Friday, December 12, 2014

WitchClan interview done on 12-12-14 done by Patrick

Here  is  a   new  interview  with  Witchclan  from  the  U.K   if you  enjoy  the early  90's  black metal  I  suggest  checking  this  band  out  soon.Matt is the  only  member  of the  band  but  it  sounds  like a   full  band.So   anyone  into  early  blackend  metal  give this  band  a  chance.

Metal  Regards
Patrick









Interview   with  Matt  Bass  vocalist  and  all  instruments   of  WitchClan   done  by   Patrick
 
 
 
1.Metal   hails   Matt  please  introduce  yourself  to  the  readers? When  did  you  first  discover   metal  music?
 
 
 
 
 
Hey man. My name is Matt Bass and I am the front-man for UK bands Witchclan and Deadman's Blood. I first got into metal in 1987 when I was a young kid. My first taste of heavy music was Guns n' Roses which then quickly led me onto Ozzy, Maiden, and then Megadeth and Metallica. 

It wasn't until 1989 that I bought Hell Awaits after someone at school told me about this band called Slayer. That day changed the way I would see music forever. I'd never heard anything so extreme and fast, and the lyrics were so fucking evil. 

So that was me heavily into Thrash for a couple of years until 1991 when I saw an advert in Metal Hammer for a new album called 'Warmaster' by Bolt Thrower. The cover art looked mental and when I was a kid, I quite often would buy albums just because I liked the artwork on the cover, or I liked the name of the band. I bought it on the week of its release and that was the turning point for me. I couldn't believe the vocalist was singing like that - and it was so crushingly heavy. The rest, as they say, is a 26 year long love affair with extreme metal. 
 
 
 
 
2.Who are   your  all-time  favorite   bands? Are  their   any  new  bands  you   feel  the  readers  should  check  out  soon?
 
 
Wow - there are so many. I suppose if I had to list 15 of my all time favourites, it would be Bolt Thrower, Slayer, Entombed, Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult, Kreator, Hellbastard, The Exploited, Burzum, Godflesh, Urgehal, GGFH, Paradise Lost, Intense Degree, Guns n' Roses and Ozzy. 

I mean, to be fair - I like a lot of different music and it's not all Metal but if I had to recommend some newer bands it would be Old Corpse Road from the UK, Thunderwar from Poland and Graveyard Shifterz from Finland - all fucking killer bands and really worthy of support and success. 
 
 
 
3. Witchclan  first   formed  in   1990. What  gave  you  all the  idea to  form  Witchclan?  How  did you  all come  up  with  the  name  for  the  band? Why  did  the  band  break  up  in  the  mid nineties?

 
 
Well the band was formed by founding members Peter Leathley amd Sharad Anand in 1990 - I didn't join the band until 1993. The meaning behind the name was a kind of inside joke between Pete and Sharad. They knew this group of skank girls called 'the clan', who they hated. The whole idea was just to poke fun at this group of girls so they decided to call the band Witchclan. Apart from that, it also represents a group of witches.

The band had always been plagued with line up issues. In the five years of its existence, the band had a mixture of ten different members. The reason we split up in 1995 was the fact that we really had no clear direction. The band was Black Metal but the other members were leaning more towards Punk, Thrash and Death Metal so we hardly ever agreed on anything and it was hard to get any songs written. We did do one last demo in the Spring of 1995 but it was never released because it was so bad. So all of those factors eventually and inevitably led to the band's demise later that same year. 
 
 
 
 
4.Matt you  reformed  the  band   in  2009  why  did  you  decide  to  reform  Witchclan?  Did  you   look  for   new  members to  join  the  band  or  did  you  want  to  keep  it  a  one man  band  from  the  start?

In 2009 I was at a kind of new chapter in my life and I felt that I was ready to start making music again. My wife suggested that I started Witchclan again and I had decided that with the modern technology of today, it would be easier for me to do it as a one man project. 

I don't work very well with others because I am somewhat of a control freak. Everything has to be done my way, because I like to have full control over all the songs, all the production, all the art direction - the whole thing. 
I can't see the band ever becoming more than just me, I like it this way so there's no need to change that. 
 
 
 
5.Matt   if  you   had  the  opportunity  to  work  with  any  musicians  {past  or  present}   who  are  some    musicians  you  would  like  to  work  with?
 
 
 
 
Ah well there really are so many - what a great question. I guess the obvious ones for me would be Varg Vikerness of Burzum, Paul Carter of Thus Defiled, Dani of Cradle of Filth, Euronymous of Mayhem, Onlier of Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult, Jeff Hanneman of Slayer, I could go on and on... all the greats. 
 
 
 
 
6.Witchclan   has  just  released  the  new album  "The Dark  Binding" through   Elvester  Records and Darkness Shade Records. How  did  you  come  in  contact  with  these  labels?

Well I was supposed to sign to a Canadian label called The Northern Cold Productions about 5 years ago but they cut off all contact from me and then disappeared. It was at that point when I was talking to a mate of mine who I tape traded with and who also ran a small label called Darkness Shade Records here in the UK. I told him that the record deal had fallen through and that was when he offered to sign me for the debut album. 
I recorded Misanthropist and that was released through Darkness Shade Records in 2011 on CD.

The owner of Elvester Records got hold of a copy of that album and made me an attractive offer last year to release the new album on vinyl and CD with some extra bits like t shirts, posters, patches and so on. 
This was a great opportunity for me and I am grateful to Elvester for everything. I am hoping to release Misanthropist on vinyl through Elvester next year. 

