6 Dec 2021

Interview: Kaeck (2021)

Dutch Black Metal act KAECK differs from most other bands in the sense that it blends various musical ideas into a sound that is truly their own while keeping it raw and dark. They also have members in common with SAMMATH. Guitarist Jan Kruitwagen provided insight into the band’s music and what they stand for.

Infernal hails. I was wondering if you could tell us about the name KAECK, what it means, and why you chose it? 

Hails Jim! Thanks for your interest and killer review.

Kaeck is old dutch for jaw. It stand for a godlike being destroying all souls in its path. The lyrics deal with Kaeck reaching out from worlds beyond to bring darkness and terror to man. Grinding bones and souls in his mill. Our vocalist writes all the lyrics. Then i write the music to fit these insane words. It just sounds filthy in Dutch. Pronounced ka ek in English.

How would you describe the characteristics of your sound, including the type of atmosphere you convey?

We always wanted to blend the best of war metal to black metal and even some death doom.

The dark haunting keys make sure the atmosphere is always dark and black metal related. Always creating a certain vibe. Keys can sound really happy really quick, like on some parts on the first album, this time its hatred all the way. Relentless drums and maniac vocals never let you relax. The guitars sounds low and full. The bass is felt and heard like on a Autopsy record. The sound is death metal, the music is war black doom.

I see it as spitting in the face of todays scene. We really sound mad and filthy. So many of todays bands sounds so nice.

Is your preferred black metal the cold and frosty kind, or the hellish, militant kind that's far from the Scandinavian sounds?

Both really. Depends on the mood. I love bal sagoth and nid div 187. Dawn or Blasphemy. That's probably why the music i write is never strictly black metal or war or death metal. I grew up with all the different styles. But even the more melodic bands from the early 90s sound darker and more menacing compared to the post depressing stuff these days.

What are your main influences and what kind of bands are you into?

Sadistik Exekution is still a fave. The KAOS album is since day of release the perfect album for me. I don't think a week has gone by since release that i haven't listened to it. My first albums where Endless pain, master of puppets, early Slayer, Mortal Sin, Slaughter Lord, I grew up in Sydney Australia so the old aussie metal scene formed me and the music I make now. Many many good bands released albums around 86 tot 88. Once I heard Sadus chemical exposure with that pounding bass sound finding my way to death metal like Autopsy was made quickly. The early 90s black metal appeared and the Gehenna demo Black seared heart really drove me into black metal. I still have this demo.

Could you please tell us more about the recording process of your latest album “Het Zwarte Dictaat”, and whether it involved recording in a cave with demonic goats raping angels in the background? How does it differ from your previous album, “Stormkult”?

All the angels are dead on this one.

We had a lucky line up change. I wont get into details, simply a matter of a different approach. I really cant stand typical music and vocal lines that fit perfectly. I love filth and dynamics in music. So last minute we changed a lot. The bass and drums are done by Mr Nillesen from Sammath who was meant to join Kaeck back in 2014 and he makes sure all sounds darker. I was able to do keys again after 25 years or so which was great. I wrote all the music the same as the previous album. In 4 to 5 weeks write the tracks in long sessions, and for 90% its done. Then add the key parts, breaks and create the chorus or repeat riffs where needed. The biggest difference is that on this album its much heavier and darker. We really wanted to let it sound rough and heavy as fuck.

We wanted a heavy bass sound and got exactly what we wanted. The producer really helped us well. We as a small underground band had a tight budget. But Peter Neuber, who also worked with Sodom, wouldn't let go until he had it exactly as we wanted. He went way over the time we paid him for. Great man to work with.

How much attention do you pay to feedback? Are all the reviews out there as accurate as they are being portrayed?

Depends on who it is.

If its some hipster shit I couldn't care less. Bit plenty of ezines are run by highly dedicated people with good knowledge of music. But on the other hand these days lots of the youtube channels, Especially bmp, are run by self pronounced gate keeper idiots who claim to promote black metal but only promote the safe version. Anything not strictly within the boundaries of standard black metal or bands bashing islam for example are left out. Thus these pages, even if very big, are destroying the core of black metal. So many other channels provide good bands though.

Look at some facebook groups run by dudes who haven't a metal shirt in the house. Most of them trying to water down black metal to fit into the normal world they live in. Some of those dudes with pages called black darkness or whatever looks like shoe salesman and if you check out their personal pages not anything metal to be seen. That's just strange. Maybe these days some people are only metal online, really fucking strange.

How would you react if someone wrote you off as cheap Darkthrone worship? (I'm guessing that's what some brain-dead asshole with a severe case of auditory dyslexia would say.)

We sound totally different to Darkthrone. Except for people who listen to Abba. They think we all sound the same.

How do you feel about people who feel that bands playing black metal who don’t wear corpsepaint aren’t true? Or if the members do ‘normal’ things, they’re considered posers?

'normal'

I have met so many people of the years in the scene, mostly cool people with passion for extreme music, some with extreme lifestyles. But also lots of people who act tough and look the part but have never had a fistfight in their life. Fuck im glad i grew up in Aussie in the 80s. We couldn't even be posers even if we tried.

I wore corpsepaint 93 to 94. Im a happy man. I have great looking smart as children and a beautiful wife. A good paid job, I'm my own I have 5 months of vacation a year every winter. I'm self employed, nobody tells me what to do. That is black metal to me and has always been so. Must be normal to some people. I proudly wear my Kaos or fallen angel of doom shirts to work. Strength, ego, following my own path in life and being able to do what I want, to me that is what black metal is about. Weakness and self pity has no place in my world.

Is performing the vocals in Dutch an integral part of your music?

Not always. For Kaeck the Oovenmeester writes it all in Dutch and his vocals sound mad as hell in Dutch. Dutch always sounds as if your dying and very very pissed of. His lyrics are very good and its more like he is telling a dark story.

