#24†30.12.2022 News • Reviews • Interviews • Exclusive s24 of Trve MetalZines
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Editor’s brief Editor’s brief
Hails to everyone who’s reading this!
I can’t believe I’m announcing that now, but it’s been 4 years since we’ve started bringing content to you with this edition. Moreover, we didn’t even consider at the very beginning that it would grow into what it is nowadays. But it’s happened, and all because of your endless support, folks. A biggest THANKS to every single person who’s ever worked with us, helped with spreading the content, gave some advices and all this stuff.
So let’s just keep it all together.
In Metal, Olga Schneider, editor
TOTAL support
...and especially to these people for the interviews
Ralf (Heads For The Dead)
Beleth (Cerberus)
Alexis Laguado (Dark Manthra)
Sebastian (Krahenfeld)
A. Morbid (Happy Days)
Peter Morsellino (Serpent Moon)
Memnock (Abyssic)
Kare Andre Sletteberg (In The Woods)
Saevum (Abhor)
Atom Krieg (Darkmoon Warrior)
Maria Subbotina (Stranga Lumigado)
Helmuth Lehner (Belphegor) for his
Jay Parker - Editor, Interviewer, Reviewer
Lorena Delgado - Interviewer, Reviewer
Richard Keenahan - Interviewer// Kim Kjole - Reviewer Namtar - Interviewer// Patrick Schroeder - Reviewer
Metalheads are waiting for it...134 Dark Manthra Interview with Alexis Laguado.............................................18 Krahenfeld Interview with Sebastian....................................................22 Happy Days Interview with A. Morbid...........................................26 Serpent Moon Interview with Peter Morsellino......................30 Abyssic Interview with Memnock...................................32 In The Woods Interview with Kare Andre Sletteberg....................34 Abhor Interview with Saevum............................................38 Darkmoon Warrior Interview with Atom Krieg...........................................40 Interview with Maria Subbotina.......................................42 Heads For The Dead Interview with Ralf......................10 Cerberus Interview with Beleth..........................................................16 Best Metal releases..............44 News from hell.....................................6 Stories about Metal bands....................110
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Inside the Darkness issues
World Metal News
Meh Suff! Winter feStival 2023
DynaMo, Zurich, SWitZerlanD
friDay, 06.01.2023
18:00 DoorS
18:30 – 19:00 honor (thraSh Metal froM
SWitZerlanD)
19:20 – 19:50 cauSaM (Black Metal froM
SWitZerlanD)
20:20 – 21:10 Dark fortreSS (Black Metal froM GerMany)
21:40 – 22:30 vaDer (Death Metal froM PolanD)
23:00 – 00:00 SoDoM (thraSh Metal froM GerMany)
SaturDay, 07.01.2023
15:00 DoorS
15:45 – 16:15 intrePiD (Death Metal froM eStonia)
16:45 – 17:15 reject the
SickneSS (MeloDic Death Metal froM BelGiuM)
17:45 – 18:35 heretoir (Black Metal froM GerMany)
19:05 – 19:55
MonStroSity (Death Metal froM the uniteD StateS)
20:25 – 21:15 craft
(Black Metal froM SWeDen)
21:45 – 22:45 tankarD (thraSh Metal froM GerMany)
23:15 – 00:00 oriGin (Death Metal froM the uniteD StateS)
23:55 – 06:00 90S Party iM Werk 21
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7 02/24 – Buffalo, ny 02/25 – MechanicSBurG, Pa 02/26 – PittSBurGh, Pa 02/28 – coluMBuS, oh 03/01 – flint, Mi 01/25 – tucSon, aZ 01/26 – flaGStaff, aZ 01/27 – farMinGton, nM 01/28 – alBuquerque, nM 01/29 – el PaSo, tX 01/31 – tulSa, ok 02/01 – DallaS, tX 02/02 – auStin, tX 02/03 – San antonio, tX 02/04 – houSton, tX 02/05 – neW orleanS, la 02/07 – ft. Walton Beach, fl 02/08 – jackSonville, fl 02/09 – orlanDo, fl 02/10 – taMPa, fl 02/11 – ft. lauDerDale, fl 02/13 – WeSt coluMBia, Sc 02/14 – virGinia Beach, va 02/15 – BenSaleM, Pa 02/16 – BaltiMore, MD 02/17 – clifton, nj 02/18 – Brooklyn, ny 02/19 – haMDen, ct 02/20 – BoSton, Ma 02/21 – BurlinGton, vt 02/23 – SyracuSe, ny
World Metal News
70000 Tons of Metal 2023
60 Bands, 4 Days, 1 Cruise Ship, and only 3000 Tickets. This is 70000TONS OF METAL®, The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise!
The 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise is set to return in January 2023 after being canceled in both 2021 and 2022, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Andy Piller, creator/ promotor of the cruise ship festival, mentioned that 70000 Tons Of Metal may be sailing to a new spot outside its usual Caribbean destination, and will also boast a brand new ship. The cruise had been hosted on the Royal Caribbean ship named Independence Of The Seas since its maiden voyage in 2016.
70000TONS OF METAL, The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise has announced that their eleventh sailing will be hosted on board The Freedom of the Seas from Miami, Florida to Bimini, The Bahamas from January 30th to February 3rd, 2023.
Bands’ List:
Abysmal Dawn, Amberian Dawn, Amorphis, Atrocity, Belphegor, Cancer, Cryptosis, Cynic, Dark Tranquillity, Dear Mother, Deathless Legacy, Decrepit Birth, Destruction, Edge Of Paradise, Eleine, Elvenking, Empress, Eshtadur, Evergrey, Fallujah, Feuerschwanz, Fractal Universe, God Dethroned, Hei’an, Insomnium, Iron Savior, Isole, Jungle Rot, Kamelot, Keep Of Kalessin, Korpiklaani, Kreator, Melechesh, Månegarm, Nightmare, Nothgard, Novembre, Obscura, Osyron, Rotting Christ, Sirenia, The Crown, Uli Jon Roth, Visions Of Atlantis, Vreid, Warbringer, Wolfchant.
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16.02 aPelDoorn – nl –
17.02 coPenhaGen – Dk –hotel cecil
18.02 Sneek – nl – het BolWerk
19.02 rotterDaM – nl –
20.02 lonDon – uk – the DoMe
21.02 MancheSter – uk –reBellion
22.02 antWerP – Be –venue
23.02 MannheiM – De –MS conneXion
24.02 aarBurG – ch –
25.02 Milan – it – leGenD
27.02 Brno – cZ – MeloDka
28.02 BratiSlava – Sv –
01.03 oStrava – cZ –
02.03 BuDaPeSt – hu –
03.03 ZWickau – De –cluB SeilerStraSSe 04.03 oBerhauSen – De –
05.03 trier – De – Mjc
Batushka is currently touring across 9 countries and has 18 upcoming concerts.
Following a successful North American tour, the ultimate Polish metal package is getting back onto the lands of Europe – don’t miss selected shows of Batushka and Hate in February 2023!
Batushka is a Poland-based black metal phenomenon. Their shows don’t leave anyone indifferent, for they are not just metal gigs but a true theatrical black liturgy. Having just returned from oversea tours in the US and Mexico, Batushka are stronger than ever, ready to give their European pilgrims the unholy mass. The legendary Polish blackened death gods Hate have proven to be a great match with Batushka within several tour legs. It is a must to have a live taste of the songs of pure blasphemy inspired by archaic Slavic themes and mythologies from their album Rugia, as well as best works from Auric Gates of Veles.
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GiGant
BaroeG
tBa
MuSiGBurG
cluB 26.02 SalZBurG – at –rockhouSe
ranDall
Barrak
BarBa neGra
helvete
H e sda F o r THe dea dd e Ta H M e T la F r oM sw e d e n / G e r M a n y / U K / U s a
of marketing. We respect this since the market is loaded and the label needs words to raise attention. For us it’s about the art.
To me all people involved belong to our list of respected and dedicated underground networkers.
Matt Moliti plays as well in US band SENTIENT HORROR. He has a massive talent and his leads/ solos really raised the bars in the quality of the songmaterial.
Jon Rudin who plays drums on the 3rd HEADS FOR THE DEAD album is one of Jonny’s friends from the UK. He already helped out in Wombbath, Just before Dawn etc.!
5. Your last album “The Great Conjuration” is an epitome of the best Old School Death Metal traditions, and moreover, this sound is so
much different from the previous one, Serpent’s Curse, that was released in 2018 and was actually more about some mix of Black and Death Metal. A bit more darkly melancholic and cold so to say. What was the reason for you to change the sound so drastically?
I do not see it that drastically! What comes to my mind is that Jonny has progressed
was already written and mainly recorded between late 2020 and early 2021. It was slumbering on harddisk for a while before we’ve taken final touches to it in early 2022.
The involvement of Matt Moliti as the solo guitarist on wider scale than before really opened some new gateways, too. He added a sort of “classical Metal” twist with his solos, too. The album is again more a melting pot, but with a more extreme and heavy sounding basics. The production is more DEATH METAL, but with an in - depth view this album is filled with small details worth to be discovered with each new round.
as songwriter a lot. This whole combination of extreme Metal elements and horror movie like soundscapes, samples, references is more melting together. “The great conjuration”
To me it’s a lot more than just “another” Old School (Swedish) Death Metal record. The Roky Erickson coversong is the living proof.
Furthermore we changed the patterns of colours in the layout. This purple / yellow setting adds some freshness to it.
Before we had a lot of black/ red in the arts/settings.
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Last but not least working with horror / make up actress Cory Coyley for the photos on the main artwork was a new step.
I think we managed to play some so far unknown new cards, which is crucial if you wanna see progress!
6. Can we consider the previous LP some kind of experiment field, like an attempt for all of you to learn each others, how it would feel to work all together and what would come out from that all?
Hm, never thought about it that way!
“Serpent’s curse”, the debut album was for sure about finding a sort of common direction.
“Into the red” got a bit more darker, more Black Metal in it’s general vibe, although it carries on the torch of the debut album, too. Recording the vocals, doing the lyrics during the height of the pandemic added a sort of gloom and doom aura, too.
“Slash ‘n’ roll” was an easy MLP with a clear mission: Giving a soundtrack to our fave “slasher” movies and paying tribute to the “Death ‘n’ Roll” era of mighty ENTOMBED. Doing the covers of RAMONES and MISFITS was a hell of fun, too.
“The great conjuration” is a turning back to the more DEATH METAL oriented setting with some well embedded experiments. Sound and productionwise it’s also more an “in the face” and BRUTAL release without loosing the atmosphere to it.
7. Since you’re permanently working on something new, can you already give us some hints what we have to expect from your next creations? What destination are you gonna develop in? Or do you think about taking some break from Heads for the Dead at the moment to concentrate on some new stuff for Revel in Flesh?
Just recorded the vocals for a new upcoming HEADS FOR THE DEAD Mlp a few days ago. It will be again slightly different, but still filled with Horror and some previously not known elements, too. Lyrically it deals a lot with the religious aspects in horror movies. With REVEL IN FLESH we still stuck in the songwriting process for album No.6. It’s still a long way, but I am sure that 2023 will finally bring some Deathkultish audio madness again! Standing still = no option, Ha! Ha! The wheel keeps turning.
8. By the way, about the
new stuff for Revel in Flesh
:D You’re actively working on it at the moment, and it seems like you never stop working on any new stuff at all! Do you prioritize working with any of your projects somehow, or are they absolutely equal for you? When I spent time on something than I like to raech out for the best possible result. REVEL IN FLESH consumes a lot of time, especially since it’s a live playing band. The other bands are still in a sort “studio only” state/mood. We are doing REVEL IN FLESH for 10 years by now, it’s a name with a sort of standing within the German underground scenery, BUT nevertheless I try to do the best for HEADS or whatever, too. Giving 100% of what you can offer at the moment of doing or leaving it! Each band involves different characters, so it’s natural that the results, way of workings etc. differ from time to time.
9. What are your main sources of this endless power to work on so much stuff at the same time without any breaks?
There’s a saying like “You have to forge the iron as long as it is hot”. I really enjoy the process of being productive; I only live once and wasting good time with just sitting on the couch would be not
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the right way. Sometimes life offers you the possibility to grow, to try out, to progress or to fail, Ha! If you do not try you do not win. Standing still is not an solution, so simply DO IT!!!
10. As we can see, all kinds of horror stuff, such as movies, books etc are the foundation of your creativity. But if we talk about the modern reality which is actually some kind of horror in real life at some aspects? Do you prefer to escape it? Or do you consider all this horror stuff first of all as a hypertrophied form of reality?
Watching the daily news is currently more brutal than some fictional horror movie or literature. Most of all you can not escape from it, but you need to create a sort of shelter for yourself to keep your state of mind as clear as you can. Music is a way to make the world a better place, even if you do music with a brutal aspect to it, Ha! There’s nothing wrong in espcaping from reality for a while as long as you can handle it and to match the bullshit of daily life. To me DEATH
METAL lyrics etc. are not about preaching people what to do. The lyrics have to fit the atmopshere of the music and if you’re doing really well then you form a sort of fitting trinity of lyrics, music and artwork.
