This talented Swedish Post-Hardcore and Nu Metal outfit is back in action with an inspiring three-track EP, pointing to an exciting musical direction prior to their next full-length album.
Vocalist Jowl Nyberg, guitarists Victor Adonis and Marcus Skantz, bassist Martin Lingonblad and drummer Peter Liwgren, collectively known as Lund/Malmö, Sweden-based Post-Hardcore/Nu Metal outfit Through The Noise, are back in action now in 2022 with a brand new EP entitled Tragedies, following up on their highly acclaimed 2019 album Dualism. During the Covid-19 lockdowns the band was unable to tour; however, there was plenty of time to write new material and they wrote a bunch of new songs, and after some careful consideration they decided that it would be best to release an EP before a full-length album, so they tracked three songs which make up Tragedies. Produced by Robert Kukla at Obsidian Recording Studios, Tragedies showcases a more sinister and heavier side of Through The Noise, appealing not only to the band’s current fanbase but also to anyone in search for fresh and vibrant heavy music.
The quintet arises from the underworld with a fusion of Alternative Metal and darker elements in Tantalus, bringing forward poetic lyrics rabidly declaimed by Jowl (“Perpetually trapped / Lost sense of time / Eternal damnation / Cursed with temptation”) and an amazing job done by Peter with his crushing drums, while Victor and Marcus add tons of heaviness to the music with their refined riffage. And Peter keeps hammering his drums in Aktaion, with all whimsical background elements making a thrilling paradox with the metallic bass by Martin and the raspy roars by Jowl, being therefore perfect for banging your head and jumping up and down with the band in the name of heavy music. Lastly, in Lamia we’re treated to another round of their wicked words (“Aggression bottled up from past transgressions / Disfigured, tormented by the pain / Forever haunted by my heinous actions / A victim, forced by godly hands”) supported by the visceral hybrid of Alternative Metal and Hardcore blasted by the quintet, making us eager for more of their music in a not-so-distant future.
You can get in touch with the talented guys from Through The Noise and know more about the band, their tour dates and plans for the future on Facebook and on Instagram, subscribe to their YouTube channel for more of their music and videos, steam their entire catalog on Spotify, and of course purchase your copy of Tragedies by clicking HERE, showing your utmost support to the Swedish underground. Nobody truly knows what will happen to the world of music in the coming months due to this never-ending Covid-19 madness, but at least we can rest assured the fires of heavy music will keep burning thanks to hardworking bands like Through The Noise, and based on the heaviness and melodies offered to us in Tragedies I can’t wait to see how their next full-length album will sound. It will be awesome, no doubt about that.
It’s time for vocalist Jowl Nyberg and guitarist Marcus Skantz to make some noise in this fun interview where they talk about their excellent band Through The Noise and their brand new album Dualism .
Through The Noise
The Headbanging Moose: Could you please introduce yourselves to our readers? How would you define Through The Noise?
Jowl Nyberg: I’m Jowl and I’m the vocalist and one of the founders of the band. We’ve always struggled to define Through The Noise, at least genre-wise, since we’ve never tried to fit in to a specific genre. We’re just a couple of guys who enjoy heavy music and try our best to present our listeners with just that: heavy music. We play metal with a touch of hardcore, that’s as close as we can come when we try to define it.
Marcus Skantz: Marcus and one of the guitarist in the band. To me, Through The Noise is a high energetic with both a lot of aggression and big melodies.
THM: Your brand new album Dualism is a fun and electrifying feast of heavy and hardcore sounds, but also full of melody and very polished. How was the recording process of the album, and did everything go according to your original plan?
JN: We knew from the start that we wanted to work with Erik Wiss at Wiss Music Productions again, why change a winning concept, right!? He knows our sound and we love to work with him, he always pushes us towards perfection and has nice inputs on our work. Although this time around Marcus had joined the band and he have some recording skills and equipment that the rest of us don’t, so we decided to record only the vocals and drums at Wiss Music Productions. The guitars and bass tracks are recorded in Marcus bedroom and then mixed at Wiss Music Productions along with everything else.
