Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Oarmii Tagous/Demo I/Ater Lunae Templi/2015 Review


  Oarmii Tagous  are  a  solo  project  from  Brazil  that  plays  a  blackened  and  ritualistic  form  of  dark  ambient  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2015  demo  which  was  released  by  Ater  Lunae  Templi.

  A  very  dark  and  ritualistic  drone  starts  off  the  demo  along  with  some  elements  of  ambient  and  the  whole  demo  is  one  song  that  is  under  2  minutes  and  it  also  brings  in  a  raw  and  lo-fi  production  that  also  makes  the  song  have  more  of  a  primitive  feeling  and  I  would  like  to  see  where  this  solo  project  heads  into  on  future  releases.

  In  my  opinion  Oarmii Tagous  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  and  ritualistic  dark  ambient  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  demo.  8  out  of  10.

http://aterlunaetempli.bandcamp.com/album/alt018-demo-i    

Sunday, September 27, 2015

The Crawling Interview


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

The Crawling is made up of three guys who have a combined love of slow, miserable, death metal type music. All of us have been in various bands throughout the years, and, with the exception of Gary, there was a bit of a lull output wise; so Stuart decided to start a death metal band. He asked me to join on guitar, we refined our sound a bit and, finally Gary joined on drums - the trio was complete!

2.How would you describe your musical sound?

Everyone has their own take on these sort of questions. Personally, i hear a slow death/doom metal band, and i think the other two guys would pretty much agree. That said, there have been a few reviewers who have mentioned a 'black metal' sound to our latter material. So, i suppose The Crawling are a slow death, doom, black metal ensemble!


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

To date i have written all the lyrics, and i tend to focus on what i see around me, or things i have read; the common denominator is reality, oh, and misery. I’ve always been preoccupied on the more negative side of life. It’s not that i’m a miserable person per se, i’ve just always been intrigued as to how people react to bad things; some people cope well when bad things happen, some fight back, some fall further into despair, some call it quits altogether, or lose the ability to function, and others just bow out.

I’m usually lyrically inspired by my those around me, my own experiences (most often in hindsight), or those internet articles that float about the social networks - a lot if misery on the internet these days.


4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'The Crawling'?

The inspiration came from my brother. He’s an excellent lyricist and it derived from one of his song titles. The words didn’t really fit with his music, so he told me to use it as it made more sense. The name fits with our music, as it’s more of a crawling pace, and lyrically it worked better. Ultimately it just felt right.


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

We were lucky enough to tour with Desecration at the start of 2015 across a few dates in Ireland; that weekend was undoubtedlty the best shows we’ve done. We hadn't done a lot of shows at that point, but we worked hard to solidify our live performance and it showed on that tour. More than anything it was excellent fun to hang out with Desecration, Foetal Juice (hi guys!) and Zombified. It was also an education to see how Desecration operated when touring - those guys have it nailed; we learned a lot from that short adventure.

I would describe our live performance as dark and intense. With only three of us on stage, i find it provides a great look, more so in the smaller clubs where we tend to play - those wee stages can look really overcrowded when you get four bodies up front. We bring our own spot lights, smoke, sampling, and strobe effects to every show, as we have a very definite idea of the mood and image we want to create live. There’s no chat or banter between songs. I don’t like to talk much - I want people to hear the music and get into it; that’s not something i want to interrupt with my inane waffling. Music should be an experience, and we try to create one. It can be difficult on a low budget, but we try.



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

The only show we have booked at the moment is ‘Siege of Limerick’ - it’s a big deal in Ireland to be asked to play so we’re totally thrilled to be on board that one. The bigger picture is to focus on weekend type tours as you tend to get better crowds and easier logistics. But, as i said nothing has been arranged yet - promoters get in touch! :)

7.Currently the band is signed to Grindscene Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Grindscene is run out of Northern Ireland by my younger brother, Peter. He’s a total death metal nut - hence starting a label. Grindscene have done some really cool things over the years and signed some really prestigious acts - Man Must Die, Foetal Juice, Cerebral Bore, Foul Body Autopsy and has recently been working with Desecration. Pete strives to only sign bands he personally enjoys, and i think that’s led to an excellent reputation and high quality acts - us included of course!


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

The reviews for the EP are only starting to come in, but so far the response has been really positive; but i don’t think the zines have been strictly doom or death focused. The feedback at shows has been very good too, both from death metal genre fans, and those into slower stuff. I think we have the right amount of each to keep both parties interested.

9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?

Stuart is solely focused on The Crawling. For me, despite my other band “Honey For Christ” having never officially quit, we haven’t done anything in years, and my time is all about The Crawling at present. Gary has a very full time position in Zombified - a pure death metal band, which is more speed based than The Crawling. Zombified have had a very successful career to date, and are in the process of completing their debut album.


10.The band members have been into death metal for a long time, what is it that motivates you to keep playing this style in your 40's?

I think it’s just a love of the music where I started. I’ve kinda come full circle. I mean i started playing in a death metal band in the early 90’s and then progressed towards the clean singing fronted HFC for over 10 years, i’ve now found my way back to the slow death stuff. I’ve always enjoyed death metal, but never really played/recorded anything; now, i find it a lot easier to write and certainly find myself enjoying the whole experience.

Ultimately it comes down to having a creative outlet, having something to say, and finding like minded people to do it with. I kept wondering if i was ‘too old for this shit,' but then i found myself plugging away on the guitar and writing lyrics - before i knew it i had half a dozen songs, and wanted to write more. That inspires me to simply keep going. If i run out of ideas, or it isn’t fun i’ll stop.


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

It’ll be 12+ months away at least, probably end of next year. We need to get the EP out, spread the name, and do a lot more shows.

Musically, i think we will just progress from where we are. ‘In Light of Dark Days’ is our first real release, and we have only just found our style. The album will just be an extension of this. We certainly aren’t gonna be veering too far from where we’ve just started.

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

The Crawling members all have various influences. I can’t really speak for the other guys, but for me it always comes down to My Dying Bride, Anathema and Katatonia. I’m a massive fan of the slower style of death metal; i would call it ‘doom' - but i think that term has taken on a whole new meaning these days. The Crawling don’t really sound like those bands, but they are definitely a musical influence - whether it comes across in the music i can’t say.

Nowadays i’m listening to the new My Dying Bride album, Forgotten Tomb, Desecration, Immortal and Satyricon. End of Green feature a lot in my rotation as well; they are the kings of depressive sub core!


13.What are some of your non musical interests?

I’m a keen scuba diver. I do occasional technical diving and have a fondness to venture under the sea to look at old shipwrecks. I had the pleasure of visiting Norway last year, and diving the World War wrecks in the deep Fjords - it was a magnificent experience. I also enjoy hiking; in Ireland we have a number of mountains that are reasonably accessible, with absolutely breath taking scenery.

Oh, i also spend far too much time with my dogs, love movies (hate TV) and like to drink beer.!

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

I would just like to thank you for taking time to feature The Crawling, we really appreciate your support. Finally - tell everyone to do the social network thing - find us on Facebook/YouTube/Twitter and all that internet-y stuff.

