Circle Of Chaos/Crossing The Line/Massacre Records 2014 CD Review

  Circle  of  Chaos  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Crossing  the  Line"  which  was  released  by  Massacre  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  very  fast,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  a  few  seconds  alter  aggressive  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  and  a  few  minutes  later  solos  and  leads  become  a  part  of  the  recording.

  Once  the  album  gets  going  the  music  starts  going  for  a  more  modern  day  style  of  death  metal  while  the  vocals  are  a  bit  more  closer  to  the  more  aggressive  sides  of  thrash  and  groove  metal  and  the music  brings  in  a  mixture  of  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  after  awhile  acoustic  guitars  are  added  in  for  a  few  seconds  of  the  recording  and  they  do  not  take  away  from  the  heaviness  of  the  recording.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  music  remains  heavy  and  while  it  is  very  close  to  the  modern  side  of  power  metal  it  avoids  the  poppier  elements  such  as  synths  and  melodic  vocals  while  there  are  some  elements  of  the  more  aggressive  side  of  metalcore  being  utilized  at  times  in  certain  parts  of  the  recording.

  With  this  album  Circle  of  Chaos  play  a  very  heavy,  aggressive  and  modern  day  form  of  death  metal  along  with  a  very  powerful  and  professional  sounding  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  the  real  world  along  with  some  violent  topics.

  In  my  opinion  Circle  Of  Chaos  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  death  metal b and  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sign  of  Insanity"  "Crossing  the  Line"  "Blood  For  Blood"  and  "Infernal  Abyss".  8  out  of  10.    

Human Infection/Curvatures In Time/Blast Head Records/2014 CD Review

  Human  Infection  are  a  band  from  Virginia  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  death  metal  with  elements  of  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Curvatures  In Time"  which  was  released  by  Blast  Head  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  an  intro  that  has  a  very  distorted  sound  to  them  along  with  demonic  vocals  and  when  it  goes  into  the  first  song  the  recording  goes  for  a  more  brutal  old  school  death  metal  sound  along  with  growling  vocals  as  well  as mixing  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  together  and  you  can  hear  a  good  amount  of  blast  beats  in  the  music.

  Once  solos  are  added  into  the  music  the  album  gets  a  little bit  more  melodic  while  also  retaining  a  brutal  sound  and  you  can  hear  grindcore  elements  in  the  faster  parts  of  the  recording  along  with  the  band  being  both  equally  influenced  by  the  death  metal  band s of  Florida  and  New  York  which  results  in  a  true  east  coast  style  of  a  death  metal  sound  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  are  very  powerful  sounding.

  Human  Infection  take  the  old  school  death  metal  sounds  of  both  Florida  and  New  York  as  well  as  being  a  bit  more  brutal  and  adding  in  grindcore  to  the  faster  parts  and  the  music  has  a  very  professional  sounding  production  along  with  dark  and  violent  lyrics.

  In  my  opinion  Human  Infection  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal,  old  school  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Celestial"  "Decay  Inheritance"  "Sacrificial  Skies"  and  "Lesser  being".  8  out  of  10.   

Pitch Black Process Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

Nothing much if i may speak frankly; due to some unpleasant reasons we had to delay the videos we were thinking to make, we still looking for to do it and still looking for opportunities to play abroad.  

2.A year back you had put out a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical sound of the current music and also how does it differ from your previous releases?

We dont like to talk about it a lot, we leave name it to listeners, writers etc but i think we can say that: Swedish Melodic Death with some Trash sauce. It differs mostly about sound and production quality;  It’s a very special album for us. We achieved one of our dreams with working with Daniel Bergstrand. And also we achieved a ‘high class’ sound with ‘’HoG?’’ Moreover we collaborated on a song with Niclas Engelin who is one of the pioneers of the Gothenburg Sound and Swedish Death Metal.

3.The band was originally known as 'Affliction' what was the decision behind the name  change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Pitch Black Process'?

Due to some conflict and confusion we have been faced at abroad and on the net; we decided to change the name of the band after 12-13 years. Scar Symmetry’s “Pitch Black Progress” is one of our favorites and also like the phrasing. Also the name underlines our consideration about the general situation of the “world” and the era we are living. The world struggles in a big chaos and chaos spreading one area to another, the change which result of greed, desire of power/money and fundamental ideas.

