May 182015
 

 

(In this first part of a mammoth two-part essay, our Russian contributor Comrade Aleks explores a variety of spiritual rituals and their connections to doom metal.)

All right now! Tonight we’re summoned for a divine cause!

Mankind started the basis of society since its  primordial childhood. Many old and good traditions have been lost to the ages, yet ritualistic aspects and traditions were set very deeply in the turns of our brains. Certain traditions and ceremonies have been transformed into religious acts or became social rituals during our evolution, but most of them remain alive in modern days. Something took the form of the Christian Eucharist, something else developed into the form of the Easter Rabbit or the bacchanalia of a metal gig. These rites have provided new trappings to the symbolism at their core, but some people still seriously follow and perform its archaic elements. Let us take a look at which forms of religious rituals live their new life in the sermons of modern priests of the doom cult.

This text is a reworked, renewed, extended, and a bit rude translation of an article that I wrote for a Russian e-zine (here), but I and some of the bands who were discussed thought it would be a good idea to have an English version as well. Of course, it’s not really as much of a scientific or anthropological work as it could be, but if there’s someone who’s ready to make a proper investigation then let me know — I have an idea or two.

Here I’ve used some of my past interviews or just asked some bands straight question about their vision of certain rituals.

Don’t take it too seriously! And don’t try to perform it at home!

And as I’ve mentioned above — tonight we’re summoned for a divine cause! Continue reading »

May 192014
 

(Saint-Petersburg-based guest writer Comrade Aleks has delivered to us the following interview with Antti Koponen of the Finnish doom band Serpent Warning.)

Finland is well known for bloody good doom bands of every kind. Some like funeral stuff in the vein of Skepticism or Shape of Despair, some remember the old heretics of Unholy, and most of us know the traditional doom scene of Land Of The Thousand Lakes, Reverend Bizarre, Lord Vicar, and Fall Of The Idols, just to name a few.

But new blood comes our way as well, and we have seen the arrival of such bands as The Wandering Midget, for example. Samuel Wormius, a voiceman of The Wandering Midget, did a great work with his killer vocal lines for the first EP and full-length of the very promising band Serpent Warning — and Serpent Warning adds yet another glorius chapter of the Finnish national doom epos indeed!

I Hate Records educated me about the debut album, and I’ve gotten in contact with the band. As a result, Antti Koponen (guitars) is online today! Continue reading »