Vetten Aparat Interview

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

We're preparing for recording an album and our upcoming gigs this summer and fall.

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

We work in the general framework of folk metal but don't limit ourselves to just one end of the genre. Sydäntalven Viha as long song is a good reflection of our music as a whole with it's combination of low and distorted guitars, heavy drumming and our traditional folk melodies.

3.The band has been around since 2006 but waited until 2011 to release any material, can you tell us a little bit more about the first 5 years?

Back in the year 2006 we were still just kids. We started everything from scratch. While playing some Ensiferum covers in our school's band room the line up changed many times. We needed to buy all instruments and amps by ourselves and that took time because getting money that young wasn't that easy.

Also it took a long time to find people on the same wavelength. The current line up stabilized just one year ago and we're now finally ready to start making more process. We had a rocky start but the whole time our main concept has had time form and it's always been worth the effort and the wait. With all this time and the current line up our vision is more clearer than ever. Just wait for the album.

4.The band considers themselves part of the second generation of Finnish folk metal, how does the newer generation differ from the older bands?

We can only speak for ourselves on this one since every band has their own approach on the music. In our mid and late teen years we were influenced by the big five from our country. During "the golden years" of the first wave of folk metal in Finland (2005-2009) these band toured heavily here and we were all in the audience every show.

Now we're trying to bring in some theatrical elements to our live shows for giving an unique experience driving the genre forward. We believe the show needs more visual elements not just great music. For example creating a whole atmosphere of a cold dark winter forest on stage with trees and props or using the smell of tar to convey an otherworldly essence of nature.

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

They range from our version of the classic themes of describing the harsh but beautiful northern nature to expressing personal feelings in a lore form of battles and old tales. Sami processes a whole variety of strong emotions from his life through his lyrics.

Sydäntalven Viha or Winterheart's Wrath is about the destructive spirit of the north that demolishes an invading army
The chorus also conveys the desperation in a place where no one can hear you cry in rage.

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Vetten Aparat'?

Vetten Äpärät is kinda old finnish. Straight translation is "Bastards of Waters". Word "Vetten" means "Waters'" but can be used as "Lakes". "Äpärät" word means "bastards". The idea of the name is that back in old days in Finland, kids born outside of christian marriage were not blessed. So we use that word instead of for example the word "pagan". Another idea is when people went to explore the wild north they encountered "natives" and called them "Bastards of the North of Thousands of Lakes". And later shortened as "Bastards of Waters" - Vetten Äpärät.

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We could say we had three shows which stand out from the others. First was in Nosturi which is the one of the biggest concert places in Helsinki. It was during one band competition. Even though it was not a whole set, just playing on that big of a stage felt good.

The second was at Semifinal where we first tried out decorating the whole stage to look like winter in Finland. We had some poetry and some acting on stage. Not the average "that song was... We are Vetten Äpärät. The next song is... Are you guys ready to rock" type of boring bullshit.

The third was at Club PRKL. We were warming up for Kivimetsän Druidi and the place packed during our set. People were actually there to watch folk metal instead of just drinking in a bar with live music. Getting actual reactions from the crowd felt extremely positive.

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

We have already booked some shows for the next summer. After the album comes out next fall we are going to have the release gig/tour.

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

Generally it has been always positive. We've gotten lot fans from Central and South America. There is a surprising amount of love for all folk metal there. It's harder to gain attention in Europe and especially in Finland because there is so many other band pushing their music and trying to be the next big thing metal no matter the genre.

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

New album will be released sometime next fall. In the future the music will be more and more close to ancient times but also people's daily life. We'll be figuring out more and more ways to sound more primal and raw. Down to earth but not black metal.

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?

Hard to tell what will influence us next but here is something from our current playlists:

Sami: More and more neopagan folk music like Wardruna, Omnia and Faun. I highly appreciate composers like Tuomas Holopainen and the new Nightwish album is worth listening.
Leo: Actually I haven't listened to that much metal lately. There is so much too average or borderline boring metal coming out just now. Last few months I've gotten in touch with Southern Gothic music and 90's harder rap acts. It's good have a diverse taste in music.
Anton: Wide range of metal, some EDM, glimpse of acoustic folk music and I also really like certain movie scores.

