WRONG - ENTREVISTA

Buenas tardes, ¿qué tal todo por Madrid?, muchas gracias por aceptar responder a estas preguntas.

1. Wrong es una banda creada recientemente por dos músicos, DP y Phlegeton, involucrados en otras bandas, las mayoría de ellas de corte más death, ¿Cómo surge la idea de embarcaros en otro nuevo proyecto y porque la idea de crear una banda de black?

DP Hola Fran y lectores de Black Metal Spirit. Gracias a vosotros por vuestro interés en nuestra banda.

Desde que comenzamos a trabajar en The YTriple Corporation y Delta314 Sound Studio juntos, Phlegeton siempre manifestó su ilusión y sus ganas de volver a componer black metal quizás con mirada nostálgica a sus anteriores proyectos dentro del género. La música de Wrong es algo diferente al black de los Padres precursores del género, porque lógicamente es posterior, pero estamos muy contentos con el sonido. Creo que podemos hablar de postblack.

2. A pesar de ser una banda nacional, vuestro sonido tiene un corte muy, no sé, tal vez escandinavo, ¿Cómo ha sido el proceso de composición y grabación de “Memories of Sorrow”?

DP En realidad no realizamos ningún estudio de antecedentes. Simplemente es el sonido que

obtuvimos al final de la cadena de producción, es decir, no buscábamos sonar como una región concreta lo hace.

Normalmente compongo una estructura de canción completa con guitarra, bajo y piano. Después Phlegeton compone la percusión, escribe las letras y graba las voces. Tras hacer la mezcla y los arreglos, finalmente se masteriza. Nos complementamos muy bien y por ello todo este proceso no suele durar mas de un par de meses.

3. Para alguien que no conozca vuestra música, ¿Cómo se la definirías? ¿Qué sensaciones pretendéis transmitir con ella?

DP Hacemos nuestra música para gente que busque un sonido bajo la vanguardia black, con historias grotescas y una instrumentación repleto de pasajes melancólicos y oscuros. Eso es precisamente lo que queremos transmitir. Una música que se escuche en soledad para meditar y viajar a la realidad que plantea Phlegeton en las letras.

4. Creo que Memories of Sorrow, tendrá continuidad, que estáis trabajando en nuevos temas, ¿Qué nos podéis contar de este nuevo material?

DP El nuevo disco seguirá la misma línea de Memories of Sorrow. Se trata de otra serie de

canciones que dan continuidad a la horrible realidad que se plantea. Hay algunas diferencias

con respecto al primer trabajo como la afinación a la baja de instrumentos pero creemos que es bastante afín al sonido creado en el primer LP.

5. Mayhem, Shining, sean dos bandas que uno puede relacionar con Wrong al escuchar su música, ¿Cuáles son vuestras principales influencias musicales?

DP El experto en bandas de metal extremo es Phlegeton y es la persona que me ha señalado

las mas importantes para influenciarme. Desgraciadamente no tengo todo el tiempo que me gustaría para escuchar música pero de todas ellas destaco Craft, Lifelover, Blut Aus Nord, Coldworld o Abyssic Hate.

6. El concepto de vuestra música gira en torno a un futuro distópico, ¿Por qué tratáis este tema y que os atrae de él?

DP Es nuestra manera de blasfemar desde un punto de vista ateo. Si te limitas a hablar de Cielo o Infierno, de alguna manera estás reconociendo su existencia. Nosotros creemos en la ciencia y en el hombre, por ello es por lo que creo que Phlegeton ideó esta realidad antiutópica. Bajo este contexto se puede sacar lo peor del Ser Humano. En situaciones extremas lo que prima es la supervivencia personal a cualquier coste.

7. Con un montón de años de experiencia a vuestras espaldas en bandas, la mayoría de ellas nacionales, ¿cómo veis el panorama del black metal en España? ¿Que creéis que la falta a un grupo español para poder salir fuera de nuestras fronteras con un sonido competitivo?

DP Hay muy buenas bandas de black metal en España pero no se apuesta por ellas. Es decir,

en este país no se apuesta por el metal extremo. Creemos que hay una gran falta de cultura de

esta música aquí. Prueba de ello es la falta de presencia de metal extremo en nuestras televisiones y radios nacionales o autonómicas. Se mueve todo a un nivel muy underground y no es debido a la crisis financiera que atravesamos, porque antes de la crisis ya era asi...y antes de la anterior crisis también. En Suecia, Noruega y Finlandia la educación musical tiene mucho peso y alli si se apuesta por el black metal, hay mercado y festivales pero en mi opinión cualquier música producida aquí es tan válida como la de esos países.

