Hammerdrone 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?

We actually release it tomorrow, so we've been mainly focused on getting ready for the album release!  We're promoting it the old-school way - DIY - no promotion companies or record companies to help us - so it's a lot of legwork and talking to as many people (like your good selves) as we can to try to get the word out there that we exist and, hopefully, that we are good at what we do.


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

Very firmly in the melodic death metal genre.  Our music is dark and suffused with atmosphere, without relying on synths to do this.  We offer an intense, aggressive and epic interpretation of death metal without being a "brutal" or "technical" band, and at the same time we're melodic without using clean vocals or straying into power metal-style scales.  We keep it dark!  It's a logical progression on from what we have released in the past - this album is just more mature, I guess.


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

I draw inspiration both from my own experiences and from stories from history and science.  This new album is split about half and half, and deals with everything from the bog men of Ireland (The Wasting Throne) to the pressure to procreate (Ancestral Weight).  The title track is about an obscure episode of eco-terrorism from Scottish history - a group of university scientists who formed an organization called the Dark Harvest Commando to pressure the UK Government to decontaminate an old anthrax testing site.  They did this by sending anthrax soil from the site to the government with promises to widely distribute their "dark harvest" if nothing was done.  The common theme, as with the music, is darkness.


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

I'd like to say there was something profound behind the name selection... but really, we were coming up to our first gig, without a name, and had been through hundreds of suggestions...and Curtis (rhythm guitar) said "how about Hammerdrone"?  He doesn't even really know where that came from!


    5.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've appeared at the Calgary Metalfest and the Farmageddon fest, both of which were awesome experiences.  More recently, we supported both Numenorean and Krepitus at their respective album release shows in Calgary - these were incredible shows.  The one adjective that is almost always used to describe our stage performance is "intense".  One reviewer recently called us "intimidatingly intense" which I think is my favourite ever description of us!


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

CD release show in Calgary is tomorrow - and we are appearing at Loud As Hell 666 - which is being headlined by Battlecross - in August.  We'll try to take ourselves on the road as much as we can.


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

We're doing OK by ourselves...but yes, some label support would, I am sure, help us get a bigger audience - that would be welcome!


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

We've been well received in the metal underground in countries as diverse as Nepal, the UK, France, Slovenia etc.  People seem to appreciate the particular style of melodic death metal we are producing - or, as one reviewer put it, death metal that happens to be melodic.


    9.What is going on with 'Krepitus' these days, a band that also shares a couple of the same members?

Yeah, our bassist, Teran, leads Krepitus on guitar and vocals - it's his main band, really,  He was only supposed to be helping us out (but has been doing so for 3 years, ha!).  And Curtis plays bass with them.  They're an awesome thrash-death band - they sound like Revocation meeting Dissection in a dark alley.  They've not long ago released their debut album, "Eyes of the Soulless" and it's really, really good. They're busy recording a new single and writing their next album, I believe.


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

More of the same, essentially - in that we'll keep writing dark, heavy, melodic death metal.  But we try not to think too much about writing a deliberate style or type of song and just let what happens, happens.  As long as the five of us in the band like a song, that's all that matters to us at the end of the day.


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

That's always a hard question because the influences are so many and so wide.  Some common influences would be bands such as Death and Kataklysm.  In terms of what I'm listening to these days...not enough!  I've had a dearth of new music recently so am busily trying to find time to listen to some cool new bands by checking out some underground radio.


    12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Personally...I run, swim, bake and draw. 


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

Just to say thank you for your support.  It is truly appreciated.

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Entropia Invictus Interview

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

ENTROPIA INVICTUS is a black/death symphonic metal band composed of 4 members: Pierjan playing drums, Laurent bass, Jordan guitar. For my part, I play guitar, make vocals, write lyrics and compose the symphonic parts.

Recently you have released an album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

With the album we aim at making a hybrid music between, on the one hand, an epic sound with orchestra and choirs and, and on the other hand, brutality brought by blasting drums, dark riffs and extreme vocals.

Some of your lyrics deal with Singularity and the writings of Kurzweil, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in those topics?

The song “Singularity” is the point of view of the first enhanced human who becomes, in a certain way, a god among men. It deals with the topic of transhumanism. This theme fascinates me because it sounds like Sci Fi but it will be real very soon and it will raise ethical issues.


What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Entropia Invictus'?

