interview with svarttjern done by patrick 9-19-2011
here is an interview with norwegian black metal band svarttjern.the band
mixes in the cold,icy riffs of the classic norwegian gods with some
elements of the second wave of black metal. a great band and must hear
for fans of pure,unrelenting black metal.
regards,
patrick and winter torment web-zine
fiendformetal@live.com
interview with haan guitarist for svarttjern done by patrick
1.greetings haan,how are things going for you this week? please
introduce yourself to the readers.
HaaN: Ave All, things are getting busy, doing a million interviews and
promoting the album as best. Name HaaN aka Erik. S lead guitarist and
composer for the Norwegian black metal band SVARTTJERN.
2.when did you first discover metal? who were some of the first metal
bands you listened to? who are some of your "current" favorites?
HaaN: Guessing a pretty typical road to the darker side of music,
older siblings got me into to punk and from there got into metallica,
maiden etc. Around 16 - 17 I got into Slayer and more extreme stuff.
3.when did you all form svarttjern? how did you come up with the name
of the band? does it have a special meaning? what is the "current"
line-up? for the readers who have never heard the band how would you
describe svarttjern's music?
HaaN: HansFyrste and I started the band back in 2003 as a two -man
project. Skabb, FjellNord and Grimdun joined early 2004 started
immediately doing live shows, and have been since. We always get the
question regards to the name, SVARTTJERN is a painting by the
Norwegian artist August Cappelen, a young artists which painted during
the national romantic era. So it has nothing to do with black tarn as
we so often get called, it is not a simple as google translate. The
current line up is: HansFyrste- vocals, Grimdun – Battery, Fjellnord –
2. Guitar, HaaN – 1 guitar and our latest addition is our new bass
player Stg V. Think it`s hard to describe ones own music, but guessing
SVARTTJERN is modern extreme black metal band with influences through
others metal sub genres. As of today the band is getting more and more
technical at least in terms of the debut and general old school black
metal.
4.the band recently released it's second cd "towards the ultimate"
through agonia records.how long did it take you all to write and
record the songs for this release?
HaaN: The whole creative phase on my part only took 3-4 months,
usually it`s fast when I first get in the necessary state of mind. As
for the rehearsals and studio work, it took a bit longer, guessing all
in all about 18 months from the first track was written to we had the
master tape done.
5.are you and the rest of the band happy with how it all turned out?
how has the response been from the press and the fans?
HaaN: Of course, would`t released it otherwise. In retrospective there
are always things one would have done different, could be minor
details here and there, but all in all very pleased with the result.
The response has been very good from both fans and the press. Was a
bit anxious for the feedback from the promo track “Breathing Soil”,as
this is a much more a “whole” album, not a concept album, but still a
more wholeness throughout the album which one has to experience.
6.does the band have any upcoming shows or tours in support of
"towards the ultimate"? if yes who are some bands you will be touring
with?
HaaN: Can`t go into details. But a small European tour is being
planned. Besides this SVARTJERN is always open for playing live.
Organizers and bookers can get into in touch with us through our
facebook profile or myspace/svarttjern. Besides this we have release
gig I Oslo in couple of weeks.
7.if you could set-up a "dream" show/tour who are some bands{past or
present}you would love to play with?
HaaN: Even tough we don resemble much, I guess a support act on the
“Bathory” tour would be have been alright.
8.the band comes out of the legendary norwegian black metal scene.so
i was curious what is your opinion of norway's current scene compared
to 10-15 years ago?
HaaN: Well, as we are still a bit young, it`s hard to say. SVARTTJERN
has never bothered trying to get in the so-called scene at all. But as
10-15 years back is “only” around the year 2000 so the third wave of
Norwegian black metal had already began. Guessing the Norwegian scene
is loosing it`s position as “leading provider” of the genre, but I
personally could`t care less, we do not create music from a collective
state of mind, we do not have responsibility or will of either
maintaining or revolutionize the genre. It`s a general misconception
that we have “one” scene I Norway, that is not how it works, we have
scenes divided through geographical aspects. You have the Oslo, Bergen and “Nidarosian“ (Trondheim) scenes, which are the three biggest
scenes in Norway.
9.who are some of your all-time favorite norwegian bands? are their
any new bands you feel the readers should check out?
HaaN: Hm, hard question. Other Norwegian metal I personally like
which I guess is a bit underground Orcustus, Dead to this world,
Goatlord to name a few.
10.everyone has their own ideas/opinions on what "black metal"
means.so i was interested in yours what does "black metal" mean to
you?
HaaN: Most of all a dark artistic expression. For me it is much more a
artistic channel in terms of music. So many bands do the corpse paint
first, then write the (shitty) music after, can`t stand those bands,
and would never create and write black metal for the sole purpose of
creating or upholding an image. But as you mention it`s personal.
Can`t go into details, would take forever.
11. are you or any of the other members of the band currently working
with any other bands or side-projects?
HaaN: Think every member of SVARTTJERN has other bands or projects, I
have Bloodspawn with HansFyrste, he also have Ragnarok. Our latest
addition on bass guitar also plays with Sarkom. Fjellnord plays with
prog rock band called Magista Templi. And so on, we all do different
session work for friend projects and or more professional types of
work.
12.you handle the guitars for the band. when did you first start
playing the guitars? are you self-taught or have you had lessons?
HaaN: I actually started pretty late, was around 16 years I think. I
have had classical guitar education for three years, through a guitar
teacher in Oslo called Per Kristian Larsen. Metal wise I am self-
taught, still a lot of my classical education is being put into
SVARTTJERN music as well as my other bands/ projects. Don`t think it`s
cool to suck on your instrument or to “brag” about how little time you
spent in the studio, which some bands tend to do, makes no sense if
you ask me.
13.who are some of your influences/favorite guitarists? do you play
any other instruments?
HaaN: Well, a bit nerdy perhaps, but have always been into the
neo-classical shredding part of metal guitar. Typical Jason Becker,
Tony Macaplhine etc. Today I am a bit into Guthrie Govan, at least
when only considering “guitar music”.
14.well haan,thank you for taking the time to finish this interview.
do you have any final comments for the readers?¨
HaaN; Thanks for the interview. Hope to see many of you through
touring over the next year.
regards,
patrick and winter torment web-zine
fiendformetal@live.com
interview with haan guitarist for svarttjern done by patrick
1.greetings haan,how are things going for you this week? please
introduce yourself to the readers.
HaaN: Ave All, things are getting busy, doing a million interviews and
promoting the album as best. Name HaaN aka Erik. S lead guitarist and
composer for the Norwegian black metal band SVARTTJERN.
2.when did you first discover metal? who were some of the first metal
bands you listened to? who are some of your "current" favorites?
HaaN: Guessing a pretty typical road to the darker side of music,
older siblings got me into to punk and from there got into metallica,
maiden etc. Around 16 - 17 I got into Slayer and more extreme stuff.
3.when did you all form svarttjern? how did you come up with the name
of the band? does it have a special meaning? what is the "current"
line-up? for the readers who have never heard the band how would you
describe svarttjern's music?
HaaN: HansFyrste and I started the band back in 2003 as a two -man
project. Skabb, FjellNord and Grimdun joined early 2004 started
immediately doing live shows, and have been since. We always get the
question regards to the name, SVARTTJERN is a painting by the
Norwegian artist August Cappelen, a young artists which painted during
the national romantic era. So it has nothing to do with black tarn as
we so often get called, it is not a simple as google translate. The
current line up is: HansFyrste- vocals, Grimdun – Battery, Fjellnord –
2. Guitar, HaaN – 1 guitar and our latest addition is our new bass
player Stg V. Think it`s hard to describe ones own music, but guessing
SVARTTJERN is modern extreme black metal band with influences through
others metal sub genres. As of today the band is getting more and more
technical at least in terms of the debut and general old school black
metal.
4.the band recently released it's second cd "towards the ultimate"
through agonia records.how long did it take you all to write and
record the songs for this release?
HaaN: The whole creative phase on my part only took 3-4 months,
usually it`s fast when I first get in the necessary state of mind. As
for the rehearsals and studio work, it took a bit longer, guessing all
in all about 18 months from the first track was written to we had the
master tape done.
5.are you and the rest of the band happy with how it all turned out?
how has the response been from the press and the fans?
HaaN: Of course, would`t released it otherwise. In retrospective there
are always things one would have done different, could be minor
details here and there, but all in all very pleased with the result.
The response has been very good from both fans and the press. Was a
bit anxious for the feedback from the promo track “Breathing Soil”,as
this is a much more a “whole” album, not a concept album, but still a
more wholeness throughout the album which one has to experience.
6.does the band have any upcoming shows or tours in support of
"towards the ultimate"? if yes who are some bands you will be touring
with?
HaaN: Can`t go into details. But a small European tour is being
planned. Besides this SVARTJERN is always open for playing live.
Organizers and bookers can get into in touch with us through our
facebook profile or myspace/svarttjern. Besides this we have release
gig I Oslo in couple of weeks.
7.if you could set-up a "dream" show/tour who are some bands{past or
present}you would love to play with?
HaaN: Even tough we don resemble much, I guess a support act on the
“Bathory” tour would be have been alright.
8.the band comes out of the legendary norwegian black metal scene.so
i was curious what is your opinion of norway's current scene compared
to 10-15 years ago?
HaaN: Well, as we are still a bit young, it`s hard to say. SVARTTJERN
has never bothered trying to get in the so-called scene at all. But as
10-15 years back is “only” around the year 2000 so the third wave of
Norwegian black metal had already began. Guessing the Norwegian scene
is loosing it`s position as “leading provider” of the genre, but I
personally could`t care less, we do not create music from a collective
state of mind, we do not have responsibility or will of either
maintaining or revolutionize the genre. It`s a general misconception
that we have “one” scene I Norway, that is not how it works, we have
scenes divided through geographical aspects. You have the Oslo, Bergen and “Nidarosian“ (Trondheim) scenes, which are the three biggest
scenes in Norway.
9.who are some of your all-time favorite norwegian bands? are their
any new bands you feel the readers should check out?
HaaN: Hm, hard question. Other Norwegian metal I personally like
which I guess is a bit underground Orcustus, Dead to this world,
Goatlord to name a few.
10.everyone has their own ideas/opinions on what "black metal"
means.so i was interested in yours what does "black metal" mean to
you?
HaaN: Most of all a dark artistic expression. For me it is much more a
artistic channel in terms of music. So many bands do the corpse paint
first, then write the (shitty) music after, can`t stand those bands,
and would never create and write black metal for the sole purpose of
creating or upholding an image. But as you mention it`s personal.
Can`t go into details, would take forever.
11. are you or any of the other members of the band currently working
with any other bands or side-projects?
HaaN: Think every member of SVARTTJERN has other bands or projects, I
have Bloodspawn with HansFyrste, he also have Ragnarok. Our latest
addition on bass guitar also plays with Sarkom. Fjellnord plays with
prog rock band called Magista Templi. And so on, we all do different
session work for friend projects and or more professional types of
work.
