Mortis Cruentus Interview

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

Mortis Cruentus was born in 2003 under the name of "Dark Wood", placed on Alicante (Spain). In those early days, the band used to play raw Black Metal without any serious pretentions. The band began to grow and after more than fourteen years of career, a lot of changes in the line-up, and many good live gigs, we'd reached a personal and mature identity into our local metal scene.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?

On our first serious release, "Agony as Doom" (2009 LP), we collected the best songs from the first six years of the band. You can find a lot of diversity among the tracks, from some Black/Death Metal songs till Melodic Death patterns, always mixed with some melodies but reflecting the lack of an identity mark. Of course its a good album with some cool ideas.
The 2013 EP "Winter Holocaust" was like a gap union between past and the actual sound.
And our brand new LP "Hellthrone" is more solid into the Blackened Death Metal, with some structure changes and melodies, where we tried to make some extreme metal without boring repetitions and blast-beats excess. We are looking for a good sound without the overproducted actual trends.

3.The band has been around since 2003 but only put out a release once every few years, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap in between releases?

We like to rehearse and play live, our composition process its too slow and we're too perfectionist when finishing a song. We've got a lot of discarted songs also. Hellthrone is the goal of almost eight years and we're very glad for it.

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

We started with war themes, with blood and death lyrics but "Hellthrone" it's a conceptual album. Tells an entire story through the 13 tracks about the "Demonic Veil", a parallel universe where thousands of demons live and humans cannot see. The whole story was created by Jabo Garcia, our guest voice for this recording.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name ;Mortis Cruentus'?

The meaning is "bloody death" in Latin language, and it fits perfectly our philosophy, it mixes death in Death Metal and  blood from Black Metal. The use of Latin language could be the melody.

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?

 We are very proud of having shared stage with some bands that we admire and follow like Stormlord, Finsterforst and many more, but the bests live shows we've given were on the south side of our country, where the crowd feels metal in a different way, more insane, and this feeling makes a live gig greater like a metal feedback power from both sides.
We are now working on our future live performances, we want to transmit all the power and anger included in "Hellthrone". We'll try to introduce the audience into a demonic journey without any dull moment through the whole show. This will be our next goal.

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

Like an underground extreme metal band, we're not working with management agents or labels, and today it's complicated to schedule a live tour by our own. We always worked by direct contact with the other bands and promoters and now we're on promotion process and looking for new dates to show how Mortis Cruentus kicks "Hellthrone" on stage. At this moment we've got two confirmed dates, february 24th with the Black/Death metallers Noctem and May 4th with Incursed and Nethertale, both shows in our hometown Alicante.

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

Well, this is a difficult question, because it's a closed circle where the band are moving on, the local Black/Death underground movement. It's true that today with this hyper-connected world we can reach  many people. We are very glad to had received greetings from Russia, Croatia, England and other foreign countries . From our official page, anyone can buy our material from everywhere without problems and this is a great advance.

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

Yes, we are playing in other projects at this momment. Our drummer Dani and the vocalist Manthor, are both in "Metaphilia", a Deathcore Metal band from Alicante (Spain). The guitarist Toño is also playing at a Symphonic Metal band from Alicante called "Oblivion's Garden", and the last adition at guitars Savage Jouretz have a solo project of Death Metal.
Band members have got different music tastes and that enriches our own music.

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

We are focused on the new release presentation, but maybe the musical aspects of "Hellthrone" succesor will be faster and exploring new technical venues always respecting our style of mixing Black with Death patterns.

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?

At the beginings of the band, the original ideas were mixed with great influences from Black Metal bands like Cradle of Filth, Stormlord, Dimmu Borgir or Graveworm, which were our favorite bands at these years. The maturity of our compositions comes from letting in new influences from another metal styles, like Progressive or Death Metal, building the basis of our actual music.
Today we listen to multiple different kinds of music but Black Metal it's always our main way of live music.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Music its one of the best ways to escape from daily problems, relax and share good moments with friends.
For non musical, travel and enjoy with a good beer and company more music.

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

First of all, thank you so much for this interview, we hope you like it. We would like to show our new work to greater audience, we worked hard and the final result we think its good enough, give it an opportunity with a relaxed hearing, letting the narrative and music embrace you, entering in a new demoniacal dimension, the "Demonic Veil" and being witness of this Hellthrone battle. The gates of hell are finally open...
Visit www.mortiscruentus.com for further information, live dates and take our material.

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Heidevolk/Vuur Van Verzet/Napalm Records/2018 CD Review

  Heidevolk  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk  and  pagan  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "Vuur  Vsn  Verzet"  which  will  be  released  in  2018  by  Napalm Records.

