Interview: Krieg (2021)

USBM legends KRIEG have always had their own unique sound and are one of the pioneering bands of American black metal. This includes the fact that they have released some truly outstanding albums! The following interview was conducted with Neil Jameson aka Lord Imperial. 

Greetings, Neil. You are a busy man, working on various projects from journalism to recording music. Do you feel like music is the ultimate escape and outlet for this shitty reality? Do you see your art as therapeutic? What goes on in your head when you write and record music? 

I think at this point it’s really just another extension of myself, rather than any kind of escape. I’ve been doing Krieg longer than I haven’t, if that makes any sense, and because of that I don’t really see it as anything but a different limb that I use. These days how I approach writing music is vastly different than even our last album seven years ago. I’m at a very comfortable place where I’m back to not having expectations placed on me artificially by whatever the “fans” would want me to do, sort of like when I originally began this trip.

I remember enjoying albums like Destruction Ritual and The Black House (I still do!) and picking out trace elements from bands like Maniac Butcher and Blasphemy, as your earlier output was quite primal and chaotic. How would you personally describe the evolution of your earlier work compared to later records? Have some of your influences changed over time?

As I’ve gotten older I’ve become less concerned with the idea of extremity and more interested in restraint, especially vocally. I’m much more interested in the actual music than having to be up front and confrontational vocally or having to constantly have a wall of noise behind me. It’s not to say I’m not still going to dip into that well occasionally, I think that I’m just a lot more comfortable with what I write and my ability to express things sonically better than I could have in my twenties.

I get the impression that you keep changing your sound slightly from album to album, but always stay within the bounds of your extreme sound. How important is it that you do not completely repeat yourself with each release? Is it a challenge to come up with new ideas?

After 2014, where we recorded “Transient”, and the splits with Wolvhammer and Integrity I encountered both a slight burnout and possibly the worst writers block I’ve ever had as a musician, which is why you haven’t heard much from us since. Once we had left Candlelight and signed with Profound Lore I felt a pressure on myself to somehow write this (in my head) “great work” and because of this I began to really detest black metal, especially the newer bands, probably because I had envy that they were doing whatever they wanted and I felt like I’d trapped myself in some kind of box. It was very important to shift the sound but I couldn’t figure out how. So the years went on and I concentrated more on my personal life and my various writing gigs until this year and could finally start working on Krieg again because I’d somehow shed the idea that everything needed to be “different” or “unique” but rather I just wanted to work on what I was passionate about. So at this point, it’s not very important but it will happen naturally. We’re not The Ramones, there’s some variation inevitably.

Albums like Destruction Ritual are one of the cornerstones of raw, violent USBM. The energy and urgency of said album is unmatched by today's standards. In many ways, I can compare it to albums like Cut Your Flesh and Worship Satan or My Hearse, My Redemption in terms of its visceral, all-out aggression. How do you reflect on that era and what can you tell us about the circumstances surrounding the recording of that album? What do you think makes it different?

It was the first time I had done a record without any kind of writing partner as both “Rise…” and “Sono..” had others in the periphery albeit in a pretty useless manner, so this was entirely guided as my vision alone. I began to record it the week after I got back from playing with Judas Iscariot at the Sacrifice of the Nazarene Child Fest in 1999 so I was greatly inspired by taking part in that plus being around so many other like-minded people. The recording was put on hold after the guitars were tracked because I didn’t have a label and had already done one unreleased record nobody wanted to touch (“Sono..”) so in 2000 I concentrated on other things and that autumn my mother unexpectedly died so it wasn’t much of a priority until Andrew Harris offered to help finish the record. The DAT I brought with me somehow got corrupted so we only had a few tracks that were salvageable, which became “The Church” ep. Finally in the summer of 2001 the record was finished in Wisconsin. I don’t see it as different, I just see it as my own expression of black metal as something physically painful to experience.

Your masterpiece Blue Miasma was remastered in 2013, yet the remastering did not affect the overall quality of the music, which is a rarity, as I feel that most "remastered" records are detrimental in the sense that it takes away much of the feel of the original recording. Your opinion?

It’s not really a “remaster” as it was the original mix/master of the record before I fucked around with it during the tip of a few year long nervous breakdown, with maybe some minor changes. I’m especially curious to hear how it’s going to translate to vinyl next year.

Who do you consider as some of the most important bands within the spectrum of USBM? And what do you think of the recent USBM book that came out? Some people have said that the book seemed too apologetic and that it advocated political correctness.

Those people are free to write their own fucking books, then. I don’t have much to add to the USBM conversation that hasn’t been said a million times over. Crucifixion Bell is the best current USBM band.

Do you think nihilism is a lost art in black metal these days? Are there any albums from recent years that have made you feel like "ok, this is the real deal"?

I think there’s just better ways to express it than people tend to use. That being said, overall I think black metal has been better and more interesting the last few years than the previous fifteen. Looking at some of the new USBM bands like the aforementioned Crucifixion Bell, Cathedrals in the Night, Dai Ichi etc or the Danish Korpsand Circle bands, or (and especially) Kommodus I see more sincerity and excellence than I have in years. Really there’s so many excellent projects happening now that I haven’t had a moment where I stop and question if it’s still worth it or not.

I have come to the conclusion that some people utterly dislike your music, while there are others (like myself) who have enjoyed your work from day one. What do you think it is about Krieg that makes your music so divisive? And what do you think people tend to overlook when they hear your music?

