Interview: Midnight

WM: G’day Athenar! Let’s begin by discussing the unholy beginnings of Midnight. I understand the band was formed back in 2003, did it begin as a solo project featuring just yourself or did you have a full line-up back then? What were your reasons behind forming an old-school black/speed metal band? 

Athenar: YEAH IT'S ALWAYS BEEN JUST ME WASTING TIME BY MYSELF. I JUST WANTED TO HEAR SOME MUSIC I'D LIKE TO LISTEN TO. RATHER THAN A BUNCH OF BANDS CLAIMING TO BE INFLUENCED BY VENOM BUT JUST SOUND LIKE CANNIBAL CORPSE OR SOME SHIT.

WM: Aside from the obvious influences of Venom, Hellhammer and Motörhead, what other influences (both musical and non-musical) go into a Midnight song?

 Athenar: A BIG INFLUENCE WOULD BE LIVING IN CLEVELAND WITH NOTHING TO DO, NO REASON TO DRESS COOL, NO REASON TO HANG OUT AT COOL PLACES. THERE'S NOTHING LIKE THAT HERE WHICH IS GOOD. AS FAR AS STUFF I LISTEN TO IT COULD BE ANYTHING, THERE'S TOO MUCH SHIT TO GET INTO, IT COULD BE A REALLY GOOD CAR COMMERCIAL JINGLE TO NAPALM DEATH.

WM: How do you achieve your signature raw and ugly sound in the studio? Are there any tricks to the guitar tones you use or certain production techniques that come in to play?

Athenar: THERE'S NO TRICKERY INVOLVED AS FAR AS I KNOW. I JUST PLAY RAW AND UGLY; I'M NOT A POLISHED PLAYER THAT'S FOR SURE. I DON'T ALOT OF DISTORTION BOXES TO FUCK UP THE SOUND, IT'S ALREADY GONNA SOUND FUCKED UP CUZ I CAN'T PLAY WELL ENOUGH.

WM: Why did you release so many EPs and splits before finally putting out your debut full length, “Satanic Royalty”? What can you tell us about “Satanic Royalty”, for those who haven’t already heard the album?

 Athenar: I NEVER WANTED TO PUT OUT AN LP CUZ USUALLY WHEN A BAND PUTS OUT SINGLES AND EPS BY THE TIME THEY GET TO PUTTING OUT AN LP IT SUCKS HARD. SO MAYBE PEOPLE THINK THE ALBUM SUCKS ASS!

WM: What has the general reception been towards the full length? Personally, I thought it was great!

Athenar: I GUESS IN GENERAL IT'S BEEN PRETTY GOOD ALTHOUGH PAUL STANLEY HASN'T CALLED ME YET TO HELP HIM WRITE ANY SONGS. THANKS FOR GIVING IT A LISTEN.

WM: I understand that you released a split with Toxic Holocaust last year in order to raise money for the Red Cross relief fund for Japan. Could you please tell us a little about this release and how the idea to do something like this for the cause came about?

Athenar: WE JUST GOT BACK FROM A 3 DAY TOUR RIGHT AFTER THAT STUFF WENT ON IN JAPAN SO IT WAS A LITTLE CLOSE. I USUALLY DON'T GIVE TOO MANY SHITS ABOUT BENEFITS, DONATIONS AND CHARITYS BUT IT WAS JUST SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE TOXICAUST BAND AND JAPANESE METALISTS.

WM: Hell’s Headbangers recently released a Midnight compilation entitled “Complete and Total Hell”. What was the motivation behind releasing another compilation and how does this differ from your previous two compilations, “Complete and Total Fucking Midnight” and “Berlin Is Burning”?

Athenar: IT WAS TO MAKE THE SHIT AVAILABLE, YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE KEEP MUSIC OUT OF PRINT, IS IT HARD TO FIND BRITISH STEEL OR ACE OF SPADES? NWN ONLY PUT OUT 1500 OF THE COMPLETE AND TOTAL MIDNIGHT DLP AND 1500 OF THE FAREWELL TO HELL 10". SO THIS IS FOR THE PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T GET ONE OF THOSE. IT'S ALL THE RECORDED OUTPUT UP TO SATANIC ROYALTY:

FUNERAL BELL 12"

WHITE HOT FIRE 7"

UNRELEASED 12"

OUTBREAK OF EVIL COMP TRACK

FAREWELL TO HELL 10"

BERLIN IS BURNING

WM: Speaking of Hell’s Headbangers, how has your experience been in regards to working with them when compared to your old label, Nuclear War Now! Productions?

Athenar: HH HAS BEEN GREAT. THEY LIVE AROUND 30 MINUTES AWAY FROM ME SO IT'S REALLY CONVENIENT. NWN DOES A GREAT JOB AT WHAT HE DOES ALSO.

WM: What is the metal “scene” like in your home town of Cleveland? Are there any bands hailing from that area you would recommend?

Athenar: MOST OF THE GREAT CLEVELAND METAL BANDS THAT I LIKE WERE FROM THE 80'S DESTRUCTOR, BREAKER, BLACK DEATH, KRATOS, MISTREATER, PURGATORY, FALSE HOPE. NEWER METAL FROM AROUND HERE IS NEKROFILTH, A GOOD MIX OF SLAUGHTER, NME AND REPULSION.

WM: It has recently been announced that Midnight will be traveling to Australia next year for the Evil Invaders festival. What are your thoughts on this festival? Have you been to Australia before? What can we Aussies expect from a Midnight performance?

Athenar: NEVER BEEN TO AUSTRALIA, WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FOWARD TO IT. I CAN HOPEFULLY PICK UP THE REMAING AC/DC AUSSIE PRESSINGS THAT I NEED AND THE TAIPAN 1770 EP, MAYBE THE 2ND AND 3RD BUFFALO LP'S THAT I NEED. KEEP YOUR EXPECTIONS LOW, THAT WAY YOU'LL ENJOY YOURSELF MORE.

WM: What do you think of the Australian underground? Are there any specific bands (new or old) that stand out to you?

Athenar: I'M MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE MORE POPULAR BANDS I GUESS, HOBBS, TAIPAN, ROSE TATTOO, X, FUN THINGS, RAZAR, SLAUGHTER LORD, THE ANGELS, SADISTIK EXEKUTION. I HAD THE RENEGADE LP YEARS AGO BUT TRADED IT FOR THE CROWLEY LP.

WM: Aside from the Australian adventure, do you have any more plans to tour next year? If so; where? Does Midnight play live often?

Athenar: WE'RE DOING SOME EURO GIGS. I GUESS WE DON'T PLAY AS MUCH AS SOME BUT MORE THAN OTHERS. I'M NOT REALLY A BIG FAN OF TOURS. IT'S USUALLY A WASTE OF TIME!

WM: Last but not least; I would like to thank you for taking the time to complete this interview. Any final thoughts?

Athenar: THANKS ALOT FOR TAKING THE TIME TO MAKE THESE QUESTIONS, SORRY I SUCK AT INTERVIEWS!

Interview: Vassafor

WM: Greetings VK. To kick things off, could you please provide some background information about Vassafor, for any readers who may not be familiar this band? When did you form Vassafor? Who is or has been involved? What have you put out so far and where can interested people get their hands on your releases?

VK: Vassafor started in mid 90s after having been possessed with enough of the Black Metal feeling to do something about it. We were only a 2 piece as there were only DL (now a Sydney resident) and I in Auckland at that time who had any musical skill and similar tastes. We wrote songs and recorded them with our extremely primitive equipment at the time. These dubbed tapes were what we consider our first demo made up of 2 of the songs we had written in the first era of the band. As Dan and I drifted into our own drug hells and moved to different cities Vassafor slumbered until MMIV when I finally found musicians to fill out the lineup. The modern era of Vassafor began once Ben joined on drums in MMIX. We have released demos and vinyl previously but now our debut dLP Obsidian Codex is out via Parasitic Records and a CD/dLP called Elegy of the Archeonaut, which is compilation of selected tracks from our past, has been released by Dark Descent Records. We will have copies of both at Evil Invaders….

WM: What influences Vassafor, both musically and non-musically? What inspired you to play such a dark form of music? It would seem that Vassafor is a very personal project to you, why is this?

VK: Satan, Classical music that was the soundtrack of my childhood, Hellenic/East European BM of the 80s/90s, lucid dreaming, Martial Arts, Blasphemy, Beherit and Mercyful Fate. And then it was all filtered through the drug use of that time and being stuck in Auckland where there was NO ONE to play with other than 2 or 3 people who actually had any skill and taste.

WM: With the only consistent member of Vassafor being you, it makes one question; why? Do you prefer to work alone or in a group-type situation? Are there any musicians you have preferred playing with over the years?

