Beldam Interview

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



We're a group of committed musicians who take our craft very seriously. Even though we all have busy lives outside of the band, we don't see this as a fly-by-night thing or a hobby to screw around with. We believe 100% in this project, in making crushing music and playing brutal shows, and as far as we're concerned, the sky is the limit.



2.You have your first full length 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 demo you had released in 2015?



Most of the songs from the demo are all on the full-length, but the album's production is a lot cleaner and the song structures have been tightened up a bit. The earliest material we created together was much more full-on doom: painfully slow, lots of minor scales and tritones and pummeling primitive drumming. Later we started incorporating more sludge, with a greater number of mid-tempo and fast bits, pentatonic stuff, and more hardcore influence overall. If you listen to the demo and then to the album you can sort of hear that progression.



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



Each song on the album tells a story dealing with death in some fashion. The stories are told in the first person, from the point of view of the killers, the killed, or somebody who has lost a loved one. Using an economy of words, the lyrics delve into the psychology of grief, madness and despair. It's pretty dark stuff.



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



The inspiration of the band name came after much research.  We ran through a number of options but they all sounded derivative.  We really like the idea of having witch in the band name but every permutation imaginable has been used so I started doing research on the origins of the actual word witch.  In my reading I found the word Beldame and thought it had a great unique sound to it.  So, I pitched it to the band and we all dug it so it stuck.  We ended up dropping the “e” at the end and hence we are Beldam



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



We played a metal showcase in Charlottesville, VA at Champion Brewing recently with Ramming Speed and Ruby the Hatchet.  It was magical and crowd response was extremely positive.  We also were able to open for Witch Mountain at Strange Matter in Richmond, VA a while back, which was a great experience because we have been big fans of theirs for a long time.



Our stage performance is extremely intense.  We leave nothing on the table by the end of our set.  We do everything to make it a complete performance particularly sonically.  Doom requires a lot of volume to fill up the spaces and we do everything possible to fill the room with sound.  We want our live shows to be as cathartic for the audience as it is for us.



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



We are putting together a string of shows this summer from June to August to support the album. Not everything is solidified yet and new dates are getting added all the time, so keep checking our social media channels for updates!



7. Your album is going to be released by Horror Pain Gore Death Productions, are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?



Mike Juliano and HPGD Productions are a dream come true for Beldam.  He only wants success for the band and has been completely supportive of us.  Everything has been completely transparent and above-board.  It feels like a true team with someone who fully invests himself in the bands on his roster.  Beldam is extremely excited about our future with HPGD.



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



Beldam has been receiving some very positive feedback.  Our original demo, which was released digitally by Hota Rex in early 2016, had some of its songs featured on compilations and internet radio in the US, UK and Italy.  We also received some great reviews, particularly from The Stoner Sound.



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



I doubt the basic sludge/doom backbone of our music will change, but I wouldn't be surprised if we started throwing more ingredients into the cauldron. We have some upcoming material that's more in a stoner direction with super-heavy blues riffs, and we've also got some faster stuff. But fear not! Whatever happens we'll always keep it low, slow and dirty for you.



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?



Some huge influences for us have been EYEHATEGOD, Graves at Sea, High on Fire, The Melvins, Black Sabbath, Weedeater, Primitive Man and there are so many more I could list.  Lately, I have been listening to a wide range of stuff.  In the last few weeks, I’ve had Dinosaur Jr., Brujeria, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Husker Du and John Coltrane on heavy rotation in my truck.



11. What are some of your non musical interests?



Outside of music, I am a craft beer enthusiast. I try to find the local breweries in every city we hit for a beer. I hope one day we will be able to do a collaboration beer with a brewery. One of the guys in the band is a huge horror enthusiast, another is a gaming nut . . . we pretty much have all your geek bases covered.



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



Thanks so much for taking an interest in our music and reaching out to us. We appreciate the time.

