Dark Metal

Katatonia – Sky Void Of Stars

Katatonia – Sky Void Of Stars
Napalm Records
Release Date: 20/01/23
Running Time: 50:34
Review by Laura Barnes
9/10

Katatonia are a fascinating band. They are perhaps one of the few bands within Metal that have successfully transitioned their sound into a softer, more accessible style without alienating their original fanbase. This would seem like a nigh impossible feat, but after a single listen of their latest album, “Sky Void Of Stars” it becomes clear how Katatonia have amassed such a dedicated and loyal fanbase. Modern day Katatonia has a softer sound, certainly, but do not mistake softer for simplistic. Katatonia’s music is just as complex and fun as it was back in 1996.

“A Sky Void Of Stars” explodes into life with chugging guitars and moody vocals courtesy of frontman Jonas Renske. ‘Austerity’ is our thunderous welcome into Katatonia’s new album, and the track reminds us of what they do best: choruses. The chorus on this song is phenomenal: anthemic, dark, and glittery. The track also features a guitar solo with a nice classic Metal touch. Already, it is clear that “Sky Void Of Stars” sees Katatonia at the top of their game. They start as they mean to go on: absolutely killing it.

Soon after ‘Austerity’, there is ‘Birds’, a song many long-term Katatonia fans will find particularly striking. ‘Birds’ sounds like it could have been taken straight from “The Great Cold Distance”. It is perhaps the liveliest track from the album and has a beautiful, soaring riff that gives me a warm sense of nostalgia. Following this, Katatonia hit the breaks in order to tell a tale of dark romance on ‘Drab Moon’. Steeped in atmosphere, this track is full of unexpected twists and turns. It truly is a mark of great song writing for a band to be able to divert quite significantly from traditional formulas without things feeling unnatural or forced – ‘Drab Moons’ creative use of autotune on this track would normally stick out like a sore thumb on the hands of a lesser band, but in Katatonia’s capable hands this technique is subtlety and successfully integrated, enhancing an already powerful track.

Normally, the middle of the album is where my attention begins to dwindle (you COULD argue that this is because of, like, these darn kids and their darn phones and their darn lack of attention spans, but really, I think it has more to do with that fact that it’s much easier to hide the filler in middle), but “Sky Void Of Stars” manages to keep the momentum going. ‘Impermanence’ has some fantastic vocals and melodies reminiscent of System of a Down, and although ‘Sclera’ does seem to meander a little more than I would have liked, I did get a kick out of the lyrics – ‘You fit spikes around my mind’ is a metaphor that I really wish that I had written (and also makes me imagine Pinhead / The Priest from Hellraiser headbanging along to this song, which should arguably be the goal of every metal song). ‘Atrium’ sets things firmly back – it has the same fist-pumping, throat-destroying energy as ‘Birds’, and will no doubt be a future favourite at live shows.

Another quick note about this album: it’s consistent. Not just in terms of quality, but also in mood and tone. As suggested by the title, “Sky Void Of Stars” is packed with celestial imagery. There’s also a bittersweet element of nostalgia running through this album: whether it be ‘city lights from 1998’ or memories of hotel rooms in Marriot, New York, there is a persistent theme of the past haunting the present. I’ve said it a million times before, but I really do love albums like this, albums that were clearly written in a specific headspace, or a specific time in a band’s life. It’s the kind of album that, if I listened to it twenty years in the future, would instantly transport me back to this period of my life.

I can say with confidence that Katatonia are one of the most influential bands out there, both for me on a personal level and within the wider Metal scene. “Sky Void Of Stars” is a phenomenal contribution to their already enduring legacy.

TRACKLISTING:
01. Austerity
02. Colossal Shade
03. Opaline
04. Birds
05. Drab Moon
06. Author
07. Impermanence
08. Sclera
09. Atrium
10. No Beacon To Illuminate
11. Absconder

LINE-UP:
Jonas Renske – Vocals
Anders Nyström – Guitars
Roger Öjersson – Guitars
Niklas Sandin – Bass
Daniel Moilanen – Drums

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Laura Barnes and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Wothrosch – Odium

Wothrosch – Odium
Hammerheart Records
Release Date: 13/01/23
Running Time: 55:00
Review by Paul Hutchings
8/10

A sinister cloud has emerged over Athens. The arrival of another Dark Metal outfit from the hotbed of Black and Death Metal is to be welcomed. Wothrosch explode into your face with their debut album, “Odium”. It’s a filthy combination of Sludgy Black Metal that sprawls over the best part of an hour. At times it is so intense there’s a feeling of suffocation. It’s that oppressive.

