ChaosPath Interview

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

Hi, this is Viides Ratsastaja (guitar) writing. I founded the band 2016 together with God of Carnage (guitar) after we all had different bands for many decades. We are no greenhorns and were educated by the first waves of Death and Black Metal back in the old days. We come from Kassel, Germany and we are playing “Kaotysk Metal” which means to combine old German Teutonic Steel with Thrash, Melodic Black and Old School Death Metal. Currently our second vinyl “Downfall” was released as a follower to the previous “The awakening” Mini LP (2018). If you like a crude mixture of Primordial, hanging out with Kreator, then add Satyricon, Gates of Ishtar, Mayhem or Bathory…

2.So far you have released an ep and a full length, musically how do they both differ from each other?

 We developed our style and our skills and were concentrated to show our own trademark elements. We always need the catchy melody line, crushed with brutal and fast guitars. We love to change rhythms and turn the songs into different directions by having traditional song structures or changing the style of Metal. This is “high risk songwriting”. It costs a lot of time to get those influences working together. For sure, there will be more hymns in the future, strong melodies and finger crushing riffs. I think most of other guitar players would get stressed to hear what we played. We are changing the lines very often, giving complexity into our riffs while ignoring regular scales very often. Enjoy the chaos!

3.You refer to your music as being 'Kaotysk Metal', can you tell us a little bit more about this term?

It is a pun, a play on words: In Sweden “Chaotic” means “kaotisk”, “tysk” means German. We share the old school Teutonic Metal and the traditional early 90´s roots of Death and Black Metal to elaborate our very own style.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?

The first Mini LP „The Awakening“ released in 2018 showed a path to the „Church / cathedral of Chaos“, as you can see on the cover. The lyrics introduce the new age of chaos that will develop into the final and very last apocalypse. The new Album “Downfall” (2019) shows the chaos priest in the cathedral who infiltrates the chaos hordes who also showed up. Now the final battle may begin, we pray for chaos, we laid down all institutional religion, here is the manifest of chaos, enjoy! The trilogy of chaos will hopefully get its third and last part in 2020.
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'ChaosPath'?

Probably this is satanism 2.0. Just listen to Dissection or Cirith Ungol if you enjoy the many chaos theories and beliefs. The “Left hand path” (Hi to Entombed and our buddy  LG) is the way to the dark side, the path to the goathorned father and master of the dark side. We mashed up and invented Chaos Path to describe our aims and our roots as well.

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

It is part 2 of a trilogy. Mini LP number 1 “The awakening” was the path to the cathedral of chaos, crossing a huge graveyard. Now on Downfall you can listen and see the chaos priest preaching to the ugly hordes of chaos. They will be out soon for the final overkill. Your time has come. The apocalypse is near.

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

We played unbelievable shows and opened for bands like Night Demon, Morgoth, Attic, Mantar, Entombed or Aborted. All of them had a very special feeling, some of them felt like a chaos ritual and we really enjoyed supporting some of our favorite bands. As for me it was a show at Palettenfest Festival in Göttingen. The night was cold, stage time was badly late, but we killed that audience instead. That show deeply proved, that we have the perfect 5-piece weapon called Chaos Path that is independent from all other bands sharing the stage with us or not. This is our path and you are welcome. We love to paint our faces, our singer wears a cowl/robe/frock and we add our blood & sweat into a brutal show of blood, smoke, skulls and bones.

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

For sure we have all upcoming gigs being mentioned on our homepage and Facebook site. The next shows will be on Weser Metal Meeting Reinhardshagen and in Berlin, some other festivals will come too and we negotiate with different people to book more shows. A tour would be a dream, probably together with Mayhem, Primordial, Mantar or Marduk.

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

We got lots of positive label feedback, but sadly we denied all CD offers because we just want to release vinyl now. That is our path, we love black gold and vinyl. If the labels won´t share this intention, we´re done with them. If there will be a label releasing our history on CD somewhere along the line, we would not deny . Now we manage everything DIY and just produce vinyl. You can listen to our stuff at all streaming media like Spotify, iTunes and so on, enjoy!
10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black, death and thrash metal?

Now the album is out just 2 months and at the moment we recognize that our albums are going around the world. We can see from which countries the people stream our media and the path grows and grows. We also shipped some records to other countries, like Finland and Belgium. The most urgent German Metal media pushes us right now, for example Rock Hard Magazine. Thank you, brothers! If you are into classic Heavy Metal as well as in 90´s black and death sounds, check out Chaos Path! The feedback is overwhelming.

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

Just drummer Chaosblaster is playing with Pagan Black Metal Band Gymir from time to time. All other members are totally focused on Chaos Path. We give all our attention, power and blood for Chaos Path….

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

After the release we are now working on three new titles parallel. All of them have the true Chaos Path trademarks, especially the catchy melodies, cool breaks and chaos, chaos, chaos. But we recognized that we left the first position from the beginning in 2016, our very new songs develop more and more into conclusive and stronger epic but brutal songs, still combining Heavy, Thrash, Black and Death Metal. The riffs inside a song don´t sound “additionally”, we focus on sharing different metal vibes into a new style. This is Kaotysk Metal!

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

I am listening to different styles from Crust to Grind and from Primordial to Bathory. Guitarist God of Carnage is listening to The Exploited as well as Gorgoroth, Dark Funeral and Mercyful Fate. Richy loves old Slime Punk and Mayhem as well. Drummer Chaosblaster would like to have Immolation mentioned and all the other death stuff. Singer Ancient weapon loves Visigoth, Night Demon, Satyricon etc., this is a crude summary and shows that we all have very different styles we like.

14.What are some of your non musical interests?

Nonmusical interest? C´mon! Ok, I have three daughters but… There is no more life defining love like music. I live Metal, I love Metal, I breathe Metal and I´ll die for it. There is no second without a stronger interest than music. We drink some booze or …. Fuck, that’s all dudes.

