Abyss Interview

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



A: I started Abyss in 2009 together with another former member. The line-up soon was completed by aspiring musicians from a rural part in Bavaria, where we are located. Our music is a mixture of Melodic Black and Death Metal. If you like classic bands like Dissection, Sacramentum and if you appreciate modern successors that draw at least a little from their heritage, you might enjoy giving us a spin.



2.So far you have released a demo, ep and a split, musically how do they both differ from each other?



A: Our early work resulted in a number of songs that had a bigger Death Metal influence. This influence is still noticeable on our last EP from 2018. Throughout the years the Death Metal ration diminished. And together with some other new elements, we solidified a specific trademark sound we were aiming for. This is what you will hear on our part of the coming split with Besna.



3.The band has been around since 2009 but waited until 2018, can you tell us a little bit more about the earlier years?



A: That´s a common question. Mainly for two reasons that deserve a little elaboration:

First one would be because of line-up changes. The number of people that had an instrument in their hands in order to play for or with Abyss comes to more than a dozen already. The changes had nothing to do with personal differences, but more with people going abroad, moving away, getting a job, etc. Those things caused a lot of delay and pauses in the past and for those very reasons you will hear two session musicians on the coming release. There is a permanent line-up though, that works on the songs and concepts and you will most likely see on stage.

Second: It took a while to build the musical skill and capacity to transfer our ideas to reality in a proper way. I can only speak for myself, but I basically learned to play the guitar with the Band.



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



A: We dedicated our themes to chaos. In short: Our songs should reflect mankinds unrest
about being at the mercy of this power and its search for sense, order and the higher, when there is
none of that. A rather nihilistic view on the world and humanity.




5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Abyss'?



A: As the literal meaning depicts a bottomless pit, it reflects the symbolism and themes of our songs. No clear line, no end, no order. The name is used quite often by bands. And during the 10 years of minor public activity, it would have been easy to simply choose something more distinct. However, the name Abyss resembles a special meaning for the members. The missing puzzle piece, so to say, that binds all the other aspects of the band and brings it back to conclusion. Contrary to its meaning.



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



A: The artwork awas made by Théo Braisaz, a french artist working under the name „Mr Kiwi“. I work closely together with him for another project. He´s an excelent graphical designer. Our cooperation reached a level where I can lay down my visual ideas and from then on almost blindly trust him with the realization. For the split, the artwork gives several hints on its main themes, which revolve around unfulfilled religious -or even ideological- salvation, absence of the higher and natures indifference towards these themes.



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



A: We had many great shows. One that really stood out was our first live performance. We played in front of 100-200 people in a Band Contest of which probably only 5 % were into Metal. The feedback was overwhelming though. Everyone freaked out when the last note subsides. It was the beginning of many things and the moment when Abyss truly came to life.

As a matter of fact we often hear that our live performances are far more convincing than our releases. Our music profits from the chaotic frenzy both Band and audience find themselves in during live situations. In the past recent years we worked hard to make our show aesthetically fitting to the concept. So it´s all about increasing the intensity to make the music, the dread almost physical.



8.You have a split coming out with Besna in September, what are your thoughts on the other band that had participated on the recording?



A: Already during the planning of the „Further Into Perdition tour“ working together went off smoothly. When we played together in Bratislava, they convinced us musically and therefore were our prime candidate for our intended split project. While our music has a certain drive and a pounding blast every now and then, theirs is equally wild, but more on the melancholic side and adds important aspects. Quite naturally and despite the very slight differences in the styles we play, the split reached a coherent whole.



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



A: That will mostly turn out with the responses towards the coming release with Besna. Besides playing a east-euro-tour together with Groza, Abyss stayed hidden a long time. In my eyes, the project still has to get „out there“.



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



A: One upside of the current crisis is, that naturally artists are most likely sitting at home and have time to live out their creativity. I look forward to all the „quarantine creations“ released in the future. And perhaps we will be among them. Soundwise, sometimes I wish to make our music a little harsher and messier. It is leaning towards that already and I still want to keep our melodic trademark. After all, who needs another Deathspell Omega clone.



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?



A: One main part of my songwriting work is indeed listening to new stuff. I am one of the persons that really listens to everything. I know people say this quite often and to me personally that´s actually often negatively connotated. Black Metal wise, I´m more and more intrigued by french, canadian and icelandic Black Metal. To name a few general bands I listen to quite often: Svartidauði, The Great Old Ones, Der Weg Einer Freiheit, Sombres Forêts, Gris, Selbst, Be'Lakor. Sure from our style, I guess one can draw conclusions on what we mainly listen to.



12.What are some of your non musical interests?



A: As I have hinted already, Abyss is a busy band. Some members will experience some career developments in the future. The plan is to lay down enough ground work for Abyss now to still be operational when that time comes.



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



A: Thanks for the interview, check out our split. One song has been published so far (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_jkcV8_IDI&fbclid). Look out for the next one that will drop soon!

Cheers,

Unfathomed Of Abyss/Arise Upon Oblivion/2014 CD Review

  Unfathomed  of  Abyss  are  a  1  man  band  from  Texas  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  and  avant  garde  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2014  album  "Arise  Upon  Oblivion".

