Tag Archives: ritual

Metal Chick of the Month – Miss ScarRed

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Hear me, I’m here inside… Take a breath… Bring me to life!

It’s time to make things red, and I mean REALLY RED, here on The Headbanging Moose thanks to our metal lady of this always hot and sunny month of June, but before I say anything about her I have a very easy question for you. Do you know what The Headbanging Moose and Nuking Moose have in common, apart from two badass names and an endless passion for heavy music? The answer is quite obvious, it’s our total admiration for the breathtaking frontwoman Miss ScarRed, also known as Liz, a multi-talented singer, songwriter and vocal coach known for fronting the aforementioned Nuking Moose, as well as another project named Chaos Rising and her own solo band, and a woman who will set fire to whatever stage she steps on with her undeniable talent. In other words, I’m sure you’ll love to see everything “red” after our humble tribute to her.

Hailing from Hamburg, a major port city in northern Germany, Miss ScarRed is a rising force in the Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore and Deathcore scenes, delivering soaring vocals that walk hand in hand with the heaviness, melody and rage flowing from the music played by her bandmates. Her first official release in the metal world was back in September 2021, when Chaos Rising, a collaborative international Groove/Thrash/Heavy/Melodic Death Metal project formed in 2019 open to every female artist interested in metal music, released the single Prisoner, featuring our beloved diva on vocals (and songwriting) alongside French multi-instrumentalist Stéphanie Nolf (of Syrinx and Unsafe, who’s also by the way the founder and manager of Chaos Rising) on bass and drum programming, British multi-instrumentalist Catherine Fearns on the guitars, and Serbian guitarist Aleksandra Stamenković (aka Alexandra Lioness, of Jenner and Sigma Epsilon) also on the guitars. All releases by Chaos Rising, featuring an array of talented women, can be found on BandCamp and on Spotify under an album titled The Singles, including of course the song with Miss ScarRed on vocals, and I’m sure we’ll soon see another striking song fronted by her under such an amazing and important project for all women who love heavy music.

Apart from her involvement with Chaos Rising, Miss ScarRed was also the vocalist for a Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany-based Symphonic Metal band named Aeternitas between 2021 and 2022, until they disbanded in 2022 after decades of existence, as the band was originally formed back in 1999. Miss ScarRed ended up being their very last female vocalist, having released with them the single Shadows back in November 2021, the band’s last song before calling it quits. I wish we could have more of Aeternitas with her on vocals because the final result in Shadows is really compelling, but of course I understand there are things that happen inside countless bands out there that are out of anyone’s control.

Finally, let’s talk a little about Miss ScarRed’s main band, the ruthless Nuking Moose. Formed in 2013 in Bremen, a city straddling the Weser River in northwest Germany, Nuking Moose play a thrilling fusion of Melodic Death and Groove Metal highly recommended for fans of bands like Jinjer and The Agonist, having released the EP Into the Abyss back in 2018, and the full-length album Ritual, in 2023, this one already featuring Miss ScarRed on vocals. After the pandemic hit, their previous vocalist Lars Michalsky (who had been with the band since 2017) left Nuking Moose in 2022, vacating the position for our red-haired growler to join guitarists Lennart Godt and Lennart Jabben, bassist Kevin “Moshi” Schmidt, and drummer Arne Godt in their quest for heavy music.

“Our old singer moved away for professional reasons and we were forced to look for a replacement. We were lucky that Liz was looking for a new band herself at the same time we were looking for a singer. The internet brought us together and Liz won us over straight away. It was always important to us to have someone on the microphone who could shout/grow but also sing cleanly and melodically. We found Liz to be the right person,” commented the band about their new vocalist, complementing by saying that “the fact that she drove from her home near Hamburg to Bremen for rehearsals every week left no doubt that she was serious about the band. Luckily, she now lives closer to Bremen. In addition to her musical ability, Liz also brought a lot of experience from the professional music business with her. That was a great stroke of luck for us, because the rest of us only got into music as a hobby.”

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After being joined by Miss ScarRed (or in the case of Nuking Moose, they prefer calling her just as Liz), the band was able to reach the desired shape and form of their sound, sounding modern without sounding too polished at the same time, as well as hard and rough but with the melodic touch of Liz on vocals. As already mentioned, Nuking Moose released last year the album Ritual, featuring Liz on vocals, and let me tell you that it’s one hell of an album with no fillers, only killers. In case you’re curious to listen to it, you can find the album in full on different streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, and also watch on YouTube the official video for the title-track Ritual, the lyric video for the song Values, and a “making of” for the entire album.