I have of course stayed with Darkness Shade Records for this release as well, and they have released the new album on tape so whatever format you prefer, 'The Dark Binding' is available on all of them.
    
 
 
 
 
7.How  long  did  it  take  you  to  write  the  music  for  the  new  release?  Where do  you  draw  inspiration  for  the   lyrics?

Well it's true that the lyrics never come particularly easily for me. I am far more a music writer than lyricist. The vocals are always the last thing to record anyway so I have plenty of time throughout the whole writing process to dream up some lyrics of some sort. 

This time around, it was almost a concept album is some ways. The majority of the songs tell a story about a young female occultist who finds herself swallowed up into the world of the Necronomicon, which eventually consumes her as she turns insane. 
Apart from that, there are a couple of songs on the album which are generally more along the lines of an anti-religious message and tells you to think for yourself instead of worshiping these false gods. We are fast approaching 2015 
and I find it hard to swallow that the vast majority of the human population still buy this crap which is rammed down our throats by religions everywhere.

The final song on the album is a song that Witchclan originally wrote in 1994, which I have adapted and brought more up to date. The lyrics however, were written earlier this year and are dedicated to my good friend Sven Olafson of the band Gomorrah who passed away. The whole album is dedicated to his memory.

 
 
 
8.How   has  the  response  been  from  the  fans  so far? What  about   the  press?

Overall, the reviews from the press have been very good. There have been several zine reviews, some You Tube blog reviews and some website reviews plus a review in the latest Zero Tolerance magazine where it got 4/6 which was very pleasing. 

The fans have all given great feedback from what I've seen. It's clear that people think it's a huge step up from the last album, and I think on the whole, everyone who has heard it has really enjoyed it so I'm very pleased.
 
 
 
9.Matt  you  handle the  vocals  for  the  band  when did  you  first  start  singing/screaming?  Do  you  do  anything  special  to  keep  your  throat/voice  healthy? 

Well I grew up listening to some of the earlier Death Metal bands and Black Metal bands, long before I joined Witchclan in 1993. I suppose of the two genres, the vocalists who had the biggest influence on me at the time were Kam Lee, Chris Barnes, Varg Vikerness, Nocturno Culto and Dani Filth. This was all around the time of between 1991 and 1992. 

The first two Witchclan demos from 1993 have a definite Black Metal style, whilst being very different sounding to each other. It was in 1994 that my vocals also started to incorporate more of a lower style as well as the high pitched one I was previously using. 
These days I have a real mixture of vocal styles so I like to use all of them when I record and that can result in up to 4 layers which creates a very demonic sound.

As for keeping my voice healthy - I smoke a lot, and I eat bad bad food so I don't think I do a great deal to keep it healthy but before either a rehearsal or recording session I do have a mug of hot water which I drink. This tends to open up the vocal chords and prevent you from damaging them. 
 
 
 
 
 
10.Matt  who  are  some  of your   influences/favorite  singers?

Well with Witchclan I guess the main influences for me, musically and vocally, would be old Darkthrone, old Burzum, Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult, and Bathory. I also use quite a lot of orchestration so I suppose that side of things comes from my love of old Emperor, old Cradle of Filth and Troll. I think that pianos, and organs really add a lot of depth to the music and almost gives the songs a whole new dimension. It can create a superb atmosphere as well, if used correctly. 
 
 
 
 
11.You   also  handle  the  guitars for  the  band  when did  you  become  interested  in  playing  the   guitars? Are  you  self  taught  or did  you  take  lessons  when  first  starting  out?

I suppose I became interested in guitars when I became interested in music - so we're talking about 1986 I guess. The earliest kind of stuff I found myself enjoying was Dire Straights which my Dad used to play quite a lot, so I suppose I owe my early start in music to him in a way. 
I really wanted to begin playing guitar when I joined Witchclan. I didn't end up ever playing guitar for the band in the old days because we ended up getting some more experienced guitarists. So I practiced at home, wrote a few songs for the band and just taught myself to play. 

After Witchclan broke up, I formed a Punk band called M.E.G and it was in that band that I really got down to some hard playing. The band only lasted about a year but we wrote some cool tracks and it was a good time for me to play in a full band. 

When I reformed Witchclan in 2009, I hadn't picked up a guitar in years - and I had left my old guitar at my old flat when I moved out so I bought a B.C Rich Warlock and began playing again. I also play the bass in the band, which I never played before a few years ago so my bass playing is still rather limited - and I have never ever said I am an amazing 6-stringer but I scrape by!
 
 
 
 
12.Who  are  some  of your  favorite  guitarists? Are their  any  instruments  that  you  would   like  to   learn to  play  someday?

Oh well I like lots of guitarists, but I guess the ones who have always been my real favourites are Varg Vikerness, James Murphy, Chuck Schuldiner, Steve Vai, Great Kat...The list goes on. 

As for instruments I would like to play - the drums are at the top of my list. The drums on my recordings currently are programmed, which is fine but I would like to have real drums in the near future.
 
 
 
 
 
13.Matt  you   live  in  the  U.K  what  is  your   opinion  of  the   metal  scene  in the  U.K? 

