here is a new interview i have done with one of my longest and most
trusted brothers within the metal underground.i remember ordering dale's
1st issue way back in the mid 90's and was totally blown away by his
knowledge,passion for metal music. this is a man that literally
eats,sleeps,thinks metal 24 hrs. a day.
unfortunatly i believe all his "printed" issues are long-sold-out. but dale like so many of the fanzine editors moved their beloved zine to the internet. and now u can read all the latest updates whenever you want 24 hrs. a day!! i will let dale tell u more in the interview but dale's main love lies within the old-school metal,black metal,death metal etc..but he reviews most everything sent if it fits his zin and tastes {and truthfully if u run a web-zine u know what i mean,but if you don't with the new invention of "digital promo's" the amount you recieve in one-week can overwhelming pretty quickly. so if any bands,labels do write to dale give him a little time to do a review before you start contacting him over and over.
anyways thanks as always to everyone who has stopped in to read this and all of winter torment web-zine.
best regards,
patrick
interview with dale roy editor of canadian assult web-zine,done by patrick
1.metal hails brother! how is your starting out? for the readers who don't know you or your zine please introduce yourself.
Well I am a late 30s metalhead that has been wandering around in the UG scene for the last roughly 20 years. Before that I was just your average long haired young guy into all the more mainstream metal bands in the mid 80s like Venom, Deep Purple, Maiden, Priest, Metallica, Anthrax, Savatage, Saxon, Slayer, Hellhammer etc… These days I am a family man with two kids living up in the mountains of Northeastern PA. I enjoy being in the countryside like the area I grew up in Canada. I tried living in Philadelphia for a little over 4 years and decided I hated city life and hate having so many people around me all the time. I guess I am just a little anti-social and have a little hermit in me. I still run my longtime zine Canadian Assault, but I have a feeling you will be asking me more about that in the following questions. So at the risk of repeating myself too much, I will just leave it at that.
2.at what age were you were introduced to metal? who were some of the first bands you listened to? who are some bands that have recently caught your attention?
Ahhh I am not sure the exact age. But I guess the first say hard rock records I got into were probably around 7 years old with my older Sisters records (Trooper, Steve Miller Band, Queen etc…) and then metal around 9 or 10 years old. Some of the early metal bands were Twisted Sister, Kick Axe (Vices album), AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Savatage, Rush, WASP, and Iron Maiden. Then I got my hands on a Hellhammer tape and more importantly for me “Black Metal” from Venom and I completely lost my mind and decided right then and there to devote my life to this music. You can imagine from that point (early to mid 80s time period) I quickly got into Sodom, Kreator, Exodus, Infernal Majesty, Metallica, Slayer, Razor. My infatuation with death metal and black metal followed in the late 80s/early 90s. Hmmm… I get so many bands to review these days and as soon as you find a good one, it is time to move on to the next band to review. So they often do not stick with me as much as the old classics. But I guess a few recent releases from bands like Deathbound (killer band!), Drakar, Mr. Death, Semen Datura, Angelholocuast, Axeslaughter plus the new albums from old favourites like Pandemonium, Maniac Butcher, Cianide and Root got my juices flowing and head banging. Just about every release from I Hate Records in Sweden is superb. Also look for this amazing band from the States by the name of Famine.
3.i know before you started canadian assult fanzine. you wrote for alot of other great underground zines. what was it that got you interested in writing for zines in the first place? who were some of the zines you were a "writer" for?
Yes I wrote for some great fanzines for years (starting if memory serves around early 1993) before I started my own. Some of the zines I wrote for were The Sepulchral Voice (CAN), Growling Brutality (CAN), Eternal Darkness (US), Inner Source (US), Devourment Of Souls (Malaysia) and a few more. Well after I started to discover demo bands and ordered a few of their demos, they sent tons of paper flyers with the demo tapes. A bunch of those flyers were for fanzines. So I ordered a couple. Being in an isolated little mountain in Alberta, no one was into the shit I was into; I had no one to talk to about it. So the thought of having fanzines made by like minded people into the same stuff appealed to me. So much so after I read the first few, it was not just so I could read interviews with the bands or read reviews of new demos. But I actually became a fan of the fanzines themselves and especially the ones where the editors personality bled out on to the page. So I started collecting fanzines almost as heavily as new demos or new music. Eventually I wanted to do my part and be a part of that and also by printing my own zine I had a fanzine to trade to get everyone else’s zines. I guess the UG scene and being into fanzines is what inspired me to start my own fanzine. I had been writing for others for years, but I wanted to make my own mark and have a zine in which I controlled the content and everything. Because as you know especially back then I was a very opinionated metalhead and wanted to those opinions like the plague haha.
4.what gave you the idea to finally go from writing for other zines. to doing your own zine? how did you come up with the name? it's a name a venom 7 inch correct? i remember back in the 90's venom was one of your favorite bands would you still consider them your favorite?
I guess I got carried away and answered the first part of this question above. The name is taken from one of the bands I have worshiped the most through the decades which is Venom. It is taken from their Assault series. Specifically of course their Mini-LP series, it goes without saying that was a Canadian only release. Actually when I first started working on it the name was going to be another Venom song title which is Die Hard. Then when I was working on issue 1, a certain European label changed their name to Die Hard records. So I went with choice number two choice Canadian Assault. I also thought about Warhead as name, which is of course another Venom song title name but yet another little label started around that time and used that name as well. I figured if I chose Canadian Assault I narrowed down the chances greatly of anyone else ever taking the name on me haha. Venom are still one of my all-time favourites. Though I am really only talking about the earlier albums, the classic ones like Welcome To Hell through to Possessed.
5.i believe you had 10 "print" issues before going to the net. is their any interview that sticks out as a favorite of yours? you have interviewed some great,legendary bands over the years is their one band you have yet to interview that you would love to get the chance to interview?
Well only 9 print issues. Hmmm… To be honest I would probably lean towards no. I mean sure there are some great classic bands I never interviewed that I would have liked to. But at the same time it is weird but I do not feel almost worthy of interviewing them and on top of that they have this aura around them that is special to me. I have this fear that they will end up being ignorant assholes that do not give a shit about my interview and will forever taint my high opinion of them and enjoyment of their music as a result. I am probably just paranoid about that, but who wants to risk that. I worship those bands music and never want that to change from a bad experience.
6.what gave you the idea to go from the print zine in the direction of a web-zine? are you happy with how things have progressed so far?
what can people expect when they check out canadian assult web-zine?
Yeah I put a stop to the print zine due to the rapidly declining interests of people in print fanzines and the rising printing costs. It just became a bit of a money pit do properly. I mean who wants to go through all of that, spend all of that money on it. Then you just get Emails saying I would order it but I am getting lazy with the internet and just want all my interviews and reviews for free and more immediately online. I can not even be bothered to go to the post office any more, write a letter, put in money and then have to wait for it to come. That sort of message was coming constantly. Meanwhile I spent a bunch of money on print issues and a far greater amount than in the past was just sitting in boxes in my basement. I figured what the hell maybe I will save myself some money and try the online thing that everyone seems to want anyway. Well for the first year or two I just kind of missed the print zine thing. That is where my heart is. But after a while I started to adjust to it and I am now enjoying doing it and put more energy into it. I think it has progressed okay. I mean there are always more things that I had planned to add from past print issues that I just never seem to get around to. Having kids and family now you just always have or think of other shit you need to do when the times comes to do those extra frills. But I do update it pretty regularly. I get a little help from a great old friend like you Patrick to keep the new content flowing. I also recently added a video jukebox type of thing that plays killers songs and video from UG and classic metal bands with some promos of horror movies (one of my other big loves besides metal) mixed in. Something to listen to and/or watch when you come to the site.
7.i have said many times over the years but i'll say it again ha,ha. your interviews and reviews are some of the most well-written,in-depth i've ever read. so i was curious when you start work on a interview or review how long does it usually take you to complete a interview or review?
Well you are too kind and I am not sure I can agree with that. You probably overrate my abilities. My fave thing back in the day was making my interviews long and taking some time on the questions to attempt to draw the interviewee into spilling more of himself into interviews than you usually see. Sometimes I was successful at it and other times not so much. Oh damn I am going to sound like a guy from a band talking about writing a new song. But honestly the time really differs a lot from interview to interview and review to review. Sometimes when I listen to a record to review, the words just do not come and I have to listen to it over and over or take a break and come back to it at a later time. Then some other reviews I hear them once or twice and words just flow right out and I can bang a few reviews out in a night type of thing. With interviews I sometimes get writers block with them or I am not happy with my questions and erase some of them and start from scratch. Also if you have personally been in contact with the band and know their history really well the questions seem to come really quickly. The other bands I often like their new release but do not know them or much about their history. If I want to make it a good interview I need to be careful and thorough on how I craft the questions. Also with bands like that I do my research. I read about them online, dig out fanzines with interviews with that band. If the band is really cool and patient I might pick their brain through Email a little before finalizing the questions to get ideas. But if the person being interviewed is not interested in putting effort into their interviews, then it flushes your work down the toilet and does not matter how much work you put into the questions.
8.if any bands or labels might be interested are you looking to work with any new bands or labels? what styles of metal do you support/cover within canadian assult? how can interested bands,labels contact you?
Well I accept all metal or loosely related (punk/hardcore/hard rock) submissions. I make sure I review all hard copies sent on CD, so if you want a guaranteed review that is the way to do it. With the download mp3 links I do not review everything sent in or even close to it. I pick and choose and that includes bigger labels, small labels or demo bands. Feel free to send me the demo link, but no guarantee I will review every single thing. It gets to be too much doing it that way and starts to feel like an assembly line. Plus where do you draw the line with that stuff? You get some bands Emailing saying I have one or two songs up on youtube or facebook I want to you to review it. Well I am not going to review one or two songs and I need to download them so I can play them on my comp or mp3 player or put them on to a CD. I do not think that is asking too much, it does not really cost anything to make up mp3s and have it so you can download them. So with those loose rules in mind feel free to write me or submit something. I am always trying to support the scene and good bands.
9.you are like me and have been a part of the scene for twenty plus years {yikes we're old dale what happened-patrick} so i was curious of your opinion. how do you feel the scene has changed over the years? do you think it has gotten better with all the progression and technology or worse? i know some who say/feel the scene is dead or dying do you agree with this?
Yes Patrick we are old goats in this young mans scene haha. But that is a hard question. As much as old bastards like me and you miss the old days. I am sure we both utilize and enjoy certain aspects like the internet, Email etc… to our advantage. Maybe I am just getting old or too old school. But the camaraderie and brotherhood and feeling you are part of this special thing together seems like it is grossly lacking these days. The scene to me feels a little less close knit, a little less of the old spirit of wanting to help each other succeed whether it is a zine, a band or whatever. Now it is more of what can you do for me and how fast can you do it instead of how can I help you out brother attitude… I love that there are so many labels and bands these days but it feels like they are pulling in different directions and it is so hard to keep track of it all and so easy to get lost in the shuffle and more difficult to find and separate the good from the bad with the mass of releases. Too many bands that do not have to develop their sound releasing demos before getting an album out. At the same time the internet and technology has made it easier for some smaller or unknown bands, labels etc… from countries like Peru or Malaysia or Mexico get their stuff out there to more die hard metalheads. I am moving with the times but sometimes I feel like I am a little left behind the times too if you know what I mean. My head is in the now, but my heart is stuck back in the 80s and early 90s at times. I know this is non-commital sounding but it both better and worse with technology but also less personal and more distant than it used to be. Like many or even most people feel more like contacts than friends if you know what I mean? The scene is not dead or dying, but it is changing I think all of us who were around for a while can agree with that.
10. in your eyes whay does the term "underground metal" mean to you?
It is so hard to put into words sometimes. So I will just throw out some words and terms that come to mind when I think of the UG. Things like brotherhood, music, support, sharing, tradings tapes / CDS / zines / mp3s, passion, adrenaline, live shows, reviews, interviews, writing letters & Emails etc… But I think above all it is the brotherhood and music shared on deeper level than the average persons love for music, it is a way life and not just a fun little hobby to dabble in on once in a while. A good friend from France who has done zines and was in a number of fairly well known bands and was my tape trader for many years said simply to me once “trading (music / zines) = the underground”.
11.do you have any advice for anyone who is reading this is who is thinking of starting their own web or fanzine? in your eyes what makes a good zine?
Just make sure you really love it, that you are serious about doing it and know you will get joy or satisfaction doing it. Nothing helps kill the scene more than starting zines or bands, getting people attached to it and then you are just not that into and you go under practically over night. My advice is just Email or write a few people that have been doing it a long time and ask them for some advice personally. They will give you some tips and help you steer clear of the some of the easy mistakes to make and just tell you what is involved. Though I suppose these days with webzines especially there is less work and less risk that you have to put on the line. Maybe that is why they are usually not as good haha. That is coming from someone who does a webzine now. A good zine is one done by people who are dedicated and passionate for the music they cover and beyond that by people who are not afraid to expose themselves and put their personality into their writing and attitude.
12.besides metal i know you have always tried to have some horror-movie reviews etc.. within canadian assult {both the print and web-zine} so i was wondering what are some of your all-time favorite horror movies? what makes a good/enjoyable horror movie in your opinion?
Oh shit yes I love horror movies. It is a passion of mine for a long time. There are just so damn many I like. I will first list my fave of all time and that is the original Dawn Of The Dead by George A Romero from the last 70s (and yes I know some of his more recent movies are not that great to be kind). Some others would be Return of The Living Dead, The Evil Dead I & II, Phantasm I & II, The Beyond, Zombie, Exorcist, Deadbeat By Dawn, Roadkill, Silent Night Deadly Night, The Funhouse, Halloween I & II, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I Drink Your Blood, The Last House on The Left, House on the Edge of The Park, John Carpenters The Thing, Scream, Maniac, City of The Living Dead, Videodrome, Day of The Dead, Night of The Living Dead, Re-Animator, Streetrash, The Shining… It is just endless really, I love so many of those old horror flicks the best. You might notice a leaning towards zombie flims, always loved them most. I also like old cult movies that may be considered horror movies by some not by others like The Lost Boys or Trick or Treat. But there are some newer ones that are great as well. I mean I just recently seen this Swedish film called Trollhunter with subtitles and it was fucking killer! The new-ish halloween themed movie Trick ‘r Treat was good stuff too. I am also just into a lot of what people call cult movies and /or exploitation movies.
13.i was wondering what you thought of all these "classic" {and some not-so classic ha,ha} movies{both horror,and other genres} being re-made all the time? good idea,stupid your opinin here.