12.you handle the guitars for the band. when did you first start
playing the guitars? are you self-taught or have you had lessons?
HaaN: I actually started pretty late, was around 16 years I think. I
have had classical guitar education for three years, through a guitar
teacher in Oslo called Per Kristian Larsen. Metal wise I am self-
taught, still a lot of my classical education is being put into
SVARTTJERN music as well as my other bands/ projects. Don`t think it`s
cool to suck on your instrument or to “brag” about how little time you
spent in the studio, which some bands tend to do, makes no sense if
you ask me.
13.who are some of your influences/favorite guitarists? do you play
any other instruments?
HaaN: Well, a bit nerdy perhaps, but have always been into the
neo-classical shredding part of metal guitar. Typical Jason Becker,
Tony Macaplhine etc. Today I am a bit into Guthrie Govan, at least
when only considering “guitar music”.
14.well haan,thank you for taking the time to finish this interview.
do you have any final comments for the readers?¨
HaaN; Thanks for the interview. Hope to see many of you through
touring over the next year.
Friday, August 26, 2011
New reviews for 8-26-11
greetings,
here is a new batch of reviews for everyone to check out.their was great releases this time around. so hopefully you will find some metal to your liking!!
metal regards,
patrick and winter torment web-zine
beherit- at the devils studio 1990 cd {hells headbangers rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
hells headbangers has unearthed and released one of the greatest black metal bands earliest recordings. beherit's at the devils studio showcases the bands early primitive violent days.thin guitars,drums that range from mid-pace to fast blast beats.the vocals are demonic growls/screams with some lower whispered type of vocals that fit beherit's sound perfectly. this is a must have for fans of beherit's first two cd's.
label contact
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com
blooddawn--opus dei cd {panzerfaust prod.}{reviewed by patrick}
u.k's blooddawn return with their most violent and vicious recording yet! the duo are influenced by mid-era marduk,mixed with brutal blackend war metal.the production on opus dei is probably the best of any blooddawn release that i have heard without comprimising the bands original visions. razor-sharp guitar riffs,hyper-speed blasts of blaspehmy.the vocals are growls and screams of pissed off anger,the vocals seem to have some kind of effects being used on them to give them a industrial touch and sound but fit very well with the music.if you have never heard blooddawn in the past and you enjoy violent,uncompromising war/black metal i would highly suggest picking up opus dei asap! and if you have heard blooddawn what are you waiting for? this is blooddawn at their sickest and best!!
band contact
http://www.blooddawnuk.webs.com
cianide--gods of death cd {hells headbangers rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
u.s death metal legends return with their sixth full-length release and the name couldn't be better "gods of death". in cianide's twenty year plus in the underground the band has never once comprimised their sound or "added" any new elements to change with the times or be more popular in the scene they helped create.that is something to be respected whether you like this band or not.
gods of death carries on cianide's tradition of creating and playing some of the heaviest death metal ever heard. crushing mid-paced guitars and heavy,mid-paced drums that keep up with the mood and pace of the band.the vocalist delievers with some excellent death growls no effects,no pig sqeals just angry growls. cianide are a band that doesnt change for anyone.but they get better and better with each release!! defintly one of 2011's best death metal albums! buy this or die a poser.
label contact
www.hellsheadbangers.com
katana--heads will roll cd {listenable records}{reviewed by patrick}
katana are a band that are going back to the early roots of traditional heavy metal on their debut cd heads will roll.the band has the whirlwind of catchy guitar solo's and riffs that remind me alot of the glory days maiden or priest. the band does have alot of similarties to some of the elder gods of metal but also enough talent and original ideas that they keep katana a more original style band instead of just another clone-metal band.katana is band that should please any and all fans of old-school heavy metal.
label contact
www.listenable.net
moon-caduceus chalice cd {moribund rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
caduceus chalice is moon's debut cd and a very impressive one to say the least.six tracks of cold,dismal atmospheric black metal.the guitars and drums are played at a mid-paced and done perfectly. the vocals are a raspy,whispery whispery voice.mixed within the music is some well-played keyboards that another dimension to moon's already dark sound.this is a band and release that should appeal to all fans of "atmospheric" black metal.
label contact
www.moribundcult.com
panzerchrist-regiment ragnarok cd {listenable rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
this is panzerchrist's sixth release to be unleashed upon the underground maniacs.the members are brilliant with their writing and delievery of uncompromising blackend death/war metal.the guitarist attack with hyperspeed riffs and solo's while the drummer pummels your senses into oblivion with a barrage of fast blast beats,and heavy mid-paced beats.but stay right on track with the guitars for a chaotic,yet flawless musical journey.the vocals are equally as vicious with a mix of brutal growls,and harsh screams. this is a good releases and fans of violent war metal should defintly check out panzerchrist asap!
label contact
www.listenable.net
prayer of the dying-in silence and grief we decay cd {nekrogoat heresy prod.}{reviewed by patrick}
malta's prayer of the dying have returned with their strongest release to date.main-man martin{vocals,all instruments} has written,and performed some of the best blackend doom i have heard in sometime.their are some atmospheric touches throughout some of the songs to give it a eerie,yet enjoyable listen.if you are a fan of prayer of the dying's previous releases you will love this one.if you are new to prayer of the dying music imagine mid-paced black metal with some touches of atmospheric doom entertwined. this is defintly a band worth checking out!!
band contact
http://www.myspace.com/prayerofthedying
label contact
www.nghproductions.net
here is a new batch of reviews for everyone to check out.their was great releases this time around. so hopefully you will find some metal to your liking!!
metal regards,
patrick and winter torment web-zine
beherit- at the devils studio 1990 cd {hells headbangers rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
hells headbangers has unearthed and released one of the greatest black metal bands earliest recordings. beherit's at the devils studio showcases the bands early primitive violent days.thin guitars,drums that range from mid-pace to fast blast beats.the vocals are demonic growls/screams with some lower whispered type of vocals that fit beherit's sound perfectly. this is a must have for fans of beherit's first two cd's.
label contact
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com
blooddawn--opus dei cd {panzerfaust prod.}{reviewed by patrick}
u.k's blooddawn return with their most violent and vicious recording yet! the duo are influenced by mid-era marduk,mixed with brutal blackend war metal.the production on opus dei is probably the best of any blooddawn release that i have heard without comprimising the bands original visions. razor-sharp guitar riffs,hyper-speed blasts of blaspehmy.the vocals are growls and screams of pissed off anger,the vocals seem to have some kind of effects being used on them to give them a industrial touch and sound but fit very well with the music.if you have never heard blooddawn in the past and you enjoy violent,uncompromising war/black metal i would highly suggest picking up opus dei asap! and if you have heard blooddawn what are you waiting for? this is blooddawn at their sickest and best!!
band contact
http://www.blooddawnuk.webs.com
cianide--gods of death cd {hells headbangers rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
u.s death metal legends return with their sixth full-length release and the name couldn't be better "gods of death". in cianide's twenty year plus in the underground the band has never once comprimised their sound or "added" any new elements to change with the times or be more popular in the scene they helped create.that is something to be respected whether you like this band or not.
gods of death carries on cianide's tradition of creating and playing some of the heaviest death metal ever heard. crushing mid-paced guitars and heavy,mid-paced drums that keep up with the mood and pace of the band.the vocalist delievers with some excellent death growls no effects,no pig sqeals just angry growls. cianide are a band that doesnt change for anyone.but they get better and better with each release!! defintly one of 2011's best death metal albums! buy this or die a poser.
label contact
www.hellsheadbangers.com
katana--heads will roll cd {listenable records}{reviewed by patrick}
katana are a band that are going back to the early roots of traditional heavy metal on their debut cd heads will roll.the band has the whirlwind of catchy guitar solo's and riffs that remind me alot of the glory days maiden or priest. the band does have alot of similarties to some of the elder gods of metal but also enough talent and original ideas that they keep katana a more original style band instead of just another clone-metal band.katana is band that should please any and all fans of old-school heavy metal.
label contact
www.listenable.net
moon-caduceus chalice cd {moribund rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
caduceus chalice is moon's debut cd and a very impressive one to say the least.six tracks of cold,dismal atmospheric black metal.the guitars and drums are played at a mid-paced and done perfectly. the vocals are a raspy,whispery whispery voice.mixed within the music is some well-played keyboards that another dimension to moon's already dark sound.this is a band and release that should appeal to all fans of "atmospheric" black metal.
label contact
www.moribundcult.com
panzerchrist-regiment ragnarok cd {listenable rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
this is panzerchrist's sixth release to be unleashed upon the underground maniacs.the members are brilliant with their writing and delievery of uncompromising blackend death/war metal.the guitarist attack with hyperspeed riffs and solo's while the drummer pummels your senses into oblivion with a barrage of fast blast beats,and heavy mid-paced beats.but stay right on track with the guitars for a chaotic,yet flawless musical journey.the vocals are equally as vicious with a mix of brutal growls,and harsh screams. this is a good releases and fans of violent war metal should defintly check out panzerchrist asap!
label contact
www.listenable.net
prayer of the dying-in silence and grief we decay cd {nekrogoat heresy prod.}{reviewed by patrick}
malta's prayer of the dying have returned with their strongest release to date.main-man martin{vocals,all instruments} has written,and performed some of the best blackend doom i have heard in sometime.their are some atmospheric touches throughout some of the songs to give it a eerie,yet enjoyable listen.if you are a fan of prayer of the dying's previous releases you will love this one.if you are new to prayer of the dying music imagine mid-paced black metal with some touches of atmospheric doom entertwined. this is defintly a band worth checking out!!
band contact
http://www.myspace.com/prayerofthedying
label contact
www.nghproductions.net
interview with dark_matter done by patrick 8-26-11
here is a new interview with a new band coming from ireland. the band mixes in a spaced-out ambient instrumental feeling with some metal and atmpospheric interludes. this is a interview with two of the founding members eoin and dave.
defintly worth checking out if you are "fan" of instrumental,atmospheric metal.
enjoy!!
patrick and winter torment web-zine
interview with eoin guitars and synths and dave drummer and programmer. done by patrick
1. Hello guys how are things going in Ireland? Please introduce yourselves to the readers.
Hey Patrick. This is Eoin, guitars and synths.
Well mate, the name is Dave, I’m the Drummer / Programmer
2. When did you all meet? Was it long until you formed dark_matter? For the readers who have never heard the band how would you describe the bands music?
Eoin:. I met Dave through recording a demo I did with an early incarnation of what was to become “dark_matter.” We “became” dark_matter in Oct 2009.
How would we describe ourselves? Very difficult question, for me anyway. I’ve always enjoyed the atmospheric effect that keyboards bring to heavy music. Ever since I started writing songs 10 years ago, I have always felt they were integral to the sound I wanted. There would definitely be a gothic influence there but in the synthesized effects that dark_matter use, this comes across as more ambient and spacey. We don’t use the traditional strings or piano effects as is typical of gothic stuff. Our structures, I suppose would lean towards progressive but unfortunately I don’t think we’re technical enough to fall into that category, Because it is instrumental it is easy to say we have elements of post-rock, and I guess we do, however we don’t use/rely on crescendos and diminuendos to the same extent as generally applies to the genre at large. In short, I guess you could call us instrumental post-progressive ambient metal?!!!
