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Chronicles of Chaos Issue 078
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CHRONICLES OF CHAOS e-Zine, October 3, 2004, Issue #78
http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com
Co-Editor / Founder: Gino Filicetti
Co-Editor / Contributor: Pedro Azevedo
Contributor: Brian Meloon
Contributor: Paul Schwarz
Contributor: Aaron McKay
Contributor: David Rocher
Contributor: Matthias Noll
Contributor: Alvin Wee
Contributor: Chris Flaaten
Contributor: Quentin Kalis
Contributor: Xander Hoose
Contributor: Adam Lineker
Contributor: James Montague
Contributor: Jackie Smit
Neophyte: James Slone
Neophyte: Todd DePalma
The individual writers can be reached by e-mail at
firstname.lastname@ChroniclesOfChaos.com.
(e.g. Gino.Filicetti@ChroniclesOfChaos.com).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Issue #78 Contents, 10/3/2004
-----------------------------
* Chats
-- Danzig: A New Cycle Begins
-- Mortiis: The Gloves Are Off
-- Celestia: Necromelancholic Reveries
-- Turisas: Thus Spake the War God
* Albums
-- Avec Tristesse - _How Innocence Dies_
-- Black Countess - _Carnivorous Romance_
-- Black Majesty - _Sands of Time_
-- Danzig - _Circle of Snakes_
-- Encrimson'd - _Agrarian Menace_
-- Frontside - _Forgive Us Our Sins_
-- Hellkult - _The Collection_
-- Krisiun - _Bloodshed_
-- Moonlyght - _Progressive Darkness_
-- Mortiis - _The Grudge_
-- Operation Winter Mist - _Winter Warfare II_
-- Rotting Christ - _Sanctus Diavolos_
-- Spastic Ink - _Ink Compatible_
-- The Haunted - _rEVOLVEr_
-- Turisas - _Battle Metal_
* Demos
-- Devastator - _Infernal Devastation_
-- Mórpheus - _Delomelanicon_
-- Thornafire - _Sin and Flesh Devotion_
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A N E W C Y C L E B E G I N S
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CoC chats with Glen Danzig
by: Jackie Smit
I'll be honest here -- I am a huge fan of Glen Danzig; have been
since I was thirteen years old. I have never paid attention to any of
the media's constant baiting or insistence on portraying him as an
oafish, pompous tit. No, for me, it's always been about the music and
there are few who can argue that after almost three decades in the
music business, Danzig does not have an impressive body work under
his belt. With so many ready to count him down after the release of
_Blackacidevil_ back in 1995, it is heartening that he has managed to
weather the storms with three outstanding albums, the most recent of
which is the forthcoming _Circle of Snakes_. Now, being the fanboy
that I am, I of course jumped at the chance to speak to the Evil
Elvis, and contrary to the many reports I heard from fellow
journalists, I found him to be an extremely friendly and open
interviewee. What follows is a totally unedited account of what went
down during the course of our conversation.
CoC: _Circle of Snakes_ once again sports a brand-new Danzig line-up,
so I guess my first question is: what drew you to recruit Tommy
Victor to play on this record?
Glen Danzig: Well, Tommy and I had worked together before on the
_Blackacidevil_ album and on the _I Luciferi_ tour --
Prong opened up. We kept in touch, and when it came time
to do this record, I called him up and asked him: "What
are you doing and what's your schedule like?", and he
was like "Yeah, let's do something."
CoC: With _Circle of Snakes_ being obviously very different to
_Blackacidevil_, what did Tommy bring to the plate in terms of
ideas -- how far did his contribution stretch on this record?
GD: Well, he didn't really work on the album, he worked on a couple
of remixes and he did the whole tour. Like I said, we had worked
together before and when Tommy got Prong back together, I invited
them on to the _I Luciferi_ tour. And we've always had a good
time working together and being on stage together, so in the end
this worked out really good.
CoC: Looking at _Blackacidevil_ for a moment, _Circle of Snakes_
strikes me as a much more old-school, organic record. What
prompted you to drop a lot of the electronics and the
experimentation following that record?
GD: I don't know that I really did. _Blackacidevil_ was still all
done analogue and _Satan's Child_ was the first record that I
recorded in digital. For _Circle of Snakes_ we did everything in
analogue first and then dumped it all into Pro Tools. So as far
as dropping the electronics... I'm not sure, really. _Circle of
Snakes_ certainly has a lot of stuff that references earlier
material and some of it goes even further back than Danzig. But
it also has a lot of new stuff, like the double-kick on "Skin
Carver", and it's the first record that we've tuned down below C;
there are a couple of songs that are down to drop-D. I just like
to break things down into segments that I can experiment with
and, you know, see how it turns out.
CoC: _Circle of Snakes_, as you've said in other interviews, is not a
themed album at all, but I do get the impression from a lot of
tracks, particularly "Netherbound", that it's a very personal
record. Did you have anyone in specific in mind when you wrote
that song?
GD: It's more about a certain kind of lifestyle and a certain kind of
personality. A lot of people have told me that this record is
very personal, and it is. They're right on the money. It's a very
personal record for me --especially lyrically. There's a lot of
things I wanted to sing about and talk about that I may not have
done the same way before.
CoC: What made you decide to stop the numerology on successive Danzig
records?
GD: It's just something I knew I wanted to do. When I started this
band, I had a seven-record cycle in my mind, where each record
would do a different thing in this cycle, with the last one being
_I Lucifieri_.
CoC: You've chosen to sign with Regain Records for this album -- why
such a small label?
GD: Actually everything gets released on my label now [Evillive], and
I just license it to various companies for each territory. If I
like the relationship, I stay; and if I don't, I leave. Then
eventually I get the album back and I can put it out again later
on. For me, with Regain, it's basically down to me liking Per's
ideas, I like what he has to say and I like his partner over in
Germany.
CoC: Where do you see _Circle of Snakes_ fitting into the grand
scheme of the Danzig discography?
GD: Exactly where it is right now. <laughs> After the cycle. For me,
it's an album where I could breathe again. I had finished a cycle
of records that I am very happy about and very proud of, but now
I can move on and put that big body of work behind me and just
keep creating new things.
CoC: Does _Circle of Snakes_ signal the start of a new cycle in any
way?
GD: I guess in a way it does, but not in a regimented cycle. It's
definitely a new beginning for me and it's very refreshing in a
way.
CoC: You've said that your next tour is going to be your last. What
is going to happen in terms of your musical projects?
GD: Well, this is one of the reasons I decided to take some time off.
I've had _Black Aria Part 2_ finished for like four years and I
have the cover lying in the corner of my room. People are always
coming up to me and asking me when I'm going to release it, and I
just haven't had the time. I just never get the chance to go into
the studio and finish it, because I'm stuck in this cycle of
recording and touring, where I think a lot of artists are anyway.
I mean, as a journalist I'm sure you know that when a tour is
done for most artists they have to start recording again straight
away to basically go back on tour. So, that's why I decided to
take some off. I also have this other record I want to do with
Jerry Cantrell, like a really dark blues record. He and I worked
together on _Blackacidevil_ -- he came in and worked on a couple
of tracks, and it was just really easy process. He's another
guitar player that I really have a lot of respect for, apart from
Tommy. He is just a r eally natural guitar player, which is very
hard to find these days.
CoC: Now, you're also taking Doyle out on tour with you in a couple
of weeks and doing some of the old Misfits stuff. Are you doing
this as some sort of vindication -- to show people the "real
deal", so to speak? I mean, as far as I'm concerned, The Misfits
right now is pretty much a case of Jerry Only being a prick and
making money off something you started.
GD: <laughs> I'm glad you said it. No, actually, Doyle and I have
always remained in contact and we've always remained friends.
We've also talked about doing this a couple times and I guess now
that I'm going to be taking some time off, this is probably the
right time to do it. If all goes well, I'll also be producing
Doyle's record when he gets out to California. Him and me finally
getting together again on stage; it's probably been about twenty
years since we've played together, so I guess it will be pretty
historic for a lot of people.
CoC: Has there been any way for you to follow up on your situation
with The Misfits in terms of who has the rights to what? Again,
in my humble opinion, what you have right now is a guy just out
to cash in on a name and tainting the legacy of the band.
GD: You know, we made an agreement a long, long time ago that we'd
never do it again unless we all did it together. Of course, later
on I told them: "If you're going to do it, then just make sure
that people know I'm not involved." People know that I'm not in
the band and that I have nothing to do with it, but in a way I
think that they have tarnished the name. I would prefer for him
to just go out as Jerry Only, the way I did -- just using my name
-- but he doesn't seem to have the confidence in himself to go
out and do it that way. My attitude towards it is that everybody
knows the real deal -- I think people know when they see him that
it's not the real thing.
CoC: After being in the music scene for so long, are you still as
excited about making music today as you were when you got
started out in the business?
GD: Definitely. Especially with this record, I was really excited to
do some of these songs, because I had just finished up that cycle
I was talking about and I just had so much energy, and I think it
shows. We had a couple of kids come up to us the other night
after we had done the Summer Breeze fest and they said: "Man, I
love all the old stuff, but this new stuff just has so much
energy."
CoC: Well, the new album definitely sounds very dark and very
menacing. Is that something you set out to do from the start or
did it just happen naturally?
GD: Both. As I set out to make something, I think that sometimes I
tend to go a little extreme. <laughs> But that's okay, because I
think that way it ends being more along the lines of what it's
supposed to be. With this record the main thing was that I am
just so annoyed with the music industry right now and the way now
it's almost exactly the same way it was when I started in the
'70s. It's even more so now with all the contracts and record
company controlling what sort of music will come out of their
bands. You know, finally, after so many years, in America we've
gotten rid of the whole nu metal thing. There's still a couple of
bands left, but for the most part it's dead. And now, a lot of
the kids that were into that whole mall metal thing have grown up
and they're discovering real music, whether it's hard rock or
metal or whatever, which is kind of refreshing, but I have so
much anger still that bands would get caught up in that whole
record company monopoly control situ ation. I'm just shocked that
they haven't learned that money isn't everything.
CoC: So with nu metal dead, where do you see the metal scene headed
toward in the near future?
GD: I don't know, because I'm not sure where I fit into that whole
scene. I think that I have carved out a little niche for myself
over the years. I don't know. Like I said, people want the real
stuff now, and I think that's always been true; not just of
metal, but of music in general. People will always continue to
discover Led Zeppelin, if you know what I mean? Bauhaus,
Misfits, Minor Threat, Danzig or whatever it is that people are
discovering -- if it's real, it will stand the test of time, and
I think in the long run if a band plays real music that's from
the heart and not based on some trend, then I think they'd be
able to survive in this crazy musical world. At least that's what
I think.
CoC: Considering the amount of extreme bans you take out on the road
with you (Behemoth, Marduk, Nile, etc.), do you see an increased
interest for this sort of music in future from kids who got into
the scene through bands like Slipknot or Korn?