One name that might eventually pop up whenever you search for information about Nuking Moose is the one of Martin Kesici, and that’s because he’s nothing more, nothing less than Liz’s partner, apart of course for being a rock musician and radio host who became known in 2003 as one of the winners of the casting show Star Search. He’s become a friend of the guys from Nuking Moose, being involved in their day-to-day activities as for example being responsible for the mixing of the live recordings of one of their concerts. And speaking about live recordings, you can enjoy Liz and the boys kicking some ass with the songs Message To The Dead and Rusty Giant, both rehearsal room recordings. “The rehearsal room recordings were not part of a larger release, but we simply wanted to show people out there as quickly as possible after the singer change what we sound like now with Liz. These recordings were not intended to be studio quality – for the sake of simplicity, the drums were programmed on the computer, for example, and the distorted sound of the guitars came from a digital amplifier and not from the tube amps that we actually play,” commented the band.

There’s a lot more information, tour dates, news and other nice-to-know details about Miss ScarRed and Nuking Moose on their official social media channels, including her Facebook, Instagram and Linktree, and the band’s official website, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube channel, leaving you updated with all things surrounding one of the most promising bands of the contemporary German scene, with of course Miss ScarRed proving why she was chosen by the band to be their new frontwoman and scream for them like there’s no tomorrow. Having said all that, what are you waiting for to dive into a sea of red together with such an amazing vocalist like her?

Miss ScarRed’s Official Facebook page
Miss ScarRed’s Official Instagram
Nuking Moose’s Official Facebook page
Nuking Moose’s Official Instagram
Nuking Moose’s Official YouTube channel

Interview – Denis (A Dark Reborn)

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Let’s join guitarist Denis from A Dark Reborn somewhere out in space to talk about their new album Last Echo, his passion for heavy music, and much more in this futuristic interview to The Headbanging Moose.

Denis (A Dark Reborn)

The Headbanging Moose: Hello from Canada! How are you doing? Thanks for your time for this interview. Let’s start with an intro to the band for the ones who know nothing about A Dark Reborn, how about that? Could you please let us know more about the band, when you started, and any other details worth mentioning?

Denis: Hello, nice to meet you! I’m Denis, rhythm guitar of the band. First of all, thank you for your interest and desire to get to know us, it is a pleasure that you want to get to know us from so far away!! So I’ll tell you a little about us. The band began to weave Lur around 2019, perhaps a little before, preparing things at home, while looking for people to accompany them in this madness. First Ivan (the bassist) appeared, shortly after Thomas (lead guitar) came in and later I, Denis came in as rhythm guitar along with the first drummer. However, there have been a couple of drummer changes, until today’s definitive lineup, with Saül becoming part of this family. We are a band with a good mix of influences that range from the most extreme metal, prog, hardcore,… through the classics and I could even say that some connotations of pop, blues,…

THM: Now let’s talk about your brand new album Last Echo and the concept behind it. You mentioned that the album is “about a space trip to a new life”. Can you tell us more about that? And what are the main differences from your 2022 album The Light?

Denis: Well, I’ll start with the differences between My Light and Last Echo. Mainly, the first album was a download of ideas, sensations, thoughts, influences… we reached a very beautiful symbiosis as a band and we were able to mix everything in a way that worked very well, in our opinion. The Last Echo album, as you say, is a journey escaping an apocalypse or whatever you want to call it. We are the last habitants of the earth, and we go out in search of a new home, and this album explains a little how we feel about each other, internal, personal conflicts, between us, while we arrive at the destination… or not, hahahaha

THM: You also had a few words about the futuristic artwork by renowned artist Gustavo Sazes, saying that “it reflects that new world to discover, decadent, desolate and dark, but still harbors hope.” How easy was it to work with such great artist, and how long did it take for you to reach the final artwork?

Denis: Well, the truth is that it was relatively easy to reach the final work. By making this album in a block of three parts and each of them with a different cover, it was easy to evolve each part until reaching the last one. We also knew that Sazes likes this type of theme, so it was quite easy to share ideas and understand each other.

THM: What were the biggest challenges faced by the band during the recordings of Last Echo? Is there anything that is not exactly like you planned in the final version of the album?