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  blast  beats  which  are  utilized  a  great  amount  throughout  the  recording  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  keyboards  being  utilized  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  there  is  also  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  present  throughout  the  recording  and  most of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  When  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  in  a  very  grim  and  high  pitched  direction  of  black  metal  and  you  can  also  hear  death  metal  growls  being  added  into  the  music  at  times  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  very  symphonic  style  while  still  being  very  heavy  and  melodic  at  the  same  time  and  you  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  in  the  way  the  instruments  are  performed.

  The  symphonic  black  metal  style  of  the  album  is  more  closer  to  the  mid  90's  era  of  the  genre  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  you  can  hear  some avant  garde  elements  being  added  into  the  music  but  done  in  a  more  heavier  fashion  and  at  times  you  can  hear  a  touch  of  funeral  doom  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  while  the  symphonic  elements  also  bring  in  influences  from  orchestra  and  classical  music.

  Unfathomed  Of  Abyss  creates  a  style  of  symphonic  and  avant  garde  black  metal  that  is  closer  to  the  90's  style  and  also  has  more  of  a  darker  and  heavier  edge  than  most  bands  of  this  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  doom,  existence  and  oblivion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Unfathomed  Of  Abyss  are  a  very  great  sounding  avant  garde,  symphonic  black  metal  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "To  Unequal  The  Balance  Of  the  Cosmos"  and  "Within  the  Void".  8  out  of  10.

https://unfathomedofabyss.bandcamp.com/releases

Condra/Aeonic Tempest From The Abyss/Tragedy Productions/2022 Full Length Review

 

  Condra  are  a  band  from  Chile  that  plays  an  anti  cosmic  and  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  "Aeonic  Tempest  From  The  Abyss"  which  will b e  released  in  October  by  Tragedy  Productions.

  Rain  sounds  and  classical  guitars  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  direction  while  also  introducing  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  onto  the  recording.  When  the  music  speed s up a   decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats  can b e  heard  and  the  music  is  heavily  rooted  in  the  classic  Swedish  style.

  Vocals  are  mostly  black  metal  screams  while  the  music  also  adds  in  a  great  amount  of  melodic  death  emtal  elements.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  music  also  showing  an  influence  of  the  early  Dissection  era   as  well  as  the  classical  guitars  also  making  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

Clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with a  couple of  the  tracks  also  being  instrumentals  instrumentals.  One  song  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  a  couple  of  the  songs  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Anti  Cosmic  Satanism  and  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Condra  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  anti  cosmic  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Aeonic  Tempest  From  The  Abyss"  "Spectres  of  A  Dying  Soul"  and  "The  Omen".  8  out  of  10.

  http://www.instagram.com/condrablackmetal/

https://youtube.com/channel/UChVFwy6ULNY5I21Xo7Kb94g

Unfathomed Of Abyss Interview

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

Unfathomed of Abyss is a studio project that utilizes extreme metal / black metal sounding musical phrases composed in a layered and constantly temporally evolving symphonic framework.


2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

It's fucking awesome. But, I'm really not an unbiased source of information on this.


3.This musical project has been around since 2001 but so far this is the first release, can you tell us a little bit more about the delay?

I started writing in 2001, and finished in 2012. Though some of the parts I even wrote in 2000, I had used them to do a concept study in rhythmic ideas tied to tonality that evolved, or echoed with slight changes introduced to repeated elements over time, rather than mindless repeating of parts verbatim for the entire piece. That study that I did on 2001 ended up being the proof of concept for the entire album, which is the final section of “The Malevolence of Existence's Continuation”. I had to insert some parts that mindlessly repeated verbatim though because constantly evolving parts with no opposite can create it’s own type of monotony as well. But in estimating / tallying up the actual time spent working on writing the album, if I omit all the time spent not working on the parts that went into the album (time spent writing other stuff that did not make it on the album, writing other music as an exercise or concept studies, time spent studying classical theory amongst whatever other random things life throws one's way), the writing would have consisted of about a years worth of weekends and evenings, it was just spread out over almost the entire time-frame. Although, it took me a lot longer to write parts at first, than it does now. Recording didn't take forever once I was done writing. Then I spent literally a year re-mixing it with mostly decade's old software and hardware. Most of the time was spent waiting for the geezerly Dell I have to process audio, usually around 10 – 20 minutes per track, multiple times for each song. I had like 20 – 30 mix downs to go through for each song because loading everything up all at once would freeze the software for sure, and occasionally crash the computer and forever corrupt audio files.



4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects that you explore with your music?

“To Unequal the Balance of the Cosmos” is about origins and evolution of life, and that life taking hold of the physics of it's own basis, and a cataclysm that follows when life manipulates it's basis.

“The figment Unadulated” is about the nonexistence, arbitraryness and invented bullshittery of things that exist only in the minds of people; religions, cultures, and really any group of people where the name of that group somehow lasts longer than the people that adopt those made up ways.

“Within The Glory of Other Lights” is about humanity and life in general's need to colonize areas away from Earth, as Earth will be consumed by the Sun eventually when it expands to be a red giant (it's circumference has been estimated by people a lot smarter than me to come to rest roughly along Earth's orbit in around 2 billion years or so, though in around 1 billion years, the increase [occurring right now] in the Sun's luminosity will heat Earth up to the point of being unfit for life). Mars is referred to in the lyrics, however the title suggests other stars besides the one that annoys us in the morning are a worthy goal as well.

