Interview – Page 18 – Wonderbox Metal

Interview with Novallo

Novallo’s latest EP – Novallo II – is something a little bit different and a breath of fresh air. Let’s dive right in and find out some more about them…

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

Gino Bambino – Guitars, engineering/production
Sam Gitiban – Vocals
Nick Salvatore – Percussion
Brandon Johnson – Bass

Give us a bit of background to Novallo

We’ve all grown up and lived in Columbus, OH for most of our lives. Novallo began in its raw form about 10 years ago, when Gino and Brandon would just jam. Nick joined shortly thereafter (having already been close friends with Brandon), and around ’07 we found Sam through Myspace classifieds. From the onset, there was a desire to transcend our immediate surroundings. This meant dabbling in world music initially. Anything we do is always a little off kilter in some way – and we’re very okay with that; that’s character, redefining a sound, making something new… sometimes you need a mutation to evolve!

3. What are your influences?

Tool
Michael Jackson
A Perfect Circle
Judas Priest
Rob Dougan
Juno Reactor
System of a Down
Stone Temple Pilots
Jane’s Addiction
Nirvana
Soundgarden
Foo Fighters
Portishead
Radiohead
Alice in Chains
Faith No More
Skrillex
Kimbra
Imogen Heap
Rage Against the Machine
Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy VII)
John Williams
Hans Zimmer
Paul Antonio Ortiz
Audioslave

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

Brandon – Jaco Pastorius, Frank Sinatra, & Chimp Spanner
Nick – The Ink Spots, Ella Fitzgerald, & Stone Temple Pilots
Sam – Any Stone Temple Pilots album – in its entirety.
Gino – Kimbra, Marbin and Rage Against the Machine

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

Novallo II touches on concepts such as flight/levitation, death/suicide, rebellion, awakening, altered states of consciousness, energy, otherworldly entities, and more. There is a strong sense of immediacy, wherever you look, carrying you from beginning to end. There are extremes, e.g. from small to large – from the cracks in the floor, to a theoretically cyclical Universe, and everything in between. Our favourite artistic inspirations have created worlds where you can just sit, or run, or glide, and absorb your surroundings – we aim to achieve something like this.

How do you go about writing your songs?

As our engineer/producer, Gino often conceives/writes and records the music almost simultaneously (or closely in tandem). The rest of us listen, provide feedback, and go about forming the accompanying percussion, bass, and vocal/lyrical parts – usually on our own time. Everything then gets refined & rearranged more and more, as we familiarize ourselves with the song, its sonic tendencies, and its underlying message/concept. In this way, there are cooperative, live moments of creation, coupled with the undeniable power of individual explorations of each song.

How did the recording process go?

Well, it went on, and on, for awhile! Keep in mind, we are completely self-produced, so if things go wrong (and they always do) we have to pick up the pieces, with only our own resources to pull from. There were many setbacks in that time, from failed hard drives/computers, to (much more importantly) lost loved ones – these were devastating events. In that time, as a whole, we still made giant leaps, from recording capability to finding new sounds and a new direction. All of this was done in the same basement we’ve been marinating in since high school – not necessarily a bad thing… we think.

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

All of us seem to be partial to “Give Gravity a Choice”, which is a very welcome departure from the rowdy sounds we’ve been churning out for years. It recognizes the need for balance, from soft to heavy, light to dark. For these and many other reasons, it just feels more real, in a way… especially considering the conceptual content.

What does the future hold for Novallo?

In writing music, we want to continue the melding of genres, in a way that is interesting, yet powerful and simple. After years, we feel that we’ve finally hit our stride, and found our style – which, as Bruce Lee described best, strives to achieve “the style of no style”. We just want to continue growing, writing well, and honing our skills for live shows – which should echo the vibe of the music as much as possible, i.e. via a dedicated setting/ambiance.

Interview with Aktaion

A Melodic Metal release with real bite and attitude? Enter Aktaion’s début album, Throne. It’s an album that makes a mark and will rightfully be giving the band some deserved exposure. It’s time to find out a bit more about the band…

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

Francis: We are four individuals from Halmstad, Sweden. A medium sized city in Halmstad, known for being the home of Roxette and Arch Enemy among other things. We are:
Me, Francis Larsson, on guitars and most of the writing and anything production-wise.
Jonas Snäckmark, vocals and some beautiful screaming!
Axel Croné, bass and anything that you need to blow into.
Jonatan Ney, guitars and backing vocals.

Give us a bit of background to Aktaion

Francis: Aktaion as it is today was together under another banner in 2010-2013 where a lot of the playing and writing for Throne took place. With the release of Throne in 2015 we wanted to reform as Aktaion, without much changing except the attitude towards the band and music! This is why you will find us referencing to the “early days” of us in the group playing together before Aktaion was formed.

Where did the name come from?

Francis: While recording vocals for Seven in the current home of Axel we were in the process of finding a name for the band. While warming up I picked up a big book which contained myths and symbols from different cultures and almost at the first page I came across Aktaion and we felt at home right away. Aktaion is the Swedish version of Actaeon, the ancient myth of a hunter who comes across Artemis in the woods, bathing naked. Actaeon is therefore to be turned into a stag by Artemis if he is to speak again. He speaks and is then devoured by his dogs.

What are your influences?

Francis: I find inspiration almost everywhere. I listen a lot to non-metal like Ulver, Swedish Bo Kaspers Orkester. But of course I also listen to some metal, lately a lot of Pantera and Soilwork, which I discovered a couple of months ago. Always in for some Machine Head or Baroness and some Arch Enemy, especially their older records.

Jonas: Zappa, Lamb of god, At the gates, Primus and Gojira.

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

Francis: Except all of our new songs, all the time, all day… I listen to the latest Bo Kaspers Orkester. And of course all the classic Christmas songs.

Jonas: Son of Mr. Green Genes – Zappa, great track with a great flow that suits every situation of the day. And Moral in Corrosion – Construcdead, great song with impeccable refrain!

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

Francis: As of a unified concept for all the songs on Throne, no! Those songs are truly “old” for us now. I started writing some of them as early as 2010 and the last one was finished by 2012-2013 and finally released in 2015. There is quite a span of time between that. In writing the lyrics I always have some kind of a vision ranging from destruction by nuclear war to critique towards faith in general.

This differs quite radically from our upcoming album where there is a strong concept behind the whole album and I strive to bring a strong connection not only in the music itself but also throughout the lyrics of the whole album.

How do you go about writing your songs?

Francis: Wow this really changed through the years. For Throne the songs were mainly written with the help of Guitar Pro 5. In the recording the guitars a lot of the parts and riffs changed and then with adding the vocals they could change yet again. Very few of the songs were played together as a band and written in the moment. Almost always I would bring complete songs into the rehearsals.

