AN NCS INTERVIEW: SUNKEN

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Aug 072020
 

 

(Comrade Aleks returns to NCS with this interview of guitarist Keränen, co-founder of the Finnish band Sunken, whose debut album was released on July 10 by Argonauta Records.)

Sunken from Tempere, Finland was founded in 2009 by guitarist Keränen and drummer Korpi. They’ve chosen a path leading towards doom-death isolation from the start, but Sunken took shape very slowly: Jokipii (vocals, rhythm guitars) joined in 2013, Tuomi (bass) entered in 2017, and only since then has the real darkness started to take its form from sketches and the riffs that Keränen and Korpi had in their minds for years.

Song by song, their debut album From Slow Sleep Like Death grew, blossomed, and soon was discovered by Argonauta Records, who made the decision to support this ascetic doom choir. So I do as well. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: SEPULCHRAL CURSE

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Jun 242020
 

 

(On July 31st Transcending Obscurity Records will release the debut album by the Finnish band Sepulchral Curse, and thus it seemed a good time for Comrade Aleks to get in touch with the band, and this discussion followed.)

NCS’ constant readers may remember the Finnish bands Solothus and Yawning Void. We spoke (here and here) with members of these extreme doom acts some time ago. I wasn’t surprised when I found Turku-based death metal band Sepulchral Curse with three members from Solothus / Yawning Void in its lineup. As both mentioned interviews were equally cool, and the preview of Sepulchral Curse’s debut Only Ashes Remain sounds promising, it was natural to get in contact with them. And this chat with two Ragnarock heralds Jaakko Riihimäki (guitars) and Tommi Ilmanen (drums, vocals) won’t disappoint fans of the good old death metal concept behind it. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: BELL WITCH AND AERIAL RUIN

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Jun 112020
 


photo by Lauren Lamp

 

(We present Comrade Aleks‘ interview of Erik Moggridge (Aerial Ruin) and Dylan Desmond (Bell Witch), whose bands have collaborated on an album named Stygian Bough Volume 1, which will be released by Profound Lore on June 26th, and we thank Bailey Sattler and Rebecca Laverty for helping to make this discussion happen.)

Bell Witch are well-known to our readers and widely praised among modern doom metal bands as one with unique vision and inspiration, varying from funeral doom to sludge. Started in Seattle, 2010, as a duet of Dylan Desmond (bass, vocals) and Adrian Guerra (drums, vocals), Bell Witch brought forth three full-length works, though the last one, 2017’s fantastic Mirror Reaper (2017) appeared after Adrian’s death and featured the work of Jesse Shreibman (organ, drums, vocals). And as Dylan has continued Bell Witch’s toll as a duet alongside Jesse, there was always another man who took part in all the band’s albums as an honoured guest.

And that man is Erik Moggridge, who performed guitars in the legendary death / thrash crew Epidemic back in late ’80s and in the psycho death experiments of Old Grandad. Who could have predicted that his acoustic project Aerial Ruin would inspire such deep devotion among fans and would take part in a tight collaboration with Bell Witch? What do both projects have in common? What led to their fresh collaboration, Stygian Bough: Volume 1? We’ll find out in this inspiring interview together with Dylan and Erik themselves! Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: HEAD OF THE DEMON

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Jun 012020
 


Photo by Linn Vilmann

 

(In this new interview Comrade Aleks spoke with Konstantin, a key figure within the Swedish band Head of the Demon, whose new album was just released at the end of April by Invictus Productions and The Ajna Offensive.)

Head Of The Demon from Sweden is one of those rare remarkable bands who have established their own individuality. Originally they mixed doom, a bit of black metal, and obscure rock influences with a Middle Eastern atmosphere of occult worship. But their debut Head Of The Demon (2012) and thr sophomore album Sathanas Trismegistos (2016) have their own distinctive features, and a new album with the title Deadly Black Doom leads even further through hallucinogenic fumes of thick toxic incense.

I’ve tried to find out about Head Of The Demon‘s roots with the help of Konstantin (guitars, bass), and this is where it leads us… Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: MY SILENT WAKE

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May 282020
 

 

(This time Comrade Aleks has brought us an interview with Ian Arkley, a founder of the UK’s My Silent Wake, who have a new acoustic/ambient/experimental album due for release by Opa Loka Records in July 2020.)

My Silent Wake was born from the dust of another UK doom death band Ashen Mortality, one of the first bands of that kind, born in 1993 and disbanded with two full-length albums in its discography in 2005. So My Silent Wake was given birth by Ian Arkley (guitars, vocals and more), Andi Lee (bass, vocals), and Jasen Whyte (drums, vocals). Doom-followers should know mister Arkley well because he’s one of Seventh Angel’s founders, a legend of thrash / doom metal that started in 1987, two years after the founding of their USA colleagues Dream Death.

