Totenlegion Interview

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

We are a Melodic Black Metal band from Germany and on top of the tried and true blast beat we incorporate fringe genres to create a dark and desperate mood.

 

2.In May you released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

It is our most melodic album, but at the same time we upped the speed and the intensity, this album is also lyrically all about the horrors of the first wold war, so therefore the music is also driving this home.

 

3.From 2021 to 2026 there was no new music being released, can you tell us a little bit more about the 5 year wait in between releases?

There was the hole that covid left for many creatives! No rehearsals allowed for long periods of time, so everything slowed down. After that we started writing and preparing for the current album.

 

4.A lot of your lyrics cover War themes, which aspects of this topic have you covered with your songwriting?

Machine gun-like blast beats, the screams of the dying and relentless driving force to portray the horrors of war! All of our lyrics have a strong anti-war message.

 

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Totenlegion"/

It means legion of the dead as in the many fallen of battle and our music is their voice.

 

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

The artwork was meant to show what the listener is going to await when they put on the record and it was also an additional inspiration for us lyrically to get into the mindset of writing from the perspective of an unwilling soldier who is most likely going to die very soon.

 

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

The "Barther Metal Open Air" was a highlight but from more recent history our album release home town gig at the end of May was an insane experience and a great honour to be able to play the same stage as the mighty Eisregen! We are 4 musicians and we are the legion of the dead on stage as well and you can expect a wall of screams of the damned from 3 vocals.

 

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

Of course this year we will play the Metalheadz Village Festival, a home town gig in Fürth on 24/10, Winter Invasion and the Nebelsturm Fest and we already have more gigs planned for next year!

 

9.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

We have received some interest but we are more looking for a booking agency as we are quite confident in our self made releases.

 

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

Without blowing our own horn too much I am actually overwhelmed by all those positive reaction we had from all over the world, like Japan, Poland and Ukraine! I am really happy this album has been received so well so far.

 

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

Totenlegion is our number one priority and I think I can speak for all of us saying that. Our drummer also plays in the band Severing which is also definitely worth checking out!

 

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

All I can say is the next release will have more blast beats, more intense vocals and overall will be music where you can feel the dread and despair. Definitely not trying to be more radio friendly or algorithm friendly, we don't care about that, we want to make music we like and that is fast and intense.

 

13.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?

When it comes to influences I am not really influenced by other bands, it has to come from the inside and be authentic. The styles that we like we incorporate in our music, mostly Black Metal and of course some Death Metal influences. I like listening to a lot of Convictive, Kalt and Aara at the moment.

 

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

To anyone reading this check out our album if you feel like it, or don't I'm not telling you what to do.

https://www.facebook.com/Totenlegion

Fogos/Of Wyrm And Man/Satanath Records/Poisoned Furrows Records/2026 Full Length Review

  Fogos  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  melodic  and  old  school  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2026  album  "Of  Wyrm  And  Man"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Satanath  and  Poisoned  Furrows  Records,

  High  pitched  black  metal  screams  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  direction.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats  which  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  a  raw  feeling.

  Most  of  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in t he  90's  era  of  the  genre  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Growls  are  also  utilized  at  times  along  with  some  clear  singing  and  spoken  words  also  being  used  on  a  few  tracks,  synths  are  also  added  into  the  background  briefly  and  when  guitar  leads  are  finally  introduced  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  On  this  recording  Fogos  goes  for  a  very  aggressive  and  melodic  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  90's  era  of  the  genre.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  nihilism  themes  and  paganism  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Fogos  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  and  old  school  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Wyrm"  "Balor"  Messiah"  and  "Babel".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/Fogos.official/

https://www.instagram.com/fogos_official
https://fogosofficial.bandcamp.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@fogos_official1552

https://youtu.be/lB8MKn_99GU?si=IQMwMQWXjOnMj7jP 

Gomma/Experiment 4.4/Hypnotic Dirge Records/2026 Single Review

 

  Gomma  are  a  solo  project  from  Tunisia  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  avant  garde  and  experimental  mixture  of  black  metal  and  Arabic  folk  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2026  single  "Experiment  4.4"  which  was  released  by  Hypnotic  Dirge  Records.

  Synths  start  off  the  single  along  with  some  middle  eastern  style  folk  instruments  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  track  is  also  over  9  minutes  in  length.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams style  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  some  melodies,  at  times  the  music  also  gets  very  avant  garde  and  experimental  sounding.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  chants  also  being  used  briefly  and  clean  playing  is  also  added  towards  the  end.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Folklore  and  Existentialism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  track  from  Gomma  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  avant  garde  and  experimental  black  metal  with  elements  of  Arabic  folk  music,  you  should  check  out  this  single.  8  out  of  10.