Nowadays I mostly write directly into Pro Tools through the Kemper. With the help of Addictive Drums the songs grow through the movement of the guitars which forms the base of all the songs. With us not doing any rehearsal now our first encounter with the songs are while recording them.

Was it important to you to keep a high-level of aggression on these songs?

Francis: Yes, and yes. In a lot of ways that is a must! Either there is a chorus, an aggressive build up or pure aggression. I always strive to make the riffs and music themselves stand alone in delivering aggression and power, and then the vocals just add to that base I tried to establish.

How did the recording process go?

The recording process of Throne was long. Years. Not because it needed it but because we did not know what we were doing in the beginning. In the early days Jonatan played keyboard in the band. So the first version of Throne (say 2011) was quite different from the finished product you hear now. Then came a long process of trying to make the record sound anything like a record and periods of not even thinking about it. For some reason (quality based) we re-recorded the guitars and bass in 2014 with Jonatan changing to guitar and therefore re-recording most of the keyboards parts with the guitar. I found that the sound the songs needed came through much better without the keyboards in between everything. It got a much rawer sound which the songs really thrive in. Then in the summer of 2015 I came to a point when I though we need to get out of this prison so I got the logo for the album, released it and felt freedom. Then my life opened up again and I and the band realized our music is fun! Which is very much the reason why we are working towards our new album right now!

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

Francis: Hard to pick one, I have a real love/hate relationship with each and every one of them. Nothing really beats the chorus at the end of The Disease but that special song for me is M.A.D!

Jonas: Thousands, just because it gives everyone a chance to show off the skills and mindset of the band, although I love Prison Walls, Thousands gives so much with its complexity and nuance.

What does the future hold for Aktaion?

Francis: Right now we are deep into writing and recording our next album The Parade Of Nature. We just released our first single of it called ‘Seven’. It is quite a ripper and does not hold anything back, even in some ways go from the classic down-tempo-choruses-trend we heard on Throne. There will be more of that on the album as a whole but this song sets the bar for what Parade is all about.

The Parade Of Nature will be released early 2016 and then we are hitting the road in the last two weeks of March for several dates in Sweden and Finland, together with Finland’s own Coraxo. We are looking into mainland of Europe for June!

Interview with Tine

Tine have been responsible for an extremely enjoyable début album – The Forest Dreams of Black. This is a Symphonic Blackened Death Metal album that contains real passion, feeling and atmosphere. It’s rare that you get such a visceral sense of personal connection with the creators of an album, especially so when it comes to Extreme Metal, but Tine have managed to pull this off nicely. Curious, I had to find out more…

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

Count Murmur: Tine combines elements of black, death, and symphonic metal to convey a personal musical and philosophical vision. The band is a vessel for my darkest thoughts and most provoking treatises. I am Count Murmur: Founding member and the mind behind the compositions, voice, and words of Tine. Vanth is my queen and partner in this music journey. Together, we create the music that is “Tine”.

Vanth: We are Tine; a husband/wife symphonic blackened death metal duo from southwestern Pennsylvania. Count Murmur handles all guitars, bass, drum programming, vocals, and lyrics. I, Vanth, handle keyboards/synth, artwork, aesthetics, and management. Our passion for metal is only matched by our devotion to each other. Tine is a product of that devotion.

Give us a bit of background to Tine

Count Murmur: I had been a musician in metal for many years before I decided to finally form “Tine” in 2011. In many ways, it is fortunate that the musicians of this area (Southwestern PA) were lazy, mediocre, and uncreative. I was listening to Burzum one afternoon when, in a flash of inspiration, I finally realized that I didn’t need to depend on others to bring my music to life; I could do it myself. So, after years of contending with the local mediocrity, I decided to form Tine. This is not to say that my intention in forming the band was to remain a one or two member project; it’s merely a statement of determination that nothing was going to stop me from bringing my vision to life. Vanth was actually part of the band from the beginning; not only because she and I are eternally bound, but also because we are in agreement as to the direction and vision of Tine. Tine was founded because I have a lot to say about a great many things in this world and I have this music within me. The music I wrote for the debut album had been haunting me for many, many years and needed to come out and be heard by everyone with the ears to hear it. Thematically, I tap into ancient history, supernatural horror, anti-religious topics, and into my own history and experiences. Every song; every note, riff, and lyric, has a deeper meaning stemming from my experiences, interests, and beliefs. Tine is formed out of my darkest nightmares, but also my brightest hopes. It is a true gate-way into my mind.

Vanth: Originally, Murmur was going to name the band “The Cult of Quindorrian”, “Quindorrian” being a lovecraftian monster conjured up by Murmur during his childhood. Quindorrian is apparently a terrifying creature with a head like an artichoke. Someday, I will bring this monster to life on paper. At any rate, Murmur considered that “The Cult of Quindorrian” would be too long a name, and confusing for people. He settled on a short, simple name with a huge meaning. The name “Tine” embraces the meaning of our music perfectly. It’s cold, sharp, impaling, brutal, fearsome, yet sleek, shiny, and beautiful if you have an interest in such things.

What are your influences?

Count Murmur: Honestly, everything I experience in this world influences my music in some way. But, this would be insulting for me to leave it at that, so I will, of course, elaborate. Much of the subject matter is influenced by the supernatural encounters of my youth. For instance, “Herein Lies the Crooked Elm” is at least partially inspired by an old tree near my old house in Pennsylvania. The tree oozed with a supernatural aura and we [siblings and cousins] often surmised that it was haunted. What I find ironic is that this house I had lived in was an old, abandoned church house converted into living quarters – but I digress. That same song was also influenced by my feelings on humankind’s damage to our planet and the Earth’s vengeance toward us for our stupidity and ignorance. So, the subject matter of each song is personal and often has multiple meanings. Content is not simply thrown out there because it is “cool” or “evil”. Musically, I would say that my biggest influences are Behemoth, Emperor, Burzum, and old Dimmu Borgir. My influences go far back to the early Bay area thrash era, as well. Metallica was a gate-way band for me and led me to heavy metal. From there, Morbid Angel led me to death metal, and Dimmu Borgir and Old Man’s Child led me to black metal.

Vanth: I heard it said once or twice that, in the future, metal will be like what classical music is to us today. What a beautiful concept. I really want this to be true. That being said, I am influenced a great deal by classical music and opera. Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, 2nd Movement is my favourite piece. It’s just so memorable and epic. I want Tine to leave this sort of impression, being memorable to those who listen to it. Mozart inspires me in a different sort of way. Mozart had a Starling (bird) as a pet. He loved it so much that he composed a piece directly inspired from its singing, named “A Musical Joke, K.522”. When the bird died, Mozart was so distraught that he had an elaborate funeral service for it. I also had a Starling for a pet; however I choose to call her a companion. I raised her since she was but a day old when her mother booted her out of its nest. She stayed with me for over a year. She could talk! She said all sorts of things. Mainly she said “I love you, Mama,” and ramblings about her beak. One day she chose to leave me and join the wild as she was meant to do. I was devastated and fell into a deep depression for months. During this time, I decided I would capitalize on the emotions I was having and begin to write my own piece, inspired by her. It will be on our next album.

