Feed Them Death/For Our Culpable Dead/Brucia Records/2020 EP Review

 

  Feed  Them  Death  are  a  solo  project  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  an  avant  garde  mixture  of  black,  sludge  metal,  experimental,  noise  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2020  ep "For  Our  Culpable Dead"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Brucia  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  guttural  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  while  experimental  and avant  garde  elements  as  well  as  some  synths  are  also  mixed  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music.

  All  of  the  musical instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very powerful  sound  to  them  while  a  small  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in some  of  the  guitar  riffing. Touches  of  sludge  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

 Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  one  track  also  adding  in  some  harsh  noises  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length and  on  the  closing  track  guitar  leads  can  also  be  heard.   The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Feed  them  Death  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  sludge,  death  metal,  grindcore,  avant  garde  and  experimental,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "For  Our  Culpable  Dead".8out  of  10.

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Nachtblut/Vanitas/Napalm Records/2020 Full Length Review

 

  Nachtblut  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  melodic,  symphonic  and  gothic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Vanitas" which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Napalm  Records.

  A  very  dark  sounding  synth  orientated  intro  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction.  Symphonic  elements  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  one  track  also  introduces  stringed  instruments  into  the  music  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while the  vocals  also  get  very  deep  sounding  at  times.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  one  track  also  adding folk  instruments  and  touches  of  goth  rock  onto  the  album  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  utilized  at  times.

  Clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks  along  with  all  of  the  songs  also  sounding  very  different  from  each  other.  A  lot  of  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  dark  metal  as  well  as  all  of  the  songs  also  sticking  to  a  mid  tempo  direction  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  death  metal growls and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  German  and  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Nachtblut  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  goth  metal and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Vanitas"  'Kaltes  herz"  "Meine  Grausamkeit  Kennt  Keine  Grenzen"  and  "Die  Toten  Vergresson  Nicht".  8  out  of  10.

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Ancient Thrones/The Veil/2020 Full Length Review

 

  Ancient  Thrones  are  a  band  from  Nova  Scotia,  Canada  that  plays  a  melodic  and  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "The  Veil"  which  will be  released in  November.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  brief  use  of  whispers  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical direction.  All  of  the  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  vocals  also  add  in  a  lot  of  black  metal  screams.

 Elements  of  thrash  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  death  metal  growls  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  along  with  some  tremolo  picking  also  being  added  into  some  of  the  faster   riffing.   

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  pars  as  well as  the  riffing  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very long  and  epic  in  length.

  One  track  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  piano's  along some  tracks  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  couple  of  instrumentals  are  also  added  onto  the  recording  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well as  one  track  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  symphonic  elements  and  at  times  the  music  also  gets  very progressive  and  technical sounding.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  and  cover  the  5 stages  of  grief.   

  In  my  opinion  Ancient  Thrones  are  a  very  great sounding  melodic  blackened  death  metal b and  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this musical  genre,  you  should check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Sight  Of  Oblivion"  "Viduus  (The  Veil)"  and  "The  Infinite  Eyes".8out  of  10.

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Chasmdweller/Bacterial Lotus/2020 Full Length Review

 

  Toronto,  Ontario,  Canada's  Chasmdweller  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  more  of  a  mixture  of  black,  death,  sludge  and  funeral  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2020  album  "Bacterial  Lotus".

  Drum  beats  and  heavy  riffs  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later.  Dark  sounding  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  90's  influences.  

  Black  metal screams  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  recording  while  all  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  During  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  elements  of  sludge  and  funeral  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  along  with  the  effects  and  synths  also  giving  the  songs  more  of  an  atmospheric  feeling,  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  At times  the  vocals  also  get  very  guttural  sounding  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  whispered  vocals  onto  the  recording  as  well  as  some  acoustic  guitars  and  spoken  word  parts  also  being  utilized  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the lyrics  cover  death  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Chasmdweller  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  death, sludge  and  funeral  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Septic  Coma"  and  "Oracle  Of  The  Innumbable  Truths".  8  out  of  10.