“To Nothing” is about a life form that fails to overcome it's subordinance to existence, and then dissolves to existence itself, to molten rock, or vapor perhaps. It however maintains a chance at future evolution to self awareness again, as is true of any of the ingredients for life that may be wandering through the universe right now.

“Within the Void” is about the nonexistent dichotomy purveyed (to annoy people with any sense) by the fake fucks that inhabit Earth, those who pretend that ideas (actually, I'm just talking about traditions, cultural groups and religions) are somehow reality itself, and who purvey that anything observable, testable and otherwise physically real is somehow not real or not useful. So, it's about a habit of travesty that humanity perpetuates upon itself; a fleshy self destruct button.

The Malevolence of Existence's Continuation is about the transience of life, and it's subordinance to Earth.

The way the lyrics are written though, those meanings are hard to glean.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Unfathomed Of Abyss'?

It's a sort of slight of hand way of saying “life”. At least, I wouldn't expect much of it to exist in a universe that largely consists of a relative majority of emptiness.

6.With this musical project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with a full time band, or do you prefer to work solo?

I couldn't have written this as a collaboration with a band. Nor could I have learned to write this type of stuff if I was spending a lot of free-time practicing playing parts. I did work with two other people on this, and could not have finished it without their help. Kevin Talley did the drums, and Tom Kvålsvoll did the Mastering.

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

There hasn't been any label interest. I may be wrong, but I assume there has to be some sort of touring capability to entice a lot of labels. These days they seem to serve more of a promotional function (it's very easy to self release digitally and physically) as far as I can tell, and opening for some band with a big following that also kicks ass in a live performance is likely a better form of promotion than putting those same band's name in a “sounds similar to...” section of a website. But I'm on the fence about labels anyway.

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

Pretty good actually. It varies wildly though. I have received feedback indicating that the music is just right to people's tastes, and even that it is the type of thing some people look for. I have gotten feedback that indicates some people really expect a more linear and “repeated verbatim” based approach to something labeled with the word “symphonic”, I guess the same people might be seeing the “black metal” in the descriptions I use, and ignoring the “symphonic” part. I use those terms merely because they are the closest descriptive terms that people use to search for any music online. I do not believe that somehow, magically or as in some other type of woo woo type way that my music itself inhabits some mystical state of being by being called this or that. So, it is not this, that, or some other thing. It is what it is. I would call it “fluffy cupcakes” if search terms could be replaced by sounds playing in a person's brain. It would be a lot easier if Amazon could hear those sounds when I search for music to buy, otherwise I have to figure out how people are describing music, which can be bullshit.

9.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?

I'll be writing more brutally and varied, and more symphonically. There is some new material already written. I'm also interested in getting rid of the use of synthesized sounds as much as possible. So I've got a violin being shipped to me from halfway around the globe as I type this. It's not a far stretch, from guitar to violin. Assuming I can get to the point of being able to record what I write with it, then I'll have to find a viola, cello and double bass as well. All the synth parts were actually written with the real instruments in mind anyway.

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?

Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, old Metallica, Slayer, Mayhem, Arcturus, Emperor, Stravinskiy's The Rite of Spring, almost anything by Alan Hovhaness, Iannis Xenakis, and Vangelis. those are the best examples I can think of now. I prefer modern orchestral styles to classical / boroque, romantic etc eras, dissonant metal, or metal that uses multiple types of scales rather than music that solely relies on the typical overused, ripped of to the point of annoyance western scale. Nowadays I flip constantly between the nu-metal, hard rock, 90's hard / grunge rock, alternative and classical (not the opera one) channels on SiriusXm.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Architecture, stop-motion animation, computer generated visual effects software (Blender is the shit) surreal / fantasy / sci-fi visual artwork, designing things.

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

Just say no to trends.

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Chaossworn/Chalice Of Black Flames/Abyss Records/2010 CD Review

  Chaossworn are a band from Sweden that mixes melodic mixture of black and death metal and this is a review of their 2010 E.P "Chalice Of Black Flames" which was released by Abyss Records.

Drums are mostly mid paced to fast with some slow drumming, while the bass playing follows the guitars with a lot of melodic riffing.

Rhythm guitars have a good mixture of slow, mid paced to fast riffs that blend black and death metal together with a lot of melody, while the lead guitars are very heavy and melodic guitar solos.

Vocals are a mixture of high pitched black metal screams and death metal growls, while the lyrics cover death, darkness and destruction, as for the production which was recorded at Unisound Studios in Sweden and produced by Dan Swano sounds very professional and all of the instruments have a good sound.

In my opinion Chaossworn are a very good melodic melodic black/death metal band that should appeal to all fans of that genre with this 3 song e.p. RECOMMENDED TRACK ON THIS E.P is "Bringer Of Storms". RECOMMENDED BUY.

www.myspace.com/chaossworn

Hierophant/Gateway To The Abyss/Dusktone Records/2024 Full length Review

 

  Hierophant  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  playing  more  of  a  mixture  of  blackened  death  and  sludge  metal  and  on  this  recording  goes  for  more  of  a  blackened  death  metal  style  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Gateway  To  The  Abyss"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Dusktone  Records.

