Zornheym Interview

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

Zorn: Right now we are preparing for our first show at Motocultor Festival in France on the 18th of August and we have just started the promotion cycle for our debut album “Where Hatred Dwells and Darkness Reigns”. There is also some work left to do on our graphic novel that will be released as the comic book edition of the album, so yeah… we are staying busy to say the least!

2. You have an album coming out in September, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the guitar?

Zorn: To begin with we have normal tuning on our guitars. Sverker Widgren (owner of Wing Studios where we recorded) created such a thick and heavy sound for our guitars so there was no need to tune them down. Personally, I feel that if you tune down a guitar it doesn’t really add anything in heaviness if the riffs themselves aren’t heavy already. We also have Deathbucker pickups from Lace pickups that helped us get a perfect mix of new and old with the tone as well. Even though we are a “Symphonic” band, the guitar takes up a lot of space on the album. The guitar is the strong stallion that’s pulling the carriage of the orchestra and the choir.

3. The main person in the band has previous experience in other bands, what is it that you feel that you are able to do different with this band that you were not able to do in previous groups?

Zorn: This band I built from scratch. When the foundation for the band was built I was lucky and found great people that shared the same vision. I think a difference with this band is that we are looking more outside of the box, we have pretty much smashed the box and rebuilt that whole idea. There is so much focused creativity pulling in the same direction. It makes the music and the ideas around the concept very powerful and more focused than I have ever experienced before.

4. The lyrics on the album have a concept to them, can you tell us a little bit more about the songwriting?

Zorn: The story takes place at an asylum called Zornheim - Where Hatred Dwells and Darkness Reigns, and each song tells the story of ones of the inmates that is imprisoned there. The physical version of the album also includes each inmates’ medical record written by the head doctor Dr. Bettelheim.

Regarding the songwriting, I started mostly with writing the guitar riffs, even though with “The Opposed” I wrote the cello theme on an old keyboard with a cello sound. Then I recorded and arranged the songs in my home studio. I met up with Angst and did drum arrangements with him in the rehearsal room and later he recorded the drums. Once I got the rehearsal drums from him I did small adjustments with the guitars and the orchestra as well. When Bendler joined the band, me and him started working on the vocals together, sending ideas back and forth and then Scucca came with some vocal input before we recorded it with Sverker Widgren at Wing Studios. Once the foundation of the songs were done I sent over the orchestral score to Scucca and he arranged the ideas so that they would work and then wrote it down as notation for the string orchestra and the choir. Since each song contains over 300 channels on the album, the songwriting process was more complicated than just meet up a few guys and jam in a rehearsal room.

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

Zorn: Zornheym was my stage name when I was in Dark Funeral. The former German lead singer of Dark Funeral, Nachtgarm, came up with it. It is german and it means “home of anger”. The more I started to hear people calling me that, the more I liked the sound of it and when I started to plan to form this band I found myself with a concept that pretty much tells a story about a “home of anger”. So simply using that name felt natural. The story takes place in Germany so we decided to name the asylum “Zornheim” and the band “Zornheym” and I decided to shorten my name to Zorn, because that’s what people usually called me anyway.

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

Zorn: That’s a really hard question to answers since we have not played any shows so far, haha… Our debut show is on the 18th of August in France on the Motocultor Festival. We are playing together with bands like Bloodbath, Opeth and Candlemass, in other words we are super psyched and honoured for having this opportunity for our debut show!

7. Do you have any touring or show plans once the album is released?

Zorn: Besides Motocultor, nothing is booked yet. However plans are slowly taking form. The best thing you can do if you want to see Zornheym play in your city is to contact your local promoters and make sure that they understand that there is a demand for Zornheym in your area.

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

Zorn: We have only released two digital singles and our first show is on a 20.000+ festival, I can not believe how extremely well people have greeted us. Thank you!

I think that it is really hard to break through the white noise surrounding music today. I’m getting the feeling that our extremely thought through concept is helping us with that though, but only time will tell. So far, so good!

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

Zorn: My other band/studio project, Aktiv Dödshjälp, might enter the studio later this year. I have almost all the songs done and I have a recording line up as well. I hope we can do it because the songs are really cool. I know that Bendler has just added a ton of great songs onto Spotify recently, and him and Facebreaker are slowly putting a new album together. Angst’s Diabolical are recording pre-productions for their next album. Scucca’s other band, Encrowned, has some killer songs in production for their debut too.

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

Zorn: I see us diving deeper into the concept that we started with “Where Hatred Dwells and Darkness Reigns” and using more and more real instruments. Our music can basically travel where the concept takes us since we are a band driven by our concept. I look forward to creating more epic symphonic compositions though!

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?

Zorn: To begin with what have influenced me while writing this album I would say these albums:

Dissection - Storm of the Light’s bane

Dimmu Borgir - Spiritual Black Dimensions

King Diamond - Voodoo

Blind Guardian - Nightfall in Middle-earth

Yngwie Malmsteen - Seventh Sign

Emperor - Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk

Hans Zimmer - Inception soundtrack

I don’t think we sound like any of these bands or artists exactly, but they have been a great inspiration for me while writing. When I’m listening to music at home, I only listen to the albums in my record collection, and then I would rather put on an album and let it play through. When I’m out I stream music via Spotify and then I more look for music or check out new albums. Recently I have been listening to the new Carach Angren album, Blaze new album, Bloodbath, Edge of Sanity and the new Rhapsody of Fire album. Sometimes I go into instrumental periods and just listen to soundtracks or classical music. Other times I am at the gym and just getting psyched up by Raised Fist.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Zorn: I like going to the movies and TV series. I also often find myself stuck watching different documentaries about historic events. I like to read a lot as well. Most of my time when I’m not working with music is invested in my 3 year old son and my girlfriend though.