https://chasmdweller.bandcamp.com/album/bacterial-lotus    

Aeons Confer Interview

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

Bernhard: Hi there, thanks for this interview. Of course, we had a lot of stuff to do, since we have released our self-recorded, self-produced and self-mixed and -mastered album ZERO ELYSIUM. The main task was to spread the new album all around the world and reach so many metal fans and fans of the dark scifi genre as possible. It is not only that meanwhile we worked on a number of high energetical videos that feature songs from the album. We also extensively prepared a European tour in order to promote the new material also live, as it is imperative that people have to experience AEONS CONFER live and ruthless. Unfortunately, suddenly Covid-19 deleted our plans temporarily. What we now do is creating further videos to follow to give all the metalheads our there a maximum idea of what AEONS CONFER is about in 2020. By the way, we already gave birth to several new songs, in my opinion they are very innovative and brute, while they march on our path you can listen on SYMPHONIES OF SATURNUS as well as on ZERO ELYSIUM, I expect and know they reach at least the same legendary level. So, the direction is clear: heading forward with strength, independence and conviction.

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

Simon: ZERO ELYSIUM is a tight, massive, and focused bolide and it is different in so many ways than its predecessors. Although, we´ve used the same components but the approach and usage in terms of songwriting, arrangements & riffing style is quite different. This time, you will find less but well considered keyboards, more crushing and rousing grooves and even some djenty banger riffs.
Soundwise the album has a straightforward point-blank and minimalistic approach with a crystal clear and weighty production.It is also a great showcase that we are able to write and produce killer atmospheric music without the need of using 300+ tracks but only 60 tracks per song.

3.This was also your first album since 2013, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?

Nils: Until the end of 2015 we were mainly busy presenting `Symphonies Of Saturnus´ live on various club and festival stages in Europe, such as Summer Breeze, Metaldays, Tuska. After that we got down to writing, rehearsing and recording the songs for Zero Elysium. Our bass player at the time decided to leave the band, which made us wonder who could take over this job in the future. After careful consideration, our singer Bernhard picked up his 5-string again and from then on he felt extremely comfortable in the double role as a bass-playing singer. At the same time, we took care of the automation of our light show, created the artwork and merch from ZERO ELYSIUM and shot the video for IMPACTORS.

4.A lot of your lyrics also cover science fiction and dystopian themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in those topics?

Bernhard: We intend to transfer the special scifi atmosphere also on the lyrical side. All our lyrics treat deepest space and dystopian, apocalyptic, dark worlds. It is proper to the times we live in and I guess that is exactly the reason why people understand what we want to say. While the level of knowledge that mankind reached grows on every day at the same time we keep on destroying the ground we stand on. On ZERO ELYSIUM a protagonist recognizes that fact, this obviously human conflict, in the delicate situation facing numerous large objects on collision course towards planet Earth. He belongs to a minority that searches for a solution. To sum it, mankind is too weak and interests are too selfish to use our scientific knowledge and techniques to prevent this planet from the worst case, which finally happens: Dozens of impacts devastate the surface and eliminates greatest amounts of all life. Just some beings try to survive in the depths of the underground. Going down - that is the way humanity will have to go, we all know.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name ;Aeons Corner'?

Alex: I am sorry to correct you, however the band name is AEONS CONFER ;-) The name for the band obviously had to have some meaning behind it, and it would be quite interesting to hear how the fans come up with their own concepts on it. When we started out as a band, we wanted to have a name which reflected something so vast and massive it is almost impossible to fully grasp it. Aeons are the highest-ranking units in the subdivision of geological history and may span several hundred million to well over a billion years. Our life span as human beings are nothing more than a blink of an eye in this context, so this concept felt so right to utilize in the band name. The universe is huge beyond imagination, and all this incomprehensible interplay between space and time is something the name AEONS CONFER resembles to its fullest.


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

Alex: With the artwork, our goal was to visualize the concept we had behind the music and lyrics offered on ZERO ELYSIUM. Having the destruction of our earth as we know it imminent is obviously something eerie and dark. Those vibes which come across with our music certainly had to find way into the artwork. AEONS CONFER is known for sci-fi based topics, so this had to be considered as well, obviously. The cover and overall artwork also had to give some room for interpretation, and in the aftermath, it is quite interesting to hear what feedback fans give. We took a lot of time working on the visuals for ZERO ELYSIUM and had numerous revisions until everyone in the band was pleased with it. Overall, we believe that it fits perfectly and is well executed, so that the listener would have this overall experience when putting on the record and going through the pages of the booklet or checking out the sleeve of the LP. Armageddon is close, and this is THE soundtrack for it.

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?