GD: In America, definitely -- I see a lot greater demand for this
type of music. It's something I would certainly see growing in
the future, for sure.
CoC: Talk to me about your relationship with Johnny Cash.
GD: I was asked to write a song for him, and I said: "Of course I'd
write a song for Johnny Cash." You know, my dad was a huge Johnny
Cash fan and I knew his records from my dad. Getting back to what
we were talking about -- people playing real music -- there's
always been something in what Johnny Cash has done that I was
really drawn to. He did things his way. If it was a hit, great;
if not, that's okay also. That attitude is a great attitude to
have. You have to be true to yourself; whether you go through
good or bad times, you have to be true to yourself. This why when
I was asked to do the song for him, I was honoured and it
ended up taking me all of twenty minutes to write the song
("Thirteen"). That was basically my perception of Johnny Cash --
that song. I think it's probably one of the best songs that I've
ever written, and I taught it to him and he loved it. I don't
think there's a bigger honour than to sit down and be able to
sing a song with Johnny Cash. After that a couple of Johnny's
friends called me, one of which was Kris Kristofferson, and he
told me that the song was incredible and that he wished that I
had written it for him. <laughs> I did actually write him another
song called "Come to Silver", which ended up on _Blackacidevil_
because I didn't give it to him. That's actually the song that
Jerry Cantrell plays on, but that was written for Johnny Cash. I
wasn't ever really good friends with Johnny. We worked together
on the song and we spoke on the phone from time to time, but I
would never want to intimate that we were the best of friends. He
invited me down to the "House of Cash" things he used to do,
where a bunch of people would get together in his living room and
play music. But I have to say that he was one of the nicest guys
that I have ever met. He's a true gentleman. And so many of the
old musicians are like that. I had the good fortune of writing a
song for Roy Orbison and it was the same vibe -- just a nice,
humble gentleman. And these guys are just so talented. I mean,
you start playing and they start singing and their voices just
fill up the room.
CoC: Why do you think that Johnny Cash caught on to such an extent in
the metal scene?
GD: It's like I said to you before, it's real. When something's real,
then people will find and discover it. You know why Wagner is so
listened to by so many different kinds of artists? Because it has
a reality to it that's undeniable. There's so many musicians that
are like that, and no matter what genre of music they play, if
it's real, then people will appreciate it and it will be around
for a long time to come.
CoC: When you finally decide to hang up the microphone so to speak,
what would you most like people to remember you for?
GD: Uh... Jeez. <laughs> I guess I'd like people to remember me for
music that they could appreciate and music that they wanted to go
back to, and for never giving in to the pressures of the labels
and doing what I wanted to do. I could have been far richer if I
didn't have this stubborn attitude, but that's who I am and
that's something that I like about myself -- that I stick to my
guns. And, you know, I'll give here or there if it's not
important -- that's part of life. Working with a producer like
Rick [Rubin], for example, taught me that if something is
important enough, then people can fight for it; if not, then let
me try it my way. It's a good learning experience and it's great
to see new kids coming to shows and discovering my stuff, but I
doubt that it's any stranger than it is for Jimmy Page or Robert
Plant or David Bowie. And when they then go on to discover the
old stuff, I'm honoured. That's why I wrote it to begin with.
CoC: Any last words?
GD: Thanks for a great interview, man!
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T H E G L O V E S A R E O F F
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CoC chats with Mortiis
by: Jackie Smit
Mortiis is pissed off. And why not? After years spent being called
everything from "Ole Rubber Nose" to whatever else the embittered
flunkies of the greater music press could come up with, the tables
have finally turned. Suddenly the very scribes that before wouldn't
give him the time of day are clamouring for his attention. The irony
is that the reason for this happening is at least partially rooted in
an album that directs its venom at just such hypocrisy. For those
that don't know yet, _The Grudge_ takes a massive leap forward from
2001's _The Smell of Rain_. Branded "Era 3", it sees Mortiis as his
most confident, vengeful best. I recently had the pleasure of
receiving a call from the man himself, in what turned out to be a
very lengthy conversation about everything from the forthcoming
album, to being in the UK charts, to his days in Emperor.
CoC: Starting with the new record first of all: you have said many
times in the past that you have dubbed your early work as "Era
1", that _Smell of Rain_ was "Era 2" and now _The Grudge_ is
"Era 3". Was it the plan all along for you to evolve in this
way, or is it something that happened naturally?
Mortiis: I think when I had finished _The Smell of Rain_, I didn't
know what was going to happen. All I knew was that I was
going to start a band, so that we could go out and play
live, and that's what I did. We rehearsed and we started
touring during 2002 and a little bit during 2003 and that's
also when we started making the new album, and it was around
that time that I realised that this [_The Grudge_] was going
to be a hard album. I think I knew a little while before we
started the album actually, because live we were just
getting so much heavier. So, I kinda knew that this wasn't
going to be another poppy kind of album. I knew there was
going to be more hate -- for very good personal reasons, all
of which tie in nicely with the album title as well.
CoC: You had been touring for _The Smell of Rain_ already by the time
you decided this. So what made you want to draft in permanent
members and get a fully-functional band going, so to speak?
M: I think just that fact that I grew up with all these rock 'n' roll
bands in the Eighties, subconsciously this is what I always wanted
to do. And when I made _The Smell of Rain_, I knew that the next
step would be to stop the whole session musician thing, because
that was basically the second album on which I had used a bunch of
session members, and I kind of felt that was a bit of a drag. I
mean, not that I didn't like working with those guys, but I felt
that I wanted something that was more real, more true... more
authentic. So that's what I set out to do -- I got all the guys
together and, you know, here we are.
CoC: In terms of their contribution to your music, are the guys that
have been drafted into the band given an active say on what
makes it on to an album?
M: No. No fucking way. <laughs>
CoC: You're still the boss then?
M: I listen to what they have to say, and I basically come up with
stuff that everyone loves anyway. I remember one of the guys when
we were in the studio really hated "Twist the Knife" because when
I brought it into the studio one night, it was at such an early
state of completion that it probably sounded funny to him. But
then when it started shaping up and it started to get the meat on
to its bones, he said: "Fuck man that has to be a single." Of
course, there's no way that song can be a single -- it's too damn
weird for that. I agree that it's a cool song, but it's too
fucking strange. But that just goes to prove that I'm always
right. <laughs>
CoC: The issue of having a designated band leader does seem to work
best in a lot of situations.
M: Yeah, you kind of have to go the Ceausescu route. Just follow my
lead and that's it. You've got to be a dictator in a way. You
don't have to be a prick, but if you have total democracy in a
band, I think it's going to end up being a very unfocused,
confused band where everybody has a say and no one is really 100%
happy with everything that's going on, because they have to
compromise with three or four other people all the time. I just
find that it's better to have one designated leader in the band
and everyone accepts that person, or you leave the fucking band,
basically. The point where that happens, where someone doesn't
necessarily agree, that's where problems begin, and as the
visionary or the leader of the band, you then have a weak link on
your hands, which you will probably need to get rid of. At that
point of course it ceases to be personal; you know, it's business
as usual, it's what's best for the band -- if you want to take it
seriously, you have to treat it lik e a business.
CoC: So, in that sense, what ultimately got the guys who are playing
with you right now their jobs?
M: Well, basically the fact that they're from around here [Oslo] and
that they were ambitious and keen to be in the band. And, you
know, they're not ugly and they look okay on photos and they can
play their instruments. Everyone was okay with my ideas for
imagery and of course everyone was into the stuff that I had
written, like the stuff on _The Smell of Rain_. It took a little
bit of time to get them into the whole "you don't have to play
like Rammstein just because I'm saying that this is a slightly
more industrial sounding one than the last song." That's one of
the points that I had to hammer home in the first week: I wanted
them to think in a more punkish attitude, like "fuck you, fuck
you, fuck you" -- you know what I mean? Just be aggressive. And
you know, I even pushed that point home when we were rehearsing
_The Smell of Rain_ songs, and it fucking worked great. Those
songs, which were initially poppy and catchy, were actually
working out great for this more aggressi ve way. We started adding
more guitars to that stuff and it sounds awesome. But the guys in
the band -- they didn't have to audition or something to be in the
band. It's not like that -- we're not fucking Aerosmith, you know.
CoC: Now, talk me through the recording process you went through for
this album, because you did take a lot longer than the average
to finish this one up. Come to think of it, I remember reading
on your website when the album's recording started that you were
going to complete the album in brief bursts of activity.
M: Yeah, kinda. What happened was that I would sit here at home with
my setup and I would create songs. Usually every time I had like
two of them ready, which basically meant that there was a pretty
good structure with a beginning and an end and basically, you
know, it made enough sense for the rest of the guys to be able to
track their drums and bass and guitars on top of it. Then we'd get
the songs to a state of completion where it wasn't really going to
change a lot as far as structure and things like that. After that
we'd hit the studio for like a week or two and basically just work
on those few songs. And usually once those got started and I had
given all my instructions to all the guys for drums or guitars or
whatever, I would go to a different room and I would start
programming on a different song again and start working on
something else, like something that we had already worked on a
month before. That worked really well. Instead of me just sitting
there like a fucki ng little Hitler watching the guys work and
barking orders, now I just kinda dropped in every fourty-five
minutes to an hour and just see what was going on. And you know,
every now and then I'd notice that something had been done wrong
and we'd have to spend some time on it, and then when everything
was okay again, then I'd just go back to my thing. The last thing
that we would then track would be obviously the vocals, and I was
pretty adamant that as much as possible should already be on the
song, at least in some kind of demo form, before I tracked my
vocals, because that's when the true power of the song comes out
and that's when you give the best performance vocally. It gave me
a lot of time to drink a lot of whiskey before I went and did it.
<laughs> We drank a lot of fucking whiskey, because, you know, it
loosens up the vocal chords, it warms up your throat and it's
kinda like an ointment. Plus, it gets rid of a little bit of that
stage fright that you will feel. Like you're standing there in an
empty room in front of a microphone and you're supposed to go
ahead and impress everybody with your amazing voice or something.
You know, so when you go ahead with all that whiskey it's really
not a problem at all.
CoC: I can imagine.
M: Yeah, so that was always like a fun three or four hours while we
were doing the songs. I always had a lot of fun. When I heard my
vocals on the songs for the first time -- you know, we had never
rehearsed anything until we'd actually finished recording, so that
we could play them live. We never recorded anything live either --
not vocals, drums or guitars or whatever. We just do everything
bit by bit. It was really methodically done; things were looped up
and repeated and then cut and pasted. But yeah, like I said, I had
a really good time doing the vocals. It was weird in a way,
because I'm singing about really negative stuff, so you're really
living yourself into this while you're recording it, but at the
same time you're kind of enjoying it. It's like you finally get to
vent all these things and then you get to hear them screamed out
into the air, and it's like "Wow, I finally got rid of that -- I
finally got rid of that shit".
