Although having only formalised a line-up and commenced rehearsing in January 2013, Sheol have already made waves; their ‘Live Demo MMXIII’ and mini-album ‘Sepulchral Ruins Below The Temple’ proffering some particularly vicious and cavernous blasts of prime, unholy death metal or, as founding member A.B.S describes it, “sepulchral death metal rising from the primordial Abyss.”

With a healthy and growing reputation, wholehearted support from both Iron Bonhead and Invictus as well as a delivery aesthetic that follows in the footsteps of the Father Befouled and Encoffination school of deathliness, great things are expected of the British band. With such a gaping, hellish and bleak sound adding to the audial decimation of their forceful songwriting, Sheol sound keen to maintain their individuality. Kat ‘Shevil’ Gillham discovered more about these tyrants…

Hails A.B.S.! Please give Iron Fist a quick background history on the band. “She’ol was formed around 2012 by me and our former drummer, A.H.S. (Vorage). We both have a longer experience in black metal but She’ol began initially out of ideas which did not fit elsewhere, closer to death metal inspired by Incantation, Sadistic Intent, early Darkthrone, Autopsy and Absu – but so too was there a significant difference in vision. … Read More

Apologies to the guy in Black Viper who our editor attacked outside The Little Devil in Tilburg during Roadburn Festival. She overheard him telling some guys in the smoking area that he was in this “new band called Black Viper” and she just sort of grabbed him and scratched him, which is kind of her way of saying ‘Your band is fucking great’. They are. Marek Steven is less violent so we sent him to find out more about them.

Storming With Vengeance demo is great. Can you introduce us to Black Viper? Cato: The band actually started around 2012 as a one-man project because I made some riffs which didn’t fit into [his other band] Deathhammer, but I thought they were good enough to make something out of. I then made some demo tracks without vocals but didn’t release them. I also started to record an EP in 2013 but that also didn’t get finished. Then I moved to Oslo in 2013 right where Arild and Christoffer live. I hooked up with them and Black Viper finally became a full band. Then we rehearsed without vocals for a while – as we couldn`t find anyone who could sing – and we … Read More

Speedtrap are a five-piece speed metal band from Lappeenranta, Finland that formed in 2007. To date they have released a demo, an EP, a split EP with fellow Finns Death With A Dagger and a full-length, ‘Powerdose’ (2013 – Svart Records), which garnered positive reviews from numerous critics and found its way onto several year-end lists. This fall they are set to release, their second full-length under the Svart banner, ‘Straight Shooter’. According to guitarist Ville Valavuo, “We started in Lappeenranta, yes, but originally I was the only band member from there. The other members were from small towns surrounding it, and nowadays none of us live there anymore. Currently three of us live in Helsinki and the other two in Joensuu, cities which are quite far apart actually.” It was this collective isolation that provided early influence and inspiration while their love of all things heavy metal, especially the NWOBHM, provided the rest. “I would say our physical environment had a bigger influence when we started in 2007. There weren’t any bands like us in Lappeenranta, or even Eastern Finland for that matter, and actually the reason for starting a band like this was that no one else was doing it at … Read More

When we last spoke to black metal solo artist, Myrkur, it was towards the end of last year and she’d just released her self-titled debut. In that time the secret identity behind the music has created a whirlwind of controversy, while the songs themselves have divided opinion across the metal community, citing likenesses in everything from Xasthur to Dissection. Less than a year later the Danish musician is set to bestow sophomore effort ‘M’ upon the world, with Kristoffer Rygg (Ulver) at the helm of production. “We have a lot in common and he mentored me a lot,” reflects Myrkur. “It was very much a collaboration. It’s exciting for me to work with that level of talent and we share the same vision.” Myrkur’s collaboration with Rygg isn’t the only thing stirring up excitement about this record; the artist is lifting the shroud of mystery surrounding her identity and finally letting the world glimpse her face. “Sometimes I feel like I’m being forced to show more than I really want to,” she sighs, “but it’s also nice to have the freedom to be open about who I am and speak freely about what I want, and to connect with people.” And … Read More

“I was inspired by something that happened to us and made me conclude that everything you do has a consequence. If you do bad things, bad things will come your way. If you can’t take responsibility for your decisions, you become a victim of yourself.” Brazil’s Nervosa believe karma is a bitch and won’t blame anyone but themselves for life’s outcomes. It’s a philosophy that bassist/vocalist Fernanda Lira treasures and has made the dominant theme of debut album, ‘Victim Of Yourself’. Though, when you consider the stigma that unfortunately still follows the phrase ‘all-female band’ and their hailing from a country whose geography and infrastructure isolates them from the epicentres of metal business, Nervosa know they’ll have to work twice as hard to expose half as many people to their fiery thrash. Good thing they’re not afraid of a little elbow grease.

Both Lira and guitarist Prika Amaral (drummer Pitchu Ferraz completes the line-up) tell familiar tales of making developmental leaps from Maiden and Sabbath to Metallica and Slayer before becoming obsessed with “old-school American and German thrash.” They played in various São Paulo bands before stumbling upon on each other and the idea of getting rid of the figurative, and literal, … Read More

Flight is the latest collaboration to emerge out of Norway’s ‘Kolbotn Thrashers Union’; a comical term invented some time ago to support the mass of talent in this mystic part of Norge. Flight shares its members with those in Condor, Gouge, Purple Hill Witch, Mion’s Hill and Mabuse. Bass player and co-founder, Jonas Bye tells us about the formation of the band: “We always drink beer and listen to Judas Priest. I guess the idea of Flight came naturally because we weren’t playing in a heavy metal band at the time. It wasn’t really a conscious choice.” After having the pleasure of listening to Flight’s un-released rough demos, it is safe to say they are far more enriched in the rocky pre-NWOBHM sound. Jonas elaborates on their less-common played style of heavy metal; “We play what feels the best for us and we try to experiment a bit in that frame. It’s not like we try to make a blueprint of ’77 heavy metal. We are gripped by influences from all over. Nobody except Iron Maiden can be Iron Maiden”.

Talking with Jonas about the lack of distinctive band names today, unlike the original and self-explanatory bands such as Saxon … Read More

Disgusting, crust-ridden speed thrash. From the North of England. Utter scum. We can’t get enough. Al Osta (vocals), Oliver Turner (guitars), Callum Cox (drums) and James Lawrence (bass) admit they have a “penchant for all things heavy and fast” but that’s an under-fucking-statement, for sure. With a nod from Fenriz on his blog, Satanic Dystopia are heading for the big smoke and Live Evil Festival. “We were nothing more than some frosty dudes bonding over a few choice bands whilst yearning to play evil and fast music,” they admit of their formation. “It clicked from the off and we just started writing. Satanic Dystopia was birthed into this wretched world.

“It invokes the feeling of post-apocalyptic wastelands and horror, something all good thrash is about,” they continue of the name choice. “The song titles and lyrics give the feeling of total annihilation and violence, something that will play a big part in our artwork and overall aesthetics.”

Cult movie fans, SD write songs like ‘Double Denim Shotgun Massacre’, admitting that “the band is all about paying homage to films of lesser quality, but brilliant films in their own right. There is an incredible world of crazy horror, sleaze and action beyond the … Read More