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

Count Murmur: I listen to heavy metal of all types and sub-genres. I must say that I am fond of the lesser known death and black metal bands. The more well-known, “big label” bands tend to be formulaic and boring – probably a result of the poisonous influence of their parent record label. But, once again – I digress. Anyway, right now, I am listening to Gorgoroth, Deafheaven, Ghostbath, Lychgate, Non Opus Dei, Slugdge, Portal, Panopticon, Rivers of Nihil, Cattle Decapitation, and the list goes on. Of course, I would recommend all of these bands for different reasons. Portal is a new obsession of mine, as well, as I have recently discovered that band. Awesome shit! I’m always up for a good mind fuck, now and then…

Vanth: I love atmospheric black metal, but I won’t close my mind to other sub-genres of metal. Deafheaven satisfies the black metaller AND the 1990’s Dinosaur Jr. Fan in me. I love them. Cattle Decapitation’s “The Anthropocene Extinction” made me a Cattle Decap fan. What a masterpiece. Portal is amazing. I love how avant-garde they are. Portal would be something I would play at an art gallery displaying my pieces. They are an artistic experience. Beyond Creation’s “Earthborn Evolution” is an amazing work of technical death metal. The bass in that album is just extraordinary. The whole album is all-consuming. Panopticon’s “Autumn Eternal” is beautiful as well. It reminds me of the area in which we live. Ghost Bath’s “Moonlover” is a really great piece. I highly recommend that to anyone who likes atmospheric black metal.

Tine Band 1

What attracted you to the particular style of music you play on The Forest Dreams Black?

Count Murmur: It is through the music of Dimmu Borgir and Old Man’s Child that I began to discover my love of black metal. And, when I first met Vanth, she was already an avid black metal fan, so this helped spur my growth and interest. Before I found black metal, I was (and still am) a death metal fan. The first band that really turned me on to death metal is Morbid Angel, whose early music I found truly exceptional and enthralling. “Blessed are the Sick” is still one of my all-time favorite death metal albums. From there, I began listening to Deicide, Death, and beyond. I think what attracted me to these bands and these styles of music are the intensity of both the music and the imagery. Unbridled expression is something I can relate to. I also found the lyrical content, especially with Deicide, to be in line with my beliefs, and this made it easy to relate to the music. Being a perfectionist, I found death metal exciting because it often pushed the envelope and I can relate to this mentality. What is interesting is that what attracted me to death metal is different than what attracted me to black metal. Of course, it was initially the atmosphere that attracted me to black metal. Symphonic black metal was particularly captivating to me as I saw it as the perfect blend of classical music and black metal. Vanth was the one who actually gave me an appreciation for raw black metal and underground music in general. But, as I learned more about black metal, I grew to truly love and embrace it. While death metal is a statement of musical prowess and aggression, black metal is a statement against the ideals of mainstream society. Black metal backlashes against conservative oppression and expresses a freedom of spirit that is refreshing and exhilarating. Black metal is bold and raw and full of attitude. This would also describe me, personally, so with black metal, I found common ground. So [for Tine] the blending of symphonic black metal and death metal was something that came natural to me.

Vanth: I pretty much followed Murmur’s lead on this one. As you can see from the question former, our tastes are a great deal alike. Tine is largely, in part, his vision. He listens to my input with an open mind, however, and never dismisses any of my ideas. I’m more of an artist than a musician, but Murmur has sculpted me into a much better musician. He is quite inspirational. When it comes to my keyboard playing, “Enthrone Darkness Triumphant” by Dimmu Borgir is what inspires me. That album is a classic and timeless piece of symphonic black metal.

Where would you say you fit into the wider Extreme Metal scene?

Count Murmur: I would say that we have a unique perspective in this scene. We aren’t following a formula and we aren’t rushing out material to meet a production demand. We aren’t copy-catting anyone; too many bands do this now-a-days. I find it interesting that our music appeals to a wider audience and not just one niche in metal. Yet, at the same time, we get the occasional balk from people saying we aren’t black metal enough. I take this in stride as I am not trying to fit in with the 2nd wave or anything. I am merely letting the music come out as it exists in my mind. Those looking for raw, old school black metal will be disappointed with us. Those looking for the fastest, most technical death metal band in the world will also be disappointed with us. Tine does not succumb to trends or fall neatly into these categories. If this bothers people, then they can listen to something else. Tine does not exist to please people, but we certainly do care about our fans and supporters. At the same time, we aren’t trying to make them happy. We simply appreciate those who can appreciate us. The music is extreme because the topics covered and the depths of my thoughts are both extreme things.

Vanth: I would be inclined to agree with Murmur about this. We aren’t looking for label attention, we don’t play live, and we are only a duo. I never cared to fit in with anyone. We just want to create and release music, all the while raising our family and enjoying our life together to the sound of tremolo picking, blast beats and the gnarly rasps of our fellow brothers and sisters in metal.

There seems like there’s a lot of passion on this release – does the music have a deep personal side for you?

Count Murmur: To say that the music is deeply personal for me would be an understatement. This album represents so many things: Years of frustration and endless hard work, my philosophical view-points on things of [and not of] the world, my eternal bond with Vanth, and my final triumph over seemingly insurmountable obstacles and hardships. The music is a vessel for my passion. It is a gate-way into my mind, so it is as personal as it gets. I previously mentioned the background for the song, “Herein Lies the Crooked Elm”, but each song has a similar personal background and story. For example, “Lord is Self”, is my personal “Fuck you” to all of Christianity and all it has done to attempt to oppress me and suppress my voice. Now, my voice is free, and Christianity can do absolutely nothing to silence it! Rather than burn churches with fire, I smite Christianity with words and music. But, unlike much of the black metal movement, my music is not merely focused on cursing Christianity. Each song taps into a different part of my thoughts, beliefs, and my past. Sometimes I use the music to convey a different perspective on previously one-sided topics. For example, “The Crusade of Dracul” portrays Vlad Dracul III (Vlad Dracula) in his true historical light, but also takes its jabs at both Islam and Christianity. Rather than portray the character as the cheesy, blood-sucking vampire of popular culture, I sought to shed light on the real story of this character. I have a deep interest in the medieval crusades and that era of history; this story is but a small subplot of that era. My interest stems primarily from my disdain of religious corruption, which had run rampant during that era. So, yes, the music is quite personal for me.

