Surrender to all the darkness and derangement bred by this very talented Eastern European cult of graves, one that will definitely not make dying any easier for you.
Established in October 2014 in the city of Tarnów, Poland (around 300km south of the capital Warsaw), Blackened Death Metal miscreants Kult Mogił are making a significant impact on the Polish metal scene with their idiosyncratic synthesis of all things evil, dark and disturbing into their compositions, provoking the rise of a cult that will surely grow in the coming years. And that cult makes total sense as per the band’s name, which according to Kult Mogił themselves means “cult of graves”, or a “burial place with or without tombstones”.
After the release of their first demo K+M+B in the beginning of 2015, which generated a lot of heat to Kult Mogił, the band returns now at the end of the year with their first full-length album, entitled Anxiety Never Descending, a bold and ambitious praise to darkness and death that will unsettle your soul from start to finish, if you’re brave enough to listen to it in its entirety, of course. “This record will not make dying any easier for you”, the band commented, and I guess that pretty much summarizes what Anxiety Never Descending will do to you.
Although the title-track Anxiety Never Descending might sound extremely raw at first, you’ll notice it’s at the same time very technical, especially its riffs, increasing its overall impact, not to mention singer Karmiciel Wszy Zdrowych vociferating his blasphemous lines like an evil troll. The following track, named Threnody, provides the listener top-notch Blackened Doom with a disturbing ambience and lyrics leaning towards the occult (“I am at war / With anxiety / Between the centuries / Cursing my eyes / Lifeless orbs”), with drummer Kalkulator Chronometrażysta dictating the song’s rhythm, alternating from sluggish beats to Black Metal blasts. Put differently, this is a highly recommended opus for diehard fans of the most devilish forms of extreme music available.
In the also excellent Serene Ponds, Kult Mogił fire another wicked junction of Black and Doom Metal, with highlights to the eerie guitar sounds by both Karmiciel Wszy Zdrowych and Thisworld Outof, turning it into a demented aria of despair, and by the time the song is over I bet your heart will be a lot heavier than usual. Początek Wrażeń, which I believe would translate to “first impressions” or something similar to that, is a menacing version of the Blackened Death Metal played by Behemoth sung entirely in Polish, therefore sounding as creepy as possible if that’s not one of the languages you speak fluently. To be fair, instead of just singing, Karmiciel Wszy Zdrowych is darkly declaiming the lyrics. And no matter what he’s saying, it shouldn’t be good.
The Width of a Forehead provides such a wicked intro, which by the way goes on for almost two minutes, it’s hard not to feel stunned before it becomes the slowest and most disturbing Doom Metal you can think of, a sonic representation of a descent to hell with no return and no hope in sight. And finally, if you know the song called “Black Snow” by Triptykon you’ll love Palliative Messiah, an ode to the heartless and pitch-black kingdom of Doom Metal with a chaotic ending that will leave a scar on your soul forever, energized by its cryptic lyrics (“Then I met the palliative messiah / I see this meeting / In the greenness of a stunted scrub / Somewhere on a slope / I asked: / What is the sex of death?”).
In order to purchase this Extreme Metal extravaganza entitled Anxiety Never Descending, you can go to the Pagan Records BandCamp page or official webshop (the album is still in its pre-order stage, becoming available on December 24). And then, just then, surrender to all the darkness and derangement bred by this very talented Eastern European cult of graves, one that, as mentioned before, will definitely not make dying any easier for you.
Best moments of the album:Threnody and Początek Wrażeń.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2015 Pagan Records
Track listing 1. Anxiety Never Descending 5:10
2. Threnody 6:51
3. Serene Ponds 6:59
4. Początek Wrażeń 6:24
5. The Width of a Forehead 5:20
6. Palliative Messiah 8:34
Band members Karmiciel Wszy Zdrowych – vocals, guitars, bass, accordion
Thisworld Outof – guitars, bass
Kalkulator Chronometrażysta – drums
Do you want to know what lies under the deepest and darkest regions of the human soul? This vicious and ruthless album might have all the answers you’ve been searching for.
Everyone knows how fertile and multifaceted the metallic scene in Montreal, Quebec, Canada has always been. There are so many excellent bands hailing from all parts of the city it’s hard to pick just a few, and since 2007 there’s another amazing act added to that distinct group delivering heavy and groovy chants for the delight of fans of Melodic Death Metal, peculiarly named [EVERTRAPPED]. That’s right, this five-piece band has their name intentionally written with enclosed brackets, which according to the band members signifies the trappings of modern life for all of us and how people, despite their best attempts to break out of the mold, are still affixed to a simple controlled existence and futility.
If you’re a fan of the cataclysmic sounding by bands such as Arch Enemy, Whitechapel, Mnemic, Lamb Of God and Threat Signal, among others, you’ll definitely enjoy what [EVERTRAPPED] have to offer with their brand new album, entitled Under The Deep, an exploration of the deepest reaches of human madness, the darkest regions of the soul and the blackest part of the human heart. Both the music and the lyrics in Under The Deep follow that modern and obscure concept, elevating the impact of the sharp venom blasted by this talented quintet throughout the entire album.
Under The Deep kicks off with the sinister and calm intro […], offering some piano notes before the guitars and a charming female voice appear to help build the ambience for the devastating Arise From The Ashes, sounding like almost pure Death Metal so heavy it is. James Brookes comes crushing everything with his deranged growls, whereas it’s easy to notice how technical drummer Eric Lemire is even amidst all the destruction crafted by the whole band. The massacre goes on in the sick tune entitled Underneath The Deep, one of those songs to break your fuckin’ neck headbanging where James gets even more demonic on vocals, but at the same time with the melodic guitar lines by Frederick Dupuis and Vincent Benoit giving more balance to the final result.
In Palace Of Injustice, [EVERTRAPPED] get closer to the musicality by Lamb Of God, firing merciless beats and huge doses of anger and insanity in an extremely dense and dark way, ripping your heart and soul until the song’s eccentric ending; while in Hypnotized By Hatred, a kick-ass tune that flirts with Black Metal in some instances, the band adds thrashier and darker elements to the music, switching from sheer speed to neck-breaking riffs and vice-versa a few times before the song is over. And there will be blood in the following song, another blackened chant entitled Blood Of The Fallen, where James growls like a beast while the other band members smash their instruments, creating a truly brutish atmosphere. It’s incredibly heavier than any Melodic Death Metal band on earth, with highlights to its spot-on guitar solos.
