ADifferentShadeOfBlackMetalZine

Sunday, December 3, 2017

Frost Giant Interview

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

Matti Frost: Trying to get the lineup solidified and rehearsing for the release and subsequent shows. We lost our bassist a couple months ago, and the person we asked to join up immediagely after said yes but then backed out, so now we're in the process of auditioning people. We are also rehearsing the new songs and gearing up to play them live. It will be the first time we've played onstage since May of 2015.
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2.You have a new album coming out in early 2018, 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?

Matti: The sound is something I would describe as being rooted in extreme metal but also marbled with accessible riffing and tons of hooks, melodies, and choruses that are meant to be sung along with. It's multi-dimensional and dynamic with a lot of different emotions, and there are many parts of songs directly written to reference other songs or interludes on the album. It's meant to be listened to as one long song, like NOFX's 'The Decline' or Sleep's 'Jerusalem', and most recently, Insomnium had a record called 'Winter's Gate' that has the same type of structure.

As to how it compares with our older stuff... It's definitely more ambitious. The riffs are stronger. The vocal arrangements are more intricate. The guitar soloing is much more present. The production and recording quality are monstrous compared to our older releases. AJ Viana at Sylar Sound Studios really made us sound phenomenal. Overall, it's much more mature and pretty strong for a 55-minute release.
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3.A lot of your lyrics are inspired by Norse Mythology, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic and also what are some of the other lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?

Matti: I've been into Norse mythology going back to my childhood. The gods and goddesses, the stories and sagas of all the heroes and the people, all of it was very fascinating to me. I was also a fan of the Greek, Roman, and Celtic pantheons too. These tales were way more entertaining to me than the Bible stories I had learned, although the Old Testament is pretty brutal too from a storytelling perspective. Yet, I've never been particularly religious. Even as a kid I was skeptical about the existence of a literal God that watches over everything you do and keeps a list and will one day spend eternity judging the souls of the dead for what they did in life. It seemed a little unrealistic to me. When I started learning about the reconstructed religion and practice of Ásatrú, I was roped in, at first, like many others. It was around this time I got into a deep interest around the Ancient Norse, Vikings, and history of those peoples. Now, I am not a hardcore scholar, and there are few religions that have a stronger basis in research than Ásatrú. It's been called "the religion with homework". I did come out of my "metal dude into Thor" phase, though, and I like to think that in my 11 or so years of being Heathen I have a more nuanced and practical view of it in a modern context.

A lot of the other topics I deal with are allegorical references to the experiences and journey I've had in my life. The Harlot Star is, if you take the lyrics literally, a priest in the 1500's who cannot reconcile his doubts about Christianity, rejects the Church, flees for his life, tries to find the gods and people his ancestors came from, fails, and yet somehow stumbles into the rest of his life. In reality it reflects my own spiritual journey, and the second half of my life is yet to be written.
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4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Frost Giant'?

Matti: I first discovered what frost giants were when I started reading Norse myths. Then there was Dungeons & Dragons in my teens, and they were pretty formidable monsters. Primal, destructive forces of nature, wild and untamed, powerful and mighty, and fearsome. When I decided to name the band Frost Giant I was also rather surprised that it wasn't taken. That's always a plus.
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5.What are some of the best shows that yo have played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

Matti: Our very first show in October of 2012 was with Agalloch. We have also had some great gigs playing with Korpiklaani, Ensiferum, Turisas, Wilderun, Trollfest, Ignite, Bane, Aether Realm, Swashbuckle, as well as many other local and regional bands. I don't actually know how we look onstage. I'm always more concerned with making sure I am playing decently and not singing out of key. Armen (Korohglian, also of Cognitive) and Ty Asoudegan are new to the band but have amazing energy, and Scott Breustedt has always had excellent stage presence. How we are onstage remains to be seen.
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6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

Matti: Yes, as of now we only have a couple of shows booked, but that will change once the album comes out. We're going to shoot for playing in different areas, choosing our shows carefully so as not to overexpose ourselves in one area or venue, and possibly some weekend trips or a week long tour in Spring or early Summer.
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7.The new album is coming out on 'Transcending Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Matti:. I knew nothing about the label until my friend sent me a message saying that they were looking for albums to release. I sent Mike (Ramirez) the video for 'Prisoner of the Past' and a link to the whole album and he really liked it and made us an offer. It was a good deal, so we signed it. The label itself has a broad mix of bands, from death metal and deathcore to doom and sludge, to shoegaze, to desert rock and melodic black metal. Some of my favorite artists on the roster are Transylvania Stud, Grief & Bliss, Monolith Cult, and Vesperian Sorrow. There are many more bands on Transcending I haven't heard yet. It's a very diverse roster, and Mike & Chase (Brown) have done a lot of us and the other bands. We can't say enough good things about Transcending Records.
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8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of melodic and extreme metal?