  Heavy  guitar  riffs  start  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  when  vocals  are  added into  the  music  they  are  mostly  clean  pagan  metal  singing  as  well  as  folk  instruments  also  being  used  at  times.

  A  touch  of  black  metal  can  also  be  heard  at  times  when  growls  and  screams  are  used  briefly  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  along  with  some  songs  also  bringing  in a   small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  when  percussion's  are  utilized  it  gives  the  music  more  of  a  shamanistic  feeling.

  Heidevolk  plays  a  style  of  pagan/folk  metal  that  is  very  melodic  while  also  mixing  in  a  touch  of  black  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  English  and  Dutch  and  cover  History,  Culture  Of  Gelderland  and  Germanic  Mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Heidevolk  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  folk  and  pagan  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE "A  Wolf  In  My  Heart"  "Britannia"  "Tiwaz"  and  "Woedend".  8  out  of  10.

www.heidevolk.com
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Beldam/Pasung/Horror Pain Gore Death Productions/2018 CD Review

  Beldam  are  a  band  from  Washington  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  blackened  mixture  of  doom  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "Pasung"  which  will  be  released  in  2018  by  Horror  Gore  Pain  Death  Productions.

  Dark  yet  melodic  riffing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  grim  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  a  few  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  riffing  also  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  solos  and  leads  also  add  in  touches  of  70's  rock  and  stoner  metal  along  with  some  tracks  also  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  guitars  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  drums  also  start  displaying  more  aggression  and  the  mid  tempo  sections  also  add  in  a  touch  of  crust  punk.

   Beldam  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  their  blackened  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  from  their  previous release,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  despair  and  decadence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Beldam  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  sludge  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Vial  Of  Silence"  and  "Carrion  Feast".  8  out  of  10.


https://www.facebook.com/BeldamOfficial

Enhailer Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Enhailer first formed in 2014 in Akron, Ohio.  The bassist (Michael Gilpatrick) and drummer (myself) originally came from another band together that went on hiatus, so we decided to start a new project.   The first couple of years, we had a hard time maintaining a consistent lineup with other members, but over the past year or so we have been able to lock in a really good band of guys whom enjoy hanging out and playing together a lot which is important.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?
There isn't really a direct way to answer that question because our sound has changed somewhat over the different recordings--between the demo, our first LP, and now this EP.  The one thing that people seem to consistently touch on in reviews is a progressive doom sound.

3.Originally the band was instrumental but the new ep has vocals, what was the decision behind going into this direction?
The last LP did have some vocals on it, but they were sparse.  We always wanted to try experimenting with vocals as another instrument rather than a lead position in the band, but we never had a member who really wanted to try doing it.  When Matt joined, he had the chops, so we let him run with it.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
We like to explore Kittens and cats, satan, weed, you know, the important stuff.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Enhailer'?
We were totally joking around one day, not being serious at all, while trying to come with band names.  It kind of came out of a cloud of pot smoke honestly...

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We've been lucky enough to play with Eyehategod ,Goatwhore , today is the day, Childbite, Ringworm and others.  Our stage performance is fucking amazing.  We have lasers and smoke machines and wild animals running around.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We are going to play a lot of shows over the winter and then we are going to tour in the summer.  Watch our Facebook page and other social media pages for updates coming soon on specific dates.

8.Currently the band is signed to 'Black Seed Productions', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
I was shopping around for labels to collaborate with on our first album and I vaguely knew of Shy Kennedy of Blackseed records, based out of Pittsburgh, through some other friends.  I took a chance and sent her a message.  She's been nothing but awesome ever since.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of stoner, sludge and black metal?
It's been better than we ever expected. We have already mailed packages to France, Poland, Germany ect..  The whole thing has been a lot of work but it's a labor of love.  We released three albums in three years including the demo.

10.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?
We are not currently a part of any other projects that Im aware of, because we are entirely consumed by this one.

11.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We are currently working on a full length, as for our future musical explorations its hard to say. This band seems to keep reinventing its sound. Its still evolving, we love to expiriemnt with different sounds not commonly found in heavy music and yet try to find a way to weave them in with really big, heavy  parts

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?
We all have a pretty wide range of tastes, however for me personally in regards to Enhailer, Frank Zappa in particular has been a huge influence. Also, everything from Mastodon to Hank Williams, Sr.  As for what am I listening to, I'm really digging Sumac, which is Aaron Turner from Isis

13.What are some of your non musical interests?
I'm into woodworking a lot, painting and daydreaming lol

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We really look forward to getting this album out on the live stage and sharing with folks.
Thanks to you and everyone else who has helped us get the word out in anyway!
P.S. Fuck Trump!

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Golden Dawn/The Art Of Dreaming/Casus Belli Musica/2017 CD Re-Issue Review

  Golden  Dawn  are  a  band  from  Austria  that  plays  a  symphonic,  melodic  and  medieval  mixture  of  black  and  goth  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1996  album  "The  Art  Of  Dreaming"  which  was  re-issued  in  2017  by  Casus  Belli  Musica.

