Saturday, February 29, 2020

Automb/Chaosophy/Witching Hour Productions/2020 CD Review


  Automb  are  a  band  from  Pennsylvania  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  atmospheric  and  melodic  mixture  of  occult  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2020  album  "Chaosophy"  which  will  be  released  on  March  27th  by  Witching  Hour  Productions.

  A  very  dark  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  synths,  rain  and  thunder  sounds  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  musical  direction.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  done  in  a  blackened  death  metal  growling  style.

  When  tremolo  picking  is  utilized  it  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  black  metal  feeling  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style,  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  music  also  having  its  atmospheric  moments,  keyboards  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  music  also  adds  in  a  great  amount  of  90's  influences  but  also  keeps  it  modern  at  the  same  time.  .

  On  this  recording  Automb  focuses  more  on  a  death  metal  style  while  keeping  some  of  the  melodic  and  atmospheric  side  of  black  metal  from  their  previous  release.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Paganism,  Witchcraft  and  Esoteric  Knowledge  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Automb  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  and  melodic  occult  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Transmigration  Omega"  "Serpent  Of  the  Night"  and  "Ragnarok".  8  out  of  10.

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The Holy Flesh/Emissary & Vessel/Caligari Records/2020 Demo Review


  The  Holy  Flesh  is  a  solo  project  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  very  dissonant  and  psychedelic  form  of  occult  black  metal  with  some  elements  of  post  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2020  demo  "Emissary  &  Vessel"  which  will  be  released  on  cassette  in  March  by  Caligari  Records.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  demo  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  angry  yet  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Psychedelic  elements  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  riffing  also  adds  in  a  good  amount  of  dissonant  structures.  Some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  clean  playing  also  making  a  return  on  some  of  the  later  songs,  elements  of  post  rock  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction,  whispered  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  The  Holy  Flesh  plays  a  style  of  occult  black  metal  that  is  very  psychedelic  and  dissonant  sounding  as  well  as  mixing  in  some  elements  of  post  rock  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  The  Holy  Flesh  are  a  very  great  sounding  psychedelic  and  dissonant  occult  black  metal  solo  project  with  some  elements  of  post  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  demo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Emissary  II"  "Vessel  II"  and  "Vessel  IV".  8  out  of  10.

http://caligarirecords.bandcamp.com/album/emissary-vessel

 

   

  

Häxanu/Snare Of All Salvation/Armor Fati Productions/2020 CD Review


  Häxanu  is  a  solo  project  from  Pennsylvania  that  plays  an  occult  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2020  album  "Snare  of  All  Salvation"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Armor  Fati  Productions.

  Fie;d  recordings  start  off  the  album  along  with some  synths  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also heave  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  90's  influences,  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  on  a  few  tracks  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  Häxanu  plays  a  style  of  occult  black  metal  that  is  very  raw,  aggressive  and  atmospheric  sounding.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  alchemy  and  neoplatonism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Häxanu  are  a  very  great  sounding  occult  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Materia  Prima"  and  "Snare  of  All  Salvation".  8  out  of  10.

www.amor-fati-productions.de 
www.amorfatiproductions.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/amorfatiprod




  

NightVermin/The Flail Of Belial/2020 EP Review


  NightVermin  are  a  solo  project  from  Ireland  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  raw,  melodic  and  old  school  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2020  ep  "The  Flail  Of  Belial".

  Ocean  sounds  start  the  ep  before  going  into a   very  fast  and  raw  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  while  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  second  wave  Nordic  style  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  of  track  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  clean  singing,  spoken  word  parts  and  synths  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  On  this  recording  NightVermin  remains  true  to  the  raw,  melodic  and  old  school  style  of  black  metal  that  he  had  established  on  his  previous  release.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  Anti  Christianity,  Satanism,  Occultism  and  Darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  NightVermin  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw,  melodic  and  old  school  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Weaver Of  Forbidden  Plots"  and  "The  Flail  Of  Belial".  8  out  of  10.

https://nightvermin.bandcamp.com/album/the-flail-of-belial

Afsky/ofte jeg drømmer mig død/Vendetta Records/2020 CD Review


  Afsky  is  a  solo  project  from  Denmark  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  raw,  atmospheric  and  depressive  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2020  album  "ofte  jeg  drømmer  mig  død"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Vendetta  Records.

  Water  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  classical  guitars  and  stringed  instruments  a  few  seconds  later  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  depressive  black  metal  screams.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  all  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  atmospheric  sounding  along  with  the  guitar  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  raw  yet  melodic  style,  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  songs  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  and  on  one  track  acoustic  guitars  also  make  a  brief  return.