   A  very  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  takes  the  music  into  a  heavier  direction.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  brutal  blast b eats  can  also  be  heard  and  melodies  are  also added  into  some  of the  riffing.

  Death  metal  growls  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  more  of  a  90's  style  along  with  one  track  also  bringing  in  a  brief  use  of  dark  soundscapes  and  most  of t he  album  focuses  on  a  brutal  direction,  all  of the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  last  couple  of  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.   

  On  this  recording  Hierophant  plays  a  style  of  blackened  death  metal  that  is  very  dark,  brutal  and  aggressive  sounding.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Anti  Religion  and  Misanthropy  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Hierophant  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  live  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Seeds  Of  Vengeance"  and  "Nemesis  of  thy  Mortals".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/HIEROPHANTKVLT

https://www.instagram.com/hierophantofficial/

https://hierophant.bandcamp.com/ 

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/

Eshtadur/From The Abyss/Blood Blast Distribution/2020 Full Length Review

  Columbia's  Eshtadur  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  melodic  and  blackened  style  of  death  metal  from  their  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "From  The  Abyss"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Blood  Blast  Distribution.

  A  very  heavy  and  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  vocals  are  mostly death  metal  growls  along  with  some  blackened  screams  also  being  utilized  at  times.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow, mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  music  also  brings  in a   great  amount  of  Swedish  influences.  The  symphonic  elements  also  make  a  return  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  clean  playing  onto  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  they  also  add  in  a  cover  of  Firehouse's  "All  She Wrote"  which  also  introduces  clean  vocals  into  the  music.

  On  this  recording  Eshtadur  adds  more  symphonic  elements  in  their  melodic  style of  blackened  death  metal.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  despair  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Eshtadur  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  and  blackened  death  metal,you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lowborn  Bastard"  "The  Fall"  "The  Oathbreaker"  and  "Disphased  Dimension".  8  out  of  10.

 https://www.facebook.com/EshtadurOfficial/    

Hyperborean/The Spirit Of Warfare/Abyss Records/2011 CD Review

  Hyperborean are a band from Sweden that plays a very melodic style of black metal and this is a review of their 2011 album "The Spirit Of Warfare" which was released by Abyss Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beats, while the bass playing has a strong and somewhat powerful tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars, as for the keyboards when they are utilized briefly they bring a very tragic feel to the music.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast melodic black metal riffs that are also technical at times with some thrash death and traditional metal influences, while the lead guitars are very melodic, progressive and technical metal guitar solos, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized they use finger picking and full chords to bring another element of war to the music.

Vocals are very high pitched black metal screams with some occasional deep death metal grows, while the lyrics cover Lovecraft style themes and war as for the production it has a very dark and heavy sound to it.

In my opinion Hyperborean are very good melodic black metal band, and if you are a fan of t his style you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Chanelling The Spirit Of Warfare" "Viper" and "The Sick Man Of Europe". RECOMMENDED BUY.

http://www.myspace.com/hyperboreanofficial

Diabolical/Ars Vitae/Abyss Records/2011 CD Review

  Diabolical are a band from Sweden that has been interviewed by this zine before and plays a musical style that mixes melodic black metal with technical death metal and this is a review of their 2011 album "Ars Vitae" which was released by Abyss Records.

Drums are mostly technical slow to mid paced playing with some fast parts but that much in the way of blast beats, while the synths are very dark sounding and don't over dominate the music, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times they sound very powerful.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow to mid paced to fast technical death metal riffs that are also influenced by melodic black metal and thrash, while the lead guitars are very technical and melodic metal guitar solos.

Vocals are mostly deep death metal growls that have somewhat of a black metal edge to them in the high pitched screams, while the lyrics cover death and the apocalypse with an occult edge, as for the production it sounds very heavy and professional with some songs being recorded live.

In my opinion this is another great album from Diabolical and if you where a fan of their previous releases, you will not be disappointed. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Sightless" "Suicidal Glory" "Guidance Of Sin" and "The Dreaming Dead". RECOMMENDED BUY.

 www.diabolical.se 

 www.facebook.com/diabolicalofficial 

www.myspace.com/religionist 

 www.vkontakte.ru/club23028073 

Thousand Year War/Tyrants And Men/Abyss Records/2011 CD Review

  Thousand Year War are a band from Anchorage, Alaska that plays a mixture of melodic death and black metal and this is a review of their 2011 album "Tyrants And Men" which was released by Abyss Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being used on occasion, while the bass playing has a very strong and powerful tone that dominates throughout the recording.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine melodic death and black metal together along with some traditional and classic metal influences, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding death metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals are a mixture of deep death metal growls and high pitched melodic black/death metal screams, while the lyrics cover Mythology, epic and war themes, as for the production it has a very heavy, powerful and professional sound to it.

In my opinion Thousand Year War are a very good melodic death/black metal band and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Defiance" "No Gods, No Masters" "The Storm I Ride" and "Spartacus". RECOMMENDED BUY.

www.myspace.com/thousandyearwar

 www.facebook.com/tyrantsandmen

 www.reverbnation.com/thousandyearwar

Hudič/Into The Abyss/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Hudič  are  a  band  from  Belgium  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  doom,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  album  "Into  The  Abyss"  which  will  be  released  in  2024.