Vanth: Oh yes, of course. From my perspective, the album is like another one of Murmur’s and my children. I love it and believe in it like I do in my other children. The album is a product of our marriage. Murmur and I are two halves of a whole. The album wouldn’t have existed if we didn’t have one another. Our next album will be a chance for me to use my composition skills the way Murmur has so lovingly cultivated within me. The album artwork has a special meaning as well. Our daughter is the little blonde girl on the cover facing the reaper, and our son is the one impaled on the back of the CD. Also, the forest where I shot the original photograph is of the woods around Fort Necessity. At Fort Necessity, there was a battle between the English, and the French and Native Americans. It was an early battle of the French and Indian war, and many died there. So I suppose, in a sense, the photo on the front was taken in a haunted forest –theoretically, on account of the number of people who perished there. I also included a crow on the cover; he’s rather hard to see, but he’s there. This crow belongs to a family of 4 crows that frequent our property. I feed them every day, so they tend to want to stick around. This particular crow is “King”: The leader of the murder. The Corvid (Crows, Ravens, Jays) is my favourite type of bird on account of their extreme intelligence. They’re also associated with all that is dark, so that’s nice as well.

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

Count Murmur: This is a very difficult question to answer because this album is meant to be enjoyed as a complete work. My intent was never to write a “hit” and then clutter the rest of an album with filler. Too many bands of all genres do this and it honestly pisses me off. So, I love all the songs for different reasons.

Vanth: My favourite is “The Watchful Eye”. I remember when this song was just one bass riff. Experiencing the evolution of this particular track was very profound for me. It reminds me of the first months that Murmur and I were together. Also, the atmosphere of this track is apocalyptic, especially at the end. I envision a devastated world, burnt and smoking, with a few scattered living things struggling to survive. It brings on a feeling like, “All we have strived for is obliterated. Well shit, what happens now?” It leaves me wondering.

What does the future hold for Tine?

Count Murmur: Tine will continue to evolve. I already have about ½ a dozen songs in the works, and they are a further evolution of everything we have established, thus far. The music will continue to be extreme and will continue to be a personal affair. I would definitely welcome an opportunity to play live shows, if it so presents itself. Until then, we continue to make this music and share it with anyone who would give it the opportunity. We certainly appreciate our fans and supporters who have been a further driving force for the music. Know this: Tine will not falter, “sell out”, or compromise.

Vanth: The future holds at least one more album. Obtaining more members and playing live seems like a pipe dream right now, but it isn’t impossible. Murmur is an amazing front-man. I would love for him to have the chance to front a band again with Tine. Ideally, I would like our kids to take over the band when they are of age. I would like it to be a family heirloom. Our kids are definitely no strangers to metal. They’ve been listening to metal since they were babies. Our daughter has a nice growl already. At any rate, the future looks promising. This album has been well-received, so far, and people are already discussing what we would be capable of in a sophomore release. We initially wanted to take a nice break between this album and the next, but it looks like that’s not going to happen. That’s ok with me. I think Tine needs at least one more release. So, Murmur and I will retreat into the abyss to procreate another spawn of Tine. It will be glorious.

Interview with Necrocosm

Necrocosm’s début album – Damnation Doctrine – is a high-energy, aggressive 45 minutes of Melodic Death Metal that really does hit the spot. I decided it was time to explore their world a little more…

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

We are Necrocosm, from Raleigh, NC and we play melodic death metal.

Give us a bit of background to Necrocosm

We started Necrocosm in Fall 2011 with three remaining members from a previous thrash band: Kevin (lead guitar), Adam (drums), and our founding bassist Cisco. Since the songwriting duties now fell on Kevin (lead guitars) we naturally went in a more death metal oriented direction as that is his main inspiration. It took until late-mid 2012 to completely flesh out the lineup, adding Brent on rhythm guitar and Zach on vocals. We became active on stage in June 2013 and released a three-song demo later that summer. In early 2014 Matt took over on bass. This past September we finally released our début album recorded in October 2014 and April 2015.

Where did the band name come from?

We wanted a one-word band name, and we are fans of clever wordplay whenever possible, and the word “necro” is pretty fucking metal. So putting our heads together, Necrocosm was the best we could come up with. If you look at the word microcosm, where the definition is a miniature of a larger world. I guess if you don’t mind the details completely, Necrocosm could mean a dead world. And since most humans are brain dead and/or dead inside, we feel it’s not too fantastical of a concept.

What are your influences?

Oh that’s a tough one. I guess it’s fairly obvious that Kevin is a fan of The Black Dahlia Murder, At the Gates, Amon Amarth, Gates of Ishtar, Death, etc. But he also likes to include black metal influences here and there that he gets from Dissection, Emperor, and Immortal. Lately we’re getting a little more technical, thanks to Decrepit Birth, Obscura, and Necrophagist. And a little brutal in places.

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

Our western NC bros Abhorrent Deformity just released a brutal, slammy, SICK fucking debut album titled Entity of Malevolence. Check it out!

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

The album title is based on our feelings about the brainwashing cancer of religion. The thought that we’re born guilty of “the original sin” and that we must follow teachings of an ancient book that was written initially by primitive types of people and then translated and reinterpreted at will over the centuries, or otherwise face eternal hellfire, is a doctrine based on damnation. And we reject all facets of organized religion.

How do you go about writing your songs?

Usually Kevin will get a riff idea and then base supporting or lead riffs based off of that initial idea. If the ideas are good enough, he’ll record a scratch track and send it out to the band to get their thoughts. If everyone’s on board then we’ll start going over the song sections at practice and Adam will write his drum parts both at practice and on his own. Once we have a complete song, Zach will write his lyrics based on the inspiration the song gives him.

How did the recording process go?

It was our first time working with someone of the calibre of Jamie King, and he is a professional to say the least, haha. He made it as painless as anyone could, as he is a fan of extreme metal, so he understood exactly what we were shooting for with this album and our sound in general. Tracking was stressful at times haha because Jamie only accepted the best of the best of the best takes; but upon hearing the final product we are so grateful that he did.

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

Collectively Octopian Eclipse is our favourite. That was the most recent song at time of recording, and it displays us at our most varied and technical, writing-wise (before recording). The newer stuff we’ve written is more varied and technical.

What does the future hold for Necrocosm?

That’s tough to say these days. We’re going to be here doing what we do as long as we can keep the band together. But as you may know, we are completely self-supported and our resources are quite limited to say the least. We’re hoping to get out of town and play some weekend shows in other cities we haven’t yet been to, and hopefully they’ll dig us and want us back some day.

