Damnation Army Interview

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

Everything happened rather quickly from idea to finished product. I didn’t think I would do any more Damnation Army albums, ever. However a seed was planted and then I just decided I wasn't finished with this project. I wrote, recorded and produced the album in 4 days.

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

I think it is a bit of a mishmash of all my previous releases without really sounding like any of them. Faster and more rough without losing the sinister melodic parts.

3.This is your first release in 10 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?

A lot of things in life got in the way and I lost interest for a while in producing music and even listening to it. Luckily that decline turned and I’m probably more eager than ever creating music. I started another project called Isgärde in 2016 and have released a couple of albums. Also a Dungeon Synth project called Vetraheimr. Both can be found on bandcamp and have Facebook pages for the ones interested in checking that out.

4.You have also covered a good amount of satanic and occult topics with your music, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the dark arts?

While that is only a limited version of my overall view it got my interested at a very young age. I was very much into exploring anything in a spiritual sense and still am. It is a big part of my life. Spiritual exploration.

5.What are some of the other lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?

It is a bit hard to narrow down without writing a whole essay on the matter. I like to let the listener decide what they think and make up their own idea what it is about. I am not a big fan of explaining neither music or lyrics as I leave that for the pretentious musicians to do.

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Damnation Army'?

Quite frankly it was a name a friend of mine blurred out just before I got started with the project. It didn't leave my mind so I decided that it was a fitting name for what I was doing and went with it.

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

Yes the artwork was made by Tim Nordstedt Design. It is a friend of mine and you can check out his work on his Facebook page. He also did the new logo for Damnation Army and is currently working on the rest of the art for a physical release. As we work closely on my other project Isgärde as well it was no question about it that he would do the artwork for this as well. He presented me with the art and I thought it was great for the album.

8.With this project your record everything by yourself but have experience playing in full line up's, is this project more personal to you?

I record all my projects myself. I have no interest in being in a band situation. For many musicians it is to be in a band that makes you want to create music, for me it is the opposite. Throughout the years I have been asked to be a part of live line ups, recording instruments for bands and joining existing bands. I have turned down every offer.

9.Currently you are unsigned but have worked with a label before in the past, are you open to working with another label again in the future?

Yes I am. The only reason I went independent with this release was to be able to publish it when I felt like it. If any label is interested they are welcome to contact me.

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

As it has not been out for so long I don’t really know. Reviews so far has been good and I have seen many downloads on pirate sites. That is not really a great way to show support.

11.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?

I just keep doing what I am doing. There are no grandiose plans or silly mental projections. I will be doing lots of music though, that is for sure!

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on the music of 'Damnation Army'?

It all comes from what I grew up with. 90’s Scandinavian black metal and some other genres at the time as well. I don't keep up with what is current. Many reviews indicate that I have many Dissection vibes and they are very true in stating that.

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

Feel free to check out the new album and my other projects mentioned as well. Thanks for the interview.

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Damnation Army/Death Macabre/2019 Full Length Review

  Damnation  Army  are  a  solo  project  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  melodic form  of  black metal  with  some  elements  of  death,  speed  and  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2019  album  "Death  Macabre".

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  Swedish  style.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Nature  sounds  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  influences  of  death,  thrash,  speed  and  heavy  metal.

  Most  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  Swedish  style  along  with  one  song  also  introducing  atmospheric  sounding  synths  onto  the  recording.  Tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  fast  riffing  and  as  the  album  progresses  an  instrumental  is  also  added  onto  the  recording.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  album  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  death  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Damnation  Army  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  black  metal  solo  project  with  elements  of  death,  thrash,  speed  and  heavy  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ancient  Evil  Rituals"  "Enter  the  Blood  Massacre"  and  "Shadowed".  8  out  of  10.   

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Susperia/The Lyricist/Agonia Records/2018 CD Review

  Susperia  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  thrash  and  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "The  Lyricist"  which  was  released  by  Agonia  Records.

  A  very  heavy  thrash  influenced  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  power  metal  style  singing  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  old  school  fashion  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  80's  and  90's  style  in  with  a  more  modern  atmosphere  as  well  as  adding  some  death  metal  growls  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  synths,  spoken  word  parts,  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length.