  On  this  recording  Afsky  takes  his  raw,  melodic  and  depressive  style  of  black  metal  into  more  of  an  aggressive  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Danish  and  cover  poetic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Afsky  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw,  melodic  and  depressive  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tyend  Sang"  and  "Angst".  8  out  of  10.

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Thy Dying Light/Self Titled/Purity Through Fire/2020 CD Review


  Thy  Dying  Light  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  very  uncompromising  and  antisocial  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2020  album  Which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Purity  Through  Fire.

  A  very  fast  and  raw  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats,  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  dark  sounding  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Most  of  the  music  is  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  era  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  on  a  few  songs  while  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  which  also  captures  a  more  modern  vibe  at  times.

  The  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  Norwegian  influences  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  whispers  can  also  be  heard  and  the  closing  track  is  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Darkness,  Death  and  Evil  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Thy  Dying  Light  are  a  very  great  sounding  uncompromising  and  antisocial  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Under  The  Horns"  "Black  Death"  "Fist  Of  Satan"  and  "Thy  Dying  Light".  8  out  of  10.

www.facebook.com/thydyinglight

  

Arcada Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
Before we finished the recording sessions we had a tour on Chile which was already being booked while we were setting the last details to the album. As soon as we completed everything we got on the road presenting the album songs over five cities in Chile. This was a challenge to us because this dates were Iniquiator’s A.D first appearances on stage. The audience and organization respond was great and so ours. After this tour we got some invitations to play on our city but unfortunately we declined because of some logistical issues with the organizers.
Currently we are creating new songs for the next releases and thinking about a proper presentation date for the album on Lima. Thing’s gonna happen.

2.In March you have your first full length coming, musically how does it differ from your previous demo's and ep's?
The first thing that people’s going to notice is about the sound which is more professional than the previous releases. We spent a lot of hours into the studio while mixing, selecting tracks, guiding the guests, etc. The next thing is the new vocalist who has a complete different range which we think it fits perfectly to the band, enhancing the music and atmosphere we reach through every song. You can say the band influences have been always the same but maybe on this album they are more notorious. Consider we are not talking only about metal references.
About the content, is the same phenomenon that happens on each one of our releases. The lyrics and the concept are the result of experiences and reflections on certain subjects which can get more abstracted or clearer to others. Some of you can recognize some imagery from different sources and get what I’m trying to say.


3.A lot of your lyrics cover Occultism, Black Magick and Philosophical themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the dark arts?
Black metal has to be real. This subjects are not supposed to be used with merely a shock value intention. Each one of us has his own way to achieve his own truth with different elements. The one we have in common is Arcada.

4.You also have a sigil in your band logo, can you tell us a little bit more about what this sigil means and how it is related to the bands name?
We used a common method to do the sigil which was using the band’s name and abstract it into a new image. The symbol can be understood in many ways as it is the language of interpretation and needs no translation. Just as the whole Arcada’s concept.

5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
The process we had to define the final artwork was shared with the artist involved. As he participated as a guest on two lyrics, we talked before about the referents we had and based on those myths, the sketching process began. You can recognize some of the gnostic myth references along with some solar imagery too. The trifacial was a little detail from Jose Gabriel who has done his MA thesis out of this subject. The composition of the elements involved were influenced by an untitled anonymous illustration from 1588-1615 which has been given the name of Confesion de un Noble Indigena (The indigenous confession).


6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
I think the best show we had so far has been the one at Decimatio VII in Chile. We played along with Black Witchery, Sadistic Intent, Goatcraft, Malignant Asceticism and many other great bands from Chile. The audience was great and the backline too.
I would say our show its not supposed to be something to mosh with, as it’s not a “brutal” or “violent” type of metal. Some people have describe our performance as a contemplative or harsh experience.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
We haven’t got any tour confirmed yet but we already have some plans on mind. First we want to do a show in Lima to present the album on a proper way.

8.The new album is coming out on 'Edged Circle Productions', how did you get in contact with this label?
As we were about to finish the album recording, we began to post a lot of content on social media and the label noticed us. We got a mail and after they listened to the previous work we had released, we got the proposal of working together and we agreed. Everything so far have been great with them.





9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
Usually people get surprised when they figure out we are from Peru because they usually expect a south american classic sound which we are not focused on. Most of the response we had over the years have been from outside our city (in fact, we have played more times outside Lima than in Lima itself) so I guess I can say we have some positive reactions.

