North Of South Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?



Hi!!! It’s a true pleasure to be answering this interview.

Well... A lot of things are happening in these two last months to North of South, since publicly presenting. However, there has been a lot of work behind the scenes.



North of South officially was born in 2017, but I was working in my own compositions for the previous 4-5 years.

My first intention was to gather some people with a common artistic vision: to make a different/crossbreeding kind of Metal. Anyway, as years passed, finally, North of South remained as a solo project and I decided to assume every role and instrument, which gave me total creative freedom.

Regarding music, North of South proposes a fresh and daring mixtures of styles: from Progressive Metal to Pop, from Jazz to Melodeath, from Latin to Gothic... However, its music contains enough heavy riffs to please every die-hard true metal fan.

Experimenting, but maintaining a certain line of musical coherence, is the true nature of North of South.





2.You have a new album coming out towards the end of September, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on this recording?



I think it’s some kind of sophisticated result of the music I have listened in my life.

For example, I love Swedish Melodic Death (In Flames, Soilwork, Dark Tranquillity, At The Gates), so this reflects in same search for melody in a context of heaviness and harshness.

But I also dig unique and bold bands like Opeth, Katatonia, Amorphis, Novembre... That kind of musicians that do not fear to evolve and experiment. So this attitude of avoiding creative restraining is a basic principle for North of South. It’s something that NOS also share with Progressive bands, which are another main influence for North of South.

Anyway, as I’m truly interested in melody and creating some catchy Metal, some quality 80-90 Pop elements are also integrated in North of South’s formula, as well as some Latin influences that come from my own culture and that gives to North of South some plus of unique identity.





3.Your lyrics are inspired by the writings of William Shakespeare, Orson Scott Card,  and Jorge Luis Borges, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in their works and also are there any other authors that have an inspiration on your songwriting?



I’m so tired of these bands with a such limited lyrical spectrum... Satan, blood, evil,... Or dragons, warriors and swords,... Or that “united people of Metal against society” speech...

Ok... Above all, I’m a Metal fan, so, ocassionally, I can enjoy that. But that approach doesn’t fit with North of South as a band and with me as an artist.

Literary influences is something natural for me, as I’ve been reading all my life and looking personal inspiration in books.

I’ve always seen Jorge Luis Borges as a fascinating author with whom I share some concerns and topics: man against Universe, Reality against Fiction, the enigma of Time, the mirror’s game, the transience of human being,...

Some years ago, I dedicated my University thesis to him and his political evolution, so it’s a well-known figure for me.

These kind of topics (Humanity, time, our place in universe, ethics...) are also common in the work of some relevant sci-fi authors, like Orson Scott Card, Isaac Asimov,... Their writings are also very inspiring...

Regarding Shakespeare, he was the best when portraying the human condition, our motivations, our forces and weaknesses.

If you go deep in “New Latitudes” lyrics, you’ll find that the person is in the center of the album. Every song talks about how we relate with each other, what are our motivations and fears and how we can be a better and more complete individual.

I also love other amazing author like José Saramago, Paul Auster, Aarto Paasilinna and some classic Spanish writers, like Unamuno and Quevedo.



4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'North Of South'?



It summarizes the ambivalent nature of this music project. It’s the melody and the heaviness; it’s the election of English language but without renouncing my Spanish/Latin cultural heritage; it’s the continuous search of mixing different genres.

Also, in a literal way, it makes reference to my own city, León, that it’s located in the North of Spain, the southernmost European country. So NOS is in the North of the South, haha.



5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the album cover?



As with lyrics, I wished to avoid some Metal/Evil topics, like monsters, blood, warriors, spikes and that stuff...

So the final artwork symbolises North of South’s vocation of exploring unknown musical latitudes. The astronaut figure and the planetarian background fits very well with that. The booklet also includes some brilliant work by José Luis González Macías, a local artist from León, with some powerful imagery with floating islands, enigmatic lighthouses and lonely cosmic men.



6.On the album you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?



Yeah!! Why not? But some specific conditions must be present. In a small city, like mine, it’s not easy to find other people who have the same risky metal perspective like me. Usually, most of the people want to play a particular style: thrash or metalcore or traditional metal or death metal or hard rock. But when you say: “ok, let’s mix all of that and also to include some jazz, pop, latin elements and, at the end, use clean vocals very far from Dickinson/Halford standard...” Well...you have to be lucky enough to meet someone who understands such specific way of approaching Metal.