Lethal District shows us all that the band never gets tired at all of being so brutal, despite this being a more progressive song with interesting breaks thanks to the excellent job done by bassist John Yates and drummer Eric Lemire. Then we have another solid and technical display of their boisterous metal named Burning Through Vengeance, offering us relentless beats enhanced by its background atmosphere together with a very melodic and imposing rhythm, followed by the rhythmic and dark Reaper, with the harsh screams by James leading the music to a total state of dementia while Frederick and Vicent keep discharging powerful riffs and solos through their guitars. And last but not least, there was no better way to close the album than piercing our ears and lacerating our minds with the deadly tune Embrace The End. Simply bang your head nonstop to this awesome riff until the song’s climatic ending, it’s definitely worth the pain.
Do you want to know what lies under the deepest and darkest regions of the human soul? If you’re up for this thrilling challenge, all you have to do is visit the band’s Facebook page and YouTube channel, as well as their BandCamp page in case you you want to take a better listen to Under The Deep and obviously purchase the album. And when you get deep down there, be ready to have your heart poisoned (in a good way) by the music by [EVERTRAPPED] and have your soul unleashed from your hollow existence.
Best moments of the album:Underneath The Deep, Hypnotized By Hatred and Blood Of The Fallen.
Worst moments of the album:Lethal District.
Released in 2015 Hellstorm Recordz
Track listing 1. […] 1:58
2. Arise From The Ashes 5:40
3. Underneath The Deep 5:50
4. Palace Of Injustice 6:06
5. Hypnotized By Hatred 5:26
6. Blood Of The Fallen 5:05
7. Lethal District 6:28
8. Burning Through Vengeance 5:36
9. Reaper 5:30
10. Embrace The End 5:55
Band members James Brookes – vocals
Frederick Dupuis – rhythm and lead guitars
Vincent Benoit – rhythm and lead guitars
John Yates – bass
Eric Lemire – drums
If you have never, ever in your entire life heard or seen anything about the jaw-dropping, unusual and skillful Japanese goddess Dr. Mikannibal, the saxophonist and also one of the lead singers of Japanese Black/Avant-garde Metal band Sigh, you have no idea of what you’re missing. Furthermore, nothing that you will read here is fake or made-up: Dr. Mikannibal is indeed a unique performer, and I dare you to find another woman so off-the-wall in music, even in the weird realms of Industrial, Gothic and especially Black Metal. For instance, she loves to record topless, has the odd habit of eating bugs and also enjoys drinking blood. Do I need to say more?
Our electrifying Asian bombshell, whose real name is Mika, was born on January 23 in the city of Sendai-shi (also known as “The City of Trees”) in Miyagi, Japan, located around 350km from the capital Tokyo. Dr. Mikannibal is in a long-term relationship with Sigh’s multi-instrumentalist Mirai Kawashima, and although she suffered a miscarriage three months into pregnancy in 2013, in April 2014 she took the stage of Inferno Metal Festival in Oslo, Norway with “Baby’s In Here” written on her belly. I wasn’t able to find anything online about her pregnancy after that, so let’s hope that Mika and Mirai had a beautiful and healthy baby together (which is probably what happened) and are now enjoying their parenthood to the sound of heavy music.
Named one of the “Sexiest Women in Metal” by Revolver Magazine, the title of Doctor added to her stage moniker is far from being jest, as she actually has a Ph.D. in Physics and still finds time to work as a scientist at her home in Florida, where she has been living for the past few years. Moreover, as expected from any person that’s at the same time a scientist and a black metaller, Dr. Mikannibal is an atheist (as well as Mirai) and whenever the band sings about hell she said in one of her interviews there’s no religious meaning behind it. It’s simply a representation of human beings going through hell, describing those scenes through their music.
In regards to her music career, Dr. Mikannibal has been playing saxophone since she was 12, being able to play the alto, tenor and baritone sax. She mentioned all are basically the same and she does that to add more power to her music, although it’s more difficult than playing just the alto sax, of course. However, it wasn’t until she joined Sigh that she took her saxophone skills to the studio and on stage at a professional level. Before joining Sigh she only did vocals for different metal bands, starting with indie Japanese Melodic Death Metal band 29Jaguar, with whom she recorded the demo 29Anger in 2005, and Japanese Melodic Thrash/Death Metal band Providence.
Dr. Mikannibal joined Sigh back in 2007, having already recorded with the band the following albums: A Tribute to Venom EP (2008), Scenes from Hell (2010), The Curse of Izanagi EP (2010), the split album Swine of Hades (2011), and more recently In Somniphobia (2012) and Graveward (2015). From all those releases, the only one where our metal goddess did not play her wicked saxophone was A Tribute to Venom EP, but anyway you can enjoy her devilish vocals in their cover versions for the Black Metal classics Countess Bathory,Black MetalandWitching Hour. If you want to take a listen at her skills as both the vocalist and saxophonist of Sigh, a few suggested songs are The Transfiguration Fear and Far Beneath The In-Betweenand Kaedit Nos Pestis. Lastly, after joining Sigh, she recorded sax and vocals in the 2012 album Worms in the Keys by international Avant-garde Rock/Metal project Self Spiller, and was also a guest saxophonist on track Boiled In Hell Broth & Grave Dust (Intro), from the 2010 album The Murder of Jesus the Jew by British Experimental Black Metal band The Meads of Asphodel, and on A Hollow Bridge, from the album Mapping the Moment with the Logic of Dreams by Romanian Progressive Black Metal band Bloodway. Apart from her career as a musician, Dr. Mikannibal has also ventured in the world of journalism, as for example her interview with At The Gates vocalist Tomas Lindberg in Tokyo, Japan on August 5, 2013 for the Metal Moment podcast.
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Nonetheless, it’s on stage that our sexy doctor really stands out with her lunatic vocals and ferocious saxophone playing, her skimpy lingerie, skirts and dresses, and of course her infamous hot wax bath. Yes, that’s exactly what you have in your mind right now: a provocative Asian girl dripping hot wax from candles all over her attractive body. Check these two videos on YouTube where you’ll be able to see how wild she’s when performing live, the first playing the song The Soul Grave at the Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands in 2013, and the second showing you her hot wax bath in Taipei, Taiwan in 2012. Isn’t she adorable?