Dave: What Eoin forgets is that he actually met me before then, when I was playing in another band…tut tut sir!
As Eoin said we didn’t converse properly until I recorded a demo for said previous incarnation.
With all the facets of metal around today, the easiest way to describe our stuff is Intsrumetal!
Very general but I wouldn’t like to drill down past that…unnecessary really at the end of the day and you create more discussions by saying you are a particular sub-genre.
And if I recall Eoin did have a lot more string and piano effects but started to lean more towards the spacey thanks to the synthesisers.
The structures are…as I constantly say when we’re messing around arranging stuff…is head-fu*k
Mike:
3. The band recently released their debut e.p "Adrift" how long did it take you all to write and record the songs for this e.p?
Eoin: As it happens 3 of the 4 songs on the EP were written 9 or 10 years ago. Neptune, in fact was the first keyboard riff I wrote. “The Persistence of Memory” and “Monolith” were written around the same time. They were written a couple of years after the first band I played in (My Friend Judas) broke up. They were written at a time that I couldn’t get a band together for love nor money. There were not a lot of people interested in doing this kind of stuff. I suppose I didn’t care because my objective was just to have a collection of songs that I could be proud of simply for my own benefit. At this time I genuinely never thought these songs would see the light of day. This was 2001/2002. In that time I wrote about 15 songs, fully finished for guitars, bass and keyboards on a very basic recording program. When I finally did get a band going it was 2007. A few of these songs were used by us (Twilight of Harmony) at that time, with the singer/guitarist contributing songs also. When he left in late 2009, we re-worked 3 of our songs for the EP, the goal being to be able to play them live asap to see if the instrumental thing would go down well enough to stay in that format. We think it did so we decided to record the tracks. “Compression Syndrome” was written on guitar very quicky, like an hour and a half at most. When I brought it to Dave, he did the arrangement, adjusting certain riffs and rhythms etc as the guitar rhythms were very straight (and slightly uninteresting). We laid down rough drum tracks and the keys/synths were written very quickly over it. Again, with the other 3 tracks, rough tracks were recorded until all keyboard layers were decided upon, then we laid down proper guitar, drum and bass tracks so it was fairly painless. It also helped that Dave did the recording himself.
Dave: I swear my love of Fear Factory doesn’t show in Compression Syndrome at all…-cough-
The recording process was long and painful for me, as I can be incredibly…what’s the word…picky I guess, rerecorded the drums a few times just so I could hear what I wanted to. On top of that constantly tweaking the mix…I don’t think I’ll be doing that again any time soon!
4. Are you all happy with how it turned out? how has the response been from the press and fans?
Eoin: At the time, yeah I was definitely happy. It was a DIY recording so when you compare recording quality to that of a more professional recording, you will notice that there is a significant difference. We did the recording in-house so it was essentially free, but its function was to have something we could publish and show an objective crowd and gauge their response. First and foremost we want to play live, and it’s great to hear that you played a good set, but people can be less honest to your face or objectivity could be negated with large amounts of alcohol. Therefore the recording was a tool to find out what people internationally thought of it. Ireland has a very impressive instrumental scene, whereas in other countries it might not be so prevalent. It was from these listeners that we wanted to hear their thoughts. We’ve been reviewed in Germany, Austria, UK and the US. The reviews have all been positive, some more than others but at least none have been negative, which was my fear when deciding to go instrumental. So ya, I’m happy with it but I’m sure our next recording will be better, as we are actually going to go to a proper studio.
Locally we seem to be regarded pretty highly I guess. Being on the fringes of the Metal scene is a double edged sword though. We’re not heavy enough for the “true” metallers, which is actually fine with me personally as we don’t necessarily feel attached to that scene anyway. Being instrumental, we can be as heavy as we want without actually alienating people who like guitar-driven music but who might not be into metal at all.
Dave: As I explained when we started recording, it’d be a good demo quality, not a lovely studio produced awesomeness, but that’ll be addressed in the near future.
People seem to enjoy it, but sometimes it’s like pulling teeth to try and get an actual opinion out of them…I hear the word “interesting” used a lot…
The one thing that really grinds my gears though is people saying that a singer is required. Why? Don’t get me wrong, I love vocals, but sometimes they just aren’t needed (e.g. Periphery). You can mess around far more in an instrumental band, very liberating experience!
My attitude is if people like it then great, if not then I’m okay too. It is something I can appreciate about metal as a whole, the take it or leave it attitude
5. Does the band play live very often or do you all prefer to work in the studio only? Who are some bands you all have played/toured with? If you all could set-up a "dream" show who are some bands you would love to play with?
Eoin: I suppose we play a couple of times a month. With the recession in Ireland a lot of pubs/venues have been closing down which obviously makes the competition for gigs more intense. We do spend an awful lot of time in the studio, laying down rough guitar tracks so that keys and synths can be laid over. Then drums are added and tweaking or re-arranging of riffs if necessary, which it often is. I’m often unhappy that a song doesn’t have enough character or atmosphere so I’m often in front of the computer trying to figure out ways of making the song “complete.” This is where Dave’s opinions are invaluable.
In Limerick, where we are from, there’s a bi-annual all day Metal festival called the Siege of Limerick. Outside of the capital this is easily the biggest event of its kind in the country. Pretty much all of the national Metal elite play or have played the event. To name them all would take too long. The likes of Brigantia, Five Will Die, Castero and loads more have been doing the rounds for a few years now and are making a name for themselves. Again in Limerick, the metal scene has probably never been better. Apart from ourselves, you have Three Hour Ceasefire, Shardborne and Zealot Cult. I don’t think there have been 4 active metal bands in Limerick at any point previously so it’s great at the moment. The only problem is our main venue recently closed down. Fortunately all 4 bands seem to be coping and getting gigs nationally.
On a national level I’d love to play with God is an Astronaut or Altar of Plagues. Internationally Paradise Lost, Anathema, Katatonia and Depeche Mode. I’d love to tour with Motley Crue too, as long as they weren’t on one of their sober buzzes.
Dave: I’d love to play with the likes of Fear Factory or Rage Against the Machine, as inappropriate as our presence would be!
6. Coming back to the band for a moment. dark_matter is a total-instrumental band. When you started the band did you want to keep it a total-instrumental band or have you all searched for a vocalist?
Eoin: Giora (formerly Twilight of Harmony) came to an end in October 2009 when our singer/guitarist decided to move to Canada. This left Mike (our recently-departed bassist), Dave and I to decide what to do with the band. I think the decision to go instrumental was based simply on the fact that we three had a fairly similar idea of where we wanted to go. We thought that pushing the boundaries of atmosphere was preferable to trying to become heavier (the former-vocalist’s intention).
Dave: I disagree , I think it was just a test to see if the instrumental thing would stick…and it seemed to! Kinda went from there…
Eoin: Anyway, we wanted to write music that was accessible to anyone who genuinely has an affinity for music. We did not want to be pigeon-holed in one particular genre. If your singer growls, you’re death metal etc. etc. We feel no obligation to be as heavy as band A, B or C. Yes, we write heavy songs but we are not a 2 dimensional band. We aim to convey something real to the listener. A singer will very easily convey a mood, in how or what s/he sings. To be able to capture that same atmosphere or feeling without vocals is both the challenge and the reward.
Dave: Never watch Spinal Tap? Come on, gives you a clue! Haha
Eoin: We collectively had the notion that a vocalist would not only have his/her own agenda musically and lyrically but would also seek to stifle the sound that we were aiming towards. (Remember how I said earlier about finding people that were into this kind of stuff was extremely difficult) I for one, viewed a singer as simply someone who would corrupt our vision.
Dave: And seeing through Eoin and his vision of music, when we started it was still with the intention of having a vocalist but to try without one and see what happened. It went down well, so we decided against it. Haven’t ruled out the idea of ambient backing vocals, but I would say that would be it…for now.
And if you listen very carefully in Monolith there is a vocal…well more of a (subtle) scream but anyways!
7. The music created by dark_matter seems to draw inspiration from a variety of genres, so I was curious would you guys consider yourselves open-minded towards metal and music in general?
Eoin: I think to play instrumental music at all, you have to be open-minded. Fundamentally our roots are definitely based in metal. However, that’s not to say that that’s all I listen to. We play what we feel. I certainly write music that I hope captures certain feelings. I hope this is translated in the music. I listen to a large amount of post-rock. The 80’s, as cringe-worthy as the whole era often was, produced some of the most atmospheric sounds that are still relevant today. When Depeche Mode hit the drugs in a big way they went dark, very dark. Similarly with The Cure. I think there are very few metal bands that convey that feeling of despondency as well. I guess it must be an English thing because Paradise Lost and Anathema have been adept at this throughout their careers too. Regardless of what we listen to, this sense of melancholy is what permeates the dark_matter sound, or at least that is the aim.
Dave: I’m not going to comment on Eoin’s last statement…there’s a lot of pain in that demo for me so I’m already biased.
Anyways to be a good musician, not just an instrumental musician, you need to be open minded to other styles of music. You don’t need to like it, but at least appreciate it. Pick what you like and try to incorporate it into your own style.
Perfect example – the first quiet riff in Monolith – comes from concepts that Carter Beauford (Dave Matthews Band) holds close to his heart – the idea that straight hihats / ride can sometimes be really, really dull so play around with the sticking pattern.
8. If you all had to choose who would you consider some of your "individual" influences and favorite bands/musicians?
Eoin: As mentioned above P.L, Anathema, God is an Astronaut, Depeche Mode, My Dying Bride, In Flames, Ennio Morricone, Pelican, Alice In Chains, Mogwai, Pink Floyd
Dave: Influence-wise I’d say Fear Factory, Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pantera, Metallica and Slayer
Favourites would be…Alice In Chains, Less Than Jake, Manic Street Preachers, Queen, Alanis Morissette, Counting Crows, Nobuo Uematsu, Radiohead and Pink Floyd
9. The band comes out of Ireland's music underground. From what I can see Ireland has a growing and strong extreme metal/music scene. Would you all agree? What is your opinion of the Irish metal scene?
Eoin: Ya, I think the scene has never been better. Bands like Primordial and Altar of Plagues amongst others are internationally recognised. Dublin sees a few annual metal festivals and such, and in Limerick, as mentioned, we have the Siege of Limerick. There is a wealth of talent and a myriad of bands in all metal sub-genres. It is the lack of venues to cater for the amount of bands that is the problem. Hopefully when this recession lifts, more venues will appear.
10. Who are some of your all-time favorite Irish bands? Are their any new bands you think the readers should check out?
Eoin: If you want to see how atmospheric instrumental should sound like, I would definitely suggest God is an Astronaut. There’s also a fairly little-known Alternative rock band from Dublin called Whipping Boy who should have made it Stateside but for record label fu*k-acting. Dark and very relevant lyrics pervade the album (Heartworm) and though it’s not a metal album by any means, it’s my favourite Irish album ever written, even more so than The Joshua Tree by U2. I have recently gotten into post-black metal band Altar of Plagues, who are awesome also.