Denis: To tell the truth, the biggest challenge in recording this album was the time we had. We all know that record labels give you release dates and things like that, and perhaps that was the biggest challenge. It should be said that every time we go to the studio with Raúl Abellán, he always gives us a little twist to always look for a little more of ourselves and help us evolve both as musicians and as people. But yes, the biggest handicap was combining time together with wanting to make a concept album of this type. If I’m honest, I think we wouldn’t change anything on the album, since if we changed something, it wouldn’t be the same, no matter how little difference there was, it would be something else, and the truth is we are very proud of how it turned out.

Album Review – A Dark Reborn / Last Echo (2023)

THM: What would be favorite songs from Last Echo? You can’t say you love them all because I already know that, but if you had to choose maybe two or three songs that truly represent the band in the album, which ones would you pick?

Denis: Hahaha good question! Well, look, one of them is definitely Last Echo, for me it is a song that I listen to today in my headphones, in the car… and I can’t quite believe that we are the ones who played that song, it seems like any other song to me, another international band or I don’t know, hahahaha. Another one that I really like to play live is The Flight, I think it has a lot of strength, and it retains that part with evolved prog atmospheres from the first album and to finish with a third I would say Delirium, it has that tapping part that takes me to I don’t know where, for my rhythmic music it’s really fun to play.

THM: I saw that you just played in the beginning of November on the first edition of Bloody Fest in Spain, and that you have another bunch of live concerts scheduled between January and May all over Spain. How excited are you for those shows, and can we expect to see A Dark Reborn playing outside of Spain, maybe for example at some European festivals during the summer next year (or even here in Canada)?

Denis: Indeed, the first presentation concert of Last Echo was at Bloody Fest, and the truth is that it was very fun, and the response from the people who came to see us was spectacular. Well, we are eager to get back into the van and put in the miles. We really want to present the new album to the world and our show. We have dates until the month of May, but we are waiting to see if we close any more, to see if there are any festivals, and we really want to cross the border to Europe, and be able to get to Canada… oh my god!! That would be wonderful, I hope!! Although we know from listening to Spotify, for example, that we are being listened to a lot in the USA, so who knows.

THM: How’s the underground scene in Spain right now in your opinion? I mean, I’m always reviewing new albums by several amazing Spanish bands from Black and Death Metal to Metalcore and Hard Rock, but as you’re living and breathing the scene you might have some special comments about it. Also, apart from A Dark Reborn, which other Spanish bands should we keep an eye on?

Denis: Well, I will tell you that Spain is still a Latin country, which is why the underground scene, whether metal or hiphop or things like that, is difficult to stand out. You have to play the key very well, and be in the right place, with the right people and at the right time. That doesn’t mean that there are BRUTAL bands, with a lot of talent at the starting gate waiting for their turn, really! I could suggest to you friend bands such as Ankor, Violblast, Erio, We Exist Even Dead… and I left many out. I’m telling you, there is an impressive level of underground bands in this country!

THM: There’s this game I like to play sometimes with the bands interviewed here called “The Time Capsule”, where I ask the bands to list 10 songs from 10 different bands or artists to be saved in a time capsule for all future generations. Would you like to play that? And please, tell us the reason for selecting each song, of course.

Denis: Hahaha very good, let’s get to it then. You make it difficult but we are going to propose some!

1. Heaven Shall Burn – Endzeit
2. Mastodon – More Than I Could Chew
3. Get The Shot – Ultimate Warfare
4. Upon A Burning Body – The Island Of Lost Dreams
5. Jinjer – I Speak Astronomy
6. Amorphis – Brother And Sister
7. Soziedad Alkoholika – Tiempos Oscuros
8. Memento Mori Hardcore – Lleida Hardcore
9. Septicflesh – The Collector
10. Orbit Culture – North Star Of Nija

Well look, for future generations, we are going to wait for the future, hahahaha. At least me, I am a person who is guided a lot by sensations and moods, and that is what my playlists are based on. I don’t usually listen to individual songs. I prefer to listen to a band’s entire album. It seems to me that they have that way. meaning all the songs. Therefore, let’s wait until next year if you feel like it and look at this question again and talk about it, what do you think?

A Dark Reborn

THM: You have an amazing new album, a very exciting tour coming in 2024, you’re always working hard on your videos, and so on. Having said that, what’s next for A Dark Reborn? What else can we expect from the band in the coming months and years?

