Ashenspire/Speak Not Of The Laudanum Quandary/Code666/2017 CD Review

 Ashenspire  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  very  avant  garde  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Speak  Not  Of  The  Laudanum  Quandary"  which  will  be  released  on  January  20th  by  Code666.

  Radio  static  noises  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  where  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  a  few  seconds  later  violins  and  avant  garde  clean  singing  are  added  into  the  music  and  pianos  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  acoustic guitars  are  added  into  some  part  of  the  songs.

  When  guitar leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also be  heard  at  times  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  music  also  brings  in  some  of  the  90's  avant  garde  post  black  metal  style  while  also  mixing  in  theatrics  from  that  era  as  well  as  taking  it  into  more  of  a  modern  direction  and  as  the  album  progresses  black  metal  screams  are  finally  added  into  the  music.

  Ashenspire  plays  a  style  of  avant  garde  metal  that  is  very  theatrical  while  also  bing  very  heavily  influenced  by  black  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  absurdities  and  tragedies  of  British  imperialism.

  In  my  opinion  Ashenspire  a  very  great  sounding  avant  garde  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Wretched  Mills"  "A  Beggar's  belief"  and  "Speak  Not  Of  the  Laundram  Quandary".  8  out  of  10.

 http://tometal.com/song-premiere-scottish-avant-garde-black-metal-band-ashenspire/

Red Harvest Interview

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

- Right now we are going promotion for the re-issue of the Hybrid album, we are rehearsing for concerts and we work on new material we hope to release during 2017. We are not living as close as we used to do before, so things take a bit more time, but we are in rush and do things the way we find most comfortable for us.

2.You where broken up for 5 years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?

- Personally I just had no fun anymore back then. I felt more like I worked in an office than playing in a band. CD/album sales dropped dramatically and we were not able to tour to be able to weight up for that, so it was better to take a break before we all became enemies. So we split as friends and with no bad blood. Now it feels right to play again. It is less stressful and I think we all feel we have some unfinished business to take care of before we put ourselves to sleep for good.

3.You have evolved with your musical sound over the years starting out with more industrial and thrash while the later material also mixed in a lot of black and death metal influences, can you tell us a little bit more about the decision to evolved with each release?

- Well, in many ways you sum it up pretty good. The thing with Red Harvest is that we have always followed our hearts and never had any rules or belonged to one specific sub genre. That is our strength but also our weakness. So basically we just did what we felt like and of course we got colored of what inspired us and what we went through together at the time. So we have been everything from thrash, to goth, to industrial and black metal.

4.What have been some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored over the years with your music?

- Usually it is about paranoia and the darkness within man. No love songs or party songs.

5. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Red Harvest'?

- The name came up before I joined the band. The guy that played guitar before me came up with it. When I first heard it it gave me associations to bloodshed and slaughtering. Later we also learned that it is the name of a famous detective novel.

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?

- Before we took a break, we managed to do some concerts with some very ambient light and VJ work as a supplement to the music. I was very comfortable with that. But Red Harvest  live is about energy. And the magic the five of us are actually able to create when we get together. So in that case the concert we played in Bergen in 2016 at Blastfest was a very strong experience. It just felt so right.

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

- We will play if we get offers that are doable/affordable for us. For now the only scheduled concert is the Inferno Festival in Oslo in  2017.

8.On the re-issue you also added a second disc with a more current live show, what was the decision behind making the recording a double album?

- Since it is a remaster of a 20 year old album, we simply wanted to have some bonus material. Unfortunately there are now live recording of Red Harvest back in the nineties, so we had so take something new.

9.'Cold Dark Matter' put out the re-issue, are you happy with the support they have given you so far?

- Yes. The dedication from the person behind this is just awesome.

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

- Like mentioned earlier, some people love us and some people hate us. For some it is not industrial enough, for others it is too industrial. or it is not melodic enough. Or, yeah - you name it. But we never made out music to please others than ourselves in the first place. And the results we have come up with from album to album is a result of what the five of us created together at that point. Take it or leave it.

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

- Honestly I am not 100% sure. I think both LRZ and Jimmi write music, LRZ provides sound layers for other bands and artists. Thomas rocks off in a cover band now and then and I play in two bands called K.P Riot Brigade (US) and Gothminister.

12.Over the years your logo was also evolved, can you tell us a little bit more about this concept?

- In the beginning it was written with whatever font available. For Sick Transit Gloria Mundi I wanted a more “cyborg” look to it (that is the one on the Hybrid re-issue).  The latest logo is just a more modern variation.

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

- I hope we can release something new in 2017. What we have of material so far is quite brutal/industrial, but of course with a human touch like always with Red Harvest. Maybe a bit more complex and challenging than before.