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

Zorn: Thank you for your interest in Zornheym and thanks to you who took the time to check out the whole interview. Please check out our debut album “Where Hatred Dwells and Darkness Reigns”. If concept albums are your poison, dive into our concept and explore, it is a new angle on the approach to concept albums and I think you will like it! Check out our singles on youtube and if you want to help a hard working band, get the physical version of the album. Either way, thanks for taking the time to check us out. See you on the road!

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Fleurety/Inquietum/Aesthetic Death/2017 Compilation Review

  Fleurety  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  avant  garde  and  noise  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  compilation  album  "Inquietum"  which  will  be  released  on  August  21st  and  consists  of  the  many  7  inches  that  they  have  released  over  the  years.

  Harsh  noises  and  power  electronics  start  off  the  album  and  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  riffing  which  also  leads  up  to  some  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  being  added  onto  the  recording  while  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  avant  garde  elements  and  you  can  also  hear  some  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  bets  can  be  heard  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  yet  progressive  fashion  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  guitar  riffing  also  brings  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking.

  Throughout  the  compilation  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  some  tracks  also  bring  in  synths  and  drones  along  with  some  psychedelic  elements  also  being  used  briefly  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  female  vocals  can  also be  heard  briefly as  the  album  progresses  and  some  of  the  songs  is  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  utilizes  a  more  angry  vocal  approach  and  there  are  also  a  few  instrumentals.

  On  this  compilation  Fluerty  showcase  a  lot  of  their  material  that  was  released  over  the  years  which  shows  their  avant  garde  black  metal  style  getting  more  darker  and  experimental  than  what  was  presented  on  the  early  full lengths,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  weirdness,  dark  emotions  and  poetry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  collection  from  Fluerty  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  avant  garde  black  metal,  experimental  and  noise,  you  should  check  out  this  compilation.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Descent  Into  Darkness"  "Summon  The  Beasts"  "It's  When  Your  Cold"  and  "Carnal  Nations".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/thetruefleurety/  

Kranheit/Saat Des Bosen/Metal Shop/2017 CD Review

  Krankheit  are  a  band  from  Austria  that  plays  a  mixture  of  dark  industrial  and  symphonic  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Saat  Des  Bosen"  which  was  released  by  Metal  Shop.

  Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  radio  sounds  and  demonic  voices  which  leads  up  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  while  the  vocals  are  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  they  also  mix  the  symphonic  and  heavy  parts  together.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  industrial  and  classical  music  elements

  Kranheit  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  symphonic  black  metal,  industrial  and  classical  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are written  in  their  native  tongue  and  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Kranheit  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  classical,  dark  industrial  and  symphonic  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Saat  Des  Bosen"  "Tanz  der  Zeit"  "Untergang"  and  "Requiem  Introitus".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/Krankheit.Band/

Xanthochroid/Of Erthe And Axen Act I/Erethe And Axen Records/2017 CD Review

  Xanthochroid  are  a  band  from  Lake  Forest,  California  that  plays  a  musical  style  they  refer  to  as  'cinematic  black  metal'  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  "Of  Erthe  And  Axen  Act  I"  which  will  be  released  on  August  22nd.

  Neo-classical  style  keyboards  and  instruments  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  symphonic  elements  while  also  adding  in  the  atmosphere  of  an  epic  fantasy  movie  and  when  acoustic  guitars  are  utilized  they  bring  in  elements  of  folk  music  and  melodic  singing  is  also  used  at  times.

  Female  vocals  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  after  awhile  the  music  also  goes  into  more  of  a  heavy  and  melodic  direction  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  they  also  mix  the  heavy  and  symphonic  elements  together  and  the  guitar  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  After  awhile  grim  black  metal  screams  start  to  make  their  presence  known  along  with  a  few  death  metal  growls  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  acoustic  guitars  also  gives  the  songs  a  more  progressive  edge  at  times  and  there  is  a  mixture  of  both  heavy  and  acoustic  tracks.

  Xanthochroid  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  symphonic  black  metal  with  folk  music  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  their  own  self  created  lore  and  fantasy.

  In  my  opinion  Xanthochroid  are  a  very  great  sounding  cinematic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "To  Higher  Climes  Where  Few Might  Stand"  "The  Sound  Of  Hunger  Rises"  and  "The  Sound  Which  Has  No  Name".  8  out of  10.

https://youtu.be/H1focj2-KD4

Owlcrusher/Self Titled/Seeing Red Records/2017 CD Review

  Owlcrusher  are  a  band  from  Northern  Ireland  that  plays  a  blackened  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  self  titled  2017  album  which  was  released  by  Seeing  Red  Records.

  Atmospheric  sounding  drones  along  with  some  ambient  soundscapes  start  off  the  album before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  sludge  and  doom  metal  direction  as  well  as  introducing  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  onto  the  recording  while  the  guitar  riffing  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording h ave  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  death  metal  growls  are  also  utilized  at  times  along  with  melodic  chants  and  singing  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  fashion  and  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction.