CoC: Speaking of all the anger and the negativity that you explore
with _The Grudge_, it's something that you've made a lot of
mention of in other interviews. Do you think that you've managed
to exorcise all those personal demons completely with this
record?
M: Well, it's hard to tell, because right now I feel like it's all
out of the system. But I felt the same when I did _The Smell of
Rain_, which was like a shitty two year depression crap time that
I never ever want to return to. There was a lot of stuff that was
left there, but I feel like I got a lot said now. I feel like I've
had my revenge on a bunch of people and... I don't know, man. I
feel like if I keep on whining about these people now, it's going
to be kinda redundant and it's going to be like "Haven't you
complained enough now?" Having said that, I also deal with several
other things. There are always things that will piss you off in a
variety of ways, and it's not like I just want to make music
that's angry just for the sake of being fashionable. It's not like
that. It's going to have to be real. These two last albums have
been very real, as far as they both come straight from the heart,
you know? So I'm going to really have to be careful on the next
album, but I'm not too worried, because I know myself really well
now. I know that whatever I do will be based in truth to some
extent -- it's going to be something I feel or that I have an
opinion about or something that's straight from the heart. I'm
sure that there's a lot more stuff that I can just bleed out, you
know? But we'll have to see, man. I just don't want to be treading
water. It's a fine line, I guess, between just repeating oneself
and then kind of doing something that's more meaningful and
sincere.
CoC: The anger that you talk about on _The Grudge_ -- was this aimed
at something specific, or are you just generally dissatisfied
with the state of the world right now?
M: Well, it's all kind of personal. Several songs on the record are
directed at specific people. I'm not going to name any of them,
because I don't want to go down to that level. Then you get songs
like "Gibber", which is more like an observational song about
society and how society will hide and not acknowledge certain
courtesies. You're supposed to be okay to people and society
preaches this with all their morals and all that, but then you
have like big groups of people that are really fucked around and
no one ever really acknowledges that. So "Gibber" is about that. I
guess, once again, it's set in a more Christian society -- the way
Christian normalist society could so easily condemn people while
at the same time preaching love and understanding. I never got the
logic in that. That always appeared to me as very hypocritical.
I'm by no means a hyper-intelligent, research-driven person. I'm
not Manson or someone, who can back up every thing they're saying.
I just happened t o write a song about a topic that was bothering
me and I've covered very similar topics with songs like "Parasite
God". That song was pretty much about the same thing, just written
in a different way. As a matter of fact, about 80% of the lyrical
content of "Gibber" is older than "Parasite God". It was written
ages ago with a different title and I found it, and I liked a lot
of what it was saying and what I did then was to give it its last
verse. I may also have changed the title and I changed a few lines
here and there just to make sure that it kept the flow of the
rhyme, because a song like "Gibber" is something that has to rhyme
if it's going to be cool. And that's what "Gibber" is about --
it's kind of a Ministry tribute; it sounds a shitload like
Ministry in many places. Also on the album, the major difference
in the way I sing is down to Al Jourgenson's influence. So, that's
one example and then you have songs like "Worse Than Me", which is
kind of like stupid shit tha t I've put myself in. It's a song
about stupid situation that I've allowed myself to get dragged
into and stupid people that have fucked me around, making me feel
slightly unstable. It's very retrospective though, because I
haven't felt unstable like that for a great many years. It's just
something you look back on and you never really examined what
happened there -- sooner or later, it's just going to explode.
That's the kind of person that I am. Maybe I'm fragile or
something. I don't know. But I thought "Let's just write a fucking
song about it." So, there's a lot of that kind of stuff.
CoC: Well, I definitely think that the examples you mentioned there
are things that people can very easily relate to.
M: Yeah, it's extremely human. It all is. Everybody goes through
things like that. Maybe I'm just a fucking sissy! <laughs>
CoC: Aside from being much more aggressive, you also took a lot more
chances with this album.
M: Yeah, I agree with that. But then you can also argue that if you
compare _The Smell of Rain_ with _The Stargate_...
CoC: There's a big departure there definitely.
M: So there was a big change there. I knew at the time that I could
lose everything, but I figured that it was going to be worth it no
matter what, because I was at the point of self-destructing at
that time. I stopped enjoying what I was doing and I knew that if
I kept doing this -- like do another _Stargate_ bullshit album --
I was going to fucking combust or something. I was just going to
fucking sink, you know? There was no passion. And that was a
really difficult, strange time for me for a little while, because
I didn't have any vision for a little while. That's not like me at
all. I always have very definite ideas and visions over what I
want to do; there's always a focus on something. And for some
time, there wasn't. I just didn't know what I was doing, and I
just had to get out of that fucking situation and then I just
found my way and realised that this was what I wanted to fucking
do. I wanted to do the whole rock band thing that I grew up
listening to in the '80s. Not your general kind of music of
course, but just be the frontman -- to feel the reaction of the
crowd, which is something that I find very rewarding; maybe not
artistically, but egotistically. So that had to be done, so I knew
that even if I lost everything it would have been worth it because
I would have achieved something. But hey, what happened? We sold
almost double. It was a pretty big success. To me on a personal
level, that was a lot more scary than anything I did on _The
Grudge_. I know that the _The Grudge_ is a big jump and it takes
on a lot of new things. You have songs like "Twist the Knife"
which has some really weird stuff going on and then there's songs
like "Loneliest Thing" -- that's a really bizarre song that begins
in one way and then ends off in a completely different way and
ends up sounding almost like a soundtrack to "Miami Vice" with
fucking digital synth that I was just going off on. Stuff like
that... I think we did a lot of stuff on the album whe re I
couldn't tell myself "Yeah, they're going to love it." It was more
like "I think they'll like this." Do we care? Not really, because
we're having a good time doing this and it feels right. So fuck
'em. Fuck 'em all!
CoC: How do you feel you've been portrayed by the media?
M: On _The Smell of Rain_, I felt like there was a definite
improvement. At that point I think that people were really
surprised about the music that came out from Mortiis -- about the
music on that album. I think people, the press, everyone probably
expected another bizarre concept album about insane fucking themes
-- you know, travelling between dimensions and all kinds of spaced
out, hippie stuff. So when the album came out, it had real subject
matter, it had stuff that people could relate to, and I think that
people were forced to realise that Mortiis could make some good
music. I'm sure that a lot of media people hated that fact,
because until then I was such an easy target, especially with the
UK press.
CoC: That's actually what I was going to get to a minute.
M: Yeah, I mean, the UK press were pretty fucking merciless,
especially when _The Stargate_ came out. We got a 2 out of 5 in
Kerrang!, there were references to Morris dancers in the review.
That wasn't exactly a fun read. You know, The Sun ran a small
piece claiming that I was still living with my parents, which I
wasn't, and then it really started to become like "Okay, why are
you seeing these things?" If you don't like the album, fine, but
why are you talking shit like this? Pretty much everybody in the
UK were taking the piss and the album got no good reviews and a
lot of people were introduced to Mortiis for the first time in
that way. And I felt that people sending letters to Kerrang!,
saying "Why the fuck do you have that stupid idiot in your
magazine in the first place?" -- I was used a lot for humorous
purposes. I thought that was like "Fuck them", you know -- I've
been through all this shit before, I can handle it -- and I could.
But it kinda felt like these guys pra ise guys like Slipknot who
have a very similar image in a way. While I can appreciate that
musically, they're vastly different to what I do, so whether that
makes them more justified to have an image like that, I don't
know. I just felt picked out and made fun of like you wouldn't
believe -- ridiculed to the limit. That all changed quite a lot
when _The Smell of Rain_ came out. There was more respect and more
press too. So, this time round it's a completely different story.
Now we're getting great reviews -- I mean, we got great reviews
for _The Smell of Rain_ too, but this time it's even better. I
think, if we didn't prove it last time, then we're definitely
proving this time that Mortiis is musically very, very good. I'd
hate to blow my trumpet now, but I feel confident now. We still
have the image, but we change and morph into something different
with every album, so I think that visually we've also gotten
better.
CoC: Talking still about the UK press, I generally find particularly
magazines over here to be very hypocritical. As an example, like
you mentioned, you were a figure of fun for just about every
magazine around, and when _The Smell of Rain_ came out, suddenly
they started acting as though they'd been your biggest fans all
along.
M: Now I'm writing for one of them every month! <laughs>
CoC: How does it make you feel when you step back and you analyse the
situation as it stands right now?
M: I don't think I've really done that yet. I know that things have
changed. I am noticing what's going on -- I'm not blind. It's not
like people suddenly changed. Nobody changes, man -- it's just
that the tables have turned. All of a sudden, Mortiis has more
fans, we're playing live -- we've actually proven that we can be a
good live band as well. I think people were just forced to
acknowledge the fact that you can't just write us off as a one
year novelty. We're not something that just came and went. I think
we actually managed to override a lot of bullshit and a lot of the
crap that journalists tried to throw in my face, all the ridicule
at my expense. We're still here. Still playing fucking music and
we're about to go out on a huge tour. We have ten UK dates and we
were on the fucking charts over there!
CoC: Let's just talk about your imagery for a moment. I noticed on
the press shots for the new album, your mask has changed from a
full- on, face-covering to where it looks like a piece of skin
that's been stitched over your basic features. I might be
reading too much into it, but is this a subtle hint that you
might be doing away with the prosthetics in the future?
M: Well, that question proves that I have achieved what I set out to
achieve. I wanted people to speculate and wonder, and that's what
they're doing. It doesn't necessarily say that's going to happen,
but it doesn't say that it isn't going to happen. I'm building a
lot of bridges and I'm sowing a lot of seeds for me and a lot of
other people. Let's all wonder what's going to happen now! I can
tell you this: it will be full make-up on the tour. If I were
going to get rid of the mask, I'd never do something like that
cold turkey. As much as I love the shock factor, on that level, if
I were to ever take off the mask, I'd do it in a very kinda
subtle, tasteful way. We have a couple of really nifty things
going on in the album artwork as well, so when that comes out,
people are going to speculate even more, and there's going to be a
lot of theories out there.
CoC: Well, one theory one could have is that the personal nature of
_The Grudge_ and the imagery of the mask peeling off your face
would indicate that you're opening yourself up a lot more.
M: It is becoming more so. It's becoming a lot more human. As such, I
felt that the image needed to be humanized a little more. Maybe
unwillingly, the character is becoming more human, because he is
being drawn into the evil of this world more and more -- to be a
little spaced out there for a second. That's one way of looking at
it, absolutely.
CoC: Were you surprised to see the first single off _The Grudge_
enter the UK charts?
M: Well, as I tell everyone, I have stopped having expectations and I
think that my enthusiasm was killed pretty early on when I was
introduced to the realities of this industry. I have become very
cynical and I've learned to accept that whatever happens, happens.
