Rumpelstiltskin Grinder is one of those bands that hark back to the halcyon days of Thrash-Metal, when Scott Ian had more hair than beard and Dave Mustaine was walking adrift still trying to find the guidance of God Almighty.
Indeed, “Living For Death, Destroying The Rest” remains true to Thrash-Metal traditions in terms of speed and intensity, though it also manages to slightly meander through other genres like Punk, Crossover and Death-Metal as well. See, guitarists Matt Moore and Ryan Moll constantly churn out catchy, teeth-crushing riffs and razor-sharp leads that for the most part of the album are grounded in good old Thrash in line of Exodus and Testament, yet in some tracks they also merge it with other influences balanced between a melodic Heavy-Metal approach and a Hardcore-Punk conviction. A song like “Friends in the Mountain, Ghouls in the Valley” perfectly sums up that eclectic attitude of Rumpelstiltskin Grinder and is definitely one of the most enjoyable tunes of the whole record. “Brainwasher C. 1655″ is another interesting, diverse and well-done song, in which the quartet plays highly infectious riffs at a very speed-metal pace.
Elsewhere, while “Living For Death, Destroying The Rest” is filled with easily-digestible and entertaining Thrash-Metal tunes, I’m afraid it doesn’t stand out all that much and as a whole it will likely be overlooked for just another retro Thrash-Metal workout. Nevertheless, it’s still fun to crank it up in the company of friends once in a while. (6.5/10)

Band info: www.rumpelstiltskingrinder.com
Label info: www.relapse.com
Distributed in Portugal by www.majorlabelindustries.com

Another killer tour that skips Portugal!
Damn, damn, damn, DAMN!

Southern California’s sludge-rockers 16 are back to commemorate their sixteenth anniversary with a new record, their first work for the ever-reliable Relapse Records and let me tell you that it doesn’t disappoint one bit.
Stylistically, despite the seven years that separates “Bridges to Burn” from their fourth album “Zoloft Smile”, 16 doesn’t seem to have changed a whole lot and continue to sound as nasty and angry as they ever been, though it’s perceptible that the band has matured to some extent. The detuned sludge-heavy riffs of Bobby Ferry, which have an almost animalistic roar of aggression about them, continue to remain at the forefront of 16’s sonority, meandering between a truly colossal and violent rhythmic section constituted by bassist Tony Baumeister and drummer Jason Corley and the savage and raging vocalizations of Cris Jerue.
It’s true that there’s nothing particularly new or innovative to be found on “Bridges to Burn”, but then again, no one was expecting anything other than an intense and sludgy manifesto of anger and venom thrown at the decadent and cynic world of today from them. And that’s exactly what “Bridges to Burn” is all about. Just check out the anguished words Jerue spews forth on “Man Interrupted” for example, “I can’t wait until it rains, I can’t wait to open the veins. As I sharpen the blade now, I think of you. As I sharpen the blade now, I destroy you”. All this lyrical vitriol is in perfect symbiosis with all the musical violence unfolded by the band on this theme and the other eleven ones as well.
Bottom line is that 16 haven’t certainly lost their knack for powerful, dirty and groovy riffs despite their long absence from the musical scene and “Bridges to Burn” is by far their greatest work to date that rocks and kicks like a monstrous bastard. (7.5/10)

Band info: www.myspace.com/16
Label info: www.relapse.com
Distributed in Portugal by www.majorlabelindustries.com

