Morthus Interview

INTERVIEW
ADIFFERENTSHADEOFBLACKMETALZINE, USA
-
MORTHUS
(Asgharoth Morthus Diaboli – Lead Guitar)
1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
The band was finally formed in late 2013 and after completing the lineup we played some club gigs in early 2014. During our record sessions for our Demo EP,  which was released on October 22nd  2014, we splitted from our bass player „Hellum“, so the present lineup of MORTHUS is „Kharon  Phormeus Inferorum“ on vocals, „Krypoth“ on drums, „Hrafnagud“ on Rhythm Guitar and me,  „Asgharoth Morthus Diaboli“ on Lead Guitar. For Shows we use a live bassist, this is at present „Flo“ from the Melodic Death Metal Band „Dubiosis“. We play Blackened Melodic Death Metal (some people say it is Melodic Black Metal) in the style of swedish genre icons like Dissection, Dark Funeral or Naglfar and in this years fall we will release our first Album, which, we think, will blow you away.

2.In October you had released a new ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Our style is very hard influenced by swedish Black Metal. Especially Bands like Dark Funeral, Naglfar and the „holy“ Dissection are the inspirations for writing our stuff. So, all the songs on our  EP „Into Oblivion“, have a swedish touch, without sounding the same like the origins. Everyone  who likes the swedish Black Metal sound should give this EP a chance and listen to it, and of course MORTHUS.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
The lyrics are about the dark lord and all the other dark subjects, like the black depths of human  mind or the ridiculous christianity. We take all typical Black Metal lyric themes and try to get more deep in it. So in the end, the lyrics are alle about death, darkness and occult and mythologic stuff.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Morthus'?
To be honest, there is no special meaning or something else behind the name. In the beginning we came across that we need a short and catchy namefor our band, so we took MORTHUS.  At this time, there was no other band out there with this name, so we have chosen this one. Sounds cool and stays in mind, thats all.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
The best show we played so far was in October 2014 in the „Clubhouse“ in Saalfeld/Germany together with „Aeons Confer“ (Hamburg/Germany). Perfect Organisation and through and through professional people there at the „Saalfelder Metal Stammtisch“. Great Sound and a really enthusiastic crowd made this evening to something special. Our stage performance is full of energy as well as the crowd in the front is. We try to transfer the  energy we feel on stage to the people in front of us, so they can have a great evening too.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
In 2015 we have no touring plans, because our plans for this years are to work on and to become more
known in the scene and maybe not only in Germany. Also we wanna record our first full length album in fall this year, so maybe we plan a tour for 2016. But some Shows we will play of course for the upcoming months. The next one will be on may, 30th at „Death Sentences“ together with „Arroganz“, „Fantoft“ and „Cold Palace“.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Yeah, thats right, currently we have no record label.. In february 2015 we received an offer by the spanish label „Art Gates Records“. They were interested to work together with us in the future. After the first talks were positive, they said that they will send us the contract, and that was the last sign we heard from them. We never saw a contract or something else. So maybe we will search a label in fall this year where we can release our debut-album. If no label is interested in us and our music, thats no problem, we can release the album, as well as our Demo EP, as a self-release.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
The reactions or reviews we received so far were through and through extremely positive. We received feedback from countries like Spain, Hungary, Romania, Sweden, Norway, Egypt, the south american area and from the United States too. No matter if this were single persons, magazines or webzines, all were highly positive, so maybe this could be a good start for a worldwide fanbase :-)

9.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We will enter the „Nautilus Studio“ in Gera/Germany at the end of may this year. There we also recorded our Demo EP „Into Oblivion“. Our decision to do this is quite simple, the sound of our Demo. Florian Rahm from Nautilus is truely a master. If our plans are right we can release this album in fall 2015. We all are sure, that this album will defnitly get some attention. And what come after that, you never know...

