Illum Adora Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

We just have released our Mini-CD "Son of Dawn", the successor of our two demos ("Begotten" and "Unchained From Slavery") and appetizer to our debut album, which we intent to release in mid 2017.

Now, our focus is set on the promotion of the band and its Mini-Album by finding a worthy label to release our upcoming material or labels that want to release our stuff on vinyl. Furthermore we are now rehearsing for our first two live gigs in November.

2.Recently you have released a new ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from your 2 previous demo's?

NON SERVIAM BLACK METAL – this is our description of our kind of black metal. It is black metal in the old vein, no irrelevant wish-wash like most of the bands today. You can again expect catchy and furios black metal, the ancient way.

The main difference is, that ILLUM ADORA finally consists of 3 persons who are into the music and skilled on their instruments. We made a big step forward, improved the sound a lot, also the music. M. Marax pounding drums, Profanator on guitars and Hurricane Hellfukker doing vocals – this is the first real line up and as of now the core of the band.

3.The band has been around since 2011 but waited until 2015 to release any music, can you tell us a little bit more about the first 4 years?

Most of the time was wasted by finding fitting members. Other reason were too many promises happened by other people who wanted to work with me, but it failed in the end. Then I found a guitarist finally in my family even, T. Vogt was thankfully responsible for the guitar work on both demos and recorded all my ideas/riffs properly, so everything started eventually. Now, we are here...

4.You label your music as 'non serviam black metal, can you tell us a little bit more about this term?

I came up with this term already in my old band ZARATHUSTRA. We used it on our releases and merchandise as description for our music, our attitude and way of thinking.

It means that we do not define boundaries to ourself, never we will "obey" to others what should be done or what not while playing in a black metal band. Free spirits, free minds! And if we should fail with our luciferian mischief, we will do it with dignity.

5.Your lyrics cover Satanism, Occultism and Philosophical themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your views on the dark arts?

Lyrically I take my inspiration from thousand of things as I walk through this world with wide open eyes. I take most influences from darkness, eerie moments in life, the occult, dark medieval times, ancient history, religion, world-wide mythologies (esp. old Babylonian, Akkadian, Sumerian and Grecian), historical romans, philosophy/philosophers. I don't define any boundaries to myself. But of course I never would write about gore/porn/fun/political/sociocritical shit.

Lyrics vary a lot and tell about different things. They can be simple horror stories, even psalms from the bible (which are dark sounding to me), philosophical thesis, or occult topics. As long as the core is dark, evil and occult I will write about everything I want.

What the lyrics do express is up for the reader/listener. I am tired of imposing the listener what to think or to point my fingers on feeble sheeps. If you are brainless, the music is not for you.

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Illum Adora'?

Illum Adora is of latin language and means "Worship Him" – like the old cult Samael album! I took it from the lyrics of COUNTESS' intro to their magical "Ad Maiorem Sathanae Gloriam" album. The band is my biggest inspiration and most important black metal band ever for me. It is heavily advised to check them out, if you have not done already!

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

It was not intented to be a live-band at all when I started the band back then. I was fine with just recording material to please myself. I have had enough stage experience with my former band ZARATHUSTRA and even with CRUEL FORCE, played a lot of shows in more than 10 years. But right now, with the right material, the best band-members one could imagine there is a new flame burning and it's about time to show the masses our understanding of black metal with plenty of atmosphere and power.

We are playing our 1st two gigs in November at the 20th anniversary of HELLBANGERS MOSELFRANKEN (with Unleashed) and SINISTER HOWLING (with Denial of God, Behexen, Front Beast and more).

You can expect a wild horde on stage and a good show, definitely...

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

We already got lots of offers, even some serious one to play in California in 2017. Only time will tell what eventually will happen. After these two gigs mentioned above our main focus will be the debut album which we want to release in summer/autumn 2017. Also the promotion of "Son of Dawn" has priority right now, as well as finding a good label that want to release our material on vinyl and/or the debut album on all possible formats.

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

For the first time I started to promote an ILLUM ADORA release myself by getting in contact with many new and old magazines and webzines. I think the first noticeable reactions are yet to come when being featured in the (big) zines, getting again in touch with my very old contacts from glorious label days and after our first, very promising gigs in November. Just a few days ago I spread digital promos to plenty of online zines and the feedback are 6 reviews and 4 interview requests within 3 days. The reviews are overwhelming so far, I am more than satisfied.

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

I have crystal clear visions about the future of the band, its direction musically, lyrically and visually. Music won't change much, but right now it is too early to tell something about our next material. "Son of Dawn" is the first work of the new line-up and I am pretty sure our collaboration will grow with every rehearsal we are doing. So, watch out for our future-material, there is more to come from us definitely and we will progress in composing and recording our music for sure.

