Progressive Death Metal

EMQ’s With Leprethere

EMQ’s With Leprethere

Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Belarusian Dissonant/Math Metal/Progressive Death Metal band, Leprethere. Huge thanks to their Guitarist and Vocalists, Anton and Anton, 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?

Anton (guitar): We are Leprethere, a band playing Dissonant/Math Metal/Progressive Death Metal. The history of the band begins from the band Frequency Diversity (2009-2013) where we first played mathcore/technical metal. Afterwards, we left the group and started working on new material with new ideas from other genres of metal music.

Anton (voice): It was an amazing experience. We were young, experimented a lot and gained experience. =)

How did you come up with your band name?

Anton (guitar): It is just some unique name without meaning.

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

Anton (voice): I can’t say that the Belarusian metal scene is constantly actively developing and taking tons of feedback among local listeners now. But it has many nice and unique bands that are widely accepted. These bands have made an enormous contribution to the development of the metal and punk scene in Belarus. Some brightest representatives for me – SERDCE (prog death metal), Appleshout, Contra la contra, Bagna (hardcore punk), Relics of Humanity (brutal death metal) and Nebulae Come Sweet (post-metal).

What is your latest release?

Anton (guitar): “Tarnished Passion” (Album, 2023).

Who have been your greatest influences?

Anton (guitar): We like mathcore ’00 (Ion Dissonance, Psyopus), avant-garde and dissonant death metal (Gorguts, Ulcerate), math metal-influences (Meshuggah, Vildhjarta) and progressive music (Dysrhythmia, Between the Buried and Me). All these influences and our souls created our style. 🙂

What first got you into music?

Anton (guitar): I was 11 when I first heard U2 and at this age I wanted to create a rock band. Yeah, my tastes have changed a little bit, but the desire to create my own music is still alive.

Anton (voice): I decided to try vocals after listening to one of my favourite metal albums (Ion Dissonance – “Solace”). The rawness and pure anger in these vocals inspired me to make my career in this way. =)

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

Anton (guitar): Colin Marston (Dysrhythmia, Gorguts).

Anton (voice): Ulcerate.

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

Anton (guitar): I was only on Euroblast and Brutal Assault, and it was amazing.

Anton (voice): It doesn’t matter where we play (at a huge festival or in a small bar). The feedback of listeners – that’s the only thing that matters for me.

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

Anton (guitar): I don’t remember the weirdest gifts.

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

Anton (guitar): Just relax and catch the wave of music magic.

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

Anton (guitar): Daniel Krauss (Admiral Angry). After the album ‘Buster’ (2008) I think he had a lot of ideas for their band’s style that didn’t get realized.

Anton (voice): Mieszko Talarczyk (Nasum).

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

Anton (guitar): I enjoy composing music. Also, I like to find some interesting things in other musical genres and combine it with our style. But I don’t like to talk a lot about my musical works.

Anton (voice): I enjoy the new challenges and experiments. Music composing is a massive space to create. I don’t like excessive self-criticism and the occasional crisis of creativity. In the last few years, it’s related to the hard times in my country (Belarus) and now to the war in Ukraine.

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

Anton (guitar): Stopping the process of making soulless music 🙂

Anton (voice): To each his own, I guess.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

Anton (guitar): It’s a difficult question. I chose The Arusha Accord – “The Echo Verses” (2009) because this album has a big range of emotions and I like its technical structure.

Anton (voice): Uhh, it’s not easy. Let it be Ion Dissonance – “Solace” (2005). Just listen in and you will understand me. 😉

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

Anton (guitar): Vinyl and Digital!

Anton (voice): I always buy vinyls and CDs.

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

Anton (guitar): Leprethere is a studio project and we didn’t have any gigs.

Anton (voice): Sure, I was in the same band with Anton before Leprethere. Also I have another band where I’m a singer. But that’s another story. 😉

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

Anton (guitar): Music is not our fulltime work. Music is our passion and infatuation where we realize our feelings and ideas. If we talk about other creative works, I think I would be a movie director and make movies in the style of John Cassavetes, Nicolas Winding Refn and Quentin Tarantino.

Anton (voice): I can’t imagine a normal life without music, sorry! Maybe I’d be sitting back at home, playing video games and drinking beer till death, lol.

What’s next for the band?

Anton (guitar): Mixing and realizing our new material.

Anton (voice): In addition, a lot of stuff further. A LOT…

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

Anton (guitar): https://www.instagram.com/leprethere/ |https://www.facebook.com/leprethere | https://leprethere.bandcamp.com/album/tarnished-passion

Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun, a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake?

Anton (guitar): Hah, I don’t know the correct name in the UK but I would choose Barm.

Anton (voice): The Great British bread debate, lol. I think BAP sounds good.

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

Anton (guitar): Thank you for your questions! We hope you will enjoy our upcoming album “Tarnished Passion”. Best Regards!Anton (voice): Love each other, support each other… and listen to our stuff. Cheers!

Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of 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.