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  along  with  the  faster  sections  of t he  songs  also  adding  in  some  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  elements  of  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  thrash  metal  influences,  synths,  clean  playing  and  choirs  can  also  be  heard  on  a  few  tracks  and  a  couple  of  songs  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  

  Hudič  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  black,  death,  doom  and  thrash  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and esoteric  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  Hudič  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black,  doom,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "When  The  Stars  Align"  "Born  Blind"  and  "Seven  Deadly  Sins".  8 out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/HudicBE/

Spectral Darkwave Interview

 

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

We are Spectral Darkwave, harvesters of pain across time and space - in tribute to gods most dark. We collect the suffering in vessels made of death doom metal ornamented by orchestras and the tragic events themselves. They are pulsing exhibits to the terror of existence.

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

The new album 'At Outer Dark' furthers the collection of suffering first put together in 'Last First Contact', but with a great leap in the production values. Musically, it is thicker in tone and slightly more complex in it's arrangements, to offer deeper immersion in the scenes we capture.

3.This is also your first full length since 2015, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?

The first record was very much a proof of concept that stories could be told, this then allowed us to recruit The Gunner on bass and perfect our live show, considering every possible angle. This culminated in our invitation to Bloodstock 2021. Our lord Cthulu has clearly recognized our work.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with the newer release and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?

The song lyrics focus on setting the scene in the wants, needs and desires of the human suffering on offer at a point in space time. For example, the lead single '731' focusses on the emotional turmoil of surgery on live victims in the name of Japanese patriotism. The March Of Saes focuses on the exhilaration and fear of Elephant riders in ancient Persia. The album culminates in the song 'At Outer Dark' - a paean to our quest as a crew to join with our lord Cthulu as he passed through the material realm and it's... consequences.

5.On one of your singles you also cover Norse Mythology, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

Our interest is only in the amount of pain that could be harvested from the shores of Lindisfarne in AD 793. It's essence ages well in our vaults. 

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

The good ship Darkwave is the ship in which we as a crew travel through time and space. We emerge, take the horror available, sometimes milk the situation for a little more, then disappear as quickly as we came - but not entirely without trace.

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

The artwork captures our encounter with our Lord Cthulu beyond the furthest spiral arm of this galaxy. We sought to join with him, sampling but a fraction of his power. This moment of misadventure can be heard in the epic, final song of the album 'At Outer Dark'.

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

We offer, theatre, spectacle and immersion. As a result, we have been lucky to play more than few performances where the energy of band and crowd has crackled with devotion to the dark - the shared catharsis of looking into the abyss and having it stare back in musical form. Clearly, the highlight for was this year's Bloodstock performance.

9.The new album is coming out on 'Occidental Records'. can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Sadly, in more mundane matters, to release records these days has become the responsibility of the artist. Investment, promotion, distribution and monetization - all of it. With the digitization of music came the simple fact that there is a huge supply of music and the ability to record it. Supply has outstripped demand. In the capitalist system, the monetary value is low, yet the artistic value is higher than ever. So, it is our label, named after an industrial disaster and the power of empire - it reminds us making sure we do the right things to keep the good ship Darkwave afloat.

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

We genuinely believe we have an experience of high quality with which to engage audiences - but there is an awful lot of noise out there that our signal must penetrate. When people see us we are remembered, we've already had pre-orders for people from half a decade ago. However, we feel that perhaps with the length of time between albums, that this for many will be the first time - and they will hear us at our most potent.

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

Well, it would seem that after nearly 2 dozen tales of human suffering and our final encounter with HIM on the new record, that the consequences of our meeting will play out in the narrative of the next record. Musically, we will always seek to pulse, doom and terrify with arrangements that bring a grand scale to our tracks.

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?

It started as early some of the darkest theme tunes from 80's video games, TV shows and films. We seek to chase that sense of scale and adventure. Metal is the only genre that sense of infinite power other than the darker orchestrations of Gorecki or the choral work of Tallis. Yet we cannot say we do not admire the work of artists such as Septic Flesh, Draconian or the Vision Bleak where they too seek a sense of scale. But we seek the narrative moments themselves. 

13.Does occultism play any role in your music?

Indirectly. Our obsession with the dark gods of the universe, a reaching out to the infinite, the unknowable other beyond human perception interests us deeply. You might say it is the thoughts of historical occultism illuminated by scientific insights that more than ever declare 'there is more out there than we can ever know'.

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

Thank you for taking the time to speak to us. May this be the first step upon your conversion.

For more information on Spectral Darkwave click here
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Agiel Interview

Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?

In December, exactly one year to the date from when we regrouped, we played our first live performance since 2007.  We played at the Rochester Metal Fest (RMF) in Western New York and it was an awesome show.  The energy and enthusiasm from the crowd was fantastic and it felt great to be on stage as AGIEL once again.  We wanted to be able to share the first performance of the new release, so we invited a film crew down to capture the set.  The footage is amazing and we are working on the production for live videos of all of the songs on the new release.  We’re aiming to have these ready sometime after Pantheons is released on the 18^th of February.  We put a lot energy and intensity into our stage performances which we wanted to share with everyone interested in our music. 