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?
Iniquiator and Ult have their own individual one man Black Metal projects called Iniquitatem and Ult respectively. You can find them on the label Visceribus Bestiae. Onryo and I have another side project called Voragine but our main focus is in Arcada. The remaining bands we participate on are only for supporting shows.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We expect to release a lot of new material and adding some new ideas for the next shows. As things grow, the opportunities to do something completely different appear.




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?
Besides the notorious influence of the 90’s Black Metal bands we have, we listen to some post punk, new wave, folklore, etc. No need to name each band’s name.

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

Beware the frog’s curse

www.facebook.com/arcadablackmetal 





Friday, February 28, 2020

Lebenssucht/-273,15°C/Thanatoskult Records/2020


Lebenssucht are  an  international  band  with  members  from  Bulgaria, Belgium,  Austria  and  Germany  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  atmospheric  form  of  depressive  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "-273,15°C"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Thanatoskult  Records.

  Melodic  guitar  leads  start  off  the  album  while  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length. Vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  depressive  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in a   decent  amount  of  melody  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  lot  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  When  tremolo  picking  is  utilized  it  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  the  tracks  also  having  their  atmospheric  moments.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  one  of  the  songs  also  introducing  clean  playing  onto  the  recording.  At  times  the  vocals  get  very  deep  sounding  bringing  in  a  few  death  metal  growls,  synths  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion t his  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Lebenssucht  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  and  depressive  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "   

Curse Upon A Prayer/Infidel/Saturnal Records/2020 CD Review


  Finland's  Curse  Upon  A  Prayer  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  raw,  blasphemous  and  anti  Islamic  style  of  black  metal  from  their  previous  release  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Infidel"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Saturnal  Records.

  Chanting  vocals  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  Acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  some  of  the  tracks  while  whispered  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  good  balance  between  modern  and  old  school  influences  along  with  the  music  being  mostly  rooted  in  the  Finnish  style,  one  of  the  tracks  is  also  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  anti  Islamic  and  misanthropy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Curse  Upon  A  Prayer  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  misanthropic  and  anti  Islamic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Infidel"  "Al-Masih  ad-Dajjal"  and  "Fitna".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/_TppyZZvNSw

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Ulvdalir/Hunger For The Cursed Knowledge/Inferna Profundus Records/2020 EP Review


  Ulvdalir  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  orthodox  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  ep  "Hunger  For  The  Cursed  Knowledge"  which   will  be  released  on  March  20th  by  Inferna  Profundus  Records.

  Ambient  style  synths  start  off  the  ep  and  they  also  appear  on  the  later  songs  while  Gregorian  chants  can  also  be  heard  briefly  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  along  with  seem  dark  sounding  melodies.

  Most  of  the  music  is  also  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  era  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  screams.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  an  old  school  style  along  with  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,

 Slean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  some  songs  also  capturing  a  ritualistic  atmosphere  and  synths  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  the  closing  track. The  production  sounds  very  dark,  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  death.  the  devil,  nihilism  and  philosophy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Ulvdalir  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  orthodox  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Road  Of  Knowledge"  and  "Out  Of  The  Darkness  of  The  Depths".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXJfjkLCn_c

  

Saarkoth Interview

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



The recording and release of the EP is the most recent thing that we’ve worked on. Since the release we’ve just been promoting it on social media and trying to get it sent out to reviewers. Outside of that we’ve been rehearsing for some upcoming shows.



In terms of the recording of this release, though, it was very much done in the typical way that we do things where one of us will have an idea and pretty much write the entire song from start to finish, often without the other party even knowing, and then present their ‘finished draft’, as it were, to the other to add their flair and ideas to it. This process alone can change big parts of a song, just by us then being in the room together and being able to bounce ideas as to what could better off of each other, for example the section of the song where there’s a few seconds of just bass before it kicks back in wasn’t in the original draft. That section and the melodies in the bars before and after it were spawned entirely from us sitting down together with the first draft infront of us and just seeing what we could come up with.



2.Recently you have released a new ep, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?



It’s a much darker sounding EP than what we’ve previously released. Obviously it’s a single seventeen minute track, so by that point alone it’s a little bit more complex than anything we’ve released previously. The production is different too, since we went for a more raw sound inspired by more classic Black Metal albums, though admittedly not quite that raw.

