Dwell Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?

    Since finishing Far Dark Helm, we've continued writing new material and playing shows locally, just trying to move forward as we always have. Tucker has decided to leave the country, so we've brought in our good friend Riley on drums. He's picking it up quickly and bringing his own personality to the sound, so we're excited to see Dwell continuing to evolve.

2.In May you had released a full album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction of the new recording and also how does it differ from the demo you had released a year ago?

    The tracks we wrote for the demo were all about getting something down "on paper" and finding our sound, tonally and thematically. Once we had a concrete direction, we knew how we needed to fine tune everything from riff structure to vocals. Working with Noah Landis really gave us the opportunity to create the sound we had been envisioning all along in terms of tonal warmth and mixing quality.

3.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics the band explores with the new album and also is there a concept going on with the songs?

    The Far Dark Helm refers to the seat of command from which an invisible, yet omnipresent forces directs and controls the lives of people who, to them, are faceless and ordinary. The lyrics are driven by reflection within this power struggle.

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

    To dwell is to exist with an acute self awareness, and to make sense of the reality that we occupy. The personal experience of dwelling within our personal and shared realities is what drives us to create music.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played in the last 2 years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

    My favorite times have been playing with Windhand at the Stork Club, and all the shows at Eli's Mile High Club, with bands like Shroud Eater, Orbweaver, Catapult the Dead, and Destroyer of Light. We try and have a mostly no-B.S. approach to our live performances using atmospheric interludes to fill the space between songs, but most of all just trying to have fun.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

    As long as we're still making music, we'll keep playing shows around the Bay. As far as touring goes, we've definitely discussed it, looking at either going up and down the west coast or through the southwest, and plan to do so when all the chips fall into place. We all work day jobs and have our own personal and financial struggles, so it's really just a matter of the right opportunity presenting itself at the right time.

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

    It’s been incredible to see support for Dwell in places like the U.K. and Greece. It blows my mind that we have the capacity to self-produce an album and send it all over the world. When you’re talking about somewhat niche communities such as post-metal fans or doom-heads, its cool to see that we’re united more by our love for music than political borders.

8.Currently the band is unsigned, what kind of label do you feel that would be a perfect fit for the band?
    

    That's something that we’d have to file under “take it as it comes”.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
    

    We’re constantly trying to improve our music while letting it continue to evolve naturally as its always done. Now with Riley in the band, we’re writing new stuff that is definitely a bit different from Far Dark Helm, but still holds the spirit of Dwell.

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

    Our biggest influences in terms of riffs and sound structure would definitely be Cult of Luna, Isis, Yob, Tool, Electric Wizard, Windhand, and many others. These days, I’ve been listening to a pretty wide variety of stuff from Marvin Gaye and Al Green, to Neil Young and the Grateful Dead, to Landmine Marathon and Primus.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
    

    We also brew beer as a band! Right now we’re working on perfecting our West Coast IPA, and bottle conditioning a Bavarian-style Hefeweizen. Also, living in the Bay Area, we spend a fair amount of time enjoying the vast amounts of natural beauty at our disposal. Riley and Chris are also artists in their own right working with watercolors, acrylic, and sculpture.

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

    We’d just like say a huge THANK YOU to all our friends and family who have come out to our shows, helped us move equipment, and surrounded us with positivity. I really don’t know how we would have been able to last this long without them. We’d also like to thank Against PR and all the other bloggers who have given us media exposure. Nothing makes me happier than knowing that there’s people out there across the world digging our music. My final thought is that I’m humbled in the face of the doom / post-metal communities, and I just hope that we can keep doing this as long as possible.

https://www.facebook.com/dwellperdition

Yob/Clearing The Path To Ascend/Neurot/2014 CD Review

  Yob  are  a  band  from  Oregon  that  plays  a  stoner  form  of  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Clearing  The  Path  To  Ascend"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Neurot.

  Drones  and  clean  playing  start  off  the  album  and  a  minute  later  the  music  goes  into  a  heavier  doom  metal  direction  along  with  some  melodic  vocals  and  after  awhile  screams,  growls  and  melodies  are  added  into  the  music  while  also  keeping  around  the  clean  singing    and  as  time  goes  on  by  drones  and  clean  guitars  start  returning  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  at  times  on  the  album  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  added onto  the  recording  they  are  kind  off  buried  beneath  the  heavy  doom  metal  guitar  riffs,  all  4  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful.

