Interview: THE SEQUENCE OF PRIME vs THAT’S HOW KIDS DIE

Right now, somewhere in the bowels of the Midwest, Brandon Duncan is creating.  He might be hard at work crafting visual art that represents a futuristic world gone bad acid trip, with planet-eating deities ready to crush the cosmos in the palms of their hands.  Or, he could be cranking out spastic cyber-grind riffage as The Sequence of Prime, a warped descent into metal machine music if ever there was one.  Hell, Mr. Duncan is so talented that he might be designing the artwork with his feet while those demented riffs pour out of his hands, for all I know.

Duncan’s latest musical endeavor under the TSOP moniker is Virion. It is an all-out assault on the senses, an album that drags you deep into the maniacal worlds Duncan creates with his visual art.  The music is a violent blend of grindcore, thrash and death metal, with hints of hardcore and industrial.  It is also one of the most accomplished self-released albums I’ve had the privilege of receiving.

I contacted Mr. Duncan via e-mail to discuss that strange head-space where art, music and writing collide, as well as get some insight into the making of and unique marketing strategy behind Virion. In the course of the interview, Duncan turned the tables and asked me a batch of questions, which I have included at the end of the interview.

You can download Virion for free as well as view Mr. Duncan’s stunning visual art at his official website, corporatedemon(dot)com.  CD copies of Virion are also available for purchase.

THKD: What inspired you to start creating music as The Sequence of Prime?

Brandon Duncan: Oh man, I could easily write you an essay to answer this question! But I’m going to refrain and just say that the initial idea behind The Sequence of Prime was inspired by this quote from Leonhard Euler:

“Mathematicians have tried in vain to this day to discover some order in the sequence of prime numbers, and we have reason to believe that it is a mystery into which the mind will never penetrate.”

 THKD: What was your equipment setup for recording Virion?

BD: My setup for “Virion” was pretty simple actually. For the guitar, I played a Gretsch Corvette through an EHX Metal Muff into a Marshall MG100DFX Solid State Combo Amp, miked with a Shure SM58. For the bass I played an Ibanez SRX390, which I recorded direct. For recording, I used an iMac with a Line 6 Toneport UX2 and Ableton Live. I programmed the drums in Ableton with samples from BFD2. All synths were programmed in Ableton as well. The vocals were recorded with the same SM58 I used for the guitars. The final mastering was done in Logic Pro.

THKD: The album seems to be very nihilistic both sonically and lyrically. What inspired this approach?

BD: Just the fact that I hate everything. Hahaha…just kidding! There are countless things that have culminated to inspire the approach to “Virion” and my work in general for that matter. At the most basic level it all goes back to the stars. How some people can look up at night and not seriously doubt the merit of their existence is beyond me. But I do want to make clear that I do not consider myself a nihilist. I lean towards existential philosophy. On a really bad day I might come across as a nihilist though! Hahaha.

 THKD: Are you at all influenced by other drum machine wielding bands such as Agoraphobic Nosebleed or Dataclast?

BD: Oh hell yes! I am a huge Agoraphobic Nosebleed fan. “Agorapocalypse” was my favorite album of 2009! I’ve always liked AnB, but that cd just propelled them to an entirely new level. I’ve heard some Dataclast and enjoyed them but I am not as familiar with them as AnB. I should change that! Of course I’m also a huge Godflesh fan. I also enjoy a lot of electronic, drum and bass, EBM, and industrial music, all of which revolve heavily around electronic drums.

THKD: What made you decide to include the “drum solo” on “Icosahedron”?

BD: I love the atmosphere that the drum machine creates. It has an inhuman coldness, which further enhances the lyrical concepts of “Virion.” Because of this I wanted to put the drums in the spotlight for a moment. Without “Icosahedron” I do not feel that “Virion” would be complete or effective in its presentation.

THKD: In the album liner notes you thank Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury. How did these author’s works influence The Sequence of Prime?

BD: If I had to pick an all time favorite author it would be Ray Bradbury. I was introduced to him early in high school as required reading for a book report on “The Martian Chronicles.” That book blew my mind. It was one of the first books that really captivated me and held my interest cover to cover. I became fascinated with him and have been gradually working my way through his bibliography ever since (I’m a slow reader). Asimov on the other hand I had never read until I was beginning to write some of the riffs that would later become “Cenozoic Anoxia” and “Extremophile.” The book I was reading at that time was “The Gods Themselves” which I admit was a challenging and often painful read, but ultimately one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had with a book. I’m digging through more of his books as well, right now I am reading “The Currents of Space.” I love Bradbury’s imagination and Asimov’s roots in hard science.

THKD: You wrote, performed, recorded and designed the artwork for Virion yourself. Do you prefer working alone or is this out of necessity?

BD: Both actually! There are many reasons I work alone. I am a full time graphic artist, which takes significant amount of time and dedication. I mean, we’re talking anywhere from 40-100 hours a week dedication, haha. So my time and ability to work on music is chaotic and often sparse, which does not work well with organizing a decent schedule with others. On top of that, I have yet to find anyone I can successfully write this type of music with. In the past I have collaborated with other musicians and played in bands that worked out pretty well, but they were more stripped down, hard rock type bands that did not require the endurance and and focus that TSOP needs, hahaha. Also, I really enjoy every aspect of writing and recording music, so why not do it all myself?

THKD: Would you ever consider collaborating with other musicians/artists?

BD: For sure, I daydream about it a lot. Though the chance of it actually happening at this point is highly unlikely and I’m not sure if it is even worth my time to attempt it……there you go, there’s a hint of nihilism peaking through for ya!

THKD: In addition to selling Virion in CD format, you’re also offering the album as a free download. Why take this approach to distributing your music?

BD: I enjoy writing music and I want people to hear it. If they like it enough to buy it, great! And if they like it but don’t want to buy it, fine by me! And if they hate it entirely at least they didn’t have to spend their money on something only to be disappointed. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I knew that someone had to pay for something I made that they didn’t even enjoy. It works out well for everyone.

 THKD: Virion has gotten many positive reviews and even received a write-up in Decibel Magazine. Are you pleased/surprised w/ the reaction?

BD: Yes, for sure. I never expected this kind of response. I’m truly humbled.

THKD: In addition to music, you’re also an accomplished visual artist. How does your art inform/influence your music and vice versa?

BD: Great question, Mr. Haun. Great question indeed! Quite simply they are one and the same. I don’t really distinguish between the two and I approach them in the same way. First and foremost there must be a solid concept. Without a strong idea art and music is nothing to me, it is just fluff and filler. Something you buy because it matches your fucking couch. That’s not what I am here for. My art and music are like twins conjoined at the head. Slightly different qualities in their bodies but sharing all the same thoughts. Hahahhaha.

 THKD: If I’m not mistaken, you reside in a small Midwestern town. How do these surroundings influence your music and visual art?

BD: Isolation, a clear view of the sky, massive storms, tornado sirens, harsh winters, blast furnace summers, peace and quiet, lack of entertainment, the lingering smell of livestock…small Midwestern towns provide for all sorts of inspiration you can’t out in the big city. Yeeeehaw! In all seriousness, it provides for a level of self reflection and time to absorb life that you don’t get in an urban setting.

THKD: Do you have any formal training in art or music?

BD: I have a degree in graphic design. For music I have no formal training at all. I have never taken any music lessons of any sort.

THKD: What other projects are you involved in/working on at the moment, if any?

BD: I don’t like talking too much about what I’m working on until it’s done. I don’t like to hype. So you’ll just have to wait until it’s done 🙂

THKD: What else does 2010 have in store for Brandon Duncan?

BD: I recently started a new job in Wichita, Kansas, so I’m in the process of relocating and starting a new chapter of my life. Back on the subject of my surroundings it will be interesting to see how this change of location affects my work, if at all. Other than that I just can’t wait to get situated again so I can get back to recording!

THKD: Are there any final thoughts you’d like to add?

BD: Nope, just want to say thanks a lot for the interview man! And actually I have a few questions for you.

