Avatarium: Another vision of Doom by Leif Edling

That's a record I've been wanting to listen to for a while now. It was actually issued almost 1 year ago, and for some reason I just got a hold of the 2LP version a few days ago. That's a tremendous 180g-couple of vinyls packed in a beautiful silver gatefold. 

The reason I've been attracted to that record is quite simple: Avatarium is Leif Edling's new band. You know, the guy from Candlemass. So basically, if you like doom (and I like my Doom), you usually follow whatever this guy is up to. Besides that cult band he founded, he's also involved in Krux, another awesome doom band with Mats Leven on vocals. 

We all know that every record Leif Edling's been involved with usually deals with Doom Metal. And considering that Krux's latest album (III-He Who Lives Amongst The Stars) is pretty close to the latest Candlemass records, the obvious question is: what's the point in having another Leif Edling Doom band? 

Well, a quick look at the line-up should give you a hint: vocals on Avatarium are performed by Jennie-Ann Smith. This new talent (never heard of her before) is definitely a great surprise. Her vocals perfectly fit the typical heavy riffs, and she adds a very nice ethereal feeling to the music. I just love the way she sings; her voice is powerful, clear and pure, but she never "pushes" it too much. There's nothing too bombastic here, only perfectly balanced and in-tune vocals.

But there is more to Avatarium than those unusual vocals. In fact, Leif Edling has managed to write some pretty great "pop-doom" tunes. The kind of songs you've never heard before, with some awesome melodies. My personal favorites are title track "Avatarium" and "Birds Of Prey" (amazing keyboards on this one). The closing power-ballad "Lady In The Lamp" is also fantastic, as a last reminder of Leif's incredible talent for songwriting. 

The best illustration however of that pop color to the record is "Boneflower". this song will instantly convince you that the record is worth the investment. 

To make a long story short, Avatarium is obviously another great doom band formed by Leif Edling. And it is very interesting to see how the guy manages to explore slightly different shades of that very specific style with each new band he forms. Candlemass is probably the most "classic" one of them, Krux has this more extreme and psychedelic approach and Avatarium has a unique almost "pop" feeling. 

Leif Edling remains unchallenged as THE master of Doom with yet another fantastic record released, driven by a very clear vision of what his music should sound like. 

Folks, the man definitely knows what he's doing; next time he releases a record, just go grab it. 

Yath

Corsair - Corsair review

Corsair have signed on Shadow Kingdom Records last year, and the label's first initiative was to re-release that self-titled record. Honestly, there isn't much I can tell you about this pure gem. Just look it up online, and try to count all the super enthusiastic reviews you can find. 

Corsair is totally unique, and I can guarantee you have never heard anything like it before. The band (Paul Sebring on guitar/vocals, Marie Landragin on guitars/vocals, Jordan Brunk on bass, and Aaron Lipscombe) have managed to create some sort of modern-retro rock. Yeah their stuff is that awesome. 

Corsair do sound like a 70's prog/hard-rock band, but they also have some typical Metal influences and psychedelic edges. They simply have mixed the old-school influences with the modern rock vibe of bands like Mastodon and Baroness. Really, if you are into these two bands, you MUST check out Corsair. 

Again, I don't know what to tell you; this music is awesome, groovy, melodic, progressive, heavy, original, catchy, fun, smart, different. 

Last but not least, the artwork is amazing and the lyrics are just as smart and interesting as the music. 

"Chaemera" one of my favorite songs on the album

There are dozens of interesting releases every month for rock,metal and prog fans, and this is definitely one that you absolutely have to listen to. Stay tunned as Shadow Kingdom Records will re-release a MCD by Corsair on April 30th this year. 

Yath - AWESOME - 9/10

http://shadowkingdomrecords.bandcamp.com/album/corsair

http://www.facebook.com/pages/corsair/179747970753

Deceptor - Chains Of Delusion

I haven't been really inspired by the latest Metal releases. In a more general matter, I'm just fed up with all these bands with fancy packagings and a new record every single year. 