It is mostly a stupid idea and much of the time they are doing a fairly lousy job of it. Which makes the idea go from not the best idea to a horrible idea in a hurry. Like you say they are remaking everything these days!! I mean even the shit only the real die hards even knew about and even stuff like old made for tv movies from the 70s and 80s are now being made into feature movies for the theater. Now and then they make some remakes that actually do a pretty good job of it; usually they take the story at least somewhat into a new or fresh direction than the original. I had trepidations about them remaking Dawn of The Dead back in 2004 (which seems to be the start of the constant remake craze) and of course it is not as good as that epic classic original movie. But surprisingly it was actually a good movie that I still watch from time to time. I know a lot of people are shitting on those Rob Zombie directed Halloween remakes. But yeah man it is almost getting silly, every time you think there is nothing else to remake they go ahead and find something else. I mean everything from Footloose to Amityville Horror to The Crazies to The Fog to A Nightmare on Elm Street to Deathrace 2000 to Taking of Pelham 123 to Conan to Fright Night to Planet of the Apes (twice!) and on and on and on. It is endless. They will not be happy until every movie that was not already a remake is made into a remake. It does not even have to have been a popular movie when the original came out haha.
14.well my friend thank you for taking the time to fill this interview out.continued good luck to you and canadian assult web-zine!! do you have any final comments for the readers?
No thank you for the support and the cool questions my metal brother! I would just like to thank anyone who I have been friends with in the UG scene or supported Canadian Assault even the smallest way. Keep checking the Assault site and we will keep bringing you the metal!
if anyone would like to check out the mighty canadian assult web-zine you can do so by following this link. {email,contact info is on the site for any interested bands,labels}
http://www.canadianassult.com
unfortunatly i believe all his "printed" issues are long-sold-out. but dale like so many of the fanzine editors moved their beloved zine to the internet. and now u can read all the latest updates whenever you want 24 hrs. a day!! i will let dale tell u more in the interview but dale's main love lies within the old-school metal,black metal,death metal etc..but he reviews most everything sent if it fits his zin and tastes {and truthfully if u run a web-zine u know what i mean,but if you don't with the new invention of "digital promo's" the amount you recieve in one-week can overwhelming pretty quickly. so if any bands,labels do write to dale give him a little time to do a review before you start contacting him over and over.
anyways thanks as always to everyone who has stopped in to read this and all of winter torment web-zine.
best regards,
patrick
interview with dale roy editor of canadian assult web-zine,done by patrick
1.metal hails brother! how is your starting out? for the readers who don't know you or your zine please introduce yourself.
Well I am a late 30s metalhead that has been wandering around in the UG scene for the last roughly 20 years. Before that I was just your average long haired young guy into all the more mainstream metal bands in the mid 80s like Venom, Deep Purple, Maiden, Priest, Metallica, Anthrax, Savatage, Saxon, Slayer, Hellhammer etc… These days I am a family man with two kids living up in the mountains of Northeastern PA. I enjoy being in the countryside like the area I grew up in Canada. I tried living in Philadelphia for a little over 4 years and decided I hated city life and hate having so many people around me all the time. I guess I am just a little anti-social and have a little hermit in me. I still run my longtime zine Canadian Assault, but I have a feeling you will be asking me more about that in the following questions. So at the risk of repeating myself too much, I will just leave it at that.
2.at what age were you were introduced to metal? who were some of the first bands you listened to? who are some bands that have recently caught your attention?
Ahhh I am not sure the exact age. But I guess the first say hard rock records I got into were probably around 7 years old with my older Sisters records (Trooper, Steve Miller Band, Queen etc…) and then metal around 9 or 10 years old. Some of the early metal bands were Twisted Sister, Kick Axe (Vices album), AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Savatage, Rush, WASP, and Iron Maiden. Then I got my hands on a Hellhammer tape and more importantly for me “Black Metal” from Venom and I completely lost my mind and decided right then and there to devote my life to this music. You can imagine from that point (early to mid 80s time period) I quickly got into Sodom, Kreator, Exodus, Infernal Majesty, Metallica, Slayer, Razor. My infatuation with death metal and black metal followed in the late 80s/early 90s. Hmmm… I get so many bands to review these days and as soon as you find a good one, it is time to move on to the next band to review. So they often do not stick with me as much as the old classics. But I guess a few recent releases from bands like Deathbound (killer band!), Drakar, Mr. Death, Semen Datura, Angelholocuast, Axeslaughter plus the new albums from old favourites like Pandemonium, Maniac Butcher, Cianide and Root got my juices flowing and head banging. Just about every release from I Hate Records in Sweden is superb. Also look for this amazing band from the States by the name of Famine.
3.i know before you started canadian assult fanzine. you wrote for alot of other great underground zines. what was it that got you interested in writing for zines in the first place? who were some of the zines you were a "writer" for?
Yes I wrote for some great fanzines for years (starting if memory serves around early 1993) before I started my own. Some of the zines I wrote for were The Sepulchral Voice (CAN), Growling Brutality (CAN), Eternal Darkness (US), Inner Source (US), Devourment Of Souls (Malaysia) and a few more. Well after I started to discover demo bands and ordered a few of their demos, they sent tons of paper flyers with the demo tapes. A bunch of those flyers were for fanzines. So I ordered a couple. Being in an isolated little mountain in Alberta, no one was into the shit I was into; I had no one to talk to about it. So the thought of having fanzines made by like minded people into the same stuff appealed to me. So much so after I read the first few, it was not just so I could read interviews with the bands or read reviews of new demos. But I actually became a fan of the fanzines themselves and especially the ones where the editors personality bled out on to the page. So I started collecting fanzines almost as heavily as new demos or new music. Eventually I wanted to do my part and be a part of that and also by printing my own zine I had a fanzine to trade to get everyone else’s zines. I guess the UG scene and being into fanzines is what inspired me to start my own fanzine. I had been writing for others for years, but I wanted to make my own mark and have a zine in which I controlled the content and everything. Because as you know especially back then I was a very opinionated metalhead and wanted to those opinions like the plague haha.
4.what gave you the idea to finally go from writing for other zines. to doing your own zine? how did you come up with the name? it's a name a venom 7 inch correct? i remember back in the 90's venom was one of your favorite bands would you still consider them your favorite?
I guess I got carried away and answered the first part of this question above. The name is taken from one of the bands I have worshiped the most through the decades which is Venom. It is taken from their Assault series. Specifically of course their Mini-LP series, it goes without saying that was a Canadian only release. Actually when I first started working on it the name was going to be another Venom song title which is Die Hard. Then when I was working on issue 1, a certain European label changed their name to Die Hard records. So I went with choice number two choice Canadian Assault. I also thought about Warhead as name, which is of course another Venom song title name but yet another little label started around that time and used that name as well. I figured if I chose Canadian Assault I narrowed down the chances greatly of anyone else ever taking the name on me haha. Venom are still one of my all-time favourites. Though I am really only talking about the earlier albums, the classic ones like Welcome To Hell through to Possessed.
5.i believe you had 10 "print" issues before going to the net. is their any interview that sticks out as a favorite of yours? you have interviewed some great,legendary bands over the years is their one band you have yet to interview that you would love to get the chance to interview?
Well only 9 print issues. Hmmm… To be honest I would probably lean towards no. I mean sure there are some great classic bands I never interviewed that I would have liked to. But at the same time it is weird but I do not feel almost worthy of interviewing them and on top of that they have this aura around them that is special to me. I have this fear that they will end up being ignorant assholes that do not give a shit about my interview and will forever taint my high opinion of them and enjoyment of their music as a result. I am probably just paranoid about that, but who wants to risk that. I worship those bands music and never want that to change from a bad experience.
6.what gave you the idea to go from the print zine in the direction of a web-zine? are you happy with how things have progressed so far?
what can people expect when they check out canadian assult web-zine?
Yeah I put a stop to the print zine due to the rapidly declining interests of people in print fanzines and the rising printing costs. It just became a bit of a money pit do properly. I mean who wants to go through all of that, spend all of that money on it. Then you just get Emails saying I would order it but I am getting lazy with the internet and just want all my interviews and reviews for free and more immediately online. I can not even be bothered to go to the post office any more, write a letter, put in money and then have to wait for it to come. That sort of message was coming constantly. Meanwhile I spent a bunch of money on print issues and a far greater amount than in the past was just sitting in boxes in my basement. I figured what the hell maybe I will save myself some money and try the online thing that everyone seems to want anyway. Well for the first year or two I just kind of missed the print zine thing. That is where my heart is. But after a while I started to adjust to it and I am now enjoying doing it and put more energy into it. I think it has progressed okay. I mean there are always more things that I had planned to add from past print issues that I just never seem to get around to. Having kids and family now you just always have or think of other shit you need to do when the times comes to do those extra frills. But I do update it pretty regularly. I get a little help from a great old friend like you Patrick to keep the new content flowing. I also recently added a video jukebox type of thing that plays killers songs and video from UG and classic metal bands with some promos of horror movies (one of my other big loves besides metal) mixed in. Something to listen to and/or watch when you come to the site.
7.i have said many times over the years but i'll say it again ha,ha. your interviews and reviews are some of the most well-written,in-depth i've ever read. so i was curious when you start work on a interview or review how long does it usually take you to complete a interview or review?
Well you are too kind and I am not sure I can agree with that. You probably overrate my abilities. My fave thing back in the day was making my interviews long and taking some time on the questions to attempt to draw the interviewee into spilling more of himself into interviews than you usually see. Sometimes I was successful at it and other times not so much. Oh damn I am going to sound like a guy from a band talking about writing a new song. But honestly the time really differs a lot from interview to interview and review to review. Sometimes when I listen to a record to review, the words just do not come and I have to listen to it over and over or take a break and come back to it at a later time. Then some other reviews I hear them once or twice and words just flow right out and I can bang a few reviews out in a night type of thing. With interviews I sometimes get writers block with them or I am not happy with my questions and erase some of them and start from scratch. Also if you have personally been in contact with the band and know their history really well the questions seem to come really quickly. The other bands I often like their new release but do not know them or much about their history. If I want to make it a good interview I need to be careful and thorough on how I craft the questions. Also with bands like that I do my research. I read about them online, dig out fanzines with interviews with that band. If the band is really cool and patient I might pick their brain through Email a little before finalizing the questions to get ideas. But if the person being interviewed is not interested in putting effort into their interviews, then it flushes your work down the toilet and does not matter how much work you put into the questions.
8.if any bands or labels might be interested are you looking to work with any new bands or labels? what styles of metal do you support/cover within canadian assult? how can interested bands,labels contact you?
Well I accept all metal or loosely related (punk/hardcore/hard rock) submissions. I make sure I review all hard copies sent on CD, so if you want a guaranteed review that is the way to do it. With the download mp3 links I do not review everything sent in or even close to it. I pick and choose and that includes bigger labels, small labels or demo bands. Feel free to send me the demo link, but no guarantee I will review every single thing. It gets to be too much doing it that way and starts to feel like an assembly line. Plus where do you draw the line with that stuff? You get some bands Emailing saying I have one or two songs up on youtube or facebook I want to you to review it. Well I am not going to review one or two songs and I need to download them so I can play them on my comp or mp3 player or put them on to a CD. I do not think that is asking too much, it does not really cost anything to make up mp3s and have it so you can download them. So with those loose rules in mind feel free to write me or submit something. I am always trying to support the scene and good bands.
9.you are like me and have been a part of the scene for twenty plus years {yikes we're old dale what happened-patrick} so i was curious of your opinion. how do you feel the scene has changed over the years? do you think it has gotten better with all the progression and technology or worse? i know some who say/feel the scene is dead or dying do you agree with this?
Yes Patrick we are old goats in this young mans scene haha. But that is a hard question. As much as old bastards like me and you miss the old days. I am sure we both utilize and enjoy certain aspects like the internet, Email etc… to our advantage. Maybe I am just getting old or too old school. But the camaraderie and brotherhood and feeling you are part of this special thing together seems like it is grossly lacking these days. The scene to me feels a little less close knit, a little less of the old spirit of wanting to help each other succeed whether it is a zine, a band or whatever. Now it is more of what can you do for me and how fast can you do it instead of how can I help you out brother attitude… I love that there are so many labels and bands these days but it feels like they are pulling in different directions and it is so hard to keep track of it all and so easy to get lost in the shuffle and more difficult to find and separate the good from the bad with the mass of releases. Too many bands that do not have to develop their sound releasing demos before getting an album out. At the same time the internet and technology has made it easier for some smaller or unknown bands, labels etc… from countries like Peru or Malaysia or Mexico get their stuff out there to more die hard metalheads. I am moving with the times but sometimes I feel like I am a little left behind the times too if you know what I mean. My head is in the now, but my heart is stuck back in the 80s and early 90s at times. I know this is non-commital sounding but it both better and worse with technology but also less personal and more distant than it used to be. Like many or even most people feel more like contacts than friends if you know what I mean? The scene is not dead or dying, but it is changing I think all of us who were around for a while can agree with that.
10. in your eyes whay does the term "underground metal" mean to you?
It is so hard to put into words sometimes. So I will just throw out some words and terms that come to mind when I think of the UG. Things like brotherhood, music, support, sharing, tradings tapes / CDS / zines / mp3s, passion, adrenaline, live shows, reviews, interviews, writing letters & Emails etc… But I think above all it is the brotherhood and music shared on deeper level than the average persons love for music, it is a way life and not just a fun little hobby to dabble in on once in a while. A good friend from France who has done zines and was in a number of fairly well known bands and was my tape trader for many years said simply to me once “trading (music / zines) = the underground”.
11.do you have any advice for anyone who is reading this is who is thinking of starting their own web or fanzine? in your eyes what makes a good zine?
Just make sure you really love it, that you are serious about doing it and know you will get joy or satisfaction doing it. Nothing helps kill the scene more than starting zines or bands, getting people attached to it and then you are just not that into and you go under practically over night. My advice is just Email or write a few people that have been doing it a long time and ask them for some advice personally. They will give you some tips and help you steer clear of the some of the easy mistakes to make and just tell you what is involved. Though I suppose these days with webzines especially there is less work and less risk that you have to put on the line. Maybe that is why they are usually not as good haha. That is coming from someone who does a webzine now. A good zine is one done by people who are dedicated and passionate for the music they cover and beyond that by people who are not afraid to expose themselves and put their personality into their writing and attitude.
12.besides metal i know you have always tried to have some horror-movie reviews etc.. within canadian assult {both the print and web-zine} so i was wondering what are some of your all-time favorite horror movies? what makes a good/enjoyable horror movie in your opinion?