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Beldam/Still The Wretched Linger/Horror Pain Gore Death Productions/2016 CD Review

  Beldam  are  a  band  from  Virginia  that  plays  a  blackened  mixture  of  doom  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Still  The  Wretched  Linger"  which  will  be  released in  June  by  Horror  Pain  Gore  Death  Productions.

  A  very  heavy  sludge  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album along  with  some  grim  black  metal  screams  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  doom  metal  elements  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  death  metal  growls  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of the  songs.

  Melodies  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  and  some songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  solos  and  leads  bring  in  elements  of  stoner  metal  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Beldam  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  sludge  and  doom metal  while  also  having  more  of  a  black  metal  vocal  approach  and  a  touch  of  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  despair,  and  decadence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Beldam  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Needles"  "From  Cradle  To  Grave"  and  "Beauty's  martyr".  8  out  of  10.

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Behind The Shadows/Raising Hell/Visionaire Records/2016 EP Review

  Behind  The  Shadows  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death  and  power  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "Raising  Hell"  which  will  be  released  on  May  18th  by  Visionaire  Records.

  Clean  singing  power  metal  vocals  along  with  a  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  lot  of  melody  and  also  adds  more  of  a  traditional  metal  style  to  the  recording  and  classical  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times.

  When  spoken  word  parts are  utilized  they  give  the  music  more  of  a  ritualistic  feeling  and  after  awhile  grim  black  metal  screams  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  along  with  the  riffs  adding  in  more  melodic  death  metal  elements  and  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  when  keyboards  are  finally  added  onto  the  recording  they  give  the  music  more  of  an  epic  and  symphonic  feeling  and  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and all  of  the  songs  sound  different  from  each  other.

  Behind  The  Shadows  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  power  metal  and  mixes  it  with  black,  melodic  death  metal  and  some  symphonic  elements  to  create  something  very  original  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Behind The  Shadows  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of power,  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Give  Me  Your  Soul"  and  "Bloody  paradise".  8  out  of  10.

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Perihelion/Hold/Apathia Records/2016 EP Review

  Perihelion  are  a  band  from  Hungary  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this zine  and  plays  an  avant  garde  form  of  post  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "Hold"  which  was  released  by  Apathia  Records.

  Atmospheric  synths  and  clean  playing  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  melodic  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  awhile  heavy  guitars  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  add  in  elements  of  post  metal.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  mix  in  some  influences  from  some  of  the  mid  90's  Norwegain  avant  garde  black  metal  bands  while  not  using  any  aggressive  vocals  from  that  era  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  brought  onto  the  recording  they  bring  in  even  more of  a  melodic  style  to  the  bands  musical  sound  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  used  briefly  while  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  musicla  direction  and  they  close  the  ep  with  a  cover  of  Twin  Peaks  "Scyamore  Trees".

  Perihelion  focus  less  on  the  black  metal  elements  this  time  around  and  focuses  more  on  an  avant  garde  style  of  post  metal  on  this  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Hungarian  and  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Perihelion  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  avant  garde,  post  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Feneketlen"  and  "Hold".  8  out  of  10.

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C.B Murdoc/Here Be Dragons/ViciSolum Productions/2016 CD Review

  C.B  Murdoc  are  a  band  from Sweden  that  plays  a  very  technical  and  progressive  mixture  of   melodic  black, death  and  groove  metal  with  elements  of  sludge, and  jazz  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Here  Be  Dragons"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  ViciSolum  Productions.

  Drum  beats  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  up  to  melodic  vocals  also  being  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  some  heavy  riffs  that  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  after  the  intro  the  music  gets  more  fast  along  with  some  brutal  blast  beats.

  Black  metal  screams  can  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  along  with  a  lot  of  the  music  being  very  technical  while t he  vocals  also  bring  in  death  metal  growls  at  times  and  after  awhile  elements  of  groove  and  prog  metal  are  added  onto  the  recording  while t he  solos  and  leads  remain  true  to  a  technical  style.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  elements  of  sludge  and  jazz  can  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks  and  some  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  also  makes  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  avant  garde  elements  while  some  songs  also  add  in  a  touch  of  djent.