I must confess I’ve lost interest in Switzerland’s Samael following the release of “Eternal” in 1999, mostly due to the fact they were heading towards an overly electronic and synthetic sound that wasn’t entirely appreciated.
The following work “Reign of Light” released in 2004, although I’ve not had the chance of listening to it, I’ve read in some publications it was some sort of a return to form with a more aggressive, guitar-oriented approach and a lesser emphasis on keyboards and electronic sounds. Then the band sort of took a step back with their “Solar Soul” record from 2007, which provoked some mixed feelings among their listeners. Samael were obviously passing thru a creative crisis, unsure if they wanted to pursue the more industrial and electronic sonority of their later releases or if they wanted to retain the aggression and hard-hitting vibe of their early works and that’s why “Solar Soul” sounded slightly ill-sorted and unfocused.
Now surges “Above”, an album that was originally designed to be released as a side project in a similar move to their “Era One” work, but ended up getting the signature of Samael since the band considered it to be the missing link between “Ceremony of Opposites” and “Passage”.
As a matter of fact, “Above” is far heavier and faster than everything they’ve done following “Blood Ritual” and if it wasn’t for the band’s logo on the front cover I’d have a hard time recognizing the sonority presented here.
I guess a reinvention was in order and necessary, but regrettably by taking this trip down the memory lane, Samael have ditched the qualities that always placed them above many of their peers and have now become more generic and slightly undistinguishable from the rest of their Swedish counterparts.
One of the most appreciated traits of Samael are the mid-stomp crunch of their Celtic Frost-inspired riffs that always had a unique sense of immediacy and incited a lot of head nodding. However, by adopting a faster and fiercer riffing, the guitars have regrettably lost the importance of the hook.
Another trait that is missed in “Above” is the slightly discernable and raspy vocalizations of Vorph, who for the most part of the album opts for a more savage and screaming style that is unfortunately very uncharacteristic.
Even the overall quality of some of the songs seems a bit subpar for a band with the stature of Samael, so I can’t help but feel utterly disappointed with “Above”.
I’m sure many of the group’s long-time followers will appreciate this return to a more primitive style, but as for me I only hope this is just a transitory period in their career. (5/10)

Band info: www.samael.info
Label info: www.nuclearblast.de

With a line-up featuring former members of such technical luminaries as Necrophagist and Pestilence, it really shouldn’t be a surprise to find out that German act Obscura dwells on a identical musical path deeply entrenched in a technical and progressive Death-Metal sound.
Their second full-length work and first for Relapse Records “Cosmogenesis” have been winning plaudits from several publications lately for its staggering musicianship and technical exuberance, though I’m not entirely convinced by their fusion of technical Death-Metal with progressive and jazzy twists since it covers no new ground and sounds way too clinical on various occasions.
“Cosmogenesis” for the most part of its fifty minutes fails to hold the interest, since it meanders too much thru self-indulgent technicalities with the band plunging into a ceaseless display of intricate riffs and guitar solos, jazzy bass lines and an adroit and hyperactive drumming that although are masterfully constructed and executed, are difficult to listen to at times. Of course, Technical Metal aficionados will disagree and will drool all over the complex scales guitarists Steffen Kummerer and Christian Muenzner repeatedly plough throughout these ten themes and the byzantine fretless-bass work of Jeroen Paul Thesseling, who simply refuses to lurk in the shadows of his six-stringed colleagues.
As with all progressive Death-Metal releases, ties to Death and Cynic are unavoidable and for the most part are pretty accurate since “Cosmogenesis” isn’t too far removed from works like “Human”, “Individual Thoughts Pattern” and “Focus”. In many instances the band has a melodic and progressive-style riffing and lead-work similar to the late Chuck Schuldiner, only distancing from such approach when Obscura opt for a more head-on brutal attack, which in this case thoughts of their former band Necrophagist comes to mind.
Bottom line is that, “Cosmogenesis” is a fairly decent and enjoyable Technical Death-Metal record, but not exactly the timeless classic Relapse blurbs about. (6/10)

Band info: www.myspace.com/realmofobscura
Label info: www.relapse.com
Distributed in Portugal by www.majorlabelindustries.com

I could start the interview with Buried Inside’s guitarist Andrew Tweedy by asking that typical and extremely fatiguing question on how the group started, probably leading him to roll his eyes and exclaim in annoyance here we go again, but I won’t.
All you need to know is that Buried Inside are five individuals from Ottawa, Canada who burst forth an epic, dark and pungent amalgamation of disparate styles of music like tribal, sludge, crust, hardcore, metal, punk and doom with demanding lyrics that are bound to stir the intellect.
The band is about to release their fourth album “Spoils of Failure”, which follows their highly acclaimed Relapse debut “Chronoclast: Selected Essays on Time-Reckoning and Auto-Cannibalism” from 2005. I guess the most obvious thing to enquire about is exactly why the band took four years to re-emerge with a new work?

“Well, we toured quite a bit after ‘Chronoclast’ came out. We never write at all while we're touring, so we really didn't start writing until the spring of 2006. But we do take a long time to write. We write collectively, and we usually start with nothing. We write a lot by ‘jamming’ so to speak, and we record just about everything we do. We also tend to sit on parts for a long time before arranging them into what you hear on the records. We try many different arrangements, and just slowly put the pieces together until we are all 100% sold.”

