Interviews – Page 20 – Wonderbox Metal

Interview with Mithridatic

Blackened Death Metal can sometimes be a bit hit or miss, but with the début album Miserable Miracle from French band Mithridatic, it’s a definite hit. It’s a very strong album in more ways than one, and I was curious to find out more, so I caught up with their guitarist Romain Sanchez to find out what makes a miserable miracle…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

Hi! Firstly Mithridatic is just a band in the middle of a plethora of bands, created in 2007 in Saint Etienne France. Our inspiration is in old school death metal with some modern touches. We try to make an uncomfortable feeling, and to give much violence and power to the auditor. We pass by diverse styles of extreme metal such as doom, or fast as death brutal and using dark atmospheres of black metal.

Give us a bit of background to Mithridatic

Mithridatic is formed by 5 musicians all from the same region in France.

The drummer Kevin Paradis joined the band for the release of our demo “Hunt Is On”. Since Kevin’s entrance to the band we brought our style to a faster way, more extreme music, more hostile and oppressive. We are musicians with a lot of different influences. It allows us to pass by various styles of rhythms and various feelings. By the opportunity to have in the team musicians with a lot of technique, we want to achieve our goal: to give extreme music and to accomplish ourselves with our skills.

What are your influences?

We all have different influences, but I am going to begin my influences: the groups which marked me the most for making our song tracks are Morbid angel, Slayer, Arkhon Infaustus, Mayhem, Immolation, Angelcorpse etc. Mithridatic is a mix of an heavy atmosphere with ultra fast beats!

What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?

At the moment I would like to recommend Dead Congregation, Portal, Lvcifyre, Conan.… and I know Guitou is into Kerasphorus, Abhomine and Peter Helmkamp’s other works these days…

How do you feel that you fit into the wider Extreme Metal scene?

We still have a long way….But we are very enthusiastic to expose our music in various situations, we just want to play more and more!

Give us a bit of background to Miserable Miracle – any particular concepts or ideas you want to discuss?

The main idea of this album is to overcome different kinds of harmful situations… we describe nocebo effects, social anxiety, precarious existences…lyrics are inspired by some writings from French authors like Antonin Artaud, Henri Michaux etc. and some strange movies…Guitou had a kind of surrealist approach for its works for this album. We tried to create a ‘bardo’ state and to give a transcription of our anxiety and sickness…and this is also the way for the next album. Miserable Miracle is an important album for us because it’s our first “official” album for almost 10 years of activity. We hope the first one of many others! It also marks our entry into the French label Kaotoxin and Miserable Miracle has a better exposition than our old productions very underground. We also changed our habits of production by recording in two professional studio “DLM Studio” and “Sainte Marthe Studio”. We are all satisfied by results and by the sound of this album between old school and modern stuff. Kevin our drummer decided to record in a most natural possible way to get a sound close to our live performance. We wanted an organic and human sound.

Tell us about the album artwork

Damien Guerras’s illustration gives a free interpretation….I’m going to speak to you about mine: it represents the Adam and Eve tree in our world and society! The perversion of humankind have exceeded all the limits, the tree decomposes. The poison of perversion intoxicates our nervous system….This is a pessimistic picture of our miserable human condition.

How do you go about writing your songs?

I lock myself at home with my guitar for several days to record many riffs. It’s long process and sometimes inspiration doesn’t comes. I need time to get into a negative state of mind. Sometimes it can go very fast for example riffs of “Dispense the Adulterated ” and “Oxydized Trigger Sabotage” were written in the same week…Once riffs are recorded I send it to Kevin. It helps for structures of tracks and he makes his personal drum parts. Then we discusses of our ways to develop harmful songs…In rehearsal Alex and Remolow also composes with the material for bass parts and leads guitars. To finish Guitou places his vocals…The lyrics process is a quite difficult to describe because it’s an everyday process…. Miserable Miracle is a team work and everyone gives its personal style or feeling to get the riffs richer. Everyone is involved in an extreme vision of life and music.

How did the recording process go?