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

Please check us out on Bandcamp, Facebook or YouTube, ok? Give us a like and share the path. If you need us for a show, write us, we will play the world if we get it offered and until the apocalypse will catch us. Write for some vinyl, ok? We need some more distributors, so get in touch.

http://www.chaos-path.de/ (http://www.chaos-path.de/)
https://www.facebook.com/chaospath666/ (https://www.facebook.com/chaospath666/)
https://chaospath.bandcamp.com/ (https://chaospath.bandcamp.com/)

Emerald Shine Interview

Band members answering in this interview are:

Kamil - drummer

Klára - violinist

Leena - singer, lyricist



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

Kamil: I think Emerald Shine is a band that makes pretty unique music that is very hard to summarize. We call it fantasy metal even though sometimes it's not even metal, sometimes it's folk-metal with progressive elements but we don't usually brand ourselves like that, because it's very hard to describe it with just a few words. I'd say: "Buy a CD or go to Spotify and hear for yourself."



2.Towards the end of 2018 you had released your first full length, musically how does it differ from the demo you had released in 2016?

Kamil: Misty Tales is quite a huge leap forward in every way, also we had a lot more experience with recording and it was recorded by a line-up that suited the band perfectly.



3.The lyrics are based upon your own fantasy fiction based in Tolkien's world, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in his work and what inspired you to write your own version of the fantasy world he created?

Leena: I have loved fantasy literature and especially Tolkien’s world for some 15 years. When I started writing my own lyrics, fantasy themes like the elves and Middle-earth often appeared in them.

And what inspired the story of the album Misty Tales – I would say it was the music itself. In the spring of  2017, when we had most songs and their lyrics for the album ready, I was wondering if they all could be joined into one larger concept… And after some time of thinking and listening, this fan-fiction-like story suddenly appeared in my mind crystal clear. All those already finished songs fitted the story very well, so all I had to do was to create the last missing parts, to write several more songs. It went very well, soon the whole story for the album was finished and I was satisfied with it.



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

Klára: First of all, you got the name wrong - it's Emerald Shine, not Shrine. But it's ok, don't worry, we're not upset. :D When Leena and Richmonde were establishing the band, they were just throwing to the ether some random ideas and one of them was Emerald Shine, but it doesn't have any deeper meaning.



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

Klára: We were looking for something minimalistic, simple but enlightening. The final artwork is made by the amazing artist Morgana La Fay and it tells the story of our album. Misty Tales is about a war between men and elves, how they used to live together in peace, which is being represented by the white thread in the hands of this dark character on the cover. Inside the booklet there is a similar picture, but the thread is torn and the war has begun.



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?

Klára: I’m sure they had already played some good concerts even before I joined the band at the end of 2017, but since then, my most favorite performance was Housle, Chlast a Rock 'n' Roll in Prague, CZ.



Kamil: A concert that always comes to my mind is our show at Folk Metal Pilgrims in Ostrava, CZ. Great atmosphere, great food and drinks and most importantly – great fans.



Leena: The both above mentioned shows, as well as some other ones, were really good. I personally also enjoyed most of our concerts in Poland very much, the audiences were crazy and cool.

During our stage performance, we are, above all, simply enjoying the music, dancing during the folky parts and concentrating during those more difficult, progressive ones – but I believe it is better to see with your own eyes, either at one of our shows, or in our live videos, which are available hear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyr-KwUkMFk&list=PLoyC31M6Ef-VCDBTLIfdbRSatb8Ivui_Z



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

Klára: Of course! In March we are going to play at Noc Nárekov and after that we may visit Prague once again for Keltské úterý. We are planning attending festivals in the Czech republic, I think there are also some festivals in Poland and Slovakia (but not 100 % sure) and with some luck we could also visit Germany, Austria and other European countries.



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

Kamil: So far we don't think that we would have any benefits from labels that are available to us, but this might change in the future. We'll see.



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

Klára: People have usually positive reaction when they hear/see us for the first time, because we may look like a basic folk metal band with recorders and violin, but our music is also full of interesting rhythms and harmony, unusual bar changes and generally our music is more than just four chords repeating. Especially fans from Poland accepted our music very well, but Czech and Slovak people seem to like our music as well.



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

Kamil: Definitely forward.



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?

Klára: I know that Elvenking and Blind Guardian were an important sources of inspiration, we are also often being compared to Eluveitie and we’ve been getting an inspiration from the band Wintersun lately.



12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Klára: I am an artist. When I don't do music, I like to draw and that's basically all I do in my free time.



Kamil: 90 % of my time goes to either practising or just playing music, but other than that, I like to spend time with my girlfriend or have a glass of whiskey a good cigar from my collection.



Leena: My non musical interests include skiing, hiking and fantasy literature of course. (But still, sitting in a calm place and writing music is by far my favourite activity in my life O:-) )



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

Leena: Thank you for this interview and for spreading the word about our band, as well as other bands in the metal scene!

Klára: Follow us on social media and listen to good music!

https://www.facebook.com/emeraldshineofficial/
https://www.instagram.com/emeraldshineband/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-uRJ8Nozq_4pYHX1pZax0Q

King Interview

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

The band has been playing a few local shows here in Melbourne after a hiatus for quite some time during 2018/19. We have rehearsed a few times now with some new live session players which now makes the band a 5 piece for our live performances which what l think we have needed for the live stage for sometime . On our return to the stage in July we played one of the new songs live "Mountains Call"
which was a really good for us to play something fresh and new, so that was a really great vibe onstage that night. We have also played a few other local shows and have added another new song "Beyond The Exosphere" to our set whilst our singles were being released over the past month. We have been getting real great feed back and its great to be playing again.