Matti: We have had some positive feedback in the past from European fans, but outside of a few good reviews of our old EP and maybe an interview or two, not much else. We didn't know how to really promote our music to international markets back then and we are really just learning about it now. It seems that the heart of extreme metal is in other countries besides the United States. That's not to say there aren't amazing fans of extreme metal here, but not as many per capita compared to other countries. It seems like metal is just more popular overseas. We're hoping to hear more feedback from international audiences and possibly tour in Europe.
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9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Matti: As the main songwriter, I've always held that whatever I write under this band name will be whatever I want. Whatever sounds good to my ears. However, I now have a pretty amazing band to work with. These guys have way too much talent and skill for me to just say here, play this. Future writing might still be based on my ideas but the actual writing will probably be much more collaborative. As far as genres and styles, I have ideas for music that is far heavier, and music that is way more ear friendly. Whatever it is, it will still sound like us, though.
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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?

Matti: Wintersun amd early Ensiferum were the bands that got me serious about starting up a band that was sort of in that genre. Jari Mäenpää just has a way of writing that really appeals to me. I'd also add in a ton of skatepunk, melodic hardcore, and post-hardcore. Bands like NOFX, Strung Out, Lagwagon, MxPx, Grade, Small Brown Bike, Tyr, Avail, Lifetime, Ignite, Devin Townsend Project, Hum... So many different bands, and yet, there's a common thread to all of them that I've found.

I've been listening to a lot of non-metal bands lately, anything from 80's new wave and alt rock to modern indie rock. A few of the bands I've been really into are Strand of Oaks, Cigarettes After Sex, The War on Drugs, and Future Islands.
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11.According to your fb page some of your non musical influences include Game Of Thrones, Dragonlance, Deverry and Ancient History, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in thse topics?

Matti: I love to read and I love fantasy. In my opinion, the Deverry novels by Katharine Kerr are the most amazing Celtic fantasy books I've ever read, and I've read all of the books multiple times. I have not read all of the George R.R. Martin books yet but I am caught up on the HBO series. I go way back to my teens with Dragonlance by Weis & Hickman and other authors that have written for that world setting. I've read most of those too, many times. I have the Solamnic Oath tattooed on my chest. So... I am a bit of a fantasy literature geek. I frequently reference concepts and character archetypes from many of these books, and the song 'Silver Dagger' is written about a band of mercenaries featured all throughout the Deverry novels. Actual history has been a big influence too. The Harlot Star was a term that Martin Luther used to refer to comets back in the 16th century, as they threw a wrench in the application of geocentricity. Their paths across the sky, their orbits, didn't make sense to astronomers who were trying to make them fit in a cosmos where everything revolved around the Earth. They defied the divine order of the heavens. That term alone spawned and inspired the whole story told on this album. The comet, specifically Halley's Comet, is what plays the seed of doubt in the protagonist's mind as a young child, and then it's sort of hinted that he sees it 76 years later when he is on his deathbed and the comet returns and brings his life full circle.

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

Matti: Thanks for asking about us. I enjoy talking to folks about music, literature, or pretty much anything. If your readers are so inclined, they can follow us on Instagram @frostgiantofficial, on Facebook at facebook.com/frostgiantofficia l as well. We have a YouTube channel that needs more subscribers so we can get a custom URL, so please, search us out there and mash that button. And our music is available at frostgiant.bandcamp.com. The Harlot Star will be available there on 19 January 2018 and CDs can be ordered at transcendingrecords.com.

Friday, December 1, 2017

Sabhankra/From The Frozen Mountains/Metalism Records/2018 CD Review

Sabhankra are a band from Turkey that has been featured before in this zine and plays an epic and melodic mixture of black and death metal on this recording and this is a review of their album "From The Frozen Mountains" which will be released in 2018 by Metalism Records.

