Interview with Dimitris from Unholy Forces Productions and Darkness Guides Us Festival

Today, we are chatting with Dimitris from Unholy Forces Productions. How are you today?

All fine, thank you

This year, you're starting a new festival in Glasgow, Darkness Guides Us Fest. What lead to you wanting to make a purely Black Metal festival?

First and foremost I’m a black metal fan, I felt there was a gap in the scene after North of the Wall wasn’t happening this year and I grabbed the opportunity. While there are many extreme metal festivals in the UK I felt that underground black metal is under-represented in the UK. Had to do something about that.

The lineup consists mostly of UK firsts, bands who have never been up this way. How did you decide who you wanted to bring to the inaugural event?

Exclusives and UK débuts were two big factors in choosing the bands we wanted to bring. We wanted to give the opportunity to underground black metal bands that have long deserved to play in the UK a platform to showcase their material to fans, also the Greek element is obvious having 3 legendary bands from Hellas, that Is going be the case with future editions as well as both me and the other organizer Stelios are both Greek and have good relations with the scene back home.

Your headliners for the event are Impaled Nazarene and Ancient. Two massive underground bands, would you say these were picked for the more hardcore Black Metal listeners as opposed to the casual listener who may only know Mayhem and Immortal?

Indeed that was exactly our thinking, both bands have achieved a cult status and deserve the spot of head-liner, we were told it was a risky choice but we moved forward and ticket sales proved we were right to do so. The 'hardcore' -'trve' - 'kvlt' black metal listener will make a trip from China,Brazil, the US,Ukraine, Slovakia and so on just to see those bands as opposed to the more casual BM listener. Half the tickets sold are from outside the UK.

How did you put these bands together? Did you start creating the festival with a good idea of what bands you wanted playing, or did everything mostly fall into place while creating the lineup?

We wanted our festival to be a ‘celebration’ of black metal with as much possible sub-genres represented, we wanted old school without neglecting worthy newer bands, something that would appeal to the true black metal fan. We had a good idea of the bands we wanted to bring from the beginning and I’m happy to say that apart from 2 occasions we booked every band we wanted for the fest.   

When with a few months to go, the festival appears to be on the brink of selling out, does this mean we might see a second edition next year?

We 're really satisfied with ticket sales, around 50 tickets are left for a sold out as we speak! Next edition is already on the works, and contact has been made with several bands. I can only reveal that the next edition will take place at a venue that is truly unique with perfect acoustics as it used to be an ex-church, it will be St. Lukes and the second edition will take place on the 20th-21st-22nd of November 2020. 

For fans who make it out to the show, will you have any festival specific merch available? I.E. how many festivals create a shirt with the lineup on it.

There will be a fest T-shirt available limited to 200 pieces

What bands should fans absolutely be on the lookout for at the festival? Who would you suggest to absolutely not miss?

There are so many bands in the line-up i truly believe would be a sacrilege to miss, i really don't know where to start,  Kroda and Kawir are making their first appearance in the UK something that should have been done years ago, both bands will make a huge impression to the fans, Harakiri for the sky will mesmerise the audience and prove why they are becoming increasingly popular in Europe, rare live appearances by Karg and Sarkrista both excellent bands, Greek black metal pioneers Varathron known for their brutal live performances, Zemial with proscriptor from Absu on Vocals!!! and i haven't even mentioned the headliners or the more well known bands such as Nargaroth and Sargeist. It’s gonna be hell on earth!

Last, but not least, do you have anything you'd like to share with the fans reading and prepping for the festival?

Thanks for the amazing support, we ‘ll make sure this is going be unforgettable! 

Thank you so much for you time Dimitris, look forward to seeing you at this year's festival!

Thanks for the interview, see you in Glasgow in a couple of months.