Stay miserable people!

www.thecrawlingband.co.uk

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Blitzkrieg Baby/Cannibal Commando/Belaten/2015 EP Review


  Norway's  Blitzkrieg  Baby  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  that  continues  the  dystopian  industrial  sound  of  previous  recordings  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "Cannibal  Commando"   which  was  released  by  Belaten.

  Harsh  industrial  sounds  start  off   the  ep  along  with  some  aggressive  vocals  a  few seconds  later  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  getting  more  avant  garde  and  experimental  and  the  songs  also bring  in  a  great  amount  of  pop  music  elements.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  mix  in  a  lot  of  electro  industrial  and  ebm  elements  and  the  music  can  also  be  very  atmospheric  and  ritualistic  at  times  and  they  also  bring  in  a couple  of  instrumentals  and  the  last  track  brings  in  a  touch  of  ambient.

  Blitzkrieg  Baby  creates  another  recording  that  takes their  underground  avant  garde  industrial  style  to  another  level,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  cannibalism,  war  crimes,  and  murder   themes.

  In  my  opinion  this   is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Blitzkrieg  Baby  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  dystopian  industrial,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cannibal  Commando"  and  "?Cut,  Slash,  Maim,  Kill".  8  out  of  10. 

facebook.com/blitzkriegbabyofficial

Occultumabyssusaenusritueel/Misry/The Six Hymns Ov The Lost Souls/Alter Lunae Temple/2015 Split Demo Review


  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  demo  between  Brazil's  Occultumabyssusaenusritueel  and  U.S.A's  Misery  called  "The  Six  Hymns  Ov  The  Lost  Souls"  which  was  released  by  Alter  Lunae  Templi  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Occultumabyssusaenusritueel  a  project  that  plays  a  blackened  and  ritualistic  form  of  dark  ambient.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  dark  soundscapes  and  synths  that  also  get  more  powerful  as  time  goes  on  by  as  well  as  adding  in  elements  of  dark  ambient  along  with  some  traces  of  noise  kicking  in  at  times  and  one  of  the  tracks  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  3  of  the  songs  are  instrumental  and  can  also  be  very  repetitive  and  primitive  at  times  and  the  production  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  lo-fi  sound.

  In  my  opinion  Occultumabyssusaenusritueel  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  and  ritualistic  dark  ambient  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split. 
 
  Next  up  is  Misery a  solo  project  that  plays a  ritualistic  and  depressive  form  of  ambient  noise.

  His  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  harsh  power  electronics  along  with  some  soundscapes  and  field  recordings  and  some  of  the  tortured  sounds  add  elements  of  black  metal  onto  the  recording  and  you  can  also  hear  a  touch  of ambient  in  the  tracks  and  all  of  the  songs  are  instrumental  while  still  being  very  diverse  and  occult  sounding  and  the  production  also  has  a  very  dark  and  raw  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Misery  are  a  very  great  sounding   ambient  noise  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  his  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Pure  Coldness".
 
  In  conclusion  I feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  ritualistic,  occult  music,  ambient  and  noise.  8  out  of  10. 

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Erntegang Interview


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

After activity in underground music since the early 1990s I have formed Erntegang in 2007 as an experimental two-member music group, consisting of myself (S. Manteuffel) as the main man behind the band and M. Loerwig as additional female vocalist. In 2012 M. Loerwig left the band, so Erntegang is maintained as a solo project since then.

Since its foundation Erntegang has always been an entity serving to express my personal interests, desires, and visions exclusively, the focal point of Erntegang’s imagery and lyrics being – though not restricted to – spiritual/esoteric themes. These are topics of a transpersonal and persistent nature – rooted in the (often distant) past with significance for present-day and future. The intention of applying such subjects to the present (instead of nostalgic backward yearning) is crucial for the concept of Erntegang.

Musically, the style of Erntegang may roughly be considered as Industrial and Neo-Folk, although the musical style is not limited to sounds associated with such descriptions – other musical styles may be incorporated as well where deemed necessary or suitable.

In its musical career Erntegang has released following recordings so far:

"Die drei Aettir" (released in August 2008):
The single track "Die drei Aettir" is a runic invocation. This single was released in enhanced CD format: It contains also a video track for visualization of the three Aettir.

"Les danses macabres" (released in February 2009):
"Les danses macabres" is Erntegang's first full-length album. As the title indicates, the songs on this album represent a trip through the nightside of life.

"Der Waldgang" (released in August 2009)
"Der Waldgang" (i.e. retreat into the forest) is a mini-album (EP) that contains five different conceptions of the "Waldgang" theme. The tracks on this compilation are arranged in a ritualistic/contemplative style. In addition to the audio CD, a video DVD containing visual support for the meditations is included.

"Der Wanderer. Ein Kunstmärchen." (released in December 2009)
This spoken word album (or audio book) was released under the authors’ names M. Loerwig and S. Manteuffel instead of Erntegang. The recording presents a literary fairy tale, disguising esoteric lore. The tale is told in German language accompanied by background sounds.

"Der Wanderer" (released in December 2009)
"Der Wanderer" is a concept album about the spiritual journey towards the self. This album utilizes dark ambient music in order to create soundscapes representing the atmosphere of each stage.

"Words Of Love And Hate" (released in May 2011)
In contrast to previous Erntegang recordings, this album is focused on rather personal issues, thus invoking a more intimate atmosphere. "Words of Love and Hate" is an emotional rollercoaster ride.

"Raubzug" (released in August 2011)
The compilation "Raubzug" contains new versions of sampler contributions and collaborations, and previously unreleased tracks. A further aspect of the compilation’s title "Raubzug" (translated: raid): None of the texts/vocals presented on this album were written by Erntegang (they were mainly taken from literature sources such as the Edda, Wilhelm Schäfer, Ragnar Redbeard, Ernst Jünger, Savitri Devi).

"Zwielicht" (released in January 2012)
With "Zwielicht" Erntegang has returned to the roots of their debut album. The linkage between tradition and present-day is taken to a further extent (concerning both song selection and instrumentation). The musical style has expanded to a wider range, including folk songs, hymns, chamber music, invocations and shaman/tribal sounds.
"Zwielicht" is the last recording of the original two-member line-up with the female vocalist.

"Anthology: The Meager Years (2007 – 2014)" (released in November 2014)
In the 7th anniversary of Erntegang's musical career an anthology of selected songs from 2007 to 2014 was released. All songs have been re-recorded in a stripped-down and minimalistic manner by instrumentation of mainly guitar and voice, gently accompanied by some percussion.

"Hvel" (released in March 2015)
The mini album "Hvel" contains re-recordings of early Erntegang songs that have been released in their former arrangements on the debut album. With "Hvel", the first phase of Erntegang's existence finally closes.

All along the way, Erntegang has contributed songs to various compilations. These compilations are, in chronological order: "Military : Fetish : Muzak" (released  November 2007, by Heiliges Licht, Kaos ex Machina), "5th Anniversary - 5 Jahre SkullLine" (released  2010, by SkullLine), "The Seven Deadly Sins I: Ira" (released October 2010, compiled by Sven Phalanx and Neofolk Forum Franken), "The Seven Deadly Sins III: Superbia" (released  March 2011), "Ragnarök" (released  April 2014, by Radio Body Music), "Sturmreif II - The New Age Of Martial Industrial" (released  December 2014, by Castellum Stoufenburc).