There’s a few things, I think. I’ve changed styles over the years, I’ve managed to somehow get myself into good situations for myself that a lot of other (probably more talented) bands couldn’t even suck a dick to get into, but probably the biggest factor is myself as a person. I’m not very easy to be around and am very opinionated. There’s also those who hate me for things I’ve said in the past and those who hate me for owning up to and trying to grow away from those things. People hate me for the things I’ve written or for the things I didn’t write about. All of these people are entitled to their opinion about me, my writing and my music. All of these people are fucking boring.

I know you are a fan of old school hardcore. What are some of your favourite hardcore records? I personally enjoy bands like Amebix, Discharge, Totalitar, Tragedy, The Hope Conspiracy, etc.

All Pigs Must Die, Integrity, (The Infamous) Gehenna, Rot in Hell, Vegas, Withdrawal, Kickback etc for hardcore. I’m big into a lot of the old crust bands as well, Rudimentary Peni, Antisect, Amebix etc. We’ve covered Amebix and Doom in the past and planned a Peni covers 7” back in 2009 that continues to float up as an idea. Really enjoy Tragedy as well.

How did you manage to do a split with Integrity? I mean, it's not like most people in hardcore listen to this kind of music. Are the guys from Integrity fans of Krieg or black metal?

Dwid released the Krieg split with Leviathan on his Holy Terror imprint in 2014 so we already had a good working relationship. The idea came up somehow and eventually manifested itself into reality. It’s one of the proudest moments I have out of the nearly thirty years I’ve been doing this and almost was the epitaph of the band as a whole as it would have been a good ending point.

Do you think a destructive lifestyle and black metal go hand in hand? I personally don't, but I'd like to know your opinion on the matter. Do you still consider Krieg as a black metal band seeing as your influences and ideas have changed over time?

Not really. I think it just happens that the two cross paths because a lot of people involved in this music are tragic fuckups and it’s just coincidental that they mingle. But I don’t see it as a “black metal” thing to be self destructive and the “Never Stop The Madness” logo has lost its original meaning. Besides, you have all these fucking workout camps popping up in backyards all across the country that are connected to bands. Maybe it was linked to black metal years ago but we’re in different waters now.

You are a man of good taste. Therefore, I feel obligated to inquire what records you have been listening to lately? Any personal highlights of the year so far?

I do my yearly list for No Clean Singing and this year might be the largest I’ve ever done, there’s just been a flood of great recordings released this year. Currently I’ve been listening to the Kommodus/Pan-Native Amerikan Front split and the K÷ record.

So what's next for Krieg? I sincerely thank you for your time. Death by Hammer salutes you!

We’ve just finished our side of a split with Crucifixion Bell that will be out through Goatowar Rex on vinyl with a tape and cd version being planned as well. The Devil’s Elixir Records will be doing a vinyl reissue of “The Church” and “Destruction Ritual” next year. “Blue Miasma” will be released on vinyl in its proper form through Death Hymns in the summer and our split with Morte Incandescante will finally have a vinyl release as well. In 2022 we’ll be recording for a split with Dai Ichi and most likely for our next full length, which should still be coming out through Profound Lore. 

Interview: Cambion (2021)

Cambion from El Paso, Texas, have released one of the most crushing black/death metal albums of the year with "Conflagrate The Celestial Refugium", which has been a regular on my playlist since its release. Fans of bands like Diocletian, Angelcorpse and Lvcifyre take note. The following interview with the horde was conducted in support of their deadly music.

Greetings! Firstly, thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview. Secondly, congratulations on the release of your crushing debut album.

Thanks so much for the support, it helps push our endeavor forward.

To my ears, "Conflagrate The Celestial Refugium" is one of the best black/death metal albums of the year. Few albums have come close to matching its aggression and sheer ferocity. In addition, the production really does the music justice. What was the overall writing and recording process like? Are you satisfied with the overall result?

Thanks again for the positive words. Thorben and I are separated by many thousands of miles, but our songwriting rapport is uncanny. With a love of frantic Death, the music is constantly flowing. We rarely disagree on how a song should progress. As for the final result, the band is very, very pleased. Christian Erkens took our tracks and mixed them to an ultimate crushing level. The sound is just raw enough to rape your ears, but everything is balanced and heavy.

Cambion’s music is technically proficient and pushes the boundaries in terms of sonic access. Do you rehearse a lot to achieve such a sound?

Yes, definitely. I mean there are way more technical awesome bands out there, but we try to push our own boundaries and that comes with keeping our chops up as best we can.

Would you ever sign to a "bigger" label or are you content with your place in the spectrum of the underground?

Lavadome has been very forward and fair to us. Jan is a complete underground maniac, not just a 'collector of bands' - he puts out stuff that he really digs. Cambion are among some imposing labelmates there. As for a larger label, they would need to understand our non-live situation before anything could move forward. Never say never.

What are some of your biggest musical inspirations?

Rich: speaking personally, I'm driven to create music for Cambion by classic Slayer, Morbid Angel, Hate Eternal, Krisiun (first 3), and Gene Palubicki's stable of bands (Angelcorpse and Apocalypse Command in particular). Others include Centurian, Fallen christ, and newer stuff like Lvcifyre and Omegavortex.

Thorben: Classic Slayer for me as well. Mixed with some Swedish old school death metal and some more technical stuff such as Origin, Nile, Defeated Sanity, Insidious Decrepancy, Gorgasm and modern bands like Cytotoxin.

What themes do you explore with your latest work and what is the significance of the title?