I would strongly recommend checking out the other bands from our hometown:
Three Hour Ceasefire (Lamb of God-ish metal) who should have a recording done before the end of the year. Heavy, heavy with some seriously catchy riffs. This release should go down extremely well.
Shardborne (instrumental technical prog) who have just released a very impressive EP.. Possibly the most technically talented band we have played with.
Zealot Cult (Floridian grind) Arguably the heaviest band in the country at the moment.
Dave: I know everyone goes back to them but Thin Lizzy, such an incredible band…and of course the musicianship of Rory Gallagher and Gary Moore…just phenomenal!
As well as the lads mentioned above I’d recommend a few Dublin based bands – Vile Regression, Celtachor and Wound Upon Wound are just incredible and sound out!
Check them out and you won’t be disappointed
11. Besides dark_matter do any of you all play in side-bands or solo projects? If yes please tell the readers a little about them.
Eoin: I wish I’d the time. Sadly I do not but I would like to play acousticy stuff with a cellist, preferably female cos it looks awesome.
Dave: I play in a rock act called Fat Baby Panda, check them out on facebook, youtube or fatbabypanda.com. The music changes style and feel a lot, but it’s just great craic! Plus I don’t have to play with a metronome :D (haha problem is it’s starting to be my security blanket…feel a bit naked without the click!)
Kinda fits to my personality – I have this incredible instrumental band to tend to my obsessive dark chunky side, and fat baby panda to cater for my lighter, laid back side. Plus if either band makes it big I can pull the other along for the ride!
12. When you guys are not working on music or band business what do you enjoy doing in your spare-time?
Eoin: Drinking and reading, though not usually in that order.
Dave: Motorboating breasts
13. Well thank you for taking the time to fill out this interview. Do you all have any final comments for the readers?
Eoin: Thank you for both the review and interview, which was our pleasure. I would love if people took the time to give the stuff a listen. We are aware that it’s not going to be to everyone’s liking but if you’re into atmospheric music with plenty of heaviness, it might be for you. Feel free to let us know your thoughts as we do like to hear what people make of it, good or bad.
Dave: constructive criticism is good, so get in touch if you’ve made it this far!
http://dark-matter.bandcamp.com/
darkmatterireland@gmail.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dark_Matter/106308412767891
Sunday, August 14, 2011
interview with trillion red done by patrick 8-14-2011
hails,
here is a new interview with trillion red's main-man patrick brown. this is a band that is IMPOSSIBLE to put into a genre.if you enjoy quality dark music then you should defintly check-out trillion red and their debut e.p "two tongues".
regards,
patrick and winter torment web-zine
interview with patrick brown vocalist,keys,guitarist,bass for trillion red. done by patrick
1.hello how are things going for you this week? please introduce yourself to the readers
My name is Patrick, the song writer and instrumentalist of Trillion Red. Things have been busy! Lots of good stuff going on.
2.when did you first get the idea to form trillion red? how did you come up with the name of the band? for the readers who have never heard the band how would you describe trillion red's music?
Since I began writing music again in 2007, I had formulated enough music to take it beyond a side hobby, and realized that it was content that I felt needed to be expressed with all facets of instrumentation and vocals. That was when I decided to form Trillion Red. As for the name of the band, that was an arduous process. It was very difficult to capture the essence of what I was trying to do musically and lyrically AND not be cliche. We probably went through over a hundred different names before deciding on Trillion Red. The name encompasses a near infinite existential potential of life, power, love, death, passion and or hatred. It meshes well with the many possibilities you find when listening to Trillion Red. It is a human experience.
The music is dark, trippy, heavy, melodic at times, and gyrating. The TR sound is not like any particular genre of Metal, Rock or Indie. I understand it as experiential stories into darkness and light. It is supposed to be engaging, provoking, and inspiring.
3.when did you and max w.{drums} first meet? was it long until you guys formed trillion red? are you guys happy as a two-piece band or would you like to possibly "add" more members to make trillion red a full-band?
We met in 2009. It took a couple sessions playing together before deciding to form a band. I am not interested in playing out. I am happy as a studio project. If we decided to play live, then yes, we would be on the look out for other folks to make Trillion Red a 'live' possibility. Never say never I guess.
4.if you had the opportunity to work with any musicians {past or present} who would you like to work with?
Steve Wilson and Allen Epley.
5.you recently sent me a copy of the bands debut cd "two tongues e.p" how long did it take to write and record the songs for this release?
These were the very first songs I wrote for TR. It all started out as a side hobby, so it took a couple years. When I decided to actually release this material to the public, I spent a lot more time on the finishing touches in a much quicker fashion.
6. are you happy with how everything came out? how has the response been from the press and the fans?
Overall, I am happy with Two Tongues. There are issues I have with the non-centric approach I took on the vocals and sound quality of the drums, but overall, I think it is a very cool and unique dark experience. The response from the press has been good. I would say the press has spent a lot time trying to classify us or box us in a certain genre (you guys didn’t though). I think that probably has confused potential fans more than anything else. We have received a lot of great compliments from fans. I think those that are ready for something new and to be challenged, are those that will enjoy TR the most. Rock, Metal or Indie fans that want to stay in their safe zone may struggle with this release.
7.have you begun working on new songs for the next trillion red release? any idea how many songs will be on the next release?
Yes, I have completed 9 new songs for a new album. We are starting to record this month. We expect to release something in early 2012 on Bad God Music Records.
8.when you begin working/writing music for a new song how long does it usually take you to complete it? you also handle the lyrics for the band so i was curious where do you draw inspiration for your lyrics?
It really depends. Some songs come very fast. Take Lullaby for example. That took a week. Forging Two Tongues took a long time to complete. Sometimes the pieces come together quickly, and sometimes it is tenuous. These 9 new songs were a mix-match as well. Lyrical and thematic inspiration is primarily drawn from my observations on US culture, politics, and humanity. And probably to no surprise, much of the emotions tied to these observations are anger, disgust, contempt, compassion, and hope.
9.you released the two tongues e.p independantly. have you looked for a label to work with for future trillion red releases or do you prefer to work alone and release all your own music?
Yes we been looking for a label. A new start up, Bad God Music, has signed the Two Tongues EP and our new album. They will be releasing the Two Tongues EP in September and album in early 2012.
10.i know you have been a part of the metal underground for along time. so i was curious how do you feel the scene has changed over the years? do you feel it has gotten better or worse over the years?
The scene is certainly much bigger and more accepted; therefore I think it is more a niche in the sphere of cultural media now than it is an actual underground music movement. I favor more accessibility and access to any kind of music. So, I would say it is better now.
11.are either of you guys currently working with any other side-projects or bands? if yes please tell the readers a little about them.
I am working on a project with Sasha (drummer for Novembers Doom and These are They). The band is called King Carnage. This is to be a new interpretation of our old root chaotic inspirations as kids: Old School Death like Nihilist/Entombed, Grave, Grotesque, Tiamat, Order From Chaos, Morbid (these are mine, Sasha has similar but probably others as well). I was never a big fan of American style Death Metal, and not for a particular reason. I was very passionate about the Swedish style in particular since I was 14 years old (91'/92'). I released something in 96' (Ligeia 'In Death Overshadow Thee') that shows this, but Sasha and I want to take that a step further and make it much better. The goal is new, crusty, sick, dirty, heavy, and unrelenting Death. If we can get your heart rate up and keep it there 30 minutes then leave you hanging loose like a dead whore by the end of the album, then this project will be considered a success.
12.when not working on music or band business what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Spending time with my wife and child.
13.well patrick we have reached the end of the interview. thank you for taking the time to fill this out. do you have any final comments for the readers?
Just that I do appreciate you and Winter Torment for spending the time and resources for this interview, and thank the readers as well. Please check out the the EP at stereokiller, our website or myspace!
to contact trillion red check out these sites.
www.trillionred.com
here is a new interview with trillion red's main-man patrick brown. this is a band that is IMPOSSIBLE to put into a genre.if you enjoy quality dark music then you should defintly check-out trillion red and their debut e.p "two tongues".
regards,
patrick and winter torment web-zine
interview with patrick brown vocalist,keys,guitarist,bass for trillion red. done by patrick
1.hello how are things going for you this week? please introduce yourself to the readers
My name is Patrick, the song writer and instrumentalist of Trillion Red. Things have been busy! Lots of good stuff going on.
2.when did you first get the idea to form trillion red? how did you come up with the name of the band? for the readers who have never heard the band how would you describe trillion red's music?
Since I began writing music again in 2007, I had formulated enough music to take it beyond a side hobby, and realized that it was content that I felt needed to be expressed with all facets of instrumentation and vocals. That was when I decided to form Trillion Red. As for the name of the band, that was an arduous process. It was very difficult to capture the essence of what I was trying to do musically and lyrically AND not be cliche. We probably went through over a hundred different names before deciding on Trillion Red. The name encompasses a near infinite existential potential of life, power, love, death, passion and or hatred. It meshes well with the many possibilities you find when listening to Trillion Red. It is a human experience.
The music is dark, trippy, heavy, melodic at times, and gyrating. The TR sound is not like any particular genre of Metal, Rock or Indie. I understand it as experiential stories into darkness and light. It is supposed to be engaging, provoking, and inspiring.
3.when did you and max w.{drums} first meet? was it long until you guys formed trillion red? are you guys happy as a two-piece band or would you like to possibly "add" more members to make trillion red a full-band?
We met in 2009. It took a couple sessions playing together before deciding to form a band. I am not interested in playing out. I am happy as a studio project. If we decided to play live, then yes, we would be on the look out for other folks to make Trillion Red a 'live' possibility. Never say never I guess.
4.if you had the opportunity to work with any musicians {past or present} who would you like to work with?
Steve Wilson and Allen Epley.
5.you recently sent me a copy of the bands debut cd "two tongues e.p" how long did it take to write and record the songs for this release?
These were the very first songs I wrote for TR. It all started out as a side hobby, so it took a couple years. When I decided to actually release this material to the public, I spent a lot more time on the finishing touches in a much quicker fashion.
6. are you happy with how everything came out? how has the response been from the press and the fans?
Overall, I am happy with Two Tongues. There are issues I have with the non-centric approach I took on the vocals and sound quality of the drums, but overall, I think it is a very cool and unique dark experience. The response from the press has been good. I would say the press has spent a lot time trying to classify us or box us in a certain genre (you guys didn’t though). I think that probably has confused potential fans more than anything else. We have received a lot of great compliments from fans. I think those that are ready for something new and to be challenged, are those that will enjoy TR the most. Rock, Metal or Indie fans that want to stay in their safe zone may struggle with this release.
7.have you begun working on new songs for the next trillion red release? any idea how many songs will be on the next release?
Yes, I have completed 9 new songs for a new album. We are starting to record this month. We expect to release something in early 2012 on Bad God Music Records.
