Needless Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Needless are from Hungary, we play death metal, with a melodic mixture of thrash and black elements. If you like ferocious vocals, ghostly screams and technical riffs along with energetic pace, Needless is for you.

2.Recently you have released your first full length, musically how does it differ from your previous demo and ep?
Perhaps we did more experiments with our melodic side. We tried out some ideas which related to genres like melodic or even progressive death metal. We tried to create a strong atmosphere and mood on our new record along with the usual ferocious and aggressive patterns which are our "brand".

3.The band has been around since 2004 but so far have only put out 3 releases, can you tell us a little bit more about the 4 to 6 year gaps in between releases?
In the first ten years Needless was only a home project, did by friend, for our own pleasure. We did not take the whole band seriously until 2014. From that point Needless started to evolve as an active underground formation here in Hungary. We started to do more serious gigs alongside with Nervosa, or Nuclear, and we came up with our first EP called The Dark Spirit of Ages. After it's release the band had several personal swaps, but we manage to outlive that difficult time. The friendship lasted through all these years, and an incredibly talented guitarist joined us. His name is Botond Fogl, and he also was an old friend of the band. So we can tell that Needless is like a huge family right now.

4.The lyrics on the new album cover different myths, philosophies and religions, can you tell us which mythologies, philosophies ore religious views you explore with your music?
I, as a songwriter have different inspirations regarding the lyrical side of Needless. What is important for me the most is the visions and symbolism. I use stories, myths, and legends as symbols to hide a more profane, moral message to the listeners. I use biblical themes (Babel) alongside with characters and gods from african, mesopotamian, and european ancient folklore, and tales. Or sometimes I have thoughts about criticism of religion and other deceptive and harmful human abstract constructions for example religious wars, or inquisition. The lyrics of Sky Burial stands out a little from Heresy. That song tells a tale about transmigration, and would like to capture a man's hopes about a better afterlife (or not).

 5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Needless'?
Needless is a symbol for all of those things and persons who are neglected, unnecessary, expendable, worthless. These are all the lives which are and was victims of human history. The band tells their sad, and nihilistic story and sing about their legacy.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
It was made by a german artist Maximiliam Wagner. He is mostly into black metal. We saw his works in a page regarding And Justice for Art and were completely blown away. The image visually fulfills our music completely. It is infernal, mystical, and otherworldly. Something you can dwell deep into.

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Our best show so far was before Dew-Scented and Flotsam and Jetsam. It was an awesome show we did 3 years ago. On the stage we try to be as heavy as possible, and we feel honesty as a very important factor in our career, and we try to communicate this on stage as well.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
We will hit several stages in Hungary from the beginning of this autumn. We are trying to get contacts from abroad as well, especially from the neighbor countries.

9.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
We received a few interests from labels, from smaller ones up to some serious offers. However due to mostly financial reasons, we weren't in a status to accept any of them.

10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of death, black and thrash metal?
In a nutshell we have positive feedback from all around the world. We got feedbacks and appraisals from countries like Indonesia, USA, Taiwan ect. This is the most surreal and awesome thing what the band experienced so far. We are very happy about Heresy right now.

 11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Right now we cannot wait to hit the road for a smaller tour, and we are collecting the thoughts and ideas for our new record already. Musically? It is hard to tell yet. We would like to go deeper into that cave we mined with Heresy. Perhaps trying out more progressive and epic stuff on our next record, but time will tell.

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 have influenced a lot from the extreme metal music of the nineties. Mostly death and thrash metal. We love the millennial era also: the progressive and melodic works from the 2000's. Right now we listen to all kinds of music. And it's always changing from time to time. For example right now I can't stop listening to Deceased... and Vektor, our guitarists however are both into Queen, and who knows what kind of music comes next.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?
We all love video games and cold beer.

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Go and listen to our latest work Heresy, we hope you'll all enjoy it, and we also hope to meet you folks live. And at last but not least we would like to thank you all your support with this interview. Cheers from Hungary!

Bandcamp

Facebook

Google+

SoundCloud

Twitter

YouTube

Stozhar/Holodom Bitv V Obyatya Zimy/Stygian Crypt Productions/2019 CD Review

  Stozhar  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review of  their  2019  album  "Holodom  Bitv  V  Obyatya  Zimy"  which  was  released  by  Stygian  Crypt  Productions.