Formed in Athens in 2018, the line-up appears to be an unholy trio whose malcontent stretches far. Wothrosch produce a sound that is summoned up from hell. A ferocious combination of Septicflesh and Anaal Nathrakh, “Odium” roars from the opener ‘Child’ and proceeds to cast a sonic soundscape which is both horrific and enticing in equal measure. It doesn’t let up until the last bars of ‘Reign’ fade out, nearly an hour later.

Dallas managed to drag the very bowels to provide his demonic roars, drawn from an unearthly place. It’s distorted, uncomfortable and at times downright challenging. This is what Wothrosch want you to experience. With a title which means: ‘The state or fact of being subjected to hatred and contempt as a result of a despicable act or blameworthy circumstance’, it’s evident from the blistering bursts of extremity that Wothrosch aren’t here to make friends and influence anyone. This is fresh, brutally aggressive, and rawer than a butcher’s shop front window.

The song titles scream nastiness. ‘Tumor’ and ‘Disease’ live up to their names, a punishing meander over eight and a half minutes in the case of the latter, the former being half the length but double the intensity. It’s head splitting stuff. ‘Sinner’ is another lumbering beast, at 8:34 the longest track on the record. It’s pulverising riffs and funeral paced doom vibe are compelling; it’s difficult to move away once the tractor beam is locked on.

It continues like this throughout the 55 minutes. It could be used for torture; such is its intensity. Bruising, relentless, pounding. Wothrosch have produced a slab of extremity so visceral in its intent that it makes for a challenging listen. Get past the barriers, and it’s as crushingly heavy an album as you’ll hear all year. If extreme metal is your bag, then “Odium” should be on your saved list.

TRACKLISTING:
01. Child
02. Tumor
03. Disease
04. Sinner
05. Purge
06. Odium
07. Mass
08. Reign

LINE-UP:
Nassos Defiant Stergiou – Guitar
N.P. – Bass
Philip Dellas – Vocals

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Paul Hutchings and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Lacrimas Profundere – How To Shroud Yourself With Night

How To Shroud Yourself With Night Album Cover Art

Lacrimas Profundere – How To Shroud Yourself With Night
Steamhammer / SPV
Release Date: 26/08/22
Running Time: 39:59
Review by Rick Eaglestone
6/10

“How To Shroud Yourself With Night” starts off slightly different to how I expected it, having more of a narration style which I’m honestly not overkeen on, but fortunately this is followed up by ‘A Cloak Woven of Stars’. This is peppered with riffs and more of the Dark Metal sound that I’m accustomed to, then an unexpected nostalgic throwback to Godhead’s “2000 Years of Human Error” with the vocals on ‘Nebula’

I was starting to think it wasn’t going to happen, but the Gothic Rock finally gets played on ‘In A Lengthening Shadow’ and it’s so satisfying, that it’s become an early contender for highlight track of the album, but then that illusion is almost shattered by ‘The Curtain of White Silence’ which sounds completely out of place.

I can’t help but struggle with the heavier sound the band is taking. ‘Unseen’ passes through without much of an impact, fortunately there are some saving graces that bring back the darker, Gothic influences. ‘The Vastness of Infinity’ has saved this album for me and for that reason is my actual highlight track of the album.

An almost Symphonic approach to the start of ‘To Disappear in You’ disperses and morphs into a track that if anything, shows how for the most part the band have evolved their sound. Then just as I write that the band deliver an absolute home run with ‘An Invisible Beginning.’

Finally, ‘Shroud of Night’ closes the album and I am honestly at a loss as to how I exactly feel about this release, as the part I love, I really love and others I’m going to try and get past them at first click. I’m hoping over time I grow to fully appreciate it.

‘To Disappear In You’ Official Video

TRACKLISTING:
01. Wall Of Gloom
02. A Cloak Woven of Stars
03. Nebula
04. In A Lengthening Shadow
05. The Curtain of White Silence
06. Unseen
07. The Vastness of Infinity
08. To Disappear in You
09. An Invisible Beginning
10. Shroud of Night

LINE-UP:
Julian Larre – Vocals
Oliver Nikolas Schmid – Guitars
Ilker Ersin – Bass
Dominik Scholz – Drums

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Rick Eaglestone and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Spectral Darkwave – Live Fire Exorcise

Spectral Darkwave – Live Fire Exorcise
Occidental Records
Release Date: 30.06.22
Running Time: 40:21
Review by Dark Juan
9/10

Good morning. Which is not normally a phrase uttered in Dark Juan Terrace, considering I am a creature of the night, normally to be found prowling ruins and pouncing upon young, attractive courting couples therein! (Said young couples then go unaccountably missing after I have encountered them and are reported thus, and afterwards when I awake I find gore on the bedsheets and yet another pair of shoes fucking ruined, yet I have no memory of injuring myself. Then I look in the mirror and see the blood around my jaws and the gore between my teeth and I wonder just what the hell I have done this time. Yet again I tell my reflection to lay off the drugs and the absinthe but equally I know I won’t and it will all happen again and I will be left wondering about just what is in those garden bags in the boot of the Schwerer Gothikpanzer…)

Don’t go wandering around the ruined village in Dorothea Quarry in Talysarn or the mansion at Baron Hill near Beaumaris in the near future. I don’t know what you might find there. All I do know is that it wasn’t me, OK?