Melodic guitar leads start off the album along with the faster sections of the songs bringing in a decent amount of blast beats while the vocals are mostly grim black metal screams as well as the riffs also bringing in a great amount of melody and the music also brings in a great amount of death metal influences.

Throughout the recording you can hear a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts while synths can also be heard in certain sections of the recording and they also give the music more of an epic and symphonic feeling and a couple of the tracks are very long and epic in length and as the album progresses death metal growls and doom metal influences can also be heard briefly.

On this recording Sabhankra moves away from the folk elements and focuses more on an epic, symphonic and melodic mixture of black and death metal, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover epic themes.

In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Sabhankra and if you are a fan of epic and melodic black/death metal, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "They Are Everywhere" and "From The Frozen Mountains". 8 out of 10.

Frost Giant/The Harlot Star/Transcending Records/2018 CD Review

Frost Giant are a band from Pennsylvania that plays a mixture of folk, melodic black/death and hardcore punk and this is a review of their album "The Harlot Star" which will be released in 2018 by Transcending Records.

Acoustic guitars start off the album along with some sound effects in the background and after awhile heavier riffs are added into the music while the faster sections of the songs bring in a great amount of blast beats along with some clean pagan vocals also being used at times.

Death metal growls and black metal screams can also be heard quite a bit throughout the recording while the riffs also bring in a great amount of melody along with some symphonic elements also being used at times and when guitar solos and leads are utilized they are also done in a very melodic fashion.

Throughout the recording you can also hear a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts while all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them and the songs also mix in elements of folk music and hardcore punk as well as all of the musical instruments having a very powerful sound to them and a couple of the tracks are very long and epic in length and there are also a couple of instrumentals.

Frost Giant plays a musical style that takes folk, melodic black/death metal and hardcore punk and mixes them together to create something very original, the production sound s very professional while the lyrics cover Heathenism, Legends, Mysticism, and Personal Struggle themes.

In my opinion Frost Giant are a very great sounding mixture of folk, melodic black/death metal and hardcore punk and if you are a fan of those musical genres, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Forgive Me Not" "The Forgotten Graves" and "Monuments To Nothing". 8 out of 10.

https://youtu.be/TBeOGMINaqg.

Thursday, November 30, 2017

Lord Shades 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?
Alex : The new album will be released on the 8th of December 2017, we're preparing a French tour in 2018 and a series of shows along 2018 & 2019.

Cyril : Since we're done with the album, we've been looking for partners to promote and distribute it. We've inked a deal with Dooweet Agency which is in charge of promotion and distribution. Meanwhile, we're searching for gigs – at first in France, then we'll be trying to book gigs in Europe and get in touch with several European festivals.
We're preparing a show for the 13th of January that will be the starting point for the live promotion of the new album.

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?
Alex : « The Uprising Of Namwell » is our third album and the end of a trilogy.

Cyril : First, with each album we want our sound to evolve. We try to learn from our mistakes on the previous albums. The toughest point with us is that each instrument has to be audible, the amplified ones (bass, guitars, drums) that are the skeleton of our music, but also the traditional ones (acoustic guitar, accordion, African percussions…) as well as the backing vocals – which for this new album have been performed by a real choir, without samples and electronic stuff. Then, once everything is mixed properly, we have to add to it the orchestral samples, the sound effects and the various sonic atmospheres created by our arranger Olivier PERRIN with whom we've been working since our first album, and who delivers a performance which makes us really proud.
The sound of « The Uprising Of Namwell » may be darker than on our previous album, but it's also more straight forward !

3.This is your first album since 2011 can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?
Alex : Yes, and the one before that was in 2008. I'd rather have some time running before starting to write new material, to let our tastes and expectations evolve between two albums. In doing so, in my opinion, a new album is inevitably more mature and different from the one before.

Cyril : Like Alex just said, that lapse of time allows us to put things into perspecvtive about what's been done in the past, and release a Lord Shades album which won't be a copy of the one before.
Between these two albums, we've been achieving some plans like playing at Wacken Open Air and Metal Days. We thank these two festivals for their trust. We also did a special show in France at Rock Metal Camp, which allowed us to play on stage with some of our studio guests. It was very interesting to show the audience something else than the average metal band, and help them discovering the human richness of the band.