Interview with Caelestia

The second album by Caelestia, Beneath Abyss, is a much more interesting listen than you might expect from a band who ostensibly appear to be a Symphonic/Gothic Metal band, but in reality have a lot more going on than that…

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

We are a progressive / symphonic extreme metal band from Athens, Greece. The band was initially formed in April 2012, by founding members Nick Palivos (bass / vocals) and Dimitra Vintsou (lead vocals). The band released its second studio album “Beneath Abyss”, on February 16th, 2015 under Finnish Label “Inverse Records”. The album was recorded and mixed at “Basement Studios” (with sound engineer Michalis Meleteas) in Athens, and mastered at the renowned “Fascination Street Studios” in Sweden, by Tony Lindgren. We have undergone some line-up changes, since the band was initially formed, before we end up in the present 6-member line-up (Nick Palivos – vocals, Dimitra Vintsou – vocals, Vassilis Thomas – guitars, Vangelis Evangelou – guitars, Stelios Varotsakis – bass and Socratis Panagouleas – drums).

Give us a bit of background to Caelestia

The band was initially formed in April 2012, as we mentioned before. The first band line up consisted (besides Nick and Dimitra) of Panos Varvaropoulos (guitars), Haris Kyriakopoulos (guitars) and Aggelos Kousakis (drums). A first studio album titled “Last Wish” was released in the end of 2012, under independent label IKK Productions (the band was still called “Me And Myself” then). The title song “Last Wish” became our first official video, which was directed by Christos Tsoukalas (Basement Studios), and released in September 2013. In the summer of 2013, the band changed its name to ‘Caelestia”. The decision to change the band name came naturally, after the line-up was finalized, and –most important- after the musical direction and genre was changed to symphonic / progressive extreme metal (not to mention the fact that the new name was better sounding).

What are your influences?

Our band’s sound contains influences by many styles of metal, such as death, progressive, gothic, symphonic, black and thrash. One can easily distinguish such passages in our album’s songs, and this is something we cherish a lot, not to mention that it gives us a unique sound. There are many bands that we can name as influences; needless to say that each contributing band member has his/her own influences. If we were asked to name a few, we ‘d say our very own Septic Flesh, Moonspell, Death, Dimmu Borgir, Behemoth, Katatonia, Hypocrisy, Cradle Of Filth, Rotting Christ, Nightwish, Epica, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Morbid Angel…

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

A lot of different things, since every member of our band has his/her different influences and likes. A couple of albums (which came out in 2015) that keep playing in our iPods are: “Shadows Of The Dying Sun” (Insomnium), “Extinct” (Moonspell), “Shadow World” (Wolfheart), “Ylem” (Dark Fortress), “Labyrinth” (Fleshgod Apocalypse) just to name a few….

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

Our music and lyrics explore a wide variety of subjects, with the main focus being in the eternal war between good and evil, light and darkness, either taking place internally, thus within an individual’s soul and thoughts, either externally, in the outside world, not leaving aside subjects, such as disrupted states of mind, occult etc. We also tried to give a certain theatrical sense in our song lyrics, introducing dialogues (e.g. in the track “Mi Ultima Vida”) between characters, and lyrics written in Spanish and Latin, besides English. That is a key element in our lyrics and music, which we plan to continue and expand in our future work. In our new album, we have strived to achieve a well-balanced combination of the styles, that each of the band members favours, thus melodic death metal, symphonic / gothic metal, visible elements of progressive metal, but also black metal passages. The goal was head on to achieve a unique style of our own, and not try to sound like an impression of any other band, which is quite difficult nowadays.

How do you go about writing your songs?

Our music is greatly based on diversity, large amounts of guitar riffing and phrasing (it is quite indicative that each of our songs contains at least 7-8 different guitar riffs), changing time signatures and varying tempos, that range from 130 to 210 bpm. We tried hard to break the so called “conventional” form of songwriting (intro / verse / chorus / verse / chorus / solo / chorus / outro etc), and introduce various and altering parts and bridges in our songs, so that the listener is constantly left curious of what’s going to come next. That is quite a big turn compared to our previous album, which could easily be characterized as alternative / gothic metal, with more “conventionally” written songs, and not so many complicated passages, bridges and altering time signatures.

Caelestia2

How did the recording process go?

Surely the process of making “Last Wish”, and the experience that came thereof, helped us in the recording of “Beneath Abyss”. However, there was a significant difference in the recording process of “Beneath Abyss”; what most bands usually do, is book a certain amount of bulk time at a studio, and then go record their album as a whole. What we did, is to break that “norm”, by recording each track, after we had already finalized its song-writing process. This meant that the tracks for “Beneath Abyss” were recorded with approx. 7-days intervals between each one of them. During these intervals, we finalized, re-considered and edited parts in each track, so that the final outcome was what exactly the band wanted (from a musical and structural point of view). In this way, the process of the recording may have taken a little longer than usual, but it gave us the ability to control every aspect, and do changes and corrections at the same time, ensuring that the outcome was “complete” to our ears.

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

Oh, that’s a difficult and tricky question… All of the band members have their personal favourite among the tracks in the album, and that’s because not one of the included tracks can be characterized as mere “filler”. If we were to choose, we’d say track 1 (Malleus Maleficarum – The Secret Cult) and track 5 (Beneath Abyss). That is, because the aforementioned songs contain all the elements of the band’s new musical direction and sound: fast and altering tempos, aggressive and dark guitar riffing, progressive passages, melodic bridges and haunting orchestral background.

What does the future hold for Caelestia?

We just finished a great support show in Athens (Gagarin Club 205) on November 14th, opening (as a sole support act) for Swedish melodic death metallers Arch Enemy, which was nearly sold-out, and which constituted a very powerful and intense experience on its own. We recently engaged in cooperation with world renowned promoting agency “Clawhammer PR”, who launched a second round of global promotion for “Beneath Abyss” (we got big expectations on that one!). There are two more Athens shows and a mini-Greek tour coming up in the beginning of 2016, whereas we are scheduling appearances at various European festivals in 2016. At the same time, we continue working on the pre-production of new material (we already have 4 songs ready for our next album). Last but not least, we are scheduling to make our second official video in January 2016, for the track “The Rise Of The Hidden Nature”, with renowned German director Matthias Kollek (Kreator, Lacrimosa etc).

Official website:
http://caelestiaband.com

Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/caelestiaband

Interview with Biopsy

Biopsy’s début EP Fractals of Derangement is a solid slab of USDM-style Brutal Death Metal that has enough ugly surgical scars to cause the staunchest of Death Metal fans to take note. Curious to learn more about them, I caught up with their vocalist in his operating theatre…

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

Hi, I’m Shomeresh, vocalist of the band. I’ll be answering your questions today, most of our opinions about the band and the industry are rather unanimous so I’m quite confident I can do justice to do this interview by myself. Well, let’s get into it.

We’re Biopsy, a brutal death metal band from Bombay. We started off as three teenagers with a passion for this genre of music and that eventually evolved into us jamming, then composing our own music and finally recording an EP.