Update: Kroda has since had to drop off the festival due to Visa issues, and have been replaced by Azaghal who are making their UK debut at Darkness Guides Us

Batushka - Hospodi Review // Metal Blade Records

Following months of controversy, Polish Black Metal band Batushka mark their return with their new album Hospodi. Without going into too much detail, all that information is online anyways, this is a new era for Batushka, and it's easy to see that the band jumped in feet first. "Hospodi" kicks off with an intro of chants and a slow crawling riff that leads into the aggression of "Dziewiatyj Czas" that will set the tone for the rest of the album. 

Hospodi is pumped full of incredible musicianship, "Wieczernia" has some of the catchiest riffs and most consistent blastbeats available. Above that though, this is also an album full of emotion. Following everything, Batushka came back more pissed off than ever and it translates throughout this album. Alternating between melodic influenced sounds and pure destructive force, it's easy to get lost in this album. The only thing to pull you back into reality is the interludes of chants and sermons present between some of the tracks.

One thing that is never truly appreciated in music, especially in albums that tell a story is transitions. It's easy to lose focus and stop paying attention to an album when the songs don't blend well together. This is something that Hospodi does incredibly well though, each song is a continuation of the last. Batushka set out to tell a story and infuse it with emotion, and they did just that. Even without understanding the lyrics, even without knowing the language, the feelings translate through the music.

There may not be a particular stand out point to this album, there may not be anything particularly jaw dropping in the music, but Batushka are masters of their craft. Hospodi is an emotional ride and a very unique sounding Black Metal album. This is a journey that any Extreme Metal fan should experience.

8/10

Live Review: Unbowed, Decatur, Stolos and Cerbearus at The Boathouse

The Boathouse is nothing show of the Metal hub of Kitchener, Ontario. You would be hardpressed to find a weekend, especially during the winter, that long haired men and women converge on this location to catch some of the best local acts. February 8th was simply jsut another night of this, featuring some of the more frostbitten bands around the area and a couple new bands to the area.

Kicking off the night around 9:30pm, was the debut show from Cerbearus a brand new band who it's kind of hard to place a finger on genre wise. They took on an almost death-thrash style for a good part of the show, along with a more hardcore style. the hardcore side of them was much more prevelent in their original track "Fucked By A Bear", which impressivly got the entire crowd chanting along with the title of the song. Also, in the two covers that Cerbearus did, "Hail Destroyer" originally by Toronto hardcore legends, Cancer Bats and "As Diehard As They Come" by Hatebreed. The latter of which was preformed with "Little Dick" Mike from the local band ULT. The band finished with "Carnivora", featuring Brett MacIntosh of Aepoch doing guest vocals, this was where the band really hit their stride, unfortunately it was the end of the set that they really nailed it, but it definitely left people wanting more. All in all, This wasnt exactly what I expected from a show focused around black metal, but it was enjoyable nonetheless and these guys definitely have a place in the scene.

Next up, making a stop on their Decatour, is Decatur. Decatur brought an old school style of thrash to The Boathouse and showed Kitchener how to rock. Even though it was getting late, these guys would not let up. Playing essentially half of their album Badder Than Brooklyn, I think these guys made a splash. They were wild from beginning to end, especially their bassist. There was no holding them back and they toom full advantage of what little space they ahd on stage. "Internal War" was easily the most aggressive song they had in the set and really set the tone and reason as to why people should not take beer in the pit, because man did it soak the place. This may have been a new band to a lot of people, but the crowd seemed to really get into it from beginning to end, Decatur will definitely be asked to return after a show like this.

New black metaller's Stolos took the stage next. These guys are taking hints and theatrics from the likes of Mayhem and King Diamond and making it work on a small stage. Their stage show kicked off with the band walking out filly robed and laying a sacrifice down on a table, then stabbing her repeatedly. Once he band took their place on stage the show kicked off. Their frontman takes his place behind a podium brandished with the Stolos logo, with his goons all around him. These guys may be rather new to the scene, only having played a handful of shows, but they perform like professionals. Their set mostly consists of orignal tracks, taking their songwriting very seriously, Stolos take on the frostbitten tones of the early black metal bands, like Immortal and Darkthrone. Towards the end of their set, Stolos do a cover of "Deathcrush" from Mayhem, and do it very well. The instrumentals are spot on and luckily, you dont have to hear Maniac's ear piercing screaming vocals. Stolos take hold of the black metal roots and make it their own. Always an enjoyable show.

