ADifferentShadeOfBlackMetalZine

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Chaossworn Interview

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

ANTON: Chaossworn is a melodic death/black metal band from Haparanda, northern Sweden. We've been active since the fall of 2004, under the moniker Cryptic Death. The name was changed to Chaossworn in late 2009. We have just released our first MCD called 'Chalice of Black Flames' through Abyss Records.

ANDREAS: Me and Janne played together in various bands/projects back in the 90s, so in a sense Chaossworn dips its rotten roots further back in the dark past!

JANNE: Yup; we’ve been brooding and slithering in the local underground for the last 15 years, but not until now has our message and force become strong enough to be unleashed upon the larger masses. Years and years of honing our skills in the dark are starting to pay off. Now if only we could get David Hasselhoff interested...

2. How would you describe your musical sound?

ANDREAS: Death metal foundation, black metal ambience, heavy metal catchiness. Black/death metal; people should know what it means these days. Heavy emphasis on lead guitar work and harmonies to act counterpoint to non-melodic vocals. Absolutely no happy riffs.

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

JANNE: It should be quite clear. We are sworn to Chaos, as opposed to Law. Chaos represents boundless creativity and infinite possibilities, which the strong-willed may utilize to his or her needs or wants. Law stands for conformity and slavery of the mind; it is for the weak who can not, or will not, stray away from the safe path of herd mentality that slowly but surely grinds and forces everyone into the same mold. And as one of the main principles of the band, if not the only one, is to do what the fuck we want - well, I just think that we've found ourselves the perfect name.

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

ANDREAS: Depends on the song really, since they deal with various subjects, or aspects of those subjects.. It ain't about no urban themes. No matter what the lyrics are about, they're an integral part of the music, and given as much attention in the writing process as the riffs themselves. Phrasings, meter, all that shit, given utmost attention. We're not dishing out tripe.

5. Have you had the opportunity to do any live shows yet, if so what are some of the best shows that the band has played so far?

ANTON: We have been playing live since the start as Cryptic Death. I would say our best show was at Nordic Rage festival in Boden 2008, w/ The Haunted, Carnal Forge, etc..

ANDREAS: The gig we did back in January this year, in Lulea, was pretty intense. Parts of which can be seen on Youtube. Still, Nordic Rage Fest was definitely the biggest in terms of crowd and exposure.

NIKLAS: The black/death metal scene in northern Sweden is not the greatest, but we played a show in Boden on a metal festival called Nordic Rage, which was for me the greatest show!

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

ANDREAS: South America; The water gives you the runs, crowd is batshit insane, nobody speaks English. Pandemonium. I heard Poland is pretty kickass too.

JANNE: I think it’d be cool to tour in Kyrgyzstan, or Mongolia. Man, those guys would be astonished to have us banging and snarling at their local yard/palace/mountaintop/whatever. And probably kill us too. Or die trying.

7. What do you want to accomplish with your music?

ANDREAS: I want the music to become as kult as the shit I listen to myself.

JANNE: To me, creating music is first and foremost a tool for self-expression, without which I could not live. Sowing the seeds of the mind, nourishing them with skill and craftsmanship, watching and hearing them grow and blossom in the dark orchards of the spirit of arts, tasting the bittersweet juices from their ripe flesh...thus inspiring the circle to start anew. It is a beautiful thing, creation, and we hold it in our hands. Hopefully our music can also inspire others, as many have inspired us before, and still do. The cycle is most exquisite, and should be kept spinning.

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

ANDREAS: We got our sound down just right. What we will do in the future is to produce even fiercer riffs, better hooks, better lyrics and wrap it up time and time again. The material evolved from the last two demos to the MCD growing increasingly darker and unfriendly, and that'll likely continue. Without ambition there's no point in doing anything, and I got plenty ambition. We're destined to outdo ourselves time and time again. Don't expect any genre leaps a la Dodheimsgard.

9. How has the feedback been to your music so far by melodic black.death metal fans worldwide?

ANDREAS: We wouldn't release it if it wasn't up to snuff. Reviewers agree!