So what are 10 albums you can’t live without? And what would you do if someone tried to steal these albums from your collection and you caught him?

1. Bolt Thrower - Realm of chaos

2. Bal Sagoth - First and last albums

3. Autopsy - Severed survival. Mental funeral.

4. Sadistik Exekution - KAOS

5. Enslaved - Eld

6. Gehenna - Black seared heart

7. Mysticum - In the streams of inferno

8. Bestial Warlust - Both albums

9. Incubus - Beyond the unknown

10. Morbid Angel – Altars of madness

Shit dude. I could go on for hours. Human Agony, Caveman Cult. Nocturnus. Blasphemy, old Kreator, Deathrow, Thornium, Dawn, Nid div187, Slaughter. Dawn. and countless others.

If I caught him id make him listen to deathcore 24.7.

Please share your thoughts on the following:

Asphyx

Killer Dutch death metal veterans.

Cut Your Flesh and Worship Satan

Bloody good listen. Killer riffs and vocals. Remember listening to this pissed as fuck on holidays in France that year of release.

Physical format Vs. Mp3

You cant enjoy a album on mp3 like sitting down with a vinyl, no contest.

Nuclear Blast

Huge label. Far away from the underground.

Morbid Angel

Altars is perfect. Formulas is perfect. And in between still grand.

Lastly, what’s next for KAECK?

A new album. Our vocalist should come up with some crazy lyrics soon and then we record the 3rd album. First time for the new Sammath album. 

1 Dec 2021

Demo review: Nortavlaggh.377 – Demo 2021 (2021)


 Nortavlaggh.377 – Demo 2021

Singapore

Independent


Nortavlaggh.377 is a Singapore-based one-man project that has been around since 2004 with only a couple of demos and one split under its belt. Now, I haven’t heard much of their old material, but I can confidently assert that the new demo slays on all fronts. The three tracks featured here are absolutely fierce Black/Death in the purest sense that sometimes borders on War metal.


Whether it's the riffs, the vocals, or the arrangements, everything is exceptionally well-executed, with the music itself inspiring homicidal impulses. It would be silly to compare Nortavlaggh.377 to other Singaporean bands like Impiety, Infernal Execrator, and Abhorer because honestly, this project sounds nothing like those bands, except maybe for the fact that they all exude a similar kind of war-like fury. It is no secret that Singapore produces some pretty extreme bands, and Nortavlaggh.377 just further confirms that fact. The vocals are wartorn screams filled with hate, while the riffs crush wimps with fast tremelo pickings and a black metal-like atmosphere. The drums are fast and merciless, befitting of the style.

Nortavlaggh.377 will satisfy black/death fans who appreciate fast, relentless and violent music, particularly those with an affinity for bands like Diocletian, Witchrist, and Arkhon Infaustus. (HT)

Interview: Hessian Firm (2021)

Hessian Firm is one of those underground labels that stand 100% behind what they do, including the fact that their roster contains highly varied and excellent bands whose music tends to diverge from trends and whatever is considered marketable today. We caught up with Nick, the man behind the label, for an in-depth discussion of everything from Hessian Firm's roster, standard mainstream fare, to Grand Belial's Key.

Hails! Tell us how Hessian Firm was conceived and the idea behind it.

When Polemicist and Mefitis dropped their first albums within a few months of each other, it awoke something in me. They were both playing around with Black and Death metal and managed to craft really interesting statements from styles that had pretty much seen it all at that point. That melodic combination of Death and Black metal wasn’t unheard of but was rarely done so fluidly. It’s now referred to as Dark metal was something I was very interested in and I’m lucky enough to have released their sophomore efforts two years later. That discovery implanted the seed for the label side of things. The zine/podcast element came from me writing for another website that had an excellent initial idea that I was tasked with keeping alive but a lack of support and foresight from the owner as well as the dumb politics made it impossible to continue. I had milked that cow as much as I could, it was time for something else. Covid provided the necessary break in my schedule to make this come together and my only regret is not starting sooner.

Can you tell us about each of the bands currently signed to your label?

That’s quite a lot of bands in the last year and a half, I will go through each release as well as a few releases in the future.

Hosts of Lord: I really liked the first one which was an inspired take on the LLN style so I quickly hunted for Afflicting Blackness of Day which intelligently combines the previous effort with some Emperor like melodies to make a really enjoyable listen. People complain that I signed a christian band but let’s be honest Satan larping is dumb if you are over the age of 16 and a good Christian band is better than a bunch of bedroom musicians who praise Satan every time they recover from a cold and record plagiarized riffs that they can’t even play properly.


Ancestral Mourning: this one was a random grab, Scylfing is a smart musician with a very difficult vision to realize, you can hear his attempts to create music that sits between USPM and Black metal and he does a great job of it. He can make epic songs without fluff and gets to the point quickly. This isn’t Black metal with cheesy happy melodies but blue collar ruggedness that seeks to find something greater in life.


Ancient Gate: the first one is a really unique combination of Greek grandeur and French melancholy and it takes its time to conjure a dream world that is beautifully detached from reality. The new EP that should be out soon is even better, Ildrac keeps improving his process, shedding off his influences slowly but surely to connect more closely with his own voice. The interaction between the synths and the riffs is genuinely jaw dropping. It’s crazy how this band keeps getting better at refining their vision while never making a bad song. Go buy the EP once it’s out.


Roudansirppi: This was a complete surprise, when I received this, I couldn’t believe that something so simple and with such obvious inspiration could be this potent. It’s as if early Gorgoroth and Darkthrone took a detour into a hypnotic and oneiric direction with some really creative leadwork and really evocative and varied vocals. They’ve been at it for a while and have managed to carve a defined and idiosyncratic album that can’t be topped in that microgenre.