Buried Inside stated in several interviews they had a very meticulous writing process where everything is carefully laboured. Would you describe yourselves as perfectionists when it comes to song-writing always looking for the right sounds, riffs and melodies?

“Definitely. That's not to say I think we are perfect, but these songs are exactly as we wanted them, to the last note.”

So when and who does usually shouts that’s enough and puts a halt to such incessant search for enhancement and perfection?

“No one really steps up and says anything, we all know when a part is finished or if it needs work.
If everyone is happy with a section except for me, then maybe I'll re-work my guitar part until I'm happy with it, and so on.”

Buried Inside debut for Relapse Records “Chronoclast” was a refreshing approach to an ominous style of riff-heavy and atmospheric music that quickly gained solid recognition. Although “Spoils of Failure” follows the furrow ploughed by the band on their previous work, it sounds incredibly bigger, fuller and more cohesive.
How do you feel you’ve matured as a band during these last four years?

“That's a tough question... I think in a recording sense, we actually learned a great deal while recording ‘Chronoclast’. Matt knows how to push you to the limit and in the end it made for a really great sounding record. We followed that up with months and months of touring, and I think we all got tighter as musicians as a result. So going into the recording of this record, we were ready to go.”

For the new record the band opted to work with producer Kurt Ballou of Converge fame, whereas “Chronoclast” was produced by Matt Bayles whose production credits include Isis, Mastodon, Russian Circles, etc.
What was like working with Converge’s guitarist as opposed to working with Matt Bayles, who is said to be very demanding and meticulous?

“Matt is just that... really meticulous and precise. Matt gets the absolute best performance possible out of each member of the band, and that's what makes his records sound so good. He's also got a great ear for the more noisy styles of heavy music, and has a talent for making them sound clear without sacrificing their intensity. Kurt was really into getting great sounds out of each instrument, spending hours and hours on each one. With Kurt, the performance was really in our own hands. He wasn't very critical... he ultimately had us make the call on each take for the most part.
Really different approaches, but each one really worked for the record in question. They are both really good at what they do. Matt mixed ‘Spoils of Failure’, so we really had the best of both worlds on this record.”

The previous work had a strong underlying concept on time and its impact on our everyday existence. No matter how much we try to avoid it, each and every one of us is a slave to the clock.
Does your upcoming release “Spoils of Failure” have any sort of similar challenging concept as “Chronoclast”?
One of the things that stand out right away is the lack of song titles, songs are simply referenced with Roman numerals.

"The lyrics throughout this band’s existence have always tended to lean towards the broad question of who has power and control over what, and how that power is used, or more importantly, how it abused.
This record deals with several elements which all ultimately fall under the same question. So it’s not a concept record per say, but it does carry on in the same direction thematically as past records.
As for the titles, Nick thought it made more sense for this record to leave the lyrics as they were without associating some sort of meaningless title with each part. For the last record, the titles served a particular function that wasn't necessary this time.”

It seems the lyrical content of “Spoils of Failure” deals mostly with ethological and epistemological themes and there are several quotes from sociologists and authors like Thorstein Veblen, Jeffrey Reiman and W.H. Auden to sustain the ideas and commentaries expressed by the band.
Can you shed some light on what vocalist Nicholas A. Shaw manifests through his words on “Spoils of Failure”?

“Like I said above, generally speaking the lyrics are in large part a reflection on the inequalities and imbalance of power throughout the world. The unfulfilled promises, deception, and essentially the false hope imbedded in modern society by those who stand to flourish and profit by those things.”

Song number five for instance, seems to deal with the implications of progress and the principles of justice, the fact that crimes committed in the name of profit and progress always get unpunished. Is that statement right?
In my country Portugal for example, people with influence and money always find a way to bend and twist justice to their own convenience and never get convicted for their crimes.

“Ya, we see a lot of that here as well. Right now the mayor of our city is about to go on trial for bribing his opponent in the election to drop out of the race. There's a very strong case against him, and yet he continues to make the decisions as to what goes on here. We live in Ottawa, which is the capital of Canada, and our mayor is on trial for a very serious crime, and I don't think many will be surprised if he is let off without any consequence and the whole thing is swept under the carpet.”
An ex-Prime Minister of Canada is heavily involved in a scandal that took place while he was in power years and years ago involving a huge amount of money that he had allegedly accepted as a bribe while running the country... These things get so wrapped up in politics and ultimately nothing ever comes of it. These are real criminals, but for some reason they are generally looked upon as though there's some sort of grey area around what they've done.”

