Shrykull/Temple Steps/Trepanation Recordings/2020 Split Album Review

 

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  United  Kingdom's  Shrykull  and  Temple  Steps  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Trepanation  Recordings  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Shrykull  a  duo  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black, sludge,  doom,  death  metal,  grind  and  hardcore.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  distorted  amp  sounds  before  going  into  a  heavier  doom  metal  direction  which  also  captures  the  heaviness  of  sludge  metal.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  all of  the  musical  instruments  on  their  side  of  the  recording  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  The  mid  tempo  sections  of their  songs  also  show an  influence  of  hardcore  along  with  their  second  track  being  a  cover  of  Grief's  "I  Hate  The  Human  Race"  which  also  introduces  death  metal growls  onto  their  side  of  the  recording.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dystopian  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Shrykull  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of    black, sludge,  doom,  death  metal,  grind  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "The  Misanthrope".

  Next  up  is  Temple  Steps  a  duo  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very slow, dark,  heavy  and  melodic  doom  metal  sound  while  the  bass  guitar  also  adds  in  the  heaviness  of sludge  metal.  The  vocals  are  also  done  in  a  screaming  style  along  with  all  of  the music  sticking  to  a  slower  direction  as  well  as  the  second  track  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  whispers.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  misanthropic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Temple  Steps  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Snapped  Crook".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  black,  sludge  and  doom  metal.  

Booking and info (Shrykull) – https://shrykull.bandcamp.com/

Booking and info (Temple Steps) - https://templesteps.bandcamp.com/

Facebook (Shrykull) - https://www.facebook.com/shrykull

Facebook (Temple Steps) - https://www.facebook.com/TempleSteps

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  would  recommend

 

  

Vulgarian/Human Scum/2020 Full Length Review

  Vulgarian  are  a  band  from  Denver,  Colorado  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  sludge  metal  and  hardcore  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2020  album  "Human  Scum"  which  will  be  released  on  October  30th.

  Drum  beats  start  off  the  album  along  with  a  very  powerful  sounding  bass  guitar  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  elements  of  sludge  metal  onto  the  recording.  Vocals  are  mostly  angry  sounding  screams  which  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  dark  sounding  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  riffing.

  Growls  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  music while  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  the  raw  energy  of  hardcore  punk.  A  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  all  of  the  music  also  always  sticks  mostly  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  and  musical  direction  as  well  as  always  remaining  very  heavy  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  fast  playing  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.

  Vulgarian  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  sludge  metal,  crust  and  hardcore  punk  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  anti  racism,  corruption,  police,  state  violence  and    the  overall  erosion  of  human  rights.

  In  my  opinion  Vulgarian  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  sludge  metal,  crust  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Human  Scum" "Shithole" and  "Drown  In  A  Swamp".  8 out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/vvlgarian 

https://twitter.com/Vvlgarian

https://instagram.com/vvlgarian?igshid=15md9w0aynyyc 

https://vulgarian.bandcamp.com/            

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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Lucynine Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
 Hi! Sure. I've always been a hungry listener of any genre and also as a musician and composer I've never been able to follow a single line, even if I've always been attracted by what's obscure and violent. So, after playing in many bands, I decided to put on a solo project as a multi-instrumentalist and composer that would have allowed me to work in total self-sufficiency (I'm always on the move, so it's hard for me to keep on a proper band). There comes Lucynine.

2.You have your first full length coming out towards the end of July, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
 I'd say it's more sincere. It's not angry and dark because the genre wants to, but because this record tells true stories, with the right mood.

3.From 2013 to 2020 there was no music being released, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?
 Well, no music has been released under the monicker Lucynine, but I worked on various projects with my own name. Most of all I worked on two short movies: “Block E, 4th Floor” (script, direction, music, everything apart the acting voice) and “Engine of Time” (only audio and soundtrack).

4.The lyrics on the new recording are a concept album, can you tell us a little bit more about the songwriting?
 “Amor Venenat” means “Love Envenoms” in Latin. I started working on this record after I lost my husband for a cancer in 2018. We've been together for 11 years and I fell into depression and felt the need of throwing a lot of shit out of me. This album was very therapeutic in that sense... I never had an easy relationship with love sphere: born homosexual in a strict Catholic family, affairs with men much older than me, not always easy to manage, then the loss of the one I had chosen to share my life with... So I really needed to shout out a lof of regret and pain. And the concept the album is built around is a sort of portrait of me. Well, a kind of portrait of me in that very moment.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Lucynine'?
 The first half of the monicker Lucynine comes both from Lucifer both from the famous song by The Beatles “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” since a psychedelic component has always been relevant in my music. Number nine is both a magical number by itself, both a “six” upside down, to remind to the Number of the Beast. It's rock'n'roll, isn't it?

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
 It's meant to include more concepts in the same picture: pain (the rope), sex/love (the man naked), but also the caducity of old age, religion (the red light reminds of vestments of a catholic cardinal). All these concepts are related to each other in the album.

7.You work mostly as a solo artist, would you be open to expanding into a full line up on future releases?
 I don't think so. I could think of a band for a live situation or many featured artists on next releases, but not a band.

