Shangren Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?
Well, we are a Asian folk metal band based in Sydney, Australia. It may sound unusual for a Asian folk metal band to reside in Australia but it doesn't matter, our main goal is to introduce Asian culture,mythology,literature and music with metal and spread it amongst the metal scene.
The band's music/theme is currently focusing on a chinese concept but we have shown a bit of japanese but there plan to be others as well.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?
At the moment it is a mix of black/death/folk metal with Chinese/Japanese melodies and instruments,there is also a mix of brutal,melodic and cheesy riffs/tunes here and there.
I would like to also add that our sound is still very young and is developing.

3. What is the meaning behind the band's name?
The name was taken from a Daoist deity named Hongjun Laozu, however "Pangu" the creator of all in Chinese mythology refer Hongjun Laozu as Xuan Xuan Shangren. So basically it was just a name taken from a deity, however the reason i choose this name was because it sounded asian yet metal.

4. How would you describe the lyrical content for the music?
So far its based on popular chinese myths and fables, such as the Monkey King and The Grand Unity.
Some of the lyrics are just a retelling of a tale or myth while I have written lyrics about the culture itself.

5. Have you had the opportunity to do shows yet, if so what are some of the best shows that you have played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
No, but we have been offered quite a few, one of them was a folk metal festival in Germany.
The reason we have not done any shows is because Shangren hasn't hit the live scene yet, we have not completed our line up.
Once our line up is complete, we will prepare to go live!

6. How have extreme metal fans reacted to your sound so far?
There have been a lot of great responses, especially on our myspace page.
Some are glad that there is finally a band doing Asian folk metal seriously, Alot of the times fans think our music is original,
some fans like to label us as chinese restuarant/pokies metal band which is quite amusing and others just enjoy it.

7. Can you give us some details on the upcoming album?
It plans to be a lot more unique,interesting and folkish then the demo. I don't want to say too much but i believe it will define the chinese folk metal sound.

8. Are there any other side projects besides this band, if so who are they and what kind of music do they play?
Well, besides been the main songwriter for Shangren, i am also trying to compose music for a Symphonic blackened death metal project which i have yet to name or release anything.
Andy (Our guitarist) founded Starforge, a melodic death metal band and that's about it.

9. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and what are you listening to nowadays?
Behemoth, Eluveitie, Finntroll, Ensiferum, Amon Amarth, Chthonic (Who gave me the major idea of doing Asian folk metal), Kalmah,
and many other metal bands. I have also been listening to a lot of traditional chinese music and also some classical as well.

10. According to your page that band is into Daoist philosophy and Sun Tzu's Art Of War how would you describe your approach to Eastern Mysticism?
To be honest, i have not read any of it yet, however they are ideas on what to write about for later releases. i just know very little about it.
So i can't really answer that question at the moment. We are just focused on Chinese/Japanese myths and fables for now.

11. What are some of your interests outside of music?
Well music makes up most of my interest but other then that it would be
Food,Reading,Asian culture,going to live gigs,Surfing the net,exercising,Fishing,Watching Movies,TV Shows & Anime.

12. Any final words or thoughts?
We are about to have our first release which is the demo, it is entitled 'Warriors of Devastation',i hope fans actually buy it haha, other then that
Fear us vikings and trolls! For we dynasty warriors shall rise!
Thanks for the interview!

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Ebony Lake Interview

1. Can you update us with what is going on with the band these days?
Currently we are putting the final touches to the first body of work in over ten years, we have enough material for an album and so are looking for suitable labels, we are working as a duo at the moment with a couple of female vocalists who help out in that department. All the music is currently produced in my own studio which gives us full control over the sound we wish to achieve, though my limited talents as a producer means that the sound is quite raw, something I wanted for the band from day one.

2. How would you describe your musical style?
Thats quite a hard one to answer! Without wanting to sound too pretentious I would use a few words like Claustrophobic, Horrific, Abstract, Surreal, Experimental, Bleak, etc, and also there's an element of what i would call Dark Romance. Orchestral music obviously runs through every aspect of what we do but not in the usual way you would find in other metal bands, all these orchestral elements have a contemporary and experimental view point.
You could say that we are best described as avantgarde and i would agree with that. Most people on first listen simply cannot cope with the amount of activity within the music, i've heard it described as chaos and it may sound like it at first but on repeated listens the different shades and dynamics shine through so repeated listening is a must, like all good music should be.

