Interview with Plague Weaver done by Patrick posted on 4-25-20

1. Hails Thorn please introduce yourself to the readers?

Hi !!! Here Thorn (or more precisely RM - I'm using my initials on all Plague Weaver releases). I'm a person behind Plague Weaver, Canadian blackened doom metal from Mississauga, Ontario.

2. When did you first become interested in writing and playing music? What were the first instruments you learned to play?

It was around 30 years ago when I was a teenager. Everything started with 2 pirate cassettes I bought somewhere in a flea market - Slayer "South of Heaven" and Kreator "Endless Pain".

The next step was my first band with friends. I already played classic guitar ( when I was a kid I spent a few years in music school ) so the transition to electric guitar was fast. We disbanded pretty fast because everyone had different views about the genre of music we should play, but I was already hooked into music. That was the beginning

3. Are you self-taught or did you take lessons when first starting out? Are there any instruments that you would like to learn to play one day?

As I mentioned before, I had a few years in music school as a kid. After that, I learned everything myself. If I have enough time I would learn to play on cello - I really like the sound of this instrument.

4. When did you first get the idea to start Plague Weaver and are you satisfied with how things have progressed so far?

The original idea was to create music in the vein of old school black metal - everything that happened before Norwegian BM. My inspiration was mainly mighty greek bands like Varathron, Necromantia, Rotting Christ. I added to this mix my other personal inspirations and influences and Plague Weaver was born.

So far the feedback is generally positive. People seem to like the atmosphere I'm trying to create in this EP - I'm really satisfied with the outcome and overall progress.

5. Who would you say are the band's biggest influences? For the readers who have never heard Plague Weaver how would you best describe the bands musical style?

My biggest influences are old Rotting Christ, Varathron, Necromantia, Celtic Frost/Triptykon ( especially everything that happened after "Monotheist"), and Dissection. I also love bands like Incantation, Bolt Thrower, Candlemass, old Samael, and many more. My other inspirations are industrial and dark ambient/ritual music.

I think that closest description of my music is blackened doom, although you can easily find there a lot of other influences - I would say I always tried to be somewhere in between those genres - black, doom and death have their unique dark atmospheres which I'm trying to forge into one ...

6. Through The Sulphur Eyes is the newest release how long did it take you to write the music for the new release? How long does it usually take to complete one song?

"Through the Sulphur Eyes" was created in around 6 months. I started to work right after the release of self-titled debut EP. It's hard for me to say how long it takes to complete one song because I usually simultaneously work on more tracks at once. Because I'm working alone on all music, I need time to distance myself from everything I created so I'm jumping to another track, giving the previous one some time before I go back and finish it.

7. Where do you draw inspiration for the lyrics and what are some subjects you wrote about on the newest release? Which usually comes first the lyrics or the music?

Inspiration comes from various sources - music, literature, film, philosophy, occult, life ... Everything above creates a kind of environment where I can cultivate my ideas for music and lyrics. It's strictly personal space and it's hard to explain how it works - it comes naturally. And which comes first? To be honest it doesn't matter for me because I'm creating a whole musical and lyrical concept of song - I sometimes start with music, sometimes with lyrics, mostly trying to achieve the expected atmosphere of the song.

8. I believe Through The Sulphur Eyes is a digital release are there any plans to do a physical release soon? If yes when will it be available to the readers?

Actually "Through the Sulphur Eyes" is released both digital and physical CD, but due to Coronavirus promotion of physical CD is almost non-existent. Still, several distros around the world have my CD in distribution (the full list you can find on FB page). Of course, it would be nice if someone was interested in releasing it in other formats like cassette and vinyl.

9, Besides the Through The Sulphur Eyes release does the band have any other releases or merchandise currently available for the readers to purchase? If yes what is available and where can the readers purchase it?

All releases (both digital and CD) are available on our Bandcamp page. I have plans to make some more merchandise but at the moment I'm just waiting for the end of lockdown and we will see what happens next. As I mentioned before, CD is also available in several distros from the USA, Europe, and Japan, more details on our FB page.

10. I believe you are the sole member of Plague Weaver when you started this band did you plan to work alone or would you like to find some new musicians to work with?

When I started this band, it was just a kind of a side-project for me. Now it's my main project so my priorities have changed - I want to expand bands line-up and play live gigs. Probably when all this mess with Corona ends, I will start looking for members.

11. What do you feel is the easiest and hardest part about being a one-man band?

I think that both the easiest and hardest part is that you're on your own. I have freedom with doing anything I want to, and again, no one will help me with that. For me, the hardest part is to have a distance to my music - usually when more people are involved there is always someone who will tell you the truth about your music - if it's good or bad or if you need to change something - it's more team effort. One man band usually will face this kind of honesty in reviews.

12. If you had the opportunity to work with any musicians past or present who would you like to work with?

Hehe - its a really hard question, because I think that there are too many musicians in my dream line-up. But for sure it would be TG Fischer from Celtic Frost/Triptykon - their last releases are stunning and let's be honest - I'm under the influence of his music.

13. Besides working in Plague Weaver do you currently work with any other projects or bands? If yes please tell the readers a little about them?