I'm a simple man, I enjoy the classic tropes in Metal music like the Devil and occult-related themes, Robert E Howard/Clark Ashton Smith, the Annunaki, as well as some historical stuff. The title track talks about how Catholic pigs shelter child molesters, and the 'what-if" heaven itself sheltered these degenerates after death. The Lord of Hell leads his hordes to burn the whole shit-house down, "cauterizing the firmament".

What can you tell us about your drummer? The man is an absolute beast behind the kit.

I had the pleasure of seeing Chason Westmoreland play drums with Hate Eternal live. The man was splintering roof-beams with his merciless power and speed. He beats the shit out of his kit, unlike a lot of the current tapping nancy-boys. Fortunately, Jan at Lavadome reached out to him and Chas agreed to play on our record. We have our fingers crossed that he can play on our second album, let's see what the fates allow.

How would you personally describe your music to someone who has never heard it?

If you like excessive blastbeats and relentless face-melting solos, you'll dig Cambion.

10 albums you can't live without? In no particular order:

Rich: Hell Awaits, Pleasure To Kill, Morbid Tales, Black Force Domain, Covenant, Abduction Ritual, Legion, Exterminate, Horrified, and World Downfall.

Thorben: Reign in Blood, Ride the Lightning, Legion, Effigy of the Forgotten, Formulas Fatal to the Flesh, In Their Darkened Shrines, Antithesis, Entity, Psalms of the Moribund, Masticate to Dominate.

What are your favourite sub-genres in metal? Are you someone who mainly listens to black and death metal, or do you like other sub-genres as well? What kind of music excites you?

Rich: Favorite subgenres are Heavy Metal and extreme Doom, but Darkambient like Kammarheit is great for driving the lonesome distances through West Texas. I do mainly listen to Black and Death, but also regularly to stuff like Waylon Jennings, Hank Sr., Willie Nelson, The Highwaymen, and Bob Wills.

Thorben: Currently very technical Death Metal or Brutal Death Metal. Like Rich I also love to dig into Darkambient but also other things like the darker or virtuose pieces of classical music.

Can you tell us about the artwork of the album and what kind of vision you had in mind? I think it fits perfectly with the atmosphere of the music.

The piece is called "Ordeal of the Abyss" and it's by Shaari Moth, an artist out of California. Its a pretty big piece, done on canvas with acrylics. The artwork has actually been very polarizing; some despise it and some love it. I personally think it's a style that's not so common these days. The artist was basically given free-reign to make a hellish cover with a lot of hidden symbolism. As a side note, she used a real insect on the doorway on the left side of the art.

What is your opinion on the current underground scene throughout the states? And in your opinion, does each state that has a developed metal scene have its own distinctive sound like some of the countries in Europe?

There are lots of good bands if you know where to look. I think, generally speaking, American acts have a tendency to be more on the brutal side. Sadly, there are more bands than ever, so it becomes difficult to comb through mountains of average material. Since I'm a grouchy old man, I screen bands on youtube and almost immediately stop the song if it's something I don't like.

Do you have any merchandise available for people to get hold of? Also, if any zines or promoters out there would like to get in touch with the band, how should they do this? Cheers and thanks!

The best place to look is directly to the Lavadome bandcamp. The album is available on CD and shirts are in the works. I have a few copies of Conflagrate for stateside maniacs. The best way to contact us is through the Cambion Facebook messenger or Lavadome Productions. Thanks to Death By Hammer for the interview, H&K to our supporters!

Split review: Thornspawn / Maledictvs – Guided by Vengeance & Bloodlust (2021)

Thornspawn / Maledictvs – Guided by Vengeance & Bloodlust

USA / Mexico

Inhuman Assault Productions

The split in question is the first release to feature new Thornspawn material since their last split with Singapore's Istidraj in 2013. The two new Thornspawn tracks 'Under The Illustrious Eminence of Satan's Doctrine' and 'Clairvoyance with the Dead' are both killer slabs of raw and vicious black metal, boasting a powerful production while maintaining that malicious and bestial edge they are known for. Blackthorn's vocals are visceral as ever with a fair amount of distortion, giving the music a menacing effect paired with the vicious buzzsaw guitars and thumping drums. The atmosphere is evil enough to draw me in, and has that apocalyptic ambience that is typical of their sound, although one thing missing from these tracks are guitar solos. They have always had them in the past; nevertheless, I am quite impressed with the new songs and hope to hear more of the same on their next recording. (Although it’s like I said, they need to throw some solos in the mix to give the music that extra oomph.) Interestingly, Blackthorn is the only remaining member from the original line-up and that really says a lot about his dedication to black metal, as the band has been around since 1993.

Maledictvs from Juarez, Mexico, is the manifestation of Hella, the mistress of Blackthorn, which consequently features Blackthorn on drums. The Malevicvs portion of the split is quite well crafted, with an an array of chaotic riffs and hellish, high-pitched vocals that sound like they come from the depths of Hella's black soul. This music is above the standard pedestal and exudes pure devotion to the dark arts, as this is raw, underproduced black metal at its finest. All in all, a solid split all around and recommended for aficionados of blasphemous underground black metal. (HT)

Album review: Cambion - Conflagrate The Celestial Refugium (2021)