You learn not to jump up and down about things, because things are
never as good as they look. It was a pleasant call to get from
Earache, when they called and said that we'd come in at #42. I
mean, the aim for them was to just get into the charts, but it's
very difficult. They said that if we come in, it will probably be
at the low end -- maybe like the top 75, you know? So, when it
happened, nobody was really expecting it. I was happy to get the
phone call, but it wasn't one of those moments where you want to
go and have dinner and celebrate.
CoC: That's just because Earache don't pay you though.
M: <laughs> Exactly, I don't get shit! If they start to play it on
the radio, then you start getting radio money, but I doubt that
we've been A-listed yet.
CoC: Sadly not. The music scene in the UK is probably the worst in
the entire world.
M: It can't be worse than Germany. Or France, for that matter. I
think France has to be the worst. They have really weird laws,
man, like 50% of whatever is played on the radio must be French.
The horror of listening to French radio!
CoC: Do you still get a lot of questions about your early days with
Emperor?
M: Yeah, they do. The question I get a lot these days, is how do I
feel about the fact that they split up. I tell them that they
split when they were at the top. It was a shock decision, for sure
-- I mean, I don't think that Samoth really wanted to split up,
but he didn't really have a choice. It was Ihsahn's decision. So,
that's how that was. A lot of journalists are pretty young, and I
think they want the inside scoop on what went down in the early
days.
CoC: What interests me is how similar you see your persona while you
were in Emperor to the character that you are today?
M: On an extremist level, which I'm on -- I've always been one of
those "take it as far as you possibly can" people. Back in the
early days of Mortiis when I was in Emperor, I was definitely that
way as well. The day after I left Emperor, I sat down and thought
about what I was going to do. Two days later, I went down to the
music store and bought a keyboard. Didn't even know how to fucking
play it! Still don't know how to play it actually, because I don't
do music like that, I program the stuff. I was probably a better
player back then than I am now, which is pretty scary. To get back
to your question though, I've always been a pretty extreme person
in many ways, but it changed a bit about three years or so after I
started Mortiis. I lived in Sweden for a few years and I started
to open up a bit more to people, and listen to different music.
And I think that all gradually made me become the amazing person
that I am right now.
CoC: What tracks on _The Grudge_ stand out for you as the songs that
capture everything that the album is about?
M: Wow... that's a hard one. I think songs like "Gibber" and "Worst
in Me" definitely. But they're all kind of important in their own
way. I mean, there's "The Grudge" itself that kinda nails it down
as far as how certain people have fucked me around. I don't know,
"Way Too Wicked" does that as well. Then there's a song like "Le
Petit Cochon Sordide" that's just about this person that's like
the devil himself.
CoC: And here I was thinking you were singing about your feelings
toward French radio on that song.
M: <laughs> Yeah, I was singing about how much I hate France. No,
actually I don't hate France. It's just impossible to get shows
there. They just have really strange laws over there and it's
almost fascist in the way that they only seem to support their
own. They seem to only like themselves and everyone else can go
fuck themselves in a way. It's a weird attitude. I mean, it's like
"Is Hitler back and ruling the musical climate of France?"
CoC: In an ideal world, what would you like to see _The Grudge_ do
for you in terms of raising your profile?
M: I would be happy if we could sell enough that we could easily play
and sell out decent sized venues -- a thousand people a night, so
it's still fairly intimate. That's a case where you can get good
fees and you can stably live off of record sales, so that
everything could stop being such a hassle. The way it is right
now, it's just such a hassle. For everything that you want to do,
there always has to be a meeting, because it's always a budget
question. It would be great to move ahead and not worry about
doing videos, doing tours, worrying about tour support. All those
things are part of daily life for me, and we have enough faith in
ourselves to hope that those things are going to change with this
album, or at the very least send us on our way.
CoC: Who would you regard as ideal touring partners for Mortiis?
M: Ministry and Nine Inch Nails. I don't know if it would mean
anything to them, but to me it would mean a helluva lot, because
they're kind of like the bands that I really enjoy listening to
and that I'm really impressed with. I think that their fans would
also really appreciate the stuff that we do -- in fact, I know
that a lot of them do -- so it kinda makes sense.
CoC: Well, thanks very much for your time today, and best of luck to
you with the new album.
M: Thanks for the interview, and I'd advise people to check out
www.mortiis.com to find out when we're going to be in their town
so that they can come and check us out.
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N E C R O M E L A N C H O L I C R E V E R I E S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC chats to Noctu Geiistmortt of Celestia
by: Quentin Kalis
France has a long and distinguished black metal lineage, including
luminaries such as Mütiilation, Antaeus and Vlad Tepes. Perhaps such
notable company would help to explain why Celestia have been
unjustly ignored in comparison to the attention the aforementioned
acts have received. Their lack of recognition is certainly not
due to any deficiency of originality; few bands have created
such devastating melancholic grimness, to which Noctu's vocals add
an extra depressive dimension. Although Celestia is temporarily
inactive, Noctu Geiistmortt is still active within the black metal
scene and has recently released an album under the Mortifera moniker.
Although I've not had the pleasure of hearing Mortifera, the reviews
have generally been positive. My motivation for conducting this
e-mail interview is simple: I merely wanted to know more about this
mysterious entity. Hopefully you, the reader, will too.
CoC: I notice the band name is hardly your usual black metal name.
Why was it chosen?
Noctu Geiistmortt: I think that you will agree with me about the lack
of inspiration with these black metal band names.
The Celestia name can indeed be seen as something
weird for those who are looking for "Forest
Throne" band names. Celestia is a simple and an
iconic definition of my lyrical concept. I have
naturally put that name on my music and texts.
CoC: Black metal ideology is rooted in conceptions of Satanism, with
some bands now focusing on the religion of their ancient
forefathers. Is Celestia allied with any Satanic or Pagan
ideology? Celestia seems to be aiming for a more cerebral black
metal experience focusing on negativity and darkness but without
any cheesy "Hail Satan Our Master" silliness...
NG: Black metal is negativity for me. At least the negativity I have
inside my own self, and that is quite vast since I still feel
that awful need to create black metal and to write about my
perception of things. There are too many branches in the black
metal circus of today. I do not really understand the Pagan black
metal scene. For me, nothing negative is evoked in their music.
How can they talk about black metal when their references are
stories about old heroes from the past? A term that defines their
music better, I think, is "Historical Pagan metal" or something
of that kind. Nowadays people who are usually lacking in
creativity are studying old myths and legends linked with old
religious books, such as the Holy Bible. I was fascinated with
the last interview of Deathspell Omega by the capacity those
people had to misunderstand black metal and religion. For me
black metal must be far from every pre- established religious
doctrine, and when I read the words of people who wish to reach a
'Judeo- Christian equilibrium' while they pretend to play black
metal, I do admit that I have certain difficulties in following
them. What I mean by 'Judeo-Christian equilibrium' is more of a
justification of evil through the experience of the Christian
conception of "good". Maybe they just want to impress people by
quoting words of various authors to sell more albums? I don't
know. The worst conclusion is when you can compare black metal
attitude with a Jewish attitude. That really makes me think that
black metal reached a point where any kind of stupidity is able
to gather followers that will buy your records. Well, you will
tell me also that black metal listeners are usually really
immature and I will agree with you on that point. Celestia has
fortunately nothing to do with these movements. We are following
our own way without really paying attention to what is happening
in that defunct black metal movement. We are not really able to
evolve musically since the music we are playing is just black
metal with a personal touch. An abstraction for many and a reason
to hate us for others. Celestia is a male/female vomit, an
abstract void gathering all human negations. Some Evanescence of
past dead images, some fantasies leading to frustrations. A
desire to follow the path of self-destruction. Think about
putting all these things into a brain crushing machine and you
will maybe be able to understand my concept.
CoC: I've noticed in other interviews that Celestia is at great pains
not to align itself with the black metal scene, even going so
far as to cast doubts on the authenticity of Celestia's black
metal credentials. While there certainly are a lot of pathetic
albums and the scene has its fair share of idiots, why does
Celestia have such an aversion to being associated with the
black metal scene?
NG: Celestia is the only true black metal. We naturally cannot be
associated with the nowadays black metal scene, simply because
what I'm trying to evoke with Celestia is going too far away from
the standards already used in black metal. Sorry, but I cannot
copy/paste something already done in black metal. I just want to
make the most sincere black metal without taking influences from
anywhere.
CoC: I understand that Celestia have played live on several
occasions, a relatively rare occurrence for more underground (in
terms of style, not popularity) black metal bands. What made
Celestia decide to perform live?
NG: Yes, we have performed something like 25 shows in nine years of
existence. I don't know if it's a lot or not, but it was already
difficult to play in front of stupid humans. Fortunately some
shows were really pleasant. The nightmare is over now since we
decided not to play live anymore.
CoC: A large proportion of Drakkar bands (in comparison to other
black metal labels such as No Colours) such as Watain, Tsjuder,
Mütiilation and Abigail have performed live. Having worked at
Drakkar Productions, could you comment on this? Is it a part of
Drakkar policy to sign bands who are prepared to perform live or
is the current state of affairs completely unintentional?
NG: I don't know. Drakkar Productions does not really pay attention
to such things. If bands wish to play live, that's fine; if they
don't want to, that is alright too.
CoC: The Official Celestia website is rather sparse, to put it
kindly. There is a deliberate lack of information on the site,
with not even basics such as band history or discography. Why is
no information provided on past activities and why are past
activities regarded as unimportant?
NG: That web page is dead; Celestia is dead too. So, I don't see the
point in going back to past events. Also another important detail
is that I don't know how to deal with web pages since our
webmaster disappeared into the maelstrom of humanity. Celestia
has to remain unimportant, I think.
CoC: Could you tell us more about your side project Mortifera? Are
any other Celestia members involved in other projects? Also, why
did you form Mortifera? Does Mortifera cover musical or lyrical
territory that would be unthinkable under the Celestia banner?
Can we expect future Mortifera releases?
NG: Mortifera is indeed my second project. There were more and more
riffs or lyrics that I was not able to use for Celestia and I
have met a young man called Neige with whom I was sharing common
points of view. Mortifera has existed in my mind for several
years and since Celestia's work was put on ice, I decided to do
something with Mortifera. We first did that MCD (_Complainte
d'Une Agonie Céleste_) and we recently released one album. I am
quite satisfied of the result; in fact the Mortifera album is
even superior to the old _Apparitia - Sumptuous Spectre_ album
which suffers from a really bad mix and mastering. Try to check
out our Mortifera album and you will not be disappointed.
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T H U S S P A K E T H E W A R G O D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC chats with Matthias Nygard of Turisas
by: Jackie Smit
Undoubtedly one of the finer debuts of 2004, Finnish folk metallers
Turisas seem to have taken the metal world by surprise with their
brand of _Battle Metal_. The truth is, however, that Turisas has been
in existence since 1997, when Matthias "Warlord" Nygard and Jussi
Wickstrom met up in the small town of Hämeenlinna with the express
purpose of creating, in their own words, "Pagan metal hymns". I
recently had the pleasure of conducting an interview with Nygard,
shortly after it ha
d been reported that the band's guitarist Georg
Laakso had been stabbed during an altercation outside a fast food
restaurant.