Since the first seven-year cycle of Erntegang’s existence is closed, work on new material will not be done before 2016.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the newer material and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

Altogether the musical sound of Erntegang is characterized by being plain, simple, even minimalist, and the emphasis lies on atmosphere rather than technical skills. This vague evaluation is valid for all Erntegang recordings so far – although also generally correct would be the assertion that the sound in terms of both style/composition/arrangement and recording/production/mixing has continuously been improved, due to improved musical skills, deepened knowledge of music theory, and better equipment and recording facilities.

Further, in very general terms, the linkage between tradition and present-day, a certain balance between old and modern, is crucial for Erntegang. This has an immense impact on the overall musical sound of Erntegang releases – even if this principle is always interpreted anew with each release.

Going more into detail – the most obvious difference between newer and older Erntegang recordings is that until 2012 almost every song featured female vocals (mainly accompanied to my vocals, sometimes even solo female vocals) which is not the case any more. Apart from that, there is no apparent difference in principal traceable in the musical sound of newer and older Erntegang material.

As adumbrated in the previous answer, Erntegang releases are usually centered around a core theme, and the musical sound is created according to this. Thus, the sound slightly differs on each release:

"Die drei Aettir" (2008) which is a ritualistic invocation of the runes, features a sound that is rooted in shamanic and meditative tones, though carrying distinct "electronic"/"Industrial" traits due to the intention of manifesting the ancient lore in the present-day "modern" world.

"Les danses macabres" (2009) (which is a late-medieval allegory about the universality of death) comes up with a sound that is more inspired by "medieval folk music" (that kind of music which is usually performed at medieval markets/reenactment festivals which I enjoyed attending quite often that time).

The sound of "Der Waldgang" (2009) is characterized by a more tribal approach (drums, rattles, voices, flutes, humming etc.) which is mostly devoid of apparent "electronic" and "Industrial" traits.

The sound of "Der Wanderer" (2009) is very different from any other Erntegang release so far, because this album features ambient music (purely instrumental, completely without vocals). Large parts of this album may not be considered as music at all according to conventional listening habits, as it contains many of that which often referred to as soundscapes.

"Words Of Love And Hate" (2011) is made up of a sound that is not unusual for what is considered as Neo-Folk. The sound is determined by the use of traditional/acoustic instrumentation, temporarily attended by electronic sound devices, and mainly spoken vocals.

The sound of "Raubzug" (2011) is characterized by a greater variety between the songs, as this album is a collection of songs from different backgrounds (mainly single songs that where contributed to various compilations). The sound here is mainly influenced by electronic instrumentation/sound loops and spoken vocals, thus invoking a more "Industrial" feeling.

"Zwielicht" (2012) delivers a sound that is made up by traditional/acoustic instrumentation, often combined with or interfered by electronic sound devices, and mainly sung vocals.

The sound of the anthology "The Meager Years" (2014) – the first of the releases I would refer to as "newer material", and the first one without female vocals – owes its characteristics to the concept of this recording: The album consists of re-recordings of selected songs from all along the musical career of Erntegang. The new renditions of these songs are presented in a stripped-down style, the predominant instrumentation being the acoustic guitar. All songs had to conform to this homogeneous sound dictate; some of the songs have been modified quite a lot compared to their original versions, while others have remained basically the same. The sound of this album is subtly cold, sterile, inhuman, and creepy – the clear, sharp-cut and dry guitar in contrasting juxtaposition to foggy, blurred and multi-layered vocals. The "Industrial" tag that might be applied to this album does not so much hint at electronic musical instruments or noisy sound effects, rather, it relates to the mechanic and sterile atmosphere which was mainly created by the procedure that the guitar tracks were actually looped rather than conventionally played.

As a spin-off from this recording session, the material on "Hvel" (2015) has been created. In contrast to the previous release, the sound here is more multifaceted: The instrumentation is more variegated – traditional acoustic instruments complemented with electronic devices, and the composition features catchy, melodic parts, and noisy or ambient parts alike.


3. Some of your lyrics cover Germanic Paganism, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

The concept of Erntegang is to cover my personal interests, pursuit, perceptions, sentiments etc., according to my world-view. In Erntegang, there is indeed a focus on the esoteric, thus Erntegang’s lyrics often deal with topics inherent to my spirituality. 

Spirituality and religion have to be rooted in one’s blood to unfold to full potential, as Stephen McNallen (founder and leader of Asatru Folk Assembly) pointed out clearly in his tract "Metagenetics" (circa 1985). Thus, essential contents of my spirituality are derived from Germanic mystery tradition (Paganism). Though, I am not restricted to this solely, I may and do apply elements or systems from other traditions too, if need or desire to do so arises. But my experience has proven that the Western tradition in general – and the Germanic tradition in particular – suits me best.

My personal spirituality is basically a path of self-initiation and self-evolution. Such practice implies e.g. Rune-work and other magickal procedures. A crucial point is to restore the equilibrium between the dark and the light. One core of my spirituality is a concept I call the Tree of Life. This concept was inspired by the Tree of Wyrd by the Order of Nine Angles, and by Edred Thorsson/The Rune Gild, among others. This structure serves as a road map toward the Self. The Tree provides me with both spiritual tasks (esoteric) and ethos (exoteric). Another focal point of my spiritual life is Rune-work. For me, the Runic row is far more than a mere writing system, and also more than a divinatory system; it is nothing less than a representation of the principles of the cosmos. Thus, it serves as an initiatory system, and it offers insight and even ethic guidance.

As this approach implies, I am not so much interested in precise re-enactment of the religious world of a specific tribe in the Viking era for instance – rather, I focus on the application of "timeless" spiritual principles to today, and on their significance and validity for the future.

Inasmuch the term "Pagan" is usually a pejorative word used by Christians to denote people not belonging to their faith, and moreover to emphasize a distinct antagonism, I shall state a few words on Christianity: I reject Christianity as inappropriate to Europeans. Christianity represents an aeonic distortion of the West. On an esoteric level, Christianity provides a spirituality that is incompatible to the Western (Faustian) soul. On an exoteric level, Christianity imposes ethics that are unnatural (and sometimes even harmful) to the West.
To me, a Pagan-derived spirituality is superior to the Abrahamic/Mosaic religions in terms of both esoteric accuracy and value, and – equally important – ethos. For the new aeon we – as Westeners – shall usher in a new spirituality, devoid of the distortion by Christianity, and based on the ethnic pre-Christian religion of our ancestors (Paganism), in order to nurture the resurgence of the West.

In order to improve reaching out to like-minded individuals, and to contribute to fostering a spirituality based on the Western tradition (Paganism), Erntegang has recently joined the Heathen Circle (http://heathen-circle.org).


4. What are also some of the other lyrical topics and subjects that you have explored with your music?

Even if esoteric/spiritual topics take large space in the imagery and lyrics of Erntegang, this music project is not intended to be a Pagan propaganda unit. Thus the lyrics may not necessarily be clear-cut or seductive. Further, the lyrics often deal with many themes that have no obvious connection to Paganism.