As a result, I've been mostly listening to old stuff; or old bands newer releases (Angel Witch's As Above So Below is just AMAZING). OK, now you're thinking, "the guy's just getting old". Maybe. However, when a new interesting band comes along, I still know how to get all excited about it. 

And there is PLENTY to be exited about with DECEPTOR (despite the "WTF??" name). The Power-trio's second EP is one hell of a blast of pure Heavy Metal. 

There are 6 tracks here (2 intermissions, 4 actual songs) and each one of them is just FANTASTIC. 

There's plenty of traditional metal, some more sharpened stuff (Heatseeker) and a slight dose of epic and technical stuff. Paul Fulda does a great great job on Bass, and as is most of Power-trios, each instrument has a whole lot of space to express itself. And these young wolves sure know how to make a good use of it.

Honestly, whatever kind of Metal you like, you just need to check this young band out, I think fans of Heavy Metal, and Thrash Metal will appreciate it even more than anyone else. 

I can't really pick up a favorite song on this one, although "Sentinent Shackles" really impressed me (the most original song). I also love the opener "To Know Infinity" (very catchy one), and the powerful "Heatseeker". "Oblivion's Call" with it's epic&melodic edges is also a perfect way to close that EP. 

"Heatseeker"

 

Check this band out right now, so that in a few years, when everybody will be talking about Deceptor, you'll say "Got to hell man, I've been following this band since 2013, when their second EP had just come out".

Yath - This is an easy 8/10

https://www.facebook.com/deceptoruk

http://store.shadowkingdomrecords.com/

Review : Pale Divine – Painted Windows Black

If you’ve ever read this blog before, there are probably two things you might have figured out: first, I love doom metal, the classic kind of doom, the one with big groovy riffs, melodies and competent singers. Second, I love Shadow Kingdom Records, which is almost a consequence of the first statement. But that love is not blind, it’s not just a sentimental thing or a “doctrine” of loving small underground labels. It’s simply based on the quality of the records the label puts out; and the unbelievable amount of bands they made me discover (remember this? This? Or this?).

And yet, when I recieved this new record by Pale Divine, I didn’t get too excited. The thing is, I never really was a big fan of the band, and I never really got into their previous album, “Cemetary Earth” that came out 5 years ago on I Hate Records. To me, that record was just too academic although very well composed and played.

And I’m going to be get straight to the point here; Painted Windows Black is much better than it’s predecessor. Pale Divine has evolved, definitely in the right direction, they sound more powerful and more diverse. In fact, Pale Divine is not just a classic doom band anymore, call it whatever you want, their music is somewhere in between Doom, Heavy Metal and Progressive Rock.

And that fact is immediately demonstrated when first track “Nocturne Dementia” strikes; this instrumental masterpiece is one hell of a way to start a record, and I don’t know many bands capable of hooking you up that way with an instrumental. Everything here is perfectly executed and balanced. You’ve got the riffs, the leads, the big heavy sound and some tremendous melodic parts. Man that melodic break at 3 minutes is just PURE EXSTASY!

Anyways, after such an opener, everything is much easier, Pale Divine display their fantastic skills, playing some awesome slow-paced and Melodic Metal. The songs are epic, each musician is technically perfect (the power-trio line-up probably has to do with the band’s intrinsic groove), and singer Greg Diener stands out with his powerful and melodic voice. This guy is probably one of the band’s most improved elements by the way.

My personal favorites here are “Angel Of Mercy”, “Shadow Soul”, and of course the killer opener “Nocturne Dementia”. In fact, this fantastic record only displays a few flaws that a friend of mine pointed out. The guy found the songs a little bit too long and he thought that the music lacked feeling… And I need to admit he’s somewhat right. Some songs are a bit too long and the record would have been even stronger with a few faster and shorter pure Heavy Metal songs (the record is also pretty lengthy itself: 70 minutes of pounding Doom Metal might discourage some people). And yes, the music lacks a bit of spontaneity; but that goes with the progressive edge, everything is so nicely composed here… Bottom line is Pale Divine just needs to let it go from time to time and throw in a headbanging Metal hymn that would be an instant hit.