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?
Our influences are very clear, as you can hear on our EP. These are definitely bands which play the socalled swedish Black Metal, and there especially bands like Dissection, Naglfar and Dark Funeral. These masters of melodies and dark atmospheres are the main influences for the style of our songs. Of course there are other bands too which we listen to or which also have influenced us. Just to name a few, these bands are Children of Bodom, Dimmu Borgir, Slayer, Der Weg einer Freiheit, Immortal, Negator, Gorgoroth or Nile.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Of course everyone of us has some interests, which are out of the musical stuff, although it is hard to find space between our musical duties and our regular jobs we have as well. Kharon for exampleis programming a little computer game at the moment, something with rogues and dungeons and stuff like that, pretty awesome results so far. Krypoth trains in a fitness studio, he is very heading into a fitness freak, and Hrafnagud and I, we like movies and computer games, although I for myself try not to waste too much time with that, because this time I can also spend in writing new Morthus stuff, and thats the most important fact
for me.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
 We thank you for the opportunity to talk to you and for the opportunity to introduce our music in the United States. I hope sometimes we can do a show there. Also we want to thank our most important partner in the business so far, Markus Eck from MetalMessage, who helps us with all the promotional stuff, and he is doing really great. An awesome guy. Further we thank all our fans and families, who are standing behind us at every time, so we could reach this point where we are at the moment. And to the people in the States I wanna say, listen to Morthus, like us, share us or just enjoy. Raise your fist and Horns up to every Metal fan in the United States!!!!

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Morthus/Into Oblivion/2014 EP Review

  Morthus  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  ep  "Into  Oblivion".

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  solos  and  leads  which  also  dominate  throughout  the  recording  as  well  as  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  vocals  also  utilize  both  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls.

  You  can  hear  a  lot  of  Swedish  influences  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  songs  also  have  a  90's  vibe  to  them  at  times  and  the  fast  tracks  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  heavy  musical  direction.

  Morthus  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  the  90's  melodic  styles  of  Swedish  black  and  death  metal  together,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  blasphemous  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Morthus  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Blinded  by  The  Holy  Light"  and  "Symphony  Of  the  Black  Death".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/hRxfbozAyVc

I Am The Trireme Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?

Well lets see IATT has signed a new deal with Horror Death Pain Gore Productions and we will be releasing our first full length entitled "Gnosis: Never Follow the Light". This release will be available digitally and in CD format June 30th.

2.You have a new album coming out in June, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

I feel that this album has a more polished sound while keeping the same relentless attack that I am the Trireme is known for. I feel that this album is very diverse with tempo changes, pace and feeling. We were able to achieve this without jeopardizing the fluidity and cohesiveness of the album. Lyrically each song is relative, the second song can not exist without the first and so on. The songs are comparable to the metamorphosis of a butterfly or in a more morbid sense the 5 stages of grief.

3.This is the first release to come out in 3 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?

Actually this is our first original release in 4 years in 2013. We re-released UnHoly which was comprised of songs  that we reworked and re-recorded. Over the last couple of years we have released our first Music Video for the song "Repulsed by the Sun". We spent the summer of 2012 on a short run tour as well as another short run tour in the summer of 2013, with our brothers Consumed with Hatred. Also in 2013 we signed our first record contract with Dark Harvest Records and Released UnHoly through them. We have played a slew of regional shows and spent most of our time writing, recording and trying to balance our everyday lives.


4.Originally the band was in a metalcore direction but the newer stuff goes for more of a death and black metal sound, can you tell us a little bit more about the decision to go into this direction?