Besides Plague Weaver, I have another project, Bisclaveret. Its more dark ambient/experimental music, over 20 years of activity I released many albums/ep's and played a lot of live performances. If you want, you can check bisclaveret.bandcamp.com for music.

14. When you need to take a break from working on new music or band business what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

To be honest, music takes the majority of my free time - I have regular work, family, kids and whatever amount of free time is left I'm dividing it between my 2 projects. I wrote 'majority' because I'm still trying to find time for other activities like books, movies ( I'm a fan of old horror movies, for example, British Hammer film ) and computer games.

15. Thank you, Thorn, for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final comments for the readers?

Thx for reaching me out !! My message for readers is simple - keep support underground music, especially in those hard times !!!

Band Contacts

https://www.facebook.com/plagueweaver/

https://plagueweaver.bandcamp.com/

Eternal Armageddon-In Light In Darkness In Hate {Self-Released} Posted on 4-24-20

Eternal Armageddon-In Light In Darkness In Hate {Self-Released}
After releasing a demo in 2015 Bangledesh's Eternal Armageddon return with their debut full-length release.In Light In Darkness In Hate contains seven tracks of blackend thrash metal with some heavy metal influences entertwined within the music.The guitars are played with a lot of skill and excellent writing ability.For the most part the guitars are played with fast and furious guitar passages.The guitarist does slow to a calmer,mid paced guitar structure with some very well written and played memorable structures.
The vocals are old-school black metal screams that fit Eternal Armageddon's musical style perfectly.
 If you are looking for a band that creates some memorable blackend thrash metal with heavy metal influences then do yourself a favor and check out In Light In Darkness In Hate today.
                                                                                Band Contacts
                                                                          https://eternalarmageddon.bandcamp.com/
                                                                          https://www.facebook.com/Eternalarmageddon

Interview with Expunged done by Patrick posted on 4-16-20

1.Hello please introduce yourselves to the readers?
J.S.: I play bass, write lyrics and do vocals and K.F. drums
W.D.: Guitars & leads

2.When did you first discover death metal music and who were the first bands that caught your attention? Who are some of the current bands that you are enjoying?

J.S.: I have no recollection of how i acquired them, but anyways somebody gave me dubbed tapes of Obituary, Goreguts, Sepultura and Entombed. From then on I met a guy at school who brought me to his house and showed me stuff like Death and Cannibal Corpse. Around that time I would go to local record stores and get stuff from bands like Cerebral Fix, Pestilence, Hellhammer, Bolt Thrower etc. One of the stores that had all the best tapes was run by the guy who later became the mayor. So basically the mayor introduced me to bolt thrower.
W.D.: Originally, being involved in the punk scene a long time ago and getting further acquainted with cross over, crust & grind, this eventually led me into the heavier stuff. From the "big four" in relation to thrash and soon after being introduced to Napalm Death, Carcass, Bolt Thrower and all the great bands that Earache records was cranking out at the time, I was then hooked! Some current death metal bands I like are Abythic, Bastard Grave, Crypts of Despair, Entrails, Gravebomb, Just Before Dawn to name a few of so many.

3. Expunged was started in 2019, when did you all get the idea to form this band? How did you choose Expunged as the name of the band?

W.D.: J.S. & I got in touch online at first through an ad I had up. From there, writing and ideas then came about. I came up with the name and J.S. put together the logo for it. Basically the name and meaning was interesting to me as a concept and then it was decided to use it.

4.What is the current line-up of the band? Who would you say are the band's biggest influences?
J.S.: For me influences range from big classics like Carnage, Nirvana 2002 and Entombed.
W.D.: Its a range of Swedish & Finnish death metal from the later 80's to early 90's. For example, Dismember, Grave, Entombed, Demigod, Edge of Sanity, Depravity & Adramelech.

5.The debut EP. will be released through Hells Headbanger's on vinyl this month. Are their any plans to do a cd or cassette version soon? If yes when will it be released?

J.S.: We would love to so start bugging the big wigs at Hell's Headbangers to get on that!
W.D.: I hope so, I love all physical formats of music so I am all for it!

6.How long did it take the band to write the music for the new release? Does the whole band take part in the writing process or does one member usually write everything?

W.D.: The MLP was written over a few months time or so, then afterwards sent for mix & mastering. The writing starts with me coming up with guitars riffs for a song idea and putting together the basic structure, then I add harmonies and/or leads to it. J.S. handles his bass lines, vocals and all lyrics.

7.Who usually handles the lyrics and what are some topics written about on the new release? Which usually comes first the music or the lyrics?

J.S.: The music always comes first. Lyrics are absolute last. Certain note progressions make me thing of certain words or phrases and i build from there. So far, I've written all of the lyrics. Contrary to most of our peers, our lyrics aren't about the occult or fantasy. As much as I like that stuff, I end up writing about personal emotions and experiences and things that we go through that are truly vile. Reality is much more harsh than fantasy.

8. Besides the upcoming MLP does the band have any other releases or merchandise currently available? If yes what is available and where can the readers purchase it?
J.S.: Like many other underground bands, we use the bandcamp store to sell merch. So far we have two promo tapes aside from the MLP. We're very fresh, but don't worry, we will get our shit together and pollute some battle vests here and there.