VK: I am Vassafor and the demon has become me over the years. I would prefer to have a solid lineup and create music within a full band framework, it would take a hell of a lot less time, energy and resources! However I don't compromise 1 iota when it comes to music so perhaps that wouldn't be such a successful method towards composing Vassaforian material. I have never found a 100% perfect full lineup. Its been very close over last few years. I have been extremely fortunate to have guys like Heath Mortlock involved for years playing live bass with us, but his band is Skuldom (who are fucking brilliant!) so he, of course, has that as his priority. We had Mike Hoggard from Ulcerate playing 2nd guitar with us for a while which was the ultimate lineup so far, but Ulcerate are enjoying well deserved success and touring opportunities now they have signed with Relapse so again he had to prioritize them. As I previously mentioned though, Ben is without a doubt the person I have related closest to musically since the original era with Dan and myself. I have put together a lineup for Vassafor now in the States that combined with Ben would be perfect….now to sort out moving the timezones closer haha!

WM: I understand that you have been playing music for a very long time and that Vassafor is only one of many bands that you have played with. Would you mind providing a brief history of what you’ve been involved with outside of Vassafor?

VK: I am 40 now and have been playing music since I was a young teenager. First bands I was proud to be part of were the Death Metal band Spine which was from 91-96 and dark rock band Canis which was over a similar time period. That was in the vein of Birthday Party/Babylon Whores. I was a bassist for hire for a bunch of bands as a young musician and got to tour through Europe and States which was awesome experience…but it was playing other peoples stuff that I wouldn't usually listen to and it got in the way of my doing Vassafor, hence the massive delays in our history near the beginning. That taught me that if I was ever going to play someone elses music then it had better be things I was into and was proud to be a part of. When I returned to Auckland after having been away for some years I played in a few bands as I put together Vassafor lineup. I played with Ulcerate for a while as they refined their style before the first album. Shortly after this time I recorded the Diocletian demo and subsequently joined them as a contributing member until the end of the 2nd album. The first Diocletian gig we played was Evil Invaders 2 in Melbourne. In MMIX I received the War Kommand and joined ranks with Blasphemy for the Helsinki and Montreal shows. During this entire period, Vassafor has always been priority, even if its seemed like it was bubbling away under the surface outside of many peoples consciousness.

WM: I’ve heard that you like to present a live Vassafor show as a “ritualistic” experience. Could you elaborate on that and somehow describe a live Vassafor set?

VK: We try to stimulate as many of the senses at once when we play. So that means sight, smell/taste, touch and obviously hearing. The music is illustrating the lyrics…which tend to be written first these days so I can make sure the music is appropriate to the content of what is being vomited out. As the majority of the lyrics have a basis in death worship in various forms (from Aghori to galactic entropy, endless cyclical warfare to hagakure/bushido) it is appropriate to have a stage that stands outside of time. That is why we have minimal light, as much fog/smoke as possible, hooded demons to depersonalize the band members on stage and endless death via the bone sculptures we build. At the centre of our stage is the altar we build whenever possible, usually with mounds of decaying rats. They have a truly horrific smell and have been used over and over, frozen and re thawed till they become a mass of sludge with tails. The incense and candles create a haze and distort the senses further so all that is in focus is the cold, bleached sterility of eternal death on stage with the warped, slurred evil penetrating the audience via ears, eyes, nose etc. We'll probably have to spare you the rats in Sydney….but most NZ maniacs who have witnessed our live hell will tell you our rituals linger in your mind, as a scar that slowly fades….

WM: Continuing from my last question; is there a ritualistic element to your writing process? This is not uncommon in black metal, but, I always find it interesting to read how different musicians approach their writing process.

VK: I have written for so long now that I have abandoned most of the earlier methods I once employed to write material. Also I'm not using drugs anymore so that helps get things out now haha! Once upon a time I would go to any length for music, whether mixing really bad chemicals or driving myself into trance states through sleep deprivation or cutting or whatever I could do to get the Black Metal feeling rushing through myself as I would play and write. I have used what I would call Chaos Grids that came to me in dreams and write out long phrases where each letter would relate to different notes on the guitar as I would play them. I would try and write as much via my dreams as possible, and would always try a will my self awake to then pick up my guitar and work pieces out. You can imagine how well that went down with some of my girlfriends during that time! Not that I gave a fuck…

Now though I rarely use any of these methods, well I still occasionally bring out the Chaos Grids. I can write anytime, anywhere at will and I don't even really need a guitar or bass anymore. I think its much stronger now because this music has been subjugated to my will and I am its master, rather than being its slave. Vassafor is the conduit when the mind empties and creation vomits forth.

WM: What was your experience playing with the legendary Canadian black metal skinheads Blasphemy like? Could you please detail your involvement with Blasphemy?

VK: I live in Vancouver now so my experience with Blasphemy continues. I am part of the Ross Bay Cult now even though I considered myself merely to be helping these guys out when I first came here in MMIX. Blasphemy is a unique group of people that couldn't exist in any other environment. The various insane stories you may hear about the Desecrators seem at first to be over the top and fanciful….until you hear the real stories and they are often far more insane than you would think possible. And they have the scars to match. The Vancouver scene of the late 80s and early 90s was rough as guts. Blasphemy has strong ties to various Aussies and bands. I know Blasphemy would be into playing in Australia, but I would be very surprised if Black Winds, Storms or 3 Black Hearts would be able to enter the country with their legal histories…very surprised haha!! We will never be able to play in the States that's for sure...

WM: For a while now, there has been talk of a Vassafor full length entitled “Obsidian Codex” that has yet to emerge from the abyss. Do you still have plans to release this album? Has the recording been finished? What can you tell us about the musical evolution of Vassafor? How about the lyrical themes?

VK: It has manifest out of the void and into the now. Epic is one word for it…Its Black Metal but it definitely has plenty of Doom and Death influences I guess. All I try to do is make every song as dark as possible. Whether its with ultra doom in the song Nemesis or using the destructive tone of 2 basses on album closer Makutu. Some songs have much chaos involved (Archeonauts Return, Sunya) and some are more straight forward (Rites of Ascension, Obsidian King). I prefer albums to have variety, I can't stand records where the listener has no idea which song they are listening to. One of my biggest complaints about metal that is based on technique and not songs...

WM: Could you provide a brief description of what each of the following things mean to you on a personal and spiritual level; “black metal”, “Satanism” and “death worship”?

VK: "Black Metal" - Satanic music, that is all. Zero political agenda!! Fuck feeble minded political slaves.

"Satanism" - many things to many people. My left hand path started as Might is Right mixed with Do What Thou Wilt but has headed down a different road. It must come from an individualistic background and experience to have any form of meaning however.
Death Worship - Vassafor. Veneration of black doom and eternal death….cleansing Sunya.

WM: Earlier this year, Vassafor played in Australia at the Devil’s Arcana black metal festival, an event which I unfortunately was unable to attend. How was your overall experience during the festival? I’ve been told by a few people that your performance was excellent. Were you satisfied with your performance? I’ve also heard that your set design was incredible; can you tell us a bit about that? Were you behind the design of it?

VK: I was extremely pleased that Devil's Arcana was the first Vassafor Australian performance as we have very strong ties with the organizers Suzanne & Adrian. I have a huge amount of respect for both of them, personally & professionally. They went above and beyond to accommodate us with what we needed to present our plague, and as a result we delivered a suitably potent dose of Vassaforian Hell to that room and the people who witnessed it. I certainly enjoyed seeing the look of shock on some of those peoples faces at Valve that night. A few appeared traumatized haha! The venue owner, Greg, is a great ally of ours from his years running a venue in NZ also and he gave us exactly the sound we going for. I was very impressed by some of the other bands there, especially Ill Omen and Spire, both of whom delivered strong sets. It was great for us to be able to play with our allies Erebus Enthroned as well, I had been looking forward to seeing them for some time and thought they played extremely well and with real conviction behind their words and performance. I'm looking forward to seeing them once again at Evil Invaders…and more whiskey ritualization of course!

WM: Vassafor will be playing in Sydney again at the Evil Invaders festival next year. I understand that you have been involved with and attended this festival in the past. What are your overall thoughts regarding Evil Invaders?

VK: Between playing at Evil Invaders 2 and then mainly attending #3 and mixing a good number of the bands at the 4th installment, I've been really impressed not only by the growth in the event but also the great camaraderie there seems to be within much of the Metal scene that attends these gigs. Certainly the standard of bands is superb, and I like the fact it is getting more diverse each year. I personally would have enjoyed more BM in earlier fests but I think the lineup announced for #5 has the balance pretty much perfect to my tastes. I like the fact there was some Doom involved last fest, and we certainly will have some doom elements to our performance but we intend to make sure Black Metal is well and truly represented along side our brothers in Archgoat, Spire and Erebus Enthroned. Something I think is great about this festival is that it smashes foreigners idea of Aussie metal being one style that still seems to linger in some parts of the globe…..its been a long time since the prevalence of Black Thrash coming from your shores but I suspect the perception still exists in many European minds. One look at any of the fest lineups of last few years should shatter that assumption.