"The Prophet", taken from Painted Windows Black

Theses little flaws considered, I’m not going to change my opinion about that fantastic record that I just love listening to, everyday, over and over again. It’s great to see Pale Divine evolve in such an exciting direction!

See now why I love Shadow Kingdom Records? And more from that label is coming up very soon…

Yath – 8/10

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pale-Divine/124093500958716

http://paledivineband.com/

http://shadowkingdomrecords.com/

Revolting’s Hymns Of Ghastly Horror Vs Deserted Fear’s My Empire. And the winner is….FDA Rekotz !

Here are 2 tremendous records I’ve wanted to tell you about for a while now. Better late than never right? Anyways ladies and gentlemen, if you like Death Metal in general, you might want to check these two bands out.

And if you like Death Metal, you probably know about Revolting already. Or at least you know who Rogga Johansson is. This is the man’s 5^th or 6^th Death Metal record this year. Seriously, I lost count. I bought the new The Grotesquery LP earlier, I know about a new Ribspreader album, another one from Those Who Bring The Torture, plus some other new projects the man is working on. Anyways, the guy is a Death Metal universe on his own, and most of the time you can recognize his music just by the insanely heavy sound of his guitar riffs, the massive groove he puts into them and his special guttural voice. 

And the million-dollar question is: what the hell should you get the new Revolting record specifically, when you already have dozens of Rogga’s album, and when you already know that you will NEVER manage to get them all anyway?

Well, the answer is simple: Revolting is pretty different from his usual stuff, it’s more melodic, and kind of mainstream in a way. The melodies stick, they make you feel like dancing and the headbanging is constant. I personally love the choruses, the quick solos and some songs just kick ass, like “The Black Queen” that strongly reminded me of Evocation, another Swedish band that I love (the melodic break in the middle of that song is AWESOME). 

One last thing about this cool record: it’s full of funny references, like that FANTASTIC instrumental called “The Thing That C.H.U.D. Not Be” (man that melody’s so sticky!); or that moment where Rogga screams “MOSH” in the beginning of “Kinderfeeder”. Although there’s not much to say really about this very nice record, I really enjoy listening to it, over and over, it’s like my “mainstream” moment every day.

"The Black Queen" - The awesome song I just told you about! 

Deserted Fear is a new Death Metal power trio from Germany. And honestly, with all the old-school Death Metal bands bursting from all over the world I wasn’t expecting much from another 90’s-nostalgic band. But somehow, My Empire, the band’s first album really impressed me. Don’t get me wrong though, this is pure, classic, unoriginal and by-the-book Death Metal, no more, no less. But shit, the energy and the power on this one are so huge! Listening to this record is a guaranteed moment of pure pleasure. It's all in the heavy riffs, the epic melodies, and Mahne’s crazy voice, like some sort of John Tardy (Obituary) meets Martin Von Drunen (Asphyx). 

Yep, everything's perfectly classic here, even the old-school typical black and white artwork. 

Of course, the moments where these kids bang you head like hell with hammering riffs are great, but what I enjoy the most are the epic songs on this one, more specifically the final pieces “My Empire” and “Bury Your Dead”. 

Here it is; the might "My Empire" song

Don’t ask me to pick a favorite here, these two FDA-Rekotz releases are both fantastic in their own way, they are very complementary and they basically sum-up everything I love about Death Metal (since I’m not into the very extreme and super-fast stuff). 

One pretty impressive thing to note is that after all these years, when everything’s been more or less said and done, some young and hungry bands still manage to compose and record such great Death Metal records!

These are 2 highly recommended albums by Yath

http://www.fda-rekotz.com/gx/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Revolting/144322252254789

http://www.facebook.com/desertedfear

Firewind – Few Against Many review

I was pretty surprised to read some very average reviews for Few Against Many, Firewind’s seventh full-length record. Greece’s most famous Heavy Metal band has always been extremely popular and respected by both fans and press.