  C.B  Murdoc  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  black,  progressive  and  technical  death  and  mixes  it  with  sludge  and  groove  metal  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  C.B  Murdoc  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic,  technical  and  progressive  mixture  of  black,  death  and  groove  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Debt  Of  Guilt"  "The  Green"  "Diamonds"  and  "Objecting  projection".  8  out  of  10. 

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Dark Haunters/To Persevere Is Diabolical/Revalve Records/2016 CD Review

  Dark  Haunters  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "To  Persevere  Is  Diabolical"  which  was  released  by  Revalve  Records.

  Dark  sound  effects  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  keyboards  a  few  seconds  later  that  also  start  evolving  into  more  of  a  symphonic  style  and  choirs  can  also  be  heard  at times  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  direction  which  they  also  mix  in  with  the  symphonic  elements.

  Vocals  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  choirs  also  make  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  more  of  a  modern  metal  approach  to  the  symphonic  genre  which  also  brings  in  touches  of  classical  and  orchestra  music  and  they  close  the  album  with  an  instrumental  track.

  Dark  Haunters  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  symphonic  while  also  changing the  genre  around  a  bit  and  mixing  it  in  with  death  metal  influences,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  legends,  history  and  darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Dark  Haunters  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  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  "The  Burning  Eyes  Of  Vengeance"  and  "Rising  Through  the  Curse".  8  out  of  10. 

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And Harmony Dies Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
Hi, actually we are looking for a new guitarist becouse our bandmate Rob left the band 2 month ago, then we will promote Totenamt with concerts.

2.Recently you have released a new album 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?
Sound in new album it' s more various and complex and difference with old discography it' s basically in more influences outside metal and better arrangiament on it.

3.The band has been around since 1995 but only has released 3 full lengths, can you tell us a little bit more about the gaps in between releases?
Is it true, our production it's pretty slow, we prefer to publish our music when we are ready, we have work on Totenamt for 7 years and specially in that case, we have had personal problems that slow down us.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
In that album we talk about Death, all songs are poems wrote by me almost 10 years ago. I explore death in all his shades and it is a sad album of course.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'And harmony Dies'?
20 years ago we were looking for a band name that include peace, wellness and at the same time something dark and we were fans of Venom, so listening to the album Possessed we focus our attention at the song title Harmony Dies. it became our first name, then we discovered that another band from Germany had the same name, but we were already active and known in our region, so we decided to add "AND" at the beginning, so it become And Harmony Dies.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
I remember a great show in a club in 2005 there was a lot of people and all have fun. It was a great show! With the passing of years we decided to focus more of theatrical immaginary instead of metal impact. We are trying to focus more on songs' s feeling not only in anger given by metal parts.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
Actually not because of our guitarist search.

8.The new album was released on Sliptrick Records, are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?
Yes they are very professional and working really good.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and avant garde metal?
Actually responses are good and we are proud of it Black metal fans still looking to more classical proposal, but people more open minded really like it!

10.Are any of the band members also involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
Yes me (Black). I have other project like Pesten and Lux Eternæ but And Harmony Dies still my priority.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Nobady really knows where new songs will arrive. We still listening a lot genres and we will never repeat ourselves.

12.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?
In metal absolutelly Devin Townsend, Arcturus, DHG, Mayhem, Phil Anselmo and the illegals. Outside metal, Asaf Avidan, Lord buffalo, Le trio Joubran and many many more.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?
I love films d' essay, Theather, geopolitics and ancient sumerian. Whisper (keyborder) love literature, especially russian.

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank for your interesting, we want to let people crush their musical tastes. There are a lot of good music outside and people are afraid often to discover new one. Life contains a multitude of feelings, that sometimes change quickly. This is our music. Enjoy it!

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