Revocation – w/ Goatwhore, Alluvial and Creeping Death – Live at Fleece, Bristol

Revocation – w/ Goatwhore, Alluvial and Creeping Death
Fleece, Bristol
16/02/2023
Live Review by Richard Oliver
Photography by Paul Hutchings

Opening this evening of death metal majesty were Texan hardcore death metal mob Creeping Death who got the evening off to an absolute crushing start. With a style that mixes thrash and death metal with a hardcore influence this set was bound to be nothing but brutal and Creeping Death ensured that the necks got a good workout. Pounding rhythms, punishing groove and enormous riffs were unleashed with crippling intensity during the bands 30 minute set with cuts such as ‘Skinned Alive’ and ‘The Edge Of Existence’. New song ‘Intestinal Wrap’ got the crowd very much warmed up for what was to come. The band seemed to be banging their heads as much as the audience and guitarist Trey Pemberton was throwing himself around the stage. Despite not playing to a packed out room, Creeping Death definitely earned themselves some new fans and are one of a growing number of fantastic young bands ensuring the old ways of death metal are firmly kept alive.

https://www.facebook.com/creepingdeathtx

Next up were progressive death metal band Alluvial who compared to Creeping Death brought a far more modern and contemporary sound with downtuned and groove laden riffs reminiscent of djent bands, mixed with plenty of breakdowns that are a key component of the deathcore sound. Originally formed as an instrumental progressive death metal band, Alluvial have switched style and brought in vocalist Kevin Muller whose hardcore bark ensured he dominated on stage. Drummer Matthew Paulazzo dazzled with a performance that balanced technical precision and brutal ferocity whilst guitarist Wes Hauch also impressed with gnarly riffs, impressive solos and technical ability. Another short 30 minute set where the band got down to business and blasted out songs from their “Sarcoma” album such as ‘The Putrid Sunrise’ and ‘Sleepers Become Giants’. Alluvial don’t perform my preferred style of death metal but there was no denying that this was a cracking performance from them.

https://www.facebook.com/alluvialmetal

In the main support slot were New Orleans black/death/thrash legends Goatwhore. Goatwhore are a band that just scream METAL, from the bands look to their imagery and their sound which incorporates the gnarliest and ugliest elements from many extreme subgenres of metal. Goatwhore were determined to kick faces in and destroy eardrums with an absolutely blistering and ferocious performance which was the clear highlight of the evening. A good chunk of the set was taken from the band’s latest album “Angels Hung From The Arches Of Heaven”, such as ‘The Bestowal Of Abomination’ and ‘Nihil’ but it was when the fan favourites were played that the crowd absolutely erupted with bodies crashing, smashing and obliterating each other to belters such as ‘Baring Teeth For Revolt’, ‘Collapse In Eternal Worth’ and ‘FBS’, though the absolute highlight of the set was ‘Apocalyptic Havoc’ which was played with such speed and intensity that I thought my face was going to cave in. Guitarist Sammy Duet is a bonafide New Orleans metal legend and ripped out a barrage of filthy riffs and flesh ripping solos while the rhythm section of Trans Am on bass and Zack Simmons on drums ensured that the audience was suitably pulverised. Frontman Louis Benjamin Falgoust II is a commanding presence stalking the stage like a man possessed and roaring with a fervent intensity though ensuring he bumped fists with as many fans in the front of the crowd as he could whilst pacing back and forth. I’ve seen Goatwhore play before but this was easily the strongest performance I’ve seen from them and was easily the most metal 45 minutes of the year thus far.

https://www.facebook.com/thegoat666

I was expecting and slightly hoping that the audience had exhausted themselves during Goatwhore but this was far from the case and as soon as headliners Revocation hit the stage the crowd erupted with carnage and chaos far in excess of what the evening had seen beforehand. Revocation are a band that perfectly merge a very technical style with a truly vicious one and boy were this crowd ready for it. The stage was predominantly bathed in red light to match the hellish theme of latest album “Netherheaven” and there was plenty of dark ambient noise in between the songs as well as hellish, demonic and satanic samples from movies interspersed throughout, but the surging mass of bodies as well as the ever growing temperature in the venue meant it felt like hell for the audience on the floor. To say that Revocation are a tight live unit would be understatement of the century and frontman David Davidson is an insanely good guitarist ripping out jaw dropping solos left right and centre. He was perfectly complemented by touring guitarist Noah Young who is also a ridiculously talented musician. Bassist Brett Bamberger is the personality of the band and just seems to be having the time of his life on stage whilst pummelling out a mean rhythm section along with drummer Ash Pearson whose blast beats threatened the structural integrity of the venue. A good deal of the set was drawn from “Netherheaven” and previous album “The Outer Ones” with songs such as ‘Nihilistic Violence’ and ‘That Which Consumes All Things’ causing impressive and at times worrying amounts of carnage from the surging crowd. For older fans there were ferocious renditions of ‘Madness Opus’ and ‘Communion’ before the technical badassery of ‘Dismantle The Dictator’ brought the evening to a close. Revocation rounded off a crushing evening with a truly ferocious set and I think anyone in that audience was feeling the aches and pains the morning after. A delicious evening of death metal goodness.

https://www.facebook.com/Revocation

LINKS:

Venue:

Promoter:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Richard Oliver and Ever Metal. Photography property of Paul Hutchings. 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.