11. What in your opinion is the destiny of Death Metal for the next 10 years?
10 years is a long - period in our fast living times! It’s like everywhere in the Metal genre. It’s nearly impossible to newer bands to reach the reputation or standings of the genre creating groups from the late 80ies and early 90ies. To me
DEATH METAL needs to transform some sort of engergy and (raw) power. For me it’s more about passion than musicial show off, that’s why I prefer more the “old school” thing with a remarkable riff, a melody, some groove and “I wanna headbang” vibe instead of a blastbeat overdose!
DEATH METAL is an established Metal subgenre and it will never disappear because there will be always new fans discovering it and there will be always old maniacs still celebrating the classical stuff and maybe showing some support to newcomers, too! DEATH METAL is meant to stay!!!
12. Our traditional ques-
tion to finish this interview. What would you like to say to our crew and readers? Support music that is done with heart & passion! Thanx for this nice chat; I enjoyed it a lot! We are currently already working on a new HEADS FOR THE DEAD MLP, which will be our goal for 2023. A new REVEL IN FLESH album is also in progress and the debut album our band ROTPIT is also in the pipeline! Keep an eye one! Raise the volume and remember DEATH METAL makes everything better :-) Cheerz, Ralf :-)
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26 Bands, 13 Countries, 4 Labels, 2 CDS, 1 Zine... and 1 Truly Diabolical Compilation... The Very Best Of International Black Metal!!!
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Cerberus is a really cool one-man Black Metal project from Germany. Andrew Stanton talked to the man himself, Beleth about his new album. Hello and welcome to Inside the Darkness. “Hi. Am Beleth from Cerberus. Let’s start the interview.”
- Can you tell our readers a bit about
Interview by Andrew Stanton
your history, please?
“I started with the band Cerberus in the winter of 1998.
In 2001 we signed a contract with Schwarzdorn Production and released the first songs.
In 2003 Cerberus re-
leased the first album “Chapters of blackness”. Our second album “Klagelieder - Grabesgesang” was released 2006. We played a lot of concerts with bands like Sarkom, Koldbran, Shining, Bethlehem, Secrets of the moon, Tankard and a lot more bands.
I cut with the old band members and started to make my music alone.”
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Interview with Beleth
If only the big bands get support, the small bands will die and Black Metal, too.
Ce r b e r U sb la CK M e T a l F r o M G re M na y
- What bands did you like growing up?
“Satyricon, old Dimmu Borgir, old Behemoth, Gorgoroth, Emperor and bands like that. There were a lot of great bands.”
- What are your lyrics about?
“About Demons, Hell and thinks like that. In my lyrics, I create an intermediate world of reality and fantasy.”
- Why does Black Metal have so many solo artists?
“I’ve been talking about this question with some of the scene for quite some time. If we take a closer look, the Black Metal scene consists entirely of people who want to differentiate themselves from the broad norm. Why are they doing this? It is a behavior that is typical of depression. And people who suffer from depression like to isolate themselves from others. I think that’s how so many solo projects come about.”
- How do you think modern Black Metal compares to early Emperor or Darkthrone?
“Modern Black Met-
al? What is that? I think Black Metal is Black Metal. Black Metal is diverse. In the first line are the emotions you have when composing. Therefore, I do not want to categorize the style.”
- What can fans expect from your new album?
- Are you planning a tour anywhere?
“I am a solo musician so I think no.”
- Can Black Metal really survive without the help of mainstream media?
“Black Metal has never needed the mainstream and won’t. It’s music. No business.
I know that some bands have made a business out of it. That’s fine, too. They depend on the mainstream and cannot survive without the mainstream. But Black Metal as such is absolutely independent of it.”
- Do you have a message for our readers?
“My only thoughts on this are that you should keep an eye on the underground scene. It is the bands that will determine our future of the Black Metal scene.
“Black Fucking Metal. That’s all. Especially in the Black Metal scene you should not meet any expectations in their place and also not the expectations of others. It is about the realization of one’s own interests and needs. Not those of the others.”
These need a little support. Many prefer to listen only to the old stuff or the old bands because they are so used to it and lose focus on the music as such.
If only the big bands get support, the small bands will die and Black Metal, too.”
Thank you for your time.
“Thank you for your questions and support!”
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Hello Alexis, greetings man. Thanks for taking the time to talk to our readers and share some of your wisdom.
1) Tell us about the powerful Dark Manthra... When, where and why was the band formed?
Greetings
Jay to you and all the readers….
Thanks for this space, Dark Manthra was born in 1997 in Bucaramanga,
a capital city with some history within national metal, but it was until 1999 when I started this tour in a more serious and profession-
to a higher level, completely dedicated to extreme metal.
2) Tell us the lineup...
al way, we debuted live on December 18, 1999 and since That day we did not stop taking our sound
After many years of struggle, a committed lineup could be finalized and with real metal lovers, for more than ten years we worked like this, Alexis Laguado (Voice guitar)Alejandro Olarte (Guitar)
- Mervin Quiroga (bass)
- Zandro Rueda ( Drums)
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I n T erv I ew w ITH A lexis l A gu A do
Interview by Jay Parker
We want to be a recognized band that is a flagship in underground metal.
da r K M a n T H r ab la CK M e T a l F r o M C lo o M b I a
3) Walk us through your discography, (some real gems there) from start to finish... Where can our readers buy your music? Dark Manthra from the beginning I work own music, at the beginning of the century we recorded our first singles, we shared in several professional national compilations, in 2005 we released a demos entitled “Faith Breaker” (CDr) that was very well received in the national scene, in 2007 a Peruvian label (Undermetal rec) made a split with a Mexican and a Peruvian band, called “The Wicked Trilogy”, and in 2013 we achieved the first album “Vientos de Guerra”, which opened many doors for us at the level Latin American, after an arduous work of composition and production in 2019 we released “Morbid Chaos” a very well thought out album, with an impeccable production and that we hope will become a national classic, many more plans are coming in the
future with some splits and others professional productions as usual.
4) Your latest release, Morbid Chaos, is a very well crafted slice of daemonium... Master’s Of Evil is a true masterpiece... when and where was it written/recorded?
Lead us through the tracks...
Thanks for those appreciations, Morbid Chaos is the result of a coordinated and direct teamwork to the jugular, influenced with the hatred the speed and crudeness of metal of all time but helped with new technologies to produce good material
we were there for a year composing and arranging our songs, contributing all ideas and touches to improve every detail in each song, we chose to record in a studio in our city for the ease of controlling the editing and mixing work, we focused on every detail of the layout and design and printing so that in the end the whole set is a true piece of metal, there were 500 copies that we released independently and fortunately they have gone far, there are very few copies left in our possession and that drives us to continue in this. As for Masters of Evil, it is a very brutal theme based on classic metal tones and paying homage to all those who have influenced us on this path, that is, a simple tribute to Venom, Bathory, Hellhammer, Sarcofago, Masacre, Typhon, Neurosis… in short, to all the bands we grew up with, the lyrics and music are my own and together we made the respective arrangements, the choirs and injected all the hatred and power of Dark Manthra as in all the songs of the disk.
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5) What is the process when writing tracks? how does it all come together? What is the inspiration behind the lyrics?
It’s something very natural, nothing forced or mathematical, simply our experience listening to metal and with our instruments, someone comes up with an idea and starts putting together the whole song, each one contributes something that makes it sound more brutal and that’s how we give the final result , then we inject the lyrics accommodating the main idea and a brutal theme comes out, our themes speak of the higher self, punishment and denunciation of the falsehood of faith, earthly pleasure, death and metal.
6) For musicians who are reading. What instruments do you use? What tunings do you prefer? what recording equipment do you use? How has your recording process evolved over the years?
Well, we have not wanted to release the standard tuning, many musicians want to sound heavier and more “modern” by chang-
ing tunings and others, but we are closely linked to the metal of all time, to that naturalness that this tuning gives us, we use strings a slightly thicker 10 gauge and that gives a certain different tone, we use distortions emulating a dual rectifier, we like that heavy table sound, we almost always ask for those amps, they are rarely found to play, but when we have them we use them naturally.
7) What are your plans for the future? Are you recording and writing new material? Are you planning to do a tour outside of Colombia? There are many plans, there are already songs to record, there are already commitments to play, and we also have some productions in the oven, a split with a classic band from the United States (Lucifixion) that will be co-produced between a national label (iron fist) and one from over there in the USA, in addition to a 7” with Dar March that we are preparing for this year. Some concerts in different cities of Colombia and if of course our ideal is to leave the country, we are looking for the means to achieve it.
8) Today, Colombia is internationally recognized as a thriving center of Black Metal, with some of the best bands and some of the most
respected old school figures in the genre. Tell us what it’s like to be a part of that... the energy, the musicianship and the fans here are really something special...
Everything in Colombia has a certain extra level, the raw and bloody history of the country has inspired extreme music since the mid80s and the BM does not escape this, here we do not write about cold mountains, or pine trees surrounded by snow, here we writes about the hatred against conservationism instilled since childhood, against violence and against the injustices that happen daily, it is metal that is created and truly felt. We are very proud of national metal, we are collectors, we have friends since the end of the 90s in this and every day more serious bands and projects are added that are worth spreading and making known.
9) Recommend some new Colombian bands for our readers to check out… It Would Never End, To Name A Few, Cabra Negra, Daenam, Dantalian, Endeathed, Stnzr Cult, Horncrowned, Sadistic Rot, The Reapers Hand, Other Entities.
10) Tell us some stories man, you’ve been here for a while... what’s the best and worst experience so far as a BM musician?
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da r K M a n T H r ab la CK M e T a l F r o M C lo o M b I a
Tell us a funny anecdote from your live shows...
The best thing has always been to share the stage with great exponents of national and international metal, there are so many stories that I don’t even know where to begin to meet characters like Mantas, Tony Dolanto (Venom INC), Apollyon and Blasphemer (Aura Noir) who have written this world metal history is one of those great satisfactions, the national bands have always deserved the greatest of my respect and admiration, because in Colombia it is not easy, it is a more aggressive level, so all those anecdotes are summed up in satisfaction... things on stage and outside of it that we will always remember, an example and back in 2001, we were with Witchtrap, Erzebeth and Lemures in Bucaramanga and they were staying in an apartment of the promoter, we were obviously drinking and we were in charge of lunch so
we already told you Imagine some young kids trying to do something in the middle of the party for everyone to eat, I don’t know if they ended up intoxicated... In short, there are many things that can be counted, and others not, but that is if he plays with beer in hand.
11) What is your favor-
mon and they gave us on their first albums all the hate and musical foundation to create metal.
12) Do you have any advice and words of wisdom for upcoming bands and musicians?
ite BM album of all time and why?
It would be very bland to choose just one, there are classic pieces that are the cornerstone of the genre, I have in my appreciation the beginnings of bands like Cradle, Behemoth and Dark Funeral, and in Colombia Maleficarum, Tenebrarum and Typhon, to name a few, they are all different , but they have something in com-
The truth is that we are not wise, but we are persevering, this path is not easy, but it is the best thing that can happen to us, we are not here for fame, far from it, but we want to be a recognized band that is a flagship in underground metal, and We do it with a lot of passion and love for dark and extreme metal, from the beginning dedicated to the freedom of the human being and to go against the dogmas that lead man to kneel, to fight my brothers. Metal brothers.
13) Do you have anything you would like to add? (contacts/zine/label etc :))
Thanks for the space, we are Dark manthra and we will be metal warriors forever, write to us at darkmanthra@hotmail.com or look for our music on networks and streaming, @darkmanthra and spread dark and Death Metal, www.linktr.ee/DarkManthra
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KräHen F e ldb l a C K M e T a l FroM G e r M a n y
And yes it sounds cringe as fuck but damn that just describes it best.”
- What can fans expect from your new album?
Those who heard or saw us before know what to expect from our next Album. Of course we are in a constant state of evolving our songwriting as we don’t want to write the same songs over and over again. Our baseline of style is pretty much settled by now from which we don’t want to differ a lot. But as already written above our music is deeply personal to us and we can’t foresee the future of how we will feel. Therefore, nobody knows what our music will sound like, but it will be filled with depression and melancholy. ”
- Are you planning a tour anywhere?
“Since Corona and its
aftereffects it’s nearly impossible as a small underground band to organize a concert since most locations are constantly booked out. Of course we are always looking for opportunities to play live even more so in other countries or regions. Even when our lyrics are written solely in German our past ex-
magazines cover a wide variety of genres and festivals so every single genre has limited space. With that said most large bands didn’t come out of the Black Metal culture except Behemoth, Watain ect…
Maybe it’s our bias but we think that the darker Metal genres are well represented in its own magazines. Most people wouldn’t know this because black metal is a very closed and introverted culture and that’s what we like about it. Let all other people read their magazines, we’ve got our owns!”
- Do you have a massage for our readers?
periences in other languages countries showed us that it’s not necessarily a barrier.”
- Why does Black Metal get so overlooked by music magazines?
“In our experience especially Black Metal is represented in magazines. Of course the big
“We hope we see you folks live someday, until then: Stay negative.”