  Folk  instruments  start  off  the  album  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  along  with  a  brief  use  of  battle  sounds.  Vocals  bring  in  more  of  a  death  metal  style  as  well  as  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  black  metal  influences.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Clean  vocals  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Synths  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  some  female  vocals  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  as  well  as  some  fast  tremolo  picking  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Russian  and  cover  Slavic  Paganism,  Patriotism  and  Battle  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Stozhar  are  a  very  great  sounding  folk  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Yarost"  "Nochi  Horovod"  and  "Pamyat".  8  out  of  10.

http://stozhar-band.ml/   

Needless/Heresy/2019 Full Length Review

  Needless  are  a  band  from  Hungary  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2019  album  "Heresy".

  Classical  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  vocals  are  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  screams  that  also  introduce  elements  of  black  metal  onto the  recording.  Throughout  the  album  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts. 

  At  times  the  music  also  has  its  atmospheric  moments  along  with  the  music  also  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  as  well  as  having  some  more  modern  influences  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  synths  can  also  be  heard  and  at  times  the  vocals  also  capture  the  semi  melodic  side  of  thrash.

 As  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  the  closing  track  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  introduces  whispered  vocals  onto  the  recording.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  different  myths,  philosophies  and  religious  beliefs,  to  show  the  marrow  of  humanity's  true  nature  and  it's  place  in  the  world.

  In  my  opinion  Needless  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Babel's  Fall"  "Marked  By  A  Black  Sigil"  and  "Sky  Burial".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/OD2tytLdNfY

https://needlessofficial.bandcamp.com/

Vereor Nox/Self Titled/Earth And Sky Productions/2019 CD Review

  Vereor  Nox  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  played  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2019  album  which  was  released  by  Earth  And  Sky  Productions.

  Dark  sounding  keyboards start  off  the  album  along  with  some  narrative  style  spoken  word  parts  a  few  seconds  later  before  adding  in  a  more  symphonic  style  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music.  Vocals  also  bring  in  a  mixture  of  both  death  metal  growls  while  the  guitar  riffing  and  keyboards  is  more  in  the  black  metal  vein.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  while  the  songs  also  bring in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  a  lot  of  the  guitar  riffing  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  A  great  amount  of  90's  influences  can  also  be  heard  in  the  bands  musical  style  as  well  as  some  clean  playing  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  grim  screams  and  classical  guitars  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  mythology,  psychology  and  Dark  Souls  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vereor  Nox  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "My  Dear  Sister"  "The  Silence  In  The  Cathedral"  and  "Your  Grave".  8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp

Facebook

YouTube

        

Baradj/Hunnar/2019 Full Length Review

  Baradj  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  an  experimental  form  of  post  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2019  album  "Hunnar".

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  vocals  which  also  use  screams  at  times  that  also  gives  the  music  a  touch  of  black  metal  a  few  seconds  later  as  well as  the  solos  and  leads  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  folk  instruments  are  also  added  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times.

  Clear  vocals  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  acoustic  guitars  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  progressive  feeling.  Elements  of  post  rock  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  some  clean  playing  also  being  utilized  at  times.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  music  gets  more  experimental  along  with  some  songs  also  showing  influences  of  shoegaze  and  ambient  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  instrumentals,  one  track  also  introduces  whispered  vocals  onto  the  recording  and  most  of  the  music  sticks  to  more  of  a  mid  tempo  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a s elf  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  and  cover  Tengrism,  Bulgarian  Folklore,  the  history  of  centuries-long  wars  and  the  reign  of  great  leaders  who  had  an  immense  influence  on  the  whole  world.

  In  my  opinion  Baradj  are  a  very  great  sounding  post  folk  metal  band  and  if  you  are  looking  for  something  very  original  sounding,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hunnar"  "Attila"  "Tengri"  and  "Khiyal -  Boiek  Bolgar".  8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp: baradj.bandcamp.com
Instagram: instagram.com/baradj
Youtube: youtube.com/c/Baradj
Facebook: facebook.com/baradjband/
VK: vk.com/baradj
Telegram: t.me/baradj_telegram       

Allone/Allone.../Aesthetic Death/2019 CD Review

  Allone  are  a  duo  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  avant  garde  black,  dark  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Allone..."  which  was  released  by  Aesthetic  Death.