2.You have a new album coming out later in November, musically how does it differ from your previous recording?

Yes, the music differs quite a bit on this album "Coldest Of Cold". You will notice as a listener if you were a fan of "Reclaim The Darkness" that we've picked up the pace a little, this is something we chose to do before writing the new album and it has really made an impact for us not only for the recording but for the live performances also. The music to me feels a lot darker and colder, the songs we chose for the album were worked on for a long period of time, we went over these songs until they were 100%.  So working on getting the right arrangements and chorus's to come together to make the song sound strong and complete was a long task. We are very happy with the outcome.

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

As songwriters Dave Hill and myself work very well together to arrange and write to what we think is the perfect song for the band, one step at a time. We work on one song for weeks to get the write balance for what we think is the perfect song which has and must contain all the right layers. As for the lyrical content "Coldest Of Cold" in some way continues on from its predecessor in which there were battles from ancient times amidst the bleak surroundings from Scandinavian landscapes only this time we have introduced more of the galaxy and a lone warrior battling on in this existence as you'll notice with songs such as "Star" and "Beyond The Exosphere".

4.All of the band members are also involved with other bands, what is it that you bring into the music of 'King' that you are not able to do with your other groups?

King is a total different band compared to other bands we play or have played in. We all enjoy our heavy metal from all types of genres but for us we wanted to start a band that is dark, grim and catchy and very melodic, this is something we have wanted to do for a long time. We are big fans of the Swedish and Norwegian metal scenes so to start a band and write songs that we enjoy listening to as well as playing live is very satisfying for us. We all have played in grindcore bands in the past so writing songs for longer that 2 minutes and pronouncing words in full was a big achievement for us haha!

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'King'?

I think the band name suits our style of music, it was just a name that came to mind and I pitched it to the others and it stuck. Its a strong name and we all like it, people and fans find it hard to find us on social media and music platforms because its just King. But we are around and you will find us!

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

So the artwork was once again delivered to us by our good friend Xavier Irvine in which he had worked on the previous layout of "Reclaim The Darkness". This time musically we have delved into the galaxy so we though maybe we should opt for an image from outer space. So this album cover has captured an image of a nebula which was taken by Nasa for which we had to get a tick of approval for us to use. I think it works well for us and captures the essence of what you'll hear on the album as a listener and looks amazing. We are very happy with the whole layout of the artwork for the album and it suits.

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

The recent shows we have performed with a full band really shows that we are back and we are a band to be reckoned with. The force is strong and the stage presence is alive and ferocious. Having had a break over the past year really gave us a boost for our live shows. Also adding some new songs to the mix gives the set some fuel to create good strong energy between us and our crowds watching us.

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

Yes we are about to do a small run of shows with "Wolves In The Throne Room" in the next week so this will be the first run of shows for us now that the album is out. We are also planning a headlining tour to start sometime early 2020 for Australia and hopefully we can bring this tour abroad for the first time and play a handful of shows in Europe next year.

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

We have been getting some great feedback and the reviews so far a really good. Our label really do some great work and we appreciate the work they do for us as a band. This time Metal Hammer Uk have streamed our album and this helps get our music out there immensely, its all about spreading your brand and thats what we are trying to do. Its good to see that fans are enjoying our creation from around all parts of the globe. Its a humble feeling.

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?

Apart from King,  Dave Hill And l have gone back to our grind roots and have started a band called "Remains". This band is going well the live shows are great and we have a great time playing smaller venues and its good to see and play with fresh younger bands here,  the Australian grindcore scene  is really strong. As for our drummer Dave Haley he is also busy doing work with "Psycroptic" so as you can tell we live for metal, we love to play metal and we'll die playing metal!

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

As a band you want to write a better album for a follow up and this is what we hope to achieve but for us l think just sticking to our recipe for writing  great catchy songs is what we like and is what we'll stick to...it works!

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?

We all love all kinds of heavy metal music but for us to write the music for King we have been greatly inspired from many class act bands from Norway and Sweden and you can probably pick up some elements from songs we play that will make you say "hey that sounds like this band or that sounds like that band"...so you'll definitely hear some of these classic bands we are inspired by and love. As for now l enjoy listening to my Spotify weekly playlist, it introduces me many different bands that l've never even heard of so thats always fun. Plus l'll throw in my need to hear weekly bands that are a must for my ears.

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

We hope you have bought and are enjoying our new album and we hope to come a play in your neck of the woods real soon. Keep it grim and all hail the KING!!

Facebook

Instagram

Official website

Twitter

ChaosPath/Downfall/2019 Full Length Review

  ChaosPath  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2019  album  "Downfall".

  Rain  and  thunder  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  a  brief  use  of  demonic  voices  and  spoken  word  parts  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  vocals  beign  mostyl  grim  black  metal  screams  and w hen  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Clean  vocals  can  be  heard  briefly  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  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  also  show  an  influence  of  traditional  metal  while t he  music  also  adds  in  elements  of  thrash  metal.

  You  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  melodic  death  metal  touches  throughout  the  recording along  with  the  vocals  also  adapting  more  of  an  80's  approach  and  semi  spoken  at  times  but  keeping  the  music  mostly  in  a  modern  direction  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  heavier  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Apocalypse,  Death  and  War  themes  and  a  couple  of  the  songs  are  written  in  German.

   In  my  opinion  ChaosPath  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fire  Blood  Anger  Chaos"  "White  Kingdom  Of  Ice(An  Ancient  Story)"  and  "Unter  Wolfen".  8  out  of  10.

www.chaos-path.de/
www.facebook.com/chaospath666
www.chaospath.bandcamp.com/
www.youtube.com/channel/UC0_ZMKD9Sifg3GzaqakERoA
www.instagram.com/chaospath666

    

Emerald Shine/Misty Tales/2018 Full Length Review

  Emerald  Shine  are  a  band  from  the  Czech  Republic  that  plays  a  mixture  of  fantasy  and  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Misty  tales".