  On  this  recording  Susperia  expands  on  their  melodic  blackened  thrash  metal  style  by  adding  in  more  traditional  metal  elements,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  inner  struggles,  relationship  issues  and  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Susperia  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black,  thrash  and  heavy  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Heretic"  "Day  I  Died"  "Feed  The  Fire"  and  "Come  Alive".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/WGQr4cLF63Q

  

Cadaveria/Far Away From Conformity/Sleaszy Rider Records/2017 CD Re-Issue Review

  Cadaveria  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a    mixture  of  black  and  gothic  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2004  album  "Far  Away  From  Conformity"  which  was  re-issued  in  2017  by  Sleaszy  Rider  Records.

  Grim  black  metal  screams  along  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  start  off  the  album  while  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  melodic  vocals  are  also  used  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars  also  being  added  onto  some  of  the  tracks.

  Whispers  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  some  tracks  also  bring  in  acoustic  guitars,  keyboards  and  goth  elements  but  keeping  the  focus  on  more  of  a  heavier  mid  tempo  style  and  also  adding  in  elements  of  traditional  metal  and  they  also  bring  in  a  cover  of  Blondie's  "Call  Me".

  On  this  recording  Cadaveria  brought  into  more  of  a  black  and  heavy  metal  mixture  while  only  having  a  small  touch  of  goth  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Cadaveria  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  goth,  and  heavy  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Blood  And  Confusion"  "The  Divine  Rapture"  "Out  Body Experience"  and  "Vox  of  Anti-Time".  8  out  of  10.

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Goat Of Mendes/Hagzussa Riding The Fence/Witches Brew/2017 CD Review

  Goat  Of  Mendes  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  pagan,  folk,  death,  doom,  thrash  and  heavy  metal  with  a  musical  style  they  refer  to  as  'Wiccan  Metal'  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Hagzussa  -  Riding  The  Fence"  which  was  released  by  Witches  Brew.

  Nature  sounds  along  with  some  viking  horns  start  off  the  album  as  well  as  some  tribal  beats  and  melodic  female  chants  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  ritualistic  feeling    and  after  the  intro  melodic guitar  leads  start  to  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  as  well  as  giving  the  songs  more  of  a  traditional  feeling.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  while  also  mixing  in  clean  pagan  vocals  at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be heard  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  when  death  metal  growls  are  utilized  they  give  the  music  more  of  a  demonic  atmosphere.

  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar riffing  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  are  very  heavily  influenced  by  doom  metal  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  thrash  elements,  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  and  ritualistic  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  and  touches  of  folk  music  are  added  onto  the  closing  track.

  Goat  Of  Mendes  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  pagan,  folk,  doom,  death,  thrash  and  heavy  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Wiccan  Paganism  and  Magick  themes.

  In  my  pinion  Goat  Of  Mendes  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  pagan,  folk,  doom,  death,  thrash  and  heavy  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Maiden,  Mother  ANd  Crone"  "Samhain  (A  Visit  From  The  Veil)"  and  "Mabon  (Impending  Darkness)".  8/5  out of  10.

 https://witchesbrewthrashes.bandcamp.com/album/hagzussa-riding-the-fence

Dracena Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

A lot of planning and waiting. Right now I am working on arranging the new material for the next album and planning the album concept for the lyrics and graphic appearances. Besides that we are waiting with excitement for the response of the latest album, Cursed To The Night.
We’ll see what the future holds…


2.How would you describe the musical sound of the current material?

I would call Cursed To The Night a classic Dracena release, there are a lot of typical Dracena riffs all in the vein of old school metal genres, thrash/black/heavy metal. We asked shred machine Fredrik Folkare (Unleashed/Firespawn) to spice up the songs with lead solos and melodies and he played some really outstanding stuff which took the album to a higher level.

For the sound of the album itself we were looking for a cool and raw sound as a follow up to the previous mini-CD release, Ravenous Bloodlust, and I am very pleased with how great the production turned out, thanks to our main studio - Studio Cave  - where all the mixing and mastering was made by Pontus Ekwall

This album was recorded in 3 different studios, I recorded the vocals, the guitars and the bass at Studio Cave, additional vocals by Ola Malmström (Sorcery) and the drums was recorded and played by Jocke at MediEvil Studios and all the lead solos and melodies was recorded and played by Fredrik Folkare at Chrome Studios.