England has always had a great metal scene. I mean, this is the birth place of heavy metal after all. Black Sabbath are from Birmingham in the UK, and then we had Deep Purple, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Dio, Venom and then bands like Bolt Thrower, Hellbastard, Napalm Death and Cancer, Old Corpse Road, and Cradle of Filth among many many others. These days we are still pushing out some amazing new music from new bands so I think the UK scene has always been very strong and it doesn't show signs of letting up any time soon.
 
 
 
14.who  are some  of  your  all-time  favorite  U.K  bands? Are  their  any  new    U.K  bands  you   feel  the   readers  should  check  out  soon?
 

I suppose some of my all time favourites are Napalm Death, Cradle of Filth, Old Corpse Road, Hellbastard, Bolt Thrower, Carcass, Thus Defiled, Decomposed, Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Chorus of Ruin, Toranaga, Acid Reign, Lawnmower Deth...Again, an endless list. All those bands are well worth checking out.
 
 
 
 
15.Matt  are  you  currently  working  working  with  any  other   bands  or  solo  projects? If  yes  please  tell  the  readers  about  them?

There are two other band I'm involved with at the moment. The first one is my other solo project Deadman's Blood which is old rotten style Death Metal in the vein of old Entombed, old Autopsy and old Massacre. I formed DMB in 2011 and released a demo called 'Tales From The Darkside' which was some of the sickest material I had ever written. It got some good reviews and got strong attention from Kam Lee who played some of the songs on his internet radio show on Brutal Existence Radio.

The following year I released an EP called 'Product Of A Deranged Mind' which featured guest vocals from Kam Lee and Mike Browning plus guest lead guitar from Brian Werking. This was a surreal situation for me because I had grown up as a teenager listening to Massacre, Nocturnus and Exmortis so to have the opportunity to work with these people was like a dream come true. 

Next year will bring a full length album from Deadman's Blood. At the moment, the band is currently unsigned but I would ideally like to release it through a label so we shall have to see what happens over the next few months. 

The other band I'm involved with is a Death/Doom band which also has Rich Flint from U.S band Atrocity plus our mate Paul. At the moment, we have only recorded one song but over the next few months we will be recording more material for a release sometime in 2015. It's really a kind of mixture of stuff like old Chorus of Ruin, old My Dying Bride, old Anathema, and old Paradise Lost. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

16.Matt  you   also  used to  do  a web/fanzine  when  did you  start  doing  the  zine? How  many  printed  issues did  you   release? Are  you  still doing  the  web-zine?

Yes indeed. I started a physical zine back in 1993 called Crucifixion of which there was only one issue produced, but I was only 13 years old at the time so for the age that I was, it was a pretty cool little publication. I did interviews with Cradle of Filth, Hellbastard, Anathema, Morbid Symphony, Thus Defiled, Exempt, Decomposed and a bunch of others. 
I still do the zine but it's an online version of it now and I really only update it once in a while because I have so many other things going on with the bands, my family life and my day time job. There's a bunch of interesting interviews on there though with Nocturnus, Master, Thanatos, and lots of other cool bands. You can have a look at it by visiting www.crucifixionzine.blogspot.co.uk
 
 
17.I believe  you  also  do  a  Youtube  show called 'The Metal Reviews' where   you  review  demos, records  and  CD's  that  bands  and  labels  send  you. How  long  have you   had  the  channel   on  Youtube  up?

Yes that's right. I started doing the reviews about 5 years ago I think, just as a bit of fun really. I just wanted to share a few cool things in my collection with other like-minded collectors but it quickly gained popularity until it got to the stage where bands were contacting me to ask if they could post me their stuff to review. These days about 90% of the stuff I show and review is stuff that bands have sent me so it's a great way for me to check out new bands and also promote them and encourage people to support the underground.
 

 
 
 
 
18.Please  give  the  readers  the  link to  your  channel?  Are  you  looking  for  bands and  labels to  send you  stuff or do  you  have enough  for  now?  Where  can  bands  and  labels  get  in touch  with you? What  styles  of  metal/rock  do  you  accept?
 

 
The web address for my You Tube channel is www.youtube.com/user/deejaymbass and I always welcome bands to contact me if they would like something reviewing. There really are no limits - anything from heavy rock and traditional metal, to thrash and speed metal, then onto death, black, doom, and industrial right back to punk and crust. 
 
 
 
19.Well  Matt  we  have   reached  the   end  of   the  interview  do  you  have  any  final  comments   for  the   readers? 

Thank you to you for this cool interview and thank you to everyone who has bought the new album so far. Remember to check it out and order your copy on either vinyl or CD from www.elvesterrecords.com and if you prefer tape you can get it from www.darknessshaderecords.blogspot.co.uk
You can check out the band website at www.witchclan-co.uk and if you're interested in hearing Deadman's Blood you can go to www.deadmansblood.co.uk
Support the underground - buy vinyl, CD and tape!
 
 
 
 

New Reviews done on 12-12-14

Metal   hails!! 
Here   is  a   new  batch  of  reviews  for  your  reading  pleasure this  time  we  have  a   little bit of a   mix  of  black,death,thrash  and  more.I  hope  everyone  will  keep  checking  out  the  web-zine for the  rest  of the  year  as  well  as  2015!! We  have  a lot  of  new  interviews  and  reviews  to  do  soon. 
take  it easy,keep  watching for  more  updates  soon
Patrick
fiendformetal@live.com








Alitor--Eternal  Depression  cd    {Witches  Brew Rec.}
Serbia's   Alitor    are  a  heavy  metal  band  with   some  thrash  and  a  little  progressive  metal/rock  entertwined  in  some  of the  tracks.Alitor  has  crafted  and  created  a  good  debut  release the  guitars  are  a  mix  of  thrashy fast  guitar  riffs with  some  mid paced range  that  is  played  with  a lot  of  talent and  power.The  vocalist  has  a  nice  range  going  from  a  melodic  clean  singing  voice to   a  more  raspy  thrashy  screams.This  is  a good  release  of  thrash/heavy  metal  with  some  excellent  progressive  metal espically  in  the  guitar  department.So  if you  are  a   thrash metal  fan  who likes  some  progressive  metal  entertwined  then  give this  band  a shot  today.
 
