AN NCS INTERVIEW: MALOKARPATAN

 Interviews  No Responses »
Aug 202021
 

 

(The subject of this very extensive and engaging new interview by Comrade Aleks is Adam S., the lyricist and chief songwriter of the distinctive Slovak metal band Malokarpatan, though he also discusses another personal project with an album in the works.)

If you haven’t heard any of Malokarpatan’s albums, I bet you know about them anyway – no one could skip over the eye-catching artworks of Stridžie dni (2015), Nordkarpatenland (2017), and Krupinské ohne (2020). Slovakian pagan traditions shine through these authentic covers, and as you might surmise, the guys write their lyrics in their mother tongue. You’ll find translations easily enough, for example at Metal-Archives, and should find them if you’re searching for new poetic discoveries.

But probably we should start with the curious fact that Malokarpatan perform an authentic (again authentic!) mix of reckless yet tricky, non-trivial, heavy and black metal. Heathen energy, the pounding pulse of the wild, and a haunted atmosphere complete a sonic canvases filled with details and nuances…

I’ve found Malokarpatan in my “need-to-interview” list, and though their last record Krupinské ohne saw the light of day nearly one year ago, I believe you don’t need to wait for another official release to talk with a band you like and respect. I’m grateful to Malokarpatan ideologist and chief song-writer Adam S. for this deep and entertaining interview. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: BIZARRE

 Interviews  1 Response »
Aug 122021
 

 

(Comrade Aleks has brought us another excellent interview, this time with a member of the Spanish death metal band Bizarre, whose debut album Invocation Codex is set for release on October 29th by Transcending Obscurity Records.)

There’s a Russian proverb “To run ahead of the train”, which means to make haste and do something earlier than it’s really needed. But I’ve had another “Lovecraftian” period these recent months and found Bizarre’s Invocation Codex promo in my mailbox with the label’s description “Lovecraftian horror”. I couldn’t skip it!

The album is scheduled for October 2021, but as another proverb says – “Strike while the iron is hot” (and “steel is strongest so say we all”). These death metal variations on a theme of “holocaust of ecstasy and freedom” are performed in a savage and uncompromising way, and no bullshit – this four men from Spain are competent in the things they do.

I got in contact with Bizarre’s guitarist Juanpa “Evilead”, and he confirmed the band’s interest in an interview. but… things turned slightly another way and in the end we have this nice chat with Germán “Obszen” (guitars, bass). Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: CRESCENT

 Interviews  1 Response »
Aug 102021
 

 

(Comrade Aleks brings us his interview with Ismaeel Attallah and Youssef Saleh from the Egyptian band Crescent, whose latest album was released at the end of last month by Listenable Records.)

Highly influenced by Swedish Black Metal in their early days, Crescent from Cairo, Egypt never hurried and have worked out their image patiently and carefully since 1999. This attitude and the band’s place of origin explain why it took so much time ’til they managed to finish their first album Pyramid Slaves in 2014. They didn’t wake up famous the next day, but a contract with Listenable Records and a few big festivals were in their hands.

Crescent totally changed direction with their sophomore album The Order of Amenti (2018), yet some pieces of black metal were left in their body though death metal influences were far stronger. And if you are wondering how this Egyptian blackened death metal sounds today, then Crescent’s new big work Carving the Fires of Akhet is your best chance to dig it out. Ismaeel Attallah (vocals,guitars) and Youssef Saleh (guitars) are our guests tonight. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: NOLTEM

 Interviews  No Responses »
Aug 032021
 

 

(Comrade Aleks brings us many illuminating interviews, but this one hits a high level, much like the music. The discussion comes with our thanks to Max Johnson from the U.S. black metal band Noltem, whose debut album is set for release on October 15th by Transcending Obscurity.)

Elegant and fluid atmospheric black metal from Connecticut-based Noltem was exposed by Transcending Obscurity Records just a month ago, but their first revealed tracks, “Illusions in the Wake” and “Ruse”, are just teasers for the whole album which will be released physically very soon. Vast soundscapes taking form from breathtaking harmonies, piercing vocal lines, and a wide palette of dark moods are delivered by this trio with flawless effectiveness and high competence.

Noltem is recommended for fans of Agalloch and Panopticon, and I agree with this reference, though you’ll find that their individuality reaches out beyond this fluid sub-genre’s borders. Max Johnson (guitars, bass, keyboards), John Kerr (drums, vocals), Shalin Shah (bass)… who will enlighten us and reveal the driving force behind Notlem? It seems that Max is on line tonight. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: RYE / ROZH/ РOЖЬ

 Interviews  2 Responses »
Jul 232021
 

 

Comrade Aleks continues his recent excursion into interviews of artists with a bit of black in their veins, and his eloquent correspondent today is the man behind the Russian band Рожь, whose name means “Rye” and whose newest release is Вечное (“Eternity”).

The band’s logo is into English but its Cyrillic original title “Рожь” (which really means “Rye”) could be found everywhere. This one-man band from Russian Karelia was successfully hiding from our radars for a few years, and yet its debut full-length Вечное / Vechnoe (“Eternal”) couldn’t pass unnoticed even though it’s a DIY release.