Denis: Thanks a lot for your comment on the album!!!! You can expect a lot of work and dedication from the band, we want to take great care of that, to always be able to transmit and get as close as possible to the person listening to us. We want to make it easy to reach each one of you. We hope to go as far as possible; we want to take on the world, we really want to go out and share with you everything we have. And above all you can expect effort and a lot of passion, which is a fundamental piece of this band, the passion for what we do. Well, we are fulfilling our dreams, what else could I say?

THM: Thanks again for your time! Feel free to send a final message to our readers, where to buy your music, and anything else you would like to say here!

Denis: Well, first of all, I would like to thank you again for wanting to meet us from so far away, for us it is an honor. I hope I can get to that side of the world soon and be able to say hello and share some beers!!!! For those who want to listen, know that we are on all digital reproduction platforms, be it Spotify, YouTube… and if you would like to support us with some merchandising, we have an online store on the Art Gates Records label, or if you prefer, you can write to us a DM on Instagram, Facebook, and we will be happy to chat with all of you and help you with everything you need! I repeat, thank you very much for the attention and the opportunity!!

Links
A Dark Reborn Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify | Linktree

Album Review – A Dark Reborn / Last Echo (2023)

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Embark on a musical voyage to the sound of this conceptual album about a space trip to a new life, carefully brought into being by an up-and-coming Melodic Death Metal outfit from Spain.

Leaded by the charismatic vocalist Lur, Girona, Spain-based Melodic Death Metal outfit A Dark Reborn combines atmospheric piano sounds with clean vocals and their darkest influences shaped by the power of their guitar riffs, which can easily be seen in their newborn opus, titled Last Echo. Produced, recorded and mixed by Raúl Abellán at The Mixtery, mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios, and displaying a futuristic artwork by Gustavo Sazes (and in the words of the band, it reflects “that new world to discover, decadent, desolate and dark, but still harbors hope”), the follow-up to their 2022 album The Light is a conceptual album that is about a space trip to a new life, all carefully brought into being by the aforementioned Lur on vocals alongside Thomas and Denis on the guitars, Ivan on bass, and Saül on drums.

The guitars by Thomas and Denis set the tone in the opening tune The Flight, being quickly joined by the rumbling kitchen by Ivan and Saül and, of course, the delicate yet infernal roars by Lur. Then drinking form the same fountain as Scandinavian Melodic Death Metal masters such as Soilwork, Arch Enemy and In Flames, the band offers us all an electrifying tune titled Illusions, which should work really well if played live, whereas minimalist, sinister guitar lines gradually evolve into a modern-day Melodic Death Metal feast titled Keida, with Lur roaring manically supported by the rumbling bass by Ivan while Saül keeps hammering his drums in great fashion. And in the title-track Last Echo the band enhances their heaviness and obscurity, which leads Lur to vociferate with even more anger in her blackened heart while also delivering her passionate clean vocals for our total delight.

Featuring vocalist Daniël de Jongh (Crown Compass, Black Nazareth, Textures) in a gripping duo with Lur, Ritual will inspire us all to bang our heads together with the band while Raül continues to pound his drums mercilessly; followed by Delirium, as atmospheric and futuristic as its predecessors, reminding me of some of the most visceral creations by Infected Rain. Moreover, Lur once again steals the spotlight with her wild growls and clean vocals. Their Melodic Death Metal feast with modern elements goes on in Levitating the Void, with Lur kicking ass on vocals as usual supported by the metallic bass by Ivan and the always hammering drums by Saül. Dark Matter is not a bad song, but a bit generic if compared to the rest of the album, while Lur still showcases all her vocal power, of course; whereas lastly, we’re treated to Hopeless, another song with an atmospheric vibe that evolves into a dark ballad full of passion, anguish and melancholy, putting a stylish ending to the album.

“The atmospheres and pianos will accompany you on this journey composed of three parts, where they continue with a Melodic Death Metal base, raw and dark parts, heartbreaking passages, melodic and melancholic choruses, and even some parts that reveal a lot of light, but soon return to take you to darkness and desolation,” commented the band about their new album, and you can enjoy that fusion of heavy music, passion and great storytelling in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, or purchase your favorite version of the album from the Art Gates Records webstore or by clicking HERE. In addition, go check what the band is up to on Facebook and on Instagram, including their tour dates, and subscribe to their YouTube channel for more of their classy music. After all is said and done, are you ready to join A Dark Reborn in their space trip to a new life to the sound of their new album? I’m sure you won’t regret it at all.