Speaking of Beaumaris, the town council there made me giggle. Remember Hot Fuzz with Simon Pegg playing the copper? The village (Sandford) in that most excellent film had a very… enthusiastic Town Council whose motto was “Bonum Commune Communitatis”, meaning “For the greater good”. Beaumaris Town Council don’t like dogs very much considering they have banned them from almost fucking everywhere that a dog might find interesting and the town (Ville de Beaumaris, apparently, according to their coat of arms. Apparently some French people were there for a while and the good burghers of Beaumaris took it to heart to a rather extraordinary degree. It was a bit of a jolt seeing a Welsh town naming itself in French and no mistake) has a motto which is “Si Commune Communitatis”. All we need is Sergeant Angel screaming round it in a Scooby police car chasing a madly moustache-twirling Timothy Dalton and you’d have the Welsh version of Sandford right there.

None of which has ANYTHING to do with this live recording of Spectral Darkwave at Hitchin’s Club 85, performing their last studio release (“At Outer Dark”) in its entirety.

First of all, can we all just agree that “Live Fire Exorcise” is a fucking brilliant name for a live album and that if you don’t think it is, you’re totally wrong and I want nothing more to do with you, because you are an uncultured philistine who wouldn’t know greatness if it announced it an inch away from your left ear with a megaphone, and then kicked you up your flabby arse? Thank you.

Oh, and by the way, your mother wears combat boots, you bald shite.

Opening up with ‘Insertion/ 731’ and a computerised voice telling us we are going to kick the ever-living shit out of some poor civilization, which is also a very inventive and neat and tidy way of introducing the names of the band. Spectral Darkwave crash into a style of music I never knew I needed to hear – this being an hallucinatory intermix of sluggish, ponderous Doom, Death Metal vocals, Proggy chops, Symphonic swoopiness and Victorian, Steampunk Industrial underpinned by an infernal daemon-engine of Spectral Darkwave’s own creation, known only as The Slavedriver. Gothic Industrial keyboards ram headlong into lead lined guitars, and there are spasmodic jerkings of computer speak, and art and storytelling meld together in an intoxicating and fresh amalgamation that is perilously close to what passes for heaven in the twisted black recesses of the mind of Dark Juan. Vocalist and guitarist The Arch-Kakoph (I fucking LOVE stage names and silliness) sounds like he could have done with a bit more of a vocal warm up in the first couple of minutes of the song but his foundation-shattering roar soon settles down nicely.

The second song is ‘The March Of Sses’ and it is a paean to war elephants. I don’t need to say any more. War elephants are fucking cool armoured behemoths of battle and any song written about them is automatically brilliant. Bass player The Gunner (again, silliness. I love it) provides a mighty bottom end not unlike the heavily reinforced, pressurised keel of a Steampunk starship grinding across the terrain of an alien world. This is a Very Good Thing. And the band have managed to shoehorn the trumpeting of an elephant into it as well. Top marks for ingenuity, there, gentlemen.

‘The First Church Of Chaos’ showcases Doom Metal that’s thicker than molasses, combined with Symphonic undertones of church organ, and it’s a mighty compelling beast indeed. During the middle part of the song, it turns into a sputtering, steam-belching war machine staggering across a blasted wasteland, until The Engineer (drums – but never let facts get in the way of a good story) replaces dodgy valves and repressurises cracked leather pipes feeding superheated steam to greased mechanical pistons, before returning to smooth performance and rejoining battle and the massacre of those that don’t follow the worship of great Cthulhu.

