Cattle Hammer Interview

 

1.Can you hive us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

Hey, thanks for the opportunity to talk. At the time of this interview, we're fresh into the new year so we're just about to get back into the rehearsal room to resharpen ourselves after the holiday break, as we've hopefully got a really busy year ahead of us with our debut album on the horizon.

2.In 2026 you have a new album coming out, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

'Dark Thoughts With Lights Out' is both nearly three years old and brand spanking new at the same time. The songs on the record are amongst the earliest written for the band, when it was just another in a line of projects I'd busied myself with at the time, before it expanded to a fully live proposition. To date, everything released so far has been written, recorded & produced by myself at home. I daren't say 'home studio' lest it conjure images of anything more extravagant than a laptop and a couple of leads in a box. 

This album, however is the first recording as a full band, and with the benefit of a couple of years worth of fine tuning and expanding upon what I originally thought possible, it is undoubtedly the most complete replication of our sound and vibe I could have asked for. None of which would have been possible without Ike, our drummer and sound engineer by trade who brought to life a lot of the electronic backing and samples I'd always assumed would be confined to studio recordings. He also recorded, mixed and mastered the entire fucking thing too and I can't emphasize his input enough. I will say that if you've heard any of our previous recordings, the versions that are coming your way will be like hearing them for the first time again. 

But like, much, much horribler.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the last couple of years?

I feel like I've learnt more in the last three years in regards to all aspects of music than I have in the previous ten, fifteen years or so of my life. Knowing that there are practical ways to realize some of the ideas I've had in my head for years has enabled me, mainly through trial and error, to figure out ways to incorporate the likes of harsh noise or synthesizers into the sound whether overtly or subtly - or by having a better idea as to replicate some of my other influences. 

Lyrically, Cattle Hammer was built upon foundations of sadness, loss and self-loathing. I hope this isn't the case forever, if nothing for the sake of my own mental health, but life and its trials have ensured that the resounding themes of Cattle Hammer remain and will continue to be those of isolation, despair, grief, rejection, weakness, failure, emptiness, self-hatred, and most of all, love.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Cattle Hammer'.

It sounds really cool. I won't expand further as any references to misheard savoury pastries of Asian origin will only cause disappointment. 

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

Since day one, I've been responsible for the artwork and overall aesthetic of the band for no other reason than it was a solo endeavour at the time, and you'll always have to convince me that there's a better solution for most problems than DIY. 

From the logo to the artwork, I guess my grind / HC / PV background shines through, but I like to think it helps it helps differentiate ourselves a little. There's not any overarching thematic decision to the front cover other than 'feature loads of horrible and/or uncomfortable stuff', but I did spend ages pondering over everything from the positioning of certain images, to manually adjusting the text on each letter of the album title individually (fun fact - directly inspired by the opening titles to the original Nightmare on Elm St) 

I think the front cover is more of an extension of our overall aesthetic and if you can grab a copy of the vinyl in particular, you'll get an idea that the front cover is part of an overall package and vibe that - hopefully - we manage to create.

6.Out of all the shows the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

Out of the shows we've played to date, we supported Margarita Witch Cult in our shared hometown of Birmingham last November, and was probably the most complete we've felt a performance could be for us so far, in terms of sound, performance, aggression and visuals. The Hare & Hounds, the venue, is blessed with a fantastic PA, so a lot of our electronics could cut through more effectively, and with a stage projector, we could also incorporate a 45 minute video backdrop I'd worked on but never been able to use at a venue til then. 

It's difficult for me to describe us from the inside looking out, I guess maybe three cool dudes locked in and rocking hard whilst some hairy idiot has an emotional breakdown next to them? We've been described as intimidating a couple of times, which if meant in the sense of being sonically overwhelming or uncomfortably emotional at times, then I'm more than happy with that. A dense, negative aural experience shot through with the intensity of hardcore. 

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for 2026?