8. ¿Qué clase de equipo de música usáis en las grabaciones, y que usáis en los conciertos?

DP Contamos con micros Shure, guitarras LTD o Schecter, bajos LTD o Warwick, previos, eq

Pultec, compresores y limitadores 1176 de Universal Audio, instrumentos virtuales variados,

multiefectos Digitech, mesas y controles de Behringer, batería Pearl Export Series y Roland

para MIDI, PC y MAC. Para la amplificación de directo contaremos con Marshall y Peavey para guitarras. En realidad los conciertos dependen de los músicos de sesión.

9. ¿Cinco cds fundamentales, para vosotros dentro del black?

Deathspell Omega - Kenose

Craft -Void

Darkthrone - A blaze in the Northern Sky

Isvind - Dark Waters Stir

Drudkh - Autumn Aurora

10. ¿Quién diseño la portada de “Memories of Sorrow”? ¿Qué intentáis transmitir con ellas? ¿Qué relación tiene con la música?

DP La portada ha sido diseñada por Phlegeton Art Studio y ha querido plasmar la soledad, el

miedo y la impotencia que sentiría un ser humano en esas condiciones bajo este contexto. También es la representación gráfica de la segunda canción, Through this Slit, en la que el personaje principal narra cómo ve cuerpos humanos sin vida arrastrados y apilados para ser consumidos, a través de la rejilla de una alcantarilla en la que está escondido.

11. ¿Cómo está respondiendo el público en vuestros conciertos?¿Cómo describirías

un concierto de Wrong?

DP Todavía no lo sabemos. El estreno en directo de Memories of Sorrow será el día 2 de Noviembre en la sala Lemon de Madrid. Si la respuesta es tan buena como con el álbum, no tenemos duda de que será un día memorable y de celebración.

12. ¿Cómo fueron vuestros inicios en el metal: vuestros primeros discos comprados, los primeros conciertos a los que asistentes? ¿Qué os motivó a querer ser músicos? ¿después de todo este tiempo todavía seguís con la misma ilusión que el primer día?

DP Nuestro entorno de gente siempre ha tenido sensibilidad por la música metal en general y

yo siempre hablo de auténtica Generación porque todos nosotros nos pusimos a crear bandas y proyectos entrelazados como una raíz y con crecimiento en árbol. Siempre me ha parecido curioso y por ello hablo de Generación. Por aquella época compré con mi hermano todos los vinilos de Sepultura y Anthrax. Posiblemente el Beneath the Remains y Spreading the Disease son mis máximas influencias. También teníamos cintas de Kreator, Carcass, Megadeth y lo típico que se movía entonces. Qué tiempos aquellos.

13. Aphelion Productions se ha ocupado de la publicación de “Memories of Sorrow”, ¿Cómo surgió la posibilidad de trabajar con ellos? ¿Seguiréis en un futuro editando con este sello?

DP Enviamos el dossier de Wrong a una gran cantidad de sellos pero muchas discográficas

ya tenían programados los lanzamientos hasta 2014 y nosotros lo queríamos lanzar cuanto antes. Las mejores condiciones que nos ofrecieron en ese momento vinieron de la mano de Ross de Aphelion, quien confesó su gusto por el estilo que trabajamos. Nos convenció el hecho de que esta persona era bien conocida y respetada por muchos distribuidores. Ross nos ofreció unas condiciones buenas y comenzamos a trabajar con él. Y era cierto, tiene relación con las principales distribuidoras de black metal como Nebelklang, Profusion, Drakkar Productions, Northern Heritage o Red Stream. Sinceramente, nunca he trabajado con alguien tan serio y profesional. Las conversaciones con Ross quedaron en que estaba deseando escuchar el nuevo trabajo y posiblemente le interese publicarlo.

14. ¿Qué podemos esperar de Wrong en las próximas fechas en cuanto a lanzamientos, conciertos. Etc...?

DP Queremos lanzar el nuevo LP a principios de 2014 e irá acompañado de un vídeo clip de

una de sus canciones. Tenemos en mente lanzar un EP también durante 2014. Con respecto a los conciertos, queremos consolidar la idea de que Wrong es una banda en activo y procurar contactar con las organizadoras de festivales de black europeos. Por lo pronto no os perdáis a Wrong el 2 de Noviembre en el Madrid in Ruins. Tocaremos junto a Foscor, As Light Dies y Kuturlat.