  Violins  start  off  the  album  and  also  introduces  elements  of  folk  music  onto  the  recording  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Female  vocals  and  recorders  are  also  used  quite  a  bit throughout  the  recording  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  parts  also a dded  into  some  parts  of  the  music.

  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  harsher  vocals  bringing  elements  of  black  and  death  metal  onto  the  recording.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  some  songs  also  add  in  some  clean  male  vocals  as  well  as  the  faster sections  of  the  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Harps  and  tin  whistles  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  the  music  also  having  its  progressive  moments.  The  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  album.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  cover  their  own  fantasy  fiction  of  the  fantasy world  created  by  J.R.R  Tolkien.

  In  my  opinion  Emerald  Shine  are  a  very  great  sounding  fantasy  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Autumn  Mists"  "Where  Life's  Been  Ruined"  "The  Only  One"  and  "Rainy  Night".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/emeraldshineofficial/
https://www.instagram.com/emeraldshineband/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-uRJ8Nozq_4pYHX1pZax0Q

  

Boreal Hymn/Tundra/2019 Demo Review

  Boreal  Hymn  are  a  band  from  Vancouver  B.C,  Canada  that  plays  a  mixture  of  pagan  and  folk  metal and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2019  demo  "Tundra".

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  demo  while  clean  pagan  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  some  grim  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal g rowls  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  songs.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  acoustic  guitars  and  folk  instruments  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  recording.  All  of  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  direction  as  well  as  adding  in  some  elements  of  goth  and  traditional  metal  and  one  track  also  adds  in  some  female  vocals  and  as  the  demo  progresses  the  music  also  gets  more  ritualistic  sounding,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  the  closing  track.

  Boreal  Hymn  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  pagan  and  folk  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  long  forgotten  ancient  wisdom.

  In  my  opinion  Boreal  Hymn  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  pagan  and  folk  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Labrynthian  Graves"  and  "Defiance  Against  The  Breath  Of  Gods'.  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlTT1PttYwQ&  

Bethledeign Interview

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

Bethledeign was started by guitarists Phil King and Dan Lazaroff in 2001, joined shortly thereafter by Ron Sirott on drums. They filled out a proper lineup and released the EP An Iliad of Woes in 2003, it featured material in the vein of melodic Swedish death metal with elements of black metal. After a couple lineup changes (Dave Schmidt coming in on vocals and Chris Fleming on bass), a three song demo was recorded in 2004, but never properly released. Those songs were much darker and more mature sounding, treading more solidly into death metal territory. Phil moved out of state shortly after it was recorded, and I (Tony Petrocelly) auditioned and took his place. As we started writing material, I brought a much more straightforward, less melodic approach. We wound up with five new songs which we started recording, but the band split up before the sessions were complete.



2.Your first full length is coming out in December, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

Structure-wise, aside from some small adjustments I made to them, they are the same songs as they were back in the day; the big difference is just that they're properly recorded. The lineup is different, and so the new players bring their own style to the songs which really bring them to life. I played guitar on the album, but took over bass and vocal duties as well. Gus Barr from the Arizona death metal band Lago helped out with lead guitar, and Giulio Galati from Hideous Divinity drummed on the album; their contributions are absolutely incredible.



3.The band has been split up since 2005 with the band members focusing on other projects, what was the decision behind reforming the band?

The intent of creating my main band Construct of Lethe was to have a way to record and release the songs I'd written for previous bands. Bethledeign sadly shared the same fate as a couple other bands--I'd write an album, and the band would split up before we could record. Construct of Lethe became its own entity and started heading in a very different direction though, so I felt releasing old material under that name would just serve to confuse people. I've always wanted to release the Bethledeign songs, my love for them never waned. I had some downtime in between recording bands in my studio, so I got a hold of Phil to ask for his blessing to re-record the songs he had written, in addition to just the songs I had a part in writing...just something to do for fun to kill time. He not only encouraged that, he told me to release it as Bethledeign, which I hadn't even considered, that was really the start of it getting serious.



4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?

Dave Schmidt was the lyricist for this group of songs, his lyrics tend to be very anti-religious, with a focus on themes of demonology, christian esoterica, suicide, chaos and death. It's actually pretty interesting to delve back into these early lyrics of his, because as he wrote more and more for Xaoc (the band he and I started to continue on with the material we were writing when Bethledeign broke up) and on into Construct of Lethe, his words got much more learned and inscrutable, not to mention impossibly macabre. His lyrics on this album, just like our music, are a snapshot of a time that served as a crucial stepping stone in our development as musicians.



5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Bethledeign'?

I know that Bethledeign is an anagram for "The Bleeding." Whether or not that was intentional, or what the meaning is, I honestly don't know...I joined the band after it was named. It feels like it means something and it sounds cool, so it works for me.



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

Kishor Haulenbeek painted it. I don't remember how I came to see his work, but when I first saw it I was blown away. I reached out to him and we talked about art and artists for quite a while; I told him I didn't want a stereotypical metal album cover, so no trite gore/satan/creepy landscape crap. We agreed to use the title Iconography of Suffering literally; he came up with the specific idea and sketched it up, I thought it was brilliant. If you follow from the figure's right hand up and over to his left, you see a crucifixion nail, medieval torture tools, up through modern day capital punishment...suffering through the ages.



7.Are the band members open to doing live shows again in the future?

It's fun to think about, but at the end of the day, this is a passion project. We all live so far apart from one another and have so much going on in our lives that even though the spirits are willing, it's just not feasible.