Black metal, extreme doom metal, and echoes of shamanic folk ambient are entwined in one intensive hymn of death, decay, and cold soil. Dynamic and vivid, this album emits unstoppable waves of energies whose amplitudes vary from nihilistic negative to soaring ethereal tunes.

It’s time to dig out Rye’s roots with its founder Vladimir Frith. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: RUADH

 Interviews  No Responses »
Jul 202021
 

 

(This is an interview conducted by Comrade Aleks with the man behind the Scottish Celtic/atmospheric black metal band Ruadh, whose latest album Eternal was released earlier this month by Northern Silence Productions.)

If you want to ask someone about the modern black metal scene, I’m the last person you should approach, as I never was a huge fan of shrieks, blast beats, goats, etc. It’s too fast most of the time, and I don’t know how you guys listen to it. But there are bands who attract even my attention with a twist of their ideology or even their music.

Ruadh caught me with the cover art for its third full-length album Eternal, released by Northern Silence on the 9th of July. Joan Llopis Doménech’s painting drew me to Tom Perrett’s music, and look – now I dig both of his first two albums Sovereign (2019) and The Rock of the Clyde (2020) too. That’s a true evidence of art’s magic power! Isn’t it?

If you were searching for new Scottish atmospheric black metal, then you have it, and Tom Perrett has a few things to tell. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: FLAME, DEAR FLAME — “THE WOLVES AND THE PRIORESS PART I”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Jul 062021
 

On July 23rd the Eisenwald label will release Aegis, the debut album of the German band Flame, Dear Flame. Thematically, it is a two-part tale, with each part musically focusing on different aspects of the band’s impressive talents. Because epic doom is one of those ingredients, our friend Comrade Aleks, best known for his doom-metal interviews for us and other publications, shares these thoughts about the album, in the lead-in to our premiere of a song:

“Brunswick, the city where Tijl Uilenspiegel was born, has fed a band who combine the spirit of good old traditional doom and acoustic folk alongside a witch’s charms. Obviously, any doom band with a lady on vocals easily receives the tags “occult” or “mysterious”, and it seems that Flame, Dear Flame aren’t going to be an exception. Down-to-earth riffs, episodic bleak folk-oriented tunes, and the out-of-this-world soaring voice of Maren Lemke distinguish the band from many others.

Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: URFAUST

 Interviews  No Responses »
Apr 302021
 

 

(In this new interview, Comrade Aleks has brought us a discussion with one of the members of the Dutch band Urfaust, whose latest album was released by Ván Records on April 16th.)

Black metal never was my cup of tea, but there are bands who hold my attention for years, and Urfaust from the Netherlands is one of them. They are able to perform both atmospheric and quite strict raw stuff, but at the end of the day Urfaust has kept its grim individuality (in secrecy) for years.

Performing as a duet since 2003, VRDRBR (drums) and IX (guitars, vocals) seem to be always busy filling their discography with new recordings and even though their up-to-date full-length Teufelsgeist (2020) saw the light of day in November 2020, the band already has a curious new volume – Compilation of Intoxications — released literally a few days ago as I write this. Teufelsgeist is meditative to some degree, an ambient-laden ritual. Why not to talk about it and other Urfaust-related themes?

VRDRBR is here and he has some enlightening things to say. Enjoy, I’m going to keep hydrating! Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: ODRADEK ROOM

 Interviews  No Responses »
Apr 192021
 

 

(Comrade Aleks has brought us another very interesting interview, this time with Artyom Krikhtenko, the main man behind the fascinating Ukrainian band Odradek Room, whose newest album was released not long ago through a division of Solitude Productions.)

Odradek Room (from Mariupol, Ukraine) is one of those rare bands with their own vision and ways of unleashing their creative stream. Named after Franz Kafka’s imaginary creature, they have held on to an abstract emotional doom-death pattern with progressive feeling (and avant-garde edge) for about twelve years. They paint vast canvases of despair and grief in gloomy and violent colours, but this elegant and sometimes complex mix has its play of light and shadow.

Odradek Room’s third full-length album Painted Mind was released about seven weeks ago, and together with the band’s mastermind Artyom Krikhtenko (vocals, guitars, keyboards), we try to explore Odradek’s nature for you. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: WOE UNTO ME

 Interviews  No Responses »
Apr 052021
 

 

(In this interview Comrade Aleks posed questions to Artem Serdyuk, harsh vocalist and guitarist of the Belarusian band Woe Unto Me, whose new EP, Spiral-Shaped Hopewreck, was released on March 12th by BadMoodMan Music, a division of Solitude Productions.)

Woe Unto Me remains a most creative Belarusian doom band still, despite the social catastrophe which has happened in their country. The band was formed in 2008, and as their debut album A Step into the Waters of Forgetfulness (2014) was without doubt sheer funeral doom of epic scale, the second full-length Among The Lightened Skies The Voidness Flashed (2017) tended toward more complex, multi-layered structures and even avant-garde sound.

Their new EP Spiral-Shaped Hopewreck takes us further in a desperate sonic journey of doom, woe, and lethargy, but how far? The band’s founder and ideologist Artem Serdyuk (harsh vocals, guitars) is here tonight to answer this and other questions. Continue reading »

 Older Entries  Newer Entries