Conceptually, there is no restriction or commandment for Erntegang to stipulate which topics are potentially worthy to be explored lyrically. 

Apart from overtly "Pagan" themes, I have lyrically covered topics and subjects such as philosophical and metaphysical themes in general (existence, death, desire, cyclicity, equilibrium, ...), eschatological and apocalyptic topics, culture/civilization and cultural pessimism (the Western soul, Europa, aeonics, …), blood mysticism, weltanschauung and ethics (revenge, social Darwinism, left hand path approach, Faustian spirit, ...), war (also historical related), sexuality – including tantra, and SM (this form of ritualized violence I consider to also have a philosophical and esoteric dimension), strife and individualism (related to my own person, not in the sense of advocacy of "hippie ethics" liberalism), nature mysticism and romanticism, further, emotions like anger, hatred etc.

Anyhow, most of the lyrics do (and will) carry some kind of "Pagan undertones", even if not visible at first sight, because my spiritual mindset permeates the entire manifestation of Erntegang.

In my lyrics, there are often several levels for interpretation offered and many symbolic meanings included. Not seldom, the lyrics are drenched with cynicism, scorn, criticism, and passion. Usually, the lyrics emphasize the sinister aspects of the subject explored.

5. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Erntegang'?

"Erntegang" (German) can roughly be translated as "harvesting procedure". This slightly old-fashioned expression refers to the work step of harvesting, and usually denotes a complete unit (or round) of reaping to bring in the harvest.

This term, which bears a strong connotation of cyclicity, is associated with a rural, traditional way of life, pointing at the chief task essential to life – that is: to take. Thus, it includes the "beast of prey" nature within us, but it is far more. Being rooted in the realm of agriculture, this term also implies a task that is likewise important and has to be accomplished beforehand – that is: to sow.

So, the term "Erntegang" is a beautiful metaphor for a spiritual concept that is important to my weltanschauung. Based on the finding that life is, in essence, energy transfer, the concept of reaping is fundamental to my spirituality, with all its esoteric and exoteric implications.
This principle is also expressed in the well-known saying "We reap what we sow" (and vice versa!). Everyone reaps a harvest, regardless whether he does or does not know what he has sown. And afterwards he has to make do with the yield of his harvest, however small or bad it may be. This imposes the important task of preparation upon us – to sow – which has to be undertaken wisely and skillfully, so that the invested effort may cause growth and bring forth the desired earnings.

In essence, the esoteric purport of the band name "Erntegang" bears resemblance to the principle which is called "Karma" in Indo-Aryan tradition, while the term "Erntegang" emphasizes the effort of actively taking of the earnings.

A further idea implied by the term "Erntegang" is the Grim Reaper as the paramount harvester who ends the life of everyone and everything. Within my concept, this allegory serves as a memento mori, and – even more – as a role-model, an identification figure. This shall propel us to always head for a plentiful harvest, to become the Reaper ourselves.

Concerning the music of Erntegang – since I acknowledge the principle of harvesting as paramount (in and above all), there is a link to the band name in actually every song.


6. With this musical project you record everything by yourself are you open to bringing other musicians into this project or do you prefer to remain solo?

In the past, Erntegang featured two members, myself and a female vocalist. Nevertheless Erntegang has always been – even back then – solely an expression of my visions and ideas alone (with a very few exceptions, the vocalist was not involved in the songwriting at all). I integrated the female voice into Erntegang for two reasons: Firstly – and very banal, according to my taste, a female voice singing sounds very pleasant. Secondly, as the subject of equilibrium is a very important topic for Erntegang, man and woman singing together is a beautiful representation of this.

So, as long as the cooperation with another musician is fruitful and as smooth as it has been in the past, I am open to bringing in other people as well, again. Further, in my wildest dreams, I can imagine Erntegang performing live before an audience; this would require assistance of other musicians, anyway.

But even if cooperation with other musicians may happen in the future, Erntegang will always remain some kind of solo project in essence, meaning that additional session musicians will temporarily take over a clearly restricted and subordinated role. Expansion of Erntegang into a band with constant, equally involved full-members is not intended.


7. On your website you played tribute to Anton LaVey a few years back, do you also have an interest in Satanism?

The great theme of Satanism is largely disputed due to matters of its sheer definition. And since Satanism has often been defined by those who wish to destroy it, this has additionally fueled the debate. But even among Satanists, there is much debate over the definition of what real Satanism is. The result is that we have different currents of Satanism, each of them accusing the other of being not genuine Satanic. (According to the proposed heretical nature of Satanism this may be little wonder.)

In the early 1990s, when the basics of my weltanschauung were formed, different schools of Satanism provided a huge source of inspiration. To note the most important ones: I was very much inspired by what is sometimes considered as Neo-Satanism, namely by the teachings of Anton LaVey and the Church of Satan (offering Satanism as a mundane philosophy easy to identify with), by the Temple of Set (taking esoteric and intellectual matters to further extent), and by the Temple of the Vampire (offering a vampire religion form of Satanism). Further I got considerable inspiration by what is called Traditional Satanism by the respective organizations representing this branch of Satanism, namely the Order of Nine Angles (introducing the concept of the Sinister Tradition), and Ordo Sinistra Vivendi, formerly Order of the Left Hand Path (more accessible than ONA albeit increasingly influenced by ONA concepts). Unlike the Neo-Satanic concepts, the Sinister Tradition emphasizes adherence to purely Western esoteric tradition and the significance of aeonics with all its complex implications. Additionally, the Order of the Jarls of Baelder has had a certain impact on my spiritual world-view. Although a declared Paganist organization – instead of Satanist as the previously mentioned ones – this order was affiliated with other organizations drawing on the Sinister Tradition, including ONA, and pursued similar goals. Further I got inspired, of course, by various Satanic writers either linked to one of the mentioned organizations, or linked to other organizations, or linked to none of them, or predating them (such as Aleister Crowley).

Teachings from all those sources have contributed to the formation of my weltanschauung. Therefore, I may honor the one or another if occasion arises, although I am totally aware of the fact that these different concepts of Satanism antagonize if respectively considered as a whole. Thus, I may not endorse their distinct ideologies as a whole, but I appreciate that they contain something (and be it only a small part of their teachings) which inspired me and became important for myself. Therefore, I shall not be mistaken: By honoring a certain source, I pay homage to the inspiration and insight in certain issues it has offered to me – I do not promote a specific organization or its teachings in its entirety, by doing so.

I’d also like to comment on some frequently uttered criticism: Organizations like the Church of Satan and the Temple of the Vampire are largely criticized for their business company behavior (rather than acting as orders which serve as forges for a higher type of man). As appropriate and comprehensible this criticism may be, this detracts only little from the magickal value of their teachings.

The majority of Satanist organizations and Satanic writers (even scholars) represent Satanism as a healthy and rational life-affirming philosophy – given such definitions, I can truly endorse that; I even identify with it to a large degree. But in the musical scenes, such as Black Metal, sometimes formations of Satanism appear that are rather insane or stupid (mostly immature teenage rebellion) – such misconceptions of Satanism I definitely reject.