It’s more melody driven, too. There less of the atmospheric side to it than our previous releases, those being Jera and Memories of You, which was on the ‘The Wanderer’ Single, both of which had much more obvious atmospheric sections. That’s not to say this is without atmosphere, but rather the atmosphere is more like a hillside at night with fog near choking you as opposed to a brightly lit, light filled forest.



3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores on the new release and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?



There’s some hints towards religion on the EP, a topic which we haven’t covered before and likely won’t touch much again in at-least the near future. Though, for the most part the lyrics are a collection of just what was going through my (Ellis) head at the time. I suppose I was angry and upset about some recent events which manifested itself through lyrics such as “As the rays of your holy love are hidden by gathering clouds” and “I feel the plague as it eats my flesh and rots me from the inside.” Though, the lines referring to “The Cult of Nature” have a sort of double meaning in that, without revealing anything, they are referencing future plans, but are also a bit of a commentary about how we’ve recently had a multiple amounts of natural disasters which seem to awake more and more people to the many crises affecting our world at the moment, hence “For once life has died, the cult of nature will arise.”.



As songwriters I’d say we’ve just gotten better at writing, I’ve become a better lyricist and we’ve found ourselves finding it easier to write shorter and longer songs, whereas before a typical song length was around the six or so minute mark, with not much in the way of deviation from that. Obviously this EP was an example of that progression.



4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Saarkoth'?



I feel like this is quite typical for Black Metal, but it’s origins are actually a little bit geeky. It’s a slight rework of the name of an NPC from a game.













5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new ep cover?



The artwork is the ‘Jera’ rune, which is the rune which symbolizes ‘Year’ and ‘Harvest’ in the Elder Futhark set of runes. It’s a rune we adopted as our symbol on our debut album titled ‘Jera’.  We wished to have a personalized version of that, one which had a bit of detail which will hopefully be recognisable as ours, to people who knows us, and not one that you could just be off of Google.



So, in that respect, consider that artwork as our ‘Second logo’, our emblem as it were. It’ll likely crop up again.



6.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to expanding the line up or do you prefer to remain a duo?



We’ve been trying to fill the ranks since 2018. We spent a year and a half as a trio with our bassist, Asa, but he left us at the end of 2019 to pursue other musical interests with his other band. But yes, we do want a full band. It’s been a thorn in our side ever since the drummer pulled.



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



Without a doubt, our best shows have been Oakfest 2019 and The Blackwood Gathering 2019. Those were two times where we walked off the stage just knowing we’d killed it. For the last two shows we’ve played, we have begun to add a small bit of flair to the show in the sense of a solidified dress sense. But I like to think that our show is engaging to watch, I know that I try to put on a bit of an aggressive presence.



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

Touring would be nice, but it’s a stage we aren’t at yet unless we were touring in support of a fellow band. This year we’re cutting down a little bit on the shows and we’re trying to be a bit pickier about the shows we play. We want to fit on bills, whereas there’s been a few shows in the past where we a bit left field and the crowd weren’t there to see that kind of music.



9.Currently the band is unsigned but has worked with a label in the past, are you open to working with another label again in the future?

Yeah, we’re more than happy to work with labels. We just decided we wanted complete control over this release so that we could just drop it. We didn’t want any beforehand promotion and we figured the best way to do that would be to self release, as it’s more than understandable that labels will want to promote beforehand in order to secure sales, they’re businesses afterall.



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



I’ve not heard anything bad so far! As of writing this we’ve had two reviews back, averaging out at 8.5/10 so we’re more than happy with that. On a one to one level, we’ve been told by multiple people that they’ve really enjoyed the release and the changed sound.





11.When can we expect another full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?



Hopefully this year. We’ll decide that when it comes to it. We’ve tried a planned release before, but it just didn’t work out, so it makes more sense to just see what comes out when you sit down to write rather than try and plan how you want to sound however many years down the line.



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/



I wouldn’t say our influences changed, when I was writing this I was mostly listening to the same stuff I always do, a lot of UK bands and a lot of old school bands. I think the only influence I tried to incorporate into this release was a bit of the more recent sound of Behemoth, specifically The Satanist era.



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


Just a thank you to yourself for offering us this platform to talk on and for the kind words in your review, as well as a thank you to everyone who has supported this release by either buying it or sharing it with friends. It all helps and we appreciate it all.

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Burzum/Thulean Mysteries/Byelobog Productions/2020 Double CD Review


  Norway's  Burzum  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  showing  him  moving  away  from his  black  metal  style  and  bringing  in  more  of  a  mixture  of  dark  ambient,  dungeon  synth,  electronic  and  folk  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2020  double  album  "Thulean  Mysteries"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Byelobog  Productions.