Despondent Soul: This is a band that really got the most epic parts of Immolation and Incanatation memorized and regurgitated them in a way that doesn’t sound derivative and boring. This is the first distro release and I was happy to work with them. It’s not the most original thing ever but it absolutely destroys all those OSDM bands that came afterwards and just made boring derivative worship albums because they got tired of metalcore.


Into Oblivion: There are very few bands capable of weaving together such long riffs to make Classical inspired Death/Black but without losing any aggression. This isn’t fancy wank with random interludes but well crafted music that isn’t in any rush to come to some hackneyed conclusion. They also do long acoustic segments properly. This is a band that took the notion of fully developing their ideas to make sprawling epics that don’t get fall into monotony.


Goatcraft: While we never released the mainline albums, we got to do two releases with this metal adjacent project that is exclusively a one man, one keyboard project. He explores Electronica really well and focuses his approach for a Beherit like experience that segues perfectly into the Plutonian Shore side of the split who they themselves have some of the most unique vocals in Black metal and an overall distinct sound. The second release is a collection of demos, a new song and a live song that fully encapsulates the evolution of this project. Not quite classical, not quite metal.


Asgardsrei: Despite this being released in 2013, I just had to pick this up. Excellent piece of Black metal and probably the best thing I heard from the Philippines. See interview to understand why.


Mefitis: Dark metal classic, go buy the vinyl once it’s out.


Sinoath: First hidden gem from the 90s that we reissued. Sublime Dark metal that leans towards Gothic music but without any cheese. Huge emotional content and a lot of very creative ways of bringing various influences into its Metal base. The riffs are for the most part very simple but every note is felt and having an actual keyboardist that does more than just hold chords really pushes this ahead of similar bands. Let’s not forget that unlike a lot of supposedly hidden gems nowadays this actually has memorability. They’ve changed into a very different beast in the last few years and what’s about to come next will definitely shock a few people.


Polemicist: Dark metal classic, go buy the vinyl once it’s out.


Kaeck: Jan Kruitwagen the riff master finally finds where his soul resides and it’s a hideous place. The rare atmospheric record I would release on this label.


For the rest, wait and see. Lots of exciting stuff will be coming out.

Hessian Firm is also a webzine/podcast if I'm not mistaken? How do you manage all that under one moniker?

Hessian Firm is a multi-faceted beast. It takes time and sometimes that creates confusion as to what we actually do but once people see how everything is related it quickly makes sense. This is a project born out of insane passion for Metal and music in general. This is the culmination of many years of work and it had to come out in some form or another. While there was once frustration in regards to what metal was becoming now we try to find the best metal and see what we can do to push it forwards. Whether that’s a signing, an interview or review, we will praise it. Am I expecting us to save metal? No not at all but we are here to cultivate our little niche instead of complaining and insulting people online.

You’ve also interviewed some pretty great bands. Mind telling us which bands you’ve interviewed so far and some of your most proud moments in regards to journalism?

All the bands we interviewed can be found on the website and the Hessian Firm YouTube channel. We just reach out to anyone we find interesting and now people are reaching out to us. The most important part is getting to understand the mindsets that were necessary for them to achieve their objectives while avoiding superfluous questions that most interviewers ask “Hey dude, how bad did Covid mess up your schedule, Bro what did this tour feel like”. Just the thought of having to hear such questions should make anyone with respect for artistry shudder. There have been too many highlights for me to name any particular one but I always love it when the interviewee is able to convey the non tangible conditions and passion that allowed them to craft beautiful works.

What are some of your albums of all time and how would you summarize your music taste?

Breeding the Spawn is my favourite metal album of all time, don’t let the production fool you. This is Death metal of the highest form. I’ve generally found the tried and true classics to be the best in Metal but with a few exceptions. Morbid Angel is rightfully more revered than some demo tier Death/Thrash band with 3 regular listeners but inversely I would rather listen to Thorns than Satanic Warmaster. Outside of Metal, King Crimson, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Depeche Mode, Cream to name a few. Good music is good music regardless of genre, I would rather listen to a well composed yet simple pop song than Incantaclone 666.

In your opinion, what are some of the pros and cons of the underground nowadays?

Everything is a lot more accessible which allows great classics to emerge from the depths at one point or another. No one was pushing Demilich in the 90s and now they are rightfully recognized as being part of the best. On the other hand, everything being so accessible does seem to encourage bands to use cheap gimmicks in other to stand out from the wide ocean of music available. In a perfect world no one would feel the need to release uninspired music. Ultimately there are more pros than cons, with the way things are getting more and more segmented now, as long as you find the right people, you can get whatever experience you want from the underground. Also a message to all those simps sharing pictures of girls that are barely clothed with band merchandise: Sharing the picture won’t make her like you, all it’s doing is attracting other desperate guys to message you.

You also release tapes. What is it about this format that you like? Would you expect it to survive for another decade?

Nick: Tapes are a complicated thing and honestly I love the aesthetic of them despite them not being the most practical format. I think with how music is easily prevalent on the internet, physical formats come down to having an authentic bond with the music. We will see what the future holds for us and our future with cassettes.

You are French, but I believe you went to school in England? Did your studies abroad broaden your perspective on metal or journalism in any way? Don't the Brits hate the French and vice versa?

Nick: I grew up in England and spent a few years in Scotland, travel definitely opens the mind but not as much as people think. You can’t fully experience a foreign culture by being a tourist and no two streets in any town are the same. Reducing people to culture is a useful but somewhat limiting tool because certain cultural norms that are thought to be true stem from a lack of proper translation or laziness. The French and English pretend to hate each other but it’s more a case of fascination and mutual respect that spills over to slight competitiveness. Metal in France and England are very different beasts, France has a lot of small bands and is very active on the local scale but England has the bigger bands. It’s a weird trade-off, does having access to expensive concerts neuter the need to see your friends? Personally I always felt my place was in the small to medium venues where a true connection between the performer and the crowd can happen. Metal journalism in both places is very similar at this point, both cover whatever will get them views.