At the present moment, I prefer to appreciate the benefits of working alone, especially the fact of not having cut my artistic freedom. Right or wrong, it lets me to make the music that I feel inside.



7.You have also been a heavy metal radio show for the past 2 decades, can you tell us a little bit more about your work in that field?



I'm a professional journalist, not specialized in music, but in news. I work for a relevent national radio station. Working here, one day I had the opportunity to take over a veteran metal radio show in an affiliated music radio channel. Well... That was in 2001, so this is my 17th season with this show. I really enjoy doing it every weekend, sharing my tastes with listeners and constantly discovering new bands. That's a very important point: it's very helpful for me to be up to date about what is happening in Metal scene.





8.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of metal and other genres of music?



I'm very happy with the first reactions. Everything is going a bit fast, but it is great. Only two months of public activity for North of South and I'm getting in touch with a lot of very interesting people.

Some great reviews and coming. And I feel that many listeners have understood NOS' proposal: forward-thinking, nonconformist listeners that are always looking for something different in Metal.

In any case, North of South is taking its first steps of a very long journey. I just want to work very hard, with a humble attitude, and trying to enjoy all this process.

It's very difficult to stand out because there are so many great bands out there, so this first album just tries to position this project and to spread the word about North of South as much as possible.



9.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?



Wow! As one of North of South’s song says: “Nobody knows!!”, haha.

Anyway, I know what I would love to and that’s dedicating music as much time as possible. I don’t know if that is going to continue in the future, but, at the present  moment, I feel the only limit to my creativity is the lack of time available for music and composing. Many unwritten songs are already in my mind and my heart and I wish I had enough time to materialize and share them with the audience.

Regarding North of South, I really want to keep experimenting and looking for an own music language and identity.



10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?



Although it’s not very present in North of South’s music, I’m particularly into extreme metal music, mainly into bands with a few drops of melody. I love bands like old Entombed and Dismember, the Goteborg Melodeath (In Flames, At The Gates, old Arch Enemy, Dark Tranquillity). Also some 90’s bands that evolve from the very extreme to a more gothic/melodic sound: Moonspell, Katatonia, Opeth, Anathema, Novembre.

But I listen to every kind of Metal genre. Iron Maiden are my favourite band. I love very different things: from Jeff Waters/Annihilator guitar stuff to Carcass, from Amorphis to old Deicide, from Joe Satriani to Killswitch Engage.

Talking about 2018 releases, some of the best ones that have been on rotation on my metal radio show are Immortal “Northern Chaos Gods”, Omnium Gatherum “The Burning Cold”, On Thorns I Lay “Aegean Sorrow” and Fractal Gates “The Light That Shines”.



11.What are some of your non musical interests?



Nowadays, music is absorbing almost all my available time. When you are in a one man band, there’s no choice to distribute tasks between other members.

Anyway, literature is one of passions. I really love reading novel, essays, etc.

Obviously, as a professional journalist, I’m very much into news, trying to keep informed.

And I also love soccer.

Finally, this next January I’ll have a baby, so childcare will become a new personal interest and hobby for me, hahaha.



12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?



Thank you so much for your amazing interest and incredible support to North of South. I hope your readers enjoy “New Latitudes” album, so if you want to support us buy the cd or/and follow us on Spotify and the usual social media.

That’s very important for new bands that, like North of South, try to pop in this competitive and massive worldwide metal scene.

Some cool merch will be also available on the official website: www.northofsouth.es

I’m already working on new stuff, so you can expect a solid continuity in NOS’ career.

Dare to explore new musical latitudes... North of South is a different kind of Metal!!!

Dirge/Ah Punch/2018 Full Length Review

  Dirge  not  to  be  confused  with  the  band  from  France  that  has  been  featured  before  are  a  band  from  India  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  death  and  atmospheric  post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Ah  Punch"  which  will  be  released  in  October.