Brandon Duncan: I’m curious, are you going to get back into writing music again?

THKD: Probably not anytime soon. My musical endeavors were rooted in raw black metal and harsh noise… they were the product of being young and pissed off, plus all the alcohol abuse that goes with that. To be honest I’m just not that person anymore. I’m 30 years old, happily married and more or less content with my life, and attempting to create any type of “angry” music at this point would just come out forced and fake. Obviously, I still love listening to and writing about heavy and aggressive music, but I just can’t see myself making it. I mean, I still hate everyone, but I’ve definitely mellowed out in my old age. Maybe I’ll record a bunch of really misanthropic folk songs some day or a country album!

BD: What is your preferred method of listening to music, headphones, in the car, on a stereo?

THKD: Oh man, definitely headphones. They allow me to tune out the rest of the world and focus on the details and intricacies of the music. Of course, there is a lot to be said about cranking up the metal on a good stereo system and going apeshit, but when I really want to concentrate on what I’m listening to, headphones are my best friend.

BD: How many times do you usually listen to an album before reviewing it?

THKD: That all depends on the album. Sometimes I find myself jotting down ideas of what I want to say about an album during the first spin. If a record hits me right between the eyes the first time I hear it, it’s only going to take me a few listens to get a sense of it. More often than not though it takes me a while to fully digest a piece of music and it can take me weeks or even months to fully wrap my head around it to the point where I’m ready to write something.

BD: Do you ever get pissed off, angry or fed up with the metal scene, or metal in general?

THKD: All the fucking time. I get pissed at the big labels for signing so many shitty, undeserving bands and helping false metal proliferate. I get pissed at a lot of the big metal websites and mags for acting as cheerleaders for this garbage and for having zero respect for the craft of writing or good journalism. I get pissed at lots of fellow metal “journalists” for being arrogant dickheads who think that doing this somehow makes them “cool” or “elite” and for letting that come through in their lame writing. Give me a fucking break. As one of my friends put it, it’s the “High Fidelity” complex, and it sickens me.

I just hope that someday labels will become totally obsolete and bands will be forced to do what you’ve done Brandon; they’ll actually have to put the work into every aspect of their music to get it out to the fans themselves, without a label’s backing. I also hope that as a result only magazines, zines and websites that are writing about metal because they genuinely love it will be able to survive.

While we’re at it, christian metal pisses me off. Metal should always be about rebellion, freedom, unbridled creativity and thinking for yourself. There is absolutely nothing free, rebellious or remotely creative about being the slave of some fictitious higher power. These people are agents of the status quo that need to be weeded out. On the other hand, there is an established tradition of Satanism in metal that I’m perfectly ok with. I don’t believe in it, but the literary character of Lucifer represents rebellion and defying/questioning authority, so it makes sense as subject matter for heavy metal. I could write about this subject for days, but I’ll spare everyone the boredom.

BD: Have you ever not listened to metal for an extended period of time (since your heavy descent into metaldom, of course).

THKD: No. Ever since I started listening to metal, it has pretty much consumed my listening. But as much as I like metal, I also like Hank Williams and NWA and The Sisters of Mercy and Prince and the Pixies. There is a common misconception that metalheads listen to metal exclusively. Fuck that. If I want to listen to “Take on Me” by A-Ha or some Gary Numan, I’m gonna listen to it. Metalheads who say they only listen to metal are either lying or musically stunted. Probably both.

BD: How much time a day do you get to seriously absorb yourself in listening to music without any distractions?

THKD: I try to get in at least an hour every day. I take a commuter bus back and forth to work every day, so that is a great time for me to listen to music and not have to think about or focus on anything else. I usually bust out the headphones on lunch breaks as well. When my wife gets tired of me pestering her in the evenings, I’ll usually go listen to music then too, haha.

Interview: CAULDRON BLACK RAM

It’s no easy task tracking down the trio of Australian pirates known as Cauldron Black Ram. When they’re not busy crafting twisted, old school death metal, they’re out pillaging and plundering across the seven seas. Their latest recording, Slubberdegullion (Weird Truth Productions), is one of the most downright bizarre pieces of heavy music you’ll hear this year; a concept album based on the exploits of a nefarious buccaneer known as Black Douglass, rife with sea-serpentine riffage and demented vocals. After several months, I finally caught up with CBR bassist/vocalist Ishum between voyages to discuss pirates, sluts and olde evil. Here’s to swimmin’ with bowlegged women…

THKD: After a 6 year wait, Cauldron Black Ram returns with Slubberdegullion. Why such a long delay between albums?

Ishum: Because the miscreants that make the collective Cauldron Black Ram were up to secret, nefarious activities that can’t be revealed here. There were also some delays with the CD, but the people that were responsible were found and dealt with accordingly. The next album has been written and recording will commence soon. So there will not be as long a wait for the next CBR opus.

THKD: What can you tell us about the creation of the new album? What were you looking to accomplish this time out?

Ishum: We recorded it a long bloody time ago, and a few important factors delayed the release. But overall, we are satisfied for it is what we were looking to achieve. That being a unique album of old-schooled death metal, with a compelling story of booze, sluts, pirates, and olde evil. It’s an album that takes repeated listens and new things will be discovered upon every indulgence of this fine heavy metal release.

THKD: What was the recording setup for Slubberdegullion? The album has a dense, gritty- sounding atmosphere.

Ishum: Well unlike Skulduggery, which was recorded in a cave, this was recorded in a back-alley brothel. This of course led to a different sound from previous outings, and we were quite distracted by the scenery, if you get my drift. The main reason we chose a different recording location was because we couldn’t find that fucking cave again, and we couldn’t be bothered sailing out trying to locate it.

THKD: How would you describe Cauldron Black Ram’s songwriting approach? How has it changed/evolved during the years between Skulduggery and Slubberdegullion?

Ishum: We get drunk, brawl, wake up, and a new song has been masterfully conjured. It’s that easy. The difference between the two is that now they’ve got a better looking bass player, who can not only drink like a pirate, he’s a winner with the ladies.

THKD: Is Slubberdegullion a concept album? How does the album tie into the overall concept of Cauldron Black Ram?

Ishum: Yes it is. The concept will be finished on the next release. We wanted to create an album of not just music, but aural soundscapes that help develop and enhance the story. Even though we have focused largely on the pirate theme, newer material will take a different path. But expect the same dark, twisted, old-schooled death metal quality.

THKD: Who is Black Douglass? Is this a reference to the historical Sir James Douglas or is he a character you created?

Ishum: Neither. The information you seek is within the lyrics. For me to reveal any further here, I would need to dispose of you and watch my back. Ha!

THKD: According to my research, “slubberdegullion” is a term that can mean villain or fiend, but can also refer to a worthless or slovenly person. Why did you choose this word for the album’s title?

It sounded good, it ties in with the concept, and we’re sure no-one else has used it.

THKD: Another interesting word that pops up on the album is “blunderbuss”, which refers to a type of muzzle-loading firearm. Do you do a lot of research to find these terms?

Ishum: Research? Ha! We are hard-drinking, womanising, brawling sons-of-bitches. We know this shit because we live it.

THKD: Much of Cauldron Black Ram’s lyrics deal with pirates. What lead you to choose this as the band’s primary theme?

Ishum: Pirates like to drink, brawl, bed the curvy women…. and so do we! We have, and will, cover other subjects of debauchery. But we do not want to be lumped in with these other so-called pirate bands of today. They celebrate the glitzy, Hollywood side of piracy. We delve into the darker, sinister elements of high seas smuggling. Not this puffy-shirt, wooden-leg, parrot-on-the-shoulder facade.

THKD: Both Slubberdegullion and your previous album Skulduggery were released by Japan’s Weird Truth Productions. How did you hook up with the label?

Ishum: One of the members, Alim, knew of them through one of his other bands. We asked, they agreed. They’re an excellent label, dedicated to supporting their bands!

