the effort of the battery they put us through.

THE NEPALESE TEMPLE BALL Arbor Self-released 6/10 OK, Neurosis and Godflesh isn't exactly the best influences visit card to deliver in your debut these days, as tons of bands are doing this murky postdoom metal thing, but the British four-piece The Reviews

Nepalese Temple Ball still try their luck with «Arbor». There's no doubt that, all through the eight tracks and 63 minutes of the record, the band knows how to build an atmosphere.

The riffs are almost funeral doom and the dissonance saturates de air, while the vocals are tortured and pretty intense. The Nepalese Temple Ball also seem to be able to know what to do with this wall of thick sound, and there's obvious build/release tension in the writing of the songs. Quite a good band and release, if there wasn't so many out there just as goo and just as heavy with the exact same influences and fear to get on their own feet, sound-wise.

THE SICKENING Sickness Unfold Xtreem Music 7/10 Brutal death metal with the secular over the top vocals and snare sound is what Norway's The Sickening have to offer in their second opus. Obviously, with the pedigree of people like the drummer Beist (ex-Blood Red Throne) guitarist Markspist (ex-Slagmark), vocalist Avsky (Violated) and bassist Neeraj (ex-Slagmark) nothing could go really wrong, but «Sickness Unfold» is one piece of vicious, hook-in-meat death metal done the old way. Nothing too original, nothing too fresh: just pure old school brutal death metal done how it should be done.

THIRD STORM Tarîtîya Me Dark Descent Records 8/10 After a brief existence in the 1986-1988 period and a long absence from the scene, the Swedish doom/black metal band Third Storm is finally back, and with a debut EP. «Tarîtîya Me» sees the core members (guitar-player Jimmy and vocalist Heval Bozarslan) joined by drummer Johan Horrores Nocturnos 37

Ericson (Draconian mastermind and guitarist), bassist Daniel Ekeroth (from Tyrant, Usurpress and Dellamorte fame, also the author of the book “Swedish Death Metal) and guitar-player David Eriksson (Anguish, Veternus). The EP is comprised by two lengthy doom tracks bleached by black metal and even some occasional old school death metal. Dark, slow, morbid and heavy, as when you think that an Uppsala doom/ death metal band should sound.

TRANQUILLIZER Des Endes Anfang Self-released 7/10 Melodic death/black metal done the German way – competent and no frills - is what Tranquillizer has to offer in their debut fulllength album, «Des Endes Anfang». While the guitar work shows clearly some Scandinavian key influences (Norway-Sweden axis), the vocal work flows between the more aggressive tone and low, gutural parts, while exploring the German language phrasing. The rhythm section is incredibly tight and the production also works really well. All in all, a great improvement from their debut EP and a really good which should be supported!

VIGILANCE Hounds Of Megiddo Witches Brew 8/10 Despite their earlier heavy/speed metal roots, Vigilance is today one of the blackened heavy metal pillars of the Slovenian scene.

«Hounds Of Megiddo» is their second fulllength and shows a greater dominance of the mix of NWOBHM, thrash and black metal that is the quartet's trademark. The riffs and solos are top, the vocals are old-school black metal and the whole production works as a visceral fuel to a great album. Seven tracks (one of them instrumental), one intro and a proper cover of Bathory's «Sacrifice» fill out 36 minutes of pure, old and evil heavy metal, from the depths of the 38 Horrorres Nocturnos

European underground directly to the stereo systems of the real connoisseurs.

WAR CURSE Final Days Self-released 6/10 War Curse, hailing from the U.S., play quite a catchy mix of thrash and heavy metal, reminding of Slayer's grooviest material. Right, there's a lighter and more middle-pace sense to the «Final Days» - the band's debut album – material, but Tarek Puska's voice brings it back to the King/Araya terrain, with very few hints that the band really wants to include anything vaguely original in their own music. Still, these are six heavy/thrash metal anthems well written and played, released in CD and cassette for your aural pleasure.

WEB Everything Ends Raising Legends Records 7/10 As one of the oldest metal bands in Portugal (their career dates back from 1986!), Web doesn't have enough recognition, but every once in a while they release a new album to give us a chance to make it up. «Everything Ends» is their third, mixing power metal with thrash the only way they know: with honesty, competence and a cohesive sound. The production, some melodies and arrangements show this is Web era 2015 and their continuous will to evolute, but the core of their style is still rooted in the 80's and early 90's, when “power metal” and “thrash” were two sentences of the same phrase.

WOWS Aion Argonauta Records 7/10 They're Italian and they could be just another project trying to catch the bandwagon of doom/sludge/post-metal. In fact, that is exactly Reviews

what they play but, as their album «Aion» shows,there's a small detail in Wows approach to the media-darling style: they do it from the heart and with attitude.

This probably makes the eight tracks in «Aion» a little less “monolithic” and “psych” than the hipsters would like, but there's no shortage of thick atmosphere, huge riffs and interesting experimental post-metal passages, alongside an honest vocal approach.

Definitely not for the faint-hearted.

REISSUES FLUISTERAARS Dromers Eisenwald 9/10 After a digital/vinyl only original release in 2014 by Cold Void Emanations, the debut album from Fluisteraars is finally arriving to the CD format. For those unaware, Fluisteraars is probably the best black metal band coming out of Holland these days. Their approach is emotionally heavy, with sparkles of pagan influences and hints of melancholic/suicidal stuff without really stepping into the styles’ clichés. It’s very well done, involving and dark as only the real black metal bands can be. If you happened to miss this masterpiece of our days, now it’s your chance.

Get the CD with patch or one of the bundles available in Einsenwald cool webshop.

KILL THE THRILL 1989 Atypeek Music 7/10 Highly influential and quite frankly exciting as fuck, French dark industrialists aren’t very active in terms of recordings. Their last full-length album dates from 2005 and, since then, they released a collaboration 7” with Overmars in Reviews/Reissues

2008 and a split/compilation EP in the following year, with tracks also from Year Of No Light, Abronzius and One Second Riot. Now they return to shelves with a re-release of their first material, comprised of demos recorded back in 1989, the year the band started. It’s a compilation of eight short tracks showing their more straight industrial influences and also some post-punk hints, way before dense atmospherics and dark shrouds took over their music. Still, it’s quite intense to be interesting and the fans will not want to miss it.

KING DIAMOND The Spider’s Lullaby Metal Blade 8/10 Re-release of the 1995, classic fifth album of King Diamond, the band led by infamous Mercyful Fate vocalist. Unlike many King Diamond albums, «The Spider’s Lullaby» was not entirely conceptual (just the last four tracks tell the title’s story) and the songs were written a few years before, but King was struggling to get a new label in Europe and had to wait four years to get it out (through Massacre).

Now it gets a re-release treatment, in digipack, with demo versions of four tracks in a bonus disc.

REVOCATION Empire Of The Obscene Metal Blade 8/10 Prior to signing to Relapse Records for their second album, Massachusetts local heroes of technical death/thrash metal Revocation had one album independently released. «Empire Of The Obscene» displayed already the technical ability of the band to blend technical death metal with melodic thrash and spice everything with hints to grindcore. It’s a little bit less focused than their latest releases, but with an extra dose of enthusiasm and raw, youth energy, which kind of makes it up. This new chance to get your hands where it all started for this fantastic band comes with remastered and remixed sound and all three tracks of the 2006 debut EP «Summon The Spawn», as bonus. All in all a good re-release from Metal Blade.

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