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.