We've a couple of shows to announce shortly, but otherwise, we're just ready to listen to whatever offers come our way, and I'm sure that the release of the album will help. Would absolutely like to do a run of shows so I guess we're just waiting to see what comes our way, not to say we're not averse to maybe sorting a couple of shows out ourselves.  

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

For a relatively low-key, low-profile band I was surprised at how quickly we were contacted by people from across the globe. I think within a week of the Rotting single being released, Riff Merchant Records from the US contacted me to ask if they could put a tape out for us. It's been overwhelmingly and uniformly positive from both fans and peers alike and it's never anything less than truly humbling. 

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?

I guess this is the first time in a while that I haven't got a bunch of parallel projects actively running at once. Not by choice, but obviously Cattle Hammer is taking up a lot of my spare time at the moment. Mouth Toilet (power electronics / harsh noise)  will always be a going concern of mine, and I've the itch to start writing some faster, more hardcore sounding stuff, so that'll be waiting to come out whenever I get the opportunity. There'll always be room for another Disentry record as well. Ike is playing with a project called Mangled Hand, and he's a solo creation called Degenesis which I can't really describe using mere words.

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

Certainly no curveballs coming your way. We've a couple of hours worth of tracks yet to release so we're not short of material and inspiration can strike me at any time. I don't think we need to tune lower, speed up, slow down or make any radical changes - just a constant evolution of what you've heard from us so far, and none of it pleasant. 

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles the band members are listening to nowadays?

It's hard for me to speak for the other members, but we've all got pretty varied tastes with a ton of overlap with each other. Personally I listen to a lot more faster-paced stuff than you'd imagine based on how Cattle Hammer sound. I could literally spend all day on this, so will just refer to my play history and grab the last ten bands from there for now : Integrity, Sick / Tired, Lack of Interest, Grief, Corrupted, Rudimentary Peni, Gauze, Noothgrush, Manhunt, Stomach - not a bad representation really!

Oh, and I lied, I absolutely can answer for Daz : he'll be listening to Danzig, Deicide and Type O Negative. Possibly simultaneously. 

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

Thankyou again for reaching out, it's really appreciated. Big thankyou to Road To Masochist for their invaluable help, support and enthusiasm with getting this album out there into the world. To the person who gave me the confidence to do this in the first place, thankyou. Daz, Joe and Ike - thankyou for bringing this to life so perfectly and for your patience with me. And to all the bands we've played with and to those who've caught us live - thankyou most of all. The album is out February 6th, and apologies in advance for making your lives so much more miserable thereafter.  

https://www.facebook.com/cattlehammer/

HVRT 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?

Well, basicaly we  are trying to get this thing on the road. We played a release show in one of our three hometowns and we are about to play a second release show on january 23th. After that we try to be busy playing live for the rest of the year but booking shows in small underground venues  has become a bit harder than before covid. But yeah, thats basically  the plan as of now.

2.In December you had released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

To me it sounds much more melodic, more song oriented and more rock n roll. The first HVRT record was basically  written as a follow up to the last SHITSHIFTER record (the band we once were before changing our name to HVRT). CANCERBLOOM has more influences and we are experimenting a lot more with different sounds and different  influences.

3.This was also your first album in 5 years, can you tell us a little bit more about the long wait in between releases?

The wait was long for sure. Covid was a huge factor in that peroid of time. We haven´t seen each other for almost two years and during this period our Drummer Tobias left the band. So we had to find a new Drummer and basically re-group ourselves as a band.

4.Lyric wise how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the last few albums?

I´m not sure if there is much progress…..At least for my part of the lyric writing. I´ve always wrote about  stuff that resonated with me on an emotional level and I have never changed that approach. But yeah, in the end, there may be  some progress regarding the quality of the lyrics. We write in English  and German and I think we got better in mixing those two languages.