But wait, there’s still a lot more to talk about our fearless diva: because she loves her pet lizards (or geckos) and was really curious as to what they eat, she started to gather more details on bug eating, attended a “bug eating party”, learned how to cook roaches and other bugs properly and voilà! There you have a sexy bug-eater woman! Oddly enough, Dr. Mikannibal explained everything she does is not meant to attract the attention of anyone. “Some people in Japan traditionally eat grasshoppers. In the north part of Japan, they eat bugs. Eating roaches is not common in Japan, but it’s not a made-up story to get attention. It’s just something I do.”, she said in one of her interviews.
Obviously, a woman like that who wears such revealing see-through outfits in front of thousands of people has to be very comfortable with her body and appearance. She accepts and embraces the idea of being a sex symbol, although such distinction is not one of her main goals in her career. Not only that, when our gorgeous Nipponese lady is about to record anything new at home or in the studio, she does that topless (yes, topless!), simply due to the fact that she feels a lot more comfortable that way as she hates sweating a lot. She mentioned once the first thing she does when she arrives home is taking off her clothes, saying that’s something very natural and pleasant for her. Well, I guess there are lots of people who would love to attend the recording sessions by Sigh and be face-to-face in the studio with Dr. Mikannibal, one of the most remarkable women in contemporary Extreme Metal.
“I do wear sexy costumes, and I wear less clothes than other metal chicks do in other bands. It’s not intentional. I don’t do it to try and get attention from men. I just wear what I wear because I like it. I love myself, my looks and my body, and I like to show it off on stage. That’s the whole idea.” – Dr. Mikannibal
If the sonic cataclysm brought forth by this demented Italian band doesn’t wake you up, you should definitely go see a doctor.
In case you’re having one of those sluggish and monotonous days that seem to last for the whole eternity, I have the perfect remedy to cure your boredom and make you feel so electrified you’ll even start banging your head against the wall in exultation. Open up some space in your room or wherever you are, take a deep breath, do some good stretching and finally hit play and enjoy Wings of Decadence, the brand new music havoc by Italian Black/Thrash Metal act Extirpation.
Bred in the darkest catacombs of Milan, Italy in July 2009, Extirpation have been growing in the underground scene with each of their releases, gaining some considerable recognition internationally and therefore leading them to start playing outside the Italian territory in countries such as Switzerland, France, Belgium and Romania. Judging by the speed and heaviness found in Wings of Decadence (including the sick old school artwork designed by their own vocalist/bassist Darak), I believe we can all have a very good idea of how cataclysmic their concerts around Europe might be.
Extirpation open the album with a merciless massacre entitled Controlled By Rage, where its razing riffs build a raw and obscure sounding enhanced by the harsh vocals by Darak (who actually sounds like an enraged goblin) and by drummer Elia smashing his drum set like there’s no tomorrow with a Punk Rock/Hardcore vibe added to his beats. If you don’t go into shock after listening to this ode to dementia, you’ll have your spinal cord smashed by Thrash The Enemy, a visceral Thrash Metal tune straight to your face where Eros and Magikk make sure their riffs and solos keep puncturing your ears without rest, followed by Sick Life, a brutal Thrashcore/Goregrind feast darkened by its deranged vocals, perfect for slamming into the most insane mosh pits you can imagine.
Oath Of The Death, with its amazing infernal intro, offers the listener sheer devastation blending Black, Death and Thrash Metal with the meanest and most disturbing form of Punk Rock possible, not to mention the hot streak of destruction Darak and Elia are on; while Desires of Dust, despite slowing things down a bit, is still dark and putrid, with highlights to another devilish performance by Darak. And get ready for humongous dosages of hardcore riffs and bestial beats and growls in Consumed System, which not only keeps up with the musical consistency found in all previous tracks, but also presents guitar lines that are perhaps the closest to the purest form of Black Metal you will find in the whole album.
Not a single moment of peace or tranquility is present in Fall in The Dark: it’s violence taken to the extreme, where Elia continues his belligerent onslaught on drums while the rest of the band keeps breathing fire through their instruments and harsh vocals. The same can be said about Daily Struggle, an unrelenting display of Blackened Thrash Metal blended with Hardcore and Death Metal highly recommended for the soundtrack of the apocalypse, which makes me wonder how many people will have serious injuries if they slam into the pit whenever this immoderate tune is played live. In the short and sweet Eternal Moments, they truly sound like a band formed by evil entities like orcs or trolls shredding everything to pieces so inhuman it feels, maybe one of the most carnivorous tunes I’ve ever heard, before the title-track Wings of Decadence closes the album sounding as if the music is coming from the pits of hell, with Darak barking like a demon while the entire band is simply destroying whatever crosses their path with a mix of heaviness, feeling and anger.
In summary, the music in Wings of Decadence might be too harsh or pugnacious for the majority of the society we live in, but for fans of old school Black and Thrash Metal it’s indeed a bundle of joy with its ten hellish chants. You can get more details about the music by Extirpation at their Facebook page, and you can find their new album for sale at their BandCamp page or at the Nightbreaker Productions webstore. And if even after taking a listen at Wings of Decadence you still find yourself yawning of tiresomeness, I’m sorry but you should desperately see a doctor.
Best moments of the album:Thrash The Enemy, Oath Of The Death and Daily Struggle.
Worst moments of the album:Desires of Dust and Wings of Decadence.
Released in 2015 Nightbreaker Productions
Track listing 1. Controlled By Rage 3:35
2. Thrash The Enemy 2:43
3. Sick Life 4:08
4. Oath Of The Death 3:24
5. Desires of Dust 2:48
6. Consumed System 3:45
7. Fall in The Dark 4:03
8. Daily Struggle 2:50
9. Eternal Moments 1:58
10. Wings of Decadence 4:42
Band members Darak – vocals, bass
Eros – guitars
Magikk – guitars
Elia – drums
If you let the infernal and malevolent music by this amazing Portuguese duo reach your heart, there’s no coming back.
Let’s end this week on a high note with the flammable Black Metal by the talented Portuguese duo Tod Huetet Uebel, and I must assure you that you won’t be the same after listening to what they have to offer. By the way, the name of the band is the German for “death guards evil”, a more than suitable caption for the disturbing music you’ll find in their debut full-length album, entitled Malícia(the Portuguese word for “malice”). If you had no idea of how demonic music can be in Portugal, you better get ready for the heartless war found in this album.