  Owlcrusher  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  sludge  and  doom  metal  with  a  black  metal  vocal  approach  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  mental  illness,  alcohol  abuse,  tragedy  and  abstract  existential fear  themes.

  In  my opinion  Owlcrusher  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Feeble  preacher".  8  out of  10.

https://seeingredrecords.bandcamp.com/album/owlcrusher-owlcrusher

Syn Ze Sase Tri/Zaul Mos/Code666/2017 CD Review

  Syn  Ze  Sase  Tri  are  a  band  from  Romania  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  form  of  pagan black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Zaul  Mos"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Code666.

  Symphonic  synths  and  folk  instruments  start  off  the  album  and  they  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  and  melodic  sections  of  the  music  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  whispered  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  At  times spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  along  with  a  brief  use  of  power  metal  style  vocals and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  fast  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount of  tremolo  picking.

  When  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  as  the  album  progresses  elements  of  folk  metal  and  pagan  vocals  are  also  added  onto  the  recording  while  a  later  track  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars and  female  vocals  and  only  one  of  the  songs  is  very  long  an d epic  in  length.

  Syn  Ze  Sase  Tri  plays  a  style  of  pagan  black  metal  that  is  very  symphonic  while  also  mixing  in  a  decent  amount  of  folk  elements  to  create  a sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Ancient  Dacian  Legends.

  In  my  opinion  Syn  Ze  Sase  Tri  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  pagan/black  metal band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tarimu  De  Lumina"  "De-a  Dreapta  Omului"  "Urzeala  Ceriului"  and  "In  Pintecu  Pamntuliu".  8  out  of  10.

 http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=136662

Uhtcearu/For Darkness To Subside/2017 Full Length Review

  Uhtcearu  are  a  band  from  Wisconsin  that plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  From  Darkness  To  Subside".

  Blast  beats  and  fast  tremolo  picking  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  a  few  seconds  later  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to them  and  the  vocals  also  use  both  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  and  you can  also  hear  a  lot  of  melody  in  the riffs.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and fast  parts  while  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  on  a  few  tracks  along  with  a  brief  use  of  wood  burning  sounds  and  they  also  give  the  genre  a  more  modern  approach  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  piano's  can  be  heard and  one  of  the  tracks  is  an  instrumental.

  Uhtcearu  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  black metal  and  mixes  it  with  death  metal  to  create  a sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical themes.

  In  my  opinion  Uhtcearu  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  "Burning  Effigy"  "May  Spirits  Guide  Us  Through"  and  "Tower  Of  Silence".  8  out  of  10.

https://uhtcearu.bandcamp.com/album/for-darkness-to-subside

Gloomy Grim/Fuck The World, War Is War!/Symbol Of Domination Productions/Murdher Records/2017 CD Compilation Review

  Finland's  Gloomy  Grim have  returned  with  a  album  that  is  in  the  symphonic  black  metal  style  while  also  being  a collection  of  songs  they  have  released  over  the  years and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  compilation  album "Fuck  The  World,  War  Is  War!"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Symbol Of  Domination  Productions  and  Murdher  Records.

  Symphonic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  compilation  along  with  some  grim  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  awhile  heavy  guitar  riffs  start  to  make  their  presence  known  and  they  also  mix  in  with  the  symphonic  sections  of  the  music  while  the riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  One  of  the  tracks  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  guitar  leads  are finally  added  into  the  songs  they  give  the  music  more  of  an  old  school  metal  feeling  while  also having  their  melodic  moments  and  female  vocals  along  with  spoken  word  parts  are  also  used  briefly  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction.

  With  this  compilation  Gloomy  Grim  brings  in  a  mixture  of  both  new  and  old  material  which  is  all  in  a  symphonic  black  metal  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  War,  Anti  Christianity,  Darkness,  Death,  and  Horror  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very great  sounding  collection  from  Gloomy  Grim and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  compilation.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Written  In  Blood"  "Asylum"  and  "Blood".  8  out  of  10.

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Legacy Of Emptiness Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Sure thing! This is Kjell-Ivar speaking btw!The origin can be traced back to late 1995 when Eddie (guitar,vocals) and I (bass) figured out that we should start a band just for the hell of it. There were no plans or clear visions behind it other than to drink Vargtass and have fun. We chose the name 'Permafrost' as it was the coldest and grimmest name we could think of.
Later on, Øyvind joined on keyboards and we took a more symphonic direction and also changed name to 'Ancestral Legacy'. People came and went but the core of the three of us remained. Little other than a few demos happened so we left the band for dead in the early 2000's. Eddie continued with an entire new crew in a bit different direction and kept the name 'Ancestral Legacy'.
10 years or so later the three of us once more found ourselves playing and enjoying it again and here we are with our second album after the reformation.

2.You have a new album coming out in June, 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?
I would say the sound is quite similar as it is still the same receipt we used on the previous album. Once again we left the mix and mastering in the hands of Dan Swanö. He has been one of the most important persons for the band. First as a huge source of inspiration when we started out in the 90's and now as the man making sure we sound like we know what the hell we are doing.
When it comes to the songwriting I think we have matured a bit in the sense that the atmosphere and melodies are even stronger now. I am also very pleased withe the vocal arrangements on this album. We worked really hard on those and it was worth going the extra mile.