8.You also have a few quests on the new album, can you tell us a little bit more about who they are and also their contributions to the recording?
 Sure! They all are famous actors and dubbers here in Italy (Dario Penne, for example is the Italian voice of Anthony Hopkins, Michael Caine, Tommy Lee Jones, Christopher Lloyd and many others). You see, I'm very bound to theatre, I work as a stage photographer, I collaborate with actors in many ways and most of my friends are actors too, so, since I wrote things that were meant to be spoken and not sung, I thought the best actors I knew would have been the best choice for those verses to be played.
I know that contributions could be a limitation for not Italian speaking people, but I hope their curiosity will win on this and push them to search for the meaning or... just listening to the whole album enjoying it.

9.Earlier this year you also released an ep tribute to 'Titor', what was the decision behind the tribute?
 It all started as a quarantine joke and ended in a serious double single. Titor have been both dear friends of mine, both one of my favourite hardcore punk bands ever. So it came out quite naturally.

10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of experimental, avant garde and extreme metal?
 I still have to understand it, because my 2013 EP didn't have much promotion, so “Amor Venenat” is the first time I have a serious promoting agency, a serious label, etc. Let's see what happens. I really can say I did all the best I could do.

11.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future/
 I'm really insecure so I never expect too much and try to enjoy everything good happens to me. So I can't make predictions. What I really really dream is to be called for a movie soundtrack.

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/
 I listen to many different genres, from classical music to jazz, from trip hop to crust punk, so it could turn into a very long reply ahahah! What I can say is that The Beatles changed my life when I was a child, Iron Maiden changed it again when I was 11, Devin Townsend when I was 16, Meshuggah when I was 18, Portishead when I was 20, and so on. In my shelves you can find from Rachmaninoff to Dark Funeral, from David Bowie to Gorillaz. These days I'm really into Bandcamp and looking for unknown good bands that do amazing things with nearly no budget. Maybe today you can discover better things from little labels or DIY scenery than among big majors. Well, maybe not only today!

13.What are some of your non musical interests?
 Literature, art, cinema, all that involves expression. I myself am a photographer and videomaker, so my different jobs in music and creativity really overlap with my interests. And it's a huge privilege today.

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for the time you spent with me and for your interest in what I do. I wish people will enjoy my music and find out what's behind it and maybe... pieces of real life that deserve thoughts and meditation.

www.lucynine.com
www.facebook.com/lucynine
www.instagram.com/lucynine.official
https://lucynine.bandcamp.com

Lucynine/Amor Venenat/Inverse Records/2020 CD Review

 Lucynine  is  a  solo  project  from  Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  post  black,  sludge,  doom  metal, punk,  crust,  hardcore,  darkwave  and  experimental  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2020  album  "Amor  Venenat"  which  will  be released  in  July by  Inverse  Records.

   Music  and  spoken  word  samples start off  the  album  before  going  into  a   very  fast  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking.Vocals  are  mostly grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.  Keyboards  are  also  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times.

   All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  some  tracks  also  bring  in  clean  singing  along  with  some  tracks  also  adding  in  elements  of  post  rock  and  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  noisy  style  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Spoken  word  parts  also  make  a  return  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  as  well  as  the  music  also  having  its  experimental  moments  and  some  tracks  show  an  influence  of  darkwave.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  sounding  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  adding  in  some  touches  of  post  punk,  crust  and  hardcore  and  all  of  the  tracks  also  sound  very  different  from  each  other,  death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  psychedelic  and  blues  rock  elements  can  also  be heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  the  darkest  and  most  negative  sides  of  love.

  In  my  opinion  Lucynine  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  post  black,  sludge,  doom  metal,punk,  crust,  hardcore,  darkwave  and  experimental,  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "-Nine  Eleven"  "Things  I'll  Never  Know"  "White  Roses"  and  "Everyone  O  Lovedis  Dead". 8out  of  10.

www.lucynine.com
www.facebook.com/lucynine
www.instagram.com/lucynine.official
https://lucynine.bandcamp.com 

https://youtu.be/wfrVLjBgs4g

Okkultokrati/La Ilden Lyse/Southern Lord Recordings/2020 CD Review

  Norway's  Okkultokrati  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  into  more  of  a  mixture  of  black'n'roll,  sludge  metal  and  hardcore  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "La  Ilden  Lyse" which  was  released  by  Southern  Lord  Recordings.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.  Elements  of  black'n'roll  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  album  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  At  times  the  music  also  captures  the  raw  energy  of  hardcore  punk  while  the  keyboards  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  a  psychedelic  and  ritualistic  feeling  when  they  are  utilized.  The  guitar  riffing  also  adds  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  metal  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.,  melodic  guitar  leads  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  On  this  recording  Okkultokrati  takes  black'n'roll,  sludge  metal  and  hardcore  punk  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Luciferian,  Thelema,  Occultism,  Moon  Worship  and  Transcending  Death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Okkultokrati  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black'n'roll,  sludge  metal  and  hardcore  punk, you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Thelemic  Threat"  "Grimoire  Luciferian  Dream"  "Kiss  Of  Death"  and  "The  Dying  Grass  Moon".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.okkultokrati.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/okkultokrati

http://www.okkultokrati.bandcamp.com

Throwing Bricks/What Will Be Lost/Tartarus Records/2020 Full Length Review

  Throwing  Bricks  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black, sludge  metal,  hardcore  punk  and  screamo  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "What  Will  Be  Lost"  which  was  released  by  Tartarus  Records.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies.  The  slow  riffs  also  add  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  metal  along  with  the  vocals  being  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  growls  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a very  melodic  style.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  while  the  music  also  brings  in  elements  of  screamo  and  hardcore  punk.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  a  couple  of  the  tracks  also  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  The  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  clean  playing  also  making  a  return  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  and  as  the  album  progresses  atmospheric  sounding  drones  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  emotional  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Throwing  Bricks  are  a  very  great sounding  mixture  of  black,  sludge  metal, hardcore  and  screamo  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Day  He  Died"  and  "Galling".  8  out  of  10.