4.Your lyrics have a concept involving a fantasy world that was made up by the songwriter, can you tell us a little bit more about it?
Alex : We have created the world and the saga of Lord Shades with the help of Laurent Barbarit, who is our official lyricist. He's been writing all of our lyrics since the beginning of the trilogy, we owe him a lot. The only exception on that new one is the choir singing in Latin, which has been written by Hugot Blanchet and the words in Arab written by Sofiane 2under, which he sings himself on the track « The Awakening ».

Cyril : As a matter of fact, all our lyrics are dealing with heroic fantasy. The story has been created from scratch. Laurent Babarit, our lyricist, wrote all by himself the words and the story after common ideas that we're discussing together during meetings about that topic.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Lord Shades'?
Alex : From the very first chapter of the trilogy, Lord Shades is a ghost locked within his own spell. We can see him sometimes as a dark misty mass, maybe that's one of the reasons why he's called « The Lord Shades ».

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?
Alex : Many French gigs and festivals have been amazing experiences, with great reception. But I think that Wacken 2012 and Metal Days 2014 still are the most amazing stages we've shared.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Alex : We're currently working on a co-produced tour for 2018, and looking for festivals in 2018-2019 in order to promote the new album and the whole trilogy as well.

Cyril : The plans for dates and tours are in progress, but it takes time to achieve that. It's hard today to set somehing reliable and serious. We don't want to play gigs that wouldn't be interesting neither for the audience nor for the band. Our goal is to deliver real shows that will transcribe Lord Shades' atmosphere and capture the audience.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of symphonic black and death metal?
Alex : The response to our second album has been excellent ! We've had a lot of positive reviews, and we can't wait to see how this third album will be greeted. We feel like waiting for doomsday !

Cyril : We don't claim to have reached a worldwide level with the second album, but the feedbacks were really good, from the media as well as from the fans.
Maybe this third album will help us reaching more people in various countries. We are currently waiting for feedback.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Alex : Anyway, on stage, in a communion with the numerous guests that we had on each album. The idea is to have much more than 4 people stepping on stage ! We tried it once, and we plan to make it again. Lord Shades really comes alive with those guests !

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?
Alex : Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Mozart, Benighted, Moonsorrow, Endlaved, Morbid Angel, Pink Floyd, Hanggai, Septic Flesh, Tinariwen… Many different things have an influence on us, all of us 4 have multiple and varied tastes.
Recently I discovered Skalmold live, and I went to see my favorite childhood band Helloween on their Pumpkins United tour.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Alex : Nature, country, fresh air… Everything that can be inspiring.

Cyril : Wine and good food… We're Gallic !

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Alex : First, huge thanks go to the guests who took part in our albums/demos/gigs, and without whom Lord Shades wouldn't have the same interest.
And last but not least, huge thanks to you !

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Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Guillotine/Self Titled/2017 Full Length Review

Guillotine are a band from Georgia that plays a mixture of black, doom and death metal and this is a review of their self titled and self released 2017 album.

A very heavy groove metal orientated sound starts off the album along with some grim black metal screams a few seconds later while all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them and after awhile death metal growls also start to make their presence known.

A small amount of melody can also be heard in the guitar riffing at times and when the music speeds up a great amount of tremolo picking and blast beats can be heard while the slower sections of the songs are very heavily influenced by doom and sludge metal along with some of the tracks being very long and epic in length as well as the songs also bringing in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and as the album progresses a brief use of melodic guitar leads can be heard and the music always remains heavy.

Guillotine plays a musical style that takes black, doom, southern style sludge and death metal and mixes them together to create a sound of their own, the production sounds very professional for being a self released recording while the lyrics cover time travel, ancient aliens, inter dimensional vampire gods and conspiracy theory themes.

In my opinion Guillotine are a very great sounding mixture of black, sludge, doom and death metal and if you are a fan of those musical genres, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Black Emperor" "Save The Drill" and "Not Worth Saving". 8 out of 10.

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Monday, November 27, 2017

Hildr Valkyrie Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the solo project since the recording and release of the new album?
First of all thank you for granting me the pleasure to have an interview with you.

For the time, all are in shadows, just few songs in a very primitive form, ideas that needs to bloom into something new. That was caused because my Keyboards in which I composed everything on, has been broken; and this took me some more time than I expected to learn new ways to write music with my midi and pc. Had to be familiar with new technologies that have never involved with and this kept me back by having fast new material for Hildr Valkyrie, but definitely there will be a new album in the main future.