Give us a bit of history to Biopsy

The three of us met back in 2010, Keshav (drums) and Akshay (guitars) were already jamming with each other a few others, I (Shomeresh – vocals) came into the picture a few months later and joined the lads for a jam session and we really seemed to connect on a musical level. We initially began covering and composing music as a death metal act but over the years our musical interests shifted towards brutal death metal. The sheer aggression, intensity and versatility of the genre is something that appealed to us and we then decided to stick with this genre and began composing several tracks out of which a few of them made the cut to what is now called ‘Fractals of Derangement’ our EP.

What are your influences?

Our musical influences come from a variety of genres. We love listening to music outside of just metal or even rock. So to answer this question I would like to say our influences come from the entire music eco-system as a whole, which would include genres like drum & bass, psychedelic trance, electro-house, rock, post-rock, classic rock, metal, funk, techno etc. Pretty much any track that sounds good, we don’t like limiting our musical tastes to the genre our band plays – that’s like restricting yourself from enjoying all this amazing talent out there. When it comes to Biopsy’s influences in particular, I’d say bands like Disgorge, Defeated Sanity, Gorgasm, Cephalotripsy, Dying Fetus, etc. helped us shape our sound into what it is today.

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

Well, I can’t speak for the rest of the guys on this one but personally I have been listening to a lot of hip-hop of late (best music for the drive to work), along with that I’ve always been a passionate lover of electronic music (psychedelic trance, electro-house, glitch, trap etc.) and metal of course. Among the metal bands on my current playlist, Betraying the Martyrs and Of Mice & Men are two bands that feature more often than not.

As this is your début EP, is there anything you would do differently if you had to do it all over again?

Not really, we’re really happy with how it sounds and the way it’s been accepted and appreciated by peers and professionals around the world. If anything we’d probably like to change my profile picture in the EP booklet, according to the guys I look like a queer ‘Persian prince’.

What’s your favourite song on your EP and why?

We each have different favourites, because each track has different levels of contribution from the various individuals in the band. My favourite would have to be ‘Surgical Symmetry’ as I deeply enjoy the extremely synchronised synergy between guitar and vocal lines throughout the track. There were several segments of the track where the vocal lines fit so well with the guitar lines that the three instantly knew we would never find a better alternative. It was one of those tracks where everything just seemed to come together, and we probably brainstormed the least on vocal, guitar and drum lines for this one and I love it when that happens, because otherwise you’re constantly second-guessing your decisions.

What are the subjects/themes of the songs?

The theme of the band is a deranged surgeon killing individuals who he deems unworthy of existence. People with contagious diseases or tainted characters. A quick read of the booklet in our EP case should explain this in elaborate detail.

Give us a bit of information on your songwriting process.

The song-writing process for this EP consisted of Keshav and Akshay sitting together and ironing out the instrumentals, then sending over the track to me after which we’d brainstorm on appropriate vocal lines which was followed by me penning down lyrics and selecting a good title for the song. Sounds really simple when I lay it out like this, but there are several complications that come up along the way which you have to deal with on the fly, but I suppose that’s the journey every set of artists go through while composing something as a group, there are always individual preferences and tastes it’s about how you can best accommodate everyone’s opinions without compromising on the integrity of the final output.

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

A. Given the fact that we’re currently in different countries, I’m in UAE (Dubai), Akshay is in Michigan (USA) and Keshav is back home in India (Bombay) composing music is quite the challenge, but we plan to exchange stuff over the internet and try to put together a few more tracks then hit the studio and record another EP in the near future.

Thanks a lot for this great interview! We enjoyed it very much!

Biopsy Bandcamp – https://transcendingobscurityindia.bandcamp.com/album/fractals-of-derangement-brutal-death-metal

Biopsy Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/biopsyband

Transcending Obscurity Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/transcendingobscurity

Interview with Khemmis

Khemmis’ début album Absolution is an interesting, exciting and fresh take on Doom Metal, combining Traditional Doom with harsher Sludge Metal qualities. It’s a sure-fire winner in my book and a firm recent favourite. I wanted to find out a bit more about this intriguing band…

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

We are a doomed rock ‘n roll outfit from the greatest city in America – Denver, CO. We like good beer, loud amplifiers, old motorcycles/cars/vans, and Iron Maiden.

Give us a bit of history to Khemmis

[Ben] I moved from Mississippi to Colorado to go back to grad school. Phil was already a student in the same doctoral program, and we hit it off instantly after talking about Saint Vitus. I posted an ad on Craigslist featuring a picture of Jawas from Star Wars carrying a Sunn Model T, and Dan got in touch with me. We grabbed beers at TRVE Brewing, where Zach, having also recently relocated to Denver and looking to join a band, was the head brewer. At the end of the day, we’re just four friends who try to write the sort of rock ‘n roll we want to hear. We are floored that our music is connecting with people.

Where did the band name come from?

[Ben] While travelling abroad, Phil partook in a ritual with the high priests of Akhmim. He awoke, alone in the desert, babbling incoherently—and the only word that could be understood was “Khemmis”.

khemmis band What are your influences?

[Ben] We each have our own personal influences, but collectively we cite Yob, Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden, Sleep, High on Fire, and Motorhead. Personally, living in the South for most of my life really impacted how I approach music. Bands like Rwake, Deadbird, Eyehategod, His Hero is Gone, Crowbar, and Corrosion of Conformity have shaped what constitutes “heavy.”

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

[Ben] Fister – IV, Primitive Man – Home is Where the Hatred Is, Water Liars – Wyoming, Abrams – Lust, Love, Loss, Mercyful Fate – Melissa , Bell Witch – Four Phantoms, the new High on Fire (Luminiferous).

Absolution has an interesting mix of Traditional Doom and Sludge – tell us about this.

[Ben] Thanks, we’re excited that people are into our take on doom/rock/whatever you want to call it. We started as a more traditional low-tuned, mega-loud, fuzzed-out doom band. Over the course of a few years, we just naturally found ourselves playing more harmonized lines and streamlining our songs, combining our love of classic rock/metal with the visceral heaviness of amp-worshipping doom and sludge.

You strike me as a band that would be very good live – what’s the typical Khemmis show like?

[Ben] We are loud. Eyeball-vibrating loud. Bring earplugs. We try to put on a show that is both compelling and entertaining. The four of us enjoy playing music together and try to convey that through our shows. So, duelling flying Vs, a wall of amplifiers, and a band of guys who try not to take any of this for granted.

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

[Ben] I love ‘em all, but “Ash, Cinder, Smoke” is one that just evokes a lot of emotion for me, as it’s a rather personal song about loss. Plus, our brother Ethan from Primitive Man laid down the heaviest of heavy vocals at the end.

khemmis band2 What are the subjects/themes of the songs on this album?

[Dan] Each song has its own topic and meaning to us. Themes include suicide, abuse, and (when it’s time to lighten things up a bit) the apocalypse. Phil writes most of the lyrics, so the songs are largely about those things as he has experienced them, though we can all share those experiences to some degree. Basically it’s your typical, uplifting metal album.

