A Cunning Man Interview

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


A Cunning Man is one man metal project combining different styles of extreme music. Expect blast beats and tremolo picked guitar lines, but also piano, strings and clean vocals sung with a Scottish accent.



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


I wanted to fuse all my favourite things about music. The sounds range from Black and Melodeath Metal to Modern Classical and Post Rock.

Everything is shaped by my own experience living in Scotland.



3.Your lyrics cover some Occult topics, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in Occultism?


Each song title is named after a Renaissance period Grimoire.

As the EP title: Practical Applications of Theurgy hints, the content is concerned with different Occult and spiritual topics. These range from The Shared Unconsciousness to Folk Hymns.



4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'A Cunning Man'?


Cunning folk were the esoteric advisors of the common people throughout Medieval and Renaissance Europe.

I wanted a name which reflected my interest in this history. I also wanted it to reflect that the project was the work of a single person.



5.On the ep you had recorded almost everything by yourself, are you open to working with a full band or do you prefer to remain solo?


At the moment I’d like to continue doing the majority of the work myself, especially the composition. For the next EP though, I think I’ll be bringing on board a guitarist.


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


At current I’ve only been sending the EP out to press. I’m comfortable handling the distribution and PR myself at current.

I’m very interested in working with a label for future releases though.



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


Broadly positive at current, which is very exciting. I’m really enjoying receiving feedback on my work and connecting with fellow metal fans.



8.Are you also involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?


I’m currently studying music so most of my time goes towards that. A Cunning Man is my only project at the moment.



9.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?


The next release will be another EP. After that I'll consider a full length. Pending possible label support.

I’m always looking to improve my compositional and song writing skills, so expect increasingly complex music going forward.



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?


Iron Maiden’s Brave New World is what really inspired my initial love for music.

My influences include Katatonia, Evergrey, Shade Empire and Eternal Tears Of Sorrow. I love my metal as melodic as possible with lots of different instrumentation.

At the moment I’ve been enjoying the new releases from Harakiri for the Sky, Insomnium and Dark Tranquillity.



11.What are some of your non musical interests?


I love gaming when I have the time and play a lot of RPGs. I’m also big into table top gaming with friends.



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


Thanks very much for the interview and for reviewing the EP on the site.

You can expect a new EP in the early months of Summer.

https://www.facebook.com/acunningmanmetal/

Aether/Tale Of Fire/Art Of The Night Productions/2016 EP Review

 Aether  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  folk,  viking,  and death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their   2016  ep  "Tale  Of  Fire"  which  was  released  by  Art  Of  the  Night  Productions.

   Folk  music  style  sounds  start  off  the  ep  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  decent  amount  of  symphonic  elements  and  they  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sound  which  also  introduces  melodic  guitar  leads  onto  the  recording  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  after  awhile  high  pitched  screams  make  their  presence  known  and  they  add  a  touch  of  black  metal.

  Vocals  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  growls  and  the  music  also  brings  back  some  of  the  90's  viking  and  melodic  death  metal  styles  and  some  of  the  drum  beats  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  tribal  feeling  and  clean  singing  pagan  vocals  along  with  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  female  vocals.

  Aether  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  more  melodic  forms  of  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  viking,  symphonic  and  folk  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Aether  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  death  metal  band  with  touches  of  black,  viking,  symphonic  and  folk  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Tale  of  Fire".  8  out  of  10.

https://aether-band.bandcamp.com/album/tale-of-fire

A Cunning Man/Practical Applications Of Theurgy/2017 EP Review

  A  Cunning  Man  are  a  solo  project  from  Scotland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  melodic  death,  power  and  progressive  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2017  ep  "Practical  Applications  Of  Theurgy".

  Tremolo  picking  which  gives  the  music  a  black  metal  feeling  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  clean  singing  that  adds  in  a  touch  of  pagan  and  power  metal  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a   great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  keyboards  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  songs  while  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  prog.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts and  stringed  instruments  are  also  used  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  all  of  the  drum  beats  are  programmed  and  the  music  also  mixes  metal  influences  from  the  80's  up  to  modern  times  and  spoken  word  parts  are  added  onto  the  last  track.

  A  Cunning  Man  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  aggression  of  black  and  melodic  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  the  melody  of  power  and  progressive  metal  to  create  something  very  original, the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  A  Cunning  Man  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  melodic  death,  power  and  progressive  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Honorious  &  The  Choral  Forecast".  8  out  of  10.

https://acunningman.bandcamp.com/

Fleurety/Fragmenta Cuinsvis Aetatis Contemporanae/Aesthetic Death/2017 EP Review

  Fleurety  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  has  been  around  for  more  than  20  years  and  plays  an  avant  garde  form  of  black  metal  with  a  touch  of  noise  on  this  recording  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  ep  "Fragmenta  Cuinsvis  Aetatis  Contemporanae"  which  was  released  by  Aesthetic  Death.

  Spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  electronic  sounds  and  black  metal  riffing  while  they  also  mix  in  clean  guitars  to  give  the  music  more  of  an  experimental  and  avant  garde  feeling  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  therecording  and  elements  of  harsh  noise  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  Some  of  the  slower  riffing  brings  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  pianos  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  both  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  are  done  in  mostly  an  instrumental  direction  and  saxophones  along  with  psychedelic elements  are  added  onto  the  second  track  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  tribal  style  beats.

  On  this  recording  Fleuety  takes  black  metal,  noise,  experimental  and  avant  garde  and  mixes  them  together  and  does not  include  any  vocals  like  their  earlier  releases  and  the  production  also  sounds  very  professional.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Fleurety  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  avant  garde  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Consensus".  8  out  of  10.

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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