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K r ä H en F le db l KCa MeTa l Fr oM G e r M a n y
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Happy Days are a great DSBM band from the USA. Andrew Stanton talked to A. Morbid about their new album. Hello and welcome to Inside the Darkness.
“Thank you so much for having me here it’s been a while since I’ve done an interview.”
- Can you tell our readers a bit about your band’s history, please?
“Happy Days was first formed in 2003. I was 13 years old when I started to
write the first songs for the two demos and first album as well… The first song I ever wrote for happy days was “A World Of Pain”. Unfortunately, during that time period, I had zero experi -
way later in 06 or 07 I believe. My memory is a bit off because for me it was such a chaotic and dreadful time of my life. I had no knowledge on how to record or mix and master anything so unfortunately the quality of the songs I wrote ended up suffering majorly.
ence and zero contacts with labels so unfortunately the music that I wrote for the first album was not released until
In fact, the first two demos were recorded using a karaoke machine with a cassette tape in it. And because of this Happy Days had a rough start during that period of time.”
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Interview by Andrew Stanton
Interview with A. Morbid
The first two demos of Happy Days were recorded using a karaoke machine with a cassette tape in it.
Happy da y sd e p r e s s I v e b l a CK M e Ta l F r o M T H e U n I Tde s T a T e s
- What bands did you like growing up?
“So I grew up listening to classical music. The earliest memory I have I listened to the first song was Beethoven and Chopin. This has played a major influence to my writing style and even the way how I structure my music as well. If you were to convert my music into a Classical version, it would transfer perfectly because I compose and write my music in the same sense as you would write a Classical piece. As far as metal bands are concerned the very first Black Metal band I ever heard was Sarcofago - I.N.R.I. and it forever changed my life. I was 9 years old when first bought this vinyl because I was curious about the front cover it for some reason intrigued me and even the guy who sold me the album at the record store told me it’s a classic and highly recommended it so of course I bought it and it’s was really influenced me to start writing music for happy days. The other bands that really influenced me as far as guitar play style and musical influence is
concerned Trist (Czech), and Dissection (Sweden). These two bands really inspired me and motivated me to write my own music.”
- Why did you choose to name yourselves after a comedy show?
“I chose this name because I wanted it to be ironic since the lyrics that I write is anything but happy. It was meant
name like goat this and Satan that and honestly I thought it was rather childish and frankly extremely primitive. Originality is something that’s very hard to come by these days so I purposely chose this name to stand out from all the oth- er generic bands that surfaced. I also chose the name because it really just seemed to fit well with what I was writing even though it was the polar opposite. Sometimes in life things just appear in your head and it’s just meant to happen. Call it fate or call it causality. Either way it came to me instantly.”
- What did you think of the legendary Florida Death Metal scene?
to be as a middle finger to the copycats of Black Metal. During that period, I had this impression that all the new Black Metal bands that were coming out always had a very Satanic or occult type
“So there are very and I mean very few Death Metal bands that I listen to. And none of them are from Florida. So I mean I don’t really have any opinion on them. I can’t say they’re terrible because obviously the scene is huge and many successful bands come from that horrible state. So in the end I just don’t have an opinion.”
- Do you have a message to people who are offended by DSBM?
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“I don’t care.”
- What can fans expect from your new album?
“A Lot of Classical and Funeral Doom influence. I decided to go further into the Funeral doom side because it’s always been a genre that I enjoyed listening to and a big fan of. However, despite all the major changes that I decided to do by adding female vocals to my music and piano, Traces of the DSBM sound will always linger and be present at the heart of my music. That will never change.”
- What do you think of Black Doom and Blackgaze?
“I love both genres although it’s very rare to find good bands that do the genre justice. As you can see I am very picky with a lot of bands and always have been. In fact, most of the time I don’t listen to any Metal at all because it all just starts to blend together after a while. It
doesn’t mean I don’t like the genre, it just means it takes a lot to impress me and to get me to listen to the album entirely without feeling bored or annoyed.”
- Are you planning a tour?
will be happening in Europe and very soon I will be making fliers to promote the shows.”
- Do you have a message for our readers?
“I love you all. The ones who love and hate me I appreciate yo u both. Without you both I wouldn’t be where I am today with my music.”
Thank you for your time.
“Thank you for your time and for your questions.”
“Yes, in fact Happy Days will be possibly playing its first festival in Austria November 2023. I am currently trying to work out the details with the promoter but yes many shows
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Happy da y sd e p r e s s I v e b l a CK M e Ta l F r o M T H e U n I Tde s T a T e s
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1. Perventor (Colombia) - Alas De Papel
2. Namtaru (USA) - Hymn To The Ancient One
3. Nebulous Of Blood (USA) - In League With Demons
4. Old Pagan (Germany) - She Loves The Pain
5. Osy Mainty (Madagascar) - Flashing Lights
6. Valadier (Italy) - Stronghold Of The Everlasting Pyre
7. Progoat (USA) - Rapture Celebration
8. Remorseless Winter (USA) - Anticathexis
9. Kirth Roth (USA) - A Drink From The Serpent’s Chalice
10. Angrboda’s Curse (Puerto Rico) - Blessing Of The Ironwood
11. Dreams In Darkness (Argentina) - Carrion For The Vultures
12. Ihllus (Thailand) - Through My Eyes
13. Isataii (USA) - Ghost Warrior
The American Black Metal scene deserves more respect than it gets. New York’s The Serpent Moon is new on the scene. Andrew Stanton tried to learn more.
Hello and welcome to Inside the Dark ness.
“Hi there, thanks for
having me.”
you tell our readers a bit about your history, please?
“The Serpent Moon project started in the summer of 2020 after a long period of musical inactivity. I’ve been a huge Metal fan since I was a kid and had worked with a lot of different genres, but this was the first Metal project that seemed to make it
Interview by Andrew Stanton
Interview with Peter Morsellino
serp e n T M o o nb l Ca K M eTal F r o M T H e U n I T e d s T eTa s
I think Metal is a fairly interpretive genre of music.
off the ground for me and express what I needed to express.”
- What bands did you like growing up?
“The first band I ever loved was the Beach Boys, haha. At some point in my youth I heard Black Sabbath for the first time and it struck a chord and heavier music became sort of a home base for me. I’m a product of my times, Nu Metal was huge in middle school, so that dominated a lot of my early interest in Metal. Eventually I’d branch out to things with a bit more bleak of a tone, which has become something of an addiction at this point.”
- Your covers and imagery seem very weird and interesting. What inspires it?
“I try to give an abstract idea of what the albums sound like with the artwork, but I admit that my exact inspirations for the particular images probably only make sense to me. I usually gravitate to artwork that conveys some level of fragility.”
- What can you tell us about the Metal scene in New York?
“I have been very out of touch for a long time, to be honest. For a while I was lucky enough to witness the phenomenon of hardcore bands crossing over into crust and eventually taking on blackened and sludgey elements in the Albany/Capital region area, but unfortunately
I’ve become a little bit of a shut in over the past several years so can’t speak much on how that worked out. HUSH is an amazing sludge band from the area, Dirt Church (RIP) were fantastic as well.”
- Is Serpent Moon just you only?
“Yes, just me. For a while I entertained the idea of putting together a live band, but the logistics of getting people together for practices and shows as a working single dad in my thirties… it just feels insurmountable at this point.”
- What are your lyrics about?
“I guess I’d sum my lyrical content up as being about mental health. I touch on relationships and worldview and addiction, but it all boils down to mental health in the end. Sometimes you feel something and just know it isn’t healthy, so screaming myself sick about it takes some of the pressure off.”
- What do you say to Nu-Metal fans who say DSBM isn’t Metal?
“I think Metal is a fairly interpretive genre of music. There are a lot of things that are inarguably set into Metal lore and culture that could get flaky if you break them down, depending on your definition of Metal. I mean, shit, maybe it isn’t Metal. That wouldn’t change anything in terms of my enjoyment. In the end I think there’s
something personal that brought us all into metal culture. It’s a broad genre and it won’t all be for everyone, and that’s ok.”
- Do you think bands like Marilyn Manson and Limp Bizkit have made it very hard for American Metal bands to be taken seriously?
“I’m not much of a nationalist, so I don’t really know. I don’t think there’s a particular country that I could turn this question around to that would make it make any sense to me. There’s something great going on everywhere, you just have to find it. But if someone doesn’t take American music seriously based on past examples then I’d just like to think that there are plenty of great American bands to choose from. For every Limp Bizkit we’ve got a Cannibal Corpse. I’ll also go on record saying that while Marilyn Manson is a scumbag, Antichrist Superstar is 100% gold. Geordie White is a criminally underrated songwriter.”
- Do you have a message for our readers?
“To anyone that is new to my music I’d like to say welcome and I hope you can connect with the sounds I’m making. And to anyone who’s been with me at any point in these last two years, thank you for your support and I love you to death.”
Thank you for your time.
“Thanks again, Pete.”
They don’t get much more epic than Norway’s Abyssic. Andrew Stanton talked to front man Memnock about their new album.
- Can you tell our readers a bit about your history, please?
“Abyssic was founded by Memnock back in 97 and was just a solo project. After many years of silence, the band was restarted in 2011 after i meet Andre Aaslie at a party and showed him some
riffs and songs I had made, he really liked it and started to do some orchestrations on it and later we recorded our debut album “a winter’s tale “(ref Abyssic Facebook)”
- Who is in the cur-
rent line up now?
“The lineup is as followsMemnock - Contrabass, vo-
cals. Makhashanah Bass. Elvorn - Guitars. Andre Aaslie - Keys. Tjodalv - Drums.”
- What bands did you like growing up?
“I was and still am really a big fan of My Dying Bride and Iron maiden, these bands inspired me a lot as a young man back in the 80 and 90s.
The beautiful harmonies that MDB make in their songs and the fantastic themes Maiden have in their lyrics is a massive inspiration.
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Interview by Andrew Stanton
Interview with Memnock
Sometimes you should find your own guidance and trust your own decisions, and guide yourself out of the storm.
a b y s sI Cdo o M d e Ta H M eTa l F r o M n o r w a y
Also I listened a lot to Death, Mayhem and Emperor.”
- What are your lyrics and themes about?
“The main idea is that we all are born to die, and it is how we spend our time here on this cold planet that really matters the most, if we choose to waste it away being envious, angry, and resentful, and not enjoy life as we live it, but instead waste it away, that’s truly a shame as we all know, Life is short, Death is eternal (I think) so let’s make the most of the life we are granted. You live every day, but only die once.
Let’s take the lyric winter storm, it’s a metaphor about life, where life is like being on a ship at sea, sometimes it is all calm, but sometimes it is stormy as hell, and you really don’t know if you’re going to make it out or not,
at this point we (humans) tend to grasp a straw and hold on to it with our bare hands and hope for the best. So what I’m trying to express here is that sometimes you should find your own guidance (the one from within yourself) and trust your own decisions, and guide yourself out of the storm. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger right?”
- Are you planning a tour?
“We are working on tours all
the time, but it is all down to expenses etc if the tours happen.”
- What can fans expect from your new album?
“It will be more right in your face, catchy and well produced. And also some faster and more brutal songs.”
- What do you think of mainstream bands who refuse to support Black Metal?
“I’m not sure that I even have an opinion on this matter, I mean back in 2008 I think, Dimmu was doing Ozzfest so they were supported by the major mainstream bands I guess. Nowadays not so much.”
- Do you have a message for our readers?
“Hope you check out our new album. And if so I hope you enjoy it to the fullest.”
Thank you for your time.
“You’re welcome.”
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Norway’s In The Woods are one of the greatest bands on the planet. Andrew Stanton talked to guitarist Kare Andre Sletteberg about their new album.
- Hello and welcome to Inside the Darkness.
“Hello, I’m Kåre from In The Woods… and thank you for these questions.”
out their first demo and album in the early/mid 90s, followed up by two releases in the early 90s before taking the band off the grid for 14 years. The band reformed in 2014 and I joined in 2015 as
around. We changed our singer in 2021, having Bernt Fjellestad coming in the band doing a magnificent job on every aspect of vocals lines and harmonies.”
We simply make the music we want to make.
- Can you tell our readers a bit about your history, please?
“From Kristiansand, Norway, the band gave
the bands lead guitar player. Since then we have done two more studio albums, 3rd on the way, two European tours and a lot of concerts
- How do you describe your music these days?
“Our music today is filled with elements that we all like and we do not make music to just make music, it’s something that comes to us, and we do not think about genre when its created. When all of us add their
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Interview by Andrew Stanton
Interview with Kare Andre Sletteberg
In THe wo o d sa v na T G a r ed p r o G ressIv e b l a C K M e T a l F r o M n ro w a y
elements it becomes what it is supposed to be. Someone would probably describe us as not so heavy anymore, but we definitely play Heavy Metal, Black Metal and what not. It’s just all mixed in there, to make it us, to make it In The Woods…”
- Do you change styles simply because you get bored doing the same things all the time?
“Not at all! We don’t change our genre like that. It’s about floating across lines creating the music we want to create. We could probably make a Black Metal record that would give you a jaw drop, but it is not what we seek out to do, it is not what comes naturally to this band and this group of musicians. We simply make the music we want to make.”
