Diabolical Raw Interview

 

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

Hello everyone, Ozan Erkmen here (All Vocals)!

After the recordings were completed, we looked for a label for a while and agreed with Base Record Production. The album will be released in September. We have been working hard on PR work lately. Exciting process. Besides we are in touch for possible concerts after the summer season.

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

The new album has more catchy riffs than the first album. Orchestration is like the trademark of our music, we worked on it in more detail on the new album. We simplified the chaotic structure in the first album a bit, I can say that the orchestration is at a more digestible level. There are parts that can be accompanied more in vocals. I am sure that the fans will join us in the performance of these parts at the concerts. Lastly, there are very nice guitar and violin solo performances. Apart from that, I am sure that those who listen to the album will find details that surprise them every time.

 

3.From2005 to 2019 there was no music being released, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame? 

There was a member changing problem that we couldn't avoid until 2005. At that time, we were working on the compositions of the first album, and each member change prolonged this process, carried the songs to a point that was very different from where we started and actually did not satisfy us. After the accumulation of different minor problems besides this main problem, the band split up. During that time, I moved to Germany, each band member continued his life in different ways. After a long time, we got in touch with our composer Ozan Tunc (We have the same names:) at the beginning of 2019, we talked a while about the past, after that we encouraged each other and finally we started to produce new songs again.

 

4.A lot of your lyrics cover Central Asian Mythology themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

Central Asia is the region where Turks stepped into the world history scene. The first documented Turkish presence is in Central Asia. There are many known historical details such as the Great Hun Empire, Attila's invasion of Europe. There is an age between me and Ozan, our education started and ended in the same period. We have already learned Central Asian Turkish history at school, a subject that is not foreign to us. Although the religious form of the Central Asian Turks seems very simple, in fact, when you dig deeper, you find many exciting details. In addition to having similarities with the most known Greek and Scandinavian Mythological and religious forms, there are also unique sections. It has a fantastic form and I can say that it is an untouched area in the Metal music scene. As I know the Black and Folk Metal bands that write lyrics on this theme, such as Gökböri, Yaşaru, Yabgu. Apart from these bands, there is no other Metal band that comes to my mind, if there is, I haven't heard it. It is probably easier to continue with familiar lyrical themes. It is definitely not easy to produce Metal Music on this theme. And we're glad we made it

 

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Diabolical Raw'>?

When the band was formed it was called "Diabolical" and after we started writing songs again, we found that the resulting songs were completely different from what the band produced in 2005. We thought it would be unreasonable to claim that the band that produced music again after 12 years was the same band. On the other side, the past of the band dates back to 1998, which is also a fact. We didn't want to break away from the band's past, and also we wanted to emphasize a new beginning. Another reason is that there are many bands called "Diabolical". Thus, we have prevented the problems that may arise from the band name confusion.

 

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

Before I started writing the lyrics for the new album, I wanted to write a short Story entirely of our own and to have the lyrics come out of this Story. And so a unique concept was born. Artwork creator Mukadder Karaoglan (Muko) listened to all the songs and read this short Story. And before she started painting the Artwork, she chose the final battle part of the story. She created the main character Kaygun, her fierce enemy Erlik, the last battle and the battlefield in perfect harmony.

 

7.Currently there are only 2 members in the band but you have had a full line up in the past, are you open to expanding your line up again in the future or do you chose to remain a duo?

We will continue to be a duo because we are both very perfectionist people and working with us could be hard time to time. We are not hesitate to criticize each other harshly. And we work on songs in detail for a long time. If someone wants to work with us who can both put up with us and keep up with our discipline, we are open to it :) But for now, we are happy to continue on the road as duo. We also know musicians for gigs, it is not a problem for us to take the stage, everything is fine as it stands.

 

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

We both live in separate countries; but this does not prevent us for play. After the first album came out, as you know, the Pandemic started and many concert possibilities have already disappeared. The new album will be released soon and we are very excited for it. After the summer season, we want to play as many shows as possible both in Turkey and in Europe.

 

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

Everyone we could reach loved our music, But it is a fact that we couldn't reach as many people as we want. After the release of the first album, we were weak in PR. That's why we're working hard on PR for the second album. We get professional help from Grand Sounds Promotion and they are very good at it. As I said, the fans we reached liked it very much, as a cliché many guys said that our music sounds like Septicflesh or Dimmu Borgir, but it definitely does not bother us. We have not heard anything negative about the sound, which makes us very happy.

