Shrine Of The Serpent Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Well, Shrine of the Serpent is a 3 piece form Portland, Oregon consisting of myself, John Boyd and Garret Hubner. Garret and I have been friends and in bands for the better part of 10 years. John and I are both tattooers so we knew each other from that. We would sometimes talk about bands we were into and guitar nerdery.  As Tenspeed Warlock was grinding down in the early part of 2014, John and I had been talking about forming SOTS and Garret and I wanted to continue what we had been pushing towards with Roanoke/ Tenspeed  so he was a shoe in for that and we started writing soon after. We are very picky about what we write. We probably scrapped and cannibalized like 10 songs before decided on the three we recorded. We had a bassist early on but John and I tune super low so we figured it wasnt necessary. At our first show we had people come up and tell us it took  a few before they realized we didn't have a bassist.

2.Recently you have released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Death doom is what I keep hearing from folks.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
 Basically all my lyrics are based off the Occult, movies and writers like Lovecraft, Barker, and such.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Shrine Of the Serpent'?
It has to do with my fascination with Oroborus, the symbol for the cycle of life. none of us can escape the wheel. We all must follow the cycle and way of things to the inevitable end. Do we repeat it? Who can say? So many theories and the truth is well hidden.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance? We actually just started playing shows. We like low light so if that tells you anything. I mean, we are a doom band. We dont move a whole lot.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Yes. We are currently working on a tour from Seattle to Oakland in June. Our friends from Eugene in Hiding are going with us on this. We also have a couple local show as as well. April 25th at Wisp house in Salem Oregon with Hungers, Hiding and Eye of nix and May 8th at the High Water Mark here in Portland with Eye of Nix, Hiding and Usnea. I try to keep the webpage updated with all that .  I will soon be trying to get a tour together for fall on the east coast and I'm planning on Europe for next year.

7.The ep was released on Materia Prima Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
Materia Prima is a label I'm just getting off the ground. Also Im using the web page to draw attention to other bands and projects I feel people need to hear. I just concentrate on doing small run duplication .Sometimes with alternative packaging. the next one Im putting out is a dark ambient project from Slovakia called Morvranh. I found him on Soundcloud, he composes great music with excellent atmosphere. materia-primalabel.blogspot.com

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of doom and death metal?
 Very good! Its been selling pretty steady just on word of mouth. Very positive feedback. Cant wait to play more shows. Especially Europe!

9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part off?
Well Garret plays in a stoner rock band called Dwarf Giant who should have an album coming out later this year and I have a dark ambient project called Withering of Light that I have a few releases with. Im currently working on new material for that as well. As far as Aldebaran goes, we all of  have a bunch of different music projects so it may be a bit before that beast emerges from slumber again.

10.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future? Maybe not a full length. We tend to write long songs so maybe 4 or 5 songs on the record is the most your gonna get. We will be recording 2 new songs for a split with Hiding that will come out on Belief Mower records later this year.

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?
 I've been listening to a TON of stuff! Cauchemar, Dead Can Dance, Lurker of Chalice, Bewitcher, Leviathan, Discharge, Crass, Death in June, Shroud of the Heretic, Sempeternal Dusk, Loss, Corrupted, Coffins, Sisters of Mercy, Valenfyre, Burzum, Darkthrone, Lycia, Samhain, Nails, Asunder, Dismeballerina, My Bloody Valentine, Mournful Congregation, Arditi, Funeral Mourning, Masturbatory Dysfunction, Forn, Locrian, Gnaw their Tounges, Rush and Nortt just to name some.

12.Does occultism play any role in your music? Yes to certain degree. Some of what I study and fits in to what we do but some of it I'm obligated not to say much about. Some will know what I mean by that.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?
Well Ive been a tattooer for the better part of 20 years and own Imperial tattoo in Portland, Or. so there is always that. I like bicycling quite a bit, I actually hate driving so that's primarily how I get around. Hiking, shooting and practical self defense as well as spending time with my family and doing illustrations I feel inspired to do .  I study runes and Odinism as well as a the occult, sociological and political happenings world wide. I like to read about history quite a bit. I also build speaker cabs for guitar and bass and housing for amps on a per order basis. I know, not super exciting but you did ask.

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks to those who have been listening and supporting us thus far. Thanks for your time.

Dysteria/Fuck The Future/Vetala Productions/Rad Nauseum/Bones Brigrade/Wooaaargh/2015 Vinyl Review

  Dysteria  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  crust,  d  beat,  grindcore  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Fuck  The  Future"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Vetala  Productions,  Rad  Nauseum,  Bones  Brigrade  and  Wooaaargh.

   Avery  old  school  crust  grind  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  and  the  faster  sections  bring  in  a  good  amount  of  blast  and  d  beats  while  the  slower  sections  are  heavily  influenced  by  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  at  times  the  music  does  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  some  songs  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  samples  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  Dysreria  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  sludge  and  doom  metal  but  also  mixes  in  grind,  crust  d  beat  and  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their own,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent,  dark  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Dysteria  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge,  crust,  grind,  d  beat  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Thirst"  "Defaultocrat"  and  "Mephistophees".  8  out  of  10.

    

William English/Basic Human Error/Grandad Records/2015 CD Review

  William  English  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  stoner,  doom  metal  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Basic  Human  Error"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Grandad  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  melodic  hardcore  punk  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  which  also  leads  to  the  music  adding  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  along  with  a  small  amount  of  melodic  post  hardcore  style  vocals.