- Who is the new singer? What was the reason for James Fogarty leaving?
“Bernt Fjellestad is our new singer, and we are all very happy for what he brought into this group. He is being a top professional and he delivered some amazing work on our new record. James Fogarty left the group because he could not fit in on a creating wise place with us. He gave Anders Kobro a ultimatum and in the end, he withdraw from the band.”
that this song belongs to me, and this song touched me in a very special way. The new album has a lot of darkness in it, what we as a world are going through together at this moment. “
- What do you think of the way Black Metal has gone now?
“Black Metal is extremely popular and the biggest bands are selling out venue after venue and doing good on merchandise. It’s like
Jørn from Mayhem said on a documentary: ``We are mainstream and I love it, we do this for a living so why shouldn’t we actually make a living of it?``”
- What are your lyrics about?
“It depends on who reads them, it’s like all lyrics, people often creates their own stories that the can latch onto and give the song a more personal meaning. It’s a way for people to think
- Do you ever think you will become mainstream, or do you not want to be?
“That depends on what you mean by mainstream. If it means we could go on tour, come home go in a recording studio and do it all again, yes I would like that.
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But only for the music we have and give out now. We wouldn’t change our style for fame or money. We only hope that our fans will continue to like our music and supporting us, and hopefully catch some new ones on the way!”
- Were you very proud to be a part of the Black Metal scene in the early 1990’s?
“Well the scenes where happening in the bigger cities. In The Woods… was down in Kristiansand just observing, focusing on what actually mattered. The music.”
- Are you planning a tour?
“Yes, we are back working with our German booking/promotion Redback Promotion and are hoping to go out some time after our
new album is out. Nothing more specific than that at this moment.”
- Do you have a message for our readers?
SoulSeller Records.”
Thank you for your time.
“Thank you for the questions and time!”
“Thank you for reading this, and I really hope you will like our new record, Diversum that releases at November 25th through
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In THe wo o d sa v na T G a r ed p r o G ressIv e b l a C K M e T a l F r o M n ro w a y
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CD 2
1. Howling (USA) - Ornate Rites Of Ruination
2. Amock (Puerto Rico) - Obscured Diabolum
3. Dragsholm (USA) - Thorns For Mina
4. Moor (Norway) - Beneath The Graven Totem III
5. Blaspherion (USA) - Where Devils Dwell
6. Void (Colombia) - Into The Void
7. Primordial Serpent (Canada) - Bringer Of Light
8. Caligula (Paraguay) - Imperio De Satanas
9. Till (USA) - The Galloping Hessian
10. Hand Of Flauros (USA) - Blackstone
11. Sisters Memon (Uk/Poland) - Venemous Darts Fired Into The Goddess Of Good
12. Awicha (Thailand) - Sleep Now Frozen One
13. Niohoggr (Puerto Rico) - Draconis Invictis
Mysterium Vacui are a great Black Doom band from Colombia. Andrew Stanton talked to singer Isabel Andújar about this great new band.
- Can you tell our readers a bit about your history, please?
“Abhor is the transposition in extreme music of our cult! First of all the passion that moves us is the passion
to the occult, to the esoteric studies that goes on since we were really young... The in-
terest in these topics and the interest in the music shape abhor and the vinum sabbati congregation... a sacrifice to
our master that persists from 1995 and will continue. I am the founder member still playing in the band (bass guitar), Ulfhedhnire (voice) joined the ritual in 1997 and Kvasir sacrificed his life in 2002. During this year a lot of musicians take part of this black mass, currently we have in the official line up also Juuso (Megahammer, Warmoon
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Interview by Andrew Stanton
Interview with Saevum
We can do the devil’s work without any big problem.
a b H o rb laKC M e T a l rF o M ITa l y
Lord, Old sorcery) and Manu (Death SS, Bulldozer).”
- What bands did you like growing up?
“I grew up with the big wave of Nordic Black Metal bands so that was and still is something I listen to regularly in addition to Classic Heavy, Doom, Death, Thrash. As time passed, I came to a point where good music is good music, it doesn’t matter the genre but I have always been fascinated by the dark side and bands that have this dark image like Mercyful Fate, Venom, Bathory, all the classics…”
- What are your lyrics about?
“Our songs deal with Ritual Magic, Witchcraft and in general they are inspired by topics concerning Occultism and Black Magic. We often use real demonic evocations deliberately modified and personalized, other times we focus on aspects of the human psyche, mystery and ancient legends. The writing of the lyrics is a cooperation between Ulfhedhnir and me. In my case I prefer writing in a very hermetic and orthodox way, while Ulfhe appreciates more a dreamlike and poetic approach. From the beginning we used parts in Latin, Italian, Witchcraft, but above all English.”
- Why is your new album called “Sex Sex Sex”?
“Sex Sex Sex means 666 in the ancient latin language and I’m not surprise that the 99% of people just think about something regarding to the sexuality… The true meaning is deeper and involves the Red Magic and the Satanism developed in the ’70. The best way to find the light is to read the lyrics during the listening and fully immerse yourself INSIDE THE DARKNESS.”
- What can fans expect from your new album?
“A strong Italian feeling in the name of the tradition of our country, Fulci, Bava, Jacula, Simonetti, Frizzi…the list is long. I love to think this record could be a movie soundtrack if we hadn’t put the vocals on it.”
- Does local religion ever interfere with Italian Black Metal?
“Not that much, we can do the devil’s work without any big problem. We had something on the way just on one occasion: many years ago a local priest went to the local authorities and pretended to cancel a small festival because we had a satanic image, but it was just an episode, other than that never had problems.”
- Why do you think Metal magazines ignore Black Metal?
“Metal magazines are made to sell. Black Metal is made
to worship Satan. So, it is better that an ordinary Metal magazine doesn’t speak about extreme music! The cult is not for ordinary people. I think that the internet and the mass diffusion of Black Metal was its end and its decline… When, in the past, the diffusion was limited in the tape trading, this kind of art was for sure more pure, authentic and credible.”
- Are you planning a tour anywhere?
“Not really planning at the moment but we like the idea to start playing concerts again, so keep your eyes open for the future, who knows?”
- Do you have a message for our readers?
“Per Adonai Eloim Adonai Jehova Adonai Sabaoth Metraton on agla Adonai Mathon verbum pytonicum mysterium salamandrae conventus sylphorum antra gnomorum demonia coeli gad almusin gibor Jehosua eram zariatnatmik. Veni veni veni!!!
May the blessing of the Vinum Sabbati embrace you, in nomine dei nostri Satanas Luciferi! Hear the difference or die!!!”
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Darkmoon Warrior are a really cool Black Metal band from Germany. Andrew Stanton talked to frontman Atom Krieg about their new album. Hello and welcome to Inside the Darkness.
“Hey & welcome to our satanarchistic dimension.”
- Can you tell our readers a bit about your history, please?
1996. Til now we recorded 4 Demotapes, 4 albums and 1 7” split EP beside some tracks on some samplers. At the moment we work-
Some lyrics work better in German, some in English.
ing on our 5th album.”
“DW was founded in
- What bands did you like growing up?
“For me, as a young kid I found my path into Rock and Metal with bands like Van Halen, Accept, AC/DC and Scorpions. Then the road was built and went straight to Thrash & Death Metal til Black Metal in the early 90’s which leads me to start doing music myself in 1994. But I’m also a fan of Punk, Hardcore and Industrial.”
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Interview by Andrew Stanton
Interview with Atom Krieg
da r K M o o n wa r r I o rb l a CK M e T a l F r o M G e r M a n y
- Why did you release so many demos early on? Why did it take so long to record your first album?
“I don’t think 4 is many for the time back then. I was involved in other bands and projects as well, so it took some time to take care of recording an album.”
- What are your lyrics about?
“It’s classic satanic Black
Blackmetal lost a lot of the dangerous attitude it had back then. Just for the music, it’s already becoming accepted and mainstream.”
- Sometimes you sing in English and sometimes in German. Is it to appeal to more people?
“Just depends on my mood and how I want to say something. Some lyrics work better in German, some in English.”
“Our message? We have no fucking message for anyone besides FUCK OFF!!!
We have an advice: Always walk your own path, don’t be a stupid follower. Don’t kneel for anybody.
Hold your head up high and your middle fingers even higher!! Non Serviam!!! Total freedom - total Satanarchy!!!”
Thank you for your time.
“Thanks for your interest.”
Metal and so are the lyrics. About Chaos, Death and the deepest and darkest things lying in our human kind.”
- Why do you think so many Metal magazines ignore Black Metal?
“Do they? Don’t think so.
- Are you planning a tour?
“We already played some tours but nothing planned soon yet. But we don’t do big tours. We prefer playing festivals, indoor or open air.”
- Do you have a message for our readers?
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Russia’s Stranga Lumigado are easily one of the greatest bands on the planet. Black Metal meets fast Thrash, Punk and Folk. Very quirky and very, very cool. Andrew Stanton talked to front woman Maria Subbotina about their return to the scene. Hello and welcome to Inside the Darkness. “Hi to all!”
- Can you tell
our readers a bit about your history, please?
“Stranga Lumigado (a.k.a. Sargatanas) formed in Saint Peters-
burg, Russia, in 2004 by two sisters- me and Xenia. We have been in music since our childhood, we
studied classical music, later we came to Rock and Metal music and started to compose our own music together. In 2004 It was the first official concert with our band. From that day we recorded an album “Greatness Of Rot” in 2011 and “Black Concerto For Viola and Fly Agaric Orchestra” in 2022.”
- Who is in the current lineup?
“Our current Lineup is:
42 sT ra n G a l U M I G a d oM le odIC b l a C K M e T a l F r o M r ssU I a
Interview by Andrew Stanton
Interview with Maria Subbotina
It’s our feature - to use different styles in our creation. Also many instrumental compositions.
Maria – Vocals / Drums
Xenia – Guitars/ Keyboards/ Cello
Bazhen – Bass
Bazhen is also our band’s sound engineer. On the album “Black Concerto For Viola and Fly Agaric Orchestra” there are also tracks recorded by our ex bassist Alex F. We started this record when she was in line up, but she left the band a few years ago. Although she made a web design for the drawing I made for our album cover art.”
- Why did you change your name from Sargatanas? What does Stranga Lumigado mean?
“Stranga Lumigado is “strange lighting” in Esperanto. It shows the atmosphere of our music. We changed the band’s name from Sargatanas to Stranga Lumigado because first of all – there are too many bands worldwide that are also called Sargatanas, the most popular is Mexican band. And our fans confused our songs because of the same name. Also there are new bloggers who like the name Sargatanas and use It for their channels which are not about music at all. We wanted to
have our own name without coincidence with other bands etc. Also It’s problematic to have a demonic name in our country. Some websites, articles, even shows, etc which had any demonic theme became prohibited.”
- Your new single ‘Русская’ is so different from Greatest of Rot. Are you moving in a new direction? Why have you started singing in Russian now?
“No, It was our idea from long ago to now. We composed It right after “Greatness Of Rot” was released. I think It was 2013. Our Russian and Latin American fans were interested to hear something Russian as Russian Folk and how I sound in Russian language. So we did It. In my solo projects I
sing in many languages. Maybe we’ll try Esperanto in the future!”
- Are you afraid you might lose your old fans?
“No. Our fans are the best! First of all, and the important moment is that our first album “Greatness Of Rot” had the songs in many music stylesfrom Classical Heavy/Power Metal as “Buried Alive” to Black metal as “Spiral (Still Rotten To The War”. It’s our feature- to use different styles in our creation. Also many instrumental compositions.”
- What are your new lyrics about?
“New album’s lyrics are showing different psychological problems: fears, phobias, illusions and at the same time It works for creation.”
- Are you planning a tour?
“We play concerts in our city Saint Petersburg. Maybe we’ll have some tours inside the country in the near future. This is what is possible for the current moment.”
- What can fans expect from your new album?
“We show our creation, our musical vision, that’s what we did and what we do and we share It with our fans.”
- Do you have a message for our readers?
“Listen to our album, enjoy, stay metal! \m/”
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Aeternam
Symphonic/Folk/Death Metal band from Canada released the fifth Full-length album Heir of the Rising Sun on September 2, 2022.
From their beginning in 2007 in Quebec City, Aeternam has been known for their unique and authentic sound, combining extreme and epic riffs with ethnic melodic influences, making a perfect blend of harmony and brutality.
Tracklist
Lineup
Antoine Guertin - Drums, Percussion, Vocals, Samples Achraf Loudiy - Vocals, Guitars Mathieu Roy-Lortie - Guitars (lead)
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1. Osman’s Dream
2. Beneath the Nightfall
3. Irene
4. Nova Roma
5. Kasifi’s Verses
6. Where the River Bends
7. The Treacherous Hunt
8. Akhatist Hymn
9. The Fall of Constantinople
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Wine from Tears
Melodic Doom/Death Metal band from Russia released the third Full-length album I’m Fine on September 2, 2022.
WINE FROM TEARS «I’m Fine» was supposed to be released four years ago when the band announced it, but a confluence of circumstances led to the fact that only now this album is completely ready for release. And, also, a confluence of circumstances led to the fact that Solitude Productions, still in a «frozen» state, is releasing this so-long awaited work.