15. ¿Estáis satisfechos con la respuesta de público y medios hacia “Memories of Sorrow”?

DP Muchísimo. La valoración de la opinión pública es tan positiva como inesperada, porque

quizás antes teníamos unas expectativas mas bajas. No sería posible por supuesto sin la ayuda que ofrecéis los medios de comunicación.

16. Muchas gracias por el tiempo dedicado a Black Metal Spirit, si quieres añadir algo más para los seguidores de Wrong, este es el lugar. Espero que las preguntas hayan sido de vuestro agrado.

Gracias a tí Fran y a Black Metal Spirit por tu compromiso de mantener el espíritu black vivo.

Gracias a los lectores por leer la entrevista entera. Todos aquellos que sientan curiosidad por la música de Wrong pueden escuchar Memories of Sorrow a través de wrongblackmetal.bandcamp.com o seguirnos en facebook.com/wrongblackmetal o twitter.com/wrongblackmetal.

VUKARI - ENTREVISTA

1. Vukari is a band created this year, how and why you decided to make Vukari? What Vukari Unlike other formations in which you are involved?

Vukari has actually been a work in progress since late 2011, early 2012. It was formed because I had a lot of music stored away that I was going to use for a previous band but it fell apart, so I took it upon myself to continue with my music in Vukari, which was originally was a one man project with the help of the engineer/bass player in the band Spenser, now we have a full band.

2. Debuts with a full-length "Matriarch" How were the process of writing and recording this album? How would you define the sound of "Matriach"?

Matriarch was a long process for it was recorded over the span of a year rather than all at once. We recorded the guitars first to get down the structure of the songs, Then everything else was added. a very unorthodox way of recording I know, but I did not have a full band nor a drummer at the time to play on the recordings.

The sound of Matriarch would be best described as raw and melodic, I did not want to sacrifice any raw intensity for the sake of something sounding more melodic, which I think gives it a unique sound.

3. How is your way of working in the studio, Topics you compose together or there is a leader who imposes his judgment?

With Matriarch everything was for the most part composed by me, and that's pretty much how the writing process will go for this project. Spenser engineered and added the necessary atmosphere to the album along with playing the bass and writing his parts.

4. Today many groups are emerging that combine post-rock sounds or post-metal or other more typical of black, do you know other bands with a similar sound to yours? How black is the scene in Chicago?

There is quite the influx of bands in black metal incorporating different genres which is refreshing and it keeps the genre interesting and not so stagnant. For myself however, when writing I do not have a set style or genre, I just play what I'd want to hear and write the way I feel. With Matriarch I wrote most of it along to a short story I wrote, which is why a lot of the dynamics are emotional, why it could be quiet to heavy so dramatically in one song. The scene in Chicago is large and booming but we are a fairly new band so we are not very familiar with it, we hope to be though.

5. What are your main influences when composing, which bands have influenced your sound?

Vukari is sort of an escape for me, from society and just daily life, but lyrically and conceptually it is influenced heavily by society and daily life in a sort of fantastical way, using fictional stories and a metaphorical imagery. Sonically, it is influenced by music with a lot of atmosphere, metal bands like Drudkh, Neurosis, Darkthrone all the way to ambient music like Tim Hecker and Stars of the Lid.

6. On trying the lyrics to "Matriach", there is some history behind this conceptual album?

The historical elements on matriarch are pretty much just used metaphorically. I chose a protagonist in a weak and vulnerable state to be oppressed by someone with power and respect who promised her help, but quickly deceived her for his own personal needs. Showcasing a sort of unbalance in society, and her overcoming this oppression to reach a new understanding.

7. How were your beginnings in music, you first records you bought, the first concerts you attended? Why did you decide to make you a musician?

I played Violin in grade school and then took classical guitar, switched to electric guitar in my teens as I started getting into louder and more aggressive music, which the violin and classical could not convey the sound I wanted at the time. What made me want to become a musician was that I was constantly thinking of music in my head and needed a medium to express it, using the guitar as a vessel.

8. The album design has been carried out by Elizabeth Puetz, How does the ported with the content of "Matriach"?

Elizabeth did a great job on what I had envisioned the cover art to be. It is a wolf's skull (oppressor) in a garden of blooming flowers (a new start). Meaning that with the death of an oppressor, life can flourish and begin anew. 

