metal hails!!
here is a new interview with stefan of the serbian black metal band zloslut. stefan has just released his debut e.p "pustos i prevare izgubljenih" through stefan's own small but growing label silent scream records {find addresses for ordering at end of the interview}
enjoy and support the real underground bands,labels that are making music for the love of it,not the money.
keep the flames of metal burning bright.
patrick and winter torment web-zine
interview with stefan "hunter" sucurovic vocalist,all instruments for zloslut,owner of silent scream rec. done by patrick.
1.hails stefan!! thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me. please introduce yourself to the readers.
Hello Patrick, thanks for showing interest in Zloslut works, i am glad to collaborate with you once again with your great web-zine Winter Torment!
I'm the only member of Zloslut, i do everything from composition of music to releasing process.
I also take parts in two more bands Kolac and Stonecrypt, and i am the owner and creator of Silent Scream Records label.
2. when did you get the idea to creat zloslut? how did you come up with name for the band? for the readers who have never heard zloslut's music how would you best describe it?
The idea comed to me when i quit the band Kritical in 2010, i just wanted to do something were i decide about everything, and to play what i really wanted...
So i had few lyrics done, and some riffs, but the story of Zloslut fastly faded in my mind, since i didn't know where to record, practice, today i am more mature in musical experience, so it is easly of course..
In summer 2010 Sothis and i formed Stonecrypt, so Zloslut were just an old kid story for me..
In June 2011, i was pissed of, since i reallize i couldn't express myself in Stonecrypt, so i reformed it, the rest is already a known story...
Zloslut is a Serbian word that means "the one who means evil".
The name describes the best ideology and music of the band.
3.you recently released your second e.p "pustos i prevare izgubljen" through your label silent scream rec. how long did it take you to write and record the songs for this release?
Actually it's the first.
It took me few weeks for the lyrics, since i were in an inspirating period, hehe..
The music composition somehow comed fastly, and when i were ready, i just contacted Zlorog from Kolac, to record at his home studio, since he is a lot introduced in that production world...
It took just two days, from recording to the final mix.
4. if any metal fans or zines,labels are interested in buying or trading with you for the current zloslut releases how many copies do you have of each release? how can the metal-fanatics of the underground get ahold of you?
The EP and the single that were released just a month after, are not limited.
The fans can easily come in contact with, i will leave contacts at the end of the interview..
Trades are possible with Silent Scream Records, so just ask before, and we will make a deal..
We have few limited releases, so for them, be fast, we don't have much left.
Of course our releases are available worldwide, from Grom Records, Depressive Illusions Records, Smell The Stench, Some Kind Of Distro, Winter Solace, Metallic Media and a lot more!
5.you are the sole member of zloslut when you got the idea for the band, did you plan to work alone? have you thought about about maybe adding more members so zloslut could play some live shows. or do you prefer to keep it a studio-only band?
As i said earlier in the interview, i wanted Zloslut to be a one man band, not because it's true or something, but because i wanted to decide about everything in my music/lyrics etc..
I'm a hard bandmate, so when it comes to my ideas, i can't let things go easy..
Of course, i would like to play live, but nothing until Zloslut first album, it's ridiculous for me when a band got just few demos and an EP, and plays live, so i want to have something more concrete then just few releases..
I will find few people that will be the live session members, and will do few shows for sure.
6.you live in the great country of serbia,it seems to me that serbia has a good scene that has really been growing with some great,quality black,death metal bands over the last few years would you agree? what is your opinion of serbia's metal scene?
We have good bands, not only in the metal scene, but anyway, here the public is just interested to download music from internet, and drink few beer in front of the club, and try to enter for free, of course in Serbia, lot of people have money just to survive the month, so we can't blame the public.
Anyway it's a shame that bands here are not more "united", i think there are chances to take a step forward.
7.who are some of your all-time favorite serbian metal bands? are their any new bands you feel the readers should check out soon?
Some of my favourite, hmmm...
Bombarder, The Stone, May Result, Infest, Bane, Kozeljnik... For me those few bands have done a lot for the Serbian extreme metal scene...
Of course few more bands that deserve attention from the readers Absurdoom, Mrznja, Ana Never (Post Rock).
8.how do u see the black metal scen changing over the years?
Nice question, well, every "super true misanthropic blacker" says that today the black metal scene is just a copy/past from the old Norwegian scene...
Well i don't look it that way, in the last few years a lot of bands have been formed in the Black Metal scene that are worth attention, for example take Austere (Australia), Selvmorrd, Darkenhöld, Heretoir, Happy Days, Nocturnal Blood, Bane, Absurdoom...
Of course there will be always some idiots making bands/project and sounding as shit and taking themselves for serious...
But i just ignore them...
9.besides zloslut you also own and run the small label silent scream rec. when did you get the idea to start the label? do you run it by yourself?
The idea for Silent Scream Records comed in 2010 when Stonecrypt was searching for a label to release the first demo.
After releasing it in january 2011, i just wanted SSR to be a label for my own bands, but the idea fastly changed, so now i am in contact with a lot of bands from everywhere, we have few releases in planes, Paimonia - Modern Way Of Distraction and Necrosadik - Cold Sordid Pleasure.
I am the creator and owner of SSR, but after long time working alone, i had to "recruit" someone, so Rade Panajotovic is helping the whole story, and Grob bassist of Kolac is taking the distro parts.
10.will you only release zloslut releases through silent scream rec. or have you thought of signing and releasing other bands as well? please tell the readers a little about each of your releases so far?
No of course, Silent Scream Records had a lot of releases, not only Zloslut, we had on our ranks Uruk-Hai (Austria), Revenge (Columbia), Mrznja, Kolac, Stonecrypt.. And many more.
11.if any bands are reading this what styles of metal are you most interested in signing and releasing? how can the bands contact you?
Silent Scream Records is specially interested in Black Metal but also Death, Thrash and Doom.
We are also interested in some good HNW, Noise, Ambient projects..
Anyone interested for a possible release, contact: sucurovicstefan@yahoo.com
12.well stefan i believe we have reached the end do you have any final comments or news you would like to share with the readers before we end the interview.
Thank you Patrick, Winter Torment and the readers!
All informations are available on the following links:
http://silentscreamrecords.webs.com/
http://zloslutserbia.webs.com/
sucurovicstefan@yahoo.com
here is a new interview with stefan of the serbian black metal band zloslut. stefan has just released his debut e.p "pustos i prevare izgubljenih" through stefan's own small but growing label silent scream records {find addresses for ordering at end of the interview}
enjoy and support the real underground bands,labels that are making music for the love of it,not the money.
keep the flames of metal burning bright.
patrick and winter torment web-zine
interview with stefan "hunter" sucurovic vocalist,all instruments for zloslut,owner of silent scream rec. done by patrick.
1.hails stefan!! thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me. please introduce yourself to the readers.
Hello Patrick, thanks for showing interest in Zloslut works, i am glad to collaborate with you once again with your great web-zine Winter Torment!
I'm the only member of Zloslut, i do everything from composition of music to releasing process.
I also take parts in two more bands Kolac and Stonecrypt, and i am the owner and creator of Silent Scream Records label.
2. when did you get the idea to creat zloslut? how did you come up with name for the band? for the readers who have never heard zloslut's music how would you best describe it?
The idea comed to me when i quit the band Kritical in 2010, i just wanted to do something were i decide about everything, and to play what i really wanted...
So i had few lyrics done, and some riffs, but the story of Zloslut fastly faded in my mind, since i didn't know where to record, practice, today i am more mature in musical experience, so it is easly of course..
In summer 2010 Sothis and i formed Stonecrypt, so Zloslut were just an old kid story for me..
In June 2011, i was pissed of, since i reallize i couldn't express myself in Stonecrypt, so i reformed it, the rest is already a known story...
Zloslut is a Serbian word that means "the one who means evil".
The name describes the best ideology and music of the band.
3.you recently released your second e.p "pustos i prevare izgubljen" through your label silent scream rec. how long did it take you to write and record the songs for this release?
Actually it's the first.
It took me few weeks for the lyrics, since i were in an inspirating period, hehe..
The music composition somehow comed fastly, and when i were ready, i just contacted Zlorog from Kolac, to record at his home studio, since he is a lot introduced in that production world...
It took just two days, from recording to the final mix.
4. if any metal fans or zines,labels are interested in buying or trading with you for the current zloslut releases how many copies do you have of each release? how can the metal-fanatics of the underground get ahold of you?
The EP and the single that were released just a month after, are not limited.
The fans can easily come in contact with, i will leave contacts at the end of the interview..
Trades are possible with Silent Scream Records, so just ask before, and we will make a deal..
We have few limited releases, so for them, be fast, we don't have much left.
Of course our releases are available worldwide, from Grom Records, Depressive Illusions Records, Smell The Stench, Some Kind Of Distro, Winter Solace, Metallic Media and a lot more!
5.you are the sole member of zloslut when you got the idea for the band, did you plan to work alone? have you thought about about maybe adding more members so zloslut could play some live shows. or do you prefer to keep it a studio-only band?
As i said earlier in the interview, i wanted Zloslut to be a one man band, not because it's true or something, but because i wanted to decide about everything in my music/lyrics etc..
I'm a hard bandmate, so when it comes to my ideas, i can't let things go easy..
Of course, i would like to play live, but nothing until Zloslut first album, it's ridiculous for me when a band got just few demos and an EP, and plays live, so i want to have something more concrete then just few releases..
I will find few people that will be the live session members, and will do few shows for sure.
6.you live in the great country of serbia,it seems to me that serbia has a good scene that has really been growing with some great,quality black,death metal bands over the last few years would you agree? what is your opinion of serbia's metal scene?
We have good bands, not only in the metal scene, but anyway, here the public is just interested to download music from internet, and drink few beer in front of the club, and try to enter for free, of course in Serbia, lot of people have money just to survive the month, so we can't blame the public.
Anyway it's a shame that bands here are not more "united", i think there are chances to take a step forward.
7.who are some of your all-time favorite serbian metal bands? are their any new bands you feel the readers should check out soon?
Some of my favourite, hmmm...
Bombarder, The Stone, May Result, Infest, Bane, Kozeljnik... For me those few bands have done a lot for the Serbian extreme metal scene...
Of course few more bands that deserve attention from the readers Absurdoom, Mrznja, Ana Never (Post Rock).
8.how do u see the black metal scen changing over the years?
Nice question, well, every "super true misanthropic blacker" says that today the black metal scene is just a copy/past from the old Norwegian scene...
Well i don't look it that way, in the last few years a lot of bands have been formed in the Black Metal scene that are worth attention, for example take Austere (Australia), Selvmorrd, Darkenhöld, Heretoir, Happy Days, Nocturnal Blood, Bane, Absurdoom...
Of course there will be always some idiots making bands/project and sounding as shit and taking themselves for serious...
But i just ignore them...
9.besides zloslut you also own and run the small label silent scream rec. when did you get the idea to start the label? do you run it by yourself?
The idea for Silent Scream Records comed in 2010 when Stonecrypt was searching for a label to release the first demo.
After releasing it in january 2011, i just wanted SSR to be a label for my own bands, but the idea fastly changed, so now i am in contact with a lot of bands from everywhere, we have few releases in planes, Paimonia - Modern Way Of Distraction and Necrosadik - Cold Sordid Pleasure.
I am the creator and owner of SSR, but after long time working alone, i had to "recruit" someone, so Rade Panajotovic is helping the whole story, and Grob bassist of Kolac is taking the distro parts.
10.will you only release zloslut releases through silent scream rec. or have you thought of signing and releasing other bands as well? please tell the readers a little about each of your releases so far?
No of course, Silent Scream Records had a lot of releases, not only Zloslut, we had on our ranks Uruk-Hai (Austria), Revenge (Columbia), Mrznja, Kolac, Stonecrypt.. And many more.
11.if any bands are reading this what styles of metal are you most interested in signing and releasing? how can the bands contact you?