Created from the very essence of hatred in 2012, Tod Hueted Uebel define their music as “a post-traumatic Black Metal experience” that “will leave mental bruises and scars in those who dare listen to the torments that dwell within”. Well said, guys. That perfectly summarizes Malícia, an album that will please fans of the darkest Black Metal you can imagine. Featuring an amazing 6-panel digipak with artwork by French artist/musician Valnoir (Metastazis), the level of wickedness and laceration in the album is not for the ordinary metal fan, making it a demanding listen for those who are not used to the atrocities of extreme music.
In the opening track, eccentrically named XIII (and get used to that, because all songs have names based on Roman numerals), a sinister intro flows into a diabolical sounding built upon modern Black Metal but without losing its traditional viciousness and speed. Multi-instrumentalist Daniel C. is responsible for crafting the music in all tracks, offering singer Marcos M. the perfect ambience for his anguished growls, and let me tell you this dynamic duo will darken your spirit already on the first track of the album (which is always the main goal in Black Metal, of course). And darkness is here to stay based on the nonstop violence and vileness delivered in I, where Marcos M. keeps disgorging his putrid snarling, unnerving your mind in a disquieting 9-minute first-rate aria of malignancy for lovers of classic Extreme Metal with a desolating and melancholic ending that obviously gets back to a sonic havoc before the song is actually over.
Their anger just grows in XII, where Daniel C. is simply bestial on drums and guitars, delivering sick riffs and demonic beats and fills perfect for the harsh vocals by Marcos M., with another short break for the listener to take a deep breath before diving back into the musical twilight engendered by Tod Huetet Uebel. Moreover, their lyrics in Portuguese are as evil, poetic and awesome as possible (“Quero morrer, ser inverso ao amanhecer / Quero perecer, na demora da tua obra / Sinto-me leve, disperso ao corroer / Do sentimento que vos mantém / Amantes a ninguém”, which would translate to English as “I want to die, be reverse at dawn / I want to perish, in the lateness of your work / I feel light, scattered as I corrode / From the feeling that keeps you / Lovers to no one”), increasing the impact of their music.
XX VIII XXI is an instrumental tune that feels like a fiendish entity penetrating our flesh, working as an intro to the barbaric IX, where the initial scream by Marcos M. sounds inhuman while the instrumental parts continue their onslaught of darkness. It’s sheer Black Metal that will please all fans of the genre, making it extremely easy and interesting to feel all the pain and grief stemming from their ghoulish vocals. III might be the shortest of all tracks, but it surely delivers everything a good Black Metal chant needs, being precise, berserk, melodic and lugubrious, with Marcos M. with his growls and howls and Daniel C. with his lancinating riffs generating an ode to hopelessness and evil. Besides, when they sing in English their lyrics are no less complex and beautiful, proving how talented this duo is (“Blood Libels of regal contempt / Dichotomy of essence and paragon of woe / The face of things to come / Burn this flesh oh dying light / In thy untold furnace of quintessence / Aether of malignant perfection”). Lastly, presenting elements from Doom Metal and Blackened Doom, the hindmost opus in Malícia, entitled V, is definitely the most nerve-racking of all. This time, Daniel C. focuses on mesmerizing and grievous notes while Marcos C. sounds like he’s being dragged down to hell, and I dare you to survive its 8 minutes without feeling totally uncomfortable or distressed in the end.
In summary, if you consider yourself a genuine adorer of the most perverse and heinous forms of Black Metal, I highly recommend you go after the music by Tod Huetet Uebel, available at their BandCamp and at the Caverna Abismal Records BandCamp. This sharp and impressive duo from Portugal is brilliantly cementing their dark path in the world of Extreme Metal, and in case you let their infernal music reach your heart, I must warn you that there’s no coming back.
Best moments of the album:I, XII and III.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2015 Caverna Abismal Records
Track listing 1. XIII 5:49
2. I 9:00
3. XII 7:20
4. XX VIII XXI 1:15
5. IX 7:05
6. III 5:30
7. V 8:00
Band members Marcos M. – vocals
Daniel C. – all instruments
Surrender to the dark side of Thrash Metal, offered to you by one of the most promising Scandinavian bands of the past few years.
Although the year of 2015 is almost coming to its end, it seems there are still tons of awesome metal bands with considerable amounts of fuel to burn, providing us fans unbounded reasons to keep banging our heads nonstop like maniacs. This is precisely the case with Norwegian Blackened Thrash Metal desecrators Vingulmork, who before the curtains of this chaotic year close are releasing their cataclysmic debut full-length album entitled Chiaroscuro. The name of the album might be the junction of the Italian words “chiaro” (clear or bright) and “oscuro” (dark), but don’t expect to find any light in their music. It’s sheer darkness, architected in such a thrilling and virulent way you’ll be mercilessly knocked out like Ronda Rousey before the album is over.
Forged in 2012 at the very depths of Oslo, Norway, Vingulmork released their debut EP named The Long March at the beginning of 2014, but it’s now with Chiaroscuro that this talented quartet aims at conquering the world of heavy music with their inhumane combination of the unquestioned verve from Thrash Metal with the evildoing and perversity of Black Metal. If you hold true passion for the music by bands such as Skeletonwitch, Old Man’s Child and Dissection, the music by Vingulmork (which translated from Old Norse means “the forest of fescues”) brings forward all the elements needed to foster that darkest side of yours.
And Vingulmork don’t give you a single second to breathe before their sonic devastation begins in the magnificent Collapse and Rebuild, a brutal composition that summarizes their music style by blending the riveting riffs from Thrash Metal with the obscure growls from Black Metal. In addition, Frontman Jostein Stensrud Køhn sounds like he’s possessed by an evil entity so aggressive his vocals are, while drummer Simen Kandola delivers beats inspired by the greatest drummers from the Bay Area Thrash. As destructive as the opening track, Hold Your Ground provides an accelerated feeling as if a heart attack is about to come, with guitarist Martin Kandola offering the listener his evil-inspired riffs amidst pure Thrash Metal music. And that’s just the beginning of Chiaroscuro, my friends.
