Crimfall Interview

Mikko Häkkinen – Vocals, lyrics
Jakke Viitala – All music

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
MIKKO
A lot of waiting for sure. The recording itself took quite some time since we didn't have the label to financially support us and had to use time consuming means to get everything on tape. Then the actual mixing took surprisingly long, but it must have been something to do with hundreds and hundreds of tracks the songs contained. When we finally had the complete album in our hands we approached various record labels and started the negotiations for the deal. And of course the actual release of the album took months. Meanwhile we have been doing few live shows, shooting our first music video and planning for the future.

2.You have a new album coming out during the end of August, 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?
JAKKE
AMAIN is a beast. It is the most epic Crimfall album so far. It has the enegry of our first album but also the mood and visuality from our second. So it is kind of hybrid but with everything tuned up to eleven.

The songwriting, musicalship, arrangements and the whole production is taken to a complete new level. So, like everyone usually tend to say about their latest work "this is our best album so far"...but it really is... seriously!

3.You label your music as 'epic cinematic metal', can you tell us a little bit more about this term?
JAKKE
Coming up with a term has been a difficult task. We have had a chat about it with all of our record labels and promoters, but we simply cannot cover our music with one term without giving wrong impression about the music. Our material varies a lot by taking inspiration from all the possible sources. But there are few elements which have been present since the beginning of our band. Epicness and movie scores.


4.This is your first full length since 2011, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?
JAKKE
Since our previous album "the writ of sword", quite a lot has happened. We were already working on these new songs in 2011 when our previous label had to let us go due to their financial problems. We were alone again.... without anyone supporting us. Because of that we were struggling quite a lot with our motivation and even had a meeting about our future. But as the new album was already written and the demos already sounded pretty impressive, we decided to try one more time... and make it perfect! And as we had to pay everything from our own pockets, we also had to do as much as possible by ourselves... But still invest huge amount of money to the production.

The recording and editing process itself took more than one year from drums to vocals. Mixing all the 1600 tracks to one album took almost half an year. So even if 6 years is a long time indeed, we have been working on AMAIN almost for the whole time. Doing as massive album as this one by yourself (while having a daily job) simply cannot be done any faster.



5.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
MIKKO
One of the themes is facing unsurmountable odds with your back against the wall and coming through that storm a changed man, with tempered new truths. We also want to celebrate freedom in its many forms, rebellion against rules of oppression and outright lies meant to bind your will. This time we are dealing more with contemporary topics than dwelling in the past and myths.

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Crimfall'?
MIKKO
It doesn't really have such a deeper meaning. We wanted a name that wouldn't point too evidently to any genres and wouldn't necessarily carry too obvious meaning. Rather a symbol that raises images and connections from your subconscious. I can say we were thinking of Finnish autumn when ending up with the name.

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?
MIKKO
I could mention two highlights. One was the sold out concert in London warming up Turisas where we felt really welcome. Another one was Metal Fest Open Air in Pilsen with an awesome location. But we do enjoy playing in small stinking clubs where the audience is spitting beer in your face. We aim to bring on stage all the visuality and intensity of the music but without cheap gimmicks. Building a journey or arc of drama and contrast with the music.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
MIKKO
Few shows have been released but otherwise it seems our plans will be delayed until next year. It is a shame since we are eagerly waiting to get back to the stage to play the new songs.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer music by fans of folk, viking and black metal?
MIKKO
The first reviews are only now pouring in so it remains to be seen what the final reception will be. So far it has been mostly positive and we have been finding new audiences amongst the people who don't normally listen to this kind of music. Also our music video did get lot of positive feedback and we are excited how it turned out. We wanted something that would really capture the relentless and dismal atmosphere of the song.

10.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
MIKKO
I have somewhat darker pagan metal band Draugnim that is actually older than Crimfall but hasn't been able to gather as wide audiences. It is more uncompromising and closer to black metal and I'm extremely satisfied how the latest album "Vulturine" turned out so feel free to keep the name in mind. Helena used to have quite many different projects but to my understanding she will be focusing more on song writing and staying in the background with those. I would imagine Jakke to have other projects at some point but currently he is way too consumed by efforts he puts on Crimfall.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
JAKKE
It is too early to say. All the Crimfall albums are pretty different to each other. As our music comes straight from the heart and is not giving a poo about the trends or public opinion, the sound and style starts to find its form sometime during the writing process. They all represent the era they were written, the music, movies or other sources of inspiration which were playing important role that time.


