1. AMARTIA - Fan Club

French progressive band AMARTIA have created their own fan-club - Subscription is 10 € and you'll receive quarterly newsletters, a DVD at the end of the year, gig-dates, contests to win CDs, Shirts, etc... Print Registration Form.

Wednesday, 04 March 2009 | 869 hits | Print | PDF |  E-mail | Report

2. STONELAKE signed to 7HARD Recs !

Swedish band STONELAKE have signed to 7HARD Records ! The album will be called "Shades Of eternity" and will be released on May 8th, 2009 ! Recording is over, the band is currently working on the final mix & mastering at the Unlimited Music Production Studios in Furulund (Sweden) by Jan AKESSON. The band is composed of Peter GRUNDSTRÖM on vocals and Jan AKESSON on guitars (both from Solna/Sent From Heaven), Jaime SALAZAR on Drums (Allen/Lande/Flower Kings/Last Tribe/Bad Habit, etc...) Anders RYDHOLM on Bass/Keyboards (Grand Illusion/Steve Overland/Code/Sherwood Ball/Demon Kogure etc...) STONE LAKE - Official Site - MySpace

Wednesday, 04 March 2009 | 935 hits | Print | PDF |  E-mail | Report

3. EXCLUSIVE DEALS - 7HARD Recs & INFERNO Recs.

German 7HARD Records have signed an exclusive european distribution deal with US based label EONIAN Records. First releases will be available in April 2009 and are CHARLEMAGNE "S/T", HIGH NOON "No Turning Back", GYNGER LYNN "S/T", PISTOL DAWN "Conversation Piece". In France, INFERNO Records have signed an exclusive european deal with Japan based label BLACK LISTED Records to release the second album by Japanese Heavy Metal Samurais HELLHOUND "Metal Fire From Hell" - out on March 2nd, 2009 !

Sunday, 22 March 2009 | 956 hits | Print | PDF |  E-mail | Report

4. MEMORIES OF A DEAD MAN - New Album

French Metal/Hard Core band MEMORIES OF A DEAD MAN will release its album "Beyond The Legend" on May 11th, 2009 through PARALLEL Music (Benelux & UK) and SEASON OF MIST (France). Promo will be made by KAROSHI Entertainement.

Friday, 27 March 2009 | 852 hits | Print | PDF |  E-mail | Report

5. PENSEES NOCTURNES "Vacuum" CD

The debut album "Vaccuum" by PENSEES NOCTURNES (Depressive Black Metal/Classic Music) will be released tomorrow (April, 3rd) on the very new french label LES ACTEURS DE L'OMBRE. You can listen to songs on their MySpace Page. Distribution will be done through Great Dane Records/Season Of Mist. More infos on PENSEES NOCTURNES > MySpace