Nevertheless I refuse to label myself. (Although I acknowledge the usefulness of labels such as "Satanist" for vague orientation. If someone finds this term to be not correct in my case, and he has good reasons for it or no reasons at all, then so shall it be, I don’t care.) I am not interested in labels, I am interested in contents, instead. So I leave further categorization open, may other people quarrel about if my use of the Runes is Pagan or Satanic practice, if my embrace of the inner beast is of a Gnostic or atheistic nature, or if my exploration of the Self is an occult or psychological procedure. (Note that these assignments are interchangeable and still make sense.) Magick may be an appropriate term, due to its sheer (almost) universality.

In regard to question #3 about being interested in Paganism and this question about being interested in Satanism, I’d like to state a further commentary:

I am not only interested in Paganism and Satanism as isolated ideas or concepts, I am also interested in the whole context of these concepts; moreover, I am interested in spirituality and religions in general. I shall present a list with religious/spiritual concepts that I find interesting, categorized by origin and roughly in chronological order of appearance:

My focus is set on Western esotericism. This includes Germanic polytheism (since 1700 BC), Greek polytheism (since 2000 BC), Greco-Roman mystery cults (since 750 BC), Hellenism (since 300 BC), Hermeticism (since 100 CE), Celtic polytheism (since 500 BC), Norse polytheism (since 200 CE). Further interesting newer developments from the last two centuries are Asatru, Neo-Druidism, Wicca, Rodnovery (Slavic Neo-Paganism), Golden Dawn, Thelema, Anthroposophy (the latter three containing also non-Western lore as well), and of course some branches considered especially heretical, such as Chaos Magic, further Zos Kia Cultus, Armanism/Ariosophy, and – very important – Odianism (which can simplified be considered as some kind of occult and Left Hand Path approach to Odinism).

Further I am interested in Middle East traditions. This includes Sumerian polytheism (since 4000 BC), Babylonian polytheism (since 2000 BC), Egyptian polytheism (since 3000 BC) , Judaism (since 950 BC), Hellenistic Judaism (since 300 BC), Mithraism (since 70 BC), Christianity (since 33 CE), Gnosticism (since 200 CE), Islam (since 620 CE,) Sufism (since 850 CE), Catharism (since 1150 CE), Kabbalah (since 1270, especially the often despised Qlippoth concept is interesting), Freemasonry (since 1500 CE). A focal point of my interest is how these – especially the Abrahamic/Mosaic religions – have influenced the West.

Also interesting is the Indo-Aryan (Central Asian) tradition. This includes Vedic (early Hindu) polytheism (since 1700 BC), Hinduism (since 1000 BC), and Tantra (since 800 CE).

These spiritual/religious concepts are often very antagonistic, of course, so it should be clear that I do not relate to all of them in equal measure. Nevertheless, it is valuable to deal with these various concepts, however alien they might appear. This opens the mind and sharpens the intellect to establish one’s own preferences.

 
8. The last recording was self released, are you open to working with another label again in the future?

Actually all of my releases were self-released, both as physical album copies and as digital downloads.

Additionally (!) to my own release/distribution efforts, some of the Erntegang albums – namely "Les danses macabres" (2009), "Words Of Love And Hate" (2011), "Raubzug" (2011),  "Zwielicht" (2012), and "The Meager Years" (2014) – have also been released in special versions as limited editions by SkullLine (label & mailorder) from Germany. My main motivation for this cooperation was to get some of the distribution work done by someone else. As intended and expected, the SkullLine versions have caused more attention than my self-released versions.

Yes, of course, I am open to working with a record label, I would welcome such procedure. My only requirement is just treatment/reasonable conditions.

Besides CD format releases, I’d also wish to get 7'' or 10'' vinyl releases done, unfortunately this did not happen yet.


9. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of industrial and folk?

Generally, the feedback to Erntegang’s music has been rather little, so far. I guess Erntegang is the most ignored and most underrated music project in the world (just kidding).

Erntegang releases have been reviewed in some online magazines (e.g. Heathen Harvest, Mithra! Zine, NecroWeb, Amboss Mag, ...). All of these reviews judged the respective albums as good or at least average – with the exception of the debut album, which received harsh criticism. Personal feedback has also been rare, but most of the people who replied to me personally seem to like Erntegang.

As for the zines and the individuals who have stated some sort of feedback, the majority seems to come from a "crossover" background, meaning that they are open to different styles of music, including e.g. Metal, Goth, Folk etc. Feedback from people or magazines explicitly rooted in the Industrial and Neo-Folk music scene has been very rare. The Goth scene seems to be even less interested in my music.

Ironic as it may be, I get the impression that Erntegang is more appreciated among Black Metal fans than among Neo-Folk fans.


10. Are you also involved with any other musical projects?

I have been involved in several musical projects in the past, the most noteworthy being a Black Metal band for about one and a half decade in the time before I started Erntegang. Apart from that I have always worked on some experimental, mostly short-lived, solo projects, which never got any far.

Since 2007 I have concentrated on Erntegang and an Industrial music project, increasingly abandoning all other musical activities. After the Black Metal band finally split (unfortunately), I wanted to run only Erntegang and my Industrial project as its "evil twin". After two releases I changed my mind, so that I quit my Industrial project to let all my energy be absorbed by Erntegang. Also I was afraid that the two projects would converge more and more if I continued with both endeavors. It doesn’t make sense any more when they tend to become indistinguishable from another. I perceived this development with the well-known acts Haus Arafna and November Növelet which served as a warning for my own musical efforts.

So, I am only involved with Erntegang now. And on my own behalf, I will not found some side projects any more.
Maybe I would help out in other bands when need or desires arises, but only to a smaller extend and with lower priority compared to Erntegang.

11. When can we expect another full length album and also where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?

As I already stated before, the first seven year phase of Erntegang’s existence has come to an end. Erntegang is paused in the interim time before its resurgence. The latest two releases, "The Meager Years" (full-length album, 2014), and "Hvel" (mini album, 2015), which contain re-recordings of old tracks, mark the end of the first phase of Erntegang’s manifestation and shall serve as a link between the "old" Erntegang as founded in 2007 and the "new" Erntegang to re-appear in the future. As new material will not be worked on before 2016, I guess there will be no new release before 2017.

Concerning the new material to be released in the future, nothing specific can be said yet – only, that I intend to emancipate Erntegang further from its sources of musical inspiration. 
As also already mentioned, Erntegang is not restricted to a certain musical style or genre, therefore all or none of the styles like Ambient, Metal, Electro, Classical or Industrial may be incorporated into new Erntegang releases – but most likely it will never be Jazz, Hip Hop, Funk, Grunge, or Gospel (I might eventually integrate Gregorian singing but never Gospel).

Fortunately, I am a "hobbyist" musician (presuming that a hobby must be something to have fun with, this term seems to be slightly inappropriate when applied to Erntegang, to me Erntegang is anything but fun – it is rather a daimonic entity, an epiphany, a beast seeking to be fed) and will remain so. Therefore I am not forced to bother with business issues, I am not confined to deadlines, and I am not under pressure to compromise to commercial or economic considerations – I am free to do or refrain from doing as I please. So, in the moment there are no fixed plans for upcoming releases yet. However, I cannot imagine to ever quit Erntegang, not even in the long term.