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?
JAKKE
I'm listening mostly movie scores and classical music. Of course I have been listening to metal music since I was a little bastard, but nowadays rarely find any impressive new albums. So for me movie score have much more to give at the moment.

The story telling and kind of visuality that type of music has is something I try to create with Crimfall as well.


13.How would you describe your views on Paganism?
MIKKO
Paganism to me is most of all source of vehement inspiration, it taps into roots of all archetypes, subconscious gods if you will that resonate vigorously when conjured. One cannot also forget the primeval understanding of man being part of nature and not the king of creation, or even kingmaker with his figment gods.

14.What are some of your non musical interests?
MIKKO
Collecting literature, especially of esoteric nature. Good craftsmanship on drinks and dining. Traveling. Previously I would have said movies but the new golden age of tv-series has changed that a bit. Oh and wrestling drunk in Finnish summer cabin. Jakke hunts, but rarely hits anything.

15.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
MIKKO
If you feel that our music has given you something, please support it by coming to the shows, sharing our tunes, spreading the word and feeding the flame.

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SinnerAngel Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
1.Of course. Sinnerangel is a band from the city of Medellín, Colombia, which combines and mixes several genres of metal without established guidelines. Our denomination is the Dark Metal

2.In June you had released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
2.Our sound is the result of a decade of musical experimentation, we wanted to take the time to find the style that is finally reflected in the album. As we emphasized in the previous question, we never wanted to enter the studio with everything completely defined or established, and in a certain way it is what gives an identity to our music.

3.The band has been around since 2004 but waited until 2017 to release an album, can you tell us a little bit more about the first 13 years?
3.The band had an important activity at the local level for the first 5 years, at that time we did not have enough perseverance to continue with the project on the rise and each member ended up focusing on their personal projects. In 2014 we started the activities again and we started the project to what would be our debut album.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
4.Our vocalist is the author of most of the lyrics, he takes a lot of theatrical literature and in that sense we consider that they are like short poems and writings that we try to preserve to give identity to the sense of obscurity.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'SinnerAngel'?
5.Sinnerangel is duality and contradiction to time. It is the profane and the sacred. In a way the name gives us a little bit to express the band's sense of not being on one side

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?
6.In our first stage we shared the stage with important national bands of great trajectory like REINCARNATION AND NEUROSIS, I believe that these bands have international recognition, since both had at that moment more than 20 years of trajectory. Then came other minor concerts and in this new stage of the band we are preparing better with our performance, we hope to have our album launch soon with a concert that has better conditions on stage.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
7.We are in talks with some bands and labels. But our priority for the moment is to launch the album nationally.


8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
8.We receive weekly review reports on zines, websites and other media. It is encouraging to see how there are good comments on our music, keeping in mind that it is our debut. Currently there are many emerging bands worldwide and it is difficult to highlight in any way. But it's a long-term job.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
9.Definitely composing a new work, and advancing conversations to play at an international level.

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.Each member has his tastes and therefore the band has this multiplicity of sounds, in general melodic death, black metal and much of the old school metal is always present in our most common tastes. Bands like Hipocrisy, old man childs and at the gates, are influences of our first stage

11.Does Occultism play any role in your music?
11.I would say that more than an occult theme we are talking about the decadent human gods, the need for approval to continue living and the constant fear of death.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
12.Hahaha, well, no one is a mystery that few metal bands can dedicate entirely to music. We all have alternative life projects, and our areas of work are architecture, photography, couching and things like that.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
13.A huge thank you to Qabar Extreme Music and our GRIMM DISTRIBUTION labels for the support and diffusion in this time. To all the readers I recommend to visit our channel and fan page, to acquire our album and to be attentive to the innovations that we can bring in a future! Long live the metal from Colombia!

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Astaroth Incarnate Interview

1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
- Astaroth Incarnate, literal meaning being Astaroth in the flesh. We are a Blackend/Extreme Metal band formed in October 2013 in Toronto. We consist of 5 members – Astaroth (Sam) (vocals/lyrics), Pablo (guitars), Ric (guitars), Sergio (bass), Emile (drums) and our vision is to bestow the ideologies of Astaroth to our hell spawns through our interpretations and relating them to our world and society of today. Our goal is to create extreme metal which feels limitless in its creative form while staying true to our roots and influences in metal.