Don’t get deceived by the calm acoustic intro from the chant beautifully entitled (I Am) The Darkness You Can Touch, as it quickly morphs into a dark sounding with elements of Death Metal that will violently kick you in the head. Jostein growling like a demon, together with some interesting breaks leading into some pure Black Metal moments and its lugubrious lyrics (“I will lay waste to your sense of belief / Replace all pleasure with anguish and grief / I will demolish all ways to control / I will take hold of and bury you”), turn this ode to obscurity into one of the top moments of the album without a shadow of a doubt. In The Haunting, the band delivers a melodic and ferocious onslaught of metallic music in less than 3 minutes, reminding me of the high-octane Thrash/Death Metal by Skeletonwitch, while Old Hate flirts with Melodic Death Metal but with extra dosages of wickedness added to the sounding, not to mention the great job done by Martin with his sick guitar riffs accompanied by the intricate bass lines by Steffen Grønneberg.
With an enraged Simen on drums, their dark metal machine keeps rolling and smashing everyone and everything in From Promise, a straightforward tune that will ignite some serious mosh pits during their live performances, with highlights to the beyond bestial vocals by Jostein, and don’t stop banging your head or slamming into the pit because Vingulmork offer us all Painting Lives, another insane track where there’s even time for a catchy chorus that will stick into your mind for a long period of time (“Every moment counts / And everything amounts / To pull apart is not an art / And so we count all that amounts”).
The two last arias in Chiaroscuro are just as nefarious as the rest of the album, starting with the striking White Dress, Black Heart, with yet another demented performance by the entire band, in special by Jostein and Simen. This is at the same time the most Thrash Metal and the most Death Metal of all tracks, which obviously elevates its quality to a whole new level of carnage, also presenting thoughtful lyrics that make total sense if you know how harsh the winter can be (“The winter is grinding knives / It will take another life / Cutting through frozen flesh / Claims a mark in every bone”). And closing this top-notch album we have their most obscure and disturbed tune, It Will Suffice, where the band definitely embraces darkness by showcasing their strongest Black/Doom Metal vein. A lesson in extreme music by this incredible Norwegian act, where the music cuts like a sharp razor until it fades away into a melancholic and demonic finale.
To get a taste of what Vingulmork have to offer in Chiaroscuro, you can visit their Facebook page or take a listen at the official album preview by Crime Records, but I’m pretty sure you’ll almost instantly go grab your copy of the album at the Crime Records webstore or at CD Baby. Forget about the never-ending war between darkness and light, simply surrender to the dark side of Thrash Metal offered to you by one of the most promising Scandinavian bands of the past few years. You will not repent that.
Best moments of the album:Collapse and Rebuild, (I Am) The Darkness You Can Touch and White Dress, Black Heart.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2015 Crime Records
Track listing 1. Collapse and Rebuild 3:38
2. Hold Your Ground 3:17
3. (I Am) The Darkness You Can Touch 5:24
4. The Haunting 2:36
5. Old Hate 2:59
6. From Promise 3:29
7. Painting Lives 3:34
8. White Dress, Black Heart 2:23
9. It Will Suffice 5:45
Band members Jostein Stensrud Køhn – vocals
Martin Kandola – guitar
Steffen Grønneberg – bass
Simen Kandola – drums
In this exclusive must-read interview to The Headbanging Moose, Canadian death metallers Fractal Generator translate into “numbers” their music, their admiration for all things science, the burdens of being an independent metal band in Canada, the end of the world and more!
The Headbanging Moose: Could you please introduce us to Fractal Generator, telling your story from the inception of the band until today? What’s the core factor that keeps the machine moving for the band, I mean, what’s the main reason for the band to exist? And where did you take those eccentric “names” (040118180514, 102119200914 and 040114090512) from?
102119200914: Fractal Generator is 040118180514 (Bass, Vocals), 040114090512 (Drums) & 102119200914 (Guitar, Vocals). The band formed sometime in 2007 as a death metal outlet for a few of the members of Wolven Ancestry. A demo entitled “The Cannibalism of Objects” was released in 2008. The project lay dormant until 2013, when the current incarnation of Fractal Generator was conceived by 040118180514 and 102119200914. We wanted to create a type of dark and atmospheric death metal sound that we hadn’t heard before, with lyrics inspired by various science and science fiction ideas. As for our “names”, they are a numerical representation of our actual first names.
THM: What’s the feeling of having your first full-length album finally released, the excellent Apotheosynthesis, and how did the whole writing, composing and recording process go? What are your goals and expectations now after Apotheosynthesis became a reality?
102119200914: It definitely feels great having finally released Apotheosythesis. We wrote the songs over a six month period in 2013 and refined the album through rehearsal before beginning to record at the end of 2014. 040118180514 has his own recording studio and has a lot of experience recording and mixing. This enabled us to complete the entire album “in-house” while still achieving the level of quality we wanted. Now that Apotheosynthesis is released, our main goal is to play a few shows and start working on our next album. I don’t have many expectations, mostly hope that it will reach the ears of the people who would appreciate it.
THM: As mentioned in our review for the album, one of the most remarkable aspects of it is witnessing the very positive evolution in your compositions from your 2008 demo The Cannibalism of Objects to Apotheosynthesis. Can you share more details with us on how that change has impacted you as a band? What’s different today from when the band started back in 2008?
040118180514: When we did “The Cannibalism of Objects,” Fractal Generator was nothing more than a curious side project, and the album is composed mostly of improvised material. The drums were completely improvised and guitar was added overtop in an improvised fashion. “Apotheosynthesis” retains the spirit of improvisation in that we wrote the riffs using the improvisational method, but the songs were carefully crafted afterward to create full, meaningful compositions with a cathartic feel. I’d say the main difference between the band now and then is the addition of 102119200914, because we work really well together and can generate a lot more ideas when we are bouncing them off each other. The fact that we have 6 more years of experience as musicians under our belts certainly doesn’t hurt either.
THM: It’s always a huge pleasure to see thoughtful and meaningful lyrics in heavy music, which in your case is represented by the addition of science and technology-related topics such as the chaos theory to your music, therefore enhancing its impact and density. Why did you choose to follow that specific path of science and space, mixing it with Progressive and Death Metal? And how unique do you think your music is if compared to the other bands available?