I understand most of Buried Inside members are vegan and vegetarian, how do you manage to conciliate that regime with the arduous life on the road.
Do you have to be a lot more organized and regimented on tour to satisfy your nutritional needs?

“It's never been too much of a problem. Especially over in Europe... You guys take good care of bands coming from overseas!”

Buried Inside has toured immeasurably in support of their previous album with names like Coliseum, EyeHateGod, Unsane, Jucifer and many others. Can you tell with whom has been your best experience on the road so far?

“We love touring with Coliseum because they are good friends of ours and we share a lot of the same ideals and whatnot, so it's always a great time. But every tour is a different experience on many levels... I wouldn't say any band has been 'the best', they've all been different and fun in their own ways. We just enjoy touring with good dudes who get what we're all about.”

For last, what do you think the future have in store for us?

“We'll hopefully be over to Europe before the end of 2009, and aside from that... no idea! Some touring here in North America, maybe Japan, Australia... as many places as will have us.”

More info at: www.buriedinside.com

Once in a while I find myself pleasantly surprised by a Black-Metal release, it happened last year with Natchmystium’s “Assassins” and it occurred just recently with “Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue With The Stars” by France’s Blut Aus Nord. As a matter of fact, there are some similarities between the two releases as both share a common predisposition to avoid clichés by moulding elements of other genres, the like of which you wouldn’t image you’d hear on such a record, into a Black-Metal framework.
In the case of Blut Aus Nord, rather than following the path explored on their previous work “Odinist: The Destruction of Reason by Illumination”, which was ingrained in a more traditional and rudimentary Black-Metal style, the French have crafted a record of greater scope and immense grandeur.
Some reviews suggest that it’s a return to the epic melodies of their early years, I’m not sure whether that’s true or false since I’m not familiar with the first releases of Blut Aus Nord, though one thing is unquestionable this supposedly rediscovered sense of dynamics and contrast is what really makes “Memoria Vetusta II” such a thrilling listen and what sets Blut Aus Nord above many of their peers.
The guitar work of vocalist Vindsval is definitely the most defining aspect of Blut Aus Nord intelligent and invigorating songs, constantly displaying gracious melodies and intricate textures without any bounds to a single or strict style. There’re traits of Psychedelic, Progressive and Post-Rock flowing naturally and incredibly well among his rawer, apocalyptic and Black-tinged playing, nourishing the song structures with a rich, epic and emotional warmth.
It would pretty pointless to single out any specific theme as all of them display remarkable qualities and characteristics, yet just listen to the instrumental “Elevation (The Dawn Of The Gods)” and tell if that isn’t their own version of Pink Floyd’s “When You’re In”. Absolutely phenomenal. (8/10)

Band info: www.blutausnord.com
Label info: www.candlelightrecords.co.uk

Sweden's Isole third full-length album and first for Napalm Records, "Bliss of Solitude", was widely regarded as a gem of true Doom-Metal, boasting slow, emotional and gloomy compositions that were evocative of classic Doom-Metal acts like Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus and Solstice.
The new album "Silent Ruins" though, seems slightly more dynamic in style and pace, it's unmistakably bleak and Doomish like its predecessor, yet there are moments throughout the new work where Isole venture into a lightly faster and more epic song-writing.
Scratch the Surface traded e-mails with bass player Henrik Lindenmo to find out more about "Silent Ruins" and the inspiration behind its conception.

What were the predominant inspirations and driving forces behind the creation of "Silent Ruins", was there any conscious effort to break the mould and slightly stray from the genre standards?

“We wanted to do a faster album, with more traditional song writing and dynamics. More like our debut album. “Bliss of Solitude” was a rather difficult album, both to write and to digest.
I still like “Bliss” very much, but I feel we have done a better album this time.”

Isole are not bashful about their influences and those emanate from the likes of classic Doom acts like Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus, Solstice, etc.
Do you feel comfortable when Isole is placed in the same lineage to such icons of epic Doom-Metal?

“Of course you are honoured when you get compared to such great bands. But frankly, we are quite used to it, since we have been compared with those bands since the early 90’s, the Forlorn days you know.
Personally, I do not think we sound like any of those bands, but we are absolutely influenced by them.”

What other artists and sources of inspiration in general have had a profound influence on your music that might not be as obvious?

