Eternal Samhain Interview

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

-Hi everyone, Taliesin speaking! We are a Symphonic black metal band from Verona, Italy. This band exists since 2006 and, even if it starts just as a kid passion, it has become something more serious trough time, until we’ve reached a moment when we told ourselves “Where do we want to get with this project? Let’s get it to another level and see what happens”, so here we are!

2.You have an album coming out during the end of October, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

-The sound is very majestic, all the orchestral part of the album has been an hard task to write and compose, but this gave us a great orchestral wall back and this is very important for the band .We’ve tried (and I think we’ve reached our goal) to play symphonic black metal with a lot of influences from classical music, this is what change from the last release, it’s more melodic as well as faster and harder!

3.This is your first release in 5 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?

-Unfortunately it’s not easy to find a line-up that works as an ensemble, in the same direction as we are doing now. The past five years went very fast and we changed three band members in order to get to the current line-up, which is where we’ve spent our time, looking for the right guys to play with us and writing down all the stuff for this album.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?

-The lyrics I wrote, tries to talk about different stuff, from religion as a chain for free thinking/ free thinker, to characters that are symbols for this ideology (the track “Cenere” which means “Ash” talks about Giordano Bruno) , and also about ancient pagan rites that have been wrong-seen through time like the night of Samhain and all the wonderful Celtic pagan tradition, that now are wrongly associated to Satanism, evil and stuff like that.


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

-As I told you before, the band started as a teenager band so, when I was 16 (none of the current members were involved when it all started) we were looking for a name that could stand for something really evil, and seems to us that an “eternal night of the dead” could be the right one as meaning. Than we’ve got in touch with Celtic symbology and tradition and the word “Samhain” seemed great, so here we are, “ Eternal Samhain”

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

-The best shows we’ve played are for sure the support slots for Fleshgod Apocalypse a couple of years ago and the support for Nocturnal Depression at the Eresia Metal Fest last summer. We cannot forget our Show at Padova metal Fest and the gigs at Il Blocco music hall and at Alchemica Music club, that we consider our home.
The Live show we play is very powerful and we try to communicate our energy to the crowd…what else can I say, just come and witness by yourself!

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

-Yes we do. We will be touring Italy this winter to promote the album, there are many things getting ready for this spring but I can’t say anything at the moment…just wait, it will be amazing!

8.Currently you are signed to RNC Music, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

-It’s just great! We never had any experience with a label and RNC’s family hosted us and helped us a lot under every aspect about a release with a label and all the stuff like that.

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

-at the moment the album is not out yet so I don’t know, but I can tell you that the release of the single is going very well, in just 3 weeks we’ve reached more than 70 countries worldwide and the general feedback seems to be very good so far!

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

Hope as far as we can! We are trying so hard to make this project becoming our life’s job, it’s not easy and we know it but we won’t quit so easily! 

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?

-Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth, Dark Funeral, Carach Angren and the Italian pride Fleshgod Apocalypse are the bands that have more influence on us. We listen to a lot of different kinds of music, all metal genres of course, but even folk and classical music are genres that we love to listen to.

12.Does Paganism or Occultism play any role in your music?

-Yes it does but as a cultural matter. We do not believe in a kind of god, nature and ourselves are our gods. we could talk about what we believe or think for several hours of course!


13.What are some of your non musical interests?

-There are so many things we love to do, like sports and other arts, but basically music is our true love and passion.

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

-yes,We would like to thank all those who made this possible!
Starting with our great friend Rian Grigoletto from Orange Studios Verona who always believed in us,  Alberto Rapetti that produced us and Paolo Brentegani for the realization of our videoclip “Ode al Vento”. Nico Spinosa, Ros Manica and Gioia Camposano of RNC MUSIC that guide us through the difficult world of music business and Niccolò Baldari of Devoured Agency for our upcoming gigs and tour.
We would also like to thank our friends, girlfriend and families for their full support, and finally you guys for this interview!

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Endemise/Anathema/2016 Full Length Review

 Endemise  are  a  band  from  Ottawa,  Ontario,  Canada  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "Anathema".

  Nature  sounds  and  atmospheric  synths  start  off  the  album  and they  also  go  into  more  of  a  symphonic  direction  that  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  side  of  the  songs  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  very  melodic.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  also  mixing  in  the  more  melodic  side  of  death  metal  and  violins  can  also  be  heard in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Endemise  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and   death  metal  from  their  previous  release,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Endemise  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic  black  and  death metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Anathema"  "Soma"  and  "Fragments  In  Flame".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ3NsOpSixQ 

 

Gehenna/Seen Through The Veils Of Darkness(The Second Spell)/Cacophonous/2016 CD Re-Issue Review

 Gehenna  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  has  been  around  for  more  than  20  years  and  played  a  very  symphonic  form  of  black  metal  on  this  recording  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1995  album  "Seen  Through The Veils  Of  Darkness(The  Second  Spell)"  which  will  be  re-issued  in  November  by  Cacophonous.