There is also a live CD of that set that we are in the process of putting together now.  We played a few songs that were not included on the new release and they will be part of that release.  The crowd at the RMF erupted into a pit for these songs, so I can’t wait to finish the mix for release later this year. 

Additionally we’ve been getting some really good material together for our websitehouseofagiel.com which will be released continuously throughout the year.  There will be articles, videos and artwork produced by each of AGEIL’s members and it’s our goal to give everyone a better idea of what AGIEL is all about.  It’s been a lot of work, but we are all extremely enthusiastic about being involved in this.  And of course we are starting to put together the material for the next AGIEL release.

You have a new album coming out, can you tell us a little bit about the musical direction it has taken and also how does it differ from past releases?

We’ve definitely evolved our sound quite a bit since the last release and considerably so since Dark Pantheons Again Will Reign (DPAWR).  The first thing that you’ll probably notice as being different is that the symphonic elements of the music are much more pronounced.  AGIEL has always incorporated synth layers as part of our sound and this has progressed throughout the years to what you’ll hear on the newest release.  The first album that we ever wrote was actually pretty heavy on the keyboards.  We have always been inspired and influenced by the black metal sound though our own sound has leaned closer to death metal.  It fits well with the lyrics and provides an enigmatic quality that contrasts with the brutality of the rhythm section.

When we began working on PDAWR some of that was reduced to accommodate a busier style of guitar playing.  It fit for that album, but I’d actually consider it more of an aberration than the core AGIEL sound.  I’m really glad that we’ve gotten back to that early sound and also really excited to see it transformed into something completely new.  The next most prominent change that might be noticed is the greater range of vocal techniques that have been incorporated.  There’s still the guttural death metal tone through much of the songs, but we’ve allowed ourselves to use other styles as well like the choral part during The Awakening.  It just seemed right to include things like that; adding to the density and depth of the music. 

We’ve also tried to arrange the instruments so that everything comes together as one solid movement.  It’s definitely a challenge with this style of music where all of the instruments are being played in a very technical way.  That complexity and technicality is something that I love about the metal genre; it’s akin to the baroque period of orchestral music.  However, there’s the danger that as your arrangements become more complex that it will also lose power and impact.  The direction that we’re taking retains much more of the power that we intended for our sound and in our opinion has greatly benefited the music. 

This is the first release since 2005; can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during those years?

The intervening years between the last release and the latest have been tumultuous to say the least.  In 2005 we released a small collection of songs entitled Vessatu and this would be the last work that I collaborated on with AGIEL’s second founding member; who had been our guitarist up to that point.  We continued to work on creating new material, but progress was slow and hard won. 

I was also finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate on AGIEL’s growth during this period.  My mother who was an accomplished artist in her own right was succumbing to a long fought battle with cancer.  My attention was shifting more and more towards supporting my family through this crisis and rightly so.  It was a dark time which became even darker when in 2007 my wife’s mother was also stricken with cancer.  I needed to move about 7 hours away to Philadelphia in order to provide support throughout her treatment, so it was decided that AGIEL would be let to rest until it could be afforded the attention and energy that it deserves.

Though difficult, this period of rest provided a sense of perspective that I think was ultimately beneficial for the band.  It allowed time to reflect on what we had created, where we had been musically and where we wanted to go in the future.  I experimented extensively with different tonal possibilities, stylistic changes and thematic directions.  Over the course of two years I put together a group of 12 songs that encompassed the entirety of this cathartic exercise.  I decided to release it, but as a personal work under the nameNightwork and not as a creation of AGIEL.  There were seeds in those songs of what would later grow and develop into a new artistic direction. 

Around 2011 I started collaborating with Jesse, our current guitarist, on the production of a solo project we was working on called In Mania.  For him it served as the exact same function as the project I had just completed.  It was a deeply personal project intended to deliver him through an existential crisis; exactly my intention with Nightwork.  Jesse and I had known each other for a number of years before hand, but through working on his project together we developed a strong friendship and kinship. 

After wrapping up the In Mania production we knew that we wanted to start collaborating on something together.  It also happened that I started corresponding with Kevin who was another old acquaintance of mine.  Together we all started talking about what a new AGIEL album would look like and what it would take to achieve.  By the end of 2012 it all came together and we started actively working on the production for Dark Pantheons.   

What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new release explores?

I’ve always been interested in exploring the spiritual nature of mankind as well as my own; primarily through the lens of mythology and the occult.  My early lyrics were written from a more personal perspective and centered much more on my own specific experiences of the occult through ritual magic.  In later years and on this release the lyrics are written with a broader perspective and try to speak to a more universal experience of our struggle to evolve as spiritual beings. 

The songs on this release vary greatly in terms of the subjects explored.  For example the title track Dark Pantheons tries to invoke the raw and unbridled power at the core of human consciousness.  In the song, a lone figure stands at the edge of a great abyss, bracing himself against the fury of a raging storm.  Overcoming fear and self-doubt he embraces the abyss and allows its elemental power to give him strength.  Other songs like Andromeda are more rooted in mythology which serves as framework to explore topics such as self-determination, overcoming self-doubt, nihilism and disillusionment. 

I know that the band name came out of the writings of Terry Goodkind, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this fantasy writer?