We recorded all the songs in the DLM Studio in Saint-Etienne and the mix/master was made by the Sainte-Marthe Studio in Paris. We decided to make the mix/master in Sainte-Marthe Studio with Francis Caste because we like his works on Svart Crown, Arkhon Infaustus, Kickback or Cowards for example. Francis Caste is a great professional, very fast, and an effective worker. Dupont Ludovic of the DLM Studio allowed us to record without stress at 20 minutes from home with a very good analogue equipment. Everything is very well.

What’s your favourite song on the album and why?

My favourite song of the record is surely Oxydized Trigger Sabotage…I like the particular atmosphere of this track. Doom and tortured. The vocal performance by Guitou is awesome!

What does the future hold for Mithridatic?

The maximum of gigs to defend our music on stage. We hope to build and to acquire a solid place in extreme metal! We will work on new material as soon as possible! We have a lot of motivation to make a second album and to make good shows!! See you on stage!! Thanks for your interest!

Interview with Kampfar

Kampfar’s seventh album Profan is like a fine wine that just improves over time. Their bassist Jon Bakker gave me some insight into their world…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

I’m Jon, the bass player of Kampfar.

Give us a bit of background to Kampfar

Kampfar came to life back in 1994. Over the years we released 7 albums via different labels. We are currently signed to Indie Recordings and our latest release, Profan, was out November last year. The last 13 years we have been a 4 piece, doing several tours in Europe and North America.

What are your influences?

We were teens in the 80s so naturally our favourite music and inspiration comes from that time. Can be everything from Heavy Metal, Thrash and early Black Metal like Kiss, Bathory, Celtic Frost, Sodom etc. Of newer times everything that makes a difference might inspire us.

What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?

There are some cool records being released nowadays. Personally I like Tribulation, Alfahanne, Mgła, Melechesh, Secrets Of The Moon and so on. I’m also into new thrash bands from Norway actually. Inculter, Reptilian and Nekromantheon rocks.

How do you feel about the Extreme Metal scene in 2016?

As I mentioned above there’s still hope for Extreme Metal. The new trend is to be different, and that may not be a bad thing. I’m pretty sick of bands trying to copy others though. It’s enough with one Abbath creature and one band like Darkthrone…

Give us a bit of background to Profan – any particular concepts or ideas you want to discuss?

The whole idea behind Profan is to dig as far down in the filth as possible. It’s a search for hope and a journey to see if there’s anything that can save mankind. If you follow the lyrics the answer is pretty clear. There’s no hope, no hymns, no chants and no mercy. But there will be fire!

Tell us about your songwriting process?

Our process works with sharing ideas. It’s a long process for sure. One song is changed many times before everyone is satisfied. Then we meet in the rehearsal room and check the live potential.

How did the recording of the album go?

Everything went very smooth. The recording was done in different levels and places. Bergen, Pärlby/Sweden and Oslo. We’re very happy with everyone involved. Jonas and Stamos did an excellent job for us.

What’s your favourite song on the album and why?

That’s difficult. I have favourites for every mood. Daimon is a killer live song while Tornekratt have a great groove and wildness.

How do you see your sound developing in the future?

To the extreme. We will not do another Profan nor Djevelmakt. If we ever find the inspiration for a new album, we will do it. If not, who knows…

What’s next for Kampfar?

We’ll play live as much as we can. We have a good package of excellent live songs now, and now its the time to get it out to the world.

Interview with Collision

As I sit here listening to Collision’s latest release Satanic Surgery, it strikes me that in addition to being a very brutal record, it’s extremely well put together and just plain fun! As it’s a very enjoyable album that I keep returning to, when the opportunity arose to catch up with the band I grasped it with both hands…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

We are Collision from the Netherlands! We play a crossover between grindcore and thrash metal with a lot of punk and hardcore influences! Collision is around for 15 or 16 years now, touring Europe and sometimes we will make an album… like we just did: Satanic Surgery! Released by Hammerheart Records on CD and LP.

