Hellrad/Things Never Change/2015 CD Review

  Hellrad  are  a  band  from  Pennsylvania  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  and  stoner  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  album  "Things  Never  Change".

  Air  raid  siren  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  distorted  reverb  which  leads  up  to  a  more  heavy  and  dark  style  of  doom  metal  that  is  also  very  heavily  mixed  in  with  sludge  and  spoken  word  samples  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  great  amount  of  stoner  rock  style  melodies.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are long  and  epic in  length  and  after  awhile  grim  screams  start  becoming  a  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  the  vocals  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  growls  at  times  and  some  of  the  tracks  also add  in  influences  of  70's  rock/proto  metal  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful sound  to  them and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they remain  true  to  the  styles  of  sludge,  stoner  and  doom.

  Hellrad  takes  the  slowest,  darkest  and  heaviest  style  of  sludge,  stoner and  doom  metal and  mixers  them  together  to  create  their  own  approach  to  the genre,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  drugs,  addictions  and  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hellrad  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Street  Zombies"  "Dope  Fiend  Jesus"  and  "15  Years  And  COunting".  8  out  of  10. 

Crimson Sky Interview

For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

We are the ones who never stop searching for something new, hidden and constantly present in our inner realms. Actually, our music and lyrics tell better about it. If you seek a more exact answer, it can be found in our biography.

Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

The musical sound is reflection of our dreams, aspirations, and even visions. It’s full of passion and tranquility, anger and relief, cosmic sadness and epic joy… We felt this music under our skins. Thus, it cannot be squeezed into one frame of some specific genre… We usually call what we do – atmospheric doom metal, which only obliquely elucidates the sound we make. It differs from the debut album in that it is much more mature and thought-out. Moreover, the musical structure of “Transcendental Trip” seems more sophisticated.

This is the first full length to be released in 4 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?
We are not a commercial band that aims to produce albums one after another. Moreover, we are not professionals who can easily release discs, being sure of their uniqueness. We experimented much during rehearsals, but many improvisations never turned into full compositions. So, during these years, we rehearsed and performed in different Ukrainian cities and towns, trying to realize how the audience accepts us. We were invited to perform at Global East Festival-2011 and Metal Heads Mission 2012, where we presented songs from “Rising”. Overall, we gained an experience.

The band was broken up for a few years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?
It was broken up because we were not there J Well, it was not actually the split, but a long pause after which Bohdan finally found those, who can accomplish his dream. However, it cannot be called reformation since it was the beginning of a totally new band.

What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
We wanted to create new myths and stories, which embodied our inner worlds. However, we also focused on symbols from legends and fiction. For instance, we made our own perception of Mag Mell (Irish mythology), a blissful underworld, which can be achieved through noble death or magnificent glory. Warriors in our song get there with the help of Aimend’s kiss, “goddess in vermeil”, sun deity. The theme of godlike creatures is continued in “Ember of deities”, which symbolizes decay of humankind, transformation of gods (through the example of Egyptian ones) into remorseless castigators, and domination of Selene (moon goddess), who ruins hallow treasures of people because of their desire to become superior to deities… In other songs, we envision communication between alive woman and her deceased beloved, who comes into her dreams and tells about his path in afterworld; there also hallucinations of split mind, when the demon penetrates a vulnerable consciousness and makes a girl fight with malicious voice inside her head; we portrayed the loss of truth and essence of life, sorrow and devastation of the Mother Earth, but we also imagined enlightenment and renaissance of this world. There are many ideas behind our lyrics, which should be explained one by one. Moreover, they acquire new sense every time you read or listen to it. There are so many metaphors you should be patient to unravel. Thus, it would be great if people could immerse into this labyrinth of lyrics and ask us about the meanings.

What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Crimson Sky'?
It was invented by our male vocalist, who wanted to give this name a shade of dark romanticism – the sky is getting crimson at sunset, which is a period of a beautiful natural metamorphosis, its transformation into night. Crimson sky can symbolize a bridge between the day and the night, when the sun and the moon exchange their energies. As our guitarist Serhii says, it’s a crack between worlds. Anyway, everyone of us sees something different in this simple name.

