AN NCS INTERVIEW: ILLWIND

 Exceptions to the Rule, Interviews  No Responses »
Sep 172026
 

(This past July Personal Records released a fine debut album [for which we did a premiere] by the Peruvian band Illwind, whose lineup was forged from members of some top South American bands such as Reino Ermitaño, Cobra, Arcada, and Argul. The album provided the impetus for our Comrade Aleks to re-connect with Illwind’s Marcos Koifman, and that produced the following excellent interview with him.)

About 10-15 years ago, the Peruvian band Reino Ermitaño was well-known to doom metal fans. The aesthetics of shamanic rituals, textured riffs, subtle psychedelia, bassist Marcos Koifman’s expressive artwork, and Tanya Duarte’s vocals among other features set the band apart from their contemporaries. Reino Ermitaño was disbanded, and its members joined new outfits, yet Marcos Koifman made his manifest only now with the new doom-act Illwind.

From the ten-minute heroic doom metal anthem “Crimson Skies”, and the down-to-earth “Wanderer” or “Portal,” to the droning stoner-armored “God of Sleep” and the hypnotic “Lucifer’s Mule”, Illwind proves their intention to make something special and refreshing for the underground Doom Cult. It was a proper reason to interview Marcos, as Illwind’s debut album The Unfolding at the End of Light did not go unnoticed for both NCS co-writers and dedicated readers.

Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: DEAD KOSMONAUT

 Exceptions to the Rule, Interviews  3 Responses »
Sep 112026
 

(In June of this year Edged Circle Productions released a new album by the Swedish heavy metal band Dead Kosmonaut, and that led to the following extensive interview by our Comrade Aleks of the band’s founder and songwriter Mattias Reinholdsson.)

This Swedish heavy metal band, officially formed almost twenty years ago by bassist Mattias Reinholdsson, now boasts not only its third album but also a still-stellar lineup. In addition to Mattias’s Book of Hours buddy Henrik Johansson (drums), Dead Kosmonaut features vocalist Per Hellbutcher (Hellbutcher, Nifelheim), as well as guitarists Fredrik Folkare (Unleashed) and Peter Hallgren (Sorcerer).

Such a lineup could offer listeners a brutally extreme experience, but instead, these gentlemen deliver the same melodic, classic metal. The sound of their new album Retrospectre is heavy and clear, not overly cluttered, and the production, entrusted to Fredrik, was oriented toward the ’80s, although these tracks lack the retro-vibe. Despite the artwork and the title, Dead Kosmonaut are not only alive, but kicking ass, and Mattias is here to tell how it’s possible. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: BOCC

 Interviews  1 Response »
Sep 082026
 

(Comrade Aleks has brought us a very good interview with guitarist/vocalist Emilio from the Catalan death/doom metal band Bocc, whose new album Demolarium will be released in just a few days by Night Terrors Records.)

While all members of the Barcelona trio Bocc had previously gravitated toward different sorts of extreme metal (some dabble in sludge, others in death metal), in 2019 they came together in a single, pernicious fervor and gave birth to a blood-soaked death-doom monstrosity.

You can tell from the cover of their second full-length album, Demolarium: the Catalans eschew the sentimentality of melodramatic doom, embracing its uncompromising, destructive, yet musically savvy expression instead. Bocc would be a good match for bands like Autopsy, Cianide, and Coffins, if you’re looking for references, but their sludge-laden, uncompromising base and vitriolic aggression adds variety to the sound.

This fact might be considered curious, given the brutal roar of Bocc’s frontman, but the lyrics are written in Catalan, and their themes are historical, mythical, and folkloric. The vocal delivery negates this merit – the lyrics are impossible to decipher. And that’s one of a few reasons why we got in touch with the band. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: CARDINALS FOLLY

 Interviews  No Responses »
Sep 012026
 


photo by Tomi Mäenpää

(On October 9th Cruz Del Sur Music will release Let the Posers Fall!, a new album by the Finnish doom band Cardinals Folly. This provided an occasion for our Comrade Aleks to re-connect with the band for an extensive new interview with Mikko Kääriainen that we present below.)

A band like Cardinals Folly can afford to title their albums in such a brazenly provocative manner…  Such Power Is Dangerous! Our Cult Continues! This Is No Church! And this time Let the Posers Fall!. This is the Finnish doom masters’ seventh full-length release in nearly twenty years, and the band, led by vocalist and bassist Mikko Kääriainen, excels not only in the studio but also on tour. Mikko, albeit with a varied lineup, has not only conquered Europe but also made it to the US, which, given the lack of major label support, is an achievement in itself.

