Lifeless Gaze Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
1. Lifeless Gaze is emanation of pain and depression. For me it's some kind of emotional exorcism.

2.So far you have released 2 albums, musically how do they both differ from each other?
2. Both albums are gateways for emotions - yet the first record turned out more by itself naturally, in some way it was improvised. Me and M met together booked studio, came with some random ideas and started recording - after 2 days we had full album finished, it was very natural recording session. Half of second album was already prepared and rehearsed - we played 'We Are Born to Suffer' and 'Never-Ending Void' live. Due to that situation we already knew what to expect and where we were going with 'The Unbearable Darkness of Being'.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?
3. Despair, suffering, depression, misery, emanation of pain in cage called flesh, no future, solitude, agony, torment, emptiness, suicide, death.


4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Lifeless Gaze'?
4. I wanted to find a name that would say everything about this project and give listener a feeling of what to expect.


5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
5. Front cover art - it's photo of one of us after a specific situation I will not talk about - but after taking this picture there came the idea to use it as cover for the second album. All the rest of the artwork is taken in a place close to one of us - the whole mood of this room was perfect for this album. All pictures were taken by AZ, who also prepared all sketches for our debut album.

6.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to expanding your line up or do you prefer to remain a duo?
6. We will remain duo, there's no need for more members. Lifeless Gaze is two-headed creature based on our two selves and our past and inner demons. Additional people would only weaken it. During live rituals M plays all guitars, I do percussion, vocals and all ambient stuff - it works perfectly

7. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of dark ambient and depressive black metal?
7. We had some various good comments and messages from people around the world and also some negative feedback from people who don't understand that less is more.

8,What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
8. Currently I'm finishing new double album with Whalesong, it will be entitled 'Radiance of a Thousand Suns'. Except that I'm working on new Lugola (my dark ambient/noise project) and Grave of Love (my neofolk band) albums. M is preparing to release his first full length album under Darkdrone moniker - it's guitar based drone/ambient thing. We're also both preparing to record together third album with Useless - depressive black metal act.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
9. I think on third record we will go more into dark ambient and improvisational music. I have idea to record the album using various instruments and record it totally live.

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

10. M is huge black metal maniac and he is also very influenced by bands like Tribes of Neurot. I am huge maniac of psychedelic rock, krautrock, various metal styles, industrial, noise, no wave, minimal, ambient, jazz and many many more.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
11. Definitely Cinema, especially old exploitation, giallo and good old hammer horrors - but you can already know it if you have seen our videos for Lifeless Gaze compositions. Except that books, philosophy, psychology, travelling, monoliths, sound.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
12. There is no future.  

Blurr Thrower/Les avatars du vide/Les Acteurs de I'Ombre Productions/2019 EP Review

  Blurr  Thrower  are  a  solo  project  from  France  that  plays  a  cascadian  influenced  from  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2019  ep  "Les  avatars  du  vide"  which  was  released  by  Les  Acteurs  de  I'Ombre  Productions.

  Atmospheric  sounding  drones  start  off  the  ep  along  with  both  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Clean  guitars  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling.

  Vocals  are  mostly  angry  sounding  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  When  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  the  music  also  getting  very  atmospheric  at  times  and  adding  in  some  cascadian  influences.

  Elements  of  blackgaze  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  while  the  music  also  gets  very  melancholic  at  times.  All  of  the  riffing  is  done  on  power  chords  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  an  aggressive  edge  over  most  atmospheric  bands.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  French  and  cover  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Blurr  Thrower  are  a  very  great  sounding  cascadian  influenced  atmospheric  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Silence".  8  out  of  10.    

Automb Interview

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

We have been playing a few shows in support of the record and we have also been very busy writing material for our new record which will be coming out later this year.



2.In October you had released your first album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?

That’s a hard question- It ranges from atmospheric black metal to the classic death metal elements filled with melody and brutality.



3.Your lyrics cover a lot of occult, pagan, witchcraft and esoteric themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interests in these topics and how long you have been interested and involved with those practices?

We have both been very interested in all things occult and pagan for quite a few years. We both grew up in a Christian environment and just decided to break out and explore and have never turned back. Once you see how much knowledge is outside of the society and religious bounds, there is a whole world open to you.



4.Some of your lyrics also show an understanding of different pagan cultures, do you feel it is very important to be knowledgeable about the different occult or pagan philosophies than be stuck in one corner where a lot of people seem to go into when they get into esoteric practices?

Yes, absolutely. We focus on anything that has to do with the occult, which in a broad sense is everything to do with hidden knowledge, regardless of cultural practices. Also, we draw parallels between these practices which at the end represents the same energies and the same ideas.



5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Automb'?

We formed Automb in the autumn season and we gave it that name to incorporate the two ideas of autumn as the season and how many things die in that season, hence the “tomb’.



6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the album cover?

It represents a ritualistic setting in the forest during the full moon. The main totem represents the horned god deity (Veles, Cernunnos, Loki) which is present in almost every path and culture. We also incorporated many powerful runes and symbols into the trees which are personal to us. The cover also represents themes that we have present in a few songs in the album (Horned God, Mourned, Blood Moon, The Forest, etc.)



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

We have only played two shows so far so it is hard to accurately depict the “best” show so far. However, we would describe our stage performance as ritualistic, empowering and fierce.





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

We currently have three shows booked in the next few months and then we are hoping to do a tour this summer. 



9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?