Cambion - Conflagrate The Celestial Refugium

USA

Lavadome Productions

“Conflagrate The Celestial Refugium” is the debut album from these Texas based maniacs and is a profoundly hard-hitting and militant slab of Black/Death. The musicianship on this album is as tight as it gets, including the fact that the music is utterly ferocious, with the bulk of the music consisting of blazing fast drums, shredding riffs, and evil vocals that are more akin to black metal. Essentially, the output has more in common with death metal (at least musically), although there is a fair amount of black metal in their veins, at least in terms of atmosphere. In my opinion, anyone who likes bands like Angelcorpse, Force of Darkness and Infernal War will go absolutely nuts over this, as this album delivers the goods. I'm not saying the band sounds like the aforementioned bands, but they are definitely on par with them in terms of intensity. The music is truly fast for the most part. But not in a bland sense, as each track is peppered with tempo changes and solos that make the music way more interesting than the usual "fast-all-the-time" brutal black/death band. There is enough variety in the songs to maintain a consistent flow and not become repetitive. Slower parts are well interspersed and used to break up the intensity a bit while still keeping it relentless and crushing. I have read a few comments comparing Cambion to Angelcorpse, which is fair enough, though they are far from being called "Angelcorpse worship" as they have a sound all their own that is easily identifiable when you actually listen to their music. There are a myriad of interesting and razor-sharp, flesh-piercing solos, and it's even more impressive considering the band only consists of three members, and considering all the chaos you're being subjected to literally comes from one guitarist backed by a maniacal battery, incendiary drumming and hate spewing vocals. The bass is also very involved in the mix and makes a valuable contribution to the execution. It's a thorough and well-executed display of bludgeoning and vicious black/death that deserves to be heard and is a prime example of proper American black/death. Cambion fucking slays! (HT)

EP review: Ancient Tome - Final Tomb (2021)

Ancient Tome - Final Tomb

USA

Transylvanian Recordings

A cosmic portal emerges, breaking through the fabric of reality that transports us into a dark, chaotic and suffocating vortex. Such is the experience of this magnificent 4-track EP and the band's second release since their formation in 2020. This time they have managed to summon their art from the hands of Transylvanian Recordings as the first release was independently produced.

These void worshippers immerse us in the haunting vortex of their thoughts with this great performance of Blackened Doom Metal.

"Choleric" opens the album in a quiet manner. A clean guitar that seems to foreshadow what will come next, as bass and drums follow in gloomy synchrony. From one moment to the next, the distortion is present and begins to spread its noisy essence in all directions, occupying all of your attention. At a certain point the song picks up speed and I must say that it sounds massive, even though they could still have kept going with their super slow tempo and it would not have been a problem. They know how to take the listener down dark paths and still keep us informed of what's happening around us.

"Sycophants" continues in the same vein, throwing an avalanche of blows and screams coming from the bowels. The screams on this album are really tortured and a pleasure to listen to.

"The Ancient Crucht" has the best clean guitar, melody and drum percussion. It sounds really formidable, solid and ritualistic. It's like a long trance that conjures ancient and savage entities. The first 3 songs are over 6 minutes long and that's a great length (although we are used to much longer songs in this subgenre). It stretches out violently to express the darkness within.

"To Come To The End Of A Time Of Anxiety And Fear" is the last song on the album, which does not reach 2 minutes in length and is more of an outro which left me very curious as to what will come next in terms of production, rather than the feeling of an ending. Definitely recommended! (Catacombs Walker)

Interview: Chaos Inception (2021)

 

Chaos Inception is a killer Death Metal band from Alabama worth supporting with a new album in the works. I got in touch with guitarist Matt to show my support and also get some details about the upcoming album. If you’re a fan of dark, abstract, and crushing death metal with tight musicianship, then you should definitely give them a listen. Chaos Inception is no lightweight, despite their under-the-radar status.

Hails! It's been a long time since Chaos Inception released an album. Can you please give us an update?

Hails, and thanks for the interview. It’s good to know someone cares about the band. We’ve been through hell and back trying to get this done and I can finally see the light at the end. Gary White and I are the band now, and that’s probably all there will be to it. We have been through so many changes in lineup and so much on a personal level, but I anticipate that a new album will be out on Lavadome Records by the end of 2021, or early next year.

Chaos Inception Members also play in various other bands such as Monstrosity, Diabolic, Quinta Essentia, etc. Are these other bands rather side bands or priority?

It’s hard to say what band is a side band or priority, mainly because it would piss off the other people in those bands. The priority for me is simply to play guitar in a band and to have someone hear it. So all I do is keep playing, keep writing, and when someone says let’s do an album I can say ok, here’s what I can contribute. At this stage of the game, and at the risk of pissing off some people, I’d say that the bands you mentioned are nobody’s ‘priority’ as far as their daily lives go, because it’s not their job or their family, with one exception that you might guess. Chaos Inception is my priority in a way, because I write everything. In other projects there is compromise, with other people changing my songs, but I’m proud of all of them. When it’s time to get it going the priorities shift to each one, but the constant is me sitting around playing a guitar. I’m much better at it now for being involved in those projects.

What led to the departure of Chris White and what does the new vocalist Jason Flippo bring to your sound?

As I mentioned, we’ve had a lot of changes. None of them were truly rancorous but to go over the reasons would be picking at scabs. Gary White is the vocalist for Chaos Inception now - you heard it here first!. He has done vocals before in spots with Chaos Inception and Convergence from Within, so it’s just easier and better for us to do it ourselves, together.

How will the direction of the new material differ compared to The Abrogation? What can we expect?

