#10 Inside The Darkness

Edition for true metalfans

#10†31.05.2020

News•Reviews•Interviews•Exclusive

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I NSIDE D ARKNESS THE CREW

Evgeny-Destroyer Editor-in-chief, design https://www.facebook.com/ evgeny.dubovskoy Mail: destroyerr78@mail.ru WhatsApp: +79180242178

Olga «Blackie» Schneider Editor, interviewer, text corrector https://www.facebook.com/ olga.metalheart Mail: olgaschneider.1997@gmail.com Inst:https://www.instagram.com/blackie_metalheart/

https://destroyerr78.wixsite.com/insidethedarkness https://www.facebook.com/InsideTheDarknessWebzine/ https://www.instagram.com/inside_the_darkness_webzine/ https://vk.com/insidethedarknessmetalwebzine https://twitter.com/metal_webzine

Andrew Editor, interviewer, text corrector https://www.facebook.com/ andrew.stanton.71216 WhatsApp: 0044 07527 362762

A special thanks to...

Silje Storm Drabitius for Kampfar’s photos Helmuth Lehner (Belphegor) for Hails to everyone! his TOTAL support Time flies as hell, so this time we can proudly announce that thisis our anniversary issue. We’re endlessly grateful to those who have supported ...and especially to these people us all this time and we aren’t gonna stop growing up. for the interviews Due to damn corona, the section Live on stage has temporarily Ingar Amlien (Crest of disappeared, and that’s a big lose for us, even if it’s just for some time.

Darkness) Live concerts show the true essence of any band, and of course every Dolk (Kampfar) listener needs a regular dose of Metal into blood. So we’re full of optimism and we hope incredibly much that the rebirth of live Metal shows will Ritual Butcherer (Archgoat) Zel (Ancient) happen as soon as possible.

Beliath (Impalement) As for good news, the interview section has visibly grown up. We keep Stefan Necroabyssious telling you guys about little-known, but worthy bands, and at the same (Varathron) time keeping you in touch about the titans.

Kobold (Old Forest) Plague can’t last forever, and we’ll rise again soon, with double power.

Metzli (Kvlt Of Eblis) Always on fire, Eysteinn (Nyrst) Olga Schneider, editor No One (T.O.M.B.)

Editor’s brief

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CONTENT Crest of Darkness Interview with Ingar Amlien...............................8 Kampfar Interview with Dolk ....................14 Archgoat Interview with Ritual Butcherer......................18 Ancient Interview with Zel..............................22 Impalement Interview with Beliath..............26

News from hell..........................................4

Varathron Interview with Stefan Necroabyssious.......................32 Old Forest Interview with Kobold ............36 Kvlt Of Eblis Interview with Metzli ..........38 Nyrst Interview with Eysteinn ...........40 T.O.M.B. Interview with No One.........42

Best Metal releases..............46

Stories about Metal bands..............70

Inside The Darkness reviews............92

Metalheads are waiting for it............98

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World Metal News

DEATH MAGICK OVER EUROPE 2020!

Diabolical Black Death Metal troop BELPHEGOR will headline European territory once again. Special guests on this tour will be death-monsters INCANTATION, Black Metal outfit HORNA and NECROSY. The Totenrituals will kick off on 4th November in Oslo, Norway at Parkteatret and conclude in Graz, Austria at Explosiv Club, 29th November.

“We’ve forged an extreme Metal package to march throughout Europe,» commented BELPHEGOR vocalist/ guitarist and founding member Helmuth.

«After all these unfortunate cancellations, Serpenth and I can’t wait to go out on tour again. Live Rituals are the true essence of BELPHEGOR!!»

BELPHEGOR also looks forward to recruiting new blood and will announce live line-up soon.

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4

Spanish death metallers UNDEAD have signed a deal with Kadabra Music for the release of their debut album «Existential Horror» on vinyl format, on September 25th, 2020.

The vinyl LP will be available in black and limited to 100 units only. Pre-order now at this location: https:// kadabramusicofficial. bandcamp.com/album/ existential-horror Vocalist/guitarist V. Repulse comments on the deal: «After all the work, dedication and blood spilled for this album, «Existential Horror» is finally coming on vinyl! And as old school worshipers, we’re really excited about this release and the collaboration with Kadabra Music. Only vinyl is real!»

Existential Horror» was originally released on CD via Godz Ov War on late 2019.

The album was mixed and mastered by Tore Stjerna at Necromorbus Studio. Cover art

by Branca Studio.

BELPHEGOR – NEW ALBUM DELAYED UNTIL EARLY 2021!

Helmuth states: «Because of the global pandemic, we must push the release of the still-untitled to early

We

LP 2021.

back

have been

composing this new album since what feels like forever.

Drums have already been recorded Fascination Street Studios in Sweden.

February this year at Since mid-March. Serpenth and I have kept busy by tracking guitars and bass for the new album.»

BELPHEGOR will report to you with news on the progress of this album, so keep an eye out! before the outbreak in

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World Metal News

Asenblut Die Wilde Jagd

Obituary, Black Label Society and Lord Dying tour 08/08 Sault Ste. Marie, MI – Kewadin Casinos – Sault Ste. Marie 08/14 Bowler, WI – North Star Mohican Casino Resort (Black Label Society only) 08/17 Louisville, KY – Old Forester’s Paristown Hall 08/18 Athens, GA – Georgia Theatre 08/19 Huntsville, AL – Mars Music Hall @ Von Braun Center 08/21 Biloxi, MS – Hard Rock Live Biloxi (Black Label Society only) 08/22 Dothan, AL – The Plant 08/23 St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live 08/25 Charleston, SC – The Music Farm 08/26 Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel 08/28 Rochester, NY – Main Street Armory 08/29 Hartford, CT – The Webster

6

6

tour

2020

l e

c n

a c

North American tour 2020 Insomnium, Eluveitie and Infected Rain.

21.09 Miami, FL – Kelsey Theater 22.09 Tampa, FL – Orpheum 23.09 Atlanta, GA – Masquerade 24.09 Baltimore, MD – Soundstage 25.09 Worcester, MA – Palladium 26.09 Reading, PA – Reverb 28.09 New York, NY – Gramercy Theater 29.09 New York, NY – Gramercy Theater 30.09 Quebec City, QC – Imperial 01.10 Montreal, QC – Club Soda 02.10 Toronto, ON – Opera House 03.10 Cleveland, OH – Agora (w/ Amaranthe, Battle Beast & Seven Spires) 04.10 Chicago, IL – Concord Music Hall 06.10 Des Moines, IA – Wooly’s 07.10 Minneapolis, MN – Cabooze 08.10 Winnipeg, MB – Park Theater

d e

10.10 Edmonton, AB – Starlite Room 11.10 Calgary, AB – Palace Theater 13.10 Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theater 14.10 Seattle, WA – Neptune 15.10 Portland, OR – Bossanova 16.10 San Jose, CA – The Ritz 17.10 Los Angeles, CA – The Regent 18.10 Anaheim, CA – National Grove 19.10 Phoenix, AZ – Club Red 21.10 Denver, CO – Ogden Theater 23.10 Dallas, TX – Canton Hall 24.10 Austin, TX – Come And Take It Live 25.10 Houston, TX – Scout Bar

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Crest of Darkness • Black\DeathMetal from Norway

Interview with Ingar Amlien

Interview by Evgeny Destroyer

– Crest of Darkness have been bringing darkness to this world almost

love for such a long time?

Ingar: The answer of this question is quite simple.

doing this. My head is always full of ideas, and what’s better than trying

Satan is for me a symbol of my own ego. for 30 years already. How have you been managing to keep this spirit and continue to do what you 8

All the music ing is a result style. This is seems like I

I am makof my lifemy life! It can’t stop

to use this creativity to make art, -to make music?! And if someone like my work it’s even better.

– Now we’re going through really hard times, lots of concerts and festivals around the world have been canceled.

How did it touch your band and you personally?

Ingar: It’s a very strange situation, quite frustrating to be honest. Whatever, we just have to do the best out of it. We was about to organise a mini-tour in Europe this autumn, but as the situation is right now we’ll wait with these plans. The future is unpredictable, and even if we’re looking very much forward to play live again we’re not desperate.

We don’t want to cancel or p o s t p o n e shows if it’s not necessary.

But after a period where we didn’t meet physically at all we have now started to rehearse again. Both on our live-set, but we are also working on several new songs. The good thing about this is the fact that we’ll probably record a new album quite soon!

– For such a long period of your musical career, have you developed a plan for making and re-

cording another album, or does it happen when the time comes and you wait for this moment and just do what you really like?

Ingar: I’ve already said a few words about this.

When we’re recording a new album with Crest of Darkness we’re following almost the same «prescription» as we did more than twenty years ago. I am working on new material almost all the time. After a period of songwriting the whole band come together. I’m presenting my ideas and songs, my bandmates are also presenting their ideas. We start rehearsing on the s o n g s , a n d we’re trying

to enter the studio very well prepared. The basic tracks of the drums and bass are essential at this stage while the rest of the recordings are based on this «fundament». Because of the circumstances it seems like this time the whole process of making a new album will go faster than ever before.

– In December 2019, you released your eighth full-length album, The God of Flesh, which has already got many positive reviews from Black Metal fans and music critics. Tell me, what is the meaning of the title of the album and what did you want to bring with this new release?

Ingar: For me The God of Flesh is symbolising the physical world, but everything around us is energy in different forms. That’s also the reason why I use the word/ term God. For the human beings everything can be looked upon as a God if you are looking at it as a believer of some kind of religious system. It isn’t necessary anything wrong about that, but for sure religion has brought a lot of damnation into the world!

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Crest of Darkness • Black\DeathMetal from Norway

With the whole concept of the new album, The God of Flesh, we are wandering on the borderline between the physical world and what many people like to call «the other side”. The world of the unknown, -the world of mystery, -what we don’t have the knowledge to understand. All my life is based on physical «proofs”, it’s based on what we know today based on the Science. I live for today, and I know that I can be dead tomorrow, and everything is over. But even if I’m so much «down to earth” I’m living in a wonderfull dark world.

The brain is a wonderful «instrument». In my inner world I am the God of a fantastic dark universe where I am the creator! This is the place where I can hide and find peace, but most of all this is the place where I find the motivation and energy to live my «daily life” in full! Most people don’t know or they underestimates the dark forces of the nature, -our natural animal instincts. By following our own «nature», -by becomming our own Gods 10

many people would get a much better life! We are all worth something,you just have to understand this yourself. I’ll claim that if you can handle your daily life and also find peace in mind you’ll become a better and more tolerant person. Following the Left Hand Path has nothing to do with being «evil”.

I’ve always said that un-

happy,frustrated people are the most dangerous people.

– Is there any connection between your music and your personal life? How do these two things impact each other?

Ingar: It’s close connection between my music and my personal life! Well, I’m talking with «big words” in my music, -I’m using a lot of metaphors and symbols, but behind all my music you’ll find «a peace” of me. I’m not living a boring life! In many ways I’m living in my own «bobble», -in my own dream, but don’t worry, I’m taking very well care of my personal life, my family, daily things… But I couldn’t live without Crest of Darkness. I believe that this band, the whole project, will follow me till the day I die!

– Does your family completely support you in all what you do? How strong is importance of support from closest people for you and how does their support impact your creativity?

Ingar: I’m in the lucky situation where I can say that my family completely support my musical career.

I’m very thankful for this, and I know that I’m privileged. Without this support nothing would have been the same. I’m surrounded with positivity, and for sure that makes it’s easier for me to be creative and make new music.

– If you look back through the time, can you remark some album or song you’re really proud of?

Ingar: It’s difficult to pick out a special album or a special song, -they are all «my childen» you know. If you ask me tomorrow I’ll might say something else, but right now I’m thinking that the song «Demon Child” from the album «In The Presence of Death» (2013) must be mentioned, I’d also like to mention both «Katharsis” and «Chosen by the Devil” from the album «Welcome the Dead” (2016).

Older songs… hmm… The title track of «The Ogress» (1999)has something special… I think I’ll leave it with that. I have so many songs to choose from, and many of them mean a lot to me! They all have their own history.

– You’re also a member of the hard rock band called Conception. Con-

gratulations on the recent release of the new album.

How do you manage to combine two such radically opposite genres?

Ingar: It’s easier to combine this two bands than

you understand I’m feeling very much comfortable with playing in both bands.

– Crest of Darkness is your dark side, and I can assume that Conception is your bright side

many people seem to believe. Crest of Darkness is of course much darker and aggressive than Conception, but both bands are quite progressive, and musically we are sharing more than it might seems like. It’s challenging songs to play,a lot of variations and details in the music.

Conception, especially our new music, is melancholic, it’s really quite emotional music. I like this sadness, I’ve never been into the most «happy» prog- or melodic metal music! So as

and creates the balance of darkness and light in your soul occurs, is that so?

Ingar: Crest of Darkness is definitely my dark side, -no doubt about that! You can might say that Conception is my bright side, but in that case «my bright side» isn’t nescasary only representing happines.

Both bands are going deep into our inner life as human beings struggling with our lifes in different ways.

– You are a Satanist and a desciple of the Satanic Bible.

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Crest of Darkness • Black\DeathMetal from Norway

Tell me what it means to you to be a Satanist and what is the meaning of it personally for you?

Ingar: In opposition to many other religious beliefs there’s no supernatural beings, no Gods, who are influencing my life! I am my own God, and I would never bow down for any kind of religious belief. I am responsible for my own life, and I know that it is my own actions that is most important for the future of myself and my family. In general I’ll say that it lies a lot of responsibility in living like a Satanist. You have no other than yourself to blame if you’re taking the wrong choices in life. You have to trust in yourself! It lies a lot of symbolism in the Satanic belief. This is of course manmade, we all know that, but the purpose is to open up for the dark forces of the nature. It’s a kind of self-healing, a kind of psykhotherapy, or a kind of magic if you want to use that word.

Satan is for me a symbol of my own ego, and by worshipping Satan I’m lifting myself up to a higher level.

– How much evil do you consider Crest of Darkness music and why?

Ingar: Crest of Darkness is a Satanic metal band, but that doesn’t nescasa12

ry mean that we are a evil band. What is good? What is evil? Very often this is a matter of definition, culture background, political values and more. Through the music of Crest of Darkness I’m inviting the listeners into my own dark world. I’m sharing this world with many others, and those of us who are feeling a connection to this dark universe, we find a lot of inspiration here. For some people Crest of Darkness will be considered as a very evil band because it’s going against most of the Christian values, but that is another story.

– I know that you love traveling, leaving far from civilization and finding solitude with nature in the most beautiful places in Norway.

Tell me about this part of your life. Do such changes affect your work?