Give us a bit of background to Collision

Collision started back in 2000, after a trying out some guitar and bass players we found the right line up for this band and we start to write songs and perform live. We were ask to do some local supports and shows on metal festivals. From one thing came another and before we knew we were in the studio recording our first album, released by Czech Republic’s grindcore label “Bizarre Leprous”. With this album in our pocket we did a lot of shows in The Netherlands, Belgium, France and Czech Republic. We changed bassist after this and now we are still in the same line-up. We just like to do a lot of shows and sometimes we record an album, a split single or some cover songs for a tribute album.

What are your influences?

Old school grindcore, thrash metal, hardcore and crossover in general. We are 5 individuals, but I think we all love Slayer and Napalm Death haha. More influences came from bands like Repulsion, Nasum, Wehrmacht, Stormtroopers Of Death, Brutal Truth, Municipal Waste, Dead Kennedys, Anthrax, Suffocation and more!

What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?

I’m currently listening to Skeletal Remains (groovy old school death metal, good stuff!), the latest album from Gadget (ultra fast grindcore with cool sludge and hardcore parts), Textures (awesome Dutch band) and some old school classics that are not metal like The Specials and Run D.M.C. But like I mention before, the other members will listen to complete other music then me haha.

How do you feel that you fit into the wider Metal scene?

I don’t know, we also love to play in the crust and grindcore scene… but for us it’s not about scenes etc. We just love to play and that everybody that likes grindcore, thrash metal, hardcore, death metal, punkrock etc will love our music!

Give us a bit of background to Satanic Surgery – any particular concepts or ideas you want to discuss?

Normally we sing about drinking, stupidity of religion, girls, war and horror. We used to do some politics, but that’s just not our thing.

How do you go about writing your songs?

Normally our bass player Boris will come up with some riffs. We will select our favourites and make skeletons of songs from it together with guitar player Luc. These songs are sent to our drummer Job and together we finish the song. Normally Björn (sometimes me) will come up with some lyrics and topics to scream about. Some fine-tuning and the song is finished! These days we think it’s important to have the song full of power and energy, but also needs to be catchy and have a good chorus!

I’m glad you mentioned that – is it important to for you to have a good amount of catchiness in your music, rather than focusing purely on aggression and extremity?

Hehe, I already answered this! But yes, it needs to be catchy! But we also focus a lot of aggression and extremity for sure.

What’s your favourite song on the album and why?

I don’t know, I really love to play “Necromantic Love Affair” live because of the combination of grindcore riffs with a sludgy metal break. Lyrics are also hilarious hehe. I also really like “Cripple The Cross”… faster, faster!!

Tell us about the album artwork

The artwork is done by Luis Sendon, he also did the cover from our previous album and the split 7″ with The Rotted. The concept was already clear for a few months, so it was just up to him to visualise our ideas. And I must admit, he did an awesome job!

How did the recording process go?

Surprisingly smooth! We were not that prepared like the previous album, but we made nice demos for ourselves, so we finished the job in a few recording days.

What does the future hold for Collision?

We just hope to play a lot and everywhere! We have some cool shows booked at the moment, but we are still open for more! So keep an eye at http://www.collisiongrind.nl for updates!

Thank you fort he interview and the support!

Interview with Sarke

Upon the release of their fourth album Bogefod, Sarke have unleashed a shambling horror of an album on an unsuspecting world. Dark, sinister and mysterious, it’s an album I can’t stop listening to and keep returning to again and again. I wanted to find out a little bit more about this impressive release…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

I am Sarke, plays bass. I am the main songwriter in Sarke.

Give us a bit of background to Sarke

Sarke started out as a solo act. After tons of band releases I wanted to release an album were I did almost everything myself. Write all the song and lyrics, play all the instruments and produce the album. The album did well and the record company wanted to release more albums. I did not feel like doing another solo album, so I got together a full line up band.

What are your influences?

My influences are Norwegian nature like forests, mountains, lakes. Paintings by Kittelsen. Music from the 70s and 80s.

What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?

I don’t listen to much these days. When we play concerts ourself I focus on our own music.

How do you feel that you fit into the wider Black Metal scene?

Sarke is not only a black metal band. Our music has a big range. We have a lot of different style in our music. The members of Sarke have played all kind of metal.