3.Since 2001 there has only been 3 releases, can you tell us a little bit more about the gaps in between releases?

As I am writing all the music and lyrics myself, as well as playing most of the instruments and vocals too, it usually takes a few years to get the whole album arranged and rehearsed for the studio. This means I spend practically every hour I am not occupied doing ”necessary” stuff with my guitar and home studio.
I also design the graphic appearance of the albums, with artwork ideas and lay out, the photos, web sites and take care of all correspondence and social interaction… and working a full time job.


4.Some of your lyrics are based upon the writings of Dante, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this author?

A few years before I started writing on the material for Infernal Damnation I found a book in a second hand bookshop, Dante - The Divine Comedy.
This particular copy is illustrated by Gustave Doré and since I have always admired his engraved illustrations of various classical literature I decided to buy it.
Of course the story in itself is a very interesting work with its medieval view of the Afterlife - Inferno, Purgatory - so I used it as inspiration for the album lyrics… although my story ends in Hell.


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

When we first decided to name the band it seemed like all the nominations we came up with already had been taken by other bands. I recall we actually thought of Dimmu Borgir for a while until we were told there was a Norwegian band using that name.
I’ve always been a fan of fantasy and mythology, and ever since I was a kid my favourite mythical beast has been the Dragon, so I decided to find a word for this that we could use and came up with Dracena.
Dracena (the ”c” is pronounced as a ”k” in my version) is a version of the latin word Dracaena, which derives from the ancient greek word Drakaina -  meaning ”female dragon”

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

We had a bunch of shows between 1997-2001, but that’s so long ago I can’t say any show was better than the next. After 2001 Dracena only had one live show in 2014 in Münster, Germany, supporting local act Savagery for their release party.


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

Right now there are no shows planned, perhaps there will be gigs during 2018 depending on opportunities.


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

Actually our audience spans over most of the metal genres despite the listeners main preferences and I guess that is probably because Dracena is playing the kind of mixed metal we do. We mainly get positive feedback both from fans and press.


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

Dracena will keep creating the kind of metal that appeals to us, I guess we will progress in the same direction as our influences  do. Then hopefully there will be a  major record deal so I can quit my job and focus on writing new songs and play a lot of shows!

 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?

My favourite bands are mainly from the 80’s heavy/thrash/speed metal scene, like Bathory, WASP, Running Wild, Metal Church, Kreator, Testament etc and I still listen a lot to those albums.
There’s never been any intention in the band to create any certain style or metal genre, I write and chose the riffs I like the most and then I blend it all trying to create an interesting mix using various tempos to build up the specific song and also the album as a whole.

Nowdays I try to find the old metal bands I never had the chance to hear before, and hope they surfaced digitally somewhere, I am also trying to keep up with all the new releases from my favourite acts like Kreator, Testament, Annihilator etc
but I don’t limit myself to any special genre at all as I also listen to a lot of music that’s non metal as well.

11.Does Satanism or Occultism play any role in your music?

No, the inspiration for the songs are a blend of dark fantasy and horror, like short stories of a strange nightmare reality filled with dark desires, blood and death.


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

There will be blood, there will be pain… there will be darkness and death… keep the blood running down the screams!
Thanks for the interview and see you out there!

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Dracena/Cursed To The Night/Inferno Records/2017 CD Review

  Dracena  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death,  thrash  and  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Cursed  To  The  Night"  which  was  released  by  Inferno  Records.

  Nature  and  music  box  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  musical  direction  which  is  very  heavily  influenced  by  the  80's  and  90's  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  old  school  elements  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams.

  A  great  amount  of  thrash  and  first  wave  black  metal  influences  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when t he  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  little  bit  of  tremolo  picking,  clean  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Dracena  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  Swedish  style  melodic  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  elements  of  thrash,  death  and  heavy  metal  to  create  a  very  heavy  and  retro  sounding  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  blood,  pain,  anger  and  the  writings  of  Dante.