Lamentations – Passion of Depression

Lamentations – Passion of Depression
Willowtip Records
Release Date: 11/11/22
Running Time: 57:07
Review by Laura Barnes
10/10

I remember the first time I listened to Death’s ‘Voice Of The Soul’.

It was an unforgettable experience, one that showed me just how much Metal could achieve – just how much music could achieve. In just under four minutes, Death had managed to write a song that unleashed the full spectrum of human emotion and then lulled it gently back to sleep again. Such was Chuck Schuldiner’s musicality that he didn’t even need lyrics – the guitars sang for themselves, and their song was melodious and tragic and beautiful. Music that contains this type of raw emotional power is a rare find – the only other artists that I believe have come close to achieving this sound are Panopticon and Woods of Ypres. And now, Lamentations.

This album is nothing short of phenomenal. Hell, it’s hard to even pick out the best tracks, because 1) each and every one is outstanding and 2) this is an album designed to be listened to as an album. This isn’t the kind of music that you can just put on in the background while you tidy the bathroom. This is music for you to get lost in. With “Passion of Depression”, Lamentations have transcended the boundaries of Death Metal as they incorporate classical, folky, and melodic elements that blend seamlessly together, creating a mighty soundscape that is impossible to pull away from. To describe their sound in more practical terms, imagine the cinematic song writing of Dream Theater and combine it with the accessible heaviness of bands like Whitechapel and Carnifex. It is a simple premise, but a genius one.

The album opens with an absolutely stunning melodic riff that wouldn’t feel out of place on a Power Metal album. This riff leads us into our opening track ‘Prodigal’, a track where both blistering growls and clean vocals pave the way towards a surprisingly gentle conclusion. It flows perfectly into the following song, ‘Anew’, a slightly darker track that still manages to retain the melodic sensibilities of the first. Lamentations’ ability to weave songs together seamlessly is a crucial component of this album and is one of its greatest strengths. ‘Ire’ sees Lamentations reach their heaviest point in a track that places crushing guitars and machine-gun fire style drumming at its forefront. Danny ‘Jungle’ Jacob’s vocals also deserve a shout out here, too. His performance bursts with menace and hellfire, making for a performance worthy of a gothic horror villain.

After an emotional rollercoaster of labyrinthine proportions, Lamentations close the album with ‘Nurture’, a 14-minute epic best heard with headphones on and rain in the sky. There are so many layers in this track that it is impossible to digest every aspect of it within one listen. In fact, you could probably listen to it six times and focus on a different instrument each listen – the soaring keyboards, the ever-moving drums, the doom-laden bass – and still be surprised each time you listen. I’m not normally the biggest fan of ‘fade-out’ endings, but for “Passion of Depression”, it feels perfectly natural, like waving goodbye to a UFO as it slowly disappears into the sky.

I’m not even sure if there’s anything else I can say that can appropriately express just how wonderful this album is. All I can do is beg you to listen and hear it for yourself. “Passion of Depression” is bewildering, dazzling, and beautiful, and Lamentations should be proud of what they have achieved here.

TRACKLISTING:
01. Prodigal
02. Anew
03. Shiver
04. Sombre
05. Ire
06. Obeisance
07. Nurture

LINE-UP:
Danny ‘Jungle’ Jacob – Vocals, Guitar, Flute
Chris Stropoli – Drums, Vocals
Michael ‘Prophet’ Moore – Guitar, Vocals
Jose Figueroa – Bass

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.

Obsidian Skies – Saturnian EP

Obsidian Skies – Saturnian EP
Self-released
Release Date: 14/10/2022
Running Time: 24:10
Review by Richard Oliver
7/10

Born out of the dissolution of another band and the stresses of the pandemic is new band Obsidian Skies. They are a two-piece Colorado based band made up of Liam Dougherty and Tim Watervoort (both formerly of Endlight) and they are releasing their debut E.P. “Saturnian”. The two collaborated again during the Covid-19 lockdown, trading ideas and sending parts to each other which before long became a fully collaborative writing process from which this release was born.

“Saturnian” is a concept release with the story, spread across three songs, taking place on Saturn’s moon Titan. In this story, humanity is forced to flee from a dying Earth, and a portion of the population colonises Titan. While life is able to flourish there, the people who survived are forced to deal with the emotions of leaving their lost home and the guilt of abandoning those who could not leave the planet.

Musically “Saturnian” is a mix of sounds with influence from melodic Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, Progressive Metal and Symphonic Metal with the band citing influences such as Amon Amarth, Insomnium, Opeth, Fleshgod Apocalypse and Epica. It is a diverse sound with several ideas spread across the three songs which make up the E.P. and a strong sense of melody and technicality permeates the music. The lengthiest song on the release ‘Rebirth In The Stars’ contains the most Progressive and varied sounds across its 11 minute plus duration, with some cool guitar parts, epic orchestration and lush acoustic sections. Likewise, the final song ‘Home’ starts off low key with acoustic guitars, clean vocals and some very light orchestration whilst slowly building in intensity and heaviness but still remaining extremely melodic throughout.