However I would say a massive FUCK OFF to the HiFi bar in Melbourne for fucking everyone over at EI 2. What bunch of cunts they were…

WM: I think it would be safe to assume that you are a fan of some Australian metal. What bands stand out to you the most from this country?

VK: Absolutely! The Aussie scene has been very inspirational over the years. It was the usual suspects like SadEx, Bestial Warlust, dISEMBOWELMENT, Nazxul and Misery that were the first ones that I really got to listen to but these days it seems like the underground is incredibly healthy there. Grave Upheaval is a band that really stands out to me as they are inhabiting the exact same atmosphere that Vassafor exists within, even though both of our musical styles are quite different. I have a massive amount of respect for the SA bands Denny and Damon have been involved with. Quite apart from their tremendous musical skill and songwriting ability, I am always blown away by how varied bands like CBR, Misery's Omen, Martire, Stargazer, Mournful Congregation, Johnny Touch are, but all the bands are still utterly metal as hell, all at such a high level and no compromise! I can't even believe how damn great the finally released Martire LP is, total worship!! That's how to play vicious assaulting DM! Obviously its impossible to go past a band like Portal when talking about unique musical entities. And same can be said for Impetuous Ritual or Spire for that matter. It was great to see Ill Omen at Devil's Arcana and then hear the Divinity Through Un-Creation album (an absolutely deadly record!!) and the Temple Nightside material, which I have played a lot over the last 6 months. Other bands I play regularly are usual suspects like Innsmouth, Ignivomous and Sacriphyx. And those damn Crucifire 7"s! What happened to those guys anyway? Those tracks are savage!

Still, after having said all that, the Oz band I thrash on my stereo the most is still Vomitor…what can I say, I'm old and still worship Obsessed by Cruelty!

WM: Aside from playing Evil Invaders, what future plans are in the works for yourself and Vassafor?

VK: As always the main thing is music. We are completing a series of split LPs and compilation tracks. Those should all be completed by Evil Invaders. On the live front, plans are in motion for appearances in a variety of timezones. By the time this is published we will have played in Berlin at the Storms of Damnation gig that is/was after NWN fest. We will play in Calgary next year at Torment in Fire fest with Mystifier which I am pretty rapt about! Other fests and potential tours are on the cards but we'll see what happens. I have never been that interested in repeatedly playing gigs in the same places to the same people, so I have targeted places/bands/gigs I wish to be involved with. It would be amazing to play in Aokigahara for example….

WM: Thank you for the interview. Any final words?

VK: Cheers. We plan to give Sydney a taste of total hell next June. To the fuckin death!

Interview: Archgoat

WM: Hail Ritual Butcherer! Let’s begin this interview with some background on Archgoat. Who is in the band, what bands have you and the other members played with previously, what have Archgoat released so far over the years, how the band was formed and anything else you feel is important.

Ritual Butcherer: Archgoat was formed in 1989 by me, Angelslayer and Blood Desecrator. Angelslayer and Blood Desecrator had a grindcore band in ´87 and I played with Blood Desecrator in death metal band in ´88. These bands were ok but we all thought something special was missing and thus these bands were buried. We all we intrigued by the dark lyrics of Venom, Possessed and Hell Hammer about Satanism and we found us reading more and more satanic literature and philosophy. This was the moment of clarity that we understood what path was for us and that this was the element missing from our concept. We forget these philosophical aspects of ours to our music and thus in 1989 Archgoat took its first breath. The releases of ours are:

1991 – Jesus Spawn demo

1993 – Penis Perversor demo

1993 – Angelcunt (tales of desecration) mLP

2005 – Angelslaying Black Fucking Metal 7”

2006 – Whore of Bethlehem LP

2008 – Desecration & Sodomy live split dLP

2009 – The Light-Devouring Darkness LP

2010 – Aeon of Angelslaying Darkness dLP

2011 – Heavenly Vulva (Christ´s Last Rites) mLP

WM: If asked to describe Archgoat’s signature sound to somebody who has never heard the band before, what words would you use to describe it?

RB: Hammer of Satan

WM: What lead you to play such a dark, primal and ancient sounding form of music? What is “black metal” to you?

RB: Black metal is to me the musical extension of my philosophy. My thoughts put into a form that speaks out my words. The longer I have composed music the more I have wanted to strip the secondary elements from my creations to represent how my understanding of Satanism has deepened and evolved. This in a way portrays my path towards Darkness from 1989 on and till the end. There can’t be BLACK metal if the members have no understanding of Satanism as this would create only black METAL

WM: What ideals are behind the music Archgoat produces? Judging by the song titles, lyrics and artwork; one would assume a Satanic and/or Occult agenda, would you mind going in to some detail regarding your theological inspirations?

RB: Archgoat represents the ideologies of its members as we in same way represent the ideology of Archgoat. Archgoat is to me like a mirror that reflects back who I am and why I am here. We are the war horn of Lucifer aiming to promote traditional Satanism and it´s message in musical form of Black Metal.

WM: Expanding on my previous question, what musical influences have an effect on your songwriting? What type of music do you listen to on a regular basis?

RB: We had roots in grindcore as well as in death metal & early black metal. It was natural for us to create music that we liked taking influences from the bands we appreciated. We took the speed of Sarcofago and mixed it to the heaviness of Celtic Frost and then added the tempo changes of Carcass to create what is Archgoat style. I mainly listen to old bands and olds releases. At this very moment I am mainly listening of late 80´s to early 90´s Finnish death metal. Possessed and Carcass are among my all time favorites who created releases that are perfect to me.

WM: Why was the name Archgoat chosen? Personally, I think it is a great name for a black metal band such as this.

RB: When we had formed the band and knew our direction we wanted the band’s name to represent this. This was when we came up with name Archgoat. Archgoat is a word that represents the arch angel of Darkness.

WM: Let’s talk a bit more about the early days. I understand Archgoat was formed way back in 1989, which was a great time for extreme metal. What kind of response did Archgoat receive from the underground community back then? Did you play live much, if at all? Were you involved in tape-trading and other “old-school” methods of communication between scenes?

RB: The response of our demos and live rituals was good from the people who understood what we were standing for and bad by the people to whom the underground scene is constant run behind trends. We played between 1990 to 1995 about 20 live rituals and all in Finland. We were heavily involved in tape trading with bands and people around the globe. We released out first demo in this matter that you would order it with nominal cost of $1 and then would receive the demo recorded in cassette along with Xeroxed covers.

WM: What are your thoughts on old-school Finnish metal? Are/were you a fan of any of the early death metal bands such as Demilich, Demigod, Convulse, Funebre and so on? What about other Finnish black metal bands such as Beherit, Barathrum and other cult acts? Are there any newer Finnish acts you would recommend?

RB: I appreciate highly the mentioned Finnish death bands as there is something morbid and unique in their sound and composing that reeks of Finland. The old releases of Beherit are also in my top list. Funebre and Disgrace were from Turku like we are and were great guys. It is a pity that their careers were so short. Of the new Finnish death bands I would absolutely recommend Slugathor. They have understood what Finnish death metal is all about.

WM: Why, after so many years, did you choose to resurrect Archgoat in 2004/05? What inspired this decision? Do you have any regrets about taking such a long hiatus from music? Do you feel Archgoat has changed musically much, or at all, since reforming?

RB: The fire inside me was stronger and stronger seeking a way to be unleashed. The only way was my music and for me since 89 there has been only one band I would even think of being a member of. When talking with Angelslayer I noticed a similar situation and after some months we were at a rehearsal place trying how or could we even play the old hymns in the way they need to be played. From the first note we felt the black energy of our creation to be alive and stronger than ever and this made the final decision easy for us. To me the whole early 2000 black metal scene was a joke full of bands who were interested about how their hair was in photos and to promote themselves instead of true Darkness. Bringing Archgoat back was my fuck off to this plastic scene by showing what true BLACK metal is all about.

WM: I was recently notified that Archgoat will be appearing in Australia at the Evil Invaders festival in June of 2013, along with Sadistic Intent, Midnight and many Australian bands. Are you looking forward to coming here? Have you ever been to or played in Australia or New Zealand before? What are your general thoughts towards this particular festival?

RB: We are anxious to enter the stage in Australia. There are many interesting bands on the bill and we are looking forward of experiencing Australia. This will be among the highlights my path in the ranks of Archgoat. None of the members have been in the Oceania so this will be a very special trip to us.

WM: What should the Australian crowd expect from an Archgoat set?

RB: An experience what true BLACK metal black mass stands for; Blood, spikes, bullet belts and human bones.

WM: What are your thoughts on Australian metal? Were you into any Aussie bands in the early days? Do you listen to many Australian bands now? If so, what ones do you enjoy the most?

RB: I am very familiar with Phil from Diocletian and Vassafor and really looking forward of seeing the latter on same stage as we climb. I have been listening also Bestial Warlust for quite a many years. There seems to be something unique in these bands as what we have.

WM: Aside from coming to Australia, what other short and long term plans lie in Archgoat’s future? Do you have any new releases or touring planned?

RB: We have started to compose new hymns for the next LP.