8.The new album is coming out on 'Edgewood Arsenal Records,' can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

I created Edgewood Arsenal Records as a way to get my projects out in the open. Our first 4 releases were pressed on CD (Construct of Lethe, Pain Tank, Grethor, Turbo Shokk), but subsequent releases will likely be digital only. It's an incredible amount of work creating an album--from writing it to recording it, mixing, creating the art/layout, promotion, etc...and that's on top of paying for it all out of pocket. It's really a losing game if you do it for any reason other than the love of creation.



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

Bethledeign made a decent-sized dent in the local scene back in the day, but that was before getting national/international exposure was an easy, realistic thing. As for this new material, we're trying to get the word out as we speak, but so far the reaction has gladly been nothing but positive. I know that releasing an album like this flies in the face of what's going on in the metal world at large, but I'm hoping that it resonates with people who are maybe sick of bands trying to be the most brutal, most tech, most guttural, fastest, etc.



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?

I've got a thrash band that recorded an EP that's getting close to release, I'll be working on the 2nd (already written) Bethledeign album in 2020, as well as a remix/re-release of Construct of Lethe's debut album Corpsegod. Gus has Lago as well as a death metal band called Detritus, both incredible bands. Giulio stays busy with the god-tier Hideous Divinity.



11.Is there any plans for future releases?

There's an 8 song album we wrote under the name Xaoc after Bethledeign originally broke up, I intend to record that and release it as the 2nd Bethledeign album in 2020.



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?

The rhythm playing of James Hetfield and Scott Ian are probably the biggest direct inspiration for my guitar playing technique, but not necessarily writing. People tend to say my riff writing is most similar to Morbid Angel, and while it isn't really intentional, it makes sense because they are one of my all time favorites. As for what I'm listening to now, honestly it's a lot of Rollins Band, Hall and Oates, Jeff Buckley and Elton John. Not much metal because that's what I'm soaking in year-round in the studio.



13.What are some of your non musical interests?

I built a studio in my house, Trepan Studios, which I opened up to outside bands a couple years ago; it's what takes up the vast majority of my free time, so even when I'm not playing it, I'm recording/mixing/mastering it for other bands. I've been drawing as long as I can remember, so illustration always has a spot in my heart, though I don't do it much anymore. Something I did for the first time last year that really surprised me was a 10 mile mountain hike. I wasn't expecting to like it, but I really did. I have never been a real outdoorsy person, but there was something about it that really struck me.



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

Thanks for the interest in Bethledeign, I wish it was a less convoluted story to tell, haha. I'm really happy to finally get these songs out there, and hope others dig what we've done. Thanks again!

SoundClick

Dizastra/Elder Sun/2019 Full Length Review

  Dizastra  are  a  band  from  Montreal,  Quebec,  Canada  that plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  thrash  and  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2019  album  "Elder  Sun"  which  will  be  released  on  November  22nd.

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  vocals  are  done  in  most  of  a  screaming  black  metal  style  along  with  a  touch  of  death  metal.

  Elements  of  thrash  metal  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  old  school  style.  The  songs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  80's  and  90's  influences  while  also  keeping  very  modern  at  the  same  time  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  songs  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  melodic  Swedish  black  metal  influences.One  track  also  introduces  spoken  word  parts  onto  the  recording  as  well  as  some  of  the  faster  riffing  also  utilizing  tremolo  picking.

  One  song  also  adds  in a   brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars,  the  closing  tracks  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  keyboards  and  prog  elements  as  well  as  being  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Gnosticism  and  Fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Dizastra  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black,  thrash  and  heavy  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Vae  Victus"  "Gnosis"  and  "Astaroth".  8  out  of  10.

FacebookInstagram    

Kurgan Interview

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

Well we're KURGAN from Denmark. We do melodic death metal in general, but it varies all the way from black metal style to classic heavy metal style.
We're basically just doing stuff we feel like. There's a lot of different influences throughout the band which makes the end result a good blend.


2.The first full length comes out during the end of September, musically how does it differ from the demo you had released in 2016?

Musically it only differs in natural evolvement which is rooted in time. I mean we as composers and musicians is always on a journey so to speak. We're the same guys doing what we do.
The full length release features the same 4 songs from the demo - rerecorded of course. And then 6 additional songs written afterwards - mostly. I feel that the full length contains the full variety off who we are as musicians


3.Some of your lyrics deal with 'Nordic Mythology', can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

I guess it's in the blood, being vikings:) But its just a damn cool mythology really. The archetypes in it is just something everyone can relate to I believe.
Some of us grew up with the myths, stories and legends of the mythology, so its deeply rooted really. However we don't limit ourselves to a certain theme


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

There's a zombie track about the powers and horror of that apocalyptic universe, called EVIL DEAD.
Also HELLSTORM revolves around the end of all things, chaos and destruction and we've even got a cold and chilling love story
on the album entitled FUR LISE.


5.I know that the band name is a loan word from East Slavic Languages, how does this name fit in with the musical style you play?

Well it means a barrow/burial mound. The vikings sailed along the rivers all the way deep into Russia so there's the viking link to the name.
And although it doesn't have any reference towards the highlander villain, he was right; there can be only one KURGAN:)


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

YGGDRASIL BURNS was the very first track written for the band. Or before it was even a full band. And it's a strong title.
So we wanted an illustration of the tree of life YGGDRASIL in flames. Dragan helped us out with that.


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

All of our shows are great:) but the local ones has been the funniest I think. We did a local festival in Asnæs and also a local celebration of metal in general in Holbæk.
We even got a self-made local show coming up in Nykøbing Sj. which our drummer Charlie has made possible - we're really looking forward to that.
Stage performance description would be 'honest' I guess. We just do what we do - having a good time, rocking out and enjoying the moment.
We don't use any theatrical tricks or do anything 'for the sake of it' - we don't pose - posers can leave the hall:)


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

WE're working on that - so far we do the shows that makes sense for us.