3.This is the first album to be released since 2011, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?
We've been to hell and back!
We started the work on 'Over The Past' late 2012 and then the misfortunes came hurdling against us. In that time all three of us have been hospitalized with different crap. Car accidents, cancer, fractures, emergency eye surgery, stroke, etc.. but we made it through and the result is 'Over The Past'. A quite fitting album title, don't you think?

4.The band members have all worked with each other in 'Permafrost' and 'Ancestral Legacy', what was the decision behind leaving those groups and starting a new band?As I mentioned in the introduction it's more of an evolution than bands left behind. We're the same people and we're still both 'Permafrost' and *Ancestral Legacy' but those names are occupied by others today .

5.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
We have a little of this and a little of that since we sometimes use lyrics from other masters in addition to those we write ourselves. The common ground for all the lyrics we use is the sense of despair, hopelessness and darkness of different kinds. It may be dark moments in the history (ex 'Angelmaker') or the inner darkness that we all carry and feel(ex 'Into The Eternal Pits Of Nothingness')
When I write lyrics I usually try to express the feelings I get and describe the images I see when listening to the music. It's some sort of a narrative in a way.

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Legacy Of Emptiness'?
It's the link between then and now. When we picked up the tread again in 2010 it was more meant as an isolated thing were the plan was to re-work and record our best moments from back in the days. Most of the songs were on the the Ancestral Legacy - demo 'Emptiness' and therefor the name 'Legacy of Emptiness'.
In addition to tell its own story the name also reflects the music very well in my opinion.

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?Easy question. The short story is; we don't play live. In this business one should never say never but I don't see LOE take to the stages in any foreseeable future due to several reasons. As a 3-piece we would have to have loads of music on tape or hire a bunch of other musicians to make it sound right. Either way feels wrong so we'll probably continue composing music with no regard to playing it live. In this way we don't have any limitations in the composing and can do exactly what we feel like.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
See previous answer.


9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of symphonic black metal?
The feedback has been overwhelmingly good. We get lot's of messages, and comments from people about how much they like this and that song. Narcissic as we are we read and absorb every comment of that kind.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?There are some ideas floating around for a next release but it's to early to say if it's going to be an EP or an album. We still have a couple of hidden treasures from the 90's that might be cleaned up a bit and presented for the public.  Anyways, the creativity is flowing pretty good again so hopefully it won't tak 6 years until next time.

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?
As one that grew up in the 80's it's impossible not to mention the classics as Maiden, Manowar, Helloween and Twisted Sister but as I evolved I discovered something far more aggressive and sinister and found myself with tapes of Slayer, Sepultura and Deicide.
But the bands that have influenced our sound the most came from the Swedish melodic DM-scene. Edge of Sanity, early In Flames, Flegma, Unanimated, At the Gates, Dissection and the list goes on..
I still listen a lot to all of the above but I really like discovering new music. The new wave of classic heavy metal has much interesting going on with bands like 'Eternal Champion' and 'Witchtower'. I also listen qute a bit to funeral doom these days so here's a shout out to the labelmates in 'Frowning'.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
I do quite a bit of fishing. I prefer fly-fishing but anything goes really. Hiking in the woods and mountains never gets old.
I also do a lot of geeky stuff like cardgames and miniature wargaming. Whatever keeps you sane, right?


13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Support the underground! Without a living underground we're left with soulless glossy products aimed for mass consumption. Support the small and independent labels! They are the blood of our scene and keep the physical formats alive.


FACEBOOK

facebook.com/legacyofemptiness

Order/Stream New Album:
legacyofemptinessblacklion.ban dcamp.com/album/over-the-past

Hate Moon Interview

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

Tohmar- We're a Norse-Gael symphonic metal two piece from Pennsylvania. As proud Irish Americans we promote our heritage and culture through our music.

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

Tohmar- An aural romanticism of ancient norse-celtic fantasy.

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

Tohmar- I would prefer that the listener interpret the lyrical/thematic narrative as they choose.

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

Tohmar- I also prefer this be an abstraction that the listener can interpret as they wish.

5.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to expanding your line up or do you chose to remain a duo?

Tuathail- Hate Moon will remain a duo. Tohmar and I have a certain vision for this band where we don’t want outside influence to disturb it.

6.The album is coming out on 'Folkvangr Records' are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?

Tuathail- Yes, it has been quite a privilege and honor to be with Folkvangr.

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

Tohmar- Until this album we have not released anything publicly/officially.
Tuathail- We did pass along demos to friends and they were always well received.  This is why we felt an album was due.

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

Tohmar- Longer and more complex compositions.

9.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?

Tohmar- Black/death metal, classical, goth, and music from video games.  Both in the the present and past.
Tuathail- For me black metal, experimental electronic and industrial music.


10.Does paganism play any role in your music?

Tohmar- No.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Tuathail- Hiking and art.
Tohmar- Norse-Irish culture/heritage, video games, politics.

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

Tohmar- No.

Bandcamp

Crawl Interview

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

Crawl is a one manned Blackened Doom monolith. The core of crawl consists of me behind a drumset with a stringed instrument mounted across the kit. I play the bass instrument primarily live, while drumming, with minimal use of samples and loops. Behind me is bass cabinets stacked three high, with the words "crawl" blazoned on the highest most cabinet.
Crawl started in July 2011 after a previous band had fallen apart months prior to a tour I was in the process of booking. After reflecting on my past failures for some time I decided that there was no one on this earth that was going to join me on the arduous path that is being a touring musician.
I sat down for a week or two, drew out some sketches, formed a plan, and chipped away at a workable format until I got where I am today.
Crawl is always evolving, and I often find that I must force myself to slow down so I can showcase some of the ideas I have for an extended amount of time.

