Clamoris Interview

 

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

We are a Symphonic/Melodic Death Metal band from Finland. We play around with utilizing classical music in an extreme metal setting. We are somewhat prone to shredding.

We started out as a sort of passion side project to channel some of the more elaborate and challenging stuff that we could come up with but have since then morphed into an actual band, consisting of five dudes.

We are releasing our debut album called Opus Limbonica on October 28th.

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

Opus Limbonica is our take on how to utilize classical music in a metal setting. It's not a new discovery that these two go surprisingly well together.

In our album we're exploring the possibilities of this combination from different angles. Some of it is within the realm of heroic power metal. Some of it is straight up shred. Some of it is symphonic. Some of it utilizes black metal as a foundation.

We wanted to be as versatile as we could, while keeping the core idea the same throughout. We wanted to make something where the focus is foremost on quality songwriting.

3.In 2018 you had released a single but where mostly silent until 2022, can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during this time frame?

Actually the release from 2018 is really just a demo that we put together to see how our stuff works in practice before we get to recording the actual album.

We promoted it in no way whatsoever. It was our intention all along to start making more noise of ourselves once we have the album ready for release.

We took the intervening years polishing and trying out different things with our material until we felt we were reasonably happy with what we've got.

Due to the situation with Covid we felt it'd be a good frame to take our sweet time exploring the possibilities of our style.

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

Immortality, chaos, deception and art itself are examples of some of the topics touched on in Opus Limbonica. Horror in general is a definite influence in our presentation overall.

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

Clamoris translates to a multitude of things, but among them 'roar of thunder' is the one that inspired the band name.

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

The artwork was made by Roberto Toderico. When sharing his work on his social medias, he tagged it with "Halloween" and I reckon that's a fairly good word to use to summarize the album cover in one sentence, albeit we weren't exactly thinking about that when coming up with the album art concept, nor did we know we'd end up releasing the album so close to Halloween.. but yeah like mentioned earlier, the album's influenced by horror and the cover art signals that.

7.Has the band done any live shows or open to the idea?

So far we haven't played live but we are open to the idea and are currently looking into it.

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

So far the reception has been fairly good. Given the amount of layers and sheer volume of notes in our music we anticipated that our music might not be everyones cup of tea, nor did we aim to please everyone, but we have managed to gain some recognition and fans already, so the reaction hasn't been bad at all.

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

Our vocalist/bassists - Nikos - and drummers - Toms - other band, Wolftopia, put out their debut last year and has since then done a few gigs in Finland. Our other guitarists - Samulis - other band Extinction in Progress put out their debut earlier this year and has done pretty much the same, a few gigs in Finland.

Obviously the World situation the past couple years has limited the options for them as it has for everyone.

Besides that it's unkown what the guys are scheming for the future. We'll have to wait and see.

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

The next album is already quite far in the writing process. The best way I can describe the future stuff is that if you took every song of the first album, put them in a melting pot and used the resulting goo to create a new album.

It is at the same time very much the same, but also refactored to create something that's very different. That's all I dare say at this stage.

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?

Personally, my roots are largely in black metal and classical music. On founding this band, I saw a chance to experiment with combining extreme metal and classical and that's what the band is mainly about.

When writing the material I tried to tackle this core idea from different angles, and researched the music of the likes of Wintersun, Children of Bodom and Symphony X for inspiration on how to pull it off and I guess that shows in our material.

You could say these three bands are rather looked up to within our ranks all in all.

Some of the bands I listen to these days, and for a while now, include: The Kovenant, Obtained Enslavement, Sigh, Korn & Symphony X. I also enjoy listening to a number of classical composers, especially J.S. Bach.

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

Thank you for having me. If you want to check out some wild and ambitious stuff, Opus Limbonica should be for you. The album will be out on 28th October.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clamoris 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clamorisband 
Bandcamp: https://clamoris.bandcamp.com 

Memories Of A Lost Soul Interview

 

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

We replaced the rhythm section of bass and drums because it was slowing us down.

I'm not just talking about speed of performance but also the scarce time they could devote to the band, later during the pandemic time we recorded these pieces and I finished the recording studio so that we could record quickly in the future as well, since many of the problems in the past depended on the slow recording methods. Now we have landed in the My Kingdom Music family and we are very happy with this new beginning.