 
                                                                                               Label     Contact
                                                                              http://www.witchesbrewthrashes.eu/
                                                                                 
                                                                  https://www.facebook.com/witchesbrewthrashes/timeline
 
 
 
 
 
Dire Omen--- Wresting  The  Revelation Of  Futility  cd {Dark  Descent  Records}
Canada's  Dire Omen   have  released their  debut  cd  through  the  mighty   Dark Descent  rec.  And  what a  debut  this  is  mixing  old-school  heavy death  metal  with  some  black metal  influences.The  guitars  are top  notch  with  heavy death metal  guitars  and  some of the  songs  have the   early blackend   riffs  within the songs.The drumming  is  heavy  with  some  fast drum patterns  before  going to  a  more controlled  mid paced  range.The vocals  are  low  death  growls and the production  is  a  little rough  sounding  but  you  can  hear  each  instrument  without  any trouble.A very  good  release  of  heavy  death metal  with  some  old-school blackend  metal  within a few  of  the  songs.
 
                                                                                             Label   Contact
                                                                            http://www.darkdescentrecords.com/  
 
 
 
 
Endless Recovery--Resistant Bangers  7inch   {Witches  Brew  Rec..}
Endless Recovery  come  out  of Greece's   thrash metal  scene  with a  brand new  7inch .Featuring  two  songs  of hyper speed   thrash.Endless Recovery  do  a  great  job  of  writing  excellent thrash  anthems  with  extremely fast  and  catchy  drums  and the  guitars  are  equally  as  fast  with  some excellent  riffs  and few  solo's  mixed  in the songs.The  vocalist  does a  great  job   combing  gruff screams and  vocals  with  some  higher  pitched  screams  in a few  sections.If  you  are  a  thrash  maniac  then  I  would  suggest  getting  this  7inch  before  their  gone and I  believe  the  band  is  working  on a  new  cd  to  be  released  by  Witches  Brew  sometime  next  year.
 
                                                                                                   
                                                                  Label     Contact
                                                         http://www.witchesbrewthrashes.eu/
                                                               
                                             https://www.facebook.com/witchesbrewthrashes/timeline
 
 
 
 
Hadez--Morituri  Te  Salutant   cd    {Paragon  Records}
I  tell you  Peru  and  the  South  American  metal  scene  has  unleashed  a lot  of  great  bands and releases this  year  and  Hadez   is  no  exception. Hadez  has  been  active  within the  underground  scene  since the  late  80's  so  you  know they  know  how to  play and  create  great  music.This  is  the  bands  newest  cd  "Morituri  Te  Salutant"  released  in the  U.S  through the  great  label  Paragon Rec.The  guitars  are  raw  with the  old school  sound  and  approach  their  are some  good riffs  and  solo's  mixed in the  songs.The  band  seems to  be  right  at  home  with  playing  mid-paced  death metal.The  guitarist  does  speed  up  and  let  loose  on  a few  of the songs but  mainly  sticks with the  mid paced  guitar  tone.The drumming   is  extremely  well  done   with  some  fast  beats  mixed  with the  crazed  guitars  before returning to  a  mid paced  pattern.The  vocals  are  death growls  with  some   gruff  style  vocals  in a few  of the  tracks. This  is  a great  release  of  old-school  death  metal  and  if you  enjoy  the  early to  mid  90's' death  metal you  should  defintly  check this  band   out today. 
                                                                     Label   Contact
                                              http://www.themetalunderground.com/
 
 
 
 
 Isenblast--Unleashing  The  Demon  Mcd  {Satans  Custody/Demon Breath Prod.}
Isenblast  are  a  new  black metal  band  out  of the  U.S  black metal  scene coming  out  of  Michigan.The  music  is  violent  black metal  with  some  death metal  in the  guitars.the  guitars  are  razor sharp  with  a  few  vicious   outbursts  of   furious  speed.But  the  guitarists   know  how  to  play   with  some  well written  solo's  and  patterns.The  drumming  is  equally  as  good  with  some  fast drum  beats  and  more  mid-placed rampage.The  vocalist  does a great  job  with  with  some   shrieks and  more  screams  entertwined.This  is a   black metal  band to  watch  out  for.
 
                                                                   Band    contact
                                                                https://www.facebook.com/Isenblast
                                                          http://isenblast666.bandcamp.com/
 
 
 
Lycanthropy--Operation Werwolf Mcd  {Lower  Silesian  Stronghold}
Starting  off  with  a  intro  of  sounds  of  bombs  and  guns  blazing  it  doesn't  take  long  for  the  band  to  go  right  in for the  attack.fast  chaotic  guitars   riffs  and  a few solo's.The  drumming  is  just  as  crazed  with  a  few  slower/mid-paced  drumming  patterns  in a few  of the  songs.The  vocals  are  extreme  and  violent  shrieks   that  spew  out  the  lyrics.This  is 
 Lycanthropy's  best   work  to  date  and  if   you  enjoyed  their  previous  releases  don't  miss  out  on  this  release. 
 