And on it goes – Steampunk meets far future sci-fi and it all conjures up images of the leather overalled, oil soaked crew of the Starship Darkwave forging ever further into the cosmos in search of their god, being battered by barely understood cosmic radiation, defending themselves or attacking with weapons that spark with static electricity from Tesla coils or fire cobalt red and blue lasers from hand laid mirror projectors, as brass fittings steam and smoke and glow red hot in the furnace room, where blocks of supercooled hydrogen are burned as fuel, all the gauges heavily in the red while the death of a hypergiant star occurs right in front of them…

It is a well-known fact that I am not much of a fan of live albums, mainly because they normally sound like an absolute bag of dog’s arseholes. “Live Fire Exorcise” is the exception that proves the rule. The band are tighter than an entire swarm of gnat’s chuffs, and this is to their considerable credit, considering the complexity of their music. It could all so easily turn into a wriggling morass of Steampunk Sludge, but admorable musicianship is brought to bear, and the live sound man and producer of this album are also to be mightily commended, and have medals pinned on them, as everything is clear as day. A muddy or inept production would have utterly ruined this record beyond redemption. The Engineer even has a snare drum that sounds like a snare drum and not like fucking Tupperware being winged off the twentieth floor of a block of flats!

It’s pretty safe to say Dark Juan is a bit of a fan, now. When Steampunk aesthetics meet Heavy fucking Metal, you’re guaranteed to be on to a winner. Although Spectral Darkwave might want to consult a lawyer considering one Papa Emeritus IV, esquire has currently dressed up his Nameless Ghouls in a style that could be considered Satanic Steampunk…

The Patented Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System is entranced by Spectral Darkwave and thanks them for a live recording of no small brilliance! 9/10 for giving me the mental concept of a Steampunk spaceship. I have ideas to explore, so fare thee well!

TRACKLISTING:
01. Insertion/ 731
02. The March Of Sses
03. The last Church Of Chaos
04. The Last Red Hypergiant
05. A Toll Is Due
06. Voyage Of The Necronaut
07. At Outer Dark

LINE-UP:
The Arch-Kakoph – Vocals and guitars
The Gunner – Bass
The Engineer – Drums
The Slavedriver – Daemon-engine machinery (I know the band’s real names and trust me they are a lot less fun!)

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of ‘Dark Juan’ and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

EMQ’s With ATTRITION

EMQ’s With ATTRITION

Hi Everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with UK Dark Industrial Electronic act, Attrition. Huge thanks to main man Martin Bowes for taking part.

What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?

Martin Bowes… I sing and use a lot of electronic instruments… I have a studio full of them here!
ATTRITION was born in Coventry at the end of 1980… originally a post punk guitar / bass / drum line up, it soon transformed into a more and more electronic band. Then later still took on classical influences in violas / cellos / violins… creating music from dark rhythmic electronic / industrial songs to more atmospheric soundtracks… We have released something like 30 albums to date and toured all over the world…

How did you come up with your band name?

It was derived from “War of ATTRITION”… a name used to describe the First World War… my Grandad had fought on the Western front and was wounded at Ypres in Belgium in 1917. It held a bizarre fascination for me. I finally recorded an album of WW1 War Poetry (of all sides) in 2015 with Anni Hogan (Of Marc and the Mambas fame).

What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?

I’m from Coventry, UK… the scene is actually really picking up again after a quieter few years and Covid of course… helped by the fact that a lot of money was put into Coventry during its year as City of Culture.

What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)

We are completing our new album, “The Black Maria” this year, and in the meantime have just had a 40 year collection released on US label Sleepers Records…on Vinyl and digital formats… you can listen to it on out official Bandcamp site.

https://attritionuk.bandcamp.com/album/a-great-desire-1986-2004

Who have been your greatest influences?

Musically I’ve been influenced by punk and the post punk of bands like Joy Division, PIL, Magazine, Cabaret Voltaire etc. etc., but so much of everyday life influences what I do and what I write…

What first got you into music?

Punk rock in the late 70’s blew me away and totally inspired me to make music. I started out writing a fanzine, “Alternative Sounds” here in Coventry (ran 18 issues from 1979 – 1981) then knew I had to start a band…

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

We have played many over the years and we’ve toured all over the world… on 4 continents so far… so I can’t say there is a festival I need to play, but I’m always excited with every gig we do, from the smallest club to the largest stage. I actually prefer the atmosphere in a smaller club than in a field!

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

That some fans named their child after one of my songs… ‘A girl called Harmony’ to be exact… our most well known song (from 1991)… I’ve since met 2 women in the USA that were named after it….
best review ever!

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

I love the freedom to create, and the travel it has meant and meeting so many like minded people… like a world music community if you like… and with my work in my studio (The Cage) producing and mastering for other bands has meant I can live outside of the mainstream world a lot of the time… I’m grateful for that.

