The demise of the local record shop is saddening on many levels, but the pinboards consigned to the skip out back is maybe the most heart-breaking. For where else can you find notices about crates of NWOBHM 7”s for sale, weed-smoking/doom-loving room-mates needed and most importantly little tabs of scrawled phone numbers asking if anyone wants to start a band. For that is exactly how the ’80s obsessed metal nerds of Alpha Tiger met. “I saw a notice on a board in our local music store. Someone was searching for another guitar player so I called him and we met,” explains guitarist Peter Langforth. “It was Alex [Backasch, guitars] and fortunately we had a similar taste in music.” That similar taste is music encompasses everything from “Metallica, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Queensryche, Crimson Glory, Fates Warning and Riot,” which is alright in our book! The band formed as Satin Black in 2007 and were quickly snapped up by Karl Walterbach, he of Noise Records fame, for his new imprint Sonic Attack, but a line-up change and name change later and the band found themselves on the stages of Keep It True and Hellfest festivals and on Century Media Records for their new … 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

Necroblood’s story reads as a kind of war metal fairytale. Small band from Paris comes together, records a demo’s worth of filthy, VON and Archgoat-worshippin’ tunes, then gets swept off its feet by French black metal royalty MkM and signed to his newly-resurrected label in order to release their debut EP, ‘The Rite of Evil’, in 2011. “MkM offered this deal after stumbling upon our demo and seeing us play in Paris,” an unnamed ghoul intones. “He really liked the music and atmosphere of Necroblood and he honoured us with the resurrection of Spikekult to release an EP. I have to admit that being on a label that released material such as Demoncy or Grand Belial’s Key, and that was obviously only resurrected for us and an Aosoth release, is very flattering. It’s an incredible promotion, which isn’t offered to everybody in this particular black metal scene, and especially for a small local band!” Humility is a virtue, but that’s about the only virtuous thing about this blasphemous horde. Alongside Ritualization, Necrowretch, Affliction Gate, Perversifier and Cadaveric Fumes, Necroblood are leading the charge for a new wave of French extremity. With Deathspell Omega out searching for the philosopher’s stone and Alcest … Read More

Within ten seconds of pressing play our immediate thought was, “Damn, these dudes got some swagger.” That’s not a typical thought to bubble up when you’re confronted with the kind of grinding hardcore/desperate sludge alloy that Liverpool’s Corrupt Moral Altar have banged out on their first EP, but, there it was, just the same. “I guess a lot of that comes from our love of rock ‘n’ roll,” guitarist John shrugs. “Just trying to keep it super simple and have catchy songs. We all come from backgrounds of playing in super fast, technical bands and the whole idea of this band is simplicity, and being able to play the tracks when pissed out of our heads: playing brutal music and having fun with it!” They certainly nail the “brutal” part. ‘Luciferian Deathcult’ (out January 8 via Baitin’ The Trap Records) is positively rank, browbeating its poor listener into an absolute pulp. Ten seconds after first blush, we needed a drink – and so did they, probably. “The four members got together through their mutual love of getting fucked up and cider,” we’re told. “The band was formed in Merseyside in 2012, all members have been around for years in various other bands, some … Read More

Comprised of four London-based devils, namely Peter Benjamin, David Gray, Samuel Loynes and Dan Abela, Voices set out to become “a diverse and experimental black metal band,” so says bassist Pete, although he now admits that “there is no telling where we may end up musically speaking.” These are names you might recognise; David and Peter played together in gentlemanly black metal outfit, Akercocke, while Dan has played with Cradle Of Filth minx Sara Jezebel Deva on her solo work and Samuel jammed with Peter in Diminished Fifth. But this is no supergroup. “We don’t want to be restricted creatively by any scene or genre of music,” scolds Peter. “We want to create cold, unusual and extreme music. From initially just jamming, we quickly moved into a deeply intense improvisational stance within the rehearsal space and then began to piece songs together, which happened naturally.” Elsewhere in this issue of Iron Fist we describe 2012 as a banner year for British black metal; bands like Fen, Winterfylleth, A Forest Of Stars and Wodensthrone breathed life into a scene that had been on its deathbed since, well, Akercocke. So how do Voices feel to be joining this band of blackened brothers? “There seems to … Read More

We wanted to make plain death metal with some doom influences,” says Chapel Of Disease singer Laurent Teubl matter-of-factly. “We wanted to make the sort of music that we would listen to at home and that only few still do. We missed that old Tampa sound, where death metal was still very close to aggressive thrash and it didn’t have to be clean or technical. [We wanted to] summon the ancient gods of death metal.”