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

Great. I mean we didn't anticipate the level of recognition we've gotten on the release.
Its clear from the streaming nowadays that our music is appreciated all over the lands:)


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

Again, we do what we do. Evolution will takes us wherever we need to go. We're metal guys doing melodic stuff - that's the core of it


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?

There's a lot of different styles, being 5 guys. I mean Metallica, Death, Amon Amarth, In Flames, Immortal and Manowar, is something that most of us enjoy I believe.
And therefore inspiration strikes. In regards of what we listen to, I can only speak for myself which currently revolves around Opeth, King and Unleashed


12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Drinking beer;)


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

Thanks for the interest - stay metal!

Facebook

SoundCloud

YouTube

Nordic Frost Interview

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



Nordic Frost began as a concept in 2006, I had wanted to start a black metal band for some time and had a plethora of talented musicians to work with. What ended up happening instead was a death metal project called Etched In Stone, which was active for 11 years. In 2015, while on tour with Etched In Stone, I began writing what would become the debut Nordic Frost EP and the rest is history!



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



Ov Blasphemy And Other Rites is different from it predecessors in multiple aspects aside from the obvious lyrical themes, but what stands out the most to me personally are the drums were placed in the much more capable hands of Randy Abbott this time around, and the orchestral parts were crafted more to fit the tone of the songs instead of simply filling the space between tracks.



3.Some of your lyrics cover witchcraft and the occult, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these subjects?



I’ve had a vested interest in the occult and in ancient pagan beliefs ever since I was young. Being raised in the Christian church can tend to have that effect on free-thinking folk.



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



Each release has been conceptually themed. Ov Blasphemy is primarily about witchcraft or ancient pagan rituals and retaliation against the early church for the capital punishment of heretics. Jeg Er Blitt Død had themes of vampirism woven throughout, and the self-titled EP was more of a sacrilegious offering.



5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Nordic Frost'?



Nordic Frost was the name I landed on 13 years ago when I was first trying to get this project off the ground. The icy nature of the name is parallel to the cold-natured lyrics. It’s formidable and vehemently anti-religious.



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



The cover artwork depicts a blood sacrifice ritual in a classical portrait style. I wanted to go above and beyond what I had done for previous releases and took extra time piecing this one together.



7.On this album you recorded everything by yourself but have worked with a drummer in the past, are you open to working with other musicians again or do you prefer to work solo?



I really love the control of the solo aspect, though it’s nice to have other musicians input as well. That’s a tough call, but the goal for this project is to begin playing live as soon as the right members are in-place. As for the drums on this record, everything I originally had in place was scrapped and replaced with Randy Abbot’s awesome work.



8.The new album was released on 'Rebel Pyro Musick', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?



Rebel Pyro Musick was started this year by my former band’s manager, Rebel Pyro Management. After well over a decade of working together Rebel Pyro Musick really is the best place for Nordic Frost to call home.



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



There has been a fair amount of coverage for it being such a small project, it’s being received positively around the globe from what I can tell. I actually got a message from a new fan in Syria a couple day’s ago saying that he couldn’t stop listening to it and it’s those kind of interactions that really reaffirm to me why I do this. There’s no better feeling than having someone you don’t know, half a world away, go out of their way to let you know they appreciate your art!



10.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?



Preforming Nordic Frost material on stages all over the globe, hopefully! Starting with the west coast of the US, as that is home-base, then depending on reception branching out to national and then international stages.



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?



Bands that really shaped who I am as a musician are many, but some major players are: Dimmu Borgir, Dark Funeral, Behemoth, Opeth, Tool, Cradle Of Filth, and Deicide.



12.What are some of your non musical interests?



I like to cook, I like to take my family camping and on other trips. I run a graphic design company, and I work as a A/V Tech. A lot of irons in a lot of fires, haha!



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



I just want to say thank you for giving me this platform, and to the readers and listeners: Thank you!

Bandcamp

Facebook

Homepage

Canyon Of The Skull/Sins Of The Past/2019 Full Length Review

  Texas's  Canyon  Of  The  Skull  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  with  the  music  going  into  an  instrumental  and  progressive  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  funeral  doom  and  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2019  album  "Sins  Of  The  Past"  which  will  be  released  on  November  20th.

  A  very  slow,  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  which  also  introduces  elements  of  sludge  and  funeral  doom  metal  into  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  both  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  influences  while  the  music  also  captures  an  improv  atmosphere  at  times.  At  times  the  music  gets  very  repetitive  with  the  songs  also  using  the  same  riffing  for  a  few  minutes  before  going  into  a  different  direction  and  as  the  first  track  progresses  melodic  guitar  leads  are  also  added  onto  the  recording.

   When  the  music  finally  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  can  also   be  heard,  A  small  amount  of  percussion  can  be  heard  briefly  and  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  a  shamanistic  feeling  as  well  as  the  second  track  also  introducing  acoustic  guitars  and  melodic  riffing  onto  the  recording  and  at  times  the  music  also  has  its  progressive  moments.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  album  while  the  song  themes  focus  on  the  indigenous  Americans  of  the  Southwest.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Canyon  of  The  Skull  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  instrumental  black,  sludge  and  funeral  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "The  Sun  Dance".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/canyonoftheskull/
https://canyonoftheskull.bandcamp.com/ 
https://twitter.com/canyondoom 

     

Nordic Frost/Ov Blasphemy And Other Rites/Rebel Pyro Musick/2019 Full Length Review

  Nordic  Frost  are  a  solo  project  from  Sacramento,  California  that  plays  a  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2019  album  "Ov  Blasphemy  And  Other  Rites"  which  was  released  by  Rebel  Pyro  Musick.

  Tragic  sounding  keyboards  and  symphonic  elements  start  of  the  album  and  they  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music.  During  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  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  music  also  mixing  in  elements  of  death  metal  at  times.