We only had like two-three tracks to work with before we booked the studio, so the process to write the rest of the songs was pretty intense, but that’s the way we like it: we thrive under pressure! Marcus and I spent many late nights at his place during this period. This was a bit different than our last album ´Fall Of Gaia´ where we wrote all the songs together in our rehearsal space.
MS: We booked the studio to record our second album just a month after I joined the band by the end of the summer 2017. By then, we just had one finished song and two song ideas to work with but we really needed a sharp deadline to kick our selves in the butt and write some new music. Five months later we had nine songs pre prodded and ready to be recorded. Peter went to Erik at Wiss Music Production and tracked all drums by the end of February and then me, Victor and Martin had about a month to record all the guitars and bass in my home studio before we returned to Erik to finish with all the vocals. The whole recording process went great even though it resulted in many late nights in my home studio due to my day work plus me, Jowl and Peter participating in a short film project where I helped with all post editing of sound and effects.
Jowl Nyberg (Through The Noise)
THM: Which songs from Dualism do you think better represent the band, and do you think your fans get that message while listening to your music or while watching you guys play live?
JN: We’ve always strived for intense, energetic songs with catchy and melodic choruses and I’d say that we deliver on that with all the songs on ´Dualism´ but if I had to pick one, I’d go with Psychomachia. If one truly wants to experience Through The Noise though: live is the way to go!
THM: One of my favorite songs of the album, Maktbegär (which I believe means “lust for power” from Swedish), is the only one sung in your mother tongue. Why did you guys decide to record that specific song in Swedish? Is there a special reason behind that?
JN: You are quite right in your translation, it does indeed mean “lust for power”.
I’ve always wanted to try and write something in Swedish and this is something that I’ve dabbled (and struggled) with at home for some time. ´Maktbegär´ actually started out as a translation and my own interpretation of a song called ´Mercy Me´ by one of my favourite punk-rock bands ´Alkaline Trio´ that I made for fun. The more I worked with it, it turned into something completely different that was too good not to use and the first time Marcus showed me this song I just knew that it would fit like a glove. I’ve also always felt like our regional dialect “skånska” fits well with hardcore-type vocals.
THM: How did you guys invite local Swedish punk vocalist Jahna Lund (from Death By Horse) to sing in three songs from Dualism? She has an amazing voice and matched perfectly your music. Can we expect more of that type of partnership in your future releases?
JN: Jahna and her band ´Death By Horse´ are close personal friends of mine: I love their music and Jahna’s characteristic voice! We’ve joined each other on stage plenty of times and I love collaborations and features on records, so it felt natural to invite her to add another level to our work. On our last record ´Fall Of Gaia´ I did a similar thing with a friend from work for the song ´The Accursed´ which turned out great so it might be a recurring theme on our albums!
MS: Jahna is a personal friend to us and we asked her to do some vocals on Psychomachia. While writing the song Secret Project we realized we needed a lot of choirs so we thought that she could be part of that song as well. The day she was in Erik’s studio she listened to some of the songs that was finished and when she heard the track Beyond Betrayal she got some ideas she wanted to test and that’s how she ended up in three songs of the record.
You just never know! If we write a piece where we think her voice would fit, we would not hesitate on asking her to do some more guest vocals.
Marcus Skantz (Through The Noise)
THM: Do you consider yourselves a metal band with punk and hardcore influences, or a punk and hardcore band with metal influences? How are the more diehard fans from both sides reacting to your music?
JN: This is interesting because we’ve always felt like we’re “in between”, so to speak. We’ve been considered “not hardcore enough” for hardcore festivals as well as “not heavy enough” for metal festivals. This is both a blessing and a burden in my opinion, it makes us somewhat unique but at the same time it alienates us from some gigs and crowds. Since I come from the punkrock/hardcore-scene originally and most of the other guys are more metalheads it’s only natural that our music sounds like something in between and that’s what makes us who we are.
MS: If you ask me we are a metal band with punk and hardcore influences, but that is me coming mainly from a thrash and melodic death background and I write songs in a certain way. If you ask Jowl I bet he thinks of it the other way around. I don’t think it really matters. We are a metal/hardcore band and we blend many different kind of styles into the mix with the outcome that we sound like Through The Noise.
