Oracle/Into The Unknown/Rain Without End Records/2018 CD Review

  Oracle  are  a  band  from  Birmingham,  Alabama  that  has  been  featured  before  in this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Into  The  Unknown"  which  will  be  released in  April  by  Rain  Without  End  Records.

  Classical  guitars  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  stringed  instruments  being  used  briefly  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  direction  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  the  vocals  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  black  metal s creams  and  death  metal  growls.

  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  atmospheric  sounding  keyboards  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  the  music  also  having  its  technical  moments.

  Some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  vocals  and  as  the  album  progresses  more  brutal  and  symphonic  elements  are  added  onto  the  recording  while  one  track  also  introduces  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  into the  music  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  clean  playing  also  returns  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  female  vocals  and  one  song  is  an  instrumental.

  Oracle  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  while  also  adding  new  things  into  their  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophical  and  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Oracle  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Caressed By  The  Hands  Of  Fate"  "Fro  Blue  To  Black"  "Drafted"  and  "Becoming  Nemesis".  8 out  of  10. 

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Wykan/Solace/2018 EP Review

  Wykan  are  a  band  from  Montreal,  Quebec,  Canada  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  doom,  stoner. psychedelic  and  blues rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  ep  "Solace"  which  will  be  released  in  April.

  Shamanistic  and  tribal  style  chanting  starts  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  heavier  blues  rock  direction  which  also  mixes  in  the  heaviness  of  stoner  and  doom  metal  while  the  vocals  are  done  in  a  clean  70's  rock/proto  metal  style  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  bringing  in  more  of  a  retro  style.

  Black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  all  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  acoustic  guitars  and  psychedelic  elements  also  being  used  on  a  couple  of  songs  and when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  are  utilized  and  on  a  couple  of  tracks  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Wykan  plays  a  musical  sound  that  takes  black  metal,  doom  stoner,  psychedelic  and  blues  rock  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Ethnobotany,  and  the  Amanita  Muscaria  mushroom  rituals  that  are  performed  among  the  Saami  shamans  of  North  Europe.

  In  my  opinion  Wykan  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  stoner,  doom  metal,  psychedelic  and  blues  rock  and  if  you  are  looking  for  something  original,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Wykan  (The  Shamanic  Trance)".  8  out  of  10.

https://wykan.bandcamp.com/releases

Lychgate/The Contagion In Nine Steps/Blood Music/2018 CD Review

 Lychgate  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  an  apocalyptic mixture  of  avant  garde black  and  funeral  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2018  album  "The  Contagion  In  Nine  Steps"  which  will  be  released  on  March  30th  by  Blood  Music.

  Horror  movie  style  organs  start  off  the  album  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  funeral  doom  metal  style  while  the  music  also  brings  in  piano's  and  mellotron's  along  with t he  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  after  awhile  ritualistic  spoken  word  parts  are  added  onto  the  recording.

  Clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  an  avant  garde  feeling  along  with  most  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  a  great  amount  of  grim  black  metal s creams  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  guitar  solos and  leads  when  they  are  utilized  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  most   of  the  music  always  sticking  to a   very  slow  direction and  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Lychgate  plays  a musical  style  that  takes  avant  garde  black  metal  and  funeral  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  inspired  by  the idea's  of  Stanislaw  Lem,  Plato,  Hegel,  Le  Bon  and  Cannetti's  about  civilization,  consciousness  and  crowd  psychology.

  In  my  opinion  Lychgate  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  avant  garde  black  and  funeral doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Republic"  and  "Atavistic  Hypnosis".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.lychgate.net/
https://twitter.com/lychgateband
https://www.facebook.com/Lychgate/

Goreworm Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
#1. We are a 5 piece Death Metal band based out of Southern Ontario Canada. As far as our sound goes, we aim for fast paced, aggressive death metal that has a melodic edge to it. We dip into several sub genres of Death/Black metal to keep things fresh and new, including slam, brutal death, tech death, melo death, and even some death core influences mixed in as well. We also love our blast beats and pig squeals. We are currently playing shows locally and are in the process of writing a full length album.

