Even if yours truly’s once reliable mind was largely intoxicated and thus not fully functioning, I was still taken by surprise when, back in 2010 while visiting Stockholm, Nifelheim’s Tyrant revealed that he, David Blömqvist and Fred Estby (from the then recently deceased Dismember) had just formed a “classic sounding hard rock band à la Rainbow” and were already penning some tunes while looking for a singer. Three years later, with sadly Tyrant now out of the picture due to lack of time, but now with an actual name (Dagger, suggested by former Entombed mainman Nicke Andersson, who also designed their logo) and a first EP (‘Mainline Riders’), that unlikely prospect has become reality. And yes, it couldn’t further from the HM-2 empowered brute force of Swedish ancient dödsmetal, as if after two decades of playing ‘Skin Her Alive’ at full speed those boys had needed a break.

“Yeah, it was something like that,” confirms drummer and ringleader Estby. “After Dismember went on hiatus before breaking up for good, I did the Necronaut album with me playing most of the instruments and friends like Tompa from At The Gates or Dread from Tormented doing the vocals, but I think it was … Read More

For anyone involved in the underground scene, especially in London, Craven Idol have been impossible to miss. Over the last few years, they’ve been a consistent presence on the live circuit, delivering primitive, atmospheric death thrash. There’s been a marked increase in the quality of their performance over the last few years and they stand on the brink of following up 2010’s ‘Ethereal Altars’ EP with a full-length album. Released on October 15 by the excellent Dark Descent Records, ‘Towards Eschaton’ is a far more varied release than many will have expected with a melodic sensibility that sees the band paying homage to their ’80s inspirations.

Frontman Wrath met Iron Fist in one of Camden Town’s finest boozers to talk through the long road towards the album’s release. “Craven Idol is a brainchild of myself and Scourger, the two guitarists. We met at university and discovered very quickly that we had the same sort of interest in music. We wanted to play old school Sodom, German Poison, and were also big fans of old school heavy metal. The whole Australian black thrash movement was also coming out at the time and we wanted to incorporate all those things and not be too … Read More

Friends since their school daze, CC Company is yet another infectious rock ‘n’ band outta Stockholm, in the vein of Hellacopters and Motorhead, but with some recognisable faces at the helm. It makes sense that the three-piece should consist of Enforcer guitarist and bassist, Joseph Tholl (also of Black Trip) and Tobias Lindqvist (also of Dead Lord) – after all there is that throwback vibe that all three of their other bands showcase so perfectly, but CC Company is pure, unadulterated rock swagger this time around. They’re joined on drums by Tribulation vocalist Johannes Andersson, but don’t call this a supergroup.

“We’ve had lots of side projects with this line-up during the past ten years,” weighs in frontman Joseph about the band’s formation. “It’s been all kinds of different stuff, depending on what we feel like doing for the moment, just for fun, you know?

This latest incarnation of their jamming habit was born last summer and they’ve already racked up gigs at the infamous Pussy-A-Go-Go bar and caught the attention of new label (and Fist cohorts), Bad Omen Records. “The songs came out very natural with a sound of rock ‘n’ roll and heavy metal,” Joseph explains. “Our first 7” is … Read More

“It does not derive from the G.I. Joe character,” corrects Venomous Maximus guitarist/vocalist Gregg Higgins when asked about the band’s unique moniker. Oops…

“It comes from a tattoo that Jerry Collins (aka “Sailor Jerry”) created for Vietnam vets to get tattooed as a badge for those who are not afraid to dive into the unknown,” he explains. “It has nothing to do with venom. It has to do with the planet Venus. But just like everything else that’s a whole other story.”

Venomous Maximus call Houston, Texas home and the heavily inked quartet formed from the tattoo shop Gregg once owned.

He and his band mates: guitarist Christian Larson, bassist Trevi Biles and drummer Bongo have forged a self-described “dark heavy metal” style noted for its massive, sinuous riffs and Gregg’s unique vocals. If you are a fan of Age Of Taurus, Slough Feg or Hour Of 13 then it should not take much for you to dive into Venomous Maximus’ recently released debut full-length, ‘Beg Upon The Light’.

Venomous Maximus are but one of the growing list of artists, and there are sure to be more, contributing to the recent resurgence in traditional sounding heavy metal.