NIKLAS: Mixed. People in Sweden have been more critical than the rest of the world. Dunno why is that.

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

ANTON: Bloodbath, Desultory and Necrophobic, and of course bands from other genres.

ANDREAS: Been listening to Tiamat “Clouds” a lot lately. I got a few tapes in the car getting regular windings: Bathory "Blood Fire Death", Darkthrone "Under a Funeral Moon", ZZ Top "Eliminator" etc.

NIKLAS: Old school death metal bands like Desultory and Morbid Angel.

JANNE: All music influences me all the time. The atmosphere of Limbonic Art and Emperor; the creativity of Faith No More and Meshuggah; the vibe of Kingston Wall and Änglagård; the harmonizing craft of Bach and Rachmaninoff; the earnestness of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Grand Magus etc etc...I could go on for ages.

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

ANDREAS: Yes.

JANNE: Yes.

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

ANDREAS: I'm a history scholar.

NIKLAS: Drinking beer and go to festivals!

JANNE: NHL, literature and whiskey.

ANTON: Sound engineering and sailing.

13. Any final words or thoughts?

ANDREAS: You can't stop rock n roll.

JANNE: Fuck the Law.

Website @ archive.org

YouTube

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Troll Bends Fir/1516-Order Of The Holy Hop/2010 CD Review

Troll Bends Fir are a band from St. Petersburg, Russia that plays a style that is known as folk metal and this is a review of their 2010 album "1516-Order Of The Holy Hop".

Drums are mostly slow to mid paced beats with no fast playing or drumming, while the flute has an Irish flavor to it and it brings the folk element to the music, as for the bass playing it is all rhythm bass that follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow to mid paced riffs that are in a folk metal vein with a basic sound and there are no lead guitars or solos present on this album but there are some acoustic guitars being used at times.

Vocals are mostly clean singing that has a folk/pagan feel to it with some aggressive vocals and growls being used at times mixed in with some female vocals, while the lyrics are written in a mixture of Russian and English and are mostly about Slavic and Norse Paganism mixed in with a lot of beer drinking anthems, as for the production it sounds very professional and you can hear all of the instruments that are on this album.

In my opinion Troll Bends Fir are a very good band and if you are a fan of folk metal you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Beer Cellar" "Pornopolka" and "Nothing To Blame For". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Windfaerer Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?
First of all, warm greetings and hails to everyone interested in Windfaerer. Second of all, I don't think most people have heard of us (if they say so, they may be lying). Windfaerer began as a project of ideas I've had for years. Its concept started as I was trying to write songs for a band I was in with friends from high school, called Skies Devoured, we played a mix of melodic death metal and power metal. While writing I was yearning to inject a sort of folkloric edge, but not everyone was on the same page. It was frustrating experiencing the gridlock and writer's block in that band, being that we wanted to do everything, yet we always accomplished nothing! So, I said, "to hell with it!" and began keeping ideas for myself. I composed a few songs and fellow band-mate, JP, was willing to record the drums for me, which led to the demo. Eventually I got in touch with Valèek to perform violin. The stars aligned and Windfaerer finally saw light.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?
The concept of Windfaerer is to create metal music with folkloric edge--the keyword is "metal". Windfaerer, is first and foremost, a metal band. The music is written on guitar, down to the violin's melodies--maybe in the future we will begin to write using the violin, but for now, it's all guitar-determined. I would describe the music as epic, heavy, melodic, heartfelt and angry.

3. What is the meaning behind the band's name?
Windfaerer is a compound word simply meaning to voyage with the wind. I chose this combination of words to beckon a feeling of freedom and capture the vibe of someone lost at sea, guided by the earth's energy, the wind. In a way, I feel like I am lost at sea, I am not clairvoyant, nor am I omniscient, thus I am unaware of what is to come of the future. I can only sail with a goal and purpose in mind, hoping to reach that in the end, but discovering along the way. This is the essence of Windfaerer.