THM: How’s the local metal and hardcore scene in your hometown Lund, in the city of Malmö and in Sweden in general? Can you recommend some bands from the underground scene that you think our readers should take a listen at?
JN: We have a lot of great local bands but not a lot of places for them (us) to play, unfortunately. Most bands around here head for Germany, eastern Europe, the Balkans and so on since there are more places to play and bigger audiences. It’s like the old saying “Big In Japan”, many bands are huge in other countries and almost unknown back home in Sweden.
Eastern High (Progressive-Metal), The Generations Army (Thrash-Metal), Wolves Within (Melodic-Hardcore), Mörbultad (Hardcore in Swedish), Chine (Death/Groove-Metal), Escaping Amenti (Theatrical/Apocalyptic Metalcore), Faithful Darkness (Melodic death-metal), Pandemonium (Symphonic Black Death-Metal) just to name a few!
MS: Both in general and locally, we have a thriving metal and hardcore scene in Sweden with a lot of great underground and up-and-coming bands. Kill The Kong, Imminence, Eleine and Eastern High just to name a few. We have a long tradition of great hard rock, metal and hardcore bands coming from Sweden which inspires us all.
Album Review – Through The Noise / Dualism (2019)
THM: Who are your biggest influences in music, and what inspires you to write heavy music?
JN: My biggest influences when it comes to lyricwriting are Matt Skiba of ´Alkaline Trio´ and Buddy Nielsen of Senses Fail. I tend to write deep, often melancholic, emotional and (at least to me) meaningful lyrics with a lot of metaphors that tells a story and I believe that I have these two gentlemen to thank for a lot of that! When it comes to my vocal style I guess Alexander Hagman of ´Raised Fist´, Andrew Neufeld of ´Comeback Kid´ and Tim McIlrath of ´Rise Against´ are some influences but also guys like Jake Luhrs of ´August Burns Red´. Other than that: playing and making heavy music is a great stress and anger release!
MS: My biggest influences comes from bands like Metallica, Pantera, Killswitch Engage and Machine Head in terms of how to build up a song, get the right groove and surprise or satisfy the listener. I often tries to write songs, riffs and so on that I myself would like to hear. I think it’s an honest way to treat the song and keep it real for both the listener and me as a composer.
THM: What about the future of the band? What can we expect from Through The Noise in the short and long term? And how are your tour plans going so far for the promotion of Dualism?
JN: We’re planning and hoping to take the band to the next level with this album! At the moment we are trying our best to book as many shows as possible for the rest of the year, at least, and after that we look forward to the process of making our next album! We’re here to stay and this is what we put all our effort into!
MS: In short term we are currently trying to book as many shows as possible with a fall of 2019 tour in the early planning stage. Of course we’re also planning for a follow up EP or full-length but since, while writing this, we have not released Dualism yet our focus right now is mainly on promoting the record and get out to play.
THM: Thanks you very much for your time! Please feel free to send your final considerations to our readers, to remind them where to buy your music, and anything else you would like to say.
JN: Thank you for taking an interest in our band! We would be very grateful if you visit and follow us on our social media pages and web shop (see links below), add our songs to your playlists and (of course) catch us live! This means the world to us and would really help us out!
Let’s make some noise to this five-piece Swedish Hardcore and Nu Metal act and their melodious brand new album overflowing rage and rebelliousness.
Founded in 2013 in the city of Lund, located around 30km from Malmö, in southern Sweden, the unruly five-piece Post-Hardcore/Nu Metal act comprised of Jowl Nyberg on vocals, Victor Adonis and Marcus Skantz on the guitars, Martin Lingonblad on bass and Peter Liwgren on drums, collectively known as Through The Noise, is back in action now in 2019 for our total delight with their second full-length album, entitled Dualism, a natural follow-up to their 2013 demo Adorn The Silence and their 2015 debut album Fall of Gaia, showcasing all the band’s talent, energy and, above all that, their absolute passion for heavy music.