What do you think of musicians who throw hissy fits online whenever they get an unfavorable review? Do people need to grow up and learn to accept criticism better?

Nick: Not everyone will like your music. It’s up to you as to how you deal with that criticism. Crying about it in public is a terrible way to deal with it though. Go find the old zine reviews where shade is thrown at classic bands.

In addition to music and your label, what else interests you? Do you enjoy history, sports, wine, etc.?

I play Rugby at the moment and read a lot of stuff on science in general. I will spare the details as it’s tedious for someone not interested in this stuff and unless I bring it into Hessian Firm, it’s of no interest.

What’s the last album you bought?

Slayer - South of Heaven. I was looking through a shop while waiting for a friend and I found it for a low price. I like to have as many classics as I can at home though navigating through all the different reissues is tiring and the prices vary too much for me to go out of my way constantly to buy CDs. I buy from labels online and whenever I see an album I like for a good price without any ridiculous fluff, I don’t try to artificially expand my collection for style points.

What’s your favourite albums of the year so far?

Ad Nauseam and Laetitia in Holocaust have been the newer bands I’ve listened to the most this year outside of the HF roster. Both polar opposites, LiH is classically inspired progressive Black metal with three guitarists and a bassist who goes all over the place. It’s a very interesting listen, Ad Nauseam on the other hand is probably the best band in the Gorguts hyper dissonance niche. They don’t dwell too much on atmosphere and actually have purpose instead of dissonance for the sake of dissonance. Ascète have a lot of potential despite the messy arrangements. Serpent Column and Psionic Madness have also piqued my interest with the former trying to overcome dissonance into musical “noise” and the latter using it to contrast their melodic moments. Overall it’s been a year for dissonance which isn’t my favourite way of composing metal but the aforementioned bands were good enough for me to listen to more than once.

What do you think about cancel culture and how it perpetuates political correctness? Has the need for validation reached unprecedented levels of stupidity?

As far as Metal is concerned, the main issue is how mainstream norms have dictated as to what constitutes acceptable metal. Metal and the mainstream have always been at odds with at the best of times a strenuous relation, now because metal has entered the mainstream consciousness it is becoming what it set out to initially revolt against. If we were really to hold bands accountable for certain actions or words, there wouldn’t be much classic metal left as those bands spat on what society considered good behaviour. It comes down to a popularity game, your past “misdeeds” can be forgiven or overlooked if you have the influence to pressure the metal press and if your fanbase is rabid enough to defend you no matter what(see Behemoth vs Metalsucks). This can be damaging for smaller bands with important releases like Infester as they don’t get the attention they deserve. The only way to really progress is to understand that Burzum whether you like it or not is better than any band in that style and is one of the few pinnacles of metal. Also both RABM and NSBM are hilariously bad genres. I’m betting on the divide between mainstream metal and the underground getting wider so it ultimately means that people won’t fight for social credit as much. Music is independent from the musician and the experience of hearing an album is that only thing that truly matters, the rest is superfluous.

Your thoughts on the following:

Kerrang!: They’ve been trendsters for a very long time now. They claim to be devoted to metal too but don’t seem to understand what it is. I didn’t even know they were still around, I quickly took a look out of curiosity but it’s nothing that interests me.

Seth Putnam: The best comedian in metal. Never strayed from it even when close to death and had the right amount of “anti-musicality” without going overboard to make it work in his songs. Everyone else should stop copying there is only room for one comedian in metal and that spot is taken.

Dream Theater; First record has moments and is above average power metal. There are four of five parts on Images and Words I like but the rest is just Metallica styled chugging with weird time signatures and random riff transitions. They even stole the Blackened riff for one of their songs. Technique is good but not worth much if you can’t write a song.

Grand Belial’s Key: Cazz is a fantastic vocalist with a varied and very distinct palette that he uses very well. The band are great at chaining anthemic Mercyful Fate inspired riffs together but the songs are often too long and tend to drag on once the better riffs have been used up. One of those bands I would enjoy a lot more if their songs were shorter. Lyrically there is a very close familiarity with the bible that is surprising for an album that mocks it so much and there are some really good tongue in cheek puns for anyone familiar with Judeo-Christian theology though anyone who takes the lyrics seriously has completely missed the point.

Emanuel Macron: The new Covid variant is called Omicron and Macron is referred to as Micron by his detractors which has spawned some of the most insane conspiracy theories in this country. I don’t trust practitioners of partisan politics in general and his case is nuanced and complex with a lot of chapters and it’s impossible to look at what he has done without the necessary hindsight that only time gives us. We will see what consequences his actions have had on the world but for the time being I am not going to pass judgement yet.

Thanks for your time! What’s next for Hessian Firm and for yourself?

A lot of Hessian Firm releases are stuck in production as the factories are completely jammed so the schedule is heavily distorted for now so getting these great releases out as they come is the most important. Stay tuned, there is a lot of worthwhile music that will see the day. As for me, I’m slowly but surely finishing my EP that should be released on the label.

فقط عندما دفنوه وجد القوة للنهوض مرة أخرى

29 Nov 2021

EP review: Goatskullt - Tevras (2021)


Goatskullt - Tevras

Finland

Independent

Goatskullt from Finland has released a new EP entitled, “Tevras”. Musically, the band unleashes a furious barrage of pummeling, aggressive black metal that will rip your face off. The music is relatively straightforward and reminiscent of Impaled Nazarene at times, especially since they show some punk tendencies. It’s a pity the band isn’t more well-known because their music totally kills.

