Molosser Interview

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

 

We are a death metal band from the bottom of the world in Wellington, New Zealand.

 

2.You have an ep coming out in May, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

 

For this EP, we aimed for a base of primitive, violent death metal with elements of black and doom sprinkled throughout. These were the first songs we had written together as a band, they were subject to a few rewrites here and there to expand upon the black/death/doom elements.

 

All the recordings for the EP were captured by our guitarist (now drummer) J.A. and we sought out the expertise of Dan Lowndes of Resonance Sound Studio for the mix and master. It was a brilliant experience working together with Dan on this release and he was able to really emphasise on the thick, crushing guitar tone, pummelling drums, and cavernous vocals.

 

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored so far with the music?

 

Lyrically the EP mostly explores war and conflict, most notably the Khmer genocide in “Strychnine Hill” and ongoing persecutions/killings in Myanmar in “Ogre Column”. 

 

“Vengeance Manifest” was loosely inspired by the Gombe Chimpanzee War and revenge fantasies, and “Indomitable Force” found inspiration in various depictions of absolute power and strength (notably Nosferatu Zodd from Berserk).

 

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

 

“Molosser” is a term used to describe large muscular dogs (usually mastiffs) commonly used as guard dogs or for livestock protection. I always thought it would be a very fitting name for a death metal band and here we are, haha.

 

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

 

The cover artwork for Massive Retaliation’s Arms of the War God had always stuck with me after I had first seen it, large scale battle scenes work so well as cover artwork in this subgenre. When it came time to prepare the cover artwork for the EP, naturally we reached out to the artist for that piece, Adam Kindred (@archaicfilth on Instagram).

 

We provided a few reference images and lyrics for inspiration, and he had a brilliant idea straight off the bat (which was basically the final piece you can see now) that evoked the exact atmosphere we were seeking, which was just pure staunch and puissance.

 

He was an absolute dream to work with, he also drew a dog crest/sigil which you can see as the alternative front cover for the EP on our cassette release (and in the CD insert).

 

6.Has the band done any live shows or open to the idea?

 

We have played a number of live shows with both local and international acts, most notably playing shows alongside Dead Congregation, Concrete Winds, Bölzer and Faceless Burial.

 

7.The ep was released on 'Gutter Prince Cabal', how did you get in contact with this label?

 

After we received the final mix and master for the release, we were planning out our next steps for release and distribution. We had heard only great things about Gutter Prince Cabal as a label from friends who have had music released through them, so we reached out via a demo submission. They enjoyed what they heard and N.H. from Heresiarch also put in a good word for us to the label. They offered to help release our EP through them which we gladly accepted.

 

Gutter Prince Cabal have been excellent to work with through every step of the process and we are proud to have our debut release under their banner.

 

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

 

Reception for our single “Strychnine Hill” has been positive so far, but more so on a local scale. We will see what transpires soon.

 

9.Do any of the band members have any experience playing in other bands or musical projects?

 

We currently have members also playing in Brainwave, Stress Ghetto, Heresiarch and Birdparty.

 

Our previous drummer A.M. (who’s performance you can hear on the record) also has some stuff in the works so keep an ear out for that.

 

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

 

We are currently in the midst of writing new material for a full-length, no timeline on that one but hopefully sooner rather than later. 

 

With our new material we are aiming to expand further on the violence. Essentially just make the fast parts faster and the slower parts slower. Crush, kill, destroy.

 

11.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 mainly been inspired by bands such as Morbid Angel, Incantation and Pissgrave for our current material, while also finding inspiration in black metal and death/doom.

 

For our future material we have been primarily been looking to black/death acts like Axis of Advance and Lvcifyre, and death/doom acts such as Rippikoulu and Mortiferum for inspiration. There will surely be more bands (both metal and non-metal) to add to this list as we go further into the writing process.

 

In terms of current listening, Dead Congregation and Axis of Advance have really been scratching the death metal itch for me lately. Outside of metal it’s been a lot of Nuovo Testamento and Westside Gunn.

 

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

 

Cheers for the interview!

https://www.instagram.com/molosser04
https://molosser04death.bandcamp.com

Feralia/Ultima Requies/ATMF/2026 Full Length Review

  Sweden/Italy's  Feralia  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  an  ancestral  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2026  album  "Ultima  Requies"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  ATMF.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  sounding  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  old  school  influences  and  blast  beats  are  added  into  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.

  When  tremolo  picking  is  added  into  the  faster  riffing  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  a  taw  feeling  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.  Throughout  the  album  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  most  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  album  also  having  its  atmospheric  moments,  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style. as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  synths  and  clear  vocals  and  one  song  is  also  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Italian  and  cover  Ancient  Roman  Occultism.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Feralia  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  ancestral  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ver  Sacrum"  and  "Miasma".  8  out  of  10.

  https://feraliablackmetal.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/feraliablackmetal/

https://www.instagram.com/feralia_black_metal/

Woewarden/The Roots Of My Neglect/Dusktone/2026 Full Length Review

  Woewarden  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  a  very  bleak,  atmospheric  and  depressive  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2026  album  "The  Roots  Of  My  Neglect"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Dusktone.