“Saturnian” is an enjoyable first release from Obsidian Skies. Whilst only a three song E.P. it is a very ambitious release with some very epic and complex music on show. There are some dissonant sounding parts which sound a bit out of place at times and it is a release that gets better as it goes on, but it is a release that shows great promise. Obsidian Skies are to remain a studio-only project for now, but they definitely show great potential with their debut release.

TRACKLISTING:
01. Celestial Age
02. Rebirth in the Stars
03. Home

LINE-UP:
Logan Dougherty (Guitars, Piano, Orchestration)
Tim Watervoort (Guitars, Bass, Vocals)

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Richard Oliver 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 Madrost

EMQ’s With Madrost

Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with USA Progressive Death Thrash band, Madrost. Huge thanks to their Guitarist/ Vocalist, Tanner Poppitt, 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?

Hello Ever Metal, my name is Tanner Poppitt and I am the guitarist and vocalist for Madrost.

Founded in the summer of 2007, Madrost is a Progressive Death Thrash act focused on precision songwriting and energetic diverse approach to their sound. Influenced by the likes of Metal Church, Death, ELP, Believer, Coroner, Mekong Delta and Iron Maiden, the band has transformed from a more simplistic Death / Thrash style to incorporating a wide range of other instruments and time signatures into their own unique sound and style.

With the release of 2012’s “Maleficent” album, the world had gained a small taste of what was to come for the bands overall sound and career. A standard Death Thrash style album, but was only further developed with 2014’s sophomore release “Into the Aquatic Sector”. The same year, the band had been on a few tours and was starting to gain more support within the metal scene world wide. It wasn’t until 2017’s “The Essence of Time Matches No Flesh” that the band really saw a huge jump in popularity.

Incorporating more of a progressive element into their sound and getting reviewed by such magazines as Decibel, the band had really come together and found their sound.

September 2020 will see the release of the band’s fourth album “Charring the Rotting Earth.” The new release incorporates more symphonic elements into their sound with the help of keyboardist Sam Meador (Xanthochroid). The band is on a pathway to a new and unique sound that is sure to be remembered and taken to the next level.

How did you come up with your band name?

The name itself is Bulgarian for “Wisdom” and I initially saw the word on a Wikipedia article back in 2007 and thought it was so cool looking. I wish I had a better story than that, but that is the absolute truth behind the name.

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

The band itself was started in Lake Forest, CA and as of today, we are all located around Southern California.

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

The latest release would be our first standalone live album entitled “Lost Lives Vol. I” which comes out October 11, 2022.

Who have been your greatest influences?

I would say that between all of us, bands such as Cannibal Corpse, Death, Kreator, Metal Church, Mekong Delta and many others have influenced our sound throughout the years.

What first got you into music?

Funny enough, rummaging through my Uncle Greg’s cassette box which contained nothing but the best of Extreme music.

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

That would be a number of musicians besides my own band who I would love to collaborate with. One of these would be my buddy Carlos Cruz of Hexen, Warbringer and Mantic Ritual because of his vast knowledge of composing music and talent behind the different instruments that he plays. Another would be Shannon Frye of Avenger of Blood for his blistering drumbeats.

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

Wacken would be my number 1 next to Bloodstock, because I have grown up watching my heroes play those festivals.

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

Thank you, thank you, thank you for continuing to support us throughout our vast career span so far.

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

Either Freddie Mercury or Layne Staley as to me those two singers still have not been replaced in the world of rock n roll.

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

The most enjoyment I get from being a musician is when we are writing and recording new music. There is just something about the creative process that is unmatched by every aspect of life itself. I love collaborating with others and figuring out how the song or album is going to flow to the listener.

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

Easy question. I would like journalists and musicians to stop bringing up their politics when promoting a new album. Stop dividing this industry! Let’s give people hope through our music instead of spreading fear and hated towards one another. We have way more in common than you think.

Name one of your all-time favorite albums?

Mahogany Rush “IV”.

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

Definitely the compact disc. No question about it in terms of sonically and durability it can’t be topped for me.

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

I don’t think I have a particular favorite gig as they tend to blend in together for me. I think it may sound clichéd, but anytime we get to play on stage, we always play like it is our last gig. That is what makes it the best gig to date.

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

Anything creatively wise I would be doing, writing, painting, poetry, all of the above. I have to create, it is a part of who I am.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

For me personally? Definitely Frank Marino of Mahogany Rush, Charles Barkley just because he was one of my favorite basketball players, my parents who I couldn’t have picked better heroes than that, and lastly Alexander Ovechkin who is without a sound of the greatest players to ever play the sport of hockey.

What’s next for the band?

We are currently working on a new album for 2023 and it is shaping up to have more Progressive elements mixed in with our already established Death / Thrash type of sound.

