Slowly We Rot #10 / 2017

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Issue 10 / 2017

Balfor Nattas Krullur Countess Enslaved LLOTH Throneum Ekpyrosis Goresoerd Hypothermia God Macabre Decrepit Cadaver Basement Torture Killings + Metallica (vintage chat from ’88) + many more interviews + more than 200 reviews!)

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Oh boy, oh boy, here we are, after much delay and many draw-backs, at this point of me writing the Editorial and hopefully you reading it. The 2 months delay was due to a simple event that happens to most zine owners, the crashing of a computer… well, I always knew this is possible and at a certain extent, inevitable so I was a bit prepared, I managed to recover more than half of my work and continue from there, but still it was a tough blow, I wish I won’t live again soon at least.

As an update on how I’ve been, for the ones of you interested (but also for some time in the future when I’ll read this again with nostalgia), my music-related activities become more and more time-demanding so unfortunately at some point I’ll have to make a choice and if not end, at least put one of them on hold. Pest Webzine is still up and running and it gets more attention than I thought, Pest Distro is busier and busier every day, Loud Rage Music, my main focus nowadays is stronger than ever signing and releasing top-quality Romanian bands, and plans for it are sky-high. I have resurrected my old Pest Records (some of you might know it) as a chapter for Loud Rage Music where to release foreign material, too, make sure to check it out. The little zine called Rotten Romania I’ve released together with issue 7 of Slowly We Rot became a stand-alone zine and issue 2 sees the light of the day at the same time as issue 10 of SWR, so if you’re interested in the Romanian Underground Metal scene ask for it. On a personal note our son, Dragos, is 18 months old now and growing happy and healthy, he’s our light and you can guess how much time we devote to his well-being, too.

I’m most proud of this issue as it’s so diverse and the interviews, in my opinion, are very good, varied and entertaining. Although it took me much more time, I have replaced the Rising Demons and Fresh Assaults template questionnaires with an individual and more in-depth approach like many of you requested so I hope you’ll like the zine more. We’re featuring in this issue a short Metallica interview Chris Forbes did 3 decades ago and published in his legendary Metal Core zine back then, and although it is not very informative it gives us an idea on how the biggest Metal band were acting at those times, ultimately it’s like a tribute for me to Chris’ fantastic job as a zine owner in the ‘80’s and since, a true legend I’m proud to collaborate with for Slowly We Rot. Leslie did a tremendous interview with one of the editors of The Book of Armageddon zine, another legendary zine from the USA, and in the next issue we’ll feature his interview with the other editor as well.

I'd like to thank all bands, labels, distros and individuals that supported and keep supporting Slowly We Rot, my devoted and hugely valuable writers / friends: Sonia, Chris, Heather, Leslie, and since this issue Don Mariano and of course my always helpful and ever so talented friend Wolfy from The Crystallomantic Art for the sampler CD artwork.

Until next time enjoy Slowly We Rot #10!

Yours truly, Adrian Contents: Front cover: Kim Carlsson (Hypothermia) Compilation cover artwork by The Crystallomantic Art (facebook.com/crystallomantia) All reviews, articles and unsigned interviews by Adrian All reviews also published in Pest Webzine at www.pestwebzine.com Slowly We Rot Contact: www.facebook.com/swrzine slowlywerot.miiduu.com swrzine@yahoo.com Slowly We Rot Team: Adrian (Romania) – editor – layout/interviews/reviews Leslie David (Hungary) – interviews Sonia Fonseca (Portugal) – interviews Chris Forbes (USA) – interviews Heather Williams (USA) – interviews Don Mariano (Poland) – interviews

03. Editorial 04. Enslaved 06. God Macabre 08. Countess 09. Nattas 10. LLOTH 11. Nagaarum 13. Soulwound 14. Time Lurker 15. Throneum 16. Metallica Ekpyrosis 18. Hypothermia 20. Grand Head Edain 21. Archeonic FS Projekt

Slowly We Rot Compilation CD #10 01. Nattas - Reclaim the Blood 02. FS Projeckt - Kredo Tvoyo 03. Maxdmyz - All to Hell 04. Edain - A Memory Trail 05. Archeonic - Why Just This Game 06. Midnight Prey - Blood Stained Streets 07. Spydor - War 08. Centrate - Soul Collector 09. Nuclear Aggressor - Bliss of the Razor 10. Krullur - Your Worst Enemy 11. Grand Head - Bull Ramos 12. Goresoerd - Raamat 13. LLOTH - I (Dead Inside) 14. Nagaarum - Md 15. Occult Deceiver - Necromancy 16. Lunatic Hooker - Unearthed Dead Children 17. Throneum - Darkness of Another Circle I 18. Decrepit Cadaver - Divinidad Profanada 19. Basement Torture Killings - The Rat Catcher 20. Blutrina - Paranoid Pussy

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22. Lunatic Hooker 23. Maxdmyz 24. Pulvis et Umbra Nuclear Aggressor 27. Balfor 28. Decrepit Cadaver Occult Deceiver 29. Krullur Centrate 30. Midnight Prey Spydor 31. Basement Torture Killings 32. Goresoerd 33. Reviews 53. The Book of Armageddon

from Norse mythology. I hear a slight Black Sabbathy sound, some dark, heavy classic rock sounds, and more lead guitar. In Monumension, the lyrics take on a personal note, the music has changed as well. In Below the Lights there are some progressive elements, and I felt you were experimenting with the music. I love The Dead Stare. The lyrics mention darkness. I really liked Isa. The music was smooth, dark, ambient, progressive, modern and the lyrics to Neogenesis are amazing. Ruun was heavy, progressive.

The song Fusion and Sense Of Earth is awesome. Vertebrae was experimental, progressive, out there, spacey, kind of Rush / Pink Floyd sounding. Axioma Ethica Odini.. another turning point? Sounds heavier , I really like this album. Riitiir is not as heavy as Axioma Ethica Odini but heavier than Vertebrae. In Times is similar to Riitiir. The first part of Sleeping Gods - Thorn is definitely heavier and darker! Some ambient, but I feel this album is more solid.

Yeah it has been quite the journey, both in music and lyrics. But I would claim that there’s a pretty solid red line through it all – with variations in perspective and approach. Part of what makes being in Enslaved exciting for more than 25 years. And it seems it is what makes it exciting to follow the band. It is very interesting to hear about the perceptions – like you just did! Why did your music and lyrics for these albums deviate away from your original themes of Norse mythology and Viking Black Metal?

Was there a phase or time in your life at the writing of these albums where you were in a dark place perhaps?

I would not say it is that much of a “1:1” relationship between our (me and Grutle write the lyrics about half each) lives and minds. Our “civilian” lives are not that interesting in this scope. Of course experiences and our inner lives influence music and lyrics, but any literal interpretation or connections kind of kills the mystery, no?

I had the immense pleasure of interviewing Ivar Bjornson, founder of the band Enslaved.

His musical works play out a saga of Norse gods, darkness, and quiet philosophy. Enslaved's music is so unique. The lyrics are simply brilliant, the music is amazing in composition. I believe your life plays out in your music.

It starts out as classic Norwegian Black Metal but evolves into something I feel is largely experimental, progressive metal with a tinge of black metal for good measure.

As a 12 year old you started out playing death metal in a band called Phobia. What made you decide to turn to black metal?

What were you listening to at that time that made you lean in that direction?

What came first was me and Grutle realizing Phobia was going nowhere. It was not that we had an urge to be rockstars as soon as possible or anything. It was our dream to have a band that could develop and experiment that made us realize we had to move on. When that decision was made, it was easy to lean more towards the Black Metal sound: as we were listening to Mayhem, Darkthrone, Master’s Hammer, Rotting Christ and some others from the proto-Black Metal scene around the world.

You started Enslaved with your friend Grutle Kjellison at age 13, he was 17, which I find amazing. Who had the idea first to start the band, you or him?

I do believe it was my idea, since I was the songwriter – he was the one behind Phobia, but I was the driving force for steering the new band towards the sound of the bands I just mentioned in the previous answer.

What would you say got you started in music? What introduced you to the music that got you focused on the early style of Norweigian black Viking metal you were playing when you first started wth Yggdrasill? Why did you lean towards Viking black metal rather than Satanic black metal?

What got me started was, as for so many other Norwegian youngsters, Kiss! I listened by default to kiddy music kindergarten etc, and always loved music my parents tell me.

Then Kiss appeared on Norwegian television and we collected Kiss-cards that came with the candy-bags in the stores. My grandpa took notice and bought me a “Dynasty”cassette. This whole thing made me realize I wanted to be in a band!

I was very awestruck by the “Black Metal sound”, but the ideology was not that appealing as I was already knee-deep in fascination for the Norse Mythology and the accompanying esoteric side of it. I would have felt wrong to deal in lyrics and concepts we did not believe in, so it had to give way to something we did believe strongly in.

I'm curious what was in your headspace at that young age. Kids at that age are hanging out with friends, riding bikes, playing video games, playing with frogs, you on the other hand were saying "I'm going to record my next album"! How did the band fit in with school? What about girlfriends, how did they feel about it?

Was your life different from the average kid? How did being in a popular band affect your youth?

The band fitted quite nicely with school – I grew up in a village with nothing else to do, so there was enough time for both. Barely. So I would spend all my time outside school on music. I guess that was the difference from the others – a lot less play and more practising, writing letters and making music and lyrics. I still did the other stuff too, but it was second priority. What mates, family and girls would think about it wasn’t that important – it was in my DNA. And still is. People who get involved with me gets involved in this whole universe.

It would seem as you grew older, you would have gotten interested in other things or maybe changed the band around or even the name. What has kept you keeping this band going for most of your life?

The love for the music that I write for this band, and how the others help me realize the visions through how we sound together. Then there is the backbone we just talked about: the Norse tapestry that has continuously developed from mythology and history into philosophy, rune-mysticism, rune-magic, psychology, philosophy and so on. It never gets boring, on the contrary.

Yggdrasill… I think it's important for people to know about and hear this part of your work. Weren't you 15 when this first demo of yours came out? It's in the vein of classic Norwegian Black Metal like Mayhem and Immortal. Why were you calling yourself Daimonion? I noticed on the demo the word "Chainsaw". Does this mean guitar? The music coming from Yggdrasill is so advanced sounding; you can tell the person is serious about music; you'd never guess it's coming from someone so young. Who were you counting as your influences around this time?

Have you or will you consider re-releasing this demo?

Yeah around 15, I think. Why Daimonion? Why not? No better explanation. We were at the start of the career, and artist names were used by a lot of the bands we were inspired by. “Chainsaw” was guitar, yes – inspired by the lingo of older Black Metal bands like Venom and Hellhammer. My main influences at the time of the demo was Mayhem (The “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas”-advance tapes), Darkthrone, Bathory, Celtic Frost and Master’s Hammer. We have re-released the demo on vinyl and CD through Peaveville; just a few years back. Should be able to find them still!

What was it like growing up in the music industry?

It was easier before haha. Well, an advantage is experience and having witnessed changes - this perhaps gives me a better understanding of how things are as they are now. On the other hand, I might not have recognized the best deals and strategies when I was 15, you know. An older person would perhaps have taken longer to think things through. It is hard to say what weighs the most: the advantages of youthful enthusiasm and an early start, or starting when you are more experienced on a personal level. I like to think that all that happened was for the best – I am sure happy about how things turned out!

These next two questions may seem boring, but I'd really like to go over your music and have you comment on it in some way.

How did you learn how to play the guitar?

As mentioned, I wanted nothing more than to make music and start a band. Meaning I needed to play something. You know, we played the recorder at school, but the guitar was the big dream. During weekends my father would play classic songs and sing a bit, and I kept asking to join him. At 8 they got a second acoustic guitar so I could start accompany him with simplified chords. I brought the guitar to my room and started to teach myself this and that, and the rest is history, as they say!

The lyrics in the your first few albums deal with Norse mythology. Hordanes Land is classic Norwegian black Viking metal. In Vikingligr Veldi, the lyrics are spiritual. Midgards Elder is amazing and Norvegr is beautiful. The album Frost has a heavier element to it. A powerful album, I still hear Norwegian black metal and some effects but they have a different sound to them, a heavier sound. Eld is similar to Frost and Vikingligr Veldi. In Bloodhemn the lyrics seem to get stronger. These albums were all made and recorded by the time you were 21.

Wow! What was it about Norse mythology that fascinated you as a child? Do you perhaps have Viking ancestors? it is hard to pinpoint exactly when and where it started. I would ascribe to my parents’ collection of book on various belief systems dating to before the universal religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism), and the books on the Norse mythology and history just resounded with something within. As easy as that! And it has grown with me ever since.

About ancestry, I am not sure, but I would think most of ethnic Norwegians have some relative or relatives from the Viking era.

You were nominated for a Norwegian Grammy for Album of the Year for 2001, 2003, 2012, and 2015. You WON a Norwegian Grammy for Album of the Year in 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. You were also nominated for the Alarmprisen Album of the Year in 2001, 2003, and you WON the Alarmprisen Album of the Year in 2004. Also, winner of the Bergensprisen Album of the Year in 2004 and 2008, and received the Honorary Award from The Norwegian Artist & Songwriter Association in 2011.

That is just simply amazing. How do you feel about that?

I am very humbled by all that wonderful recognition we have received over the years.

It does not change anything in real life – you know, an inflated ego doesn’t write better songs or perform better in a group of musicians – but it feels good and it

Your music has not always centered around these things. I feel Mardraum, From Beyond the Within is the starting point that your music starts deviating away from Norwegian black metal and the lyrics deviate away

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means there are people out there really appreciating your efforts, and that is great motivation to take along!

What do you do when on some downtime from playing music? Any hobbies, favorite books, movies, or foods?

There’s basically never any downtime, but I have to simply make some here and there. That involves doing stuff with my family – then it is about what the kids enjoys doing. When they’re happy, I am happy, you know? If there’s an occasional day with no kids and no music I love cooking and partying with friends and family. I try to read and watch sci-fi whenever I have the chance; at night, flights, airports. If I had time for a real hobby I would split it between going hiking in the mountains and building miniature models. I think.

In 2014, the Norwegian government commissioned you and Einar Selvik (Wardruna) to create some music for the 200th anniversary of the Norwegian Constitution which is amazing and very fitting considering your love of the history and culture of your country. The piece was titled Skuggsja. It was turned into a full length album. It's so beautiful and haunting. How were you approached for this? What made you decide to accept their offer to write the music?

The people behind the celebrations had the presence of mind to hire people within the scene to help work out the details. These people helped with the input on who could be the right people for this; and as you mention Einar and me are known for a special interest in the historical and cultural aspects of Norway. They asked us to sit down for a meeting, which sounded great in itself – since Einar moved from Bergen some years before, and I would love to catch up. Turns out we itchyitchy got very inspired immediately. We were given full freedom – all they asked was that we addressed Norwegian identity through a historical point of view. We demanded â to be critical of whatever national icons and “truths” we wanted, and were given exactly that.

In a December post from the Enslaved Facebook page you mention new lineup changes. Can you fill us in on this? You also mentioned a new album. Will be there be a 2017 release? At the end of the post you call yourself Papa Bjornson. Is it a nickname and if so how did you aquire that nickname? Why the name I Peerson on the In Times album?

Yes, Herbrand Larsen quit in December, he simply retired and wants to stay in Bergen at home and not be an active musician anymore. We thank him for his efforts and move on – we’re really close to getting a great replacement for him confirmed, though. Very exciting times! I do think there will be some great news about a new album, shortly – but that is all I can give you right now! Papa Bjørnson was more of a joke on something I heard: that James Hetfield calls himself Papa Hetfield in his end of year letters to their fan club.

Haha. Also I am the only dad in Enslaved so far!

Peersen is my legal last name, so it is mentioned on albums for rights purposes, but I don’t use it as

Why do you keep your music rooted in black metal?

It is not based on any rationale; it is simply what it “is”. It is the music that wants to be written in and for Enslaved. It is just what happens. When we want to introduce some rock into the mix, we do – when a bit of prog wants in there, that’s what happens. Music without limits!

an artist.

Interview by Heather Williams

You also play keyboard in some of your albums. When did you learn to play the keyboard?

Pretty much at the same time as guitar. For me it was about writing music and creating something, not about being a specialist on any instruments. I played some piano first (we had one at school and one at home), and then I got a tiny synthesizer at 9 I think. I got a “real” keyboard at 11, and that was the one we used for “Hordanes Land”, for instance.

February 2017

You were largely responsible for keyboard duties on all of your albums. Why did Herbrand Larsen take over keyboard duties starting with the album ISA all the way up to your most current album?

As the years went by, it annoyed me more and more that we did not have keys live – and also that there was a, perhaps subconscious, reduced amount of keyboard parts being written for the albums since it was not a “real part” of the line-up; more an “extra thing” I did. So we tried out a few guys as session musicians, but Herbrand was by far the best. Therefore he was asked to join as a full member in 2003!

How about some guitar talk!

What's your current favorite guitar brand that you use most often when playing?

Jackson! I love my soloist, Broderick signature model!

What amps have you had, what have you thought of them and what lead you to what you have now!

I have used a Peavey 6505+ for 20 years now, and still love that for my rhythm parts. I have also started using a Fractal AX8 so I can bring more amps with me on the road for the clean and effect parts!

What brand of pickups for your guitar do you use the most and why?

I like the DiMarzio CB6s and also I like the P-90 “soap bar” mics a lot!

Do you think a Tremolo bar damages the guitar and strings? Have you ever used one?

I have them one a few of my guitars, but use them very lightly – I find the crazy space-monkey on crack - tremolo solos silly. So I guess my guitars and string are surviving!

Have you ever had strings break right in the middle of a performance?

Oh yes. Out of 12-1300 gigs throughout my life there’s been a few. I won’t depress myself by counting. But it is becoming more and more seldom!

What is your best and worst tour/show memory?

The best was probably when I learned that my wife was expecting our first child during opening weekend of the tour in London (she was with us tour managing). It became a very special tour, sort of the last tour in that part of my life. Weird and beautiful.

The worst was definitely being called up on the tour bus about a death in close family. We decided to finish, according to the wishes of the rest of my family, and it was a rough few days before the tour was over.

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don't think the plan was ever to release it in any way. It was maybe more of a way to do something with that part of the band's life before moving on to other things. It was around the same time we started flirting with more death metal ideas, the songs started becoming more serious and I think we started to want to move on more towards a death/grind sound sometime in the fall of '89. From what I remember, the Extreme Deformity EP by Pungent Stench was quite important in that decision. That shit was Ola, the band started playing grindcore under the good and we wanted to play more like that. name Botten Pa Burken and were a four piece then, do you still remember how did everything start? How did Around this time was the great Swedish death metal you get together? What were your influences at this boom and Stockholm and Gothenburg became the time? centers of the scene. But what about Vålberg and the First of all, we were all friends from school. Me and surrounding of Vålberg where you came from?

Nicke were classmates and Per and Tomas were in two Back in those days there was nothing of that kind in our different classes the year above ours. Me, Nicke and Per part of Sweden. Vålberg was (and still is) a small shithole played together in a punk band before deciding to start with maybe 3000 people living here. The closest town B.P.B. to play the grind we loved so much. So, it was me (Karlstad) didn't have any kind of death metal scene on guitar, Nicke on drums and Per on vocals and as we either. I remember when we played at a local music knew Tomas (he lived next door to Nicke and we were festival in early 1990 that it was us (who still had a lot of friends for years before playing together) he became our grind in our tries to play more death metal then) and bass player (I think he might have played the bass in Vomitory (who still played only Sodom covers at the another band before this, not sure though). We started time) who seemed to know of this kind of bands. right after Christmas in 1988 and the main influences in Vomitory comes from a small town maybe 20 minutes the beginning were Napalm Death, Agathocles, Heresy from us, but back in those days we never really hung out. and bands like that, but we also had quite a big US HC The death metal boom reached our parts later in '90/or influence in the beginning as well. We played covers of maybe early '91. Band started to pop up, but in all honesty bands like S.O.D., Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Nuclear I can't really remember any of them.

Assault etc, so that kind of music was part of our sound as well in the very beginning.

So, Jonas Stålhammar joined the band in 1990, after At this point, you were the editor of Suppuration Magazine, Per Boder was the editor of Senil Nekrofil Zine, does it mean that you were deep in the underground, in the fanzine/tape-trading circuit? Can you tell us more about it?

Yeah, I was a big tape trader myself, I also made a punk fanzine together with the drummer of a punk band I played with all through the same time as we did B.P.B./ME/GM. It was quite easy to get in touch with people already back then as the underground was quite welcoming. Thanks to us doing the fanzines we also got in contact with tons of people that made us get in contact with even more people, so we kinda spread like the plague. People say it's much easier to find likeminded people these days, but I feel it wasn't that hard back then either.

Was Botten Pa Burken the very first band, that you were involved in? Was it your very first musical experience?

Me, Per and Nicke played in a punk band we called Execution Patrol before B.P.B. It's not like we did much with that band, but it was the starting point for us all. And at the very end of that band we started to incorporate grind parts (something the guitar player of that band just couldn't understand, so that's the reason for us to move on and start a new band that would continue with the grind and at the same time I changed from the bass to the guitar).

I'd say that B.P.B. was the first band we had some kind of goal with though. I did play in another punk band at the same time, but we kinda just played for the fun of it and never really planned on doing anything special (which we didn't do, just a porta demo and that was it. We spent much more time in the rehearsal place with B.P.B. than the band we were in before and we created a lot of stuff in a short time. Sure, the early stuff wasn't that good, it could be one riff and things like that, but we had fun, we experimented with different ways to play stuff and I think we always had the intent to make at least one new song every band practice. In the first couple of months we probably made 30 songs or something.

he was asked to do some session guitar, he then decided to leave Abhoth and join Macabre End permanently, how did he get in the picture exactly?

Per met Jonas at a concert and I think they slept at the same place afterwards and got talking. He was visiting Per when we went to band practice to see if he could maybe play solos on our songs as I couldn't play a solo even if I had a gun to my head. At this time we were pretty much full on death metal with a few grind parts here and there. Our songs had become longer, had more riffs, so it sounded a bit repetitive without solos. So in May 1990 we did a couple of rehearsals with him where he played solos on some of our songs and I recently listened to some recordings we did in the rehearsal room and things didn't suck that much. Quite cool ideas, but overall it's obvious we weren't the greatest at self-editing when making songs. We also played the Paradise Lost track "Lost Paradise" that Jonas showed us, and maybe he saw in us a band he could mold and do more of his thing with, so he joined us quite quickly after that. We spent that summer working on new stuff as we all decided to just scrap the old and start fresh with Jonas now being a member. It was a great summer and Consumed, Spawn, and more was done during those hot days.

What made you to change both the band’s name and the music by the way? Were you perhaps dissatisfied with the music, that Botten Pa Burken was playing?

We changed the name because of the old grind and the new death metal direction didn't really mesh together.

And even though the name means Botten På Burken (Bottom of the Can) in Swedish we never used it like that, it was always B.P.B. (also a reminder of our early HC influences with bands like S.O.D., D.R.I. and so on). The lyrics were sometimes silly and when you play death metal you want something more serious, so sometime during the fall of 1989 we changed to Macabre End instead. It was all just a very natural evolution of the band, so it's not like we felt that the old sucked and we needed to rebrand ourselves. The B.P.B. songs changed during those days, from very short and often silly stuff to more serious and classic grind sounding, then death metal came in and it was a very natural choice.

Have you ever recorded anything under this moniker? In September 1990 you entered the Sunlight Studios to Nothing proper. We recorded a rehearsal demo during the record your first demo titled „Consumed By summer of 1989. We had a cover image and all, but I Darkness”, do you still remember, how did the recording sessions go?

It was our first time in a real studio (for the original four members, Jonas had done it before) and it was all so new and different. But, Skogsberg was truly a laidback guy who understood how to make it feel easy for us. The recording itself went by very fast. I think we spent less than 11 hours at the studio from when we arrived to when we went back home with a finished recording. We rehearsed a lot, so we knew the songs very well. And in those days it wasn't that much of studio masturbation where everything is done over and over even if the first take was good.

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Did you heavily promote this demo? Did it open some doors for the band or did it draw the fan’s attention to the band? Why was tape limited to 100 copies? Did you sell all of the 100 items? Did you send some copies to labels getting contracts?

We did the usual thing by sending out xerox copies of the flyer for the demo and sent it to some fanzines, but that was it. People did buy it and we got lots of great reviews of the demo, so people looked us up because of those as well. With the risk of remembering things wrong now, but I seem to recall Per got contacted by Deaf Records because of them reading a review in a UK fanzine.

Nothing, of course, happened with that though. We sold all copies, and the reason we only made 100 of it is that before we had sold them out Corpse Grinder had gotten in touch about wanting to release it as an EP. We felt there was no need to make more of the demo then as it would be released on vinyl as well.

I'm not sure if we sent to labels. I know we sent to fanzines and often that was the best way to get your name out there. And even though there were tons of smaller labels around we didn't know of that many we should send the demo to, but in the end we got contacted anyway.

Is it true, that you were supposed to record a second 3 track EP titled „Nothing Remains Forever” (with the songs „Into Nowhere”, „Lost” and „In Grief”) for Relapse Records but it never happened? Were you disappointed about it?

I have no recollection of that name, to be honest.

"Nothing Remains Forever". It could have been a name we threw around a little, but it was never as far as any track list decided or anything. Relapse were interested in releasing an EP with us (this was after the Consumed EP) and we thought it was awesome as we wrote new songs all of the time. So we had new material for an EP. When we got the contract it was all about them getting the rights to print up t-shirts, sweat pants, trucker hats etc with our logo on it and the EP was just something to let people hear us before our first album that they were to release.

Something we hadn't discussed with them at all, and by the looks of the contract we would have bound us up pretty tight and we weren't interested in that. It wasn't a contract that we felt we could say yes to, so we asked for some changes and then nothing happened from it.

I don't think we were THAT disappointed as we knew we would do something else instead. Cocky bastards that we were..."

In 1991 Corpse Grinder Records released the demo as a 7” (limited to 1000 copies) and this was the same recording as the demo, only remixed and with some keyboards added, how happened? Didn’t you think about to release a material with brand new tracks instead?

The deal with Corpse Grinder was to release the demo as an EP, so we had no reason to make anything new for it.

We recorded the demo in September 1990 and Jonas was back in the studio in January 1991 to remix it, there were some stuff that needed to be brought up compared to the demo version as well as better keyboard stuff. So, things went quite fast from the demo was released to the deal with the label. It was then released in June 1991 and there wouldn't have been time to write new stuff, record it and then send it off to have it released by then. And during 1991, before the EP was released, we had gotten in touch with MBR Records and the idea was to release a new EP with them later the same year, so new tracks were saved for that released instead." „Spawn Of Flesh” was on the „Appointment With Fear vol. 1” compilation, what can you tell us about it?

Was it a good promotion for the band?

It was quite interesting as we got the flyer for that release in a mail and saw our name on it. We had no idea we were on a compilation, so that was a bit of a surprise. We wrote the label a mail asking about how we had been

added to it and got a package back with CDs in it and with the explanation that it was Corpse Grinder that had let them use the song on the comp. Not telling us was kinda weird, but in the end it was a good comp to be part of. I think a bunch of people discovered us through it.

Still to this day there are people talking about is being on the first Appointment with Fear. Looking at all of the other bands on the comp it's quite nice we are still mentioned. Some good shit on it.

After the Ep you changed your name to GOD MACABRE and bassist Thomas Johansson also left the band at this point, what kind of reasons did lead to the departure of Thomas? Did you start searching a new member instead of him? Were there any bassplayers auditioned?

Tomas departed a while after we changed the name. The last gig we did with him was in September 1991, when we already were planning for the recording of The Winterlong, and that was under the name God Macabre.

There were a couple of different reasons why he left. One was that he would be off for almost a year doing his military services and there would be no time to rehearse or anything when he had a weekend at home. And also, he was the one member that really wasn't involved in anything extra when it came to the band. He showed up, learned his stuff and then left. The rest of us were part of the song writing, ideas etc. Jonas wrote almost all of the music, but me and Per were there to tighten up things at time, rearrange parts if needed, and Nicke added his drums. The tempos were there from Jonas ideas, but Nicke added his touch. So, we all were part of everything, except for Tomas. So when he weren't gonna be around anyway, we felt it was time to part our ways with him.

We never really searched for bass players that much. We knew that Jonas would play the bass on the record and after that maybe we would look for someone. It was no hurry as if we would have played live we could have gotten someone to take over for the gig or something.

Would you say, that the new moniker was also a new start for the band? Did you something change on your music compared to Macabre End or did you naturally progress, develope?

To be honest, the new name was something I was very much against.

We started to get known as Macabre End now were gonna change the damn name??? But it didn't take me long to like God Macabre much more than Macabre End. One of the reasons we changed it was that many Swedes thought we said Macabre Ant to them when they asked what we were called. Not good... hahaha. The music wasn't changed, maybe we removed the grind parts, but it wasn't because of the name change. Most of the God Macabre songs were written while we still were called Macabre End, so it's only the name and not the music that was changed. Some might look at this like two bands, but it surely wasn't.

At which point did you start writing newer tunes? Did you have more influences compared to the early years/stage of the band? I mean, did your musical taste or horizon become larger? Did you discover newer acts?

We never stopped writing new tunes. It was an ongoing process, so songs were written before the Consumed EP was released than later would be recorded for the Winterlong record. I think the influences always get bigger the longer you play and Jonas have always listened to tons of stuff that is nowhere near death metal.

I suspect that even back then it was more of non death metal stuff that was the inspiration even though the main influences of Carnage, Paradise Lost and Autopsy never left us. Take "Lamentation" as an example. That acoustic song was without a doubt a result of his love for progressive rock music. We have stuff that was inspired

by Trouble and things like that in those songs. Every new band we heard and loved became some kind of inspiration/influence even if the main influences never changed. Every new thing just added to the original sound.

As Jonas was the main song writer I would say that his musical taste became larger by each day that passed, and I

suspect it still is the case with him and the rest of us. Back then I was pretty much a death/thrash metal guy with crust/d-beat and some of the 80's goth rock in my ears, the rest I had no interest in. Something that I'm very happy has changed since then.

Being lovers of music, new acts are always discovered, even though it was a little harder back in those days.

You were featured on the Pantalgia compialtion with the song „Ashes Of Mourning Life” (former titled „Life’s Verge”), that was released by Beyond Recognition Records, weren’t you?

Short answer would be "Yes, we were". So I will add a tiny bit more to the answer. "Ashes of Mourning Life" has never been called "Life's Verge", that's a different song entirely. "Life's Verge" was made around the time of the demo, so it predates Ashes quite a lot. We opened a gig in December 1990 with "Life's Verge" and it was also the only complete song from those days we never recorded back then. Not sure why, so that's why we went and recorded it in 2013 for the latest reissue of the album.

Did you record any demos as God Macabre by the way?

No, no demos. By the time we were God Macabre we were in touch with MBR and knew we would make an EP with them. So there was no need to make any more demos. And it was upgraded to a Mini-LP (it was originally meant to be released on vinyl in a gatefold sleeve) when we got talking some more with the label. If I remember correctly I was in touch with one of the guys who told me they would love to do an LP with us instead of an EP, but it would be too expensive. So I told him "Why not make a Mini-LP instead?". I hope I remember

month or two before we were going to go to Stockholm and record. It felt like a huge knife in the back as this was what we had worked so hard for the last months (which included us waiting for his back to heal from an injury he brought upon himself by lifting weights the wrong way, so we lost 6 months during 1991 because of this). I don't know if we even thought of finding another drummer that fast and do it anyway, OR give up. That was not an option. So we offered to pay for his trip to and from Stockholm, and food and things like that to make him come with us to record the drums. It was a strange situation as we had done all of this music together as a band with him and then when it was time to record the mini he was just a hired drummer.

How do you view, that what makes the record stand out is the sense of integrity and richness within God Macabre’s assault, as the anthems are clever and unforgettably inspiring slabs of ruthless and catchy death metal stuffed with wonderful riffs and a raw, unbeatable sense of concentration while maintaining brutality and hot-bloodedness?

It's really hard to look at the record from an outsider's perspective like that for me. When I listen to it I also hear us being still teenagers playing those songs over and over, having fun together. It's hard to not have all of those emotions and memories when I listen to the album. I think it's a great album, I'm really proud of it, but it's hard to look at it in any other way than a frozen moment from my own past. But, when it comes to the sound, I think it comes from all of the influences put together, plus us being snotty teenagers not knowing when things shouldn't work and instead do it anyway. Proving it did work after all.

Do you agree with, that „The Winterlong” boasts slow, melancholic passages within the gloomy atmosphere that wouldn’t sound out of place on an early Anorphis release and mellotron sections that add atmospheric depth to the band’s many masks?

Again it's hard to think of our own music like that and I wouldn't want to compare us to any other band. I love the early Amorphis stuff and would be proud if someone thought we had that kind of vibe. I suspect that deep down we shared a lot of the same influences as Amorphis, so it's not that strange if we have things in common.

this correctly now.

When did you enter the studio exactly to record the album? Were you prepared to record the material?

What do you recall of the recording sessions?

You mention the dates in a later question, so it was 18, 19 and 27 December 1991. 18 and 19 was the recording of the drums, guitars and bass, the 27th was the day the vocals were recorded and the mix was done. And yes, we were very prepared to record it. We had spent a ton of time in the rehearsal room to work on the songs and get things as tight as possible. A lot of the stuff on the record is first takes because of us knowing what we should play.

It was a mix of wanting to be as good as we could, but also to keep recording time down as much as possible.

The deal with the label was us splitting the studio cost, so the quicker we did this the cheaper it would get.

What I recall was how things moved so quickly from one thing to another, how all of the drums were done in maybe 7-8 hours on one day and then the guitars and bass in the same amount of hours the next day. Nicke went back home on the evening of the first day, so it was just me and Jonas left and we slept inside the recording room of the studio. We were 17 at the time, so I suspect that's not something weird, just lying there on a hard floor, nothing to cover you and then wake up to start recording music again.

Is God Macabre’s style clearly extraordinary, one that naturally sways from excellent riffs to memorable choruses and despondent harmonies - perfect examples include „Ashes Of Mourning Life” and „Into Nowhere”?

I suspect someone not in the band should answer a question like that. It's hard when it comes to describing ourselves and how we sound when you put it like that. I think that we always felt a song should go somewhere, but also have parts (like a chorus) you would come back to as it was good enough for repeating. I wouldn't say that we in any way had a pop way of arranging songs, but there is a overall pattern with verse/chorus/verse/chorus that can sound a little catchy (which is not a bad thing).

The songs were also tinkered with for a long time before they were recorded, so I think when they were finally recorded they were the definite versions.

Do you think, that the use of haunting timbres and slow developing harmonies results in a series of songs that are, for all intents and purposes, fairly similar sounding and methodical?

The songs probably have a similar sound because it was the same people working on them and we always felt that, no matter what kind of influences that would be introduced throughout the time we played, the main sound should never be strayed from. It's important to keep an identity and even though the songs themselves are quite different from each other they do still have the same kind of sound. The sound of the production helps with that as well.

How happened, that Niklas Nilsson left the band as an (end of part 1, part 2 in Slowly We Rot #11) official member before the recording of the album, but Interview by Leslie David he played on the album as a session drummer?

His girlfriend at the time didn't like how much time he spent rehearsing with us, so he quit the band. With just a May 2016

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Slava Tchortu Orlok! How did you find out about Heavy Metal and later on about Black Metal, what was it like back then and do you still have the same feelings about our favorite kind of music?

Well, I got into metal in the mid-eighties. Back then, there weren’t strict boundaries between different genres of metal or whatever you want to call it. We listened to Venom, to Manilla Road, to Slayer, without caring whether a band was ‘thrash’ or ‘speed’ or whatever. Of course, there was also no internet back then so you discovered new music through word-of-mouth, magazines and fanzines and tape trading.

A lot has changed since then but yes, I still have the same feelings for metal I had back then.

What does Black Metal mean to you, is it your favorite music style or is there more behind it?

First of all, it wouldn’t say specifically black metal is my favorite kind of music. Metal is my favorite kind of music. And yes, metal is more than a style of music, it’s also a mindset, a way of life.

Countess sounds different anyway...

The inspiration comes from almost everywhere.

Something I read, or a movie I saw, or random thoughts I was having at a certain point. Sometimes when I have a few riffs I already have an idea of what kind of lyrics should go with these or sometimes I have a few lines of lyrics and a general idea of what kind of music should go with these. Writing the music and lyrics usually happens more or less simultaneously.

The early lyrics were very much inspired by first-wave black metal lyrics, you know, the typical subjects. Later on I began using different subjects too, partly because there’s only so many times you can write what are basically the same lyrics over and over again and partly because there simply were other subjects I wanted to write about as well. However, all lyrics have stayed within the boundaries of what I think are lyrical subjects that fit the music. Basically, that means subject matter dealing with the occult, mythology, history or metal itself.

What bands influence Countess? What are some of your fave bands and LPs? The main influences of Countess have always been the original black metal bands such as Venom, Bathory and Hellhammer and traditional metal bands like Manowar When going back in time, especially 20 long years, it's and Manilla Road. But my influences and my favorite naturally very hard to remember every single detail bands aren’t necessarily exactly the same thing. I would accurately but let's try anyway. Could you tell us what say Maiden and Therion are my favorite bands. things motivated and inspired you to make your own brand of underground Metal music back in those I understand that Countess is into total blasphemy and days, when Black Metal really wasn't very popular as desecration of god and Christianity. Could you explain opposed to, say, Death Metal? why and how deep are you into Satanism? Would you At the time, black metal was not only becoming a specific consider yourself a Satanist and from or where do you ‘genre’ but it was also becoming fashionable and was draw your Satanic belief from? being embraced by bigger labels and bigger magazines. I prefer not to discuss my personal beliefs to any specific We wanted to make a statement against what we extent in interviews. I’ll say what I always say: I have perceived as the ‘watering down’ of black metal that was certain beliefs and these are, obviously, reflected in my going on at the time. music. Not always in a literal sense, though. And although I am expressing feelings and thoughts and ideas – as any "Permafrost" from 1992 is the first demo released by ‘artist’ does, I suppose – I’m certainly not preaching or Countess, as well as the band's first overall release and proselytizing or promoting any kind of ideology. People only one recorded without you Orlok.In the same year who are interested in Countess should just listen to the you Orlok joined Countess after the release of the music and read the lyrics – or not, if they don’t feel like it demo and band recorded cult debut album"The – and interpret the songs for themselves. That being said, Gospel of the Horned One" at winter solstice 1992.But I would not mind if my music would entice listeners to you put this album on hold, up to summer solstice think and maybe look at things from a perspective they 1993 when he get official release..What can you normally would not have looked from. remember from the recording of that record; although I am sure some of the details have surely vanished In the trendy world of Black Metal today, what are from your memory bank. Were there any your feelings on all of these bands proclaiming that compromises that you had to make due to lack of they are the most brutal and Satanic bands around? proper studio facilities, experience or the know-how to I don’t care, band can proclaim whatever they want. I get everything recorded the way you originally don’t think there really is a point these days in trying to be wanted? the most brutal and such; all this has been done to death Well, there were no proper recording facilities, but we already. didn’t feel that we had to compromise anything because of that. In fact, our intention was to record a horrible Countess one of first self-proclaimed as "Orthodox album, if possible the worst album of all times. Black Metal". Do you think that this image makes Remember this was 1992, when black metal was people actually buy your material, or would you hope becoming far too popular and these new bands were all that they buy it on the strength of your music alone? getting good reviews in big magazines. We longed for the It’s just a way of describing the music; it’s not an ‘image’. old days, when black metal was hated – as we felt it I first coined the term ‘orthodox black metal’ back in the should be – by the big magazines. We certainly early nineties to underline Countess’ loyalty to the main succeeding in getting bad reviews but, more importantly, I first wave influences. The word ‘orthodox’ literally means think we succeeded in creating a truly unique album. ‘strict’ and ‘uncompromising’ and that’s how I intended it: it meant black metal made the traditional way, the way I am sure you are fully aware what kind of album you created 20 years ago. What do you feel is the album's true meaning for the worldwide (Black) Metal scene? You can hardly deny the fact it has influenced tons of bands all around the world ever since it was released back in 1993...

I don’t know how influential the album has been. It has some sort of cult status, probably because it had been sold out for ages and was very difficult to get, until it was re-released on both vinyl and CD in 2014.

Where do you draw your inspiration for both the lyrics as well as the music from in general and particularly for "The Gospel of the Horned One"? I mean, you can't take a walk in the Norwegian woods and apart from that,

it should be done, without any commercial appeal whatsoever and with aesthetics drawn from the originators. The main reason for the moniker back then was to set Countess apart from all the new bands that were popping up everywhere that were playing music that was being called black metal, but didn’t bear a lot of resemblance to what we felt black metal should be like.

You certainly are a prolific artist.15 albums and a couple of EPs over the last decade or so, with numerous other albums shelved. How do you keep yourself going? What songwriting techniques do you employ to keep your ideas fresh?

Well, I don’t know if Countess is an exceptionally prolific band. We released 15 full-length albums over the course of 24 years; that’s an average of one full-length album every 19.2 months. There are probably more prolific bands out there.

And I don’t really employ any songwriting ‘techniques’; I just write what comes to me.

You decided to label your own music "Orthodox Black Metal" straight from the beginning. A fact which is certainly based on the facts that you are from Netherlands who give us a lot of Death Metal bands in the 90's but also few cult Underground Black Metal hordes like Corpusculum or Inverted Pentagram …

Do you personally feel comfortable within that scene?

What actually made you use corpsepaint for quite a while and why did you stop using it in the end?

Yeah, there were quite a few cool black metal bands in the Netherlands back then; Necro Schizma, Bestial Summoning, Choronzon also come to mind.

As for paint, we did use that in the band’s very early days but we tired of it pretty quickly. We feel metal should be about the music first and foremost, not about some kind of show. We haven’t played with paint since 1995.

Would you mind to comment on each of your releases with a few words? What was good, what was bad etc.

Well, that’s quite a task, but OK: - The Gospel (1993): horrible sound, awful playing, but great atmosphere - The Return (1994): sound and playing a bit better, but still below par. Some great songs though, that have become classics and many we still play live these days - Ad Maiorem (1995): first one with a decent sound and quite a few good songs - Book Of The Heretic (1996): classic album; some great songs but marred by a really bad mix - Hell’s Rock & Roll (1997): legendary EP with a couple of our best tunes, probably - Shining Swords (2000): a real love-it-or-hate it album, some say it’s our best, some say it’s our worst. Very inaccessible, totally focused on atmosphere - Revenge Part I (2001): first album with very strong traditional metal overtones - Revenge Part II (2002): same as Part I; all the songs for both albums were recorded during the same sessions - Heilig Vuur (2004): musically a return to roots; lyrically our first and so far only album completely in Dutch - Spawn Of Steel (2005): probably our most straightforward metal album - Holocaust (2006): somewhat similar to Spawn, but more black - Blazing Flames (2007): stylistically similar to Holocaust, but a much better sound - Burning Scripture (2010): another personal favourite - Wings Of Defiance (2011): quite a lot of traditional metal influences - Ancient Lies (2014): great variety, some new things, some throwbacks to earlier days - Sermons (2014): a collection of re-recorded personal favourites - Fires Of Destiny (2016): probably our best album; but everybody always says that about that latest release of course How would you describe the new material you've been writing compared to the old stuff you've recorded with the band? Have you tried to stay loyal to the old style from the debut album, which brought

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you a lot of respect from the Metal community back then?

Yes, we have always tried to stay loyal to our old style; but of course we have also expanded upon that style.

There’s no use in releasing the same album over and over again, I think. Over the years, the strong emphasis on atmosphere has been gradually replaced by an emphasis on song writing and also influences from traditional heavy metal have increased in our sound. And playing and production have improved over the years, obviously. That said, even on our latest album there is stuff like ‘Today Is A Good Day To Die’ that would – at least stylistically – have fit on the first album.

Have you run into any obstacles during the creative process for these new songs? Have you ever felt like you cannot get anything out of yourself or felt frustrated due to not being able to create as much as you wanted to? What do you do when you feel uninspired or are just in an uncreative mood?

No, our creative process is very simple. We write stuff when we have the inspiration to do so. If there’s no inspiration, we don’t write. We do not employ any specific techniques or methods or whatever to write.

Sometimes we’ll write four songs in a month; sometimes nothing in half a year. It all depends on whether the inspiration is there. Sooner or later, it always comes.

What inspires you to write stuff nowadays? Would you your song writing is inspired by the same things as in the past? Is it harder or more difficult to get inspired nowadays, as far as your songwriting goes?

No, it’s not harder nowadays. The inspiration is also still the same as it has always been: music I listen to, books I read, movies I see, my experiences in life in general; mythology, history, the occult.

I was also wondering about the following: you've been around in the underground for ages. When you compare the scene of the mid-90's (the tape trading, writing letters, the dedication of many people, making fanzines, the underground-gigs) to the scene of today (where you can almost find anything on the internet, where communication is so much faster, mp3-files and downloading, tons of 3-day festivals with like 80 bands and a general 'bigger, faster, more'-attitude) what comes to mind then? Would you say it's better or worse?

Well, like you say, for underground metal and music in general I guess, the emergence of the internet has probably been the most significant change since those days. But the fact that nowadays everything happens online doesn’t change the fact that there are probably just about as many good bands today as there were back then.

I also doubt that this whole internet thing has changed the

music itself. It has just changed the way the music is compare. And obviously I like them all; otherwise they being spread. I don’t know if it’s better or worse. It’s just wouldn’t have been included on the record. different. Personally, of course I have some nostalgic feelings towards the old days.

From a full band, COUNTESS now seems to the outsider to be an exceptionally personal band. Does Promotion is everything nowadays if you want move to this hold true? Do you consider past members of the a higher level with a band. What have you been doing band to have played a crucial role in shaping the to get Countess’ name on people's lips besides playing direction of the band?

There was a period when Countess was largely a one-man shows?

Not that much. Serious promotion costs a lot of money band, but that has changed in recent years. Zagan rejoined and a band like ours obviously cannot afford that. the band in 2013 and in 2014 we got a full line-up together again and returned to playing live. Since then, "Fires of Destiny" is a truly diverse piece of art. I Countess has been a real band again. appreciate the harsh and power filled moments just as much as I appreciate the gentler, softer parts. I would How did the other members of the band feel about you like to know more about the production of the album. being in total control of everything Countess related?

Did you have a carefully laid out plan for what you Weren’t they asking for more democracy? And wanted to achieve, or was the process more impulsive weren’t you a kind of dictator in Countess?

No, it has never been like that. I wouldn’t want it to be and unstructured?

Well, the process was quite structured. We spent a lot of that way, either. We are a band and every member has to time working on the songs and recording demos, so we be ok with what we do. It wouldn’t work otherwise, had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to album to anyway. Then we would be a solo project with session sound like. The recording itself was planned tightly as musicians and that’s not the case; we are a real band. well. Of course, you always run into things that don’t go the way you planned them and you have to deal with that Once all is said and done, if Countess could be and improvise along the way, but altogether everything remembered for one thing, what would it be? happened in quite an organized manner. For those who That we created some cool music without caring about are interested, we made a short film about the recording trends and fashions. of the album that’s on our official YouTube channel.

Ultimately, your goal hasn't changed a bit regarding How much time did you personally spend on the Countess: you still want to ink a deal with some label whole project? How deeply involved have you been in that's gonna be 100% behind the band; reliable, everything? trustworthy and doing its job the way it takes to keep I was of course involved in every aspect of the project, both parties happy and satisfied - correct? from the writing to the recording and mixing. We started No, we do not want a deal with a label. We had several writing in the summer of 2014, not that long after offers from labels to release the new album but we turned ‘Ancient Lies’ was released. The writing went on through them all down. In this day and age, it’s not necessary to 2015 and we recorded demos of all the songs that year. In have a deal with a label and we prefer to do everything February 2016 we started recording and everything was ourselves so that we have total control over everything. wrapped up in May 2016.

I guess that was it for now. Thank you Orlok for You Orlok, as a member of the band, are way closer to finding some time to answer my questions once again all of the songs since you've been part of their origin and all the best for you and Countess in the future. If and therefore know each one of them in and out. So, there's anything you'd like say either to your fans or which are the 3 best contributions on the album in the readers of Absit Omen, then let the last words be your opinion and what makes them stand out for you? yours...

Exactly because I’m closer to all the songs it’s quite Thanks to you for the interview. To everybody: check out impossible for me to say which are the three best our music if you haven’t heard it yet! And keep the flame contributions on the album. But I’ll try: I think the opener of true metal burning!

‘Runenlied’ is quite special, because it’s a song that’s really quite unlike anything we’ve ever done before. The Interview by Don Mariano title track is also a personal favorite, as is ‘See The Ravens Fly’. But it’s hard to pick favorites, especially January 2017 because the songs are all quite different and hard to together in some other bands as well so it was no big deal in that way. Very glad to have these guys onboard though, since they are amazing musicians that contributes a lot to the cause.

Hi Ed, welcome to Slowly We Rot! Together with Mouth, you're the two founding members, together since 1999. What made you stick together all these years?

Hello! And thank you!

Well... I think it´s the fact that we work really well together that made us stay together. We very much think the same way when it comes to music and understand how the other part imagines the outcome

On the compilation that accompanies this issue of Slowly We Rot we are featuring a new track of yours, please tell us about it, is it anticipating a new studio album? If so, would you mind giving us an insight on it?

Yes! You get Reclaim the Blood which is very much a statement: We are back and we are here to claim what is ours!

The fact that we´ve been off the radar for quite some time is annoying! We have recorded an EP now and are planning to release it as soon as possible followed by two more EPs. Those are practically written already and are just waiting to be recorded.

And talking about that, what happened since 2007 when you released your latest album? A decade of silence is quite a lot...

Shit, yes... We are getting into somewhat of a Manowar-situation here, aren´t we?

As mentioned before we had plans to release a follow-up to Inde Deus Abest but there of what we do. were... different opinions.

Later on we´ve had some other setbacks as well that includes, among other things, both A quite unusual question: when we were youngsters we all had pics or posters with death and bad health. bands sticked to our room walls. What posters have you had in your room? What inspired you those band pics/posters at the moment?

In the meantime this combination of Heavy, Thrash and Black Metal became a KISS. Blood! Fire! What´s not to be inspired of? Musically on the other hand there were fashion I'd say, what do you think about this? Any interesting bands closest your more inspiration to find elsewhere. sound you've heard?

I don´t really know about that, actually.

2013 was a crucial year for Nattas, what happened in order to change the line-up so I know that we have been compared to Entombed, Necrophagia, Death SS and so on in drastically? How come you managed to incorporate Ronnie from Grave and Mike the past, but nowadays... I don´t know. You tell me! Where do we find the good bands? from King Diamond? Do they still have time to devote Nattas as full-time Your live shows were always well received and praised along the time, am I right? members?

I think 2012 were just as crucial actually! At that point we recorded some good stuff and Do you still deliver such energetic and intoxicating gigs with the new line-up? Do tried it out on some live shows leading into 2013, but later got in some petty arguments you drink or take any drugs before or during the shows? about what was best for the band. Those recordings never saw the light of day and Yes. The liveshows have always been one of the cornerstones of NATTAS. probably never will, which might or might not be a good thing. Some kicking and some We were a good liveband and we still are. I guess it´s not the fact that we jump around leaving occured and in the end we ended up with this line-up that is stronger than ever alot and breathe fire and so on, but we are told that we have a nerve. We are for real. and more of a brotherhood. We had known each others for years before and also played

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Is Nattas a Satanic band? What does Satan and Satanism means for you?

Yes of course we are! In the sense that Satan is the ultimate provocateur. The guy that stirs up feelings. The guy that asks the questions no one else dares to ask. We give that guy a voice and hopefully people will listen to our lyrics, be inspired and start to question things.

We do believe that you are the master of your own fate and the only thing stopping you from reaching your highest potential is such silly things as religion and social structures that holds you back. If you let go of that and point out what is truelly fucked up with this world, hopefully you can help someone out of their misery. To use Satan as the advocate in these ”dilemmas” is very effective and, still 2017, ridiculously controversial.

