AN NCS INTERVIEW: SORROW

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Nov 202024
 

(The NY death metal band Sorrow‘s first records were released in 1991 and 1992, and their third one followed decades later in 2023. How it came to be, and the dual meaning of its title, are among the subjects that Comrade Aleks discussed with three of the band’s members in the following very good interview.)

I think that I interviewed Brett Clarin for the Doom Metal Lexicanum project a few years ago, and for sure there was the interview with him here focused on his symphonic black/death metal band Journey Into Darkness. But his “main band” was the angry death-doom outfit Sorrow based in New York in the late ’80s and disbanded in 1993 after the EP Forgotten Sunrise (1991) and the LP Hatred and Disgust (1992).

A bad deal with Roadrunner Records disappointed the guys so much that they left without finishing the recording of the next full-length. And all of a sudden Sorrow’s original lineup returned in 2022 in order to complete that recording.

Andy Marchione (vocals, bass), Brett Clarin (guitars), Bill Rogan (guitars), and Mike Hymson (drums) released Death of Sorrow through Xtreem Music in August 2023, and I skipped it somehow. But support is never enough, and here we have the interview with Brett, Andy, and Bill discussing true death of Sorrow. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: BARATHRUM

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Nov 192024
 

(In this brief interview Demonos Sova, a co-founding member of the long-running Finnish black metal band Barathrum, answered questions posed by our Comrade Aleks about their new album Überkill.)

One of the oldest Finnish black metal entities Barathrum is here again, and as you saw in our Shades of Black department, Demonos Sova and his circle have not returned empty-handed.

The new album Überkill is out thanks to Hammer of Hate, and it’s easy to predict what you’ll get from it – a portion of concentrated black metal nihilism with savage heavy metal touches. So I welcome you to take a short quest to the Mountain of Bones to fulfill symbolic Ritual Murder through the Dark Sorceress’ Black Magic Rites and accept the Death by Steel for Überkill’s sake. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: JOSÉ LUIS CANO BARRÓN

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Nov 152024
 

(In the following interview, Comrade Aleks presents a very interesting discussion with Mexican writer José Luis Cano Barrón, the founder of Under Fire Records and the author of numerous books about metal. The main focus of this conversation (but not the only one) is his book about Bathory and Quorthon, an English translation of which has been released this year by Pagan Records.)

Bathory is one of the most influential extreme metal bands of the past, as Quorthon, its constitutor, was one of the first to lay the foundation for the black metal genre, and he was the one and only who formed the rules of viking metal. Almost each album he recorded differs from another, but even the most controversial of his releases, like those two he did in the mid-’90s, got recognition.

Quorthon passed away twenty years ago on February 17, 2004, and it felt terribly wrong that there weren’t books about his career and Bathory’s history. Yet, it’s easy to understand why, because he always avoided revealing details of his personal life and preferred to work alone, so there weren’t many evidences that could help to recreate some episodes of his life accurately.

Long story short: Pagan Records released an English-language edition of José Luis Cano Barrón’s book From Hades to Valhalla… BATHORY – The Epic Story. And I couldn’t ignore it, so here we have José, who not only shared his look at Bathory’s story, but also revealed some of his plans, which may excite other bookworms like me. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: ANTE-INFERNO

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Nov 122024
 

(On November 22nd Vendetta Records will release a new album by the UK black metal band Ante-Inferno. Probably intrigued by certain Lovecraftian imagery hovering around the album, our interviewer Comrade Aleks reached out to the band’s lyricist, vocalist, and guitarist Kai, and that led to an excellent discussion, which we now present below.)

Founded in Scarborough, 2017, Ante-Inferno have performed their black metal almost without stop, and there’s just a normal two-year-long break between their second album Antediluvian Dreamscapes and the new one – Death’s Soliloquy.

This is a sort of concept album based on traditional black metal sound with atmospheric touches and a depressive message of self-destruction. Vendetta Records has scheduled Death’s Soliloquy for release on November 22nd, and the interview we’ve done with Kai (vocals, guitars) should shed some light on this grim dramatic work. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: GÖDEN

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Nov 112024
 

(Delayed by both external events and our editor’s foot-dragging, we finally present our Comrade Aleks‘ interview of Stephen Flam, an original member of the seminal NYC band Winter and a founder of Göden, whose second album Vale of the Fallen (the main subject of the interview) was released by Svart Records last May.)

About thirty-five years ago, the heavy, rusty, clanking Winter thundered through the New York City underground. Over time, the young trio, making sloppy death-doom, entered the pantheon of genre pioneers whose names are known mostly to doom-heads, but then the band simply fell apart after their first album Into Darkness (1990).