Although I am a pretty big fan of science fiction and fantasy literature I’ve never read anything by this author.  My first encounter with the name “Agiel” was over 15 years ago when I first began delving into astrology.  I was pouring through a huge astrological encyclopedia trying to understand the concepts behind this occult paradigm when the name struck me.  There it was defined as the “intelligence of Saturn” which is to say that the name represented the embodiment of Saturn’s occult wisdom.  That resonated with me and put a name to the journey that I was committed to embarking on; a search for understanding and a struggle to raise my consciousness.  Later I’d see the name again in various kabalistic writings and esoteric grimoires. 

It’s a very old name that comes from the writings of occult figures such as Solomon and later from astrologers like John Dee.  Mythology and occultism are fertile grounds for inspiration; especially in science fiction and fantasy genres.  I’m sure this author came across the name in similar sources.

What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

One of the most vivid memories I have as a performer would have to be a show that we played while on tour in Toronto.  It was the first show in a month long tour throughout the Canadian territories and we were nearly stopped dead in our tracks before even getting to the border. 

This was early in our career when we had just signed with Unique Leader to publish the Dark Pantheons Again Will Reign album.  An opportunity arose to join Cephalic Carnage and December on a 13 date tour in Canada.  Even though we were nowhere close to prepared it was an opportunity that we couldn’t pass up.  I don’t think we even had a tour van at that point, but it was something that we were determined to make happen.  So in a very short time we had ourselves ready to hit the road.  We were all really excited and felt unstoppable.  That is until the radiator in the van melted down about three quarters of the way to Toronto. 

It seemed really unexpected at the time, but looking back I am amazed that this ancient Ford Econoline made its way through thousands of miles of mountainous terrain.  It’s a miracle no one was killed!  So the van is sitting immobilized on the side of the road and it’s a matter of hours until the show starts, but we wouldn’t give up.  We must have called a dozen places before finding a garage that could get us back on the road.  After what seemed like an eternity we were on the road again and headed for the US/Canadian border.

The trouble didn’t stop there though.  By sheer coincidence a van full of people headed for the show was going through the border checkpoint at the same time we were.  A few of the guys in that van recognized us and started screaming our name and throwing up the metal sign and of course we did the same.  Who knows if that was the cause, but we soon found ourselves segregated in different interrogation rooms while police dogs tore through the van.  It might have been comical if we weren’t all freaking out about possibly missing the show which probably didn’t help speed things along. 

Eventually though we did make it to the show, but we were so late that the headlining bands played their sets before us.  These guys were so generous and understanding though that they let us take the headline slot without any issue what’s so ever.  From the crowds perspective the show didn’t miss a beat and we gave the most energetic, impassioned performances of our career.  The fact that we had overcome every single obstacle that was thrown before us only made us more determined to move forward.  The place was a wall to wall pit for the entire set.  I think that the passion we had for that moment could be felt very clearly by everyone there.  It was a really incredible show and one I hope to never forget.

That type of primal energy is emblematic of our performances.  We forget ourselves and let the raw power of the performance flow unencumbered through our music.  I think that honesty in the performance can be felt clearly and people really respond to it.  The energy is contagious and compels people to move with the progression of each song.  One of the greatest rewards is seeing people go completely insane to the music.  The pure enjoyment of the moment is evident on people’s faces.

Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album and 2014?

We are confirming dates now for performances throughout the year and will be making announcements through our website houseofagiel.com and also through Facebook page (facebook.com/houseofagiel) as things develop.

On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?

Overall I’d say that we’ve been received well and all the feedback so far has been really positive.  From those that have heard the new release and those that have seen us live there’s been a feeling of being taken aback by the ferocity of our new sound.  I think that we’ve pleasantly surprised any who thought that this might sound like your standard brutal death metal album.  We’ve tried to really push ourselves to the limit and create something truly unique.  Most of all I can tell from people’s reactions that they really enjoy just listening to the music.  That’s exactly what we wanted to achieve.

What is going on with the other musical projects these days that the band members are involved with?

Right now everyone is devoted 100% to AGIEL.  We are genuinely excited about the musical direction that we are taking and very proud of the new release.  All of us are very excited to see what we can come up with next, so there has been a tremendous focus on taking our music to the next level.  We are also very fortunate and I am personally grateful that the current lineup works together extremely well.  Everything that we’ve been through together over the last year with the preparation of Dark Pantheons has brought us together and created a great sense of fraternity between us.  There is a sense of mutual respect that allows us to push each other to evolve and bring the best out in each of us.  There’s no time for anything else.  We are all focused on AGIEL’s future.

What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

We learned a lot about ourselves as a band through working on this new release.  We were able to find out what are strengths were and how to help each other create the best performance possible.  By going through all of that it really clarified for us what the future direction of the music would be.  Suddenly everything began to come into focus and we are now starting to create real synergies between the instruments.

In terms of a future direction, I probably wouldn’t set anything in stone at this point.  I’ve found that in order to create something really special it’s always good to leave at least a little bit of ambiguity about how the end product should look.  It’s like when you begin a painting by drawing some action lines on the canvas.  If your too rigid and try to force the design to turn out in a certain way you’re usually going to be disappointed in the result.   

