Monday, July 3, 2023

Efflore Interview

 


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

We are Efflore, a metal band from Taiwan. Our early songs were inspired by personal growth experiences, or horror myths (ex: H.P. Lovecraft). After the change of band members, the current song style is more focused on Taiwan's local culture, such as some Taiwanese history, ghost stories, horror legends...etc.

Every live performance of the band is carefully arranged, and each member also has his own character setting. In the setting, we are all messengers from the abyss, and we also use this identity setting to interact with the fans of the band.  And there will be some black humor and black witty plots.


2.So far you have released a couple of ep's, musically how do they both differ from each other?

We have released 2 EPs, 1 single and 1 collaboration single with Laang so far.

Our past works such as the EP "Abyss" were written with a single guitar structure, the rhythm guitar was added at the end. The synthesizer sound effects accounted for a high proportion of the music structure, and the recording aspect was relatively simple.


For the music of the new EP <Haunted Island >, we have greatly reduced the proportion of synthesizer sound effects, which are only used for the final embellishment. We used the thinking logic of two guitars to construct the music from the beginning, and selected some special scales in the arrangement. Of course, we also paid more attention to the quality of recording and mixing.


3.The lyrics on the new ep cover cover ghost stories, horror legends and urban legends from your home country of Taiwan, can you tell us a little bit more about the stories you have covered lyrically with the new release?

We have selected some popular stories in Taiwan, such as "Wraith in the old Well", tells the story of a woman who crossed the sea from China to Taiwan in search of her husband hundreds of years ago. She was betrayed and killed by her husband, and her body was thrown into a well. In the end, she turned into a spirit of resentment, climbed out of the well and take terrible revenge on her husband.

Another story, “Spirits of the Green Lake”. It is believed that the soul of a drowned person has no rest and is trapped in the water. They will turn into water ghosts and wander in the water until they find another human being and trick them into the water to drown them, so that the water ghosts can rest in peace and get out of the water. Taiwan's famous green water lake "Bitan" has countless people drowning in it every year. Over time, people believe that there are terrible water ghosts living in the green lake.



4.The main religions in Taiwan are Chine Taoism and Indian Buddhism, what roles do these religions play in your songwriting?

In Taiwan's religious view, there is no distinction between good and evil forces, and hell is also a place under the jurisdiction of heaven. The gods who manage hell are more like wardens sent by heaven than devils. Therefore, most of the ghosts described in the EP are souls who stay in the world because of hatred and do not want to go to heaven for trial, or evil monsters who practice sorcery.

We focus more on the state of mind and stories of these evil spirits, telling everyone that they are scary and at the same time telling some of their own thoughts and the reasons why they became like this.


5.On the first ep you also covered the Cthulhu Mythos, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the writings of H.P Lovecraft?

In the first EP, we didn't have the main axis of the whole work, we just wanted to tell scary things. So under the influence of the video games "Bloodborne" and "World of Warcraft", we studied H.P. Lovecraft.

After knowing the horror and vastness of the world of Cthulhu mythology, we even studied the language of the ancient gods, and used grammar to create some lyrics and put them into songs.

Up to now, we are still deeply fascinated by the world of Cthulhu mythology, loving the trembling unknown fear.



6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Efflore'?

In the early days of the band, people thought about what the music of the black metal genre would look like when translated into images. And we all thought of the word "wall cancer" in Mandarin, which is a bit like the painted walls are mottled and moldy due to factors such as moisture.

Later, I found out that there is no word "wall cancer" in English, and a closer word is "Efflorescence", but "Efflorescence" has been used as the name of many bands, so we decided to take only the first few letters and change it to "Efflore". A word that is special but does not deviate from its original meaning.

Therefore, EFFLORE means "wall cancer", an irreversible weathering and moldy phenomenon of walls or buildings


7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new ep cover?

We used a drawing method similar to Ukiyo-e.

The cover is the Tigress Witch, one of the legendary monster in Taiwan, which is also one of the songs in the album. The Tigress Witch in folklore is actually not as huge as in the painting, which belongs to the exaggerated style in Ukiyo-e, and also emphasized that tiger witches usually eat children.

The mountain forest in the blue background is a reference to the "Wangyou Forest" in Nantou, Taiwan. Due to past earthquake disasters, Wangyou Forest has created a group of dead trees that are rare in Taiwan. Some people think the forest is beautiful, and many people think that the forest is full of death.


8.Has the band done any live shows or open to the idea?

Yes, the band has done a lot of live show in Taiwan since its establishment.