THKD: All of the members of Cauldron Black Ram are involved in other projects. Does this make it difficult to find time for the band?

Ishum: No. It just naturally comes around that it’s time to work on CBR. No other projects cut into each other. It just happens sometimes other projects are the main priority over others and vice versa. It just happens at the moment, since the Slubberdegullion release, that we have been concentrating on CBR.

THKD: I posed this question to Vomitor when I interviewed them recently and I would like to get your opinion also. Is the Australian metal scene really as amazing as it seems?

Ishum: Yes. We are in it! But Australia’s heritage in the hard rock/metal scene has always been high calibre, and still is.

THKD: How you think your heritage and surroundings influence Cauldron Black Ram, if at all?

Ishum: Realistically, this country was colonised by convicts. So in essence, we are all convict scum. That sums up Cauldron Black Ram quite nicely, don’t you think? We also live on the coast, and us Australians are known to be hard-drinking bastards, which we excel at.

THKD: Will you be doing any touring in support of Slubberdegullion?

Yes, we are supporting Coffins on their Australian tour, playing our own shows here and will be conquering and plundering European soil next year. Unfortunately, we had to cancel European shows we’d organised for this year, as a few factors fell through.

THKD: Are there any final thoughts you’d like to add?

Cheers for the interview. New shirts, CDs, patches, vinyl are available through The Cave distro. You won’t be waiting as long for the next CBR release, which should be released next year. In thuggery and buggery!

Brown Jenkins – Death Obsession (Moribund, 2009)

Black metal re-cast as demented dream/death-pop. Layers of nebulous guitar haze drawing you deep down into the bottomless well of despondency. Robert Smith and Kevin Shields in corpse paint. Indeed, the music of the sadly defunct Brown Jenkins evokes a wide arrray of seemingly contradictory images with a musical approach that encompasses not only extreme metal at it’s most suffocating and depressive, but a veritable pandora’s box of disparate genres. British shoe gaze, old school gothic rock (I’m talking Cure, Bauhaus, Sisters, et al here, for the record) and vintage psychedelia are just a few of the sounds that band visionary Umesh has successfully harnessed into Death Obsession, the final statement from Brown Jenkins.

With drums buried way down in the mix and fairly sparse vocals, Umesh wisely lets his penchant for layers upon layers of distorted nightmare guitar-swarm be the focal point of Death Obsession. The sound has a vintage 1960’s fuzztone feel, but this is fuzz buried by time and dust, infused with a creeping Lovecraftian malevolence that is positively mesmerizing. The guitars alone make this the type of recording that begs to be listened to in a pitch black room with a good set of headphones, so that the myriad details of the mix can be properly allowed to ever-so-slowly unfurl and seep into your brain.

But Death Obsession is about far more than just guitar tone. Brown Jenkins even further separates itself from the hordes of cookie cutter black metal bands out there by writing actual songs. Tracks like opener “Breathless”, “Lords of Suicide” and “Blue Bird” could be pop rock gems funneled into your speakers directly from the sub-basements of hell, such are the catchy, hypnotic qualities Umesh infuses them with. In fact, if it weren’t for the rough-around-the-edges production and Umesh’s Cthulhu-with-bronchitis vocal delivery, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine these songs showing up on modern rock radio. Of course, with most of the tracks clocking in around the 9 minute mark, Brown Jenkins demands more of the listener than the average 3:30 radio nugget, but there are enough change-ups in dynamics and pacing to keep each song compelling.

Unfortunately, a posthumous album like Death Obsession is an extremely bittersweet listening experience. One can’t help but wonder how far Umesh could have taken Brown Jenkins with this utterly enthralling mix of sounds, what dark dimensional doorways could have been opened through such esoteric distortion rituals. Indeed, followers of everything from Circle of Ouroborus to Slowdive are advised to seek out the epitaph of Brown Jenkins.

[Note: Brown Jenkins mastermind Umesh is working on material for a new project called The Ash Eaters.  According to him, the new band will be a continuation and progression of the sound being explored on Death Obsession.  THKD will continue to provide coverage as this develops.]

Our cancer year.

The news of Behemoth frontman Nergal (aka Adam Darski) being diagnosed with leukemia hits more than close to home (much like Ronnie James Dio’s diagnosis of stomach cancer in 2009).  In metal, we often venerate men like Nergal and RJD to the level of superheroes, invincible warriors fighting the good fight in the name of our beloved music.  We must remember that they are also human beings, susceptible to the same rules and laws of nature that effect us mere mortals.  They are someone’s Father, Brother, Uncle, Cousin, Son, Grandson or best friend.

Although I do not know Nergal or his family personally, I have experienced firsthand the hardships that I imagine them to be going through in this difficult time.  I’m guessing many of you out there have similar stories involving loved ones, or may even be cancer survivors yourselves.

I lost my Grandma Betty to cancer in 2005.  Not only did she help raise me, she was in many ways my best friend.  She was the one person on this Earth that I felt I could always confide in, the one person that would always listen to my thoughts, ideas and harebrained schemes and offer nothing but support and sound advice.  My Grandmother was by no means a metal fan (her favorite singers were Patsy Cline, John Denver and Elvis Presley), but she always wanted to know the names of the bands I was listening to or going to see in concert.  I seem to remember her being quite amused by the fact that I liked a band called Goatwhore.

I have also lost a Cousin, an Uncle and Great Uncle to battles with cancer.  My wife’s Uncle is recovering from having a brain tumor partially removed as we speak.  He is a Vietnam veteran, a Purple Heart recipient and one of the friendliest and most genuine people you could ever hope to meet.

It is for this reason that I encourage all of you to learn all you can about cancer, what can be done to prevent it and how you can help those that are struggling with this terrible ailment.  Cancer is a horrific disease.  It causes immeasurable pain and suffering, often taking our friends and loved ones from us before their times. It’s about time we all started working together to kick the shit out of it.

The American Cancer Society
National Cancer Institute
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
National Marrow Donor Program

Abominations of Record Collection Domination…

Over the weekend, I picked up a used copy of Napalm Death’s Smear Campaign. While preparing to file it in my CD rack, I noticed that I now owned nine total releases from Napalm Death. This, combined with a recent article about bands with very long discographies, got me thinking, which bands/artists do I own the most releases from?  I decided to take stock of my music, including all physical formats and all types of releases (EPs, singles, collections/best-ofs, etc) to see which bands dominated my collection.  In my estimation, the results were not particularly surprising…

Darkthrone – 15
Danzig – 14
Misfits – 12
Six Feet Under – 11   (I like them, fuck off.)
Johnny Cash – 10
King Diamond – 10
Megadeth – 10
Napalm Death – 9
Cannibal Corpse – 8
Metallica – 8
Neurosis – 8
Vader – 8

Darkthrone, easily my favorite band ever at this point, leads the pack.  However, if you study the results and analyze them further, things get more interesting. Technically, my favorite singer of all time Glenn Danzig dominates with a whopping 22 releases if you combine the Danzig total (14) with the number of Misfits releases I own where Danzig was the vocalist (8).  Danzig’s total jumps up to 24 releases if you include my Samhain boxset and the Black Aria album.  If you really want to stretch, throw in my Danzig VHS and you’ve got the undisputed king of my music collection at 25.

Chris Barnes’ much-maligned Six Feet Under comes in 3rd with 11 releases owned.  I’m bound to get flack for this since about everyone I know seems to hate this band.  But, there is something about their bludgeoning, uber-simplistic sludge-laden caveman death metal that I love, and fuck you if you can’t understand me.  Mr. Barnes’ total increases to 14 if you include the Cannibal Corpse albums I own that he sang on (3).

Johnny Cash obviously sticks out like a sore thumb here, but I’m not afraid to admit that I have been fond of classic-style country music since high school, which started with Johnny Cash’s American Recordings series and working backwards to At Folsom Prison.  I am from the Midwest after all.  My grandmother’s favorite singer was the great Patsy Cline, so a little of that was bound to rub off on me.  I’m glad that it did.

