Eternal Tears Of Sorrow Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

During the past weeks, we have been busy with many things. We released our first music video ever, updated our website (at eternaltears.fi), had a new merchandise shop online. And now, we're busy answering to the interviews. And of course, we're waiting for the new album to come out soon.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new material and howÂit differs from previous recordings?

I can't say the overall sound on 'Saivon Lapsi' is radically different from the previous albums. When you listen to it, you can still hear it's Eternal Tears of Sorrow who's playing and no-one else. Let's just say it may a bit more melodic in many ways and there may be some surprises. But in general, it's the seventh step on our musical path and a natural way to expand our sound. It usually takes a year or two to really "understand" an EToS album, so I'm not 100% competent to describe it completely. So, you'll have to ask me the same question again in a year or two.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new release explores?

On this album, we combined the Angelheart story that we've had on two previous albums and the northern theme that we had on our first albums. The result is a combination of stories of which many are related to the Angelheart/Ravenheart story. In short, the story has always been about a battle between good and evil and how it affects the main characters as well as other people who experience a lot of war, revenge and death.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

We had a band called Andromeda in 1992, there were four members who were going to play in EToS later, including Altti (bass/vocals) and I. Andromeda split up soon and we had several projects for a couple of years. In May 1994, we finally had really good material and we were recording a new demo tape but didn't have a proper name for the band.

At that time, we very much influenced by the British doom/death metal genre and bands like Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride and Anathema so I suppose we thought "we need a name like that". One thing lead to another, and the three of us decided to call ourselves "Eternal Tears of Sorrow". And that's what we've called ourselves for nineteen years. There are some people who call the name "emo", which is very weird because the whole "emo hardcore" thing didn't even exist in 1994 when we came up with our name.ÂThe meaning of our name? I suppose our name has no deep meaning as such. It's a melancholic name and so far we've found only one band who tried to call themselves EToS, too.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

Two gigs come to my mind. The first one was in Paris in 2000 when we played for two thousand people and even though most people hadn't heard of us before, they seemed to like our show and our music. The second one was in late 2005 here in Oulu. That was our comeback gig, the first gig after our 3-year break in the early 2000s. It just felt amazing to come back.Â


Our live show is energetic. It may have something to do with the fact that we don't do gigs every week, not even every month. So, every live show is something really special to us and that's how we get the energy for our show.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the future?

No, we don't have them yet, because unfortunately we've been too busy with some other responsibilities we're obliged to. But we'll start planning them soon. We haven't played a gig for more than a year, so it's going to be exciting to start doing live shows again.

7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of metal?

The overall response has always been really great. We're always excited to hear fan feedback from all around the world. People from countries such as Saudi-Arabia and Iraq write to us to say we inspire them, that's something that's really hard to understand - but of course it is wonderful to receive feedback like that.

8. What is going on with the other musical projects these days?

Janne is very busy with Tarot, Turmion KÀtilöt, Lazy Bonez and other bands. Mika is working hard with Mors Subita and some other projects. The rest of us, we have projects and bands but at the moment, there's nothing to tell you about them. We will let you know when something interesting happens.

9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

That is a difficult question because we never think about music consciously. We just write new songs,  listen to them and then decide whether they are good or not. We'll write new songs one song at a time and see where they lead us. It's going to be really interesting to write the next album but we'll take it slow, we're in no hurry. So, I don't think our new songs are going to be radically different from our previous albums but I'm sure they will have something new.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

We've been influenced by hundreds of different bands. But in the 90s, there were two bands that influenced us profoundly. Paradise Lost and Edge of Sanity. Both bands did things their own way, mixing influences most of the other death metal bands hadn't even heard of.

Lately, I've been listening weird stuff, or more like weirdly versatile music. Ambient, black metal, old progressive rock, Scandinavian folk music. Norway has been one of my favourite countries this year, especially Kvelertak and Keep of Kalessin.Â

11. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

Personally, I'm into science fiction, the Uralic and the Germanic languages, good movies, writing stuff and all the other interesting stuff that keep my mind away from music for a while.