Ingar: It’s absolutely nescasary to have a certain inner strength if you shall follow the left hand path. It’s a reason why a lot of initiation rituals are involving a period of isolation, a period where you have to stay alone with your own «demons», your own thoughts, all your fears. I love to be outdoors in the beautiful nature of

Norway simply because it gives me me inner peace, and it makes me become a more harmonic person. It also makes me stronger. I won’t say it’s dangerous, but being alone fare into the woods in the wintertime, it’s a lot of snow, it’s cold… You have to know what you are doing. For me it gives me a good feeling of mastery being able to handle this situations where I’m sometimes freezing cold, but I know what to do to survive because I’m well prepared for this. For sure I take this experiences with me into my daily life, and they make me become a better man. And of course my wildlife experiences means a lot to my artistic work. They are extremely important for me as an inspiration to make new music!

– Your band has a quite active position on the Internet. Do you think that online promotion is a good advertisement for modern musicians, or are concerts doing their job as in the good old days?

Ingar: I believe that being active on the Internet is very important today! If people don’t see you they will very often forget you.

That’s sad, but true. Conserts are also very important, and if you’re touring a lot that’s perhaps the best promotion you can get.

But in periods where you’re not touring, it’s gone some time since the latest release… In this periods you have to show people that you are alive, and using Internet is very often a good idea.

I know that some of our fans love this glimpses into our daily life.

Some photos, perhaps a video from the rehearsal room and so on.

– Tell me about your corpsepaint.

What does visual rebirth mean for you when you turn from an ordinary person into the Crest of Darkness leader? Does this contribute to a brighter expression of your dark inner world?

Ingar: When I turn into my altar ego as The Priest from Hell in Crest of Darkness my corpsepaint is an important part of the ritual. I’m still myself, but I’m entering the darkest parts of my inner world, and it makes me stronger in this role, -maybe also more honest because I’m loosing a lot of my normal inhibitions. Every show with Crest of Darkness is a kind of ritual for me, and if someone want to join me in this ritual they are very much welcome to do this!

- I can assume that you

really like the work and image of Alice Cooper, is that so? In my opinion, you are very similar to Alice. Don’t you happen to know him in person?

Ingar: Unfortunately I don’t know Alice in person, but I’d love to meet him some time! I’ve been a huge fan of Alice Cooper since I was a young boy. I loved his image, he’s shows, everything about him! I’ve seen him live many times, and I love his music. Especially the earlier stuff, but still to-

day he’s releasing some great stuff! I know that we’re not sharing the same belief, but I don’t care about that. For me Alice is the king of horror rock, and no-one can make a better show than him!

- In conclusion of our interview, I want to thank you for your time and wish you and all the members of the Crest of Darkness band unlimited creative success and great tours and fests in the future. And as always, our traditional question is your wishes to all those who are reading this interview and our editorial staff.

Ingar: First I wanna thank you for your great wishes to me and the band! I also wannna thank you and your editorial staff for supporting Crest of Darkness. It means a lot to us! To all of you and the readers of this interview I’m sending my darkest greetings from Norway! I love you all!

The photographer: Marius Engli Andersson

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Kampfar • Pagan Black Metal from Norway

Interview with Dolk

Interview by Andrew Stanton

‘Kampar’ is an Viking battle cry. Andrew Stanton had a chat with front man, Dolk.

readers a little bit about your band history, please?

Kampfar began life in

of music and personality. With only a marginal connection to the

We still will be doing what feels natural for Us and not what will makes Us bigger.

Hello, to Inside Hello - Can 14

and welcome the Darkness. and thanks. you tell our

1994. Kampfar have always stood somewhat apart from their Norwegian peers, both in terms

Oslo and Bergen scenes, the band formed their distinctive identity in relative isolation, their

music manifesting through the idiosyncratic partnership of vocalist and drummer Dolk and guitarist/ bassist Thomas Andreassen.

Unlike Dolk, who had previously played in early 90s Black Metal act Mock, Thomas had little connection to the scene and instead mostly channeled folk and classical influences, and this combination would profoundly shape classic early albums such as Mellom Skogkledde Aaser, Fra Underverdenen and Kvass. In 2010 Thomas would depart, an event that would radically change the character of the band as a whole. Yet we managed to maintain a voice, upping the aggression and intensity within our music and continuing to make a name for our-

selves as a live act. 2011’s Mare, 2014’s Djevelmakt and 2015’s Profan all proved to be remarkably strong re-

cords, and after a wait of almost four years, the band have released the equally powerful and stirring opus Ofidians Manifest. The 2015’s Profan Album made it all the way to the winning of a Norwegian Grammy “Spellemann” in Metal.

- What is your opinion of the current Norwegian Black Metal scene?

People seem to forget about this, but in the early 90s that was the big thing in Black Metal; No bands sounded like each other.

So you would have Ulver, Emperor, Satyricon, Kampfar and all these other bands that went in different directions but shared some e s s e n c e , and that is true still for Kampfar, we share this essence of Black Metal 15

Kampfar • Pagan Black Metal from Norway

but we go in new directions. For me Black Metal for the last 10 years has not been like that.

Black metal has been walking the same path over and over and not doing anything new.

A l b u m and on ‘Ophidian’ it is very clear and t o u c h es upon the whole essence of the album – if we could explain to the English speaking people about the album’s concept, it would be on that song.

- What do you think of other countries’ attempts at creating Black Metal?

A lot of other countries do not only attempt to make black metal like you suggest they do here. They make black metal and have done so for decades. Take Greece, Italy, Finland, US, Sweden as an example. They have been cre16

ating black metal for ages and still do. I do not limit black metal to just be

Nordic or Norwegian as many might think I`ll do.

Take for instance Master`s Hammer from The Czech Republic. They were pioneers and shaped Norwegian black metal more than anyone could imagine in my opinion.

- Was Enslaved your biggest influence?

Not at all.

- What do you think of ex-Black Metal bands like In The Woods and Arcturus?

Again it’s all about this...

In the early 90s it was a big thing in Black Met-

al that no bands sounded like each other. In the woods and Arcturus were bands that went in a different direction.

And I liked it a lot back then and still do.

- Do you ever get tempted to start singing in English to gain more fans?

No cause…

Again on our newest album we mostly used Norwegian because that is natural but when it comes to this album.

We did the song ‘Ophidian’ in English. We decided to use English because even though it comes early in the album it is a sort of ‘break’ in the album and ‘Ophidian’ kind of reflects the album as a whole well with its lyrics. ‘Ofidians Manifest’ translates to ‘manifest of the snake’, and the album is kind of the story of the snake that has been talking to me personally, and some other members.

The dark voice of the snake is talking throughout the whole. we could easily have done more songs in English, it would maybe have helped it to be bigger you know, but this is what is natural for us.

And we still will be doing what feels natural for Us and not what will makes Us bigger.

- What can our readers expect from your new album?

Our latest album came out one year ago now. The response for this album has been insane, it’s the most strong I have experienced in 25 years of Kampfar, that’s for sure. What will come next? Well we just have to wait and see.

Nothing is planned so far.

- Where do you stand on the argument? Is Black Metal a Norwegian creation, or a Swedish one?

Well this question is a good follow up on your

previous question I think Earlier. In my opinion is none of Us. But the Norwegian sound and the Swedish sound is for sure a distinct one. And in that case We both stand for the creation of that one. But something else would of course also been very strange if that wasn’t the case haha...

- Is there anything you would like to say to our readers or writing team?

Let’s hope this virus that plagues the earth right now will come to an end, so That we can be able to go touring in

the U.K again. It’s been way too long. Keep up the spirit and keep safe and we will meet again.

- Thank you for your team and stay Metal Thank you. /Especially thanks to Silje Storm Drabitius for Kampfar’s photos! http://www.siljestormdrabitius.com https://www.facebook. com/stormdlivephotography https://www.instagram.com/stormd_ l i v e p h o t o g r a p h y

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Archgoat • Death/Black Metal from Finland

Interview with Ritual Butcherer

18

Interview by Olga Schneider

First of all, we’d like to thank you for the opportunity to do this interview. How are you doing right now?

Hails, thank you for the interview. I am doing ok at the moment, with loads of available time to pursuit my activities and goals.

How does the current situation in the world influence you as a musician and generally?

It has given me plenty of time to focus on improving my guitar playing (the boring metronome stuff) and also to

focus on working on new material so not all has been shit.

Naturally my so-

However, at the moment you had to postpone only one show.

W h a t ’ s your prognosis for the near future?

This not exactly correct info. The prognosis for this year is major as this shot storm ate all of our shows for period of 6 months including the USA tour that was planned for the May so the impact on this front has been a major one so far.

earts h r u o in e b l il w e W d band. n u o r g r e d n u n a s y a alw cial interactions have been limited like everybody else’s so nothing fancy going on. The personal plans including travelling for this first half of the year have been more or less cancelled.

These shows and the tour have been postponed to period of fall and end of this year, but as we know, there could be more cancellations coming with our summer shows.

Nowadays you live in Germany. Doesn’t it interrupt working with band, meanwhile the other members are in Finland?

Not really at the moment as I compose and do the whole music by myself and only when the material is 80% ready I start to work with the guys to find the final form of the music. I had planned the move to Germany and composed the last album timew-

isingly to give me few years of time with no stress to release anything. Now I have started the first composing “round” and can work on 9 songs to the previously mentioned stage and after that I will start to look at the other guys. For shows, it is easy and everybody rehearses privately to be ready to play.

After 30 years, you’re still keeping your own sound and nothing made you crawl into mainstream, meanwhile your fan base is really massive nowadays. How did you manage to combine these 2 things?

From our end the things are like they always have been but more and more people have found us so I am the last person who can answer this question I think. We have evolved with every release but in controlled manner and the band has grown with the last 2 albums but this is not a target or some plan for us. We will be in our hearts always an

underground band. When we started AG we had an idea of what this band should be about and have not strayed from this form. Maybe being original and true to your colours has something to do why we get the appreciation today.

Last year you celebrated your 30-year anniversary touring the world’s biggest cities. Tell us about your best experiences during this tour.

We played last year only few shows due to my moving to Germany and only two 30-anniversary shows (Pori, Finland and Paris, France), so there really was not a tour for this.

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Archgoat • Death/Black Metal from Finland 20

For this show we had planned to record it and it was originally planned to happen at both cities.

Pori could not provide the soundman so we went with the Paris recording.

Outside of normal activities around a show there were none. Little beer napping before the shows and now bigger conquests to brag about.

Are you g o n n a work on some new content in the near future when all this shit with corona ends?

I am now – like mentioned – working on new material but on a

very crude level with recording first a separate riffs and

after that trying to get few to work together before going in the structures so yes, some-

thing is boiling and bubbling now. But will it end to a release is not certain and only time will tell.

Our last and traditional question.

W h a t would you like to say to our readers and our editorial board in the end of this interview?

Thank you for the interview and hails to the Russian maniacs we have met and who we are to meet in future. Russia has always been for me among the top countries to play due to the cool people there!

ARCHGOAT - Black Mass XXX (Live in Paris) released on April 10, 2020!

Featuring an extended set including tracks from 1991 demo ‘Jesus Spawn’ via the classic 2006 full-length ‘Whore of Bethlehem’ all the way through to 2018’s ‘The Luciferian Crown’, this is a devastatingly brutal overview of one of the most singular bands in extreme music – an exhilarating grimoire of contemporary occultism from a band moving toward peak powers.

21

Ancient - Melodic Black Metal from Norway

Interview with Zel

Interview by Olga Schneider

-So, I think I should start this interview with quite a banal but very important question.

How are you doing during this time? Seeing your Facebook feed, I got the impression that you’re not letting the quarantine fukk you up, and I must say we totally support your point.

Ok, it’s a bit difficult to answer this question with a “we” cause, 3 of the members in Ancient are in north Italy, and I am in Norway.

The guys in Italy are doing ok, but they are in home quarantine and only allowed to go out with a special permission, to visit

supermarket etc, so quite an annoying situation to say the least, but they are safe.

Here in Norway the situation is very calm (compared to most of the other countries in Europe), we have few infected and few people have died from the virus.

We are also allowed to go outside as usual (except those people who have a 14 day quarantine), so we really can’t complain at all. The economies will be affected a lot

I believe things will be ok for the most part. The situation causes a lot of psychological stress to most people, losing jobs etc, but, looking at most other counties out there, we can really be glad to be in Norway these days.

-This pandemic shit, however, touched each of us, so your Russian tour got cancelled. Were there any other plans for any shows in making before it all happened?

Yes, nobody could imagine such a situation.

It seems we will play in Russia in the end of October though. Yes, we were supposed to play a lot of concerts in Italy

I just keep my darkness and wild aggression inside, and it comes out through my music, and on stage.

22

everywhere, and a lot in Norway as well as oil prices is record low, but

in March/ April, some gigs in Germany, and Poland, but everything has been cancelled, and probably we will not be on stage again until October, the way it looks now.

-Now we’re all waiting for Summer, Autumn whatever, and of course looking forward to get back to intense life and concerts.

What about you?

We know that after returning to Russia you also plan several shows in Europe. Are you gonna extend this tour dates list?

Yes, though it seems basically all summer festivals this year will be cancelled, due to the pandemic. We will probably have a tour in East Europe in November sometime, but it’s not yet 100% confirmed. Besides that, we will have gigs in Germany, Italy, Poland etc etc. but we are still waiting for the dates to be 100% confirmed.

-Are you currently working on any

new content? Your last album was released in 2016, and now it’s kinda silence... What is that connected to?

I did start recording some demos a few weeks ago, so things are in the works, but I honestly doubt there will be another Ancient album before 2022, we will see though. Lately we have been busy with doing concerts for the Svartalvheim / Trolltaar Anniversary tour, and that will continue into next year a s w e l l , and I

also have a full time job in Norway now, so my spare time isn’t so much anymore, but we are definitely planning another album for Ancient.

-Back in the days, you were one of the most noticeable Black Metal bands from Norwegian underground, and you still remain it actually. What’s the future of this genre in Scandinavian countries and in the whole world, in your opinion?

Yes, I believe it was a lot cause we had a sound that was a bit different than the other bands, and some people really loved this style we became known for, the special cold Norwegian sound we had on Svartalvheim and Trolltaar especially.

There are a lot of great bands in the genre here in Norway ( I can’t say exactly for the other countries in Scandinavia, I am not well updated on it ) so yes I believe this genre will still be alive for m a n y y e a r s ahead.

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Ancient - Melodic Black Metal from Norway 24

As long as we have some bands doing something new and interesting, the genre will live on.

-What is the fact that you changed your nickname back in the days connected to? Was there something that completely changed in your mind or something like that?