2. So far you have released a demo and an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings?
- For our demo, we didn’t have real drums and basically did the whole thing ourselves and the result was satisfactory for the time being. When our current lineup came together, we felt a lot more confident in our material and felt that we should release the album professionally so we first demoed the whole album. Following that, we entered the studio to record all the instruments by each respective member and we couldn’t be happier with the result. Our sound for this album was focused on a delivering a blackend death metal style with clear production while the overall feeling still remaining natural and not too overproduced.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
- All of our lyrics are built around personal exploration for each spawn to experience in their own way. There is fear, knowledge, punishment, strengthening, torture, judgement, enlightenment and many other subjects which we portray in our material.

4. I know that the band was named after a goetic demon, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in Occultism or Demonology?
- Our front man Astaroth (Sam) from researching and reading up on demonology feels strongly connected with the demon Astaroth and in many ways connects with a lot of the ideologies that surrounds his myth. Sam believes that through invoking the spirit of Astaroth within, we are able to connect to our spawns and talk about various aspects of life as we know it and further more into the unknown and beyond.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how wold you describe your stage performance?
- We have had the pleasure of opening for Beyond Creation, Shining (Sweden), Origin and Goatwhore. There are lots of other shows that we have also played which have been memorable experiences. As for our stage performance, we try to deliver live what you hear on the record. We want to sound natural and at the same time use some backup vocals and occasional playback intros/interludes to bring all the layering done in the album to our live audiences. We also focus on our visual aspect and focus on giving our audience a theatrical performance on top of playing our material.

6. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
- We have setup a few shows already and are in the process of locking in some more shows from September and onwards inside Canada, notably our upcoming show opening for Aura Noir. We would also love to play abroad if given the opportunity.

7. The new ep is coming out on 'CDN Records', are you happy with the support the label has given you so far?
- We are quite happy. None of us have dealt with any records labels before and so far the support we have been receiving and continue to receive can only push us to work harder and strive to go further in our career as a band.

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme metal?
- So far we are overwhelmed by the features we are getting from all over the world. No one has really said anything bad but the full album hasn’t come out yet. We have only released a single so far and the reviews on that has been generally great. We have had a couple album reviews as well and those have been great as well. When the album does come out, we would love to hear what everyone has to say. We appreciate both negative and positive reviews as they allow us to analyse how our music is being received and what we could do to further ourselves.

9. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
- We have talked about incorporating some orchestration and obscure clean vocals to evolve our song writing which are hinted in this upcoming album. We plan on experimenting further for our full length to create an even more unique experience for our audience.

10. What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
- We have quite a lot of bands that we are influenced by from both metal to non-metal genres. If you were to ask of our biggest influences in writing the music for Astaroth Incarnate, the following 6 bands would suffice. Belphegor, Dying Fetus, Behemoth, Gojira, Death and Mayhem. As for new material coming out this year so far we like new releases by Carach Angren, Dying Fetus, Ex Deo, Goatwhore, Hate, Kreator, Iced Earth, Immolation, Marty Friedman, Obituary, Suffocation, Wintersun etc. There are many other great releases coming out as well which we are looking forward to.

11. What are some of your non-musical interests?
- We have quite a few. Playing video games, watching anime or tv shows/movies, cosplaying, reading books, road trips, playing sports etc.

12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
- We, Astaroth Incarnate, would like everyone that listens to the album to look at it with an open mind. Read the lyrics, enjoy the music and make of it however that satisfies you. Also, be on the lookout for our full length album which we will be working on next to bring you spawns in the near future.

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From North Interview

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

From North are a new Viking Metal band from Sweden. We incorporate medieval instruments into the music. All of the members have a long history from other bands as: Stormhold, Anata, Bleed for me, Irrbloss, Sinisty, Zero Illusions, Years of falling etc etc.

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

We would describe our music as melodic, big, heavy and dynamic backed by well-made backtracks.

3. Your lyrics deal with Norse Paganism and Mythology, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

Everyone in the band has an interest in the Norse history and mythology. We grow up with this stuff, it is a part of who we are. This also goes for Andreas, our sixth member who writes the lyrics.

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

From North is where we come from. We grow up in this part of the world, so what better name to take...

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

Our next show will be our best show! Ask us again in a year..

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

We have our release gig for the upcoming album on the 20th October @Sticky Fingers in Gothenburg. After that we aim for upcoming festivals and more club gigs.

7.The album is going to be released on 'Downfall Records', are you happy with the support that they have given yo so far?

We are definitely happy with Mike and Downfall. He has done a good work so far and looking forward to further collaboration.

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

We are surprised and really happy with all the great feedback so far! It makes you proud seeing fans using the From North logo and commenting on and supporting the music. We get a lot of curiosity on the rest of the album; and if you like the first song “From North” you will not be disappointed in the rest!