It’s been overwhelmingly positive from all-over the world. The response has been far beyond our expectations.



10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?

We are not part of any other bands. Necrophagia is dead so Serge is putting all of his time and energy into Automb. And Scott Fuller was just the session drummer for ‘Esoterica’ and is still the full-time drummer of Morbid Angel. Catch Morbid Angel on tour this spring with Cannibal Corpse (In the US)!



11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

We are always striving to be more progressive and improve our music and style. With every record we are planning to top our previous works with of course tying in previous elements that make Automb what we are.



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

Some bands that have influenced our musical style are, Behemoth, Belphegor, Watain,Drudkh, Dissection, Emperor. We are currently listening to bands like 1914, Uada, Kroda, Necrophobic, and Cult of Fire.



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

We are finally on Spotify, so go follow us on there, and… Hail Chaos! Hail Esoteric Black Metal! 

Gast/Morkret Kallar/Black Market Metal Label/2019 Full Length Review

  Gast  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a varied  and  ferocious  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a review  of  their  2019  album  "Morkret  Kallar"  which  will  be  released  on  January  25th  by  Black  Market  Metal  Label.

  Nature  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  adding  in a   good  amount  of  melody.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  Swedish  style.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  one  track  also  introduces clean  guitars  onto the  recording.

   Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  both  old  school  and  modern  influences.  As  the  album  progresses  nature  sounds  also  make  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  one  track  being  an  acoustic  instrumental  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  on  the  following  songs,  synths  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  the  closing  track.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Swedish  and  cover  darkness  and  satanism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Gast  are  a  very  great  sounding  varied  and  ferocious  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Under  Satans  Vingir"  and  "Sorgens  Skugga".  8  out  of  10.

Niezgal/Stogn z Niebyccia/Handful Of Hate/2018 CD Review

  Niezgal  where  a  band  from  Belarus  that  played  a  very  raw  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Stogn  z  Niebyccia"  which  was  released  by  Handful  Of  Hate  and  consists  of  the  last  draft  tracks  recorded  by  Stogn  before  his  suicide.

  A    classic  black  and  white  horror  movie  orientated  atmosphere  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  grim  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later.  During  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling.

  A  great  amount  of  90's  influences  can  also  be  heard  in  the  bands  musical  style  along  with  the  guitar  leads  also  adding  in  a  very  raw  and  melodic  style.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  later  tracks  also  add  in  some  melodic  riffing.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  one  track  also  introduces  classical  guitars  into  the  music.  Some  of  the  melodic  side  of  the  music  captures  a  Swedish  vibe  while  some  of  the  raw  feeling  evokes  the  mid  90's  French  style.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Belorussian  and  cover  hateful  and  misanthropic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Niezgal  where  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  misanthropic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Uzychodzic  miortvaje  sonca"  and  "Sustreniemsa  u  piekle".  8  out  of  10.      

Lonndom/Hagkomster Fran Nordliga Njeder & Norrslensritual/Nordvis Produktion/2019 CD Re-Issue Review

  Lonndom  are  a  duo  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  Swedish  folk  music  and  primitve  rock  and  this  is  the  first  proper  release  of  their  album  "Hagkomster Fran Nordliga Njeder'  which  was  recorded  years  ago  and  also  consists  of  the  ep  "Norrlensritual"  and  will  be  re-issued  in  March  by Nordvis  Produktion.

  Melodic  pagan  chants  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  which  also uses  a  great  amount  of  melody.  Grim  black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  synths  also  gives  the  music  more  of  an  atmospheric  and  epic  feeling.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  which  also  gives the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  along  with  the  music  also  mixing  in  avant  garde  structures  at  times  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  The  black  metal  side  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  era.  Pagan  style  vocals  also  make  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  one  song  also  introducing  ambient  elements  into  the  music  and  as  the  album  progresses  elements  of  folk  are  added  onto  the  recording,  on  the  closing  track  percussion is  added  into  the  music  and  gives  the  song  more  of  a  ritualistic  and  shamanistic  feeling.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Swedish  and  cover  dark  and  metaphysical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Lonndom  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black metal,  ambient,  Swedish  folk  music  and  primitive  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Smell  mot  det  formultnande"  and  "Norrslensritual".  8  out  of  10.

 

 

    

Svirnath/Dalle rive del Curone/Naturmacht Productions/2019 CD Review

  Svirnath  are  a  solo  project  from  Italy  that  plays  an  atmospheric  form  of  pagan  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2019  album  "Dalle rive del Curone"  which  will  be  released  in  February  by  Naturmacht  Productions.

  A  very  nature  orientated  intro  starts  off  the  album  which  also  introduces  epic  sounding  synths  onto  the  recording  as  well  as  some  acoustic  guitars  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  A  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  synths  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  an  atmospheric  feeling.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  the  vocals  being  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams.

  When  melodic  chants  are  utilized  they  also  give  the  songs  more  of  a  pagan  metal  feeling.  Blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  while  the  riffs  also  utilize  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well as  the  fast  tremolo  picking  also  giving  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling.

  Elements  of  folk  music  can  also  be  heard  when  the  acoustic  guitars  are  utilized   while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Clean  vocals  are  also  brought  onto  some  of  the  tracks  and  also  gives  the  music  a  lot  more  diversity  and  on  the  closing  track  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Italian  and  cover  nature  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Svirnath  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  pagan  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "All'ombra  delle  fronde"  and  "L'abete".  8  out  of  10.