Thursday, 02 April 2009 | 833 hits | Print | PDF |  E-mail | Report

6. DEMIANS

Hello, I’m Beatrice and you’re doing this interview for Metal Heart Webzine. Would you like to present yourself? My name is Nicolas Chapel and I’m very proud to present you the Demians first album, "Building An Empire". I’ve always played music in a manner or another one, and I was waiting with a lot of patience the release of this album which means a lot to me. Beyond of being simple music for me, it is really an experience as a whole. Demians has besides become a group during the recording of the album, and we are eager to present these songs on stage. I do not really know how to present or speak about myself, listen to the album will probably give you a better ideas of what I what to tell. I presume that you have read what says Steven Wilson about Demians and « Building An Empire » what does it makes you? Does it encourage you to continue what you’re doing? I do not have yet realised. I began to listen Steven’s music more than 10 years ago; I have followed his career through projects such as Bass Communion, Porcupine Tree, Blackfield and many others, and I’ve always have a most deep respect for him and his manner of managing his inspiration and his career. I would compare him to artists such as Peter Gabriel, Neurosis or Tool, who have, to me, made all that they wanted on the musical level. It’s not artistic compromise or a mode, but surely their personality which have allowed people to enter into their universe, and it is persons like them who have allowed me to cure myself with my hang-ups, to tell me that communicate through music was maybe the best way to exist for me. So I can tell you, that even if I haven’t yet realize all that, I really feel honoured to know that he gave an attentive ear to my record, and somewhere find himself. Now I am eager to listen what people of the entire world will have to tell me after the listening of this album, and I hope they’ll also find themselves. What is your creative process? This album, like all the songs I’ve wrote, is born from a true personal process, a true introspection, but it is really hard, even impossible to explain this process. All has been done naturally. I’ve always been curious, I’ve always observe and it happened to me one day in my life where the envy of sharing this vision of things has become too strong. I’ve always listen a lot of music, as far as I can remember, and I’ve always associate song or sounds to my feelings. It is naturally that one day I’ve wanted to see what I had inside, and I began to compose totally spontaneously. Ideas were coming for instruments that I did not control. Very precise ideas, very strong melodic lines, and rivers of strings which would cross a refrain, walls of guitars which would harm. I wanted to transcribe the most faithfully this music and that’s why I choose to compose everything, to interpret and to record myself. Beyond themes, lyrics and songs, the recording process and the realization have taught me a lot, moreover the more I moved forward the more I discovered. I’ve always been very introverted and to write with this very personal manner has really opened me to others. I think continuing in that sense for a long time, and to take out my own evolution in my music without any interference. Can you talk about the lyrics of the songs of the album? This album is a mix of a lot of things, on the musical level as well as on the lyrics level. The lyrics and the music are besides very linked and born at the same times. A little like automatic writing, my texts are very spontaneous, and rare are the corrections made, precisely to keep this spontaneity. In general I sing them at once by closing the eyes, then listen to the tape to note what I’ve said. I learn a lot by doing it in this manner, and the all of it stays much vivid. The relations between people, the place that each of us has in the life of others, these are subjects which obsessed me. I can really feel this through this album. I’ve always been introverted, and it is only when I’ve began to write these songs some years ago that I reveal myself. I’ve been long submerged with a feeling of living in a world where personality and identity are more and more drown, all make us thing that individual is not important. What made me ask myself how I arrived there and how this idea has made me forgotten of the good sides. I was very curious when I was a child, and like a lot of people though little by little that I die not have anything to tell, to bring to others, and at one moment I even have lost every respect for me own envies. One morning, I’ve realized… so, I do not blossom myself in this job, neither I recognize these clothes that I wear today, and I do not even know where I would like to go tomorrow. Demians was born that morning. It is from this feeling of having lost everything that was born my envy to rebuild everything. The album is not a concept album properly speaking, in the sense that there is no narrative line, but if concept there is it is in its realization. Not counting on anyone, advance, to give you the means. All the album has been realized with nothing else than determination. The technical means were ridiculous, the budget did not exist, and I didn’t ask anyone any support. Not to have glory of it, simply because it was the only way of going to the end of my ideas, and to have a coherent purpose. I remembered of what I promise myself to realise when I was a child, and most of the songs are born from this dialogue between the person that I was long ago and the one I became. Songs like “Shine” or “Sapphire” are directly inspired of this feeling, to feel stranger to one. Along I was composing, I learnt on me and on the others, I was looking little by little my place. The learning of the instruments and the sounds that I could get from them gave me other ideas, and was getting out little by little of my silence. Songs like “The Perfect Symmetry” or “Empire” are also inspired from the fear of losing all that. My little world had already collapse once, why could it not arrived once more? Once again, all these things are not the starting thing, the themes are not approached in a so evident manner and each of you will find something to cling on in these songs. Each of you is free to interpret them as they want, or simply let you transport. « Building An Empire » is a rather calm album with the exception of « Naive » which is a little heavier than the other ones, do you thing rightly going toward something a little « harder » ? First of all, I don’t thing that “Naive” is heavier that the other ones. I do not play on words but I even think that it is the “lighter” song of the album. It is very linear and evident, easy to understand at the first listening. Besides its title suits it perfectly, a big catchy refrain, lyrics full of good intentions which go come from the envy of going forward. It happens in a time of my life where I needed to write such a title, this title helped me to take out the head