CoC: Obviously first of all, our condolences go out to Georg and we
hope that he is recovering. How is he at the moment?
Matthias Nygard: He's very okay. I mean, we were a bit scared,
because we nearly ended up having to cancel our slot
at the Tuska Open Air Festival, but he got through
it. He managed to get stabbed six times in the back,
but luckily he wasn't hit in any major organs or
anything like that.
CoC: I saw the photos on the website, actually, and it was a very
close call from what I can tell.
MN: It was really close, and when you consider that it could happen
from just one stabwound, then he was very lucky to have survived.
But he was back again a week later playing at the Tuska festival.
He had to take it a bit easier to avoid tearing the stitches in
his back, but he is okay now. He is back on his feet.
CoC: Have you been able to find out what the particular reason was
for the attack -- you mentioned on the website that he was
involved in a fight outside a fast food restaurant?
MN: It was kind of someone that he had known before -- nothing
serious, just sort of like a small-town fight, you know? So they
just started in what looked like a normal fight; just man against
man and no one came between them or interfered or anything like
that. Then it was just afterward at the police station that he
noticed that he had been stabbed in the back. Obviously what had
happened was that the guy's girlfriend had come from behind while
they were busy with fighting and stabbed him with a knife and
nobody saw anything. It was a weird situation, because afterward
we weren't even thinking about it. We thought that everything was
over and done with, but then later on he noticed that he was
bleeding. Like I said, initially everything seemed really normal
-- it was just a fast fight between two guys and he only noticed
that he'd been stabbed later on.
CoC: No one has made any sort of fuss about this in the Finnish
newspapers, have they?
MN: No, nothing -- we're not really that big a band. If we were
bigger, then maybe they would have said something. But aside from
reports in the alternative music media, there was nothing.
CoC: So no blaming metal for the ills of society then?
MN: <laughs> No. These sorts of things are bad, but they tend to
happen quite often in Finland -- two guys fight and someone draws
a knife. So when it happens, nobody really thinks anything of it
anymore.
CoC: Why do you think this sort of behaviour is growing so common in
Finland?
MN: People get drunk and shit happens. I mean, we were just out for a
beer or two and then this happened. In Finland there's nothing
like big problems with firearms or anything like that. Usually
it's just petty disputes between people at bars or whatever.
CoC: Fair enough. Let's move on to your debut, _Battle Metal_: are
you satisfied with the reaction that you've received from the
press and from audiences so far?
MN: Yeah, definitely. The response from the press has been really
overwhelming so far. We got some really good reviews. I mean, in
amongst some of that you will always get a couple of guys who
didn't like the album, but overall the media seems to really like
it. With this record it was kind of a long process to finish the
whole album, and we were very deeply involved in that, to the
point where when we finished it was a really odd feeling for us
wondering what people were going to think of what we had done.
But now everyone has given us really good feedback. Of course,
when we were working on the album we did think that the album
would do well, but our fears were that our judgement was being
clouded because of how much we were into the music.
CoC: How long did the album take to complete?
MN: Well, our original plan was to enter the studio in April 2003, so
by that time we had already completed all the songs for the
album. Most debut albums tend to be a collection of songs that
the band has written since the early days anyway, so on _Battle
Metal_ there are songs dating as far back as 1998 or 1997. But we
were supposed to enter the studio in April, as I said, and that
fell apart when we realised that we would not be getting more
than about three to three and a half weeks of studio time. So we
decided to hang back and maybe go looking around for a cheaper
studio with the opportunity to have more time, because we know
that we would need it as a result of all the various orchestral
arrangements and so on that would go into the record. Then we
were told about the possibility to record in France at Sound
Suite studios, which would have fit into our budget and given us
more time. In the end that turned out to be a cool idea, although
we still had to record all the v iolins and the accordions and
all the extra things in Finland.
CoC: In retrospect, how do you feel about the way that the album
ended up sounding?
MN: I am very happy. Whilst recording _Battle Metal_ we got into a
situation where we didn't have time to really record anything
more, because we had run out of time and that kind of forced us
to come back to Finland and finish recording the choirs and
things like that. Obviously that brought us to the edge of having
to rush the album and just finish it as soon as possible, which
would have affected the end result quite badly. Then Terje from
Sound Suite let us know that he was really into the music and he
ended up giving us ten days extra for free, just because he knew
that we could do better if we had some more time. And then
finally in April of this year it was ready. It came out sounding
more or less the way we wanted it to, and I think that
considering the situation that we were in, it ended up sounding
really good.
CoC: Would you have done anything differently if you could do it
again now?
MN: I'd probably ask for more days off in between the actual
recording. I mean, twelve hours was like our shortest day in the
studio, you know, and that was really stressful. Next time we'll
know, if we end up working with Terje again (which will be great
in my opinion), how he does things and how we like to work, and
that will obviously make things go much faster.
CoC: Your music is very grandiose in the sense of you having a ton of
different instruments playing at once. Do you see yourself as
expanding even more on that in future, possibly to the extent
operating on a similar level to a band like Therion?
MN: You know, for me a lot of people tend to think of this sort of
music in terms of 'more is better' and to me it's not like that.
We wouldn't want to have a full orchestra or something like that
just for the sake of having it. It has to suit the music. Of
course it would be great to work with more organic instruments --
on this album we had to sample a lot of things and I would
have preferred a more real sound. On the other hand, I like
experimenting more and trying new things, but that will never be
the main starting point for everything. How we do it will always
suit the music.
CoC: Talk me through some of your lyrics -- you've mentioned in the
past that you don't want people to associate your lyrics with
fantasy themes?
MN: Well, I think that most people will regard our music as very
fantasy based and even cheesy. To me the battle themes and the
historical points are frames of reference to build up each song
and in that lie things that are deeper and have greater
significance. There are songs on this album that are pretty
straightforward and that have no greater meaning, and that's the
way they were supposed to be. But then there are songs that have
many sides to them -- criticism toward the glorification of wars
and the romanticising of wars and stuff like that.
CoC: Don't you think that because of your appearance on the album
sleeve and because of the way you are portrayed, people might
discount Turisas as being cartoon-ish?
MN: I don't pay much attention to things like that, because at the
end of the day, I'm not really affected by what people think. I'm
just happy with the people that do get what we're going for. I
mean, I agree that it does have a cartoon-ish quality to it, and
that's because it was meant to have that. We don't intend for
everything to be dead serious. People can make up their own minds
as to what they think about us, and I certainly don't disrespect
people who avoid us because they deem us to be cheesy or
whatever. There are people on the opposite side of the coin that
like the theatrics in the band. But the visual elements are not
what's important -- if that were the case than Turisas would be
very empty. I think that it serves as an escape for many people,
and that's definitely not a bad thing. I mean, if something isn't
deep or complex, it shouldn't necessarily be seen as having no
value. It's the same case with movies -- you have your highly
rated art movies and then you have the basic Hollywood popcorn
movie, where you don't really need to think about anything. But
at the end of the day, it's equally important, because it's also
entertainment.
CoC: If you had to look at your band from that context, would you see
yourself as a more high-brow artistic statement or simply
popcorn entertainment?
MN: I haven't really thought about that, to be honest, but I think
that a combination of the two would be a good description of us.
CoC: In the recent Turisas live shows you've featured dancing girls,
and you've had full instrumental backing from accordion players,
violinists, etc.. Are you planning on taking your band toward a
more extravagant live set as time and money eventually allows?
MN: Yeah, I'd like to. I mean, it would be great even to have the
possibility of touring with the show that we've been doing in
Finland. Obviously in Finland, we have far less constraints when
we play live than we would have if we were on the road. When
you're on the road, then there's a financial side that comes into
it. Things like the dancing girls -- again that comes into the
entertainment element in the band. It's not necessarily integral
to what we do, but it works when we play live and people love it.
Eventually I would like to expand it even more, but then again
you can spend thousands and thousands of Euros on things like
pyro, which wouldn't really bring anything more to the feel of
the show. Doing things cheap, you're forced to come up with ideas
and it really stretches your creativity. If I had a bigger budget
for the show, I'd probably end up spending more money paying
people more so that they would be more into what they're doing,
than use the money for huge las er shows or shit like that.
CoC: Turisas throws together a lot of very different influences in
ways that haven't ever really been done all that much before,
and the result is obviously a fairly unique end product. What
inspires you to make the music that you do?
MN: Well, I think that people always try to see the connection
between bands and what they're doing. To me it's more about being
open- minded toward everything. I have a very broad taste in
music and most of the guys in the band feel the same way. We
listen to a lot of different kinds of music, and we also check
out a lot of different bands playing live and we generally
try to find positive aspects from everything we encounter,
which eventually might end up in the music of Turisas. So my
inspiration is not coming from any particular source -- it's more
about looking around and not being afraid to use things just
because other people might not think it's cool.
CoC: So, what are your immediate plans following the release of
_Battle Metal_?
MN: Well, once the album has been released and we've seen how things
go, we will look toward touring. Of course, being an eight-member
band, financial constraints play a big role in those sorts of
decisions, but I'm hoping that someone will come up with
something to give us a chance to at least play a few shows in
Europe. Otherwise, I'm afraid we'll probably have wait until
we've finished the next album. Also, one of the biggest things
I'm looking forward to is to start work on the new music. Now
that I'm more accustomed to the song writing process, it's going
to be much easier, and at the same time I want the new material
to be much more intense and to have a different starting point.
I'm really looking forward to that, but I don't think we'll start
anything for the next album before the end of the year.
CoC: Any last words?
MN: Nothing in particular -- I hope that people will check out the
new album for themselves and see what they think. There's been
great reviews and there's been bad reviews, and I just hope that
people will make up their minds for themselves.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
_, _, __, _,_ _, _ _,
/ \ | |_) | | |\/| (_
|~| | , |_) | | | | , )
~ ~ ~~~ ~ `~' ~ ~ ~
Scoring: 10 out of 10 -- A masterpiece indeed
9 out of 10 -- Highly recommended
7 out of 10 -- Has some redeeming qualities
5 out of 10 -- You are treading in dangerous waters
3 out of 10 -- Nothing here worth looking into
0 out of 10 -- An atrocious album, avoid at all costs!