Give us a bit of background to Bogefod – any particular concepts or ideas you want to discuss?

Bogefod is a concept album. Its based on a 1000 year old Viking saga. Its about Torolv Bogefod, a Viking king that dies, comes back from the dead and terrorises the village as a walking dead.

Tell us about the album artwork

It’s done by Terje Johnsen. The artwork is taken from the movie SAGA, a film that Sarke is involved in and has also made a lot of the music in the film.

How do you go about writing your songs?

Its mostly written at home on acoustic guitar. We finish the song at rehearsal with the whole band. And usually add some riffs or parts together to make it work, so we get a complete song.

How did the recording process go?

It worked out great. We planned the recording process in advance. We start with drums. Acoustic drums with no trigging and so on. Then guitar, bass, keys and then Nocturno comes and do the vocals as the last thing.

What’s your favourite song on the album and why?

Hard for me to pick one song. Maybe Taken because of the guitar solo.

What does the future hold for Sarke?

Not easy to say, but hopefully we will get some good shows and the people will check out Bogefod.

Interview with Vredehammer

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.

Interview with Neverworld

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!

Interview with Oranssi Pazuzu

Having just released their latest dark creation Värähtelijä, enigmatic Progressive/Post-Black Metal band Oranssi Pazuzu’s bassist Ontto takes the time out from exploring the underworld to answer a few queries about this textured and atmospheric mysterious entity…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

We are Oranssi Pazuzu from Finland. Five guys who have been exploring the outer regions of mind’s cosmos since 2007.

Give us a bit of background to Oranssi Pazuzu

We dive into unknown sonic landscapes. Our method for this is collective improvisation and fusion of different musical elements from psychedelic rock to second wave black metal. Our songs are noisy and sung in Finnish. We’ve recorded four albums, of which the newest, ‘Värähtelijä’, just came out.

What are your influences?

Circle, Darkthrone, Swans, Can, Scott Walker, Sleep, to name a few current favourites. We are into many different kinds of music.

What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?

Right now I get the biggest kicks out of Fleetwood Mac’s mid-seventies soft rock era. Currently my favourite FM albums are the ‘75 Fleetwood Mac and Future Games. Great songs and that rhythm section is just incredibly groovy!

How do you feel that you fir into the wider Metal scene?

Sometimes it feels a bit restricting to define ourselves as a metal band. I think we fit in any place where people respect our musical ideas and get strong feelings out of it, regardless of what colour t-shirts they are wearing. Having said that, we’ve also had great time playing at some amazing metal festivals, like Heavy Days Doomtown or Roadburn Festival, so I wouldn’t say we are outside the scene either.

Give us a bit of background to Värähtelijä – any particular concepts or ideas you want to discuss?

Värähtelijä is like a long trip that flips your mind inside out. Each song is like a vision on that trip, and together they form a unified experience that is greater than it’s individual fragments. There are concepts like sacrificing the ego, power of the society, and finally the extinction of the mind.

Tell us about the album artwork

On the front cover there is a photo by Andrea Petrovicova. It is an ominous dark tunnel, that has organic growth inside it. The tunnel leads to catharsis. When you open the vinyl gatefold, you will discover what’s at the other end of the tunnel, and inside you.

How do you go about writing your songs?

We get together and start jamming and playing with different ideas. We go for a strong atmosphere, not technical precision. We recorded many ideas while making this album, and many of those slowly evolved into songs as we played with them. Some songs were written more traditionally as riffs, but they too had a lot of collective band input in the end.

How did the recording process go?

It was exhausting and fun two weeks. We started with Julius Mauranen with the live takes and then added more instrumental parts and vocals with Tom Brooke. After that we recorded some additional guests by ourselves and the stuff was ready for mixing.

What’s your favourite song on the album and why?

I think the album is stronger than individual songs. But if I have to choose one, I’ll go for Vasemman käden hierarkia. It’s got the most ambitious arc we’ve done and many different levels to it, and I think it holds together nicely the whole 17 minutes.

What does the future hold for Oranssi Pazuzu?

We’re touring Europe this month and then we’re going to do some festivals, like Desert Fest in London and Roadburn in Tilburg. After those the future is unclear.