WINE FROM TEARS still has not lost their energy and this work, at the joint of doom death metal and dark metal genres, filled with bright melodies and emotions, is ready to touch the souls and hearts of listeners.
Lineup
Igor Andreyev - Drums
Alexander KudryashovGuitars
Alexey Nesterov - Vocals, Guitars
Denis Khodyrev-VelizhaninBass
Evgenia Nesterova - Keyboards
Tracklist
1. Whales Swim Up
2. Cotard’s Delusion
3. The Point of No Return
4. No Future
5. (R)evolution Anthem
6. My Heart Will Stop at Sunday
7. The Orphan
8. In Harmony with the Nature
9. Insignificant
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10. All for the Sake Anna
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Bloodbath
Death Metal band from Sweden released the sixth Full-length album Survival of the Sickest on September 9, 2022.
It’s time for another deep dive into the horrors of mortality and the foul side of the supernatural. It’s time for Survival Of The Sickest, the sixth full-length album from BLOODBATH, Sweden’s undisputed masters of old school death metal.
Fast forward to 2022 – the world is in flames, and Survival Of The Sickest offers no respite from the horrors of reality. Instead, with the addition of new guitarist Tomas ‘Plytet’ Akvik (Lik) onboard, BLOODBATH’s latest and greatest album gleefully confronts the slavering ghoul lurking in the shadows, and treats him to ten songs of ripping
death metal frenzy. From the thuggish brain-smash of opener “Zombie Inferno”, to the bleak, obsidian ooze of the closing “No God Before Me”, this is the sound of a great band in blistering form. In contrast with The Arrow Of Satan Is Drawn, which borrowed heavily from the blackened end of the death metal world, the new BLOODBATH goes straight for the jugular in true old school fashion.
Tracklist
5. Carved
6. Born Infernal
7. To Die
8. Affliction of Extinction
9. Tales of Melting Flesh
10. Environcide
11. No God Before Me
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1. Zombie Inferno
2. Putrefying Corpse
3. Dead Parade
4. Malignant Maggot Therapy
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Wolfheart
Melodic Death Metal band from Finland released the sixth Full-length album King of the North on September 16, 2022. Finnish frontrunners WOLFHEART have proven themselves to be one of metal’s most captivating acts of northern heritage and one of the fastest rising bands in the international melodic death metal scene. Over the course of the last two years alone, the band has remained relentless with the release of their highly acclaimed full-length, Wolves of Karelia (2020) and Skull Soldiers EP (2021), gaining massive praise from fans and press alike with their icy tales of battle and triumph. The new album, King Of The North (out September 16, 2022 via Napalm Records), picks up right where WOLFHEART left off - taking every aspect of their trademark sound of colossal melodies, growling
vocals and driving drum rhythms to searing new levels. Each song on King Of The North is dedicated to a different story of Finnish mythology - underlined by WOLFHEART’s grand, crushing songwriting and production. “Ancestor”, featuring none other than Jesse Leach of Killswitch Engage fame, is the album’s top frostbitten anthem, unleashing WOLFHEART’s most crushing blast beats and cuttingedge vocal performances. “The King” marches on, telling the tale of the forest god with horns and pianos accompanying heavy guitar riffs and solos, before raising the energy levels once more on the relentless “Cold Flame” featuring Karl Sanders of legendary extreme metal group Nile. King Of The North is
a true masterpiece of melodic death metal, crafted with loads of attention to detail and intricate mythologydriven storytelling - showcasing WOLFHEART at never before heard artistic levels!
Tracklist
1. Skyforger
2. Ancestor
3. Knell
4. Desolated Land
5. The King
6. Cold Flame
7. Headstones
8. Fires of the Fallen
9. Eternal Slumber
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Null
Atmospheric Black Metal band from the United States released the third Full-length album Origin on September 22, 2022. This album is about the musical «Origin» of Null. It contains the atmospheric elements of Lore of a Sleeping Forest, the folk and heavier elements of Hiraeth, and its own flavor. It is the most «traditional» black metal album of Null, as it pays respects to some of the earliest influences such as Windir, Gorgoroth, Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, Immortal, etc. Expect a lot of blast beats, intense riffs, and of course... tremolo picking!
Tracklist
1. Breaking the Spell
2. Origin
3. Back Then
4. Longing
for Winter II
5. Ancient Memories (From an Ethereal Realm)
6. Old Summer
7. Echoes of Torment II
8. Curse
9. Those Days
10. Momentum
11. When Nights Were Dark
12. Antimatter
13. Crushing Delusion
14. Rain
Lineup Melkor - Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Drums, Keyboards
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Autopsy
Death Metal band from the United States released the ninth Full-length album Morbidity Triumphant on September 30, 2022.
Since first bursting onto the death metal scene with the now genre classic ‘Severed Survival’ back in 1989, and following up with the equally revered ‘Mental Funeral’ album, the influential US quartet has carved an unwavering legacy over three decades as masters and purveyors of the vile sides of the extreme metal spectrum. And now, Autopsy marks its reinvigorated return, presenting the first new fulllength studio opus since 2014’s ‘Tourniquets, Hacksaws and Graves’ with ‘Morbidity Triumphant’; a savage offering of brutal death, showing the US legends
still have an unbridled hunger for the sadistic, never reluctant to step beyond the threshold of decency.
‘Morbidity Triumphant’, the band’s eighth album, is truly a dark delight for seasoned and new listeners alike, with a raw organic sound perfectly encapsulating what makes Autopsy so distinguishable among its peers, for what could easily be considered one of its strongest offerings to date.
Tracklist
1. Stab the Brain
2. Final Frost
3. The Voracious One
4. Born in Blood
5. Flesh Strewn Temple
6. Tapestry of Scars
7. Knife Slice, Axe Chop
8. Skin By Skin
9. Maggots in the Mirror
10. Slaughterer of Souls
11. Your Eyes Will Turn to Dust
Lineup
Chris Reifert - Vocals, Drums
Eric Cutler - Vocals, Guitars
Danny Coralles - Guitars
Greg Wilkinson - Bass
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Eternal Helcaraxe
Epic Black Metal band from Ireland released the third Fulllength album Drown in Ash on September 30, 2022.
Helcaraxë (The Grinding Ice) are the perilous icy wastes in J.R.R. Tolkien’s «Silmarillion» that formerly lay between Aman and Middle-earth in the north of the world.
On their third studio album ‘Drown In Ash’, Eternal Helcaraxe aim to describe the dark and emotive battle with depression, feelings of desolate bleakness and loss.
Tracklist
1. Withered Strands of Existence
2. Drown in Ash
3. Where Dead Things Roam Free
Lineup
Tyrith - Drums
Praetorian - Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
Maulgrim - Guitars, Vocals (backing)
Oceans - Bass
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4. None of It Mattered
5. Ice Cold Winds
6. Cease
7. In Darkwoods and Dreams
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Cerberus
Black Metal band from Germany released the third Full-length album My Prophecy Will Come on October 7, 2022.
German fucking Black-Metal. Almost every song impresses with its stylistic diversity. From melodic to dramatic elements, the seven new songs offer an exciting, dark music experience and CERBERUS is successfully reporting back in the black metal underground.
Tracklist
Lineup
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1. I Am Your King
2. My Prophecy Will Come
3. Fight for Me
4. Kingdom of Emptiness
5. Dysthymia
6. The King’s Mountain
7. A New Religion
Beleth - Vocals, Guitars
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Infiltration
Death Metal band from Russia released the second Full-length album Extinct on October 10, 2022.
Infiltration, the death metal band from Saint-Petersburg formed in spring 2017 and features in its ranks the members of the following bands: Free at Last, Hellbomb, Chamber of Torture. Heavily influenced by death metal acts of 90s and 00s such as Napalm Death, Bolt Thrower, Six Feet Under and Cannibal Corpse.
Tracklist
Lineup
Andrey Kozlov - Bass
Alexey Semyonov - Drums
Evgeny Hok - Guitars
Pavel Vakhlakov - Vocals
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1. Section 8
2. Despiteous Warfare
3. Code Reded
4. Predator
5. Ravenous Void
6. In Ruins They Shall Reap
7. Pandora’s Box
8. Tank Shaped Grave
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Radement
Death Metal band from Spain released the second Full-length album Elation of Dysmorphia on October 21, 2022.
Tracklist
1. Image of None
2. The Warrior
3. Gazing Internally
4. Controlled Exposure
5. Human
6. A Thought Drawns in it’s Lethargy
7. NGC 6656
8. Last Rites of a Dying Sun
Lineup
Leidan - Drums, Fretless Bass
Aaron Taake - Guitars, Vocals Billy Bjorn - Guitars
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Abyssic Symphonic Doom/Death
Metal band from Norway released the sixth Full-length album Brought Forth in Iniquity on October 28, 2022. In 1997 Memnoch founded Abyssic Dreams and recorded a two song-demo together with drummer Athera. Not much happened after that as they focused on Susperia.
Abyssic Dreams went into hibernation and in 2012 Memnock wanted to give life to his old project again. The band changed name from Abyssic Dreams to Abyssic.
ABYSSIC is a unique symbiosis of atmospheric approaches in funeral death/doom, with black and prog influences. The signature is enhanced by orchestrations with Mellotron, Minimoog and Upright Bass.
Tracklist
1. Cold as Winter Storm
2. Chronicle of the Dead
3. Mirror of Sorrow
4. Djevelens lys
5. Brought Forth in Iniquity
Lineup
Memnoch - Vocals, Contrabass, Lyrics
André Aaslie - Keyboards, Orchestrations
Elvorn - Guitars
Tjodalv - Drums
Makhashanah - Bass, Vocals (additional)
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Timor et Tremor
Pagan Black Metal band from Germany released the fourth Full-length album Realm of Ashes on October 28, 2022. After 6 years without release Timor Et Tremor returns from a “Realm of Ashes“!
As the band’s most personal album the lyrics emanate from a deep inner sense of each band member while every song describes the whole process of creation over the years. These songs shaped by a consistent evolution carry the typical characteristics that define the sound of Timor Et Tremor like melodic guitars, varied songwriting and the unmistakable mix of clean and harsh vocals that combine to the essential cornerstones.
Tracklist
1. Mirrors And Smoke
2. Voices from the Coffin
3. A Hundred Days of Rain
4. King of the Lost
5. Of Wolf and Sun
6. Catharsis
7. A Crown of Bones
8. Bearer of the Accursed Sands
Lineup
Jan - Drums
Martin - Guitars
Marco - Guitars, Bass
Hendrik - Vocals
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Kalmankantaja
Atmospheric Black Metal band from Finland released the twenty-second Full-length album Waiennut on October 31, 2022.
The band’s name translates to «deathbearer».
Waiennut follows musically the same direction as Waeltaja, so it was quite easy to continue the story of the wanderer with this material.
The album closes with a traditional Finnish saying «peace to the living, rest for the dead» which is often said when someone passes away, followed by an old poem/spell pondering «where and when will this all end for me?
Tracklist
1. Alkusanat (Forewords)
2. Kuoleman enteita (Deathly Omens)
3. Rantaan rajattomuuden (To the Shore of Infinity)
4. Nimi kantaa sielua (The Name Carries the Soul)
5. Lopun sanat (Words of the End)
Lineup
Grim666 - All instruments
Tyrant - Vocals
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Mist of Misery
Symphonic Black Metal band from Sweden released the fourth Full-length album Severance on November 4, 2022.
“Severance” is the first Mist of Misery’s concept album, and it tells a tragic tale which takes place in 19th century rural England. It is filled with melancholy, grief and despair. All the tracks for ‘Severance’ were written specifically to fit the story of the album.
Tracklist
1. An Ode to Solitude
2. The Long Road
3. A Sombre Solace
4. Into the Embrace of Winter
5. A Wasted Life
6. Through Night’s Gloom
7. Oceans of Grief
8. Severance
9. Reflections
10. Towards the Descent
Lineup
Änglamakaren - Vocals
Mortuz Denatus - Vocals, Keyboards, Programming
Livsnekaren - Drums
Tenebris - Bass
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Malist
Atmospheric Black Metal band from Russia released the fourth Full-length album As I Become Darkness on November 11, 2022.
Malist is a black metal band which combines boisterous grit of the second wave classics with modern melodic and atmospheric elements.
«As I Become Darkness» spits on the filthy godhood-aspiring rulers of men who encroach on human flesh, manipulate the weak and stigmatize whole nations. «As I Become Darkness» is an exploration of war, existence and death. A personal grim journey drenched in misanthropy, this longplay presents a darker side of Malist as never heard before.
Tracklist
1. Legions
2. The Death Bell
3. March of the Defilers
4. Misanthropic Bliss
5. Heavenly Plague
6. Existence in Ruin
7. Departure
8. One with the Void Lineup
Ovfrost - Vocals, Guitars, Bass Vladimir Udarnov - drums
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Dødsfall
True Black Metal band from Norway released the sixth Fulllength album När mörkret är på väg on November 11, 2022. Mighty Dødsfall is back! 3 years after their previous release “Døden skal ikke vente”, this Norwegian entity delivers a furious and thunderous Black Metal that will lead you to a fantastic and somber oneway journey into the absolute darkness and void.
