DEAD METAL

A previous post about Ataraxy can be found  here . This interview is with Edu, their bassist. 1. Your new album drops on 16th February, what can we expect from it (as compared to your last album, or in general)? It's dark death metal, with many doomier passages and some dead cold melodies. Trying to achieve an evocative atmosphere without getting lost in a senseless wall of noise with no riffs, like many bands nowadays. Heavy, dismal and mourning. Compared to our last album, there’s been an effort to go further in terms of atmosphere, personality and emotion. To delve into something deeper both musically and lyrically. I think we managed to find our own sound with both full-lengths, and this new one keeps that natural evolution going. No drastic change but the next step on the band’s path. 2. Dark Descent is a great label, and seems like a perfect home for your music; so you're presumably very pleased that they’re releasing Where All Hope Fades? We are definitely...

Ataraxy is a melodic death-doom band from Spain. They already have some exceptional releases under their belt... Curse of the Requiem Mass (Memento Mori/ Me Saco Un Ojo , 2010) Revelations of the Ethereal (Memento Mori/ Me Saco Un Ojo , 2012) The Tomb / The Festival   (Me Saco Un Ojo, 2016) ...and they now have the mighty Dark Descent releasing their new album. 'Where All Hope Fades' is available to pre-order , and drops on 16th February 2018.

A post about Ataraxy's previous releases is  here ; and a recent interview is  here . These guys are rising stars of the death-doom scene, and unlike many of their contemporaries they aren't afraid to bring melody into the equation. Where All Hope Fades is even more atmospheric than its predecessor; and it's more progressive and epic too, reflected by the fact that this album is slightly longer while having fewer tracks. It's no less heavy, though; or full of anguish. You can listen to a track from it below, and order a copy from Dark Descent  or  Me Saco Un Ojo .

27th MARCH Solothus - Realm of Ash and Blood   ( 20 Buck Spin ) Death-doomsters Solothus have been featured (and indeed interviewed) on this blog previously . Realm of Ash and Blood is the band's first release for 20 Buck Spin, and hopefully it will gain them more of the exposure they deserve. For fans of : Ataraxy, Spectral Voice, Rotting Kingdom 10th APRIL Curse - The Awakening​ ​And The Old ( Redefining Darkness ) Thrashy black metal from Sweden here. Curse originally formed in 2011, but following a demo and then a long break this is the first proper release from these guys. The Awakening​ ​And The Old is a highly enjoyable six-tracker. For fans of : Eucharist, Desultory, Kreator

If you don't already know Sanguisugabogg, see here first. The band's guitarist, Cameron Boggs, kindly answered these questions. 1. Pornographic Seizures is an exceptional demo, how has the response been so far? The response has been pretty nuts, and good. It’s really weird to see where a four song demo has taken us already but I can’t complain. Really excited for what’s coming up, and to have some fun.  2. How did the relationship with Maggot Stomp come about? I was drunk on Instagram messaging Scott about tacos or something, and I slipped a Dropbox link with our demos to him out of the blue. He liked it a lot, so now he’s our best bud/dad/label daddy.  3. You have just announced that you're about to start recording your debut album, what can we expect from that (as compared with the EP or in general)? It has some crazier riffing. It’s heavier than fuck, and heavier than the EP, but I’d say musically it’s stepped up a level and I’m really excited about...

For an introduction to Morast, see here . "F.", the band's vocalist, answered a few questions... 1. Ancestral Void (2017) was an excellent debut, how has the response been? So far we can't complain. For such a dark sound you need the right mood.  2. How would you describe the style of metal you play? Uncompromising darkness. No matter which genre you want to put it in, darkness connects all our songs. 3. How did the band form? Somewhere in 2015 by me and J.. The other boys (L. & R.) connected with us in August 2015. 4. It’s a clichéd question, but who are your main influences (if indeed you feel you have influences)? From my side it is Celtic Frost, Burning Witch, Beatrik, Mortifera, Satyricon, Triptykon. 5. Could you talk a little about the band's lyrical content? My texts are very personal and mostly report sad topics. But always from a certain solid position, I'm not whining 🙂 6. Do you have any future plans you can share wi...

If you aren't familiar with Solothus, see here first. This interview is with Kari Kankaanpää, the band's vocalist. 1. No King Reigns Eternal was one of the best albums of 2016, how was the response? The response was immensely positive. Seemed to garner a lot of good feedback from media and listeners alike. It will be released on vinyl early this year too.  2. How would you describe the transition from 2013's Summoned From The Void, to No King Reigns Eternal? Summoned From The Void had some older songs on it. With No King Reigns Eternal we only had new material, with which we more or less found our sound. I think our vision for Solothus was crystallised on our last album, and that it will evolve on our third album. 3. It’s a clichéd question, but who are your main influences (if indeed you feel you have influences)? I would say that our influences are from doom and death metal - bands such as Candlemass, Black Sabbath, Cathedral, Bolt Thrower, Autopsy e...