Therefore we do.

How's the audience in Sweden usually? Everyone's saying the fans over there are quite calm at gigs, they rather watch a show drinking a beer than going mad headbanging. have you had any out of control crowds over there? What would be the audience you ever dreamt of?

The audience can be calm, yes. They say that, especially in Stockholm, people are standing against the wall, arms crossed, nodding their head. If they enjoy it!

That is not totally true, though. You can say that you get what you give. If we put ourselves up on stage and don´t give all we have, why should the crowd go mad? As for The fact that everyone has been on a stage quite a couple of times before might add to the beers... That´s a good thing. The more they drink, the better we sound! We´ve had that feeling of course. Drinking before a show is allowed. To a certain extent. There´s no several episodes of headbanging, chaos and blood in the past and hopefully we have excuse if you fuck up a show due to intoxication. People have payed to see you and they some more coming. deserve your best. After the shows... Pure mayhem!

As for dream audience... Tough one. But I think we need to do more festivals!

And still talking about the new line-up, I guess you agree with the fact that the addition of Ronnie and Mike will boost your band name a lot when it will come to shopping for a label to release your new material. What do you hope to find, what label would make you happy?

I say any label that understands our plan is to prefer.

Of course we all want to be a part of the biggest of it all, but it´s better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small one in the ocean. A label that works with us would be the best, to put it simple.

The addition of Ronnie and Mike (or as they are known in the NATTAS-camp, The Steel and Wead, the adaptive Satanist) may help in some ways, but there´s also the chance that labels don´t dare to be involved with such big names since they may think there might be demands...

How's life in Sweden nowadays, both as a simple citizen and a Metal musician? Do you have any worries, any troubles at all, or is it all peaches and cream?

Life in general is... good. We have our share of unemployment, homelessness and such things along with an increasing criminality, but still. Very few musicians are able to live on their artistry, but I believe that´s the same wherever you live. We still have a lot of great Metal bands in Sweden so something must be right here. Let´s just say: Life is good!

As a musician, and as a band, how would you like to be remembered after you end this activity?

For me, I think the fact that records I´ve played on will still be sold and passed around long after I quit is extremely awarding. That someone can pick up my music and listen to it, whether it is Benny, 13 years old, sitting in his room all alone or a crowd at a metal Do you also plan on attacking Europe with tours in the near future, or you're convention playing it, is really awesome. And of course the fact that people reading this sticking to local shows and occasional fests? Do you also have regular jobs, what do can listen to us at the same time... What you do in life really makes a difference. If someone hates it or loves it doesn´t really matter. You evoke an emotion. you do outside of the Nattas activity?

We play wherever we are wanted! Apart from the shows we have done in Sweden we´ve also done two tours in the Netherlands and Germany with this line-up and are just May 2017 waiting to get more offers! We have also just started a collaboration with Hell Frog Promotions that will hopefully bring us to some new destinations.

Although you have not released a full length album under this name, you have released a few awesome videos, most of them if not all dedicated to Tristessa.

Honestly I can feel both the sadness and her proud legacy in LLOTH's music, it's obvious you have her in your hearts while composing. Will the band continue as a tribute to her?

Lloth was meant to be the alter ego of Astarte and perform live shows. The band had a few lives from 2004 along with Rotting Christ, Inveracity etc. Nowadays we are already done some live shows with Septic Flesh, Kawir, Hate and of course at Astarte Fest, a fest that is dedicated to Tristessa. The last time they participate 13 bands and all the amount from the tickets went to a charity purpose.

Hi Nicolas, I know this is a sensible topic, but it's 3 years since Tristessa's passing, do you feel she is well remembered and honored by the Greek Metal scene, and why not, by the foreigners, too?

Tristessa she will always be remembered through her music. All Astarte fans and not only, give the proper honor to her face and for what she meant at the black metal scene as the founder of the first all-female black metal band in the world. Tristessa is the Black Metal Queen and still inspire many young women and girls of the extreme metal.

How's your life at the moment? How's Antonios? Also, how are Tristessa's companions from Astarte, are they still involved in Extreme Metal?

We are trying to have balance with my son Antonios, he is 7 years old now and I am doing whatever is right for his future. In the last album Blackdemonium (unreleased yet) Tristessa and me only worked in this album, there was not any other female member on it.

What does LLOTH means and where did it come from (apart from being an Astarte track name)? The moniker was also used by Astarte at some points in time, how come?

Lloth is a mythic spider queen from Dungeons and Dragons and it was the first name of Astarte before they change it.

Your music seems to have a very good response from fans, am I right? Don't you think it's time for a complete studio album? Any plans for it?

Yes, the Astarte fans they support of all the way from the beginning and I want to give them a great album full of feelings and emotion. We already have record the full length album under the name ATHANATI which means Immortal in Greek language. The record is dedicated to Maria Tristessa Kolokouri founder of Lloth and Astarte. It will be released from Sleaszy Rider records on digipack, vinyl, A5 and tape.

We have recorded at Void of Cosmos Studio and Esoteron Studio.

For the Mixing & Mastering we have worked with Tico Tico Studio / Ahti Kortelainen (Sentenced, Sonata Arctica, Impaled

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Nazarene, Astarte, Nightfall, Wintersun) and by the end of September "Athanati" album is expected to be in our hands.

The album tracklist consists of 10 tracks of Black/Death Metal, with a production both massive and aggressive, entitled: 1. I (Dead Inside), 2.Archos, 3.Pan, 4.Born in Sin, 5.In The Name of Love (Sacrifice), 6.Alles Black, 7.Hell (is a place on Earth), 8.Emptiness, 9.Tristessa, 10.

Athanati (Immortal). The artwork of the "Athanati" album is created by Timo Wuerz (Necromantia, Omen, Astarte, Acheron) (www.timowuerz.com). Also Lloth proudly informs that there are some very special guests participating in Lloth - some very influential musicians, who support and believe in our music. Sakis Tolis from Rotting Crist, Efthimis Karadimas, Nightfall/The Slayer King and Androniki Skoula (Chaostar) Greek Black Metal doesn't have that brutal past Norwegian Black Metal has, but in my opinion it has more substance, more sorrow, and this, in no small part because of Astarte, too. Do you agree with this?

What do you think LLOTH brings to the scene, or what do you aim to bringing at some point?

The Greek scene have their own entity. It is good because that is what make the differnece from other foreign scenes. I don't think we have to copy Darkthrone or other band styles from Norway/Sweden we have our own style as a scene. As far the Lloth we are not contain ourselves in certain music style. Music is to express our feelings and give to the fans our point of view. There in no innovation in music anymore, you just have to give your music right from your heart to be true.

Last Astarte questions, I promise: who takes care of the rights on the band's music now? There will be plenty interested in profiting from it, I'm sure. And talking about that, Metal Archives lists a 2016 compilation out in Panama in 2016 as official release although it's out on tape and only 100 copies, are you aware of it?

All Astarte music rights are in my hands and I am very careful how all the Astarte albums will be released in a

proper way for Astarte, Tristessa, me and my son. These honor Tristessa. The music is like therapy to me. It is the albums are my son's legacy and they are valuable to him. way I reveal all my feelings through Lloth music.

The release of that compilation it is under my license.

How come you have not signed with a label yet? Do I was reading something about the Dancing in the you plan on working on your own, or still evaluating Dark Lakes of Evil EP that was never released. Will interested parties? you release it with LLOTH? Will you play it live, too? We have sign with Sleaszy Rider album for our first album Athanati.

Please tell us more about this EP. The ep will be released for the first time within maybe 2018. It is the early days of Astarte and it will be released Tell us a few up and coming bands from the Greek under the name of Astarte. Also all the back catalog of Underground we should give a listen to.

Astarte albums will be rereleased again. The new era of There are some bands that they have created excellent Lloth band is not involve with that material but we will records like Macabre Omen, Agatus, Kawir and Dead play songs from Astarte past albums.

Gongregation, Soulskinner.

Is LLOTH a full band or just a project? Do you plan May 2017 on touring abroad also?

Lloth is a full band and we want to tour and make a lot of live shows to support Athanati album, it is our way to rock, ambient, black metal, gothic, pop, synthesizers-electronics etc…)

I love your music, and I love your videos, I find them extremely sinister, perfectly portraying the East European misery and madness also, do you agree? How important are videos for transmitting your ideas to the public?

Thank you! We are living same areas (you and me). We know what was the communism, what this fucking regime did my parents and grandparents. The history of Romania and Hungary connect to each other, there are territories where live both nations, so what I pick up from the nature and life there, you pick up as well. I think this is the reasons what you comprehend the meaning of my videos for. We are similar.

My videos are mix of visions, there are no complete stories in them. I don’t do anything What does the band name means? Do you think it represents your music as good as according to a particular, pre-defined plan in the field of either composing or video it did 5-6 years ago? cutting.

Name means nothing at all... I was confused in the past - in 2001/2002 maybe. I read articles in a metal magazine about Borknagar and Arcturus and their names contacted and mixed in my mind. I didn't know them (their music), only the names. After some Ever thought of directing a movie and using your music as soundtrack? days I sat down to play Diablo 2 and I had to create name for my new necromancer Yes of course! An American film producer asked me many times to compose some of soundtracks using his short trailers. But I would like to write soundtracks for a fullcharacter. So Nagaarum was born as a necromancer... More years passed and when I movie too with pleasure. decided that to start a solo project in 2008, first idea was the "Pigballoon". I am a huge Pink Floyd fan, and tried to create music which similar to early Pink Floyd sounding.

But the solo project was changed musically - infected with black metal - and I needed a I usually don't ask this question, but now I'm personally interested: what movies, music, events, places, etc. inspired / inspires you to create such music and videos? new name. Nagaarum rises from the past.

There are many things… I like horrors, but not kind of which full of torture-gore-shitblood-fucking… I like the psychological thrillers, haunted horrors, poltergeist movies. I How come you chose to have your lyrics exclusivelly in Hungarian, and since we're like the sci-fi movies and books. I wrote a sci-fi novel about the fight between the here, how come the majority of Hungarian bands do the same? science, philosophy and religion (ISBN 978-963-12-6185-1). Released only Hungarian My English was not experienced enough (not even now) when I started to compose my originally by the multi label Novum Verlag. The second edition was managed by the first tracks. This was the main reason. But I feel that maybe I could write lyrics in English now, but I can express myself correctly in my mother language. Fans can find Hungarian Underground Kiadó.

My music heroes worked in 70s mainly. Pink Floyd albums between 1967-1977 are the English versions of all the Nagaarum’s lyrics at the official site (www.nagaarum.com). most interesting music for me. I met with metal late. I was 20-21 when I started to listen My friend Roland Szabó translated them. Roland lives in Oradea and he is an English metal, and older than 30 when I heard the first black metal album from Mayhem. So I teacher in the Partium Christian University.

I don’t know how many percent of the Hungarian bands do the same. For example Thy am not a metalhead, I must learn more much in this field. I like metal, but not deeper than 70s psychedelic rock music.

Catafalque work with Hungarian lyrics but Sear Bliss doesn’t. Hungarian is a very My inspirations besides this the nature, science (I am chemist), religion. I am religious sensitive language, we can tell especially fine emotions and differences between the person, but I don’t believe in churches. Churches cause more much pain and crying in things… the world and I think that Jesus Christ wouldn’t have wanted these horrors to happen.

You have released 14 albums in less than 7 years. Do you think this approach is better than releasing less albums and featuring only the best of your creations?

I don’t perform live shows, so I have more much time for composing. I love composing therefore I don’t feel that this timetable could run too fast. I have no hard financial aims, I don’t use to take selection from my creations :-). But the very important circumstances are the improvisation and the externalization of a moment. The first musical theme what crosses my mind suddenly is not sure that the best theme but sincere and original. I don’t like planning. I have no themes set aside or trashed…

How do you think your music has evolved since 2011, what are the main personal targets you achieved in the meantime?

This is a very interesting question… I feel that my sounding is clearer than before, but I lost a part of magic this way. Every musician who learns to play and record the sounds with better quality loses its mystique a little. Because of this I don’t consider that my new works would be better than the first ones.

Otherwise I am not free from trends, I fight with myself day by day, haha…

My all-time target is to compose an album which contains all of my favorite musical styles in perfect composition (psychedelic

How do you feel about the current state of the Hungarian underground? Any interesting names we should give a listen to? Any other innovative and/or strange projects like yours?

Hungarian underground? There are more labels and fanzines which work hard and committed. Neverheard Distro (Balázs Káger’s label, he is the one of biggest underground person in this country I think), Fekete Terror Productions (Attila Dudás Dr. Amputator’s mind blasting), Lost Horizon Productions, Metal ör Die Records, Old Skull Productions, Sigillvm Tenebrae Records, Terranis Productions and I hope that Rotten Crowz Prod would arise from his ashes.

Some fanzines: Tales of the Morbid Butchers, Fekete Terror, Burning Sun, but these are only a part of the Hungarian REALLY UG. We have a mainstream metal journal Hammerworld, but there are no too many bands in this magazine which represent real values… They write about bands can generate some profit mainly.

These bands would deserve more attention I think: Kolp, Veér, Pagan Megalith, P.F.A., Astru, Müon, Octobersun, Karst, Oaken.

April 2017

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make your face feel like it's literally going to crack into pieces and fall off. I'm not a winter person, but like everyone else, I have to suffer through that shit for several months every year.

Crime and Punishment is a good old revenge fantasy. It's about kidnapping and torturing someone who has gotten away with atrocious deeds. I'm not going to go into specifics or name any names, but the lyrics come from my true feelings towards certain individuals.

Misery Index is based on a rough lyrical draft that our vocalist Arto had. In short, it's about looking at society and losing hope for the future. Everything seems to be going to hell in a handbasket and politicians appear to be more unapologetically uncaring and sociopathic pieces of shit than ever.

Hate Speech is one big 'fuck you' to the political left and right alike. Every time something like a terrorist attack happens, these two sides gather for a vulgar, selfrighteous circle jerk and finger-pointing contest. The term 'hate speech' gets thrown around so much and so lightly that it doesn't really mean anything anymore, so in reaction to that, I wanted to put out a dose of real fucking hatred for everyone. The chorus paraphrases what notorious serial killer Carl Panzram said shortly before he was hanged, i.e. that he wanted to strangle all of humanity.

The closing song, Damned, is about standing beside someone who was dealt a shitty hand at birth and has experienced all kinds of abuse and torment since childhood.

Despite the dark subject matter, it's actually the only positive song on the album, as the message is about going through hell and emerging victorious.

Hi guys, not long ago you released your new album, No Peace, how are the reactions so far?

Janne: Pretty good overall. Many reviews have been extremely positive with grades like 9/10 or 4/5. On the other hand, some reviews have been more lukewarm, and I get the feeling it's because reviewers don't necessarily always know what to make of us, since we don't really neatly fall into any specific category. Finnish reviewers in particular are notorious for dismissing their countrymen's efforts for some reason.

Niko: Our songs have also received air play on different online radio shows, and some physical copies of the album have been sent to Japan, Brazil, Austria and so on. Some good feedback has been dropped into our inbox, too.

Your band name leads one's thought to a melodic kind of band, but how would you describe what you do? I'd say you play Thrash Metal, with some occasional Death Metal influences, am I close?

Janne: You pretty much nailed it. Our sound is definitely based on thrash, but we throw in elements from other genres as well, including death metal. Our respective influences vary a lot, and that contributes to the end result.

Niko: That's close enough! We take elements of old school thrash metal and mix them with more modern influences to try to create our own sound. Call it modern thrash metal, thrash/death metal or whatever, doesn't matter. People can call it whatever they want.

In 2014 you had an extensive European tour documented by a pretty cool video diary (with annoying background music I must add, haha), how was that tour?

What are the best and the worst memories from that tour? Who organized the whole thing and how was he able to find all those remote and absurd places to play in?

Janne: Hey, respect the classics! That music is from Blaster Master on the NES. The tour was put together and the venues were booked by Rock Tour Agency, so basically we didn't have to do much more than sit in the van and drink beer until we got to the next destination. My favourite memory is probably the fact that we actually got to play inside a decommissioned mill in the Slovenian countryside, which still makes me smile.

The worst part would have to be the fact that I came down with a nasty flu towards the end of the trip, which made the last two shows a challenge to say the least. But somehow I pulled it off and didn't die.

Niko: The tour was an amazing adventure that we will never forget. The best part was the shows themselves, of course. Lots of people were interested in the band and the music. Most of the venues had a nice crowd even in the middle of the week. We met a ton of great metalheads, tasted some local foods, drank different varieties of homemade booze and so on. The worst thing was perhaps the fact that we had to cancel our show in Slovakia. There had been some severe water damage at the venue and the downstairs area was flooded. Having to exchange currency along the way also created some extra headache, as did the lack of sleep. Our flight back to Finland was also overbooked, and two of us had to stay at the airport and wait for another flight. Rock Tour Agency did great work arranging the tour. Hails to our tour manager Kris and our driver Vlad. We miss you guys!

Do you think there are still any stones left unturned in Thrash Metal? Do the younger generation still gives a chance to new Thrash Metal bands or they stick with the old monsters and that's it?

Janne: Hell yes. Obviously, just about everything you can think of has been done before, but the trick is to combine your influences into a unique mixture. The old monsters keep getting new generations of fans, but that doesn't mean newer bands aren't given a chance. In Finland, there was something of resurgence of thrash in the last decade or so, with several bands of young dudes playing straight-up 80s thrash and even dressing accordingly.

Niko: It's difficult to reinvent the wheel, but there is always something new to come.

There are very talented younger bands who add new kinds of arrangements and energy to the proverbial soup and spark interest among they younger generations. On the other hand, somehow the old monsters are still able to put out very strong albums as Kreator, Exodus, Testament and Megadeth have done lately. I guess "good songs" are still the simple key to success.

How many videos do you have for the new album? It probably means you've put a lot of heart and soul, and why not, also a lot of hope in this new album, correct?

Janne: Yeah, we have two "official" music videos and one less official video consisting of us getting shitfaced on a bus ride to St. Petersburg, Russia. You're right, we did put a lot of effort into those two videos, as we wanted to be able to create something artistic with a non-existent budget. We have plans for a fourth video as well, which will be a simple practice room performance video, but we need to resolve some technical issues before we can get that one done.

Niko: Of course we've put a lot of heart, soul, sweat and blood into this, simply because this is what we love to do. Videos are a great promotion tool and we really enjoy making them.

You said something there: "the underground is alive, but not in Finland". Please explain.

Niko: Finland, the "promised land of heavy metal". That's an overstatement. It seems that there's not much of an underground metal scene anymore. Many smaller venues have closed their doors, and yet at the same time, there are more and more new bands emerging all the time. The competition is really tough. There are more than 50 underground bands applying for practically every event, so it's almost impossible to get in unless you have some special connections or a booking agency behind you.

Janne: In short, the supply far exceeds the demand, and the result is that people have lost interest. The bands are there, but the audiences often aren't. The country is so full of small-time metal bands that it's almost become a joke to play the local clubs and bars.

For example, we're good friends with the Estonian band Thrashless, and having them come to Finland to play at a bar for ten local drunks made us feel downright embarrassed about the local scene, or lack thereof.

Could you please present us the songs featured on No Peace? What topics do your lyrics talk about?

Janne: I'm the lyricist, so I'll take this one. The album opens with a somewhat short instrumental intro to set the tone. The track features a synthesised female voice reading excerpts from an academic study on impulsive aggression, and the goal of that was to suggest a scenario where an artificial or perhaps alien intelligence is trying to analyse and understand human anger, but is unable to relate to it.

The first proper song, Hurt Me Plenty, is a Phil Anselmo-esque rant sparked by one particular review of our previous album. That review was written in such an arrogant and condescending tone that it pissed me the fuck off, so I immediately wrote a draft of the lyrics and later applied them to this tune. Criticism is fine, but condescension I will not stand for. The title comes directly from a difficulty setting in Doom, the significance being that we didn't choose the easiest path to take with our music.

The next song, Altars of Skin, is about the attention whores of social media. It appears to me that these people have no dignity or self-respect and have turned their whole shallow lives into a goddamn popularity contest. I've always been a proud individualist, so I find that whole scene disgusting and pathetic.

Alone against All is basically a letter of resignation to humanity. I'm so sick and tired of people having their heads up their asses and blindly following political or religious ideologies at the expense of common sense and critical thinking that I just can't care anymore. They say there is a disappointed idealist inside every cynic, and that's definitely true in my case.

Wasteland is an old tune that we reworked a little. The lyrics deal with the Finnish winter, with its oppressive darkness, freezing temperatures and cold winds that

Since then your live activity seems to have slowed down a bit, how come? Any plans of hitting a new European tour promoting the new album anytime soon?

Niko: The previous answer explains a large chunk of this "downhill". We'd love to play more shows but the whole thing depends on a lot more than just us. Different work schedules and family life also affect our timetables and plans significantly. If everything goes well, we'll embark on another European tour in the spring of 2018. Until then, we have plenty of time for writing new material.

Janne: What's particularly frustrating is that we've actually had to turn down quite a few offers and opportunities due to work, family and money-related matters. After all, we're just regular working guys who happen to play in a band, so the band activities are ultimately at the mercy of our personal lives and schedules.

What's the best thing about being a Finnish band and what's the worst? Is it true that Metal bands are really supported financially by the government? What is there left for youngsters to rebel against in Finland nowadays?

Niko: Finnish bands and Finnish metal have a great reputation in general, and I have to admit that many young Finnish

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Back to No Peace, it is your first collaboration with Inverse Records, how is it so far? How important still is for a band to have a label now that basically you can do everything by yourselves without problems?

Niko: Inverse Records has made great work for us and got us attention in various media outlets through their network. Sure, in theory you could go completely DIY and spread the word yourself, but who really has enough time for that? Where could you find and establish all those connections you need?

Janne: Like I said, we're just regular working guys, and most of us have a family with children, so running the show entirely by ourselves would be too much of a workload.

Inverse has established a pretty extensive promotion and distribution network, and it really helps to have someone else do most of the ground work. Yeah, it's very much possible to just about everything by yourself, but that would require an amount of time and energy that we simply don't have.

Talking about the material on No Peace you said: "Hit potential of any kind or radio-friendly choruses were definitely not on the agenda". How come?

Niko: We just create music that comes from our hearts. We don't spend any time thinking about what sells or what people want to hear. This is the kind of music we want to create, like it or not.

Janne: If art is measured by honesty and integrity, then this is art. We really don't give half of a flying fuck about success or popularity. We're normal guys in normal clothes playing uncompromising heavy music because that's what we love doing. In short, we create music for five people, and if other people like it, great. It's not like we deliberately make the music inaccessible, but we absolutely refuse to pander to anyone.

bands are really talented, and their members really know how to handle their instruments. The worst thing is the aforementioned fact that there are too many bands and increasingly fewer venues, and it seems that most people prefer staying home over going to see bands. It is true that there is some financial aid available for bands, but it seems to be mostly granted to bands that are already successful and actually make some money from what they do. Really fair, isn't it?

Janne: We actually applied for aid from some cultural fund or whatever just to recover some of the expenses of the tour we did, but of course our request was denied. In short, small-time bands still have to pay very much everything out of their own pockets. As for what's left for youngsters to rebel about, well, the current government seems to be doing everything it can to destroy local health care, cut social benefits etc. and just fuck the poor and the unemployed over as hard as they can. Believe me, there's plenty to be pissed off about.

Thank you for your time, looking forward to hear more from you soon. The final words are yours.

Niko: Thanks for the interview, drink beer and keep supporting metal! To all true metalheads: check out our latest album No Peace, and if you like what you hear, please spread the word!

Janne: It was really cool of you to do all that background research instead of just copying and pasting a standard set of questions, much appreciated! Fuck trends and fuck popularity, support music that comes from the heart!

May 2017

mastering of the album version was done by Jack Shirley.

I have also invited some singer friends from the French scene to work on the project. They are singers with their particular voices and own styles. They did a real great job and I am really thankful for that. At first I wanted to do all the vocals, bringing a special type of vocals with each tracks. I have tried for long, but as soon as my friends sang for the first time, I instantly realized they will much more to the project than I could done alone (even if I sing At first please tell us why have you chosen to name in most of the tracks). There is Thibo (Paramnesia, your music character as imply Mick, why not a darker Jeanne), Tony (Rance), Cédric (End of Mankind, Pyrecult) and Clément (Le Mal des Ardents). pseudonym? Why not your full name?

Mick is my nickname, it also works as a pseudonym, and I think it is way enough.

Where does the band name come from and what does it symbolize?

Time Lurker is the name of a track from the 90’s Death Metal band where my uncle sang and my aunt played keyboard named Catacomb. It is a tribute to those persons who educated me, musically speaking.

It is also a reference to HP Lovecraft’s universe, it means “those who hide in times”.

After only one EP and a single you've already found a label, and one that has a solid reputation in the underground, too. Please tell us how you came to this agreement and what are your expectation from this deal.

Shortly after the release of the EP1, some labels contacted me to release the EP on different supports. I have first accepted the offer of Mallevs Records: Cédric, who I had in featuring on the two EP, belongs to this label. We wanted to release the EP1 in tape. The propositions getting more numerous, I wanted to take the project a little further by spontaneously offering LADLO to release the EP: the answer was positive (at my own surprise).

I never had a band or a serious project before that: releasing my album at LADLO is a huge step for me. I couldn’t expect for more.

Your debut album, self-titled, will be released in June, can you please present it to our readers?

Before working with LADLO, I planned to release EP2 the same way as the first, in a digital format. The album is in fact the two EP reunited and remastered by Jack Shirley. Ethereal Hands will only be available on CD and Tape (released at MonotonStudio Records).

I guess it was recorded at home, or did you go to a real studio? Have you had any special guests on it? Who took care of the mix and master?

It was home recorded, indeed. I personally took care of mining and raw mastering for the EP1’s demo. The

How would you describe your music? Are there any bands you think sound close to what you're doing with Time Lurker, or some that heavily influenced your compositions? How does your music differentiate from the rest?

Being different from the rest is not what I am searching for: to describe my music, I would say it is a mix of everything I have listened. The closest influence will be Mammal, from Altar of Plagues. When the album was release, it was a huge blast, it clearly change my taste and my way of writing. I then came to appreciate the USBM scene with bands such as Krallice (definitely one of my favorite bad), Yellow eyes, Castevet, Ash Borer, Your lyrics seem to be quite diverse, correct? What Weakling and all Jef Whitehead’s projects. topics do you talk about in your lyrics?

I refer to sleep paralysis, which I am subject too; this is On a personal level how is it living in France these when your worst superstitions became real, the fear of days, especially in such a renowned city like facing the imminent death, unable to change anything, Strasbourg? How influential is the German culture in facing illusions of our own demons. This is what I like as your area, and since you're basically on the border, a fan: I love identifying myself in the music or a band, how close are you to the German (Black) Metal scene? seeing my own life all along the album.

I live in Strasbourg especially because of my work. This Vocals are a big part of the album, but I don’t want the is a great town for several reasons: mostly the German lyrics to be this much important, I prefer raw feelings, influences in terms of music and gigs. Places where pure, the atmosphere rather than words. I think this is the shows happen look like the German squats, which is quite best way to let the listener to understand the music, to exceptional in France: allowing to have gigs every weeks, project them into the universe. with a good atmosphere.

I am a good friend of Paramnesia’s members (another Who did the cover artwork? Is it linked anyhow with atmospheric black metal band from Strasbourg): I was part of their tour many times as a roadie / merch guy. The the lyrics?

Jonathan, my little brother, did the cover: I am really tour a lot in Germany (another advantage to live in proud and satisfied of its huge job. He is also a tattooer.

Strasbourg), this allowed me to discover lots of great It is its own interpretation of my music. I just sent him the German band: Ultha is one of my favorite. This is in fact tracks, with the theme of a portal through the otherside. I one member of Ultha who sent me the contact of Jack think he really described the general ideas and feelings of Shirley. the album. For me, this portal symbolizes the passing from life to death, sending us back to who we really are. May 2017 Each one of you will found your own interpretation according who you are.

Do you think not being able to tour is a major inconvenient for Time Lurker? Do you plan on ever getting a full line-up, or rather continue by yourself?

Not at all, I am fan of several “one man band” and the notoriety is set without any tour. For now, I take a little break, I have plan nothing for the future. I will certainly build a line up, but it is not for now. On the other side, I have already written several tracks, you can be sure I am not over.

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We rehearse only a few times in a year regarding the live sets only.

Because since 2 years I live in Germany we have no chance to rehearse in a normal way. Both last albums were created and recorded thanks to file-sharing. It works perfectly in this case.

Diabolizer is an amazing and maniacal drummer. We spill all our blood on the altar of Metal of Death. The essence is done!

Greetings Tomasz, last year Throneum released 2 full-length albums. How come? Was it like a discharge after the 5 years since your previous studio album, or was it like an anniversary of the first 2 decades as a band?

IA AZAG! It seems to be like a discharge, but to be blunt, the guitar tracks for “Organic Death Temple” were 2013 recorded.

It has happened that at the same time the drummer has left the band.

Then I had only a demo version with sampled drums. This one was released on a tape through Rawblackult. Diabolizer joined the band in late 2015. We have recorded the next album “Morbid Death Tales” and soon afterwards we have decided to re-record drums for “Organic Death Temple”. This one as “Organic Death Temple MMXVI” together with “The Horror Tongues Of Time” and “Morbid Death Tales” create a trilogy for the XX anniversary of the band.

How do you manage to avoid being influenced by the new waves of Metal or even Post-Metal? Do you only have ears for what you enjoyed 20 years ago? By the way, how do you find the current state of the Extreme Metal scene Worldwide and in Poland?

I really don´t care that. All these terms are alien. I listen to the music that appeals to me. It could be Mortem, Molested, Bathory, Shub-Niggurath, old Therion, Sadistik Exekution, Triptykon, Antaeus, Craft, Varathron, Unholy, Disembowelment, Gorguts, Coroner, Slayer, Mekong Delta or even Agata Zubel or Penderecki. I listen to a lot of different stuff. Instead of Post-Metal I prefer King Crimson and the old German kraut rock. It is more than impressive.

Nowadays there are a lot of excellent bands: Morbus Chron, Mare, Grafvitnir, Azelisassath, Unaussprechlichen Kulten, Cadaveric Fumes, Swallowed, Portal, Venenum, Cultes Des Ghoules (regarding to the Polish scene) Bölzer or Temple Nightside for example. They create fucking awesome and with devotion soaked music.

Are there any major differences between Morbid Death Tales and Organic Death Temple MMXVI both released last year? Were they both recorded as a duo?

About the latter, why does it have no track titles?

Of course there are differences between them, but I wouldn´t say there are major. These albums are more monumental, mature and complex than for example “Death Throne Entities”. Both were recorded as a duo. But this kind of set is very typical for Throneum.

And there are track titles on “Organic...”: I, II, III, IV etc... I think, this is more than enough. Anyway, both albums lyrically are concept.

Do you think the new generation still appreciates new tracks, new music, or are they more interested in merch?

Up till date we have a great feedback from the fans and they expected more and more new musical, nightmarish beings of Throneum.

But I don´t know how does it look in case of other bands. The merchandise of mainstream bands is oppressive... but this isn´t my cup of tea anyway.

How do you manage to capture such a raw yet clear sound for your recordings, do you have any special techniques?

There are years of practice. At the moment I have at my disposal a home studio. I was really tired to work in studio and to pay for something, that couldn´t satisfy me. It was a waste of time, energy and cash. I have decided to buy some equipment and do it by myself. Now, Throneum sounds raw, brutal but all instruments are audible.

After that many years on the scene, are you content of the position Throneum has on the Polish scene? Do you think you're fairly known outside of your country, too, or is this something you care little of?

Yes, I am content. We have achieved the value which I wanted. Now, I can focus only on the sound, devil and knowledge indeed. I care only of my own satisfaction. Of course there is a lot of work all the time, but Throneum isn´t a band, which should to be a food for fools. We are the class-in-itself: well good recognized for maniacs and unknown for others.

What's the most important aspect your tracks have to achieve while being created, I mean what do you aim mostly when creating music?

The creation indeed is the most important aspect.

The goal is to create the atmosphere of darkness and transmit, convert and process all negative energy, emotions and anger in sounds. I aim to paint all my demons through the riffs and screams. I could say, the music is some kind of monstrous valve.

If possible I'd like your opinion on the following bands: Behemoth, Christ Agony, Vader and Mgla.

These bands don´t arouse my big interest nowadays. However the last albums of Behemoth, Christ Agony and Vader are in one sense good, but too typical und expected. I need another kind of impulse. Anyway, “Ultimate Incantation” of Vader as well as “Unholyunion” and “Deamoonseth – Act II” of Christ Agony are fucking milestones! I return to these masterpiece albums very often! With Mgla I have nothing to do. I am far away from this kind of stuff.

Along the way you changed a lot of labels, I'm curious what's your criteria when selecting the next label to release your records.

Long time we were on Pagan Records. But we have lost the contact some time ago and I was really tired to wait for any answer from them. At the moment we are on Hell´s Headbangers, which seems to be an ideal partner on our devil´s path.

However we have got a lot of other, smaller releases which were released through different labels, but the Underground works in this way.

Your music exhales and relays on heavy, oppressive, death-stinking atmospheres, do you think you manage to capture and transmit those atmospheres on live shows, too?

Throneum´s mysteries are the ritual, furious and spontaneously experiences. We are truly devoted to this what we create either on the albums or on the stage.

What's next for Throneum? Any final words for our readers?

Now we are working on the next full-length “The Tight Deathrope Act Over Rubicon”. Next we plane two splits with StormVold and Pazuzu (Costa Rica). The long delayed split EP with Morbid Yell should be out also in a few days. The rest is Hell in our heads to come! Ol sonuf vaoresaji!

Do you guys get together to rehearse nowadays or do you use the nowadays benefits of file-sharing? How's the process of coming up with new tracks for Throneum?

May 2017

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Yeah, you also sold-out all the other bands in t-shirt sales!

Well, the fans knew who the best on the bill was.

Any plans for any more cover tunes? we probably will, but we will just use them for B-sides. The kids in England eat those 12" EPs up, plus we like putting something on the flipside that most fans don't have, it gives the fans a little something extra.

I know you're a big fan of The James, how is the tour going so far?

Oh, it's been going great, we've been selling out Misfits, how did you like the Danzig album? everywhere.

It is a really great first record, Have the crowds at all the shows been singing all the Glen Danzig is a genius. words to your songs?

Yes! It really is amazing, I can't believe the response at So James, what's your opinion on the underground the shows. You have 10.000 people singing all the words scene Today? to all the songs, even songs such as Seek and Destroy and Well, there are some really good bands out there (Slayer, Danzig just to name a few), but with good there is bad, Whiplash, I fuckin’ love it. there is a lot of crappy bands getting record deals these days.

So, I guess you are meeting a lot of kinds on this tour.

Oh yeah, my fuckin' hand is hurting from signing autographs but I don't care, I'll sign anything, I'm not Will you be doing another vide for this album?

No, we are just going to tour now, we did one video for going to be a dick to our fans like some other bands. the album and that is enough.

I still can't believe how well you went over at the I noticed that you guys play for over two hours, a lot Monsters of Rock shows last Summer...

Those shows were great. We just went up there and of bands don't play that long... played for an hour. The buzz on us then was tremendous Well we believe in giving the fans their money's worth. we also have a lot of material to choose from, plus it’s with the new album about to come out. just fun getting up there and playing for our fans.

What were times like when you were touring with Ravenback in '83? (laughs) Well we played every little shithole in America.

Ya know what is funny is that some people would just stand there in amazement for they could not believe how fast we played, then there were some people who said we suck and that we would never make it. Well, all I have to say is we proved them wrong!

What do you think when you hear of new bands forming that sound just like you guys?

Well, I take is as a compliment, but I hope these bands realize there is only one Metallica. My advice to the young bands is to try to be original.

Interview by Chris Forbes Published in Metal Core zine #10 / 1988

plenty of excellent bands in the Lombardy area, and a decent amount of good venues.

Almost any international metal tour, underground or big-selling, comes across Milan of course, so I’ve seen literally a few hundreds of gigs within a 1 hour driving area.

Talking about “scene” always sounds like a taboo, but actually in Lombardy there are plenty of good bands also signing for international labels, venues and promoters working their asses off to get shows done, and cool underground situations in general, and personally I’ve always been enjoying the bright side of it all. I must name a few death metal bands of my area (and nearby) I personally admire, often play with or organize gigs, and support: Necro, Funest, Mefitic, Voids of Vomit, Valgrind, Terrorsaw, Fuoco Fatuo, Blasphemer, Morbus Grave, Gravesite, Into Darkness, Sepolcro, Maze of Sothoth, Riexhumation, Winds of Disease, Presumed Dead, Macabro Genocidio, Daemoniac (which I’ve been playing in, in the past 12 months)…

Ekpyrosis is a total brutal crushing death metal band and here is an interview with band member Nico I did: Let’s get the boring question out of the way. How did the band form and who formed it? How did you end up all meeting each other? I see all the members are the same since 2013. Do you all pretty much get along with each other for the most part?

Marco and I (Nico) attended the same high school, and as soon as it became obvious we were both into extreme metal. We started playing together in his basement and eventually came up with idea of starting a band on the black/death/thrash side. He got engaged with Ilaria, the drummer and after a few months, and since she was into this kind of music, too, we started rehearsing together.

The “other” Marco joined as bass player at the end of 2012 (he was a classmate of mine, actually), so that in January 2013 we picked up the name Ekpyrosis and began composing original material. This line-up has never changed, we’ve always kept in utmost friendship, but sincerely more now than ever before, which is definitely cool.

How long was the band together before you put out the demo called “In Pulverem Revertis”? How was it going into the studio for the 1st time? How many songs were on this and did you sell it or send it out to any labels and if so what was the feedback on it? What are your thoughts on the demo these days?

We’ve recorded that demo in September 2013, so we’d been together for way less than one year when we hit the studio to record it. Quite frankly, we were a bit unsure about the path to follow, musically talking, so it sounds like a sort of mixture of different influences that me and Marco, the guitarist and composers, had at that time.

We were also not totally aware of all the difficulties and issues of professional recording, and even if we had fun, recordings were not that smooth, but production was quite much neat for a demo. We produced and printed it ourselves, it was useful to help the band getting known in the underground, get called for some gigs, and also getting some interest from a few local minor labels.

What were the early practices of the band like? Did the band fool around with any cover tunes at all? When did you start to write originals?

We spent a few months playing cover to get used to play in a band, and to get into the attitude any metal band needs. At our very first rehearsals we covered Venom, Bathory and Celtic Frost, and went on practicing until the band became tighter, and then we covered also Kreator, Slayer, Death, Mayhem, Darkthrone, Destruction… We were all quite young at that time (I was 16, in fact, and nobody was in the legal age ha ha), so that “garage days” period was quite mandatory. Improvements showed up quickly anyway, so we started writing riffs at putting them together in early 2013.

In 2015 you released a 2nd demo called “Black Aspid of Doom”.

What did you do differently with this demo as opposed to your 1st demo? Did you go to the same studio or a different one?

Actually that one is a rehearsal demo, recorded directly with the full band playing in a room, one take. In fact it’s raw, but still very listenable to be a live recording. Then we put it on tape with the help of a friend of a so called Evil Distro, who also traded the tapes with some fanzines and distros all over the world! That was the time I got stuck with the so called “old school” attitude, which can easily be heard from the music.

Some of the songs ended up in the Witness His Death EP some time later on, some never got recorded properly, but they were pointing in a more definite direction.

Where is the band located at and is there at least a decent underground metal scene there?

Any clubs to play at all? Have you seen any good shows over the past few years?

We are located near Monza, less than 20 km North from Milan, so we’re lucky enough to be close to one of the most active centers of Italian metal music scene, if we dare to say it. In Milan it is generally easier to put up gigs, there are

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Marco and I sing for almost the same amount of time, with me taking the low and guttural vocal register, and him singing on an little higher and throaty register. It depends on the mood of any single song part whether I’ll be singing on that riff, o it will be Marco covering it. We can say we have not a frontman or vocalist by the way, and this kind of double vocal approach as always been and Ekpyrosis feature.

Did you send this demo out to any webzines or fanzines or magazines?

If so what were the reviews like?

Since it was a raw recording, it was mostly a sort of statement on the band intention of joining that kind of 80s/90s underground metal attitude, trying to deliver something filthy and lo-fi on a format (the tape) closer to the taste of this genre’s aficionados, like I understood and appreciated from that time on. Anyway, we got an unexpectedly warm reaction from all those other bands going in that same direction, trying “to keep the ancient feel” alive. It was a natural development of band’s style and

In 2017 a brand new full length release is coming out on Memento Mori called “Asphyxiating Devotion”. Are these all new songs or are some Ep songs on it as well? Where was it recorded and how long were you in the studio for?

There are 9 songs, 8 of them never recorded before, while Morticians of God has been re-recorded from the previous EP. We recorded it in Toxic Basement Studio, near Milano, which is a super cool studio for metal, grind and hardcore related production. It’s the same place where we recorded the EP Witness His Death, and this time Carlo, the sound engineer, did a fantastic job, delivering a heaviness beyond any expectation, without losing clarity nor natural features of the sound. We spent 8 days in a row in the studio in the beginning of August 2016, we worked hard and got everything done the way we wanted it. Again, working with him has been a pleasure and an utmost fun.

attitude, and we felt like doing it.

Did you send it to any record companies and if so what was the feedback like?

I actually sent a few promos and got some replies, but never as much as I did with the master of Witness His Death (which was worth, since we got signed with Memento Mori, after that).

Now did you come up with the band name? Does it mean anything? Were any other names considered? Who came up with that killer logo?

I came up with the name Ekpyrosis after I read in Umberto Eco’s novel The Name of The Rose when I was 14 or 15. I loved it enough to keep it secretly safe until I started a band ha ha! In ancient Greek, it means conflagration, of in general the attitude of something to burn or get afire. In Stoic philosophy and belief, Ekpyrosis was the cosmic conflagration of the Universe which occurred cyclically at the end of an era, in order to allow another world to rise from the ashes of the previous.

The first logo, which appears on the demos and the EPs, is the one that I made with photoshop when we published our first demo. This one which you’re referring to, appearing on our new album, was made by César Valladares, who also drawn the album cover, the promotional t-shirt design and the CD layout.

This new album totally kills did you spend a lot of time getting ready to record and stuff?

Thank you. These tracks have all been composed in the last year, actually, and perfectly represent our current style and way of playing, being without any doubts the Ekpyrosis album we were longing for as musicians. Even if the songwriting took place in a period of 10 months, it took lots of efforts, indeed, and I spent a lot of time writing riffs, thinking about the right arrangement, fixing the lyrics… and then rehearsing any single part with the guys, over and over, and then working on the album concept and so on…

Also in 2015 you released an Ep called “Witness His Death”. Who put this out and are there demo tunes on it or is all brand new tunes? What are your thoughts on this release and is it still for sale?

Witness His Death is actually our first properly professional studio recording and release, and as long as I can say, the first step of Ekpyrosis as a more well established death metal band. Even if it’s still a bit far from our current incarnation, it features most of the characteristics of our sound, and it’s purely death metal this time, left behind any kind of more black-oriented or melody-friendly contamination.

Musically, it’s stuff in the vein of Incantation, Sadistic Intent and the likes, with a more vitriolic production and a ruthless approach à la Grotesque and Merciless.

It features 4 selected songs from the 2014 period, and some of them are also included in the rehearsal tape we did a few months before (yet not actually a proper recording, as I said). The CD version has been released by Slaughterhouse Records and distributed by FOAD Records, while the tape version has been edited by Unholy Domain Records.

We still think it’s a solid record, and Carlo of Toxic Basement, our trusted soundengineer, did a very good job on it. It’s still available on most of distribution channels (digital version also), some metal mail-orders and of course through our Bandcamp page.

Who writes the music and how does a song idea pop into your head? How about lyrics who writes those and what are most of the subjects you right about?

I generally write most of the music and lyrics, while Marco sometimes write some songs on his own. Often, I get inspired by a gig I saw, or a CD I heard, or just find a good idea while playing randomly, but I enjoy thinking about a suitable song structure, and then look for the right riff that would fix into that plan. It can take a few minutes or some days, but I usually work on the same song over and over until I’m totally satisfied, and bring some modifications later, when the song has already been rehearsed a few times.

About the lyrics, they often deal with the inexistence of god, or moral, in a nihilistic view which I usually reconnect with some philosophers or writers, so it’s not rare that my lyrics get inspired by a book, a poem or something similar. Obviously, to better fix this kind of music, these themes are mostly depicted in a grotesque way, spotting tribulation, meaninglessness and suffocation due to faith, which also gets along with the title “Asphyxiating Devotion”.

Does Memento Mori pay for the recordings? If so what sort of budget do they give you?

They actually helped us out with mixing and recordings costs, and provided album cover, logo, illustrations and layout.

For someone who has never heard the band what would you say you sound like?

Do you think you’re an original band?

It’s death metal founded on the purpose of keeping intensity at any of the speeds, from the frequent doom-like low-tempos, to the rhythmic sections, to the grinding part (avoiding the too-abused hyper-blasted approach), with many tempo-changes, a very thick guitar and bass sound, double vocal assault. We’re far from being innovative, of course, but I guess originality lies in the songwriting, since I think we achieved the goal of playing properly called death metal yet without losing intriguing song structures and vocal lines.

I guess we can say that we take inspiration mostly from American ‘90s death metal, especially from Incantation, from whom we also got that ticker low-end sound that characterizes the album Asphyxiating Devotion. Also influences by Immolation, Sadistic Intent, Deicide, Autopsy, Malevolent Creation, Morbid Angel and the likes are easy to be heard.

You can spot some Finnish death metal à la Demigod or Purtenance in some passages, or a few Asphyx and Bolt Thrower in the mid-tempos.

Have you played live much and do you hope to do some type of touring behind this release?

In fact we have an active live activity, we’ve been playing tons of shows in Italy lately, played a couple in Spain too, and has been a total satisfaction to open band like Necrophobic, Pentacle, Funerus, Ares Kingdom, Vulcano, Taake, Azaghal, Drowned and many more, and in the future we’ll be playing with Sadistic Intent, Avulsed, Dead Infection…

We hope to play more and more abroad in the upcoming months, in festival, weekend dates or also some touring, why not? We have some contacts and for sure we’ll soon start planning something in order to promote the album in Europe.

Any last words? Horns up for doing this interview!

Thank you very much for this interview, for your time and dedication in supporting underground metal music.

Hail darkness!

Nicolò and Marco handle the vocals. Now do they both sing pretty much the same amount or does one sing more than the other pretty much?

Interview by Chris Forbes January 2017

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your life as breathing. Something that cannot be rushed but needs to take the time it needs.

Also on "Skogens hjärta" Hypothermia started to depart from the reproducing the same kind of black metal that they have done in the past, and began incorporating more post-rock, into a something much more refined, beautiful and meaningful, something that became Hypothermia trademark sound from that album on. Was that intentional or just a result of the music you guys wanted to make? Were you concerned with the fact so many Depressive Black Metal bands from those days started to sound the same?

It was and has been a natural part of our evolution since the end of 2004 when I started to meditate and compose the material during wanderings in nature which is where Hypothermia truly found its spirit. A main reason why our releases sounds different in production has more to do with the equipment we got access to and what kind of atmosphere that we want to create with the album which always is a conceptual work. I do not concern myself with the errors of other artists, they’re merely sound without substance to me, with a few exceptions as always of devoted individuals who strive to evolve.

First off, how's it going, mate? What were you up to before you started looking at these questions related to Hypothermia history?

Right now I’m between jobs so I try to focus as much of my energy and time as possible on creative efforts, like launching several new features on our social media presences with my different bands and projects to engage as many fans and supporters as possible actively with new interesting material. Also we just sent our next ep “Kaffe & Blod II” to print for our fans to enjoy while they are waiting for our next album that we are recording this summer to be released this winter.

"Skogens hjärta" saw the introduction of post rock and shoegaze to Hypothermia sound for the first time. Did you have second thoughts or worry that some fans might not look at you so favorably anymore due to the musical change between the previous album "Rakbladsvalsen" and "Skogens hjärta"?

I believe what I do is the right thing which leaves no room for worry, my devotion is pure. Our currently unreleased album “Svenskt Vemod” was composed between those two albums which shows a very clear progress in composition and shows that there is no change, just natural progression and evolution. What we do will never be for everyone, it finds its way to those who need it, and for everyone there is one song or album that will mean more than others and appeal to their needs. So I will never expect anything but a minority to support all that I do, while the majority will be more content with a certain kind of production.

Time really seems to be flying. It's unbelievable that it's been 11 years since the "Veins" album was released. Can you still recall the time when you were putting songs together for this release? Did you feel at any pressure to record your followup record Köld so quickly on the same year?

Indeed. Absolutely, all details from the time around then are very clear to me. The part of composing and recording material with Hypothermia has always been divided in several steps over occasions that have a lot of time between them, as I’ve always had the other members in other towns and also other countries. Back when we recorded those releases I lived 900 kilometers south from where Nachtzeit lives. Which means that when we recorded something we made sure to make the most of the days we had together. Köld was half-finished when we recorded Veins.

Kim ,You’re kind of seen as the ex-black metaller. Or, the black metaller who won’t admit it. What do you make of how you’ve been portrayed? The media’s from "Skogens hjärta" album new-era also had trouble categorizing Hypothermia. Maybe it’s easier to call Hypothermia a metal band than something they're not familiar with?

I’m always very open about having my roots in black metal, that is never something that I wouldn’t admit as to me blackmetal is a big part of how I live, not just some form of art. Obviously those that portray me that way do not know me or have not met me.

Hypothermia is beyond genres, so those that feel a need to categorize it will do so as they please.

As the majority of feedback from people regarding "Veins "was positive, did you start thinking that you had done something special or even remarkable on your debut, which kind of opened the door for all of you to see that Hypothermia might be on to something and that eventually led to the "Köld" album?

I’m aware that what I do enforces a powerful energy of its own. But it’s the experiences that inspires the compositions that opens doors rather than anything that the actual releases do which is something that reaches others than myself in ways that mostly are beyond my control, but I sometimes try to guide them in the interviews I do for a deeper understanding of our art.

Hypothermia music now is very score-like. Do you have film composers you listen to more than others? To be honest "Skogens hjärta"didn't hit me on first listen at that time but slowly like poison go through main veins into the full system. Do you think people will still have difficulty getting into that record and after that records compared and keeping in mind your previous albums?

I barely listen to any music at all so I can’t think of anything. For me nature has all to offer so I feel no need to search somewhere else for it to be represented by others. Every album can have a specific purpose for you who experience it, so it makes sense that it can take a while to find the right moment for the album to become more than just atmosphere, but truly an experience and tool for you to amplify and expand your consciousness.

How quickly did you start writing for the "Köld" album, after the debut? Was it easy to get yourselves motivated to start rehearsing and working with your new songs? I’m asking because Hypothermia was very active in 2006 spending a few releases- 2 full lengths and four splits. Kim, how did you fucking manage all that in twelve months?

As I mentioned briefly previously, the composition was already in process the year before which made it possible to not only record Köld, but also Rakbladsvalsen that was composed just a month before we met to record the two albums along with the splits that were songs before and between that didn’t fit the concept and atmosphere of the albums and served a better purpose to share splits with likeminded individuals that I knew across the underground. Generally it takes 6-18 months between the recordings which leaves me with plenty of time to channel new material during my wanderings and meditations. You wouldn’t believe how much material there is waiting to be recorded…

Right now and always Sweden has a bit of a reputation for producing good and open-minded bands. I don’t know how united the Swedish scene is in terms of, say, Eufori and Shining being connected, but do you think there’s anything special about Sweden in general that produces these bands?

Regardless of what others may say, environment makes a big difference on what is created in it and the ways and attributes of the creation. Every place has an energy that becomes a part of what you do and depending on your experiences in life that affects your mentality greatly as well, which can manifest itself very well in different forms of art and especially in music.

"Skogens hjärta" included 1 song which clocks in at 1 hour and 8 minutes long and there are a few black metal bands that have done similar things and tried to capture a pure single piece of music in an hour long track. You manage again and also you add and combined to make a pretty mind-blowing concept; the kind of concept that Hypothermia became known for in the following years.