Oh shit yes I love horror movies. It is a passion of mine for a long time. There are just so damn many I like. I will first list my fave of all time and that is the original Dawn Of The Dead by George A Romero from the last 70s (and yes I know some of his more recent movies are not that great to be kind). Some others would be Return of The Living Dead, The Evil Dead I & II, Phantasm I & II, The Beyond, Zombie, Exorcist, Deadbeat By Dawn, Roadkill, Silent Night Deadly Night, The Funhouse, Halloween I & II, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I Drink Your Blood, The Last House on The Left, House on the Edge of The Park, John Carpenters The Thing, Scream, Maniac, City of The Living Dead, Videodrome, Day of The Dead, Night of The Living Dead, Re-Animator, Streetrash, The Shining… It is just endless really, I love so many of those old horror flicks the best. You might notice a leaning towards zombie flims, always loved them most. I also like old cult movies that may be considered horror movies by some not by others like The Lost Boys or Trick or Treat. But there are some newer ones that are great as well. I mean I just recently seen this Swedish film called Trollhunter with subtitles and it was fucking killer! The new-ish halloween themed movie Trick ‘r Treat was good stuff too. I am also just into a lot of what people call cult movies and /or exploitation movies.
13.i was wondering what you thought of all these "classic" {and some not-so classic ha,ha} movies{both horror,and other genres} being re-made all the time? good idea,stupid your opinin here.
It is mostly a stupid idea and much of the time they are doing a fairly lousy job of it. Which makes the idea go from not the best idea to a horrible idea in a hurry. Like you say they are remaking everything these days!! I mean even the shit only the real die hards even knew about and even stuff like old made for tv movies from the 70s and 80s are now being made into feature movies for the theater. Now and then they make some remakes that actually do a pretty good job of it; usually they take the story at least somewhat into a new or fresh direction than the original. I had trepidations about them remaking Dawn of The Dead back in 2004 (which seems to be the start of the constant remake craze) and of course it is not as good as that epic classic original movie. But surprisingly it was actually a good movie that I still watch from time to time. I know a lot of people are shitting on those Rob Zombie directed Halloween remakes. But yeah man it is almost getting silly, every time you think there is nothing else to remake they go ahead and find something else. I mean everything from Footloose to Amityville Horror to The Crazies to The Fog to A Nightmare on Elm Street to Deathrace 2000 to Taking of Pelham 123 to Conan to Fright Night to Planet of the Apes (twice!) and on and on and on. It is endless. They will not be happy until every movie that was not already a remake is made into a remake. It does not even have to have been a popular movie when the original came out haha.
14.well my friend thank you for taking the time to fill this interview out.continued good luck to you and canadian assult web-zine!! do you have any final comments for the readers?
No thank you for the support and the cool questions my metal brother! I would just like to thank anyone who I have been friends with in the UG scene or supported Canadian Assault even the smallest way. Keep checking the Assault site and we will keep bringing you the metal!
if anyone would like to check out the mighty canadian assult web-zine you can do so by following this link. {email,contact info is on the site for any interested bands,labels}
http://www.canadianassult.com
Sunday, November 6, 2011
interview with zloslut and owner of silent scream rec.done by patrick 11-6-11
zloslut is a new one-man band from the mighty serbian black metal
scene.if u enjoy cold,dark black metal then defintly check out zloslut
soon. u can find them on myspace,facebook etc...
stefan also owns the small {but growing!!} new label silent scream rec. if you are an old-school fan of tapes,cdr's etc.. then silent scream is a GREAT Label with a few quality releases. as well as new releases coming soon.
thanks for reading and all the support..
regards,
patrick and winter torment web-zine
interview with stefan vocals,all instruments for zloslut and owner of silent scream records.done by patrick.
1.metal hails stefan! how is your week starting out? please introduce yourself to the readers.
Hello to you and to the readers!
I am Stefan "Hunter" from Zloslut, Stonecrypt, Kolac i am also the owner of Silent Scream Records label...
Well my week passed not bad, i had rehearsal with Kolac, and where little busy with promoting the demo "Abyss Of Eternal Deception", i were too preparing new materials for Zloslut...
2.at what age did you start listening to metal? who were some of the first bands you listened to? who are some of your "current" favorite bands?
Well i were 5 or 6 years old when i first heard about Iron Maiden (my favourite band still today), AC/DC, Guns N' Roses...
Well i am open in all musical genre, i can listen to Post-Rock then Death Metal, i like punk too..
But Black Metal is too me something among everything..
Bands i like to listen in those days... The Devil's Blood, Baptism, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Peste Noire, Burzum, Thine, Lifelover... And many, many more, but those are more often in the playlist.
3.when did you start up the band zloslut? how did you come up with name for the band? for the readers who have never heard the band how would you describe the bands music?
Well Zloslut was formed by myself in march 2010, because i wanted to do something wich decision depends only by me.
The name is in Serbian and the meaning in literal translation is "The one who means evil".
Well in August 2010, the idea about Zloslut were lost, because me and Sothis have formed Stonecrypt...
And this year in june, i come with an idea to bring back to life the story about Zloslut.
Well first demo is a lot various, i talk about lyrics and music too, because some text are about evil, occultism and blasphemy and other are about depression, death, loneliness and misanthropy...
The music in general is cold/raw.. Except Triumph Of Evil which this track is totally Black/Thrash...
4.you are the only member of the band. when you started the band did you plan to work alone? have you searched for other members to join? what do think are the advantges and disadvantges to being in a one-man band?
Well as i said in the last question, yes i wanted to Zloslut be a one man band.
And no i didn't want anyone to be involved in this story...
For me a one man band can be only advantages, because you can do what ever you want without thinking about another member opinion..
But the only disadvantages is that there is more to work on it, in bands with more then 2 members everything goes, more faster..
5.if you had the opportunity to work with any musicians {past or present} who would you like to work and write with?
Well, no one will be involved as a official member or session...
But it's possible that someone will sing or play on a song, it all depends.
6.you recently sent me a promo copy of the new demo "abyss of eternal deception". how long did it take you to write nnd record the songs for this demo?
Some lyrics were written back in 2009, and the music were a collection of riffs from other bands i were with.
Maybe 2 or 3 month.
7.are you happy with how everything turned out on the demo? how has the response been from the press and the fans?
Yes i am satisfied, the only thing i don't like that much is the drum machine, and the production could be more better.
The response from press and the fans were 50/50.
8.where can fans get a copy of the demo? if you have any other band information or merchandise please feel free to tell the readers about it.
Well the demo can be order from Silent Scream Records / Some Kind Of Distro or by contacting Zloslut e-mail, last tapes, so the interested ones, it's the last chance..
And yeah i would like to say that there will be a split release through my label with Uruk-Hai (Aus), Gromkult (USA) and Zloslut.
It will be out the 7th november, limited to 80 hand-numbered copies on tapes, it will be available by the bands, label and Some Kind Of Distro.
9.as i mentioned earlier in the interview you are sole-member of the band. so i was wondering which instrument was the hardest one for you to learn? which one is you favorite one to play?
Well there is no instruments which is more hard to learn...
I am playing guitar since i'm 7 years old, i were in a conservatory for 7 years, then i stoped and continued by myself.
Then a few month ago i bought a bass, and it goes well to me, but i already played bass before from time to time.
But i can say that drums are complicated for me if it comes to recording or something because i am not that skilled to play blast beat or stuff like that. :))
10.everyone has their own opinions,ideas on what "black metal means so i was curious of yours.in your opinion what does black metal mean to you?
Well as you said, everyone have his opinion about what is or what should be Black Metal, but for me B.M is when you listen to it, and fill every single detail of the song, when you are 100% in that, and when you are emotionally connected with the music.
It doesn't mean if someone wear a Mayhem shirt that he is "true", but the most important thing is when your at home and listen it, and filling it and enjoying it.
11.you come out of the great serbian metal underground scene. it seems like to me serbia has a small {but growing!} metal scene. would you agree? what is your opinion of serbia's metal underground scene?
I agree with you, but the problem is that we have a lot of bands, but there is no public for it, and the kids in general prefer to download music by internet instead of buying the release and supporting, the shows are well visited, but Serbian metal scene have to work a lot more to be something outside...
For example here are some bands that might know people outside of Serbia:
Bombarder (Speed/Thrash Metal), The Stone (B.M), May Result (B.M), Bane (Black/Death), Awaiting Fear (Death Metal), Infest (Deathrash Metal) and for the true underground people Angelgoat (Black Metal).
12.who are some of your all-time favorite serbian bands? are their any new bands you think the readers should check out soon?
My favourite Serbian metal bands are Bombarder, The Stone, May Result, Kozeljnik, Vehementer, Svartgren, Infest...
But i support all bands, doesn't mean if their metal or punk..
I like too band Ana Never, every post-rock fan should check this band!
Well i recommend to take a listen to the new album of The Stone, and to check the band Bane, their a band formed in 2006, but it's only 2 years ago that they reformed it, they are amazing!
13.besides the band you also own and run "silent scream records" when did you start up the label? are you happy with how everything is going so far?
Yeah, the label started in september 2010, and it served me in the purpose to release my own bands, but few month after i decided that it will be much more, so now i am in contact with bands from all over the world, and soon they will be more release announce.
For now everything goes well.
14.please tell the readers a little about each of your releases? are you currently working on any new releases for the future?
Well, the demo were released the 6 october this year, i wanted to be a self-release, it's limited to 66 tapes.
The split will be released the 7th november on my label, the split is between Zloslut, Uruk-Hai (Aus) and Gromkult (USA).
Now i am working on new songs, lyrics are already written, i finished some new riffs and melody..
If the release turn well about production and everything, it will be an EP.
15. if any bands are reading this what styles of metal do you release only black or other metal genres as well? are you currently looking for new labels to trade with?
Silent Scream Records is a label specially interested in Black/Death/Thrash/Doom metal, but i am also interested to release a good project no matter of it's shoegaze, ambient, drone or hnw..
I am always interested in trades! :))
16.well stefan thank you for taking the time to fill out this interview. do you have any final comments for the readers?
Thanks to you and your web-zine, and to the readers.
Well all info about Zloslut can be found on the facebook page or myspace..
Any private question contact my e-mail: sucurovicstefan@yahoo.com
silent scream web-site
http://www.silentscreamrecords.webs.com/
stefan also owns the small {but growing!!} new label silent scream rec. if you are an old-school fan of tapes,cdr's etc.. then silent scream is a GREAT Label with a few quality releases. as well as new releases coming soon.
thanks for reading and all the support..
regards,
patrick and winter torment web-zine
interview with stefan vocals,all instruments for zloslut and owner of silent scream records.done by patrick.
1.metal hails stefan! how is your week starting out? please introduce yourself to the readers.
Hello to you and to the readers!
I am Stefan "Hunter" from Zloslut, Stonecrypt, Kolac i am also the owner of Silent Scream Records label...
Well my week passed not bad, i had rehearsal with Kolac, and where little busy with promoting the demo "Abyss Of Eternal Deception", i were too preparing new materials for Zloslut...
2.at what age did you start listening to metal? who were some of the first bands you listened to? who are some of your "current" favorite bands?
Well i were 5 or 6 years old when i first heard about Iron Maiden (my favourite band still today), AC/DC, Guns N' Roses...
Well i am open in all musical genre, i can listen to Post-Rock then Death Metal, i like punk too..
But Black Metal is too me something among everything..
Bands i like to listen in those days... The Devil's Blood, Baptism, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Peste Noire, Burzum, Thine, Lifelover... And many, many more, but those are more often in the playlist.
3.when did you start up the band zloslut? how did you come up with name for the band? for the readers who have never heard the band how would you describe the bands music?
Well Zloslut was formed by myself in march 2010, because i wanted to do something wich decision depends only by me.
The name is in Serbian and the meaning in literal translation is "The one who means evil".
Well in August 2010, the idea about Zloslut were lost, because me and Sothis have formed Stonecrypt...
And this year in june, i come with an idea to bring back to life the story about Zloslut.
Well first demo is a lot various, i talk about lyrics and music too, because some text are about evil, occultism and blasphemy and other are about depression, death, loneliness and misanthropy...
The music in general is cold/raw.. Except Triumph Of Evil which this track is totally Black/Thrash...
4.you are the only member of the band. when you started the band did you plan to work alone? have you searched for other members to join? what do think are the advantges and disadvantges to being in a one-man band?
Well as i said in the last question, yes i wanted to Zloslut be a one man band.
And no i didn't want anyone to be involved in this story...
For me a one man band can be only advantages, because you can do what ever you want without thinking about another member opinion..
But the only disadvantages is that there is more to work on it, in bands with more then 2 members everything goes, more faster..
5.if you had the opportunity to work with any musicians {past or present} who would you like to work and write with?
Well, no one will be involved as a official member or session...
But it's possible that someone will sing or play on a song, it all depends.
6.you recently sent me a promo copy of the new demo "abyss of eternal deception". how long did it take you to write nnd record the songs for this demo?
Some lyrics were written back in 2009, and the music were a collection of riffs from other bands i were with.
Maybe 2 or 3 month.
7.are you happy with how everything turned out on the demo? how has the response been from the press and the fans?
Yes i am satisfied, the only thing i don't like that much is the drum machine, and the production could be more better.
The response from press and the fans were 50/50.
8.where can fans get a copy of the demo? if you have any other band information or merchandise please feel free to tell the readers about it.
Well the demo can be order from Silent Scream Records / Some Kind Of Distro or by contacting Zloslut e-mail, last tapes, so the interested ones, it's the last chance..
And yeah i would like to say that there will be a split release through my label with Uruk-Hai (Aus), Gromkult (USA) and Zloslut.
It will be out the 7th november, limited to 80 hand-numbered copies on tapes, it will be available by the bands, label and Some Kind Of Distro.
9.as i mentioned earlier in the interview you are sole-member of the band. so i was wondering which instrument was the hardest one for you to learn? which one is you favorite one to play?
Well there is no instruments which is more hard to learn...
I am playing guitar since i'm 7 years old, i were in a conservatory for 7 years, then i stoped and continued by myself.
Then a few month ago i bought a bass, and it goes well to me, but i already played bass before from time to time.
But i can say that drums are complicated for me if it comes to recording or something because i am not that skilled to play blast beat or stuff like that. :))
10.everyone has their own opinions,ideas on what "black metal means so i was curious of yours.in your opinion what does black metal mean to you?
Well as you said, everyone have his opinion about what is or what should be Black Metal, but for me B.M is when you listen to it, and fill every single detail of the song, when you are 100% in that, and when you are emotionally connected with the music.
It doesn't mean if someone wear a Mayhem shirt that he is "true", but the most important thing is when your at home and listen it, and filling it and enjoying it.
11.you come out of the great serbian metal underground scene. it seems like to me serbia has a small {but growing!} metal scene. would you agree? what is your opinion of serbia's metal underground scene?
I agree with you, but the problem is that we have a lot of bands, but there is no public for it, and the kids in general prefer to download music by internet instead of buying the release and supporting, the shows are well visited, but Serbian metal scene have to work a lot more to be something outside...
For example here are some bands that might know people outside of Serbia:
Bombarder (Speed/Thrash Metal), The Stone (B.M), May Result (B.M), Bane (Black/Death), Awaiting Fear (Death Metal), Infest (Deathrash Metal) and for the true underground people Angelgoat (Black Metal).
