Against I 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 ep?

Of course I can! We've been going on non stop on finishing up the new album dropping later this year. Now we are just taking

a breather before going back at music again. No rest for the wicked!

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

Oh its like night and day, ok maybe not but it sure is different. The old stuff focused more on electronic music with metal elements.

But we decided that it wasn't what we wanted to do, so we just changed focus and style.

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

Yes, we all come from different bands and different styles of music and decided that it would be fun to take all those elements and fuse them into one band more or less. But as said before , we had one style in mind first but decided to change into something else entirely.

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?

The lyrics went from self hate, cynicism to more about war,death and similar themes. There's a lot of darkness in them you could say. Well , we work a bit differently to maybe other bands. Usually I (Freddie) make the base of the tracks with drums,electronic parts etc, then  I send it off to Mathias and he records bass and guitar and then he sends it back to me and I send it to Anders for drums. It might sound a bit complicated maybe? But it works so well and its so smooth.

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

Against I is basically how I (Freddie) feel , it's me against myself. Thats why the early lyrics were written about a lot of my self hate. Depression is a pain and it feels like my brain works against me from time to time.

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

The artwork depicts what the EP is about , which is war. I think its perfectly shows off just that . A nuclear bomb going out in the center of a city. In this case a future city , but none the less. It feels more real than ever.

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

Haha well sadly we have only played one show so far. Out main focus has been music. But we are trying to change that now.

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

As of right now we have nothing sadly, but we are working on it . So hopefully in a near future

9.The new ep was released on 'Twisted Flesh Recordings', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

To be real honest with you, Twisted Flesh Recordings is my own label which I release all my own stuff on.

Sometimes its just easier to have a label in your back when release stuff , you know? But we actually have a label for

releasing our physical CDs which is called Advoxya Records. It's a Hungarian label I've(Freddie) worked with for years.

Dima who runs it is super supporitive and lets us do as we please.

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

It's been very positive I think, at least from the people and zines who have said anything.

Our plays have "exploded" compared to what they were before. Maybe people can actually tell we enjoy what we do?

11.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?

I don't think that any of the other projects are super active tbh. Mathias plays bas for Reek from time to time and Anders plays drums in a nu metal band called Porq. Otherwise I think we've all been too busy with Against I.

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

Oh sooner than you think! Later this year for sure! Where we are going is hard to tell, we will see. I think there might be a little less synthesizers in the new stuff or at least a different sound on them.

'

13.What are some of the bands or musical styles the band members are currently listening to nowadays?

We are very diverse, but right now we are listening to the new Pain, Rotting Christ and Nekrodawn

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

Thank you for having us and hope you're looking forward to the new album!

https://www.instagram.com/againstiband/

https://www.facebook.com/againstIband/

https://www.youtube.com/@againsti9074

https://open.spotify.com/album/0NE9zhlJOqFPrnHPa41XeG

https://music.apple.com/us/album/destruction-lullaby/1743286698

Blóð/Mara/Talheim Records/2024 Full Length Review

 

   Blóð  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Mara"  which  will  be  released  on  June  21st  by  Talheim  Records.

  Female  vocals  and  percussion  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  all  of  the  drum  beats  also  being  programmed  and  black  metal s creams  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  of  tracks.  When  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  one  song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  synths,  all  of  the  music  also  sticks  to  a  slower  direction  and  the  closing  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

   Blóð  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Sorcery,  Magick,  Darkness,  Misery,  Life,  Death,  Nightmares  and  Gateways  through  the  worlds  of  time,  flesh  and  spirits.

  In  my  opinion   Blóð  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Malignant"  "The  White  Death"  "Covenant"  and  "Mother  OF  All".  8  out  of  10.

  AT: https://tal.hm/store-at-blod

DE: https://tal.hm/store-de-blod        

Locusts And Honey/Teach Me To Live That I Dread The Grave As Little As My Bed/Hypraethral Records/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Locusts  And  Honey  are  a  duo  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  funeral  doom  metal,  dark  ambient,  drone  and  noise  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Teach  Me  To  Live  That  I  Dread  The  Grave  As  Little  As  My  Bed"  which  was  released  by  Hypraethral  Records.