Nils: Walpurgisrock, Apes Enraged and Meltdown were festivals where we had a lot of fun, a good show and an excellent time. We fired first-class club gigs in the Logo, Knust, Fundbureau and Kaiserkeller in Hamburg. We like a lot of fog at our gigs so that you can see our self created light show at it´s best. Personally, I refer to our stage performance as a neck-breaking-laser-steamroller, which invites every metalhead to headbanging. Take a look at our videos Impactors / Wise Deflector to see what we have prepared for you.

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

Alex: Of course, we did receive numerous offers in the past, but we had mixed feelings when looking at the conditions we got offered. On one hand, working with a label could result in more financial possibilities, and could provide opportunities in marketing which you would not have access to under other circumstances. On the other hand, right now we only must justify to ourselves and must measure our current success on our own actions. The way it works up to now is we have full creative and business control, which obviously something which is valuable and endeavored by us as artists. So, if we would choose signing with a record company, we would have to take all this into account and determine what we would take away from us in terms of self-determination. We achieved quite a lot with our very own hands, from producing albums, artwork, merchandising, marketing campaigns to playing shows worldwide. Working with an exterior company really should bring an extra push and surpass everything we already have achieved by ourselves.

9.The band has been around since the mid 90's, what is it that motivates you to keep going after a couple of decades?

Simon: To me, it is the urge to explore and expand my musical horizon and create something unique while becoming a better musician and songwriter and i think this journey will go ad infinitum. Another huge and essential component is that this band is greater than the sum of its parts. I mean, my brother and me play together now for 26 years and we are four musicians in this band with a collective vision and mindsetting. Last but not least, it´s simply just fun to play music together! So the rack-wheels keep going unstoppably!

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

Nils: The reactions were mostly positive, so we got the impression that we were welcomed with our music in the extreme metal community worldwide. Although our two longplayers `Symphonies Of Saturnus´ &` Zero Elysium´ differ from each other musically and technically in terms of production and sound, it was possible for us to attract and inspire fans already won with our new output. That made us very proud and at the same time showed that we are on the right track with our musical progress and that we are still accepted for that reason.

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

Bernhard: In former times it could happen, that members of the band were more or less active in several projects apart from AEONS CONFER. But actually, AEONS CONFER is too versatile and interesting that one of us would intend to have further projects or bands. We keep us focused and work with highest priority and I am convinced that people hear and see to which results this attitude leads. Parallel to our private life we use our synergy in the best and intensive way we can effort. If our energies would spread too far away, our albums would not sound as fulminant and mighty as they do.

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

Simon: Our agenda for further releases is filled with many different ideas and genres and what i can say for now, there surely will be some unexpected stuff to come. If you follow our musical background from the very beginning, you will notice a steady improvement of the course musically and that we are not disaffected by switching or blending different genres. Everything is possible, there is nothing to rule out.

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?

Simon: At the outset, we were heavily influenced by bands like Emperor and Arcturus. Emperor´s „Anthems to the welkin at dusk“ had the biggest impact on our musical direction, that album was a game-changer for us back then. Our all-time favorites are bands like Strapping young lad, SepticFlesh, Slipknot, Textures, Korn and Fear Factory, just to name a few. I´ve got a passion for movie soundtracks and game-music but i also can listen to celestial white noise for a couple of hours!

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

Alex: First and foremost, our sincere thanks to everyone who has supported AEONS CONFER so far, checked out ZERO ELYSIUM and gave us their feedback. We are grateful to have fans all over the world who really dig what we do, keep in touch with us and help spreading the word. It means everything to us, so THANK YOU and keep going! Also, thanks for the opportunity doing this interview! See you soon and keep an eye on the sky!

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Kevel/Mutatis Mutandis/I, Voidhanger Records/2020 CD Review

  Kevel  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  a  progressive  mixture  of  post  black  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Mutatis  Mutandis"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  I, Voidhanger  Records.

  Drum  beats  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.  All  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  guitar  leads  being  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  and  elements  of  post  hardcore  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  Vocals  are  done  in  a  deep  growling  style  while  the  slower  sections  of   the  songs  also  mixes  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  metal.  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  black  metal  influences.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  synths  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  an  atmospheric  feeling  when  they  are  utilized  as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  clean  playing  onto  the  recording  and  the  music  also  has  its  progressive  moments.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the lyrics  cover  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Kevel  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  mixture  of  post  black  and  sludge  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Terraforming"  and  "Utopia  Planita".  8  out  of  10.