  Every  song  stands  out  on  its  own  while  the  band  always  remains  true  to  their  heavy  doom  musical  sound  as  well  as  adding  in  a  good  amount  of  stoner  and  progressive  rock  elements  into  the  songs  as  well  as  taking  a  melodic  style  of  70's   doom  metal  and  mixing  it  with  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  the  last  track  also  brings  in  a  psychedelic  70's  rock  sound  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  the  music  from  beginning  to  end  sticks  to  a  slow  pace  and  never  adding in  any  fast  or  mid  paced  parts.

  Yob  creates  some  very  heavy  yet  melodic  doom/sludge  metal  with  their  music  while  also  standing  apart  from  the  rest  of  the  genre  as  well  as  having  the  perfect  balance  between  being  melodic  and  progressive  and  their  heavy  side  is  some  of  the  heaviest  doom  metal  you  can  possibly  here,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  mythology  and  esoteric  spirituality.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  recording  from  Yob  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Nothing  To  Win"  and  "Marrow".  8/5  out  of  10.      

Confrontation Interview

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

We are Confrontation, a doom/death project based in the western part of the Netherlands. Started by me (Sven Post) begin 2014 as a one man studio project without any plans. I was hanging with my good friend Roy of Funeral Whore (where I also did some session and studio work before) and we were listening to some music we individually working on, Roy was immediately siked about this project so we discussed the concept and right after that he came with lyrics. We are both interested in WW2 so searching for a concept was not a big deal and Confrontation became more serious as I had planned. 

2.Recently you have released your first ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

We are both inspired by old Swedish death metal and I am also a big doom fan. Swedish death with slow doom riffs works really well,  two of my favourite styles combined so it felt really natural for me. Massive, low tuned and slow, but with the right groove.

3.The ep was a 20 minute concept based on the last 2 years of WWII, can you tell us a little bit more about your song lyrics?

Well, we are actually talking about the weapons mostly the Germans were using during the war. We are not talking about the death, we are talking about what brings the death. Can you imagine how it is if you hear the recognizable sound of the v1 bomb (the Fieseler Fi 103) and you know that it will devastate everything around you and you know there are coming more? This kind of weapons are the most brutal in its kind, because there is almost no way to protect yourself against such brutality. The p.1000 Ratte is a different story. It was a prototype of a tank that was bigger than the biggest tank exist. No one wants to confront such big piece of iron that is built to be a undestructable killing machine. At last there was exhaustion, it is not really a weapon, but exhaustion is one of the most frightening way to die, because it takes time. This war goes beyond genocide so it is a good subject to write about.

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

Such weapons like the V1 bomb or the P.1000 Ratte (which we choose as subject on the Fieseler EP) are quite confrontated right? That is where the name came from.

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?  

For the records I am quite sure it stays just us. It works so much faster. I can write and record when I want without discuss the songs with other musicians. Also, Roy is someone I fully trust. If he say something he will do it immediately. I don't have to wait for him. He is someone that I can build on, he comes with great ideas and he knows exactly what he is doing.

6.Has the band done any live shows or is this strictly a studio project? 

We haven't done any live shows yet because  it's just a project. It is possible that we are going to do some shows in the future, but only if that are interesting shows to do, with good underground bands. If we do this project live, we will do it with the whole entourage on stage like visuals etcetera. It must be dark and intense, I want to play a impressive set. Also we must rehearse with session members before we hit the stage, so it can take some time.

7.According to the fb page page you are looking for a label to release the ep on vinyl, have you had or received any label interest?

Yes, a Polish label named "Kampf records" will release the Fieseler EP on pro-tape within 2 months, limited to 111 copies. They had working with Funeral Whore before with the full length called 'Step into Damnation' so we know they are good guys with professional tapes. For vinyl we are still searching.