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

A good question… it has changed in so many ways over the past 40 years… but in other ways it is pretty much the same… it’s always about dedication and hard work and belief in yourself. I do like the way that there is a lot more independent control of your own career now, although it still needs the same amount of work as record companies and booking agents would put in. I think sometimes bands think they can bypass everything and I don’t think they can. I like the fact that there are so many formats for music these days too… from Vinyl to streaming and YouTube and merch sales… I like it…so in answer I don’t think there is much I would change right now!

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

Joy Division – “Unknown Pleasures”.

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs, or Downloads?

I love the fact that there are so many ways of listening to music… they all have their good points and as long as people are into listening to music, in whatever format, then that’s fine by me!

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

Some amazing ones over the years. its so hard to choose just one. Playing places like Hawaii, Tokyo, Siberia… places I’d always wanted to go to has been an incredible journey. Oh, and one of the worst places we played was CBGB’s in New York…. But I’m still glad we played there…

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?

I started out as an art student, painting and sculpting… dropped out for music… so I guess I would still be an artist. I often think of returning to that later in life. During lockdown I started to learn to make videos and made my first last year for our last single… do check it out here…
ATTRITION – The Alibi – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-yAqSkzybE

What’s next for the band?

We are so pleased to be out performing again after Covid. We’ve played 4 shows in the UK so far, but talking to European promoters and further afield… we hope to play the South American tour soon, that was scrapped in 2020. In the meantime I am completing the long awaited new album, “The Black Maria” and hope to release this, in all formats, by the end of this year.

What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?

I try to be very active on social media… so here are few to try!
www.attrition.co.uk
www.facebook.com/ATTRITIONMUSIC
http://attritionuk.bandcamp.com
www.youtube.com/user/attrition
https://twitter.com/attritionuk
https://sptfy.com/attrition
www.thecagestudios.co.uk

Jaffa Cakes! Are they a cake or a biscuit?

Haha…. I have been vegan for 23 years and can’t even remember what they are like!

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Thank you for the interview… I hope people will explore the music further…

Martin Bowes, Coventry, England. March 2022

Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Interview with Cadaveria

Interview with Cadaveria
By Chris Galea

Throughout the 1990’s Cadaveria (real name Raffaella Rivarolo) fronted the Italian Dark Metal band Opera IX but then decided to forge ahead with a band directly suited to her musical ideas. Thus, under the Cadaveria moniker, she released a number of albums that tended, in varying degrees, to fuse dark gothic moods with aggressive Metal sonorities. The band’s music style is quite peculiar and has certainly pioneered the use of harsh vocals from female Metal singers.

About 3 years ago, Cadaveria was diagnosed with breast cancer and the operation that she had to submit to might have left some fans concerned about the future of the band. But wonder no more because now she’s back.

In this candid interview, Cadaveria shares her experiences of combating cancer and talks about the musical path she intends to take from this juncture onwards.

A few days before she replied to my questions, the band had released a brand new single and related video: ‘Matryoshcada’. So I start off by enquiring about this…

Congratulations for the new video. Could you please describe the thematic aspect of the song ‘Matryoshcada’?

The treatments I received to recover from cancer threw me into a surreal and even mystical dimension. My body was falling apart: hair, eyelashes, eyebrows. The skin was thinning and part of me was taken away by the surgery. Emotionally it was like being on a roller coaster for a year and more and never getting off. In this delirium I found a new me, which was probably hidden inside the “previous me”. I really felt like a Matryoshka doll that can be opened many times until she reaches the indivisible core, my soul.

When I no longer recognized myself in the mirror, I looked straight into my eyes, the only thing that hadn’t changed about me, and there I found myself again, and the pulsing energy of life. The song is about all this and the video visually tells these concepts. I wore my old and new clothes to show this transformation and had two Matryoshka dolls created, representing the past and the present. The song title plays with the fact that in the metal scene friends call me Cada (diminutive of Cadaveria), so it’s entitled MatryoshCADA instead of Matryoshka.

Shortly before ‘Matryoshcada’, you released two other videos, ‘Return’ and ‘100.000 Faces’. What were the challenges of writing and recording those two songs?

‘100.000 Faces’ comes from the album “In Your Blood” (2007) and the video for this song we released in May 2020 was a quarantine version [quarantine due to the Coronavirus pandemic], to show we were back to music. A way to break the silence.

On October the 2nd 2020 we officially came back to the scene with the digital release of the 1st new single ‘Return’, followed by the music video. In 2015 we had played at a dark metal festival in Germany and knew this song by Deine Lakaien for the first time. We’ve been wanting to cover it for a while. When I recovered and we decided to go back to making music, given the title, it seemed like the right song to record.

CADAVERIA ‘Return’ (Official Video):

Where was the video of ‘Return’ filmed? Was this location chosen for a particular reason?