4. How would you describe the lyrical content of the music?
The way I like to describe most of the lyrics is that they deal with common emotions in an ancient setting, likely Hispania (present day Portugal and Spain). A lot of the lyrics are a result of the feelings evoked from the music itself. In terms of Hispania, Windfaerer puts its head around the aura of the Iberian peninsula and its history. Rather than follow the route treaded upon by tons of folk-inspired bands and write about Vikings and drinking (which are cool in their own respect), I wanted to bring forth something dealing with my own ancestry; something I can connect with. I want to write about the history of my ancestors (who don't get a very audible voice in metal), like the Lusitanians, Celtiberians, Visigoths, and of course, conquistadors. One of my favorite figures from the Roman era is Viriathus. He is, to me, a symbol of rebellion. Without rebellion our lives are complacent and stagnant. We must rebel to live--constantly challenging ourselves, our thoughts, in order to advance. I am looking to make that a constant theme.

5. What is it like being a Folk Metal band in America with most of the bands playing this style are usually from Europe and do you hope to create a folk metal movement in this country?
My essential goal is to create music that I, personally, would like to hear. It's great that others enjoy it and I love that, but it's truly a personal experience. If this takes me somewhere, great, if not, I will still be doing it, because I'm impassioned. Being part of a movement would be interesting, but it is not imperative. Unfortunately, movements (or "scenes") tend to cause trends and dull whatever edge the original music had. Scenes also take authenticity away from the music, making you question, are people playing this music because it's in their hearts or just because all the cool kids are doing it? You cannot control such things. Everything happens for a reason, and even scenes push music forward, making way for the next one. All in all, it would be cool to leave a mark.

6. Have you had any opportunities to do live shows yet, if so what are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
We haven't had a chance to play live yet. The idea to play live came to me recently, so I'm still working on mobilizing that aspect of the band.

7. How has your music been received so far by folk metal and melodic black.death fans worldwide?
Regarding the reception of the two-song 'Glorybound' demo (which can be downloaded for free at www.purevolume.com/windfaerer), it has been overwhelmingly positive. The only complaint I have been hearing is that the demo was "too short". Hopefully, they'd still be wanting more after the full-length, 'Tribus' gets released.

8. How would you describe your musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?
Throughout the years, I have been learning to keep focused and have a mental agenda of what I want to do. Considering that I have a lot of musical influences I have to filter through a lot of ideas before I create something for Windfaerer--fortunately, sometimes it's on the spot! There are points where I want to create a band for every genre (black metal, grindcore, brutal death, goregrind, power metal, hardcore, doom, etc); there's just so much metal! As far as I can see, I plan to continue Windfaerer with a straight-to-the-throat attack with the music. I am trying to keep this as cheese-free as possible. Some future songs (that have not been recorded professionally yet) will have a darker, more brutal sound, while others will keep the melodic melee. The challenge is retaining a flow. I plan on doing a short concept album, or a few songs, dedicated to the age of discovery and Iberian conquest of the Americas--hopefully sooner than later.

9. Do any of the band members have any side projects besides this band if so who are they and what kind of music do they play?
JP and I both play in Grimus (from New Jersey, not Romania), which play death metal. JP also just started playing with The Breathing Process, which have a groovy melodic death/black style. Violinist, Valèek is pursuing violin studies at his university and also utilizes his talents in raw heathen black metal band Mjollnir (New Jersey).

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and what are you listening to nowadays?
Windfaerer's sound is influenced by a lot of melodic death metal, black metal, power metal, and various folk music. In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Mithotyn, Catamenia, Vintersorg, Dalriada, Moonsorrow, Windir, Forefather, Agalloch, Wintersun, are amongst the direct influences. Finally, one of my favorite bands in the folk metal subgenre and a great subconscious influence, Mägo de Oz. I also really enjoy Morbid Angel. But, I like a wide spectrum of music, from rumba to dream pop. Nowadays, my ears have been digging Alcest, Amesoeurs, Year of No Light, Cypher Seer, Katatonia, Beyond the Flesh, Sotajumala, Burzum, and a bunch of other stuff.