WM: Thank you for taking the time to complete this interview. Any last words?

RB: Thank you for the intie.

Vagabond's Band of the Month: Consummation

Band: Consummation
Year of Formation: N/A
Country of Origin: Australia
Genre: Death/Black Metal

Consummation is, to my knowledge, a relatively new band from Queensland, Australia who play some killer black/death metal in the vein of underground legions Anatomy and Entasis. They have recently released their debut demo on Abysmal Sounds.

You can hear the 15 minute, two track demo in it's entirety at the following link; http://abysmalsounds.bandcamp.com/album/consummation

Get your hands on this tape and support the Australian underground!

Paroxsihzem - Paroxsihzem

Paroxsihzem hail from Canada and play a style of suffocating and cavernous black/death metal that sees them lumped in with fellow Canadians Mitochondrion and Antediluvian. Their self-titled debut was released mid-late last year on Dark Descent records.

Paroxsihzem is an ugly beast to behould, relying on some serious bottom-end tones to shroud the musc in an extremely dark atmosphere. One interesting thing to note when listening to this album, is that the drums are used most chaotically here, while the vocals and string instruments are less so. This defining characteristic contributes very heavily to how cluttered and confusing everything sounds. It's an interesting approach to music that helps this band to stand out. Samples are used throughout the album tastefully, deeply adding to the dark atmospheres and making this listening experience all the more disturbing.

"Paroxsihzem" is not the type of album where you find "stand-out" tracks, as I find it is best approached in it's full form, to help one appreciate the density on display here. Although, if I were asked to recommend a song, I would probably have to go with " Deindividuation", which contains a bit of everything that makes the album work, from haunting atmospherics, to crushing aural darkness and well used, creepy samples. Lyrical themes on this track focus on the Stanford prison experiment conducted in 1971 by Doctor Philip Zimbardo.

If you're into bands such as Portal, Mitochondrion, Antediluvian and the like, you really should give Paroxsihzem's debut a listen, it's a nightmarish and harrowing piece of work that is guaranteed to make your skin crawl.

BLAZE OF PERDITION – “The Hierophant” (Pagan Records 2011)

Another great review from James Goatfukk...

If you’ve been on the lookout for new Black Metal bands that create quality music and haven’t by any chance stumbled upon any...then look no further: BLAZE OF PERDITION hails from Poland and are one of the most respected bands in their home country…They play some truly brutal, crushing and amospheric-driven Black Metal comprised of musicianship that is nothing short of gripping - this band has managed to impress me a great deal with their authentic, but yet modern display of occult Black Metal. “The Hierophant” is their second full length album and quite a progression compared to their previous work which also deserve some praise. The songwriting seemed to have improved in every aspect; everything from song-structure to sound and dynamics. It seems to me that the guitarists in the band really outdid themselves on this record...as the riffs are played incredibly fast on some of the songs with many different solos flying in and out which are backed up by a very precise and tight drumming performance. The vocals are very upfront, as well as harsh and emotive - which is neither too low or too loud in the mix – just perfectly layered. Don’t think for a second that this is another one of those boring ‘Fast all of the time’ bands…A variety of tempos are implemented throughout, but when the faster parts do kick in, they tend to kick your teeth out. “The Hierophant” proves itself as a worthy successor compared to their excellent debut, “Towards the Blaze of Perdition” and will no doubt appeal to anyone who likes their Black Metal fast, vibrant and hard-hitting, but with a sense of dynamics. BoP is in a class of their own, although it would not hurt to say that they share a few similiar elements in terms of style, as some of their Country-men like DEUS MORTEM and INFERNAL WAR in terms of pure relentless aggression – but as far as aesthetics are concerned; I would definitely associate them more with bands like NIGHTBRINGER and MERRIMACK. No doubt that BoP is more than meets the eye - one look at their photos and cover art will reveal that the band upholds a deep spiritual essence and that they seem to be a deadly serious band. I really hope that more maniacs will take notice of this great band because they truly deserve a lot more credit than they're given at the moment.

ANNTHENNATH - "Bridges To Nothingness" (Armée de la Mort Records 2011)

Review by James Goatfukk.

There’s no doubt that when one looks into and does a small bit of research into the French Black Metal scene, that you will come across hordes upon hordes of worthless crap—but on the plus side, there also shines some diamonds underneath the tainted surface— which brings us to ANNTHENNATH...a band which (I feel) keep true to the aesthetic of Black Metal in a very much traditional and closed-minded sense. Yes, I don’t think that this band will be attempting to change the long-lasting face of Black Metal any time soon—And damned to hell any bands will be who ever attempts to do so…of course, we can interpret genre evolution in many different ways and I even believe it is good to try and infuse some “different” elements into a sound...just AS LONG as its done within certain parameters. Anyone with one half a brain will understand my sentiments. “Bridges to Nothingness” is a compilation album featuring various unreleased material with some tracks taken from their demo’s and a total of three new tracks that were solely recorded for this particular release subsequent to their 2010 debut “States of Liberating Departure”. For the most part, the tempo floats along in the mid-pace vein allowing the atmosphere to sink in. In fact; I think one of the band’s strong points is definitely to create a very mournful atmosphere. The drummer is able to come up with some pretty inventive fills and possesses the ability to change a beat with smooth precision...quite a skilled little skin beater this guy. Behind the mic; we have Mr. Shaxul from LEGION OF DEATH fame delivering some seriously sick and hoarse vocals to go hand-in-hand with the eerie ambiance of the guitars. I think Shaxul did a very good job with the vocals, as it seems to be quite out there. My favorite tracks are the first three; “Life Abhorrence”, “Death Glorification” and “Nothingness Achievement” - which is the band’s more recent material as far as the compilation is concerned. These songs seem to have a more lasting effect on my ears than some of the other tracks…but let me also mention “Rivières De Sang” with the tortured shrieking and almost folk-like melodies...an epic track indeed. The last track on this compliation “Suicide Onirique” is nothing but a complete inaudible filler and would’ve been a better choice completely left out...Anyway, I’m not going to praise this as something immensely special - because its not - but certainly it will provide for a rather enjoyable listen to anyone with an ear for all things minimalist, cavern and black.

HAIDUK - "Spellbook" (Self Released 2012)

Review contributed by James Goatfukk.

My initial thoughts was that this was going to be the same old average run-of-the-mill melodic Death/Thrash affair based on a review I had previously read before – however; to my glorious surprise, it turned out to be quite the contrary. HAIDUK brings a handful of sharpened blades to stab, shred and devour anything and everything that is brought forth to the slab; like a maniac with an insane craving for all things pale and fleshy —yes boys and girls—HAIDUK will literally fucking KILL you…The compositions are very riff-driven with a continously driving catchiness that is as heavy as it is memorable. The riffing is quite interesting… There are some really epic moments to be found throughout, but for the most part the music chugs away at a relentless pace. Imagine THE CHASM, but with a bit of a faster, and more thrashy edge. The 'vokills' of Luka Milojica are of a granular nature and brings to mind Karl Willits -- certainly, this guy has a good strong bark and it compliments the death rumpus rather well. All instruments are immeasurably well executed even the programmed drums give the auditory somewhat of a mechanical grind-like feel although, I will admit to myself that it has a certain tendency at times to make the songs sound a bit slightly repetitive and recurring…but certainly that is a factor that can be overlooked as “Spellbook” is a riff-blast from beginning ‘til end. The lyrical concept surrounding this release seem to deal with magick and occultism, so I suspect the creator behind this project to have a deep interest in mysticism. Also, to add to that – the lyrics are very well written and seem to have a strong ideology behind them. 10 tracks and 32 minutes of total Death carnage…you have been warned.

Interview: Obeisance

This is the first interview ever conducted by our occasional contributor James Goatfukk. It was conducted in 2010 with members of the mighty OBEISANCE from Mexico!

1. Blackest hails! For those not yet familiar with Obeisance, give us a brief history of the band and tell us which albums have been on your playlist lately.

Martin Von Fah-Q - Obeisance was formed by me in 1992.Lots of line up changes! We had a demo 93"the cold waste", demo 94 "Black baptism of October"; MCD 94  (now released with the 2 demos as a full length on Desastrious records) "hellbent on slaughter", a live tape "Live in 95-Live in plaza monumental bullring",fuckin'96 full length "infierno eterno" full length cd "Lucifer master"in 2003 on Utterly somber records,"Lucifer Master" LP on Merciless records 2004,"unholy unwholesome and evil" CD on Blackseed productions in 2006(and Hell's Headbanger's was going to release this on LP with lots of bonus tracks but they have sat on this LP for 4 years now I do not know why?! I guess we are not any sort of priority for them!), "Satanik shocktroops auf doom" 7"on Iron bonehead prods.  and "Hell hymns" tape on demonic warcult prods.in 2008, "FUCK-Forever unholy christian Karnage" 7" on Gasmask prods. in 2007,"Satanik Fuck" CD on Morbid Moon records in 2009. Been listening to ...Of Doom (Fin),New Blasphemophager and The Chasm,Macrodex demo1, Molestator demo,Nocturnal blood-all, Sanguis Imperem,Nyogthaeblisz 7",Poison "Satan commands" song,Sarcofago INRI,Shub niggurath 7" s, Terrorist side of split 7",Voivod first 4 cd's, Wehrmacht all...