https://www.facebook.com/throwingbricksband/

https://throwingbricksband.bandcamp.com/  

WOWS 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?

Hi there, first of all thanks a lot for your interest in our band! Sice we’re in lockdown since 11 of march, poeple can just listen to our music digitally or buy our merch, unfortunately no live shows. Anyway we feel the new album has been welcomed in the metal scene and we are so glad about it. 

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

It differs quite a lot. We continue our research on atmospheres ut we added more aggressiveness as well as more depth in our music. In 5 years we gew a lot as musiciand and as peolple, our personalities became more complex and more mature, and all this is into Ver Sacrum.

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

We played a lot. Mainly that but also we met a loto f musician, labels, venues, artists that help us to have different prospectives on music and on how to be a band. Without then our music would have suffered, that’s for sure.

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?

We don’t have a message, such as political or ideological, none of that. Our goal is chatarsis, abstraction and detachment from reality. Our lyrics are very poetic, ermetic and surrealistic, we describe deam-like (better nightmare-like) scenarios, it’s like a fairy tale but a very fucked up, dark and disturbing. Ver Sacrum is a celebration of the path that goes from destruction to emptiness, rebirth and than desctruction again, all lyrics are functional to this concept.

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

The name was supposed to be an acronym for War On Wall Street, but then the name WOWS claimed his own life, so we lose the dots and keept it that way. We like it for the sound, nothing to do with the exclamation “wow!”. We also discover that wows is a parameter on old analog delays, a weird effect generated by the tape, and yeah we kind of feel like a weird sound effect I guess.

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

The front artwork is a oil on canvas painting by Paolo Girardi. It’s the second cover that Paolo painted for us, for Ver Sacrum he took inspiration from the earthquakes that shook Italy and caused a loto f death and pain. So you can see the destroyed structures and the smoke in the sky, a perfect representation of destruction, such as the very beginning of the path we celebrate in Ver Sacrum.

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?

Well I have to say we enjoy almost every gig we had. We played Rottura del Silenzio and Krakatoa fest, amazing venues with amazing bands, but we also remember gladly our first tours with Postvorta and Zolfo, of our gigs in our hometown Verona at Colorificio Kroen or at The Factory. I would describe our performances as deep, heavy, loud, ritualistic and atmospheric, but it’s really up to everybody else to confirm that.

8.The new album was also released through a good amount of labels, can you tell us a little bit more about the labels you worked with on the new album?

Sure! Dio Drone was the first label who showed interest in our new album and we are really happy for this, we look up to every artist in the label and we love the dark and atmospheric attitude they have, we feel very close to their vision of music and art. Shove records is a historic DIY label on Italy, an istitution for the hardcore and estreme scene in Italy as well as mailorder of pretty unique titles, we are so glad to e a part of it! They also recently loaded all releases on bandcamp, i strongly suggest to look it up! We came across Coypu Records and Hellbones Records in the processo of looking for a label, we liked each other and we decide to collaorate. We are very happy of our labels, we like DIY scene, it’s full of passion and love for music. Coypu Records in particolar is not a metal label, they just put out what they like, so we are even more happy to be a part of it alongside great artist like Soviet Soviet, even if the musical genere is diferent; we love this attitude, pure passion!

9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black, doom, post metal and hardcore?

Reviews are going nicely, we get a lot of appreciation, for sure more than the previous release, I hope we’ll have the same interest also in live shows, when it will be possible of course.

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

We have some ideas, surely we won’t follow any mainstream line, but we could say it only when we actually have new music I think.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

We are six people so I would say a lot. I speak for myself, I like graphical arts and in this lockdown I started drawin a lot. If you wanna know more I’m afraid you have to buy us each a beer.

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

Thanks to everyone interested in our music, thanks to everybody who helped us to realize Ver Scarum, you know who you are!

https://www.facebook.com/thewows/  - https://thewows.bandcamp.com/

WOWS/Ver Sacrum/Dio Drone/Shove Records/Coypu Records/Hellbones Records/2020 CD Review

  WOWS  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  post  black,  atmospheric  doom  metal  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Ver  Sacrum"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Dio  Drone,  Shove,  Coypu  and  Hellbones  Records.

  Atmospheric  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  keyboards  a  few  seconds  later  while  whispers  can  also  be  heard  briefly,  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking,  blast  beats  and  black  metal  elements  can  be  heard  as  well  as  some  dissonant  melodies.