11.Are any of the band members also involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

At the moment none of us in involved or busy with any other bands or projects. In fact, both Profanator and M. Marax left their old bands due to several reasons so now they can set their focus on ILLUM ADORA exclusively.

I am still trying to bring new life to my FANzine HELLPIKE which I have started in 1998 and published 16 issues since then. But I am picky with finding new, worthy bands, don't want to waste my time on 1000 of useless, boring and same sounding material. Maybe I will find muse again to release a new issue in 2017, we will see. Furthermore I released the Mini Album via my own label KNEEL BEFORE THE MASTERS THRONE Rec. which finally celebrates a return with its first release in more than 5 years. I was forced to do a break for 5 years, but future looks brighter now so I can go on finally. There are many plans, but right now I am just glad to have the CD out. I think both ILLUM ADORA demos on CD will be the next release, still this year or early 2017. We will see what will happen next.

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

Musically it definitely is the 2nd black metal wave with all its great bands from all over the world, every now and then our roots are also shining through our songs, which means at times it sounds like the pioneer 1st wave, traditional, thrash and death metal. I am still stuck in the mid of 90s with all its classics. My range in music is quite huge, but it is not necessary to tell any names here. I am addicted to metal since more than 26 years and it will never change.

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

NON SERVIAM!

Thank you for your support and effort. Interested people can reach us via

illumadora@gmx.de – mastersthrone@gmx.de –

www.illumadora.bigcartel.com – www.mastersthrone.bigcartel.com











http://illumadora.bigcartel.com
https://www.facebook.com/IllumAdora/
https://illumadora.bandcamp.com
http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Illum_Adora

 

Daven/What Comes Next/2016 EP Review

  Daven  are  a  solo project  from  Columbia  that  plays  an  atmospheric  and  ambient  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2016  ep  "What  Comes  Next".

  Ambient  style  synths  along  with  programmed  beats  and  nature  sounds  start  off  the  ep  and  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  riffs  a  few  seconds  later  and  clean  playing  along  with  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  and  melodic  chanting  can  also  be  heard  in  the  background  at  times.

  At  times  the  music  can  get  very  experimental  along  with  some  symphonic  elements  also  being  utilized  and  the  guitar  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  on  some  of  the  tracks  the  synths  bring  in    very  haunting  atmosphere  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  a  raw  black  metal  feeling  and  there  is  also  a  great  amount  of  melodic  guitar  leads  and  one  of  the  tracks  is  all  instrumental.

  Daven  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  atmospheric  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  ambient  music  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  autobiographical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Daven  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  ambient/black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out t his  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Reaching"  and  "What  Comes  Next".  8  out  of  10.

Vpaahsalbrox/14 Sovereign/Pale Horse Recordings/2016 Vinyl Re-Issue Review

  Vpaahsalbrox  where  a  band  from  Texas  that  played  a  very  raw  and  satanic  form  of  occult  black  metal  and this  is  a  review  of  their  20o5  demo  "14  Sovereign"  which  will  be re-issued  on  vinyl  in  October  by  Pale  Horse  Recordings.

  A  very  dark  yet  raw  sound  starts  off  the  demo  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  and  blast  beats  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  the  music  is very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  second  wave  tradition  and  at  times  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  the  music  briefly.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and  when  spoken  word  parts  are  utilized  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  a  ritualistic  and  occult  feeling  and  there is  also  a  few  seconds of  growls  and  the  songs  never  bring  in  any  solos  and  leads  and  the  whole  demo  sticks  to a   very  heavy  and  raw style  of  black  metal. 

  Vpaahsalbrox  played  a  style  of  black  metal  that  was  very  raw,  aggressive  and  old  school  sounding  while  also  having  more  of  a  crazier  edge  to  them,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism  and  Enochian  Magick  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vpaahsalbrox  where  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  satanic  occult  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "The  Flesh  i  Have  Given  You".  8  out  of  10.

Sedna/Eterno/WOOAARGH/2016 CD Review

  Sedna  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  progressive  mixture  of  post  black  metal, doom  and  sludge  with  some  elements  of  ambient  and  drone  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Eterno"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  WOAAARGH.

  Clean  guitars  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes in  with  the  heavier  side  of  the  music  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  progressive  elements  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Sludge  style  growls  can  be  heard quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  they  also  mix  in  black  metal  screams  that  are  more  on  the  depressive  side  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  post  metal  style  and  the  tremolo  picking  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  elements  of  doom  metal  and  you  can  also  hear  touches  of  drone  and  ambient  in  certain  sections  of  recording.

  Sedna  creates  another  recording  that  takes  the  atmospheric,  progressive  and  post  styles  of  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  doom  and  sludge  metal  along  with  elements  of  ambient  and  drone  to  create  their  own  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  awareness  of  the  spirit  of t he  universe.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Sedna  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  sludge  and  atmospheric  post  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Pillars  Of  Creation  I"  and  "Mountains  Of  Creation".  8  out  of  10.   