5.Originally the band was called 'Shitshifter', what was the cause of the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'HVRT‘?\

Changing our name was something we thought about for a while. In the beginning SHITSHIFTER was a fun band that was all about making a lot of noise at maximum volume. We didn´t think too much about songs or melodies but more about how to maximize our sonic impact. At one point we realized that our music wasn´t the same anymore. We started thinking way more about arrangements, melodies, structures and different sounds. So changing the name to HVRT made a lot of sense. The inspiration was the song by Nine Inch Nails/ Johnny Cash…..we were talking about different names and our drummer had a note sheet of that song on his desk. Since we all love the song and the sound of the word, we went with Hurt. Because there is another band with probably the same idea, we went trve old school and ditched the u for a v ;)

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

The artwork es the work of our longtime collaborators Dasha Pliska and Lars Horstmann. Both are friends of ours and we collaborated with them on a lot of different projects. We had a hard time finding the right visuals for this record and we thought about  trying different directions. But in the end, we stayed with working with both Dasha and Lars again since they know exactly what we like and what our music needs.

7.Out of all the shows and tours the band has done so far, which one stands out the most?

Tough question….I remember  a show (still under the shitshifter name) that we played in berlin in a small squatted building. The whole place was hot as hell and the crowd went wild. For me personally, it´s all about the vibe in the room. I don´t care too much about sound, lights or other technical stuff….I like playing small venues with no stages and a good energy in the room. Most of the time, these are the shows where you can get very close with the audience.

8.Do you have any touring os show plans for 2026?

Playing live as much as we can!

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

So far we received  a lot of very lovely feedback from the people that listened to our new record, at least when talking to people. Personally I don´t read any reviews about our music so I don´t know what the press reaction is like….but when I talk to people, the reactions are absolutely  lovely! 

10.Are any of the other band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

Yeah, my brother (who is our singer and bass player) plays in another  band named Raptvre. Make sure to check them out!

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

Right now, I don´t think too much about new music to be honest. I am happy that we managed to get this record out because it was a lot of work. But of course there is something cooking as we speak….;) In fact, we have probably  enough music written for two more records.

12.What are some of the bands or musical projects the band members are currently listening to nowadays?

Our other guitarplayer Florian listens to a lot of old school black and death metal stuff like Vader, Marduk or Emperor. Both him and my brother are very much into black metal in general. Our drummer Stephan listens to a lot of the classic stuff like Metallica or Pantera but also a lot of americana/ singer songwriter music. I myself love music like Bruce Springsteen, Stephen Wilson Jr., or Warhaus (which my brothers is a fan of as well). On the harder side, I always listen to Converge or a lot of Motörhead recently.

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

Yeah, go check out or new album CANCERBLOOM, maybe come to a show and say hi and don´t hang out with MAGAs or other right wing scum.

https://youtu.be/QxYXNtiDfSw

HVRT/Cancerbloom/Crawling Chaos/20265 Full Length Review

 

  HVRT  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays a   mixture  of  black,  sludge,  death  metal  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2025  album  "Cancerbloom"  which  was  released  by  Crawling  Chaos.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  harsh  vocals  that  mix  hardcore  style  shouts  with  death  metal  growls.  Elements  of  sludge  metal  are  also  added  into  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  black  metal  style  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Throughout  the  album  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  some  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  synths  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clear  singing  as  well  as  song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  whispers

  Hvrt  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  sludge,  death  metal  and  hardcore  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  German  and  English  and  cover  political,  social  and  digital  themes  and t he  attempt  to  stay  human  inside  of  it.

  In  my  opinion  HVRT  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  death  metal  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Wait,  The  Weep,  The  Woe"  "Corporate  Serenade"  "I  Don't  Want  To  Die  In  America"  and  "Cancerbloom".  8  out  of  10.

  https://youtu.be/QxYXNtiDfSw

Evoked Eclipse/The Cries Of Evil/Club Inferno Ent./2026 Full Length Review

 

  Evoked  Eclipse  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  an  atmospheric  and  melodic  mixture  of  black,  gothic  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2026  album  "The  Cries  Of  Evil"  which  will  be  released  in  February  by  Club  Inferno  Ent..