 

10.What is going on with the other bands these days that both of the band members are a part of?

Other projects that I am currently involved in are not active. We are still working on the songs with the Death Metal band Human Harvest, which Ozan and I are in, but the recording process has not started. Ozan's own project Amras Numenesse is active and will even take the stage in Istanbul on August 24.

 

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

I don't think that our way of writing songs will go through a big change, but we are open to new stuffs and we like to blend new elements with our music without breaking the balans. Guitars may be more intense in the third album. A little spoiler:)

 

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

The bands that have influenced our music are definitely Septicflesh and Fleshgod Apocalypse. As for our personal playlists, we're not obsessed with a few styles. We listen to almost all of the metal music genres except for a few. But Black and Death Metal come first for both of us. Bands such as Emperor, Marduk, Nile, Suffocation have deeply influenced me. Of course, I listen to many more bands than I can count right now. These are just the first names that come to mind. Apart from that, I've been listening to ethnic music, classical music and Hard Rock classics lately.

Ozan is also a big fan of bands like Emperor, Gorgoroth, Mayhem, Devourment, Deeds of Flesh. Apart from that, he loves to listen to classical baroque music.

 

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

The questions were very good, thank you very much for your time. Thank you in advance to everyone who will read this interview. Be sure to listen to the album, it will be worth your time. Open your mind to Symphonic Extreme Metal madness.

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | YouTube

Rosa Nocturna Interview

 

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

Thanks for the interview. We are currently working on promoting our English album. This is a lot of work and takes a lot of time. In addition, we are finishing the music video for the song Fear. It should be out in September. And of course, we are already working on material for the new album.

2.Musically how does the new stuff differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

We try to keep our style on the border between symphonic metal and folk. The new album is much more sophisticated and heavier. It offers more melodies and we also featured more guests on it.

3.Recently you have released an English version of your 2020 album, what was the decision behind releasing the recording in 2 different languages?

For our Czech fans, we normally release music in Czech. But we have already released a few singles in English and we can see from the numbers that they are played much more. English songs are better accepted worldwide than songs in a little-known language such as Czech. So we decided to try to release the whole album in English. Also because albums are promoted more easily than individual songs. We will see if our music will be liked abroad.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored over the years with your music?

We tell captivating stories, romantic ballads, or mythical epics. We tell stories from ancient times, which are sometimes nostalgic, sometimes full of struggles. It narrates about love and betrayal, death and fear, and it brings a great range of moods and feelings We try to convey a positive vibe and we invite listeners to contemplate.

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

From Latin, Rosa Nocturna means Night rose. Roses are beautiful but also they have thorns and they can hurt you. And so is our music. Sometimes beautiful and touching as roses in the moonlight. Other times hard and fierce as thorns on dark nights.

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

Of course. The cover was drawn in Finland, in the famous graphics studio Darkgrove. The cover artwork depicts a werewolf and an angel. As representatives of two opposing sides, good and evil. Our whole album is about the old-time struggle between good and evil and the picture is quite accurate about it.

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

Hard to choose one, or several, because we played many great shows. Though we played only in the Czech Republic until now. Here in our city Brno we have quite a great fan base, so all the concerts in our hometown are blasts.

Concerning stage performance, we are a costumed band. We play in coats and costumes reminiscent of the Gothic or Victorian era. Our trademark is a top hat. And we are not a static band at all. We enjoy playing with the audience, jumping, and headbanging all over the stage. We also invite fans from the audience onto the stage to play with us during the shows. They simply love it.

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

Of course, all upcoming shows can be found on our website www.rosanocturna.cz, or on our socials.

9.On the new album you also have 13 guest musicians, can you tell us a little bit more about who they are and also their contribution to the recording?

Our songs are very musical. There are stories with many characters in our songs. And because we need different voices to portray them, we invite guest singers. They are great singers from other Czech bands. E.g. Viktorie Surmová from Surma, René Perry David from Flowerwhile, Shirley Tracanna from Wishmasters, Lenka Ereis Šíková from Ertha, etc. With them, we can convey the right emotions for every song. We invite also guest musicians for instruments we don't have in our band as band members. The main ones are Klára Šindelková from Emerald Shine on violin, Hanka Osifová from Wolfarian on flute, and Adam Langer from Rebel on djembe and bass.