12.who are some of your all-time favorite serbian bands? are their any new bands you think the readers should check out soon?
My favourite Serbian metal bands are Bombarder, The Stone, May Result, Kozeljnik, Vehementer, Svartgren, Infest...
But i support all bands, doesn't mean if their metal or punk..
I like too band Ana Never, every post-rock fan should check this band!
Well i recommend to take a listen to the new album of The Stone, and to check the band Bane, their a band formed in 2006, but it's only 2 years ago that they reformed it, they are amazing!
13.besides the band you also own and run "silent scream records" when did you start up the label? are you happy with how everything is going so far?
Yeah, the label started in september 2010, and it served me in the purpose to release my own bands, but few month after i decided that it will be much more, so now i am in contact with bands from all over the world, and soon they will be more release announce.
For now everything goes well.
14.please tell the readers a little about each of your releases? are you currently working on any new releases for the future?
Well, the demo were released the 6 october this year, i wanted to be a self-release, it's limited to 66 tapes.
The split will be released the 7th november on my label, the split is between Zloslut, Uruk-Hai (Aus) and Gromkult (USA).
Now i am working on new songs, lyrics are already written, i finished some new riffs and melody..
If the release turn well about production and everything, it will be an EP.
15. if any bands are reading this what styles of metal do you release only black or other metal genres as well? are you currently looking for new labels to trade with?
Silent Scream Records is a label specially interested in Black/Death/Thrash/Doom metal, but i am also interested to release a good project no matter of it's shoegaze, ambient, drone or hnw..
I am always interested in trades! :))
16.well stefan thank you for taking the time to fill out this interview. do you have any final comments for the readers?
Thanks to you and your web-zine, and to the readers.
Well all info about Zloslut can be found on the facebook page or myspace..
Any private question contact my e-mail: sucurovicstefan@yahoo.com
silent scream web-site
http://www.silentscreamrecords.webs.com/
Sunday, October 9, 2011
interview with blooddawn done by patrick 10-9-11
dark greetings,
here is a new interview i have done with a friend of mine from the u.k black metal band blooddawn. if you enjoy violence,vicious war black metal. then blooddawn is a band you MUST Hear! be sure to check out their web-site and myspace page out and order the bands new cd "opus dei"..
enjoy and keep the flames of metal burning...
patrick and winter torment web-zine
fiendformetal@live.com
interview with paul all instruments,music for blooddawn done by patrick
1.metal hails paul! how are things going with you this week? please tell the readers a little about yourself.
Things are busy, we've just released a new CD-R entitled 'Opus Dei' and I'm in the process of sending it out to reviewers and labels as well as writing new material for what will be the next release.
2.when did you first get introduced to metal? who were some of the first bands you listened to? who are some of your "current" favorites?
I was first introduced to metal at the age of nine, it was 1982 and I can remember tearing round the schoolyard singing Maidens 'Run To The Hills'. I'd just seen the video the night before on Top Of The Pops! Back then it was the only way to see any music videos and for a young lad of nine the only way to see bands. Before that my favourite band had been the Police, but then I saw Maiden and something just clicked. I then started to go to the local library and they had a music section where you could take out vinyl LPs, so I got Scorpions Tokyo Tapes and The Lonesome Crow, and some MSG. But I was a big Scorpions, Maiden and Motorhead fan. The first LP I bought with my own money was Powerslave, quickly followed by Piece Of Mind and then a Motorhead compilation and Kiss - Animalise on cassette. Although I f*cking hate them now, I heard Ride The Lightning and was a big Metallica fan which then lead me to Megadeth and Peace Sells… but I didn't get into 'extreme' music until a friend at school (who I'd later go on to form my first band with) gave me a copy of Death - Leprosy and Sabbat's History Of A Time To Come. Both albums just blew me away, I'd never heard anything like it. Death got me interested in the whole Death Metal scene as a teenager but that first Sabbat LP has had such a lasting impression on me. They were the first band I'd heard to openly criticise the christian religion. They're still an influence to me today. So from there I just devoured any grind, death, and black bands I could find. I was massively into early Napalm Death and Carcass, Celtic Frost, Doom, ENT, Bathory, Discharge, Tankard, etc. and I think those influences have stayed with me today. For all the new bands that crop up, I still find myself returning to the bands I was brought up on. Back in the late eighties and nineties I was very much part of the tape trading scene, I was in a grind band and traded all over the world. I know I sound old when I say this, but it was a better scene back then. You had thrash, grind, punk, death and black and that was it, you didn't have these sub-sub-genres.
As for current favourites, as I say, I still find myself looking back to the bands of the past but theres too many to mention, but heres a few over and above that I have previously mentioned, Funeral Mist, Marduk, Blood Ceremony, Triumphator, Whitesnake, Old Anaal Nathrakh, 1349, Arditi, Autopsy, Cobalt, Blutvial, Mumford & Sons, Fukpig, Gorgoroth, Disgust, Ofermod, Afflictis Lentae, Temple Of The Maggot, Teutoburg Forest, Slagmaur, The Joy Formidable, Gong, Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett, Sleep, Europe, Tsjuder, Ondskapt.
3.when did you get the idea to form blooddawn? how did you come up with the name for the band? are you happy with how things have progressed over the years with the band? for the readers who have never heard blooddawn how would you describe the music of blooddawn?
I first started creating music again back in 2005, but I was just messing around, getting used to the software, getting used to playing the guitar again as I hadn't really done much with the guitar for a couple of years, so the early stuff was fairly rough. I wouldn't really class Blooddawn as really being born until 2008 when Donn joined and we released 'Funeral (For A Despised Icon)'. I don't class anything before that as true Blooddawn. I actually regret releasing anything before then, but then if I hadn't released the previous material I wouldn't have got in touch with Donn and we then may not then be having this conversation! I'm 100% happy musically with the way things have progressed since Donn joined Blooddawn. The sound we have is everything I ever wanted Blooddawn to be, with regards to getting that level of aggression, but I'm hoping that with the addition of a 'live' drummer for future recordings, it can only improve the sound and add something that is lost with the sampled drums we have been using. We haven't had much interest from labels, but I'm hoping with the release of Opus Dei and with the material I'm writteng now, that may be addressed. Blooddawn isn't for everyone, one reviewer said you had to be a certain type of person to handle the chaos and aggression of Blooddawn and I think thats true and puts some people and labels off, even in the 'extreme' scene, and I think thats a good description for what we do, its a maelstrom of chaos and aggression.
4.blooddawn is just yourself and your friend donn {vocalist,lyrics} when did you guys meet? when you started the band did you plan to keep it just a two-man band or have you guys searched for other members to join for live-shows?
When I first started Blooddawn it was just myself covering everything including vocals, but I got in touch with Donn through swapping our demos, I had released 'Chapel Of Bones' and he had the first Teutoburg Forest releases. I was blown away by his vocals, I still think he's one of the best vocalists on the scene, not just here in the UK, but globally, so when he got back in touch and offered to supply vocals for future, I obviously said yes. I live up in the North East of England and Donn lives further down the country so its hard to meet up face to face, but we speak regularly by phone and through email and find we share a lot of similar views, not just musically, but in relation to our art and personal philosophies. We are currently searching for a 'live' session drummer for future recordings, we don't have any plans to play live yet, but its difficult to think about adding an extra full time member to Blooddawn. One of the reasons I think Blooddawn works so well is the fact that myself and Donn work very well together, we are Blooddawn. To add an extra person could affect that dynamic, also when there is one person creating the music there are certain idiosyncrasies that can creep in to the music that can set it apart from one that has been geared towards four or five musicians who all want to show case their individual talent, so there are no plans at the moment to add another member full time.
5.if you could write/work with any musicians{past or present} who would you love to work with?
I've worked with Lord Afflictis of Afflictis Lentae in the past, he supplied vocals for Blooddawn's cover of Panzer Division Marduk and supplied lyrics for Qui Desiderat Pacem, Praeparet Bellum from The Enlightenment CD and I've written lyrics for one of his tracks in the past. I'm also hoping the Barag of Temple Of The Maggot will be supplying some vocals for one of the new tracks we have on the next release. I can honestly say, no-one. But as for 'big' names I'd honestly say no-one. As I mentioned before, I'm looking to bring in a session drummer for recording purposes, so from that point of view, I'm looking to work with a quality drummer, but as for big names past or present, there is no-one that I can think of as it would change the dynamic Blooddawn has. Blooddawn is myself and Donn and that works very well and working with anyone else would change that whole process that makes, in my eyes, Blooddawn work so well. Apart from the current drumming situation and the relatively small amount of time I am able to afford to Blooddawn due to life commitments, I would not change anything or wish to work with anyone else.
6.you recently released your new cd "opus dei"how long did it take to write the songs for this release? are you and donn happy with how everything turned out on the release? how has the response been from the press and the fans?
Its hard to say how long it has taken to write the tracks for Opus Dei as its almost a continuous process, for example, as soon as I had finished the tracks that went onto the CD 'Black Hymns From The House Of god' I was writing new tracks and coming up with riffs which would eventually be the Opus Dei CD. So whilst I am organising getting the covers and CDs printed for Black Hymns and sending them out to labels, etc I'm still writing new material, so I can't say exactly when I started writing Opus Dei, but I do know it took a long time from finishing the tracks to getting the CD released. It costs a lot of money to get the tracks mastered, CDs printed and the finished things posted out, so its been a gradual process of trickling the new CD out to various zines, labels, etc. and has taken a lot longer than I would have liked. In a perfect world I could have had this CD out in March, and not August.
7.you also made up a limited-edition box set for opus dei. what gave you the idea to create this? how many in total did you make up for the fans? what does the limited-edition cd set include?
Yes, we basically made 15 presentation boxes to put a limited edition jewel case CD in. Its all black with the Opus Dei artwork on the cover and inside is a recess where the CD sits. It is velvet lined and really presents the full package of what I want Opus Dei to be. I feel its Blooddawns best release yet and when you spend so much time creating the music and the artwork you want to present your art in as a professional way as possible, and present it in such a way as to complement the music. I've sent a few to some of the more respected reviewers, and the rest I'll be sending to labels.
8.everyone has their own opinion/ideas on what "black metal" stands for. so i was curious what does "black metal" mean to you?
Eveyone's idea of what Black Metal should or shouldn't be are different, I think thats what makes it such an interesting and eclectic genre, but for me, Black Metal should be harsh, hard to palette, unnerving, raw, atmospheric and aggressive with a strong religious narrative. There's bands out there labeling themselves as Black Metal, when nothing could be further from the truth. Its a reflection of this current materialistic, capitalist society, whereby everything is so easily disposable, even music. There's so much shite out there, not only in the Black Metal scene, but metal in general, everything has to be polished and perfect so you loose the spontaneity. Personally, I prefer to hear a few duff notes, a bit of unwanted feed. I don't want it to be perfected and gone over time and time again so you loose the soul of the music and all you are left with is this polished, souless piece of pop shit. Why do people feel they have to fit in as many notes and scales, stops and starts as they possibly can? To try to be even more technical and complex than the last band, and all in the name of 'progression'.
9.this question might be a little hard for you to answer since donn handles the lyrics. but where do you all get inspiration for the lyrics? any kind of messages within the lyrics?
You are correct in saying that Donn writes Blooddawn's lyrics. We try to highlight the tyranny of the christian religion, the blind acceptance of a religion of fairy tales and lies, the giving up of the self to blindly follow the teachings of unenlightened men and try to promote self will and development.
10.the lyrics seem to be based around anti-religious and some satanic themes. so i was curious would you consider yourself a satanist?
Blooddawn is not a satanic band, we have no satanic themes, in fact I believe in neither god or satan, to believe in one you must believe in the other. To voice my full views on religion would take more space than I have available here, but I don't believe in a god, devil, spirits or any such fantastical figments of imagination. There is nothing more than the here and now and the only way that we can 'live on' past this present life is by what we produce and leave behind us. That’s why I believe that what we create as artists, whether that be music, sculpture, the written word, etc. will still be here after we die. So to spend your life following nothing more than an image, and more so, of not doing something, to be told that certain art forms are bad, to be held back and told not to do something is the biggest crime that organised religion can commit against a person. As with all things, man ultimately corrupts and there is no better example of this than in organised religion, in particular Christianity. I remember after reading Richard Dawkins and Nietzsche, the sense of relief, that after so many years of being told as a child that this was the one true religion and god could read your thoughts, etc. that people were producing books and philosophies telling you what you already thought but through indoctrination, where too scared to express openly. It was a massive weight off my shoulders when I could finally look people in the eye and with true conviction tell them there is no god. This had such a powerful influence on me that I can safely say that I only became totally comfortable with myself and who I am after that moment. It’s the emperor’s new clothes, everybody knows the truth but are too frightened to come out and say it, they're hedging their bets, just in case. I actually have no problem with people’s personal religions; just keep it that, personal. Don't try to brain wash and cajole and bully other people into believing in it too.
Don't try to make your religion that dominant one by sheer weight of numbers if deep down 90% of them don't practice what they preach and think it’s all a load of shit anyway. It’s the 'organisational' part of religion I despise. It’s the pyramid effect, with one figure head at the top who wields power and influence over his subordinates, who in turn wield their power to the people below them and so on and so forth until it trickles down to the poor 'flock' at the bottom, the herd mentality, who don't get to travel the world, eat the finest foods, who send their wealth and possessions up the pyramid to the top so it can wield more influence and power or to pay for more lavish places to worship in. Why should you have to pay to worship? Why do you need to meet somewhere to worship? Why should you sit and listen to someone who knows nothing about you tell you that you were born a sinner, born evil and you have to repay try to advance yourself, to better yourself, there’s no need in this world, it will all be taken care of in the next.
11.how do you feel the world would be if religion{christianity,satanism,etc..} were never thought up in the first place?
There are a lot of similarities between the religion and the political and class struggle going on today. Religion, and in particularly, the Christian religion, was brought about as a means to keep the 'masses' in check. Be sure of one thing, the rich and powerful, and I count the religious leaders in that group, want to maintain the status quo, they want to maintain the power system and the riches, so if by using religion as a weapon over the heads of the working classes to ensure they don't step out of line then they will. The christian religion is a religion of 'not doing' rather than of 'doing'. Do not question. do not try to improve yourself and rise above any limitations placed in front of you, no need for self improvement, just be a good boy in this life and god will look after you in the next. How many people have frittered away this life due to them thinking they didn't have to do anything other than be a 'good christian' in this life because it will be so much better in the next. What a waste! Its a religion of 'not doing'. The fact they call the people their 'flock' and they are the good shepherds! A shepherd only looks after his flock until it is time to slaughter them! The sooner people realise that this is it, this is all there is so use it wisely. As I've said before, we're in the last death throws of religion as we know it, as science expands and finds answers for all those unknown things previously attributed to 'god' then the window of religion becomes smaller and will eventually close for good.