Avec Tristesse - _How Innocence Dies_ (Independent, 2004)
by: Brian Meloon (8.5 out of 10)
Avec Tristesse hail from Brazil, and play a style which is
reminiscent of Opeth, infused with elements of the black metal style
popularized by Dimmu Borgir. The music goes from soft acoustic
sections to fast black metal and covers many shades in between. But
while the comparisons to Opeth are obvious, Avec Tristesse don't
simply blatantly copy their sound. Rather, they combine Opeth's sound
with some other influences, and mix them together with a healthy dose
of individual style. The vocals are a mix of black metal raspy style
and a smooth clean vocal style (very Opeth-like at times, less so at
others), with the occasional inclusion of female vocals. The guitars
provide the basis for the music, and cover the myriad styles
very well, while keyboards are used to subtly add atmosphere and
occasionally as a main melody. The songs flow pretty well, and
although most of the twelve songs are under six minutes, the shorter
songs generally run together, making this feel more like an album
with six longer songs. Although this is a self-financed release,
everything about it is professionally done, from the playing and the
production down to the artwork and the liner notes. The clean and
powerful production is especially impressive, as it really enhances
the effectiveness of the music.
That said, this isn't a perfect album. The major problem I see is
that some of the songwriting doesn't make much sense. For example,
the album's closer, "Sceptical and Gone", builds impressively for two
minutes, and then just stops and goes nowhere for the remaining six
minutes. A similar fate befalls "Presence Ignored", which starts with
a brief techno/industrial interlude, then goes into a Lacuna Coil-
inspired refrain (a sound which incidentally is completely out of
place), and then just peters out before the second verse should
start. In addition, there are a few awkward-sounding passages where
the vocals or the guitars don't quite work. But despite these few
missteps, on the whole this is an excellent offering. Fans of Opeth
and similar bands as well as fans of melodic death and black metal
should enjoy this, and I'll certainly be looking forward to their
next release.
Contact: http://www.avectristesse.com
Black Countess - _Carnivorous Romance_ (Metalism Records, 2004)
by: James Montague (3 out of 10)
"Black Countess presents _Carnivorous Romance_: A Story of Nympho-
Vampirism and Licking Lesbian Lust". The attractive young lady on the
CD tray insert presents her bare breasts and shaved snatch. It
doesn't take a genius to work out where these Russians got their
inspiration, or who they're aiming at. For those of you too young or
shy to buy from the top shelf, here's a CD with five tits 'n' pussy
photos and a far-fetched story of lezzo vampires for you to jizz
over. For those of us too old to give a shit, there's not too much to
get excited about.
I should give credit where its due, and indeed this band has flashes
of potential with a promising opening riff, a rare ripping solo and
some good melodic leads that adorn the fifth song, "Vampiric
Nymphomania". But in between these highlights, the band's haste to be
Eastern Europe's answer to Cradle of Filth results in some irritating
synthesized violins and gothic cliché. And yes, the lead vocalist
wants to be Dani. Why, one can only hazard to guess; but I'm sure as
an old man he'll look back on these days and wince.
The lyrics tell an eight-part tale about a nobleman's daughter who is
seduced by a countess and gradually becomes a lesbian, then a lesbian
slut, then a lesbian slut vampire; so you have to put up with a
lot of background moaning from chicks who really don't do a
very convincing fake orgasm. All these puerile distractions are
over-emphasized in the mix -- along with a sterile drum sound --
detracting from the decent guitar work, which itself reverts to weak
tremolo riffing far too often for my liking.
_Carnivorous Romance_ is a competently executed example of a
contemptible musical style, bereft of any conviction, power or evil
intent. In this way, it violates all the tenets of black metal I hold
dear, but insatiable fans of a certain English troupe will be
impressed. At the very least, they have cranked up the porn factor.
Contact: http://darkerotica.narod.ru
Black Majesty - _Sands of Time_ (LMP, 2003)
by: Brian Meloon (6.5 out of 10)
Australia's Black Majesty don't offer up many surprises on their
debut album _Sands of Time_. Though their name might not immediately
clue you in to what kind of music they play, a single look at the
cover art of this album should immediately make the phrase "European
power metal" come to mind, and that is exactly what Black Majesty
delivers. All of the standard power metal elements are present,
manifested into uptempo songs with soaring harmonized guitar leads,
soaring vocals and catchy choruses. The vocals in particular are
pretty good, though there are a few awkward-sounding parts. In fact,
that sentiment holds for the rest of the music as well. In general,
the rhythm playing is very solid and tight, but the leads are a
weakness. At some points, they sound very cheap, such as the short
guitar lead half a minute into "Guardian", and at other times, they
don't really add anything to the music other than filling the space
where the guitar solo should go. The production is quite good, with a
strong, clean, and powerful sound. However, for my tastes, the
guitars are a little too low in the mix and the vocals are a
little too high. In the end, Black Majesty's style is nothing
groundbreaking, but they're doing it well. Those who can't get enough
power metal should find this much to their liking, though others may
want to tread carefully.
Contact: http://www.blackmajesty.com
Danzig - _Circle of Snakes_ (Regain Records / Evillive, 2004)
by: Jackie Smit (8.5 out of 10)
It is truly a crying shame that the eighth Danzig full-length should
be released amidst the controversy of something as ultimately trivial
as the now infamous North Side Kings punch-up. This is especially
true when you consider the steady increase in quality that has marked
recent Danzig efforts, following critical basting lavished on the
widely panned _Blackacidevil_. One could therefore only hope that
when all is said and done that the Evil Elvis is remembered for
making good music -- an ability that is demonstrated repeatedly by
the material on _Circle of Snakes_ -- rather than the tabloid
controversy that seems to be hovering above him these days.
Although he is once again sporting a brand new line-up following the
departure/firing of Howie Pyro, Todd Youth and Joey Castillo, the
gloom-drenched opening of "Wotan's Procession" makes it infinitely
clear that _Circle of Snakes_ is going to be classic Danzig and very
little in between. That said, songs like the double-kick led "Skin
Carver" and the blacker than black (pun intended) "Skull Forest" show
off a much darker and heavier sound than probably anything Glen has
offered up in his career thus far. But ultimately -- as has been the
case since the Samhain days -- Danzig is at his most curiously
effective when he slows down and reveals his more pensive side. And,
as _Satan's Child_ had "Cold Eternal" and _I Luciferi_ had "Without
Light I Am", so the highlight of _Circle of Snakes_ turns out to be
"Netherbound" -- a bleak, heartfelt ode to... well, who knows,
really. _Circle of Snakes_ is pretty much everything you could want
from a Danzig record, and while it is unlikely to convert any new
acolytes to the man's cause, after nearly three decades in the music
industry, I doubt that's something he pays too much attention to
these days.
Contact: http://www.danzig-verotik.com
Encrimson'd - _Agrarian Menace_ (Independent, 2004)
by: Todd DePalma (8.5 out of 10)
With a mark of tight musicianship that exists without the slightest
hint of avant-garde theatrics, this Minnesota three-piece put forward
a passionate and raw mix of folk music and black metal that radiates
a more humanistic approach to culture. Whereas the majority of folk
themed metal releases focus almost completely on ancient mythology
and occultism, _Agrarian Menace_ concentrates on the dramatic aspects
of medieval Czech peasantry and through this unfolds an epic
six-track debut of war, love, harvest, death and revolt. The music
itself is on a similar path as bands like Arghoslent and Dissection,
who combined elements of classical, NWOBHM and power metal to
re-establish the ideas of a particular sound. Encrimson'd pack
catchy riffs within a stripped down frame that join with the
lyrics in minstrel-like narration, united by a range of brutish
vocals. Technically intelligent, there are both odd time changes and
predictable melodies (in the sense that they are easy to follow) that
lend a memorable quality to the songs but also leave the listener
with a desire to return for its temporarily ungrasping aspects. Each
of these tracks hovers around seven minutes long and up without once
dragging. The mixing on this record favors the guitar and vocals, but
the bass is well taken care of and is noticeably able to fill in the
gaps during their short breathes. The drums have a more degraded
sound, but are less of a distraction in light of a competent
performance. Though _Agrarian Menace_ holds firm through its entirety
it does peak early with "The Piper's Tale", started by an acoustic
guitar played in a measured dream-like stroll, and "Old Man"; both
representing the height of complexity in Encrimson'd's idyllic sound.
Bearing no reactionary tones of blasphemy or nationalism, this album
is devoid of scene approval and cross-over appeal clichés, and it
will be interesting to see what the future holds for this still
unsigned band.
Contact: http://www.encrimsond.com
Frontside - _Forgive Us Our Sins_ (Regain Records, 2004)
by: Jackie Smit (7 out of 10)
Apparently Frontside have the devil on their side -- at least, so
says their bio. If that is the case however, it would appear that Old
Nick has grown a little rusty since the days when he was overseeing
such masterpieces as _Seven Churches_ and _Reign in Blood_. For one,
I can't see the Hooved One of days gone by ever condoning a drum
production so disturbingly similar to _St Anger_ -- but then again,
he is known in some quarters as a lord of misery and torture. In all
fairness though, Frontside are actually not half bad. Their brand of
deathcore may not set the world ablaze in terms of originality, but
the material on _Forgive Us Our Sins_ is ample proof that when their
various elements are mixed together in the right quantities, they can
be absolutely blinding. So while the pseudo-melodic posturing of "Cry
of the Debased" may leave a good many listeners less than impressed,
it's hard to argue with the bludgeoning enmity displayed on such
pounding moments as "The Accused" a nd "The Extinction of the Earth".
For now though, Frontside will have to be content to play second
fiddle to the majority of their contemporaries; but by the sounds of
things, that could be set to change very soon.
Contact: http://www.frontside.alpha.pl
Hellkult - _The Collection_ (Blood Fire Death / Regimental, 2004)
by: Todd DePalma (5 out of 10)
Because the booklet of this release contains no information on the
band, its origins, recording dates, etc., a little more detailed
introduction seems in order. Hellkult was the original moniker of the
black metal project that later grew into Wyrd, and features members
of Azaghal and folk metal group Hin Onde. Between 1997 and 1999
Hellkult released three demos which are all compiled onto this CD:
_The Christian Holocaust_, _Hail War_, and _Of Pure Heathen Blood_.
Unfortunately any online listings one could comb regarding this
discography are also incomplete, leaving at least one song on this
collection unplaceable between the first two demos.
The audio quality on most of these tracks is wretched; a body of
melodies raped by such complete distortion that some tracks sound as
though they're playing backwards. Simplistic, slightly punkish riffs
make up the bile churned out as the guitar and drums jog through the
first ten tracks, highlighted by the grimly parading "Summoning
of Elder Gods"; the eery, Darkthrone influenced "Satanic War"
that actually pops up on Azaghal's _Mustamaa_ album; and the
less straining "Chambers of Poisoned Sleep" (featuring a somewhat
agitating flute/recorder and re-recorded as "Gods of the Storm). The
sound here is literally fighting below a ceiling of age and crust.
Fortunately as the album progresses the tracks move past pure
curiosity and shed the completely warping dungeon/bedroom quality of
the first half. The final demo _Of Pure Heathen Blood_ reflects the
band's continued interest in black metal infused with folk tunes, but
also mixes in more rudimentary speed/death metal riffs ("Der Sieg Ist
Unser", "Winterkrieg"). It's easier from this point on to hear the
similarities between this material and Azaghal besides rerecorded
songs; the improved sound (not much better or worse than Azaghal's
own debut) giving a clearer frame of the timbre within often
neuralgic riffs that can still bloom into warm, melodic charges.