9.Has the band started working on new music for the next EP. or would you like to write a full-length? How long does it usually take to complete one song?
J.S.: WE rehearse quite a lot . We're constantly composing new material. Truth be told we have a whole album's worth of songs ready to go.

10.When bands are able to play live again are their any plans to play to live? Besides Canada has the band played live outside of Canada if yes where has the band played?

W.D.: We don't have anything setup as of yet but when all is in better order out there and the time is right for us, yes for sure!

11.What does Underground Metal mean to you all?

J.S.: The positive part of it means passionate, dedicated lover of music working hard to create art or support other people'e art. The negative aspect of it are all the boastful people who think the scene should be a competition and like to call other poseurs.
W.D.: Underground Metal to me is the more extreme, non mainstream forms of metal that usually carries a rawer sound, form and presentation and is usually not as well known to most.

12.As mentioned Expunged comes out of Canada's death metal scene what is your opinion of the Canadian death metal scene over the years?

W.D.: Its cool, I think Canada has a lot of talent and variations of metal here overall from past to present. I have a lot of respect for the Quebec bands and scene there as a lot of wicked bands I like have come out of there.

13.Who are your all-time favorite bands coming out of the Canadian metal scene? And are their any new bands you feel the readers should check out?

J.S.: Growing up , bands like Exciter, Voivod, Sacrifice, Razor ,Unruled all meant alot to me. There's too many greats to mention... Infernal Majesty, Blasphemy, Slaughter etc
W.D.: In the past and I still like of course: Razor, Sacrifice, Nefarious, Corpus, Summertime Daisies, Cryptopsy & November Grief and in newer times bands like Outre-Tombe, Satanic, Hellborn, Kremlin, Survival Instinct, Altered Dead, Reversed, Atroce, Chthe'ilist, Cruel Fate & to many more to mention...

14.When you need to take a break from working on new music or band business what do you like to do in your spare time?

J.S.: Personally I don't take much of a break, I'm always working on music be it with Expunged or with a dozen other bands.
W.D.: I have other music related things on the go as well besides Expunged and otherwise I like, listen to and collect music & like to see it live before all this corvod-19 shit happened that is and in general I have interests in arts, music, entertainment, ancient history and attempting to seek truth in this ball of illusion we are all in.

15.Besides working in Expunged do any of the members currently work with any other bands or solo projects? If yes please tell the readers a little about them?

J.S: I'm mostly known for my work with Ice War who play old style heavy metal. It's been active for about five years with a dozen releases or so.
W.D.: Dead Soul Alliance is another project I have done since 2010. Its on the brutal and old school death metal side of things & has both American & Euro influences.

16.Thank you for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final comments for the readers?
W.D.: Sure and thanks for having us! Be sure to check out our music if you haven't already, buy our stuff as all support is appreciated, especially the MLP coming out! Support bands, labels & metal in general and trust within yourself! Cheers & Hails! ¥m/ J.S.: www.expunged.bandcamp.com
Band Contacts
https://expunged.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/expungeddeathmetal/
Label Contacts
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/
https://hellsheadbangers.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/hellsheadbangers

Expunged--Expunged 12"MLP{Hells Headbangers Rec.} posted on 4-12-20

Expunged--Expunged 12"MLP{Hells Headbangers Rec.}
Expunged are a new band coming out of the Canadian old school death metal scene.The Self-Titled debut contains five tracks of heavy death metal that is both heavy and well written.The guitarist writes a mix of crushing mid paced patterns but does speed to a much faster guitar pace.The drumming is done with soLame very well executed drum patterns that are a mix of crshing mid pace drums that do speed up to a faster more chaotic drum pace.
 If you enjoy raging,filthy old-school death metal then defintly do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of the self-titled release when it is available.
                                                                       Band Contact
                                                                   https://expunged.bandcamp.com/
                                                   https://www.facebook.com/expungeddeathmetal/
                                                                    Label Contacts
                                                       https://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/
                                                     https://hellsheadbangers.bandcamp.com/
                                                     https://www.facebook.com/hellsheadbangers  

Imperial Savagery--Lashing The Feral Swine cd{H.P.G.D} posted on 4-8-20

Imperial Savagery--Lashing The Feral Swine cd{H.P.G.D}
Chicago's Impeiral Savagery return with their second full length{first for H.P.G.D}.Lashing The Feral Swine contains nine tracks of fast and intense old school brutal death metal.The guitars are played with a lot of skill and experience the guitars are played with a mix of whirlwind fast patterns and some slower more mid paced passages,The guitarist does write and create some memorable guitar patterns and even adding some well played and written guitar solo's.
 The vocals are old-school death metal growls that remind me of early Glen Benton among others.
If you are looking for a band that can write and create some great,memorable death metal then do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Lashing The Feral Swine when it is available.
                                                             Band Contacts
                                                         https://imperialsavagery.bandcamp.com/
                                                        https://www.facebook.com/imperialsavagery
                                                            Label Contacts
                                                     http://www.horrorpaingoredeath.com/
                                                     https://hpgd.bandcamp.com/
                                                    https://www.facebook.com/horrorpaingoredeath
                                                     https://twitter.com/HPGD666

Interview with Pyre done on 4-5-20

1. Hello! How are things going in Russia these days? Please introduce yourself to the readers.

Roman: Hey there, Roman here. It’s nice to have a chance to be interviewed regarding our new upcoming album.
Such a weird start of the year, isn’t it? Despite the fact that there are not so many victims and people got sick in Russia yet compared to some European countries, the situation is getting worse and quarantine mode is getting stronger day by day. A lot of people are closed-down without any income or financial help. Who knows how long it is going to last. We are very lucky to get finished with the album recording and preparing all the stuff in time right before all this shit began.

