Posts Tagged ‘candlelight records’IHSAHN: THE METAL ARMY INTERVIEWTuesday, May 22nd, 2012Metal Army had the honor of chatting with music legend IHSAHN recently. He spoke candidly about his new album Eremita which comes out June 19th on Candlelight Records. He graciously discussed the writing and recording of the new album, choosing his many collaborators, the creative process and why some fans will always love EMPEROR much more than the current music he makes. (Special Thanks to IHSAHN, Candlelight Records & Earsplit PR) by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes  RUMPELSTILTSKIN GRINDER Sign With Candlelight RecordsMonday, October 3rd, 2011
CANDLELIGHT RECORDS have been on a signing spree as of late and they’ve picked up some great new projects. First they revealed the signing of TAAKE and now they’ve picked up Philadelphia based thrashers RUMPELSTILTSKIN GRINDER. The band has completed work on a new album entitled ‘Ghostmaker’ which will make it out to the masses in Spring of 2012. Should be a barn burner! TAAKE Unleash New VideoMonday, October 3rd, 2011Check out the haunting and epic new video from TAAKE for the track “Nordbundet”, which comes off their upcoming Candlelight Records release. TAAKE has always been one of my favorite of the traditional black metallers and they certainly don’t let us down on their brand new opus. If you like your metal like your coffee, then make sure you check out this new video! T-ROY MEDLIN OF SOURVEIN: THE METAL ARMY INTERVIEWTuesday, September 13th, 2011Metal Army caught up with T-ROY of sludge kings SOURVEIN. T-Roy is a one of a kind artist, performer and personality. In one of the coolest interviews we have ever done we talked about topics like the record business, the sound of the band, lyrical inspiration, touring and much more.  Black Fangs came out in June on Candlelight Records. MAA: Black Fangs is a great record. Has the writing process evolved much over the years? T-ROY: No, not really man. It’s still kind of the same formula. It just starts with different riffs and ideas. We just piece it together, put it together. Pretty much the same as always. Always been done in this band anyway. Just put it together as far as ideas that comes to like, jamming as well.
 SOURVEIN are tireless road warriors.
MAA: From all of the split releases and comps it seems like you guys are pretty prolific. This is the first full length in almost ten years. Any reason why? T-ROY: Well it’s actually seven years and yeah man I just put a record out, just to fucking put it out, if it didn’t have distribution then it wouldn’t work. Without someone pushing it then I didn’t want to do it that way. I was waiting around for a real label, because I have already been on a bunch of bullshit. I was on a label that went bankrupt, like after a month. And then I was on fucking Southern Lord and whatever. And then so I wasn’t like getting fucked over again. I just want it to count so I did did EPs and split 7” and stuff like that because that’s what I was cleared to do. Took me a couple of years to get off a contract kind of situation to where I could even do a full length, but I did 200 dates every fucking year since ’93 pretty much. So I’ve just never been non active or nothing. The space in between, one album to the next is just the way it went and I was just busy touring, busy recording the whole time. I put out EPs as a trilogy so actually that’s more than an album, just put out 3 parts. You know what I mean? It just didn’t get promoted right man because of, like I said man not the right labels until we were able to get with Candlelight. That was the turning point it was promoted and stuff so it was worth while. I mean we would have done one anyway like at some point, but that’s what the only thing that allows us trying to tour and just getting this trilogy of EP’s out we did the split 7” with Church of Misery and some bands from around the world, not like from down the East coast or like out West or something. Jerusalem Israel: RABIES CASTE. Tokyo Japan: CHURCH OF MISERY. THE BLOOD ISLAND RAIDERS from the heart of London, England, I’ve been busy, the bands are busy. So that was a full length. We are already at work on the new one, so it won’t even be a year before the next one is recorded. M AA: Oh that’s great news! I think Candlelight is doing a great job with you guys! T-ROY: Yeah I agree man. Things are getting in better shape. It’s just a rebuilding process of certain stuff and I think it’s all gonna work out for that what I mean. They’ve done a great job so far pushing the record.
 T-ROY also plays in HAIL!HORNET and sometimes also in BUZZOV*EN
MAA: You have a very distinctive sludgy guitar sound, beyond even most other doom bands. How do you and King James dial in those tones? T-ROY: Well the thing about when we were talking about the sound and all, that it can’t be done no more organic cause like when James did come in, man we didn’t really have that much time. So we just fed off our riffs. He added his parts and just jumped right in. He did his thing so he brought more to the sound as well. A new element, a new tone. So we knew right off the bat when something like that happens, it’s kinda like magical or whatever cause it ain’t always that easy. And then he brought in his own songs like “Night Eyes”. I do all the lyrics and vocals of course. The music that opens a new door man like, so we’re excited to get to work. We’re already working on the new record.