2.Recently you have released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
2. On our ep " The Path to Oblivion " it is hard to catagorize our sound in a specific genre/sub genre. We included a wide variety of different styles within each song. One minute a song will be melodic and technical, then the next section is heavy and brutal to name one scenario you will encounter upon listening to the ep. We do stay consistent with a fast paced, heavy, melodic, aggressive and brutal approach with our overall writing style as a band. The ep is very fast paced and filled with blast beats, harmonized guitar riffs and brutal vocals ( anything from pig squeals, gutterals and shrieking highs ).

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
3. Most of our lyrics are about brutal stories, with the exception of a few songs that have a more serious approach that touch on topics such as depression, anxiety, and other things that plague peoples every day lives. Some songs are even based off of classic horror films

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Goreworm'?
4. The name Goreworm did not come from any of the bands members. It was originally from an acquaintance of founding member Brent Moerschfelder. This guy had a " band " called Goreworm for several years but he never went anywhere with the project. So when he announced that he was giving up on the project Brent asked him if he could use the name and the name was granted to him. Brent always found Goreworm to be a genius name for a Death Metal band and took this opportunity to make it into something for fun. And that's how this " Gorewom " came to be

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
5. As far as shows go we only have 2 down, with a few more booked in the spring. As of now the band is not even a year old and only started playing shows in January 2018. The two shows we have played went very well and we where received very well but the crowds, resulting in very positive feedback. Our stage performances have gone very well, our main goal is to play as tight as we can, while being entertaining for the spectators with energy such as head banging and moving around on stage as much as we can.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
6. We don't have any tours planned as we are not a full time band. We all have children and houses to pay for and just do music as a hobby, but if an opportunity to do a tour of Canada came our way, we would do so since it is a goal of ours. We do have a few local shows upcoming later this year in Southern Ontario.

7,The ep was released through 'CDN Records', how did you get in contact with this label?
7. We got in contact with CDN the day we released our single " Final Nightmare " off of our ep " The Path to Oblivion ". A representative for CDN Records had seen our album artwork that our hired artist shared on social media back in June of 2017, it grabbed his attention but at the time we had no music ready to show him so he told me to show him the music when we had it ready. On November 25th 2017 we released the single and when we shared it with the same CDN representative, he offered to sign us. We had other offers from other record companies but since we are not full time musicians, we went with CDN because they where most fitting for us.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
8. As far as worldwide feedback we don't have much to base off of because so far we have only released a single from the ep. We have had several very positive reviews of the ep, rating the ep anywhere from 7/10 to 8.5/10. On social media we have had very positive feedback as well with lots of support from new fans. If we have learned anything from the reviews  feedback it's that people can't pinpoint what sub genre of metal best suits us since we have incorporated so many different styles to our music.

9.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
9. We are currently in the process of writing a full length already, We already have 4 songs composed ( 2 we are already playing live ) and we are very excited about the new material. It's more of the same but amped up even more. Founding member Brent Moerschfelder wrote all of the instrumentals on the ep, but now with a full line up of members we now have a whole new dynamic and wave of input to put towards song writing.

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?
10. To name a few bands that have inspired us are The Black Dahlia Murder, Despised Icon, Fleshgod Apocalypse, First Fragment, Ending Tyranny and Disentomb and many more. Musically we mix several styles into our songs ranging from Brutal Death Metal to morbid melodic Balck metal and everything in between. Lately I  ( Brent Moerschfelder, guitarist) have been listening to Alterbeast, First Fragment, Dark Funeral, Der Weg Einer Freiheit and even some Sum41 ( they are my non metal guilty pleasure).