The Evil Onit -  Pseudogod-new advanced trakks, Exterminate-Pact, Persekution-demo II, Seges Findere-Bound By Hatred, Necroholocaust-Bringers of Black Genocide, OfDoom/Black Feast-demos, Molestator-demo, Proclamation, Execration of Cruel Bestiality, Sadomator-Goats Brew Alcolust, Wrathprayer-In Utter Darkness, Truppensturm-Truppensturm, Nocturnal Blood-Invocation of Spirits, Deiphago-Filipino Antichrist!!this is what i been desekrating my ears with lately!

D. Butcher - Gory Melanoma "Suffer thy Genitalia" Disgorge "Forensick" Necroholocaust " EVERYTHING!!!" Deiphago "Fillipino Antichrist" Possessed "Seven Churches" Vomitor "Bleeding the Priest" Amputator/Baphomets Horns "Forcefucked Anihilation" Blood Division's Demos, Repulsion "Horrified" Impetigos Both LPs, Autopsy's Entire Discography, Nuclear Death "Bride of Insect" and Sarcofago's "INRI"!!!!!

2. Which bands influenced the malicious sound of Obeisance in the beginning and which other bands of today do you find worthy of support?

onit - I cannot speak for the influence of the song writing as Martin writes all the musik and lyriks. But as for my personal influences  i mix my guitar style with influences from: Caller of the Storms-Blasphemy, JF-Ampütator, K.K. Warslut-Bestial Warlust, Usurper of Eternal Condemnation and Inverted Crucifixion-Teitanblood.

MVFQ - Fuck man ! you have to go back to the first wave of real thrash and black(first Metallica,Venom Anthrax,Megadeth, Slayer,Exodus,Dark angel,Viking first,Whiplash first 2,Wehrmacht,Cryptic slaughter... ) and death metal (Celtic frost,Death,first 2 Sepultura,Sarcofago,Sodom,Destruction, Kreator Possessed,etc) and to the second wave of death (Entombed,Grotesque,etc.)and black metal(Blasphemy "fallen angel of doom"Rotting christ's "Satanas Tedeum", Mayhem up to "De Mysteriis..." Master's Hammer"Ritual",Darkthrone's first 4), and old classic  and southern rock; and heavy metal (Judas, Maiden) etc.! there's so much stuff that unlike many in the scene,  my sun does NOT rise and set in count grishnack's pants!!

3. What is the ideology regarding Obeisance? What inspires the writing?

MVFQ - Genocide, wars, darkness, evilness, lucifer all of this inspires our writing and defines our ideology; now if you mean do I go to a satanic or devil worshipping church every sunday or whatever NO i don't believe in not going to a fuckin christian church to go to any other church! I walk my own path as I am 39 years old and have NO need to prove to anyone how black and metal I am by cutting myself like an emo,going to any church,burdening myself with any god or religion, blaming the jews for my own problems or the world's problems, worshiping a jewish carpenter,or any ridiculous bullshit like that! I have lots of other ridiculous bullshit that I have to think about!

4. How would you describe the sound of Obeisance to someone who's never layed ears on your music before?

MVFQ - I am not a fuckin unholy demon of hell! well kind of; I have a job and go shop at wal-mart etc, so when people find out I am in a band they assume i'm famous,and make millions of dollars,well we are fuckin underground so none of the above applies! I have to explain to someone who's never heard us ALL the time!! I tell them we are Metal. "Like Metallica?" they ask."No,not exactly" I say,:"Kind of like that but faster-harder-more violent and more evil and satanic!" then they get scared, say "oh,ok" and walk away as fast as they can !! FUCK YEAH!!

onit - Apokalyptik Nuklear Fist Fukk in the ass of the bastard faggot christ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5. Obeisance is obviously influenced by alot of classic Thrash Metal, what does Thrash Metal mean to you and what do you regard as your 80's classics?

MVFQ - That was the music that I was waiting for all my life!!! when I was a child this music did not exist! I had "screaming for vengeance" and "blizzard of ozz" on LP but once I got "Kill 'em all" there was no fuckin' turning back!! so that's one of my favorites, then "seven churches",Viking"do or die","show no mercy,haunting the chapel,hell awaits and reign in blood",Persecution mania,Bonded by blood,Pleasures of the flesh,in the sign of evil,among the living, spreading the disease,Endless pain,pleasure to kill,Holy Terror "mind wars",Vio-lence "eternal nightmare"/opressing the masses,Virus"force recon", first 4 Voivods,Wargasm"why play around?",Rigor mortis,Retaliation,Release from agony,fuck i am sure i forgot some but so be it. Now new thrash metal bands Raped god 666 if you can call em straight thrash metal and Terrorist, not because they are our friends but coz they kick ass I think! maybe Merciless death but everyone else, they do not excite me after listening to them! I mean all these new bands seem to be doing the type of thrash that ended up killing thrash! Here are some that I listened to in the 80's that could be thrashy but not really:convicted,money talks, age of quarrel,immaculate deception, victim in pain,cause for alarm,shark attack,biermacht, man i'll leave it there!

onit - thrash was the 8o's. Thrash influences me personally in no way at all! to me it was great for its time but just another stepping stone. when i was a kid i liked Sabbath, Priest and Motorhead but wanted something heavier. then the NWOBHM kame and i loved that but wanted something faster, then i wanted something more evil and so on and so on!!! so when thrash hit, it was great, but it was just a matter of time that i needed FASTER/HEAVIER/MORE EVIL musik!!! it was great then but i see no need for all these reunions! and I especially do not see a need for all these new weak ass klone bands that ripp  off styles of krappy old thrash bands that sukked in the first place. As for my 80's klassiks: Sodom-In the Sign of Evil, Destruction-Infernal Overkill, Kreator-Endless Pain, Possessed-Seven Churches, Exodus-Bonded By Blood!

D. Butcher - To a certain extent we somewhat follow a blue print to oldschool thrash, as far as playing fast and being evil!!! Dont take it that im saying we are a thrash band, we just took the formula of playing fast, heavy and loud! We have played shows where 15yr old thrashers show up with the municipal waste shirt and get butthurt when we say that we want to hear something faster!

6. How do you feel about Black/Death bands that betray their underground roots to appeal to a larger audience? Will Obeisance ever sign to some corporate scum label if given an offer?


MVFQ - Yes we love corporate scum labels! NO we are not pretty boys or is it within our means to tour extensively which is what those types of labels want! we are underground and we are very content to remain so! Now I  am curious and am talking to the evil onit about this as I write and he's cooking up some obeisance rice, who do you mean like sepultura after arise and maybe slayer's diabolus in musica and god hates us all?, ah onit just mentioned Metallica! yeah I see what you mean! NO we will not do that most definitely!


onit - I despise these homosexuals!!! They are in the musik for the wrong reasons!!! and the answer is a definitive NO!!!!

D. Butcher - Id rather continue washing windows and put black candles over the fish counter top of my meat market on ASS WEDNESDAY and all through shitty lent than to be some big asshole corporate rock star like SLATER or GAYTALLICA has turned out to be!!! We may not be as suckcessfull or as talented as those bands are but when we play we have pure guts, pure stamina!!! One other thing is at least we dont have that curse where people only care to hear our early material and say thats all we ever had to offer.  We get requests for our NEW material as well.  Our releases continue to carry out the speed and aggression unlike these bands that turn their backs on their fans that continue to release tired and boring albums every year.  Death to the FALSE!!!
7. How necessary do you feel is it to correspond with fans or maniacs showing interest in your music and what is your thoughts on bands that don't correspond to mail?

onit -  It is necessary. i see it necessary bekause I am just another blakk/death/warmongering sikk satanik fukking metalhead!! One of my favourite pastimes is hanging out with warbrothers, drinking and talking about METAL!!!! So if someone likes Obeisance...shit, i'll talk to them about METAL!!!!

MVFQ - I agree! I am not a fuckin' elitist cocksucker like so many bands from Norgay would say "oh, we are the elite!" fuck that and fuck them!! I am just another fan who just happens to "play"(not very well i might add! I am not much of a musician at all!) an instrument in obeisance! I will talk with any fan no problem as long as I am not busy hauling merch or at the merch table or setting up to play or breaking down my gear; you know we are underground so we roadie ourselves! so yeah we can talk and you dont have to buy us a beer or a shot; ok maybe a shot of jag or tequila or uncle Jack's for me!.

onit - Martin does not speak for me!!! I WILL take a beer or a shot if you want to buy me one! or two, or three or four...