Best moments of the album: Illusions, Last Echo and Ritual.

Worst moments of the album: Dark Matter.

Released in 2023 Art Gates Records

Track listing
1. The Flight 4:02
2. Illusions 4:06
3. Keida 4:26
4. Last Echo 3:27
5. Ritual 4:23
6. Delirium 3:44
7. Levitating the Void 5:47
8. Dark Matter 3:53
9. Hopeless 3:42

Band members
Lur – vocals
Thomas – lead guitars
Denis – rhythm guitars
Ivan – bass
Saül – drums

Guest musician
Daniël de Jongh – vocals on “Ritual”

Album Review – Genus Ordinis Dei / Glare of Deliverance (2020)

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Witness the story of a young woman named Eleanor who is persecuted by the Holy Inquisition in the form of a stunning album of Symphonic Death Metal made in Italy.

There’s nothing better than celebrating what’s probably the weirdest Halloween of the past few decades (due of course to all the madness the world is going on right now) than with the pulverizing Symphonic Death Metal         blasted by a four-piece band hailing from Crema, a city and comune in the province of Cremona, in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy, that goes by the stunning name of Genus Ordinis Dei, which translates from Latin as something like “the order of the race”. Comprised of Niccolò “Nick K” Cadregari on vocals and guitars, Tommaso “Tommy” Monticelli on guitars and orchestrations, Steven F. Olda on bass and Richard Meiz on drums, Genus Ordinis Dei are unleashing upon humanity their brand new opus entitled Glare of Deliverance. Produced by Tommy himself at Sonitus Studio, Glare of Deliverance is much more than a follow-up to their sophomore album Great Olden Dynasty, offering us all a series of ten individual songs, each with its own music video or episode, which combine in sequence like a short film or television series that tells the story of a young woman named Eleanor, who is persecuted by the Holy Inquisition, bringing the concept art of American author Tom Roberts to life.

Sounds of nature warm up our senses for the enfolding and atmospheric journey that’s about to begin in a beautiful and imposing intro named Ritual, setting the stage for the band to kill in Hunt, a majestic Death Metal aria infused with symphonic and epic elements, with Nick roaring and screaming in anger nonstop accompanied by the pulverizing drums by Richard and the beyond whimsical orchestrations by Tommy; and soaring choirs intertwined with the pounding beats by Richard ignite the progressive and heavy-as-hell Edict, with Steven adding his share of groove to the music while Nick and Tommy slash their stringed axes powerfully. The band keeps smashing their instruments in great fashion in Examination, where we’re all invited to bang our heads to this sinister tune spearheaded by Nick’s demonic growls and vociferations, alternating between Symphonic Metal moments and eerie passages. After that, like in an epic movie, the music in Torture grows in intensity until all hell breaks loose, morphing into a melodic and atmospheric feast of Death Metal presenting incendiary guitars making a thrilling paradox with all background orchestrations.

Then phantasmagorical guitars, melancholic violins and endless sorrow and pain will penetrate deep inside your mind in Judgement, where Steven and Richard bring a touch of Doom Metal to the music while Nick and Tommy fire Groove Metal-inspired riffs, with the whole experience ending in pure solitude. And cryptic sounds and tones are gradually joined by serene acoustic guitars in Dream, sounding and feeling as progressive as possible, with its hammering drums walking hand in hand with the background keys by Tommy, whereas Gregorian chants kick off the also dense and doomed Abjuration, offering our avid ears a cinematic vibe boosted by Nick’s and Tommy’s razor-edged guitars in another gorgeous creation by the quartet, uniting the rage of Death Metal with the finesse of a classic opera. Sounding like a metallic and grim waltz we face the amazing Exorcism, with Nick taking the lead with his deep guttural roars while his bandmates generate a massive wall of sounds for our total delight, resulting in seven minutes of the best Symphonic Death Metal you can find anywhere in the world; and last but not least, if Mastodon, Nightwish, Dimmu Borgir and Gojira were combined into one single entity they would certainly write the multi-layered, breathtaking tune Fire, where the keys by Tommy are enhanced by the contrast with Steven’s bass and Richard’s beats, and with all breaks, variations, gentle passages and the Stygian growling by Nick blowing our minds, or in other words, it’s a first-class hybrid of sheer heaviness and a stylish metal opera to flawlessly close the album.

