Wonderbox Metal

Interview with Rauhnåcht

Rauhnåcht have recently released their latest album Urzeitgeist which is a dark treat to listen to. It was a pleasure to ask some questions to this elusive entity. So stick the album on and soak up the atmosphere from the songs while you read the responses below…

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

Rauhnåcht is an Alpine Black Metal band from Austria and exists since 2010. I am active in the Black Metal scene since 1992 through my other band Golden Dawn. With Rauhnåcht I try to create a pure, nature-based atmosphere with hypnotic song structures and strong focus to the myths of the Alpine region.

Give us a bit of history to Rauhnåcht.

In 2010 I met Max from the Alpine Folk band Sturmpercht. I was fascinated by the atmosphere of their music, so I created the first Rauhnåcht songs on the basis of samples out of Sturmpercht albums. I also went to a cave with some simple traditional instruments and a field recorder to record some basic tracks and background effects that can be heard on many Rauhnåcht songs. I really like the special atmosphere this process brought to the first Rauhnåcht album „Vorweltschweigen“. In 2011 and 2012 we also released an EP called „Waldeinsamkeit“ and a split-EP with Sturmpercht. Rauhnåcht have played two live gigs with session musicians so far.

What are your influences?

Basically it’s still the same music that made me start composing songs more than 20 years ago – the pioneers of the second Black Metal wave from Scandinavia, as well as the mighty Bathory. Today I don’t really get inspiration by any current bands, I am rather influenced by the mighty nature of my home country and the emotions I feel when I walk up on the mountains.

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

I work at my own recording studio and so I have to listen to a lot of music every day. At the moment I master some obscure old Folk records from the 70ies. When I don’t work on studio projects I am almost happy to have silence around me. I recommend all young metal heads to get in touch with the roots of this music, when records didn’t have all the same generic plastic sound as today.
What did you want to achieve with your new album?

I think it is the wrong attitude for an artist to have some kind of „achievement“ as desire when composing music. I want to transform my emotions into music and want to be satisfied with the result, that’s all. Oh yes, and I wanted to write acceptable German poems as lyrics for the first time.

Are you happy with how it turned out?

There are always details of the sound and the arrangements that you would like to alter. But there is also a point where you have to lean back and say, ok, it is good as it is. Full satisfaction with my music is never possible for me, otherwise I wouldn’t have any will to continue.

What can you tell us about the lyrics?

They reflect a pure, traditional, nature-based view on life. I often use myths and descriptions of nature as metaphors for this ideal puristic lifestyle. I want to show the way back – people should think for themselves about all possible aspects of this.

Rauhnåcht Picture Give us a bit of information on the songwriting process.

Most of the time I start with a field recording, a sample of a traditional instrument or just the sound of water or wind to evoke a certain atmosphere. When this atmosphere fulfills me, I start to play guitar riffs around that. I record everything I compose immediately, sometimes I even start to mix during the songwriting process. Then I arrange all the rest. Good songs are written quite fast, at least the central ideas of them. When I struggle with the structures or with certain parts, its a sign for me to delete the song idea. That’s not always easy, especially as I am a one man band. For me the most demanding and rewarding aspect of writing music is, that it is creative and structured at the same time.

In my review I state “Rauhnåcht evoke the same feelings of mystical grandeur that bands like Emperor and Gehenna were so good at playing back in the 90′s” – what are your thoughts on this?

The first Emperor album was for sure an inspiration for me when I was young, also early Satyricon, Burzum and of course Bathory. I think I can’t deny these roots and I don’t feel ashamed for them. I think that the era between 1992 and 1997 was the strongest Black Metal era, of course mainly manifested through the Scandinavian bands. When bands like Dimmu Borgir and others became „big“ and the modern production techniques started to get easily accessible, the true spirit within Black Metal music faded.

Some of the subtle instrumentation and effects aid the songs in their formation but only become apparent on closer inspection. Was this a conscious decision?

Of course it was. As I mentioned, I usually start my songwriting with field recordings and effect sounds. Sometimes this is no longer necessary as soon as the rest of the tracks is recorded, but often I just leave that in the background to keep this subtle atmosphere. Think of a forest with its natural undergrowth and thicket.