Expect something that’s a little more streamlined, without as many opposing guitar riffs. I mean I used to have one riff and then do another riff on top of it, and it sounded pretty cool, but I realized that often the reason for doing that is the first riff is not very good. It’s covering up for a crap riff, or what we call in the rehearsal room, ‘shizer’. That’s Alabaman for schiesse. Good riffs, not noise – that’s the goal. Just remember that the layers probably don’t make you a musical genius. Some death metal (ourselves included) use a blast beat as a cover for crap riffs. Put a blast on that and it sounds cool. Especially when the drummer is 10 times the musician as the guitar player, which is often the case. Well, we are blasting 90% of the time, so we try to avoid that. Besides all that, the new album runs more of the gamut – it goes from total defeat and despondency to triumph and overcoming. The latter is an absolute necessity for me, because if it’s not spiritually majestic and the singer is growling, you might as well be in Pantera – you’re making angry music, and I’m just not that angry. Now, there’s one song on it that almost makes me nauseous to think about, it’s so nasty. A bit of a departure. And as always, I have in mind the legacy of Floridian and South American death metal and we will always be happy to plant that flag through the eye socket of a poseur.

Which bands influenced the sound of Chaos Inception?

For me it’s everything, but mostly Floridian and South American bands. Sweat-panted and farmer tanned death metal from hell, as opposed to pale, cold death metal with neck beards and leather pants. The album Blessed Are the Sick. Any and all Sarcofago, not just INRI. Angel Corpse. Krisiun. Perdition Temple. Suffocation. Centurian. Sinister. Any kind of weird, dark metal. Necromantia. Striborg. Slayer should go without saying. Can’t forget Iron Maiden, Uli Roth, The Smiths, and Graham Parker. Just listen to what you like, or you will burn out your love of music. Use all your influences. I am not a huge fan of all death metal, such as mid-paced or slow stuff, or the stuff made by trained musicians who are slumming in the death metal world. I respect any band that has made a name for themselves doing this, and I’ve gone to their shows and bought their albums, but when it’s time for me to distill influences and create my thing, there’s none of that involved. And there’s always an element of horror involved, brought by a lifelong study of horror movies.

What are some newer bands that you like? Are there any albums that have left an impression on you recently?

That is a good question. I try. I really try. I think most everything sounds pretty good, with good but usually the same production values, but I just don’t have that goosebump feeling from anything new. And there are so many old things that I haven’t heard that sometimes it’s best to check out old bands that I missed. Like with horror movies – what’s the best new horror movie of 2021? I couldn’t tell you. But I don’t just sit around watching John Carpenter’s Halloween for the 127^th time. I’ll find out there was something I missed from back then with the same vibe. Or there is some band that the label Nuclear War Now found from the USSR or Haiti from way back that’s cool. There are lots of new bands that try to recapture the old magic, and I’m cool with them doing that too – like Gruesome. Some overzealous fans or critics sometimes piss me off when they say it’s even better than the original when it isn’t. I’m still looking for the heir to Azagthoth, Palubicki, and the rest. Where are the psychotic soloists? Anyways, if absolutely pressed to name a newer band I’d say Cemetery Lights, which is like a Greek black metal sounding thing on Nuclear War Now. If you asked Gary that question, he would definitely not drop the name Cemetery Lights, that I can tell you.

Can you tell us a little about the themes on The Abrogation, including some details about songs like "Pazazu Eternal" and "The Exterminati"?

Lyrical themes . . . For me, it’s nightmares, visions, and whatever happens in the rehearsal room. We name riffs and then those names make it back into the lyrics. We had a riff called the Pincer riff and that translated into a working title of 1000 Dead by Pincer. Now the challenge is what the hell does that mean? I can’t even remember why we called the riff ‘pincer’ now someone has to base lyrics to a song about that. I will admit that some of the things I put in my lyrics are meant to shock, but not in the usual sense. How can you shock someone who’s been listening to Cannibal Corpse for 25 years, or watching Evil Dead for 40? Well, you can put in something unexpected, maybe something that leaves them scratching their heads. Usually it’s because I’m scratching my head about it as well. You just know it’s right when you hear it spoken. Go with your instincts and don’t overthink it. Some people have accused us of being devil worshippers because of some lyrical content, but I can tell you that we don’t believe in devil worshippers. Anyone who wastes time seriously studying demonic rituals to put them into practice is a fool. But if you study them for historical interest, that’s something else. And if you have studied them and you think some of it sounds cool, like ‘man, that’s some heavy shit. What if that was a song lyric?’ Also cool. But copying directly from the text? Boring. Plagiarism. And obviously, the rituals don’t work in the intended way, or else all these underground metal bands would have wealth, fame, and there’d be a lot more women at their shows. So I use some artistic license and maybe write a lyric in the language of ritual but make it my own, knowing that it’s nonsense. You can be serious about your art and do that at the same time. No one can tell me I’m not serious, given the time and years I’ve put into this, with little to no reward. So I leave people wondering if it’s from an ancient scroll or a dreaded tome found at an archaeological site, or is it totally made up yet sounds like a cool death metal song? I try to be honest about what we’re doing here – making music for teenagers (in spirit, at the moments even a mature adult is enjoying this music), just like the teenagers we were when you got into it.

Will your collaboration with Lavadome Productions continue?

Yes. Lavadome is the best. The have the best roster of any newer label. Jan has treated us well and has not pressured us to hurry up and put out the album. We know it was too long between albums, but there was not much we could do about it. I don’t like getting involved with the business of music. I’m just too busy. I worry about making money at my day job. If I calculated how much money I make on music I’m probably paid a fraction of 1 cent per hour. If I made some phone calls and deals I could maybe bump that up to 1 whole cent per hour. I just leave it alone. Anything is a bonus. With Chaos Inception I only care about making good music that I like, and meeting my potential for creating magic through a musical performance. I have always felt that I failed to hit that mark. The songs for this 3^rd album are finished except for vocals and leads. This is where we might make it happen.