Interview with Abyssus

Abyssus have been taking the underground old-school Death Metal scene by storm in recent years, culminating in their début album Into the Abyss and their recent compilation Once Entombed…. Fast becoming one of my favourite old-school Death Metal bands, I wanted to know more about these Greek death-dealers…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

Greetings!! I am Panos Gkourmpaliotis, the guitarist of Abyssus, an old school death metal band from Greece. Abyssus formed in 2011 by the vocalist Kostas Analytis, just to glorify the Metal of Death!!! I entered the band in 2012 and Kostas Ragiadakos (bass) joined us in 2015. Abyssus is just our passion for 80s and 90s Death/Thrash Metal.

Give us a bit of background to Abyssus

After the release of our first EP “Monarch to the Kingdom of the Dead” (2011) it was about time for the band to have a solid line up. We played some live shows and we recorded a few split releases (No Life in the Coffin with legendary Nocturnal Vomit in 2013 , “From the Abyss Raised the Morbid” with mighty Morbider in 2014 and “Obscure” with Slaktgrav in 2014). The songs included in the split with Morbider were remixed and remastered because we were completely disappointed with the sound of that release. The result was “Summon the Dead” in 2014 , an EP released only on tape. For many years we were giving final form to our style. In 2015 we entered Unreal Studios, one of the best studios in Athens and we recorded our début album entitled “Into the Abyss” (released in 2015 via Memento Mori) and some split releases that already came in 2016 and some others that will follow soon.

What are your influences?

Our influences are all those epic bands from 80s and 90s that served old school Metal with respect and passion. Bands like Bolt Thrower, Death, Asphyx, Autopsy, Obituary, Possessed, Massacre, Benediction, Death Strike, Cancer, Slayer, Sodom, Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, Venom, Bathory.

What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?

This period am listening to Rapture’s début album called “Crimes Against Humanity” and “Ways of Enclosure” by Dementia 13. Both are great albums! Don’t forget to bang your heads with “Exterminate!! Annihilate! Destroy! by Down Among The Dead Men. Hail to Dave Ingram , one of the best Death Metal vocalists ever!!!! Bow to none!!!!

Give us a bit of background to Once Entombed… – as a collection of your older work, how did this release come about?

Memento Mori and Κunal of Transcending Obscurity cooperate on album promotions. So we met him! Transcending Obscurity celebrates with us and honours our first days with “Once Entombed…”, a compilation that shows the evolution of the band through the years. Most of our early releases are difficult to find, so it is a good opportunity for someone who wants to get in touch with that stuff. So far our collaboration with Transcending Obscurity has been more than excellent. Kunal is a metal maniac and we couldn’t be more satisfied with the result !!!

How do you go about writing your songs – has this changed over time?

Me and Kostas Analytis write our own stuff and then we shall get in touch to play to each other the new ideas.. We are partners in crime!! Until “Summon the dead” Kostas Analytis was the main composer of the band and I had less responsibility on that material. That was something that changed after “Summon the Dead” so to speak , as and I am responsible for the biggest part of “Into the Abyss”.

To me, your EP Monarch to the Kingdom of the Dead is stylistically and sonically different to what came after – what prompted this?

Our first EP “Monarch to the Kingdom of the Dead” released in 2011 and as I talked, when Abyssus began to act was just an one man band. As it is logical Kostas Analytis had a different view from me. But we found a common path somewhere in the middle and this is the so called evolution of Abyssus from “No Life in the Coffin” till now.

What’s your favourite song on your début album and why?

My favorite song off “Into the Abyss” is “Echoes of Desolation”. It’s probably the most “epic” song on the album , so to speak! The one that evokes more emotions and makes you get into a different kind of dimension.

What does the future hold for Abyssus?

Right now we are working on new material! Very soon our début album “Into the Abyss will be released on vinyl format via Floga Records and a 4-way split on 7” vinyl, with Death Courier / Slaughtered Priest / DreamLongDead. Also we’d like to play live our music in the near future , as two years have gone since our last live performance!

And finally – how ace is Death Metal?