MVFQ-Or twenty!! No joking! this fuckin Evil onit is an utter fucking alcoholic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

D. Butcher - We may have small crowds at some shows but that same small crowd is worth more than any profit off a pantera record!  As they say Quality over Quantity!  We appreciate the few metal maniacs that are in the front of the stage grinding their face off while desecrating christ! AAARRGGHH!!!! Come to our shows there is no 10ft high stage with a million security guards loaded on redbull. We are as real as Jesus on a Stick!!!

8. 10 albums you can't live without.

MVFQ - Sarcofago "I.N.R.I." times ten!!! nah, also Celtic Frost "Emperor's return", Blasphemy"FAOD",Metallica "Kill'em all",Slayer "reign in blood" Including "Aggressive perfector 86",Possessed "seven churches" Viking "Do or die",Dark angel"darkness descends",Repulsion "horrified",  Sacrifice "torment in fire".

onit - Blasphemy-F.A.O.D., Betial Warlust-Vengeance War till Death, Proclamation-Messiah of Darkness and Impurity, Abominator-Damnations Prophecy, Morbosidad-Cojete a dios Por El Culo, Embalmed-Demo '98, Demoncy-Joined in Darkness,  Sarcofago-I.N.R.I., Nyogthaeblisz-Apocryphal Precurser to the Great Tribulation, Conqueror-War Cult Supremacy.

D. Butcher - Vomitor-Bleeding the Priest, Repulsion-Horrified, Autopsy-Severed Survival, Impetigo-Ultimo Mondo Cannibale, Impetigo- Horror of the Zombies, Celtic Frost-Morbid Tales, Carcass- Reek of Putrefaction, Blasphemy-Fallen Angel of Doom, Revenge-Victory.Intolerance.Mastery, Napalm Death-Scum

9. Are there any other bands that the members of Obeisance are currently active in?

onit - I play guitar in Satanic Goat Ritual and I also play bass in Morbosidad.

D. Butcher - I play drums in Molestator.

MVFQ- I play with my penis almost daily prob'ly twice a day! oh you mean bands!? no just Obeisance!

10. Do you read much? What kind of books interest you?

MVFQ - I read copiously! News papers, books: fiction, non fiction, politics yes READ THIS: POLITICS ARE EVIL!!! I hate too many times when bands say i am not into politics! then soon you might wake up some day to find Metal is outlawed because you didn't keep an eye on these dick sucking crooked politicians! like in Poland: the fuckin'catholic church has, from what I have seen kind of effectively taken over for the old communist party's duties of supressing stuff they don't agree with like Metal! so if you don't want this to happen to you, vote! and don't think liberals/socialists will let you be free! Look at this amateur soft dictator Obama: for years his partisans in the press told us how bad Bush was and this was not as bad as we are now with this fuckin numb nuts Obama who promised to fix every thing ,fooled many into voting for him and has only fucked things up more! and Greece...oh beware this socialist government you have now!!: NO country in the history of the world, has EVER taxed itself into prosperity!! and that only seems to be the answer these fuckin socialists/social democrats/green party or whatever these fucking closet aristocrats call themselves!! whenever i can get my hands on metal zines i read almost all I can!! And I am really looking forward to getting the Hellhammer book!!!!!

onit - I only read metal zines!

D-Butcher- I read books as well as MVFQ does yet im always finding time to read metal fanzines! SEPTIGORE!!!

11. Are there any vivid experiences of playing live or being at festivals that you can share with us?

MVFQ -There's lots!! too many to list here! but in Monterrey,Mexico some coked up guy's girl told him I had spoken to her or something,(I didn't!) so he attacked me from behind! I turned around, he yelled at me and threw a punch: I almost got out of the way but got punched on my left shoulder! so I retaliated! when I did,3 of his buddies jumped me from behind, by then I had their buddy who originally attacked me in a headlock punching him, and his friends pushed me onto the floor where I landed on top of their friend as his buddies attacked me from behind again! then Bestial Saviour (Blasphemy/Morbosidad/Necroholocaust) saw that it was me being outnumbered 4 to 1 so he attacked those 3 guys who then attacked him! then security separated us and threw those guys out so they then kicked the club's glass doors in! It was an honor to be in battle with my warbrother Bestial saviour!! almost all the fans in Monterrey are great old metal maniax but these guys from a band with keyboards decided it would be cool to get coked up and between 4 attack me!Hahaha! man that was some good amusement! I wasn't even talking to that guy's (fake)blonde chick girlfriend but to some other chick! I guess that was his ex girlfriend or something Haha! but I do not need cocaine or alcohol to be brave and I believe it cowardly to attack 4 vs.1! but oh well whatever!...there are more stories and I am writing them down as some stuff that has happened to us you would think would not happen to an underground sick satanik band such as ourselves,but it has! maybe one day it'll be a book or somethin, we'll see! but a bad bad experience? nah! Its great to meet Archgoat, Necroholocaust, Destroyer666, Celtic frost, Thornspawn, Bloodstorm, The chasm,  and many many more! I still can't believe much of what has happened and what we have done and accomplished as a band!

onit - we've done the S.O.T.N.C. fest a few times. Embrace the Hate fest, Desastrious fest and i played the Nuclear War Now! last year and they all RULED!!!!!!
 D. Butcher - Before i was blasting for the Unholy and Unwholesome!!!! Obeisance!!! I watched them share the bill with kick ass underground bands like Demoncy, and Disgorge! Soon as i joined in on the Slaughter of the Holy Cities we have shared the stage with such great bands like Sadistic Intent, Revenge, Baphomets Horns, Morbosidad, Manticore, Nocturnal Blood, Sanguis Imperem, Necroholocaust, Archgoat and many others to come and all the bands kicked more catholic/christian ass than you would believe if you are foreign to them.
12. How is your relationship with BlackSeed Productions and for how long have you been signed to them? Are there any other bands on that label that you recommend?

MVFQ -Blackseed is a GREAT record label!!! We only have  "Unholy,unwholesome and evil" with them but hopefully we can work together again in the future!! Merciless crucifixion are pretty good and the new Anal vomit I have not heard, but come on its Anal Vomit!! I'm sure it will kick ass!!! Hails to Alhaz and Blackseed!!
        
onit - Blackseed is great! Alhaz is one hell of a DEMON!!!! I support Primigenium and i support BlackSeed 666%!!!!!!!!!

13. What is your beliefs/philosophy in life?

MVFQ -Follow my own path. Be anti religion, ALL of them not just the weak feeble christians but do you see many or any black metal bands speak shit about Islam? NO coz attacking christianity and judaism is easy coz no matter what anyone says there are no christian or jewish terrorists like there are muslim terrorists who will kill you if you speak anything against their religion! I try not to hate, not coz its "wrong " or some pussy politically correct shit, but because hatred clouds your judgement and I've seen a close friend of mine be so mad and hateful at someone or something that he only makes himself and others around him miserable so much so that he almost can't function coz  Fuck! he is so pissed off at ____ that... so what's the fuckin' point?! I'd rather fuck as much as possible (I'm straight),  have some drinks and talk metal!! except nu and emo screamo and  deathcore and other such garbage!! ok only to mock it!! ha! i am in a constant state of mockery of almost anything!! I don't hate myself and want to die or hate mankind. I think that when you see a band say that, it is more than likely coz they were molested by some priest or pastor or something! haha! look at that ex-vocalist from Gaygoroth! He's gay and hates mankind!! He just made my point! It makes me laugh that it seems like the English press especially is soooo in love with this guy coz he's evil and blah blah blah! haha!  We laugh at this dipshit as I lived in the most violent city in the world: Juarez Mexico until 10  years ago and still go there almost every week and the Evil Onit goes there EVERY  day! all that violence and "scariness" of the ex-Gaygoroth or Norwegian scene does NOT impress  or scare ANY of us in Obeisance at all !! and all those suicidal black metal bands, man are they funny! if they were really suicidal they would have killed themselves already!! but no, its more of a "look at me, look at me"  cry for help!! ah well i guess i have bored your readers enough already! 

D. Butcher - Keeping underground metal alive and insane by continuing to drive hundreds of miles to play these rituals while we have our lives back home.

onit - Desekrate virgin pussies!!! Desekrate my liver!!!! Desekrate my axe!!!! Desekrate my ears!!!!!!!!!!! Desekrate my soul!!!!!!!!!!

14. What is your opinion on the following bands:

(A) Black Torment
(B) Adumus
(C) Drawn and Quartered
(D) Napalm Death
(E) The Chasm

onit - (A) Great HellThrashing Maniax! Great komrades!! (B) Supreme Texas Black Metal! Longtime warbrothers!! they are currently on hiatus. (C) Mediocre, run of the mill! And i DONT like their politiks!!!! But being from the Pacifik N.W. (a region in the U.S. where a lot of liberal/kommunists kongregate) I expekted that from them. (D) Only Scum & F.E.T.O. are real!! (E) DEATHCULT for Eternity!!! Warbrothers for ETERNITY!!



