Rekoma Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Well, we're bunch of guys who love music, making and playing it. We come from northern Finland where winters are dark, cold and too long and i guess it can be heard through our music.
Our line-up is: Jani Redkin - lead vocals, Samuli Maunula - lead guitar, Arttu Korpela - rhythm guitar, Antti Maunula - bass and Juha Ilola - drums.

2.So far you have released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
It's actually pretty hard to describe your own music 'cause there are so many influences to it. It's dark, melancholic, brutal and good to bang your head with.
Someone has described it as a mixture of melodic death and thrash metal with a touches of groove and doom  metal.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
From the lyrics you can find themes like: partnership issues, depression, human stupidity on a worldwide scale and worry about where we are heading as human beings.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Rekoma'?
Haha, now that's what we want you to figure out. It's actually pretty obvious. There was no great inspiration behind the name, we just had to come up with something.
Clue: band was called Koma before the singer joined the crew. Drummer Juha has joined the band after the name was decided.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
One of the best shows was definitely a small private gig called "Hevimies"-ilta. It was arranged by a group of local metalheads and it kicked ass.
Our stage performance goes alongside with the music. If it's fast and hard, we move fast and hard. If it's slow, we calm down and live in the music. 

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We are about to start making a full length album pretty soon, so there are not very much time for tour or gigs. But, we are always looking for opportunities to play to the crowd.

7.The ep was released on 'Inverse Records', are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?
Yes, definitely. They've been a great support and we are happy to work with them.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme metal?
We haven't got much of feedback on a worldwide level yet, but so far the feedback's been good overall.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Hard to say. We all are evolving constantly and so does our music. We'd like to think that we have found our thing, but you never know.

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?
To name a few: Lamb of god, Stam1na, In flames and pretty much anything that comes from the Gothenburg scene.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Depending on the band member. Motorcycles, cars, fishing, hunting, painting, video games and all kinds of shit.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We'd like to say to the people that buy records, we still do. They're the real thing!
Rock on! and look us up on facebook for more info.

Lanthanein/Lagrimas/2016 Full Length Review

  Lanthanein  are  a  band  from  Argentina  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  goth,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "Lagrimas".

  Tragic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  violins  and  they  also  mix  the  symphonic  and  heavy  parts  together  and  operatic  singing  can  also  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  along  with  a  great  amount  of  female  vocals  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  can  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  fashion  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  all  instrumental  and  as  the  album  progresses  classical  guitars  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the recording.

  On  this  recording  Lanthanein  goes  for  more  of  an  operatic  and  symphonic  approach  to  goth  metal while  some  doom,  black  and  death  metal  elements  can  still  be  heard  in  their  music  at  times,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Spanish  and  cover  dark  and  poetic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Lanthanein  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic  goth  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lacrimosa  et  Gementem"  "Lagrimas  de  Luna  (Moontears)"  "Auraluna"  and  "Ceremonia  del  Alma  Dormida  (Ceremony  Of  The  Soul  Asleep)".  8  out  of 10. 

Carnal Tomb/Rotten Remains/Memento Mori/Weed Hunter Records/2016 Full Length Review Review

  Carnal  Tomb  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  an  old  school  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Rotten  Remains"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Memento  Mori  and  Weed  Hunter  Records.

  Horror  movie  samples  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  dark  and  heavy  old  school  death  metal  direction  which  introduces  blast  beats,  chaotic  guitar  leads  and  growling  vocals  into t he  music  as  well  as  some  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the   early  90's.

  A  lot  of  doom  metal  elements  can  be  heard  in  the  slower  riffing  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  some  of  the  faster  riffs  use  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  solos  and  leads  start  getting  more  dark  and  melodic  and  one  of the  later  songs  brings  in  a brief  use  of  keyboards  which  also  gives  the  song  more  of  a  horror  movie  atmosphere  and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Carnal  Tomb  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  while  also  bringing  in  a  touch  of  doom  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover    death,  zombies,  mutilation,  and  tombs  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Carnal  Tomb  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Undead  Dread"  "Cycle  Of  Horror"  "Cemetery  inversion"  and  "Repulsive  Mutilation".  8  out  of  10.