  A  good  portion  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  incorporating  more  elements  of  stoner  and  southern  metal  but  done  with  more  heaviness  and  at  time s some  of  the  tracks  speed  up  a  bit  and  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  as  the  album  progresses  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  briefly.

  William  English  plays  a  musical  style  that mixes  the  heaviest  parts  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  together  along  with  a  touch  of  crust  and  post  hardcore  to  create  a  sound  of  their own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  William  English  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge,  doom  metal  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bud  Vessel"  "Captain  Tugboat"  and  "A  Monger".  8  out  of  10.    

Deathkings/Rozamov/Midnite Collective/2015 Split EP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  ep  from  Los  Angeles,  California's  Deathkings  and  Boston,  Massachusetts  Rozamov  which  will  be  released  in  may  by  Midnite  Collective  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Deathkings  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  off  with  clean  post  rock  style  playing  along  with  some  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  that  are  both  rough  and  melodic  which  leads  up  to  a  more  heavy  sludge  metal  direction  and  after  awhile  melodic guitar  leads  are  added  into  the  7  minute  long  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  and  towards  the  end  the  song  speeds  up  a  bit  and  adds  in  blast  beats  which  also  gives  the  song  more  of  a  black  metal  feeling,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Deathkings  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band. 

  Next  up  is  Rozamov  another  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.

 Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  heavy  and  melodic sludge  metal  sound  along  with  a  few  blast  beats  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  once  screams  and  growls  are  added  into  the  music  you  can  also  hear  a  touch  of  crust in  the  faster  sections  of  the  song  while  the  leads  add  a  touch  of  stoner  metal  to  the  song  and  towards  the  end   you  can  hear  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover dark  and  paranormal  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Rozamov  are  a  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  crust,  sludge  and  doom  metal    and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.

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

Shrine Of The Serpent/Self Titled/Materia Prima Records/2015 EP Review

  Shrine  Of  The  Serpent  are  a  band  from  Portland,  Oregon  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2015  which  was  released  by  Materia  Prima  Records.

  A  very  distorted  and  ritualistic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  that  have  a  demonic  atmosphere  to  them  which  leads  up  to  a  very  heavy  sludge/doom  metal  sound  that  also  introduces  death  metal  growls  to  the  recording  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of melody  at  times.

  All  3  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  on  a  couple  of  tracks  a  small  amount  of  atmospheric  sounds  can  be  heard  along  with  a  brief  use  of  grim  vocals  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow,  dark  yet  heavy  musical  direction  that  also  brings  in  a  touch  of  90's  doom/death  metal  at  times  and  spoken  word  parts  make  their  return  on  the  last  track.

  Shrine  Of  The  Serpent  plays  a  very  slow  and  heavy  musical  style  that  mixes  the  darkest  and  heaviest  elements  of  sludge,  doom  and  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  occult  themes.

In  my  opinion  Shrine  Of  The  Serpent  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "King  In  Red".  8  out  of  10.  

Show Of Bedlam/Roont/PRC Music/2015 CD Re-Issue Review

  Show  Of  Bedlam  are  a  band  from  Quebec,  Canada  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  stoner  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Roont"  which  will  be  re-issued  in  May  by  PRC  Music.

  Avant  garde  sounds  start  off  the  album  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  to  get  more  heavy  and  goes  for  more  of  a  doom  metal  sound  that  also  bring s in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  some  clean  singing  female  vocals  and  a  good  portion  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  vocals  also  bring  in  aggressive  screams  at  times.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  small  amount  of  psychedelic  sounds  along  with  some  elements  of  ritualistic  and  noise  music  and  some  of  the  tracks  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  death  metal  growls  and  blast  beats  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  and  when  solos  and  leads  are utilized  they  are  very  dark  and  melodic  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing.    

  Show  Of  Bedlam  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  sludge,  stoner  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  together  along  with  some  atmospheric  and  occult  rock  elements  as  well  as  a  touch  of  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  mental  illness,  shame  and  alienation.

  In  my  opinion S how  Of  Bedlam  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge,  stoner  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Roont"  and  "Dress  For  Sale".  8  out  of  10.

    

Pohjoinen/Self Titled/Inverse Records/2015 Full Length Review

 

 Pohjoinen  are  a  band  from Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  doom  metal  and  stoner  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  album  which  will  be  released  on  April  10th  by  Inverse  Records.

  A  very  heavy  bass  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  a  few  seconds  alter  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  a  70's  influenced  doom  metal  sound  and  you  can  also  hear  acoustic  guitars  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  when  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  all  done  in  a  clean  singing  approach.

  A  good  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  you  can  also  hear  some   death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  when  solos  and leads  are  utilized  they  brings  a  70's  rock  feeling  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  guitar  riffing  also  brings  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  at  times.

  At  time s the  music speeds  up  and  adds  in  elements  of  crustcore  and  blast  beats  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  more  elements  of  stoner  rock  are  added  into  the  bands  musical  style  while  the  high  pitched  screams  also  gives  the  heavier  sections  of  the  bands  musical  style  a  sludge  feeling.

  Pohjoinen  plays  a  style  of  doom  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  70's  but  also  mixes  in  elements  of  stoner  rock,  sludge  and  death  metal  to  make  their  style  more  up  to  date  and  modern,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Finish  and  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Pohjoinen  are  a  very  great  sounding  of  mixture  of  doom,  death  metal  and  stoner  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "RJD"  "Joki"  "Lehto"  and  "Elo".  8  out  of  10.