King Diamond and Megadeth tied with Cash for 5th place.  I’ve loved Megadeth since junior high, so I’ve had plenty of time to pile up their releases (I’m excited to finally be seeing them next week, even if it is just MegaDave and some hired guns, but that is neither here nor there).  King Diamond took me a while longer to embrace, but once I did he quickly became my second favorite metal vocalist behind Danzig.  Of course, much like Danzig, ol’ King jumps up several spots if you include my Mercyful Fate stuff, which would bring his total to a fairly impressive 17. Only falsetto is real.

In my opinion, Napalm Death are one of extreme metal’s most consistent bands, and have not lost any of their potency over the years in spite of stylistic evolution and a lack of original members.  I can always rely on ND when I’m in the mood to get some aggression out and headbang myself into a severe neck-ache.  Even their so-called “experimental” phase has its merits and all their albums are pretty much essential.

Finally, we come to a 4-way tie between Metallica, Neurosis, Cannibal Corpse and Vader.  Four bands that in my opinion couldn’t be more different from one another.  Neurosis is probably one of the greatest and most important metal bands to come out of the ’90s and I wouldn’t mind picking up the rest of their releases.  Metallica is one of the bands I listen to the least these days, but of course their discography (specifically the early releases) is heavy metal bedrock and pretty much essential to any collection.  As for Cannibal Corpse and Vader, well they’re basically my two favorite straight-up classic death metal bands so I’m bound to own a lot their releases, although I still have several more albums to go for each one.  Again, the theme of consistency pops up, since I can’t think of many DM bands with more consistent discographies than Vader and Cannibal.

So how about you guys?  Which bands do you own the most releases from?  Are there any of you out there that have ridiculously obsessive collections of a single band? What does it say about you as a fan/listener? Tell me about it.

VIDEO: Behemoth – Alas, Lord is Upon Me (Uncensored)

Behemoth’s music videos of late have been delightfully, unapologetically over the top. Their latest clip for “Alas, Lord is Upon Me” from last year’s Evangelion is no exception.  You know the drill; breasts, blood and blasphemy, but Behemoth presents these tried ‘n’ true metal visual accoutrements in a way that is at least somewhat fun and interesting to watch.  Besides, anything is better than yet another drab performance clip.  There aren’t too many bands out there doing much of anything to justify the existence of music videos in the post-“real MTV” era (by “real MTV” era, I mean back when the channel was relevant and actually had quite a bit to do with music), but at least Behemoth are giving it a shot.  I also recommend their equally entertaining video for “Ov Fire and the Void”, which features Nergal and the boys feasting on angel’s wings.

In other Behemoth-related news, frontman Nergal was recently rushed to the hospital, to be treated for an undisclosed illness.  This has forced the band to cancel all upcoming tour activities.  THKD wishes Nergal a speedy recovery.

But Life Goes On…

It’s been hard not to think about death in 2010.  I’ve seen two of my old friends pass away this year; one from a heart attack, the other chose to take his own life.  These were both people I had unfortunately lost touch with, people whom I always assumed I would reconnect with somewhere down the line.  Maybe I’d run into them at a bar or on the street or at fucking Wal Mart… maybe they’d call me out of the blue and we’d meet up for dinner or a beer to catch up and fill in the gaps.  After all, my life has always been an endless stream of people coming and going (as I’m assuming most people’s is), why should it be any different with them?

But it IS different with them now.  That phone call out of the blue will never come.  I won’t run into them at some random event.  The memories I have of them are finite, there won’t be any more.

I’m listening to Early Graves‘ Goner as I write this.  As all of you know by now, vocalist Makh Daniels died tragically on Monday, August 2nd.  It’s strange listening to the album, so full of crackling, goddamn electric energy, knowing the man with the violent, throat-shredding roar that’s driving this musical beast has been snuffed out before his time.  I didn’t know Daniels personally, and up until recently I was only mildly familiar with his band in their previous incarnation as Apiary.  However, I had heard plenty of good things about Early Graves, and they were on my version of the seemingly endless list kept by every metalhead  of “bands I need to check out”.

It just shouldn’t be this way.  Instead of discovering this young band with a world of potential and watching them grow and develop, we’re left with a finite discography, an artistic statement cut painfully short.  We should be writing reviews talking about Early Graves being a “band to watch”, but instead we’re left to speculate about what they might have achieved had this tragedy not taken place. Mr. Daniels should be out there somewhere tearing up a stage, not being lamented by his friends, family and fans.

I don’t want to associate such a snarling, vicious motherfucker of an album with real life death.  Goner is the sound of five men raging against the inevitable end with every ounce of blood, every drop of sweat.  As Johnny Cash once said, “It’s hard for thee to kick against the pricks.”

In some weird way, I feel the same about my two friends.  What else could they have achieved had they not been taken from this world before their time?  Where would their lives have taken them if they somehow could’ve avoided their respective untimely fates, staved off the grim reaper for just a few more years?

As fans of extreme music, we are inundated with death.  From Goner itself to early documents of the genre such as Left Hand Path, Morbid Tales and beyond, bands have been grappling with life’s eternal question.  It has never made me feel numb or desensitized, rather it makes me super-aware of death as an integral aspect of our lives and culture.  Even bands like Cannibal Corpse, with their over-the-top gory lyrical bent never seemed to be glorifying death; I always took their approach as a kind of black humor. We all find different ways to cope or try to make sense of it all.  Only death is real.

But we cannot dwell on the negative aspects of death forever.  We can’t spend forever contemplating what might have been.  Not as friends or family and not as fans.  What we can do is be eternally grateful for what we’ve been left with.  I’d rather have a finite amount of Early Graves to listen to than live in a world where Mr. Daniels never got a chance to step behind a mic and scream his guts out.  I’d much rather have wonderful but finite memories of my two friends than nothing at all.

http://www.myspace.com/earlygravessf

For Jubal and Scotty B.

Blitzkrieg: Rants, Raves and Recommendations #2

It’s probably a bit silly to be all ridiculously excited about a band based on the strength of one song, but I’m pretty psyched for Christian Mistress‘ debut album Agony & Opium, which comes out later this month on 20 Buck Spin.  Ever since I heard “Home in the Sun”, I’ve been looking forward to hearing what else this young band can do.  My initial reaction to the song was “Bjork fronting a classic NWOBHM band”, and I still think that is as good a descriptor as any for their rough ‘n’ ready trad-metal sound.  I haven’t heard the band’s demo, but if “Home in the Sun” is any indicator, Christian Mistress are going to have one hell of a debut on their hands.

Although, they’re going to have some pretty hefty competition in the traditional metal sweepstakes from Sweden’s Enforcer.  The band’s second album Diamonds has more hooks than Orlando Wilson‘s tackle box, just check “Midnight Vice”, “Katana” and my personal favorite and candidate for song of the year, “Running in Menace”.  I’ve seen some reviews and such questioning this band’s “trueness”, but give this album a few spins and try to tell me these dudes aren’t as sincere as it gets.  Besides, they’ve got the Fenriz seal of approval and that motherfucker is like a true metal bloodhound.  Heavy Artillery Records actually offered up Diamonds as a free download for one day only late last month, but if you missed out on that the record is definitely worth a purchase; pure oldschool heavy metal bliss for diehards of the likes of Mercyful Fate and Judas Priest!

On to deathlier things, have you fucking heard Disma yet?!  The Jersey-based quintet are OSDM to the bone, a blast of macabre filth straight from the crypt.  The band features former Incantation throat Craig Pillard, but that detail only partially betrays Disma’s sound and influences.  Sure, they do bear some minor resemblance to John McEntee’s legendary doomed-out death squad, but Disma are their own band.  Their three track demo cassette The Vault of Membros displays a knack for varied and catchy songwriting with some ridiculously thick, bulldozing grooves that will rattle your skull into next week.  If you don’t have a cassette player, do whatever it takes to dig one up and give this demo a listen.  If you’re not inclined to track down a tape deck, all three songs from the demo can be streamed on Disma’s official myspace page (see link above).