3. What is the meaning behind the band's name?
I came up with the name probably as far back as 1994, i was looking for something beautiful to descibe something that sounded ugly and absurd and to be honest ive always been a huge fan of Tchaikosky and Swan Lake was a huge influence on the band name.


4. In the 90's you where signed to Cacaphonous Records which had a lot of big name bands for the time that became huge rock stars, what ever happened to that label, and I also noticed you still remain somewhat of an underground band despite having more creative music than most of the bands on that label?
Has far as i know the label went bankrupt and we, along with everyone else with them at the time were released from contract. I think the fact that the band split up in '99 helped us to remain underground but this style of music that we play was never going to get as much commercial attention as some of the other bands as it is just too extreme in its compositional manner for the majority of metal fans.

5. You took a hiatus for a long time, what where you doing during those years and what made you decide to reform the band after all these years?
Well I for one disappeared into obscurity, flirting briefly with film music but generally slowly building my studio to a standard where i no longer needed to rely on other people to make music. I will always refer to those years as being musically lost, just wandering around in limbo, constantly longing to return to the only thing i knew. In my personal life things were perfect but there was always this sad weight on my shoulders. Then one day through the power of the internet I began to communicate with Mass again who had formed the death metal band Nailed, he persuaded me that i should bring Ebonylake back to life and that he was prepared to join me again. And here we are.

6. Currently you are unsigned, what kind of label do you feel that would do the most to support your style of music?
mmm, not sure about that. I have always admired Prophecy Productions so who knows? I know there are plenty labels out there i would consider working with, maybe those that are sympathetic to Avantgarde music would know how best to get us heard by the people we want to hear us.


7. How would you describe the lyrical content of the music?
I find it much easier to describe the music than the lyrics actually. Ive said in the past that it often feels like the music and lyrics are being channeled through me rather than coming from me. I have written down lyrics in the past that just flow off the end of my pen and i have no idea where they come from, probably the darkest parts of my brain.
Many people comment on the lyrics and the guys at cacophonous records were really into them. I think its just images and thoughts ive been building up since childhood. The best advice i could give is to read them, you will find lots of gothic horror but in an abstract style a bit like Edgar Allan Poe im told. Going off on another path here but im convinced i have memories that i brought to this life from another existence, i have always had these memories of existing in a place of Euphoria, i remember landscapes and architecture and a feeling of being a part of everything. But thats another story.



8. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you
describe your stage performance?
The stage performance was always very intense and the thing with playing live is it was either ecstasy or despair. If everything fell into place it was explosive and i have a few shows that i will always remember.

9. Do you have any touring plans for the future?
No not at the moment, im not ruling it out for the future but to be honest we would probably need 4 keyboard players or an orchestra not to mention a chant section because i wouldnt want to water the sound down in anyway.

10. How has your music been received so far by extreme metal fans worldwide?
Well back when our debut album 'On The eve......' was released there was no avantgarde extreme metal scene to speak of really just the odd release here and there. People generally fell into two camps when listening to Ebonylake, those who were left totally confused by what they were hearing and those who had been waiting a long time for something so unusual. I was surprised to find that such a cult following had built in the years after our split. Nowadays the response is overwhelmingly positive as the avantgarde scene has established itself and people seem ready now.

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Sigh/Ghastly Funeral Theatre/Cacophonous Records/1997 CD Review

  Sigh are an avant garde symphonic black metal band from Japan and this is a review of their classic 1997 album "Ghastly Funeral Theatre" which was released by Cacophonous Records.

Drums are mostly mid paced beats throughout the album with no fast playing or brutal blast beats, there is a small amount of saxophone on this album and the orchestra on this recording sounds very symphonic and avant garde with influences from 70's progressive rock, as for the bass playing it follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are a mixture between fast riffing mixed in with a small amount of black metal riffing that contains a lot of melody, while the lead guitars are very melodic and bring in a lot of 70's rock into the guitar solo's.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some deep growls mixed in with some clean singing male and female vocals, while the lyrics touch on the darker side of Shintoism which is an ancient Japanese religion,

In my opinion Sigh are a very talented band and this was one of their best albums, if you are a fan of symphonic/avant garde black metal chances are that you have already heard this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Doman Seman" and "Shikigami". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Arcturus/Aspera Hiems Symfonia/Century Black/1995 CD Review

  Arcturus are a band from Norway that consists of many Norwegian black metal legends that plays a very symphonic and avant garde form of black metal and this is a review of their 1995 album "Aspera Hiems Symfonia" which was released by Century Black Records.

