Vredehammer’s second album Violator is an incredibly enjoyable 35 minutes of blackened aggression that I can’t seem to stop listening to. Wanting to know more, mainman Per Valla provided me with some more information…
For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!
We are Vredehammer from the north of Norway. We play extreme metal. Some people compare our music to Decapitated, Keep of Kalessin and Testament etc.
Give us a bit of background to Vredehammer
I started Vredehammer as a soloproject in 2009 without putting too much effort into it really, but when people seemed to like it and I had several offers from labels, I decided to start taking it more seriously. Before we started doing live shows Vredehammer had already released 3 EP`s. After this we signed to indie recordings and started releasing albums and doing tours etc.
What are your influences?
Probably the same as for all metalheads my age I would say. Testament, Pantera, Metallica, Megadeth, Sepultura and so on.
What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?
At the I am listening a lot to the new Dream Theater album “The astonishing”. I definitely recommend it. A real masterpiece!
How do you feel that you fit into the wider Black Metal scene?
Personally I don’t think we are a black metal band, but more just an extreme metal band. Given that we live far north in Norway we don’t really associate with the rest of the Norwegian bands, this way I think we have more freedom to do our own thing and create our own sound with time. Besides that I feel we offer the same amount of quality as other established artist in the genre.
Give us a bit of background to Violator – any particular concepts or ideas you want to discuss?
The music was inspired and written after having done a couple of tours with Six Feet Under. I was never really into their music until I saw them live, and the power they distribute with their groovy material. I wanted to adopt this feeling and offer a more groovy sound and feeling live. The lyrics are mainly inspired by books from Stephen King, war and some personal lyrics where I share my views on ignorant people and the state of the world.
Tell us about the album artwork
The album artwork was created by Remi Juliebø and Indie Recordings. They thought it looked cool and so did we hehe.
How do you go about writing your songs?
I write all the raw material and the lyrics. In the studio all members of the band put their personal touch on the songs through their instruments.
How did the recording process go?
This time the recording process was insanely smooth. No bumps in the road plus we had a really great studio technician Stamos Koliousis. Basically I tracked the guitars at home, sent the files to our bass player who did the same, and in the end our drummer Felix tracked the drums in a studio in Oslo.
What’s your favourite song on the album and why?
My favourite song is Deadfall. It’s a heavy motherfucker!
What does the future hold for Vredehammer?
Hard work and quality releases. That’s basically what we can offer. The rest is up to our listeners, promoters, festivals etc.
This is the second album by US Grinders Morgue Supplier.
This is rabid, brutal Grindcore that takes some Death Metal influences into its nasty embrace, resulting in 41 minutes of punishing Deathgrind.
Fast and intense, the band launch into their assault with glee and these tracks are not for the weak.
An album of this length could get quite boring though in the wrong hands, which is where the Death Metal influence comes in; there’s more than enough tempo changes and slower, groovy riffs to provide additional variety and substance to the aggressive mix.
Scathing screams, sickening shouts and ugly growls provide the vocal contribution and, alongside the well-recorded music, makes for a very satisfying listen.
This is a really enjoyable album. The songs are well-written and provide much more depth and content than a lot of Deathgrind bands aspire to. It has the chaotic mayhem of unhinged Grindcore and the controlled slaughter inherent to Death Metal. Blend these two together and you have a recipe for a winner. It doesn’t stop there though; also add in some atypical, interesting riffs and ideas, and you end up with an album that has far more staying power than most.
This is the second album from Israeli Death/Groove Metal band Ferium.
Ferium’s début album Reflections was a lively and enjoyable album that mixed Death and Groove Metal in just the right amounts.
The first thing about Behind the Black Eyes that strikes me is that it’s a far more focused effort than their début; the total playing time, total number of songs and individual track lengths have all been pruned, showing a band who have gained experience in the last few years and have trimmed away the fat to leave a lean, aggressive Metal machine.