ENTROPIA INVICTUS mean in Latin “entropy inevitable/invincible”. Entropy is a thermodynamic term which measures a system’s chaos. And this chaos can only become bigger and bigger. We think that this idea of an unstoppable force always in progress fits with the band’s mindset.

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

The best show that we played was perhaps during the Rock Metal Camp Fest in France. Our music is very theatrical so we try to create a staging that respect nuances because our set is composed of brutal and speed parts but also quiet and melancholy ones.

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

On May 9th we will play with your compatriot of Fleshgod Apocalypse in France. We are honored to do the opening for the kings of this style.

On a worldwide level, how has the feedback been to your music by fans of symphonic black metal?

The feedback is great. “Human Pantocrator” has been preordered in many country (Japan, Germany, Italy…) and comments about our video “I will overcome” are very positive.

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

None of us is involved with another project, we are focused on ENTROPIA INVICTUS for now.

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

We are already working on new songs. The orchestral part will be more powerful and realistic and the metal part will be more varied with mid and low tempo.

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?

Septicflesh, Carach Angren, Behemoth have an influence on our music but also movies music, classical music. Nowadays I’m listening to “King” of Fleshgod Apocalypse, for me it’s a perfect balance between classical music and death metal.

What are some of your non musical interests?

The literature is one of my non musical interests. I read a lot of books of Sci Fi, Fantasy, Thriller, Philosophy, Psychology. I read one or two books per week.
I also go very often to the cinema to watch many kind of films, from blockbuster to art film.

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

Thanks for this interview. I hope you will be pleased to listen to our last album “Human Pantocrator” as much as we are pleased to play it.

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Hessaja/Planet Sedom :ISON/WOOAAARGH/2017 EP Review

  Hessaja  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  blackened  and  progressive  mixture  of  ambient,  doom  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  ep  "Planet  Sedom  :ISON"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  WOOAAARGH.

  Ambient  style  keyboards  start  off  the  album  along  with  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys  and  after  awhile  drum  beats  and  elements  of  post  rock  are  added  into  the  recording  along  with  some  aggressive  hardcore  style  vocals  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  mixing  in  the  heaviness of  sludge  and  doom  metal.

 Both  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  influences  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the recording  while  the  music  also  gets  very  progressive  and  experimental  at  times  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  both  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Hessaja  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  progressive,  post,  ambient, black, sludge  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  German  and  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hessaja  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  progressive,  post,  ambient, black, sludge  and  doom  metal    and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Nista".  8  out  of  10.

www.wooaaargh.bandcamp.com/album/hessja-planet-sedam-ison
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Everdying/December's Rainy Day/2017 EP Re-Reocrding Review

  Everdying  are  a  solo  project  from  Illinois  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  ep  "December's  Rainy  Day"  which  i  have also  reviewed  the  original  version  and  this  is  a  review  of  the  2017  re-recorded  version.

  A  very  heavy  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  are  added  onto   the   recording  and  the  music  has  a  lot  of  90's  influences.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a very  melodic  fashion  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  one  track  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  classical  guitars  as  well  as  being  all  instrumental  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction   which  they  also  mix  in  with  the  classical  guitars   at  times.

  Everdying  takes  his  older  material  and  makes  changes  on  how  he  wants  it  to  sound  in  the modern  era  while  still  keeping  everything  in  s  melodic  blackened  death  metal  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  life  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  re-recording  from  Everydying  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lamentation"  Lunar  Aura".  8  out  of  10.

https://everdying.bandcamp.com/

Hammerdrone/Dark Harvest/2017 Full Length Review

  Hammerdrone  are  a  band  from  Calgary,  Alberta,  Canada  that  plays  a  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  "Dark  Harvest"  which  will  be  released  on  March  24th.

  Atmospheric  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  a  great amount  of  melodic  guitar  leads  as  well  as  a  mixture  of  deep  death  metal  growls  and  grim  black  metal  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  you  can  also hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  while  clean  playing  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain sections  of  the  album  and  ocean  sounds  can  also  be  heard  briefly  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  one  of  the  later  tracks  is all  instrumental.

  Hammerdrone  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  melodic  forms  of  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of t heir  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  history,  science,  stories  and  personel  event  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hammerdrone  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album. RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Karakoram"  "Black  Bison"  and  "Collapse  Of  Reality".  8  out  of  10. 