What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
As we mentioned, those shows were Global East Festival-2011 headlined by Helloween and Metal Heads Mission 2012. The concert with Mournful Gust and Fleshgore in Krivoi Rog remained a memorable event, and our performance as the supporting act of Haggard in Kharkiv was an outstanding experience.
Our stage performance is a fiery melancholy, ejection of inner lightnings, and immersion into music trance.

Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
It would be great to conquer Europe one day. Anyway, it is unlikely that we will perform with the same line-up.

On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of gothic, doom and death metal?
As we remember, there were no negative opinions, especially concerning the last album. However, we’re known better here in Ukraine. Some love us there, some criticize, some simply do not understand this style, but we definitely have our audience. We are still waiting for new reactions of the world.

What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
Anton and Serhii experiment on black and death metal. Myroslava and Anatoliy experiment on jazz from time to time, and see the future with jazz fusions. Liudmyla does not take part in previous projects anymore.

Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Ideally, it would be an experimental project with the focus on metal, but with diverse music adornments (maybe some authentic instruments, such as jaw harp, lyrichord, and pipe).

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?
Shining, Haggard, Draconian, Swallow the Sun are among those bands, which influenced our music. Our tastes encompass different kinds of metal, rock, jazz, and blues, as well as neo folk and world music.

What are some of your non-musical interests?
May they be hidden within our comfort zones. So, let’s say – never-ending self-actualization and discovery of the Universe.

Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
It was nice to answer your questions, which refreshed our memories about who we are)) Hope that this interview will attract more music adherents around the globe to our album “Transcendental Trip”. It would be terrific if our songs resonated with minds, souls, and spirits of different people.

Church/Unanswered Hymns/Battleground Records/2015 CD Review

  Church  are  a  band  from  Sacramento,  California  that  plays  of  doom  metal,  sludge,  drone,  ambience  and  psychedelic  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Unanswered  Hymns"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by Battelground  Records.

  A  very  slow,  dark and  melodic  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  and  a  few  seconds  later  the  heaviness  of  sludge  starts  to  kick  in  and  melodic female vocals  can  also  be  heard  at times  and  the  music  also  utilizes  death  metal  growls  in  some  parts  of  the  songs.

  All  3  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  songs  also  mix  in  high  pitched  sludge screams  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  there  are also  some  parts that also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  clean  playing  that  also  gives  the songs  more  of  a  70's  and  psychedelic  feeling  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  add  more  of  a  dark  and  melodic  feeling  to  the recording  and  the  whole  album  always  sticks  to  a  very  slow  and  dark  musical  style.

  Church plays  a  musical  style  that  has  some  roots  in  traditional  doom  but  also  mixes  in elements  of  sludge,  death  metal,  drone  and  psychedelic  rock,  the  production sounds  very professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Church  are  a  very great  sounding  mixture  of   doom  metal,  sludge,  drone,  ambience  and  psychedelic  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Stargazer".  8  out  of  10.        

Algos Interview

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

I would describe Algos as a Melodic Death/Doom metal band, with hints of pretty much everything that inspires me, ranging from black, folk and classical. This freedom is what i believe appeals to some of the listeners and makes me love writing/recording my music

2.So far you have released 2 ep's and a full length,  how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on those recordings?

The first EP (Misery Loves Solitude), which i started calling more of a demo nowadays cause of bad judgment back in the day, was a bit of an experiment on my behalf, It was the first time i recorded anything, and i started learning vocals weeks before that i think. I wanted to make a  Doom metal EP but that quickly went off road when writing From The Depths which has more of a melodic death vibe and that stacked around for the rest of the album with exception of Now she sleeps (The acoustic track of the EP)

As a result of that song i decided to make the Fragmented acoustic EP, which is something quite scary to do in a metal community, but I’m really glad i did.