4.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects the ban explores with the newer music?

I prefer let the lyrics talk for themselves.

But i think i can tell these at least; as a band which deeply considers the general situation of the “world” and (especially) our country and the era we are living even while picking a new name for the band, it wouldn't be hard to guess what the songs are about.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

Almost all shows were great but if i have to name a few counties; firstly Sweden, Hungary, Romania  and Croatia. As for all bands and artists, stage performances is the main reason why we are doing “this”. It’s the place where you share unparalleled energy with the fans and friends. All i can say about our performance is we are trying to deliver our best on the stage every time!

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

Yeah,there are some possibilities for a Turkey tour and a few fes maybe. But we are looking forward to go back abroad eagerly!

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of melodic death metal?

Feedback which reached out to us was nice so far, hope it would keep going like this:)

9.Where do you see the band heading into music wise during the future?

We are living to create something new and play them all over the world. So, as long as our conditions (physically, mentally, economically…) would let us, we will keep doing it!

10.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

All music we listen from the early ages naturally influence on our music but our main inspiration is (and was) Swedish Death Metal.  im looking forward to hear songs from Niclas Engelin’s new project “Dromriket” They just released a new single called “Arendal”. Cant stop listening! :)

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I’m a huge movie lover. Watched a lot of movies both on theaters and home. I think there is none other than that, metal filling my life:)) But I like eating good foods and also seeing new places a lot!

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Thank you for your interest! Hope to meet in real when we play around. Cheers!

Meridian Dawn/The Mixtape/2014 EP Review

  Meridian  Dawn  are  an  international  band  that  plays  a  very  modern  form  of  metal  with  melodic  death  metal  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  ep  "The  Mixtape".

  The  ep  starts  out  with  a  heavy  and  melodic  sound  along  with  melodic  vocals  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  along  with  spoken  word  parts  and  aggressive  screams  and  after  awhile  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music.

  When  the  ep  goes  into  other  songs  the  music  goes  for  more  of  a  modern  and  melodic  approach  to  metal  while  also  being  very  heavily  influenced  by  death  metal  which  shows  up  mostly  in  the  vocals  and  they  also  bring  in  a  Type  O  Negative  cover  and  towards  the  end  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  are  added  into  the  recording  along  with  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts.

  With  this  ep  Meridan  Dawn  take  melodic  death  metal  and  mix  it  in  with  the  more  modern  forms  of  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  and  the  music  displays  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  with  the  5  songs.

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  ep.      

  In  my  opinion  Meridian  Dawn  are  a  very  great  sounding  modern  extreme  and  melodic  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  Include  "Descent"  and  "I  Dont  Wanna  be  Me".  8  out  of  10.  

Other Eyes Wise interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

We?ve been around since 2011, based in London. The band came together from members of
of a couple of different metal bands. We wanted to find something melodic and groovy, but not being
held back by any boundaries, like trying to stick to a certain genre.

2.Recently you have released a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical sound?

We wanted a very natural sound, something a bit different than the metal bands that use a very
compressed, flat sound. We looked for a throwback to the 80?s and 90?s, with a less pushed sound.
We wanted this kind of sound to make sure the dynamics in the songs came through. The guitars
are down-tuned, but the gain is fairly low, this again is because the melody should cut through.

The album flows from heavy grooves, screams and growls, to soft instrumental sections, clean
dark vocals, melodic choruses, and moves forward in a progressive manner.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

It?s basically personal experiences (what we experience, and observe), often expressed as
a sociological pattern.

Climb Above - is about realising a weakened personal position, getting up from it and feeling
resentment towards others for making, or letting you be weak.

Almost Asleep - is very much about having your own point of view and opinion, and an informed one at that.

Decade of Struggle - even if you disagree, you don?t have to disconnect.

4.In the bands logo, there is an all seeing eye, does the band have any interest in the occult?