There’s enough grit and punishing riffs to make this release worth your time, including the fact that the vocals are completely manic. The bulk of the music consists of rapid drumming, maniacal vocals, and hellish riffs. However, the band also has some slower numbers like “Tyhjyydestä” which is a pretty cool hymn. Vocals are sung in Finnish, which is something I appreciate, as the passion behind the music is more pronounced when bands sing in their native tongue (hardly an “original” opinion, but it’s true).

Goatskullt’s take on black metal is uncompromising and brutal, with an inclination towards hardcore punk. I’ve heard some bands blend the two genres before, but few do it as proficiently as Goatskullt. Overall, a pretty cool band and killer EP that’s worth checking out by anyone into bona fide metal. (HT)
 

28 Nov 2021

Album review: Cathaaria – Coin of the Realm (2021)

Cathaaria – Coin of The Realm

Finland

Esoteric Tradition


Cathaaria is the blackened Sludge/Doom project of Matron Thorn (Benighted In Sodom, Death Fetishist, etc.) and “Coin of The Realm” is his debut album. There are six songs in total, and most of the tracks are pretty lengthy, save for the intro. From the beginning of “Real Country Dark” I could detect the signature Matron Thorn style, which is poured all over this release. While I would be reluctant to call this an extreme metal record, there’s certainly metallic nuances in the music. Essentially, the music is pretty dark, and bleak, as well as atmospheric. The whiskey-ridden vocals pair well with the sludgy guitars and horror-like ambiance.

The following excerpt is taken from the band’s bandcamp page:

Matron Thorn presents Cathaaria, Lovecraftian Sludge Doom for serial murder, the fetishistic and mentally ill. Music for the old ways, the lost and forbidden. For best results, pair with whiskey and morphine.”

Admittedly, I love the artwork. It’s more than applicable for this type of music. Musically, it's not bad for a first album, but I don't think Cathaaria has reached its full potential yet. Though the album works best when absorbed as a whole, I just don't think the songs are strong enough when picked out individually. I'm no self-proclaimed "expert," but I think I would've enjoyed it more if the guitars were heavier and more menacing, and if metallic elements were more prominent. Then again, Cathaaria’s debut isn’t terribly offensive to these ears either, and even exhibits some redeeming qualities that people into Black/Death will appreciate. However, one must bear in mind that it's definitely good for what it is.

Overall, I think people into psychedelic, dark and experimental music might appreciate this, especially if you like bands such as Danzig, Acid Bath, or even Blut Aus Nord, because that’s what Cathaaria sounds like more or less – like a warped mix of the aforementioned acts, but more low-key. Worth checking out. (HT)


Album review: Vox Mortis - Avignam Jagat Samagram (2021)


Vox Mortis - Avignam Jagat Samagram

Indonesia

Cerberus Productions


Vox Mortis from Indonesia may have taken inspiration from Cattle Decapitation since they have songs like "Forever No to Dog Meat". This band appears to have a pro-animal stance, as it is evident in their themes. I was expecting to hear something slam-like and brutal prior to playing this album, and that is exactly what I heard considering that Brutal Death Metal is quite popular in Indonesia. The thing that amazes me about that whole scene is that, while it might not be my favorite subgenre, the Indonesians have a knack for performing it and play it with absolute fervor. Vox Mortis' debut album, "Avignam Jagat Samagram", is a gnarly slab of brutal death metal infused with slamming grooves and grating grind sensibilities. As expected with most bands in this genre, the production is relatively clean, but on the other hand, it fits the style rather well.


There is no doubt that these guys are accomplished musicians since the music is bursting with rapid blasts, heavy bass lines and lightning-fast riffs. A few of the tracks also feature keyboards, giving the music a slight symphonic touch. The cover art is quite comical since it shows a monstrous dog about to wreak havoc on humanity. I love dogs, so I'm pretty sure that dog on the cover will spare my life. This will definitely appeal to fans of bands such as Suffocation, Cattle Decapitation, and Abominable Devourment. Good stuff. (HT)

EP review: Deified Shreds – Overcoming The Fractal Deception (2021)


 Deified Shreds – Overcoming The Fractal Deception

Greece

Iron Blood and Death Corporation

Now here’s a cool band. Deified Shreds from Athens, Greece, reminds me of old Malevolent Creation mixed with Deicide and Suffocation. They also have that trademark “Greek” sound infused into their music, as one can draw similarities to other Greek bands like Resurgency (same vocalist) and Dead Congregation

In case anyone reading this is unaware, Greek Death Metal is unfortunately quite underrated, and also absurdly militant and brutal for the most part, which is why I like their scene. 

Deified Shreds continues the tradition, as the four songs contained on their debut EP are replete with meathook riffs, menacing vocals, and thrashy, yet old-school drumming. The drums have a type of crisp, cool sound to them, which fits well with their style. It’s mammoth-like heavy and pure death metal in every possible way. 

The musicianship is pretty proficient, but not in a flashy, overly technical sense. Solos are short but masterful and well-executed.  

The more I hear this EP, the more I like it. it’s verily punishing and a treat for fans of solid Death Metal, or people into the bands mentioned earlier in the review. Check them out! (HT)


27 Nov 2021

Interview: Matron Thorn (2021)


Some may be familiar with the name Matron Thorn, as he is the mastermind behind renowned bands such as Benighted in Sodom, Ævangelist and Death Fetishist among others. In the interview below, we get to cover some of the history behind the music, as well as an insight into some of the ideas and influences that led to it.

Please shed some light on some of your current projects, as well as notable outputs of the past.