“Iron Maiden, Bathory, Veni Domine, Pentagram, The 3rd and the Mortal, Helstar, Possessed, Celtic Frost, Hypocrisy, Metallica, Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, etc.
More or less most of the music we listen to can be an inspiration in one way or another.”

"Silent Ruins" was once again produced by the band at drummer's Jonas Lindström studio Apocalypse, do you feel comfortable working this way without an outside influence to help chisel and shape the songs?

“It’s actually not only his studio, but ours. It’s our rehearsal place, where we have built a studio. It works out very well for us, because we can record whenever we have time. And Jonas is an excellent sound engineer and technician.”

Will you ever consider the possibility of trusting your own songs to a producer, someone that might be a reference to the band?

“We have never talked seriously about it, but you never know. Perhaps some time in the future. It could be a good thing to do, but I fear it might change our sound too much.”

"Silent Ruins" seems to have an interesting concept about a character that wakes up and realizes that the world he used to know is gone.
Care to elaborate more about this story and where did you drew inspiration for such story?

“Yes, the basic story is more or less that this person wakes up, alone and without any memories, within a dark and cold place. As he walks through the wasteland and ruins, he starts to realize that he might have caused all this devastation. He seeks forgiveness and finally tries do die. We talked a bit about doing a concept album last year when we travelled home from Rotterdam. I started to think out a story in my head and writing down the first draft. When we started recording the album, I sorted out all the pieces I had and worked out the story.
After a while I realized that we will need at least one more album to tell the whole story. So there will be a “Redemption part 2” in a few years. Not the next album, because then we are going to do something different.”

What's next for Isole, do you think there will be some kind of tour in support of the new album?

“First, we are going to Greece for a couple of shows in March. Then we are doing a two-week tour with Evoken and Officium Triste in April.
Check our webpage for more info on the dates!”

More info at: www.forevermore.se

“Helvete - Det Iskalde Mørket” sounds exactly like the clichéd Black-Metal I thought it would sound like, grim, raw and utterly tiresome.
From the black n’ white front cover to the crude production, the second work of Norwegians Throne of Katarsis is fairly loyal to the rigid rulebook of true Black-Metal and doesn’t differentiate substantially from the enormous pile of tedious of Mayhem/Burzum clones that abounds in the underground these days.
Perhaps the greatest weakness of the album is the length of the songs since most of them meander for way too and don’t seem to go anywhere. It’s a whole 55 minutes divided into five songs, where Throne of Katarsis mingle a primitive and minimal instrumentation occasionally trudging at wearily, slow pace with anguished and caustic Black-Metal shrieks. There’s a certain limit for such formulaic, minimal and repetitive type of Black-Metal so whenever these songs reach the four minutes mark I feel an uncontrollable urge to reach for the stop button.
“Helvete - Det Iskalde Mørket” is assumedly directed at those who like their Black-Metal primitive, grim and unpolished so those with a temperament to endure nearly an hour of it, please be my guest and check it out. (4/10)

Band info: www.myspace.com/throneofkatarsis
Label info: www.candlelightrecords.co.uk

Although Divine Lust formed in 1998, it was only last year that the Portuguese group have followed-up their self-titled debut from 2002 with a new release. During the last six years Divine Lust have undergone a period of introspection, readjusting their formation and refining their song-writing and come out with a second work drenched in sorrowful and beautifully poignant melodies. “The Bitterest Flavours” sees the band incorporating the singular sound of the Portuguese guitar into their compositions, capturing to a certain extent the more desolate and fatal ambient of the music that echoes in the old streets of their home city Lisbon, the fado.
Scratch the Surface caught up with the band’s drummer, João Costa to get a better understanding of Divine Lust’s melancholic journey.


Divine Lust is a melancholic Metal act with roots in Lisbon, a city that in the past was the stage for innumerable human tragedies and misfortunes and was portrayed by some Portuguese poets such as Alexandre O'Neill and Fernando Pessoa as being an intrinsically melancholic and somewhat fatal city.
Being the human nature mutable to the environment that surrounds it, to which point do you consider Divine Lust to be influenced by the melancholic traces of your native city?