After that i combined both writing styles a bit and The Death Of Seasons started to come together. Which is now the main style i will try to upkeep but maybe some more acoustic stuff included from time to time!

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects that you explore with your music?

All lyrics are about personal topics and depression, i like to write lyrics that are a bit vague to others but that will be very clear for those that know what it's about. But still make them enjoyable and open to interpretation

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Algos'?

Algos is the Greek spirit of depression, which comes right back to the lyrical theme.
I didn't want a name I’d regret later by making it a spur of the moment thing and this is what really stuck with me

5.With this musical project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with another label or do you prefer to remain solo?

I prefer to remain solo due to how personal it all is to me, i have a spot open for a mate of mine who is a drummer but that just didn’t fit in , time wise, for the last album so that might be something that will change. I have a drum kit available but i tried recording it and, well, the current sound is a lot better. Haha

6.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

I have received some label offers but nothing that i really considered yet, If something comes along that i feel is right for me i will surely do it but I’m not going to rush into poor decisions just to get my music out there.

7.The new album has been promoted through WeakLight promotions, can you tell us a little bit more about this company?

WeakLight promotions is doing a great job helping me spread my music which i failed to do at earlier albums. I'm horrible at promotion and i got in touch with  the guy running this and it's a great experience so far,

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of doom and death metal?

So far, except the occasional internet trolls, it's been amazing.  I was afraid it was  going to be a love it or hate it album cause of the diversity in genres but i haven’t really heard anything about it, in a negative light, that i found to be out of place or i didn’t enjoy reading.  Some people not liking certain songs or aspects of it are mostly told to me in a nice and productive way so i can't complain about the reception of the album and the fan response

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

I don't see myself being in a full band for multiple reasons but i am going to keep doing Algos, and i already got 20 minutes done for the next album.  I'm also doing more side projects now like vocals for Il Vuoto and will probably be writing an album with a fellow solo artist.  So basically, More Algos, and more projects hopefully.

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?

Some of my main inspirations are , In Mourning, Daylight Dies, Swallow The Sun, Woods of Ypres, Dax Johnson, Enshine. This list goes on pretty long, All of these have the element of desperation in their music that i love.

Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Wilderun, Angelmaker, Disperse, Mechina and even The Offspring for nostalgia.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I'm very much into fitness and bodybuilding, not much of a pit person at concerts though strangely..

Besides that I’m a bit of a computer nerd, massive fan of the Dark Souls gaming series for example.  So if I’m not writing/listening to music I’m probably gaming or throwing weights around.

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

Thanks a lot for the interview and the awesome review. And thanks to the people reading this and all the support I’ve been getting since the debut release. Been getting messages from people that really had an amazing time listening to the album and that's all i really wanted to achieve with this project so that means the world to me.

Jointstereo Interview

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

Arthur: Jointstereo was born November 9, 2008 (the day of the first full lineup rehearsal) in Krasnodar (Russia’s southwest). Over the next two years, we recorded several trial demos and finally released the Lineout studio single in 2011. Jonas Kjellgren (a Swedish producer and co-founder of Scar Symmetry) was positively impressed by the release and offered to mix and master our debut full-length album. Refract The Fears (the debut LP) was released April 13, 2012 and gained positive acclaim from public, although did not reach wide audience. Several months later, I temporarily left the band due to creative and managerial disagreements. After my return in 2013, several singles were recorded, and we started working on the second album tentatively titled Break The Circles. In the heat of the record session, the project became virtually disbanded and ended up being a studio duo. Me and Yuri decided to finish the recorded material and release it as Circles. EP.

2.Recently you have released a new ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ form the stuff you have released in the past?

Arthur: Initially, the release was intended to be a full-length sequel of the Refract The Fears debut album. However, as most band members had left the project during the record session, we finished the material and released it as an EP. The result is a kind of atmospheric rock with a touch of progressive flavor that now drifts towards post metal while giving up on doom death features typical of our debut album. Conceptually, record sessions were all about achieving live and natural sound; hence the rock legends of the past used as a go-by during mastering and the numerous analogue devices in the record path. The release therefore can be viewed as an eclectic and post-modernistic one (in a good sense of this word).