For me I think it’s the kind of material that is most effective when being put on repeat for a longer amount of time, which makes it natural for it to evolve into a longer format as with each repetition it becomes as big of a part of

Kim, so what is the biggest challenge in portraying something supernatural in an art form so based in technology?

Have you ever observed any art that has given you an extrasensory experience, or a flashback into the other-world?

To truly devote my whole being to it and my actual existence.

Over the years I’ve had several near-death

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experiences that have made an imprint into my consciousness and I frequently have otherworldly experiences when I wander through nature.

just have to go with what you find out when you get to the show?

Yes, that is really true. In the past we have had a lot of bad luck with getting our conditions met but as we got a very minimalistic approach to performing we can usually just go with what we get at the venue. But over the years we have of course learned a lot and can now make much better performances of our material than what we did some years ago when I also were less content and relaxed on stage.

What were the ultimate goals for "Skogens hjärta" and did you reach them with this album?

To create a tool for meditation, which it did succeed with rather well.

Your latest material from 2015 "Svartkonst" is a fairly mellow album full of slower to mid-paced material with traces of an intimate atmosphere. How quickly did the recording itself take? Were there any particular surprises or complications that came up in the recording?

We did the recording over a couple of days as we usually do. There is always some surprise but I’m content with it. With our next album it will be clearer why it sounds the way it does and increase the ways it can be useful in and for.

How important is it to capture your on-stage sound on the album? Would you say your albums sound exactly like the band sounds on stage?

It’s a little more the other way around that we are working as hard as we can to re-create the sound and atmosphere as well as possible from when we record our music live at a studio and transferred to a live environment on the stage. Not all songs works, but we are getting there each time we update our set-list.

Do you try to write music as much as possible, whenever you get time, or do you stop writing after a new album is done?

I never stop!

It’s hard to create something repetitive, but at the same time interesting and enjoyable. Hypothermia has taken the plunge into the world of instrumental postrock/metal on "Svartkonst". The change towards this more expansive and emotional approach is the end result of the natural musical progression from the group's birth back in 2001. Talking a bit more about individual songs - for me it seems the center of the album is "Invokation" casting you into what feels like a chamber music equivalent of being lock away in a frostbitten dungeon, staring longingly outside towards the sun, unable to rejoin the general populace or fully bask in its warming glow from your ice-laden cell of misery.

We have always had a big instrumental aspect in what we do so it only feels natural to me that the majority of the material we record. I see it all as evolution rather than change, which I think there is a vast difference between.

"Svartkonst" came out in early 2015, almost two years ago via Agonia Records. It was your first album for Polish label, how is collaboration with Agonia so far .It will be Filip responsible for next Hypothermia release?

Like every interaction with other people it is what it is and I have no idea yet. Since I don’t know him or the other people at the label personally it’s impossible for me to know the entirety of what is going on and why some things happen the way they do. We got two more albums to release through Agonia. There may be some ep meanwhile or old material, but the next recorded album is through them.

Looking to whatever might be next, where do you see Hypothermia going? What’s the status on the next album?

Currently we are preparing for a lot of concerts in countries we have not performed in before and the next album is composed and ready for recording. The album and our first music video for one of its songs will be completed this summer.

Of course, there is the black metal element in it, but there is much more to it. Do you think it will widen your fan base to beyond just "open-minded" black-metal fans?

With our next album I think we will manage to seal the gaps that have been created over the years and get our whole fanbase engaged in our ceremonies.

Are there any other happenings or things going on with the band or you personally that you would like me to let people know about? Do you have anything to say or add for closure?

We just launched our own channel on Youtube that will be very different from what most fans are used to in our kind of environments and sub-genres, which I think will be both very rewarding and interesting for all involved. So I really hope that as many people as possible will read this and subscribe to our channel to get access to a lot of special and exclusive material that we will start to create for our subscribers in a form of interaction in between our concerts and recordings of ep’s and albums. I’m also starting to go on stage with my solo-project this year, both as a duo with my bassist/pianist and just me alone. I really look forward to sharing this experience with my followers and hope they will support me through the challenges that we are facing to meet our future.

If you made it this far without a big headache, then congrats Kim he he. I want to sincerely thank you for taking time to do this interview for Slowly We Rot. I also want to wish you all the best with any future endeavors with Hypothermia.

Thank you for the interaction. We’re looking forward to travel the corners of this world… meanwhile we will be content with occupying the corners of your mind and hope to stay there for a while.

Was there much difference between how the songs were first conceived and their final forms?

There is always a compromise. Over the years from now and forward I’m convinced that we are getting closer to the ideal version of the material.

With the disbanding of Lifelover in 2011, you had full-time to spend on this soloproject and even called up two other guys to work. How is co-operation with them so far, can you introduce your partners in crime he he...

There has been some search for devoted members since the start, with some periods having more replacements than other. It wouldn’t serve any purpose to describe them individually, but right now we have a very potent and powerful assembly that will manage to take this band to a whole different level and once again much more active than the past years.

Still, we had to wait five years for the successor of “Skogens hjärta” – with two demos and one split in-between. Would you say "Svartkonst" came to you in the slowest, painfully and sorrowfully way, in terms of writing the material? Which of the songs took the longest to write?

It has been a mix of members having to do other things in their private lives along with changing from guitarists that didn’t have the personal time to focus on this band, and doing recordings that are either not good enough for our ideals along with that the album we recorded after Skogens Hjärta couldn’t be released due to backstabbers that pretended to care about Hypothermia but in the end truly didn’t. Svartkonst was complete in composition more than a year before it was recorded but I can’t record the albums without a equipped studio and my other members, so it had to wait.

Interview by Don Mariano March 2017

Kim with your kind of music, the sound quality of the venue is probably more important than it is for other bands. Do you get to specify any conditions while booking shows or anything like that, or do you

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Tim, Grand Head is made of only you and your brother Barry (by the way, why don't you guys have the same last name, you're Ward and he's Brusseau?).

Is this the initial and also final line-up? How is it to play and record as a duo?

Yes, this is the initial and also final lineup. We went into this wanting to just play as a duo, and to keep it that way.

We were curious to see how heavy and full of a sound we could produce with just guitar and drums.

It’s great playing and recording as a duo. We both get to have our own space, and are really fortunate that we get along so well. It’s a very simple setup, and that is refreshing.

Barry and I have different last names, because we have the same Mother but different Father. I guess some would say we're "half" brothers, but we don't like to look at it that way. To us, we're just brothers.

How was your childhood, how was it growing up together and above all, what made you so close one to each other in order to pursue this music dream together for all these years?

We were raised by our Mother and she made sure that we all played and listened to music when we were growing up. I still remember my first concert was when I was about 11 years old. Mom took us to see the Doobie Brothers.

Barry played Clarinet in school, and I learned how to play the piano. In our teen years, I gravitated toward the Drums, and Barry the Guitar.

I think music has been what keeps us close as brothers. I know people can grow apart as they get older, but the music has always kept us together. We really don't know any other way. We'll joke sometimes that it’s a curse, because even when we come to terms with the fact that we're probably not gonna end up being rock stars, we still can't quit pursuing our dream. Sometimes I just want to say "Fuck, leave me alone. I'm gonna go do something else for a while", but we always end up back in some musical project. It's just who we are.

Although you're only 2, your compositions sound so full, it feels like nothing's missing. What's your secret?

Well, if I told you, then it wouldn't be a secret. Just Kidding...I believe it’s a couple of things. Up front, is the musicianship. You got to be able to play. No amount of equipment is going to save bad playing, or bad song writing for that matter.

I play on a 1956 Leedy and Ludwig 4-piece set, and that god damn thing is a beast. But the real magic happens with Barry and the guitar sound. He has worked on crafting his sound for years. He doesn't believe in over

saturating the guitars, or piling on the distortion. He mainly drives his sound with sheer volume, instead of a bunch of distortion. And the result is a dryer type of distortion that is really rich and full. His equipment does help, as he plays on a Les Paul, and one 1/2 stack Crate with a Marshall Blonde head, and also on a Music Man 1/2 stack straight out of the 70's. He uses a pitch shifter that lowers the frequency an octave, and that runs through the Music Man. But, it’s just straight guitar through the Marshall.

Melting Hardcore and Doom Metal sounds unnatural to me, but you succeeded. You also had a Punk band before, so what do you guys enjoy playing and listening the most, what are your biggest influences and how would you describe what you're currently doing in Grand Head?

Thanks! We did play in a punk band for years, and prior to that we played in some hardcore bands.

Man, we have listened to a wide variety of music. I know we have both spent months, or even years, listening to anything but heavy music. It’s just, we've always like to explore music, and there is so much out there to listen to.

From Poison Idea to the Ramones, the Misfits, Black Flag, Old Hank Williams recordings, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, classical masters such as Debussy, the list just goes on and on. I think that is important. I don't think you can create music in a certain genre by just listening to the same style of music. I mean, yes, you’re going to naturally gravitate to some of the same type of music you are playing, but if you don't have any other types of music that are influencing your style, then there is a chance that the music you write is going to be really predictable and you'll suck the life right out of it.

I think Grand Head is a culmination of our experiences, both as listeners and as players. We set out to play loud and heavy music, but it quickly took on a life of its own.

The trick is to just let it go where it wants to go.

Your debut album was released at the beginning of last year, please give us a short presentation. How was the feedback so far? You mentioned it was recorded "in the spirit of the demo days", what do you mean?

We pressed 300 copies, and the record has been well received. We have sold about 200 copies, and had a handful of people download it from band camp. We don't have a record label, we put it out ourselves and any PR that gets done is by us. We have spent a lot of time just searching the internet for different webzines to send the record to, and we usually hear back from about 10-15% of those we contact. It’s tough to try to do this on your own, but it feels good when we get a response from a webzine that is interested in what we are doing.

To answer your question about the recording being in the "spirit of the demo days"...the "demo" tape was a

recording produced by a band, usually within a day, or two, with the intention of using the tape to send to record labels as a demonstration of their music. The hope was that a record label would like the music and sign the band.

Usually these tapes were done in a day or two, with a very straight forward mix, mainly because a band couldn't afford to do anything more than that. The result was that there have been some great raw recordings as a result of the "demo" tape. We wanted to make sure our recording was as straight forward as possible, and not over produced, so it might have the old school "demo" recording feel to it.

Being a duo I guess it's easier to tour, right? How's your live activity so far? Any plans of touring Europe or other continents, too?

Well, it’s definitely easier to tour as a duo, in a lot of different ways. It doesn't cost as much, and there aren't as many personalities to deal with, so it makes it a lot simpler. We have only been playing locally, here in the northwest, but would love to do some touring. We both have full time jobs, so there is always that logistic. But yes, we would love to come over to Europe and play music, if for no other reason than the experience itself. So hopefully we can figure out how to do this.

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Veronika who is also taking part in my music projects, is not only a skilled singer, but also a “manager”, arranging all our trips for really low prices with lots of local experience, and she has liking for the same “otherworldly” things as I, be it the wilderness of the southeast Asia, deserts of the Middle East or drinking with our friends in the Balkans! Personally, I feel the best sitting in the plane or train and leaving my home behind my back!

Hi Martin, how was your vacation?

Were you really in the jungle? How come?

Oh yes, quite a mystical experience, the seclusion from the everyday world, walking up the hill in the morning mist, with monkeys jumping nearly on your head, and then you end up on a rock where Buddha once sat meditating, with the amazing view of the landscape all around. The whole trip to Sri Lanka this year was an amazing experience, and to do justice to the country, the people are as beautiful as the nature. You just have to avoid the notorious tourist places, that have already become westernized, including prices. We travel a lot, my girlfriend

Let's talk about Edain first, how come you left the band last year? What will happen with it from now on?

Edain have embraced the instrumental styling that was already strongly present in our music, and as far as I can judge, they are fine as it is. Somehow, there was a tension in the band as how to continue, which simply meant we did not move in any way. I felt that a change was necessary and since I am not the kind of person to argue or force others to do things my way, I simply left them to their own instrumental devices. I went to one of their shows lately and thought, yep, that sounds good. So I can be happy I was part of it. Now, it is time to move forward for all of us.

Edain celebrates its first 10 years of activity this year. Do you know if there are any special plans for the anniversary, maybe a new album? What would you say was the best moment in the band's career so far?

I am not even sure if we realize it and I guess there is no special agenda, but if the guys finish their new album, it will certainly be celebrated properly. I could say the best achievement was our how at the Exit festival in Serbia, with all the lights and fires on stage and great bands and people we partied with. But in fact, we could make a party out of any event we played. The friendship and fun were simply equally important as the quality of music we made.

The band's music is clearly on the Progressive wave, but also features elements from Groove Metal, Jazz and even a pinch of Extreme Metal I'd say, is this accurate? What are the main influences for Edain?

Oh yes, this is it. Each of us brought something up to our own taste, and the music constantly developed. We actually never wanted to be part of the progressive hype, copying Cynic, Opeth or Death, even though you could obviously hear we love all of these things. There was a lot of the old school thrash and death metal feeling in the

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music, there was no obligation to sound polished and modern just because we happened to play some complex rhythms and scales.

Your new band, Archeonic, seems to be like a super-group of the Czech scene, or is it a bit too much to say?

How are your colleagues and how far do you see it going?

How far do you aim for?

This is exaggerated, of course. Actually there are a few bands on the Czech scene newly formed by musicians around our age, and naturally everybody has a list of some more or less well known bands behind. Yes, we could bring forward Scenery and Absurd Conflict as the big names, but in fact, we play such different music we even considered hiding the line-up and all associated facts, simply to avoid disappointing the people who would come up with certain expectations. Mik and Lerry, the composing team behind Scenery and now Archeonic are longtime friends. Archeonic manifests their idea to switch to something less progressive and utilize their skill in a different way. Actually, when Mik first called me they needed a singer for their new band, I was surprised what I heard. But since the songs are so well written, I thought, hell yes, let me try! There’s still a complex music behind what people can hear and we certainly do not want to sacrifice the technical quality. In any case, we are still a new band in the global metal chaos, so we what expect is hard work before we get all the success and fortune.

Archeonic's genre is even more ambiguous, or better said, wide, to a point where you simply call it Metal. Is this simple genre labeling enough to stir any interest?

How important is for a band to label its exact music?

You’re asking exactly the same questions we had to ask ourselves. The challenge is in conveying the information that will simply direct the people the right way. The easiest way, still, is letting the music talk. While it is fine we have all the online channels and uploads where people can check us out, as an old school traditionalist I am still convinced the printed magazines and hard media have the most appeal. And of course playing live, most importantly. These are the real things. I guess the people who hold this magazine in their hands know it well. So let me raise my glass to the genuine spirit!

proceed with the release. I actually phased out the label since 2014, however the experience I acquired helps me organize the release of our material ourselves and take control of promotion and all the associated things. Of course, we are not opposed to offers from labels, promoters or anyone, but as things are, we are ready to do what is necessary, that’s just comfortable feeling that we do not need to depend on anyone and at the same time we can offer being a serious partner.

Please tell us about the future projects of Zero Budget, what goodies do you plan on releasing in the near future?

Zero Budget Productions will probably lay at rest for the future, I achieved a lot, gained a lot and am proud of it. But times and more specifically demands have changed and my record collecting passion is no longer thing my friends and their music could benefit from. I still have to find a new platform that could help me enjoy the involvement in music business, but this has to happen naturally. Right now, I am trying to concentrate on my role as a musician. But sooner or later, I will certainly enhance it with some enlightened business ideas…

Archeonic's music is a bit more aggressive and a bit groovier than Edain, should we understand that these features are somehow your trademark?

True, in Edain I was the bad ass, always pushing all the technical and jazzy elements to sound the dirty way. In Archeonic I try to focus more on the aggression and clearly defined feeling in my vocal performance. The songs are generally rather simply structured, so anything we do has to stand out and speak clearly. Guitar solos, bass riffs or any word I scream.

Do you also have a regular job? How do you manage to combine all activities and still have a balanced life in the end? How important is music to you and how do you envision yourself still being a part of it when you'll be old (presuming you'll still want to be that part)?

Music has never been a source of any income for me, it simply has to stay and be a hobby and an enjoyment, so I have to make living by working everyday … well, unless I am travelling away or sleeping dead drunk in bed. Still, I have no regular contract and hence no “regular” job, but the mix of my freelance activities allows me to make decent living, buy beer, records and show tickets. I do technical translations, work externally for the University of Defence, and I am also member of an English theatre group, we do educational projects for basic and high school kids. Sometimes we travel across the country and play in different theatres, similar to touring with the band. It is no big business, but the freedom and enjoyment of what I do is something I appreciate much much more. And as you correctly assumed, music and being part of it is the most important drive, and will probably continue to so. If you live with music, you never grow old, that’s how rock’n’roll works. Let me believe we all have many decades of youth ahead of us!

Your debut MCD is called The 16th Dimension, what does this name means? What can you tell us about its lyrical concept? Are lyrics still important for a band nowadays? Do they still have the power to influence something or someone, or is it all (our lives) way too fast and superficial to matter in these days?

The 16th dimension obviously refers to something that is beyond our mental grasp. The modern world, including its cyber dimension, brings things that we sometimes do not know how to handle, sometimes we become slaves of all these technologies or people who abuse them. But we can also work our way through it by learning, working hard, staying safe. You can find all these messages in our songs. Mik, bass player, paints poetic landscapes in his lyrics, while my songs use more straightforward, “technical” metaphors. I believe lyrics are always important to the singer and to the band in the first place. Or so it should be. And if you do things with dedication and conviction, there are always people who will pay attention and find interest in it.

Will the band sign with your Zero Budget Productions label like Edain? I guess you keep things under control this way, right?

Releasing my band under my own label saved me a lot of time and headache, we could simply concentrate on the recording knowing that whenever we finish it, we will By naming your work as FS

Projekt I guess you decided once and for all this would be a studio project, correct? Don't you want to perform live? By the way, do you have another band you play live, beside FS Projekt?

Great question. I decided to make FS Projekt a studio endeavour simply because I got really tired of searching for musicians who would be able and willing to join me in implementing my music. I guess every musician with a vision is sick of hearing the following from his band mates: "I won't come to the rehearsal, I need to help my mom", "I haven't learned my parts because my cat was dying", "I won't show up at the gig, because my girlfriend wants me to come with her to her grandma's anniversary". The days of me playing nanny are in the past once and for all. Besides, it's really hard (at least in the area where I live) to find people who are not prejudiced against fantasy-metal, i.e. the genre which includes (but is no limited to) elves, dwarves, dragons, etc. Somehow there's this stereotype that such lyrical

May 2017

themes are somehow immature. Although this couldn't be farther from the truth as the fantasy/mythological genre is nothing but a part of a much larger artistic phenomenon Romanticism.

As far as performing live goes, it's not that I don't want it.

I do (although it's not my No.1 goal or some sort of obsession), but strictly on my terms. I have my own approach to this, which probably contradicts public opinion on this matter. Gigs and live shows have nothing to do with music. The key word here is "show". Thusly, a live show is an entertainment service rather than music.

A service is rendered for a fee. Performing live is actually backbreaking labour involving lots of preparations and rehearsals. So if I were to play live, I'd expect to be paid for it. This is my approach, some may disagree with it, but, hey, that's the perk of being an independent author and musician - I can do things my way without giving a damn what anybody thinks.

Currently I don't play in any band live (although I have such experience). But it doesn't mean that I'm against it or won't do it in the future.

What inspired you to create this Fantasy Metal project? Are there any bands that led you to embrace this style?

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You may be surprised but my first musical influences weren't even close to fantasy or power metal. I became exposed to the wonderful and complex world of heavy music in 1996. My first influence was Metallica (LOL, not very original, I know). Later it was followed by alternative/new metal (MuDvAyNe, Disturbed, Papa

Roach, Slipknot, Spineshank, etc.) and pop/skate-pink (The Offspring, Green Day, Blink 182, New Found Glory, etc.). I was pretty much inspired by all of these bands and formed a band of my own (playing a crossover of these genres) in 2002. At that time I was already an avid fan of literary fantasy (J.R.R.Tolkien, Robert Jordan, Robin Hobb, etc.). Then in 2004 or 2005 a friend of mine gave me a compilation CD, on which among other things there was Blind Guardian's Nightfall in Middle-Earth. That was it. The album blew me away. It has been my favorite album ever since. I understood what I wanted to compose. I also understood that in terms of my composing, arranging and playing skills I was nowhere near the level required for what I wanted to do.

Thus started the long and hard process of learning and refining the abovementioned skills which finally resulted in FS Projekt's debut EP "Rozhdeniye Maga" (The Birth of a Magus) in 2013. Apart from becoming a better musician, it took me no small effort to procure the best gear and instruments for my needs. I was greedily exploring all other genres of heavy music (black, death, melodic death, hardcore, etc.) and reading as much fantasy novels as I could. I even played in some symphoblack metal and crust-punk bands.

As for other bands in the fantasy/power metal scene that influenced me (apart from Blind Guardian, of course), they are as follows: Manticora, Iron Savior, Falconer, Iced Earth, Savage Circus, Rhapsody of Fire - this is the music I feel related to as an author.

What do you think your music brings new or innovative to the scene? Is it still important to be innovative nowadays?

I've never thought about it this way. My goal has never been to be innovative. What I bring to the scene is my original and independent vision of fantasy metal (into which I'm trying to subtly knit certain things from other genres which I love such alternative, nu-metal, symphonic music, soundtrack music).

As far as being innovative goes, I think innovation for the innovation's sake is bullshit. In my opinion innovation is the last thing which music is and should be about.

How much of your music is done on PC and how much on real instruments? Do you think computers will be able to replace humans in music almost completely anytime soon?

In case of FS Projekt all instruments forming the socalled "traditional heavy metal quartet" (drums, bass, guitar, vocals) are real instruments recorded by me and by the drummers and vocalists I hire. All keyboards, synths, orchestral instruments are made on computer by means of midi and plugins. It's not that I'm some kind of proponent of computer sounds. It's just that it's too expensive to hire musicians to record real keyboards, synths and orchestral instruments. It goes without saying that if those were recorded properly wit live instruments, the results would be way better, but making quality records is already expensive as it is.

You rely heavily on singles rather than full-length albums. How come?

Once again this has to do with cost-to-income. Recording an LP of 8-10 songs is a lengthy process for a unsigned artist (3-5 years). Not only is this time-consuming and expensive but exhausting emotionally-wise. Besides, listeners are becoming more and more fickle with each

At first please tell us about the provenience and meaning of your band name. Are you guys at your first band, or you've been in the underground for a longer time?

The idea for the band first came about in 2015. One evening I received a text message from Tim (Guitar) and George (Vocals) saying that they wanted to form a grindcore band called Lunatic Hooker and asking if I wanted to be part of it. I think they were probably drunk and/or high, and probably half joking, but I said yes and started working on writing riffs/track's for the band. I had bought a Boss HM-2 pedal off EBay a few months earlier and was looking for a project to use it on so this was the perfect opportunity. We brought in Duncan (Bass and vocals) and Rafa (drums) and got to work with writing songs. We quickly realized that we actually had something pretty cool and original sounding and wrote the album fairly quickly.

We have all played in other bands for many years and it so happened that we were all having problems with our bands at that time (band members, management etc) and so Lunatic Hooker came along at the perfect time and gave us all renewed enjoyment of writing and playing heavy as hell music with a bunch of friends.

The band name has no specific meaning, it is just something that came from late night conversations George had with some friends and he thought it would be a funny and memorable name for a band. There are a lot of bland/boring band names around these days so we thought it would be good to have something a bit crazy and memorable.

passing day. If an artist does not remind of himself at least once a year, they tend to forget him pretty fast. Yes, big bands (such as mentioned above) can make LPs, because their fans are willing to wait for them. But singles and EPs are the way to go for independent authors in my opinion. It is faster, less exhausting, it allows one to take breaks, to structure and manage one's finances better, to analyse mistakes more frequently, etc.

But in my particular case the main reason is money. I'm the only person financing all of FS Projekt's activities.

I'm not complaining, I love and enjoy what I am doing, but this does not make it any easier in terms of finances.

So for me EPs and singles are a compromise enabling me to use my funds and time in the most efficient manner while still implementing my creative vision.

Have any of your tracks been used for games soundtracks? Is that your goal with FS Projekt, to make music for PC games, or do you hope for something else?

First of all, I'd like to point out that I'm a huge fan of movie, TV show and games soundtracks. I love and am much inspired by the works of Howard Shore, Carlo Siliotto, Anne Dudley, Shuki Levi, Bear McCreary, John Paesano, etc. As far as goals go, I am open to all opportunities. I'm already working as a studio session arranger/recording musician (in the last two years I worked in this capacity with Moodswyng (USA), Prince Charman (Australia), Cyclocosmia (UK)), so if someone hires me to compose and/or record some soundtracks or offers to use FS Projekt's music for a soundtrack, I am totally for this, provided the terms and conditions are fair.

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The sound of the band actually came totally naturally and organically. We just wrote what came naturally after a few beers?

I knew that I wanted to use the HM-2 pedal for the guitars and I knew that I wanted it to be grindcore based but the slow sludgy riffs, death metal type riffs, black metal type sections etc all just 'happened' really. We just wrote what came naturally and then tried to come up with a description of our sound afterwards.

We aren't trying to sound like any other bands but we aren't trying not to either, if you know what I mean?

We are just trusting our instincts and writing stuff that we think sounds good and feels good to play. By doing that, I think we have actually come up with a fairly original style and sound.

Your debut album, Embracing the Filth, is out recently on Black Bow Records.

I've seen the label has an extensive list of releases already, but I've never heard of it before, are they focusing on the UK market? How have you reached the deal with them?

Black Bow Records is a small UK record label that is owned by Jon Davis, vocalist and guitarist in the band Conan. We contacted a few different record labels once we had completed the album (we recorded it ourselves) and they were one of the first to reply and seemed very enthusiastic about the album so we discussed our options and we decided to go with them. We felt it was important for us to work with a label that is enthusiastic about the band and understands what we are about. We would rather work with a small label that is enthusiastic about Lunatic Hooker rather than a bigger label that doesn't give a shit about us.

They are handling the digital and physical album distribution worldwide and of course people can buy CD's and t-shirts direct from us via our bigcartel store.

The album was mastered by Mick Kenney from Anaal Nathrakh, how important is his touch on the final result? How come you chose him?

We are all fans of Anaal Nathrakh and their albums sound really great so when we saw him advertising for mastering work online we felt it was worth giving him a go and we are very happy with the result.

It's always good to have a fresh pair of ears to listen to and master an album, especially as we recorded and mixed the album ourselves, and he really did a great job of getting the album sounding punchy, heavy and in-your-face but also giving the instruments a great clarity and separation.

The album cover seems really interesting, what does it mean? Is it somehow linked with the album lyrics somehow? What topics do you talk about in your lyrics?

Yes the album artwork was done by Dan Capp who is a talented artist and also guitarist in Winterfylleth. We worked closely with him on coming up with ideas and yes the artwork is directly inspired by the album lyrics. The opening track "my god is bigger than yours" is obviously represented along with other lyric themes such as mankind's destruction of planet earth.

We were keen to have artwork that was a bit different from the typical 'black and white' grindcore artworks or 'blood and guts' death metal artworks. Something a bit more organic and arty looking. We are very pleased with how it came out.

You also featured a Motorhead cover, have you had any problems getting permission to use it? Or didn't even bother? Why featuring a cover on your official release, by the way?

The Motorhead cover is actually something that we recorded for a 'grind tribute to Motorhead' album back when the band first started. Since the track came out really cool we felt we might as well put it on the end of the album as a bonus track. It isn't really part of 'the album', just a little something extra on the end. I don't know about the royalties/permission side of things, I'm just a guitarist.

"UK purveyors of HM-2 powered Grindcore meets southern-fried sludge", this is the genre you labelled your music with. What inspired this mix, and how close is it to what you were imagining when you first conceived the band?

As a pretty young band how have you been received by the UK audience at shows and by older, fellow bands? Do you see yourselves pushing any boundaries in the future? Do you intend to?

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The album reviews have so far been very positive and the audience reaction has been very good when we play live, so it all seems to be going well so far. I'm sure our music isn't going to be everyone's taste (it is pretty extreme) but those who do like seem to be really really liking it.

The bigger/more established bands we have played with seem to have enjoyed our sets too.

Your band name is, at least at first sight, very weird, do you agree?

Who came with the idea and what means? How do you

does it pronounce it?

I do agree, yes – although the great thing about it is that when you google it you only get the band’s pages and the odd Polish maths websites. The bloke I started the band with years ago came up with it – he was a bit of a hip-hop geezer and I guess it was a tag or something – either that or he couldn’t spell – it doesn’t really have a meaning, it’s not even an idea – that’s grandiose - but if Mark Knopfler can get away with Dire Straits, I think we should be forgiven for Maxdmyz – how is it pronounced? With difficulty! Try saying ‘maximize’ and stick a ‘d’ in before the first ‘i’. There you go! One of the great pleasures is hearing people mispronounce it – we’ve had very possible variation you could imagine – and it’s especially nice when people call me Max or call me Mr Dmyz.

Can you please elaborate on this statement of yours about yourselves: "recording some of the most innovative and original alternative metal ever to come out of the UK music scene"? Do you feel the audience is still interested in innovation or rather looking back more these times when the resurgence of '80's Metal is in full effect?

Really, was that us? Surely not! My native modesty would forbid me from saying such things – actually, I can’t remember us saying it but okay – if the shit fits, wear it. It does sound like someone else’s review or something.

The word ‘original’ is probably one that I would avoid – as the early 20th century formalist and narrative theorist, Mikhail Bakhtin, would have said, the word in language half-belongs to someone else. There’s nothing new under the sun and most artists and scientists for that matter stand on the shoulders of giants – in the case of Oasis, bloody big ones. ‘Innovation’ I probably feel more comfortable with – part of the alchemical metal thing (or alchem metal as it was termed in a recent review) is precisely to blend a huge number of influences (in alchemy) but – instead of merging them – allowing each element to be heard and to be indentifiable in any given song. So Jay on drums might play in three or four different genres in a single song – and I can find myself growling or shouting or singing in bel canto within a couple of minutes or so. And A’Zedd’s bass lines are sublime and jazz influenced and smooth but very heavy. My influences range from Lydon to Pavarotti to Patti Smith so there’s always a lot going on. But all these flavours make sense in context, subsumed as they are by an overarching alternative/heavy style. So yes we are definitely innovative I would say – stretching the limits of rock and metal, borrowing from anywhere it makes sense to borrow from. For me, I’d just get bored singing in one way like Cornell or Vedder. Singing for me is more akin to dramatic poetry – incorporating multiple voices and characters. As for what the audience is doing, I’m not sure we know or are that concerned, really. Don’t get me wrong we care about our audience but we don’t really chase it – you talk about looking back and eighties metal – most of those guys for me were ham acts – I remember the last great hard rock tune of that era and it was ‘Running with the Devil’ – that’s before everyone started snorting too much coke and sporting poodle hair. Maxdmyz are truly classic in that our music can’t ultimately be dated – we’re classic and innovative in one – how’s that!

We are just doing what we do, enjoying ourselves and writing some heavy as hell songs. People seem to appreciate that honest approach so we will just keep doing what we do and see where it leads us.

May 2017

The Alternative Metal style leads one's mind to something less aggressive, but your music is even close to Extreme Metal at times or to Electro / Industrial at others, so it seems you really don't have any boundaries. Is it hard to build a stable, loyal fanbase by not locking yourselves down to a genre or another, I guess they never know what to expect next from you?

I guess all I can do is refer you to the answer above – I’m extremely flattered by your description of our music – we are fucking heavy and weird and extreme – heavier than a lot of bands that market themselves as death or whatever – but that’s a selling point. It may or may not be a hard sell – and over the years, I’ve swayed between one viewpoint or another – but if the alternative is as you say locking myself down to one genre or another – well, I’d rather eat my teeth than do that – it would bore the shit out of me.

Please tell us about the collaboration with Eminem, how that happened? Was he aware of your band and its music? What was his impression of it?

The whole arrangement was made at a remove from the band – after recording a demo with a producer who had worked with some pretty well-known acts. I got a call

from him to say that Eminem and one of his D12 homies, Royce da Five Nine (they were known collectively as Bad Meets Evil) had done a tune called Nuttin’ to Do. Whoever was producing it wanted to use the music from our track, No Control, for a rock mix of one that tunes.

We were told we would likely get a credit but no money.

We went for it – just on the basis that association with a major artiste might do us some good. The contractual issues around the track were labyrinthine – so we were never able to put it out on an actual Maxdmyz release. I think someone did tell me that Eminem had really liked the mix. And I do recall some kind words about the track from Royce when he spoke to me on the phone.

You've just released a new EP, Alchemical Metal, please tell us about it. Is it like a teaser for a new fulllength album? Will you feature these tracks on the upcoming album, too, or are they only for this EP? It is a teaser, indeed. And it’s a question – in the past, we’ve release EPs in the way that bands used to release singles – incorporating remastered versions of the EP tracks on the album. This time round I think we’ll probably release an all new material album next year – we’re just being so creative at the moment and churning stuff out – we hope it’ll be at least 10 tracks. As for Alchemical Metal – well, it’s a real stamen I think of intent – and it represents the band at its most diverse. All to Hell really sets the tone for the release – the underlying them of which is Apocalypse, as you can see from the lyric video which accompanies it. Reason to Live is a really beautiful song – full of passion and

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tension and release. Ex Deo is a monstrous and monumental meditation on what it means to me to be alive, and my love/hate relationship with planet Earth – I really love that song. And Down in the Dirt – well, it’s a great tune with a tongue so far in its cheek that it’s come out the other side. What brings the songs together is a kind of more-ishness – groovy and full of hooks. They’ve got loads of personality and will appeal to anyone who loves hot, heavy and hard alternative music. It showcases the talents of each musician to perfection. The EP for me is both a beginning and an ending – it’s the culmination of years of synthesis and experimentation – but I believe it’s also the beginning of a new voice and a new amazingly productive period for the band – I can’t wait for our next batch of tunes to be out there – and to be hammering them out up on stage. There’s nothing else like Alchemical Metal out there – and nothing like Maxdmyz. We’re not at retro band at all – but we’ve got something that will never pass – I was watching some footage of Grand Fund Railroad the other night – it’s that, virtuoso musicianship but not so as it takes over – in the end it’s guts and anger and the love behind that anger…

How do you feel about the "releasing singles" rather than "releasing full-length albums" practice? Is this practice fit for Metal, or it should stay for Pop music?

Again, I refer you to the previous answer. I guess this view goes back to Zeppelin – who inspired awe amongst in the 70s because they were bold enough not to release singles – it gave them a patina of authenticity – not commercial, not in thrall to the industry. I heard that Queen came about in part initially to pick up on what was thought to be a lost singles market for heavy music – yep, they were heavy when they started out. I have no problem with metal acts releasing singles – it helps keep you in the public eye and shows that you’re being productive – and frankly why can’t pop be metal or extreme even.

The band has been around since the beginning of the 2000's, how do you see your development as a band up until now? How many sacrifices have you had to do to keep the band alive?

What are the best rewards you got from the band until now?

We’ve been through so many incarnations – and I have always worked with what was at hand at the time – in terms both of resources and musicians. I think the idea of development per se has to be questioned – it’s been much more organic than that – everything we’ve ever done has had interest and validity – some of it better, some of it worse – but always passionate and committed and alive.

It’s not as if we have a destination or goal in mind – or we’re designing some kind of consumer product. We’ve gone from drum’n’bass to Goth to death metal and back again - from having naked sex acts and angle grinders on stage to seven-piece multi-ethnic line-ups with both sexes. I really wanted to open out the whole notion of what a heavy alternative band could be. I know that I would say this, wouldn’t I, but I think in terms of our collective talent in every respect, the band’s never been better. As for sacrifices, the true sacrifice would be to not do it – so no sacrifices at all – none whatever. In terms of rewards, I can’t begin to tell you what I’ve gotten back from a career dedicated to creative output – it’s liberating, it’s dignifying and – well, it’s a true gift – and then there’s the enormous privilege of being able to communicate some of this joy and magic to the fans – when we write and record a great song, or blow people away at a gig – there’s just nothing like it – apart maybe from heavy sex.

May

2017

experience made during the recording of the previous albums, studying by watching music tutorials and spent several weekend on it . There were also crazy days where I came to the madness (especially on mixing ahahah) but I like the result and my session drummer Riccardo co-engineered with me drums production plus mixing. I choose also to avoid “plastic” metal sounds as per the 90% of the nowadays release and I’m getting nice feedback from people who are also asking me about tips and feedback regarding the VST settings etc so it aint’ be so bad ahahaha Back in the days when you started the band (around the millennium) I was speaking with Italian musicians and they were all complaining about one thing: the raise and dominance of cover bands versus bands with original music. Is it still the same problem over there? What's your view on this?

That’s an interesting topic, especially kuz in Italy main metalheads who complaint are also the first one who don’t support local scene (or do it only when own band has to perform); those people prefer to spend 30euros in go to famous band concert instead of paying a symbolic 3-5 euros fee. I was also an organizer of events and a venue got bills to pay; point is that you don’t have to blame cover bands but the people who go to see them performing instead of supporting original music. Actually I’m start notice this situation also in other southern European countries

Pulvis et Umbra means dust and shadow in Latin, who came up with the band name and does it have any special meaning?

Damy (me) found the expression “Pulvis Et Umbra” in a school Latin dictionary related to a quote from Oratio. I didn’t like the English translation so I just kept it in its original form.

By your band name one might think your topics are about your ancestors, but as far as I know your lyrics are about more modern, day to day topics, correct?

Lol never thought of that but I thank you for this clever feedback, I should have to think about it for next album lyrics maybe ahahah :D Lyrics talks mainly about moods, personal point of views, spaces missions, life experience or various concepts.

Is see you're still playing live and even scheduled a tour with Bastardizer and Skull Fist in May. How come you chose to tour the East (Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Belarus)? Are these tours more for tourist purposes or do you have special targets over there? I guess they are way less profitable (or should I say less expensive?) then let's say playing in the West of Europe.

We choose this tour firstly because we already performed in Russia during 2015 and we’re happy to see that people over there remember about us and we cannot wait to see them again ☺ we choose that tour after a long evaluation because the European tour with Immolation and Vader wasn’t planned anymore so we knew that this tour in the eastern country looked good for three points: 1 – we got chance to make a promo tour for the new album supporting a band which was also distribute via Nuclear Blast 2 – we got chance to perform as support act of a well-known band which is also a nice experience from the human and musical point of view 3 – we got chance to perform in countries we still not play before Regarding the

Your new album is out now, why an independent release? Usually bands that choose to self-release their albums make up a label name by themselves and present the material as released by a label, even if it's their own. Did you do the same? Is it important to have a label back up your work?

Well, you’re partially correct because the album will be self-released only in Europe; HOLLER Production will task promotion etc in the US (thanks to Adam Russell for his support); I got two bad experiences with labels (Rising Records and Pavement Ent.) : I was contacted also by a Finnish label but then they stop replying and in the meantime the Japanese label changed idea about the distribution help so that’s indeed another reason to trust no one out there. Also because actually label are like booking mgmt., they ask a fee but they cannot guarantee an exactly feedback etc so why pay an amount that a band could instead invest in schedule a tour and sell merchandise by oneself? The self-label name is indeed a tip because if you contact webzine asking for review they pay more attention to a fake label email then replying to the band mail; that’s another bad thing of how music mafia works nowadays.

How would you characterize the new album Atmosfear, and what do you aim with it?

I like the expression “music fruit salad” hahaha :D being serious, those words match perfect in my opinion because it was also an experimental release; I never wrote black metal or music pattern with polyrhythm or similar and the new album (beside the mainly death/thrash sound) own also these genre plus some acoustic parts ☺ How important still is the physical aspect of a release nowadays, I mean releasing it in physical format? Are they still buyers for physical? On the other hand, is there any satisfaction for a band releasing its music digitally only?

Good question, specially kuz nowadays you can even find whole albums published on YouTube by labels themselves or even printed album in vinyl which in my opinion has no sense; I love vinyl releases but a modern sound on vinyl really not fits in that format.

Off course there are people who are still addicted about buying physical CD but I suggest to not print more than 100/200 copies as I do being an underground band. Rest goes digital, we’re not in the 80s when metal got a difference scene and feedback (beside the fact that mp3 etc weren’t still on the way). The point is that in my opinion each artist or band should manage its decision depending on the feedback they got online or at live shows. I also personally like black metal tapes release, walkman did my entire rock/metal life hahaha

“profitable/expensive” point we got lucky to find cheap flight ticket but VISA and merchandise are indeed something that each band has to invest when a new tour is planned Do you see the band having an important word in the Italian Extreme Metal scene? How would you like it to be remembered after it will eventually stop its activity?

Honestly not but I’m happy to see that my currently session musicians are always happy to work with me . We played very few times in Italy from during these last years and people enjoy it so I will sleep well anyway even if the Italian scene will not remember about me hahahah ;)

The band is currently a one man project although during the years it had a full line-up many times. What happened and what's the plan regarding this?

Well, several people joint and quit the band during the years and I came to a point that I was sick to spend hours in driving and teach / explain guitar parts again and again; the real thing which made the difference (beside the lack of motivation) was also that I always was the only person who invested money in the project so once the drummer quit the band I came up to set and earn time/money investing on myself for recording and promoting.

Thank you for your time, if you want to add anything else please be my guest.

Thanks to you Adrian for this great interview; always nice to meet persons really focus on the band they’re asking things etc . I wish you all the best with Slowly We Rot zine and hope we’ll get chance to meet in a near future. Take care and cheerz. Damy

Is the new album recorded as a one man band? What was the effect on your music composing and recording an album by yourself?

Exactly, this album is entirely recorded and mixed by me (except for the vocals which were recorded at JD Studio): it was an interesting challenge because I took some

The band is active since 2010, or even before if we count the activity under the Violent Assault moniker, but your music remained basically unchanged, or better said not much has changed in the meantime, correct? How would you describe your music?

May 2017

Well, I think we’ve changed a lot in the meantime. All the basic elements are the same, of course; but the style, if you compare our first demo, “Violent Thrashing Rage”, with our last album, “Slow Dismemberment”, is definitely different. That’s because we introduced other influences in our music, things that I brought...or we can simply call it “evolution” of our style. We “labeled” our music as “brutal thrash metal” years ago, I think it fits with the things we’ve done until now. European thrash metal with old school death and some black metal influences.

Your second and most recent album, Slow Dismemberment, as well as your debut, Condemned to Rot, are both leading one's thought to topics more

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common to the Death Metal scene, but your music, although influenced a bit by it, is more on the Thrash Metal patterns, right? Is it all about horror and gore, or you also have other topics in your lyrics (and by track names like Chernoblast, Domination of the Sheep or Wasted Nuclear Youth, I'm sure you do)?

Since I am the main vocalist, I’ve changed the lyrics’ topics. I’ve tried to improve my writing skill with lyrics regarding my views about society and the modern world...there’s so much horror and decadence in reality that there’s no need to write about “fantasy stuff” like we did in the past, in some measures. I mean songs like “Ultra-Violent Nightmare” or “After the Blaze”. In our latest album I focused exclusively on the topics I’ve talked before. “Chernoblast” is about the Chernobyl

of the guitars, but now what is done is done. The mission has been accomplished anyway. Compared to the previous album, this one is slightly more “technical”, concerning the drum parts, less violent but more various and darker, in some ways.

“Condemned To Rot” was like a Panzer pointed to your face, “Slow Dismemberment” is the last thing the killer yells with a knife in hand, just before cutting your throat.

disaster, a fact that has undoubtedly marked our generation, and that’s why I wrote it, not for a simple will to write an “historical” lyric. It concerns about our past, because even in our homeland we had to face the consequences of that disaster, I mean the radioactive cloud. “Domination of the Sheep” is about the fact that all those who are in “command” positions, in every situation, seem to be made with a stencil. Stupid, ignorant, dummies, liars...they all “think” and act the same way. And people follow, like sheep, because they’ve been educated to do so.

Please tell us a few words on the tracks you featured on this new album. Are you content of the final result? How would you compare it with the previous album?

I’m happy of the final result because it’s the best we could do with our means. Obviously, there are some elements that I would like to improve, such as the volume

Your birthplace, Gorizia, is practically on the border with Slovenia, how has this affected your activity as a band so far? I guess you might feel a bit isolated from the rest of the Italian scene at times, or am I wrong? Ever played in Slovenia? How was it?

Very good question. I’ve always felt this kind of “isolation” from the rest of the scene, and I talked about it, metaphorically, in the first album; the song “Condemned To Rot” is about this, in fact, isolation. But I’m happy with it. I mean, there is so much shit in the Italian “scene” (if we can call it so) that I’m glad we are not really part of it.

We played in Slovenia I think three or four times and it was always awesome.

And talking about live show, are you currently a three-piece, or a quartet? Who among you is the most Thrash Metal inclined and who is leaning more on the Death Metal side?

We are actually a quarter, since Sioba joined as a bassist on June 2016. I wanted to concentrate only on the vocal parts and I think it works good. If you search on youtube, you could find a video of a show we did in Trieste last year, as a quartet; it’s a good example of what we can do now.

Fabio is surely the most Thrash Metal inclined, absolutely. He’s the 80’s thrash incarnated, we could not exist without him, because he’s the one who keeps our

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style anchored to our roots. I’m the one who puts other different influences, not only Death Metal.

Your newest album, Slow Dismemberment, is out again on Punishment 18 Records, it means you're getting along well, correct? How would you explain the fact that even though sales of physical records are at an all-time low, underground labels still find a way to survive?

Yes, we’re doing good with them; the boss, Corrado, is a very good person and I always like to meet him and his staff as he travels Europe to sell records at festivals or fairs.

For the rest, I think the only things that they can do to survive is to publish as many records they can, signing lots of bands and dealing with major labels. Also, meeting your customers “face to face”, instead of just selling records from your computer, it helps a lot, I think.

What do you have in plan for this year? What are your targets, your biggest ideals with the band?

We’re writing new stuff at the moment. We’ve planned to publish a new EP, it will be a concept about the First World War in our homeland. It will be an “historical” and “personal” concept at the same time, because we’ve all grown up in a land that had to face that war and you can still see its influence now. It is part of our identity, it’s very important for me, that’s the reason of this kind of topic. Ideas flow, as always, and I think we’re doing a lot of steps forward. At the same time, I’m working on some lyrics and riffs to use on our future third album, and its topics will be quite the same of “Slow Dismemberment”, but from another point of view.

Targets? We don’t have targets, we just take the best from everything we have, day by day, and spit all the shit we have inside through our music. “Life sucks, then you die”, everything on this planet, one day, it will end...so, why do we have to worry about something? I can call this idea a “positive nihilism”, because it brings you to believe in nothing, but at the same time to express yourself and enjoy every moment of your life.

May 2017

world might be heading to its end considering all the tragic events happening in Nature, wars and even the election of Trump?

Thread of the end of the world has always been relevant. I was always amazed how many signs in this myth can be projected on the modern world and what is happening now, when the world is on the brink of a new war, which, definitely no one would survive. We've already had several songs based on this topic, but I wanted to cover it deeper and wider.

Ukrainian metal is a box of excellent surprises.

More and more Ukrainian bands impress the music fans with their creativity and awesomeness... I was totally blown-away when I listened to Balfor’s new opus Black Serpent Rising and I bet it’ll happen to you as well!

This band is on fire and this conversation with Thorgeir proves it.

Before being named Balfor, the band was Alter Ego. Why the name change?

When we started the band we did not have a specific concept, and when it was fully formed, we have realized that the old name does not fit this and decided to change it.

Balfor has been active for 16 years now but only has 3 full-lengths. Why? Actually, after the first album the band did not exist for a long time till I reformed it in late 2005. And after all, I'm mostly doing everything myself like composing, arrangements, management, promotion, booking, etc. etc. and music is not my main job, you know, I have to work on normal job, so there are many factors that affect it.

Thorgeir is the only member that’s been with the band ever since day one. How dificult is it dealing with line-up changes? Did these line-up changes affect the number of releases?

Yes, it’s hard enough and it certainly affects the number of releases. Because we have always been an active live band and members change each time, so it throws you back, forcing again and again to work on the same material with new members. However, I am absolutely satisfied with our current line-up and I hope it will remain unchanged for years.

The band’s new album “Black Serpent Rising” has been getting awesome reviews. What makes this album so special? How proud do you feel when you read a new great review? Have you read a bad already?

Yeah, so far as I know reviews are very good and of course it makes me proud as a creator. I've seen very few reviews, that may be called bad, but who cares, you can't please everybody. Hard to say what's making this album so special, maybe it's the passion with which we create our music. We've never been a band that makes music only to grasp the moment of glory, or be a trend.

We want to create true art, timeless and out of trends, that's our passion.

Where was the album recorded? How long did it take?

We have worked in Kyiv-based More Music Studio which we normally use for rehearsals and it allowed us to feel more comfortable and get a good result. The whole process took much longer than we had planned as we had a very limited budget, and we had to do a lot of studio duties ourselves. But it was worth it, we are very happy with the result.

Who writes the lyrics and riffs? Apart from the end of the world, what other topics do they deal with?

What inspires you to create?

I'm writing all the music by myself, sometimes guys are helping me with some arrangements and structures, but mostly it comes from my mind. As for lyrics on this album most of them were created by my friend Lou Yardley, this time I was only behind the concept of it and created lyrics only for a few songs. Besides the topic of the end of the world there are lot of historical background which we always love to use. And I don't have a recipe of inspiration, it just comes from within.

Of the 8 tracks featured in the album, which one is your favourite and why?

Actually no favorites there, each track is a sort of story for me, so I can't choose one.

The new CD comes with a booklet with spot UV. Why such an investment at a time when some fans and bands seem to think that the 90’s raw sound and old school look is the way to go?

We just wanted to do something special, it seems that today CD's are bought mainly by collectors and this is good feature for them.

Are you 100% pleased with the album? Would you change anything if you’d go back in the studio?

Of course, as a creator, I cannot be 100% satisfied, I always want to change or add something. But it could be a neverending process, so I put up with the idea, that each creation is beautiful in its moment and it shows who we are here and now.

All Balfor releases have been through different labels. Your last album was under the Pulverised Records banner and this one is through Drakkar Productions. Why? How did the Drakkar Productions deal come up?

We were not very satisfied with the work with Pulverised Records. They have almost buried the album after its release, without giving it a promotion. Now

Why the title “Black Serpent Rising”?

We were looking for a title, which would fit a whole topic and concept of the album, and "Black Serpent Rising" works perfectly. There are lots of symbolism in it, first of all you can easily recognize a myth about Ragnarok, where the Serpent who is the embodiment of the underworld is opposed to the upper world which reflects the dualistic pair of Jörmungand and Thor and it also dates back to ancient shamanic rituals of Serpent spell. On the other hand this is a symbol of wicked and sinful side of nature which reflects the beginning of the end.

with Drakkar Productions we are completely free in the promotion, which gives us great opportunities to do it ourselves.

How complicated is it for bands like Balfor to get good deals and promotion. Most musicians I ask this to say that most labels are just interested in profit... do you agree?

Absolutely, labels are investing a lot of money in production and promotion of the bands while sales are falling down. So they should be pretty sure that the band they want to sign will sell well. It definitely makes it hard for small bands to get good deals.

The music vídeo for “Serpents of the Black Sun” reached 15000 views in 2 months. How grand is this for the band?

Yes, I think it's pretty nice for such underground band as we are. This is our first music video, so we are more than pleased with the result so far.

The music video "Serpents Of The Black Sun" was made by Anders Matt Kochin and has full moon, fire, blood and bones. How do you plan a video? Do you know what you want or does the video producer share his ideas with you?

Ohh.. that's was awesome! Anders is a very talented person, we planned everything together, I came first with my own idea and we started to work on it piece by piece. Something has not changed, but something we have added in the process. And the result surpassed all expectations, we are very pleased with this video.

I read somewhere that you’ve made a couple of videos for this album… one’s “Serpent of the Black Sun” and the other one? When will you publish it online?

We only plan to do another video for the song "Dawn of Savage". Hopefully it will happen and we will publish it online as soon as possible.