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
11. Honestly outside of music I ( Brent ) don't really have many interests outside of music, I might play the odd video game and hang out with friends but most of my downtime is dedicated to my guitar.


12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
12. Goreworm would like to thank you for the opportunity to do this interview and we hope everyone out there that hears us enjoys our music!

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Scientist/Barbelith/2018 Full Length Review

  Scientist  are  a  band  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  expands  on  their  mixture  of  sludge  and  post  metal  on  this  recording  by  adding  in  elements  of  prog  and  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Barbelith"  which  will  be  released  in  April.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  some  psychedelic  elements  also  being  used  at  times  and  the  vocals  bring  in  sludge  style  shouts  and  screams.

  A  great  amount  of  prog  elements  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  distorted  yet  melodic  fashion  as  well  as  some  clean  vocals  also  being  used  at  times  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing.

 Some  tracks  also  bring  in  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  tremolo  picking  while  slide  guitars  are  also  used  briefly  along  with  the  tracks  also  bringing  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  music  also  incorporating  a  great  amount  of  sludge  and  post  metal  elements.

  On  this  recording  Scientist  expands  on  their  sludge  and  post  metal  mixture  by  adding  in  vocals  and  more  black  metal  influences  this  time  around  to  take  their  sound  to  a  different  level,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  and  Grant  Morrison's  comic  book series  "The  Invisibles".

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Scientist  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  sludge  and  post  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Magick  Mirror"  "Retrogade"  and  "(Home)At  last".  8  out  of  10.

https://scientistchicago.bandcamp.com/

Ssanahtes Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Fabien (vox, synth): We’re Ssanahtes, we’re 5 we play dark, luminous, heavy and progressive Music, we’re From Bordeaux, France, We’ve been around since Spring 2013 and we’ve released an ep in April 2015. On the 22nd of March, we’ll release our first album

Franck (Guitar) : We're a heavy band from Bordeaux, trying to not be a [insert major band name] cover band.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that has been presented on the recordings that you have released so far?
Franck : On the first EP, we did with what we could afford and tried to define what the hell we were going for with this.
On the upcoming album, the main songwriter isn't the same person, the drummer actually wrote his parts and no drum samples were used, that alone changes our sound a lot. We went for a dirtier, more textured sound, with a lot more layers in arrangements and tones.
Fabien : Both of them are quite different, as they weren’t composed by the same person, the first one was mainly written by Thomas and it was quite influenced by 90’s bands like Pantera, Down, Eyehategod and also more « modern » band like Meshuggah, The Tony Danza Extravaganza Tap Dance, The Dillinger Escape Plan…

Our first album was mainly composed by Franck with the help of Nicolas, Miguel and Tom, it is completly different yet we’re still playing heavy music. We focused more on the ambiances, structures, textures… it also shows the evolution of the band between the Departure of Thomas (guitar) and Dylan (drums), and the arrival of Miguel (drums) and Tom (guitar)