8.when you begin working/writing music for a new song how long does it usually take you to complete it? you also handle the lyrics for the band so i was curious where do you draw inspiration for your lyrics?
It really depends. Some songs come very fast. Take Lullaby for example. That took a week. Forging Two Tongues took a long time to complete. Sometimes the pieces come together quickly, and sometimes it is tenuous. These 9 new songs were a mix-match as well. Lyrical and thematic inspiration is primarily drawn from my observations on US culture, politics, and humanity. And probably to no surprise, much of the emotions tied to these observations are anger, disgust, contempt, compassion, and hope.
9.you released the two tongues e.p independantly. have you looked for a label to work with for future trillion red releases or do you prefer to work alone and release all your own music?
Yes we been looking for a label. A new start up, Bad God Music, has signed the Two Tongues EP and our new album. They will be releasing the Two Tongues EP in September and album in early 2012.
10.i know you have been a part of the metal underground for along time. so i was curious how do you feel the scene has changed over the years? do you feel it has gotten better or worse over the years?
The scene is certainly much bigger and more accepted; therefore I think it is more a niche in the sphere of cultural media now than it is an actual underground music movement. I favor more accessibility and access to any kind of music. So, I would say it is better now.
11.are either of you guys currently working with any other side-projects or bands? if yes please tell the readers a little about them.
I am working on a project with Sasha (drummer for Novembers Doom and These are They). The band is called King Carnage. This is to be a new interpretation of our old root chaotic inspirations as kids: Old School Death like Nihilist/Entombed, Grave, Grotesque, Tiamat, Order From Chaos, Morbid (these are mine, Sasha has similar but probably others as well). I was never a big fan of American style Death Metal, and not for a particular reason. I was very passionate about the Swedish style in particular since I was 14 years old (91'/92'). I released something in 96' (Ligeia 'In Death Overshadow Thee') that shows this, but Sasha and I want to take that a step further and make it much better. The goal is new, crusty, sick, dirty, heavy, and unrelenting Death. If we can get your heart rate up and keep it there 30 minutes then leave you hanging loose like a dead whore by the end of the album, then this project will be considered a success.
12.when not working on music or band business what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Spending time with my wife and child.
13.well patrick we have reached the end of the interview. thank you for taking the time to fill this out. do you have any final comments for the readers?
Just that I do appreciate you and Winter Torment for spending the time and resources for this interview, and thank the readers as well. Please check out the the EP at stereokiller, our website or myspace!
to contact trillion red check out these sites.
www.trillionred.com
Sunday, August 7, 2011
interview with forgotten tomb done by patrick 8-7-11
here is a brand new interview with one of italy's Best bands. combining
the best of dark death,black and even some touches of doom for a sound
all their own! if you have not yet heard the bands latest release
"under saturn retrograde" you are missing a true gem defintly get this
asap!
enjoy the interview,and thanks to all who take the time to check out winter torment web-zine.
regards,
patrick and winter torment web-zine
interview with herr morbid vocalist,guitarist for forgotten tomb done by patrick.
Hello how is life in Italy this week? Please introduce yourself to the
readers.
HM: Hi there. This week in Italy there's a fucked up weather, kinda cold for
being the middle of summer, and I got ill. There's not much to do around the
dead city where I live, besides doing some barbecue in the backyard,
drinking beer and taking care of the band 'stuff. I'm the boss of the band
called Forgotten Tomb and I go by the nickname of Herr Morbid. I write most
of the band's material, play guitar and sing.
When did you and the other members form forgotten tomb? what is the
"current" line-up? for the readers who have never heard Forgotten Tomb how
would you describe the bands music?
HM: There has always been a biography of the band on its official MySpace
and Facebook pages and it's still there. Of course we had to shorten it and
make a sum of our career because we exist since 12 years now and if we would
exactly write down all the things we've done each year the biography would
become long as a fucking book, and no one would read it! Also, I think that
if a Black and/or Doom Metal fan doesn't know the band yet, he probably
lived under a rock for the latest 12 years or so, heheh. Btw we did 6
full-lenght albums, titles are: "Songs To Leave" (2002), "Springtime
Depression" (2003), "Love's Burial Ground" (2004), "Negative Megalomania"
(2007), "Vol 5: 1999/2009" (2010, live in studio), "Under Saturn Retrograde"
(2011). I started this band to create obscure and death-glorifying music,
and I'm still doing it after all these years. Of course a lot of things
happened both in my life and music, surely the way to portray certain
feelings has changed and evolved over the years, but all in all I think I
managed to remain faithful to my ideas and attitude. The trademark elements
that we created with our early albums are still part of our music, though
every album sounds a bit different so it's difficult to describe our music.
But we are known for being among the originators of the so-called
"Depressive Black Metal" genre. Let's say that if you like a very cold and
eerie style of Black Metal mixed with Doom elements, Dark-wave elements and
Rock influences, all done with a good sounding production, then you should
like more or less all of our albums. The band started out as a one-man band
in 1999 but it became a full-band since mid-2003, and the line-up remained
the same up to this day.
The band recently released it's 4th masterpiece "Under saturn retrograde"
how long did it take the band to write and record the songs for this
release? are you and other members of the band happy with how it turned out?
how has response been from the fans and press?
HM: Music for the new album has been written in different moments over 3
years but there's some stuff that was written even years before and then
rearranged and reworked later... It was quite a long process. I am the only
composer of lyrics and music on this album. I also arranged all instruments'
scores. The recording-process, as well as the mix and mastering, were done
in separate sessions between August 2010 and January 2011. I think we
probably took a bit too much time to release this new album, but this time
was necessary to make sure we were releasing a competitive, over-the-top
album. I rewrote and rearranged some of the songs several times, until I
found out the perfect way to give the album the feeling I had in mind. Also,
we had many things to do in the meantime with the release of the "Vol 5:
1999/2009" album, live-shows, the record label change and other things that
had to be taken care of to lift the band to a more professional level and
make a proper and more effective return to the scenes, you know. Everything
was done carefully this time and it shows. The result fully satisfies me and
the whole band, because it strongly retains the extreme Metal roots but it
also includes old-fashioned Dark Wave influences and more Rock-oriented
stuff. I think it all blends together really well, better than on "Negative
Megalomania". I think the reactions overall have been very good. Let's say
90% of press liked it and 90% of fans liked it. You know, there's always
someone complaining for something on every new album we release... We can't
make everyone happy. We need to be happy ourselves with what we have
accomplished with a new album, in the first place. If the others like it,
that's great, otherwise it means they are not ready to understand our
evolution. Or they just have a different musical taste. We are getting used
to be misunderstood and ahead of trends. Most of the people start to like
our albums 3 years after their actual release-date. It happened the same
with the previous album, "Negative Megalomania"... It's still early though
to take conclusions, the album has just been released in the USA so we're
waiting for feedback from there too. Up to this day, we're pretty satisfied
with the result. There's a lot of interest around the album and that's the
important thing. And above all, we are absolutely certain that the album
kicks ass, so we think that who says the opposite is not really reliable. In
other words, we don't give a fuck. We do what we want as we always did, and
we do it better than the others. Agree or not, we just know it and that's
enough for us.
When the band begins working on a new song does the whole band take part in
the writing process or does one member usually handle it all?
HM: Being the main and often exclusive composer in the band, I usually
record demo-tracks at home with a multitrack software and a drum-programming
software. Then I handle these demos to the members of the band so they can
learn the songs, and later in the rehearsal room we do the final
improvements and extra-arrangements, some months prior to the recording
sessions. This is the easiest and fastest way to work. We don't have the
chance to practice together very often due to the distance between each
others, so that's the best way to keep up the pace of the work when we have
to prepare the new songs.
Who usually handles the lyrics, what are some topics/subjects the band
writes about?
HM: I'm the author of the lyrics/concept of the band. Everyday' life and my
hate towards the whole world are the main sources of inspiration. If you
read all my lyrics since the beginning of the band you'll notice they
changed and evolved. But of course I don't like a lot of things in life and
society, and I'm basically a very negative and pessimistic person. The
"leit-motiv" of my lyrics is more or less always the same. Obviously over
the years people grow up and evolve, though I always believed in what I said
over the years and I don't regret it. The glorification of negativity,
death, hatred, pessimism, cynicism, homicide, suicide, abuse and in general
of everything that is helpful to destroy human happiness and life is a
recurring theme of our albums and imagery, now more than ever. I can still
relate to some of the old lyrics though I absolutely don't relate to others.
I'm still totally into the negativity of my old lyrics but I think some
personal things should have been kept to myself exclusively. In the past
some fans just used some of my lyrics as some sort of relief from their
personal problems, but I never wanted this to happen. I've been totally
misunderstood. I refer especially to the "Songs To Leave" album. I don't
want to help people, my lyrics are not propedeuthic. I want to destroy
people, I want them to increase their suffering and do harm to themselves
and to others. That's why my lyrics have changed over the years. I don't
wanna write for myself exclusively, I want the message to be loud and clear
to all my listeners. I'm not here to save people, since I can't even save
myself. I'd rather drag you all in the grave with me.
Does the band have any upcoming shows or tours in support of "under saturn
retrograde"? or do you prefer to only keep forgotten tomb in the studio?
HM: The band has always played live since 2003 and we'll keep on doing it.
We'll play a few summer festivals and then we'll see what happens this
autumn. I hope and I guess that we'll do some tour, play additional
scattered gigs and play some autumn/winter club-festivals. Our aim is to
play live as much as possible. There are some serious plans going on though
I can't reveal anything at the moment. But I think you'll see us playing
around quite often between September and December. We got 8 shows confirmed
already between the end of August and the end of October, but we should add
other 10 shows in November. We'll see what happens!
The band comes out of the mighty italian scene.i have been a fan of the
italian metal scene for a few years now. so i was curious what is your
opinion of italy's metal scene? Who are some of your all-time favorite
italian bands? are their any new upcoming bands from italy you think the
readers should watch out for?
HM: Usually I'm very negative regarding the current "scene" and to be honest
I don't follow very much what's going on these days. There is some good
stuff happening but I'm not very interested in it. I'm an old-fashioned guy,
I like the older italian stuff, probably because I was part of the old scene
myself. I know there's a bit of nostalgia in it, but I can't help it, hehe.
I think nowadays the technical level of most of the young bands is higher
than it was in the '90s for instance, but the spirit got lost in my opinion.
The excessive use of the Internet destroyed the dark, underground
atmosphere. Of course Internet has been really useful for everyone and I
definitely acknowledge the fact that even FT probably wouldn't be where it
is today without the help of the Internet, but I started playing this genre
before the Internet was so popular and I was already used to work out things
in the old way, you know. Internet has been helpful and made some things
easier but I could have survived without it, you know. Young bands would be
lost without the Internet 'cause they grew up with it since they were kids.