  A  very  distorted  guitar  sound  and  spoken  word  parts start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  black  metal  screams,  fast  tremolo  picking  riffs  and  blast  beats  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  they  also  mix  in  symphonic  keyboards  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs.

  At  times  the  riffs  can  be  very  melodic  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  and  one  song  brings  in  clean  vocals  which  are  session  work  done  by  Garm  of  Ulver  and  Arcturus  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  some  of  the  clean  playing  also  brings  in  a  touch  of  goth  and  one  of  the  tracks  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  melodic  chants,  acoustic  guitars  and  whispers.

  Gehenna  played  a  style  of  black  metal  on  this  recordng  that  was  very  symphonic  while  still  being  very  guitar  driven  as  well  as  having  a  more  grim  approach  to  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Thelema,  Occultism and  Darkness  along  with  one  song  being  written  in  Norwegian.  

  In  my  opinion  Gehenna  played  a  very  great  style  of  symphonic  black  metal  on  this  recording  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lord  Of  Flies"  "A  Witch  Is  Born"  "The  Eyes  Of  The  Sun" and  "A  Myth".  8  out  of  10.

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Sigh/Infidel Art/Cacophonous/2016 CD Re-Issue Review

  Sigh  are  a  band  from  Japan  that  has  albums  reviewed  by  this  zine  and  played  an  avant  garde  form  of  black  metal  on  this  release  and  this  is  a  review  of  their 1995  album  "Infidel  Art"  which  will  be  re-issued in  November  by  Cacophonous.

  Heavy  guitars  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  80's  metal  style guitar  leads  and  a  few seconds  later  black  metal  screams  become  a  part  of the  recording  along  with  the  riffs  using  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  solos  are  also  very  melodic at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  keyboards  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  symphonic  and  progressive  feeling  along  with  touches  of  classical  and  when  clean  vocals  are  utilized  they  give  the  music  more  of  an  operatic  feeling  and  a  great  portion  of t he tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  All  of  the  songs  also  get  very  experimental  and  avant  garde  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in a   great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  culture  and  music  of  Japan  is  also  a  very  huge  influence  on  the  recording  and  on  tracks  brings  in  acoustic  guitars  and  the  bonus  tracks  are  original  versions  of  a  couple  of  songs  that  appeared  on  the  original  version  of  the album..

  Sigh  played  a  style  of  black  metal  on  this  recording  that  was  very  original,  experimental,  avant g arde  and  symphonic  for  its  era  and  also  helped  influence  a  lot  of  later  bands  with  this  album,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Shinto  Mythology,  Occultism,  Suffering,  Insanity  and  Death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  a  very  great  sounding  recording  from  Sigh  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  the  avant  garde  and  symphonic  styles  of  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Izuna"  "The  Last  Elegy"  and  "Beyond  Creatures".  8  out  of  10.

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Eternal Samhain/Storyteller Of The Sunset And Dawn/RNC Music/2016 Full Length Review

  Eternal  Samhain  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  and  gothic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Storyteller  Of  The  Sunset  And  Dawn"  which  will  be  released  at  the  end  of  October  by  RNC  Music.

  Atmospheric  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  a  few seconds  later  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  heavier  ad  symphonic  direction  along  with  some  grim  black  metal  screams  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  At  times  the  riffs  can  be  very  melodic  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  faster  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  vocals  also get  deep  in  some  parts  of  the  songs.

  You  can  also  hear  a  touch  of  goth  in  the  bands  musical style  and  the  guitar  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  clean  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  they  also  bring  in  a  brief  instrumental  before  returning  back  to  vocal  tracks  and  as  the  album  progresses  violins  can  be  heard  on  a  few  songs..

  Eternal  Samhain  plays  a  style  of  symphonic  black  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  also  brings  in  a  touch  of  goth,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  Italian  and  English  and  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Eternal  Samhain  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cathedral"  "Vespri"  "King  Of  Yourself"  and  "Storyteller  Of  The  Sunset  And  Dawn".  8  out  of  10.   

http://www.rncmusic.it/index.p hp?id=381

False Reality/End Of Eternity/Loud Rage Music/2016 CD Review

  False  Reality  are  a  band  from  Romania  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "End  Of  Eternity"  which  will  be  released  on  October  28th  by  Loud  Rage  Music.

  Clean  guitars  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  whispers  a  few  seconds  later  before  adding  in  some  drum  beats  which  also  leads  up  to  a  heavier  and  melodic  musical  direction  which  also  shows  death  metal  growls  and  synths  being  added  onto  the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Black  metal  screams  can  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  the  tracks  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  melodic  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  are  very  heavily  influenced  by  doom  metal  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  music  also  gets very  symphonic  and  progressive at  times  while  clean  guitars  also  make  a return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  False  Reality  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  melodic  forms  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  nature,  love,  and sadness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  False  Reality  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bewitched"  "Rapture  And  Pain"  and "Dear  Friend".  8  out  of  10.