12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Thanks for the interview and hope to see you at our live shows!

Into Darkness/Self Titled/Hellthrasher Productions/2013 CD Review

  Into  Darkness  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  heavy  form  of  doom/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2013  ep  which  was  released  by  Hellthrasher  Productions.

  Drums  are  all  slow  to  mid  paced,  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  used  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  doom/death  metal  riffs  along  with  a  great  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  being  thrown  into  the  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding  doom/death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  all  deep  doom/death  metal  growls,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  professional,  dark  and  heavy  sound   with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Into  Darkness  are  a  very great  sounding  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "

Eternal Tears Of Sorrow/Dark Alliance/Massacre Records 2013 Single Review

  Eternal  Tears  Of  Sorrow  are  a  band  from  Sweden t hat  mixes  melodic  death  metal  with  doom,  atmospheric  and  gothic  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  single  "Dark  Alliance".

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  no  blast  beats,  while  the  synths  bring  a  very  dark,  atmospheric  and  gothic  sound  to t he  music,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a v ery  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  melodic  death  metal  with  doom  and  gothic  metal,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  gothic  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  range  from  deep  death  metal  growls  to  clean  singing  female  vocals,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Eternal  tears  Of  Sorrow  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  melodic  death,  doom,  atmospheric  and  gothic  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Baptized  By  The  Blood  Of  Angels".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Eastfrisian Terror/Leever Dot As Slaave/2013 Demo Review

  Eastfrisian  Terror  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death,  doom,  groove  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2013  demo  "Leever  Dot  As  Slaave".

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  death  metal,  doom,  grindcore  and  groove  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  with  some  soft  and  clean  playing being  utilized  on  the  last  song  as  well  as  a  good  amount  of  melody  being  thrown  into  the  riffing  at  times  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  range  from  deep  death  metal  growls,  high  pitched  grindcore  screams and  some  spoken  word  samples  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  pig  sequels,  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  German  and  cover  dark  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  dark  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Eastfrisian  Terror  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  death  metal,  doom,  groove  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Eastfrisian  Terror".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.    

Plebeian Grandstand/Cortez/Throatruiner Records/2012 Split EP Review

  This  is  a  split  review  of  an  ep  between  France's  Plebeian  Grandstand  and  Cortez  which  was  released  by  Throatruiner  Records  in  2012  and  we  will  start  of  the  review  with  Plebeian  Grandstand  a  band  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  that  mixes  sludge,  doom,  hardcore  and  grind with  some  black  metal  influences.

  Drums  are  all  slow  playing  with  no   fast  drumming  or  blast  beats  being  present  on  their  side  of  the  recording,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  are  all  slow  riffs  that  combine  sludge,  doom,  hardcore,  black  metal  and  grindcore  together  to  create  a  sound of  their  own  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  their  side  of  the  recording.

  Vocals  are  all  high  pitched  sludge  screams  that  have  a  depressive  black  metal  edge  to   them,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it  with  the  song being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  song  from  Plebeian  Grandstand  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  their  side  of  the  recording.  RECOMMENDED.

  Next  up  is  Cortez  a  band  that  combines  noisecore  with  hardcore.

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  playing  with  no  fast  drumming  or  blast  beats  being  present on  their  side  of  the  recording,  while  the  bass  playing has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  riffs  that  combine  noisecore,  post  hardcore  and  sludge  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  their  side  of  the  recording.

  Vocals  are  all  high  pitched  noisecore  themes,  while  the  song  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it  with  their  song  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Cortez  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  sludge,  noisecore  and  post  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED.

  In  conclusion  i  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  sludge  and  noisecore.  RECOMMENDED  BUY.    

Nolentia Interview

1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

Well, we're releasing our second album « May the hand that holds the match that will set this world on fire be blessed above all » through Kaotoxin Records. We're obviously pretty thrilled about it and looking forward to hitting the road again with it!

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and how it differs from previous releases?