“När Mörkret Är På Väg” (“When Darkness Is On Its Way”) contains 7 new tracks of pure hate and anger in its best form: a successful combination of past and present with new elements and different sources of inspiration, sounding epic, majestic and furious with a melodic touch inspired from the cold
lands of the north. A must have!
Tracklist
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1. Helveteselden
2. Nattens svarta djävlar
3. Skogen vid norra änden
4. Isborg
5. Dödsfärd genom Xibalba
6. Götaland
7. Evighetens onda salar
Lineup Is - Vocals, All instruments
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Велиар
Symphonic Death/Black Metal band from Russia released the fourth Full-length album Осколки прошлого on November 15, 2022.
Veliar was formed by Oleg Mustets in 2000 as “Black Legion”. First time the musical style was indeterminate but touching the extreme music.
Gradually increasing skill, musical thinking and experience, the band takes a course towards death/black, in melodies, doom elements are caught, with the advent of keyboard parts, music becomes more saturated.
Tracklist
1. Караманское поле
2. Медведь-гора
3. На заре
4. Стенька Разин
5. Тризна
6. 1024 (Въсташа Волъсви –избиваху)
7. Брат на брата
Lineup
Ivan Menschikov - Keyboards
Evgeniy Erokhin - Bass
Oleg Mustets - Vocals, Guitars
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На
да по Волге
8. Напастие 9.
ушкуях
10. Я - мир
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Blood of the Wolf Blackened Death Metal band from the United States released the third Full-length album
IV: The Declaration of War on November 18, 2022.
Hailing from Chicago Illinois, Blood Of The Wolf continue their reign of terror, unleashing nine new blistering offerings of Blackened Death Metal fury.
«IV: The Declaration Of War Eternal» showcases the bands strongest material to date full of savage riffs, incessant blast beats, dark melodies and intense vocals, executed with cruel martial precision.
Tracklist
1. With Lightning for Vengeance
2. Father War Enthroned
3. Domination Decree
4. The Sword Everlasting
5. Their Blood is Our Warpaint
6. From Kingdom to Collapse
7. Ritual Overkill
8. I Am the Blade of Eradication
9. The Declaration of War Eternal Lineup
Mike Koniglio - Vocals, Guitars
Frank Garcia - Guitars (lead)
Christopher Grimes - Bass
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Dark Delirium
Melodic Death Metal band from Norway released the third Full-length album New Era on November 25, 2022. Dark Delirium, the metal band from the grim and stormy westcoast of Norway. The band has been recognized as «One of Norways most active and fastest growing metal bands», as well as «A band [they] expect to see headlining bigger events in the near future». The band is known for its interesting story telling and representation of mental illnesses in their music, mixed with melodic and heavy riffs, made to make people mosh and headbang.
Tracklist
Lineup
Simeon Ekse - Vocals (lead), Guitars, Drums, Keyboards
Halvar Moen - Guitars (lead)
Daniel Logi ÞorsteinssonBass
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1. Draug
2. My Child
3. Heretic
4. Wither
5. Break From Reality
6. Suffocation
7. Death
8. Corruption
9. Echo Chamber
10. Black Butterfly
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Revolting
Old School Death Metal band from Sweden released the eighth Full-length album Born to Be Dead on November 29, 2022.
Revolting happens to be one of Rogga Johansson’s most prominent and long-running bands along with Paganizer. The band is also one of the most active ones. Fans will know that they’ve honed their craft over the years and they do things in a better way with each one.
If you’re a fan of well-rounded Swedish death metal that has everything in spades, Revolting is for you. This album from swedish Mastermind
Rogga Johansson (Paganizer, Ribspreader, The Grotesquery) which is dedicated to the Horror/Gore films from the 1980’s! They felt it was time to do a truly Pure and ugly, rotting, putrid Death Metal band for the love of it and to get back to the basics of what all of this madness is about anyway! Swedish Death Metal to the bone! Must have for all genre fans!
Tracklist
1. Souls of Sorrow
2. Born for Butchery
3. Master of the End
4. The Suffering
5. Flesh on the Razor Wire
6. Tentacles Come Crawling
7. A Trail of Human Blood
8. Rotting in the Depths
9. The Knowing
10. Born to Be Dead
Lineup
Grotesque Tobias - Bass
Mutated MartinDrums
Revolting RoggaVocals, Guitars
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Souldrainer
Melodic Death Metal band from Sweden released the fourth Full-length album Departure on December 9, 2022.
Never imitating, but building upon the bricks laid by bands like Hypocrisy, Pain, Amon Amarth, Rammstein and Samael, Souldrainer is the representation of the next breed of melodic death metal. With thick layered rhythm guitars, atmospheric angel choirs, strings ensembles and ripping vocals, Souldrainer creates a distinguished harmonic aggression that hits you harder than a brick-wallin-your-face.
Tracklist
1. Council of Five
2. Where
Angels Come to Die
3. Weaver of Mortal Dreams
4. Paint the World in Lies
5. Rats of the International Race
6. Departure
7. I Abort You
8. One Last Shot
9. End of the World
Lineup
Marcus Edvardsson - Guitars, Vocals
Joakim Wassberg - Bass
Hugo Nylander - Drums
Gustaf Bennmarker - Guitars
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Нежеголь
Pagan Metal band from Russia released the sixth Full-length album Молодёжь (Youth) on December 11, 2022.
The Pagan Cult is alive again! The long awaited album is finally here. Work on it went on for 8 years - through the storms of Our Time. Support the scene and buy one of the editions.
Tracklist
1. Молодёжь
2. На могилах героев
3. Молодость нации
4. быть!
5. Ночь дикой охоты
6. Под синью тьмы ворона крыл
7. В когтях морозных ночей
8. Зори (Темнозорь cover)
9. Клич молодости
10. Смерть
героя
11. Искатели
Lineup Alexander - All instruments, Vocals
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Misþyrming
Black Metal band from Iceland released the third Fulllength album Með hamri on December 16, 2022.
The band’s name means «mistreatment» in Icelandic. By their hammer let none be saved – Misþyrming return to lay down the law. Með hamri is the sound of the iron heel of Black Metal trampling the face of musical modernity. Með hamri is deeply saturated with the vibrantly alive energy that Misþyrming capture so effectively on stage. The drums sound organic and powerful, the guitar distortion has a vicious bite, and D.G.’s vocals are as brutal and evocative as ever.
The underlying spirit is one of action. There is melancholy, bitterness,
and filth, but one of the album’s foremost characteristics is its relentless surge of determination. Never before have Misþyrming sounded livelier and more confrontational.
Tracklist
Lineup
D.G. - Guitars, Vocals (lead), Keyboards
T.I. - Guitars, Vocals (backing)
G.E. - Bass, Vocals (backing)
M.S. - Drums
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1. Með hamri
2. Með harmi
3. Engin miskunn
4. Engin vorkunn
5. Blóðhefnd
6. Aftaka
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Kringa
Black Metal band from Austria released the second Full-length album All Stillborn Fires, Lick my Heart! on December 30, 2022.
The band takes their name from Kringa, a village in Istria (Croatia) and home to perhaps the first real person described as a vampire in history (Jure Grando).
‘All Stillborn Fires, Lick my Heart!’ is truly a ride of ups and downs, a journey of lunacy, unpredictable, diverse and grand in its simplicity; classic Kringa in other words.
Although nothing new under the black sun, the band has taken everything just a step further, naturally after 13 years of existence. Layered with manic riffing, howls and screams, intensity and viciousness,
the album takes you to places you dared not dream even existed.
Take as needed for the pain and play loud, let the savagery compel you!
Tracklist
Lineup
Berstuk - Bass, Vocals
Vritra - Guitars, Vocals
Talon - Drums, Additional Vocals
Neidr - Guitars
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1. Across the Firmament, Stride!
2. Gardens in Bloom
3. Ablution
4. Labyrinth Heirs
5. Vortex of Stillborn Fires
6. Improvisation N.A.4.7.
7. Yoke of a Mirror Shard
Latest releases
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Gnipahalan
Black Metal band from Sweden released the second Full-length album I nordisk vredeslusta on September 15, 2022.
Gnipahålan is Swedish for Gnipahellir (old Norse; translates to Gnipa cave), which is the name of a mystical cave in Norse mythology.
Tracklist
1. Forna minnen
2. I stormens led
3. Odestimmans kampfyllda har
4. Fortrollad till efvighet
5. I blodets svarta dunkel del I
6. Inom tusenarig visdom
7. I nordisk vredeslusta
8. Nordens majestat
9. I blodets svarta dunkel del II
10. Bort i efvigheten
Lineup
Taaken - Drums
Swartadauþuz - Guitars, Bass, Keyboards
Затемно
Black Metal band from Russia released the second Full-length album В аду on September 15, 2022.
Затемно (Zatemno) means «it’s still dark» or «it’s already dark», this is a short time before the daybreak or after the sunset.
Tracklist
1. Хмурная
2. Разлучная
3. Студёная
4. Верная
5. Циметеровая
Lineup
Ш.Д. - Guitars
В.С. - Vocals, Guitars, Drums, Samples А.М. - Accordion
Mute Ocean
Atmospheric Black Metal band from Russia released the third Full-length album Caravan on September 16, 2022.
Tracklist
1. The Caravan
2. Frozen Absolute
3. Ice of Distrust
4. Thirst for Separation
5. War
6. Emptiness = Light
7. Reverse Disillusionment Lineup
Aleksandr Machtakov - Guitars, Vocals, Programming
Ivan Dmitriev - Bass, Programming
Nasty ZhylinskayaVocals
Gravy Trane - Saxophone
Vlada ChizhkovaBacking vocals
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Aura Mortis
Black Metal band from Serbia released the first Full-length album Aion Teleos on September 30, 2022.
Tracklist
1. The All-Shrine
2. Silence, Blessed Be
3. Mirroring the Maladies
4. A Dove in Shackles
5. In Being Engraved
6. Towards True Providence
7. Aion Teleos
Lineup
Maledictor - All instruments
Pakost - Vocals
Cryptic Brood
Death/Doom Metal band from Germany released the EP Caustic Fetid Vomit on September 30, 2022.
The brood is back from a year in morbid sleep with a new feral offering entitled “Caustic Fetid Vomit”. A return of such cemetery stench and obnoxious science as befits the purveyors of the vile sides of the Death Metal spectrum. As always, CRYPTIC BROOD spewing forth a delight for seasoned and new listeners alike, with an organic sound perfectly encapsulating what makes this German trio never lose their greatest strength—attaining a suffocatingly heavy music filled with reeking, gloomy atmosphere from their sonic signature, a colossal sound of rawness and madness.
Tracklist
1. Caustic Fetid Vomit
2. Grave of the Brood
Lineup
Steffen Brandes - Drums, Vocals
Michael Lehner - Guitars, Vocals
Dennis Butzke - Vocals, Bass
Amputate
Death Metal band from Switzerland released the second Full-length album Dawn of Annihilation on October 14, 2022. Amputate was formed in Portugal and later moved to Switzerland. Amputate is an international Death Metal Band based in Switzerland. The band was founded in 2011 and moved to Switzerland later on. Its current members come from decades of experience and bring their unique tastes, successfully merging a more contemporary sound with the purest old school death metal influences and spirit.
Tracklist
1. Plague upon Plague
2. Asphyxiation
3. Feeding on Thee
4. Agonizing in Terror
5. Conquering Thy Flesh
6. When the Sun Turns Black
7. Dawn of Annihilation
8. Buried by Ashes
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Primordial Serpent
Black Metal band from Canada released the sixth Full-length album Kingdom of Darkness and Despair on October 21, 2022. Black Metal project from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada made by Geoff Coran aka Dominus Wolnir (Dojo Kobra and Kalameet).
Another masterful series of icecold black metal tracks that make this album more than worthy of a physical edition.
Tracklist
1. Intro
2. Enduring the Winter Madness
3. Howling Cries of the Lost Sinner
4. An Offering for the Serpent
5. Hidden from the World of Day
6. Satan’s Salvation
7. Kingdom of Darkness and Despair
Lineup
Geoff Coran - All instruments, Vocals
Radement
Death Metal band from Spain released the second Full-length album Elation of Dysmorphia on October 21, 2022.
Tracklist
1. Image of None
2. The Warrior
3. Gazing Internally
4. Controlled Exposure
5. Human
6. A Thought Drawns in it’s Lethargy
7. NGC 6656
8. Last Rites of a Dying Sun
Lineup
Leidan - Drums, Fretless Bass
Aaron Taake - Guitars, Vocals
Billy Bjorn - Guitars
Moor Black Metal band from Norway released the first Fulllength album Viper Kingdom on October 28, 2022.
VIPER kINGDOM serves as the now 1-year-old 1mans black metal act MOORs chaotic beginning. Cold, Aggressive and Melodic are key words to describe the main sound of these songs. And even a bit epic with songs like the title-track itself. However, the songs have a variety of twists and turns and most likely there should be something any black metal/extreme metal fan could enjoy in one or more of these songs.
