Solarsteinn Interview

SOLARSTEINN - interview -

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
I'm also the lead singer / guitarist of Rising Moon, and after 15 years of swedish death metal for me it was time to try something different. I am passionate about classical music that I tried to mix it with  metal. I also love the Nordic culture and then the equation is simple: classical music, metal, Nordic culture = Viking metal. This is the beginning of the Solarsteinn project.

2.Recently you have released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
I think it is the right mix of metal and classical music. I tried to write a little soundtrack. A song that had a
beginning, a middle and an ending well defined. Looking for the right mix between metal and classical music.

3.The lyrics on the ep where based on the Norse ballads of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow , can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this author and Norse Paganism?
I hate writing lyrics, I prefer to focus on the music and a day on the internet I discovered "The Musician's Tale" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow from "Tales of a Wayside Inn". "The challenge of Thor" is the first song of the poem. I immediately liked the text, it was perfect for the song.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Solarsteinn'?
Solarsteinn is the Iceland term for "sunstone". It 's a mineral used to locate the sun in a completely overcast sky and then allows surfers to navigate even in extreme conditions. To me it has a big metaphorical meaning, such as the ability and strength to move in life, even in moments of great difficulty.

5.Currently there is only 1 member in the band, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you choose to remain solo?
I think Solarsteinn remain a one man band, but do not rule out future involvement of other people in the
recordings. I want to have control of the project to 100% and write everything I want without discussions with other people.

6.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
I am looking for a label willing to publish the Ep or a future job. I hope to find one interested in the project. Those who contacted me were more interested in my money to my music. I'll wait a little longer, then I'll print in limited edition.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of the viking, pagan and folk metal genres?
There are various reviews and are all good, I'm very happy. I did not expect, to have good results is stimulating to continue to get better and better. Many people write me to have a copy of the CD and all I have to answer that is not available. Then label around the world do your thing, and print the Ep, ahhaha !!!

8.Are you also involved with any other musical projects?

As Rising Moon's  singer/guitarist, a swedish death metal band, a mix of At The Gates and Hypocrisy style. We made five albums. But when the band stops and I can concentrate better on Solarsteinn. !!

9.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see yourself heading into musically during the future?
These days I started writing full. I have to reorder many ideas I had and rearrange it. This time I would like to make a song more than 30 minutes and divide them into chapters. We'll see. As for my future in music I can tell you that I will play until I live. My days are filled with music, work in my recording studio "Alien Recording Studio", I write music, I collaborate with other bands. My life is music 100%.

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?
I started listening  metal with Iron Maiden, they made me love music. Then I discovered so many other bands. I like the swedish death of At The Gates, but I also listen the brutal of Suffocation and the black of Dissection. For some years I am also interested in viking and folk, and I follow  Moonsorrow, Finntroll, Falkenbach and many others.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
I like all the arts, I like drawing in charcoal, read books, watch movies, are passionate about food and cooking for friends. Somehow I keep myself busy.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for this nice interview and for the space on your webzine, for those interested in the band you can follow me and contact me on the facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/solarsteinn
Thank You.  Greetings from Italy.

Batsheva/Self Titled/2014 Full Length Review

  Batsheva  are  a  1  man  band  from  Pennsylvania  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  symphonic  form  of  blackened  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  titled  and  self  released  2014  album.

  A  very  dark  and  ritualistic  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  keeps  the  ritualistic  sounds  and  adds  in  a  symphonic  and  melodic  black  metal  sound  that  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  some  grim  screams  while  the  slower  sections  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  doom  metal  elements.

  A  good  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  adding  a  great  amount  of  melody  in  the  riffs  and  the  symphonic  black  metal  side  of  the  music  is  a  lot  more  closer  to  the  90's  style  and  brings  in  a  bit  of  the  rawness  that  genre  once  had  before  later  bands  made  it  more  mainstream  sounding  and  you  can  also  hear  traces  of  funeral  doom  in  the  slower  sections  and  one  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts.  