2. How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?

Crawl is a hypnotizing bleakness, accompanied by pained and emotional vocalizations. Some elements of noise fill in the gaps, and samples of cavernous soundscapes set the tone throughout any given track.

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

The lyrics often in the perspective of a necromancer reflecting on his worthlessness brought on by the loss of his own power. Weak, pathetic ramblings of an ancient piece of shit, dying in a tomb he created himself. His suffering is his own fault and he has no one but himself to blame for his failures. Some lyrics are also presented in the perspective of a summoned entity begging to die, begging to be imprisoned, or just worshiping the need to be enslaved. There is no finite lyrical theme. Just the exploration of lack of self worth, stagnant depression, failure, suicide. Through the eyes of necromancy and minimal early 15th century medieval imagery.

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

Crawl is derived from the term "Dungeon crawl" which is a type of scenario in fantasy role-playing games in which heroes navigate a labyrinthine environment. The use of Crawl as a title is to illustrate the idea of being lost in a dark tomb/cave/dungeon.

5.With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to remain solo?

I have heavily considered collaboration, and I am always thinking of musicians that would fit the part. I have come close but it just hasn't happened yet.
I would like to release some albums based entirely around collaboration without perverting the idea that I am playing two instruments at once and am a "solo act". That hasn't happened yet, and I'm not interested in rushing it.

6.'Black Bow Records' is re-issuing your whole discography, can you tell us a little bit more about these newer versions?

Black Bow Records is simply hosting my discography for now. There aren't any significant differences to the albums. I wouldn't want there to be. There may or may not be some Black Bow Records exclusive recordings or merchandise, but we are early on in the stages of working together and that has yet to be discussed.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal, sludge and noise?

I have received very little negative feedback on Crawl by anyone regardless of genre. I am most interested in playing for the people that haven't been exposed to any elements of the music I am creating. I am primarily interested in opening minds and showing people that there are things that have yet to be discovered. I find that my live show bypasses any genre exclusivity. Black metal, Noise, Sludge, Art shows, Rock, Thrash, Grind, Powerviolence... I've done it all and its always the same reaction in different degrees; "I have never seen anything like that, ever."

8.Are you currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

I am drumming for UK's Conan at psycho las vegas 2017 and in San Diego on August 22nd. I have been in other bands at the same time as Crawl, but for now, its just these two bands.

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

I want to explore classical guitar, I want to own a theorbo. I want to continue bringing up emotionally painful experiences for audience members via Crawl live sets. I want to evoke great amounts of emotion, and i want to compose songs that put people into a temporary depression.
I want to highlight pain, and use it as a tool for healing.

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?

In the beginning bands like Skaphe and The White Mice were my go to for inspiration because writing by myself was a difficult situation to get a handle on.
But now... I just remember to start slow, pick an object or emotion, and slowly begin to elaborate on whatever topic I am focusing on at the time.
The music I listen to nowadays usually consists of very slow ambient dungeon synth. Anything to keep me calm and grounded. Soundscapes similar to those one might see popping up in some of Crawl's new material. Also Grok's "A Spineless Descent". Anything/Everything on the mysticism productions bandcamp. Lluvia. Shit like that.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

My non musical interests include PC gaming, early 15th century armour and recreating those pieces, medieval weaponry, crafting instruments... Essentially building anything and everything until my hands fall off.

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

Crawl will touring the west coast with Black Vice (blackvice.bandcamp.com) and Haunter (hauntertx.bandcamp.com) August 3rd - August 16th.
Those tour dates can be found on the Crawl facebook (facebook.com/crawlblindly).

Keep an eye out for Red River Family Fest 2017 in Austin Texas. The line up is not one to be trifled with.

If you're interested in medieval plate armour, look into "Necroticarmoury" on facebook and on instagram. I am interested in making armour for bands, anyone that would attend a renaissance festival, or just for someone who wants to own pieces of hand made armour.

Thank you for taking the time to ask me these questions, or if you're reading this interview; for making it to the end.
-Crawl

https://www.facebook.com/CrawlBlindly/

Crawl/This Sad Cadav'r/Black Bow Records/2017 EP Review

  Crawl  are  a  band  from  Texas  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge  and  noise  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  ep  "This  Sad  Cadav'r"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Black  Bow  Records.

  Atmospheric  drones  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  field  recordings  a  few  seconds  later  and  elements  of  ambient  are  also  used  at  times  and  after  a  few  minutes  the  music  goes  into  a  heavier  sludge  direction  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  All  of  the  tracks a re  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  diversity  and  elements  of  harsh  noise  are  also  used  at  times  while  demonic  growls  are  also added  into  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  all  of  the  tracks  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction.

  Crawl  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  metal,  sludge  and  noise  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

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

https://ninecircles.co/2017/08/16/stream-crawl-i/ 



    

Hate Moon/The Imprisoning War/Folkvangr Records/2017 CD Review

  Hate  Moon  are  a  duo  from  Pennsylvania  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "The  Imprisoning  War"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Folkvangr  Records.

  Dungeon  style  synths  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  classical  guitars  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  some  symphonic  elements  that  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  which  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  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  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  growls  are  also  used  at  times  and  a  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  classical  guitars  are  added  on  the  outro.

