Internal Chaos Interview

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

Warmest greetings from Tehran. I am Alireza Shafiei, Former & leader of the "Internal Chaos" and I am going to answer your questions on behalf of the band.
I started Recording songs as a one-man band. After 4 years I decided to release two of the songs I’ve recorded before. Then, I realized that I had to put up a little speed and find some talented individuals to form Internal Chaos as an actual band. We are Symphonic Fusion Metal Band from Iran.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?
We combine the modern musical elements with the traditional oriental elements that represent somehow the culture. I prefer not to describe our music from my own subjective point of view, instead to know the opinion of others.

3.The band has been around since 2011 but waited until 2017 to release any music, can you tell us a little bit more about the first 6 years?
Internal Chaos was established in 2012, by me as a one-man band, until 2016 I recorded and released three single tracks with the help of guest artists/musicians. Later in 2016, we shaped the band together with the current members and we managed to release our EP shortly after. Unfortunately, there are some restrictions and limitation for artists who work in the so-called Western genres, that affect the flow of our work directly, but the good news is that these limitations are decreased since 2016 and that’s the reason we can put up the pace. Now we are working on our full-length album.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Human deed, morality, society.
We try to bring up social issues and limitations into attention and we find it easier to talk about them in form of lyrics.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Internal Chaos'?
All of the songs I have written are inspired by my own Internal emotional instabilities that are caused somehow by our society. That’s why I named the band after the constant Chaos that I have inside.

6.Has the band been able to do any live shows yet?
We have performed 12 songs in a gig 4 months after we formed the band (2016). We also had a concert to introduce our band to Iranian metalheads and we performed full power so to say.


7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Sure we are looking for a record label and we received some offers…but we are pretty sure we’re going to receive a deserving offer soon.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of symphonic and melodic death metal?
Actually most of the feedbacks were from Iranian metalheads, so many compliments and encouraging words. But we are not yet satisfied by the feedbacks we've received, since we have just recently introduced our music to the international Metal communities and music platforms, we are hoping to receive more and more feedbacks.

9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
There are limited number of professional players in Iran, and a lot of new ideas. That’s why an individual may play for and work with various bands. The ones that we work with are also very gifted and have huge potential to introduce themselves to the international audience. It’s good to note that we spend our time on other projects as far as they don’t take much time so that we can focus on our own.

10.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
I guess the next album is going to be released in the beginning of 2018

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
I am inspired by Slipknot, Symphony X, Nightwish, Infected mushroom, Beethoven, Mozart, Michael McCann, Hans Zimmer. But these days I don’t listen to any songs because I don’t want them to interfere my musical ideas. I just listen to modern songs to know about new styles of mix & mastering, sound design.


12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Learning second & third language, Gym, Sound Design.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Most important of all, I intend to create a brand new musical genre, hopefully creating my own style/genre. I have been working on it for a long time. We are looking forward to perform many more concert in the next couple of months and also we wish to reach our goals in the context of music making soon. Great news coming soon!
Last but not least, I thank you deeply for this opportunity and for the review on us. 

Asphodelos/The Five Rivers Of Erebos/Black Sunset/MDD Records/2017 CD Review

  Asphodelos  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  an  old  school  and  melodic  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "The  Five  Rivers  Of  Erebos"  which  will  be  released  on  November  24th  as  a  joint  effort  between  Black  Sunset  and  MDD  Records.

  Ocean  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  musical  direction  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  along  with  a  few  screams  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  as  well  as  some  elements  of  thrash  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  the  faster  riffing  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Asphodelos  plays  a  musical  style  that takes  melodic  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  some  elements  of  thrash  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  everyday  problems  Greek  Mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Asphodelos  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  melodic  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Carnage"  and  "Nothingness".  8  out  of  10.

Mask Of Satan Interview

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

We are a trio emerging from Finland. Our musical style is somewhat described as Horror-Death metal. We move around the genre of H. P. Lovecraft though our name is from Italian old-school movie "Mask of Satan" (translated to english). We salute such bands as Six Feet Under and Necrophagia in our musical efforts. Our journey as trio began few years back as we all played in the same band during that time and we decided to summon up this act of Death.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings that you have released so far?
Old-school and very natural sounding madness and despair that lurks in the event horizon of deep space. Even brutal at some points. We definitely are evolving as we speak


3.A lot of the lyrics on the new album are based upon the writings of H.P Lovecraft, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this authors and also are there any other writers the band members have an interest in?
Lovecraft is a great influence to us and we also like old horror movies and stories. Vincent Price is also a huge influence when it comes to horror theme. Lovecraft theme came naturally and perhaps we continue with that genre into our future.