Thank you very much for your time. Looking forward to new material from Chaos Inception. The last words are yours.

Hang in there. We’re still around. Thanks for sticking with us. I think there will be a lot of happy folks out there once you put the needle down on the first track off this one. Yeah, you thought I was all nice in this interview but you didn’t realize that what I’m putting together is going to be a megaton blast of destructive madness pounding through your skull and it will torture your soul in the nether region past the Third Inferno in the wasteland of the desolator. Eaaaagghhhhh!!!!!

Album review: Azath - Through a Warren of Shadow (2020)

Azath - Through a Warren of Shadow

USA

Pulverised Records

After their first demo in 2018, the band returns from the cesspool of exhumation with this dark and evil debut album in the final and chaotic year of 2020.

Relentless death metal practitioners fueled with great technique and insane fury. They also show us a strong influence of Black Metal and even Thrash Metal in their compositions. I read that many didn't like the sound of the drums. It's true that the production isn't the best, but are they sick in the head? It sounds really beastly and it's the right sound for what the band is proposing to us. It's underground, not overproduced shit. At the end of the day, I think this is the sound we like the most. In my opinion, the battery is like a machine gun. The drummer fires all the time with that killer snare, and the bass does its job very well, amplifying the power of the sound. The riffs are sharp as a sword. There is a lot of technique in their execution. The music is very well thought out and accomplished. Everything has meaning and they are always trying to connect the parts of the song together so that they explode along with the other instruments, while the slow parts are incorporated with melodies expressed as disturbing laments from beyond. For fans of Dead Congregation, Cruciamentum, Grave Miasma. (Catacombs Walker)

Album review: Telluric Effluvium - Dissolution of the Threefold Self (2020)

Telluric Effluvium - Dissolution of the Threefold Self

USA/Mexico

Hostile Records

I have always understood that playing slow music like this is more difficult than most people may realize, since you have to keep the listener trapped. Funeral/Doom cult Telluric Effluvium are no strangers to the craft. 

It’s all about the aura the song and/or album conjures, including what is transmitted through the music. On this album especially, the structures of the songs are arranged with delicacy and precision. Mostly it is calm, but sometimes it is chaotic. Calm can be seen as a long descent into an underworld of dark emotions. An amalgam of fetid, funereal and melancholic thoughts. The production and sound is excellent. Of course, being a Funeral Doom Metal band (by this I mean that the music manifests at a slow speed) all that quality can be appreciated much better. Beyond the aforementioned subgenre, I can also hear some Death/Doom segments when the band steps on the gas a bit, particularly with the vocals, which seem to be erupting in an ultra deep and unhinged way.

All in all, I truly enjoyed listening to this true and epic work with its dark and rotten essence. What a way to release a debut album. This is exactly how it should be done. Recommended! (Catacombs Walker)

EP review: Paraphilia - Primordium of Sinister Butchery (2021)

Paraphilia - Primordium of Sinister Butchery

USA

Brutal Cave Productions

“Primordium of Sinister Butchery” is the debut EP by Pharaphilia from Oregon, USA. The release features 4 tracks of unapologetic death metal with a bit of modern polish, as well as having a slight blackened feel to the compositions. It boasts a series of decidedly interesting riffs and an atmosphere that feels suffocating at all times. The alternating vocal styles ranging from Deicide-esque growls to more incomprehensible piq-squeels (for lack of a better term) is a verily brutal facet and adds a distinctive dynamic to their sound. The culmination of their potential is best displayed on the track ‘Patterns of Invigoration’, which is an absurdly punishing track in its own right and best experienced with proper headphones. The cover of Deicide’s ‘The Are The Children of the Underworld’ is no surprise considering their propensity for brutal death metal. In short, it’s a solid EP, although opting for a real drummer would be a mandatory adjustment to their sound, irrespective of how good the material is. Pharaphilia is an interesting prospect with much potential, so let’s observe their progress and see where they'll go with future recordings. (HT)

Album review: Nunslaughter - Red Is The Color of Ripping Death (2021)

Nunslaughter – Red Is The Color of Ripping Death

USA

Hells Headbangers

Cleveland’s most evil miscreants Nunslaughter return with a brand new full-length, entitled “Red Is The Color of Ripping Death,” which will be released by Hells Headbangers on CD and tape on August 27th while the vinyl version will follow later.

The new album from the devil metal crew is everything you can expect from a Nunslaughter release and more. It is easily one of their best albums yet, featuring 2 new members since the passing of their former drummer, Jim Konya. In fact, “Red Is The Colour of Ripping Death” seems to pay tribute to the aforementioned legend.

From the get-go, there is no shortage of ferocity, as the listener is perpetually molested with an array of savage riffs, and venom-spitting vocals courtesy of Don of the Dead. There is a slight Swedish axetone radiating from the guitars, but not in an overly dominating way. The result is auspicious, as the riffs are sharp and cohesive, coupled with acute and energetic drumming and thunderous bass lines. This is definitely one of Nunslaughter’s heaviest outputs yet. The album contains 14 tracks of unholy death metal with hardcore punk influences. It must be noted that some of these songs were unfinished recordings that Jim and founding frontman Don of the Dead wrote years ago and are now revitalized with the new line-up rendering it a fresh morbid stench. The production is very good and gives a lot of prominence to the guitars and bass. The heavy low-end in particular gives the whole thing an eminently menacing edge.