  Vocals  are  done  in  mostly  an  angry  hardcore  shouting  style  while  also  mixing  in  some  blackened  touches.  Influences  of  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Most  of  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style,  clean  playing  is  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  album  as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  clean  post  metal  style  vocals  into  the  music.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  destruction  emptiness  and  rebirth  themes.

  In  my  opinion  WOWS  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  post  black,  atmospheric  doom  metal  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Mythras"  and  "Resurrecturis".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/thewows/  - https://thewows.bandcamp.com/

          

Rise Of The Stateless Wolf Interview

A - Strings Nomad, Spiritual Throat
F. - Strings and Fury Throat

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

A. - The R.O.T.S.W. project start in 2019. At that time all of us are involved in our strictly esoteric black metal project called Nurmur. We decided to put our force and dedication into a new entity, where our musical attitude and styles will not be caged into a specific genre/scene. The mission: explore meditative sound and turn them into furious vehemence.

2.So far you have released an ep, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?

A. - A dark mixture of our influences/style put together to match the lyrical concept. Crust/d-beat drum pattern and Black-Death metal riffs to give a violent ripetitive-obsessive texture and furious, low and not so clean vocals.

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

A. - The main lyrical topic is simple yet ambitious: the eternal climb to the one's self Holy Mountain, and the risk of failure that a quest like this can involve.
In fact, this EP is dedicated to Emilio Salgari, a famous Italian writer of the past century who has write hundreds of book describing in details places and territory he never visited. A man with a powerful and limitless mind. In the same powerful way he ended his life with Seppuku. The ritual suicide.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Rise Of The Stateless Wolf'?

A. - After thousands of years of migration under persecution, the wolf is indeed a stateless animal. Driven by his instinct of survival, that made him the antithesis of the modern man...let's celebrate him, he didn't surrender!

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

A. - The Elephant's head with a broken tusk...will forever be our animal guide. In the induistic tradition he represent the instinct of survival, destruction of obstacles, equilibrium, an archetipe full of simbolic meanings. To put him on our first cover art was more mandatory than natural.

6.Has the band had any opportunities to do any live shows yet?

F. - We had to do our first concert in May, but due of Covid-19 virus that is scourging our country, everything is postponed.
We will be ready when the time comes.

7.The ep was released on 'Italian Extreme Underground', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

F. - Italian Extreme Underground is my DIY label/distro. Born in 2014 as a Facebook page (still active), it turned into a label/distro a few years later and has a dozen releases.
For info: https://www.facebook.com/italiaextreme / http://ieudistro.altervista.org / https://italianextremeunderground.bandcamp.com

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

F. - We are trying to get our music out of Italy, at the moment we don't have much feedback from abroad. But those few we have, they have been positive.

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

F. - After this EP is it worth considering the idea of doing a full-length? We do not know this.
When we meet after this quarantine period we will think about the path that our project will take.
Musically we set no limits. We take every source of inspiration and even this dark moment of our life will help us, especially for the lyrics.

10.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?

A. - Musically speaking, our main influences are the Crust/D-beat fury of acts like Discharge and Wolfpack; the lyrical and atmospheric exploration of Inquisition and few other Black Metal band, the old-school thrash and death metal scene, particulary the album Schizophrenia from Sepultura and the complete discography of Bolt Thrower. Godflesh and Mysticum for the use of drum machine. And some neo folk act like Death in June and Current 93.
Speaking of new band, Mitochondrion, Portal, Youth Code.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

A. - Read, study, meditate and training for the end.

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

A./F.- We want to thank again your 'zine for giving us this space to promote our project and for the review...OSU

https://www.facebook.com/rotsw/

Rise Of The Stateless Wolf/Born Dead/Year Of The Rats/Italian Extreme Underground/2020 EP Review

  Rise  Of  The  Stateless  Wolf  are  a  band  from  Italy that  plays  a  mixture  of  black, sludge  metal and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  ep  "Born  Dead/Year  Of  The  Rats" which  was  released  by  Italian  Extreme  Underground.

  Dark  sounding  synths  start  off  the  ep  before  adding  in  a  very  powerful  sounding  bass  guitar  while  the  slower  riffing  brings  in  elements  of  sludge  metal.  Vocals  are  mostly  blackened  metal  screams  along  with  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  showing  an  influence  of  hardcore.

  Dark  sounding  melodies  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats.  The  songs  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  modern  and  old  school  influences  along  with  some  touches  of  crust  punk  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  finally  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  chaotic  style and  spoken  word parts,  demonic  voices  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  on  the  closing  track.

  Rise  Of  The  Stateless  Wolf  plays  a  musical  style that takes black  sludge  metal,  crust  and  hardcore  and  mixes them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  spiritual  and  death  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  Rise  Of  The  Stateless  Wolf  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black, sludge  metal,  crust  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Born  Dead/Year  Of  TT.O.Dhe  Rats"  and  "T.O.D".  8  out  of  10.

https://italianextremeunderground.bandcamp.com/album/i-e-u-009-rise-of-the-stateless-wolf-born-dead-year-of-the-rats

    

Hallowed Hands/Bleeding Pixels/Blue Bedroom Records/2020 EP Review

Hallowed  Hands  are  a  duo  from  Madison,  Wisconsin  that  plays  a  progressive  form  of  post  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  ep  "Bleeding  Pixels"  which  was  released  by  Blue  Bedroom  Records.