  A  very  heavy  guitar  riff  starts  off  the  album  while  folk  instruments  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  the  riffing  also  getting  very  melodic  at  times  as  well  as  the  music  mixing  the  symphonic  and  heavy  parts  together  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  into  certain  sections of  the  recording.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  the solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  along  with  some  operatic  female  and  male  vocals  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

 A  great  amount  of  goth  metal  elements  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  one  track  introducing  spoken  word  parts  onto  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  keyboards  start  getting  more  medieval  and  epic  sounding  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Golden  Dawn  played  a  musical  style  on  this  recording t hat  mixed  melodic  and  symphonic  black  metal  with  goth  and  medieval  folk  music  to  create  something  very  original  for  that  time  period,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dreaming,  sorcery,  existence  and  other  dimension  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Golden  Dawn  are  a  very  melodic,  symphonic  and  medieval  mixture  of  black  and  goth  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Art  Of  Dreaming"  "My  Confession  To  War"  "The  Sorcery  Of  The  Nagual  Side"  and  "Beyond  the  Mortal  Shell".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vcO3-199sI

Guillotine Interview

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


We are a three-piece death metal band based in the state of Georgia. My name is Adam Miller, I play bass and do lead vocals, and my brother Lance plays guitar and does backing vocals. We started in Atlanta, but found our drummer Evan Posey in Athens, GA.

2.Recently you have released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?


Our sound is unique. We have created what we feel is an original approach, blending elements of old school death, black, groove, doom, and Southern sludge metals. It’s a brutal, punishing sound that still allows for nuance and subtlety.

3.Your lyrics cover a lot of occult, ancient alien and conspiracy theory themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?


The themes covered in our lyrics are used as a literary device to convey our overall message. This album is a mostly-metaphorical commentary on the modern world as we see it. It’s a concept album in which the ancient alien progenitor of humanity returns to Earth to find his creation subverted for nefarious purposes by a competing deity. The opening track, “Gravety”, is an exposition of this return, in which The Creator returns to harvest the souls of which he planted the seeds millennia ago. The following track, “Black Emperor”, introduces his nemesis, who has taken control of his carefully constructed creation. We won’t explain every detail of the story, as we want certain aspects to be left open to the interpretation of the listener. But know that this narrative is only in its early stage, and the themes laid out will continue to be developed on future releases.

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


The invention guillotine and its early usage were an important turning point in history. It was the harbinger of a new and more violent age. As a symbol, it represents drastic and irreversible change, and that is incredibly evocative to us.

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


Our live shows are visceral and raw, very emotive. I like to think that we leave an impression on anyone who witnesses us live. Our music is deliberately simplistic to a certain extent, and we feel that that aspect of our music allows it to be felt on a primal level. The best shows we have played are our most recent, namely our album release show opening for Goatwhore and a show we played at a new venue called Furnace 41. We are in prime killing shape right now.

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


Because we have full-time jobs currently, we aren’t able to get on the road for extended periods of time as we would like. But we have several local shows in the works and are actively working on taking this show to a wider geographical area. One day we do hope to be able to go on full-fledged tours, with the entire world as our ultimate goal.

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


We have received interest from some small labels. We are currently shopping the album to several larger labels in the hope that we can be offered a favorable deal for promotion and distribution.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black, doom and death metal?
We have been surprised and flattered by some of the feedback we have received. Thanks to the internet, our music has received favorable notice in Germany, Lithuania, Russia, and Peru to name a few countries. A difficulty we have come across is finding the proper target audience, as our sound is a fairly uncommon hybrid of several styles which have their own diehard purist fans. Our music is best enjoyed with an open mind.

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


We are already writing music for our next release. The stuff we’re coming up with is more complex in its composition and instrumentation, which will lay the perfect backdrop for the more expansive thematic universe we will portray. It still has that signature Guillotine sound which is intrinsic to the music Lance and I write, so I think we will please our existing fan base as well as get the attention of new fans the world over. I think people will be very pleased and surprised.


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?


We cut our metal teeth on Pantera, Metallica, and lamb of god, so those early influences mixed with more extreme death and black metal shaped the sound you hear from us now. Currently, I’ve been very inspired by the newest releases from bands like Satyricon, Enslaved, and Paradise Lost. These are bands that are paying homage to their roots while pushing the envelope of what metal itself can be and can convey emotionally. It’s not always about being more extreme than ever before, but about refining what was done before and being the best version of your artistic vision.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?