I grew up with the Commodore 64, the VHS tapes, the vinyls and the
audio-cassettes, if you know what I mean! And I still love those things. I
relate better with those coming from the old days. By the way, to answer
your question, some of the old italian bands that you should check out are:
Funeral Oration, Antropofagus, Death SS, Mortuary Drape, Necromass,
Deathrage, Bulldozer, Hiems, Sacrater (my old band), Frozen, Dunkel Nacht,
Handful Of Hate, Inchiuvatu, Khephra, Maldoror, Mortifier, Mondocane,
Necrodeath, Schizo, Aborym, Sinoath, Satanel, Cripple Bastards, Tragoidia,
Altar Of Perversion, just to name a few... Some of them are still active,
others are not, though they're all worth checking out. Regarding more or
less recent bands, other good stuff is Beatrik, Tenebrae In Perpetuum,
Whiskey Ritual, Frangar, The Tombers, Elitaria, Spite Extreme Wing, Janvs,
The Second Coming, Inner, Caronte, Tombstone Highway (my Southern Metal
band), Viscera///, Malfeitor, The Secret and a lot of other bands that I
can't remember...
Are you or any of the members currently working on any side-projects or
bands? if yes please tell the readers a little about them.
HM: I play in another band called Tombstone Highway. We play Southern Hard
Rock/Metal. We just recorded a full-lenght and we'll hopefully release it
before the end of 2011. Really neat stuff. Our bass-player Algol plays with
his one-man band Hiems. Our drummer Asher plays in Whiskey Ritual. Both
bands rock hard!
You handle the vocals for the band at what age did you start singing? Who
are some of your favorite vocalists? do you do anything special to keep your
throat/voice healthy?
HM: I started singing when I was 13/14 years old. In the beginning I
practiced on the old Hard Rock or Thrash Metal classics, you know. That's
probably why I can still sing decently with clean vocals. Then after a while
I started trying the scream-vocals and more brutal stuff. The first brutal
singers influencing my style were John Tardy of Obituary and Jeff Walker of
Carcass. Then I moved forward to the Black Metal singing, and Varg Vikernes
(Burzum), Dead & Attila Csihar (Mayhem) were among my favourites. Btw among
my favourites singers ever (besides Extreme Metal) I should also mention
Layne Staley, Dax Riggs, Phil Anselmo, Bon Scott, David Coverdale, Glenn
Danzig, Ozzy Osbourne, Peter Steele, Ian Astbury, Nick Holmes, Keith Caputo,
Scott "Wino" Weinrich... I don't do anything special to keep my vocals in
shape, though they're still working pretty good I think. I smoke only once
in a while and I mostly drink beer, so they're not affecting my vocals too
much. But I think the best way to keep the throat in shape is singing at the
rehearsals every week. Also, hot tea is great before the shows.
You also play guitars for the band at what age did you start playing the
guitars? are you self-taught or have you taken lessons in the past? who are
some of your influences/favorite guitarist?
HM: I started when I was 13. I'm self-taught. I learned playing at home
along the old classics and afterwards playing with garage bands, you know. I
think I'm quite a solid rhythm-guitar player, though I'm not very technical.
I'm also good at doing fucked-up arpeggios! That's one of the trademarks of
FT, in fact all people trying to play our songs for the first time
experience big difficulties. I'm pretty good at using slide/bottleneck, I
use it a lot with my Southern Rock band. I'm not much into leads, though I
can handle some, mostly blues-oriented licks, penthatonics and Zakk
Wylde-influenced licks. He's probably my favourite guitar-player ever,
together with Tomi Iommi, Angus Young, Tom G. Warrior, Billy Duffy, Jimi
Hendrix, Greg Mackintosh and some others. All very different guitar-players
but very creative and good at what they do. For the Southern-Rock
slide-guitar stuff, of course the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd are
among my favourites.
Besides playing guitars and singing do you play any other instruments? if
yes which ones?
HM: I played bass for quite some years in a Death Metal band and I was
getting very good at it, all finger-style and extremely fast. But I needed
to handle guitar with FT so I focused definitively on the guitar afterwards.
I can still play the bass pretty good though. I can handle a bit of drums
but I should practice a lot. I mean, I could not absolutely play drums in a
band at the current stage! I was able to play the flute when I was a kid but
I don't remember how to play it anymore.
Thank you for taking the time to fill out this interview we have reached the
end. do you have any final comments for the readers before we end?
HM: Thanx for the interview. I'm working on the re-releases of our old
albums, to be out this fall. We're also going to release very soon (in
September) a split 7" with italian band Whiskey Ritual. Both bands will
cover 3 songs each by GG Allin. It's gonna be a cool release. Then we'll
play live in Europe quite a lot so don't miss our shows! Follow us on
Facebook, MySpace, Reverbnation and official website (online soon). Stay
Negative.
enjoy the interview,and thanks to all who take the time to check out winter torment web-zine.
regards,
patrick and winter torment web-zine
interview with herr morbid vocalist,guitarist for forgotten tomb done by patrick.
Hello how is life in Italy this week? Please introduce yourself to the
readers.
HM: Hi there. This week in Italy there's a fucked up weather, kinda cold for
being the middle of summer, and I got ill. There's not much to do around the
dead city where I live, besides doing some barbecue in the backyard,
drinking beer and taking care of the band 'stuff. I'm the boss of the band
called Forgotten Tomb and I go by the nickname of Herr Morbid. I write most
of the band's material, play guitar and sing.
When did you and the other members form forgotten tomb? what is the
"current" line-up? for the readers who have never heard Forgotten Tomb how
would you describe the bands music?
HM: There has always been a biography of the band on its official MySpace
and Facebook pages and it's still there. Of course we had to shorten it and
make a sum of our career because we exist since 12 years now and if we would
exactly write down all the things we've done each year the biography would
become long as a fucking book, and no one would read it! Also, I think that
if a Black and/or Doom Metal fan doesn't know the band yet, he probably
lived under a rock for the latest 12 years or so, heheh. Btw we did 6
full-lenght albums, titles are: "Songs To Leave" (2002), "Springtime
Depression" (2003), "Love's Burial Ground" (2004), "Negative Megalomania"
(2007), "Vol 5: 1999/2009" (2010, live in studio), "Under Saturn Retrograde"
(2011). I started this band to create obscure and death-glorifying music,
and I'm still doing it after all these years. Of course a lot of things
happened both in my life and music, surely the way to portray certain
feelings has changed and evolved over the years, but all in all I think I
managed to remain faithful to my ideas and attitude. The trademark elements
that we created with our early albums are still part of our music, though
every album sounds a bit different so it's difficult to describe our music.
But we are known for being among the originators of the so-called
"Depressive Black Metal" genre. Let's say that if you like a very cold and
eerie style of Black Metal mixed with Doom elements, Dark-wave elements and
Rock influences, all done with a good sounding production, then you should
like more or less all of our albums. The band started out as a one-man band
in 1999 but it became a full-band since mid-2003, and the line-up remained
the same up to this day.
The band recently released it's 4th masterpiece "Under saturn retrograde"
how long did it take the band to write and record the songs for this
release? are you and other members of the band happy with how it turned out?
how has response been from the fans and press?
HM: Music for the new album has been written in different moments over 3
years but there's some stuff that was written even years before and then
rearranged and reworked later... It was quite a long process. I am the only
composer of lyrics and music on this album. I also arranged all instruments'
scores. The recording-process, as well as the mix and mastering, were done
in separate sessions between August 2010 and January 2011. I think we
probably took a bit too much time to release this new album, but this time
was necessary to make sure we were releasing a competitive, over-the-top
album. I rewrote and rearranged some of the songs several times, until I
found out the perfect way to give the album the feeling I had in mind. Also,
we had many things to do in the meantime with the release of the "Vol 5:
1999/2009" album, live-shows, the record label change and other things that
had to be taken care of to lift the band to a more professional level and
make a proper and more effective return to the scenes, you know. Everything
was done carefully this time and it shows. The result fully satisfies me and
the whole band, because it strongly retains the extreme Metal roots but it
also includes old-fashioned Dark Wave influences and more Rock-oriented
stuff. I think it all blends together really well, better than on "Negative
Megalomania". I think the reactions overall have been very good. Let's say
90% of press liked it and 90% of fans liked it. You know, there's always
someone complaining for something on every new album we release... We can't
make everyone happy. We need to be happy ourselves with what we have
accomplished with a new album, in the first place. If the others like it,
that's great, otherwise it means they are not ready to understand our
evolution. Or they just have a different musical taste. We are getting used
to be misunderstood and ahead of trends. Most of the people start to like
our albums 3 years after their actual release-date. It happened the same
with the previous album, "Negative Megalomania"... It's still early though
to take conclusions, the album has just been released in the USA so we're
waiting for feedback from there too. Up to this day, we're pretty satisfied
with the result. There's a lot of interest around the album and that's the
important thing. And above all, we are absolutely certain that the album
kicks ass, so we think that who says the opposite is not really reliable. In
other words, we don't give a fuck. We do what we want as we always did, and
we do it better than the others. Agree or not, we just know it and that's
enough for us.
When the band begins working on a new song does the whole band take part in
the writing process or does one member usually handle it all?
HM: Being the main and often exclusive composer in the band, I usually
record demo-tracks at home with a multitrack software and a drum-programming
software. Then I handle these demos to the members of the band so they can
learn the songs, and later in the rehearsal room we do the final
improvements and extra-arrangements, some months prior to the recording
sessions. This is the easiest and fastest way to work. We don't have the
chance to practice together very often due to the distance between each
others, so that's the best way to keep up the pace of the work when we have
to prepare the new songs.
Who usually handles the lyrics, what are some topics/subjects the band
writes about?
HM: I'm the author of the lyrics/concept of the band. Everyday' life and my
hate towards the whole world are the main sources of inspiration. If you
read all my lyrics since the beginning of the band you'll notice they
changed and evolved. But of course I don't like a lot of things in life and
society, and I'm basically a very negative and pessimistic person. The
"leit-motiv" of my lyrics is more or less always the same. Obviously over
the years people grow up and evolve, though I always believed in what I said
over the years and I don't regret it. The glorification of negativity,
death, hatred, pessimism, cynicism, homicide, suicide, abuse and in general
of everything that is helpful to destroy human happiness and life is a
recurring theme of our albums and imagery, now more than ever. I can still
relate to some of the old lyrics though I absolutely don't relate to others.
I'm still totally into the negativity of my old lyrics but I think some
personal things should have been kept to myself exclusively. In the past
some fans just used some of my lyrics as some sort of relief from their
personal problems, but I never wanted this to happen. I've been totally
misunderstood. I refer especially to the "Songs To Leave" album. I don't
want to help people, my lyrics are not propedeuthic. I want to destroy
people, I want them to increase their suffering and do harm to themselves
and to others. That's why my lyrics have changed over the years. I don't
wanna write for myself exclusively, I want the message to be loud and clear
to all my listeners. I'm not here to save people, since I can't even save
myself. I'd rather drag you all in the grave with me.
Does the band have any upcoming shows or tours in support of "under saturn
retrograde"? or do you prefer to only keep forgotten tomb in the studio?
HM: The band has always played live since 2003 and we'll keep on doing it.