  In  my  opinion  Dracena  are  a  very  great  melodic  and  old  school  sounding  mixture  of  black, death,  thrash  and  heavy  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "That  You  Fear  The Most"  "Elusive  Madness"  and  "The  Shadow  Of  What  Once  Was".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1hLAFoBkEI   



  

Darkest Era/Gods And Origins/Cruz Del Sur Music/7 Inch Review

  Darkest  Era  are  a  band  from  Northern  Ireland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine and  plays  a  folk  inspired form  of  heavy  metal  along  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "Gods  And  Origins"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Cruz  Del  Sur  Music.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  and all  of  the  musical instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  high  pitched  screams  are  added  into  the  music  before  evolving  into  more  of  a  power  metal  style  and  the  music  has  an  early  80's  classic  metal  feeling  and  the  solos  and  leads  add  in  a  touch  of  NWOBHM.

  Acoustic  guitars  are  brought onto  the  second  track  and  they  bring  in  elements  of  folk  music  while  the  vocals  keep  the  clean  singing  of  the first  track   and  the  song  is  a  remake  of  their  older  track   "An  Dagda  Awakens".

 Darkest  Era  continue  the  Celtic  metal  style  of  previous  recordings  as  well  as  creating  2  tracks  that  are  full  of  melody  and  emotion, the  production  sounds   very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover Celtic  Mythology  and  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Darkest  Era  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Elohim".  8  out  of  10.

 www.darkestera.net
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www.youtube.com/darkesteraofficial

Orchid Visions Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

The band was created in September of 2006, in the Heredia province by me as the lead guitar, since then we have self-released 2 Demo/EP's: "Orchid Visions" (2008) and "Dante's Inferno" (2011), and nowadays we're working in our first Full-length album, which is expecting to be released at the end of this year. We have been active since its creation and shared stage with many bands. Since September 2010, our drummer Nazgul, along with me, has become an important member with the leadership to explore and improve the goals of our band.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?

Our musical sound, during the years, has changed progressively. Nowadays we consider our music as a symphonic Goth metal band.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

Basically, Nazgul and I are very influenced in fantasy and horror classical literature and with a mixture of surreal backgrounds and subjective experiences. So we create our lyrics inspired in Epic, Fantastic, Mythical, Horror and Legendary topics and related with personal experiences.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the band’s name?

The inspiration comes from the characteristics of the orchid flower. The band’s name means that we can gather a lot of musical influences from all of our members, and then we can create something better as a team, that has been always the vision of our band.

The definition of our band's name is that, as well as the orchid, we always look for acquiring new features so we can be able to survive in the environment that we are related and demonstrate a greater impression with our music.  

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

Our best shows have been: Fëte de la Musique Festival (2008), Veranos en el Cenac Festival (2008), Headbangers Panama Concert (2010) in Panama City, Noche de Mujeres Epicas Concert (2012), and our latest show as the support band of the Theatres Des Vampires Concert in Costa Rica (2013). Our Stage performances includes: Goth wearing or medieval disguises, fancy masks, cloth dancers and an instrumental intro to make the performance more theatrical.

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

Actually we are now waiting to finish our recordings of the new album, so we can continue playing our new songs at stage. So that means that our priorities on this moment are the studio recordings.

7. Currently you are unsigned are you looking for a label or received any interest?

Unfortunately no, and that is because is very though in our country to have success with any metal band. But we are always looking for any options to send our material all around the world.

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of metal?

It has helped us a lot to keep improving our performances at stage and give them back what they are expecting from us in every show. It has increased our contacts in many communication media, and we're expecting to receive more in the future.

9. Are there any other musical projects these days?

Well, actually Nazgul and I are creating another band but for heavier and extreme metal fans, the band is called “Kerioth” and is a depressive Black Metal band, we are just using it as a recording band.

10. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

In this country, the self-releases are not that well received by the metal fans, because the most of them will not pay for anything, they rather to download it than help the metal scene in this option, but anyway it always help to spread it online and receive good feedbacks from those who are interested in listen our recordings.

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

We are always gathering the former and present influences from all of our band members through all of these years and we’ve evolved in several metal styles.

