Battlesoul Interview

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

Answer:

Since recording the new album, time was spent on getting the artwork and other detail for the album sorted.  Time spent together as a band since finishing Sunward and Starward has been mostly spent rehearsing the new material.

2. You have a new album coming out in February, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

Answer:

I would say that this album turned out darker. There is still some folk influences and you can still tell it's us playing but overall I think it's more of a metal album then our previous ones.

3. This is your first album in 5 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time?

Answer:

Song writing for what was to become Sunward and Starward started right away after Tir Na Nog was released.  The recording/production process is what really took the most time over the 5 years.  As with our previous albums - this one was self-recorded/mixed/mastered.  This time however, it was a struggle to get it to a point that I was happy with.  Even to the point where we re-recorded the drums three times. This can be the downside of self-producing and why it's not necessarily recommended. I would have preferred this album to be released sooner but we weren’t going to rush it.

4. Your Lyrics cover a lot about Celtic mythology and history, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

Answer:

Our singer Jon Doyle solely handles the lyrics.  I must say I think he does a great job and I am always excited to see what he comes up with. I feel like he has a great way of bringing the story out of the song. I personally like Celtic mythology and history because the epic themes that comes along with it.

5. What is the meaning behind the name Battlesoul?

Answer

Mike Grund, who was the founding guitar player, came up with it.  My interpretation is that it’s the warrior spirit found inside of you.  Summon up your Battlesoul!



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

Answer:

We have fun on stage and we hope that people watching have fun too.

We have been fortunate enough to have played with lots of great bands. Playing with Sabaton and with TYR would definitely be highlights for me.

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

Answer:

Nothing, as of right now.

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

Answer:

For the most part feedback has been positive. Some negative that it's good to hear all sides. It's great reading reviews from all over world. It gives you a sense of how metal really is a worldwide community.

9. 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.

Answer:

I am currently not in another project and am actually not too sure what the other guys are up to with regard to their other projects.

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

Answer:

Not sure really, I can’t say that Battlesoul is heading in any specific direction currently.

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays.

Answer:

It's tough to say.  Every member has there owns distinct preference and there are few bands/styles that the members of Battlesoul can agree upon - all our answers would be different. For me, I am always a big fan of film scores and you can definitely here the influence on the album, that and trying to incorporate doom type riffs. This morning I was listening to some Man-O-War and Master of Puppets.



12. What are some of your non-musical interests?

Answer:

I also record bands so most of my time is spent doing music.  However when I do have free time,  I quite enjoy learning about history.

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

Answer:

Thank you for the interview. I would like to thank CDN Records and Black Element for all the work that they are putting into 'Sunward and Starward'.  I would also like to thank everyone who has taken the time to check out Battlesoul, it is appreciated!

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Battlesoul/Sunward And Starward/CDN Records/2018 CD Review

  Battlesoul  are  a  band  from  Ontario,  Canada  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  melodic  form  of  Celtic  blackened  death  metal  with  a  touch  of  folk  and  power  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Sunward  And  Starward"  which  will  be  released  in  February  by  CDN  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album along  with  a  great  amount of  blast  beats  while  power  metal  style  vocals  and  melodic  riffing  are  added  onto  the  recording  a  few  seconds  later  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  the  music  also  mixing  in Celtic  folk  music  elements.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts while  the  tremolo picking  brings  in  elements  of  black  metal  along  with  some atmospheric  sounding  keyboards  as  well  as  some  screams  and  death  metal  growls  also  being  used  at  times  as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  some  songs  also bring  in  a  small  amount  of  female  vocals  and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Battlesoul  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  black  and  brutal  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  folk  and  power  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Celtic  Themes  and  History.

  In  my  opinion  Battlesoul  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  brutal  mixture  of  black,  death,  folk  and  power  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "All  I  Understand"  "The  Watcher"  "The  loss  Of  Sons"  and  "Break  The  Day".  8/3  out  of  10.

Battlesoul