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Fabien : It deals with my life, experiences, feelings… and the songs can have different meanings, Kumaru for instance will talk about all those people who’re hidding themselves by behind books : reading them but not understanding them, but also it talks about living in a complete lie, hiding your feelings, always playing an act. Sad Song will talk about all thoses moments when you do few but act like as if you’ve moved moutains, the lyrics in Talking in Circles came to my mind when I was in Seoul, I was walking by 2a.m, it was very cold but it was dry, so it was quite pleasant too, this song talks about being in peace and moving forward ! Let Down refers to an unpleasant period of my life, when I was put aside of music, each time I was trying to form a new band, working with people they’ll just tell answer : « I don’t know, do it alone ! you’re not made for that » and in the mean time, they were forming bands between themselves… Let Down can be about being put aside and you don’t know why ! None’s listening is about all these chats I’ve heard when I was going to different clubs, the same people were ALWAYS talking about the SAME projects, bands, the same words… trying to convince themselves but actually doing nothing. To Seal Off a Breach talks about being afraid to be alone, something very childish.
Franck : Self-doubt, hatred, frustration, depression and betrayal.
Some songs like Kumaru have political overtones, but we see music-making as a political statement in itself, you just can't escape it.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Ssanahtes'?
Franck : The intention here was finding a name that wasn't taken, so we basically took the romanian word for Satan and reversed it, added two S at the beginning and there you go : it doesn't mean shit, it just isn't taken, and sounds somewhat evil and whatnot.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Fabien : After being unable to sing in a band or play on stage during many years, each show we play is the best. I’m lucky enough to work with people I can trust, we share the same goals and we will go as far as we can ! I don’t know how to describe how our stage performances are, before each set I’ll feel both excitment and anger, when the first note starts I go into some kind of a trance. I think everyone has a different approach, feeling of our shows !
Franck : I really don't know, but sharing the stage with Black Tusk was a lot of fun !
Our stage performances are what you would expect I guess, loud, obnoxious, regular metallers don't understand what the hell is going on, hardcore kids fight each other pissing off the metallers, and hipsters try to rationalize all this mess between two sips of pretentious beer or puffs of weed.

Mathias: i'm a new member, so the few I know about our show came from the tour we just ended in Spain. We're Raw as fuck! Full of hate and frustration...poeple told me they can see
demon on our faces...I guess we just live for our songs! we give every inch of what we have to bury inside in "the real life".If you want an advice for our show "don't stay in the front if you want to chill because we're going to fuck you up!" But at least we're nice guys out of stage

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Fabien : We’ve just came back from our Spanish tour with Atavisma (Doomed death metal, France), it was our first tour ever and it was amazing I’m currently show in France for May and June. I’ll book few more gigs until the end of 2018!

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your recordings by fans of underground and post metal?
Fabien : We’re quite a tiny band, but when we promoted our first EP we had support from American, English, German, Greek and Italian webzines ! But our Spanish tour was great: we’ve met amazing bands, people… the Spanish metalheads and punks loved our music and we’ve loved touring in Spain! We’ll definitely tour across Spain again!

8.Can you tell us a little bit more about some of the other bands or musical projects that some of the band members are a part of?
Franck : Nicolas plays in Exocine, a technical-death metal band, which is kinda funny when you think about it. This guy litterally plays from 55bpm up to 300bpm. What a crazy fuck. https://www.facebook.com/Exocrine/

Miguel plays in Zazur, a progressive rock act that released a demo a few months ago. https://www.facebook.com/Zazurband/

I also play guitar in Baculum, a sludge/black band with some satirically hateful french lyrics. First album is out at https://baculum666.bandcamp.com/
And Eyora, an atmospheric/prog death metal band, which has an album scheduled for release roughly round the same time Tool will release its new album.

Mathias: By now i only focus on Ssanahtes because it takes all of my free times and their is
so much to do with those dudes that i can't get myself into another bands with people.
So i have two project solo. One called Ash Hole, basicly it's some ode to the good old movies i've grown up with.  you can check it here https://ashhole.bandcamp.com/music (and older project or bands too). Plus i'm working on an electro punk 80's horror project, still under the name of Ash Hole, butas i want to release a full album… only Franck and my Roommate heard how it sounds

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Franck : We have a few leads about that, we already started recording ideas and demos. Some of them are pushing in a more industrial/shoegaze direction, while others are going further into slow, dragging and downtuned riffs. But this time we don't want it to be one person bringing in finished songs and then arranging them together in the box, we want to take the time to jam together in a room, see how that goes, and overall change how the band writes it's material -again- to keep things fresh and exciting. I really like the idea of a record being it's own little world and for that to happen you have to change habits from record to record.
Fabien : As Franck said, we already have some demos, jams and ideas recorded, I’d like to have shortest song

Mathias: i think they hired me to offer something else for new songs, so i guess i would love
to introduce 80's punk hardcore or 2000 hardcore'n'roll bass line (and i bet Fabien will love me for this!)