Last up was our headline band, Guelph's own Unbowed. It's no secret that I have been following these guys for years, considering their last EP Dogma was covered and highly praised when it came out (read that here). This is a band thats developed and chaged a lot over the years, changing gear from a black-death metal band and adding all sorts of influences from symphonic to hardcore. Unbowed focused mostly on their newer songs from their latest album Through Endless Tides, actually opting to not play anything from their first EP or album and only one track from Dogma. The songs on Through Endless Tides hold up well live though, showing the experience and the full scope of Unbowed's influences. Their set kicked off with a new song, a song we should see released on their new release which is most likely coming this year. The song itself was tame, it's a good way to start of their set showing the power this band has without over doing it. It may be breaking midnight, but there was no sign of slowing down. The enxt three songs were all off the latest album, but "Mountaincarver" stands out for it's harmonies and the major shifts in tone in the song. "Mountaincarver" changes from black metal to symphonic metal to so many other thigns, but it never loses its momentum in these shifts. The band showed off another new song, "Anthem Of I" before breaking into the only song of Dogma, "Besieged". "Besieged" is a song that should never leave Unbowed's live rotation, the song itself is everything the band embodies from beginning to end. Unbowed kill it once again and this time on their first show in Kitchener. This is a band that should not be missed live if you have the chance as their ever evolving sound will always keep fans old and new interested.



Review/Unboxing: The Metalhead Box - May

Welcome to a little bit different of a review or unboxing. I'm not sure what we should call this one, but regardless today we are checking out the May edition of The Metalhead Box, a box dedicated to bringing some cool and exclusive items to Metal fans monthly, so let's jump in and see what we can find.

THE SHIRT

Right on top as we open the box is a shirt with a logo I was unfamiliar with. The art, as well as the logo, clearly Black Metal had me very interested. Upon a little bit of research, we found the band is Vargrav, a Finnish Black Metal band who are beyond excellent. I'm definitely a big fan of the shirt, the art is excellent and the back print, “As Night Swallows The Night” with a pentagram is something I'm sad my longhair will cover.

THE CDS

Right underneath the shirt was a few CDs. First, right on top, was Mayhem’s 2009 Season of Mist release “Ordo ad Chao”. While I'm a fan of Mayhem and this is an album a lot of people talk about, I had yet to hear it so this was a really cool album to have in my collection. Next up was Drudkh’s “Autumn Aurora” which is a band I had been meaning to listen to for quite a while. The album cover is spectacular and upon a few listens, I have to say I'm a fan, very glad to have received this album. Third, was an album from a band called Reign of Vengeance which was a DOA Magazine release. I was unfamiliar with this band prior to receiving this box, always happy to check out new stuff though so this is an album that will definitely get a few spins over the next few days. Last, was a sampler from the label Relapse Records, known for having some high profile bands on their roster. Obituary, Iron Reagan, Exhumed and Gruesome just to name a few of the bands on the album, definitely a good way to find some great new bands you may not know.

THE CASSETTE

The second coolest part of this box and a The Metalhead Box exclusive item is a transparent red cassette copy of “Eonian”, the new album from Nuclear Blast Records alumni Dimmu Borgir. The album came out with very split reception, but love it or hate it, this is a very cool item to own!

THE MAGAZINE

Right under the CDs and cassette is a copy of DOA Magazine, a Death Metal magazine I'm unfamiliar with. Taking a quick flip through, there's a lot to offer in here including a ton of album reviews and interviews. This will definitely be a good read for anyone into getting other opinions on albums before (or even after) buying them.

