Wandering Oak Interview

 

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

First of all, thanks for your interest in interviewing us! We really appreciate it.

Well the album has only been out for about a week and thus far we've begun rehearsals for a few regional shows (Buffalo, Boston, Baltimore) in July, and we have some new merch items down the pipeline.

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

The biggest shift is that we have pushed our sound in a much more progressive direction whilst also increasing the black metal ferocity and aggression. We've pushed our instrumental abilities much further and also pushed the envelope with influences and the scope of the compositions.

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

A lot! We had just come off of a short tour with Wilderun in 2019 and were poised to work on the album before COVID hit, which in a perverted way gave us time to woodshed new ideas. Also, Joe decided not to commit to the band and we spent a long time trying to find a new guitarist. We did play some local shows here in Rochester before we decided to replace our drummer, and we were essentially in album mode for about a year. 

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new album and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?

Much of the music deals with the concept of overcoming hardship, be it from loss, climate change, mental illness, and fascism. We feel our sound has become a lot more sophisticated whilst still being very organic and rooted (pun intended) in our original mission statement. We've also assembled a group of musicians that I feel finally does the music I have in my head justice, while adding their own spin that creates something that is more than just the sum of its parts.

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

There are several meanings, but fundamentally it is a 'kenning', a compound or figurative phrase in Old English and Old Norse poetry used to replace a common noun, It refers to our meandering songs that drift away from the root yet stay grounded. It is also of course a reference to Ents from Tolkein's universe, and much like the term 'Led Zeppelin' is an oxymoronic description of the music - large, massive and imposing, intricate, but also down to earth and natural, yet adventurous. We want the listener to know they're in for a trip.

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

It was designed by the amazing Czech artist Moonroot who also did our new logo, and it was based off of a rendering done by a colleague of mine. It is meant to represent a tree that has weathered every season, as an analogy for the struggles of life.

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?

Some of our best performances include some of the dates we played on the road with Wilderun, not to mention the special opportunity we had to open for Negura Bunget on two of their dates on the final US tour they did. RIP Negru. Our stage performances are relatively no frills, high energy. We like to wear war paint but keep the outfits minimalist. It's more about the music than the presentation for us. We let the riffs do the talking.

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

Yes, as previously stated we have three shows booked in July of this year, and hopefully there will be more to come.

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

So far the reaction has been very good! Obviously it will take time for the album to spread through the networks but so far so good! There are definitely some that feel like we have progressed too far from our original sound or think we're too overwhelming, but honestly we feel like people in this scene just aren't used to being challenged anymore.

10.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?

So myself (Robert) I have my other band Goblin Hovel who are currently recording our next album, We're a more zany style of folk metal. Deidre and myself also joined The Atrocity Tourist, fronted by Hovel's lead singer. It's an avant-garde metal band devoted to the modernization of the murder ballad. CW has his black metal band Hubris which also includes our session guitarist Andy, who are also both of Ferus Din. Hubris are putting the finishing touches on their next album and you should definitely check it out. They are FIERCE. Furthermore, Andy and I are also part of the triumphant anti-fascist black metal band Helianthus, which will hopefully be working on our full length this year. Andy also has the bands Temple of Mammon and Antiquity. Our live guitarist Mitch has this cool Celtic Fusion project called Wired Tae the Moon, and I implore you to give them a listen. They're very unique.

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

More progressive, more ambitious, more aggressive, more transgressive, but decidedly darker and more pointedly sociopolitical.

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

Several of us have been listening to a lot of Havukruunu. They rip. Mitch has been listening to Dixie Dregs a lot. I've been getting back into jazz and ambient music. Also a lot of Doomsword and Borknagar. Deidre is usually listening to a lot of prog and jazz. Andy is a classically trained musician and plays a lot of early music, and his listening reflects that as well. His father was in a progressive rock band called Rodan in the 70's that opened for Gentle Giant and Mahavishnu Orchestra amongst others, and those are very much shared tastes.

