Blood of Angels Interview

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

Currently, we are focused on promoting and getting the word out for our upcoming EP release “Rise of the Fallen Gods.”  I have also began writing a song for a side project I plan on releasing later this year.  I have also been writing new songs for the next Blood of Angels release which will be a full album.

2.You have an upcoming out in the springtime, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

I would describe the musical sound as being heavily influenced by the Swedish melodic death metal bands.   I have been a fan of that sound since I first heard it back in 95’ when I went to Sweden for the first time.  I heard bands like At the Gates, Dark Tranquility, and In Flames.  I couldn’t understand why these bands weren’t dominating the metal scene around the world.

3.Your lyrics cover Norse Mythology, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

Although I don’t look it, my grandfather immigrated to the United States from Norway in the late 1940’s.  From the time, I was in my early teenage years, I have always been fascinated with Scandinavian history.  I know they already are many great bands who have tackled the subject.   I wanted to do my own twist on it.  We will be moving on to different subjects in upcoming releases.  Blood of Angels isn’t about just one thing as a band.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Blood Of Angels'?

There isn’t really any concrete meaning behind the name Blood of Angels.  It probably comes from my disdain for organized religion.  I feel it is a cool name for an extreme metal band.

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 have not played any shows yet.  So far, we have been a studio project.  In my former band Foreshadow, I really have a lot of great memories from our South American tour.  The shows that stood out the most was the Calarca Metal Fest, and the show we played in Paute, Ecuador. The Calarca Metal Fest was in an awesome theater that was filled with high energy metal heads singing all the songs with us.  In Paute, while we played, I witnessed two simultaneous circle pits.  There was not a person at the Our stage show isn’t very theatrical.  It is about us as musicians making the show by using the empty space on the stage, and connecting with as many fans as possible. 

6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the ep is released?
Not after this one, I got a side project in mind that I would like to do and have released this year.  We will be spending 2018 recording the full length second Blood of Angels album.  After that is released, we look forward to doing a lot of festival shows in as many places around the world as possible.

7.The ep is coming out on 'Hollywood Collective', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

The owner of the label Steven Veninga is a longtime friend of mine.  He used to be the booking agent for a club in Gainesville, FL called the Backstage Lounge. I used to play there regularly with my former band a lot.  He made the big move a couple of years ago, to Hollywood and we have stayed in touch.  Just over a year ago, he called me telling me he was going to start a label and asked if I was interested in joining it.  Without hesitation, I said yes.  Hollywood Collective has many other awesome punk and metal bands like General Bastard and Circus of Power.

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

So far, the reviews have been awesome, and I feel a lot of fans of black and death metal music who have heard what we do really like it.  Most radio stations, magazine, and blogs we have submitted to has been very supportive.

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

Michael Stewart (Blood of Angels Bassist) currently has a band called Neverbroken that is awesome.

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

I got a lot of big plans for future albums.  They will tackle different subjects and themes.  I don’t want to give away what they are at this moment.  Musically, no matter what we do, it will undoubtedly be metal.

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?

Growing up, Iron Maiden and Slayer are my two biggest influences.  I always thought if I could combine Slayers aggression with Iron Maiden’s beautiful melodies it would be something awesome.   As it is evident, I am largely influenced by the Swedish melodic death metal bands.  I mostly listen to the same bands that influence me.  I have also been on a George Gershwin kick lately, and I have been listening to a lot of American jazz.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Outside of music I am a big kid in a lot of ways.  I can normally be found hanging out at Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando.  I am a big movie fan.  I am a huge Star Wars nerd.  I have read a lot of the books, and currently I am reading the new Star Wars cannon.  I enjoy going to comic-cons, I am also really into art, especially the French impressionist era with Van Gogh, Monet, and Gauguin.

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

I think we covered everything.  You can check on the latest news on our website  http://www.bloodofangels.net.  I have hearing and chatting with anyone from around the world.  You could do that on our social pages facebook.com/bloodofangels1, twitter.com/bloodofangels1, and our  Number One Music Page.  http://www.numberonemusic.com/bloodofangels.

Odious/Skin Age/The Leaders/2015 CD Review

  Odious  are  a  band  from  Egypt  that  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black  death,  and  middle  eastern folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of their  2015  album  "Skin  Age"  which  was  released  by  the  Leaders.

  Symphonic  and  classical  elements  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  where  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while t he  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams.

  Elements  of  middle  eastern  and  oriental  folk  music  are  used  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  there  is  also a   good use  of  operatic  female  and  male  vocals  on  some  of  the  tracks  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  when  percussion  is  utilized  it  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  tribal  and  ritualistic  feeling  along  with  touches  of  world  music.