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

Arthur: Similar to the debut full-length album, lyrics mostly deal with the dark states of mind; however, new concepts are widely based on religious and philosophical views and scientific theories thus going way beyond personal feelings and self-reflections.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Jointstereo'?

Arthur: As you probably know, Joint Stereo is a term in audio engineering. Roughly, it’s a trick used to reduce the size of audio file, and this encoding technique is based on the summation of left and right channels and their subtraction at the same time.
When I was something like 17, I was fond of dualism in philosophy and just started to be interested in audio engineering. The idea of two opposites becoming something integral but preserving the differences really impressed me. To me, it looked like something universal, you know, and I thought it would be a great name for the band. Later, the space character has disappeared and a lot of other meanings appeared. Loud and quiet, aggressive and calm, hard and soft, etc.

Yuri: And after we became a duo, this name suits us even better. Our music is a sum of both of us, but it isn’t flat because of our differences.

5.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you chose to remain a duo?

Arthur: We write the new songs as a duo, and we feel quite comfortable. However, we record songs with help of session musicians, and when we will return to the live stage, we will need a live band. Who will it be, and will they become the members of Jointstereo, only time will tell.

6.The ep was released on Another Side Recordings, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Arthur: Another Side Records is a sublabel of the Ukrainian heavy metal label Metal Scrap Records. Another Side Records is focused on more atmospheric and progressive music. They are great people and professionals, and they are really passionate about their work.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death,doom and post metal?

Arthur: Circles. EP is our first official worldwide release, so we haven’t had time to understand. As I said, our debut album gained positive acclaim from the fans of such genres, but the international audience wasn’t wide enough.

8.Are any of the band members also involved with any other musical projects?

Arthur: No, but we have many ideas beyond Jointstereo and some of them are even beyond rock and metal music. If it develops into something, most likely we will work on it together.

Yuri: Right, we have an excellent rapport, and we perfectly complement each other’s ideas.

Arthur: I had a collaboration with another local metal band Aura One when temporarily left Jointstereo. We even recorded a nice single ‘Follow The Silence’, but soon I left Aura One and came back to JS.

9.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Arthur: Within a year I guess. We have just begun working on the new songs, and the concept isn’t clear enough yet. I believe our music will evolve in the same direction, and there will be more progressive and atmospheric features and less death metal, etc. But who knows. It’s all about feelings.

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?

Arthur: When I was a kid, my parents were fond of classical symphonic music, jazz and rock, especially art and progressive. From the cradle I was listening to Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi, Buxtehude, Ravel, Gershwin, Pink Floyd, ELP, The Doors, Yes, Gentle Giant, Jethro Tull, Mike Oldfield, Black Sabbath and so on. Over the years, I became a fan of almost all kinds of interesting, intelligent, atmospheric and emotional music. I have very broad tastes in music. Of course, at different times I prefer different genres. Jointstereo was founded when we were the huge fans of Katatonia, Tool, Anathema, Opeth, October Tide, Tiamat and some other rock and metal bands. You can hear the influence of such music in our debut album. I even made a nod towards some of my favorites in my lyrics. Attentive listener will find these references. Nowadays, I mostly listen to atmospheric and progressive rock, acoustic rock, chamber rock (baroque pop), trip-hop, retrowave electronic music, etc., and the heaviest part of my basic playlist is post-metal, I guess. Oh, I really love the latest Katatonia live release ’Sanctitude’ and 2015 ‘Hvel’ LP by Árstíðir. The latest Callisto album is also amazing to me. Of course, sometimes I listen to doom death, progressive and math metal, but only in the very special mood. Actually, I can talk about my favorites for a really long time, so I’d better stop right now.