4.I know that the band name came from a 60's horror movie, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in horror films?
Fucking love'em. Night of the creeps, Lucio Fulci etc. all great stuff and I must say that the 80's was a truly golden era of horror.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We did a good horror ritual with Arch Goat. We use cloaks while playing and in live we are more of a foreign entity than a Death metal act. We tend to play at least one Necrophagia cover song per gig. I't truly is awesome band.


6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We do few German gigs in spring 2018. You can find info at our website that lies within facebook.

7.The album was released on 'Star Spawn Society', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
They contacted us after a promo and seemed to have a good connection and similar thoughts about music. Small label suited for us at this point perfectly.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?
Many comment say that they like it. Specially the atmosphere on this record gets gratitude. Not for everyone though.

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

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Like said before. Necrophagia and old Six Feet Under are our main influences but bands like the Grotesquery are great too and definitely helped us develop our own style. Nowadays I tend to listen old death metal acts instead of new material. Bolt Thrower, SFU, Deicide, Cruciamentum etc.

11.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for the interview.
Keep supporting Death!
-M/MoS-

Mask Of Satan/Silent Servants - Chants Of Lovecraftian Horror/Star Spawn Society/2017 CD Review

  Mask  Of  Satan  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays a  horror  themed orientated  form  of  death  metal  with  a  slight  black  metal  touch  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Silent  Servants  -  Chants  of  Lovecraftain  Horror"  which  was  released  by  Star  Spawn  Society.

  A  classic  horror  movie  style  intro  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  keyboards  and  spoken  word  parts  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  that  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  and  when  screams  are  utilized  they  add  in  touches  of  black  metal.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  spoken  word  parts  when  they  are  utilized give  the  music  more  of  a  ritualistic  feeling  along  with  both  the  riffs  and  guitar  leads  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording,  as  the  album  progresses  another  horror  interlude  can  also  be  heard before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction.

  Mask  Of  Satan  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  mostly  mid  tempo  and  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  while  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  black  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror  movies  and  the  writings  of  H.P Lovecraft.

  In  my  opinion  Mask  Of  Satan  are  a  very  great  sounding  horror  themes  death  metal  band  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dreadspell  Ov  Azathoth"  "Death  Lives  In  The  Cellar  Of  Mr.  West"  and  "Silent  Servants".  8  out  of  10.

SphereDemonis Interview

SPHEREDEMONIS
Interview with Vadim Morwran

For those who never heard of you, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Hello world! SPHEREDEMONIS is a Moscow based band formed in 2013 by members of NORTH DIAMOND, DOMINIONS and NECROPOLIS PARK. Today our band has played a lot of shows in the cities of Russia, released a full length album, made some concert videos and singles. Our music combines such styles as death metal, deathcore, symphonic metal and technical death metal.

How would you describe your musical sound?
Our music will appeal to those bored with Death Metal and Deathcore standards. We experiment with fast guitar riffs and odd timing, extensively use groovy breakdowns, low male growling and clean vocals. Some of our tracks also have symphonic inserts.

The band has been around since 2013 but waited until 2017 to release their first full length. Can you tell us a little bit more about the earlier years?
Until 2013 each member of our band already had extensive experience in other musical projects. We have known each other for a long time, because we crossed paths in other projects. By 2013, Vadim Morwran accumulated a lot of new music that did not fit stylistically into his current projects. Therefore he decided to create SphereDemonis. The same year the band recorded their first single “The Priest”. The single received many positive reviews and we ventured upon a bold and ambitious step – the recording of a full-length album. In the beginning of 2014 we presented another welcomed song “I Choose You” which was supported by studio footage. During the recording process Evgeniy Gortsovskiy (vocals) quit SPHEREDEMONIS due to him relocating. After a while a talented musician and poet, Nephilim (the front-man of SACRUM FRAUS) joined the band. He wrote the lyrics for the remaining songs and recorded vocals. In the middle of 2015 the album was recorded and Nephilim quit the band to focus on his main project SACRUM FRAUS. In 2016 thanks to the masterful work of Georgiy Shchelbanin (DEVIANT NATION STUDIO) the album was finally mixed and mastered. That year a new vocalist Alexander Spartanskiy joined the band. We recorded another song with his vocals, commenced concert activity and started looking for a label. In April 2017 the debut album “The Revelation Of The Pyramids” was released by More Hate Productions.