Silent Scream Records is specially interested in Black Metal but also Death, Thrash and Doom.
We are also interested in some good HNW, Noise, Ambient projects..
Anyone interested for a possible release, contact: sucurovicstefan@yahoo.com
12.well stefan i believe we have reached the end do you have any final comments or news you would like to share with the readers before we end the interview.
Thank you Patrick, Winter Torment and the readers!
All informations are available on the following links:
http://silentscreamrecords.webs.com/
http://zloslutserbia.webs.com/
sucurovicstefan@yahoo.com
Monday, March 19, 2012
New reviews for 3-19-12
here is a batch of new interviews,for everyone to read and hopefully you
find a band {or many bands} that you will enjoy!! we have a little of
everything in this batch this time around black,death,folk etc.. so
enjoy and any bands or labels interested in a review don't hesistate to
email me!!
regards,
patrick and winter torment web-zine
azaghal-nemesis cd {moribund records}{reviewed by patrick}
legendary finnish black metallers return with their ninth masterpiece of blackness.that is something any band should be proud of in this day,considering most bands either break-up or completly change musicical direction over the years.but not azaghal,they continue on with their brand of hateful,violent finnish black metal.
fast,furious razor sharp guitars,blasting drums and vicious demonic screams combined together to create the cold atmosphere that is azaghal.not alot more can be said about azaghal you either love this style of pure,cold black metal or you hate it. but i can not think of any other band does it better than azaghal.
label contact
www.moribundcult.com
black crow king-to pay the debt of nature cd {bad god music}{reviewed by patrick}
black crow king is the vision of corvus {vocals,all instruments} the music is a nice blend of blackend doom with some expirmental and even moments of sludge doom mixed in. usually you would not think these styles would work together but corvus does a good job mixing them in and creating a dark,and sometimes eerie/creepy atmsosphere.the vocals are a natural fit to black crow king's music,with with harsh,spoken word style vocals.i think black crow king have a good future for itself in the expirmental black metal scene. so if you enjoy blackend doom that is creative and not afraid to add other genres within their sound you will enjoy this alot.
label contact
www.badgodmusic.com
coprostasis---d.e.a.t.h cd {self-released}{reviewed by patrick}
this is my first encounter with bulgaria's coprostasis, dirty exterminating arrogant turbo holocaust {or d.e.a.t.h for short} the band mix catchy,memorable yet aggressive death/thrash metal,with some modern brutal death metal and hyper-speed grinding-blasting drums the grinding parts are only used in small amounts so i really would not consider coprostasis a grind band.the vocals are sick growls and some occasionally guttural growls. coprostasis are a great band and defintly know how to play good death-thrash mix. if you enjoy fast,violent music then you don't wanna miss coprostasis.
band contact
http://www.myspace.com/coprostasis
http://www.youtube.com/user/rashpilata
deathhammer-onwards to the pits cd {hells headbangers rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
from the opening riff of onwards it is obvious the members of deathhammer are influenced by the classic black/thrash sounds of the mid 80's,early 90's. with the aggressive,whirlwind guitars mixed with the drummers aggressive blasts of fury.the band does draw from their influences but without being a total clone band. their is enough originality and well-thought out guitar patterns to keep the old-school fanatics happy without having to rip-off any one elder god band or certain country from the golden era of speed/thrash metal. if you crave chaotic,insane blackend,speed metal then look no further deathhammer is here to crush all.
label contact,
www.hellsheadbangers.com
enthroned--obsidium cd {agonia records}{reviewed by patrick}
over the years of doing my zine activities {either doing my own zines or as a "writer" for other peoples great zines} i have had the pleasure of hearing enthroned.and the band never disapoints me with their brand of uncompromising black metal.the band has been a part of the black metal underground for nearly 20 years!! for those unknown to these legends the band plays uncompromising,violent black metal with touches of death metal in the guitar tones.enthroned do a great job of playing violent,traditional black metal but also making each song stand on their own and not sounding all the same. here is to seeing,hearing enthroned tear up the underground for another 20 yrs!!!
label contact
www.agoniarecords.com
erebus enthroned--night's black angel cd {seance records}{reviewed by patrick}
this is the debut release from erebus enthroned,but you would never guess it by listening to the brilliant music created on night's black angel.the australian black metal horde carry the torch high for aussie metal.creating brutal,yet memorable black metal.the guitars are played mid-paced range for most of the cd but do have times where they are unleashed to create a chaotic,frenzied riffs and feel.drums are equally as precise and intense with complex beats and structures.i like the production on night's black angel as it is not over-produced,but also doesnt have the raw,rehearsel sound either.if the band keeps writing quality music like this i see great things for them.
label contact
www.seancerecords.com
forgjord-sielunvihollinen cd {hammer of hate rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
i always look forward to a new promo pack from hammer of hate if their was a label that knows their violent black black metal it is h.o.h. this time the label unleashes forgjord's third release and what an assult on the senses. cold,vicious and pure violent black metal just the way it is meant to be played.forgjord embrace the classic finnish sound perfectly with harsh screechy vocals,raw razor-sharp guitars that will tear your soul apart with each riff and drums that are all over the place with mid-paced beats to more a furious barrage of blast beats. forgjord will not disapoint any of the bands long-time fans or if your like me and new to the band but you enjoy cold,vicious finnish b.m then forgjord's latest is a must have.
label contact
www.hammer-of-hate.com
heidevolk--batavi cd {napalm records} {reviewed by patrick}
this is possibly heidevolk's best work to date! with batavi the band incorporate alot more aggressive,heavier thrash and even death metal guitars and sound within their music. but long time fans should not worry as the band has not turned it's back on their pagan,folk roots keeping these influences well intact in the new songs.along with more aggressive metal influences heidevolk has some amazing melodic,mid-paced guitars and even some acoustics that are done beautifully.the vocals are what really grabbed my attention was the vocalist with the range going from heavy,death growl but then in the next range going a completly different direction with clean male vocals,and chants,sing-along choruses. heidevolk have released one of the best pagan,folk,death releases in a long time and defintly worth your hard earned money.
label contact
www.napalmrecords.com
hellsaw--trist cd {napalm records}{reviewed by patrick}
austria's hellsaw are back with a vengance.trist is nine songs of classic,traditional black metal done the way the it was originally meant to sound dark,cold and vicious.the guitarist play at whirlwind speeds but also slow it down a bit to keep the music interesting and not to become repetitive or boring.the drumming is perfection whether being blasts or slowed to a more controlled mid-paced sound.hellsaw are not completly violent,straight-forward black metal as their some melodic interludes and even clean chanting vocals in the song "a winter cold".hellsaw has defintly released a great one with trist.
label contact
www.napalmrecords.com
hellvetron--death scroll of the seven hells and it's infernal majesties cd {hells headbangers rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
this is a new band to my ears,and it's not a bad listen at all.hellvetron play a very dark,heavy mix of early 90's death/doom with slow pounding drums, crushing guitar chords. hellvetron kind of remind of skepticism,disembowlment etc. to give you some idea of their sound.their is a very dark atmosphere intertwined within the death/doom to kind of give it a black,dark metal atmopshere.vocals are deep,slow almost talking like vocals that fit perfect with the slow,bleak music.hellvetron are defintly not for every metal fan out there but if you enjoy bands like skepticism,disembowlment,or slow death/doom they might be your cup your of tea.
label contact
www.hellsheadbangers.com
national collapse-advanced copy of demo {self-released}{reviewed by patrick}
this is a "advanced" copy of national collapse 4 song demo/promo to be released sometime in 2012. for those unfamilar with this trio from ohio national collapse consist of andrew parrish {vocalist,ex-riphead},dan gates {formerly of ton,riphead} and kevin kraft {formely of riphead} so these three guys are no strangers to creating,quality brutal death metal.the music is a nice mix of early 90's u.s style death metal and some modern day technical d.m {but not over-board on the technical side like so many} heavy fast guitars with some really complex and original structures and solo's. kevin's drumming is top-notch fast,precise with fast yet well-played beats and patterns. andrew's vocals have never sounded better,i have always liked the way andrew does a brutal,yet understandble kind of growl one of the best in the scene if you ask me.i am not exactly sure when this will be released or any details {i'll post news as soon as i do!} but if you are fan of death metal and want to hear national collapse check them out on myspace and facebook {unsure of any other sites they might be on at this moment but i know f.book,and myspace for sure you can listen to a few of their tracks}
band contact
http://www.myspace.com/nationalcollapse
nattfog--mustan auringon ritti cd {hamer of hate rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
finland never ceases to amaze me with it's never-ending sea of great bands whether it is the traditional,hateful black metal or more atmospheric blackend death. it is mostly always good.well you can now add nattfog to this ever growing long list of bands. nattfog is a duo creating what else? cold,grim and harsh black metal. the songs are fairly long for this style of music though ranging from 3 minutes up to 9 minutes. but the band members are good enough song-writers and musicians they can make the songs a little long but never gets boring to my ears.raw,primitive production and harsh mid-paced raw guitars,with some killer drumming along with some well-done sick,violent black metal shrieks. fans of sargeist,horna, etc.. will love nattfog so defintly give this a chance.
label contact
www.hammer-of-hate.com
ominous crucifix--the spell of damnation cd { FDA.rekotz}{reviewed by patrick}
the spell of damnation is the creation of mexico's ominous crucifix,to be truthful i had my doubts for this band and release. due to the massive amounts of bands that are playing and releasing old-school styled death metal the last few years. but ominious crucifix are really good and can be and should be added to the list of bands that are doing the old-school gods right,by playing and producing quality well-played death metal.heavy.thick mid-paced guitars and bass.deep growls spew out the lyrics.ominous crucifix have done a good job of creating old-school death metal that is enjoyable and memorable.
label contact
www.fda-rekotz.com
pact-the dragon lineage of satan cd {moribund records} {reviewed by patrick}
pact hail from the u.s black metal underground but don't follow any trends or "current" trends in the scene.instead the band relys on their knowledge of the occult for lyrical and dark inspiration along with their love of destructive,violent black metal pact has molded these things into one of the best albums i've heard in awhile. each song is different in style and sound while still maintaing the insanity and hateful atmosphere of the bands message.pact are probably one of the best bands to emerge out of the u.s black metal scene in sometime and if you enjoy this style of evil,occult black metal don't let pact pass you by.
label contact
www.moribundcult.com
pestilential shadows-depths cd {seance records}{reviewed by patrick}
australia's pestilential shadows continue their journey of creating and releasing quality,great black metal on their newest release depths.pestilential shadows do play the classic black metal style with plenty of violent and unrelenting music.but the band also adds a certain element of atmospheric black metal within their sound to give the band a very unique and original sound. the band is one of the bands i can think of that can mix in "atmosphere" to their music without compromising the violent,straight forward black metal sound.if you enjoy original, straight-forward black metal then pestilential shadows has created a masterpiece.
label contact
www.seancerecords.com
the stone-- golet cd {folter records}(reviewed by patrick}
one of serbia's most well respected and known bands return with their best release to date!. golet is the latest release from the stone and shows the band still creating complex,uncompromising and above all original black metal. the bands sound is firmly set in the roots of black metal but is very hard to pin point a certain band they sound similar to.the songs are mid-paced range but do speed up but usually move back and forth between mid-range and fast as hell black metal keeping the listener interested as to what the band will do next.the band keeps their production somewhere in the middle not the most crystal clear sounding band {personally black metal should never sound like this to me} but it also does not have a real primitive,rehearsel type of sound like so many of the early bands of the genre had. the stone has been going strong since the mid 90's and one listen to their latest release golet you will understand why. all hail the stone and serbian metal!!!
label contact
www.folter666.de
regards,
patrick and winter torment web-zine
azaghal-nemesis cd {moribund records}{reviewed by patrick}
legendary finnish black metallers return with their ninth masterpiece of blackness.that is something any band should be proud of in this day,considering most bands either break-up or completly change musicical direction over the years.but not azaghal,they continue on with their brand of hateful,violent finnish black metal.