Indeed, part of what makes Disma so great is their overall approach.  More than likely the band could have landed a record deal based strictly on its member’s extensive death metal resumes.  However Disma chose to do things the right way, throwing down with an extremely competent demo to get themselves noticed.  The band will also reportedly be releasing a two-song 7-inch prior to their Profound Lore debut.  In the digital age there is something refreshing about seeing a band that has actually paid their dues and worked their asses off succeed, instead of getting a record deal based on how many friends they’ve racked up on Myspace.

In an unexpectedly awesome turn of events, NPR is streaming Summit, the new album from Louisiana sludge metallers Thou.  Summit is easily the band’s most accomplished album to date, aided by a production scheme that makes the band sound heavy and powerful rather than clattering and somewhat toothless, which was how they sounded to me on their last full length, 2008’s Peasant.  According to the band’s label Gilead Media, the stream will only be available until the album’s August 11 street date, so if you want to get a sneak-peak of what is arguably the year’s finest doom/sludge album, get to it now!  Expect a full review of Summit coming sooner than later.

Lastly, Earache Records is having a pretty cool Summer sale at their webstore.  They’re clearancing out a ton of stuff for ridiculously low prices, some great, some crap, some shit I’ve never heard of.  Anyway, the sale allowed me to fill two glaring holes in my collection, as I was able to pick up Left Hand Path and Sleep’s Holy Mountain for a mere $6.66 a pop.  I’m not sure how long the sale goes on for, so you might want to head over there asap if you’ve got the ducats to spare.

That’s all I’ve got for this installment of Blitzkrieg.  If you’ve got any recommendations of your own or suggestions for things you’d like to see me weigh in on in future installments, leave a comment.

Cauldron Black Ram – Slubberdegullion (Weird Truth Productions, 2010)

As far as I know, metal is the only genre where a band can base its entire career on one subject.  I don’t know of any pop or jazz bands who only write songs about ancient Egypt or the Vikings, for instance.  Metal however is rife with these types of bands, every note and every lyric in service of a specific historical period, people or event.

Enter Australia’s Cauldron Black Ram.  The band has based their musical output on tales of pirates, but not in a lame or silly way.  If you’re looking for that shit go listen to Alestorm or Swashbuckle.  Cauldron Black Ram’s dark metallic sea shanties are twisted and gnarled like the planks of a ghost ship.  Their sound reflects the grit ‘n’ grime of the age of Blackbeard and Captain Kidd, with not a hint of the humor or quasi-drinking song nonsense that other pirate-centric bands tend to incorporate.

From what I can gather, Slubberdegullion is a concept album about a villainous buccaneer named Black Douglass.  Whereas I could not find any historical evidence of a real pirate by that name, there was a Sir James Douglas who fought for Scotland’s independence and was known as “the Black Douglas”. However, there is nothing stating that he ever engaged in piracy, so I am fairly certain that the album’s story was entirely concocted by the band and is not related to him in any way.  I find it refreshing that Cauldron Black Ram opted to take some creative license with their concepts rather than the “painstakingly researched” route that many historically minded metal bands opt for.  However, the band does use authentic terminology such as “slubberdegullion” and “blunderbuss” to add an air of legitimacy to the proceedings.

Musically, Cauldron Black Ram’s specific influences are difficult to pin down. Though I do hear some Hellhammer/Celtic Frost in the riffing and tonal departments, the band has a very unique approach to rhythm and composition which is aided by a thick, crusty and bottom-heavy production scheme.  The trio’s song-writing sense is simplicity itself, yet there is something decidedly off-kilter about it that makes it difficult to describe or draw comparisons.  Essentially, Cauldron Black Ram is just too goddamn weird to be derivative.

With Slubberdegullion, Cauldron Black Ram have conjured up something sonically and conceptually unique, cementing their place as one of Australian metal’s most underrated bands.  Easily the most creative black/death metal album I’ve heard this year and one that isn’t likely to leave my playlist for a long time to come.

(Note: Be sure to check out Cauldron Black Ram’s first album, the equally impressive Skulduggery, as well.)

Wolverine’s Blues (or how I discovered death metal)

It took the combined might of Columbia Records, Earache Records, Marvel Comics, MTV and Sweden to bring death metal to a 13 year old boy attending Catholic school in Central Iowa.

At that age, staying up late on Saturday nights to watch Headbanger’s Ball had become a weekly ritual.  It wasn’t like I had a life or anything in that weird, awkward period just before high school.  This was a golden age for MTV, as they were playing stuff like Metallica, Megadeth and Danzig during the day, but I craved more.  Oftentimes I would fall asleep during the Ball, but it seemed like the later into the night the show went, the heavier and stranger the bands got, so I always tried my hardest to stay up and take it all in.

That’s when I witnessed Entombed’s video for the title track off of Wolverine Blues. To be honest, at that age I was probably more excited about the X-Men character Wolverine appearing in the video than I was about the music.  In addition to be being a budding metalhead, I was a full-blown nerd of the comic book collecting, Dungeons & Dragons playing variety.  Yes, the first time I heard death metal I was on the fence about it.  I think it was probably the vocals that threw me off.  As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, I was accustomed to actual singing, or at least vocalists who tried to sing… the whole growling thing didn’t really set well with me at the time.

Fast forward a few years and I found a copy of Wolverine Blues at a used CD store.  Seeing Wolverine on the cover and remembering the video, I bought the damn thing even though I wasn’t sure if I was ready for it or not.  By then I owned some albums by “gateway” bands like Sepultura, Slayer and Pantera so it seemed that the time was right.

Sure enough, I ended up loving Wolverine Blues and it remains to this day one of my favorite metal albums.  It might have started “death ‘n’ roll” for better or worse, but for me it opened up another door to the world of extreme music far beyond what I was comfortable or familiar with at the time. In retrospect, it sounds more like ultra gnarly punk rock than pure death metal, but at the time it seemed like the meanest, heaviest motherfucker of an album on the planet.

Of course, from what I gather the members of Entombed were none too pleased about being forced to partner with Marvel Comics, and the Columbia/Earache deal wasn’t the platinum-selling success that the two labels had hoped for.  But nonetheless, for a brief moment the planets aligned and my life’s path was irrevocably changed forever.

So thanks Entombed… I definitely owe you, big time.

THKD’s Summer of Satan Mixtape Vol. 1

Back in the days when the cassette was still a widely used and accepted form of media, I loved making mixtapes.  There is just something special about crafting the perfect mix of your favorite songs and sharing it with others, a craft that was lost with the dawn of the compact disc.  Burning a CD just isn’t the same as sitting in front of the dual cassette and painstakingly dubbing off crucial tracks.

Even though it isn’t anywhere near the same, I wanted to somehow capture a little bit of that old magic in the internet age.  Since I’m no fan of illegal downloading (which probably seems hypocritical after telling you how much I enjoyed dubbing off cassettes for my friends), and I don’t currently have the capability to stream MP3s on this blog, I present the first ever THKD mixtape courtesy of Youtube.  Ten tracks of favorites old and new, with no alarms and no surprises… You’ve probably heard all of these tracks before, so consider this mix the heavy music fans’ equivalent of comfort food.  Enjoy or die.

I Was A Teenage Metalhead.

Okay, so a couple of folks have asked me to write something about how I got into heavy metal. Well, let me start by saying it wasn’t easy to do, being trapped in the bowels of the Midwest. Furthermore I’m only 30, which means I was way too young to get caught up in the ’80s glory days of tape trading (I was 8 years old when Nihilist released their first demo, about 4 when Death released theirs) and too old to have had the internet readily available to me at a young age (we did however, have some sweet Apple computers at school that you could play Oregon Trail on). There were very few outlets for discovering metal available to someone growing up when and where I did. I think it started with classic rock. It might not have been easy to catch an underground metal show in central Iowa, but it was easy to turn on the radio and hear Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Steppenwolf, Kiss, etc… the building blocks of heavy metal. I always gravitated towards the heavier side of classic rock, so metal was a natural progression.