12.coming back to the band for a moment you write all the music yourself so i was wanted to know when you begin writing a new song how long does it usually take to complete a song? the music of blooddawn is very violent and straight-forward so i was wondering do you have to be in a certain mood when you are writing?
The songs don't take very long to write, the time consuming part is trying to fit it all in, inbetween a full time job and raising a family, but you are right in saying that you have to be in a certain mood, or frame of mind when writing. Music is an art form and I certainly look on Blooddawn as an artistic expression, from the music, to the artwork and the lyrics, if I didn't have Blooddawn I would still need some form of artistic release, whether that be through the graphical side of things or photography, I need to have some form of release. So yes, you have to be in the 'right' frame of mind to produce a piece of work that you want to present to people. Its a very personal thing, not that I produce Blooddawn to garner some kind of praise from people, whether they be reviewers, labels, I created Blooddawn for myself, first and foremost. I don't crave any form of praise or adoration from anyone, I produce the type of music that I like listening to, if other people like it then of course I'm glad there are other like minded people out there, but whether you love, hate or are indifferent to Blooddawn does not matter to me at all. So in answer to your question, yes, mood and state of mind do come into play when producing the music. Writing Blooddawns music is a very cathartic, cleansing process. There is nothing more I hate in life then someone who wastes there potential, that is the main reason I hate organised religion, the 'not' doing of many things. The people to sit infront of their television sets soaking up the state sponsored, mind numbing gameshows, news and cooking programs. The herd mentality of following the latest trend sold to them by manipulative advertising agencies, whether that be the latest phone, fashion accessory, music style . . . . add any number of things in that space were without knowing it, you a given a small choice, its still a choice, but a narrow choice of what you should like and can get. The upper classes and religious leaders think we are the common herd, THEY know what is good for us, we don't have the intellect to work it out, so they decide to do it for us, the they provide us with the choices, whether that be politically , they provide us with the candidates to choose from, musically, they try to tell us what is popular and what is not. The list goes on. By giving people what the people think they want, it helps keep us medicated, we're not trouble then and if they tell us what our aspirations are and what our ideal is and what we should feasibly hope to achieve then we think we are happy, living a fulfilled life and less likely to ask questions or to try and change the status quo. My rage and anger comes from seeing people either happy or oblivious to these restrictions imposed on them and quite happy to go along with it for an easy life. People who won't read a book. Who won't look for the REAL truth behind the headline stories because its too much like hard work. Religion and the media truly are the drug of the masses. All these things drive me on to create a maelstrom of aural chaos to strike at these poor fuckers, to physically shake them out of their comas.
13.the new blooddawn was released through your own label panzerfaust prod.what gave you the idea to start up the label? are you happy with how it is going so far?
The idea was to release Blooddawn's material on it but to also slowly expand it over time to release material by bands like Blooddawn, who don't have much financial backing, who maybe don't have access to the means to get their artwork done and also to release music that I like. I produce small runs, between 50 and 100, produce full colur, good quality covers in a plastic wallet and a plain or sometimes printed CD-R. I'm very much small time, DIY attitude. Apart from the Blooddawn stuff, I've also released two CD-Rs by Proxenus, we've done all three of the UK Legions Of Black Metal compilations and I've also released a free compilation with Temple Of The Maggot, Afflictis Lentae, Cryptic Winterstorm and Blooddawn on it. Wherever possible I want to release material for free, its an idea that harks back to the old crust/punk days and the DIY attitude, whereby you had loads of underground bands releasing stuff and they'd have 'pay no more than....', etc. on the covers, or it was released for free, just to get the bands name about. There's too many bands, unsigned bands, that think they can charge high prices for their material and its simply not worth the money. My feeling is that the bands I deal with are unsigned, it costs little to get some good quality covers produced and output the music on CD-R's and get it circulated in the underground and try and get them some interest generated. My next release is a split CD with Hak-ed damm from Canada and Blooddawn which should hopefully be out in October 2011.
14.do you run the label on your own or do you have some help from friends? is panzerfaust mainly a label to release blooddawn releases only or have you worked and released other bands as well? please tell the readers a little about your label and the releases
Yes I run it by myself and it was originally set up to release Blooddawn material, but I will be releasing more material by other bands in the future.
15.blooddawn comes out of u.k's black metal underground scene. from what i can tell the scene is small but is growing with some quality bands. would you agree? what is your opinion of the u.k black metal scene?
I don't really involve myself in the uk bm 'scene', or any scene for that matter. There are a handful of bands that I am in touch with from time to time such as Deutoronomy, Spectre, Adversary, Abalam and Cryptic Winterstorm, obviously in my opinion the best UK artist is Donn and his many quality projects, but yes, I would agree that the uk scene is certainly improving. With the help of JD Tait at the UK Legions of Black metal zine I've tried to help promote the uk bands by releasing three volumes of the UK Black Metal compilations on my Panzerfaust Label. These CDs are free and intended to show case the wide variety of UK bands that come under the umbrella of Black Metal. Just by listening to the three volumes you can tell how over the years the quality has improved. But in my opinion, no other country does 'extreme' better than the UK, I just feel that sometimes, when it comes to Black Metal in the UK, this has been forgotten. We need to remind people that BM should be 'extreme' in lyrical content, musical content, visually and in its decibel level! Some bands, not just here but everywhere have drifted into a 'safer' area whereby they can call themselves 'post' BM thereby still clinging onto the BM tag but in reality their music bears little or no resemblance to BM anymore.
16.who are some of your all-time favourite u.k bands? are their any new bands you think the readers should check out soon?
I strongly recommend you check out Donn and all of his various projects; Teutoburg Forest, Theo, Shit, etc., Temple Of The Maggot, Afflictis Lentae, Leon and Deutoronomy. The Blutvial album 'I Speak Of The Devil' is a classic.
17.well brother,thank you for taking the time to fill out this interview. good luck with the band and label. do you have any final comments for the readers ?
Thanks to Patrick and Winter Torment for the continued support.
here is a new interview i have done with a friend of mine from the u.k black metal band blooddawn. if you enjoy violence,vicious war black metal. then blooddawn is a band you MUST Hear! be sure to check out their web-site and myspace page out and order the bands new cd "opus dei"..
enjoy and keep the flames of metal burning...
patrick and winter torment web-zine
fiendformetal@live.com
interview with paul all instruments,music for blooddawn done by patrick
1.metal hails paul! how are things going with you this week? please tell the readers a little about yourself.
Things are busy, we've just released a new CD-R entitled 'Opus Dei' and I'm in the process of sending it out to reviewers and labels as well as writing new material for what will be the next release.
2.when did you first get introduced to metal? who were some of the first bands you listened to? who are some of your "current" favorites?
I was first introduced to metal at the age of nine, it was 1982 and I can remember tearing round the schoolyard singing Maidens 'Run To The Hills'. I'd just seen the video the night before on Top Of The Pops! Back then it was the only way to see any music videos and for a young lad of nine the only way to see bands. Before that my favourite band had been the Police, but then I saw Maiden and something just clicked. I then started to go to the local library and they had a music section where you could take out vinyl LPs, so I got Scorpions Tokyo Tapes and The Lonesome Crow, and some MSG. But I was a big Scorpions, Maiden and Motorhead fan. The first LP I bought with my own money was Powerslave, quickly followed by Piece Of Mind and then a Motorhead compilation and Kiss - Animalise on cassette. Although I f*cking hate them now, I heard Ride The Lightning and was a big Metallica fan which then lead me to Megadeth and Peace Sells… but I didn't get into 'extreme' music until a friend at school (who I'd later go on to form my first band with) gave me a copy of Death - Leprosy and Sabbat's History Of A Time To Come. Both albums just blew me away, I'd never heard anything like it. Death got me interested in the whole Death Metal scene as a teenager but that first Sabbat LP has had such a lasting impression on me. They were the first band I'd heard to openly criticise the christian religion. They're still an influence to me today. So from there I just devoured any grind, death, and black bands I could find. I was massively into early Napalm Death and Carcass, Celtic Frost, Doom, ENT, Bathory, Discharge, Tankard, etc. and I think those influences have stayed with me today. For all the new bands that crop up, I still find myself returning to the bands I was brought up on. Back in the late eighties and nineties I was very much part of the tape trading scene, I was in a grind band and traded all over the world. I know I sound old when I say this, but it was a better scene back then. You had thrash, grind, punk, death and black and that was it, you didn't have these sub-sub-genres.
As for current favourites, as I say, I still find myself looking back to the bands of the past but theres too many to mention, but heres a few over and above that I have previously mentioned, Funeral Mist, Marduk, Blood Ceremony, Triumphator, Whitesnake, Old Anaal Nathrakh, 1349, Arditi, Autopsy, Cobalt, Blutvial, Mumford & Sons, Fukpig, Gorgoroth, Disgust, Ofermod, Afflictis Lentae, Temple Of The Maggot, Teutoburg Forest, Slagmaur, The Joy Formidable, Gong, Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett, Sleep, Europe, Tsjuder, Ondskapt.
3.when did you get the idea to form blooddawn? how did you come up with the name for the band? are you happy with how things have progressed over the years with the band? for the readers who have never heard blooddawn how would you describe the music of blooddawn?
I first started creating music again back in 2005, but I was just messing around, getting used to the software, getting used to playing the guitar again as I hadn't really done much with the guitar for a couple of years, so the early stuff was fairly rough. I wouldn't really class Blooddawn as really being born until 2008 when Donn joined and we released 'Funeral (For A Despised Icon)'. I don't class anything before that as true Blooddawn. I actually regret releasing anything before then, but then if I hadn't released the previous material I wouldn't have got in touch with Donn and we then may not then be having this conversation! I'm 100% happy musically with the way things have progressed since Donn joined Blooddawn. The sound we have is everything I ever wanted Blooddawn to be, with regards to getting that level of aggression, but I'm hoping that with the addition of a 'live' drummer for future recordings, it can only improve the sound and add something that is lost with the sampled drums we have been using. We haven't had much interest from labels, but I'm hoping with the release of Opus Dei and with the material I'm writteng now, that may be addressed. Blooddawn isn't for everyone, one reviewer said you had to be a certain type of person to handle the chaos and aggression of Blooddawn and I think thats true and puts some people and labels off, even in the 'extreme' scene, and I think thats a good description for what we do, its a maelstrom of chaos and aggression.
4.blooddawn is just yourself and your friend donn {vocalist,lyrics} when did you guys meet? when you started the band did you plan to keep it just a two-man band or have you guys searched for other members to join for live-shows?
When I first started Blooddawn it was just myself covering everything including vocals, but I got in touch with Donn through swapping our demos, I had released 'Chapel Of Bones' and he had the first Teutoburg Forest releases. I was blown away by his vocals, I still think he's one of the best vocalists on the scene, not just here in the UK, but globally, so when he got back in touch and offered to supply vocals for future, I obviously said yes. I live up in the North East of England and Donn lives further down the country so its hard to meet up face to face, but we speak regularly by phone and through email and find we share a lot of similar views, not just musically, but in relation to our art and personal philosophies. We are currently searching for a 'live' session drummer for future recordings, we don't have any plans to play live yet, but its difficult to think about adding an extra full time member to Blooddawn. One of the reasons I think Blooddawn works so well is the fact that myself and Donn work very well together, we are Blooddawn. To add an extra person could affect that dynamic, also when there is one person creating the music there are certain idiosyncrasies that can creep in to the music that can set it apart from one that has been geared towards four or five musicians who all want to show case their individual talent, so there are no plans at the moment to add another member full time.
5.if you could write/work with any musicians{past or present} who would you love to work with?
I've worked with Lord Afflictis of Afflictis Lentae in the past, he supplied vocals for Blooddawn's cover of Panzer Division Marduk and supplied lyrics for Qui Desiderat Pacem, Praeparet Bellum from The Enlightenment CD and I've written lyrics for one of his tracks in the past. I'm also hoping the Barag of Temple Of The Maggot will be supplying some vocals for one of the new tracks we have on the next release. I can honestly say, no-one. But as for 'big' names I'd honestly say no-one. As I mentioned before, I'm looking to bring in a session drummer for recording purposes, so from that point of view, I'm looking to work with a quality drummer, but as for big names past or present, there is no-one that I can think of as it would change the dynamic Blooddawn has. Blooddawn is myself and Donn and that works very well and working with anyone else would change that whole process that makes, in my eyes, Blooddawn work so well. Apart from the current drumming situation and the relatively small amount of time I am able to afford to Blooddawn due to life commitments, I would not change anything or wish to work with anyone else.
6.you recently released your new cd "opus dei"how long did it take to write the songs for this release? are you and donn happy with how everything turned out on the release? how has the response been from the press and the fans?
Its hard to say how long it has taken to write the tracks for Opus Dei as its almost a continuous process, for example, as soon as I had finished the tracks that went onto the CD 'Black Hymns From The House Of god' I was writing new tracks and coming up with riffs which would eventually be the Opus Dei CD. So whilst I am organising getting the covers and CDs printed for Black Hymns and sending them out to labels, etc I'm still writing new material, so I can't say exactly when I started writing Opus Dei, but I do know it took a long time from finishing the tracks to getting the CD released. It costs a lot of money to get the tracks mastered, CDs printed and the finished things posted out, so its been a gradual process of trickling the new CD out to various zines, labels, etc. and has taken a lot longer than I would have liked. In a perfect world I could have had this CD out in March, and not August.
7.you also made up a limited-edition box set for opus dei. what gave you the idea to create this? how many in total did you make up for the fans? what does the limited-edition cd set include?
Yes, we basically made 15 presentation boxes to put a limited edition jewel case CD in. Its all black with the Opus Dei artwork on the cover and inside is a recess where the CD sits. It is velvet lined and really presents the full package of what I want Opus Dei to be. I feel its Blooddawns best release yet and when you spend so much time creating the music and the artwork you want to present your art in as a professional way as possible, and present it in such a way as to complement the music. I've sent a few to some of the more respected reviewers, and the rest I'll be sending to labels.
8.everyone has their own opinion/ideas on what "black metal" stands for. so i was curious what does "black metal" mean to you?
Eveyone's idea of what Black Metal should or shouldn't be are different, I think thats what makes it such an interesting and eclectic genre, but for me, Black Metal should be harsh, hard to palette, unnerving, raw, atmospheric and aggressive with a strong religious narrative. There's bands out there labeling themselves as Black Metal, when nothing could be further from the truth. Its a reflection of this current materialistic, capitalist society, whereby everything is so easily disposable, even music. There's so much shite out there, not only in the Black Metal scene, but metal in general, everything has to be polished and perfect so you loose the spontaneity. Personally, I prefer to hear a few duff notes, a bit of unwanted feed. I don't want it to be perfected and gone over time and time again so you loose the soul of the music and all you are left with is this polished, souless piece of pop shit. Why do people feel they have to fit in as many notes and scales, stops and starts as they possibly can? To try to be even more technical and complex than the last band, and all in the name of 'progression'.