Your lyrics cover 'Sumerian and Akkadian Mythology', can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?
The history of ancient civilizations and their mythology always seemed an interesting topic. Sumerian civilization is one of the first developed civilizations on Earth, which mysteriously appeared and mysteriously disappeared. Their ancient texts describe amazing things about the creation of the world and man. All this seems interesting and gives us many opportunities to write lyrics.

What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name SphereDemonis?
SphereDemonis consists of two words in two languages and means the sphere of demons. The sphere of demons is the area around us where the dark forces are concentrated. Actually, it's just a word that does not mean anything.

What are some of the best shows you have played so far, and how would you describe your performances?
This summer we had a tour of the Crimea. In every city of the tour we tried to make a grand show. In general, we spend a lot of time on staging movements. Therefore, each show is very important for us. Even in the smallest club with a minimum number of people on the dance floor, we make a great show and lay ourselves out 100%.

Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We plan a winter tour of Russia. We hope this year and next year we will have many great shows.

On a worldwide level, how has feedback for your music been from deathcore, symphonic metal and death metal fans?
Our release received many positive reviews in various zines and social networks. Based on statistics from YouTube, social networks and Bandcamp, our release received a lot of comments, likes and replays. And I think this is a very good result for a debut release.

What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects that some of the band members are a part of?
They are trying to develop their musical projects. But everyone has to spend most of their time on SphereDemonis.

Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We hope in the future we will have more than one release, have more great shows, tours, and fans in different parts of the world. We have already started writing new material for the next album. I don’t know how long it will take to create it, but we will try to record it as soon as possible. For the new release we are focusing more on technicality but there is also a melodic component. The sound will be more aggressive and there will be less symphonic inserts. So, there will be a lot of interesting things!

What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
We all have diverse musical tastes. We can’t say these bands influenced our music, but we would like to specify the following bands whose music is close to us: Behemoth, Kataklysm, Abiotic, Rose Funeral, Meshuggah, The Black Dahlia Murder, Septicflesh, Betraying The Martyrs, Vesania, and many others.

What are some of your non musical interests?
Sports, traveling and partying with friends.

Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
First of all, thank you for the interview! We invoke everyone to listen to more metal, watch musical videos and support your favorite bands. A lot of your favorite bands exist only thanks to the activity of fans. Many thanks to all! Stay strong, stay true, stay metal.

https://vk.com/spheredemonis
https://www.facebook.com/SphereDemonis/
https://spheredemonis.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/Morwran666

-Loki Astaroth

Retrace My Fragments Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new ep?

After we the relase show of Tidal Lock, we went straight back to our practice room to start writing on more new stuff. We won’t be touring the EP or play many shows during the next months, but we progress extremely quick with new stuff, so we will be able to release a new Retrace My Fragments LP in the near future. We also spend some evenings with Marti, our former singer, in order to celebrate his 11 years with Retrace My Fragments. Our release show was also his farewell show.

2.Recently you have released a new ep. how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

I think we would call it Progressive Metal. We will not try to find some niche description, because Prog Metal is what it is. Most of the Death Metal elements are gone, because there are no more vocals. Obviously you can imagine vocals on the record, so you can transform it into a Death Metal, Metalcore or Thrash Metal album with your fantasy. The music is dominated by heavy riffs paired with melodic guitars,and a tricky, yet groovy drum and bass section.

3.All  of the music on the new recording is instrumental, what was the decision behind going into this direction and also will vocals make a return on future releases?

When our singer Marti told us that he would leave the band to pursue his personal dreams and adventures (in which he greatly succeeded 😊), we tried out several new singers. But in the end, it never worked out. We grew tired of this and decided that the best replacement for Marti, was no replacement at all. The songs work well instrumentally and so does the new stuff. Concerning vocals on future releases, I’ll keep it vague and just say: never say never, haha.

4.When you still had vocals what where some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explored with the music?