12.Does Paganism play any role in your music?

It's hard to say. The six of us come from varying ideologies. Sami identifies himself as a pagan and as our main songwriter he writes about paganism but does not preach it. Vetten Äpärät is more influenced by different European lores and mythologies than just paganism.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

Fitness and fatness. Some of us come from the same group of friends so social gatherings with alcohol included is our thing from time to time. Also Skyrim and gaming in general.

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

Buy our album and come see us live. Get ready to surf on the second wave!
Have a cheerful and beerful spring people!

Vetten Äpärät

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Piah Mater Interview

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

Luiz Felipe Netto: Piah Mater is a two-piece metal band from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that consists of myself - Luiz Felipe Netto - and Igor Meira and we play extreme metal with unconventional deviations, I guess we could put it that way…

2.In December you had released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

LFN: The sound we achieved on those 7 songs was a product of experimentation with different song structures and combinations of opposing feelings such as restlessness and quietude, frantic riffs in contrast with acoustic passages and so forth. It is beyond me to classify what we created into a specific genre though.

3.The band has been around since 2010 but waited 4 years to release an album, can you tell us a little bit more about the first 4 years?

LFN: We took the two initial years to mature ourselves as musicians, settle down our expectations and define our goals. The writing process for the debut itself wasn't so long though, it took us less than an year to put the whole thing together. By early 2013 we had the album completed, and in the time span between that and the release date we worked to get the production sounding exactly as we wanted (we only got so close!)

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

LFN: I wrote the lyrics for Memories of Inexistence from a very personal stand-point, about things that are close to home for me as I find that would be the only honest way to deliver these tracks, making them personal enough so that others can relate.

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

LFN: For the name, we wanted a clean slate to start with, something that evoked no prior interpretations to the minds of the average person when exposed to it for the first time. When I eventually came across the name I felt an immediate connection to it. I pitched it to Igor and we both agreed that it couldn't be anything else. It had to be that one.

6.Currently there are only 2 members in the band are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you chose to remain a duo?

LFN: We have plans to expand into a quartet and we are currently working a few connections to make that happen. But if it doesn't, we have no problems keeping the core band as a duo. We'll see how it unfolds…

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

LFN: No labels have stepped up so far. Although that is not something we discard for the future, we definitely are not losing sleeping over it.

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

LFN: It's been good so far. At this point I can't say we had exposure enough for me to distinguish between the feedback from the metal and the prog camps. From where I sit, it feels like we are reaching the intersection first, the people that already are familiar with both ends of the Prog Metal scope. Maybe from here on it will become clearer which side will embrace us stronger.

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

LFN: We already have a second album pretty much sorted out. I am so deeply involved with it that is hard to say in which ways it sets apart from its precedent, but if I should risk a few words I would say it's more focused, more melodic and overall emotionally heavier than 'Memories of Inexistence'.

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?

LFN: Igor and I both listen to and get inspired by all sorts of music. Currently I have been listening to some Tears for Fears, Alcest's Shelter and Enslaved's In Times. Igor has been digging Memento Mori, latest Obituary and Cannibal Corpse records and Brazilian virtuoso Edgberto Gismonti.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

LFN: I'm a senior in film school and Igor is majoring in engineering so…  that pretty much summons up our external interests in life.

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

LFN: Thank you for arranging this interview and thanks to the readers who have made it this far. We have big things coming in 2015 and it's good to know we're not alone on this.

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Piah Mater/Memories Of Inexistence/2014 Full Length Review

  Piah  Mater  are  a  duo  from  Brazil  that  plays  a  very melodic  and  progressive  form  of  black/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Memories  Of  Inexistence".

  Dark and  melancholic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  after  awhile  black  metal  screams  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  a  progressive  death  metal  direction  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  melody  in  the  bands  musical  style.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  clean  playing  which  also  brings  in  a  good  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  and  heavy  parts  and  melodic  vocals  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  at  times  the  music  brings  in  death  metal  growls  and  screams  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  As  the  album  progresses  some  of  the  songs  start  bringing  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  utilizing  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  at  times  and  one  of  the  later  songs  is  an  acoustic  ballad  while  the  later  tracks  show  the  band  making  a  return  back  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  while  some  of  the  acoustic  sections  do  bring  in  a  touch  of  70's  progressive  rock  at  times..

