Svarthart Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
We are currently focusing on playing as much shows as we can. These days we only play in our own region (Belgium
and The Netherlands). We are also writing a follow-up album to our debut. The first new track "Waiting" has already been released.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?
Doom/death metal with a lot of focus on melody. In the style of early My Dying Bride.

3.The band has been around since 2011 but waited until 2016 to release an album, can you tell us a little bit more about the earlier years?
In the beginning we started as a small project while the band members played in other bands. In the first years we focused on writing and recording some songs. After we had a couple of songs and the sound we were happy about, we started to rehearse them and making a playlist for a few local gigs. During these years we released a small demo with 2 tracks on it. After we did a few shows we started to record a full-length. But we did the recording on a very slow tempo, so we did not have to rush anything.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
We are mainly focusing on the darker and worse things in life. There is always some kind of story behind every song, for example a family member who died, tragic love affairs or just situations which get you down.For us, these darker emotions in life give a lot to express in the lyrics.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Svarthart'?
We wanted our band to have a dutch sounding name. Svarthart is actually more Norwegian sounding than dutch, but it's just an easy sounding name with a little rhyme in it.

6.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 played a weekend of live shows this year together with French doom band Lying Figures. The shows we did in Antwerpen (Belgium) and Tilburg (The Netherlands) were really amazing. We will always remember them and it was also fun making new friends during these shows.We try to be as doomy as we can during the live shows, with very sober light and headbanging on the faster songs.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We are planning another weekend next year with another foreign doom band. But we are still organizing, so I can't say anything more yet.

8.Currently the band is getting distribution through 'Sepulchral Silence', are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?
Yes, they do a great job of spreading our music online. It sure helped us to get some more fans because they can get you on streaming services such as Deezer and Spotify. Releasing music as a band only without help from a label is quite difficult these days.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of doom and death metal?
We have not really gone worldwide by ourselves. But at the local shows we played so far, we got some compliments of the fans and have sold records at almost every show we did. Of course doom metal is a smaller genre which not everyone likes, but we just try to improve ourselves every time. And we are still a young band, so we still need to develop and evolve a little further.

10.What is going on with 'Verderf' these days a band that also shares a couple of the same members?
That band is currently on hold, because we lack the time combining multiple bands and work.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
I think musically we will always keep playing the doom/death metal genre, because it's the music we love the most. We will mainly focus on upgrading our overall sound as a band and keep on improving our melodical skills.

12.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?
For me it started out with early My Dying Bride, Anathema and Paradise Lost. These bands are the founders of the doom/death metal genre, so of course we pour some musical inspiration out of their albums. But we always add our own elements so we don't sound like a copy of other bands.
Nowadays I listen a lot more to the local doom scene over here, because we have great and talented bands like Officium Triste, Faal and Treurwilg which have all released great stuff to listen to!

13.What are some of your non musical interests?
Just enjoying life as much a I can, spending time with friends and seeing some places of the world.

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
I hope we can remain playing and listening to music for the rest of our lives. And I wish a good health for everyone!

Dreamgrave/Monuments I. The Anxious/Prog Heaven Hungary/2017 EP Review

  Dreamgrave  are  a  band  from  Hungary  that  plays  a  mixture  of  neo-classical,  prog,  goth,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  ep  "Monuments  I.  The  Anxious"  which  was  released  by  Prog  Heaven  Hungary.

  Acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  goth  style  female  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  while  stringed  instruments  are  also  used  at  times  and  they  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier sections  of  the  songs  which  also  introduces  male  vocals  onto  the  recording  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  bringing  in  more  of  a  melodic  prog  rock  style.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  neo  classical  as  well  as  some  avant  garde  elements  are  also  used  at  times  along  with  some  death metal  growls  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  which  also  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  at  times  and  most  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  slow  direction  and  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  doom  metal  influences.

  Dreamgrave  plays  a  musical  styles  that takes  prog,  neo-classical,  goth,  doom  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  melancholy,  personal  feelings  and  disbelief  themes,

  In  my  opinion  Dreamgrave  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of   neo-classical,  prog,  goth,  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Monuments".  8  out  of  10.

   

  

Throneless/Cycles/Black Bow Records/2018 CD Review

  Throneless  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  psychedelic  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge,  and  doom  metal  with  touches  of  hardcore  punk  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "Cycles"  which  will  be  released  in  2018  by  Black  Bow  Records.

  Drum  beats  and  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  start  off  the  album  while  the  music  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  along  with  some  clean  stoner  rock  style  vocals  as  well  as  all  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  Acoustic  guitars  along  with  some  psychedelic  elements  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  some  of  the  riffs  also  mix  in  the  heaviness  of  death  metal  as  well  as  some  hardcore  punk  influences  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction  from  beginning  to  end.