After a long time that passed from the glorious 90s, prevailed mediocrity in all genres of metal music!!! As Asphyx said on “Deathhammer”, pollution begins!!!! Decades after, we see the streams of great releases coming out one after another and we are really excited about that. We believe that Death Metal must remain pure and old school as it had begun!! We respect and we admire so many legendary bands that kill again and of course new bands that defend the old sound with passion and true inspiration! Hail true Death Metal.

Interview with Communal Grave

Communal Grave’s recently released début album Solace in Violencia is chock full of melodic Death Metal with absolutely bowel-loosening vocals and a decent Thrash influence. I caught up with frontman Jamail to dig a bit deeper into the history of the band…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

Hello Nigel I hope you are well, I’m Jamail Rafi the main man of Communal Grave. I do vocals, bass, lyrics and songwriting for the band.

Give us a bit of background to Communal Grave

We started back in 2006 in Karachi, Pakistan. It started with 5 guys but now only I, Nabeel (Guitars) and Asas (Drums) are the one carrying the metal movement forward. In the start we had no idea what to sound like; we just wanted to play metal. I remember our main influence was Pantera. We tried so hard to sound like Pantera in the beginning but fell on our collective asses (Haha). So naturally we gravitated towards a sound which combined Death Metal and Thrash Metal which came naturally to us. We made a song called “Anomaly” which became sort of like the anthem of the Karachi Underground. I remember everyone used to sing the song along with us and it was a time where bands didn’t do originals here. We played in the Karachi underground scene from 2006-2009 but after a while the gigs became scarce and the whole scene became a joke. We took a really long break after that and now are back to unleash our fury hehe.

What are your influences?

My influences are mainly 80s US/ German Thrash and a lot of Old School Swedish Death Metal, Swedish Thrash and the Gothenberg scene bands. Bolt Thrower, Hail of Bullets, Testament, Megadeth, Slayer, Kreator, Entombed, Dismember, Grave, Bloodbath, Unleashed, At the Gates, Arch Enemy (stigmata and burning bridges still kicks ass to this day!), Darkane, The Haunted, Carnal Forge etc. The list is really long but I have a deep affection for the nation of Sweden when it comes to metal.

What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?

Well last night I was streaming Brujeria live at hellfest 2012, it kicked mighty ass! Currently listening to Bloodbath – Grand Morbid Funeral, Firespawn – Shadow Realms, Insision – Terminal Reckoning, Bold Thrower – Those Once Loyal (a fucking classic).

How do you feel that you fit into the wider Metal scene?

As far as the whole metal scene is concerned, there are so many bands now that it’s easy to get lost in the abyss. But I would like to keep the focus on changing the Metal landscape of my own country and be a strong inspiration for the non-existent metal community here. I want Communal Grave to be a strong metal band to represent Pakistan.

Give us a bit of background to Solace in Violencia – any particular concepts or ideas you want to discuss?

We started working on the album back in 2008 or 09 but went on a hiatus. The album has a loose concept to it but it does not extend to the whole of the album. “The Killing of the Kings/ all of Monarchy” is the concept that I incorporated into the album. The Last Gasp of the Beardsman is about Saddam Hussein. Tormentor of Agonopolis is about Idid Amin Dada. Heavy Lies the Crown is about Bahadur Shah Zafar (Mughal Empire). The Protruding Tomb is about Peter Ludwig von der Pahlen and the assassination of Paul I of Russia.

Tell us about the album artwork

The artwork was done by me. It shows an amputated corpse suspended in mid-air in a black hole with the black hole/emptiness still eating and feeding off of him.

How do you go about writing your songs?

Well I write constantly. Sometimes an interesting riff comes to me then I start writing the progression of that riff and take the whole writing from there. Once the song is musically created I attach an idea behind it and write the lyrics. I ponder a lot on musical arrangements and the arrangement of different parts in the song. Being a sole songwriter on the band, it definitely has a draining effect on you but nonetheless a very satisfying experience too.

How did the recording process go?