fast,furious razor sharp guitars,blasting drums and vicious demonic screams combined together to create the cold atmosphere that is azaghal.not alot more can be said about azaghal you either love this style of pure,cold black metal or you hate it. but i can not think of any other band does it better than azaghal.
label contact
www.moribundcult.com
black crow king-to pay the debt of nature cd {bad god music}{reviewed by patrick}
black crow king is the vision of corvus {vocals,all instruments} the music is a nice blend of blackend doom with some expirmental and even moments of sludge doom mixed in. usually you would not think these styles would work together but corvus does a good job mixing them in and creating a dark,and sometimes eerie/creepy atmsosphere.the vocals are a natural fit to black crow king's music,with with harsh,spoken word style vocals.i think black crow king have a good future for itself in the expirmental black metal scene. so if you enjoy blackend doom that is creative and not afraid to add other genres within their sound you will enjoy this alot.
label contact
www.badgodmusic.com
coprostasis---d.e.a.t.h cd {self-released}{reviewed by patrick}
this is my first encounter with bulgaria's coprostasis, dirty exterminating arrogant turbo holocaust {or d.e.a.t.h for short} the band mix catchy,memorable yet aggressive death/thrash metal,with some modern brutal death metal and hyper-speed grinding-blasting drums the grinding parts are only used in small amounts so i really would not consider coprostasis a grind band.the vocals are sick growls and some occasionally guttural growls. coprostasis are a great band and defintly know how to play good death-thrash mix. if you enjoy fast,violent music then you don't wanna miss coprostasis.
band contact
http://www.myspace.com/coprostasis
http://www.youtube.com/user/rashpilata
deathhammer-onwards to the pits cd {hells headbangers rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
from the opening riff of onwards it is obvious the members of deathhammer are influenced by the classic black/thrash sounds of the mid 80's,early 90's. with the aggressive,whirlwind guitars mixed with the drummers aggressive blasts of fury.the band does draw from their influences but without being a total clone band. their is enough originality and well-thought out guitar patterns to keep the old-school fanatics happy without having to rip-off any one elder god band or certain country from the golden era of speed/thrash metal. if you crave chaotic,insane blackend,speed metal then look no further deathhammer is here to crush all.
label contact,
www.hellsheadbangers.com
enthroned--obsidium cd {agonia records}{reviewed by patrick}
over the years of doing my zine activities {either doing my own zines or as a "writer" for other peoples great zines} i have had the pleasure of hearing enthroned.and the band never disapoints me with their brand of uncompromising black metal.the band has been a part of the black metal underground for nearly 20 years!! for those unknown to these legends the band plays uncompromising,violent black metal with touches of death metal in the guitar tones.enthroned do a great job of playing violent,traditional black metal but also making each song stand on their own and not sounding all the same. here is to seeing,hearing enthroned tear up the underground for another 20 yrs!!!
label contact
www.agoniarecords.com
erebus enthroned--night's black angel cd {seance records}{reviewed by patrick}
this is the debut release from erebus enthroned,but you would never guess it by listening to the brilliant music created on night's black angel.the australian black metal horde carry the torch high for aussie metal.creating brutal,yet memorable black metal.the guitars are played mid-paced range for most of the cd but do have times where they are unleashed to create a chaotic,frenzied riffs and feel.drums are equally as precise and intense with complex beats and structures.i like the production on night's black angel as it is not over-produced,but also doesnt have the raw,rehearsel sound either.if the band keeps writing quality music like this i see great things for them.
label contact
www.seancerecords.com
forgjord-sielunvihollinen cd {hammer of hate rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
i always look forward to a new promo pack from hammer of hate if their was a label that knows their violent black black metal it is h.o.h. this time the label unleashes forgjord's third release and what an assult on the senses. cold,vicious and pure violent black metal just the way it is meant to be played.forgjord embrace the classic finnish sound perfectly with harsh screechy vocals,raw razor-sharp guitars that will tear your soul apart with each riff and drums that are all over the place with mid-paced beats to more a furious barrage of blast beats. forgjord will not disapoint any of the bands long-time fans or if your like me and new to the band but you enjoy cold,vicious finnish b.m then forgjord's latest is a must have.
label contact
www.hammer-of-hate.com
heidevolk--batavi cd {napalm records} {reviewed by patrick}
this is possibly heidevolk's best work to date! with batavi the band incorporate alot more aggressive,heavier thrash and even death metal guitars and sound within their music. but long time fans should not worry as the band has not turned it's back on their pagan,folk roots keeping these influences well intact in the new songs.along with more aggressive metal influences heidevolk has some amazing melodic,mid-paced guitars and even some acoustics that are done beautifully.the vocals are what really grabbed my attention was the vocalist with the range going from heavy,death growl but then in the next range going a completly different direction with clean male vocals,and chants,sing-along choruses. heidevolk have released one of the best pagan,folk,death releases in a long time and defintly worth your hard earned money.
label contact
www.napalmrecords.com
hellsaw--trist cd {napalm records}{reviewed by patrick}
austria's hellsaw are back with a vengance.trist is nine songs of classic,traditional black metal done the way the it was originally meant to sound dark,cold and vicious.the guitarist play at whirlwind speeds but also slow it down a bit to keep the music interesting and not to become repetitive or boring.the drumming is perfection whether being blasts or slowed to a more controlled mid-paced sound.hellsaw are not completly violent,straight-forward black metal as their some melodic interludes and even clean chanting vocals in the song "a winter cold".hellsaw has defintly released a great one with trist.
label contact
www.napalmrecords.com
hellvetron--death scroll of the seven hells and it's infernal majesties cd {hells headbangers rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
this is a new band to my ears,and it's not a bad listen at all.hellvetron play a very dark,heavy mix of early 90's death/doom with slow pounding drums, crushing guitar chords. hellvetron kind of remind of skepticism,disembowlment etc. to give you some idea of their sound.their is a very dark atmosphere intertwined within the death/doom to kind of give it a black,dark metal atmopshere.vocals are deep,slow almost talking like vocals that fit perfect with the slow,bleak music.hellvetron are defintly not for every metal fan out there but if you enjoy bands like skepticism,disembowlment,or slow death/doom they might be your cup your of tea.
label contact
www.hellsheadbangers.com
national collapse-advanced copy of demo {self-released}{reviewed by patrick}
this is a "advanced" copy of national collapse 4 song demo/promo to be released sometime in 2012. for those unfamilar with this trio from ohio national collapse consist of andrew parrish {vocalist,ex-riphead},dan gates {formerly of ton,riphead} and kevin kraft {formely of riphead} so these three guys are no strangers to creating,quality brutal death metal.the music is a nice mix of early 90's u.s style death metal and some modern day technical d.m {but not over-board on the technical side like so many} heavy fast guitars with some really complex and original structures and solo's. kevin's drumming is top-notch fast,precise with fast yet well-played beats and patterns. andrew's vocals have never sounded better,i have always liked the way andrew does a brutal,yet understandble kind of growl one of the best in the scene if you ask me.i am not exactly sure when this will be released or any details {i'll post news as soon as i do!} but if you are fan of death metal and want to hear national collapse check them out on myspace and facebook {unsure of any other sites they might be on at this moment but i know f.book,and myspace for sure you can listen to a few of their tracks}
band contact
http://www.myspace.com/nationalcollapse
nattfog--mustan auringon ritti cd {hamer of hate rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
finland never ceases to amaze me with it's never-ending sea of great bands whether it is the traditional,hateful black metal or more atmospheric blackend death. it is mostly always good.well you can now add nattfog to this ever growing long list of bands. nattfog is a duo creating what else? cold,grim and harsh black metal. the songs are fairly long for this style of music though ranging from 3 minutes up to 9 minutes. but the band members are good enough song-writers and musicians they can make the songs a little long but never gets boring to my ears.raw,primitive production and harsh mid-paced raw guitars,with some killer drumming along with some well-done sick,violent black metal shrieks. fans of sargeist,horna, etc.. will love nattfog so defintly give this a chance.
label contact
www.hammer-of-hate.com
ominous crucifix--the spell of damnation cd { FDA.rekotz}{reviewed by patrick}
the spell of damnation is the creation of mexico's ominous crucifix,to be truthful i had my doubts for this band and release. due to the massive amounts of bands that are playing and releasing old-school styled death metal the last few years. but ominious crucifix are really good and can be and should be added to the list of bands that are doing the old-school gods right,by playing and producing quality well-played death metal.heavy.thick mid-paced guitars and bass.deep growls spew out the lyrics.ominous crucifix have done a good job of creating old-school death metal that is enjoyable and memorable.
label contact
www.fda-rekotz.com
pact-the dragon lineage of satan cd {moribund records} {reviewed by patrick}
pact hail from the u.s black metal underground but don't follow any trends or "current" trends in the scene.instead the band relys on their knowledge of the occult for lyrical and dark inspiration along with their love of destructive,violent black metal pact has molded these things into one of the best albums i've heard in awhile. each song is different in style and sound while still maintaing the insanity and hateful atmosphere of the bands message.pact are probably one of the best bands to emerge out of the u.s black metal scene in sometime and if you enjoy this style of evil,occult black metal don't let pact pass you by.
label contact
www.moribundcult.com
pestilential shadows-depths cd {seance records}{reviewed by patrick}
australia's pestilential shadows continue their journey of creating and releasing quality,great black metal on their newest release depths.pestilential shadows do play the classic black metal style with plenty of violent and unrelenting music.but the band also adds a certain element of atmospheric black metal within their sound to give the band a very unique and original sound. the band is one of the bands i can think of that can mix in "atmosphere" to their music without compromising the violent,straight forward black metal sound.if you enjoy original, straight-forward black metal then pestilential shadows has created a masterpiece.
label contact
www.seancerecords.com
the stone-- golet cd {folter records}(reviewed by patrick}
one of serbia's most well respected and known bands return with their best release to date!. golet is the latest release from the stone and shows the band still creating complex,uncompromising and above all original black metal. the bands sound is firmly set in the roots of black metal but is very hard to pin point a certain band they sound similar to.the songs are mid-paced range but do speed up but usually move back and forth between mid-range and fast as hell black metal keeping the listener interested as to what the band will do next.the band keeps their production somewhere in the middle not the most crystal clear sounding band {personally black metal should never sound like this to me} but it also does not have a real primitive,rehearsel type of sound like so many of the early bands of the genre had. the stone has been going strong since the mid 90's and one listen to their latest release golet you will understand why. all hail the stone and serbian metal!!!
label contact
www.folter666.de
Sunday, March 11, 2012
interview with enthroned done by patrick 3-11-12
here is another interview for the great readers/supporters of winter
torment. this time we have the legendary enthroned from belgium.the
band recently released it's 9th masterpiece of black metal through
agonia records. fans of pure old-school style black metal will love this
band..
best regards,
patrick and winter torment web-zine
interview with nornagest vocals,guitars for enthroned done by patrick
1.hails nornagest thank you for taking the time to fill out this interview. please introduce yourself to the readers who might not be familar with you or enthroned.
I am Nornagest vocalist, lead guitar player and song writer of Enthroned. Enthroned has been performing Black metal in the pure sens of the word for 20 years now and we are ready to release our 9th album "Obsidium" on Agonia Records on April 10th in the US.
2.when did you all first meet? when did you get the idea to form enthroned? what is the "current" line-up? how would you describe enthroned's music to the readers who have never heard it?
I met Cernunnos, the first drummer and founding member in 1992 at a Samael/ Morbid Angel show in Antwerp, Belgium. The band was formed in 1993, the goal was to create a band that would be the catalyst for the belief of its members using the most powerful kind of sound to carry its energies, and what is more powerful than extreme metal? Enthroned performs Black Metal, meaning that our music is the soundtrack for our lyrical concept, extreme and aggressive yet dark and full of variations, that's how I could describe it the best IMO.