11. Does Paganism play any role in the music?
Paganism interests me, but not to the extent where it would greatly influence the music. When writing lyrics I try to avoid anything that implies the absoluteness of monotheism or polytheism. In the philosophy of the music there is an enigmatic force or spirit that oversees the happenings on earth. You may call this spirit Providence, Gaia, God, or whatever. I just try to keep in mind that a lot of these peoples' lives were governed by religion, be it a god or serpents, and it was a major factor. Paganism plays a role, as long as it is appropriate to the story being told.

12. What are some of your interests outside of music?
I love traveling, be it Maine, Mexico, Paris or Portugal. I think every place in the world has its own vibe and a story to tell. The thought that you can be miles away from you home on another point of the earth is exhilarating to me. I suppose it's my inner-conquistador trying to explore/conquer! I also enjoy the histories of these places. I'm young and I plan to travel much more--there is so much to see. Besides that, I have a weak spot for animals and I studied graphic design in New York.

13. Any final words or thoughts?
I would like to send my regards to everyone who supports me and Windfaerer. I would also like to thank you for the great questions, it has been a pleasure answering them.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Chaossworn/Chalice Of Black Flames/Abyss Records/2010 CD Review

Chaossworn are a band from Sweden that mixes melodic mixture of black and death metal and this is a review of their 2010 E.P "Chalice Of Black Flames" which was released by Abyss Records.

Drums are mostly mid paced to fast with some slow drumming, while the bass playing follows the guitars with a lot of melodic riffing.

Rhythm guitars have a good mixture of slow, mid paced to fast riffs that blend black and death metal together with a lot of melody, while the lead guitars are very heavy and melodic guitar solos.

Vocals are a mixture of high pitched black metal screams and death metal growls, while the lyrics cover death, darkness and destruction, as for the production which was recorded at Unisound Studios in Sweden and produced by Dan Swano sounds very professional and all of the instruments have a good sound.

In my opinion Chaossworn are a very good melodic melodic black/death metal band that should appeal to all fans of that genre with this 3 song e.p. RECOMMENDED TRACK ON THIS E.P is "Bringer Of Storms". RECOMMENDED BUY.

www.myspace.com/chaossworn

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Windfaerer/Glorybound/2009 EP Review

Windfaerer are a band from New Jersey that plays a style I would describe as folk metal with melodic black/touch and this is a review of their 2 song demo "Glorybound" which was released in 2009.

Drums are a mixture of mid paced to fast drumming with a lot of blast beats thrown in, while the flute has a Celtic folk music feel to it, as for the bass playing it uses a mixture of mid paced to fast riffs that follow the playing of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are mostly fast black/death riffing that has a thrash feel with a good amount of melody, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding guitar solos.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black/death screams with some deep growls thrown in on occasion, while the lyrics cover the Iberian rebellion against the Romans, as for the production it sounds very powerful and captures all of the sounds coming out of the instruments.

In my opinion Windfaerer are a very good band and I would like to hear a full length album from this band. If you are a fan of folk influenced melodic black/death metal you need to check this band out. RECOMMENDED TRACK "The Great Fire". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Cryptic Howling Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?
We're from a town called Rouyn-Noranda in northern Quebec which is Canada's Metal Capital. We've been together for 8 years now and got 2 albums; Vitium Intus, 2006 and Them, 2009. Available through Century Media Distro. We've been active on Canada's metal scene since 2006 and are about to invade the U.S.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?
We are a Blackened Death Metal band. We have a melodic black metal side as well as a technical death metal side. We've always been fan of both styles as long as it is extreme! We've been working with the Man behind Despised Icon and Beneath the Massacre's sound: Yannick St-Amand. He as always been a death metal sound man but he bought that sound to us which gave a life to our music and we think people deserve to have a good productions in their ears.

3. What is the meaning behind the band's name?
The Cryptik Howling is that voice inside all of us, telling you everything is wrong. It is that demon whispering at your ear. It is that part of you which is trying to take over control of yourself. It is our voice...