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Sarcasm/Within The Sphere Of Ethereal Minds/Dark Descent Records/2017 CD Review

  Sarcasm  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  melodic form  of   blackened death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Within  The  Sphere  Of  Ethereal  Minds"  which  will  be  released in  April  by  Dark  Descent  Records.

  A  very  heavy  sound  along  with  melodic  guitar  leads  start  off  the  album  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  after  awhile  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  are  added  onto  the  recording  while  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  elements.

  Most  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  death  metal  growls  are  also  used  at  times  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  classical  guitars  on  a  couple  of  songs  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  flutes  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  a  lot  of t he  fast  riffing  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  one  of  the  tracks  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  elements  of  thrash  are  added  onto  the  closing  song.

  Sarcasm  plays  a  musical  style  that  goes  back to  the  90's  era  of  Swedish  melodic  black  and  death  metal   before  the  genre  got  somewhat  mainstream,  the  production  sounds  very  professional while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophy,  surrealism,  and  universe  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sarcasm  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bloodsoaked  Sunrise"  "Scars  of  A  Land  Forgotten"  and  "The  Drowning  Light  At  The  Edge of  Dawn".  8  out  of  10. 

www.sarcasmsweden.se

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Norse/The Divine Light Of The New Sun/Transcending Obscurity Records/2017 CD Review

  Australia's  Norse  have  returned  with  a  new  album  that  continues  the  melodic  style  of  blackened  death  metal  from  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "The  Divine  Light  Of The  New  Sun"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  transcending  Obscurity  Records.

  A  very  heavy  yet  melodic guitar  sound  starts  off  the  album a long  with  some  drum  beats  a  few  seconds  later  and  a  few  seconds  later  black  metal  screams  along  with  atmospheric  sounds  start  to  make  their  presence  known  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the recording.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  progressive  structures  along  with  the  music  also  bringing  in  a great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  avant  garde  elements  while  always  remaining  heavy.

  On  this  recording  Norse  takes  their  melodic  style  of  blackened  death  metal  in  a  more  dissonant and  bleak  direction,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  misanthropy  and  escapism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Norse  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  and  dissonant  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Supreme  Vertical  Ascent"  "The  Divine  Light  of  A  New  Sun"  "Sandarkan"  and  "Cyclic".  8  out  of  10.

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Sanatana Interview

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

Technically speaking ...

Sanatana is a conceptual project that we have created with my wife in 2016. Some friends of us and like-minded people from our circle, inspired by the Vedic worldview and the ancient culture, are the part of it.

The musical range of Sanatana is diverse and presented at once in several directions: metal and new age. This musical spectrum makes it possible to express all the meanings and sentiments embodied in Sanatana project.

2.Recently you have released a double album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

This is a double album consisting of two parts:

BRAHMA - Vedic metal with clean vocals

VIDYA - Vedic New Age

BRAHMAVIDYA uses live authentic instruments from various ancient cultures that fill the music with mysteriousness and charm. Also the sound of mantras and prayers represented on the album has a mesmerizing effect. They are performed in the ancient Sanskrit language from The Upanishads and other Vedic scriptures  and recited by active priests of the Vedic tradition.

3.Your lyrics cover Vedism, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this eastern religion?

Vedism is not a religious system but rather a worldview and attitude to the world!

The word Veda means knowledge. The Vedic knowledge was used throughout the history of mankind. Starting from the Arabic numerals that the Arabs brought from India and that are nowadays (under the binary form) run the entire world of computer systems and it continues to be revealed through the modern science.

The Vedas contain all the science and knowledge (astronomy, mathematics, Ayurveda, Yoga, philosophy, psychology, art and spiritual knowledge).

We found a lot of interesting concepts in Eastern religions, as well as something appealing to us as we were discovering some parallels with Paganism etc; so we naturally decided to integrate this knowledge to our art.

Leo Tolstoy, Schopenhauer, Goethe, Herder, Hegel, Beethoven, Heine, Rodin, Einstein, Nehru, Gandhi. С.Lassen, E.Burnouf, Aurobindo Ghose, L.Vallée, S.Radhakrishnan, S. Lévi, Russell, Wordsworth, R. Rolland, W. Whitman, H. Hesse and many others drew inspiration and knowledge from the Vedas!

The Vedas are close to us as they were part of the pre-Christian culture common on the lands occupied by the Slavs. They had a Vedic culture in tune with the indian philosophy.