The most common influences in our band are: Theatres Des Vampires, Theatre Of Tragedy, Tristania, EverEve, Therion, Epica, Lacuna Coil, Nightwish, Vintersorg, Trail of Tears, Darkwell, Crematory, Stratovarius, Nightmare, DIO, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Manowar, Rhapsody of Fire, Batlelore, Lacrimas Profundere, Helloween, King Diamond,

Iron Maiden, Luca Turilli, Dream Theatre, Symphony X, among much other...

And of course we also use other culture or classical influences that are not related with the metal scene to make it much attractive to our fans…

12. Does Occultism play any role in your music?

Not at all, actually we don’t want to make any controversy in our lyrics, but it is always open to be interpreted in many ways. Many of our songs are related with some personal experiences but arranged with fantasy, epic or horror topics to make them more interesting.

13. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

Well, talking about myself, I am always interested in having the art besides me at all time, that’s why I have studied the graphic design and photography career and it had always helped me with the group as well in regards their band image.

14. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Yeah! Don’t hesitate to join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/orchidvisionsmetal also you can download our latest EP "Dante's Inferno": http://orchidvisions.bandcamp.com/ or you can always contact us through: orchidvisions@live.com and thanks to all of you guys for the support and STAY METAL, DUDES!!! lml

Michael Hernandez

(lead guitar)

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Orchid Visions/Dante's Inferno/2011 EP Review

  Orchid  Vision's  are  a  band  from  Costa  Rica  that  plays  a  mixture  of  symphonic,  black,  gothic  and  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2011  ep  "Dante's  Inferno".

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  playing  with  no  fast  drumming  or  blast  beats  being  present on  this  recording,  while  the  keyboards  bring  a  very  dark,  atmospheric,  symphonic  and  gothic  sound  to  the  recording,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to t hem.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  tiffs  that  combine  melodic  black  metal,  gothic  and  traditional  metal  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  heavy  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  range  from  clean  singing  female  vocals,  deep  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  black  metal s creams,  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  on  Dante's  Inferno,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  dark  sound  to  it  with  the  last  3  songs  being  recorded  live  and  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Orchid  Vision's  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  symphonic,  black,  gothic,  and  heavy  metal  and  if   you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dante's  Inferno"  "Red  Moon"  and  "Archangel".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Desideria Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

Most of you can be sure never to have heard about us. We are from France in a city next to Germany where I was born. I met some years ago the female vocalist of Desideria, Mylène, because we worked together for a gothic fanzine. Then we looked for band members and there were recurring changes in the line-up until last year. Finally we are seven musicians now and the other members are Samuel and Julien on the guitars, Marc on the bass, Jérémie on the keyboards and Tim on the drums.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?

It’s more difficult to attribute one’s music to a particular music style if you are involved. There is not the distance that you need for. So I let reviewers and listeners decide about what we play. Most of them say we are a gothic metal band. Others say we are a symphonic black metal band. If I had to choose one label I would say a wild and symphonic dark metal band.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new release explores?

Most of the lyrics are about what goes in the knights’ minds when they face some circumstances as the loss of their love (“Island Of Death”) or the loss of their trust in human (“Wolf Cruelty Claw”) choosing the company of wolves. There are lyrics about knights who are in a sanctuary to save a girl who is the reincarnation of the goddess of wisdom. They have twelve hours to save her and must go through twelve houses and each house has its guardian who represents one sign of the zodiac. The song “Excalibur” has the most explicit lyrics for this concept. The others are “Another Dimension” and “Lightning Bolt”. And with “HellCorrespondence.com” there is one song about a girl you can contact at midnight if you want to send someone to hell. If you pull the string of a straw doll she has given to you she comes and drags your enemy to hell and your soul the day you die goes to hell too.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

It took a long time before all members agreed with a name and that was Desideria. It was Mylène who had suggested the name. Desiderio is the Italian translation for “Desire”. Desire creates something dynamic in the life of each one of us. It’s something obsessional that dictates our acts and our thoughts. Because Mylène likes names such as Sirenia and Tristania she changed the last letter into an “a”.