  Atmospheric  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  synths  also  being  utilized  at  times  before  going  into  a  heavier  doom  metal  direction  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  sludge  style  screams  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  music  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  post  metal  elements  as  well  as  some  of  the  riffs  also  capturing  the  heaviness  of  doom/death  metal,  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  they  also  bring  in  an  acoustic  instrumental  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  slower  direction.

  Dirge  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  sludge,  doom  death  and  atmospheric  post  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Mayan  and  Aztec  Mythology  mixed  in  with  historical  events.

  In  my  opinion  Dirge  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  and  post  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Invoking  The  Demigod"  and  "Curse  Of  Cortez".  8  out  of  10.    

Loneshore/From Presence To Silence/BadMoodMan Music/2018 CD Review

  Loneshore  are  a  band  from  Brazil  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  progressive  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "From Presence  To  Silence"  which  was  released  by  BadMoodMan  Music.

  Nature  orientated  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  playing  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  slow  and  heavy  riffs  being  mostly  rooted  in  doom  metal  as  well  as  the  riffs  also bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  along  with  a  few  screams  that  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  while  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Elements  of  post  rock  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  clean  singing  is  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  tracks  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  stringed  instruments  and  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard.

  Loneshore  plays  a  style  of  doom/death  metal  that  is  very  atmospheric,  progressive  and  melodic  sounding  along  with  a  great  amount  of  post  rock  and  black  metal  elements,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  melancholic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Loneshore  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  progressive  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out t his  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Effigy"  and  "From  Presence  To  Silence".  8  out  of  10.

Deathkings/Ex Nihilo/2018 EP Review

  California's  Deathkings  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  their  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  ep  "Ex  Nihilo"  which  will  be  released  in  December.

  Growls  and  screams  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  heavy  and  dark  sludge  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  while  both  of  their  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  post  and  progressive  rock  elements  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  Doom  metal  influences  are  also  added  into  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  along  with  some  melodic  chants  also  being  used  briefly  while  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  at  times as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing,  clear  vocals  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  and  the  music  always  sticks  to  a  slow  direction  and  melody  is  also  added  into  some  of  the  riffing  and  guitar  leads.

  On  this  recording  Deathkings  takes  their  mixture of  sludge  and  doom  metal  into more  of  an  experimental  direction,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  ancient  rituals,  occultism  and  spirituality  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Deathkings  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Celestial".  8  out  of  10.

Scolex/Mortuous/Carbonized Records/2018 Split EP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  ep  between  San  Jose,  California's  Scolex  and  Oakland,  California's  Mortuous  which  will be  released  on  Halloween  by  Carbonized  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Scolex  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  punk  and  doom/death  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  dark  and  heavy  doom  metal  influenced  sound  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  the  faster  sections  of  the  song  bringing  in  blast  beats  and  crust  punk  elements  and  when  gutiar  solos  and  elads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  even  more  of  a  90's  style,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror  fiction  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Scolex  are  a  very  great  sounding  punk  influenced  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  off  the  split.

  Next  up  is  Mortuous  returning  with  their  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  the  slower  sections  of  the  song  bringing  in  elements  of  doom  metal  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  style  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  blast  beats  can  be  heard,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  futility,  existence,  technology  and  death  metal. 

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Mortuous  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  doom/death  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  old  school  doom/death  metal.  8  out  of  10.  

Unhold/Here Is The Blood/Czar Of Bullets/2018 CD Review

  Switzerland's  Unhold  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  that  continues  their  mixture  of  progressive  sludge  metal  and  post  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Here  Is  The  Blood"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Czar  Of  Bullets.

  Atmospheric  sounding  drones  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  while  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  a couple  of  tracks  as  well  as  the  riffing  also  mixing  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  also  mixing  the  atmospheric  and  heavy  parts  together.

  Post  hardcore  style  vocals  and  screams  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  solos  and  lead  being  done  in  a  melodic  post  metal  style  as  well  as  the  vocals  also adding  in  some  melody  to  its  rough  approach,  clean  playing  can  also be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  progressive  feeling and  spoken  word  parts  are  also  used  briefly  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length. 

  On  this  recording  Unhold  takes  their  mixture  of  progressive  sludge  metal,  noise  rock  and  post  hardcore  into  more  of  a  melodic  direction,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Unhold  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  progressive  sludge  metal,  post  hardcore  and  noise  rock,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Convoy"  "Hunter"  and  "The  Chronic  Return".  8  out  of  10.      