  Hate Moon  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  symphonic  and  epic  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  ancient  Celtic  World  and  historical  fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hate  Moon  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Golden  Power"  and  "The  Skeleton  Forest".  8  out  of  10.

 https://folkvangrrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-imprisoning-war



  

Throne Of Heresy/Decameron/The Sign Records/2017 CD Review

  Throne  Of  Heresy  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their 2017  album  "Decameron"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  The  Sign  Records.

  A  very  heavy  yet  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  while  black  metal  screams  are  also  used  at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording h ave  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  elements  of  viking  metal  are  also  used  at  times  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  onto  the  recording  and  they  also  add  in  a  touch  of  folk  music  and  clean  pagan  vocals  are  also  used  briefly  while  a  later  songs  adds  in  spoken  word  parts  and  operatic  female  vocals  and  one  track  is  an  instrumental.

  Throne  Of  Heresy  plays  a  style  of  blackened  death  metal  that  is  very  melodic  in  the  Swedish  tradition  while  also  adding  in  touches  of  fol,  pagan  and  viking  metal  to  stand  out  a  bit  more,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  the Black  Death  of  the  14th  century.

  In  my  opinion  Throne  Of  Heresy  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  "The  Shores  Of  Issyk-Kul" "The  Plague  Ships"  "A  silent  Vigil"  and  "The  Pale  Burden".  8  out  of  10.

 http://echoesanddust.com/2017/08/throne-of-heresy-decameron-review-exclusive-track-premiere/

Hexenklad Interview

1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
The story of Hexenklad began with the planting of a seed, an idea: to create a metal band that was as deep in meaning and feeling as it was heavy and aggressive in sound. Co-created by guitarist Michael Grund (SIG:AR:TYR, ex-Battlesoul) and drummer Sterling Dale, Hexenklad’s roots sunk down after Grund made the drastic decision to move to the forests of Bancroft, Ontario, Canada, leaving city life and materialism behind. With this mental shift in place, and with the first two Hexenklad songs composed in those very woods, Hexenklad was born: a melodic, folk-inspired black metal band with thematic leanings towards nature, a respect for magick and ancient religions, and personal enlightenment and freedom.
Its branches spread in late 2015 with the addition of guitarist John “The Ancient One” Chalmers (Pagan Ritual), who helped round out the music. In 2016, after having recorded the drums for the new album “Spirit of the Stone”, Sterling Dale left Hexenklad and Timothy “Voldamares” Johnston (Eclipse Eternal) joined as vocalist, who expanded the sound still further. With the vision of the album and band now fully formed, comrades were called upon to complete the recordings. Alex Snape (Unbowed) did a guest appearance to add his signature bass sound, while guest cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne (The Visit, Musk Ox) added his wizardry to several tracks. Now-permanent member Clare B. (Eclipse Eternal, ex-Operus) deepened the sound with keyboards to put the final touches to the tapestry. Having now completed the debut album “Spirit of the Stone”, Hexenklad branched out again, growing this time to include new permanent members Jon Kal (Pagan Ritual) on bass and Andrew C. (Pagan Ritual) on drums, once again reuniting father and son (John and Andrew).

2. You have an album coming out at the end of July. How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Take the depth of feeling of Falkenbach with the writing stylings of Hypocrisy, the folk melodies of Moonsorrow with the twin guitar blast of Dissection, the depth of emotion of Primordial with the overwhelming nature of Insomnium. Then you will begin to be able to describe the sound of Hexenklad’s new album “Spirit of the Stone”. Every song pulls from all the previously mentioned influences yet sounds completely unique in its essence. Heavy yet melodic, violent yet uplifting, extreme as a whole yet with moments of beauty and calm, this is Canadian Folk-Influenced Black Metal.

3. Some of your lyrics deal with Magick and Ancient Religions; can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in those topics?
The lyrics of this album are an amalgamation of ideas and writings from Michael Grund, an eclectic spiritualist, seen and interpreted through the eyes of Timothy Voldemars Johnston, who is Asatru. For many years now both have delved into the depths of ancient wisdom and beliefs and formed ideas around what they found. Each song’s lyrics revolve around a different aspect of those beliefs and ideas, and how they relate to life and the world around us. Those topics have such depths to explore that each word said about them holds a spark of Magick that can be felt. It is one of the reasons the album has so much energy in it—so much momentum and unbridled wildness.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Hexenklad'?
The name Hexenklad was the brain child and creation of guitarist Michael Grund, the founder of the band. In his own words:
"The name itself was one of those words that came to me in a quiet moment. Depending on how the listener chooses to interpret it, the meaning is somewhat open. For me it ties in to Magick, occult, witchcraft, and many otherworldly themes which are present within the music. The literal meaning when broken down: "Hexen" - a spell, to curse; and "Klad" or "Clad" - covered in."

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 played our first show just recently on July 7, 2017 in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada with our friends in Vesperia, Battlesoul, and Imperion and, judging by the audience response, it's safe to say it was very well received. Descriptions of our performance offered from the audience ranged from punishing and intense to epic, deep, and powerful. On a side note, our guitarist John "The Ancient One" dropped an amp head on his hand while loading in and played the show with a broken finger. A small example of our dedication to our craft.

