Battlesoul Interview

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

Answer:

Since recording the new album, time was spent on getting the artwork and other detail for the album sorted.  Time spent together as a band since finishing Sunward and Starward has been mostly spent rehearsing the new material.

2. You have a new album coming out in February, 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?

Answer:

I would say that this album turned out darker. There is still some folk influences and you can still tell it's us playing but overall I think it's more of a metal album then our previous ones.

3. This is your first album in 5 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time?

Answer:

Song writing for what was to become Sunward and Starward started right away after Tir Na Nog was released.  The recording/production process is what really took the most time over the 5 years.  As with our previous albums - this one was self-recorded/mixed/mastered.  This time however, it was a struggle to get it to a point that I was happy with.  Even to the point where we re-recorded the drums three times. This can be the downside of self-producing and why it's not necessarily recommended. I would have preferred this album to be released sooner but we weren’t going to rush it.

4. Your Lyrics cover a lot about Celtic mythology and history, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

Answer:

Our singer Jon Doyle solely handles the lyrics.  I must say I think he does a great job and I am always excited to see what he comes up with. I feel like he has a great way of bringing the story out of the song. I personally like Celtic mythology and history because the epic themes that comes along with it.

5. What is the meaning behind the name Battlesoul?

Answer

Mike Grund, who was the founding guitar player, came up with it.  My interpretation is that it’s the warrior spirit found inside of you.  Summon up your Battlesoul!



6. What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and how would you describe your stage performance?

Answer:

We have fun on stage and we hope that people watching have fun too.

We have been fortunate enough to have played with lots of great bands. Playing with Sabaton and with TYR would definitely be highlights for me.

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

Answer:

Nothing, as of right now.

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

Answer:

For the most part feedback has been positive. Some negative that it's good to hear all sides. It's great reading reviews from all over world. It gives you a sense of how metal really is a worldwide community.

9. 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.

Answer:

I am currently not in another project and am actually not too sure what the other guys are up to with regard to their other projects.

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

Answer:

Not sure really, I can’t say that Battlesoul is heading in any specific direction currently.

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays.

Answer:

It's tough to say.  Every member has there owns distinct preference and there are few bands/styles that the members of Battlesoul can agree upon - all our answers would be different. For me, I am always a big fan of film scores and you can definitely here the influence on the album, that and trying to incorporate doom type riffs. This morning I was listening to some Man-O-War and Master of Puppets.



12. What are some of your non-musical interests?

Answer:

I also record bands so most of my time is spent doing music.  However when I do have free time,  I quite enjoy learning about history.

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

Answer:

Thank you for the interview. I would like to thank CDN Records and Black Element for all the work that they are putting into 'Sunward and Starward'.  I would also like to thank everyone who has taken the time to check out Battlesoul, it is appreciated!

Bandcamp

Facebook

Myspace

ReverbNation

Spotify

Pavillon Rouge/Dynasteia Klub/Doweet Angency/2018 CD Review

  Pavillon  Rouge  are  a  band  from  France  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  industrial  and  new  wave  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Dynasteia  Klub"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Doweet  Agency.

  Atmospheric  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  industrial  elements  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  as  well  as  some  programmed  beats  while  the  vocals  are  done  in  an  angry  shouting  fashion  and  black  metal  screams  are  also  used  at  times.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  blast  beats  also  being  used  during  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  mixing  in  elements  of  new  wave  and  one  of  the  songs  also  introduces  clean  vocals  onto  the  recording.

  Pavillon  Rouge  creates  another  recording that  remains  true  to  the  black  metal,  industrial  and  new  wave  mixture  of  their  previous  release,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  French  and  cover  Beauty,  Innocence,  Purity  and  Ecstasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Pavillon  Rouge  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  metal,  industrial  and  new  wave,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "L'harmonie  et  la  force"  "Dynasteia  Klub"  "Bodhisattva"  and  "Ad  Augusta".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/LuxDiscipline/

Nest Interview

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

NEST was started around 2015. We are a doom two piece, just guitar, vocals and drums. We both started this when we had lulls with our other bands around Lexington Kentucky.
we wanted to start something a lot darker and more experimental than what we were doing at the time.  I (Kyle) grew up playing in bands in the local punk/powerviolence scene and Corey has had a couple hardcore/punk bands, so we talked about starting something that had that punch you in the face feel,  but was rooted in the ethereal doom we had both been playing recently in other bands.  But we both agreed it needed to be the heaviest music we'd ever written.


2.How would you describe the musical sound that has been presented on the recordings you have released so far?