                                                                     Band   Contact
                                                                               
                                                        https://lycanthropy.bandcamp.com/
                                 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lycanthropy/183975911676723
 
 
 
 
 
     
Misericordia-Throne  Of   Existence    cd    {Deepsend   Rec.}
This   is  my  first  encounter  with  Sweden's  Misericordia and  what  a  new release  this  is.A healthy  dose  of early  Marduk  and  other {Early} Swedish  black metal  bands .With  a  healthy  dose  of  atmosphere in  some  of the tracks I  know  it  is a strange  combination  Swedish blackend  metal  with  elements  of  atmosphere  but  it  works for this  band.The  guitars  are   played  at  extremely  high  speeds  with  some  mid paced  riffs  thrown  in  a few  of the  songs that fits  perfectly.Furious  drum  beats   mixed  with  some  mid paced  drum  patterns.This   is  a great  Swedish  death/blackend  release  if your   into  black/death  metal  with  a lot   of  talent  defintly  check  this  band  out  soon
 
                                                    Label    Contact
                                             http://www.deepsend.com/
                                                      Band   contact
                                                                                                                                            https://www.facebook.com/misericordia.sweden/timeline
 
 
 
Orcultus--Endless   Hate  And  Misanthropy  Cassette    {Forever   Plagued} 
Orcultus   have  released  their  second  demo  tape  titled   Endless   Hate  And  Misanthropy.Three  songs  of  cold,raw Swedish  black metal.The guitars  are  fast  with  some  mid paced  range  guitars  within the  songs.The  drumming  is  semi  fast in  the  mid  nineties  Swedish  style  with  some  faster  parts in a few  of the songs.The  vocals  are  demonic  and  demented  blackend  shrieks.
 
                                                         Label    contact
                                                http://www.foreverplaguedrecords.com/
                                                              Band  contact 
                                             https://www.facebook.com/Orcultus
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Orcultus--Black  Rust   Cassette    {Forever  Plagued}
Orcultus   are a  Swedish  black  metal  band  who  have  released a new  cassette  titled   Black  Rust.  Orcultus are  a  band  who  know  how to  play  their  instruments  orcultus   play  early to  mid  nineties Swedish  styled  black metal.The  guitars  are  raw  with  a lot of  good  riffs  and  patterns.The  drumming is top notch  with  semi fast  to  a  more  controlled  drums.The  vocals are  screechy/screams vocals.Orcultus  are  one  of the   best  new  bands  definitely  can't  wait to  hear  their  new   music.
 
                                                   Label    contact
                               http://www.foreverplaguedrecords.com/
                                                 Band  contact 
                                https://www.facebook.com/Orcultus
 
 
 
 
 
Satarial--Lunar Cross  cd   {Black  Plague Rec./Metallic Media}
Russia's  Satarial   have  released  their  newest  cd   "Lunar Cross"  through  Black  Plague Rec. and Metallic Media  as  a  split  release.I  have  not  heard  all of Satarial's  release  but  I  have  heard a couple  of their  older  ones  and  by  far  the   new  cd   Lunar Cross  is  their  best  work  to  date.Lunar Cross  is  the  bands  sixth  cd to date  and   with a  healthy  dose of  atmospheric  black metal  with  touches  of  traditional fast black metal.The  guitars  are  done  extremely  well  with   a lot  of  creative  ideas and  arrangements.The  vocals  are  range  from  black metal  screams  with  a female vocalist  who does a great  job  and the  two  vocal  patterns together  sound  really  good together.If  you  are a  fan  of  this  band  or you  enjoy  creative atmospheric  black  metal  you  should  give  this  band  a  listen  today.
 
                                                              Label   contact
                                                  http://www.blackplaguerecords.com/
                                         http://www.metallic-media.blogspot.com/
 
 
 
 
 
 
Skady--When  Sun  Disapeared  cd   {Black  Plague Rec./Metallic Media}
Germany's  Skady   have  released  their  third  cd   "When  Sun  Disapeared"  this  is  a  good  but  not  great  release going  from  a  fast  to  mid-paced range.The  guitars  are   fast but  do  slow to  a  more  controlled  slower   pace.And the drumming  is  done in the  same  vein.Like  I  mentioned  in the  beginning  this   is  not  a  horrible  release  but  something  I  probably  won't  listen to  very  often.but  defintly  check  out  the  labels  as they  both  have tons  of  great black,death,doom,thrash etc.. releases and  distro  items
 
                                                                Label   contact
                                                      http://www.blackplaguerecords.com/
                                                       http://www.metallic-media.blogspot.com/
 
 
 
 
Sturmtiger---World  At  War  1914-1918  cd   {Black  Plague Rec./Metallic Media}
Sturmtiger  has  been  a  part  of  the  metal  underground scene  for ten  years.After  quite a few demo's  and E.P's  the  band  has  unleashed their  debut cd.The  band  combines  old-school death  metal  with  a lot  of  violent  war metal  influences.The  band  does a great  job  of  creating  and  executing  mid-to  fast  war  metal.With  fast  guitars  and  vicious  drums.
 