I’m sure you’re eager to put your hands on what’s one of the best metal albums of the worldwide underground scene, and you’ll be able to do that sooner than later by clicking HERE and selecting your favorite version of the album to buy or stream when it’s officially released. In the meantime, don’t forget to follow Genus Ordinis Dei on Facebook and on Instagram, subscribe to their YouTube channel to be the first to know about each chapter of the incredible Glare of Deliverance, and listen to more of their music on Spotify. Are you curious to know what happens to Eleanor in this high-octane, top-of-the-line album of Symphonic Death Metal? Well, the skillful musicians of Genus Ordinis Dei are here to tell us the fate of such interesting character in their new album, and let’s hope they continue to embellish the airwaves for many years to come with their impressive creations while at the same time they keep us all absolutely hooked with their refined storytelling abilities in each of their future releases.

Best moments of the album: Hunt, Edict, Exorcism and Fire.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2020 Eclipse Records

Track listing
1. Ritual 3:47
2. Hunt 4:18
3. Edict 6:42
4. Examination 6:59
5. Torture 4:41
6. Judgement 7:46
7. Dream 6:38
8. Abjuration 7:47
9. Exorcism 7:04
10. Fire 16:08

Band members
Niccolò “Nick K” Cadregari – vocals, guitars
Tommaso “Tommy” Monticelli – guitars, orchestrations
Steven F. Olda – bass
Richard Meiz – drums

Album Review – Super Satan / Menetekel (2020)

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An incendiary album of German Black Metal overflowing blast beats, pushing sounds and aggressive riffs that will let us all slide down the abyss piece by piece.

With a variety of beautiful, dreamy tracks and silence shattering sounds split into ten hypnotic tracks with a total playing time of over 57 minutes, Menetekel, the debut full-length opus by an infernal Kaufbeuren, Germany-based Black Metal duo comprised of vocalist Stefan Bauer (Disgusting Perversion) and guitarist Julian Gruber (Disgusting Perversion, Pestilent Reign, Running Death, Taste of Desolation) that goes by the curious name of Super Satan, brings to our ears a fast, hard-riffing and overall unconventional style of Black Metal, being highly recommended for fans of bands like Der Weg einer Freiheit and Der Rote Milan. Supported by the heavy kitchen of Nikita Kamprad (Der Weg einer Freiheit, Illusion of Strength) on bass, who also produced the album, and Sebastian Unić (Crimson Death, Pestilent Reign, Kâhld, Hysterie) on drums, Super Satan take no prisoners in Menetekel, with their driving blast beats, pushing sounds and aggressive riffs letting the audience slide down the abyss piece by piece and leading them through the end of all days, all of course sung in their mother tongue German.

Get ready to be dragged down to the scorching pits of the underworld in the phantasmagorical intro Menetekel, or “warning sign” in English, setting the stage for Super Satan to crush our souls in Zwiespalt (“conflict”), with Julian extracting sheer obscurity from his wicked guitar while guest Sebastian delivers traditional blast beats, resulting in a feast of classic and modern Black Metal spearheaded by the demonic roars by Stefan. Then we have another brutal round of Black Metal the likes of Marduk and Immortal in Einklang (“unison”), sounding absolutely demonic and pulverizing from start to finish, with Sebastian going berserk once again on drums while Nikita hammers his bass furiously, whereas the strident, piercing riffs by Julian are the main ingredient in the infernal Mondglanz (“moonlight”), bringing some Hardcore and Grindcore nuances to their already vicious sonority and, therefore, being perfect for slamming into the pit while also presenting groovier and heavier moments.

Dämmerung (“dusk”) is an Atmospheric Black Metal extravaganza led by the electrifying guitar lines by Julian while Stefan gnarls in a dark and anguished manner, remaining sluggish, bleak and melancholic throughout its five minutes of sheer obscurity, and following such venomous tune we’re treated to Wolkenbruch (“downpour”) and its almost 10 minutes of a fantastic hybrid between old school Black Metal with contemporary Melodic Black Metal. Furthermore, Sebastian sounds even more boisterous on drums while very rhythmic at the same time, with Stefan’s deep roars bringing endless hatred and fear to the overall result. Then cryptic sounds and tones permeate the air in Auferstehung (“resurrection”), morphing into a furious explosion of Black Metal infused with Symphonic Black Metal nuances with Sebastian once again adding his share of dementia to the music, while Stefan keeps barking and screaming manically.