“Since we’ve started receiving some feed-back from foreign countries regarding our first album I have noticed some surprise in the reactions and almost incredulity for the fact that a band coming from Portugal can practise this type of sound.
And these reactions extend for other national bands within a more melancholic type of metal, in a way that Portugal to the eyes of many people, especially from the north of Europe and the US, is still seen as a very exotic, sunny and almost tropical country…
This generalized idea ends up being the consequence of a certain unfamiliarity of our culture and history. I like to think this genuine melancholy is part of being Portuguese, translated in the national song and even in the Portuguese Guitar, more specifically the one from Lisbon, which is built in the shape of a tear…
On the other hand, this attraction for a certain fatalism always was a part of our “unconscious collective” and Lisbon was a witness throughout the centuries, seeing many of their own leave without returning, knowing as few the meaning of the word “Saudade”- (Portuguese word for homesickness, missing something or someone-ED).”

If eventually the group had originated from another city other than Lisbon, do you think the sound of Divine Lust wouldn’t carry such a strongly emotional and melancholic load?

“I wouldn’t say Lisbon is an exclusive cradle that inspires people to make this kind of music, quite the contrary. We have many examples of regions with tradition in melancholic metal, even in Portugal, like the islands and Alentejo.
According to some, it’s the consequence of isolation.
I know that we would forcibly sound different… Although this emotional load is assimilated in an almost unconscious form, it certainly wouldn’t make sense for us to introduce the Portuguese Guitar as we did in such a natural way in this album and even the lyrical component would have most certainly, another shape…”

Six years following the release of their self-titled debut album, now surges a new work entitled “The Bitterest Flavours” and is understandably a different record from its predecessor. The band is more mature and confident of their capacities, walking towards a more epic path close to Doom-Metal in its most classical form and distancing a little from the Gothic sonority that characterized their first work?
Is this a signal that Divine Lust is closer to what they really want to achieve, it this the consequence of a bigger stability in the line-up gained throughout these last years, or a little of both?

“After the first album, there was a consolidation of the identity of Divine Lust, in a very natural process throughout these years. I feel the band became heavier and it’s not indifferent to the fact that we’ve finally added a permanent guitarist during all this time. It’s inevitable to evidence that the maturity level had an evolution, as much in the human side, as in the level of composition and execution, which makes us feel satisfied with the cohesion and coherence that we believe to demonstrate in “The Bitterest Flavours”.
The differences between this album and the first one are, in all possible comparisons, clamorous. It is complicated and thoroughly to say if we are closer or farther to a certain style but, now with the album already recorded and with a greater distance from its writing process, I risk to describe it as a mixture of influences of classic Doom Metal ala Black Sabbath and Candlemass with the Doom/Dark Metal of the last decade.”

“The Bitterest Flavours” opens with the words “Let them take me as begone, my last days, my lost dream, will fade as one…” and closes with “Put some flowers in my tomb, I don’t fit in this world”, betokening a sombre, melancholic and pessimistic feeling, deprived of any sense of hope.
Could it be that your songs function as some sort of catharsis, a clean of the soul from all things negative for Divine Lust collectively and individually or there’s a more positive message hidden somewhere in your lyrics?

“I cannot nor want to deny that practically all the lyrics and music had been written in a profoundly negative period at a personal level, and in some cases, also at a collective level, in which fortunately or not, it didn’t lack a predisposition to compose in Divine Lust. At least on a creative side it was productive time and looking back, it’s comforting to feel that “from the deep bottom of the well” raised a form of art…
You’ve guessed it right! I’m convinced that it really functions as a catharsis, since we’ve channelled these feelings into paper or into our instruments as an almost primary necessity, to keep the welfare of our mental health.”

The majority of the press label Divine Lust as a Doom-Metal band, which although it’s a musical genre with a determinative influence over the band’s sound it also ends up being a little limitative, given that Divine Lust branch out into other musical areas and styles as well.
Do you think this happens because the press doesn’t find a better definition to describe you?

“I understand there’s a global necessity to label a band’s sound. For several times I hear or read musicians that transmit some discomfort, block or simply run away from such questions… But it’s normal that a journalist, a record label or even the authors themselves would want to minimally familiarize the sonority of a project for someone who never had the chance of hearing and define it himself.
In some way, it also provokes a nodding towards a certain segment of the “market” in detriment of others, which isn’t that beneficial.
In our case, if people want to call us Doom Metal, that’s fine… There’s someone who calls it Dark Metal, Gothic Metal, Doom/Heavy… It’s all fine as well! At the end, we’re all that with the addition of other ingredients that are not so easily pigeonholed. To us, it’s simply Melancholic Metal, which instead of delimiting us to some predefined format, ends up giving a certain freedom inside of what we understand to be our identity as Divine Lust.”