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?
I can’t really give you a specific genre for the album as it comes for the music itself, almost all songs have their own personality in which also happened to my previous releases. You can find from Folk (polyphonic) to Viking metal, Black metal, Symphonic metal etc, you can recognize a lot of genres in, so how do we describe the music of Hildr Valkyrie? I simply do it from the themes that my lyrics refer to, so in just two words we can describe it as Heathen Metal.
Now as it comes to the differences between the releases of the past. I can say that still I kept the identity of Hildr Valkyrie, and in the same time my session guitarist Jan Twothousandarrows made the difference by playing a huge role in the nowadays sound of the band, he was free to act as he wanted and recorded the guitars and bass in free will also he added a part of the drum programming as well! Then my sound producer Patric from WSL studio also put his knowledge to reveal the details of the music in this album and last but not least “time”, yes time that helped me to become a bit better than before, I am not a professional musician, I am self-taught one and time is my best friend in many occasions.

3.This is your first solo release since 2008, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?
Yes, I am a “bit” slow with the releases of Hildr Valkyrie this is true, but as an artist I am not. In the meantime I have done some appearances in V/A either with covers, either with new songs as Hildr Valkyrie and also many, many collaborations with bands I appreciate so much in small or bigger roles. I can name you a few such as with Elffor (Basque/Spain), Emyn Muil (Italy), Helrunar (Germany), Eliwagar (Norway), Celtefog (Hellas), Voluspaa (Norway), Kawir (Hellas), The Wolves of Avalon (UK), Folkearth and Folkodia (International), Meneapneontes (Hellas) and many others that in total we can count around 45 different releases as far in my bio.

4.A lot of your lyrics are based on Norse Mythology and Paganism, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?
From little child I was unfriendly with christian religion, something was wrong in my childish little mind, something did not fitted well. Later on I was considering myself as an agnostic. Years passed and found myself pretty close to the Nordic Paganism, I started to study, learning with much passion about Odinism, trying with each possible way to learn as much more I was able to; by reading online books that was not in my mother language and of course not the easiest way to achieve the goal I wanted. In the very beginning I thought I was strange and alone, but this did not bothered me at all because finally I felt complete into my soul. Later on I found European and American Folks from Odinic Rite that gladly accepted me as an equal member to their Religious community even if my blood is not from North Europe and gladly helped me to learn even more.
You see, Traditions of Europe must stay alive, even if you are Hellenes, or Norwegian, or Germanic, or Italian, or Basque, or Slav etc, because this is our Identity and our secure mean to survive cultural into the multiculturalism way of life that the clique of managers (because this is what they exactly are), the “big heads” in which we are (forced to) ruled from, compulsion us to live in deeper in this situation, day by day more and more, without being able to even speak about it; because automatically they point a finger to you screaming about politics. No! It is not about politics; Religion and Traditions are more than this and something complete different topic, it is about our European Cultural Identity. Christianity was and is one of their weapon as this religion itself is multicultural, all Nations under the banner of jehovah and his son yeshua the woodcutter, well no, my Gods are more than just this!
So, let’s go to the conclusion, because this question may never have an end. For me, these topics are not just fashion as for many meant to be, are not just fancy stories with swords and axes to play with, neither I wear my Mjollnir or carry Heathen Symbols on me for fun or any kind of fame or to create a name around my person, this is my living Faith, my Oath.
And by the chance I would like to refer a problem that I am still reading in written articles or dialogs around the net for our Religion, Gods ARE, Gods DO exist, Odhinn IS not was, Thor IS not was, Gods can’t die and you want to call it Paganism in general? You want to call it Heathenism? You want to call it Old Faith? Asatru? Odinism? Hellenism? Nordic? Germanic? Slavic? Ancestral? This is not a dead Religion, we have to make up our minds and think different than the way they we’ve been taught as far from the christian society, and so; our Gods ARE!