Tracklist
1. Lepers Among Us
2. Viper Kingdom
3. Spawn of Moab
4. Barren Hills
5. The Black Foe
6. Moon & Totem
7. Land of the Hairy Barbaians
8. The Vile Art of Necromancey
Lineup
Halfden Svarti - Everything
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Nidare
Post-Black Metal band from Germany released the first Fulllength album Von Wegen on November 16, 2022.
The sound of the band is constituted by catchy melodic, yet challenging riffs that cover atmospheric black metal, screamo as well as post metal styles, all played upon blast beat driven drums that are still not afraid to go doomy.
Tracklist
1. Sintflut
2. Von Wegen
3. Silhouette
4. Unwesen
5. Windspiel
6. Immer noch
Lineup
J. - Bass
M. - Drums
A. - Guitars
F. - Guitars
N. - Vocals
Blodkvalt
Black Metal band from Norway released the first Full-length album Algor Mortis on November 18, 2022.
Blodkvalt gives you chaotic extreme metal played by the new generation of Oslo rockers. Inspired by the chaotic energy of early metal demos, with references from, among others, black metal, grindcore, punk and noise, the band delivers extreme metal with a primal and raw sound. As a cross between the band’s favorite genres within extreme music, with a high tempo and almost painful vocal and instrumental performances, the band clearly differs from other parts of the metal scene. The focus is on the visual and chaotic in the music, rather than on the theatrical and technical. Blodkvalt is a chaotic and icy cold breath on the Norwegian metal scene.
Lineup
Tibor Teskeredzic - Drums
Eirik Reithaug - Guitars
Eskild Myrvoll - Bass
Hakon Sakseide - Vocals
Baldrs Draumar
Folk/Viking Metal band from Netherlands released the fifth Full-length album Njord on November 19, 2022.
Baldrs Draumar represents the prophetic dreams of the Norse god Baldr.
Tracklist
1. Skalden
2. Eastre
3. Njord
4. Fan Keardel en Skiep
5. Thus op See
6. Julfeest
7. Akrabjerch
8. De leste Fries
9. Sieletocht
10. Wat nea fergiet
11. Lochlannach
12. Skyldfrou
Lineup
Zuypschuyt - Bass
Dondervuyscht - Drums
Vuurschpuwer - Guitars
WildgeraeschVocals
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Autumnfall
Black Metal band from Finland released the second Full-length album Bleak on December 9, 2022.
Tracklist
1. The Redeemer’s Hand
2. Dead of this World
3. In the Mirror
4. Bleak
5. Dreamscaper
6. Die with the Gods
7. The Indifferent
8. Of Wolves & Lunacy
Lineup
Jussi Hänninen - Bass, Guitars
Tero Ruohonen - Vocals, Lyrics
Olli Pirkkanen - Drums
Sutura Apparatus
Black Metal band from Russia released the second Fulllength album Воскресение on December 11, 2022.
Tracklist
1. Сон
2. Быстрые ветра
3. Разложение
4. Остаться под ясенем
5. Душа
6. Всё, чего у меня никогда не было (Apati cover)
Lineup
Baron - Bass
Chiper - Drums
Vaduque - Guitars
Perekrov6 - Guitars, Vocals
Linn - Vocals
Nigrum
Orthodox Black Metal band from Sweden released the first Full-length album Elevenfold Tail on December 16, 2022. Birthed in the heat of Mexico now residing, fomenting, in the ice of Sweden, fourpiece orthodox black metal band Nigrum combine the balanced elements of black metal’s core essence, combining them into Elevenfold Tail; an album steeped in the most ancient of mystic auras.
Tracklist
1. Prologue
2. Haunting Fields
3. Ea Quae Sanguinem
Bibit
4. Per Sepulchra Regionum
5. Murderer, Dweller
6. In Nocte Consilium
7. Reaching Arms Beyond
8. Eleven Feathered Tempest
9. Serpent’s Tribe
10. Epilogue
11. Apparition
Lineup
O - Bass
F - Drums
M - Guitars (lead)
J - Guitar, Vocals
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Band Links https://www.facebook.com/VivisectNJ https://vivisecttrenton.bandcamp.com https://www.instagram.com/vivisectnj 110
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Band Links https://www.facebook.com/Official.Sakal https://www.instagram.com/sakalband https://sakal-official.bandcamp.com 112
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Band Links https://www.facebook.com/eternalhelcaraxe https://eternalhelcaraxe.bandcamp.com https://instagram.com/eternal_helcaraxe 114
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Band Links https://www.facebook.com/chestcrushband https://chestcrush.bandcamp.com https://www.instagram.com/chestcrush 116
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Megadeth - The Sick, The Dying and The Dead.
Actually, my favourite band in the early 90’s. But this is the first Megadeth album I have heard since “Youthanasia”.
Three songs in and I would say it’s okay so far. Not amazing, but it’s okay. The drums and guitars are amazing. I wouldn’t really expect anything less if I’m honest.
Megadeth are clearly better musicians these days, but the songwriting has definitely dropped. So far, none of this is really reminding me of “So Far, So Good” or “Rust in Peace”. Secondly, this is a long album. It’s so much better than “Youthanasia”, but it’s not classic Megadeth. But I can clearly hear Megadeth are getting back to basics, but it took many, many years.
Definitely better than what Metallica are doing these days. The main problem with the big four is that they have to compete with the likes of Emperor and Deicide and fail every time.
It’s okay, but the length is a big issue. Some of the vocals on here are much faster than I expected. To be fair, I was quite impressed. If you’re one of the fans who has stuck by Megadeth through the bad times, this will be heaven for you. Megadeth are back… Almost.
118 Band’s links: http://wwwmegadethcom https://wwwfacebookcom/megadeth https://instagramcom/megadeth https://officialmegadethbandcampcom
Heads for the Dead - The Great Conjuration.
Even though Metal community worldwide is so incredibly huge, it’s extremely close at the same time, so life constantly makes us return to the same people and collaborate with them again and again somehow.
We already reviewed some stuff made by Ralf Hauber, including his activity in Relev in Flesh and the first LP of his side project Heads for the Dead which consists of the oldest Death Metal titans.
Ralf Hauber (Revel In Flesh)
- Vocals / Lyrics and Concept
Jonny Pettersson (Wombbath) -
Guitar / Bass / Keyboards and FX
Matt Moliti (Sentient Horror)Guitar solos
Jon Rudin (Wombbath) - Drums
So on September 2022, the second Heads for the Dead
LP named The Great Conjuration was released. Actually, the longer I know this man the more I wonder how he manages to stay so active at any times with both of the projects, and The
Great Conjuration was another blast. If the first band’s LP, Serpent’s Curse, was a bit more moody and melancholic if I may say so, then this one sounds way more like classic Old School Death Metal. Of course, horror thematics is an inexhaustible source of inspiration that
never makes the bands nor the listeners bored. This atmosphere is perfectly highlined by the chainsaw riffs in cooperation with the vocals varied from deep growls to almost hysterical screams. All that sounds laconical and straight-out, feels like a smash of a hammer... Just traditional Old School Death Metal produced in the conditions of modern reality, with all its incredible technical possibilities. And of course, I’ll definitely never stop saying this... It’s just killer to realize that after all the decades since the genre was born, we still have such bands in this world. The bands who just take the best of the genre traditions and multiply them.
119 band’slink https://wwwfacebookcom/headsforthedead https://headsforthedeadbandcampcom https://wwwinstagramcom/headsforthedead
Unbounded Terror - Echoes of Despair.
So far I would say it’s Spain’s answer to Morbid Angel. These guys have been around forever and this is only their 3rd album. A very cool album cover on this one. The growls seem a bit slow, pretty much throughout, but I am enjoying this. People can say what they want about this band or this album, but it’s just my thing really. I’m sure I won’t be finding many faults on here. When I first got into Death Metal, I started with slower bands like this, before I decided to get into faster bands. So people new to Death Metal should check this out. I would say it’s pretty much what you expect really. A bit similar to some Bolt Thrower stuff
or maybe Napalm Death’s ‘Harmony Corruption’. After listening to this for a while, I wish the growls did speed up for a few songs. I guess they’re just not that
kind of band. As it is, I would say it’s fairly okay. I have heard so much worse than this, so I will be very fair. It’s one of those albums that is aimed at those kinds of Metalheads. If you hate it too fast, then this is for you.
Band’s links: http://wwwunboundedterrorcom
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https://wwwfacebookcom/unboundedterror https://wwwinstagramcom/unboundedterror
Bloodbath - Survival of the Sickest. I always say you can never go wrong with old school Death Metal, and Sweden’s Bloodbath are just more evidence of this. It’s not super heavy or superfast, but it’s good stuff. Good deep growls and just everything done the way it should be.
It’s for fans of Cancer, Deicide, Immolation, Morbid Angel, Death and quite frankly, it’s exactly what you expect.
I’m NOT gonna say it’s perfect, but it’s really great and I love it. Some people say Death Metal started getting dull, but I have no idea what these guys were listening to. The energy stays very high. Going back to what I said early, about halfway through it starts to get much heavier and faster. So far, so good. It never seems to wimp out, it just stays true to Death Metal.
People who say Death Metal
went dull, really have some explaining to do in my opinion. This is one of those albums, it’s like a giant middle finger erected at Marilyn Manson and Limp Bizkit fans and a message saying ‘fuck
you’. Just proper Metal really, enjoy guys.
121 band’slink: http://wwwbloodbathbiz https://wwwfacebookcom/bloodbathband https://bloodbathbandcampcom/releases https://wwwinstagramcom/officialbloodbath
Defacing God - The Resurrection of
Lilith.
The second day of September 2022 was the day when the Danish Melodic Death Metal band Defacing God finally unleashed their long-awaited beast named The Resurrection of Lilith.
Autumn is always a perfect time to bring some horror to this world, isn’t it? So if you’re craving some more of this atmosphere, this opus is definitely perfect for bringing it! Obviously, the whole album is dedicated to Lilith who traditionally incarnates defiance, rebel and endless feminine power. The witch was burn, so now she’s back, ready to take revenge for all women who had to suffer because of ignorance of rotten society since the society started existing.
The frontwoman of the band, Sandie «The Lilith» Gjørtz, is speaking from the part of the female demon. I’ve been knowing this woman for a few years, so I can genuinely affirm that she has
intense orchestration coupled with the Extreme Metal part inspired by old Scandinavian Metal traditions mixed with some influence of old Cradle of Filth, Carach Angren and similar. The harshness of the lead vocals is highlighted by the choral parts, and I must admit this contrast always gives me a shiver. Such an old trick in Metal in general, and still works amazing!
made an amazing work putting her life experience to art.
As I mentioned before, while listening to this creation, it feels like you’re rather watching a horror movie, diving deep into the vortex of ancient obscure myths. That’s achieved thanks to the
In my opinion, The Resurrection of Lilith is an epitome of harmony: old and new Metal traditions, rawness and melody, and escapisme tendention in this case perfectly reflects the reality, not only the modern one, but generally touches eternal problems.
122 Band’s links: https://wwwfacebookcom/defacinggod https://defacinggodbandcampcom https://wwwinstagramcom/defacinggod
Chestcrush – Apechtheia. Some Scottish Black Metal. It’s a sort of cross between Blackened Death Metal and Black Doom. This is an EP (quite a long EP). Only three songs, but it goes on a bit. They actually remind me of a lot of different bands - Bohemyst, Deicide, The Witch, Bolt Thrower, Morbid Angel, Immolation. Even though I am quite enjoying this, it is a bit slow at times.
It’s a style I know some love and I know will appreciate it more than I do. Slow and epic is never a good mix in my opinion, but it’s JUST my opinion.
At certain moments I really start getting into the whole Doomy thing they’ve got going on, but after a few minutes I either want it to speed up or just stop. But as I said, some readers WILL worship this band. I think this EP is actually longer
than their first album. As far as I’m concerned, this band could be amazing if they wanted to be. This is a style of music I don’t really like much, but I did like this in parts. I can hear the
quality. I can tell they’re amazing. They just need that extra something. It’s ok I suppose. If you love epic Doomy stuffy (very epic), you will be in heaven with this band.
123 Band’s link: https://wwwfacebookcom/chestcrushband
https://wwwinstagramcom/chestcrus
https://chestcrushbandcampcom/album/apechtheia
Смута – Mapa.
Some Pagan Metal from Russia. This band really combines beautiful melodies with some quite ugly sounds… In a good way (if you like this kind of music). A lot of flute on this album. It’s very good.
I admit I don’t know this band, but they have been around for quite a while. If it was just plain Gothic Metal without the ugly parts, I probably wouldn’t give it the time of day, but because they have kept it true to Metal, I have respect for these guys. It’s very much The 3rd and the Mortal meets Amon Amarth. It’s very beautiful in parts. There will be some (a lot) of the more extreme Metalheads who WILL hate this. But fans of Folk Metal, Pagan Metal, Black Folk, Gothic Metal and all that
sort of stuff will be obsessed. A bit epic for my liking, but it’s nice to hear it. Nothing in English here, but I like it regardless. It almost reminds me of Germany’s
Adorned Brood trying their hands at a much nicer sound. There’s a lot to love on here, but the 51-minute length is a bit much. But if you prefer the more epic stuff, you can’t go wrong. Смута made a new fan in the UK today. Well done.