We'll play a few summer festivals and then we'll see what happens this
autumn. I hope and I guess that we'll do some tour, play additional
scattered gigs and play some autumn/winter club-festivals. Our aim is to
play live as much as possible. There are some serious plans going on though
I can't reveal anything at the moment. But I think you'll see us playing
around quite often between September and December. We got 8 shows confirmed
already between the end of August and the end of October, but we should add
other 10 shows in November. We'll see what happens!
The band comes out of the mighty italian scene.i have been a fan of the
italian metal scene for a few years now. so i was curious what is your
opinion of italy's metal scene? Who are some of your all-time favorite
italian bands? are their any new upcoming bands from italy you think the
readers should watch out for?
HM: Usually I'm very negative regarding the current "scene" and to be honest
I don't follow very much what's going on these days. There is some good
stuff happening but I'm not very interested in it. I'm an old-fashioned guy,
I like the older italian stuff, probably because I was part of the old scene
myself. I know there's a bit of nostalgia in it, but I can't help it, hehe.
I think nowadays the technical level of most of the young bands is higher
than it was in the '90s for instance, but the spirit got lost in my opinion.
The excessive use of the Internet destroyed the dark, underground
atmosphere. Of course Internet has been really useful for everyone and I
definitely acknowledge the fact that even FT probably wouldn't be where it
is today without the help of the Internet, but I started playing this genre
before the Internet was so popular and I was already used to work out things
in the old way, you know. Internet has been helpful and made some things
easier but I could have survived without it, you know. Young bands would be
lost without the Internet 'cause they grew up with it since they were kids.
I grew up with the Commodore 64, the VHS tapes, the vinyls and the
audio-cassettes, if you know what I mean! And I still love those things. I
relate better with those coming from the old days. By the way, to answer
your question, some of the old italian bands that you should check out are:
Funeral Oration, Antropofagus, Death SS, Mortuary Drape, Necromass,
Deathrage, Bulldozer, Hiems, Sacrater (my old band), Frozen, Dunkel Nacht,
Handful Of Hate, Inchiuvatu, Khephra, Maldoror, Mortifier, Mondocane,
Necrodeath, Schizo, Aborym, Sinoath, Satanel, Cripple Bastards, Tragoidia,
Altar Of Perversion, just to name a few... Some of them are still active,
others are not, though they're all worth checking out. Regarding more or
less recent bands, other good stuff is Beatrik, Tenebrae In Perpetuum,
Whiskey Ritual, Frangar, The Tombers, Elitaria, Spite Extreme Wing, Janvs,
The Second Coming, Inner, Caronte, Tombstone Highway (my Southern Metal
band), Viscera///, Malfeitor, The Secret and a lot of other bands that I
can't remember...
Are you or any of the members currently working on any side-projects or
bands? if yes please tell the readers a little about them.
HM: I play in another band called Tombstone Highway. We play Southern Hard
Rock/Metal. We just recorded a full-lenght and we'll hopefully release it
before the end of 2011. Really neat stuff. Our bass-player Algol plays with
his one-man band Hiems. Our drummer Asher plays in Whiskey Ritual. Both
bands rock hard!
You handle the vocals for the band at what age did you start singing? Who
are some of your favorite vocalists? do you do anything special to keep your
throat/voice healthy?
HM: I started singing when I was 13/14 years old. In the beginning I
practiced on the old Hard Rock or Thrash Metal classics, you know. That's
probably why I can still sing decently with clean vocals. Then after a while
I started trying the scream-vocals and more brutal stuff. The first brutal
singers influencing my style were John Tardy of Obituary and Jeff Walker of
Carcass. Then I moved forward to the Black Metal singing, and Varg Vikernes
(Burzum), Dead & Attila Csihar (Mayhem) were among my favourites. Btw among
my favourites singers ever (besides Extreme Metal) I should also mention
Layne Staley, Dax Riggs, Phil Anselmo, Bon Scott, David Coverdale, Glenn
Danzig, Ozzy Osbourne, Peter Steele, Ian Astbury, Nick Holmes, Keith Caputo,
Scott "Wino" Weinrich... I don't do anything special to keep my vocals in
shape, though they're still working pretty good I think. I smoke only once
in a while and I mostly drink beer, so they're not affecting my vocals too
much. But I think the best way to keep the throat in shape is singing at the
rehearsals every week. Also, hot tea is great before the shows.
You also play guitars for the band at what age did you start playing the
guitars? are you self-taught or have you taken lessons in the past? who are
some of your influences/favorite guitarist?
HM: I started when I was 13. I'm self-taught. I learned playing at home
along the old classics and afterwards playing with garage bands, you know. I
think I'm quite a solid rhythm-guitar player, though I'm not very technical.
I'm also good at doing fucked-up arpeggios! That's one of the trademarks of
FT, in fact all people trying to play our songs for the first time
experience big difficulties. I'm pretty good at using slide/bottleneck, I
use it a lot with my Southern Rock band. I'm not much into leads, though I
can handle some, mostly blues-oriented licks, penthatonics and Zakk
Wylde-influenced licks. He's probably my favourite guitar-player ever,
together with Tomi Iommi, Angus Young, Tom G. Warrior, Billy Duffy, Jimi
Hendrix, Greg Mackintosh and some others. All very different guitar-players
but very creative and good at what they do. For the Southern-Rock
slide-guitar stuff, of course the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd are
among my favourites.
Besides playing guitars and singing do you play any other instruments? if
yes which ones?
HM: I played bass for quite some years in a Death Metal band and I was
getting very good at it, all finger-style and extremely fast. But I needed
to handle guitar with FT so I focused definitively on the guitar afterwards.
I can still play the bass pretty good though. I can handle a bit of drums
but I should practice a lot. I mean, I could not absolutely play drums in a
band at the current stage! I was able to play the flute when I was a kid but
I don't remember how to play it anymore.
Thank you for taking the time to fill out this interview we have reached the
end. do you have any final comments for the readers before we end?
HM: Thanx for the interview. I'm working on the re-releases of our old
albums, to be out this fall. We're also going to release very soon (in
September) a split 7" with italian band Whiskey Ritual. Both bands will
cover 3 songs each by GG Allin. It's gonna be a cool release. Then we'll
play live in Europe quite a lot so don't miss our shows! Follow us on
Facebook, MySpace, Reverbnation and official website (online soon). Stay
Negative.
Monday, July 25, 2011
New reviews for 7-25-11
metal hails!!!
hope everyone is surviving the ungodly heatwave thats been hitting most of us this month! {if your not dealing with the heat consider yourself VERY Lucky ha,ha}
anyways here is a new batch of reviews of some great bands and releases. hope everyone enjoys them. and as always thanks for the support of winter torment!!
regards,
patrick and winter torment web-zine
cultes des ghoules--haxan cd {hells headbangers rec.}
{reviewed by patrick}
this polish horde is somewhat of a mystery as very little is known about the members.well haxan is the bands "debut" originally released
in 2008.hells headbangers has decided to re-release for the maniacs who might have missed it the first time around.the best way to describe cultes des ghoules sound would be filthy,raw old-school death metal with touches of black metal within the thin/raw guitar riffs and screechy style vocals.cultes des ghoules is defintly not a band for everyone but if you enjoy the older bands like varathron or early mortuary drape then this should give you some idea on the great style the band has
continued to carry on within their sound.
label contact
www.hellsheadbangers.com
flame--march into firelands cd {hells headbangers rec.}
{reviewed by patrick}
march into firelands marks the return of finland's flame.after a six year hiatus march into firelands is 8 tracks of violent blackend thrash metal. the guitars are fast and well executed.the drums are intense and well precise considering the speed and intensity.flame has crafted and released one of the best old-school blackend thrash releases to be heard in quite sometime if you enjoy old-school blackend thrash with alot of heart and dedication to keeping the old-school spirit alive then flame's march into firelands is a cd you must hear!!
label contact
www.hellsheadbangers.com
Nephrolith--xullux cd {haliaetum records}
{reviewed by patrick}
nephrolith are a band coming from the depths of slovenia's black metal underground.and have done a great job creating dark,yet creative,memorable black metal on xullux.the guitars are a nice mixture of fast straight-foward riffs,but the band also has alot of mid-paced,atmospheric riffs within the more brutal riffs.the drumming is equally as impressive with keeping the faster pace with the guitars but the drummer is not a total-speed demon as he does slow down with the more mid-paced atmospheric beats and structures.the vocals are harsh screams/screeches but the vocalist also has a deeper growl he uses throughout some of the songs for a darker,more evil sounding vocal pattern.nephrolith are a band that all fans of black metal should defintly check out now!
band contact
http://www.myspace.com/nephrolithband
old wainds-where the snows are never gone cd {negative-existence rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
russia's old wainds are a band that has been flying under the black metal radar for a few years now.i have heard the bands previous release and instantly became a "fan" of the bands early 90's cold norse style and structures.well the warrior's over at negative-existence must have become a fan of this bands darkend brilliance as they have re-released the 1997 classic "where the snows are never gone".8 tracks of cold,norse inspired blackness.the music is grim,cold and fierce just the way black metal should sound.the vocals remind me a little of early immortal and fit perfectly with the razor-sharp guitar riffs and blazing drums. fans of early 90's norwegian style black metal will love old wainds!!
label contact
www.negative-existence.com
ravencult--morbid blood cd {hells headbangers rec.}
{reviewed by patrick}
ravencult wastes no time going straight for the attack with their brand of barbaric blackend thrash whirlwind guitars entertwined with a barrage of non-stop drumming.the band does slow down throughout a few of the songs to give both the band and listener a chance to catch their breath before attacking again with a barrage of brutal riffs and beats.if you miss the sound of the early days of black metal when the bands kept their sound simplistict yet effective and evil then ravencult is a band that should impress all old-school maniacs.
www.hellsheadbangers.com
ruins-chambers of perversion cd {negative-existence}
{reviewed by patrick}
not to be confused with australia's ruins. this is a one-man band from germany.ruins plays a great mix of old-school speed metal and early venom style black metal.thrashy fast guitars,mid-paced drums that switch over to hyper speed before calming back to a more mid-pace sound.the vocals are gruff screams. ruins are not creationg anything new on chambers of perversion but the songs on this release are played with alot of metal-agression and passion for this style. if you enjoy old-school blackend speed-metal then defintly check out chambers of perversion.
label contact
www.negative-existence.com
trillion red-two tongues e.p {self-released}
{reviewed by patrick}
trillion red are a two piece from the u.s and the members have created a very original and dark music style.their are influences from the heavy crushing doom riffs,but then the band also does have an agressive side speeding up the guitars a bit to a heavy metal/thrash feel with alot of progressive riffs and solo's entertwined within the duo's madness.also within the music is some expirmental ambient soundscapes that keep the listener guessing throughout the songs on this e.p.this is a band that is not only hard but impossible to put into a certain genre {which i believe is the way they like it} so i will say this probably won't appeal to everyone.but i would highly recomend two tongues e.p to anyone who enjoys dark,extreme music with alot of variety.