5. Has the band had any opportunities to do a live show, if so what are some of the best gigs that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

Yes we did some live shows with local bands. Some gigs were better than others but I wouldn’t describe anyone of them to be one of our best gigs. I think the best gigs will come. I hope so. With our new line-up we will see how we will perform together. Now it’s too early to say how we are but in the next months I could answer better this question.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the future?

When all the members meet again we will discuss about next gigs. But if they are it will be not before autumn.

7. Currently you are unsigned are you looking for a record label and if so what kind of label do you feel that would be a perfect fit for the band’s music?

Now it’s the first time we have really thought whether we should or not look for a label. We will discuss about this subject. Nothing is sure. If we do it we know that it will be difficult to find a label that could be ready to invest in a new band. The times are hard with this worldwide economic crisis. I feel there are not many labels that would fit with what we do. Most labels are focused in classic heavy metal and more in extreme metal.

8. On a worldwide level how has your music been received by metal fans?

On our myspace we have sometimes nice comments about our music that are very important for us and encourage us to continue. From the day we have released our music we know that we have to accept bad comments. Some metal listeners don’t like our music, some others like it. There is no music that everyone can enjoy.

9. Are there any side projects besides this band or is this a full time line-up?

Most of us have no time to have more than one band. Marc helps out in another band until he has its own bass player. Julien is setting up his own band in a more brutal death metal style.

10. What direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?

Up to now Samuel was after the departure of our former guitar player Cédric rather alone to compose soundtracks for Desideria. Now we will see what we will have when Marc and Julien contribute too. I think the music will keep the spirit of our first release and we will also have the one or other song in a different style than that we used to have.

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

At the beginning I imagined music close to Theatre Of Tragedy and The Sins of Thy Beloved with a fragile female voice opposed to mine. But I imagined it faster. With our main composer Samuel the music is going faster than I imagined and I love it. He and all the other members of Desideria listen to all kind of metal styles from the pioneers to the newest bands. We reproduce the metal sound but we are not conscious about influences when we are in a composition process. We know that we have influences but we don’t know from whom they come.

12. Does Paganism play a role in your music?

Most lyrics are about paganism in the way that I going about polytheistic religions. They talk about knights devoted to their goddess Athena from the Greek mythology in a battle against knights devoted to their god Odin from the Norse mythology. But legends that you find in them are twisted with other components that are imagined. These knights don’t use weapons like swords or axes but draw their fight technics from Cosmo energy. In “Excalibur” that is the mythical sword of King Arthur I talk about this sword like a gift from the goddess Athena to her most loyal knight and the shaping technique of this sword is now in his arms. All this to say that yes, paganism plays a role in the music but unlike other bands who portray Vikings in how they used to live their life as described in history books there are in these lyrics realities that had never been met and components out from fantasy or science-fiction.

13. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

I don’t have really other interests apart from manga where the stories of the lyrics come from. Mylène loves the literature of the XIXth century. Samuel loves to travel. Jérémie loves to walk in the forests. Tim enjoys to see friends. Marc loves to draw and Julien likes to go to concerts.

14. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

First I want to thank you for your effort in this preparation of this interview. And then to the few metal saints who have read this interview since we are still quite unknown.

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Desideria/End The Curse/2011 CD Review

  Desideria are a band from France that plays a mixture of black, death, pagan, folk, gothic and traditional metal and this is a review of their self released 2011 album "End The Curse".

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beats, while the synths bring a very dark, gothic and atmospheric sound to the music, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffing that combines death, gothic, black, folk and traditional metal together with a good amount of melody being thrown in the music, while the lead guitars are very melodic heavy metal guitar solos that have a very traditional and classic metal feel to them, as for the acoustic guitars which are only used briefly they being a very dark and medieval folk music sound to the music.

Vocals range from deep death metal growls, high pitched black metal screams, clean singing male and female vocals with some occasional spoken word passages, while the lyrics touch on mythology, as for the production it has a very dark, heavy and powerful sound to it.

In my opinion Desideria are a very good melodic black/death/gothic/folk metal band and if you are looking for a band that mixes these styles together, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Dragon Bravest Blizzard" "Island of Death" and "Excalibur". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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