  A  lot  of the  music  also  brings  in  influences  from  the  mid 90's  era  of  symphonic  black  metal  but  also  keeps  a  modern  atmosphere  at  the  same  time. As  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of   clean  singing  and  chanting  can  be  heard  as  well  as  a  alter  track  being  an  instrumental,  classical  guitars  are  also  added  onto  the  closing  track  and  their  is  also  a  hideen  bonus  version  of  Led  Zeppelin's  "Immigrant  Song".  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  witchcraft  from  the  middle  ages.

  In  my  opinion  Nordic  Frost  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Compelled  By  Witchcraft"  "Despondent  Legions  Ov  The  Dead"  and  "Penance  Ov  Sodom".  8  out  of  10.

nordicfrostmusic@gmail.com
www.nordicfrostmusic.com
nordicfrostmusic.bandcamp.com

Chasmdweller/Invoking The Wrath Of The Seventh Circle/Static Void Records/2019 Full Length Review

  Chasmdweller  are  a  duo  from  Canada  that  has  had music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  an  atmospheric  mixture  of  black,  death,  sludge  and  funeral  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Invoking  The  Wrath  Of  The  Seventh  Circle"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Static  Void  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Vocals  also  bring  in  a   mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Elements  of  sludge  and  funeral  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  Some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  both  old  school  and  modern  influences.

  Atmospheric  sounding  synths  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  elements  of  harsh  noise  onto  the  album.  Acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  the  growls  also  getting  guttural  sounding  at  times  and  the  music  also  has  its  brutal  moments  and  as  the  album   progresses  a  brief  use  of  ritualistic  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  occultism  and  darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Chasmdweller  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  black,  death,  sludge  and  funeral  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bleeding  Upon  The  Tomes  Of  Hypocrisy"  "Engulfed  By  Burning  Pits"  and  "Bone  Shrine".  8  out  of  10.

Static Void Records | Bandcamp

    

Lemuria Interview

Answers provided by: Vincent, Jeroen

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
Vincent: Well for the moment we are really busy promoting the release of the album. We recorded a video clip and some other stuff that will be published soon. We're planning a release party on the 15th of February, and we also designed our brand new 'The Hysterical Hunt' merchandise; at least our very talented guitar player Jeroen did, based on the artwork of Kris Verwimp! So pretty hectic times for us.
But a few months ago, we started working with the management & promotion company SHDW Collective, which is really a big help and support for us. With their experience and their connections, they are a real boost for the band.

2.In 2019 you have a new album coming out, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
Vincent: I think what can musically describe 'The Hysterical Hunt' the most, is that it is a group effort. 'Chanson de La Croisade' was mainly written on keyboard and the guitars were added later. With our new record we really wanted to write it together, we even locked ourselves up for a couple of days in a small cabin in the woods. We ended up with a lot of ideas and some blueprints of songs.
In general, I think The Hysterical Hunt has more black metal influences in it and also the underlying tone is a lot darker, a lot spookier to fit the story.
Gaël: Overall, I think the new album has a more mature sound than the previous ones. It is complex but also accessible. The intricacies of the songs and melodies don’t stand in the way of the listening experience, and that is an achievement in my opinion.

3.The lyrics on the new recording are a concept album, can you tell us a little bit more about the subject you have covered with the newer material?
Vincent: The story is that of "the Beast of Gévaudan", which took place in that southern region of France in the summer of 1764. In a span of only two or three years, more than one hundred children and women were viciously attacked and killed by an unknown animal. The people there were accustomed to the harsh and wild environments and also knew the local wildlife very well. So the fact that witnesses told the officials that they saw an animal or beast they had never seen before, spread a nation-wide terror. People blamed various culprits, from savage mutated dogs or escaped African predators to a werewolf, witchcraft or the devil himself.
The story that we tell is entirely based on historical facts, but of course we added some fiction and drama. We follow a private investigator who looks into the mysterious disappearance of six persons, using newspaper articles, letters and diary excerpts; with a dark and heart-breaking outcome.

4.Previous albums lyrically covered the viking invasion of Flanders and the persecution of the Cathars by Catholics, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in historical topics?
Vincent: Regarding the lyrical material for the band, I just like the fact that we can use stories that are epic, heroic, tragic and horrific but also historic; the fact that it actually took place sometime long ago. When I read about the war on the Cathars for instance, it was really confronting for me. We learn everything about the crusades in high school, but few people know that the horrors of these times actually struck the center of Europe itself. So combining an interesting story with a forgotten part of Europe's history makes it all a little more worthwhile. And the same goes for The Hysterical Hunt of course.



5.The band was split up for a few years, what was the decision behind reforming?
Vincent: Lemuria split up in 2006 if I'm not mistaken. There were some musical differences regarding the future of the band so we decided to call it (a) quits. But I and our keyboard player Siegfried kept on writing new material that was so much in the style of Lemuria that we and some other members decided to restart the band.
Gaël: This was before my time in the band. Lemuria had already quite a reputation in the Belgian underground, and when they decided to reform people were very curious about the music and the new line-up and such. A few years later, they approached me with the question if I wanted to record a ‘guest’ solo on the new album. I was very much impressed by the raw edits of ‘Chanson’, so they didn’t need to ask twice!


6.I know that the band was named after a lost continent that sink into the Pacific Ocean, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in lost continents?
Vincent: Well, there isn't really an interest in lost continents. I mean, I for myself am intrigued by the tale of the old island of Atlantis as told by Plato. The fact that there could have been an antediluvian civilization that was far more advanced than we would expect for that time period, is of course something that triggers the mind. But we chose the band name Lemuria not for its mythic or esoteric meaning, but rather for the mysterious sound to it. You can't define or specify the genre by that name, and that is just the same for our music. To describe Lemuria's style, symphonic black metal is only the common demeanor, but there are so much more influences to be found.