14.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your more current music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

- I like acts like Burst, Ghost, Opeth (oh my gosh, just Swedish bands…), Gojira, Røyksopp, Celldweller … I try to keep up on what is happening, but when there is nothing that catches my interest: Some old Slayer.

15.What are some of your non musical interests?

- I like to train in the forest or in the gym, watch movies and drink red wine!

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

- I am kind of excited to see what we can achieve in the coming years. At the moment.

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Nevalra/The Black Flame/2015 EP Review

  Nevalra  are  a  band  from  Missouri  that  plays  a  melodic form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  ep  "The  Black  Flame".

  Atmospheric  sounds  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  symphonic  elements  before  going  into  a  more  heavy  and  brutal  musical  direction  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls.

  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  more  technical  fashion  and  they  also  mix  the  symphonic  and  heavy  parts  together  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  a  couple  of  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  classical  guitars  while  the  main  focus  remains  more  on  a  heavier  and  melodic  style  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  ritualistic  spoken  word  parts.

  Nevalra  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes the  more  melodic  and  symphonic  side  of  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  The  Occult,  Philosophy,  History  and  Death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Nevalra  are  a very  great  sounding  melodic  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Vimana"  and  "VRIL".  8/5  out  of  10.

www.nevalra.bandcamp.com

Red Harvest/Hybreed/Cold Dark Matter Records/2016 Double CD Re-Issue Review

  Red  Harvest  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  plays  a  mixture  of  industrial,  electronic  and  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1996  album  "Hybreed"  which  was  re-issued  in  2016  by  Cold  Dark  Matter  Records  while  the  second  disc  is  a  live  recording  from  the  current  year.

  Distorted  drones  start  off  the  album  before going  into  a  heavier  industrial  metal  direction  along  with  some  atmospheric  sounds  in  the  background  and  the  vocals  are  very  aggressive  screams  and  they  also  mix  in  elements  of  the  more  underground  style  of  electronic  music  and  tribal  style  beats  are also  used  at  times.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  goth  style  clean  singing  and  clean  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  you  can  also  hear  a  heavy  Neurosis  influence  in  the  tracks  and  a  great  portion  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  at  times  the  riffs  can  get  very  melodic  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  all  instrumental  and  has  an  experimental  and  avant  garde  vibe  to  it  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  post  punk  style  vocals  and  elements  of  ambient  and  tribal  music  are  introduced  on  the  live tracks while  also  adding  in  some  black  metal  screams  which  was  a  huge  part  of  their  more  current  material and  there is  also  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  which  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  the  second  wave  style.

  Red  Harvest  on  the  first  disc  have  a  style  that  is  more  rooted  in  the  industrial  metal  sound  of  the  90's  while  also  having  a  more  underground  and  experimental  approach  to t he  second  genre  while  the  second  disc  has  a  bit  of  the  same  style  while  also  getting  more  extreme  and  adding  in  elements  of  black  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  apocalypse,  technology  and  hate  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Red  Harvest  are  a  very  great  sounding  electro  industrial  metal  band  with  elements  of  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Mutant"  "The  Harder  they  Fall"  "Hole  In  Me"  and  "Absolut  Dunkel-Heit".  8  out  of  10.  

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Mister Folk/Compilation 4/2016 Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  compilation  released  by  Mister  Folk  and  the  fourth  in  the  series  and  consists  us  mostly  pagan  and  folk  metal  bands  and  we  will  review  the  tracks  one  by  one.

  Skyforger  brings  us  "Ramava"  which  starts  out  with  a  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  playing  as  well  as  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  the  solos  and   leads  are  done  in  a  melodic  fashion  and  when  vocals  are  used  they  are  clear  pagan  vocals  which  also  add  in  more  aggression  after  awhile  and  the  acoustic  guitars  in  the  background  give  the  track  touches  of  folk and  Slavic  folk  instruments  are  also  used  briefly  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and  the  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  SIGARTYR  brings  us  "Northern"  which  starts  out  with  heavy  riffs  and  melodic  guitar  leads  and  the  riffing  also  uses  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  and  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  in  the  background  at  times  and  the  track  is  long  and  epic  in  length.

  ODR  brings  us  "Fuochi  Nelle  Valli"  which  starts  out  with  acoustic  guitars  and  spoken  word parts  as well  as  folk  instruments  a  few  seconds  later  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  a  great  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  and  they  also  add  in  pagan  male  and  female  vocals  as  well  as  mixing  the  folk  and  metal  parts  together  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful.

  Gromtotem  brings  us  "Kutral"  which  starts  out with  symphonic  synths  and  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  riffs  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  up  to  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  melodic  guitar  leads  making  their  presence  known  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and  death  metal  growls  are  also  used  at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  both  European  and  South  American  folk  instruments  can  be  heard  briefly.