THE SIGNATURE

So now it's time for the coolest part of this box, hidden under everything else and nestled in right under the magazine is a nice The Metalhead Box exclusive picture of Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing, complete with signature. Regardless of whether you're a fan primarily of Black Metal, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, Metalcore, Doom Metal, whatever you can decide, everyone knows Judas Priest. Any Metal fan can appreciate how cool of an item this is to receive and it's definitely a good way to close out the box.

Cruelty Exalted "Cruelty Exalted" Review

          “Cruelty Exalted”, the new EP from the band of the same name, is a fantasy themed Technical Death Metal band who, while they stick true to this style, implements some of the best traits other subgenres have to offer, like the harmony Melodic Death Metal has or the speed and intensity of Black Metal. Featuring Alec Cordero on guitars, Todd Farnham on Bass and Yuri Kondra on vocals.

          Instantly, with the first track “Dethroning the Righteous” it becomes obvious the skill this band has as musicians, until about the midway mark, the song is pretty tame really only featuring a very melodic sort of sound, once the song speeds up and jumps into the faster bit though, it's not hard to hear the Technical part of this band. In the last minute, we get to hear everything in overdrive, speeding up even further and surprisingly in this part instead of trying to break into “the craziest solo you'll ever hear” it actually puts a lot more focus on the bass playing to push it along.

          “Callum Incendebat” pulls a lot more influence from Black Metal, taking a much more Melodic and harmony inspired approach to the entire song. Imagine the intensity of Darkthrone infused with the melody of Carcass or early In Flames. The song also taps James Benson (Amiensus) to help push along that Black Metal feel.

          All-in-all, this is a very solid first release from Cruelty Exalted, full of charm and intensity. With the amount of different styles prevalent throughout this EP, it's hard to not find something you could get behind. The only thing I think that can push this band along is a full time drummer, although it is hard to tell that the drums are programmed, some of the sections do seem a little inhuman.

Live Report: Invicta and Raider Release Show with Rippr'd and Woofout

          A sold out show at the Boathouse on Saturday night, led by the release for the new Raider and Invicta albums. The night kicked off with the only out of town band, Woofout, this was my first interaction with the band, never heard them prior to this show. The played pretty solid Rock and Roll, much in the vein of Motorhead, and it seems like the crowd was into it. Woofout rocked a handful of songs, with some good crowd interaction, but pretty quickly the show was over and we were into the next band.

          Rippr'd kicked off the hometown metal vibe with their oldschool Thrash Metal vibes.

"Too Trashed To Thrash" is essentially the Metal anthem of Kitchener at this point. It seems like it's a must know song to be officially part of the scene, I'm saying this as someone who was an outsider only two years ago. Rippr'd rock that Thrash crossover sort of tone much along the lines of Municipal Waste or S.O.D. and they take full advantage of it, they're also very self aware as a band with songs like "Ripp", "We're Rippr'd" and "Tales from the Ripp'd" it wouldn't surprise me much if they ended up as well known for their catchphrases, as much as their music.

Rippr'd Setlist:

1. Too Trashed To Thrash

2. Banned For Life

3. Hot Sluts With Tits

4. Ripp

5. Tales From the Ripp'd

6. We're Rippr'd

         Raider followed up the hometown heroes, but considering it was their release show the crowd was beyond anxious for this to start. Even though the recently released "Urge to Kill" is only 3 songs, Raider managed to fill out a full 45 minute set playing the entire EP, including taking a fan from the crowd hostage during "Phlebotomized". If the crowd wasn't rowdy enough already, when the band broke into their cover of Pantera's "Fucking Hostile" the venue became, for lack of a better term, fucking hostile. With ~120 cap, the bar was packed so when the pit opened, everyone knew it. People were being carried around (since there wasn't much area to crowdsurf), the first front row was nothing but a flurry of hair and the back was people on their toes trying to see the mayhem. It's hard to think of something that could top this, but apparently covering the infamous Amon Amarth song "Twilight of the Thunder God" will do it. Although this was a release show for Raider, they showed off what the future held, filling out the rest of the setlist with a couple new songs "Sky Burial" and "Ravenous Hydra", but with the close of Raider's set, it was time for our second release set of the night.