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

Honestly it's still related to the past as concept and music, it's a new beginning but continues from the previous speech, compared to the past we are favoring violence in the songs, just to wake up.

3.Since 2004 there has only been 2 albums released, can you tell us a little bit more about the long wait in between releases?

As I explained to you before this is due to the slow recording studios in our country, our always busy former sound engineer is to blame for this, as well as some lineup changes that have obviously slowed us down, but the lineup now is stable and works better than ever and we boast our own recording studio.

4.A lot of the lyrics on the new album cover horror and science fiction themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics? 

I have always been a lover since I was a boy of this, both of Lovecraft and Asimov and other writers, with time and movies the passion has increased, of course the texts are affected, in Memories there is this horror and despair typical of these atmospheres, with some examples in our days and also related to everyday life.

5.What if the meaning and ispiration behind the name Memories of a lost soul?

This not many people know, actually besides being precisely a collection of my memoirs, it is also the final manuscript in the video game alone in the dark, one of the first games based on Lovecraft's world.

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

The artwork is by our drummer who is also a professional working graphic designer, the idea started with me and then we developed it together.

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

 Among the most important festivals I would say Agglutination Metal Fest, some dates with Vision Divine, Rotting Christ and Grave.

I always try to communicate through looks and gestures what's going on in the piece, in general I aspire to a very theatrical performance.

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

We have the record presentation in Palermo, some dates between Sicily and Calabria never fail, being from the deep south unfortunately it is often difficult to move, even economically speaking.

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

Let's say we are neither death black nor gothic in fact, the sound has evolved over time into a kind of dark and progressive soundtrack, consequently true fans, loyal to one current, I don't know how they can see us, we believe in general that we make beautiful music, beyond any genre.

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

I know that those who play with me get involved in other projects often, but honestly that has never interested me, what matters is the presence in Memories for me.

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

I hope for more and more sharing, I am not interested in money, but I would like our music to reach everyone.

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles the nand members are currently listening this days?

Hypocrisy, Moonspell, Mgla, Dark tranquillity, In flames, Rotting christ, Septic flesh, Kalmah, Samael but also many others.

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

We also already have the writing of another future record ready, a remastering of Distorted Perceptionz, our first album, and much more... so we won't make our fans wait so long anymore, especially now with the possibility of recording us right away.

http://facebook.com/memoriesofalostsoulofficial 

In The Woods.../Diversum/Soulseller Records/2022 Full Length Review

 

  In  the  Woods...  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  has  a  history  that  goes  back  to  the  90's  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  mixture  of  progressive  rock  and  avant  garde  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  "Diversum"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Soulseller  Records.

  Atmospheric  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Clear  pagan  vocals  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  along  with  the  music  also  bringing  in  more  of  an  avant  garde  approach  to  metal  and  black  metal  screams  and  growls  are  also  added  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  The  music  also  adds  in  a  great  amount  of  progressive  elements  along  with  one  song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  one  song  also  introduces  clean  playing  onto  the  album.

  Most  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  more  modern  style  which  is  also  different  from  their  earlier  releases  as  well  as  being  aggressive  than  what  was  released  towards  the  end  of  the  90's  along  with  some  tracks  also  adding  in a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars,  one  song  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  most  of  the  music  also s ticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism,  Philosophy  and  Nature  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  In  The  Woods...  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  progressive  rock  and  avant  garde  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Coward's  Way"  "A  Wonderful  Crisis"  and  "Your  Dark".  8  out  of  10.

  

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Bones/Voimit/Disorder Recordings/2022 Full length Review

 

  Bones  are  a  band  from  Chicago,  Illinois  and  on  this  recording  goes  for  a  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  death,  thrash  metal  and  crust  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  "Vomit"  which  will b e  released  on  October  27th  by  Disorder  Recordings.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a   great  amount  of  crust  and  thrash  metal  elements.  Vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  The  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  show  an  influence  of  sludge  metal  while  the  music  also  takes  an  80's  and  early  90's  style  and  also  makes  it  sound  more  modern.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  remaining  very  true  to  an  old  school  style.