  An  Theos  brings  us  "Chemarea  Strabunilor"  which  starts  out  with  symphonic  synths  and  folk  instruments  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  before the  folk  and  heavy  parts  together  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  black  metal  screams  and  after  awhile  spoken  word  parts  and  melodic  riffing  are  added  onto  the  track.

  Scuom  brings  us "Fra  Ciel'  E  Terr'  "which  starts  out  with  a  very  fast  sound  along  with  blast  beats  and  symphonic  synths  before  adding  high  pitched  black  metal  screams,  death  metal  growls  and  folk   influences  into  the  track  and  the  song  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts and  the  song  also  mixes  in  folk  instruments  and  tribal  elements.  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  the  song  is  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Song  Of  Chu  brings  us  "Yu  Ren"  which  starts  out  with  nature  sounds  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  riffing  is  also  influenced  by  groove  metal  and  they  also  give  in  growling  vocals  and  clean  singing  at  times  while  folk  instruments  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  and  melodic  sections  of  the  song  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Storm  Seeker  brings  us  "Jack"  which  starts out  with  folk  instruments  and  tribal  style  drumming  an d also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sound  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  vocals  are  rough  yet  melodic vocals  as  well  as  some  semi  black  metal  screams  and  back  up  chants  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  song  also  mixes  in  prog  style  synths  and  there  is  alos  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats.

  AExylium  brings  us  "The  Blind  Crow" which  starts  out  with  classic style  pianos  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  symphonic  direction  as  well  as  mixing  in  some  folk  instruments  and  after  awhile  clean  singing  vocals  make  their  presence  known  and  death  metal  growls  are  also  used  at  times  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion.

  Heather  Wasteland  brings  us  "Tre  Sverd"  which starts out  with  atmospheric  synths,  folk instruments  and  lead  bass  guitars  and  the  song  is  also  all  instrumental.

  Gotland  brings  us  "Traitor  Or  Savior"  which  starts out  with  nature sounds  and  a  few  seconds  later  symphonic  sounds  and  choirs  are  added  into  the  music  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sound  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  melodic  guitar  leads  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  spoken  word  parts  are  also  used  briefly.

  Goblin  Hovel  brings  us  "The  Menace"  which  starts  out  with  folk  instruments  and  grim  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  are  added  into  the  song  a  few seconds  later  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  the  song  is  mostly  acoustic.

  Hellroth  brings  us  "To  Forgotten  Gods"  which  starts  out  with  heavy  guitar riffs  and  folk  instruments  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  side  of  the song  and  after  awhile  clean  singing  pagan  vocals  make  their  presence  known  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Illdad  brings  us  "Moder  Natur"  which  starts  out  with  acoustic guitars  and  a  few  seconds  later  female  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  getting  more  heavy  and  melodic and  there is  also  a  brief use  of  male  vocals.

  Ulfsark  brings  us  "Flames Of  War"  which  starts  out  with  tribal  style  drumming  along  with  some  melodic  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  up  to  the  music  getting  heavier  and  adding  in  folk  instruments  as  well  as  some  grim  screaming  vocals  that h ave  a  touch  of  black  metal  to  them  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  there is  also  a  brief  bass  lead

  Harmasor  brings  us  "Porcu"  which  starts  out  with  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffing  and  folk  instruments  can  also  be  heard  and  after  awhile  clean  singing  pagan  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  and  they  also  get  aggressive  at  times  with  a  few  black  metal  screams  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Tears  Of  Styrbjorn  brings us  "Years Of  Victory"  which  starts out  with  melodic  guitar  leads  and  heavy  riffs  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and  after  awhile  pagan  chants  and  vocals  make  their  presence  known  along  with  a  few black  metal  screams and  death  metal  growls  and  there  is  also  a  small  amount  of  keyboards  and  the  song  is  long  and  epic  in  length  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats.

  Yomi  brings  us  "Fires  Of  War"  which  starts  out  with  Japanese  folk  instruments  and  drums  and  a few  seconds  later  starts  mixing  in  with  the  heavier  style  which  also  introduces  death  metal  growls  onto  the  track  and  there  is  also  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  during  the  faster  sections  of  the  song.

  M.A.I.M  brings  us  "Freedom  Tank"  which  starts  out  with  folk  instruments  and  melodic yet  heavy  riffing  while  all  of  the  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and  the  vocals  use  clean  singing  and  grim  black  metal  screams  along  with  a  touch  of  death  metal  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  back  up  shouts  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats can  be  heard.

  Boisson  Divine  brings  us  "Sent  Pecard"  which  starts  out  with  tribal  style  drumming  and  folk  instruments  and  all  of  the  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  getting  heavier  as  well  as  adding  in  melodic  guitar  leads  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount   of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  clean  singing  pagan  vocals.