  Dark  ambient  style  synths  start off  the  album  and  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  as  well  as  using  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys  while  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  instrumentals.  Some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  short  in  length  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  a  great  amount of  dungeon  synth  elements.

  Programmed  beats  are  also  added  on some  of  the  tracks  while  folk  instruments  are  added  on  some  of  the  tracks.  One  song  also  introduces  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  recording  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good amount  of  variety  and  also  differing  from  each  other  and  at  times  the  music  also  captures  the  atmosphere  of  a  fantasy  movie  soundtrack.

  One  track  also  adds  in  some  tribal  percussion  and  ritualistic  chants  and  spoken  word  parts  as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  clean pagan vocals  onto  the  album,  At  times  the  music  also  captures  a  very  medieval  and  dark  ages  atmosphere  and  as  the  album  progresses  there  are  also  a  few  songs  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  elements  of  electronic  music  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  Norse  Paganism,  Thule  and  Fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Burzum  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  his  dark  ambient  and  dungeon  synth  material  as  well  as  neo-folk  and  electronic  music,  you  should  check  out  this  double  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Thulean  Perspective"  "The  Lord  Of  The  Dwarves"  "The  Road  To  Hel"  and  "The  Loss  Of  Thule".  8  out  of  10.

CD: http://bit.ly/BYE013CD
Clear Vinyl: http://bit.ly/BOBV785LPLTD
Standard Vinyl: http://bit.ly/BOBV646LP  

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Membaris/Misanthrosophie/W.T.C Productions/2020 CD Review


  Membaris  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  misanthropic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Misanthrosophie"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  W.T.C  Productions.

  A  very  fast  and  raw  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  emtal  screams  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Clear  vocals  are also  utilized  at  times  while  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  of  songs  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Deep  growls  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  music  also  adding  in  a  good  balance  between  old  school  and  modern  influences  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  spoken  word  parts  onto  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  and  synths  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  German  and  English  and  cover  fatalism,  nature,  darkness  and  anti  Christianity  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Membaris  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  misanthropic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Nebel  Haras"  "The  Only  Reason  To  Stay"  "Pulsar"  and  "Aus  Tiefen  empor...".  8  out  of  10.

Membaris @ Facebook    

Hecate Interview

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

Recording, mixing, mastering and all the organization behind have already required a lot of energy on our part, so for the moment, we are taking a short break, although we have already played two gigs since that. We are currently focusing on promoting the album and its release and are also planning some upcoming concerts.

2.You have a new album coming out in March, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

Broadly speaking, Ode au désert suspendu follows on from Une voix venue d'ailleurs, but we tried to push the influences and overall quality even further. Our previous album laid the foundations for a style that we were trying to find before, by experimenting with different orientations, from a Black Metal tinted with Heavy or more epic roots, to a heavier and more ritualistic kind of Black Sludge. Now that we have defined the style of a Black Metal playing on musical chiaroscuro and based on a variety of emotions and tessitura, we wish to explore this path more deeply. Also, this latest album can be influenced by Black as well as Post-Rock, Classic, or even videogames and OST from Japanese animation. This is without a doubt the release we are most proud of since the creation of the band.

3.Your lyrics cover literature, myths and cosmos themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in those topics?

The informations written on Metal Archives are not up to date, alas. These themes were central for us several years ago, when we had a very romantic way to write our lyrics: influence of Baudelaire’s poetry, themes revolving around myths or literary figures, et cetera. But the more time passes and the more our lyrics are influenced by contemporary poetry, although they are still written in rhyming Alexandrines. About our lyrics, we try to focus more on formal beauty, plays of sonority or explosion of the meaning of language than on well-defined themes; but some of them can be recursive, as the flow of time, the matter of human desire and body, loneliness or oniric dreams.

4.I know that the band was named after an ancient goddess in Greek Mythology, how does this name fit in with the musical style that you play?

With Selene and Artemis, Hecate constitutes the lunar Triad. She is often associated with the new moon or the black moon, that is to say with death or shadows, but she cannot be taken independently of the two other goddesses that complete her ; hence the fact that it is often depicted with a triple body. But even in herself, she bears a kind of bipolarity: she is as much goddess of fertility, wealth and wisdom as the goddess of shadows and dead souls. This bipolarity perfectly illustrates the chiaroscuro we wish to embody in our music, solar and lunar as well. On the other hand, we do not associate ourselves at all with the meanings more versed in black magic that can be found in certain interpretations of this goddess; not that they are false, but we don’t fit into it.