You’ll be presenting the new album live this month in Kyiv. Are there any surprises in store for the fans? Are you excited?

Yes, this is will be our first show in Kyiv in two years, so we are quite excited to present a new album for the fans. And we have some surprises in terms of performance and stuff.

You’ll be playing in a German festival but are there any other plans? Are you planning to tour?

Definitely, we are looking for possibilities to make a tour and festival appearances. We are going to tour as much as possible, some new tour dates will be announced shortly.

Are there many Ukrainian bands worth mentioning?

Do you all get along?

Sure, we have many great bands in Ukraine, I can mention Khors and Raventale where my band mates are playing as well, also of course many of you know Drudkh and Nokturnal Mortum, but also worth mentioning some new bands like KZOHH, 1914, Stryvigor and many more, you should definitely check them out.

When you’re on a creative hype, do you just focus on writing music or do you create other forms of art?

When I create music, it usually has a common conceptual component. Of course most of the time is spent on writing music, lyrics and everything connected with it. But I also do some design sketches for the cover, video and others.

All the best for the new album and Balfor! Hope to see you live! Share a message with Pest’s readers.

Thanks a lot for your support!

Hope to see all of you guys on our shows and follow the Serpent!

This is a concept album that deals with the end of the world, Ragnarok. Why have you decided to explore this theme? Do you think the

Interview by Sónia Fonseca February 2017

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Six years since you released your previous studio album, the band is back with its third full-length effort.

What took you so long? Was the band still active in the

was great, we got a huge support back on those days from Barrett and his label, even nowadays he still distributes our previous release and our latest, I have been in permanent contact him since then and even before that so it was easy to work with him.

Since many years passed before we released Vórtice a lo Macabro (in English Vortex to the Macabre) and since we had already reedited our first full length (Putrid Stench…) under Rotten Cemetery Records, as band we decided to release our new album under the same label, which is also ran by me, so I thought it would be best this time to give a try pressing this CD and also do what I really wanted to do which was some various merch and 2 versions for the disc (jewel and digipack) , so I asked for help to my friend Carl Jacobsen from Force Fed Records USA to do it as a split release and help me covering with distribution and everything which was even better. We are actually as band really happy with the result, glad we were able to work with such a great person and label ran as FFR came out perfect on time, and thanks to them this was able to happen, so most of the support was actually given by him, since then everything has been great.

meantime, or you had a break?

Hello, hell yes it’s been a while, well there’s a lot of story until now, but I’ll try to summarize a bit. Our last release as you may noticed was in 2011 under sevared records, after we recorded that our drummer left the band, he went to live to another city, which was too far from here, so in the meanwhile around 2012 to 2014 we didn’t have a permanent drummer, years in which we played with some guys who didn’t last too much in the band, and in a few shows we even used programmed drums for just keep playing, but that ended in 2015 where we got our old drummer back in the city and started with the new process, retaking a few songs I had composed during this period I told you about, which we started recording it by the end of 2015 which was finished during 2016 and released on January 2017 (our last album), so we can say we got back in action in 2015 fully with shows In different cities of my country until now which we are preparing ourselves for some we have already booked this year Please describe what's happening on Vórtice a lo Macabro, present us the tracks featured on it. How How do you feel now that you've released a new come you decided to have your lyrics exclusively in album? What do you have in plan to promote it the Spanish this time? Do you think the Spanish speaking best possible way? audience will appreciate it better than your previous We feel great about our last work, we have received tons works? of support from people in different parts of the world, and For sure they will appreciate it better this time, but our labels has put a lot of effort distributing it, in this case honestly we picked our native language because of the we did this with Force Fed records from USA and Rotten variety of forms to express things, we like our language as Cemetery Rec from our country. Both labels have great much as we like and use English too but this time we coverage and distribution worldwide and its been an wanted to do something different related to our roots. I honor they have helped us to release our music through would say this album, it’s a lyric carnage which takes us them. They do a lot promo and distribution, and also to a story beyond death, of pain, suffering and evil takes trades with other labels which I think it’s really important place. This is what we are presenting this time. when distributing, many labels and distros use this system to move even faster and everywhere the discs, some other How's your live activity at the moment? Any plans of labels, maybe bigger ones only do wholesale or retail sale hitting the US or maybe Europe anytime soon? How's looking more for profits than coverage actually, so I think the Chilean public, how many people turn out at an they are doing good job distributing this way Extreme Metal club gig, or at a festival?

Chilean scene has been good to us so far, since we have Please tell us a few words on the whole process for this been playing we have always gather a lot of supports from album, how much did it take you to come up with the the bangers around, we have played from north to south in tracks, where was it recorded and how was the many cities and reception is always great. Some cities recording process, and how come you chose to work have between 100-150 people per venue and some have again with a local label after your collaboration with had little crowd such as 50 people. Here there’s a lot of the US based Sevared Records. Who did the cover support to band even though most of bangers are into black metal, classic death metal and other styles different artwork and what does it represents?

Well, is hard to describe such a process in a few words than brutal death metal, which is not much compared to but I’ll try my best. Our last recording has 7 songs, 3 that other band’s style but we have really sick, extreme a were already composed since 2013-2014 which are brutal bands around playing too. Yes, we have plans to go “corrupción de la carne” (corruption of the flesh) and abroad to other different countries, we are planning to go Desmembramiento Carnívoro (carnivore dismemberment) to USA next year, we are going to see what happen on the rest of the songs were composed between 2015 & that, with the contacts I have, we have had chance of 2016 by the drummer Christian and myself, so basically it going and organize a tour a tour to Europe or USA but we took that time to assemble the tracks, practice and haven’t been able yet due to other personal reasons. This recording them. We worked in 2011 for “The Beginning next September we have a date for playing on Bogotà of Depravity” CD release with Sevared Records which Death Grind Fest, Colombia, in charge of Daniel from The band has an interesting name, what does it means and what inspired it?

Our name was created by founding guitarist Jeff Parks, who had to leave the band this past fall, but is on the album. He liked the word occult meaning that something is secret or hidden, and that it's a very metal sounding name. Those of us in the band at the time all agreed and it became our name.

Some of you have a Doom Metal background, you're now playing a mix of a lot of styles and you're signed to a mostly Punk and Hardcore label, to me that means you don't really care for genre labeling, correct? Is the scene in Indiana as open as you are, I mean can a Black Metal band play alongside a Punk or a Hardcore band at the same show?

We all have varied musical interests and tastes, so we just write the music we enjoy. We don't care about fitting into a box or trying to fit a specific style. The scene in Indiana is pretty open. We have played with punk and hardcore bands before, but it doesn't happen very often. But there are definitely many local fans that are into various metal styles and also fans of punk and hardcore. Jeff Parks was our connection with Haunted Records because he is in a band with the owner, so that is how we ended up on there.

You have released your debut album last year, how much have you worked on it and how happy are you of the final result? How are the reactions so far and what else do you hope to reach through this album?

Amputated Genitals, so we are pretty excited about going and play there, so this year I guess we are starting there, we also have a few other local shows in our country, so there’s work to do.

Chile is usually names among the most peaceful, the safest, the richest countries in Latin America, how is life over there? What do you guys do beside playing in Decrepit Cadaver? How is life for an Extreme Metal band compared to other neighboring countries?

Well I don’t know that, I’m glad to know people seen us that way, well actually yes it’s a nice place to live, Chile is Beautiful, really nice and cool nature places to enjoy and indeed lots of places to visit to enjoy tourism too. Life here is peaceful in someway, but still with some level of bad things, just in a lower level. There lot of richness and poverty too, but still its really cool to live here, myself I leave just 2 blocks from the beach and in this place (north) its like eternal summer, no rain no cold either, which is opposite to the south which is very cold. Our normal life everyone has their own jobs our bassist, works doing measures on terrains outside the city, while our drummer works in a music store, and Elias and me are teachers in different schools and subjects so we work, so sometimes is hard for us been in a band, as many other bands we sacrifice a lot to just play, record and everything, we certainly don’t live from any profits from our music all is pure passion and effort. I think there are lot of extreme metal bands around, Colombia maintains one of the most brutal scenes of south America, along with great bands from Brazil, Argentina, Peru etc.

How do you see the Brutal Death Metal scene evolving from this point on? Is there still room for evolution in this genre?

I think there’s always room for everything including evolution, I like to play what I feel and until now I have evolved as a musician and certainly our band has evolved during this time. I think all bands in some way evolve, whether if is in their sound, brutality or whatever, all it’s a about of playing extreme, fast and brutal, I won’t evolve into a different band for that I would do a new one.

There’s still too much work to do, there are tons of good bands I enjoy and I’m glad that I still find new music I dig and enjoy a lot.

April 2017

We wrote "Dark Ritual" over the course of the first two years we were a band. The actual recording process was done over a weekend in our practice space with Carl Byers of Clandestine Arts Recording engineering it. We recording all of the instrument tracks on a Saturday afternoon and we did all of the vocals on a Sunday afternoon. Carl also did the mixing and mastering. The cover art piece was done by Nate Vaught of Brainvault Illustration. Our current bassist, Brian Murphy, also contributed an art piece for the album and our guitarist, Jesse Junker, did all of the design and editing for the album art.

We're pretty happy with the result, especially considering that it was recorded in a basement over the course of two days. We've been getting some good reactions to our album and the live shows we've

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been playing since releasing it. Right now we are just trying to play shows in new places future we might try to get into a studio if we can, but it will likely depend on what our and get our name out. We're also writing for the next album. We have three new songs circumstances allow. we're already playing live.

What separates you from the rest, what do you think are your highlights when it Your lyrics seem to be mostly inspired by the occult, correct? Tell us about the comes to composition, to the music you make and deliver? What's interesting about lyrics on your debut album. your band that people should at least give this album a chance?

The lyrics are inspired by the occult, magic, fantasy stories, religious history and We like that our sound is a bit varied, and each song is distinguishable. We don't follow persecution, and human interaction with our planet. I write each song kind of like a short a verse-chorus-verse-chorus, etc. structure, but we still have some hooky parts. I feel story, and each one is a little different and from different perspectives. like people that enjoy death metal, black metal, and thrash, can all enjoy something in our music. Honestly, we're just a bunch of guys that love metal music as fans, and we This album's sound is pretty organic I must say, was it by choice or it just enjoy making music. We just hope people enjoy listening to our music as much as we happened? Is this the way you're taking for future releases, or do you plan to enjoy making it and playing it. If you like extreme metal that is unapologetic and doesn't care about labels, check out our album. polish production more?

It just happened that way. Like I previously mentioned, we recorded the album in a basement in two days. However, we were not pursuing a very polished sound, and May 2017 everything straight from our instruments and amps. No digital replacements. In the Hi Jay, you and Marty started the band in 1989, what are Krullur's official releases?

1989 Krullur - Rehearsal demo 1990 Krullur - Enormity demo (Killjoy prod.)

1991 Krullur - Embalmed with Hate demo 1993 Krullur - Churlish Rubbish - full length (Facepeel prod.)

1998 Krullur - Open Ass Surgery demo 2001 Krullur - Open Ass Surgery - full length (Facepeel prod.)

2013 Krullur - Grounds for Termination E.P. (H.P.G.D.) 2016 Krullur - ...Failure to Comply E.P. (H.P.G.D.) Please tell us the most important moments in Krullur's career.

A. The release of our 1st demo-Enormity in which we gained international recognition was really cool. We received correspondence from all over the world - thanks to all the zines we were featured in.

B. Opening for Morbid Angel on the 'Altars of Madness' tour widened our popularity locally immensely.

C. Signing with Horror Pain Gore Death - which spread Krullur even further than anticipated - thanks Mike

The ...Failure to comply EP has been out since December of last year on horror pain gore death productions, please tell us a few words on this new release, are you happy of the final result? How was it received by the public?

It's definitely one of the best sounding releases sonically (thanks Mike Bbq). We were fortunate to have an abundance of radio airplay locally & on internet radio shows worldwide. Also voted one of the best 2016 releases on several Thrash/Metal sites and it just came out in December. So, yeah we are pleased with the results.

By the way, where does the name come from?

Ha-ha. We came up with our name after many bottles of booze trying to think of something evil and that rhymed with 'skull'. It does not have anything to do with that The us probably has the weirdest places of holding gigs and fests, tell us about your gay movie 'krull' as been asked many times before. weirdest gigs and the most unconventional places you ever played.

A couple stick out - one time we were headlining a show w/ several bands and when we How do you recall those beginning years? Any bands you used to share stages with arrived, found out that the show was illegal & in an abandoned warehouse. We brought the gear in through a hole in the exterior wall someone busted through with a back then that are now famous? How was the scene in Houston and how is it now?

This band started when the Hair/Glam Metal movement was dying & underground sledgehammer (!).

Death Metal was on the rise, although it only lasted a few years until Grunge came Another, we played in front of a record store in downtown Houston while old people in along. But there was a thriving scene in Houston in those years. We opened/played with cars driving by were giving us the 'finger' - we had Marshall stacks blasting very loud on a shitload of Metal/Punk/Thrash bands such as: Morbid Angel, Destruction, Napalm the sidewalk. Cops shut it down after 2 songs.

Death, M.O.D., Monstrosity, Hellwitch, Soilent Green, Violence, Exhorder, Eye Hate God, Total Chaos, Grimple, Incantation, Dying Fetus, Anal Cunt to name a few. Are you preparing for a new album? Give us some details.

Nowadays, it is totally different although there will always be underground Punk/Metal Uh, no. We are in the process of promoting the '...Failure E.P.' which just came out a shows, just not as prevalent as it used to be. few months ago. Also, we just got a new/old singer in Diego, who was on our last E.P.'Grounds'. Keeping a band together is a motherfucker. This band has had many Your music seems to be getting faster and faster, weren't you supposed to slow lineup changes but Marty & I are the constant, although I had to replace him once-ha-ha. down with the years, haha? How do you still manage to keep an entire live gig at One important lesson, don't do the crime/drugs if you can't do the time.

We do however have some recorded live tracks we're thinking about releasing in the that intensity? Any special substances? :) Breast milk from a Cambodian immigrant. near future.

May 2017 What does Krullur have in its sights for the future?

World domination. Seriously, at the moment we only play locally & are not able to travel due to a life issue but in the near future, we plan to take this shit overseas (Europe/Japan) if/whenever possible.

Please tell us a few words on the tracks featured on it, which one is your favorite and which one do you think the public likes or will like the most?

"Ritual" includes 10 songs. 9 brand new songs and one older Song (Exorcism).

My favorite live track is "Infected".

I always have to smile while I´m Is there still room for improvement and innovation in Thrash Metal? Is there any playing it. need for it? Do you prefer the traditional way or also give a chance to new sounds? The feedback we´ve get about the Yes, there is always room for innovation in every genre and also in Thrash Metal. We most liked song is different, but I think the favorites of the public are love the old school way, but we also like some newer stuff.

Infected, Ritual, In the face of death You have released your debut album at the end of last year. How come you didn't and Revenge. look for a label to help you with it? Is it hard to promote an album by yourselves?

We had some label offers, but we decided to release “Ritual” by ourselves. But we're What is the one thing you would looking forward to work with a label in the future. definitely do better on your next For the promotion of "Ritual" we worked together with "Grand Sound Promotion". They studio recording? And what's did a very good job and helped us to promote the album. your best feature on this album?

It´s a hard job to promote a band without a label. I spend a lot of hours in front of my We always try to reach a higher laptop to get in touch with other bands, bookers, venues and so on. level in our songs. The songs should be more diversified and with our own style.

Your compositions are following a somehow traditional kind of Thrash Metal. Do you plan on giving it a personal touch, or maybe you achieved that already?

We love the traditional sound of Thrash Metal, but we try to mix the old school style with some modern parts. We like to check some new ideas for songwriting for the next album, but it has to sound like a pure Thrash album.

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On a Metal level Germany could not give a shit about the rest of the World and would easily survive and even strive by itself. Do you care about the rest of the World? Is it important to show your music outside Germany, too? By the fact your lyrics are in English I think you do, but why?

For us it´s very necessary to play shows outside of Germany. We played an European tour 2015 and we are dreaming for touring in South America. That´s why we use English lyrics.

For an underground band like us it´s very hard to reach more people. You have to play as much shows as you can, but it´s also difficult to get a lot of shows and without a bigger band there is most a less audience.

So please go out and visit more underground concerts! There are a lot of cool underground bands out there.

What would be the best compliment you would like to ever get from a Metalhead?

The best compliment for us is, when a Metalhead spend us a beer after a show and bought our album.

As an underground band, do you think the public still has thirst for discovering new bands? Or is there less and less audience at gigs nowadays, in contradiction April with the bigger and bigger audience of the major festivals in Europe?

Where does the band name come from? Were there any other options at that time?

The band name came up pretty spontaneously when we simply swapped the word "mendes" to "midnight" in the name of the 80s group "Mendes Prey". Pretty stupid right? I guess we just thought it sounded badass and so it stuck.

I feel the band name, the music and band image, all closely connected to the '80's. How come this fascination for those years, you seem to be too young to have lived them in full?

Of course the 80s are a very big influence. We feel at home in all kinds of older rock music but of course we all have a slightly different taste of music. I can say that we are pretty open minded and don't think too much in genres. Fuck people who try to categorize everything. If we like it, we listen to it and maybe it will somehow influence us. are

The band has always been a trio? Where did you guys meet and what keeps you together up to this point?

We met at the age of 15-17. Hannes and Friesen, our Drummer and Bass Player, knew each other before and also played together while I was only playing the drums in several bands which never had gigs. We didn't know to that point that there's other people who listen to the music that we liked or that there's even a scene for it. Alcohol also played a big role in the story of our friendship. We started rehearsing with another guitarist with me on the vocals only but the first gig was already as a trio and I took over the guitar.

Midnight Prey was born.

2017

Tell us about your lyrics, do you approach topics with deep meanings or actually rely on fiction?

Fiction can also have deep meanings.

Our lyrics have nothing to do with everyday life but you can always interpret it the way you feel it or it touches you. I just write down what I think could transport a certain feeling to the listener.

How important are guitar solos for a band like Midnight Prey? What do you like the most in the genre you play?

Guitar solos are not necessary but can always happen. They are becoming more important the last time. But still we don't play solos only to have one in the song but it doesn't even fit in.

It's already 5 years since your foundation, any plans for a debut full-length album? What we like about Midnight Prey music is that we can do whatever we want. It's wild, Yes. We want our next release to be a full length. We never set ourselves under pressure it's loud and hard. when it comes to releases to keep quality first. And also we are a drunk a lot which slows down certain processes of productivity.

How much Punk is still linked to Rock and Metal nowadays?

Punk left it's footprints in many things that came afterwards. Of course many Heavy Your collaboration with MetalPunxRex seems to be pretty stable, are you going to Metal Bands from the 70s until today are hugely influenced by the Punk Rock era as well as the other way around. I don't know why there should be a fixed border between continue working together?

It has always been great with MetalPunxRex and we are very thankful that there are ''Metal'' and ''Punk'' or music styles in general. people like Matze, crazy enough to bring us out and support us. This is the real spirit.

Are we going to keep working together? Why not if everything fits, but of course we do May 2017 what's the best for Midnight Prey.

Judging by the fact your 2015 EP Predator is your debut and only release so far one could say Spydor is a young band, but you're actually together since 2011. How come you're not more productive?

OK, to the point! We all met after 10 years and this time we all have jobs, many of us have a family, and there`s not so much time to meet to rehearsal, sad but true.! We are also no longer 15 years old. But the good thing about it is when we meet, there`s always coming EVIL out there.

Why the name Spydor for the band, who came up with this moniker?

Well! It should be called Spider, but that already existed, so we decided to use this spelling! By the way, there was a crazy toy from the eighties ;) !

Do you have any plans of a full-length album for the near future? Any new tracks already done and ready to be recorded?

Oh yeah, we have plans to record a Longplayer. The songs are locked and loaded to be recorded.

Do you think the band is something serious, do you have big plans for it, or rather a method of discharge for your daily life stress? Or both?

I think both, as I said earlier. Making music is the greatest thing in the world. What will come, that comes!

At the end, I`d like to say some words! First of all, thank´s to Adrian and the Slowly We Rot for make this interview possible, thank you guys and girls!!! Greetz and Hails to all readers and HEADBANGERS from HELL!!!

May 2017

How hard is it for a young German band to break through the underground of underground in Germany, to turn a few heads and start getting a bit of recognition? Do you think you achieved that? By the way, what do you aim for with the band?

A few of us have been making music since the 90`s! I think it was easier then to find recognition in the German underground! Today there are much more bands and it is harder to achieve a certain degree of recognition! I think we have made a name for ourselves in the area and we are working to increase the enviroment. Actually we aim for. To give more concerts, to play in clubs or on festivals, to make Metal, and simply, to have a lot of fucking fun.

What bands would you say influenced Spydor the most until now? How would you describe your music?

WOW!! Which bands influence Spydor? Good question..., this will be a damn long list. I don`t know. I think the 80`s and 90`s Thrash and Heavymetal Bands.

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also has killer vocals. As for the eyes, most predators have an alluring feature to get your defenses down haha We actually wrote origin stories for each of the killers in the band on this album. The Butcher of Smithfield is about the Faceless Killer who supplied human meat which killed to order for his dad to sell in the family butcher shop. We also have Her Krauss, Arzt Des Toddes which is about bassist and his medical experiments. The Story Of T tells the origin of Tarquin and of course the title track is about Beryl. Her story is that she was raised with abusive parents who pimped her out to her friends, one night a visitor came to the family house (Bertrand an original member of BTK) for some fun and games with ma and pa, Beryl watches the whole thing and rather being repulsed sees this as a chance to get her revenge and joins in on the snuff games torturing and murdering her parents. She then goes with Bertrand and he raises her to be the perfect monster she is.

There are no songs on this album about or influenced by real killers.

You're from England however the band is named after an American serial killer, Dennis Rader, haven't you found a correspondent serial killer in the UK, or never thought of it this way?

Who are the sickest serial killers in UK history?

Although our name is inspired by BTK it also stands for Basement Torture Killings. We decided on that we didn't just want to be known as BTK but we liked the initials.

Obviously I am also fascinated with the BTK case, although I am also interested in many different serial killers regardless of where they are from. I don't admire them or anything like that its just I find it really interesting that people can behave that way, I guess I don't understand it so that makes me want to learn about it. But there are a number of depraved killers from the UK who give their American counterparts a run for the money. Of course we have Peter Sutcliffe The Yorkshire Ripper, Fred and Rose West, Dennis Nilsen and of course today it has been on the news that Ian Brady died today who was responsible alongside his partner Myra Hindley for what is known here as the Moors Murders.

I think it is true that American killers are a little more known but I don't think it makes them any worse than killers from other countries. You ask who are the sickest and I think that you really have to look hard to find a pair of individuals more depraved than Fred and Rose West. If you have ever looked into the case the whole thing is really fucked up. I haven't got time to go into details now but I read that with one of their victims they hacked out her knee caps whilst in the basement so that she could not escape. They figured if she had no knees she wouldn't be able go anywhere so didn't even bother tying her up etc. Really sick stuff, but also as I said earlier fascinating,

I have to congratulate you for the guitar solos, I love them, they remind me of the '90's Death Metal scene. What inspired you when creating this new album? What are the improvements from your previous release?

Thanks for the compliment on the solos. I am from that generation and I very much enjoy the old school solos, I'm not so much of a fan of the more modern death metal lead style as I prefer things a little bit more chaotic. I think the songs are much stronger on this release and have a bit more groove to them as well as incorporating more thrash and black metal elements. I know everyone always says that this is the best album but I think with us it is true. Also this is the first release to have acoustic drums, on the first album they were programmed and on the second one they were played but on an electronic kit. I think that this really helps with the sound of the album.

How happy are you of the final material of this new album? What are its highlights, why should we give it a chance?

I’m really happy with the album, I think overall the songs are really strong. I guess if you ask for favorites then for me I would say The Rat Catcher, Story Of T and There's Something About Beryl. Although there are elements in all of the songs that I am really proud of. As for why people should give it a chance I would say because it is a savage album that fans of old school gore grind will really enjoy. It’s a very intense record but it does not rely solely on brutality. To me it sounds different to a lot of other releases that are out at the moment. Also if you don't give it a chance there is always the possibility you will end up in a basement with multiple instruments of torture and murder being used on you.

Where from this fascination for gore, snuff and murder? Death and Grind are perfect music genres to dissect such topics, and the fans know what to expect and how to deal with such lyrics, but do you think a Pop artist, or a Jazz artist would have any chance singing about similar topics?

Well I guess the influences on the band are obviously my interest in serial killers but also horror movies and other gore and death bands. I’ve always loved horror movies and so it just seemed natural when we started the band to base our lyrical content and aesthetic around this horrible world of snuff. The actual lyrics aren't about real serial killers, bands like Macabre do that so much better than we ever could. Instead we create gory horror stories and tell them within the songs. We have created a couple of songs in the past where we invented crimes that could have been committed by real serial killers but never about the actual crimes.

You are right though that this genre does make it easy to write stuff like this. But I think it can be done in other genres as well. I mean right now I am listening to Murder Ballads by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds which is entirely about murder. I don't know if you have heard it but it is a very dark album and very bleak. I know that there are a lot of country songs that are about this topic as well, I guess you could even include the Macabre Minstrels release that was done some years ago.

You're still on Grindscene Records, I guess it must be a good collaboration for both parties, right?

We are really happy with Grindscene records, they are a small label that they have done all that they can to support us and work hard. So with this album I did not even begin to look for an alternative. For me unless we are going to move to a much bigger label then I am happy to stay where we are. They have been very loyal to us and so in return we are loyal to them.

Your music goes hand in hand with your lyrics and your band image, which makes you credible I think. What else would you like to incorporate in order to be even more convincing? Any plans for a snuff-like video for one of your tracks?

Well we are really working on our stage show at the moment, we have recently come across a really talented special effects guy in London called Martin Younge who has built us a back drop and some other stuff. It looks like our name has been carved into human skin, its very cool and very dark. I’m currently in the process of working with him on building some more stuff. Beryl is also trying some different things as well, such as throwing intestines and things into the audience.

As for videos we are going to do a new one soon, although I couldn't tell you for which song. We are still quite a small band really so we have to consider budget and what we can afford. This means we have to be sensible and really think through what we can do so that we can get the maximum impact with anything we do. If money was no object

There's something About Beryl is just out on Grindscene Records, please tell us about its conception and recording processes. have you planned it to be released for your 10th anniversary or it just happened?

Well this is the first release that we have done with our newish line up of Beryl, Tarquin (original member), Dr Krauss and The Faceless Killer. It wasn't intentional that it was out on our 10th anniversary but I think that it is good that it has. It’s the start of a new decade for us and I think that we are starting it with a really strong album.

The writing process started about 2 years ago and we started recording last summer. We took our time and did it over a number of weekends so we could get it sounding just right. It was also less impact with work and things doing it this way. The release was mixed and mastered by Ivy Skuratov of Death Culture Studios in Russia. He was recommended to us by the guys in Grunt and I think he did a fantastic job with the mix and mastering, to my ears it is very old school but still fresh.

By the way, what's with Beryl (by the way, tell her she has beautiful eyes, wink, wink), what's her story, what inspired the album title? Are there any more stories about serial killers on this one? I think at least The Butcher of Smithfield must be one of them.

Well when we were looking for a new singer Beryl was our first choice. We knew her for a long time and had played with her other band. She came down and rehearsed with us and before we knew it we were doing shows together and it went from there. We had a bad experience with the previous singer so it was important that we got the right person this time. The great thing is that she is very into pushing the boundaries of what we do visually so has brought lots to our stage show. She

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then I would love to make videos for all of the songs and use someone like the guys from Toetag pictures to do it and stuff. I also think the origin stories would work as a comic or graphic novel but again we aren't able to do that at the moment. But maybe in the future who knows.

Whatever we do we try to make it as high quality as possible, like the recent lyric video for The Rat Catcher.

Paedophilia and that's not something I really want to sing about. There have been a few other instances here and there but nothing to bad really. I think most people understand that this is for fun and not real. But as our profile is getting bigger you never know what’s going to happen haha.

Are there any other bands like yours in the UK? You're all also playing in other bands, but is BTK the main one? How serious is this project?

I’m not aware of any other bands that are based solely about murder and snuff but there are a lot of good bands here. Some of them are Foetal Juice, Strangle Wire, Necrosis, Party Cannon, Scordatura, Desecration, Crepitation, Colpocleisis and Black Skies Burn are also starting to get out and do a lot of shows. Overall the scene here is health band wise it’s just everyone that goes to shows seem to be in bands.

As for us our bass player is in a band called Casket Feeder, our drummer plays in a tech band Anakim and our singer is also in Crepitation. I am also a member of Thus Defiled, although we are not very active at the moment. For me BTK is my main project. I have considered doing a side project but it comes down to the age old problem of time.

How's your live activity lately? What are the plans of presenting the new album live? Maybe Summer festivals, or even a tour outside UK, too?

We've actually done quite a lot of shows this year already. This weekend just past we played Incineration Fest in London with Sodom, Samael, 1349, Deranged and many others. It’s as a really awesome show and probably one of the best we have played. We have also been to the Czech Republic for Guttural Gore Grind Mafia festival as well as do a tour of Scotland and Ireland. We have some more good shows lined up as well so we are playing in Poland with Dead Infection and Rotten Sound in June, Portugal in July at XXXicken fest which has loads of awesome bands. Later in the year we have shows in Belgium and a few others we are still working on. We are really focused on getting to play as many countries as possible. We also had an anniversary show earlier this year with General Surgery and others which was really great.

Thanks for your time, the last words are yours!

Firstly thank you for the interview and the exposure of our crimes. If your readers want to check out more, then they can go to our Bandcamp or Facebook and find out all things BTK. Lastly remember sometimes the monsters in the closet are real ..........

Ever had any deranged fans or haters experience so far? Maybe someone who took your music too "a la carte"? Any scary situations you've ever been as a band?

Well we have had a few crazy people around Beryl, just guys that think its ok to grab her or just be idiots. Other than that it’s not been too bad. I had someone email me once saying they had written some lyrics for us, when I checked them out they were about

May 2017

that band a lot and still haven’t looked up what the songs are about. And at this point I really don’t care either. It just sounds good the way it is.

I think the same is with us. If you like the way it is, then that’s it. We also have all the lyrics translated on the CD’s booklet so non-Estonian speakers can read them and get the idea.

Hi Rasmus, you're in the band since 2013, but the band has been around since 2004, and I guess a pretty important name in the Estonian Extreme Metal scene.

How come have you joined them? Were you already a fan of their work? How easily were you accepted among the ranks?

Hey. Well actually it’s a rather odd story how I joined Goresoerd. Before me, my dad was playing the guitar in the band, so I already knew the guys and also worked as a stagehand for them for some shows. Somewhere in March or April in 2013, when the previous record “Asylum” had been finished, my dad came to me and asked how would I feel about taking over his duties in the band. Since I had no active band anyway at that time I didn’t even hesitate with the answer.

So yeah, it can be said I was already a fan of their work and there was also no trial for me when I joined…at least it felt that way for me.

The end of 2016 brought your 4th studio album, what's new on it? What's the difference between this new one and the previous? Tell us a few highlights about this album, why should we give it at least a spin?

New songs of course. But the main difference between “Antikeha” and previous albums is the maturity. For us at least. There are more melodic vocals on it and the whole process of making the record was more thought-out. Previous albums we’re basically made up in the studio, but this time we knew what songs we’re going to record and how.

I think you should definitely check out the album if you like a bit different approach on metal music. Tracks “Põhjast”, “Raamat” and “Valudes” for example. If you want to understand lyrics also then check out our Bandcamp page for translations.

Tell us about its title and cover artwork.

“Antikeha” in English is “Antibody”. And antibodies as we know neutralise pathogens such as bacteria and viruses in our bodies. But since the whole lyrical theme of the album is being sick, paralysed and self-destructive then we gave it our twist and the artwork symbolises “death in a pill”. So the cure is death to these situations to put it simple. Like a mercy shot…

The band seems to work really professional, investing a lot in their material (especially the music videos), is that true? What's your status in the local scene?

Do you feel you're respected as much as you'd like to?

Yes, we always try to take the most out of everything that we are doing - videos, live shows etc. That way we can keep on evolving and put out quality experiences for ourselves and everybody else.

I think we’re in a pretty good spot in the local scene since there are not much bands alike us, if at all. Therefore we get as much recognition as possible considering our position I think. You can always want more, but at the moment it’s all good.

The band has a lot of music videos, what's your fave? How important are videos for a band nowadays? How would the perfect video look like?

“Neetud” from the last album is definitely something to remember. The whole process was very organic and fun.

I think it’s crucial to put out music videos these days. In all this social media noise videos tend to get more attention. Also it gives a better visual overview of the band than just some random link to a song.

Perfect video? Hard to say. Maybe something like He-Man “Heyeaye”

How many fans usually turn out at a Goresoerd gig? Do you have regulars that you already know and befriended in the meantime? How does a Goresoerd gig looks like, do you use blood during live shows, too, or only in photos/videos?

Well the amount of people at a show depends a lot on what’s going on around. I wouldn’t really look at the numbers. For us the impact and chemistry with the audience is more important. And yes, we have quite a few regulars who we already know and are always happy to see.

A standard Goresord gig includes the blood and a lot of moving on the stage. Everything else that might happen, like slipping of the stage, is purely spontaneous.

May 2017

Your music is really catchy and modern sounding but without irritating an old-school Death or Grind fanatic, at least you didn't irritate me at all, on the contrary. What's the main purpose for your music, why have you started playing this music and why are you playing it now?

I think the main purpose for any band or musician is to just play and create the music they want and feel like while not really giving a shit what others think. At least that’s what we are doing and that’s the only reason why we sound like this.

Have you played abroad, too? Your lyrics are in native tongue, how are foreigners reacting to it?

Why have you chosen Estonian as language for your lyrics? What do they talk about?

We have played abroad numerous times yes. The last abroad shows were with Napalm Death in April when we opened up for them in Lithuania, Latvia and in Estonia.

What comes to lyrics, then as far as we have experienced it really doesn’t matter in what language it is. A good example is Kvelertak. I have listened to

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Reviews – Reviews – Reviews – Reviews – Reviews 1000DEAD (Greece) - 1000Dead Metal Scrap - 2017 - Thrash Old-school Thrash Metal followers will disagree with me labeling this as Thrash, but the truth is Thrash Metal is the most obvious genre acting like a backbone on the construction that this Greek combo propose us on their debut album. But yes, labeling it simply as Thrash doesn't do it justice, we get here all sort of harmonies from genres like Death Metal, Alternative, Groove Metal, Hardcore and even Grindcore, and their label, Metal Scrap, recommends it for fans of Hatebreed, Lamb of God, and The Dillinger Escape Plan, so you can imagine the conglomerate of influences 1000Dead managed to squeeze into this debut album. The overall impression is we're dealing with a highly energetic band open to whatever elements they like from wherever, being blessed with good skills when it comes to handling their instruments, and a serious appetite when it comes to composing stuff, and here comes the best feature in their music in my opinion: all tracks are complex, varied and in most parts avoid any overly used repetition so you'll be sure to avoid boredom.

The Hardcore/Thrash/Metalcore type of screamed vocals won't fit to everyone's taste (mine included, to be honest), but this is just a matter of taste, the guy really spits his lungs out throughout the whole album. The CD comes with 8 pages booklet featuring all hateful and rebellious lyrics, enjoy! 8 ADVERSUM (Germany) - In the Sign of Satan Inferna Profundus - 2016 - Black Another cold, icy full-length to balance the hot Summer we had this year, In the Sign of Satan, Adversum's debut album is a pretty straight-forward assault, an ode to what these guys believe in the most, Satan.

The lyrical part of this album seems to be their strongest element at first sight, and most of the concept and music here seems to have been imagined and composed by S. who is handling vocals, guitars and bass lines as well, having MDB as second permanent member on drums and N. as session keyboard player, so in fact maybe S. is the one who's more into the Satanism after all. Anyway, the music is as well pretty straight to your face traditional Black Metal, mostly mid-paced rhythmed, without any gimmicks, even the keyboards are rare and not inflicting any "weak" atmospheres to the whole so it all sounds fierce, mysterious and serious. I guess this album has the ability to meet both Raw Black Metal and Melodic Black Metal fans' tastes and as a debut album it sounds convincing, especially on concept level (I'm curious what's the idea behind the cover artwork and what's the link between it and the music). What it lacks are the surprises, some elements to impress, to capture the listener and stick to its mind, maybe the future will bring some of that too. The CD comes with 8 pages booklet

featuring lyrics. 7.5 ADX (France) - Non Serviam Anvil Corp. - 2016 - Heavy With three of the founding members still in the band and two new ones that were probably not even born when the band started its journey, ADX continues to offer classy and high quality Heavy Metal to their fans since 1982, now releasing their 10th full-length work to date. 11 tracks, 48 minutes of fantastic Heavy Metal specially composed for the band's French speaking followers but not only. I have to admit I wasn't familiar with the band prior to this but checking their discography I see their 1990 album Weird Visions was released

by Noise Records (high profile label of the times) and was probably the band's closest peak to the mainstream or at least to the tops of the genre, and apart that they were not that stable, changing labels with each new release, probably a reason for their low profile (at least outside France). But getting back to this album, I'd say its complexity and maturity are the only features that hint to the band's experience, the rest sounding so energetic and hungry for success that you get the impression of a young and fresh outfit. The production is absolutely top-notch, the vocals are unique and memorable although not particularly impressive, the guitar work is amazing (damn, those riffs are so slick you won't get enough of them, not to mention the genre-defining leads and solos that blew my mind!), the rhythm section is precise like a Swiss clock, and all in all the band sounds tight and experienced, I have no real complaints except for maybe a couple of tracks that are not as good as the others, but all in all Non Serviam is great, I can't believe it comes from a band that was formed 30+ years ago. If you think a French sung modern Accept-like Heavy Metal band would make your day ADX is the perfect choice, no doubts. 9 AEDH (Canada) - Au-delà des cendres Werewolf / Dying Sun - 2016 - Black Debut full-length album from this oneman band from Canada, Au-delà des cendres is made of only 4 tracks but clocks 40 minutes of playing time. Black Metal highlighted by atmospheric and expressive guitar riffs, distant screams and synthetic drums; not sure if all in all I'm convinced by this album, it seems the tracks are stretched more than they should, I mean the overall impression is Dubthach MacLugh wanted to release an album at any costs and stretched these 4 tracks as much as possible in order to reach a "normal" duration for a full-length. The guitar work is the best feature inhere, a couple of layers of atmospheric and expressive guitar riffs that could have done better if not repeated so darn much.

The vocals are incomprehensive so they serve only as desperate screams but don't actually give a direction to the feelings this music transmits. The drums are quite simple and their sound is a bit too thin so that in the end they sound synthetic and bring no additional feelings to the whole,

they even sound annoying at times, and at others (during the fast Black Metal outbursts) are quite ok, supportive and aggressive as they should be. If you're into Atmospheric Black Metal give this a try, maybe you'll enjoy it, as for me I find it a bit too average, sorry. 6 AETERNUS PROPHET (Ukraine) Exclusion Of Non-Dominated Material Metal Scrap - 2016 - Death Second full-length album from this Ukrainian band founded in 2010; 4 years apart from their debut album, this new one offers 10 tracks in a bit over 50 minutes of playing time. Their music as described by the label, is old-school raw Black Death Metal a la Novembers Doom, Rotting Christ, Sceptic Flesh, Belphegor, and Behemoth, but unfortunately this is far, far from the mentioned bands in terms of both composition and intensity. Aeternus Prophet's music is mostly slow to midpaced, almost lazy sounding I might say, with an acute lack of brutality in it, maybe except for the vicious vocals but that's not enough to make it a successful Extreme Metal material. I've listened to a couple of tracks from their debut album, too, in order to compare them, and indeed, the band progressed, it's more credible and intense now, but not enough to impress nowadays when the above-mentioned bands are continuously struggling to reach new and new levels of brutality and technicality. All lyrics are in their native tongue, so for countrymates they could be a good addition to the whole (if they are interesting enough), but for the rest I don't think this album will make any difference at all. Sorry, it sounds too stale even for an Old-School Extreme Metal release, I wouldn't have been mad about it in the '90's either... 6 AGGRESSIVE MUTILATOR (Sweden) - Kill a Million Independent - 2015 - Punk Thrash Black Wow, this must be one of the most primitive and catchy bands I've heard lately, two guys from Sweden delivering what could be described as a mix of Punk, Thrash Metal and Black Metal, and what I have here is a 3 tracks demo, one of the 3 demos they released during 2015. The band was formed in 2012 and released their first album 2 years later; before and after their debut they also released a lot of demos so this is a really old-school minded band, doing this like they were used to be done 20-30 years ago. This one has, indeed, a thin sound, rehearsal-like, but it's good enough not to hide any instrument (well, maybe some of the bass lines only) and annoy you, but the simple and highly aggressive compositions are the highlight of this demo and what ultimately everyone should be after when buying any release. Three tracks, well under 10 minutes in total duration, midtempo to fast paced Punk Thrash Black Metal released on tape. 7 AKSAYA (France) - Kepler Satanath / More Hate / The Ritual - 2016 -

Black Death Aksaya's second full-length album comes only 1 year after the release of their debut opus, and here we get 8 new tracks clocking almost 40 minutes of playing time. I have to be honest and admit that at first I was a bit disappointed because the cover and booklet artwork suggested something and the music delivered something totally different, namely I was expecting something futuristic, with loads of sci-fi, synth-based, avantgarde elements, but Aksaya's music on this new album is actually quite direct and unpolished I'd say, an aggressive Black Metal with Death Metal influences; primitive would be too harsh a word for this, but compared to what I was expecting when browsing the booklet what I got to listen is totally primitive and way more brutal than expected. Then I got over my first impression and actually discovered a tight but still aired material, well structured, open to slight influences from other "non-metal" styles, too, made by a band that seems to take all its time to build something different, and after a few spins I tend to believe with this album Aksaya started to build something of their own, to build an own road and identity and this is very exciting. All in all I have deeply enjoyed the album and recommend it to you, too; and once again kids, don't judge a book by its cover like I often do. 8.5 ANCIENT OBSCURITY (Finland) Luonnon loputon laulu Wolfspell - 2016 - Black Offering some original shit in the nowadays Black Metal scene seems almost impossible nowadays and yet this one-man project from Finland is doing just that! I mean who would have even thought Black Metal can be crafted on Punk/Grunge-sounding guitars, too? Not me, that's for sure, and I have to admit at first this sounded at least strange to me, not to say repulsive, but after a while I got used to this weird guitar tone and got to really get into this guy's compositions; the 7 tracks featured here are a combination of '90's Traditional Black Metal with the typical Melodic type of Finnish Black Metal, with some Melodic Rock/Metal rhythms thrown here and there giving the whole a strange wibe, a certain je-ne-saisquoi making this a very interesting material. You should try it only if you're used to organic, almost sloppy sounding demos as this one has a demo sound to it, not polished, emanating an almost bohemian atmosphere, think of a Grunge rocker playing Black Metal in his own style, angry, depressive, and drunk as fuck, in the night's cold and mystery... pretty cool, right? Well, if it sounds cool to you just give this a spin. 8 ANTICIPATE / PANDEMIC GENOCIDE (Poland / Poland) Nightmareland Putrid Cult - 2015 - Death Grind / Death Brutal split between two veteran bands from the Polish scene: Anticipate are way over the 2 decades milestone, and

ACHIOTE (Finland) - Loneliness of Endless Days VR Label - 2017 - Psychedelic Melodic Maybe calling it Psychedelic is a bit too much, but the new Achiote album (their second) is a massive step towards the '70's Psychedelic Rock, or at least is a lot more influenced by it that their previous work, and it sounds killer, this direction might be just what they needed in order to come up with an own path and not just follow but also develop it in the future, or at least I really hope so as I have enjoyed the new album at least how much I did their debut one. The vocals of Janne seem to be pretty limited, not bad sounding but limited in terms of versatility, and they seem to have noticed it, too, so they've added female vocals as support here and there, and the combination is a winner again. The instrumental part is blending simple, direct phases with intricate, progressive ones keeping a certain unexpected element intact throughout the whole album, from the 10 tracks featured here some are challenging, some other are simply catchy. I liked this band from the first time I've heard them, but now with this emphasis on the organ/synth atmospheres it starts to become a genious band for my taste, si I hope you'll spare 45 minutes of your time and give this album a chance, don't just listen to one track, the whole is much, much more offering. 9.5

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Pandemic Genocide are active since 2003, but unfortunately their activity wasn't so intense as for example Parricide's, so they are not that known on the scene, or at least for me this is my first encounter with their music.

Anticipate opens the split with 8 short tracks, 7 own compositions and a cover of Blood's Positional Warfare. My biggest complaint is with the synthetic drums sound, but I can get over it as the music is quite catchy, old-school Death Grind with catchy rhythms and guitar riffs, oppressive bass lines and guttural, inhuman vocals.

Somehow it reminds me of one of my fave bands in this genre, Czech based Pigsty.

The compositions are not varied enough to offer exciting elements, and the cool movie cuts here and there are not enough either, but as I said earlier, their side is pretty entertaining, fans of the genre will appreciate it.

Pandemic Genocide are a duo playing quite primitive Thrash Death Metal with Satanic topics, highlighted by vicious vocals that range between evil shrieks and growls but keep it all quite comprehensive, fast and furious rhythm section, and simple riffing influenced by the initial stages of the scene, back in the '80's. The surprising element comes in form of a church-like organ that gives a more blasphemous atmosphere to the whole although (unfortunately) only briefly used, but the compositions are less varied as I would have liked them. The production is more fit to a demo, raw and organic, without too much intervention, but all in all it's a good support for this music.

As you might have guessed this is recommended to old-schoolers only, probably some of you already know the two bands and will know what to expect from it. The CD comes with a simple 4 pages booklet which I would have liked to feature the lyrics as well, or have a better cover artwork for what it matters. 7 / 6.5 ARATRON (Holland) - Darkness is Coming Independent - 2016 - Black Death Debut album from Aratron, 8 tracks in almost 40 minutes of playing time. Since y last meeting with this band's music it seems it became a one-man project of Maurice Sas, with three other musicians helping him out in studio and live as session musicians, so by all counts we're dealing with a one man show on this debut album. And since Maurice is basically a bass player that becomes pretty obvious when you start listening to this album as it starts with a bass solo intro that reminded me of Paul Speckman's solo on Master's debut from 1990, and the bass lines are damn incisive and important to the whole equation here, increasing the intensity and heaviness of the compositions. Despite the music being advertised as Thrash Death Metal, I'd say what we get here is a combination of Black Metal and Death Metal tracks, with some leaning more on the Black side and others on the Death side, but all of them keeping the same level of intensity and anger throughout the whole album. It sounds and feels totally old-school, with a energetic Punk feeling

at times, or an ugly, sloppy Doom Death atmosphere at other, enhanced by a oppressive and organic production.

Interesting album fans of old-school fast paced Extreme Metal will appreciate; comes with an 8 pages booklet featuring all lyrics. 7.5 ARKANA CODE (Italy) - Brutal Conflict Metal Scrap - 2017 - Death If there's such a thing like Old School Technical Progressive Death Metal, Arkana Code fits right in it with this debut full-length album finally released 9 years after the band's foundation. Except for Paolo Ponzi, guitarist and band leader, all other 4 members are quite new, joining the band starting 2014; I'm not even sure this album was recorded in a full line-up to be honest, I'd rather say it's a one man work as there's no mention about the line-up in the CD booklet, but I could be wrong, of course. The important thing is the band has a full line-up now and they seem to be active live as well, so maybe this debut gave them the push they needed to take things seriously. As I was saying, I'd fit this into a Progressive Technical Death Metal a la '80's or '90's at most, it has the same patterns used by bands like Death, Atheist, Carcass, Pestilence or their countrymen Sadist back in the days, maybe with a bit of an influence from the later spawned US Brutal Death Metal, with compositions built around a whirlwind of technical guitar work and highlighted by a dual vocal segment, a main growling vocala and a shrieking one that actually reminded me mostly of Sadist. At first audition, it might seem a bit dull and not up to par with what's happening nowadays in this genre, but give it a few more spins and it will grow on you while revealing all sort of interesting elements with each new listen.

The lyrical concept behind it is a very interesting one, too, but the cover and booklet artwork adds nothing positive to the whole. All in all, a good debut, hope it's not also a swan song... 7 ARS VENEFICIUM (Belgium) - The Reign of the Infernal King Immortal Frost - 2016 - Black Immortal Frost is slowly but surely blooming into one hell of a serious Black Metal label, and here's one of their bands that has grown beside it, starting with their (the band's) debut EP, The Abyss, in 2014.

Now it was time for a full-length assault from Ars Veneficium and The Reign of the Infernal King doesn't disappoint expectations; 9 tracks, a bit over 40 minutes of playing time, a traditional, fast paced, melodic at times, opressive type of Black Metal that mostly reminded me of the Marduk legacy, and Marduk being one of my faves you can easily guess I love this album as well. After more than 5 auditions I can clearly say this is one hell of a serious Black Metal album, complete with everything we're used to from the Scandinavian assault of the end of the '90's: fast rhythms, devastating bastbeats and a severe wall of expressive guitar riffs, upfront bass lines and ferocious vocals (I would have liked them to be a bit

more versatile though), spiced here and there by melodic leads that only enhance the epic atmospheres without stealing anything from the album's overall imposing atmosphere. Fast, skillful and venomous, a highly promising debut album from Belgium. Released as CD with 16 pages booklet complete with lyrics and artwork that reminds of Medieval witchcraft times. 8 ASGRAUW (Holland) - Krater Hidden Marly - 2016 - Black Dutch Asgrauw impressed me pretty much a couple of years ago when I reviewed their debut album, at the time Independent, so a followup opus is a real treat for me Today. 10 tracks, 43 minutes of playing time; traditional, second wave of Norwegian Black Metal - inspired, fierce, piercing, evil and misanthropic but at the same time technical, atmospheric and melodic at times, a perfect treat not only for me, but for all nostalgics of early Emperor or Ulver for example. The drumming is excellent, ranging from fullon intense blastbeats to complex structures, the vocals are not as versatile as to impress but definitely well delivered, with anger, disgust, yet being comprehensive and precise, the guitar work is stunning, comming up with a high dose of traditional but extremely well thought guitar riffs, and last but not least the bass lines are mostly subtle and well supportive, but also in front and leading here and there. A good dose of everything on this album, so after the audition the first word that comes to mind is balanced.

The minus for me would be the fact that after being floored by their debut I kind of expected the second one to top it but it didn't, maybe I felt it a bit too predictive and less surprising than I've expected, nonetheless Krater is another solid piece of Dutch Black Metal. 8 ASTARIUM / ANTIQUUS SCRIPTUM (Russia / Portugal) - Hymns to the Ancient Northland NitroAtmosfericum - 2016 - Dark Ambient I have mixed feelings about this release, one one hand I find it useless and actually a bit negative impacting for bands to rerelease their previous works in an already overcrowded scene, and both projects on this release did this, compiled a mix of old or new but recently released tracks, and on the other hand I quite like the concept of this split, a Dark Ambient homage to cold and Winter and probably to their Scandinavian Metal idols, too (Burzum and Bathory come to mind at first, of course). So, both bands left aside their Black Metal (in Astarium's case) and Viking Black Metal (in Antiquus Scriptum's case) sides and offered only mellow, Dark Ambient tracks that actually blend it well together and are pretty expressive, if you give them a chance you can easily have your mind transported to different places in time and space. Getting back to things I don't like I would mention the pictures of the two masterminds, SiN from Astarium and Sacerdos Magus from Antiquus Scriptum, in day by day clothes, nothing to do with the atmospheres they

ARCHETYPE (Canada) - Mission Independent - 2016 - Progressive Thrash Death The CD booklet has a special way of listing tracks: instead of featuring the lyrics, each track is coupled with the band's thoughts on it, which is excellent in my opinion, for the French speaking listeners, as everything is in French here except for the tracks lyrics, isn't this ironic? The opening track, Welcome, comes with a phrase that is now stuck to my mind: Welcome is a promise that we will do something that wasn't supposed to be done. This little teaser actually made me very interested and alert on what's about to happen next in this album, it's so weird and fucked up, lacking of any kind of borders, that it's impossible not to stir your appetite.