of the water, it’s it which has given me its energy at that time. I can understand the remark on the sound level, the guitars wall in always here, all that can give the feeling that the title is heavier, but for me I really see it more as a flight and lightness. I would answer the same thing about the term “calm”, because this title is a kind of naive, and somehow a kind of serenity, that the other titles of the album do not have. For me this album is not “calm”. The heaviness could rather be feel in the corner of “Sand”, the crescendo of “The Perfect Symmetry”, in the final of “Sapphire”, in the sound as well than in the atmosphere. The songs do whatever they want, this album is not calm in the feelings that it gives, and all this is maybe less evident and will ask several listening to be appreciated. The heaviness and the changing in ambiences are a whole part of my music and of my humours, and I think that songs such as “Sand’ and “The Perfect Symmetry” are much more representative of what could be things in the future… Even if I have write and done a lot of songs that I would like to produce and some day released, I think that the path that will go through the group in the forthcoming months and all these things that I will still discover, I will rather be very inspired to compose a next album by beginning with a white page. You are what we call a « one man band » why this choice? To control everything or just simply because you prefer this way of working? For both, and for a lot of other reasons. I will answer two things on this subject, because this choice is very important for me. The first thing is that I am maybe consider as a "one-man band" in studio and at the moment of the conception of the songs, but Demians has become a stage group, and each musician has its place and will develop it with its personality but we are going to evolve together. I just wanted to precise that in gig you will not just see someone surrounded with its musicians, but a family, a group in which each member is important. Michael, Antoine and Tony have realised a huge work to play live the instrumental parts of this album, and I wanted to talk about. The second one, purely on the songs level, it is the result of a lot of factors. I’ve already been in groups, and even if it does bring me good things, I’ve also find a lot of disruptive elements, parasites, during the step of creation, which stays for me the most important. In Demians, it’s not me who give the conductive line, but the song. I did not want to impose me barriers, just write good songs. In a group we often have to occupy everybody, make with elements which, even in an unconscious manner, give frontiers to the original idea. Think to what is “realizable” rather than to think of what could make us stirred. For example I did not played piano neither drums when I begun to compose these songs, and rather to forget the idea, I began to play them because the lines that I had in mind were very clear and precise for these instruments. No ego story enters in line by doing it that way. I do not feel at ease in this “leader” role, to say to people what they have to do or loose by energy in justifying my choices. If I would choose to collaborate with a musician to write songs, it would be to bring its personality and its visions of things. Besides the Demians’s case, all the ideas are coming like this to me and I do not want to loose this original vision and ambience that it comes. I see the instruments like colours and tracks like paintings. One painter can have the complete vision of what the painting will give, and accept the risks that it can have. You have already played several times in acoustic, how were received the tracks? Demians’ songs have a lot of arrangements and details which are very important to their developing, but I find that they also work pretty well simply, in acoustic. I do not try to hide these ideas that I would find weak behind the production, and to play them in acoustic allows me to see right away if the roots are sufficiently solid. The tracks have been very well received, and a lot of listeners have shared their feelings at the end of the concert, which I think is releaving. I had the feeling that a link has been created between the songs and people who have listen to them. A lot of them have stayed to talk about them at the end of the concert, which is very touching for me, and show that the same time of something very strong. It is besides the impression of community and link that I keep in these talking which have partly inspired the title of the album. To tell yourself that you’re not alone, and that letting speak sincerely its emotions will always allowed you to find someone will will share them. How the album « Building An Empire » has been received by the professionals? Are the reviews positive? From all the relative echoes coming from the professional, I get pleasure of true encouragements. Most of them seem to adhere to the approach and to the music, and it is truly a part feeling to feel support like this. The reviews are from here very positive. The opinion of professional as well as the one of the listeners will open doors to the group, will allowed us to play a lot, to progress, to tour, and it is of course that which motivate and support all the members of the group. We really want to go everywhere, meet people, and tour; so, so many good reviews will allow us to go forward in good conditions, without have to do compromises. I won’t hide you that on the purely personal level, however, I do not pay a great attention. I’m convinced to do my music the most honestly as possible. I have to admit that I will be judge, interpreted, noted and sometimes even people will go aside it, but it is not all that which will make me change neither which will send me to another direction rather than another one. After having lived so much with this album which means a lot for me, it is really an incredible feeling to know that people pay attention to it and want to talk about it around them. What are your projects for the future ? Gigs to come ? A lot of gigs, an awful lot of gigs! I really believe in this group and I’m really eager to play live every day. I do not hide you the fact that I have really have good time writing songs, I do not know where my imagination will bring me so I’m eager to discover the following, to create again songs and to bring people very far with a next album. The word of the end is for you, what would you like to add ? This album is the album for people who, even if they are sometimes forgotten where they come from; know where they want to go. Of those who feel concerned, take their life in hands instead of letting it take for a walk. When you will listen to it, it would not talk about my story but rather yours. These are people that I’m eager to meet when I will be on tour. It is with them that we can build an empire. Thanks for this interview and good continuation to you. Thanks to you Beatrice, and see you soon. :-) www.myspace.com/demiansmusic