The Vedas are the oldest scriptures in the world, they are written in Sanskrit, the language that we use on our album. Sanskrit is the source of all the Indo-European language group, or as it is referred Aryan.

Aryans are those who makes the difference between the spirit and the matter. Herewith it doesn’t matter to what ethnic group they belong to. It’s a certain  type of consciousness, not an affiliation to a particular nation!

According to Vedas earlier there was a unique culture on the planet that was based on the laws of the universe!


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

Sanatana means eternity in Sanskrit!

Everybody is asking the eternal questions about the purpose of life and death, their meaning. Where we came from and who we are led by. These eternal questions come from the consciousness (I) which is also eternal by its nature!

As Faust told to Mephistopheles:

“When I say to the Moment flying;

Linger a while -- thou art so fair!”

We found that moment, long as eternity!

5.Has the band done any live shows or is this a studio project?

This is a studio project for now, but we are planning to perform some live shows in future.

6.The guitarist also has a background playing more of a pagan style of black metal, how would you compare paganism with the Vedic religion?

We found pagan roots in Eastern teachings (and that’s the case, the roots are all there), it have seemed to us as a much more constructive and clear idea. We’ve accepted it, I don’t see any contradiction, but on the contrary, paganism became more meaningful and extended to me!

7.The compilation was released on 'Rising Moon Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

RISING MOON PRODUCTION is a young company founded by the organizers of the Ragnard Rock Festival. It’s not only a label, but also a booking agency.

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

All the feedbacks I’ve got so far are good, people are interested in.

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

We will stay faithful to the established musical tradition!

But I can tell you that for sure there will be some transformations.

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?

The spectrum of our musical tastes is very broad and diverse: from ethnic folk to heavy metal. Today we can listen in a jumble ambient, jazz, rock, metal, Vedic ragas, Downtempo, etc.


11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Yoga, Meditation, Vegetarianism. And I love working with video and 3D graphics, but for the moment I’m not good enough.

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

Become yourself a change maker for values that you would like to see in this world!

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A Lie Nation Interview

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

We are an extreme metal band of five from Finland. Musically we lie somewhere between black and death metal, with a touch of originality. There's a lot of influences from other genres as well, while black and death are certainly the most dominant ones. We have melodic elements to our songs, and often tend to be guitar riff oriented. Hooks should be present in our music. Lyrics often cover the negative mindscapes of a human being, from extreme aggression to humbling self-destruction.



2.So far you have released 2 ep's how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?

The first ep, Human Waves, from 2015 had a strong melodic death metal sound to it. The songs on it have quite the similar structure, while also sounding somewhat different to each other. There are lots of mellow, atmospheric parts that progress into a more aggressive tone. The material on Human Waves span from the year 2009 to 2014, so it really was a compilation of the stuff produced since the conception of the band.


Second ep, Begin Hate, is more aggressive and is balanced more towards melodic black metal. There is rock-like straightforwardness and not that many mellow parts. All the songs were written after Human Waves, except the last song that was written in 2012. We wanted to sound organic, dark and rough and I think we achieved it quite well. There certainly is a misanthropic and aggressive theme to the ep.


Sounds wise a big difference between the two ep's is that Begin Hate is much more together and cohere than Human Waves. Begin Hate leans more towards black metal and Human Waves more towards death metal. Begin Hate presents a more evolved A Lie Nation. Both of these records have been fully produced, mixed and mastered by the band so there has been some technical progression as well.



3.The band has been around since 2009 but waited until 2015 to release any music, can you tell us a little bit more about the first 6 years?

We got formed by a fusion of two garage bands that played mostly cover songs. At first, that is what we did, we played cover songs for pastime. After a while it became evident that there was some songwriting skill to the band and original songs were taken to playlist. It took a long time for us to take it up to a more professional level and the Finnish mentality of belittling oneself and pessimism were very much present. There were a few internet-demos during those years, which are really not worth mentioning.



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

Misanthropy in its different forms is what we are, while sometimes wondering into more social and political criticism. The negative aspects and phenomena dished out by the human species. Self-hatred and depression. Acts of violence. Occasionally just painting an apocalyptic picture whose meaning is left up for interpretation.



5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'A Lie Nation'?

It's a simple wordplay from alienation to a lie nation. It reflects the misanthropy and distrust to powers that be. We had to come up for a name for our first gig, and it was our vocalists suggestion to call us A Lie Nation.