Not really. We don?t have any connection to the occult. You see it as an all seeing eye, we see a lizard eye.
We liked this logo idea we got from Max Grundy after we told him our band name, it is pretty much as
simple as that. None of us are into the occult, and music and lyrics don?t cover such subjects.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Other Eyes Wide'?

It?s Other Eyes Wise :-) . It reflects that people have their own thoughts and opinions,
it displays an individual view. It also reflects that there is plenty of pressure to listen to others, and ignoring your
own voice.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the year and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We?ve played some nice venues around London. We?ve played the Barfly which is a nice venue, we also played
the Proud, which had a professional dancer dancing to our music, which we thanked afterwards and then learned
she?s done it on her own ackord - something we found very cool!

Our stage performance: we groove with the music! You can tell we like playing music, and that we
like being on stage. We like chatting to people, and pull at least one weird move during our set,
like the wrong dance move for the song, or down a shot when it?s challenging to do so.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

This is something we will be organising with the label in the next few weeks. We are very eager to get out
on the road, this is where we belong.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of metal?

So far, the feedback?s been great. We come from being UK, and even London centric, as we?ve joined WormHoleDeath,
we?ve noticed we are spreading quickly around the globe, and again, so far feedback is good, and people
appreciate our original sound.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Like we said, we are without boundaries. We don?t intend on controlling the flow, or where we end up, too much.
We keep looking for melody and groove though, and keeping a core sound intact, so there is an Other Eyes Wise
sound people can recognise. We will also always produce the kind of music that we like, and we want to produce.

We know a few bits about where we are going right now: melodic bits will be more and more melodic, the brutal bits
will get more brutal. We are using more of an epic sound on the next album. We are very pleased with Zer(0),
our debut, but you will be able to hear a strong progression on the next album.

This is a band that will not sit on its laurels, but will always want to progress and expand, improve musically,
and challenge ourselves, which means the music is always going to progress and improve.

10.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Musical styles are metal, rock, grunge, death metal, hardcore. Influential bands include Dream Theater, Metallica, Tool, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Korn, Faith no More, Meshuggah, Carcass, Opeth, Deftones, Fear Factory, Pantera, ISIS.

What we listen to now? First off, at any given point in time, the band members could be listening to completely different
kinds of music. Right now then:

Sy: Hacride, Born of Osiris, Polica, Alice in Chains, Tesseract, Intronaut
Jo: Dream Theater, Joe Bonamassa, Melvins, Zyklon
Coop: Carcass, Napalm Death, Bolththrower, Metallica

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Mountain biking, football, running, cooking, motor sports, the occasional beer might sneak into the equation.
We enjoy films as well. Sometimes, on the day after beer.

We do like doing quite different things as individuals, and at the same time as we share a lot as a band,
we are definitely individuals with individual strong passions as well.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

We have just released our debut album Zer(0)! It?s on ITunes, Spotify, eMusic, Amazon, Google Play.
Go check it out!

We want to thank for the support we?ve received for it so far, and we are looking forward to getting out and playing it live to people. We are very excited to be recently signed to WormHoleDeath, and this collaboration is the beginning of something great we think.

To anyone reading this: we hope to see you soon!

Pitch Black Process/Hand Of God/Sliptrick Records/2013 CD Review

  Pitch  Black  Process  are  a  band  from  Turkey  that  plays  a  mixture  of  melodic  death  metal  and  metalcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Hand  Of  God"  which  was  released  by  Sliptrack  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  very  heavy,  melodic  and  fast  sound  along  with  blast  beats  before  adding  in  death  metal  screams  and  growls  and  after  awhile  metalcore  breakdowns  and  melodic  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  while  also  keeping  around  the  faster  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  which  also  leads  up  to  solos  becoming  a  part  of  the  album.

  When  the album  goes  into  other  songs  the  music  sticks  mostly  to  a  melodic  death  metal  sound  while  also  having  a  good  amount  of  metalcore  influences  to  them  and  at  times  you  can  also  hear  atmospheric  synths  being  utilized  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

   With  this  album  Pitch  Black  Process  stick  mostly  to  a  modern  melodic  death  metal  sound  while  also  bringing  in  atmospheric,  symphonic  and  metalcore  elements  at  times  and  while  it  is  not  very  original  the  music  is  still  very  well  executed.