It did not go very smoothly. I experimented a lot with different mics, different distortions, bass amplifiers to find the right sound. As I am the producer on the record I had to make sure that the sound is not comprised in any way. It took me 2-3 months just to find the right sound for this particular record. Juggling a day job and then recording on my free time.

What’s your favourite song on the album and why?

Heavy Lies the Crown because whenever we have played it live the crowd goes fucking nuts. It always becomes a pit of moshing chaos. The energy it channels the audience is just amazing.

What does the future hold for Communal Grave?

As for me I’m already working with my homie Nabeel’s band called Cardinal Sin which is a sister band of ours so be sure to check out Cardinal Sin’s début this year! And already working on Communal Grave’s follow-up full-length called “Preacher of Darkness” due to be out in 2017. So stay tuned and thanks for this wonderful interview Nigel.

Interview with Beehoover

The latest Beehoover album Primitive Powers is a highly enjoyable listening experience from this uncommon band. Combining quirky and characterful Stoner/Doom/Sludge influences into their personable music, I had to ask their drummer Claus a bit more about what they’re made of…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

It’s Ingmar on bass and vocals and me, Claus, on drums. We play loud rock music beyond typical standards. We don’t care about common structures, song lengths or whatever. We don’t have a specific political, social or visual outfit. However, we do care about our music a lot!

Give us a bit of background to Beehoover

Ingmar and I met around 2002 and we realized at once we share the same ideas about music. We tried to put together a proper rock band with a guitar player and a singer that didn’t work out so we had to carry on as a duo, which has worked out well ever since. “Primitive Powers” is our fifth album, other than that we have released four albums on Exile on Mainstream Records, an EP and a demo.

What are your influences?

We both have listened to bands like Primus, No Means No, Tool, Ninewood or Isis. Lyric-wise there are influences to be found in our everyday life or historical facts.

What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?

I listen to some older stuff or BBC6 radio. We both don’t really listen to any specific new bands.

How do you feel that you fit into the wider musical scene?

We ourselves think we do. There are people with different musical backgrounds at our concerts, all together dancing and banging their heads, which may mean we’re right. However, some promoters, labels, bookers or magazines seem to see us in a freakier corner and not appealing to a larger audience.

Give us a bit of background to Primitive Powers – any particular concepts or ideas you want to discuss?

This album covers topics like domination, aggression and suppression on one and those like hope, despair and disappointment on the other side.

“Primitive powers” is a line of the song “Tickling the Dragon’s Tail”, which is the name of an experiment carried out by nuclear scientists in the 1940s. It was a very dangerous experiment, however safety precautions were neglected and in the end something went wrong and some scientists died from radiation. We think this shows how arrogant human beings can be.

The cover artwork may give some space for interpretation as well.

Tell us about the album artwork

They are handmade collages and a collaboration between an Dutch and American artist. The cover is a symbol of human arrogance.

How do you think this is different to or has progressed from The Devil and His Footmen?

Always difficult to tell because you don’t do anything on purpose, it comes out a certain way and that’s it. We’ve already gotten some very nice critiques about the album being the most elaborated Beehoover work so far.

Also, it’s the first album we didn’t record and mix ourselves, which made things a lot easier. It’s also the first for our new label Unundeux.

How do you go about writing your songs?

Normally Ingmar comes up with riffs. We work on them, record them, share them online, listen to them again and again, combine them with other parts, rewrite them, throw them away and so on. So our songs grow step by step and we always work on several songs at the same time.

We live several hundreds of kilometres apart. So we met every other weekend over a couple of months for rehearsing sessions until the songs were done.

How did the recording process go?

We locked ourselves in at Tonmeisterei Oldenburg for six days. It’s good to be caught in that microcosm and be able to concentrate on nothing but the music. When recording we don’t experiment a lot and try to be prepared as well as possible.

What’s your favourite song on the album and why?

That’s difficult because they’re all our babies and we don’t play something if one of us doesn’t like it. Of the new songs I really enjoy listening to Embers and Bombs & Bagpipes. Those songs have lots of dynamics and unusual structures, which I like.

What does the future hold for Beehoover?

We have some touring plans for later this year and hopefully we’ll get the chance to play more gigs and a greater recognition.