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

Unfortunately, we haven't received any interest from labels yet. It would be nice to have one. So perhaps with this new album, we will be able to find a decent label.

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

Angels and beasts is our first English album. So we are looking forward to the reactions and review. We hope the fans will accept our music warmly. Our English singles have good reactions and in Czechia, we are praised by fans.

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

We will definitely stay metal, perhaps even heavier. But we would like to utilize more orchestra and more cinematic elements in the future.

13.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?

Definitely, it is Nightwish as one of the biggest influences. But in our band, we listen to a wide variety of bands and music styles. From Metallica to classical music. Because I am still searching for new voices and guests, I listen quite a lot to Czech bands nowadays, to find some interesting voices or musicians. 

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

I would like to thank you for this interview and to encourage fans to support their favorite bands. Making music takes a lot of effort and money. So every band will be very happy for the support of the fans.

Website: https://www.rosanocturna.cz/en/index.html
Bandcamp: https://rosanocturna.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RosaNocturnaBand/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh018nFMYdbh2gXhjUeU8bw
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6iV0BAMaGidShAlpWp7GNR
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosanocturnaband/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/rosa-nocturna
Bandzone https://bandzone.cz/rosanocturna

Manic Abraxas Interview

 

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

Basically solidifying our live lineup and arranging material for shows.

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

To us it’s a progression from the last time.  We spent more time on details, nuances and getting tone dialed.  That’s not to say this is overly produced, the emphasis is still on a raw sound.

3.Some of your lyrics cover occultism themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

To us the occult simply means hidden from the public, which describes a lot of our themes.  We aren’t a Satanic band, that shit is pretty much mainstream these days.  Where we’re coming from has no constraints.

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

There’s one song on the new album about a paranormal experience one of us had.  Overall the lyrics tend to be impersonal.  We have plenty of songs heavily influenced by some of our favorite fiction writers…SciFi, Fantasy, Horror etc.  Others can be about how peculiar it is to be alive.

5.I know that the band's name came from 'Gnosticism', can you tell us a little bit more about your research into this topic?

It’s just an interesting topic for us.  Abraxas seemed to be a clouded & unpredictable figure of unknown alignment and that’s the perfect umbrella for our music.

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

We are very proud to have album art by the amazing Gage Lindsten.

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

At this moment in 2022 playing shows seems like a distant memory.  Live is a barely contained torrent - we have forgotten all about society and being human summoning Abraxas in our own primitive way.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

We have a handful of shows lined up for the fall.  We’ll probably never do real tours but weekends and the odd week now and then as we grow would be cool.

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

Unsigned - we have garnered no interest.

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

Overall it’s been positive but we’ve also had plenty of hate.  We don’t fit in any boxes so that excites us.

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

That’s hard to say.  RIght now we have a huge backlog of unreleased & unrecorded songs all the way back to our beginning so that may be our next release, a regression of sorts.  

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?

Saturnalia Temple, Darkthrone, St Vitus, early High On Fire, Celtic Frost, Bolzer, Venom, Blue Oyster Cult, Unearthly Trance, ZZ Top - it’s endless really.

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

Thanks for having us.

https://manicabraxas.bandcamp.com

https://www.instagram.com/manic69abraxas

https://www.facebook.com/manicabraxas

Yevabog/Between Two Fires/2022 Full Length Review

 

  Yevabog  are  a  solo  project  from  Seattle,  Washington  that h as  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  atmospheric  and  melodic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2022  album  "Between  Two  Fires".

  A  very  fast  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  synths  also  ad d in  some  symphonic  touches.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal screams  and  death  metal  growls  along  with  the  music  also  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  era  and  clear  chants  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  atmospheric  while  the  song  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Tremolo  picking  is  also  added  into  some  of  the  faster  riffing  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  solos  and leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.as  well  as  one  song  also  introducing  clean  playing  and  clear  vocals  onto  the  album.  