MAA: If you had to pick a favorite song off of Black Fangs what would it be? T-ROY: My personal favorite is probably….it’s hard to say man. I guess “Fangs”. I like the groove of that man. It’s either fuck or fight to it, so I like that. (Laughing) I like the groove man, not to be rude.
MAA: Where do you get your lyrical inspiration from? T-ROY: My lyrical inspiration comes from poverty, homelessness, hopelessness and just the themes of the greyhound buses, just shit like that. It just comes from real life man. Obviously I was like, kick the whole career thing out the door. Just finally played around and play my music and it’s just me. So just reality really man. I mean every once in awhile I’ll write something about a tribute to Sharon Tate or something, cause it sucks what happened to her and she was hot. The Manson chicks killed her. It’s a true/tribute story. Stuff like that or Savannah the porn star, who committed suicide. There’s a little love letter I wrote to her. She died tragically, you know? She was like, at one point cool and cutting edge and turned some motherfuckers on! Stuff like that like “Fall of the Starlets”. I like to throw a tribute to that every now and then, but other than that man it’s really reality and shit I lived through man. Getting beaten up by the cops or going to jail, growing weed, to living in the ghettos of fucking four or five major cities, stuff like that man. I definitely don’t write about no fucking horror movies or no fucking muscle cars. (laughs) I write what’s real. And I think, I think that like you were saying, I think that’s the difference for our sound and stuff too that maybe you can feel the realness in the heart in the vocals and stuff. It’s more believable I think because you can feel it. I’ve been there man. The masses they’ll pick up on that. The real motherfuckers will, that’s who. That’s who you want to listen to your records anyway.  SOURVEIN in 2011: On tour forever........
MAA: What would be your dream lineup for SOURVEIN to open for, one show, any bands living, dead or broken up? T-ROY: How many bands could it be? MAA: As many as you want! T-ROY: Alright! It would be BAUHAUS, BLACK FLAG, SLAYER, JOY DIVISION, DANZIG but doing SAMHAIN, BLACK SABBATH of course and WESLEY WILLIS. The headliner would be RED FOXX doing comedy. (Laughing) MAA: Awesome! I don’t ask that question to everybody, but that’s the best answer anybodies ever given to that question! T-ROY: That’s the best answer anyone’s ever gave? That would be epic! I mean, at like some abandoned castle somewhere with bonfires and make it real crazy.
MAA: Thanks for your time! T-ROY: Cheers!
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes THE ROTTED Signs With CANDLELIGHT RECORDSTuesday, August 9th, 2011
THE ROTTED, formerly Gorerotted, has been one of my favorite Metal Blade bands for quite sometime so it is very interesting to me that the band jumped ship and today announced their signing with CANDLELIGHT RECORDS. Sure, these guys are from the UK so CANDLELIGHT has a different perception over there (they are a bigger operation) but when you’re leaving Metal Blade, the step to CANDLELIGHT is always a step back – it’s just a smaller operation. However, CANDLELIGHT does have a dedicated staff that does very well with extreme metal so I have a feeling that they’ll make it work and THE ROTTED will be happy campers. One good piece of news here is that THE ROTTED are working on a new record, which will probably be out late this year or early next if my estimates are right — and I love the hateful, crusty death metal that these bastards bring us album-after-album. This will be good! IHSAHN Performs With DEVIN TOWNSENDMonday, August 8th, 2011
Europe really gets it all… especially when it comes to metal! Even the fests that few in the states hear about have absolutely incredible lineups. Like, take the Vagos Open Air Fest that happened this past weekend in Portugal. I’m positive that most of us have not heard of this festival and it featured OPETH, MORBID ANGEL, DEVIN TOWNSEND, ANATHEMA, TIAMAT, IHSAHN and KALMAH amongst others! This is a lineup that I would travel any distance and pay any price to see in the States but we just don’t get this kind of awesomeness for some reason. However, what’s even more impressive is that those in attendance got to see something truly special — IHSAHN performing “Juular” alongside DEVIN TOWNSEND. Press and fans alike have been salivating over this track since we learned of its existence and now the two enigmatic icons have performed it together live. All I can say is wow… I’m am, for the first time EVER, incredibly jealous of Portugal…. SIGH Talk New Album; ‘In Somniphobia’ Out This November!Thursday, August 4th, 2011
SIGH is one of the coolest and most interesting bands to ever come out of the Japanese metal scene. Fusing black metal and avant garde elements along with several very interesting stories regarding the band’s personal lives and ties within the black metal underground has kept the band flourishing for more than 20 years. A huge high-note for the band came in the form of last year’s ‘Scenes from Hell’ which found itself on almost every year-end ‘Best Of’ list, including multiple lists from the writers of this site. Now, the band is apparently finished with their next effort and plan to release ‘In Somniphobia’ in November through a partnership with Candlelight Records. Band leader Mirai Kawashima recently commented regarding the record: “‘In Somniphobia’ is a sonic nightmare that lasts for more than an hour. The musical direction is pretty far from that of the last two albums, ‘Scenes from Hell’ and ‘Hangman’s Hymn’. It is not easy to describe its direction, but probably one can say that it is something between ‘Imaginary Sonicscape’, ‘Hail Horror Hail’ and ‘Gallows Gallery’, or rather, simply a nightmarish version of ‘Imaginary Sonicscape’. Put heavy metal, classical music, jazz, Indian traditional music, Stockhausen, and Xenakis into a cauldron of hell and stir it, you’ll get ‘In Somniphobia’. The first two songs are VERY heavy metal, but from the third track, it begins. Five songs are woven together, named ‘Lucid Nightmares’. It is a pure sonic description of nightmares. This is surrealistic, ethnic, druggy, atmospheric and definitely scary! Kam Lee (ex-Massacre, Bone Gnawer etc.) and Metatron (The Meads of Asphodel) cooperated with the lyrics and the vocals for “Lucid Nightmares”.