From the moment we put on the face makeup, we enter the role we set, performing on stage or interacting with fans. We will arrange different bridges for each performance, so that the audience can be more immersed in our world.


9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of melodic and symphonic black metal?

We found that fans of melodic black metal and symphonic black metal in Europe and America found our music very interesting, and some even called our music genre "Melodic Darkwave Synyh Black Metal".

People in Asia and elsewhere think our music is distinctly different from the melodic black metal of the West, a bit unorthodox, a bit experimental, but overall fun.


10.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Since the band changed members, our main axis direction has become more clear. We believe that in two to three years we will continue to have several new singles and even full albums.

We are thinking about adding more Taiwanese percussion instruments to the songs in the future, and digging into more and deeper Taiwanese horror legends, such as the shaman belief legends of Taiwanese aborigines.

But in the near future, we will first concentrate on the promotion of the EP <Haunted Island >. We are also very much looking forward to the opportunity to perform in countries other than Taiwan.


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?

We were influenced by the early works of Taiwanese bands "Chthonic", "Anthelion", as well as "Dimmu Borgir", "Draconian", "Cradle of Filth".

Nowadays we've been listened a lot of thrash metal bands, like Dust Bolt, OverKill. Also, very immersed in the work of "The Great Old Ones".


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


It is a great honor to have the opportunity to participate in this interview. EP <Haunted Island > is our new attempt, and we are honored to have everyone's support. 

We will launch better works in the future, so stay tuned!


Band Email: effloretw@gmail.com

Instagram: @effloretw

Facebook: www.facebook.com/EffloreTW/

Bandcamp: effloretw.bandcamp.com/


Deimhal Interview

 



Interview answered by: Mika Tönning of Deimhal


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

A1: Indeed, we finally got our debut out and since then time has passed promoting the new release. Our bass player (Timo Lehtinen) and our drummer (Janne Kusmin) have also been busy with their own main band (Kalmah) because they also just released a new album and they are spending time playing shows with them at the moment. However, we have managed to compose a few new songs, which we are slowly starting to build up, and the first single song is well underway, which we hope to be able to release during the coming autumn. 

2.The new ep was released in February, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

A2: The musical style of the EP is quite collective, because the songs had been demoed on my computer for a long time. During the composition phase, I deliberately wanted to bring out nuances from bands that I have been listening to since my youth. The songs changed somewhat during the arrangement stage when we got a synth player and a bassist to join the band. Personally, I'm quite satisfied with the end result, because these are the first songs I've ever composed. 

3.All of the band members have a history playing in other black and death metal bands, what is it that you bring into the music of 'Deimhal' that you have not been able to do with your other groups?

A3: I founded this project because I have never been able to play music in the style I always wanted to do in my previous bands. Symphonic Black Metal has always been the style of music I've listened to and also wanted to play, and now it's also possible. We are still looking for our own style both musically and vocally, so time will tell which of the best aspects of us as musicians will come out for the band. 

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?

A4: Our lyrics on this release are pretty much based on the coldness of the north, mythology and the darkness of the human mind. Maybe for the lyrics on this album could even be called some kind of "Black Battle Metal" 

5.I know that the name 'Deimhal' comes from Irish Folklore and Ancient History, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

A5: Yes, the name Deimhal comes from Irish mythology/folklores where it means angel of darkness/prince of darkness, the angel Dumah (Dumah-el) is also named the angel of death in various stories. When I was younger, I was really interested in the folk tales of different countries and the mythologies related to them, so these things were studied quite a lot in those days. Unfortunately, nowadays time is spent on much other things and these things are much less researched and read. 

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover?

A6: The cover art and the name of the album together are based on how the old bandmates have joined forces again after a long time and have united to play the music that each of them wants to play. That's why, for example, “The Grand Gathering” has been chosen as the name of the album.”




7.Originally the band started out as a solo project, what was the decision behind expanding into a full line up?

A7: Gathering the band around a solo project was more of a time-saving solution. I wouldn't have had the time or know-how to start programming e.g. drum tracks for songs, and I didn't have the opportunity to play the synthesizer either. I could have recorded the guitars and the vocals myself, but if and when we want to go out and perform, we need a whole band together. That's why I asked my friends if they would be interested in joining, and you can hear it in the songs too, that the solution was right because I wouldn't have been able to play and bring it to the songs myself expertise that other members have brought. 

8.So far the band has yet to hit the live stage, what can we expect from your stage performance once you start performing live?