The band essentially employ the same format as they did previously – heavy riffs and groovy beats interspersed with elements of modern Metalcore and underscored by a Death Metal base – but this time it’s tighter and more direct. That’s not to say there’s no depth of songwriting here, rather, the band are now closer to the style they clearly want to play and are playing it as they know how best to do; with angry brutality and poised aggression.
The singer growls and barks his way through the tracks. He seems to have improved on his already very satisfactory earlier performance and on this latest release appears to have settled into his role even more comfortably than previously. His voice is quite versatile, with his many different vocalisations all intent on maximising aggression.
All of the songs are well written and demonstrate a band coming into their own. Interesting and nuanced riffs rub shoulders with simpler bruisers, resulting in satisfying songs that may take a direct approach but provide enough content so as to be worth returning to over time.
Well, Reflections was good, but this is better. Well done Ferium.
Highly recommended for fans of Whitechapel, Gojira, Lamb of God, Job for a Cowboy, Thy Art Is Murder, Meshuggah, etc.
LLNN are an atmospheric Sludge band from Denmark. This is their début album.
Mixing Hardcore, Sludge and synths, the band create a dark sci-fi themed album that is quite apocalyptic in scope and feel.
Passionate, acidic screams ring out over a tide of crushing distortion, while relatively subtle sound-enhancements add texture and mood to the onslaught of heaviness. Lonesome backing cleans appear occasionally like a ghost in a maelstrom; spectral and mysterious.
Think Will Haven mixed with early Cult of Luna to get a good idea of where the band are coming from. It’s a dark and malevolent Post-Hardcore take on Sludge Metal and is almost as creepily atmospheric as it is oppressively heavy. Almost.
LLNN offer a hypnotic nihilism driven by a fatalistic acceptance of the fate of existence, which, paradoxically, also ends up being bleakly uplifting and empowering by the end of it. This is music to fall in love to at the end of the world.
This is the latest EP by Rats of Reality, who are a Blackened Crust/Thrash band from the UK.
A short EP at only 11 minutes in length, Rats of Reality manage to have an unexpected start to this release which throws me slightly, before proceeding to demonstrate that yes, they may play some gnarly, crusty, fast-paced blackened grimness, but they do it in unusual and unexpected ways.
On paper, bands like this are plentiful and there’s sometimes very little to differentiate them from each other. As mentioned though, Rats of Reality are a bit different as they also use riffs that are a whole lot more emotive than most bands of this ilk write. They don’t always do this, (Leeches, for example, is a much more straightforward proposition), but when they do the melodies sometimes border on something you’re more likely to get from a Post-Metal/Shoegaze band, and at other times definitely are. Deafheaven plays Crust? Kind of.
Regardless, it’s an interesting and unusual slant on a well-worn sub-genre and overall Obsequies is enriched by these more melodic, emotive guitars. The ugliness of the core style is still here, but now it’s a beautiful ugliness. Or something. Just listen to it, you’ll get what I mean.
I’m pleased by this, as Rats of Reality have surprised and impressed me. I always enjoy it when a band does something a little different, especially if you weren’t expecting them to, and this certainly qualifies.
Rorcal are a Blackened Doom band from Switzerland. This is their fourth album.
Rorcal are an intriguing band. Having produced a lot of Doom/Sludge/Post-Metal music over the years, their last couple of releases have shown an increasing Black Metal side to their sound, which they now seem to have fully incorporated into their repertoire, (see their split with Process of Guilt, for example). In fact, they’re pretty much at the point now where you could describe them as a Black Metal band and not raise too many eyebrows.
This latest album sees the band offer forth four new tracks spread across 53 minutes, each one a monster. κρέων (Creon) once more demonstrates the band’s mastery of Extreme Metal in all its guises.