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

Definitely through our bandcamp at https://madrost.bandcamp.com/

If I had to guess without doing any research on this… I’m saying cob or barm.

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

I would like to thank Ever Metal for the opportunity and doing this interview with us, as well as our friends and fans for continuing to support what we do. Thank you.

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.

Revocation – Netherheaven

Revocation – Netherheaven
Metal Blade Records
Release Date: 09/09/22
Running Time: 44:00
Review by Paul Hutchings
9/10

It’s a symbol of the bond of brothers in the Death Metal scene in the US that Revocation have dedicated “Netherheaven” to the memory of Trevor Scott Strnad. A quality gesture and one that we can all endorse.

It’s been four years since the “The Outer Ones”, the last album by the Boston trio burst eardrums and soaked the brain. Dave Davidson (vocals / guitars), Ash Pearson (drums), and Brett Bamberger (bass) now take on the challenge of deep exploration of the allegorical and literal aspects of Hell, digging further towards the darker side of Death Metal. A quick glance at the cover artwork, crafted by Paolo Girardi (Firespawn, Power Trip) should provide all the visual answers needed.

Revocation have continued to improve with every release since their formation in 2006, and “Netherheaven” is no exception. As always, pick underneath the concrete pounding Death Metal and you’ll peel away complex layers of Progressive, Technical Metal which at times is simply pulverising.

There’s been a lot of thought put into this album. Davidson is clear about that. “We’re focusing on how we can write the best Death Metal-centric album that we possibly can while still pushing our boundaries. The new songs on “Netherheaven” are evil and sinister but also have a Progressive element to them to keep things interesting. It’s got our stamp on it, no question.”

Nine tracks over 44 minutes allows time for the band to be expansive and explosive, all contained in sharp four to five minutes songs. Opener ‘Diabolical Majesty’ paves the gateway to a thoroughly aggressive and brutal album which also showcases the tightness and musical prowess of these underrated musicians. Davidson’s gravel-soaked vocals blend nicely with the heavy riffs, the battery of drumming and the gut-ripping bass.

With a groove that underpins their songs, the album moves into dark themes that are uncharted territory. As Davidson notes, “This is our crack at Satanic.” There are certainly enough tracks to get old Nick perfectly fired up! The relentless barrage of ‘Nihilistic Violence,’ ‘Godforsaken’ and ‘Strange and Eternal’ are unrelenting, whilst the guest vocals of Strnad and Cannibal Corpse’s Corpsegrinder on closing track ‘Re-Crucified’ brings two of the best loved vocalists in the genre together.

Davidson worked on the album throughout lockdown, in fact, planting the seeds way before then. His efforts were rewarded with the production role before the mix and master arrived courtesy of the legendary Jens Bogren. The result is an intoxicating mix which works better on each play.

Lyrically, Davidson has drawn deeply. Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy,’ Robert W. Chambers ‘The King in Yellow’ and the Rapture all get their turn. Davidson’s Catholic upbringing features as he inverts the imagery in the name of Death Metal. This, plus commentary on the rising wave of evangelism amongst politicians in the US, and the ever-eroding democratic rights in their country all contribute to some of the sharpest lyrics and themes that Revocation have ever brought forward.

Poignant moments cascade as ‘Re-Crucified’ brutally concludes the album. Strnad and Fisher adding heft to a bruising beast of a track. It’s a fitting conclusion to one of the Death Metal albums of 2022.

‘Re-crucified’ Official Video

TRACKLISTING:
01. Diabolical Majesty
02. Lessons in Occult Theft
03. Nihilistic Violence
04. Strange and Eternal
05. Galleries of Morbid Artistry
06. The 9th Chasm
07. Godforsaken
08. The Intervening Abyss of Untold Aeons
09. Re-Crucified (feat. Trevor Strnad & George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher)

LINE-UP:
David Davidson – Guitars / Vocals
Brett Bamberger – Bass / Vocals
Ash Pearson – Drums

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.

EMQ’s With INSIDIOUS NATURE

EMQ’s With INSIDIOUS NATURE

Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Brazilian Technical Progressive Death Metal band, Insidious Nature. Huge thanks to them all 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?

We are Pitter Cutrim – vocals, Rogers Rocha – guitars, Luke Hellstrvm – guitars, Lucas Abreu – bass and Lucas Mano – drums.

Pitter: The band was formed in 2020 a few months before the outbreak of Covid-19, which held us back for a little while. Nevertheless, we kept working on compositions and arrangements and one year later we played our first gig.

Rogers: The band aims to utilise Progressive and Technical elements into Death Metal.

How did you come up with your band name?

Rogers: When the band was put together, the idea was to write lyrics concerning human facets and their deceitful aspects.

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

Mano: We are from Brazil, more specifically from the North Eastern area, São Luís in the state of Maranhão. We are far from the big musical circuits and economic centres of the country. Despite that, the quality of the bands here is incredible, we have great musicians, producers etc.