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

Personally I don’t feel any link to the Black Metal scene anymore. The way people create or perceive music has changed during the years, in my opinion there is much less dedication in the scene. Most people regard music as just another hobby in between drinking beer and playing computer games, bands come and go, every nerd can create „bedroom Black Metal“ with a guitar and a computer. So I have enough Black Metal around me through my works as producer and my own music, but don’t feel like belonging to any scene.

How do you see your songs/direction developing in the future?

I will focus even more on a hypnotic, meditative structure and sound without losing the raw Black Metal energy.

What’s next for Rauhnåcht?

Many walks through hidden paths in the mountains for inspiration. In autumn there will be a split album with Sturmpercht called „Zur Ew’gen Ruh“ on CD and double LP (probably also in a wooden box). Thank you for the opportunity to talk with you and hails to all fans of individual Black Metal music!

Thanks!

King Parrot – Bite Your Head Off (Review)

King Parrot are from Australia and play a combination of Thrash Metal and Grindcore.

Harsh and energetic; this is the sound that greets you upon pressing play and the first song Bozo rips itself out of the speakers. Kind of like a more Thrash Metal-influenced Pig Destroyer; the songs are short, 2 minute-ish slabs of spiky riffs and throat-damaging screams.

Speaking of the screaming vocals – they’re demented, chaotic and absolutely insane; the perfect counterpoint to the focused assault of the music.

There’s no denying the sheer exuberance on display here. The band are no one-trick ponies however; they have a fair amount of ideas and relative variety within these 17 tracks and the high-octane ride is fuelled by a powerful rhythm section that propels the songs along at frenetic velocities.

They know a good riff when they shred one; mixing crunchy Thrash attacks with melodic licks and chuggathons the band have a firm grasp of dynamics and make the utmost of their short playing time to get the most out of each song.

35 minutes of Thrashgrind nirvana.

Frozen Dawn – Those of the Cursed Light (Review)

Frozen Dawn are a Spanish Black Metal band with a penchant for all things Swedish.

The band are influenced by bands such as Watain, Naglfar and Dissection, and as such the guitars are scything and icy, with the vocals as sharp as a barb and a solid rhythmic underpinning.

Frozen Dawn have a good grasp of melodics and the tunes melt through the hands like thawing snow.

A lot of these songs are surprisingly catchy; tracks like Blackened March have infections guitar riffs and Blackened grooves to die for. This is a theme repeated throughout the 53 minutes of this enjoyable album.

The band ably create the atmosphere of a Blackened winter’s day, with ice crystals as far as the horizon.

A good album, and recommended. Give them a listen.

Deformatory – In The Wake of Pestilence (Review)

In The Wake of Pestilence is the début album from Canada’s Deformatory.

Deformatory play Technical Death Metal and they play it well.

The songs are heavy and blur by in a dazzle of intricate technicality and blasting drums. They don’t forgo a decent bit of melody when necessary either though, although other times the emphasis is firmly on pure fretboard brutality.

These Canadians have taken the blueprint drawn up by bands like Cryptopsy and Yattering and from these plans created their own castle of Death Metal impenetrability.

The musicianship is first rate and the playing may be technical but it doesn’t smother the soul of the band; the songs have intricate but involving structures. The band know when to simplify things as well, as sometimes you just need to feel the guitars!

The vocalist is a guttural joy to listen to; deeply satisfying and deeply bowel-loosening. He has a very impressive voice.

This is an excellent example of Technical Death Metal done right. Listen to Deformatory.

Helmsplitter – Enraptured by Suffering (Review)

Helmsplitter are from the US and play a filthy blend of Black and Death Metal.

Boasting a powerful sound the band waste no time in attacking everything around them with fierce blasting and razor sharp Blackened riffs.

The band’s songs combine many different aspects of Metal; predominantly Black and Death, but also elements of Sludge, Thrash and Crust. This means that we end up with a very dark, dank album that has the darkness of Black Metal, the brutality of Death Metal and the songsmithing of classic Metal.

There are catches and hooks aplenty in these songs, all delivered wrapped in barbed wire and with snarling vocals. The band know how to write an enjoyable song and vary tempos, styles and delivery to suit their nefarious needs.

There are stand-out moments in pretty much every song. Some examples; Panzram is the shortest song on the album and has blasting and belligerence written into its DNA; Aura of Suicide has a Hellishly good groove-based Darkthrone-esque riff that’s enough to blow away all-comers; The Ground Bleeds Sorrow piledrives along before splitting off into rumbling psudo-Southern groove; the list could esily be expanded to all 11 tracks here.