Zatokrev/Minsk/Bigod/Consouling Sounds/2018 Split Album Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Switzerland's  Zatokrev  and  U.S.A's  Minsk  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Consouling  SOunds  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Zatokrev  who  return  with  a  psychedelic  mixture  of  doom,  death,  sludge  and  post  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  atmospheric  sounding  synths  along  with  some  drones  a  few  seconds  later  while  both  of  their  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  some  clean  playing  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Clean  vocals  and  growls  are  also  used  at  times  while  the  slow  and  heavy  riffs  bring  in  elements  of  doom  and  sludge  metal  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  as  well  as  the  music  also  bringing  in  elements  of  psychedelic  and  post  rock  and  the  riffing  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  spoken  word  parts  are  also  used  briefly  before  evolving  into  aggressive  screams.

  On  this  recording  Zatokrev  takes  their  music  in  more  of  a  post  and  sludge  metal  mixture,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  an  allegorical  story  of  Elijah's  fiery  chariot.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Zatokrev  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  psychedelic,  post,  sludge,  doom  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Silent  Gods".

  Next  up  is  Minsk  who  return  with  a  psychedelic  and  atmospheric  mixture  of  sludge  and  post  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  riffing  along  with  some  rough  yet  semi  melodic  vocals  which  also  use  sludge  style  screams  at  times  along  with  their  first  track  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  utilize  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  their  side  of  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  elements  of  post  metal  along  with  some  clean  playing,  psychedelic  and  atmospheric  elements  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  and  clear  vocals  are  also  used  briefly.

  On  this  recording  Minsk  goes  into  more  of  a  psychedelic  and  atmospheric  mixture  of  sludge  and  post  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  an  allegorical  story  of  Elijah's  fiery  chariot.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Minsk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  psychedelic  and  atmospheric  sludge/post  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Invoke  Revive".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all f ans  of  sludge  and  post  metal.  8  out  of  10.    

North Of South/New Latitudes/Rockshots Records/2018 CD Review

  North  Of  South  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  very  progressive,  melodic  and  experimental  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "New  Latitudes"  which  will  be  released  on  September  28th  by  Rockshots  Records.

  Pop  music  style  pianos  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  fast  and  heavy  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  riffs  also  utilizing  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  the  vocals  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  clean  singing  and  death  metal  growls.

  Elements  of  progressive  rock  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  Spanish  style  guitars  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  whispers  are  also  utilized  at  times  along  with  some  songs  bringing  in  elements  of  piano  rock  and  jazz  as  well  as  the  slower  sections  of  the  tracks  adding  in  influences  of  doom  metal  and  as  the  album  progresses  an  instrumental  is  added  onto  the  recording  and  one  track  also  adds  in  spoken  word  parts.

  North  Of  South  plays  a  musical style  that  takes  progressive,  piano  rock,  Latin  Music,  jazz,  melodic  death  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  based  upon  the   literary,  philosophic,  existentialist  essence  and  the  writings  of  William  Shakespeare,  Orson  Scott  Card  and  Jorge  Luis  Borges.

  In  my  opinion  North  Of  South  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  progressive,  piano  rock,  Latin  Music,  jazz,  melodic  death  and  doom  metal   and  if  you  are  looking  for  something  very  original,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Human  Equation"  "Before  We  Die"  "Time  Will  Tell"  and  "Montreux".  8  out  of  10.    

Deep Memories Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
First of all, thank you for this interview!!
Well, Deep Memories is the materialization of an old goal that I had: to compose, produce and record an entire album alone. Every time I grabbed my guitar and some good riffs came up I always recorded with my cell phone and this material kept increasing. When I realized, I already had a huge amount of material but I did not have the "courage" to face the challenge of executing all the instruments. But in the end I completed this task!