  Song  lyrics  cover  philosophical  and  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Pitch  Black  Process  are  a  very  decent  sounding  mixture  of  melodic  death  metal  and  metalcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hand  of  God"  "Fabricated  Lives"  "Blinded"  and  "Affliction  Defiant".  7/5  out  of  10.  
  

Other Eyes Wise/Zer(O)/WormHoleDeath Records/2014 CD Review

    Other  Eyes Wise  are  a  band  from  England   that plays  a  mixture  of  extreme  metal,  alternative  and  hard  rock  with  some  death  metal  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Zer(O)"  which  was  released  by  WormHoleDeath  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  clean  and  atmospheric  sound  and  after  the  intro  the  recording  goes  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along with  a  mixture  of  clean  singing  and  aggressive  screams  which  also  lead  up  to  some  death  metal  growls.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  music  gets  a  lot  heavier  while  also  keeping  around  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  a  mixture  of  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  at  times  black  metal  screams  are  also  brought  into  the  music  and  they  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  clean  and  heavy  parts.

  With  this  album  Other  Eyes  Wise  take  the  more  mainstream  alternative  metal  sound  and  mix  it  in  with   black,  death  and  progressive  metal  along  with  a  great  amount  of  melody  to  create  a  very  creative  and  original  sounding  album.

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark  and  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Other  Eyes  Wide  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  metal,  alternative  and  hard  rock  with  death  and  black  metal  elements  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Almost  Asleep"  "You're  Wrong,  You're  Right"  "Awkward  Eclipse"  and  "Beyond  Belief".  8  out  of  10,

Embalmed/Brutal Delivery Of Vengeance/Dark Blasphemies Records/2014 CD Review

  Embalmed  are  a  band  from  Texas  that  plays  a  brutal  and  slamming  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Brutal  Delivery  Of  Vengeance"  which  was  released  by  Dark  Blasphemies Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  nature  sounds  before  going  into  a  fast,  brutal  and  old  school  death  metal  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  before  adding  in  the  deep  guttural  growls  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  you  can  also h ear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  As  the  album  progresses  guitar solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  as  well  as  bringing  in  spoken  word  samples  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  they  also  bring  in  a  good  amount  of  east  coast  slam  death  metal  elements  and  mix  them  in  with  a  more  early  90's  old  school  sound   as  well  as  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  screams.

  With  this  album  Embalmed  go  back  to  the  roots  of  New  York  style  death  metal  and  mix's  it  with  a  modern  day  brutality  to  create  an  album  that  is  very  heavy  and  true  to  the  death  metal   genre.

  Song  lyrics  cover  violence  and  serial  killer  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  brutal  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Embalmed  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school,  slamming,  brutal  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Regiment  Of  Death"  "Brutal  Delivery  Of  Vengeance"  "Bloated  Cadaver"  and  "Pieces  Remain".  8  out  of  10.

Frail Grounds Interview

Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
Quite a lot is happening with Frail Grounds as we speak; on one hand we are busy promoting our album “The Fields of Trauma” as it approaches its official UK release, by working on getting some gigs booked over there, doing interviews and generally making some buzz. And on the other hand we are rehearsing and have started crafting songs for our next album. Its an exciting period!

For those that have yet to hear the music, how would you describe your musical sound?
Our music is a quite complex machinery of heavy metal spiced up with melodies, multiple layers of detail, progressive songs that seldom follow a linear path and a brutal edge with elements from extreme metal. I myself have always been fond of “more is more” when it comes to spicing up the music with details in the sound, making it possible to discover new elements in the music with each listen. At the same time it was Iron Maiden which introduced me to metal; the guitar harmonies and solos, soaring vocals and epic songs, so that is definitely something which has made its way into our sound. When it comes to the progressive part, it is more reflected in the way the songs are not bound by intro/verse/chorus etc, but has a more dynamic arrangement and taking new turns just when you think you know whats coming next. We are not that focused on implementing odd time rythms and such everywhere. Lastly, the extreme metal elements can be heard in the occational blastbeats and growling vocals that appear at times.  Should I sum up our music in one sentence, it would be “a musical journey through heavy, progressive and extreme metal”.