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?
Franck : Neurosis is a big one, but you'll also hear hints of Kickback and Russian Circles. I really suck at comparing what we do to other people's stuff. Nowadays I've been enjoying a lot of chaotic and dissonant forms of death metal and black metal in the likes of Gorguts and Portal.
Miguel : For me Everything except metal and Rock nowdays. Of course in the past as youngsters we did listen to bands like Isis, Cult Of Luna, Post rock stuffs that led us to get out of more traditional metal or hardcore context. I think that the more you listen to other types of music, the more you are performing in the style you play actually because you must be creative with other tools to create what would have been obvious (and so very shitty and unoriginally sounding) by listening to bands playing in the same “scene” the same “style”. I would say, to be more extreme that you don’t need to be influenced musically to be a good composers or musician, you need to FUCKING PRACTICE your instrument methodically, CLOSE YOUTUBE, CLOSE FACEBOOK and make work your intuition.
Fabien : I’m currently listening to Monolithe’s brand new record and I’m listening a lot to “Time will die and love will burry it” from Rolo Tomassi! in 2017 I’ve listened a lot to : Drab Majesty, Higher Power, Hightower, Code Orange, Oasis, Thundercat, The Internet (and all their solo acts !), Aphex Twin, Nine Inch Nails, Laibach, Boris, Full of Hell & The Body collaborations. I’ve listened a lot to Daniel P. Carter’s Rock Show, Phil Taggert’s Bedtime Mix and Gilles Peterson’s worldwide music !
But as Miguel said I won’t listen to a lot of doom, post-metal, sludge… I’m already playing this kind of music and I try to listen to different kind of music, even if I still have this «rock and metal » oriented background !

Mathias (bass): I'm an open minded person, so i listen so many different things... that doesn't make sens. For me, music is just about feeling! I need to listen something that fit the mood i'm in.
But i'll also join Miguel's point of view. You need to feed Yourself with so many different influences to enjoy yourself and to create something the crow didn't heard 3000000 times.
Most of the time i Listen to my old Punk Hardcore records (Black Flag, Minor Threat,
Ramones, GG Allin,Zero Boys,Adolescents) Capenter Brut or Mastodon.
I'm into a lot of horror music shit too like Danzig, Misfits, Nekromantix, Calabrese or Horrorpop.
When i'm full of hate it's mostly violent thing like Slayer (especialy Disciple!) Slipknot (2
first album only),Nine, Kvelertak, Black Cobra, Gallows, Black Hole.
When i can't stand poeple their only thing i want to listen is Le Klub des Loosers,it's french
and really hard to explain...but i would describe him as "a french rapper, who can't stand
how poeple act or drive their life". really filthy and rough but with sensitive beat. That's feed
my depresion and i enjoy this! Also the 2 first records of The Horrors, and PUP!
As i am a Pothead i git into Stoner like Red Fang, Fu Manchu or Asteroïd and Bare Wires
I also enjoy shit like Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Weezer (blue album only) or Katy Perry
(when i'm in a good mood but don't happend that much).
I really listen sooo many things so i can't really make a list.But Mostly i love it violent,
rought, filthy and old!

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Franck : Really unhealthy amounts of poor quality coffee, then complaining about still being tired, but with a faster heart rate.
Fabien : I’m studying archæological sciences and Japanese art, I love martial arts, reading, playing video games and I try to draw when I have the time.

Mathias: Music i a big part of my life since i'm seven, so i guess that lead me to all that
"artistic bullshit", like comic books (black hole, ghost world or scott pilgrim).
Cinema (good old horror movies), Tattoo, video games, Internet memes, photography,
Turbojugend, Skateboard, Midget Porn and so many other weird things about human
degeneration and behavioral study. I'm also a cat lover

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Franck : "Think for yourselves, question authority and never repeat whatever bullshit other people say.
Fabien : Thank you for this interview and thank you to anyone who has listened to our music, came to a show, talked with us… this interview is dedicated to DIDIER ! and JORIER !