But things have changed since last record (Days Of Defiance, 2010) as mastermind Gus G. is now Ossy Osbourne’s guitarist, and Firewind will inevitably be much more exposed. You’ve probably guessed as well the main critic I read about this new record: “the songs were composed and recorded quickly, as if Gus G. wanted to profit from his joining of Ozzy as fast as possible”. Well that’s a typical Metal-fan argument, the same old “selling out” theory; but in the same time, it could be true, because we can imagine that playing with Ozzy and doing 95% of the job in Firewind (Guitarist Gus G. handles a lot of things in Firewind: composing all the music, and producing it) is a lot of work.

As a fan, I decided to get that album and listen to it so that I can make up my own opinion. And after many listens, here’s my verdict: I have no idea if I like this record or not!

Gus G. has been saying in interviews that he wanted to modify the band’s sound a little bit, by focusing on composing good songs, and not just rely on the heavy riffs.

Few Against Many sounds indeed like a transition record, as the band seems to have intended to create something different, but without going completely through the process. The result is a patchwork of mostly melodic songs, with highs and lows.

Among the good songs, I want to mention the opener, “Wall Of Sound”. That one has a great rock’n’roll vibe, a nice and heavy riff and a cool hard-rock feeling. Irresistible!

I also love the second song, “Losing My Mind”, that sounds like a homage to Alice In Chains, and that clearly demonstrates Firewind’s desire to test new things. Singer Apollo does a fantastic job on that one. “Another Dimension” and “Glorious” are more typical Firewind songs, with some very fast and heavy parts and a cool melodic chorus. “Edge Of A Dream”, the ballad featuring Apocalyptica, is another cool moment, with again, a great performance from Apollo.

“Long Gone Tomorrow” is different; vey heavy and sounds like an attempt to write something more modern, with a big chunky guitar riff.

And as I was saying, there are some very ordinary songs here; that you pretty much forget instantly after each listen, not to mention some of them are just too cheesy like “Destiny”.

All in all, I must admit that Few Against Many sounds like “just another new Firewind record”, although it seems to be a transition album, as Gus G. has really tried many different things and vibes, which is a positive thing. All he needs to do right now is to decide in what direction he wants to lead the band to and to accomplish it fully. He clearly doesn’t want to go towards progressive metal, maybe Firewind will become more melodic, more modern or even more heavy? Or just get back to the good old Heavy Metal they completely mastered and that satisfied their fans? I guess we’ll have to wait and buy the next record to figure that out. And to make up our mind concerning Few Againt Many…

YATH

http://www.firewind.gr/

http://www.facebook.com/firewindofficial?sk=wall

COVEN, PAGAN ALTAR & ALTAR OF OBLIVION: Why SHADOW KINGDOM RECORDS will make your summer heavier

If you’ve read some of my blogs before you know that already: I firmly believe that “small” and specialized labels are the most interesting source of Metal records. 

Don’t get me wrong; I’ve got nothing against important labels such as Roadrunner, Century Media, Metal Blade or Nuclear Blast… I actually buy some of their chunky “limited edition” CDs every single month (you know, the ones that come in big shiny digipacks with useless “making of” bonus DVDs).

The thing is, these important companies do not (and probably CANNOT) have a specific and clear artistic orientation, as they must enlarge their audience as much as possible. Specialized labels however select their artists according to one very simple thing: their boss's taste! That’s why it’s most of the time a completely passion-driven and authentic decision. In fact, after following some labels for a while, I feel that I know their bosses almost personally, because I understand completely their musical tastes, just by listening to their releases. Awesome right? And so old-school: you don't need to listen to a CD before buying it, with these labels, you know just exactly what to expect!

And yes: as you might have guessed already, Shadow Kingdom Records if one of those passion-driven labels. Their specialty is Heavy Metal, with a particular attraction for obscure and doomy stuff. This Pittsburgh-USA based label have made me discover some amazing new bands, like Argus, Sinister Realm, or Crowned In Earth, it has brought back from the dead the mighty Iron Man and it has reissued some hidden gems from the past like Deep Switch, Wolfbane, Revelation and so many more!