I was called “Zel” for short, by friends and bandmates, and at one point I just thought it felt better to use this name instead of Aphazel, nothing very “important” though.

“Aphazel” was a name I found in a dream I had, and I was never really sure how to spell it, when putting it down on a paper, so I always felt a bit “unconvinced” about it, you see.

I don’t mind people still calling me Aphazel though.

-Do you still keep contact with the previous members? So different people, so different paths they’ve taken nowadays...

And what about you, do you feel that you’ve become much “calmer”

nowadays, or you’re still going wild deep inside?

I do keep in contact with most of them yes, it’s easy nowadays with the internet, Facebook etc. I think all the people who have gotten to know me, will describe me as a very “calm” person, I just keep my darkness and wild aggression inside, and it comes out through my music, and on stage. A lot of black metal musicians from Norway are described in this way, more or less.

-Back in 2016 you had a collaboration with the oldies from Mortuary Drape performing with them. Tell us a bit more about this collaboration.

Yes, I had the honor to be invited as a special guest at their 30-year Anniversary concert in Italy, it was a great experience, and it was also released on an official DVD.

I always thought Mortuary Drape was an amazing band, and they have a sound unlike any other band in the scene, we are good friends with the guys.

-Your Facebook profile says that you’re also working for other project called Melina Mortis.

What’s going on with it at the moment?

Yes, this project has been put on hold for a long time, but I believe we will finally record the first album of Melina Mortis after the summer. Ancient is always my first priority, so I didn’t

have much time to work on Melina Mortis lately, but I very much look forward to have the album recorded.

All the music is ready, we just have to record it.

It is different than Ancient, but the people who heard demos, tell me they can sense the “Ancient elements” in there sometimes. It is a kind of doom/ black/ melodic metal, but it’s difficult to label. I think of it as a kind of cross between Ancient / Type o Negative (world coming down era) but with female vocals. I think it’s a different kind of band, very

atmospheric and melodic, but with a dark edge.

-Our traditional question. What would you like to say to those who are reading this interview now and to our editorial board?

We are very much looking forward to coming back to Russia!! It has been 15 years since our last visit!!

Fun Fact : My wife was born in Russia!

Thanks again to everyone for the support and we will see you again in October!!

Hails Zel 25

Impalement - Black/Death/Metal from Switzerland

Interview with Beliath

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Interview by Olga Schneider

- So, first of all we’d like to say thank you for this collaboration. As we can see, Impalement started to “officially exist” during this fukked up time.

What do you think about this coincidence?

Hey Olga, thanks for this interview and for asking questions that really deal with the band and aren’t generic garbage.

I wouldn’t say that IM-

PALEMENT started to officially exist during these days, since I started to write songs

then the idea of IMPALEMENT was always part of me and I waited for the time to be ripe to realize a first release.

I didn’t want to approach t h e world of Metal without delivering presentable material, so for me it is pure coincidence that this happens during this Covid-19 shit.

lot a t e e m e m d e w o Metal all ple of interesting peo for this band around 10 years ago.

However, none of that material made it’s way on the final album but since

- Do you consider it as a good time for promoting the first album, while lots of people keep home and have kinda more time to check out something completely new?

Actually I didn’t even ask myself if there are ‘good times’ for promoting an album. The album was finalized and I don’t see any sense in delaying a release in order to gain better promotion. I don’t know if people now listen more or less to music than before this ‘crisis’, but I believe that meaningful music and art always finds supporters, no matter what times you live in.

- Did you meet any circumstances that interrupted you to release the album and make everything work

as you planned? Or you didn’t have to delay and released it as it was planned?

Since it’s my first album, I have no comparison regarding the process of the release itself. For me the most important was

however to deliver the best possible result of what I composed and recorded.

If it takes an extra day to record a better guitar riff I took the extra day. If it takes an extra week to adjust the mix of the drums we took the extra week.

Same with the artwork and visuals, every step of the creation took the time it needed and I refused to be a slave of a specific timeline. Once I decided the release will be on 30th April 2020, everything was aligned to this date and everyone involved worked hard to achieve this goal. At this point: Salutations to Jens from the AMP Studios who always found a way to made the impossible possible!

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Impalement - Black/Death/Metal from Switzerland 28

- When did you get the idea to create this project and how much time did you need to compose the stuff, think about the conception etc?

I would say that the idea of having my own band and creating the music exactly the way I want it to be started the same time as I discovered Metal. For years I could enjoy what other musicians worked so hard for and the more I realized about how much this meant to me, the more I felt the need to give something back. I think it’s important to find your own way and take challenging paths to evolve. In my case that meant to form my own band and let my own music take it’s first steps.

I started composing the music in midst of 2018, so less than a year before recordings started. Regarding the lyrics and concept, I can’t tell how long it took, since I always carry a little notebook with me and write down every idea of lyrics or visuals that come to my mind.

Was Impalement originally planned as a one-man project or

there were any circumstances that made it work like this?

For me Impalement is definitively no one-man project. Just considering on how many people worked on this album, from drums to sound engineering to artwork.

I know that for a lot of bands it’s a real struggle to find a steady lineup be-

cause t o o many musicians out there are jumping from band to band in order to polish their biography and become what they would consider as “famous”. In my opinion a lot of those mercenaries are just weak personalities, looking for the fastest way to the top instead

of learning on how to arrange with other people within in a band and form meaningful relationships.

I was looking for a long time to find musicians around the place I live at to form a real ‘old-school metal band’. By the time ‘The Impalement’ was recorded I was simply the only one who was interested in this idea, so I asked my friend Torturer if he could help me out by recording the drums.

- Do you want to continue as a oneman project or do you think about recruiting people for fast lineup? Maybe you plan any tour to promote the album when it gets possible, so you have to find session musicians?

I’m not interested in keeping IMPALEMENT as this so called ‘one-man band’ and since the recording of ‘The Impalement’ I found some promising and talented musicians in my region that are supporting IMPALEMENT and share the same passion for Metal as I do. In my opinion working with other musicians can also be a chance to improve yourself and find new challenges.

For example from IMPALEMENT’s new guitar shredder Raptus I can learn a lot about music theory and complex guitar leads...if you check out his band PUNISH you will directly hear what I mean! We are already shredding the hell out of our rehearsal bunker (it’s really a fucking bunker!) and are preparing ourselves to play concerts as soon as possible!

- How did your work with your other bands impact your new born project?

Difficult question, I think every experience shapes us in the way we are. I definitively can benefit a lot from all these years of working with different bands, no matter if as roadie behind or as guitar shredder on the stage. Also I had the chance to meet many musicians, metalheads and get an insight “behind the curtain”. That definitively helped me to develop my vision of where to go with IMPALEMENT and where not.

- What are main ideas you try to bring to this world?

I grew up in the countryside and until my 20s had no connection to the metal community. Back then

it was only me, the music and my guitar. Looking back it was a tough time but today I appreciate the fact that I could focus on my instrument and experience Metal all by myself. I remember for example when I rented a SLAYER CD at the local library and listened to it by myself, having nothing else but the morbid artwork and the extreme music...I had to stop the CD because it scared the shit out of me haha!

Of course from today’s perspective this might be a childish reaction to Metal music. But these experiences showed me how much of an effect Metal can have on people. No matter if you are young and try to find a way outside of the usual paths or if you are older and search for a deeper meaning in life.

I had bands to look up to, musicians that inspired me to learn an instrument and compose music myself. Metal allowed me to see so many different countries and meet a lot of interesting people. With IMPALEMENT I want to worship and honor True Metal in all it’s manifestations. And if that is inspiring only one person to find it’s own way and

carry on the spirit of Metal it was already worth it!

- As for the sound, when the first album was released, people started comparing you to Belphegor at once.

How do you take it?

In general I don’t care that much about other peoples opinion and I see no problem with being compared to other bands. To make it clear: I consider myself a die-hard BELPHEGOR Maniakk and would never deny how much of an impact this band had on me. For me it would be ridiculous to present myself as this creative genius that was never a fan of anyone else and came up with all ideas by himself.

Why deny your roots?!

I see a lot of people positively appreciating IMPALEMENT as “BELPHEGOR worship” and I’m sure dedicated Maniakks are able spot all the differences between both bands. I’m also heavily inspired by classic Heavy Metal, using heavy doses of twin-guitars and thrashy 80s guitar leads...You could also compare IMPALEMENT to JUDAS PRIEST or IRON MAIDEN...In the end I don’t give a shit since it’s all about Metal!

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Impalement - Black/Death/Metal from Switzerland 30

I know it takes years of experience and composing for a musician to find what I would call a unique style and who knows what IMPALEMENT will sound like in ten years...

- Since we started talking about Belphegor... I know you were Helmuth’s technician for a while. So, tell us a bit more in details about your collaboration with him and their ex-drummer Torturer.

As I already mentioned it didn’t took long and I got sucked into extreme Metal, searching for more and more extreme and diabolical stuff which of course ended up in me discovering BELPHEGOR. There you had your sworn in Maniakk in his early 20s, hungry for learning about Metal, instruments and concerts, so when Helmuth was looking for a guitar-tech, it was a match made in hell! Over years I could learn a lot, travel the world and improve my skills on the guitar. Tough years since BELPHEGOR is extreme in many ways and sets the bar high...but today I can really benefit from this tough school! I’m glad that I was shaped by high-standards and real dedication to this art and I don’t regret one fucking

day. For me it was a very personal matter when I asked Helmuth if he wants to contribute to my first own album and to this day I can’t believe that one of my biggest influences did not only play ‘some guitar solo’ but shredded this insane 1-minute lead madness...unbelievable!

Besides my work with BELPHEGOR I got in touch with the German band MOR DAGOR, a hidden gem of hellblasting Metal, formed by Torturer in ‘96. When they were looking for a bass player I joined them back in 2013.

Since then we shredded many shows and experienced a lot of crazy adventures. When I was looking for a drummer to record ‘The Impalement’ it was obvious for me to ask Torturer if he wants to support. Until this day I’m a huge fan of his drumming and his work on the album is fucking amazing. In my opinion too many drummers on that extreme level tend to force the drums into the foreground, causing conflicts and irritate the main idea of a song.

Torturer’s drumming is not only fast and precise as hell but he also managed to focus on the idea of every riff and therefore

increasing it’s effect, rather than competing with it.

- Other amazing collaboration you got for this album was Sarah Jezebel Deva which has always been an incredibly strong vocalist. How did you get in touch and why did you choose her for taking part in that track?

When composing the song ‘I Am All’ I knew that this thematically was a chance to include lyrics, inspired by a poem of Percy Bysshe Shelley about Pan, the phallus-god and what I would call the ‘archetype of metal’. When thinking about how to include this piece of classic British poetry I had Sarah’s distinctive voice in mind, so I took the chance and contacted her, showed her the song and described my idea. She liked it and the spoken poem she recorded turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. Her sophisticated delivery of the lines, combined with her amazing voice over the extreme background of hellblasting drums and shredding guitars expresses perfectly the grief, anger and madness caused by the loss of the goat-foot god of Arcady.

- What are your plans for the near future?

How do you plan to promote the album and to develop further?

At the moment we hope that the Covid-19 madness finds an end so that we can bring IMPALEMENT to the stages as soon as possible. Until then we continue to worship Metal and rehearse as much as possible. Regarding promotion I stay relaxed...the album is out there now and if people like it, they will support it the same way I support the bands that I like.

If not...then the album deserves to fall into oblivion!

For my part, I think I’m staying quite the way I am: Hungry for metal, focused and already composing songs for the next album!

- Our last and traditional question. What would you like to say to those who are reading this interview now and to our crew?

Thanks to everyone out there who does not only support IMPALEMENT, but Metal in general! All the people still spending some coin for music, even though you could steal it easily from download websites! All those people writing a message to their favorite band or sport a bandshirt to express their affection. All the labels that didn’t lost connec-

tion to the underground and give unknown bands a chance! All the webzines (and your crews!) that spend much (unpaid) time to give us more details about the music we live for! And of course to all the bands that go their own way, stay connected to

their supporters and carry the flame of Metal to something more meaningful than money or narcissism!

Stay Trüe - Stay Metal!

Impalement’s debut album The Impalement released on April 30, 2020.

CD & Merch available here: https://impalement.ch/merch Digital Album: https://impalementofficial.bandcamp.com

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Varathron - Black/Metal from Greece

Interview with Stefan Necroabyssious

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Interview by Olga Schneider

Well we’re e t a e r c living on to e u n i t n o hard times, c as so many We still w s a s m psal d e a t h s y l o h n u . r the ou steps around t s r i f world and r ou a lot of fear were in in our minds. The

- First of all, thank you for this sudden possibility to do this interview!

How are you doing during this hard time?

situation was so bad and

the results are pure destruction for human lives and the economy is worst than a world war!

The most important is that, we will survive!

- We know that lots of your shows got postponed during this time, and this is always losing of money. What are your main devices to fight the consequences?

As you know this situation is international phenomenon, so all the shows will be in 2021. The most important is the health of our friendsfans around the world.

Your latest creation was released in 2019.

Are you currently working on something n e w ?

W h a t s h o u l d we expect from your new album?

Our last full album “Patriarchs of

Evil” released in April 2018. So, now we have some new tracks and working on more. We will continue in the atmosphere and feeling of our previous album and I want it darkest and more apocryphal. Our passion and energy for music is never “sleep”, besides, in this time o f

quarantine, we recorded our second full album of Katavasia.

- As for Greek Extreme Metal scene in general, how can you describe it in a few words and what place does it have in the world Extreme Metal scene?

I think our Metal scene is one of the best in the world.

Heavy metal, Thrash, Death and Black Metal bands are great among the super names around the world. About Extreme Metal scene, I saw a great evolution in the last years! Great!!!

- What, in your opinion, makes you and other Metal bands from Greece so distinctive and so different from lots of bands from other European countries?

What’s the role of national culture in this case?

The Greek Black Metal scene is so unique, so different than other scenes around the world. The basic reasons for that is our ancient Greek culture, our inspirations from classical Heavy Metal bands, our esoteric feelings. Is a mix of all of these and the results are awesome!

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Varathron - Black/Metal from Greece 34

What bands inspired you personally like growing up and what bands are your main inspirations nowadays?

W h e n Varathron born our inspirations was bands like BATHORY, CELTIC FROST/ H E L L HAMMER, VENOM, DEATH, MORBID ANGEL, SARCOFAGO and classic Heavy Metal bands. Today our inspiration is our past!

- After so many years, even having got known in Metal circle, you’re still keeping underground.

What do you think of mainstream Metal bands, the way they pander to mainstream magazines?

All these years we

serve the underground metal spirit with honour.

W e s t i l l

continue to create our unholy psalms as was were in our first s t e p s .

Besides for the labels everything is money and a good marketing.