Raider's Setlist:
1. Nebulous
2. Phlebotomized
3. Ravenous Hydra
4. Fucking Hostile (Pantera Cover)

5. Sky Burial

6. Twilight of the Thunder God (Amon Amarth Cover)

7. Urge to Kill

          Just like Raider before them, Invicta were playing a release show for their recently released EP "The Executioner". Also along the same lines, the album is 4 tracks (5 with the intro) and doesn't quite fill out a 45 minute setlist. Majority of the EP was pumped out right away and the best thing about Melodic Death Metal is the pits, the pits are always a good idea and everyone in the venue knew it. If Raider didn't cause enough damage, Invicta took it a set up by showing off their level of influence even causing a more intense wall of death in a ~120 capacity venue where its about 15 strides wall to wall than I've seen in 900-1000 cap venues like the Mod Club and Opera House in Toronto. Invicta broke into a cover of "Sixpounder" by Children of Bodom, a generally underappreciated, yet still well known song and that pretty much set everyone off, the hair was flying and no where was safe. Luckily this is Metal and we don't need a safe space. Invicta showed off what would be coming in the future with "Halls of Execution" and "Infinite Aggression" and much like Raider, I wouldn't be too surprised to see the next release relatively soon. With everyone tired out though, Invicta called it a night.

Invicta's Setlist:

1. Hamartia

2. Prehistoric Suffocation
3. Forbidden Scriptures

4. Promise Land

5. Sixpounder (Children of Bodom Cover)

6. Halls of Execution

7. The Executioner

8. Infinite Aggression

Aepoch "Awakening Inception" Review

          Potentially the biggest release out of Kitchener, Ontario this year is the debut full length album from Death Metal maniacs Aepoch entitled "Awakening Inception". The album is slated to be released here on April 13th with the band going on tour to promote the album across Canada alongside. The album is more than full of influence and for anyone who was a fan of the band's first EP "Aepocolypse", this will be a real treat for you.

 

          For anyone who has seen Aepoch before, you'll be familiar with a fair few of these songs, "Delirium of Negation" (formerly known as "Paradise") is the second track on the album, which stuck out right away as someone who's caught this band on multiple occasions. The instrumentals are pretty defining in a lot of Aepoch's track and none are more prevalent than this one. "Tabula Rasa" is a track that the band has been playing live for quite a while, almost since the first time I had seen them and that was a fair few times ago. "Tabula Rasa" is probably the stand out track on this album for me, its such an intricate piece of music, from the Technical and Progressive Death Metal side of the verses and chorus, to the jazz infused bridge in the middle and the Technical and Melodic mix of the second half the album with the solos. On top of that the lyrical prowess relating to the cosmos and the opening of the third eye are incredibly well written.

          Another track you may recognize from the bands live setting, or just because they released it as a single, is the much more Black Metal infused "Burn Them at the Stakes". If you're a fan of the Technical Black Metal side, much like that of Enfold Darkness, "Burn Them at the Stakes" will be right up your alley. The track, especially with the last 2 minutes or so takes on a much more Emperor sort of approach with the chaotic melody it implements, all before throwing some incredibly technical solos over top and a few fake out endings. While we are on the note of these Black Metal influenced tracks, we have to discuss "Mentally Raped By Christ", which takes a more Blackened Death Metal approach, as opposed to the old school Black Metal approach, much more along the lines of that of Behemoth or Goatwhore. If there was any song I could say for certain is influenced by Enfold Darkness, this is it.

          Needless to say, if you're an Extreme Metal fan in almost any capacity, this is an album you need to check out. Countless levels of influence and an incredible level of musicianship in this release, from the technicality of First Fragment and Beyond Creation, the Black Metal aggression of Emperor and Dissection or the crossover of the two like Behemoth or Enfold Darkness, there's something for you here. On top of that, if you live in Canada, Aepoch will be trekking across the country in April alongside UK Death Metal band Bloodshot Dawn, with their hometown show being treated as the album release show on April 21st.