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

As for our previous album, the artwork was made by Jibus, who already, for Une voix venue d’ailleurs, had perfectly illustrated the lunar and twilight glow that we wanted to transcribe. As far as the present artwork is concerned, we have taken inspiration from several existing works. First of all, from a preparatory illustration by Schinkel, dating from 1815, for the staging of Mozart's The Magic Flute (it shows the great starry vault that forms like a celestial cone). Another example is Friedrich's Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, for the compact mass that the perspective brings out, which seems as much liquid as vaporous. Thirdly, we wanted to include once again a female figure on the cover, already to create a link with Hecate (who remains associated with fertility), but also by drawing inspiration from the representations of the muses: here, the divine, manic inspiration comes from an unctuous juice that flows directly from the moon and lodges itself into the cup of the muse. We believe that this cover, in its richness and refinement, is a perfect representation of what our music embodies.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We really have great memories of a gig we played in Paris alongside Deathcode Society and Acherontas; all the bands made excellent sets, and our performance was clearly up to all our expectations. Very recently, we also played a private concert for our tenth anniversary, in our homeland, side by side with Wyrms, Devilspit and other Black formations: we had planned a special one-hour show covering all the periods of our career, and it was frankly moving to play on this occasion. Aside from that, our shows remain very regular, there’s not a lot to tell about them. We sometimes try to experiment with specific sets or costumes, but it really depends on the capacity or regulations of the venues. In general, we focus more on the effectiveness of our performance than on formal details.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

For the moment, we have already planned a few concerts in France, alongside bands such as Aetheria Conscientia and Smerter. About another project we're working on right now, we'd really like to do a small tour with two great French bands, A/Oratos and Étoile Filante, but that's still very much in the embryonic stages at the moment. Finally, we may have another tour planned in the coming year with our label, but we'll reveal more in due course.

8.The new album is coming out on 'Mourning Light Records', how did you get in contact with this label?

They're the ones who contacted us, quite simply! We hadn't even originally planned a label for our previous album and released it independently. Mourning Light liked it very much and contacted us asking if we were interested in joining their roster; they had just been created and we were one of the very first bands to join them. But we don't regret a single moment, the collaboration always went very well, we have a lot of latitude to act and they are very attentive to our requests; so we sincerely hope to keep on this way.

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

Apart from the comments we can read on the links where our music is broadcast, and a few messages we may receive, we don't really know what the listeners think about us, even if the echoes we may get are always very positive, enthusiastic and warm. We ourselves are very demanding of our own band, and we always know which points to improve first. So the pressure for Ode au désert suspendu wasn't really the opinion of the public, but our own satisfaction, and that was something much more difficult to achieve! We can in no way control the opinion of Black Metal fans, so the reactions will be as they will be, no more.

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?

Libra, our bass player, is extremely invested in his Folk/Pirate project, Toter Fisch: they play a lot of gigs throughout France and even Europe, so he doesn't have time to get bored. F.V., our rhythm guitarist, is also doing some gigs with his Slam/Death band, Scumbags, and will be playing a few dates in France with them during the mouths to come. For the rest of the members, Nox, Veines Noires and Silence are still part of the Depressive Black Metal band Ostium, which is at a standstill for the moment, although new compositions have been written. Nevertheless, with the evolution of everyone's personal and professional situation, we can't do too much either, so from now on, we give priority to quality over quantity.

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

We have absolutely no idea, and all the beauty lies here. Our existence is a constant renewal of surprises, and we prefer to wait to see where the destiny leads us rather than to multiply plans which will never succeed

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?

We can't really talk about well-defined influences for the band because in fact, Hecate has never claimed to fit into this or that particular lineage or to follow a trend that works particularly well at a given moment T to run out of steam later: the goal remains to make music with our guts; even if there are undoubtedly multiple unconscious influences that have forged each album as it is. We think it clearly depends on the steps we’ve gone through: at the very beginning, we were more influenced by bands as Dissection, Immortal, Naglfar or Lord Belial, bands that mix Black as well as Death or Heavy with their music. We have crossed a very short period in which you could find more Sludge or ritualistic roots (in particular on our EP from 2017, Apeiron). For the last two albums, we can just as well base ourselves on totally experimental bands like Krallice or on much more traditional and efficient schemes, coming from the Quebec Black from Forteresse or Csejthe, as well as bands like Mgła, Plaga, Misþyrming or Naðra. Nowadays, about the bands we’re listening to, and without mentioning the bands even quoted here, we could quote others like Blut us Nord, Deathspell Omega, Yeruselem, Borknagar, Atlantean Kodex, (DOLCH), Midnight Odyssey, and many more…

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

Absolutely none, thank you for your interest!