Honestly I would say that the evolution of the band could be attributed to finding the right members to carry out the vision that myself and Alec Pezzano (Guitarist) anticipated. When we started the band we wanted to play fast and aggressive, but finding the actual people who have the same intentions and ability is another story. We shuffled through 15 members before we were able to get a capable lineup and this lineup has been together 4 years. I have always enjoyed Black Metal, but it wasn't popular in South Jersey. Once I found guitarist Joe Cantamessa I vowed to him that we would be a Melodic Black Metal band. In our early days as a metalcore band we didn't fit in with the others, we encouraged old school push moshing instead of karate dancing we were a lot darker than the others. We tore up bibles, displayed inverted crosses and the  lyrics were against religion. The message was always the same the only difference was the sound changing. If you look at Dissection and the last release Reinkaos, it wasn't popular amongst Elitist because it had a Black and Roll sound the message was the same if not darker. Now the whole Black and Roll sound has taken off.

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

The Lyrics in "Gnosis: Never Follow the Light" explores the stages of ascension and being enlightened. The concept of dying in order to achieve ascension  and becoming has a heavy influence. In this album Enlightenment pertains to the ability to identify true evil and not what society portrays as evil.  My lyrics have always been based off of perception and painting a picture with my words. For example Metre Fin a' Cette when translated means End this Life, when I wrote the lyrics I wrote about a personal situation and for me the song is about ending one life and leaving a certain aspect behind.

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'I Am The Trireme'?

Well lets start with the meaning of the word Trireme. A Trireme is a Warship that was discovered to exist as early as 410 BC it was more popular in the 5th Century in the Mediterranean seas. The meaning behind our name has become more prevalent during our career The Trireme relates to our band and the fast paced blasting sound that we have. Like an ancient war ship crushing through the waves of the Mediterranean Sea. With a Trireme every man must hold down there portion of the ship, the next man relies on the other to travel. The Trireme stands for the beliefs and values that were consecrated upon the bands formation. We are just men that are rowing and steering the boat.

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?

When I think about some shows that IATT has played there are three different shows that come to mind. The first would be our most recent show that we played in February with Downfall of Gaia (Germany) and Hivelords (Philadelphia) at the Kungfu Necktie in Philadelphia.
This was a great show for a few reasons, the line up was awesome you had three bands in the blackened genre that added other genres tastefully and put on an awesome show. Unique in their own rights but blending very well. Another reason would be that we were debuting a new single from our upcoming album. We promoted this show alot handing out flyers, social media promotion as well as handing out free download cards of our first single. We received a lot of praise for our new material and our live set. Lastly I would like to say that the venue was awesome it had a really down to earth vibe without being a dive bar. The sound guy and gear was top notch and they even provided the bands with a room and beer.

The Next show would be one of the dates from our Summer Tour in 2013 with Consumed with Hatred. We played this venue called The Pinch in Washington D.C. and as some of the opening bands began to play we grew a little weary because the turnout was poor, the sound system was not good and  the venue didn't have a sound guy. We began to prep our gear and out of no where a crowd of people poured in. The crowd was diverse and not your typical Metal heads. As we played our set it was more apparent that a good amount were not Metal Heads but they  danced and swayed to our music in their own way in between our sets there was chanting we had people pouring beer in our mouths as we performed. Honestly looking into the crowd it looked as if we were at a dance club. That was probably the most successful show on that tour.

The last show on my list of standout shows for I am the Trireme would be a show we played in 2013 in Ohio. We were invited to play a benefit festival at a rather large Amphitheatre that was located in the middle of the woods. The landscape and stage set-up was enough for the show to make the list. There was a decent crowd but the people we met were very personable and to this day we remain in touch with a handful of them. One them sacrificed their body months later Tattooing his leg with IATT's Infamous moon cross. There was good amount of people who camped out with us at the venue we were greeted with beer and shared stories throughout the night. We even graced the presence and befriended a Giant Mastiff who belonged to the owner of the Venue. This was one of the more memorable voyages in I am the Trireme's Career.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

We have intentions to do some short run tours in support of the new release we currently reaching out to booking agencies and also coordinating with our new label to line some support dates up.

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

We have received a lot of positive feedback from fans abroad, there are a few Blog Review sites , Indie Radio Stations and Metal sites from abroad that have given us good remarks as well as airplay.

