Bloodred Interview

BLOODRED / interview answers by RON MERZ / A Different Shade Of Black / Webzine / 2014

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the musical project since the release of the new ep?

Most of the time I've been busy promoting the EP, but I also worked on new music and reworked some of the older stuff as well.

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

"The Lost Ones" definitively shows the more Black/Death Metal side of Bloodred. The title track starts with a typical Black Metal blast beat intro and then changes into a  more midtempo song with some groovy riffs. If you listen closely you can also hear some Thrash-inspired parts. "Spirits Of The Dead" is as close as I maybe will ever venture into Black Metal: fast paced with some epic parts and typical riffing. There are some really cool drum parts in it too.

3.The project has been around since 2009 but so far has only released an ep and a single, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during the 5 years?

I started Bloodred when I realized that my (former) band mates didn't share my musical taste anymore, since I was going into the more extreme side of metal. It then took a while to create a musical identity and to refine the sound of Bloodred. I wrote many, many songs which from a today's perspective have nothing or little to do with the Bloodred sound nowadays. But I was ready to spend this time, because I wanted - and still want - to create music, which is 100% me. No compromises!

I also needed some time to learn the basics of recording and producing your own music in the home studio. There are so much more possibilities today than 10 or 15 years ago. But you have to have the right equipment and the necessary software tools. Working with these tools is a real time killer too ...

4.On the ep you had some inspiration from Samuel Bamford and E,A Poe, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these poets?

It's not so much a special interest in those poets mentioned above. It's more that I'm always searching for lyrics about a certain topic that will fit to the music. What I especially like about these older texts is the use of uncommon words or syntax. Finally those writers are much better in finding unusual metaphors than I will ever be capable of.

The music is always first, so finding poems/lyrics that fit to the rhythm and the parts of the song isn't that easy. But when sucessful I find it very rewarding and it always adds to the whole song.

5.With the exception of drums you record everything solo, do you feel this adds to the creativity of the music?

On the one hand it surely adds to the creativity. There's no arguing about anything: musical ideas, songwriting, artwork etc. and this makes it all easier in a way. On the other I have the feeling that sometimes other opinions would be helpful in the process of songwriting. When your at a dead end maybe someone else would come up with the next riff or idea ... And of course: you can't play live when you're alone. I miss that a lot.

6.On the ep you had the drummer of Atrocity on drums and the singer produce the record, where you happy with what they have brought into your musical sound?

Yes, absolutely! Both guys are super nice and they helped me a lot. The studio is actually only a few kilometers away from where I live, so it was a obvious choice for the recording of the EP. Alex has produced many albums over the years and he has a very well equipped studio. He also helped me a lot when I was recording vocals, because of course he has great experience of being the vocalist in a death metal band. Alex also came up with the idea of getting Joris for the drum recordings. Joris was up for the task in no time and he did a great job. He really is a amazing drummer! He was able to play everything I had programmed and moreover added his own subtle drum patterns here and there.

But the best part of working with both guys was, that they always respected my choices and never tried to force anything. Especially Alex with all his experience was very supportive in every way. It's very helpful if you can learn from a person like him!

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

Recording the EP in a pro-level studio is a first step and I think the songs and the quality of the recording are definitively good enough to send the EP out to the respective labels. I haven't received any interest from labels yet, because I think they simply don't know of Bloodred. But this will change in the not too distant future ...

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

So far the feedback has been very good for most parts. What still makes a great impression on me is the fact, that I get feedback from all over the world. The very first reaction came from Australia, I got many messages from South America and even my friends up in the north in Iceland reached out with some great feedback. And this is one motivation of why I make music: I want people to react and interact! If they like it or not, I really appreciate every feedback.

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

Currently I'm not planning to do a full length. There are first talks about recording another EP with two or three songs, but this is not carved in stone yet. If this will happen, the songs will show a more melodic side of Bloodred but they still will be recognizable as Bloodred. So far there are no major changes to the music in sight.