                                                                     Label   contact
                                                 http://www.blackplaguerecords.com/
                                                http://www.metallic-media.blogspot.com     
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                           
 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Interview with Tomas owner of Forever Plagued Rec. done by Patrick on 11-19-14

Dark  Hails!!
Thank  you  all for  checking  this  new  interview   out  this time  I  was  lucky  enough  to   get  a  Interview  with Tomas and  his  black metal  label  "Forever  Plagued   so  anyone  who  is  into   black metal   should  check  this   label  out  today.He  has  a lot  of  new  releases  out  dealing  with  cd  and  cassettes. so  be sure to  check  out  all his pages  at  the  Links at the  end of the  Interview
regards
Patrick
fiendformetal@live.com




Interview    with  Tomas  owner   of  Forever  Plagued Records. done  by   Patrick


 1.Greetings  Tomas thank you  for  taking  the  time  to  do  this   interview  when  did you first  discover  metal  music?  Who  were  some  of  the  first  bands   you  listened to? Who  are some  of your  current  favorites?


 When I was about 8 years old, had heard most through an older sibling.  Remember being fascinated with Kiss which was short lived.  I ended up liking WASP, SLAYER, Metallica, a lot,  but disliked Dio a good bit back then.  Was never able to check out VENOM which was another tape that was there but I was too young to listen to that hahah.  My current favs are the titles I've discovered over all the years, just depends what mood I'm in I like lots of different stuff, definitely not limited to metal. 





2.What  gave you  the  idea  to  form  "  Forever  Plagued Records"?  How  did  you  decide  on  the  name  for  the   label?  


 Wanted to create a record label that was not only dedicated to underground black metal but was also one, with the bands and the music.  A record label that fully stands by their bands.  The name represents those of us who forever walk doomed to despise most of what humanity and the meaning for organic life is about, not focusing on the religious aspects but of course plays a big roll for many of us I would think. 




3.Do  you  have  any  advice  for  anyone  thinking  about  starting  a  label? Do  you  run  the  label  by  yourself  or  do  you  have  some  help  from  friends? How  many  hours  a  day  would  you  say  you  work  on  label  releated  business?


  Don't do it, we don't need you, there are far too many labels run by incompetent people already no need for another.  FPR is a very small operation and probably always will be, its run by a few dedicated people when necessary.  A record label is a 24hr job unless you have a full staff which in the underground that is probably a good way to keep zero funds for actual content and ultimately the end of that label.



4.What  are  some  of  your  current  releases  the  public  can  get?  Do  you   have  any  newer  releases  coming  out  before  the  end  of  the  year?


 We have quite a bit coming out these days and in the past of course.   We've released some great titles such as NIGHTBRINGER, INCURSUS, TENEBROUS, DEMONCY, GRAVELAND, NOCTERNITY, AKITSA, FUNEREUS etc  Coming out soon is two new ORCULTUS demo tapes,  newer stuff we have coming out would be two great acts from GREECE namely   SEPTUAGINT / AKROTHEISM split CD,  finally    DEMONCY's Joined In Darkness on DigiCD for the first time ever, a new KULT OF TAURUS album is planned and an unknown band from Italy called  MOURNING MIST.  




5.What  are  some  things  you  look  for  when  signing  and  releasing  a  band?  Do  you   usually   look  for  the  bands to  release  or do  they  come  to  you?



 Well ultimately I look closely for raw hateful black metal but it must have energy!  this style is certainly been played out and dumbed down over the years so it really takes a certain kind of band to pull it off.  Other than that there are a variety of things I look for.  Some of our newer bands have shown a kind of unique blend of styles that just seems to work in some way that I feel have something to offer therefore we'll release it and take the care into representing that title.  Considering how busy I am I find it very hard to seek bands out, usually they come to us or have been found in some other similar manner.  Usually the bands we seek out are already in the middle of deals or they are already signed altogether.





6.Tomas  you  have  released  both  cassettes  and  cd's  how  do  you   choose which  band  to  release  on  cd  or  cassette?  I  believe  you  also  have  released  some  vinyl  releases  in  the  past  which  is  your  personal  favorite  form to  release  on?


 Well its all guess work in the end, but I haven't had great success with moving vinyl so I normally only do CD of newer bands unless a certain level of demand is created for that title then we may look into pressing vinyl of the band. Tapes are almost always demos or rare releases for us anyway.  My personal favorite is CD, I rarely listen to tapes or vinyl. I do prefer demos on tape though, full lengths on CD.



7.Tomas  you  are   also    the drummer in  the   band  Bloodstorm  when  did  you   join  the  band?


  I joined the band in 2003 at some point. 




8.Are  you  self taught  or   did  you  take  lessons  when  first  learning  the  drums?  Who  are  some  of your  influences/favorite   drummers? Do   you  play  any   other    instruments?


 I took lessons off and on for about 2 years.  I don't really have any influences, I play fast and chaotic with very little discipline.  I play guitar,bass,drums and dabble with keys. 



9.What  does  black  metal   mean  to  you?


Evil, Darkness,Negativity,Hate,Destruction so on and so forth



10.Tomas  what  is  your   opinion  of  the  U.S  Black  metal  scene?

 It has always seemed to be missing something. Certain bands have pulled off writing and 
recording great albums but mostly it is stale to me.  The people are even worse, why I do get along with certain individuals who have or do belong to the U.S. black metal scene, I could do without most of them, more so nowadays than in the past.  I have enjoyed some great times in the U.S. in the past but nowadays it is a mystery to me.




11.Who  are  some  of  your   all-time   favorite   u.s  black metal  bands?Are  their  any  new  bands  you  feel  the  readers  should  check  out?



