DEAD METAL

Evoken should need no introduction, but if you do need one then see  here . Drummer and founding member Vince Verkay did us the honour of answering these questions. 1. You've announced that you will be releasing a new album this year, what can we expect from it (as compared to your last album, or in general)? That's correct, the release date will be announced in two weeks. Of course it's Evoken, so all the elements you expect to hear are there, but this album is by far our most ambitious.  It's not an album you can listen to once and understand everything.  It's complex, yet it doesn't confuse the listener. People will hear some new ideas added because it serves a purpose within the songs.  2. Everything you’ve released to date has been outstanding, and you've been together more than twenty years, how have you managed to keep the bar so high? I appreciate that, thank you. There's nothing special we do, but we always make sure nothing is ...

For an introduction to Evoken, see  here ; and for a recent interview with founding member Vince Verkay, see  here . This is the band's 2010 release with Sweden's Beneath The Frozen Soil, on I Hate Records. Their four contributions amount to a full-length, in duration terms; and they do not disappoint. It's a highly cohesive split, too - with Beneath The Frozen Soil bringing three solid funeral death-doom tracks with blackened vocals to the table. The CD is rare, but you can keep an eye out for a copy  here ; or the mp3 release is still widely available. A choice track from the Evoken 'side' can be heard below.

Previous posts about Evoken can be found  here  and  here . You can also read an interview with drummer and founding member Vince Verkay  here . Hypnagogia (out tomorrow) is the band's sixth full-length, and the second brought to us by Profound Lore. It's also their first concept album, based entirely around the theme of World War I and the impact it had on those who fought. Musically it has all the hallmarks of an Evoken release, but it features some new twists as well; most notably an additional infusion of melody, by way of elements such as violin and choral parts. The kings of funeral doom have expanded their sound, nearly a quarter of a century into their existence, and the extra dimensions are serving them well. You can hear a track below, and order a copy here .

New Jersey's Evoken haven't put a foot wrong in over two decades, and if there was ever a funeral doom band deserving of a wider audience and more acclaim it's these guys. Antithesis of Light (Avantgarde Music, 2005) is perhaps their finest moment to date, but there simply aren't any weak points in their discography. 2018 will see the release of a new album, on Profound Lore, and if you aren't already familiar with their back catalogue you would be well-advised to rectify that in the meantime.

01  Krypts  -  Remnants Of Expansion  ( Dark Descent ,  2016 ) 02  Evoken  -  Atra Mors  ( Profound Lore ,  2012 ) 03  Antichrist  -  Pax Moriendi  ( Iron Bonehead ,  2018 ) 04  Blood Incantation  -  Starspawn  ( Dark Descent ,  2016 ) 05  None  -  Damp Chill Of Life  ( Hypnotic Dirge ,  2019 ) 06  Carcass  -  Surgical Steel  ( Nuclear Blast ,  2013 ) 07  Immolation  -  Atonement  ( Nuclear Blast ,  2017 ) 08  Necrot  -  Blood Offerings  ( Tankcrimes ,  2017 ) 09  Burzum  -  Belus  ( Byelobog ,  2010 ) 10  Spectral Voice  -  Necrotic Doom  ( Dark Descent ,  2015 )

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...

The title translates to "Behind The Doors Of A Transcendent Arcana". It (and all of the songs) are in French owing to Sedimentum being Canadian. Brought to us by Me Saco Un Ojo/Dark Descent, this three-tracker is the band's doomiest effort to date. Some clear Incantation influence, hints of Evoken in places, and a few twists all of their own. The EP, clocking in at 21 minutes, is one of 2024’s finest releases. You can stream it below, and purchase a copy here .

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...

3rd JULY Convocation - Ashes Coalesce ( Everlasting Spew / Sentient Ruin ) This is the second full-album (and indeed release) from this Finnish duo. Funeral death-doom; it is epic, atmospheric and melodic stuff; but is also crushing. Rich and dimensional, it stands out from the crowd and demands your attention. For fans of : Evoken, diSEMBOWELMENT, Assumption 17th JULY Väki - Kuolleen Maan Omaksi  ( Redefining Darkness Records/Saturnal ) Fierce Finnish black metal. Väki formed in 2016, but this is the band's first full-length; with only a self-released two track EP ('Kirous', 2017) preceding it. Excellent riffs with some technicality to them; these guys are well worth checking. For fans of : Horna, Mgla, Funeral Mist

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...

Antichrist's debut full-length is brought to us by Iron Bonehead. The band hails from Peru, and plays funeral death-doom with hints of dISEMBOWELMENT  and Evoken . They have been active for many years, but this is their first official release; and it was well worth the wait - Pax Moriendi is a highly accomplished work. A monstrous, crushing release; but it's also extremely immersive and atmospheric, and features a healthy dose of melody. Five tracks, forty-five minutes... of intense mournful darkness. You can listen to the album below, and buy it  here .

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...

19th January - Perishing ( Costa Rica, death-doom ) - Lutum ( Morbid Chapel/Caligari ) 30th May - Vader ( Poland, death metal ) - Humanihility   ( Nuclear Blast ) 22nd August - Innumerable Forms ( US, death-doom ) - Pain Effulgence ( Profound Lore ) 17th October - Evoken  ( US, funeral death-doom ) - Mendacium ( Profound Lore )

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...

Assumption is a funeral death-doom duo from Italy. Hints of  dISEMBOWELMENT ,  Evoken ,  Dusk ... but, as with those other bands, they stand out from the crowd - in their case by throwing a dose of psychedelia into the mix; some real Pink Floyd moments here. They formed in 2011, and released a demo called  Mosaic of the Distant Dominion  in 2012 (a track from which can be heard below). As well as a digital self-release, the EP was given limited edition CD and cassette treatments by Decrepit Productions and Unholy Domain. Next up was 2014's  The Three Appearances  mini-album, on Terror From Hell Records - which you can listen to below. 2018 has seen the release of the first full-length, called Absconditus, on Everlasting Spew / Sentient Ruin : These guys deserve a lot more attention.