9. Are you satisfied with the public and media response to "Matriach"?

Yes, we are still a very young band and most of the response has been positive so it is inspiring.

10. What can your fans expect in the upcoming Vukari terms of release dates, concerts?

We are currently working on our live show and will be hopefully playing locally in Chicago soon and around the Midwest. As for releases, I am constantly writing so hopefully we will be in the studio before the end of the year with an EP coming out then.

11. Thank you very much for taking the time to Balck Metal Spirit, if you want to add something for the followers of Vukari, this is the place. I hope the questions are to your liking.

Thank you for your interest and questions, we appreciate it!

WOMAN IS THE EARTH - ENTREVISTA

1. Woman is the earth, was formed in 2007, how was the beginnings of the band? Why did you choose the name of Woman is the earth and what it means?

Jarrod:  The band started in 2007, we were all working on other music projects at the time and decided to get to together and focus on a new project, which became Woman is the Earth. The three of us had known each other through mutual friends for several years and had similar tastes in art and music, so it came together very naturally. The name "Woman is the Earth" came about for several reasons. First, and most simply, is we wanted a name that as far as we knew, was completely original. We didn't want to have the same name as someone else. The name pays homage to traditional cultures that view the earth as a female energy, as a provider. We chose the name to actively step out of the pissing contest of what metal band can be the heaviest, most brutal, or most evil. We feel that by stepping away from stigma and expectations, we are allowed to write and focus on whatever we want. The music can speak for itself, with no preconceived expectations of how it 'should' sound. We also feel that in metal music, there is a vast under-representation of the feminine and masculine duality that exists in nature. The focus seems heavily one sided toward masculine energy. We are not feminists or advocates for some kind of social change or movement… we simply appreciate and understand that feminine energy is extremely powerful. Without it, there is no masculine energy. We felt it was important to show that understanding and step away from stigmas so that we can allow ourselves to create anything we can imagine. Anything we want. Whether its metal music or not.

2. How was the process of writing and recording of "This Place That Contains My Spirit"? How is your way of working in the studio?

Andy:  It was more tedious than any other work we'd done before.  The 3 of us took up the recording and mixing process in our house, miles out of town in the Black Hills National Forest.  We don't know a whole lot about recording and mixing so the whole thing was trial and error.  Each night we'd spend a few hours adding a couple of tracks and changing a few things, then sit on our deck and listen to it.  That went on for a few months.

3. What differences can we to find in "This Place That Contains My Spirit" regarding your previous work "Of Dirt"? How has the band's sound between these two jobs?

Andy:  TPTCMS has subtlety, experimentation, and atmosphere.  Of Dirt has some experimentation, but it's more obvious and short lived.  Of Dirt captures us in a more natural, present way.  We'll release another self-recorded album this year called Depths.  That album is a cleaner recording than TPTCMS.  It has a darker sound with more experimentation than the other albums.

4. Woman is the earth is deeply rooted by nature and especially for your home instead of Black Hill. What inspires you when composing? What aspects of nature are present in your lyrics and you speak to them? What are you trying to convey with your music?

Jarrod:  Nature, specifically our home in the Black Hills does inspire our music greatly. Nature is an extremely powerful muse… it holds so much energy, and mystery. It is harsh, but it is very real. The three of us have close connections with wilderness. We are not trying to change anyone else's outlook on nature or the environment. We write about what it means to us, and how it gives us power. It is not our only influence either… When composing, we also gain much inspiration from many different music styles and artists. We all have a great appreciation for different styles and techniques. We take inspiration from social situations, and psychological struggles as well. As far as our lyrics… In our first demo/album "of Dirt", the lyrical focus was on the cycles of life and death within the different seasons. It focused on how much impact the seasons have on nature, both the dark, brutal side along with the more vibrant, beautiful cycles at work. "This Place that Contains My Spirit" was also influenced by nature and our home, but focused more on human spirituality and primitive traditions in nature. It dealt more with a man's place in nature and the universe and focused mostly on appreciating old cultures and traditions. Just like there is much to learn from nature, there is much to learn from our own histories. Our upcoming album "Depths" is much more personal and experimental. Lyrically it focuses once again on man's place in nature and the universe, however, it goes much deeper into psychological aspects- dealing with the struggle of living, dreaming, and dying in the world we are in. It dwells on finding our place in the reality that we are in and the ability to ultimately find freedom and beauty whether it is in life, death, this reality or another.

5. How were your beginnings in music and especially in the black metal? What motivated you in creating a band of black? Are they still valid today those reasons?