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

Thanks again for taking an interest in us! We hope you really enjoy the album and maybe you can catch us live when we eventually book a larger tour. Hopefully next year. Keep your eyes peeled for some cool merch items, and follow us on http://wanderingoakband.bandcamp.com 

Goaß/Cruxifucked/Wolfmond Production/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Goaß  are  a  solo  project  from  Austria  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2023  album  "Cruxifucked"  which  was  released  by  Wolfmond  Production.

   Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  before  going  into a  heavier  direction  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  Vocals a re  mostly  death  metal  growls  along  with the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a   decent  amount  of  black  metal  style  tremolo  picking  and  brutal  blast  beats.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  High  pitched  screams  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  tracks  along  with  the  songs  also  mixing  in  influences  form  both  the  old  school  and  modern  era's  of  the  genre  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  very  heavy  and  brutal  direction.

  Goaß  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  a  very  melodic  form  of  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  brutal  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  English  and  Germany  and  cover  Blasphemy  and  Anti  Christianity  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Goaß  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  brutal  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cruxifuck"  "Buried  To  Be  Born"  and  "Ziegendisziplin".  8  out  of  10.

  

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Goa%C3%9F/3540538568

Order:

https://wolfmond-production.de/shop/produkt/goass-cruxifuck/

https://wolfmondproduction.bandcamp.com/album/goa-cruxifucked    

  

Borknagar/Fall/Century Media Records/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Borknagar  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  has  a  history  that  goes  back  to  the  90's  and  plays  a  progressive  mixture  of  black  and  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Fall"  which  will  be  released  on  February  23rd  by  Century  Media  Records.

  Keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.  High  pitched  black  metal  screams  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  the  faster  sections  of  the  recording  also  add  in  a  lot  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.

  Clear  pagan  vocals  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  album  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  TA  couple  of  the  songs  also  add  in a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  of  the  songs  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  when  clean  playing  is  utilized  they  also  take  the  music  into  a  more  progressive  direction.

  Psychedelic  sounds  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.  Chants,  choirs  and  percussion  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  album  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  change  of  seasons  and  universal  struggle.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Broknagar  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Summits"  "Stars  Ablaze"  and  "Northward".  8  out  of  10.

  www.borknagar.com   

www.facebook.com/borknagarofficial 
https://www.instagram.com/borknagar 
http://twitter.com/borknagarHQ 

Malphas/Portal/M-Theory Audio/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Pennsylvania's  Malphas  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  more  of  a  symphonic  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Portals"  which  will  be  released  in  Match  by  M-Theory  Audio.

  Synths  start  off  the  the  album  while  also  adding  in  some  symphonic  touches  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  a  lot  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  some  of  the  songs  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  blast  beats. Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  on  a  few  tracks  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Clean  playing  and  classical  guitars  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  of  tracks  along  with  one  song  also  introducing  clear  vocals  onto  the  album  as  well  as  some  choirs  also  being  utilized  briefly,  female  vocals  are  also  added  towards  the  end.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  a man  who  makes  a  pact  with  the  demon  Malphas  to  achieve  his  high  political  ideas  and  this  backfires  and  ultimately  creates  a  demonic  totalitarian  government,

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Malphas  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic  and  melodic  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fiat  Empire"  "Candle  Hands"  "Pale  Eyes  To  Snowy  Skies"  and  "Man,  Raven  And  The  Portal".  8  out  of  10.

  https://music.apple.com/us/artist/malphas/1440307628

https://malphas94.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/therealmalphas

https://www.instagram.com/therealmalphas/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0BznQnNFP6qf7DISSjumhg?si=mPqmynqbTxedcWoo3TVZEw&nd=1&dlsi=9d66c829c2854cfe

https://www.youtube.com/user/OfficialMalphas     

Sea Of Consciousness Interview

 

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

Sea of Consciousness is the brainchild of guitarist Daniel Sirotski and drummer István Timmermans.