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

It is hard to point out a single best show, I don't think we have yet played a bad show. Sometimes it might start slow, but the crowd warms up towards the end. Last December we had a great gig at a two day festival called “Turpajuhulat”, which roughly translates to “fight party”. There were many other underground metal bands playing and it was fully organized by a local band. A good quote I overheard from some conversation “it’s great to come and see the smaller bands play, because they still look like they enjoy what they do”, and that pretty much summed up the whole atmosphere.


Our stage presence tends to be energetic, but honest. If the crowd is not in it, we're neither. We never use any backing tracks, and in that sense we’re maybe a bit old fashioned, but I think that it’s also part of the honest stage appearance. It is just us with nothing to cover our performance. Sometimes I see bands that have even clean guitar parts come out of a backing track and that is something we would never do. Fuck ups are a part of the whole live experience, you rehearse to minimize the amount, but there’s always going to be some.



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

None of us does this for a living, so touring is out of the picture for now. We want to do as many shows as possible. A few should be coming along in Finland.



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

Mostly positive. We have been described as fresh and energetic and our arrangements have been called intriguing. Some had slight problems with the mellow parts on our first ep and the brief clean vocals, also on the first one, were not a success among others. It seems to be agreed that we are not an easy band to put in a category, but this has been seen as a positive thing. There’s some indication that the second ep might divide opinions more, because of the lyrics and increased aggressiveness in sound.



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

There will probably be some higher tempos in the future and maybe just a hint more progressiveness. Of course we will try to evolve as much as possible, but we will stay in the domains of black and death metal. There’s already a lot of material for consideration for the next release.



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 common influence for us all has been the first albums of Children Of Bodom and Kalmah, the late 90's stuff. That’s what we listened as teenagers. Although in lesser quantities, we are also no strangers to rock, blues or jazz. Nowadays, in the fields of metal music, anything goes from Insomnium to Arckanum. Few of us are more into death and the others much more into black metal. Batushka has been appearing a lot on our playlists lately.


11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Gym, nature, alcohol, nicotine.



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

The new ep “Begin Hate” is out 5th of April, check it out if you find us interesting. You can reach us through any of our pages, but the most active one is our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/alienationofficial/. Let us know what you thought of the ep, even if you think it sucks.


We stand behind what we do and every release is an expression of ourselves. If we were a company and would do this for profit we would be the shittiest business on the planet. There is nothing but will and yearning to do music that keeps us going.

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Blood of Angels Interview

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

Currently, we are focused on promoting and getting the word out for our upcoming EP release “Rise of the Fallen Gods.”  I have also began writing a song for a side project I plan on releasing later this year.  I have also been writing new songs for the next Blood of Angels release which will be a full album.

2.You have an upcoming out in the springtime, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

I would describe the musical sound as being heavily influenced by the Swedish melodic death metal bands.   I have been a fan of that sound since I first heard it back in 95’ when I went to Sweden for the first time.  I heard bands like At the Gates, Dark Tranquility, and In Flames.  I couldn’t understand why these bands weren’t dominating the metal scene around the world.

3.Your lyrics cover Norse Mythology, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

Although I don’t look it, my grandfather immigrated to the United States from Norway in the late 1940’s.  From the time, I was in my early teenage years, I have always been fascinated with Scandinavian history.  I know they already are many great bands who have tackled the subject.   I wanted to do my own twist on it.  We will be moving on to different subjects in upcoming releases.  Blood of Angels isn’t about just one thing as a band.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Blood Of Angels'?

There isn’t really any concrete meaning behind the name Blood of Angels.  It probably comes from my disdain for organized religion.  I feel it is a cool name for an extreme metal band.

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

We have not played any shows yet.  So far, we have been a studio project.  In my former band Foreshadow, I really have a lot of great memories from our South American tour.  The shows that stood out the most was the Calarca Metal Fest, and the show we played in Paute, Ecuador. The Calarca Metal Fest was in an awesome theater that was filled with high energy metal heads singing all the songs with us.  In Paute, while we played, I witnessed two simultaneous circle pits.  There was not a person at the Our stage show isn’t very theatrical.  It is about us as musicians making the show by using the empty space on the stage, and connecting with as many fans as possible. 