2. When did you first discover death metal music and who were the first bands you listened to? Who are the current bands that have caught your attention?

Dym: It was some mid 90-s when me and Roman lived in one room like all twins in childhood. That time we were head over heels in metal music. We started playing in our first band and over time began searching for more and more extreme bands. Then we quickly plunged into the genre and got a lot of death metal records from different parts of the world. Trust me, in Russian provinces it was not easy to do that no-internet times. Basically, the Florida scene got the most recognition and involvement. I think those names don't need to be introduced. There were also the Dutch, English and Swedish bands of course. So that was the main inspection and school. Then we kinda got out from death metal for about more than ten years and went more into black metal before getting back again and creating Pyre. I think the impetus for this was the arrival of the Swedish dinosaurs dismember in St Pete with the album 'The god that never was in 2006 I guess, then their 2008 album, and then the revival of the genre also by some swedish "new wave of old school dm" bands such as Tormented, Bombs of Hades, Death Breath, Bastard Priest and so on. BTW as for Florida I personally see no more any new really good bands.

3. Pyre was started in 2011. When did you first get the idea to start this band? What is the current line up of the band?

Roman:
The idea to start a new band first came to me somewhen in 2010 I think. By that time our old BM band Drama had split-up and another band Ulvdalir where we’d been involved in and recorded some EPs and a full-length album were about to break due to some personal things in the line-up. So it was just about time to create something new. At first I offered Fred who was a live-guitarist in Ulvdalir to join the new band. Then I offered Dym to try his hand at another role other than drums - his main instrument, and he took an ambitious decision to handle vocals and bass for the first time, so both have joined the band. After a few months we found a drummer Kannib and started preparing the first songs.
The current line-up is pretty much the same but without Kannib Maledik and more multifunctional. So it is:
Dym Nox - vocals, bass, drums
Roman Rotten - guitars, bass, backing vocals
Fred Obsinner - guitars, backing vocals

4. Who would you say are Pyre's biggest influences? Have they remained the same over the years? For the readers who have never heard the band, how would you best describe the band’s musical style?

Dym: As for influence I think I've written about it before. And they really still are. Before we started creating the first riffs we knew how we should sound. We choose a Swedish-like buzzsaw raw guitar sound which wasn’t used by any band in Russia before. In the whole conception there also was mixing it with the sound and style of some dirty Florida's bands like Autopsy. Sometimes we are
compared to classic swe-death metal bands because of the sound, but that is not
exactly true. We get an inspiration from a lot of different bands and even genres all
over the world’s scene. But we still wish to remain sounding raw, alive and underground. No fucking triggers and plastics. So the true independent creativity is what you get from Pyre.

5. Chained To Ossuaries is the band's second full-length being released through Memento Mori when did you and the band first come in contact with this great label?

Roman: The first time Memento Mori’s chief Raul emailed us back in 2014 regarding releasing Human Hecatomb on CD. Last year (in May I believe) he contacted us and offered a deal for releasing our next full-length. Then we were on some hold and, involving in side projects and having incomplete line-up, we were not in a hurry to make a decision. But Raul was resolute and gave an impression of a man full of enthusiasm and having an interest in us. It’s pushed us forward to make a deal with Memento Mori and start working hard on new songs.

6. How long did it take the band to write the music on the new release? Does the whole band take part in the writing process, or does one member usually write everything?

Roman: Since we had a volatile line-up regarding drummer for a few years, all the time we had to return for the rehearsing from one live set to another in a random interval, so we couldn't sink fully into the composing process. A lot of stuff has been accumulated in raw form over two or even three years, so only past fall by staying as three-piece we managed to concentrate entirely on the arranging of the new songs and mostly and thankfully it happened because of the push by Raùl and Memento Mori. All that our lazy butts were needed was a deadline, haha.
How does this usually work - I compose and record the most part of riffs, bundles, melodies on my iPhone and then as we gather together we all work on co-composing and arranging until the stuff becomes a ready song, that’s it.

7. Who usually handles writing the lyrics for the music, and what are some topics written about on the newest release?
Roman: Lyrics usually were written by me or partly with our friend in death metal Paul Vakhlakov (Chamber of Torture, Infiltration) depending on the release. The new album lyrics are shared between me, Paul again and Artemi Nemerowski (Teitanfyre). The topics are the same old ones: death, bones, the afterlife, the religious shit a bit, a plague literally and figuratively, which turned actual and real nowadays, and other dark, unknown and disgusting aspects surrounding us.

8. Are the bands past releases still available for the readers to purchase or are they sold out? Besides physical releases, does the band have any other merchandise currently available? If yes, what is available and where can the readers purchase it?

Roman: Some releases are still available, some sold out. One can check it using the internet. Anyways we occasionally try to re-release old records in different formats to keep them available so follow us and stay tuned.