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

I get a lot positive feedback. I get emails from all over the world to tell me this project is great, and i see a lot people that are sharing the Fieseler EP on social media such as facebook etc. I never expect that. Also I must admit the death metal scene, and especially the old school are people that are really dedicated to the music. No scene is so strong and loyal as the death metal scene.

9.What is going on with the other musical projects or bands that the band members are a part of these days? 

I have a three piece band (called Post), a stoner rock band heavy influenced by the seventies with good friends and the best musicians I know. We are just finished with recording our second album. Roy is really busy with his old school death metal band 'Funeral Whore', one of the best and hardest working band in the Dutch underground scene if I might say that

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

I am almost finished with writing the full length for Confrontation so within now and 2 months or so I will record the drums, bass and guitars. Roy is the man behind the lyrics, he is much more creative with lyrics than I am so he is doing his thing. There are so many weapons and methods they used during WW2 to write about, that we stay with the concept WW2.

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? 

Bands such as old Entombed, early Grave (the 'Into the Grave and You''ll Never See era), Entrails, Incarceration, Smothered, Entrapment and Massive Assault are some  favourites here. Nowadays I listen also a lot obscure and depressive bands like Dispersed Ashes, Abigail Williams and Coldworld. I am also a big classic rock fan. Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Led Zeppelin are the bands that brought me into music.

12.What are some of your non musical interests? 

Nothing, I live for music. I don't like sport, I don't watch television (besides a good movie) or documentary The only interest I have besides music are my family; my wife and son. I am quite a gear freak and i am often busy with collecting guitar, amp or recording gear, I don't have time for other crap.

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

Thank you for your time and interest in Confrontation. You can follow us athttp://www.Facebook.com/confrontationhm2

Midnite Congregation, Verse 1/Midnite Collective/2014 Compilation Album Review

 

  This is  a  review  of  a  compilation  called  "Midnite  Congregation,  Verse  1"  which  was  released  by  Midnite  Collective  in  2014  and  we  will  review  the  songs  one  by  one.

 Splith*!%  starts  off  the  compilation with  "Saur"  which  starts  out  with  a  very  slow,  and  heavy  sound  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  as  well  as  using  some  deep  death  metal  growls  and  the  song  is  eight  minutes  in  length  and  after  awhile  dark  sounding  melodies  start  to  find  their  way  into  the  song  and  also  make  the  song  sound  a  lot  more  doomier  along  with  a  small  amount  of  melodic  guitar  leads.

  Next  up  is  Ancient  Altar  with  a  demo  version  of  their  song  "Tidal"  which  starts  off  with  distorted  drones  and  heavy  guitar  riffs  which  leads  up  to  a  heavier  doom  metal  direction  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  and  angry  shouts  and  a  few  seconds  later  melodic  proto  metla  guitar  leads  find  their  way  into  the  song.

  Next  up  is  Pigeonwing  with  their  song  "Bone  Grease"  which  starts  out  with  some  bass  guitars  that  are  the  lead  instrument  on  this  song  and  they  also  bring  in  an  old  school  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  there  are  no  regular  guitars  on  this  song  and  after  awhile  growls  are  added  into  the  music.

  Next  up  is  Trapped  Within  Burning  Machinery  with  "Drughammer"  which  starts  out  with  a  slow,  dark  and  melodic  guitar  riff  being  going  into  a  more  old  school  doom  metal  direction  along  with  some  high  pitched  sludge  screams  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  song  brings  in  a  70's  style  of  sound  but  with  more  heaviness  and  a  modern  approach  to  vocals.  along  with  the  song  being  close  to  8  minutes  in  length  and  towards  the  end  melodic  chants  find  their  way  into  the  song  and  they  close  the  track  with  some  spoken  word  parts.

  Next  up  is  Beneath  Oblivion  with  "Turn  To  Stone"  which  starts  out  with  distorted  and  heavy  guitar  riffing  and  a  minute  later  high  pitched  screams  and  stoner  style  melodies  which  are  also  added  into  the  solos  as  well  find  their  way  into  the  music  and  they  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  influences  into  their  musical  sound.