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

Rogers: We have just released our first single called ‘Doome Epilogue’. It is available across all streaming services. Also, we launched a music video on YouTube.

Who have been your greatest influences?

Rogers: Death, Cynic and Beyond Creation

Luke: Jeff Loomis, Edu Ardanuy, Paul Riedl, Gary Holt, Jeff Hanneman and Chuck Schuldiner

Abreu: As far as fretless bass Steve Digiorgio, Jeroen Paul Theeseling e Dominique Forest Lapointe. Currently, regarding fretted bass, I have been listening to a lot to Nick Shinz and Jared Smith. The latter is also a reference in terms of tone.

What first got you into music?

Abreu: It all started when my dad gave me an acoustic guitar back when I was a kid.

Pitter: When I started browsing the LP and cassette collection my grandpa had, then I found a box with rock and roll classics.

Luke: My mom got me into it. We used to listen to the radio together, also she had a small collection of classic rock.

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

Pitter: Max Cavalera.

Luke: Paul Riedl.

Abreu: Gary Holt and Randy Blythe.

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

Abreu: Bloodstock.

Mano: Obscene Extreme all day!

Luke: Wacken Open Air.

Pitter: Hellfest, Brutal Assault.

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

Abreu: I guess we’re not there yet lol.

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

Abreu: If it is tough, then it is worth it.

Pitter: Everything is gonna be alright.

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

Pitter: Mitch Lucker.

Luke: Chuck Schuldiner.

Abreu: Chuck Schuldiner for sure!!!

Rogers: The one and only Mr Chuck Schuldiner!!!!

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

Mano: I enjoy being a drummer. On the other hand, it is also the thing that I hate the most.

Pitter: I like to meet new people, talk, listen to stories and the inspiration that music brings to others. I guess there is nothing I do not like about it; after all, to be in this business, you must really love what you do.

Abreu: I never see it as a job, time flies when I’m doing music related stuff. Being underappreciated is definitely what musicians in general hate the most. It is not easy to be a musician in Brazil.

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

Abreu: Monetization policies across streaming services.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

Pitter: That is in constant change LOL.

Rogers: “Individual Thought Patterns” by Death.

Luke: “Hidden History of the Human Race” – Blood Incantation.

Mano: Terrorizer – “World Downfall”.

Abreu: At the moment it is “Gloire Eternelle” by First Fragment.

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

Pitter: Vinyl for collections and streaming for everyday use.

Luke: I like all of them, but CD is probably my favourite.

Abreu: I am from the CD era, so I am probably compelled to pick it, even though I believe vinyl give a more profound dimension to music.

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

Abreu: I think it really worth mentioning our first gig at “24h de Rock”. Even though it was an internet live format, with no audience in the venue, the rig was insane. It is available with fantastic audio and video quality on YouTube.

Rogers: Most recently we opened for Manger Cadavre? and Hellway Patrol in our hometown. The vibe was fantastic!

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

Pitter: Roadie.

Luke: Advertising editor.

Rogers: I work as a teacher.

Abreu: I’d be sad.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

Abreu: My wife and my bandmates LOL.

What’s next for the band?

Rogers: We have finished the recording of our debut, so the plan is to launch it within a few months and work on promoting it.

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

Rogers: We try to use everything that is available.

https://linktr.ee/insidious.nature

Jaffa Cakes? Are they a cake or a biscuit?

Rogers: Biscuits apparently LOL.

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

Rogers: We are extremely thankful for the opportunity and look forward to keeping in touch soon!

EMQ’s with HYPERBOREUS

EMQ’s with HYPERBOREUS

Hi everyone! Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Kyiv/Kiev, Ukraine based Progressive Death Metal band, Hyperboreus. Huge thanks to multi-instrumentalist, Avalanche, 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?

My name is Avalanche. I play guitar, bass, drums and doing vocals. Originally band was formed on the edge of 2009/2010 and was active as a concerting metal act, releasing two demos. After several line-up changes the band led into some sort of hiatus until 2018. During that time, we’ve prepared songs from the old and new material. It took some time to rehearse songs, solve some personal issues and find a proper studio. Finally, album was recorded during October 2020 – May 2021.

How did you come up with your band name?

It’s come up from Ancient Greek mythology, philosophy and literature adding some Roman elements of pronunciation. In simple words – it’s something ancient, huge and unknown as civilization of Hyperborea, which is still to be found.

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

We’re from Kyiv, Ukraine. Metal scene in our country is not as strong as in many European countries for different reasons. But anyway, we have numerous black metal bands and a really strong black metal scene, plus many interesting bands in different sub-genres from drone doom to mathcore. Obviously, it’s not about prestige to make metal music in our country, it’s more about inner feeling.

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

We released our debut album “Fighting With God” on August 29th. It’s the album about phenomenon of personality, society and civilization. Developing from the lower to upper forms (even dystopic), staying the same weird and meaningless. Where imaginary “tradition” meets bloody and hopeless “reality” and formalistic “future” in one spot on a trace of a long way.

‘Convulsive Suffocation’ (Audio)

Who have been your greatest influences?