  Atmospheric  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times  and  also  adds  in  a  gothic  touch.  Elements  of  doom  metal  are  also  added  into  the  slower  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats.  A  lot  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  Swedish  style  along  with  the  recording  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  influences  from t he  more  melodic  style  of  death  metal.

   Clean  playing  is  also  utilized  at  times  along  with  one  track  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  female  vocals.  Spoken  words  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  a  couple  of  tracks  being  instrumentals  and  some  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  growls  are  also  introduced.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Darkness  and  Evil  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Evoked  Eclipse  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  and  melodic  mixture  of  black,  gothic  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are a   fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Cries  Of  Evil"  and  "Illusions  Of  The  Lie".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/evokedeclipse     

Ka,aper Interview

 

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

Evgeny: Hey guys! Thanks for having us here! Timur (the guitarist) and Evgeny (the singer) are here.

Timur: We’re recording our new album, got a tour coming up, it’s a busy time now.

Evgeny: Timur is a very humble guy and doesn’t like to boast, but the truth is: the work on our new album, entitled "When Gods Walked the Earth", is coming to an end, and we’re gonna release it in April or May.

2.In April you released your first full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

Timur: In the very beginning we got together to play some Swedish MDM, yet we played something darker, our songs were atmospheric and gloomy. We call it dark metal… because we had to call it somehow he-he

Evgeny: Yeah, it always happens like that. You plan something, then you realise it’s not really what you wanted, and you change your direction. As Timur said, we started from MDM, then added some doom, atmospheric black, some modern stuff. Everything for our music to sound dark yet very fierce.

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

Timur: We are still on our path through the endless desert of myths from ancient Egypt. Those myths have a lot about life, death, despair and eternal powers, a lot to admire, and to sing about.

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

Timur: Well, Ka’aper, or Sheikh el-Baled, is a man from ancient Egypt. Not that he is known for something big, but the name sounds cool.

Evgeny: You won't miss his statue if you're in the Cairo Museum, for sure! It's impossible to pass by not being captivated by those eyes. Neither did I one day! Kinda "What the hell is this? It's a fucking piece of wood with real human eyes". And yes, Ka'aper sounds really cool, doesn't it?

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

Timur: The cover for "While flows the Nile" is a picture that we generated using some AI tools and Photoshop. The idea behind it is simple - what could tear apart our perception of the world more than the sky that is "broken" and burning the land?

As for "Amenhotep" single cover, this one has much deeper concept. It is a scene of majesty and worship, where ancient gods are witnessed in modern culture. This is the first cover that was done not by us, but by an artist. You can tell that by deeper and more meaningful visuals.

6.The bands member are originally from Russia and Ukraine but now reside in Cyprus, how would you compare living in this country compares to the other countries you are originally from?

Timur: It’s completely different culture. We were lucky to join the very welcoming community, and sometimes absolutely crazy community in a good way.

Evgeny: And it's essential to add - the metal scene here is awesome! I know at least 40-50 active metal bands here, and if this number is not really big, just check the population of Cyprus on Wikipedia, it's a really small island. When I was leaving Russia for Cyprus, we had only 5-7 barely alive bands in my hometown (which has a population of almost one million)

7.Out of all the shows and tours the band has done so far, which one stands out the most?

Timur: There were a few to name. We had a warm welcome and awesome gig in Cairo, wild crowd and great atmosphere in Yerevan, insane shows in Limassol and Larnaca. Every time that the crowd is headbanging with us enjoying the show - it’s a good show, as we feel connected.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for 2026?

Timur: Yup, we have a tour over Poland and Germany coming up in February. And we’re currently making up our plans for the Summer.

Evgeny: Before that, in January, we have a show in Dubai and a show here, in Cyprus, and yeah, we have lots of plans for spring and summer

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

Timur: I think it’s too early to tell. But every time that we visit a new country, we are coming back packed with great emotions and new connections overseas.

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

Timur: We’re not guessing that to be honest, the music always goes as it goes.