Yuri: Since childhood, I was an almost omnivorous music listener. My cassette mixtapes were a dish consisting of Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Therion, Metallica, Mummy Troll, Darkseed, Tiamat, Nirvana, and it was seasoned with B.B. King and Gary Moore. Later, my tastes have become sharper. Now my playlist usually includes Katatonia, Tool, Gojira, A Swarm Of The Sun, sometimes the best of the rising math metal stars like Tesseract and Architects. I think you can find an influence of the unique combinations of my favorites in each of my works. Sometimes I do notice that when analyzing our recordings.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Arthur: In short, I’m a loving husband, a Master of Fine Arts, an IT enthusiast, a video game fan and a fan of cooking. I’m also really interested in religions, philosophy and natural science. And I’m a huge fan of beards, yeah.

Yuri: First of all, my non musical interests are my family and my friends. I always try to find a way to spend more time with them. I also love nature in all its aspects, I like to travel, I’m fond of fine arts. Besides that, I love discussions, ‘cause they provide an opportunity to understand people and to learn a lot. In general, the pursuit of information is one of my main interests.

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

Arthur: Thank you guys. This is our first international interview, so it’s a great honor for us. And addressing the audience, we hope our music will bring you lots of pleasant moments. From Russia with great love to each and every one of you. Goodbye.

Yuri: I subscribe to what was said by Arthur. Thanks for the interview. Bye.

Vintage Warlords/The Invisible Foe/Redefining Darkness Records/2015 EP Review

  Vintage  Warlords  are  a  duo  from  the  United  States  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "The  Invisible  Foe"  which  was  released  by  Redefining  Darkness  Records.

  Clean  yet  disorted  playing  starts  off  the  ep  before  going  into  more  of  a  dark  and  heavy  musical  musical  direction  that  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  melodies  at  times and  once  the  growls  kick  in  the  music  starts  going  into  more  of  a  doom/death  metal  direction  that  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  sludge  and  all  3  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  A  lot  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  styles  of  doom  an d  death  metal  and  there  are  also  some  parts  that  also  bring  in a small  amount  of  high  pitched  screams  and  there  are  some  riffs  that  are  slightly  influenced  by  grind  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  add  in  even  more  of  an  old  school  death  metal  feeling  to  the  recording.

  Vintage  Warlords  plays  a  style  of  doom/death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  but  also  update  the  style  with  a  touch  of  sludge  to  make  the  music  sound  more  modern,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  dark  and  heavy  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vintage  Warlords  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  "Exodus Of  Souls".  8  out  of  10.

   

Officium Triste Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
Hi! Well, since our last studio album “Mors Viri” we have mainly focused on performing live. We have been working on some reissues of older records and in recent months we have started working on new material for our next studio album.

2.Your last album was released in 2013, how would you describe the musical sound that was present on that recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
I think that we have progressed as a band over the years when it comes to composing our songs. In general I think we haven’t changed that much musically. When we started out we wanted to write heavy and melodic doom/death metal and that still is the case. Over the years you definitely grow as musicians and composers, so you could say we have matured nicely. I think the biggest difference when you compare “Mors Viri” to the previous albums is the production. We had “Mors Viri” mixed and mastered in Sweden by Ronnie Björnström and he did an amazing job.

3.In the last 14 years there have only been 4 full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap in between releases?
That’s more or less the way things work for us. You see, when an album is done you have to get it out of your system. As a band we then mainly focus on doing shows and it usually takes a while before we get back in writing mode. Next to that we all have regular jobs and families so in the end an average of 3 years between albums isn’t all that long to be honest.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your current music?
Lyrics often based around themes like relationships gone wrong, depression and stuff like that. I feel it is important the lyrics go hand in hand with the vibe of the music. Our music is quite emotional and therefore I tend to write about subjects like these. I do try to steer away a bit from those subjects but it seems I always come up with lyrics about these kind of subjects.