The last recording was a concept album, can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrics and concept of that recording?
I have always been interested in Siberia and the tunguska incident, maybe partly due to The X-files series with its mythology and mysteries surrounding the tunguska area. For me, each song must tell a story and I need to have a larger picture in mind when writing lyrics. “Origin” was the first song I wrote for the album, and when writing the lyrics it wasn’t my intention to write a fully fledged story, but as more songs were written ideas came to me. However ambitious it may be going for a concept album as a debut, I really think we pulled it off. The story is somewhat inspired by Faust and also draws something of Lovecraft(read Mountains of Madness), but at the heart of it is how the protagonist is trying to escape the personal aftermath of a failed relationship. He joins an expedition into siberia in a desperate attempt to forget and move on, and this is where the story starts. I wont reveal the whole plot here, but the songs and lyrics follow the expeditions journey into the vast and frozen reaches of siberia, reflecting the main protagonists thoughts and experiences. As things grow worse and colder, entities are apparently revealed to him, and he has to make a choice of how far he will go to achieve a sense of resolution and peace. The story has two sides, the physical expedition on the outside, and what is happening with our protagonist on the inside. The most important for me when writing is to always have a twist on something that may seem familiar, so don’t expect this to be a typical heartache story! As quoted in Hamlet: “..There are more things in heaven and earth, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. .“


The band started out as Deus Ex Machina, what was the decision behind the name change and also what is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Frail Grounds'?
I really thought Deus Ex Machine had a cool ring to it, and also the actual meaning of the phrase reflected something I knew I would be incorporating in lyrics. For those not knowing, Deus Ex Machine was what the greek called the situation in theatres when the hero was in an impossible and hopeless situation, and a supernatural force stepped in saving the hero. Also called “The God in the machine”. Sadly, I did some research after a short while and discovered several other bands globally which used the same name. I think its totally stupid choosing a band name which is already taken, so I decided to make a change quite early. At that time it was only me and the first drummer, so the name change was no big deal. The name Frail Grounds just came to me one day, I cannot recall why or when, but it is 100% unique and also a metaphor could be that life itself, everything around us can break apart and smoulder up any moment, we are all living on frail grounds. And that is something which always is a fundamental part of our songs and theme: life.

What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We played many shows 2007 – 2009, but took a break from concerts from 2010 and until 2012 due to changes in the lineup and writing songs and recording “The Fields of Trauma”. From that first era the coolest show was September 2009 playing at John Dee in Oslo, as support for Susperia. We only played four songs since we got 30 minutes and we have quite long songs, hehe, but it was a blast, the sound was great and the staff really professional. From the last two years I think the coolest gig was our release concert September 2012, first concert in three years with a new lineup, but it was full house and a great atmosphere. We got the venue to make drinks named after some of the songs, which was a total success! Talking to people afterwards with blue tongues, we knew they had gotten a sip of ‘Siberian Nights’ hehe. We are constantly working on our performance on stage, but we focus on the music and presenting the songs with energy. I am moving a lot around on stage, interacting with both the crowd and also my bandmates, and occationally stealing the water from the others as I tend to get quite thirsty onstage. Thomas (bass) is also moving around quite a lot, not too surprising considering he is a great Iron Maiden fan also.

Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Following the UK release of our debut album “The Fields of Trauma” 3rd March we are trying to book some gigs in the UK and travel over, perhaps doing a weekend trip and play in some different cities with a local metal band. Other than that we have a gig in Oslo in April and a festival appearance in August in Jevnaker, The Untouchables Hard Rock Festival, but hopefully more shows will be added and we are aiming at Europe,trying to get on a tour as supportband for a well established band.

Recently Hostile Media re-issued your album from 2012, what are your thoughts on the final product?
Being a debut album we are very satisfied with the record; the music and lyrics tell the story I intended to tell, and I hope that other listeners will find the same excitement as me when listening to the album from start to finish. The artwork done by former synthist Sigbjørn Galåen reflects the feeling and theme of the album in a great way. Of course, one of the great things in life is that you always learn new things, and we have learnt much from the whole process which we will bring into our next album, both recording and songwriting. Yet, “The Fields of Trauma” is a firm statement of who Frail Grounds are as of now, and what we proudly want to present.