Abigorum/Cryostasium/Unholy Ghost Liturgy/Satanath Records/Abstruce Eerie Radiance/Collaboration Album Review

  Russia's  Abigorum  teams  up  with  U.S.A's  Cryostasium  to  create  an  album  that  mixes  black  metal  with  psychedelic,  ambient,  experimental  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Unholy  Ghost  Liturgy"  which  was  released  as  a  joint effort  between  Satanath  Records  and  Abstruce  Eerie  Radiance.

  Ambient  style  synths  start  off  the  album  giving  the  recording  an  atmosphere  of  a  horror  movie  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  side  of  the  music  and  when  the  music  speeds  up a   great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  black  metal  feeling.

  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  grim yet  depressive  screams  along  with  psychedelic  elements  can  be  heard   at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts and  as  the  album  progresses  the  music  gets  more  experimental  while  also  remaining  very  dark  and  heavy.

  Some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  guitars  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  all  instrumental  and  you  can  hear  a touch  of  doom  metal  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  a  few  that  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  stick  to  more  of  a  melodic  style  and  a  great  amount  of  diversity  can  be  heard  throughout  the  recording  and  there  is  also a   brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  as  the  album  progresses  and  they  also  bring  in  a  cover  of  CME's  "None".

  Abigorum  and  Cryostasium  creates  a  recording  that  takes  the  raw,  depressive  and  atmospheric  sides  of  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  doom,  ambient,  experimental  and  psychedelia  to  create  a  very  original  style,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  yet  powerful  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  ghosts  and  paranormal  themes.

  In  my opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  both  Abigorum  and  Cryostasium  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  the  more  experimental  and  ambient  styles  of  black  metal,  you should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Unholy  Ghosts"  "Last  Galaxy"  "Essential  Death"  and  "The  Quiet  Room".  8  out  of  10.

https://satanath.bandcamp.com/album/sat160-abigorum-cryostasium-unholy-ghost-liturgy-collaboration-2016

Winterheart/Nothingness/2016 Full Length Review

  Winterheart  are  a  band  from  Hungary  that plays  a  very  depressive  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  self  released  2016  album  "Nothingness".

  Acoustic  guitar  playing  which  are  also  used  on  the  other  tracks.  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  keyboards  and  whispers  a  few  seconds  later  and  spoken  words  are  also  used  briefly  and  when  the  music  gets  heavy  it  goes  for  more  of  a  depressive  and  suicidal  style  along  with  some  grim  yet  high  pitched  screams.. 

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them and  the  tremolo  picking  when  it  is  utilized  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  black  metal  feeling  and  when  the  music  speeds  up a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  growls.

 The  vocals  also  get  very  suicidal  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  riffs  start  using  more  melody  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  finally  utilized  they  are done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  some  of  the  tracks  are very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with spoken  word  parts  also  making  a  return  on  later  tracks  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  atmospheric  synths.

  Winterheart  plays  a style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  depressive  and  suicidal  sounding  while  also  having  its  raw  and  melodic  moments,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  suicide  and  depression  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Winterheart  are  a  very  great  sounding  depressive  and  suicidal  black  metal band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Kill  Me"  and   "Forgive  Me".  8  out  of  10.

Saudade/Diary Of Voices/Why Gang Records/2016 Full Length Review

  Saudade  are  a  band  from  London,  Ontario., Canada  that  plays  a very  raw  and  depressive  form  of black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Diary  Of  Voices"  which  was  released  by  Why  Gang  Records.

  Classical  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  a  few  seconds  later  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  when  tremolo  picking  is  utilized  it  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  black  metal  feeling.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  while  also being  very  high  pitched  and  depressive  at  times  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  during  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  and  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture of slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the music  also  brings  in a  great  amount  of  90's  second  wave  influences.

  There  is  also  a brief  use  of  death  metal  growls and  some  tracks  also  mix  in  elements  of  bestial/war  metal  and  classical  guitars  also  return  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  as  the  album  progresses  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  finally  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark,  raw  and  melodic  direction  and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Saudade  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw  while  also  being  diverse  at  times  adding  in  some  depressive,  war  and  bestial  elements  along  with a  small  amount  of  acoustic guitars  on  some  songs  to  create  something  very  different,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  raw  and  lo-fi  while  the  lyrics  cover  depression,  suicide  and  self  hatred  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Saudade  are  a  very  great  and  original  sounding  raw  and  depressive  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out t his  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bow  Towards  Me"  "Parasite"  "The  Long  Winter"  and  "What  Would  Death  Solve".  8  out  of  10.