  Piah  Mater  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  dark  and  progressive  and  also  brings  in  a  touch  of  melodic  black  metal  at  times,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  encounters,  loss,  and  healing.

  In  my  opinion  Piah  Mater  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  progressive  black/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Anticipation"  "Young  Rust"  and  "A  Greater  Freedom".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Piah-Mater/633422666784294

 https://piahmater.bandcamp.com   

Sigh/Graveward/Candlelight Records/2015 CD Review

  Sigh  are  a  band  from  Japan  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  symphonic, experimental  and  avant  garde  from  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Graveward"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Candlelight  Records.

  A  melodic  guitar  lead  which  also  dominates  throughout  the  album  and  symphonic  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  the  guitars  using  a  lot  of  old  school  metal  riffs  and  after  awhile  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  deep  growls  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  clean  singing  vocals  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  At  times  the  music  can  be  very  avant  garde  and  experimental  and  the  songs  also  mix  in  a  lot  of  traditional  Japanese  music  elements  in  with  the  heavier  parts  and  there  is  also  a  good  mixture  of  both  male  and  female  choir  vocals  present  throughout  the  recording  and  at  times  both  the  solos  and  synths  bring  in  a  heavy  influence  of  70's  psychedelic  and  progressive  rock  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  As  the  album  progresses  Japanese  folk  instruments  can  be  heard  at  times  and  some  of  the  later tracks  also  bring  in  spoken  word  parts  along  with  an  influence  of  noise  music  being  brought  in  at  times  and  the  heavy  parts  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  thrash  influences  while  the  saxophones  enhances  the  avant  garde  side  of  the  bands  musical  style  and  they  also  bring  in  a  couple  of  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Sigh  creates  another  album  that  is  still  very  heavily  rooted  in  black  metal  but  just  like  with  previous  efforts  the  music  also  remains  avant,  garde,  symphonic  and  original  sounding  while  the  band  has  gotten  back  a  lot  of  their  heaviness  over  the  years,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror  movie  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great sounding  recording  from Sigh and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Graveward"  "The Molesters  Of  My  Soul"  "The  Casket  Burner"  and  "Dwellers  In  Dream".  8  out  of  10.  

http://www.earsplitcompound.com/site/2015/04/17/sigh-legendary-japanese-avant-extreme-metal-quintet-to-release-tenth-studio-album-via-candlelight-next-month-new-tunes-posted/

Omrade Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Bargnatt : Edari is our first release. We are two in this band, I play guitar and vocals
Arsenic : I play drums and keyboards.

2.You have an album coming out in April, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Bargnatt : Our music is like a picture, every song is a contemplation of a situation or a simple landscape. Like painters, we try to capture an intense moment and  a definition of sadness, light, and human emotion. It's our vision of darkness and beauty, but our songs could be read in different axes, it's not easy to follow all the time our evocation of cold feeling.
Arsenic : for me "Edari" is a journey between past and future; we have chosen old and modern sounds to reach that goal

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Bargnatt : There is different lyrical, sometimes we talk about our experience of hardest life, the abandon sentiment or sometimes about anger and rage of human being. Our lyrics are special and sometimes ironic, the constant of our lyrics is the melancholia, sadness, every song is a short history, a mutilation of fairy tales.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Omrade'?
Bargnatt : Område is very specific field or area of neighborhood.
Arsenic : it can be understand like a friendship too

5.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you chose to remain a duo?
Bargnatt : It's an interesting question, we have a lot of great guests on our album, and I think a duo is better for a project like Område. But who knows what the future holds...
Arsenic : we have several great projects for Område, some are in the pipes and they are awesome, it may includes other people but for the moment we go straight.

6.Has the band done any live shows yet or is this strictly a studio project?
Bargnatt : It's not a strictly studio project, but due to other projects, it doesn't let for arsenic and I the time for this, but I would like play our music on stage.
Arsenic : it also depends of the feedbacks we will have on the album, we will see...