On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme and melodic metal?
The feedback has been great, the majority of listeners and reviewers really enjoy the progressive touch we have on heavy metal, mixed with some brutality and the professional quality on both the the music and the whole cd package. There are always those who don’t like the music that much, mostly regarding us mixing too many different styles. They are of course entitled to their opinion, but the mix of genres is something most listeners dig us for, and we will continue on our heavy progressive path.

Are any of the band members involved with any other musical projects these days?
It is mostly our drummer, Magnus Nødset, who have several session projects aside Frail Grounds, it be recording drums for some project or going on shorter tours as session drummer. I think it’s a drummer thing, they usually grow restless very fast, hehe. I have some vocal projects at times, and have written songs which isnt Frail Grounds material, we will see in the future what will become of it. At the current time Frail Grounds gets the most of my “free music time”.

When can we expect a new album and also what direction will the band be heading into the future music wise?
As mentioned we are in the process of writing new songs for the followup album, as we speak we have around 5 songs we are working on, of which we are playing one live, but I assume the next album can be expected hopefully first or second quarter of 2015. We shall see, we will keep you all updated on www.frailgrounds.com and our www.facebook.com/frailgrounds. For us it is most important that we have strong enough songs for the best record possible, and something worthy of presenting as a followup to “The Fields of Trauma”. So if it takes longer time to achieve the quality we want, then so be it. Another aspect is that while I wrote most of the songs on “The Fields of Trauma”, we are now working much more together as a band, and it is fun but also challenging. One thing is certain, our next album will be a reflection of everyone in the band, as opposed to primarily me.
Direction-wise, it is hard to tell as we only have five songs in the workings, and in the end it is not certain that all of them will make it to the album. But we are incorporating more clean guitar parts, experimenting more with effects on vocals and instruments, and letting each player contribute more with their own style. One factor which some may miss, and some wont, is that I have dropped the growling vocals, and will be focusing on the clean vocals. With the addition of Gunnar Gudmundsen on synth and backing vocals, we have even more potential for vocal harmonies live and I think that will show on the news songs as well.

What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Iron Maiden and Kamelot has meant a lot to me vocalwise. The power of Bruce Dickinson, and the feeling and sincereity in the voice of Roy Khan is something which I draw lot of inspiration from. When it comes to writing music, the main inspirations naturally change through periods in life. What has always stuck with me is Iron Maiden, but I am also very inspired by Fields of The Nephilim, with their melancholic soundscapes and feeling in the music, and also their occult and mysterious theme. Within metal I often end up listening to bands rooted in heavy and progressive metal, so I guess theres just something with that combination that hits a nerve. I would also like to mention a german band called Disillusion. If I must compare “The Fields of Trauma” to something in every aspect, it would be their debut album “Through Times of Splendour”. It is a fantastic album, filled with great melodies and variety. A concept album too, by incident.
I also get much inspiration from soundtracks to movies and especially computer games I have good experience with, and sometimes try to incorporate the same vibe into music I make. For instance, most of the soundtrack to final fantasy 7 could be adapted to an awesome metal album! Would be great to hear!

Do you have any non musical interests?
Way too many, haha! My recent interest is pinball actually, we have a awesome pub in Oslo with lots of different beer, and lots of pinball and arcade machines. I got hooked on pinball just before christmas, so that is what I am quite focused on now when I have free time. Else I love computer games, especially the Mass Effect series. Programming is also a hobby, but since I work as a developer I kinda get my daily dose during those 8 hours hehe. Also I am interested in flight simulation, but unfortuantely I don’t have the time to maintain that interested for the moment.

Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks for the questions and the opportunity to chat about music and “The Fields of Trauma”.  I hope as many as possible of you readers will give us a listen, either check out some songs through youtube, soundcloud etc, and if you either love what you hear, or hate what you hear: Tell your friend about us! And we hope you will buy the album to get the full experience of the story!

And whatever you think of it, we would be real happy to hear your feedback, whatever it is! J

Thanks!
/Morten Andre