It’s a big amount of composers, performers and bands. Let’s stop on a few – John Cage, Frank Zappa, Death, Cynic, Atheist, Meshuggah, Canvas Solaris.

What first got you into music?

Listening to Beethoven and Chopin when I was a kid. By the age of 13 for about a year I tried to begin to learn guitar by myself. I was walking around it, trying to play some chords, seeing no proper result, and abandoning it. It repeated for 5-6 times, but then I literally forced myself and soon good results were visible and hearable. Music is about the discipline first, ha-ha.

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

Kamasi Washington, Mononeon, John Hollenbeck

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

Obviously, UK Tech Fest and Prog Power. Simply, for the audience and sub-genre festival idea.

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

His wet t-shirt after our show.

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

The end is just begun.

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

Chuck Schuldiner

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

For joys I’ll be predictable – creation of music itself in the studio. Hate when you need to hear your track before release 1000+ times ‘till you can feel nothing.

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

Stop making stupid people famous.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

So hard to choose one. Ok, Death – “Human” (1991).

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

It’s personal thing for each listener how to consume favourite music. Any of this can give richness of master tapes, but each of them can provide a person to the world of music. As for me, I prefer digital copies.

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

I think, it’s yet to come.

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

I have a daytime job now, so I believe it would be something close to it. You never know.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

Lemmy Kilmister, Sid Barrett, Jello Biafra, Randy Rhoads, Neil Peart

What’s next for the band?

Preparing our second album.

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

All possible. Especially, Instagram.

www.linktr.ee/hyperboreus

Jaffa Cakes! Are they a cake or a biscuit?

Cakes. Courts don’t make fail decisions, ha-ha.

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

Stay metal and develop yourself for any cost!

Opeth – Blackwater Park 20th Anniversary Edition

Blackwater Park (20th Anniversary Edition) Album Cover Art

Opeth – Blackwater Park 20th Anniversary Edition
Music For Nations
Release Date: 16/07/2021
Running Time: 76:43
Review by Dawn Smith
9/10

When I asked the good people at Ever Metal if I could return to the family as a reviewer, much to my relief, they welcomed me back with open arms. My first job was to look through the album list and pick an album that I wanted to review. One jumped out of the screen straight away!

I had never really given Opeth much thought in the past, only having a copy of “Blackwater Park”, which I had probably listened to three times (at most!) and nothing of the other stuff they had done. Progressive music didn’t really feature on my radar and the album sat at the bottom of the CD pile, gathering dust.

Now, twenty years later, my musical tastes having become a little more diverse, so I felt ready to give the album the attention it deserved and what better way than with the 20^th Anniversary Edition?

But first, a little history!

Opeth were formed in Stockholm, Sweden in 1989, originally, as a death metal band, and over the years have changed their sound to consistently include elements of progressive, folk, blues, classical and jazz as well as death metal and the death metal growls from the early years. Cleaner vocals have appeared on later albums to the point that their last album “In Cauda Venenum”, released in 2019, featured no growls at all.

The band has had several personnel changes over the years, including the replacement of every single original member and Mikael Akerfeldt, lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter has been the main driving force behind the band since the departure of original singer, David Isberg in 1992.

Speaking of the band’s changing sound Akerfeldt has been quoted as saying “I don’t see the point of playing in a band and going just one way when you can do everything. It would be impossible for us to play just death metal – that is our roots, but we are now a mishmash of everything, and not purists to any form of music. It’s impossible for us to do that, and quite frankly, I would think of it as boring to be in a band that plays just metal music. We’re not afraid to experiment, or to be caught with our pants down, so to speak. That’s what keeps us going.”

In 2001 the metal word was in a post-grunge state, but Opeth were forging a unique creative path and after four albums of imaginative and immersive heavy metal, the first being “Orchid” released in 1995, the band were ready for a career- defining statement and that came in the form of “Blackwater Park”.

Originally released on March 12^th, 2001, “Blackwater Park” was the band’s fifth album, and soon become their magnum opus, their flagship album. It became known as the “thinking metal fan’s album” and was something to challenge the listener. It opened the band up to a much wider audience, including the metal underground and the progressive rock world inclusive! To quote the band’s own notes to the album, it “saw the Swedish metallers kick open prog’s ornate doors, fed death metal through the cosmic kaleidoscope and introduced a generation of music nerds to a world of limitless musical possibilities.”

The album was produced by Steve Wilson, a move that was to be the start of a lifelong friendship and Mikael Akerfeldt says that “Blackwater Park was the stepping stone in professionalism for us!”

The album can be summed up as a mix of melodic moments, spine-tingling atmospherics and crushing heaviness, or just simply musical perfection. With the bonus live version of ‘The Leper Affinity’ and several songs over ten minutes long, the album’s popularity has proved that music fans, and metalheads in particular, are more open-minded than they are given credit for, and that metal music can have depth, subtlety, sophistication, and imagination.

With thirteen studio albums under their belt, along with live albums and DVD’s, the band have proven they are now one of the most consistently extraordinary live bands on the planet, and one I need to see…soon!