Now that the album “The Bitterest Flavours” is out, what’s the next step that Divine Lust intends to give in a near future?

“Now that the album is already in stores at a national level through Compact Records, it’s our best interest to continue promoting it and try that the biggest possible number of people takes their time for, at least, to get to know what Divine Lust are nowadays.
There’s also a plan to record a video for the song “Veil of Golden Leaves” as well.
At an international level, the feedback from the record company that released this album, the French Deadsun Records, is that promotion and distribution has just started.
Regarding their work, we just have to pay attention to what goes on outside.
The next phase passes for guaranteeing distribution in the biggest possible number of countries where our label doesn’t arrive and I can advance that we’re already developing some contacts in that direction.
Last but not least, the live promotion, which is deeply our reward for all the months/years locked up in the studio.
We already have some dates scheduled, among them a small Iberian tour with the Australians The Eternal in April. All these concerts, as well as some of the new themes and everything regarding Divine Lust, are available at the band’s official site, which I invite everyone to pay a visit!”

The invitation is made so, point your browsers to: www.divinelust.com

While listening to Tribazik’s debut album, “All Blood Is Red”, it is hard not to feel how indebted their sonority is to The Young Gods and Killing Joke, two of the most influential and relevant names within Industrial Rock from the past thirty years.
Let’s be honest, some songs hint heavily at Killing Joke, with whom Tribazik have toured with on two distinct occasions and I would feel tempted to toss accusations of plagiarism at them if it weren’t for the incredible fluidity and groovy aggression offered throughout these ten themes. They astutely make up for a lack of a real identity with an eclectic wall of sound that ranges from straight out riotous numbers with plenty of banging head-nodding rhythms such as “False Flag”, “Small Are We” and “Molten” to more unruffled, looser and mellower songs like “As Above, So Below”, “As If” and “Speak Through Us”. There are lots of effects used, such as samples and loops, yet luckily Tribazik don’t fall into the cut n’ paste category as all machinery is simply manipulated to enhance the songs with a few extra ingredients, without ever loosing the sense of purpose and song-craft.
The influence of Swiss The Young Gods is particularly evident on Jerry Kandiah’s voice, which has a weird accent and a ethereal tone that reminds me of Franz Treichler.
Apparently, the UK based trio is a multinational group comprised of French-born Blaise Merino on bass and vocals, Jerry Kandiah from the Cayman Islands on vocals and guitar and British drummer Hedge Seel, who also sings and handles all the samplers and other machinery, so hence the accented vocals.
Much of what’s on offer here is fairly predictable and has been emulated a million times already, however “All Blood Is Red” displays some energetic and catchy moments that will surely provoke an irresistible urge to bang your head. (6.5/10)

Band info: www.tribazik.co.uk
Label info: www.eastworldrecordings.com

Norway’s Borknagar is a band that blurs the borderlines between various styles such as Folk, Black-Metal and Progressive Rock, a culmination of all the members’ eclectic influences that completely defies any sort of practical categorization.
To a certain extent nobody can truly anticipate the content and feel of a new Borknagar album, yet one of the rumours that floats around the release of their upcoming studio album is that it marks a return to the sound of “The Archaic Curse” and “Quintessence”.
Does mastermind and guitarist Øystein G. Brun care to shed some light on the subject and dissipate any misconceptions around their highly anticipated new record?

“Well, the case is not that I want to repeat myself by doing a second “The Archaic Course” or “Quintessence”, which is simply against my musical beliefs so to speak. But in the same way as we previously have been inspired by a lot of different musical styles, this time around we have allowed ourselves to be inspired by ourselves.
The new album will be a big leap forward for the band musically but at the same time the album is heavily inspired by our work on the late 90’s or early 2000. That was the period of the band where we were musically extremely focused and some of that feeling is what we try to build this new record on. I have just recorded the main parts of the guitars and I can assure you that it will be a really powerful album in all aspects, not circling about- this time it is straight on target!”

Perhaps the return of former members, guitarist Jens Ryland and bassist Erik Tiwaz to the ranks of Borknagar have led people to speculate about a return to the more heavy and dark sonority that characterized your initial works right?

“Yeah, but the idea of making a heavier and darker album this time around has been part of my plan for many years now, even before we did “Origin”.
With “Origin” we closed a chapter or you might say a musical journey and with the new album we are about to start a new musical endeavour. So the new album will surely represent a fresh start and we are definitely sounding vital as ever before. Of course the return of Jens Ryland and Erik Tiwaz will surely make our mission even more enjoyable for us and for our fans.”