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

I'm listening to metal for over 25 years now, so I think that many bands or genres have left a mark on me one way or another. But I think some of my main influences are Emperor, Moonsorrow, My Dying Bride and early Amorphis & Metallica. Each band also represents a musical style that influenced me over the years. Generally speaking I think the music from Scandinavia influenced me the most.

Some of the newer bands I listen to are Skalmöld from Iceland (their new album is coming up in october), Eldkraft, Iskald or Vattnet Viskar.

11.How would you describe your views on Atheism?

I am an Atheist and for me Atheism is the absence of belief that any deities exist. I "believe" in reason and scientific evidence. And I think the late Christopher Hitchens was right when he said that "religion poisons everything". One can see this on a global but also on a local level, e.g. with the great influence the church has on so many decisions that should only be made by governments.

However I try to keep this topic out of Bloodred, because music should be fun in the first place. The only exception is the song "Enemies Of Reason" after the BBC series with the same name by Richard Dawkins. But as a person I try to be an advocate for a more secular society.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

In most of my spare time I'm actually working on music or other things concerning Bloodred. But with the start of a new season of "Game Of Thrones" or "Doctor Who" you can find me in front of the TV. I also read a lot or listen to audiobooks. Family is of course also a big part of my life.

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

First of course I want to thank you for the review of "The Lost Ones" and the interview. It was a pleasure!

Secondly I want to encourage all of your readers to send me feedback to my music via Facebook, Twitter or the website. As I said earlier: getting in touch with people is a great motivation for me.

Bandcamp

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Official website

SoundCloud

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Bleeding Utopia/Darkest Potency/Bleeding Music/2014 CD Review

  Bleeding  Utopia  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays a  very  melodic form  of  blackened  death/thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Darkest  Potency"  which  was  released  by  Bleeding  Music.

  Spoken  word  samples  start  off  the  album  before  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  heavy  and  melodic  direction  musical  direction  along  with  blast  beats  and  deep  death  metal  growls  and  the band  also  uses  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  after  awhile  blackened  metal  screams  are  added  into  the  music.

  The  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  are  very  melodic  and  epic  sounding,  while  the  riffing  incorporates  elements  of  both  modern  and  old  school  metal  and  they  also  add  in  back  up  gang  shouts  at  times  as  well  as  adding  a  heavy  thrash  influence  into  their  musical  sound  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  and  after  being  in  a  very  heavy  direction  for  most  of  the  recording  the  band  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  on  a  couple  of  the  tracks  before  going  back  to  a  more  blackened  death  metal  direction

  Bleeding  Utopia  play  a  style  of  blackened  death  metal  throughout  the  recording  that  is  very  heavy  and  melodic  at  the  same  time  and  they  also  have  a  good  balance  between  both  modern  and  old  school  influences  in  their  musical  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Bleeding  Utopia  are  a  very  great  sounding  heavy  and  melodic  blackened  death/thrash  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Your  Kingdom  Will  Fail"  "All  Life  Withers"  "Bring  Me  your  Dead"  and  "Nighttime  Divine".  8  out  of  10.

www.bleedingutopia.com
www.facebook.com/bleedingutopia 

First Dawn/Final Epoch/2014 Full Length Review

  First  Dawn  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Final  Epoch"/

  A  very  dark  and  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  a  few  seconds  later  which  leads  up  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  along  with  some  grim  black  metal  screams  and  they  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  as  well  as  making  most  of  the  tracks  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  After  awhile  the  music  starts  to  speed  up  a  bit  along  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times  and  the  symphonic  elements  are  a  huge  part  of  the  bands  musical  sound  and  they  also  add  a  great  amount  of  melody  into  their  songs  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sounding  presence  on  the  recording.

  When  fast  parts  are  utilized  they  bring  back  memories  of  the  90's  style  of  melodic  black  metal  and  on  the  2nd  track  melodic  guitar  leads  find  their  way  onto  the  recording  along  with  a  brief  use  of  background  choirs  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  faster  riffs  have  more  of  a  dominant  presence  on  the  album  while  the  synths  also  start  bringing  in  more ambient  elements  and  on  the  last  track  there  is  a  brief  use  of  violins  being  utilized.