No Christian shall be spared the wrath of Nunslaughter’s latest opus, as “Red Is The Color of Ripping Death” sounds invigorated with hate, as well as darker and angrier than before! (HT)

Interview: Brood In Black (2021)

Kentucky is home to bourbon and brutality. The brutality comes in the form of the hate-fueled outfit, Brood in Black. Playing black metal with ethos fully entrenched in the underground, Sure, there's nothing particularly original about it, but I don't think the band gives much of a fuck anyway. Count Corinth gives some insight on the band plus expressing his distaste for trends and hipsters.

Hails. When and how did the vision of Brood In Black come to life and what is the ideology behind it?

Hails, brother. Let me start off by thanking you and your Zine, Death By Hammer, for taking the time to conduct this interview. The answer to this first question is going to be very lengthy, to tell this properly, so forgive me ahead of time..

Brood In Black originally started back in 2004 or 2005, as an idea, in which I was writing a lot of music on my own, heavily influenced by punk rock, ex. The Misfits, Samhain, G.G. Allin, DRI, but also Metal bands like Venom, old Slayer, Sodom, Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, and Bathory, etc. while also playing drums in a thrash-punk band called One Armed Wifebeater. Haha. Mind you, at that time, I did not have the internet or YouTube or any of that crap. I was going solely by what I had found on my own, through friends or record stores. I thought that taking the speed of DRI, crossing it with Venom, and basically a blueprint for Black Metal. This was the first blueprint for what would become Brood In Black.

In 2007, I finally purchased a Tascam Portastudio and started demoing these songs that I had amassed over this time, all by myself, as there was no one around in my area of South Central Kentucky who was playing Black Metal, the so called “scene” in those days was mainly a lot of what could be called Metalcore/Modern Death Metal/Technical Death Metal, so forming a band was out.

From 2007-2010, I recorded many demo tapes, to which were sent to many labels, many with no reply or a rejection letter/email. In 2010, after not getting this band off of the ground, out of frustration I threw the band/project into the crypt, not expecting to see it again..

Enter 2015, I decided to revisit some of the old demo tapes, and realized that there was something to this project, so I slowly started writing and recording again, and by late 2016/early 2017, I had written, and recorded the first Brood demo, “Arrival Of Death”, and with this release, started Blasfemas Records. So really, Brood In Black was finally realized in 2017..

The ideology behind Brood In Black, is basically war against society, the human race, and religions of the holy cross..all in the name of our infernal father, Satan..We are the nemesis of all..

What’s your opinion on the current state of Black Metal? Which active bands do you consider as torch-bearers of the genre?

My opinion on the current state of Black Metal is, of course, nothing is as good as the days of old. Our ancestors before us. The ones who helped shaped Black Metal. But with the invention of the internet and home recording software, it has inflated this entire genre to no end. I cannot entirely complain about the internet though-had it not been for the internet, no one would’ve EVER had known the name of Brood In Black! It took  having to get the internet and starting a label to get this blasphemy out! So there are a few good points to it, but they don’t outweigh the bad. So all in all, I support the real bands, the ones with the real passion in their music, the ones who are in league with Satan, and piss on the trend hopping bands who were playing Metalcore last week, and “atmospheric Black Metal” (without Satanic or occult tendencies) this week! Fuck you die!!

Newer bands of note: I’m going for within the last 5-10 years..Perverted Ceremony, Moenen Of Xezbeth, Walpurgia, Cult Of Eibon, Black Blood Invocation, Gates Of Sinn, Necromantic Worship (rip), Prophets Of Doom, Crurifragium, Abysmal Lord, Forbidden Temple, Mefitic, Croc Noir, Tomb, Belshazar, Belzazel, too many to mention..
Hails to all of these bands..

What do you think of that abominable garbage that came out recently called Lords of Chaos?

I unfortunately caved in to my curiosity, after vowing to never subject myself to this abomination..And I wanted to gouge my eyes and ears out of my skull with an ice pick. Pure shit that belongs in a sewer with all the other shit.

What are some of your biggest influences (both musically and lyrically)?

My biggest influences would have to be our Infernal Father, first and most of all, and also the Occult, musically/lyrically for Brood In Black- First and foremost, Venom, Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, Bathory, Profanatica, VON, Demoncy, Judas Iscariot, Black Witchery(rip Tregenda), Black Funeral, Azazel, Archgoat, Beherit, Graven, Mortuary Drape, Mystifier, I’d be a liar to say that I didn’t buy the essential Darkthrone/Burzum albums, The Black, there are just too many to list..but all of these have influenced me in some shape or form..

Musically, do you have any aspirations to sound “original”?

As far as being original in Black Metal is concerned, that is nearly impossible to accomplish, without overreaching the bounds, and coming off as pretentious, and boring. For me, when I am listening to Black Metal, I don’t listen for originality. I listen for the feeling that the music puts off. I am not concerned about proficiency, or of the production. If the band is playing atmospheric BM for 8 minutes straight, I am bored by the 3rd minute. If a band is blasting Black/Death for 3 minutes, and screaming about the throne of Satan, most times, the feeling comes through. Like I imagine the feeling of someone from the late 70’s/early 80’s, hearing fucking Venom back then for the first time, you know that they felt it! They truly felt the power of Satan!! Back then, that was an original idea, not so much anymore. But rock and roll is the Devil’s music, and we are here to do his bidding..at whatever cost. Doesn’t matter how original you are, in my eyes anyways. Brood In Black is far from inventing the wheel in Black Metal, but I believe that those who listen with the right ears, will get that feeling in their hearts, that they are also in league with Satanas.