We’re pretty well-rounded guys. You can’t be a brutal metalhead all the time haha. I enjoy reading in my spare time, mostly historical books. Cooking is a good stress reliever and non-musical outlet for creativity. I enjoy a round of golf when I get the chance, even though I’m terrible. Lance and I brew beer from time to time.


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


I would urge anyone reading to check out our tunes at www.guillotinemf.bandcamp.com. If you like what you hear, order a CD which we laboriously and lovingly crafted at Ledbelly Sound Studio. We will ship all over the world! Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/guillotineatl and share with everyone you know. Stay metal and stay tuned for more Guillotine!

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Vargrav Interview

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

The band originated during starless nights in late 2015.
As the vision calmly evolved and the cloak of obscurity relinquished, Vargrav was chosen to be illuminating sign for this act of black arts.
During the formative years, the music also transmitted into a profound abyss, only to reincarnate as a sinister glow of the black flame.
A demo version of the album was then unleashed during the summer of 2016,
and  after numerous contacts from different labels, Werewolf Records was immediately chosen to be the most suitable collaborator with which to work.
The overture of a black-hearted storm has been sung and what has yet left uncovered shall be conquered...

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

After the two preview songs were published  I received a lot of feedback about the sound and overall atmosphere being very 90's.
I can't really say is it done intentionally or is it just subconsciousness. Nevertheless sounding 90's is purely logical as for me the golden age
of Blackmetal is in the early and mid '90's when everything around it was new to me. Naturally it's impossible to imitate first impressions
when I first time heard some of the classic albums but creating something as close to that as possible I can uphold the passion that ignited back then.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?

The topics alternate from unleashing the black storm of hellfire upon all living to glorifying the supremacy of an individual. In the middle a certain
multidimensional approach to reign the powers shackled by constricted knowledge of your capability.

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

Varg (wolf) has been a feared beast among many cultures for centuries and  in the bible wolf is exclusively evil. Yet wolf has also been seen as a trailblazer
and a teacher. Grav (grave) is where you bury the dead (if someone didn't know) so as an coherence Vargrav is the rest where a bestial wisdom lurks only to rise again.
It's also a palindrome with 7 letters. A palindrome is endless and a continuum. After reaching the end the beginning is the new end.
7 is the number of complement. A number of time and space, representing wisdom, perfection, balance and immortality.

5.With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?

Compromises kill creativity and when working with others one cannot avoid them. So because of that simple fact I work solo on
all of my bands. Even if it demands a multiple amount of work I couldn't be satisfied with the result if it wouldn't be 100% based on my vision.
It would also be impossible to even think joining a band only as a player. I am a leader, not a follower.

6.On the album you had also done a cover of Emperor's "Ancient Queen", what was the decision behind doing your own version of one of their songs?

Since the first time i heard Emperor's "In The Nightside Eclipse" no other album has ever made such an impact. I could even call it an enlightenment as
in that same moment I knew exactly what I must do. It took me over 20 years to complete that task but time is irrelevant when creating timeless art.
When listening to "Ancient Queen" I've wondered so many times what it would sound like with more keyboards and some clean vocals as in "In the Nightside Eclipse" style.
So recording this cover was a perfect way to get my question answered.

7.The album is going to be released on 'Werewolf Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

The name basically tells it all. An unchained beast seeding terror and fear among those incapable to assimilate it's purposes.
An uncompromising monument of black arts.

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

As the current trend is pretty far from symphonic Blackmetal it seems that for many people it works as a stimulant ascending from the vast grey mass of thousand similar bands.

9.Are you also involved with any other bands or musical projects?

The only active band beside Vargrav at the moment is Druadan Forest - My first solo band which I started back in 1998 only to be put to rest for 17 years. 2016 I was finally ready to release the debut album "The Loremasters Time" via GS productions. The three demos
from ´98-´99 were also released as a compilation by the same label. The second full-length "The Lost Dimension" was released by Wolfspell records 2017. Also a split with The True Werwolf will be released in near future so check it out.

10.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?

I try to evolve all the time. The point where you feel satisfied is the point where you can't advance any further and basically can forget any improvement from your past works.
I started musical studies back in the 80's and unfortunately quit after few years so I have a lot to catch up. In the future - if my efforts should pay off and I'll be able to move even a bit closer to the goals I've set, I see
myself as a full-time professional musician and composer.

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?

There are tons of bands that have influenced my but as said above Emperor has always been the most important and one of the few metal bands that have truly inspired me.
I've never actually seen myself as a metalhead, headbanger or such. Of course I've listened to metal for as long as I can remember but still never felt musically inspired by it.
I enjoy melodies, atmosphere, a sort of surreal soundscapes that I can feel being similar. Seceded from reality.
Nowadays I mostly listen to electronic music and soundtracks.

12.How would you describe your views on Occultism?

I am a Satanist.

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

Blackmetal is not for everyone.

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