102119200914: We chose to follow this path out of a common interest in science fiction, science, the cosmos and technology. Our style is a combination of all of our favorite elements of death metal and black metal, with an experimental approach. I think our music is unique; we may have similar elements to some but I feel that our general sound is different from anything I’ve come across.
THM: Talking about one of my favorite songs of the album, Face of the Apocalypse, I love the veracity of its lyrics (“Endless replication / A cancerous mutation / Of the mother earth / Merciless consumption / An unprecedented emergency”) in regards to what mankind is doing to the world. Is this indeed your vision of society? What was going through your mind when you wrote the lyrics for this exceptional tune?
040118180514: We knew we wanted to write a song about the human race being forced to leave Earth. As we all know, its a very real scenario that we could face as a species. However, the potential reasons for this happening are many: nuclear fallout, pandemics, environmental/climate change effects, asteroid collision, etc. It could even be something completely unforeseeable. I couldn’t decide on a single scenario I wanted to use, but I did want to focus on scenarios that are fueled by human activity. In this way the song could be seen as a warning against our current destructive ways. In the end I just kinda mixed several of these scenarios together into one crazy pandemonium, and the idea for “Face of the Apocalypse” was born.
THM: In the introspective and melancholic Reflections, it really feels like Fractal Generator wanted to add a conclusion to the story told during the whole album. How important was it for the entire band to have that type of aftermath in Apotheosynthesis? Do you consider it a concept album, and what reactions do you expect from your fans after listening to the entire record?
102119200914: Apotheosynthesis takes influence from a lot of science fiction stories and concepts. In a way it’s sort of a concept album. The songs all follow a loose futuristic storyline in a universe where humans have destroyed their home planet and have to look to space for a new home. The album explores their journey to Mars and beyond. For the track “Reflections” we wanted to shift the spectrum, focusing on the atmospheric and ambient elements more than the speed/ guitar driven approach we have on the rest of the album. We wanted to create the feeling of floating aimlessly in the cold, dark void of space, gasping for breath in a space suit slowly running out of oxygen while contemplating existence/fate. We felt this was a good way to end the album as it might provoke imagination in the listeners.
THM: Who are your main influences in music and anywhere else? I suspect you’re huge fans of the progressiveness and aggressiveness by Death, the futuristic concept by Fear Factory, the darkness by Behemoth, and of course, you’re probably also into the works by renowned scientists such as Carl Sagan and Edward Lorenz. What else makes you want to write music? And do you have any other hobbies that also inspire you in your songwriting?
102119200914: My main musical influences are Myrkskog, Zyklon, Morbid Angel, Death and Hypocrisy. I also draw a lot of influence from science fiction shows/movies, i.e. Tron, Star Trek, Stargate, Babylon 5. As well as story-driven video games like Mass Effect, Deus Ex, The Dig, Half-life, etc. I also find inspiration in reading about new technologies, theories and scientific studies.
Album Review – Fractal Generator / Apotheosynthesis (2015)
040118180514: I have always been a big fan of Scandinavian black metal and it’s been a huge influence. In terms of death metal, I am mostly influenced by the more progressive/experimental Canadian bands, such as Gorguts and Augury. Other than music, I’m very interested in learning about science and technology and how they can be used to make the world a better place. I am also interested in philosophy and the nature of consciousness, which is probably where some of my interest in chaos theory comes from. Sagan and Lorenz, as you mentioned, are of course highly influential in these fields.
THM: Let’s talk about the current Heavy Metal scene in Canada. I’ve had the satisfaction of reviewing some amazing Canadian bands lately the likes of id., Phantom, Display of Decay, Reanimator, Valknacht, Viathyn, Kafirun, among many others. However, it seems that day after day heavy music in Canada is becoming more and more underground, preventing a much wider audience to get in contact with most bands no matter how good they are. What’s your opinion about that, and what can or should be done to change that uncomfortable situation?
040118180514: If you want to talk about why the Canadian metal scene doesn’t get the credit it deserves, I think there are a lot of factors. For one thing, metal isn’t terribly popular among the general population in Canada for whatever reason. I’ve toured the country and you get the sense that metal is mostly met by common people with contempt, or at best, confusion. The people going to shows are mostly only the die-hard metal enthusiasts that we all know and love. The other main factor I would say, is that Canada’s geography and sparse population make it almost unfeasible to tour. Without the ability to tour, our bands are left in their hometowns to stagnate. Our government isn’t exactly helpful with arts funding either, unless you live in Quebec. I suppose one thing we could do to remedy the situation is to keep the conservative party out of Ottawa.
THM: How have your scheduling of live performances and your search for a record label been since the release of Apotheosynthesis? What other big challenges have Fractal Generator faced so far as a heavy band in a not-so-heavy world?
040118180514: We’ve played a handful of shows so far and they’ve been great. We haven’t really searched for a record label yet. I think that you mostly have to wait for a label to come to you. However, the entire structure of the music industry has changed so much, I sometimes wonder if labels might soon become the redundant middle-man in between the bands themselves and the media outlets that promote them. The revenue just isn’t there anymore to be able to feed that many mouths. Bands are going to have to take on a lot more responsibility, and I think it’s something we can pull off.
THM: A big thank you for your time, we at The Headbanging Moose really appreciate that. Do you have any final words to all headbangers in Canada and all over the world reading this interview?
102119200914: Thanks for the interview and thanks for supporting underground metal!!
Experience the biggest metal festival in the world, in 3D, and louder than hell.
It’s undeniable that Wacken Open Air is the biggest, most exciting and most badass Heavy Metal festival in the entire world. For instance, it only takes couple of days after the festival is over for the next year’s edition to be sold out. If you’ve already had the indescribable pleasure of attending this 4-day monstrous gathering in your life (and I’m pretty sure that if the answer is “yes” you’ve already repeated that metallic ritual many times through the years) you have the chance to go back in time and feel that energy again by watching the awesome documentary entitled WACKEN 3D – LOUDER THAN HELL. And if you’ve never been to Wacken, this is your chance to take a special journey to the heart of the festival, with the 3D screening making you feel like you’re right there with over 75,000 metalheads from all over the world celebrating life and heavy music.