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of metal?
Bargnatt : It's fun, because sometimes metal heads don't understand our music, because we have a lot of inspiration and we listen different kind of music. It's very hard for a pure metal heads to classify Område. It's our goal to do a music, we would like listen with different things, like Manes, Ulver, god is an astronaut, Head control system, Gazpacho, Nordic giant, Dodheismgard, I love the avant garde scene with a metal basis.
Arsenic : honestly the promotion is only at the very beginning, our first review gave us a 8/10 (and it was today :)
We hope they're will be more and more like that; moreover, our first clip "Mótsögn" is acclaimed by the critics; a really good start

8.Are any of the band members also involved with any other bands or musical projects?
Bargnatt : I have a band, but we prefer keeping the secret because now the important matter is Område.
Arsenic : me too, but at this time we want to separate the projects

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Bargnatt : I see Område in a perfect evolution with no restriction. I have a dream play Område's music in a theatre with an orchestra.
Arsenic : Musically, we are exploring new sides, we have to merge our 2 universes, it's sometimes hard but we are now convinced that we did the right choices on "Edari"; the next album could be different but always with our own personality, we will see...

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?
Bargnatt : My first influence is The Doors, I like Ulver, Manes, Dodheimsgard, Paradise Lost, Caspian, Leviathan, Treha Sektori, Gazpacho. And a lot of other bands, the list is very long, I listen all time music.
Arsenic : some many bands, from Soilwork to Queen

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Bargnatt : I like reading, and writing, poetry and litterature for me are the best inspirations.
Arsenic : I am very busy to create music but i like art in general


12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Bargnatt : I would like to thank you for the great itw, and I take this opportunity to thank our great partners of “Edari” release Francesco from My Kingdom music and our PR agent Christophe Sousa and his team from Dooweet promotion.
Arsenic : we also want to thanks the great guests we had on "Edari" (Asphodel, Guillaume Bideau, Leo Sors, Kriss Mandra, Damien Legret) and our friend Benoit Tillier for the great teaser and clip production

https://www.facebook.com/Omradetheband/

Orakle/Eclats/Apathia Records/2015 CD Review

  Orakle  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  very  experimental  and  progressive  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Eclats"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Apathia  Records.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  progressive  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  atmospheric  synths  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  when  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  start  out  with  clean  singing  and  bring  an  avant  garde  feeling  to  the  recording  and  the  music  also  brings  in  elements  of  70's  prog  rock.

  When  solos  are  added  onto  the  recording  they  are  very  melodic  and  progressive  while  the  vocals  also  bring  in  grim  black  metal  screams  at  times  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  in  some  sections  of  a  few  songs  and  each  track  also  brings  a  diverse  sound  to  the  recording.

  Orakle  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  has  a  lot  in  common  with  the  avant  garde  side  of  the  genre  of  the  90's  while  also  being  very  experimental  and  adding  in  a  touch  of  the  more  modern  and  progressive  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  French  cover  Nature,  Curse  and  Mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Orakle  are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental,  progressive  and  avant  garde  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS    TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Solipse"  "Apophase"  and  "Aux  Eclats".  8  out  of  10.

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Omrade/Edari/My Kingdom Music/2015 CD Review

  Omrade  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  an  avant  garde  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Edari"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  My  Kingdom  Music.

  A  very  dark  atmospheric  and  ambient  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  a  few  seconds  later  clean  singing  vocals  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  a  small  amount  of  saxophones  and  after  a  few  minutes  black  metal  screams  become  a  huge  part  of  the  music  and  the  synths  also  get  more  symphonic  and  also  add  in  an  influence  on  classical  music.

  Elements  of  industrial  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with some  traces  of  trip  hop  and  electronic  music  and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  some  of  the  tracks  along  with  spoken  word  parts  and  female  vocals  being  utilized  at  times  and  there  are  also  a  few  tracks  that  are  long  and epic  in  length  and  the  music  gets  more  progressive  halfway  through  the  recording.

  Omrade  creates  and  album  that  brings in  a  variety  of  many  different  musical  genres  from  black  metal,  avant  garde,  trip  hop,  electronica,  ambient,  industrial  and  post  rock  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  Swedish  and  English  and  cover  dark  and  psychotic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Omrade  are  a  very  great  sounding  avant  garde/post  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Mostsogn"  "Satellite  And  Narrow"  and  "Friendly  herpes".  8  out  of  10.

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