9.this question might be a little hard for you to answer since donn handles the lyrics. but where do you all get inspiration for the lyrics? any kind of messages within the lyrics?
You are correct in saying that Donn writes Blooddawn's lyrics. We try to highlight the tyranny of the christian religion, the blind acceptance of a religion of fairy tales and lies, the giving up of the self to blindly follow the teachings of unenlightened men and try to promote self will and development.
10.the lyrics seem to be based around anti-religious and some satanic themes. so i was curious would you consider yourself a satanist?
Blooddawn is not a satanic band, we have no satanic themes, in fact I believe in neither god or satan, to believe in one you must believe in the other. To voice my full views on religion would take more space than I have available here, but I don't believe in a god, devil, spirits or any such fantastical figments of imagination. There is nothing more than the here and now and the only way that we can 'live on' past this present life is by what we produce and leave behind us. That’s why I believe that what we create as artists, whether that be music, sculpture, the written word, etc. will still be here after we die. So to spend your life following nothing more than an image, and more so, of not doing something, to be told that certain art forms are bad, to be held back and told not to do something is the biggest crime that organised religion can commit against a person. As with all things, man ultimately corrupts and there is no better example of this than in organised religion, in particular Christianity. I remember after reading Richard Dawkins and Nietzsche, the sense of relief, that after so many years of being told as a child that this was the one true religion and god could read your thoughts, etc. that people were producing books and philosophies telling you what you already thought but through indoctrination, where too scared to express openly. It was a massive weight off my shoulders when I could finally look people in the eye and with true conviction tell them there is no god. This had such a powerful influence on me that I can safely say that I only became totally comfortable with myself and who I am after that moment. It’s the emperor’s new clothes, everybody knows the truth but are too frightened to come out and say it, they're hedging their bets, just in case. I actually have no problem with people’s personal religions; just keep it that, personal. Don't try to brain wash and cajole and bully other people into believing in it too.
Don't try to make your religion that dominant one by sheer weight of numbers if deep down 90% of them don't practice what they preach and think it’s all a load of shit anyway. It’s the 'organisational' part of religion I despise. It’s the pyramid effect, with one figure head at the top who wields power and influence over his subordinates, who in turn wield their power to the people below them and so on and so forth until it trickles down to the poor 'flock' at the bottom, the herd mentality, who don't get to travel the world, eat the finest foods, who send their wealth and possessions up the pyramid to the top so it can wield more influence and power or to pay for more lavish places to worship in. Why should you have to pay to worship? Why do you need to meet somewhere to worship? Why should you sit and listen to someone who knows nothing about you tell you that you were born a sinner, born evil and you have to repay try to advance yourself, to better yourself, there’s no need in this world, it will all be taken care of in the next.
11.how do you feel the world would be if religion{christianity,satanism,etc..} were never thought up in the first place?
There are a lot of similarities between the religion and the political and class struggle going on today. Religion, and in particularly, the Christian religion, was brought about as a means to keep the 'masses' in check. Be sure of one thing, the rich and powerful, and I count the religious leaders in that group, want to maintain the status quo, they want to maintain the power system and the riches, so if by using religion as a weapon over the heads of the working classes to ensure they don't step out of line then they will. The christian religion is a religion of 'not doing' rather than of 'doing'. Do not question. do not try to improve yourself and rise above any limitations placed in front of you, no need for self improvement, just be a good boy in this life and god will look after you in the next. How many people have frittered away this life due to them thinking they didn't have to do anything other than be a 'good christian' in this life because it will be so much better in the next. What a waste! Its a religion of 'not doing'. The fact they call the people their 'flock' and they are the good shepherds! A shepherd only looks after his flock until it is time to slaughter them! The sooner people realise that this is it, this is all there is so use it wisely. As I've said before, we're in the last death throws of religion as we know it, as science expands and finds answers for all those unknown things previously attributed to 'god' then the window of religion becomes smaller and will eventually close for good.
12.coming back to the band for a moment you write all the music yourself so i was wanted to know when you begin writing a new song how long does it usually take to complete a song? the music of blooddawn is very violent and straight-forward so i was wondering do you have to be in a certain mood when you are writing?
The songs don't take very long to write, the time consuming part is trying to fit it all in, inbetween a full time job and raising a family, but you are right in saying that you have to be in a certain mood, or frame of mind when writing. Music is an art form and I certainly look on Blooddawn as an artistic expression, from the music, to the artwork and the lyrics, if I didn't have Blooddawn I would still need some form of artistic release, whether that be through the graphical side of things or photography, I need to have some form of release. So yes, you have to be in the 'right' frame of mind to produce a piece of work that you want to present to people. Its a very personal thing, not that I produce Blooddawn to garner some kind of praise from people, whether they be reviewers, labels, I created Blooddawn for myself, first and foremost. I don't crave any form of praise or adoration from anyone, I produce the type of music that I like listening to, if other people like it then of course I'm glad there are other like minded people out there, but whether you love, hate or are indifferent to Blooddawn does not matter to me at all. So in answer to your question, yes, mood and state of mind do come into play when producing the music. Writing Blooddawns music is a very cathartic, cleansing process. There is nothing more I hate in life then someone who wastes there potential, that is the main reason I hate organised religion, the 'not' doing of many things. The people to sit infront of their television sets soaking up the state sponsored, mind numbing gameshows, news and cooking programs. The herd mentality of following the latest trend sold to them by manipulative advertising agencies, whether that be the latest phone, fashion accessory, music style . . . . add any number of things in that space were without knowing it, you a given a small choice, its still a choice, but a narrow choice of what you should like and can get. The upper classes and religious leaders think we are the common herd, THEY know what is good for us, we don't have the intellect to work it out, so they decide to do it for us, the they provide us with the choices, whether that be politically , they provide us with the candidates to choose from, musically, they try to tell us what is popular and what is not. The list goes on. By giving people what the people think they want, it helps keep us medicated, we're not trouble then and if they tell us what our aspirations are and what our ideal is and what we should feasibly hope to achieve then we think we are happy, living a fulfilled life and less likely to ask questions or to try and change the status quo. My rage and anger comes from seeing people either happy or oblivious to these restrictions imposed on them and quite happy to go along with it for an easy life. People who won't read a book. Who won't look for the REAL truth behind the headline stories because its too much like hard work. Religion and the media truly are the drug of the masses. All these things drive me on to create a maelstrom of aural chaos to strike at these poor fuckers, to physically shake them out of their comas.
13.the new blooddawn was released through your own label panzerfaust prod.what gave you the idea to start up the label? are you happy with how it is going so far?
The idea was to release Blooddawn's material on it but to also slowly expand it over time to release material by bands like Blooddawn, who don't have much financial backing, who maybe don't have access to the means to get their artwork done and also to release music that I like. I produce small runs, between 50 and 100, produce full colur, good quality covers in a plastic wallet and a plain or sometimes printed CD-R. I'm very much small time, DIY attitude. Apart from the Blooddawn stuff, I've also released two CD-Rs by Proxenus, we've done all three of the UK Legions Of Black Metal compilations and I've also released a free compilation with Temple Of The Maggot, Afflictis Lentae, Cryptic Winterstorm and Blooddawn on it. Wherever possible I want to release material for free, its an idea that harks back to the old crust/punk days and the DIY attitude, whereby you had loads of underground bands releasing stuff and they'd have 'pay no more than....', etc. on the covers, or it was released for free, just to get the bands name about. There's too many bands, unsigned bands, that think they can charge high prices for their material and its simply not worth the money. My feeling is that the bands I deal with are unsigned, it costs little to get some good quality covers produced and output the music on CD-R's and get it circulated in the underground and try and get them some interest generated. My next release is a split CD with Hak-ed damm from Canada and Blooddawn which should hopefully be out in October 2011.
14.do you run the label on your own or do you have some help from friends? is panzerfaust mainly a label to release blooddawn releases only or have you worked and released other bands as well? please tell the readers a little about your label and the releases
Yes I run it by myself and it was originally set up to release Blooddawn material, but I will be releasing more material by other bands in the future.
15.blooddawn comes out of u.k's black metal underground scene. from what i can tell the scene is small but is growing with some quality bands. would you agree? what is your opinion of the u.k black metal scene?
I don't really involve myself in the uk bm 'scene', or any scene for that matter. There are a handful of bands that I am in touch with from time to time such as Deutoronomy, Spectre, Adversary, Abalam and Cryptic Winterstorm, obviously in my opinion the best UK artist is Donn and his many quality projects, but yes, I would agree that the uk scene is certainly improving. With the help of JD Tait at the UK Legions of Black metal zine I've tried to help promote the uk bands by releasing three volumes of the UK Black Metal compilations on my Panzerfaust Label. These CDs are free and intended to show case the wide variety of UK bands that come under the umbrella of Black Metal. Just by listening to the three volumes you can tell how over the years the quality has improved. But in my opinion, no other country does 'extreme' better than the UK, I just feel that sometimes, when it comes to Black Metal in the UK, this has been forgotten. We need to remind people that BM should be 'extreme' in lyrical content, musical content, visually and in its decibel level! Some bands, not just here but everywhere have drifted into a 'safer' area whereby they can call themselves 'post' BM thereby still clinging onto the BM tag but in reality their music bears little or no resemblance to BM anymore.
16.who are some of your all-time favourite u.k bands? are their any new bands you think the readers should check out soon?
I strongly recommend you check out Donn and all of his various projects; Teutoburg Forest, Theo, Shit, etc., Temple Of The Maggot, Afflictis Lentae, Leon and Deutoronomy. The Blutvial album 'I Speak Of The Devil' is a classic.
17.well brother,thank you for taking the time to fill out this interview. good luck with the band and label. do you have any final comments for the readers ?
Thanks to Patrick and Winter Torment for the continued support.
Monday, September 26, 2011
new reviews done on 9-26-11
hello,
thanks for taking the time to read the new batches of reviews up on winter torment!! i hope you will find some new releases to your liking.we have a little of everything this time around. we are currently working {as always} on alot of new reviews and interviews to post for your reading pleasure so please stay tuned and thanks to everyone who has supported winter torment in any way over the last few years.
regards,
patrick and winter torment web-zine
archgoat-heavenly vulva {christ's last rites} e.p {debemur morti prod.}{reviewed by patrick}
archgoat was spawn nearly twenty years ago from the bowels of hell and still going strong as evident by their latest mcd.six tracks of filthy,primitive blackend death played in it's purest form.the music ranges from a darker mid-paced speed to more violent outbursts of blasting speed filled with aggression and hate.the vocals have a deeper growl that give them a a death metalish touch but fit perfectly with archgoats type of musical blasphemy.this is recomended to all fanatics of raw,primitive blackend death metal.
label contact
http://www.debemur-morti.com
atriach--forever the end cd {seventh rule recordings}{reviewed by patrick}
this is a new band from the u.s underground scene.atriach play a unique style of doom,black metal mixed with some expiremental influences all rolled into one massive sound.vocals are harsh,tormented screams of agony while the band plays the soundtrack with some haunting heavy doom riffs,mixed with some drone overtones.the vocals as mentioned are mainly blackend metal screams but their are also some very well used clean vocals which add nicely to the bands overall dark and haunting sound. atriach are defintly not for everyone in the scene. but if you enjoy dark,doom with touches of black metal then atriach might be a band you will want to check out soon.
label contact.
www.seventhrule.com
bahimiron--rebel hymns of the left handed terror cd {moribund rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
this is bahimiron's second cd for the moribund cult. the last bahimiron release was decent but nothing great. but with rebel hymns of the left handed terror the band strikes back again with full force and destructive fury.to put it simply this is a sick,twisted masterpiece of frenzied raw,destruction.with so many black metal bands going the route of crystal clear production,clean vocals,whatever they seem to loose sight of what this music is about. but not bahimiron it's great to hear a band sticking to their roots and keeping their music aggressive,ugly destructive.
label contact
http://www.moribundcult.com
deus otios-murderer cd {american line prod./FDA.rekotz}{reviewed by patrick}
after all these years of doing zines i still love getting and hearing new bands.and denmark's deus otios is defintly one of the best old-school death metal bands i've come across in the last few months. i have pretty much become a picky old bastard with death metal in general {as much as i hate to admit that it's the truth} but deus otios offers everything that got me hooked onto death metal in the first place. heavy uncomprimising death metal at it's finest. no over-the top jazzy or technical guitar riffs with a million solo's instead sticking to the basic heavy straight forward guitar patterns of the elder death metal gods. the band does have some impressive structers and few solo's thrown in a few of the songs but nothing overly done like so many of today's bands. the drums are mid-range with some faster beats when it is needed but the bands strength defintly is in the more straight forward mid-paced song-writing.the vocals are deep and vicious growls that are a perfect match for deus otios old-school style and approach. if you are an old-school maniac who misses the late 80's,early 90's when death metal was the law and nothing was better then defintly get murderer as this is sure to be a classic release.
band contact
http://www.myspace.com/deusotiosus
www.facebook.com/deusotiosus.dk
enormicon--storm of swords e.p {self-released}{reviewed by patrick}
this is the debut e.p from the texas based enormicon i guess the best way to describe this band would be is a mix of stoner rock,traditional doom,and older prog music.it's not really my styles of music so this review is gonna suck as i don't to much about these particular genres. so i will say if you are a sabbath or high on fire fan or just old-school doom in general then you might enjoy enormicon.
band contact
www.enormiconmetal.com
excommunicated--skelton key cd {u w.records}{reviewed by patrick}
this is a new band coming out of louisiana.the group members are no strangers to the metal scene.some of louisiana's more well-known bands like catholicion {chad kelley, vocals},jason mclntyre used to play in a brutal d.m band suture.
the guys have moved on and formed excommunicated the musicians do a good job of creating a mix of heavy semi-brutal death metal and some melodic death metal in a nice mix.for a debut excommunicated has some great musicial ideas but at the end of skelton key nothing really sticks out as memorable.
label contact
www.facebook.com/excommunicated
mordbrand-necropsychotic cd {deathgasm records}{reviewed by patrick}
this is by far one of 2011's best death metal releases!! the swedish masters combine crushing,heaving guitar riffs,pounding fast drums sick,deep growls.mordbrand isnt worried about playing 2 thousand miles an hour.or trying to be as technical as ever instead they rely on their ability to perform flawless,old-school death metal. with bands like mordbrand,cianide,deus otiosus maybe death metal will return the greatness it once had.