  Growling  death  metal  vocals  and  heavy  riffing  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some black  emtal  screams  a  few  seconds  later.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  yet  progressive  style  and  some  of  the  mid  tempo  riffing  and  shouts  shows  an  influence  of  hardcore.



  Elements  of  post  metal  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  a  touch  of  sludge  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  music.  Video  game  samples  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  the  whole  recording  mostly  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction  and  the  music  also  speeds  up  briefly  on  the  closing  track  and  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.

  Hallowed  Hands  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  death,  sludge,  progressive  metal,  hardcore  and  video  game  music  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own. The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cove r video  games,  wasted  youth,  health  problems  and  growing  up.

  In  my  opinion  Hallowed  Hands  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  post  black  metal  band  with  elements  of  death,  sludge  metal  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bullet  Hell"  and  "Final  Form".  8  out  of  10.

  

Sick Sad World 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?

Since the album came out we've had lots of feedback from the media, news and articles, for the most part very positive. We've played a few gigs too, but not as many as we'd like. We also recently released a music video. All of this allowing us to gain notoriety, listeners and fans, little by little.


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

That was in February... it was the video that came out in August. What's changed with our new album, compared to our older ones is probably that it's more mature and definitely darker. We have some tracks that are more violent, almost black metal, on this album. The previous one was more ambient.


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

We are not full-time musicians, so unfortunately we can't invest as much time in the band as we'd like. During the past few years we've worked on our old tracks to better perform them and written some new ones. Recording the album also took almost a year, from initial planning to release.


4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore on the new album and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?

Our lyrics on the whole are pretty dark tales. They are sometimes based on true stories such as “The Family” about the Manson family, on fiction like “The Rope” about a deserter during war times, or on a personal observation of society like “Market” about consumerism. Many things inspire the lyrics, such as watching a documentary or film, or reading a book or a news article about a certain subject. I did not set any rules or themes in particular for the album. Lyrics just need to adhere to the general feel and rhythm of the track. Regarding evolution, whether in the text or the music, I'd say that with time we are indeed more and more mature.  This is to be expected because as we age we gain experience musically but also at life in general.


5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Sick Sad World'?

The name comes from the MTV cartoon “Daria”. It's the name of a TV news report, often cynical, in this also cynical cartoon. To begin with Sick Sad World had a bit of a crossover punk-metal side. It was precisely this cynicism that suited us. Eventually, with time, the group evolved towards a darker and more melancholy style of music. The name ultimately still works well, although on a more literal level now. I'm afraid that this might go along with the changes in the world today.


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

The cover art was done by illustrator and tattoo artist Berenice Tattoo. It began as a photo of a dead crow, which she retouched to create something more aesthetic. The crow is a unifying thread for us, as they were present on our previous albums cover art. On the last album they flew, now it's a single dead crow. This ties in with the darker evolution of our music. The rest of the art was done by Karoline Horn, who supplemented the work done by Bérénice.

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?

This all depends on what you mean by “best shows”. Those with the biggest audience, those where we've laughed the most, those that have given us the most pleasure... Often concerts where we're the opening act for a “big” group are cool because there's a big crowd and we're just there to warm up the room, to give our all in a short period with nothing to lose. This was the case when we played with Rosetta or with Hypno5e, for example. We've also played some gigs in small bars, with smaller audiences but where we really had a good time, were welcomed warmly by the venue, and enjoyed good food and a friendly atmosphere. This is something different, but equally pleasant.

On stage, when we're in a venue that allows for it technically, we play with little lighting and often a bit on retreat, and we play a video on a screen behind us. We don't have a particular desire to be in the limelight, so becoming shadows within aesthetic lighting effects, with the film as a backdrop which goes with the music creates a different ambiance, which allows the audience to enter the vibe, enter our universe, without scrutinizing everything we do.



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

One of our members will become a first-time father in about a month, so we've decided to slow down the rhythm a bit until the end of the year. We have some concerts planned in the West of France: Rennes, Bordeaux and maybe Nantes. To be honest, we're not always very active in seeking out gigs, we usually rather wait until they come to us.


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

As I've mentioned in other interviews, something that surprises us each time we release an album or video is that we have more success internationally than in France. Our music must not be suited to France, as most of the interest in our band, most of the fans who contact us, and even most merch and album sales come from foreign countries. Reactions are 100% positive so far.  It's rather funny because some fans must take us for a much bigger French group than we really are. We've had some comical surprises, like seeing one of our tracks used in the Instagram video of a New York chef, or following debates about our album on Russian forums. We struggle to understand this!



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

I honestly don't know, as our recent compositions are all over the place. The most recent track, for example, is clearly doom, almost psyche. That said, we enjoy exploring different styles. When we finished recording Imago Clipeata we decided that the passages that were more violent and tinted by black metal suited us well and that we should accentuate that. But ultimately, once improvising in our practice room, we ended up creating some doom! We try to set rules and structure ourselves but we never stick to it. In the end we improvise and we let ourselves be guided by the feeling.



11.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?