Benighted in Sodom is my oldest most serious project which started almost 20 years ago now. Ævangelist might be my most known within metal, and that came somewhat later. These are still active and lately people can also discover my work in Præternatura, Oblivion Gate, Death Fetishist, Ragnarökkur, Cathaaria, and more in regards to anything related to metal. Non-metal music I make goes even farther from here with Rust-Colored Glasses (trip hop/soundtrack/ambient) and solo released works (new age/darkwave).

Tell us about your first experience with extreme metal and how your taste evolved over time.

Before I made music of my own, I was much more open to discovery of new music where metal was concerned. I bought CDs back then, and it was a time when being in a band and putting out a CD seemed like an achievement that not everyone deserved, so to me, if it existed on some format that meant there was something special about it. I miss feeling that way about new bands. I ordered much of what became long term favorites at the bookstore in town, things like Tenth Sub-Level of Suicide and Fas - Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum and De Profundis Mors vas Consumet to name a few, having done that because local music stores in South Florida were pretty clueless about anything besides the most basic of choices. But mostly, I downloaded music and I don't feel bad about this whatsoever. I did even try to start a "record collection" at one point, but when I moved away to Oregon, a family member threw all my records in the trash, including a first edition of Behemoth's The Return of the Northern Moon demo, first edition of Shining - III - Angst, a rare version of Nocturnal Poisoning by Xasthur, and several others. I never placed much value in material possessions but it was hard to get over that. My collection of downloaded music has survived through years, though. New music has been added to this archive since I was sixteen, and transferred into new external hard drives periodically over the years. When I have actually have free time to listen to music that isn't mine, instead of looking for new bands I plug in the external hard drive and take a trip down memory lane. The archive is vast and diverse, because at the time I didn't really discriminate against any bands as long as there was something to appreciate. There's music in there that I ripped from my browser from old random myspace black metal bands whose music was never destined for success but still had some quality that I wanted to revisit. Other weird selections no one else but myself seems to appreciate are classics like Garm's seemingly forgotten rock n roll outing, Head Control System, a live rip of Ondskapt's first ever performance, all kinds of Century Black releases (Century Media's old imprint for Black Metal), various Dark Ambient music from bands like Kammarheit and Inade, Folkearth and music from that guy from Nae'blis, and the list goes on almost 2 Terabytes deep. 


You are constantly crafting and releasing new music. What keeps you motivated? And where do you find the inspiration?

Above all things, I make music that I enjoy listening to. I refined my formula, my signature, my "special sauce", to be completely self sufficient, to know how to create the sounds I need to hear and reformat and recontextualize them into new shapes. I used music to cope with hard times and I believe this is part of why so many people have told me that they've used my music to do the same. But the truth for me is that I rarely listen to anything new anymore, because what I need from music has already been refined in either my own work or in something I've found already. I create new music to mainly satisfy my need to consume something that I feel a real connection to, and in order to feel a real connection to it I must find it to be somehow relatable, and that almost never happens anymore because I can't relate to anything lately. To relate to something doesn't exactly have to mean that it's the subject matter that I connect with, it could be musically or artistically relatable.

A much more concise way to say all that is that I can create the perfect soundtrack to my life on my own, so I don't really need anything else. Of course I listen to music that isn't mine, it's just an impossibly specific selection of things. There's songs from albums that I've listened to for years and never once even bothered to check out the other tracks on those albums. Those specific songs gave me what I was looking for, so why bother?

Fields of my inspiration are fertile for harvesting music and art, because their soil is soaked with blood and dead skin shed in the past; pain and suffering enriched my dreams with clarity, music became the window through which the past, and thereby the future, are seen.

Most people familiar with USBM will know you from Benighted in Sodom. Would it be safe to say that this was your first serious musical undertaking? How would you sum up its ethos?

Benighted in Sodom was the first real black metal project, and really my only project for a long time until I started Ævangelist several years later. Midwinter Storm was the very first project of any kind but in over 25 full albums it leaps all over the place stylistically. I was very depressed when the early albums were recorded, which was also a formative time for me as a recording musician. Crude recording methods were used, but the modesty of those means appropriately reflects both the state of my life and my mind at the time. What people laugh about now, the lo-fi production I and countless others used to create some of the best of what black metal used to have, was endearing back then because it didn't represent laziness, it represented passion. It was painful, desperate art created by any means necessary. It wasn't exactly made that way intentionally, or at least this is how I perceived it back then. The point was simply to create the art, to manifest these emotions to their fullest with whatever you had. If you were poor, inexperienced, terminally depressed and a drug addict or mentally ill, you weren't waiting for the latest version of ProTools and considering the proper gear, you were at the edge of your life knowing that tomorrow was not promised to you and this art could truly be your last goodbye or your last fuck you to a world that created so much misery, or because you weren't just pretending to seek real darkness and managed to catch a glimpse of it during some clandestine and tormented, violent recording sessions. I did Benighted in Sodom to live out these ideas, because that's how I felt. I had nothing, and I wanted to make something genuine which symbolized exactly that. I wasn't thinking about paying tribute to Darkthrone or any hero worship, I wanted to make something pure that came from my own murk within. This has never changed, and that ethos of seeking purity and authenticity is alive in every project I have now. I've tried many, many times to explain this to others, even others whose art or music has found success, and woefully few really understand. Others dismiss everything I say about art as pretentious and to them I feel immense pity, because their appreciation of things in life is so limited by this futile perception of everything, they can't fathom that they actually live in a world where someone might actually believe in something, believe in what they say and create. They tear apart the very words I say because even the sincerity in how I speak is threatening to the triviality of their lives. I take it as a compliment these days, the ones too mundane to deserve art continually reveal themselves to be so. If I sound pretentious, then that just means you are still sane, because in fact, I do feel tremendous pride in the scale and grandeur of my enigmatic muse's spiritual might and beauty which has been revealed to me within and emanates in all that I create. My art and vision need only make sense to me, that's all that matters. The grandest monuments stand just as tall whether seen or unseen by anyone at all. May unbelievers feel free to put distance between myself and them, I welcome it, because they aren't like me and I'm not like them. I guess I understand though, because when you're numbed by the creations made only by those who think similarly in this way, you can't believe. When you've become accustomed to life being full of fleeting surface-level things, anything more seems wholly impossible.