9.Are any of the band members also involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

Yes almost every member is involved in a project. Joe Cantamessa (Lead Guitarist)  is involved with quite a few projects. He has a solo guitar t(Melodic Rock) project named Joe C and he also has a (Post Black Metal) Project named Remnants of Winter. Alec Pezzano (Guitarist/Orchestrals) has a collaboration project that entitled Mr Tinabello's Orphanage House (Symphonic Blackened Death).
I have a few projects myself that are in the works,  Solo Project - Salix Babylonica ( Extreme Metal/Post Black Metal), Solo Project - Planes of Existence (Doom/Death Metal) Via Sin Dios (Crust Punk). Our Drummer Paul has a Progressive  Rhythmic Project that is in the works.

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

Honestly I see I am the Trireme heading to a more progressive extreme metal direction but still maintaining the the atmosphere and relentless attack that black metal is known for.

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?

As a band there are a few good bands that we are direct influences such as Dissection, Shining, Der Weg Einer Freiheit, Septic Flesh, Neo Obliviscaris and Forgotten Tomb to name a few.

12.How would you describe your views on the Paranormal and Paganism?

Well as a band we have always had an interest in the undead and paranormal. I have never experienced paranormal activity but I believe anything is possible. I will say that in my journey of exploring Anticosmic Satanism I have experienced Astral Projection and Outer body experiences. Those experiences and the negative energy that was involved enlightened me and opened my eyes to some not so pleasant things lets leave it at that.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

Well lets see I am a father of three and family life is an important part of my life outside of music. I am also a die-hard. sports fan for Philadelphia area teams. Lastly I work in the Medical field I am an EMT for an ambulance company so Emergency medicine is one of my interest as well.

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

I would like to thank you for the opportunity to promote I am the Trireme and Gnosis: Never Follow the Light will be out June 30th on Horror Pain Gore Death Productions.

www.iamthetrireme.com
Http//facebook.com/iamthetrireme
www.horrorpaingoredeath.com
Http//facebook.com/horrorpaingoredeath
Http//facebook.com/clawhammerpr

I Am The Trireme - Tamerlane (Chapter 1): http://youtu.be/CKuQVHKJbcM

Isenmor/Land Of The Setting Sun/2015 EP Review

  Isenmor  are  a  band  from  Maryland  that  plays  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  ep  "Land  Of  the  Setting  Sun"  which  will  be  released  in  June.

  Violins  which  are  also  a  lead  instruments  on  this  recording  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  blast  beats  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  band  also  bring s in  symphonic  elements  and  clean  singing  which  they  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  parts  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  the  violins  bring  in  a  folk  music  feeling  and  the  keyboards  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  an  epic  feeling  when  they  are  utilized  along  with  a  great  amount  of  multi-part  vocal  harmonies  while  the  songs  remain  heavy  and  bring  in  a  melodic  black  metal  style.

  Isenmor  plays  a  style  of  folk  metal  that  is  very  heavily  dominated  by  violins  but  also  bring  in  a  touch  of  melodic  and  symphonic  black  metal  to  make  their  sound  more  heavier,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  age  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Isenmor  are  a  very  great  sounding  folk  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Death  Is  A  Fine  Companion"  and  "The  Old  mead  hall".  8  out  of  10.

STREAM & BUY: http://isenmor.bandcamp.com/
LIKE: https://www.facebook.com/isenmor

Amidst The Withering/The Dying Of The Light/2015 CD Review

  Amidst  The  Withering  are  a  band  from  Georgia  that  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  album  "The  Dying  Of  the  Light".

  A  very  dark,  epic  and  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  getting  heavier  while  also  remaining  symphonic  and  also  adding  in  both  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  melody  in  their  musical  style  and  there  are  also  some  clean  singing  vocals  being  added  into  the  songs  at  times.