It was filmed in Luguria, a maritime region of northern Italy. We have chosen it as a location ’cause we like it and for logistical tasks. We wanted the video to contain the water element like the first video we ever made, that is ‘Spell’ which dates back to 2002. There are a number of self-references in Return that refer to Spell, for example the dress worn by the actress entering the sea is the same one I wore in Spell when I’m in the pond.

On ‘Return’ Pier Gonella [Labyrinth, Mastercastle, Necrodeath] played some guitar parts…how did that come about? What is the likelihood of him recording again with the band?

Pier is helping us as a producer for this series of singles we are gonna to release, and since he is an excellent guitarist, he sometimes also records parts, mostly solos or harmonizations. It works and will probably happen again in the future.

What were your feelings when you first started singing after the operation and therapy?

Do you want the truth? I thought I was no longer able to sing in growl. Actually, it was just a psychological block that I had at home and when I went to the studio everything was fine. It’s like riding a bicycle: you can’t forget it…it’s part of me. Our body has unexpected resources. The feeling I have now is of great freedom and joy. In the clean parts I am reaching higher levels than in the past.

In 2019 you had shared your recovery’s progress through posts on your Facebook page. How did you feel about the reaction of fans and friends to those posts?

I am a sincere person and I have never hidden myself. I don’t think there is anything to be ashamed of in the disease, although cancer is still a taboo for many. Sincerity has repaid me for so much affection. I got a lot of love from my fans. This has given even more sense to all the commitment I have put in music all these years. ‘Matryoshcada’ is dedicated to all the metalheads who have shown me love during the illness. At the end of the video there is an explicit thanks to all of them.

Following your recent health issues how has your relationship with music changed (if at all)?

I can tell you that during my illness I have listened to nothing but silence. I devoted myself to meditation, walking and yoga. It was an introspective journey, because I am convinced that if I got sick there is a cause that I had to correct, so I worked hard to improve myself. Now my approach to music and life has changed. I live in the here and now. And I live more lightly, marvelling every day at how beautiful life is. I am grateful for all that I have.

When ‘Return’ was released, your website stated that: “All CADAVERIA’s new songs will be released, on a quite regular basis, in the form of singles, as they are recorded and mixed.” Does this mean fans will have to wait a long time for a new album?

Yes, exactly. I’m not sure we’ll make an album. We have some songs ready and they will all come out as digital singles and then the music videos will follow. The rest will be seen gradually.

What are your plans for the immediate future? Especially considering the ongoing pandemic it’s probably too early to speak about touring but do you look forward to hitting the stage again at some point?

Actually, at the moment I’m not particularly eager to get back on stage because I have a lot of fun making these singles, recording, editing the covers, helping with the video production and doing the promotion. It is already a huge job that we do independently and in complete autonomy. I don’t want to get too tired. We’ll play live when we get an offer we can’t refuse. With all due respect I have no desire to set up the whole live stuff to go and play in the same small clubs where I have already been many times. It must be worth it.

Drawing from your own experience, is there anything you’d like to say to musicians and fans whose careers are affected by illness?

I would like to say that statistics exist, it is true, but it is also true that we are variance. There is no case of illness […that is…] the same as another so even if you are given up for dead, don’t believe it, just believe in yourself and in the strength of your fragility.

CADAVERIA ‘‘Matryoshcada’ (Official Video):

LINE-UP:
Cadaveria – Vocals
Peter Dayton – Bass
Marçelo Santos – Drums

ALBUM DISCOGRAPHY:
Silence (2014)
Horror Metal (2012)
In Your Blood (2007)
Far Away from Conformity (2004)
The Shadows’ Madame (2002)

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Chris Galea and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

EMQ’s with CHASING GHOSTS

EMQ’s with CHASING GHOSTS

Hi everyone! Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Milton Keynes, UK based Dark Rock/Metal band Chasing Ghosts. Huge thanks to guitarist Ashley Clark for taking part.

What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?

I am Ashley and I play Guitar (mainly rhythm) in Chasing Ghosts. The band formed in 2015 and I joined in April 2016. Over the past 4 years we have released our debut album “These Hollow Gods”, released 3 videos and played various prestigious venues and festivals including, headlining at 02 Academy 2 in Liverpool and Nocturnefest in Denmark and we now have our just released EP that has already had incredible feedback!

How did you come up with your band name?

It was taken from a song, which Lee (Bass and songwriter) in Chasing Ghosts wrote back in 2005 in one of his previous bands. At the time it was quite a unique name, but today everyone seems to be using this for books, songs and album titles. We have invested heavily in this name over the years, so too late to change it now, I guess.

What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?