There are 5 of us and overall we all have different musical tastes. There is always one member that doesn't like one or another group. When it comes to groups that all 5 really like, there are but a few: Deftones, Russian Circles, Obscure Sphinx. On the other hand, when it's groups that the majority enjoy there are more options: Cult of Luna, Amen Ra, Solstafir, Envy, My Sleeping Karma, Mono, Agalloch, Emperor, Will Haven, Tool... In general we go for groups who play strongly on emotions and ambiance and who avoid clichés. In terms of what I'm listening to at the moment (I'm not sure for the others) there's Wear Your Wounds, Brutus and the soundtrack from the series Dark.



12.What are some of your non musical interests?

This also depends on the members. Some of us are fans of cinema or TV series, others are more sporty and go climbing, diving or wake-boarding. Some of us love art, exhibitions, museums, drawing, tattoos. For others it's nature, reading or ecology. There's just too much to include everything, and as with our musical tastes we would never find common ground for all 5 of us.


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

Simply: go listen to the album, and tell us what you think! These days everything is done at a distance, in a clinical way. People go onto platforms like Spotify, YouTube or Bandcamp, they hear our music, they like it or they dont, then they move onto something else.  All we get is statistics. If you've enjoyed it, send us an email or a Facebook message, or make a comment. It's great to have a direct link sometimes.

https://www.facebook.com/Sick-Sad-World-210123272410010/

Sick Sad World/Imago Clipeata/Atypeek Music/2019 CD Review

  Sick  Sad  World  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  atmospheric  black  metal,  sludge,  hardcore  and  post  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Imago  Clipeata"  which  was  released  by  Atypeek  Music.

  Spoken  word  samples  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  playing  a  few  seconds  later  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  which  also  introduces  high  pitched  black  emtal  screams  onto  the  recording.  Elements  of  sludge  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  music.

  The  songs  also  mix  in  elements  from  the  post  genres  of  metal,  hardcore  and  rock  while  the  riffs  also add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  atmospheric  sounding  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Some  of  the  riffing  also  adds  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  piking  along  with  most  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  some  blast  beats  also  being  utilized  when  the  music  speeds  up while  a    decent  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of the  guitar  riffing.

  One  track  also  introduces  clear  vocals  into the  music  as  well  as  clean  playing  also  making  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  spoken  word  parts  are  also  used  briefly  along  with  one  track  also  adding  melodic  shoegaze  influenced  guitar  leads  into  the  music  and  death  metal  growls  are  also  added  onto  the  closing  track.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sick  Sad  World  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  atmospheric  black  metal,  sludge,  hardcore  and  post  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Battlefield"  and  "Market".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PUIxXevhLc      

Sigil/Demonstration MMXIX/Funeral Trance/2019 Demo Review

  Sigil  are  a  band  from  Calgary,  Alberta,  Canada  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  demo  "Demonstration  MMXIX"  which  will  be  released  on  July  15th  by  Funeral  Trance.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  demo  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  The  vocals  bring  in  more  of  a  hardcore  and  sludge  style  as w ell  as  adding  in  a  few  growls  at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  style  tremolo  picking  can  be  heard.

  During  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Elements  of  post  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  guitar  leads  have  more  of  a  dissonant  approach  to  them.

  Sigil  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  sludge,  death  metal  and  hardcore  and  mixes  them  together  to  create    a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  alchemy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sigil  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  death  metal  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "EEldritch".  8  out  of  10.

http://sigilcalgary.bandcamp.com/album/demonstration-mmxix 

    

Vonnis/Bikini Season/Hypertension Records/2019 Full Length Review

  Vonnis  are  a  band  from  Belgium  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  sludge  metal,  grind  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Bikini  Season"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Hyptertension  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  whispered  vocals  can  also  be  heard  in  the  background  briefly.  Elements  of  harsh  noise  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  music  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  emtal  screams  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  sludge.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  solos  and  leads  when  they  are  utilized  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  style.  Blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  during  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  which  also  captures  the  speed  and  aggression  of  grindcore.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  bringing  in  elements  of  hardcore.  A  great  portion  of  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  while  tremolo  picking  riffs  can  also  be  heard  during  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  at  times  and  one  track  also  introduces  clean  playing  onto  the  recording.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  occult,  violent  and  angry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vonnis  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  sludge  metal,  grind  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Into  The  Hive"  "Inside"  "Evil  Again"  and  "H(A)unters".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTxLhIKPAWQ

The Munsens/Unhanded/Sailor Records/2019 CD Review

  The  Munsens  are  a  band  from  Denver,  Colorado  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  stoner  and  doom  metal  with  some  elements  of  punk  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Unhanded"  which  was  released  by  Sailor  Records.

  Clean  guitars  start  off  the  album  while  black  metal  screams  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording.  During  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  are  very  heavily  rooted  in  doom  metal.