The music on Archetype's debut album is a constant gushing of surprising sounds, imagine the chaos happening when a fireworks warehouse catches fire by mistake, Archetype's music is similar: guitar riffs, solos and leads springing all the time out of nowhere, an absolutely demented drumming, impressive bass lines with their own agenda, and a vicious vocalist that sounds like a mental patient in his worst day. The only problem is the rough, unpolished production simply because this chaos would have deserved better, but I can assure you it won't hurt the experience. If you think Extreme Metal gone absolutely berserk, highly technical and without limits would make your day Archetype's debut album is an absolute MUST! This is a gem! 10

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create musically, and even annoying if you think about it, I mean you manage to create such mesmerizing atmospheres and you greet your listeners in jeans and hoodie? Nah, not a good move. I would have also liked to have a story of some sort inside the booklet, something to go hand in hand with the music, something to enhance my experience... Anyway, kudos for the beautiful music, highly recommended if you have a crave for medieval and/or fantasy atmosphere but wouldn't like to watch a movie, just pop in this CD and dream on. 7 / 8 ASTARIUM (Russia) - Epoch of Tyrants More Hate - 2016 - Symphonic Black To me this might be one of the most annoying musical projects out there, and I tell you why: SiN, the man behind Astarium, might have found his own original style with this synthetic Symphonic Black Metal, and I agree with that, but it all sounds so weird, so unnatural, so forced... For those of you who don't know, Astarium sounds like Ancient, Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir decided to do a mix of their music but use it as a video game soundtrack, compete with all those midi sounds, of course. It sounds funny and has nothing to do with being menacing, terrifying or mysterious, but at the same time the ability SiN has to compose amazing, simply amazing song structures, is what annoys me the most, the guy is a brilliant composer and I think he simply has no chance finding a suitable line-up to execute all these arrangements like he wants, that's why he chose this route, an original path, for sure, but in my opinion one that doesn't exploit his composer abilities to the max. It's a paradox: I hate synthetic music, but his compositions are like glue to my ears, I'm fascinated by how his songs manage to transmit atmospheres even in such conditions. This EP is made of 5 new tracks plus 3 rerecordings of some old ones, and as usual SiN mixes the Black Metal tracks with Ambient ones. This EP has a solid concept behind it and using all sorts of war sounds it manages to create and deliver some expressive World War II stories. If you know Astarium you should know this is one of its best works to date, if you don't know this project I suggest you give it a try even if for listening something completely weird and original (Warning: you might hate it to tears, but at the same time you might be mesmerized by it as I am...). 7.5 ASTRAL WINTER (Australia) - Forest of Silence Immortal Frost - 2016 - Melodic Black 3 years distance from its previous album, Australia based one-man band Astral Winter is back with a new full-length, a 7 tracks effort clocking no less than 70 minutes of playing time; Josh Young demonstrates he's not jocking around and apparently, he takes his time to come up with new material, probably working on it until he's completely satisfied. Astral Winter's music is keyboard-driven

Melodic Black Metal with a distinct fantasy-like atmosphere surrounding it from start to finish. The keyboards are indeed very epic, very dreamy most of the times, but in fine balance with the harsh, razor-sharp guitars and Black Metal shrieks of Josh, but to be honest I find the production too synthetic for my taste. The guitar work is more complex and technical than usually in this genre leading my mind to the Swedish Black Metal bands of the end '90's, and the compositions, overall, are quite catchy and interesting, so nothing to complain about there. My only problem, as said before, is with the thin and synthetic sound, but give it a try, it's a fine and classy album that deserves a chance. 7 AUTUMN GRAVE (USA) - Forsaken by the Gods Independent - 2016 - Black For my shame and regret I have misplaced this tape and only found it now, after a few months since I received it, so my apologies are due to Troy, the guy behind this one-man project.

Autumn Grave was started at the beginning of 2008 and it took 6 years for the debut demo to be released; this is the follow-up, a 5 tracks EP independently released in 2016 on tape format. The music on it reminds me of the first attempts at introducing Epic influences in Black Metal back in the '90's, meaning slow to mid-tempo rhythms highlighted by heroic-like harmonies on guitars, not sure if this makes any sense. The production is pretty raw and it's clear Troy recorded at home, with computerized drums, but this only enhances that nostalgic '90's initial feeling. The bad part is that the compositions are a bit too simplistic for this day and age, and this EP will most likely remain unnoticed, but it's another step in this project process of probably defining its own path; there's a lot more work to do here. In the meantime, Autumn Grave released a new EP this year, check both of them out and make your own opinion on Troy's progress. A notable fact about this EP is that instead of an Intro or an Outro, it features a Midtro... first time I see this practice. 6

with. Both EPs are really enjoyable, fans of Melodic Thrash Death Metal will most definitely enjoy this new release on G.U.C., it's as organic as it is professional and has all the rage and hooks one looks for, I don't know why these guys are not better known around the World, maybe all they need is more extensive touring... (someone warn them they can lose the numbers at the end of their Facebook page URL without losing their fans and/or page, check it below how unprofessional it looks now...)

BLACK CEREMONIAL KULT / GENOCIDE BEAST (Chile / USA) Demo XXIV / Demo XXV Old Temple - 2016 - Black Death It's quite easy to figure out info on this release: split between two bestial Metal bands, in both cases now we're dealing with Black Death Metal, each band featured with a demo, from 2014 in BCK's case and a year later in GB's case, and if you look at the cover artwork you'll get we're not dealing with the most Christlover bands out there.

Opening the atrocities are Black Ceremonial Kult, an ensemble that has been around since 2014, and we get here their debut demo from the same year, 9 tracks of violent, rough, barbaric and definitely chaotic Black Death Metal with demonic growls and screams all over the place. Unfortunately, the raw sound quality made it almost impossible for me to enjoy it, I found no real artistic value in their music although I can appreciate the absolute devastation intensity and brutality, but especially nowadays when War Metal is so popular I think one can find better such Extreme Metal to enjoy.

No offense, I'm sure they'll have their cohorts of fans, but I think you have to come up with something other than good movie cuts and musical brutality to impress nowadays.

Genocide Beast's demo is from 2015 and so far the one and only official material for this US based duo. 5 short tracks (around 2 minutes each) plus an intro that sounds like a soundtrack for the end of the World, the same Black Death Metal, maybe with a heavier, more oppressive side also because of the growling-only vocals. Although offering the same amount of diversity, almost none that is, Genocide Beast is a bit less chaotic and manages to get their brutality across in a better, more direct fashion, and to me they sounded better than the Chilean demons.

Hopefully they'll add more technical stuff on their next releases.

A sick split for maniacs into Bestial Metal, War Metal, Black Death Metal, or whatever you want to call it, you get the idea. 5.5 / 6.5

length album, 10 tracks clocking a bit over 50 minutes of playing time. Let's start with the bad parts: first the cover artwork is absolutely dull, one of the dullest I've seen, nothing to entice your attention; then the production is a disaster in my opinion, the sound is grainy, fuzzy, all in all annoying, and probably I'm a bit too harsh, but for a good reason, these compositions would have deserved a way better treatment, with a proper sound at least half of the 10 tracks would have been total blasts! Well, passing over the bad sound and stale artwork, Black Cult prove to be a damn fine ensemble delivering extremely visious, demonic, venomous modern Black Metal with an attitude that reminds the nowadays Black Death mix, with highlights falling on the razor-sharp, evil Black Metal shrieks completed here and there by fantastic Power Metal-like clean vocals (not enough, I'd have wanted more of them!), and on the lead guitar that delivers some raving outbursts of long and catchy solos, but all current musicians in this band seem to have excellent skills and potential to come up with interesting compositions, so Black Cult is definitely a combo to keep an eye on. 7 BLACKCORE (Italy) - Ulfhedinn Independent - 2016 - Heavy Black Diabolical Egipan 666, the guy behind this moniker, started his journey through the Italian Black Metal scene more than 20 years ago, changing different band/project names so far, which in my opinion wasn't the best way to go so far; even this project name, BlackCore (honestly, I hate it), is now gone, and the new name is Black Shine Fever, a better, more inspired one.

Anyway, being my first meeting with his music I was misled by his promo pictures in expecting some Goth Rock out of this demo, but that wasn't the case, BlackCore (I'll refer to it this way, not with the new moniker simply because that was it conceived at first) offers a big surprise to openminded listeners, just imagine a combination of Samael, Satyricon, The Kovenant with Bathory, Venom and even fuckin' Judas Priest or Motorhead!

Complex, catchy compositions highlighted by basically no boundaries, good taste in Metal, pride and a bit of cocky attitude as well, an excellent offering. The compositions, as I said, are keeping that old-school simplicity and catchiness, but with a fresh, modern feel to them, my only complaint would be in the production area, the drum machine sounds too synthetic, too soulless for this music, a real drummer and a more professional mastering next time would do wonders I tell you. As potential BlackCore (now Black Shine Fever) is a fantastic finding, very different that what's "on the market" nowadays, with an own identity that hints at an excellent future, I only hope this musician won't change the band name again anytime soon. 7

minutes, that means either that this is a solid effort or that I'm overly impressed by this type of music, traditional, straight to your face Black Metal inspired by the '90 Norwegian scene and not only (somehow this album reminded me of the French Hirilorn and their only album, one that I still love to this day). Basically, Blakulla's new opus, its second full-length released 4 years after the debut one, is an uncompromising stab of ice-cold, fastpaced Black Metal highlighted by the drums hyper-intensity, the absolutely magnificent and clever guitar riffs that create the core of this freezing-cold atmosphere, and an organic sounding, visceral hoarse vocalist. Nothing to impress through originality or progressive / innovative ideas, not at all, but definitely a very solid traditional Black Metal album that should at least be listened to once by followers of this genre, and although the band's name might fool you into believing this is a joke, its music is far from it, quite serious stuff. 8.5 BLODORN (France) - Absolu Antinomie - 2016 - Death I definitely have a selective memory, so it was no surprise I reviewed these guys' debut demo almost 3 years ago and to me it seems like I did it just Yesterday; well, this is a lucky case when I remember a band's music so well, it doesn't always happen like this. I remember how much Blodorn's brutality impressed me back then, and luckily enough they still kept that brutality especially in the vocal sector, and kept improving in the instrumental part as well, now adding a bit more groove to their music, but the Brutal Death kind of groove, not sure if you can imagine what I'm talking about, that fast, controlled, balanced outburst of groovy rhythms. The four new compositions featured here are again top class, no doubt, but unfortunately the sound quality is awful; I usually listen to my Metal with headsets (quality headsets), and this time I tried 3 different headsets and they all delivered this music like crap so in the end I'm sure it's not me or my gear, it's a shitty mastering. If I were part of this band I'd take this recording to a real producer and ask him to work his magic; unfortunately, in this form it's almost annoying to listen to this EP. But the band is something to keep an eye on, for sure. 6

BITTERNESS (Germany) - Memories of a Dying Past G.U.C. - 2017 - Thrash Death This is not a new album from Bitterness, but actually a compilation of 2 previously BLOODGOD (Holland) - Catharsis released EPs, Marching Towards Infinity Independent - 2017 - Death from 2004 and As All Beauty Starts to Holland has a serious history of Fade... from 2007, which I have a feeling memorable Death Metal vocalists, and it were released only on 7" vinyl and are seems this new Utrecht based outfit are in now getting the CD treatment for the first to give a memorable display of vocal tones time, which is not a bad thing after all to whomever dares to listen. But the since major part of the vinyl collectors difference is all three of them have their own input on the vocal part, two of them prefer to keep their vinyls unplayed, just for simple possession. Frank's vocals, that BLACK CULT (Croatia) - Cathedral of are taking care of the growls and screams, and the third of the spoken parts, which is resemble a bit (not much though) with the Black Cult Mille's from Kreator, and the intensity of Another Side - 2016 - Black pretty cool, it makes this second EP of their something interesting and out of the the compositions, keep things balanced Founded in 2013 by two experienced between the two EPs and it almost feels Black Metal musicians from Croatia, BLAKULLA (France) - The Immortal ordinary. The music could be described as massive sounding modern Death Metal like this is actually a full-length album, Black Cult is nowadays a full line-up band Cult with plenty of groove and progressive but the 2007 had a cleaner, better consisting of 5 members, all with Lower Silesian Stronghold - 2015 - Black production, and on song structure level the considerable experience in the scene, and 7 tracks, 50 minutes of playing time and to elements thrown in all over the place. My latter had more varied tracks adding more they are presenting here their second full- me after a first spin they seemed like 20 other fave part on this release is the fact melody yet keeping things as fast and aggressive as they've used their fans AU-DESSUS (Lithuania) - End of Chapter Les Acteurs de l'Ombre - 2017 - Post Black I have to confess I started listening to this album with a serious prejudice and even adversity towards this band for the simple fact they used an underage kid for their artwork and I came to really hate this practice lately, even if it's used for art purposes, but this is just my opinion, I'll try not to affect my judgement on their music. Au-Dessus are a new band, spawned in 2014, and after a selftitled EP a year later they managed to get the attention and sign with French based Les Acteurs de l'Ombre, hence this first fruit of their collaboration. End of Chapter is made of 7 tracks (that odd enough start with track VI and end with track XII, like a continuation of their debut EP) and clocks a bit over 45 minutes of mid-tempo to fast paced Post Black Metal, oppressive as hell, atmospheric, built on a layer of good guitar riffs, complex and intense drumming and solid bass lines, and led by an almost Metalcore sounding vocalist that at times becomes extremely visceral and steals all the attention. The music grows in intensity and catchiness so that at the end of the album you can easily say you're hooked and will start playing it again, so all in all I can say these guys proved me wrong, although they look like the class' geeks they manage to produce some damn furious and intense piece of Black Metal art that will make its mark. 9.5

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that they have included a short description for each track's lyrics which makes it easier for the listener to understand and who knows, even identify oneself with them. The compositions are pretty simple in order to become semi-memorable, yet they offer a lot to chew on for fans of a more technical approach. I don't like the cover artwork that much, I think it could have been more expressive, more enticing, but apart from that I have enjoyed this new EP from Bloodgod. 8 BLOODPHEMY (Holland) - Blood Will Tell Sleaszy Rider - 2016 - Death Dutch band that was initially active between 2000 and 2003, when they also managed to release a demo, Bloodphemy got reunited in 2015 and this is the first fruit of their new collaboration, a 20 minutes EP featuring 4 new tracks and a re-recording of a track that was also featured on their debut Demo. The band plays a massive sounding, technical Death Metal that lead my mind to Morbid Angel although we're not talking about a copycat at all, and including an old track on this EP was a good choice in my opinion, it shows the difference in composition; the new tracks are more complex, more oppressive, atmospheric I'd say, with plenty of those good guitar solos that should be used more often in Death Metal.

A powerful material that clearly shows the band is ready for a debut album, album that is scheduled for release in March 2017, so it seems the band took things seriously the second time around. If you're into bands like Morbid Angel, Nile, Deicide, give this band a chance, you'll be surprised. 7.5 BLOODSHED WALHALLA (Italy) Thor FOG Foundation - 2017 - Viking 5 years distance from its previous fulllength effort, the Italian one-man band Bloodshed Walhalla returns with its third studio album made of 8 long tracks totaling a bit over 70 minutes of playing time. The Bathory and Falkenbach influences are obvious, and I would also add a bit of Amorphis here and there, so it's clear what to expect from this new album, with the mention that the tracks are mostly based on mid-tempo structures, with little to none fast and aggressive parts, and this goes for the vocals as well, which although raspy, are not aggressive at all, and if we add the epic male choirs here and there it makes this album pretty light for the ones of you (me included) who also expect some Black Metal inspired damage from this type of releases.

The guitar work level is good enough to keep things interesting, and the keyboards layers are expressive and help create this viking-like atmosphere, but again, if you're looking for something extreme or aggressive you should look elsewhere. I'm sure this will get its fair share of attention, I have no doubt about it, it's a well-done album, carefully crafted, professionally delivered, a solid display from Bloodshed Walhalla. 8 BRIARGH (Spain) - Eboros Lower Silesian Stronghold - 2015 - Pagan Black Metal I'm used to say about a Black Metal album that it lacks variety, especially now when there are so many materials released all the time, but in this case it's the contrary, Briargh's third studio album sounds like it

was composed over a large period of time (actually 2 years) and if it wasn't for the vocals that heavily lack of versatility most of the time, I would have said this is a best of compilation. 8 tracks clocking a bit over 35 minutes of playing time, delivering what could be considered Pagan Black Metal with a healthy dose of complexity and expressiveness, but a bit degraded by the raw and quite thin production. Even though the mastering is not my fave thing about this album, I'm impressed Erun (the only member of Briargh) decided to record the drums live, or at least they sound like recorded live.

The tracks are diverse one from another but overall, they lead my mind to the '90's Black Metal, or even better Medieval Black Metal scene, and there's plenty to enjoy on this album, but unfortunately they failed to "take me to their world", to involve me as much as to avoid thinking more about technical execution and composition, about details. And here I also blame the crystal clear but still unpolished production, the rough vocals that somehow don't fit with the melodic atmospheres created by the instruments, and maybe also the guest appearance of female vocals on a track, vocals that sound rather scared than melodic, not helping at all; the good thing about this is again the composition level and Erun's ability to go different places yet still delivering a final solid material. The CD comes with an 8 pages booklet featuring lyrics. 6.5 BURNT / ASTARIUM / SCOLOPENDRA CINGULATA (Russia / Russia / Kazakhstan) - Gnosis of Death Narcoleptica - 2016 - Black Three ways split from the East, offering a debut (Burnt), a new (almost periodical now) meeting (Astarium), and a band with a funny moniker (no matter what it means).

Let's start with the first, Burnt, a one-man band from Russia that doesn't offer us much on this debut release, 5 tracks of intense and aggressive Black Metal with generic (to say the most) repetitive guitar riffs, a screaming vocal that makes no sense, and an annoying drum-machine.

The only good things I found were the guitar leads on the 4th track and the semiacoustic outro of the third track, the brutal part is way too unexpressive and has nothing to be remembered by, sorry.

Astarium is a usual name here, the oneman project of SiN, who is prefacing with this split the release of his sixth album, already out this year. Symphonic and a bit depressive Black Metal led by the same synthetic keyboards that sound like guitars which by now I have to admit are the project's trademark. I have always admired SiN's capacity to come up with good compositions, and this time is no different, but I've always had a problem with the way he chooses to express these compositions, so synthetically, I guess forced by the lack of suitable musicians.

The lyrics on these 4 tracks are taken from Edgar Allan Poe's poems, too bad they are not listed in the booklet. If you can get over the computer game sound type you'll discover some interesting, fantasy-like soundscapes by Astarium.

The last three tracks are offered by the strangely named Scolopendra Cingulata (named after the centipede with the same name), a young sextet from Kazakhstan, that reminds me of the Melodic, Symphonic Black Metal bands of the end '90's - beginning of the '00's although in

this case we have a much more brutal and direct approach, a fast paced Black Metal based on a layer of generic guitar riffs, upfront bass lines, unrelenting drums and an upfront lead guitar that does a good job on both leads and solos. Their compositions are too repetitive and even minimal (refer to the second track) for my taste, but I consider this a start and would like to hear more from them. It's strange also that the keyboards are (almost) nowhere to be found on the first 2 tracks, but the ending track is a keboard-only composition, I hope they'll start working more as a band on future releases. 4 / 7 / 6 CARDIAC ARREST (USA) - Promo 2016 Independent - 2016 - Death With this one I remember the old days (until the beginning of the 2000's) when bands were still releasing and promoting promo tapes or CDs, advance recordings to gather feedback from press and shop for labels, a practice I have to say I miss nowadays. This promo CD features 3 new tracks that will be featured on Cardiac Arrest's upcoming full-length album. The band are celebrating 20 years of activity this year and I guess the target is to release this new album, their sixth, as a celebration, or at least it would be nice for them to happen that way. This promo offers 3 tracks in 15 minutes of playing time, a healthy, brutal and unrelenting dose of US style Death Metal characterized by intelligent rhythm changes, a monolithic bass line, catchy guitar riffs, precise and imposing drums and a hoarse and growling vocalist that would raise the dead. The melodic, epic guitar lead from the third track reminded me of the good old Dismember, but overall think of the Incantation path with occasional Autopsy stench.

The production is damn excellent, massive and crystal clear, perfect to the bone! Curious to see who will sign this monster of a band. 9 CHAOSBAPHOMET (Greece) Promethean Black Flame Deathrune - 2016 - Black This Greek duo has been around since 2001 but managed to record and release this debut album only now, 15 years since then, not sure for what reason, but being active in other bands, too, like Kawir or Unholy Archangel, one can only speculate. Promethean Black Flame features 7 tracks and clocks 35 minutes of playin time, a brutal and mystical display of traditional Greek Black Metal with occasional Death and Heavy Metal elements. Opening with an acoustic, slow, mysterious intro that reminded me of Indiana Jones for some reason, the album slowly progresses into a traditional Greek Black Metal highlighted by the melodic and technical guitars, oppressive atmospheres and visceral vocals (both screams and clean vocals). Fans of nowadays Black Death brutality will consider this maybe too slow building and/or even soft, but if you're into an evil, occult atmosphere you'll appreciate this.

What remained into my mind after a couple of auditions is how these guys are taking their time, the tracks are not rushing anywhere and are not rushed either, the tension in each track builds up slowly but full of evil feelings, it feels like progressing into Hell, it's only fault, in my opinion, is the lack of surprise, the lack of something to truly impress. Released by Deathrune as CD with 12 pages booklet

BIFROST (Austria) - Mana Ewah Einheit - 2016 - Pagan Black Wow, if you're familiar with this Austrian band you'll certainly agree with me that this is their absolute best effort to date, the band follows the same path as on the 2013 Tor in eine neue Welt, but the production on this new opus is a lot better, clearer, more polished and open to detail observation. Music-wise Bifrost are a melodic, technical, extremely catchy Pagan Black Metal band presenting us here 7 tracks in a bit over 40 minutes of playing time. The tracks are really catchy, full of torrents of hooks and twists to make you enjoy it over and over again, and although this album sounds lighter than the previous, I'm sure it will get the band cohotrs of new followers and who knows, maybe satisfy the old fans as well, it's not like the band got more commercial, it only got more attentive to how they deliver their work, the compositions are orbiting around the same territory. Excellent album, a must for all fans of melodic, technical, pagan, viking inspired (Black) Metal! 10

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featuring all lyrics and a memorable cover artwork I must say. 8 CHOROBA (Germany) - Integral Independent - 2017 - Melodic Black Choroba is Polish for disease, so it probably means at least one of the two members of the band is Polish by origins although they both live in Germany now; anyway, that just like a sidenote, what's more important is their music. Choroba offer us an interesting take on Black Metal, with a definite structure on traditional second wave Black Metal, but building using elements from different genres like Thrash or Death Metal, but also something close to Progressive, with plenty of infectious harmonies all over, constantly avoiding monotony and lack of focus. The addition of a female voice on 3 of the 7 tracks is an excellent touch, it's enough to make its mark on the overall outcome of this album, but also the right amount to avoid getting on the Traditional Black Metal fans' nerves. The musicians here seem to rely mostly on atmospheres, on creating and delivering dense, mysterious atmospheres, rather than trying to be the most brutal or the fastest in the scene, and actually brutal and fast are two words that won't come up very often during the audition and yet the album will still remain heavy and intense. Cool I didn't expect to like it so much but I'm impressed, Choroba is definitely a band to discover. 8.5 CLOUDS TASTE SATANIC (USA) Dawn of the Satanic Age Kinda Like Music - 2016 - Doom The New York based mysterious quartet Clouds Taste Satanic continue their journey through Doom Metal territories keeping their identity intact, meaning they are still an exclusively instrumental outfit even after 3 full-length albums and they seem to be determined to continue this way. The new album features 6 long tracks close to 40 minutes in total playing time, and basically it follows the same old-school path, slow and steady, without many artifices or surprising moments, and being based on the groovy and melodic guitar work well supported by a heavy but not invasive rhythm section; at times I honestly felt like they are aiming towards a Post-Metal side of things and that should be really an interesting direction, blending these '70's-'80's patterns with Post-Metal influences, but for the moment let's not get that excited, my overall impression is the same as before, the band is full of potential but I constantly miss a vocal at least here and there, at the moment I feel like the work is only half done... 7 COLDBORN (Belgium) - Lingering Voidwards Final Sacrifice - 2016 - Black Apparently, this project was started back in 2007 but this seems to be its first ever official release, so there's something fishy about the data I found on it. Anyway, talking about this debut album, the 5 tracks featured here in almost 50 minutes of playing time shows that Norgaath, the musician behind this moniker, has some courage and trust in his abilities, that's for sure. Unfortunately, after a few spins I can say I'm not impressed by this debut at all, it all sounds dusty and quite old, a midtempo to fast paced Black Metal

characterized by overly repetitive guitar riffs, continuous double-bass drumming, slow, semi-acoustic inserts that are quite boring to tell you the truth, and occasional atmospheric keyboards in the background.

The only element I liked on this album are the vocals, Norgaath has a sick, piercing tone quite excellent for Black Metal, reaching Maniac's (Mayhem) sonorities at times, not to mention the occasional inhuman growls he manages to deliver. To put it even shorter Coldborn's debut would have been an enjoyable piece in the '90's, but nowadays it has way too few surprises and original elements to stand up in the overcrowded scene. The production on the other side is pretty neat, not sure if the drums are recorded live but I like their sound. 6.5 DANTESCO (Puerto Rico) - Venancio Barbarian Wrath - 2015 - Heavy Doom Fifth album from Dantesco, Venancio is again released on a different label, as the band used to do until now, and through this deal with Barbarian Wrath I think Dantesco is trying to reach a different auditory then, let's say, the album released on Cruz del Sur. Anyway, we're treated here with 5 new tracks, one of them featured in two versions, and a cover of Mercyful Fate's At the Sound of the Demon Bell, for a total playing time of 40 minutes. An epic take on Heavy Doom Metal highlighted by the abrasive, almost operatic voice of Erico "La Bestia" Morales and by the high quality guitar work; I can also mention the intense, upfront mixed bass lines that add authority to the whole, and a spacey, aired drumming perfect for this kind of music.

For some reason of another, I have no idea, it didn't do much for me, din't struck a chord, but at the same time I can appreciated this is some high quality traditional Doom that fans of the genre will most likely find more interesting, especially the Spanish speaking fans, as all lyrics of this album (except for the cover version of course) are in Spanish. 8 DARKER HALF (Australia) Classified Fastball - 2016 - Heavy Power The most recent recording from these Aussie Heavy Power Metallers is this 5 tracks EP clocking almost half an hour of exquisite music, an EP highlighted again by the band's excellent technical skills. A very enjoyable half an hour, 5 compositions ranging between mid-tempo and fast paced rhythms, professional to the max, and expressive, involving also, that kind of music that makes you rise your fist (or horns) in the air and feel you're a part of a bigger, united family, the metalheads family. Not more to say about this, Darker Half are one of those bands you wonder why you haven’t heard of until now and hope they'll keep up the good work so you can get more of it; true story. 8.5 DARKER HALF (Australia) - Never Surrender Fastball - 2016 (re-release) - Heavy Power Third studio album from this Australian band founded back in 2003, one hell of a good release combining influences from both European and Amarican scenes and performed by some highly skilled musicians. Unfortunately for them I guess it's pretty rough to get out of Australia although some bands have proven the contrary. This third album was

initially released by the band themselves in 2014 but since they have signed with Fastball they decided to rerelease it to reach more people and it's well worth it, fans of Power Metal / Melodic Heavy Thrash Metal should definitely at least give it a listen. Not sure why the band decided to release this album with only 4 new tracks and the rest, 6 other, taken from the previous 2 albums, but I guess they wanted to offer a best of thing for their activity to date in order to catch some serious attention (and it worked). Heavy Power Metal with major Thrash Metal influences, a mix of Helloween, Iron Maiden, Nevermore, Metallica and especially Merciful Fate I'd say, but not a copycat for sure, a band that sounds surprisingly original and fresh, if that's even possible these days, while still building on traditional patterns. The guitar work is amazing, the vocals are really leading, the bass lines have that '80's full metallic sound, and the drums are precise and intricate although to me they sound synthetic at times, but nothing to bad mouth this band about. I also liked the addition of a '70's keyboard part combined with a Psychedelic-like guitar and Metallica sounding bass lines on As Darkness Fades track, probably my fave track on this album. 8.5 DAWNPATROL (France) - The Dawn of Steel Nuclearmageddon - 2017 - Thrash Oh man, this is a huge disappointment, at least for me... everything, the band name, the kick-ass cover artwork, the tough look of the band's members and the long, interesting lyrics listed in the booklet pointed towards a serious band that will blow my socks off, but after a first track which I thought is thrown in just for fun, to be different, the rest kept in the same manner meaning extremely minimal (not to say primitive) guitar riffs and drumming, repetitive and never surprising, with tons of unnecessary rhythm breaks and a vocal that has no charisma, no versatility and no identity whatsoever, basically a band that sounds like they just started a couple of weeks ago... I had to wait til the 7th track, Station 211, to listen to something acceptable, a furious, even brutal track that sounds close to what the band claims they play: post nuclear thrash metal, but this just to start again in the same key from track 8. Sorry but this is just not something I'd like to listen again in the future, well, except as I said, Station 211, which I'm actually listening again now and I have to admit is definitely the best on the album, hope they'll take it as a future route, too. 4 DEADLIFE (Sweden) - Porphyria Wolfspell - 2016 - Depressive Black I'm always quite reluctant to one-man bands that release tons of material over a certain (short) period of time, I always suspect they'll disappoint me, and unfortunately in this case I was right.

Deadlife is the one-man band of Rafn, also known from Gast, Hermodr or Mist, not to mention the loads of other bands and projects he was a part of in previous years, and it has released other 4 EPs and a Split beside this fourth studio album this year, and this not to mention the other releases from his other projects... It's nice he's so productive and restless, but I wonder what

fanbase he can gather for his projects, even though I'm sure he'll say he doesn't care if someone is listenting to his music or not, we all knoe this rusty excuse.

Anyway, passing over my (useless?) rant, let's get to this album, a 9 tracks release clocking a bit over an hour of playing time; slow to mid-tempo Depressive Black Metal based on repetitive and monotonous guitar riffs, lazy rhythms, and distant Black Metal shrieks. Unfortunately, the booklet doesn't feature the lyrics, so I can only guess the lyrics are about death, loss of hope, grief and related sentiments, but immersing oneself into the lyrical themes would have been an excellent addition to the monotonous, quite dull music. The atmospheres created on this album are very good, you can almost feel the despair and solitude even though the production is thin, home-made for sure, and I also have to mention the incisive and interesting bass lines, but that's not enough, in a scene that's abundant of similar releases this will be easily and quickly forgotten. Try it yourselves, maybe you'll like it better. 5 DEATHFUCKER (Italy) - Fuck the Trinity Independent - 2016 - Thrash Death New band from Italy founded in 2015, Deathfucker is a duo at the moment, but they are actively seeking for a complete line-up to start playing live, and after spinning this debut demo of theirs for a few times I have no doubts they are dying to play live as soon as possible. The 3 tracks featured here are a mix of Thrash and Death with '80's Punk Hardcore attitude, fast, aggressive, organic and straight to the point; there's not much to discover here, it's just energetic, adrenaline-infused Metal of the '80's that's meant to be enjoyed live rather than on CDs, at home. It's very cool they recorded the drums live, and they sound perfect for this demo, and on top of that the guitars and bass lines are also enjoyable and well executed, supported by a ferocious vocalist. A good debut but there's plenty of room for improvement, too. 6.5 DEATH'S COLD WINDS (Ecuador) Subyugador - In Goat We Trust Old Temple - 2016 - Death If you're a fan of traditional and bestial Extreme Metal you'd know by now that South America is one of the biggest springs of bands playing such a style, and it seems Old Temple found yet another proud successor namely Death's Cold Winds, a trio founded back in 2001 but that managed to release this album, their first, only 13 years after, in 2014. Two years after Old Temple re-released it, but I wouldn't know if there are any differences between versions. From what it seems the cover (og, what a cover and booklet artwork, one that could sell the CD without any music on it) and tracklist are identical, even the cover of Dissection's Son of the Mourning is featured on both, so it's possible they added nothing new and re-released the material just for getting a bit more exposure, and they did well, that's how I found out about the band. There are 12 tracks featured in 50 minutes of bestial, dirty, satanic, deeply blasphemous, organic and rough sounding, traditional Death Metal with serious Thrash and Black Metal influences, a constant assault of disgust and hatred

definitely not fit for the uninitiated.

There's no trace of melody here, even the guitar solos are chaotic and razor-sharp, not to mention the demonic vocals that sound like the devil himself started playing music. Fast, brutal, ruthless Thrash Black Death from the pits of hell, a good surprise although there's room for improvement; fans of the genre will devour this in an instant. 8.5 DECREPID (UK) - Osseous Empire Xtreem - 2015 - Death This Death Metal quintet has been around since 2005, and it seems this second album marked their first decade of activity, the perfect way to treat their fans and supporters. Osseous Empire is a 7 tracks effort of traditional Death Metal clocking only a bit over half an hour of playing time, but enough to play it on repeat for a few times like I did. The tracks are not abundant of surprising or original elements, but Decrepid managed to give a unique facet to each of them, so the final result sound varied, aired, and catchy; each track sounds like it tels its own story and that's great. The oppressive, low-tuned and groovy at times rhythm section is coupled with interesting guitar riffs and occasional spacey, atmospheric solos, and topped by a rough growling but comprehensive vocal, all delivered with excellent production, it all is as traditional as possible. 7 DEISIDAEMONIA (Greece) Khthonian Hymns Old Temple - 2016 - Black Lately I've been blessed (or damned?) to get to review some pretty awesome pieces of Extreme Metal and this one here is yet another example. Deisidaemonia is a one man project started in 2009 and this is its debut album, an 8 tracks effort totaling almost 40 minutes of traditional Hellenic Black Metal, or better said that kind of proud and fierce Black Metal with plenty of melody, accoustic insertions from tiem to time, atmospheric keyboards here and there, raspy but comprehensive shrieking vocals, and above all memorable guitar work, all these combining into a mighty expressive piece of music that will make the listener somehow connected with the Hellenic legends and the whole atmosphere surrounding them. These might seem like big words, but this one really is a good album making Deisidaemonia a proud continuer of the Rotting Christ / Nightfall tradition. Midtempo to fast paced Hellenic Black Metal with a certain melancholic feel to it, with plenty of unexpected elements throughout, and also with plenty of memorable parts, I have to admit after reading the somehow obsolete statement on the back tray about the hate for humanity and all modern things, after seeing the dull cover artwork (the actually is awesome, but it turned out way darker than it should have been and one can't understand a thing out of it; check it online for a better version), I wasn't expecting such a catchy and interesting album, glad to have been proven wrong. 9 DEMONIC SLAUGHTER (Poland) Dark Paths to Catharsis Hass Weg / Lower Silesian Stronghold 2015 - Black The sixth full-length album from Demonic

BLAZE OF SORROW (Italy) - Eremita del fuoco Sun & Moon - 2015 - Atmospheric Black I've always had a soft spot for this band ever since I've first encountered/listened their 2011 album Eterno tramonto, back then released by Naturmacht Production, but since then they've sticked with our local pride, Sun & Moon, and I hope this collaboration will continue. This new album, the band's fourth dince their foundation, in 2007, is made of only 7 new tracks but it lasts for 40 minutes, the perfect amount of time to keep the attention high and avoid boredom. Indeed, the 7 tracks have plenty of elements to enjoy and plenty of influences to be considered a complex, open release, I've heard influences from genres like Gothic Rock, Indie, Post Metal, Alternative, but the backbone remains Atmospheric Black Metal with a perfect blend between the melodic and the explosive, oppressive parts. To me it sounds like Lake of Tears from the '90's started playing Black Metal while keeping their impressive potential in delivering addictive, mesmerizing harmonies. Maybe a bit more versatility on the vocal part would have made it even more impressive, but despite that Eremita del fuoco continues the band's journey towards reaching new heights in this genre. Released as digipak CD with 8 pages booklet featuring all lyrics.

Late edit: it seems the band has just signed with German Eisenwald for the release of their fifth album, so my hope in a longerlasting collaboration with Sun & Moon has no more grounds. 9.5

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Slaughter is also the first one that has actually nothing demonic in its cover artwork, it depicts only a man pointing towards a tall mountain peak piercing a dark forest with his torch. And talking about the cover artwork, this CD comes with a 16 pages booklet that looks and feels like a book, I mean there was some serious effort put into the booklet artwork to offer an accurate, highly expressive visual side to the long, story-telling lyrics of each track; it's really impressive.

Getting to the music on this album, we're treated with 10 long tracks clocking over an hour of spooky, demonic, traditional and organic sounding Black Metal with plenty of atmospheric touches all over emphasizing the overall impression on the listener. Although it's not something to leave you in awe with its progression or originality, this album is excellently composed and structured in order to create a tangible, impressive journey through the band's imaginative forests, mountains and valleys, the listener is immersed in this ominous World. On composition level the music gives the impression the band members took their time to create these tracks, didn't rush anything, and indeed the music grows on you, slowly, from all directions. As an overall impression, I'd say the latest Demonic Slaughter album wasn't at all what I was expecting (Thrash Black Metal that is) from a band with such a name, but I have deeply enjoyed this latest album of theirs, a solid, mature, versatile, complete piece of evil, mystical Atmospheric Black Metal. 9 DESERT NEAR THE END (Greece) Theater of War Metal Scrap - 2016 - Power Thrash Although the band is active since 1997 (unde different monikers though), and this is their third full-length under the Desert Near The End banner, I haven't heard of them before and the beginning of this CD make me think I'm about to experience some fat and brutal Death Metal, but for my surprise that was not the case. DNTE's music sounds ultra-oppressive and extremely heavy because of the low-tuned and mostly very fast paced rhythm section, an intensive, Thrash Death Metal like drumming which although programmed doesn't sound synthetic at all, and a bulldozer-like bass line. The guitars are more on the traditional Thrash Metal path, with some epic parts here and there, and the vocals are clearly the ones that give this band a Power Metal feeling, but all is extreme and very heavy on this record, I'm impressed by the energy liberated by this Greek trio and also by the brutal take on Power Thrash Metal these guys managed to offer on this third album. CD comes with a 12 pages booklet featuring all lyrics, but I would have liked the cover artwork to be clearer though. 7.5 DEUS IGNOTUS (Greece) Hexapterygon III Damnation - 2016 - Black Clocking only a bit over half an hour, this second full-length album from Greek duo Deus Ignotus is as short as brutal; a complete and utter devastation of senses from start to finish, an old-school brutal Death Metal inspired Occult Black Metal that takes influences from the massive War Metal scene, too. Indeed, there are plenty of passages on this album where the structures seem shattering but at the same time chaotic, and contrary to my usual tastes, I kind of find the (few indeed)

slow, repetitive, Doomy passages as less inspired than the ultra-fast general flow of the album. The atmosphere is cavernous, hiddeous and definitely horrifying, reminding me of their countrymates Dead Congregation, and the sound is pretty good, I would have only liked to hear the bass lines a bit clearer, they seem to have some pretty rad passages here and there. A brutal, blasphemous, claustrophobic, putrid, disruptive and terrifying Black Metal of Death I'd say. I have a simple question about the cover artwork though: how come it doesn't have the band's name listed (I initially thought the band was Hexapterygon, or whatever I managed to understand from that cryptic writing...)? 8 DIABOLICAL PRINCIPLES (Greece) - The Final Step Before the Dawn Lower Silesian Stronghold - 2015 - Black Interesting, probably the first band I come across that has a lyricist as permanent member, a member that does nothing else, is not the vocalist, as in regular cases, takes care of only this, very important I'd say, segment of the band's music. Aside from Ame the lyricist, we have Geegor in charge of guitars, bass, drums and keys and Gareth taking care of vocals and additional guitars, the latter being also the only remaining founding member of the band, an act started back in 1999. This is their third full-length effort made of 9 tracks totaling a bit over an hour of playing time. Mid-tempo Black Metal with a certain epic atmosphere surrounding it, with plenty of good parts but also with its fair share of generic, dull moments (especially on guitar riffs), but nonetheless the overall impression is of a good, punchy assault. In my opinion if they would have trimmed down the excessive fat and delivered the whole in about 40 minutes of playing time, this would have been a much more impacting album, but they chose to add some generic riffs and unimpressive repetitive parts that simply brought no good to the whole. The vocals are not as versatile and expressive as I would have liked either, so they bring nothing to widen the experience, but I have to admit I was impressed by the powerful role the bass lines play here, and by the clever guitar leads that should be the foundation of a more concise, direct and even aggressive Diabolical Principles in the future (at least I'd wish them this).

The CD comes with 8 pages booklet featuring all lyrics and it's a worthwile decision to follow the music while reading the lyrics, they add a bit more atmosphere and depth completing the experience. 6 DIZZINESS (Greece) - Bound by Strength Lower Silesian Stronghold - 2015 - Black Dizziness is a strange name for a Black Metal band, I find it quite funny but maybe it has a deeper meaning under the surface and I'm assuming false first conclusions. I also find very funny the fact that the CD booklet features thanks from 5 members while the band's line-up has only 4 of them mentioned; the 5th would be the band's former drummer, Yngve, also known from Deviser, who's mentioned to have recorded "leather" for this album...

Wait, what? Leather, that's how it says here, leather... WTF?).

Anyway, passing over these uninteresting mentions I'd have to say the band offers an amazing display of Greek Black Metal, the one with thin and razor-sharp, Heavy Metal-like guitars, epic passages, loads of

substance on composition level, and all in all an expressive music fans of Deviser (not because I've mentioned them before, this band really reminded me of the old Deviser) or Varathron will certainly enjoy Dizziness' music. I know I do, I like it a lot, and find it way more interesting than just trying to be the fastest or the rawest in the schoolyard like it seems to be the fashion nowadays. The keyboards, although sounding quite 90's-ish, are an excellent addition as a support in the background here and there, emphasizing that epic, hellenic atmosphere the band so successfully creates. The music ranges from slow, folk-influences, to mid-paced catchy parts, to fast, traditional Black Metal, but the excellent thing is the band keeps bringing new and new sonorities on each new track, which makes this a highly entertaining album. I grew on me so much that by the end I can't wait to replay it.

Recommended! 9 DOEDSVANGR (International) - Satan ov Suns Immortal Frost - 2017 - Black Featuring members of Tsjuder, Nordjevel and Horna amongst others, Doedsvangr is a Finnish / Norge trio that aims to take the Black Metal scene by storm. This debut album features 11 tracks and clock over 50 minutes of playing time, quite a long album for this genre, one that devotes little or no time at all to keyboard intermezzos or other atmospheric build-ups, except for the intro, of course. The rest of the album oscillates between (mostly) mid-tempo and fast paced parts, with drumming being most of the time on high speed though.

Raw, cruel Black Metal without compromises delivering some cold, sharp and sinister riffs all the time, supported by a steady and aggressive rhythm section and topped by a vicious, vomiting vocal that's standing out somehow, but in my opinion, it's not versatile and interesting enough to add something more on top of the good instrumental part. I find the cover artwork to be the best aspect of this album, the instrumental part is mature and expressive, but not overly-impressive and pushing no boundaries at all, and about the vocals I've said before. Try it yourselves if you're into that cold, traditional Norwegian Black Metal of the second wave of the '90's. 7.5 DOM DRACUL (Sweden) - Devil Dedication Sun & Moon - 2016 - Black One of the two full-length albums released by this one-man project from Gothenburg in 2016; this is indeed weird, the only one previous album Dom Dracul released was Attack on the Crucified in 2005, and since then silence until 2016 when all of a sudden there are 2 studio materials ready to be digested. Even if Lord Therramon comes from Gothenburg, this project has nothing to do with the local Melodic Death Metal scene and to a point it has nithing to do with any melodic touches whatever they might be. The vocals slightly lead your mind to Mayhem, while the instrumental part is raw Black Metal with punk attitude (drumming and partly riffing) most of the times, but it also "descends" to a second wave of Norwegian Black Metal influence at times. The production is really organic, I might be wrong but I think Lord Therramon recorded all instruments one by one, in a traditional, "real" fashion, without the use of effects and PC

CREATURES (France) - Le Noir Village Antiq - 2016 - Experimental Black The debut album from Creatures, one man band from Angers, is a 4 years composition work and another 3 years of production work, so we're dealing here with a long-awaited material. It is probably the first time I listen/read a Black Metal opera, where each character is enacted by a different individual; Sparda, the man behind Creatures, has a lot of guest musicians on the album. From this point of view Le Noir Village is a real work of art, Black Metal art if you will, it depicts the story of a middle-ages village attacked by all sorts of malefic creatures. The album has to be listened to with the lyrics in front of you, and why not, with the booklet that also features some original artwork in close connection with the topics portrayed. Since Pensees Nocturne's debut album I think this is the most expressive concept album coming out of France lately. The production is raw and unpolished and this will make the album hard to get into by a large part of the audience, but the compositions are well worth a deeper exploration, I'm sure the real fans of this genre will be more than impressed by it. If you decide to give it a try make sure you listen to it in full and with the lyrics in front of you, otherwise don't do it at all. This is one of those albums after a few years you'll be proud of

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enhancements; from this point of view the album is something to admire, for sure. At first, I found the album somehow mediocre, but there are a couple of tracks and a few hooks here and there that made it an enjoyable experience and I'd have no problem giving it another spin at any time, so all in all after a few auditions I can say it grew on me. Released as digipak. 6.5 DOMAIN (Poland) - Pandemonium Old Temple - 2016 - Death Wow, this is a huge release for Old Temple: the very first album of a band that nowadays is called Pandemonium and is one of the most influential names in the Polish (Black) Metal scene. Originally released by the well known (back then) Morbid Noizz Productions in 1995, Domain features 9 tracks (one of the in two versions, so actually it's 10 tracks total), lasts for 36 minutes, and it's an amazing piece of traditional Death Metal complete with occasional soft, semiacoustic, melodic intermezzos that back then were also allowing kids to discover this genre (I still remember how I got into Master as a kid by first discovering the Bass Solo track on the self-titled album, only then getting into the resto of the dirty and brutal stuff). Well the whole album is not brutal at all by Today's standards, but in '95 this would have been a sick release (especially by the vomiting vocals featured) keeping in mind proper instruments were virtually impossible to find in Eastern Europe; still this album has an acceptable production and for me, and I'm sure I'm not the only one like that, it stirs nostalgic emotions. Not having proper instruments to create brutal Death Metal like the Americans or Western Europeans were doing, pushed the Eastern European bands to focus more on creating a dark, evil atmosphere using what they could, especially taking advantage of vocals, and Domain is a prime example for this practice. A mid-tempo, oppressive, dark Death Metal release that I highly recommend to all Death Metal followers even if only for the historical value, but obviously not only that; it's a well-made, well thought, thrilling release. Too bad the collection of interviews with the band from the booklet are only in Polish, but it's a perfect idea fof the fans of current Pandemonium.

DUROTHAR (Germany) - Auf See Independent - 2016 - Pagan A short look (and audition, too) at this band's quite short history would unveil the obvious progressive ramp they are "walking" on since their foundation in 2009, culminating with this self-released by absolutely professional debut album, and by the look of it I think the progression is far from being over. The new release is made of 8 new tracks and a bonus song taken from the band's debut demo from 2013, probably the closest to their hearts or to their fans'. Durothar plays Pagan Metal with an accent on building an epic, somewhat heroic atmosphere rather than adding traditional folk influences, the core of their music is based on long, catchy guitar leads, a steady, nice flowing rhythm section emphasized by gritty guitar riffs, and all this led by a mix of raspy vocals (almost growls but more comprehensive if this makes any sense) supported at times by Black Metal-like shrieks. At times, I also

had the feeling of '70's Hard Rock influence (beside some other, obviously) on guitars, an influence I believe to be an essential future element in Durothar's music if they'll decide to exploit it more in depth, an element that could bring that so desired by anyone originality in their music. This debut album is definitely a good piece of work, entertaining, fluid, varied and expressive, but throughout the audition I got the constant feeling I've already heard this all somewhere else. The CD comes with a nice 8 pages booklet featuring all lyrics (unfortunately for me in German) and I'd also like to mention the nice cover painting that seems (and for sure it is) closely related to the overall topic of the album, the sea. 7.5 DYSYLUMN (France) Chaos Primordial Egregor - 2016 - Atmospheric Black Death France again, probably the most fertile ground for Black Metal nowadays, a country where the most hostile music genre ever created found a new host where to grow and bloom more vicious attacks on our senses. In Dysylumn's case Black Metal teamed up with Death and Doom Death and the result is oppressive, desolate, megalithic soundscapes slowly churning your ears; we're treated with 3 long tracks plus intro and outro (it's been a while since I've seen this practice, glad it's still enforced from time to time), almost half an hour of heavy atmospheres with progressive approach on composition, especially on the guitar work, an EP I would recommend to the initiated only as you have to have a background in enjoying similar music in order to get this one. Chaos Priomordial is a bit claustrophobic, it keeps you tight within its own boundaries, and probably there's where their probably only fault comes from, a lack of surprising elements, of loose horizons; who knows, maybe that's their aim... 7 EDWARD HELSING (Finland) - All the Way Diabolic Independent - 2016 - Gothic Debut album from this ambitious one-man band from Helsinki, Finland. Usually when you hear about a one-man band that's most certainly a Dark Ambient or a Black Metal project, Gothic Metal isn't that usual. This is its debut album, a 7 tracks effort totaling 40 minutes of playing time, a mix between Gothic Rock and Gothic Metal with influences from Doom and Dark Metal, creating a sombre, imposing atmosphere. The instrumental part is really cool, ranging from nice, addictive Gothic Rock melodies to more metallic, darker ones, with passages that remind me of the '90's UK Gothic Doom scene, but also bands like Sisters of Mercy or The Cure (not only for Edward's look though), and at times also Stoner Rock because of the caustic sound of the guitar, so yes, the atmospheres delivered here are spot on and will be well received by fans of the genre, I have no doubt, but regaring the minuses I'd say the anemic vocals are not at all on my taste, the drum programming doesn't sound well all the time (it sounds quite sloppy at times), and then a couple of guitar leads I found way too simple and almost childish. Promising if I look for it from an atmosphere and

composition perspective, but it needs more work on execution. 6 EGGTHER (Denmark) - Volume Null Dying Dun - 2016 - Sludge Doom Black New, up and coming band from Denmark, Eggther (actually written as EggÞÊr) was formed a year ago and what I have here is their debut EP, a three tracks work that's lasting for over 24 minutes, so we get 3 long tracks which is not something uncommon for this genre. Eggther combines Atmospheric Sludge Metal with Doom and even Black Metal the result being an almost instrumental music, very oppressive and grave, with the few vocals scattered here and there as low-toned growls to emphasize the overall density of the instrumental part. Unfortunately, this lack of consistent vocals kind of makes me wonder elsewhere during the audition, and it happened every time during the 4 spins I gave to this CD already; I would have liked the vocals if not a bit more throughout the EP, then certainly a bit more varied and versatile. The guitar work, with its semi-acoustic parts, is the highlight of this material, and the support they get from the moody, atmospheric keys in the background is also something worth mentioning. The production is crystal clear, the music nothing to be ashamed of, at times reminding me of the UK Doom Death scene of the '90's, so all in all it's a good debut from a band showing potential, but it definitely needs more to get interest in this overcrowded scene. 7 ELIZIUM (Holland) - Elysium STF - 2015 - Gothic Supported by an excellent video for the title-track, Elysium, Elizium's third studio album (although the band is around since 1991!) needed a few spins before I could get it and actually decide if I like it or not, and the result is I like it, really like it.

Accompanied with interesting lyrics, a nice booklet artwork and layout, Elizium's music on these 11 new tracks brings life to a sad, nostalgic, sentimental story just perfect for the genre they play, a mix between Gothic Metal and Dark Rock that because mostly because of the vocals took my mind to To/Die/For and Sisters of Mercy. The few Synth insertions are welcome here projecting another dimension to a genre that's mostly for nostalgics nowadays, but the band's main highlight I'd say is their ability to express emotions, to sound credible and honest.