Have you ever considered doing film soundtracks? And if so, what kind of films would you be interested in working on? I think you would do well.

That's nice of you to say. The plan right now is to create a film and score it myself. Some things are in development but that's all I can say on that for the moment. I have done some visual experiments that can be seen on my YouTube channel, they'll sort of demonstrate where my creative direction is going in regards to that. No one could replace Angelo Badalamenti but I would love to work with David Lynch. His music, art, and films all informed the realm of my earliest influences. If we're talking about a bigger budget, then I would love to score a film by David Fincher, Christopher Nolan, Ridley Scott.

I believe there are (or were) two versions of Ævangelist, and that there was some kind of conflict within the band. What exactly happened and what is the current status of the project?

No, there's only one. I formed the band, then recruited the original vocalist. They later made some outrageous claims about me to sway public opinion favorably in their direction when later they would go on to claim that the band that I created and offered them a position in is somehow no longer mine. I don't care that they wish to explain the one aspect that they did contribute, their lyrics, but their insistence that these were somehow crucial or even fundamental is objectively untrue. Song titles, album titles, anything with text you could read were all created by me alone, so whatever meaning they assign to the title "Enthrall to the Void of Bliss" is purely on them and totally inconsequential to their lyrics which were never printed, a decision we had made together back then precisely to preserve the mystery and not do exactly what they have been doing by trying to captivate everyone with some "revelations" about their meaning. I don't give a shit, though. Let them do it if it makes them happy.

But returning to this dumb story, naturally I fired them for participating in this campaign to destroy my reputation, which to save face they later twisted to people as them "cutting ties with me", yet not seeing the inherent contradiction in hijacking a social media page I made, of a band I made, that they were fired from, to speak about bizarre personal stuff related to themselves and post selfies. How about the inherent hypocrisy in naming me a "manipulative abuser" then inventing a huge lie about "sexual assault" to manipulate the sympathies of our audience just enough to get their approval when you tell others you've decided that the band should be yours because of your hurt feelings?

How about this example:

Gorgoroth was started by Infernus. Later, King and Gaahl joined. I think the best Gorgoroth albums were made with the three of them. But my -feelings- don't matter. What's -true-, what courts determined to be true, is that Gorgoroth belongs to Infernus. Gaahl and King contributed -entire albums- of actual material, not just vocals, and yet still that doesn't mean the band is theirs whatsoever. Let that sink in.

When Legion left Marduk, and was replaced by Arioch from Funeral Mist, does this mean there is now suddenly TWO Marduks? This isn't politics, this isn't some asinine public controversy. I don't owe anyone a fucking thing, let alone the former members any sort of "say" in this. Ævangelist exists because I created it, they distanced themselves from me by their own admission, ergo, they made their own choice, and no amount of bullshit pandering they spoon feed these fake shitheads that strive to acclaim ownership over everyone's art on account of their "feelings" can change that.

Whatever has been said against me was apparently so flimsy, so weak, that later discussions they had were even peppered with accusations of Nazism, and then even outright disparaging of the music and material that they helped to form with vocals after the fact but still had the luxury of attaching their illusion of equal status to. I had to practically beg them to record their parts at times. For how much they have claimed to "know" about me, we can also be clear on the fact that they have spent, cumulatively, in our entire lives, maybe a little over a month's time with me in person. We never met to record, we only met days before a short run of shows or a festival gig. They have never seen where I live, met my family, and we'd often even go weeks or months without really talking. These are facts ignored or obfuscated by their legion of sycophants who are just like them, and these are the very "fans" we lost. They only succeeded in culling away from our audience those who I wouldn't want to keep around anyway, those are the phonies that care about things like band "drama" and listen to this music for fashion, superficial reasons. Our real fans who came for the art and don't give a shit about any of this stupid crap have stayed and still listen to the albums and buy the music if they want.

Most of all, they spread this narrative because, Jimmy, they think YOU are stupid. They think our fans are stupid assholes like they are and will do what stupid assholes do and believe anything they read on the internet as long as the latest self-enthroned celebrity victim has claimed it to be true. None of this is about anything they said I did. It's about keeping bullshit alive, because when you're made of bullshit you have to try to fill the world with as much bullshit as possible so no one notices how badly you stink. The moral of this story? Do yourself a favor and get cancelled. It's the new black. Take a chance on people hating you and don't stop doing what matters to you because pathetic losers are starving for validation. 

But if anyone is really interested in seeing this for themselves, if people need "proof", by all means, visit the original Facebook page or Google any of their interviews, then brace yourself for an underwhelming fall into the epic cringe-void that is the Ævangelist band drama. If you do this, sorry in advance for the loss of precious moments of your life you'll never get back, time probably better spent on crucial life tasks, such as counting all the grains of sand in the fucking ocean.

But have a look at the hilariously inconsistent forms this story has taken on, with the former vocalist's fans sprinkling in entirely new, made-up details for the hell of it. Then notice how my story has never changed. Not one fucking word.


Curiously, how does one wish for their participation in something to be honored by totally destroying the image of it, by only embarrassing themselves with their vanity and lack of self awareness, by outright exaggerating their importance to the point of delusion? Does this sound like the actions of someone who gives a single fuck about you or the music? Decide for yourself, at least I'm giving you that choice.

This is all an appropriate metaphor for the times we're living in.