So, I never “sell” myself – I mean my ideas and thoughts for my music - on the altar of god-money.

- Your latest creation Duality of the Unholy Existence turned out to be your kind collaboration with Rotting Christ?

Tell us a bit more a b o u t the history of this collaboration.

And why did you choose Rotting Christ?

The Greek Black Metal scene have one and only unholy trinity, Necromantia, Rotting Christ and Varathron. So, we make that great split-7” before months. It was an idea that talks each other a long time, after the great splitLP with Necromantia.

It’s a very good release and something that we enjoy so much!

- Another remarkable detail of this album is its cover.

What did the idea come from and what’s its personal meaning for you?

The idea for the cover of “Patriarchs of Evil” is mine.

Its born one day when I’m looking to write some stuff for my other band Zaratus. I write the title of the album and I start to imagine the cover like a big image, a huge photo and it was like a vision for me.

Then my great friend

Juan Castellano he makes that dream into an awesome reality! The meaning is; the patriarchs spreading the unholy

hope that we’ll see you soon somewhere in the world. What would you like to say to our readers and our editorial board?

Thanx my friend for your attention and support to our band.

I salute all the metal maniacs there and I hope to see you on stage! Embrace our abysmal psalms and beware for our new invasion! The sinners are…..coming!!!!!!!

Stefan Necroabyssious

communion to the faithful humans and creatures to build a new darkly society.

- In the end of this interview, we’d like to wish you good luck, and let’s 35

Old Forest - Black/Metal from United Kingdom

Interview with Kobold

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Interview by Andrew Stanton

British Black Metal has always lived in the shadow of Norway, but Old Fores maybe the band the UK needs to stamp its mark properly. Andrew Stanton had a chat with front man Kobold.

- Where did you get the name Old Forest?

Old Forest was a name chosen to express the feeling of the music we wanted to create. It is also in respect to the ‘old’ days of Black Metal and also to the forest of the Sussex Weald, which is

sadly now mostly decimated.

- Can you tell me a bit about the bands history?

We were three friends who

mercial, we decided to record music that we wanted to hear.

Raw, atmospheric and dark with no pretensions to being commercial.

- Who are your main influences?

Our main influences are the EARLY albums of the following; Gehenna, Emperor, Burzum, Darkthrone, In The Woods, Forgotten Woods, Satyricon, Dimmu Borgir…

ays w l a l l i w Old Forest for e v o l r u o o stay true t tal. e m k r a d d extreme an loved early 90s Black Metal, and everything about it.

When we started to see Black Metal becoming more com-

- Thanks to Cradle of Filth, British Black Metal isn’t taken seriously, do you feel you have try harder than other bands?

There was a time in the 90’s where all you had to do to be signed to a label was to be a Black Metal band from Norway. We have always had to fight for recognition more than those bands but we don’t really care anymore. Incidentally, our current drummer is Norwegian (Anders Kobro - from In The Woods and formerly of Carpathian Forest).

- Metal magazines often praise bands for selling out, and now even extreme

Metal magazines have started doing it. Will Old Forest stay true to Metal?

Of course - Old Forest will always stay true to the reasons we started in the beginning; our love for extreme and dark metal. Don’t buy glossy magazines.

- Your clean vocal parts often remind me of In The Woods. Were they a big influence?

I am the vocalist / keys for In The Woods since 2014, and Anders is the drummer since day one, so there is a lot of connection to In The Woods. The debut album of In The Woods is one of the greatest Black Met-

al albums of the early 90s.

- What was the story behind Tales of the Sussex Weald?

There was such a great amount of local myths and legends to be exploited that it seemed a great opportunity – especially as the Sussex Weald was one of the last areas to become Christianized (ironic, seeing as this is where the Christian invasion of the British Isles began in 1066). You should be proud of your heritage, but it doesn’t mean you have to become a social pariah.

- Why did you decide to re-issue Into the Old Forest this year?

The original label was not responding to any labels who wanted to release the original on vinyl. So we decided to re-record the album as closely as possible to the original so that we have full control over this version of the album.

Hopefully we will release a vinyl at some point soon.

- Is there anything you would like to say to our readers or edition crew?

Follow us at Facebook, support our releases and keep the black flame burning.

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Kvlt Of Eblis - Black/Metal from Colombia

Interview with Metzli

38

Interview by Andrew Stanton

The Colombian Metal scene is without a doubt the most underrated in the world.

With great bands coming out everyday. And Raw Black Metal band Kvlt of Eblis make another great contribution. Andrew Stanton had a chat with singer Metzli.

- When did you first decide to s t a r t making Black Metal?

Since I was a teenager I had the idea and I saw it, I tried

to make Depressive Suicidal Black Metal, I wrote a lot and had a lot of material, I wanted to learn to play drums but I

sinister path and delving into the depths of chaos I began to write differently and I was fascinated by the idea of making cursed Black Metal.

What makes the Colombian scene so unique?

Because Metal is made out of real conviction not fanaticism, what is expressed is naturally lived in all its aspects, something that has happened to us personally.

by d e t a n i c s fa was I aking m f o idea the . l a t e M k c a l cursed B stayed away from the idea, since with the person who was trying to do the project and I didn’t.

We understood, knowing the

- In Colombia, Fedra always says they experience a lot of sexism.

Have you experienced the same attitudes?

Of course, there was a misconception that the woman in Metal was no use but decoration. Well they are wrong!!! With the passage of time, with women playing instruments and unleashing curses on their voices, it has been shown that we have much to contribute.

- What bands have influenced you?

Behexen, Horna, Gorgoroth, Dark Funeral, Cradle of Filth for their wonderful voices, Esbbat, Dantalian.

- What does Kvlt of Eblis mean?

The cult of Eblis, devotion to death.

- What is your lyrical theme?

Rituals and magical experiences with the dark side entities.

- When is the new album released?

We don’t have a date yet.

- Tell us a bit about your work outside of music.

I dedicate myself a little to drawing, I try to capture many emotions in art, apart from writing and a bit of crafts. I also have a job.

- Metzli is a practicing Satanist. So I thought I should bring the topic up. Were you a Satanist before you discovered Black Metal?

I knew the sinister path before listening to Metal, but knowing it I feel that it complicated me.

There were many things that made me feel a different person, so I started to investigate much more. That made my appetite for knowledge open up much more and thus strengthened in me each and every one of the elements that

my existence is composed of and my taste for magic and this is how I continue In my evolutionary process.

- Tell us a little about your worship and your rituals.

Through them, I look for each and every one of the old barriers, incinerate the illusions and limitations and thus give way to new ways of thinking and acting with more force of thought and action. The same one that I use to evoke or invoke those entities which guide me with the brightness of their black flame.

- Is there anything you would like to say to our readers or writing team?

A cordial greeting to the readers, I also appreciate the space provided by the zine for the interview. I invite you to follow the page on Facebook, there we will be uploading news of the new album.

And may the black flame spread over the earth.

Thanks for your time, and we wish you luck for the future.

Thanks for bearing us in mind.

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Nyrst - Black/Metal from Reykjavik, Iceland

Interview with Eysteinn

40

Interview by Andrew Stanton

Andrew Stanton had a chat with Eysteinn about the new Nyrst album.

Hello, and welcome to Inside the Darkness webzine.

-Can you tell us the history of the band please?

Our history began around 2013 when we met at the local metal pub only as a drummer and bassist, a very typical encounter which eventually led to us recruiting our lead guitarist. Things started moving quickly from there and

we recruited the second guitarist and singer shortly after. We started writing our first material and 2 of those songs ended

changed by then. We wanted to do something new and fresh and found our old stuff a bit too generi c .

From there we began writing Orsรถk and the rest is history!

- Where did you get the name Nyrst?

We decided to change our name in 2016 and we were pretty quick finding the name as the word originates from Icelandic and the definition is the northernmost place you can find.

he t s i t s r y ic N d n a l e c I m Fro nd. i f n a c u o y place t s o m n r e h t r no up on our 2016 demo. The same year we changed our name from Skuggsjรก to Nyrst because both our writing and themes had

Tell us about the Iceland scene.

Is there much rivalry between bands?

I would definitely not say any rivalries, everyone is very open here but there are definitely some divides between groups. This mainly comes down to taste in music.

Can you tell our readers the story of Orsok?

Each song tells its own story and the album takes inspiration from old Icelandic horror literature and folk tales. That being said, Orsök was meant to let the listener get himself involved in the setting we created while doing this album, to get immersed and heavily involved in the atmosphere. That was always one of our main goals while writing this and while living here on this barren island you can’t escape the isolation and experiencing the desolated parts. This is what set the theme for this album.

What does Orsök mean?

Orsök means causation, repercussion or a consequence of an event and is related to the lyrical themes on the album.

In a recent interview with Old Forest, they say Black Metal has become too commercial.

Do you believe it should stay underground?

Yes and no. The fact is that very few black metal bands ac-

tually become very commercial or big as it’s a genre that is not especially newcomer friendly in most cases. We do have a handful of very big bands who are starting to play stadiums and very large festivals who started originally as a very old school

black metal band but evolved in the later years into a band playing more accessible music. That being said, there is really no big commercial or mainstream black metal band that beats the experience of going to a very small club and seeing a very raw and straight forward black metal show, no matter how great the sound is or the venue.

What is the theme of Nyrst? Are you a Satanic band?

We are definitely not Satanic but we do deal with other worldly beings in our lyrics.

Our themes are nature, misanthropy, cosmic elements and larger than life concepts.

- Your sound reminds me very much like early Enslaved. Their ‘Frost’ era. Was your intention to sound old school?

All of the members come from different backgrounds but it’s safe to say we are all Enslaved fans and probably draw some inspiration from them. Our inspiration does though mainly come from old school bands but with a modern take on things.

A lot of Black Metal bands use epic landscape album artwork.

Do you think its better than a monster or a big demon?

In our case there was no question.

Our country has such a huge impact on everyone here on a day to day basis and when doing heavy atmospheric music, these two things work very well together.

Is there anything you would like to say to our readers or writing team?

We would like to thank everyone who already purchased the album or merch - we are without words how much support we have gotten since the release and thank you Inside the Darkness for keeping the scene alive and well.

Thank you for your time.

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Black Black/Metal from United States

TOMB -Industrial

Interview with No One

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Interview by Andrew Stanton

T.O.M.B are a very strange Industrial Black Metal band, with a very usual avant-garde style.

Andrew Stanton had a very long chat with No One. Hello, and welcome to Inside the Darkness.

Greetings to you and readers of Inside The Darkness.

- Can you tell our readers a bit about you and your history, please?

I began working on T.O.M.B. in 1996. It was a solo project that consisted of me

mics to create guitar like sound structures and ambience. I established three phases of work for T.O.M.B. The first p h a s e was captured on my first set of releases (Black Crypt Worship, Sacrilegium, Total Occultic Mechanical Blasphemy II and Macabre Noise Royal).

ANICAL H C E M ULTIC C C O ed to id c e d d L a A h I e TOT m he na t s a of w Y M e p E y H t P S A BL the e ib r c s e d use to eate. r c o t h t r o f t e s musicI bagging on crypt doors in cemeteries as drums and rubbing tombstones with contact

These albums were extremely raw with horrific organic industrial overtones and aggressive darknoise keyboard soundscapes. The second phase of T.O.M.B. involves work that is hauntingly harsh, oppressive and ambient ritual driven. Albums such as UAG (Uncovered Ancient Gateways), Pennhurst/XESSE, Nameless Spells and Incantations, Third Wave Holocaust and R i c h m o n d Curse represent that time period of T.O.M.B. At that time, I expanded on my recording techniques by going to abandoned insane asylums, crematories, morgues to capture sounds directly associated with death and paranormal activity locations. Later I pushed this process by recording on cadavers and coffins to gain additional authentic sounds.

The third phase is present on Fury Nocturnus and Thin The Veil. This period of T.O.M.B. combines our two previous

phases together in a relentless, barbaric and furious form of necromantic black metal noisework.

- What does T.O.M.B. mean or stand for?

TOTAL OCCULTIC MECHANICAL BLASPHEMY was the name I had decided to use to describe the type of music I set forth to create.

It was not till later that I realized the acronym and its direct connection/re-

lationship to how I was conducting my music.

- Your style seems to be more about sounds and ambience. Do you believe this is more important than music?

What is most important to me in the music of T.O.M.B. is creating songs that possess a

unique feel and experience for the listener. I feel the combination of field recording sounds and ambient noise mixed with traditional metal instruments (guitar, bass drums) are all important elements in my work. Yes certain albums are more ambient, dark ritual sounding than other albums that have more instrumentation.

But it has always been the style of T.O.M.B. to never have a standard established sound.

- Do you think Marilyn Manson and Limb Bizkit give American Metal a bad name?

Honestly I don’t think I have ever really given that much thought.

Both of those bands are more mainstream metal. I am more drawn to and inspired by extreme underground music. Whether it’s black metal, harsh noise, death industrial, black ambient, drone or power electronics, those certain styles are more interesting and creative to me than bigger or more popular artists.

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Black Black/Metal from United States

TOMB -Industrial 44

I generally choose to attend a lot of different noise shows that are usually held in warehouses, basements or run down row homes. People can choose to listen to whatever music they wish from America. For me it will always be pushing the limits deeper in underground music.

- You have been around for quite a while now whereas some bands barely reach album two.

Do you think there’s some formula for staying together?

Having created T.O.M.B. as a solo project enabled me to experiment and write my music alone when ever I wanted. It took away having to directly deal with other musicians, having to practice or be affected by other individuals opinions, attitudes and egos. I have collaborated with other musicians on T.O.M.B. albums, but the difference was that they were not able to hear the material before recording.

I would contact these artists and set up a date to come to my studio. Once they arrived we would review whatever songs I

had created and allowed them to pick the tracks they wanted to work on.

I would allow them to experiment with whatever spontaneous ideas they would come up with and then record. There was never any second takes or do overs. I didn’t want

music. Those “core” members are involved with live performances and currently contribute to the writing process of more recent T.O.M.B. material.

- What do you think of bands who say they’re ‘Rock bands’ and not ‘Metal bands?

them to analyze my tracks and perfect their ideas. I wanted to only capture their individual intuitive reactions of raw energy, emotion and feel to be the artistic contributions to my work. As time went on I found members that had the same opinions, interest and values I had when it came to creating

Are they cowards?

Not sure whether I would consider them cowards for their choice of music style they are comfortable in creating. I really tend not to judge or label other artists for what they do or write, it has nothing to do with the type of music I have chosen to create and dedicate myself too.