And I discovered metal through MTV. This might sound like a completely ridiculous notion now, but back then MTV actually had something to do with music and didn’t constantly show programs about knocked up trailer park dwellers, morbidly obese high schoolers who want to be dancers and cheerleaders only to fail miserably, and more sexually confused 20-somethings than you can shake a stick at (take that how you will). It was Metallica’s video for “One” that hit me like a sledgehammer to the skull. I caught it while randomly flipping channels one day after school. It was one of those moments of “This is the music I’ve been waiting my whole life to hear.”. The dynamics, the guitar tone, the machine-gun drums, everything about that song was perfect. It blew all the hair metal MTV had been playing at the time out of the water. Metallica weren’t a bunch of preening tarts like Poison, they were genuine bad asses with a dark, heavy sound that matched their black-clad image. Of course, it was all downhill from there…

Interview: ABSCESS (Chris Reifert)

When I sent this interview off to Abscess drummer/vocalist Chris Reifert, I had no idea that it would be among the last interviews ever to be published regarding the band. With the departure of guitarist Clint Bower, the remaining members of Abscess have chosen to deactivate the group and focus their energies on the resurrection of a little band called Autopsy. I spoke with Mr. Reifert via e-mail regarding Abscess’ impressive final statement, The Dawn of Inhumanity, Autopsy and how to turn your mind into runny cream cheese.

THKD: Tell us a little about the new Abscess album, Dawn of Inhumanity. What did you set out to accomplish with this album?

Chris Reifert: We wanted to fuck with your senses, channel out some insanity, cause a disruption with the Earth’s magnetic field, and turn our minds into runny cream cheese all in convienient death metal form.

THKD: Where and when was the new album recorded? How would you describe the process?

CR: It was recorded last year at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, Ca. Our favorite place to record these days. The process was intense. We squeezed as much work as we could in there to capture the mood we were going for. Various obstacles presented themselves as we went along but we beat them all back with a vengeance and made sure the album prevailed.

THKD: In addition to the death metal/punk approach Abscess is known for, this album incorporates elements that could be called experimental /psychedelic. What inspired you to take the music in this direction?

CR: It just seemed like what we needed to do at that stage. Throughout Abscess recording history, you can hear strange parts here and there along with the brutal sickness, only this time we wanted to dive into the deep end of insanity and inhale deeply.

THKD: Dawn of Inhumanity strikes me as one of those albums that is impossible to pick apart; it should be listened to in one sitting and really takes you on a journey (or maybe a bad trip). Was this intentional?

CR: That was the exact intent and I’m pleased that you heard it that way too. We viewed it as an experience rather than a collection of songs that happened to be on the same record. Great to hear, man!

THKD: What are some of the lyrical themes you explore on this album? How do they tie into the overall concept of Abscess?

CR: As usual with Abscess we dug deep into the backs of our fermented minds to see what was lurking there, waiting to be exposed to the light of day. So it’s not so much themes or stories but rather the bizarre workings of our thought processes on display.

THKD: How would you describe your songwriting process for Abscess? How has your approach evolved or changed since the early Autopsy days?

CR: We always go with what we think the band should be doing at any particular point in time. I guess with Abscess there was a bit of room to experiment and touch on different things as long as the heavy and brutal factors were in place. It’s gotta crush, ya know! Autopsy has more of a strict writing process in the way that it can only 100% horrific, dark and pure death metal. It’s all brutality at the end of the day but both bands have their own beastly ways to be sure.

 THKD: Dennis Dread’s cover artwork for the album is mindblowing. How did you get hooked up with him and who came up with the concept for the cover?

CR: We got his info from a friend up in Oregon who recommended him. Dennis is a killer and unique artist and a really cool person too so working with him is always fantastic.

THKD: In addition to music, you’re also a visual artist. Do the same things that inspire your music inspire your art? Do they influence eachother in any way?

CR: I guess I have a lot of horror in my head and it has to come out however it comes out. When the time comes to write or draw or paint I indulge since those moments come and go when I least expect them sometimes. Gotta catch them before they get away!

THKD: It is my understanding that Dawn of Inhumanity will be the last album released under Darkthrone’s Tyrant Syndicate imprint. Will Abscess continue to work with Peaceville?

CR: Well as it turns out, not only is it the last release for Tyrant Syndicate but it’s also Abscess’ last release in general. We have officially split up as of the beginning of June after 16 years of spreading insanity and sickness. Clint is taking time to get his personal life in order and we wish him only respect with that. There can be no Abscess without Clint, so when he quit, the band had to be deactivated. A shame, really but ‘Dawn of Inhumanity’ is a hell of a way to end things! Autopsy is now going again full force so we will focus on that wholeheartedly.

THKD: You’ve been playing death metal for over two decades now. What do you continue to find inspiring about this style of music? What motivates you?

CR: It just always turns me on. I’m still not sick of it, so why stop? If the day ever comes where I get tired of it, I’ll quit but that sure ain’t happening any time soon! I feel more energized than ever if anything.

THKD: This is a bit off subject, but I have to ask; how did it feel to reunite Autopsy for the headlining performance at this year’s Maryland Deathfest? Do you have any further plans for Autopsy?

CR: In light of things, it’s not off subject at all. We now have MDF under our belts and it went even better than we’d hoped. Not only are all the original maniacs still out there, but there is literally a whole new generation of death metallers into it now which is fucking amazing. Further plans for Autopsy? Yes, quite a few actually……

THKD: What are you listening to these days? Do you have any interests in the current crop of death metal bands that are bring back the old school sound?

CR: I like any band that plays from the heart, whether it’s new or old, metal or not. Whatever gets my blood boiling at the moment. My listening tastes are all over the board to say the least.

THKD: What does the rest of 2010 have in store for Abscess? Will you be touring or working on new material?

CR: I guess we’ll have to let the ‘Dawn of Inhumanity’ album be the last words for Abscess. We are proud as hell of that album and consider it going out on a high note.

THKD: Are there any final thoughts you’d like to add?

CR: Thanks to all who supported and believed in Abscess. Keep our spirit alive and keep an eye out for more devastation from Autopsy. All we can do is offer more brutality……

http://www.myspace.com/abscessband

Interview: DEIPHAGO

Had I heard Deiphago’s Filipino Antichrist just a bit sooner, it would have come in damn near the top of my “Best Albums of 2009” list. Blurring the line between bestial, chaotic black metal and harsh noise-ridden brutality, the album is a psycho-Satanic cyclone of obliterating distortion, possessed vocals and belligerent drums, laying waste to everything within earshot. Indeed, this is an album that must be heard to be believed, such is the sheer ultraviolence on display throughout the recording. I contacted bassist/vocalist V. 666 for some insight into the creation of the album, and what it means to be a Filipino Antichrist.

Sonic Frontiers: For any readers who might not be familiar, how did Deiphago get started?

V. 666: Deiphago was formed back in 1989 under the name of Satanas to continue the legacy of the 80s black metal gods Venom, Sodom, Hellhammer and Sarcofago. We changed our name to Deifago in 1990 which was due to the influence of Sarcofago and the then mighty Deicide. Our first demo was recorded and released in 1991; we were the first band to use the term Satanic Doom Death Metal. By 1992, influenced by our peers such as Beherit, Impnaz, Blasphemy, Deicide and Morbid Angel we started going into a more black death grind approach and the end result was 1993’s Hail Mary Inanna demo. The years that followed were constant live assaults throughout Manila and the recording of demo 1997 which was a return to Bathory era Blood Fire Death. The band continued to be haunted by drummer problems which started since day one and by the end of 1998 it was decided to put Deiphago in a hiatus! Not Dead but Dreaming!