  Closing  the  compilation  is  Funerary  with  "Coerced  Creation"  which  starts  out  with  distorted  drones  before  going  in  a  very  heavy  funeral  doom  metal  direction  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  a  few  seconds  later  which  gives  the  music  a  more  black metal  feeling   and  a  couple  of  minutes  later  evil  sounding  melodies  and  death  metal  growls  are  added  into  the  music.

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

The King Is Blind/Bleeding The Ascension/2014 EP Review

  The  King  Is  Blind  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  which  they  call  'monolithic  metal'  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  ep  "Bleeding  the  Ascension".

  A  slow,  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  growls  and  screams  being  added  into  the  music  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  awhile  epic  sounding  melodies  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  whispers  and  at  times  you  can  hear  clean  playing  in  the  music  which  gives  the  recording  a  more  atmospheric  feeling.

  After  awhile  fast  playing  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  which  adds  in  a  more  old  school  style  of  death  metal  and  they  also  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  The  King  Is  Blind  creates  a  very  heavy  and  old  school  sound  that  goes  back  to  the  early  90's  styles  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  they  show  you  can  still  be  heavy  without  having  to  follow  modern  trends,  the  production  has  a  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent,  war  and  anti  Christian  themes.

  In  my  opinion  The  King  Is  Blind  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  "Mors  Somnis"  and  "War  in  Christendom".  8  out  of  10.

https://thekingisblind.bandcamp.com/ 

    

Confrontation/Fiesler Fi 103/2014 EP Review

  Confrontation  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  plays  an  old  school  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2013  ep  "Fiesler  Fi  103".

    War  sounds  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  slow  early  90's  style  doom/death  metal  sound  which  leads  up  to  growls  being  added  into  the  music  and  after  awhile  dark  sounding  melodies  are  added  into  their  slow  yet  very  heavy  sound  and  2  thirds  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  The  second  track  starts  off  with  air  raid  sirens  before  going  into  a  more  old  school  Swedish  death  metal  direction  as  well  as  mixing  it  with  some  melody  and  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal  and  the  band  sticks  to  a  slow  and  heavy  sound  on  all  of  the  3  tracks  with  no  blast  beats  or  fast  playing  ever  being  utilized.

  Confrontation  go back  to  the  early  90's  style  of  doom  metal  and  keeps  everything  slow,  dark  and  heavy  as  well  as  ignoring  all  modern  trends  of  the  past  20  years,  the  production  has  a  slow,  dark,  heavy  and  old  school  sound  while  the  lyrics  cover  World  War  II  themes  without  having  a  political  agenda  whatsoever.

  In  my  opinion  Confrontation  are   a very  great  sounding  old  school  doom/death  metal  band  an d if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Confront  Exhaustian"  8  out  of  10.   

SadhuS (The Smoking Community)/Self Titled/2014 Full Length Review

  SadhuS  (The  Smoking  Community)  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  a  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  and  self  released  2014  album.

  A  very  dark  and  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavy  doom  metal  direction  along  with  some  background  bong  smoking  noises  and  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  melody  in  the  bands  musical  sound  and  after  awhile  high  pitched  sludge  screams  are  added  into  the  music.

  After  awhile  the  band  starts  adding  mid  paced  sections  into  their  slow  doom  metal  sound   along  with  some  of  the  tracks  being  long  and  epic  in  length  and  there  are  also  some  deeper  vocals  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  some  clean  playing  being  used  at  times,  on  some  of  the  later  songs  they  band  speeds  up  a  bit  and  adds  in  the  energy  of  punk  rock  into  their  musical  sound.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  some  influences  from  blues  and  classic  rock  being  added  into  their  guitar  leads  and  riffs  while  the  main  focus  of  the  recording  is  on  a  heavy  doom/sludge  metal  sound  which  also  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  death  metal.

  SadhuS  (The  Smoking  Community)  creates  a  very  heavy  and  dark  sound  with  their  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  while  also  adding  in  some  punk  and  classic  rock  elements  to  give  their  sound  more  of  an  edge,  the  production  sounds  very  heavy  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  pot  smoking  themes.

  In  my  opinion  SadhuS  (The  Smoking  Community)  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  "Burned  by  Hand"  "Stevaro"  and  "Bampoola".  8  out  of  10.