“I had actually planned an indefinite break from making music, but the idea of forming a band together seemed the right thing to do.” Hey Kzr (also of Deathcult and Witchrist), not only was that right thing to do, it was the best thing to do. Hailing from Switzerland, this duo – HzR on drums and KzR guitars and vocals – met by chance and resulted in the creation of the unholy beast that is Bölzer.

“Bölzer is first and foremost a death metal outfit with the atmospherical aesthetic of black metal and doom metal,” KzT explains. “Atmosphere is very important for us and far supersedes technicality in songwriting. Everything is very primal in Bölzer, something which, for me, denotes strength and sustainability among other things and lies at the very heart of our philosophy.” He further explains that their music isn’t just about the sound; “I believe the visual aspect of a record can be as important as the music itself, given that it can play a huge role in the overall atmosphere of the release and the way in which the listener experiences it.”

Having released a demo, ‘Roman Acupuncture’, in 2012, this year saw the release of ‘Aura’, a … Read More

Splits, spouses, sludge and selling out… Japanese death doom dealers COFFINS take KIM KELLY to ‘THE FLESHLAND’ to talk their past, present and future

The Land of the Rising Sun has earned its out-there reputation about a billion times over by now, so it’s always a bit refreshing to stumble across an artistic endeavour that sticks to a comfortingly familiar script instead of blasting out into the stratosphere on steel wings of glitter and tentacle porn. That’s how I felt the first time I heard Coffins, anyway, and they’ve done little to disappoint, or deviate, in the ensuing half decade. Not only have they chosen to take a path often traveled, they’ve managed to Godzilla stomp all the way down and back again without seeming to break a sweat or whip off Uchino’s ever-present sunglasses. The trio (now quartet, thanks to new vocalist Ryo) have stayed true to the same ugly, death/doom sound they’ve been peddling for most of their unlucky 13 years, though it took a while for them to arrive at that sickly sweet spot.

“Strictly speaking, we changed three times the sound style,” guitarist Uchino clarifies. “We started from 1996, playing a slow heavy junk style in ’96-’97, then … Read More

There’s a reason that black metal alchemists Sodb are one of the most buzzed-about bands in Ireland. Drawing upon their considerable combined experience (we’re talking members of Altar Of Plagues, Putrefaction, Abaddon Incarnate, Dordaid Dam, Okus, Fuck You Written In Shit…) the three men and one woman of Sodb have created some truly special music on their first release, ‘Don Seantalamh A Chuid Féin’. The atmosphere is chilling, the talent and songcraft undeniable, and songs themselves as hypnotic and emotive as anyone could wish. It’s a startlingly mature release, and doesn’t sound much like a traditional shoddy demo recording. There’s a depth to the songs that only a certain level of care and consideration can create, and it’s a fair assumption that the band’s own deeply-rooted aesthetic is the cause of it. If that name hasn’t tipped you off yet, Sodb is an Irish band in every sense of the word; half of its members even hold university degrees in Irish culture, and all save for bassist Irene Siragusa are Irish born and bred. Vocalist O’Loingsigh, whose own musical background is split between black metal and traditional Irish folk music, is happy to shed a bit of light on the … Read More

Australia’s metallic supremacy is no surprise to anyone who’s ever nodded sagely along to the explanation behind ‘We Are Death… Fukk You!’, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t awfully nice to discover yet another gem from under the Southern Cross. Anonymous entity Lampades have been established since 2012, but arose last year to deliver one of the most crushing demos of 2012. They’re already off to a good start for 2013, too, with an upcoming split with fellow Aussie destroyers Bleakwood under their belts Their style of death is familiar, as they churn out wilfully primitive, visceral and dark metal of death and lightless decay, inspired by the spirit of the underworld from whence they drew their name. “This style of music is what we all grew up listening to, and is representative of our earlier years of musical influence; it is easier to write and perform in this style than what we do with our other bands, and thus not suitable for use as it would be very much out of context. It’s basic and primitive – a simple release of dark energy,” an unnamed source explains, keeping tacitly quiet about who those “other bands” may be. The ‘IX’ compilation demo … Read More

If you’ve been paying any attention to the bludgeoning South American underground there is a fair chance you’ll be able to name one or two Chilean black or death metal bands such as Pentagram, Death Yell, Force Of Darkness or Unaussprechlichen Kulten. But heavy metal warriors? Okay, we’re stumped. “It’s true that the genre has always been under-represented over here,” agrees Metal Grave‘s bass player Christopher Falk. “In the ’80s there was only Tumulto, Feedback, Panzer or Vastator to speak of. Then later on Inquisicion, but that’s about it. But, even though there are few of us, each one is unique and very dedicated!”