The Black Metal elements are present and correct, as are the Sludge, Post-Metal and Doom ones. Rorcal have always had a surprisingly clean and sophisticated sound, despite their predilections for darkness, and κρέων (Creon) is no different. The music may be grim and charged with an energetic negativity, but the band always seem to manage to sound cutting edge no matter what they’re doing, even in their sludgiest or most blackened moments.
These songs mix blackened fury with progressive intent and atmospheric Sludge. As always, whatever aspect of whatever style that Rorcal are currently focusing their attentions on seems to work for them, and the aura of malevolent aggression and downbeat nastiness that these songs exude is palpable.
So, Rorcal return, triumphant, bold and victorious. They are fast becoming one of my favourite purveyors of darkened delights.
Livet Som Insats are a Swedish Grindcore band. This is their second album.
With 24 songs in just under 24 minutes, you can pretty much gather the kind of thing this is going to be before you press play, and when you do you’re not disappointed. This is Swedish Grindcore played exactly as you want it to be played – fast, direct and relentless.
The songs have an audible Hardcore influence that gives the tracks a vibrancy about them. The speed work is streamlined and sharp, and when they slow down they reveal a nice heaviness to the guitars.
The singer’s rabid screams are just as streamlined and sharp as the music, with the two parts going together nicely to create the finished product.
The recording quality is right where it needs to be too and everything sounds clean, clear and brutally correct.
Check Your Grind is a really satisfying release. With a change in album title and album cover, I could easily see this being picked up and released by one of the larger labels out there in the world of Extreme Metal. For us lucky people who have already discovered it though, get your fill now.
This is the second album from Canadian Progressive Death Metal band Bushwhacker.
Bushwhacker are an interesting proposition, combining, as they do, both Black and Death Metal as well as elements of Thrash, Sludge and psychedelia into their Extreme Metal sound.
The production is strong and the playing tight. The band have a sound that’s heavy, aggressive and dark, although not without its moments of subtlety and nuance. Harshness and melody combine, with textured riffs and thoughtful aggression leading the way. There’s plenty of leads and solos to get your teeth into and at 48 minutes in length it provides a lot of content and ideas.
The songs are well-written, with good pacing and dynamics. The band have a clear talent for this kind of thing and their confidence and ambition comes out in the strong music.
These are nicely varied songs, working as a whole to provide an album that’s a full listening experience. It’s obvious that a lot of work has gone into making this music what it is, and the end result is a really enjoyable Progressive Death Metal journey, complete with more than enough influences from other camps to make Bushwhacker an interesting and enticing proposition.
The vocals are largely screamed, with an old-school Thrash influence to them in places. They seem to skid, slide and slice over the surface of the lively guitars.
In a sea of samey-sounding bands, Bushwhacker stick out like a sore thumb with their fresh-sounding take on Extreme Metal.
I’ve been a fan of Neverworld since their first album and have already interviewed their main guitarist/singer Ben Colton previously. As they’ve just released their second album Dreamsnatcher, it seemed like the right time to get in touch once more and see what’s been going on…
For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!
Hello! We are Neverworld! Our sound is basically a mixture of traditional, power, progressive epic metal with a huge emphasis on melody. Basically if you like King Diamond,Queensrÿche, Fates Warning, Judas Priest, Helloween etc then I’d like to think you would quite like us too!
Give us a bit of background to Neverworld
Well we formed in September 2009 so we’ve been around a while now. Our vision was actually very simple really. We consider ourselves to be story tellers. An audio visual band is how I personally like to describe us. So we set out to do just that, telling our stories with melody and metal! In 2010 we released our début EP ‘Welcome To…’ and it got a lot of great reviews which was awesome to see. After a couple of years on the road solidly we started putting together the first album ‘Visions Of Another World‘ which we released in March 2014, again to critical acclaim. So we’ve been very lucky with the press and fans so far. About 18 months ago we started writing and recording our new album ‘Dreamsnatcher’ and just last week we released it on time for once! It’s been a fun ride so far. Sure we’ve had our ups and downs but we’ve played some amazing shows with some amazing bands along the way and these guys are my brothers. I’m really looking forward to the next chapter of Neverworld with these dudes. When you are in a band with your best friends…well it doesn’t get any better than that.