This summer, there are 3 Shadow Kingdom Released you need to check out if you’re into Heavy Metal or Heavy/Doom stuff. And the first one I want to tell you about is also the strangest one. Coven have reformed under the name Coven 13 recently. Probably because of the other 256 bands called Coven around the globe.

This US Heavy Metal band has existed quite briefly in the late 80’s, with only one official release, an LP called “Worship New Gods”. Back in the day, the band self-released it on vinyl only and split-up shortly after. And guess what, it’s now re-released on CD by Shadow Kingdom in a remastered version with a booklet including a bunch of old photos! Seriously, where the hell does Shadow Kingdom Records find these bands??!! Release after release, SKR's  boss shows to be one of the finest Heavy Metal connoisseurs in the world.

Coven sounds pretty much like a typical US-Heavy Metal band, with the sharp riffs and the taste for doomy atmospheres. Some might even classify it as “Heavy/Doom” which pretty much illustrates the global feeling of this record. I also must insist on the old-school taste of this one, just look at the artwork, the band photos and some details. The first song starts with a clear statement as singer David Landrum says “The Gods Made Men, Men Made Steel!”. Now that is HEAVY! I also love the old-fashionned effects in the beginning of “The Wicked Day” and “Loki”. 
This release may seem a little strange at first, as it took me some time to get into it, maybe because of the high-pitched vocals that sometimes get out of control. But when it did click, I really started to enjoy it, especially some songs like the aforementioned “The Wicked Day”, “Ruler” or even “Burial Ground” and “Jailhouse”. Another thing I like about this record is that I never really heard anything like it before... Some songs have a strange and very marked Gothic vibe like “Kiss Me With Blood” or “Threshold Of The New” (this one is like The Cure meet Heavy Metal!!). Last track “Loki” is also very original with a very unusual -not to say weird- structure and chorus.

Trust me, this release is not just a rarity destined to a few Metal archeologists, as it sounds like nothing you’ve heard before, although a bit “dated” maybe, but hey, that’s totally part of it’s charm!

Second summer release on Shadow Kingdom is another rarity reedition, only this time around it’s by a much more famous band: Pagan Altar. "The Time Lord" had only been released on vinyl a few years ago and Shadow Kingdom brings it to you for the first time on CD. These tracks are the very first recordings by the band, done in 1978 and 1979, so yes; this is another historical release.

I personally love this kind of very early Heavy Metal, still filled with hard-rock vibes and tons of BLUES. The feeling these guys have is just amazing, and it’s unbelievable that this band has been ignored for so long (although formed in the late 70s, their first official recording was released in 1998!). There are 5 songs on that release for a total running time of 32 minutes. The songs tend to be a little long, with multiple developments, essentially led by Alan Jones (accompanied by Les Moody on the songs “The Time Lord” and “Highway Cavalier”) who does a fantastic job on the guitars (both acoustic and electric). 

The song “The Time Lord” is truly one of my favorites on this EP, with it’s 8 minutes of pure transcendental pleasure. “Judgment Of The Dead” is heavier, and really sounds like many of the “doom” bands you might know from our actual era (Glen Robinson’s bass also gives me the chills on that one). “The Black Mass” has a darker feeling, still filled with blues and some HEAVY riffing! Really impressive stuff for a song composed in the late 70s. And that's when I realized that Pagan Altar could have been a real alternative for Black Sabbath, who are considered like the Godfathers of Heavy Music in general. History is sometimes so cruel… Last track “Reincarnation” is also a tremendous one, with a beautiful acoustic beginning that develops into one heavy and epic song. Terry Jone’s vocals are nothing short of impressive: full of blues and emotion. This EP is clearly an instant classic. What more can I say? As usual with SKR, the CD comes with a new and fantastic artwork.