Filmed with 18 stereoscopic 3D cameras during the 2013 edition of the festival, this excellent documentary by award-winning director Norbert Heitker will show you exactly what happens once a year to a calm farming village in the middle of a Northern German countryside, when it becomes the centre of the universe for all things metal. You’ll be able to see in details what it is to camp at Wacken, the daily routine of fans and bands, what musicians think of the festival, and even go crowd-surfing and mud-diving with the more lunatic fans. Not only that, you’ll also have a good time watching some electrifying performances by metal giants such as Deep Purple, Anthrax, Motörhead, Rammstein, Alice Cooper, Lamb Of God, and many more.
In my opinion, as a huge supporter of the underground of heavy music, the best part of the entire documentary is when they focus on some of the national winners of the already famous Wacken Metal Battle, showing what it is to be an up-and-coming band playing at the most important metal festival on earth. There are awesome bands from Uruguay, Romania, Canada and so on showcasing their music to thousands of fans, but my favorite one in terms of creativity and feeling were the Chinese Metal Battle winners Nine Treasures. All members of the band are from Inner Mongolia, with all lyrics being sung in Mongolian, which is beyond incredible. You have to watch it to understand what I’m talking about, and if one day those guys read this review, I would like to ask them to kindly send us their material for review. It would be a huge pleasure for us at The Headbanging Moose to do that.
In case you live in Canada and do not have any plans for tonight (well, even if you do have plans you should definitely cancel them), there will be a special WACKEN 3D – LOUDER THAN HELL “One Night Only Across Canada” event today, October 29 at 7:30pm at several Cineplex theaters. You can check more details at the official Facebook event, see where the movie will be playing by clicking HERE, and also grab your tickets at the official Cineplex website. In addition, following the Cineplex Yonge-Dundas screening in Toronto, Steve “Lips” Kudlow and Robb Reiner of Anvil will be in attendance for a Q&A, and if you cannot make it today but you live near Ottawa the movie will also be playing soon at the Mayfair Theatre, located at 1074 Bank Street, Ottawa, Ontario.
Best moments of the movie: The unique moments of glory provided by the Wacken Metal Battle bands from different countries, the iconic Rammstein playing Du Hast with thousands of fans screaming the lyrics together with the band and, of course, all the classy mud scenes.
Worst moments of the movie: The fact that there were no subtitles when a fan or a band spoke in a language different than English, especially when it was in German. At least the version I saw had no subtitles. Oh, and unfortunately there were no interviews with Lemmy.
Released in 2014 Jumpseat 3Dplus/Wüste Film
Bands and artists featured in the documentary Rammstein
Alice Cooper
Deep Purple
Motörhead
Henry Rollins
Trivium
Ragnarok
Lamb Of God
Annihilator
Anthrax
…and many more!
May the world come to its tragic end to the sound of the barbaric and inhuman Doom Metal by this promising one-man army from Belgium.
What does it need for a person to sound so savage, heavy and depressive, to the point you can’t tell if it’s just a regular human being or a grotesque creature of darkness that’s responsible for that eerie and sluggish resonance? If you really want to know the answer for that difficult question, I suggest you take a listen at the self-titled debut album by Belgian Medieval Doom/Death Metal one-man army Gateway. But be extremely careful, because once you start listening to this ode to horror influenced by the likes of Autopsy, Mortician and Evoken there’s no turning back, it’s a one-way journey down to the pits of hell.
Hailing from Bruges, Belgium, the talented musician Robin Van Oyen, who’s by the way responsible for vocals and all other instruments in Gateway, brings forth a concept album inspired by his hometown, offering the listener some depraved tales of ritualistic horror, torture and pain, blending the most obscure and mischievous elements from Death, Doom, Black and Sludge Metal you can think of. The final result, like what we witnessed last year in his three-track demo Aeternae, goes beyond the boundaries of inhumanity and suffering, grinding your body and mind like a genuinely repulsive torture device.
While listening to the wicked intro Prolegomenon, it’s more than obvious that what’s about to come is going to be disturbing, which is precisely what happens in Vox Occultus, a merciless parade of Occult Doom Metal supported by its reverberating riffs. In addition, as per the “unofficial” guide of old school Doom Metal, its drums are there with the unique mission to make the whole thing even more diabolical, and I’m not really sure what to say about the subhuman growls by Robin Van Oyen except for the fact that they won’t let you sleep well at night. Are you still breathing? Because in the following track, Kha’laam, Gateway forged a mystical Doom Metal aria by masterfully blending elements from Tryptikon, Black Sabbath and Celtic Frost, with its primeval rhythm contributing to its mordacity and elevating it to a whole new level of darkness. It doesn’t matter how intricate this tune is, it remains utterly loyal to the foundations of Doom Metal.
Don’t expect to see any bright light in the music by Gateway, as the ode to despair continues with yet another grim composition entitled Impaled, where Robin keeps howling like an ancient demon amidst a lugubrious atmosphere that will compel your heart to grow darker and darker; followed by Corrumpert Interludium, a song that will break your fuckin’ neck in a solid display of extreme music, with its riffs giving you goosebumps so demonic they are. I love the name of the next track, Vile Temptress, it transpires darkness and flawlessly connects with its spellbinding rhythm, as if the witch herself wanted to hypnotize us and take us all to her evil kingdom (“I am a witch… AND I CURSE YOU!”). This tune proves that extreme music doesn’t need to be fast at all times to be frightful, don’t you agree?
In the excellent Hollow, it looks like Robin’s plan is to drag us all to hell to the sound of his torture-inspired musicality, this time slightly faster and with an even more enraged growling, growing in desperation until the song’s fiendish ending; before The Shores of Daruk closes the album with almost ten minutes of hatred and occultism, guiding us into the unknown. I don’t know where those shores are exactly but it’s definitely not a happy place, getting even more supernatural halfway through it and evolving to a sorrowful ending. Thus, if you survive this tormented feast of Extreme Metal, you’re indeed a true doom metaller, but if you still want more you can enjoy the brutal and extremely well-engendered Portaclus, an amazing gift to fans who get the physical copy of the album, and of course a visceral exhibit of what Gateway is capable of.
Are you willing to keep having your body and soul tormented by this promising Belgian one-man band? Simply check out Gateway’s Facebook and YouTube, and in order to buy your copy of Gateway go to the band’s official BandCamp page, to the Hellthrasher Productions BandCamp or to their official webstore. When the gates of hell are open and gruesome bands such as Gateway arise from darkness, you know that if the world is actually coming to an atrocious end, may that be to the sound of the rawest and most demonic Doom Metal imaginable.