Hammering their flammable instruments nonstop, the band pierces our ears and minds with the scorching Weltenbrand (“world fire”), also sounding and feeling atmospheric and epic. In addition to that, you can sense some resemblance to the most vicious creations from Neue Deutsche Härte, while Julian sounds truly infernal with his dark riffing. After such high level of obscurity, it’s time for a hurricane of modern-day Black Metal blasted by Super Satan in Ritual, showcasing razor-edged guitars, fulminating drums and the always visceral gnarls by Stefan, while Nikita and Sebastian bring thunder to the sonority with their sonic weapons. Lastly, blending the imposing sounds by bands like Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir and Emperor, the band fills our ears with hatred and evil in the closing tune Ur, where those German metallers display all their dexterity and passion for the underworld for over eight minutes.

The creativity and darkness flowing from German Black Metal always amazes me, and with Super Satan it couldn’t have been any different than that. Those two talented musicians and their henchmen simply nailed it already with their debut release, which is by the way available for a full listen on YouTube and on Spotify, bringing forth a very cohesive, austere and incendiary fusion of the most diverse styles of Black Metal. Hence, don’t forget to give them a shout on Facebook and on Instagram, and to purchase your copy of such excellent album from their own BandCamp page or from the Thanatoskult’s BandCamp page, as well as from Apple Music or from Amazon. As already mentioned, Menetekel is the perfect soundtrack to the end of everything, proving once again why Black Metal made in Germany is and will always be one of the most interesting and breathtaking subgenres of extreme music.

Best moments of the album: Einklang, Wolkenbruch and Ritual.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2020 Thanatoskult

Track listing
1. Menetekel 1:15
2. Zwiespalt 6:02
3. Einklang 3:49
4. Mondglanz 3:00
5. Dämmerung 5:00
6. Wolkenbruch 9:38
7. Auferstehung 5:45
8. Weltenbrand 7:17
9. Ritual 6:57
10. Ur 8:32

Band members
Stefan Bauer – vocals
Julian Gruber – guitars

Guest musicians
Nikita Kamprad – bass (session)
Sebastian Unić – drums (session)

Concert Review – Iron Maiden (Budweiser Stage, Toronto, ON, 07/15/2017)

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On a pleasant summer day in the city of Toronto, over 18,000 metalheads had a beautiful time screaming, singing, jumping up and down, raising their horns and “climbing like a monkey” to the flammable music by the unparalleled Iron Maiden.

OPENING ACT: Ghost

As opposed to last year’s Iron Maiden concert at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, when it was freaking cold and a snow blizzard covered the city and made driving a true nightmare, this Saturday the weather couldn’t be more perfect, with a temperature close to 30 degrees in a sunny day, resulting in another memorable night for all Maidenmaniacs that attended the concert at the always amazing Budweiser Stage (which used to be called Molson Canadian Amphitheatre). You could see in the eyes of the fans that everyone was in a great mood, probably because they spent the whole day getting ready for the concert, drinking beer, enjoying a nice BBQ or simply listening to Iron Maiden while getting tanned by the nice afternoon sun. And besides, everyone would have the whole Sunday to recover before returning to work on Monday (unless you were also seeing Metallica on Sunday, but that’s a different story).

It was around 7:30pm when the opening act hit the stage, Heavy Metal blue-eyed boys GHOST, who for some reason are deeply loved by most musicians, but not as much by fans of metal music. Even Metallica’s James Hetfield himself was at the venue watching the performance by Papa Emeritus III (also known as Tobias Forge) and his nameless ghouls. Anyway, this was my second time seeing Ghost, once again opening for Iron Maiden as in 2014 in the Czech Republic, and this time was way better than the first, I must admit. Papa Emeritus III was more dynamic on stage, more communicative and less “stuck” to the pope gimmick. A considerable amount of fans that were at the venue enjoyed their performance, singing together with the band songs like Ritual, Year Zero and Absolution, and as their performance wasn’t too long I guess not even the most diehard fan of Iron Maiden got bored with Ghost.