2.So far this year you have released one ep and a full length, musically how do they both differ from each other?
The EP was a promotional material released only in Brazil by Heavy Metal Rock and Misanthropic labels. This EP contains 2 songs from the full-length album. This EP managed to spread the name of Deep Memories and brought me an amazing feedback from the whole Brazilian metal scene.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored with the music so far?
In the lyrical part, the first five songs of the album talk about the same subject, they tell the story of a guy who realizes he is living his last moments of life and finally ends up dying. But to his surprise, he realizes an existential continuity after life and there are several intriguing situations happening to him. The others relate to personal experiences related to times of overcoming, loss, introspection and sadness.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Deep Memories’?
When I was choosing the name for my project, I knew that it would have to be something that would involve all my knowledge as a human being, gathering all the experiences that I lived in a single name, and Deep Memories was the best one. The songs and lyrics of this project revealed my deepest inspirations and admiration for the heavy metal movement as well as my biggest psychological ghosts and an alternative post mortem view.

5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the album cover?
We will have two different covers for "Rebuilding the Future". The cover of the Brazilian and Russian versions were made by me, and the cover of the Japanese version was elaborated by the artist Caio Caldas from CadiesArt.
The cover design was aiming at the materialization of the idea of "Reconstruction of the Future". When we think about this, we naturally reflect on where we are, where we can go, and what we need to do to get there. But I believe that giving more details about these covers would "limit" the viewer's interpretation possibilities, so I would like everyone to come up with their personal interpretation of the illustrations, reflecting on: "What would you do to rebuild your own future?"

6.On the recordings you recorded everything by yourself but have worked with a full band before in the past, how would you compare the two?
When you are in a band the tasks divide, even if only in the execution of the instruments, but when you do everything by yourself, your limit is tested all the time, who questions you is your own conscience! Throughout the process of refinement of the compositions to the beginning of the recordings, mixing and mastering, many concepts that existed in my mind of how it would be to record everything alone was changing, I saw myself much more inspired and dedicated than at the time I was in a band . It was an incredible journey!

7.The new album was released through a variety of many different labels, can you tell us a little bit more about the labels you worked with on this recording?
At the end of the mastering of the album, I noticed from the comments of the friends who were accompanying the process, that the material had gotten a much higher quality than expected. So I started contacting record labels around the world to release the album, and to my surprise, four showed up interest in releasing the material on CDs: Heavy Metal Rock and Misanthropic Records in Brazil, Invasion of Solitude Records in Japan and GS Productions in Russia. The album title is "Rebuilding the Future".
In addition to being released on CD the album will also be released on all digital platforms and Bandcamp.

8. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of melodic death and doom metal?
It has been much better than I imagined! I knew the result was good, but the feedback from the media and especially the metal fans has been incredible. Every day I get messages from different countries in America, Europe and Asia. That impressed me a lot! Thank you all very much!

9.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?
I see myself as a more mature musician and producer, giving a huge importance to small details and feelings. These little nuances bring a differential to music. Today we have many musical styles and what differs the metal from the others is that there is a soul behind each chord, each verse. I’m proud to be a musician who can express myself through metal.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
My biggest inspiration come from the bands that brought me to the metal like Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Megadeth and Pantera. These bands will always inspire me!
In the influences part I can mention the bands that I hear with great frequency as: Theatre of Tragedy, Bathory, Dark Tranquillity, Rotting Christ, Dimmu Borgir, Whitin Temptation, Katatonia and Hipocrisy.


11.What are some of your non musical interests?
If I take the music out of my life, there won’t be much left! But I really enjoy watching some videos on YouTube, I also spend good hours watching series! I'm a big fan of the TV series from NBC like Chicago PD, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Law and Order SVU.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks to Doomed to Darkness for the great interview! To the reader who wants to know more about Deep Memories, visit our official website www.deepmemories.com.br or our social networks: Facebook: @deepmemoriesbrazil and Instagram: @deepmemoriesbrazil

Brainoil/Singularity To Extinction/Tankcrimes Records/2018 CD Review

  Oakland,  California's  Brainoil  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  their  mixture  of  sludge  metal,  crust  and  hardcore  from  their  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Singularity  To  Extinction"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Tankcrimes  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  also  capturing  the  heaviness  of  sludge  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  high  pitched  screams  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  Death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  fast  and  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  elements  of  crust,  hardcore  punk  and  d  beat  along  with  some  blast  beats  also  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies.

  Brainoil  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  mixture  of  sludge  metal,  crust  and  hardcore  punk  from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  introspective  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Brainoil  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  sludge  metal,  crust  and  hardcore  punk,  you should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Preface  To  Madness"  "Singularity  To  Extinction"  and  "Halcyon  Desolation".  8  out  of  10.  