Can you tell us little bit about your solo project called RTNG JHVH and how it differs from BROOD IN BLACK?

RTNGJHVH (pronounced rotting Jehovah) is a one man War Metal project that I started under a different pseudonym, Black Daemon Of Unholy Winds. Influenced by Blasphemy, Archgoat, Beherit, Proclamation, Sarcofago, Black Witchery, Conqueror, Revenge, etc. War Metal against the false rotting savior! The first demo, “ROTTING JEHOVAH” cassette was recorded during winter/spring of 2020 and released last August on Blasfemas Records, and was repressed as part of a split w/PROGOAT, titled “BESTIAL WAR ATTACK UPON THE CROSS”, on Propagator Propaganda Records out of Germany, CD Ltd. to 30 copies
Copies of both are still available to this date, on both labels..

The differences—Brood In Black is closer sound wise to Black Metal than Black/Death/War Metal, whereas, RTNGJHVH is closer to Bestial Black/Death/War Metal than it is to Black Metal. They both have their places and their purposes, both ultimately at war against everything “holy”..

You also have a small underground label called BLASFEMAS RECORDS that specializes in tape format. When was it conceived and what’s the idea behind it?

Blasfemas Records was conceived in late 2016/early 2017, with the first Brood In Black cassette Arrival Of Death. Blasfemas Records was born out of necessity, to be able to release Brood In Black cassettes, as this was a problem with the early vision of the band, from 2007-2010. No one wanted to release these demos at all, so to remedy the problem the second time around, I started Blasfemas Records. Since 2017, we have put out several other bands demos (Christrape, Unholy Christ, Cruel Spirit, ARRA,etc) and also, we have 15 releases to date. And we are on the verge of adding a few more to the roster. We are a DIY label, draw/copy/cut/paste/dub/. The first half of our releases were all mainly hand written and hand drawn, though we have gradually graduated to typing/printing liner notes.

What merchandise do you currently have available?

We currently only have cassettes/digital files for sale; all 15 releases are available in digital download, though a select amount of our cassette releases are currently in stock. Our Bandcamp page has all of our releases streaming/for sale. We hope to expand our merchandise in the future. Our latest idea has been of doing some exclusive runs of CD-R’s of our sold-out stock.

10 albums you can’t live without.

10 albums I can’t live without..
Hellhammer “Satanic Rites”
and “Apocalyptic Raids”
Celtic Frost “Morbid Tales”, “To Mega Therion”
Venom “Welcome To Hell”, “Black Metal”
First 4 Bathory albums.
That is all that you need!!

What do you regard as some of the most disgusting trends in metal today? Any pet-peeves?

I’d have to say some of the most disgusting trends in Black Metal today, on a musical level, which harkens back to bands overstriving for originality, is the so called “post BM” bullshit, it all sounds the same (ripping off Burzum riffs, or Avant-garde/emo bullshit)and even looks the same, ( the visual aspect is that the bands usually all look like they play indie rock, no corpsepaint/spikes/etc, just tattoos/nazi youth haircuts/beards; they look as they were playing indie rock last week, and decided that Burzum has some cool riffs but fuck that Nazi..hahaha) these bands totally try to exclude Satan, or Satanic ideas, because they think it’s been over done. Black Metal is about Satan, for Satan and is SATAN!! It’s funny, because they are all fools-they do not realize that ultimately, rock n’ roll/ Metal is the Devil’s music, and they are still serving Him, whether they think they are or not, and whether they like it or not!! They all can try to deny it- but it’s no use..It’s basically Emo/Metalcore for The Dark Lord..Hahaha!! This is just my opinion, if it’s not Satanic in some kind of way, it doesn’t need to be called “Black Metal”..

Another trend is using the word “Blackened” in a band’s description of their sound. Aaarrrgghhh…This should be self-explanatory, I need not have to explain..

One-man Atmospheric bands are a dime a dozen, with Internet and fucking recording software, also Dark/Ambient stuff has also been overdone all to hell. I stand with my last comment in the first section above…

Another trend, is the price gouging of vinyl releases. I don’t claim to be some big “collector” of vinyl, especially of the BM persuasion. I actually probably don’t own vinyl as much as the next person who listens to Black Metal, it is insane what some of the older releases bring on Discogs, EBay, etc. It really is a racket. Even with some of today’s releases, the desperate collectors are going to spend that money, to get that status symbol, to post on all of their social media accounts. And the labels are raking in the cash while they can, because today’s vinyl is going to be tomorrow’s download card. It’s all one big work, but who suffers? The ones who passionately listen to BM without the status symbols, the ones who can’t afford it, etc. Like all things that are considered “cool”, they unfortunately get turned in a trend. And vinyl collectors are no better than sports card collectors, unfortunately. Buy all the vinyl, only to look at it and never listen to it. Total neglect of these pieces of blasphemy. Music is made to be heard! If you were to ask me, I’ll buy a dubbed demo cassette for 10 bucks over an original press of an album that costs over $30 bucks and up any day!

I am sure there are other things about this genre that aggravate me and others, but at this time, I will conclude this answer..

Thanks a lot for your time, brother! The last unholy words are yours.

Thanks very much again for conducting this interview with me, for Brood In Black..I am truly honored.. At this time, I would like to send my gratitude to all worshippers of the cult of Brood In Black, and of Blasfemas Records and our other bands. Hail!!!

Also, Infernal Hails to all of our band comrades all over the world…

Hail Satan!!

https://blasfemasrecords.bandcamp.com