There are no real memorable choruses or tracks, but the whole album flows naturally and as a whole is a successful material, I have no doubts fans of the abovementioned genres or bands will find plenty of god things to enjoy on Elysium.

7.5 ENVINYA (Germany) - The Harvester STF - 2016 - Melodic Heavy It seems the debut album released on Massacre in 2013 was a one time only collaboration between the parts, and here's the band signed with STF now for the follow-up. The first thing that struck me on this new release is how thin the production is, how high everything sounds like, or at least for my taste; I feel like these gracious vocals, and especially the clever riffs would have deserved a fatter, heavier production, not to mention the (few indeed) partes where the female vocals are supported by wannabe growls

that sound more like grunts taken from arcade games and I blame production here, too. The compositions on the other hand are great, some tracks are excellent, memorable to a point where some time after the audition you'll find yourself humming them, the vocals of Mery Diaz are top-notch, too, and I'd also like to mention the complex guitar work and the impressively incisive bass lines, but all in alafter the audition I remain with the impression these compositions would have had a bigger impact if there would have been a darker, heavier production to the whole. 6.5 EVIL MADNESS / INFANT DEATH (Chile / Norway) - Split Deathrash Armageddon - 2015 - Thrash Death / Thrash Black To be honest I first thought this would be another uninteresting full-on-headlessspeed-and-aggression-and-nothing-else recording ripping off the '80s Thrash and Thrash Death initiators, but once again I was wrong, big time!

Chilean Evil Madness open this split with 4 tracks of intense, fast, aggressive but also technical and catchy as hell mix of Thrash and Death Metal with vocals sounding like they are somewhere in the back screaming their anger with a slight echo we were so used to from '80's bands.

But the thing that really sold me this band completely were the long, sinister, mindboggling guitar solos, an element that used to be a trademark for both these genres. I love all the 4 tracks inhere, for a trip back in time this is the perfect soundtrack, but if you're looking for anything innovative make sure you look elsewhere.

Norwegian Thrash Black Metal maniacs are sharing this CD presenting us 5 tracks that are a step up when it comes to aggression and speed from Evil Madness, their side is an incessant assault on all your senses, a brutal, ruthless, disgusting attack that only slows down a bit for a Doomy, horrifying passage just to enhance the overall speed of this band's music.

Luckily enough their speedy, barbaric side is not nonsense, it actually has a well thought plan and structure I'm sure fans of bestial Thrash Metal will appreciate.

Both bands are way above my expectations, if you're into old-school Extreme Metal make sure not to miss this CD, it's an absolute blast! I do enjoy Evil Madness a bit more because I find their tracks catchier, but both are about the same good quality. 8.5 / 8 EXCRUCIATION (Switzerland) [c]rust WormHoleDeath - 2016 - Doom Death Classy act this loooong-lasting (since '84!!!) Swiss band, classy and very original, too, I might say, mostly because of its vocalist that sound like Gorefest and Lake of Tears (Headstones era) met at a bar and decided to go for a Doom Death cocktail; it sounds quite atonal but highly original and definitely memorable. This is the band's latest release, their fourth fulllength album made of 8 tracks totaling almost 40 minutes of playing time. The music is grovier and more balanced than one could expect from a Doom Death material, but overall the atmospheres these guys manage to create and the patterns they mostly use as backbone for their tracks will take your mind to the '90's golden years of this scene. This is one of those albums that released at a different

date (in this case the '90's) would have been a milestone for the genre, that's why I'd recommend you to at least give it a try online, you might be surprised to find one of your new fave bands. 9 FABLE (Australia) - To Glory Unknown Wolfspell - 2016 - Epic Folk Black Founded in 2015, this Victoria based duo released their debut album, the one I'll talk about here, a year later, both as a selfreleased CD and gatefold Digipak CD on Wolfspell Records, and this seems to have been just the beginning as they've already released two more materials since then.

This one I have here is made of 9 tracks and clocks almost 45 minutes of playing time, a music clearly following paths opened by Summoning and maybe even Pazuzu in the '90's and continued by countless other projects along the years, a genre that was always in the obscure underground although being catchier and more accessible than the other subgenres of Black Metal. Combining Ambient Black Metal with Folk and Fantasy sonorities, Fable (excellent band name for this music) manage to deliver an epic, majestic atmosphere through its music, a calm and mostly soft breed of Ambient Black Metal closer to a dreamy, melancholic state than to a hateful, aggressive one. The compositions are ok, wth plenty of hooks here and there, but the general impression is of an unfinished work, a rushed recording that could have been more professional if only a bit more time would have been spent on it. I would have liked a few intense / fast Black Metal insertions throughout the material, this way it seems too monotone, they are just balancing between slow and mid-paced tempos that tend to get tiresome after a while. As a debut, it's not bad at all, the band is currently working on a follow-up, so we'll just wait and see if they manage to do better, the niche they've chosen is generous and a band can quickly grow to cult status in no time... 6.5 FORLET SIRES (Switzerland) Journey Towards Ruin Cruel Bones - 2016 - Atmospheric Doom Black First of all I'd have to mention the interesting cover artwork choice for this album; I'd very much like to know the concept behind it and what's the link with the music / lyrical content of the album, if any. Unfortunately, the digipak version has no booklet with lyrics included, but fortunately the digital version has the lyrics also, so make sure you relate to their Bandcamp page while spinning the physical disc.

This is the band's debut album; released 3 years after their formation, it features 6 long tracks clocking almost 40 minutes of playing time and offering us a mix of Atmospheric Metal, Doom Metal, Post Black Metal and lots of experimental touches everywhere. I find the guitar work to be the highlight of this band, very diverse, wide and expressive, building major part of the atmosphere of this album. The rhythm section is also very influential over the final result of this album, balancing between the furious, intense Black Metal parts and the atmospheric Doom ones. I find the vocal

CRITICAL SOLUTION (Norway) - Barbara the Witch Crime - 2017 - Heavy Thrash In this day and age, with the low level of CD sales, I find it a real courage to release a double CD material like Critical Solution together with Crime Records did here, and this especially since on a CD there's the actual album, and the second one is a collection of covers played by the band; or maybe that's exactly the catch, offering something more to the buyer, an attractive package to present the new album as... well, only they know. As I said, the first CD is the actual album, the band's third to date, made of 12 tracks and clocking a bit over 50 minutes of playing time. The music is somewhere in between Heavy and Thrash Metal borrowing elements from both genres, and fine balancing between aggressive parts and soft, semi-acoustic parts, but with a final result that gravitates more around the Thrash Metal field, of course, to go hand in hand with the topics of the album surrounding the life, death and after-life of Barbara the witch. Beside the flawless and very juicy composition and interpretation, the captivating and wellserved lyrical concept, Barbara the Witch benefits of the guest appearance of several other musicians as the legendary Arthur Brown, Andy LaRocque (king Diamond), Snowy Shaw (Mercyful Fate) or Whitfield Crane (Ugly Kid Joe)! The third album sets Critical Solution among Norway's most serious exports of the genre and displays the band's full potential, a not to miss release. 10

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part to be the weakest link here and not because they are so abrasive and tough to digest, that's actually a good thing, but they bring no emotions, no feeling to the pot, not to mention they don't seem powerful enough and the short whispering parts and the female backing vocals here and there supporting the main vocals are not enough to make it a versatile piece. I think the band has great potential to fit themselves in the new wave of Black Metal innovators, I really do, but this debut album wasn't convincing enough taken as a whole. 7 FORNACE (Italy) - My Journey Is Ending But the Torment Will Be Eternal Paragon - 2015 - Black Turin, Italy based Fornace have been around since 2000, but numerous line-up problems heavily marked their activity so far, resulting in only one original member being still involved, Possessed, who takes care of the bass and since 2015 also vocal lines. This is Possessed's first attempt of conducting vocal duties on a full-length album, and upon listening to Fornace's second album I can say it was an excellent decision, his vocals are probably the most aggressive and sharp element in their music, those types of screams that can make your blood freeze, but unfortunately lacking versatility, too little attempt to become more complex (only short insertions of whispers and spoken words); oh well, maybe on the next release when he gets more accustomed with this new role. There are 6 new tracks on this release, clocking over 50 minutes of organic sounding, '90's second wave of Norwegian Black Metal inspired compositions. The whole sounds damn honest and as I said before, organic, and that's the best feature of this release, although it has a rough take on production, it all sounds crystal clear while still maintaining that cold, scratchy take Black Metal used to have in the '90's. Cold, obscure, abrasive, and at the same time a bit depressive, definitely melancholic, even epic at times, that's how I would describe the atmosphere on this album. It's not an innovative piece of music in any way, but it will be highly entertaining for fans of the so called trv Black Metal. 7.5 FROM THE VASTLAND (Norway) Chamrosh Immortal Frost - 2016 - Black The fourth full-length from once Iranian one-man band, now Norwegian full lineup band From The Vastland, Chamrosh is an instant hit, that's how good it is. If you're familiar with this name you know that Sina, the founder, moved from Iran to Noway a few years ago and now he's joined by Andre “Tjalve” Kevebek (Den Saakaldte, Pantheon I) and Kevin “Spektre” Kvale (Horizon Ablaze, Harm) probably as full-time musicians after a period of working together for live shows only. This new opus is made of 7 tracks and clock 42 minutes of Black Metal that sounds more Norwegian then never this time, a fantastic delivery of interesting epic and freezing cold guitar riffs, impressively intense and influential bass lines (with a tone that honestly reminded

me of Metallica!), an over the top skillful drumming that makes you wonder who's hitting them with so much hate and precision at the same time. The only thing I don't like in From The Vastland's superb new album is the tone of the vocals that no offense to Sina, but sound really pathetic in comparison to the instrumental part, they sound like a spoiled little brat yelling his lungs out while being cold as fuck, nothing I would couple with Black Metal, sorry. The clean, mysterious vocal parts in the title track are showing there's hope, but the Black Metal shrieks are simply not at par with the rest; again, this is my opinion, the album really deserves your attention at least for the instrumental part, one of the best I've hear this fast, intricate, epic, mysterious, ice cold and definitely evil as it should be! 8 GLADIO (Italy) - MMXVI Independent - 2016 - Thrash Italian duo from Venice made of members with a certain experience and name in the local underground, Gladio is a new name on the scene, formed in 2015, presenting us here their debut demo or EP, however you want to call it. 4 tracks of mid-tempo to fast paced '80's influenced Thrash Metal with good, catchy compositions that sound like they have a bit from each of the monsters of the genre, any you can think of, with a certain extra influence from Testament I'd say. Although the structures are quite simple and predictable, they are catchy and involving at the same time, demonstrating the two guys seem to have what it takes to deliver some very solid material. The production is excellent, the crystal-clear sound emphasizes the band's abilities, too bad Gladio is only a studio project as I'm sure they'd have much more heaviness as a full line-up, touring ensemble. Interesting and promising new band you should keep an eye on. 7.5 GRAND HEAD (USA) - Grand Head Gorbie International - 2016 - Hardcore Doom If one would have told me about a band playing Hardcore Doom Metal, I wouldn't know what to expect or even if he's serious about this, but here is the proof such a combination exists, a duo of brothersfrom Portland combining the grooves, the energy and the vocals of Hardcore with the heaviness and mystery of Doom Metal. Although we're dealing with only a guitarist and a drummer it all sounds so natural and well adapted to the situation, and the atmosphere these two guys managed to create are spot-on expressive, like a European thriller movie soundtrack if you will. Of course, it's not music for everyone, but if you enjoy the above-mentioned genres or even a darker, heavier Punk, this might just make your day. I've spined this album a lot of times already and always find it a perfect escape from the overproduced, over polished, synthetic releases of our current days, who knows, it might do the trick for you, too.

As a last note I don't like the cover artwork at all, but I admit it catches the eye, but if seen in a record store I would have avoided this vinyl; give it a listen on Bandcamp and make you own opinion. 9

HARM (Norway) - October Fire Battlegod - 2016 - Thrash Third full-length offer from this Norwegian combo, and their second under Battlegod Productions, October Fire is a 9 tracks effort clocking 40 minutes of catchy, energetic, flesh-ripping Thrash Metal. At times the music becomes so brutal, so fast and evil that it would put to shame even a Grindcore band, but still there's a find balance between the brutal parts and the technical, steady thrashing passages, there are even some slower, thrilling elements to enhance the mysterious atmosphere surrounding this album. The vocals are like from the Black Metal territory but they sound so fit for Harm that I'm sure noone will mind them, especially since the tone and energy theyhave it's a perfect addition to the instrumental part.

Regarding the instrumental part I'd say: intense, pounding drumming, demolishing riffing (imagine a mix of Testament and Slayer), vicious leads and solos, and a heavy-ass upfront bass line to give you goosebumps.

I would have liked a bit more hooks from it, maybe some more memorable choruses, but if you're into brutal and technical Thrash Metal give this one a try. 9 HEADHUNTER D.C. (Brazil) - Death Kurwa! - Live in Warsaw 2013 Bestial Invasion - 2016 - Death This is the quintessence of old-school underground Metal: a live album by a traditional Death Metal band from Brazil (one of the biggest birthplaces for this genre) released together with a printed zine from Poland (one of the biggest birthplaces for printed zines in the underground). Death Kurwa! - Live in Warsaw 2013 comes together with the 30th issue of Necroscope 'zine, just one year before Headhunted D.C. will celebrate their 30th annivesary. 6 tracks recorded live during a gig in Warsaw in 2013 and one, the bonus track, recorded live back in 2008 in Jacobina, Brazil, still during a live gig. The sound quality is not the best, obviously, but it's perfect for what anyone would expect from this raw, overflowing energy in its purest form, intense Metal of Death! The CD booklet features pictures from that gig plus a story about how Baloff got to meet Necroscope zine (would have been even better if Adam would share the same type of story on how he first met the band and its music), and that makes this gig somehow cult-ish. Excellent idea, well worth supporting! Kurwa!

HELLSPAWN (Poland) - There Has Never Been a Son of Me Old Temple - 2016 - Death Hailing from the small city of Wielun, in central Poland, Hellspawn are one of those very few bands that had the luck and will to keep a stable line-up since their foundation (or at least so it seems from the info I found on the net) in 2003. Pretty cool, isn't it? That should say it all about how solid their collective and compositions must be after so many years of playing together. This is the band's third full-length, a 10 tracks effort clocking a bit over 40 minutes of traditional, fierce, brutal Death Metal with occasional

EVILFORCES (Mexico) - Pest Plagues & Evil Storms Symbol of Domination / More Hate - 2016 - Black One man band from Mexico recently turned into a full line-up (or something like it), but that released this debut album as a solo act, one that by the looks of Pazuzuh (the guy behind it) made me think Gaahl moved to Mexico and started a whole new live over there, that's how much he looks like the Norwegian icon. Now about the album I can easily say this is one of the best surprises coming out of Mexico lately, a studio effort that offers it all to the listener, from fierce traditional Black Metal of Norwegian inspiration to vicious Thrash Black Metal, to a kind of Viking Pagan Black Metal thing, to a terribly horrifying cinematic Ambient, to a Depressive Black Metal of recent inspiration. But it all sounds curdled, and the serpent-like vocals and their recording type (loads of echoes) do much in this direction, they manage to keep things tight and somehow give an own identity to the whole, and here I also have to mention the fantastic drumming, dense and leading from start to finish. All in all we're dealing here with a complete album, close to perfection in my opinion, so I also recommend it to you too! 9.5

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symphonic, grandiose keyboards to enhance the mythical atmosphere I guess they wanted to create. It sounds like a mix between Nile, Morbid Angel, Vital Remains, Deicide and maybe even Behemoth at times, a ostly fast paced, ultra-brutal, technical to the bone, expressiveto the point of becoming storytelling even without needing the lyrics, oppressive and atmospheric, and all this delivered with a perfect production where nothing seems out of order or annoying.

Solid is the first word that comes to mind after the audition, I'd have no restraints recommending this to all fans of above mentioned bands. The cover artwork on the other side is too dull and does not pair the music on this excellent album, at least in my opinion. 9 HERMODR (Sweden) - A Place of Eternal Twilight / Carved in Ice Wolfspell - 2016 - Ambient Black One-man project hailing from Sweden, with a guy called Rafn behind it all, a very active musician in the local underground Black Metal scene being active or former member of countless other bands and projects. This CD is a compilation of two EPs, each released as stand-alone materials as well, the same year, a total of 5 tracks clocking over 46 minutes of Burzum inspired melancholic, cold, depressive at times Ambient Black Metal.

The compositions are not overly technical or innovative in any way, but there are some elements that appear to be interesting here and there, especially on the guitar work, little parts when two layers of guitars, supported by a desperate voice in the background are really capable to inspire true feelings towards the listener. The programmed drums are the weakest link on this release, really simple, synthetic and soulless if I may say so, the drums part doesn't bring anything interesting to the table, on the contrary I'd say. I've heard this before a lot, it sounds a bit generic, but the guitar work and the ability to transmit real emotions make from this CD something worth trying for fans of this genre. 7 HERMODR (Sweden) - Above the Shadows / Past the Quiet Forest Wolfspell - 2016 - Depressive Black One-man band from Sweden, Hermodr was started in 2012 and already has a ton of releases (4 albums, splits, singles, EPs) underbelt, in the Moloch tradition if you know what I mean. Here we have a CD featuring the Above the Shadows single and Past the Quiet Forest EP, both Independent in digital format I guess, now released as 3 panels Digipak CD. 6 tracks clocking almost 50 minutes, a slow to mid-tempo depressive, melancholic Black Metal, simplistic in what concerns compositions, with emphasis on hypnotic repetition. Unfortunately, it didn't catch my attention after 3 spins, I find it mediocre although there's clear potential on the guitar work (I mean the melodic leads, not the obsolete riffs), but the drums parts are too monotone, the vocals, when present, are simple background screams we're all so used to nowadays, and the

background keyboards, although atmospheric, don't succeed to impress either. There are too many bands playing this type of music nowadays, maybe I'm overwhelmed by their amount and tend to disregard or misjudge most of them, that's why the best is to try this compilation and make your own mind. 6 HERZPARASIT (Germany) Parakropolis Echozone - 2017 - Industrial Gothic German Herzparasit present us their new album, a 13 tracks effort totaling almost 50 minutes of playin time, a mix between Industrial Metal and Gothic Rock/Metal, a music that will certainly remind you of both Rammstein and Marlyn Manson, and production-wise I have to mention Lacrimosa, too. Not sure if this dry, somehow organic (although full of synths) sound is proper for this music, a more bombastic, over-polished production would have given it more cohesion and fluidity in my opinion, in this shape it sounds unfinished at times. But passing over this "observation" the compositions Herzparasit offer on this records sound fresh, catchy and well-thought, so you'll have the chance to discover a complex and diverse material. The music is mostly midtempo, based on heavy guitar riffs, a synthetic but not annoying drum, catchy, memorable guitar leads, and a varied pallette of vocal tones, with occasional synths to enhance the dark industrial atmosphere. Try it yourselves. 7.5 HESPERION (Ukraine) - Who alive...

Total Metal - 2017 - Progressive Power Young band from Kiev presenting here their debut full-length album, the result of their first 3 years as a band, 7 tracks clocking a bit over 40 minutes of playing time, but sadly enough (at least for me), this one seems to be targeting their local supporters only since its booklet is completely in Cyrillic writing, so I don't understand anything from it. Too bad as it seems lyrics are a pretty important part in Hesperion's atmosphere routed towards philosophical themes. The music is a fine mix of Heavy Power Metal and Progressive Metal, nice flowing and enough intricate to create suspense, but lacking an own identity for the moment; since it's the band's debut album just creating these interesting harmonies and presenting a professional, solid album is a good achievement, but it's obvious the current Progressive Metal scene has developed a lot since the '90's when this album seems to be pinned to. Not much more to add, it's an enjoyable debut album, not powerful enough to break any boundaries, but well-conceived and realized in order to make us understand this band has potential. 7 HESSIAN WOLF CHILDREN (USA) The Hessian Wolf Children Burning Tree - 2015 - Thrash Grindcore Wow, I was not expecting this to be a mix between primitive, fast paced Thrash Metal and old-school Grindcore, not at all, I was actually expecting it to be some sort of Heavy Speed Metal or even Thrash

Black Metal by the look of the cover artwork. This Thousand Oaks, California based quartet delivers 6 tracks with such an incredible energy and speed only Napalm Death can deliver in an oldschool, organic, honest way; insanely fast drumming, sinister, twisted guitar riffs that reminded me of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre for some reason alternated with some other, '80's like simple but headbanging-friendly Thrash Metal riffs, a bass line that so oppressive it sounds like your house is about to be demolished, and a totally crazy vocal shouting his lungs out from start to finish. A wall of intensity and disgust spat right to your face, well done, guys, well done. Released in a few different 7" vinyl formats all with lyrics insert included. 7.5 HOKEDUN (UK) - Succumbing to Decay Independent - 2016 - Black The Warwick based duo are back after 3 years, with their debut album this time, a 9 tracks effort clocking a bit over 25 minutes of playing time. Two things struck me right from the start by their similarity with the demo namely the DIY attitude of the band (they have released the album in a hand-numbered Digisleeve CD edition of only 100 copies, and Hexenreich Records released another 100 but on tape), and the same synthetic, low quality drum programming I hated on the demo, too. But apart from that Hokedun's debut album is pretty fair to the listeners meaning that it offers exactly what you'd want from it: aggressive, sharp mid-tempo to fast paced Black Metal with occasional atmospheric semi-acoustic parts to add a bit more mystery to the pot. I like the guitar work, and to me it seems a bit inspired by the '90's UK Doom Death scene in some passages and by Death Metal too in some others, and also the vocals have a good raspy yet comprehensive tone but are not varied at all. I have mixed feelings about this debut album, some tracks are really enjoyable, and I also love the atmospheric intermezzos, but there are also some other (like track 8 for example) that I feel shouldn't have been featured on this album, but give them a chance and make your own mind about their music. 7 HURZ (Italy) - Hurz Le Mat - 2016 - Dark Ambient Recently founded by three musicians with significant experience under belt from the local Metal (Doom Metal that is) scene, Hurz offer us here their debut album, a 7 tracks effort clocking almost 50 minutes.

Based on synths, effects and various percussions, but adding what I consider an interesting touch, meaning an important role to the vocal lines and to bass as well, the music on this debut album sounds and feels quite ritual, esoteric and mystical avoiding being too repetitive, so to fall in a dull, monotonous phase. Beside the very influential bass, the band also adds some guitars here and there, and at times you can also feel an Indie influence, so it's not all dark and obscure, it also has its serene moments. I have to confess I would have like a more curdled lyrical theme for this album, jumping from mythological themes to contemporary, urban ones, to

philosophical themes, it's a bit too much for my taste, but I can also understand they are still experimenting and are probably tired of any constraints the Doom Metal scene imposed them previously. An interesting debut, diverse, expressive, and daring, if you're into Dark Ambient give it a try. 7 HYDRA (Germany) - Solar Empire STF - 2016 - Symphonic German Hydra seems to be a hardworking founded in 2013, they have produced their debut 2 years after, and here we get the follow-up album out in 2016 already, both of them under the STF roster. This new album is made of 11 tracks that make up a concept story about two lovers, a story that reminded me of the 2012 Upside Down movie, a clichĂŠ story, but very fit for this type of music, I'm talking about Symphonic Metal, of course.

There are plenty of things happening on this album, maybe too many because at times I found myself confused by the different elements and influences coming up from all over, or better said it seems that the band tries to gather influences from all over and lets itself being influenced as much as possible so that there's no clear path in the end. At times the band sounds amazing, really mesmerizing and capable of aiming the top of this game, but at times they sound like they try to be much more than they can be and become chaotic. I'm curious if beside the delicate, feminine, enchanting vocal tone Lisa, Hydra's vocalist, also does the occasional Black Metal-like shrieks that spring out from nowhere to enhance the atmospheres. Beside that, there are plenty of surprises sprinkled throughout the whole album, I can't say it's a predictable material, but my final impression is that the band is capable of delivering better, more curdled material and really attack the top. 7.5 IN CAUDA VENENUM / HEIR / SPECTRALE (France) - Split Emanations - 2016 - Atmospheric Post Black Ok, I guess this split was conceived in order to actually be received as a full album, or better said as a complete material rather than just having 3 bands display their talent in a few tracks, and I say this because the order of the tracks is not at all what one could expect: the first track is Spectrale, than Heir, then In Cauda Venenum, the Spectrale again, Heir, ending with Spectrale and Heir at last. In Cauda Venenum features only 1 track because that track is a 15 minutes long experiment, an adaptation of Twin Peaks' theme, a pretty famous mystery / thriller series back in the '90's. The good thing about having the tracks featured like that is the fact that it keeps the listener's attention high, prevides plenty of surprises and alternates between aggressive, fast (Black) Metal parts and mesmerizing, Atmospheric ones.

Without a doubt, the main player here is In Cauda Venenum, a band that incorporates violins in its music and the whole music becomes so very atmospheric, enchanting, hypnotizing yet it keeps elements from Black Metal, or better said Post Black Metal, intact, the drums sound organic to

the bone, the guitars are sharp and solid, and the vocals, although somehow left in the background, are ice cold and emphasize the dramatic effect of the composition. A melancholic but still intense track that deserves the special place on this split (even the cover art seems to have been made just for this track...).

My second fave on this release is Spectrale, a duo of guitarists including Jeff Grimal from The Great Old Ones, playing atmospheric music based on, of course, guitar work, supported on one of the tracks by a very effective cello part.

Spectrale's music is more about emotions, reaching from sunny, Spring-inspired soundscapes, to nostalgic, meditative ones, and even to tragic, dramatic ones. A joy, really.

Heir is a young band blending Post Black Metal with Sludge elements and even Punk attitude at times; they definitely have what it takes, but these tracks feature some parts that sound somehow incomplete.

Their compositions are intense and organic sounding, complex and quite intricate in structure, but unfortunately not something to deeply impress. Promising band though, I wouldn't be surprised to hear good things about them in the future.

8.5 / 6 / 7.5 INFIDEL (Poland) - III Old Temple - 2016 - Black The (obviously) third full-length album from Polish Infidel comes 7 years apart since the previous was released, and 4 years since the band kind of stepped into the silence and stopped releasing anything new. We're treated (and threatened) with 3 new tracks, each of them 11 minutes and 6 seconds long, displaying a ferocious, decaying, dreadful Black Metal reeking of absolute death. The vocal part is the best here and the most expressive making more than half of the final atmosphere on this disc, but the instrumental part is also very severe and oppressive: incessant blastbeats combined with organic, mid-tempo parts that create the expectative mood, a brutal, heavy and upfront bass line, and catchy, traditional, excellent guitar riffs that at times seem a bit too overused, too repetitive that one can't help but asking himself if they were repeated just for the sake of the 11 minutes mark for each track. Anyway, from my point of view this is the only minus for the third Infidel opus, everything else is absolutely spot on, and looking at the excellent cover artwork you will get a perfect idea of what happens on the album: Black Metal surrounded by the suffocating stench of Death. 8.5 INSANE VESPER (France) - Layil Art of Propaganda - 2016 - Black France again, of course, if we're talking about Black Metal it's 50-50 chance it's France nowadays. Insane Vesper seems to be around since 2002, having released a few official materials until now beside the debut album, Abomination of Death, out 5 years ago under the same Art of Propaganda, but honestly this is the first time I've heard of them. Anyway, this is their second full-length album, a 6 tracks effort clocking a bit over 40 minutes of playing time and offering a traditional, fast, hateful, satanic Black Metal. From the start until its end this new material is a

HEIMDALLS WACHT (Germany) - Geisterseher Trollzorn - 2016 - Pagan Black The seventh full-length album from this German band founded in 2004 is a total triumph! The 7 tracks featured here in 55 minutes of wrath are all one better than the other delivering a strong, inventive, intricate, expressive mix of Black Metal with Pagan atmospheres, with a fierce, extremely aggressive backbone (fantastic drumming!), a powerful and melodic core made by the excellently balanced guitar work and supportive bass lines, and a totally devastating lead provided by the razor-sharp, hateful vocals seconded by epic clean vocals here and there, and all this delivered with a perfect, crystal clear yet not overly polished production.

There are even some Melodic Heavy Death (I'd say) influenced parts to make thing even more spicier, so the end result is complex, exciting, surprising and entertaining, no doubt one of the best albums I've heard in a while. If you're into Melodic Black, Pagan Black, Melodic Death or mixes of these genres you shouldn't miss this album for the World. 10

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sublime discharge of violence and hate characterized mostly by unrelenting drums, hoarse, moribund yet comprehensive vocals that in my opinion could and should have been way more versatile and complex, a very intense and supportive bass line and last but not least, probably the highlight of Insane Vesper's music, an impressively solid, expressive, technical guitar work that brings upfront some highly delicious harmonies and if you take your time to really listen will quench your thirst for classy, intelligent, dramatic Black Metal riffs and leads. The production is top notch, no comments, except for the Latin speaking male choir on the second track that is barely hearable and so less impacting than it should have been, another minus for the overall versatility of the vocal part of this album; the lyrical part of it, though, is a whole another story, worth your time reading while spinning the disc. All in all, a very good album with some room for improvement for the future. 7.5 INTO THE NETHERMOST (Spain) Chronicles from the Black Bile Independent - 2016 - Black Death Three years after their debut full-length was released, Into The Nethermost are following up with a 7 tracks (42 minutes of playin time) effort that looks and sounds very interesting. Although I find the vocals was less versatile and expressive than I would have liked for this album, I find the 7 tracks featured here to be very interesting, reminding me of the end of the '90's when bands seemed to have taken their time when composing / recording an album, the music was much more, how to say it, patient. Same here, the compositions seem to take their time to grow, capture interest, strengthen, and finally they almost get stuck to your head, and unfortunately I'll have to blame that "almost" on the lack of hooks on the vocal part; the vocal timbre is ok, and the guy gives his best, but I still feel there was room for, I don't know, clean vocal insertions, choirs and/or background vocals, something to enhance the atmosphere and make it more grandiose like they tried to do on the fourth track.

The instrumental part is excellent, the acoustic and semi-acoustic guitars thrown in here and there are building a fine balance with the otherwise technical and quite complex natural flow of the track structures, and here I have to mention the intense and intricate guitar riffs, the heavy bass lines (including the occasional displays of solo virtuosity) and the progressive-inclined drumming. Labelling this as Black Death Metal seems too harsh, but that's the starting point, Into The Nethermost have created an interesting, technical, melodic yet muscular album that's worth a couple of spins even before forming yourselves a superficial idea. Comes as digipak CD with 8 pages booklet featuring all lyrics which at first, I thought would be about the Black Plague, but they are actually way more complex. 8 IRON FIRE (Denmark) - Among the Dead Crime - 2016 - Heavy Power Thrash It's been a bumpy road for Denmark Power Metal heroes Iron Fire during their 20+ years of activity, and the release of their latest opus 5 years after the previous, and first under a new label after 5 albums under Napalm Records, is, as the band leader Martin Steene admits, a new beginning for them. Iron Fire is now a

three-piece combo and this new album sees the return of original drummer, Gunnar Olsen, after a 15 years absence, plus the takeover of bass duties by Martin beside his vocal parts, and guitarist Kirk still on the barricades. Enough about the band, now talking about the music on this new album, the band's 8th to date, the compositions of these 12 tracks sound to me like a mix of German Power Metal and US style Heavy Thrash Metal, with emphasis on the first, of course, complete with contagious choruses, headbanging riffs, melodic (read epic) solos and leads, and an oppressive rhythm section. The vocals are the focal point of this release not only because of the current band format (trio) which requires a lot more work on this chapter, but also because of Martin's massive yet somehow melodic and easily digestible vocal timbre, one that I think will meet fans' preferences regardless if they better like the Heavy, Thrash or Power Metal types of singing. A very solid, organic, healthy dose of classy and muscular Power Metal, recommended for sure! 8.5 IRONBITE (Germany) - Blood & Thunder STF - 2016 - Heavy Debut album from this band founded back in 2006... it took them a full decade to release the album and that's obviously not a good sign for their involvement, but objective reasons could have led to this big delay though. The 11 tracks featured here are mostly on the Melodic Heavy Metal territory but influences from Hard Rock and even Punk Rock are obvious, it's fun music to loosen up after a day or week at work, fit for drinking beers and maybe enjoying a moto fest, and as a debut album it sounds ok, but there are many areas it would need improvement in order to become competitive in the overcrowded German scene, starting from the somehow weak and unexpressive vocals and ending with the lack of overall power in their compositions; this album is more fit for the ones of you looking for the soft part of Heavy Metal rather than the fast and furious one. The guitar work on the other hand is very promising and the guitarists seem to be able to offer much more than this, but maybe that's only my impression also, let's see if they will follow with something more interesting next time and hope it's not after 10 years again. 6 IRREVERENCE (Italy) - Raise Chaos Live in Milan STF - 2016 - Thrash Death If you're a regular reader of my reviews you know I'm not a fan of live recordings and I honestly don't see their point, but in this case, let's say I can understand the urge to release such a recording.

Irreverence recorded their 20 years anniversary show in Milan and STF though it was a good idea to release it until the band is ready with another studio recording which judging by the fact their previous full-length was out in 2014, should be quite impending. After a great, atmospheric intro, Irreverence serves us 9 tracks from 3 of their albums (except from the first one) and finishes with 2 covers from the Italian Hardcore legends Raw Power, one from Tankard and one from Motorhead. The sound is very good, and odd enough for my taste, during the audition I never felt like the sound is dry or that the "space" is not used at full potential. Mostly fast paced mix of Thrash and Death Metal delivered with overflowing, contagious energy, and a

solid choice of tracks; Raise Chaos proves Irreverence became a mature, respected band in the Italian scene.

K.L.L.K. (France) - Le brasier des mondes Caligari - 2016 - Ambient Doom Black Not at all a new band on the scene, but it's the first time I meet KLLK and their music. This is the band's second EP, a 7 tracks work clocking almost 45 minutes, so in my books, although 3 of the tracks are some sort of Ambient interludes, this could easily fit as a full-length material, after all the interludes are 2, 3, even 4 minutes long... At first, I was impressed by the quote from Mircea Eliade the band published on one of this Digipak's panels, so it was quite clear they try to immerse themselves into some major philosophic, meditative themes. And the music these Frenchmen built here is a good soundscape for such themes; I have to admit I wasn't captivated by it from the start, it took a couple of spins for me to get into this album, and by now I can say I understand its abrasiveness, rawness and depression. Don't expect a polished, clear sounding material, this EP sounds dusty, heavy, blunt, and even if I mentioned the Ambient part, expect some dark, menacing, creepy Ambient, not a soft, relaxing one. Not for the faint-hearted. 7.5 KALMANKANTAJA (Finland) Tyhjyys Wolfspell - 2016 - Atmospheric Black I alway say that the nowadays melodic types of Black Metal are like the '90's Doom Death scene, the same emotions, the same expression, probably the same followers too. Kalmantkantaja are yet another band that proves my point, their music brings my mind to Paradise Lost, old Anathema, Katatonia or even My Dying Bride, but all expressed through Black Metal patterns. This is the band's 9th full-length album (!) even though they were formed as a band in 2011 and begun releasing albums 2 years later, so we're deling here with a highly productive band that was actually a one-man band most of the time and completed its trio line-up only this year; Grim666, the main guy here, composed all the music and Tyrant all the lyrics. All three of them are experienced musicians but what puzzles me is that they all are also active in other bands (Oath, Hautakammio or Wyrd to name a few only), I'm curious to see if they'll manage to keep the same pace of releases. Talking about this new album, it is made of only 5 tracks but it lasts for almost 45 minutes, the perfect duration for such a material. The music is very expressive, atmospheric and involving, with a deep nostalgic / depressive side to it, sinister at times exactly like the excellent cover artwork (I was surprised to find that it's done by a lady who lives in my city) suggests. Even though the tracks are not as diverse and varied as I would have liked in order to be impressed I must say that Kalmankantaja's latest album is an enjoyable, catchy piece of Doom inspired Black Metal that flows smoothly, transmits what it was supposed to and leaves you wanting for more. I would have liked some fast & furious Black Metal parts, too, and a bit more inspiration the the last (instrumental) track to avoid being considered a simple filler. The CD comes with 8 pages booklet featuring lyrics and a bad-ass band photo I find perfect for this music. 7.5

MYSTONS (Finland) - Destination Death V.R. Label - 2016 - Experimental Stoner Most hardworking pirate duo from the Finnish scene, Mystons are back with their fifth full-length album, and again it's an impressive, borderless, experimental to the bone piece of Stoner Metal mixed with Rock'n'Roll. Just imagine the Rolling Stones going Stoner Metal and you'll be on to a good start getting to know this band's music. The first impression is that the new album is way more catchy than the previous, but it also sounds a bit more emotional by the addition of a ballad-like song. The guitar work is a solid wall of oppressive, crusty riffs mixed with delicious leads and acoustic moments as well, the drums are complex and damn muscular, and the vocals sound so '70's-like, so proud and commanding while still being melodic, with a certain Indie-like feel to them. Usually such influences would turn me away from a CD, but in this case the whole sounds so metallic, so powerful and oppressive that it's crazy good for my taste. No doubt this is the best Mystons release to date, don't miss it! 10

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KARG (Austria) - Weltenasche Art of Propaganda - 2016 - Post Black It's a shame I don't understand German language, maybe I would have dwelved deeper into this album, even though it's sung in a certain dialect from the Austrian lands V. Wahntraum, the main man behind this project, is. The topics, once again, seem to be full of disapointment, despair, and total hate towards mankind, although the dedication on it (in rememberance of my fellow Peter) indicates profound love and respect for a late friend, and in my opinion a few parts on the album sound quite hopeful, dreamy and melancholic but quite shiny. Anyway, this is the fifth album from this project that shouldn't be a new name to fans of Post Black Metal as it is lead by Harakiri For The Sky's vocalist and has already been more or less active since 2006. 8 new tracks clocking over 70 minutes of playing time, a far cry from what we think of when naming Black Metal, an atmospheric, emotional, melancholic type of Post Black Metal highlighted by rough, abrasive vocals, lost of calm moments balanced with other, more energetic and even aggressive but still highly melodic, atmospheric, mesmerizing. Although the first track kind of left me unimpressed and I was about to label the album as a dry and uninteresting, slowly but surely Karg's music grew on me and by the end of the album I was left in awe. A couple of spins later and I still discover and enjoy new things, and I'm sure this won't change anytime soon, so from my point of view, if you're into Post Rock/Metal with a Depressive/Ambient Black Metal atmosphere this will surely make your day. 8.5 KETCH (USA) - The Anthems of Dread Aesthetic Death - 2016 - Sludge Doom Oh man, it all works so fast nowadays for (some) bands I cannot help in linking all this rush with the internet era; Ketch were founded in 2014 and 2 years after here we have their debut album, first released by themselves on Bandcamp, and immediately after picked up by UK based Aesthetic Death for a rerelease on physical format, and here we have a band with already a promising career ahead. Back in the days, in the '90's, I remember there were bands playing similar music but we used to call it slow Death or even Doom Death, and nowadays, after a narrowing down of all these sub-genres one could say this is a combination of Sludge and Doom Metal, with groovy drumming, slick, incisive bass lines, low-tuned bombastic guitar riffs, ethereal, mysterious shrieking vocals supported by growls from time to time, and all this delivered on slow to midtempo rhythms with occasional fast paced rhythms that actually sound like Post Black Metal to me to be honest. It's obvious the backbone of this material are the intricate guitar riffs, but the complexity of the whole material leads to a mature, imaginative, open to experimentation ensemble that will possibly offer their followers some good surprises in the future. I'd recommend this debut release of their to both Sludge Doom Metal followers but also to the ones of you in serach for something new. 9

KHAOSPATH (Sweden) - ...for the Devil Speaks the Truth Immortal Frost - 2016 - Black This band's outfit made me realize how convenient is for Swedish bands to "transform" their national flag in an inverted cross symbol, haha, I know it's a stupid conclusion but it's damn true.

Khaospath from Sweden follows their 2014 debut album with a 9 tracks (55 minutes long) effort 2 years later, a new album that marks a few highly important changes in the band's activity: from a one man project led by Hellcommander Vargblod and based in Malta, not Khaospath are a trio based in Sweden, and also worth mentioning is the label's change from Germany based Pesttanz to the Belgian Immortal Frost. These changes will have undoubtedly impacted the band's music as well, so what we get on these 9 new tracks, is a ferocious, hateful, organic sounding Black Metal highlighted by the raspy and razor-sharp shrieks of Vargblod and by occasional interesting guitar leads that in my opinion are taking this release at least a level up to what would have been if stripped off them. My main problem is with the stuffed, somehow chaotic sounding production, although I can appreciate its organic approach, I feel a bit more polish (not much more) would have done only good. The structures are pretty traditional if I may say so, but the occasional guitar leads, as said before, are adding the catchy factor to the whole, and all in all the final impression is good, it's an enjoyable release, dark and aggressive as it should be, but without an original edge to make the band stand out from the crowd. 6.5 KORGONTHURUS (Finland) - Vuohen siunaus Woodcut - 2016 - Black There's no need to know the band or anything about them to get they're from Finland from the very first track of this album, it definitely delivers traditional, hateful, sinister yet melodic at times Black Metal the Finnish way. The second fulllength from this band featuring 2 exmembers from Horna, is released long after their debut was out, in 2009, and although the band was featured on a few splits and released an EP and a compilation in the meantime, a full-length is always the most wanted and I'm sure their followers are ecstatic about this new official album made of 7 new tracks and clocking almost 50 minutes of playing time. Good idea to have the lyrics handwritten in the CD booklet, and although they are in native tongue and they don't do much for someone like me who doesn't understand this language, it would have been a good idea to have someone else writing them, someone who's not a doctor, if you know what I mean... The artwork is excellent, very '90's, very honest, it transpires devotion and meticulosity, well worth it for an album. Getting back to the music, it's highlights are the absolutely demented, very high-pitched yet still grim vocals of Corvus, the devastating rhythm section and the intense guitar work the slips in some melody from time to time, just enough to still keep things highly offensive and hateful. The production is excellent, just listen to the brutality these

guitar riffs are delivered and how well such high-pitched vocals are mixed in order to avoid annoying people and at the same time keeping them flesh-ripping raw.

Fans of Finnish Black Metal will certainly enjoy it and I say this just because I'm among them. 8 KOSMOKRATOR (Belgium) - First Step Towards Supremacy Van - 2016 - Black Death A really interesting surprise coming from Belgium, this quitet founded in 2013 and already signed with a respected label like Van Records. After spinning this debut EP of theirs for a few times (read: many times) I can say I'm surprised they are not from Poland, and not only because at some point they add priest choirs like Batushka, or because their compositions are so think and massive like Mgla's, but mostly because of the tremendous, blasphemic, proud, imposing attitude they deliver on these 4 long tracks here (a bit over half an hour of playing time). The cover artwork, although a pretty nice painting, doesn't reflect what's happening on this album, by imagining it after seeing the artwork you might think their music is blunt, unpolished, menacing and that's about it, but actually we're dealing with a great deal of care in all minor details of their compositions, the massive sound is actually created by complex structures, lots of effects and gimmicks, but which taken as one sound curdled and perfect flowing. I've seen this album is quite a few year end tops and for damn sure it's well worth these mentions, Kosmokrator might just be the next big thing in the near future Black Metal... 9 KROWOS (Italy) - Verbum Luciferi Nigredo - 2017 - Black The second signing of Nigredo Records, Krowos, is an Italian band that seems to like keeping things traditional and at the same time as mystical as possible. The band is around since 2011 and even has a previously released full-length album among some splits used to keep them busy, but this may be the album that really brings them into the scene's attention, the first one was only released on tape and in limited edition of only 100. Although the (way too) dark cover artwork didn't inspired anything, and the first contact with the main vocalist was almost hilarious (that kind of vocal timbre that makes you wonder if the guy tries to be evil or he's crying like a baby), once I got used to it I managed to enjoy the instrumental part and the atmospheres these guys manage to create, also with the use of backing vocals that are a real help in this condition. The music ranges between mid-tempo and fast paced and the production is good enough to let you enjoy the compositions; the guitar work is quite good delivering expressive, repetitive but well-structured guitar riffs, the rhythm section is energetic and involving, and the addition of subtle keyboards in the background and occasional semi-acoustic guitar inserts was a good choice to balance between the raging and the atmospheric parts. If you're into '90's mystical and somehow melodic Black Metal give this one a spin. 7.5 KUROKUMA (UK) - Adversus Medusa Crush - 2016 - Sludge Doom Young trio from Sheffield presenting their

debut EP, their first official debut as the band has a demo out right after their foundation, too. The 3 tracks presented here are ginormous when it comes to both heaviness and composition, just imagine a psychedelic trip through a land of schizophrenic giants fighting each other to death and you're on the right way; heavyass guitar riffs supported by Post Metalinspired psychedelic leads, oppressive drums and bass lines, angry vocals and even some tribal and industrial elements thrown in for the fun of it. The 3 tracks (20 minutes) will be enough to convince any follower of these genres that Kurokuma is a solid newcomer that may produce some mind-blowing albums in the near future. This one was released on tape limited to only 110 copies. 8.5 LATHSPELL (Finland) - Torn Cold Void Wolfspell - 2016 - Black I could say this is a real super-group of the Finnish Black Metal scene incorporating members from Azaghal, Hautakammio, Wyrd or Oath (if you haven't heard of them before you should think of getting a serious update on the current scene in Finland), and even though many of them are younger than Lathspell, they are better known. Lathspell was founded back in 1998 and this is their fifth full-length album, a 4 tracks effort clocking 40 minutes of razor-sharp, vicious, evil sounding Black Metal. Organic to the bone, traditional but not stale at all, epic at times, offensive and energetic all the time, Torn Cold Void is a fine example of what the Finnish Black Metal scene can still produce. It's not innovative and I don't think it was intended to be that way, but it's damn well arranged, structured and executed, if you'll listen carefully you'll be delighted by the lush guitar and bass work, by the intensity of the drums and the sharpness, flesh-cutting tone of the vocals.

A good surprise was the apparition of the guitar solos, short but still a good addition; the World needs more guitar solos in Extreme Metal, I tell you (wink). All in all, Torn Cold Void is an album that convinces and consoles fans of Traditional (oh well, better said fast and evil) Black Metal that quality comes with experience and this band has both. Released as 3 panels digipak featuring lyrics for 3 of the 4 tracks (I wonder why they haven't included the lyrics for the first track, too...). 8.5 LIQUID GRAVEYARD (International) - By Nature so Perverse Sleaszy Rider - 2016 - Death Founded by the Walker family (Raquel and John of Cancer fame), Liquid Graveyard have been around since 2006 but it always seemed like a side-project, like something done over the weekend, when time allows, a pass-time for 2 metalheads at heart, and even if they released 2 albums (On Evil Days in 2009 and The Fifth Time I Died in 2011) the band remained (or at least gave the impression to be) at that hobby-stage until 2014. In 2014 the Walker family were joined by Nick Barker and Shane Embury and we can call it a super-group already, and although it still gives the impression of a side-project, at least this new, third, full-length album will be taken more seriousely by the media and fans. And

indeed, Shane Embury's bass lines are an ultra-heavy influence on the new material from the start, and Nick's drumming is, as we know it from countless other projects, Swiss-clock precise, the perfect patch to any Metal wound, so their joining of Liquid Graveyard won't go unnoticed from the music composition of view either. The arrangements are again aiming at an oppressive, fast paced Death Metal with progressive influences, fresh sounding although mostly using oldschool patterns, technical and complex as we all know John can deliver, and lead by the vicious, ferocious growling vocals of Raquel it all makes sense. There are even a few tracks that could be considered as the hits of the album, so this is pretty much a complete material from my point of view, not innovative in any way, but fresh and honest sounding. 9 LUCID DREAM (Italy) - Otherwordly Independent - 2016 - Hard'n'Heavy I reviewed these guys' second album almost 3 years ago and I still remember I liked it a lot so of course getting their new release in my mailbox was very exciting and a bit worrying because I feared they won't be able to top their previous work.

The band is still self produced, but they are still taking thing damn seriously, and this new opus comes in form of a 3 panels gatefold digipak CD complete with a 12 pages booklet with lyrics and pretty simple but I guess symbolic graphic artwork. The band lost their fourth member in the meantime, unless if Paulo Raffo who was the drummer on The Eleventh Illusion is the same with Paulo Tixi who appears as session drummer on this new album. The music is the same classy Hard'n'Heavy inspired by both '70's Hard Rock and Progressive Metal, this time with a bit more groove coming from the Southern / Stoner scene, but only a hint of it, just to get things spicier, the end result is still mostly a mix between Hard Rock and Heavy Metal highlighted by the amazing vocal abilities of Alessio, the versatile and expressive guitar work of the same guy and Simone and the subtle but highly supportive bass lines of Gianluca.