3.enthroned has been going strong in the black metal scene for nearly twenty years! when you started the band did you ever think you and the band would still be going this strong? what is it about enthroned and the black metal scene that has kept you motivated for so long?
Ha! There's absolutely NOTHING about this scene that kept us doing what we do or been doing for almost two decades; our honesty towards ourselves would be more a factor. We never cared about anyone and from day one we didn't even thought we would have a label knocking to our door to give us a recording deal. Our thing was to do what we do for ourselves and if it would reach someone fine , else who cares? but things went in a very unexpected way, full of surprises and burdens and it a way made us what we are today as persons, it only gave us more comfort within our initial idea. Enthroned is a part of us as much as our arms, legs and dicks, so it will always be there as long as we are alive as it is something we do to first of all please ourselves, to fulfill some goals we have set for our own and which would be pretty hard to understand for most.
4. what is your opinion of the black metal scene today compared to say 20-25 yrs. ago? do you feel it has gotten to commercial? what does "black metal" mean to you personally?
Black Metal is to me satanic/ occult message or concept with a Metal background, to me bands such as Blasphemy, Rotting Christ, Death SS, Mercyful Fate and Mayhem are all Black metal! They are as different as night and day but in my eyes they're all Black metal. This style is different from others, as it is supposed to be with a strong personal message behind it linked with the Left hand Path or Median Path belief of the persons who are performing it.The main differences in between the actual scene and the scene as we knew it 20-25 years ago is the accessibility and the flock of pretenders polluting this "scene" and creating such a band only due to their likeness of other bands. But luckily , there is still some bands who are doing this for the good reasons and not just to show off or pretend to be something they are not.
5.the band recently released it's new cd "obsidium" through agonia records.how did you come in contact with the label? are you happy with them so far?
I was in contact with Filip of Agonia since 1995, he has been a fan since the beginning of the band and knows our history, releases etc... by heart. He has always been very supportive even tho we were not signed on his label.
After the demise of Regain Records, we had to start the search for a new record label and altho we had big record companies contacting us and who were very interested, Agonia gave us the best deal, not necessarily money wise, not at all, but the rest was far more important like our requests, support and most important; he knows Enthroned and how the band is suppose to be, so he never interfered within our decisions, he respected every single ideas, imagery and message the band carries on, which to me is of the utter most importance.
6.how long did it take the band to write and record the songs for obsidium? how has the response been from the fans and the press?
"Obsidium" is the most and by far spontaneous album we ever did. All in all, it took us six month to compose and record the whole album. This album had to be done this way, we felt it within our guts. Where most bands would take years and months to work on some details etc... we just puked out what we had inside of us and believe me there was almost no compromise in between the members; we all went in the same direction and every time a new idea came up every one loved it as it was exactly what we all had in mind. The actual reactions have been tremendous, it would be cliché if I would say that it is our best album etc... but this time I do not say anything, fans and the press all seems to agree on this point.
7. does the band have any upcoming tours or shows in support of obsidium? if yes where will the band be touring and playing?
We are working on a south American tour at the moment and we have some dates planned in the UK, Belgium and Romania. There might be a fest in Denver, Colorado for the summer. A European tour is in discussion as well as a North American one.
8.over the years i am sure enthroned has shared the stage with many great legendary and underground cult bands. who have been some of your favorite bands to tour with? if you could set-up a "dream" show/tour who would you love to tour with?
There are a few bands that we both musically and personally enjoyed to share bands with, the best moments were probably with bands like Gorgoroth (the real Gorgoroth that is), Destroyer 666, Usurper, Emperor, Shining, Sadus, Rotting Christ, Hell Militia and Antaeus. Maybe doing some kind of festival tour with those same bands would be just utopia, especially on the personal, human point of view.
9.you play the guitars and perform the vocals duties in the band,at what age did you start playing guitars? are you self-taught or did you take lessons in the beginning?
I started playing at the age of 13 and before that my first instrument was bass guitar. I am completely self-taught, to be honest I do not even know partitions, solfège or any pedagogical solmization, I just let my feelings flow or being puked through my guitar, this is the best way to express yourself I think.
10.who are some of your influences/favorite guitarist? do you play other instruments?
My influences are pretty vasts; my first years as a guitar player were bath by the influences of guitar players such as Kerry King, Axel Rudi Pell, Jimmy Hendrix, Quorthon, Jeff Waters and Adrian Smith amongst others.
But the principal thing is that I always tried to do my own thing, which gave me hours of headache and serious nervous breakdown to be honest, but it was very rewarding. I also play bass, piano, keyboards, sistrum and the tubular bell.
11.you are also the vocalist for the band,when did you first become interested in singing? who are some of your favorite singers?
Before I joined Enthroned, I was the vocalist of every bands I was involved with, so when our previous vocalist was removed from the line-up, the other members wanted me to take over the vocals.
For them it was only logical as I write all the lyrics and they loved my vocals, but then I really did not want to do that mainly due to the fact that I appreciated my position as lead guitarist and I didn't want to be the center of attention on stage, but well, when Phorgath was asked to join on bass he told me that the he would gladly accept at the condition that I would do the vocals, so I gave it a shot and after a while got use to it and actually appreciate the fact that I could give my lyrics the correct and right feeling into them. As for my favorite vocalists, few would be BM ones but Ihsahn (Emperor) and Attila (Mayhem, Sunn o))), Tormentor) would be my stand outs. Else I really appreciate Nick Cave, Sivert Høyem (Madrugada), Lou Reed (Velvet Underground era), Bruce Dickinson and Arno (Belgian Artist) among others.
12.do you do anything special to keep your throat/voice healthy when recording a release or on tour?
Yes, Smoke and drink booze! Sometimes I just have to make a break of course, you cant just keep doing this on tour, but I've noticed that if I completely stopped smoking on tour it just got worse, just had to keep on smoking but in a "reasonable" way.
13. which usually comes first the music or the lyrics of the song? what are some topics/subjects you all write about?
It depends really, for the previous album "Pentagrammaton", the lyrics were written first and the whole work was to literally translate those lyrics into music, which is a titanic work. Else, it really depends of the song, but one side always influences the other, for example; If the music the written first, I'll write lyrics that matches, represent the emotions involved within the music and likewise is the lyrics are written first.
Our topics are always dealing with Satanism/ occultism in the pure sense of the word, no BM Satanism or gimmicks, we are dealing with what really lies behind the veil. On the three last albums, the concept is identical, each album is a follow up to the previous one, like three different volumes following the same concept and ideals. “Tetra Karcist” is dealing with the reality of occultism how it is, without any gimmick nor supposition, how things are within the occult. “Pentagrammaton” retrace experiences, real lived experiences through those doctrines and practices we talked about on “Tetra Karcist”, now with “Obsidium” the concept deals with what we learnt, the achievement we reached in one form or another through those experiences, all written in a way that only people who are actually within the occult circle can understand fully.
14.well Nornagest we have reached the end of interview. do you have anything you would like to add before we end the interview?
Thanx for the interview and be sure to get our 9th album "Obsidium"!
best regards,
patrick and winter torment web-zine
interview with nornagest vocals,guitars for enthroned done by patrick
1.hails nornagest thank you for taking the time to fill out this interview. please introduce yourself to the readers who might not be familar with you or enthroned.
I am Nornagest vocalist, lead guitar player and song writer of Enthroned. Enthroned has been performing Black metal in the pure sens of the word for 20 years now and we are ready to release our 9th album "Obsidium" on Agonia Records on April 10th in the US.
2.when did you all first meet? when did you get the idea to form enthroned? what is the "current" line-up? how would you describe enthroned's music to the readers who have never heard it?
I met Cernunnos, the first drummer and founding member in 1992 at a Samael/ Morbid Angel show in Antwerp, Belgium. The band was formed in 1993, the goal was to create a band that would be the catalyst for the belief of its members using the most powerful kind of sound to carry its energies, and what is more powerful than extreme metal? Enthroned performs Black Metal, meaning that our music is the soundtrack for our lyrical concept, extreme and aggressive yet dark and full of variations, that's how I could describe it the best IMO.
3.enthroned has been going strong in the black metal scene for nearly twenty years! when you started the band did you ever think you and the band would still be going this strong? what is it about enthroned and the black metal scene that has kept you motivated for so long?
Ha! There's absolutely NOTHING about this scene that kept us doing what we do or been doing for almost two decades; our honesty towards ourselves would be more a factor. We never cared about anyone and from day one we didn't even thought we would have a label knocking to our door to give us a recording deal. Our thing was to do what we do for ourselves and if it would reach someone fine , else who cares? but things went in a very unexpected way, full of surprises and burdens and it a way made us what we are today as persons, it only gave us more comfort within our initial idea. Enthroned is a part of us as much as our arms, legs and dicks, so it will always be there as long as we are alive as it is something we do to first of all please ourselves, to fulfill some goals we have set for our own and which would be pretty hard to understand for most.
4. what is your opinion of the black metal scene today compared to say 20-25 yrs. ago? do you feel it has gotten to commercial? what does "black metal" mean to you personally?
Black Metal is to me satanic/ occult message or concept with a Metal background, to me bands such as Blasphemy, Rotting Christ, Death SS, Mercyful Fate and Mayhem are all Black metal! They are as different as night and day but in my eyes they're all Black metal. This style is different from others, as it is supposed to be with a strong personal message behind it linked with the Left hand Path or Median Path belief of the persons who are performing it.The main differences in between the actual scene and the scene as we knew it 20-25 years ago is the accessibility and the flock of pretenders polluting this "scene" and creating such a band only due to their likeness of other bands. But luckily , there is still some bands who are doing this for the good reasons and not just to show off or pretend to be something they are not.
5.the band recently released it's new cd "obsidium" through agonia records.how did you come in contact with the label? are you happy with them so far?
I was in contact with Filip of Agonia since 1995, he has been a fan since the beginning of the band and knows our history, releases etc... by heart. He has always been very supportive even tho we were not signed on his label.
After the demise of Regain Records, we had to start the search for a new record label and altho we had big record companies contacting us and who were very interested, Agonia gave us the best deal, not necessarily money wise, not at all, but the rest was far more important like our requests, support and most important; he knows Enthroned and how the band is suppose to be, so he never interfered within our decisions, he respected every single ideas, imagery and message the band carries on, which to me is of the utter most importance.
6.how long did it take the band to write and record the songs for obsidium? how has the response been from the fans and the press?
"Obsidium" is the most and by far spontaneous album we ever did. All in all, it took us six month to compose and record the whole album. This album had to be done this way, we felt it within our guts. Where most bands would take years and months to work on some details etc... we just puked out what we had inside of us and believe me there was almost no compromise in between the members; we all went in the same direction and every time a new idea came up every one loved it as it was exactly what we all had in mind. The actual reactions have been tremendous, it would be cliché if I would say that it is our best album etc... but this time I do not say anything, fans and the press all seems to agree on this point.
7. does the band have any upcoming tours or shows in support of obsidium? if yes where will the band be touring and playing?
We are working on a south American tour at the moment and we have some dates planned in the UK, Belgium and Romania. There might be a fest in Denver, Colorado for the summer. A European tour is in discussion as well as a North American one.
8.over the years i am sure enthroned has shared the stage with many great legendary and underground cult bands. who have been some of your favorite bands to tour with? if you could set-up a "dream" show/tour who would you love to tour with?
There are a few bands that we both musically and personally enjoyed to share bands with, the best moments were probably with bands like Gorgoroth (the real Gorgoroth that is), Destroyer 666, Usurper, Emperor, Shining, Sadus, Rotting Christ, Hell Militia and Antaeus. Maybe doing some kind of festival tour with those same bands would be just utopia, especially on the personal, human point of view.
9.you play the guitars and perform the vocals duties in the band,at what age did you start playing guitars? are you self-taught or did you take lessons in the beginning?
I started playing at the age of 13 and before that my first instrument was bass guitar. I am completely self-taught, to be honest I do not even know partitions, solfège or any pedagogical solmization, I just let my feelings flow or being puked through my guitar, this is the best way to express yourself I think.