That being said, there are some broad strokes that I know will be part of whatever we create next.  The length of the songs will likely increase a bit.  Mostly because there is so much that we want to say musically.  It might be too much to fit into a 3 ½ minute song.  I’ve always appreciated it when a musician takes more time to let their musical ideas play out in more detail.  So we may see that in the next release.  More than anything though, I think that we will let the evolution that started at the beginning of the new release continue to develop and mature.  It’s hard to describe, but there are definitely parts of these songs and a few others that are not included in this release, where the whole band coalesces as one entity.  I’d like to see more of that in future releases.

What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

One of AGIEL’s biggest influences stylistically is the atonal orchestral music of the early twentieth century.   Atonality essentially means that the music does not have a tonal center or key.  Instead of sticking to the rigid structure of traditional classical music, atonal compositions are free to use chords with an ambiguous key center, unexpected harmonic structures and unusual melodies.  It’s a style that we naturally gravitated towards, but I would definitely say that the turn of the century composers using this style have been a huge influence on us musically.  Metal and classical styles of music have a lot in common, so its influence on us makes a lot of sense in that regard.

We’ve also been strongly influenced by the second wave of European black metal.  This is the music that we grew up on, so it is a fundamental part of who we are as musicians.  Maybe not in a directly stylistic way, but that early black metal attitude is definitely part of our DNA as a band.  We all have a strong appreciation for music in general and have no problem drawing inspiration from other diverse forms of music like Sufi trance, EBM and industrial. 

I don’t claim to succeed at it all the time, but I try to keep an open mind and not close myself off to new sources of inspiration.  It’s pretty easy to fall into the trap of listening to the same group of bands over and over again.  Especially for someone like me who has an obsessive type of personality.  After a while though the inspiration dries up because you’re not allowing new musical ideas in.  There have been countless times when I’ll hear two or three seconds of a song some random song and get inspired to write new AGIEL riffs.  Inspiration is everywhere if you let yourself see it.

These days the playlist on my stereo is pretty random.  I picked up a ton of new death metal CDs at the end of the year, so that’s been featured pretty heavily lately.  For the last week or so it has I’ve been soaking up a lot of classical by various artists.  I’ve been feeling the urge to play my black metal CDs the past couple of days, so that will probably be my new obsession this week.  After all of the time I spent mixing this release I’m trying to refresh my ears any way that I can!

How would you describe your views on Occultism?

In my views there is a distinction that can be made between the occult which is the hidden knowledge of the inner world and ritual magic which is a mechanism by which that information can be accessed.  AGIEL is the occult; literally.  As we talked about earlier, the name AGIEL is derived from astrology where it is known as the “intelligence of Saturn”.  It is literally the personification of occult knowledge.  Through careful study the knowledge of the occult can greatly benefit anyone interested in understanding it.  I do think that the emphasis on symbolism within ritual magic can sometimes cause people to become stuck in the trappings of the occult; losing sight of its deeper truths.

To me occultism is something that is unique to every person that discovers it.  No two occultists will approach the study the same way.  Some believe that ritual clothing, objects and ceremonies are extremely important while others may not.  One person may find access to the inner truth through numerology or geomancy.  For others like myself it might be lucid dreaming. The point is there’s no wrong way to go about it.  The benefit that’s derived from the practice is equal to the practitioner’s intentions. 

Through my experiences I’ve found that occultism is usually labeled as something dangerous or suspect because it raises conscious awareness that the will is the supreme authority in the universe.  The more a person is able to exercise their free will the more they are able to reshape the world and take control of their destiny.  We live in a time where that kind of self-determination is not tolerated in most of the world.  Even in societies that appear open and free our concepts of morality, sexuality and identity are intensely manipulated.  In my opinion the purpose of occult practice is to free ourselves from these illusionary bonds.

Do you have any non-musical interests?

After music my next greatest interest would definitely be digital art.  I’ve loved to draw and paint for my whole life.  My mother was an accomplished artists herself; specializing in a craft known as batik where cloth is dyed after the application of melted wax.  If I’m not working on music you’ll probably find me in front of my Wacom tablet.  My favorite subjects are fantasy and sci-fi characters and landscapes.  I love getting lost in another world when I paint.  It’s one of the few ways that I’ve learned to let myself relax. 

I’m also a rabid sci-fi film fan.  I don’t even care how bad the movie is; if it’s sci-fi I’ll probably watch it.  I’ll most always have something like that playing in the background as I’m working.  I also like reading sci-fi, but I’ll admit that my schedule makes it a bit difficult to sit down and read a few chapters anymore.  And if I’m not preoccupied with any of that then I’ll probably be researching some aspect of occult history or philosophy.  In my view the non-music interests are vital for keeping my inspiration up.  Painting a kick-ass picture, seeing a compelling movie, reading a new story or learning something new all help to replenish the well of creativity.

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

Fist let me say thank you for your interest in AGIEL’s music and our motivation for creating it.  Our music is an extension of our desire to evolve and raise our consciousness as human beings.  Our highest ambition is to be able to share that journey with others.  With the release of Dark Pantheons we are a step closer to making that a reality. We’ll be releasing new material throughout the year and letting everyone in on that creative process.  Our website is houseofagiel.com and that’s where the majority of this will come out of.  We’ll also be keeping everyone informed through our Facebook profile which isfacebook.com/houseofagiel.  And this is only the beginning. 

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James Taylor is the vocalist and founding member of AGIEL