Mixed by Erik Wiss (Eleine, Creye, To Dust), engineered by Ermin Hamadovic (Periphery, Devin Townsend Project, Architects), and mastered by Thomas ‘Plec’ Johansson (Soilwork, Watain, Scar Symmetry) at The Panic Room in Skövde, Sweden, Dualism is a pummeling mix of Hardcore and Nu Metal, containing nine glorious songs that are guaranteed to please even the ficklest of critics. Not only that, Dualism also brings to our ears the amazing guest vocals by local Swedish punk vocalist Jahna Lund (from Death By Horse), adding an extra touch of finesse and rage all at once to three of the most electrifying songs from the album.
The opening track Shattered already provides the listener a heavier-than-usual version of Hardcore from the very first second, with Peter sounding like a machine gun on drums while Jowl begins screaming rabidly, also presenting an atmospheric background that makes an interesting paradox with the slashing riffs by Victor and Marcus. Then featuring the aforementioned Jahna Lund we have Psychomachia, a frantic and aggressive tune perfect for slamming into the circle pit like there’s no tomorrow, and where the sound of the guitars couldn’t be more metallic and vibrant than what it already is. Peter keeps smashing his drums in the also fast and furious House of Asterion, a well-balanced mix of Metalcore, classic Hardcore and Alternative Metal where Martin’s bass lines rumble beautifully while Jowl roars nonstop like a maniac, followed by Digital Playground, a rock n’ roll radio hit where the entire band kicks us in the head with their rebellious instruments, spearheaded by Peter’s violent beats and the guitar duo’s lancinating riffs. And featuring Jahna once again, lending her gorgeous voice to the band’s crisp musicality, we have Secret Project, not as berserk as its predecessors but still very heavy and melodic, with Peter and Martin bringing thunder to the overall result with their respective instruments.
Deceiver is another explosion of Metalcore and Alternative Metal by the quintet, being highly recommended for breaking your neck in half headbanging but obviously maintaining a pleasant harmony in its core, all boosted by Jowl’s visceral growls and screams; whereas in Maktbegär, which translates as “lust for power” from Swedish, the band delivers an aggressive feast of smashing beats, cutting riffs and endless rage, or in other words, a mosh pit-catalyst Metalcore tune that will work amazingly when played live (and even if you don’t know a single word in Swedish you’ll starting singing the song’s chorus with the band). And there’s no time to breathe as Through The Noise don’t slow down not even a bit in Meaning Through Noise, hammering our skulls with more of their violent fusion of Hardcore and Nu Metal and also presenting those melodious clean vocals we got used to in first-class Metalcore, while the talented growler Jahna joins the band one more time for their last blast of ass-kicking heavy music in Beyond Betrayal, where the amazing job done by both Victor and Marcus with their razor-edged riffs provides Jowl all he needs to scream and shout, inviting us all to jump up and down with the band in a very fun and vibrant way and, therefore, closing the album on a high note.
All the insane and entertaining noise blasted by Through The Noise can be better appreciated by subscribing to their YouTube channel and by listening to their music on Spotify, and if you truly enjoyed the hybrid of Metalcore and Hardcore with a modern-day Nu Metal twist crafted by those Swedish guys in Dualism, don’t forget to purchase your copy of the album from iTunes or from Amazon, and to follow them on Facebook for news and tour dates. Through The Noise definitely know how to make a lot of noise, always loyal to the foundations of Hardcore, and if they keep generating such thrilling music in the years to come I’m beyond sure we’ll hear a lot more from them, a band that can already be considered one of the best bands of the Swedish Hardcore scene, and a band that deserves all our noise in their honor.
Best moments of the album:Psychomachia, Deceiver and Maktbegär.
Worst moments of the album:Shattered.
Released in 2019 Eclipse Records
Track listing 1. Shattered 4:10
2. Psychomachia (feat. Jahna Lund) 2:55
3. House of Asterion 3:47
4. Digital Playground 4:48
5. Secret Project (feat. Jahna Lund) 6:17
6. Deceiver 4:02
7. Maktbegär 4:54
8. Meaning Through Noise 4:48
9. Beyond Betrayal (feat. Jahna Lund) 5:19
Band members Jowl Nyberg – vocals
Victor Adonis – guitar
Marcus Skantz – guitar
Martin Lingonblad – bass
Peter Liwgren – drums
Guest musician Jahna Lund – additional vocals on “Psychomachia”, “Secret Project” and “Beyond Betrayal”
One of the most important bands from the contemporary Ukrainian Metal scene returns with a full-bodied album that will definitely put you to dance, love, drink a beer and bang your head, if not all at the same time.