They have been playing since 2014 together and were trying to come up with a grand concept that Sea of Consciousness is now. The band Sea of Consciousness has been brought to life since 2019 and were trying to find the missing band-members. After multiple line-up changes we finally found vocalist Bionda Honings in 2022. Her vocals were the final missing link to finally develop our style further. Then we found guitarist Stefan Gerritsen and bassist Jeroen Koorn in 2023 and we completed our line-up and debut-album.

 

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

The music is a huge mix of progressive technical metal with influences from death, black, thrash and heavy metal. We don’t believe in genre boxes and instead are trying to create our own genre that doesn’t let itself be defined by a narrow musical style.

 

We write music from the heart and the quality of the song is the most important. We try to think what a song needs instead of a fixed idea and/or ego.

 

The main songwriter, Daniel Sirotski, takes musical inspiration from every direction and tries to mold it all into one style. The reason is also because we, as a band, don’t want to be limited.

 

3.Some of the band members where previously a part of 'Inferus Dei', what was the cause of breaking up the previous band and forming the new group?

Guitarist Daniel Sirotski and drummer István Timmermans decided to break up the band because the musical vision had changed dramatically. Inferus Dei was the first attempt to flesh out the huge concept that Daniel and István had. After some time they decided that the attempt wasn’t what they wanted and looked at it as a learning school.

 

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

Mostly about life’s struggles covered in a spiritual/mystical veil. Writing music is for us a way to deal with reality and trauma in general. So it heals us in a way, and therefore, we hope that it will heal other listeners. Or at least enjoy our music, that’s cool too.

 

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Sea of Consciousness"?

It started with the song ‘’Sea of Consciousness’’. When the song was being written, Daniel named it ‘’Sea of Consciousness’’ because it just felt it was the best way to describe the song and feeling it had. Afterwards, István had the genius idea to name our band that. Since then, we took the song as a basis from where we wanted to develop our sound further.

 

After a while, the name got more and more meaning. Sea of Consciousness symbolizes the reality around us. Every living being on this world is a small drop in the endless sea of consciousness that spans our globe. It is everything and nothing at the same time. We all try to traverse this endless stream and holding on to that which we know. But in the end, everything is random (or fate). From this principle we want to make music how it comes to us, instead of defining ourselves with a genre. We want to create our own genre because life is so much more than those few drops of consciousness most bands associate themselves with. The quest for knowledge, self-improvement and constructive thinking is one of the most challenging and rewarding paths that a human can take. We try to tread that path to enlightenment through music.

 

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

The white robed figures represent the instrumentalists in the band. The black figure in the lake is our vocalist and the nature around us is the Sea of Consciousness. We are summoning ‘’Spirit’’ that ultimately unites every element and transcends us.

 

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

We had our first show on the 12th of January 2024. Currently we are trying to find shows that we can play so we can hone our craft. We have some shows planned in March but we want more!

 

 

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

We had a label approach us with a deal 1,5 weeks after releasing our album. Honestly, nobody expected it so soon so we kind of freaked out in a good way. But after some thought we decided that it is too soon to sign ourselves to a label. It is a goal that we ultimately want to achieve, but it has to be on our own terms.

 

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

The reaction is huge! Seriously, we did not expect this response. I mean, we even had a viral TikTok video about us with over 40K likes and counting..

It has been almost 3 weeks since the launch of the album and we got from 80 monthly listeners to almost 5000 on Spotify. Its crazy.

 

A lot of reviews also with some really good constructive feedback that we will take with us in future songs.

 

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

I don’t think you can really assess your own musical development, but we want to focus on capitalizing on our ‘’unique’’ style of composition. With the amazing feedback we have had, this wont be a problem.

 

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?

The list is too long to effectively tell you what kind of influences we all have. The main songwriter, Daniel Sirotski, listens to reggae-ska, old-school hip-hop, 1940’s jazz, satanic black metal, aggressive thrash metal, 80’s pop songs etc. The list is too much. Daniel never listens to one band for a long time and instead has periods were he listens to a specific genre before moving on to the next thing. His baseline musical influence is Metallica and Dissection though.