9. What have been some of Pyre's most memorable shows over the years? Who are some bands you have had the opportunity to share the stage with?

Roman: We toured Europe not so much, but we always remember Romanian Old Grave festival, Dutch Graveland festival, always having fun playing in Finland and Helsinki Death Fest among them! So there were a number of great bands we had a pleasure to gig with: Angelcorpse, Dead Congregation, Pentacle, Terrorizer, Belphegor, Interment, Krypts, Obliteration, Turbocharged, and many others. Had a lot of fun playing with Nominon and a great shows with such a big names as Nile, Watain, Entombed AD here in St. Petersburg and many others again.

10. What does Underground Metal mean to you and how do you feel the Underground Metal scene has changed over the years?

Roman: Underground means loyalty to me. Loyalty to the metal scene and desire to support it. The devil inside you. The desire to make art even for free. If it brings you money, that's perfect but money should be only a secondary thing in art. Honestly, it feels like a younger generation is getting more and more out of the Metal underground year after year. Here in Russia, fewer people want to play metal, real metal. It seems everyone wants only music for money even without proper playing skills. And it's sad.

11. Pyre comes out of Russia's death metal scene. What is your opinion of the scene in Russia over the years?

Dym: Well, you know, Russia's death metal and the whole metal scene can be separated by three periods. Soviet/early post-soviet period is late 80-s and first half of 90-s, the strongest old school time with titans like Aria, Master, Korrozia Metalla, Kruiz, Div, Aspid, Graveside, Shah, Hellraiser and many more. The second period is the weakest time for extreme metal in Russia, like revival, after the collapse of the USSR, everything was in decline. And the 3-d one is  coming from 2005-2010, the scene is growing up, gets stronger, more and more good bands appear. And now we can see a lot of great world-class bands on the scene.

12. Who are your all-time favorite bands coming out of Russia, and are there any new bands you could recommend to the readers?

Dym: All-time bands, I think I named them before. But you can always find many more others if you will. As for new names you can check Grond, Wombripper, Cist, Ulvdalir, Grave Disgrace, Drama, Blazing Rust, Iskra, Todestriebe, Sandarmoh, Teitanfyre, Mental Slavery, Tanator, Internal Damage, Pseudogod and many more.

13. Besides working in Pyre, do you or any of the members currently work with any other bands or solo projects? If yes, please tell the readers a little about them.

Roman: Me and Dym have a second full-time band Blazing Rust - it is a comeback of traditional heavy metal. The sophomore full-length will kick some asses later this year, all is ready and to be released by German’s Pure Steel Records. Also Dym has just recorded drums for Iskra first EP - new black metal band from St. Petersburg.

Dym: That's for the current ones, but a lot of bands and projects are left in the past.

14. When you need to take a break from working on new music or band business, what do you like to do in your free time?

Roman: No fucking breaks! But when they come, it is quality time with families, friends, the gym possibly, some traveling is always great. We all love nature, so in the warm season, we often go outside of the city and spend time in the woods with BBQ and stuff like that.

Dym: BBQ and some pyres in the forest, oh yeah!

15. Thank you for taking the time to fill this interview out. Do you have any final comments for the readers?

Dym: For all the maniacs all over the globe, be safe in these crazy times, support bands and labels to keep the scene alive 'till death do us part! Check out our new album and huge thanks to all of you who support us, buying our records both through labels and on our official bandcamp page, you rule! And thank you guys for the interview! See ya in the pit!
Band Contacts
https://pyredeathmetal.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pyredeathmetal/
Label Contacts
http://www.memento-mori.es/
https://www.facebook.com/memento.mori.label/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChHTHjKUxwoMu9UqrABF7WA

Interview with Temple Of Void done by Patrick posted on 4-2-20

1.Hello please introduce yourself to the readers?How are things going in Detroit these days?
DON:
I play guitar and whammy bar divebombs
ALEX:
I play guitar and stomp on lots of pedals
MIKE:
I do vocals and acoustic stuff.

2.When did you first discover death and doom metal and who were the first bands that caught your attention?Who are some of the current bands that have been listening to?
DON:
A lot of my early exposure to death Metal I owe to the Death Is Only The Beginning III compilation.
That was where I first heard Dissection, Benediction, Dismember and Divine Eve among others. Lately, Katatonia has been in constant rotation for me. My Dying Bride’s new LP is one of my favorites of this year so far; and the new Tombs release “Monarchy of Shadows” is great as well.
ALEX:
For me, the first doom band I really got into was Paradise Lost circa “Icon.” And it’s no coincidence
they are still a huge influence on me to this day. As for death metal...I discovered it when I lived in Scotland and would watch a show called Raw Power. I remember hearing Carcass and Morbid Angel for the first time and just being blown away with the darkness of it all. It was so fucking extreme to hear for the first time. But it was initially bands like Paradise Lost that caught me ear more because of the sorrowful melody that just moved mountains in my mind.
Recently I’ve been listening to Vadiat,
Vastum, Ossuary, Malignant Altar, and Warp Chamber.
MIKE:
I too discovered a lot of my earliest Death Metal bands through old label compilations and reading
album liner notes and thanks lists. I checked out Cannibal Corpse because I saw them in Ace Ventura. I got into Doom from Black Sabbath and looking for other bands that channeled that same energy. Stuff I’ve liked recently are the debuts from Thundersson,
and Prelude to Ruin. I’m also digging the new material from Angel Sword, Rotting Kingdom, Freeways, Cemetery Filth, and Malokarpatan.