What are your influences?
As a band we are obviously all into metal but our influences are all quite different and I think that is great for song writing. For me I love so many bands. Music has been my passion since I was 4 years old so I’ve got a pretty huge music collection. My favourite styles are traditional, progressive, classic rock and AOR. There are a lot of bands out there who don’t get much attention and I often find they tend to be my biggest influences. I love all the big guns too like Maiden, Priest, Manowar, Van Halen, etc. but I’m also a huge fan of bands like Winger, Fates Warning, Crimson Glory, Magnum, Circus Maximus, etc. Guitar-wise there are so many great players out there. Especially now but I’d have to say Reb Beach, Tony Clarkin, Eddie Van Halen, Scot Gorham, Andy LaRouque, Slash, Dave Murray and Adrian Smith helped me get better and find my style more than anyone else. Singer wise, again there are so many. Rob Halford, Kip Winger, Ray Alder, Geoff Tate, Biff Byford, Ray Gillen, Brad Delp, Michael Eriksen, Midnight, Mike Andersson right through to David Bowie, Stevie Wonder and Luther Vandross believe it or not. What I love about the dudes I’ve just mentioned is that you know exactly who it is when they start singing. That is the mark of a great singer for me. Power, range and identity.
What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?
I listen to a lot of stuff because I hate to get bored of music. If I love a band or a song I try not to play it over and over so I tend to listen to lots of compilations I make for the car. Right at this very minute I’m listening to Magnitude 9, Cloudscape, Anubis Gate, Avantasia, Redemption and Circus Maximus. I’d like to just give a shout out to a few bands. Not just because they are friends of mine but because they are genuinely awesome. Bands like Neuronspoiler, Elm Street, Wardrum, Avenging Benji, The Deep, Kill Confirmed, Fat Nelly and Enbound. Outstanding music, please go check them all out. You can thank me later!
How do you feel that you fit into the wider Metal scene?
It’s really hard to say. What I do see with us is a broad age range listening to our music and coming to the shows. I think that’s a wonderful thing to be able to bridge the age gaps. I’m talking people in their mid teens to people in their mid 60’s! That’s awesome right?! I think our music has a lot of layers and depth. I’d like to think that we would appeal to all kinds of metalheads. Our music can be dark and brooding but also upbeat and positive. Like the moods of most people. Kind of a weird take on it I guess but people generally listen to music to make them feel a certain way. I think we cater for all but I will leave that up to the listener to decide!
Give us a bit of background to Dreamsnatcher – any particular concepts or ideas you want to discuss?
We really wanted this album to be a big step up in everything. Songs, production, musicianship, etc. I think we achieved what we set out to do and that was better ‘Visions Of Another World’. This album has more depth. More light and shade. It’s got its rockers and it’s got its epics. It pretty much sums up Neverworld and what we do. Song themes include a homage to the movies In The Mouth Of Madness and The Warriors much like we did with ‘They Live’ on the first album. There’s a dark ballad on there about falling for a girl in a dream, a song about serial killer lovers, a nice epic track about facing your fears. There’s a lot going on on this album. We worked very hard at crafting it and I took my time with the lyrics and vocal melodies to make sure the stories got told in the right way. It’s got a song for every mood and that is something we really wanted to have too.
How do you feel your sound has progressed between Dreamsnatcher and your previous album Visions of Another World?
It’s a massive cliché but it’s a more mature album. There’s nothing worse than treading water as a musician and I absolutely refuse to do that. One thing I really admire is when a band retain a signature sound but never make the same album twice. Fates Warning and Winger get a special mention for that. It’s hard to do. The only way to do it is to evolve and not be scared to take risks. In-between albums go learn new techniques. Go and listen to new music. It really does help you move on and get brand new ideas you’ve never thought of before. Half of the first album was written about 7-9 years ago. Of course we are all much better musicians now and that shows with the new album. I have no doubt the next one will be even more diverse!