10.who are some of your influences/favorite guitarist? do you play other instruments?
My influences are pretty vasts; my first years as a guitar player were bath by the influences of guitar players such as Kerry King, Axel Rudi Pell, Jimmy Hendrix, Quorthon, Jeff Waters and Adrian Smith amongst others.
But the principal thing is that I always tried to do my own thing, which gave me hours of headache and serious nervous breakdown to be honest, but it was very rewarding. I also play bass, piano, keyboards, sistrum and the tubular bell.
11.you are also the vocalist for the band,when did you first become interested in singing? who are some of your favorite singers?
Before I joined Enthroned, I was the vocalist of every bands I was involved with, so when our previous vocalist was removed from the line-up, the other members wanted me to take over the vocals.
For them it was only logical as I write all the lyrics and they loved my vocals, but then I really did not want to do that mainly due to the fact that I appreciated my position as lead guitarist and I didn't want to be the center of attention on stage, but well, when Phorgath was asked to join on bass he told me that the he would gladly accept at the condition that I would do the vocals, so I gave it a shot and after a while got use to it and actually appreciate the fact that I could give my lyrics the correct and right feeling into them. As for my favorite vocalists, few would be BM ones but Ihsahn (Emperor) and Attila (Mayhem, Sunn o))), Tormentor) would be my stand outs. Else I really appreciate Nick Cave, Sivert Høyem (Madrugada), Lou Reed (Velvet Underground era), Bruce Dickinson and Arno (Belgian Artist) among others.
12.do you do anything special to keep your throat/voice healthy when recording a release or on tour?
Yes, Smoke and drink booze! Sometimes I just have to make a break of course, you cant just keep doing this on tour, but I've noticed that if I completely stopped smoking on tour it just got worse, just had to keep on smoking but in a "reasonable" way.
13. which usually comes first the music or the lyrics of the song? what are some topics/subjects you all write about?
It depends really, for the previous album "Pentagrammaton", the lyrics were written first and the whole work was to literally translate those lyrics into music, which is a titanic work. Else, it really depends of the song, but one side always influences the other, for example; If the music the written first, I'll write lyrics that matches, represent the emotions involved within the music and likewise is the lyrics are written first.
Our topics are always dealing with Satanism/ occultism in the pure sense of the word, no BM Satanism or gimmicks, we are dealing with what really lies behind the veil. On the three last albums, the concept is identical, each album is a follow up to the previous one, like three different volumes following the same concept and ideals. “Tetra Karcist” is dealing with the reality of occultism how it is, without any gimmick nor supposition, how things are within the occult. “Pentagrammaton” retrace experiences, real lived experiences through those doctrines and practices we talked about on “Tetra Karcist”, now with “Obsidium” the concept deals with what we learnt, the achievement we reached in one form or another through those experiences, all written in a way that only people who are actually within the occult circle can understand fully.
14.well Nornagest we have reached the end of interview. do you have anything you would like to add before we end the interview?
Thanx for the interview and be sure to get our 9th album "Obsidium"!
interview with pact done by patrick 3-11-12
here is a new interview with the u.s.b.m band pact!! the band is fairly
new to the scene but i think with their moribund debut "the dragon
lineage to satan" will impress alot of fans into brutal,hateful occult
blackness.
hope you all enjoy the interview.
interview with hag drummer for pact done by patrick
1.hails! hope the new year is starting out good for you? please introduce yourself to the readers.
Hails we are Pact of Moribund Cult.
2.when did you and the other members of pact meet? when did you all start up the band? what is the "current" line-up for the band? for the readers who have never heard pact how would you describe the bands music?
We have all known each other for probably around a decade. Pact is Hag on vocals, T on drums, and Wretch on guitar. I'd say our black metal can be trance inducing yet brutal and fast as well.
3.the band recently released it's debut cd "the dragon lineage to satan" how long did it take it take you all to you all to write,and record the songs for this release? how has the response been from the fans and the press?
It seems the album has gotten mainly positive reviews so far, well have to wait until the album is released to see how most take it in. I'd say all in all writing and recording it took about a year and a half to two years. Somwhere in there.
4.does the band have any upcoming shows or tours in support of "the dragon lineage to satan"? if yes where are some places you will play?
We have no dates yet but shows will surely happen some point of the future.
5.who are some bands you have shared the stage with? if you could set-up a "dream" tour/show who are some bands you woulds love to play with?
We have all played live with many bands, just not yet as Pact but that is something we will plan in the future, their are many bands that we would like to play with at some point.
6.the lyrics seem to be influenced/based around occult and satanic themes. when did you first become interested in studying the dark arts?
Hag has studied and practiced occult arts for over a decade, Wretch and T also find interest in exploring esoteric knowledge.
7.would you consider yourself a satanist? from the various occult and satanic figures you have read and studied who are some you feel represent your beliefs the most?
The lyrics are about Hag's studies into the occult sciences, Satan is refered to symbolically representing utmost individuality. Hag listed many of his influences on Moribunds website, but there are to many to narrow it down to just a few.
8.how do you feel the world would be different if religion of any kind {christianity,satanism,paganism, etc.} never existed?
Humans would have to be much different in nature for this to ever happen.
9.everyone has their own ideas,opinions on what black metal means so i was curious of your opinion. in your opinion what does black metal mean to you?
It is very important to us, that is why we did this band, to create the music we want to hear.
10.coming back to the band you handle the drums for the band when did you start playing the drums? are you self-taught or have you taken lessons?
I have been playing drums for 14 years and am self taught.
11.who are some of your influences/favorite drummers? do you play any other instruments?
I enjoy many different artists including frost,inferno and pete sandoval. No i do not play any other instuments.
12.are you or any of the members of pact currently working on side-projects or bands? if yes please tell the readers a little about them.
We all have some other stuff we do that we would not wish to include with Pact as we wish it to have its own life, however one I will include is tunnels of Typhon which is raw no production black metal where Hag tried the drums and Wretch Vocals.
13.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?
January 31st album will be released.
hope you all enjoy the interview.
interview with hag drummer for pact done by patrick
1.hails! hope the new year is starting out good for you? please introduce yourself to the readers.
Hails we are Pact of Moribund Cult.
2.when did you and the other members of pact meet? when did you all start up the band? what is the "current" line-up for the band? for the readers who have never heard pact how would you describe the bands music?
We have all known each other for probably around a decade. Pact is Hag on vocals, T on drums, and Wretch on guitar. I'd say our black metal can be trance inducing yet brutal and fast as well.
3.the band recently released it's debut cd "the dragon lineage to satan" how long did it take it take you all to you all to write,and record the songs for this release? how has the response been from the fans and the press?
It seems the album has gotten mainly positive reviews so far, well have to wait until the album is released to see how most take it in. I'd say all in all writing and recording it took about a year and a half to two years. Somwhere in there.
4.does the band have any upcoming shows or tours in support of "the dragon lineage to satan"? if yes where are some places you will play?
We have no dates yet but shows will surely happen some point of the future.
5.who are some bands you have shared the stage with? if you could set-up a "dream" tour/show who are some bands you woulds love to play with?
We have all played live with many bands, just not yet as Pact but that is something we will plan in the future, their are many bands that we would like to play with at some point.
6.the lyrics seem to be influenced/based around occult and satanic themes. when did you first become interested in studying the dark arts?
Hag has studied and practiced occult arts for over a decade, Wretch and T also find interest in exploring esoteric knowledge.
7.would you consider yourself a satanist? from the various occult and satanic figures you have read and studied who are some you feel represent your beliefs the most?
The lyrics are about Hag's studies into the occult sciences, Satan is refered to symbolically representing utmost individuality. Hag listed many of his influences on Moribunds website, but there are to many to narrow it down to just a few.
8.how do you feel the world would be different if religion of any kind {christianity,satanism,paganism, etc.} never existed?
Humans would have to be much different in nature for this to ever happen.
9.everyone has their own ideas,opinions on what black metal means so i was curious of your opinion. in your opinion what does black metal mean to you?
It is very important to us, that is why we did this band, to create the music we want to hear.
10.coming back to the band you handle the drums for the band when did you start playing the drums? are you self-taught or have you taken lessons?
I have been playing drums for 14 years and am self taught.
11.who are some of your influences/favorite drummers? do you play any other instruments?
I enjoy many different artists including frost,inferno and pete sandoval. No i do not play any other instuments.
12.are you or any of the members of pact currently working on side-projects or bands? if yes please tell the readers a little about them.
We all have some other stuff we do that we would not wish to include with Pact as we wish it to have its own life, however one I will include is tunnels of Typhon which is raw no production black metal where Hag tried the drums and Wretch Vocals.
13.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?
January 31st album will be released.
Monday, January 16, 2012
metal-reviews for 1-16-2012 {1st batch of the year!}
metal hails,
these are a little overdue but here is the first {of what i hope will be many!!} batch of metal reviews for winter torment in 2012. thanks as always to everyone who has taken the time to read winter torment or supports metal!!!
hope you will find some metal to your likeing.
enjoy and keep the flames of metal burning all year long.
patrick and winter torment web-zine
artania--night shall crown ye digital-cd {hunter's moon records}{reviewed by patrick}
artania are a young band coming out of the ever growing russian black metal scene.the band does a great job of mixing semi-fast,aggressive black metal with dark,haunting atmospheres to make a very unique and enjoyable release.the band uses some well-played keyboards and amazing well-sung operatic female vocals. but usually with alot of the newer bands in the scene today the keys and female vocals kind of dominate a bands sound and the rest of the instruments are left in the background. not with artania the members do a great job of mixing in the guitars,keyboards and female vocals {when used they are not in every single line of a song thankfully}
artania are a band that have defintly raised the bar within the "atmospheric,epic black metal" realm. something that is not easy to do in todays scene.highly recomeded to fans of atmospheric black metal.
label contact
www.huntersmoonrecords.com
ave maria-chaper 1 cd {ahdistuksen aihio}{reviewed by patrick}
after listening to ave maria's debut simply titled chapter one a few times.i have to say this one of the most impressive and well-written dark,black metal masterpieces i've heard in years. and another impressive fact is this is just the bands debut release! the music is played slower almost black/doom to a more mid-paced black metal pace.the guitars have the harshe,screechy sound in parts but also their alot of really good solo's and well played structures.the drumming is top notch while keeping the keeping up with the guitars never really going full on blasting which is good cause i think ave maria have a great style and sound within the mid-paced realm {although as mentioned earlier this is the bands debut so who knows the band might speed things up in the future} ave maria are not strictly black metal clones and add a little variety {ugh usually a horrible a word when describing black metal music in my opinion} with some psychedlic and melody and somber moments to add an extra layer of darkness to the bands already dark sound and feel.ave maria are defintly a band influenced by pure black metal but are also not afraid to mix in melody or different elements. highly recomended to all who listen and enjoy blackend,dark metal
label contact
www.ahdistuksenaihio.com
dead-hard naked but..dead cd {FDA Records}{reviewed by patrick}
germany's dead return with a new assult of sleazy,filthy old-school brutal death metal.i remember hearing this bands name through tape-traders,fan/web-zines etc. over the last 10 yrs or so. but sadly i never got any of their earlier releases {i'm kicking myself now after hearing their latest} i was under the impression the band was more of a gore-grind style band but with hard naked but..dead the band is full-on old-school death metal with a healthy dose of brutality.dead is stripped down death metal inspired by such legends as autopsy,cianide,etc.. you know bands who don't have to play a million notes and blasts a minute to prove they are brutal or heavy and they are defintly not the newer genre of death metal that plays the godawful core or over-played technical style. dead are not a copycat or blatant rip-off band. they play this style of metal for the sheer love and genuine support of this genre.and this shines thorough in the bands musical abilty and writing.the band have crafted some great guitar work and drums to keep the music interesting and never really gets boring.the vocals are powerful growls. dead have crafted a solid death metal release that will please both long time fans as well as new ones.