Vanhelgd/Deimos Sanktuarium/Dark Descent Records/2018 CD Review

  Vanhelgd  are  a  band  form  Sweden  and  on  this  recording  goes  into  more  of  an  old  school  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Deimos  Sanktuarium"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Dark  Descent  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  elements  of  doom  metal  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  early  90's  era  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  old  school  and  melodic  style.

  A  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  blast  beats  are  also  added  into  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  one  track  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  Gregorian  chants  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  and  clear  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  On  this  recording  Vanhelgd  expands  on  their  old  school  style  of  death  metal  by  mixing  in  elements  of  doom  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  Swedish  and  English  and  cover  occultism,  necromancy  and  horror  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Vanhelgd  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  old  school  doom  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Plea  For  Divine  Necromancy"  "Profaned  Is  The  Blood  of  The  Covenant"  and  "The  Silent  Observer".  8  out  of  10.   

Owl/Nights in Distortion/Temple Of Torturous/2018 CD Review

  Germany's  Owl  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  into  a  mixture  of  ambient,  goth,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Nights  in  Distortion"  which  was  released  by  Temple  Of  Torturous.

  Clean  playing  along  with  some  ambient  style  synths  start  off  the  album  while  drum  beats  are  added  onto  the  recording  a  few  seconds  later  as  well  as  some  clear  vocals  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  slow  and  heavy  riffs  bring  in  elements  of  doom  metal  along  with  the  music  also  mixing  in  goth  metal  influences  as  well  as  the  music  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  growls  and  at  times  a  touch  of  sludge  is  added  both  in  the  vocals  and  riffing,  when  acoustic  guitars  are  utilized  they  give  the  songs  more  of  a  progressive  feeling  and  when  guitar  leads a r e utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  the  closing  track.

  On  this  recording  Owl  ads  more  goth  elements  into  their  mixture  of  ambient,  doom  and  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  doom,  death,  dreams,  depression  and  darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Owl  and  if  you  are  a f an  of  goth,  doom,  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "We  Are  Made  For  Twilight"  and  "Madness  id  The  Glory  of  This  Life".  8  out  of  10.

The Atrocity Exhibit/Extinction Solution/Wooaaargh/2018 CD Review

  The  Atrocity  Exhibit  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  grindcore,  sludge  and  crust  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Extinction  Solution"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Wooaaargh.

  Spoken  word  samples  start  off  the  album  going  into  a  very  fast  grindcore  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  bring  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  screams  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  mixing  in  elements  of  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length.

  A  small  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  music  also  mixes  in a  great  amount  of  crust  elements  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  back  up  shouts  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them, as  the  album  progresses  spoken  word  samples  also  make  a  brief  return.   

  On  this  recording  The  Atrocity  Exhibit  remains  true  to  the  mixture  of  sludge,  crust  and  grindcore  from  their  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  society  and  horror  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  The  Atrocity  Exhibit  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  sludge,  crust  and  grindcore,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hatred  Disease"  "Cage  Of  Cities"  "Go  Down  Screaming"  and  "Post-Human".  8  out  of  10.

Ruin/Human Annihilation/Memento Mori/2018 CD Review

  Ruin  are  a  band  from  California  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  with  elements  of  grindcore  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Human  Annihilation"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Memento  Mori.

  A  horror  movie  orientated  sound   starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  style  along  with  the  vocals  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  screams  and  death  metal  growls  as  well  the  slow  riffs  also  bringing  in  elements  of  doom  metal.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  blast  beats  and  grindcore  influences  can  also  be  heard  while  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  some  horror  movie  samples  and  keyboards  also  being  used  briefly  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Ruin  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  old  school  mixture  of  death,  doom  metal  and  grindcore,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  serial  killers,  murder, destruction  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Ruin  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  old  school  death  metal,  doom  and  grindcore,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Secreted  Guts"  "Death  Meditation  Trance"  "Purification  Rite"  and  "Shadows".  8  out  of  10.      