band contact
www.trillionred.com
uvikra--patterns of life e.p {self-release}
{reviewed by patrick}
patterns of life is the new e.p from uvikra. for those who havent heard of uvikra this is a one-man band from lithuania. the music created by loikav {all instruments,vocals} is semi-brutal mid-paced death metal with touches of black metal the production is raw and primitive which reminds of the early days of black/death when demo's where released on cassete and had the dirty,raw sound quality.if you enjoy old-school brutal blackend death then uvikra is a band you will want to hear!! as for me i am hoping the next release will be a full-length!
hope everyone is surviving the ungodly heatwave thats been hitting most of us this month! {if your not dealing with the heat consider yourself VERY Lucky ha,ha}
anyways here is a new batch of reviews of some great bands and releases. hope everyone enjoys them. and as always thanks for the support of winter torment!!
regards,
patrick and winter torment web-zine
cultes des ghoules--haxan cd {hells headbangers rec.}
{reviewed by patrick}
this polish horde is somewhat of a mystery as very little is known about the members.well haxan is the bands "debut" originally released
in 2008.hells headbangers has decided to re-release for the maniacs who might have missed it the first time around.the best way to describe cultes des ghoules sound would be filthy,raw old-school death metal with touches of black metal within the thin/raw guitar riffs and screechy style vocals.cultes des ghoules is defintly not a band for everyone but if you enjoy the older bands like varathron or early mortuary drape then this should give you some idea on the great style the band has
continued to carry on within their sound.
label contact
www.hellsheadbangers.com
flame--march into firelands cd {hells headbangers rec.}
{reviewed by patrick}
march into firelands marks the return of finland's flame.after a six year hiatus march into firelands is 8 tracks of violent blackend thrash metal. the guitars are fast and well executed.the drums are intense and well precise considering the speed and intensity.flame has crafted and released one of the best old-school blackend thrash releases to be heard in quite sometime if you enjoy old-school blackend thrash with alot of heart and dedication to keeping the old-school spirit alive then flame's march into firelands is a cd you must hear!!
label contact
www.hellsheadbangers.com
Nephrolith--xullux cd {haliaetum records}
{reviewed by patrick}
nephrolith are a band coming from the depths of slovenia's black metal underground.and have done a great job creating dark,yet creative,memorable black metal on xullux.the guitars are a nice mixture of fast straight-foward riffs,but the band also has alot of mid-paced,atmospheric riffs within the more brutal riffs.the drumming is equally as impressive with keeping the faster pace with the guitars but the drummer is not a total-speed demon as he does slow down with the more mid-paced atmospheric beats and structures.the vocals are harsh screams/screeches but the vocalist also has a deeper growl he uses throughout some of the songs for a darker,more evil sounding vocal pattern.nephrolith are a band that all fans of black metal should defintly check out now!
band contact
http://www.myspace.com/nephrolithband
old wainds-where the snows are never gone cd {negative-existence rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
russia's old wainds are a band that has been flying under the black metal radar for a few years now.i have heard the bands previous release and instantly became a "fan" of the bands early 90's cold norse style and structures.well the warrior's over at negative-existence must have become a fan of this bands darkend brilliance as they have re-released the 1997 classic "where the snows are never gone".8 tracks of cold,norse inspired blackness.the music is grim,cold and fierce just the way black metal should sound.the vocals remind me a little of early immortal and fit perfectly with the razor-sharp guitar riffs and blazing drums. fans of early 90's norwegian style black metal will love old wainds!!
label contact
www.negative-existence.com
ravencult--morbid blood cd {hells headbangers rec.}
{reviewed by patrick}
ravencult wastes no time going straight for the attack with their brand of barbaric blackend thrash whirlwind guitars entertwined with a barrage of non-stop drumming.the band does slow down throughout a few of the songs to give both the band and listener a chance to catch their breath before attacking again with a barrage of brutal riffs and beats.if you miss the sound of the early days of black metal when the bands kept their sound simplistict yet effective and evil then ravencult is a band that should impress all old-school maniacs.
www.hellsheadbangers.com
ruins-chambers of perversion cd {negative-existence}
{reviewed by patrick}
not to be confused with australia's ruins. this is a one-man band from germany.ruins plays a great mix of old-school speed metal and early venom style black metal.thrashy fast guitars,mid-paced drums that switch over to hyper speed before calming back to a more mid-pace sound.the vocals are gruff screams. ruins are not creationg anything new on chambers of perversion but the songs on this release are played with alot of metal-agression and passion for this style. if you enjoy old-school blackend speed-metal then defintly check out chambers of perversion.
label contact
www.negative-existence.com
trillion red-two tongues e.p {self-released}
{reviewed by patrick}
trillion red are a two piece from the u.s and the members have created a very original and dark music style.their are influences from the heavy crushing doom riffs,but then the band also does have an agressive side speeding up the guitars a bit to a heavy metal/thrash feel with alot of progressive riffs and solo's entertwined within the duo's madness.also within the music is some expirmental ambient soundscapes that keep the listener guessing throughout the songs on this e.p.this is a band that is not only hard but impossible to put into a certain genre {which i believe is the way they like it} so i will say this probably won't appeal to everyone.but i would highly recomend two tongues e.p to anyone who enjoys dark,extreme music with alot of variety.
band contact
www.trillionred.com
uvikra--patterns of life e.p {self-release}
{reviewed by patrick}
patterns of life is the new e.p from uvikra. for those who havent heard of uvikra this is a one-man band from lithuania. the music created by loikav {all instruments,vocals} is semi-brutal mid-paced death metal with touches of black metal the production is raw and primitive which reminds of the early days of black/death when demo's where released on cassete and had the dirty,raw sound quality.if you enjoy old-school brutal blackend death then uvikra is a band you will want to hear!! as for me i am hoping the next release will be a full-length!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
interview with rarog done by patrick 7-17-11
regards,
patrick and winter torment web-zine
interview with shmel founder,bass player,music composer and R'ys female vocalist for rarog done by patrick
Patrick-Hello my friends how is everything with you? please introduce yourselves to the readers?
Shmel’: Hello, I’m Shmel, founder, composer ,bass-player and singer of Rarog! We’re doing well. Now we’re preparing a new album.
R’ys: Hi to all! I’m Alexandra or just R’ys, I represent female vocals in Rarog! We’re working hard on our third album.
Patrick-When did you all form rarog? how did you choose the name of the band?
Shmel’: Our band was formed back in 2004. Well, what can I say about the name? It just “layed” on the ear right.
Patrick-Does it have a special meaning?
Shmel’: In the religion of the Slavs it means “fire falcon-Godcaller”. Fire symbolizes energy and life.
Patrick-for the readers who have never heard rarog how would you describe the music?
Shmel’: We can describe the style of our music like Progressive Pagan Metal.Emotionality of the music fits our worldview, just as we are currently looking at the situation around us. This is an attempt of unity with the world.
R’ys: The nature of the music at first glance may seem aggressive, but at the same time with progressive solos you will hear the lyrical, charming, lingering melodies.
P.: the band has recently released it's second cd "vzoidi solence " earlier this year. how long did it take the band to write and record the music for this release?
Shmel’: It actually took us 1 year for writing and recording the album.
Patrick- does the band get to play live shows very often? do you have any upcoming shows or tours in support of "vzoidi solence"? if yes where are some countries/towns the band will be playing?
Shmel’: We give concerts frequently. In September, we plan to tour in Russia. Now is time to coordinate the dates. As soon agree on that, the information will be posted on our website.
R’ys: We have recently played two online-concerts. It’s an amazing thing because the listeners from abroad can watch our perfomancers over the internet.People from United States, France, Norway, Spain wrote :”It’s great that you came up with this, it gives us the opportunity to watch you live”
Patrick- Who are some rarog has had the honor to play with?
Shmel’: We have played with many bands: Arkona, Svarga, Pagan Reighn, Tverd’,Alkonost…It’s hard to name them all.
R’ys: To give perfomances with groups like Finntroll, Moonsorrow, Korpiklaani, Eluveitie was a great experience, I have great respect for their work.
Patrick-if you could set-up a "dream" show/tour who are some bands you would love to tour or have a concert with?
Shmel’:Honestly, I never thought about that. There are so many interesting bands, but to call someone particular…It’s difficult for me.
Patrick- the band comes out of the city moscow,russia. so i was interesed in your opinions of the music scene in your country?
Shmel’: In Russia we do have plenty of interesting bands. But unfortunately not all of them can realize their musical ideas (due financial issues, etc.). But I think that it's a problem not just in our country.
R’ys: Nowadays on Russian pagan scene appear more and more young strong teams that play good quality music and they’re as almost experienced as their elder colleagues. The only thing that upset me much that earlier the bands used to support each other and helped, and now everyone is by himself.
P- Who are some of your all-time favorite russian bands? are their any new upcoming bands you think the readers should check out for?
Shmel’:I really like Arcona, Tverd’, SatanaKozel. I listen to them with pleasure. Of the young team I really like the Zhar-Ptica, Prorochestvo Velvi.
R’ys: My acquaintance with Pagan metal began with bands like Arkona, Alkonost, Nevid’, Tverd’.Young groups who cut such great music: Ruyan, Zhar-Ptica, Beer Bear.
P- Coming back to the band. i was wondering how often does the band get to practice? when the band begins work on a new song how long does it take to usually complete?
Shmel’:We usually rehearse two or three times a week. But this does not mean that the rest of the time we have nothing to do and only deal with personal affairs. At rehearsals, we just are working on stuff, but the major work is going on at home. I basically spend all my time exclusively for it.
R’ys:We rehearse in any spare time in addition to rehearsals at the base, we also mmet up together in other places, discussing and finalizing the tracks, as Russian saying is “one head is good, two or three are even better”!
P-does the whole band work on the music together or does 1-2 members handle it all? who usually writes the lyrics? where do you draw inspiration for the lyrics?
Shmel’: I write the music, well, the most part, although now our guitarist-Leshiy joined to help me with the material. And then we work on it with the rest of the band. To say about the texts – I’m a little bit weak. For the first album I just reworked the "StarBook of Christmas Carols" by Asov. And for “Vzoidi Solnce” I only have written lyrics for “Rejoice” ant partly for “Storyteller’s carol” and “Vzoidi Solnce”. Now that part of the work is up to R’ys.
R’ys: Yes, by now I have been writing lyrics for our third album.For me it's very attractive, because I love poetry and write poetry.
P-.aleksandra you handle the amazing operatic,femal vocals for the band at what age did you start singing? who are some of your influences/favorite singers?
R’ys: Thanks for the compliment,Patrick. I started singing at schooli n the school choir.Now I’m a student at the conservatory of Tsaykovsky, so “singing” is my future profession. My favorite classical singers are Anna Netrebko and Maria Kalass.
P-well i believe we are done with the interview. thank you for taking the time to fill out this interview.do you have any final comments for the readers?
Shmel’: Live according to conscience,in harmony with yourselves and everything will be fine.
Glory to the Gods.
R’ys: Listen to more high-quality music. Do not be afraid of the new, because modern music is very diverse, interesting and multifaceted. And you can with Rarog!