An easy flowing, easily digestible, addictive, interesting album that closes with the band's most complex work here, a symphonic (two violins are making their way here) take on Hard'n'Heavy with a healthy dose of dreamy Progressive Rock thrown in the mix. Lovely! 8.5 MACABRE OMEN (Greece) - The Ancient Returns (re-release) Van - 2016 - Epic Pagan Black After the release of the band's second album, in 2015, Van Records re-releases their debut full-length, probably in lack of new material and to keep the band fresh in attention, but also because previous versions are probably long time sold out by now. I have here the Digipak CD version that comes with a beautiful matte booklet with images glorifying Hellenic landscapes that go hand in hand with the music on it. Macabre Omen's music sounds like Bathory meets Varathron and Rotting Christ, or better said an epic,

PANDEMONIUM (Poland) - Nihilist Old Temple - 2017 - Black Death One of the most constant bands of the Polish Metal scene, Pandemonium seem to have reached a peak of popularity in recent days due to the many re-releases, anniversary compilations (they've reached 25 years of activity last year), book and zines mentions/interviews, and live gigs and tours, and it's only right they get this attention, the band is a monster, one of the very first that attempted the Extreme Metal territories at the beginning of the '90's when Poland, like my country, Romania, was in dire lack of decent instruments, not to mention places to play live or to rehearse. They've seen it all lthough never reaching popularity like their fellow countrymen Behemoth, Vader or even Hate, and this new album I have a feeling is among the most awaited releases of this year at least on local level. 9 tracks, 26 minutes of assault, the same type of Blackened Death Metal the band used its fans along the way: sinister, massive and fat sounding guitar section completed by incisive, upfront bass lines, a subtle but steady guiding drumming with fine balance between groove and brutality, and topped by a manly, bellding yet comphensive vocal tone supported here and there by all; types of screams you can imagine, and I shouldn't forget the old-school US Death Metal like guitar solos that pop in all the time and make my blood boil. A complete, devastating album, and most probably the band's best effort to date, an album that

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majestic form of Pagan Black Metal with plenty of catchy and accessible elements beside the rough, offensive Black Metal parts. The traditional, expressive Black Metal guitar riffs are perfectly blending with Pagan leads and acoustic guitar passages to create a balanced material delivered with organic, even raw sounding production that gives it an old-school feeling. If you give it a chance and listen carefully you'll discover all sorts of little elements that make this record worthwhile and close to a masterpiece of Greek Black Metal, one that shouldn't be missed if you don;t have the first editions, one to be proud of having in your collection. 8.5 MEZCLA (France) - Metalmorfosis M.U.S.I.C. - 2016 - Flamenco Death Flamenco Death Metal, now this should turn some heads, at least it got my attention even before playing one bit of it, but there's another weird thing about Mezcla, the fact that they are actually French but their lyrics are in Spanish even from the beginning of the band, in 2002, I don't think I saw this before so from these points of view Mezcla seems to be a highly original band for the drought of originality we have nowadays. This is the band's second full-length album, a 9 tracks effort clocking 45 minutes that in my opinion are an old-school (think '90's) Progressive Death Metal with few insertions of acoustic guitar that could validate the Flamenco mention; not sure if the tracks are not actually based on Flamenco structures, on Flamenco guitar tabs turned Death Metal by the band, which, if that'd be the truth, would be a great and classy touch, but at a first sight (listen) they don't differ much from other bands. The compositions are indeed interesting, much more than simple Death Metal rhythms, and the overall impression is great, the band proves to be able to deliver good quality music more on a technical side than on brutality level. I like this album a lot, and although I had other expectations when reading about the Flamenco thing, I think Mezcla are actually a very good Progressive Death Metal outfit that deserves your attention. 9 MISERIST (Australia) - Miserist Krucyator - 2017 - Instrumental Experimental Black Death I always thought Insturmental Metal of all kinds to be the perfect "tool" to introduce someone into a different type of music, in our case Extreme Metal, but in this particular case this "rule" does not apply at all. Miserist is a new and mysterious act from Australia experimenting through Black Death territories without using any vocals, and this is their debut EP, a 6 tracks effort clocking half an hour of intense and at the same time hypnotic music. Miserist are mixing Black, Death, Doom, Sludge, Ambient and Noise elements into what becomes a seriously addictive yet highly uncommercial type of dark, cold, heavy and mysterious music that, as ironical as it may sound for an instrumental band, sound very close to UK based Voices, one of my current fave bands. As I was saying earlier, I wouldn't advise to play this CD to a profane of the genre because although lacking the vocal part (which usually disturbs unusual

listeners), the compositions are so intricate and demanding, so unpredictable and surprising that I doubt someone without experience in this field would ever get anything from it. If you're into experimental, avantgarde, sludgy, heavy and mysterious/atmospheric Metal this might be a tremendous new find for your collection, give it a try. 9 MISTEYES (Italy) - Creeping Time Maple Metal - 2016 - Symphonic Gothic Death It's a long time since I've last heard a "beauty and the beast vocals"-led band, this Gothic-influenced genre seems to have lurked into shadows during the past few years, but I feel it's about time for it to reemerge and Misteyes might just pick the big wave, we'll wait and see. Although founded in 2012, the band had 2 decissive line-up milestones: in 2014 when their bassist left but was replaced by three other musicians, and in 2016 when there were again some serious line-up changes resulting in the current 7 members team complete with a male growling vocalist and a female operatic one. This is their debut album featuring 12 tracks in a bit over an hour of playing time, a strong and inventive mix of Gothic, Symphonic and Death Metal with influences from Power and Progressive Metal. The tempos are mostly mid-paced to fast, with occasional slow, enchanting passages, the guitars are upfront providing a metallic, muscular impression, in contrast with the dreamy, fairy-like keyboards on the background, but in my opinion the main star of the instrumental part is the bass, subtle most of the time, but also influential and groovy, the bass plays a very important role in this band's music. I have to also mention the stady and precise drumming here, and with this I've praised all areas, haha. No, really, this is a good album, varied, modern sounding, inventive and above all, enjoyable, Misteyes prove to be a promising band to keep an eye on. 8.5 MOLOCH LETALIS (Poland) Arkana chaosu Old Temple - 2016 - Black Death This is not a new Moloch Letalis album, but a compilation of their first two official releases, the 2006 demo Cold Execution and the 2009 debut album, Apoteoza smierci, and it was initially released in 2009 by Moon Records but on tape, so if for the demo this is the first CD treatment, for the debut album it's actually the second time it's released on CD, the first time was in 2010 by the same Old Temple that rereleaed the compilation now. The sound quality is organic and quite abrasive, but crystal clear, if you're into underground Black and Death Metal you won't have any problem with it. The music is more brutal and unpolished on the demo part (8 tracks including a cover of Marduk's Panzer Division Marduk) and more daring and almost progressive at times (but still in the band's limits, don't think of the regular Progressive Metal), with plenty of rhythms changes and more expressive also, so the improvement is obvious in the 3 years between releases. If you don't know Moloch Letalis by now you should know they play a mix of Black and Death Metal, fast paced but with many varied

parts, not innovative or original, but well delivered with contagious hate and anger, fans of the raw version of the mix between the two abovementioned genres will enjoy this new release although it's not actually new in composition.

MORBITORY (Germany) - Into the Morbitory Bret Hard - 2016 - Death Another young band that gets lucky by signing with a label for their very first release which is not even a full-length, but an EP. Into the Morbitory was released in the end of 2016 by Bret Hard Records on Digipak CD and vinyl and offers 6 tracks in a bit over 20 minutes of playing time.

Morbitory is all about classic, pounding Death Metal and they found the perfect band name for this, didn't they? This debut EP sounds so damn classic you'll think it was released by an already famous name in the scene, not by a young act, and indeed the 6 tracks sound so very tight and well-thought you'll be amazed; I like them all except for the fourth, White Mask, track that I find way too repetitive and annoying at some point, but as I said, the rest of this debut material is beautifully brutal and solid. Fast, blastbeats-driven rhythms are alternated with groovier, slow to mid-tempo ones, so in the end I kind of feel this is a very well-balanced release, it's not innovative in any way, but I think fans of bands like Cannibal Corpse, Morgoth, Sinister or Grave will appreciate it a lot. A band to definitely keep an eye on, a find promise of the German Death Metal scene. 8.5 MROME (Poland) - Noetic Collision On The Roof Of Hell Independent - 2016 - Metal Well, I wasn't able to pinpoint this material to a certain genre, so the closest I could come up was simply Metal. The debut album from this Polish duo is made of 10 tracks and clocks 45 minutes of playing time. If you want to get an idea just think of Carcass, Samael, Thrash Metal and Groove Metal blended together but with the level of aggression an Indie band has, not kidding! It would sound really mellow if the vocals wouldn't have been harse, almost growl-styled, but I have to admit the final result is really interesting and it has a serious chance of impressing a wide range of young kids that got into Metal recently, and I don't mean it's weak, no, it's just accessible for a wider range of listeners although it has some Dark influences that even remind the current Polish Black Metal scene. Clean production, slow to mid-tempo rhythms all over the place, even some catchy choruses, these are the additional elements that will make thia album an enjoyable audition. 8 NAGAARUM (Hungary) - D.I.M. Endless Winter / GS / Outer Line - 2016 Experimental Black From my point of view Nagaarum is one of the most promising new names in Hungarian Black Metal, and I don't really like this type of bands/projects that release countless full-length albums in short time (for example Nagaarum has 14 albums released in less than 6 years...), I feel that this one-man project has a tremendous

SELBST (Venezuela) - An Ominous Landscape Sun & Moon - 2015 - Black 5 years after their foundation Venezuelan Selbst manage to release their official debut release, but not a full-length like one might expect, but a 3 tracks EP. Yes, the tracks are long (7 minutes each) and quite plurivalent, but I feel it's still not enough for a duo that works together for so many years. Anyway, the three tracks offered here are damn excellent presenting us a melodic and a bit melancholic Black Metal based on a backbone of technical guitar riffs and leads, short but prominent guitar solos, intensive, complex and organic sounding drums and a smooth bass line that makes it all even more appealing. Indeed, these 3 tracks sound professional and carefully crafted that after a couple of spins I feel I could easily handle a full-length album from this band. A really good debut, much better than I expected, I have nothing to complain about here except the short duration, and I hope the awful situation in their country won't make them stop composing and releasing new stuff. 9.5

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potential. At the moment, it seem the topics Nagaarum (both the band and its sole member are called Nagaarum) touches in it's lyrics are more related to science and space, I'd see its music more adapted to topics about the human psyche, mental illness, maybe even touching the proverbial Hungarian predisposition to suicide. The music is, indeed, quite chaotic and psychotic, even schizophrenic I'd say, the combination of Hungarian Folk-like vocals with desperate, raspy shrieks, on multiple layers of atmospheric / spacey keyboards and synths, and all this on a structure of Black Metal mixed with an obvious Death Metal influence, make from D.I.M. a scarry, deeply unpredictable monster, one that if you'll take your time to explore and absorb, it will prove to be highly rewarding. The album has a few weak points, too, but overall is a tremendous new display of sick, ugly, experimental and expressive Black Metal, try it yourselves. 8 NEKRAPE (Poland) - The Hypostasis of the Archons Demented Omen of Masochism - 2016 Black With jost under half an hour of playing time, but a total of 10 tracks, The Hypostasis of the Archons is the debut album from this Polish trio founded in 2012. It seems the three guys making out this band are all experienced in the obscure underground Black Metal scene from Poland, so I guess this album was pretty much waited by fans of the genre.

What we get here are 10 tracks of fast paced, Thrash Metal influenced, Bestial Black Metal defined by spectre-like demented shrieks, a frenzy of old-school drum patterns, heavy, incisive bass lines and thrashy guitar riffs supported from time to time by crazy solos. The production is rough, organic, and unpolished, so make sure you keep this in mind if you're thinking of giving it a try.

There's not much to impress here, the whole is pretty traditional and opposed to innovation, but if you're into bestial, organic, fast paced Black Metal try it out.

6.5 NIHILISTINEN BARBAARISUUS (Finland) - Immaculate Deconception Depressive Illusions - 2016 - Black Mika Mage ended up being the only member of Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus at the moment but it seems he has no plans of quitting anytime soon. This Single was already followed by a new EP released this year, so Mika seems to be more productive then ever by his own, time will tell if he's better off this way or if he's going to find a full line-up again. I wouldn't call N.B.'s type of Black Metal traditional to the Finnish way, but rather more influenced by the Norwegian scene, the second wave of it I'd say, enhanced by a spooky atmospheric keyboard in the background. Tremolo guitar riffs, upfront bass lines, fast drumming, supported by the already mentioned keyboards and led by desperate screams, that's what you'll get on this 4 minutes long single released on cassette tape by Depressive Illusions. A

good way to keep things fresh I'd say. 7.5 NOCTEM (Spain) - Haeresis Art Gates - 2016 - Black Death Fourth studio album from this deeply active Spanish band that could be considered as a Spanish response to the Polish Black Death monsters Behemoth, although I'm sure they've been compared so much to Behemoth they're sick of it.

Well, Noctem, although keeping the same Black Death Metal trajectory like Behemoth or Hate are far from being considered copycats, they have their own path, their own identity and hopefully part of the underground started noticing them after so many gigs, festival appearances and tours (it was about time, dammit); it's impressive how hard they are working on building themselves a name and it's astonishing how hard the road to success is in their case, if I'd be in a band with the aim to make it in this Metal scene I'd think twice after seeing how much you have to work for it and sacrifice a lot, too, I'm sure of that. Anyway, getting back to this fourth opus, Noctem offers us 10 tracks in almost 45 minutes, highlighted by the highly intensive, relentless drum parts, the versatility of the vocal parts, the catchiness of the guitar riffs and the expressive guitar leads, all extremely well balanced, with the benefit of a perfect production, in order to remain easily digestible and at the same time highly offensive and disgusting like all bands "swimming in these waters" should be.

Another rusty nail in this band's magneficent building, brutal, energetic, catchy, expressive and perfect story-telling new album from Noctem. 9 OHTAR (Poland) - Euthanasia of Existence Deathrune - 2016 - Black After almost 10 years since their previous full-length Ohtar are releasing their fourth studio album, a 6 tracks effort clocking over 40 minutes of Black Metal ranging from slow, oppressive rhythms to midtempo, even fast paced tempos at rare times indeed. Good idea to have the lyrics printed in both Polish and English, at least the listener can understand better and get more involved in this material; there's where I learnt Ohtar's current lyrical themes are quote morbid, depressive and hopeless, not the epic, NS themes I thought they talk about. The music reminds me of Burzum's trademark in using repetitive, mesmerizing guitars in its compositions; the drumming is pretty monotonous I'd say, and this impression ultimately transmits to the whole release although if you listen closer you'll find plenty of variety in both guitar and bass structures. To be honest I quite like the instrumental part, it sounds organic, interesting and displays a powerful epic atmosphere even though there are no keys or other additional instruments used here, but my real problem with this release is with the vocals, abrasive, raspy vocals without any versatility or complexity, way too monotone for my tastes. 7 OLD

WITCH

(Canada)

-

Come

Mourning Come Sun & Moon - 2014 - Doom Drone Black Although initially released by the band in 2013, only 1 year after their foundation (although I feel this is and always was a one-man project), this debut album of theirs sounds pretty promising and really, really interesting. Featuring 6 tracks but clocking 36 minutes of playing time, Come Mourning Come impresses through its heaviness, through its constant oppressive atmospheres from the main structures that are a mix of Drone Doom with Black Metal, to the Ambient fourth track, all of them evoke the same dark, depressive, introverted feelings. The interesting aspect when we talk about the compositions is the Drone element, the monolithis, intense, crushing and abrasive (but not annoying though) effects that complement the whole heaviness of this album. Apart from that the demolishing bass lines, the low-tuned guitars and the desperate Black Metal shrieks (that I don't particularly like) are all contributing to a mysterious, terrifying final offering, an album that I find very interesting and feel will be a serious part of the Black Metal scene in Canada if it were to be written a book about it at a certain point. This version of it was re-released by Sun & Moon Records in 2014 and benefits of cover and back-cover images made by the label owner, Robert, which is pretty cool.

9 ORDER TO RUIN (Germany) - Lunar Asylum Independent - 2017 - Melodic Death Impressive how these guys have reached with Lunar Asylum the 6th full-length album all released independent from any labels, and to me this says they have no intention of ever signing unless it's a big deal or something. Unfortunately, I don't see a big deal coming for them any time soon if they don't find a drummer and start touring the hell out for their albums; otherwise this seems to be a good homebased project and nothing more. The new album comes in Digipak CD format again and features 9 tracks in less than 40 minutes of playing time, in my opinion a mix between the old Swedish (Gothemburg school) Death Metal and Finish Death Metal, that type of mostly fast paced melodic Death Metal heavily based on the guitar work that is mandatory to be influenced by the Heavy Power Metal at least on leads and solos. The vocals are a bit too stale and although the guy has a good tone, it's not enough to keep things interesting for almost 40 minutes. Parts of it are very catchy and I can see them getting proper feedback, but there's also a part of the album where the drum programming becomes obvious and a bit annoying, and that steals attention from the compositions. All in all is an enjoyable release, if you don't mind a soulless drumming and a less expressive vocal part give it a spin or two. 7.5 ORDO SANGUINIS NOCTIS (Poland) - In the Black Tomb of Time Putrid Cult - 2015 - Black My eternal problem with bad recorded

drums returns on this debut album by Polish Ordo Sanguinis Noctis, but this time unfortunately the drums sound awfully unprofessional and amateurish I could say, they remind me of the cheap old drums my former band was using more than 10 years ago (and the drums were at least 20 years old at the time...); if these drums are programmed, the program and/or the one who worked on them is awful, and if they are live recorded, a minimal amount of mastering wouldn't have been too much to ask. Anyway, passing over this issue I have to mention the rough and blunt guitar work, Thrash Metal inspired, with plenty of simple but effective riffs (with dull moments as well), and all in all being the most memorable part of this band's music. The vocals are quite versatile and expressive, pushing the whole material to a higher level of blasphemy and disgust, the band's real connection to Black Metal, just listen to the 8th track for exemplification. The band has interesting ideas, I have to agree, but with this type of '80's rehearsal demo sound quality I doubt they'll manage to do anything in the future. 6 OTTONE PESSANTE (Italy) Blasphemy Set In Stone Independent - 2016 - Heavy Brass Heavy Metal done only on and by drums, trumpet and trombone, or better said exactly how I envision Goran Bregovic would love his Heavy Metal to sound like.

A debut album that tokk me by surprise; I was expecting some sort of Heavy Metal, or by the look of its cover artwork, even Death Metal, but actually I got 10 tracks that sound like Taraf De Haidouks went Metal all of a sudden, just imagine my surprise. This Italian trio managed to deliver 10 tracks that although lacking any guitars, bass or vocals, sound more Metal than lots of "traditional" Metal bands nowadays. Fast, thrilling, brutal by the sound of the drums, happy by the sound of the trumpet, or grave by the sound of the trombone, Blasphemy Set In Stone is one hell of a debut album I'm sure you'll love in an instant if you're in a constant search for something new. Although impressive by its boldness and courage, Blasphemy Set In Stone still feels like missing something, like there's always room for something more, and I hope they'll find it by their next album; also the drums (very inventive and intricate) sound a bit too synthetic here and there. 8 PALMER (Switzerland) - Surrounding the Void Czar of Crickets - 2016 - Post Metal Whoa, this was one hell of a ride, let me dust myself off before I start writing some words on this material. Ok, done, now I can replay it while squeezing my brain for words on how to describe the experience.

Palmer is a new name to me, but the band has been around from 2000 and this is their third studio album to date released 5 years distance from the previous. Palmer plays Post Metal, a combination of tons of sonorities grabbed and melted from different genres like Stoner, Atmospheric Metal, Metalcore, Progressive Metal, Post

Black Metal and even influences from outside of the Metal spectre, a giant pot of avantgarde stuff fine balancing between extremely noisey, visceral segments and atmospheric, almost meditative parts. I'm far from being a fan of these Metalcore screams, I find them quite dull, but in some parts of this album I found them pretty fit and complementary to the impressive instrumental effort. The 9 tracks featured on this album are clocking an hour of interesting, captivating music, and although it's a difficult ride that requires all your focus in order to get anything out of it, it's extremely challenging and at the same time offering.

Probably my only restraint from being a total fan of this band are the vocals, but if you think you're into Post Metal and don't mind constant desperate Metalcore screams this album might just make your tops! 8 PATH OF DESOLATION (Switzerland) - Where the Grass Withers Independent - 2016 - Melodic Death Oh man, the first thing that stuns you from this album is the fantastic cover artwork, or at least that's what it did for me, so I immediately wanted to know who did it; and the responsible is Travis Smith who did work for Amorphis, Anathema, Cradle of Filth, Katatonia or Opeth among many others of similar caliber. So, a first target hit when it comes to the look of this 3 panels gatefold digipak CD Independent by this kind of new Swiss band founded in 2013. Regarding the music on it, we're treated with 11 tracks clocking almost 50 minutes of playing time, a modern, melodic, technical Death Metal on the In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Omnium Gatherum path, one that was and still is heavily overcrowded, so naturally one that competition is fierce resulting in slimmer chances of breaking through. Not to be overly enthusiastic about it, but I think these guys have what it takes to break through, or at least this debut album sounds so well done, so carefully structured and planned that it induces this impression even from the very first track.

Beside, it's technical level, its flawless production and it's complex compositions are extra points to the overall heavy value of this band. They only need something to set them apart, to make them easily distinguishable, and the mostly monotone but armor piercing vocals of David (whom I've admired in his other band 3 Days of Silence, too) might be just that, his colleagues are extremely talented and well trained in offering him the perfect platform, this debut album convinced me.

If you're into Melodic Death Metal give this album a chance, but try to listen to it in full, it's so diverse and at the same time curdled that it deserves to be given a full chance. 9 PENITENCE ONIRIQUE (France) V.I.T.R.I.O.L. Emanations - 2016 - Black Not sure why is this material considered an EP and not a full-length but most probably it's only because it features only

SEVENTH STATION (International) - Between Life and Dreams Independent - 2016 - Progressive Metal Seventh Station are based in Slovenia, but the band is actually an international ensamble featuring also Turkish young pianist and conductor Eren Basbug who also worked on Dream Theater's self-titled album from 2013, among others, a project brewed between Sloven, Israeli, Turkish and American musicians. This is their debut album, one that will most probably storm the Prog Metal scene as it is THAT good, actually it is one of the best I've heard in recent years! I'd say it's a mix between traditional (is there something like this in Progressive Metal?) and extreme Metal, between the '90's visionaries of the genre (first in mind Dream Theater, of course) and the current waves of Extreme Metal influenced Progressive scene, with an emphasis on the first though. Although the cover artwork wasn't promising at all for me (I found it too dull and not inspiring at all), what happens on this album on music level is stunning and all of the band members are of course excellent musicians, and it wouldn't be fair to mention one of them, they are all providing their fair share of virtuosity on this album, with a fine balance between the actual "storyline" of the album and its natural flow and the virtuoso parts to display their skills. The album is also promoted by a first single, the emotional The Edge of the Lake, but it has a lot more to offer than that, it expands and crawls all over the place in this genre. Too bad they don't seem to be a live band as touring this album would have certainly made their name grow to unimaginable levels... 10

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5 tracks; that doesn't explain the total duration of almost 50 minutes, I don't think I've ever stumbled upon an EP lasting for almost 50 minutes of playing time... Anyway, I promised myself I won't pick on this topic anymore since no one is following rules nowadays, especially this type of rules (what's a demo; what makes an EP; what's a full-length; what's independent and what not). This is, for sure, the debut material from France based Penitence Onirique, strangely enough recorded in Belgium and released by the band at first as digital product and then picked up by Emanations, a division of Les Acteurs de l'Ombre Productions and released as high-quality 3 panels digipak CD later in the year. After a debut track that I found pretty generic and that almost made me skip it, the second track is absolutely great and highly memorable, a dense, atmospheric and oppressive Black Metal based on contagious double layers or guitars that make up for the lost ground and even more. The third tracks somehow falls into the same trap of generic, overly stretched and overly repetitive structures, then followed by a more varied fourth track that brings in some Post Black Metal influences, too, which is a nice touch, not affecting the general impression on the overall material though. Ending with a final track that again brings forth the fantastic potential in the guitars section, V.I.T.R.I.O.L. leaves a mark on the listener and introduces us a promising young duo that hopefully will last and improve, too. I'd also make a change on those incomprehensive vocals that I agree, sound ok for this type of music, but are a bit too hidden in the background to make a difference... 7.5 PERCUSSOR (USA) - Disturbing Reality Horror Pain Gore Death - 2016 - Death This Philadelphia based trio seems to have been active between 96 and 98 but without luck in what concerns recordings; they are back since 2014 and this is already their second full-length since the reunion, featuring 9 tracks (1 is a cover though) in a bit over 35 minutes of playing time.

Everything about the band, starting with their name, and ending with this album's cover artwork and of course music, screams '80's Death Metal, and here I include the production, a bit too stuffed and opaque for my taste, causing a few guitar gimmicks to become unobserved and somehow leveling everything to a point where you won't notice the little things. The mostly fast paced rhythms have their moments of breathing when the band sounds like Autopsy-influenced, but the whole I'd say sounds like a mix of Deicide, Vital Remains, Obituary and maybe a bit of Bolt Thrower, too. A traditional Death Metal album with its fair share of progressive-like insertions from all three instruments just to keep things spicy, but on the vocal side unfortunately nothing really sticks to mind after the audition; a mostly angry monster, ugly and harassing from start to finish. If you like a dry, organic, stuffed production and your Death Metal a la '80's this might make

your day. 7 PICTURE ANN (Norway) - Mountains, Myth and Murder Floodgate Moods - 2016 - Experimental Ambient This is the most recent release from Picture Ann, the fourth album from this Norge one-man project, one that is released digitally, not sure if it has a physical version as well. 9 tracks, a bit over 40 minutes of playing time, highlighted by the clear direction towards hypnotic, repetitive, moody structures that this time sound more experimental and less Metal than the previous releases I had the chance to hear from this project. To me it sounds like the soundtrack of a dream, sometimes foggy, sometimes clearer than it should be, but always mesmerizing and unpredictable, not bad at all I tell you. Although some parts of it I found annoying, some I found too simplistic, the overall impression is good, from my point of view this new album reaches its target of puzzling the listener and captivate at least a bit of attention. 7.5 PLEASUREAGONY (Germany) Pleasureagony Fastball - 2017 - Rock Metal With a mix of Rock and Metal I couldn't pinpoint to a specific category, Pleasureagony present us their debut fulllength album made of no less than 13 tracks clocking a whopping 78 minutes of playing time, so this means they are really, really trustful in their music, and that's how every band should be, of course.

Their music is indeed quite easily digestible mixing influences from Hardcore, Alternative, Industrial, Groove Metal, Hard Rock and even some Metalcore at times, a varied palette of elements that make this a complex and interesting album, one where each track is different from the others but all in all they combine and form a solid unitary effort giving the band an original edge, due also in no minor part to the particular voice tone of Valentin. What impresses is also the band's decision to go for a very organic, unpolished yet crystal clear and professional production, not like the nowadays over-polished materials. All in all I'd say we're witnessing a solid debut by a very promising young band, let's see what the future brings for them.

PUTREFIED REMAINS (Malaysia) The Enthronement Barbarian Wrath - 2016 - Black Death First time I meet this band's music and I'm surprised of how much I like it, and I say surprised because although I knew they are delivering some kind of Black Death Metal, a genre I'm not expecting much surprises lately, their old-school approach is at the same time both a nostalgic touch and a breath of fresh air (even though this sounds silly). The second full-length album from Putrefied Remains follows a well-received debut, Novus Ordo Seclorum, out in 2014 on local label Narrowards, now on a German label, Barbarian Wrath, probably a step forward from this point of view, too. 12 tracks,

almost an hour of mid-paced to fast Black Death Metal highlighted by spacey, atmospheric keyboards in the backgrounds, rusty, animalic growling vocals, catchy guitar riffs, memorable leads and solos, a powerful, upfront bass line and good production. The first 4 tracks offer nothing special from my point of view, but from then on almost each new track comes with its own hook, it's own something to be pinpointed by and the whole album becomes very, very interesting. It sound genuine and honest, an album that reminds me of my teenager years, of the bands I got into Metal for in the first place. Great! 9 QAANAAQ (Italy) - Escape from the Black Iced Forest Another Side - 2016 - Avantgarde Doom An interesting band altogether, from the band name, to the logo, to the concept behind their music (Regressive Speed Doom Metal - say again?), everything about them seems interesting, and that's perfect for a young band at its debut, although they as artists seem to have some experience underbelt. Well, this debut album is made of only 5 tracks, actually 4 originals as one is a cover of Pink Floyd's High Hopes, and the total playing time is 45 minutes. Their music reminds me at (most) times of Slovakia based Lunatic Gods, it's the same experimental, always pushing boundaries mix of everything Metal; with a Doom Metal backbone Qaanaaq easily adds elements from Thrash, Gothic, Progressive, even Death Metal, and non-Metal elements as well.

The problem on this album, even though it is, as said before, a very interesting debut, is the dry production (a more majestic and heavier production would have been way better), the stale keyboard sound (the composition is quite good, but it sounds like a joke at times, not kidding), and the weak clean vocals (the guy has a good, hearse almost growling voice, but when he tries clean vocals he reaches his limits), but nothing that cannot be repaired on a follow-up release, for sure. 6.5 REX MUNDI (USA) - Ontology Wolfspell - 2016 - Black It's weird how the front cover of this album doesn't announce anything at all and seems quite dull and uninteresting while the inside of the 20 pages booklet is so classy in both artwork (paintings actually) and layout... 5 years after their debut album, Rex Mundi returns as a duo with the followup album made of 7 tracks composed between 2006 and 2013, an album that offers a traditional form of Black Metal made of frantic drumming, intense riffing slipping into melodic parts at times, subtle but solid bass lines and vicious Black Metal shrieks seconded by powerful and hateful screams here and there, with the addition of a superb piano part Valence and Salience tracks and melodic guitar leads on a few tracks, but all of these delivered with poor production that got on my nerves at times by being so raw... this release, these compositions would have deserved better, clearer production in my opinion, but anyway, the

SVOID (Hungary) - Storming Voices of Inner Devotion Sun & Moon - 2016 - Post-Punk Black Hungary is slowly but surely following the "innovation in Black Metal" path previously taken by other countries like France, US, even Poland, and produces bands that are not afraid to experiment, but the good thing about it is these bands actually come up with killer material. And here I include the latest album from Budapest based trio Svoid, an album I've heard a lot of praise about but for some reason never had the chance to give it a try until now, so thanks to Sun & Moon I can say I'm now a proper witness to a glorious, indeed, release. Svoid have managed to merge together raw, furious and organic sounding Black Metal with Post-Punk, Post-Rock and Indie, with a final material that is both catchy and damn interesting. Just imagine an abrasive, visceral yet comprehensive at all times Black Metal vocal on layers of guitar work that's specific to the above-mentioned genres, occasional outbursts of blastbeats but also occasional clean, emotional vocals, although I'm sure this would be quite a task if you've never come across such a mix. The production is so clear and organic at the same time it makes you feel the band is right next to you, just another element to make you feel part of something, and as a final conclusion I cannot praise enough this piece of "becoming"; I'm sure they have not stopped here and the next album will be breath-taking... This album comes in an elegant Digipak with 16 pages booklet featuring all lyrics. 9.5

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compositions are interesting enough not to get into boredom, the band offers us plenty of rhythm changes and surprising turns in order to keep us attentive to their art. If you don't mind a raw, fuzzy sound quality to your Black Metal and you're a follower of '90's Scandinavian Black Metal, Pagan Metal and Epic Black Metal you'll pretty much find some interesting stuff on this album. 7 ROSARIO (Italy) - And the Storm Surges Electric Valley - 2016 - Stoner Hailing from the beautiful Northeastern Italian region Veneto, Rosario were formed in 2013 and this is their debut fulllength album, a Digipak CD released by no less than 6 different labels, to me that says the band is pretty appreciated in their genre despite being only a few years old.

The band treats us here with 10 tracks in a bit over 50 minutes of playing time, a groovy, easy flowing, guitar riff driven Stoner Metal lead by a good vocalist that should work a bit more on his pronunciation (although he sings in English, without the lyrics in front of my eyes I doubt I could distinguish one word...). Every track has its own hook, a little something to be different than the others, but I still feel there would have been room for much more experimentation, for some more (or bigger) surprises thrown inthere, I managed to spin the album almost 3 times already and I start to feel signs of boredom and loose interest, but maybe that's only me... The point is the band have all they need to deliver some slick tunes, all they do is pretty typical to this genre, but in my opinion, they have potential to bring a way better album next time. My fave track on this album is the 6th, I am the Morass, probably because I feel that's the darker from the bunch. 7 ROTEM (Portugal) - Nacao Valente e Imortal Rotem - 2017 - Black Death Portuguese one-man band Rotem returns with its second full-length album after the 2014 debut, Dehumanization. This new material features no less than 15 tracks and clocks over an hour of playing time, offering basically a Black and Death Metal mix with loads of influences from other genres including Alternative, Gothic, Symphonic, Groove Metal, Heavy Thrash Metal and even SciFi Metal that reminded me of good old Nocturnus at times. The major problem here is the production: it's obvious Rotem recorded at home (or if not at home at least in a home-based amateur studio) as this isn't better than a demo recording, and here and there is so annoying not being able to distinguish all instruments or at least the elements that could have sounded interesting. Yes, the compositions are pretty diverse, without any borders, and that's the best point on this album, Rotem shows he has no limits and he can do whatever he wants, and at the same time proves he has a good compositional level, but that's not enough to offer a good release. I'd say if this album would have been properly recorded

and trimmed down its unnecessary filling to the important parts of it, it would have been a great, avantgarde release, at this point its is no more than a mediocre demolevel material, sorry. 6 SARASTUS (Finland) - II - Toinen tuleminen Wolfspell - 2016 - Black If you follow my reviews you'll know by now I'm a sucker for Finnish Black Metal, a genre that very rarely disappointed me, a genre that always delivers what I crave for in Black Metal: freezing cold atmospheres, melodic yet sharp guitar riffs, blastbeats all the way and flesh ripping vocals, most of the times sung in a language (mother tongue) that's absolutely perfect for it. Sarastus are a new band from Finland, a duo formed in 2014, and this is actually their debut full-length album released a year after a quite well received demo. We get here 7 tracks in only half an hour of playing time, but a very fulfilling material especially to those of you familiar and followers of Finnish Black Metal, a music that reminds me of Hin Onde but without the Pagan/Folk part.

True to the features I've listed above, Sarastus are a perfect example of their country's Black Metal scene, nothing more, nothing less. Highlighted by the two layers of vocals, a shrieking, raspy Black Metal one and a shouting one in the backgrounds, a melodic (at times quite serene, too) and addictive guitar work, and blasting drums all the way, with slight but obvious influences from Heavy Metal, II Toinen tuleminen is more complex then one could expect at first yet it doesn't surprise much and is not innovative at all so some of you might say you've heard this before and I don't think the band would contradict you much; maybe with their next opus... Anyway, a great debut! 8 SARGATHANAS (Mexico) - The Enlightenment Old Temple - 2017 (re-release) - Death Re-release of Sargathanas' debut fulllength album, I guess exactly as it was firstly released by Conquistador Records back in 1999, with no changes at all.

Sargatanas were old-school even then, as this debut effort sounds like recorded in the end of the '80's, and to me it sounds like a mix of early Sepultura, Obituary and even Morbid Angel; slow paced to midtempo rhythms led by filthy guitar riffs and occasional cavernous solos, are mixed together with fast and maybe even dirtier rhythms guided by unrelenting, furious, organic sounding drumming, and all this sided by a hoarse, almost growling vocal.

The atmospheres offered here are spot on horrifying, in tone with the band's image and artwork for this album, it's nothing spectacular or original, but it's one of those ugly, blasphemous, visceral albums you'll certainly enjoy if you're into the beginnings of this genre. The band is still active after 30 years of activity and hopefully this re-release only prefaces a new full-length album.

SATANIZE (Portugal) - Apocalyptic Impious Command

Deviant - 2016 - War Metal Fourth studio album from this Portuguese duo (formerly a trio), Apocalyptic Impious Command offers 5 new tracks and a cover of Black Witchery's Holocaustic Church Devastation, a total of 6 tracks in not even half an hour of playing time, a fast but utterly destructive offering. Not sure if this is the first, but it's certainly one of the disseminators of War Metal (or Bestial Metal, however you want to call it) in Portugal, and although I'm not a big fan of this sub-genre, I appreciate it's traditional and rough approach and certainly find it useful for a healthy scene. Satanize's latest album impressed me with its clear yet raw production, but got me annoyed with the synthetic drums sound; there's not much to dissect here, it's complete and utter devastation from start to finish, but the good thing is the band added a bit of variety in its rhythms without becoming mellow, and I also enjoyed the addition of brutal, uncompromising Death Metal riffs in the mix. I didn't expect the best leads or solos, or the most complex drumming, or versatile vocals from it, so I won't complain about it, but still a bit of something extra than Black Witchery, Goatpenis, Archgoat or the likes did already, wouldn't hurt. Released on CD with 8 pages booklet, I'm sure this will sell out fast as it's what the scene seems to crave at the moment, even more brutality than we had so far. 6.5 SERPENT SPELLS (Bangladesh) Mantras Within Ascending Fire Godz ov War - 2016 - Black Death It's not everyday I stumble upon a Bangladesh Extreme Metal band so this was a special moment welcomed with high interest from my part especially after reading a couple of reviews prior to listening this EP, raving reviews that hailed this band's bestiality and evilness. I have to admit after the very interesting, blasphemic intro the first track kind of left me wanting for more, way more; the production is organic and very raw, with waird type of vocals that at first listening sound like the vocalist recorded in his bedroom careful not to disturb his neighbors. Well, after a while I got used to it and started following the lyrics as well, and it's then when everything clicked, starting with the second full track and ending with the title track (there are only 3 tracks + the intro featured here) Serpent Spells' music get better and better ending in complete bestial hell. The vocals resemble more and more with poisonous serpent like sounds and that makes perfect sense, if that was the intention I am totally sold. The drummer is fantastic, faster than a pickhammer, connected to the atmosphere, and even though the sound quality is not the best you'll certainly hail his efforts. The guitars are made of Blackened Death riffs, vicious and devilish, with occasional fast and impressive solos. All in all by the end of this EP you're a fan, at least for me it did the work, I'm now convinced of the band's potential, only hope their next release will have a better production. 8 SIGNALFEIDE (Norway) - 12 Miles from Home

Floodgate Moods - 2014 - Experimental Ambient Black Another project from J.N., a musician I've talked about when reviewing one of his other projects, Picture Ann. This one follows quite the same path as Picture Ann, namely an organic and rough mix of Ambient and Black Metal with emphasis on the first and plenty of other influences thrown in all over the place. When I hear Ambient Black Metal I immediately think of a forest atmosphere, but this project gives you the impression of urban soundscapes, of solitude while walking through a big city, at night, under the artificial street lights. The Metal parts are close to Black Metal mostly because of the fast drumming, but I'd say it's actually a combination of Grunge with Black Metal if that makes any sense at all, recorded in the worst possible conditions, barely distinguishable, but it seems that's the band's aim, to be as lo-fi as possible while still managing to transmit emotions and atmospheres. It's a good start, I can find lots of interesting elements in it, but this is purely and solely for the most die-hard underground fanatics used to the roughness in this DIY part of the scene.

6.5 SILVER DUST (France) - The Age of Decadence Fastball / Escudero - 2017 - Modern Heavy Rock Second album from this French band founded back in 2013, The Age of Decadence was first released by Escudero Records in 2016 and now it gets rereleased under Fastball Music for a better, bigger distribution, and after the audition I can clearly say it fully deserves good exposure, it's well worth it. Silver Dust are mixing all sort of modern influences from plain Rock to Heavy Metal, to Groove Metal, all these with some Ethnic (oriental) elements thrown in here and there to spice things up. I'm impressed by their ability to always reach an almost-hit level with their tracks, but unfortunately none are actually doing it. It's a good album, highly entertaining, complex and expressive, with lots of heavy, emotional parts beside some other highly energetic and involving. A very good album ending with a beautiful almost-ballad track to make it complete; although I'm not a fan of the genre I'd say this is an almostperfect album, you should try it out if the border between Rock and Metal is your thing. 9 SKILTRON (Argentina) - Legacy of Blood Trollzorn - 2016 - Celtic Power Although this band is active since 1997 (actually since 2004 under this moniker), although they were the first to represent Argentina at Wacken Open Air, and although they had 4 albums out prior to this new opus, this is the first time I met Skiltron and their music; shame on me.

The band plays a pretty strange combination of Celtic Folk with Power Metal with a highly pronounced fascination for everything Scottish, and I find this strange only because of their origin as a band, maybe one or more members have actual Scottish origins as

individuals. The use of bagpipes as a stable instrument is the highlight of Skiltron's music, no doubts, and the good thing is the bagpipes player really knows his craft, there's not even a moment where you can feel this instrument is not where its supposed to be, is not integral part of the band's music. The compositions benefit of catchy sturctures, excellent Power Metal vocals and choirs all over, energetic rhythm section and loads of catchyguitar riffs, some simple and quite subtle, and other more insisive, more aggressive, although aggressive is not a fit word for the music Skiltron offers here.

Actually, Skiltron offers a quite balanced release, without anything that might appear offensive, quite accessible to all kinds of audiences and interesting and organic enough not to be considered commercial by the core (die-hard) fans of the genre. 8 SOBER TRUTH (Germany) - Locust Lunatic Asylum TaktArt - 2017 - Melodic Thrash Melodic Thrash Metal is most probably not the correct category for this album, but to me it sounds like the closest. Sober Truth present us here their third full-length effort made of 12 tracks and clocking a bit over 45 minutes of playing time. The production is quite disapointing as it doesn't have any power, it made me constantly feel like there's the need of more power on this music, like the final outcome is not complete and it could need something more all the time. The compositions are switching genres, attitude, rhythm and atmosphere all the time mixing elements from Thrash, Death, Progressive and even Gothic Metal and Gothic Rock or Alternative, a very diverse palette of influences resulting in a very loose, varied material that's most probably to appeal only to those looking for nothing precise or niched, so I doubt it will attract loyal more fans in the end. Unfortunately, it's not my cup of tea eiter, it failed to keep me interested. 6 SPREADING DREAD (Czech Rep.) Age of Aquarius Bret Hard - 2016 - Technical Thrash Spreading Dread are a Czech quintet founded almost 10 years ago, in 2007, and here I have their second full-length album released 4 years distance from their debut.

The 8 long tracks featured here are clocking almost 45 minutes of playing time, but that's nothing out of the ordinary for the genre the band plays, a progressive and technical mix of Thrash and Death Metal more inclined towards building cosmic, mysterious atmospheres rather than being as brutal as possible. And they do a damn good job, the album is interesting from start to finish, it varies a lot, and although you have the constant feeling the starting point are Death and Atheist, the compositions are quite modern, welcoming influences from all over the place, maybe too many influences at some point which makes the album feel less aired and memorable and a bit too stuffed. There are plenty of elements to enjoy on this album: the melodic and expressive guitar leads and solos (best thing of the album; I';ve even spotted

SYMMETRIC ORGAN (Germany) - States Of Decay Independent - 2016 - Death From a band with such a name one might only expect some sort of Gore Grind Noise stuff, but to my surprise Symmetric Organ are "walking" on Death Metal territory, with Grindcore influences, of course, but the old-school, menacing, oppressive type of Grind, the one that enhances the brutality of Death Metal, not the funny stuff we're used to more and more nowadays; I prefer the serious type, yes, and so Symmetric Organ was a good surprise. The Dortmund based quartet was founded in 2013 and this is their debut fulllength album made of 10 tracks clocking half an hour of aggressive, old-school, abrasive and brutal Death Metal a la Vader, Monstrosity, with a touch of traditional, blunt and in your face Grind. It all sounds so organic, so brutal that for an old-school fanatic this will be a blast, I have no doubt, Symmetric Organ managed to deliver one of the best new old-school Death Metal albums I've heard lately; it doesn't bring originality or any innovation at all, but it sounds so damn honest, so well-done and so fit for this guys that I could easily place it throughout the classics of the genre. I love it! 10

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some classical music influences), complex drumming, upfront, ballsy bass lines, explosive riffing, rare but versatile vocal parts and the overall nice flowing of the structures, so all in all the album is good, fresh sounding and I'd recommend you to give it a try if you're in search of a Progressive Death Metal with clear potential. 8 STONE SHIP (Finland) - The Eye Feuer Publications - 2016 (re-release) Doom Debut album released 10 years after the band's formation, on tape format, limited edition, The Eye seems to have caught the attention of Feuer Publications which rereleased in a year after, in Digipak CD format (also making its debut as a label this way), the one I have here, one that looks fit for a Doom Metal release: mysterious, dark, monumental. The music itself is traditional Doom Metal a la Black Sabbath / Pentagram, complete with heavy, upfront bass lines, clean vocals with occasional Heavy Metal screams (not enough in my opinion), an inventive, energetic drumming, and all this led by a good level and volume of guitar riffs. Like all Doom releases this one takes its time to settle to your mind, too, at least for me it didn't work right from the start, but once it progresses it presents you loads of interesting ideas and little elements that make it catchy. Good album. 8 STORMFAGEL (Sweden) - Arla gryning Sun & Moon - 2016 - Martial Neofolk DarkPop Wow, what a turn in style from a label one would expect Metal, and especially Black Metal... There's no trace of Metal on this release, but instead we have a blend of other styles I'm unfortunately not that much into, or not at all: Martial, Industrial, Neofolk and DarkPop, the latter I've never heard of, to be quite honest, Dark Pop also known as Suicidal Pop, an absolute novelty for me. The band previously released 2 albums under Cold Meat Industry, the most well-known label in this strange field, so scoring the 4th album must be a proud achievement for Sun & Moon, and judging by what my profane ears hear I'd say there's a definite dark element in Stormfagel's music, element that connects it somehow with the rest of this label's catalogue. Acoustic guitars, all sort of percussion, electro and industrial effects, clean vocals, occasional supportive backing vocals, various keyboard lines, all these building an interesting, soft yet grave music even the uninitiated like me will enjoy, to me it sounds like a mix between the new Tiamat, Depeche Mode and Laibach if it makes any sense...

STYGIAN TEMPLE (Germany) - In the Sign of the Five Angles Sol - 2016 - Atmospheric Black A new and mysterious German band attacking the scene with their debut fulllength album, a 7 tracks effort clocking a bit over 40 minutes of playing time, a 4

years’ worth of work from this band (by how full it sounds I honestly doubt this is a one-man project) who devotes it to the Norwegian Mayhem and their e Mysteriis dom Sathanas album that seems to be their biggest influence. The music on this debutl album is great: obscure, atmospheric, thrilling, mystical, demonic, this from the "feeling" point of view, and from the technical I'd say it gives a fine example of how well thought such an album can be, it's dense yet aired, oppressive and complex, surprising and at the same time catchy and following traditional patterns of the genre. Although I would have liked the sound to be a bit more bombastic, maybe with a slight symphonic touch, and maybe some innovative attempts here and there wouldn't have been bad, Stygian Temple's debut album is great, makes a serious impression on the listener, especially on the traditional ones, for fans of the second wave of Norwegian Black Metal. The CD comes with 12 pages booklet and is limited to 500 copies. 8 SUICIDAL MADNESS (France) Illusions funestes Wolfspell - 2016 - Depressive Black Let's start with a bit of background: in 2011, Molasar, drummer in P.H.T.O., committed suicide at the age of 43 (as a side-note, but very important for this review, he also did session drumming for Suicidal Madness' debut demo the same year). His friends, and especially Alrinack (who also wrote for Pest Webzine at a point in time), founded Molasar's Dreams, a gathering of Depressive Suicidal Black Metal bands that are seemingly trying to honor Molasar's memory. Suicidal Madness reached now their second fulllength album with Illusions funestes, an almost 50 minutes long effort made of 6 new tracks plus intro and outro following paths previously opened by Burzum, Shining and especially their countrymen Nocturnal Depression. A slow paced, icecold, depressive to the core, helpless and hopeless DSBM delivered with a raw production that might turn away some listeners but sounds organic and honest.

The execution, especially the exquisite vocal part and the clever bass lines, is good enough to build atmospheres and transmit deep emotions, and in my opinion the only part where the band needs some more work is the composition part, the band sound capable of delivering some memorable compositions in the future but they did not so far unfortunately, this album will only be remembered by the deep atmospheres, desperate vocals and probably by the great intro. Released as CD with 8 pages booklet featuring all lyrics (in French, of course), no doubt a good addition to every follower of DSBM. 7 SZEPT (Poland) - Krzyk czarnej ziemi Hell Is Here - 2016 - Black Hell Is Here propose us a new band, Szept, a trio from the Southern Poland, from Rybnik, founded in 2015, and here I have their debut release, a 3 tracks demo

released on tape with professional cover featuring all lyrics. Unfortunately for me the lyrics are completely in the band's mother tongue, so I don't understand a thing, don't even know what they are about, but for "artistic" impression using native language might just be a winning idea for the band. There are only 2 tracks featured here, plus intro and outro, but the total timing of the release is well over 10 minutes, so for a demo that's fair enough.

Szept blends mid-tempo, atmospheric Black Metal with fast paced second wave of Black Metal like sturctures; the production is pretty good, nothing to complain about, and the compositions are interesting enough, based on fierce guitar riffs, simple but intense drumming, atmospheric keyboard lines in the background and abrasive, raspy shrieks supported by viking-like choirs at times. A good debut. 6.5 THE LEGION GHOST (Germany) ...Two for Eternity Noizgate - 2016 - Modern Metal Released only a year distance since the band's foundation, the debut album from The Legion Ghost offers 13 tracks, 51 minutes of modern, polished, openminded Metal to attack the top heights of this genre. Mixing elements from Thrash Metal, Groove Metal, Metalcore and even a bit of Modern Death Metal, ...Two for Eternity sounds already mature and well curdled although the band is so young; brutal and metallic guitar riffs supported by melodic leads and solos, a screaming vocalist supported by clean and growling vocals here and there, an intense and groovy rhythm section, building a catchy, energetic and emotional material with a fresh & modern stamp all over it released as Digipak CD with 12 pages booklet. 8 THE SOULSCAPE PROJECT (Germany) - Liberation Independent - 2016 - Post Black After a very well received debut EP in 2013, EP that apparently brought them the nomination for the official Leipzig music tops of the year, The Soulscape Project recorded this new material, this time a full-length although featuring only 5 tracks, right away, in 2014, but for some weird reason it was released only last year, in a DIY fashion. Professional would be a correct word when labelling this new material, starting from the artwork, the presentation (digipak, although I miss the lyrics) and ending with the production and of course compositions on it. Post Black Metal would be fit for what the band is offering here, welcoming influences from such different areas like Atmospheric Metal, Doom, and even Jazz or Thrash Metal, the structures of these 5 tracks are in continuous turmoil, evolving towards different territories all the time, hence the surprise factor. I would have liked a bit more power, a bit more heaviness here and there, but this time I got what I was hoping to: a soft, melancholic Post Black Metal alternating calm, introverted moments with explosive, energetioc ones, but without delivering anything abrasive

SYNLAKROSS (Spain) - Death Bullets for a Forajido Independent - 2016 - Melodic Death Wow, this must be one of the most professional sounding (and looking, too) unsigned bands I've heard in recent times, I actually can't believe how are they still unsigned; after a couple of spins of this new album of theirs, I took a look to what they did prior to Death Bullets for a Forajido, and found out they have a debut album released three years ago but that sounds nowhere near to how this new one does, the improvement in everything is stunning! The 10 tracks featured here are clocking a round 40 minutes of Melodic and Modern Death Metal that will immediately make you think of Arch Enemy, even more because of Partricia's (Synlakross' front woman) look and sound, and I honestly think that with the right support from a major label this band could threaten the throne of Arch Enemy, easily. The two guitarists are getting along extremely well, and in comparison to the previous album their work became faster, more complex, more intelligent and wide, and at the same time a lot more curdled really enpowering the music on this album. The drumming is complex, precise and sounds perfect, the bass lines are subtle but supportive enough to keep things low tunned and metallic, and Patricia's vocals are so versatile and charismatic that it will be impossible to ignore this band, especially if you're into Melodic Death Metal; one of the best albums of the genre for 2016, no doubt! What a band, what amazing potential here... 10

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or blunt; I hoped for something I could relax on, and in major part that's what I got, and again this proves the aggressive, fast parts are not aggressive enough to be as touching as the calm ones. Looking here and there on the net I saw people comparing this band mainly with a mix between Opeth and Satyricon, and that's not a far-fetched comparison, but I really think they are able to evolve into something of their own, into an original outfit, hopefully they'll emphasize the jazzy parts more next time, that could be a winner card for them. 8.5 THRONEUM (Poland) - Morbid Death Tales Hells Headbangers - 2016 - Death The term Old-School Death Metal has become seriously obsolete nowadays if that's even possible, that's why it becomes so hard to express what Throneum's music sounds like, labeling as simply Old-School Death Metal wouldn't do it enough justice, this seventh (!) album of theirs is oldschool, morbid as the title suggests, intricate, fast and viciously demonic from start to finish, while keeping its rough, organic production in high regard. As mentioned, this is the band's seventh studio album (have you noticed they all have Death in their titles?), an exquisite 11 tracks effort of demented, sinister, and 100% Death Metal devoted music that evokes a dusty, fog-immersed, nightmarish cemetery atmosphere highlighted by hiddeous, disgusting vocals all the way, clever guitar riffs, sick long solos, and an organic, raw sounding rhythm section to enhance the heaviness of this material. Pure filth and devil worshipping here! 9 TIME LURKER (France) - Time Lurker Les Acteurs de l'Ombre - 2017 Atmospheric Black One-man band from Strasbourg, France, Time Lurker offer us here its debut album, actually a compilation of its work so far, featuring the two previously released EPs, a total of 7 tracks into almost 50 minutes of playing time. The music is a dense and intense Atmospheric Black Metal influenced by the new wave of Post Black Metal, too, meaning a mid-tempo to fast paced rhythmed guitar work supported by dreamy, ethereal leads and mostly blastbeat drumming, and led by depressive and desperate shrieks from somewhere in the back. It's a typical work for this genre, a good work I must say, heavy and extremely oppressive all the time, with a certain original edge starting from the third track which in my opinion is also the best here, and with solid technical skills display throughout the whole material. All in all if I were to sum up this album with one word I'd choose "solid" for sure, it sounds like a wall of depressive, oppressive and expressive Atmospheric Black Metal thrown straight to your face, or imagine falling from an aeroplane, spiraling through the air mixed with the feeling of being alone in the woods, at night, near a mental hospital with deranged patients yelling their pain. Got

the "image"? Promising project! 8.5 TIMOR ET TREMOR (Germany) - For Cold Shades Trollzorn - 2016 - Pagan Black I'm curious what it takes for such a band to be considered succesful in Germany because if I look at Timor et Tremor's history I see more than a decade of activity (not as a studio project but as a live band), 2 prior albums that were well received, at least the 2012 Upon Bleak Grey Fields being considered highly mature, and a current album, the one I'll talk about here, considered as their best so far, released on a serious label, with raving reviews so far, so a lot of criteria for a band to be considered successful in my books, but not sure if the band actually feels this way. Anyway, talking about this third studio album, it is made of 8 tracks with a total duration of 45 minutes, a mostly mid-tempo type of Melodic Black Metal the band calls Chattic Black Metal (term taken from an old Germanic tribe), with plenty of Pagan influences in its themes, and instrumentally based on intense drumming, melodic / epic guitar work, hoarse and angry vocals supported by clean screams from time to time, with heavy yet subtle bass lines. I guess the epic guitar leads and slow, melodic, simple and memorable guitar solos might be the highlight of this album, but as a whole is as impacting and memorable, nothing to complain about, a complete material that should not miss the year end tops in my opinion. 9 TRAUMER (Brazil) - Avalon FastBall - 2016 - Melodic Power After an EP, Eleazar, Independent in 2012, and a debut album, The Great Metal Storm, released by Peruvian Total Steel Records, Brazilian Power Metal quintet Traumer found its way to what I consider the promised land of Heavy Power Metal, Germany, and this second full-length album is now out on the fast and seriously moving FastBall Records from Elsdorf, a good step for the band to become the next Angra of the Brazilian scene. We're treated here with 11 tracks clocking almost a full hour of melodic and mostly fast paced Power Metal; light but still metallic structures, epic atmospheres, a quite organic, although heavily polished productions, and nice flowing compositions led by the good, memorable vocals of Guilherme Hirose, with subtle but important support from the keyboard backgrounds. I think this is a good second step for the band and a strong opus to present themselves to the European scene as well, but I also think they should think of some more hooks to add to their arrangements, to make the tracks more memorable, to stand-out with something other than vocals, and judging by this material I'd say the technical abilities to that that are there, it's just up to their compositional skills. 7.5 TRAUMER (Brazil) - The Great Metal Storm FastBall - 2017 (re-release) - Melodic Power I've recently reviewed this band's latest album, the 2016 Avalon, one that seems to have had an impact on FastBall Music since they've decided to re-release the band's debut originally out in 2014 on Peruvian Total Steel. This debut album is an hour-long effort featuring the original 11 tracks, plus 2 bonus ones, acoustic versions of two of them. The music is the same Melodic Power Metal with excellent guitar work and excellent vocal parts, and it all sounds damn professional and solid, the only problem in my opinion would be the length of the songs, after a while the

album becomes a bit tiresome and one starts to expect some more surprises, something to acoid monotony; don't get me wrong, the compositions are at a super-level, euqal to what Germans and Italians did in this genre, but I feel if the tracks would have been a bit shorter the whole would have been catchier. Anyway, a great debut album by a young Brazilian band that displays tremendous potential, so if you're into Melodic / Symphonic Power and Heavy Metal you should definitely check out this or the latest album from Traumer. 8.5 VOICE OF WINTER (France) Childhood of Evil M.U.S.I.C. - 2016 - Progressive Death This album (and band for that matter) seems to be taken straight from the '90's Czech experimental and progressive Metal scene, and it has to be one of the weirdest ones I;ve heard lately, hands down, starting from the cover and booklet artwork and ending of course with the out of the ordinary music it offers. The second full-length album from Dijon based Voice Of Winter is made of only 7 tracks but it lasts for 45 minutes, pretty legit for a Progressive work I'd say, and although it was mastered by the legendary Dan Swano at the no less legendary Unisound Studios, I find the production quite weak, so although on the composition level the band offers some aggressive and fast moments, the most part of this album is pretty soft I'd say in comparison to the level of brutality Death Metal reached these days. Maybe that was intentional, I won't rule that out, to make the intricate structures of the tracks and the little (but many) gimmicks stand out and lead the listener's imagination. The "headbanging" level is close to a 0 in my opinion, so the focus has to be on the structures and harmonies of the songs, and in this direction the production is indeed crystal clear. There's plenty to enjoy on this album, the tracks are diverse and surprising at all times, but the element that somehow disappointed me was the English lyrics part of it, I tried to get something out of them but they seem really mediocre (to be gentle), so in my opinion the band should stick to French next time (there's one track in French on this album, too), it even sounds much better as the vocals have a raspy but clear and comprehensive tone overall. An album I have to say puzzled me, but all in all an interesting one I wouldn't be able to compare with something other. 7.5 VOID MOON (Sweden) - Deathwatch Sun & Moon - 2016 - Epic Doom It's great to see the local Sun & Moon Records continuously raising the bar with its new signings and at the same time opening to more and more directions, and here we have the Swedes from Void Moon who debuted 4 years ago on Cruz del Sur with a well-received album, this time releasing their second opus on Sun & Moon, featuring 9 tracks with a total duration of almost 50 minutes. The material firstly impresses through its classy presentation: heavy digipak with 16 pages booklet featuring all lyrics, and completed with a suggestive cover artwork. The music Void Moon prsent us here is a traditional, epic Heavy Doom Metal that to me sounds like a mix of Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus and Lake of Tears, an atypical sound for these days, for sure, with rhythms ranging from mellow slow to energetic mid-tempo, and all this delivered with an top notch production. The versatile and warm vocal tone (even when he screams) of Jonas Gustavsson is a major attraction on this album completing the well balanced

instrumental part. The tracks that impressed me the most were the opener Rivers of the Moon (my fave on this album), which also best reminded me of Lake of Tears, and the title track, Deathwatch, that's probably the Doomiest on this record, but each track has its own path, quite different one from another.