Eternal Rot Interview

1 For those that never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Eternal Rot is 2 piece doom/death metal project done Polish guys living in UK, obsessed with death metal we grew up with and everything associated with it. Idea has been exhumed in the mind of Mayer in 2012, trying to express himself in best possible way with sounds slow, heavy and nasty. After finishing 2 tracks, he was convinced by good friend that there are good enough to be shared in some way in the Underground. At that point Grindak joined in as we share same vision for this project, he came out with the name, general imagery, and lyrics to one of the completed tracks ("Crawler") and it has been released as "Promo Tape 2013" on cassette. 100 tapes sold out quicker than worms can eat the body and not long after same 2 tracks has been pressed on vinyl as "Grave Grooves" (by Fallen Temple Productions). Eternal Rot took part in "Vestibule of Hell" compilation (Wolfsbane Records) alongside few much bigger bands. Now it is time for something longer and smellier, so "Cadaverine", 4 tracks in 29 minutes, will be released on CD on 17th of September by Godz Ov War Productions.

2. In September you have your first full length coming out, what are some of the things you have done differently with this release that you where not able to do on your previous ep and demo?
There was not much of a difference, except the fact that album is properly proper mixed and mastered. But laying down the tracks has been done in the same way as the demo.

3. You refer to your music as 'putrid doom/death metal', can you tell us a little bit more about this term?
There is no bigger philosophy in this, it just fits perfectly to general feeling we want to invoke in listener. There is no place for reinventing the wheel here, it has to crush, smell with freshly opened grave, peel faces off and vocal delivery has to be full of vomits. When you read about the band with "putrid" adjective sticked to it then you can't expect clean crisp production, intricate solos and lyrics about environmental issues, just filth. So if you like it you can dive here blindly and be happy. 

4. This is your first release in 4 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?
[GRINDAK]  Life happened, kids happened, work happened. We're far too busy than we would want but passion for this hypnotic death groove is burning strong.
[MAYER] During that time in a slow pace we crawled between the graves in search for an inspiration. Honestly – families and work take most of our times. I also took part in the Noise Nihilist project whose 7 "flexi split with Impetigo (2 live tracks from Central Illinois Metal Fest 2007) will be released by Left Hand Patches Rec.

5. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
[GRINDAK]  Lyrics here have to be exact reflection of the music so as you can imagine they deal with all the death metal topics which come with it. Cemetery feel, losing your mind surrounded with most horrid thoughts, fine dose of gore obviously. It is purely work of my imagination and I put effort into the lyrics and try to do my best to make them good. From the other hand I know they are drowned in growls so anyone who wants to find them will succeed. To spice things up I can say that 2 lyrics on new album were prepared before recording, and other 2 were done after, just like in good old John Tardy way: vomit yourself first, find the meaning later. Somehow it works fine, apparently dead ones approve it.

6. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Eternal Rot'?
[GRINDAK]  Inspiration is very unintentional but I first I have to say that very good Foul Stench album was known to me before. When we briefly discussed band name I was away on holiday, got exceptionally drunk & stoned one night and had some fucked up dream containing us, some death metal noise and this name all over it. Possibly it was stored somewhere in back of my consciousness and appeared in such way. Mayer said yes and we never looked back, some time later I've realised that his is not original idea but fuck it, there are so many bands named after someone else's track that one more won't do difference. It my opinion this name pictures everything about this music and our approach to it.

7.One member lives in the United Kingdom while another one lives in Poland, what kind of impact does this have on the musical style that you play?



This sentence is wrong, but we understand from where this little mistake originates. In our bio we say that this is UK/Polish band but this is to underline the fact from where we are now and for where we're coming from. Nowadays both of us live in UK from over 12 years.  Years earlier we could get ourselves wasted on countless of gigs in London as we were living there then. We moved out to different cities and meetings are rare as fuck so impact is almost same as we would live in different countries anyway.

8. Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to expanding the line up or do you prefer to remain a duo?
Currently there are two of us, but on next release there will be a live drummer, which does not mean that we will be doing any gigs.

9. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of doom and death metal?
It is far greater that we could expect, your review of the album and this interview are the living proof of it. So far it is so great feedback that it just surreal for us. We are overwhelmed by the response of everyone who got in touch. We're fans of such kind of vibe in music and we know we're not alone in this. Everyone who reaches out to us welcomed like fresh zombie to the horde.

10. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
[MAYER] We would like to record some good LP, EP or splits. We do not expect contracts with large labels, our place is in the deep Underground.
[GRINDAK] Down into the madness.

11. What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
[GRINDAK] Without a doubt with atmosphere we're influenced with such great bands like Funebrarum, Hooded Menace or Disma but this is quite clear because they are the best. When it comes to death metal we agree on many things. OK so here is the festival of namedropping from mine side. I used to grow up with bands like Black Sabbath, Running Wild, King Diamond, Iron Maiden, Manowar and blaming here my older brother I discovered far too early such ones as Bathory, Celtic Frost... quickly been catapulted into everything good the verge of 80's and 90's had to offer from thrash metal, death metal or grind-core side. Crawling in Autopsy, Gorguts, Winter, Carcass or Entombed or all the obvious ones on everyday basis, and nothing has changed here till today. Diving into such an amazing hidden gems like Windham Hell or Mindrot or Darkified was great feeling. Nowadays I still try to soak the most of the stuff coming out, because there is so much top notch things going on all over the world. Seems like almost every country has something good to offer in disgusting Death Metal. Fuckin' Undergang, Krypts, Mortuous, Ghastly, Inisans, Ossuarium, Malignant, Coffin Stench, Rotted ...  just first few which caused shivers recently. By the way - in USA you have such an amazing scene in certain cities that it seems unreal, so many fucking good bands, and they keep coming! Beside metal related thing I'm into many other genres, from things on the verge of silence to extreme noise and everything good in between. Eternal love to Steve Roach, Robert Rich, David Sylvian and Bvdub. Mayer currently is very much into Pink Floyd, beside this he enjoys stuff like Dead Can Dance and tons of extreme underground stuff.

12. What are some of your non-musical interests?
[MAYER] Not enough free time but I love cycling.
[GRINDAK]  Waiting for death. Dull existence of the living corpse. Beside this whenever time allows it is computer gaming (currently Witcher3: Wild Hunt), history in general, being in new places people call travelling, good books, but mostly it is music, this is biggest passion. Day is still stubborn fucker and refuses to have 76 hours so for now it has to stay like this.

13. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

[GRINDAK]
Big thanks for an opportunity (is gone....) to be featured in Doomed to Darkness! If you like slow hypnotic metal from the grave, feel free to listen to this, I think you won't be disappointed. Let's Rot.

[MAYER] Thanks and see you at the cemetery.

Deep Memories/Rebuilding The Future/Heavy Metal Rock Records/Misanthropic Records/Invasion Of Solitude Records/GS Productions/2018 Full Length Review

  Deep  Memories  are  a  solo  project  from  Brazil  that  plays  a  melodic  and  progressive  mixture  of  goth,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2018  album  "Rebuilding  The  Future"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Heavy  Metal  Rock,  Misanthropic,  Invasion  Of  Solitude  Records  and  GS  Productions.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  goth  style  synths  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  are  influenced  by  doom  metal  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  using  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  screams  that  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal.

  A  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  clear  vocals  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  one  track  also  adding  clean  playing  onto  the  recording  and  at  times  the  music  gets  very  progressive  and  the  album  closes  with  an  instrumental.

  Deep  Memories  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  progressive,  goth,  doom  and  melodic  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  loneliness  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Deep  Memories  is  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  and  melodic  mixture  of  goth,  doom,  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "When  The  Time  For  My  Last  Breath  Comes"  "Between  Two  Dimensions"  and  "Explicit  Way  To  Relieve  Pain".  8  out  of  10.

Pulchra Morte/Soulstench/The Painless/2018 7 Inch Review

  Pulchra  Morte  are  a  band  from  the  United  States  that  plays  an  old  school  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  7  inch  "Soulstench/The  Painless".

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  single  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  vocals  being  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  screams  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  the  music  is  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's.

  Female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  along  with  the  second  track  being  a  cover  of  Paradise  Lost's  "The  Painless"  and  both  tracks  also  stick  to  a  very  slow  direction.

  Pulchra  Morte  plays  a  style of  doom/death  metal  that  is  very  melodic  and  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Pulchra  Morte  are  a  very  great  sounding  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  single.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "The  Painless".  8  out  of  10.