label contact
www.deathgasm.com
nocturnal fear-excessive cruelity cd {moribund records}{reviewed by patrick}
i have had the pleasure of dealing with moribund recs. pretty much since i started working on zines some years ago.and i have always respected how they release quality bands over what the trend of the week is.nocturnal fear are no different instead of the black metal assult that moribund is legendary for releasing.this time the label has unleashed the thrashing,war maniacs nocturnal fear to annihilate the listeners. from the first note to the last drum beat nocturnal fear never loosens it's attack as it rages through 9 tracks of pure thrash/death/war insanity. loud,fast thrashing guitars that has it all great solo's,complex riffs without loosing any of the bands intenisty.the drums are impressive as they are fast, violent but they are also complex with a few breaks before the band starts to pummel your senses with a new barrage of raging thrash,war metal.the band defintly a worthwhile band worth checking out.
label contact
www.moribundcult.com
nunfuckritual-in bondage to the serpent cd {debemur morti prod.}{reviewed by patrick}
this is a band created by some very well-known musicans within the black and death metal scene. teloch {mayhem,nidinger},espent hangard{altaar},and dan lilker {nuclear assult,etc..} on bass. so what do you get when combine the talents of these metal musicians?a very eerie,dark trip filled with traditional,sick black metal with some industrial types.overshadowing each track is dark atmosphere within the bands music that will send chills down your spine. if you are a fan who is into sick,depraved black metal with touches of industrial and atmospheres.then nunfuckritual is a band that might interest you.
label contact
http://www.debemur-morti.com
thanks for taking the time to read the new batches of reviews up on winter torment!! i hope you will find some new releases to your liking.we have a little of everything this time around. we are currently working {as always} on alot of new reviews and interviews to post for your reading pleasure so please stay tuned and thanks to everyone who has supported winter torment in any way over the last few years.
regards,
patrick and winter torment web-zine
archgoat-heavenly vulva {christ's last rites} e.p {debemur morti prod.}{reviewed by patrick}
archgoat was spawn nearly twenty years ago from the bowels of hell and still going strong as evident by their latest mcd.six tracks of filthy,primitive blackend death played in it's purest form.the music ranges from a darker mid-paced speed to more violent outbursts of blasting speed filled with aggression and hate.the vocals have a deeper growl that give them a a death metalish touch but fit perfectly with archgoats type of musical blasphemy.this is recomended to all fanatics of raw,primitive blackend death metal.
label contact
http://www.debemur-morti.com
atriach--forever the end cd {seventh rule recordings}{reviewed by patrick}
this is a new band from the u.s underground scene.atriach play a unique style of doom,black metal mixed with some expiremental influences all rolled into one massive sound.vocals are harsh,tormented screams of agony while the band plays the soundtrack with some haunting heavy doom riffs,mixed with some drone overtones.the vocals as mentioned are mainly blackend metal screams but their are also some very well used clean vocals which add nicely to the bands overall dark and haunting sound. atriach are defintly not for everyone in the scene. but if you enjoy dark,doom with touches of black metal then atriach might be a band you will want to check out soon.
label contact.
www.seventhrule.com
bahimiron--rebel hymns of the left handed terror cd {moribund rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
this is bahimiron's second cd for the moribund cult. the last bahimiron release was decent but nothing great. but with rebel hymns of the left handed terror the band strikes back again with full force and destructive fury.to put it simply this is a sick,twisted masterpiece of frenzied raw,destruction.with so many black metal bands going the route of crystal clear production,clean vocals,whatever they seem to loose sight of what this music is about. but not bahimiron it's great to hear a band sticking to their roots and keeping their music aggressive,ugly destructive.
label contact
http://www.moribundcult.com
deus otios-murderer cd {american line prod./FDA.rekotz}{reviewed by patrick}
after all these years of doing zines i still love getting and hearing new bands.and denmark's deus otios is defintly one of the best old-school death metal bands i've come across in the last few months. i have pretty much become a picky old bastard with death metal in general {as much as i hate to admit that it's the truth} but deus otios offers everything that got me hooked onto death metal in the first place. heavy uncomprimising death metal at it's finest. no over-the top jazzy or technical guitar riffs with a million solo's instead sticking to the basic heavy straight forward guitar patterns of the elder death metal gods. the band does have some impressive structers and few solo's thrown in a few of the songs but nothing overly done like so many of today's bands. the drums are mid-range with some faster beats when it is needed but the bands strength defintly is in the more straight forward mid-paced song-writing.the vocals are deep and vicious growls that are a perfect match for deus otios old-school style and approach. if you are an old-school maniac who misses the late 80's,early 90's when death metal was the law and nothing was better then defintly get murderer as this is sure to be a classic release.
band contact
http://www.myspace.com/deusotiosus
www.facebook.com/deusotiosus.dk
enormicon--storm of swords e.p {self-released}{reviewed by patrick}
this is the debut e.p from the texas based enormicon i guess the best way to describe this band would be is a mix of stoner rock,traditional doom,and older prog music.it's not really my styles of music so this review is gonna suck as i don't to much about these particular genres. so i will say if you are a sabbath or high on fire fan or just old-school doom in general then you might enjoy enormicon.
band contact
www.enormiconmetal.com
excommunicated--skelton key cd {u w.records}{reviewed by patrick}
this is a new band coming out of louisiana.the group members are no strangers to the metal scene.some of louisiana's more well-known bands like catholicion {chad kelley, vocals},jason mclntyre used to play in a brutal d.m band suture.
the guys have moved on and formed excommunicated the musicians do a good job of creating a mix of heavy semi-brutal death metal and some melodic death metal in a nice mix.for a debut excommunicated has some great musicial ideas but at the end of skelton key nothing really sticks out as memorable.
label contact
www.facebook.com/excommunicated
mordbrand-necropsychotic cd {deathgasm records}{reviewed by patrick}
this is by far one of 2011's best death metal releases!! the swedish masters combine crushing,heaving guitar riffs,pounding fast drums sick,deep growls.mordbrand isnt worried about playing 2 thousand miles an hour.or trying to be as technical as ever instead they rely on their ability to perform flawless,old-school death metal. with bands like mordbrand,cianide,deus otiosus maybe death metal will return the greatness it once had.
label contact
www.deathgasm.com
nocturnal fear-excessive cruelity cd {moribund records}{reviewed by patrick}
i have had the pleasure of dealing with moribund recs. pretty much since i started working on zines some years ago.and i have always respected how they release quality bands over what the trend of the week is.nocturnal fear are no different instead of the black metal assult that moribund is legendary for releasing.this time the label has unleashed the thrashing,war maniacs nocturnal fear to annihilate the listeners. from the first note to the last drum beat nocturnal fear never loosens it's attack as it rages through 9 tracks of pure thrash/death/war insanity. loud,fast thrashing guitars that has it all great solo's,complex riffs without loosing any of the bands intenisty.the drums are impressive as they are fast, violent but they are also complex with a few breaks before the band starts to pummel your senses with a new barrage of raging thrash,war metal.the band defintly a worthwhile band worth checking out.
label contact
www.moribundcult.com
nunfuckritual-in bondage to the serpent cd {debemur morti prod.}{reviewed by patrick}
this is a band created by some very well-known musicans within the black and death metal scene. teloch {mayhem,nidinger},espent hangard{altaar},and dan lilker {nuclear assult,etc..} on bass. so what do you get when combine the talents of these metal musicians?a very eerie,dark trip filled with traditional,sick black metal with some industrial types.overshadowing each track is dark atmosphere within the bands music that will send chills down your spine. if you are a fan who is into sick,depraved black metal with touches of industrial and atmospheres.then nunfuckritual is a band that might interest you.
label contact
http://www.debemur-morti.com
some new napalm rec. reviews for 9-26-2011
it has been awhile since i have had the pleasure to deal/work with this
long-running metal label. yes it is obvious they don't "sign" or
"release" the most extreme or violent bands in metal. but that doesnt
mean they don't have some have some good quality ones defintly worth
your attention and hard earned money.
expect alot more reviews from me and this label but for now enjoy and thank you all for reading!!
best regards,
patrick and winter torment web-zine
draconian--a rose for the apokalypse cd {napalm records}{reviewed by patrick}
this is draconian's 4th release to date and the swedish death/doom masters have never sounded better or more focused.a rose for the apokalypse is draconian's shining jewel heavy riffs with some solo's usually not heard in death/doom.the drummer is just as impressive in his delievery punishing drum beats that range from the ultra-slow doom beats to some mid-paced beats but mainly stay in the stay in the slower mode as this is where draconian shines the most writing and perfoming atmospheric,depressive death/doom that will crush your soul in it's sadness.the vocal duo of anders jacobson {death growls} and lisa johansson {female vocals} have never sounded better or more nsync with each other.if you are a fan of draconian's past releases then you know this is a must hear.but if you are new to the band and you enjoy atmospheric,death/doom then draconian is a must hear for everyone into death/doom.
label contact
http://www.napalmrecords.com
band contact
http://www.draconian.se
Midnattsol-the metamorphosis melody cd {napalm record}{reviewed by patrick}
this has been a very good year for napalm rec releases. and one of their best bands midnattsol can be added to the list of napalm artist to make their presence heard once again in 2011.i must admit i was not that impressed with the bands second cd "nordlys" it seemed to be lacking the passion and fire the band showed on the debut disk . but over the last few years the band has defintly been writing,practicing and is now back! and the metamorphosis melody is simply amazing,near perfection.to me it has always been hard to pin down exactly which catogory to place midnattsol into as they draw on quite a few and mix them all together to create a original,and entertaining sound all there own.the musicans are defintly rooted and inspired from the "atmospheric" realm of metal but also have alot of folk influence thrown into the mix.frontwoman carmen elise espenaes handles all the vocal duties beautifully.handling both the more somber,melodic ballad-type of songs {"goodbye"} and the more energetic,upbeat songs like the title track .carmen has a wonderful voice that compliments the other musicans in midnattsol perfectly.looking forward to hearing what they release next!!
label contact
http://www.napalmrecords.com
band contact
www.midnattsol.com
skalmold--baldur cd {napalm rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
it's hard to believe that this is skalmold's debut release. why? by the sheer intensity,and flawless of the music flowing through my speakers.viking death metal with touches of folk music entertwined the music. mid-paced death metal guitars with some well-done solo's and riffs.the guitars range from whirlwind speed to a mid-paced controlled paced.the drums are precise and right on target staying with the guitars to combine for a heavy yet memorable musical journey.the music is not all speed and brutal skalmold do have alot of melody and atmosphere.vocals are gruff growls with some clean male vocal male interludes along with some chants that really fit with the songs on baldur.if you are a fan of viking metal then this is defintly one of the best of 2011 not to be missed
label contact
http://www.napalmrecords.com
band contact
http://www.skalmold.is
van canto--break the silence cd {napalm records}{reviewed by patrick}
i had every intention of giving this a total-shit review. but you know the old saying "never judge a book by it's cover"? well thats what i did when i saw this band was labeled "acapella" metal? BUT Now that i have listened to break the silence a few hundred times.i can honestly say i was wrong and van canto rules!! in this day and time it is near-impossible for any band in any genre {in or outside of metal} to be original but thats pretty much what germany's van canto have pulled off wonderfully.the band consists of 6 members {5 males,1 female} all singing in different harmonies,and combining to take the the place of "actual" instruments {with the exception of a real drummer}
each singer is very well trained and their voice is in top shape to pull off such a huge task in taking the place of instruments.but van canto do perfectly. this is a must have i don't care what genre you listen to the most van canto has probably released one of the most original masterpieces of 2011 and one listen to songs like "if i die in battle","the seller of souls" or the more melodic "spelled in waters" will leave you amazed and wanting more.
label contact
http://www.napalmrecords.com
band contact
http://www.vancantoo.de
expect alot more reviews from me and this label but for now enjoy and thank you all for reading!!
best regards,
patrick and winter torment web-zine
draconian--a rose for the apokalypse cd {napalm records}{reviewed by patrick}
this is draconian's 4th release to date and the swedish death/doom masters have never sounded better or more focused.a rose for the apokalypse is draconian's shining jewel heavy riffs with some solo's usually not heard in death/doom.the drummer is just as impressive in his delievery punishing drum beats that range from the ultra-slow doom beats to some mid-paced beats but mainly stay in the stay in the slower mode as this is where draconian shines the most writing and perfoming atmospheric,depressive death/doom that will crush your soul in it's sadness.the vocal duo of anders jacobson {death growls} and lisa johansson {female vocals} have never sounded better or more nsync with each other.if you are a fan of draconian's past releases then you know this is a must hear.but if you are new to the band and you enjoy atmospheric,death/doom then draconian is a must hear for everyone into death/doom.
label contact
http://www.napalmrecords.com
band contact
http://www.draconian.se
Midnattsol-the metamorphosis melody cd {napalm record}{reviewed by patrick}
this has been a very good year for napalm rec releases. and one of their best bands midnattsol can be added to the list of napalm artist to make their presence heard once again in 2011.i must admit i was not that impressed with the bands second cd "nordlys" it seemed to be lacking the passion and fire the band showed on the debut disk . but over the last few years the band has defintly been writing,practicing and is now back! and the metamorphosis melody is simply amazing,near perfection.to me it has always been hard to pin down exactly which catogory to place midnattsol into as they draw on quite a few and mix them all together to create a original,and entertaining sound all there own.the musicans are defintly rooted and inspired from the "atmospheric" realm of metal but also have alot of folk influence thrown into the mix.frontwoman carmen elise espenaes handles all the vocal duties beautifully.handling both the more somber,melodic ballad-type of songs {"goodbye"} and the more energetic,upbeat songs like the title track .carmen has a wonderful voice that compliments the other musicans in midnattsol perfectly.looking forward to hearing what they release next!!
label contact
http://www.napalmrecords.com
band contact
www.midnattsol.com
skalmold--baldur cd {napalm rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
it's hard to believe that this is skalmold's debut release. why? by the sheer intensity,and flawless of the music flowing through my speakers.viking death metal with touches of folk music entertwined the music. mid-paced death metal guitars with some well-done solo's and riffs.the guitars range from whirlwind speed to a mid-paced controlled paced.the drums are precise and right on target staying with the guitars to combine for a heavy yet memorable musical journey.the music is not all speed and brutal skalmold do have alot of melody and atmosphere.vocals are gruff growls with some clean male vocal male interludes along with some chants that really fit with the songs on baldur.if you are a fan of viking metal then this is defintly one of the best of 2011 not to be missed
label contact
http://www.napalmrecords.com
band contact
http://www.skalmold.is
van canto--break the silence cd {napalm records}{reviewed by patrick}
i had every intention of giving this a total-shit review. but you know the old saying "never judge a book by it's cover"? well thats what i did when i saw this band was labeled "acapella" metal? BUT Now that i have listened to break the silence a few hundred times.i can honestly say i was wrong and van canto rules!! in this day and time it is near-impossible for any band in any genre {in or outside of metal} to be original but thats pretty much what germany's van canto have pulled off wonderfully.the band consists of 6 members {5 males,1 female} all singing in different harmonies,and combining to take the the place of "actual" instruments {with the exception of a real drummer}
each singer is very well trained and their voice is in top shape to pull off such a huge task in taking the place of instruments.but van canto do perfectly. this is a must have i don't care what genre you listen to the most van canto has probably released one of the most original masterpieces of 2011 and one listen to songs like "if i die in battle","the seller of souls" or the more melodic "spelled in waters" will leave you amazed and wanting more.
label contact
http://www.napalmrecords.com
band contact
http://www.vancantoo.de
Monday, September 19, 2011
interview with uvikra done by patrick 9-19-2011
uvikra is a new band i found mixing in raw old-school death and black
metal to create a unique yet dirty,sound that is pure old-school glory.
defintly old-schoolers who are tired of the over-the top "technical"
style that is flooding the scene or the way over produced bands will
want to check out uvikra's new e.p "patterns of life"
interview with loikav all instruments,vocals for uvikra done by patrick
1.hails loikav!! how are things going in lithuania? please introduce yourself to the readers.