I feel doing that is really just a waste of time, energy and takes away from my own time to focus on the music I create. I listen to a very wide range of different music styles that I can respect and appreciate. But regardless of what I personally listen to, T.O.M.B. material will always be created in a manner that is extreme, relentless and dangerous. There are no boundaries, morality, spiritually or emotionally that myself as an artist I am not willing to explore.

- Is Metal still alive in America, or at least in Pennsylvania?

Yes. Metal is alive and well in America with a very strong and diverse scene in many parts of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia is the closest area to me in Pennsylvania for metal music. There are plenty of bands, venues, record labels and magazines. Throughout America, there is so many different styles and sub-

genres of metal. For me, artists like Profanatica, Inquisition, Bell Witch and Black Witchery are bands that I can appreciate and respect. But to be honest the majority of metal music I enjoy are artists from parts of Europe and Scandinavia.

- Is there anything you would like to say to our readers or

writing team?

I would like to thank everyone involved with Inside the Darkness for this interview opportunity and for everything you do to support and promote underground metal music. I also would like to thank all individuals old and new who have shown interest in the work of T.O.M.B. over its many years of existence. I would encourage those who might not be familiar with the project to explore the work we conduct and experience our latest album “Thin The Veil� on Dark Essence Records.

Thank you for your time, and stay Metal It has been a pleasure. Stay underground, extreme and metal ALWAYS.

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Latest releases

Wolfheart Melodic Death Metal band from Finland released the fifth Full-length album Wolves of Karelia on April 10, 2020.

Emerging from dusky woods, the untamed and forlorn nature of Finnish quartet WOLFHEART leads them to one of the most picturesque regions of their home country, Karelia.

Just as wildlife itself maintains harmony through a violent clash of the beautiful and unpredictable, Wolves of

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Karelia explores the previously coined genre of winter metal smoothly connecting a traditional approach towards extreme genres (‘Reaper’) with atmospheric or acoustic details (‘the Hammer’, ‘Horizon on Fire’), crowned by the instrumental interlude, ‘Eye of the Storm’.

Wolves of Karelia attack with complex arrangements and melodically-grasped melancholy, creating a release as bewitching and intense as it is atmospherically resonant.

Tracklist: 1. Hail of Steel 2. Horizon on Fire 3. Reaper 4. The Hammer 5. Eye of the Storm 6. Born From Fire 7. Arrows of Chaos 8. Ashes Lineup Tuomas Saukkonen - Guitars, Vocals Lauri Silvonen - Bass, Vocals (backing) Joonas Kauppinen - Drums Vagelis Karzis - Guitars (lead)

Archgoat Black Metal band from Finland released the Live album Black Mass XXX on April 10, 2020.

As a document of ARCHGOAT’s 30-year anniversary series of gigs, the Finnish legends present ‘Black Mass XXX’ recorded at Debemur Morti Productions’ Servants Of Chaos showcase on 28th September 2019.

Captured with terrifying clarity, the magical energy and raw power of ARCHGOAT finds its purest expression in the live arena, inthe-moment where all witnesses are bludgeoned into the guts of earthen evil.

Featuring an extended set including tracks from 1991 demo ‘Jesus Spawn’ via the classic 2006 full-length ‘Whore of Bethlehem’ all the way through to 2018’s ‘The Luciferian Crown’, this is a devastatingly br ut a l

overview of one of the most singular bands in extreme music – an exhilarating grimoire of contemporary occultism from a band moving toward peak powers.

Tracklist 1. Intro: Ripping the Wings 2. Black Messiah 3. Death and Necromancy 4. Rise of the Black Moon 5. Jesus Spawn 6. Satanic Oath 7. Penis Perversor 8. Intro: 1st Invocation 9. Angel of Sodomy 10. Lord of the Void 11. Dawn of the Black Light 12. Whore of Bethlehem 13. Hammer of Satan 14. Outro: The Prophecy 15. Intro: 3rd Invocation 16. Apotheosis of Lucifer 17. Goat and the Moon 18.

Blessed Vulva

19. Day of Clouds 20. Intro: Left Hand Path 21. Nuns, Cunts and Darkness 22. The Apocalyptic Triumphator 23. Grand Luciferian Theophany 24. Intrantation 25. Jesus Christ Father of Lies 26. Messiah of Pigs 27. Darkness Has Returned Lineup Lord Angelslayer - Bass, Vocals Ritual Butcherer - Guitars Goat Aggressor - Drums

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Latest releases

The Black Dahlia Murder Melodic Death Metal band from United States released the ninth Full-length album Verminous on April 17, 2020.

Verminous is The Black Dahlia Murder’s most dynamic, rousing and emotional release to date, and it achieves this without

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compromising one iota of heaviness. «I think this is the biggest evolutionary leap we’ve ever taken from one album to the next. We stoked the creative fires with 2017’s ‘Nightbringers’ and it’s gone much further now in ‘Verminous’,» states vocalist Trevor Strnad.

Tracklist 1. Verminous 2. Godlessly 3. Removal of the Oaken Stake 4. Child of Night 5. Sunless Empire 6. The Leather Apron’s Scorn 7. How Very Dead 8. The Wereworm’s Feast 9. A Womb in Dark Chrysalis (Interlude) 10. Dawn of Rats Lineup Brian Eschbach - Guitars Trevor Strnad - Vocals Max Lavelle - Bass Alan Cassidy - Drums Brandon Ellis - Guitars

Abysmal Dawn Death Metal band from United States released the fifth Full-length album Phylogenesis on April 17, 2020.

After 6 years of silence, American death metal collective Abysmal Dawn have returned with ‘Phylogenesis,’ their most technical and refined offering to date. The highly-anticipated album displays a clear evolution from the band as they put forth a complex cacophony of searing riffs, blood-curdling vocals, and pummeling drums.

Tracklist 1. Mundane Existence 2. The Path of the Totalitarian 3. Hedonistic 0 4. A Speck in the Fabric of Eternity 5. Coerced Evolution 6. True to the Blind 7. Soul-Sick Nation 8. The Lament Configuration

Lineup XCIII - Guitars Sonneillon - Vocals DQ - Drums M.R. - Guitars

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Latest releases

The Projectionist Black Metal band from Canada released the fifth Full-length album The Stench of Amalthia on April 17, 2020.

The first ever Black Metal OPERA! Canada’s sinister theatrical Black Metal consortium known as THE PROJECTIONIST return with their highly anticipated fifth full length operetta, “The Stench of Amalthia”.

In this second necrotic BM opera, the story falls upon an aging, dying former Film Noire starlet, Amalthia Grahame, isolated in her palatial

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home. Her physician, Dr. Bendix, sends a young nurse named Evelyn to tend to Amalthia’s final days, as a live-in nurse for palliative care. When left alone with the old withering actress, gruesome and macabre events unfold to wield death, torture and Satanic forces against the poor fragile Nurse... and all who’d call upon the Mansion looking for her.

Tracklist 1. Withering 2. Sepulchral Oak Door 3. Covetous 4. Summoning Transference 5. The Weakening

6. A Startling Housecall 7. Exuberance Contorts an Evil 8. Flayed 9. Perfumes 10. Forsaken O’Clock 11. Death and Honor (OWM cover) Lineup Parageist - Guitars Destroyer - Bass, Noise Lörd Matzigkeitus - Vocals Malphas - Drums Orpheus - Orchestrations

Malist Atmospheric/Melodic Black Metal band from Russia released the second Fulllength album To Mantle the Rising Sun on April 24, 2020.

On «To Mantle the Rising Sun» Malist continues the musical journey started on last year’s debut with even more genrecrossing ambition, drawing inspiration from bands like Lord Belial, Immortal, Sargeist, Fen & Woods of Desolation.

Powerful riffs, melodic layering, diverse vocals & atmospheric elements are woven into this musical venture of battles & mournful fates, sending the listener to the outer surface of the underground Karst Realm, where the lyrical hero is on his way to meet the tyrant King - an encounter to set his life’s purpose once and for all..

Tracklist 1. Land of the Bewitched 2. Shackled Minds 3. Tempest of Sorrow 4. The Ultimate Possession 5. To Stifle the Fire in the Eyes 6. Blood of the Untouchable 7. Karsted Hearts

Lineup Ovfrost - Everything

Band’s links: h t t p s : / / w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / malistband https://malist.bandcamp.com/ album/to-mantle-the-rising-sun https://vk.com/malistband

DESIGN Artem Demura - artwork Northern Silence - layout

All music composed & performed by Ovfrost unless stated below.

GUEST MUSICIANS M.D.B - drums co-composing & performance

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Latest releases

Impalement Black/Death Metal band from Switzerland released the first Full-length album The Impalement on April 30, 2020.

Walpurgis Night 2020 - the time for Swiss metal band Impalement has come to unleash its debut Blastwerk «The Impalement» to this world.

“Impalement is forged out of True Metal’s Passion combined with Death Metal’s brutality and Black Metal’s profound soul!”

Lineup Beliath - Vocals, Guitars, Bass Torturer - Drums (Studio) Spoken Words (Track 5) Sarah Jezebel Deva Guitar Solo (Track 6) Helmuth Lehner

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Tracklist 1. The Impalement 2. The Tombs Of The Saints 3. Within The Court Of Rats 4. Alma Pater 5. I Am All (ft. Sarah Jezebel Deva) 6. Satan’s Fire In My Eyes (ft.

Helmuth Lehner) 7.

Thus Spoke I Götzendämmerung Mixed and Mastered by Jens «Pestilence» Förster Cover Artwork - Carlos «Black Shadows» Aguilar Layout / Booklet - Yvonne «Iron Ivy», Jens Förster

VADER Death Metal band from Poland released the sixteenth Full-length album Solitude In Madness on May 1, 2020.

Piotr Wiwczarek commented about the album and its title: «Humanity never learns from its lessons. I feel tensions continuing to rise around the world.

People have forgotten about true pain, from a bigger picture standpoint.

Generationally, the new generation doesn’t respect the old, and I’d challenge they don’t even respect themselves. Our everyday lives are on TV, so there’s no soul left. Everything’s empty. I think technology is also sucking the human out of us. There are more lonely people now than ever before, and yet

we’re supposed to be connected together by technology. It’s madness!

That’s where the title, ‘Solitude In Madness’, came from, actually. Of course, I approach these topics in a very VADER way. I love telling stories and expressing myself through those stories. “

Tracklist 1. Shock And Awe 2. Into Oblivion 3. Despair 4. Incineration Of The Gods 5. Sanctification Denied 6. And Satan Wept 7. Emptiness 8. Final Declaration 9. Dancing In The Slaughterhouse 10. Stigma Of Divinity 11. Bones

Lineup Peter - Bass, Guitars, Vocals Spider - Guitars Hal - Bass James Stewart - Drums

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Latest releases

Hyems Melodic Black Metal band from Germany released the third Full-length album Anatomie des Scheiterns on May 1, 2020.

Since 1997, HYEMS have been celebrating Black Metal, which, oscillating between hymns and disharmony, is repeatedly thwarted by a snotty punk attitude. For what feels like an eternity on the road in the underground the band resists the commercially promising temptations of modern styles and reflects in their music on what once tipped the scales for their foundation: the fascination

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for Black Metal of the 90s. Free of any aspirations for success, vanity and any expectations of the future, Hyems has since then released albums and EPs at irregular intervals, on which they are mainly concerned with one thing: BLACK FUCKING METAL. With «Anatomie des Scheiterns» the band presents their ninth release, which «belongs by far to the best we have ever done» as frontman A.E.J. emphasizes.

The album, which was recorded and produced in the Tobe Studio in Siegen, Germany, not only impresses with its musical authenticity, but also with its sophisticated concept.

Tracklist: 1. Triumph des Scheiterns 2. Vom Bankrott einer Seele 3. Siechtum – Briefe vom Ende 4. In diesem Graben 5. Zerwürfnis im Tal Josaphat 6. Morgendämmerung 7. In Ketten Lineup A.E.J. - Vocals D.M. - Guitar + Vocals D.W. - Guitar + Vocals F.B. - Bass + Vocals C.A. - Drums

Old Forest Black Metal band from United Kingdom rereleased their album Back into the Old Forest (CD format) on May 3, 2020 (digital format released on April 19, 2020).

Old Forest are a Black Metal band playing music in the anticommercial style of the early 90s.

In J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth, the Old Forest is a small forested area which lies east of the Shire in

Buckland. The Old Forest is one of the few survivors of the primordial forests which covered most of Eriador before the Second Age, and it once was but the northern edge of one immense forest which reached all the way to Fangorn forest.

Lineup Kobold Vocals, Keyboards Beleth - Guitars, Bass Kobro - Drums

Tracklist 1. Grond (Hammer of the Underworld) 2. Death in the Cemetary 3. To Haunt the Old Forest 4. Hymn of the Deep 5. Glistening 6. Where Trees Are Withered 7.

Shadow Whispers 8. Become the Gods of War

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Latest releases

Forgotten Tomb Black/Doom Metal band from Italy released the tenth Full-length album Nihilistic Estrangement on May 8, 2020.

In a comment that encompasses everything from working on the album, to musical expectations and lyrical themes, the band had this to say: «Nihilistic Estrangement is our tenth album and it opens a new chapter of the band and possibly a new trilogy, therefore it

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sounds different from our previous release, which closed the past trilogy. The whole idea and concept behind the album was to make something detached from all the current trends in terms of style and production so that it would feel timeless and not chained to a particular frame in time.

Musically speaking there are references to all of the band’s eras but it sounds very refreshing and extremely personal; it’s 100% Forgotten Tomb.

Tracklist 1. Active Shooter 2. Iris’ House Pt. I 3. Iris’ House Pt. II 4. District?

5. Nihilistic Estrangement 6. RBMK Lineup Herr Morbid - Guitars, Vocals Algol - Bass Asher - Drums

Naglfar Melodic Black Metal band from Sweden released the seventh Fulllength album Cerecloth on May 8, 2020.

Formed in 1992, Umeå, Sweden’s black metal nihilists NAGLFAR were quite prolific on the front end of their existence. Between their classic 1995 debut “Vittra,” and 2012’s “Téras”, NAGLFAR unfurled four other full lengths with no more than five years between each one. It has been a long eight year stretch between releases for NAGLFAR, but despite the eight year wait, the band hasn’t been resting on their laurels. Like any slumbering beast, NAGLFAR have returned from their respite ferocious and hungry with their seventh full length album “Cerecloth”. Recorded and mixed

by NAGLFAR guitarist Marcus Norman at Wolf’s Lair Studio, and mastered by Dan Swanö at Unisound, the underlying musical and lyrical themes of “Cerecloth” were succinctly and confidently described by guitarist Andreas Nilsson: “The usual death and destruction.”

Tracklist 1. Cerecloth 2. Horns 3. Like Poison for the Soul 4.