  Batsheva  goes  back  to  the  90's  styles  of  melodic  and  symphonic  black  metal  and  mixes  them  in  with  a  very  heavy  and  dark  style  of  doom  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  yet  very  heavy  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Batsheva  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  symphonic,  melodic  black  metal  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Moon  Eyes"  and  "The  Conquest  Of  The  Witch  Queen".  8  out  of  10.

https://batsheva.bandcamp.com/album/batsheva

Dystopian Wrath Interview

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

[DAMON] We are a Symphonic Blackened Death metal from the South West of the UK.


2.In March you had released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

[ANDY] It's four of the first songs that we wrote together, all with a slightly different feel, picked to show a range of what we can do and what we are about. Your recent review of our EP did a great job of describing things more in depth.


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

[ANDY] The battle to maintain some kind of identity and sanity whilst still finding purpose in a world that has lost all sense of life having any kind of meaning other than to simply exist. Dystopia is the anti-utopia. A time that is argueably already upon us. We aim to debate, examine and warn of this theory through fables, tales & metaphors.


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

[ANDY] A fierce reaction to the decline of society.
[DAMON] We didn't have a name for the band at the time when I proposed an idea to write a few songs based on a dystopian future much like in 1984. We were interested in the topic to such a degree that we started introducing more ideas into other songs and eventually decided to use the name Dystopian Wrath, with the "Wrath" prepresenting the intensity of the music and message.

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

[DAMON] Non existant thus far! We've struggled to find a drummer until recently but you can expect to see this change by 2015's end


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

[ANDY] Rehearsals with the new full 6 man line-up start in January for a 40 minute set. We have many allies willing to play alongside us within the UKBM scene so we're hoping to get a few shows under our belts, then head off on a UK tour as soon as the opportunity arises.


7.You have a video coming out where you are doing a Bathory cover and have one of the members of Hecate Enthroned as a guest, can you tell us a little bit more about it?

[ANDY] Yeah, it's been 10 years since Quorthon's passing and still far too many young metal fans know of Bathory and their influence. So we decided to do a special tribute, covering a track we all admire aiming to give it a slightly modern twist, whilst retaining the spirit of the original. Andy Milnes was one of the first people to hear our EP as I sent it to him for feedback before the release. He really enjoyed the EP, and Hecate Enthroned are a band I have looked up to for years, so I asked if he would do me the honour of joining us on the track and he was happy to oblige. Tom from Reign Of Perdition is a friend from my area, from an amazing band who toured with Hecate a while ago and Jorge of Scandelion approached me offering to work with us some time ago, and this track presented the perfect opportunity to get to know eachother better.


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

[ANDY] Outside of the UK our most enthusiastic responses have come from Southern parts of Asia and America, with some great feedback and reviews also coming back from France, Spain and Belgium. The Uk support for a project that is yet to even take to the stage has been truly humbling.


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

[Damon] I play bass for the death metal band The Florentine Camerata. In October we did a small tour with Ageless Oblivion and Chapters, both of whom are exceptionally good bands. Currently though we're in the process of finalising the songs for our debut album which we should be recording soon.


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

[ANDY] So many of these things, like all things in life unfortunately depend on money and hooking up schedules to suit the availability of it. We have enough material for an album ready to go, and as soon as we can, it shall be out. Developing the live set up is our immediate priority.


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?

[ANDY] More and more nowaday I always try to support our allies and buy British Extreme metal first but I am a fan of all types of Black, Death & Power Metal! Major personal influences include Bathory, Emperor, Hecate Enthroned, Soulfallen, Belphegor, Abgott, Winterfylleth, Bal Sagoth, Vader, Graveworm and Chthonic.
[DAMON] I find that bands like Bathory, Behemoth, Emperor, Dark Funeral and Immortal have influenced me a fair bit but by no means are they the only ones. Recently I've been listening to Summoning and Caladan Brood and I'm kicking myself that I didn't start listening to these bands sooner.


12.What are some of your non musical interests?

[ANDY] Non music wise, I'm well into my gaming and few things beat the feel of a clear day on a motorbike.
[DAMON] I'm afraid I don't have too much of an interesting answer for this, gaming and reading. Hand me anything by H.P. Lovecraft and I'll be quite content.


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

[DAMON] The EP is exclusively available via UKEM Records for just £5 and keep an eye on us via social media for updates about the upcoming events, video's and releases in 2015.