44 minutes of quality, well-written Metal; enraptured by Helmsplitter.

Gamma Ray – Empire of the Undead (Review)

Germany’s Gamma Ray are somewhat of a Power Metal institution. This is the band’s 11th album and I must confess I’ve been looking forward to it.

As soon as I noticed that the first track Avalon was the rather epic length of 9:22 I was excited, and the song is exactly what I was hoping it would be. Epic, stirring and memorable in all of the right ways.

After more than two decades of creating quality Metal, it’s great to see that Gamma Ray are not wanting for ideas or passion. They still have the hunger and devotion to Metal that is not commonly present in bands who have been around for half this amount of time.

So what do we get then? State-of-the-art sound? Yes. Rousing anthems? Yes. Guitar wizardry and fretmanship? Yes. Catchy and memorable hooks and melodies? Yes. Sing-along choruses? Yes. Riffs to pound chests to? Yes. Keyboards that enhance but don’t overpower? Yes.

The band spend time emphasising their Speed Metal aspect on some of the tracks, with Hellbent in particular showing a Judas Priest influence. The next song Pale Rider has an almost AC/DC feel to it, albeit heavier and with a distinctly non-AC/DC chorus. Time for Deliverance is more in the power ballad territory, with even somewhat of a revival feeling to it in places.

These are good demonstrations of the fact that Gamma Ray may have a distinct style but within this they vary things and keep things interesting so that they’re not simply playing what is effectively the same song over and over again.

The best songs are the bookends of the album – Avalon and I Will Return. This doesn’t invalidate anything in the middle of course, as taken holistically this is a thoroughly enjoyable slab of Heavy Metal.

How many other bands are on their 11th album and still capable of shredding with the best of them? Not many.

Gamma Ray still have a lot to offer the world. Empire of the Undead is the latest, and a top listen at that.

Interview with Dead Earth Politics

Dead Earth Politics have recently released their extremely sexy EP The Queen of Steel. They’re rightly receiving rave reviews about this collection of tracks, so it seemed like a good idea to dig in deep and get some more information on this red hot little band…

Introduce yourself!

Horns and Hails! This is Ven – lead vocals for Dead Earth politics!

How did the band form?

Will and Mason have actually known each other for years. They met our former guitarist Ernie in the earlier part of this century. They jammed in various roles under the monikers “Grunt” and “Dirtbox”. I joined up in 2005 and shortly thereafter we became “Dead Earth Politics”!

What are your influences?

Huuuuuuge range. Mine personally are Matt Barlow, Peter Steel, Elton John (1970’s preferably), David Vincent, Brian Howe, Bruce Dickinson and just too many others really to name. It would be a boring read.

What are you listening to right now that you want to recommend?

I have been jamming The Animals, Huntress, Loreena McKennitt, Nekrogoblikon and Kobra and the Lotus as of late. I recommend them all – more than that, I recommend listening to anything you can wrap your ears around. Pay attention to locals! In my player now there are local (Austin) favorites like Death Will Tremble, Headcrusher and Critical Assembly.

Give us some background to your latest EP.

Having inducted Tim Driscoll into this thing we do we finally began amassing a decent amount of new tunes. We are, however, meticulous and picky. Rather than waiting four MORE years for a third release we decided to hammer out the three tracks that we felt best defined our direction. Whether these define a “Dead Earth Politics” sound or just the sound of this EP, we aren’t sure. Now that we also have Aaron Canady on second axe, his influence, I expect, will be quite heavy in the writing process as well.

Talk to us about the artwork.

I thought of the concept as a means to visually transition our audience into where we are. I love “The Weight of Poseidon” and will always. However, I think our take on our art has matured and grown more intricate. Having “The Queen” straddling Poseidon and skewering him with his own trident seemed to be the least subtle way we could get idea across that things were changing. Subtlety is our enemy.

What’s your writing process for the songs?

Usually, someone will bring in a song and show us the pieces. We then hack that composition into a thousand, unrecognizable pieces and use spit and glue to put them together in a seemingly random order. Then, we argue about it. Then we record. Then we argue more. And forever.

Are you pleased with how the EP turned out?

I AM TOTALLY STOKED ABOUT THIS FRIGGIN EP. Way beyond my expectations.

On your Bandcamp page you’re offering this EP as a Buy Now Pay What You Want download – why did you decide to go this route instead of charging a minimum price?