MVFQ - A) Our comrades and a magnificent band of sick satanic fuckers that we had the great pleasure and honor to meet during our last Mexican tour! IF any reading this have not heard them, listen to them or get their stuff now!! We were talking about doing a split, but haven't found label interest yet so if someone's interested let us know! (B)This is fuckin black black Metal! surely they are our warbrothers!! (C) their third album (I think) I really liked, but afterwards they just became something that I'm just not interested in any longer and an interview with the vocalist where he repeats basically everything bad about Bush that the socialist/liberal press here in the us was saying is particullarly funny!! like  the guy's "opinion" was what the liberal press says EXACTLY almost word for word! this is a so called "Death "metal band and the guy is worried coz "oh,oh Bush and Cheney are war criminals! booo hooo! and the Irak war is illegall boohoo!" The irak war is illegal? GREAT!!! Sometimes those are the best wars! Bush and Cheney are war criminals? GOOD! I LOVE my leaders to be war criminals! and I LOVE Bush!! (especially female Bush!) but especially Dick Cheney!! To a band that is supposed to be death metal you don't like Cheney a guy thats supposed to be evil?? What the fuckin' fuck! But then you hear words like "war criminals" and that's where I know that this guy's been influenced and infected by socialist/communist thinking coz socialist/communist scum LOVE these types of words and expressions!! the only thing missing from the Drawn & Quartered guys vocabulary was calling Bush & Cheney "imperialist running dogs"!! Hahaha! what a maroon!! (D) I prefer the Lee Dorrian era as well!! But some of their new stuff seems like somewhat a return to their old days but still its not something that interests me for purchase. But it sure is better than lots of that absolute shit Napalm put out in the 90's! (E) Our warbrothers period!
D. Butcher - (A) Killer fucking band that puts your cock in a blender!!! (B) Kick ass Texas Black Metal (C) The releases they have put out seem a little bland yet live. (D) Early Napalm!!! (Napalm knows as well!! that their early shit is the best!!!) (E) Hail the Almighty Chasm!!!! Shuvaka Rules!!!!
15. What's some of your favourite zines active today? Any good recommendations?

MVFQ -The black vomit, Septigore, Noise  and Shit, Kampf records newsletter, and many more!!!

D. Butcher - Septigore!!!

16. So what are the future plans for the band?

MVFQ - Going to play with Nunslaughter this saturday march 6 in Austin Texas, come back and record the songs we have ready for a new LP/CD,maybe some splits too, maybe a US tour in August, and another mini US tour in december with...that's  still being worked on and when it is ready it will be a black surprise for all US fans or it might not work out so I'd rather not jinx it by mentioning names! 

17. Ok, that's about it...Thanks alot for taking the time to answer to these questions. I wish you Obeisance all the best for the future!!! Destroy the reader with your last words...

MVFQ - Thank you black warbrother for the interview!! We wish you the best as well!! Watch out for our fucking CD's and 7" splits coming up! and our old stuff, if you don't have it get it!!! Hails to the readers and to you black warbrother!!!!

onit - Thanks for the interview!! metal maniax kan check us out at:
www.myspace.com/obeisance
www.youtube.com/evilonit666
obeisance666@hotmail.com

666

DIMENTIANON - Collapse the Void (Paragon Records 2010)

Review by James Goatfukk

Despite the release date, I haven’t seen any reviews on here so far for this album, so I thought I might do it some justice by reviewing it. Well, first things first; DIMENTIANON—which I have no fucking idea what it means—set the benchmark in 2010 for Blackened Death Metal with their third full length album “Collapse The Void” which is 100% trend-free in every aspect…There is absolutely no use of any gimmicks here whatsoever—the only thing DIMENTIANON focuses on is making the listener’s ears bleed with enigmatic Black/Death Metal full of rich textures with solidly crafted songs. Not only are the songs arranged firmly, but the whole atmosphere on this album bleed with piognancy and emotion. Nothing “light” to be found on here-- The overall ambiance is more gloomy than anything else…afterall, the music drips of obscurity. One thing I have to point out about what makes this album such an enjoyable experience is just how experimental the whole album is…There’s a definite psychedelic vibe to go with the progressive tendencies and the result is conclusively fresh. Collapse the void is not your typical black/death affair due to its experimental side – but there are more than a few occasions where a well-round dose of frantic blast beats are applied to add to the album’s intrinsic worth. I must mention that the overall sound on this album is very good backed with a tight performance from everyone in the band. I’m especially fond of the hoarse-like vocals that have a very prominent lead in the mix. The guitar soloing is nothing short of superb with its 70’s prog-rock vibe. Across the spectrum, there’s also an usage of low-key sythesizers that makes itself known on the slower, more Doomier parts. The album is immensely diverse and experimental, yet never tends to throw the listener away from the music. The riffs are melodicly adequate without sounding too much like ear-candy…and for me that is a very positive thing. Any bands who are able to construct proper melodic hooks without compromising their brutality are on the right path. DIMENTIANON has somehow managed to come up with something untried and dynamic with a sound that has enough grit to appeal to the fans of bands like ARKHON INFAUSTUS...yet with just enough epic dark melodies to get followers of WATAIN excited. In other words, a greatly balanced record. The album contains 5 tracks with the whole deal clocking at 27:35 minutes. All the tracks flow together as a whole so it would be somewhat suggestive to listen to it in its entirety, which I can promise you, doesn’t contain too many wasted moments.

Sinistrous Diabolus - Total Doom//Desecration

Sinistrous Diabolus is a doom/death metal band from New Zealand who have apparently been around since 1991, although it seems they had a long hiatus from '93 'til 2010. "Total Doom//Desecration" is their debut album, which has recently been released on up-and-coming NZ label Internecion Productions, who have previously released material from Vassafor, Blood of the Moon and Lantern (so, definitely a label to watch for in the future!).

Sinistrous Diabolus present a rather varied form of death/doom, taking just as much influence from bands such as Asphyx and Autopsy as they do from the likes of diSEMBOWELMENT, Winter and Evoken. This "mixed bag" approach is what really made Sinistrous stand out to me when I first heard the album, as a lot of death/doom bands tend to stick to one formula, which is all well and good, but can often become tiresome.

In regards to production, careful attention has been paid to ensure that the record sounds sleek yet unpolished and thick yet audible. The bass and guitars are mixed in a way that allows them to complement each other really well and allow both instruments plenty of time to both breathe and shine. Even the drums carry a lot of depth with them, something that can often be ignored in the mixing process. Overall, the production couldn't possible be any better for this particular album.

Aside from the contrast between solid death metal and slow, crushing doom, there are occasional moments of droning and atmospheric ambiance which is used to break things up at the right time. These moments are used sparingly and not overdone, adding just the right amount of darkness to an already bleak record.

After reading all of my praise in this review, I must sound like an easy man to please, but that couldn't be further from the truth. It's a simple fact that rarely will a doom metal album impress me as much as Sinistrous Diabolus have with Total Doom//Desecration. This record may not be the best, or even the most original release out right now, but it is representative of a band who really took their time to craft something great and with that, they have left me very eager to hear anything they produce in the future.

Interview: Nocturnal Vomit

Interview conducted by James Goatfukk.

1. Hail Isaak! Thanks for finding the time to do this interview. Please reveal to us what NOCTURNAL VOMIT is all about and what provoked the foul need to play abysmal Death Metal redolent of old cemetery stench.

Infernal salutes James!

Well, since many years before I formed n.vomit I had plans to form a real sick,brutal,dark old school death metal band away from the trends and fashion...

I wanted to play something that really approached me and felt like.I didn't sit down and say I wanna play like this or that,no. during the years of morbid existence we got to get more experience and find our own sound.

2. I know it’s been out a while now, but congratulations on the release of your debut opus “Cursed Relics”. What can you tell us about the response you’ve received so far?

Well,not that long ago,our debut album "cursed relics" has been out for less than a year and the response has been really tremendous and more and more maniacs really discover our band! Honestly we really didn't expect so much from that album,and to this day we still feel so satisfied and proud we done it.

We worked so hard on this album and took us some years to complete it fully as we wanted. We didn't want to rush at all,we only cared about quality and a more personal sound than rather sound so sterile and common like most today's wimp bands do,fuck the trends!

3. “Cursed Relics” is a merciless array of traditional Death Metal that bludgeons the shit out of the listener from start to finish. What was the band’s main vision on how you wanted the album to sound?

As I mentioned earlier,we wanted to focus on all details on this album,we wanted something to be chronicle by time,not like an album which there’s some fuzz for 3-8 months and then gets forgotten...

We paid attention in music,production,lyr­ics,artwork,concept etc....

When we were recording this album in 2010 we wanted something personal,eerie,dark,­heavy and outstanding.....

the listener can judge from him/her self.

4. Somehow I think you were able to capture a very dark mood into the recording; were there maybe any events in your life that acted as inspiration for the recording or is it a natural outcome of your personalities and/or musical tastes?

Maybe,but not on a purpose way to do it.

We just let all power and negative energy to consume us so we can get influence and inspiration.