The last SKR release on the menu today isn’t another hidden treasure. Grand Gesture Of Defiance is Altar Of Oblivion’s second LP. And as the bio on the SKR website says, this is probably the best Heavy Metal band to come out from Denmark since Mercyful Fate. Altar Of Oblivion are however quite different from their famous predecessors, as their sound is much heavier and “doomier”. The guitar-sound is very thick and the guys have got a Scandinavian approach to their Heavy/Doom (this label perfectly fits the band): everything is so bombastic and operatic here. Just look at the artwork, the song titles and even the style of the booklet. Of course, the very demonstrative vocals also totally reflect that. It’s even clearly specified on the last page of the booklet (awesome artwork by the way); Mik Mentor doesn’t just handle vocals, he’s in charge of the “Stentorian Narration & Ars Melancholia”. There you go!

Music-wise, this is some pretty classic stuff, extremely well performed and composed, with crazy riffing all over it, some killer melodies, and a few Mellotron parts here and there. The production is just perfect; very heavy yet organic and all the instruments sound natural. The Danish usually master the art of Metal production, so this is no surprise at all. The first track “Where Darkness Is Light” is really a strong opener, that will dive you into the record and that displays the band’s talent instantly. However, I absolutely love the second track, “the Graveyard Of Broken Dreams” because of its fantastic chorus and the melodic break in the middle of it. The other highlight of the record is the very heavy “Sentenced In Absentia”, preceded by the acoustic “The Smoke-Filled Room”. Again, nothing fundamentally new here, but these guys sure know what Heavy & Doom means…

All in all I really enjoyed listening to this record, because albeit being pretty classical in its approach, the band manages to show a unique personality, with a specific concept, a deep melancholia and an operatic attitude that does make a difference.

These 3 releases are equally awesome, each one of them being different and special in it’s own way. If you’re into the SKR stuff, then just do what you usually do, trust the label and get these releases. If you are a metal archeologist interested by bizarre and original stuff check out Coven, if you like your Heavy filled with blues then you must get that Pagan Altar EP. Finally, if you're into Heavy/Doom Metal, then Altar Of Oblivion is a band you absolutely have to check out!

As for me, I just can’t pick-up a favorite; I’ve been playing these records one after the other for the past few days…

Yath

http://shadowkingdomrecords.com/

Reino Ermitaño – Veneratión Del Fuego: some very fine doom from Peru

Reino Ermitaño isn’t exactly the most prolific band in the world; Veneratión Del Fuego is only their fourth record in 10 years of existence, and it’s the first one since 2008’s Rituales Interiores. But again, who really needs an album every year, since now we all have around 100 “favorite bands”? 

And Reino Ermitaño isn’t just another retro-doom band. There are several reasons for that; first, a lady handles vocals: Tania Duarte does an excellent job behind the mic, with that epic desperate feeling. Second reason, Reino Ermitaño come from Peru, not the first South American country you think of when mentioning Metal.

And the awesome thing with Reino Ermitaño is that they do not just rely on these "labels" to claim they're special, they utilize and exploit them perfectly. The Spanish vocals sang by Tania Duarte fit the music perfectly and add some mystique to the music.

Veneratión Del Fuego, kicks off in a very typical manner: “Quimera” and “El Sueño Del Condor” are two classical and very fine pieces of doom rock, played the old-school way, with a very fuzzy and gloomy sound, as if you were listening through a thick layer of smoke. 

But things start to be really exiting when third track “Sobre Las Ruinas” starts. That’s another classic doom song here, but it ends in a fantastic psychedelic orgy of guitar solos and keys. That's probably a contribution brought by new guitarist Eloy Arturo.

And things just keep on getting better, especially when the 9-min epic “Cuando La Luz Te Encuentre”, comes in with a violin  that pops out of nowhere in the exact right moment. But that’s not all, since the song also contains what appears to be a drum solo in the middle of it, before a totally psychedelic finish. Amazing song!

The rest of the album is just as fantastic, with some classic songs like “Soy El Lobo” and “El Rito”. These tunes are just a lesson of what traditional doom should sound like; they have the perfect sound, the cool riffs, the killer breaks and the psychedelic solos all over them. The ending of “El Rito” really reminded me of early Sabbath.  Can't really think of a better influence!