Aspidium/Harmagedon/2020 Full Length Review


  Aspidium  are  a  duo  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2020  album  "Harmageddon"  which  will  be  released  in  April.

 A  very  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  High  pitched  black  metal  screams  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  utilizing  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  Elements  of  death  metal  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  most  of  the  music  is  done  in  more  of  a  modern  yet  extreme  style  and  as  the  album  progresses  atmospheric  sounds  are  also  added  onto  the  recording.

  Aspidium  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  a  very  modern,  atmospheric  and  melodic  style  of  black  metal  and   mixes  it  with  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  German  and  cover  socially  critical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Aspidium  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Harmagedon"  "Todliche  Begeirde"  and  "Falscher  Prophet".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/7dKceb_F414

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Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Leiru/Ido/Sun & Moon Records/2020 CD Review


  Leiru  are  a  band  from  Hungary  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  mixture  of  black  and  heavy  metal and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Ido"  which  will  be  released  on  March  15th  by Sun  &  Moon  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  a  raw  black  metal  feeling  and the  vocals  are  done  in  more  of  a  clean  style.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow, mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  solos  and  leads  bring  in  more  of  a  70's  influenced  style  mixed  in  with  some  more  modern  influences  also  being  used  at  times.  The  songs  also  mix  in  elements  of  traditional  metal.

  The  vocals  also  add in  more  of  a  grim  blackened  approach  on  one  song  along  with  some  whispers  also  being  utilized  briefly  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  length.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Hungarian  and  cover  personal  relationships,  dreams  and  nightmare  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Leiru  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  and  traditional  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ido"  and  "A  kardok  lehullanak".  8  out  of  10.

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Artach/Lords of A Frozen Domain/2020 Single Review


  Newfoundland,  Canada's  Artach  have  returned  with  a  new  track  which  shows  the  music  going  into  more  of  a  raw,  melodic  and  epic  style  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2020  single  "Lords  of  A  Frozen  Domain".

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  song  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody  along  with  the  vocals  being  done  in  more  of  an  angry  black  metal  style.

  Throughout  the  track  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  The  song  is  also  over  7  minutes  in  length  along  with  the  song  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  80's  and  90's  influences  but  also  keeping  it  modern  at  the  same  time,  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  ice  and  winter  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  track  from  Artach  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw,  melodic  and  epic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  single.  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvZV2GhIRCE

  Recently  all  of  the  other  singles  that  where  reviewed  have  been  compiled  on  a  full  length  album  which  you  can  get  here.

artach.bandcamp.com/releases   

Gaylord Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the musical project since the recording of the new album?
01) I'm very methodical when it comes to recording music. I wrote Wings of the Joyful and immediately moved on to a new project. I don't play live shows due to health concerns, so a constant stream of recorded material is my way of keeping busy. The Gaylord album is in the pre-release stage right now, so in between doing interviews and working through the boring admin side of things, I am recording tracks for the full length release of Cronenberg, my latest death metal project. The EP "Body Horror" was well received, so it's time to do a proper album for that project.

2.In March you have a new album coming out, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
02) The new Gaylord album Wings of the Joyful is a huge leap musically and lyrically from the first album. For the first Gaylord album I wanted a raw old school black metal vibe, so I turned down the bass, added some distortion to the vocals, and wrote some fairly minimalist songs. But I didn't want to do that for the followup, so I have added inspiration from thrash metal, death metal, neofolk, and viking metal. The album is much more listenable this time to help carry it past what some people have described as a "meme band" - Gaylord is here to stay and the new album definitely shows it.

3.The new album has a different style than the earlier releases that had more of a raw style, what was the decision behind going into a different musical direction?
03) While The Black Metal Scene Needs to Be Destroyed has been my best selling album to date, I didn't want to just copy it for a followup. Especially since it's rotten. *Laughs* I want people to hear the riffs and say "oh okay this guy actually knows what he's doing."

4.Can you also tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with the newer album?
04) As for lyrics, I wanted to explore similar topics as the first album, but in a more serious manner. The first album has a lot of silly toilet humour jokes and references to memes and while the album definitely turned heads with the "humour" aspects, this time around I wanted to show I am serious about these topics. The lyrics are much more poetic this time around because I didn't want jokes and memes interwoven into an important topic like Holocaust denial (Borne From Inferno Winds.)