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Nocte Obducta/Irrlicht/Supreme Chaos Records/2020 CD Review

  Nocte  Obducta  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  avant  garde  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Irrlicht"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Supreme  Chaos  Records.

  Drum  beats  and  heavy  riffing  starts  off  the  album  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.  A  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  keyboards  also  giving  the  songs  more  of  an  atmospheric  feeling  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  avant  garde  sounding  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard.

 Programmed  beats  can  also  being  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  one  song  also  introducing  melodic  vocals  onto  the  album  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  German  and  cover  dark  poetry,  nature  and  depression  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Nocte  Obducta  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  avant  garde  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Zuruck  im  bizarren  Theater"  "Der  alte  Traum"  and  "Noch".  8  out  of  10.

http://facebook.com/Nocte-Obducta-189142951148369

https://youtu.be/_kvThqeEQ6A    

Sarcator/Self Titled/Redefining Darkness Records/2020 CD Review

  Sarcator  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self titled  2020  album  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Redefining  Darkness  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  old  school  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats. Melodies  are  also  added  into  a  lot  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  blackened  metal  screams  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  elements  of thrash  metal.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  an  80's  influenced  style  of  extreme  metal.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  all of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  album  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

 The  music  also  mixes  in  a  lot  of  death  metal  influences  along  with  some  growls  also  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  synths  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  small amount  of  back  up  shouts  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard. The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Anti  Religion,  Blood,  Fire  and  Death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Sarcator  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black,  death  and  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out this  album. RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Abyssal  Angel"  "Midnight  Witchery"  "Heretic's  Domain"  and  "Purgatory  Unleashed".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/W-dka_z_aKE     

Kromheim/Self Titled/2020 EP Review

  Kromheim  are  a  solo  project  from  Poland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  viking,  folk  and  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  and  self  released  2020  ep.

  Melodic  guitar  leads  start  off  the  ep  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  growls  and s creams  which  also  add  in  touch  of  black  metal.  The  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  Swedish  influences  and  when t he  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  elements  of  folk  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  recording.  When  synths  are  utilized  they  also  add  in  more  of  a  symphonic  style  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  used  briefly,  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  clean  vocals  onto  the  recording.

  Kromheim  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  folk,  viking,  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  Vikings  and  Medieval  Fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Kromheim  is  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  viking,  folk,  melodic  death  and  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Prayer"  and  "Storm  Of  The  Gods".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56xxRBMscbk&feature=youtu.be

https://kromheim.bandcamp.com/releases

https://www.facebook.com/kromheim/ 

Nocturn Interview

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

Séb : Hello and many thanks for asking. Vincent and I decided in 2009/2010 to create Nocturn with a bunch of old friends who had already
played together on several previous local metal bands .I was abroad a few years and came back at that time, and as all of us, with the objective to mix
all our influences on a melodic black/death basis and have some fun by playing a kind of duo/duel between the guitars
and the keyboards. We realized 2 EP, had a few line up changes like almost every bands, and we are now releasing our first album,
"Like a seed of Dust".

Vince : Nocturn is a melodic death/black project with various influences. Seb founded the band, then called me to renew our past collaboration in music.
We released a first EP in 2013, had a few live dates until 2015,until we had to face a big line-up change.
We took the time we needed to get the perfect members for Nocturn, and with the new team we entered in studio in summer 2018. The mixing and mastering were performed in summer 2019,
and after a while seeking for a good label, we signed with Sliptrick Records, that we thank for their trust in our project, in february 2020. The next album is in advanced process.

2.In September you have a new album coming out, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?

Vince : We always wanted to play something dark, speed, but with no limits of in songwriting influences or orchestrations. Black and death metal are present in our music,
but also a backing of heavy/speed metal, thrash metal, classical music...
The keyboards orchestrations explore  various parts from choir melodies to teknical beats, we try to keep rich instrumentation's and harmonies between the instruments without becoming a mess.

Seb : The main style is mainly death metal, but we also love other styles and the fun for us was to add something else and different on every song, so you can sometimes find a reggae riff or
some little electro/techno moments. Anything that we liked and without fixing us any limits because it's not "trve"
or something else, just to have fun. A big patchwork.

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

Vince : Death, life, war, love, destruction, anger, drugs, hope, duality, fragility of existence... Some texts are allegories told like a story, some are thoughts, some may be personnal. 