Very good album pushing forward a band that would deserve some more attention.

8.5 VULTURES VENGEANCE (Italy) Where the Time Dwelt in Gates of Hell - 2016 - Heavy With an image between the machobarbarian Manowar style and pre-Metal Pantera if anyone remembers, Vultures Vengeance seem to be right out of the end of '70's - beginning of '80's Metal scene, and the music on this debut EP of theirs stands tall to confirm this. Although the band was founded in 2009, this is just their first EP, a 3 tracks effort plus intro and a final instrumental track to top the list, so 5 tracks in total clocking a bit over 25 minutes of playing time. The intro sounded to me like the perfect soundtrack for the cover artwork, aired, spacey and thrilling, a la '80's classic Thriller/Horror movies sountracks, then the band's classic Heavy Metal kicks in. Their compositions are clearly inspired by Iron Maiden, but you can also hear influences from Saxon, and maybe even Diamond Head and Black Sabbath, all structured on an excellent, intricate, interesting double guitars backbone with plenty of virtuoso moments and little elements to keep things spicy, complex rhythm section that's as well very impressing and a fantastic vocalist that has obvious potential to lead the band to higher levels. But as I said earlier, the highlight of this album is the guitar work, really, really good stuff, classic to the bone, catchy and contagious. The band mentions in the CD booklet that no synths have been used in recording this EP, this points out to how dedicated they are to recreate the classic sound. Impressive debut, hope they'll start releasing more stuff now. 8.5 WANGELEN (Chile) - Demonio del mediodĂ­a Sun Empire - 2015 - Pagan Black This third studio album from Wangelen celebrates the first decade of band activity.

The album is made of 12 tracks and clocks almost an hour of playing time, a raw sounding, unpolished mix of Black and Pagan Metal with an interesting folk touch. I guess the lyrics talk about local myths and superstitions, or at least that's what the music managed to transmit without following the lyrics (I'm not good in undertanding Spanish either), and it's important that although I find the music somewhat unfinished, it managed to be so expressive. The compositions are not overly impressive or complex, but they blend together a variety of rhuthms, harmonies and emotions in the end you'll find them at least interesting if not even fell in love with them. I have to admit I fell in the first category, I find the album interesting, somehow original, but all in all I wasn't completely convinced by it.

The primitive looking man on the cover and booklet artwork on the other hand symbolizes perfectly what happens on the recording. 6 WHIPSTRIKER (Brazil) - Only Filth Will Prevail Morbid Tales - 2016 - Heavy Speed Although it's hard to believe as the band has been tremendously active on discographic level during the years releasing loads of EPs and Splits, this is only the third studio album from

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Whipstriker.

Victor "Whipstriker" continues his journey being joined on this record by Leo "Witchcaptor" and a new drumer who goes by the name of Hugo, but I as the previous releases this is a one man deal mostly and Leo is the only one appearing in the "band photo" on the cover of this disc. Whipstriker continues the same dirty, satanic Speed Metal path heavily influenced by monsters like Motorhead and Venom, so we're dealing here with catchy repetitive guitar riffs backed up by occasional slick solos, subtle but well supportive bass lines and monotone, fast paced drums that give a primitive energy to the whole but on a long-term are pretty boring from my point of view. The vocals are comprehensive although venomous and disgusting, pretty fit for this type of music. There's not much to disect here, we're getting an energetic, old-school type of contagious, headbanging-friendly and unpretentious Speed Metal that will surely reach its goal; don't expect anything more or less than that. 8.5 WINTER DELUGE (New Zealand) Devolution - Decay Frozen Blood Industries - 2016 - Black Finally, after a 4 year wait, here's Winter Deluge back with their second full-length album, Devolution - Decay, a 9 tracks effort clocking 47 minutes of thunderous Black Metal. Although the band was plagues by lots of line-up changes seeing it left now at only 2 original members left and two new ones, they've kept their way and the Black Metal they propose us here is at least the as angrier as before if not more. Indeed, Winter Deluge always based their music on fast and furious drumming (you have to be a pretty mad drummer to cope with the demands here, and probably if Autumus leaves the band is done) reminding me of Urgehal somehow, and fast but intelligent and intricate guitar work. The vocalist is a new one, Seelenfresser from Germany, also known from his work in Scottish Daemonolith, so I'm not sure if he now lives in New Zealand, or if he's a session vocalist for the band, but to be quite frank I like the vocals of his predecessor, Nekasarof, better, they were sharper, more active; Seelenfresser sounds more ghoulish, but less leading as Nekasarof, but this has to do with one's own taste only I guess. The point is Winter Deluge produced a new excellent Black Metal material that deserves your full attention!

8.5 WOLVES DEN (Germany) - Deus Vult Independent - 2015 - Black Featuring 2 former members of Folk Viking Metal band Equilibrium, Wolves Den is a quite young band from Munich founded in 2014. I'm not sure if the band is a trio or a quartet, because although they are posing as four members, one of them, one of the guitarists, seems to be helping them during live shows only, apparently, he was not involved in the recordings of this debut album either. And also talking about their line-up, this album features tons of synths and choirs but guest musicians that most probably won't be part of live shows either, so the live part of this band might sound more brutal and rough than what we hear on the album. There are 9 tracks featured here in a bit over 45 minutes of playing time, an atmospheric, melodic take on Black Metal delivered with an excellent production that allows us to understand the real potential of the band. Making full use of traditional patterns, Wolves Den are technical and complex enough to deliver varied, intelligent compositions that enhanced by the lyrical aspect of this album I'm sure

make tremendous sense, but unfortunately the lyrics are in German and I'm not able to understand if they fit or not. Anyway, from the music point of view we're dealing with a talented band, the album is entertaining and creates some very effective, involving atmospheres, so for a debut album Deus Vult is a nice surprise, smoothly flowing and easily digestible although aggressive and ferocious and led by the typical German abrasive Black Metal shrieking vocals. Comes as digipak CD with a 12 pages booklet, professional work although totally Independent. 8 WYRUZ (Norway) - Judge and Jury Battlegod - 2016 - Thrash Death This band has been around since 2002 yet this is only their second full-length album, released 4 years distance from their debut, so we're not exactly dealing with a pery productive ensemble. This new album is made of no less than 13 tracks totaling a bit over 50 minutes of playing time and displays a modern, technical and extremely tight blend of Thrash and Death Metal that first takes your mind to Slayer but that doesn't mean Wyruz are a copycat. Not at all, in fact this new album abounds in intricate structures, rhythms, speeds and above all, feelings, it's not that "hate to the max" album a Slayer copycat would offer. I'm very impressed how tight and precise everything sounds on this album, it seems the band spent an eternity preparing it so I have no doubt their fans will be satisfied and even more, with this album it's time to conquer new territories and new followers. After spinning it a few times I can say I clearly don't have a favorite instrument performance like I have on most other albums; I'd say the guitar work is the most complex, but then I won't be fair to the fantastic drumming that at times reaches incredible speeds, and at others is so metallic and groovy it makes rhythms stick to your mind, and i'd say the same about that intricate and quite upfront, easy to follow, bass lines; last but not least that vocals are spot on for this type of music, rough and abrasive at first, they slowly become natural and cool after a couple of tracks. Sick album, top notch performance! 9 XAOS OBLIVION (Poland) - Rituals from the Cold Grave Lower Silesian Stronghold - 2015 - Black I wouldn't know if Xaos Oblivion is a solo project of the musician with the same name, or if it's a duo since Piotr Bajus (aka Revenger), his partner from Abusiveness and also member in Graveland or Moon among others, joined him on guitars right after the 2014 fourth full-length album Black Mountains Spirits. Anyway, this fifth opus is made of 6 new tracks and clocks only a bit over half an hour of playing time, but it's so intense and dense that this seems like the perfect duration in order to enjoy it again and again. The music is highlighted by Xaos' disgusted, grim, ghastly vocals that could remind of Attila's from Mayhem, and beside that we're treated with highly intensive drumming, incisive bass lines and multiple layers of guitars that at first might seem simplistic and repetitive but at a closer listen are quite complex and manage to perfectly support and build on this demented, desolate, sickening atmosphere.

The lyrics, sung in English and quite comprehensive from Xaos' vocals, are an excellent addition to this whole horrifying story, and although the pronounciation might not be the best, it's worth following the lyrics while enjoying the music. The album comes with one of the best booklet

artworks and layouts I've seen in a long time, classy and sinister at the same time.

An album I'd listen to over and over without being bored; recommended! 9 ZAUM (Canada) - Eidolon I Hate - 2016 - Psychedelic Doom First look at the cover artwork... well, the music on this album is the audio representation of the artwork and viceversa, the two work perfectly hand in hand and I find that excellent. This is the second full-length from this Canadian duo, a 2 tracks effort clocking 41 minutes of mysterious, story-telling, hypnotic and psychedelic Doom Metal. Most of the 41 minutes are ambient, atmospheric soundscapes made on synth, flute and whitles, choirs, even female vocals or sitar, and of course nature sounds to depict a mysterious, magical, ritualistic world.

When the band gets in full gear and the Metal influence starts to kick in the whole is led by heavy, electric (really electric, don't get any closer) sounding bass lines, oppressive drums, psychedelic guitars and hypnotic vocals, an interesting and original mix I'd say. Unfortunately, it failed to fit on my taste but if you're into Doom in all its forms you might find a good surprise in Zaum. 7 ZORA (Italy) - Scream Your Hate Independent - 2016 - Brutal Death Here's a band I somehow follow since early stages in their career as I still remember reviewing their 2005 EP U.V.A., and their 2010 debut album, Gore, and liking both of them. Now, after 6 years, the band is back with another fulllength album made of 9 tracks but clocking only a bit over half an hour, which is an ok duration for a Brutal Death release I'd say. In my opinion Zora manages to blend Brutal Death Metal with old-school mid-tempo traditional Death Metal. The amount of good and catchy guitar riffs they manage to produce is appetizing, I assure you, but the problem comes when we talk about production, this album sounds way too synthetic for my taste, and to tell you the truth I wouldn't know if these Scum Farm Studios where they recorded are real studios or homestudios as my final impression if of a homemade recording. Anyway, if you pass over that matter you'll discover a band that has plenty of interesting ideas, a band that although it brings just what you'd expect, namely Brutal Death Metal, is not afraid to experiment and work more on the overall catchiness of the tracks instead of just blasting pure brutality from start to finish, hence the riffs I was mentioning earlier. The compositions are pretty varied and complex, if you're into Death Metal or Brutal Death give them a try, you might discover a band worth following. 7 Various Artists - Compendium 1 - A Metal Quintessence Music Records - 2016 - Metal Compilation CD released in order to celebrate the first year of activity for the French label Music Records, as well as the bands they signed and worked with throughout this first year. There are less and less such compilations on the market nowadays, so I find this as a good initiative, it allows the listener to find new bands even outside the internet (yes, that's possible!). Here are a few words on each band featured: From Hell - they say they are playing Modern Metal, but honestly, they sound like a mix of '90's Thrash Metal and '00's Groove Metal, so not too modern for my

ears... But still tight and catchy, no complaints about that Mezcla - had to wait till the end of the track to listen to their Flamenco influence, but I hope they have more of it in their other tracks; Flamenco Death Metal, quite technical, interesting, with excellent guitar leads and and overall professional attitude, a band to keep an eye on Black Sick - not my type of music, Heavy Rock highlighted by really minimal guitar riffs and a heavily Grunge influenced vocalist, maybe it would have better luck with some of you, I'll have to skip Motor Rise - a mix of Rock'n'Roll and Hard Rock played on high speed, perfect for moto meetings, but nothing new or nothing you haven't heard before Over Nemesis - apparently this was a band that heavily influenced Music Records' owner in his teens, but I couldn't find any info on it on the net; I'd say this is some sort of Grunge mixed with Groove Metal, not Sludge Metal as presented, but I can see the band influencing a teen, they are simple enough and at the same time unpredictable Blackout - such an original name, isn't it?

Metal band mixing anything and everything you can think of in this genre in terms of influences, but quite tight and catchy; not bad at all Implied - this is a band made of two Blackout former members, they chose a Groove Thrash Metal path; not a bad start but hopefully next time they'll choose a less stuffy production Psychoid - energetic '80's influenced Thrash Metal with thin production but an interesting vocalist that has potential to bring the band to memorable territories; I'd like to hear more from this band No More Excuses - again not something I'm into that much, Metalcore with a thin, I guess live, sound, I couldn't say if the composition has any value or not, it's just not my type Moskowa - interesting, intricate drumming on this band, the vocal approach is also interesting, but unfortunately the sound could have been fatter, Death Metal demands a fat, full sound, not what we get here; the band seems interesting though Thanks to Music Records for presenting their bands, my personal fave from this bunch is by far Mezcla, but there's potential in other bands, too.

Various Artists - Witchery Flames of Underground Lust #9 Metal Scrap - 2016 - Metal It's not often nowadays to stumble upon a compilation CD, let alone one that reached its 9th edition, so horns up for Metal Scrap for keeping this method of promoting bands still alive. 17 bands, 17 tracks, almost 80 minutes of playing time, so let's take them one by one: Druknroll - one of the most (if not THE most) promoted bands in Metal Scrap's roster, Druknroll sounds damn experienced and not afraid to experiment; an original Modern Heavy Metal band that you should check out Psychophobia - a Polish band that apparently started out as a Melodic Black Metal outfit, but this track, and probably the whole EP it's taken off, have nothing to do with Black Metal anymore, maybe just some minor reminiscences on vocals; Melodic Heavy Death Metal with good and catchy guitar work, promising stuff although not original Aeternus Prophet - vicious, raw and dark Black Death Metal from Ukraine characterized by long, chaotic, old-school Death Metal-like guitar solos, upfront and massive bass lines and angry growls

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Hortus Animae - this one sounds like Theatre of Tragedy and Graveworm met and started creating a mix between Thrash and Black Metal, but still keeping their specific features intact; pretty cool!

Sabotage - Russian Heavy Thrash Metal band with native tongue lyrics, pretty powerful but without understanding what they sing about you'll only feel like you've heard this before Estate - Russian Melodic Power Metal band led by a vocalist with excellent tone for this music but who still has some work on his English pronounciation; the music is entertaining, energetic, complex and modern sounding while still following the traditional patterns of this genre, I'd say this is a band with great potential One Step Beyond - Aussie trio bringing forth an interesting and quite original Experimental Metal, a mix of Extreme Metal with Doom, Stoner, and Hard Rock, or at least that's how this track sounds like Brokdar - Melodic Extreme Metal from Russia; the longest track on this compilation takes almost 2 minutes to become a bit interesting and then falls into mid-tempo, overly repetitive rhythms, I've heard multiple times in the '90's but nowadays sound pretty dull, not to mention the extremely stale and synthetic drum machine; the fast parts, the upfront metallic bass lines and the growling vocals are pretty neat, but the rest I found mediocre, sorry Phantasmal - Thrash Metal from USA; entertaining, involving, but not original one bit, just the usual fast paced Thrash with cool riffs, nothing more, nothing less Sunlight - well, after all the Extreme Metal this band really sounds like their name; melodic, mid-paced Heavy Metal with Power Metal keyboard backgrounds and a vocalist that seems to be capable of more than what he delivered here, he seems bored on this recording; nice track, nice band Dark Morok - from Russia this quartet mixing Thrash, Death and Black Metal, a short and energetic track demonstrating clear potential; the band is pretty lazy releasing stuff, not sure if they are taking things seriously though Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus - Ambient Black Metal from Finland, an excellent band although the drums' sound is close to crap; mystical, vicious, fast paced Finnish Black Metal Strident - traditional Thrash Metal from Israel; fast and energetic, quite catchy and based on regular patterns of this genre; in the beginning of the 90's this would have been a true hit, nowadays it's enjoying and that's all X Pus - one of the most blasphemous and offensive newcomers on the Italian scene X Pus debuted in 2015 on Metal Scrap Records and this track is an extract from their debut album; low-tuned, dark, oppressive, unrelenting, cavernous, satanic Black Death Metal from the pits of hell Grenouer - to me this seems to be one of the most hard-working bands from Russia; ferocious, groovy, precise, intricate Industrial Metal, really powerful and professional sounding Divine Weep - Polish Heavy Metal led by an excellent, powerful vocalist supported by a team of great musicians, one of the best bands on this compilation regardless of genre; their track is the second longest here (over 8 minutes!) and I'd still like to hear more Ungrace - solid Death Metal with both an industrial and a groove side to it; midtempo and heavy as fuck, with a dark, atmospheric side to it, cool stuff.

ZINE REVIEWS – ZINE REVIEWS – ZINE REVIEWS Apocalyptic Rites #8 (2016, Poland) Poland has to have a lot of zine fanatics, otherwise I can't explain to myself how come there are so many zines written exclusively in their language. This one is again a Polish written zine, so unfortunately, I can't understand a thing. From what I can see it's mostly Black and Death focused, so if you're into that and understand Polish, get in touch with the author at: apocalyptic_rites_zine@wp.pl Axiom of the Elite #3 (2016, New Zealand) Third and final volume of this zine presents us the remaining underground heroes from this remote land, a fine idea that deserves all support even if (or especially if) one knows nothing of this scene. It also comes, as its first 2 issues, with a compilation to get to know everything better. In my opinion, this is an action that should be followed and copied in all countries, especially in those with a relatively small scene, like the Romanian for example. Nothing more to add, support this zine and the idea behind it by ordering a copy here: axiomoftheelite.bandcamp.com Cult Mongers #7 (2016, New Zealand) Extreme Metal fanzine without limitations in what concerns the genre they cover, from Thrash to Black to Death, it's all there. There are plenty of interviews featured, a few reviews, articles and biographies, and together with the mix of cut'n'paste and clean lay-out, it brings back memories of the early '90's zines.

Unfortunately, the photocopy quality is not that good making most part of the images way too dark, but when has this aspect stopped any zine maniac getting another piece for his/her collection? I guess never. 56 A4 pages, easy to read fonts, lots of info, a good lecture. cultmongerszine.com Diovim #9 (2016, Lithuania) Each new Diovim issue looks and feels interesting, but since it's written in Lithuanian the best I can do is to look at the pictures, haha. And in fact although the zine has only 12 A4 pages, the print quality is perfect, and what I admire the most about it is the fact the editor makes use of every bit of space, the few pages are in fact packed with information. Contact: diovim@mail.ru Forgotten Path #8 (2016, Lithuania) Forgotten Path continues its tradition of offering the same quality in both content and look, the magazine looks like the most professional corporate magazine you can see out there, with the mention that it is completely black/white, and that makes perfect sense for a Black Metal zine.

Odium and his team do a professional job every time, although as he mentioned in the editorial, printed zines are less and less respected especially by bands nowadays, and I tend to agree with him, these days you keep a zine alive only if you can manage to lose the money and if you have strong nerves to get over the unanswered interviews you worked so much for. Anyway, if you're into Black Metal you MUST get in touch with Odium and order at least the latest issue of Forgotten Path if not all still available; issue 8 is made of a whopping 134 A4 glossy pages with excellent content presenting mostly unknown but definitely well worthy bands. Contact: forgottenpath.lt Golgotha / The Black Candle (2016, Germany / Austria) This one is a split release between two zines, Golgotha from Germany and The Black Candle from Austria, a cool underground concept. Both are centered on the Black Metal movement and both are written in a highly personal investigative manner so that the reader gets more information on the bands and individuals interviewed, I mean more than the usual topics. After reading it I found both editors wrote in an involved and involving, honest manner (especially which will probably bring them lots of praises and respect from the zine maniacs out there.

Definitely a notable and recommended release in the zines world, ask for more info at gnosis@hotmail.de

Holocausto #6 (2015, Bolivia) The only Bolivian Metal zine I know, Holocausto looks really good, it's like a true magazine but for Extreme Metal maniacs (Traditional Metal, too). It gets released once a year I think, but this is the latest issue I have.

Features interviews with Vulcano, Malignancy, Dead Infection and The Pete Flesh Deathtrip among others, plus reviews, this issue of Holocausto is made of 32 A4 pages, glossy color covers, solid, professional layout, it's Spanish written, and comes with a 2016 calendar that obviously by now it's not good anymore. Ask for news from holocausto.zine@hotmail.com Inner War #1 (2017, Finland) The debut issue of this Finnish Black Metal zine looks pretty promising and from my point of view it's a success.

Covering bands with a relatively known name (Warloghe, Blood Red Fog, Funerary Bell) and some really unknown bands, the zine is well balanced and I'd recommend it if you're in search for some new worthy Black Metal. 56 A4 pages, glossy covers, black/white, big fonts, English written. Get it from innerwar.zine@gmail.com Necroscope #30 (2016, Poland) Issue 30 guys, 30! For a fanzine that gets released once or twice a year this number is unthinkable, and this shows how passionate and how determined Adam is. I really hope somehow the scene shows him the respect and gratitude he deserves of being so dedicated to this form of art, most of all in the underground of it, and not running a big-ass magazine that makes his living, too. I'm sure every issue is a loss of money for Adam, that's why I hope someday the scene will pay him back somehow.

About this issue, if I say it's 148 A4 pages thick, small fonts, easy to read, damn packed with information, I think I said it all, so if you're into Extreme Metal, the oldschool type of it, it would be nice of you to spend a few bucks on this zine, and I hope you do, believe me, it will be well worth your effort, here's Adam's contact: necroscope1@wp.pl Posthuman #9 (2016, Hungary) I don't know how supportive the Grindcore/Hardcore scene is for underground fanzine, but I really hope David Kudri and his activities get the support they so much deserve. This new issue, covers everything from the above-mentioned genres but also Death, Punk, Noise, Crust and even Thrash, plus a bunch of reviews, odd topic articles, you name it, Posthuman has it all. 56 A5 pages, cut'n'paste layout, small fonts, chaotic but quite easy to read, English written, limited to 100 hand numbered copies, ask David for it and other issues of this zine or other zines from posthumanzine@gmail.com Prostata #8 (2016, Norway) The name is at least weird, I guess all of you can agree with that, and then the cover of this 8th issue doesn't say anything on what you're going to find in it, but the content will make it a sold out in short time. Here are some of the interviewed bands: Darkthrone, Lobotomized, Nuclear Hammer, Poisonous, Deathhammer, Zemialm or Vomitor, all names that are like a magnet to zine collectors I guess. Then the interviews are relaxed yet informed so that it makes a real pleasure reading them even if you're not a fan of the bands. Limited to 150 copies, 40 A4 pages, clean layout with some cut'n'paste inserts, normal fonts that make it easy to read, English written, a very good zine, hat off.

Get it fromzbamok@hotmail.com Rest in Peace #2 (2016, Poland) This is INSANE! A 150 A4 pages zine all hand-written!!!

Yes, you read it well, it's all hand-written and then photocopied, and it turned out so thick the editor had to use proper wire to stitch all the pages together. My copy has the wire all rusted, isn't that sick? It's focused mainly on Extreme Metal, some interviewed names being: Dark Fury, Manzer, Iron Hammer Zine, Mortis Dei, Kampf Records, and although it's that thick, it's an easy read as the "fonts" are big. Definitely a one of a kind zine that

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deserves to be in your maciora22022@gmail.com

collection.

Contact:

Streetcleaner #26 (2016, Germany) Wolfgang from Streetcleaner does a fantastic job releasing his zine quire regularly and the proof is this 26th (!) issue that features a ton of interviews (with highlights on Morgoth and Gruesome), reviews and reports from the whole Metal territory. 88 A4 pages, color cover, big fonts, a diverse, open-minded zine that unfortunately for me, it's fully written in German, but if you know this language make sure you order at least this issue from wolfgang.schmeer@gmx.de Temple of Adoration #12 (2017, Germany) A well-respected zine from Germany covering mostly Black Metal, but also Death Metal, with a cult look and feel to it. Most of the bands featured and unknown and represent the latest finds of Philipp, ToA's editor, something like a list of recommendations for us, the readers. Cool stuff. 48 A4 pages, cut'n'paste, normal fonts, not a problem to read, English written, get your copy from: evisc666@hotmail.com Terozin #5 (2016, Bulgaria) Cool brutal old-school zine from Bulgaria covering the bestial side of Heavy, Thrash, Death and Black Metal, don't expect any melodic stuff featured here. It really feels like an old '80's or '90's zine, and I have no doubt Medarov, the guy conducting Terozin is a fuckin' maniac about this type of music. 60 A5 pages, cut'n'paste obviously, extremely small fonts that will cause damage to your eyes, English written, limited to 166 hand numbered copies, get it from terozin@abv.bg The Pain Fucktory #8 (2016, Peru) It's useless to tell you I was waiting for more than a year and a half for this zine to appear since it featured an advert for my label and an interview with one of my label's bands, but I'm glad it was finally released. Only 28 A5 pages but glossy and very good looking, colored, with cool layout, small fonts, a zine that could easily become a leader in the scene if released more often and with a more serious attitude; it even comes with an excellent professional compilation CD, so it's definitely worth the effort of getting it. Hope Gorthaur gets his shit together and takes this to the next level. Contact: thepainfucktory.com Throne of Chaos #5 (2016, Portugal) Cool little Black Metal zine from Portugal covering some really Underground names, a fine source for finding new, valuable names, I really dig it a lot. 40 A5 pages, clean layout, easy to read, English written, ask Paulo for this and previous issues at pgrave73@gmail.com War On All Fronts: The Great War (2016, Ireland) Unfortunately, this is sold-out by now, but you might still find it at some distros around, so Google it if you're into: Ares kingdom, Manilla Road, Mitochondrion, Cauchemar, Ysengrin, Seven Sisters or if you're just in for a new addition to your zine collection. 110 A5 pages with simple and clean layout, small fonts, English written of course, easy to read. waronallfronts.bandcamp.com Witchcraft #7 (2015, Germany) As owner of one of the only Metal zine distros I know, Schattenmann Publishings, and a clear fan of the Nuclear War Now! label, it's clear that Stefan Loens, the editor of Witchcraft, will treat with something extra to the zine, and this time it's a fancy cardboard jacket and 2 posters, a huge one with Cauchemar and another with Poison (the '80's German Thrash Metal legends). The zine itself looks fantastic, the layout is modern and very detailed, the print quality is top-notch, and the content is as diverse as possible, ranging from old interviews to new ones, from label complex presentations (NWN! and The Crypt) to reviews of audio and printed material, from a list of all known zines from around the Globe to different articles, Witchcraft is a dense, entertaining piece of Underground literature well-worth your hard-worked money. witchcraftmag@gmx.de

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Leslie did a great double-interview with both editors of the legendary The Book of Armageddon zine.

In this issue we’ll feature his chat with Ed Farsthey, who also worked at Roadrummer, and in the next issue we’ll feature Mark Sokoll’s answers.

Enjoy this piece of Metal fanzine history!

Mark really had the idea first and had started doing interviews without really formulating a plan to get them out there. We both wanted to get more involved in the underground and have real contact with our favorite bands. We joined forces in early 1986 and started putting issue #1 together. Mark had already the interviews by then so most of the work was done. We stole the name from Venom. It was on the spine of the '82 Live Video EP, and sounded like the perfect name. We just photo copied the back cover of the video cassette to get our logo. (Hope any trademark laws are now obsolete).

Did the staff consist of you and Mark Sokoll right from the start? How did you get to know each other at all?

Yeah it was me and Mark's zine from the beginning. He had done all of the interviews before we teamed up so I did a bunch of album and live reviews and helped colate it. We had our friend Mike also contribute a couple reviews. Me and Mark had already been friends thru our mutual love for metal so we hung out all the time.

What was your motivation, goal with the fanzine? What did inspire you founding a fanzine?

My goal was always to help promote the underground and the bands that I loved. I wanted to get more involved with these bands and help spread their music in any way I could. I enjoyed writing and found the fanzine to be the perfect outlet to express myself while promoting the music I love so much.

So Ed, how did you discover music and hard rock/heavy metal music particular? What did you find so exciting in this music?

I first discovered music as a young boy listening to the radio and tv. I have early memories of being drawn to music and that I liked how it made me feel. Whether the radio was on, or through television theme songs and musicals, I always remember growing up with music. My mother listened to 50's Do Wop and Rock and Roll, and my father liked country and the contempories like Sinatra, Streisand and Bennett, so I heard a diverse range of music early on. Then once I started scanning the radio dial myself I discovered the rock stations and I was immediately hooked. I loved the energy and excitement that I felt listening to the radio and was it an introduction to a whole new world.

Did you have contributors/helping hands as well?

Sure, every issue had contributions from various friends. After issue #1 I took over since Mark was getting more involved in his band Terminal Confusion and the growing Hardcore scene. He continued making contributions and I had a couple friends an interview or reviews each issue. I handled all other aspects of the content and layout but always encouraged others input.

Was it a kind of metal family? Did you, I mean the fanzines, help and support each other or was it rather a competition among you? Did you also trade with each other?

It was most certainly a family. We all supported one another 100% across the globe. We all exchanged each other's flyers in the mail, as well as printing ads for zines in our zines, and even trading 5-10 copies of each other's zine to help spread locally. There was never any reason for competition since we all supported the same music and people and helped one another get started. I have many lifelong friends that I met as zine editors.

What were the first records/tapes, that you bought or got from your parents, friends etc.? What kind of influence did it have on you?

My parents always supported my love of music and would buy me 45"s as a young child to play on my little record player. The earliest ones would have been stuff like Bee Gees, Village People, Debbie Boone etc and then by 1977/78 I was heavily into the big rock bands of the day like Cheap Trick, Foreigner and Styx, so they started buying me albums and 8-Tracks of my favorite bands. I also had an older cousin that turned me onto bands like ELP and Yes. As I grew older my tastes grew and of course got heavier. It was a natural progression going from the 70's rock bands to the early metal bands like AC/DC, Sabbath, Priest and Scorpions. At this time my dad would take me record shopping in the city periodically and that's when I discovered a plethora of early metal bands like Maiden, Accept, Krokus, Saxon, Mama's Boys, Axe, Icon and countless others.

How did you get in touch with bands, that were interviewing/featuring in each issue? How did you choose the bands, that you wanted to interview/to feature at all?

Did it depend on your personal musical taste or…?

Most of the early interviews were done through the mail. We'd send off questions to a band overseas and (hopefully) get the answers within a month or two. Some were done over the phone, and for the later issues I did some in person. But most were done thru the mail. I featured bands that I liked and wanted to support. I wouldn't waste time and space interviewing someone I did not like. Reviews of course are a different subject and there would be good and bad ones. I also did smaller articles on bands for record companies and bands that attracted my interest, those too could be positive or negative depending on my opinion, but again, I tried not to take up valuable space writing about bands I didn't like.

Were there any record stores in your area, where you could get or buy magazines, vinyls, tapes etc.?

I was fortunate to grow up in Flushing, NY which is right outside NYC so we had numerous killer record stores to go to in Manhattan like Bleecker Bob's, It's Only Rock and Roll, Venus Records, Butterfly, Generation Records (the ONLY one still left!!) and a few others. Every week or so me and my friends would take the subway to the village to go record shopping, and we could always be assured of finding something good.

Was it easy to get in touch with the outfits?

For the most part, yes it was. Most bands were very welcoming to any kind of promotion and were very friendly. Even the bigger bands were down to earth and would write you back.

At which point and how did you turn into the underground world? How did you discover fast, brutal music?

I first discovered the undeground by reading about bands like Slayer, Motorhead, Metallica and Venom in magazines like Hit Parader and Circus with small write-ups.

The bands sounded intriguing to say the least and I wanted to hear them. One afternoon my mom drove me to Rock and Roll Heaven record store in NJ (home of Megaforce Records). I picked up 'Welcome to Hell', 'Show No Mercy', 'Kill em All', 'Fistful of Metal' and 'Heavy Metal Maniac' and the seed was forever sewn. I then started writing demo bands and the first demos I ever bought were Overkill, Nasty Savage, Hirax and Attacker!

Not a bad start!

Did you always use own material or did you perhaps borrow articles from other fanzines? Did you often get material from other fanzines too?

I only used my own material for The Book of Armageddon. I would print other band/zine/label's ads but any content was written for the zine. Even the pictures would be original or promotional. We'd get from the bands or labels, plus I took many of the live ones myself.

I would ask you to give us every detail about the issues of TBOA! I mean, how were they done, what about the content of each issues, how in depth were the interviews, how were the reviews, how many issues were released, how much time did pass between each issues etc. I’m interested in everything what come to your mind!

I only put out 4 issues of The Book of Armageddon. I averaged about one a year from 1986 -1989. The first three issues were printed at xerox stores or at my dad's office on weekends. Not sure how many I went thru. I know by the 3rd issue I must have gone

What did/does mean to you underground respectively to be underground?

The underground has always been a worldwide family with its foundation based on heavy metal. It has grown immensely since its inception, but the ideals are the same. It's about supporting any true genre of Metal and the people involved.

Did you also get involved in the tape trading scene very soon? How did it happen?

Absolutely. After buying my first demos tapes I then started writing other tape traders. I got addresses from Metal Forces' Penbangers section and started buying tapes until I had enough tapes to start trading on my own. By late 1984 I was already tape trading. I did that heavily until about 1989. I also got into video trading early as well and amassed quite a collection.

At which point did the fanzines enter in your life? Do you still remember which fanzines did you get in your hands for the first time?

I was regularly reading magazines like Metal Forces, Kerrang, Aardshok and the US metal mags and then started picking up fanzines at those NYC record stores. Some of the early ones were Kick Ass Monthly, World Metal Report, Blackthorn, Slayer, and Metal Warriors.

How did you like them? Was this a brand-new world for you?

I loved them. It was all new at the time. The pro mags were cool for the pics and articles of major bands, but fanzines gave real insight to the emerging underground and was a way to discover new bands from around the world. Plus, you could now contact these bands directly instead of just getting a dubbed demo tape trading.

How and when did you end up starting The Book of Armageddon fanzine? Did you come up the name of the fanzine with?

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through about 500 copies. Issue #4 I had professionally screened and printed and made 1000 copies. Most of the interviews were in depth and the articles and reviews were honest and informative. I made a point of doing very long and in depth interviews with Gene Hoglan of Dark Angel in every issue since they were and are my favorite thrash band. #1 also had interviews with Celtic Frost, Death, Bathory, Gargoyle and Possessed. #2 had Kreator, Slayer, Razor, Death, Darkness and Cryptic Slaughter. #3 had Voivod, Deathrow, Aggression, Napalm Death, Necrodeath, Papsmear, Thanatos and Exile. #4 Voivod, Prime Evil, Sepultura, Armoros, Num Skull, and P.M.S. Every issue had numerous album/demo/live show reviews and articles on bands.

What is/was the importance of the fanzines in your opinion?

Fanzines were the life blood and voice of the underground. The bands of course were the heart of the scene and created the music but the fanzines helped get young bands exposed and introduced people around the world to these new bands. Zines gave us information and opinions about music many people would have never discovered had they not read about it in a fanzine. Long before the internet or even cable tv, we had to seek out new music and fanzines gave the underground the opportunity to reach people from all walks of life.

Did it sometimes appear/happen, that the materials, that you’ve got from bands or labels, weren’t featured in the certain issues?

Sure, I would receive a lot of promos from record labels and not all of them got reviewed.

I would review the most important and current releases each issue from the labels, mixing both positive and negative reviews keeping it honest. I tried to review the majority of demos I received unless I just did not like it at all.

Did the fanzine satisfy the demands of the underground fans?

I think it did. I hope it did. It was always very well received and complimented so I must have done something right?

How were they sold and distributed/promoted? Were all of the issues sold out? Did you receive letters perhaps from other continents too?

I received orders from all corners of the world, especially by issues #3 and 4. I sold copies to all the NYC record stores and through the mail. I also traded with other zines. I would sell their zine in NYC and they sold mine locally. In those days every piece of mail was stuffed with ads for zines and bands and we would all spread each other's ads. All the issues are long sold out. I have one or two copies of each issue for myself and that's it.

During the existence of TBOA did the staff remain constant or were there guys that got out of the fanzine and others joined instead of them?

Even though Mark wasn't too involved after issue #1 he kept giving me contributions that I gladly included. I had a couple other friends that did reviews or an occasional interview for certain issues. After issue #1 I did all the typing, layout and editing.

Were you also in touch with record labels? Did you get respectively how often did you get promo packages?

I was in touch with a few labels and would get new releases and press releases regularly.

Fanzines were important to the labels as well back then. As long as you sent them a copy of your zine they were happy to shower you with promos and information.

What about the prime cost of the certain issues?

I really don't remember. Issues 1-3 were printed at a xerox store and at my dad's office, so I have no idea what I paid for them over time. Issue #4 was professionally done but I forget how much it cost. Plus all the postage expenses shipping them around the world.

Were all of you satisfied with every TBOA issues?

Absolutely. Of course, there are typos, and some of the printing wasn't great, but for the times each issue came out I was very happy and am still very proud of each issue.

On which format did you get the releases?

LP whenever possible, or on cassette. Then when they started pressing cds I would get cds, but vinyl will always be my preferrence.

With which label(s) did you get on well?

I had the best relationship with Roadrunner and Combat. Also Metal Blade would send me some stuff.

Why and when did you stop doing/going on TBOA? I was working on issue #5 and had a supersized issue in the works but due to job/school/life I had less and less time to work on it and after a while the material started getting dated and then I start interning at Roadrunner Records and just did not have the time to update it and put it out, so I put the zine to rest.

During the ’80s a lot of compilations were released by several labels, such as the famous „Metal Massacre”, „Speed Metal Hell”, „Thrash Metal Atack”, „Beyond Metal Zone”, „Stars On Thrash” to name a few, did it help a lot for the bands to make a name for themselves? Were these samplers good things to introduce newer bands for the fans?

Hell yeah!

I loved getting the Metal Massacres and others like Speed Metal Hell, Speed Kills, Thrash Metal Attack, Satan's Revenge and others. They were a great way to check out a handful of bands.

Did you go on writing for other fanzines/magazines? If so, in which magazines/fanzines did you take part later on?

Not really. Once I started working at Roadrunner I found myself writing many bios and press releases so I got my writing out that way. I did a couple interviews or articles for other zines but nothing special.

Which year was the best for metal and why?

That's impossible for me to say. For the history books maybe 1969 with Black Sabbath's first record, or 1980 when the gates let loose a swarm of killer metal, or 1983 or 1985 when the thrash giants took hold, or 1987 or 1990. There have been a lot of great years.

Talking about the thrash metal scene, METALLICA, SLAYER, ANTHRAX, MEGADETH, EXODUS, DARK ANGEL played an important role in the evolving of thrash metal and had an important influence on other bands, do you agree with this?

No doubt about it. They are all iconic and influential to bands for generations to come.

Every band back then had their own style and carved a niche for themselves by relentlessly playing live and writing some of the best music ever!

What do you recall of the fanzine world of the ’80s? There were millions of fanzines coming from worldwide, such as Blackthorn, Phoenix Militia, Brain Damage, Violent Noize, Metal Meltdown, Battlefield, the list goes on…

It was an incredible time. From the earliest zines to the late 80's explosion. Everyone had a voice and was given a chance to express their opinions and help build the underground.

ANTHRAX, MEGADETH, METALLICA and SLAYER are mentioned as The Big Four, how do you view it? What’s the reason of it?

They are the first four bands to break out of the underground and garner major success.

They all put out killer releases early and built their followings to a massive level.

Was it a kind of impenetrable scene? I mean, there were a very big amount of fanzines, every day or week popped up a new one…

It was not impenetrable, in fact quite the opposite. By 1990 fanzines were everywhere, but with the amount of bands growing as well, there were always new bands to write about so everyone could steer their fanzine towards the genres they liked the best.

Do you like their present records or only the old, classic ones?

I am not personally not a fan of most Metallica, Anthrax or Megadeth recorded after 1986, but I certainly respect what they've done for the world of Metal. Slayer I still like, for the most part. I can't even really consider Metallica a metal band anymore.

Which fanzines did you like personally? With which fanzine editors did you have friendship, good connection/relation etc.?

There were so many great zines through the years and I became good friends with many of the editors, and still am to this day. Some of the more special ones for me are: Bloodshed, Chainletter, Chainsaw Abortions, Chapel of Ghouls, Codcore, Curious Goods, Death Vomit, Disposable Underground, Eternal Darkness, F.E.T.U., Invincible Force, Metal Meltdown, Metal Core, Metal Curse, Metal Frontline, Mutilador, No Glam Fags, Out of the Underground, Peardrop, Rage of Violence, Ripping Headaches, Screams from the Underground, Sick Thrash, Slayer, Ultimatum and Violent Noize.

What are the most underrated thrash metal bands in your opinion? Why did it fail them to be bigger?

Dark Angel, Voivod, Razor, Artillery, Deceased, Prime Evil, Ripping Corpse, Revenant.

Real Thrash Metal isn't gonna appeal to the masses like Metallica or even Slayer. In the case of Prime Evil, Ripping Corpse and Revenant they were all overlooked in their prime because they weren't generic, but had more originality and integrity than most bands at the time.

In your opinion, did the scene become oversaturated at the late ’80s/early ’90s? How did you view/like the grunge, pop/punk and nu metal scene later on?

The scene became drastically oversaturated by the early 90's with way too many bands and so many sounding the same. There was too much of everything and Metal had even become a joke in the mainstream. I did not care for grunge or any of the 90's bands or new genres, but I agree Metal had gotten worn out and needed to recharge. The old Heavy

Because of the big amount of fanzines, was it hard to pick up fanzines for the fans/collectors?

It was easy to get zines. Local record stores always had some fanzines for sale, and mailorder was big. You would read the ads and if the zine seemed to have the bands you liked you would order a copy.

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reasons. Savage Death actually became Nokturnel and NYC Mayhem are considered one of the first NYC Hardcore bands.

In the mid ’80s there was also PMRC, how much harm did it cause for the metal scene? Was the goal of PMRC to annihilate/destroy the metal scene?

The PMRC wanted to outlaw Metal and Rap basically. The warnings they got put on albums just made them more popular cause now a kid knew what record would be offensive. I'm sure a lot of record labels and bands had to pay out a lot of money at the time cause of the PMRC but otherwise I don't think they had much effect on mainstream life after their initial shock.

Ed, in 1986, Roadrunner opened its US headquarters in New York City, how did you get in the picture exactly? Did you know the staff of the label earlier?

I first started dealing with Roadrunner because of my fanzine in the late 80's and built relationships with several employees. I even helped them out with Sepultura for a couple weeks before their first US tour and brought Malevolent Creation to the office to sign their contracts. When an opening arose for an intern they offered it to me. After a few months of interning I was hired full time. I worked with fanzines first, then handled most press and eventually was moved to retail. I wrote a lot of the bios and press releases while there. I was there for about 2 years, all during the glorious 'death metal days'. It was an absolutely incredible experience working with all the bands I loved, and many I was already friends with.

Metal bands had mostly all wimped out or took a hiatus and the underground was over crowded with 3rd and 4th rate bands. And I can't stand Nu Metal!!

Would you say, that Roadrunner specialized on releasing brutal death/thrash materials in the first place or did the label try rather riding the always actual trends?

It was a little of both. Monte Conner, loved heavy music so he always looked for brutal and original bands. Roadrunner would certainly try to follow new trends and capitalize on them. In 1990 they hit gold with the death metal rush and they signed many of the best bands like Obituary, Immolation, Malevolent Creation, Suffocation, Sepultura, Sadus, Sorrow, Exhorder and more. By 1992 the death metal esplosion had fizzled out at Roadrunner and most of the bands, and myself were let go as they searched for the new big thing.

Did all of these types of music kill the traditional metal? Did these movements force a lot of bands to change their style/music drastically and turn their backs on metal and their fans?

Yes, at the time Metal was splitting into two worlds. One was progressing to a faster, heavier style, while the other fed the growing hair metal genre, so the traditional metal bands found themselves between those two worlds. Most of the old guard took the commercial road in the mid-late 80's to varying and limited success, only to return to a heavier approach in the 90's.

How much support did the bands get from the label? How supportive was Roadrunner with their bands?

I didn't really know much about that side of it. But I know they had the bands by the balls. Roadrunner put money and support into every release and depending on how it did the band would get more or less. Bands like Sepultura, Obituary and Deicide all did well so they got numerous tours and more support.

By the way, what do you think about the reformation of cult, classic bands, such as ARTILLERY, AGENT STEEL, NASTY SAVAGE, ONSLAUGHT, METAL CHURCH, DEATH ANGEL, HEATHEN etc., that happened in the last 10-15 years?

I am all for it!!! Many of these bands did not get their fair chance back in the day and are now doing it again because they want to and have gotten another chance. Plus they do it better than a lot of newer bands in my opinion. Bands like Artillery, Razor, Blood Feast, Onslaught, Hobbs Angel of Death, Ruthless, Demolition Hammer, Omen and so many more are better live than ever and many have been releasing killer new material as well.

Which is/was the most successful record in the history of Roadrunner?

No idea. When I was there it would have to be Sepultura's Arise, but by the late 90's they had some major bands on their roster.

Interview by Leslie David December 2016

Are you still proud of TBOA these days? Who are/were your best friends from the scene? Are you still in touch with them?

I am still very proud of The Book of Armageddon and all it started for me. To still be talking about it 30 years later is mind blowing and a real honor. Mark is one of my oldest friends and we still see other fairly regularly and hang out. I still have many friends amongst those I met back in the early days. It's a family and we're all growing older together, but so many of us are still around, many still involved in some way. So we see other at shows or on Facebook and keep in touch.

Do you still keep an eye on what’s going on in the underground? How do you view the scene these days?

Most definitely. I have been promoting metal and rock concerts in NYC for over 6 years so I am always checking out new bands. I always love to hear good new music. Not everything I hear I like, but there are certainly a lot of good bands coming out and lots of killer releases from established bands. The scene is much different nowadays with the internet, but the ideals of the underground remain the same. It's all about support What do you think about the Internet and the downloading/mp3 files as a whole?

I like the internet cause you can keep in contact with people much easier and find anything you want whether it be information or music. But that's also why I don't like it.

It's become far too easy for people to just stay home and listen to or watch anything they want. No one buys records of goes to concerts cause everything's on YouTube by the next day.

How do you view the webzines? Do you often read them?

I like them cause they're the fanzines of this generation. I would still rather have a physical fanzine to read, but I like and respect webzines for their contributions to the underground.

My last question: please list us your first ten all time favourite records and songs (and why?), gigs and album cover artworks!

Ah boy, let me think...

Thanks a lot Ed for wasting your time to do this feature, anything to ad, that I didn’t cover?

I think you covered just about everything. It was a absolute pleasure digging back in my memory to go back to those glorious days and rehash lots of great memories. Thank you and your readers for caring and the continued support.

Talking about the New York scene, how about tiny, obscure bands, such as WARHEAD, DEATHCORPS, SAVAGE DEATH, NYC MAYHEM, that had a name, released cool demos, but didn’t get anywhere?

I knew many local bands that never really got anywhere. Some were amazing like Caligula or Meanstreak and they just never really broke out of the local scene for various

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