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

I am afraid it is rather obvious which bands have inspired me for Erntegang’s musical style. Nevertheless I name here the most important ones: Death In June – with their simple-structured but very beautifully rendered songs (which are widely acknowledged as a role model for the neo-folk genre) containing poetically crafted hints of pagan spirituality and passion –; and Blood Axis – with their variable, often solemn style, sophistically exploring subjects of the spiritual underground of the West.
Further I should mention Allerseelen. This band may not have inspired the specific sound or way of instrumentation of Erntegang so much, but the overall concept of Allerseelen (including its "otherness"), which can not be separated from Gerhard’s Aorta/Ahnstern writings, has inspired me definitely.

On a more subtle level many other bands considered to roughly belong to the neo-folk genre have surely influenced me, of course, and be it just for the reason that I enjoyed (and still do) their music, e.g. other "older" bands like Changes and Fire & Ice (Ian Read), and "newer" bands such as Luftwaffe, Of The Wand And The Moon, Forseti, etc. Certainly – and maybe more unexpected – also the noise/industrial pioneering act NON (Boyd Rice) had an impact on my own musical creations.

Concerning the popular representatives of contemporary folk music, I can state that they have definitely not inspired Erntegang’s music, especially not Bob Dylan and the likes.
Instead, I prefer popular contemporary musicians who draw on traditional folk music such as Loreena McKennitt, whose work I highly appreciate (safe for the Christmas songs). Another bright example of drawing on traditional music is the ensemble Sequentia who focus on the reconstruction of medieval music by a very sophisticated and scholar approach.

Although also classical music has been incorporated into a few Erntegang songs (melodies by Mussorgsky and a song by Schubert, and also some neo-classical orchestration e.g. on "Words of ...", "Raubzug", and "Zwielicht" albums), I think that classical music – which I regard as the highest art of music ever crafted – has influenced me only a little. The very simple and minimalist music of Erntegang is too far away from elaborate compositions by geniuses such as M. P. Mussorgsky, R. Wagner, E. Grieg, R. Strauss, J. S. Bach, J. Sibelius, G. Mahler... (to name some of my favorites) and I am too respectful to seriously claim a significant influence, let alone a similarity.

Further, Black Metal in general (as played in the 1990s) has influenced my music – not so much the sophisticated, symphonic style of Black Metal, but rather the crude and simple style. After having played in a black metal band from 1994 until 2009 (bass & vocals), this part of my musical past can not be completely denied to have a certain influence – however maybe little – on my work with Erntegang. In essence, I think, my music is actually not that far away from Black Metal – only, the arrangements are much more simplified, the lyrical concept is wider, and the overall sound is more applicable to the mainstream.

Additional to the musical inspiration as described above, I’d like to mention an important non-musical source of inspiration for the concept of Erntegang: The ancient Hellenic theater, especially the Greek tragedy (no, not the current financial disaster ;-) ). This form of art was quite different from that kind of theater we know today. The Greek tragedy was originally linked to the god Dionysos. It used to present mythological themes in order to focus on spiritual (religious, philosophical and existential) questions concerning existence, the individual and the world, the gods, ethics, and fate ("wyrd"). The performances were highly stylized, involving distinctive costumes and masks, to evoke massive drama. The intention was to achieve a catharsis for the audience. Thus, a performance of the ancient Greek theater was some kind of religious ceremonial.
Even if unnoticed by most Erntegang listeners, this art form has a considerable impact on the formation of the band and its presentation to the audience. Certain characteristics of Erntegang's appearance and imagery – though altered and adapted to my needs of more "Germanic" aesthetics and present-day relevance – are actually inspired by principles of the Greek tragedy, such as the overall spiritual dimension, the separateness from the everyday world, the solemnity, the emphasis on drama, the use of masks, the utilization of mythological stuff etc.

Last but not least, when talking about "inspiration", I’d like to add: The term "inspiration" is – to a considerable extent – quite a fitting concept for describing the reception of ideas that will be worked out as songs for Erntegang. Rather than actively constructing or inventing the initial idea for a song, I experience myself as a mere vessel receiving vision or even mandate from beyond. These ideas I am haunted by (e.g. in my dreams) have to be crafted into songs. (This indicates clearly the transpersonal dimension of Erntegang.)
This phase of finding many of my musical ideas may vaguely be illustrated by a woodcut from the 16th century which depicts the devil playing bagpipe on Luther.

To come to the second part of your question: My habits of listening to music are crucially dependent on the circumstances and the intention thereof. Further, my musical taste covers a wide-spread range. Thus, my music collection contains both experimental and conventional music, both cacophonous and accessible music, both underground and more mainstream music, both artistically fastidious music and primitive music, both music for the ritual chamber and music for parties... Stylistically, my music collection covers various genres e.g. classical music, Black Metal, Industrial, Gothic, Rock Music, EBM, Neo-Folk, Heavy Metal, March Music, Film Scores, Ritual Music, Power Electronics, Folk Music, Psychobilly, Death Metal etc.
Nevertheless, I am not the one to constantly buy all the new records, therefore I am not always "up to date" and do often listen to albums that are somewhat old.
The music I listen to is usually carefully chosen, I strictly avoid being irrigated all along the way by music from popular radio stations or TV programs.
To those who wish to read some names here: Two newer records I recently got, which I appreciate, are Dark Awake "Anunnaki" and Marduk "Frontschwein".

13. What are some of your non musical interests?

Some of my non-musical interests have already been mentioned before, as within my answers regarding Paganism (#3), lyrical subjects (#4), and Satanism (#7).

As my interest in esoteric subjects indicates, I am interested in the study of religions (from an academic point of view). Moreover, I am interested in cultural history in general; this includes interest in related topics such as archeology. Further I am interested in the fine arts and art history (e.g. ancient Egyptian art, Classical sculptures, Baroque, Neo-Classicism, Romanticism, Art Nouveau, Symbolism, Surrealism, Psychedelic art), and architecture (e.g. ancient Mesopotamian, ancient Egyptian, classic Hellenic and Roman, medieval castles, Gothic cathedrals, Third Reich architecture, bunkers), including subterranean sites (caves, crypts, tunnels, ritual sites, etc.). Apart from that, I am also interested in psychology and philosophy – both subjects not far away from spirituality. In addition, I am interested in societal topics; this includes being interested in zeitgeist, and its underground currents (such as sub-cultures, heretical movements, counter-cultures, etc.). Of course, I am also interested in military history, war technology, and weapons. Although I am very skeptical, I sometimes enjoy dealing with eccentric topics such as psychic phenomena/parapsychology and conspiracy theories.

I often tend to spotlight the dark side of my interests. I am fascinated by the grotesque, the uncanny, the hidden, the grim, the sinister, the acherontic, the gloomy, the macabre. Many of my interests may be reflected in my musical project Erntegang.