The last album was a sci-fi concept story, so science fiction was our main inspiration. Our singer Marti had even started to write a whole sci-fi novella, unfortunately he did not manage to finish it (maybe he’ll find some time now). The vocals on Ethereal Flux make little sense if you don’t know the background story, as they are merely excerpts from Marti’s sci-fi novella. So our lyrics were our own sci-fi story.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Retrace my Fragments’?

I wish that I could tell you a great story now about the name, but the fact is that we just thought that it sounded very cool, when we came up with it. That’s it, haha.

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

The best shows were the Ethereal Flux release, the Tidal Lock release, the opening slot at Metal Days on the main stage and to be the first band to have played the Luxembourgish Philharmonic Concert Hall. We try to deliver an energetic stage performance, which was largely due to Marti’s presence on stage: he’d climb stuff, throw stuff around, act like crazy. Obviously, we’re in a different situation now and we still have to figure out a way to become entertaining as an instrumental 4-piece now.

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

No, our main objective now is to finish the next album and start recording it. We are obviously always interested in playing shows, especially abroad, but right now our priority is songwriting.

8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

We are not actively looking for one as we can record ourselves with a very low budget, we work with a good PR campaign and can manage social media and internet presence ourselves. But if any booker is reading this and wants to work with us for serious touring, feel free to contact us.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of progressive and extreme metal?

We get good feedback in general, although it is not that much because we lack exposure. Hopefully this will change soon. Our music can be hard to digest so the reactions are mixed: Prog Metal is not everyone’s cup of tea. But we always receive very good feedback from people who are into all kinds of Prog Metal, from Rush,Opeth, Between The Buried and Me or The Facless.

10.What is going on with 'Abstract Rupture' these days, a band that shares a couple of the same members?

As far as I know, they are also writing on new stuff and have been to the studio to record some new songs. They also play shows regularly. Both bands coexist very well, although we share the bassist and one guitarist. We also practice in the same place.

11.When can we expect another full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

When is hard to tell, but maybe in a year or two. Right now, I’d say that the new stuff sounds more tricky and groovy than Ethereal Flux. Laserbrain from Tidal Lock is a good example of how new RMF music will sound like. But we are very openminded when it comes to songwriting and incorporating maybe some odd sounding parts to our songs, so there is never a masterplan we follow. But we stay heavy and proggy!

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

Major influences are Between The Buried And Me, Obscura, Nile, The Red Chord, Cephalic Carnage, Opeth, The Dillinger Escape Plan, but also a lot of 80s and 90s stuff, what you could call the classics. Bands we all listen to these days are Leprous, Agent Fresco, Cannibal Corpse, Animals As Leaders, Cult of Luna; that’s bands we all dig. Individually, everyone has loads of stuff he listens to. The musical panoply is huge in Retrace My Fragments.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

We all have different hobbies. Marc likes bicycling and is a big sci fi geek. Maks does several sports and is also very much into arts and travelling. Alex is into old US cars which he is restoring and is also co-organising Luxembourg’s biggest oldtimer festival. Claude is into video games and weightlifting and is also a history student, so he’s quite a geek about history and languages. And we’re all big foodies, so we regularly meet for band dinners in our favourite restaurants.

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

Not really, we just wanted to thank you for your interest and the interview. And for those who haven’t heard Tidal Lock yet, go download it for free on bandcamp. See you out there!

Retrace My Fragments/Tidal Lock/2017 EP Review

  Retrace  My  Fragments  are  a  band  from  Luxembourg  that  plays  a  very  progressive,  experimental  and  instrumental mixture  of  death  metal  and  deathcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  ep  "Tidal  Lock".

  Electronic  music  elements  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  musical  direction  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  the  first  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  technical  fashion  while  all  of  the  songs  are  instrumental  along  with  clean  guitars  also  being  used  briefly  and  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction  as  well  as  bringing  in  the  heaviness  of  death  metal  and  deathcore  and  influences  of  thrash  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  spoken  word  parts  and  blast  beats  are  also  added  onto  the  closing  track.

  Retrace  Fragments  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  progressive  and  experimental  while  also  mixing  in  elements  of  death  metal,  thrash  and  deathcore  as  well  as  keeping  everything  instrumental  and  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Retrace  my  Fragments  are  a  very  great  sounding  instrumental,  experimental  and  progressive  mixture  of  death  metal,  thrash  and  deathcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Laserbrain".  8  out  of  10.