A8: We really haven't played any gigs yet, but hopefully this will change towards the end of next year, as long as we get enough material together for a live performance and we could practice the songs together for the first time. Time will tell what our live performance will look like, but some ideas for it have already come, probably the audience will have to come to the place to watch and evaluate it

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

A9: We are always open to cooperation and we have naturally also approached record companies after our release, but we haven't found any concrete or interesting cooperation pattern. We have received some contract proposals, but they have mostly been distribution proposals. Our problem is precisely that we would need more help in the production phase of the releases and not in the promotion, etc. We know that our releases could be much better now and in the future, but if we still have to continue recording at home, the full potential of our music will never reach the spheres of what it could sound like. 

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

A10: Our music has been surprisingly well received by the listeners, of course some gravel sounds have come from the listeners of more traditional Black Metal, but this is quite understandable because we didn't set out to make music in that style in the first place. We continue to find our own path and if even one listener likes our music, we have already achieved something. 

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

A11: I don't know exactly, but at least "Kalmah", whose members are our bassist (Timo) and our drummer (Janne), just released their ninth album, which has been well received and the album went to number one in the Finnish charts. Our other guitarist's (Gàbor) band "Resolution 13" also just released a new album. Our guitarist (Jukka Hallikainen's) other Black Metal band's project is also apparently making an EP and "Armada North" which consists of me, Timo and Janne just released their debut EP. 





12.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

A12: We haven't thought of making a full-length release until we get a recording contract, because we know that with these resources we won't be able to make the album as good as it should be. Probably our next release will be an EP again. With the new songs, we are going somewhere musically in the direction of "Fleshgod Apocalypse" meets Black Metal, it's still a bit hard to say until we get the songs of the new demos recorded, but our music will change and become different, that's for sure, also because there is new blood on the songwriting side now. We have talked about playing the style that we want in the future and the style that everyone feels comfortable playing. 

13.hat are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

A13: My biggest influences probably come from Norwegian black metal and Swedish death metal from the 90s. Musically, artists such as "Immortal", "Satyricon" and "Dimmu Borgir" have influenced our debut. Nowadays, I listen to a lot of these old black metal and death metal bands, but since listening to music has gone digital, I have also found many new excellent bands to add to my playlists. 

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

A14: Thank you for the interview and listener please follow our social media so you can stay on the map of our new releases and maybe we'll see you live soon! 


Bandcamp: https://deimhal.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ deimhalofficial/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ deimhalofficial/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ deimhalofficial/
Tik tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ deimhal


Sunday, July 2, 2023

Espi Kvlt/Denies My Tongue To Tell/Syrup Moose Records/2023 EP Review

 


  Espi  Kvlt  is  a  solo  artist  from t he  United  States  that  plays  a  mixture  of  ambient,  trap  and  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2023  ep  "Denies  My  Tongue  To  Tell"  which  was  released  by  Syrup  Moose  Records.


  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  start  off  the  ep  while  trap  style  beats  can  also be   heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording.  When  synths  are  utilized  they  also  bring  in  elements  of  ambient  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  some  harp's  also  being  utilized  briefly  and  a  couple  of  tracks  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  female  vocals.


  Espi  Kvlt  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  trap,  ambient  and  black  meta  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  are  basep  upon  different  women  from  the  Shakespeare  tragedies.


  In  my  opinion  Espi  Kvlt  is  a  very  great  soundign  mixture  of  tap,  ambient  and  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Juliet"  and  "Ophelia".  8  out  of  10.


  https://espikvlt.bandcamp.com/album/denies-my-tongue-to-tell


        

Sidirial/The Slumbering/Necrotic Records/2022 Album Re-Issue Review

 


  Sidirial  are  a  band  from  St.  Louis,  Missouri  that  plays  an  industrial  from  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "The  Slumbering"  which  was  re-issued  in  2022  by  Necrotic  Records.


  A  very  epic  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  while  also  introducing  synths  into  the  music  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Spoken  word  parts  can  also b e  heard  briefly  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  industrial  elements  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams.


  Most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  Growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast b eats  can  also  be  heard

 

   Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  one  song  also  introducing  spoken  word  parts  and  clear  vocals  into  the  music  as  well  as  the  guitar  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  when  they  are  utilized,  one  of  the  tracks  is  also  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  based  upon  H.P  Lovecraft's  cosmic  hyper-dimensional  creatures  and  each  track  also  covers  a  different  entity.