5.The band has been around for more than 20 years, what is it that motivates you to keep going after all of these years?
It’s the fun we have as a band creating music together, performing live and everything else involved in being in a band. It’s just a cool thing to do. You get to see places and you meet a lot of great people. Of course there are also hard times being in a band, but in general the good things make up for it. It’s just a fun thing to do and I can recommend it to anybody.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We’ve done quite a few awesome shows over the years. Thinking back I have fond memories of our shows in Moscow, Malta and Spain. Supporting bands like Candlemass and Anathema. Doing shows with Evoken, Isole, Mourning Beloveth or Hollenthon. I could mention them all really. Playing live is one of the things that is quite important to us. Our performance is pretty basic. We’ll let the music do the talking.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We have a few shows scheduled. We’ll be performing for the first time in the Czech Republic for instance and there are a couple of gigs planned here in the Netherlands. Other than that there’s a lot of talk about other shows as well so hopefully we’ll be able to announce some more shows later this year.

8.Recently Vic Records re-released your 2004 album "Reason', what are your thoughts on this re-issue?
It turned out perfect I think. Since the original press has been sold-out for a while we were looking for a label that wanted to reissue “Reason”. I got in touch with Roel of Vic Records and we worked out a deal within minutes. That was one of the best cooperation we have had with a label so far. We did toy with the idea to add some bonus material, but to be honest we don’t have any stuff from that period that would be a real addition. We also feel that we shouldn’t decrease the value of “Reason” has for us and a lot of fans. The album was intended to be that way, so we kept it as it is. That’s why we chose to release it as a digipack with the artwork cleaned up and some liner-notes. I am totally happy with this new edition.

9.Over the years how has the feedback been to your music by fans of doom and death metal?
In general the feedback has been great. There are always people who think a certain album is less good or something like that. But hey, it’s music and you can’t please everyone. Some people even think we are too cheesy and I have no problem with that. Just don’t listen to us if you don’t like our music. There are also people who genuinely think we are one of the best bands around and that is awesome too.
I still feel honored when people still discover us even when we’ve been around for some time. Makes you wonder if we shouldn’t have done things differently in the past, but it still makes me proud when someone shows their love for our music.

10.Are any of the band members also involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
I think I’m the only one involved in other musical projects at the moment. In the past I have done some guest vocals for Falling Leaves from Jordan and Doomed from Germany. I am doing vocals in The 11th Hour, which is Ed Warby’s doom metal band. I have a doom metal band with Seth (Severe Torture/Centurian/Voodoo Gods) and AJ (Temple/ex-Beyond Belief). This is called Extreme Cold Winter and our debut recording “Paradise Ends Here” should be out this year through Ossuary Industries. Next to that I’m also involved in Clouds. We just released our debut “Doliu”. I did vocals on 1 song but I think you can expect more from Clouds in the future.
Then there’s Dark Epoch, which is also an international band with members from Australian and American acts such as The Slow Death, Mournful Congregation, Innsmouth, Aldebaran, Cruciform and so on.
Last but not least I have a classic rock covers band called The Rock Of Ages.

11.When can we expect new music and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Like said before we have started working on new songs. I’d like to say we should be able to have an album out in 2016, but it could be 2017 as well. We first need to get some killer tunes written. We are also working on the recording of a cover. Once that is done we’ll post it online. I won’t mention what song it is but it’s a cover of a non-metal song.

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your current music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
As a band we listen to a wide range of music. As an influence I would say we still are inspired by bands we listened to when we started out. So, Paradise Lost, Katatonia, Type O Negative and similar bands. Soundtracks or bands like M83, Mono, Hammock or London Grammar inspire us as well.
Personally I listen to lots of music. A lot of death metal and some recent releases I totally dig are Maveth, Krypts, Horrendous, Swallowed. I could go on and on. Within our style I really like the new Paradise Lost and Shape Of Despair albums. And bands like Doomed, Norilsk, Helevorn to name a few. The new Valkyrie is awesome too by the way.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?
From a personal point of view I can mention that I like to read (Bukowksi being one of my faves), watch movies and series, watch football (or soccer as you want to call it), play darts and drink beer.

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks for the interview, it’s much appreciated. Keep supporting bands, they need it.