  On  this  recording  Yevabog  takes  the  atmospheric,  symphonic  and  melodic  styles  of  90's  era  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  death  emtal  to  create  a  very  diverse  recording.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  possession  and  betrayal  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Yevabog  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric,  melodic  and  symphonic  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Golden  Reaper"  and  "22  Disciples  Of  Hell".  8  out  of  10.

  https://youtu.be/xkSV_U6RcK0

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2QDLelqjXt45lfsNAEStCF

https://music.apple.com/us/album/between-two-fires-ep/1640806806

https://yevabog.bandcamp.com/album/between-two-fires

https://www.instagram.com/yevabog/  

ZeTA Interview

 

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

I started this project in 2008, coincidentally that was the same year I started to believe and become interested in the ufo/alien subject matter. I thought it would be interesting to start some type of alien-themed metal band. This was always a studio project (no band practices or live performances), but over time I realized I was not good enough and stretched myself too thin for the whole “one-man band” approach and brought in other members more proficient in drums, vocals, guitar solos so I can focus solely on rhythm guitars, bass, effects/synth, songwriting/lyrics, etc. I would say that I always wanted this project to have somewhat of a profound and spacey atmosphere that reminds listeners of aliens or ufos. I’ve also read and researched a ton of UFO/Alien cases since, selected the ones that I found the most interesting and believable to write songs based on.

2.In September you have your first full length coming out, musically how does it differ from your previous ep's?

I would say overall the approach was to focus on more atmosphere and melody versus heaviness or brutality. As far as the EP’s go, it was somewhat of a gambled “mad-scientist” type approach in which both EP’s were completely different from each other but equally trying to be unique/original/weird in their own way and just seeing which one succeeds over the other. “Cosmic Realms” was somewhat of a melodic black metal project whereas “Ignotum Anomalia” was more brutal death. Both featured weird guitar effects/undertones. Overrall, as a first efforts I thought Ignotum Anomalia turned out good, Cosmic Realms unfortunately was an experimental failure. Naturally, musicians evolve, and I wanted to combine elements that worked and others that didn’t from my experiences with those past efforts and “consolidate” the overall songwriting and direction into this new album.

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

There were plenty of setbacks and mistakes along the way of writing/recording/finishing this album, which considerably added to the delay. However, at some point after all the modifying, re-recording, ‘fixing’ of every audible detail that you notice with a recording, you come to a point where the final product is “good enough”. That is all that matters in the end as you want to be proud of an album years after its release rather than have second thoughts or regrets after the fact.

4.One of the main inspirations on your music is the 'Metroid' video game series, can you tell us a little bti more about your interest in these games?

I felt that the music and desolate atmosphere of that series truly transports you to a habitable alien world filled with eccentric wildlife and vibrant flora. Musicians sometimes search outside of their respective genres to add elements to make them somewhat unique. I don’t listen to much music outside of metal, but I do have admiration of certain “epic” movie and video game scores usually coming from my childhood. As far as ZeTA goes, I wanted to have certain passages that sounded unearthly or “extraterrestrial”, and I took inspiration from Metroid to try to achieve that.

5.Your main lyrical themes goes into the U.F.O sightings and the government cover up's and the conspiracy theory's involving this topic, can you tell us a little bit more about the time and research you have put into this topic?

Prior to 2008, I never paid any attention (let alone thought they existed) to aliens or ufos and just assumed they were fictional entities no different than vampires, zombies, ghouls, etc. But at some point that year, I randomly viewed a random youtube video (I believe it was a ufo over Mexico city) which sparked some curiosity and one of the comments referenced the disclosure project. I then watched the conference which featured former airline pilots, air traffic controllers, and others that explained what they’ve seen in detail. They all sounded genuine and believable, so I started to truly to dig into more cases through online articles, watching documentaries and reading certain books such as Richard Nolan’s “UFO for the 21st Century Mind”. Some of the most notable ones which made the biggest impressions include Bob Lazar, Fredrick Valentich disappearance (which especially scared the shit out of me at the time), Jesse Long Abduction, Kelly–Hopkinsville encounter, along with more famous cases like Roswell and Rendlesham Forest. I’ve come across a ton of cases and stories throughout the years, and I wouldn’t say that every single one of them could be reasonably deemed true or had any substantial evidence. However, the biggest argument to claim that aliens exist is the fact that there have been so many cases throughout the years, decades, even centuries. The probability that every single encounter and sighting can be explained through conventional or natural phenomenon is unrealistically low. However, I never truly tried to convince or “convert” others to believe in aliens or ufos. Anyone can decide themselves if they want to take the time to research the subject and use their own judgement to draw a conclusion, or simply completely ignore it and just assume they do not exist.