A more "official" style release (liner notes, dates) would have
suited this material better for completists, and though it is not
altogether listenable this release remains an interesting chronicle
of exuberant extremism still active today.
Contact: http://www.regimentalrecords.com
Krisiun - _Bloodshed_ (Century Media, 2004)
by: Jackie Smit (9 out of 10)
If ever a band has proven themselves to be a reliable commodity
in the realm of extreme music, then surely Krisiun fit that
description perfectly. With the exception of 2001's overly clinical
_Ageless Venomous_, their discography remains a steadfast vanguard
for relentless musical violence in an age where death metal appears
to be evolving at a staggering pace. With their stunning _Works of
Carnage_ effort still freshly embedded in my frazzled memory, I was
quite surprised to find this package in my mailbox. As it turns out
though, _Bloodshed_ is a collection of old and new tracks, similar to
Vader's _Reign Forever World_ EP. Far from being a shoddily slapped
together stop-gap while we await the next Krisiun opus however,
_Bloodshed_ actually offers up a hefty dose of brutality, and despite
being sold at the price of an EP, still clocks in at nearly 40
minutes. Five brand new tracks get things going -- all of which are
outstanding, particularly the mid-tempo grind of "Ominous " and the
foreboding snarl of "Slain Fate". The ultimate highlight however is
the inclusion of the band's ultra-rare, vintage _Unmerciful Order_
material -- four supremely crafted examples of early '90s death that
make one ponder whether the Florida explosion would really have
mattered as much if someone had discovered Krisiun a few years
earlier.
Contact: http://www.krisiun.com.br
Moonlyght - _Progressive Darkness_ (Escapi, 2004)
by: Brian Meloon (8.5 out of 10)
Quebec's Moonlyght released their debut album _Progressive Darkness_
in their home country in 2002 (through the tiny Metal Disk records),
though it is now being re-released worldwide in hopes of it
finding a wider audience. With any luck it will, as it's quite an
impressive piece of work. As titles go, this album has a rather
fitting one, though the music is really more progressive than dark.
Moonlyght incorporate a variety of styles into their music, including
progmetal, folk, power metal and black metal. The result is a unique
sound that's simultaneously familiar and distinct. In this sense,
they're like Extol, though they sound very different. A closer
comparison musically would be Ebony Tears' _Tortura Insomniae_ [CoC
#30] (before they released an albumful of nothing and went generic as
hell) or Misanthrope [CoC #26], though Moonlyght are generally
lighter, more diverse, and more progressive.
The songs are mostly over the seven minute mark, so the compositions
are involved and non-traditional, featuring many different styles and
changing quite frequently. Yet the music flows from style to style
very well, as the band have clearly worked hard on making the
transitions smooth. The music is dominated by the guitars, though the
keyboards play a prominent role as well. But both instruments have
a knack for keeping their parts appropriate and neither over-
nor underplaying. For the sheer diversity of styles that are
displayed here, that's not an easy feat. The rhythm section is
competent, though they're not really exceptional in any aspect. They
occasionally have a chance to do something interesting, but they're
usually content to let the guitars, keyboards and vocals take the
spotlight. The vocals come in four main styles: clean power metal,
clean female, black metal raspy, and a half-clean Hetfield-esque
style. All but the last are of average quality, and neither add to
nor detract from the music. Unfortunately, the Hetfield-esque vocals
just aren't very good, as they sound unnatural and forced to me.
However, these vocals are a relatively small part of the album, and
all together it's still very impressive. Moonlyght have been able to
develop their own distinctive style, which is not something every
band can say, especially on their debut album. Fans of progressive,
melodic death metal should definitely search this out.
Contact: http://www.moonlyght.ca
Mortiis - _The Grudge_ (Earache Records, 2004)
by: Jackie Smit (8.5 out of 10)
By now, it's safe to say that anyone expecting Mortiis to return to
the conceptual days of old would be borderline delusional. While _The
Smell of Rain_ did draw a distinct dividing line between those who
admired the latexed one for having the testicular fortitude to
reinvent himself so poignantly, and those for whom "Parasite God" was
a death knell rather than a victory cry, it did catapult the man into
a greater sphere of public conscience than he had ever known. Perhaps
more importantly, it made a largely disdainful world finally sit up
and take Mortiis, the artist, seriously.
Now clearly more comfortable in his role as the consummate front man,
Mortiis has not so much revolutionized as distilled the blueprint
laid down on _The Smell of Rain_. Yes, this is, as he has been
claiming, a much harder album; but it certainly isn't without its
fair share of catchy, and dare I say, radio-friendly hooks. In fact,
hard as it may have been to believe this a few years ago, songs like
"Way Too Wicked" could very easily see Mortiis become staple MTV
programming. For those not put off by this fact and who do take the
trouble to dig into the core of this album, _The Grudge_ proves to
be a very rewarding listening experience. Reminiscent on several
occasions of a meeting between latter-day Ministry and David Bowie,
some of Mortiis' finest moments can be found in the drum 'n'
bass-influenced grooves of "Broken Skin", the electro-punk snarl of
"Decadent & Desperate" and the reflective ambience of "The Loneliest
Thing". Not that it's a veritable coup de grace, mind yo u. It does
improve on _The Smell of Rain_ by leaps and bounds, but there are
still times when Mortiis' ego just can't seem to relegate itself to
second fiddle over his ability to write songs. Then again, who can
argue that this hasn't always formed part and parcel of the man's
appeal?
Contact: http://www.mortiis.com
Operation Winter Mist - _Winter Warfare II_
by: Todd DePalma (7 out of 10) (Regimental Records, 2004)
This CD is a combination of Operation Winter Mist's first release
_Winter Warfare_ (2002), _Winter Warfare II_ (composed of new
material recorded in 2003) and live tracks culled from videotape --
the sound quality of that being better than expected. Operation
Winter Mist plays an atypical style of black / war metal dealing with
all things cold, bloody and Canadian. Twelve tracks create an
unsparing tribute to war behind nationalistic hymns that make other
anthems' boastfulness seem like storming a mound of sand castles by
comparison. Although they include a Bathory cover that is perhaps too
slick -- reducing that classic "chainsaw" guitar sound to a heavy
electric razor --, the production is complimentary to their own
songs, which are reminiscent of early Gorgoroth and a less evolved
Burzum with more speed metal gallops in the breaks. At times the
conscious or unconscious nod to Marduk cannot be ignored ("Iron
Coffins", "In the Trenches") and this band has a tendency to take
their subject matter to the edge of gimmickry (note the text on their
website that incessantly refers to the band's ersatz militancy). The
dedication pays off on this release, which is quite formative in
matching words, images and sound in a charge of blast beats and
wolfishly descending guitar rhythms to tell a hopeless reality of
combat.
Contact: http://owm.ark11.net
Rotting Christ - _Sanctus Diavolos_ (Century Media, 2004)
by: Jackie Smit (9.5 out of 10)
As much as I've consistently admired their recorded output, Rotting
Christ has always been, in my humble opinion, the perennial
runners-up in extreme music -- a band whose albums, while generally
of a very high quality, always tend to fall just one notch shy of
being truly quintessential. 2002's _Genesis_ came close; more so than
the mildly underwhelming _Khronos_, but again, even then the Greek
outfit were a smidgen short of delivering their masterpiece. Well,
folks -- this time round Rotting Christ have upped the ante; not only
for their own music, but for a fair amount of what's still
to be released this year. Because, with the exception of the
slightly average opening number, "Visions of a Blind Order", _Sanctus
Diavolos_ is the sound of a band distilling everything that's ever
made them worth listening to, adding several more elements to broaden
the depth of their sound, and taking it all up a gear or two.
Curiously given the departure of their keyboardist last year
(reputedly due to the band's return to a more stripped-down old
school approach), _Sanctus Diavolos_ is actually slightly heavier on
the synths than either of its two predecessors. In addition, the
majority of the record is accompanied by a full-size female choir,
which lends the album a truly haunting and organic atmosphere. But
before you start thinking "Dimmu Borgir bombast" however, you can
rest assured that Rotting Christ are using these elements in
ways that you've never heard before. From the bleak portent of
"Tyrannical" to the tranquil beauty of "Sanctimonious", the record is
a clear testament to the fruits of the year-long gestation reportedly
undertaken by band leader Sakis in the run-up to its final sprucing
at Fredman Studios. Likewise, raw aggression is available in ample
doses, with "You My Cross" being easily the most upfront and abrasive
work the band have recorded for ages. But while the record may be
deeply rooted in black metal, calling it a return to the primitive
darkness of _Thy Mighty Contract_ would be doing it a severe
disservice. Instead, _Sanctus Diavolos_ is the product of a band at
their most confident and evolved. And perhaps most importantly it is
the sound of a band finally breaking into the upper echelons of their
chosen genre in a most convincing manner.
Contact: http://www.rotting-christ.com
Spastic Ink - _Ink Compatible_ (Independent, 2004)
by: Brian Meloon (8 out of 10)
Spastic Ink's second release comes seven years after their debut,
_Ink Complete_. While the core of their sound -- ultra-technical,
quirky, fusion-inspired, instrumental progressive thrash -- has
remained intact, this album shows Ink's mastermind Ron Jarzombek
branching out into new directions. Unlike their previous work, which
was simply a collection of songs focused around individual themes,
this is mostly a concept album focusing on computers. Musically,
the first major change that you'll notice is the inclusion of
vocals, courtesy of Jason McMaster. Unfortunately, his vocals are
hit-or-miss: sometimes he sounds fine, and other times he's atonal or
flat. In addition to vocals, this album also includes a few samples.
But while some of them are amusing, others fall flat and are pretty
pointless. Luckily, the vocals and samples are a small part of the
album, as most of the songs have long instrumental sections which are
clearly the focus and the strength of the album.
Another change from _Ink Complete_ is that this album features
contributions from numerous guest musicians, including Marty
Friedman, Jens Johansson, Michael Manring, Doug Keyser, and
many more. While these contributions don't dilute the level of
musicianship on display, they do tend to dilute the distinctive sound
that Ink is known for. It's usually pretty obvious when a guitar solo
is being done by one of the guest musicians, since nobody else tries
to mimic Ron's phrasing. This is perhaps not too surprising, as Ink's
standard style is very different from what other bands are doing, and
trying to mesh with it can't be an easy thing. But this difficulty
seems to lead to the inclusion of some jazz-lite sections which sound
like they are there only as vehicles for bass solos. While these
sections are actually quite well done, they don't feel very well
motivated in the context of their songs. In fact, I get this
impression from other parts of the music as well. While the songs on
Ink's first album were very tightly focused, the songs on this disc
more resemble those on Ron's solo work -- less focused and frequently
changing. Although the songs are all in the 4-12 minute range, some
of them could be broken into smaller pieces that represent more
cohesive song units.