Thank you for your time.

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Necroart/Lamma Sabactini/Masterpiece Distribution/2014 CD Review

  Necroart  are  a  band  from  Italy  that plays  a  very  avant  garde,  gothic  and  progressive  form  of  melodic  black/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Lamma  Sabactini"  which  was  released  by  Masterpiece  Distribution.

  A  very  dark  and  epic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  and  you  cna  also  hear  elements  of  traditional  Italian  music  in  the  background  and  a  couple  of  minutes  the  music  gets  a  lot  heavier  while  also  incorporating  some  avant  garde  and  prog  elements  into  their  musical  style  and  they  also  add  in  a  good  amount  of  grim  black  metal  screams  and  some  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

   You  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  melody  being  utilized  in  the  tracks  and  at  time s the  vocals  also  get  more  melodic  while  also  keeping  around  a  very  rough  edge  while  on  later  tracks  they  also  bring  in  a  few  death  metal  growls  and  most  of  the  tracks  stick  to  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound.

   A  good  amount  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  singing  gothic  metal  vocals  along  with  a  touch  of  melodic  doom  metal  while  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  few  seconds  of  operatic  female  vocals  and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Necroart  plays  a  style  of  music  that  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  melodic  death  and  black  metal  and  they  bring  in  some  avant  garde,  progressive  and  gothic  elements  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  poetic  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Necroart  are  a  very  great  sounding  avant  garde,  gothic  and  progressive  mixture  of  melodic  death,  black  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Demiurge"  "Joining  The  Maelstrom"  "Of  Ghouls,  Maggots,  and  Werewolves"  and  "Cyanide  And  Mephisto".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=IY4eRctLdQM

Mystical Fullmoon/Chtonian Theogony/Beyond Productions/2014 CD Review

  Mystical  Fullmoon  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  avant  garde  and  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Chtonian  Theogony"  which  was  released  by  Beyond  Productions.

  Dark  avant  garde  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  that  are  also  used  on  some  of  the  other  tracks  as  well  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  an  orchestrated  style  of  melodic  black  metal  which  also  brings  in  fast  parts,  blast  beats  and  grim  screams  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

    At  time s the  synths  can  be  very  experimental  sounding  and  a  good  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  bring  in  a  very  melodic  and  talented  sound  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  are  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  few  songs  that  are  in  more  of  an  avant  garde  and  experimental  direction  along  with  a  few  tracks  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  melodic  Gregorian  chants  and  saxophones.

  Mystical  Fullmoon  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  symphonic  while  also  being  melodic,  avant  garde  and  experimental  at  the  same  time  and  you  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  talent,  skill  and  originality  in  their  musical  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  writings  of  H.P  Lovecraft,  Esoterism,  and  Dark  Poetry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Mystical  Fullmoon  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  and  avant  garde  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "An  Outermost  Resonance"  "A  Red  And  Black  Sacrament"  "After  the  Coil"  and  "Dream  brother".  8  out  of  10.

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Heretical/Daemonarchist - Daemon Est Devs Inversvs/Beyond Productions/2014 CD Review

  Heretical  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "/Daemonarchist - Daemon Est Devs Inversvs"  which  was  released  by  Beyond Productions.

  A  very  dark  and  atmospheric  keyboard  intro  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  spoken  word  ritualistic  parts  that  are  also  used  on  some  of  the  other  tracks  as  well  and  after  the  intro  the  music  gets  a  lot  heavier  along  with  some  brutal  blast  beats,  grim  black  metal  screams  and  melodic  guitar  solos  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  At  time  clean  singing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of t he  recording  and  the  band  also  mixes  the  symphonic  and  heavy  parts  together  ans  some  of  the  later  tracks  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  operatic  female  and  male  vocals  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  on  some  of  the  tracks  you  can  also  hear  elements  of  death  and  thrash  metal  which  the  back  up  gang  shots  come  from  being  utilized  along  with  a  small  amount  of  growling  vocals  and  a  couple  of  the  later  tracks  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  violins  and  a  few  of  the  songs  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length.  