However, there is one more track that needs to be highlighted here; another 9-min epic song: “Sangre India”. This one displays some cool traditional elements that prove how much Reino Ermitaño perfectly use their heritage. That folk moment in the middle of the song is just AMAZING. Not to mention that it is probably the first time I appreciated listening to pan flute. Guys; believe me, nothing to do with the boys coverning Celine Dion songs in the subway halls. This cool folk moment transforms into another acoustic psychedelic part, before the electric guitars start roaring again. This song is one of my favorite ones on the record, and one of my favorite songs this year !

Reino Ermitaño is truly a fantastic doom band; that managed to combine some very classic doom with elements from their Peruvian roots. Nothing too flashy or progressive here, just some very fine doooom.  

I probably keep on repeating that but I totally believe in what I’m saying: stop accepting what important metal labels keep on feeding us every month (although they have a lot of good stuff, no doubt about that) and go looking for original and different bands!
I Hate Records is probably a good place to start if you're into doom: last year the label released the fantastic Wounded Kings album In The Chapel Of The Black Hand. This year however, their highlight album is clearly going to be Veneratión Del Fuego!

Yath

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Reino-Ermita%C3%B1o/229687576031

http://www.ihate.se/

Is The Great Old Ones « The Next Big Thing » ? Interview with Sébastien Lalanne (bass)

The Great Old Ones really surprised me with their first record, Al-Azif. At first sight, this record looked like the typical “first album” coming your way with all the clichés you can imagine: “ the boring concept, the crappy sound, the bad musicality and the feeling that you’re listening to a bunch of teenagers who had nothing better to do than practice their instruments every other rainy weekend”. Of course, these records usually come out on new and elitist labels that thought that THEY would find The Next Big Thing while important labels manage to feed us crap every week claiming it is the real Next Big Thing.

But The Great Old Ones crushed these clichés (that are not always meaningless) in a blink of an eye. This band is formed by very talented and experienced musicians from the French Metal scene. Their first album is ambitious indeed but they managed to do things perfectly right: from the fantastic artwork to the great sound and of course the unique personality they demonstrate all along Al-Azif. The young label doing the best they can to promote their potentially Next Big Thing is just the icing on the cake. Interview with bassist Sébastien Lalanne.

 

The Great Old Ones is a new band on the French Metal scene, could you introduce us to the band members? Especially if they played in other bands before!

Well, Benjamin Guerry handles the guitar, and he used to play in Day Of The Fisherman (HXC band). Xavier Godart also plays the guitar in our band. Léo Isnard is our drummer, and he’s actually a drum teacher, (plus half a dozen very different bands!). Jeff Grimal is our singer, and he is in charge of our artworks as well. He’s played in several bands like Tormenta and Absurd (not the hideous fascist one) and Let Jesus Bleed. As you know I’m Sébastien and I handle the bass, I used to play in My Sovereign and B-Side Box. 

Who was behind the creation of the band, was there a natural leader in the first place?

Yeah, Benjamin wanted to form the band back in 2009. He actually started composing on his own and collecting ideas. When he realized the ideas were pretty strong, he started to imagine this originally personal project as a real band, with specific themes linked to Lovecraft’s stories. And last year, he’d composed 5 complete songs when he came out looking for musicians. That’s when we met and we started out pretty quickly because much of the songs were ready!

And how did you guys meet Les Acteurs de L’Ombre Productions?

We had pre-produced the album and we were looking for a label, Anthiétic Records, Les Acteurs de l’Ombre, and 2-3 other labels contacted us. We knew that LADLO were doing a great job with their other bands and honestly we just had a good feeling and said let’s go! I want to thank Gérald from the label because he immediately gave us his total support and confidence.

I suppose that things are going great so far since all of the feedback on the album is tremendous.

Yes! We are overwhelmed. I mean it’s pretty surprising too since we expected some guys from the “orthodox” Black Metal scene to give us a hard time but so far, everybody seems to like our record.

And what does such a positive feedback induce? More sales? Lots of media solicitations? More touring possibilities?