The first release was much more rooted in the aforementioned raw powerviolence/hardcore aspect. I had also been getting back into more math type bands, like Slint (KY band as well), Shellac. etc. so I really started looking at how i could de-volve my guitar playing and look at it in a different way. Once we started down that path its only gotten more experimental in those aspects.

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

Corey writes all the lyrics, and the topics have always been very personal things we just so happened to be going through at the same time. "Metempsychosis" is our first concept album. This past year we both separately went through immense loss and grief in our personal lives. The beginning of the album starts with breathing getting weak and stopping, blending into a recreation of some past auditory DMT experiences, symbolizing the start of death. Then the album explores death and our thoughts of what happens after. It then closes the album with sounds from inside the womb to try and represent re-incarnation.

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

The name NEST is loosely a metaphor for life in this reality, it can feel like home but at the same time is brutal and relentlessly buzzing with life, and all the pain and struggle attached.

5.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to expanding your line up or do you prefer to remain a duo?

No plans to add any members, we flow together really well just the two of us.

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

I personally love the house shows we've played, everything is ten times louder and much more intense in a basement. Our stage performance is pretty straightforward, we just let the music speak for itself and play it as loud and heavy as possible.

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

Yes, hopefully trying to get that worked out soon.

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


 The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, we're really grateful for everyone listening.

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

Corey is currently only working on this project at the moment, his last band, They yearn for what they fear is absolutely amazing psych/doom, he's one of the best vocalist/drummers I've had the pleasure to work with. Im playing guitar in a stoner/doom outfit called Sonic Altar. Also playing guitar in a new death/doom project called Rotting Kingdom, with members of  Tombstalker and Arktos.

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

haha not too sure yet, most likely expanding on previous techniques and themes, but I guess we'll see when we get there.

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?

(corey) Honestly I was listening to a lot of 90s grunge/ alternative and screamo at the time. Smashing pumpkins, Alice in Chains, Forn, obviously Thou. What I'm listening to at the moment. A lot of Type O-Negative, Dookie-era Green Day, Nothing, and Pink Floyd.

(Kyle) The obvious ones are Dystopia, early Orchid,  Neurosis, Krallice, also a bunch of black metal, early math and  raw doom, and  I was listening to A LOT of rap at the time. I listen to almost everything, but lately its been a lot of hawkwind, Howlin wolf, Craft's "Fuck the Universe". Just discovered paradise lost (late to the party on that one), and same as Corey a ton of Pink Floyd lately.


12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Corey)  Watching movies, reading, painting/drawing occasionally, art history, going to museums, traveling
   
(Kyle) Im an abstract painter on the side. Traveling, also pretty much all the stuff Corey just said.

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

 We just wanna thank everyone for their support, we've both been playing music all our lives and really bled a lot into this album. Its an overwhelming feeling that people are getting behind that.

Bandcamp

Facebook

Karma Violens/Serpent God/Growl Records/2018 CD Review

  Karma  Violens  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  has  had  an  album  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  melodic  death,  thrash  metal  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Serpent  God"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Growl  Records.

  Middle  Eastern  style  drones  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  solos and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  dark,  melodic  and  atmospheric  fashion  along  with  the  vocals  being  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  songs  also  bring  in a   great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  faster  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  the  music  also  incorporates  elements  of  modern  thrash  and  hardcore  at  times  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  acoustic  guitars  on  some  of  the  tracks  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clean  vocals  and  Gregorian  chant s can  also  be  heard.

  On  this  recording  Karma  Violens  remains  true  to t heir  mixture  of  black,  melodic  death,  thrash  metal  and  hardcore,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  world,  creation  and  nature  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from Karma  Violens  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  melodic  death,  thrash  metal  and  hardcore,  you  should c heck  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Serpent  God" "The  Sun  I  Never  Had"  "A  Letter  To  The  Worthless  Chamber"  and  "Eternal  Darkness".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/imVVWfXu0Jw

  

North Hammer/Stormcaller/2018 Full Length Review

  North  Hammer  are  a  solo  project  from  Alberta,  Canada  that  plays  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2018  album  "Stormcaller"  which  will  be  released  in  March.

  A  very  epic  and  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  along  with t he  faster  sections  of  the  songs  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  as  well  as  a  decent  amount  of  black  metal  screams.

  Death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  clean  pagan  vocals  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  songs  as  well  as  a  great  amount  of  folk  music  elements  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  used  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  instrumental  can  also  be  heard.