Jarrod:  We all have different backgrounds with our beginnings in music. The three of us had a mutual interest in metal music and experimental, ambient music. The sound of black metal is what initially intrigued us about the music style. I had always appreciated the intensity, and emotion conveyed through the style. The musical style appealed to all three of us because of the amount of emotion and atmosphere one can inject into the music. Another appealing factor to black metal is the freedom and individuality associated with it. We do not feel bound to any 'scene', social or political movement associated with a genre. We feel the black metal style gives the artist infinite room for individual expression and power. Black metal seems to me to be one of the last bastions for magic, mystery, spirituality and freedom left in music. That appeals very much to the three of us. We don't feel connected to music that has no emotion, no power. We do feel however that with the freedom, emotion, and atmosphere in black metal, that we can expand on the sounds and emotions greatly. We feel that many artists are taking the black metal style and expanding on it, and changing it. We appreciate the progression and in fact, are writing music that strays from traditional black metal greatly. The reasons and appeal of black metal are still very much valid to us, and will continue to be throughout the life of our project, even if the style changes, the power of black metal will still be present. I think that is the beauty of such a powerful art- that it can manifest itself in a variety of styles and genres.

6. What bands is your reference when composing for Woman is the Earth? Five fundamental cds in black metal?

Jarrod:  What a great question! We are influenced by many artists from a variety of genres. Five fundamental black metal albums that have directly influenced us would probably be: "Dead as Dreams" by Weakling, "Two Hunters" by Wolves in the Throne Room, "Filosofem" by Burzum, "Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam" by Gorgoroth, and "Monument to Time End" by Twilight. As well as those black metal artists, one of our greatest influences is an electronic band called Boards of Canada. The way they compose and record music is very inspiring.

7. Unlike other bands that sound environment include compositions based on their keyboards, keypads you but you do not use everything you do with a good base guitar. Do you find it very difficult to develop the riffs that shape your songs?

Jarrod:  If I understand your questions correctly, yes, we do develop all our compositions on guitar first. We do use some analog synthesizers and keyboards in our music but most riffs all come from guitar. Often times the riffs are written on an acoustic guitar first to make sure we can clearly hear the notes we are playing, then they are transposed to electric guitar, generally tremolo picked. The riffs we come up with tend to come fairly naturally, without much difficulty. It is often times difficult though to connect different riffs to create a whole idea. I am sure that is a difficult thing to do for most musicians. We have found most success by 'jamming' our songs and letting riffs change and progress as naturally as possible. We try not to force sounds or riffs into our music and we rarely use mathematics or theory to write. In general, we listen and feel for what sounds the best without forcing anything.

8. "This Place That Contains My Spirit" was self-released but I know it very carefully, as the digi pack, comes packed with straw and a small sign. Who came up with the idea to offer your work in this way? There was no label interested in releasing "This Place That Contains My Spirit", or else you consider that this is the best way for a band like yours to work?

Andy:  Most times, if we can do something ourselves, we've opted to go that route.  There's been offers to help with distribution and other things, but we've really enjoyed handling everything.  The idea that the people who wrote, played, and recorded the music are the same ones who packaged it and are mailing it to you is a rare and special idea to us.  It's even more rare that some people would discover such a thing and want to hear it.

9. What can we expect in terms of concerts and upcoming releases?

Jarrod:  We do have a new release coming out called "Depths". It is being released initially on a US label in late 2013 and we may also be releasing it through a European label after that. "Depths" was written, recorded, mastered and designed by us once again, but is of a much higher sound quality than any of our last releases, and will be widely available on vinyl, cd, and digital formats. We are very excited about the new release! "This Place that Contains my Spirit" is also being re-mastered and re-released on cd by a European label. The date of that release is still to be announced. We do not have too much planned as of now in terms of touring or concerts. We have been on a hiatus this summer, but will be playing live again in the fall and winter of 2013. We hope to do some touring in the US to support the release of "Depths" early 2014. We will be updating our website with any news about those upcoming releases, live dates, new merchandise, etc. as soon as we can!

10. Thank you very much for taking the time to Black Metal Spirit, if you want to add something for fans of Woman is the earth, this is the place. I hope the questions are to your liking.

We just want to say thank you for the great questions! It is a wonderful feeling to have people from all over the world interested in our music. We appreciate it. 