Sunday, 20 April 2008 | 1296 hits | Print | PDF |  E-mail | Report

7. NEDRA

Hello I’m Beatrice and you’re doing this interview for Metal Heart Webzine. Vassago: Hi Beatrice, I think that we’ve crossed each other on the Guitar Part forum some times ago if I’m talking about the same Beatrice ;) Would you like to present yourself and your group? Vassago: Nice nearly thirty years old male and passionate of music and of guitar (it’s original would you tell me haha) guitar player. Sensitive, worker, bad temper… so I won’t make you my astral theme, it might asleep everybody ^^. Let’s talk about the group. Nedra is first of all Five different persons going towards a same goal, make rock between classic and modern. This mix could be our originality. Our weapons are simple that is to say a pair of guitars to support the vocals, drums to underline the bass low notes. Our process in before all to propose an energetic music played with serious without being too much serious. Our QG is in Paris, but we hope very rapidly invade the rest of France, in a pacific and musical manner. What are the influences of the group? We take our inspirations in a lot of different things, the US groups such as Faith No More, Alter Bridge or yet System of a down, UK groups such as Muse, for the lyrics it can come from variety or rock with groups such as Matmatah or Noir Desir, but our readings or our lives are what is inspiring us mostly. You have chosen to sing in French for your first album « D’Un Extreme A L’Autre », why this choice? Will you continue in this direction or will you be tempted by the English language? We give a great importance to the texts and we have chosen to sing in French in order to be understand by our public and because we like this language. We know that it’ll be harder to get exported because of this choice, but the most important is to please ourselves and it is there where you can find it. In the future Nedra will continue in that way but it is not impossible that some tracks will be using other languages and not especially English. We will do according to the inspiration of the moment. If I say that Nedra is making rock a little in the way that is was done in the 80s, what do you think of it, I am wrong? Yes and no. On this first album we are exploring varied influences with titles like « Arriviste » or « le Coup de grace » which sound very rock’n’roll and can make you think of the 80s, but aside the Cabrel’s cover or a title like Lemnos are created in today’s rock directly inspired by the 90s scene. Our sound however is coming right from what is doing today. Later this direction should be accentuated, but we don’t want to deny what we like, rock stays something timeless and the mix stays what is more interesting today. The group seems to have two good guitarists (not that the others are not good!!!) what are they professional backgrounds? Polo has begun the guitar rather early by taking classical courses, and then he has turned towards rock by working alone like a man. Before that he learnt rudiments of music and piano in a private musical school. He also has studied music and sound treatment at the ISTS, it allowed him to open his mind to all kind of music in which he takes his playing. On my side I followed a rather similar path. I began rudiments of music and piano in an academy for 10 years before beginning guitar, a little by chance. I took some lessons during one year and after continued alone and as Polo I’ve made the ISTS to become sound engineer. Our varied formations befor Nedra have been very forming. For the rest of the team it is about the same thing, we begin with a teacher and we explode and discover the things by ourselves, by curiosity and the wanting to learn and to get better. You have made a cover of a Francis Cabrel’ song « Les Murs De Poussiere », why this choice? Because it’s a damned rock track! Francis is a much underestimated rocker and a bluesman (at least in these registers). We just had to swell a little the sound and to modernise a little the purpose. We do not have yet the occasion of letting him hear the song but I’m impatient to know what he’s going to think of our adaptation. I think in definitive that what has attracted us in this cover it the responsibility to appropriate it and add to it a little of our personality. Cover to cover can be funny, but transforming and