Give us a bit of information on your songwriting process.

[Dan] Usually Ben and Phil work out a riff or two together before we play it as a band. In the rehearsal space we massage it until it feels right: we’ll play with timing/tempo, the overall feel, modifying riffs, changing structure, maybe even borrowing riffs from other working or discarded songs, and then Phil will start singing nonsense along with it all. Zach and I are usually on the same page; I think we try to take a listeners perspective and apply that to the working tune. Generally speaking, the song comes together like this: riffs first, structure, and then vocals; but nothing is set in stone and the formula is constantly changing.

How did the recording go?

[Dan] Overall, it was awesome, because we’re really happy with the result. The process definitely evoked many emotions; at times it was hard work, sometimes it was really fun, we occasionally wanted to quit, but mostly it reassured us that we loved what we were doing. Dave (Otero at Flatline Audio) was super focused when it came to vocals. He and Phil shared ideas constructively, revisiting much of what we thought we were going to do, and the finished product turned out great (we think).

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

[Ben] We are already writing for the next album, actually. There are Thin Lizzy moments a plenty, some hollerin’, some soaring, clean singing, and lots of heavy riffs. That said, there are already some moments that are more rockin’ and some that are more expansive than what we have done thus far, so expect some surprises.

What’s next for Khemmis?

[Ben] We are hitting the road in August and heading up to the Pacific Northwest and down through California. We are lucky to get to play with a ton of great bands on that run, including a few days with Atlas Moth, Vattnet Viskar, and Atriarch. We are also ironing out the details for a run with a certain sludge band from St. Louis later this fall. 2016 will see us head down to Texas and, with any luck, out to the East Coast at some point. Our primary goal, though, is to complete writing and preproduction for the new album by the end of the year and to return to the studio in early 2016.

Interview with Seven7

Seven7’s third album The Follower is a feast of Modern Progressive Metal that’s big on riffs and melodies. I asked Nicolas some questions about the band and their latest release…

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

We are Seven7, from around London. Luke Nelson on drums, Arran McSporran on fretless bass, Dave Brown on vocals, Sally-Jo on violin, Nicolas Meier on guitar.

Dave and Nicolas met about 10 years ago and started to write the basic songs and looking for the sound of Seven7, mixtures of heavy grooves, tribal, with some world sounds and instruments. Big melodic choruses and crazy guitar parts. Year after year, Arran, then Luke then Sally joined the band.

We are now on our third album (The Follower) and we are really happy with the writing and the sound. We also have 4 videos out, including “Free” and “Fall” from our latest album, “Run” from Under Eye and “Changing” from Different world.

Where did the band name come from?

The number 7 has been following me a long time, kind of a good luck number. Then I saw already bands with 7 so we went for Seven7…

What are your influences?

Lots of type of metal, but we can use Korn, Alice in Chains, Dream Theater. But also a lot of world music and classical music too…

Seven7 Band What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?

Well I just came back from Brutal Assault in the Czech Republic and really enjoyed Sepultura, Kreator, Triptykon, Vader, Annihilator and Cannibal Corpse… loved it all.

Otherwise I just got a beautiful album of a jazz pianist on ECM Records called Marcin Wasilewski.

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

I love the song “Why?”, because it’s epic, it’s prog, it’s heavy and has some world music elements and very melodic.

What are the subjects/themes of the songs on this album?

Our singer Dave needs to reply this one… but “The Follower” the song is about sects… crazy leaders and blind followers. It’s about a cult, any cult. A man who joins the cult and he can’t leave.

If you listen carefully to the samples in the midsection of “The Follower”, one of the samples is Charles Manson. He tells you to do something and you have to do it, if not he is going to do it for you…

Each song has different subjects but quite dark; “Free” is about a man who gets accused wrongly and stays in prison, but finally escape; “Fall” is about a plane crash, and 2 men surviving; “Business” is about selling drugs; and “Magic Box”, a box of Hell.

Give us a bit of information on your songwriting process

Well in general, I come up with the music, send it to Dave, get some feedback, and when he is happy we record the demo. Most of the time I write with an acoustic guitar, and we say a good song should sound good with one guitar or with a full band…

How did the recording go?

I have a home studio, so does the drummer Luke, so we can get a great quality ourselves.

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

That’s always a surprise… but I guess it’ll start from The Follower.

What’s next for Seven7?

More concerts, festivals next year, more videos and hopefully a new album soon…

Interview with Behold! The Monolith

The latest album from US Doom Metallers Behold! The Monolith has landed like a falling box of iron weights. Architects of the Void is a varied and exciting release that takes Doom, Sludge and pure Metal into its emotive embrace and produces an album forged from heaviness and darkness. I wanted to find out more about this album so I cornered their guitarist Matt Price…

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

Hello, I’m Matt and I play guitar for Behold! The Monolith.

Give us a bit of history to your band

Well, it was something I started doing by myself in 2006…just for fun, for myself. Just stockpiling and demoing riffs here and there. I met our bassist and vocalist Kevin McDade in 2007 and just did a bit of off and on jamming with him, then at the beginning of 2008 we decided to make it a band. We just started writing and recording and playing shows. We put out an EP and two full lengths ourselves. Then in June of 2013 Kevin died in a car accident. Our drummer Chase (who has been with us since 2010 or so) and I took a little time off but decided to move forward. We have since added Sasquatch bassist Jason “Cas” Cassonova and Fractalline vocalist Jordan Nalley to the ranks, and here we are about to put out a new album “Architects of the Void”.

Where did the band name come from?

It was just a name I came up with when I first started compiling riffs by myself, just so it had an identity, you know? I originally just wanted to call it ‘Monolith’, but there were already 4 or 5 bands using that name. I’ve always loved the word ‘Behold’. I’ve always listened to Judas Priest’s “Sad Wings of Destiny” starting with what is technically side 2 with the song “Prelude”…I think that was how the band intended. Anyway, the first word in “Tyrant” is “Behold! (tis I the commander)”. It’s just such an epic word. I had forgotten about it and was trying to think of names and someone said it on TV and I was like “that’s it!” and put ’em together. So when we started the band we wound up just going with that.

What are your influences?

As far as the band is concerned, too many to mention. We all come from different backgrounds and tastes with heavy music. Cas is the Stoner Rock guy and a lot of Jordan’s background is with Prog and Death Metal. Chase and I are into a lot of classic Metal and old Progressive Rock, plus I’m into dark, weird stuff and riffy Doom and Sludge type shit. I think we pretty much all come together on Black Sabbath, but we are pretty all over the place.

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

Since we got done recording I’ve just been mostly listening to a lot of old, mostly Proggy stuff like Yes and early King Crimson. As far as new, new stuff, I’m digging the new Arcturus album, and the new Cattle Decapitation is pretty sick. Not my normal “go-to” stuff but my brain needs a break from the slow and low stuff lol.