  Closing  the  compilation  is  Bloodshed  Walhalla  with  their  cover  of  Bathory's  "Dragon's  Breath"  which  starts  out  with  nature  sounds  before  adding  in  a  more  epic,  atmospheric  and  heavy  sound  and  the  guitar  leads  sound  very  melodic  and  after  awhile  clean  singing  vocals  also  make  their  presence  known  and  the  track  is  long  and  epic  in  length.  

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a very  great sounding  compilation  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  pagan  and  folk  metal.  8  out  of  10.

https://misterfolk.com/

A.C.o.D/Inner Light/2016 EP Review

  A.C.o.D  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  melodic  death  and  thrash  metal  on  this  recording  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  ep  "Inner  Light".

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  thrash  influenced  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  soem  blast  beats  and  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  music  also incorporates  a  great  amount  of  melodic  death  metal  elements  along  with  a  few  growls  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  guitar  leads  and  solos  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  when  synths  are  utilized  they  give  the  music  a  symphonic  edge  and  back  up  gang  shouts  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  the  songs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  Swedish  influences.

  On  this  recording  A.C.o.D  expands  on  their  blackened  thrash  metal  style  by  adding  in  elments  of  melodic  death  metal  this  time  around,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  A.C.o.D  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  melodic  death  and  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "And  Darkness  Around".  8 out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/acodband/?fref=ts

Misanthropia Interview

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?

We did several shows, a lot of promotion, Signed by ‘Via Nocturna’, we designed new merchandise like t-shirts, posters, buttons etc.

2.In April you had 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?

It difficult to give an exact description but it it’s probably best described as progressive symphonic black metal with our own twist. The sound is really transparent so every single instrument has its own place into the mix. The keys give it an epic and bombastic sound but not to dominated.
Because of a big line-up change the overall sound is also complete different as our former albums.

3.This is your first album to be released in 6 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?

Those years where not really lost years. We developed our own sound even more, did have a big line-up change and put ourselves to the limit to create a masterpiece product. All of this has taken its time.

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

Our album Omertà has become a concept album. As the name already describes it has all to do with the most evil part of our society. The Mafia. Specially between 1920-1950 in America. Big names will pass the revue like Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Vincent Mangano, Richard Kuklinski and others.
In our opinion the higher meaning of the black metal division is to overrule everything and create your own freedom.
The Mafia Families overrules everything. What is more evil than this?

5.Originally the band was known as 'Throned By Tyranny', what was the cause of the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Misanthropia'?

At that time we were a complete different band, our interest and line-up changed, we buried TBT and Misanthropia was born.
We were inspired by the band ‘Ancient Rites’ and their song ‘Total Misanthropia’.
Misanthropia describes our worldview. We have a very pessimistic view of society. Sometimes it seems there is only hate, war, distrust of each other and so on. It is a morbid world we’re living in.

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?

For example we’ve played with Mayhem, played on festivals like Hellfest, Occultfest, Krachtstroom Festival alongside Rotting Christ, Sodom, Shining, Enthroned, Equilibrium, The Hellbound Cremation Tour with Nattas-SE (feats Mike Wead ‘King Diamond’), Veghel DeathFest and DocFest. Those were great shows. We have a little aggressive and tight-playing stage performance.

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

Right now we are in contact with some agencies to arrange shows and maybe tours for in the coming year.

8.The new album was released by 'Snakebite Productions', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

It’s a Dutch label, in the beginning we had a good feeling with this organization but at the end we discovered this label didn’t fit our needs as much as we expected they would do.

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

Since we signed the label ‘Via Nocturna’, our music is gone worldwide. The reactions we get from our worldwide fans are really positive. They like the Mafia concept because it’s out of the box. And they are blown away because of the brutal production, done by Mike Wead.

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

Pepijn Heilbron (bass guitar) plays also trash-metal (Dead Man’s Walk), Dennis Schoenmaker (guitar) and Bram Koller (guitar&vocals) have also an old-school black metal side project (Winterkrieg).

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

Our goal is to enter all big stages and spread our word all over the world. Also creating many more new albums will be a part of our future.

12.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?

Many different music styles have given us inspiration. Classical music, rock music, doom/ trash/ black-metal. Maybe to much to mention.
But some of the bands we prefer to listen to are for example Behemoth, Dimmu Borgir, Kampfar, Cradle of Filth, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Carach Angren (our Dutch colleagues), Dark Funeral, Emperor, and so on…

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

Music is our world but next to that for example American Classic Cars and Motorcycles.

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

First of all we are really happy we’ve found our partner in crime in ‘Via Nocturna’. They give us the boost we need to go worldwide and they spread our word perfectly. We are also astonished by all the great reactions the fans are giving us. Our third album Omertà is just the beginning. From here we’ll blast into the future. Let’s meet at our upcoming shows and join our Membership of Violence and Bloodlust!

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