Having such huge experience of playing doom-oriented music, Ian Arkley is known for his interest in experiments, so My Silent Wake’s eleventh album Damnum Per Saeculorum will offer you some… We’ve spoken with Ian about nature of his experiments and things doomy beyond measure. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: TEMPLE OF VOID (ALEX AWN)

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May 262020
 

 

(We’ve made no secret about how much we like the music of Temple of Void, and so it’s a real pleasure to present Comrade Aleks‘ extensive (and very interesting) interview of ToV guitarist Alex Awn.)

NCS’ faithful followers may remember a cool interview we did here with Michael Erdody in December 2017. He plays guitars in the psychotic doom death sect Acid Witch and growls in Temple Of Void, a more straightforward death doom band at that moment. Both bands had new releases back then and we had a lot to discuss.

Shadow Kingdom Records have now released Temple Of Void‘s third full-length album, The World That Was, on the 27th of March, 2020. I expected from the band that they would go deeper into the realms of death, but the reality turned a different way. Alex Awn (guitars) provided us with a great interview telling us about Temple Of Void‘s new aspects. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: STYGIAN CROWN

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May 212020
 

 

(On June 26th Cruz Del Sur Music will release the debut album of southern California’s Stygian Crown, whose music conjures thoughts of Candlemass and Bolt Thrower melded together — “Candlethrower” sounds. And in this new interview Comrade Aleks spoke about the music and the band’s origins and processes with three of its members.)

Rhett A. Davis stood at the roots of the Amercian doom-death scene. He’s one of Morgion’s founding members, he took part in the practices of Crimson Relic/Divine Eve, and he had the Keen Of The Crow band, who also followed a similar musical direction. Besides that, since 2001 he has performed drums in the death/black/thrash band Gravehill.

So in around 2018 he and two of his Gravehill companions Jason Thomas (bass) and Nelson Miranda (guitars) started the traditional doom band Stygian Crown, and the band got a real push when Melissa Pinion (keyboards, vocals) and Morbid Eclipse’s man Andy Hicks (guitars) joined their ranks.

How hard could the doom metal be when there are three men in the band from such an extreme crew as Gravehill? Let’s find out with Andy, Melissa, and Rhett, who are going to tell us a few details about Stygian Crown‘s forthcoming self-titled release. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: FORLESEN

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May 182020
 

 

(Comrade Aleks has brought us a new interview, and an especially interesting discussion it is, with Ascalaphus, one of the participants in Forlesen.)

Forlesen is the product of a spiritual and musical collaboration between Ascalaphus (vocals, guitars, synth, harmonium), Bezaelith (vocals, guitars, bass, synth) and Maleus (drums). I believe NCS readers know well Ascalaphus and Bezaelith due to their practices in Botanist and maybe Lotus Thief, and Maleus originally performed his duties in avant-garde outfits Kayo Dot, Vesper Moth, and Maudlin of the Well.

The interaction between these three artists turned into Forlesen’s first album Hierophant Violent, released by Hypnotic Dirge about a month ago. The band’s material is woven of psychedelic sonic filaments made from doom, ambient, and black metal – a blend which may surprise even Botanist’s followers. The album consists of just of two long tracks, but these tracks are worthy of listening, just as this exciting interview with Ascalaphus is worthy of reading. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: BLIDVINTER

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May 082020
 

 

(It is rare to read an interview that’s so endearing in its candor and humility as this one, brought to us by Comrade Aleks, with Joakim Lundbäck, the Swedish man behind the band Blidvinter, whose debut album Petrichor was released this past March.)

Blidvinter is a solo project of Joakim Lundbäck who chose to work in the direction of mixing progressive death and melodic doom metal. The EP This Solitary Creation (2015) turned out to be a good teaser to the debut full-length Petrichor, released only a month ago.

Joakim’s material is multilayered and rich with a wide range of moods, from temporary melancholy to blind fury, and this storm of emotions is clad in tight, dynamic sound. Petrichor offers you a 50-minute journey in this dark realm of Joakim Lundbäck, so why not to talk with its author about the things we meet on our way? Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: LACRIMA MORTIS

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Apr 302020
 

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(On May 27th Talheim Records will release the debut album of the Brazilian band Lacrima Mortis, and that prompted Comrade Aleks to reach out for an interview… which now follows.)

Five hooded figures wearing black masks stand in front of old church, one of them holding rope in its hands. I couldn’t ignore Lacrima Mortis when I saw this photo.

The band was formed in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil, 2016. The band’s members clad their identities with pseudonyms — Requiem (guitars), Dread (vocals), Baud (guitars), Scavenger (drums), and Reaper (bass). There was only the EP Optare Mortem (2017) in their discography until recently, but Talheim Records announced the release of Lacrima Mortis‘ first full-length work, Posthumous, on May 27th, so fans of slow ceremonial doom-death metal be aware!

Meanwhile we’ve taken a glance at the Brazilian underground together with one of the hooded congregation — Requiem. Continue reading »

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