Listening with headphones is strictly recommended. Smoke before you try this. Bad trip guaranteed!”
I, for one, am incredibly excited to see what develops with this album. I think SIGH is one of the most unique bands in metal these days and I can’t wait to see what they craft on ‘In Somniphobia’!
‘Abzu’ Cover Art is ABSU-lutely IncredibleMonday, August 1st, 2011
I received an email last night with all of the information regarding a new album from ABSU, entitled ‘Abzu’. Since that time, I’ve spent probably over an hour analyzing this cover art and trying to figure out what’s going on here. The line work is really impressive here and the, what I’ve determined it to be, temple has really cool depth as well. All in all, I would say this is a pretty cool cover for ABSU despite the band usually not having good covers (with the exception of 2001′s ‘Tara’). What you can expect from an ABSU record is the most impressive blackened death/thrash that the US has to offer. There is a reason that the mighty IMMORTAL chose ABSU to open for them on their recent US mini-tour and that reason is simple: ABSU are one of the longest running, truly impressive blackened bands in the US scene. Shitty cover overlooked, most of us in the metal community flocked to and highly praised their self-titled 2009 full length and I expect ‘Abzu’ to be no different. ‘Abzu’ is part-two of a planned trilogy of albums that began with 2009′s ‘Absu’ and becomes the first ABSU album since 1997′s ‘The Third Storm of Cythraul’ to feature a co-vocalist alongside band leader Proscriptor McGovern. Proscriptor said in a press release: “This album has not only been the most challenging in ABSU’s discography, but the quickest paced – composition and arrangement wise. The current line-up is scattered all across the United States, so the album was physically written utilizing internet file sharing. We even rehearsed, at times, while communicating via cell phones. Lyrically, the album descends deeper into Enki’s lower world as well Thelemic and Enochian Magic(k) Systems. My lyrical architecture is extremely convoluted, so I decided to create a generalized synopsis explaining the themes behind each song. I feel these are my best poems since 2001’s Tara.” As I stated above, I am a huge supporter of ABSU. I like that they seemingly continue to treat metal like the old school tape trading underground that it was when they began back in the early 90s. I like that they take ABSU so seriously despite that very same factor keeping the band from as many live actions as most bands these days are accustomed to. I like that there is still fire and mystique around ABSU: both the members and their music. All in all, I think that ‘Abzu’ will be a tremendous release and I look forward to hearing more as we get closer to the release date, which has been announced as October 4th. Our Final Thoughts (Ever) on BURZUMTuesday, July 26th, 2011
Yesterday’s piece that we published didn’t champion VARG VIKERNES but it did champion his music. Yes, I am aware of his political views and, like most sane people, find them repugnant. However, I do think that, as a Black Metal fan, his music was both very good and a catalyst for other bands to make similar music. Given the events of the past few days, I find though that it doesn’t matter how good the music is if the creator of the music is absolutely disgusting and irresponsible. Then came a post from a friend of mine, Gary Suarez, on MetalSucks today that I found myself nodding in agreement with. We, as metalheads, should no longer sit by and placate the ideas of VARG and give him the forum to spread his hate and lies under the guise of supporting our musical scene. Racist and other similar views have no reason to be affiliated with our scene and we should stand united against them. Therefore, from this point on, Metal Army will not be acknowledging BURZUM or VARG VIKERNES. If you choose to mention him in your comments or posts on the site, nothing will happen — this is just our journalistic decision. VARG VIKERNES has become our Heidi Montag/Spencer Pratt/Paris Hilton in this scene and it is time to move on. I will end this by posting Suarez’s MetalSucks post after the jump. Check that out and feel free to weigh in on your opinions of BURZUM. Metal Army’s Josh Eldridge Interviews VARG VIKERNES of BURZUMTuesday, July 26th, 2011