Setlist
Masked Ball (Jocelyn Pook song)
Square Hammer
From the Pinnacle to the Pit
Ritual
Cirice
Year Zero
Absolution
Mummy Dust
Monstrance Clock

Band members
Papa Emeritus III (Tobias Forge) – vocals
Nameless Ghouls – all instrumentalists:

  • Fire – lead guitarist
  • Ether – rhythm guitarist
  • Water – bassist
  • Wind – keyboardist
  • Earth – drummer

IRON MAIDEN

Finally, after over one year (and another cold winter), it was time for Toronto to scream one more time for the one and only IRON MAIDEN, this time during their The Book Of Souls World Tour 2017, the second leg of their majestic tour promoting their 2015 masterpiece The Book Of Souls. The setlist was pretty much the same as last time, except for Tears of a Clown being replaced with The Great Unknown, and the saddest change of all time, Hallowed Be Thy Name being replaced with Wrathchild due to a legal dispute with retired rock band manager Barry McKay, who is taking Steve Harris and Dave Murray to court over the song. Barry claims Hallowed Be Thy Name reproduces major parts of a song titled “Lying in my Shadow”, written by musician Brian Quinn (under the name Brian Ingham), and because of that Iron Maiden couldn’t play one of their most beautiful and powerful classics during their 2017 tour.

That didn’t stop Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris & Co. to kick ass one more time on stage for the delight of over 18,000 metalheads at the Budweiser Stage, blasting as usual a well-balanced mix of old school songs and newer compositions. Fans were already pumped up during the classic “Doctor Doctor” intro, exploding into sheer ecstasy when Bruce appeared at the top of the band’s Mayan-inspired stage to ignite their “ritual” with the initial spoken words of their new classic If Eternity Should Fail. After that it was an avalanche of hits played to perfection with Bruce interacting with the crowd all the time, while Steve was unstoppable with his galloping bass and Janick seemed as if he was high on something so electric his performance was. And I guess I don’t need to say how awesome Adrian, Dave and Nicko were with their instruments, right? There was only one minor issue with Bruceç mic, which kept failing a little once in a while, but nothing that could harm such sensational concert.

In my humble opinion, the best sequence of the night started with the classic Children of the Damned, where Bruce gave his already traditional speech about most of the fans not being born when the song was written and, for the ones born in 83 or 84, they might be the true “children of the damned”, conceived when the song was written in 82 (as Bruce mentioned, your parents had sex at least once in their lives!). After such stylish composition, the band invited all of us to fly with them and “fight” the Red Baron in the high-octane Death or Glory, with Bruce and his monkey mask enticing us to “climb like a monkey”, a fun move he started last year that became sort of mandatory every time they play this song. And the stunning sequel went on with the 13-minute hymn The Red and the Black, with all fans jumping up and down and singing the “Oh-oh oh-oh-oh! Oh-oh oh-oh-oh!” parts along with Bruce, followed by one of my top Maiden songs of all time, The Trooper, where guess what? It was time to burst our lungs again screaming the song’s famous “Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh!” together with the band. And closing their killer sequel, the imposing Powerslave, which almost made me blind with its initial flames as I was quite close to the stage.

The newer songs like The Great Unknown and the epic The Book of Souls (where Eddie had his heart “ripped out” by Bruce) kept their momentum going, making everyone even more excited for their final batch of unparalleled classics such as Iron Maiden, The Number of the Beast (with the stage fires making us literally burn), and Wasted Years. However, it was their 2000 creation Blood Brothers that really stole the show, with all fans signing its heartening lyrics together with the band, after Bruce’s inspiring intro where he spoke about how diverse and welcoming the city of Toronto is, and how there shouldn’t be no differences among us all, as we’re all blood brothers. What a brilliant performance of such amazing tune, I have to say! One of the best I’ve seen live together with the one from Rock In Rio III in 2001. As Bruce said close to the end of the show, Iron Maiden are far from being done, and they’ll return to Toronto with more of their unmatched metal music in a not-so-distant future. Needless to say, all 18,000 fans at the concert Saturday are more than eager for that without a shadow of a doubt. It doesn’t matter if it’s a hot and sunny day like this Saturday or if it’s in the middle of a cold winter, we all know that Iron Maiden’s gonna get us all.

Setlist
Doctor Doctor (UFO song)
If Eternity Should Fail
Speed of Light
Wrathchild
Children of the Damned
Death or Glory
The Red and the Black
The Trooper
Powerslave
The Great Unknown
The Book of Souls
Fear of the Dark
Iron Maiden

Encore:
The Number of the Beast
Blood Brothers
Wasted Years
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (Monty Python song)

Band members
Bruce Dickinson – lead vocals
Steve Harris – bass
Dave Murray – guitar
Adrian Smith – guitar
Janick Gers – guitar
Nicko McBrain – drums