Are you happy with how the album turned out?
Hey I’m a perfectionist so no! Haha I think there comes a point when you have to stop over analysing and just get it out and let the critics/fans decide. I’m happy with the songs. Like I said it’s a real step up from Visions and for that reason alone I am happy. I’m very critical of myself vocal wise but that just comes down to always wanting to deliver my absolute best. On the whole I think it’s the best album we could have put out at this point in time and I guess that’s all we could do.
How do you go about writing your songs?
There’s no rules here as such. Sometimes it’s a solo riff written at home and taken to the studio to be expanded and sometimes we either pair up or usually 3 of us will sit there bouncing ideas. There’s no science involved with us. It really depends on what story we are trying to tell and picking the music/melody to suit the theme. This band has some very talented musicians, all with different influences so it makes for very interesting writing sessions!
How did the recording process go?
Well the first album was an absolute bastard to make and this one wasn’t. It was a lot of fun actually and really helped us bond together that much more. Every week we would go into the studio and just write and record the demos as we went along. It was a great way of doing it and we just had a really good laugh too. We have a great work ethic but we are always laughing. It’s a great combination. Recording is fun. It’s being creative which is what being a musician is all about. I love the process until it comes to vocal harmonies! Haha! I hate doing them but the rest is all good. All in all the album took 18 months to write, record and release. Much better than the 3 and a half years Visions took!
What’s your favourite song on the album and why?
This is the hardest question you’ve asked! Because they are all quite different it’s hard to pick. I think I have a favourite to play live and a favourite to listen to. ‘Armies Of The Night’ is a great live track. Loads of solos, riffs, energy, etc. As for my favourite on the album I’m going to say ‘Into The Mouth Of Madness’ just because it kinda has it all. The big build up intro, the verses are cool, the chorus is cool and catchy. It’s just an epic of a track!
What does the future hold for Neverworld?
Hopefully quite a lot! We are going to be busy this year in terms of playing live and supporting the release. We are currently planning a small tour for October but will have quite a few shows up until then too. I think we are likely to go back into the studio this year to do a limited edition EP and then next year we will be writing and recording a concept album. I won’t give too much away on that just yet but it’s something that would suit us to the ground and the 3rd album seems to be the right time to do it. To keep up to date on all things Neverworld make sure you like our Facebook page and check out our lovely new website http://www.neverworldmetal.co.uk
Thank you for talking to me and I sincerely hope everybody enjoys the new album. It’s available on the site and waiting for your ears now!
This is the second album from this Slovenian Death Metal band.
Blast beats, huge groovy riffs and crushing beatdowns, this is what we like. Within Destruction play modern Death Metal with a side order of Deathcore, taking in all stops on the brutality train as they pummel and carve their way through the opposition.
The vocalist appears to have eaten all of the souls and spends the album trying to vomit them up in new and disgusting ways. His deep growls are a pleasure to listen to and work perfectly with the blasting mayhem and destructive beats.
With fast aggression and a decent compromise between simplicity and technicality, Void is a relentless and unrepentant series of kicks to the head.
The songs are energetic and the Deathcore influence means that it’s easy to find yourself bouncing along as the tracks progress. As you do. Importantly, (and this is where most pure Deathcore bands fail), they don’t rely totally on this approach and also include some proper Death Metal brutality, some technical riffage and even understated atmospheric melodies. The end result is songs that may have style, but also have some substance to them too; very important.
Ahhh, it’s so nice to hear this kind of stuff. It’s so easy to be jaded and cynical these days, but when you hear something like this, played with real passion and a lust for all things sickeningly heavy and brutal, you can’t help but get swept away with it. Also; huge monster on the cover. What’s not to like?
Wonderbox Metal 