BURZUM is one of the most notorious acts to come out of the Second Wave of Black Metal. One of Norwary’s most talked about cultural exports became Black Metal during this wave of creativity in the early 90s and BURZUM is, undoubtedly, one of the most widely talked about acts. Due to BURZUM’s VARG VIKERNES becoming the face of “Metal Gone Too Far”, the music is often overshadowed by VARG’s personal beliefs and decisions. However, since being released from Prison in 2009, BURZUM has returned with two of the most impressive black metal albums in recent memory. I recently had the opportunity to interview VIKERNES regarding his 2011 release, ‘Fallen’, which is available via Candlelight Records. Because of the scrutiny and often being faced with questions that have nothing to do with the music, I chose to focus primarily on the new album. For newcomers who are interested in learning what VIKERNES’ past looks like, a quick google search is sure to give you enough reading material for the next year. For everyone else, take a listen to ‘Fallen’ and check out the interview below! MAA: First of all, I have heard ‘Fallen’ and I have to say that it’s an incredible album. However, I’m interested to hear about your recent inclusion of clean vocals. Obviously, some fans may not like that you have introduced clean vocals to your music. Is this something that you are concerned with? VARG: Not really. Besides, I think I introduced this type of vocal on Belus, and I didn’t hear too many complaints then. It is used more on Fallen, sure, but still… I am glad to hear you like it, though. As I see it, adding something like this shouldn’t scare anyone away. I didn’t exchange the old vocals for a new clean vocal. I just added clean vocals. Nothing is gone. With last year’s ‘Belus’ album, you had a concept and a story that was told. Is there a story being told with ‘Fallen’? What was the biggest difference in the songwriting for ‘Fallen’ as compared to your previous works? ‘Fallen’ was very similar to the old albums in this context, and ‘Belus’ is the album standing out in this context. ‘Belus’ had alliteration, a set number of syllables in each line, and so forth. ‘Fallen,’ and the others, does not. This was done because ‘Belus’ was a purely mythological album, so to speak, whilst the others deal with more existential issues. The story on ‘Fallen’ is much the same as on ‘Belus’, only on a more personal level; you go through the same process, the same journey, this time. You; the listener. While still holding onto some of the genre’s influence, you seem to have transcended ‘black metal’. The same can be said for some of the other founding black metal bands like Darkthrone. Do you see this as a necessary change due to the oversaturation of the genre or was it simply what you have been feeling while writing the latest Burzum music? It is necessary because Burzum is not black metal as this term is understood today. Not in any way. In my every day life I don’t think about black metal or anything of that sort, and when I make music, I make Burzum music, metal music or heavy metal if you like. Black metal has not been a part of my life since 1992 or 1995, depending on how you see it, and I just don’t want to waste any time even thinking about this ridiculous genre. Getting back to ‘Fallen’, the art for the album is quite interesting and unexpected for a Burzum album. Did you have this art created specifically for your album or was it chosen from an already existing piece? What about this piece of art inspired you enough to use it as a cover? It is from a painting, Élégie (Elegy), and was used because it fits the theme of the album perfectly, because it is a romantic era painting, and because I like it a lot. As simple as that. If it was unexpected, it is only because so many [people] have become all hung up in the Burzum from 1993, when ‘Filosofem’ was made and I used Kittelsen art for two covers, and [they] expect me to be some sort of static black metal entity, frozen in time and unable to change or continue with my life. What you should expect from Burzum is not to know what to expect. What are your hopes for ‘Fallen’? Additionally, what are your hopes for the future of Burzum? Well. It doesn’t work like that for me. I just make music, and if I am lucky, others like it. I have no special hopes for any of my recordings. I read in a recent interview that you are finishing a book entitled ‘Sorcery and Religion in Ancient Scandinavia’. Could you give a brief synopsis on the book? When will it be available for purchase? Not sure when it will be available, and I think the title says it all; it is a detailed description of the sorcery and religion of ancient Scandinavia, including all the the high festivals, the runes, traditions and the purpose of it all. Perhaps the most ‘sensational’ content would be an explanation to what Völuspá is really all about – something this world has yet to see in a book, or online for that sake. Thank you for your time and feel free to add anything else you would like our readers to know! Thank you for the interest. The readers might perhaps want to know that they can find an English translation of the ‘Fallen’ lyrics on burzum.org. |
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