Evgeny: Completely agree with Timur! That doesn't mean we don't try to find new audience, on the contrary, we spend a lot of time planning and organizing new shows, shooting promo videos, participating in interviews, of course, and much more stuff that has to be done if you don't want to get lost among thousands of bands releasing their music in this exact moment

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles the band members are currently listening to nowadays?

Timur: MDM of course, progressive metal, pop music, electronic music - many genres have some true gems.

Evgeny: A year ago Spotify surprised me by showing that my favorite artist of the year was Bob Marley and The Wailers, he-he, also some old jazz, and fucking tons of metal of course.

Timur: Since we mentioned, my top tracks in Youtube Music are by 21 Pilots, Agnes Obel and Neil Young

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

Evgeny: Thank you so much for your interest in our music, we really appreciate it. Stay kind, guys, stay open-minded, listen to good music and always support it. It's not a secret at all that metal music is a kind of music made by musicians for musicians - I guess, at least 90% of the crowd at any metal show are musicians from other local bands, so let's support each other and make as much good music as we can. Take care!

https://www.instagram.com/kaaper_official/#

Chronicler Of Ardul/Sounds Of Ardul/2025 Full Length Review

 

  Chronicler  Of  Ardul  are  a  solo  project  from  Richland,  Washington  that  started  out  playing    a  fantasy  themed  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  on t his  album  keeps  the f antasy  themes  and  goes  into  more  of  an  acoustic  folk  direction  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2026  album  "Sounds  of  Ardul"  which  will  be  released  in  April.

  Acoustic  guitars,  percussion  and  folk  instruments  start  off  the  album   along  with  some  clear  singing  a  few  seconds  later.  Some  of  the  songs  also  stick  to  an  instrumental  direction  while  one  track  also  introduces  keyboards  onto  the  album  and  all  of  the  tracks  also  sounds  very  different  from  each  other.

  At  times  the  music  also  goes  into  more  of  a  cinematic  and  atmospheric  direction  while  most  of  the  songs  are  also  very  short  in  length.  Stringed  instruments  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  album  along  with  a  lot  of  the  recording  also  capturing t he  atmosphere  of  a  fantasy  movie  soundtrack,  elements  of  dark  ambient  and  dungeon  synth  are  also  added  on  a  lot  of  tracks.

  On  this  recording  Chronicler  Of  Ardul  goes  for  a  very  cinematic  and  symphonic  style  of  folk  music.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  the  mythic  world  of  Ardul

  In  my  opinion  Chronicler  Of  Ardul  are a   very  great  sounding  symphonic  and  cinematic  folk  music  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Watch  Over  Me"  "Woodlands"  "Unwelcome  Quests"  and  "Zarek  The  Bloody".  8 out  of  10.

  Official Website: chroniclerofardul.com

Bandcamp: https://chroniclerofardul.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Chronicler-of-Ardul-100063489851273
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chronicler_of_ardul
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ChroniclerOfArdul
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5h3LfVFyzZA7Tl0eBhQxKg
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/chronicler-of-ardul/1678862672

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chronicler_of_ardul   

Deos/Augustus Omnipotens/WormHoleDeath Records/2025 Full Length Review

 

  Deos  are  a  band  from  France  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2025  album  "Augustus  Omnipotens"  which  was  released  by  WormHoleDeath  Records.

  A  very  epic  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing.  Spoken  words  can  also  be  heard  on  a  few  tracks  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  vocals  also  add  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Chants  are  also  utilized  at  times  along  with  some some  clear  singing  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  album,.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  a  couple  of  tracks  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  as  well  as  one  track  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  Octavian,  later  Augustus,  the  first  emperor  of  Rome.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Deos  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Octavianus"  "Triumvirat"  "Mylae  Invicta"  and  "Pax  Romana".  8  out  of  10.

  www.facebook.com/deos.legio

instagram.com/deos_official
deos-official.bandcamp.com/releases

www.youtube.com/@deos-official9793/