Ultimately, even with all of these complaints, this is still a very
good album. The sheer level of technicality on display is amazing,
and the fact that their music is so very unique is a testament to
Ron's vision and dedication. No one else in the metal world is mixing
these kinds of tonalities with this level of complexity in the way
that Ink has been doing for over a decade. Fans of technical and
instrumental metal should find plenty here to enjoy. However, as an
album, _Ink Compatible_ falls a little short of their previous
release.
Contact: http://www.spasticink.com
The Haunted - _rEVOLVEr_ (Century Media, 2004)
by: Jackie Smit (10 out of 10)
When The Haunted unleashed their debut record back in 1998, it not
only came as a breath of fresh air in a world dominated by flagging
heroes and nu-metal; it kickstarted a new wave of aggressive music.
Perhaps almost as significantly, it served as a proverbial magnifying
glass that exposed the sizeable chinks in the armour of stalwarts
like Slayer et al, who at that point undisputedly ruled the thrash
metal roost. Soon enough, a host of very talented acts were answering
the call, releasing record after record of hard-hitting metal that
nodded respectfully in the direction of the old school, while at the
same time taking the genre to dizzier heights than it had ever been.
As time passed by, The Haunted weren't the only big dogs in the yard
anymore. Of course, their subsequent releases didn't really help
either. Though not weak by any means, the comparatively lackadaisical
approach of _The Haunted Made Me Do It_ could certainly not match the
relentless violence of the band's o pening war cry, and even when the
band did try to recapture the raw aggression of their early days
with _One Kill Wonder_ they came up short, branded formulaic and
uninventive. Clearly something needed to be done.
Sticking very much to the promise not so subtly hinted it in the
album's moniker, _rEVOLVEr_ is the sound of The Haunted not so much
rewriting the rulebook, but refining everything that has thus far
contributed to the band's fearsome reputation. The melodies are still
there, along with the tight, razor-sharp hooks, and the thunderous
mid-tempo breakdowns -- only this time, they're more complex and
harder hitting than ever before. The first indication that the Swedes
mean business can be found early on, when a purposefully stuttering,
awkward intro gives way to a riff that's made of the stuff that had
people singing along to _Reign in Blood_ nearly two decades ago. "99"
follows up "No Compromise"'s bludgeoning statement of intent with a
rolling mid-tempo thrasher that's custom-made for mosh-pit pain. And
if these tracks still aren't able to convince you that you're
listening to the best album to bear The Haunted's logo, then the
acerbic pre-chorus of "All Against All" is guara nteed to put a
devilish grin on even the most jaded face.
More than anything though, the key to _rEVOLVEr_'s appeal lies in the
fact that this time round The Haunted are confident enough to take
chances and make them stick, the best example being the final
climactic dirge of "My Shadow". In a sense, the reinstatement of
Peter Dolving in the vocalist's booth proves to be another weapon in
their already impressive arsenal. Not that I have anything against
Marco Aro's efforts mind you, but when Dolving dementedly croons
"Come a little bit closer, so that I can see what you taste like" on
"Abysmal", you can't help but feel that a prodigal son has returned
back to his rightful home. Certainly though, if time off was what was
needed for him to deliver the outstanding performance that he has
here, then it was well justified indeed.
So, for now, The Haunted have once again left pretty much everybody
trailing in the dust. How long they will remain in that top spot is
anyone's guess, but for now, one would hope that someone somewhere
plays this record loudly enough for Kerry King to sit up and take
notice.
Contact: http://www.the-haunted.com
Turisas - _Battle Metal_ (Century Media, 2004)
by: Jackie Smit (8.5 out of 10)
The sight of grown men dressed to the hilt in medieval garb,
performing all manner of unsociable acts with flails and longswords
was always going to elicit the odd snicker or two. Thankfully
however, this Finnish five-piece's music is leap years beyond the
tongue-in- cheek façade that's depicted in the record's inlay. One
could even go as far as to say that if Bal Sagoth had ever possessed
any real sort of talent, then _Battle Metal_ is the album that they
would ultimately have ended up making. As irony would have it though,
it's taken Turisas only one attempt to craft the musical equivalent
of "Braveheart", and they have done so with a staggering degree of
songwriting maturity. Not that you'd think so at first, though -- the
faux-orchestral introduction that kicks off the album is more
reminiscent of the soundtrack to "Rocky 3" than it is an anthem to
Middle Age warfare, but when the gee-tars kick in on "As Torches
Rise", Turisas are all business from there on out.
Along with a healthy dollop of Scandinavian folk, references to just
about every cornerstone in metal abound throughout the course of this
record -- from the bombastic black metal of Dimmu Borgir, to the
sweeping grandiosity of Therion, to the progressive epics of Voivod
and the traditional power riffage of Iron Maiden. But to their
immense credit, Turisas never once sound like simply the sum of their
influences. In fact, one of the only gripes that come to mind in
reference to _Battle Metal_ is that the somewhat flat production
often times does not allow each instrument the necessary breathing
space to shine. For a debut effort however, this is a staggering
triumph, and although it may not appeal to everyone, it will
certainly get enough heads bobbing to justify its existence. As for
me -- I'm off to go and buy myself a chainmail vest as soon as time
allows.
Contact: http://www.turisas.com
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Scoring: 5 out of 5 -- A flawless demo
4 out of 5 -- Great piece of work
3 out of 5 -- Good effort
2 out of 5 -- A major overhaul is in order
1 out of 5 -- A career change is advisable
Devastator - _Infernal Devastation_
by: Todd DePalma (4 out of 5)
Florida based Devastator play a combination of black/thrash that
shapes itself from the cross-mutated influence of South American and
German metal. The five tracks on this demo take time to digest; a
quality that is probably due more to the state of the "production"
than the actual structure of the music. Simplistic and catchy, if
Kreator had sounded as inelegant as early Sodom or Sarcofago this
would be the result. Analog recording thins out the guitars too much,
but the drumming sustains a heavy quality in stomping combination
with the feral snarl of the vocals, as the riffs frequently become
engulfed in an avalanche of static. Despite the challenging aspects
of demo audibility, the content of this release is on par with any of
the better blackened thrash bands like Alastor or Witchtrap, and I
eagerly await a professional full-length.
Contact: http://www.infernaldevastation.cjb.net
Mórpheus - _Delomelanicon_
by: James Montague (4 out of 5)
Given that most demos fall squarely into genre-defined pigeon holes,
a reviewer can usually achieve a rapid turnover, citing a few obvious
references and rating the new band on its cloning ability within one
or two listens. Other times, the demo is so dull that you can't even
be bothered name-dropping. This debut recording from the Greek
black/death quintet Mórpheus took almost three months to make its way
from my stereo to my keyboard, but don't think for a second that
boredom was the cause. It was actually a combination of laziness, and
the fact that _Delomelanicon_ defied my original perception.
Noting that of the four tracks, two were keyboard instrumentals, I
prepared myself to be buried in another mound of uninspired, synth-
driven, melodic black metal drivel. But I'll be damned, the intro was
actually quite a dramatic and well-conceived piece of Wagnerian
bombast, replete with thunderous timpani effects. It led seamlessly
into an explosive pair of hymns, with some truly malicious riffs,
mesmerizing bass drum pedalling and a tantalizing blend of blackened
screams and roaring death vocals. The mid-point of the title track,
in particular, features an excellent layering of the vocal styles
that contributes to a memorable crescendo. Keyboards are used
extensively throughout a crisp and powerful recording, and while
occasionally redundant, they more often than not enhance the songs,
placing Mórpheus head and shoulders above many amateurs who butcher
their riffs with an ill-thought-out synth coating.
Just three years into their existence, Mórpheus have utilized an
astonishing fifteen band members, eight of whom contributed to this
recording. This is a sign of their ambition and perfectionism, and
I'm sure this excellent demo will serve as a first step to
fulfilment.
(Note: CD is distributed free of charge but limited to 500 copies.
Tracks also available for download in their full versions at the
contact URL.)
Contact: http://www.the-morpheus.com
Thornafire - _Sin and Flesh Devotion_
by: Todd DePalma (4 out of 5)
This promo/demo disc offers seven tracks of death metal born from a
collision of death metal spectrums. A very professional, almost
fleshy production adorns this set; the clear mix complementing the
sentiment of spectral, smoke-like lead guitars emerging from the
elastic storm of opener "Curse of the Limb" and the abyss scaling
riffs on "From Punishment to Advent". For those that enjoy Krisiun or
Rebaelliun, Thornafire offers a more diverse combination amidst the
patent of generic vox and drum rifling; a combination of the above
mentioned groups with Swedish death metal (Eucharist) that is
more structurally interesting even as it retains a foundation of
simplistic gallops towards the flaming pits.
Contact: http://www.thornafire.cl
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W H A T W E H A V E C R A N K E D ! ! !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gino Filicetti's Top 5
1. Ewiges Reich - _Ewiges Reich_
2. Ministry - _Houses of the Mole_
3. Svartsyn - _Destruction of Man_
4. Pest - _Ad Se Ipsum_
5. Dolorian - _Dolorian_
Pedro Azevedo's Top 5
1. The Haunted - _rEVOLVEr_
2. Bloodbath - _Nightmares Made Flesh_
3. Rotting Christ - _Sanctus Diavolos_
4. Ulver - _A Quick Fix of Melancholy_
5. Krieg - _The Black House_
Quentin Kalis' Top 5
1. Amon Amarth - _Fate of Norns_
2. Bloodbath - _Nightmares Made Flesh_
3. Hecate Enthroned - _Recidimus_
4. Butterfly Temple - _Veles_
5. Butterfly Temple - _Dreams of Northern Sea_
Jackie Smit's Top 5
1. Behemoth - _Demigod_
2. Lamb of God - _Ashes of the Wake_
3. Krisiun - _Bloodshed_
4. The Hauned - _rEVOLVEr_
5. Rammstein - _Reise, Reise_
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Web Site: http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com
FTP Archive: ftp://ftp.etext.org/pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos
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DESCRIPTION
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Chronicles of Chaos is a FREE monthly magazine electronically
distributed worldwide via the Internet. Seemingly endless interviews,
album reviews and concert reviews encompass the pages of Chronicles
of Chaos. Chronicles of Chaos stringently emphasizes all varieties of
chaotic music ranging from black and death metal to electronic/noise
to dark, doom and ambient forms. Chronicles of Chaos is dedicated
to the underground and as such we feature demo reviews from all indie
bands who send us material, as well as interviews with a select
number of independent acts.
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End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #78
All contents copyright (c) 1995-2004 by individual creators of
included work. All rights reserved.
All opinions expressed herein are those of the individuals
expressing them, and do not necessarily reflect the views of anyone
else.