3.Temple Of Void was formed in 2013 when did you and the other members get the idea
to start this band?Are you satisified with how everything has gone with the band over the years?

ALEX:
TOV was started by myself and Eric Blanchard. He is our original guitarist. He and I respected
each other as guitarists and knew we had to work together when the time was right. We started something, I called Brent to play bass and Eric got us Jason and Mike (on drums and vocals). Things gelled and it’s been a fantastic working relationship. I personally
couldn’t be happier. When Eric left we brought in our first choice, Don Durr, to play guitar. We’ve just been going from strength to strength with each release. I couldn’t ask to be in a band with a better bunch of dudes. I’m personally very satisfied with the trajectory of the band, but we continue to strive for more.

4.Who would you say are the bands biggest influences and have they remained the same over the years?For the readers who have never heard Temple Of Void how would you best describe the bands style?
ALEX:
Bolt Thrower, Morbid Angel, Asphyx, Cannibal Corpse, Katatonia, Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride,
Anathema, Deicide, Alice in Chains, Failure, Hawkwind, Immolation, Gorguts, Neurosis, Burzum, Edge of Sanity, Machine Head (Burn My Eyes), Death, Godflesh, Swervedriver...
The easiest way for me to describe
our sound is if you took European doom and mixed it with American death. You’ve got the riffs and cold vibes of Katatonia and Paradise Lost mixed with the headbanging old school riffage of early Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, and Morbid Angel. That gets you in
the ballpark but it doesn’t really allow for the nuances we bring as Temple of Void. There’s a space-odyssey type of vibe to our sound that’s reminiscent of Hawkwind or krautrock. It all sounds weird on paper but we know what we’re doing and how to blend it
to create our signature sound.
I don’t think our influences have
strayed much over the years, to be honest. We bring new stuff in but I don’t think we’ve ever lost site of the influences. If we don’t have Asphyx / Bolt Thrower style riffs on our album then something’s gone wrong!

5.The World That Was is the bands third full-length how long did it take the band to write the music for the new release?Does the whole band take part in the writing process or does one member usually write everything?
DON:
We spent most of 2019 writing and recording The World That Was. Our writing environment is always collaborative. Riffs and small skeletons of songs are brought to rehearsals by Alex or myself. From there we all work on those ideas together; experimenting with tempos, placement, structure and so on.

6.Who usually handles writing the lyrics and what are some topics written about on the newest release?Which usually comes first the music or the lyrics?
MIKE:
Typically the band flushes out the musical ideas and relays them to me as a rough structure
and I develop patterns and lyrics from there. It works because I’m able to listen closely to the song and build off whatever vibe it gives me and ideas it inspires.

7.What have been some of Temple Of Void's most memorable shows over the years?And who are some bands you have had the opportunity to share the stage with?
DON:
Psycho Las Vegas in 2018 was definitely a highlight. The
Maryland Deathfest pre party show in 2017 was also a lot of fun, and ended up being the first show that I played with the band.
ALEX:
ShadowWoods Fest was awesome. We played in the woods. Camped out. It was really secluded and
a really great vibe away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Really cool experience.
MIKE:
One of my favorite memories was doing a short run of shows with Cemetery Filth a handful of
years back. Those were some of the first shows we played that were out of Michigan, and it was cool getting to know those guys.


8.Has the band ever made a music video for any of their songs if yes what song was it?Would you like to make a video for any of the bands newest songs?If yes which song?

DON:
We just released a video for the track “Self-Schism” from the new album. We did a couple days
of filming that included a snowy Saturday evening in the Michigan woods. We’re all very pleased with how it turned out.

ALEX:
Our first video was for “Savage Howl” off our debut album. We didn’t get around to shooting
one for anything off of Lords of Death.

9.Besides the upcoming The World That Was release are the bands past releases still available for the readers to purchase?Besides physical releases does the band have any other merchandise currently available if yes what is available and where can the readers purchase it?

ALEX
We have a very robust bandcamp site where we sell shirts, hoodies, pins, patches, sweatpants,
shorts, stickers, hats, and music on CD, tape, or digital. It’s
templeofvoid.bandcamp.com. We update it with new merch regularly. We often run ideas past our fans and have them vote for what they’d like to see put into production.

10.What does Underground Metal mean to you and how do you feel the Underground Metal scene has changed over the years?

MIKE:
To quote an excellent record by the band Hawaii: “One Nation Underground.” It doesn’t really matter what “scene” you’re from, whether it’s the death metal underground or some other faction of metal, punk, grindcore, etc. We’re all here because we possess some level of free-thinking. We’re not content with what is simply
marketed to us by major labels and publications; especially with genres like death metal who have a clearly definite glass ceiling that limits any sort of commercial potential. We’re all artists, musicians, promoters, and fans. We all work together to make
sure we can create, tour, and thrive without support of the masses.

11.Temple Of Void comes out of Michigan's metal scene what are your thoughts of the scene in Michigan over the years?