The classic titles would of course be DEMONCY - Joined In Darkness, JUDAS ISCARIOT - all releases, BLACK FUNERAL - Vampyr throne of the beast, HAVOHEJ - Dethrone The Son Of God, INQUISITION - Into The Infernal Regions Of The Ancient Cult,  KRIEG - Blue Miasma, YAMATU - Shurpu Asaru, BLACK WINTERS EVE, INCURSUS - Eternal Funeral Trance & Adaestuo, TENEBROUS - Arias Towards The Black Sun & Opus Magnum.  The few newer USBM bands that have done anything for me is  FUNEREUS which we released their second album this year (if you even consider them U.S.) or  WORMREICH which is alright, GALDR is a decent atmospheric black metal band, TUKAARIA is pretty good as well, HELLGOAT is getting better and better too.




12.Besides  the  U.S  black metal  scene  you  have  released  some excellent  bands  from  various  countries.Do  you  have  a  particular  country  that  you  feel  has a  great  black  metal  scene?



  I don't follow scene's  I mean back in the day the Polish scene was undeniably pretty incredible but I don't search out a scene in order to find bands to enjoy.  Right now Greece seems to be going pretty strong. We by coincidence seem to have quite a bit of Greek bands on our label but it certainly wasn't by choice it just ended up that way so I imagine they must have a pretty strong scene right now. 



13.Thank  you   Tomas   for  taking   the  time  to  fill  this  interview   out  do  you   have  any  final  comments  for  the  readers?


See you in hell... on earth! join us!


www.foreverplaguedrecords.com
fpr666.bandcamp.com
www.soundcloud.com/forever-plagued-records
www.youtube.com/user/foreverplaguedrex

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Interview with Orcultus done by Patrick on 11-13-14

Greetings
Here  is  a  new  interview   I  have  done  with  the  Swedish  black  metal  band  Orcultus  which  is  getting  ready  to  release  two  new  cassettes  on  Forever  Plagued  Records  so  anyone  into  mid nineties  black metal  done  the  Swedish  way  should  check  this  band  out  today!!
Regards
Patrick
fiendformetal@live.com



 Interview  with  Orcultus    done  by   Patrick






1..Hails  what  gave  you  all  the  idea  to  form  Orcultus? How  did you  come  up  with  the  name  for  the  band? What  is  the  current  line up  for the  band?

When I think of it I do not really think that Orcultus was formed. It is something that has been going on for a long that finally got it´s own  name.
The name of the band is sort of a play with words. I will not try to explain it but in short it means misanthropy.
Orcultus has chosen not to reveal its members.



2.For  the  readers  who  have  never   heard  Orcultus   how  would  you  describe  the  music?


Raw Black Metal.






3.  Orcultus    is  working  with  the  great  label  Forever  Plagued  rec. how  did you  all  come  in  contact   with  Forever Plagued rec.?


Forever Plagued seemed to be a perfect label for Orcultus. And proved to be one too. They got the demo and liked what they heard.
  


4.Orcultus  is  getting ready  to  release two  tapes  through Forever  Plagued   "Black Rust"  and  "Endless Hate  And  Misanthropy"  how  long  did  it  take  to  write  the  music  for  theses songs? Does the  whole  band  work  on the  music  or does  one  member  usually  write  everything?


Endless hate and Misanthropy was written and recorded in one day.
Black Rust took almost a year.
Who writes what is not important.
Orcultus writes the music for Orcultus.



5.Who   usually  writes  the   lyrics for  the  band ? What  are  some  subjects/topics  do  you  all write  about?


Almost every song has a misanthropic theme. Anti-human.
It is the same thing with the lyrics as it is with the music.
Orcultus writes the lyrics for Orcultus.



6.How   has  the  responses  been from  the  fans? What  about  the   press?

It has been positive.
There has been some interviews but nothing more that that.



7.Does  Orcultus  ever  play  "Live"  shows  or do  you   prefer to  only  work  in the  studio? Who  are  some  bands you  all  have  shared  the  stage  with?


No, and there is no plans of a live performance.



8.Orcultus  comes  out  of the  legendary  Swedish black  metal  scene  what  is  your   opinion  of  the  Swedish  metal  scene?


There are a lot of good bands and even more bad ones.



9.Who  are  some  of  your  all-time  favorite  Swedish  metal  bands?  Are their  any  new   bands you  feel  the  readers  should  check  out  soon?

Bathory, always.



10.What   does  Black  metal   mean  to  you?

Alot. Black Metal is a way of life, not a music genre.






11.Are  you  or  any  of the  members   of  Orcultus  currently  working  with  side  bands  or  solo  projects? If  yes  please  tell  the  readers  about  them?



Yes, there are some but we do not associate orcultus with other projects.


12.Thank  you  for   taking the   time  to  fill  out  this   interview  do  you   have  any  final  words  for  the   readers?

Interview 
No.