5.The lyrics on the new album also seem more serious than previous releases but you still subscribe to the same political beliefs, do you feel your older lyrics made you look more like a novelty project?
05) Yeah you are absolutely right. Novelty project, meme band, joke band, etc. I've been writing antifascist music since 2015 (Sea Wolves of the Atlantic) so I take politics very seriously in my music. Gaylord started off as a joke to "try something new", but we're not just a flash in the pan, we're the real deal

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
06) The artwork on the album was designed by a Columbian artist named Degeha. He's actually done some additional art for the project that will be revealed soon, but all I said for the cover art was: "It's called Wings of the Joyful, put a winged figure on there" and it came back looking awesome. I envisioned an angel, but he straight up drew Death with angel wings. The scythe was an added touch! Wings are a major poetic icon in the album's lyrics, so I am glad he's put together a very striking image to accompany that!

7.You are also a part of a great amount of musical projects, what is it that your bring into the music of 'Gaylord' that you are not able to do with your other groups?
07) Gaylord is my vehicle for political discussion. I have another black metal act called Suicide Wraith that is very much tied up in emotional events of my past. For the full length albums, I don't print the lyrics, the topics are that personal. Gaylord is different though. Gaylord let's me focus on topics that affect all of us.

8.You have also released a great amount of material with your other musical projects over the years, do you spend most of your time writing and creating music?
08) Yeah I sure do. Like I said, due to health issues I can't really tour around playing live, so recording loads of albums is my way of making up for that. I've always got something cooking whether it's a couple riffs, a notepad full of lyrical ideas, or just a good idea for a band logo. Sometimes the logo actually comes /before/ a single note is written. *Laughs*

9.You where also a part of'The Meads Of Asphodel' a band that made references to Jesus being a jew and also had a song called 'Jew Killer', how have your anti racist and anti fascist fans react to your being a a part of the band in the past and while they are not NSBM it is still offensive to people that have such views?
09) My time in the Meads was a confusing time for me, but I never back down from talking about it. My time in the Meads was the first time I was asked to join a "relevant" band, a band with an established fanbase. The vocalist / lyric writer Metatron has several "codices" where he explains (through thousands and thousands of words) that he's not a racist and here's what the songs "really mean." For example "J*wkiller" is a song about Pontias Pilate - the man who put Jesus to death. I only ever met the guy twice, my point of contact was the actual songwriter JD Tait - who oddly enough is a Jewish guy. I basically convinced myself "okay this band isn't racist" - and I maintain that JD and the drummer Andre aren't, those two guys are very down to earth people - but they are stuck in a band with Metatron. I left the band because I cannot associate with that man. While I find my time in the band regretful, I never turn away from my mistakes and /try/ to tackle them head on. In fact, the song "Silencing the Voice of God" is a diss track directed at Metatron. Oddly enough, another ex-Meads artist - Jaldaboath - has also written a diss track about Metatron. Anyway, at the heart of it, I have made mistakes and I never try to sweep them away. I fucked up and I will continue to try and make myself better.

10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your newer music by fans of black metal?
10) Reaction to Gaylord falls directly into one of two camps. People who absolutely love it and people who absolutely hate it. Most people get that the purposefully bad production and simple riffs are meant to be a joke lampooning the genre, but a lot of people who hate the band are convinced that the old school black metal albums sound awesome - but I used all the same techniques Burzum, Mayhem, and Darkthrone used! *Laughs*


11.What is going on with some of your other bands or musical projects these days?
11) Most of my projects are in a queue for their next release! Like I said, I have the new Cronenberg on the way, then it's probably time for a Sea Wolves followup, and then... who knows! Maybe Antitheist, maybe Olivia Neutered John. My imagination will always be pursuing new ideas for music.

12.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?
12) That's a hard question tbh. I can't see myself playing live or traveling much in the future. For me, what I would love to achieve is just hit that sweet spot where my musical output is enough to live on without needing a so called "day job."

13.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?
13) Lately I've been listening to a lot of Archspire, but I can't say they are an influence because I have absolutely no idea how they perform the way they do! *Laughs* There's a song on the new album called "Odd" where I was influenced by Billy Eilish for the verse vocals, but it just ended up sounding like Depeche Mode? So I guess everyone wins. *Laughs*

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

14) Tell your friends and family that you love them, because you never know when someone will disappear from this plain of existence. Reach out to and stay in touch with those who are important to you.

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