  First  Dawn  plays  a  style  of  melodic  black  metal  that  is  very  symphonic  and  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  tradition  of  this  musical  genre  and  they  bring  a  more  darkened  atmosphere  that  has  been  missing  in  this  musical  genre  for  the  last  few  years,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  First  Dawn  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  and  melodic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "To  The  Stars"  and  "Edge  of  The  Universe".  8  out  of  10.        

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Hortus Animae/Secular Music/Flicknife Records/2014 CD Review

  Hortus  Animae  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  progressive  and  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Secular  Music"  which  was  released  by  Flicknife  Records.

  A  very  dark,  melodic  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  and  you  can  also  hear  elements  of  doom  metal  in  their  musical  sound  along  with  a  very  symphonic  atmosphere  as  well  as  some  clean  singing  vocals  being  utilized  at  times  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  You  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  progressive  and  gothic  elements  coming  out  of  the  keyboards  as  well  as  the  band  using  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  are  very  melodic  and  they  bring  an  80's  metal  feeling  to  the  recording  and  the  music  also  has  a  very  decent  balance  between  both  clean  and  heavy  parts.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  some  elements  of  brutal  death  metal  and  one  of  the  later  tracks  is  divided  into  3  different  parts  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  bit  of  the  90's  avant  garde  black  metal  sound  in  their  songs  and  halfway  through  the  album  small  amounts  of  female  vocals  and  ethic  music  sounds  are  brought in  briefly  and  the  band  also  brings  in  an  an  instrumental  before  returning  back  to  tracks  with  vocals  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  cover  of  Jethro  Tull's  "Aqualing"..

  Hortus  Animae  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  black  metal  but  bring  in  elements  of  death  metal  doom,  gothic  and  progressive  rock  to  create  a  very original  sounding  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics cover  anti  religion,  occult,  dystopian,  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hortus  Animae  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  and  symphonic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "God  And  His  Disgusting  Children"  "Dystopian  Apocalypse"  and  "Chamber  Of  Endless  Nightmares".  8  out  of  10.

http://hortusanimae.net/
https://www.facebook.com/HortusAnimae
http://www.reverbnation.com/hortusanimae
https://twitter.com/HortusAnimae (@HortusAnimae)

 



  

Kablo Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
I started playing guitar about five and a half years ago (I was 16) . After I got better at the instrument, I started composing and recording simple songs and riffs at home (mostly rock and heavy metal) just for the fun of it. I live in a small village and starting a band was not possible. Then, in early 2012, a dear friend told me to listen to a black metal band called Taake. I had never listened to that genre of music before and its sound and imagery captivated me. That started it all. In no time, I learned about dozens of bands and genres of black metal and experimented with that sound. At about mid-summer 2012, nearly half of what would be my first album was already made.

2.In September of 2013 you had released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
"Dark Moonlight Forest" was kind of an experiment sound wise. It has a whole lot of elements from different styles of metal. I knew I wanted it to be melodic but raw at the same time, with slow-paced clean guitars but also fast fast heavy ones. You could call that mash up of sounds melodic black metal, ambient black/death metal, etc. I like to call it Kablo-metal.

3.What are some of the concepts and images you bring out with your musical sound?
Nature in general but especially forests. My family comes from a northern zone of Spain called Galicia, very well known for its beautiful landscapes. I've always enjoyed long walks in the forests, trying to connect with nature. That's what I would like to evoke.

4.All of the music recorded so far has been instrumental, are you planning on using vocals in the future?
I am indeed! I wasn't able to put vocals in the first record because my singing is not very pleasant, but some people have offered their voice to sing for future songs.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Kablo'?
It's actually really dumb and funny. Years ago, my group of friends used to call me "Calvo" (wich means bald in Spanish) because I was the only one with very short hair. One day, one person extremely misspelled the word and wrote it like "Kablo" and everyone found it hilarious. It has been my pseudonym since that very day.