  Dark  ambient  style  drones  and  synths  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  playing  a  few  seconds  later  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction.  Elements  of  sludge  and  funeral  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  and  one  of  the  tracks  is  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  along  with  some  noises  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  also  being  instrumentals  and  the  whole  album  also  sticks  to  a  slower  direction.

  Locusts  And  Honey  play  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  sludge,  funeral  doom  metal,  dark  ambient,  drone  and  noise  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  bog  bodies  of  Ireland  and  Denmark  -  people  of  the  Iron  Age  who  where  sacrificially  hanged  and  found  extremely  well  preserved  in  peat.

  In  my  opinion  Locusts  And  Honey  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  funeral  doom  metal,  dark  ambient,  drone  and  noise  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Leathern  Cord"  and  "Traitor  To  love".  8  out  of  10.

  

https://instagram.com/_locustsandhoney_      

Bloodcross/Gravebound/Personal Records/2024 Full Length Review

 

   Bloodcross  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Gravebound"  which  will  be  released  in  July  by  Personal  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  90's  Swedish  tradition.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in a   lot  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Elements  of  thrash  metal  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  of  tracks  as  well  as  one  track  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  power  metal  style  screams  along  with  the  closing  song  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  occultism,  darkness  and  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Bloodceoss  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  black  metal  band  with  elements  of  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Warbeasts"  "Gravebound"  and  "Howling  Spirits".  8  out  of  10.

  http://personal-records.bandcamp.com/album/gravebound

www.facebook.com/bloodcrossmetal 

  

Mythologik/Blood In The Sky/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Mythologik  are  a  duo  from  Texas  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2024  album  "Blood  In  The  Sky"  which  will  be  released  on  June  14th.

  Clean  playing  which  also  returns  on  later  songs  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  keyboards  also  being  utilized  briefly  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  direction.  Vocals  are  done  in  more  of  an  old  school  power/thrash  metal  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in a   great  amount  of  blast  beats.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  also  bring  in  elements  of    black  and  death  metal.  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  he  album  also  takes  an  80's  style  and  mixes  it  in  with  a  more  modern  day  brutality.

 Harsh  vocals  can  also  he  heard  briefly,  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  one  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  one  song  also  adding  in  some  orchestra  touches.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  occultism,  darkness  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Mythologik  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death,  thrash  and  power  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Blood  In  The  Sky"  "Fallen  Empire"  and  "Dark  Waters".  8  out  of  10.

  https://lnk.bio/mythologik      

  

Necropanther/Oblivion Jones: Tales Of False Consciousness/2024 EP Review

 

  Denver,  Colorado's  Necropanther  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  doom,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2024  ep  "Oblivion  Jones:  Tales  Of  False  Consciousness"  

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  vocals  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  black  metal  screams.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  thrash  metal  elements.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  also  bring  in  a  very  melodic  yet  old  school extreme  metal  style  along  with  a  couple  of  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  saxophones,  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  show  an  influence  of  doom  metal,  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly. 

  On  this  recording  Necropanther  expands  on  the  melodic  mixture  of  black,  doom,  death  and  thrash  metal  that  they  have  established  on  previous  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while t he  lyrics  cover  metal,    science  fiction  and  dystopian  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Necropanther  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black,  doom,  death  and  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Transported  Man"  and  "Thrash  Till  Death".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.necropanther.com 

https://www.facebook.com/Necropanther 
https://www.instagram.com/necropanther 

https://necropanther.bandcamp.com   

Mylingen/Under En Svart Himmel/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Mylingen  are  a duo  from  Sweden  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  goes  for  a  very  progressive  and  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2024  album  "Undet  En  Svart  Himmel"  which  will  be  released  on  June  21st.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  keyboards  also  take  the  music  more  into  a  progressive   direction.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  a  lot  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  songs  also  add  in  elements  of  death  metal.  Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  most  of  the  music  also  sticks  to  a  slower  direction  which  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  doom  metal,  fast  playing  and  blast  beats  are  also  added  on  the  closing  track.

  On  this  recording  Mylingen  goes  for  a  progressive  and  melodic  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Swedish  and  cover  darkness  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Myligen  and  if  you  fan  of  melodic  and  progressive  black,  doom  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Forlist"  and  "Misar".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/mylingenswe/