MIKE:
Michigan is, and always will be, a musical powerhouse. We set the foundation for punk and hi-energy rock and roll with The Stooges and the MC5. We perfected the science of pop songwriting and brought soul and R&B to the masses with Motown. Industrial cities like Flint gave us Grand Funk Railroad, who stole the show from almost every national act they played with, and later on they gave us Repulsion who are arguably one of the first extreme metal/grindcore acts. Mid-Michigan produced some of the earliest USBM bands with Masochist and Wind of the Black Mountains releasing demos as early as 1992. There’s a continued legacy of pushing boundaries, testing extremes, and taking chances.

12.Who are your all-time favorite bands coming out of Michigan over the years?And are their any new bands that have caught your attention that you feel the readers should check out soon?

DON:
There’s been some great bands that have come from our state; Saprogenic, Bluesong, and Konkeror are just a few who’ve released some great music over the years but have all ceased to exist. Anyone looking for active Michigan bands should check out Fell Ruin,
Isenblast, Centenary, and Portal of Pazuzu.

ALEX:
Bluesong is hands-down my favorite band from Michigan. They could have been huge if they had
lasted longer.

MIKE:
Besides the obvious aforementioned ones; Steel Vengeance, Medieval, Fatal, Lucifer’s Hammer,
Halloween, Coven 13, Summon and Reaper.

In regards to more recent bands in
the scene: Sauron, Wastelander, Reaper, Anguish, Perversion, Demon Bitch/White Magician, Dungeon Beast, Cruthu...there’s so much good stuff if you’re willing to dig.

13.Besides working in Temple Of Void do any of the members currently play with any other bands or solo projects? If yes please tell the readers a little about them?

ALEX:
I do a metal/punk band called Hellmouth, but we’ve been on hiatus for a couple years. Still
great friends. We haven’t broken up. But after three albums and twelve years we’re just laying low for now. We’ll surface again some day.

MIKE:
I play guitar in the bands Acid Witch and Nuke. I’m always writing whether it’s for a band I’m
currently in or something I’d like to do in the future.

14.When
you need to take a break from working on new music or band business what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

DON:
I have a home studio that I record and mix bands in; I also work as a live sound engineer and tour with bands when I am able to. I have a small record label that I started up last year as well.

ALEX:
The gym. All things Warhammer. Reading. Fantasy. Hanging with my wife and kid.
MIKE:
I like to stay creative in general. I enjoy drawing and painting. I like watching movies and
reading. I occasionally play retro video games, tabletop games and CCGs.

15.Thank
you for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final comments for the readers?

ALEX:
May all your hits be crits.



Cheers,
Alex & Temple of Void
Band Contacts
https://templeofvoid.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TempleOfVoid
https://www.youtube.com/user/TempleOfVoid
https://www.instagram.com/templeofvoid/

Interview with Cemetery Filth done by Patrick posted on 4-2-20

1.Hello how are things going with you this week?Please introduce yourself to the readers?

Cheers Patrick, things are going as well as they can be, thanks. I hope you and your readers are staying as healthy and safe as possible.

I'm Matt Kilpatrick, band-leader, vocalist, and one of the lead guitarists for the Cemetery Filth.

2.At what age did you first discover death metal and who were the first bands you heard?Who are some of the current bands that have caught your attention?

I probably first heard death metal in 2003 or early 2004 when I was 14 years old. I was lucky though, I had a high school teacher who was into the metal scene in the late 80's and early 90's. so he would loan me CD's from his own collection during school-days. The first death metal album he lent me was Death's "Human" - and I'm not going to lie, it was far beyond what my young ears could comprehend at first haha. Over time I kept borrowing it and "unlocking" its secrets, and soon came to love it. Cynic (a favorite of his), Morbid Angel, Atheist, Immolation, Suffocation, and others soon followed.

Some of my favorite current bands are Church of Disgust from FL/TX - they just released an amazing 3-track EP. I'm also a big fan of Molder from the Chicago area. Our long-time brothers, Ectovoid, are a big favorite. And we are lucky to share a label with bands like Nucleus and Shards of Humanity who both crush. Ectoplasma from Greece rules, as does the mighty Obliteration from Norway. I recently heard a track from a new band called Leprophiliac which was really cool! Excited to hear more from them.

3.Cemetery Filth was started back in 2014 when did you all get the idea to start this band?How did you choose Cemetery Filth as the name of the band?

I had been dreaming of doing a band like this since not long after getting into Death and the other bands that first introduced me to the musical stylings of death metal. I met our old bassist online through a mutual friend in Atlanta, and he introduced me to our old drummer, and to other band-leader / lead-guitarist, Ryan Guinn. We all knew we wanted to make death metal that showed a new interpretation of the releases we all worshiped for years. Our old bassist had come up with the name and suggested using it for the project - it was too fitting to not get used.

4.What is the current line-up of the band?Who would you say are the bands biggest influences?

The current line-up in addition to me is co-founder Ryan Guinn on lead guitar, Devin Kelley on bass and backing vocals, and Chris McDonald on drums. Our biggest influences are bands like Death, Morbid Angel, Autopsy, Obituary, Pestilence, Cannibal Corpse, Immolation, Suffocation, Benediction, Sinister, Malevolent Creation, Monstrosity, Carcass.... you get the picture. 