6. Do you have any touring or show plans once the album is released?
We are currently in the process of booking shows to support the "Spirit of the Stone" album in the Ontario and Quebec provinces of Canada. On August 3, 2017, we have been given the great honour of being the first Metal band to perform at Kaleidoscope Gathering, one of the largest Pagan Gatherings in Canada. We are also playing a show with Ashbringer and Klarg in Toronto on August 26, 2017. And we're always open to offers...from anywhere.

7. The album is coming out on 'CDN Records'. Are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?
The support from CDN has been fantastic. They have given us complete breadth of artistic freedom with the music and imagery, which is our strength, and have provided us with rock solid support on the business and marketing side of things, which is their strength. Craig has assembled a team of professionals, Jason and Kim at Black Element for example, who are quite exceptional at what they do.  Simply put, they are good people and we are honoured to have them on our side.

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of folk and black metal?
The response has been absolutely amazing! Far greater than we could have ever expected or imagined.  In late 2016 we did a photo shoot in a forest not far from our jam space. We made the conscious decision to avoid the conventional Black Metal background of a snow-covered pine forest and instead opted to capture the beauty and majesty of the Canadian hardwood forest in Autumn, something we all hold close to our hearts and something that better represents what this band is about. Once the images were placed on our Facebook page, we were greeted with an unbelievable amount of support from all over the globe—Mexico and Brazil in particular. Then, on New Year's Day 2017, we shared our first musical offering in the form of a YouTube video for our song “Path to Ruin”, and even though it was a simple picture video, once again we were blessed with an absolutely astounding response. It has really been quite a humbling experience and we are very grateful for all of the support. We are very much looking forward to the world experiencing “Spirit of the Stone” in its entirety when it's released on July 28, 2017.

9. Where do you see the band heading musically in the future?
We are very proud of the musical direction and trajectory that we have created thus far. Currently we have the framework for over a dozen new songs recorded, with more and more being written each month. At this point we are still in the early stages of composition and are simply capturing creative ideas as they emerge—some heavy and melodic, others quite folky and earthy. It's when we dive balls deep into writing mode later this year that these ideas will be refined and perfected. Musically, you can expect a continuation of the journey that we have created with “Spirit of the Stone”.  The heaviness, the melody, the harmonies, the highs and lows. An idea that we have been toying with is doing a double CD, the first disc being a continuation of the classic Hexenklad sound with the second disc being a more folk oriented acoustic, natural offering.

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?
Obviously, the aforementioned bands—Moonsorrow, Falkenbach, Hypocrisy, Dissection, Primordial, and Insomnium—have all had a deep and powerful influence on the Hexenklad sound and the creation of "Spirit of the Stone". But that is only the tip of the iceberg, as we are all rabid, insatiable music fans.  Emperor, Gorgoroth, Arkona, Woods of Ypres, Amon Amarth,  Forteresse, Wolven Ancestry, and Taake, among others, are in constant rotation. Some bands that have recently caught our ears are MGLA, Helheim, Nargaroth, Batushka, Elderwind, Vallendusk,  and Thrawsunblat. As you can see, our influences are vast and ever-growing.

11. What are some of your non-musical interests?
Spending as much time in nature as possible, drinking with comrades and kin, axe-throwing, reading, philosophy.

12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Each of us has spent many years in other bands honing our craft, finding ourselves and our voice, and it is our belief that we have been doing so in preparation for this project. The path lies ahead. We hope you join us on it. Horns up!

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Siberian 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?

After we released the album we've been on a European tour that we worked with together with our booking agency.
One of our goals is to become a great live experience and we're still working very hard on trying out different ideas every tour.

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?

We usually say we play some kind of Post-/sludge metal, but that can sometimes be misleading.
We all like different things and we try to incorporate our differences in our music.
I think Siberian is a forum for us to express our feelings and when our feelings change, the music change.


3.Your lyrics cover some dystopian and existentialism themes. can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

Our first album, Modern Age Mausoleum, has a dystopian theme to it. Somewhat based on George Orwell's 1984 but also based on other dystopian works.
Through Ages of Sleep, our most recent album has nothing to do with these topics.

4.Origianlly the band was known as 'Shrine', what was the cause of the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Siberian'?

In 2013 we signed with local record label 'Gaphals' and had to change the band name for legal reasons.
We named the band after the vast wilderness in Siberia, because we find the primitive and untouched taiga to be a great source of inspiration to us,


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

All of our shows are great shows no matter where we play or the size of the audience.
We have done shows for 200 people and also shows for 2 people and we play as intense we can for everybody.


7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of sludge and post metal?

I think we've gotten a very mixed response. We are very aware that we are difficult to categorize as a band
since we mix alot of important genres in the metal scene. The goal with Siberian is to try to make something that stands out
musically. We don't want to paint ourselves into a corner and focus only on one genre. Most importantly we write what we want
to hear ourselves and don't pay much attention to what other people think about the direction of our music.
We flirt with Sludge, black metal and post-metal a lot since we are big fans of those genres but we explore other genres like
folk, rock and ambient music as well. The response from our recent tour was very positive and people seem to like what we do.
I don't think we have any expectations at all but if people like what we do that's great! If people don't like what we do that's okay too.


8.Are you happy with the support 'The Sign Records' has given you so far?
Yes.

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

Only time will tell. We have already started to speculate the theme for our third and final album in this trilogy.
I think our third album will be very great.

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 lot of our inspirations doesn't necessarily come from other bands but rather
philosophical ideas that we discuss with each other from time to time. We also have literature and real-life experiences
as a source of inspirations to write our music.