Winter’s guitarist Stephen Flam returned with two confederates as Göden in 2020: Betty (“Vas”) Lakkas aka Nxyta (Goddess of Night) on vocals and Tony Pinnisi aka The Prophet of Goden on keyboards. With the new album Vale of the Fallen, Göden continued this year the direction they took on their debut, Beyond Darkness (2020): unusual, but uncomfortable and categorically gloomy post-apocalyptic doom with hoarse female vocals. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: THE GATES OF SLUMBER

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Nov 052024
 


photo by Marshall Kreeb

(Indiana-based doom metal behemoths The Gates of Slumber have revived and return with a new self-titled album that’s set for release on November 29th via Svart Records. Our Comrade Aleks needed to find out more, and the band’s founder Karl Simon graciously took his questions.)

There are the bands who are long inactive, and after some time checking their profiles on social medias or metal-archives in hope of finding any new information, you just give up. The same was true for me with The Gates of Slumber. I loved the heroic doom metal they played in the first album …the Awakening (2004); Suffer No Guilt (2006) was a blast; and I still listen to other albums too – especially Hymns of Blood and Thunder (2009).

Karl Simon (guitars, vocals) disbanded The Gates of Slumber in 2013 only to form Wretch, which didn’t last long. So Karl’s last official full-length was Wretch’s self-titled debut released in 2016, and I was surprised when Svart Records announced that a new The Gates of Slumber album would be released on November 29th.

Of course, it was a natural necessity to learn the album’s background, and the result of my curiousity is this interview with Karl. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: FOR CENTURIES

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Oct 252024
 

(Here we present Comrade Aleks‘ interview of Ivan Bloodhunter, founder and vocalist of the Mexican Epic Doom band For Centuries.)

Epic doom metal from Mexico is a really rare thing, and it’s good to have such an opportunity and to talk with For Centuries from Guadalajara about their first full-length album Before the Eyes of Doom (Per Sæcula Sæculorum). This band was founded in 2017, so their underground career is relatively short, yet the material which fills Before the Eyes of Doom is absolutely worthy of listening for fans of traditional and, yes, quite epic doom metal.

For Centuries rely on the classical sound of good old doom metal with lyrics based on medieval prejudices and stories of the deviltry. As you see, the vibe is already very old school, so you know what to expect from them. However, I’ve always preferred interviews over reviews, because this way it is easier to discover what the authors put into their music, much better than trying to interpret it yourself.

Today I invite you to make a trip to the Mexican underground with Ivan Bloodhunter, the band’s vocalist and founder. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: GOLGOTHA

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Oct 182024
 

(Earlier this year we helped introduce to the public the newest album by the long-running Spanish death-doom metal band Golgotha, and today we present Comrade Aleks‘ interview with its leader Vicente Javier Payá Galindo.)

NCS readers already read the in-depth text about Golgotha’s newest album Spreading the Wings of Hope, or at least you should. Anyway I’d like to remind you about this oldest Spanish death-doom band once more and invite you to read the interview with its founder Vicente Javier Payá Galindo, the guitarist and the author of music and partly the lyrics. Maybe it’ll help to understand the motivation of Golgotha’s members better, maybe you’ll dig the album after that. Who knows? Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: KAM LEE (MASSACRE)

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Oct 152024
 

(Our Comrade Aleks is best-known at our site for interviewing musicians in the genres of doom and black metal, but he dived deep into the molten core of death metal with this interview of the legendary Kam Lee. Maybe it was the shared love of Lovecraft that created the connection?)

Kam Lee doesn’t need a special introduction. Being one of the most prolific American death metal vocalists, he started with Mantas and Death in 1983, and performed with a lot of bands including Bone Gnawer, Massacre, The Grotesquery, and many more. Lovecraftian horrors, horror movies and related cultural influences were the fundament of his lyrics for almost 40 years and became a trademark of the bands in which he was involved, as well as his primordial growl.

His return to Massacre in 2019 opened a new chapter in the band’s career, as Kam, with the help of Mike Borders (bass) and ultra-prolific Rogga Johansson (guitars), breathed new life into the old entity. The most recent demonstration of their fruitful collaboration is the Necrolution album, which will be released by Agonia Records on November 8th. I’m grateful to Kam for his patience and this great interview we managed to do. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: INTAGLIO

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Oct 102024
 

(Today we present Comrade Aleks‘ interview of Evgeny Semenov, founder and principal of the Russian funeral doom band Intaglio (whose latest album we premiered and reviewed here) and a founder and owner of Solitude Productions. The interview focuses on both of those subjects, and more.)

Intaglio is one of very first funeral doom bands founded in Russia. They and Comatose Vigil released debut albums in 2005, and only Вой / Voy could challenge their birthright, but its demo recorded in 1991 wasn’t officially published until 2012.

Although Intaglio’s self-titled first album was almost unnoticed in the world underground, it was also one of the releases by Solitude Productions, the Russian doom-oriented label which has gained its reputation with years of fair and selfless work in the name of Doom. By accident, Evgeny Semenov, one of Intaglio’s founders, who performs guitars, bass, and programming, also is one of Solitude’s owners.

As everything about funeral doom is damn slow, here we are to discuss with Evgeny the band’s latest album II, released in 2021. Continue reading »

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