Vortex of Negativity 5. Cry of the Serafim 6. The Dagger

in Creation 7. A Sanguine Tide Unleashed 8. Necronaut 9. Last Breath of Yggdrasil Lineup Kristoffer W. Olivius Vocals Andreas Nilsson - Guitars Marcus E. Norman Guitars

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Latest releases

Asenblut Viking\Black\Thrash\ Death Metal band from Germany released the fourth Full-length album Die wilde Jagd on May 29, 2020.

More than ten years have passed since Asenblut came together.

Asenblut are now presenting their fourth epos called “Die Wilde Jagd� (The Wild Hunt), which is full of epic battle songs and tales

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of merciless heroes. This time the band put special effort in telling tales to give the fans an even more immersive and enduring opus, designed to even withstand the end of the world. Beware - for the wild hunt is flying tonight!

Lineup Sash - Bass Balrogh - Drums Stan Ro - Guitars Tetzel - Vocals Claus Cleinkrieg - Guitars (lead)

Tracklist: 1. Die wilde Jagd 2. Codex Gigas 3. Seite an Seite 4. Irminsul 5. Drachentoter 6. Penumbra 7. Weder Gott, noch Konige 8. Wolfshunger 9. 300 10. Seite an Seite (extended version)

Sinister Death Metal band from Netherlands released the fourteenth Full-length album Deformation of the Holy Realm on May 29, 2020.

Starting in 1989, Sinister was a band arising in the middle of the Death-Metal hype. Their debut CD ‘Cross the Styx’ saw the light in early 1992, and sold many copies worldwide. Many live shows all over Europe followed. Touring with bands like Suffocation, Cannibal Corpse and Deicide increased the number of people knowing Sinister.

Death Metal icons SINISTER are back with their 14th studio album „Deformation Of The Holy Realm“, and it offers everything a death metal enthusiast’s heart hopes for!

Balanced songs with old school and recognizable structures full of catchy riffs and hooks

as well as an extreme brutal sound take the band even another step forward! The deformation starts now… „This record cost us blood, sweat and tears – but we are proud as hell of this brutal piece of art!“ – Sinister.

Lineup Aad Kloosterwaard Vocals Toep Duin - Drums Ghislain van der Stel - Bass Michał «Grall» Gralak - Guitars

Tracklist 1. The Funeral March 2. Suffering from Immortal Death 3. Unique Death Experience 4. Apostles of the Weak 5. Deformation of the Holy Realm 6. Scourged by Demons 7. Unbounded Sacrilege 8. The Ominous Truth 9. Oasis of Peace - Blood from the Chalice 10. Entering the Underworld

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Latest releases

Behemoth Black/Death Metal band from Poland released the EP A Forest on May 29, 2020.

The album including the title track featuring Niklas Kvarforth of Shining!

Covering music outside of metal is a challenge – covering legendary music is an even greater challenge… that is what drove Behemoth throughout this process.

The EP contains two brand-new Behemoth songs, “Shadows Ov Ea Cast Upon Golgotha” and “Evoe”.

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Tracklist The tracks act as a 1. A Forest (The Cure cover) continuation on from 2. A Forest (The Cure cover) ILYAYD – no more, no less. (live) Artwork, photos and 3. Shadows ov Ea Cast upon drawings by Bartek Golgotha Rogalewicz. Portraits by 4. Evoe Tomasz Łączyński.

Lineup: Nergal - Guitars, Vocals Inferno - Drums, Percussion Orion - Bass Guest musicians: Niklas Kvarforth - Vocals (track 1)

October Falls A t m o s p h e r i c / Melancholic Black Metal band from Finland released the fifth Fulllength album A Fall of an Epoch on May 30, 2020.

Originally a solo project of M. Lehto.

The band’s early released music was mostly acoustic and ambient, with themes of nature. They changed their style to atmospheric black metal on The Streams of the End, and according to Lehto’s interviews, the very first promo in 2001 was mostly metal, heavily influenced

by Opeth and Katatonia.

The promo

was distributed in very limited numbers. And now the band release the new album but you can hear the sound of Mikko Lehtos Trademark.

Tracklist 1. A Fall of an Epoch 2. The Endtimes Rising 3. The Ruins of What Once Was 4. Hammering the Tide 5. The Flood of Drought Lineup M. Lehto - Guitars, Vocals Marko Tarvonen Drums Sami Hinkka - Bass

October Falls never were more violently and more gloomily as on A Fall of an Epoch.

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Latest releases

WarHymn Black Metal band from Romania released the first Full-length album Gnosis on April 2, 2020 (CD format).

Warhymn starts as a solo black-death metal project launched in August 2019. It’s main purpose is to complete and launch a concept album which was started back in 2010 by a small band called Athanatos.

Line-up Shavy - Everything Tracklist 1. Ancestral World 2. Sadistic Crowning 3. Gnosis 4. The First Sin 5. Descendants of Cain 6.

Traditions of the Ancients 7. Originea (Argedava cover)

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Eternal Delyria Melodic Death Metal band from Switzerland released the second Fulllength album Paradox of the Mechanical Angel on April 2, 2020.

Eternal Delyria founded in the summer of 2011.

Tracklist 1. Chrysalis 2. From Skin to Rust 3. Burning Bridges 4. Beyond the Veil 5. Dying to Live 6. Damaged System 7. Amaurosis 8. Freely Enchained 9. The Awakening 10. Until Death Lineup Tim - Guitars Alex - Drums Nyx - Guitars Clod - Keyboards, Vocals (backing) Lutz - Vocals

Svartkonst Black/Death Metal band from Sweden released the second Full-length album Black Waves on April 3, 2020.

Tracklist 1. Death Magic 2. I Am the Void 3. World Ablaze 4. Stray in the Dark 5. Mountains of Flesh 6. Ruins of Splendour 7. Black Waves Lineup Rickard TĂśrnqvist Everything Guest performances by: Marcus Wiklund (Additional guitar leads on track 4 & 7), Daniel Brundin (Additional vocals on track 1, 4, 6 & 7) Henrik Almgren (Partial drumming and input)

Drudensang Black Metal band from Germany released the first Full-length album Rauhnachtszeremonie on April 4, 2020.

Tracklist 1.Prolog 2. Fäulnis 3. Metamorphose 4. Sterbelicht 5. Todesstoß 6. Parasit 7. Todgeweiht 8. Geistes Fluch 9. Watzmannsage 10. Epilog Lineup Henker - Keyboards Krámpn - Vocals Goatruler - Drums Grâin - Guitars (lead), Vocals (additional)

Inferit Black Metal band from Germany released the first Full-length album Diverge in the Absence of Light on April 3, 2020.

Inferit founded In December 2013 in Frankenberg, Germany.

Tracklist 1. Darkness Comes 2. The Shattered Night 3.

Nocturnal Death Syndrome 4. Prolonging Life Drugs 5. Ritual Death 6. Wahn-Krank-Tod 7. Satanic Inner Birth 8. Demons Never Sleep (Mysticum cover) Lineup Garneth - Bass Thornheim - Guitars Orpheus as O. - Vocals Grond - Drums

Hereticae Blackened Death Metal band from Brazil released the first Full-length album Ecos do Atlântico on April 7, 2020.

Debut album contains 9 tracks and one proposal: the anticolonialist fight for the union and emancipation of all people of LAtin America, and for the memory of ancestors and for the preservation of their Mother Earth. The lyrics goes from the most direct and hatred scream of war to the most subjective and introspective reflection of the «I» and the universe.

All lyrics are written in brazilian portuguese.

Tracklist 1. 1492 2. Ondas Negras 3. Antipatria 4. A Ferro e Fogo 5. A Cruz e a Águia 6. Não Servirá!

7. Estrelas e Constelações 8. Tupamara 9. Ecos do Atlântico Lineup Cristiano Obuti - Bass Dalton Santana Guitars (rhythm), Vocals Cleverson W. França Guitars (lead) Francisco Vitor - Drums

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Latest releases

Nordicwinter Black Metal band from Canada released the second Full-length album Requiem on April 8, 2020.

Upon Canada’s frozen winds; Nordicwinter was spawned in August 2006.

Tracklist 1. The Raven’s Lament 2. As Twilight Nears 3. Path of the Fallen 4. Winds of Desolation 5. Into Despair 6. Beyond the Dusk Lineup Evillair Lyrics, Vocals, All instruments, Drum programming

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Eternal Armageddon Black/Thrash Metal band from Bangladesh released the first Full-length album In Light in Dark in Hate on April 10, 2020.

Earning the loyalty of the maniacs across the country (and even beyond the border), black/ thrash trio Eternal Armageddon, by now, have become one of the key forces in the Bangladeshi metal underground.

Tracklist 1. Black Thrash Bastards 2. Hate Reincarnated 3. Hazam the Black Reaper 4. In Light in Dark in Hate 5. No Lord Above 6. Obey to None 7. Satanic Whispers Lineup Asmodeus Vocals, Bass Blasphemouranter Drums Sarcophagous - Guitars, Vocals (backing)

Váthos Post-Black Metal band from Romania released the first Full-length album Underwater on April 11, 2020 (CD format).

The evolution period of their style with elements from atmospheric post black, melodic death metal with a diverse influence of sub-genres from the extreme side of music, resulting in a mixture of melody and aggression as they start to define their own sound in such a short time span.

Tracklist 1. Ruins of Corrosion 2. The Suicide 3. Curse of Apathy 4. Corrupted Mind 5. Shape of...

6. Hold My Breath 7. Sanctimonius Beliefs 8. Flower of Death Lineup Dany - Bass Gigi - Drums Alex - Guitars Ducu - Guitars Radu - Vocals

Navalm Death Metal band from Russia released the seventh Full-length album Beyond the Reality on April 13, 2020.

Cemetery Filth Death Metal band from United States released the first Fulllength album Dominion on April 13, 2020.

Incorporating a slew of Euro and American influences, but Tracklist leaning especially hard into 1. Together We Fall the early Floridian mode of the 2. Beyond the Reality genre, CEMETERY FILTH 3. Elephant’s Foot has arrived at their own unique 4. Desert Fight hybrid–a sound that should 5.

Humans Are be comfortingly familiar to Tapeworms longtime fans of the genre, yet 6. Palace of Memories not a mere slavish imitation or 7. Stuck in a Swamp passionless rehash.

8. Astral Trip Tracklist 9. Dawn of War 1. Subduction 2. Exhumed Visions Lineup 3. Paralytic Scourge Alex Timofeev - Drum 4. Aeons in Dis programming 5. Festering Vacuity Ilya Pechenyuk - Bass 6. Churning of the Shallows Andrey Gonchar - Guitars 7. Devoured by Dread 8. From Euphonic Crypts 9. Dominion Lineup Ryan Guinn - Guitars (lead) Matt Kilpatrick - Guitars (lead), Vocals (lead) Devin Kelley - Vocals (backing), Bass Chris McDonald - Drums

Khôra Atmospheric Black Metal band from Ireland/ Norway/Greece released the first Fulllength album Timaeus on April 17, 2020.

Started as a oneman project by Oleg in 2012-2013, after which Kranos joined on vocals and Lars joined on bass, both helping shape the final line-up.

Khôra strives to manifest the limits of Extreme Metal and produce both ethereal and ferocious tunes.

Tracklist 1. Aether 2. Noceo 3. l’Annihilateur 4. Harvesting Stars 5. De Vetus Ad Novum 6. Roe Too Noo (Flow Of The Mind) 7. Sempiternal 8. Existence 9. The Purge 10. The Occultation of Time 11. Void Lineup Oleg I. - Guitars, Drums, Keyboards, Vocals (backing), Songwriting, Lyrics Kranos Vocals, Keyboards, Samples, Lyrics L.E. Måløy - Bass

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Latest releases

Fovitron Symphonic Melodic Black/Death Metal band from Greece released the first Full-length album Altar of Whispers on April 15, 2020.

Tracklist 1. The Grieving King 2. Inner Demons 3. Dreading the Night 4. Wasteland of My Dreams 5. Endless Whispers 6. Remembrance 7. When Darkness Falls 8. The Deathbringer 9. The Minstrel of the Icy Keep Lineup Sovereign - Bass Fovitrus - Guitars Nuntius Mortis - Vocals Magni - Keyboards Damien - Drums

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Helioss Symphonic Black/Death Metal band from France released the fourth Fulllength album Devenir le soleil on April 23, 2020.

Devenir le Soleil is a synthesis of what Helioss did in its past, and adding a lot of new elements as well as many guests.

Tracklist 1. ...Et dieu se tut 2. A Wall of Certainty 3.

The End of the Empire 4. Let the World Forget Me 5. Singularity 6. An Endless Stream 7. La lèpre des hommes 8. Devenir le soleil 9. Now... Shine!

Lineup Nicolas Muller - Guitars, Bass DM - Vocals

Lustre Atmospheric Black Metal band from Sweden released the seventh Full-length album The Ashes of Light on April 24, 2020.

With icy melodies, haunted screams and an atmosphere as thick as the winter snows, LUSTRE returns. «The Ashes of Light» continues Nachtzeit’s legacy with majestic splendor; its enthralling atmospheric black metal searching for lost secrets in the woods, among the stars.

Tracklist 1. Part 1 (Eyes Like Stars) 2. Part 2 (A Silent Tale) 3. Part 3 (Like Music in the Night) 4. Part 4 (The Empty Black) 5. Part 5 (The Ashes of Light) 6. Part 6 (Lamentation at Dawn) Lineup Nachtzeit - Everything

Nyrst Black Metal band from Iceland released the first Full-length album Orsök on April 24, 2020.

From the depth of Reykjavik in Iceland emerges NYRST with its blackened creation “ORSÖK”, an album that pays homage to the band’s grim and icy Icelandic heritage.

With “ORSÖK”, NYRST, which means “northernmost” in Icelandic, holds true to its name by delivering a debut album filled with a soundscape that is incredibly cold, stark and barren, whilst the lyrics come straight from old horror literature and are laced with cosmic undertones.

Tracklist 1. Æðri verur 2. Orsök 3. Nástirni 4. Athöfn 5. Hvísl hinna holdlausu 6. Turnar í fjarska Lineup Egill - Bass Sveinbjörn - Drums Kristmundur - Guitars Eysteinn - Guitars Snæbjörn - Vocals

Black Pestilence Black/Thrash Metal band from Canada released the sixth Full-length album Hail the Flesh on May 1, 2020.

In the winter of 2008, Black Pestilence was formed in Calgary, Canada by bassist/vocalist Valax.

Initially, Black Pestilence started as a one-man studio project, but years afterwards, evolved into a three-piece band. Over the years, Black Pestilence has been known for their unique sound by combining black metal, punk rock, thrash, and noise.