6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the ep is released?
Not after this one, I got a side project in mind that I would like to do and have released this year.  We will be spending 2018 recording the full length second Blood of Angels album.  After that is released, we look forward to doing a lot of festival shows in as many places around the world as possible.

7.The ep is coming out on 'Hollywood Collective', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

The owner of the label Steven Veninga is a longtime friend of mine.  He used to be the booking agent for a club in Gainesville, FL called the Backstage Lounge. I used to play there regularly with my former band a lot.  He made the big move a couple of years ago, to Hollywood and we have stayed in touch.  Just over a year ago, he called me telling me he was going to start a label and asked if I was interested in joining it.  Without hesitation, I said yes.  Hollywood Collective has many other awesome punk and metal bands like General Bastard and Circus of Power.

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

So far, the reviews have been awesome, and I feel a lot of fans of black and death metal music who have heard what we do really like it.  Most radio stations, magazine, and blogs we have submitted to has been very supportive.

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

Michael Stewart (Blood of Angels Bassist) currently has a band called Neverbroken that is awesome.

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

I got a lot of big plans for future albums.  They will tackle different subjects and themes.  I don’t want to give away what they are at this moment.  Musically, no matter what we do, it will undoubtedly be metal.

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

Growing up, Iron Maiden and Slayer are my two biggest influences.  I always thought if I could combine Slayers aggression with Iron Maiden’s beautiful melodies it would be something awesome.   As it is evident, I am largely influenced by the Swedish melodic death metal bands.  I mostly listen to the same bands that influence me.  I have also been on a George Gershwin kick lately, and I have been listening to a lot of American jazz.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Outside of music I am a big kid in a lot of ways.  I can normally be found hanging out at Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando.  I am a big movie fan.  I am a huge Star Wars nerd.  I have read a lot of the books, and currently I am reading the new Star Wars cannon.  I enjoy going to comic-cons, I am also really into art, especially the French impressionist era with Van Gogh, Monet, and Gauguin.

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

I think we covered everything.  You can check on the latest news on our website  http://www.bloodofangels.net.  I have hearing and chatting with anyone from around the world.  You could do that on our social pages facebook.com/bloodofangels1, twitter.com/bloodofangels1, and our  Number One Music Page.  http://www.numberonemusic.com/bloodofangels.

Odious/Skin Age/The Leaders/2015 CD Review

  Odious  are  a  band  from  Egypt  that  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black  death,  and  middle  eastern folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of their  2015  album  "Skin  Age"  which  was  released  by  the  Leaders.

  Symphonic  and  classical  elements  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  where  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while t he  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams.

  Elements  of  middle  eastern  and  oriental  folk  music  are  used  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  there  is  also a   good use  of  operatic  female  and  male  vocals  on  some  of  the  tracks  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  when  percussion  is  utilized  it  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  tribal  and  ritualistic  feeling  along  with  touches  of  world  music.

  Odious  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  symphonic  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  death  metal  and  middle  eastern/folk  music  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  mystery  and  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Odious  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  middle  eastern  folk  metal  and  if  you  are  looking  for  something  original,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Crown  of  Centuries"  "AlZar"  and  "hot  Blood  Flames".  8  out  of  10.

https://odiousband.bandcamp.com/releases

Entropia Invictus/Human Pantocrator/M & O Music/2017 CD Review

  Entropia  Invictus  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Human  Pantocrator"  which  was  released  by  M  &  O  Music.

 A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  symphonic  elements  and  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while t he  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Ethnic  style  folk  and  traditional  stringed  instruments  can  be  heard  in  the  music  briefly  and  elements  of  classical  can  also  be  heard  in  the  symphonic  sections  of  the  songs  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  tribal  style  percussion's  and  operatic  male  and  female  vocals  as  the  album  progresses  and  some  of  the  fast  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  classical  guitars  are  added  onto  the  last  track.

  Entropia  Invictus  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  symphonic  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  futurism  and  anti  religion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Entropia  Invictus  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "I  Will  Overcome"  "In  The  Attic"  "Tree  Of  Creation"  and  "Among  Us".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI1kiFiC_kg&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=sendinblue&utm_campaign=ENTROPIA_INVICTUS__Human_Pantocrator_EN&utm_medium=email 

A Lie Nation/Begin Hate/Inverse Records/2017 EP Review

  A  Lie  Nation  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  ep  "Begin  Hate"  which  was  released  by  Inverse  Records.