Ævangelist, in my opinion, has released some pretty amazing and eerie work that pushed the boundaries in terms of darkness and heaviness. Is there a difference between the old and the new material? And what inspired the creative process?

Contrary to what previous members have claimed, the deeper meaning behind Ævangelist isn't about Satanism or directly referencing things that should be elaborated. I could give you a detailed explanation about what it means to me, but it's irrelevant. The potency of Ævangelist is that you never really knew and that enabled you to make it your own, to invent the narrative that scared you. Whatever it is, Jim, that you find to be eerie or dark or heavy has been dragged from the abysscape of your own mind and made real through the music.

How important is it not to stagnate musically? And what do you think of bands who keep the same style from album to album?

It depends less about how something exists and matters far more why something exists. If a band exists to deliver a certain message, the band can evolve if the delivery of that message doesn't depend on how the message is packaged. If the message being delivered is inherently related to the unchanging nature of the music, then the band could replicate themselves continually. Ultimately, the spectrum of music and creation is too vast for me to say what should and should be in regards to myself, let alone someone else's art.


What’s 10 of your favorite movies?

Lord of Illusions, Mulholland Drive, Trick r' Treat, John Carpenter's Vampires, Event Horizon, Alien³, Se7en, Hackers, Disturbing Behavior, Black Circle Boys. That list is at least composed of what films I'm willing to watch almost any time. Not sure though if that means it's a favorite film or just ones that are very comforting to watch, still figuring that out.

What do you think are some of the biggest problems people are facing in society today? Do you feel there is always some kind of social pressure to belong? What does it mean to be free?

Feeling pressure to belong to society at all might be pretty high on that list, as far as I can tell. Pressure to belong seems like something you'd outgrow after high school, but in most cases it actually worsens. I think the formation of all these groups and scenes around these positions of moral uprightness and every new ideology invented on the internet is destructive. Pressure to belong feels like you feel alienated by merely thinking for yourself. People aren't robots. Everyone has "problematic" views, people are complicated and people don't say the right things all the time. People aren't clever and witty all the time. People like things that are awful or stupid. All these things are okay and that's the thing that should be "normalized". Normalize not normalizing things. Let people be abnormal and gross. Accept that the planet is so massive, so vast, and people are not the same everywhere; the spectrum of human experience is not limited to what's happening in your neighborhood or even in your country. In the scope of all time and space, these trends and ideas happening now are transient and meaningless, accept this truth to unlock the places that ignorance has hidden from your view. Stop dwelling on all the superficial aesthetic things about yourself. Challenge yourself to learn about the people you hate instead of talking shit about them simply just to, and here's that word again, "belong". Accept that belonging is actually in reality pretty empty unless you have organically acquired a tribe of your own, and accept that in reality, it will probably be very small if you do. Accept that this is okay and probably for the best. Accept that social media does exactly the opposite of what it claims; instead of bringing people together in any positive way, it brings to you closer to people better left far, far away. It makes the world seem small and empty, because all it exposes you to are the smallest, emptiest ideas, and thus you feel small and empty. Accept that life is long, that people and opinions change, so it's best to not make huge drastic choices based on temporary currents in society just to feel like you "belong". Listen to whatever music you want, stop being so hard on each other for spiritual weaknesses. Stop being so hard on yourselves, you're not as bad as you think you are, but go out and do something of meaning and for fucks sake, stop telling people about it. Accept that no one is inspired by seeing you gloat about helping some lady across the street, you're lying to yourself, that Facebook post is actually just for your glory and you know it and I know it and it's making both of us dead inside to see that the only value in being a decent person is in gaining likes and follows online. Accept that the only real good deeds are done in secret. Sacrifice glory for humility. I'd probably start by saying something like that.


What can you tell us about where you grew up? Did your environment shape who you are as a person today, and also influence you as an artist?

Who we all are is a reaction to the lives we have lived, what has happened to us, and what we desire most.

Your thoughts on the following:

* Bethlehem

Jürgen is a talented guy, and a friend since a long time. He's led a very interesting life and the stories behind their music are the stuff of legends, some of the very last we genuinely have.

* Alice In Chains

Jerry Cantrell is my favorite guitar player. I grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida but I lived in the Pacific Northwest for several years, in what, to me, seemed to be the last years it was great and you could really feel that heavy artistic melancholy of the rainy heroin soaked streets and epic picturesque landscapes. Whenever I listen to Alice in Chains, I'm taken back to Portland and I lose myself in that eerie nostalgia for times past, both good and bad.

* Portal

I like Portal, but I don't listen to them especially often. I'm grateful they exist, though. It's a proper antidote to music when music becomes mundane.

* Lords of Chaos

I think Dead is the only interesting person involved in all this. The lore of Norway's black metal origins is a good story that gets retold in increasingly absurd ways, but if anything, that absurdity tells you that it meant something.

* Reincarnation

Do we ever truly die, though?

Are there any bands as of late that have grabbed your attention? What are you currently listening to?

Lately, I'm listening to nothing "new". Besides stuff I'm working on, I usually have a vague playlist of random songs. Lots of pop and alternative music from the late 90s / early 2000s. Adina Howard, Pete Droge, Savage Garden, Hozier, Dishwalla, Goo Goo Dolls, Mr. Mister, Steve Winwood, Martin Page, Enya, LL Cool J, Michael Jackson. At the gym, Funeral Mist, Static-X, Acid Bath, Aosoth, Deströyer 666, Craft, Angantyr, Vonlaus, Clandestine Blaze.

So what’s next for you and your bands/projects? Thanks for your time!

Visit my new official platforms, preview of my official site is online now, grand opening is on new years eve, to include new full length albums from several projects, old and new.

Thanks for the interview. You be careful out there in the shadows, Jimmy.