Jarrod, Jon, Andy - Woman is the Earth

OBSIDIAN TONGUE - ENTREVISTA

1. Obsidian Tongue was created in 2009, why he decided to form the band? How were the beginnings of Obsidian Tongue? Why Greg decided to incorporate in the battery?

In the beginning, the intention was just to purge as much negative emotion as possible in a couple of Black Metal style songs, hoping to find a new inner clarity once the emotions were released into a musical vessel. Once these first few songs were written, my imagination for Black Metal increased and the inner clarity achieved became the basis for more songwriting that married the "Shadow World" to a world of beauty. That is the basis of the band now, harmonizing depression and affirmation within bodies of music.

Greg and I became friends in 2009 when we were both playing in prog bands, and our bands played a couple of shows together. He had excellent extreme metal techniques that were not being completely applied in his prog band, so when I told him I had a black metal project and needed a drummer he became interested.

I sent him some demos and he learned the songs, and after we tried jamming them out a couple of times we were happy working together and decided to continue.

2. How would you describe the sound of Obsidian Tongue? What are your main musical influences? What could we tell about other bands in the area?

I would generally describe the band as a Melodic Black Metal band, to keep it simple. We are taking a minimalist & progressive approach on melodic black metal, with a psychedelic aesthetic in mind.

There is a thriving black metal scene in New England. There are a ton of black metal bands and they all have their own thing. You can go to a New England Black Metal show and every band on the bill will be taking their own approach to the genre. You can see a black-thrash band, a progressive black metal band, a black-death band and a blackened doom band all in one night. Likewise there are a lot of death metal and doom metal bands in the area, and they are more than happy to share shows with black metal bands...so you can say extreme metal in general is very united in New England to create a potent live scene.

3. How was the process of writing and recording of "A Nest of Ravens In the Throat of Time"? How has the sound of the band over the years?

The writing of "A Nest..." spanned over quite some time, with the title track actually being 4 years old now! Likewise "My Hands Were Made to Hold the Wind" and "Individuation" are now 3 years old, and all the other songs have been around for almost the same amount of time...so I had quite a lot of time to keep revisiting the songs and consider areas that could be improved.

When it came to recording it, I sent demos of the songs to Greg about 6 months before we recorded. He learned the songs and customized the drum arrangements while I finished writing the lyrics. Then we went to Mystic Valley Studio (a 100% analog studio) and recorded drums over 1 weekend. We recorded quitars and vocals over the following Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Then we got together for 2 more days the next week to mix and master. We did everything in that studio, so we left with a 100% analog album!

The sound of the band has changed quite a lot from the first few songs and the 2010 Demo. That demo is very cold, claustrophobic and bleak, with a lot more aggression in a couple of the songs. That was what we needed at that time as individuals and as musicians, and once that demo was completed and released, we no longer had a need to be as cold and bleak as possible. Melody and atmosphere became the highest priorities, as well as incorporating progressive and psychedelic moods into black metal. That is where we are now. We are just getting started.

4. What lyrical themes you use on this latest album? Why is that you treat these issues and have importance for you?

Each song has its own subject matter, although the subject matter is not usually the center of the song itself. The center of the song is a mood, and the lyrics are strategically written to connect to that mood. The lyrics are emotion-based as opposed to intellect-based.

All of the themes were pertinent to my personal state at the time leading up to the album. It takes far too long to explain every song, but I basically aimed to release my personal experiences into poetry that could serve other people and their personal experiences.

5. How are they being the album presentation concert? What does a concert Obsidian Tongue?

Performing the new songs in concert has made the songs complete. It is important for us and others to hear and feel the compositions in person to see the whole picture. It is of course much more cathartic to perform an entire song live than it is to piece it together in the studio over a long period of time. It's almost as if creating the album is just to introduce people to the songs, but to see the songs live is to truly "meet" them and feel them as they should be felt.

6. With what kind of instruments in the studio grabs and tools you use at concerts?

We use the same instruments live that we did in the studio. The record is nothing but electric guitar, drums and vocals. The only song that has synthesizer is the title track, and we do not perform that song live.

7. Five fundamental cds in black metal?

Darkthrone - Transylvanian Hunger

Burzum - Hvis Lyset Tar Oss

Ildjarn - Forest Poetry

Bathory - Blood Fire Death

Enslaved - Eld

There are so many...but these are the first 5 that come to mind.

8. Who designed the album cover? What is the relationship between the cover and the music of "A Nest of Ravens In the Throat of Time"?

Jake Kobrin designed the album cover. I told him what the album's underlying theme is, and told him the fundamental concept that the album is built on.