4. What are some of the best live shows that the band has done so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
There was the Black Metal Mayhem in Montreal in the beginning of 2009. The FME festival in Rouyn-Noranda and we also played at the Trois-Rivières MetalFest IX which is Quebec's biggest metal event.
Here are 2 links to memorable shows:
Vitium Intus album launch in Rouyn-Noranda, june 10th 2006; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHBkXOqr_4I
Trois-Rivières MetalFest IX in Trois-Rivières, november 14th 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY8dmtaHe9k

5. Do you have any touring plans for the future?
Yes, we didn't played a lot of shows for the first part of 2010 due to drummers issues but we will be able to tour Quebec and Ontario this fall. We are constantly looking for shows. We are looking foward to tour Canada and the U.S. in 2011.

6. I noticed that the new album came out from Cyrogenic Records, how has the support been from that label so far and what are some other bands that are on this label?
Cryogenic Records is a friend of us. He is the promoter in Rouyn-Noranda as well as the label owner of the place. His support was of a good help to us. He helped us out to release our 2 first album through his distributors. But now we are on our own and we are looking for a label which could give us a greater support.

7. Do you have any current side projects, if so who are they and what kind of music do they play?
Emmanuel Audet on bass got a band called Black Empire, it is raw extreme black metal, I love it. But it is so damn true that they don't even have a myspace.

8. How would you describe the lyrical content of the music?
We've been using themes of horrors, philosophy, superstitions, occultism, etc.. We are talking about humanity's madness, the very true nature of evil which is inside of each and everyone of us. Humanity have always been claiming the presence of Evil but never understood that IT is this Evil presence.

9. How has the feedback been to your music so far by extreme metal fans worldwide?
The feedback is greater than expected in the beginning. For V.I. we had a good feedback but for Them it is amazing. Unfortunately I don't have all the time I'd like to spend on the promotion of the band. That's why we would need a label to give us some back up.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your sound and what are you listening to nowadays?
We have offenly been compared to Dimmu Borgir which was our first common influence in the beginning but we use to listen to everything extreme from Death to Black Metal. nowadays we are listening to Behemoth, Belphegor, Marduk, Satyricon, Dark Funeral, etc...

11. Does the band have any interest in Occultism, Satanism or any forms of philosophy?
We have a lot of philosophic discussions together but we are not into a specific spiritual journey together

12. How would you describe the extreme metal scene in the part of Canada that you live in?
Rouyn-Noranda is Canada's Metal Capital. It is located far in the Northern Quebec and has 50 000 people but there is between 300 to 500 people sowing up at EVERY metal show !!

13. What are some of your interests outside of music?
We don't have a lot of interest outside music, we live for metal !

14. Any final words or thoughts?
Thanks a lot for this interview. I'd like to invite to our new myspace at
www.myspace.com/cryptikhowling
We hope to see you all in tour soon !
Stay Metal !

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Cryptik Howling/Them/Cyrongenic Records/2009 CD Review

Cryptik Howling are a melodic and symphonic black metal band from Canada and this is a review of their 2009 album "Them" which was released by Cyrogenic Records.

Drums alternate between slow to mid paced drumming with some fast playing and blast beats being utilized at times, while the keyboards are very symphonic sounding and have a movie soundtrack feel, as for the bass playing it has a dark tone that follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are mostly mid paced to fast black metal riffing that is very melodic and has a small amount of a death metal edge to them, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding solos that are heavily influenced by some of the better known symphonic black metal bands.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some deep death metal growls being used on occasion, while the lyrics touch on philosophy and hatred with a small amount of ritualistic subjects, as for the production it sounds very professional and you can hear all of the instruments that are present on this album.

In my opinion Cryptik Howling are a good band and even though this is not the most original album this band seems to understand the best elements of symphonic black metal and this sounds more like those bands before they sold out, if you are a fan of early symphonic/melodic black metal you should check this band out. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Grievous" "Ritual" "The Dark Figure" and "Ruins". RECOMMENDED BUY.