So how does it feel to be working again with almost the entire line-up that recorded “Empiricism”? What kind of ideas are the rejoined members bringing to the table this time around?

“It feels good! The “Empiricism” line-up is definitely the most dynamic and powerful line-up we have ever had so it is a pleasure to work with the guys again. What they bring to that table is basically their unique musical handcraft ship. I still write and arrange the majority of the material but the guys, basically the entire band, make their mark on the album. I think our previous album stands as a testimony of their musical qualities.”

The new album also marks the debut of new drummer Dave Kinkade of Arsis fame, who jumped in last year following the departure of their long-time drummer Asgeir Mickelson due to musical differences.
What has it been like working with Dave Kinkade, who I believe is the second drummer recruited outside Norway following a brief stint of UK drummer and current Crippled Black Phoenix member Justin Greaves a few years back?

“First of, Justin was just helping us out on the tour with Cradle of Filth back in the late nineties, he was never a member of the band. We talked about having him in the band but it never happened as we were a bit too far divided musically.
Anyway, working with Dave is just a pleasure. He has already done his work in studio by recording the drums and it turned out very well. We worked very nice together and I can assure you that the result is nothing but amazing. Musically he have adapted very well into the musical direction we are heading.”

The upcoming album follows-up their entirely acoustic release “Origin”, which was one of Øystein G. Brun’s long-time ambitions finally materialized three years ago. The idea of recording an entire album strictly on an acoustic format might seem odd at first but Øystein have always professed in interviews that Borknagar’s compositions were predominantly written on an acoustic guitar as the title specifically states.
Do you intend to follow that kind of approach again on a future occasion or it was a one-time thing with Borknagar like an ending to a cycle?
Would you ever envisage doing a similar thing on your own in the future?

“We have no plans to do a second acoustic album. For me it was a long time vision to do something like that. It was a great experience and it turned out to be a really personal album for me but and I am really glad we did it. But in the end of the day we are a metal band and that’s where our focus will be in the future. At least as far as I can see into the future...
Yeah actually, I have been considering doing more acoustic music on my own. I have no concrete plans right now, but doing more acoustic music in the future is definitely something I would love to do. But in that case, it will be a personal travel for me...”

So what more can you tell us about the new album? Have you already chosen a title for it?

“Well, as mentioned it will be very powerful, heavy and dark somehow. We still have some progressive elements and variety of musical influences but, personally I feel this album is much more sharpened when it comes to the expression than we have done in ages. With both “Epic” and “Origin” we were a bit off the track, fully intentional and I would not miss that, but this time around we are back to the core musically speaking. I am very excited myself and as I did record the guitars the other day I feel that this is by far the best and most complete work we have done to date. And listening to the rough mixes right now it just strikes me that this is something which going to be huge musically speaking and something that have never been done before.
It’s music that only BORKNAGAR is able to conceive...haha…
We have some ideas for the title but nothing that we can confirm at this moment. The album will consist of about 8 or 9 songs, 45 minutes of ethereal “BORKNAGAR-music”.

The new album will practically mark a whole new chapter for band, because along with the line-up restructuring there’s also a new label, namely Indie Recordings behind Borknagar following an entire career built on Century Media. What prompted the change of labels?

“Different reasons. First of we have been on Century Media for quite some years and I was getting a feeling that we were heading for a dead end with that label. We have achieved a lot and had a lot of good times with Century Media throughout the years but, there was really a time for a change. In the end of the day, Indie Recordings came up with the best overall package, so we simply had a better alternative way to go with Indie Recordings. And besides, it is really a pleasure to have a label that understands the band the way Indie Recordings do and fully allows us to bloom in relations to our own principles. Besides, I have known the guys on Indie Recordings for years and I trust them being the best record company around. I believe it is just a matter of time before Indie Recordings will be one of the most important labels for this kind of music around...”

So finally, what can fans expect from Borknagar in 2009 besides a new release?

“First off, all our focus right now is the new album to make sure it will become a classic effort. We have also confirmed doing Wacken this year and that will be fun. Apart from that we’ll just keep the wheels spinning and see what comes around. I am sure we’ll make our mark on the metal scene in 2009. So beware!”

More info at: www.myspace.com/borknagar