TRACKLISTING:
01. The Leper Affinity
02. Bleak
03. Harvest
04. The Drapery Falls
05. Dirge For November
06. The Funeral Portrait
07. Patterns In The Ivy
08. Blackwater Park
09. The Leper Affinity (Live)

“BLACKWATER PARK” LINE-UP:
Mikael Åkerfeldt – Lead Vocals, Guitars
Peter Lindgren – Guitars
Martín Méndez – Bass
Martin Lopez – Drums
Steven Wilson – Backing Vocals, Keyboards, Mellotron, Guitars
Markus Lindberg – Percussion

LINKS:

Blackwater Park 20th Anniversary vinyl versions

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dawn Smith 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 BETRAYAL

EMQ’s with BETRAYAL

Hi everyone! Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Bavaria, Germany based Progressive Death Metal band, Betrayal. Huge thanks to vocalist/guitarist, Alex, 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?

Alex (Vocals/Guitar). Betrayal was originally formed in 2005 by Manuel (Drums) and a couple of fellow musicians. An EP was released in 2007 and a lot of live performances followed in the next two years including supporting act for bands like Deadlock, Eisregen, Fear My Thoughts, Equilibrium and many more. In 2009, part of the line-up decided to leave the band, which led to missing spots for rhythm guitar, bass and vocals. Alex joined the band on rhythm guitar end of 2009. After that, a long search for vocals and bass began. Finally, end of 2014, Philipp joined the band on bass and Alex took over the vocals. With this line-up, Betrayal recorded their first full length album “Infinite Circles” in 2015 which received very good reviews in the underground scene worldwide. In 2019 Basti took over the lead guitar position and joined Betrayal in their reinvention. With this line-up Betrayal returns with a new full-length album in 2021. Be prepared!

How did you come up with your band name?

We hear this question a lot and are always disappointed for giving a lame answer! The band’s name has no deeper meaning. It somehow came up and had a good sound to our ears 😉.

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

We’re from Bavaria, Germany. Our scene here has been slowly shrinking in the last couple of years, but we have a strong base on which we rely and build on.

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

Better talk of our upcoming full album release on April 16th 2021 – “Disorder Remains”.

‘War’ (Official Video)

Who have been your greatest influences?

We are definitely a Death Metal band with a strong favour for the technical side as well as the blackened/dark side of this music genre. A big influence, of course, is Death. The combination of Technical Metal, which has that unique groove to it, definitely inspired every one of the band members. We like to keep up the atmosphere and underline the concept of the record. The godfathers of this “atmospheric” metal are Behemoth for us. Their whole concept from music to stage appearance is just amazing. Another great influence is Swedish Melodic Death Metal, especially the guys from At The Gates. I think, we have some progressive approaches on the new album as well. At the same time, we try to give our music the required brutality and rhythm, which in combination builds an atmosphere that leads you to keep listening to the music and make it fun to perform live.

What first got you into music?

Since all of us come from more or less musical families, music has always been a part of our lives and we started learning instruments early on. For example, our drummer was taken to Jazz and Rock concerts very early in his life by his father, who himself is a musician. He played the sax at the end of our song ‘The Shell’.

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

Due to our latest experiences – Belphegor.

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

Hard question. We played some so far and the best ones are typically the smaller ones (e.g., Protzen Open Air). But…who doesn’t want to play Wacken?

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

Can’t think of any weird stuff.

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

Bring some beer.

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

Lemmy.

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

Hanging around with friends and to work on stuff we all have a focus on. As in every good relationship sometimes there are some arguments in the family. That happens…

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

Oh boy…there is so much to say. But we can’t change the whole industry so we have decided to deal with it the best we can.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

“The Sound Of Perseverance” – Death.

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

Depends on who you are talking to. For me: Downloads because I am on the road pretty much. For our drummer it’s cassettes/vinyl, for our Tech its vinyl. In the end it comes down to supporting the bands, where you probably should prefer the Hard-Copies over the downloads.

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

For me that’s probably the last gig of our tour with Belphegor and Suffocation at the Futurum Club in Prague just before the Corona lockdown. Incredible intense crowd. A great way of ending this journey for us.

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

We all have full-time jobs and doing this in our free time.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

–

What’s next for the band?

Promoting our new record, recording some videos etc… Get some stuff ready for the fans to enjoy. Hopefully, get back on stage soon to do what we do best.

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

www.shop.betrayal.eu/
www.facebook.com/BetrayalGER/
www.instagram.com/betrayal_ger/
www.soundcloud.com/betrayal-ger
www.open.spotify.com/artist/6pZ32hZEL726Nz5iWkjwqX
www.youtube.com/channel/UCHt31DIR4UcEHI1JW5bo7CA

Jaffa Cakes! Are they a cake or a biscuit?

Yes, absolutely.

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

Thanks for having us! Big greetings to everyone out there who keeps on supporting art in general! Keep the cultures alive and don’t forget the small bars, clubs and artists in this weird time.