Dead End/Reborn From The Grave/Vic Records/2016 CD Review

  Dead  End  are  a  band  from t he  Netherlands  that  plays  a  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Reborn  From The  Grave"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Vic  Records.

  Thunder  sounds  and  church bells  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  horror  movie  style  keyboards  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  heavier  doom  metal  direction  where  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  some  Swedish  influences  from  the  early  90's  can  be  heard  while  the  solos  and  leads  bring  in  even  more  of  a  dark  and  melodic  sound  and  some  tracks  also bring  in  a  small  amount  of  grim  screams  while  some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  a  couple  of  tracks  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  the  last  song  is very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Dead  End  plays  a  style  of  doom/death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  day  of  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  depressive  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Dead  End  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dead  End (Reborn)"  "Mea  Culpa"  "Venture"  and  "Wearing  The  Cloak".  8  out  of  10.

Rekoma/Circle Of Hate/Inverse Records/2016 EP Review

  Rekoma  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  melodic  death  and  thrash  metal  with  some  doom touches and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "Circle  Of  Hate"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Inverse  Records.

  A  very  hard,  dark  and  melodic  sound  stats  off  the  ep  along  with  a  great  amount  of  heavy  riffing    which  remains  true  to  the  Scandinavian  tradition while  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  while t he  vocals  are  done  in a   very  rough  yet  clean  singing  approach  which  also  gives  the  music  an  American  feeling.

  At times  death  metal  growls  can  be  heard  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  decent  amount  of  thrash  elements  which  bring  in  a  more  modern  take  to  the  genre  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts   and  the  slower  sections  bring  in  some doom  metal  elements  and keyboards  are  added  onto  the  last  track  along  with  some  aucoustic  guitars.

  Rekoma  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  death  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  American  thrash/groove  metal  and  a  touch  of  Finnish  doom  to  create  a  musical  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Rekoma  are  a  very  decent  sounding  mixture  of  melodic  death, thrash,  groove  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lambs  Of  Sacrifice"  and  "Down  The  Drain".  7/5  out  of  10.  

Unalei/Taedium Vitae/Club Inferno Ent./2016 CD Review

  

  Unalei  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  decadent  form  of  post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of their  2016  album  "Taedium  Vitae"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Club  Inferno  Ent.

  Clean  playing  and  melodic  vocals  start  off  the  album  and  after  a  few  seconds  the  music  gets  heavier  while  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  bring  in  post  metal  touches  and  they  also  mix  the  atmospheric  and  heavy  parts  together and  black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard  in  the   music  at  times.

  A  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  music  also  gets  very  progressive  at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  jazz  elements.

  Some  songs  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  whispers  and  some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  while  the  faster  riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  as  the  album  progresses  synths  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  whole  album  is  also  full  of  a  great  amount  of  diversity  while  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  stringed  instruments  are  used  on  the last  track.

  Unalei  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  post  metal  while  also  getting  very  progressive  and  experimental  at  times  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  touch  of  black  and  doom  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Italian  and  cover  anger,  depression,  sadness,  grief,  anxiety,  apathy  and  chastity  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Unalei  are  a  very  great  sounding  decadent  post  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Aporia"  "Salve  Regina"  and  "Sei  Sveglia".  8  out  of  10.

Onera Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Sure! Onera is comprised of members from past bands of various styles, some pretty notable: Tim (guitars) was in December Wolves and Watchmaker; Craig (guitars) was in local 90s band Mortuary; Curtis (vocals) was in Cortez; I (Justin- bass) was in Morgion & Keen of the Crow; Scott (drums) was in many local bands, including Tripwire. We play heavy, melodic, metal. I guess it's what some people would call progressive doom. Sometimes it's pummeling and hooky, sometimes it's ambient like post-rock. Not a lot of gruff or growling vocals, but present when it helps the mood of the song. It seems as though our songs appeal to people who are primarily into different styles.