5.Dominion is the bands debut full-length how long did it take the band to write the music for the debut?Does the whole band take part in the writing process or does one member usually write everything?

It took us about a year or so to get most of the songs together for the album. We are spread out between four different states so our time together is very small. I think we got to practice maybe 6-8 times total with Chris on drums before we cut the album - and most of those practices were spent piecing together songs. "Devoured By Dread" was written way back in 2015 and a couple of other songs were being worked on in 2017. But most of the album was written in the past year. Ryan and myself, the two guitarists, write most of the music. Devin contributed a few cool riffs to the album as well, and Chris typically comes up with drum patterns and fills based on the music we show him, but he suggested some really cool ideas as well that really brought the album together.

6.Who usually handles writing the lyrics and what are some topics you wrote about on the debut release?Which usually comes first the lyrics or the music?

I write all of the lyrics for the band. It's not really by choice, but out of necessity, as I find that I remember my own lyrics best, and it's easier for me to write my own vocal patterns and lyrics to the music. The music almost always comes first, but there are some times when the "ideas" behind the lyrics, or a song title can shape the song's music as it is being written. Lyrically, this album is a mixed bag. We have some songs that deal with the reality around us, some that tell tales of fictional and mental horror, and others that speak in metaphors.

7.Does Cemetery Filth get to play live very often?What have been some of the bands most memorable shows over the years?

We definitely do not get to play as live as we would like. As we've gotten older, our responsibilities have increased, and that reduces our ability to get together even more than our separate locations already create. We are thankful to have such an awesome "home town" scene in Atlanta though, and we are able to play shows as often as we can there. Our most memorable shows were opening for Monstrosity and Hellwitch in 2016, playing with Deicide that same year, our two back-to-back shows with Exhumed were pretty maniacal as well. Out of the Fests that we have played, I would definitely say Blood Of The Wolf III in 2017 was the wildest we've played.

8.Are their any shows or tours planned in support of the debut Dominion?If yes where will the band be playing and who are some bands you will share the stage with?

We had a release show booked with Sadistic Ritual, Malformity, and Shards Of Humanity, but it has been postponed due to the Covid-19 virus scare. Unfortunately that has also hurt the chances of us getting to tour this summer and Fall. We're still hoping we can do something, but with how uncertain things are right now, it's hard to know what will befall us.

9.Besides the debut release coming out are the bands previous EP and splits still available for the readers to purchase?Besides physical releases does the band have any other merchandise currently available if yes what is available and where can the readers buy it?

I believe our label, Unspeakable Axe Records, has copies of the first 4 Doors To Death split still available! He may still have copies of our 7" split with Sewercide available as well. We have a few copies left as well that we would gladly sell to somebody. We've got some t-shirt designs available as well, and hopefully more soon once the Covid-19 scare dies off and shows start happening again. You can e-mail us at cemeteryfilth-AT-gmail-DOT-com for any merch inquiries and we will get back to you with what we've got available!

10.What does Underground Metal mean to you?

Underground metal means the world to me. Sometimes I get sick of the underground and all of the pretentious drama that invokes the "scene". But I wouldn't be who I am today... hell, I may not even be here today, without the metal underground. It's what gave us the bands that evolved into death metal - it's where death metal returned to after the initial semi-commercial breakthrough of the genre in the early 90's. It is truly the home for death metal and death metal maniacs alike. We thrive here. We created it. We feed it. We nurture it. And in spite of how toxic some individuals can be for it, it persists, and grows. The metal underground is a "home" to me and underground metal is necessary, even if it sucks. Feeding it in any capacity, with good or bad music, keeps it going.

11.When you need you need to take a break from working on new music or band business what do you like to do in your free time?

I'm big into hiking, or when I can't get out of the city, I go on long walks around my neighborhood. I also like to listen to records, watch sitcoms or movies with my lady, and generally enjoy hanging out, grilling, having some drinks with friends. Just chilling. I'm a pretty low-key person and often describe myself as a hermit. Going out to shows though is definitely fun, and something I feel fortunate to have in my city.

12.Besides working in Cemetery Filth do you or any of the members currently work with any other bands or solo projects?If yes please tell the readers a little about them?

As of right now, Devin our bassist, and Chris our drummer, have the most going on on the sidelines. Devin is the band leader of blackened death/thrash band, Dire Hatred, and also fronts a thrash band. Chris is a very busy dude and is a main songwriter in almost all of his other projects - Ectovoid, Seraphic Entombment, Hegemony, and an especially sick new project, Exaugurate. Ryan hopes to start a traditional metal project sometime soon, and I've been writing some traditional Maryland-style doom metal in my spare time for a future side project.

13.Thank you for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final comments for the readers?

Thank you for taking the time to interview us! We're very happy to be part of this, and to contribute. Thanks to all of the readers and metal maniacs that keep the underground alive! Let's keep giving praise to the bands that really riff and push death metal forward - stop glorifying the fakers.

M A T T K I L P A T R I C K

Band Contacts

https://cemeteryfilth.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/CemeteryFilth

Label Contacts

http://www.unspeakableaxerecords.com/

https://unspeakableaxerecords.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/UnspeakableAxeRecords

https://twitter.com/UARMetal