Incidentally, thanks to touring, the Cardinals Folly lineup almost broke up, and Mikko recorded new material with Joni Takkunen, who drummed in the band for 12 years, and Tuomo “Space Doom” Kosonen, guitarist of Pohjoinen. Considering Mikko’s stubbornness and obsession with his creation, I’m not surprised that these changes haven’t affected the new album’s quality. Let The Posers Fall! is a blast, and there’s some truth to the pathos of the joke in the title.

Cardinals Folly are still as good at everything related to jaunty trad-doom and solid heavy metal, and their songs seem to have even more of the latter. Here’s our traditional interview with Mikko, and it’s traditionally good. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: TODOMAL

 Interviews  1 Response »
Aug 242026
 

(Earlier this year our Comrade Aleks interviewed Javier Fernández Milla, one of the two members of the Spanish doom metal band TodoMal. Today we present an English translation of that very good discussion. TodoMal’s newest album Graveyards of Joy was released on July 3rd by Season of Mist, and we reviewed it, along with their two previous albums, here.)

We simply couldn’t ignore the third album by the Spanish band TodoMal, Graveyards of Joy. While their second release, A Greater Good, clearly showcased innovative, luxurious doom metal with the global cinematic backdrop and emotional vibe of Anathema in the late ’90s, today the band’s founders Javier Fernández Milla and Christopher B. Wildman have taken a step beyond that. TodoMal’s new material sets a new standard for melodic, still-heavy doom music, laced with a genuine sadness and an ineradicable humanity.

What is this doom with a human face about? I believe Javier will answer that question, too. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: LACHRIMA CORPHUS DISSOLVENS

 Interviews  No Responses »
Aug 072026
 

(Here we have Comrade Aleks’ interview of Antonio Ortiz from the Bolivian doom metal band Lachrima Corphus Dissolvens, whose latest album was released this past April.)

Lachrima Corphus Dissolvens is the rare (or only?!) representative of death-doom metal in Bolivia. Being founded in La Paz in 2003 by Antonio Ortiz (vocals) and Beyson Gibson (guitars) with a bunch of friends who soon left the band, it remains still active, although there are only two full-length albums in its discography.

Yes, the new piece Where Shadows Speak and Time Weeps is only the second big work of Lachrima Corphus Dissolvens, but a dozen of singles, EPs, splits, and compilations show that the men didn’t waste their time carrying the torch of Ruinous Powers. I interviewed Antonio earlier in July, so you can make an impression of what Lachrima Corphus Dissolvens is from this interview. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: PSICORRAGIA

 Interviews  No Responses »
Jul 242026
 

(In June of this year the Peruvian band Psicorragia released their third album. We had the pleasure of premiering a video for one of its great songs, and today we take pleasure in presenting Comrade Aleks’ excellent discussion with Psicorragia’s Mario Romanet.)

Peruvian death-doom band Psicorragia, led by bassist and vocalist Mario Romanet, has been together since 1994. Their first full-length album, La pasion de lo mortal, was released in 2001, and this year saw the release of their third major effort, Nekromanthra. Although nine years ago, the band had eight tracks in the works for their third full-length, the final release included only six songs, totaling 45 minutes. Yet there’s no need to worry; it’s absolutely a full-length recording and Psicorragia delivered professional and powerful material, effectively serving as the best work of their career.

The very first track, “Y sus plagas invocaron,” showcases their wide range of influences, from death metal to eldritch death-doom. The composition repeatedly shifts its mood from hostilely aggressive to detached melancholy and back again, the ascetic guitar sound offset by keyboard arrangements that take on the form of sublime orchestrations and mournful violin dirges.

Psicorragia tend to blend these two styles and, relying on their instincts, combine both approaches, but, for example, “Lo inexorable” embodies that very classic “death-doom with violin” from the ’90s that has become a brand in itself. The final track, “Nekromanthra,” concludes the album with grueling, drawn-out funereal doom, presented in an ominous, tormented, and almost ceremonial manner.

Mario Romanet answered a few questions recently, so I invite you to read this interview and join the macabre world of Psicorragia. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: DAUÞUZ

 Interviews  2 Responses »
Jul 222026
 

(In this new interview our Comrade Aleks conversed with the two members of the Mining Black Metal band Dauþuz, whose new album Todeswerk: Uranium II was released in late May by Amor Fati Productions.)