  Heretical  plays  a  style  of  symphonic  black  metal  that  is  very  ritualistic  at  times  and  also  brings  in  elements  ob  brutal  death  metal  and  thrash  along  with  a  great  amount  of  melody  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Luciferian,  Left  Hand  Path  and  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Heretical  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  "Averno  Resvurrectus"  "Devestate  E  Liberate"  "Lvcifer  Demasqve"  and  "Demon  Metal".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XANkJ923yJU       

Incursed Interview

Media: A Different Shade Of Black Metal zine, USA
Band: Incursed
Answering: Narot Santos - Main vocals, rhythm guitar
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?
Since we finished recording “Elderslied” we’ve started our rehearsals and we’ve been improving our playing costumes for our new 2015 shows. We have also been contacting with bands and management all over Spain and Europe so we can prepare as many shows for this new year as possible.

2.In 2014 you had released both an ep and a full length, how would you describe the musical sound of the newer music and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
We think that our new music has a really professional sound, specially if you compare it with our older albums. The main difference could be the quantity of instruments and audio tracks per song. These new songs are richer and deeper in composition. For example, for Fimbulwinter we had songs composed years before its release and new songs made for the album, so it was kind of chaotic. This new
music is more coherent in this way.

3.Your lyrics cover some Nordic Paganism themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this subject?
Some of us are quite interested in Paganism and History. It is quite cool to see how some of this Pagan beliefs are mixed with other religious views, or how are they shown in movies, comics, video games and modern stuff. Basically, we were interested in Norse and Germanic mythology way before the band started, more than seven years ago, and we found in music a great way to spread this interest and share it with people worldwide.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name ‘Incursed’?

The name was formed after the combination of “Incursion” and “Cursed”, but also is the past tense of “Incursion”, so it’s like some kind of pun too. Beware of the spanish cursed raiders!

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Probably, our best show was in Ukraine, at the Carpathian Alliance Fest, in 2013.
What makes it the best is, mainly, the fans there. They were incredible! We have played in some nice shows here in Spain, for example Keltoi Fest in Zaragoza, HOM Fest in Burgos and Arrowsnight Live, in Bilbao. The newer the shows the better they are, mainly because of the experience we’ve been achieving during these years. Our shows are quite powerful, we try to give our best in each one. We dress according to our music, with ragged clothes and fake fur, bones, and any kind of “barbaric” stuff, so we can get in our roles easier onto the stage.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
We are presenting “Elderslied” in our hometown, Bilbao, on February. We are  closing some gigs across Spain to play our new songs, but it can’t be described as a tour for the moment.

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

We are working with some promotion agencies as, for example, Metalmessage, but we are currently unsigned. However, we are open to check any offer that could be received.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of viking, pagan and folk metal?

It has been really positive! People all around the world have bought our albums and we’ve got lots of highly positive reviews for our previous album “Fimbulwinter”.
We’ve received some reviews for “Elderslied”, our new album, and they are really nice too. It is so rewarding to see that people really like something you’ve put so many work, time and effort on it.

9.Are any of the band members involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
Our keyboard player, Jonkol, plays in a death/power metal band named “Orion Child” and our drummer, Asier Amo, has a doom/death metal project named “Hex”

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Well, right now we have to exploit “Elderslied” to the max, as it has just been released. But probably by the end of 2015 we’ll start composing and working again on new songs. We will try to keep the essence of our music intact so we can improve our music without changing our spirit.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
We have been influenced by many of the latest albums of big bands playing our musical style, such as Finntroll, Moonsorrow, Turisas... but our influences are so, so different and multiple! We like bands as different as The Algorithm or Mike Oldfield.
Try to imagine the huge amount of influences that can be found in this spectrum of musical styles. We even love the new japanese sensation, Babymetal!
12.What are some of your non musical interests?

All of us are into videogames. Asier and Jonkol are big fans of soccer. Juan, our bass player, is a digital painter. We like watching series as Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones. Asier Amo is a big fan of trekking and medieval fighting shows and Narot likes to read sci-fi books, specially Asimov. I guess we are just normal guys after all!

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

We want to thank you for this great interview and tell all our fans to follow us on our facebook account (facebook.com/IncursedOfficial) and to not hesitate and tell us what do they think about our music, shows, etc. And we hope to play in the States someday, that would be super cool!

Keep pagan!

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