01  Evoken - Hypnagogia  (Profound Lore) 02  Dysylumn - Occultation  (Egregor) 03  Ov Shadows - The Darkness Between Stars  (Black Market) 04  1914 - The Blind Leading The Blind  (Redefining Darkness/Archaic) 05  Monstrosity - The Passage Of Existence  (Metal Blade) 06  Memoriam - The Silent Vigil  (Nuclear Blast) 07  Assumption - Absconditus  (Everlasting Spew/Sentient Ruin) 08  Ataraxy - Where All Hope Fades  (Dark Descent/Me Saco Un Ojo) 09 Hostil - Infernal Rites  (Not On Label) 10  Void Rot - Consumed By Oblivion  (Everlasting Spew/Sentient Ruin) *edit* Antichrist - Pax Moriendi  and  Deicide - Overtures Of Blasphemy should have made this list

An introductory post about Assumption can be found here . This interview is with Giorgio, who does everything but drums for the project. 1. Absconditus is one of the best albums of 2018 so far, how has the response been? Thank you for the kind words. The response has been good so far, lots of very nice reviews worldwide. Plus, all at Everlasting Spew and Sentient Ruin are putting a lot of effort into the diffusion of our album. We couldn't be happier. 2. Your earlier releases are also excellent, is the new album helping the older material get more of the attention it deserves? Thank you once again. I don't know if the new album will drag our previous releases into the sunlight. I think that The Three Appearances was a good mix of our different influences, but Absconditus is a more organic work. And speaking personally, I am always concentrating on the present moment. 3. Your more psychedelic elements/moments are very powerful, and pretty unique, are you Pink Flo...

If you aren't already familiar with Spectral Voice, see here . This interview is with their drummer, Eli Wendler. 1. Eroded Corridors of Unbeing made a lot of 2017 end-of-year lists, are you pleased with the response so far? We're all very grateful at the reception of the record. We put a lot of work into making the record something that captures all aspects of the band, and I think we succeeded. Always nice when people appreciate your work.  2. There's a definite shift in sound, from 2015’s Necrotic Doom EP to the album; was that intentional, and if so what was the intention? I think it was more subconscious, but with a mentality towards evolution. The lyrics have become more introspective and "serious" (actually started in the last song of the demo) and we wanted to expand on those themes of katabasis, black meditations and shadow realization. The music reflected that. The songs on the album are actually in the order of which they were written, whi...

If you are unfamiliar with Ov Shadows, see here first. Guitarist Anders Ahlbäck answered these questions. 1. The Darkness Between Stars is one of the best albums of 2018 so far, how has the response been? From the few who have actually heard it, it's been great. But, as most are probably aware, the current black metal scene is crowded with several releases each day. Reaching out as a new band is surely a challenge. 2. The Monologues EP (2016) is also excellent, is the album helping the EP get more of the attention it deserves? Yes, slightly so. 3. Do you have any previous/other bands, and how did Ov Shadows form? We have all been involved in several bands before Ov Shadows - Obitus, Waning, Clonaeon, Vaticide, Styckmord, Slaughtercult to name a few; Obitus is still active. Ov Shadows formed from the ashes of Waning – we were all feeling strongly that Waning had drifted in the wrong direction for too long. That, combined with a general need to do something 'n...

We interviewed Andy Whale (of Bolt Thrower fame)  previously , with his Memoriam hat on. This time we caught up with the legendary drummer to ask a few questions about his latest project,  Darkened . 1. Darkened is something of a 'supergroup', how did you guys get together? Darkened started as an idea between myself and Daryl (Kahan) . We've known each other for quite a few years. We grew up liking and playing the same kind of music (punk, hardcore, death metal) but on different sides of the Atlantic.  We'd talked about doing a band together for a while, but never got around to doing  anything. When we started the ball rolling, it all sort of fell into place. Daryl suggested Hempa (Brynolfsson) , who had some amazing ideas for songs.  Hempa in turn suggested Linus (Nirbrant) , who is amazing at structuring songs.  Hempa and Linus also work together on the mixing side of things.  The hard person to find was the vocalist. We got a f...

For an introduction to Frozen Soul, see here . This interview is with guitarist Michael Munday. 1. Encased In Ice is an exceptional demo, how has the response been so far? The response has been incredible. We didn’t think that Encased In Ice would get this much attention and praise, it’s very humbling to see.  2. How did the relationship with Maggot Stomp come about? I was already a fan of what Maggot Stomp was releasing, and I had interacted a bit on their social media. Shortly after we recorded the demo I just said “f*ck it” and DM’d a dropbox link to our songs, and Maggot Stomp loved it. We’ve had a great relationship since then. 3. Do you have a new release/new releases in the pipeline? What can we expect from the new material, as compared with the EP or in general? We’ll be releasing a full length LP this year. The new songs we have are even groovier and heavier than what we’ve already released. Expect to hear some punishing death metal.  4. It’s...