 https://loudragemusic.bandcamp.com/album/false-reality-end-of-eternity

Jagged Mouth Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Alex:  We basically started at the beginning of 2016. We have all known each other for years. Bon, our guitarist, of course has Lamentations of the Ashen, which is his one-man black metal project with several releases out.  Him and I had bounced around the idea of doing something together, be it a live incarnation of Lamentations or a doom band that we dreamt up several years ago that just never coalesced. Our drummer Roman is one of the main promoters in Albuquerque, where we are from, and so I had known him for awhile because he used to book bands that I was in previously, and I have been on friendly terms with him just from seeing him at the venues that him and I work at.  One night while at some show, I asked him "when are you and Bon and I gonna do something?", and he told me that actually he and Bon had plans to jam the following week, and told me I should come down.   So the next
 week we all met up in a rehearsal space that Bon had downtown, and along with a guy named Ben on bass, we began to work on the songs that would become "Fallen to Incarnadine Loam" and "A Wretched Offering". Roman and Bon already had the riffs somewhat put together, and so after hearing them once I just picked up a mic and did the thing.  Ben didn't last long as the bassist - in fact he was let go after a piss poor performance in the studio while the band was laying down the first three of the five songs that make up the album.   I was still only doing vocals at that time, and so Bon played the bass tracks on those songs. After that first studio session, we played several shows; a couple with a guy named Randy on bass, and one with no bass player at all. After that show it was decided that I should go ahead and play bass, so I camped out in my garage for a couple of weeks learning how to do vocals and play bass at the same time in preparation for more shows that we had booked, and the second studio session in which I played bass.

2.Recently you have released an album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording? Alex:  Doom. Sludge.

3.According to the fb page you refer to your music as 'high desert doom', can you tell us a little bit more about this term? 
Well we are based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It's a high desert climate, so basically a desert, but at altitude, so thankfully densely wooded forests and superb mountains aren't far away. Doom is a pretty broad spectrum; Celestiial is quite a bit removed in sound from Black Sabbath. Trouble is very different from Mournful Congregation. However all of those bands could be called doom bands and our style fits in there somewhere.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Alex: I wrote the lyrics to all of the songs except "Lingers The Taolith", which were penned by Bon. I would say the overall lyrical theme could be tied to personal tragedy . Not made up shit like "oh, my feelings are betrayed amongst the mire and I just can fathom going on".  More like real life family members being torn apart from each other by someone else's act of betrayal, revenge, etc. Stuff that actually hurts that I can't shake.  That's really just one song, though ("A Wretched Offering"), but it's always the first one that comes to mind when I think about the lyrics that I've written.  In addition, we have songs that touch on esoteric themes, things that pop in my head while I'm driving,  esoteric topics, psychoanalytical themes, and "exchanging slavery for freedom" to pull a quote from "If Hope Conspires Against Us".

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Jagged Mouth'?
Bon: The band name is something I thought up one night when I was listening to metal and riding my bike. It's a description of a scowling gateway through broken glass, into a void.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Alex:  We have had the privilege of opening for Monolord, Goya, Chvrch and some others but for me personally, the highlights so far would be playing with and forming alliances with distances from Albuquerque and The Stalk from El Paso, Texas. Words of encouragement and respect from peers goes a long way with me.
People have come up after our shows and told me that they can tell our music is deeply personal, and it is. It is for the three of us on different levels. Our stage performance is us just plugging in and playing these songs that we've come up with, with whatever occurs doing so naturally. It creates its own vibe that people either walk away from or choose to immerse themselves in.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Alex:  I'm glad to say that we do. We have a 2 week tour lined up for late October and early November with Ol' Dagger from Santa Fe, New Mexico. We will be hitting towns in the western US, and playing with bands that we enjoy and are looking forward to getting to know such as North, Scalafrea, Brume and Catapult The Dead.

8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Alex:  We are definitely still looking for a label to work with to release CDs and vinyl. A cassette release is imminent on the Evergreen Spires label.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black, sludge and doom metal? 
Alex:  We are a very new band, and are honored that people have been purchasing the digital version of "Louring" from many locations around the world.  Absolutely honored. We all listen to music all the time, and I'm sure you and your readers can relate that when you're hanging with friends and you want to show them something new that they haven't been exposed to before, that Jagged Mouth would be a part of that is amazing. Also, sometimes people look for a band or an album that just reaches them on a level that they need at that exact moment in time. If we could do that for someone, that would be a privilege beyond measure.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Alex:  Hard to say. We haven't really discussed it. But we never really discussed any of this.  It just happened. Our future songs will be slow and heavy, that is for sure.

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?
Alex:  I think it's safe to say that we have taken no direct musical influence from any band or group of bands. I listen to a broad spectrum of music, but doom and sludge have always held a special place in my heart, and of course those are the two genres that people affiliate Jagged Mouth with. Bon and Roman listen to a ton of doom and stoner bands, and so the songs that we came up weren't forced by any means. Bon had these riffs and we just added nuances to and came up with the songs. It was relatively easy for us to get the vibe and understand the direction of how things needed to go. You either get it or you don't.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Alex:  Hiking. Camping. Boobs.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Alex:  Thank you for the opportunity. Underground music is usually only propagated through underground channels, and we applaud your effort. Keep it up.

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