rearrange stay a more passionate work. It seems that a good harmony between the members of the group (at least it is what i feel when listening the album), is it the case? Yes most of the time it is the case. As in all passionate micro society there are sometimes some disagreements which can give hard discussions. But we all go in the same sense and at the end we always find ourselves. But the important it not that we are only musicians who play together. I had the honour to be the wedding witness of our bass player Dr. Jones, we try to be available and to listen to each other as much as we can do it. To say that we do not ever have a raw would be a lie. But we stay 5 friends whatever happen and between friends a good row is better than a cold ignorance. Music has made meet us, and today there is more than music between us. Can you talk about the themes of the album? They are rather varied and are not shut down in a genre like metal or punk which more or less is dealing always with the same themes. At the image of music, we are varying the subjects. We borough to variety the texts with romantic themes « Le Point de Non Retour », « ?il pour ?il », we explore the wide subject of death with a philosophical aspect or purely descriptive like in « Prisonnier ». « Templiers » is an historical story which does not take any side, « Arriviste »,« D’un extreme a l’autre » or « Autodafe » are denouncing some drifts of our society like some French rock group know to make it, « Lemnos » is inspired by a SF book, it is without any doubt our text which is more alike to metal inspirations to me. Curiously it is however one of our more fusion titles on this album. « Whisky » is lighter as well as « Le Coup de Grace ». Once more our wealth, as the one of the people who surround us and where we come from are present in the mixes. What is your creative process? One of us brings musical ideas; it can be a riff, a complete and structured instrumental trackor a simple idea. We often begin with the music. Then we destructure, we work, we rearrange to find something in order not to bore the listener. Everybody add a little of its personality in the arrangements, even if the composer is one only person. Then the texts come, just after the vocals melody which is most of the time part of the arrangements than the composition. It is very rare that the vocals melody is at the origin of a title. On this album it is even totally exclude. But we are moving and the next album will probably follow other paths. Have you begun to work on new material? Yes, we already work on the successor of « D’un Extreme a l’Autre », some demos are only waiting for voices, and others are just ideas. Not enough to affirm something about the direction that will be given to this second album. We can just say that it will even more mark of today’s music because it is towards what we all go. Maybe of new horizons and new mixes… What do you think of today’s French scene? It is hard to release an album? In France it is extremely hard to live of music, I do not teach you something I think. However there is a breeding ground of groups and courageous little labels to release them. This entire little world does not live of its music. That is why we need press, associations, every little help to go forward. All the groups which have more than 10 years of existence in France have to be respected whatever you like the music or not. Because they principal motor stay passion they have for music and the fans who support them and the courage is nearly unconsciousness as there are so many traps. The word of the end is for you, what would you like to add? Thanks to you to begin. I do invite all the curious ones to listen to our first baby, from here the returns are rather good (hope it’ll continue). Those who will like it are invited to let it know, because the “mouth to ear” stays our best chance to arrive not to live from our music, but to continue and to go further. Our album is sell on our site, extracts can also be heard, just to make an idea before buying; our forum is open to everyone to discuss with us or between fans, an active street team has been created to allow others to participate to our adventure. To be brief, Nedra will be what you wanted it to be. With us but not without you! Thanks for this interview. It was a pleasure. www.nedra.fr www.myspace.com/nedrarock