It's not only the bands we like or grew up with,but inspiration and this has to do with our daily lives of how we think how we live what we feel inside,the way we handle the negative energy...

Nothing is so stereotype,otherwise­ we will just be copy cats and that's it,not here though.

In a few words we succeed to bring the listener a step forward to hell without been technical or high skills,that's a big point,just think of it.

About n.vomit ,the fact is that we have something to say,its not about high technical skills or to do a massive production or be mainstream or commercial......

We do belong else where,not with those morons and posers,fuck em.

5. What can you tell us about the recording process of “Cursed Relics” and the conditions surrounding it? Are you happy with the results?

I think I mentioned this above; of course we are satisfied.

Well,there are some details or mistakes on the recording which could have been better,but still happy with it. When I was recording the album to say the truth I was a bit nervous 'cause it was the first time to record a full album of running time 46 minutes. we also used a different studio,producer also been an album we had to give our 101% of ourselves,its not a demo or 7ep were you can say OK,even not been satisfied you can say OK,but an album you have to work on all details.

Also the drumming on all recordings are hard and take a lot of time to most bands.

6. I’m sure you hear this a lot, but your vocalist has a very similar vocal style to that of Martin Van Drunen; thus I must ask if it’s but sheer coincidence or maybe he acted as inspiration?

Hahahaahah,yes,I get this comment from almost everyone,that's true.

Thomas has a very similar voice to Martin Van Drunnen that's a fact,no doubt,also Martin is his favourite vocalist among the few,but let me tell you that's the way his style is. as i mentioned somewhere else too,who really sings like Martin? How many bands out there? And how many sing the classic brutal guttural style? Countless of em. Thomas vocals fitted perfect on the album and it was a great choice for Thomas to pick up the vocals 'cause in the past me and Kolozis p.k. were doing the vocals in our older releases. also Thomas vocals remind me also to bands as:death,morgoth,obi­tuary,pentacle,asphy­x,possessed...

7. I’ve noticed a strong occult iconography/imagery to your work- does occultism play an important aspect in NOCTURNAL VOMIT?

Yes,that's true.we really like and feel a lot the dark side and left hand path.

I personally am fascinated with it,Thomas too.

Also in n.vomit we always fitted this concept,never adopted it.

On the album we really wanted a concept of the cover and whole layout,we worked on it. We wanted some serious painter and not so known.

We didn't want any trendy hype artwork of Chris Moyen(godly artist),but nowadays so many use him,its a fashion.

Thanks for your words!

8. Tell us a bit about the lyrical conception of “Cursed Relics” and what songs like ‘Moon of Amorphous Vociferation’, ‘Unearthing the Foul Manna’ and ‘Function of Abominations’ are about.

About lyrics for "cursed relics" album,I must say that I didn't write lyrics but only for 2 songs (herald of doom and function of abominations) and those have a strong influence from Lovecraft. I really worship Cthulhu mythos,no doubt.

Thomas wrote lyrics on other songs except for one which our friend Jim Tsallos wrote one. I'm not the one to ask,hahahaha.

In the past I wrote all lyrics for n.vomit.

9. The sound on “Cursed Relics” is raw and organic-- yet everything is still pretty comprehensible with a good sound. What was the main vision behind the recording of the album as far as production values?

About the production we really focused on this a lot,because, except for the killer songs we had written we wanted a great production,that's why we went to a different studio as well and used a new producer too. We wanted a sound which will sound very heavy,solid,clear,ra­w and organic. we wanted a production like analogue sound,to sound a much as organic a real! In a few words we wanted a sound were you can hear all instruments but at the same time be raw and old sounding!

We really achieved this and are fully satisfied with it!

10. What is your stance on this super polished sound that some metal bands seem to employ—for instance;“Pro tools”?

Well ,me and the others too aren't so keen or fans of this modern super-produced that in the end only plastic and emptiness is heard...

No feeling and sounding so lame. We all grew up with bands which we want to sound a bit like but on our own formula and personality. Also the old school sound of n.vomit doesn't fit to all this modern hyper blast beat bands which are only production line bands and nothing more,I really don't care about those bands. Let them do what they want,who cares...

11. Do you think being involved in many different bands/projects can undermine one’s creativity?

Maybe yes,depends on the individual musician.To be involved in 1-2 bands I think is no problem but when you play in 3-4 bands or more,then yes,you start to loose your personal sound and ideas and bring influence from your other projects.

It's better to have a clear state of mind and away from most so you can focus 100% on what you do. For a drummer not as much but for a vocalist and guitarist sure is.

The majic of art must be free expression and personal with real devotion and passion!!! That's the most important for me,otherwise forget it.

12. Besides NOCTURNAL VOMIT, have you ever played in any other bands prior or subsequent to the band’s existence?

No,I haven't played in any other band besides n.vomit,except when i was 17-18 years old I had a black metal band in 1993-1997 called RHADAMANTHYS which featured also 2-3 members of n.vomit. But this was something completely different to what we do nowadays in all aspects. Since I left n.vomit in 2011,I was supposed to play drums in HIEROPHANTS DESCENT but sadly nothing happened due for distance and economic issues,so we left it. At the moment there's a chance to help out ALMIGHTY SATHANAS to record drums for their album,lets see what happens. Also haven't played drums now for over 2 years now since I left the band.

13. NOCTURNAL VOMIT has been around since 1999 but has only managed to play live for the first time in 2010. Why did it take so long for you to play live? I believe your first show was quite the cherry popper.

Yes,n.vomit exists from 2000,and so far the band has played in almost 12 years of existence only 4 live shows. before we released the album we didn't want to play any gigs,especially me,I just don't like gigs and they don't mean much to me.

Also during that time we preferred more to rehearse on new songs and improve our song writing than play gigs. For some years Thomas our guitarist was studying overseas so we were a bit here and there. On 27-11-10 we were offered to play our first show together with: embrace of thorns,acherontas and wargoat...

that was my first and last show with the band,after some months I left the band.

In the start we were a bit nervous and stressed but after a while we shred on stage,we felt the power!!!

But the band now has started to play gigs and got some to come in the future,I think in may 2013 a 2 day fest brutality over sanity and n.vomit will play.

14. NOCTURNAL VOMIT played live with WARGOAT, EMBRACE OF THORNS and ACHERONTAS. Did you happen to check them? Who of those bands did you enjoy most?

About those bands,of course I know for years and support each other with embrace of thorns,like a brother band,no doubt. This band has really improved and become very solid too! about acherontas and wargoat,those bands are OK,I like their music but to be honest not a huge fan of acherontas but they work hard and got a name in the u/g. but I recommend to maniacs to check em out.

5. What can you tell me about the morbid cover/back cover art artwork used for “Cursed Relics”? What does it depict?

Again a hard question. I cannot describe what the artist does on his own. I would really like to know what he will have in mind when he did this mega opus!!!

For me it represent the total darkness and death upon this world and that we humans go through....

Beksinski is god!!!very sick and dark artwork.....

only death is real...

16. I want to know about the name of your band and how it was chosen.

Hahaha, many have asked me about this question. Well,I don't think its so special but since someone is curious then I can understand him/her.

The name came to my mind around 2001 I think when I was in Australia....

I wanted something to sound really primitive and sick and also a band never using this before,which never did. Of course not a sophisticated name,a few years ago I wanted to change it,but we said better leave it,so I left it. No special meaning behind it,hahahahaahah. Just wanted a sleazy name,that's all.

17. Can the word “fun” be applied with the type of music you play?

I listen to some old punk/hardcore and the term "fun"is used in a different way,depends how you use it. For n.vomit been a fun band,I don't think so,when you play black/death metal and are a fun band,somethings wrong,better quit or do something else. Just very simple,darkness and fun don't fit,why some people struggle with this. Darkness and occultism on all other topics around this just DON'T fit with fun,end of all.

18. What’s been occupying your stereo lately? Any bands of late that have impressed you?

Right now I'm listening to burzum-det som engang var album.

Killer album so cold and grim,it's a timeless album no doubt.

For the last years I listen to old classic bands I grew up with and some old obscure bands....

About some newer bands that caught my attention were:necros christos,drowned,hat­espawn,goatvomit,hie­rophants descent,embrace of thorns,resegencey,ne­crovorous,impure worship,negative plane,venenum,offerm­od,weapon,black feast,black grail,communion,pois­onous,moder,almighty­ sathanas,cthonic aura,doombringer,cul­tes des ghoules,cruciamentum­,grave miasma,black serpent and a couple more...

if you still search in the very depths of hell,you will still find some promising bands!

19. Well, thanks a lot for your time Isaak! Best wishes to you and your band. Feel free to end the interview on any note you’d like… Praise the Darkness!!

Darkest regards James for doing this intie,goat hails to you for the support and for all! Maniacs,perverts,wit­ches,criminals,occul­tist,murderers check us out,give it a go! Satanic regards to all fallen souls that have helped us and still do...

into everlasting fire..!!!

666