  Bandcamp: https://gomma.bandcamp.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gomma_owlficial

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Gomma-Owl

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gomma_owlficial      

Ceremonial Worship/Between Sleep And Death/Eternal Death/2026 Full Length Review

  Greece's  Ceremonial  Worship  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  an  old  school  and  Hellenic  form  of  occult  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2026  album  "Between  Sleep  And  Death"  which  will  be  released  in  July  by  Eternal  Death.

  A  synth  orientated  intro  starts off  the  album  along  with  a  brief  use  of  ritualistic  spoken  words  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  All  of  the musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal s creams.

  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.  The  album  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  era  of  the  genre  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  vey  melodic  style.

  On  this  recording  Ceremonial  Worship  continue  to  expand  on  the  old  school  and  Hellenic  style  of  occult  black  metal  that  they  introduced  on  previous  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  ceremonies  and  the  black  arts.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Ceremonial  Worship  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  occult  and  old  school  Hellenic  black  metal,  you  should c heck  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hate  Spells"  "Esoteric  Struggle"  and  "Tower  of  Endless  Nights".  8  out  of  10.

  http://eternaldeath.bandcamp.com/album/between-sleep-and-death

ceremonialworship.bandcamp.com 

Azerothul/In The Halls Of The Dead/2026 EP Review

 

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Netherlands'  solo  project  Azerothul  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  very  raw,  satanic,  occult  and  vampyric  form  of  black  metal  and  the  ep  was  self  released  in  2026  and  called  "In  The  Halls  Of  The  Dead".

  A  synth  orientate  intro  starts  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal screams  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in a   lot  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  old  school  tradition.  The  songs  also  avoid  the  use  of  any  solos  and  leads  and  the  closing  track  is  also  a  Venom  cover.

  On  this  recording  Azerothul  continue  to  expand  on  the  raw,  satanic,  occult  and  vampyric  style  of  black  emtal  that  he  introduced  on  his  previous  release.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Vampirism,  Occultism  and  Darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Azerothul  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw,  satanic,  occult  and  vampyric  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Beneath  The  Gallows  Sky".  8  out  of  10.

  https://azerothul.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-halls-of-the-dead 

Azerothul/Vampyric Oath/Zwaertgevegt/2026 EP Review

 

  Azerothul  are  a  solo  project  from  the  Netherlands  that  plays  a  very  raw,  satanic,  occult  and  vampyric  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2026  ep  "Vampyric  Oath'  which  was  released  on  cassette  by  Zwaertgevegt.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  musical  direction  which  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melodies  and  the  music  is  heavily  rooted  in  the  old  school  era.

  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.  The  whole  ep  also  avoids  the  use  of  any  solos  and  leads  toc  focus  on  more  of  a  raw  and  aggressive  direction  and  the  whole  ep  remains  heavy  from  beginning  to  end.

  Azerthul  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw,  satanic,  vampyric  and  traditional  sounding.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while t he  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  occultism,  Vampirism  and  Darkness  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  Azerothul  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw,  satanic,  occult  and  vampyric  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Occult  Winter"  and  "The  Midnight  Covenant".  8  out  of  10.

  https://azerothul.bandcamp.com/album/vampyric-oath

Domini Inferni/Reversed Prayers/Drakkar Productions/2023 Full Length Review

  Domini  Inferni  are  a  solo  project  from  the  Netherlands  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  mixture  of  raw,  satanic  black  metal  and  experimental  ritualistic  noise  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2023  album  "Reversed  Prayers"  which  was  released  by  Drakkar  Productions.

  Ritualistic  synths  and  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  spoken  words  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  musical  direction  which  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  dark  sounding  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing.

  Demonic  voices  and  chants  are  also  utilized  at  times  while  the  album  also  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  The  album  also  has  its  experimental  moments  along  with  some  tracks  also  adding  in  elements  of  harsh  noise  and  death  industrial,  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  On  this  recording  Domini  Inferni  takes  a  very  raw,  ritualistic  and  satanic  form  of  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  experimental,  harsh  noise  and  death  industrial  to  create  a  very  diverse  album.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Devil  Worship.  Demonology  and  Anti  Christianity  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Domini  Inferni  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw,  satanic  black  metal  and  experimental  ritualistic  noise,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Eternal  Wrath  Of  Darkness"  "Those  Who  Honor  The  Devil"  and  "Crypt  Of  The  Cursed  Saints".  8  out  of  10.

  https://dominiinferi.bandcamp.com/album/reversed-prayers