label contact
http://www.fda-rekotz.com
degradation--juggernaut cd {self-released}{reviewed by patrick}
chicago illinois is defintly known for having some great bands come out of this great state over the years.and degradation will soon be added to this list. juggernaut is pure aggressive thrash insanity the band members are thrashers to the max usually today it seems like most bands mix in black or death or even some punk within their thrash music.but not degradation they keep it pure 80's u.s styled thrash whirlwind guitars with intense riffs and catchy notes.the drumming is top-notch and is done flawlessly in the execution.the vocals are not bad but remind me alot of tom arya but still fit the bands style and music nicely.overall degradation play some really good thrash metal and fans of this genre should defintly give the band a listen.
band contact
http://www.degradationband.com
die hard-evil always return/emissaries of the reaper cd {abyss rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
die hard are a great swedish band playing metal the way it should be played dirty,aggressive old-school death/thrash.fast,raw guitar riffs fast drumming pounding amazing and well done.gruff growls and blackend screechs spew out the lyrics. die hard are defintly fanatics of the old-school sound and i must say they play it with it alot aggression and passion. in a endless sea of bands who play old-school metal nowadays die hard are defintly at the top the list of greats that will still be standing tall once the trend has passed and all the posers are either gone or crushed by the true metal warriors of the underground scene. defintly a band fans of old-school,raw aggressive death/thrash will enjoy this band and their releases.
label contact
www.officialabyssrecords.com
embalmed--exalt the imperial beast cd {hells headbangers rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
mexico's embalmed are defintly right at home on the mighty hells headbangers roster.11 tracks of hyper-speed,unrelenting blackend death non-stop blast beats,guitars that are played at inhuman speed. their are some thrash influence heard within the music of embalmed but mainly the band goes for insanity and unrelenting old-school sound.usually i love this style of violent,brutal metal but embalmed just are mostly noise and at the end of the disk it is not that memorable or interesting. only fans of non-stop blasting blackend death with very little else will enjoy this release.
label contact
www.hellsheadbangers.com
entrench-inevitable decay cd {abyss rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
entrench from sweden play violent "classic" thrash metal. the band seems to be influenced mostly by the early german gods of yesterday.the musicians of entrench have alot of good musical ideas to keep the music both fresh and memorable while keeping the pure thrash sound and attack alive within entrench's songs.chaotic fast guitars that while being played at insane speeds also have some complex structures and solo's that are pulled off flawless in their approach. it seems their are alot of thrash metal bands coming out of nowhere in the scen but entrench have alot of great ideas added within their thrash that makes this band defintly one to stand out and above the endless sea of others currently flooding the scene. fans of intense,raging thrash defintly get ahold of entrench's-inevitable decay today!!
label contact
www.officialabyssrecords.com
haemoth--in nomine odium cd {debemur mortii prod.}{reviewed by patrick}
after six years of silence the french black metal horde return with in nomine odium. the new release is an attack on all things good or peaceful in the world.razor sharp guitar riffs that will send chills down your spine,combined with some violent blasting drumming entertwined with some of the harshest black metal vocals to be heard in a long time.haemoth are the type of band that drew me to black metal in the first place with their uncompromising raw,vicious hate-filled approach to black metal. i would say only fans of early 90's pure,cold black metal will enjoy this sick masterpiece.
label contact
http://www.debemur-morti.com
immolith--stormdragon cd {metalhitdot.com}{reviewed by patrick}
immolith are a black metal band from the u.s that i have been a "fan" of since their debut e.p a few years back. if you have never heard this bands brilliance the band plays traditional,uncompromising black metal the way it should be played.the musicians seem to be on the same dark path as with their previous releases keeping the music fast,razor sharp guitars,fast drums that do slow to a more mid-pace range from time to time that are very well done and demonic,screechy vocals.production on stormdragon is defintly the best i've heard on a immolith release! still maintaining the raw,angry feeling but the production on stormdragon is not as primitive or muddy as immolith's previous works i hope the band can keep this production as it fits perfectly with their vicious,violent sound.fans of uncompromising,no frills black metal this will please long time fans of immolith as well as draw new ones to this mighty u.s horde recomended.
label contact
www.metalhit.com
maax--unholy rock and roll cd {abyss rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
this is a band i have been hearing and seeing alot about the last few months so i was eager to hear this cd when it arrived with the abyss promo's. with a title like "unholy rock and roll" it shouldn't take a genius to figure out what style of music this band plays.dirty,filthy old school blackend thrash with alot some rock and roll influences espically with their catchy guitars. hyper-speed yet very catchy and memorable guitar riffs and solo's entertwined with equally as catchy and fast paced drumming that keep the pace moving nicely and never lets it get boring or to slow.vocals are a mix between blackend screams and outbursts of deeper growls. maax are a band that know how to play to craft old-school sounding black metal and make it sound like sheer perfection. if you enjoy blackend thrash with rock influences look past all the posers and pick up maax's unholy rock and roll today!!
label contact
www.officialabyssrecords.com
nemesea--the quiet resistance cd {napalm records}{reviewed by patrick}
nemesea are a female-fronted band playing some amazing and well-done atmospheric rock and metal mix with touches of gothic.i had my doubts to be honest when the label had the band labeled as "alternitive rock".now nemesea defintly won't win any awards for being the most extreme or over the top metal but i defintly would not throw them in with the shitty alternitive rock scene.
so what can you expect from nemesea's third release? you get very emotional and powerful music and songs filled with both lots of atmosphere,and catchy memorable songs. whether it is the emotional ballad "i live" or the more upbeat,energetic songs like "allein" or "stay with me" nemesea have it all! and are all extremly well trained with their instruments to pull off whatever the song structure calls for.i have to admit i am a picky bastard with female vocals and bands in this genre usually have great music but the vocals ruin it for me. but that is not the case here. front woman manda is simply breath taking and amazing with her diverse singing styles and delievery.nemesea are probably one of napalm's best new bands and i for one see a great future for them.
label contact
www.napalmrecords.com
sanguis imperium--in we march towards our doom cd {hells headbangers records}{reviewed by patrick}
california's sanguis imperium have released one of the most violent,heaviest death metal releases to be released in sometime.the band doesnt try to clone or follow any of the current musicial trends out now.instead the band follows their own path of destruction and has created some of the heaviest,violent sounding death metal fast heavy guitar riffs that range from insane whirlwind riffs and solo's to a more controlled heavy mid paced riffs.the drums are furious blasts of rage but slow down with the guitars that only add to the bands heaviness and intensity.the vocals are deep,sick growls and tormented shrieks of agony. fans who enjoy early 90's style death metal with a touch of war-metal insanity will love sanguis imperium and their sick vision of death metal.
label contact
www.hellsheadbangers.com
saturnian mist--gnostikoi ha-shaitan cd {ahdistuksen aihio rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
finland's saturnian mist have created an interesting release with their newest release mixing black metal,industrial, and even some heavier progressive guitar riffs.all of the members of saturnian mist are good at their instruments and i give the band alot of credit for trying to be original and creative {something that is lacking in music today} but in this case i think saturnian mist have bitten off more than they can chew. maybe if they only combine two elements together like prog and black metal or black metal and industrial it might be more memorable. this might appeal to the newer fans of black metal but as for me i say pass.
label contact
www.ahdistuksenaihio.com
thousand year war--tyrants and men digicd{abyss rec.} {reviewed by patrick}
alaska's thousand year war have released a great release of heavy straight-forward death metal but their is also alot of melodic over-tones to give the band a nice mix of straight-forward brutal death metal and melodic death metal.fast thunderous drumming patterns mixed with some intense outbursts of blasting rage.the guitars are heavy and thick sounding within their approach but their is also some well written complex riffs and solo's.the vocals are powerful,deep growls and some blackend shrieks.the band does have some darker more melodic parts. the band seems more comfortable and at home playing the heavier straight-forward death metal style
label contact
www.officialabyssrecords.com
vore--gravehammer cd {self-released}{reviewed by patrick}
this was quite a surprise as i remember hearing,buying this bands debut demo "dead kings eyes" back in 1997.so it was great to see/hear the band still going strong.this is vore's fourth release.gravehammer is simply amazing and flawless death metal.i would say the first thing that caught my attention was the bands sheer heavy guitar sound and pounding drums.the musicians never stray away from the mid-paced range,but vore only prove you don't have to play a million millions an hour to be heavy and intense death metal.i am not sure why the band is still unsigned but this is another thing i wanted to mention as this is a quality band that plays what they love and want to,not whats popular.vore are a band that will please all fans of heavy,pure death metal
band contact
www.youtube.com/vorefare
www.reverbnation.com/vore
these are a little overdue but here is the first {of what i hope will be many!!} batch of metal reviews for winter torment in 2012. thanks as always to everyone who has taken the time to read winter torment or supports metal!!!
hope you will find some metal to your likeing.
enjoy and keep the flames of metal burning all year long.
patrick and winter torment web-zine
artania--night shall crown ye digital-cd {hunter's moon records}{reviewed by patrick}
artania are a young band coming out of the ever growing russian black metal scene.the band does a great job of mixing semi-fast,aggressive black metal with dark,haunting atmospheres to make a very unique and enjoyable release.the band uses some well-played keyboards and amazing well-sung operatic female vocals. but usually with alot of the newer bands in the scene today the keys and female vocals kind of dominate a bands sound and the rest of the instruments are left in the background. not with artania the members do a great job of mixing in the guitars,keyboards and female vocals {when used they are not in every single line of a song thankfully}
artania are a band that have defintly raised the bar within the "atmospheric,epic black metal" realm. something that is not easy to do in todays scene.highly recomeded to fans of atmospheric black metal.
label contact
www.huntersmoonrecords.com
ave maria-chaper 1 cd {ahdistuksen aihio}{reviewed by patrick}
after listening to ave maria's debut simply titled chapter one a few times.i have to say this one of the most impressive and well-written dark,black metal masterpieces i've heard in years. and another impressive fact is this is just the bands debut release! the music is played slower almost black/doom to a more mid-paced black metal pace.the guitars have the harshe,screechy sound in parts but also their alot of really good solo's and well played structures.the drumming is top notch while keeping the keeping up with the guitars never really going full on blasting which is good cause i think ave maria have a great style and sound within the mid-paced realm {although as mentioned earlier this is the bands debut so who knows the band might speed things up in the future} ave maria are not strictly black metal clones and add a little variety {ugh usually a horrible a word when describing black metal music in my opinion} with some psychedlic and melody and somber moments to add an extra layer of darkness to the bands already dark sound and feel.ave maria are defintly a band influenced by pure black metal but are also not afraid to mix in melody or different elements. highly recomended to all who listen and enjoy blackend,dark metal
label contact
www.ahdistuksenaihio.com
dead-hard naked but..dead cd {FDA Records}{reviewed by patrick}
germany's dead return with a new assult of sleazy,filthy old-school brutal death metal.i remember hearing this bands name through tape-traders,fan/web-zines etc. over the last 10 yrs or so. but sadly i never got any of their earlier releases {i'm kicking myself now after hearing their latest} i was under the impression the band was more of a gore-grind style band but with hard naked but..dead the band is full-on old-school death metal with a healthy dose of brutality.dead is stripped down death metal inspired by such legends as autopsy,cianide,etc.. you know bands who don't have to play a million notes and blasts a minute to prove they are brutal or heavy and they are defintly not the newer genre of death metal that plays the godawful core or over-played technical style. dead are not a copycat or blatant rip-off band. they play this style of metal for the sheer love and genuine support of this genre.and this shines thorough in the bands musical abilty and writing.the band have crafted some great guitar work and drums to keep the music interesting and never really gets boring.the vocals are powerful growls. dead have crafted a solid death metal release that will please both long time fans as well as new ones.