  A  very  heavy  guitar  sound  starts  off  ep  along  with  some  grim  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later  and  back  up  gang  shouts  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  riffs  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  elements  of  death  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  bands  musical  style  along with  a  few  growls  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts and  acoustic  guitars  are  added  onto  the  last  track.

  A  Lie  Nation  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  melodic  black  metal  while  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  influences  can  be  heard,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  misanthropy,  hate,  and  yearning  of  nonexistence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  A  Lie  Nation  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Rot  Of  The  Spirit"  and  "A  Burn  Afar".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/ghNkztlf0uQ 

Blood Of Angels/Rise Of The Fallen Gods/Hollywood Collective/2017 EP Review

  Blood  Of  Angels  are a  band  from  Florida  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  ep  "Rise  Of  The  Fallen  Gods"  which  was  released  by  Hollywood  Collective.

  A  very  fast,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  a  few  seconds  later  death  metal  growls  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  influenced  by  both  the  melodic  style  of  Swedish  black  and  death  metal  and  the  music  always  remains  very  heavy  from beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Blood  Of  Angels  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  the  melodic  sides  of  black  and  death  metal  together,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Vikings  and  Norse  Mythology.

  In  my  opinion  Blood  Of  Angels  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Odin's  Wrath".  8  out  of  10.

https://bloodofangels.net/store?utm_source=Promo+List&utm_campaign=c346b395fc-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_02_28&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b7d3bffdfc-c346b395fc-159719745

Naga/Inanimate/Everlasting Spew Records/2017 CD Review

  Naga  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  blackened  mixture  of  doom  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Inanimate"  which  will  be  released  on  March  25th  by  Everlasting  Spew  Records.

  Clean  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  doom  metal  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  as  well  as  some  aggressive  sludge  style  screams  which  also  adds  in  touches  of  black  metal  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  along  with  the  riffs  also  using  melodies.

  A  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  riffs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  modern  black  metal  influences  and  psychedelic  sounds  along  with  drones  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along with  touches  of  noise  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction.

  Naga  plays  a  music  style  that takes  black,  doom  and  sludge  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Naga  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  mixture  of  doom  and  sludge  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.   RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Thrives"  and  "Worm".  8 out  of  10.

http://www.facebook.com/nagadoom
https://nagadoom.bandcamp.com/   

Dusius/Memory Of A Man/Extreme Metal Music/2017 CD Review

  Dusius  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk,  viking,  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Memory  Of  A  Man"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Extreme  Metal  Music.

  Acoustic  guitars  and  atmospheric  keyboards  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  drum  beats  a  few  seconds  later  and  they  also  mix  in  with  the  more  heavier  and  melodic  side  of  the  music  and  after  the  intro  clean  singing  pagan  vocals  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  spoken  word  parts  being  used  at  times.

  Death  metal  growls  and  progressive  elements  are  also  used  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  the  songs  also  mixing  in  flutes  and  bagpipes  and  viking  style  shouts  are  also  used  at  times  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  a  mixture  of  slow, mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  symphonic  style  keyboards  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  some  riffs  also  add  in  a  touch  of  thrash.

  Dusius  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  folk,  viking,  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism  and  Fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Dusius  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  folk,  viking,  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band..  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Slainte"  "The  Rage  Of  Gods"  "Dead  End  Cave"   and  "Coldsong".  8  out  of  10. 

https://youtu.be/67c_K6QOoPY

Cemetery Winds/Unholy Ascensions/Temple Of Darkness/2017 CD Review

  Cemetery  Winds  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  atmospheric  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017 album  "Unholy  Ascensions" which  was  released  by  Temple  Of  Darkness.

 A  very  dark,  heavy,  melodic  and  old  school  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  also  bringing  in  90's  influences  as  well  as  some  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  or  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  also  mixing  elements  of  black  and  death  metal   together  in  the  Nordic  style.

  Atmospheric  synths  can  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  faster  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  fashion  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  some  of  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  add  in  a  touch  of  doom  metal.

  Cemetery  Winds  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  a  very  melodic  and  atmospheric  style  of  black  metal  and mixes  it  with  old  school  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Cemetery  Winds  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric,  melodic  and old  school  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dormant  Darkness"  "When  Death  Descends"  and  "Unholy  Ascensions".  8  out  of  10.

CEMETERY WINDS Facebook