Best moments of the album:Kha’laam and Vile Temptress.
Worst moments of the album:Corrumpert Interludium.
These undead Portuguese metallers are back from the grave to tear our flesh apart and provide us some high-quality old school Death Metal.
Just like any gory and macabre zombie flick, there are times in our lives when people or things that we thought were dead and gone for good make an impactful return to feast on our flesh and haunt our souls. If you’re addicted to sordid old school Death Metal the likes of Dismember, Entombed and Grave, you won’t mind being devoured by the undead Portuguese Death Metal band Festering who, as per the name of their brand new album, are back From The Grave to tear all of us apart.
After releasing a split album back in 1992 and remaining dormant for almost two decades, this talented band from Santo António dos Cavaleiros, Portugal was reformed in 2011, releasing a demo tape entitled From The Grave and an EP named Exhumed, both in 2012. Now in 2015, following the same gruesome path of those releases, their debut full-length album From The Grave, which features cover illustration and artworks by renowned artist César Valladares (Asphyx, Nominon, Graveyard, among many others), will provide the listener a full-bodied portrait of what these cold-blooded Portuguese metallers are capable of.
The quick and sinister intro Festering initiates the sonic cannibalism that becomes extremely barbaric in Exhumed, an old school Death Metal song with absolutely no shenanigans, just straightforward devastation where riffs and growls take the spotlight (as expected), also showcasing drums highly influenced by the blast beats of Black Metal but slightly groovier. Following that promising start, we have the perverse Infected and its hints of Doom Metal, with the bestial vocals by Pedro Gonçalves inspired by old Sepultura and Morbid Angel. It’s a great song for headbanging led by its wicked riffs, where the band accelerates the rhythm, slows it down and goes on with that alternation a few more times, reaching an outstanding result in the end.
The Myth Of Creation can be considered a circle-pit generator chant, with drummer Norberto Arrais kicking ass behind his kit while the guitar lines by João Galego seem as if they’re going to decapitate us so sharp they are, not to mention the aggressiveness of the low-tuned bass lines by Koja Mutilator. And if you think Festering will give you a break you’re damn wrong, because they keep kicking you in the head with their nonstop viciousness in Consuming From Within, a very traditional tune with lots of groove, feeling sometimes like a tribute to Cannibal Corpse and other classic gory bands due to its lyrics (“Open sores all over my body and exuding a foul scent / With an intense suffering, the anguish spend my days / With the excruciating pain that runs through my body / And wanton my flesh like a cold steel blade”); followed by the “infected” musicality and dirty melody found in Submerged In Emptiness, with highlights to the rhythmic beats by Norberto. This tune lives up to the sanguinary tradition of Death Metal, or in other words, it’s fast, heavy and wicked, and we love all that.
The next track, Bloodline, has a deranged ambience boosted by the demented deep growls by Pedro, with its hardcore riffs and extreme violence being the icing on the cake of this sensational feast of blood and death that should work marvelously if played live. Moreover, kudos to João for his spot-on guitar solo, adding more electricity to the overall result. In the Blackened Doom Metal tune Proliferation Of Infected Leucocytes their demonic side arises, and if you pay good attention to the music you’ll find hints of Rock N’ Roll and Southern Metal in it, increasing its complexity and harmony but obviously always keeping it carnivorous. Lastly, closing the album we have the slashing Ascent Of The Blessed, where the combination of its direct shredding and high-speed drums turns it into an excellent option for mosh pits, with Pedro once again delivering his amazing sick roars to give life (or death) to the song’s lyrics (“The angels all ascended, / The demons left behind / A new generation was born / From their hatred and cruelty – We”), and the shortest of all tracks, Psychic Convulsions Of Neurasthenia, a beautiful name for a violent composition with highlights to the evil bass lines by Koja.
There are several places where you can find more details about the music by Festering, such as their YouTube channel and especially at their ReverbNation page, and grab your copy of From The Grave at the band’s BandCamp, at the Caverna Abismal Records BandCamp, or at the Caverna Abismal Records webstore. As aforementioned, these talented (and undead) metallers are back from the grave not only to tear our flesh apart but, more important than that, to also provide us all high-quality old school Death Metal. But that’s if you’re not afraid of living dead musicians, of course.
Best moments of the album:Infected, Submerged In Emptiness and Bloodline.
Worst moments of the album:Proliferation Of Infected Leucocytes.
Released in 2015 Caverna Abismal Records/War Productions/Sinais Produções
Track listing 1. Festering (Intro) 0:23
2. Exhumed 3:15
3. Infected 4:36
4. The Myth Of Creation 4:15
5. Consuming From Within 4:21
6. Submerged In Emptiness 4:36
7. Bloodline 4:13
8. Proliferation Of Infected Leucocytes 3:36
9. Ascent Of The Blessed 5:21
10. Psychic Convulsions Of Neurasthenia 2:53
Band members Pedro Gonçalves – vocals
João Galego – guitars
Koja Mutilator – bass
Norberto Arrais – drums
Established in October 2014 in the city of Tarnów, Poland (around 300km south of the capital Warsaw), Blackened Death Metal miscreants Kult Mogił are making a significant impact on the Polish metal scene with their idiosyncratic synthesis of all things evil, dark and disturbing into their compositions, provoking the rise of a cult that will surely grow in the coming years. And that cult makes total sense as per the band’s name, which according to Kult Mogił themselves means “cult of graves”, or a “burial place with or without tombstones”.
In the also excellent Serene Ponds, Kult Mogił fire another wicked junction of Black and Doom Metal, with highlights to the eerie guitar sounds by both Karmiciel Wszy Zdrowych and Thisworld Outof, turning it into a demented aria of despair, and by the time the song is over I bet your heart will be a lot heavier than usual. Początek Wrażeń, which I believe would translate to “first impressions” or something similar to that, is a menacing version of the Blackened Death Metal played by Behemoth sung entirely in Polish, therefore sounding as creepy as possible if that’s not one of the languages you speak fluently. To be fair, instead of just singing, Karmiciel Wszy Zdrowych is darkly declaiming the lyrics. And no matter what he’s saying, it shouldn’t be good.
THE HEADBANGING MOOSE 