Drums cover a lot of ground with a mixture of slow to mid paced drumming with some fast playing and brutal blast beats, while the synths have a very symphonic and avant garde feel to them that have some progressive rock influences with a small amount of violin, as for the bass playing it has a very powerful sound that follows the riffs coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars contain a good amount of variety with some slow riffs that are very melodic with some mid paced black metal riffing and some occasional fast parts, while the lead guitars some very professional and melodic sound to them.

Vocals are a mixture of high pitched black metal screams and clean singing opera style of vocals, while the lyrics cover poetic, philosophy and cosmic style themes, as for the production on this recording, which was recorded during the 7th and 8th months of 1995 at Panser Studios sounds very professional and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this album.

In my opinion Arcturus are a great band that recorded great album after one another and if you are a fan of avant garde chances are you already heard this band.RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Wintery Grey" "The Bodkin And The Quietus (..To Reach The Stars)" and "Fall Of Man". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Agathodaimon/Blacken The Angel/Nuclear Blast Records/1998 CD Review

  Agathodaimon are a symphonic/gothic black metal band from Germany and this is a review of their classic 1998 album "Blacken The Angel" which was release by Nuclear Blast Records.

Drums cover alot of ground with some slow to mid paced drumming with alot of fast playing and brutal blast beats, while the keyboards are very atmospheric, symphonic and melodic sounding, as for the bass playing it has a very powerful sound that follows the riffs coming out of the guitars and there are some bass leads at times.

Rhythm guitars mix in some slow doomy melodic riffs mixed in with some fast black metal riffing, while the lead guitars are melodic sounding guitar solos that contain quite a bit of sorrow with some soft acoustic playing being used at times that gives the music a poetic and depressive feel.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with a small amount of deep grows and some clean singing female vocals, while the lyrics are written in a mixture of English, German and Romanian that cover themes such as depression in a poetic way, as for the production on this recording which was recorded at Communication Studio through the months of Oct 97 to Feb 98 sounds very professional and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this album.

In my opinion Agathodaimon are a very good band and this was their best album, and while the other albums they recorded after this where good, they never topped this one, if you are a fan of symphonic/gothic/atmospheric black metal you should check this band out.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Banner OF Blasphemy" "Ill Of An Imaginary Guilt" "Near Dark" and "After Dark". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Catamenia Interview

1. Can you update us with what is going on with the band these days?
Ari: After the release of ‘Cavalcade’ we have done successful tour in Finland with Agathodaimon and now we are taking small break just to reload batteries for the active Fall. Then we’ll hit on the road for few tours in Europe, Russia and hopefully the States and Mexico if everything goes as planned. Also something happened inside the band’s line-up during the Finland tour. Together we decided that Kari plays all the rhythm guitars from now on and I’m focusing only on screaming vocals. This worked really well and we thought that why not to carry on like this way from now on.
Riku: Yeah I agree. Now Ari can completely focus on his screaming vocals during live shows. I do not know why, but for some reason this way everything worked much better than earlier. Also there is a plan to enter the studio this summer to record a compilation album, but we’ll have to wait and see if Massacre Records will give us the permission for that.

2. What is the meaning behind the band's name?

Riku: Shit, I knew this was coming again here. Well, it was after our recording of our debut album ‘Halls of Frozen North’ when one of our first fans ever contacted me and asked that do I know that the name Catamenia has a meaning. I was like no it’s just a name which sounds great. He said that you’re wrong, because it has a meaning - menstruation's. We were completely in shock and asked the label about possibility to change the name, but it was already way too late because the album was already in the pressing. Anyways, then we thought that what the hell, it does not stand or mean anything to us, but just a cool sounding name.
Ari: Heheh, it was when Catamenia’s ex-vocalist and the other former of the band, Mika Tönning, discovered this name, he forgot to check the translation for the word and shit was running down the leg before guys had the chance to react. But anyways it’s a damn great sounding name.