2.Recently you have released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound tat is presented on the recording?
So, we recorded the first 3 songs we completed. We have had them for at least a couple years now, but once the line-up was set last year we went into the studio. In a way, these 3 songs represent our core sound and mix of influences...Unruhe is long and epic, it takes you on a bit of a journey. Still As A Stone is shorter and slower, a bit more straightforward and pummeling (a bit of Bolt Thrower) with a very atmospheric interlude in the middle centered around a spoken word piece about the end of the world (a highlight of the whole EP, I think). The last song, Cold Hand's Caress, is what we jokingly call the hot rocking single, as it is the shortest (7:30), and has more of a rock formula (verse-chorus-bridge) based on a really hooky riff and big chorus.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
It started as mostly lyrics about the death of loved ones and mourning them, since that was my motivation when I moved to the East from California after losing my father, and then many other loved ones shortly after; and I started writing these songs and starting this band. Most of the other guys have also experienced significant loss in recent years since this band started. Since then the lyrical content has grown to incorporate personal struggles like dark events in the past, rising above challenges, anger & frustration about people, and so on. It's always dark!

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Onera'?
It is Latin for 'burden' or "a weight". we struggled for a long time to find a name for the band. We felt this was perfect because we experienced a lot of setbacks, delays and various difficulties in forming this band and getting everything into shape as it is today.

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 have probably 6 shows under our belts so far. Semi-local towns. We are trying to not play the same area too many times, and also make sure the shows are with great and interesting bands. Some of our better sets at fun shows were at Opus in Salem, Massachusetts with Monastery/Movie On the Way Down/Bedtimemagic and 2 shows at Ralph's Diner in Worcester, Massachusetts - first with Worshipper/Electric Sinners/Bedroom Rehab Corp, and just recently as our co-release party show with our friends in Conclave (support by Hepatagua and Enhailer). We try to put real energy into our show, and Curtis has a big part in that with all of his movement to the music around the stage, and with how he engages and communicates with the audience.

6.Do you have nay touring or show plans for the future?
We definitely intend to get on the road to do some shows in other places. we just want the timing to be right, so it's not a waste of anyone's time. Right now, the buzz is out on the EP and we are making great contacts. I'd like to be back in the studio this Fall and hopefully have a release on a label early next year, continuing the momentum and starting some touring.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Yes, we are currently in the process of contacting labels to see who is interested in the band.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of doom metal?
It is still early so far, but we have heard all good things. People seem to understand what we wanted to do, and they appreciate the time we put in on recording, mixing and mastering the EP. Naturally, there will be some people who do not care for this band, or have criticisms, and we look forward to seeing that as well.

9.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
Yes. Tim plays guitar in a longstanding local black metal band called Cold Northern Vengeance; and I play bass in Come To Grief, which is a sort-of reunion of 90s Boston sludge doom band Grief, where a couple of us are not original members, and the songs are mostly early material as well as new material songs we have written (should be recording later this year for a release on Fuck Yoga Records).

10.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We have many more songs (at least an hour of music) that we would like to record this year (hopefully Fall). The idea is to have the interested label in place and have them release the full length. We would love to see that happening by Spring 2017, but we'll all have to wait and see. As we continue to write I am sure we will continue to experiment with some of our other influences and see how it all fits into our sound.

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?
The influences are many, and do range, but some of the big ones for us are: Katatonia, Enslaved, Anathema, Faith No More, Bolt Thrower, Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree, Isis, Dream Theater, Mindrot, Devin Townsend

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
I don't have a ton of free time these days, but I love to travel with my wife and our daughter, play with our dogs, hike and kayak, and play various card games/role-playing games with friends; Tim spends time with his son, and he is into guitars and gear; Scott spends time with his kids and hanging with friends; Curtis does stand-up comedy, he is certified to preside over weddings, he travels with his wife, and plays with his dogs and hangs with friends; Craig likes to golf, shoot guns, play video games and various card/role-playing games, and spend time at the lake with his wife and their kids and dog.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts
Thanks for the interview...we appreciate all the support we get! Support the music, wherever you are! It is what keeps the bands going. Fuck scenes and fuck rock star attitudes.  We plan to keep busy, so keep an eye out for new things. Follow us at www.facebook.com/oneraband or www.onera.bandcamp.com