  Elements  of  atmospheric  post  black  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  music  while  most  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  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  The  songs  also  mix  in  influences  of  stoner  metal,  punk  and  hardcore  throughout all  of  the  tracks  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  greed, mortality.  misanthropy,  religion,  history  and  American  capitalism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  The  Munsens  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  stoner  metal  with  some  elements  of  punk  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Pitiful"  and  "Rivers  Of  Error".  8  out  of  10.

https://themunsensnj.bandcamp.com/

Ssanahtes Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Fabien (vox, synth): We’re Ssanahtes, we’re 5 we play dark, luminous, heavy and progressive Music, we’re From Bordeaux, France, We’ve been around since Spring 2013 and we’ve released an ep in April 2015. On the 22nd of March, we’ll release our first album

Franck (Guitar) : We're a heavy band from Bordeaux, trying to not be a [insert major band name] cover band.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that has been presented on the recordings that you have released so far?
Franck : On the first EP, we did with what we could afford and tried to define what the hell we were going for with this.
On the upcoming album, the main songwriter isn't the same person, the drummer actually wrote his parts and no drum samples were used, that alone changes our sound a lot. We went for a dirtier, more textured sound, with a lot more layers in arrangements and tones.
Fabien : Both of them are quite different, as they weren’t composed by the same person, the first one was mainly written by Thomas and it was quite influenced by 90’s bands like Pantera, Down, Eyehategod and also more « modern » band like Meshuggah, The Tony Danza Extravaganza Tap Dance, The Dillinger Escape Plan…

Our first album was mainly composed by Franck with the help of Nicolas, Miguel and Tom, it is completly different yet we’re still playing heavy music. We focused more on the ambiances, structures, textures… it also shows the evolution of the band between the Departure of Thomas (guitar) and Dylan (drums), and the arrival of Miguel (drums) and Tom (guitar)

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Fabien : It deals with my life, experiences, feelings… and the songs can have different meanings, Kumaru for instance will talk about all those people who’re hidding themselves by behind books : reading them but not understanding them, but also it talks about living in a complete lie, hiding your feelings, always playing an act. Sad Song will talk about all thoses moments when you do few but act like as if you’ve moved moutains, the lyrics in Talking in Circles came to my mind when I was in Seoul, I was walking by 2a.m, it was very cold but it was dry, so it was quite pleasant too, this song talks about being in peace and moving forward ! Let Down refers to an unpleasant period of my life, when I was put aside of music, each time I was trying to form a new band, working with people they’ll just tell answer : « I don’t know, do it alone ! you’re not made for that » and in the mean time, they were forming bands between themselves… Let Down can be about being put aside and you don’t know why ! None’s listening is about all these chats I’ve heard when I was going to different clubs, the same people were ALWAYS talking about the SAME projects, bands, the same words… trying to convince themselves but actually doing nothing. To Seal Off a Breach talks about being afraid to be alone, something very childish.
Franck : Self-doubt, hatred, frustration, depression and betrayal.
Some songs like Kumaru have political overtones, but we see music-making as a political statement in itself, you just can't escape it.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Ssanahtes'?
Franck : The intention here was finding a name that wasn't taken, so we basically took the romanian word for Satan and reversed it, added two S at the beginning and there you go : it doesn't mean shit, it just isn't taken, and sounds somewhat evil and whatnot.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Fabien : After being unable to sing in a band or play on stage during many years, each show we play is the best. I’m lucky enough to work with people I can trust, we share the same goals and we will go as far as we can ! I don’t know how to describe how our stage performances are, before each set I’ll feel both excitment and anger, when the first note starts I go into some kind of a trance. I think everyone has a different approach, feeling of our shows !
Franck : I really don't know, but sharing the stage with Black Tusk was a lot of fun !
Our stage performances are what you would expect I guess, loud, obnoxious, regular metallers don't understand what the hell is going on, hardcore kids fight each other pissing off the metallers, and hipsters try to rationalize all this mess between two sips of pretentious beer or puffs of weed.

Mathias: i'm a new member, so the few I know about our show came from the tour we just ended in Spain. We're Raw as fuck! Full of hate and frustration...poeple told me they can see
demon on our faces...I guess we just live for our songs! we give every inch of what we have to bury inside in "the real life".If you want an advice for our show "don't stay in the front if you want to chill because we're going to fuck you up!" But at least we're nice guys out of stage

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Fabien : We’ve just came back from our Spanish tour with Atavisma (Doomed death metal, France), it was our first tour ever and it was amazing I’m currently show in France for May and June. I’ll book few more gigs until the end of 2018!

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your recordings by fans of underground and post metal?
Fabien : We’re quite a tiny band, but when we promoted our first EP we had support from American, English, German, Greek and Italian webzines ! But our Spanish tour was great: we’ve met amazing bands, people… the Spanish metalheads and punks loved our music and we’ve loved touring in Spain! We’ll definitely tour across Spain again!

8.Can you tell us a little bit more about some of the other bands or musical projects that some of the band members are a part of?
Franck : Nicolas plays in Exocine, a technical-death metal band, which is kinda funny when you think about it. This guy litterally plays from 55bpm up to 300bpm. What a crazy fuck. https://www.facebook.com/Exocrine/

Miguel plays in Zazur, a progressive rock act that released a demo a few months ago. https://www.facebook.com/Zazurband/

I also play guitar in Baculum, a sludge/black band with some satirically hateful french lyrics. First album is out at https://baculum666.bandcamp.com/
And Eyora, an atmospheric/prog death metal band, which has an album scheduled for release roughly round the same time Tool will release its new album.