Well right now, all of this is still too fresh, I can’t really tell, we’re still actually promoting the record. As far as I know, the sales are pretty good, and LADLO are really doing the best they can to give us maximum visibility. As for touring, you probably know how much times are rough, but hey, we’ve done our best and now you gotta cross your fingers and hope some good opportunities will come along!

All right, let’s talk about Al-Azif more specifically. You told me a minute ago that the Lovecraftian theme is completely part of your music.

Yeah, Benjamin literally conceived the band with these stories, and everything is linked to them, even the production of our sound and Jeff’s artwork.

And is there a specific concept linking the songs?

Not really. Each song is about a Lovecraftian character or story. The album name Al-Azif is the name of the famous Necronomicon (the fictive novel imagined by Lovecraft and that is referenced in some of his novels). It’s also the name of the insect sounds you can hear when it’s absolute night in the desert.

And are these specific themes really part of The Great Old Ones? I mean is there a possibility that one day the band composes songs about different subjects?

For now, we are 100% focused on Lovecraft, but I can’t say we’ll NEVER compose about anything else… There are so many fascinating authors out there with a million possibilities we could explore.

Music-wise, how would you describe The Great Old Ones? That one gave me a headache!

(Laughs). I’d say dark and dream metal. Somewhere in between Year Of No Light, Wolves In The Throne Room and Ahab maybe.   

Ok, you’re mentioning Wolves In The Throne room, just like the promo sheet I got, but I think you’re much closer to a band like Lantlôs…

Well that’s a very fine observation as we are definitely fans of Lantlôs. But their intentions are a bit different from ours as their sound is much brighter and not as dark as ours. 

And they are referenced as a Post-Black Metal band, which is also the label you guys are given.

It’s a pretty good label I guess, since we did keep our Black Metal roots, especially when it comes to drums and guitars. And I think we're also close to the “post Metal” scene because we play with the same kind of atmospheres. So yeah, call us “Post-Black Metal”, its totally fine with me!

I also love the fact that your music is extremely visual, like a succession of abstract paintings, very colored but mostly dark.

Well if we managed to make your imagination paint these images, then I suppose we accomplished our mission! Out music is extremely complex and has many sound layers. Each person will perceive different sounds depending on your sensitivity and of course you musical background. Some other reviewer felt our music was like Funeral doom! What the hell, I say why not??

And how did you guys build this complex music? Did you work like traditional Metal bands, based on good ol' guitar riffs?

No, we really consider the songs in their entirety, not just like the addition of different riffs. We specifically try to avoid the classic composing method, like coming up with a riff and building a song around it. The idea is to build sonic-layers that will evolve through the songs, and off course the traditional Metal riffs help us do that, among other elements.

There is an entire Black Metal scene that considers things that way, like obviously Wolves In The Throne Room and Lantlôs. Do you guys feel related to that new way of playing Black Metal?

Of course we are. Just like the bands you mentioned, we have “digested” all the traditional Black Metal influences , and we play outside the usual limits of that scene by integrating elements from other musical styles. And yes a new scene might be emerging, I guess we’re part of it now.

Something really impressed me with Al-Azif: it’s the fact that everything is so professional, the artwork, the awesome sound, and I mean, there are no visible flaws here, everything is so coherent!

Thank you for the compliment, really. The thing is we all had other experiences before joining the Great Old Ones and on the first day we decided that this album was going to be EXACTLY the way we wanted it to be, so that we will not have any regrets. It’s so annoying when you have to put an album out there and immediately start regretting you didn’t invest more time and money because this or that element is not exactly the way you wanted… So frustrating we never want to feel this again. 

What are you upcoming plans ?

Right now we’re working on a possible European tour, and we’ll try to play as many shows as possible in France by the end of 2012. We’ll be playing on June 30^th in Nantes, July 1^st in Paris and on the 29^th of September in Lille.

Otherwise, we also are working on a split CD that should be out in 2013, and guess what, the second LP is already on track! We’ve already composed a bunch of new songs.

Thank you Sébastien and thanks to Ronnie and Gérald from LADLO productions ! !

Yath

http://www.lesacteursdelombre.net/

http://thegreatoldonesband.com/