  Atmospheric  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  high  pitched  depressive  black  metal  screams  mixed  in  with  a  few  growls.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  melody  and  the  album  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts. Spoken  words  can  also  be  heard  on  at  times  as  well  as  one  of  the  tracks  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  clear  singing   

  Woewarden  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  bleak,  atmospheric  and  depressive  sounding.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  depression  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Woewarden  are  a  very  great  sounding  bleak,  atmospheric  and  depressive  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Frail"  "Walk  On  Into  Calamity"  "An  Infinite  Void"  and  "The  Mockery  Of  these  Broken  Words".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/woewarden  

  

Urkraft/Naturens Skrik/Dusktone/2026 Full Length Review

  Urkraft  are  a  solo  project  from  Norway  that  plays  a  very  atmospheric  and  progressive  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2026  album  "Naturens  Skrik"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Dusktone.

  Atmospheric  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  a  raw  feeling  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  clear  singing  also  being  used  on  a  few  tracks.

  At  times  the  music  also  goes  into  more  of  a  progressive  direction  along  with  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  album  also  add  in  mixture  of  both  old  school  and  modern  influences  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  melody,  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  a  couple  of  songs  are  also instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Norwegian  and  cover  nature  and  misanthropy  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  Urkraft  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  and  progressive  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Renkesmed"  and  "Ids  Fanger"  and  "Naturens  Skrik".  8 out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/urkraft/

  

   

Verzauber/Dire Garden of The Ages/Naturmacht Productions/2026 Full Length Review

  Verzauber  are  a  solo  project  from  Ireland  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  atmospheric  form  of  ambient  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2026  album  "Dire  Garden  Of  The  Ages"  which  will  be  released  on  may  29th  by  Naturmacht  Productions.

  Nature  sounds  and  ambient  style  synths  start  off  the  album  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  the  faster  parts  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats  which  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  a  raw  feeling.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  album  also  adds  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast.  parts.  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  atmospheric  sounding  along  with  spoken  words  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  When  guitar  solos  and  are  utilized  they  are   done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  of  the  songs  also  ambient  oriented  instrumentals  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  acoustic  guitars  and  choirs  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  as  the  album  progresses  electronica  sounds  are  also  introduced.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  mythology,  life,  death  and  the  divine.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Verzauber  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  ambient  and  atmospheric  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Etruscan  Blossom  Sanctuary"  "Acre  Of  Fired  Earth  (Cauterizing  Tellurian  Winds)"  and  "Deluge  At  Sunset  Dawn".  8  out  of  10.

  https://naturmacht.com/verzauber-dire-garden-of-the-ages/

  

   

Mauna Sol/The Calling Loud Rage Music/2026 Full Length Review

  Mauna  Sol  are  a  band  from  Romania  that  plays  post  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2026  album  "The  Calling"  which  will  be  released  on  May  15th  by  Loud  Rage  Music.

  High  pitched  black  metal  screams  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  direction.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  album  more  of  a  raw  feeling  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  post  metal  style  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Most  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  modern  era  of  the  genre  along  with  some  growls  also  being  utilized  at  times,  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  at  times  as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length. 

  Mauna  Sol  plays  a  style  of  post  black  metal  that  is  very  modern  and  aggressive  sounding.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  and  cover  a  self  imposed  hermit.

  In  my  opinion  Mauna  Sol  are  a  very  great  sounding  post  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  New  Life"  and  "Mirage"{  and  "Inner  Rewards".  8  out  of  10.

  https://loudragemusic.bandcamp.com/.../mauna-sol-the-calling

https://loudragemusic.limitedrun.com/products/875143-mauna-sol-the-calling

https://facebook.com/maunasolband
https://www.instagram.com/maunasolband

https://youtu.be/JGMAaTF5zvc

Vintregal/Towards The Last Dawn/ATMF/2026 EP Review

  Vintregal  are  a  band  from  Ukraine  that  plays  a  pagan  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2026  ep  "Towards  The  Last  Dawn"  which  will  be  released  on  May  29th  by  ATMF.

  Nature  sounds  and  synths  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  direction  while  a couple  of  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length.  Vocals  are  mostly  angry  sounding  black  metal  screams  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  blast  beats  and  the  recording  also  has  its  atmospheric  moments.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  era  of  the  genre.  When  tremolo  picking  is  added  into  the  faster  riffing  they  also  give  the  recording  more  of  a  raw  feeling  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  at  times  as  well  as  one  track  also  being  an  instrumental.

 Vintregal  plays  a  style  of  pagan  black  metal  that  is  very  atmospheric  sounding  in  the  90's  tradition.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Ukrainian  and  cover  folklore  and  history  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vintregal  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  and  old  school  pagan  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Wolf's  Heart"  and  "Son  Of  Winter".  8  out  of  10.

  https://atmfsssdtp.bandcamp.com/album/towards-the-last-dawn