I am from Luton, North of London, it has a fairly strong rock/metal scene, with Castlefest , Luton/Live Promotions, and various other venues in the area putting on live music every weekend.

What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)

Bring Me Suffering EP – Three tracks totalling 17 some minutes, released on 12th June 2020.

Who have been your greatest influences?

As a guitarist it would be Jerry Cantrell from Alice In Chains, Adam Jones from Tool, Andy Cairns from Therapy? And Billy Duffy from The Cult. All the previous bands plus A Perfect Circle, Anathema and Metallica.

What first got you into music?

My parents always had music on in the house, either radio or their own collection. I remember many journeys in the car where we had on Status Quo as my dad loved them, we would also see them live every year at Wembley Arena, which made me want to play guitar.

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?

I think for us to collaborate with Nick from Paradise Lost would be incredible, or Lee Douglas from Anathema. Our current sound would suit their vocal styles perfectly and would be amazing to hear.

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

Wacken Festival would be amazing, I think because the respect for the type of music we play is very high at this festival. A real diverse mix of different types of metal/hard rock.

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

I was in a band that had a fan make us samosas once, I think food is an odd one really as you really don’t know what has gone into it!

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

We, like so many other unsigned bands, really appreciate every single review, comment, share, like, radio play and all other acts of support . It is so hard these days for an upcoming unsigned band to establish themselves without the support of new and old fans.

If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

Selfishly it would have be Pete Steele as he seemed larger than life, plus it would be great to hear new Type O Negative!

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

Getting lost in the performance and letting the creative parts take over, and being loud! I hate guitar strings breaking! It’s always happening to me!

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

It would be for the industry to provide bigger platforms for those unsigned bands that are trying so hard to be original and do everything themselves and that don’t fit within the popular metal/rock genres.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

A Perfect Circle – “Mer de Noms”

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?

I’m happy with all of them really, I would love to have more vinyl, but as long as I get the music in my ears, I am happy!

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

I would say the 02 Academy 2 gig in Liverpool as the sound was out of this world and it was a real privilege to play such a prestigious venue, it was incredible!

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?

Eating a lot. Music is such a part of me that I don’t really know anything else. I think it would be something creative like painting or writing.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

The band Therapy? so I can ask all the questions about my favourite band, so that’s three, and then James Hetfield from Metallica so I can steal his technique, finally I would have to say Billy Connolly as you need a comedian!

What’s next for the band?

After COVID-19 we want to get out and play as many venues and festivals across the UK and Europe, continue to collaborate with other musicians and hopefully return to the studio and work with Jaime Gomez Arellano once again, as we are always working on new material.

What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
www.facebook.com/chasingghostsuk/
www.youtube.com/chasingghostsuk
www.open.spotify.com/artist/1vKRNt6i78mYclDrF3BlWo
www.chasingghostsuk.bandcamp.com
www.instagram.com/chasingghosts_uk/
www.twitter.com/ChasingGhosts_

Jaffa Cakes! Are they a cake or a biscuit?

Cake. It’s in the name. If it is left out it goes soft. Cake.

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Just to say a big thank you to everyone who has listened to our music and supports us, it doesn’t go unnoticed and it really makes us move forward!

Ashen Crown – Obsolescence

Obsolescence Cover

Ashen Crown – Obsolescence
Independent
Release Date: 01/11/2019
Running Time: 42:24
Review by Sheri Bicheno
9.5/10