An introduction to Beast Of Revelation can be found here . Drummer Bob Bagchus (formerly of Asphyx) answered these questions. 1. The Ancient Ritual Of Death is an exceptional album, you must be very pleased with it? Thanks for the kind words. Yes, we are very pleased with the way it came out. It sounds exactly the way we wanted it to be - heavy, doomy and dark. 2. How did Beast of Revelation form? A.J. ( van Drenth - guitars, bass, backing vocals ) asked me a few years ago if I was interested in doing a doom project with him since we already did the doom/black metal project Throne in 1995.  He sent me some riffs and I loved them instantly so we started from there. Since we also needed a vocalist A.J. asked John from Incantation who said he would love to be part of the Beast. We recorded the album with the three of us; and Eric Daniels and Robbie Woning did some great guest solos. 3. What were your main musical influences when starting the project? Old Cathedral, ol...

If you don't already know Graceless, then see here first. This interview is with Jasper Aptroot, who plays bass for the band. 1. Shadowlands (2017) is an outstanding album, how has the response been to that? The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Everything that has happened since the release has exceeded our expectations and we are very grateful for all the support we have received. 2. You've announced that you will be releasing a new album this year, what can we expect from it (as compared to your debut, or in general)? We really love the Dutch death metal sound and we will always stay true to these roots. The new album is going to be a logical next step following Shadowlands. If you liked our first album then I'm confident you will not be disappointed with the second release. 3. It’s a clichéd question, but who are your main influences (if indeed you feel you have influences)? We play ourselves but most of all we are fans of extreme metal. There...

For an introduction to Antichrist, see here . Funebrarum, the band's drummer, answered these questions. 1. Pax Moriendi is an outstanding album, how has the response been so far? The response has been too good, both in our country and around the world. We never imagined that this humble project would come so far, made above all with the passion we feel for the underground. 2. Antichrist originally formed in 2004, and was active for many years before splitting in 2010 and reforming in 2011... was any material recorded during that first incarnation of the band? Only some homemade recordings, nothing was edited in those years. 3. How would you describe your sound? Antichrist evokes the dead and dense sound of the glory era of death metal. 4. Could you talk a little about the band’s lyrical content? Although many think the band would have directly satanic lyrics, that isn't the reality. We take our  name in honor of the book The Antichrist, by Friedrich Nietzsc...

Transcendence was recently mentioned in  this  post. Phantasm (guitarist) and Putrefaction (vocalist) answered these questions. 1. Towards Obscurities Beyond is an exceptional album, how has the response been so far? When we were recording this album we had no idea what people would think of it, considering our style seems to be something most people aren’t into these days. But so far we’ve gotten positive reviews and overall people seem to really enjoy it.  2. Your sound is really quite unique, how would you describe it? Towards Obscurities Beyond is a collection of our work from 2015 to 2019. It is our search for an evil yet melodic sound that we could call our own. The metal of death in our vision has been found and is currently being expanded on. 3. It’s a cliched question, but who are your main influences? Well of course we all have our own personal tastes, though as a band we’ve come together for our love of old school Scandinavian death and black metal and hatred f...

If you're unfamiliar with Dysylumn, see here first. This interview is with Sébastien Besson, the band's vocalist and guitarist. 1. Occulation is one of the best albums of 2018, how has the response been so far? We did everything possible to have the new album released in digipak before the Ravenous Altar Festival event (Cult of Fire, Grave Miasma, Grave Desecrator, Throane, Serpent Luminis and us), and the bet was successful! We had a lot of positive feedback about the album. For the moment few reviews, but it has been uploaded to the Odium Nostrum YouTube channel which has given us a huge visibility. 2. How would you describe your sound? I think that our sound is very heavy, almost monolithic at times.  But at the same time it is very spatial, aerial and dissonant. 3. Could you talk a little about your lyrical content? The lyrical content is about cosmogony, the abstract universe, chaos, nightmares, and hallucinations.  Lyrics are written cyclically, the en...

I is the only release to date from these Greek death metallers. The Psalm formed in 2013, and features members of the now-defunct Nocturnal Vomit. The band's impressive two track debut (which can be heard below) was originally released in 2015, by Unholy Domain  on cassette and Hell's Fire/Screaming Victims/Kill Yourself  on 7" . Repulsive Echo then released it  on CD  in 2017, along with three bonus tracks; and the digital version (without bonus tracks) is available directly from the band . Ataraxy  is probably the closest comparison, where the Asphyx-influenced vocals are concerned at least. ...aside from Nocturnal Vomit of course, which featured the same singer. Bring on the first full-length, which is said to be in the works.

Domains - Sinister Ceremonies ( The Sinister Flame, 2014 ) This Spanish band's second full-length is mostly-doomy death metal with some black metal influences. Where vocals are concerned, the closest comparison might be fellow Spaniards Ataraxy . Altar Of Rot - Altar Of Rot ( self-released, 2020 ) Black metal with sludge, death and heavy metal influences here. Altar Of Rot is an unsigned American band, and this thirty-five-minute-long album is their only offering to date.