Wednesday, 16 April 2008 | 1107 hits | Print | PDF |  E-mail | Report

8. OBTEST

Hello I’m Beatrice and you’re doing this interview for Metal Heart Webzine.Would you like to present yourself and your group? Hi there, I'm Sadlave the guitar player of OBTEST. We came from Lithuania, the land of thousand mounds. The band was formed in the end of 1992. The first rehearsal tape was recorded in summer of 1994. It was raw and furious black metal tunes. In 1995 we recorded two demo tapes - "Oldness Comming" and "Pries Audra". The last one was distributed well into underground world all around the planet. The next step was "Tukstantmetis" album, which was released on April 23rd of 1997 as a tape-album. The MC album was released in Lithuania and distributed locally. The first 7"EP "997" was put out by German Miriquidi Productions (Hail!) in 1998. After the realization of EP Miriquidi agreed to put out CD version of "Tukstantmetis" album, so it was distributed worldwide from 1999. In the year 2000 OBTEST played a tour in Germany as a support band for Eminenz. One more 7"EP "Prisiek" was released in Germany in 2001. In the end of the year OBTEST signed to Ledo Takas and recorded the second full-length album "Auka Seniems Dievams". The album was released as LP/CD and distributed worldwide. In autumn of 2002 OBTEST toured in Europe with Skyforger, Sear Bliss, Grief of Emerald. In 2003 "Dvylika JuodVarniu" 7"EP was put out by Ledo Takas Records, in memory of Lord Ominous (Anubi). In the fall of 2005 the third album "Is Kartos I Karta" (From generation to generation) was released. The promotional concerts began in winter, OBTEST played in Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Germany, Czech, Ireland, Portugal. In January of 2007 two gigs happened in U.S., one of them in the “Heathen Crusade” festival. The latest, fourth album “Gyvybes Medis” was recorded in April of 2007 in Poland. Due to the mixing and mastering works and negotiations between record labels and the band, this album realization date moved to April of this year, 2008. Your album “Gyvybes Medis » has been released a little more than two months, how has it been received so far by the press and the public? Reactions we've got so far are mostly positive, the old fans are pleased and the new ones appear as well. Can you tell us about the general idea of the lyrics? Our lyrics are based on history and mythology of our people. In our first two albums we dig much into middle ages, when our forefathers faced the expansion from the western Europe, hiding behind the Christian missions. It were a crucial times for our nation and state, but after all, this state survived and kept its traditions, even Christianise. Two of our latest full length albums are more related to the mythology and legends of our lands. Why this title (in English) “Tree Of Life”? Because it is “Axis mundi”, the very centre of creation, the link between the worlds and relations. It also represents our path as a band. What is your creative process? Creation process is unpredictable, sometimes you hear the final composition playing in mind, or you just write down some riffs and then bind it together into one flowing piece. You’re existing since 1995; do you think things have really changed since your beginnings? In which ways? Actually we set up a band in 1992, and some things have changed since then. Our musical tastes grew and influences became wide enough to break through the boundaries of exact definitions, stamps and trends. Our first demo tapes from 1994-1995 are basically influenced by the black metal streams, and later we tried to escape from this, digging more into thrash, heavy or classical metal, still experimenting with the sound and the way of structuring the tunes. You have done a lot of work on the guitars melodies and the melodies of the songs in general, they are much lively, the melodies are important for you? Yeah, we just compose deep melodic tunes; it's our basis for the entire work. You have signed with Osmose Records, what does it bring to you? It means a better distribution; the fans and potential listeners now have an opportunity to find our records in remote corners of the world. Besides that, it's a famous and cult label, 15 years ago we were just dreaming to sign with them. Finally, "the label" is important for some kind of audience anyway, whether you like it or not. How is the public in your country, Lithuania? In our concerts, you mean? They are crazy, we get wonderful support, it' nice to share the wild energy with them. What do you think of the metal scene in your country and in Europe in general? Loads of bands everywhere around, you know, but always you can meet something interesting on the top of the pile. In Lithuania we have couple of active metal bands, and some of them are worth of attention, like LUCTUS, ANDAJA. What are the groups you’re listening? At the moment I listen to: Gr.Ob., A-ha, Sigur ros, some old school classics like Paradise Lost, Tormentor, Emperor. The word of the end is for you, what would you like to add? Merci! Hope to see you in France one day, while storming on stage! Keep burning... www.obtest.lt www.myspace.com/obtestofficial