Mathias: By now i only focus on Ssanahtes because it takes all of my free times and their is
so much to do with those dudes that i can't get myself into another bands with people.
So i have two project solo. One called Ash Hole, basicly it's some ode to the good old movies i've grown up with.  you can check it here https://ashhole.bandcamp.com/music (and older project or bands too). Plus i'm working on an electro punk 80's horror project, still under the name of Ash Hole, butas i want to release a full album… only Franck and my Roommate heard how it sounds

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Franck : We have a few leads about that, we already started recording ideas and demos. Some of them are pushing in a more industrial/shoegaze direction, while others are going further into slow, dragging and downtuned riffs. But this time we don't want it to be one person bringing in finished songs and then arranging them together in the box, we want to take the time to jam together in a room, see how that goes, and overall change how the band writes it's material -again- to keep things fresh and exciting. I really like the idea of a record being it's own little world and for that to happen you have to change habits from record to record.
Fabien : As Franck said, we already have some demos, jams and ideas recorded, I’d like to have shortest song

Mathias: i think they hired me to offer something else for new songs, so i guess i would love
to introduce 80's punk hardcore or 2000 hardcore'n'roll bass line (and i bet Fabien will love me for this!)

10.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?
Franck : Neurosis is a big one, but you'll also hear hints of Kickback and Russian Circles. I really suck at comparing what we do to other people's stuff. Nowadays I've been enjoying a lot of chaotic and dissonant forms of death metal and black metal in the likes of Gorguts and Portal.
Miguel : For me Everything except metal and Rock nowdays. Of course in the past as youngsters we did listen to bands like Isis, Cult Of Luna, Post rock stuffs that led us to get out of more traditional metal or hardcore context. I think that the more you listen to other types of music, the more you are performing in the style you play actually because you must be creative with other tools to create what would have been obvious (and so very shitty and unoriginally sounding) by listening to bands playing in the same “scene” the same “style”. I would say, to be more extreme that you don’t need to be influenced musically to be a good composers or musician, you need to FUCKING PRACTICE your instrument methodically, CLOSE YOUTUBE, CLOSE FACEBOOK and make work your intuition.
Fabien : I’m currently listening to Monolithe’s brand new record and I’m listening a lot to “Time will die and love will burry it” from Rolo Tomassi! in 2017 I’ve listened a lot to : Drab Majesty, Higher Power, Hightower, Code Orange, Oasis, Thundercat, The Internet (and all their solo acts !), Aphex Twin, Nine Inch Nails, Laibach, Boris, Full of Hell & The Body collaborations. I’ve listened a lot to Daniel P. Carter’s Rock Show, Phil Taggert’s Bedtime Mix and Gilles Peterson’s worldwide music !
But as Miguel said I won’t listen to a lot of doom, post-metal, sludge… I’m already playing this kind of music and I try to listen to different kind of music, even if I still have this «rock and metal » oriented background !

Mathias (bass): I'm an open minded person, so i listen so many different things... that doesn't make sens. For me, music is just about feeling! I need to listen something that fit the mood i'm in.
But i'll also join Miguel's point of view. You need to feed Yourself with so many different influences to enjoy yourself and to create something the crow didn't heard 3000000 times.
Most of the time i Listen to my old Punk Hardcore records (Black Flag, Minor Threat,
Ramones, GG Allin,Zero Boys,Adolescents) Capenter Brut or Mastodon.
I'm into a lot of horror music shit too like Danzig, Misfits, Nekromantix, Calabrese or Horrorpop.
When i'm full of hate it's mostly violent thing like Slayer (especialy Disciple!) Slipknot (2
first album only),Nine, Kvelertak, Black Cobra, Gallows, Black Hole.
When i can't stand poeple their only thing i want to listen is Le Klub des Loosers,it's french
and really hard to explain...but i would describe him as "a french rapper, who can't stand
how poeple act or drive their life". really filthy and rough but with sensitive beat. That's feed
my depresion and i enjoy this! Also the 2 first records of The Horrors, and PUP!
As i am a Pothead i git into Stoner like Red Fang, Fu Manchu or Asteroïd and Bare Wires
I also enjoy shit like Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Weezer (blue album only) or Katy Perry
(when i'm in a good mood but don't happend that much).
I really listen sooo many things so i can't really make a list.But Mostly i love it violent,
rought, filthy and old!

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Franck : Really unhealthy amounts of poor quality coffee, then complaining about still being tired, but with a faster heart rate.
Fabien : I’m studying archæological sciences and Japanese art, I love martial arts, reading, playing video games and I try to draw when I have the time.

Mathias: Music i a big part of my life since i'm seven, so i guess that lead me to all that
"artistic bullshit", like comic books (black hole, ghost world or scott pilgrim).
Cinema (good old horror movies), Tattoo, video games, Internet memes, photography,
Turbojugend, Skateboard, Midget Porn and so many other weird things about human
degeneration and behavioral study. I'm also a cat lover

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Franck : "Think for yourselves, question authority and never repeat whatever bullshit other people say.
Fabien : Thank you for this interview and thank you to anyone who has listened to our music, came to a show, talked with us… this interview is dedicated to DIDIER ! and JORIER !

Miguel : Thanks to Pulko.

Mathias: VENI VIDI MEJEJ

https://ssanahtes.bandcamp.com/