Sperm of Antichrist – Blight and Darkness (Hell’s Headbangers, 2010)

Down-tuned, filthy and ritualistic sounding, mysterious US-based duo Sperm of Antichrist are not fucking around on their debut demo, Blight and Darkness.  The sound wallows in the gnarliest viscera-strewn gutters of the death metal underground, subsisting on a steady diet of murky distortion and eerie ambience.  It is as if someone took the doominess of prime Incantation and the blackened hypnosis of VON and threw them together in a cauldron of boiling virgin’s blood.  Recently released on cassette by the mighty Hell’s Headbangers, the tape is already in its second pressing.

Although the concept of the “demo tape” is all but obsolete in the mainstream musical landscape, the practice is still frequently utilized within the metal underground.  In this day and age there is just something strangely esoteric about a cassette release, as it is such an archaic and rare form of media.  However, the four tracks Sperm of Antichrist offer up on Blight and Darkness are so well done that this could have easily been considered a proper release rather than a demo.

Regardless of the physical format, Sperm of Antichrist create some of the most evil-sounding, smoked-out death metal to pollute my ears in quite a while, right up there with the likes of recent offerings from Vasaeleth and Teitanblood.  The atmosphere is so thick and suffocating on Blight and Darkness that you could cut through it with a chainsaw.  The songs themselves are heavy, lugubrious worm dirges clawing their way up from the black bowels of ancient graves, darkening the skies and threatening to cover the planet in a thick miasma of utter malevolence.

Although the crawling, dense guitar-work dominates the mix, the most unsettling aspect of Blight and Darkness might be the vocals, a ghostly whisper that  creeps out of the speakers, giving due praise to the horned one.  Practically buried by the burly distortion of the guitars, they almost feel like subliminal messages, compelling you to join the cult of Sperm of Antichrist.

The recent resurgence of “real” death metal is giving us some great new bands, and Sperm of Antichrist is definitely one of them if this short demo is anything to go by.  I can only imagine what horrors await if these guys ever decide to release a full length.  If you’re looking for some truly dark and arcane death metal, do yourself a favor and get ahold of this tape.  Only Analog is Real.

http://spermofantichrist.hellsheadbangers.com

Interview: NOMINON

Sweden’s Nominon are the epitome of oldschool Swedish death metal. No, I’m not talking about one of the zillion groups of Johnny-come-lately’s wielding boss heavy metal pedals that have recently sprung up out of the underground, I’m talking about the real f’in deal, true UGDM diehards. These guys have been plying their grizzly trade since 1993 and show no signs of slowing down on their 4th album, Monumentomb. I spoke with drummer Perra Karlsson via e-mail to get the lowdown on the new album, which is out now via Deathgasm.

THKD: Monumentomb is Nominon’s 4th full length. How do you think this new album compares to the rest of the band’s discography?

Perra: We certainly have matured as song-writers as well as musicians, so that’s the main thing why the new album sounds so damn interesting with lots of hooks and variation within the songs. Of course we have always pushed the limits within Death Metal also in the past, but now we took more or less everything a huge step further. Personally I’d say that “Monumentomb” were the hardest album to complete in many ways, not really drumming-wise though, since I was very much prepared for the occasion and did my parts in approximately 8-10 hours. The problems showed up when it was time to record the vocals. Due to the fact that our previous vocalist left us like three weeks prior to the actual recording, our guitarist Juha stepped in and said that he could do the vocals for the whole album. But when he started to track the vocal parts we all noticed that his voice were powerless after just a few songs, so we had to call in help from some great old friends that we know in the S! tockholm-area. We had to solve the situation and work things out, which we did, and the final result turned out fucking amazing.

THKD: What is the meaning of the title “Monumentomb”? How does it relate to the overall concept of Nominon?

Perra: The title idea hit me when I was out walking one day. It fits the description for the whole album just perfect. It’s very monumental Death Metal at times, and the lyrics are very aggressive and in-your-face this time around. The cover by Chris Moyen ended up awesome as well together with the title. That was another problem that we had to deal with, the cover that is. We had a cover design already made by an artist from the U.K. But we weren’t really satisfied with the result after all, so we decided to go for another solution, since we wanted things to be done with 100% perfection pretty much. The material on the album are outstanding, so we just couldn’t let such an important thing as the cover spoil the greatness of the material on the CD, you know.

THKD: Tell us about the song “Kevorkian Exit”. Are you supporters of assisted suicide?

Perra: Personally I would say that “Yes, we are!”. You’re supossed to be an adult here in Sweden at the age of 18 or 21 or whatever the age limit is, yet you are not allowed to decide about your own life and when to end it at a later stage in life. Just the thought of having the power to when, where and how to end my own life makes my blood boil. Hail Darkness!

THKD: Another interesting song is “Wrath of Shiva”. What is this track about? Are you interested in world religions?

Perra: We’re not really a religious band in that sense, no. We do however appreciate people that think by themselves and not live by a book, so to speak. Shiva had a close and wellknown relation to war, death and destruction. Those are the kind of themes that we as a band appreciate to write about in our lyrics.

THKD: How would you describe the Nominon approach to songwriting? Do you write songs separately or hash things out together as a band? What inspires you to write songs?

Perra: The music are pretty much written by Juha, Christian and Myself. We work together at our rehearsal room arranging the material. Anyone are welcome with ideas and suggestions, but this is the way we have been writing the last three albums more or less. Inspiration?! Mainly ourselves, we don’t spend time thinking on how the next song must or will sound, we take it step by step and work things out in a smooth way, to make the songs as good as possible. Right now we have like two new songs plus tons of other ideas that we will sink our teeth into when we have the time to do so.

THKD: Monumentomb was recorded at Necromorbus studios. What was it like working there with Tore Stjerna?

Perra: Anyone that know NOMINON also knows that “Monumentomb” were the third album that we recorded together with Tore at NECROMORBUS STUDIO in Alvik/Stockholm, Sweden. Each time we feel like coming home really, it isn’t such a big deal or fuzz about it, we just step into the studio and build things up and start to record when the time is right. We really appreciate to work with Tore, he certainly knows his way around in the jungle of sounds and what’s right for NOMINON as a band, which is very important. Every time we treat Tore like the missing member in the band kind of, we listen to his ideas and shit too you know. On this latest album him and me were very involved in the lyrics, we changed the original lyrics that our previous vocalist had been writing to make them more macabre and extreme.

THKD: You’ve added vocalist Henke Skoog to the band since Monumentomb was recorded. How did this lineup addition come about?

Perra: After we had completed the recording of the new album, we put an advertisment on our website that simply said “NOMINON are looking for a new vokillist!”. We had people from Mexico, Spain, Germany and a few from Sweden searching, but it didn’t seem to show up any serious ones, so we thought that we would continue as a four-piece band for a while. Then all of a sudden Henke sent us a message saying that he definitely were interested to come for an audition, so he did. After that particular weekend we haven’t looked back one second, just pushing things forward as much as possible and now after the tour here in Sweden we know for a fact that Henke is more than just a vocalist in NOMINON, he is a frontman as well, in a sense that the rest of us hasn’t been used to in the past.

THKD: Nominon has been playing death metal since 1993. Does it bother you that the band seems to get lumped in with the new crop of revivalist death metal bands when in reality you’ve been here all along?

Perra: If we would bother about that we wouldn’t still be around here today, isn’t that kind of obvious?! We have seen many bands come and go throughout the years, but we don’t care about that. What’s the main thing for us is the music, we would for example still be a band even if we didn’t had any recording agreement. We’re not playing this sort of music to become succesful. NOMINON consits of a group of people that actually do like to write Death Metal songs, and perform them live.

THKD: Having done this for such a long time, what is it about death metal that you continue to find inspiring after all these years?

Perra: To write new songs, push the limits and become better musicians.

THKD: Chris Moyen supplied the artwork for Monumentomb. What was it like working with such an iconic underground artist?