Saturday, November 1, 2014

New Reviews done on 11-1-14

Metal  Hails!!
Here  is  a small  batch  of  reviews  I   have  done   and  hope  everyone  finds  something  to  their  liking.  I am  working  on   new  reviews  and  interviews   so  every  tell your  friends  and  keep  watching   the  blog.
regards
Patrick



Black  Cult--Neo--Satanism   cd   {Black   Plague  Records.}Croatia's  Black  Cult  have  released  their  debut  cd  through  Black  Plague  records.Black  Cult  play  a  great  style  of   pure black  metal   similar  to the  early to  mid  nineties  Swedish/Norweigan  bands  with  their  own  style.The  guitars  are fast  and  furious  with  some  chaotic  riffs  mixed  in but  also  have  a decent  amount  of  mid paced  riffs.The  vocalist  does a  great  job  with  some  excellent  shrieks  and  even  screams  in  a  few  sections.Black  Cult  have   released  a  great  black metal release  full of  chaotic  riffs  fast  drumming  and  a lot  of  skill  defintly  check  this  band  out  today  if your   looking  for   some  excellent  black metal
 
                                             Label     Contact
                                   
                                      http://www.blackplaguerecords.com/                                         
                                                                                                                                                          
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ending  Quest--The Summoning cd   {F.D.A Rekotz}
Ending  Quest   come  out  of  the   mighty   Swedish   metal  scene combining  elements  of  {early}  Grave  and Entombed  with  their  own  style  and  approach  to  how  death metal  should  sound.The  guitars   are   played  with  fast  and some  heavy  riffs  with  some  good  mix  of  solo's  mixed  in to the  songs.The  drummer  is  very  good  with  this  style  going  from  fast  to  some  crazed  mid tempo  beats.The  vocals  are  some  very  good  sounding  death  growls with  some  gruff  screams  entertwined  in a few  tracks.Anyone  into  Swedish  death metal  should  definitely  give this  band  a  shot  and  buy a  copy  today.
 
                                                                            Label  Contact
                                                                http://www.fda-rekotz.com/
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  Furor--Impending   Revelations  cd    {Self-Released}
The  Furor   comes  out  of  the   mighty  Australian  metal  scene  bringing  their  fourth  cd   "Impending  Revelations"  brings  the   old school  flame  of  black and thrash  metal  together  with a  little  dose  of   death metal  in a few  of the  songs.The  guitars  are  played   in  a  mid  paced range  which  do  jump  to a  more  destructive and faster  speed in a few  of the  songs.The  drumming is done  in the  same style  with  some  mid  paced  beats  before  jumping  to a  more  vicious and  violent  drum  style.The  vocals  are  old-school  shrieks  and thrashy screams.This  is a  good  release  of  old school  blackend thrash/death metal  if your   into  these  styles  then  defintly check  out  The  Furor.
                                                              Band  Contact
                                                http://thefuror.bandcamp.com/
                                         https://www.facebook.com/TheFurorObliterate/timeline
 
 
 
 
 
Necroholocaust---Holocaustic Goat Metal  LP.  {Iron Bonehehead  Records
Canada's  Necroholocaust have  unleashed  their  debut  full-length  LP  through  Iron Bonehehead  Records.The  band  has  been  around  for  years  releasing  demo's,split releases crafting  their  violent  war death  metal  style.Extremly  fast guitars with   no  comprimises .The  drummer  is  very  skilled  in  the   art  of  extremely  fast,hateful  blast beats.The  band  has  some thrashy  influences in their  music  as well.  Necroholocaust    has  released  a  superior  release  with  all the right  elements  of war/thrashing  death  metal  at  it's  finest  and  most  fierce. 
 
                                                                     Label   Contact
                                                        http://www.ironbonehead.de/
                                                      https://www.facebook.com/IronBoneheadProductions
 
 
 
 
 
Nuclear  Perversion--Desolation  Rituals  Cassette  Tape  {Iron Bonehead  Records}
This  is   my  first  encounter   with   Nuclear  Perversion  and  this  is  a  vicious  and  violent  band  that  knows  how  to  play.The guitars  are  played  at heavy and maximum  speeds  with  some  very  well  done  guitar  riffs.The  drumming  is  played  with  a lot of  speed  and  blast  beats  entertwined in a few  of the  tracks.The  vocals  are  low death  growls  and   some  gruff  screams .I   know  very   little  about  Nuclear  Perversion   but  this  is  a  band to  look  out for if  you  enjoy  primitive,vicious  death  metal.
 
                                                                  Label    Contact
                                                    http://www.ironbonehead.de/
                                                  
                                                    https://www.facebook.com/IronBoneheadProductions
 
 
 
 
 
The   Stone--Nekroza   cd   {Folter  Records}
Serbia's  The Stone  have  returned  with  their   newest  cd  "Nekroza"  this  is  a  great  black  metal  band  that  everyone into  quality  black metal  should  check  out  today.The  band  plays  cold,dark  and fast black metal  but  the  band  is  not  afraid to  slow  it  down to  a  mid-paced  guitar  tones  and even  some  atmospheric   elements  in a few of the  songs  befor  gong into  hyper  speed  again.The  vocals  are done  in  raspy  shrieks  and  some   gruff growls .the  guitars  are  done  very  good   with  some  extremely  fast  riffs  but  are  not  all speed as the band  does  slow  down  to a mid  paced  speed  in a few  of  the  tracks.The  band  does  have  a lot  of  creative  and  some  catchy  riffs  and  drum  patterns.This  is  one  of  The Stones  best  releases  to  date  if you   have  heard The Stone  before  and did not care for  them I  would  give  them a second  chance if you  are   new to  this great Serbian  band  then  give them  a  chance.
 
                                                                        Label    Contact
                                                                      http://www.folter666.de/
                                                              
                                                                                Band   Contact 
                                                                http://thestone.bigcartel.com/
                                      https://www.facebook.com/thestonehorde