5.You have worked both solo and with full bands, which one do you prefer?
Actually the time that I had true rehearsals with bands is a far past for me, far back before the creation of Hildr Valkyrie, just had a small “refresh” of memory of how it is with Kawir before we go on stage because I was called to be their guest (for the Hellenic live in Athens) for the 20th anniversary of the band.
Further more, I can not compare the full bands that they are asking me to join them, with my solo project, of course and I live the process through the first note till “that last little detail” which is needed to be changed, I get the inspiration to write lyrics through the music and sing to give the last touch to the songs, something that I do not enjoy when I get complete songs to sing, but in the end; for me it is the same satisfaction, and to tell you the truth, I feel more responsible to the bands that they trust in me and ask to join them. To my creations, I can find mistakes (no one is perfect) but I care much more if I find mistakes to my guest or session appearances.

6.You have also released a great amount of material with your other musical projects, do you spend a great amount of time writing, performing and recording music?
Well, I never thought of that. You know, I never count the time when I am doing these activities. For me the time stops when I start a recording, when finish and I get up my head it is or dark, or dawn. I forgot completely the time, I am somewhere else, in another cosmos, in another dimension.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of viking and folk metal?
Ow, by my own standards of course I am more than happy! I have fans from almost all around the world. I could never imagine that when I first started Hildr Valkyrie. In the beginning I must admit that the enthusiasm of the fans was much more than now, and to be honest, this is my fault because whatever you leave it behind it does leave you too. I should have been a little more active with Hildr Valkyrie, for example to had at least one more album in the meantime to keep the interest of my fans, but Hildr Valkyrie is not the only thing I deal with in my life of course!

8.what is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that you are a part of?
Most of the bands that I have been involved with are active, and as I am learning news from them, they keep on recording new music. Some they will call me again, as my most of collaborations are not just for one album and I’ll be more than happy to give my help again! I also have new proposals for new collaborations and one new born black metal band that we are just started to record our first songs with a very talented Hellenic guitarist and the band name is “Solis in Antris” which means “Alone in the Caves” (you are the first that I announce it)!

9.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?
I don’t know what future will bring, more collaborations maybe? New bands? I just hope that the Norns will be well favored as possible!

10.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?
The mainly influences in which I never hid, are Falkenbach and Summoning. Two different genres of metal in which I combine them in a special way with my own identity. This is also one of the reasons why I can’t refer to one specific genre for my one-woman band.
At the time, I am listening more to Anglo-Saxon bands such as Winterfylleth, Wodensthrone, Ildra etc but I do not think that this showed up to my music since my skills can not touch these megatheriums!

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I like photography and photography manipulation, even if I have not the time as I used to. Also with my husband and beloved friends we run an organization under the name of Thyrsos – Oikos of Ethnikoi Hellenes, in which members and friends organize and have active practice by having Rites to the Gods, we have done European meetings with other members of Heathen organizations, we have presented Hellenism within European Heathenism to other countries, street activities such as raising banners and protest, also we run online publications that has to do with Heathenism in all its forms, and I think if you add the daily job for earing my living and music activities is a full life!

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
I think this was a wonderful interview, one of the few indeed! Thank you for taking time to write these questions and I must thank also and your readers for their patience and interest to read this interview too!

Haire!

Friday, November 24, 2017

Cadaveria/Far Away From Conformity/Sleaszy Rider Records/2017 CD Re-Issue Review

Cadaveria are a band from Italy that has been featured before in this zine and plays a mixture of black and gothic metal and this is a review of their 2004 album "Far Away From Conformity" which was re-issued in 2017 by Sleaszy Rider Records.

Grim black metal screams along with some heavy guitar riffs start off the album while also using a great amount of melody and melodic vocals are also used quite a bit throughout the recording along with some acoustic guitars also being added onto some of the tracks.

Whispers can also be heard briefly while all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them and when guitar solos and leads are utilized they are done in a very melodic fashion along with the faster sections of the songs bringing in a great amount of blast beats and some tracks also bring in acoustic guitars, keyboards and goth elements but keeping the focus on more of a heavier mid tempo style and also adding in elements of traditional metal and they also bring in a cover of Blondie's "Call Me".

On this recording Cadaveria brought into more of a black and heavy metal mixture while only having a small touch of goth metal, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover dark themes.

In my opinion this was another great sounding recording from Cadaveria and if you are a fan of black, goth, and heavy metal, you should check out this re-issue. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Blood And Confusion" "The Divine Rapture" "Out Body Experience" and "Vox of Anti-Time". 8 out of 10.