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Atriarch/Dead As Truth/Relapse Records/2017 CD Review

  Atriarch  are  a  band  from  Portland,  Oregon  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  blackened  mixture  of  doom  and  sludge  metal  along  with  some  elements  of  noise,  death  rock  and  post  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Dead  As  Truth"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Relapse  Records.

  Ambient  noise  sounds  start  off  the  album  and  after  a  few  seconds  drum  beats  and  melodic  vocals  are  added  onto  the recording  which  leads  up  to  more  of  a  heavier  sludge  and  doom  metal  direction  and  after  awhile  elements  of  death  rock  and  goth  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  some  black  metal  screams.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  atmospheric  synths  are  also  used  at  times  and  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  post  punk  fashion and  and  on  one  of  the  alter  tracks  the  music  speeds  up a   bit  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  last  song  also  introduces  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  recording

  Atriarch  remains  true  to  the  blackened  sludge/doom  metal  and  death  rock  mixture  of  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  death,  destruction  and  hate  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Atriarch  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  death  rock,  black,  doom  and  sludge  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Inferno"  and  "Hopeless".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.invisibleoranges.com/atriarch-void-song-premiere/

Suns Of Sorath Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We formed in 2009, the idea to form the band came from us, Evan and Cody, and our old drummer but now it’s back to just the two of us. We were discussing the lyrical ideas and mixture of genres we wanted to make happen, and shortly after we sought out our old Guitarist and Drummer. It took us a while to come up with the name of the band, but we quickly started writing material.

2.So far the band has released an ep, single, and a full length, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?
Continuing from the first question, we have written so much material over the last few years that we have really attempted to keep the songs in some sort of chronological order but sometimes the feeling of one song doesn’t necessarily fit the next even when its written in the same 3-6-month time span. Mostly everything we have recorded is from the same writing era, its mostly older stuff we have written except for ‘Flowers of the Lily’ and ‘Bull of Dharma’ being a bit newer. Cody also added some new stuff to the bass lines and keys while in the studio. Vocal patterns are written on the spot and lyrics where mostly written while in the studio, with the exception of ‘Tides of Macrocosm’ and ‘Bull of Dharma’ so that adds a bit of a newer feel. We are working on new material but by the time its recorded it will be old to us.

3. Between 2011 and 2017 there was no new music being released, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?
We were playing live for some of the years during that time period but for a lot of it we didn’t have a full line which ultimately led the two of us to just start recording the songs that we have written. We were both working on some of our own musical goals during that time and some of the compositions that each of us wrote are now being used for the bands future releases.

4.Your lyrics cover some Satanic, Occult, Astrological and Spiritual themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

Each of us weave our Occult philosophies into the band lyrics in a poetic way so as to not make each song at all the same. There really is no set topics we talk about so far except that each song we have written relates in some way to some discussion or idea we have had about the occult/Satanism.

5.I know that the bands name comes from the angel-demon son of Lucifer, how does this name fit in with the musical style you play?
It embodies both light and dark principles in just the musical progressions alone, while all the while continuously being as Satanic as can be. That’s about as simple as we can put it. We had a long discussion when naming the band and it’s a lot to get into in a short interview.

6.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to having a full line up again or do you prefer to remain a duo?
We both consider us to be the founding members as well as the only composing members of the band, but we are looking and would very much like to find a live drummer capable of playing the odd times and technical stuff we play as well as a rhythm guitarist for live shows.

7.What have been some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
There have been so many good shows in the past it’s hard to pick out just a few, we have played with so many good local acts and had some pretty heavy shows. Some that come to mind are when we played with some great acts such as Satan's Host, Allegaeon, Sylosis, Vale of Pnath, and Cryogen to name a few.

8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
We are very open to finding a label, we have not spoken to any labels yet but we are not putting outside the realm of possibilities.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
This release has been better than our last, more exposure. But it’s still a slow process getting outside of the local scene and getting larger groups of people in other countries to listen, but so far the feedback has been largely positive.

10.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?
Practicing piano and Suns of Sorath is mostly what I have going on musically, but there might be some other stuff in the works, about to happen. -Cody
Recently I have been playing drums in a couple bands, Pile of Priests and Amdusias, and also another project where I do guitars and vocals called Astraeus. Pile of Priests has a full length featuring me on drums and we are in the studio right now doing an EP and single, Amdusias is gearing up for some live shows and a debut album with me on drums, and Astraeus has released a full length and a music video. -Evan

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We have a bunch of material written for our next few recordings and a lot of it has slower tempos, but is still very progressive, and experiments with styles outside of metal at times.

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Metal: Therion, Voivod, Akercocke, Meshuggah, Enslaved, Metallica, Dissection, Burzum, Arcturus, Bathory
Classical: Chopin, Wagner, Beethoven, Brahms, Debussey, Mozart, Bach, Schubert, Shostakovich
Jazz: John Coltrane, Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller
Classic Rock: Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath
Rap/Pop (that's right): Migos, Brotha Lynch Hung, Tech N9ne, Twista, Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Rittz, Michael Jackson
Punk: Misfits, Dead Kennedys

13.What are some of your non musical interests?
Anything related to the stuff we write about, anything else isn’t very interesting.  Sometimes I watch Netflix or stupid Youtube Videos, A lot of times those are music related. -Cody
I skateboard - Evan

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with us!

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