  Odious  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  symphonic  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  death  metal  and  middle  eastern/folk  music  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  mystery  and  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Odious  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  middle  eastern  folk  metal  and  if  you  are  looking  for  something  original,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Crown  of  Centuries"  "AlZar"  and  "hot  Blood  Flames".  8  out  of  10.

https://odiousband.bandcamp.com/releases

Entropia Invictus/Human Pantocrator/M & O Music/2017 CD Review

  Entropia  Invictus  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Human  Pantocrator"  which  was  released  by  M  &  O  Music.

 A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  symphonic  elements  and  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while t he  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Ethnic  style  folk  and  traditional  stringed  instruments  can  be  heard  in  the  music  briefly  and  elements  of  classical  can  also  be  heard  in  the  symphonic  sections  of  the  songs  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  tribal  style  percussion's  and  operatic  male  and  female  vocals  as  the  album  progresses  and  some  of  the  fast  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  classical  guitars  are  added  onto  the  last  track.

  Entropia  Invictus  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  symphonic  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  futurism  and  anti  religion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Entropia  Invictus  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  "I  Will  Overcome"  "In  The  Attic"  "Tree  Of  Creation"  and  "Among  Us".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI1kiFiC_kg&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=sendinblue&utm_campaign=ENTROPIA_INVICTUS__Human_Pantocrator_EN&utm_medium=email 

A Lie Nation/Begin Hate/Inverse Records/2017 EP Review

  A  Lie  Nation  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  ep  "Begin  Hate"  which  was  released  by  Inverse  Records.

  A  very  heavy  guitar  sound  starts  off  ep  along  with  some  grim  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later  and  back  up  gang  shouts  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  riffs  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  elements  of  death  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  bands  musical  style  along with  a  few  growls  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts and  acoustic  guitars  are  added  onto  the  last  track.

  A  Lie  Nation  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  melodic  black  metal  while  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  influences  can  be  heard,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  misanthropy,  hate,  and  yearning  of  nonexistence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  A  Lie  Nation  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  "Rot  Of  The  Spirit"  and  "A  Burn  Afar".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/ghNkztlf0uQ 

Blood Of Angels/Rise Of The Fallen Gods/Hollywood Collective/2017 EP Review

  Blood  Of  Angels  are a  band  from  Florida  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  ep  "Rise  Of  The  Fallen  Gods"  which  was  released  by  Hollywood  Collective.

  A  very  fast,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  a  few  seconds  later  death  metal  growls  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  influenced  by  both  the  melodic  style  of  Swedish  black  and  death  metal  and  the  music  always  remains  very  heavy  from beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Blood  Of  Angels  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  the  melodic  sides  of  black  and  death  metal  together,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Vikings  and  Norse  Mythology.

  In  my  opinion  Blood  Of  Angels  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  TRACK  "Odin's  Wrath".  8  out  of  10.

https://bloodofangels.net/store?utm_source=Promo+List&utm_campaign=c346b395fc-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_02_28&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b7d3bffdfc-c346b395fc-159719745

Naga/Inanimate/Everlasting Spew Records/2017 CD Review

  Naga  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  blackened  mixture  of  doom  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Inanimate"  which  will  be  released  on  March  25th  by  Everlasting  Spew  Records.

  Clean  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  doom  metal  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  as  well  as  some  aggressive  sludge  style  screams  which  also  adds  in  touches  of  black  metal  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  along  with  the  riffs  also  using  melodies.

  A  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  riffs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  modern  black  metal  influences  and  psychedelic  sounds  along  with  drones  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along with  touches  of  noise  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction.

  Naga  plays  a  music  style  that takes  black,  doom  and  sludge  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Naga  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  mixture  of  doom  and  sludge  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.   RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Thrives"  and  "Worm".  8 out  of  10.

http://www.facebook.com/nagadoom
https://nagadoom.bandcamp.com/   

Dusius/Memory Of A Man/Extreme Metal Music/2017 CD Review

  Dusius  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk,  viking,  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Memory  Of  A  Man"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Extreme  Metal  Music.

  Acoustic  guitars  and  atmospheric  keyboards  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  drum  beats  a  few  seconds  later  and  they  also  mix  in  with  the  more  heavier  and  melodic  side  of  the  music  and  after  the  intro  clean  singing  pagan  vocals  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  spoken  word  parts  being  used  at  times.

  Death  metal  growls  and  progressive  elements  are  also  used  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  the  songs  also  mixing  in  flutes  and  bagpipes  and  viking  style  shouts  are  also  used  at  times  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  a  mixture  of  slow, mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  symphonic  style  keyboards  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  some  riffs  also  add  in  a  touch  of  thrash.

  Dusius  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  folk,  viking,  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism  and  Fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Dusius  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  folk,  viking,  melodic  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band..  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Slainte"  "The  Rage  Of  Gods"  "Dead  End  Cave"   and  "Coldsong".  8  out  of  10. 

https://youtu.be/67c_K6QOoPY