It would seem that Cologne, Germany based death cult Chapel Of Disease are not only using their sound to summon the ancient gods of death metal, but also their moniker, which appears to be a mash-up of Morbid Angel’s “Chapel Of Ghouls” and “Angel Of Disease” – arguably two of the greatest death metal songs ever written.

“I think it isn’t to deny that somehow we threw those two song titles together,” Laurent laughs. “But I think it’s a good band name, since it is nothing complicated. It gets stuck in one’s head easily. ‘Altars Of Madness’ is an all-time favourite for the whole band. It’s an amazing album that easily beats the aggression and madness of many later recorded black metal albums… It simply is and … Read More

“Twin guitar harmonies,” is what Hakim, lead vocalist and guitarist replies when asked what prompted the foundation of Dead Lord, a new revelation in hard rock from Stockholm only founded in January of this year and currently entrenched in Sun Studios in Dublin recording their debut album, slated for an early 2013 release through Germany’s High Roller Records. Stylistically Dead Lord have it down, completely, bringing into the 21st Century all that made classic rock so interesting, vital and vibrant with a slick amalgamation of Thin Lizzy, Scorpions and Kiss as well as The Hellacopters, who upon further prodding certainly come out as being somewhat of a standard bearer and ‘go to’ reference point for a whole younger generation of Swedish hard rockers. “Yeah, Nicke Anderson would certainly be a big influence on us when it comes to exploring deeper into music and he has generally been a measure for good music,” is Dead Lord drummer Adam’s view on the matter, which is reinforced by a collective of nodding heads.

So what then of the emergence of a whole new wave of bands rooting deeper into the recesses of rock’s turbulent history, particularly in Sweden? “There’s a much better situation now … Read More

Famously previously for being home to the first spinning frame, which we can tenuously link to the mass production of heavy metal t-shirts (okay, so not really) and a thrash cover of the ‘Ghostbusters’ theme Preston has hardly given us much of worth. So no wonder that Alex Varley, bassist of steel warriors Ascalon told us that, “We started as an answer to the lack of proper metal in our area. It really is worrying how neglected the glory era of metal has become outside of the capital.”

Since forming the band with Vince Scott (drums), Chris Marsh (guitars) and Matt Gerrard (vocals, guitars) Preston, however, has acquired a record label, Flash Of The Blade, whose first release was the recent four-way split between Ascalon, Asomvel, Eliminator and fellow Prestonians Wytch Hazel.

A metallic triumph for the North then? All four bands on that limited 12” are mighty indeed. “I find it difficult to describe our sound beyond classic metal,” Alex continues. “I’d like to think we’re quite a ballsy band that have a sound not too different from the best British bands like Saxon and Diamond Head. The band is an important tool to preach our elitism. On a serious note, … Read More

By now, it’s been three years since Tribulation’s breakout LP, ‘The Horror,’ was unleashed, and fans of their sinister death metal odes have been clamouring for more. The album dropped just on the cusp of what would become the recent old school death metal explosion, and immediately stood out from the pack with its sheer power and diabolical intent. Turns out this Swedish mob were just as impatient to record its successor, but, like any good band, were unwilling to sacrifice quality for speed.

“It’s actually been over five years since we recorded the album,” their guitarist, Adam Zaars, reveals from their studio in Arvika. “I wouldn’t say that anything kept us from doing it, it just took that long because of the way we worked on it. When you write songs in an unconventional way, as we did this time, things might take time. We waited for the album to come to us rather than sitting down forcing it out.”

Good things come to those who wait, and it already seems like we’ll be in for a treat come 2013, thanks to Ireland’s mighty Invictus Productions.

“We actually had a lot of labels hover over our heads trying to pull us into … Read More

Black Magician, a relatively new quintet hailing from Liverpool, craft dark, wicked doom metal infused with folk touches and mind-expanding prog flourishes. Now before you scream, “Not another doom band from the UK!” please allow vocalist Liam Yates to explain.

“Doom for me is the purest form of heavy metal. Bands like Trouble and Candlemass were at one time just called ‘heavy metal’, without the need for the ‘doom’ label. What we do harkens back to the early roots of heavy metal in its rawest, most satisfying form. A simple, powerful riff can create so much more intensity and atmosphere than any fast technical playing. “Black Magician formed a year ago. I was complaining to a friend when my previous band didn’t go anywhere, and asked him if he knew anyone around who was into the same stuff and wanted to do more than drink beer in the rehearsal space. He recommended I speak to Kyle [Nesbitt – guitars] who was looking to get something started. I had seen him around and he certainly looked like the kind of fellow eccentric I would get on well with. I approached him at a gig and a drunken rant about old heavy metal and … Read More