  Throneless  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  stoner,  doom,  and  sludge  metal;  together  with  some  psychedelic,  hardcore  punk  and  death  metal  influence  on  create  a  sound  of t heir  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Throneless  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  "Cycles"  and  "The  Oracle".  8  out  of  10.     

Lethvm/This Fall Shall Cease/Deadlight Entertainment/2017 CD Review

  Lethvm  are  a  band  from  Belgium  that  plays  a  mixture  of  doom  and  sludge  metal and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "This Fall  Shall  Cease"  which  will  be  released  on  November  24th  by  Deadlight  Entertainment.

  Atmospheric post  rock  style  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  playing  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  sludge  metal  direction  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  angry  screams  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  spoken  word  parts  are  used  briefly.

  Melodic  vocals  can  also  be  heard in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  solos  and  leads  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  clean  playing  also  being  added  onto  some  of  the  later  tracks  and  growls  are  also  utilized  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  briefly  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  as  well  as  the  energy  of  punk  and  female  chants  are  also  used  briefly  on  one  of  the  tracks.

  Lethvm  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  sludge,  doom  and  post  metal  to  create  a  sound  of their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  depressive  and  mythological  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Lethym  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  post,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are a   fan  of  those  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Wandering  At  Dawn"  "The  Shades  Of  Minerva"  and  "Ejla".  8 out of  10.

Korpsesoturi Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Korpsesoturi was formed originally Autumn 2014 by me and our former guitarist Pecca to go back from the modern style of metal to the roots - old school death metal with some flavors from the other genres where especially my backround has always been since early 90's. First drummer who also played in Vainaja was joined later that year but due to his other projects he left after a six months or so. 2015 we had a punch of different drummers which was challenging 'cause with every new drummer you needed to start from the beginning. Finally Autumn 2016 we managed to find Oskari who joined the band and since that he has been bringing a lot to our music by his unique style. Oskari is very into blast beats and that's really the thing for us also. Unfortunately Pecca decided to leave the band after the summer 2017 and luckily we found Mikko to replace him. To be honest - orginally the idea was to play as a trio and that's still the idea so no need for more band members at this stage.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the ep?
Well we knew already that we were aiming to old school death metal with it's good aspects of sound also. So it took a while to find someone who understood what we were looking for. The sound is raw but at the same time a bit soft - as the sounds we're pretty much during the 90's. Modern death metal sounds are nice but as thousands of studios are making the same in your face loud sounds - that's not what Korpsesoturi sounds at its best.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Lyrics are expressing in a way the dark seasons of Finland with some flavors coming from the traditional old religious beliefs. There's also short stories about evilness and aggressions of humans. Mainly we're doing our path in old school waters - no politics, no statement todays issues, nothing which would offend anyone. The finnish language was chosen due to the fact that I realized during the first Vainaja bands album that finnish is actually very very multi stational language. It's actually beautiful language and we can play with the pronauncing and meanings of particula words if we like. Much more variable and more death than english in a way.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Korpsesoturi'?
Well orginally we got an idea to name the band based on a horror splatter movie "Zombie Lake" and there was a punch of different suggestions. Korpse is kind of a mix of english and finnish - in Finland we say it's finglish - and it means straightly Corpse. Soturi means warrior. The name is actually very nice indeed 'cause it is pretty easy for non finnish native to say it also. In finnish it sounds a bit like a joke but on the other hand strange names are rememberable.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
There has been only one show - or should I say gig - so far. In Finland death metal is not trendish anymore so there's a lack of gig organizators as also there's not so many bars anymore to play. The feedback from the last and only gig was very good and our stage presence is energetic. Long death metal backround is one thing when playing live but in the end we love our own music and the vibes which it gives when playing loud in a stage. Making such music is creating feelings which kick your balls into your throat and this is what we're trying to express in live acts.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Yes indeed. We're been in contact with several managements and organisers but so far we haven't done any deals. We're open to play anywhere anytime as long traveling costs are covered. There has been discussions to play live in Germany, UK and USA but so far we're still waiting. We hope that we will get some gigs for next summer and spread our death to all of you!