I always try to maintain a certain balance between intellectual and carnal experiences. But I desist from listing my interests here in which I indulge on the more hedonistic side of life.


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

Thank you for being interested in Erntegang and doing this interview!

Information on Erntegang (including music examples) can be found in the internet: http://erntegang.lima-city.de, www.facebook.com/erntegang, http://erntegang.bandcamp.com

Hail to all friends, comrades, and supporters!

Monday, September 21, 2015

The Crawling/In Light Of Dark Days/Grindscene Records/2015 EP Review


   The  Crawling  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "In  Light  Of  Dark  Days"  which  was  released  by  Grindscene  Records.

  Clean  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  ep  before going  into  a  very  heavy  and melodic  musical  direction  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  when  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  done  in  a  death  metal  growling  style  while  you  can  also  hear  high  pitched  screams  at  times.

  Elements  of  black  metal;  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  vocals  and  riffs  and  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  are  very  heavily  influenced  by  early  90's  doom/death  metal  and  there  is  a  good  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  throughout  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  2/3rd's of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic in  length.

  The  Crawling  plays  a musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  the  early  90's  style  of  doom  and  death  metal  but  also  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  to   make  their  songs  stand  out  a  bit  more,  the  production  sound s very  dark  yet  powerful  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  The  Crawling  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "The  Right  To  Crawl".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.thecrawlingband.co.uk  

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Voctum De Mortum/Maha Kali/Altar Lunae Templi/2015 Single Review


  Voctum  De  Mortum  are  a  band  from  Brazil  that  plays  a  mixture  of  ritual,  noise  and  dark  ambient  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  single  "Maha   Kali"  which  was  released  by  Altar  Lunae  Templi.

  Ritualistic  noises  start  off  the 20  minute  track  and  also  get  harsh  at  times and  you  can  also  hear  demonic  growls  at  times  and  the  music  can  be  tribal  at  times  and  also  brings  in  elements  of  black  metal  and  after awhile  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  at  times  and  the  music  also  brings  in  elements  of  dark  ambient  and  drone.

  Voctum  De  Mortum  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  dark  ambient,  noise  and  ritual  to  create  some  evil  occult  sounding  music,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  arte  an  invocation  to  the  Hindu  Goddess  Kali.

  In  my  opinion  Voctum  De  Mortum  are a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  dark  ambient,  noise  and  ritual and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  8  out  of  10.    

  

Monday, September 14, 2015

Philanthrofaeces Interview


1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
First of all, thank you indeed for your time. I’ve always wanted to create music on my own, but up to a few years ago, all I could play was a bit of drums. So I got a guitar, gave it a go and I guess philanthrofaeces started as soon as I was able to put the two instruments together.




2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?
I’m not quite sure, to be honest. I try to do something heavy, dirty, sometimes fast, sometimes very slow, I think philanthrofaeces is  mainly black, death, grind, doom/sludge or something like  that, probably nothing too original, but I am not really trying to be this, that or the other, I just enjoy making and playing heavy and dirty music.





3.In 2015 you have released 4 recordings so far, do you put a lot of time and effort into writing and creating music?
All songs are improvised, some of them would take me about 5 to 10 minutes to create and record. I work nights in an industrial freezer in a warehouse, so I don’t have loads of time and strength to play as much as I’d like to. On top of that, my neighbours are not very pleased with the racket, so I try to do my best with the time I have. I play a bit every day, and when I think some idea or riff is worth a recording, I normally end up with a new song. 




4.What are some of the themes and concepts you bring into your musical style?
I played in grindcore bands before, and to be honest, in spite of following a certain life style, being myself kind of a punkish vegetarian stoner, I think that telling people what is right and wrong and how to live their lives can be quite annoying, so I just use the song titles to spread a bit of my ideas. I have decided to not write any lyrics for philanthrofaeces, and this is now how the project works.



5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Philanthrofaeces'?
I just have this idea that we are this horribly selfish species, and that nothing that we do is really altruistic, so it has to do with “philanthropy is bullshit” or something like that.










6.With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with any other musicians with this projector do you prefer to remain solo?
I don’t exclude any possibility at all, but for the time being, I can’t really see anyone being interested in the kind of music  I come up with. Moreover, it’s handy to be absolutely free to do whatever I want with this “music”. I think it makes philanthrofaeces what it is, although I’m quite sure that other brain (s) would add something great to the mix. I’m just not quite sure whether I’d be able to continue calling it philanthrofaeces or not.



7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
I would really enjoy having something out there. Although I’ve a few splits on the way, I actually do not have any physical material yet. Not that I really look into it as I should, I mean, I haven’t sent anything to any label yet, but I’d be delighted to have a cd or something. I have this plan that, once I feel like philanthrofaeces has cohesive songs enough and no interest of any label, I’ll put a cd out myself and maybe start my own label.



8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of underground metal?
All I know is the response I get from facebook people who, like yourself, listen to my posts. There is some response from America, Europe, Asia, maybe just a couple from each of these continents, of course nothing much. If people like any post I add them as friends so that I can share my following recordings, once, after all, I only have a facebook account to be able to show philanthrofaeces to someone else but my poor ear-raped wife. 



9.Are you also involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
I currently play the guitar on Cephalophore, which is a noise project of Ben Durham, an american fella I’ve met on facebook who invited me to do so. He sends me the drum machine tracks and I send the guitar back. It’s as simple as that.



10.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?
All I want to do is keep composing. It would be great if some people enjoyed what I am doing, but I am kind of a selfish bastard (typical human), so I’ll keep playing as long as I am happy with philanthrofaeces. I am looking forward to having some material though.



11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Well, mainly death metal, grindcore, black metal and some newer sludge stuff. Some of my favorite bands are Macabre, Disharmonic Orchestra, Napalm Death, Yob, Black Sabbath and so on. I don’t listen to much music lately, but death metal, classic metal, grindcore and black metal are always the choice, apart from a bit of the 80’s pop/rock and some rare new age and early music.



12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Weed, beer, pizza, painting, walking my dogs and watching movies. That’s pretty much it. I haven’t painted for a while though.



13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Sure, first of all thanks again for all your interest and support, you are one of the very few people who must have got anything out of my music, and I really appreciate it. And I hope to be contacting you in the near future to throw in some philanthrofaeces stuff. I’ve a few recordings to come out in the next few days as well, and that’s about it. I’ve absolutely no plans to stop. Let’s keep the flame of annoying music  alive!

https://philanthrofaeces.bandcamp.com/

Monday, September 7, 2015

HellLight/Journey Through Endless Storms/Solitude Producitons/2015 CD Review


  HellLight  are  a  band  from  Brazil  that  plays  funeral  doom/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Journey  Through  Endless  Storms"  which  was  released  by  Solitude  Productions.

  Thunder  and  rain  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  female  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  and  when  keyboards  are  brought  onto  the  recording  they  give  the  songs  more  of  a  symphonic  feeling while  the  riffs  are  in  a  very  heavy  and  melodic  funeral  doom  metal  direction and  the  vocals  are  in  a  very  guttural  death  metal  direction.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  in  a  very  dark,  depressive  and  melodic  musical  direction  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  singing  male  vocals and  one  of  the  later  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  soft  guitar  playing  and  as  the  album  progresses  whispers  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  whole  album  also  sticks  to  a  very  dark  and  slow  musical  direction.