6.The band has been around since 2008 but waited until 2017 to release any music, can you tell us a little bit more about the earlier years?

I don’t remember much from the start of the project, but I know I experimented with different effects and guitar/bass tones while trying to forge an “original” identity. At the same time, I did my own amateur recordings and plenty of mistakes and re-recordings were made throughout the years that added to the delays as I was very picky with my own material. In addition, I was in school, had other projects I was involved in, etc. As far as doing all the musical instruments and whatnot, I had to resort to using a drum machine that I honestly could never make it sound decent or anywhere near natural. I give a lot of credit for one-man bands that can pull off everything to their own satisfaction, but I learned in the end it’s not the best approach for me.

7.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'ZeTA'?

Originally the project was called “Zeta Reticuli”, which was named after a binary star system that Bob Lazar claimed that the alien “Greys” originate from. However, I noticed through metal archives that a black metal band from Australia had the same name. I dropped the “Reticuili” to just name it “ZeTA” to avoid confusion, and the logo itself is far cleaner and easier to read now with just that.

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

The cover is essentially inspired by the famous UK UFO encounter, the "Rendlesham Forest incident". The cover specifically depicts the event that Jim Penniston walks up to a black triangular craft hovering over the forest floor, notices "hieroglyphic" type markings and touches one of the symbols. He claimed that he received a "telepathic download" of binary code that he believed was a message. The cover sets the overall tone that the album is mostly trying to express, the mystery and morbid curiosity that we have regarding aliens and UFOs. Different from the typical Hollywood depiction that aliens are up to something sinister and are hostile (if they wanted to destroy us, they would have already). We do not know exactly why they are here and their true intentions, we just know they exist and regularly visit this planet (and likely numerous others) and can only speculate.

9.All of the band members live in different parts of the United States, what impact does this have on the recording process?

There are pluses and minuses with a studio project compared to say a traditional band that practices on a weekly cadence and records all at once on a weekend in a studio. Some advantages are everyone can practice and record their own parts during their own time and not have to be pinned to a schedule. Disadvantages include everyone would have to have decent recording equipment and knowledge to pull it off, and sometimes the classic band creative synergy or ideas can be lost. Luckily, we all were able to communicate effectively whether it be through email or a phone call to discuss certain ideas or revisions and I’m proud of how it all came together in the end.

10.Are any of the band members interested in taking this project to the live stage?

I haven’t discussed it with anyone, but obviously to get everyone onboard would be a challenge due to distance. And just doing a few select shows with the original lineup may or may not ideal considering we wouldn’t have enough time to gel as a live unit which could result in a sloppy live performance. I don’t look too far ahead and currently am just focusing on promoting the album now, but if there is enough future interest, I may consider it.

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

There was a record label (which I won’t name) that recently showed interest in a month or so ago. However, he was booked up with new releases for the rest of the year and could only launch this album by this December or possibly January 2023 at the earliest. My original goal was to release this album no later than the third quarter of this year and considering how delayed it already has been, it was best for my personal sanity to continue with an independent release. However, I very much appreciated his interest. Previously I’ve hit up other labels with little to no interest since the 2017 EP releases. I won’t lie to you and say I haven’t taken that personally and used it as motivation to work harder and prove something with this new album.

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

So far, the current premier track “Suspended Colossus” hosted on Metal Vault has recently positive feedback from both those that I’ve known from the Cleveland scene and others I do not know personally who randomly checked it out. But of course, this is only one track whereas the rest of the album is yet to be revealed. Plenty of more work to be done from my side when it comes to promoting this project online, which I was never comfortable and good at selling my own material, but that’s all I can do as this is a studio project with no tours or live performances to help support the LP launch.

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

Dan’s black metal outfit Gravelust released a new album “Passage to the End” last February. Evan’s new Death Metal/Grindcore project Paranoia Apparition released an EP “Phantasmic Visions” from last March. Both great and interesting releases, I suggest you check them out.