If there’s one very special band that proudly raises the flag of Ukrainian Metal as high as the sun, always delivering amazing music to our ears with a high level of professionalism, commitment and dexterity, it’s Symphonic/Progressive Power Metal Majesty Of Revival, and in case you know nothing about them, I highly recommend you go after all their discography as it’s definitely worth a shot. And if you need more than just these few words to convince you of how good this band is, simply take a listen at their brand new album, entitled Dualism, and you’ll certainly get hooked on their melodious and electrifying music.
Formed in the fall of 2009 by lead singer and guitarist Dimitriy Pavlovskiy in Uzghorod, a city located in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary, Majesty Of Revival have already built a respectable career not only in their home country but also in important markets such as Japan, despite all the lineup changes since their inception. After releasing their debut EP Meaning of Life (2011), the full-length albums Through Reality (2012) and Iron Gods (2012) and another EP named Netherworld (2014), the band took a break from the outside world to focus on the studio work to give birth to Dualism, experimenting with different sounds and styles in order to provide their fans a unique experience in heavy music.
An avalanche of groove and heaviness will hit you from the very first thunderous notes by bassist Tom Penzel in the opening track, titled Deadlock, where it’s interesting to note how Dimitriy can easily go from deep harsh growls to very melodic vocal lines, not to mention how progressive guitars and drums sound, helping to keep this 6-minute composition exciting in its entirety. More metallic and aggressive in spite of the smooth keyboards by Vladimir Yakubovskiy, Awaken brings forward a good balance between guttural vocals and piercing riffs with serene and progressive passages, an amazing tune that will certainly pump up the fans when played live; followed by the sensational and classy Van Halen-inspired Hard Rock chant Alive, with highlights to the precise drumming by Vasiliy Irzhak and to its lyrics about our struggles in life (“All the changes occur when you least expect / And you never know who’s in charge / They come after you, if you fight, then you shoot / Or then you escape – take the last parachute”).
In Inner Dimension the band gets back to brutal and complex Power Metal, with the song’s background keyboards creating an amazing aura nicely complemented by the blazing riffs by Dimitriy, reminding me of old school Dream Theater (especially the guitar solos and all tempo changes). Then we have one of the heaviest of all tracks and consequently one of my favorites, the powerful Darkest, showcasing hints of Pantera in its riffs, an epic vibe led by the nonstop beats by Vasiliy, and lyrics as dark as the music demands (“Darkest fears disappearing with fading dreams / Full of griefs, thru the field of blackhearts / Forgotten truth has been replaced by lies / That destroyed belief for us all”); and Failure, where Rock N’ Roll and Heavy Metal are beautifully united once again. The bass guitar by Tom Penzel sounds like a hammer so heavy it is, adding tons of groove to the musicality and, therefore, turning it into a recommended choice for some good headbanging.
The intro for the power ballad Days seems slightly inspired by Metallica’s classic “One”, suddenly turning into contemporary and progressive Heavy Metal with the symphonic elements in the background increasing the song’s liveliness as well as its soulful guitar solos, whereas Wolfheart feels like listening to Sonata Arctica, including the song’s name and lyrics (“You have the wolfheart / You should free it once / Through the whole pain you have to believe / Release your hopes from the darkest fears / Don’t deny thy destiny / You are the knight of your own life / Cherish thy braveness, honor and love / With the obeisance you have to fight – sword in your hands, high above / You have the wolfheart”). It’s a good composition with beautiful guitar lines and solos, but too smooth at times compared to the overall potency of the album. Tongue gets back to a Symphonic Power Metal vibe with modern elements of Alternative Metal added to it, all without losing its core essence and boosted the the harsh vocals by Dimitriy. In addition, pay good attention to the interesting battle between Dimitriy and Vladimir with their guitar and keyboard solos. And presenting a sonority similar to classic bands like Stratovarius and Sonata Arctica, the very traditional tune Perfection offers nonstop drums and epic vocal lines that will surely accelerate the beat of your heart.