  HellLight  plays  a  style  of  funeral  doom/death  metal that  is  very  melodic,  epic,  heavy,  dark  and  atmospheric  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  sorrow,  loneliness,  death  and  Paganism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  HellLight  are  a  very  great  sounding  funeral  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Journey  Through  Endless  Storm"  "Time"  and  "Shapeless  Forms  Of  Emptiness".  8  out  of 10.

Full Album Stream (Today) on Solitude Productions Bandcamp 


Postvorta/Aegeria/Drown Within Records/2015 CD Review


 Postvorta  are  a  solo  project  from  Italy that  plays  post/sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2015  album  "Aegeria"  which  will  be  released  on  September  16th  by  Drown  Within  Records.

 A  very  dark  and  heavy  sludge  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  growling  vocals  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  post  metal  style  melodies  in  the  songs  and  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  there  is  also  some  hardcore  elements  being  utilized  at  times.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  music  also  gets  very  atmospheric  and  progressive  at  times  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  and on one  of  the  tracks  the  music  speeds  up  adds  in  high  pitched  screams  and  blast  beats  which  also  gives  the  songs  a  touch  of  black  metal.  

  Postvorta  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  post  metal,  sludge  and  hardcore  along  with  a  small  amount  of  black  metal  to  create  a  style  of  his  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  the  cycle  of  birth  along  with  some  Greek  Mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Postvorta  are  a  very  great  sounding  post/sludge  metal  project  and  if you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Amnios"  and  "Uterus".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/POSTVORTA


Sunday, September 6, 2015

In Gowan Ring/The Serpent And The Dove/Les Disquesdu 7eme Ceil/2015 CD Review


  In  Gowan  Ring  are  a  solo  project  from  the  United  States  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical style  that mixes  neo-folk,  psychedelia  and  drone  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2015  album  "The  Serpent  And  The  Dove"  which  will  be  released  on  September  23rd  by  Les Disquesdu 7eme Ceil.

  Ambient  style  drones  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  violins  and  cello's  a  few  seconds  later  that  also  add  a  touch  of  classical  music  onto  the  recording  and  on  the  second  tracks  acoustic  guitars,  clean  singing  vocals  and  elements  of  psychedelic  track  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  flutes  are  utilized  they  give  the  songs  more  of  a  medieval  feeling  while  the  drum  beats are very  ritualistic  and shamanistic  sounding  and  the  acoustic  guitars  also  use  a  good  amount  of  finger  picking  and  full  chords  which  also gives  the  music  a  touch  of  progressive  rock  and  one  song  also  brings  in  piano's.

  In  Gowan  Ring  creates  another  neo  folk  album  which  also  brings  in  elements  of  drone  and  psychedelia  which  also  makes  the  songs  stand  out  a  bit  more,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  based  upon  the  alchemical  journey  through  a  luminous  garden  around  the  Living  Tree.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from In  Gowan  Ring  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  neo-folk,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Thousands  of  Bees"  "Set  A  Candle  In  The  Night"  and  "The  Dove".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.ingowanring.com/

Philanthrofaeces/heyouvaitomamocu/2015 Full Length Review


  Philanthrofaeces  are  a  solo  project  from  Ireland  that  takes  noise,  grindcore,  stoner,  black  and  death  metal  to  create  something  very  original  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2015  album  "heyouvaitomamocu".

  Dark  soundign  synths  start  off  the  album  and  also  adds  in  an  avant  garde  vibe  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  yet  experimental  musical  direction  along  with  some  elements  of  harsh  noise  and  the  faster  sections  also  utilize  a  great  mixture  of  blast  beats  and  when  the  music  slows  down  the  doom  and  sludge  metal  influences  kick  in.

  Vocals  use  a  good  mixture  of  both  black  metal  and  sludge  screams  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to them  and  a  lot  of  the  fast   parts  bring  in  elements  of  grind  and  noisecore  along  with  a  touch  of  brutal  death  metal  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  dark  and  melodic  and  you  can  also  hear  a  touch  of  noise  rock  in  some  of  the  riffing  and  one  track  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing.

  Philanthrofaeces  takes  a  variety  of  many  different  genres  from  black,  death,  doom  metal,  sludge,  noise,  stoner  and  grindcore  to  create  an  album  that  is  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and raw  while  lyrics  are  not  utilized  in  a  serious  manner,

  In  my  opinion  Philanthrofaeces   are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of   black,  death,  doom  metal,  sludge,  noise,  stoner  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "My  Spirit  Is  A  Fart"  "Your  Whine  Belongs  In  The  Basement"  "Whatever  It  Be"  and  "My  Love  For  You  And  All".  8  out  of  10.  

https://philanthrofaeces.bandcamp.com/ 

     

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Erntegang/Hvel/2015 EP Review


  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from Erntegang  that  continues  his  mixture  of  industrial  and  neo  folk  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2015  ep "Hvel".

  A  very  dark  and  ritualistic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  before  the  acoustic  guitars  and  folk  instruments  kick  in  along  with  some  spoken word  parts  and  after  the  intro  distorted  drones  are  added  into  the  music  and  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  an  atmospheric  touch  and  the  drum  beatsd  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  tribal  and  shamanistic  feeling.

  When  bass  guitars  are  utilized  they  give  the  songs  more  of  an  industrial  feeling  while  the  music is mostly  rooted  in  neo  folk  and  you  can  also  hear  whispers  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  after  awhile  clean  singing  vocals  are  used  a  lot  more  in  some  parts  of  the  songs.

  Erntegang  continues  his  mixture  of  industrial  and  neo  folk  from  the  previous  recording  while  also  getting  more  ritualistic  and  adding  in  more  folk  instruments  this  time  around,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Norse  Paganism  themes.

   In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Erntegang  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  neo  folk  and  industrial,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Death  Of  Balder"  and  "Nidstong".  8  out  of  10. 



 

Erntegang/The Meager Years/2014 Full Length Review


 Erntegang  are  a  solo  project  from  the  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  industrial  and  folk  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2014  album  "The  Meager  Years".

  Percussion's  and  acoustic  guitars which  also  use  both  finger  picking  and  full  chords  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  music  goes  for  a  neo  folk  style  and  whispers  can  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  after  awhile  the  music gets  more  atmospheric.

  Elements  of  industrial  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  traditional  folk music  feeling  at  times  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  medieval  atmosphere  while  some  of the  whispers  have  a  touch  of  black  metal  to  them  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  the  drum  beats  also  add  in  elements  of  martial  and  also gives  the  songs  a militant  feeling.

  Erntegang  plays  a  style  of  neo  folk  that  also  mixes  in  elements  of  industrial  and  martial  music  to  make  the  songs  stand  out a  bit  more,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  misanthropic  and  Norse  Paganism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Erntegang  are  a very  great  sounding  mixture  of  industrial  and  folk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Dance  Of  Death"  "Misanthropia"  "Algiz  And  Roses"  and  "Salvation".  8  out  of  10.