Tracklist 1. Hail the Flesh 2. Spurn All Gods 3. Hellfire 4. True to the Dark 5. Cloven Division 6. Godless 7.

Frauds to the Throne 8. My Will to Power 9. Ephemeral Lineup Valax - Bass & Vocals Daniel Toews - Guitar Davey Hellfire - Drums

Czort Black Metal band from Poland released the second Full-length album Apostoł on April 30, 2020.

Czort (or chort) is considered to be a demon of total evil, with horns, hooves, a skinny tail, and a pig-face in Slavic demonology.

Created by a few for many, a blasphemy sower spitting on false ideas created by liars for fools. They play classic black metal and their debut album Black Gospel has been well received.

Tracklist 1. Manicheistyczny dualizm wszechświata 2. Schody podświadomości 3. Narodziny końca 4. Manifest niepodległej woli 5. Grając w szachy z Diabłem 6. Tchnienia egzystencji 7. Dysonans duszy 8. W sercu chaosu

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Latest releases

Theosophy Black Metal band from Russia released the fifth Full-length album Towers of Dark Pantheon on May 5, 2020. Towers Of Dark Pantheon is a new chapter in the Theosophy process.

Tracklist 1. Towers of Dark Pantheon 2. Curse of Ak-Kadyn 3. Where Thunder Reigns 4. Full Moon Triumph 5. Old Stone in the Woods 6. The Sword of Erlik 7. Even the Dead Cast Shadows 8. From Eternity to Past Lineup Phantom - Bass, Vocals Egiborg - Guitars Skinner - Drums XI - Keyboards

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...And Oceans Symphonic Black Metal band from Finland released the fifth Full-length album Cosmic World Mother on May 8, 2020.

Tracklist 1. The Dissolution of Mind and Matter 2. Vigilance and Atrophy 3. Five of Swords 4. As the After Becomes the Before 5. Cosmic World Mother 6. Helminthiasis 7. Oscillator Epitaph 8. In Abhorrence upon Meadows 9. Apokatastasis 10. One of Light, One of Soil 11. The Flickering Lights Lineup Teemu Saari - Guitars Timo Kontio - Guitars Syphon - Bass Kauko Kuusisalo - Drums Antti Simonen - Keyboards Mathias LillmĂĽns - Vocals

Iku-Turso Black Metal band from Finland/ The Netherlands released the second Full-length album Pakana on May 15, 2020.

Pakana is a concept album of a Pagan protagonist’s journey at the unforgiving wilderness of ancient Kainuu in the days of the old Gods.

Tracklist 1. Kuolematon 2. Belum 3. Ashes 4. Ultionis 5. Funus 6. Suru 7. Wanderer 8. Itse 9. Solace Lineup Sovereign - Guitars, Bass, Vocals (Finnish, backing) F. - Keyboards, Vocals (clean) Lafawijn - Vocals Myrrys - Drumsd Ruto - Bass

Gorr Black Metal band from Norway/United States released the first Full-length album Likstadberget on May 17, 2020.

The title and the title track is based on a story from a place on Gossen where they used to bring the corpses onto the island from surrounding islands to carry them to the graveyard. The place itself is next to one of the nicest beaches in Møre og Romsdal (hjertvika).

Bloodred Blackened Death Metal band from Germany released the second Full-length album The Raven’s Shadow on May 18, 2020.

The successor to the album «Nemesis», released in 2016, shines with 9 songs full of gripping rhythmic thunderstorms and captivating, majestic melodies. BLOODRED have refined the songwriting on this album and show the band at the peak of their work so far. Produced by Alex Krull in his Mastersound Studios, the music shoots out Tracklist of the speakers clearly and 1. Likstadberget powerfully. Joris Nijenhuis 2. Brente grantre was in top form again on 3. Endelaus dødsbris the drums. «THE RAVEN’S 4. Isfugl i nordavind SHADOW» is rounded off by 5. Gå ikkje bort til mørket the timeless and impressive artwork by Stefan Heilemann.

Tracklist Lineup 1. The Raven’s Shadow Skuggimaðr - Vocals, 2. Immense Hall of Agony Drums, Bass, Guitars 3. Hör den Tod Hateful Wind - Guitars 4. Blood on Thy Hands 5. Raise the Mound 6. We Who Ruled the North 7. Shadow Warrior 8. Under the Sun 9. The Northstar Whispers Lineup Ron Merz - Guitars, Bass, Vocals Joris Nijenhuis - Drums

Frust Post-Black Metal band from Austria released the second Full-length album The Advent of Adhara on May 20, 2020.

Frusts goal is to create a more unique experimental form of Post Metal with some blackend, trashy, folky influences including Syrian and Bulgarian female vocals.

Tracklist 1. Intro 2. Frozen Sun 3. My Final Day May Never Come 4. Alone 5. The Advent of Adhara

6. The Feast 7. Disbelief 8. On the Last Day 9. Forever in My Mind

10. Verfall Pt.2 Lineup Mario Steiner Everything

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InsideTheDarkness Band’s Links https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXHQWfaD0YsGbC8fiuy5T2A https://infiltrationdeath.bandcamp.com/ https://www.instagram.com/infiltrationdeath/ https://vk.com/infiltrationdeath

We present to you our new experience.

We would like to tell you about musicians and bands not so well known around the world. This is the story of Infiltration Death Metal from Russia.

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Metal Magazine

Infiltration as a death metal squad from Saint-Petersburg, Russia. The band consists of seasoned musicians of the local scene, who made their goal to come up with the most powerful and punishing sound assault the could create! if you seek for the heavy grooves, blazing solos, catchy guitar works and intense drumming, then seek no longer!

Heavily influenced by death metal acts of 90s and 00s such as Napalm Death, Bolt Thrower, Six Feet Under and Cannibal Corpse.

Lineup Andrey Kozlov - Bass Alexey Semyonov - Drums Evgeny Hรถk - Guitars Pavel Vakhlakov - Vocals

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InsideTheDarkness

Band Links https://www.facebook.com/theCrucifier/ https://thecrucifier.bandcamp.com/ https://open.spotify.com/artist/1sDGIoUjT0iu12rM0mCRLn

We present to you our new experience.

We would like to tell you about musicians and bands not so well known around the world. This is the story of The Crucifier Thrash metal band from Greece.

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Metal Magazine

CRUCIFIER was formed in February of 1995 by Hlias «Thanatoid» Kyriazis (vocals) and Giorgos Kyriazis (bass guitar) in Athens, Greece.

Crucifier have played in many live gigs, as a support they have played with Paul Di’Anno in 2003 and with Tankard once in 2004 in Athens and again in Larissa in 2006; 2018 in salonica; 2009 with Municipal waste; 2010 with Onslaught; 2011 with Necronomicon; 2012 with D.R.I.; 2016 with Havok; 2017 with Aggression; 2019 with Slapshot; 2019 with Pro pain.

THE CRUCIFIER have 3 demos (1995-Infernal Pain / 1996-Totally Madness / 1998-Fear is your Mind); 2 Ep’s (2001-Innocent World / 2004-Escape or Die!) and 3 full length albums 2002 - Merciless Conviction / 2006 - Cursed Cross / 2017 - Voices in My Head Lineup Hlias «Thanatoid» Kyriazis - Vocals Themis (R A T) - Bass Dimitris (In Core) - Drums Nikos Gkiokas - Guitars (lead) Spyros - Guitars (rhythm)

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InsideTheDarkness

Band Links https://www.facebook.com/LuciferaColombia/ https://luciferacolombia.bandcamp.com/ https://open.spotify.com/artist/7e6wNTLzh7b4TMlLtRKGVL

We present to you our new experience.

We would like to tell you about musicians and bands not so well known around the world.

This is the story of Lucifera Black/Thrash metal band from Colombia.

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Metal Magazine

Lucifera started out as an all-female band, but later decided they can do it all with just two members. They hail from Pasto, Colombia, and have a very fast and aggressive sound. This Black Thrash band take a great influence from Germany’s Nocturnal, and their sound shows. The speed of the rhythm guitars combined with blast beats gives Lucifera and very rough sound. They started out in 2010 and signed to War Production Records. They quickly grew a large fan base with old school Death Metal heads. They split up in 2013 but reformed in 2014. The line up now is only A. Blasfemia - vocals and bass and D. Hellrazor - guitars. The album La Caceria De Brujas is available now Dunkelheit Production Records.

Discography 2010 - Legions of Metal 2015 - DespuĂŠs de la Muerte 2017 - Preludio Del Mal 2019 - La Caceria De Brujas

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InsideTheDarkness

We present to you our new experience.

We would like to tell you about musicians and bands not so well known around the world. This is the story of Therrorder Thrash/Death metal band from Colombia.

Band Links https://www.facebook.com/therrorder/ https://soundcloud.com/therrorder https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYWkEU_DqjYxrf5r8OcOZPw

Andrew Stanton

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Metal Magazine Therrorder (or Terror order) are a band hailing from Bogota, Colombia combining old School Thrash and Death. They formed in 2011 and released their first EP ‘Tiempos de Guerra’ in 2015. Influenced by Sodom, Testament and Death, their sound is often harsh and fast with maximum distortion.

Therrorder features ex-members of Codex and Lehnoriah. They played the Anti Hambre Festival in Bogota in 2019 with Devasted and Sordos.

They will release their debut album later this year.

Line up : Carlos Romero - vocals Cristian Espinel - guitar Alejandro Segovia - guitar Ana Brinez - bass Felipe Gonzalez - drums

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InsideTheDarkness

We present to you our new experience.

We would like to tell you about musicians and bands not so well known around the world.

This is the story of Instorm Neoclassical Melodic Death Metal from Moscow, Russia.

Band Links https://instorm.net https://www.facebook.com/instormband https://instorm.bandcamp.com https://www.instagram.com/instormband

Andrew Stanton

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Metal Magazine

Instorm were founded in 2011 by Roman Nemtsev and Marina Nemtseva in Moscow, Russia. Their sound is Melodic Death Metal with neoclassical guitars. Their sound is very much a mash up of In Flames meets Yngwie Malmsteen. The vocals are very fast and aggressive while the guitars add the melodic elements.

In 2019 they supported Children of Bodom playing in Moscow. Their new single ‘Slipping Edge’ is available now on Metal Carnival Records.

Discography: Madness Inside (2013) and Taming the Chaos (2018) Line up: Roman Nemtsev - vocals/guitar.

Marina Nemtseva - guitar.

Polyana Archangelskaya - drums.

Evgeniy Lomov - bass.

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InsideTheDarkness

We present to you our new experience.

We would like to tell you about musicians and bands not so well known around the world.

This is the story of Aztlan Folk/Melodic Death metal band from Mexico.

Band Links https://www.aztlan-official.com/ https://www.facebook.com/AztlanOfficialBand/ https://aztlanofficial.bandcamp.com/releases https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbfcrHyRkFKQGdv3YDpFI_A

Andrew Stanton

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Metal Magazine Mexico’s Aztlan are a Folk/Melodic Death Metal band formed in 2018. Their style is heavily influenced

by Cenotaph and The Chasm, with a heavy use flamenco guitars and panpipes. Perhaps the only Death Metal band that actually sound very beautiful.

The album Mexico Inmortal is a very interesting listen. It’s almost like a cross between Napalm Death and Santana. Aztlan is the ancestral home of the Aztec people. This band are really in a league of their own. They don’t really remind me of anyone else. ‘Mexico Inmortal’ released on November 2nd, 2019 and available now on Metal Inside Records.

Line up: El Patron - vocals.

Attila - vocals/guitars.

El Muerto - guitars.

Centauro - bass.

Diablo - drums.

Craneo - guitars.

Nahual - ancestral instruments.

Jaguar - percussion.

Coatl - percussion

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InsideTheDarkness We present to you our new experience.

We would like to tell you about musicians and bands not so well known around the world.

This is the story of Octagon Black/Thrash metal band from Colombia.

Band Links https://www.facebook.com/octagoncolombia https://youtu.be/qLfwQ5H0KaI

Andrew Stanton

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Metal Magazine

Octagon are two women from Colombia who know how to make some serious noise. Featuring ex - members of Lucifera, this Black Thrash band have just released their first album entitled ‘8’. Ultra-fast, quick and vicious with raging guitars, unlike Marilyn Manson, that passes for Metal these days. For a two - piece band, they sound like an entire army attacking.

Absolute noise and you’re gonna love it.

Heavily influenced by Germany’s Nocturnal and old school Thrash Metal. This is one band not to be missed. ‘8’ is available now on Bizarre Death Distro.

Line up : M. Kalissa - Drums, Vocals Acid Witch - Guitars

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InsideTheDarkness

Band Links https://www.facebook.com/kapalaband https://kapalablackmetal.bandcamp.com https://soundcloud.com/kapala-2

We present to you our new experience.

We would like to tell you about musicians and bands not so well known around the world.

This is the story of Kapala Black/Doom metal band from Germany.

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Metal Magazine

Kapala was formed in early 2014.

The first demo

Kapala was formed in early 2014. The first demo (Demo (Demo was 2015) was released in 2015, followed byfirst the first 2015) released in 2015, followed by the live live appearances.

In november 2019 Kapalareleased released their appearances.

In november 2019 Kapala first full full length length Album Album «Der «Der Suchende» Suchende» on on CD and tape. first The intention intention of of Kapala Kapala is is to to create create ritual ritual music and live The showsto toworship worshipthe the highest highest form form of of spirituality that arose shows from the the infinite infinite chaos. chaos. The The concept concept of of sound and lyrics from tries to to awoke awoke the the god god that that lurks lurks deep deep in ourselves. The tries message is, is, that that you you have have to to sacrifice sacrifice something to become message morethan than human. human. That That you you have have to to control your thoughts more andyour yourfeelings, feelings, to to see see clearly. clearly. And And that that it it is is all a matter and of knowledge knowledge and and will will to to break break the the chains chains that binds the of slave to to the the material material world world and and to to get get beyond life and slave death, to to become become one one with with the the highest highest form form of of being. being. death, Line up up :: Line Om -- Drums Drums Om Tehom -- Vocals Vocals Tehom Asaru -- Guitars Guitars Asaru Almir -- Guitars Guitars Almir Kenaz -- Bass Bass Kenaz

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Band Links https://hexwound.com https://www.facebook.com/hexwound https://hexwound.bandcamp.com https://www.instagram.com/hexwound

We present to you our new experience.

We would like to tell you about musicians and bands not so well known around the world. This is the story of Hex Wound Black/Death metal band from United States.

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Photos by Daniel C.

Metal Magazine

Hex Wound is an extreme metal project that was formed in 2019, by members Cast (Vocals) and Bind (All instruments). Inspired by the haunting atmosphere of black metal and the crushing intensity of death metal, they set to weave their own radical style as an affront to mainstream culture. Thunderous blast beats, wailing riffs, and calls for eschaton illuminate the sky like a raging wildfire!