Having some knowledge of radionuclide technologies and the history of their application, I could not ignore the new album of the German black metal band Dauþuz entitled Todeswerk: Uranium II. The official press-release stated that the album’s concept was built around uranium mining in the Bohemian Joachimsthal after World War II and the inhuman conditions of workers who were forced to labour in the name of the Soviet Nuclear Program.

But the story is more complicated as always, and it’s easy to find that for long years the town was almost the only source of uranium since WW I. Uranium mining was temporarily suspended due to increasing cancer deaths in 1929, yet despite attempts to improve workers’ conditions, the mortality rate continued to rise. It’s not a secret that things went really bad when Jáchymov was occupied by German troops during WW II, and fascists utilized Soviet prisoners in the name of the German Nuclear Program there. Needless to say, the situation changed vice-versa when the War was over, and everything was in ruins.

As I reflected on this topic, I found some glimpses of the story of uranium mining in Africa… Did you know where the uranium used to make the bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki came from? Go and check, there was no fun there either. So, okay, uranium mining in Africa, Canada, and the USA – back then no one gave a damn about the environment or miners’ lives either of course. There was no any trace of humanism in this field for decades, and I bet there is nothing like this in some Third World countries nowadays as well.

Todeswerk: Uranium II tells the story of suffering, forced labour, and death in the name of progress and power in a most artistic way – both straightforward and epic. The interview with Dauþuz’ members Aragonyth and Syderyth was tough sometimes due to the difficult topics we discussed, but we managed to keep it diplomatic to some degree. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: MOTHS

 Exceptions to the Rule, Interviews  No Responses »
Jul 082026
 

(We venture off our usual beaten paths today with the following very engaging interview conducted by Comrade Aleks with a member of the Puerto Rican band Moths, whose progressive metal goes off in very interesting and often unexpected directions.)

Things happen and it’s difficult to support each new release in time, but I believe that it’s better late than never, and today I’m belatedly announcing that Puerto Rican experimental outfit Moths have a second full-length album Septem, with each track of that dedicated to one of the seven sins. The idea isn’t new, but its execution sounds unique. I can’t say the same about the lyrics, however, as they pose the issue directly, without any frills, and yet the Moths’ essence is quite unusual.

The casual and flirtatious folk prelude “Sloth” could be anything but a prelude to a metal album. However, with “Envy,” electric guitar takes over, and the listener is treated to avant-garde and progressive witchy heavy rock. Moths’ new vocalist, Mariel Viruet, previously fronted a local tribute band and performed in a jazz band. Here, she showcases both trained jazz and extreme vocals, effortlessly channeling the track’s hard rock intensity.

“Greed” bursts in unexpectedly hard, predatory, and fast: Mariel growls out the lyrics and switches to her usual delivery. “Pride” follows the pattern of “Greed,” but this extreme, doomy metal piece is imbued with the prowess of progressive rock, with a loud, jazzy vocal and a wealth of instrumental nuances. The difference lies in the details, and Moths sounds disorienting in any case, and the extremity of “Wrath” is unique. Liquid prog parts mutate into fat riffs, growls alternate with jazzy and pop vocals, and all together it sounds bold, unusual, even provocative.

So, today, almost one year after Septem’s release, we managed to organize an interview with the band’s spokesman and bass-player Weslie Negrón. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: UNMOTHER

 Interviews  No Responses »
Jun 302026
 

(Today we present Comrade Aleks’ interview of Spyros, aka Declwa, guitarist/bassist for the UK band Unmother, whose second album was released in February of this year and was reviewed by us here.)

The second album of London-based project Unmother, State Dependent Memory, depicts a disturbing urban atmosphere of isolation and unsafety in post-black metal tones. The black metal elements used as the album’s framework are almost devoid of the genre’s extreme spirit, but the speed of delivery and screaming vocals work to Unmother’s advantage. The album’s main mood, or atmosphere, so to speak, is supported by “experimental” and melancholy deviations from the theme, embedded in the guitars’ transitions into the appropriate register and the non-trivial, noire keyboard melodies.

Unmother truly has crafted material with its own character, and the black metal component isn’t as prominent as one might expect, but that’s not particularly important. State Dependent Memory provides questions and barely answers, and an interview with the band was a question of time. Continue reading »

 Older Entries