7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
Jeroen: The artwork was painted by the well-known artist Kris Verwimp, who did album covers for numerous metal bands. He did an absolutely awesome job. The cover artwork perfectly captures the mysterious atmosphere of the concept story of the album. It shows hunters wandering in the dark woods, searching for the legendary beast of Gévaudan. We provided Kris with some rough artwork mock-ups and drawings to explain him what we wanted it to look like, and he far exceeded our expectations. I love all the little details in it like tree branches, leaves, mist, the skull, etc. Also, the level of depth and perspective is astonishing.
Vincent: We've been working with Kris since ‘Tales, Ale & Fire’ and his paintings always captured the mood of our music so well. But what I remember the most is that he described our music in the time of 'Tales, Ale & Fire' as Thyrfing with a melancholic touch to it. And that was so spot on! He was the first to acknowledge the amount of melancholy in our music, and that is indeed a recurring theme in our music and lyrics: death, loss, war, intolerance, but also friendship, love and heroism.

8.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Vincent: For me the most memorable was our performance at the Graspop Metal Meeting in 2012. We played for a couple of thousand enthusiastic people so that's not something you easily forget.
Jeroen: The most awesome shows I remember were on our mini-tour in the Czech Republic, together with Welicoruss, Valkenrag and Daedric Tales. Czech metalfans are really enthusiastic. If you get such an energetic response from the audience, you can really give it all.
Gaël: I have to concur with Vincent on this one, the GMM show was awesome.

9.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
Jeroen: We’ll present the new album live on the album release show on the 15th of February, in JH Vizit (Wilrijk). We invited Furia, Vanaheim and Innervate to join us on stage. We are really looking forward to finally play the new songs live. For the rest of 2019, naturally, we hope to crush many more stages. We are available for gigs worldwide, just contact our booker at Pieter@shdwcollective.be


10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of symphonic black metal?
Jeroen: Really good! That is, judging from the reviews appearing in many different languages. We also received cd and t-shirt orders from all over the world: Japan, Canada, USA, Italy, Cyprus, Ukraine, Slovenia, France, … We are pleased to see that Lemuria is not limited to Belgium alone.
Vincent: Of course, we hope that our signing with Massacre Records and working with our management bureau SHDW Collective will make our band more prolific globally. Before this album we did everything by ourselves, so the promotion took a lot of effort. Now, with so much professional people backing us up, we have more time to concentrate on the music, which is a very good thing, I think.

11.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?
Jeroen: I have a raw black metal side project called Calmetholt. The recordings of the next album are nearly finished. Since Lemuria took most of our time and energy this year, Calmetholt had to wait. But rest assured, the new material will be released for sure. Aside from Calmetholt, I’m also doing vocals for the black metal band Catharsis Fatalis, which released its self-titled debut EP last year. I’ll be recording vocals for the next album soon, so there’s more than enough to keep busy. There can never be enough music!
Vincent: Next to Lemuria, I keep myself busy with writing some instrumental and orchestral stuff. Mostly just for fun and study, but there are some vague plans of performing some of my music with a symphonic orchestra.

12.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Vincent: That's a bit of a difficult question. We'll always keep on developing musically because with each new concept story our music has to adapt. With ‘The Hysterical Hunt’ we wrote a lot more dark and horror influenced melodies. But I think in the near future you don't have to expect major changes. We are very aware of the music we like and we will keep on writing the music we like. But of course, you never know...
Gaël: The band is in a good spot, creatively, and the different influences of the musicians synergize quite well. I can’t say how the music will sound, but I know in the future I want to use the same way of writing music as we did for The Hysterical Hunt.

13.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and what are you listening to nowadays?
Vincent: I learned to appreciate metal with bands varying from Iron Maiden, Metallica and Sepultura to Cradle Of Filth, Emperor, Dimmu Borgir, Death, Immortal and so on and so on. I can't give you a list of my influences because it would be too long; for I also like other genres like prog-rock, AOR, New Wave etc. If it's good music that touches a part of my soul, no matter the genre, I will like it. But on the other hand, one genre that has had a major influence on myself and on my part in Lemuria's history is film music. 25 years ago I fell in love with John Williams and the magic he did with Jurassic Park, and from then on I discovered a world of extremely talented musicians as Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard, Alan Silvestri, Jerry Goldsmith and Danny Elfman.
Jeroen: Personally, I’m mainly into raw and fast black metal. Bands I enjoyed a lot recently are Uada, Forteresse and Macabre Omen. I’m also a huge fan of underground Belgian black metal such as Aguynguerran, Gotmoor and Huldrefolk. Make sure to check them out! In Lemuria, the musical preferences differ quite a bit between the musicians, which is also reflected in our songwriting. You may think this would lead to conflicts, but it is quite the contrary. Our different styles blend beautifully, which is one of the strengths of our new album I believe. On ‘The Hysterical Hunt’, the atmosphere continuously varies from dark and evil to heroic, melancholic and back. This results in a very dynamic and diverse album.

14.What are some of your non musical interests?
Jeroen: As most metal fans, I have a higher than average interest in horror movies. Aside from that, I enjoy creating artwork and video editing, which comes in really handy if you’re in a band.
Vincent: One of my other interests is reading, both fiction and non-fiction, including authors as Michael Crichton, Stephen King, Preston & Child, Richard Dawkings, Graham Hancock, Friedrich Nietzsche, etc.
Gaël: I’m into gaming, both table top games and video games.

15.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Vincent: No matter the band, if you like the music, then buy the music and visit the gigs. Not only the big ones but the smaller too. It is the only way we can survive and raise the money to write and record more music!

Facebook

Homepage

Instagram

ReverbNation

SoundCloud

Spotify

Twitter

YouTube