Sunday, 13 July 2008 | 1003 hits | Print | PDF |  E-mail | Report

9. THE BATALLION

Hello I’m Beatrice from Metal Heart Webzine (France), would you like to present yourself and your group? I'm Stud Bronson from the Norwegian band The Batallion , and we play bad ass 80's deathened thrash metal the way it should be, allright! What are the musical backgrounds of each of the members, you are all coming from different groups? I used to be in Old Funeral from 1988 to 1992. I also play in a Motorhead tribute band called Bombers (www.bombers.no). Lust Kilman used to play in Grimfist. Colt Kane used to play in Borknagar on the 2nd and 3rd album. Mr Morden played drums in Taake,Deathcon,Amok etc. We are all old motherfuckers from the old scene. Our backgrounds are ,as you might observe, from the old times. Why this title for the album “Stronghold Of Men”? Because it sounds good, and suits us and our music well. We play tough music with a masculine taste, and we defend the old spirit of metal. And our songs are a unit that works as a stronghold. And as we are all men in the band, it turned out to be a "Stronghold Of Men"! Yeah! We are a wall of sound! Would you like to talk about the lyrics of the songs? Are they all talking about war? They are not all about war even tough you might interpret many of the titles that way. The war can also be in your mind, not only on the battlefield. "Born In A Grave " is about my observations of planet earth and the stupid human kind ,and they way I sense it. "Victims" is about modern people who go with the flow with their eyes and mind shut. "Smoke 'Em Out" is about tracking down your enemies. " Man To Man" is about a good old fight like they had in the classic western movies. "The Spirit Of Masculinity" is my desriciption of simply being a man. I am very primitive in my way of thinking, and the song is about the primitive instincs you have as a man. The rest of the songs on the album describe different aspects of war, written in an entertaining and brutal way. I like more primitive lyrics and not the kind where you need a fucking dictionary to understand them. Our music is "in your face" and so are the lyrics. Your songs are direct, powerful and melodic, is it important to have such a mix? For us it's important to have the elements you mention. We try to combine aggression, power and groove. It's often boring if the music is just aggressive, or just technical, or just primitive. We attempt to create catchy, yet brutal, timeless metal. You will find elements from black metal, death metal, thrash metal, even punk and rock n roll. I like to think of us as a band you can listen to if you are into any of the mentioned categories. What is your creative process? Get together in the rehearsal room and jam the riffs and arrangements out. We do everything the old school way. If one of us has a riff we play on it until we have the right drum beat for it. Then we put it together with other riffs until it fits. Once the structure is ready, I rehearse the song in my head , and get the lyrics to suit the riffs. Sometimes an arrangement will be altered a bit as the lyrics come down to match the vocal lines. If I tell you that I define your music as “true”, “authentic” what do you answer to that? Then you are absolutely right! There is no theatre in The Batallion. Everything you hear is from the heart and the way we like it. We all have had a passion for metal and hard rock for many many years ,and it's the inspiration we have gathered from that life which you will hear trough our music. Bands that are not true to themselves will go under very fast. You have signed with Dark Essence Records, are you satisfied of the label? So far so good. We all live in Bergen, so the communication is easy and personal. We have also known the 4 persons running the label for many years. They are fast with updates on what’s going on with reviews, Interviews, gig proposals etc. They are also great persons to drink with! Hah! Bjørnar Nilsen is the producer of the album, how did you get to work with him? We used him on our first 4 track debut demo/ EP. He turned out to be a person easy to work with on both personal and professional levels. He is also involved in Dark Essence Records. Also he has reasonable studio rates. But above all he understands our music. You are coming in France in august, how do you apprehend this gig? It is the first time you come to France? We got this gig after the organizers of La Ferme Du Rock saw us at the Inferno Festival in Oslo this year. They immediately got hold us after the performance and asked if we would come to play in France. Of course we wanted to. We wanna play as much as possible. So we worked out the conditions, and then they booked us. Yes, it's the first time in France with The Batallion , but we have all been to France before on private basis or with other bands. I have been there 3 times before working as the merchandise guy for Immortal. But I have never seen the Eiffel Tower, ha ha ha! You have good wine in France I must say, and bloody crazy audience as I recall from the Immortal gigs. Is it hard for a Norwegian group to be known out of your country? The music business is always hard no matter which country you come from. You have to get out and play to get somewhere and we are trying our best. We just got a new booking agent trough www.photograve.net . It's the same company as Immortal, Emperor etc, so hopefully that will get us some more gigs. What do you think of the French metal scene? Do you know some groups? Like I said, I know the audience is crazy as hell. Just the way we like it. I just got a CD from a French band called Resistance. An album called "Bang Your Fucking Skull". Good old stuff even tough they are a rather new band. I know a few bands from the old times when we traded tapes in the underground with Old Funeral, but I don't really follow the modern scene that much I'm afraid. When I wanna check out more music I usually go back in time. The word of the end is for you, what would you like to add? Thank you for your interest in The Batallion , and if you get the chance, come and see us at La Ferme Du Rock the 24th of August. Let's raise hell together! It's gonna be great to play there together with Nifelheim. Also, go and get our CD. It will also be released on vinyl in august. If you cannot afford it, steal it ! AAAARRGGHH ! Allright ! www.myspace.com/thebatallion666