He resonated with the ideas deeply, and the cover was his vision that encapsulates that concept.

We see a face that seems to be wearing shamanic face paint and a headdress of feathers. However his face appears to be forlorn...despite the forlorn look his third eye is still projecting an elaborate vision of a symbolic raven flying upwards. The concept was that the raven is the art of a spirit in sorrow. Through acceptance and control over sorrow, the artist spirit can give birth to relics of wisdom that it could not create before. That is the album's concept, the Nest of Ravens is the collective offerings from artistic souls that chose to be born into a world of pain.

9. How did you get started in music, first you bought cds, concerts I attended, etc? Why did you decide to become a musician?

I can speak for both Greg and I when I say, there was a point in our youth when we realized we wanted to be able to leave behind something that could serve other people after we died. Music was that thing for both of us. I think we both started playing our instruments at the same age, 12. We both got so into practicing our instruments that we stopped caring about other stuff. Both of us were athletes in school and gradually left that behind to be the best musicians we could be. Granted we didn't meet until we were out of our teens, our paths were relatively similar leading up to that point.

10. Are you satisfied with the impact it is getting Obsidian Tongue?

It has been pretty excited to watch the band grow, yes. When I think about the origins of the project it is quite bizarre to see how far it is now, getting CD orders and articles written about us from all over the world. The exposure has been nice, but there is so much more music to put out with this band. The rabbit hole goes much deeper, and I can't wait to release more developed and elaborate material.

11. What can fans expect from Obsidian Tongue in the future regarding upcoming releases, concert, etc. ..?

They can expect more elaboration on the progressive, psychedelic and melodic elements of our music. We are going to write a song for a 4-way split release with 3 other New England Black Metal bands, and after that we will do an EP that elaborates on the concepts underlying A Nest of Ravens.

12. Thank you very much for taking the time to Black Metal Spirit, if you want to add something for the followers of Obsidian Tongue, this is the place. I hope the questions are to your liking.

Thank you for inviting me to speak, and thank you to the readers for caring enough to check this out. It is quite flattering.

SLAUGHTER MESSIAH

Origen: Bélgica, Hainaut.

Formados: 2008

Estilo: Black, death y thrash

Temática: Blasfemia, guerra y satanismo

Enlaces: Facebook

Miembros:

• D. Horse Guitarra
• John Berry Batería
• Lord Sabathan Voces y  Bajo
• Rod "Iron Bitch Desecrator" Guitarra

Discografía:

• Promo Tape 2011 Demo 2011   
• Deathlike Invasion Demo 2012
• Black Speed Terror EP 2013
• Putrid Invokation EP 2014
• Morbid Re-Incantations. EP 2016
• Cursed to the Pyre CD 2020
• Donnerheim Terror Directo 2020
• Putrid Decade of Morbid Terror Recopilatorio 2021
• Exorcized to None EP 2024

DEATHLIKE INVASION (2012)

Casi imposible comenzar a hablar sobre Slaughter Messiah y no hacer una mención a su vocalista, Lord Sabathan, ex miembro y pieza fundamental en los primeros Enthroned, que en 2011 se unió a la banda. el sonido de Slaughter Messiah es característico del oscuro y primitivo thrash macerado con una buena dosis de black. Ritmos rápidos, recorridos por el mástil de la guitarra endiablados y una producción sucia son otras señas de identidad del grupo. La voz de Sabathan les ofrece nuevas posibilidades, no gustará a todo el mundo, pero es imposible no sentirse identificado con esos gritos de una tremenda orientación thrash. Está demo la componen cuatro temas, siendo el último una curiosa versión de un tema de Terrorizer. Después de un par de demos solo nos queda esperar por un larga duración que los situé en el lugar que se merecen dentro de la emergente nueva escena extrema belga. (8).

1. Slaughter Messiah 03:46  

2. N.W.O.B.H.M. (New Wave of Belgian Heavy Metal) 04:16  

3. Visual Aggression 03:24  

4. Dead Shall Rise (Terrorizer cover) 02:40  

  14:06  

 

VUKARI

Origen: E.E.U.U, Chicago

Formados: 2013

Estilo: Black

Temática: Historias conceptuales y muerte

Enlaces: Facebook y soundcloud.

