Karmanjaka/Gates Of Muspel/Grind To Death Records/2022 CD Review

 

  Karmanjaka  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  aggressive  and  melodic  form  of  pagan  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "Gates  of  Muspel"  which  will  be  released  in  2022  by  Grind  To  Death  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  raw  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  vocals  add  in a  mixture  of high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  aggressive  shouts  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  yet  epic  style.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  atmospheric  sounding  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  album  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  pagan  metal  elements  and  the  songs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  90's  influences.

  Some  of  the  riffing  also  adds  in  more  progressive  touches  on  some  of  the  tracks  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  acoustic  guitars  and  keyboards  onto  the  album.  War  style  viking  horns  and  tribal  percussion  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  some  of  the  songs  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  clean  vocals  are  also  introduced  later  on  during  the  recording  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  folk  instruments.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Norse  mythology  and  The  Prose  Edda.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Karmanjaka  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  aggressive  and  melodic  pagan  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Gates  of  Muspel"  "Sorcerer  King"  and  "Fenrir".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/Karmanjaka-855892574540437

https://grindtodeathrecords.bandcamp.com/album/gates-of-muspel 

Toilet ov Hell Premiere | YouTube |  

  

Karmanjaka Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

The band was started as a one man solo project by Tengil. Having never ever listened to black metal before, Tengil started listening to bands from the genre 7 months ago and soon immersed himself totally in the music and the background to the black metal scene. This led to him starting writing riffs in that style. In late february he got in touch with his friend Max Malmer of Zonaria (SWE), who also is an up and coming engineer and producer at Malmer Productions located in Umeå, Sweden, and suggested that they record an EP. This was done during a weekend at the beginning of March 2016. We invited a few select friends to play drums (Grond), a guitar solo (Orm), and the singing (Skallagrim). Malmer handled the bass parts. Shortly thereafter Tengil saw that this was too good not to develop into a band. So, now the project became a full band consisting of Tengil (guitar), Orm (guitar), Karm (bass), Grond (drums), and Skallagrim (voice).

2.Recently you have released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

Raw. Grim. Melodic. Melancholic. We wanted a fat modern sound with ALOT of guitar, so there’s tons of guitar tracks on these songs. There are a lot of overdubs and harmony guitars. Tengil grew up on classical music and is very fond of multiple layers of guitars. It’s a cornerstone in Karmanjaka’s sound that of course will be present on the full length album (that is nearly finished as we speak), which will emerge later this fall.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

For the EP we decided to use Astrid Lindgren’s book Bröderna Lejonhjärta as an inspiration, focusing on the dark side of the story of course, Tengil’s and Katla’s terror regime. For the upcoming full Karmanjaka album later this year, there will be a variety of lyrical subjects, like historical themes, philosophical themes, a few thoughts on religion, nature, etc.

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

In Lindgren’s book Karmanjaka is Tengil’s realm, where his terror and power reigns supreme. It is from Karmanjaka he strikes out against his enemies.




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

Well, the band haven’t been around for very long, and we’re still working on the upcoming full length album, so we haven’t had the opportunity to play live yet. But the all of the guys playing in the band are well seasoned musicians with years and years of live giging experience, so you can expect a solid delivery!

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

We hope to hit the roads next year. We are too busy at the moment finishing other obligations and the upcoming full album.

7.The ep was released on 'Black Lion productions', are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?

Yes, we are! They were very quick to sign us and they know the genre very well!

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

It takes a while to build a worldwide following. Our very first EP was released just a week ago and the reviews are starting to come in as we speak, but so far things look very good indeed. We have been very favorably received so far!

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

The full length album will hopefully be out in November or around that time. Musically we’re just in the beginning of our journey and the extreme metal scene is breaking new ground every day, so our hope is to develop our sound and not repeating ourselves on future releases. I love old school black metal, but I also love what many bands later have become since the second wave started in Norway and Sweden back in the late ‘80s.

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?

We have a very wide catalogue of inspiration. I’d say for me (Tengil) classical, medieval, and nordic folk music has had the biggest impact on my writing no matter which band I’ve played in. The other guys have been into all kinds of extreme metal since forever, but also punk, blues, and americana and stuff like that. It’s all over the charts!

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Reading, writing, outdoors stuff like fishing, going to the gym, early history – especially the early scandinavian history. But of course a lot of time, inevitably, centers around listening to music, playing, writing, and performing.

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

Get your CD through Black Lion Records https://www.facebook.com/blacklionrecords666/?fref=tsecords

Check out our spotify at https://open.spotify.com/album/1ZiHcvM4VHF3AtG8QyyTF1

Cheers, and see you.

Karmanjaka/I Tomrosdalen/Black Lion Productions/2016 EP Review

  Karmanjaka  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a very  raw  and  melodic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "I  Tornrosdalen"  which  was  released  by  Black  Lion  Productions.

  Military  style  drum  beats  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  a  few  seconds later  which  are  also  utilized  on  the  later  songs  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  chants  and  after  the  into  the  music  gets  heavier  while  still  utilizing  melody  and  also  adding  grim  black  metal  screams  onto  the  recording.

  Most  of  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  on  the  last  track  the  music  speeds  up  a  bit  and  also  adds  in  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  which  also  gives  the  song  more  of  a  raw  and  old  school  black  metal  feeling.

  Karmanjaka  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  cold,  melancholic,  melodic  and  raw  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  with  an  old  school  feeling  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Swedish  and  cover  cold  and  desolate  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Karmanjaka  are a   very  great  sounding  raw  and  melodic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Katla".  8  out  of  10. 

https://karmanjakablacklion.bandcamp.com/album/i-t-rnrosdalen