Miguel : Thanks to Pulko.

Mathias: VENI VIDI MEJEJ

https://ssanahtes.bandcamp.com/

The Crown 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?

Since the recording of the album we have taken a small well-deserved rest. After more than a years intensive work in the rehearsal and studio. Also we need the time to do promotion and interviews and read all the raving reviews! The album is not released yet. It will be released 16th of march and we will celebrate this date with 2 simultanious releaseparties, one in Sweden and one in Germany. We are also planning and booking the live dates for 2018.

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?

It’s a new album, new songs, new drummer.  I think it is more or less the same style we have been doing since Hell Is Here (98). That means a mix of different Metal elements with some punk and rock attitude. I feel we have more energy on this new album. We have done the Hard work in the rehearsal room. So it is a real band effort which I think you can hear on the final product.

3.Since 2010 there has only been 3 full lengths, can you tell us a little bit more about the gaps in between recordings?

Well there has been a lot of problems with line up which now is settled. We now have a stable and strong line up that I hope will last for a long time.

4.The band was broken up for 3 years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?

Well we started when we were 14 year old kids. After 14 years we felt that we needed to take time off and take care of personal business that had been left out. For me it was having children and getting a proper education. Because this Death Metal stuff is great but it does not put food on the table. After having taken care of that the need grow again to get back in the saddle. We have been doing this for so long that it is a Very important and integrated part of our lives.

5.When the band reformed they where known as 'Dobermann' briefly before reverting back to your older name, can you tell us a little bit more about this decision?

The Dobermann was a band project with me and Whiplasher from Deathstars that never happened. Most of the material I wrote for that ended up in another form on the Doomsday King album after I approached the other guys to be part of it again.

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 have done many shows that I have found memories of f ex. Wacken , Tokyo, Gothenburg, Los Angeles. The stage performance is straight up full on. Nothing fancy. Just great music and hopefully a lot of energy. We were brought up with old Metallica and the thrash bands so we keep it real.

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

Yep there are some shows already booked, UK first up. More shows will be booked so keep your eyes open If you want to join in!

8.This is the first album you have released on 'Metal Blade Records' since 2004, can you tell us a little bit more about returning back to this label after all of these years?

Yeah it was a logical step for us. They have released most of our back catalogue and we have had a good relation working with them before. It feels great working with them again.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to the newer music by fans of extreme metal?

The reviews on the up-coming album have been tremendous. Can’t wait to release it to our loyal fans!

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 have put most of that aside to focus on The Crown. It’s just Henrik that does live drums for Soils of Fate now and then.

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

I think we have found a nice formula with lots of variety and different flavouring that we should keep doing. I think it is important that the music is honest. That you do the music you want to hear yourself. Try to Keep the passion up!  Otherwise it turns stale and boring, trying to fit into the cookie-cutter formats.

12.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?

I have my musical roots in the thrash, Death, grind and black scene of the 80/90ies. Bands that have influenced me on this new album is Anti Cimex, Venom, Black Sabbath, Deströyer 666, Hellhammer etc.

13.How would you describe your views on Satanism?

We have Never had the image of being some Dark High priests or grand masters of the occult arts. That is not for us. We play Metal. That’s it. Satanism is a tricky subject. Everyone seems to have their own definition. I am interested in mythology, metaphysics and religion. It is interesting to see that when religion and the Church abolished Hell and The devil, these more terrible aspects of the divine turned up in Metal. I am not a satanist. I am a traditionalist you can say. I believe that satan is, in a way, an aspect of the divine and an important piece of the whole.

14.What are some of your non musical interests?

I work and I have a family. I also like reading and liftning weights.

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

Thanks for the interview! Check out Cobra Speed Venom If you want to get jackhammer to the brain!

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