  Classical  guitars  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  a  good  portion  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts and  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  heavy  influence  of  doom  metal  and  there  is  also  a  brief  acoustic  instrumental  before  the  band  makes  a  return  back  to  a  heavier  direction  on  the  following  tracks  while  they  also  bring  in  a  prologue  and  epilogue.

  Amidst  The  Withering  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  melodic  and  symphonic  black  metal  and  they  add  in  a  touch  of  doom  and  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sound s very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  mortality,  sorrow  and  love.

  In  my  opinion  Amidst  The  Withering  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  mixture  of  black  metal  and  doom  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Clarion  Light"  "Autumnal  Lament"  "Seraph  Enslaved"  and  "The  Dying  Of  the  Light".  8  out  of  10.  

WEB: http://www.amidstthewithering.com
LIKE: https://www.facebook.com/AmidstTheWithering
FOLLOW: https://twitter.com/weallwither

Self Spiller/Worms In The Keys/Varia Records/2015 CD Re-Issue Review

  Self  Spiller  are  an  international  band  with  members  from  the  United  States,  Canada,  Norway  and  Japan  that  plays  a  very  experimental  and  avant  garde  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Worms  In  the  Keys"  which  will  be  re-issued  in  May  of  2015  by  Varia  Records.

  Middle  Eastern  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  avant  garde  elements  and  a  few  seconds  later  melodic  riffs  and  clean  singing  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  and  experimental  metal  sound  and  they  also  mix  the  ambient  and  heavy  parts  together  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts.

  Video  game  music  samples  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  acoustic  and  classical  guitars  at  times  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  saxophones  and  a  good  portion  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  add  in  grim  black  metal  screams  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  dark  and  melodic  and  also  demonstrate  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  elements  of  noise  and  symphonic  music  and  you  can  also  hear  a  small  amount  of  female  vocals  on  some  of  the  songs

  Self  Spiller  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  post  black  and  avant  garde  metal  and  mixes  them  together  with  more experimental  and  free  form  jazz  elements  to  create  a  a  very  original  sounding  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  covers  the  writings  of  Anthony  Bourain,  Alejandro  Jodorowsky  and  Corman  McCarthy  as  well  as  the  bass  players  own  experiences  with  health,  travel  and  loss  of  home.

In  my  opinion  Self  Spinner  are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental  and  avant  garde  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Folds  Of  Skin  To  Lay"  "Rot  On  Root"  and  "Strong  But  Damaged.  8  out  of  10.

http://www.selfspillerwitk.bandcamp.com 

  

Withering Soul/Adverse Portrait/Mortal Music/2015 CD Review

  Withering  Soul  are  a  band  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Adverse  Portrait"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Mortal  Music.

  Avant  garde  sounds and  synths  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  a  few  seconds  later  that  dominate  throughout  the  recording  and  after  the  intro  the  music  gets  a  lot  more heavier  while  still  using  melodies  as  well  as  adding  blast  beats  into  certain  sections  if  the  recording  and  grim  black  metal  screams.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and fast  parts  and  the  band  also  mixes  the  melodic  styles  of  black  and  death  metal  together  and  the  music  also  bring s in  deep  growls  and  times  along  with  a  great  amount  of  symphonic  elements  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  use  a  small  amount  of  clean  singing  vocals  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  gothic  atmosphere  and  some  of  the  heavier  riffs  also  show  an  influence  of  thrash  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  is  added  onto  a  couple  of  tracks  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  there  are  also  a  couple  of  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Withering  Soul  creates  a  melodic  black  metal  album  that  also  incorporates  a  decent  amount  of  symphonic  elements  along  with  some  goth,  thrash  and  death  metal  influences  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Ghosts,  Horror,  The  Paranormal  and  Death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Withering  Soul  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "No  Longer  Within"  "Hour  Of  Obstinacy"  and  "In  Absence".  8  out  of  10.

www.facebook.com/witheringsoulband