3. How would you describe the sound of the newer material?

Ari: It’s way much more mature than on previous albums. Also we succeeded to catch something much powerful and raw elements into our sound. There are many layers in our music which open bit by bit to you and still give the listener something new after several spins of the album. Also lyrical side supports music the way that it hits you like a wrecking ball and keeps smashing until the very last note of this album.
Riku: I think we have truly found ourselves on this new album. We have never enjoyed playing so much as much as with this new material of ours. I think one of the best biggest reasons for this is that I almost quit the whole band during the recordings of ‘VIII - The Time Unchained’. I just lost my passion for the music and everything. I just felt so numb regarding everything, but gladly guys said that I should give it another push and compose couple of new songs before I make any decisions, and they truly relied on me. Well, I composed ‘Blood Trails’ and damn that I was thrilled about that. I knew the flame of passion was back in the band and the guys were so damn thrilled as well and we knew were back on the right track.

4. How would you describe the lyrical content of the music?

Ari: We put much effort on lyrics this time that it truly supports music itself. The landscape of the lyrics on this album is dark and hopeless, like calm hell after all hope is gone and there is just a fear and pain feeding emotions and our senses. It’s so easy to sing ruling and winning. We look things from aspect of lost and conquered ones. That pushes the audience closer and closer to the edge and then kicks them through the emotional turbulence. Also like on musical layers on this album, lyrics are quite complex, not so easy than they might first appear. You might see the same line in very different light and meaning than on the first time. The beauty of this album is that it opens in many ways and with time. It makes listeners think and letting themselves to go with the music while having a serious thought.

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

Ari: Hmm, there are so many great shows behind our path that it’s hard to mention just a few, but last gig in Moscow was just awesome. The venue was totally crowded and the atmosphere was amazing. Also gig in Metal Camp was great. Our stage performance is very energetic and full attack with force. What more can you say (
Riku: As Ari said, it’s really impossible to mention just a few, but if I’d have to pick up couple of them, they’d be Moscow, Bucharest, Sofia, Paris, Frankfurt, Berlin, etc. and also our last gig which took place in Helsinki. Hehe, as you can see, impossible to pick just a few!

6. Are there any plans to tour the United States?

Ari: There are some plans, but I’m not that well on a map how these plans have developed. I just hope that we finally can come and show what we are made of!
Riku: Hopefully all these plans will finally come true, because we’ve wanted to come to play in the States for quite a long time now and we know we’ve got bunch of fans there. So, fingers crossed all’s going well and as planned, and we can finally hit the States! But we’ll see more about that after the summer.

7. Out off all the bands that you have toured or done shows with, which
one did you enjoy the most and what are some other bands that you would
like to tour with?

Riku: Absolutely Finntroll. Talking about bands that I’d like to tour with are bands like example Children of Bodom, Rotting Christ, Hypocrisy, Poisonblack, etc. Also it would be damn awesome to tour with Finntroll again someday. But we get along with all bands out there, so that’s no problem what so ever.
Ari: FINNTROLL! And FINNTROLL (

8. I have heard some of your older material and it was more black metal
sounding, how has the reception been to your newer music from the older
fans and how are new fans reacting to the material?

Ari: Most of our old fans have taken all our musical changes very well during and past these years. They have lived with us through band’s history and they understand that this has been just normal evolution of the band. Also I think they would be bored to our material if we would go around the same circle over and over again.
Riku: Of course there are fans that do not understand any all of this at all, but what can we do about it. We needed to evolve and this is how our music turned out to be and this how we’re going to continue. On the next album, there’ll be some changes and evolution as there’s been on every album of ours since the very first album.

9. How has the support been from Massacre Records so far and how would
you compare to other labels that you have been on?

Ari: Massacre Records has always supported us greatly and they have believed in us through harder and better times. We have a total trust on them and we feel that this feeling is mutual. We’re like a big happy family there. They have always let us made our own music without interfering it and this is something we feel very important. Actually we cannot compare them to any other label, because we have been on Massacre Records since the debut album. Our A&R once said that Massacre Records without Catamenia would be like a pizza without topping, heheh.