  North  Hammer  plays  a  style  of  folk  metal  that  is  also  very  heavily  influenced  by  pagan,  viking,  melodic  death  and  black  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Fantasy  and  Norse  Mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  North  Hammer  are  a  very  great  sounding  folk  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Avatar"  "Magic  Mead"  "Spellbinder"  and  Lion's  Winter".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/NorthHammerOfficial
https://www.instagram.com/andybassface

  

Agrimonia Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the mew album?
Pontus: Since the recording, we haven't done so much musically. We did a few shows and spent time on the artwork and such. It's a limbo-like situation, having the new album recorded but not being able to present it to the world yet!



2.You have a new album coming out this month, 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?
Pontus: It's hard to describe your own music, but to put it simple: I think it's a very good sounding and epic metal album with progressive influences and a crusty backbone. Lots of dynamics and emotions. Words doesn't do it justice, however, as with all good music! Compared to our earlier stuff, I think this is our most fully realized album in terms of songwriting, emotional dynamics, and aural impact.



3.This is your first album in 5 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?
Christina: I have opened a vegan restaurant with some friends, made songs and played a lot of shows with my other band Contorture. Most of us are busy with other bands when we dont do Agrimonia things.
Pontus: With Agrimonia, we've done a few tours and shows. Then we've been busy with other stuff, both musical and non-musical. The rollercoaster that is life!



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

Christina: I tend to write about injustices in the world, big and small things that happens around me and about things I think is wrong in the world. It can be social issues or mistreatment of the earth and the people living in it.



5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Agrimonia''?
Christina: Agrimonia is a plant and has a long history of medicinal use. It has been know as an an "all-heal" and has been used to heal everything from wounds to liver problems and also as a witch's cure. When we started Agrimonia we just liked the name and didn´t really have a meaning behind it.





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?
Christina: I get really into the songs when we play so I dont think I have a plan of my stage performance. I just go with the music and the words. I think we all have different ideas of the best shows we played and so much can be included in that question. It is hard to answer! I really like playing places where I have friends in the audience.
Pontus: I enjoyed the release show for the last album, where we played the whole album from start to finish live. To me, a great show is when the energy is shared between us and the audience. As for stage performance, that is something I don't think we've ever thought so much about. For me it's finding that energy and connection to the music.



7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
Christina: We have a release party planned here in Göteborg on March 23:rd.
Pontus: I will be on paternal leave until the fall so we won't tour until then. We'll see what happens!



8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black, sludge and post metal?
Pontus: It's been good.  We've been fortunate enough to play a lot of places with great receptions. Reviews, especially for this new album, are really nice!



9.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?
Christina: I play bass in a d-beat band called Contorture. We are currentle working on our second full lenght album and we are recoring it at Studio D-takt in Uppsala at the end of March. We are also heading out on a tour of eastern and south eastern Europe in March.
Pontus: Me and Björns other band Miasmal is slowly getting back on track since we got a new bass player a few months ago. Martin is very busy with At the Gates, they just recorded a new album and will probably do a lot of shows this summer when their new album is out.



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

Pontus: I'd like to think we will not stray far from our core sound, but rather evolve it.



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?
Christina: I think that a band that we all can agree on is Bolt Thrower. Personally as a singer my influences has been women who growls in bands, like Agnes from the polish band Lost. I listen a lot to Bolt Thrower, SubRosa, Misantropic, Windhand and JexThoth for example.
Pontus: Bolt Thrower, Sisters of Mercy, Dinosaur Jr, PJ Harvey, Neurosis, early Metallica. Both influences (however subconscious) and recent listening.



12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Christina: I am so busy with work right now so I do not really have so much spare time. When I am not at work I like to relax with a book or a tv-series, have beers with friends or watch a movie.
Pontus: Books, documentaries, family life and beer.





13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts? Christina: Thanks for taking the time to interview us!

Pontus: Cheers and thanks! Check out Awaken!

Bandcamp

Bandcamp II

Facebook

Homepage

Myspace

Ssanahtes/Self Titled/WOOAAARGH/2018 CD Review

  Ssanahtes  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black metal,  sludge  and  post  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  WOOAAARGH.

  Distorted  amp  noises  along  with  some  heavy  sludge  riffing  starts  off  the  album  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  some  angry  screams  that  also  bring  in  elements  of  black  metal  as  well  as  some  semi  melodic  vocals  also  being  used  at  times.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  songs  also  mix  in  elements  of  post  hardcore  along  with  some  of  the  riffing  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  most of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  psychedelic  elements  are  used  briefly   and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  a  later  track  also  introduces  drones  onto  the  recording,  clean  guitars  are  also  brought  onto  the  closing  song.

  Ssanahtes  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  metal,  sludge  and  post  hardcore and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  angry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ssanahtes  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge  and  post  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sad  Song"  and  "To  Seal  Off  A  Breach".  8  out  of  10. 

https://ssanahtes.bandcamp.com/