There’s a variety of different styles on this album, incorporating Doom and Sludge as well as bits of Classic and Post-Metal. How did this arise from your songwriting?

It’s just a catch all of the stuff me and the other guys like. I’m not a huge fan of the whole sub-genres of sub-genres thing. I get that it serves a purpose to some for categorizing or keeping things pure or whatever. But I think a Death/Doom thing or something inspired by Zeni Geva can co-exist with a part inspired by Angel Witch or Iron Maiden if it’s approached the right way. It keeps things interesting, to me anyway. It’s not like we are truly “genre-splicing”…to us it’s all just Metal or Heavy music at the end of the day.

Behind the obvious fact that it’s being released for wider consumption, this strikes me as quite a personal release. In my review I say “This sounds more like music played for the sake of musical catharsis and outlet than for the need to simply rock out or any such thing” – is there any truth to this?

Yes! Particularly for this album. I know we put a lot into this one. Losing Kevin was really hard on me and Chase, and we really wanted to do right with what we started with him. I think we were all going through our own personal stuff on one level or another, so there was some genuine release there, especially in hindsight. This one just hit a deeper chord in all of us I think.

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

That’s a tough one actually! I could tell you what my least favorite one is, but I won’t do that haha. Right this second I’d say the album intro “Umbral Vale” into “Philosopher’s Blade” could be my favourites because they were actually the very last things we wrote right before we recorded, and they were completely written fresh and with the new lineup in mind. But I really love “The Mithriditist” and I really like the way the song “Architects of the Void” closes out the album.

Tell us about the album artwork

The art was once again by Dusty Peterson. He’s just great. He’s always gotten what we’re going for and this time he just knocked it out of the park! I had a basic idea or two in my head, and he just nailed it.

How did the recording of the album go?

It was at times awesome and at others really stressful. We had a few technical issues, mostly with equipment and whatnot. But I think some of the frustration may have actually benefited the performances.

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

It’s hard to say. We can plan for one thing but it can very easily wind up sounding like another. I have been going down the Prog wormhole lately – and I feel like we abandoned a lot of our vibey space-rock I originally wanted to do, so maybe more of that. But who knows? There’s a lot of potential and the slate is clean right now.

What’s next for Behold! The Monolith?

Getting this record out! And some touring for sure. We really want to make it to Europe, that is at the top of our list for sure. And there has been talk of getting right back into writing…but I’d say promoting “Architects of the Void” as much as possible is the priority right now!

 You can order it here https://beholdthemonolith.bandcamp.com/album/architects-of-the-void

Interview with My Silent Wake

My Silent Wake’s eighth album Damnatio Memoriae is full of dark magic and heaviness. I quizzed main man Ian Arkley about this latest release…

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

We are My Silent Wake, a UK based death/doom band with many other influences. We were started ten years ago from the members of the final line-up of Ashen Mortality minus my ex wife. I am also the founding member of Seventh Angel and other bands and projects over the years.

Give us a bit of history to My Silent Wake

We were formed in 2005. We have recorded eight albums and 2 split albums and played in various European countries. Although we have had a number of line-up changes I have always been the main vocalist and guitarist in the band so the sound hasn’t completely changed over the years, though it has developed in various directions. We have recorded acoustic and ambient music as well as death/doom and like to keep things flexible rather than be restricted in the style of music we play.

Where did the band name come from?

It was something I came up with and have very little memory of why it came about. I’m sure I wanted the meaning to be slightly ambiguous. I remember our drummer commenting that it sounded like My Dying Bride. I couldn’t see it at the time, but it has been commented on since and I think this gets us compared to them when a lot of our music is nothing like them. It is so hard to come up with a band name that you are always going to be happy with but I think it works fine.

What are your influences?

Having said all that, MDB are (of course) an influence as well as many other doom bands, other metal and rock bands, death/doom and Gothic bands. I would say some of our main influences would include Trouble, Sabbath, Paradise Lost, MDB, Dead Can Dance and Zeppelin. I am also a fan of medieval and folk music which comes to the fore in our acoustic songs.

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

Right now as I type this, Sorcerer. I listen to a wide range of music that has recently included: Obsequiae, Attrition, Hawkwind, Pentagram, Grand Magus, Roy Harper etc….At Bloodstock fest this year I enjoyed: Agalloch, Wolf, Nuclear Assault, Lawnmower Deth, Opeth, Conan, Ihsahn, Enslaved, Godfesh and Rob Zombie to name a few.

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

Not sure which I like the best, but probably The Empty Unknown. I wrote the lyrics and Adam wrote the music to this and I think it has come out well especially with Greg Chandler’s huge vocals which are interspersed with mine and Martin Bowes’s atmospheric synth in the mid section.

What are the subjects/themes of the songs on this album?

There are a variety of thoughts and meanings in the songs but I can put the main ideas within them in a nutshell ‘Of Fury’ is about destruction of property, people and ideas by tyrants, religious leaders etc and those that follow them in this; ‘Highwire’ is about being split in your ideas and directions; ‘Now it Destroys’ is about the end of a relationship; ‘Black Oil’ is about depression and the damage done by certain experiences in life; ‘And so it Comes to an End’ is about infidelity and the after effects; ‘The Innocent’ is about the abuse of vulnerable people such as children; ‘The Empty Unknown’ is generally about the need to rebuild and redeem yourself after a massive loss and it talks about the suffering felt during those times; ‘Chaos Enfolds Me’ is similar in its subject matter to ‘Now it Destroys’

Give us a bit of information on your songwriting process

No set process, just coming up with ideas and forming them into a song – sometimes lyrics first, sometimes music. Sometimes the songs are a collaborative effort and sometimes written by one member so there really are no rules.

How did the recording go?

Great! It is always both fun and productive working with Greg and the studio is a fantastic place to record. I think the sound on the album is perfect for the songs and the results are better than we could have hoped for. As usual we didn’t have much money to spend on this but it was our biggest budget out of all the MSW albums. I love Greg’s production as it seems to retain some rawness and is extremely heavy, unlike a lot of modern production. We had previously recorded ‘Silver Under Midnight’ and the Seventh Angel album ‘The Dust of Years’ there. I knew Greg back in the Ashen Mortality days but we got back in touch when I saw Esoteric in Bristol. That was an amazing performance which required getting my ears syringed.

How do you see your songs/direction developing in the future, and what’s next for your band?

Not sure about direction musically, as this depends on how the songs develop and come together. We have no set rules for the way we want an album to sound but maybe a loose idea of the overall direction. In the near future I hope to get a live album done with at least one new song and a ten year anniversary double compilation. I have been working on some more medieval ideas with my friend Luke, who played with us on the split album with Pylon. We are also making an announcement of a new member very soon.

Thanks for the interview!