Drop Oblivion "Damaged Goods" Single Review

It's been a busy time, we've been slacking on reviews and we're sorry. We are back though, with lots of stuff in the works including a rather big and probably unexpected review coming tomorrow. Today though, we are talking about a band that reached out recently to get our opinion on their new track "Damaged Goods". The band in question is Drop Oblivion, a new Melodic Death Metal band out to find their feet with this track, so lets get in there and check it out!

        Instantly, "Damaged Goods" gives you the full Melodic Death Metal experience. The intro isn't anything to extraordinary, but gives you the taste for blood. The vocals, once they kick in take on an almost Blackened Death approach. I am personally a fan of the vocals, they're strong and match the tone and pace of the song incredibly well, which is where a lot of Melodic Metal falls short. Front to back, musically "Damaged Goods" is a great piece of work, but there are a couple of complaints to note. First of all, the drums and bass are mixed so low that one is inaudible and the other is almost there (in sure you can guess which is which). The other is the fact that Drop Oblivion uses symphonics in the music, now that isn't the complaint as I love symphonic Metal, Drop Oblivion seem almost intimidated to make the commitment to having the symphonic element in the music with, yet again, it being mixed so low is just sounds like filler to the music itself. The vocals are high above everything else with the rest of the instrumentals fighting for second place.

        I'm a big fan of Drop Oblivion's single and you will absolutely be seeing a review of a full release when the time comes, the music itself is great and these guys know what they're doing and while the aforementioned complaints do take away from the sound a little bit, "Damaged Goods" is still a killer piece of Melodic Death Metal anyone should check out!

Astaroth Incarnate "Omnipotence - The Infinate Darkness" Review

        Astaroth Incarnate (formerly known as just Astaroth) have made a huge splash in the Greater Toronto Area's Extreme Metal scene over the past couple years, but 2017 marks a huge milestone for the band. With the release of "Omnipotence - The Infinite Darkness", which is Astaroth Incarnate's first debut EP, we see the extent of the band's musical ability and it pretty well sets the groundwork for what the band will become.

        The album kicks off with an intro track "Obscurity" and a song I was excited to hear properly recorded after hearing the bands original demo, "Curse of the Black Plague". "Curse of the Black Plague" is all you should need to sell you on this release, the main reason the song is such a big deal is the fact that it touches on everything the band excels at. The intro and main verse riff is melodic and aggressive, the chorus riff is exactly what you would expect from a Black Metal band being crushingly heavy, but the real killer is the "breakdown", for lack of a better word. The riff mixed with the vocals here are devastating, the pacing is perfect for headbanging and once it speeds up, I know from experience that the pit opens and the center becomes an image of Hell itself.

        "Re-creation" and "Unfleshed" are the two other main songs I'd like to discuss today, the main thing with these songs is they're the pinnacle of Canadian Black Metal. Anyone who's big into the Metal scene knows that there's distinct sounds based on location. take for example the Gothenburg Death Metal sound that Dark Tranquillity and In Flames helped to forge, Melodic Death Metal bands from Gothenburg have roughly the same sound. Astaroth Incarnate are forging the Canadian Black Metal tone alongside a few other bands, the tone is icy, as typical as that sounds, but is much more comparable to Finnish Black Metal than Norwegian or Swedish. The music takes on a much more Melodic tone generally and that's where the real draw of Astaroth Incarnates "Omnipotence - The Infinite Darkness" is.

        I can't do anything but praise this band, from the original demo they released as Astaroth to "Omnipotence - The Infinite Darkness" as Astaroth Incarnate, this is the biggest jump in maturity I've ever seen in a band and the quality of music skyrocketed. From this point forward Astaroth Incarnate will strive to become the biggest and best Extreme Metal band from the great white north, keep an eye out for these guys, they're on route to be the Emperor for the new generation! Pick up a copy of the new album through CND Records and check out the insanity for yourself.