Miembros:

• Jace Kiburz Guitarra
• Mike DeStefano Batería
• Spenser Morris Bajo, teclados y efectos

Disografía:

• Matriarch CD 2013
• En To Pan EP 2014
• Divination CD 2016
• Demo MMXVIII Demo 2019
• Demo MMXVIII II Demo 2019
• Aevum CD 2019
• MMXXI Demo 2021
• Omnes Nihil EP 2021

MATRIARCH (2013)

Algo esta surgiendo en la escena black, algo que comenzó de manera tímida hace unos años y que a día de hoy está eclosionando con un puñado de bandas de una calidad incuestionable y cuyo origen no tiene una frontera bien definida, pero que en E.E.U.U. parece haber encontrado un buen sitio donde crecer. Hay un puñado de grupos que de manera abierta y sin ruborizarse lo más mínimo, gracias un tremendo trabajo de años, se atreven a experimentar con el black metal y acoplarlo a sonidos del post-metal y del post-rock. A día de hoy parece un estilo bastante en forma y no dejan de aparecer grupos de sonidos similares apuntándose a la moda. Vukari es un grupo formado en 2013, cuyos componentes ya tienen cierta experiencia en sonoridades similares en otros proyectos de los que formar parte. El sonido de Vukari va cobrando forma poco, en un principio no se lanzan a toda pastilla, sino que van gestando su black poco poco, black con un cierto sentimiento melancólico, gracias a unos teclados que en segundo plano que van acompañando a todas sus composiciones. Su música se postula en los patrones del post-metal y más claramente del post-rock, unos riffs demoledores, de grandes desarrollos y rápidos, a los que acompaña una batería bastante pesada, con unos blast beast que saben estar a la altura en las partes más lentas y en las más rápidas. Las voces no dejan de gruñir en todo los temas, con una sensación de oscuridad y opresión. Opresión y desesperación aparecen también en el gran trabajo de teclados que sin llamar excesivamente la atención se nota su presencia en toda la música. Alumnos aventajados de esta nueva hornada para parir un trabajo prácticamente sin fisuras. (8,7).

1. Her Bones Rattle in the Wind 03:55  

2. A Hollow Promise 00:44  

3. Robes of Crimson Gold 06:31  

4. Bruised Skin on Cold Stone 01:45  

5. Midwife Crisis 08:35  

6. She No Longer Sings His Name 07:12  

  28:42  

 

WRONG

Origen: España, Madrid

Formados: 2012

Estilo: Black

Temática: Abandono, desesperación, dystopía, miseria y negatividad.

Enlaces: Bandcamp y facebook
Miembros: 

• DP Guitarra, bajo, piano y efectos
• Phlegeton Voces y  batería

Discografía:

• Memories of Sorrow  CD 2013
• Pessimistic Outcomes CD  2014

MEMORIES OF SORROW (2013)

Detrás de este grupo madrileño se esconden dos músicos de una dilatada experiencia a lo largo de los años en bandas como Wormed o The YTriple Corporation, bandas de cierto renombre con una orientación más death que lo que nos ofrecen en este nuevo proyecto Wrong. El sonido de Wrong nada tiene que envidiar a otras bandas foráneas y este es un aspecto a tener en cuenta, ya que estamos ante una banda que ha conseguido sonar muy internacional, dejando de lado todos los clichés que se le puedan atribuir a otras bandas nacionales, logrando una fuerza, desesperación y producción poco conocidas en este país. El universo de Wrong y de este trabajo giran en torno a un futuro postapocalíptico, en un planeta destruido tras un devastador terremoto y la lucha por la supervivencia de los pocos supervivientes de la catástrofe. Su música transmite una atmósfera opresiva, oscura y desesperante, sobre todo a las voces de Phlegeton que por momentos se internan en el camino de la locura. Las línea de batería están perfectamente trabajadas y se amoldan a las estructuras de oscuridad y desesperación. En cuanto a las guitarras, suenan muy escandinavas, llenas de frialdad y oscuridad. Cinco temas en donde el oyente tiene el placer de disfrutar con numerosos cambios de ritmo, en donde un pasaje doom al segundo se tuerce en una rabioso estallido black de los años noventa, incluso la incorporación del piano nos traslada a los años noventa a un estilo de black distinto. Un disco muy recomendable para todo aquel público ávido de la evolución en el sonido black, con la incorporación de elementos del doom, del post-metal e incluso más vanguardistas. (8,1).

1. They Look at Me 06:23  

2. Through This Slit 07:57  

3. I Prefer So 06:38  

4. Now I Remember 06:38  

5. I Want to Hear You Scream 08:58  

  36:34