Hello Winter Torment readers, I'm Loikav, the sole member of Uvikra. Things are going well enough.
2.when did you first discover metal? who were some of the first bands you discovered? who are some of your "current" favorites?
I got into metal 3 years ago because I fell in love with the 80s Metallica and Megadeth albums. I was familiar with metal before, but for some reason not interested in the genre in general.
As for current favorite metal bands, I like a lot of the late 80s, early to mid 90s BM/DM. I don't want to name particular bands, because in many cases I might really like only 1 or 2 albums by a band. And I tend to listen to a lot of stuff, so "current" favorites often change.
3.when did you get the idea to form uvikra? how did you come up with the name of the band? does it have a special meaning? for the readers who have never heard uvikra how would you describe the bands music?
In autumn of 2009, because then the black metal genre was a recent discovery to me, and I wanted to try it myself. Unfortunately, there's nothing I can say about the name of the band.
Hard to describe the music in general, because it's changed stylistically (from black to black/death). The latest material I've created is kind of progressive black/death metal, but it's unreleased yet.
4.you are the sole-member of the band. when you started uvikra did you plan to work alone or have you looked for other members to join the band?
I wanted to work alone in the beginning, and it was hardly possible to do it any other way anyway. But now I'm interested in adding members, or just joining some other band. Although quite slowly, I'm currently attempting to make either of those situations happen.
5.what would you say are the advantges and disadvantges to being a one-man band? if you could work with any musicians past or present who are some musicians you would love to work with?
Advantages are that I can write music however I want to and do it when I want to, on my own schedule. Disadvantages are that sometimes I get stuck and can't write anymore, or can't play as technical as I'd like something to be. Also, my gear is more limited than it would be otherwise, if there were more people.
Being a one man band is also a matter of motivation, which can change from high to low from time to time.
Not sure who I'd like to work with in particular, just anyone with similar intentions, goals and interests.
6.you recently released your new e.p "patterns of life". how long did it take you to write and record the songs for this release? are you happy with how everything turned out? how has the response been from the press and fans?
The writing took about 3 months, and to record 2 months, because eventually I had to re-do some vocals, add some guitar, and borrow a bass.
I like the songs very much, but I'm not very happy about the sound. The production is too DIY and kind of repulsive. The response is kind of lukewarm, no extremes. There's little response in general.
7.have you started working on songs for the next uvikra release? when you begin working on a new song how long does it usually take for you to complete the song?
I'm done with the second album, but I don't know yet how or when it should be released.
This time a song could take 1-3 months, but I might work on a couple of songs at a time. But some details and/or lyrics eventually get changed after the core has been written, or it might get partly or largely re-written. Basically it's impossible to say how long exactly and generalize, sometimes half a year for a song.
8.as mentioned earlier, you handle all the instruments for the band. which instrument would you say is your favorite one to play? which is your least favorite? is there any instrument you don't currently play that you would love to learn to play?
My favorite is drums and my least favorite is vocals. Right now I don't have any interest to learn anymore instruments.
9.you also handle the vocals for the band, when did you first start singing? who are some of your favorite singers? do you do anything special to keep your throat/voice healthy?
I started "singing" when it was time to record vocals on the first album, in late spring of 2010. But I don't do that type of black metal shrieking anymore. Now it's growls, but I almost never do it. Cirumstances (place of living, surroundings) don't allow that anymore. But I never practiced regularly or did anything special, only drank a lot to keep my throat wet.
It's hard to name favorite singers in extreme metal, because a lot tend to sound almost the same.
10.is uvikra the only band you currently play/work with? if not, please tell the readers a little about your others.
It's the only one.
11. you live in the country of lithuania,so i was curious what is your opinion of the metal-scene in lithuania?
It's not very alive, it could be better.
12.who are some of your all-time favorite lithuanian bands? are there any new bands you think the readers should check out soon?
Anubi, Regredior, Ghostorm. Unfortunately, I can't name new ones that I like very much.
13.what does the term "underground metal" mean to you?
I don't have any ideology associated with it, so it's just metal that's DIY, bands that are unsigned or on small/independent labels.
14.well my friend,we have reached the end of the interview.thank you for taking the time to fill out this interview. do you have any final comments for the readers?
Thanks for the interview. Thanks for reading. Enjoy the music.
contact addresses:
http://uvikra.bandcamp.com
http://myspace.com/uvikra
interview with loikav all instruments,vocals for uvikra done by patrick
1.hails loikav!! how are things going in lithuania? please introduce yourself to the readers.
Hello Winter Torment readers, I'm Loikav, the sole member of Uvikra. Things are going well enough.
2.when did you first discover metal? who were some of the first bands you discovered? who are some of your "current" favorites?
I got into metal 3 years ago because I fell in love with the 80s Metallica and Megadeth albums. I was familiar with metal before, but for some reason not interested in the genre in general.
As for current favorite metal bands, I like a lot of the late 80s, early to mid 90s BM/DM. I don't want to name particular bands, because in many cases I might really like only 1 or 2 albums by a band. And I tend to listen to a lot of stuff, so "current" favorites often change.
3.when did you get the idea to form uvikra? how did you come up with the name of the band? does it have a special meaning? for the readers who have never heard uvikra how would you describe the bands music?
In autumn of 2009, because then the black metal genre was a recent discovery to me, and I wanted to try it myself. Unfortunately, there's nothing I can say about the name of the band.
Hard to describe the music in general, because it's changed stylistically (from black to black/death). The latest material I've created is kind of progressive black/death metal, but it's unreleased yet.
4.you are the sole-member of the band. when you started uvikra did you plan to work alone or have you looked for other members to join the band?
I wanted to work alone in the beginning, and it was hardly possible to do it any other way anyway. But now I'm interested in adding members, or just joining some other band. Although quite slowly, I'm currently attempting to make either of those situations happen.
5.what would you say are the advantges and disadvantges to being a one-man band? if you could work with any musicians past or present who are some musicians you would love to work with?
Advantages are that I can write music however I want to and do it when I want to, on my own schedule. Disadvantages are that sometimes I get stuck and can't write anymore, or can't play as technical as I'd like something to be. Also, my gear is more limited than it would be otherwise, if there were more people.
Being a one man band is also a matter of motivation, which can change from high to low from time to time.
Not sure who I'd like to work with in particular, just anyone with similar intentions, goals and interests.
6.you recently released your new e.p "patterns of life". how long did it take you to write and record the songs for this release? are you happy with how everything turned out? how has the response been from the press and fans?
The writing took about 3 months, and to record 2 months, because eventually I had to re-do some vocals, add some guitar, and borrow a bass.
I like the songs very much, but I'm not very happy about the sound. The production is too DIY and kind of repulsive. The response is kind of lukewarm, no extremes. There's little response in general.
7.have you started working on songs for the next uvikra release? when you begin working on a new song how long does it usually take for you to complete the song?
I'm done with the second album, but I don't know yet how or when it should be released.
This time a song could take 1-3 months, but I might work on a couple of songs at a time. But some details and/or lyrics eventually get changed after the core has been written, or it might get partly or largely re-written. Basically it's impossible to say how long exactly and generalize, sometimes half a year for a song.
8.as mentioned earlier, you handle all the instruments for the band. which instrument would you say is your favorite one to play? which is your least favorite? is there any instrument you don't currently play that you would love to learn to play?
My favorite is drums and my least favorite is vocals. Right now I don't have any interest to learn anymore instruments.
9.you also handle the vocals for the band, when did you first start singing? who are some of your favorite singers? do you do anything special to keep your throat/voice healthy?
I started "singing" when it was time to record vocals on the first album, in late spring of 2010. But I don't do that type of black metal shrieking anymore. Now it's growls, but I almost never do it. Cirumstances (place of living, surroundings) don't allow that anymore. But I never practiced regularly or did anything special, only drank a lot to keep my throat wet.
It's hard to name favorite singers in extreme metal, because a lot tend to sound almost the same.
10.is uvikra the only band you currently play/work with? if not, please tell the readers a little about your others.
It's the only one.
11. you live in the country of lithuania,so i was curious what is your opinion of the metal-scene in lithuania?
It's not very alive, it could be better.
12.who are some of your all-time favorite lithuanian bands? are there any new bands you think the readers should check out soon?
Anubi, Regredior, Ghostorm. Unfortunately, I can't name new ones that I like very much.
13.what does the term "underground metal" mean to you?
I don't have any ideology associated with it, so it's just metal that's DIY, bands that are unsigned or on small/independent labels.
14.well my friend,we have reached the end of the interview.thank you for taking the time to fill out this interview. do you have any final comments for the readers?
Thanks for the interview. Thanks for reading. Enjoy the music.
contact addresses:
http://uvikra.bandcamp.com
http://myspace.com/uvikra
interview with nephrolith done by patrick 9-19-2011
here is another new interview this time it is with the mighty slovenian black metal band nephrolith. this is defintly a good band and deserves your attention and respect mixing in black metal and some elements of atmospheric throughout some of the songs.
best regards,
patrick
Interview with nerthag vocalist for nephrolith done by patrick
1.hails nerthag! how are things going in slovenia? please introduce yourself to the readers?
Greetings! Everything is pretty much standard in Slovenia, nothing special going on.
I am Nerthag the vocalist of a Slovenian black metal band named Nephrolith.
2.when did you and the other members of nephrolith meet? was it long until you formed the band? how did you decide on the name for the band? does it have a special meaning?
Nephrolith was at first my side-project with Isvaroth. The whole purpose was just casualy playing some black metal so I could practice my blast-beats (at the time I played drums). It was in the summer of 2008 and, I think, in the middle of august we decided to switch our priorities and found the guitarist Skargart so we could continue with Nephrolith as our main project. We had a few ideas for the name but Nephrolith sounded right. Nephrolith means kidney (nephros) stones (lithos). At first we thought of it as a symbol of this world (kidney) with the people (stones) destroying the existence.
3.what is the "current" line-up? how would you describe nephrolith's music to someone who has never heard it?
The real Nephrolith line-up, meaning the one that we had on our first concert is still the same. I am handling the vocals, Isvaroth and Skargart on the guitars, Tersagir on bass guitar and Navtyr is handling the drums. Our music is black metal but not something you might have heard of. It is melodic spiced up with influences from various other genres.
4.the band recently released it's new cd "xullux"how long did it take you all to write and record the songs for this release? are you and the other members of the band happy with how everything turned out? how has the response been from the press and the fans?
Well, Xullux was taking its shape all throughout 2009 and the beginning of 2010. We started recording in February of 2010 in Dyz Sonic Temple studio and everything was recorded in 3 months and then the album was mixed in a month or two. I think we are pretty satisfied with how everything turned out, although after you listen to the album for so many times after sometime you figure what could be better. Still, it is our debut and we never expected such a good result. The response from the press was really positive from our perspective, we got the expected critics, and still some really good ratings. Most of the fans were really amazed, but some missed the raw sound and the atmosphere that we had on our demo Vinsketh.
5.does the band get to play very many live shows or do you prefer to work in the studio only? who are some bands you have shared the stage with? if you could set-up a "dream show" who are some bands you would love tour/play with?
We had about 15 live shows in the first year, but then we preferred to have fewer and now we are completely focusing on our upcoming release. We shared the stage with Belphegor, Hate, Impaled Nazarene, Mortifera etc. I don’t have a dream show, there are bands I deeply respect, but on the other hand there is the tour with bands that might enable you to present music to bigger masses. Tough decision.
As it is a dream show I would revive Jon and Dissection and go on a blasting tour. If I am not restricting myself to the genre I would go with Katatonia, because I never get sick of listening to them. But if I think genre-wise and at least a bit possible, I would say Borknagar, especially now that they have Simen Hestnæs back.
6.you handle the vocals for the band,at what age did you start singing? who are some of your influences/favorite singers?
I am not sure exactly when I started singing, because I am always singing when listening to any kind of music alone. But I started practicing growl vocals around the age of 16.
I am mostly influenced by singers that don’t do much growling, like Simen Hestnæs, Jonas Renkse and Layne Staley. The biggest ‘growling’ influence on Xullux is probably Erik Danielsson.
7.do you do anything to keep your throat/voice healthy? besides singing do you play any other instruments?
Yeah I always try to warm up my voice properly, maybe eat some potato chips, a beer or two, sip of whiskey and I’m ready. I play drums whenever I can, else I have to be happy with the guitar when I am on the University in Ljubljana.
8.do you or any of the members of nephrolith currently play in any other bands or side-projects? if yes please tell the readers a little about them.
We had quite a few short-lived side-projects, but now we are all focusing on Nephrolith.
9.everyone has their own ideas/opinions on what "black metal" means. so i was curious in your own opinion what does black metal mean to you?
Well black metal is more than just a genre to me. It is a way of expressing your extremes musically and visually.
10.the band comes out of slovenia's black metal underground. so i was curious what is your opinion of your countries metal scene?
My opinion of the Slovenian metal scene is kind of mixed. I think that the whole metal scene is big in Slovenia, but the organization of some events, the mentality of some people is just sad. Not everything is shit, some events are just simply great and there are really a lot of them throughout the year. Heads up to those. I think there isn’t enough support and help between Slovenian bands and people. Too much hatred between some is not the perfect solution to bring the message and metal culture out correctly.
11.who are some of your all-time favorite slovenian bands? are their any new bands you feel the readers should check out?
I have to mention bands like Siddharta who I liked since I was little. Nowadays they have some experimental rock going on. But when they released Rh- they had this great combo of symphonic metal and rock, I really love that album, worth checking. I think Laibach and of course Devil Doll, the experimental geniuses shouldn’t be left out, not exactly metal, but it had great influence on the bands to come. Baptism at Savica Fall demo/album from Noctiferia is the high point in the early Slovenian black metal scene for sure. I really don’t feel too confident about any new bands at the moment. There are some with potential, but nothing promising yet.
12.i believe 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 of the zine?
Check us out if you haven't yet and thanks to all of you who took the time to read it.