I'd say it's in the continuity of what we've been doing so far, but improved both in terms of sound and composition. With our previous releases, we've had many opportunities to play with kick ass bands and you can't but learn, especially when it comes to defining your sound. And with a more precise sound, we've tried to go a bit further on our path. I dare say the new album is faster, catchier and heavier than what we've done before !

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

We're more on the political side of the grindcore family, but definitely not on a vindicative mode . Rather than exposing our views on the world or preaching, we're more interested in discussing a process of thoughts or actions. For instance, the opening song of our new album is called « the boiling frog principle » and it's all about the necessity to be aware of the world around us and taking side. It's an illustration of a metaphoric experiment : if you take a living frog and throw it in boiling water, it will immediately leap out and survive. But if you place in room temperature water and then heat the water, it will die because it won't notice the heating until it's too late. 

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

At the time we chose our name, we just wanted to avoid anything too definitive, too obvious and somehow too grindcore or metal or whatever, We wanted a name that could possibly work for anything so we wouldn't feel like trapped with an identity or within a scene. And latin seemed like the right option. After some research, Raf came up with « Nolentia », which means « unwilling » and that was just the perfect match, considering our lyrical approach.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

I've always refused to answer any best show related question because it would imply making a sort of hierarchy. We've played kick ass fests or in amazing venues with top organisations in front of large crowds and I would lie if I'd say it doesn't feel awesome. But we've also played shows in improbable places on dreadful sound systems in front of ten people but those ten were worth a thousand and the promoter was just passion driven. So no matter the crowd, no matter the venue, we try to play every show with the same dedication and intensity.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the new album once it comes out?

We're planning a tour at this time. So if any promoter is reading this, feel free to contact us ! Our sole extravagant requirement is an access to a shower after the show, for the rest we're quite flexible !

7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your new music by undergrounf fans?

So far so good ! Everytime we've played a new track live as a blind test, we've had very positive feedback and the first comments we've had about the new album have been beyond our expactations. Hope that'll last !

8. Are there any other musical projects besides this band or is this a full time line up?

Nolentia remains our priority. But Raf also plays in a stoner/rock band called Wonderbar and Vince as a couple Jazz bands. As for me, nothing for the moment but something is coming up pretty soon.

9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

We've never made any plan. We just don't wan't to copy ourselves and when we compose, we try to give each song its own identity and to build an ensemble with relief, variations. Maybe with time, we've uncounsciously defined a sort of identity or process but I still feel we're free to experiment...so come what may !

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

If I were to make a list, I wouldn't know where to start ! We listen to so many different things...and when we like a band, we generally don't like the same albums ! So basically, you could consider anything from old school punk to modern grindcore and including anything in between as an influence...as for how it comes out, it's just a mystery to us.
If it helps, here's my current playlist : NoMeansNo (Wrong), Good Riddance (Operation Phoenix), Insain (Spiritual Rebirth), Converge (All we love we leave behind), Ill Bill vs. DJ Muggs (Kill Devil Hills), Ad Patres (Scorn Aesthetics) and Zubrowska (the Canister)...

11.Outside of music what are some of your interests?

Life, my dogs, tattoo...

12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Thank you for your time. Now people get up of the couch and go to shows !

Nolentia/May The Hand That Holds The Match That Will Set The On Fire Be Blessed Above All/Kaotoxin/2013 CD Review

  Nolentia  are  a  band  from  France  that  combines  grind,  sludge,  crust,  doom,  hardcore  and  noise  together  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "May  The  Hand  That  Holds  The  Match  That  Will  Set  This  World  On  Fire  Be  Blessed  Above  All"  which  was  released  by  Kaotoxin.

  Drums range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  noise,  crust,  grind,  hardcore,  sludge  and  doom  metal  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  range  from  deep  grindcore  growls  to  high  pitched  noisecore  screams,  while  the  lyrics  cover  everyday  themes,  as  for t he  production  it  has  a very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Nolentia  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of   noise,  crust,  grind,  hardcore,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of t his  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out t his  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Lament  For  The  Roadkill"  "On  This  Side  Of  he  Grave"  "The  Ticking  Of  The  Clock"  and  "Better".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.