Line up : Cast - Vocals Bind - All Instruments Hex Wound’s debut EP, Averse to the Universe, will be released independently on June 2, 2020.

Tracklist: 1. Atomic Afterbirth 2. Averse to the Universe 3. Horror Form 4. Void of Suffering

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Band’s Links https://www.facebook.com/vonleufel1 https://vonleufel.bandcamp.com https://www.instagram.com/vonleufel

We present to you our new experience.

We would like to tell you about musicians and bands not so well known around the world. This is the story of Von Leufel Symphonic Black Metal from Argentina.

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Metal Magazine Von Leufel is a musical project that ventures into symphonic black metal, fusing it with other styles of heavy metal. It originates from the city of Olavarria in mid-2011 as a duo between Demian (Damian Aranza) and Johann V. (Juan J. Vilches), guitarist and drummer from Vampiria, respectively, achieving the composition of a set of songs that address the dark theme of epic literature with grotesque elements.

Discography 2013 - Wolf’s Path 2014 - Dragon Wings 2016 - Symbols of the Antichrist 2018 - The Lies Behind the Order Lineup Damián Aranza - guitars & lead vocals Juan J. Vilches - drums, acoustic guitars & backing vocals Jeremías Elzegbe - bass Ivo Ikasovic - keyboards & orchestral arrangements

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InsideTheDarkness

We present to you our new experience.

We would like to tell you about musicians and bands not so well known around the world.

This is the story of Infallible Symphonic Black/Gothic Metal from Russia.

Band Links https://www.facebook.com/InfallibleBand https://infalliblemetal.bandcamp.com https://vk.com/infallibleband https://www.instagram.com/infallibleband

Andrew Stanton

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Metal Magazine Infallible Hailing from Tyumen, Russia, Infallible are a symphonic Black Metal band who formed in 2014. Their sound is very clean with some very fast blast beats.

Influenced by Dimmu Borgir and Carach Angren, and a strong Gothic Metal influence. Even though they formed in 2014, they’re still only one album old.

The album Aeterna Veritas was released independently in 2018.

Line up : Mysteria Infallible - vocals/keyboards.

Lord Heretic - bass Diamond Frost - guitar Severus - drums

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https://www.facebook.com/ImpalementOffical

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Review by Olga Schneider So it’s quarantine, but some bands don’t give a fukk. One of such bands was Impalement, a one-man project from Switzerland, and even if the project is actually brand new, it was kinda destined to get some fame in certain circles at once, and that should happen at least because of the fact that Beliath, the founder, is already known for his work with bands as Nargaroth and Mor Dagor. On Walpurgisnacht, the very

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first work in the band’s history named «The Impalement» was released.

The music turned out to be some kind of Black/ Death Metal with speed and atmosphere on top. You won’t find there purposely raw sound which is so used by lots of underground Extreme Metal bands nowadays. These are filthy but clearly aligned riffs following high-speed drums and followed by constantly varying vocals: from growl to almost hysterical scream.

The whole creation is actually strongly influenced by good

old Belphegor from the middle of 2000’s. Those of you who heard it or at least the name may also know that Devil himself (or secularly simply Helmuth) took part in the track named «Satan’s fire in my eyes» and recorded a one-minute solo.

Another amazing collaboration Beliath got for this album was Sarah Jezebel Deva, so known for her participation in lots of Metal projects, from Sympho Metal to Extreme Metal.

An incredibly strong vocalist, indeed.

This time she didn’t have to use all her vocal potential, but demonstrated her distinctive voice pronouncing poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley which became a part of the track called «I am all» and created absolutely breathtaking atmosphere which made me want to save this fukken world.

Actually I have nothing more to say than wishing the dude really good luck with his further creativity. The first turned killer, and, as we know... The further the harder.

without any problems.

In general, this Review by Olga Schneider creation is a good example how to mix like three different you’re watching this world collapse, but styles and not to get you know that this end stuck in any of them. is just a beginning of something really... I’d say massive.

I also want to remark the quality of the sound on this album.

Vocals aren’t drowning in guitar, so you can understand all the lyrics so clearly and

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https://www.facebook.com/plagueweaver/

Plague Weaver is a one man project based in Ontario and consisting of Radosław Murawski aka Thorn, better known for his participation in bands like Azarath, Damnation and Mastabath.

For all the time of existence of the project, Thorn released two EP, and last of them, named Through the Sulphur Eyes, was released in January 2020.

The music in general is a mix of three styles: Death, Black and Doom Metal. You won’t find any high speed riffs here, they’re kinda hypnotic, and double vocals and tremolo guitars make this feeling even stronger.

Atmosphere of sorrow but at the same time some kind of majesty. It’s

https://www.facebook.com/Entera-205340632811362

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Review by Olga Schneider Okay, and now this is the time for some fresh Thrash.

This time, it’s the band Entera from Germany, founded in 1990 and still keeping deep underground.

For all the time of its existence, the band has released 7 albums, and the latest one, named Hate Factory, was released in May 2020.

Those of you who are

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a part of our permanent audition know for sure my attitude to what Thrash Metal has become nowadays. The most part of it sounds now like goddamned metalcore. So it was pleasant to hear that these dudes still follow the traditions and don’t crawl into this kinda modern hole.

Another remarkable moment is that despite the fact that the band comes from Germany, in this album you won’t

even hear any single hint on traditional German Thrash Metal impact. This fact made me a bit upset, but oh well, to each their own.

However, American influence is incredibly strong here. You can hear at once, from the first sounds, that the band is strongly inspired by oldies like Testament, Slayer etc. As for the lyrics, they traditionally touch strong and complicated social topics.

No, the dudes didn’t create anyting new for thos genre, they simply play music they like.

So, Hate Factory will become a great found for those who wants to feel some kind of nostalgia and get a doze of traditional Thrash Metal into blood.

Review by Andrew Stanton war ( I think ). They’re a band that tends to keep things simple.

Above all, I quite like it. It’s one definitely for the old school fans. I admit, this is a genre I haven’t listened to for a while, but I’m intrigued to hear more. For old school Thrash Metal fans it’s very nostalgic.

It’s got that whole 80’s

more.

feel. If you’re of a certain age you’re gonna appreciate it

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https://www.facebook.com/thrashincmetalband

Italian Metal is always kept in the shadow of it’s Gothic Metal scene. But maybe Milan’s Thrash Inc can earn Italy more respect. The album starts off with the title track, the sound is very much like early Exodus and Overkill. The energy is quite good with some thick guitars riffs.

Sometimes they remind me of Accept. Track two ‘No More Lies’ is my personal f a v o u r i t e track.

The energy is pretty amazing here.

‘Regression’ is a semi-cover of Megadeth’s ‘Dawn Patrol’.

Some Megadeth fans might find this song a bit unusual. While ‘Phobophobia’ has parts that remind me of Slayers ‘South of Heaven’.

The theme seems to be very much about

https://www.facebook.com/asenblutband

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Review by Andrew Stanton I have only been a fan of Black Folk since I heard Enslaved’s ‘Eld’ in 1997. In my opinion it’s one of the best sub genres of Black Metal, and easily the easiest to listen to. It’s time for Folk Metal fans to get their armour on and charge into battle.

Swinging swords and drinking their enemies blood from their skulls ( like you do ). This tends to

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be a sub genre Germany does very well.

Asenblut are another great Black Folk band.

Some fairly melodic guitar work on here.

Good gravely growls.

When the vocals are paired with the backing vocals, it sounds totally demonic in an almost Deicide way. The vocals almost remind me of Six Feet Under, but the guitars sound more like Helloween. This is my first time hearing this band, and I already

want to hear more from them. Some Death Metal heads might feel quite at home with this one.

B e c a u s e it’s all in German, I have no idea what they’re singing about, but who cares? I can pretty much tell it’s about great battles, swinging swords and crushing their enemies… And who doesn’t love that stuff ?

Hearing this, I’m really itching to get my armour on and join these guys on the battlefield ( and obviously win ). This is a band Folk Black Metal fans will be proud to be listening to. And now…

To victory!!!

a n d wanna give D e a t h Review by Andrew Stanton Metal a try, ‘Deformation of the Holy I t ’s Realm’ makes a very typical Death Metal with all the good starting point. It’s trimmings.

Death not too sophisticated, Metal was a genre that it’s got good energy, it’s used to be great, but a lot of moshing fun. I went shit around the really like it. late 90’s. Too many Sinister, I salute you. bands just seemed to be trying too hard. But Sinister are a band that seem to have kept it real for the fans.

If you’re new to Metal

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D e a t h M e t a l veterans, S i n i s t e r, have a sound very s i m i l a r to early Incantation.

Dying Fetus fans are gonna love this band.

The guitars play thick throughout ‘Deformation of the Holy Realm’, while the energy of the blast beats give the album a real kick. The deep growled vocals remain very harsh and a mid paced speed.

Some interesting guitar solos and some very fancy intros… Posh or what?

When I listen to this, I get memories of early Terrorizer, Napalm Death, Bolt Thrower, Deicide, Cannibal Corpse.

Upcoming albums

Valdrin will release their third studio album Effigy of Nightmares.

“Effigy of Nightmares, like our previous album Two Carrion Talismans, centers around the antagonist of our Mythos: Nex Animus,” writes the band. “The story chronicles the tour of a nameless narrator through the halls of Hospitium Mortis, the nightmare hospital below the Orcus underworld itself, where Nex tortures and lobotomizes the dissident gods of his domain.”

Line-up: James Lewis - Bass Ryan Maurmeier - Drums Carter Hicks - Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards Colton Deem - Guitars The new album will be release on June 12, 2020.

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Mysticism, magic, occult arts and rituals, all of which are driving factors behind ACHERONTAS, are also the most adequate words that can be used to describe the band’s image, sound and lyrics.

The band is considered as one of the leading representatives of the New Wave of Greek Black Metal, heavily influenced by the original Hellenic metal scene, retro rock (especially the 70’s rock) and eastern philosophy.

Line-up: V.Priest - Vocals, Guitars Saevus H. - Guitars Hierophant - Bass Dothur - Drums Indra - Guitars «Psychic Death - The Shattering Of Perceptions» was recorded in Grecce, Germany and UK, at the band’s own studios (the «Coven’s Corridors of Wilderness»). The album was produced, mixed and mastered at Pentagram Studio

by George Emmanuel (Lucifer’s Child, ex-Rotting Christ). Cover artwork was prepared by Chris Undirheimar of Blood and Fire Ritual Art studio.

«Psychic Death - The Shattering of Perceptions» will be released on June 26, 2020.

The Dutch masters of horror are back with their most flamboyant album so far.

On ‘Franckensteina Strataemontanus’, CARACH ANGREN resurrect the gruesome story of troubled soul Conrad Dippel - the inspiration of Mary Shelley’s novel ‘Frankenstein’. CARACH ANGREN have extended all the sonic colours on their established palette to dazzling effect. Their trademark whipping guitars weave harsh melodies and sinister soundscapes, which are beautifully contrasted by opulent keyboards and majestic orchestrations.

That Till Lindemann (RAMMSTEIN) and Peter Tägtgren (PAIN) have called upon the composition talent of Clemens «Ardek» Wijers is a telling sign of his outstanding mastery of the craft. Another signatory counterpoint is provided by Seregor’s fierce rasping and shrieking vocals. Adding to the impact, Namtar has become a relentless driving force with his hart hitting yet intricate drumming. With ‘Franckensteina Strataemontanus’, the Dutch push their unashamedly theatrical style to a new intense height.

Line-up: Seregor - Guitars, Vocals Ardek Keyboards, Piano, Orchestrations, Vocals (backing) Namtar - Drums, Percussion Will be released on June 26, 2020.

Ensiferum are a true powerhouse when it comes to folk-inspired melodic death metal, something they hammer home more resolutely than ever with eighth full-length Thalassic. The title translating from ancient Greek as «of or relating to seas», it’s a suitably huge and wideranging collection that incorporates orchestrations and traditional folk instrumentation alongside the roaring guitars, bass, and drums. «I think we managed to take another step ahead musically and we also utilized the best parts of our old sound,» states bassist/vocalist Sami Hinkka. «There are lots of Ensiferum’s trademarks: beautiful folkish melodies, ass-kicking riffs, a nice mix of different vocals and great singalong choruses.»

The biggest difference separating Thalassic from the rest of Ensiferum’s catalogue comes from the fact that it’s the first of their albums to be built around a theme.

Lineup: Markus Toivonen - Guitars, Vocals, Percussion Sami Hinkka - Bass, Vocals (clean, harsh, backing) Petri Lindroos - Vocals (harsh), Guitars Janne Parviainen - Drums, Percussion Pekka Montin - Keyboards, Vocals (clean) “Thalassic” will be released on July 10, 2020.

Enshadowed was born back in 1998. The vision of the band was to create underground black metal art at a unique level. Enshadowed took a part in many live shows, supporting also great bands like Mayhem, Dodheimsgard, Impaled Nazarene, Dark Funeral, Nargaroth and more.

Old and very respected Greek band Enshadowed returns with their 4th album entitled «Stare Into the Abyss». You can expect a perfect mix of Hellenic Black Metal Art with Scandinavian influences.

On Stare into the Abyss Enshadowed plays very fast, raw, melodic, aggressive and traditional Black Metal. The lyrics cover death, chaos, nihilism, misanthropy and anti religion themes.

It is time to stare into the Abyss... into the Darkness... into the pure Death.

Lineup N.e.c.r.o - Guitars Golgotha - Bass Serpent - Vocals Stare into the Abyss will be released on June 30, 2020.

One of the very first American black metal bands, Black Funeral have been long led by the magickal hand of Michael Ford AKA Akhtya Nachttoter, who has concurrently garnered international respect as a leading author on Luciferianism and occultism.

Now arrives Scourge of Lamashtu, a Black Magickial sonic invocation of the Seven Udughul, Vampyric Deities and Lildemons of ancient Babylonia.

May our kišpe (witchcraft) call forth acasual and abyss-dreaming powers and the pandemonium of Lamashtu, Pazuzu, Nergal, lilû, lilitu, kiskilili and vampyric demonic dead, the emmu. Black Funeral aligns in a underworldly wave of cacophonic disharmony uniting cold black metal with dark ambient soundscapes composed from sounds of desert winds, sands, wilderness, mountains, storms, owls, wolves, and ravens to authentically represent the demons, deities, and ghostly dead within this album.

Lineup Akhtya Nachttoter - Vocals, Bass, Electronics Azgorh Drakenhof Guitars, Bass, Keyboards Scourge of Lamashtu will be released on July 3, 2020.

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