label contact
http://www.fda-rekotz.com
degradation--juggernaut cd {self-released}{reviewed by patrick}
chicago illinois is defintly known for having some great bands come out of this great state over the years.and degradation will soon be added to this list. juggernaut is pure aggressive thrash insanity the band members are thrashers to the max usually today it seems like most bands mix in black or death or even some punk within their thrash music.but not degradation they keep it pure 80's u.s styled thrash whirlwind guitars with intense riffs and catchy notes.the drumming is top-notch and is done flawlessly in the execution.the vocals are not bad but remind me alot of tom arya but still fit the bands style and music nicely.overall degradation play some really good thrash metal and fans of this genre should defintly give the band a listen.
band contact
http://www.degradationband.com
die hard-evil always return/emissaries of the reaper cd {abyss rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
die hard are a great swedish band playing metal the way it should be played dirty,aggressive old-school death/thrash.fast,raw guitar riffs fast drumming pounding amazing and well done.gruff growls and blackend screechs spew out the lyrics. die hard are defintly fanatics of the old-school sound and i must say they play it with it alot aggression and passion. in a endless sea of bands who play old-school metal nowadays die hard are defintly at the top the list of greats that will still be standing tall once the trend has passed and all the posers are either gone or crushed by the true metal warriors of the underground scene. defintly a band fans of old-school,raw aggressive death/thrash will enjoy this band and their releases.
label contact
www.officialabyssrecords.com
embalmed--exalt the imperial beast cd {hells headbangers rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
mexico's embalmed are defintly right at home on the mighty hells headbangers roster.11 tracks of hyper-speed,unrelenting blackend death non-stop blast beats,guitars that are played at inhuman speed. their are some thrash influence heard within the music of embalmed but mainly the band goes for insanity and unrelenting old-school sound.usually i love this style of violent,brutal metal but embalmed just are mostly noise and at the end of the disk it is not that memorable or interesting. only fans of non-stop blasting blackend death with very little else will enjoy this release.
label contact
www.hellsheadbangers.com
entrench-inevitable decay cd {abyss rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
entrench from sweden play violent "classic" thrash metal. the band seems to be influenced mostly by the early german gods of yesterday.the musicians of entrench have alot of good musical ideas to keep the music both fresh and memorable while keeping the pure thrash sound and attack alive within entrench's songs.chaotic fast guitars that while being played at insane speeds also have some complex structures and solo's that are pulled off flawless in their approach. it seems their are alot of thrash metal bands coming out of nowhere in the scen but entrench have alot of great ideas added within their thrash that makes this band defintly one to stand out and above the endless sea of others currently flooding the scene. fans of intense,raging thrash defintly get ahold of entrench's-inevitable decay today!!
label contact
www.officialabyssrecords.com
haemoth--in nomine odium cd {debemur mortii prod.}{reviewed by patrick}
after six years of silence the french black metal horde return with in nomine odium. the new release is an attack on all things good or peaceful in the world.razor sharp guitar riffs that will send chills down your spine,combined with some violent blasting drumming entertwined with some of the harshest black metal vocals to be heard in a long time.haemoth are the type of band that drew me to black metal in the first place with their uncompromising raw,vicious hate-filled approach to black metal. i would say only fans of early 90's pure,cold black metal will enjoy this sick masterpiece.
label contact
http://www.debemur-morti.com
immolith--stormdragon cd {metalhitdot.com}{reviewed by patrick}
immolith are a black metal band from the u.s that i have been a "fan" of since their debut e.p a few years back. if you have never heard this bands brilliance the band plays traditional,uncompromising black metal the way it should be played.the musicians seem to be on the same dark path as with their previous releases keeping the music fast,razor sharp guitars,fast drums that do slow to a more mid-pace range from time to time that are very well done and demonic,screechy vocals.production on stormdragon is defintly the best i've heard on a immolith release! still maintaining the raw,angry feeling but the production on stormdragon is not as primitive or muddy as immolith's previous works i hope the band can keep this production as it fits perfectly with their vicious,violent sound.fans of uncompromising,no frills black metal this will please long time fans of immolith as well as draw new ones to this mighty u.s horde recomended.
label contact
www.metalhit.com
maax--unholy rock and roll cd {abyss rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
this is a band i have been hearing and seeing alot about the last few months so i was eager to hear this cd when it arrived with the abyss promo's. with a title like "unholy rock and roll" it shouldn't take a genius to figure out what style of music this band plays.dirty,filthy old school blackend thrash with alot some rock and roll influences espically with their catchy guitars. hyper-speed yet very catchy and memorable guitar riffs and solo's entertwined with equally as catchy and fast paced drumming that keep the pace moving nicely and never lets it get boring or to slow.vocals are a mix between blackend screams and outbursts of deeper growls. maax are a band that know how to play to craft old-school sounding black metal and make it sound like sheer perfection. if you enjoy blackend thrash with rock influences look past all the posers and pick up maax's unholy rock and roll today!!
label contact
www.officialabyssrecords.com
nemesea--the quiet resistance cd {napalm records}{reviewed by patrick}
nemesea are a female-fronted band playing some amazing and well-done atmospheric rock and metal mix with touches of gothic.i had my doubts to be honest when the label had the band labeled as "alternitive rock".now nemesea defintly won't win any awards for being the most extreme or over the top metal but i defintly would not throw them in with the shitty alternitive rock scene.
so what can you expect from nemesea's third release? you get very emotional and powerful music and songs filled with both lots of atmosphere,and catchy memorable songs. whether it is the emotional ballad "i live" or the more upbeat,energetic songs like "allein" or "stay with me" nemesea have it all! and are all extremly well trained with their instruments to pull off whatever the song structure calls for.i have to admit i am a picky bastard with female vocals and bands in this genre usually have great music but the vocals ruin it for me. but that is not the case here. front woman manda is simply breath taking and amazing with her diverse singing styles and delievery.nemesea are probably one of napalm's best new bands and i for one see a great future for them.
label contact
www.napalmrecords.com
sanguis imperium--in we march towards our doom cd {hells headbangers records}{reviewed by patrick}
california's sanguis imperium have released one of the most violent,heaviest death metal releases to be released in sometime.the band doesnt try to clone or follow any of the current musicial trends out now.instead the band follows their own path of destruction and has created some of the heaviest,violent sounding death metal fast heavy guitar riffs that range from insane whirlwind riffs and solo's to a more controlled heavy mid paced riffs.the drums are furious blasts of rage but slow down with the guitars that only add to the bands heaviness and intensity.the vocals are deep,sick growls and tormented shrieks of agony. fans who enjoy early 90's style death metal with a touch of war-metal insanity will love sanguis imperium and their sick vision of death metal.
label contact
www.hellsheadbangers.com
saturnian mist--gnostikoi ha-shaitan cd {ahdistuksen aihio rec.}{reviewed by patrick}
finland's saturnian mist have created an interesting release with their newest release mixing black metal,industrial, and even some heavier progressive guitar riffs.all of the members of saturnian mist are good at their instruments and i give the band alot of credit for trying to be original and creative {something that is lacking in music today} but in this case i think saturnian mist have bitten off more than they can chew. maybe if they only combine two elements together like prog and black metal or black metal and industrial it might be more memorable. this might appeal to the newer fans of black metal but as for me i say pass.
label contact
www.ahdistuksenaihio.com
thousand year war--tyrants and men digicd{abyss rec.} {reviewed by patrick}
alaska's thousand year war have released a great release of heavy straight-forward death metal but their is also alot of melodic over-tones to give the band a nice mix of straight-forward brutal death metal and melodic death metal.fast thunderous drumming patterns mixed with some intense outbursts of blasting rage.the guitars are heavy and thick sounding within their approach but their is also some well written complex riffs and solo's.the vocals are powerful,deep growls and some blackend shrieks.the band does have some darker more melodic parts. the band seems more comfortable and at home playing the heavier straight-forward death metal style
label contact
www.officialabyssrecords.com
vore--gravehammer cd {self-released}{reviewed by patrick}
this was quite a surprise as i remember hearing,buying this bands debut demo "dead kings eyes" back in 1997.so it was great to see/hear the band still going strong.this is vore's fourth release.gravehammer is simply amazing and flawless death metal.i would say the first thing that caught my attention was the bands sheer heavy guitar sound and pounding drums.the musicians never stray away from the mid-paced range,but vore only prove you don't have to play a million millions an hour to be heavy and intense death metal.i am not sure why the band is still unsigned but this is another thing i wanted to mention as this is a quality band that plays what they love and want to,not whats popular.vore are a band that will please all fans of heavy,pure death metal
band contact
www.youtube.com/vorefare
www.reverbnation.com/vore
Sunday, December 11, 2011
interview with nemesea done byy patrick 12-11-11
this is an interview i have done with the female-fronted dutch band
nemesea. if you are not familar with this great band.then i highly
recomend checking out and buying the bands brand new cd "the quiet
resistance" a nice mix of atmospheric,symphonic metal,some
electronics,heavy metal {traditional} guitars. this is a band that is
not afraid to try new things. and with manda's angelic voice fronting
the band every song on the quiet resistance comes to life and stands on
their own.
defintly a great band and one i think we will be hearing alot about in 2012!!!
enjoy and thank you all for reading winter torment.
regards,
patrick and winter torment web-zine
interview with manda vocalist for nemesea done by patrick
1.hello manda how is your week starting out? please introduce yourself to the readers.
Hi, I’m Manda, vocalist for Nemesea. My week is very busy already since we just released our brand new album The Quiet Resistance and we’re preparing our upcoming tour with In Extremo in December!
2.when did you and the other members of nemesea meet? how did you all come up with the band name? does it have a special meaning? how would you describe nemesea's music to the readers who have never heard it?
Nemesea is a female fronted rockband and we started in 2003 with HJ, Sonny and myself. The three of us know each other from the conservatory where we all studied. In 2009 Lasse joined the band, which was amazing after playing for two years without a keyboard player. Frank, our drummer, joined us just before the recordings of The Quiet Resistance and that’s almost a year ago.
3.the band recently released its new cd "the quiet resistance" through napalm rec. are you and the rest of the band happy with how everything turned out?
Yes, we are. We took the time to write this new album, find the right direction for this band and found skilled people to work with. We are very happy with how TQR turned out.
4.how has the response been from the press and fans? how would you say the music has progressed or changed {if at all?} from the bands previous releases?
We’ve already received a lot of great comments on the album.
TQR is a nice combination of our previous two albums; the heaviness of Mana and the electro elements we experienced with on In Control.
5.does the band have any upcoming shows,tours in support of "the quiet resistance"? any ideas who are some bands you will be playing/touring with?
Actually we’ll be touring Germany with In Extremo in December. Really cool!
6.who are some bands nemesea have shared the stage with in the past? if you could set-up a "dream" show/tour who are some bands you would love to play with?
We’ve shared stage with Within Temptation a few years ago. That was an amazing experience! Nice band, nice people.
We’d love to share the stage with Rammstein, Evanescence, Lacuna Coil or 30 Seconds to Mars, just to name a few.
7.i must say you are one of the best vocalist i have heard in a long time! so i was interested when did you become interested in singing? did you take lessons a child/teenager?
Thank you, that’s really nice! I started taking singing lessons when I was 18 years old. Before that I was playing the flute. I even studied flute at the conservatory for two years. But when I was 16 years old I discovered Metallica and The Gathering, heard Anneke sing and after two years I knew I wasn’t happy with playing the flute anymore. I wanted to sing like Anneke!
8.do you do anything special to keep your voice/throat healthy?besides singing do you play any other instruments?
I always warm up my voice before shows or rehearsals, I don’t drink or smoke, I try to eat healthy and get enough sleep.
Besides singing I play the flute and a little bit of piano & guitar.
9.who are some of your favorite female singers? what about favorite male vocalists that you enjoy listening to?
I still love Anneke, but I developed a very broad taste in music so I also listen a lot to Christina Aguilera and Kelly Clarkson. I also love Bjork a lot.