Monday, 14 July 2008 | 1194 hits | Print | PDF |  E-mail | Report

10. HELHEIM

Hello, you’re doing this interview for Metal Heart Webzine form France and I’m Beatrice. Would you like to present yourself and your group? Hi, I’m V’gandr, bass player and vocalist in the Norwegian band Helheim. We’ve been around since 1992 and have released 2 demos, 2 EP’s and 6 studio albums thus far. Done touring and general live playing all these years and we feel stronger than ever before. What are the backgrounds of the members of the group? Every member has got his personal work besides Helheim since it’s impossible to live of the music. Noralf also plays in Syrach and me in Taake, Aeternus and Deathcon. “Kaoskult” is your 6th album, what do you think has changed since your beginnings? Do you think you have changed musically speaking? We’re a band in constant development and Kaoskult proves this. We always want and need to progress as we feel that this is necessary for the band and the individuals to feel inspired. We always try to improve our music from previous albums and fine-tune the elements that catch us the most. I notice that we’re getting darker and more epic by the years; maybe our age is getting to us, haha. Your songs have progressive even experimental parts; do you think you will go “forward” progressive or even symphonic epic Viking metal? I can’t pinpoint exactly where we’re going towards our new album, but for sure we’ll keep the epic parts as we feel we have more to present there. We’ve started working on a new song and it will for sure be one dark piece of metal. Your songs are epic and dark, do you think it is because of your roots (Viking ones if so…)? It’s just where we want to go. We feel that the darkness is the perfect vision through which our lyrics can be presented the best. Music shall serve the lyrics and vice versa. The roots of the Vikings aren’t pure dark at all as the age of the Vikings was a period of growth but of course also strife and turmoil. Helheim choose to focus on the darker sides of the Norse Mythology since this is what we find the most interesting. Not dark as in negative, but dark as in obscure and maybe sometimes sinister. You seem to show a dark side of the Viking metal style, am I right or not? You’re down to the bone right. What is you creative process? No special thing or situation, just music in general. It’s the pleasure of creating, the need to expand your creative horizon, the urge to explore the Norse Mythology and the means to self- awareness through lyrical, musical and visual concepts. How did you get those vocalists as guests in this album? What do you think they bring to the album? As we know them all it was just to ask them basically. We feel that they bring that extra touch to the whole album and also Lindheims synths and samples. It’s all about to create the fundament and then try to find the means to reach a higher level. What do you think of the Norwegian metal scene; it seems to have a lot of groups over there? (I say that because I review a lot of northern European metal groups) I think, without being modest, it’s one of the best metal scenes in the world. I can’t explain why other than that I feel musicians over here possess some kind of strong individuality, which shines through the music. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t any other countries with good metal music. I recognize that there’s a lot of really interesting bands emerging from all over the world which actually attracts my interest more these days than Norwegian bands. What are your projects for the near future? To play as much live as possible. We’re most likely to go on tour in November together with Vulture Industries (again) and Atrox. We’re also already started to rehearse towards a new album to be recorded most likely mid next year. The word of the end is for you, what would you like to add? Thanks for the interview. Check out Kaoskult if you want some true elite Pagan extreme metal. Heathendom IS resistance !!! www.myspace.com/helheimnorway

Thursday, 17 July 2008 | 1349 hits | Print | PDF |  E-mail | Report