 The  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  cover  of  Van  Halen's  "She's  The  Woman". The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  zombies,  violence  and  evil  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Bones  and  if  you  are  a f an  of  black,  sludge,  death,  thrash  metal  and  crust,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Beware  of  Ghouls"  "Tower  of  Skulls"  and  "Bloodlust".  8  out  of  10.

  http://bones-chicago.bandcamp.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xGidFQtxhY      

  

A.C.OD/Fourth Reign: Over Opacities And Beyond/Les Acteurs de' L'Ombre Productions/2022 Full Length Review

 

  A.C.O.D  are  a  band  from  France  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  goes  for  a  melodic  blackened  death metal  style  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  "Fourth  Reign:  Over  Opacities  And  Beyond"  which  was  released  by  Les  Acteurs  de'  L  Ombre  Productions.

  Dark  soundscapes  and  synths  start  off  the  album  while  percussion  and  whispers  can  also  be  heard  briefly  before  going  into  a   faster  direction.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.    

  Death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  music  also  has  its  symphonic  moments  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  utilized  on  a  couple  of  songs.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  riffing  also  adding  in  elements  of  thrash  metal  at  times  as  well  as  one  song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  occultism and the writings of Dante.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  A.C.O.D  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Genus  Vacuitatis"  "Artes  obscurae"  and  "Through  The  Astral  Door".  8  out  of  10.

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Folkrim Interview

 

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

I’d say to head on over to any of your friendly neighbourhood streaming services and have a listen for yourself! Keep a drink close at hand though, ’cause you might get thirsty.

2.You have a new album coming out in October, musically how does it differ from your previous release?

The album was more of a collaborative process (many an ale fell that day) than the first one and leans a bit more to the metal side of folk metal. It also sounds a lot better than the first one, I guess we struck gold with our mixer/producer.

3.The lyrics cover nature and alcohol themes, can you tell us a little bit more about what these mean to you?

There’s a saying that you’re supposed to write about things close to you and the elusive beauty of finnish summer is just about the best inspiration you can have. Also beer.

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

Well, it’s a combination of things – first of all, one roleplaying game with a similar name comes to mind. Also the name reminds of the tales of Grimm and with it, a legacy of old storytelling. And on top of those - it just sounds pretty cool.

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

We’ve got some pirate-y themed songs on the album so the centerpiece of the cover is a big-ass partyboat. Then we just popped the same guy from the first album on top and voilà!

6.Originallty the band started out as a solo project, what was the decision behind expanding into a full line up?

We got a lot of positive feedback on the songs from the first album and so naturally we thought -fuck it, let’s kick it up a notch, the songs deserve it.

7.Has the band done any live shows or open to the idea?

We’re currently practicing heavily to get into stage shape. First show is happening the same day the album comes out. Future shows are being planned as we speak – the lads can’t wait to get on the road.

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

We’ve heard a lot of positive feedback; the songs are catchy, fun and pop-y after all. They go down easy like a pint of foaming beer.

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

We’re already on the process of writing new stuff and so we have an inkling of the direction. More metal, more fun.

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

We listen to a lot of different stuff from all across the board, from Fröbelin Palikat and Britney Spears to Mayhem and Cannibal Corpse. The clearest influences you can hear in our songs are of course Finntroll, Turisas, Korpiklaani, Ensiferum and Alestorm. However, all of us listen to very different stuff on our own.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Most of us spend our spare time outside of music lifting weights. Big weights. Huge weights. A few also do some stupid nerd stuff, but we don’t talk about those.

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

Go grab a beer, call your pals over and blast some Folkrim – fun guaranteed!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Folkrim
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/folkrimband
Bandcamp: https://folkrim.bandcamp.com

Ggu:ll/Ex Est/Counsouling Sounds/2022 Full Length Review

 

  Ggu:ll  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  sludge  doom  metal,  noise  and  atmospheric  drone  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  "Ex  Est"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Consouling  Sounds.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.  Synths  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  sounding  black  metal  screams  while  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing.  When  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  atmospheric  sounding  drones,  psychedelic  sounds  and  noises  also being  used  at  times  as  well  as  some  songs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  growls  and  most  of  the  album  also  sticks  to  a  slower  direction.

  Ggu:ll  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  sludge,  doom  metal,  drone  and  noise  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  meaning  of  existence.     

  In  my  opinion  Ggu:ll  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  doom  metal,  noise  and  drone  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Falter"  and  "Hoisting  Ruined  Sails".  8  out  of  10.

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ggullband 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ggulldoom