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

Vince : I like the night. The veil of darkness covering the land, predators hungry for flesh, creatures of evil hidden in the shadows or in our hearts...
Not about the Skyrim deadras !

Seb : We tried a few other names but this one was really the one we prefered.

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

Vince : It was created by Jean-Philippe Sonnet at Threadbare artwork. I was seeking for a drawing that represented beauty and fragility of life, decay and rebirth.
Our album is released for the fall, that perfectly suits with the concept.

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

Vince : Our best shows were in little and medium stages at Chambéry, at the Brin d'Zinc and at the APEJS. People were completely crazy, it was a killer public both times. Our performance was good, but we always can do better.

7.On the new album you also have a few guests, can you tell us a little bit more about who they are and also their contributions on the recording?

Vince : The first album guest is now part of the band, it was Sophie , singer and composer in her project 'From Hell with Love'. She performed all the clean female vocals of the album
and a part of dual voice with her harsh vocals upon 'The wraith in bloodied wings'. It worked so perfectly that she joined our crew definitely a few while after, and now I share
the microphone with her in dual voices.

Gilles Croset is a saxophonist that we met as the friend of a friend, who gently helped us with his instrument for a very special part in the song 'Under the Darkest Sea'.
We were glad to record a real saxo instead of the emulated sound on keyboards.

The other guests were a surprise for me too, because our two producers Rob and Arnaud who are also extremely talented singers in their own bands,
came behind the microphone to perform backing vocals, and they recorded killing material.

Rob Carson is the engineer who recorded us at his Carsonian Studio Solutions, and the singer of Xaon (they record their 3rd album lately). He came to perform with Léo and I for the gang vocals
on several songs : Pandaemonium, Liberhate and Odyssey. He was also a real support in some complexes studio situations and dilemmas, findind solutions to every production matter we faced.

Arnaud Ménard is the engineer who recorded all the bass guitars and vocal additionnal contents, and mixed our album with this incredible sound in his Sicarius Productions studio.
He is vocal teacher at 'Ecole La Sirène and also the singer of Alkemyst. He performed the vocal harmony with Sophie upon the song 'Infernale', and the melting of their crystal voices sounds incredibly good. 

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

We contacted many labels but as a little band we had some propositions that was not always interesting, with A&R good reviews but no good deals in sight before Sliptrick Records proposition.
Carlo, their A&R, and the team took the time to really listen to our album before making us a proposition, and they were honests.
We took the time we needed to find a label, because autoproductions are complicated to promote and it's important for the future of Nocturn. The next album is under preparation and
everyone is hot to play the past and the next songs. 

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

Some years ago, I started to invite people all over the world to like our music.
I was positively surprised by very good feedbacks, and we have people that liked our music almost everywhere : Europa, Russia, North and South America, Africa, India, Indonesia, Japan...
It's great !!

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

Vince : We will continue to play a melodic and technical death/black metal, and Sophie will sing more harsh vocal parts.
The next album will be in the same vein that the wraith in blooded wings, liberhate... with still many types of passages and ambiences.

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?

Vince : When I was young I studied classical piano in a music school during some years, that explain my neo-classical tastes sometimes.
I fell into distorded guitars when I discovered Scorpions, Deep Purple, Van Halen, Clapton, Aerosmith, AC/DC ...
I discovered something that could aggressive and beautiful at the same time and it surely defined my taste for metal music.
I still listen to old school heavy metal, thrash, death black metal. Bands like Iron Maiden, Blind Guardian, Gamma Ray, Angra, Sepultura, Pantera, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer,
Death, Cradle, Immortal, Dying foetus, Dimmu, Behemoth,Children of Bodom, Godkiller, Summoning, Dissection, The Faceless, Origin, SOAD, Dagoba, Rammstein, Guns'n Roses, Hendrix,
only a part of each's discography; also mostly classical, blues and rock influences, there are countless .
But during the songwriting processes I don't listen much music, to avoid parasitizing the creation and fully express myself.

Seb : About the influences, they are really a lot and really different too ! We could say from Chuck Schuldiner to Jean michel Jarre for example !

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

Vince : Thanks again to our producers Arnaud and Rob, and to all the artists involved in this project. I hope you will enjoy this album.
Thanks to you and to A Different Shade Of Black Metalzine for your interest, and hails to your audience ! Cheers !

Seb : Thank you again for this interview and your interest in our music, we hope you will appreciate it. Cheers

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