“Yes, I would defiantly put us as part … Read More

Oakland death dealers Scolex seemingly came out of nowhere with their debut EP, ‘Torn From Beyond’, but they’re far from green. In early 2012, past and current members of Ghoul, Population Reduction, Lycus and Worm Ouroboros found themselves drawn together, helpless against the malevolent forces of destruction to which they’d soon swear fealty. “Catchy, lingering riffs and heavy tones are addictive,” bassist Erika Osterhout admits. “Justin [drummer/vocalist] and I were buddies and always talked about jamming together. He and I played together for almost a year before we recorded ‘Torn From Beyond’. We had a couple songs we wanted solos in and asked Danny Coralles from Autopsy and Abscess if he would be interested in doing some shredding on the record. He came in and knocked out some ripping solos for us. It was amazing! After that we tried out a few guitar players until we found Dylan and Yusef and started playing shows.”

Scolex trawl the dankest, dirtiest sewers of classic knuckle-dragging, doomhauling death metal and slap a nice coating of grime and crust overtop the snarling guitars, mangled d-beats and cavernous roars. In keeping with their DIY roots, the whole thing was self-released, though Osterhout’s not opposed to forming … Read More

According to their Facebook page, Segregates play “Motörpunk rock ‘n’ roll straight outta Jorvik” and they ain’t wrong! Motörhead worship is an understatement when it comes to this band. These amphetamine-paced punkers are headed by Smell on bass/vocals and Fast Elliot on guitars, who at the end of last year went around Europe in a beaten van, staying in the dingiest hotel rooms money could buy, following Lemmy and Co on AAA passes. Meeting them on their journey when Motörhead rocked up in Wolverhampton it was easy to see they meant business. A homemade copy of their EP was handed over straight away and the drinks began to flow.

Authenticity and honesty is clearly something important to this band; it’s audible in their loose playing style and is carried through to the production of their four-track EP ‘No Regrets’, which we’re informed is an “all analogue” affair. You can almost smell the sweat and puke in their music, it drips from the riffs. Fusing the speed and energy of bands like Discharge with an old-school attitude and rock and roll excess make it a heady mix, and a catchy release.

As if their credentials weren’t solid enough, Smell and Elliot are paid-up … Read More

“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

Ex Vitus and current Lord Vicar mainman Christian Linderson is back with some new stoner jams. Olivier ‘Zoltar’ Badin worships the Goatess.

“Based on my past experiences, some people may believe that I’m hard to work with, whereas it couldn’t be more the opposite. I love playing in bands and the camaraderie that goes along with it,” stresses Christian ‘Chritus’ Linderson with a grin. However, one could easily underline that ever since Count Raven’s debut ‘Storm Warning’ came out in 1990 the man has never had the chance to put out more than two albums with the same band! So far that is, as he’s been working lately on the third Lord Vicar third full-length with former Reverend Bizarre Kimi ‘Peter Vicar’ Kärki. But when asked about his other current active band Goatess, he says that he sees it as, “first and foremost, a bunch of long-time friends who just love doing music together and plan to keep doing so for many years.”

The band started off in 2009, first as Weekend Beast, with just him and guitar player Niklas “jamming out ideas for the sake of it.” “We hit it off so well together that the music started to flow very easily,” … Read More

Formed in Helsinki in 2009, Finland’s Ranger started “as a five-piece speed metal band,” says guitarist Jaakko (ex-Swallowed). “There’s been a few lineup changes since, like Dimi picking up the bass and Miko moving from guitar to drums. It’s been us three who kept the band going. Verneri joined us last year after ‘Metal Gear’ [Ranger’s first demo] was recorded and completed the lineup with second lead guitar. He’s a real ripper and we really love to have him onboard. He completes our desire for over-the-top double guitar action.”

“Over-the-top” provides a perfect descriptor for Ranger’s furious and loose “hot burning metal” attack. The aforementioned twin “guitar action” definitely propels the chaos. Complementing the ripping guitars are Dimi’s frenetic, high-pitched vocals and banshee wailing. You might call Ranger’s self-styled “combat metal” sloppy, but a large part of their appeal derives from the “feel” of the naked, raw aggression and not technical precision – much like early Destruction.

“Destruction and Teutonic thrash rules,” agrees Jaakko, “but as a band, our main influences are the very basis of heavy metal. Pounding drums, dominating and powerful vocals with skull-splitting, double lead guitars that melt your face and send shivers down your spine. We worship bands … 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