We kind of feel like we, in some ways, are hitting a ‘reset’ button. We want people interested in our tunes to have unimpeded access to the album. If someone digs us enough and is hellbent on not paying they will download the album anyways – might as well be able to track the downloads so we can monitor our numbers and keep in touch with ’em!

Your combination of modern Metal with classic Metal influences works really well for these three songs. How are you going to develop this for your next release?

We aren’t going to develop that specifically. I think this came to be in the first place because we don’t discriminate riffs. Meaning, in previous bands I or someone else might bring in a kick ass tune. Everyone else could be like, “That kicks ass, but it doesn’t sound like us.” We don’t do that. If it rocks, it rocks. If that mode lends the continued Maiden/Lamb of God-type sound for future release then cool. My thoughts are that it will likely change in some aspects.

What’s next for Dead Earth Politics? What does the future hold?

We have a show at the Dirty Dog with Anvil on April 14 and May 24 with Down at Emo’s East – Both in Austin! We also have a show at The Rail May 16 in Fort Worth. As for the grander scale, we are furiously writing and we hope to be recording yet another EP before or by the year’s end!

Thanks!

Nihil – Nights of Silence (Review)

Nihil are from Spain and play Technical Progressive Death Metal.

The band give us a collection of relatively long tracks with a good sound and some twisting riffs to help propel the songs along.

Although undeniably heavy, brutality is not the main focus of Nihil’s assault. Instead they attack a bit slower, and from unexpected directions. Some of the riffs betray a slight Black Metal influence, while others are just nicely restrained, content to let the melodies do the talking.

It’s an approach that is freshly creative and frees the band up from a lot of standard genre restrictions that they might otherwise be plagued by.

Frozen Hope, the second longest song on the album, is a good example of this. It starts out quite brutal with a sound not unlike Behemoth but progresses into other heavy soundscapes, including parts that remind of Gorguts and Opeth on occasion.

Good musicianship helps the songs live up to their potential, and all of the various parts deliver as they should.

A quality release from a talented band that need support. Add them to your playlists today.

Invertia – Another Scheme of the Wicked (Review)

Invertia are from the US and play Industrial Black Metal.

This is a release of two halves – the first five tracks are the album songs, and then the second five tracks are the album songs remixed. Side A and a Side B if you like, with Side B being longer than the first.

This is inventive and oppressive as only the best of Black Metal can be.

As extreme as this is they still know how to write songs. As warped and twisted as they are, and also know a good hook when they hear one.

The heavy effects, samples and noise conspire with the Black Metal core to create a claustrophobic and dense listening experience that coils around your brain and won’t let go until you have sworn blind fealty and obedience.

The tracks offer a bruising Industrial pounding with their blackened atmosphere, and there is a fair amount of variety on these tracks that it almost seems like different bands playing sometimes. It certainly seems like they have about five vocalists. Don’t mistake this as criticism though, this is a top release.

And all this is even before we get to Side B; the remixes.

I’m not normally a fan of remixes, as they are rarely done well, (in my experience). Here is an exception though as these reinterpretations of the originals feel like a continuance of the album and a further exploration into the dark psyche of the band, rather than being some novelty just tacked onto the end of a release, as is so often the case.

Intriguing, harsh and exciting; this is an album to keep returning to.

Banisher – Scarcity (Review)

Banisher are from Poland and play Death Metal with a good deal of variety and interest.

This is Progressive/Technical/Experimental Death Metal.

I have enjoyed their previous full length, (Slaughterhouse), and was looking forward to hearing what the band have got up to on this, their second album.

They don’t disappoint. Death Metal played fast and hard but with some nice experimentation and technical flourishes thrown in for good measure. The band can certainly play and they know their way around the instruments. Crucially though they can also do simplicity very well and sometimes the riffs just crush!

The band may be heavy and brutal but they also incorporate some melody and atmosphere into the songs to keep things interesting. There are plenty of these moments scattered around the songs and mean that Banisher have a good amount of variety and longevity baked into these tracks.

A strong, clear sound means you can hear everything that the instruments are doing, (even the bass), and allows you to fully appreciate the various things that the band are putting into their songs.

This is catchy, extreme, brutal, technical, atmospheric and engaging in all of the right places. A lot of other death metal bands sound one-dimensional in comparison to this.

And the Benny Hill cover at the end of the album? Pure genius.