  Wood  burning  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  slow,  melodic  and  heavy  musical  direction  which  also  introduces  elements  of  dark  and  doom  metal  onto  the  recording.  Synths  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  and  all  of  the  instruments  sound  very  powerful.

  All  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  clean  vocals  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  an  avant  garde  feeling.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Classical  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  the  album  closes  with  an  instrumental,  towards  the  end  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  isolation  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Allone  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  avant  garde  black,  dark  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out t his  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Challenge  To  The  Dark"  and  "Ruins".  8  out  of  10.

https://allone2018.bandcamp.com/releases

Seraph In Travail Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
-We're just three guys trying to write the most powerful songs that we can. There's nothing special about us individually, so we try to create something greater than the sum of its parts.

2.Recently you have released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
- Lest They Feed Upon Your Soul is really just a maturation of the sound we've been building for years now. More speed, more tech, more atmosphere, more melody.

3.This is your first album since 2015 can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during that time frame?
-Most of this album was written and recorded before the end of 2017. I couldn't finish the lyrics to most of the songs even after the music was recorded. Nothing seemed good enough. The rest of the guys jumped in to help me and we finished it. Part of the time we were just obsessing over the mix and master which we did ourselves. We learned a lot in the process and have committed ourselves to releasing something every year from here on out.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored over the years with your music?
-The main themes: death, dying, the inevitability of death, and of course, being dead. I've found that to think often and well of death builds a firm and lovely frame in which to view the life held therein.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Seraph In Travail'?
-In highschool my buddy Wes played guitar with me; at a practice he said I sounded like an angel giving birth. The phrase struck a chord with me. Later it went through a thesaurus and came out as Seraph In Travail; it's now more of a mascot name than anything.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
-Ollie Gill is a tattoo artist/composer/guitarist from Ireland. His band is called The Blessing Way. I've been following his art and music online for awhile, and I realized he would probably be able to hear the music and represent it visually. I was right. All I told him is I wanted to see a warrior with his back toward the viewer, facing down a massive evil force.

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
-Our best shows have been since Mike Shaw took over on drums in 2016. He's a dyed-in-the-wool death metal drummer who leaves nothing to chance. We've really only ever played locally, but our best shows were at the Whiskey Tango and the Trocadero in Philadelphia, both of which are closed now RIP. We try to use movement and facial expression make the show a convicted communication of the music rather than a recitation.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
-We will continue to play locally for now; further out, if the album is decently well-received, we'll look at options to do our first tour as a buy-on situation rather than book it ourselves.

9.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
-There was some marginal interest from a few newer labels after our first album, nothing since this last album. We're not really out shopping either. If somebody wants to come in and can help us do specific, objective things that we cant do for ourselves we'll consider it, otherwise we'll just keep making music at our pace.

10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black, death and symphonic metal?
-Hard to gauge from where I stand. Seems like a few diehards are really into it just from what I can see on the comments. It seems like the video for Temptress has alot of views. I'm looking forward to getting some critical reviews.

11.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
- Dan is working on a solo project which is mainly finalizing unfinished material from his last band. He's considered doing it as a Seraph album. Mike has done fill-in tours with Grave Gnosis and session drums with Nakhiel, hes also studying for a degree in music so he's playing all the time. I filled in with Malphas for a few months until they got a full time bassist.

12.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future? -Were working on two things now, one is probably going to be an EP full of covers of classical music in tech death style: Bach, Vivaldi, etc. The other is a concept album on which we're trying to create a more soundtrack feel and sharpen our rhythmic edge.

13.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? Obviously classical music is a big player for us. My greatest phobia is plagiarism, so if I hear a great song I try not to listen to it often. That said, I've recently listened to Abiotic, the Kennedy Veil, Angelseed, Since The Fire, and Erciyes Fragment (!) ...do yourself a favor.

14.What are some of your non musical interests?
-Science and math. I used to love sci-fi, but the -fi part just got boring. So I'm back in school. Every day is like the one good part in a movie where they explain the hypothetical ideas or drop words you want to look up.

15.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
-We appreciate the opportunity to do these questions. To the reader, thanks for giving our music a chance. If it means something to you please give it to someone else.

Bandcamp

Facebook

Homepage

Instagram

ReverbNation

YouTube