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

I have not planned too far ahead in the future. Currently I am just focused on promoting the current album as much as I can for what it’s worth. I’ve written some new material, but I am nowhere near satisfied with it. Nor am I inspired to write or record more to eventually plan for an LP or even an EP release. For quite some time, I had the mindset for this album to be the last piece of music from ZeTA. In essence, this would help me focus on just making the album as good as I can, not looking back at previous releases or diverting attention to writing for the future. I wanted to put maximum effort and grit, like the last Byzantine Emperor “Constantine Palaiologos” fighting until his bitter end against the Turks during the Fall of Constantinople.

15.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?

I would argue, Swedish melodic black metal of the 90s such as Sacramentum, Dissection, Vinterland, and Dawn is probably the most beautiful and epic music that ever existed and a good amount of riffing on this album was influenced by those bands. Arghoslent was a big influence, as well as Immolation. Contemporary bands such as Aevangelist and Blood Incantation influenced a good amount of the synth additions to the songs. As far as new bands, I was very much impressed by the Earthshine, Dungeon Serpent, VVilderness and Worm(US) releases from last year. Probably my favorite releases thus far this year is from Moonlight Sorcery and Grenadier. Also, I started to understand the buzz that Suffering Hour has been getting after watching them at Maryland Deathfest and being completely mindblown by their performance.

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

For anyone reading, check out the premier track “Suspended Colossus” if you have not already, and if you’re into it, set a calendar reminder for the album release on Bandcamp September 2nd. However, if you’re not into the project, that’s fine as well. I always encourage those into metal to constantly research and check out bands whether it be online scavenging or going to shows featuring either local or international acts. Plenty of bands that can appeal to anyone’s taste out there in the vast and diverse world of metal that just require some effort to discover.

https://ufometal.bandcamp.com/album/binary-enigma

Diabolical Raw/Elegy Of Fire Dusk/Base Record Production/2022 Full Length Review

 

  Diabolical  Raw  are  a  duo  from  Turkey  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  "Elegy  Of  Fire  Dusk"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Base  Records  Production.

  A  very  dark,  ritualistic  and  nature  orientated  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  while  also  introducing  symphonic  elements  into  the  music  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  side  of  the  songs.  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  on  a  few  tracks  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  tracks  also  adding  in a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Vocals a re  a  mixture  of g rim  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a   decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  stringed  instruments  also  being  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  as  well  as  a  later  song  also  being  an  instrumental  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  finally  introduced  on  the  album  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  Diabolical  Raw  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  sympho0nic  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Central  Asian  Turkish  Mythology. 

  In  my  opinion  Diabolic  Raw  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Commands  Of  The  Gods"  "Tilgen's  Fall"  "The  Last  War  With  Evil"  and  "The  Council  At  the  Asar  land".  8  out  of  10.

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Manic Abraxas/Foreign Winds/2022 Full Length Review

 

  Manic  Abraxis  are  a  band  from  Maine  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  doom,  stoner,  thrash  metal  and  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2022  album  "Foreign  Winds"  which  will  be  released  in  September.

 

 A  very  hard  and  heavy  stoner  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  Synths  can  also be  heard  at  times  along  with  the  vocals  also b ringing  in  more  of  a  first  wave  black  metal  style  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  mixing  in  elements  of  thrash  metal  and  the  raw  energy  of  punk  rock  is  also  added in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  also  remain  true  to  an  old  school  style  while  growls  are  also  added  in  some  of  the  vocals.  Touches  of  doom  metal  are  also  added  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  utilized  briefly  as  well  as  the  music  also  having  its  psychedelic  moments.

  Clear  vocals  are  also  added  on  one  the  tracks  along  with  some  blast  beats  are  also  added  into  the  faster  sections  of  the  album  as  well  as  one  song  also  introducing  clean  playing  onto  the  recording,  some  of t he  riffing  adds  in  touches  of  classic  metal  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Manic  Abraxis  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  doom,  stoner,  thrash  metal  and  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Red  Camo  Rock"  "Foreign  Winds"  and  "Black  Destrier".  8  out  of  10.

  https://manicabraxas.bandcamp.com

https://www.instagram.com/manic69abraxas

https://www.facebook.com/manicabraxas  .