When the band slows down the crazy rhythm of ther music, we’re treated to a medieval power ballad named When the Night Embrace, with the passionate vocal performance by Dimitriy being flawlessly supported by the song’s inspiring atmosphere, becoming a perfect choice for singing along with the band during their live performances. The Hard Rock riffs by Dimitriy and the epic keyboards by Vladimir complement each other in the kick-ass metal tune Serenity, tailored for banging our heads nonstop while Vasiliy keeps hitting his drums as heavy as possible, not to mention the spot-on hints of Industrial Metal added to the vocal lines. As we get close to the end of Dualism, Majesty Of Revival fire the title-track Dualism, more progressive than most tracks of the album due to all its tempo changes and intricate beats and riffs. However, heaviness is still present in the musicality thanks to the deep growls by Dimitriy, feeling almost like a Metal Opera so imposing it is. And the Dream Theater-inspired ballad Same Blood closes the album on a high note, in special due to the superb keyboards by Vladimir and the song’s melancholic and gentle rhythm.
The progressive and symphonic universe crafted by Majesty Of Revival can be better appreciated through their Facebook, VKontakte and YouTube, and the excellency of Dualism can be purchased through their BandCamp page (where you will find some interesting options including bonus tracks and combos with T-shirts), as well as on iTunes and on Amazon. Featuring a modern and fresh artwork by Tomi Fanta, which was probably inspired by the duality found in poker cards, Dualism will instantly put you to dance, love, drink a beer and bang your head, if not all at the same time. In other words, everything we search for in high-quality Heavy Metal music.
Best moments of the album: Awaken, Alive, Darkest, When the Night Embrace and Serenity.
Worst moments of the album:Wolfheart.
Released in 2016 Massive Sound Recordings
Track listing
1. Deadlock 6:56
2. Awaken 6:14
3. Alive 4:13
4. Inner Dimension 6:14
5. Darkest 4:04
6. Failure 4:33
7. Days 6:00
8. Wolfheart 4:37
9. Tongue 5:26
10. Perfection 3:26
11. When the Night Embrace 4:56
12. Serenity 4:53
13. Dualism 5:06
14. Same Blood 4:50
Band members Dimitriy Pavlovskiy – vocals, guitars
Tom Penzel – bass
Vladimir Yakubovskiy – keyboards
Vasiliy Irzhak – drums
Guest musicians Marat Adiev – keyboards
Nelly Hanael – backing vocals
Ivan Kraynyay – bass
David Sánchez – harp, strings
Vocalist Jowl Nyberg, guitarists Victor Adonis and Marcus Skantz, bassist Martin Lingonblad and drummer Peter Liwgren, collectively known as Lund/Malmö, Sweden-based Post-Hardcore/Nu Metal outfit Through The Noise, are back in action now in 2022 with a brand new EP entitled Tragedies, following up on their highly acclaimed 2019 album Dualism. During the Covid-19 lockdowns the band was unable to tour; however, there was plenty of time to write new material and they wrote a bunch of new songs, and after some careful consideration they decided that it would be best to release an EP before a full-length album, so they tracked three songs which make up Tragedies. Produced by Robert Kukla at Obsidian Recording Studios, Tragedies showcases a more sinister and heavier side of Through The Noise, appealing not only to the band’s current fanbase but also to anyone in search for fresh and vibrant heavy music.
You can get in touch with the talented guys from Through The Noise and know more about the band, their tour dates and plans for the future on Facebook and on Instagram, subscribe to their YouTube channel for more of their music and videos, steam their entire catalog on Spotify, and of course purchase your copy of Tragedies by clicking HERE, showing your utmost support to the Swedish underground. Nobody truly knows what will happen to the world of music in the coming months due to this never-ending Covid-19 madness, but at least we can rest assured the fires of heavy music will keep burning thanks to hardworking bands like Through The Noise, and based on the heaviness and melodies offered to us in Tragedies I can’t wait to see how their next full-length album will sound. It will be awesome, no doubt about that.
THE HEADBANGING MOOSE 