Formed in 2010 by the two guitar players of local thrash heroes Sacrilegio and influenced by “Mercyful Fate, Iron Maiden and Running Wild”, but also more obscure doom outfits, after two demos in 2011 and 2012, they’re about to release their debut full-length ‘The Eternal Flame Of Deception’, a seven tracker that includes a re-recording of their nearly ten minute epic ‘Journey Into The Unknown’. A conceptual album inspired by Dante’s ‘Inferno’, it tells the story of “one crusader knight, led by Richard Lionheart, who dies on the battlefield. However, unlike all his beliefs, he wakes up … Read More

With the likes of Coffins and Abigail flying the Japanese flag in the underground scene, it was only a matter of time until more promising contemporary acts started to get the attention of the West. Darkcorpse’s black metal angst, fuelled by a DIY passion reminiscent of the punk era may have only started a couple of years ago, but the five-piece already have two demos up their sleeves. After playing in other bands and vocalist Kraahl setting up underground zine, the Japan Metal Guide, the band, now made up of Harbinger and Korvus (guitars), Marax (bass) and drummer Skuld, were able to gig around Yokohoma.

“Playing here has been an amazing experience. The sense of community within the scene is really strong and bands really look out for each other,” explains Skuld. “I suppose the only bad part is how expensive shows are here due to the prevailing pay-to-play system. Actually, this system has a seriously crippling effect on the bands, making it difficult for most bands to scrape together enough money for recording and touring.”

Despite this, Darkcorpse’s independent approach has created two misanthropic records, with a third already in the pipeline. “As a band we tend not to mull over … Read More

Angist are one of the most compelling bands to have catapulted into this writer’s ears in ages, and these chilly, jaded fingers don’t type that lightly. It’s all a matter of taste, to be sure, but man, have you heard this fucking band? If not, allow me to suggest that you put this magazine down, lovingly close its covers, and hop on over to your internet machine to look up the audio for their 2011 EP, ‘Circle of Suffering’. Drink that shit in, give it a good swish around in your mouth, then rumble back up to this article. We should be on the same page now. Their story is novel, to say the least – little band from Iceland makes good – but the quality of the music goes far beyond sheer gimmickry. Angist are a death metal band at heart, but like to mix things up with shades of black metal and thrash and moments of devilish melody. The vocals come howling out of the void, guttural, menacing, and pained; Edda Tegeder Óskarsdóttir is a force of nature.
That sounds all well and good, but the icing on the cake is the way they manipulate the lightless, gloomy and … Read More

A mysterious and ancient curse resides in the bowels of Catalonia, or so it seems when listening to the putrid expulsions of 13th Moon. They sound like the dank, cobweb-infested halls of death; like a Lovecraftian nightmare. In a similar way to fellow countrymen Teitanblood, it appears that this band goes far beyond the act of simply “making music”. Little information can be garnered about this band, save what has recently been advertised online by Exitium Productions, who will be putting out their demo ‘The Pale Spectre Over The Worm’ on cassette in early February. All that can be sourced are a couple of tantalising videos comprised of murky found footage of catacombs, nocturnal witch cults and desolation. The available tracks show such promise that 13th Moon will no doubt become a feared name in the world’s underground scene. We tracked down main man Naashahas to talk about the impetus behind this horrid black/death hybrid, and to shed light on the future. He replied in a suitably obscure manner: “The chthonic call from the depths of the earth-mind.” Inspiration for the name derives from a wealth of interest/practice in the occult: “The Moon represents our dark mother Lilith-Hecate-Lamashtu-Kali… her most violent, dangerous and … Read More

Don’t you dare tell RS that Lie In Ruins and Desolate Shrine, the two bands he’s part of, are alike; “That’s total bullshit. The only link between those two is I’m doing the vocals for both, but I don’t have any lyrical nor musical responsibilities in the latter.” Ask Desolate Shrine’s ‘real’ boss LL what he thinks then and he’d agree that that, “the only link those two are our singer and the fact that we all know each other, share a rehearsal place, drink some beers now and then and operate the within the vast genre that is death metal, but even that’s a bit different.” Indeed, while Lie In Ruins’ 2009 ‘Swallowed The Void’ release was a classic yet solid throwback to the good old days of early ’90s Finnish death metal, Desolate Shrine’s 2011 debut ‘Tenebrous Towers’ and brand new ‘The Sanctum Of Human Madness’ album are different beasts altogether, two epic albums released only a year apart. Described by its creator as an album whose “lyrical, musical and graphic concept all revolves around the darkest corners of human mind – you can see it as a journey to the gates of hell if you will,” ‘Sanctum’ is … Read More

Many bands out there claim to be “fucked up and twisted” but Gothenburg’s Karnarium truly are. Almost as if they wanted to ruin the reputation of the world’s melodeath capital all by themselves, since their inception in 1998 this mob, who shelter various ex-members of Pagan Rites, Devil Lee Rot and Kill, have churned out some of the most noisy and bizarre death metal Sweden has ever given birth to, leaving a trail of drug-fuelled madness and experimentation behind them without never toning down the bestiality factor. Yet, somehow for their second proper full-length, ‘Otapamo Pralaja’, they seem to have straightened themselves up a little bit. Still, according to the collective voice of the band, nothing could be further from the truth: “I think we are a bit weird as people, no matter where we were based, but the aversion held towards melodeath surely worked as an incentive to make twisted music. Karnarium does not wish to be dualistic in that sense, even though we are mere humans. First and foremost, our initial plan was to make a sick twisted form of death metal with a sense of chaos that at the same time didn’t sound too much like the … Read More