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

We are really happy with our concept! Mixing different styles of metal and medival instruments into the signature From North sound! Next album is already in the making…

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?

Hard to say because of the broad range of our musical taste. We are all metal heads first and foremost but we have influences from many times, places and styles.

11. What are some of your non musical interests?

Some stuff we like: Growing beard, drinking mead, riding motorcycles, sword fighting, drinking Minttu mixed with Jägermeister = the from North shot (Drink at own risk), and enjoying our beautiful nature; fishing, hiking and camping.

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

Keep supporting metal in general and From North in particular! Rock on and see you at a stage near you soon!

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Astaroth Incarnate/Omnipotence - The Infinite Darkness/CDN Records/2017 EP Review

  Astaroth  Incarnate  are  a  band  from  Toronto,  Ontario,  Canada  that  plays  a  very melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  along  with  some  elements  of  thrash,  groove  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  ep  "Omnipotence  -  The  Infinite  Darkness"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  CDN  Records.

  An  almost  silent  soundscape  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  awhile  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  and  drum  beats  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  A  lot  of  melodies  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  riffs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  thrash,  groove  and  doom  metal  elements  along  with  the  vocals  being  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  most  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  at  times  the  music  gets  very  brutal and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  used  briefly

  Astarath  Incarnate  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  black  and  brutal  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  some  elements  of  thrash,  groove  and  doom  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  fear,  knowledge,  punishment,  strengthening,  torture,  judgement,  enlightenment  and  occultism  themes.

   In  my  opinion  Astaroth  Incarnate  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  blackened  death  metal  band  with  elements  of  thrash,  groove  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Curse  Of  The  Black  Plague"  and  "Re-Creation".  8  out  of  10.  

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In Twilight's Embrace/Vanitas/Arachnophobia Records/2017 CD Review

  Poland's  In  Twilight's  Embrace  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  that  continues  their  melodic  approach  to  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017 album  "Vanitas"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Arachnophobia  Records.

  A  very  fast  sound  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  start  off  the  album  while  also  introducing  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  onto  the  recording  and  the riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Vocals  bring  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  grim  black  metal  screams  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  90's  Swedish  influences  and  as  the  album progresses  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  In  Twilight's  Embrace  create  an  album  that  goes  into  even  more  of  a  melodic  blackened  death  metal  style  than  their  previous releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  disillusion,  doubt,  negativity,  solitude  and  darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  In  Twilight's  Embrace  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fan  The  Flame"  "Futility"  and  "The  Great  Leveller".  8  out  of  10.

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Uhtcearu Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We are a Wisconsin based metal band trying to combine meaningful lyrics with music that still has the aggressiveness of extreme metal.

2.So far you have released 2 albums, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings?
We have had the pleasure of recording with Shane Hochstetler at Howl Street Recordings in Milwaukee for both of our albums. He has helped us achieve our goal of creating a raw, yet defined sound. Musically, we are fans of many metal genres and wanted to create a sound that is not limited to the confines of one genre.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Our lyrical themes revolve around personal and societal unease with a hint of supernatural pondering.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Uhtcearu'?
Uhtcearu (oot-key-are-oo) is an Anglo-Saxon word that translates to pre-dawn anxiety or nighttime sorrow.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Well we are currently driving through Ontario to our first date on the Rite of Passage Tour, so are expecting these will be some of the best shows we have played as a band so far. As a three piece, it is important for each member to bring energy to the stage.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Yes, we are in the midst of our first official tour which includes 3 Canadian dates, and 7 throughout the U.S.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Right now we are more focused on developing our sound and gaining experience as a band, but are what open to whatever lies ahead.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of melodic black metal?
The reception has been great so far, especially with the release of our new album. People seem to react to our music as a breath of fresh air in the scene.

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?
Noel, our drummer was just in Europe with Painted Caves, a Milwaukee based Middle-Eastern infused psych-rock band. He also plays in Population Control, which is a thrash band from Milwaukee.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
In the future, we will continue to refine our sound and will not limit ourselves to the patterns set by our previous releases.

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?
Though we are all avid and dedicated metal heads, our music tastes range from jazz-fusion, pop, blues, hip-hop and Polish folk music.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Dustin, our guitar player is a history PhD candidate at the University of Minnesota. Zach, our bass player is a craft beer connoisseur. Noel, our drummer jogs occasionally.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you to everyone who has listened to and supported our albums. We greatly appreciate the growing fan base we are cultivating. Cheers!

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