124 Band’s links: http://smutanet https://wwwfacebookcom/smutaband https://smutabandcampcom https://vkcom/club1378911
Obscurcis Romancia - The Bringer Of Light.
I have to admit I’m not too familiar with Canadian Black Metal. The energy on this is really high. Like a sort of odd mix of Symphonic Black Metal and Black Thrash. Some bands like this seem to concentrate on the Classical side and forget about the Metal side.
Obscurcis Romancia haven’t done that.
So far I would say it’s like Impaled Nazarene with a bit of pianos added to it. The energy doesn’t stop. It just goes at it full force.
Very fast vocals and guitars. It’s not super heavy, they seem to be more fast than heavy and there’s nothing wrong with that at all. If I’m honest, the Classical element seems to be a bit pointless with this band ( or this album at leasts ). The vocals change between a fast screech
and a slower deep growl and done really well. Then there’s a bit of Classical music added, just because really. Definitely deserves to be up there with Rush and Voivod in my opinion.
Whether or not it’s better than Spectral Wound is up to you. I refuse to comment. But I do love this. They have managed to get the sound and the energy just right. It’s just my thing basically. Well done sirs.
125 Band’s link: https://wwwfacebookcom/obscurcis https://obscurcisromanciabandcampcom/album/the-bringer-of-light https://wwwinstagramcom/obscurcisromanciaofficial
Behemoth - Opvs Contra Natvram. Behemoth have become quite a legendary Black Metal band, and not through controversy but through just being good, as old fashioned as it might sound. Polish Black Metal is very good to be fair. From what I’m hearing so far, I would say it sounds a bit different to other bands and there’s nothing wrong with that. They’re definitely not scared to do their own thing. It’s Blackened Death Metal with a few other things added to it in my opinion.
The songs seem okay. Will probably never win a Grammy, but I doubt that’s their intention. I’m about halfway through and it’s been good. If you’re new to Black Metal, this might be a great place to start. None of this has been a tough listen.
Despite the title, this is all in English. The musicianship seems to stay very good. Just another great Black Metal album really. In my opinion this is all pretty awesome.
And the more I listened, the more I realized why they became so big. Maybe some Raw Black Metal heads will find it a bit dull, but for the rest of us, it’s pretty amazing. Well done guys.
126 Band’s links: http://wwwbehemothpl https://wwwfacebookcom/behemoth https://instagramcom/behemothofficial https://twittercom/behemothband
Serpent Moon - Postmortem.
Love it or hate it, DSBM always causes intrigue and controversy. I have said many times that America does this subgenre the best, however, this isn’t as good as Happy Days or Sadness. Some say it’s the hardest kind of Black Metal to get into, I disagree personally. If you like depressing music in general, it’s basically your thing.
I do find DSBM hard to review if I’m honest. It’s more of just what you expect. Like the sound of a wild animal dying in agony. I’m not really finding it that depressing personally, but it definitely has all the DSBM hallmarks. Fans of this subgenre will love this. The vocals on this album sound like they have used some sort of effect. The songs are ranging anywhere from 2 minutes to 6 minutes. Most of
this sounds pretty much the same to me.
Pretty much it’s a DSBM album. Not really much else to say. I know there will be people out there itching to hear
this no matter what I say. And for you people, you probably will love every second. Enjoy guys.
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bandslink: https://serpentmoonbandcampcom/album/postmortem https://instagramcom/serpentmoonmusic https://openspotifycom/artist/3Qra7pcz2a0J5i3zarmnvd
Sisters Memon - I The Witch.
A very rough, Raw Black Metal from a UK/Polish collaboration. The sound is very much in the style of early Enslaved ‘Frost’ sound. It’s not an easy listen, it’s for those people who take this genre super serious. But Plague Demon Records should be proud. The energy stays high, but when it drops, the sound changes a lot. You will hear this early on in the album on the song ‘Tear Off the Wings of Destiny’. The tone of the album changes and it’s very cool how they do it. It’s a very evil sounding album with very evil sounding vocals. It’s like being welcomed into Hell. It’s not nice at all (intentionally). The keyboards are very cool. The keyboards give it a good ambience, but not noticeable on every track. I
didn’t actually notice them at all until track 6. The keyboards seem to be kept very simple, but it’s not a problem. Sometimes they remind me of Kvlt of Eblis without the nice parts.
As much as I like Sisters Memon, it’s not for everyone. And if you’re looking for nice music, just forget it. If you can appreciate this kind of music, you will love it. This is for the real hardcore Raw Black Metal heads. It’s not for anyone else.
128 Band’s links: https://wwwfacebookcom/sistersmemonblackmetal https://sistersmemonbandcampcom https://wwwinstagramcom/sisters memon black metal
Just Before Dawn - Battle-Sight Zeroing.
The latest Just Before Dawn release is out and it’s a banger, 6 tracks of well crafted Swedish Death Metal. Lyrically based around the Vietnam war, with lyrics and vocals by my current favourite DM vocalist Mr Kreft. The Intro sample sets the tone and the music delivers. If Bolt Thrower and Hail of Bullets are your thing then this release sits well in with that company. Mid paced and deadly, the aural equivalent of sustained gunfire, riff after memorable riff slam home time after time, Anders Biazzi is on a mission. The drums weigh in and provide that solid base, relentlessly propelling the tracks along and that is key to the overall feel and power of the release.
The album flies by in a whirl like
Review by RichaRd Keenahan
and before you know it you’ve pressed play again.
Tunnel Rats and into an Ambush really hit me but there isn’t a bad track on the record.
With the demise of the 2 heavy weights named above Just Before Dawn sit at the top of the tree with Asphyx and Graceless when it comes do top tier mid paces Death Metal.
129 bandslink: https://wwwfacebookcom/Justbeforedawntheycame https://Justbeforedawn1.bandcampcom https://wwwinstagramcom/Justbeforedawn band
Live on stage
Reviews
GOAT METAL CRUISE 2022/Metal Festival on water in Moscow, Russia. 17 September 2022.
Review and photos by Olga Schneider
A Feast in Time of Plague has been our life credo for a while now!
On May 2022, the first Extreme Metal fest on water in Russia named Goat Metal cruise took place here in Moscow. Just a quick reminder: it was invented by the team of the local Goat Metal bar as the response to an unsuccessful attempt to organize an average underground gig at the neighbour location. So instead of another club, we got a huge vessel and hours of sailing Moscow river accompanied by some good Metal music. The cruise on May was a blast, so the organizers decided to develop this idea and make the second time happen. So it happened on September 17, when the appearance of autumn
was already strongly felt in the air. This time I took part in this event as a part of the team, a merch manager. Oh, the day was extremely intense! Completely fukked up condition the day before, no sleep, liter of coffee inside of me and the whole day 100% on feet. Spoiler: that was absolutely worth it! Goat Metal cruise II united Metal bands from certain cities of our huge country at one place.
Lineup: Putrefied Cadaver (Slamming Brutal Death Metal / Goregrind)
СмåртоКрåст (Black Metal)
NIMRUD (Post-Metal) GROND (Death Metal)
ABORTED FETUS (Brutal Death Metal)
When the trip started, we could see so clearly that it was much less people than previous time. That can be explained by many factors: a very brutal political situation in the country, common stress because of it, the lack of money etc. But I genuinely want to pay a huge respect to those who joined this event to celebrate LIFE and support each others, whatever is happening around us!
The event started with some massive rains and thick dark clouds embracing the endless open spaces around us, and that was just making the atmosphere more authentic.
Reviews
Live on stage
Reviews
The second part of the evening was marked by burning sunset and longwaited chance to enter the upper deck and observe it, taking some short breaks from work. Analysing the whole situation of last couple of years, I can say that this temporary isolation has been a huge kick for Russian Metal community to get stronger and keep developing the own tradition with double intensity. Isolation is never a good thing, but the point is in getting some profit even when all around seems to be collapsing. Always nice to see some old good faces at such events, but equally killer to see some new people that join the community with really huge enthusiasm. Some of them come just for a short period of time, but some of them stay for years, making the community stronger and stronger. So the evening ended with some pleasant tiredness and really strong euphoria
feeling. All the efforts were worth it. Some small mistakes from the previous time were fixed amazingly well.
season, and of course we’re looking forward for the next one for something even more blasting!
Reviews
Upcoming albums
The legendary Death Metal icons OBITUARY return with their highly anticipated new album, Dying of Everything. Dying Of Everything destroys in the time-honored tradition of early OBITUARY classics Slowly We Rot and Cause of Death while maintaining the killer studio sound that the band has been perfecting in their own studio since 2007’s monstrous Xecutioner’s Return.
Like just about every album in OBITUARY’s vast catalog, Dying Of Everything is instantly memorable; it’s a skill that OBITUARY have only improved upon over the years. It’s unusual for a band that’s been around since the ’80s to be doing some of their best work in the 2020s, but that’s exactly what OBITUARY have accomplished through their do-it-yourself attitude and relentless touring on a worldwide level.
«Dying of Everything» will be released on January 13, 2023.
MEMORIAM needs no introduction ‐ they are living legends of Old School Death Metal. Not only because the former fields of activity of the Brits belonged and still belong to the pioneers of UK Death Metal, but because they managed to follow their master plan more than precisely.
MEMORIAM has built up their own loyal fan base over the past seven years and developed its own musical identity.
MEMORIAM transforms aggression and grief into uncompromising Death Metal energy. Also musically the mentioned above development process continues. While the opener still serves the essential Death Metal groove, MEMORIAM becomes more variable with each additional song and keeps adding new dynamics into their Old School Death Metal sound ‐ from brutal grooves (‘Annihilation’s Dawn’) via doomy‐melodic parts like in ‘I Am The Enemy’ up to aggressive Nordic riffing like in ‘Total War’. «Rise to power» is an extremely varied album.
Rise to Power will be released on February 3, 2023.
Members of Tulus later went and formed the band Khold. After Khold went on hold in 2006, Blodstrup and Sarke resurrected Tulus.
Tulus has a «fourth member»: Blodstrup’s wife, Hildr (Hilde Nymoen), who writes all lyrics for both Tulus and Khold.
«Fandens Kall» captures 3 decades of true TULUS metal and shows the band’s real spirit: aggressive, atmospheric, groovy and honest! Diverse and timeless!
Guest appearances: Anders Hunstad (keyboards), Lars Erik Westby (piano) and Lena Fløitmoen (female vocals). Cover artwork crafted by Kjell Åge Meland.
Lineup
Sarke - Drums
Blodstrup - Vocals, Guitars
Crowbel - Bass
Fandens kall will be released on February 17, 2023.
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Insomnium is supposed to be a word pertaining to dreams, with various interpretations of its meaning. It is unrelated to the sleeping disorder insomnia. At its strongest, music is a key to a gate nothing else can pry open. Music is a weapon to destroy the walls we built around us – and Finnish metal melancholists Insomnium are amongst its strongest wielders. Their 9th masterpiece, “Anno 1696”, leads us deep into a dark and troublesome past of Europe. The witch hunt is in full swing across Europe and the gruesome trials have even reached the remote landscapes of Finland and Sweden. Set to their latest batch of achingly beautiful dirges and accompanied by a short story written by frontman Niilo Sevänen himself, Insomnium once more summon a manifesto of grief and hope.
Insomnium take us into a world woven of sorrow and crumbling vestiges of hope, deliver an album relying on the strengths of their beloved trademark sounds and a new sense of grandiose, melancholic storytelling. Welcome to 1696. Welcome to hell. ‘Anno 1696’ will be released on February 24, 2023.
Azaghal are back with their 12th studio album «Alttarimme on Luista Tehty» and once again they’ve managed to deliver an album that respects the origin of their creation. Heart shredding guitars in the classic way of Azaghal riffing, fast, relentless pounding drums and beautiful bass melodies in combination with haunted crushing vocals delivered by a brand new Vocalist who is able to create the well needed refreshing in their sound. All in all, their new album sounds exactly how Finnish black metal should sound, Uncompromised, relentless, furious, hateful and fast in combination with some new found rare 80’s rock elements which makes this album more unique then all their previous work! Azaghal once again knows how to breath back life into their long existing name and Black Terror Metal is all what you can expect from them! Alttarimme on luista tehty will be released on February 24, 2023.
HEIDEVOLK return with their seventh studio album via Napalm Records, continuing to keep the pagan flame burning! Ever since their impressive 2005 debut, De strijdlust is geboren, HEIDEVOLK has taken the heavy music scene by storm, conquering stages throughout the world with their very own brand of folk metal.
With dual clean vocals, irresistibly catchy songs, traditional instruments and fast metal riffing all fueled by their folkloric fire and pagan pride, HEIDEVOLK delivers for an uncompromising sound and musical adventure.
Their new masterpiece, WEDERKEER, makes no exception, and proves why the Arnhem-based six-piece is one of the best, unrivaled and most exciting bands of their genre and beyond! In a world of myths, nature and legends of the Veluwe, Netherlands, the concept album is a powerful odyssey of the Self, deeply rooted in metal and folklore.
“Wederkeer” will be released on February 24, 2023.
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