6.You record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you chose to remain solo?
I haven't had the opportunity to play in a band yet but I would like to someday. That being said, I don't think I would completely give up my solo project even while playing in a different band.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Not at the moment. Music is still only a hobby for me. I genuinely love to produce songs by myself.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
The album was actually very well received; a lot better than I expected considering my low experience producing music. The amount of downloads it had on bandcamp was quite high and the reviews generally good.

9.Are you involved with any other musical projects?
No. "Kablo" is my only project by now.

10.Where do you see your self heading into musically during the future?
I don't really see myself getting super serious with my musical project. I do it for fun and it helps me disconnect from my daily life. I hope to be able to keep making music and explore new genres for a lot of time, having the same amount of fun as I do now.

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?
Basically black metal bands like Taake, Burzum, Dissection, Emperor... but my music has been influenced by styles that go from crust-punk to death metal, and even post-rock.
Nowadays, I listen to almost everything that isn't extremely commercial or mainstream. I like lots of types of metal, rock, punk and some electronic music. I'm also a big fan of video game music.
12.What are some of your non musical interests?

I really love exploring new places and walking through forests and mountains is one of my favorite pastimes. I also enjoy basketball and video games a lot.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Well, I would like to thank darkdoomgrinddeath.blogspot.com for taking the time to interview me and for the great review of my album. Also all of my gratitude to the people that support me all over the internet. Expect some new material in the near future!

Bandcamp

Bloodred/The Lost Ones/2014 EP Review

  Bloodred  are  a  1  man  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released 2014  ep  "The  Lost  Ones".

  A  very  dark,  melodic  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  before  speeding  up,  adding in  blast  beats  and  black  metal  screams  and  after  awhile  you  can  hear  elements  of  death  metal  being  added  into  the  music  and  there  is  also  a  good  mixture  of  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  throughout  the  first  track  as  well  as  a  very  melodic  approach  to  black  metal  along  with  a  very  dark  atmosphere  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments.

  Blast  beats  and  fast guitar riffs  start  off  the  second  track  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  a  few  seconds  later  as  well  as  some  vocals  which  also  bring  in  death  metal  growls  at  times  and  the  music  also  brings  in  elements  of  doom  in  the  slower  sections  and  thrash  metal  in  the  mid  paced  parts  of  the  song  and  the  leads  which  are  added  into  the  song  a  few  minutes  later  are  in  more  of  a  melodic  musical  direction.

  Bloodred  plays  a  style  of  black/death  metal  that  is  very  melodic  and  heavy  sounding  at  the  same  time  on  these  2  tracks  which  also  show  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Bloodred  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  blackened  death  metal  project  and  if  you  are    fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "The  Lost  Ones".  8  out  of  10.

Homepage: http://www.bloodredband.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bloodredofficial

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloodredband

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/bloodred_de

Bandcamp: http://www.bloodredband.bandcamp.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bloodredband

 



  

Kablo/Dark Moonlight Forest/2013 Full Length Review

  Kablo  are  a  1  man  band  from  Spain  that  plays  and  instrumental  and  melodic  mixture  of  ambient,  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2013  album  "Dark  Moonlight  Forest".

  Acoustic  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  finger  picking  and  full  chords  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  getting  a  lot  more  heavier  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  and  the  music  sticks  mostly  to  a  mid  paced  and  melodic  style  of  black/death  metal.

  The  solos  and  leads  that  are  utilized  on  the  recording  display  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  and  after  awhile  clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  of  the  later  tracks  also  shows  the  music  speeding  up  a  bit  and  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Kablo  creates  a  very  interesting  sound  with  his  instrumental  approach  to  melodic  black/death  metal  as  well  as  adding  in  elements  of  ambient  music  to  make  his  music  sound  more  original  and  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Kablo  is  a  very  great  sounding  instrumental  mixture  of  melodic  black/death  metal  and  ambient  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dark  Moonlight  Forest"  "Storm"  and  "The  Mighty  Tree".  8  out  of  10.

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