10. Out off all the albums that you have recorded so far which one are
you the most satisfied with?

Ari: Definitely ‘Cavalcade’! This album is the most mature and the whole concept is the best package so far. ‘Location: COLD’ comes right after this on my list.
Riku: I will also definitely pick up ‘Cavalcade’ as my favourite one. It’s the most versatile and powerful album from us. After that it’s really close battle with ChaosBorn and Location:COLD.

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

Riku: I listen to so wide variety of different music. I like to absorb ideas from different music styles and genres if I just like it. But to mention few main influences in our music, I would say Megadeth, Metallica, Sentenced, Dimmu Borgir, Satyricon, Jimi Hendrix, Sepultura, Samael and many classical composers and songs. I might forget to mention here some of the important bands that have affected me and the band, but as said I absorb ideas from everything I like, so the list would go on and on.
Ari: There are so many bands and artists those have their influence on us. I’m the oldest fart in band and my influences comes from the first metal and hard rock bands to present day bands, like Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Dio, Megadeth, Metallica, Skid Row, Dimmu Borgir…You could carry on forever. Also there are artists from different music genres that have their effect. For example many classical music masterpieces and some lighter artists from the past like Mama’s & Papa’s, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Elvis, Chris Rea, Eric Clapton…again I could continue for days this list.

12. Does Paganism or Occultism play any role in the music?

Ari: Not so much. Of course there are some elements included from paganism, occultism and other myths from history. At some point in our discography, there were more lyrics and songs handling these issues, but nowadays we use them way less than before and do more realistic lyrics. I realize that you can do really hard, impacting and effective lyrics just by learning some history, which is my weak spot. See, I’m a history and documentary freak. I can easily watch good documentaries for many days in a row, heheh.

13. What are some of your interests outside of music?

Riku: I love to do graphics and website designs, and hopefully someday I could do that as a daily job besides my music. I just love to work with computers and all. I also love to play ice-hockey and snooker and in summers I love to rollerblade. Of course you can’t forget to have a pint or two once in a while to get you relaxed, heheh.
Ari: I have this small business for video production and I love to do music videos and short movies. Also fishing is close to my heart, but as there’s only 24 hours in day I can barely go once in summer for fishing (three kids, three jobs and music). Oh, and I almost forgot … I bought a tattoo machine from our last tour in Germany and now I’m making tattoos on my spare time. So you could say I’m pretty busy with everything (

14. Any final words or thoughts?

Ari: I hope to see you guys in the States this year! Remember to check our latest album ‘Cavalcade’. CHEERS PERKELE!
Riku: Yeah, and if you are unfamiliar with our band, you can check four new full-length songs on our official myspace site @ HYPERLINK "http://www.myspace.com/catameniaband" www.myspace.com/catameniaband and please feel free to check out also our new video ‘Cavalcade’ as well. Cheers and beers from Finland!

Unanimated/In The Forest Of The Dreaming Dead/Pavement Records/Necropolis Records/1994 CD Review

  Unanimated are a melodic black/death metal band from Sweden and this is a review of their 1994 album "In The Forest OF The Dreaming Dead" which was released by both Pavement and Necropolis Records.

Drums are mostly fast with a lot of blast beats and they slow down when the music calls for it, while the keyboards when they are rarely utilized are only there to enhance atmosphere, as for the bass playing it follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars and they have a powerful sound of their own at times.

Rhythm guitars cover a lot of ground with some slow and heavy riffs with some faster riffing that mixes black and death metal together with a lot of melody as well as some thrash influences, while the lead guitars
are very melodic sounding guitar solos that have a lot of thrash as well as classic metal influences influences, and there is a small amount of acoustic guitars on this album.

Vocals are black/death style growls with some screams being used at times with some spoken word passages, while the lyrics cover some depressing themes with an anti christian edge, as for the production on this recording which was recorded at Unicorn/Moose Studios, and Noble House Studios during the months of may and June of 1992 sounds very professional for it's time and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this album.

In my opinion Unanimated are a very good band that have influenced a lot of bands and if you are a fan of melodic black/death metal, you should have this album in your collection. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Whispering Shadows" "Silence Ends" and "Buried Alive" which is a Venom cover tune. RECOMMENDED BUY.

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