One thing you have to be absolutely clear about when you listen to Ashen Crown… is that you are going to get a walloping!
These guys have been going for almost three years and in that short time have taking a slice of the underground music scene like their very own hot morello cherry pie. SO! GOOD!
Their first major festival was Bloodstock’s New Blood Stage in 2017 and Ashen Crown have catapulted into both headlining and line-up shows including supports for some of the best; Obituary, Memoriam and King Parrot plus storming fests such as HRH Metal, Hammerfest, Uprising, and Manor Fest. This speaks volumes. If you haven’t seen these guys perform and want some filthy riffs to mesmerise you, then you have to give them a go.
Debut album “Obsolescence” does not disappoint.
I’m detecting tones in this album’s concept that a HUGE change will be happening in life before long… to become OBSOLETE! Faith, fate, politics, life and death or destruction! Lyrically, there are several tracks that shine a light on this.
First track ‘Unbroken Faith’ introduces the craft of Ashen Crown with ringing bells and rain, almost like something you would expect from a Black Sabbath track. Then an almost doomy riff slowly sets in… sedate, seductive…and then BAM, vocalist Kieran Scott starts off deep, gnarly and fast paced while the guitars, drums and bass come in hard, matching the vocals. It’s not very often an opening track takes you on a journey of pure onslaught and sets the bar for the rest of the album…however, ‘Unbroken Faith’ gives you tingling anticipation for what’s coming next!
On next track ‘Crimson Sea’, Mike Ellis’ drums are exceptionally fast and ever changing in direction. They absolutely batter you matching the aura of this album exactly. Guitarists Ste Fowkes, Jay Rogers and bass player Phil Milman take you down a winding path with their combination of riffs and strings. Let them take you with them…this is gonna be a hell of a journey!
What I really love is at about three minutes in the polar opposite happens… compete calm and all is quiet. Black and Grey…grieving strings and whispers which say “I wipe the ash from my eyes…, these rotting bodies burning around me!” The elements here are of an expression of loss and a fire burning dim. Use that as a metaphor however you might like. The beauty of music is that you can express it in any way you hear or feel it.
Then… we are taken upwards again through flames and utter destruction until the fade out. ‘Crimson Sea’ is going to be absolutely face-melting live!
Third track ‘Ultimatum’ hammers straight into you from the outset. This is a voyage of pure evil riffs and winding strings, fast paced and aggressive… then a third of the way through, another quiet section and a slowly rising shadow, with Kieran’s whispering growls and one heck of a build-up. The guitars here really shine and give you an utterly transdimensional space goat feel. (Rick here! I’m not quite sure what a ‘transdimensional space goat feel’ is but after listening to “Obsolescence” many times myself I can say that, whatever it is, it’s damn good!). Come away from this track with your mind set on what you should now fully expect for the rest of this album!
‘Right To Rise’ is full of riffing and hammering, the drums here are again, incredibly fast and pounding. There is no break in energy on this track and it full on pelts you. I imagine live it would suit those who like to non-stop pit throughout a song. It is absolutely chaotic and Kieran’s demonic growls are in full swing, in fact this is a very good example of how Kieran’s vocals and the rest of the band sync well with the pace. Fast vocals, riffs, bass and drums throughout… and they are perfectly in unison.
Track five is ‘Guilty Of Hatred’ and I gotta say – this reminds me more of a Thrash Metal Ashen Crown. Higher pitched vocals kick in half way through…“The voices speak to me. They tell me I am not the problem”! Say no more, the message is loud and clear!
This is a track full of energy and jump and I am envisioning a full on circle pit here in my lounge to this. I LOVE how this track is set out lyrically; sending the message of a battle of inner love and peace!
Next up is ‘Blood Beneath Us’ and, if you didn’t know, Ashen Crown have released an accompanying lyric video for this one.
This track introduces us to a suspenseful but mellow opening riff. Some hard hitting riffage and drums then come along and pull the metaphorical rug from beneath your feet for a little while. Then the chorus hits and there is a playful edge to of some of the lyrics. Pure evil tones are right here and then…Kieran’s demonic growls are beautifully accompanied and opposed by the operatic and haunting vocals of Francesca Stevens which places the perfect cherry on the cake to this track. ‘Blood Beneath Us’ is completely different to Ashen Crown’s other tracks and is a welcome change. There is a very beautiful balance apparent.
Nearing the end ‘Fall Of Thine Eyes’ gives us our last journey into that fast space rushing past you with harsh vocals and face melting riffs that get you moving like there’s a twister chasing you. This bit of chaos ironically eases us into the very last track ‘Under The Leaves’ which, shows a very raw, emotional and slightly softer, more melodic side to Ashen Crown. I think this one is one of my favourite tracks. It starts slow and spacey, taking you through the aftermath of all the chaos of the previous tracks… but still retains its own aggression and fire. I tell you what, turn off all the lights, lay down or chill out and blast this track. Let it take you places to still keep your fire burning…euphoria in the dark!
Also, it is worth mentioning that “Obsolescence” was recorded and mixed by Neil Hudson of Krysthla/Initiate Audio – hence, this beast of an album’s fantastic sound quality.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Unbroken Faith
02. Crimson Sea
03. Ultimatum
04. Right To Rise
05. Guilty Of Hatred
06. Blood Beneath Us
07 Fall Of Thine Eyes
08. Under The Leaves
LINE-UP:
Kieran Scott – Vocals
Ste Fowkes – Rhythm Guitar
Jay Rogers – Guitar
Phil Milman – Bass
Mike Ellis – Drums
Links:
www.facebook.com/ashencrown.uk
www.twitter.com/AshenCrown
FATangel PR Social Media:
F: www.facebook.com/fatangelpr/
T: www.twitter.com/fatangel_family
PR: Dan Carter dan@fatangel.co.uk

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Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Sheri Bicheno and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.