7.So far the band has worked with 'Caco-Daemon Records' and 'Death In pieces Records', are you happy with the support these labels have given you so far?
Yes indeed. Caco-Daemon was a strange thing in the first place when Andreas contacted me and told me how he writes the band name with real blood into the c-cassetes, hahaha! This is old school or what! We made the deal and it has been a success. There's also a Japan edition coming out next year by Caco-Daemon. Caco-Daemon promotion has also spread our name quite a bit around the world.
Death in Pieces records is another story. Victor contacted us and he wanted to release the ep via his label. We said yes and he also asked that if there would be a full lenght he would be interested also - unfortunately I made a pre-agreement already last winter with an underground label (located in USA) so at this point we stick to the ep. But I gotta say that Victor is a good old school man but he also knows the tricks of promoting. He has done outstanding work with us and to us - bringing Korpsesoturi to a new level. We're more than happy.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of doom and death metal?
Well the feedback has been outstanding. There's a lot of "older" old school metal fans but happy to see that also some younger generation has found Korpsesoturi. Doom genre people don't like us so much but death metal scene accepts us quite nicely. But what ever the feedback is or will be - in the end we're doing whatever feels right! No compromises. There has also been crazy fuckers who would like to do some sacrificing with us - well thanx for asking but we stick to the musical side for now.

9.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
At the moment all of our members are only focusing in Korpsesoturi. This is good and gives us a lot of time and full effort for the band itself. I personally am part of doom-death band Vainaja but it is having a longer period of time without anything going on due to band member personal reasons. Gotta say that Korpsesoturi is a band which actually rules our days quite a bit. Messages are coming and going around the clock and a lot of ideas are brought on the table almost every week.

10.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Full lenght album will be recorded this winter. The album should be ready in Spring 2018. Talking about the music then - well as described earlier Mikko has brought something new to the band. Korpsesoturi old school things are still in but Mikko has brought some very heavy riffing in. There's a few new songs which will be recorded for the album and gotta say - the low tempo with ultra heavy riffs works fucking awesome! This is something new but we're not forgetting ultra fast blast beats - that's for sure! I think we will stay in the musical area as before but offcourse we have and we will grow among the music we write.

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?
All band members are having metal backround but there's various differencies in taste. Variations are from hard rock to dark gloomy death metal including melodic black metal for example.
I personally got involved in early death metal late 80's and since that I've been listening to different bands. My favorites are Gorefest, Brutality and Benediction from the early days - well Deicide for sure also. I'm also a huge Machine Head and Pantera fun since early 90's - not forgetting the black metal bands like Gorgoroth. Nowadays there's a lot of good bands but it's difficult to say a few only. So maybe a listener can hear some of the mentioned bands in our music too.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Smoking a cigar and having some good smokie whiskey makes me feel good. I've also bred dogs for a long time and older american cars are one of my main interests.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Korpsesoturi will carry on and spread its own darkness. We're open for suggestions regarding to live acts and we love to play live! We respect our fans and that's how it should be. Horns up brothers!

Svarthart/Emptiness Filling The Void/2016 CD Review

  Svarthart  are  a  band  from  Belgium  that  plays  a  mixture  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "Emptiness  Filling  The  Void"  which  also  saw  some  distribution  through  Sepulchral  Silence  in  2017.

  Clean  guitars  start  off  the album  along  with  some  whispered  vocals  a  few  seconds  later and  after  awhile  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  heavier  direction  while  also  adding  death  metal  growls  onto  the  recording  as  well  as  a  decent  amount  of  melodic  riffing  and  some  of t he  tracks  are  long  and  epic in  length.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  while  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  influenced  by  the  90's  doom/death  metal  style  along  with  clean  guitars  also  being  utilized  on  some  of  the  later  tracks,  grim  screams  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  fashion.

  Svarthart  plays  a  style  of  doom/death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  grief,  loneliness  and the  human  mind.

  In  my  opinion  Svarthart  are  a  very  great  sounding  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Fading  Image"  "Inside  The  Darkness"  and  "The  Awakening".  8  out  of  10.

Ruiny Vechnosti/Shopot Zabytykh Kholmov/Grimm Distribution/Murdher Records/2017 CD Review

  Ruiny  Vechnosti  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  doom,  goth  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Shopot Zabytykh Kholmov"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Grimm  Distribution  and  Murdher  Records.

  Tragic  sounding  keyboards  start  of  the  album  and  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  while  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  along  with  blast  beats  also  being  utilized  when  the  music  speeds  up  and  violins  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  When  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  some  tracks  also  adding  in  clean  playing  as  well  as  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  bringing  in  elements  of  doom  metal  and  when  screams  are  utilized  they  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal,  clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  when  female  vocals  are  utilized  they  also  add  in  a  touch  of  goth.

  Ruiny  Vechnosti  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  goth,  atmospheric  doom  and  melodic  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ruiny  Vechnosti  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  mixture  of  goth,  doom  and  melodic  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Brest"  "Pobeda  Dlya  Mortvykh"  and  "Naslediye".  8  out  of  10.