Fave male vocalists are Jared Leto (30 sec to mars), Chester Bennington (Linkin’Park), Robbie Williams and Michael Bublé. Also Till Lindemann (Rammstein) is one of my favourites.
10.the lyrics on the quiet resistance are very well-written and seem to be written and done. where do you draw inspiration for your lyrics? which usually come first the lyrics or does the band usually write the music first?
I get my inspiration from a lot of different things; words, sentences, movies, things that happen to me or to people I know, things I see on the news or read in books, etc.
Sometimes the lyric is first or a theme/ topic is. Often a musical basis is laid down first.
11.thank you manda for taking the time to fill out this interview with me. do you have any final comments for the readers?
It was my pleasure! We are very proud of our new album The Quiet Resistance so I’d like you to go and check it out. You’ll find there’s a lot of passion and emotion on this album and I’m sure you’ll like it!
to order your copy of nemesea "the quiet resistance" check out the bands offical label site here.
http://www.napalmrecords.com
defintly a great band and one i think we will be hearing alot about in 2012!!!
enjoy and thank you all for reading winter torment.
regards,
patrick and winter torment web-zine
interview with manda vocalist for nemesea done by patrick
1.hello manda how is your week starting out? please introduce yourself to the readers.
Hi, I’m Manda, vocalist for Nemesea. My week is very busy already since we just released our brand new album The Quiet Resistance and we’re preparing our upcoming tour with In Extremo in December!
2.when did you and the other members of nemesea meet? how did you all come up with the band name? does it have a special meaning? how would you describe nemesea's music to the readers who have never heard it?
Nemesea is a female fronted rockband and we started in 2003 with HJ, Sonny and myself. The three of us know each other from the conservatory where we all studied. In 2009 Lasse joined the band, which was amazing after playing for two years without a keyboard player. Frank, our drummer, joined us just before the recordings of The Quiet Resistance and that’s almost a year ago.
3.the band recently released its new cd "the quiet resistance" through napalm rec. are you and the rest of the band happy with how everything turned out?
Yes, we are. We took the time to write this new album, find the right direction for this band and found skilled people to work with. We are very happy with how TQR turned out.
4.how has the response been from the press and fans? how would you say the music has progressed or changed {if at all?} from the bands previous releases?
We’ve already received a lot of great comments on the album.
TQR is a nice combination of our previous two albums; the heaviness of Mana and the electro elements we experienced with on In Control.
5.does the band have any upcoming shows,tours in support of "the quiet resistance"? any ideas who are some bands you will be playing/touring with?
Actually we’ll be touring Germany with In Extremo in December. Really cool!
6.who are some bands nemesea have shared the stage with in the past? if you could set-up a "dream" show/tour who are some bands you would love to play with?
We’ve shared stage with Within Temptation a few years ago. That was an amazing experience! Nice band, nice people.
We’d love to share the stage with Rammstein, Evanescence, Lacuna Coil or 30 Seconds to Mars, just to name a few.
7.i must say you are one of the best vocalist i have heard in a long time! so i was interested when did you become interested in singing? did you take lessons a child/teenager?
Thank you, that’s really nice! I started taking singing lessons when I was 18 years old. Before that I was playing the flute. I even studied flute at the conservatory for two years. But when I was 16 years old I discovered Metallica and The Gathering, heard Anneke sing and after two years I knew I wasn’t happy with playing the flute anymore. I wanted to sing like Anneke!
8.do you do anything special to keep your voice/throat healthy?besides singing do you play any other instruments?
I always warm up my voice before shows or rehearsals, I don’t drink or smoke, I try to eat healthy and get enough sleep.
Besides singing I play the flute and a little bit of piano & guitar.
9.who are some of your favorite female singers? what about favorite male vocalists that you enjoy listening to?
I still love Anneke, but I developed a very broad taste in music so I also listen a lot to Christina Aguilera and Kelly Clarkson. I also love Bjork a lot.
Fave male vocalists are Jared Leto (30 sec to mars), Chester Bennington (Linkin’Park), Robbie Williams and Michael Bublé. Also Till Lindemann (Rammstein) is one of my favourites.
10.the lyrics on the quiet resistance are very well-written and seem to be written and done. where do you draw inspiration for your lyrics? which usually come first the lyrics or does the band usually write the music first?
I get my inspiration from a lot of different things; words, sentences, movies, things that happen to me or to people I know, things I see on the news or read in books, etc.
Sometimes the lyric is first or a theme/ topic is. Often a musical basis is laid down first.
11.thank you manda for taking the time to fill out this interview with me. do you have any final comments for the readers?
It was my pleasure! We are very proud of our new album The Quiet Resistance so I’d like you to go and check it out. You’ll find there’s a lot of passion and emotion on this album and I’m sure you’ll like it!
to order your copy of nemesea "the quiet resistance" check out the bands offical label site here.
http://www.napalmrecords.com
Monday, November 21, 2011
New reviews for 11-21-11
here is a new batch of reviews and their was really great releases this time around from naturmacht prod,heidens hart,silent scream rec. and more!! defintly if your looking for some good,quality dark metal check the bands out in this blog of reviews!!
regards,and enjoy!!
patrick and winter torment web-zine
fiendformetal@live.com
ancestors blood-when the forest calls cd {heidens hart rec.}
ancestors blood hail from the mighty finnish scene usually bands from finland whether it be black or death is great music. well ancestors blood is no different.the band has crafted some very well played and epic,atmospheric black metal.the music is not all over the top atmosphere though as the musicians are influenced by the early 90's norwegian/swedish black metal bands.the guitars are are done very well,the drums are played fairly fast with a few slower moments for both the band and listener to catch their breath.the vocals are harsh,black metal shrieks that will pierce your soul and destroy your eardrums with their intensity.another instrument that impressed me was the keyboards by now most bands who play atmospheric or epic style of black metal use them so it's no surprise.but ancestors blood has a done a great job intertwining them with the rest of the instruments to add a whole new layer to their sound.this is defintly one of my favorite releases i have heard from heidens hart and should not be missed by fans of epic,pagan black metal.
label contact
http://www.heidenshart.nl.nu
infernal legion-the spear of longinus cd {moribund rec.}
moribund rec. is not really known for signing and releaseing death metal bands. but the few i have heard off the label have always had a certain dark aura and powerful sound within their musicial approach.
well the u.s infernal legion carry the torch high. after a six year hiatus the band returns with the massive the spear of longinus.nine tracks of guitar,bass heavy death metal. the band is not insanely hyper-speed fast or interested in being the most guitar-technical band like so many in todays scene. instead infernal legion play mid-tempo heavy death metal. no melodies,no harmonies,no breaks just pure death metal. the vocals are extremly heavy,deep growls and fit nicely with the bands musical style. if you are a fan of old-school death or if you remember infernal legion's earlier releases then you will want to pick this release up as soon as possible. death metal fans will not be disapointed.
label contact
http://www.moribundcult.com
mordaehoth-eens weer prevaleert het heidens hart cd {heidens hart rec.}
why mordaeoth are not more well-known in the black,pagan metal scene after hearing this release.the band plays a more harsh,raw black metal with alot of has alot of folk influences throughout the songs to give the band an extra layer of creativity and intensity.the band uses acoustic guitars,well-sung clean male vocal patterns.the band is not afraid to show it's violent side with some really intense black metal with fast guitars, shrieks and fast drums. if you enjoy violent black metal with touches of pagan,folk metal then mordaehoth just may be a band you want hear.
label contact
http://www.heidenshart.nl.nu
murw--in de mond vet obekende wacht een oceann cd {heidens hart rec.}
this is my first encounter with holland's murw.at first listen the band seems to be influenced by raw,atmospheric black metal. but when u listen a few more times you can hear a strong death/doom and even alot of progressive guitars within the blackness.the guitars are raw,mid-paced giving them the a nice black/doom type of sound but in the next song the band switches gears mixes in some unexpected progressive type of guitar riffs,and solo's defintly not used by most blackend,doom bands.the drums are mid-paced with some slow doomish beats but never really gain speed which is good cause murw has a perfect sound and i don't think the band would do good trying to incorporate fast,aggressive riffs or beats with their blend of progressive blackend doom. if you are a black metal fan who only listens,worships the old-school aggressive bands then most likely murw will be a band you will not like. but if you enjoy your black metal with alot of originality and creativity then murw is a band you must hear,highly recomended.
label contact
http://www.heidenshart.nl.nu
sententia mortis--verbum inferi cd {self-released}
italy's masters of melodic,symphonic black metal are back with their follow-up to 2010's "mother earthquake".2011 shows the band making a truiumphant return with their second release "verbum inferi" with the first listen it is very obvious this band of musicians takes their music very seriously.the guitarist ranges from slower,darker riffs to a more mid-pace range. their is also a galloping,whirlwind of feeling and sound in a few of the songs that really give the guitars an epic,original sound.as with the case with all symphonic metal bands the keyboards are in full-force but the keyboardist for sentia mortis knows how to actually play them well. so their are some really well-played structures and mixed very well with the bands other musicial instruments.the vocals are equally as diverse with a few different styles and ranges. the main vocals are the death metalish growls and black metalish screams but the vocalist actually surprised me {but in a good way} and used some clean,male vocal lines in a few of the tracks.if you were lucky enough to hear the bands debut "mother earthquake" and you liked it. then be sure to pick up verbum inferi as soon as possible. as this is even better and shows the band growing.
band contact.
http://www.myspace.com/sententiamortis
varulv-hellish presence cd {naturmacht prod.}
austria has always had a very strong,but at the same time a very underrated scene to me. whether it is a more atmospheric gothic,dark metal band or more straight forward blackend death band the bands have always been atleast good. well varulv can defintly be put in the genre of violent,straight forward black/death.the band uses and shows alot of musical talent and potential with the song-writing on hellish presence. filled with semi brutal black/death metal guitars and thunderous pounding drums roll through like a tank rolling it's way into battle. the vocals are equally as powerful and evil sounding with a deeper,gruff death metal growl and harsh black metal shrieks.the overall sound is violent and angry but the band does add some melody in some of the guitar structures to give hellish presence that exact feel and sound. with the brutal.violent black/death mixed with some melody it creates a very dark and eerie piece of black/death metal art. varluv are a band you will be hearing alot about in the future. if your a fan of blackend death metal with a dark atmosphere then defintly varulv are a band you will want to hear and own today!!
label contact
www.naturmacht.com
zloslut--abyss of eternal deception demo {silent scream records}
i wasn't sure what to expect from this one man serbian band.but for a debut release and considering one-man did everything vocals,music."abyss of eternal deception" turned out really good.the vocals remind me a little of early immortal with some deeper,gruff vocals.the guitars are a little on the raw/primitive side but i've defintly heard much worse productions/sounds before plus i kind of like it as it gives the band the old-school feel of the late 80's,early 90's demo tapes before everyone went to the crystal clear cd sound or digital age of today.the guitars have the thin,razor sharp guitar riffs but stay within the mid-paced style but stefan is defintly an old-schooler by heart and mixes in some traditonal heavy metal,and thrashy guitar riffs and few solos within the songs.abyss of eternal deception is a great debut and well worth your time and money if you can find it. but i am also extremly curious to hear future zloslut releases to see if stefan lets his aggressive blackend thrash side loose or if he stays with the more mid-paced and controlled style of black metal.i think both styles could work for stefan and zloslut as he seems very comfortable playing both the faster,aggressive and the more controlled mid-paced style.
label contact
http://www.silentscreamrecords.webs.com
band contact
http://www.myspace.com/zloslutserbia666
zwaartplaag-haatstorm cd {heidens hart rec.}
zwaartplaag are defintly the most aggressive and straight-forward band i've heard from the batch of promo's sent from heidens hart.raw,fast guitars played with both aggressive intensity and precision,the vocals are the standard shrieks and evil screams but their are also some deeper growls within a few songs.this is a band that fans of straight-forward,aggressive black metal should defintly check out you will not be disapointed from this horde from the netherlands.
label contact.
http://www.heidenshart.nl.nu