Perra: As I previously mentioned, we had to find a better solution for the cover art, since the one we had in mind to start with wasn’t as good as the actual music on the album. We have worked with Chris many many times in the past, so he was the main choice for us to contact when we ended up in such a chaotic situation. Chris did our second album “Recremation”, he did the MCD “The True Face Of Death”, the collection CD “Remnants Of A Diabolical History” as well as the cassette release “Blaspheming The Dead”. I am pretty sure that we will continue to work with Mr Moyen on any of the future releases as well, but only time will tell if that will become reality. To sum it up a bit; Chris Moyen is a fan of NOMINON and NOMINON is a fan of Chris Moyen, we simply adore each others work.

THKD: You guys are getting ready to head out on another tour of the US. Are you looking forward to this? How do death metal fans in the US compare to other places you’ve played?

Perra: We certainly look forward to make this tour, yes. When we toured over there two years ago we didn’t really knew what to expect due to the fact that it was our first time and all, but the audience were fucking awesome. And now with a new album in the bag, a new killer line-up we are very eager to perform the new shit also in North America. The fans over there are more dead-on, more concerned about NOMINON as a band.

THKD: Are there any final thoughts you’d like to add?

Perra: Appreciate your support Josh. For further band information, tour dates, merchandise make sure to visit www.nominon.com – www.myspace.com/nominon
See you all on the road. Hail The horned one!!
/Perra & NOMINON May 24th 2010.

The Final Conflict: Last Days of Acheron (1988 – 2010)

Long running black/death metal band Acheron recently announced they will be ceasing activity on January 1st, 2011.  Lead by former Church of Satan reverend Vincent Crowley (bass, vocals), the band has been in existence for for 22 years, yet never seemed to fully get their due as one of the stalwart pioneers of extreme metal in the US.  Acheron has released 5 full length albums as well as a covers collection and numerous EPs and compilations over the course of their career.  The band will wind things down with a series of farewell shows focusing on their first album, Rites of the Black Mass.

It’s always a shame to see one of the metal world’s elder bands call it a day, but Acheron are certainly going out on a high note with their final full length, The Final Conflict: Last Days of God.  In fact, it is surprising to hear that Crowley plans to pack it in after releasing such an accomplished album.  Perhaps he has a new project up his sleeve?  Only time will tell, but at least we have The Final Conflict to listen to in the meantime…

The album is front-to-back oldschool death metal of the slightly blackened variety that generally sticks to a hefty, mid-paced crush. There are tons of killer leads and solos throughout The Final Conflict, and the riffs are appropriately crunchy and memorable, making the 666-string damage inflicted by the duo of  Max Otworth and Ash Thomas the undeniable focal point.  The drums were provided by Kyle  Severn of Incantation fame and although they’re nothing flashy, they do provide a strong rhythmic bedrock for the aforementioned shred-work.

Crowley’s vocals are way up front in the mix, and although they can be a bit overpowering at times, it is cool to actually be able to discern what he’s singing about.  Lyrics such as “Even in their holy books they knew there’d be a day / For an apocalypse to wash their gods away” are spat forth with venom and clarity, as well as a sense of urgency that modern extreme metal vocals often lack.   The Final Conflict is a concept album about the the ultimate downfall of the of the 3 Abrahamic religions, it’s just too bad that Acheron won’t be around to see it.

All in all, The Final Conflict: Last Days of God is a fitting epitaph for Acheron, and well worth a listen for both long time followers and those that somehow missed the boat.

http://www.myspace.com/acheron

Interview: HOODED MENACE

Hooded Menace’s Never Cross the Dead is one of my favorite albums of 2010.  It’s a sickening slab of vintage-style death/doom with no shortage of gnarly slow-motion riffs, not to mention some genuinely creepy, catchy melodies that will lodge themselves in your skull like the rusty swords of the bloodthirsty Blind Dead.  I contacted Hooded Menace mainman Lasse Pyykko via e-mail for the following in-depth interrogation.

Divine Eve – Vengeful and Obstinate (Ibex Moon, 2010)

Of the legions of death metal bands that sprang up briefly during the genre’s 90s heyday and then disappeared into a cryogenic Cthulhu-like slumber just as quickly, Texas’ Divine Eve could’ve been a contender.  The band’s sound was pure doomed death metal bludgeon, like Hellhammer squaring off with Entombed in a bloody and bare-knuckled battle royale. Unfortunately, the group imploded after releasing only two demos and an EP on Nuclear Blast, seemingly to forever be remembered as one of those cult bands that never fully realized their wealth of potential.

Interview: VOMITOR

Devils Poison, the second full length album from Australia’s Vomitor, is the gnarliest album you’re going to hear in 2010.  End of story.  The band assaults the senses with a raging, toxic style of death-thrash that is simply sick and disgusting beyond any other metal album you could hope to pollute your ears with this year.  I got in touch with vocalist/guitarist Death Dealer to briefly discuss the total filth ‘n’ fury that is Vomitor.

THKD: Tell me about the new album, Devils Poison. What were the circumstances surrounding its creation?

Death Dealer: Its fast and heavy, raw and evil, Total Death Metal, the gates opened and the nightmare begins.

THKD: How did you manage to achieve such a raw, filthy sound for Devils Poison?

DD: That is our sound, the guy who records us knows how to translate it to the tapes.

THKD: The lead guitar work is especially sick sounding! What was the equipment setup for this?

DD: EQs, flangers, wahs, 2 crate amps, madness and a wild tremolo.

THKD: What are some of the main lyrical concepts behind Devils Poison?

DD: Satan, Hate, Christian death, sex, nuclear extermination of planet stench.

THKD: What is the “Devil’s Poison”?

DD: Stinky Pussy.

THKD: How would you describe Vomitor’s songwriting methods?

DD: I usually have most of the riffs in my head when we hit the rehersal room, I show the guys and we start jammin’, lyrics are usually written for the song afterwards, but sometimes old lyrics will fit.

THKD: Several of the songs on Devils Poison have appeared on prior Vomitor demo and ep releases. What made you decide to re-record them?

DD: Cause they were demo recordings, plus they were going to be on this album all along, time did not change this decision… now they are complete the way we wanted them.

THKD: Your last album, Bleeding the Priest, was released in 2002. Why such a lengthy delay between albums?

DD: Line-up changes, drinking, playing shows, I guess time just flies when you’re having fun.

THKD: You guys are veterans of several other well-known Australian metal bands (Gospel of the Horns, Spear of Longinus, Bestial Warlust, etc). How does what you did in those bands inform your work with Vomitor?

DD: It gave us a lot of recording experience and also gig experience, so when we formed this band everything fell together very easily, we have a lot of band years under our belts.

THKD: From afar, the Australian metal scene appears to be brimming with killer bands. Is it really as amazing as it seems to us outsiders?

DD: I think the scene here is very strong, lots of cool speed/death/black bands to see every week, some weeks in our city there is 2 metal shows a week.

THKD: Vomitor’s sound largely harkens back to the underground metal of the 1980s. Who are some of your primary influences from that era?

DD: Definitely Sodom, old Morbid angel, old Sepultura, Azagthoth(UK), Possessed, Blasphemy, old Kreator, Voor, Infernal Death(US), Sarcofago’s 1st album etc etc, most raw and evil stuff.

THKD: You guys have been doing this since the late ’90s, now it seems like there is a resurgence of “real” death and thrash metal going on. Why did it take so long for everyone else to catch up to what Vomitor has been doing for over a decade?

DD: Cause they don’t want to die by Death

THKD: Major underground bands such as Watain and Gorgoroth have heaped praise on Vomitor in print. How do you feel about this?

DD: Certainly better than them heaping shit on us hahaha, glad they dig it.

THKD: Will you be doing any touring behind Devil’s Poison? Any chance you’ll ever make it to the US?

DD: Yes, we are touring in Europe in may/june 2010, and in negotiation at the moment to tour northand south America in oct/nov 2010, see you metal freaks on the road.

THKD: What does the rest of 2010 have in store for Vomitor?

DD: Drinking, touring, writing, limousines, jets and chicks haha!

THKD: Are there any final thoughts you’d like to add?

DD: Thanx for the support brother, may women never say no.

http://www.myspace.com/thevomitor