 

Stefan Gerritsen is a huge metal fan in general, but can listen to almost every other genre too. He likes drum & bass, country, Celtic music and also classic pop music. He loves a song as long as it has substance and it can reach his soul. But if he has to name a specific band, it would definitely be Avenged Sevenfold.

 

István Timmermans greatest inspiration is Arch Enemy. That band is the main reason he picked up the drumsticks. But most of his inspirational percussion ideas come from bands like Obscura, Amorphis and Septic Flesh. But because we don’t only write brutal metal music, István takes influences from blues and up tempo rock music to come up with fresh ideas.

 

Bionda Honings remembers when she was 9 years old a friend of her father always played guitar for them. She really was inspired by the fact that you can process your emotions through music instead not knowing how to deal with feelings in general. Music was the best way to deal with reality.

Bionda always steered towards rock music and begun listening to The Rasmus, Evanescence and Linkin Park. Then she found out that more extreme music had more impact and found bands like Orbit Culture and Decapitated. Bionda was inspired by bands that really put their emotion into the music. Because of this Bionda is also very all-round in her musical taste. Its all about the feeling that the listener gets my hearing the auditory journey.

Jeroen Koorn started with rock music on the radio like Queen, ACDC and Green Day. This peeked his interest and later, as a teenager, he met people who introduced him to heavier music like Pantera, Slayer and Iron Maiden. Slowly but surely Jeroen got rolled into the world of metal. His first real favorite bands were System of a Down and Slipknot.

The urge to pick up the bass guitar came when Jeroen listened to Behemoth and Opeth for the first time.

 

Beside metal music, Jeroen also listens to reggae, oldschool gangsterrap and goes to drum and bass parties frequently.

 

All-in all, everyone had a very wide range of musical influences.

 

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

We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to tell our story here! The response is amazing and we are thankful for your attention!

https://seaofconsciousness.bandcamp.com/album/sea-of-consciousnes

Bloody Falls/Amartia/Art Gates Records/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Finland's  Bloody  Falls  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death,  thrash  and  groove  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Amartia"  which  was  released  by  Art  Gates  Records.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  groove  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to t hem.  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  and  when t he  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast b eats  can  also b e  heard.

  Melodies  are  also  added  into  a  lot  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  synths,  spoken  word  parts  and  back  up  shouts  also  being  utilized  on  a  couple  of  tracks.

   Clear  singing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  another  song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  a  couple  of  the  songs  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length,  elements  of  thrash  metal  can  also  be  heard  at  times.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Darkness,  Evil,  Violence  and  Death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Bloody  Falls  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black,  death  and  groove  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sorrow  Is  My  Name"  "Mand  Undying"  and  "I  Met  My  Death".  8  out  of  10.

  https://artgatesrecords.com/artists/bloody-falls

https://youtu.be/LbsW2fdOYso     

Wandering Oak/Resilience/Fiadh Productions/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Wandering Oak  are  a  band  from  New  York  that  plays  an  epic  and  progressive  mixture  of  folk,  black,  thrash  and  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2024  album  "Resilience"  which  was  released  by  Fiadh  Productions.

  Nature  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Vocals  are  mostly  black  metal  screams  along  with  some  clean  singing  and  death  metal  growls  while  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats  can  also b e  heard  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  traditional  metal  style  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  acoustic  guitars  also  bringing  in  elements  of  folk  music  when  they  are  utilized.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  progressive  sounding  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Folk  instruments  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  also  showing  an  influence  of  thrash  metal,  spoken  word  parts  and  whispers  are  also  utilized  on  a  couple  of  tracks.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  nature  and  folklore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Wandering  Oak  are  a  very  great  sounding  epic  and  progressive  mixture  of  folk,  black,  thrash  and  heavy  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "To  Fir  They  Fell"  and  "Snowbound".  8  out  of  10.

   Wandering Oak