  In  my  opinion  Sidirial  are  a  very  great  sounding  industrial  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Children  Of  The  Deep"  "Madness  Divine"  and  "Great  Demise".  8  out  of  10.


  https://officialsidirial.bandcamp.com/album/the-slumbering


 

Tele.S.Therion/Stelios Romaliadas/In Umbra Malitiae Ambulabo In Aeternum In Triumpho Tenebrarum/Radical Matters/2023 Collaboration Album Review

 


  This  is  a  review  of  a  collaboration  between  Italy's  Tele.S.Therion  and  Greece's  solo  project  Stelios  Romaliadas  called  "In  Umbra Malitiae  Ambulabo  In  Aeternum  In  Triumpho  Tenebrarum"  which  was  released  in  2023  by  Radical  Matters  and  it  shows  the  music  going  for  a  mixture  of  acoustomatic  black  metal ,  experimetnal  and  avant  garde.


  Ambient  style  drones  start  off  the  album  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  more  experimental  and  avant  garde  side  of  the  music.  Flutes  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  percussions  also  give  the  recording  more  of  a  ritualistic  feeling  when  they  are  introduced  in  the  first  chapter.


  Demonic  voices  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.  Electric  bass  guitars  are  also  brought  into  the  music  as  more  of  a  lead  instrument  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  heavier  parts  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  a  drone  style  of  doom  metal.  Black  metal  screams  are  also  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  the  whole  album  also  being  improvised  as  well  as  some  electric  guitar  sounds  also  being  added  halfway  through  the  album   


  On  this  recording  Tele.S.Therion  and  Stelios  Romaliadas  mix  there  2  different  styles  together  to  create  something  very  slow,  dark,  heavy  and  experimental  sounding  while  the  production  sounds  very  dark.


  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  collaboration  between  Tele.S.Therion  and  Stelios  Romaliadas  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  experiemtnal,  drone,  avant  garde  and  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  8  out  of  10.


   https://telestherion.bandcamp.com/album/hexis-horm-tik-para-to-kath-kon

Tele.S.Therion/In Umbra Malitiae Ambulabo In Aeternum In Triumpho Tenebrarum/Radical Matters/2023 Full Length Review

 


  Italy's  Tele.S.Therion  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  them  taking  their  acousmatic  black  metal  take  on  the  musical  style  of  Abruptum  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  album  "In  Umbra  Malitiae  Ambulabo  In  Aeternum  In  Triumpho  Tenebrarum"  which  was  released  by  Radical  Matters.


  A  very  silent  prelude  starts  off  the  album  before  adding  in  some  avant  garde  style  piano's  which  also  takes  the  music  into  a  heavier  direction.  Elements  of  doom  metal  and  rone  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  recording  while t he  vocals  are  mostly  tortured  sounding  black  metal  screams  and  melodies  can  also  be  heard  at  times.


  A  lot  of  the  music  also  captures  an  improvised  atmosphere  while  the  electrics  guitars  bring  in  more  of  a  distorted  style.  Electric  bass  guitars  are  also  utilized  as  a  lead  instrument  along  with  the  album  also  having  its  experimental  moments  as  well  as  the  recording  also  getting  very  ritualistic  sounding  at  times,  seconds  of  silence  also  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  album  and  underneath  all  of  the  heaviness  you  can  also  hear  touches  of  ambient  and  jazz  music  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  briefly.


  On  this  recording  Tele.S.Therion  mixes  their  music  style  with  the  earlier  music  of  Abruptum  to  create  a  very  dark,  disturbing  and  ritualistic  recording.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  song  themes  are  based  upon  a  homonym  grimoire  created  by  Abruptum.


  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Tele.S.Therion  and  if  you  are  a f an  of  experimental  and  ritualistic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  8  out  of  10.


  


◢ URL: https://telestherion.bandcamp.com/album/in-umbra-malitiae-ambulabo-in-aeternum-in-triumpho-tenebraru    

Monday, June 26, 2023

Gangs Of Old Ladies/Death Magic Volume One/2023 EP Review

 


  Gangs  Of  Old  Ladies  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2023  ep  "Death  Magic  Volume  One".


  Symphonic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  ep  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs.  Clean  playing  can  also b e  heard  briefly  along  while  all  of  songs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  operatic  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times.  


Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  while  the  last  track  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  fast  playing  and  blast  beats  along  with  most  of  the  music  sticking  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction.


  Gangs  Of  Old  Ladies  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  symphonic  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  monsters,  horror  and  dark  imagery  themes.


  In  my  opinion  Gangs  Of  Old  Ladies  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  emtal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Inner  Demons".  8  out  of  10.


  https://youtu.be/nuS9dXNYBEw

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4lbdgqCCOg71ieT8OtGVwh

https://gangsofoldladiesmetal.bandcamp.com/album/death-magic-volume-one


https://www.facebook.com/Gangsofoldladies

https://www.youtube.com/@gangsofoldladies